#I just love the scenes where someone wagers not their own soul | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

obx-writings · 4 years ago

Text

Enough is Enough

Gif from @rudypankows

AN: Hi! Here it finally is! This took me a long ass time to make and I've never written smut before so idk how it is but it was definitely fun to write! I hope you enjoy it!

JJ Maybank X Reader

Summary: You and JJ have been pining over each other for years now, constantly hurting each other without knowing. Your friends can’t stand by any longer and decide it’s time to interfere.

Warnings: SMUT!! unprotected sex (wrap before you tap guys) I think that’s it honestly

WC: 4.1k oof

___________________

It had started as a game. An unspoken game of who could break who first. You and JJ had known each other for years, the feelings between you two and the subsequent sexual tension between you rising with every passing glance, every hug, every lingering kiss to the cheek. The game however, was between John B and Kie. Which one of them could get their respective best friends to admit it first. They’d wagered a decent chunk of cash on it, Pope constantly rolling his eyes at the two for meddling. “It’s not our job to push them, they’ll get there on their own.” He’d say, but they’d just shake their heads and laugh.

Kie’s argument was that she was done watching you pine over JJ for years, your heart shattering every time he’d bring a new girl home to the Chateau, for you to listen to while he wished it were you under him. She was done with watching JJ sulk, drinking away his feelings so much he’d pick up a Touron that always had some semblance of you in them; They’d wear your signature color, they’d use a similar shampoo, or JJ’s personal favorite, they’d drink the same cherry flavored liquor at the boneyard. Kissing them always tasted like how he’d imagine you did. And John B? Well he was sick and tired of listening to JJ fuck some tourist, only to kick them out the next day, slam the door to his room, and cry.

At this point, John B and Kiara had decided that enough was enough. Their usual jealousy attempts to try and get one of you to admit it only resulted in one of you starting a fight and then not admitting as to why you were mad. John B decided he was just going to tell you what was going on, even if it meant that JJ would kill him. He had watched the two of you suffer in silence long enough.

You two were breaking each other by holding onto your feelings as long as you had, and they decided enough was enough. Which leads you to tonight. You had no idea that Kie and John B had this bet going, and you had no clue that JJ felt the same way. You washed your sorrows down with that cherry flavored liquor JJ longed to taste on your tongue so much. Kie had dressed you in her clothing, saying “You deserve to feel like an expensive bitch every once in a while!” Which made you laugh. JJ was chatting up some girl in the corner, and everytime you looked over, you felt your eyes burn with tears that refused to leave. Respectively, every time JJ looked your way, watching you dance around, sweaty and care free and absolutely beautiful, his heart panged, aching to be the one grabbing your waist, pulling you back into him, whispering the things in your ear he dreamed of doing to you when you two left. It was killing him.

As if almost on cue, John B and Kie looked at each other, determined for this plan to work. Pope took notice of this and rolled his eyes.

“You’re crazy if you think this will work.” He laughed. “You’re last six attempts all tanked bro, just give it up. They’re both too fucking stubborn.”

“Pope, they’re killing each other. It’s getting painful to watch.” Kie stated, taking a sip.

“Hey, it’s your guy’s funeral when JJ goes insane and punches you.” He pointed a finger at John B. John B just shrugged and stood up, setting his cup down in the sand, he walked over to where you were dancing with some guy who obviously was a Touron considering his Outerbanks t-shirt and bad sunburn.

“Mind if I cut in with the lady?” He asked, sending you a wink. You laughed and took his outstretched hand, not giving a second thought about the boy behind you. Dancing with John B always made you feel the happiest at parties. He knew how to make you laugh, never judged your horrid dance skills, and most importantly, he took your mind off of a certain blonde haired boy. You never looked at John B as more than just your best friend, your brother. He was there for you through everything, and you for him as well, which is why it surprised you when tonight he turned you around, his chest pressed to your back. He pulled you close, dancing against you. He leaned down and whispered in your ears.

“Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you, and know that I hate that I’m the one who’s saying it to you.” You felt a rush of anxiety wash over you. Was this where he tells you he knows you like JJ, and he doesn’t feel the same? Is he going to admit to something that you don’t reciprocate? Your mind wandered, worry radiating off of you. You nodded, and waited for your heart to break.

JJ, sitting on the other side of the beach, took notice of this. He watched as his best friend walked over to the girl he loved, sweeping her off her feet as he pulled her to dance with him. He watched as John B spun you around, grinding against you. He balled his fists and his jaw clenched. He watched as John B leaned down to whisper in your ear. What could he have possibly said that made your face red. That should be him. That should be him holding you, dancing with you, making you smile, blush, giggle, scream, all of it. He noticed when you nodded, his mind wandering. What had you agreed to? Were you about to hook up with his best friend. His best friend that he never told his feelings about. Did he deserve to be this upset at John B? JJ never told a single soul his feelings for you, thinking if only he knew, it would just go away. He didn’t blame John B for wanting you. Your carefree spirit, your infectious laugh, the way you care so deeply for others around you. He noticed when John B said something, and your beautiful eyes met his in an instant. He noticed that John B was still talking, but your eyes were glazed over, focusing on JJ’s, not paying attention to what he was saying. He noticed when you left John B’s grasp, shaking your head, tears threatening to spill over. He noticed when you backed away, turning and walking quickly up to the Chateau. He never stood up so quickly. He walked over to John B, his voice strained, slightly raised.

“What the fuck just happened, bro?” JJ asked. Kie and Pope watched the scene unfold, walking over to join their friends. “What was that.”

“I told her bro, I told her everything.” John B stated, treading carefully with his words so as to not provoke his already ansty friend.

“What exactly is everything.” JJ stated through gritted teeth.

“You know, J.” JJ went to raise a fist, not sure if he was angry at John B for telling you, or angry at himself that he couldn’t. John B grabbed his arm, pushing his back.

“You were never going to tell her, and I was so sick of listening to her cry every goddamn night over something that wasn’t even true. So go, tell her yourself. Fill in the gaps, go and get the girl, for once JJ.” John B was staring at JJ so intently, his hands bunched in the collar of JJ’s shirt. His words were harsh, and they hit JJ like a truck. Did this mean maybe, just maybe, you felt the same way about him? How could he have been so stupid to parade a string of women in front of you. JJ looked at John B, nodding, and pulling his hands off him. He looked over at Kie, who sent him a sympathetic smile. Turning on his heels, he walked up to the Chateau.

The sand under his feet shifted with every step, his heart pounding beneath his chest. What if you really didn’t feel the same? What if you were utterly repulsed by the idea of him seeing you the way he did. His thoughts raced as he pulled open the old wooden door. There you were, sitting on the couch, your head in your hands, gripping the strands of your hair tightly. The creak of the door surprised you, and you lifted your head to be met with the most beautiful shade of blue staring back at you.

“Y/N, I…” JJ started, but you held your hand up, signaling for him to stop. You stood up slowly, wiping away the stray tears that had fallen, running a hand through your hair.

“I just wanna know why. Why would you bring your parade of Touron sluts through the door, practically throwing them in my face. All I did was lay on this couch and cry my eyes out as I listened to you fuck the shit out of someone I wished was me? God! Why didn’t you just tell me?” You practically screamed. All the pent up anger had been released, and you were left with your chest heaving, trying to catch your breath. You watched as his face went from guilty, to angry within a few seconds.

“You didn’t say anything either, Y/N! You don’t get to pin it all on me! How was I supposed to know someone like you would ever go for trailer trash that is JJ fucking Maybank?” The veins in his neck were bulging out, his eyes ablaze, until they softened watching the realization cross your face at his words. “Look…” His hand came up to his face, rubbing his eyes to try and stop the tears from leaking out. “I never, in a million years thought that you would go for me, so I pushed the feelings down, drawing them in women I wished were you, and crying myself to sleep after. I fucking hate myself for it.” He was tugging on his hair at this point, walking over to the counter in the kitchen and placing his palms on the surface, his jaw clenched. His back was to you, and you walked over to him, placing a hand on his back.

“Hey, J, look at me, please.” You pleaded, and after a moment, he turned around to face you. The air between you was limited, and thick with the tension between you two. You were both heated, buzzing from the booze and weed, and high off of the mutual knowledge that both of your feelings were reciprocated. “I...look, I don’t care about what’s happened in the past. If I keep thinking about it, it’ll just mess up everything, and I have you now. And I’m so fucking in love with you it hurts.” Your hand came up to cup his cheek, his face nuzzling into the warmth of your palm. He looked at you, searching your eyes for any trace of regret for the words that just passed your lips. All he found was love, and adoration. His rough hands came up to both sides of your face, behind your neck, pulling you in.

“God, I fucking love you too.” He muttered, before his lips crashed onto yours. After a brief second of “Holy shit, JJ is in love with me too, wait, JJ is literally kissing me.” you began to feverishly kiss back. The hand that was cupping his face went behind his head to thread through his hair, tugging slightly. The action caused him to gasp slightly, allowing you to slip your tongue into his mouth. He growled slightly against your mouth, one hand staying in your hair while the other went to your hips, spinning you around so you were pressed against the counter. He bit your lip before trailing his lips down your neck, leaving hot wet kisses on the soft skin. You breathed out a few moans, feeling his arousal press against your stomach. He brought his lips up to your ear.

“God, I love you so much, Y/N.” His breath was hot in your ear, and he attached his lips back to yours a second later. He trailed his hands down your back, under your butt to your thighs, lifting you up onto the counter, stepping in between your open legs, pulling your waist towards him.

“I love you too, J. So fucking much.” You mumbled against his lips, your words getting lost in his mouth, his tongue teasing yours. His hands at your waist began to play with the hem of your tank top, signaling he wished to take it off. You pushed his shoulders back slightly, gripping your shirt from the bottom and lifting it over your head. His eyes darkened at the sight of you, clad in a simple dark blue bra. You smiled at his reaction and pulled his head back to yours, kissing him greedily. You began to pull at the hem of his top as well, beginning to strip it off, your lips only leaving his for the brief second the shirt passed over his head. Your hands trailed down his abs, your nails scratching at the skin. You felt his breathing hitch at the feeling, and he groaned into your mouth. You started trailing kisses from his mouth to his neck, biting every so often. When you got to the spot under his jaw, he moaned, and you stayed there, sucking harshly at the skin. The grip on your waist tightened, and you felt the prominent bulge of him through his pants against you again.

“God, Y/N. I need you. I need you so fucking bad it hurts.” He spoke through closed teeth, you could practically hear them grinding together. His breath was heavy and uneven, and you could tell how bad he wanted you.

“Then take me, J. It’s been too fucking long. Take me and make me yours.” He wasted no time at your words, beginning to unbutton the front of your jean shorts, his fingers fumbling slightly. Before you could even think, he lifted you up slightly, pulling them down your legs, leaving you in nothing but your underwear and bra. He began unbuttoning his own shorts, never breaking his kiss with you, letting them drop to his ankles before stepping out of them. His hands went around your back, unclasping your bra, pulling away slightly to remove it from your body. His eyes gazed hungrily at the new exposed skin of your breasts, you chest rising and falling with the intensity of his gaze. He pulled his hand around to the front of you, grazing your nipple slightly, watching as you let out a slight moan, lost in the pleasure. He leaned forward, attaching his mouth to the other one as his tongue and figures worked in harmony to cause sparks of pleasure in your lower belly.

“God, J��.feels so good.” You breathed out, lost in the moment. You felt his mouth smirk against you, before he began leaving wet kisses down your stomach, lowering himself onto his knees between your legs. His hands went to your waist, gripping your hips as he pulled you forcefully forward to the edge of the counter, hooking his fingers in your panties at the same time. He slowly pulled them off of you, teasing you with light kisses to your inner thighs. Your hand reached down and threaded into his golden hair, desperate to hold onto something. He looked up at you through hooded eyes.

“I want to taste you...I’ve wanted to taste you for years, please baby, let me.” His eyes were pleading, and his voice begging. You couldn’t resist how sexy he looked at that moment, between your legs, begging to eat you out.

“Please J, yes…” That was all the encouragement he needed, as his mouth lurched forward, his tongue instantly finding your clit. You gripped his hair harder, letting out a loud moan at the sudden sensation. It fueled him further, as he began trailing his hand from your thigh to your opening, slowly sliding a finger inside you.

“You’re so tight, so wet for me baby...tell me it’s for me…” He mumbled against your clit, the vibrations sending shockwaves through your body.

“For you, JJ, all for you…” Your eyes rolled back at the sight of his before you, messy hair, flushed cheeks, his tongue drawing lazy figure eights on your clit and his finger pumping in and out of you. He smiled at your words, adding a second finger and pumping even faster. He began to curl them each time they entered you, hitting a spot inside of you you didn’t even know existed. Moans left your mouth without warning, and you could feel that familiar tingle in the pit of your stomach.

“J…’m close…” You breathed out, your voice raspy and loose from the pleasure you were feeling. He pulled away for only a moment to speak.

“Fall apart for me, Y/N” He dove right back, working your clit with his tongue. His words were enough to push you over the edge, your head falling back, unable to keep your eyes open any longer as you felt the waves of pleasure crashing over you. You knew JJ was skilled in bed, hell you heard it almost every night, but you had no idea he was this talented at all. Your entire body was buzzing, you didn’t even register him pulling away or standing up until his mouth was on your again, letting you taste yourself on his tongue. The unfamiliar tang of sweetness was odd, but it gave you another surge of tightness in your body, and you wanted him all over again. You moaned into his mouth, bringing your hand up to the back of his neck, tugging at the strands at the base of his head, slightly damp from the activities you two were taking part in. Your other hand reached down to begin palming him through his boxers. You weren’t shocked at the size. You had seen him changing enough times to know that JJ Maybank was indeed packing down there, and your body tingled with excitement. He let out a pained groan into your mouth, making quick work to rid himself of his boxer briefs, leaving you both naked to the steamy air. Your hand made its way to his length, stroking him a few times before he forcefully grabbed your wrist, biting his lip.

“You keep doing that, Princess, and this will be over very...very quickly.” His breath was ragged and his voice rough, you could tell he was on edge. He took a deep breath before reaching his hand back up to cup your cheek to kiss you sweetly. He pulled away, looking you deep in the eyes. “You sure, baby?” His eyes were looking for any sense of doubt or disdain with the situation, but all he found was adoration.

“Please...please J, I need you…” Those words were all he needed, because the second you spoke, he grabbed your hip with one hand, using his other to guide himself into you. Both of you moaned at the feeling of finally being connected with each other. He gave you a few seconds to adjust, hooking his hand under your knee to bring your legs more around his waist, and began thrusting slowly. Your body was on fire, every movement felt like the most pleasurable feeling you have ever experienced. His hot breath was on your neck, and you were hyper aware of everything that was him; the taste of his tongue, the smell of his cologne lingering on his skin, the roughness of the calluses on his fingertips, the softness of his hair, the love pouring from his blue irises. You were completely encapsulated by everything that was JJ Maybank.

“God, baby..feel so good, you’re so good.” His moaning was the sexiest sound you had ever heard, and you knew you’d never get enough of it.

“JJ!” You gasped, feeling him hit that spot inside you again, tightening around him. His grip on your hips tightened, bruising the skin.

“Shit, do that again baby.” You did, and a string of curses left his mouth. “I don’t know how long I can last baby...I’ve waited too long...you feel too good.” You could tell by the strain in his voice he was holding back his high, trying to stick it out for you. You shushed him, petting his hair and kissing his neck.

“Let go baby, come for me, I want to watch you.” You whispered in his ear, and his head tipped forward onto your shoulder as his groan at your words echoed through the empty house. “Look at me, J. Look me in the eyes when you come inside me baby.” He lifted his head, and the second he made eye contact with you, he was done for. He released into you without a second though, riding out his high for as long as he could before his body was shuddering at the stimulation. His lip was cut slightly from how hard he had been biting it, and his pupils were blown wide from the pleasure. You grabbed his face, kissing him sweetly. Pulling away, you rested your forehead against his, catching your breath.

“Fuck, I love you. I’m so sorry I waited this long to tell you.” His words brought a calm wave over you, making you smile.

“I love you too, J. So much. And I don’t know exactly how this works, friends to more or whatever, but I know that I never want to not be able to kiss you again.” He giggled at your words, kissing you again. You were both so lost in each other, you almost didn’t notice the distant voices approaching. The rest of the Pogues were coming up to make sure you two didn’t kill each other. As soon as you heard Pope’s voice, you pushed JJ away, looking frantically for your scattered clothes. JJ hissed as he quickly pulled out of you, finding his boxer briefs and shorts quickly. You hopped off of the counter, pulling your shirt on frantically, and finding your shorts, sliding them over your legs and buttoning them quickly before the door loudly swung open.

“See, I told you they were fine.” Kie said, pointing in your direction. “Now can we leave them to sort their shit out.” She sounded annoyed that the boys had dragged her up here. John B and Pope were too busy assessing the situation in front of them to acknowledge her words. Both of you had wild, messy hair, flushed faces, and were standing at an awkward length from each other. John B noticed your bikini top sitting on the kitchen counter, your bottoms on the floor underneath it. He smirked, as Pope stared with wide eyes.

“Looks like they already figured it out.” His smug expression made your face flush even more so, not being able to look at anyone.

“You guys didn’t….on the freaking counter?!” Pope shook his head in disgust while JJ just smirked your direction.

“Wait you too...Oh my god! Finally!” Kie screamed with excitement. You laughed at her outburst, happy your friends didn’t seem to mind.

“I mean seriously, Y/N, next time you wanna hide it, maybe don’t leave your bikini sitting out...or put your shirt on backwards.” He smirked as you looked down confused, laughing at yourself. You had been in such a rush you hadn’t even noticed.

“Well, now that you guys are finally not pining anymore, can we get back to the party?” Kie said, laughing at you and your backwards shirt.

“I’m down, I’d love to show you off as my girl, babe.” JJ smirked again, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, making you blush further. You nodded as the five of you made your way back to the boneyard.

“Okay, but like, try and keep the macking in front of us to a minimum.” Pope said, looking at JJ, still scarred from almost walking in on you two going at it.

“No promises, man.” He laughed, turning his head to face you, leaning in to whisper just so you could hear him this time. “Now that I finally got you, no fucking promises at all.” You smiled up at him, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. You finally had JJ Maybank.

@heywards since you asked me to tag you bb hehe

1K notes · View notes

lostinwoods · 3 years ago

Text

A different take on SessKag relationship or why it would be more realistic than InuKag.

Let me begin with

Sesshomaru's and Kagome's past and how they are similar.

Sesshomaru had always been a very sentimental and emotionally receptive being. He had loved and cherished his dad the most. Loving and competing with him, wanting to surpass him, desiring recognition and acceptance so much so that his entire world revolved around his father. He did not want the swords because they were powerful or the bs about supreme conquest. What is that shit? Sesshomaru never needed that. The swords, especially Tessaiga was the most important acceptance to Sess. I will get back to this later.

Now Kagome. This kid was born and then we never saw her dad even when she was a kid. Another classic case of growing without a dad? Perhaps. But I feel her grandpa filled her missing dad's place. That is why the kid grew up in a lovely household, filled with love and peace and made Kagome what she was later on, a selfless girl who wants to love and protect her friends. Because that is what she learnt. Her grandpa, mom, everyone and her own family dynamics taught her how important it was to cherish the ones she loved.

What they initially thought of Inuyasha in their life

Now back to Sess. When his dad died, he dies saving Izayoi. What is the thing he feels at the time I wondered. Surely devastated? Yes, but even worse. His most important person, his goal, the thing his life revolved around was gone. And for what? To protect a weak, useless bitch like Izayoi? Here is a thing, he never knew Izayoi but knew the hut had collapsed on his dad when Izayoi had escaped. What can a teen feel when they hear such a thing? 'That useless bitch, ran away when my dad was in danger and cost him his life. Fuck that bitch and that kid they made. Useless, all humans are useless and weak.' This was really where his hatred came from. Probably.

Kagome on the other hand from the beginning was shown as a selfless kid, who loved both humans and demons alike. Reason? She had never lived in the feudal era. She was a kid grown in a society where everyone is placed on a equal pedestal. How would she, a modern kid understand the bad blood between demons and humans? If she were ever born in Feudal Japan, would things have changed? Maybe. Then she falls into a world where nothing was similar to where she was from. She was frightened, unsure and confused. And then Inuyasha came into her life. Honestly their first meeting was not romantic and pretty terrific in a sense. That was a weird day for Kagome. She fell into an alien world only heard in fairy tales, got involved in a weird prophecy, learnt she was a mythical sort of being herself and then got attacked by a guy who had saved her only seconds before, all ready to rip her heart out. In such a case, the 'osuwari' was probably a safe word for her. Why she uses it later in the series? Probably because she never trusted Inuyasha and felt more comfortable using a word which gave her power over him. Honestly, what would you expect? Kisses and love showers?

Analysis: Kagome was still scared of Inuyasha for a long time and did not trust him completely.

Before Inu no Taisho's tomb battle

Kagome before this went home and then cane back because she felt that fixing the Shikon was her duty. More honestly, she just returned coz Yura attacked and she wanted her family to be safe. Here I want to take some time to gush over how cool Kagome is. Intelligent, smart and extremely powerful. How she understood that Yura's skull was her weakness and breaks the god forsaken thing with just an arrow. That is some level of OPness. Who says Kags is useless?

Anyways, after that when Inuyasha called her 'Kagome', a lot of the viewers thought that Kagome was ecstatic because it was romantic and she was in love. But that is bs. It is not possible to love someone a week later they tried to gut your heart out. It is masochistic and unreal. Kagome over here felt a sense of acceptance from a guy who she felt previously hated her enough to kill her. And that to Kagome was a sign of friendship and more like, 'don't worry, I am not at least gonna attempt to kill you anymore.'

Kagome, inheritently a person who gives a hand when given a finger. She accepts Inu as her friend and they were far from being lovers.

It is exactly this time that Sess attacks them. And quite cruely might I say. Bringing Inu's dead mom like that was not funny and Sess was an outright jerk for doing that no matter how much he hated Inu and Izayoi. He is all weird and sarcatic at high levels. And Kags hated him. She hated how he was attacking this one friend she had made in the era. She hated how cruel this bastard was and how much pain her friend was going through. And her own lovely bond with her brother did not help her to look into their complex brotherly bond which seemed to her more like some battle royale. She probaably hated the bitch for showing up and hurting her friend like that even when he, being the older brother should have loved his younger brother and nurtured him like she would do for Souta.

For Sess, it was really weird and shitty all over. A basic human bitch, standing behind Inu like she was weak fawn. Reminded him so much of Izayoi. Someone who never even tried saving his dad. That was why his sarcastic words were like, "Inuyasha, it suits you so much to have a human behind you". Ya and he was irritated by looking at how helpless af the bitch was. He was narcisstic, filipant of Kags presence and all around indifferent to a 'weak human filthy woman', who he felt was just like the one for whom his dad died.

Surprise is how he did not outright murder her. Perhaps he felt like they were worthless and beneath his boots.

Lol, these two are the best.

Inside Inu No Taisho's tomb

Kags was really angry with this bitch who just chained her up, clawed a pearl out of her friend's eye and then jumped into a black hole. That is why she followed with, "This sort of a person, with no blood or humanity in his veins, I cannot forgive him" and then she chased. Even Inu was like, WTF bro. It was fun. Then she spouted lines like, " Take the sword Inuyasha, it will be like a hit to his pride, what a shame!"

How tf did she know about how much his pride hurt him. Lol felt like Kags knew Sess more than Inu ever would and they only met. That was some soulmate level shit right there. Lol!

Then there was Sess who was outright dismissing Kags and she was not even a spec of dust in his eyes. Then she went and pulled that sword out. Remember the scene where he was so surprised that he stopped the battle with Inu and turned around and LOOKED. Like really LOOKED. It was such a heart stopping moment and for good measures as well. He saw a girl, a woman standing there, holding an inheritance which was supposed to be his and she did something he could not. Did Tessaiga accept her then, did his father accept her more than him? He was baffled, confused and low-key awed. That was why he said, "What are you?" And legit measured her top to bottom. That was some turning point for Sess. Something that proved to him that all humans cannot be dismissed. But he was in rage. How can a mere human be worthy of Tessaiga and melted her along with that sword. I wonder if it was his second test to see whether Tessaiga would protect her or not. And then it did!

Sess went ape-shit crazy after that. A sword he desired for so long (The sword used to protect Izayoi was a thorn in his heart. Made him feel like his father had chosen a human over him. But if the sword had accepted him, it would have proved that his dad had still loved him, thought of him). That was the significance of Tessaiga to him. Power sure, but more of an acceptance. His dad's acceptance. And then what happened? The sword preferred a human who then gave it to his damned hated brother.

Aftermath of tomb battle

Kagome never really liked Sess's guts and probably had no form of sympathy towards someone like him. On the other hand things picked up with her and Inu's relation. She came to know some facts about Kik. And her inferiority complex began with her incarnate. But having a part of Kik's soul in her, began her obsession with Inu. She strived to understand him, make a better person of himself. But their relation was still not there to lovers.

Then Sess came across Naraku. He probably just wanted to dick around more with Inu and accepted the human hand.

2nd battle for Tessaiga

Sess's desire to possess the Tessaiga had increased at this point. His rage of having his arm cut off by that sword felt like the worst rejection from his dad. He was going insane and might have wanted to kill Inu for real in this fight. He was in no mood for theatrics in this one, unlike the tomb where he actually watched some InuKag drama and even applauded (lol). He was absolute business this time. He snached the sword and showed Inu exactly why he should not get that sword, 'You cannot even make the wind rift, why should you be more worthy?'

He meant to kill Inu and then Kags arrow sailed in, charging with enough power to even cancel the demonic energy filled into the sword by Sess himself.

His thoughts were for the same reason, " She canceled Tessaiga's transformation? Who is this girl?"

His respect scale jumped for her here. He truly had never met anyone who could rival his power to such extent. He had never met a girl who stood so powerfully in face of danger to protect this some half-breed scum. She was like the embodiment of everything he had hoped Izayoi to be to his dad. A strong woman who would wager her life to save the one she holds dear. Sess had learnt this fact from his dad's death. To sacrifice in name of love and then in this fight he understood how much that meant both for Inuyasha and Kagome. He probably somewhat understood what this feeling was after seeing these two.

Sess had an idea of love and protection and Kags became its centre. She was this vague expectation Sess had of human love and an absolute loyalty towards whom you love most. He felt complicated towards her. He respected her.

3rd Tessaiga battle

Sess's most sceptical battle yet. Why break the tessaiga? 'I will break it if I can't have it!' Desperate much?. Then the wind drift appears and for the first time Sess acknowledges Inu. For maybe being a somewhat worthy of having Taisho's blood, only if a little bit. He is saved by Tenseiga. Oh, how he hated this worthless sword more. This sword could not cut throught things and saves his life. What a worthless shit.

Kagome's narrative here was important. "How can he weild the Tenseiga? He needs a compassionate heart for that." Always wondered why Kags was the one to say this. But realised the reason later on.

Rin

Obviously the most controversial topic of Inuverse. What Sess felt for Rin, why was she there.

Rin has often been compared to be the Kagome version of Sess. And that is the only truth. She came in like a ray of sunshine when he was in most need. He was in self doubt, hate towards Inu and complex emotions towards Kags. And then Rin was there with the exact same face and the same warm feeling like Kags. Even he knew what InuKag were to each other then and no matter how much he respected Kags, he was not really interested in a further relation with Kags. But his deeply unsated desire to understand his dad's mentality and reason behind saving a human was what made him think of Rin. As she was his chance to understand that. His chance to understand why his dad could do that, why Inu could do that and why humans like Kags and Rin could save and love demons. It was not romantic in any sense. He had a confusion and Rin was his way towards a solution. Though it was a different fact that he loved her later on and cherished and protected her. Enough to feel that there was no meaning to his anything if she was not there.

So yes in a way, she is Kags embodiment in Sess's life, a picture of Kags selfless love. His desire to truly understand such beings called selfless humans and the result of his single minded belief of human women being trash and unable to love shattering.

And for fun just to contradict Kags speculations, for first time ever, Sess uses the sword and we viewers realise how wrong Kags was. Sess had every bit of compassion in his heart.

Later events

The events went on with Kags finally understanding her position in Inu's life and her single-minded chase to be accepted by Inu as just Kagome and not Kikyo's reflection. I do not even know if this could be called love or just a misinterpreted need of attention from someone you hold dear. But whatever, we realise Kags is in love with Inu now and still cannot stop from feeling compassion towards Kikyo. Honestly she and Sess are truly two opposite sides of a spectrum.

Sess on the other hand gets Tokijin and attacks Inuyasha. This time around, I highly doubt he was still chasing Tessaiga. It had more evolved into his need to show he is more powerful than Inu. 'What you do best, I can do better.'

Stopping Inu from transforming

In this the most debatable question was whether he was there to stop Inu or not.

Sess had wanted to see and experiment the limits of Inu's blood beast.

After some fighting, Kags jumped in. Sess stared at her, like forever. That staring tho. Even when she was like, "Stay away, you idiot." Sess stared. For Sess, that was what he admired the most in Kags. Her selfless devotion. He was staring at that fearless figure who once again surprised him by being a sacrifice to save her loved ones. She was to Sess what he had always thought of 'love' to be. She was the embodiment of the term 'love' to Sess. For a guy who knew nothing of how to define emotions, it was Kags who showed him what love was. And thus he jumped over and over again in front of Rin to protect her. She taught him how to cherish even the even the most weak individual in a group, and thus he protected Jaken.

Rin was there to show him the same thing everyday. But no matter how much Rin showed him her own loyality, love and warmth, Kags always remained that shining beam to him. I will say later on how I understood this.

Kag's love was the validity of his dad's sacrifice. A way for him to make sense of his dad's mindless death over protecting some weak human.

And in this scene for the first time ever, Kags saw Sess as more than an insufferable pest to her friends. She saw his noble ideals and realised why he was there and thus she thought, "Was he here to save Inuyasha?"

It is very curious as to why Kags was again given these lines. It was probably because her opinion mattered, to Sess it did. And we will see more why in the future.

Random encounters

There was one time when Kags saw Rin while Jaken was trying to steal Tessaiga and she had asked herself, "Why is a little human girl traveling with Sess?' It was again a small thing which she did not need to feel but was very imp. for her development towards Sess. How she started to understand him more.

Kohaku incident

Here we saw how was the first time Sess listened to Kags.

Kags opinion mattered. Inu's mattered and when he realised that Kohaku was being used he let him go. There was one reason that he did not want to be used, the next I am sure was for Kags and Inu. He knew then that Kohaku was imp. to them and he stopped. Big character jump for him.

Then the most curious fact was how Kags knew what the girl meant to him, "Please let him go Sesshomaru, the girl is fine."

Kagome: Thanks Sesshomaru!

Sesshomaru: I just never wanted to be used by Naraku and fall into his trap.

Lol...

Then after Rin left, Kags thoughts about how she had left with Sess and was awed . An important point for her change in feelings towards Sess. She understood the guy was changing and Rin was changing him.

The fun fact was how she was instantly in love with this little girl and that would become important later on.

More random events..

After that it was shown that many times Kags was the only one who could stop a fight bet. the brothers. Example that time when he fought with Inu to get some direction for Naraku. And then Kags came and told him to go north or something and he was like, "That is all I wanted to know." And left.

What is to be seen in these parts is how RT made only him and her interact like this. He listening to her like they have been friends forever.

The saving of Kanta's father was also an example of how much she affected him.

Her plea to save Kanta's dad even when no one believed and no one bothered to ask him. Tensaiga moved because he felt deeply moved by her plea. He might have never wanted to voice it but since Tensaiga only worked when the weilder felt compassion and a need to save someone. Sess must have felt it subconsciously and Tensaiga had stired. Or it had stired because it is a SessKag shipper as well. Lol!

Mukotsu

I wonder how Sess knew Kags was in trouble. Another fun fact like how he appears at times when Inu is not there to save Kags. Sess is there. Probably he knew her scent too well and hence could even distinguish between that and the poison. After that was the gruesome death of Mukotsu. The thing to notice over her was how large Sess looked in that hut doorway, it was a symbolism to how big and huge his protective self looks when he is protecting Kagome. A very romantic thing indeed. The first time he protects someone who is not under his protection. A complete selfless act if considered from his pov. Sess being a very private person and while saving Kagome showed her place in his heart. Yeah and that was very visible from how he killed Mukotsu.

The takeaway from this episode is not this though. It was the fact that Kags defended Sess. For the first time ever, all the good deeds she had seen him doing had outplayed her hatred for him. She accepeted him as a friend with these words, "No Inuyasha, he was here to protect us, he saved us." It was a completely unnecessary detail in the whole scheme of this episode but very important for Sess. Her acceptance matters, her opinion matters and Sess is a Tsundere.

Sesshomaru: I did not save YOU, I just killed him coz he did not answer me properly.

This proved how much she affects him, rattles him and how much her life means to him. And an unspoken promise to himself to protect her when Inu was not around.

Fight with Shishinki

No one ever mentions this fight. But there is a very important SK interaction in here. Something which was important for Sess. Kagome's understanding.

When Sess was lost in the same darkness of never being accepted by his dad, Shishinki made things worse by saying Tenseiga was a cast out of Tessaiga and it was given as a leftover to Taisho's least fav. son. Sesshomaru was hurt, lost, and his daddy issues, his biggest weakness was sharply opened by a knife, cruely and Kagome's words saved him.

Kagome: But there might have been a reason their dad had done this.

Kags belief that Taisho had infact not rejected Sess was like a balm to his soul, the only thing he had needed to hear throughout his life. The thing which made him accept in the end that Tensaiga was there to protect Inuyasha, the thing that was needed to sort of activate Tessaiga and then he finally formed his biggest and truest meido. It was romantic, touching and outright heavenly. Then it was made cute with Inu's awkward concern. It was the best ep. as of yet.

Kagome's deep concern and her understanding of Sess's pain was brilliant and alien level insane. She should not have, but she did and that's why they felt more like soulmates.

Battle with Magatsuhi

Sess had gone batshit crazy when Magatsuhi had hurt Kagome and that had only been worsened by him questioning Sess's honor and pride. Sess had turned full on doggy mode and lost control in that way for the first time since the tomb. And the strike at Magatsuhi's eyes was another symbolism of his revenge for doing shit to Kags eyes and mindfucking her.

RT has always thrown these small hints in between IK drama. Which are brilliant and lovely. Even that one scene where he stands protectively inbetween Kags prostrate body on Kilala and Magatsuhi. Beautiful symbolism, really.

It was also fun to see how Kags half power was sealed by Magatsuhi and Sess's half power was returned via Bakusaiga. I felt that Sess's true acceptance of his protection to Kagome and his detachment from Tessaiga was what made him the true daiyokai and surpass his father. Since somehow Tessaiga has always been linked to protecting Kagome and somehow protecting her might have also been the thing to finding Bakusaiga. The desire to protect her perhaps.

Soul mate mind link theatrics

This is something only some people realise. Sesshomaru and Kagome have been shown not once, but twice to be doing this. Once while fighting for Kohaku's life and the last shard and the other in Naraku's body. Kagome and Sesshomaru had been shown to think in absolute synchronisation. He thinks half the sentence, she completes the rest. Absolute soul mate shit.

SessKag power combo

Shown a lot of time in Inuverse. Sess attacks and Kags completes. A small thing but their timing is insane. And is defintely the best power combo, far better than an InuKag combo.

Fight in Naraku's body

This was the time when Sess finally shows what Kagome means to him. Where she stands and how much he cares for her. She is his FIRST priority. Proof? When Rin and she are in simultaneous danger, he stands there infront of Kags for God knows how long, removing those snake things like he had all the time in the world and once she is awake he is concerned about her well being.

Sess: Those wounds, are those Inuyasha's doing?

And his disappointment in Inuyasha not being able to protect Kags.

Sess: As expected of a half-demon. He lost himself in the bloodlust.

Kags obviously considered Sess to be a friend at this point. A very close friend at that. Family perhaps? Their familiarity here was not missed by anyone. Her defending Inu and then still prioritising Rin over Inu were only somethings we realised this chapter.

The most important was her belief in him.

Manga exclusive,

Kags: I believe that you would be able to do it. Do not fall into Naraku's trap and play his cards that is what he wants. Only you can do this, I know.

Wow, Kags wow...just wow... It is the best actually. She does not believe Inu in this situation but she does Sess. She believes in his protection and she knows her influence on him. This speaks volumes. This shows her unreal connection to him and how they match each other instinctively.

Sess knows her influence. This is his weakness.

The mokomoko scene was truly Sesshomaru's best confession. For him who cannot say much in words, allowed her to fly on mokomoko. Something which everyone of us know has a heavy weightage for Sesshomaru. It is his weapon, his forever companion and his support when he is injured and tired. Offering such a thing to her for whatever reason was truly his way of showing what he exactly feels for her. He cherishes her the most and I could say even more than Rin. Trusts her the most and would jump in front of danger to protect her.

Which is only seen more when he asks her to stay away from the fight because she would be a 'hinderance'. Which means he could not fight if she is in the middle. He would be vulnerable and weak. Intersting, very interesting. Another time where he stood between her and a dangerous blood beast that Inu had become.

The best part was truly him getting concerned when she fell down from the top while removing Tessaiga and then when Magatsuhi tried to possess her.

His anger was so vibrant. "Get away from her!"

What a brilliant thing to say. The possessiveness. The will to protect her. The absolute anger. Brilliant. So much was spoken in those lines.

The best ending though was the SessKag power combo of Bakusaiga and holy arrow. Best ending. Inu was not even much involved in ending Naraku. It was weird how the titular character failed in finishing the main villain with his meido. Shows a lot what SessKag meant to RT.

Big brother

Yes, the iconic scene where fans of all ships shout out that SK is not a romantic ship.

Well over here I want to say that Kagome truly saw Sess as a big brother figure at this point. Part of it was because she still felt that she was in love with Inu and part because she was not receptive to her reactions to Sess and what he truly meant to her at this point. She feels an intimate connection to him but cannot justify the weirdness because she still feels a closeness to Inu so she thinks of him as big brother. Which was a very intimate thing for Kagome to say. She loves him like family and clearly places him higher than the rest of her friends only second to Inu. That was more of a declaring her closeness to Sess rather than a confirmation of her and Inu's relationship. Kags is not a vain character who does things coz they are convinient. She would not call a friend if they are not a friend. And certainly not a big brother if she does not feel so.

Sess actually was relieved, ecsatatic and happy when Jaken informed hin of Kags arrival as was seen in his expression. Very funny actually. Because next second he was called big brother and he was hilariously ticked off. He could not believe what he was being called. Lol that interaction though. It showed how close they ended up being. Even more close than he was to his own brother.

But he accepted the title even if with much pain in his neck and then was really offended when Jaken badmouthed Kagome.

Conclusion: No one badmouths Kagome.

Haaha....end of this long analysis. I tried to analyse it from the character's pov and found some interesting small tidbits and detail that RT had hidden in this story.

Thus I felt that SK would be a more natural ship maybe not outright. Since Sess loves her truly but does not understand the nature of the relation and Kags is still too much blinded by Inu filter a.t.m. Maybe given years when Kags will realise exactly what sort of love she feels for Inu. Which will happen because such a toxic relation like IK should not exist and then she will probably see Sess's love for her.

My Conclusion: SK is a defintive. It will happen with some time and care. When both would mature. But it will happen for sure. All the ingredients are there, the stage has been set just the players have to realise what they feel for each other.

#inuyasha #anime #sesskag #kagome #sesshomaru #kagome x sesshomaru

46 notes · View notes

luxekook · 4 years ago

Text

zero gravity ✰ namseok

✰ pairing: namjoon x hoseok x reader

✰ genre: space au, f2l, angst, smut, slight crack & fluff

✰ summary: being the captain of a spacecraft is all fun and games until the only two others on board start hooking up and you start falling for both of them. it’s only natural that you act out - just a little

✰ word count: 11k+

✰ warnings: 18+, pre-established namseok relationship, mentions of throbbing disco sticks, jealousy, an unintentional viewing of dick pics, dom/sub themes (bratty sub!reader, dom!joon, switch!hobi), a bdsm club (reader watches a scene), grinding ft. jooheon from monsta x, smut (slight voyeurism, mxm, manhandling, spanking, threesome, unprotected sex (wrap it), oral (m + f receiving), double penetration, slight breeding kink)

✰ beta’d by: phia @meowxyoong | ✰ banner by: rose @jeonggukingdom

✰ commissioned by: THE LOML ATLAS @miamorjoon I HOPE YOU LOVE THIS UWU

The blinking lights from the monitors adorning the walls of the control room of your ship - The Imperial Kween - illuminate your path as you make your way towards the navigation deck. It isn’t like you to be awake at this hour; you’re usually sound asleep by 0100, tucked snugly in your soft bed within your cozy captain’s quarters. Yet, here you are at 0300 after a late night of binging Tron and Agnate Plus Eight (Tentacles).

As captain of the Kween, you are perhaps a tad bit overprotective of both your ship and your crew. You had won your ship some moons ago when you were on Xyreus - the lawless planet of the Huvian System. You had been on the run, having just recently fled the Space Force Academy where you had been a rising captain.

The Academy had seemingly been your only option as an orphan. Your years there had been heavy with intense physical, mental, and intellectual training. The strict regimen enforced by your commanders had almost crushed your spirit. Almost.

Instead, your path had crossed with Jung Hoseok and Kim Namjoon. They had been assigned to you in your last month with the Academy when you rose high enough in the rankings to begin training for captaincy. You had been designated as their tentative captain with Hoseok as your pilot and Namjoon as your first officer. Upon meeting them, you had been the perfect captain that your superiors had wanted you to be - cold, callous, calculating.

But then you had grown to like the boys. Actually, it had more so been that they had forced you to like them. With the two of them surrounding you day in and day out, your walls had crumbled. Hoseok taught you how to be happy again, how to see joy in the little things, and how to share that joy with others. Namjoon made you see other options, futures separate from the rigidity that had been the only life you knew.

It hadn’t been until you caught them whispering about wanting to leave the Academy that you realized that could be a possibility. And then that possibility became all you could think about. You had hacked into the Academy archives, taken inventory of the ships in the cargo bay, and carefully extracted information from your commanders.

What you had found was not pretty. Yet, it had also been strangely unsurprising. Perhaps you had always known the Academy was built on corruption and oppressive tactics. Perhaps you had subconsciously chosen to ignore it until you couldn’t anymore - not when such pure souls like Hoseok and Namjoon had relied on you and still do.

You had laid out your plans to Hoseok and Namjoon at the last possible second, protecting them from anything incriminating until the end. Your heart had burst when they dropped everything, choosing to follow you, to stay with you, to trust you. You think that had been when you first knew you loved them.

Sneaking out had been easy. You had been scoping out a small ship in the cargo hold, tinkering with its systems to get it set up for your escape. The hard part had been staying out. You, Namjoon, and Hoseok had barely breathed sighs of relief before you had Space Force officers tailing you. While Hoseok worked on evading their grasp, you and Namjoon had decided to direct your course to Xyreus to ditch your stolen ship and to negate any authority the Academy might try to push on you.

The three of you had spent a year on Xyreus, trading the parts from your Academy ship for a tiny apartment. The Academy eventually had lost interest in you all, probably replacing you easily. You had obtained freedom by the pen of a freelance forger who constructed new identification cards for you and your crew. And you had won your ship.

It had been a particularly eventful night. Hoseok and Namjoon had dragged you out of your apartment and to the Snake’s Den - a particularly popular club within Xyreus’ gambling district. The boys had really been into the fight scene and the rapid betting that accompanied it. You, however, had found your place amongst the card players. Your game of choice back then had been and still is Queen’s Revenge - a vicious game of strategy and deceit.

Amidst the haze of the club, you had located your people, settling into the crowded booth of players. Soon enough, you had picked your victim, a loud, obnoxious fellow from Gwexion who would not shut up about his ship. “She flies faster than any ship you’ll ever see!” He had cried, thrusting his stein of Xybrew in the air, “And she can vanish without a trace with the flick of a switch!”

You had wanted that ship. And you had gotten it.

About two hours after sitting at the table, you had made your move. “My ship for yours,” You had wagered, taking advantage of a lull in the conversation. The rest of the booth had laughed, only seeing you for your gender. Twenty minutes later, there hadn't been a sound other than the sobs of the man from Gwexion and the jingle of the ship’s control keys in your hand.

Hoseok and Namjoon had berated you for hours about your recklessness of wagering a ship you didn't have. You hadn’t cared; you had known you would win and finally be able to fly. The three of you had sold your apartment the next day, boarded your ship, and flew off. You haven’t looked back since.

Now, two years later, you’ve made quite a name for yourself across the galaxies as a mercenary of sorts. Your trade of choice? Information.

If something is going on in space, you’re likely to know about it; and, you’ll make people pay for that information to be shared or to be kept quiet. As captain of the Kween, you’re in charge of keeping the ship running - and that includes earning a profit.

Hoseok and Namjoon aren’t too fond of your enterprise of information because it often puts you all in danger. You can’t fault them for that. You know this venture is tricky, but it's also very lucrative and it often results in you screwing over bad people. So, you take that as a win.

You arrive at the navigation deck and sigh in disappointment at the absence of Hoseok who sometimes monitors the flight course during the night. Instead, you activate your ship’s Responsive Electronic Environmental Systems Engine - simply called R.E.E.S.E. for short. “Hey, R.E.E.S.E. Status report, please.”

“Hello, Captain (y/n). It is my esteemed honor to deliver a status update to you at this hour. I have been getting so lonely, you see. Usually Pilot Hoseok stays up with me, but tonight he has abandoned me for—”

“R.E.E.S.E.!” You groan. This is typical R.E.E.S.E., going off about something trivial in a dramatic fashion.

“Oh my. I have done it again. My apologies, Captain (y/n). All systems operating as normal. Shields activated and secure. Navigation set on nightly autopilot course.”

“Thank you, R.E.E.S.E.” You gaze out of the front windows for a moment; the view never gets old. Countless stars surround you with planets of every color scattered in between. Sometimes, you would see an occasional ship passing by, but right now there is not one to be seen.

You deactivate R.E.E.S.E. and head back to your captain’s quarters. Walking through the control room once more, you pass through the common quarters and finally enter the hallway containing your shared bathroom, both Hoseok and Namjoon’s respective quarters, and then your own at the end. The hallway is dim, illuminated only by the slight glow of the floor beneath you.

You move slowly, careful not to wake either of the boys.

And then you hear it.

Your first thought is porn as you pause in your tracks, standing stock still as the sounds of muffled groans and slapped skin seep through the sliver of space under the metal door leading to Hoseok’s quarters. Is he really jerking it right now, you think as you shamelessly creep closer to get a better idea of whatever - or whoever - is going down right now.

“Fuck, give it to me harder.”

Yup, that’s Hoseok all right. You place your palm on his door, dirty visuals racing through your mind. Who is he imagining? What you wouldn’t give for him to be thinking of you...

“Oh yeah, I’ll fucking give it to you hard, baby. Just how I know you like it.”

Your breath catches in your throat as you slap your palm over your mouth. Holy shit. Holy fuck. Holy hell in a handbasket. That’s Namjoon. Namjoon is there with Hoseok, fucking Hoseok.

Your imagination goes wild - as do your heart and your thoughts. How long has this been going on? How have you missed this? Are you that oblivious? Or are they just that good at hiding their relationship? Why haven’t they told you? Do they not trust you as much as they say they do? Do they think you won’t accept them if you knew?

It’s those final thoughts that hurt the most.

How is it possible that you know the intricate plans of an uprising occurring on a planet light years away, but you don’t know your only two crew members are hooking up?

You somehow manage to soundlessly continue down the corridor to your quarters. How does someone respond to overhearing the two men that you’re desperately in love with having sex? And just steps away from you at that?

All of your training never prepared you for this moment. You sit in your empty bed, gazing out the large window that takes up the majority of your quarters’ back wall. Emotions roll over you like waves. Arousal. Grief. Shame. Longing.

It isn’t that you are upset at them for being with one another. If anyone in the galaxies deserves love, it is Hoseok and Namjoon. You are more upset with yourself for naively thinking that they might have had feelings for you, that they might have loved you back.

There had been that fateful night at a bar on Xyreus when the three of you had gotten just a little too drunk on Xybrew and had fooled around. You still remember the feeling of Hoseok grinding into you on the bar’s tiny dance floor, his hands wandering across your body, driving you insane. You still remember the taste of Namjoon’s lips as he pushed you up against the wall of the small alley behind the bar, his fingers digging into your ass as he pushed his hips into yours. You still remember how Hoseok watched you with fire in his eyes as Namjoon sunk to his knees and—

Fuck, you can’t go there. You can’t revisit that memory because it only ends in disappointment.

“A drunken mistake,” They had called it the next morning before you could get a word in edgewise. “A threat to our crew’s dynamic.”

What a joke. It turns out that their only regret must have been including you.

Your mind wanders to all of the small moments over the past few years. The hugs, the tender looks, the things that had made you question whether they actually felt more for you after all turned out to be just signs of friendship.

With all these thoughts heavy in your mind, you eventually fall into a restless sleep.

The next morning comes all too soon as you find yourself going through the motions of everyday life with much less enthusiasm than normal. You’re drained, both from your lack of sleep and from the onslaught of emotions that still riddled your body.

And so when Hoseok greets you in the ship’s kitchen with that beautiful smile of his, you can barely get your lips to even turn up slightly.

“(y/n), are you okay?” Hoseok’s eyebrows are drawn together and he looks concerned.

You sigh, grabbing the pot of coffee and pouring yourself a cup. “Yes, I’m fine, Hoseok. I just didn’t sleep very well,” You eventually answer him, refusing to meet his eyes and choosing instead to gaze into your coffee like it might tell you how to behave right now with the knowledge you gained last night.

Obviously, it does not. You only see your distorted reflection gleaming back at you from its brown depths.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hoseok pouts, making his way over to your side, “Is there anything I can do?”

You try in vain to ignore the affect his proximity has on you as you flick your eyes across his form. Hoseok is tall and lithe with delicate features and the most beautiful heart-shaped smile you’ve ever seen. Though he may look slight, you know the lean muscle that lies beneath his oversized t-shirts from the early mornings you catch him roaming around shirtless and half asleep. You have first hand knowledge of how well he can move that body from the late nights at the clubs on Xyreus. You know how well he f—

Nope, not today. Instead of going down that dangerous path, you choose to be the little shit that you are when you feel like you are at a loss. “You can share your secret on how to be so well rested, Hoseokie,” You say, your eyes laser-sharp on his expression, “You’re practically glowing this morning.”

Hoseok’s cheeks flood with color as he laughs lightly and replies with a slightly wistful look on his face, “Maybe someday, (y/n).”

You let out an unamused huff, which only makes Hoseok laugh again. You glare at the happy boy and then stiffen as arms wrap around your waist, tugging you back against a warm body. “Morning, (y/n),” Namjoon murmurs into your hair, his fingers leaving a blazing heat on your skin as they drag across the swell of your hips.

He turns your body around to face him, and you hesitantly bring your gaze up to his. God, he’s just as beautiful as Hoseok. Namjoon’s height had been the first thing that you noticed about him in the Academy. The second had been his dimples. You have been a goner for him ever since.

Your eyes drift up past his strong thighs to his tapered waist, his toned chest, his tanned neck, and finally to rest on his warm brown eyes. “Hi,” He grins, those godforsaken dimples popping out to greet you, too.

“Hi,” You manage to reply, your heart constricting painfully in your chest.

Always too smart for his own good, Namjoon catches your mood immediately, “What’s wrong?”

“She didn’t sleep well,” Hoseok comes up next to Namjoon, throwing an arm around his shoulders. His frown is prominent as he stares down at you. Namjoon’s expression quickly matches Hoseok’s as he brings his hand to cup your chin, lifting your face up to look at you.

“Baby,” He murmurs, “Were you dreaming of that damned place again? I thought that had stopped for you.”

You bristle under the weight of their inspections and from the pet name you now know means nothing. Namjoon is, of course, referring to your recurring nightmares from the Academy, and he is also inadvertently giving you the perfect excuse not to come clean about the real reason for your fitful night.

And so you nod as best you can with Namjoon’s hand cupping your chin, and the boys exchange a long look. Hoseok turns to you, “Go rest today. Namjoon and I can handle things. Okay, lovely?”

You turn away, forcing Namjoon to drop his hand. “I need to plan out a potential deal on Naroxu,” You mutter in disagreement, “I’ll be fine.”

“Naroxu?” Namjoon bites out, “(y/n), we talked about this.” You pinch the bridge of your nose between your fingers. Sometimes it feels like you're not the captain of your own ship. And it is exasperating.

“You know what?” You grab your coffee, brushing past the boys, “I think I will go rest after all. Don’t disturb me, okay?”

“But (y/n)—!” You leave them in your dust. Of course you should have realized they would have a problem with Naroxu. It’s a planet just as lawless as Xyreus, but it’s focus is more on the carnal sort of chaos. You aren’t unaware of the dangers that lay within the pleasures on Naroxu; you’re just unfazed by them.

Apparently, Namjoon and Hoseok feel differently. Your boys can argue with you about anything in the name of “safety”. You’ll definitely need to make certain that you’ll have a foolproof plan which leaves them with no room to argue. But, that is a bridge you shall cross another day...

A few days later, you realize that you definitely must have been oblivious to the relationship occurring right under your nose. There are signs of it everywhere - in the way they speak to one another, in the way their eyes linger, in the way their hands brush as they pass each other by.

You have not dared to venture out of your quarters late at night ever since that fateful discovery, but that doesn’t help. Your thoughts are constantly plagued by the sounds of their desire, their intimacy. Your mind conjures images that you can’t forget. You crave that. You want to be part of that passion with a desperation you have never felt before.

And so, you have accordingly descended into internal chaos, choosing to throw yourself into your plans instead of joking around with Namjoon and Hoseok in the common quarters like you usually do in your spare time.

They know something is up. It’s not like you haven’t spent almost three full years together. Knowing each others’ tendencies and habits is second nature. Well, clearly that knowledge has excluded intimate relationships - at least for you.

The tip of your pencil snaps under the strength of your grip; and, when you look down to assess the damage, you sigh. All you have written down so far is: “Plan A: Go with Joon and Hobi. Plan B: Go without Joon and Hobi if they don’t like Plan A.”

Pushing your desk chair back, you stand and stretch out slightly. The rest of the logistics for the meeting are set. Now comes the hard part - convincing the boys to come along. It’s not that you can’t go alone; it’s that you feel better knowing you have two people watching your back, no matter how frustrating they might be.

Walking out of your quarters, you make your way towards the sounds of laughter and low voices coming from the control room.

“We really do have to tell her soon, Hobi.” You hear Namjoon say as you draw closer. Are they talking about you?

“I know, Joon. I’m just scared. I don’t want to lose her friendship.” Hoseok’s voice is small, barely above a whisper.

“You won’t, baby. Just think of how free we’ll be to share our love…” Your ears strain to hear them now, even as you get closer.

“...Leaving her.”

Your feet stop in their tracks. Leaving? Are they really thinking of leaving you? Your body sags against the wall, sliding to the floor. What would you do without them?

You guess you could recruit a new crew, but no one could replace Hoseok and Namjoon. Not when they’ve been with you through everything. Not when they’ve accepted you for who you are. Not when they’ve become your life.

You allow yourself to sit for a moment. And then you collect yourself, shoving your useless emotions down to the pit of your stomach. You just need to move forward and enjoy every last second with your boys before they go. Because they would leave you, and you would let them go because you love them.

Standing, you make sure to make louder footfalls then normal to alert Hoseok and Namjoon of your incoming presence. Sure enough, the minute you step into the control room Hoseok tackles you in a hug.

“(y/n)!” He picks you up and swings you around, “I’ve missed you, lovely!”

You laugh despite your lungs being constricted by his tight embrace, “I saw you last night at dinner, you fool.”

Hoseok sets you down and jokingly pouts down at you, “But that was so long ago! You left me all alone with this one.” He juts his thumb out at Namjoon, “And you know how he can get.”

“Not as well as you,” You mumble under your breath.

“What was that?” Namjoon narrows his eyes, focused on you from his nearby stance leaning against the wall. His arms are crossed over his chest, the sleeves of his dark t-shirt straining against his biceps.

“Nothing,” You smile sweetly at him. “Hi, Joon, nice to see you, too.”

Namjoon stares at you for a moment more and then sighs. Walking over to you, he pulls you close, “It is really nice to see you, baby.” That blasted nickname is going to lower you into an early grave. Indulging yourself with a short hug from Joon, you pull back and decide it's time to get down to business.

“Alright, let’s go over the plan for Naroxu.”

“(y/n)!” Namjoon shoves a hand through his hair, “I thought we scrapped that idea. That planet is on our ‘no-go’ list!”

“Naroxu is dangerous, lovely,” Hoseok’s wide eyes bore into you, “Please think this through.”

“You scrapped the idea,” You say to Namjoon, “I kept it. Besides, that ‘no-go’ list was all you and Hoseok.” Turning to the boy you just named, you continue, “And I have thought this through. Extensively, Hobi. Don’t worry. I’m a big girl, I can handle myself, okay?”

You can tell they are getting pissed; but honestly, so are you.

“We know you’re a ‘big girl’.” You do not appreciate Hoseok’s use of air quotes, but you allow him to continue because you’re gracious like that. “But there are tons of bad people on Naroxu who would love to chew you up and spit you out - physically and metaphorically speaking.”

“Gross, Hobi,” You scoff. “And before you both cast judgement, why don’t you give me a chance to explain the plan? You don’t even know who I’ll be meeting for gods' sake.”

The boys exchange a glance. “Fine,” Namjoon bites out, “But this won’t change my mind.”

Obviously, you think to yourself. Trying to get Joon to change his mind is like trying to get R.E.E.S.E. to delete the overwhelming amount of data she has dedicated to some group of musicians from Earth. Impossible, but you would always try anyways.

“Okay, so the contact that I’m meeting on Naroxu is Joohoney—”

“What?!”

“Joohoney from Monsta X?!”

“Oh my gods, will you let me finish?” You roll your eyes to the ceiling and plead with any higher power to help you find patience, “Yes, Joohoney from the Monsta X clan. How many other people in the galaxies go by that name?”

Hoseok opens his mouth to answer, and you cut him off, “That was a rhetorical question, Hobi.” He blushes, bottom lip sticking out slightly.

“Anyway, we’re going to be meeting up at this space BDSM type sex club called Throbbing Disco Sticks. I’ll tell Joohoney what he wants to know, he’ll pay me, and we’ll bounce. Got it?”

You get nothing but silence. Looking at them, you notice the tightness of Namjoon’s jaw and the darkness in Hoseok’s gaze.

“Oh, now you want to be quiet?” You push them, “Well, you can both stay here. I made a separate plan to go alone so—”

“Not happening,” Joon grits out, moving closer to you. “We made a pact, (y/n). Or have you forgotten?”

“Together or never,” Hobi recites and you almost laugh. It’s absurd that they bring this up when they had just been talking about leaving.

“Fine,” You shrug, “Then we leave at 2200. Hope you have something tight to wear.” With that, you stalk out of the control room. Their shouts follow you.

“Tonight?!”

“(y/n)!”

You grin. Maybe this will be fun after all.

Update: it is not fun after all. You only have twenty minutes left to get ready and you’re panicking. You had just made the mistake of asking R.E.E.S.E. to bring up pictures of Throbbing Disco Sticks and immediately had regretted all of your life decisions.

Is that why they named that club what they did? You think both you and R.E.E.S.E. are scarred from the unexpected amount of male genitalia that the search produced. Only after you add the addition of ‘Naroxu club’ do you get the results you’re looking for - mostly.

You had just wanted some guidance on what to wear. Instead, your thoughts are now full of images of chained leashes, silk ropes, and dark rooms with blinds raised to welcome an audience. You wonder what sort of things happen in rooms like that and if you’d ever get a chance to try those things out.

Your tablet beeps, alerting you of your upcoming meeting. Taking one last glance in the mirror, you assess the way your tight leather pants accentuate your body and your slightly sheer black crop top hints at your lack of bra underneath. Still, your outfit is missing something… You think it over as you tug on your pointy black steel-toed heels.

Ah, you stand and make your way over to your trusty jewelry drawer. Of course. Carefully pulling out your body chain from its place, you drape it around yourself. The chain clasps around your neck and then falls lower between your breasts, settling around your waist. The coldness of the metal causes you to shiver, but the way the crystals embedded in the silver glisten as you turn to admire your final outfit makes it worth it.

You keep your makeup minimal - just a red lip and a slash of black eyeliner. You want to blend in, not make a statement.

Finally, you tuck the map outlining the information Joohoney wants into your back pocket. Any bag you might bring would be searched, so you can do without one.

You take one last calming breath and make your way down the hall to meet the boys. “Hoseok, Namjoon: Are you ready?” You call as you don’t see any sign of them out in the common quarters.

“Coming!” Hoseok’s voice calls back to you and then he emerges from his quarters.

You have to use all of your might not to let your jaw drop. It seems like he also had searched up what to wear because he looks like he stepped right out of the pictures you had seen just a half hour ago.

Hoseok is wearing tight dark jeans tucked into black combat boots that buckle up to the middle of his calves. What he isn't wearing is a shirt. Instead, a deep red leather harness is strapped across his chest with a silver hoop in the middle.

Did he just have that harness lying around? Gods save you.

While you are busy ogling Hoseok, you fail to notice him doing the same to you - so much so that he doesn't move an inch from his spot until Namjoon bursts out of his own quarters and bumps right into him.

At this point, you begin to sweat because Namjoon looks just as lethal as Hoseok in his light jeans, a black leather thigh harness, and a completely see through tight mesh t-shirt. You watch as he fiddles with the two leather cuffs circling his wrists.

“Hoseok, what are you doing?” Namjoon scowls, dropping his hands to his hips. Hobi says nothing and just points in your direction.

“Why are you pointing at me?” You huff, “Don’t blame me for being an idiot and just standing there practically waiting to get hit.”

Namjoon stalks towards you, eyes blazing into you as he takes in your outfit. “Change,” He orders.

He’s giving you orders? A burst of heat flares within you that you try to classify as anger but fail miserably.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Joon,” You fold your arms across your chest. Hoseok chokes as he comes up to stand next to Namjoon who is suddenly all up in your face.

“Go. Change.” Namjoon’s voice is deeper than you’ve ever heard it.

“No.” You stand your ground. Why is he trying to dictate your clothing choices anyway? He’s not your father or your boyfriend - not that you’d let either of those people tell you what choices to make with your own body.

Namjoon turns to Hobi, who still hasn't uttered a word to you, and says lowly, “Go set the course to land on Naroxu.”

Hoseok practically runs off in the direction of the navigation deck. You gape after his fleeing figure and then turn back to face the fuming Namjoon.

“Listen,” You shove your finger into his admittedly toned chest, “I don’t know what has gotten into you, Kim. This outfit isn’t even that bad. Besides, you’ve seen me naked before. Remember?”

“You’re really going to ask me if I remember.” Namjoon’s face is inches from yours. His scent wraps around you and you have to collect yourself for a second. His eyes drop to your lips for a second so brief you believe you imagined it. “You’re really going to ask me that as if the image of your body isn’t burned into my memory and as if every single time I close my eyes I don’t see you.” Namjoon takes in a shaky breath, “And so, (y/n), I’m begging you. Please go change. Not for you, but for me. And for Hoseok.”

You’re at a loss as your brain scrambles to make sense of the words Namjoon just spoke. Okay, he does remember... So, is he mad that it happened? Or is he mad that it only happened once? Must be the first, you think. He has Hobi, after all.

“Maybe you two should stay back,” You suggest, patting Namjoon’s chest comfortingly, “Then you won’t have to look at me while I look like this. I’m sorry it brings up bad memories.”

Namjoon looks completely baffled, “What? What the hell are you talking about? Stop trying to get us to leave you alone!”

“Please,” You laugh without humor, “Like I have to try.”

This time, Namjoon just looks pissed. “Baby, that’s the second comment like that you’ve made today. And I’m getting the sense that you have something to say. So why don’t you just say it?”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He is so onto you.

Namjoon’s presence looms over you, making you feel so small. Your gaze drops to the floor, “I don’t have anything to say.”

“You’re lying. Hm, what a bad girl.” Your head snaps up, eyes wide as you try to slow the pounding of your heart and the increasing pressure between your thighs.

“Do you know what happens to bad girls, (y/n)?” Namjoon croons, eyes dark and locked on yours. You don’t even have the ability to respond, and so he just continues, “They get punished.”

A small whine bursts from your throat before you can stifle it back down. Namjoon’s smile in response is predatory.

“(y/n)! Namjoon! We’ve landed! Oh—”

You and Namjoon turn to stare at Hoseok whose face shows a whole number of emotions in the blink of an eye. Hurt. Confusion. Lust?

All of a sudden, the ship feels too hot, and you need to get off. Ducking around Namjoon, you head towards the ship’s main door. You can hear them murmuring behind you, but you ignore them.

You need to get your shit together. It’s not good to get distracted on a job. It’s even worse to get distracted before said job even starts.

Practically punching the exit button, you tap your foot and wait for the door to open and the ramp to descend.

“(y/n),” Hoseok calls to you, “Slow down! We need to talk to you!”

“No time,” You reply, stomping down the ship’s ramp. Barely taking a second to appreciate the beauty that is Naroxu, you power forward through the landing site. Ships of all kinds surround you. The night sky is a dark inky purple and Naroxu’s famed twin moons shimmer with swirls of silver.

“Then make time!” Namjoon’s growly response sends a shiver down your spine that has nothing to do with the crisp night air. You increase your pace, heading towards where you hear thumping music and peels of laughter and murmured conversation.

“Namjoon, you of all people should know that’s against the laws of physics,” You retort as you finally burst through the end of the landing site and into the crowded street dotted with neon signs and vendors of all sorts.

“She’s so infuriating!” You hear him spit out behind you to Hobi, and you can't help the smile that winds its way across your face. At least you aren’t alone in your anger.

Finding Throbbing Disco Sticks is the easiest part of your night. You simply follow what looks like cylindrical sticks of shimmering glass mirrors spinning from atop a building. There’s a line that winds its way from the club’s doors and down the block. You quickly realize that your outfit is on the conservative side and grimace. You settle for tying your crop top higher on your waist so it hits right below your breasts. This is the best you can do.

“(y/n)!” Hoseok gasps from beside you as he realizes what you’ve just done, “Why are you torturing us like this?”

“Not this again,” You groan and decide that - fuck it - you’re going to name drop to bypass the line. It’s totally tacky, but you’re desperate at this point. Ignoring the hecklers amongst those waiting, you come to a stop in front of the two burly bouncers who are clearly Naroxuin natives with beautiful lilac skin and curling silver horns.

“Can I help you, little lady?” The slightly taller one addresses you, and you immediately swoon at the depth of his voice as it flows off his tongue like chocolate. Damn these sexy Naroxuins…

“I’m meeting an old friend,” You flash them your best smile, “And he doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Would you be able to let us in?”

Blinking your wide eyes up at the two bouncers, you watch as they exchange a short glance and then turn back to you. “Who’s your friend?” The other bouncer asks you, his sharp eyes assessing your figure.

“Jooheon,” You say, shrugging, “He usually goes by Joohoney.”

Their eyes grow large. “We didn’t know Joohoney had a pet,” The first bouncer comments, eyes flicking over your form, “But then again, you are quite delicious, aren’t you?”

A hand slips around your waist and grips it firmly, while another settles on the small of your back.

“Oh, does Joohoney share?” The second bouncer grins, his eyes turning to crescent moons as he stares at the hand digging into your hip. “I never would have guessed. Keep me in mind, would you, pet?”

“Oh, shut it, Jimin,” The taller bouncer laughs, “Like she’d ever pick you over me.”

“Fuck off, Tae,” Jimin glares, stepping aside to let you through. “Have a nice night, pet. You know where to find me.”

“And me!” Tae calls, laughing again as Jimin shoves him.

You move along, shaking your head at the oddity of that encounter.

“I thought you were supposed to be keeping a low profile!” Namjoon hisses over to you as soon as you’re out of earshot of the two bouncers.

“Yeah,” Hoseok mutters, “Flirting usually doesn’t fall under the category of ‘low profile’.”

“Oh my gods,” You tug out of their holds, “I barely said two words to them! And I didn’t realize that flirting at a sex club would be completely out of the ordinary. Wow, lock me up!”

“Don’t fucking tempt me.” Namjoon’s response is immediate. Your breath hitches as he corners you close, “Now, go finish your little mission and we’ll settle this back on the ship, baby. And, believe me, it will be settled.”

Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit. You watch as Namjoon tugs Hoseok further down the corridor towards the main club area. “We’ll be watching!” Hoseok calls over his shoulder and shoots you a look you’re not even sure you want to interpret. And you can’t - not when you have a meeting to attend.

After grabbing a non-potent drink from the bar, you make your way around the crowded club. The dance floor is packed full of people of all shapes, sizes, and skin tones. You even see a few Uyiths with their glowing gold skin in the far corner, practically providing light for their whole area.

The majority of the clubbers here seem to be experienced in the lifestyle. Many are collared or are the ones leading the collared. Others are unclaimed and waiting to be approached or to approach. You, however, are just trying to not be propositioned for the fifth time in the past fifteen minutes.

“Well, aren’t you exquisite,” A low voice murmurs from your left.

“Not interested,” You say, sipping your drink and wishing you weren’t on a job so you could have something stronger.

“Your loss,” The man shrugs in your periphery before slinking away. At least this one had not been pushy like the last. You had to threaten to remove his balls using just the tip of your stiletto to get him to flee. You are so over it.

Hopping off of your barstool, you decide to explore the rest of the club while you wait for Joohoney. You try to ignore the heat from the two pairs of eyes glued to your every move. And then you duck into the dim hallway that you know leads to the individual rooms full of sin.

The first few have their blinds closed, much to the disappointment of your curiosity. However, the fourth room is fully on display. Only two others are gathered in front of the glass, paying close attention to the activities occurring on the other side.

And what activities they are… You peer through the glass at the sight. A man is tied to a St. Andrew’s Cross, his arms and legs straining against the cuffs as a woman dressed in only a leather bustier runs her finger teasingly up and down his shaft. A second man lays beneath her, his face buried between her legs. Your attention returns to the man restrained.

What had he done to deserve such painfully pleasurable punishment? Had he done it on purpose?

As if he feels you staring at him, the man’s head lifts up and he meets your eyes. A small smile forms on his lips as he raises his chin to acknowledge you.

The woman turns to follow his gaze and raises an eyebrow at you. She hooks her finger in your direction, beckoning you to come inside. Almost subconsciously, you listen. But before you can take a step, a hand catches your wrist and tugs you back.

“What are you doing, lovely?” Hoseok’s voice jolts you from the scene that had captivated your attention. The woman in the room eyes you for a second more and then shrugs, returning to her other playthings. “You weren’t really thinking of joining them, were you?

“And so what if I was?” You reply petulantly. You cast a glance around you, noticing that the other couple watching had since disappeared and that there is no sight of Namjoon. “Where’s your other half?”

“My other half?” Hoseok’s nose crinkles adorably as he thinks, “Oh, you mean Joon? He’s taking care of something.”

Your eyebrows shoot up your forehead, “He’s taking care of something? Why does that sound so sinister, Hobi?”

“It’s nothing to worry about, lovely,” Hoseok grins and then glances over your shoulder at the scene you had been watching. “Fuck, that’s hot.”

You, of course, turn immediately. The man is still tied, but now the other is sucking his dick as if his life depends on it while the woman watches with a small grin on her face. She holds a small device in her hand and is fiddling with its buttons. Then you notice the glimmering jewel that winks back at you from the ass of the man kneeling.

“It is… What do you think is hot about it?” You ask, as the tied man moans, throwing his head back and baring his throat.

“All of it. The way she commands the room, the way the men please her, the way she tortures them. I don’t know who I’d rather be,” Hoseok lets out a small laugh, shoving a hand through his tousled hair, “Do you?”

“I’d want to be tied up,” You blurt out before you can stop yourself. Hoseok’s breath hitches in his throat as his hands come down to clench your hips.

“(y/n), lovely, I’d want to see that, too,” His eyelids are heavy as he stares down at you. One of his hands travels lower on your body, palming your ass slightly.

“H-Hoseok,” You gasp, your back arching into his touch.

“Goddamn, lovely,” Hobi moans, “I thought I might never get to hear you say my name like that again.”

Your thighs clench as you vividly recall the memory not unlike this when Joon had eaten you out against the back wall of the club and then Hoseok had slid into you and fucked you until you couldn’t walk. You definitely had cried his name more times than you could ever count.

And this makes you so confused. Does this mean he had been wanting to hear you moaning his name again? That makes no sense considering he’s sleeping with Namjoon and planning to leave you.

Hoseok must read the thoughts on your face because he sighs, bringing your hand to his lips. “Later,” He promises - of what, you don’t know. He presses a kiss to your knuckles and then disappears back into the crowded club.

“Well, that was quite a show,” An amused man emerges from the shadows, “Just when I thought you might join the Mistress with Suga and Jin, you get caught up in another. How delightful.”

Sighing, you stick your hand out to greet your contact, “Hi, Joohoney. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Joohoney’s dimples flash at you as he grins and you internally melt. God, your thing for dimples is getting out of hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, too, pet. Please, call me Jooheon.” His hand grips yours firmly as he takes you in. You pay him the same regard, eyes wandering over his black long sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up his forearms. His shirt is tucked into slim fitting black pants and cinched with a belt that looks like it could also double as a harness. He looks expensive as hell.

And then what he says registers to you.

Groaning, you tug your hand out of his and grimace, “That wasn’t my fault! The bouncers just assumed, and I didn’t think to correct them.”

Jooheon’s grin turns wicked as he stares you down, “Oh, I’m not complaining. You can be my pet anytime you want, (y/n)…” He not-so-subtly flexes his wrist where a black choker with a silver ring in the center is wound around it twice, “This would look pretty around your neck, wouldn’t it?”

You struggle to find a response, your mouth opening and closing as you blink at the absurd turn your night has taken.

“Ah, don’t answer that. Let’s dance,” Jooheon smiles sweetly down at you like he hadn’t just asked to own you in every sexual way possible.

So you agree, nodding slightly, and then he whisks you onto the dance floor. The music thumps through you as Jooheon drags you into the throng of the crowd. Looking around you, your eyes fall on your boys.

Hoseok and Namjoon are wrapped around each other, their bodies pressed together, hips grinding to the beat. Their eyes are both on you, their gazes absolute and piercing. Namjoon grasps Hoseok closer to him, his hands drawing the other boy further into his crotch.

Are they really doing this right now? In front of you? While staring you down?

And so when Jooheon grabs your own hips to pull you back into him, you let him. The response from Hoseok and Namjoon is immediate. Namjoon’s nostrils flare as he watches you begin to shift your body in time with Jooheon’s. Hoseok’s tongue presses against the inside of his cheek as he glares over your shoulder.

“Looks like we’re making some people mad, pet,” Jooheon laughs, his lips brushing your ear. “Are you with them?”

You lean your head back to respond, “Technically, yes. They’re my crew.”

“Well, then why does your crew look like they want to fight me for putting my hands on you?”

“Oh, they’re just protective,” You reply, “They’re in a relationship anyway, as you can see.” You wave a hand over to where Hoseok and Namjoon are murmuring to each other, almost seeming to be mirroring you and Jooheon.

The motion of your hand recaptures their attention and you swear the movement of Namjoon’s lips produces the harsh phrase of ‘I’m gonna destroy him’.

You’re almost certain that Hoseok and Namjoon are about to blow your entire deal; you cannot have that happen. And so, you turn to Jooheon and ask if you can make the trade now. Luckily, he agrees and leads you through the crowd towards a door beside the bar along the far wall.

Before you step over the threshold, you turn back. Hoseok and Namjoon are steps away from you, looking pissed. And then you let the door fall shut behind you.

The trade deal goes down fairly quickly. You tug the map out of your back pocket; Jooheon places a few stacks of currency on the table. You count it first, of course. This isn’t your first space rodeo.

Thankfully, Jooheon is true to his word and has the full amount ready for you. You then unfold the map you had drawn and begin to explain it in detail. “So the Alravi are planning to attack the Wyxian border here, here, and here.” You point out the spots you had starred. “My informant is certain they will strike at 0400 in two rotations.”

A scoff meets your ears. One of Jooheon’s partners stands. He’s handsome and tall with full lips and sleepy eyes. “How do we know that this information is even legit, Joohoney? She could be making this up.”

Jooheon shoots you a look and you step towards the skeptic. “Well, Chae Hyungwon,” You purr, “I can guarantee that this information is as real as the tattoo of your mother’s name on your left asscheek.”

Hyungwon turns fuschia as Jooheon cackles, “Is that true, Wonnie? Do you have that?”

“Yah!” Hyungwon glares at you, “It’s not a tattoo of my mom’s name, it’s a tattoo of my ex-girlfriend’s name! It’s not my fault they happened to share the same one.”

Jooheon wipes tears from his eyes as he hands you your money, “Please, pet, call me for a trade anytime. This has been the most fun I’ve had in months.”

“Will do,” You grin, sliding the money into your pocket. It barely fits, but you don’t care. It always feels good to secure a bag.

You wave at Jooheon and his crew as you exit the small room and re-enter the crowded club. No further than two steps out of the door, you are thrown over someone’s shoulder.

“Hey!” You pound on your assailant’s back, “Put me down!”

“Shut it, (y/n),” Comes the growled reply.

You still for a second in an attempt to process what the hell is happening. “Joon?!” You cry, “What the fuck! Where’s Hobi?”

“Here.” Hoseok’s voice comes from behind you and it’s devoid of any of its usual amusement.

You curse, trying to wiggle out of Namjoon’s hold.

Thwack. Your ass stings and you gasp. Heat floods through you as you realize that Namjoon just outright spanked you in the middle of a crowded club - in front of Hoseok.

Damn you for even thinking a deal at a sex club would go well. No one even paid the three of you any mind as Namjoon sauntered out of the club and into the night with you hitched over his shoulder and Hobi trailing behind you both.

You even hear the laughing comments of the two bouncers from earlier as they yell over to you...

“Have fun!”

“Come back to visit, pet!”

You flip them off, but sadly Hobi obscures the gesture from their sight.

“I can walk, you know,” You mumble, thoroughly put out by your situation.

“Yeah, we do know, (y/n),” Hoseok scoffs, “You walked away from Joon and I just fine a few minutes ago. What happened to having one of us in the room with you?”

“I can handle myself just fine,” You retort, turning your head to assess how much further you’re going to be left hanging. You’re probably almost at your ship if you had to guess. “Plus, it was good practice for when the two of you leave me.”

Namjoon halts in his tracks and slides you off his shoulder and onto the ground. You wobble a bit from the blood rush, but he steadies you.

“What did you just say?” Namjoon’s voice is deceptively soft, his hands grip your biceps firmly. You can feel Hoseok behind you, his breathing hard.

You snap. Honestly, you’re a bit shocked it took you this long when you’d been feeling like you might crumble for days.

Your eyes glare back at Namjoon as your lips curl into a sneer, “Yeah, I know you’re leaving me, just like I know about you and Hobi. So why don’t you drop the act like you actually care about me and fuck off.”

Namjoon’s eyes are wide as they stare down at you. Hoseok seems to have stopped breathing altogether and a slight whine sounds from him.

“Hoseok,” Namjoon says, “Bring her to her quarters while I set the course.” He steps around you and stalks towards your ship which is only a few paces away.

“Come on, lovely,” Hoseok grabs your hand but you just shrug him off. A flash of hurt crosses his beautiful face and you almost cave and hug him close. But you have to be strong - just like you always have.

You march forward, heading up the ramp and onto your ship. Hoseok closes and locks the door behind you; the ship lifts off immediately.

Laughing bitterly, you head towards your quarters with Hoseok in tow, “What’s the big rush here? Can’t wait to start your own life together without me?”

“(y/n), please. Let’s talk about this,” Hobi begs, for what you’re not sure. The quiet desperation you hear in his words almost drains the fight right out of you, but you’re in too deep to stop now.

“What’s there to talk about?” Your words sting with bitterness as you enter your room, “I know you two don’t love me, and I get it. Who would? You and Joon deserve a better life. I’ll be fine without you just like I was before you came into my life.”

Hoseok shoves a hand through his hair as he gazes sharply down at you, “Lovely, no. Don’t say such things.”

Angrily wiping away a traitorous tear, you sink onto your bed. Just when Hoseok looks like he’s about to say more, Namjoon storms in. He takes one look at you and Hoseok and sighs deeply. “What are we going to do with you, baby?”

“She thinks we don’t love her!” Hoseok cries.

Namjoon blinks and then approaches you, “Is that what you really think, (y/n)?” He bends down, his face level with yours from where you sit on your bed. Hoseok sits beside you, and you watch as his hand slowly inches towards yours.

You tug it out of reach. “I know you don’t love me, Joon,” You shrug, “And that’s okay. I’ve always been alone; it's what I know best.”

Namjoon shares a long look with Hoseok and then he turns back to face you, “Baby, how did you get these ideas in that pretty head of yours?”

Your anger boils back up, “I got them from you!”

You spring up, standing toe-to-toe with Namjoon, “If you really want to leave to be “free to share your love”, don’t let me hold you back. After all, I’m just a drunken mistake, aren’t I? Just a nasty little hiccup in your relationship. Just a painful memory that makes you cringe. Don’t you realize how much that hurts me? I fucking love you and you both can’t stand the sight of m—!”

Namjoon’s hand grips the back of your neck as his mouth slams onto yours. Your mind blanks as you gasp, his tongue sliding over yours. You kiss him back. Your hands wind up his chest, feeling his skin burning through the flimsy mesh of his shirt. You feel another pair of hands grip your hips and that jolts you enough to come to your senses.

“Wait, wait, wait,” You pull your mouth away from Namjoon’s, “You can’t just kiss me and touch me like I’m yours when I’m not.”

“But, lovely, you are,” Hoseok tugs you back into his body and places a light kiss on your neck, “You always have been.” His mouth feels hot as it sucks gently on your skin, undoubtedly leaving marks in its wake.

“I-I don’t understand,” You stammer, trying to wrap your head around everything that’s going on. “I thought you were leaving me. I thought you were ashamed of that night on Xyreus. I thought you didn’t want me when you so clearly want each other.”

“For someone so smart, you sure draw some dumb conclusions,” Namjoon mumbles, his hands cupping your face carefully. “Number one: the conversation you overheard was about how we agreed that we would never leave you.” Your breath hitches as you feel Hoseok’s hands slip around your body to toy with the hem of your crop top right under your breasts.

“Number two,” Namjoon continues, recapturing your gaze, “We are ashamed of that night on Xyreus. But what we’re ashamed of is how strongly we came onto you, how we were so sure we felt more for you than you felt for us. We couldn’t lose you. If we scared you off with how much we loved you - and still love you - we would never live with ourselves. And so we cut it off.”

“You love me?” You breathe out, “Both of you?”

“So much, baby,” Namjoon looks down at you like you’re the most cherished thing to him.

“So, so much,” Hoseok growls in your ear, nipping at it slightly. You shiver, your body pressing back into his. You feel his cock hard against your ass and you press back even further, craving some kind of friction. “Fuck, lovely,” His head falls to your shoulder as he grinds into you.

“Hoseok,” Namjoon’s tone is hard and full of warning. It sends a rush of heat straight to your core.

The other boy groans but pulls back from you just a bit. You frown at the loss.

Namjoon notices and rolls his eyes, “How did I forget that you’re just as insatiable as him?” Before you can even retort, he continues, “Number three: yes, Hoseok and I want each other; but, we also want you. We talk about it all the time. How your pussy tasted on my tongue. How you felt around Hobi’s cock. How it might feel to fuck you at the same time…

His eyes are dark, his pupils so dilated that they encompass his irises. “I think about that, too,” You bring a hand up to hold one of Joon’s as he still cradles your face. “I think about how it would feel to be between the two of you as you pound into me, using me for your pleasure.”

“She almost joined a scene tonight,” Hoseok blurts. Your eyes widen as Namjoon’s eyebrows raise.

“Is that so, baby?” Joon murmurs, one of his thumbs brushing over your lips. “What drew you in? Hoseok and I can give it to you in any way you want; you just have to ask.”

Your thighs squeeze together as your walls clench around nothing. Of course, Namjoon’s observant eyes miss nothing and he quirks a small smile.

“I liked how they pleased their mistress,” You gasp out, “How they touched each other to make her satisfied. I want to do that. Let me do that for you.”

“Fuck, baby,” Namjoon groans, “You want to please me? Fine. Strip - both of you.”

Hoseok immediately sets on unbuckling his harness. Meanwhile, your hands shake too much to be able to unclasp your body chain.

“Leave it on,” Namjoon slips a finger under the chain between your breasts, “I’ve been dying to see you in this and nothing else.”

“But my shirt—!” Your protest is cut short as Joon grips the collar of your top and rips it straight off. “Namjoon!” You berate, shooting him a dirty look which he definitely doesn’t see since he’s staring at your half-naked body like it’s the sun in which he revolves around.

“So goddamn beautiful.” Just as you think he’s going to touch you, he backs off. “Hobi, take her pants off, and then I want to watch you make her come.”

Hoseok moves to stand in front of you. You stop breathing as you take in his bare body - his cock already hard. He sinks to his knees in front of you, hands winding their way up your calves, your thighs, your ass. Hobi slowly tugs down the small zipper on the side of your pants and then pulls them off you.

He lets out a moan as soon as he realizes you aren’t wearing underwear. How could you have in tight leather pants?

“You dirty girl,” Namjoon’s words reclaim your attention as you look up at him. He’s sitting in your desk chair, legs spread wide, making no move to hide his arousal. “Now keep your eyes on me when Hoseok fucks you with his tongue.”

You let out a moan both at Namjoon’s words and at the first brush of Hoseok’s tongue on your aching pussy.

“Gods, Joon,” Hoseok growls, “She’s so wet, so sweet.” His tongue flattens as it drags down the length of your folds before circling your clit.

You’re panting at this point, and when Hoseok lightly kisses your clit and sucks it into his mouth, your back arches. You grind your hips shamelessly down onto Hobi’s face, craving more with a desperation you haven’t felt before.

Your eyes never leave Namjoon’s as he speaks to you in a low voice, “Fuck yeah, baby. Ride his face. Does it feel good?”

“So good,” You moan, hands winding into Hoseok’s hair as he slides his tongue inside you.

“Do you think you deserve to come, (y/n)?” Namjoon questions, his fingers steepled in front of his face as he leans forward. “Even after the stunts you pulled tonight on Naroxu?”

“Y-yes,” You answer petulantly and then jolt as Hobi spanks your ass. Your walls clench automatically around Hoseok’s tongue and he moans, the vibrations make you squirm. The pleasure builds and builds inside you, coiling in the pit of your stomach and spreading across your body.

You murmur Hoseok’s name like a mantra as your fingers dig into his hair, holding him against your pussy.

“Stop.” Namjoon’s voice cuts through your impending bliss. Hoseok draws back and you whine at the loss of contact.

“Joon, please,” You beg, “I’m so close!”

“I want to feel you come around my cock, baby,” Namjoon walks over to you, “Can you do that for me?”

You nod furiously, and he smiles, his dimples peeking out at you. “Good girl.”

You watch as Namjoon strips, taking in the sight of the thickness of his thighs, the hardness of his cock.

He kisses you swiftly and then turns you around. “I want you on all fours, baby. Go on,” Namjoon squeezes you ass and then pushes you lightly onto the bed.

You shift onto all fours, all too aware of how much you’re on display for them. And you feel yourself getting even more turned on.

“Damn, Joon, look at that pretty little pussy,” Hoseok groans, “It’s all ours. She’s all ours.”

You feel a finger slide into you. “Babygirl,” Namjoon groans, “When I wreck you, I want you to suck Hobi off, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” You pant, needing them both so bad.

Namjoon chuckles darkly as Hoseok gets into position in front of you. He barely settles before you lean down to taste him. Your tongue swirls around the tip and then you take him into your mouth.

You feel Namjoon’s finger slip out of you only to be replaced by the head of his cock. As he eases into you, you groan around Hoseok’s length, making him twitch.

Namjoon slowly begins moving in and out of you. “You feel so nice, baby,” He murmurs, gripping your hips, “So hot and tight around my cock.”

You clench around him and Namjoon moans, “Fuck, baby, if you keep doing that, I’m gonna come too soon.” You clench again, because you’re a brat.

Thwack. Namjoon’s hand comes down hard on your ass and stays there, kneading the sting out slowly. His pace picks up. His cock slamming into you, his hips grinding into your ass with each thrust. Soon enough, you’re hurtling towards the edge once again. You release Hoseok from your mouth; and instead, you focus on moving one of your hands up and down his shaft as you lap at his tip.

You feel yourself gripping Joon tightly as you move your hips back to meet each of his thrusts. “You gonna come, babygirl?” Namjoon spanks you again as his other hand reaches around your body to rub your clit.

You come with a scream, your vocabulary erased to the point where you only know the names of your lovers. Namjoon continues to pound into you, carrying you through your orgasm.

But still, you’re not satisfied. “Hoseok,” You peer up at your sunshine, “I want you inside me, too.”

“Lovely,” Hoseok sighs, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to your lips, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” You nod emphatically, shaking your ass slightly.

Still inside you, Joon groans, “We’ve unleashed a monster, Hoseok. Go grab the lube from your room, yeah?”

“Why? I have some,” You point towards your bedside drawer. “It’s in there.”

Hoseok opens your drawer and curses, “Lovely, have you been fucking yourself with these toys?”

“No,” You retort, getting up from your bed and ignoring the noise of protest that Joon makes when he slips out of you. “I just stare at them for the aesthetic, Hobi.” You move him aside with your hips as you grab the lube from its spot.

Hoseok bites down on your neck. “Such a brat,” He mumbles into your skin as he kisses the mark he just made.

They don’t know the half of it... You grin, “Now, are you both going to fuck me? Or should I go back to take those bouncers up on their offer?”

No sooner had the words left your mouth than Namjoon grabs you, wrapping your legs around his waist and sinks his cock back inside you. “You think that’s funny, baby?” He growls into your ear, “You’re not even going to remember their existence when Hobi and I are done with you.”

You moan as you feel Hoseok’s finger teasing your ass, getting you ready to take him. The coolness of the lube sends a shiver down your spine as you eagerly anticipate being full of both your boys. “Please, Hoseok,” You whine, desperate for him. You grind your hips down onto Joon as best you can, and when you feel the first gentle touch of Hoseok’s cock against your hole, you throw your head back so it rests on his shoulder.

Hoseok sinks into you inch by inch, torturously slow. You’re panting now as you are stretched around the two of them.

“Gods-fucking-damn,” Hobi moans, his hips meeting your ass as he bottoms out inside you. “Joonie, I can feel you. Gods, you’re so tight, lovely.”

“Please,” You cry. You need them to move, to fill you up with their come.

And when they finally start moving in and out of you, you think you might be ascending into the astral plane. Namjoon’s mouth lowers to suck at your nipples. Hoseok’s hands roam around to flick and play with your clit. You’re so overwhelmed by the multiple sensations, your hands digging into Namjoon’s hair, holding him close to you.

“I’m gonna come,” Hoseok whines, his forehead dropping to your shoulder, his hips stuttering as he chases his high.

“Me too. Come with us, baby,” Namjoon orders, his own voice straining as he shifts your legs up higher to get deeper inside of you.

Tears stream down your cheeks as his cock hits that spot inside you, and you’re coming. Your walls clench down around both of their cocks, milking them. Their cum fills you up with warmth as your pussy continues to pulse around them.

“Oh, lovely,” Hoseok sighs, his voice breaking as he thrusts shallowly in and out of you, riding out his orgasm.

“You’re so perfect, baby,” Namjoon places light kisses all over your chest, “You were made for us.”

You can’t even find words as they eventually pull out of you. Cum drips down your legs as Joon sets you down. You watch as Hoseok swipes at it with two fingers and then brings it up inside you. “Want you to be full of us always,” He says, placing a swift kiss to your lips.

“My heart already is,” You murmur, your lips twitching as Hoseok groans at your cheesiness.

“Baby,” Namjoon sighs, his arms wrapping around you, “That was terrible.”

“Please,” You roll your eyes, “You love it.”

“Yeah,” They reply, “I guess we do.”

#bangtanhq #ficswithluv #networkbangtan #btswriterscollective #btswritingcafe #hyunglinenetwork #kwritersworldnet #bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #btsnoonanet #ksmutclub #houseofddaeng #namseok #namseok x reader #namjoon x reader #hoseok x reader #poly bts #bts smut #bts fanfic

1K notes · View notes

chroniclerdl · 3 years ago

Text

Seven Fundamentals to Writing Better Yu-Gi-Oh Duelfics

Ever wanted to write a duelfic just as good or better than canon?

Done right, duels are memorable action scenes.

Done wrong, duels shatter the suspension of disbelief. It’s already a big ask to imagine the world revolving around a card game.

You don’t want the tragedy where your readers yank the scrollbar past your duel, or worse, close your tab. Even the small pool of duelfic readers/writers like me will skip huge chunks of your chapters when the duels sag.

By implementing basic storytelling techniques tailored to dueling, you can hook your readers into following the play-by-play.

High Stakes

Consistent Rules

Sneaks Checked

“Balanced” Gameplay

Foreshadowing Victory

Engaging Description

Dramatic Tension

1. High Stakes

When you advertise your story as a duelfic, your first duel tells readers whether or not what you wrote is worth their time.

If your characters duel without a concrete reason to rip the opponent’s throat, readers already know the outcome:

You lose.

Why? The game is pointless. Who’s dropping whatever they’re doing just to read the equivalent of your characters sipping afternoon tea? If you’re introducing the setting and characters, why can’t you introduce exciting threats?

No reader expects your first duel to decide the fate of the world, but your characters still need to bet.

Characters wager life chips.

If your character loses, they suffer death or suicide-inducing despair.

Is it too much to start with life-and-death? No. Think of the life chip as the culmination of hopes and dreams.

As the story progresses, the stakes will rise, must rise. How? Others will entrust the main characters with their own life chips, and/or the life chips acquire additional meaning. Consider this loose analogy: at the end of a poker tournament, gamblers sit at the final table with stacks built from the chips of others.

Life chips mean different things to different characters. Let’s take the Duelist Kingdom arc.

Yugi’s life chip is the hope to save his grandfather (and later, his own soul)

Joey’s life chip is the hope to win the prize money to fund his sister’s medical operation

Kaiba’s life chip is the hope to save his little brother (and later, his own soul)

You don’t even need your final showdown to revolve around the fate of world; it just has to be one or more things that matter to your characters.

Also, make sure to communicate the stakes, or why the characters accept uneven bets.

If you have the chops, you can also play around with disguising the stakes. As in, your character thinks they’re wagering something small, but it’s actually their life chip. However, your readers still need a vague reason to believe that a defeat will devour the character.

Always make sure the characters stake one or more life chips!

2. Consistent Rules

If you watched the Duelist Kingdom arc and tried to understand the moves everyone made, your head exploded.

Ask yourself: will the clever scheme that your hero invented drive readers crazy?

If I write a magic system that requires a wand, this applies to all. I cannot become a genius and suddenly wave my hands to cast magic.

Demonstrate the rules early, preferably in the first duel, and keep them sacred.

If you must make an exception, establish it early. In that case, the exception becomes a well-defined branch of the rules that the readers can anticipate.

Can the players magically draw the card they need, whenever they want?

If you can establish the when and why, by all means. The readers proceed with the understanding that the players can reach into their deck like a glorified toolbox.

For example, Duel Links has a concept called “skills” that function like a player’s special ability. At the time I wrote this, Yami Yugi’s “Destiny Draw” skill lets the player take any card from their deck once per duel after losing 2000LP (and even if they stacked the top of the deck earlier!).

Card should also have the same, predictable effect. If the card prevents attacks, I doubt the text discusses physical properties or mentions holding things in the air. But you knew that, right?

The rules are the laws of the universe.

3. Sneaks Checked

I love duels. I also love getting what I want.

Why does getting what I want have to be through a duel?

If we talk, maybe we can come to an agreement. If I blackmail you, maybe you’ll give in to my demands. If I shoot you, I can loot your corpse. Give the readers a good reason as to why your characters would bother with the hassle of honest dueling and can’t wiggle from the consequences of losing.

Often, the duel takes place in the context of a tournament. Hopefully, the tournament officials are keeping a good eye on the players and cracking down on cheaters.

However, even that’s not a guarantee. What’s the key concept?

Power.

The competitors have equivalent capacity for coercion (usually violence) or have a neutral referee presiding over the match with the most capacity for coercion (shoutout to gambling manga Usogui).

Anyone who enters a game otherwise has lost before the first move.

In Yu-Gi-Oh, magical and sci-fi enforcement are common. The Shadow Realm can trap the loser in a desolate hell. In a digital world, the loser suffers deletion. Or just have good tournament officials.

Be vigilant when your duel doesn’t call upon these tropes.

Your amoral characters won’t mind blindsiding your other characters, and they won’t mind blindsiding you with a plot hole.

If you’re not careful, the readers will ask you why they played uncharacteristically fair.

4. “Balanced” Gameplay

Duels should be fair and fun…for the villain.

Ostensibly, everyone plays a balanced game, designed to give both sides a sporting chance. In reality, the villain tilts the field to their favor with one or more tricks up their sleeves. Why would your villain ever fight fair?

But that’s fine. We love rooting for the underdog and watching the villain get their comeuppance.

Overpowered ability to let the villain read minds? Deck full of unbalanced cards that makes the villain’s monsters invincible with no drawback? Creator who knows every strategy in the game? Readers will turn the page as they wonder how the hero will prevail.

The more obstacles you can throw in the hero’s way, the better.

Got custom cards? No problem, just follow a couple guidelines. After all, some duelists are more equal than others.

The hero’s deck is full of regular cards that have a cost to use. For every play they want to make, their cards insist that they give up their attack, discard to play, etc.

The villain’s deck is full of rare cards that power up their game for free. So long as you can justify why the card made it to print, the villain can play whatever they want.

For every step your hero takes, the villain gets two.

5. Foreshadowing Victory

How many times have you watched a duel where the protagonist comes up with this never-before-seen card that does exactly what the protagonist needs to clinch the win? In the final showdown, no less? It’s like the writers begged to be called amateurs and idiots.

No other genre tolerates such laziness.

However, readers don’t want an infodump of the characters’ decks. Show the cards in action. To cover the deck, you'll probably need multiple duels.

This also implies you have more freedom in how your character defeats their early opponents in the duelfic.

Does that previous statement contradict what I said about never-before-seen cards clinching the win as the mark of laziness? No, because here’s the rule:

Tolerance for the hero’s new cards decreases as the story progresses.

(Notice that I specify the hero’s new cards; your villains exist to make life harder by inventing unfair tricks.)

When you must include new cards for the hero late in the duelfic, at least find a way to make them first backfire.

Now, some writers have lots of knowledge about the card pool and metagame. Can they assume the readers a priori know the hero has access to any of the available cards in a given archetype?

I’d err on the side of caution and properly foreshadow the cards before they appear late in the duelfic. Not every reader is a walking card database. They have no reason to assume something exists unless you show the card.

Take the tolerance rule into consideration when planning your duels. If you know the awesome combo you want to use for the final turn in the duelfic climax, that’s your cue to scatter the cards into the earlier duels.

Plan the last duel first and your early duels last.

6. Description

Every reader wants a front-row seat to the action.

They’re paying you their time, so make it worth the admission: sleek combatants & budget-busting fights. Kaiba invented Solid Vision technology for a reason, so help readers envision your duels.

Who’s fighting? Describe the point-of-view’s impression of the monsters’ appearances. Red-Eyes Black Dragon should be self-explanatory.

What about a decorated monster like Time Wizard?

You could go into detail about how the red clock humanoid has yellow gears that form epaulets and purple, pointy boots and a green mustache made from clock hands and so on, but such a level of minutiae bogs pacing and invites skimming.

Readers just need to hear about a purple-caped, red clock humanoid with a wand to form an image. Their imaginations can handle the little details.

Paint appearances in broad strokes and one or two brief sentences.

How are the monsters fighting? Duel Monsters is a game where the target takes the aggressor’s attack like a champ. That doesn’t mean you can’t spice it up.

For example, my opponent’s dragon attacks my weaker knight with a fireball. My knight, interested in not dying, raises his shield. Unfortunately, he screams as the flames engulf him.

You wouldn’t just stand still with a straight face if someone armed with a knife lunged for your gut.

A fight scene is a string of action and reaction.

Most people also experience life in more senses than just sight.

A dragon’s fireball is a bright reddish-orange, hot, dries the air, smoky, and explodes with a boom on impact. I never tasted a fireball, and I hope I never do, but that’s still four senses: sight, touch, smell, and sound.

Include multiple sensory details.

Let’s spare a moment to talk about the heads-up display (HUD).

In Yu-Gi-Oh, cards have multiple stats and abilities. You’re free to mention whatever you deem necessary. No set formula exists. On one extreme, you can mention nothing to keep the narrative clean at the risk of confusing the readers. At the other extreme, infodumps about the monster’s abilities provide great detail but wreck the pacing. But there’s a cozy middle.

State only what you need from the card.

If your duels occurred before the era of Synchro, you don’t need details about levels. You can just display the basic stats to determine the stronger monster. If a deck has Pendulum monsters, just mention the scale numbers when they're played as scales. And so on.

You can also make an index of new cards at the end of a chapter.

BONUS TIP! Understanding show, don’t tell.

What is show, don’t tell? At its core, this concept refers to immersing your readers in the senses and feelings instead of exposition. Unfortunately, that definition is a bit vague to execute. After writing for a while, I had my lightbulb moment.

Don’t TELL the readers how to think or force-feed them a conclusion.

SHOW your readers the evidence.

Here’s a written example from Joey vs. Rex in Duelist Kingdom. See if you can spot what makes this prose telling instead of showing.

“Joey watched nervously as Two-Headed King Rex stomped Baby Dragon. He messed up his Baby Dragon-Time Wizard combo!”

You can see two failures: “nervously” and the second sentence.

Adverbs like “nervously” and other “-ly” friends get a bad rep because rookies tend to use them as telling crutches (especially beware adverbs after dialogue tags!). “Nervously” tells me how Joey reacts. But what does “nervously” look like? One character might bite their thumb. Another might fidget in their seat. The adverb in this context lacks nuance.

We also have the second sentence: “He messed up his Baby Dragon-Time Wizard combo!” When you’re explaining the “why” to something, you’re telling. It’s like talking down to your readers.

Contrast with the next example.

“A bead of sweat rolled off Joey’s face as Two-Headed King Rex stomped Baby Dragon. He stared at the Time Wizard in his hand.”

The first sentence shows me Joey’s physical reaction. I see him sweating, so I think he’s nervous.

We also see a second physical reaction: “He stared at the Time Wizard in his hand.” This comes on the heels of the first sentence, and I also have knowledge of when Joey used the Baby Dragon-Time Wizard combo in a prior duel. Combined, I think Joey is ruminating about a missed chance.

Readers are smart; they’ll catch your intention if you show the proof.

7. Dramatic Tension

I bet you know what it's like to draw a bad hand.

Imagine: The hero staggers into the arena, and the villain just needs to win one duel to take over the world. The villain draws a bunch of powerups with no monster, but the hero draws a one-turn-kill combo.

Anticlimactic. The readers throw that duelfic straight into the trash.

Don’t just write real-life duels. “It really happened” doesn’t mean it’s emotionally satisfying.

That’s why we have literary structure.

Success and setback pace together with progressive intensity to maximize dramatic tension and emotional payoff.

I’ll spare the nitty-gritty theory detail, but your duels should look like this on a basic level:

Part 1: Villain’s basic threats. Introduces the villain’s deck and style.

Part 2: Villain’s minor strategy. The villain’s first serious attempt to defeat the hero.

Part 3: Villain’s major strategy. The hero’s reversal! But the villain has worse in store.

Part 4: Hero’s imminent defeat. The hero must break through, or else will instantly lose!

Ideally, you’re also integrating the story itself into the duel; themes and duels synergize to create a stronger effect.

You may notice how the format resembles the three-act structure.

Act I is Part 1

Act II until the Act II midpoint is Part 2

Act II midpoint until Act III is Part 3

Act III is part 4.

I’ll use Yugi/Pharaoh vs. Pegasus in Duelist Kingdom as an example.

Part 1: Mind scan. Pegasus can read minds to counter combos.

Part 2: Toon World. Indestructible, cartoonified monsters attack.

Part 3: Shadow game. Toons destroyed! But playing a shadow game weakens Yugi.

Part 4: Yugi passes out. The Pharaoh must find a new way to stop Pegasus’s mind scan!

Figure out each part of the structure for your duels before writing the turn-by-turn plays.

By the way, modern real-life Yu-Gi-Oh duels don’t suit drama because the rules provide weak constraints to creating strong boards. A good modern deck usually establishes a scary turn one board and jumps straight into Part 4, whereas other card games like Magic: The Gathering and Hearthstone force the powerhouse cards to wait several turns until the player builds the mana to pay costs.

You can still write a good modern duel. Here’s a basic outline of Arc-V’s duel between Sora and Shay. Technically, “tragedy” is the structure of this duel, so I’ll make Shay the “hero” to flip it and keep matters simplified.

Part 1: Basic monsters. These clash before a monster appears from the Extra Deck.

Part 2: Frightfurs. They come one after another to crush Shay’s Raidraptors.

Part 3: Sora’s wrath. Rise Falcon survives! But Sora’s malevolent nature comes to light.

Part 4: Frightfur Chimera. Sora chomps candy and summons his biggest fusion horror!

If following the four parts is too difficult for you, that’s okay. They're just logical extensions of one basic concept. Keep the following in mind, and you’ll never go wrong:

The villain’s subsequent threats become increasingly overwhelming.

Conclusion

Much of writing a duel boils down to storytelling technique.

Let’s tl;dr the main takeaways.

High Stakes: Minimum ante is the life chip, worth a character’s hopes and dreams.

Consistent Rules: Everyone plays by the same logic.

Sneaks Checked: Characters can’t skip the duels with violence and coercion.

“Balanced” Gameplay: Villains enjoy advantages.

Foreshadowing Victory: Readers have a chance to predict the winning combo.

Engaging Description: Immerse senses and invite reactions.

Dramatic Tension: The villain makes progressively stronger threats.

As a duelfic reader/writer, I can gauge a writer's ability by measuring their duels with the fundamentals. Many fan writers struggle; even the canon writers struggle.

But writing a duelfic isn’t rocket science. With practice, minding the fundamentals will become second nature.

And don't forget to tag your story as a duelfic. It's a whole genre in fanfic, so sort it properly and help readers from the future find you.

May the heart of the cards be with you.

…

Want to see in-depth examples of my advice? I rewrote the Orichalcos arc to reimagine its untapped potential without the failures of the canon presentation. You can find it on FFnet and AO3.

#yugioh #ygo #yugioh fanfiction #yugioh fandom #fanfic writing #duelfic #writing #writing tips #writing advice #writing help #how to write #listicles

19 notes · View notes

spidermanifested · 4 years ago

Text

remember when i said in my post about how bido is unappreciated that id talk about why greed/bido is a good and important ship but thats a whole other post. well This is that post

the first and most important reason that greed/bido is a good ship is very simple and that reason is Bido Was In Love With Greed The Whole Time And Nobody Noticed?????? how come nobody noticed. i mean SOME people noticed but nowhere NEAR enough people noticed

when greed compliments bido for successfully proving that alphonse is just a soul bound to a suit of armor, he blushes and acts very flustered and happy. unfortunately this scene is not animated in either show (bido talking to greed is changed to be over the phone in 03, and in brotherhood the scene just gets skipped, HOWEVER theres a single shot of bidos face in one of greeds flashbacks that shows him blushing and looking directly at the camera. ie at greed)

also in the manga his first thought when the military shut down the nest was to worry about whether greed SPECIFICALLY was okay (i used this page in my other post as well but its important)

and in brotherhood he was shown to have actually followed greed through the sewers during his fight with bradley but could only watch from his hiding place as greed was defeated and taken away; remembering this is what gives him the determination to hitch a ride to central to look for him

did i mention he went all the way to central to find him!!! clinging to a MILITARY TRUCK no less. as a very obvious chimera if he had been found by any of those soldiers it would have been horrible for him and every other time we ever saw bido faced with danger he ran away from it. but he was brave For Greed. he went into the labyrinth under central For Greed, and didnt try to escape until he was convinced greed wasnt there. and when it turned out he WAS there (and had lost his memory and had been trying to kill him) he immediately dropped his guard and walked closer to him because that was greed and he trusted him despite everything that had just happened. in the manga he grabs onto greeds coat as he dies and it is just about the saddest thing ive ever seen in my whole life

and then of course greed starts physically shaking because what he just did was so awful his body knows he fucked up before his mind even remembers Why it was fucked up and he cradles bidos body in his arms and screams. unfortunately if we are to acknowledge bido as the gay icon he was, we also must acknowledge that he was buried

(by all rights bido SHOULD have survived. where is the fanfiction where he survives fullmetal alchemist fandom or are you too busy writing the same royai-gets-married-and-has-babies fic over and over again. actually never mind i greatly prefer that to all the pedophilia. but thats another Other post, that unlike this incredibly niche topic some other people have almost definitely made before me)

the thing about grido is you could make a huge tragic thing about it being unrequited and frankly thats Fair, greed does not seem one to settle down in a relationship and bido likely has a lot of self worth issues that would prevent him from confessing his feelings. but you cannot deny that greed cared about him. he praises him, he pats him on the head (!!)

he COMPLETELY breaks down after he realizes he killed him. bido was so important to greed, as were the rest of the chimeras of course but i think theres a valid argument to be made that bido in particular was special to him. theyve got a few things in common actually that i find interesting:

both like to just chill on roofs??? when greed is in lings body he sometimes just hangs out on top of a roof. bido does this too

they could have hung out on roofs together.......maybe thats why greed likes to be up there. because he hung out with bido on roofs a lot. please consider this possibility

both of them are accidentally rude to children. the same children in fact

greed is like 200 and looks 30 while bido is middle-aged and people think he is a baby for some reason?????

okay this is just straight up a headcanon and has no actual basis in the text or subtext of fma but I Think Bido Is Trans and was cast out by his family in his youth and greed would understand that experience!!!! having left his own terrible family because they wanted him to be someone he wasnt

and then there are the differences:

greed is very outgoing and bido is mostly pretty anxious, though he has outbursts of confidence; that might be because greed being nice to him has built up his self-esteem (the way he calls himself cool/awesome when he escapes from the elrics, directly followed by greed complimenting his skills, really makes me think this is the case)

one is tall and lean........the other...is short and fat....... i know its cliche but let me have this

bido overthinks things. greed is a jock. with their powers combined they can do things at a mostly reasonable pace (as long as bido doesnt just go along with whatever greed wants which is probably most of the time what happens)

bido is outwardly inhuman and weird-looking but is incredibly caring and hard-working and loyal and sweet. greed is the sexiest motherfucker alive but hes literally the personification of a deadly sin and at his core he is technically just a rock made of pain. but below these layers both of them want the exact same thing which is to care about others and be cared for in return

also you know that post about how ships between immortal people and super young adults (or worse, teenagers) are OUT and instead we should have stories about immortal people dating 40-something accountants. bido is the 40-something accountant. except not an accountant. you know what im getting at though hes an Established Adult

and bido DESERVES it, he deserves to be loved by the person he cares about more than anything, he has been through so much and gotten nothing but pain and he needs something good for a change!!! and greed DESERVES someone who will love him with all his heart and make him feel wanted no matter what. just, listen to me okay, they would make each other so happy

so!!! there are MANY reasons this ship is interesting and a million different ways you could go about exploring it and there is just NONE of it out there. for some reason the chimera that gets shipped the most with greed is dolcetto (though ive seen martel as well) and i think that is probably because they are more attractive to people (and also id wager more than a few dollars people simply see a dogman and his boss and go wild for the petplay angle). like you dont see any greed/roa either and thats very telling since roa appears with the other two almost every time and nothing about him is different except hes older and not as. pretty i guess???? in my humble onion hes hotter than either dolcetto or martel but thats neither here nor there

the important thing about bidos relationship to greed is that he might not have been transmuted with an animal with a strong sense of loyalty, but he didnt NEED to be, to be loyal to greed. he loved him entirely because he was human. and in the end he did the most for him out of any of the chimeras. unfortunately it was via dying but through the power of imagination we can collectively ignore that and pretend both he and greed survived, and greed went back to his original sexy, sexy body, and they made out on a roof for several consecutive hours. thats how im coping at least. thank you so much for listening to my unhinged rambling about lizard man who dies of fullmetal alchemist (gay edition)

#fullmetal alchemist (fullmetal alchemist)#bido #fma greed #grido

32 notes · View notes

kendelias · 3 years ago

Note

🎬 + declan!!

a’ight so im doing this a little differently than the others - im essentially doing this as if conan gray was the voice of declan rather than a live action actor. this is mostly bc the idea of anyone other than steven yeun portraying keith hurts my soul a little bit LKFNKNGK so unless someone somewhere looks like or can capture the essence of keith kogane, the ultimate comfort character, i have decided to look away.

how they’d be introduced: this is kind of a sporadic answer - while there is a lil bit of declan in the very first episode and in some flashback, he’s not formally introduced until season six with the other mfe fighter pilots!!

who the fandom ships them with: i mean im biased to declan/keith but declan is a whore so ig i don’t fault them for multishipping. that fandom was a shipping mess so here’s a short list in order of most to least likely: acxa, fish, viv, james, lance, leifsdottir. but honestly probably everyone bc that fandom was on Crack.

why the fandom loves them: declan is def a jerkass with a heart of gold. he acts tough but he’s a total sweetie; he really really loves his friends and family, and it’s clear that he’s a good person despite the assholeishness he may sometimes present. his dedication to keith is incredible, and he really portrays how the world kept turning even while the paladins were gone. he’s a really cool character, and it’s his relationships that ground him and make him feel real and easy to love.

why the fandom hates them: let’s be real - the kl/nce (censored so it doesn’t end up in their tag not bc i don’t like it!!) fandom would hate him as a “random” keith love interest (even though it was built up throughout). he’s also kind of a bitch skldnkfkln like i love him (and i gave him this trait from my own personality so it’s okay), but he’s kind of possessive and if he gets jealous or envious of someone he can turn that into dislike of them real quick. if he doesn’t like you, he will make that fact very clear so he can come off as rude easily.

what the cast relationship would be like: in every interview ive seen of him, conan (declan) has just such a great energy - hilarious, first, and just really nice, just seems like a good person. so i think he’d get along with everybody and fit in super well!! though he’s never had a big acting gig before (that i know of), his acting in his music videos is iconic, so i think he would fair pretty well. still i think steven (keith) would do his best to make him comfortable and confident. the cast group chats would pop off, especially the one i know would exist between him amanda (viv), brandon (fish), and aj (james/lotor). also i think he and jeremy (lance) would be bros idk why i just get the vibe.

what was their audition scene: there’s a scene where he and keith finally, finally get to sit down and discuss their relationship and i think that would be a really important piece to hear conan’s range!!

dependent upon the fandom, who they’d be on a press tour/at comic con with: i think for the most part it would be amanda and brandon (can’t split up that iconic trio), but probably a few with steven too!!

if they spoil things: again conan has really never done anything like this before, so i would wager that that poor guy would be high-alert at all times to keep any spoilers to the bare minimum. like just every interview he takes like two minutes to consider his wording. that being said, conan (my beloved) is kind of messy (both irl and on twitter), so if something slipped that wouldn’t surprise me KLNDKNFKF

if the show/movie has ended, are they happy with their character’s ending and the ending at large: declan is one of those ocs i would move heaven and earth to give a good ending, so yes, conan would be pleased as he damn well should <3

send me 🎬 + an oc for if they were canon!

#declan suzuki #voltron #witchofinterest #general #ask #asks #what kind of woman doesnt have an ask #leaf #i'm still finding out queue i am

3 notes · View notes

xmagicxshopx · 5 years ago

Text

Rush Hour Pt 1

Genre: Action Adventure, Angst, Romance, Comedy Rating: PG-13 - M Warnings: drug trafficking, human trafficking, language, smut (in pt 2) Pairing: officer!jungkook x reader , officer!taehyung x oc (Nari) Notes: AU fic. Not idol!bts. Single quote marks ‘ ‘ are for thoughts and double “ “ are for talking. Additional Notes: Thank all the crime shows my parents watch for this. XD Not to mention I love the Rush Hour movies. @u@

Tagging: @grxnadxs

Summary: You and your best friend are being framed for a crime you didn’t commit and there’s only two people who believe you. Agent Inspector Jeon of the Busan Police Department and Detective Kim of the Daegu Police Department. Can they rescue you before it’s too late?

MASTERLIST

Organized Crime.

South Korea’s biggest enemy.

Financial fraud, drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, human trafficking. It was all because of organized crime and it made the police departments absolutely sick. A beast they couldn’t contain, let alone kill. Drugs were their biggest problem, really. And what drugs couldn’t produce in real cash flow, fake won made up for it. Sickening. Absolutely sickening.

“Detective Kim---Agent Inspector Jeon has arrived.”

Having been standing there watching the city with his steaming mug of hot chocolate because he’s not a coffee drinker, he simply turned his head to the officer-in-training and smiled a friendly smile before nodding his head and saying casually,

“Let the asshole in.”

“Hey, I heard that, asshat!”

Detective Kim, more commonly known as Kim Taehyung, just laughed as he set his mug down to greet one of his best friends and favorite partners in law enforcement. Walking through the door was one chuckling Jeon Jungkook, otherwise known as Agent Inspector Jeon. After performing their super secret handshake, the both of them took a seat in which Jeon sighed heavily.

“They briefed me on the situation. One of them is from Busan so they sent me over. It’s a pretty ugly case. This organization seems to have quite the record.”

“No kidding. Drug and human trafficking?? Disgusting. Makes me sick.”

Jungkook watched his older bestie tossing the folder full of files onto his desk and he couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Kim Taehyung was a good man. An honest and traditional man. Someone who one day wanted to settle down and have a family. A wife and kids. He cherished his fellow human beings so human trafficking always hit harder for him than anything else.

“Hey. We’ll catch them, hyung. They’re going to slip up and that’s when they’ll hang themselves with their own rope. In fact, it sounds like they might already have. It says they’re on the run. Armed and dangerous. But we’re more dangerous. Besides....”

Kim looked away from the window once more to see what his younger friend might be trying to say. The sight before him made the male snort and shake his blonde head in amusement. Jeon Jungkook had since stood up from his seat and was standing in a fighting position while saying with confidence that only he could pull off,

“I’ve been taking boxing lessons. These dirt bags won’t see me coming.”

“Whatever you say, Jeon. Whatever you say.”

Meanwhile, on a train heading out of Daegu.....

“I’m scared....”

You could hardly hear your best friend and honestly you couldn’t blame her. Both of your voices were hoarse from the lack of hydration. The first thing you’d do once getting to the next town would be trying to buy some bottles of water. Your tongue felt like sandpaper. Trying your best to comfort the female next to you, you simply reeled her in and let her head rest on your shoulder.

Criminals.

In the eye of the public, that’s what you were.

The world knew you both as criminals but the world couldn’t be farther from the truth. You two were just a pair of best friends who had found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Simple on paper but oh-so complicated in all actuality. With an internal sigh, you gently stroked your best friend’s raven locks as you spoke up softly,

“It’s going to be okay, Nari. I’m going to take care of us. Just stick with me and everything will be fine.”

Nari, your best friend of four years, nodded gently against your shoulder as she shifted a little closer in the bus seat the two of you were sharing. Honestly, the two of you weren’t used to the silence of the bus. The life you both had been living for the last four months was anything but silent. Guns, violence, moving from home to home. It was all so chaotic.

Human trafficking.

You were no longer considered a person. No. You and your best friend had become objects to be used by scum bags who called themselves men. To be used as they saw fit. Whether it be as a cover-up for a smuggling operation or to release sexual frustration, you were no longer considered a human being. It may have only been for four months, but it’s been the longest four months of your lives.

“Once we get off the bus, I’ll get us a hotel room, okay? I managed to knock the one guy out and grab his wallet. Let’s just hope this won is legit and not fake. Otherwise we’re screwed.”

You didn’t want to scare Nari, but you had to be realistic too. The situation was not pretty but you were going to do your very best to make this as easy for her as possible. Your best friend was a soft and sensitive soul so naturally this was extremely hard on her. Not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. The physical scars would heal, but the mental and emotional? That was a whole other ballgame.

“Let’s get off here. Surely there’s a hotel or motel near by. If not, we can always ask around.”

Back at the Daegu Police Department....

“Okay. So your prime suspects are two females, both in their 20s and South Korean natives. Squeaky clean criminal records. Not even a parking violation.”

Both Taehyung and Jungkook found themselves sporting identical expressions of confusion as their eyebrows knitted together. While the younger of the two was staring at the huge TV screen that had the suspects’ passport photos on display, Taehyung was looking through each of their files and couldn’t believe his eyes.

“The one was going to school to be a kindergarten teacher with a minor in journalism while the other has an online degree in Police Science and has taken several self-defense classes.”

While the blonde detective was rattling off more information from the files, Min Yoongi who was Daegu’s Intelligence Analyst was bringing up those very same records up on the screen for Jungkook to look over as well. Dang. It was hard to believe these girls were their prime suspects.

“The files go on to say the university student, Nari, was currently shadowing a kindergarten class when she went missing four months ago. The Police Science graduate was currently working at a cafe in Busan when she too went missing four months ago.”

“So they were together when they went missing?”

Just as Yoongi and Taehyung were about to wager a guess to the younger’s question, a new voice entered the room as a young man that went by the name of Jung Hoseok strolled in. Hoseok, or otherwise known as Hobi, was a Forensic Psychologist and had been brought it to try and figure out why two girls with absolutely no prior criminal records would be suspects in one of South Korea’s largest drug trafficking ring.

“Possibly. According to their records, they live at the same address. An apartment building on the shadier side of town. Judging from their day jobs, I would say it was all they could afford. The Busan girl commutes.”

Jungkook turned around to look at the older males with his hands stuffed in his pockets, expression pensive as he stood there in deep thought before asking out loud,

“So maybe they did it for the money?”

With a casual shrug, Hoseok looked to the TV screen where the records and photos were on display. It just didn’t add up to him. He had dealt with a lot of cases and in all his years of forensic psychology, he had never seen anything quite like this. But then again.....

“It’s not uncommon for financial stress to drive a person to commit crime. For now, they’re probably going to be your only suspects. They were seen on the storefront’s security footage with the bag as they fled the scene. Looks like it was a deal gone South.”

It was then that Yoongi pressed a button on his tablet and brought up the exact footage Hobi was referring to. The four young men watched as the two female suspects approached two men who were twice their size. Again. It didn’t make sense to Hobi. This was a professional ring. Why would a ring leader who was supposedly one of the smartest men in crime......be sending in two puny girls in their 20s to perform a hand-off???

“Looks like the one put her self defense lessons to good use. But she’s lucky neither one of them got shot.”

While Yoongi spoke in his usual calm tone, the rest of the boys watched on as the footage soon revealed the spat that took place. One man was knocked out and Taehyung could see one of the girls swiping his wallet. The last few seconds of the recording was of the girls running off while leaving the bag behind. The bag was then taken by the two men who ran in the opposite direction. Dang.

“Okay, Hobi hyung. Put your brain to work. Why would those girls try to fight when they were just going to let them have the drugs anyway? What’s the purpose here? The only crimes they committed were assault and stealing a dirt bag’s wallet.”

The psychologist took a moment to consider the young inspector’s questions. Yes. What was the purpose of the whole transaction??? All the girls got away with was a wallet and who knows if it had any actual won in it. Even if it did, the odds of the won being legit were slim to none. Still......it wasn’t adding up......there was more to this story here. That’s for sure. It was then that Taehyung spoke up as he said in an authoritative tone,

“Okay. Jeon---call in Jimin from your guys’ Busan department and have him interview the cafe manager and the staff. You and I are gonna take a trip to the kindergarten class Nari was shadowing and see if the teacher might have any insight. Maybe they got close while working together.”

He then turned to the older males in the room and added in the same tone but with more softness and naturally more respect,

“Yoongi hyung, if you can get me any further footage, maybe even some traffic cams, I’d greatly appreciate it. Maybe we can track down where they ran off to. Hobi hyung, try to take a closer look at the footage we already have. Maybe you can spot something we aren’t looking at. See if you guys can enhance the video any. Get a closer look.”

With that, the four men went to work. Innocent or not, these two women needed to be found because they could be the key to bringing down the largest drug trafficking ring in South Korea.

“There’s a convenience store. Want to grab some supplies and food and then find a place to stay?”

After receiving a timid nod from Nari, you offered her a warm smile and gently tugged her along as the two of you headed into the store. There was plenty of won in the wallet you had swiped so thankfully they could afford the necessities without having to skimp. Shampoo, body wash, water, and food. Pretty simple. Well maybe some toothbrushes and paste as well. The two of you felt absolutely disgusting and probably looked just as much.

The hotel room would probably have little bottles of shampoo and body wash, but you planned to douse yourselves in both. Now that you got to thinking about it, both of your hair looked like rats nests. Comb and brush. Okay. The list was getting longer but still. You both were a little more than ready to start feeling human again. Could anyone blame you???

Once picking out the cheapest shampoo and conditioner you could find, you went to go pick up a bottle of body wash that was just as cheap. You guys didn’t need to be in a beauty pageant, just clean. After picking a brush and comb both, you gently tugged your bestie along with you to have her pick out some food.

Ever since the human trafficking started, Nari had nearly completely shut down. She became quiet and shut off. It was hard for even you to get her to speak. Like the few moments they had alone together while waiting for their next ‘owner’ to arrive and take them ‘home’. It was so heartbreaking because your best friend was once a ray of pure sunshine. A light in the darkness.

And now she had become part of the darkness.

“Okay, Ri, what sounds good for dinner tonight? I think some instant noodles are calling our name.”

You would have loved to just call room service. However, for two reasons, you didn’t go that route. One, it wasn’t essential and therefore you didn’t want to risk wasting your limited funding on it. Two, you didn’t want to give the organization or the authorities any ammo that might help either one of them track you both down. Oh how you wanted to use this guy’s credit cards. But you knew better. Credit Cards were so easy to trace back. It was safer to use the won notes.

After allowing Nari to pick out her bowls of instant noodles, you picked out some as well before buying a loaf of bread and some peanut butter. Carbs. You both needed carbs desperately. The organization and all of your ‘owners’ hadn’t exactly taken the best care of you. Apparently you didn’t need to have a pretty or healthy body to be a sex toy. Go figure. With all of your hygienic items in one basket and the food in the other, you gently tugged your bestie along so that the two of you could pay for the items and get the heck of here.

Coughing up more notes than you wanted to, everything was paid for and the two of you were soon out into the world once more. Honestly, the weather was perfect for a nightly stroll. It had been so long since you felt so.....free. Granted you were currently on the run but you’d take what you could get. Just before you had left the store, you asked the employee on the other side of the counter if there were any hotels close by. Turns out there was. Thankfully just a block away from the store.

“Come on, Ri. Let’s get a roof over our heads and some food in our bellies. You can have first dibs on the shower. It’s gonna be okay, bestie. We’re gonna be just fine.”

You could only hope you didn’t turn into a liar. Going over it all in your head, you were pretty confident that you wouldn’t be found. At least not for a few days. But your mind was already thinking of the next steps to take. Thinking and calculating. You knew better than to think you could be on the run forever. No. You just needed a bit of time before contacting the authorities and explaining the situation; hoping they’d hear you out.

“Morning, Jeon.”

“Morning, hyung. Ugh. I didn’t sleep a wink last night. Just kept thinking about those girls. Makes no sense.”

It was a new day and the game plan was simple. Information gathering. After that, the pair would get together with Yoongi and Hobi to analyze the data collected. Meanwhile, Yoongi was going to try and see if he could use traffic cams to map out where exactly the two girls went. They could still be in Daegu for all they knew. Hobi’s job was to pick apart the suspects’ body language and see if there was anything he could identify that might help them figure out why the girls are even their prime suspects. That part still didn’t add up with any of them.

Okay so maybe not such a simple plan. But it was a plan all the same.

“It was a good call to wear something casual. We wouldn’t want to scare the kiddos.”

Taehyung honestly hadn’t thought about it till late last night. He too had a hard time sleeping. All he could think about was the girls. There was this nagging feeling telling him these girls were innocent. He highly doubted they were armed let alone dangerous. Speaking of, as he popped the trunk to his personal vehicle, he said casually,

“Probably ought to hide the guns too. These kids are young but you know how they pick up on every little thing that’s out of the ordinary.”

“Good point. You’re batting a thousand today, hyung. I’m gonna have to up my game if I’m going to keep up with you.”

“Just put your mad boxing skills to good use should something go south and we’ll be square.”

Chuckling softly, the two made their way into the building and showed the receptionist their badges before being escorted to the kindergarten classroom Nari had been shadowing. It was odd to be working in something other than their usual suit and tie. Jungkook could get used to working in his button up shirt and skinny jeans. The two could hear lots of giggling and it warmed Taehyung’s heart. God how badly he wanted to be a dad. But he needed to focus. This was a job. Not a field trip. He couldn’t let his feelings get involved.

“Good morning, Mrs. Lee. I’m Detective Kim Taehyung and this is my partner Agent Inspector Jeon Jungkook. If you have a moment, we’d like to ask you a few questions concerning the girl who was shadowing your class. She disappeared a little over four months ago. Her name is Nari. Do you remember her?”

Turns out this Nari girl was quite the ray of sunshine to be around. Naturally shy upon first meeting but once she got comfortable, she was a bit of a chatter box. Kind of cute, really. She got along great with the kids and when she had first disappeared, they immediately picked up on it and kept asking where she was. The class had even made get well cards after being told that she was simply not feeling good and needed some time off.

The whole thing silently broke Taehyung’s heart. This Nari sounded like his dream girl. Aside from the criminal part. Which still didn’t make sense. This girl enjoyed reading, writing, anime, and kids. She enjoyed several things that he too enjoyed. It was a shame to think that she possibly turned to organized crime. But for what? What was the incentive to just drop everything and turn to crime? She had such a beautiful life and it seemed like it was something she was still working on building. Why just abandon it?

“Okay, Jeon. Playtime’s over. Let’s go.”

His partner had been of little help during the questioning. However, it wasn’t entirely Jeon’s fault. The kids were insistent that he play with them. Who was a man to deny so many sets of puppy eyes??? That was how Taehyung found his younger partner currently being used as a human jungle gym. He had a kid hanging off each arm as he flexed his arm muscles to help hold them both up. A little girl was giggling and squealing in happiness as she had been placed on his shoulders, hugging his face to keep herself from falling. What a dork.

“Okay, kids. Let Mr. Jeon go so he can get back to work. And what do we say to others who play nicely with us?”

“Thank you, Mr. Jeon!”

The chorus of high pitched voices was so endearing. Perhaps Jungkook was starting to see why his hyung wanted to be a father so badly. These little ones weren’t so bad. Well that was probably a result of good parenting. Not to mention it sounded like the teacher was trying to set good examples for them too. After smiling to the kids and trying to dodge their questions of whether or not they’d be seeing him again, Jungkook quickly made his exit with his partner who was smiling and shaking his head in amusement.

Kids. Go figure. It was then that both agents heard Yoongi coming in through their ear pieces. Taehyung had just been popping the trunk back open to get their guns when the Daegu native started speaking in a calm but rushed voice,

“You two better get back to the office. Hobi made a huge discovery that’s going to change this into a whole different ballgame.”

Well that didn’t sound good.

Making haste, the two drove from the school parking lot and headed straight for the station. It wasn’t often that Yoongi sounded so urgent. He was usually pretty cool, calm, and collected. That’s what made him such an awesome analyst. He was able to look at things with a clear head. It was a trait that many in the department wish they had as well. Arriving in the information room where the male worked, Taehyung said in a breathless tone,

“What you got for us, hyung?”

But it was Hoseok that spoke up in reply; his tone grave.

“Your suspects just turned into victims.”

Wait what???

Meanwhile, you were up bright and early. It was easy and yet difficult to sleep all at the same time. The exhaustion had knocked both you and Nari out the second your heads hit the pillows of your shared king sized bed. However, it seemed like you were awake every other hour. Your body screamed sleep but your mind was on full alert. It was hard to sleep peacefully when you knew danger could be around every corner. You could open your eyes and find yourself right back in the jaws of danger.

It was exhausting, really. But this was your reality for the time being. Looking away from the window, you peered over at the sleeping figure in the bed. Poor Nari. She looked so small and frail laying there in that big bed. It was comforting to see her getting some sleep. Hopefully dreamless and restful. Last night had been wonderful. Their first night where they weren’t held in some kind of captivity. No disgusting cages or dirty food and water. For the first night in four months, they were just two girls hanging out. No longer objects. But humans.

They were humans again.

Deciding it was safe to take a shower, you tiptoed your way to the bathroom and just cracked the door so that it wouldn’t let all the steam out. Gosh the shower last night had been amazing! Hot water, soap. It was wonderful! The both of you had brushed your teeth twice just for good measure too. While you allowed the water to warm up, you thought about the tasks at hand today. The plan sounded simple but it was going to be tricky regardless.

A disguise. You both needed a disguise. Just until you could get your thoughts together and a plan for when you notified the authorities. You didn’t want to just go waltzing in the Daegu Police Department with hands in the air. No. You needed a plan. You needed to be able to prove your innocence. And that was when you thought of those disgusting bracelets you had to wear. Ugh. They were the ugliest shade of orange too. It was surly a color you’d despise for the rest of your life.

“They’re what?!”

Jungkook tried to put a gentle hand on his partner’s shoulder but it got roughly shrugged off. Taehyung was furious. Absolutely furious. Seeing red. That was all the male could see as he stared at Yoongi and Hoseok. The two had just informed them that the two suspects were actually being trafficked and were part of the transaction that took place on the storefront camera footage they were able to obtain.

Human trafficking. These two poor girls were being handed off along with the drugs. It all made sense now. The one using her knowledge in self defense to try and disarm and distract the punks. Swiping the wallet and yet leaving the drugs behind. It all finally added up. These girls weren’t criminals at all. There was a reason their records were so squeaky clean. They never asked for this. They were forced into it. They didn’t go missing willingly. They were kidnapped.

“It’s gonna be okay, Tae. I was able to get access to the town’s traffic cams and I think I know what city they’re in. But you gotta calm down first. The chief isn’t going to let you go into this guns blazing and you know that.”

However, the blonde detective wasn’t entirely listening. It was like his ears were filled with water. He just stood there staring at the single clue that lead Hobi and Yoongi to discovering what was actually going on in the footage from earlier. Each girl sported an orange colored wristband. After doing some digging, Yoongi had discovered it was an inside tagging system for women who were being trafficked. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. It left a horrible taste in Taehyung’s mouth as he thought of Nari......Nari........

It was then that the feline looking male spoke up but this time directed his attention to the younger inspector.

“Kook---Take him to the cafe around the corner. I’ll forward you guys what I believe to be their city of refuge. It’s not too terribly far from here but it’s a drive. Looks like they took the bus.”

“Thanks, Yoongi hyung. Come on, buddy. Let’s go have a drink.”

That was how Taehyung wound up sitting at a small table with a steaming to-go cup of hot chocolate. Meanwhile, Jungkook had opted for an iced americano. Ugh. Gross. While the younger was looking over the traffic cam footage Yoongi had forwarded to his phone, the detective simply stared out the window of the local cafe. His partner had tried to place a single glazed doughnut in front of him to go with his hot chocolate but Tae had touched neither one; too lost in thoughts of the sweet college student trying to become a kindergarten teacher.

His dream girl.

‘I bet she wants to have kids too someday.....I’ll make sure she has that chance. I’m gonna find her. And I’ll save her.’

The young inspector, on the other hand, was more focused on you. What was your story? Certainly you weren’t going to be working as a barista the rest of your life. The fact that you had taken an online course in Police Science intrigued him. Perhaps you were interested in going into law enforcement? That would be cool. Especially since you were a Busan native. What would be the chances of you working in the same station as him?

“Okay, Ri. Today we’re gonna try and get some fresh clothes and maybe do something with our hair. Basically we need a disguise. Just until we can get our thoughts together and figure out how to notify the police without it looking like we’re turning ourselves in.”

It saddened you when all your best friend did was nod. Again....she used to be so talkative. So bright and cheery. You weren’t sure you were going to be able to take her out of this hotel room just yet. While your guys’ physical scars were already starting to heal, there were far deeper cuts that needed attention. Carefully taking a seat next to her on the bed, you gently wrapped an arm around her and spoke in a soft and soothing tone,

“Nari, baby. You gotta talk to me. I’m no therapist but I think being your best friend has to count for something. You can tell me anything. So please, say something.”

“You could have died.....”

Hmm? Out of all the things you were expecting Nari to say, that definitely wasn’t one of them. Before you could ask her to clarify, she did it for you as she added in explanation,

“They had guns, bestie. And they were shooting at us. They were shooting at you. I was so scared you’d get hit and die. I’ve lost so much. I can’t lose you too. Please---”

“Hey, hey. Shhh. It’s okay, Ri. It’s okay.”

You sat there at the foot of the bed hugging a sobbing Nari; gently rocking the both of you back and forth as you allowed the girl to cry out her feelings. You had been in such a constant state of survival mode, that you hadn’t taken into account how the dangers of the whole situation would affect her. Of course seeing your best friend get shot at would be traumatizing. Gently kissing the girl’s forehead while stroking her hair with a free hand, you said softly and soothingly,

“I’m sorry I scared you, Ri. It wasn’t my intentions. I just......I needed to get us out of there and it was the only way I knew how. And the good news is, we’re not only alive, but we’re free. No more drugs, no more trafficking. We’re humans again and we’re gonna get through this together. I’m with you every step of the way. Okay? Together?”

You held out your pinkie finger for her to take and was happily surprised to see her return the gesture by weakly wrapping her pinkie around your own. This was progress. It was the most Nari had said since the two of you escaped from the organization. Hopefully with this off her chest, she’d open up a little more and just maybe, things would get back to some kind of normal between you two. You really didn’t want to lose your best friend. Nari wasn’t the only one in that hotel room who had lost a lot.

With the both of you feeling a little bit better, you carefully stood up from the bed and brought your bestie along with you. It would be okay. You’d make it be okay no matter the cost. It was time to get out of these disgusting clothes and find something more suitable for wear. Not to mention your hair needed a trim something awful. Then again.....you were willing to go the extra mile for a disguise if it meant surviving to see real freedom.

Deciding it wasn’t smart to stay in one place for two nights in a row, you made the plan to get your clothes, get stuff needed for your hair, maybe purchase a couple duffel bags, and make your next move. That was as far as you had gotten in the planning. Should the two of you stay in this town or perhaps travel back to Daegu? Maybe Busan? Ugh. You just didn’t know yet. Okay. One step at a time, here. One step at a time.

Crossing the street, you had heard from the hotel desk clerk that there was a hand-me-down store for clothing not too far from where they were staying. That would be perfect! You didn’t need to look like models. You just needed some clean clothes to wear. And you had saw where a pharmacy was close by as well. You decided to dye your hair and cut it yourself but you just weren’t sure what color to get. Poor Nari, on the other hand, was way too happy with her hair and especially the color. So to try and find some even ground, the two of you had agreed on a hat. She could tie up her hair and wear a baseball cap. That would work.

While Nari wanted something pretty, you were more focused on trying to disguise yourself as much as possible. In fact, when you came out of the dressing room with a plain white t-shirt tucked into a pair of black skinnies and a black blazer to match; paired with black combat boots that looked like they could kill, Nari couldn’t stop herself from mumbling shyly,

“You look like a boy if it wasn’t for your boobs and long hair.”

“That’s the plan.....babe.”

You couldn’t help but grin as you watched your best friend blush heavily. Don’t get the wrong picture, the both of you were far more into boys. But it was cute to tease your bestie because as much as you loved her, she was such a cute and easy target. When you heard that familiar whine of mortification, you couldn’t help but feel your chest bubble with happiness and relief. Perhaps that talk in the hotel room really did do some good. Nari just simply needed to get some feels off her chest.

After he got Taehyung to finally eat and drink something, Jungkook ended up lugging his butt up from the cafe chair and hauled him outside into the fresh air. It wasn’t like his older friend to get stuck in his feels like this. Sure human trafficking had always been a sore subject, but he was taking it to a completely new level of sore. Stuffing his hands in his pockets and squinting against the sun’s rays, the young inspector said casually,

“Jimin said there wasn’t much to report on the barista from Busan. Apparently she was trying to save her tips from the cafe in order to go into law school. She’s on the fence of whether or not she wants to be a cop or an attorney.”

Jungkook really wanted to meet you. You fascinated him to no end. First the course in Police Science and now law school? You sounded super cool with how you had taken several self defense classes as well. He wondered if you liked boxing......Yeah......maybe he could teach you one day.

Wait what???

Shaking his head to clear it, it was then that he heard Yoongi coming on the ear piece once more.

“Your girls are on the move. They stayed at a hotel last night but they’ve not made any further reservations. Apparently one of the other guests recognized them in the hallways. I informed the manager to keep it quiet because we don’t want to scare them off. If we’re lucky, we can catch them before they depart. The manager said they’ve not returned the room keys yet.”

“Thanks, hyung. Keep us posted.”

“No problem. Forwarding you guys the hotel address now.”

“You hear that, hyung? We’re gonna find them and it’s gonna be okay.”

Feeling a hearty pat on his shoulder, Taehyung nodded and tried to give his younger partner a smile. The two girls must be so scared. Running from not only the organization, but the law as well. When in all reality, this had since then turned into a rescue mission. This was definitely a first for him in his career of law enforcement. Pulling himself together, the blonde squared his shoulders and held his head up high as he walked to the car. Meanwhile, Jeon was reading off the directions to the city where the girls were currently staying in.

“So.....Hyung.......You seem pretty invested in this case. You wanna talk about it?”

Yoongi was right when he said it was a bit of a drive. At the same time, Jungkook couldn’t help but mentally praise the girls for thinking of taking such a far, out-of-the-way route to escape danger. It was a quieter town too. Or so he had heard. Listening to the ticking sound of the vehicle’s turn signal, the blonde detective finally spoke up but in a small voice.

“I just want to find them and bring those dirt bags to justice.”

Okay. So clearly his hyung wasn’t ready to talk about it. Which was totally fine. But it was easier to work with a Kim Taehyung when he had his head on straight and he wasn’t thinking with his heart instead of his brain. Subconsciously nibbling on his bottom lip, a nervous habit of his, Jungkook silently nodded and turned his attention to his phone. With the help of Yoongi and his ability to enhance images, he was able to get a better look at the two girls they were trying to rescue.

“They’re both kind of cute. Once you get past their bird nest hairstyles and grungy clothing.”

That didn’t seem to make matters any easier as Jungkook could hear his hyung gripping the steering wheel all the tighter; the sound of his skin squeaking against the material of the wheel. Oops....

“What hotel was it again? I think we might be approaching the town soon.”

Yeah. Definitely not ready to talk about it.

“Bestie.....are you sure you want to do this? We can get you a ball cap too, you know. It doesn’t have to be this extreme.”

“I’m absolutely positive, Nari. Lay it on me.”

Nari couldn’t believe what she was about to do to her best friend’s hair. It was already painful enough to watch you chop it all off. She knew the point was for you to look as far from yourself as possible but still......This was just crazy. You had chopped your own hair off and now sported a boy cut of sorts. Bangs hung in your eyes to try and hide them while your back had been completely taken up. Not a single strand of hair was hanging down or coming anywhere close to your shoulders. Nothing framing your face. Just your bangs.

“They won’t be looking for a blonde, Nari. Just trust me.”

And that was how you got your hair bleached for the first time ever. It was worth it, though. Everything you were doing, you were doing for you and Nari both. What was a little hair if it meant keeping you both alive and getting your tickets to true freedom? It was so worth it in your mind and you could only hope your bestie would see that too. With time.

After washing and drying it, you stood there in the hotel bathroom mirror with your girl next to you. Nari looked shocked and a bit pale while you were grinning like an idiot. This was perfect. Sporting your outfit you had picked out from the store and turning your head this way and that way to inspect your new hairstyle, you couldn’t wait to throw both the organization and the police for a loop.

They’d never see you coming.

“Okay, Ri. Sadly we can’t stay here. We gotta keep moving. Let’s check out and find a different place to stay. We’ll grab a bus to the next city over and grab another hotel room. We still have plenty of won left. The guy was stupid enough to leave his wallet loaded.”

Helping your bestie secure her baseball cap on and making sure her hair was tucked in nice and neat, you couldn’t help but think how cute she looked dressed so casually compared to the rags she was forced to wear for the last four months of her life. Nari was way too pretty to wear such filth. You couldn’t wait for things to get back to normal. The first thing you’d do is take her shopping for some pretty new clothes to wear to the kindergarten class she shadowed. You knew how much she loved those kids.

Once the both of you packed your items from the convenience store last night and the new batch of instant noodles and snacks from the pharmacy earlier today, you hoisted up the duffel bags and made your way out of the room; making it look just as it did when you arrived. It would be like you were never even here. Although you couldn’t help but notice how deadly quiet it was in the hotel hallways.

“Thanks for staying with us. Have a wonderful day!”

Cool. You were out and on the street once again. The next step in your plan was simple. Find a bus routing out of town to the next city and hop on. Simple, right? Just as you were about to make a step for the bus stop down the street, you felt something hard and cold pressing into the small of your back. Not only that, but a chin rested on your shoulder and whispered in your ear,

“Scream and I’ll shoot you right where you stand, slut.”

Well that sucks.

#bts #jungkook #taehyung #jeon jungkook #kim taehyung #jungkook bts #taehyung bts #jungkook smut #taehyung smut #bts smut #jungkook x reader #taehyung x oc #officer!jeon #officer!jungkook #officer!taehyung #officer jeon #bts fanfiction #jungkook fanfiction #taehyung fanfiction

177 notes · View notes

welkynars · 4 years ago

Text

Morrowind was not a pleasant place. Seyrena had known that even before the prison ship had docked in the waters of Seyda Neen. Even the other Dunmer in Cyrodiil spoke of the ashy air, unpleasant patrons, and the lingering scent of tar that followed wherever one went. The province was disagreeable even at its best, and on nights like tonight she longed for rolling hills and sweet-smelling lavender fields of Cyrodiil.

Because… well, Cyrodiil was her home, was it not? It was the only place she ever remembered being. Cyrodiil was where she grew up, where she learned her trade and fell in love for the first time and where she’d made her mistakes. Mistakes that had landed her here. In Morrowind. A hot, unfamiliar, wretched land.

It should be unfamiliar, at least. Recently it had felt more and more like home. She did not want Morrowind to feel like home. She never asked for any of this. She never asked to be the savior of an ancestral land she’d never even been to. She never asked to be the incarnate of a man who’d died so long ago his existence was unfathomable. Never asked to be forced to bring the downfall of three fervently worshipped gods, one of whom had given her a welcome she did not deserve. Never asked to have to stand over the corpses of two mer who she apparently once called friends in a life she didn’t remember. Never asked to feel like she’d killed her own friends.

Seyrena sighed deeply and took another swig of the unknown drink. It tasted like guar piss but it got her intoxicated and that was all she cared about. That, and the fact that the patrons of the small tavern in Pelagiad hadn’t a clue who she was. If she had to hear the title ‘Nerevarine’ one more time she would certainly slice the fingers off of whatever poor soul it was who’d said it.

No, to the Dunmer of the Halfway Tavern she was just any old Empire-assimilated Dunmer. An outlander; a term she’d hated when she first arrived in Morrowind but longed to be called again. She was an outlander. Her own personal feelings of the Empire aside, she was of the Empire. Raised in Cyrodiil. There was nothing else she knew and nothing else she wanted to know.

A year ago that was how it had been. The alcohol in her hand let her pretend that’s how it still was.

“If you’re not careful there, elf, you’ll drink yourself to death with that,” A voice mumbled from a few feet beside her. She looked up from the corner she was sitting in. A grizzly-looking Nord man sat on the bench to the right of her, watching the bard sing and swing with harsh eyes. His clothes were splattered with dirt and grime and his hand gripped a large wooden mug. The stench of alcohol filled her nose even with his distance from her and she wondered how he was one to talk.

“I can handle my drinks just fine, Nord,” She replied coolly, also averting her eyes to the bard. A pretty young Breton woman playing the lute and singing tales of dragons. Seyrena was glad there were no songs written about her feats just yet.

The man laughed a hearty but mocking laugh and she scowled at him. She hadn’t said anything funny.

“You Dark Elves wouldn’t know drink if it slapped you in the arse,” He was looking at her now with a dangerously mocking smile.

“Well, I grew up in Cyrodiil so I’d wager I know more than you think I do,” She took another sip of her drink as if to prove a point. “And whatever this is, it's certainly better than that poor excuse for alcohol you call mead.”

He laughed again, and again she did not know what she said that was so funny.

“Imperials are even worse!” He managed to breathe out between howling laughs. He was obviously very drunk if he found a conversation about beverages so hilarious. Seyrena turned away from him and went back to festering in her own misery and regret and longing for a life that no longer existed. She’d rather that than any sort of conversation with a drunken man.

Apparently the gods were again, not on her side and Nords were unable to take obvious hints, because he continued speaking to her. Spoke to her about his homeland(“If this were Skyrim I’d teach you a thing or two about mead, lass”), about how he was grateful the Empire was reigning in the uncivilized Dunmer(“Imperials are good for something, at least”), and finally, about the pretty little Breton girl dancing along to her tunes.

“They don’t make them like that in Skyrim,” He grunted, watching the bard with a look that made Seyrena’s stomach twist. “We Nords are beasts of men, good for fighting and drinking. But it makes for unflattering women at the very least.”

Her anger was only growing at this point, fingertips clenching into her own fists. The young woman was simply trying to make coin, perform, and have fun. She didn’t need some malodorous man twice her age commenting on her appearance. If Skyrim was so much better then maybe he should return.

“Is that why you’re here instead of Skyrim? Because of the unflattering women?” Her tone was cold but the man was too drunk to notice.

“Ha! No, despite her flaws I’d return in a heartbeat, if I could. I’ve been exiled for one reason or another.”

Well, wasn’t that poetic.

The Nord stood, steadying himself on a wooden post and slamming his mug on the table. Seyrena narrowed her eyes.

“Well, I’d best be off. Better if I talk to the bard before some other skeever can get his hands on- hey! W-What’re ‘ya doin’?”

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or her desire to protect the Breton girl, or maybe it was just because she’d had the worst year of her life. But Seyrena found herself with her longsword drawn and pointed to the Nord’s throat, his eyes wide with fear and hands up in surrender. So much for the mighty warrior.

She was also, suddenly, very aware of the people in the room with her; as they’d all turned to stare at the quiet Dunmer in the corner with her sword to a man. Pelagiad was a quiet and no-nonsense settlement. They weren’t quite sure what to make of the scene. And then, her voice rang out from the crowd.

“Rena? What on Nirn-“

Mehra pushed her way to the front of the forming crowd. She looked as beautiful as ever, dressed in a quaint traveler's garb with her hickory-colored hair let loose to fall over her shoulders. She looked quite different from the Temple-apprentice Seyrena had met what felt like so long ago; older, only by a year, but her eyes held the same burden Seyrena’s did. Seyrena swallowed. Mehra didn’t deserve to be weighed down by her troubles.

Mehra pulled her ash-cover down from over her face, looking incredulously at the scene Seyrena had created. Seyrena couldn’t fully tell if the look on her face was one of disappointment or defeat.

Before her lover could even get a word out, Drelasa came marching over, huffing something about outlanders. Seyrena rolled her eyes.

“Mehra, I am fond of you but if your friend is going to cause scenes in my tavern you’ll never see the inside of it again!” Drelasa wagged her finger in Mehra’s face and Seyrena had the impulse to swing her sword and cut it off.

“I know, Publican, I-“ Mehra turned to Seyrena, her eyes pleading. “Rena, please. It’s a day long trip back to Seyda Neen.”

Seyrena scoffed and looked back to the Nord who was now backed up against the wall. “You leave that girl alone or I’ll cut off your hands and stitch your lips shut.”

The Nord nodded, and she lowered her sword. He scurried off like a mouse out of the Inn to the border of the Ascadian Isles and the Bitter Coast.

She defeatedly let Mehra take her sword from her and place it back in its sheath on her back. The Publican was still watching them, arms crossed and tapping her foot.

“It won’t happen again, Drelasa. I apologize on behalf of both of us.” Mehra sounded sincerely sorry and Seyrena felt a pang of guilt.

“You’re damn right it won’t happen again. B’vehk, it’s every other night with you two.”

Mehra took Seyrena’s hand and led her to their room. The latter Dunmer’s head was held low, not out of shame but in an effort to keep any patron from doing a double-take on her. “Hey, aren’t you that…”

When the two reached privacy, Mehra’s fist promptly collided with Seyrena’s shoulder. Much harder than she’d expected the mage would’ve been capable of.

“Ow,” She muttered, rubbing the raw skin. Mehra’s gaze was as fiery as her palms in battle, and Seyrena found herself unable to meet it.

“Why do you do these things to us? Do you want to have to walk miles in ash to find a new place to stay again?”

“He was being a s’wit,” She silently cursed herself for using the Dunmeris term. This was not her home.

“So was the Imperial Guardsman in Suran, and the Telvanni Noble in Sadrith Mora, oh! And, of course, the poor fellow who simply wanted your autograph in-“

“Alright! Alright, I get it. I ruin everything I touch. I’m sorry.”

Seyrena took a seat on the bed and pulled Mehra to stand in front of her. Apologies weren’t her strong suit. It was hard to apologize to someone else for your actions when you couldn’t forgive yourself for them. So, she intertwined their hands and looked up at her with the most apologetic eyes she could muster, her actions speaking the words that got lost in her throat.

Mehra sighed. “You don’t ruin everything.”

“I do.”

“You don’t. In fact, you make many things quite grand,” She smiled and Seyrena, who smiled back despite herself. “You saved me, for instance. You saved Morrowind. Twice.”

Seyrena’s smile dropped and she moved away from the other woman, laying down on the bed and turning the other way. She wished Morrowind just did not exist at this moment.

“I doomed it, more like,” She said. “Doomed to it to a future of political discourse and perhaps even religious wars.”

“That is inevitable for this country.”

Seyrena made a sound of exasperation and sat up again. “You don’t understand, Mehra. I know what is good for Morrowind. I don’t know how and I truly wish I didn’t, but I do. And this was not. Yes, Dagoth Ur had to die. The Blight had to end. But how can you diminish everything a country believes in, how can you kill-“ Her voice caught and tears threatened to spill from her eyes, which she absolutely would not allow. “How can you kill a goddess who has spent thousands of years keeping a country and it’s people afloat and expect everything to be the same, or better?”

“Almalexia went mad. It wasn’t your fault.”

“But she wouldn’t have!” Seyrena cried, frustrated that Mehra couldn’t understand what she was saying. “She wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for my existence! Everyone keeps telling me I am a blessing, that this prophecy Azura created is a blessing; it’s a curse, Mehra. It’s a curse of vengeance and I don’t want to be a part of it. I never did. I don’t want this,” The Moon-And-Star ring slipped off her finger and was thrown across the room. The tears were now falling freely from Seyrena’s face. “I’d rather have been executed for my crimes in Cyrodiil. It would’ve been merciful.”

Mehra was quiet, and now she was the one who couldn’t look at Seyrena. It was silent for what could’ve been hours.

“There’s so much blood on my hands and no matter how often I wash them it won’t go away. Please, just make it go away.”

Still not speaking, Mehra pulled the Nerevarine into her arms and held her as she sobbed. There were no words that could be spoken to comfort her at that moment, she knew that. But it broke her heart to watch the woman who she viewed as a hero come undone before her.

Eventually Seyrena pulled away from her, dried tears stuck to her face. Her eyes were wide and bright and Mehra wanted to latch onto her before she realized the vulnerability she’d showed and promptly went to bed.

“I want to go east,” She said, surprising Mehra.

“East? Like, back to Azura’s Coast? I suppose-“

The Nerevarine shook her head. “No. Farther. I want to leave Tamriel. I want to see something else, anything else.”

Mehra’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “But-“ She’d heard stories of other continents on Nirn, and none of them were good.

For a moment she believed her beloved had lost her mind right there and then. That the stress was too much to handle. But Seyrena’s eyes were dead serious and her composure was eerily calm.

“Will you join me?”

#for a friend #seyrena almost beats up a gross old nord #tw alcohol #ok goodnight #oc seyrena #nerevarine #morrowind #tes 3 #morrowind fanfiction #elder scrolls fanfiction #nerevar #dunmer #almsivi #the tribunal #fanfiction #the elder scrolls morrowind #dark elves

40 notes · View notes

howtosingit · 4 years ago

Note

YOUR ANALYSIS OF THE HUG JUST MADE ME SO HAPPY SO SO HAPPY I have a question for you now what do you think of TK grabbing Carlos’ hand because I just can’t GET OVER IT he’s so tentative but confident in his decision and then he places their intertwined fingers on his stomach AND CRADLES CARLOS’ HAND WITH HIS OWN IN HIS SWEATSHIRT POCKET?!?!?!? I’m so in love with these two they give us so much <3<3

Anon, bless you for appreciating that nearly 3,000-word diatribe about a moment that literally lasts for 2 seconds - a moment that I will truly never recover from, let’s be honest. I’m so glad that you love it too!

At the end of that post I mentioned the hand-holding moment in their final scene, but you’re totally right - I think that moment deserves its own post. This won’t be as long as the last one, since in a lot of ways the hand-holding moment is an extension of the things that are expressed in the hug moment, but I’ve definitely got some things to say!

So, the first thing to know about me: HAND-HOLDING. IS. MY. SHIT.

I can’t pin-point exactly when that became my favorite form of intimacy, but I would wager a guess that Pride and Prejudice (2005) had a lot to do with it - this takes the cake as my favorite hand-holding moment, it is what it is. Also, just... hands. Things like this post that I came across this week just completely wreck my entire soul:

I think holding someone’s hand can be the most intimate and personal form of support and comfort. Like, think about it: it’s hard to subtly hug or kiss someone in a room of people; it’s really likely that someone would notice. But, holding someone’s hand? Linking pinkies? Knuckles brushing? “Palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss”?? It can be so quiet, so personal. Just for the two people involved.

Hand-holding can be private and gentle, it can be purposeful (let’s link hands so that I can guide you somewhere, or because we don’t want to get lost/separated) or just because you crave someone’s touch (see: the screenshot above). Hand-holding is an act so simple, so common, but it can speak volumes, and I honestly just cannot get enough of it. Every hand-holding moment that I get to witness will light me on fire because I truly am trash for intimacy and love.

youtube

So, here’s what I said about the hand-holding moment in my hug analysis post:

I honestly cannot wait for season 2. This hug and the final scene on the hood of Carlos’s car - with TK again making the move to embrace their relationship by physically reaching into Carlos’s space for his hand and dragging it into his own space, firmly opening the door to his heart to let him inside, while also settling Carlos’s hand between his own to let him know that he’s willing to protect him and his heart too - makes me believe that we are in for some truly wonderful romance with these boys.

This scene, like the hug, took me completely by surprise. I would’ve definitely put money on this season ending with the breakup scene, and the possibility of their future up in the air until season 2. I am obviously SO GLAD that that is not what happened - plus, the final episode really does a great job of giving TK a full season arc, so it’s just better writing to include the moments with Carlos.

The above clip is 35-seconds long, so let’s see how many words it takes for me to break it down 😅

Right from the very beginning, I’m drawn to their body language. They are almost perfect mirror images of one another as they lay on top of the hood: outer legs are bent, with the foot flat. Inner legs are more elongated, though I can’t help but notice how Carlos’s right leg is bent towards TK (why is this scene so dark, it’s so hard to see, wah). They will continue to mirror each other in a lot of ways throughout the scene, which I’ll be sure to point out.

Like the hug scene before, they seem very casual, and as comfortable as a person can be on the hood of a car - blankets probably would’ve been nice, Carlos!

However, I think there are subtle indications that they don’t have everything figured out - both of TK’s hands are hidden inside of his pocket and Carlos’s hand is more closed than open.

Again, for a person who loves them so much, I don’t spend a lot of time studying hand analysis, but I do know that hidden hands - in pockets, in gloves, behind your back, etc - has a lot of meaning. While I pointed out that Carlos seems to be positioned towards TK, TK is very much in his own space on the hood of the car. He’s still a little wary, maybe? Still a little unsure, possibly?

I think the concept of personal space is so interesting. A chunk of my hug analysis included the idea that Carlos was on the edge of TK’s space (the fire station), but refused to enter on his own, and that TK came to him and entered his space instead. They never actually enter the fire station together; they stay right there at the door, merging their spaces right on the edge of their own two worlds.

That’s why I think this scene is an extension of that physical conversation. Because this is the scene where we actually get to see TK fully invite Carlos into his space - basically dragging him there by the hand. By the end of this scene, there is no question in our minds where these two are going to go from here. We didn’t need Tim Minear to tell us that they are going to date next season, it’s completely obvious after this moment.

I’m getting ahead of myself.

I also want to point out Carlos’s right hand at the beginning of the scene, since it gets a starring role later. Remember that at the end of the hug scene, his hands are open and flat on TK’s back, indicating that he was open and willingly vulnerable in that moment. Now, his hand is closed. Not clenched, not fisted, but definitely less open than before.

All of this to say, the hug was a moment of open and vulnerable physical connection between them, and this moment does not really start out that way.

I think it’s because they both know they have things to talk about, and talking can kind of go either way with them. The last time they really talked on-screen, they “broke up,” so maybe now they’re a little uncertain how this is going to go, even though they both know that they want it. It’s like, being certain of the theory behind something, and then having to put it into practice; it can be scary.

So, Carlos makes a move and asks a question - “What are you thinking?”

Their bodies don’t move at all. There’s no rush, no hurry. They are certain about their physical connection, but that’s not what this moment is for them. It’s all about their words and thoughts, so their bodies stay out of it for now.

Mirror images: first line Carlos says, he’s looking up. First line TK says, he’s looking up. Second line Carlos says, he looks over at TK. Second line TK says, he looks over at Carlos.

I just love when they look at each other. Love is so beautiful, y’all.

AND NOW WE GET TO THE HANDS.

TK pulls his left hand from his pocket - from where it’s protected, from where it’s hidden - and he breaks into Carlos’s space. Just like the hug scene was about TK coming towards Carlos, this is that same movement. TK comes to him again, almost like a reminder of what that hug meant.

I love that TK looks down to link his hands with Carlos’s, but Carlos keeps his eyes on TK’s face, almost like he’s still trying to read into his mind. He’s watching his face, trying to see through him, discover everything he might not be saying. This man is so soft, so observant and attentive, and my heart can’t handle it.

Carlos’s right hand might be slightly closed and facing away from TK, but that doesn’t stop him from grabbing it and linking their fingers together anyway. TK’s up to the challenge!

We won’t talk about the intimacy of where Carlos’s hand is resting, and how TK doesn’t even second-guess going there - BUT I KNOW YOU ALL SEE IT

(I mean, I will talk about it just to say that if there is one thing these two know about each other, it’s that they don’t hold back on a physical level, so why should TK?)

I. AM. OBSESSED. with the way TK’s fingers kind of wrap around and spider through Carlos’s fingers - it’s not a super easy feat, it takes some maneuvering, but he seems super determined.

Carlos definitely doesn’t fight him on it, his hand willingly opens and moves to make the linking possible/easier.

THERE IS THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT WHERE THEIR HANDS ARE MID-LINK AND THEY ARE BOTH LOOKING DOWN AT THEM AND I SWEAR TO GOD IT’S A RENAISSANCE PAINTING Y’ALL (SCREENSHOT BELOW) IT IS SO STUNNING. I AM STUNNED.

TK pulls Carlos’s hand into his lap, dropping it down softly onto of the pocket and, as you pointed out anon, right on top of his other hand

Their eyes immediately return to each other and the love??? is ICONIC???

But like, this is where this moment becomes an extension of the hug moemnt.

See, whereas that moment was TK entering Carlos’s space, this is TK saying “I want you with me, over here in my world, by my side, in my hands, I think it’s where you belong”

And not only that, but by cradling Carlos’s hand in-between his own, shielding it from the elements - I mean, looks back at the scene, Carlos’s hand is basically hidden - he’s also saying “I’m gonna protect you, and take care of you, if you let me. I don’t want to hurt you anymore”

Because I think TK knows this has all been hard on Carlos, the constant back-and-forth and uncertainly has left him really vulnerable.

And just like Carlos pressed both of his open hands to TK’s lower back during the hug to shield such a vulnerable area from harm, TK now shields Carlos from harm. Reassures him that he’s steady now. That he’s ready for them.

(Also the heart eyes at the end of this scene and the way TK definitely stares at Carlos’s mouth for a moment?? THESE TWO TOTALLY MADE OUT AFTER THIS.)

I AM A GLASS CASE OF SOFT EMOTIONS

Renaissance painting:

January 18th, I need you to get here, like, yesterday. I’m about to LOSE. IT.

#tarlos #911 lone star #tk strand #carlos reyes #anonymous #asks #bless you anons for letting me unleash my insanity #brian breakdowns #might as well start a tag?#brian being tarlos trash

14 notes · View notes

deathduty · 4 years ago

Text

And Then She Burns || Solo (ft. Morgan)

SUMMARY: Deirdre conjures a vision to aid Morgan’s quest to find Coraline Adam’s killer (featuring @mor-beck-more-problems)

Deirdre had dreamed of entering the funeral home several times. It had haunted her interest for a while, but she could never make it work. Whether because of Regan’s descriptions of Deirdre to Erin, or her inability to dissuade her oddities, she didn’t know, and never managed a friendly visit. Even now, her presence was anything but. Her grip on Morgan’s hand tightened and she steeled herself for a reality she couldn’t yet fathom. She wondered if Morgan could feel her twitch to move to the odd corner or hall. If she knew she’d been asked along to keep death away from her, or if her mind was also plagued by what they might find in poking around a corpse.

It was with either great concentration or Morgan’s assistance, that she was able to reach the mangled body of Coraline Adams.

Deirdre didn’t flinch at the sight of her, she had seen far too many dead fae for that. But the corpse enraptured her, and she couldn’t make out what Morgan was asking. She let go of her hand and approached the table, having to respond to her girlfriend by way of terse smiles and hand gestures. No, I’m okay. You should stay with me. I love you.

Her first thought was that wardens killed like this. They never thought of fae as living creatures, not even like animals. They were something lower than subhuman, something sinister. To kill them was no more morally questionable than to banish a demon. What was done with the bodies didn’t matter. After all, these were creatures without souls or lives. Yet, Coraline was not killed by a warden, but a witch. And all the witches Deirdre knew to kill fae did so as game hunters; they harvested parts and pieces. To them, the fae were simply animals: creatures with life, but not a life of any notable value. Coraline’s scales had not been plucked and her organs were unharvested. This was not the act of a warden, or a witch, but of someone who wanted to hurt, and then succeeded.

Deirdre placed her hand tenderly where what was left of Coraline’s lay. The burning had hooked her hand, now a mess of disfigured flesh. Deirdre could scarcely tell a finger apart from her palm; in a place she thought she might have found her thumb, bowed from the burning, she realized she just as well might have been looking at her wrist. Coraline was cold now, and Deirdre thought better of delaying the reason she was here.

Deirdre’s pupils grew until her eyes were consumed by blackness. She searched for Coraline in the threads of death around her. She had a vision of another body instead, then of another being dressed, then of a funeral and then a dozen more. There was wailing and hushed voices, condolences and sympathies. The nix’s screaming played like a drum beat under the slideshow of death and Deirdre turned her ear to it. Coraline came into focus in fits and starts, by the sound of her choked screaming to the vision of her hair to the smell of a lake. Deirdre could see her eyes as they once were, then her hands, held up in front of her face. Coraline clawed burning flesh with them, she pawed at the ground, digging for reprieve in the cool soil. Her hands were a puddle at her side, the bones the only indication that there had been anything there at all.

Coraline materialized into focus. She reached her hand up, trying to grab something that was holding her. Under her touch, rippled into focus was the lines of a delicate tattoo wrapped around a slender arm. She was pushed, and her hands reached again to be saved, under them, the vision of a shirt and jeans blinked to life before they were washed away. The vision shifted again, and Deirdre watched Coraline burn and writhe and beg and burn. Magic always made fate play strange, it made her power work funny. For all she pushed, the vision did not want to reveal itself. It wanted to show her the mundane, the unmagical; the ground, the screaming, the searing flesh but not the cause. Everything else was eaten by white. She was losing her foothold, and with it, her tether to the vision. Deirdre groped blindly behind her for Morgan, waiting until she could feel her hand gripped around hers. She had an anchor now, and with an anchor she had the solid ground to piece this vision together. She asked the vision again to reveal itself in fullness.

It obliged.

It started first with two women: Coraline and one with tattoos---this stood out to Deirdre because they reminded her of the kind she knew spriggans to have, with similar intricate lines and swirls but the symbols were different and the style was foreign to her. She thought she might have seen some of those shapes in Morgan’s old magic books, but wasn’t sure if that was factual, or a point of reference her mind conjured. The woman’s voice was vitriolic, yet for all the hate it spewed, it was never raised. She called Coraline an animal, and then less than an animal, and then that she had no place in the world. Coraline was confused, but not in the way people often were before their death---that it would be so incredulous that life would leave them now---but in that those words were foreign to her, that they didn’t belong coming out of this woman. She asked for clarity, she begged for it. She searched for answers in this woman’s eyes and was met with the same confidence her voice held. This was deserved, she said, this was right. Deirdre couldn’t tell if she believed it, or if she simply wanted to drown Coraline’s questions out. Her hands, that until then had been plastered to her shoulders, ushering her backwards as Coraline clumsily conceded, now moved to her neck. The flesh began to sear, bubbling and blistering under her touch. Coraline raised a hand to the woman’s forearm, too feeble to push her back but urging with whatever energy she had left for some sense to be made. Her last words were another choked question, then the woman’s hands moved to cup her face and she lost all ability for coherence. The woman pressed into her face as if she might try to shatter the skull under her grip. Finally, she pushed Coraline down, and there Deirdre saw a circle she could recognize from Morgan’s books.

“Older,” Deirdre documented, hoping that if her memory failed her when she might try to recount this later, she could at least use the observations she had in the moment. “I can tell by the sound of her voice. It’s deep, it’s like---” A rumble. A roar that didn’t need to be heard. A voice that had no one to impress. “Her forties, maybe. She has tattoos.” Which seemed like a silly observation as she said it, but they would be far more revealing than any description Deirdre could wager about the shape of her nose. “Alchemic. The ones on her arms nearly match the circle she pushes Coraline into.” She didn’t know enough about Alchemy to explain it herself, but she had seen enough of Morgan’s magic to know how to recognize it. “And then she burns.”

Badly. The vision liked to fixate on that. Deirdre’s jaw tensed as she allowed the vision to be played over and over again. The woman poured her magic into the circle, she had always meant to kill. Coraline was dead mere seconds into the act, but the woman persisted until the body was still and the acrid scent of burnt flesh became unbearable. She surveyed the corpse. She drew a knife. The vision repeated itself. “Her flesh was transmuted to iron, I think. Or maybe from the inside out. I recognize the burning but I can’t---” Coraline screamed again. Her skin bubbled and blistered then popped and dissolved. She writhed. She clawed at her own skin, ripping up flesh with her sharp nails. Her scales fused flat to the muscle below and her gills expanded, searching for air that would not help her. Deirdre couldn’t pull the facts from the pain. Had she been in her human form when she met this woman, transformed with the burning? The vision wanted to show her pain, and so it did. Deirdre urged for the beginning of the scene again, but the vision would not move. “She doesn’t like her, but Coraline is very confused. And then she burns.” Deirdre stiffened, she wrenched her hand out of Morgan’s, feeling her body ignite just the same way. “I would say they know each other,” she spoke through gritted teeth, “but the vision won’t show me exactly. But she burns. She burns.” She wanted the conversation before this, a name or a relationship. She had seen enough deaths of this nature to know when a victim and murderer were acquainted, of that she was confident, but she wanted proof to show Morgan. Instead, she began clawing at her flesh the same as Coraline had---her nails were short where Coraline’s were sharp, and so she could not relieve herself by picking her burning skin apart. She tried again, but the burning had consumed her lungs finally, and she could not speak but to choke. She scratched at her neck, at non-existent gills. She could feel hands on her shoulders, pushing her back, a tight grip around her skull and her body falling down.

It was Morgan who quelled the vision away, without an anchor, and with her urging of Deirdre to come back, Coraline faded into blankness and the funeral flooded back into sight. She heaved, stumbling into her girlfriend’s arms until paint set against her skin and she stood upright, feeling her neck and surveying her hands. “I couldn’t get a name,” Deirdre was hoarse. “But I could tell you exactly what she looked like.” Her voice was still stuck in Deirdre’s head, she called her an animal too, and then less than one. But it was drowned out easily by the sound of Morgan’s.

“That’s okay, babe. That’s perfect, thank you. You’re okay now, my love, okay? Hey, you’re safe with me. You’re safe, my love. If you can just pick her out, while it’s still fresh? And then we can go home, we’ll do whatever you want. If you can just pick her out, that would do so much, that would be everything when it comes to finishing this.” Morgan cradled her in one arm and presented a set of pictures on her phone.

She found the woman easily in the set, the sight of her drawing bile up Deirdre’s throat. “That one,” she pointed with a quivering hand. The woman was smiling, unassuming among the rest. Deirdre had seen enough monsters to know they always looked like that: normal.

“...Shit. It’s Jo. Shit...” was all Morgan said. She seemed to recognize the picture too well. Her body tensed with dread. “Okay. Okay, yeah. That’s okay, my love. Thank you. Thank you so much, my love. Hey, babe? Deirdre--?”

Deirdre could see Morgan’s mouth moving, she could make out the “my love”s by the familiarity of how those words moved her lips. But she couldn’t hear her, and eventually, she couldn’t see her.

Deirdre collapsed against Morgan, where she imagined that the writhing of her burning body finally stopped, just like Coraline’s. But only one of them would wake up from it.

#wickedswriting #solo #c: morgan #shouts out to kat for her contributions and also being generally great #i also dont think this needs any triggers but please lmk if im wrong

11 notes · View notes

giingers · 5 years ago

Text

The Worst of Nightmares (part two)

Part One

Request: the reader gets shot and bleeds in Tommy’s arms

Tag list: @peachy-aisha @crazyonesarethebest @peachyblinderss @spaghettirogers @mclfoybaby

Been listening to All My Tears which is the song that played in the finale of S2, and I’m in my feelings for sure. God I just want to cry because of Tommy Shelby.

Small Heath was blanketed in a cover of obsidian black that seemed to outwardly embody Tommy Shelby’s most dark thoughts. The moon was non existent in the sky and any stars that had hung proudly within the cover of inky blackness were now being smothered by the angry smog that normally resided over Birmingham.

Watery Lane was quiet, yet Tommy’s heavy footsteps that were weighted by the events of the evening now polluted the utter silence with a deafening thrum. His hands shook as they opened the door and as the heavy wood was flung back he could hear the arguing voices that rose from within. He had almost ran here after he had heard how Arthur had been thrown in prison, how Michael had been dragged from Aunt Pol’s house and how his business was under threat.

The betting shop was cold with tension as he entered and he found that every pair of eyes in the room landed on him. Aunt Pol was over to him in a flurry of brown curls, and dark wide eyes that searched his face for an answer to a question she hadn’t even voiced yet. Finn was poker straight and pale, and Tommy could sense that the young boy was beginning to fret over his brother and cousin who were now undoubtedly under Major Campbell’s mercy.

There was no time to fret however, only time to think and lay the foundations for plans. Tommy’s mind was already beginning to swirl with solutions to avoid outright combustion for the business, and it was business that needed to be sorted first. Family matters were larger and more difficult to unravel, therefore they needed to be dealt with in a different manner.

It was what he told Polly as she demanded he figure out what to do with Michael. Business first, he told her almost harshly and he could see within the dullness of her dark eyes that a spark of venom was squirming its way through her.

John who was sitting down, his shoulders slumped forlornly, began telling Tommy how the whiskey was gone, how the clubs were handed back to the Italians and how their warehouses and vans were no longer under their control. Tommy could feel his brain begin to fry itself beneath his skull, and for once in his life he did not see an achievable goal to the situation.

He threw himself in the chair opposite his brother and put his head in his hands. Fuck, he wanted to scream loudly, fuck Sabini! He had to clench his hands over and over again out of a trembling anger that was tearing through his veins like pure opium, and just like the drug it was causing him to get light headed. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then opened them again. His family were still looking at him as if he had all the answers, but he just felt lost and dumbfounded. He’d be here all night thinking and discussing the company’s next move, he wagered, and he sighed as he gazed at the pocket watch that hung from his breast.

“Finn, be a good lad and walk to the Garrison, eh? I told y/n I’d walk her home tonight. Explain what’s happened and bring her here” he eyed his little brother who was still standing idly by. The young lad just nodded weakly and began to walk out the door.

“And be quick about it. No delaying” Tommy warned as he took a cigarette out of a packet “I don’t want any coppers seeing you and coming up with an excuse to arrest any more Shelby’s”

The closing of the door was the only response Finn gave, and Tommy sighed mightily when he thought of how different his youngest sibling responded to situations. He was softer than the rest of them, and didn’t display the same fondness for the lifestyle his big brothers partook in. This life is bad, Polly had said, and perhaps she was right.

Tommy and John began a very strained conversation about how they were going to muddle out of this one, and Aunt Pol decided she had heard enough about business and whiskey deciding instead to storm into the kitchen. The tension in the family was palpable and it was worming its way through Tommy’s soul, causing him to stress more with each passing tick of the clock.

Not that much time had passed (perhaps five minutes but it felt like five hours)when the front door opened with an almighty slam. Tommy and John both stood abruptly, drawing guns and the second eldest Shelby felt his heart pick up its pace with the thought that perhaps the coppers or Sabini had come to take out the rest of the remaining clan.

But it wasn’t Sabini, or police for that matter. It was a very pale looking Finn, and Tommy felt his heart that had been pumping wildly minutes before, plummet in his chest. He dropped his gun to his side and his eyes that were wide and searching, now studied his shaking brother.

His hands were covered in blood.

“For fuck sake Finn, you scared us” Aunt Pol said as she too had stood to attention at the small kitchen table. She didn’t seem to notice the young boys state for a few seconds but when she slowly made her way towards him a hand went over her mouth.

“What’s on your hands?” her voice shook as she inspected her nephew and Finn swallowed harshly, taking a moment before he spoke.

“It’s y/n’s blood. She was on the ground when I got there, and I ran back here as fast as I could to get help” he was breathless as Tommy bounded towards him, his eyes mad and his hands trembling as he grabbed his brothers collar.

“What happened?” Tommy almost screamed at him, but Finn’s eyes were just as scared as how Tommy felt.

“I think she was shot”

He felt his brother slip away from his hold and before his mind could even register what his body was doing, he could feel his legs take off. The cold night air whirled around him as he ran through the night- the heavy footsteps of his family following close behind. His mind was whirling with all sorts of thoughts, but he knew that no matter what he found around the corner, it would be the worst of nightmares.

__________

His dream that had plagued him relentlessly for nights upon nights seemed to materialise somewhat as he came across the scene. The Garrison wasn’t on fire like it had been in the depths of his night time imaginings, Arthur wasn’t there to shout and scream at God and the heavens and his mothers spirit definitely was not there to stalk the shadows with her ethereal presence.

You were lying in a pool of your own blood however, and Tommy dropped to his knees to bring you close to him. At least in some sick way, his prophecy had gotten that part right. He wondered as he held your frail body, if perhaps his dream had been a warning and not just some nightmare. Perhaps he’d dreamt of his mother being there because she was the one that was giving him some inclination of the foreboding events that would be played out. Like some message from heaven. Or maybe it was the Romani blood that flowed through him that had made him foresee this. What was it that Polly had said? The part of me that dreams is gypsy.

He could hear Polly crying behind him and the erratic breathing of both Finn and John, but all Tommy could do was scream.

“Get help!” he roared as he held you “somebody get her some fucking help!”

John said something but it sounded warped and muffled to Tommy’s ears and then the sound of his running footsteps followed, and Tommy knew he was gone to fetch someone. Anyone.

You were alive, Tommy could tell that much by how your short breaths left your mouth and how your chest rose and fell unsteadily. But he knew by how fast the blood was gushing from the bullet wound and by how quickly all colour was draining from your skin that you had a very small window of survival.

His eyes were blurry with tears and he could just make out the shape of your beautiful face as he stared at you, and as he blinked the tears dripped onto your skin. He roared furiously as he rocked you back and forth, feeling the sticky blood that covered you slowly soak him from where he knelt in the dirt. He vowed then and there as he clutched your slowly dying body that he would murder whoever done this. Campbell, Sabini, Solomons....it didn’t matter. He would kill them with his own hands and he’d enjoy it.

“Please don’t leave me” he bent his head low and whispered to you, feeling those tears of utter pain soak his face again “I love you and I need you. God above I need you more than ever now”

He thought of Campbell then, and how this mission he had been given needed to be carried out. He thought of how he hadn’t told you, or any of his family, and how much he needed to tell you now, or how much he wanted to love you and hold you because he didn’t know what outcome would present itself. He had thought all along that it would be him who would be shot soon enough, not his beautiful wife.

He wished then underneath the blanket of inky sky, with the dim stars and clouds of smog his only witness, that he could trade places with you. He just held you close to him and cried like he’d never cried before, feeling each stuttering heartbeat of yours that thrummed against his chest. He stayed like that for what felt like a dismal eternity before he heard the dull noise of tyres on gravel.

He felt the dark sky was taking over his senses as he felt you slip out of his grip and into someone else’s, like all darkness in the world was enveloping itself around him. He rose his head and saw John and some stranger lifting you gently into the back of an ambulance car while he stayed kneeling in a pool of his wife’s blood. His mind and heart seemed to be tearing themselves apart from the inside of his rattling body, and all around him he found he could not escape the reality of this nightmare.

The part of me that dreams is gypsy, Polly had once said, but Tommy never wanted to dream again.

#tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby fanfic #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fic

255 notes · View notes

heartbreak-of-a-marauder · 5 years ago

Text

Forever and Always My Little One (1)

Title: The Second Moonrise

Pairing: Kol Mikaelson x OC

Summary: Fayne is a vampire created during the first 100 years of the Originals immortal lives. Just as the end is approachings a chance encounter with the youngest original changes her life forever, and always.

Words: 1,927

1 ->

~*~*~*~*~

1348 – St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, England.

I laid on the unforgiving mattress of the hospital bed, gazing up at the ageing paint that decorated the ceiling. Every now and again a shiver would pass through my body causing my hands to grip the blanket a little tighter. The coating of sweat that covered me from head to toe had long since soaked through my shift causing it to stick uncomfortably to my skin. It is an indescribable feeling to have your skin burning with heat but have a chill in your bones. An endless hunger seemed to be developing in my stomach as my natural instincts pleaded to be obeyed, and the ever-increasing number of people fillings the hospital made things more difficult.

The silvery rays of the moon that managed to break past the clouds, crept through the window panes adding a little more light to the candlelit room. The sounds of raspy breathing and soft coughing were two of the few things that could be heard across the wide expanse of rooms. Scenes of the vivid past that had poisoned my dreams would soon spill into my waking moments as the days went on and to fight them would cause painful aches in my head.

Slowly I pushed myself up into a sitting position, the bed frame creaked slightly due to the changing positions of pressure. The calm of the room was soon disturbed by my own coughing when the dryness could no longer be ignored. The coughing became more violent to the point of wrenching. Removing my hand from my mouth I instantly zeroed in on the red splodges that mingled with mucus. A single tear slid down my cheek, I was still greedy for life despite having taken more time than I was originally dealt. But the evidence in my hand made it plain that I would not last much longer.

A shadow in the corner of my eye catches my attention, it moves swiftly with an inhuman likeness, it lurks around the cots at the far end of the room; hovering almost. It leans over one of the cots seemingly surveying the individual that lay in it. I shift slightly to get a better view, even in the poor light I can see how its back stiffens like a creature caught in the act. In the same quiet yet elegant manner he moves away from his previous point of interest and begins his journey towards my bed.

“Are you well miss?” A distinct British accent can be heard as he lowered the hood of the cloak.

“As well as I am able to be sir.” I offer politely in return.

“I hope circumstances could be better for you.” Cocking his head to the side.

“Many have said that it is God’s will, a punishment of sorts.” I offered some of the fatalistic babble given to me by a now-deceased person.

The corners of his mouth turned upwards a little after hearing my comment, he seemed to like the façade I had constructed. A breathy chuckle escapes his lips as he lowers himself to sit on the edge of my cot.

“The fragility of human life…” He muses to himself while an outstretched hand toys with a lock of hair that has fallen over my shoulder. He pulls his attention away from the strands in his fingers to look me directly in the eye.

“I can only imagine your wildest fantasies and the adventure you thought you may have had.” He voices his thought, without waiting for a reply he continues. “What if I could give you the means to travel the world and see its wonders?"

"Money is of no use to a person doomed to die my Lord..." I mused lowly.

The stranger lets out a hearty chuckle, allowing a grin to grace his face. He looks away from me for a moment before he brings his gaze back to mine.

"Money is not what I offer dear girl, I can give you so much more." He boasts while leaning a little closer, when he is a hair's breadth away from my ear he whispers, "I can give you eternal life." He stays there for a moment inhaling deeply capturing my scent.

When he draws back the grin he previously wore is gone, instead, his brows have pulled together and his mouth is in a straight line. The amusement that had occupied his eyes has iced over, and he sits very still observing me.

He knows why I am dying.

"Eternal life has been good for me up until now," I sigh while peeling back the sleeve of my shift, smiling sourly when I hear his sharp intake of breath. "And I admit that I lust for more, but this is a death sentence, not even a vampire can escape." I break my eyes away from his brown ones to focus on the putrid bite.

"I can still give you eternal life" He speaks after a while, determination lacing his words.

A wry smile forms on my face. "Then I would encourage you to let go of those follies, a bite from a werewolf is final, no one survives."

"Were you not told to look a gift horse in the mouth girl?" He copies my expression.

I narrow my eyes at his tone, hunger mixed with a fevers rage proves to be a volatile mix. "I am no child sir, my name is Fayne and you shall address me as such."

"Then you shall address me as Kol Mikaelson, little one." He fires back, I huff harshly at his use of the pet name.

He stands abruptly and straightens out his clothing, all the while his eyes never leaving mine. "Then I propose a wager of sorts, should I save you by the second moon rise then you shall accompany me in my travels" He declares.

"And if you do not?" I ask with morbid curiosity.

He smirks. "I am sure you can work that out for yourself little one, goodbye for now." In the blink of an eye, he is gone.

_ _ _ _ _ _

The sun was beginning to set on the eve of the second moonrise, vast orange beams forced their way into the crowded room. I had not laid all my faith in Kol and his abilities to save me, but time was running out on his wager, and I was growing less lucid with every minute. I wanted to be cured but it was surely something of a fantasy. I was fighting to stay in the uncomfortable cot. My gums burned as my fangs fought to be free, the scent of blood was everywhere, the thread of humanity I clung to was beginning to fray.

In an instant, the thread had broken, and the animal inside came barrelling to the forefront. I didn’t feel the thick veins appear on my face nor the elongation of my fangs, I simply gave in to nature and it took me to a place I would be grateful for.

I loomed over my unsuspecting victim, they were here for injury, not illness, and it smelled so good. Quietly I hike up the shift unit it allows me to comfortable straddle his stomach. I crouch over him dragging the tip of my nose across his exposed skin before settling by his neck, I do not waste time or thought before biting down hard. I feel the way he fights weakly beneath me, not quite ready to die but I show no mercy and quickly drain him dry.

I attach myself to every victim like a newly born babe suckling from its mother. I break free from the current poor soul who serves as my dinner, breathing deeply I tip my head back. Never has it felt so good. Once again, I lower my head in preparation to finish my meal, but I don’t get near her delicate skin as hand fists itself in my hair dragging me away.

I buck and thrash like a wild animal, but the mysterious assailant further restrains me. The scent of sickness invades my nose informing me we have returned to my cot. They throw me harshly towards it, I whirl around preparing to attack but stop when I see Kol has returned with a stranger.

"She has got fight brother." He smirks at me.

“Come now brother, we don’t have all night.” Kol hurries, earning a sigh from the other man.

"I struggle to see why I should help a diluted bloodline but as you can see my brother insists." He teases, I look in Kol's direction for an indication that this is a jest, but his face is emotionless.

"Get on with it Niklaus." His nonchalant tone shocks me.

Niklaus takes a few steps towards me but I cannot escape the feeling that he is a predator and I his prey.

"Come now love, it will be painless; I promise." He chuckles before biting his wrist, my eyes switch between his wrist and face in disbelief. After seeing my hesitation, he uses his abilities to force his wrist into my mouth. The blood trickles down my throat for a few moments before he removes it.

He gives a curt nod towards Kol before disappearing.

"Vampire blood? You think that it will magically cure me?" I scoff at Kol, his face hardens.

"A 'thank you' is customary for when someone helps you." He retorts.

"Thank you?!" I cried incredulously, in a moment I appear before him. "You have not helped."

Roughly he grabs onto my right elbow drawing me closer to him, but also bringing my arm into view, he wastes no time in ripping the fabric of the sleeve back to reveal that the wound is indeed healing. The inflammation and discolouration had receded considerably and the bite had shrunk. I stared in disbelief, it had worked. Swallowing my pride and looked up at Kol.

"Thank you." It would be barely audible to human ears, but I knew he had heard me.

He smirks, liking that I had given in. "Now we must depart." He states while walking towards the entrance to the ward.

"Depart?" I ask, still stood near the cot.

He casts a glance over his shoulder before stopping. "I won the wager little one, you are now my travelling companion." He seems to think better of a previous decision and begins to walk back towards me, or rather past me.

"And where will we go?" I ask curiously as he peers out of the now open window.

He beckons me to him with a flick of his wrist, and slowly I come to join him by the window. He uses the inside of his dark cloak to wipe around my mouth and down my neck. Once satisfied he unbuckles it from his neck and sweeps it over my shoulders before securing it.

"There is no rush in having ready-made plans, that is the beauty of eternity."

"So, when are we to leave?" I ask not following.

"Now." He replies simply while smirking.

He pulls me into him, fixing us together by holding me around my waist, heat travels up my neck at his closeness but the cool air of the night soon takes over. I didn’t pay attention as to where we were going because the blackness of the night morphed the surroundings but, I was grateful when we got into a carriage and the sight of Saint Bartholomew’s disappeared into the distance.

#nate buzz #nate buzolic #nathaniel buzolic #kol #oc #kol x oc #kol mikaelson #kol mikaelson imagine #the vampire diaries #the originals #fanfic #wattpad

46 notes · View notes

raevenlywrites · 5 years ago

Note

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨!!!

OH MY GOSH THANK YOU!!!!! Such an effusion of ‘mojis gets a full scene, and this is one I’ve been dying to share. One of the things Gil really loves about Lia is what he sees in her paintings, so here’s the first time he gets a really good look at her art:

Lia was actually surprised that they managed to make it up to her room without someone accosting them.

Technically they still had a half hour until visiting hours were over, but no one ever actually abided by them. So long as you weren’t loud and conspicuous, no one really seemed to care. It was a coed house anyway.

She closed the door behind them, turning on a smaller light rather than the overly bright overhead. It still gave them plenty of light without risking the headache the other one gave her. “I hung a couple up, but most of them will be in my portfolio case – I’ll get it.”

In doing so, she realized that her desk was mostly covered with small sketches she’d been testing color combinations. “Oh, ignore those, I was trying to decide what colors I liked for the piece I have to submit for the end of semester exhibit.”

But he didn’t ignore them. He was entranced by them. Something about the naked swatches of color, the unfinished lines…

“They’re beautiful,” he breathed.

Lia felt her cheeks heat. “They’re just sketches.” But she turned to watch him look them over instead of getting out her portfolio.

His fingers hovered over the pages, clearly wanting to engage with them but afraid to mess them up. She leaned against her dresser, smile playing at her mouth.

“It’s alright, they’re dry. You can touch them.”

He looked up, sheepish grin on his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. Which ones did you actually intend to show me?”

More than pleased, she crossed the space between them. “What did you see? What put that light in your eyes?” That light that she so badly wanted to sketch now. To see if she could capture that raw sense of wonder.

And the pink in his fair, freckled cheeks. She’d paint each freckle one by one.

“Just… life.” He shrugged. “There’s a motion and a vibrancy to each one, each a little different. I don’t know what you were trying to paint, but I can see that its something very lively, something you see in a way no one else does.” His blush intensified. “I wanted to see if I could puzzle it out, from what you’ve cast aside.”

Lia felt her own cheeks warm, but she leaned in to put her face near his.

“There’s a few pieces to it, feel free to leaf through them – I’ll show you the initial sketch afterwards if you really want to try to guess what it is first.”

“Uh, sure.”

He felt warm with her so near, and he realized she was still wearing his jacket. Their scents had started to mingle, a sort of woodsy smell of sunshine and flowers. He liked it, he liked it a lot. And it made it really, really hard to concentrate on her art.

He tried to fall into that same place from before, where his gaze went soft focused and his breathing went shallow. To see beyond seeing. It was what the Arcana was trying to teach him, and he thought he was getting pretty good at it. This was good practice, on images not already familiar to him. And it was a window into Lia’s soul.

She felt like stained glass to him. A different color, a different angle, and the world became something new. He thought he could spend forever just having her show it to him, to follow her around and hold her hair back while she worked.

A shivered passed over him as their auras started to blend, and he pulled himself back in. Too forward, too much too soon. She hadn’t invited him–

And she wouldn’t, he chided himself. She wasn’t a faerie, or a mortal fey. She had no idea what she was dealing with.

Focus on the sketches. See what lay within the art. Hard questions could come after he won the wager. And his best hope at winning the wager was to just be himself. She already liked him.

That thought kindled a fire in his belly that glowed on his cheeks. He bent his head to the art.

“Ah… I see lots of blues, lots of trying to find the right compliment to the blues. Contrast?” He looked up at her for confirmation. “I’m sure I’m mangling my art terms.”

“Compliments,” she nodded. “I didn’t want to go for something as dynamic and harsh as a contrast. What else?”

He took in the flow of the pieces, how each seemed to twist and turn on itself, elegant and flowing. He knew this motion well.

“The sea. Or something that swims. That effortless way some things move through water.”

Lia smiled and nodded. She reached past him, deliberately letting their bodies brush as she grabbed her notebook. “It’s the creek in the park. I haven’t figured out how to quite catch the way the sun glints off the water, but I’ve been playing with sketching the little minnows under the surface.”

She flipped open to the spread of pages where she’d been trying to capture the feel of the sun-kissed water.

“That day in the park…”

“That’s right…”

Both their voices were breathy, and Gil knew if he just turned his face ever so slightly….

Their lips met, a little electric shock of connection where they touched.

His breath went out of him in a little “oh”, but then they were kissing again, and there was no more time for words.

#foxes and fate #agwitow #asked and answered

36 notes · View notes

wolfpawn · 5 years ago

Text

Two Halves of a Heart Makes a Whole

Chris cheated on you with a problematic celebrity, but you find happiness in Tom’s arms. When Chris realizes his mistake and wants you back, the media finds out that you and Tom just got secretly married.

Saw this idea on theartofimagining13's page and could not get it out of my head, not my usual style as I have no idea about anything to do with Evans so apologies for that.

- - - - - - -

It had been an accident, well, that was what Chris had told himself, what he probably should have implied was he never meant for it to happen, but long hours and a young sexy actress throwing herself at him changed things; she was beautiful, famous, fun, the heart of the party, and the film was long, tedious, on many days and he missed home, missed the feeling of someone beside him in bed, the feeling of a body writhing under his, and so it happened, just once, then twice, and before long, it as any day that filming was tough, which was most days.

author’s note - Due to requests, I am putting my Lass_Kicker stories here

He had not thought you would come to visit him on set, you said you were busy, you said that the studio had you up the walls, too many scripts to be edited to make them even be considered for shortlisting for movies. What he had not banked on was his little side piece being so vocal about their indiscretions, since she was supposed to be seeing some big shot guy, someone that could drop her and her fun lifestyle living in a flash, but someone had heard from someone, who heard it from said actress that he was a great lay and it had gotten back to you, sort of. They implied you needed to see Chris, but never said why exactly, not feeling it was their place, but not wanting to see you be made a joke of, so excitedly, you went to do just that. When you arrived, he was taken back to see you at his hotel, you were smiling happily, delighted after seeing him after two long months apart filming, he, on the other hand, was cold, and distant. As soon as you were in private, he starting half demanding why you had come, what did you know, to which you could only stare back blankly, no idea of what he was referring to, but then you realised it. Resignation came to your face. You had been apprehensive of the actress he would be playing across from, she had a reputation, but you trusted Chris, he had been the first to give out about people cheating, so he would never do such a thing, you had thought at least. But the way he rubbed the back of his neck, the guilty look on his face, it said everything you needed to know. Biting your lips between your teeth, you nodded in defeat and walked towards the door again. "I'm sorry" that was all he said, as though sorry made it better, made the betrayal, the hurt, the lies, the 'Can't wait to see you' comments when clearly he could all disappear, make it all go away. It didn't, it couldn't.

Their affair hit the papers less than forty-eight hours after you had gone home, well, 'affair' was not the word used, it was made seem like they had found each other on set, fallen in love and cut ties with their other halves before doing anything about their feelings. It all cut you too painfully, and even the sight of his name, much less his face broke your heart even more, a name you had started feeling butterflies every time you saw it as you thought of the guy that had made moving to the States so much easier, the guy you loved snuggling up next to on the sofa with to watch terrible movies and comment about them the whole way through. But you did not let it show, you would not give it to anyone to let them see how much it hurt. And when the studio needed a volunteer to go to London for a minimum of three months, though you had been hesitant before, you jumped at the chance. Britain was just next to home and the hell away from Hollywood, Chris and everything you came to hate with a passion.

It was there that you came to terms with everything, you woke in the morning of the second week there and it wasn't the first thing you thought of, it was one of the first, but not the first, that was progress as far as you were concerned.

You remained in the office for the most of the time, typing out the sheets of altered scripts for different actors, when you were told there were alterations to be made, you didn't mind, you loved the storyline so seeing it all together was fun, that was where you met him, Tom, polite, cordial and a gentleman. He came in for his altered script, but it still had to be okayed by those in higher positions, and they would be another twenty minutes in a meeting so after offering him a tea or coffee, you continued your own work.

"You like Plath?" he asked, noting the book that was lying open on the desk.

"I do, not exactly the most upbeat poet, but it's interesting to study those with a tortured soul." "Does it put things in some form of perspective?" You looked at him in confusion, "We met before, on the set of The Dark World." You swallowed hard, the day Chris had gone to the set to shoot that one scene in his uniform, you had gone with him, you had met Tom there, but you never thought he would remember. "Yes, of course, I thought you wouldn't…" "I heard what happened, what really happened, I am so sorry." "Why, you weren't the one who…"

"No, but I never thought…" "Believe me, no one thought that as much as I did, but I was wrong." "How are you?" "Fine." "One thing about Irish people and the word fine, it and 'grand' both cover everything from 'I have won the lotto' to 'I have terminal cancer'."

"I suppose, I don't like to think about it, I am doing okay, I am focusing on work." "That helps, for a while, but it is lonely." You looked at him in surprise. "When I was away doing War Horse, my girlfriend…" "Did you ever feel like you could let someone in again?" "Honestly, not yet." "Yet?" "I think I will when the right woman comes along." He shrugged.

"I have, to be honest, I am not feeling too hopeful if you are still in this position years later." "Maybe you will find someone perfect for you faster." "I'll let you know if he has a sister." was all you could reply, causing the actor to give you the most incredible smile you had ever seen and for the first time since Chris' nonverbal admittance that broke your heart, you gave a genuine smile in return.

That was how it started, as fate would have it, there were several rewrites, and because of his meticulous nature and professionalism, Tom himself came in to deal with them, and every time he made small talk and gave you that smile, a smile you soon realised not everyone was given, making you feel better in yourself. To your shock, Chris was not in the top five thoughts of your morning wake up any longer, instead, Tom was, causing you to giggle excitedly for a moment before you scolded yourself and forced yourself to remember, he had been hurt too before, and he was not yet ready to let someone in, you were only setting yourself up to fail again if you weren't careful.

"May I ask you something?" you looked up from the script you were working on, trying to see if it was going to get through even the first layer of sieving to make it to the producer's table to see Tom in front of you, a nervous smile on his face.

"Hi, sure, ask away." "Does it hurt when they broadcast it as he does?"

You regretted giving him permission to ask; you never actively sought information on Chris and his tartlet, but you were often forced to endure it anyway. "Yes and no. Yes because he said he never wanted any of that, so I find myself wondering was he lying to me, no because I don't allow it, it…he is not my concern anymore, my concern is me." again Tom gave you that smile, but with a hint of something else in it, around his eyes there was something you were unsure of.

"May I ask you something else?" "You may."

"Are you free later?" "I am, why?" "Well, I was hoping you could join me for dinner?" there was a nervousness in his tone, one that showed that he was doing something he had not done in so long, if you had to guess, you would wager he was trying to let you in, but you had to rubbish it, why, of all people would you be the one to break through everything and gain the trust of THE Tom Hiddleston.

"I…" "Of course, I should not have assumed, I am sorry if I…" "Sure," He froze, looking at you in shock. "I would love that."

"Really?" His voice was drenched in hope. "Really," you smiled. "When suits?" "What time are you off?" "Today?" "Yes." "No." Tom's face fell. "But you said you were free." "I am, but I can't possibly go to dinner looking like this." you indicated to your clothes. "I look a mess." "I think you look divine." he admitted before a deep red starting climbing his neck and ears.

Since you both did not want any attention on you, he offered to cook at his for you both. You accepted thinking he would order food in, utterly flabbergasted when you turned up with some wine to see him actually cooking. "A man of many talents," you had joked. The evening was incredibly comfortable, the only silences were ones while you both ate, the rest of the time you both spoke at length of your interests.

Chris loved football, you would listen as he roared abuse at any team that dared battle his beloved Patriot's, but that was as far as your knowledge on the topic went. Tom loved Tennis, another game you knew little of, but his passions went to books as well, something of a common ground. You were often called boring, old before your time, but Tom called you mature, not being interested in the weekend's drinking and clubbing was not something to be laughed at in his eyes but admired. He realised you liked classical music and rather than suggest other genres to listen to, he went into a full discussion of wanting to know what instruments you loved, had you been to many concerts, it felt refreshing, you felt validated as a person.

"Everyone calls me boring." You admitted.

"Good, that makes two of us." Was all he grinned in return. "I love sitting in with tea and a good book." "Maybe a pack of biscuits too, but I tend to binge eat when I get invested." "Now that is speaking my language, darling." 'Darling' that one word of his made you swoon when he used it. Chris had used 'babe' a normal enough term, very American, but darling made you feel as though you mattered. It caused you to blush every time without fail, and you suspected Tom knew, after all, he said it more often with an expectant smile on his face when he did, and you simply became more bashful.

It was by far, the most comfortable and happy you had felt since the debacle, and all the time, Tom respected you and your boundaries and hang-ups, slowly working you through them until you felt confidence starting to build in you once more. It was then, after two months of dating, it began to become physical, feeling inconsequential from Chris choosing a statuesque and, as much as you were sickened to admit it, a more beautiful woman than you, you felt as though Tom would be less than satisfied with you too. If he was, it did not show, he was as thorough a lover as he was an actor; ensuring you loved every moment of it, telling you how beautiful you were, how perfect every last imperfection was, he spoke of how much he adored connecting with you in such an intimate way, how amazing you were. His eloquent tongue using words that made you blush with modesty as he spoke them, punctuating them as he gave you pleasure, positively reinforcing each one to the extent that when he told you the dinner you were sharing was exquisite, your body reacted as it had when he had said it to you in bed.

Your three-month contract was due to finish but was then renewed. With those in charge deciding the European market worthy of the investment, and with many of those of the highest talent deciding to not make the move to Hollywood, the company decided to open a permanent office in London, with you already there, you were one of the first offered a permanent transfer. You took it there and then, not for Tom, but for you, something Tom later told you mattered more than anything else, though he was ecstatic you decided as you had. You agreed to move in with him until you found a permanent residence, after three months, you stopped even looking, Tom got a key cut for you. After six months, you went to Battersea Dog Home together and brought back a dog that seemed to have more breeds in it than most veterinary books, but he was perfect, he was yours and Tom's.

The first film promotion was the first test, it was incredibly hard, as that was where things could go incredibly wrong. Tom too worked with gorgeous, supposedly happy in their relationships women, but you had to try. Tom felt similar, his busy life was why his last girlfriend cheated, but together, you spoke through it, argued through some parts, but finally the day came for him to leave and you were both forced to face it. Neither of you wanted to be the one to crack, to act as though you were weak and obsessive, forcing you both to sit on your anxiety of your previously broken trust. The first week was the hardest, but you had Bentley with you to keep you company, Tom had laughed as you face-timed him with the dog beside you as you sat on the floor of your now shared home at the end of the first week. It was tough, but knowing the gut-wrenching feeling of being the victim of such actions before got you both through, and soon, even on Tom's busiest days, even with ten hour long flights, he called, he texted, he even faxed once when there was no cell reception, and it made you realise it could be done.

Then came another obstacle a movie with a love scene. Tom had paid for you to join him on set for that. He wanted and needed you to be there, he needed to show you that you could trust him, and as much as you found yourself struggling to maintain steady breathing, you needed to see the scene. Sure in the movie it would be passionate and almost feral, but on set, with forty people staring, when it was not actually a small room but a huge studio, you could see there was nothing to it, and when the takes were done and the director called cut, Tom looked straight to you, and the lustful gaze he acted in the movie, you realised was not for the actress, but the one he had for you, you being there was how he could show it truly, and after the day was called on set, he showed you who he yearned for, in an explicit and thorough fashion.

Chris' actions had shattered your trust and slowly Tom repaired the breaks in it, it was not perfect, but Tom ensured you knew you were loved; as you did with him. Every day you did everything you could to ensure he saw that his previous experiences were not going to repeat themselves, you were faithful, you would never do that to him, slowly he too saw how to let himself love deeply again.

You were easily accepted by his friends and family, his sisters and mothers loved you from the day he brought you home, they knew from a mere ten minutes in your company you were not looking to gain anything from Tom's fame, you merely loved him for him, as he did you, and that was enough in their minds. When Tom explained that you too had been hurt, that you knew pain, they did not judge, they did not say anything, his mother only embraced you tightly and swore her son would not do such a thing, he was too broken from his own hurt.

As the year anniversary came around, Tom suggested you return home for it, bringing Bentley in the car and have a week in Ireland; you embraced the idea immediately, and for said week, you showed Tom your favourite parts of home, including your family, who made comments regarding Chris and his life for all of two moments before you shot them down, insisting you neither knew what he was doing, or cared for it, all you were concerned with was your future, and Tom. On the final day before having to return home, you decided to go up a hill that you had told Tom was the place you came to when deciding to go and try and make it in a job with so little breakout opportunities, it was the scariest thing you had done in your life, but that view made you see the whole picture, or so you stated. Tom got to the top a few steps behind you, on turning to see where he was, you were shocked to see him barely able to stand, so you rushed over to see what was wrong, it was from there you realised he was on one knee, a ring in his hand, the diamond was quaint and the band made of white gold, showing you that one tiny comment you had made to Sophie Cumberbatch at a gathering after only four months of dating regarding liking only small jewellery resonated with him, he remembered that one little detail and that alone made you want to shout yes in reply to the question he asked.

On a crisp spring afternoon, as the sun fought its way through the clouds, in a small church in Scotland, you became Mrs Thomas Hiddleston in front of a few friends and family, no paps, no cameras. As you sat at the table, the speeches were made but you lacked the courage to say anything, you simply sat listening, with tears of love and happiness in your eyes as Tom told everyone gathered of how he thought you were the most beautiful woman alive since the moment he first saw you, but when he met you again and you were sitting in the office typing at what could only be called lightning speed in his opinion, and you asked him if there was even a chance it would get easier, he knew he loved you. The manner in which he described your similar pasts caused him to come up with an analogy that caused you to smile. He said you were two separate hearts, cracked down the middle by past events, both of you terrified you were beyond repair, unable to figure out where all the broken shards went, but then you came together, and he realised that the half of his heart that still stood somewhat intact fit yours perfectly, allowing you both to love again, together.

* Chris stared at the mirror in front of him. He did not recognise the man looking back. His dishevelled appearance signifying his turmoil. As happened with him, his partying girlfriend found someone else to appease her. Chris watched as everything he had collapsed around him. People began to suspect that he had still been with you when he got with the actress, who was accumulating quite the reputation, one he was not fully aware of before, but regretting being associated with now, especially since…he swallowed and thought of you. It was the biggest mistake of his life letting you go, not that he needed to remind himself, his family told him incessantly. He did not want to go about broadcasting his relationship with his new flame four days after you realised his actions and left, but they were spotted together and her agents went with it before consulting with his. He was relieved that unlike her former lover, you had not called out their actions. Now he sat alone, smelling and feeling woeful in his apartment while you were God knows where. He went in search of you after everything came to a head to apologise, and in some foolish way, in hopes you would want him back, but your work had told him you had gone to London.

He remembered that job, you declined it outright when it was mentioned on the basis of you didn't think it was right to leave for three months, something he argued for you to do, knowing it would further your career, but you had declined even considering it due to not wanting to put any pressure on the relationship, but with him gone, clearly you seized your chance to go. From the sounds of things, you were not coming back. He wept for a day and thrashed his hallway when that realisation came to the fore.

He groaned as he heard banging on the front door, he wanted to ignore it, but he knew Pratt was coming over and he had a key, so he was not going to get any solitude, no matter what happened. When the other man walked in, he just gave him a warning glare. "Not interested." "You look like Hell." "Shut up."

"Are you really that caught up on her, I mean she left your ass for another guy, she is not worth it; only trash does that," Pratt stated as he handed fresh takeout to his friend. "You weren't this cut up after…" "Don't say her name." "Wait, is this about her? It is, isn't it? If you still feel like this, why did you break up with her?" "I didn't." "Wait, are you saying she broke up with you because I am about ninety percent sure she was commenting on diamond rings with Anna one day shopping." Evans gave a gross sob at that. "Hey man, talk to me, what is going on?" "I...she found out." "Found out about what?" "That I.…"

"Wait, you cheated on her," Pratt realised, Evans just nodded shamefully. "With that tart?" again he nodded. "So you cheated on the nicest, sweetest woman alive, the same woman that said she could not wait to give Jack a best buddy, that she wanted to talk to you about maybe having a baby, and you think you have a right to get choked up about it?" Prat looked him up and down in disgust. "What the hell was wrong with you?" "I messed up, I never meant for it to happen, I was lonely…" "Lonely, that's your excuse, you felt a little lonely? How the hell do you think she felt? How do you think she felt when she realised that the man she was hoping to spend her life with went away for a few months to do a film, with an actress the blind could see she was none too pleased about and you did everything she feared would happen, how do you think she felt? Anna and I have barely heard from her and we were wondering why, if I'd have known…" "Wait, you've heard from her, where is she?" Pratt contemplated not telling him for a minute, but there was blatant desperation in his features, so he conceded. "England, she took the job, she…she met someone." Evans made a terrible sound of agony at that. "She's happy, she's…she's not going to come back." "I messed up." Chris wept, his friend looking at him pitifully, but not in anyway disagreeing with him. "Why did I…?"

"It doesn't matter now, she is gone, all you can do is get on with it, she's happy, you need to get to grips with that and get yourself back on track too." "But I love her." "Chris, she is not coming back, she has found someone else, she loves him now. I know that kills you to hear but you have to accept it." "What's his name?" "She never said and we never asked. Don't do this man, scrap what dignity you have left off the floor and get on with things. Go get a shower, we'll go and watch a game or something." "She used to try and understand football, never grasped it, though," Chris stated sadly, a small smile on his face.

"Don't do this man, go grab a shower."

Nodding sadly, Chris walked to his bedroom and looked around, his focus coming to the area in the corner he used grouse you would have far too many books, now all that was there was dirty laundry, grabbing his phone, he went onto the browser and typed in your name. In truth he had no idea what would come up, what he had not expected was the headlines and pictures of you in front of him, his eyes filling with tears once more.

Tom Hiddleston is off the market, the Thor and Avengers actor got married in a secret ceremony in Scotland last month.

The picture was one of you and Tom on your honeymoon, his wedding ring viewable in the picture as he held you hand in his, your rings viewable as you put some stray hair behind your ear. The smile on your face caused his stomach to churn painfully. You looked so happy, so carefree, so at ease that he could not deny it, it killed him somewhat to acknowledge you had indeed moved on. He knew Tom enough to know the Brit would never hurt you, Tom would not do what he had done, he would love you and show it every day. Tears fell as he thought of Pratt's words, you wanted that with him, a family with him, and he cast it all aside for an easy lay, now Tom would be the man that would have that life with you and as he noticed the small Baloo stuffed toy in Tom's hand, he suspected you already were starting one.

#two halves of a heart makes a whole #Chris Evans #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston fic

21 notes · View notes