#I may have been shadow banned for using a trigger word somewhere

[emaya-chan-the-potato-headed]

Y'all, if you've sent me asks in the last month or so, I promise nobody is being ignored, it's just I have never received them! 😨

[sophiexwrites]

Solangelo Soulmarks

Based on this prompt from @troopythedragon24! This was a lot of fun, it took a little longer than I expected because I kept changing ideas, but here we go!

AU: Soulmates

Setting: Camp Half Blood, Infirmary Days after BOO

Trigger Warning(s): Mentions of shirtless teen boys, though not heavily described. Please tell me if I should add any others.

AO3

Will Solace placed his hand next to the stethoscope on his patient's chest, steadying himself to get a better reading. Both boys fought to avert their gaze and reduce the blush staining their cheeks, but their efforts were hopeless.

"So, uh..." Nico di Angelo struggled to start a conversation now more than ever. "Is there a reason this is taking so long, doc?" He silently cursed himself for using the nickname, but supposed some good came out of it when he saw Will's crooked smile.

"Sort of." The son of Apollo bit his lip in thought as he moved away from Nico. The retreat made both their chests ahe, longing for the contact again. Will ignored it best he could, whilst Nico tried to ignore the butterflies attacking his stomach when his doctor kept biting his lip - a habit Nico was soon obsessed with. "You're heartbeat is fast but faint, I need it to be louder." That was strange, Nico thought, because he could hear his heart hammering like Hephaestus. "I hope this doesn't overstep any boundaries," The doctor rushed, careful to chose his words so that the next two days together in the infirmary wouldn't be full of tension and awkwardness, "but it might help if you took your shirt off."

All was silent for a moment before Nico let out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Can... can you take your shirt off, please?"

Nico wasn't sure whether he wanted to or not. Sure, it would stop Will from looking at him with those bright blue eyes standing out from tanned skin, full of a strange emotion that Nico could only call nervousness, for some reason. But still. If Nico took his shirt off, he would be bare chested and Will would be able to read the words printed inches below his collarbone. He would read Nico's soul-mark, quoting the first words Will ever said to him.

Somewhere in his panic, a single brain cell spoke up: then hide it, shadow bender! Of course! Will may have banned underworld magic, but shadows were distinctly a part of the world of the living - dead folks aren't opaque enough to cast one. As long as Nico had enough energy to keep the shadows covering his chest, Will would never be any wiser of their connection. He certainly didn't seem to have any feelings for Nico now, the son of Hades thought bitterly.

"Okay. But turn around, I don't need you ogling me."

"Y-yeah, sure." Will's voice shook, and Nico didn't know they were both in the same state of panic. He pulled his dark eyes around the room, noting every shadow cast by the potted plants, drawn privacy curtain, medical equipment, and (most notably) the bed Nico and Will were sat on. Will himself cast no shadow, but Nico assumed that was down to the angle of light in the small room. The shadow weaver steeled himself with a breath before pulling his shirt over his head and dragging the shadows towards him. The sense of power was incredible.

"You can look now." He whispered, suddenly shy. The shadows covered his torso, from each far-too-visible rib to the far-too-prominent collarbone. Unless you knew where to look, the soul-ink was invisible.

But as Will turned around, bright red, Nico's other brain cells returned. Will didn't have a shadow because he was a child of the God of the Sun... as his stethoscope and hand returned to their places on Nico's chest, they both found the shadows repelled by a soft glow of golden light. No, it wasn't gold: it was a full visible spectrum of light, each shade of sunset or sunrise filtering down on him. It was gorgeous, Nico thought, suddenly with a one-track mind. Will was gorgeous.

Speaking of Will, he had a one-track mind too. Nico's soul-mark. Hi, I'm Will! The cursive was wobbly and crooked, just as 11 year old Will's writing would have been. It was much scruffier 3 years later, Will mused, before he breathed a single word to the cute Italian teen sat in front of him. "Soul-mark."

That definitely brought Nico back to reality. Eyes wide and fearful, he remembered his encounter with Eros as he scrambled to put his shirt back on, convinced the God had cursed him for all eternity because this was wrong, now Will would hate him, and think he's weird and abnormal and would tell everyone, and-

"Nico, wait, it's okay!" Soft hands took Nico's in their own, bringing him back to reality. "It's great, actually, you have mine and I have yours too!" With the bright white smile dazzling him, it took Nico a moment to realise what his crush had just said.

“You have one too?"

"Yes! of course I do." Will's gaze softened, and the attractive lip-biting returned. "If you want, I can show you?" Nico hesitated before nodding, averting his gaze as Will let go of him to remove his doctors coat and then shirt, abandoning them on the bed. "See?" He indicated the lightly inked block capitals above his heart, the same place Nico's soul-mark was. OH, HI! Will had long felt frustration over the generic words, bitter that soul-marks only showed the first sentence your soulmate says to you. But overtime he had re-evaluated each and every first-meeting he ever had, and realised that meeting 11 year old Nico near Hestia's hearth had to be the origin of his mark. And now he loved it.

"Oh." Nico said, automatically leaning towards Will to read the tiny writing. "Oh."

"Yeah." Said Will, taking Nico's hands in his and leaning towards his soulmate. They sat there, together, for what felt like hours and seconds at the same time. They kept a small gap between them, studying each other's marks in awe.

That was before the curtain rustled behind them and Kayla burst in, worried by the silence. Needless to say, she was met with two red faced, bare chested, hand holding teens, locked in a tender moment of silence. Though, it soon changed to panic, threats thrown at the giggling girl to insure complete and utter secrecy, lest Nico design a spot in the Fields of Punishment for her himself. In other words, it was Nico and Will’s first bonding exercise after accepting their bond. And it was glorious.

[the-descension-inks]

Sojourn (Zutara Week 2020)

Summary: It's a strange fate that they have crafted for themselves; lines that don't quite meet, stars that circle each other, and stories that are almost written. (Or, glimpses into Zuko and Katara's lives, told in reverse, from the very end to the very beginning.)

[7/9] Affirm

He doesn’t mind it. He has had enough people looking at him over the last month with pity in their eyes – burned at thirteen, crowned at sixteen, widowed at thirty-one – and he can’t take it anymore.

A drop of sweat trickles down the side of his face, reminds him of how much he detests the sticky humidity of this city. His hair feels uncomfortable, and his crown has never felt heavier.

It’s funny, he thinks, how he misses the dry heat of Caldera City; misses the hot gusts of wind that lash at him without leaving behind a sheen of sweat, a constant reminder of its lurching discomfort.

Read the entire series here, and this chapter under the cut, or on AO3, or on FF.net.

[TRIGGER WARNING: Minor Depiction of Violence]

115 AG

Fire Lord Zuko returns to full-fledged political life a month after losing his wife.

(He’d heard the whispers, of course. Around the palace. In Republic City. Too soon to be coming back, they had said.)

The room in the City Hall feels too small today, the walls closing in, the prickly heat of Republic City crawling its way up Zuko’s skin while the Earth Kingdom representative – Saye, he thinks – goes on and on about how she believes bloodbending can be useful in the field of medicine.

Which, of course, is nothing but a ton of bullshit, but he perseveres through it all. For the sake of fucking diplomacy.

“You okay, buddy?” Sokka whispers to him, nudging his knee underneath the table.

He wonders if there’s anything on his face to suggest otherwise, but gives the other man a reassuring nod nevertheless.

Sokka returns the nod, gives him half a smile, and leaves him alone to his thoughts.

He doesn’t mind it. He has had enough people looking at him over the last month with pity in their eyes – burned at thirteen, crowned at sixteen, widowed at thirty-one – and he can’t take it anymore.

A drop of sweat trickles down the side of his face, reminds him of how much he detests the sticky humidity of this city. His hair feels uncomfortable, and his crown has never felt heavier.

It’s funny, he thinks, how he misses the dry heat of Caldera City; misses the hot gusts of wind that lash at him without leaving behind a sheen of sweat, a constant reminder of its lurching discomfort.

The Earth Kingdom woman – Saye – stands up at long last, and Zuko thinks that’s the end of it. They can hear Katara next, and she’ll shut up everyone who thinks bloodbending should even be allowed to exist with her precise logic and powerful voice, and then they’ll outlaw it, and they’ll just... go home.

(Another heir to the throne left without a mother, the whispers had also said. Zuko had wondered if it had something to do with his godforsaken heritage. Paying for the heinous crimes of his forefathers, or something along those lines.)

“With the permission of the honorary members of the United Republic Council, I’d like to bring someone forth,” Saye tells them instead. “A healer, if you will. I believe her demonstrations will help us reach a better decision.”

There’s something odd about how she says it, the way her eyes glint as she narrows them at him, and only him. He wonders if it’s all in his head, if he is truly starting to lose his mind.

“No harm in wasting a little more time, right?” Sokka asks him under his breath with a roll of his eyes.

“Of course not,” he bites out, an inexplicable feeling of dread settling to the pit of his stomach.

He watches as Saye saunters out of the room, still trying to place a finger on what it is that’s filling him with panic. Sokka turns to him, doesn’t help his thoughts one bit. “There’s something fishy about that woman.”

“You too?”

Sokka frowns, and then groans as he lowers his head onto his hands. “I can’t wait for Katara to shut down all her claims though.” A laugh bubbles out of the man clad in blue. “I’m sure my sister’s temper is already off the roof by now. She’s been waiting for what… an hour now, in this heat?”

Despite everything, Zuko finds a smile ghosting across his lips, and then instantly shakes his head to do away it. His skin crawls again, and it has nothing to do with the heat this time.

He hates it, hates himself for still feeling this way. For feeling, at all.

Saye returns, a woman in tow, a woman dressed in Northern Water Tribe colors. Sokka’s eyes meet his, brows furrowed, confusion apparent.

“Now, if I may,” the Earth Kingdom representative begins.

She looks at him one more time, a maniacal glint in her eyes, and Zuko feels himself stiffen, fists clenching at his sides, body hyper-aware of the stench of sweat and brine.

And then— and then, it happens too fast, the motions a memory – nightmare – etched in his mind.

A knife comes out of nowhere, glistening in the harsh glare of the sunlight— Zuko lunges forward, a word on his lips; no? Nyh?

But it all happens too fast, far too out of control for him to do anything about it— Saye plunges the blade into herself, and all Zuko can see is red and only red. He thinks he hears voices behind him, feels Sokka’s arms pulling him back, but it’s all too familiar, all too similar, till it’s not.

The healer holds up a hand, cradles Saye’s almost limp body, and then begins to move her hands in a movement he recognizes.

Fuck.

Realization dawns upon him, but his heart still hammers in his chest. The blood stops gushing out, held back by an invisible force, as the healer continues to control it; bend it.

The room starts to spin around him, solid lines blurring into shapelessness. There’s a droning; a loud, distinctive, ugly noise that gives him a splitting headache.

This is sick, this is perverse; he wants to yell, but his throat is like sandpaper, and his voice is lost somewhere in between memory and reality.

(The Fire Lady stabbed to death in front of the Fire Lord, and all he did was watch, they had said. It hardly mattered that the words weren’t true. What mattered was that they had been poured into the crevices of reality.)

“Zuko? Zuko?”

Sokka still has an arm around him, and he realizes he is trembling, and that he would have collapsed a long time ago had it not been for that.

“You’ve seen enough,” Sokka sounds incredibly calm despite everything that has unfolded. “Go outside. The rest of us will put an end to this.”

He thinks he nods, but his eyes refuse to move from the wound that is being healed, skin patching up under the healer’s touch, leaving behind only a thin tapered line.

“Zuko, go.”

He nods again, the remnants of blood on Saye’s clothes catching his eye, no longer sickly red, but a dried out brown, and—

She opens her eyes, blinks, once, twice, and locks her eyes upon him. Zuko freezes, feels his hands going cold, sweat sticking to his entire body, and— she smiles.

Bile rises to his mouth, stomach twisting with disgust, skin tainted and repulsive, and he wants to rip it all off—

His feet move on automatic, tearing his body away from Sokka’s solid grasp, and he runs.

Away from the room, away from the blood, away from everything, and when a hand reaches out to catch him as he flies through the sickeningly pristine corridors of the City Hall, brown skin and blue robes and entirely too close, he shrugs it off and just keeps running.

.

.

Sokka and Katara find him in the empty room where he hides till his blood stops thrumming in his veins, and his heart stops pounding in his chest.

Sokka hangs back a foot away, but Katara crouches in front of him. He can feel her eyes on him, but does not have the courage to look up.

“It’s done,” Sokka says finally. “It’s banned. We don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Zuko wills himself to nod.

“Come on, let’s go,” Katara tells him.

It almost hurts to look at her, to see the way she looks at him, eyes helpless and teary. Her hands shift, and he’s suddenly afraid she’s going to reach out, but she pulls back before anything happens at all.

And that’s how he knows, that she knows too. She has heard them too.

(Threw himself in front of a lightning bolt to save a Water Tribe peasant, and he couldn’t even save his own wife. These were the worst of them all. The ones that kept him up at night.)

Sokka is awfully quiet, and Zuko wonders how much he has heard. He hates that he cares so much about what shadows hiss in the dark.

He hates there’s some truth hidden in all the lies.

Katara walks by his side, and Sokka walks a few steps ahead, and when his thoughts start to get too heavy one more time, she says, “It’s all talk, Zuko. There’s no truth in it.”

He wonders if she really believes that, but does not dare to ask, and lets the words die on his lips.

It’s not like it’s the first time.

.

.

.

A/N: Again, I have another chapter written for this prompt but figured I’d get this one out first.

@zutaraweek

[writer-k-pop]

Black Widow - Part 6 (final)

Description: Hoseok is the leader of the number one gang, BT, and everyone knows he has a knight of sorts. This knight sits in the shadows and keeps an eye on the leader and his men, never stepping in until necessary. All the lesser gangs know who you are but they don’t know who you are. You are a wicked shot, long and short range, a skilled knife fighter, and a silhouette without a name. By the underground network of whispers, you’re referred to as BT’s Black Widow. The number two gang decides to rebel and you are forced to finally show your face. Pairing: Hoseok x reader, this also focuses on reader’s friendship with Tae. Word Count: 2.8k Genre: Mafia/gang-esk, action Warnings: nothing too gory, swearing

Part 01 | Part 02  | Part 03 | Part 04 | Part 05 | Part 06 *gifnotmine*

When we arrive back at the compound, the leads are rushed over the clinic to get checked out. I sneak away to the equipment room for some quiet. I don’t bother with the room light and just turn on the lamp above my locker. Slowly, I peel off my gloves, wincing as the bruised skin is tugged.

In the silence of the night, I remove my weapons one by one. Each click, thud, and slide echos off the walls. Once my belt is hanging from its hook, I pull my shirt over head. Letting the shirt fall the floor, I hesitantly look down at my body. My arms are covered in multiple small knife cuts and early forming bruises. I gingerly trail my fingers over my stomach, the discoloration screaming of the future bruises to come.

I walk over to the sink in the corner and grab a wash cloth from the shelf above it. After soaking the cloth in the water, I start to wash the blood off of my arms. I wince and hiss as I drag the cloth over the deepest cut on my forearm. Rinsing out the cloth, a red tint seeps into the water, washing away the events of the night. Once all traces of blood are removed from my skin, I dry it and apply pressure to the newly cleaned cut.

Sitting down in front of my locker, I lean my head back against the wall. With a deep breath in, I close my eyes. Ethan’s eyes flash in my vision and my eyes snap open.

I shake my head to get rid of the lingering image. Remembering the towel still on my cut, I begin to search the equipment room for a first aid kit. I’m almost certain we have one in here. Somewhere.

As I search the lockers, the door to the equipment room slides open. I drop the towel in surprise and turn to face whoever interrupted my first aid kit search.

Standing in the door way, with a first aid kit in hand and a spare shirt in the other is Hoseok. He cocks his head to the side in confusion and flips on the lights, flooding the room with light. I squint against the onslaught of electricity as a small trickle of blood tickles my arm.

“Why are you hiding in the dark?” He asks calmly, walks over to my locker, and sits on a stool. “You’re bleeding still. Come here.” He says, opening the kit.

“I, I needed the quiet.” I reply to his question and walk over to sit in my locker again.

Hoseok helps me pull the new shirt over my body before gently pulling my injured arm towards him. He inspects it for a few seconds before getting up to get another towel. As he sits back down, I trail my eyes up and down his arms. He’s changed into a simple black t-shirt and his exposed skin is speckled with bandages.

“The doctors got me patched up all nice.” He says when he sees my roaming eyes.

I nod. “The others?” I ask as he wipes away the fresh blood.

“Yoongi dislocated his shoulder but they got it popped back in.” He responds, eyes focused on my arm as he places gauze pads on it and reaches for the soft wrap. “Namjoon and Jin are fine besides some bruising. Jungkook was finishing up in surgery for the bullet in his arm, other than that no major injuries to him. Taemin has a broken rib and some deeper knife cuts on his arms. Jimin has a few bruised ribs but I think he’s more shaken up about Tae.”

“How is Tae?” I ask, watching as Hoseok’s fingers latch the wrap to itself, securing it in place.

“He’s definitely the worst out of all of us.” Hoseok admits, grabbing my hands. “He lost a lot of blood through the two shots and was knocked unconscious by force. Doctors think he may have a concussion but they can’t be sure until he wakes up. Which will hopefully be in the morning. They’re still operating on him.”

“How are you?” I ask, knowing this night was not easy on him. Hoseok is type of leader to not show when things are difficult but harbors those stresses inside. Like every person, he needs to let those harbored emotions out.

“I, I’m worried.” He says, his head sinking to meet my hands. “We lost a lot of members and I’m worried about the rest of them. And the things he said about you and I wasn’t able to do anything about it. When Jungkook yelled after Tae, I just can’t shake his scream out of my mind. It’s like it’s echoing in my brain and I for some reason feel like it’s my fault and I know I didn’t need to worry about you because you know what you’re doing. But every time you weren’t in my line of sight, I started to panic and look for you.” He stops speaking but grips my hands a little tighter.

I lean down and kiss the top of his head. Rubbing my thumbs against his skin, I try to calm him down. “We did our best and we won. We may have lost a lot of members but remember the others still have a place to call home. I know, the echos will be there for a little but they always go away. Keep reminding yourself of that. Tae, Jungkook, and Jimin will grow from this and they’ll be even stronger but they can’t get there without guidance from their leader. It’s not your fault Tae was targeted. It’s no one’s fault, got it?” I ask him.

He responds with a nod but I force his chin up so we’re eye to eye.

“I’m so proud of you for holding your tongue.” I tell him honestly. “Most guys would’ve lashed out but you were strong enough to keep quiet and keep us a secret. Because of that we still have some tricks to play with. With me being revealed, things will be different. You’re used to knowing that I would always be in the shadows and I’m used to not being seen. But that’s changed. It’ll take some time to adjust to this new way of operating but it’s the price we had to pay to allow for the eight new shadows to do what they’ve been training to do.”

I press my lips to his and let his warmth spread over me. Pulling away, he leans his forehead against mine.

“How are you?” He asks me.

I blink, trying to figure out how to formulate my answer. “I, I know I just said it’s no one’s fault what happened to Taehyung but I can’t stop thinking of what I could’ve done differently to maybe have had the chance to at least spot him before Jungkook screamed. I was so focused on Ethan, I forgot to look around.” I take a breath in, “And, and just as I pulled the trigger, Ethan turned his head and looked directly at me. And I don’t know if it was by sheer luck or if he really knew where I was.” I shake my head.

“He’s gone now. He can’t do anything to you or me.” Hoseok reaffirms. “Stop thinking of the ‘what ifs’ like you said, things are changing and we’re not used to thinking in a new way. Your old mind is telling you there is something else you could’ve done because you were always on the edge of the fight. Now you’re not and your mind doesn’t like the fact that you can’t see everything. I hate it too.” He says with a small smile.

“Glad I’m not the only one.” I reciprocate his smile.

“Tomorrow we’ll need to send out teams to bring our fallen home.” Hoseok says with a solemn tone. “We should get to bed. It’s late.”

“Yeah,” I nod, “But I want to stop to see the guys.”

Hoseok nods in understanding. “I’ll go with you.” He stands with my hands still in his. “They’re still in the clinic, waiting for Tae to get out of surgery.”

I slowly raise to my feet, sore muscles groaning in protest.

We walk with my good hand intertwined with his between us. The walk to the clinic is silent except for our footsteps echoing softly against the walls. Most of the compound is asleep or nursing injuries.

As we approach the clinic doors, the atmosphere begins to buzz with activity. Nurses rush from room to room, doctors are yelling and conversing. Machines are beeping and administering medicines.

“This way.” Hoseok tugs my arm towards the right. We walk past a few rooms before stopping at a larger room. Inside, sit the 7 other leads. All of them are sat in chairs around the room, Jungkook and Taemin have their eyes closed but I know better than to assume that they’re sleeping.

“(y/n), you’re okay.” Jin breathes out a sigh of relief upon seeing me standing with Hoseok. Jungkook and Taemin open their eyes once they hear my name leave Jin’s lips. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” I tell him with a smile. Seeing them together without the stress of a fight etched onto their faces is relieving. “How are you guys doing?”

Jungkook shrugs then winces, “I’m going to hate not having use of one arm.” He says nodding towards his arm sling.

“I second that.” Yoongi says, his arm sporting a similar sling.

“Try being told I shouldn’t be training or fighting for weeks but don’t have a sling or brace to stop me from moving.” Jimin counters, motioning to himself and Taemin.

“The only thing i get is some wrap around my torso but even then I can’t put it on too tightly.” Taemin says being careful not to move too much.

“Well, good for you two, I’m thinking of putting a ban on training for those who fought until they’re cleared by the doctor.” Hoseok says, leaning against the wall, leaving the last chair open for me to sit in.

As we sit in silence, I play with the hem of my shirt.

“He’s out of surgery.” Soyou’s voice makes all of us turn towards the door. “They’re bringing him now.” She informs us.

Within seconds, nurses are rolling a bed into the room with machines. We all stand and move towards the edges of the room to allow space for the nurses to settle Tae in. The rhythmic sounds of the heart monitor are the only sounds from anyone or anything. Hoseok wraps a supportive arm around my waist as the nurses exit the room.

Jungkook begins to sniffle and Jimin is quick to throw an arm around his shoulders.

I take small steps towards Tae and force myself to take in his appearance though it hurts.

They’ve sedated him enough that he looks like he is simply sleeping but the machines around him say otherwise. The blood on his face has been wiped away and his body is partly covered by the blankets. However, the bandages protecting his newly stitched bullet wounds peak out. His arms are bruising and I spot a few knife cuts.

Kneeling next to his bedside, I grab his hand in both of mine and press it to my cheek, allowing his warm skin to soothe some of the worry bubbling in my stomach.

“Southeast corner.” Soyou says suddenly.

I turn towards her, “What about it?” I ask.

“It was Tae’s idea.” She responds and nods towards Tae.

I turn back towards his peaceful face.

“He approached me and Yuqi after we finished in the obstacle course and asked if we would do something for him.” She explains, “He said he’d been studying the abandoned warehouse and asked me to place your long range field equipment at the southeast corner on the third floor. Said something about it being a corner that everyone overlooks and would be a perfect place for you, if you were still hidden.”

I feel the tears prick at the corner of my eyes. Even though he knew the plan, he was still thinking of the best posts for me. I squeeze his hand tighter. Letting the first tear fall, I let out a silent prayer that he would wake up and make it through.

A hand cups my shoulder and rubs calming circles into my skin.

“He’ll make it through, the doctors didn’t find anything alarming. Said he’ll make a full recovery.” Hoseok says, comforting not only me but the whole room with his words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hoseok’s phone ringing pulls me out of my slumber. I hug his torso tighter as he reaches for his phone, not wanting him to leave the bed to answer it.

“Hello?” He answers with his morning voice. “Mm. Good.” Pause. “Okay.” Pause. “Yupp. I’ll be right there.” And he ends the call.

“What time is it?” I mumble and nuzzle my face into his chest.

“6, uh, 6:14.” He answers, squinting at his phone again. “I have to go though.”

“Where?” I whine. “Can’t it wait until at least 8?”

Hoseok chuckles and runs a hand through my hair. “It was Jimin. He called to say that Tae is awake.”

My eyes shoot open, “Tae’s awake? Let’s go.” I say and begin to get up from the bed though the bruises on my stomach would like otherwise.

“You don’t have to, you can sleep longer, (y/n).” Hoseok says, following me lead.

“I’m not going to be able to go back to sleep.” I tell him, giving him a small smile before disappearing into the bathroom.

10 minutes later, I slip on my shoes and wait for Hoseok to finish up in his closet.

“You know what I just realized?” Hoseok says as we leave his room.

“What?” I ask.

“I will never be able to pick out a post for you.” He says, grabbing my hand and swinging it gently between us.

I blink in contemplation and realize it’s a true statement. “I, I didn’t even realize. I’m sorry.” I apologize.

“It’s not something to be sorry about.” Hoseok says, “It’s just a fact but instead of knowing a singular spot you’ll be, I’ll be able to see you all the time.”

The rest of the way to the clinic is filled with chatter about the day, future plans, and updates on the compound and our members.

A few nurses greet us as we walk through the halls. The door to Tae’s room is opened ajar but we can hear Jimin, Jungkook, and Tae’s chatter clearly.

“He really said he’d put a ban on that?” Tae asks, “Sucks for you, Jungkook.”

“Don’t start.” Jungkook says in a pout, “I’m already wanted to do stuff but this stupid thing isn’t letting me.”

“It isn’t a stupid thing.” Hoseok says as we push through the door.

“(y/n)!” Jimin says in surprise, “Hoseok, you woke her up?”

“You should’ve let her sleep!” Jungkook adds.

“She was staying over in my room and she’s a light sleeper.” Hoseok defends himself. “I couldn’t sneak out of bed even if I tried.” He jokes and hugs me closer to his side as I roll my eyes.

“You’re not exactly the quietest.” I retort which pulls a laugh out of everyone, including the one laying on the bed.

“Don’t make me laugh.” Tae says, trying his best to suppress his laughter. “It hurts.”

I immediately stop laughing and walk over to his side. “How are you feeling?” I ask.

Tae leans back into the pillows with pain still etched in his face. “Fine as can be, I guess. The doctor got the bullets out but says they went pretty deep so I’ll have some healing to do. I got tested for a concussion but so far, it doesn’t look like I have one.”

“Thank goodness.” I sigh in relief.

“But I’m expected to make a full recovery so you can’t get rid of me that quickly.” Tae jokes and gives a boxy smile.

“I wouldn’t want to.” I say as more footsteps approach the room. “Otherwise who would’ve known about the southeast corner?”

“It actually worked?” Tae questions, “You used it?”

“Of course I did, Tae.” I tell him and the 4 remaining leads walk in, “Without that corner, Ethan would be alive and you would be in their hands.”

Tae smiles proudly and Namjoon takes the moment to greet his friend.

I step away from the bed to allow the others to get close. Like a magnet, my hands find their way around Hoseok’s waist and his arm naturally wraps around my back.

With all of standing here, together, I don’t regret any decisions that I made or that were made for me. I may not have known I would become the Black Widow but without that role, last night would have had a very different outcome.

Hoseok places a kiss to my temple and successfully pulls me out of my thoughts. “Hey, you’ll always be our Black Widow.”

[truly-fantastic-me]

The Man in the Forest

Creepy TES fictionkin memory but also kinda wholesome

!!!Trigger Warning: mentions of r/pe and m/rder at the end!!!

In my teenage years, I would work at a tiny restaurant in the city of Whiterun. To give a little background, I was adopted from infant-hood by a dragon family and was raised by them as their own. Growing up, my father, A’aloran, would allow me to visit the humans, so I could be with my own kind. However, human society throughout the vast majority of Tamriel prohibited dragons for their basic existence. Therefore, their language, Dovahzul, was banned as well. Dovahzul was my only spoken language, so I had to pretend to be mute until I eventually learned to write in English.

Whiterun was one of my favorite places to go to in Skyrim. I appreciated its diversity at the time and that temples dedicated to Lord Talos weren’t torn down. I had been there so often, the locals eventually gave me the name of “Runa.”

Once I turned 13, my dream was to be an astronomer. The stars had fascinated me a lot and I wanted to learn as much as I can about them. In order to earn money for a college education on astronomy, I worked at the Lorgren’s Diner, the tiny restaurant I mentioned earlier. The locals believed me to be homeless, since I couldn’t tell them who I really was, so they had hoped I would eventually earn enough money to buy a house for myself. Just so I’d have a place to live. Houses were easier to buy, not as expensive as they are on Earth. However, they weren’t built for the homeless or lower-class like they sometimes are here.

Every morning on work days, A’aloran would let me fly on his back and drop me off at a certain tree -that in which I called my own- a mile or two away from Whiterun. I would climb down the tree and walk to Lorgren’s Diner. I had a lot more stamina back then.

One Sun’s Dawn morning, the day started like any other. I wake up, get dressed, get armed, and A’aloran would fly me to my tree and I’d go to work. I had already done this routine for years, so I knew the path and the forest like the back of my own hand. Getting to work was never a problem for me. 

Then I took my first step on the snow-covered ground from my tree.

The snow was a bit deeper under the tree than parts of the ground that weren’t covered by trees. So my footsteps were deep in the snow, and unfortunate to say, I got some snow in my boots. My feet would be freezing cold by the time I arrive at Lorgren’s Diner, thanks to the soon-to-be melted snow on my stockings. :Oh great,: I thought to myself.

The snow was the least of my worries, however. As soon as I took my first step, I noticed a trail of foot prints in the snow just two or three feet from me, appearing to lead to the nearby trees behind me. I suddenly felt a bit uneasy, like I was being watched. I halt for a moment, searching the area for anything unusual, including the path the foot prints lead to. But there was nothing out of the ordinary or any sign of danger.

I think nothing of it. Those foot prints could’ve been there from yesterday. Maybe someone went for a hike. Surely there wasn’t anybody around. No one ever comes out to these woods this early in the morning. It was likely just my anxiety of getting caught with my dad acting up, and that hasn’t happened so far.

I trudge on, expecting the unease to eventually melt away and I could walk to work in peace. It was a beautiful morning after all. The sun hadn’t rose yet, Masser and Secunda lighting up the sky with their divine light and the stars were magnificent. It was my favorite kind of morning.

But the unease never ceased. Since I saw those foot prints, something just didn’t feel right and I couldn’t shake it off. I decide to take another look at my surroundings, but still, my eyes catch nothing.

:Faasu’uma, calm yourself!: I scold myself, using the name the dragons gave me. :No one will find you out here. You’ve been doing this for years! It’s completely safe.: I stop and take a few deep breaths. Maybe that will calm me.

It worked. My unease didn’t go away, but it, at least, decreased. I could finally continue my journey in peace.

Unfortunate to say, my peace did not last long. My ears caught distant footsteps to my right. It didn’t sound like an animal or four-legged creature either. It sounded bipedal. Part of me knew I would regret it, the other part telling me I’m just imagining things, I decided to take yet another look at my surroundings.

I saw a black outline of what looked to be humanoid move from one tree to another.

Although the shadow moved too fast for me to get a good look, I noticed that the body type was masculine. I spotted no extra traits that a Khajiit or Argonian or another non-human biped would have. Just something that looked like a hooded, heavy jacket, pants and boots.

My stomach dropped, my heart skipped a beat. I felt my skin run cold and I froze. A realization dawned on me that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. I was being hunted!

I try to move on, pretending I didn’t see anything. Hopefully I could catch whoever was after me off guard. I was thankful I would always pack a dagger in my boot in case anything like this ever happened. I was prepared to reach down and grab it if I ever heard those footsteps get any closer.

My eyes catch another shadow out of its corner and I instantly panic. How did that person get closer without me hearing them?? Was he.. not alone? I quickly bend over and reach for my dagger, when a black mass suddenly materialized in front of me. I didn’t even get to my dagger before I jumped back and fell backwards onto the snow.

I scooted away from the figure that had materialized before me until I actually got a good look at him. The figure had what looked like a long, black robe, long, white hair and I had guessed that they were a man by the long, flowing, white beard. It took a moment for me to finally recognize this figure. I had remembered the many paintings, many statues I’ve seen of Him. Oh my gods.

::I apologize, I did not mean to scare you.:: The man spoke. His voice wasn’t what I was expecting. It was a definite masculine voice, gentle and soothing. He was speaking perfect Dovahzul. I had expected more of an intimidating voice from the god of death. But that was likely from working in a human civilization for so long.

::Lord Arkay!:: I exclaim, scrambling to get up to my feet and bowed to Him. For the most part, I was greatly relieved. Was He the shadow I’ve been seeing in the woods? A small part of my brain pointed out that the shadow had a completely different figure than Lord Arkay, but I ignored it.

I, however, felt embarrassed and ashamed of myself. He was a Divine and was to be treated with the upmost respect, for He, along with the eight other Divines were responsible for running the Universe. And here I thought He was here to hunt me. I could hear A’aloran’s disappointed lectures running through my head already.

::I’m so sorry, my Lord! I had not recognized you, I uhh...:: I trailed off, knowing I didn’t really have the right to use excuses on the God of Life and Death.

::It is alright.:: His kind voice interrupted my mortified thoughts. ::You may rise.::

::I, er.. uh.. thank you.:: I rose to my full height to face Him. Wow. Arkay was tall. He must’ve been almost two feet taller than me!

Then I noticed that His eyes appeared to be eying the rest of the forest behind me, as if looking for the shadow that I saw earlier. My stomach churned a bit at the daunting realization that Arkay and I were not the only two in the area after all.

Arkay turned to me, I believe He was attempting to make Himself seem calm for my sake. ::Would you mind going for a little stroll with me? I could use the company.:: He held out His arm for me like a gentlemen.

I tried to push back the thought that I was already dead and He was here to lead me to the Afterlife. Surely I’d know if I was dead, right? But why else would The Arkay ask me to go for a stroll with Him?

::Don’t worry, it isn’t your time yet.:: He reassured me with a soft chuckle.

Finally, I nod and take His arm. His hand from the other arm gripped mine as if to keep it warm. ::We must move quickly.::

I nod in agreement and we start walking throughout the forest. We were fairly far from my tree, so we didn’t have much to go until we arrive in Whiterun. I had wondered if the figure I saw earlier was still following us or not, so I decided to take one last look back.

My eyes caught the shadow move behind a tree, as if surrendering its hunt. I felt a small shiver in my spine and gripped His arm tighter. The rest of the walk was quiet, neither of us speaking a word as if we were both listening for any more footsteps behind us.

I’m thankful to say we never heard any such noises or saw any more shadows for the rest of the walk. We eventually reached the outskirts of the city and it relieved me to see that there were lights and people walking around as if to tend to their morning duties. We kept walking until we arrived at the bridge.

Lord Arkay came to a stop and turned to me. ::This is where I must leave you. I go further, the humans will see me. You should be safe with them around.::

I swallowed a bit, noticing my dry throat. I was a bit scared that once we part, I’ll see the shadow or hear it following me again. But I knew He had a job to do and if the humans saw Him, they’d likely retaliate. Although, compared to other places, Whiterun was somewhat Arkay-friendly. There was a shrine or two dedicated to Him somewhere here. But still.

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to Him. I bow my head respectfully. ::Thank you for walking me here, my Lord.::

::It is no problem.:: He took out his hand and held out a couple of golden coins towards me. ::Take these, you may need them in the future.::

My eyes went wide and I gasped. Two gold coins were worth fifteen silver pieces each. Definitely more than what I usually get as tips. ::Wow.. thank you! Er.. again...::

::Not a problem,:: He sent a playful smirk my way. ::Again. Live well, and know you can call upon us anytime.::

::Travel well, my Lord.::

::And to you.::

That said, I gave a final bow and began sprinting towards the city. I never looked back at the forest. I kept running until I arrived at my work place before I slammed the door shut and leaned against its wooden textures. I was panting and completely out of breath until the relief came over me quickly afterwards. For once, I was glad to be in a place full of people.

Later that day, the locals announced that the guards had found a man hiding in the very forest I came from. They say he fit the description of a convict who had escaped the Imperial City Prison over a year prior. Said man had been found guilty of the rape and murder of two twin girls in the Imperial City. There have been a few accounts of sexual assault and murder throughout Tamriel over the last year, but no one has been found guilty of these crimes.

Thankfully, the man in the forest had been caught at last before he could hurt anyone in Whiterun. He will receive trial and incarceration for the crimes he had committed. It’s terrifying to write about this. It’s terrifying to think about what could’ve happened to me if Lord Arkay had not been there.

But thinking back to those foot prints I saw, nothing is more terrifying than thinking about just how close he was to me that morning.