#I remember searching for the meaning of the aura colors mentioned and not me thinking I was a genius 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[heylorrain]

Hello there💓✨TYSM for the ask anon! ofc I have a draft for it. I was actually planning on incorporating it somehow on their main fic but at this point I don't think she'll do it. This illustration goes with the writing so, here you go 💖🥹 Word count:: 863 + much fluff - read it on AO3 or expand and enjoy "Beneath your Beautiful"

“May I?” The curiosity was obvious in Lorrain’s voice, her hand reaching out slowly towards Ominis' wrist.

He was momentarily taken aback by the sudden touch and request, but he had figured sooner or later this would happen.

 He chuckled and handed the girl his wand.

Lorra tossed aside her book and sat straight on the bed after her wish was finally granted. She closed her eyes, focusing on calming her senses, feeling the light weight of the wand in her hand. She forced herself to breathe slower, more controlled, to fill her lungs with deep, measured inhales. But the wand sat silently in her hand, its usual flicker of crimson light absent.

She strained her ears for any sound beyond the heater of the dorm, but all else was quiet.

Still nothing. 

Ominis waited patiently. He knew she would see nothing, just like Sebastian and Anne had when they tried to “see” through his wand; but still wanted her to try it, just to keep her enthusiasm alive for a little longer.

"Perhaps you should try to relax?" Ominis suggested, noticing the impatience in her foot as it began to stomp on the floor repeatedly. 

He reached for her free hand.

And then it happened. 

His touch felt like a wave crashing into shore, calming and invigorating all at once. She gasped, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter as she felt her senses overload. Ominis' touch was exactly what she needed to finally make the wand work.

She saw bright colors swirling around her, passing through what seemed to be Ominis' silhouette, like bright ribbons of light. Though she couldn't make out any specific details, his silhouette seemed to flicker like a fire, with gentle dancing flames that encapsulated his essence. 

“A-Are you seeing anything?” He said surprised, noticing how her vibe had changed so abruptly, not letting her hand go just yet. 

He could hear her rasped breaths, but she didn't respond, her focus completely consumed by the blinding figure before her.

Lorra’s hand gripped Ominis’ tightly. Her surroundings had changed, bright warm colors enveloping the glowing figure, her eyes darting everywhere behind closed lids while more color joined in, yellow, white…

Ominis kept asking her what was happening, but got no response, only sharp gasps. Grabbing her shoulders and making his way up to her face, he mapped her features, he felt the clinging of her jaw, her furrowed brows and her mouth biting her bottom lip. Cupping her face he shook her gently, trying to get her out of that hypnotic state. 

Finally her eyes flew open just to find everything like it was before she closed her eyes. No bright colors, no silhouettes. Just a dimly lit dorm. Everything was back normal. Well, most of it, she found Ominis inches away from her, watching her anxiously and uneased. 

“Goodness gracious, woman! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?” He exclaimed, pulling his wand away from her hand. "Are you alright? You stopped-"

But she lunged towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and burying her face in the crook of his neck. It wasn’t enough. She needed to feel even closer to him, so she climbed onto his lap and pressed herself against him, feeling his heartbeat against her chest.

Ominis remained frozen, his hands hovering in the air as he hesitated what to do next. But as the sound of her cries reached his ears, he couldn't help but pull her gently against him. He could feel the contrast of their breaths mingling together, one shaken and uneven, the other slow and steady. He was certain that she had witnessed something entirely different from what he typically saw when wielding his wand.

“What did you see?” He whispered.

She pulled away, drying her tears with her sweater. She looked at him for a moment, trying to make sense of everything she’d experienced.

"I saw you... YOU. Entirely. Your essence?. I saw YOU." She cradled his face, drawing him in until their foreheads met as she spoke further. “But I felt your pain too. The one you hide from everyone else. How do you manage to endure it so easily?” 

Ominis was not expecting that answer. He sure couldn’t see or feel everyone else’s pain, nor see right thru them. He tried to remain cool, thinking of a simple answer to brush off that statement. But he knew better than to lie to her. 

“I don’t know. That’s just who I am. I wish I didn’t bleed so easily when things get-” But he couldn’t finish the sentence. “I can’t change it, even if I wanted to…” Ominis said, tilting his head down.

A warmth spread through Lorra's chest, making her hold her breath in anticipation. She couldn't resist the magnetic pull towards him, ending in a bittersweet kiss. Her lips felt almost unworthy of his touch, but still grateful to be able to feel it.

"You deserve so much more than this," Lorra whispered against his lips.

But he simply smiled and pulled her closer, his embrace conveying all that needed to be said. I...already have everything I need. He thought silently.

[kallikrein]

DOMESTIC HEADCANONS

— with akashi (sanzu) haruchiyo.

contains. gn!reader, timeskip character, little mention of drugs, possibly ooc and not proofread.

word count. 0.7k.

note. i had the help of kae, the sexiest haru simp ever. we basically slandered haruchiyo out of love. i hope i did okay!

requested.

Haruchiyo is many things.

He’s a criminal for one, even ranking second as Japan’s most feared syndicate at that.

But one that truly matters the most is that he’s a complete, utter fool when it comes to love.

He refused to believe it himself at first, since he used to scoff at couples that smile goofily at each other like their future is somehow set for them.

Only to end up doing the exact same lovesick grin every time he looks at you.

He doesn’t want to overshow his affection — no, not really.

But he couldn’t help it, not when he has himself wrapped around you like a devil in disguise whilst his consciousness slowly wakes him up in the morning.

He would bury his nose in your bed-made hair, sniffing the shampoo he came to know so well before planting tender, little kisses on the exposed skin he could reach.

Once he hears you mumble a groggy ‘Good morning, Haru’, it’s time for him to act out the second part of his plan.

Which is to squeeze you really tight making you grunt about needing some space and air in order to breathe.

And he’d have the audacity to feel offended, even going as far as to say: “It’s not just ‘Good morning, Haru’ but ‘Good morning, Haru, my love, the prettiest boy to ever exist and the only one I want to worship every beautiful day’.”

Haruchiyo would keep squishing you, lovingly of course, until you finally concede and murmur whatever he wants to hear.

And maybe you expected another bout of playfulness from him, but what’s actually sitting on his scarred lips is a soft smile as though he’s completely enamored by you.

Until, “Wanna make babies?”

Speaking of babies, Haruchiyo couldn’t figure out for the life of him how they even function.

They eat, poop, sleep, repeat — all the things that he does too. So why couldn’t they do it all on their own?

However, when he sees you cooing a raging toddler which has the aura very similar to one of his purplenette comrades, he already knows you’re going to be so beautiful carrying one of his own.

Even though Haruchiyo is already aware that he isn’t very well-suited for fatherhood.

That image of you burned heavily in his mind, even dreaming of staring at a little bundle of joy: one that has his bright blue colored eyes and your ever-so magnetic personality.

It leaves him wanting, yearning for something so solid — so you and him — that he searches on the internet on “How to Take Care of Child Menace 101” for some information.

He wouldn’t even deny it in case he got caught because why would he?

He’s loyal at most, and that means when he’s “domesticating” you, best believe it’s the “real deal”.

He’s going to want to make you breakfast, but you don’t want a burnt kitchen so you closely observe.

He ends up coming with cereal and milk, asking you which do you think should go first.

“Milk then cereal? Or cereal then milk?”

You’d choose, but in return he tuts at you.

“Wrong. Cereal bowl first.”

Remember, he’s “domesticating” you — not the other way around.

Haruchiyo wouldn’t allow a day to pass by without some sort of skinship.

If he feels really affectionate, he’d barge in on you, not giving much care about other people around before announcing, “Cuddles when?”

And if he feels really clingy, just know that he’s very much eager to kiss you right away on the lips.

“O. M. G. You’re cooking bacon? Wait, let me just— chu”

He’s also the type to tap into your shoulder whilst you’re busy, you turning around but having a pale finger playfully poking at your cheek.

He would do it multiple times in a row until you give up on giving him attention, but of course this man wouldn’t let that happen.

He’d tap both of your shoulders, and once you turn around to give him an earful, his lips are quicker to shut you up.

“You lost, babe. Better luck next time.”

Basically, dating Haruchiyo is a challenge in itself.

But domesticating him? You’re in for a really tiring, fun ride.

taglist. @baji-san, @gwynsapphire, @eriskaitto and @manjiroarchiviste.

[ragingbookdragon]

Until The Last Star Dies

Jason Todd x Tamaranean!Reader

Word Count: 2.4K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst, Mentions of Past Abuse

Author's Note: Old story I edited and am now posting again! This is technically the start to all those Outlaw x Reader ones. Guess I gotta work on those next! Enjoy! -Thorne

The all knew something was going to happen between the two Tamaranean sisters when the Titans and the Outlaws teamed up for a dual mission. Something usually did when the sisters got together, one of them asking for help for the last of their people, the other completely devoid of and inclination to help. Kory had brought up the conversation once during the mission when she was beside Dick and Jason, but the two had shaken their heads and reminded her not to do personal during a mission—else it risk the best outcome of said mission.

Kory hadn’t been impressed with the answer, but she’d relented at least until they were back in the Titan’s Tower, and the moment she brought it up with her sister, she knew she’d made a mistake.

***

Everyone watched as the two Tamaraneans stood at each other’s throats; Kory pointed a finger at her sister, her voice accusing. “They are our people, (Y/N)! You cannot just turn your back on them!”

(Y/N) scoffed incredulously. “Our people? You mean the people who turned their backs on us? Them?” A bitter laugh echoed throughout the room and most of them shivered at how cruel it sounded. “Damn them all.”

Kory reared back, emerald eyes wide with shock. “How can you say that, (Y/N)!”

“Easy! With my mouth!” She countered, then let out a sigh. “I have no desire or want to help them, Kory.” (Y/N) turned and began walking to the door. “They can die for all I care.”

When Kory spoke, her voice was low with disappointment. “Mother and Father would be ashamed of you, Kiyahnd’r.”

(Y/N) stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, her face and voice etched with disbelief. “What did you just say to me, Koriand’r?”

Kory stood up to her full height, imposing to most but her sister. “You heard me, Kiyahnd’r…they would be ashamed of your attitude and disassociation with our people.”

A crimson haze colored (Y/N)’s vision and she exploded in a fuming rage causing the others to step back in apprehension. “OUR PARENTS SOLD US INTO SLAVERY TO AVOID WAR! THEIR OWN CHILDREN! AND YOU EXPECT ME TO FEEL SYMPATHY FOR OUR PEOPLE?!”

(Y/N) felt an all-powerful energy surge through her, and an ominous white-hot aura surrounded her. “I HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR OUR PEOPLE! I HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR KOMAND’R! OR FOR OUR PARENTS!”

They watched as Kory matched her power, shoulders and back glowing green. “We have a duty to our throne as they did to Tamaran!”

“TO A THRONE THAT TURNED THEIR BACKS ON US BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO AFRAID TO FIGHT!” (Y/N) pointed at her. “HOW DARE YOU TRY AND JUSTIFY THEIR BETRAYAL! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT WE SUFFERED AS A RESULT?! THE EXPERIMENTS?! THE ABUSE?!”

“Of course I have not! But we are heirs to the Tamaranean throne, Kiyahnd’r! We must—”

She was cut off as a bolt of ivory energy flew by her head; it slammed into the wall with a catastrophic explosion, putting a hole through the entire seventeen walls of that particular side of the building.

Kory turned to stare at the gaping hole in the wall before facing her, her eyes narrowed, voice twinging dangerously. “Did you just challenge me, Kiyahnd’r?”

(Y/N) bared her teeth as she took a menacing step forward. “Do not make the mistake of laying your hands upon me, sister. We both know full well who would win that fight,” she promised, then her eyes darted to the members around them, eyes either widened in worry, or narrowed in expectation for a fight.

She inhaled shakily and shut her eyes, and the energy around her began to fizzle away until all that was left was her. She opened her eyes, gazing sadly at Kory, then, she spoke, the words coming out pained. “I do not want to save them, Koriand’r. The day they gave us up was the day I cut my ties with them. You want to play the high and mighty Tamaranean princess? Be my guest.”

She spun on her heel and walked to the door, but as if remembering something, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder, affirming, “But do not assume that I will do the same.”

The group watched as she left; Kory sighed and hung her head.

“Kory?”

She looked up at Dick and Jason who each gave her a look of concern; she opted for a reassuring smile. “Do not worry for me, Dick. I am okay.”

Jason stared at the door (Y/N) walked out of, offhandedly mentioning, “I’m more worried for (Y/N).”

Kory nodded at Jason’s words. “As am I.”

Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. “What’s been going on?”

She collapsed down in a chair and sighed again. “Though Tamaran was destroyed, our people survived and started over.”

“New-Tamaran right?” Jason asked, though it appeared he knew more than he let on.

She tipped her head side-to-side at Jason’s question, not entirely sure how to answer the question in terms of a plain yes or no. “In a way. Our people are now considered nomads.” She paused. “Komand’r reigns as Queen, but she is not fit for it. I have tried many times to convince Kiyahnd’r to help them. We have a duty to them to do so…but she will never forgive our people or Komand’r for what happened to us.”

“Can you blame her Kory?”

Her head tipped to look at Jason. “What?”

He shrugged. “Can you blame her?” Jason repeated and knelt in front of Kory. “You both were enslaved and experimented on. Memories and feelings like that aren’t exactly erased…or forgiven.”

“I know,” Kory said, reasoning, “But…I just wish she could work towards it.”

“It’s not always that easy.” He answered, then nodded at Dick and rose to his feet. “I’m going to go find (Y/N).” The two of them watched Jason leave the room in search of her.

***

After an hour of searching, Jason eventually found (Y/N) on the roof, staring up at the moon, her legs dangling over the edge.

He walked over and stood beside her. “Mind if I sit next to you, doll?”

(Y/N) didn’t shift her gaze from the glowing, natural satellite. “Do as you wish, Jason.”

There wasn’t heat in her words, and he wasn’t bothered by the indifference as he sat beside her, quietly admiring the moon.

It was quiet until she broke it, murmuring, “Kory wants us to forgive our people and move on…as if nothing happened to us.” She paused and shook her head as if the very idea were incomprehensible. “We are a naturally open species when it comes to emotion, but I do not understand how she can let go of everything so easily…how she can turn aside years of consistent abuse and smile so easily.”

Jason observed her for a moment, mulling the thought on his tongue. “What exactly happened to you, (Y/N)?”

(Y/N)’s face morphed into an anguished expression; she breathed deeply before sighing and speaking. “When my grandmother ruled Tamaran, she gave herself up to appease the Citadel. When my father took the throne, he did the same…but instead of giving himself…he gave Kory and I away.” She swallowed thickly. “We were…tortured…raped and humiliated…for years.”

She rose as she felt the rage flowing through her again. “Then we were given to the Psions…and we were experimented on. Again!” (Y/N) shook with indignation and her hand shot towards the sky, a bolt of energy leaving her palm. “She expects me to let it go! To forgive the very ones who put us in that position!”

Her hand released a succession of star bolts, and Jason watched as she fumed with unadulterated fury. “I will neverforgive them for it! They will never understand what we went through! They will never know what it is like to beg for death because you know it would be better than what was to come!”

Jason’s eyebrows drew in sympathy and (Y/N) clenched her hand into a fist, energy gathering within. His eyes widened, and he worried, “Uh, doll? That’s a big star bolt.”

(Y/N) studied the night sky. “I know.”

She uncurled her fist, and the bolt released, slinging into the sky, then it exploded, and Jason was reminded of fireworks as it shattered into millions of gleaming shards.

(Y/N) sucked in a breath and her shoulders squared as she spoke adamantly. “I will never forget the time I spent within the Citadel’s captivity…or the Psion’s. And I will never forgive Tamaran for putting me there.” She turned to Jason and looked down at him, her fists clenching. “For as long as I breathe, I will never help Tamaran. I would soon rather die.”

Jason rose from his seated position and gently took her hands in his own, uncurling her clenched fists; he smiled sadly at her. “You don’t have to, (Y/N).”

She wasn’t expecting him to say that, and her jaw went slack. “…What?”

His smile widened a fraction, and he squeezed her hands. “You don’t have to forgive them. Not until you want to.” He paused and raised a hand, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Hell, and if you never want to, you don’t.”

(Y/N) gazed at him. “You will not think me ill-disposed and bitter?”

Jason voice took a solemn tone. “If anyone has the right to be bitter, (Y/N), it’s you. You’ve seen and experienced horrors that would break most people…and if it didn’t, it would leave them a shell of what they once were. But you? You’ve come out reining victorious over it.” He paused. “I know it doesn’t do much to alleviate the memories, and this might make me sound like an insensitive ass, but your past doesn’t define you, (Y/N). You aren’t what they made you.”

She dropped her gaze and side-stepped from his grip, her arms wrapping around herself. “…But I am.”

Jason tipped his head and walked with her. “Why do you say that?”

She stopped and turned to him, her hand gently rising into the air; her power flowed up her arm and into the air smoothly. “I am what they made me, Jason. I am literally a walking nuclear reactor.”

(Y/N) stared at him. “Tamarans do not possess the talents that Koriand’r, Komand’r, and I possess. We received them unwillingly at the hands of the Psions. We are different…and it is because of them. We were tainted by their heinous experiments…and my life is scarred from it.”

Jason gazed at her before taking her hand again, his thumb caressing the back of it. “Perhaps…but your past was a lesson, not a life sentence.” He met her eyes. “Don’t let yourself be bound to it, (Y/N).”

She regarded him for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “You speak of moving on, but you still allow your past to haunt you.”

Jason nodded. “I do…but I’m trying to work on it.”

“How?”

“How what?”

“How do you work on it?” She looked at their hands. “You will never forgive him for what he did to you Jason…so how do you move past it to better things?”

“You’re right.” (Y/N)’s gaze moved back to his. “I won’t ever forgive that bastard for what he did to me. And for a very long time, I did not and could not forgive Bruce for letting me die. But I had to come to the realization that I was partly to blame for what happened to me, and that Bruce tried his best to save me…he just wasn’t fast enough. And that wasn’t his fault.”

He paused and brought a hand to her cheek, caressing it. “It’s different for you, (Y/N), because you were forced into those situations by measures beyond your control. But you have the power and ability to say that this isn’t how you are going to be defined.”

(Y/N) took in his words and whispered softly. “Why have you always been so kind to me, Jason? I am underserving of it.”

He smiled. “Because I’m in love you.”

Her eyes widened and she felt the breath leave her lungs. “…What?”

Jason snorted. “I’m in love you, (Y/N).”

“You—I…What?”

Jason chuckled as she floundered. “Why are you so shocked? The Batfamily tends to lean towards Tamaranean women. I mean look at Dickhead and your sister.”

(Y/N) was still in stunned disbelief. “I—no…you—no.”

Jason’s hand let go of hers and wrapped around her waist. “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

“You cannot love me.”

He flashed a grin. “I can love you…and I do love you, Kiyahnd’r.”

(Y/N) gazed at him. “…Why?”

“Because you are beautiful and strong and the literal walking definition of goddess.” Blushing slightly, he added, “You’re also badass…so that…certainly factors into it.”

(Y/N) lowered her head and laughed, then looked at him. “You are something else, Jason Todd.”

He cocked a brow. “I hope you mean that in a good way, doll.”

(Y/N) snorted and wrapped her arm around his waist before rising into the sky; Jason’s grip tightened, and she smirked. “Do not be afraid, Jason…I will not drop you.”

Jason grunted. “I wasn’t afraid of you dropping me, (Y/N).”

“So…the steel grip around my waist is just…because?”

“Yep.”

“As you say.”

The two of them rose higher until the sight of the building and ground below them was a shrunken image.

They stared up at the stars. “Beautiful…are they not?” she asked.

Jason nodded in wide-eyed astonishment. “Absolutely.”

(Y/N) glanced at him. “Your eyes reflect the stars so clearly.” Jason’s eyes moved to hers and they gazed at each other; she lowered her head and sighed. “I do not know if I am the best person to love, Jason…I am…damaged.”

A hand curled under her chin and coaxed her up; she met his eyes again and he smiled. “Yeah, you are.” He paused. “But I don’t know a single person who isn’t. You aren’t alone, (Y/N).” Jason leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers. “You have me. Until every last star in this universe dies. You have me.”

An easy smile grew on her face, and she leaned in, lips stopping just before his. Her eyes narrowed in adoration and she whispered, “Thank you.”

[fenheart87]

Flowerful Language

KuraHi fluff... Subtle flower language to show affection, the idea was based off three things: white rose meaning young love and loyalty and two roses together meaning feelings returned.

Kurama was distracted from his studies by gentle fingers combing through his hair. Being touched by the owner of said hand wasn’t something new, just the context and type of touch. The redhead had not recently injured himself on his cranium nor anywhere else. Despite his brain being puzzled, his body remained curiously relaxed as he sat leaning against his bed and that was all the more puzzling. When had the smaller demon moved to his bed?

“Hiei?”

“Hn?”

“Is there something in my hair?” Kurama joked, not yet pulling away to look at the fire demon and break the soothing and gentle touch.

“You always have something in your hair fox.” The almost soft amused quality coloring the words had the taller moving away to glance at the speaker. Red irises were partially concealed by heavy lids, an arm tucked underneath his head as support. Hiei was completely at ease laying in his bed and Kurama suddenly couldn’t remember how to breathe.

“I supposed yes… Was there something you needed?”

“Hn, still wasting all those years of knowledge I see.” With huff and slight curl to his lips that the kitsune was certainly not distracted by, the shorter demon rose stood. Lifting his arms in a stretch before donning his cloak, boots and sword. “I do have an appointment to keep Fox, hopefully the storm will keep at bay while I’m gone.”

“If not, you know my window is always open for you.” He had abandoned his reading and carelessly shut the book without saving the page, the move seemed to bring amusement to other occupant once more.

“If only there were something more convenient that was open to me.” Opening the window Hiei hopped onto the sill, pausing for a moment and casting a long searching look into curious green eyes. “Perhaps one day when the kudzu is finally worn out its welcome there will be a hidden entrance elsewhere.”

Kurama sat alone in his room, the strange conversation and actions turning within his mind and the answer just out of reach. Collecting himself and shifting everything to the side for a moment, the human side of his brain was pushed to the back. If Hiei’s comments about his age and the kudzu vines were any indication he needed to think like a demon, like Youko. Hiei has referenced his life as the King of Thieves, knowledge gained during his reign would be mostly stealing something. Convenience could be a number of things, again leading to stealing something or maybe something else. The fire demon's mention of kudzu was interesting. If Kurama recalled correctly it was an invasive group of vines that strangled the plant flora and trees around it. The breeze distracted his attempt at puzzling out his partner's confusing actions, rising from the floor he crossed to the open window to close it. Luckily he noticed the small pouch before crushing it.

"Bad habit of leaving gifts without warning, some things never change." Kurama moved the pouch and closed the window completely, moving to his desk to inspect the contents. Inside there was a note and two seeds, their aura marking them as different species. Curiosity completely peaked and all other thoughts brushed aside as the redhead determined they were from Ningenkai and thus safe to pour a bit of his energy into to unfold the mystery of what the blooms would look like. The first grew until a bloom unfurled, black in color and with several smaller blooms in the middle. Thin tendrils sprouted from the middle as well fading from the black color to a white near the ends. Tacca chantrieri or the more common name, the black bat plant.

As intrigued as he was, Kurama set the plant aside in a spare pot and turned to the other seed. With one more burst of energy but more gentle the seed grew into a familiar shape. Glancing between the newly grown rose sporting stripes of cream and purple and the black plant, something was nagging at the back of his mind. Hiei was rather straightforward and blunt with most things, the only exception being… His feelings, oh. The rose was indeed beautiful but the knowledge behind the message made it breathtaking.

"I wonder if there's room in the garden out back."

---

Kurama knew it would take a time before his rather thoughtful partner would appear again and so he waited patiently, keeping a close eye on his newest additions and their welfare. Sooner than expected the ever elusive fire demon returned, occupying his window once more.

"I trust you didn't have to suffer the rain and that's why I haven't seen you in so long?"

"Hn." Not talkative but not opposed to idle chatter and maybe he could squeeze a couple of answers from the surly visitor.

"Well if you need a reprieve and some rest, I won't need my bed for the day." The redhead kept a playful tone, same as always while watching those crimson eyes scan his room to look for changes. They alighted upon the recent pot that had its home on the corner of his desk that housed a certain small but healthy black plant. Meeting the shorter demon's gaze head on, Kurama noticed it was guarded and calculating. A point in his favor to cement his theory. "The tacca chantrieri, I must say, is not the most common gift one would give. I've been wondering why you, of all people, would give me a black bat plant."

"I'm not wasting my breath. Is your mother due home soon?" Small deflection but the thoughts behind his eyes were still not very clear.

"No, she's out for a while yet. Feel free to use the bath and I can make you something to eat or heal as needed. Nothing has changed Hiei."

"At least I haven't outworn my welcome." Kurama felt it had been the wrong thing to say before the fire demon disappeared from his room. He needed to know if the gesture had the deeper meaning the older demon longed for but was unsure how to coax the truth from Hiei. Letting all the thoughts roam free from the last couple weeks, the plant wielder plucked a seed and bloomed his new favorite flower.

"If only you would be blunt this time…" A memory of his mother receiving a bouquet of roses from his step father came forth, there was a misunderstanding. Shiori was always overjoyed to receive flowers but one bouquet had made her concerned. It was a beautiful array of red, white and pink mixed but the number is what Kurama remembered concerning her. There had been fifteen instead of twelve for a solid dozen and what she had said back then had stayed with him until that moment when he finally understood.

"All colors have different meanings but when it comes to roses the number can be more important. Fifteen means 'I'm sorry’ so I thought you were apologizing for something."

After that he had spent his time with various books and recalling old information from his time before his human life to understand something his mother loved. With barely a thought, he reached a hand and grabbed a lesser used seed from his hair and helped it bloom with a burst of energy. The white bloom was pure in color and when laid across the other rose made a striking pair.

"Kurama, I found some-" The redhead turned his body slightly while still being seated in his chair. Hiei was staring intently at the pair of roses on his desk before his fire gaze met his calm and collected gaze. "Feeling sentimental fox?"

"I wouldn't say that, more like soulful."

With a snort the slightly shorter demon crossed the room and distracted Kurama from wondering when his friend had a growth spurt by pressing their lips together. Humming in contentment, he let Hiei break the surprisingly soft kiss with a grin.

"White really?"

"With all my soul." Another snort but this time there was no kiss, just a fond tug on his forelock and a small amused quirk of lips that made Kurama promise himself that wouldn’t be the only kiss between them.

[athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit]

Of Ice and Blood

Part 4

Welcome back! Hope you enjoy✨

Pairing: Tai'chi Kashharzol (Orc) x Pearl Blackbell (Human OC/Reader)

Warnings: Violence, cursing, shouting, and fighting. No blood mention. Just broken bones and stuff.

2.1k+ words [originally 1.6k but I revised it and added more details!]

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 5 Part 6

Sensing another one behind me, I went low and struck his leg with mine, using his fall to punch his chin with my right fist this time, being careful to use a controlled amount of force or else the nerve I hit will result to permanent brain injury and can be fatal.

I got up, swift in my actions as I saw the guy with a raised baseball bat heading towards me from my left flank, and the other one from the right, fast.

On reflex, I leaned back, the bat that was aimed at me hitting his comrade on the shoulder instead. Guy's lucky, actually. He would have suffered internal bleeding if it bashed the side of his skull.

Four down, two to go.

I took my stance once again to ready myself. This dude was a foot taller than me, with muscles packed with raw strength, but even so, pale in comparison to Tai'chi's p—

Stop thinking that! Focus!

"Smash her head Dan!" The man behind him yelled.

This 'Dan' went straight to me with his bat raised with intent once more.

Breathe in.

Everything slowed down. I let my heart rate decelerate, my hearing sharpened, my sense of smell heightening even further.

I closed my eyes, letting the rest of my senses take over. Years of practice, days of pain from training, each motion engraved to my entire body with purpose. To defend not only myself, but also those who are looked down upon, discriminated and stepped on like dirt. My parents had always taught me to defend myself. Me. Don't get me wrong, my parents are good people, albeit wary of the other races in our community. But the moment I left the roof of my home, I knew it was time for me to defend someone other than myself. I don't give a damn about where we come from or what kind of blood flows within our veins. I will protect those who need protecting, and set anyone straight and down to the ground when they deserve it.

Breathe out.

At the last few moments, with my eyes still shut, I changed my form. I followed his aura and pictured out the shape that was drawing up to land a serious blow to my head. Dan is solid and heavy, but everyone has at least one weakness. And this guy is not spared from that.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

I opened my right fist, right foot forward and relaxed my arms, my legs serving as a firm foundation for my upper body. With the bat inches away from me, I smoothly dodged to the side, using my palm to push away the hand holding the weapon and punched a vital pressure point right under his bicep.

I bent my legs even lower and struck the center of his ribs with my thumb, closing my hands as I jabbed his sciatic nerve on each side at the same time, both located in the middle line of the thigh between the groin and the knee. A solid blow to those nerve points will cause intense pain and shock to the person, along with a temporary immobility of the feet.

a/n: Self defense 101! Remember that dear readers♥

With the support of my left leg, I went behind the man, standing straight and proud. Calm, I opened my eyes when I heard his fall, staring right into the fearful ones of the moron that started all of this.

"Y-You- You killed them!"

Is he that dumb?

"Correction, I didn't. I knocked them unconscious is all. And the fellow that attacked me first? Well, he passed out from the pain of his now funny-looking arm." I stated flatly as I trudged to where he was standing.

"S-Stay away from me! Monster! Freak!" He stumbled, his ass on the ground and away from me until he felt a tree trunk on his back.

I scoffed and withdrew my knuckle dusters back under my baggy sleeve.

"You wanna know who the real monster is?" I stopped and held him in place with my scrutinizing gaze. He was trembling like a wimp at this point.

"It's you.

"You and your disgusting racist friends.

"You, along with all the people who view and treats anyone other than humankind as lowlifes and pests that are meant to be squished and eradicated from the society.

"No, it's you, and the ones who have the same mentality as you, who are monsters under the guise of a human."

I paused, not even blinking as I bore holes into his skull.

"I am human, down to every inch of my being. But unlike you, I respect and treat everyone, regardless of kind or gender, and to those who deserve it, fair and right."

Before I could continue, I scented new people coming into the scene. It was the teaching staff, along with the uni's guard.

Shocked of what they have seen, they turned towards me, angry, surprised, confused expressions on different faces.

"What have you done?!" A female, human instructor, looking to be around her late 20s shouted.

"Ma'am, if you would just let me explain—"

"You are hereby expelled from this institution, young lady!"

All the color of my skin left me as I heard the words I have dreaded even before I set foot in the campus grounds.

"Now let's not go straight to conclusions. We need to deal with this professionally AND properly Miss Holson. You are also not in authority to suspend this student." A heavily bearded dwarven professor, clad in a brown suit and Oxfords, told her off firmly.

"What are you saying Mr. Dulrik? Look at her! Look at this! She murdered students and oh my God, is that the dean's son?!"

For the love of— she blind? Why does everybody think I killed someone???

"Ma'am they are—" I was about to tell her but got cut off, again!

"Helpmehelpmehelpme!" He scrambled away from me and ran to the group of teachers and hugged the young instructor. "I don't know what came over her! She just attacked us out of nowhere!"

The audacity of this fucking bitch!

"Pardon me? Attacked you? YOU were the one who followed me out here! You and your" —I gestured to the bodies laying flat on the ground— " buddies over there!"

"She is lying! The orc was with her and and and—"

It dawned on me that I almost forgot about Tai'chi. My eyes widened, and I frantically scanned the area around for him. And there he was, standing by the oak tree, right where I told him not to move.

He seemed...irritated?

Oh no. At me?

"I have not moved an inch from where I am standing ever since I planted my feet here." He said with his deep baritone voice, turning to confront the staff. "What she's speaking is the truth. They were the ones who followed her here and attacked her, first."

"And how can we be sure you are telling the truth, orc?" Miss Holson replied spitefully.

Even the teacher, huh? Her odor smells like vomit. I mean, I knew she was...foul, but I thought it was because of the situation. Guess not.

Tai'chi did not respond. Instead, he moved to look at me in the eyes. His gaze, searching, but not in an awful way. Was he asking me what I'll do?

"How about we discuss this in the office, shall we?" An elderly professor spoke. She was wearing the university's formal teaching uniform together with black, flat, closed toe sandals. "And Miss Holson, please quiet down. As Mr. Dulrik said, we should not jump into baseless conclusions."

Miss Holson fumed and shut her mouth, holding the coward in her arms.

"Now then, Miss...?"

"Blackbell."

The woman paused. I caught a smell of surprise and... astonishment?

She cleared her throat "Well, then Miss Blackbell, please follow us to the Dean's office, along with your, companion."

Weird.

"Oh and Mr. Smith, kindly call for assistance and take the unconscious students to the infirmary to be treated and looked unto. Thank you." She told the guard. With that, she and the rest of the faculty started walking back.

I glanced at Tai'chi once more to find him, again, staring. I approached him warily, expecting him to be mad at me.

"Uh. Hi?"

I let out a long exhale when he replied, with a slight tug of his lips, his tusk jutting out. "Hi."

I fidgeted, trying to come up with words to explain myself.

"I uh, uhm. Are you mad?"

With his brow raised, "Why would I be?"

Yeah why would he be?

"I-I never told why I keep wearing my mask." I stuttered, "You see I—"

"You two! Start moving before I force you to." A teacher yelled at us from a distance.

"We'll talk later, Pearl. For now let's get this resolved first. I know for a fact that they won't expel you unless they ignore the ill intentions of the ones who attempted to harm you first. But better be safe than sorry, he was the dean's son afterall."

"Yeah... Thanks. We should.. go." I turned and started walking along his side.

******pov shift for a bit*******

Little did Pearl know, he was thinking about how...nice, yeah that's the word, definitely not sexy, you were when he witnessed your skills in combat. It awakened something in him that it took a lot of control not to get aroused there and then, which was the real reason why he stood there, unmoving from his place. Not once did he leave his eyes from you, almost jumping to help you when the guy with the baseball bat was closer than we would have liked. But oh no, he was not surprised, he was astonished and shookt , amazed when you pulled that last technique, sending the human plummeting to the ground almost soundlessly. And the way you stood right after, he knew he was smitten. That proud and intense aura you gave off was enough to make him bow down at your feet. He could feel it. He could smell it. That was his secret, he can scent people and catch any mood shift they make. Even though he told her that her eyes and brows gave it away, it was not entirely true as he could smell, literally, you and the changes on your scent.

Oh but little did he know you could to. Just not as observant as he is.

:>

*******************************

Wow— when I copy pasted the original thing from my notes to my drafts in Tumblr I was like "okay, so. I should read it AGAIN before I post it if I wanna avoid more unnoticed mistakes and keep editing it again and again even though I posted it already! " And I never though it would lead me to adding almost a half thousand words and a pov shift— which i found interesting and really nice! Should I do it more often? Like little inserts of what Tai'chi or another characters thoughts in second pov in between fics if necessary? It's just, nice, to put them in and write all out about what they were thinking outside of Pearl's pov! Let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed reading❤

Tags: @kokokatsworld @crackinanutshell

[prodtrouver]

➾ Who Paints The Sky?

People say that it's the Gods or the Deities who paint the sky with different hues of colors. A fairy who never trusted humans, a fairy who never showed himself to townspeople. A fairy who could paint the sky any way he wants faces love and fear.

Pairing: Fairy!Renjun x Blacksmith fem!reader

Other characters: Prince!Jisung, Potionmaker!Jaemin, Elf!Yeonjun

Warnings/genre: fluff, slight angst, mentions of traps and death,

You put the sword in its sheath after reaching it out to the prince. The tall prince smiled and carefully took the light sword.

"Woah... I'm beginning to think you add magic to your swords, y/n. They feel so light yet so... What's the word?" He laughed as he thought of the right word.

"Sturdy?"

"Yes! Sturdy!" His face lit up while you laughed.

"Prince Jisung, I still wonder why you have your swords replenished and made in this shop. You have a better blacksmith in the castle who makes all the armors and weapons." You said as you began to fix your hammers.

You placed them on top of the anvil before you brought out more rusted iron for the future swords you will forged.

"There's just something about this blacksmith that forges swords so magical, it last for a life time. I heard my real father got his swords forged here," Jisung explained as he unsheathed the sword.

The way he could see his own reflection, the way light will reflect if he brought it out in the sun, the way it could slide through anything effortlessly: it was amazing for him.

"You surely are talented, y/n but you look like you are headed somewhere. Should I accompany you?" Jisung asked but you only shook your head as you put on your cloak and your bag.

"No need, prince- I could handle myself. Anyway, I won't be far in the woods anyway,"

You exited the cave, your bag full or iron ore that could help you. You looked at the sky: the once cloudy sky is now clear. The sun shone upon you as you tried to find your way back to town.

You kept your eyes open for anything that could benefit your sword forging. Suddenly, you begin to hear breathing, not from behind you but more from above.

The feeling you have wasn't nerve-racking nor scared but curiousity. You did what one person will obviously do, look up. There you see a boy sitting on a tree branch, his eyes wide and his mouth agape at the realization.

You found him, you caught him when he was being so quiet. You found him when he was being as light as a feather. Both of your eyes met, only for him to get up and get away from you.

"Wait!" You screamed, your hand reached out at the direction where he went. You tried to remember what the boy looked like.

His dirty blonde mullet and bangs that almost covered his eyes. His brown cotton pants that went well with his brown leather boots and his loose white blouse.

There was one thing about him that you will never forget and that is his wings. His almost transparent gray wings sparkled under the sun.

"Curious about who the fairy is?" You turned around, a small smile crept to your lips at the person you wanted to see for a long time. The blonde boy walked closer to you, his bag over his shoulder.

"Here for some iron ore?" He asked as he patted your head. You nodded your head, "That's nice, still very passionate about forging swords."

He removed the bag over his shoulder and opened it.

"I was about to go to town to see you, however, I felt you presence here. I want to give this..." He reached out two bottles of magical dust to you.

"It's dusts of unbreaking and strength. I figured your swords could use more magic on your forging. After all, our families have worked together for a long time. This also makes your swords stronger," you took the bottles from him.

You observed the bottles, suddenly confused about how to add them in the swords.

"Jaem, you've always known my family used potions-,"

"The potions will be wasted and it's not pure magic because I mix it with other non-magic ingredients. The dusts are purer and stronger," Jaemin said and you observed the bottles again.

"Just sprinkle it in the fire and it won't burn. It will stay there until the fire is out," Jaemin explained further and closed his bag.

"I got them from a dear friend, be careful on your way back." He said before he disappeared in a blink of an eye. You carefully put the bottles in your other bag and head back to your town.

Unbeknownst to you, the fairy stayed on your trail. His eyes glued on you as you head back to town on your own.

"Renjun, what are you doing?" The elf on the tree asked the fairy. Renjun slightly flinched from his sudden presence.

"Yeonjun, will you please stop acting like her by popping out from nowhere?" Renjun slightly groaned, his eyes still glued on your figure.

"Are you going to pull a sweetheart and fall in love with a human?" Yeonjun pouted, the 2 fairies he loved is thriving for love.

"When did you begin calling her a sweetheart? Also, no- I will not fall in love with her," Renjun said as he jumped to another tree to keep his eyes on you.

He was suspicious to why Jaemin suddenly asked for magic dust. Now, he understood why but he didn't understand why Jaemin would give it to a human.

"Will you go to town and follow that lady?" Yeonjun hopped onto his head, watching you leave with Renjun still following you.

"No, I hate humans-,"

"But you're literally following a human girl-,"

"I hate humans, shut up and go home, Yeonjun."

Renjun stared at the sky as he waved his hand. Clouds covered the sky of dawn as he increased the cold breeze in town. He stood tall on the cliff, his astonishing sight of the view in front of him.

Suddenly, he halted his steps: he heard footsteps from behind. He turned around, only to stay frozen on his ground as he stared into you.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked, he furrowed his brows when he saw the sheathed sword on your shoulder. You reached out your hands, your shocked expression shown.

"I don't mean any harm- my name is y/n! I am a blacksmith from town!" You spat and felt the breeze blow on you. You looked at the direction of the wind as a few strands of your hair almost hit your eyes.

"But please, before I continue- will you please turn down your breeze or something because I get blind?" You shouted and he did what he was told.

You thanked him and fixed your hair. You were thankful you weren't wearing a skirt or else, you would've already beheaded the fairy.

"Why are you here?" Renjun spoke again, his heart feeling stuff as he stared at you longer.

You don't look very feminine, unlike other female humans he's seen before. You wore black cotton pants with brown leather boots. Your puffed sleeves but fitted on the wrist looked good on you.

Unlike the other day he saw you, your hair was down. You radiated a male's aura and he didn't mind that... In matter of fact, he found it quite attractive.

"I mean no harm to the environment, pretty boy. Besides, I've been in the woods before dawn, searching for Jaemin's home but got lost instead." You walked pass him, but his eyes were still glued on you.

You stopped walking and turned around to face him once more.

"Can you help me find Jaemin's house? I don't want to get lost any further," you said. Renjun hesitated but nodded his head eitherway. He walked on your side as he guided you.

"So pretty boy, you're a fairy... What do you do?" You asked and he pointed at the sky. You furrowed your brows, confused: the sky? The wind? The clouds?

"You have a mouth to talk-,"

"I control the weather and change the hues of the sky," he answered and you stopped walking. He turned around to face you, the shocked expression in your face was expected. After all, a lot of people expected it's the Gods or Deities who paints the sky.

"Then can you make it less cold here?" You asked and he raised his hand. You took a step back as he waved his hand to the right. Suddenly, the cold breeze disappeared and was replaced with a softer one.

"Let's go," he looked forward again. You looked at his back figure. The boy wasn't really that muscular nor tall but he is your average lean boy. His wings weren't there, so you figured he hid them.

Before you could even speak again, you both stood in front of a cabin made out of purpleheart wood.

"Here you are," Jaemin exits his cabin. A large smile on his face but gasped when he saw Renjun beside you. A smirk appear on Jaemin's lips: "since when did you start helping humans?"

"Shut it, Jaem..." Renjun said before he turned around and get ready to leave. Your eyes followed him, however, before your mind could comprehend, your mouth spoke.

"Hey, uhh- what's your name?" You asked him, he stopped his tracks.

"Renjun," Jaemin was shook. He never expected the fairy who hates humans to ever say his name. You smiled sweetly,

"Thank you for guiding me, Renjun!" You smiled which brought a smile on his lips. At the same time, the skies became clear. The sun has risen and shine upon the tall trees of the woods.

The soft breeze disappeared and was replaced with a warmer one. You brought warmth and sunlight to the woods. You made Renjun feel like that.

"Your welcome," Renjun said before he walked away.

Jaemin stood there and stared at the sky: never knew a human could make him feel like this.

You put the hammer aside and removed the new forged sword from your anvil. You put it in its sheathe after getting a request from Jisung. As if the timing was perfect, Jisung entered your blacksmith.

"I'll be going to the forest to see my older brother. Can you come with me? You can explain the details of the sword to him properly." He smiled and you nodded.

You went to your room to get changed. Your gray cotton pants, still paired with the same leather boots. You came back after tying your hair in a ponytail.

"You might as bring collect some resources there," he added. You grabbed your bag and the sword before you both headed out.

The trip was long but in the end, you were both greeted by a cabin. Little animals, fairies, and elves played around the cabin. You wowed at the sight,

"Prince Jisung is here!!" A couple of young fairies flew to Jisung. He laughed and you let out a chuckle. You walked to a tree and gave a nut to a squirrel.

"You adorable creature," you softly caresses its head before it sat on your head. You looked at the side and saw Renjun come out of the cabin.

His smile was replaced with a shocked one once he saw you.

"Mark!" Jisung ran up to his brother and you followed.

"Hey, Ji- oh, hello!" Mark smiled at you,

"Hello, prince."

"She's the one who forged your sword for the upcoming war." Jisung said and your eyes widened. War? There will be a war?

"War with who?" You and Renjun asked at the same time.

"War with the neighbor kingdom. They caused a ruckus and sent a spy. Apparently, it was their spy who tried to kill father," Jisung explained.

At the same moment, you begin to hear things. You turned to the side and saw a head sneak into the bushes. You immediately followed and surprised the three boys.

You ran after the person. She has a sword attached on her belt. She stopped and pulled out her sword.

"You weren't supposed to see me," she added.

"Why? Are you their spy or something?" You asked, you pulled your sword out and pointed it at her.

"Never speak about this place," you threatened but she only laughed. Her smile disappeared the second after and bolts towards you. You were ready to protect yourself, however, it wasn't you who got hurt.

Renjun stood in front of you, his shoulder cut by the sword. The girl gasped and jumped backwards.

"Renjun? Renjun!" You supported Renjun as he groaned and winced. You bit your lips and glared at the girl. Your other arm around Renjun but your free hand crept inside your bag.

You pulled out 3 small knives which were forged with the same material as Mark's. You placed them on the ground, two of your fingers pointed up.

Renjun used his remaining energy to look at you. Knives floating in mid-air as if you were controlling them. The girl begin to run away as she realized what will happen.

Immediately, you pointed your two fingers at her, and the knives rushed towards her. Renjun, with his left hand on his bleeding shoulder, was astonished.

"Renjun! Y/n!" Mark and Jisung rushed to you both. Jisung ran towards the girl, your small knives on her two legs, and shoulder.

"Help Renjun please!" You said and Mark helped him up. Renjun held your hand, "come with me please."

"Mark, take him to the cabin... I will follow," you kissed Renjun's cheek before running towards Jisung.

Questions ran through your head: why did Renjun protect you? Didn't Jaemin say he hates humans? He barely even knows you...

"Are you a spy or not?" You asked as you took the sword from her. You examined the sword, it was a normal sword.

"I'm not a spy-,"

"Lies- why were you eavesdropping then?" You asked as you put her sword in its sheathe and kept it close to you.

"She's with me," Jaemin appeared and used magic to levitate the girl in the air.

"Wha- put me down, Jaemin!" The girl shouted but Jaemin only shook his head. He glared at her which shut her up.

However, Jisung was confused. Who is this boy?

"I apologize, deeply... she isn't a spy but was brainwashed when she got captured a few months ago." Jaemin walked towards you and handed you a bag.

"This will heal Renjun, I apologize for this girl's behalf." He said before he begins to walk away.

As soon as you both returned to the cabin, Renjun wincing in pain. The water on his cut stung like crazy. He notices your presence and looked like he was about to cry.

"I'll take it from here, thank you," you said to Mark and his lover.

"Please, take care of him," Mark's lover said before she left the bedroom. You grabbed the towel from the side and carefully washed the remaining blood from his body.

"Why did you protect me?"

"How can you use magic?" He asked, a sigh left your lips.

"I learned magic-,"

"A human can't learn magic unless they have a magical creature's blood in them... Are you really human, y/n?" He asked and you cleaned the towel.

"I have an elf's blood in me. My father is half elf and I got some of his blood. Now, shut it, so I can clean your cut which I was the cause of." You And took the potions out of the bag.

"Jaemin gave me these potions. I assume they will hurt a bit but trust me, they will heal you in an instant." You spoke and poured some on your palm.

You then swiped it over his cut. He groaned and immediately, grabbed your wrist. You placed a hand on his other shoulder to hold him down.

"Ah- it hurts... It hurts, stop-," you didn't stop when you noticed a part already healed.

"Renjun, I swear to god- endure it a bit if you want this cut to heal." You said as you added more. He groaned and rest his head on your shoulder.

"It's too slow- just pour everything, please!" Renjun grabbed the bottle as if he's gonna pour it on his head.

"No! Pour it on your cut, not your head!" You told the bottle and immediately, poured it over his cut. He screamed in pain as he held onto you tightly.

"Whose fault is it to suddenly jumped in front of me, hm?" You asked as you watched his cut heal.

"Yours," he whispered. You let out a confused sound but he only laughed.

"How is this my fault, sir fairy?" You said and surprisingly, he pecked your lips.

"How can a person make me fall in love with them so quickly? I barely even know you yet I'm so afraid to lose you already," Renjun whispered.

You smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you for protecting me but do not ever do that again, EVER!" You said and he nodded. He hugged you before kissing your forehead.

You returned to the woods after the long war. Your arm tired from all the swords you have to forge. You assume Jaemin must be tired too from the potions he had to make for the 3 princes.

You sat on the leafy ground, your eyes on the sky. The sky was clear again, your heart beating fast as you thought of meeting Renjun again.

You haven't seen any of their kinds during the war. Fairies, elves, and other creatures went hiding.

"Hey," you look up at a tree and saw Renjun. You chuckled as he jumped down beside you. He leaned down to kiss your lips.

"How's your hand?" He sat across you and took your hand.

"Better now, thanks to Jaemin," you answered and he sighed in relief. A soft smile on his lips, glad his love returned after the worries of her disappearing from his life.

"I'm glad you're back," he said before he kissed you once more.

"I love you," he said after a long time. You chuckled and handed him a charm you made after the war. His eyes go wide but he noticed a gem in the center of the charm. He smiled once he realized it's a gem to tie two different beings together.

Mark's lover gave Mark this as well to tie the knot of their relationship.

"I love you as well, Injun."

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Yamata-No-Orochi (Part 1) Uncle Caesar

We’re finally getting to the tail end of the Story Quests. Thanks for reading this far if you have. :D I’m so happy writing this, I’m just plugging story beats out like a happy like choochoo train, but this took a bit of thought.

This scene does not appear in the novel, manhua, or the game, however, it logically sets up a conflict that should have been there had the MC had real relationships with the characters and actual agency in the story. 

Enjoy!

It was about 9 am in the morning when Caesar got you out of bed and dressed you up as usual. He didn’t choose anything too casual or too sexual. He chose a yellow pleated skirt, a simple cotton white blouse and warm navy jean jacket, and knee high waterproof boots and invited you out with him for the day.

“Where are we going?” You had asked him.

“Just out shopping. Whatever you like. You’ve had a hard time. So it will be good for your mental state to get out and not be shut in feeling sorry for yourself.” He replied. But his eyes are not sunny, but clouded, like the sky over Tokyo.

So you spent the day shopping after breakfast, mostly for clothes and shoes. But Caesar took you to a toy store and insisted you buy something to play with. “You never played as a kid right?” He had asked you.

“No… not really. I liked to watch movies.” 

“Pick out a game. Anything you want.”

He didn’t accompany you shopping for the toys. He stood outside, smoking the cigar with his umbrella, not minding the rain. You were concerned about Kaguya but the disturbed weather was disrupting a lot of the internet access around Tokyo and the umbrellas provided physical disguise against searching surveillance cameras. Caesar didn’t mind being out, and while you shopped, he was keeping watch.

You spent a long time pacing the shelves, back and forth until finally you settled on a Sailor moon action figure. You pick it up and smile at the signature phrasing. “In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!” You could still hear the words clear in your head.

You come out with your single doll in the small bag and you put your two fingers in a V-shape over your eye playfully, just like the heroine in the Anime.

Caesar grinned broadly, but the sadness did not leave his eyes. 

You’d spent so much time in the stores that the sun  was already going down. “I’ve made reservations for dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Won’t Nono get jealous?” You snort.

“Not at all. She knows she has all my heart in her hands. But it's important to talk to you. You gave a starheart to Ruri Kazama last night. That means he reached you, right?”

“Yes, but … he’s the lead member of a yakuza group and he’s kinda out of my league.”

He waved the cigar in his hand airily. “It’s good for a young woman to raise her station through marriage in any case. But in your case, I don’t think any man is out of your league. If you think he is above you, then that’s a good thing. There are not many men like that. Much less, a man like that who you’d find attractive enough to grant a star-heart.” 

You laugh. “You sound like an old Uncle playing matchmaker.”

“I know and I hate it, but I’ve given it a lot of thought.” He grimaced. “I thought you would be good for Lu Mingfei, but he’s a stable European Hybrid who grew up in a stable household. You’re a wild thing of the White King. You’d never be a good match.” Caesar mused. “Ruri, on the other hand, knew more about you than you did about yourself. You seem to understand each other well. You clicked at the Takamagahara Club. I was pretty pissed about that but now… not so much.”

You’d walked until you reached the historical luxury district. There were restaurants here that were passed down generation to generation for hundreds of years. They survived both World War I and World War II. The bricks and mortar were older than Anjou.

He reached over your head to open a small glass door. Inside, you saw only an old Japanese man behind a counter, who looked at you through his craggy face. You figured that this place was by reservation only simply because it was so small. “Let me guess? You bought out every table in this place?”

“That’s right. Lu Mingfei helped me with the Japanese.”

“Is he doing alright?” You ask.

“Yep. He’s got that girl wrapped around his little finger.”

“That’s kinda messed up.” You say, recalling your last conversation with Chance about Izanami using Izanagi’s feelings to further her own ends.

“Well, hopefully it will turn out to be genuine.”

You shake your head smiling. “You really are an Old Uncle.”

Caesar pulls out the chair for you and you sit. “Don’t worry about ordering anything. Everything here is good.”

A waitress came and poured sake into saucers from a black bottle and you remember that you promised Caesar to have a date over Sake and this was it. You can’t believe you forgot about that but given everything that was happening it was understandable. It was more incredible that Caesar actually remembered.

Once the sake was poured, Caesar raised his saucer and you joined him in a toast. “A toast to the best damn freshman I’ve ever met.”

“And a toast to the fearless friend of justice!”

The sake was good, not quite sweet but full of the aroma and taste of rice in the alcohol.

“I want to discuss your future at Cassell after this. It’s unfortunate to say, but once this mission is over, even if I’m alive at the end, I won’t be able to shield you from the school board or anyone else.”

Your eyebrows raise. “Oh? The Gattuso heir admitting that he can’t protect a lady? Did I wake up in an alternate universe?”

But Caesar didn’t laugh or crack a smile. “It’s the official policy of Cassell College not to admit anyone with unstable blood, like yours. My family pursued Chu Zihang because they suspected him of being of poor bloodline. Had they succeeded, they would have sent him away on an island, far from human civilization. I was able to vouch for him at his trial and foil their plans, but I won't’ be able to help you if you run afoul of them because after this mission, I’m graduating, MC. I will go back to Italy and marry Nono.”

Your expression falls and you feel a trapdoor has just opened underneath you. You were still heartsick over losing Chance. But Caesar was your support staff you could lean on. Without him, you would have given into despair long ago. How could you stand on your own now? You would find a way surely but you hadn’t expected to part from him so soon.

He stares at you now and you understand the cloudy look in his eyes. “I want to make an arrangement with you. For your safety. But it will take you far away from me. So I don’t like it. But I feel it's the best for you. If you agree, then… alright.”

“Alright,” You echo. “Let's hear it.”

“We talked a little last night about how Ruri Kazama wants the Devil Clan to join Cassell and replace Hydra as the Japan Branch. But Ruri Kazama does not want to stay at Cassell and run the Devil Clan. His dream is to become a Kabuki actor and singer. He also mentioned that he recently lost his lover, and cannot help but feel extremely lonely. When he feels very lonely he looks for the loneliest girl and keeps her company. I think you can tell what I’m getting at.”

“Yes, we’re like mirror images of each other now.” You murmur. “So I will join the Devil Clan until Ruri can get them settled with Cassell College and then leave the Clan and Cassell to be a companion to Ruri Kazama?”

“You’ll be safer, and happier, with your own kind.” Caesar said, gloomily

You let out a breath. “But you’ll miss me.”

“I already do.” He reached for a cigarette and pulled it out. Old places like this didn’t mind smoking.

“Thank you for thinking of me. Of course, it really depends too on how well we get along.”

“You don't just give out star-hearts. Pursue him. I think it’ll be nice.”

The plate of artfully crafted fresh sushi was carried to you. Even though you have seen so many wonderful things in Japan, you continue to marvel at the creative ways they put rice together with fish and vegetables to make a bright and colorful display. Even the heads of the prawns served as a splashy centerpiece, their antennae waving slightly like bright orange fountains.

You eat in silence for a few minutes. Neither of you are adept with chopsticks so you just use your fingers. 

Finally Caesar broke the silence. “Can you tell me something? You mentioned Ruri Kazama would have to fight another lion. Who is this other lion? I saw that there is a mystery contender that also received a star heart.”

“He doesn’t have a name. I just call him Z, and he’s followed me my whole life. He won’t give up easily.” You lower your eyes and your chewing slows.

“Also a hybrid?” He glances at you, his blue eyes suddenly clear and sharp.

“Yes. The strongest hybrid out of all of Black Swan Bay.”

“Your old boyfriend.” Caesar looked out of the glass door at the front of the store.

“We were never really boyfriend and girlfriend. He trained me to fight. He’s specifically told me not to fall in love with Ruri Kazama.”

“Any particular reason why?” Caesar balanced the cigarette on his fingers.

“He says he knows how that story will end.” You look at him seriously. “He’s possessive and very jealous. It might not go well for Ruri if we end up together.”

“If you’re not boyfriend or girlfriend, what does he care who you end up with?” He put the cigarette between his lips and inhaled.

“I don't know.”

“What will happen if you defy him?”

“I’ll probably die. He’s the one who has guarded my life. My guardian angel. He says that he has known how to keep me alive from the very beginning. If I don’t do what he says, then he probably won’t keep guaranteeing my life.”

Caesar’s eyes narrowed and you saw the killer aura rise in his eyes. “Where can I find this Z person?”

You shrug. “He’s a mysterious thing. All these years and I still can’t figure him out. He just… has a lot of control over things that happen. Like everyone is a puppet on a string and he’s the ultimate puppetmaster. Even Chu Zihang couldn’t help but notice how fortunate it was that we ended up in the backyard of Genji Heavy Industries to hide. Or how the fortunate earthquake I caused managed to assist you in battle. He was the one who took me down to the Genji Elevator and showed me the deadpool even though Chisei Gen didn’t know about it. He was the one who told me to cause the earthquake that saved Lu Mingfei in the elevator.”

Caesar leaned forward. “So is he our ally?”

You lower your voice. “I think your purposes align. He views you as no competition to him. He only gets annoyed at my love interests. Since you are not pursuing me, he couldn’t care less what you do. But I’m telling you this, because if you do send me away with Ruri, it could have consequences both for Ruri Kazama and you.”

“A love triangle?” His eyebrows raise.

“Yes.” You chuckle. “I guess you could call it that.”

Caesar lets out a breath and a puff of white smoke. “Just when I thought I had it all figured out.”

“You almost did.” You giggle freely.

“I do have one ace in the hole. If I can guarantee your life, then that will free you right?”

“But I’m dying as an unstable hybrid… I…”

“Yes but so is that Uesugi girl. The documents in that folder said that the Black Swan Bay children only lived to age 20 and at that age they inevitably turned into deadpool. Erii was created as a dying ghost, the same as you, by the same people that created you. You’re both alive, but you are 18 and Erii is 21.”

You gasp, suddenly breathless. Z’s words to you, that the key to your survival is in Tokyo, come roaring back.

“If I can figure out the secret to how they’re keeping her alive, then you won’t need the Z person.” Caesar smiles, but it’s challenging, snarling.

“You’re kidding! You’re not seriously considering competing with Z!” You always felt that Z, deep down, was a killer, who taught you to be a killer. What Caesar was doing was a dangerous thing, putting himself in the line of fire of someone who wouldn’t hesitate to arrange his death the same way he had arranged everything else.

But Caesar was always like this, running headlong into danger and saying, ‘I’ll figure it out when I get there’. And appealing to fear would never dissuade him.

“I’m not competing for your heart, only your freedom. I don’t like men who threaten the lives of women. There’s actually more I can say, but given your position, I’ll keep it to myself.” He was still smiling that deadly smile, staring out the door as though seeing an unseen person.

“Oh… my god…” You sigh. “Well, if anyone could do it, it would be you.”

Your appetite significantly diminished. You felt cold and anxious. You wondered what Z would say if he ever appeared to you again. You wondered if Z would ignore Caesar, or if Caesar would simply disappear without a trace, as though he never existed.

You left the restaurant and Caesar pulled you close, one hand over your narrow shoulders. “You’re afraid of him. Aren’t you?”

You don’t answer, not even with a nod.

“That makes me more curious. Stay close to me then. That way, if he wants to keep you, he’ll have no choice but to show himself.”

[todoroki-waifu]

Tanjiro x GN!Reader x Murata (one sided) 

Final: Tanjiro x Reader

Scenario: Murata asks Tanjiro to help him get to know the reader better. He specifically wants Tanjiro to find out if they’re single and their likes/dislikes. Of course, being the nice friend he is, Tanjiro agrees; however, he didn’t expect to fall in love with the reader as well.  

Word Count: 6518

Genre: Slight angst, drama, and fluff. 

Warnings: Gender neutral reader, cursing, love triangle, and some mentions of blood. 

“I can’t believe I’m tired already and we still have the rest of the afternoon. I hope I can make it.” You pout slightly, settling down on the outside porch of the Butterfly Estate. All the lower ranks were to train with the higher ranks and Pillars in order to prepare for the battle against Muzan. You and Tanjiro just finished training with Uzui, now waiting for the rest of your group to meet for lunch.

“I’m sure you can make it! You’re strong and I believe in you!” You slightly blushed at his words of encouragement, now feeling that you would regain your strength after your short break.

“Thanks, Tanjiro-kun.” You reply back as you look up at the sky, watching the clouds as you both sat there in silence. Tanjiro eyes you from the side, remembering his promise to Murata. He knew the boy wanted to know if you had a significant other, but it was hard for Tanjiro to bring it up. So he decided to start with smaller questions.

“Hey, __(y/n), I don’t think I ever asked you this but what’s your favorite color?” He asks and you turn your attention to him.

“You and your random questions. I hope you’re not collecting any data to use against me.” You laugh jokingly as he stutters slightly.

“O-of course not. I’d never do that to you. I-I’m genuinely curious.” Tanjiro hopes his cover isn’t blown.

“I’m just kidding. I know you won’t. Anyway, my favorite color is __(color).” And that simple question opened up a discussion of different topics. You noticed Tanjiro asking you random questions for the past two weeks, but figured he was just a curious guy. You actually enjoyed it since you loved his company. You met at Mount Natagumo and ended up seeing each other more often. The trio plus Nezuko basically added you to their group, seeing how frequently you were paired with them for missions. You didn’t mind. You got along well with them. 

“___(y/n)-chaaaan!” You hear a familiar thunder user’s voice. “Save meeee! I’m gonna diiiiie!”

You and Tanjiro turn your heads towards the entrance of the Butterfly mansion, the dark red head’s eyes widening slightly at how fast Zenitsu was running. Zenitsu was sprinting to you with wide arms, whining about how mean Sanemi was and how his tough training was killing him. Tanjiro reacts quickly, grabbing the front of your uniform and pulling you towards him. You froze at the sudden pull, your hands unconsciously latching onto Tanjiro’s chest. 

“Z-z-zenitsu!” He grabbed you just in time, watching the yellow orange haired male hug the air and fall beside you. “You have to be careful! You were running way too fast and could’ve hurt __(y/n)!" 

"But I’m going to diiiiie.” Zenitsu pouts as you hear Tanjiro scold him some more. Your heart was racing not only from being potentially tackled, but at how closely pressed you were to Tanjiro. He ignores Zenitsu’s complaints as he glances down at you, both his arms now encased around you. 

“Are you okay?” He asks.

“Y-yes, I’m fine. Thank you, T-tanjiro.” Your nerves were twisting and shaking, causing your voice to break during your sentence. Tanjiro couldn’t respond right away, his own heart racing at the proximity. He suddenly becomes aware of how __(color) and alluring your eyes were. 

The way you stared up at him, the way your lips were slightly parted, and how your hair frames your face; Tanjiro is only now appreciating your beauty. He felt a few degrees warmer as his breath was trapped in his lungs. He didn’t understand why his heart was pacing so quickly almost as if it was chasing something… or someone? 

“I-I-I’m so sorry!” He immediately releases you from his hold as he scoots back a bit as if to return your space. “I didn’t mean to just grab you like that. That was so rude of me, I truly apologize!”

Before he could bow, you held onto his shoulders, reassuring him that you were just fine.

“Don’t be silly! I’m glad you did that. Otherwise, I might’ve bumped heads with Zenitsu-kun or he might have squished me." 

Tanjiro laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he hears Inosuke and Murata at the entrance. Ah, and that was another thing you noticed lately. Murata has been hanging out with your group a bit more often than usual. You assumed he probably felt like he wanted to connect more with all of you or that maybe his circle of friends were split up during training sessions. 

"Hi Inosuke-kun, Murata-kun.” You greet the boys with a smile and wave.

“The great Inosuke-sama has completed his training! Now I’m hungry… let’s get food!" 

"H-h-hi, __(y/n)-chan! How was your morning?” Murata instantly blushes at your smile, butterflies swarming in his stomach. 

“We should go see if Aoi-san needs any help! C'mon, guys.” Tanjiro gets behind Zenitsu and Insouke, pushing them to the kitchen area.

“We should go, too.” You tell Murata, but Tanjiro stops the both of you.

“It’s okay! We’ll be quick. We’ll come back if we’re not needed. You guys just…just stay there!” He immediately rushes his two friends as you tilt your head to the side slightly.

————————————

“Why are we hiding? I thought we were going to the kitchen?” Inosuke grumbles with his arms crossed.

“Oh, good! They’re talking.” Tanjiro lets out a small sigh, peeking out the window, careful to not be seen. He stopped pushing the boys once he was at a safe distance from you, checking if Murata was taking the opportunity he had given him. 

“He still hasn’t confessed?” Zenitsu knew about Murata’s dilemma, surprised that the black haired boy still made no move. “If it was me, I would’ve just asked ___(y/n) to be mine." 

"You already do.” The flame and water user rolls his eyes. “Murata-san is just really nervous. He wants to make sure he confesses to them properly." 

Zenitsu eyes his friend in the green and black checkered haori, blinking curiously when he notices Tanjiro’s gaze focused on you. When your laughter echoed in the courtyard, his sensitive ears picked up the quickening rate of Tanjiro’s heartbeat. Before he could question, Aoi found them lounging in the middle of the hallway, scolding them to hurry into the lunch room. 

That night, the three boys were getting ready for bed, laying out their futons on the floor. 

"You stupid boar, move your futon! That is MY spot!” Zenitsu yells, glaring at the mountain boy who laid right in the middle of the room. 

“No it’s not! It’s mine!” Inosuke grabs his pillow, ready to defend his territory.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping closest to the door! And you’re not even lined up properly!” Zenitsu was starting to get cranky, tried from today’s training and the dreadful feeling of knowing he had to do it all over again. 

Tanjiro ignores the bickering, concerned about his missing sister. He hasn’t seen her since dinner and she was usually with them around this time. She wasn’t one to wander either. He gets up from the floor, neglecting his half folded bed to search for his younger sibling. 

“Nezuko!” He calls out to her, careful with how loud his voice was so he wouldn’t disturb the other Butterfly residents. Tanjiro stops momentarily, picking up a sweet and joyful scent. It made his entire being warm with happiness, a smile slowly stretching his lips. He even felt like laughing, but held back the idea when his eyes caught two familiar beings. 

There you were, in the middle of the courtyard with his sister, jumping and spinning wildly. The two of you were dancing in the rain, giggling at each other’s movements. Nezuko noted a huge puddle forming to her left and immediately bounced both her feet into the water, creating a small series of waves around her legs. 

She made a noise to catch your attention, grabbing your hand as she pointed to another puddle. She stops in front of it, never letting go of your hand while she looks at you then to the water then back at you. The hand holding yours begins to slightly swing as if readying the both of you to dive into the miniature pond. You nodded, agreeing with her proposal and counted to three so that you both leaped at the same time. 

Nezuko cheers happily against her bamboo muzzle, raising her arms in excitement as you laugh, also holding your arms up. Your arms were stretched out horizontally, spinning around a few times and stopping just before you felt dizzy. Nezuko continues to hop into every puddle she sees as you stand for a moment in the rain, tilting your head up and allowing the water to wash over you. 

————————————

“Where is everyone?” Zenitsu realized that he was left alone with Inosuke, wondering where their third member went. As he passed by a few rooms in search of Tanjiro, he didn’t see you or Nezuko either. The yellow and orange haired male can hear a sequence of loud thumps, his feet following the sound until he finally reaches its source. 

“Tanjiro?” He says quietly, catching his friend standing on the engawa and looking out to the open space. Zenitsu’s eyes quickly traced to what had him so entranced. He finds you standing there, head slightly tilted back as you continue to be doused with water. You gave off a relaxed aura as you breathed in and out deeply. And there was Nezuko in the back, busying herself with the multiple puddles littering the courtyard. Even Zenitsu’s heart did a small jump at the sight of the warm scene before him. 

“What are they doing? Are they training?” Inosuke’s rough voice makes Zenitsu jump in surprise.

“What? No! They’re just play-”

“I’m gonna fight them! Let’s fight!!” He roars loudly as he zips towards you and Nezuko, causing the both of you to yelp in surprise.

“I-inosuke! Stop! Be careful!” Tanjiro is finally released from his daze, stepping down from the porch to stop Inosuke from chasing after you and his sister.

“You dumbass! Why are you bothering my sweet Nezuko and __(y/n)?” Zenitsu joins the spinning circle. 

————————————

“Gah!” Tanjiro accidentally slips on the wet ground during the chase and you quickly rush to his aid. Tanjiro’s fall momentarily stops everyone from running while Zenitsu immediately appears next to Nezuko, checking to see if she was okay and of course, complimenting how cute she was. 

“Are you okay?” You hold out a hand for Tanjiro to use as a leverage off the floor. 

“Yeah, I am. Thanks. I managed to break my fall a bit so I didn’t land too hard on the ground.” He takes your hand, accepting your help as he is finally on his feet. 

“I’m sorry about us playing in the rain. I didn’t mean for us to be out too late. And I also didn’t mean for Nezuko to get so soaked.” You hoped he wasn’t too upset with you for allowing Nezuko to be out in this type of weather. You were outside first and all of sudden, Nezuko appeared and begged you to let her join you. How could you say no? 

“I-it’s okay! No worries at all! I’m just glad you guys are okay. It was really nice of you for letting my sister play with you. I could tell she was having a great time, so, thank you for making her happy." 

"It’s no problem at all. I love your little sister. She’s wonderful to be around with.” You look to where the others were, smiling as you see Nezuko returning to her original task with Inosuke competing with her on who can make the biggest splash and Zenitsu telling him to let Nezuko be. 

Tanjiro stays silent as his gaze is focused on you again. You note his lack of words and you turn your head to the burgundy haired slayer, tilting your head at his staring. His eyes take in your cute and confused form, your drenched hair adhering to your face closely.  Before you could question his silence, the rain came down harder. 

“Oh wow, I thought it would stop soon.” You say as you find Tanjiro’s hair now falling to the front, almost blocking his beautiful, deep magenta eyes. You raise your hand up to his face, using your fingers to comb his hair back and securing them behind his ears. You smile once you get a clear view of his eyes, the boy’s cheeks burning a bright red. 

“There, now I can see your pretty eyes better.” You tease as Tanjiro’s face glows brighter. 

————————————

Ba-dum. 

‘There it is again.’ Zenitsu turns his attention to the two of you. 

Ba-dum.

The rhythm starts to get faster again.

Boom. 

’Now he’s making a different sound.’

Boom.

'Why does it sound like it’s getting closer?' Zenitsu frowns at the change of tone, trying to decipher the sound.

Crraakk! 

“Kyyaahh!” Zenitsu screeches at the new sound, recognizing it as thunder. A flash follows the rumbling, Zenitsu immediately recalling the time he had a very close encounter with lightning. He clings onto Nezuko, big tears dripping down his face as he now begs for everyone to go inside. Nezuko blinks at her frightened friend, patting his head gently as she is reminded of when Ryouta used to cry during thunderstorms. 

“I’m not afraid of any storm! Come fight me, thunder!” Inosuke shouts to the sky. The loud clap forced you and Tanjiro to gather the rest of the group inside, finally getting yourselves settled for the night. As Tanjiro lays on his futon, staring up at the ceiling, he thinks back to where you were dancing in the rain. 

You looked so beautiful spinning around so carefree and happy. He remembers your fingers adjusting his hair to its usual style and how you light and gentle your touch was when he felt it graze against his cheek and ear. Your touch and gaze sent a chill up his spine while his heart began beating against his chest. He quickly changes his position, laying on his side as he tries to focus on sleeping.

————————————

A few weeks pass and it has been the same between you and Tanjiro. Him asking questions or simply sitting beside you either on the engawa or in the middle of the forest during breaktime from training. It was something he looked forward to everyday. When you went out on a mission, he became slightly distracted and a bit more mellow for those three days you were gone. However, when he learns of your return, his demeanor is suddenly lifted.

That is until he hears you’re admitted to the Butterfly Estate for a head injury.

“Tanjiro!” He turns around to the source of the voice, recognizing Murata as the one calling him. 

“Hey man! Good thing I caught you. I need you to give this to __(y/n), please. I’d give it myself, but I feel a bit guilty since I was on the mission with them. I got too distracted by the enemy and I wasn’t there when they needed me. But anyway, please tell __(y/n) that I’ll see them later. I have to give the report to Oyakata-sama.” Murata hands him a small bouquet of flowers, turning towards their master’s home. 

“Wait! But…is __(y/n) okay?” Tanjiro was worried about your current state.

“Yeah, they’re fine. When the medics came, they said it was a minor concussion, but they still needed to be admitted and monitored. Anyway, I really gotta go. Thanks again, Tanjiro!”

“Y-yeah. You’re welcome! Good luck!” He tells Murata as he stares down at the flowers. Tanjiro also starts to feel guilty for not presenting a gift and feels slightly inferior to Murata. He immediately shakes that thought out of his head, almost forgetting his secret mission. He wasn’t supposed to feel competitive towards his friend. He promised Murata to help his feelings reach you. 

————————————

“Tanjiro-kun!” You beamed at him, your heart happily leaping that he is your first guest and the sight of flowers in his hands. You tried to calm yourself, not wanting to look too gleeful at the assumption that the bouquet was for you. 

“__(y/n)! I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sorry to hear about your concussion. Is it painful?” Tanjiro continues to eye your bandage. 

“I had a massive headache earlier, but I got some medicine from Aoi-chan, so, it’s much better now." 

"That’s good.” He almost forgets that he is still holding the flowers. “These are for you." 

"Aw, Tanjiro, thank you! These are so nice.” You gladly accept them, inspecting and admiring the flowers’ beauty. 

“They’re actually from Murata-san. He was really worried about you and wanted you to have these. He wanted to give them to you right away, but he said he has to meet with Oyakata-sama." 

"O-oh! I see. I have to thank him later.” You were both surprised and disappointed that it didn’t come from Tanjiro, but you were still grateful for the small gesture. You just wished it was from the boy who you had a crush on. “Well, thank you for delivering them." 

Did Tanjiro only visit to give you the flowers as instructed? You thought he was here on his own and that he was truly concerned. Maybe he was, but it did seem as if he was here only for Murata.

"You’re welcome. So, what exactly happened on your mission?” He starts the conversation, but suddenly, you’re not in the mood for visitors at the moment. Yet part of you doesn’t want him to go away. 

Before you answer, it was as if someone else decided for you and a knock was heard following the sound of the door opening. It was Aoi with a small tray of tea, medication, and bandages. 

“Sorry, Tanjiro, but __(y/n) needs their treatment and rest. You can visit them later." 

"Oh, right. Sorry about that.” Tanjiro stands up, putting his chair aside as he smiles at you. “I’ll see you later? I hope you feel better soon." 

"Thanks, Tanjiro. See you later.” You wave a hand to him before he exits the room. 

That evening, Murata had visited you as promised, updating you on what had happened before you lost consciousness during the mission. He apologizes repeatedly, even getting on the floor to show how guilty he felt for not protecting you. You reassure him it was okay and that you were not mad at all.

Then the conversation turns into a very different subject. Murata begins to confess his feelings to you and how he had asked Tanjiro to help him scout information on you. Murata tells you everything, again feeling guilty for using Tanjiro as a middle person instead of him going directly to you. He was too shy and afraid of your reaction and thought that the plan in his mind would work out. 

However, cupid’s arrow decided to go a different route and Murata knew to not stand in its way. Another reason why he decided to bring this up now was due to his curiosity. Though he knew his chances of being with you was low, he knew he’d regret it if he never asked. 

Unfortunately for him, his assumptions were right. You couldn’t return his feelings, but he was happy you weren’t too upset at him for what he did. He also begged you to not be angry at Tanjiro, solely taking the blame on himself. You again reassured him that all was well and that you were not upset at anyone. Instead you apologized that you couldn’t reciprocate his feelings.

Once the awkward tension disappears, you’re glad that you still have a friend. You have a quick and light conversation with him and before he leaves for the night, you make sure to thank him for the flowers. Once you’re alone, you sigh loudly to yourself, slightly shocked at what you learned.

Tanjiro was only talking to you for Murata and not because he wanted to get to know you. You knew you couldn’t be angry at anyone, but you definitely felt different with Tanjiro. You’re so upset that your crush didn’t want to get close to you willingly. You sigh again, mentally yelling at yourself to not think so much about it and that it was to be expected that Tanjiro might not feel the same as you. But that thought definitely made small cracks in your heart. 

————————————

“What? You told __(y/n) everything?!” Tanjiro exclaims, surprised at Murata’s bold move. He was so frightened to even talk to you yet here he was telling Tanjiro that he finally confessed to you.

“Yeah, I did. I felt too guilty and it was definitely wrong of me to make you be the middleman. I should’ve had more courage in the beginning instead of involving you. So, I’m really sorry for the trouble." 

"It’s no trouble at all. I’m not upset. I’m just shocked you told them the truth. Were they mad?" 

"No, not one bit. __(y/n) actually apologized that they didn’t like me back, but I told them it was okay. We’re still friends, but I’m not gonna lie and say it doesn’t suck.”

“I’m really sorry about that, Murata-san.” Tanjiro places a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s fine. I mean, I had a feeling it wouldn’t work out, but hey, I think you have a good chance with them!" 

"Me? What makes you say that?” Tanjiro blushes at the mention of you and him potentially being lovers.

“Well, I’m gonna be honest with you, another reason why I decided to tell __(y/n) the truth was I started to notice something. The way you look at them and when you talk about them, your facial expression and tone become different. And different in a good way. You get super excited and happy, which isn’t a bad thing! But that means you totally have a thing for __(y/n), right? And I’m not gonna be mad or jealous at all. If anything, you guys have my blessing! I can see how much you really care for ___(y/n) and I don’t think I’m the right match for them.”

“Hold on, now I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to take them away from you. I hope I didn’t seem that way.” Tanjiro frowns, confused at Murata’s sudden disinterest in pursuing you. He really had every intention of helping his friend!

“God no! I know you’re not that type. I’m just saying, the way you look at __(y/n) and the way they look at you…there’s definitely something there and I’m not gonna get in between that." 

"Y-you really think so?" 

"It is so obvious, even the other three know it.” Murata was referring to Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Nezuko. They bid each other good night after a while, the Kamado boy smiling to himself as he felt relieved that he didn’t have to play matchmaker anymore. It also felt good to finally admit his feelings for you to himself. 

————————————

You were off of bedrest for a while, but decided to avoid the Kamaboko group for a bit. You were confused and conflicted after Murata’s confession and decided you wanted to either be by yourself or with a different group of friends such as Genya and Kanao. You were glad that this week you were paired with Genya for training, but trying to start conversations with him wasn’t the same. He either didn’t say much or he froze up.  

While you were on break from training, you decided to sit out on the engawa where you and Tanjiro usually sat at the Butterfly Mansion. You shook your head to clear your mind of the memory, focusing on meditating and total concentration breathing. You and Tanjiro were in different groups so you had assumed your breaks wouldn’t overlap. 

“___(y/n)!” Ah, what timing. Normally, you’d love to spend time with Tanjiro, but you were so disappointed that it hurt to think about him.

“Hey, Tanjiro.” You smile slightly as you stand to greet him.

“It’s been a while. How is your head?” 

“Much better. I’m all healed up and was cleared to practice my sword and techniques.” You tried to be polite, but deep down, you just wanted to leave.

“That’s good. I heard you’re in a different group this week. How has it been? Are they treating you well? We all miss you, you know. Me, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Nezuko.” 

“Tanjiro…you know, you don’t have to keep hanging out with me.” You felt like you were going to explode if you didn’t get the burden off your chest.

“What do you mean?” Tanjiro frowned, shocked at your response. 

“Murata-kun told me everything. From how he likes me to how you tried to help him. I’m not mad, I’m just a bit surprised.“ You avoided looking at him, your eyes moving from the clouds, trees, and the ground. "So, you don’t have to force yourself to spend time with me anymore. I know you have a busy schedule so I wouldn’t want to take that away from you. We can still hang out, like all four of us when we have a bit of extra time, but you know. . .you don’t have to go out of your way to get to know me anymore either. I wouldn’t want you to do anything you didn’t want to." 

Why did it hurt so much telling him that? If he was only being around you for the sake of his friend, that wouldn’t be fair to him. You didn’t want to be selfish, but not seeing him as often as usual was going to be a bit. . .lonely. 

"But __(y/n), it’s reall-" 

"Tanjiro, really, it’s fine. Like I said, I’m not mad or upset. But anyway, I actually have to go. . .so. . .see you around.” You bowed your head slightly at the male before walking towards the exit, telling your heart to be strong and to not let your emotions on display. You didn’t want Tanjiro to feel like he had to comfort you. You were done getting your hopes up. 

“Wait!” Tanjiro was too slow to respond, too stunned and panicked to get his thoughts organized. You were already gone, but Tanjiro caught a scent of sadness from you before you left. He could feel his heart unhappily thump against his ribcage, causing a small pain as his eyes watered more than usual. 

————————————

The rest of the day and the next week was difficult for both of you. You were used to the routine of spending a few minutes of alone time, but now, your alone time was spent, well, alone. You tried to nap during down time, but it was hard without thinking about Tanjiro. 

The checkered haori slayer was the same, thinking about you and wondering how you were and if the both of you were going to have normal conversations again. He sighed, trying to speak with you, but was always interrupted either by you saying you had something to attend to or busy with missions and training. While Tanjiro thinks of a way to communicate with you, his thoughts are now directed towards his crow flying above him. 

“Caw! Caw! Kamado, Tanjiro! Here are your orders. Head to the Takayama village and hunt the two demons terrorizing the village. The two demons have raided the neighboring towns and continue to spread their chaos. You will be with a team of four, who you are to meet at the front gate now. Prepare yourself well! Caw!” The black bird flies away and Tanjiro gathers his belongings and Nezuko before heading to the meeting place. 

He sees you standing by the gate, bidding your ___(bird) farewell as it flies away. Once his footsteps catch your attention, you turn to greet the person. You freeze slightly, recognizing Tanjiro and you couldn’t believe your luck. Your heart was pounding and you were slightly nervous, remembering how awkward it was between the two of you.

“Hey, Tanjiro.” You politely greet him, giving him a small wave.

“Hey, __(y/n).” He replies back, stopping a good distance from you. His heart was also racing, feeling the tension swirling around you and him. But this was his chance! The rest of the group wasn’t here yet.

“__(y/n), I really need to talk to you. I know that we haven-" 

"Alright!! Let’s go kill some demons!" 

"Why do you look so happy?! Don’t you know we’re gonna die?” Zenitsu begrudgingly walks to the front gate with Inosuke in front of him. 

“Hah! As if! I’m gonna kill them first!” Inosuke replies back. 

“Oh, Inosuke-kun, Zenitsu-kun! It’s been a while since we’ve been on a mission together.” You mentally let out a sigh of relief, happy that you didn’t have to engage in an awkward conversation. Tanjiro frowns at the interruption, his heart growing a bit heavier as he can feel any hope of you two patching things up slowly disappearing.

The five of you head towards your destination, reaching near the village by nightfall. Most of the people in the town were hiding in their homes, not a single soul was out in the streets. They have heard rumors about their surrounding towns being attacked by demons and became frightened of becoming victims. 

“We should split up. If there are two demons, we can find them faster if we’re separated.” Tanjiro suggests.

“I can look for them by myself!” Inosuke unsheathes his swords. 

“No, you won’t. Don’t underestimate them, Inosuke. Your safety comes first, not competing on who can kill who faster.” Tanjiro advises as the boar man stares at him with a giddy expression. “Anyway, I’ll go with Inosuke. Zenitsu, you go with __(y/n)." 

You were a bit surprised he didn’t try to pair himself with you, but you figured now wasn’t the time to ponder too deeply into it. The four of you head into the woods, splitting into different directions with your partners. 

————————————

Zenitsu screams loudly as a figure shoots out from above, attempting to pounce on you both. 

"Perfect! I’ll be ahead of the game once I eat you two.” He shouts, opening his mouth wide to dip his fangs into your flesh. Zenitsu runs behind a tree, trembling in fear while you go to swipe at the demon’s face. He immediately dodges your swing, but quickly attacks again. 

You learn that the demon was competing with the second one and they were playing a sick game on who could consume the most by the end of the night. Because of how much he’s been eating consistently almost every night, his strength was difficult to handle. 

Zenitsu watches in horror as the demon slashes at your back and arm, soaking your uniform with blood. After exchanging a few blows, you and the enemy are pushed back onto the ground, just a few feet apart. Your partner whimpers loudly when the monster crawls to you and grabs your ankle tightly, his sharp nails puncturing through your skin and muscle. He roughly lifts you up, spinning you a few times before throwing you against the tree the thunder user was hiding behind. 

“You’re next.” He laughs, slowly walking towards Zenitsu and you as you momentarily lose consciousness. 

“__(y/n)!” Zenitsu is by your side, panicking at the damage you received. He scolds himself for not participating in the fight and thinks how lucky he was to have a friend like you to tolerate his cowardly behavior. He also thinks of Tanjiro, knowing he would be so disappointed and angry to allow you to get hurt. 

“Run, Zenitsu. . .” You knew how hard this was for him. “I got thi. . .I’ll catch up, I promise.” You struggled to get up, but your injured ankle sends a sharp pain up your leg and through your spine, causing you to momentarily be paralyzed. You calmed yourself, readjusting to the pain. You look at Zenitsu, telling him again to hurry and leave.

“I. . .I won’t!” He refuses as he unsheathes his sword, blocking the demon’s attack. You argue back that you could handle the demon by yourself and you’ll find him once you are finished. 

“Zenitsu, listen to me! I told you I got-”

“No, __(y/n)! I can’t just leave you! I won’t let the person who Tanjiro loves die! He’ll be heartbroken if you’re gone. I don’t want him or any of us to go through that!”

“T-t-tanjiro. . .loves me?” You stare at him with wide eyes, shocked and in disbelief at the indirect confession. "Wait. . .what? Why? And how? How do you know he loves me? Did he tell you?“ 

"He didn’t have to tell me! I could tell by his sound. . .there’s this noise his heart makes and it’s been there for a while and it gets stronger everyday!" Zenitsu explains quickly as he runs away from the demon’s attacks. 

"Are you sure? Like are you really sure?” Your heart was pounding quickly but it wasn’t from the battle. 

“Yes! Of course! He’s been falling for you since the beginning but he was holding himself back to give you away to Murata because Tanjiro knew that Murata had feelings for you!" 

"Really? Does Tanjiro still have the noise? Do I have the noise? Does Inosuke and Nezuko know about this, too?”

“Should we really be talking about this right now!?” He screeches, becoming distracted by your torrent of questions as he almost misses blocking a set of sharp claws. You apologize quickly, forcing yourself to stand up and refocus on your mission. 

However, as soon as you stood up, Zenitsu was thrown to you, knocking you to the floor once again. The demon charges to your direction, licking his lips in anticipation. Before you could switch spots with your partner to take the blow for him, a third person emerges from the trees. 

“Found you!” Inosuke yells, but his twin swords miss your assailant. “Huh? You’re not the demon we were just fighting.”

“__(y/n)! Zenitsu!” You turn your head to Tanjiro’s voice and frown at the injuries on his person. Taking a deep breath, you concentrated your energy and mentality on the battle. You thought of multiple moves and plans to secure victory, sharing your ideas with the others. The second demon that Inosuke and Tanjiro were targeting found them, but instead of teaming up with his competition, their greed cost them. 

They argued constantly on who was going to eat who, which you and the others took advantage of whenever their attention was elsewhere. It definitely was not easy defeating the two, but it made things easier with your team. It took hours to defeat them which left you all panting on the floor from exhaustion, but you were grateful for another successful mission. 

————————————

You were the first to recover during your three day stay at the Butterfly Estate. Thankfully, your injuries were only mild, but the other three were recovering a bit slower than you. You were okay to return for training and missions tomorrow so you were planning on making the best out of the rest of your day.

“May I sit here?” You look to your left to see Tanjiro standing a few feet away from you.

“Oh! Hey Tanjiro, did Shinobu-san medically clear you also?” You gently pat the empty seat beside you, indicating for him to take the spot beside you.

“Yeah, just a few minutes ago.” He answers as he situates himself on the engawa. 

“That’s good. Now we wait for Inosuke and Zenitsu." 

"Yeah.” Tanjiro says softly, looking at the ground in front of him. He doesn’t wait too long to give you the opportunity to leave like before, needing to release the heaviness on his chest.

“I-I’m sorry! Please forgive me!” The burgundy haired slayer shouts suddenly, almost scaring you from the sudden burst of noise. “I know you’re upset with me because of what happened with Murata. I’m sure you must have felt angry and sad and you kept that to yourself all this time just to spare my and Murata’s feelings. You went through a lot because of my carelessness. I shouldn’t have agreed to help Murata-san had I known I was going to fall for you, too. But __(y/n), you’re wonderful. You’re kind, sweet, selfless, strong, funny, beautiful, and you make me feel so. . .so happy. So please, please know that I don’t regret or feel that the time I spent with you was a waste. I loved every second of it. It was the best part of my day and I always looked forward to it. I’m really sorry, __(y/n). I know I don’t expect you to forgive me right away or not be upset, but I miss you so much. I miss your company. I miss laughing with you. I miss sharing memories and secrets with each other. I just miss us being okay." 

You gently lift his shoulders from the ground after watching him bow lowly to you. 

"Tanjiro, of course I forgive you. I was never going to stop talking to you. I just wanted some time for myself. I know I might have seemed upset at you, but I was more upset about the situation." Your chest has a tiny knot from hearing him express how he felt. "I can’t be mad at you if you didn’t have feelings for me and wanted to help Murata. I was just confused and felt extremely dumb because I liked you, but when he told me everything, well I definitely felt embarrassed and disappointed.”

“I’m really, really sorry, __(y/n).” His heart would have done a happy leap when you mentioned your feelings for him. Instead, he was thinking of all the 'what ifs’ scenarios. Would things be different if he admitted his feelings earlier?

“Do you regret. . .falling for me?” You ask quietly, afraid of his answer, but curiosity would not let you hold back. 

“No, not at all! Never! I’m glad that my heart chose you. I just wish the situation could have been different. But like I said, I truly enjoyed getting to know you.”

“I enjoyed your company and your 21 questions.” You chuckle slightly. “Do you still have feelings for me?" 

"Y-yes, I do. They haven’t gone away.” Tanjiro looks down shyly, but his head shoots up quickly when he feels a pair of soft lips make quick contact with his own. 

“Me, too.” You send a small smile, scooting a bit closer to him. Although the kiss was short, he was left speechless, almost as if he was questioning if it truly happened. You start to get a bit nervous at his silence, looking at Tanjiro meekly. He responds back with a swift peck on your lips as well, both of your faces now painted with red. 

When you both finally have the courage to face each other, you share a laugh as you feel confident enough to snuggle into his side. You rest your head on his shoulder, snaking your arms around his. He, too, is feeling bold as the arm that was being held takes your hand and holds it firmly. You and Tanjiro say nothing, letting your hearts do the talking with the sound of their beating. 

[drawlfoy]

The Wonders of Ohio P.5

masterlist (check here for parts 1-4!) request guidelines

pairing: draco x reader

request: from 14 year old me babey

warnings: cringe, mentions of drug use, mentions of sex, language, and just bad writing

summary: y/n is in her senior year of high school when she is asked to take on an exchange student from britain that’s a little...different. this is NOT a nonmagic AU. draco is still a wizard and this will become and integral part of the story shortly.

a/n: heyyyy everyone. i graduated from high school this week and i’m posting this as my happy-one-year-to-me. as some of you may know, i posted my very first fic on this day a year ago. i’m really happy to see how i’ve grown since and i’m so lucky to have shared this with all of you. anyways, nittygritty--

this part is really the last slow exposition chapter. chapters 6 on will be a whole whirlwind beginning with homecoming and i hope that you guys are willing to stick around. i promise itll be worth the wait. y/n is going to get the story arc of a lifetime and also please do not hate heather she is just going through it ok 

anywayssssssss

tags tags tags  @gruffle1 @missmulti @cleopatera @hahaboop @accio-rogers @geeksareunique @eltanin-malfoy @war-sword @cams-lynn @itsivyberry @ayo-cowbelly @nerd-domland @erisdogwood @loveissupernatural

word count: 4.6k (;))

song recs: 

strawberry blonde -- mitski 

in your neighbors garden -- mimi bay

wishes -- beach house

ode to artifice -- samia 

pink in the night -- mitski

enjoy <3

The seatbelt buckle scorched the side of Y/N’s exposed neck as she turned to face the disheveled blonde in the passenger seat.

“Do I need to teach you to set an alarm?” 

Draco let out a huff. “Stop. Do you have a….a comb, or a brush, or something here?” His hands looked abnormally fidgety. Their actions were shaky, varying from patting his pockets to running through his hair. He seemed more and more frustrated each time his hands left his pockets empty. 

How curious Y/N thought as she racked her brain for any remembrance of putting a brush in her car. It was always a mess, and she honestly couldn’t blame Draco for assuming that anything could be in there.

“I don’t think there’s one here,” said Y/N, trying to sound at least a little sympathetic despite the fact that his tardiness had them 10 minutes late. “You can look around if you want, king.”

“What’d you call me?” His voice was suddenly sharp and awake.

Y/N rolled her eyes so hard that she thought they’d get stuck in the back of her head. “You don’t--ok. It’s a joke. You can call guys here that.”

“And it means that I’m…?”

“It means I’m acknowledging that you exist, I guess. It’s not like it has a strict negative or positive connotation. Like, I can say ‘Ok king’ to any man telling me something and it can either be sarcastic, or it can be because I don’t know what else to say and just want to let him know I heard him.”

Draco’s eyes looked a tad glazed over when Y/N dared a glance in his direction.

“I know it’s confusing. I’m sorry. I’ll try and ease you into the world of American slang.” 

He granted her a little “uh-huh” before opening up the glovebox with great difficulty and rummaging through the mess. Y/N would’ve felt more embarrassed about the tampon that fell on the ground in the process if he seemed like he actually knew what it was. 

Her attention turned back to the road as Draco continued to sift through things. Y/N couldn’t help but wonder if there was anything embarrassing hidden away in the corners of her car--after all, it hadn’t been organized since the beginning of summer--and decided that it was better to pretend it wasn’t happening.

It wasn’t the eerie silence that eventually prompted her to turn to look his direction--no, it was the weird energy in the car, like the feeling right before a thunderstorm. All the hair raised on her arms, and she shivered...but it was stifling hot in the car.

“Oh, did you find a brush?” she asked. His hair laid as perfectly as always, but his hands were lying shaking in his lap, palms to the sky. No hairbrush was in sight.

“Er... “ He was paler than usual, which was quite the feat for someone who looked like a ream of paper. “No. Just remembered a trick my father taught me.”

She tensed at the mention of his father--the very first time Draco had done so. “Oh. Okay. Glad you got it figured out, king.”

Her voice lightened on the last word, hoping she could coax a little smile out of him. 

“Don’t call me that.”

“Ok.”

oOo

 There were many things Y/N thought she understood, but Draco Malfoy being in her Physics C class was not one of them. She took pity and sat next to him as he fumbled his way through the first lecture. His notes, while neat, were littered with crossed out portions and question marks. 

You do know there’s an eraser on your pencil, right? she jotted on a note that she sent his way. His brow furrowed and he seemed to tap at the end of the eraser for just a few moments before deciding otherwise and xing out another practice problem he’d done incorrectly. Symbols that she’d never seen before were scattered all throughout his notes. 

Maybe the UK kids just learn stuff differently.

By the time that Physics came to an end, Y/N was eager to get away from the storm cloud that was brewing over Draco’s perfectly smoothed and infuriatingly pretty moonbeam colored hair. The amount of attention he was getting from all the other girls made Y/N want to jump off a cliff--suddenly everyone was her “best friend” “just wanting to check up on what happened over summer”. She was grateful to see the face of Lizzy, grinning and looking mischievous during their break period.

“You must be Draco,” said the redhead, a glint in her eyes. He looked a little scared.

“Er...yeah.”

“Mind giving us some privacy? Y/N and I have some urgent matters to discuss,” she continued, looking him up and down. Y/N attempted to ignore the twist in her gut as she watched him swallow and nod, turning away to go brood elsewhere. Once he was out of sight, Lizzy grabbed her arm and yanked her into the girl’s bathroom.

“It’s so funny how he’s following you around like a lost puppy,” Lizzy said. “Also, he’s gorgeous. If you don’t at least try to get some of that, then I’m never trusting your judgement again.”

“But, Li-”

“The boy’s a fucking walking Wattpad story cover. Dark, tragic past, unbelievably sharp jawline, rich parents, exotic accent....honestly, Y/N, I don’t know what else you could want.” 

“Mom literally called him my host brother,” said Y/N. The bathroom was starting to smell suspiciously like cotton candy. “That’s wrong. On so many levels.” 

“But you’re not related!”

“But it’s gross! And predatory! The kid doesn’t even know how to do basic algebra! I’m all he has!” 

Lizzy’s eyebrow found its new home in the middle of her forehead. “You’ve gone absolutely batty if you think that every girl cursed with attraction to men in Cincinnati wouldn’t jump his skin at the chance. Use your head, queenie. He’s not alone. Shoot your shot.”

Y/N opened her mouth to serve back a retort--that was definitely there, thank you very much--but decided against it once she realized that the bathroom had become dead silent. “Um...maybe we can go over this later.” She flickered her eyes over to the line behind them that was now intently hanging on their every word. “I forgot I had to talk to the counselor.”

Lizzy was smirking as they exited the bathroom and began the search for Draco. It didn’t take long--the circle comprised of Heather and her friends was more than enough of a giveaway that he was about. 

“Draco, sorry to make you wait,” Y/N called out. It took all her effort to abstain from cringing as her voice rang out across the group. Heather turned to send her a big smile.

“Hey Y/N! You didn’t tell me that Draco was from London!” 

“He’s not,” she responded. “He’s from Wiltshire.” 

“Wiltshire. Of course. That’s what I meant.”

Draco’s smile was tense as he looked down at Heather--who stood roughly 4 inches below him--but he was smiling, and that wasn’t something that Y/N was on the receiving end of frequently. She didn’t know whether to be offended or relieved.

“I’m sure. Break’s almost over, Draco. I can show you where the English department is before the time is up.” 

 He paused, looking down at the blonde grinning up at him. “Er, actually, Heather already offered to show me around for the rest of the day.”

“Yeah, for sure. I’ll see you in French.”

Y/N was shocked at the sheer amount of jealousy that rose up in her throat as she turned away and made her way to Art History---the only class Y/N and Draco didn’t share. The walk was strange. Being in solitude after having a gloomy British boy attached to her hip was understandably eerie. Because that’s all it was. Adjustment. Nothing else.

She settled in at a table full of her friends, namely Sylvia. The tall girl was always a bit whimsical, but Y/N found that she was a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else. It made sense that Sylvia would take Art History--her dark academic inspired aura and the perpetually hot mug of black coffee just screamed history nut. 

“How’s your new brother?” she asked after the teacher had taken attendance. “I say that because I haven’t heard his name yet.”

“Ick, it’s gross to think of him as my brother,” Y/N responded. “And I know! We need to catch up. I’m sorry about not talking to you for a bit. The time difference was a bit weird during your trip.”

“It’s ok, I get it. I was away on family business, anyways. I didn’t expect you to spend your days staying up until the wee hours of the night to tell me all about your exchange student. Anyways. His name?”

“You’re gonna scream when you hear it, Vie,” she said. “Draco Malfoy. It’s so posh. You have no idea. It definitely suits him, though. He’s very...You good?” 

Sylvia’s olive toned face looked a bit paler than usual. “Yeah. Yeah, I just remembered that I forgot to take the trash out this morning. I’ll have to text my mom about it.” She adjusted the wool cardigan that hung around her shoulders and came up looking composed. “Draco, huh? His parents must hate him.”

“At the very least! He’s so rude. And uptight. I can’t tell if it’s just a Brit thing or if it’s because he’s an asshole.” 

Sylvia laughed. “I mean, when I was there over the summer, it was a different culture for sure. We’re by far louder. But I didn’t meet many mean ones. You must’ve just got a bad apple, then.”

“I guess so. He is pret--”

“Ladies, is there something you’d like to share with the rest of the class?”

“No, Mrs. Jensen,” Sylvia and Y/N said in unison. 

oOo

“Thoughts, king?” 

“I told you not to call me that.” Draco glared at her as he tried to open the passenger side door to find that it was locked tight. “Unlock? Please?”

“And I told you not to get cozy with ASB kids, yet here we are,” said Y/N as she slotted the key into the lock and turned. 

“What’s it to you?”

“Nothing. I’m just looking out for you.” She slammed the door shut and threw her bag in the bag. The line of traffic to get out of the school was long and stuffy, and she was eager to just get it over with.

The wait was so hot that Draco peeled off his stupid formalish jacket that was on thin ice of being called a blazer and probably worth more than her car. Y/N tried to look away as his hair became slightly ruffled, but she couldn’t pry her eyes away. It was endearing, almost, how someone who could look so posh and serious could have ruffly hair--and hair that naturally light, too. She had asked him one night if it was dyed, and he scowled at her and told her the grammatically correct term was dead, and that his hair was alive, just like the rest of him, thank you very much. She dropped it. 

Y/N finally rolled down her window after the AC simply refused to satisfy her, and the wind was a nice reminder to keep in her own lane. Draco was beautiful. There was no other way to put it. He had a feel of power to him, like he was capable of anything but just held it back. But he was just as inaccessible as he was pretty, and there was nothing she could do about that.

“Y/N?” He asked after a few moments of sitting in silence. “What’s Homecoming?” 

“Who told you about that?” 

“Heather. She asked if I had a date. Is that like a ball here?”

“She asked you if you had a date on the first day?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck. ASB kids never do sleep, huh.” 

“What?”

“Homecoming isn’t a ball. It’s like a...an…” Y/N paused as she saw Draco raise his eyebrows. “It’s, like, uh….Well I guess it is like a ball. An American one, though. Way less extravagant. It’s an excuse to get dressed up and run around the city. There technically is a dance, and all the ASB kids have to go, but literally no one else does but the underclassmen. Normally I go out with my friends and a date to somewhere fun and take pictures. And then get trashed afterwards.”

“Classy,” said Draco. “I think you can go now.”

A honk behind her emphasized his point as the space in between her and the car in front widened substantially. 

“Thanks. Anyways, it’s not really a big deal. I’d suggest not going with Heather so you can skip out on the dance portion. Or if you want to go with her, get her to come with us into Cincinnati because I am not going to spend my last homecoming watching a grind circle.” 

“A...what circle? And I don’t want to go with her.”

The relief Y/N felt was embarrassing. “Um...better if you don’t worry about it. You have a long time to figure it out anyways.”

He seemed satisfied with that answer, propping his elbow up on the center console. The pristine button up he was wearing had ridden up, exposing the pale skin and the bottom of the tattoo she had seen a hint of earlier. “Do you have a date?”

“Um. No, not yet. I don’t think anyone except for couples do yet. We have until the end of this month to figure it out, so I’m not too worried about it.”

He nodded as Y/N’s car finally left the school parking lot and began picking up speed. 

“I’m assuming you had balls? At your posh boarding school?” 

“Er…” Draco ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it further. “We only had one. It was when I was 14. We called it the Yule Ball.”

“Why only one?”

“It was for a special occasion. We had two other schools join us as well. It was quite a good time.”

“So every student only has one ball in their lifetime?”

“Of course not. Some of us--the ones from old families--have events like that regularly.”

“I’m sorry if this is overstepping my bounds,” began Y/N, noticing how he tensed up, “So you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But, I’m just wondering, what is your family like?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like are they nice?”

“Oh.” The line in his forehead relaxed. “No. They wouldn’t like you.”

“Glad to hear it,” she said. “Do you like them?”

She heard the breath hitch in his throat. “I don’t know anymore.”

“I’m sure it’s hard to think about it when you feel like they’ve just shipped you off without anyone,” she added. “I’m really sorry, Draco. I know I’ve been a bit mean to you. I know that I’ll never be able to understand what you’re going through right now.”

The slight smile that spread across his face would’ve knocked her to her knees if she wasn’t already sitting down. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

The silence that awaited them for the rest of the journey was comfortable.

oOo

School began to pick up the pace after the first few days. Y/N got into the swing of homework and her extracurricular workload. Draco was having a bit more difficulty, she presumed, but he’d never admit to it. She took pity one evening and gave him her laptop opened to a Khan Academy tab for Physics and was pleased to see that he showed up to class the next day with completed homework. He asked to borrow her laptop on a much more frequent basis after that. 

The routine they settled into had her heart leaping into her chest almost constantly--they’d eat breakfast together at the table, Y/N would try to ignore how pretty he looked across the table as they shared a pot of black tea (earl grey, which Y/N was thrilled to learn was his favorite as well), they’d get in the car, she’d write him notes in physics to help him (even though he never asked, he always smile and give a little shake of his head before unfolding them and intently staring at her writing), they’d drive home together and bitch about their French teacher, he’d retire to his room and do whatever pretty blonde Brits do in the afternoon, they’d meet unexpectedly at the same time in the late evening to have a final cup of tea, and then they’d go to bed and do it all over again. 

It was difficult for her to admit, but Y/N was falling very quickly for Draco. It was gross, and wrong, and manipulative, and completely against the code of conduct for exchange families, but she couldn’t help but spend her days fantasizing about how his gold-spun hair would feel as she ran her fingers through it or how gently she’d trace her fingers around the tattoo on the soft flesh of his forearm…

But Y/N knew those thoughts weren’t right. And they would go away. Eventually. 

“How’s it going?” Sylvia asked, effectively snapping her out of her thoughts. The Art History sub told them to go into independent study, whatever that meant. Y/N was not very good at either of those words.

“Pretty good. I can’t believe it’s been 3 weeks already,” she said. “It’s gonna be Halloween before we know it.”

“I can’t fucking waitttt,” said Sylvia. “I’m gonna be Wednesday Addams.”

“Again?”

“What else would I be? I get a new high collared black dress every year. It’d be a shame if it were going to go to waste. What are you gonna be?”

“One of the thousands of students finishing their UChicago ED app hours before the deadline.”

“You’re kidding. Can’t you just finish it the day before?”

“Where’s the fun in that? And, plus, I don’t have an idea as cool as Wednesday.”

Sylvia smirked as she opened up her planner and began to jot down something. “How’s Draco doing? I haven’t seen much of him lately. It seems like he never hangs out with us at break anymore.”

“Yeah, I ended up getting him connected with the Physics teacher. He’s getting tutored now. He thinks it’s all bullshit, but I don’t want to be the reason he doesn’t get into a good school.”

“Is that all you care about?” She smiled at Y/N. “Lizzy was telling me that you’re interested in him.”

“First of all, keep your voice down. Second of all, I’m not supposed to be, so I’m not.” Y/N hoped that the edge in her voice was convincing enough.

Her friend raised her eyebrows so dramatically that her glasses nearly slipped off her nose. “Y/N, who’s gonna hear about it. You guys are both going away at the end of the year anyways, and I’m sure he’s not going to be writing to his dear mum about his love life. If it’s consensual, there’s nothing wrong with it. I think it’d be good for both of you.”

“I see that, but let’s put me in his shoes right now.” Y/N shuffled in her seat and clasped her hands. “I’m rich. I’m British. I’m very hot. My parents throw extravagant balls for me and I kiss pretty girls that say water like ‘wota’. I’ve spent my life in silk and I only drink the finest teas. My family is so important that I had to be shipped off halfway across the world just to be safe. And now my incredibly expensive life has reached a peak because I’m sleeping with a random girl in Ohio that has run approximately 4 stop signs since I’ve met her.”

“You’re sleeping with Draco?” 

Y/N turned to see Lauren, a wide-eyed, obnoxious, but well meaning girl staring at her. She heard Sylvia stifle a laugh behind her. “No. I was kidding.” The smile that she followed with was awkward and showed way too many teeth. 

“Oh, okay,” said Lauren. “Do you know if he likes anyone?”

Sylvia’s smirk widened.

“No, actually, he’s a pretty private guy.” Y/N sent her another tense smile, and Lauren finally turned away.

“Jealous, huh?”

“Shut up, Vie. You know I wouldn’t go for him. Even if I had the chance.”

She just raised an eyebrow and smiled. 

The afternoon brought its own set of struggles. Their French teacher had blown up at another student who had been caught cheating on their last test, and it was all Y/N could do but hold back her snickers until they were out in the parking lot.

“I can’t believe they still managed to conjugate their cheat sheet wrong.” Y/N was gasping for breath as she unlocked the car door and threw her stuff inside. Draco was watching from the passenger seat, his lips in a soft upturn. “Can you imagine? Oh my god.”

He just shook his head and turned to look out the window, but she could see the smile slowly stretching across his face. “Ridiculous. You could totally tell Monsieur enjoyed it, too. I bet he gets off on making kids like Joey cry.”

“I had a teacher like that,” he started. “He was a Poti-a chemistry teacher.”

“Oh? Did he ever attack you?”

“No. He liked me. Family friends and all.”

“Ah. I almost forgot that your family was rich and influential. Thanks for the reminder.” She reached across and lightly punched his shoulder. His smile, though still remaining, seemed to shrink. “Hey, what’s that in your bag?” 

Y/N motioned to the cardstock peeking out of his nondescript black backpack that always seemed to fit more than it was meant to. She could make out a few words written in what looked like a bright red sharpie--something that did not exactly scream Draco Malfoy aesthetic.

He froze up. “Er. It’s from Heather. I think she called it a Homecoming ask?”

Y/N’s throat dried up to the point that no words would willingly make the climb from her diaphragm to her tongue; instead, she settled for giving him a little nod and what she hoped was a convincing smile.

“I told her I’d think about it,” he continued. “I remember you saying that the school dances sucked. So I let her know that I wasn’t sure yet.”

She nodded again. “Super cool. You can do whatever you want, though. You can come with my group if you’d like, but you’re welcome to go with Heather’s.”

“What? So you aren’t coming with me if I go with Heather?”

“Fuck no, dude. I don’t hate her, but I would way prefer to spend a night with my friends than some girl from my French class that only talks to me because she thinks you’re hot.” 

The expression Draco made reminded Y/N that he would never get comfortable with American girls calling him hot. “Ok. Have you found a date yet?”

“Chad from Econ asked me yesterday.”

“Is that why my seat was covered in glitter?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going with him?” Draco’s hand was clenched tight in a fist in his lap.

“I think so,” said Y/N, steeling herself and deciding to just go for it. “But, of course, if you asked me I would say no to Chad. Just out of principle. I am supposed to be your tour guide, after all.”

The only parts of him moving were the few stray wisps of his hair being pushed around by the AC going. 

“But that’d be weird. I’d only expect you to take that up if you really didn’t want to go to the dance itself.” She swallowed and pulled out onto the main street, putting distance between them and the school. He was silent for a few moments. The quiet, normally comfortable between them, was stifling and strange. She pretended to ignore the way he was fiddling with his cuffs. 

“Yeah, it could be,” was all he said before slumping against the window and closing his eyes.

Mrs. Y/L/N was sitting at the head of the coffee table when the two arrived home, carding between a stack of letters in front of her. The mug of something--probably that new decaf blend she hadn’t stopped raving about--was sitting lopsided on a coaster, just barely about to topple off the edge. She looked like she hadn’t moved for hours, the novel she had been previously reading sat face down to preserve the spot next to her no doubt lukewarm drink.

“Hey Mom,” Y/N said as she set her keys down. “Anything good?”

She looked up, her expression morphing from startled to happy. “Other than the college brochures? Nothing, except...hm, what’s this?”

Her well manicured hand pulled at a crimson envelope, with sloping writing that seemed to shimmer in the light. 

To the Y/L/N Family, it read. The loopiness of the writing looked like it wiggled at the ends, but that had to be a trick of the light. It was dim in the kitchen during afternoons, after all. 

“It looks cool, open it u--”

“No!”

Draco’s voice had never sounded so loud as it did then as he lunged across the kitchen, snatching it out of her mother’s hand and clutching it to his chest. “Er, it’s for me. I recognize the handwriting.”

 “Cool, see you later,” said Y/N. She was up the stairs and slamming her door before either of her housemates could say another word. After the horrible embarrassment that was technically Draco’s rejection, she needed to be alone. 

Even burying her face into her pillow and squeezing her eyes shut didn’t keep the scenes from their car ride at bay. She had been so stupid, so stupid. Why did she even think he wanted that? He was her brother, after all. Oh god, does he think we’re all from Alabama or something?

She wallowed for a few more mournful minutes before deciding that she had to pick herself up and handle it like an adult. After all, she was going to be 18 in just a few months. There was no excuse for her to act like a child anymore. And, plus, it wasn’t like she couldn’t just play this off as a pity invite. Yes,that’s what she’d frame this as if he ever asked her about it again. She felt bad for him was all it was. 

Once satisfied with her internal dialogue, she rolled out of bed and made for the foyer where her bag was still on the table. She’d first walk on Legos barefoot before she had to let a stupid boy--especially one that didn’t know how to turn on their shower and had to ask for her help every time--come between her and her 4.0. Never.

Her thoughts were cut short, however, when she heard a new sound from his side of the hallway. She froze, listening closely. 

Draco was crying.

[my-arlington-academia]

Cliffany part 2

O-kay, and that’s it! I don’t know if I’ll write a continuation tbh since it was just a silly little idea that came out of nowhere. (Although I did have some ideas for more!) I haven’t really been active on my fanblog lately so it’s not like it’ll make much of a difference though haha. By the way, I’m thinking about making my blog more "Dulcet-oriented" rather than just SE. I hope you guys don’t mind? Recently, I’ve been getting more and more into Black Tarot! So expect my blog to change a lil 🔮🕯🌌

--------------------

It had been a couple of days now since Tiffany’s last interaction with Claire, and while she was still ignoring her like before, Tiffany’s efforts in doing so had increased. The moment she spotted her in the corner of her eye, she would move at a faster pace, as if running away. Was it guilt after all? No, she just didn’t have the energy to deal with Claire’s annoying and unnecessary empathy. The empathy that she knew she didn’t deserve which made her feel even more frustrated towards Claire.

All she should be worried about right now is getting more followers on Instaglam, not avoiding a nobody like the plague. On that note, spring was coming soon, the flowers started to blossom and the days were getting longer which meant... that the "cottagecore" tag on insta would go trending soon, no doubt! And of course, living on the Arlington campus as one of its students, this gave Tiffany the access to its beautiful garden. Although honestly, she only ever went there to take pictures and this time wasn’t any different. She had prepared some tea sets and dresses for the occasion, all of which she would throw away once spring went away along with its "trends."

Carried by her confident footsteps, she walked to the garden. That confidence was only a facade though. She knew exactly what kind of people and who in particular went to take strolls quite often in this goddamn garden. But hey, it was 7pm and the sun would soon start to set. Knowing that Claire always arrives 15 minutes in advance to any meeting and most likely always wakes up at 6am, there was nothing to be worried about. Chances are, she was either doing her homework before going to bed like a goody-two-shoes or watering her weird-ass plants. Tiffany always had the horror of seeing these at Raquel’s parties. It just didn’t fit at all with the rest of what was going on in the room and ruined the whole "party" vibe.

In any case, there she was, searching for a good spot to take pictures and set up a fake picnic. That basket filled with different colored blankets, tea sets, biscuits, tea and a pie was way heavier than Tiffany had initially thought. Maybe she really should’ve asked for collab pictures with Trisha from the fine arts department. She didn’t really like her but when it came to follower count they were surprisingly close, although Tiffany was still number one of course. Still, if she had asked for a collab they could’ve carried those heavy props together.

After finding a good spot next to the pond, Tiffany set everything up in an aesthetically pleasing manner and got down to taking the pictures. She was taking different shots to post them one by one throughout the week and give out the illusion that she was taking those the same day she posted them. She was ready to upload the first one, call it a day and go back to the dorms without touching any of the tea or cakes. It’s all just useless calories anyways. As she was putting the tags on the picture, she started wondering what were the names of those flowers in the background.

"Ugh, fuck. What are those orange shits called again?"

"Marigolds."

"Ah right, thank y-"

Tiffany immediately snapped her head back. This annoyingly gentle voice could only belong to one person.

"...What the fuck, Claire. Where did you pop out from?!"

There’s no was she was there the whole time, right? It’s true that Tiffany could get lost in what she was doing once she was focused but it wasn’t to the point where she became completely unaware of her surroundings.

"I came by a few minutes ago... Y-you looked so invested in what you were doing that I didn’t want to bother you! I didn’t mean to pry."

Well, Tiffany could always upload those damn pictures from her room. Claire’s arrival just meant that it was time for her to leave. However, seeing that Tiffany started packing up her things, Claire panicked thinking that it’s her fault. Which was in fact, her fault... in a way.

"O-oh! You’re not going to finish your picnic? I’m so sorry, I’ll just leave! Throwing all of this good food away would be such a waste-"

"Are you fucking dumb?"

Did she not get that this was all only a set-up for taking pictures? It was obvious that Tiffany didn’t have any intention of eating or drinking any of that. Not to mention that after everything that happened the other day, she was still not scared of approaching her?

"I don’t give a damn about the food, it was just for my social media accounts you dumb bit- ... dimwit. I was already done anyway so you don’t have anything to do with the fact that I’m leaving."

"I see! T-then maybe I can help?!"

Help? What did Claire even know about- Actually, on second thought. This whole "cottagecore" shtick was a great fit for Claire. She probably already had all of the things Tiffany bought last week for those pictures, even better and more authentic-looking ones probably. This was maybe the one and only time Tiffany would let Claire "help" her. But from her point of view, she was mostly just using her.

"Hm. Is that so? How can you help me then... Claire."

"Wait just a second! I’ll be back right away!!!"

She ran immediately towards the dorms. Well, she'll probably bring a bunch of random stuff. In the end, Tiffany was really torn between the idea of staying and waiting for who knows how long and the idea of leaving right now. Surely, Claire would make a hilarious expression when she’d realize that she was played with and abandoned. While trying to laugh it off, Tiffany accidentally remembered what happened a few days ago, along with Claire’s crying face. Damn... Okay, fine. She’ll wait for her but only because it would be annoying if she bawled again like a damn toddler.

And so she waited until, from the corner of her eyes, she saw a girl with a pink dress running towards her. That girl, of course, being Claire. She carried a picnic basket with her too, but much bigger and more practical. For half a second, Tiffany thought that Claire actually looked maybe, just maybe, a little bit pretty. She erased the thought in a hurry, covering it with harsh words as usual.

"Wh-why did you change your clothes? You think I’m gonna take pictures of you?"

"Ah, no, well..."

Claire looked at the beautiful picnic set-up and the cyan dress Tiffany was wearing.

"I just wanted to fit in with the rest of what you put up, I guess. Also, don’t you think that we kinda match? I brought some of the cookies I baked and my favorite teas and tea set. I think mine will look better with your picnic blanket! Uh- N-not to say that yours looks bad!!!"

She was trying so hard to make herself likable that it was painful to see... and kinda cute. God, Tiffany was really hating her thoughts today. She was just going soft because of Claire’s aura or something. Again, this was definitely the first and last time she was letting Claire help her with anything. I’d be bad if she turns completely brain-dead and clueless like her.

"...Whatever. Show me what you got. I’ll decide if it’s good enough."

Claire was pulling everything out of the basket one by one. Everytime, better and better items were pulled out after the other. Her cakes and cookies gave off a "homey" feeling which was more fitting with the aesthetic rather than Tiffany’s store bought patisseries. Claire was staring at her, wide-eyed and excited.

"W-what do you think, Tiffany? It looks good, doesn’t it?!"

"Uh. Yeah, it’s fine, I guess. I’ll take a few pics."

That was a lie. This looked so much better than the try-hard bullshit Tiffany had done. She was good at riding on the "trend wave" but Claire was a natural when it came to this one specific thing. Tiffany was trying to look as poker-faced as she could so as to not show her satisfaction, but clearly, her apparent enthusiasm for each shot was  betraying her. Sometimes, she would accidentally take one with Claire in the shot and ask her to move.

"Hey. You’re ruining the picture with your ugly fac- dress. Move to the right."

Before Tiffany could even do anything about it, Claire was already pouring some tea into 2 cups.

"Woah woah woah, put the teapot down. I didn’t agree to this."

"But...This is a kettle, Tiffany. Not a teapot."

"Oh, shut it!"

Claire gave off such a dejected face that Tiffany, once again, felt like she was kicking a poor puppy to the ground. She held back on going off on a rant.

"But we’re already here and the weather is so nice! It would be such a shame not to use any of this at all..."

Claire looked around, observing this beautiful setting, not to mention, the sun was finally starting to set. Going home right now would be like an insult to the utter beauty of this scene, it almost looked like it came right out of a fairy tale picture book. Without mulling it over any further, Tiffany took a sip out of her cup.

"I’m only doing this because I feel compelled to, got it?"

Claire’s eyes lit up nonetheless.

"Alright! Please try out my cookies too!"

Tiffany contemplated them for a second... is it true that home-made stuff is more healthy? Surely, that’s just a myth, right? A cake from the store and a home-made cake will have about the same amount of sugar in them regardless of who made them and how. Well, she did see Claire share her food from time to time with her friends and while she would never admit it, it is true that she was a bit curious about trying them herself. What was the last time she had eaten anything "home-made"? Or did it ever even happen?

"...Okay, whatever. I bet they taste shitty."

Tiffany reluctantly took a bite... It was surprisingly really delicious!

"It’s bad."

"R-really?"

As much as she wanted to lie about it, she couldn’t after seeing Claire make that dejected face again.

"Uhhh. No, um. Hmm... On second thought, it’s pretty average. It’s okay-ish."

Tiffany really hated herself right now. Being mean has never been this hard before. She couldn’t wait for the moment where they would be done with this ridiculous play-pretend and go back to her room. She tried drinking and eating as fast as she could without making it look like she was in a hurry to run away from this awkward situation. And God, it was so fucking hard...

Unsurprisingly, they were both pretty silent the whole time. Well, it wasn’t like they had anything to converse about or things in common. Right as Tiffany was about to get up and pack up her belongings, for real this time, Claire spoke up. Nervously fiddling with the hem of her dress.

"Um. So you know, I have something to confess to you, Tiffany."

Oh God, not now. As much as Tiffany found this timing annoying, she couldn’t help but poke fun at that poor choice of words.

"Confess? Oh my, so you like me in that way, huh? That explains everything."

"Wha- N-no! That’s not it! I mean, realistically speaking, t-that would never even happen!"

Was she implying that she could never like someone like Tiffany? Well, Tiffany herself was the one who brought this up but she was a bit offended at that statement. Regardless though, the way she was trying to deny it so hard was kinda cute. No. Not cute at all! If this went on, Tiffany would really become crazy before the end of this day.

"Last time, you said that I was only being kind towards others to profit off of them and I didn’t say anything but... that wasn’t true at all! I always wanted to help you because I thought that you needed it, I swear. Not to satisfy myself! ... Well. Except maybe..."

"Except...?"

"T-today. I admit that I kind of had ulterior motives."

Now that piqued Tiffany’s curiousness right away. Suddenly, she didn’t want to leave as much anymore if it meant that Claire would finally admit that she did some things for her own benefit. Why was it? Did she want to post a picture of herself on Tiffany’s Instaglam to fish for compliments, knowing that she had a lot of followers? Claire hid her face behind her hands and muttered a few words.

"I... wanted you to warm up to me."

"...Huh?"

That’s it? That was it? Claire’s ulterior motive was for Tiffany to "warm up to her."?

"So like, you want us to be friends or some shit?"

"Oh no! Not necessarily that far, just... good acquaintances!"

Is she stupid? There’s no way that she genuinely thinks those "motives" are bad. Tiffany sighed in exasperation.

"Listen. I’m just really tired right now, I don’t have the energy to assimilate all the shit you’re saying. I’m packing all of this up and going back to the dorms."

In complete silence, they gathered all of their belongings and walked to the dorms while keeping a fair distance between the 2 of them. As if to say, "we’ve got nothing to do with each other." Surprisingly, Claire didn’t try anything anymore. Didn’t even wish for a "good night" or a "good evening" which was weird to say the least. Tiffany tried to ignore it and when she got back and unpacked all of the props, she noticed something that didn’t belong to her. One of Claire’s lunch boxes with cookies in them and... a note?

Here’s my number just in case ;3 Please give me my lunchbox back once you’re done eating the cookies!♡

"...Your note makes me wanna barf."

So that’s why she didn’t try anything. That sneaky little... she must've slid that into the basket when they were packing. She already knew that Tiffany would eventually be forced to talk to her again... as if! Who says she’ll return it? She can just throw all the cookies away along with the box... Or so she thought. Tempted, she took a bite, then another one. And another one. Her diet was ruined for sure now. Damn you Claire and your stupidly great cooking skills, as if you needed another skill to be better and more perfect than you already are. Tiffany put the box away, trying to forget the delicious taste and smell. Back to Instaglam she goes. Uploading the picture while adding the "marigold" tag on it. Going through the pictures again, she noticed that some of them had Claire in the corner. She was thinking of deleting them but... well whatever. She can just crop her out later if needed. Her dress looks pretty so it’s fine even if she does appear in the pictures. All we see is a bit of her hair, as long as her face isn’t visible, it’s okay. Yup. It was totally not because Tiffany was slowly starting to feel something towards the girl she was trying so hard not to get involved with.

[writing-the-end]

LoL Chapter 34- Leyline

Masterpost

A Wizard Hermits tale (AU, designs, ideas belongs to @theguardiansofredland)

The hermits rush to save Grian from the precipice of death, and discover the locations of their next great fight. 

Warning: Mentions of blood, wounds, death

______________________________

Hypno runs his finger along the map. “We noticed it here, by the Midnight harbor. The ground was all…” 

Scar takes up the mantle. If there’s one person who knows dirt and landscaping, it’s him. “I saw that the grass was wilted, just a little bit off color from the rest of the area. At first i thought maybe it was just a ditch or something, but it was too perfect a line to be natural.” 

“Scar and his dirt.” Cub chuckles. His fellow convex knows about soil and land better than anyone. It’s how he became such a natural S-Class. 

“Yeah, he ate it too.” Hypno shudders. 

“It didn’t taste right, it didn’t feel right. The ground I mean. It was all dry and crumbled on my tongue.” Scar ignores Hypno’s shaking head, focused on remembering what he, Beef, and Hypno had seen. Trying not to get distracted and lose his train of thought. “I followed the line, and it led straight to-” 

Lightning crackled through the sky, interrupting Scar mid sentence and sending all of the hermits skittering under the tree. But not a cloud is in sight, the blue unmarred by anything except sunlight. Xisuma is the first to check the horizon, to watch for a husk storm or impending invasion. Nothing there either. 

A wave crashes up against the hill, surging over sand and grass. From the sea, four figures appear. Beef transforms into a massive, beastly bull, snorting and ready to charge whoever dares disturb the hermits. Hypno and Xisuma summon their magic, while Scar is still getting over his spooked stumble. 

The strangers run past the guild hall, running directly into the village half of Eremita. Beef takes off after them, chasing the red fabric that quivers in the wind. He lowers his horns, his speed buffeting his brown fur. Intense, tunnel vision only for the angry, vibrant color. Even ignoring the splatters of red on the dirt and grass. Beef is mere inches away from goring the four, til something constricts around one of his horns and pulls. 

“Stop, Beef!” Hypno calls, digging his shoes into the ground and pulling the lasso taut. “It’s our friends, look!” 

Beef blinks, taking a deep breath through his snout and blinking back the feral mindset his form dares to take up. Indeed, xB stands between Beef and the other three. Iskall and Mumbo are soaking wet, continuing without the kipling. And in their arms is Grian, limp and unresponsive. It was his cloak that enticed Beef into charging. The bright red of the fabric mixes with the dark stains of blood. 

The taurus mage returns to his human form. “What’s going on?” 

“Grian’s hurt. Real bad.” xB looks over his shoulder, waiting until the door to the infirmary shuts tight. Xisuma races after, grabbing Joe and Wels. “They called for me to help them cross the sea. We lost him for a few minutes on the way here.” 

Hypno, xB, and Beef watch the other hermits scurry across the island. They were a family, each and every one of them willing to do whatever it takes to help the others. Beef’s voice hitches as he speaks. “L-lost him? Like… you misplaced him, right? What do you mean lost him? He couldn’t have… he didn’t die, right?”

xB’s silence is answer enough. Hypno pulls his hand through his hair, running across the black material that keeps wayward locks from his face. “For being our guild’s only healer, he sure knows how to get himself in harm’s way.” 

“Maybe that’s how he keeps the rest of us safe.” Beef follows after TFC, joining the other hermits in the crowded infirmary. Almost every hermit is in the tiny space, crowding in to try and help stabilize Grian. 

“-killed us. Dolios ambushed us a-and killed Iskall and me.” Mumbo’s stammering cuts through the orders coming from Wels, Joe, and Ren. 

“And then Grian used his archangel aura to revive us.” Iskall adds. “He was already so hurt, all I remember is waking up and seeing him resurrect Mumbo. Then pass out.” 

Everything the hermits were talking about before has been abandoned. Scar’s discovery is the last thing on their mind. Right now, all they can focus on is keeping Grian alive. Ren mimics Grian’s magic, hands glowing with light, and gets to work. Healing the wounds, both internal and external. Wels casts a healing buff, aiding Grian’s body in the process, and Joe writes just about every medical supply the hermits could ever need. 

Xisuma filters out the hermits, until it’s just the necessary bodies filling the small infirmary. TFC, Xisuma, Iskall, Mumbo, and the three that were fighting to keep Grian from slipping away. 

And Scar. He sits in the chair beside Grian’s bed, leg bouncing as he tries to understand what Iskall and Mumbo told him. “Dolios had another crystal? He was using it against you guys?” 

“He lured us in, and attacked us. He was there. He didn’t even flinch at killing.” Mumbo shakes his head. 

“He’s a bastard, and a mega one at that.” Iskall adds. Silence falls over the infirmary, only the sound of Grian’s healing, his shallow breath filling the air between the hermits. 

“Did he mention how he corrupted that crystal? Why?” Scar finally whispers, not taking his eyes off Ren’s glowing hands. He knows that Grian’s healing magic isn’t easy. It’s painful, forcing the body to heal itself. The fact that Grian isn’t even moving worries him. 

“He said it took him weeks to make that thing.” Iskall answers, since Mumbo is too preoccupied watching the procedure. His teeth worry his lip, making the mustache dance on his face. He just wants his friend to be okay. “And...and he said something about a- a creation? That he needed the power for him and his creation.” 

Scar’s brows furrow, deep in thought. Piecing together all the parts of the story. It’s like he’s reading a book in random order, finding scraps of the tale and gluing them to make one full line. “The crystals are sending the stolen magic somewhere. They can’t be holding that much power, they’re like...like…” 

“Like redstone redstone torches.” Mumbo breathes, eyes lighting up. “So there has to be something it’s powering.” 

“And that line of dirt and grass, I think it’s got something to do with the stolen magic. It’s a circuit. A leyline of magic.” Scar crashes backwards in his chair, rolling out and slamming the door out of it’s frame. He returns a second later, holding the map. He lays the parchment over Grian’s legs. It’s not like he’s moving anytime soon anyway. 

“Leylines? Like what the ancient ones used?” Joe picks his head up from battling a roll of gauze. Leylines haven’t been used in eons. No one knows how to tap into their energy. It was magic lost with the ancient civilization, pre-Lairyon. 

“Not exact leylines, but more… artificial ones, I guess. Hand me some charcoal.” Xisuma pulls a pencil from his pockets. Always prepared. Scar snatches the pencil, and begins to draw across the map. Straight lines connecting crystals and husk storms. The more lines that Scar adds, the more apparent that his crazy, wild line of thinking becomes. Lines begin to connect, three hotspots appear. 

“The evernight forest.” Ren breathes, hands drifting back from Grian’s body. 

Scar ignores the whisper, continuing with his work. Another hotspot rises from the straight lines, this time on the other side of the kingdom. TFC shakes his head, as if it was obvious. “The Crystal Mines, of course.” 

One final place, and Xisuma growls from beneath his mask as the lines intersect, right in the broken heart island that is nestled within Lairyon’s moon-shaped continent. “Heartbreak Trench.” 

Scar shakes his head. “The power being stolen by those crystals has to be going to these places. Routing power to these for Dolios to use.” 

“What does he need all of that power for? What could he be using it for?” Iskall looks across the map, noticing something else. “It’s in three corners of Lairyon. North, east, and south. Does that mean there’s one to the west as well?” 

Xisuma traces the lines, but they lead to everywhere and anywhere within the western hemisphere of lairyon. “If there is one, we don’t know where it is. For now, we should go on what we know. We should go in search of these hotspots, follow the leylines.” 

“Sounds like a fun new adventure.” All of the hermits present look down, a weak, aching voice joining the conversation. “Where are we going next?” 

Grian is awake, wincing with only one eye open. Iskall and Mumbo are hovering over him, while Grian observes the white bandages that cross over his body, wrap around his arms. He looks around for his shirt and cloak, relieved to find them in decent condition. Otherwise, BDubs is going to have another sewing job. 

Scar hugs his friend tight, until Grian is practically squeaking from the pain and pressure. “So good to have you back among the living, my man. No dark mage can hold you down for long.” 

“If it means giving Dolios a taste of his own medicine after our battle, I’m in.” Grian smiles, already attempting to sit up. Ready to get back to saving the world. “So…. what wild adventure waits for us now?”

[peachyunjinnie]

❝there’s always a first time❞ hjs ― m.

― summary:

your brother seungmin is very protective over you, but one day your best friend gave you a stick and poke tattoo and you get an infection. fortunately seungmin’s friend jisung as a hobby tattoo fanatic helps you take care of it and when seungmin wasn’t there you two decide to run away.

badboy!jisung/goodgirl!reader | fluff, smut | 5.3k ↬ content warnings: swear words, the mention of alcohol and drugs. drunk/high sex, with a little size and corruption kink.

a/n: i had this idea a couple of days ago and i tried my best to get this idea into a fic, i hope you enjoy it !!

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The relationship between me and my cousin Seungmin is better than with anyone else, you could say that we could consider ourselves as siblings and even best friends. We had the same taste in humor and even better lived in the same house after my mother died right after she gave birth to me. My father ended up bringing me to my aunt and uncle at the age of 2. 

Seungmin is 1 year older and has ‘BBPI’ as he calls it which means Big Brother Protection Instinct. I know, complete nonsense and as a 16-year old I don’t get why I have to be protected. Well, as Seungmin said I am still ‘his small sister’. Pathetic. As said before Seungmin is 1 year older to be exact 11 months and 28 days and has friends, for whatever reason, he has a whole group. Well, he warned me about one of them, the walking trouble: Han Jisung. He basically is the opposite of me, a 180 if you want to say it.

He stole the car of his stepfather numerous of times and I remember seeing him drunk and completely stoned in school, that I will never forget. Last year he was stumbling through the hallways of our school. His hair messy and his smile never leaving his lips. He had the hardest time trying to keep his eyes open, or even just keeping his legs moving. And the best part, he puked on his teacher's chest. It was the highlight of the whole day, no the whole semester. His stepfather thank god is very wealthy and managed to keep him in school, somehow.

I heard a lot of rumors about this Jisung and I really do not want to believe that he was in the Russian mafia boss nor do I want to believe that he killed his father and is living with his mother who helped him. It was really funny though to hear how unique and ridiculous the fantasies and the gossip was at our school, I mean a Russian mafia boss, seriously?

I hung out with my own friends, but sometimes I would get to talk and just meet my brother’s friends. In conclusion, we even had the same taste in friends. They were really nice. I really have the best friendship with Felix and Changbin. Felix firstly has an excellent taste in music and humor, secondly, he is by far one of the most concentrated gamer I’ve ever met. Changbin is just Changbin. He is kind of annoying and clingy with his friends. Which you would’ve never expected from this buff hulk. And to be completely honest with you, Changbin and Lix...are kind of cute together.

Well, with Seungmin being as protective as he is, he has told me clearly that dating is already a picky topic but dating one of his group members. I think he would be as angry as he was when I asked him what a ‘Day6′ was. He really ignored me for 3 weeks straight, with a text message saying ‘if you know who wonpil is then you are allowed to talk to me’. (stan day6, cowards.)

“Stop moving so much, I’ve done it before and you’re overreacting.” She whisper-screamed. She was nearly done with her K on my thigh, It was way bigger than I thought it would be, but it looked good.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just getting poked by a hot needle on my thigh over and over again.” My sarcasm was louder than the thoughts in my head that were shouting lines of ‘you’re so in trouble’ or ‘you will never be able to get this off your skin’. 

“So.. Here we go. Done.” She said as she was looking at her masterpiece of a K on my thigh of the size of a thumb. But it looked even and nice. She has done a (The first letter of y/n) on her thigh. I cannot believe how red it was though, and swollen. Extremely swollen

“Kim, when will it be ‘okay’?” I asked her with a slight nervous undertone. I really am the biggest chicken on earth. She opened her bag and got saran wrap. She took some out and wrapped it over her creation with such a soft touch. I still cringed and squinched.

“Maybe a week or two. It doesn’t take too long.” She smiled at our bond. I smiled with her. We ended up in a big hug and stayed like this for some time before she packed her stuff and headed out.

I admired her work on my thigh and stood up, with an overwhelming pain spreading across my thigh. I couldn’t stand up on my own feet, my thigh stung extremely and harshly. 

Panic rising through me, what the heck should I do now? Should I call my mom and tell her about it? Should I tell Seungmin and ask him for help? Should I just emigrate to Brazil and start my new life as a Silvia Theresa Rodriguez? 

I crawled to my bed and tried my best to let the 2 years drama club pay off. I called my mom and asked for a painkiller. She came up to my room and sat on the edge of my bed.

“Honey, is everything okay?” Her concerned eyes scanned my body and noticed my messy hair and my pale face. I coughed.

“Mom, I-I’m sick.” She sat there and looked at me and gave me the painkiller with a glass of water. 

I snatched it out of her hand and gulped the pill down as if it were the only banana in the jungle. Her concern grew faster and she shook her head.

“I’m going to call your teacher. You’re not going to school.” She said as she got off my bed and walked off with her phone in her hand, dialing the number.

After the longest 8 hours, Seungmin came home, and thank god came into my room. With a bag of McDonald's and a big smile, he went to my bed and sat down. 

“Why didn’t you come to school?” He gave me the bag and with a breathtaking smell of fat and fast food filling my nose and getting the best of me. 

“Oh, I am sick my head hurt a little, and mom overreacted.” I said with a huge load of fries in my mouth.

With a small pat on my thigh, he hit the right spot of the K and a shriek came out, my whole body tensing up and Seungmin looking at my covered thigh. He took the blanket off. My shorts relieving the now swollen and slightly scabbing spot. 

A moment of silence filled the room and Seungmins face has gotten from a healthy color to a concerning red and then to a frightening purple.

“Surprise...” I smiled awkwardly.

“Y/N, you got a fucking tattoo...” His voice was a low growl, but still, you could clearly hear the pure panic in his voice.

“Uhm, haha yea. So I made it myself, you like it?” My shaking voice showing the state of mine. My thigh looked pretty bad and as painful as it would’ve been, without the painkillers.

“Did you disinfect it?” My whole head went blank. Of course, it was so swollen and scabbing, Kim didn’t disinfect it. My face went paler than pale and I rethought the consequences of an infection.

“Okay, I’ll take that as a no. Get your shoes and we will get to my friend he will help you.” He really was very serious about the infection so I stood up with a numb pain, but not as overwhelming as it was yesterday. I searched for my shoes and directly followed him.

A quick bus ride and a small foot-march later there was a big but still small and cozy house. Red and white, reminding me of a red velvet cupcake. Looks fancy but is cute at the same time. The grass and the dwarfs decorating the beautiful view. A middle-aged lady working in the garden, planting in seeds and watering the red tulips. 

“Hello, Mrs. Han is Jisung home?” He grinned at her.

“Oh hello, Seungmin. Nice to see you again!” She smiled at him with a motherly aura surrounding her. She hugged him and I could see that she liked Seungmin a lot. He didn’t really know what to do awkwardly stood there and let her do. She noticed me standing there and hiding behind Seungmin's tall figure and met with her warm brown eyes.

“Hello, and who are you?” she asked with a bigger smile.

“Uh, I am Seungmins sister.” I immediately trusted her and her warm embrace.

“Ah yes, I can see the model genes going in the family. You seem like you’re in a big rush to see Jisung, he’s in his room.” She told us and saw my embarrassed blush across my face as Seungmin took my hand and yanked me downstairs to where Jisung was.

The basement as a room, interesting. It was colored black and had a lot of posters of some bands that I have never heard of. There he was on his bed smoking a cigarette and admiring his newest addition to his arm, a slightly red and in saran wrapped tattoo. A small skull drinking from a glass bottle, very precise and well made. He sat there and continued to smoke.

“Seungmin, what’s up.” he took a puff. Not giving anyone a single look. His hand tapping over his forearm and keep admiring his skull. 

“I need your help. My sister made a tattoo and now it’s infected. Do you know what to do?” Seungmin seemed very concerned and worried. Jisung stood up and chuckled a little.

“The little Y/N, has a tattoo?” He asked me and looked down at me. 

His eyes have the same warm brown as his mothers and I weirdly trusted him regardless of his reputation. His hair was dyed a very light blonde and his face was very chubby, unlike his body which was athletic: muscular but slim. He had two tears on his face and my thoughts went crazy. Who in the actual hell did he kill and the rumors of Jisung being a Russian mafia boss came into my mind and I reconsidered if I should be worried to be in a room with him?

“Seungmin, I have some lemonade for you.” Mrs. Han's voice echoed through the basement and he looked at Jisung.

“Go for it, I will take care of her.” He gave him green light and Seungmin looked at him with a look in his eyes. Which could be translated into ‘If you hit on my sister, I will drag your corpse to the nearest forest and let you get eaten by the birds’. Jisung nodded and Seungmin went upstairs.

“So tell me, how did you do that?” He said with a smile as he pointed to my infected K. His hair falling on his face, a little messy but still perfectly proportional.

“Uhm, a long story...” He went to his desk and took out a liquid and a cotton pad. He pushed the chair next to the bed and patted the bed. I quickly sat down. Him in front of me.

“I have time, come on.” He looked up and gave me a simper. I felt a small tickle again and wanted to trust him with it.

“Well uh, my friend Kim wanted to get us bonded. She took a needle and poked my skin for some time until it was done.” He laughed a little, letting me see his whites. 

“You stick and poked and didn’t disinfect it?” His eyes still on mine and not leaving the look they had, of the warm and soft chocolate brown.

“No, we didn’t and stop making fun of me- Ah-” His cold hand touching my thigh. My body stiffened and it was hard to relax.

“Calm down, relax. You wanna listen to music? disinfecting this will be a little uncomfortable.” He stood up and walked to his stereo. He took out a cassette and stuck one in. A prehistoric cassette, I haven’t seen this since I listened to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban one years ago. After some seconds of silence, ‘All The Small Things’ by blink-182 boosted through the speakers.

He turned around and sat down again and wet the pad with this liquid. He took off the wrap and the air hit the wound. It was a stinging soreness, that leads me to look away and bite my lower lip, hard.

He took the wet pad and started to clean up the wound as careful and gentle as possible, the stinging and burning pain was a very harsh rush of pain. I whined and groaned loudly.

“Does it hurt?” He asked as he was still cleaning up.

“Well, yes,” I said with a small whine.

“Good. If I see you with a new tattoo I will get you punished.” his voice getting raspier and raspier. But he still cleaned the wound up and was done with the disinfecting. He stood up again and got some of the saran wraps and pointed his finger, signaling me to stand up.

I stood up from his bed and he kneeled down to wrap it up. His hands still very cold and tickling my thigh. 

“So Kim, is your friend?” His voice a little absent.

“Yes, my best.” I had to automatically smile.

“Tell me about her, how is she like?” I was surprised at his interest in my personal life but answered him.

“Oh, um she is reckless and she never thinks about her actions. She makes out stupid things that I have to box her out of. But she also has a nice and gentle side that not many know. I love her a lot.” I smiled at our memories and how easy it was to be myself around her.

As I was in my thoughts, Jisung took out a bottle of Jack Daniels and takes a glass. He gets him a good amount and gets another glass after seeing my big eyes. After a long friendship with Kim who was known for drinking, I have never drunk any alcohol, well until today. He gave me a glass full of brown fluid.

“I- I can’t believe we did that.” I laughed as Jisung was holding my hand walking on an abandoned street in the middle of nowhere. He had given me a big sip of the whiskey, it was a burning sensation of my taste buds being confused and curious for more. 

“It’s better, not being sober right?” He asked stumbling into the sunset.The bitter taste of the alcohol and the adrenaline of me running away with a friend of my brother without his permission. I felt every single touch of his hand tightening and holding my hand in his clutches not letting go.

“Come on drink it, Y/N. The painkillers are not going to help you any better than Jackie will.” He smiled and waved the glass in front of my nose. I mean I never was drunk and I want to know what it’s like. My curiosity and stupidity have gotten control of me and I accepted with a shaky hand. 

I took a small sip of the whiskey and the bitter and stinging sensation was so disgusting. I couldn’t swallow it and started to look around for somewhere to spit it at. But with Jisung forcing me to look up at him with his fingers, pushing my head upwards. 

“Swallow it, now.” his eyes burning holes into mine and letting me breathless with no other choice other than swallow. I gulped the fluid down and the burn in my throat was unbelievably harsh. 

“Good girl, now. If Seungmin sees your ass drunk this will be very dangerous for both us. Do you have any other clothes or is this everything you’ve got?” He already searched in his closet and gave me a black hoodie with some jeans. 

“Here you go. Hurry up, my mom is not going to keep him for any longer.” He went upstairs and left me with there a little tipsy and with some clothes from this boy that I barely knew. 

After getting them on I noticed the size difference, Jisung has it in L. On me it was XXL. The size was really funny and the jeans that should hug his waist like they are on the ones he is wearing, are now hanging from my pelvic bone. I saw my reflection of the mirror and busted out in laughter. 

Jisung came down and looked at my new outfit, and laughed as well. He came in front of me and squished my cheeks. He played with them and ruffled my hair into a mess, I officially am looking like I just woke up with my PJ’s. 

“You look so cute, this stuff is the tightest clothing that I have and your body is just sliding through.” He smiled and looked into my eyes, his hands still cupping my cheeks. A strong smell of alcohol and cigarettes leaving him, mixing with his cologne.

He stepped back and admired this baggy look. He had a hand on his chin, thinking about what can make it look even better than it already does. With an idea in his mind he sought for.... a belt. 

He took the of course black belt and put it over my waist. I almost wanted to remind him that I am not a toddler and can put on a belt myself, but the sudden closeness of him and his firm grip on his jeans on me. My heart did a small tap dance, but he continued to put it on with no sign of hesitation.

“This looks better. Take your shoes and let’s get out of here.” Trouble, that was what I am going to get after this. Am I out of my mind going with Jisung with no other thought? Am I dumb for trusting this dude that threw up on his teacher's chest in the hallway last year?

He packed his bag with a shit ton of bottles and some other stuff that I don’t even want to know what it is, the curiosity of what is in this bag now really bugged me. What did he have in this bag? He started to notice my glare on his black backpack.

“You ever had drugs, little one?” He asked as if it was the most normal thing to ask a 16-year-old. If I ever had drugs, the small sips of this weird and burning stuff and the coffee I had in the morning.

“N-No.” My stutter surprised me and the sudden tension started to get harder and intense. My subconscious shouted in my head to get out and go home with Seungmin, but this Jisung really had something and I wanted to explore that.

“There’s always a first time and I needed to go out anyway. You wanna meet my friends?” His smirk was absolutely precious and there was no way in hell that I could say no to this face. After my agreement, he smiled even brighter than before. He took some of his rings and gave those to me and some chains. I looked so different from what I daily wear and with a hat my appearance was complete.

“I-It’s so much better. Not having this pressure.” After another big gulp of the whiskey, he threw the bottle to the road and opened his bag. A see-through water like a bottle. He gave it to me and I opened it after some seconds of struggle. We stumbled through the sunset of the lonely and empty roads of a beautiful panorama.

“Le-Let’s sit down for a while. I am so ti-tired.” I laughed and sat down on the empty road. He joined me and took the opened vodka bottle from me and took a small sip after gasping dramatically and getting a green bag out of his pocket. It looked like leaves and after a long time of finding out what it was, I knew it when he started to build a joint.

I took the bottle and drank the alcohol. I couldn’t believe this scenario, I am drunk and I am about to get high. I will get so much damage for this one night, but it still felt like it was a Bonnie and Clyde after play. Such a euphoric moment, and a moment I would’ve never have dreamed of.

So deep in my own thoughts and my own actions and with this alcohol in my hands, I didn’t see that Jisung was already done with his work. He saw my lazy eyes and pointed out to his bag.

“Hey, listen to music on my phone the code is 0325.” I crawled over to his bag and searched for the perfect song and here it was. New Flesh by the Current Joys, a carefree and a lighthearted song. The song started playing and Jisung snickered.

“I start to really learn a new si-side of you. Little miss Y/N.” He finished his joint and licked it clean. He grabbed in his bag and pulled out speakers. This bag really is a survival kit. He connected them to his phone and the music blasted out with such an enormous volume.

He took out his lighter and the fire sneaked it’s way through the marijuana and gives out a really unique smell. He seemed relaxed and fell on his back. He now was lying on the hard and cold cement road, his little relaxing tool between his fingers.

“So you never smoked before, like ever?”He has gotten up again and let his arm over my shoulder, giving me a really focused look.

“N-Nah.” I giggled for no reason. My head felt dizzy and my vision getting blurry after breathing in second-hand smoke.

“So I’m gonna show you, ho-how to do it the right way.” He smiled and almost closing his eyes completely.

He took my face into his hand and held the joint on the other hand. He gave it to me and I held it the best way I could, trying to let it fall down. I took a big hit and coughed all of the smoke out in a matter of 3 seconds.

He laughed uncontrollably and as he was laughing my head started to turn, my stomach started to growl and my mouth was getting dry. I honestly did not expect it to work that easily but I felt the difference in my body. I took another puff of it and another.

With a little time it has gotten easier and better to not cough. Jisung after not talking for what seemed like a whole eternity, started to notice that the sky is getting darker. He saw a whole field next to the road and threw his stuff in there and threw himself as well.

“Come here! The field is soft.” He shouted from his new spot and I giggled and jumped on top of him. His laugh resounded through the emptiness surrounding us and my giggle became a little quieter when I felt his hand on my hip. As before, when he put on the belt for me, my face grew hot and my eyes stayed on him and I played with his hair. He stroked my body with his fingertips, it feeling like electric wires rushing through my hot body. 

I leaned down and then kissed his soft lips. Right at this moment I didn’t care about anyone. My brother, my parents, my friends not even my own thoughts that screamed in my head to cut it off and go home. I wanted to live and wanted to enjoy, feel this moment. Exactly live in this moment right here and there. In a field in the middle of nowhere with the music still blasting somewhere near us and the taste of alcohol still running through my mouth and most importantly, Jisung being right here and there. 

“I d-don’t want to pressure you to anything, Y/N.-” I shushed him up with another kiss and his smile making the butterflies in my tummy explode into a mess. He tucked on his hoodie and leaned into my ear.

“I am sure you look even better without my hoodie on.”

I giggled loudly, his hand getting lost on the inside of my hoodie. Grasping on my bra and massaging it softly. My world turning in circles and the music still playing on the highest volume from the speakers, somewhere in the grass.

“I want you, now.” I said, looking down to him. I took off my hoodie and threw it next to Jisung beneath me. His hands still on me, my hair falling down to the side of his face. I was needy and what could feed this hunger was him.

“If your brother could see his little girl…” he smiled at my face being some small inches in front of his. the taste of the marijuana in my mouth mixed with the strong vodka and whiskey was driving me into the dumbest things.

I kissed his soft lips, touching them a little and his tongue rolling with mine. He tasted like danger and everything forbidden for me, giving me a thrill of my life. I continued to go down his neck, sucking the best I could making it hard due to the lack of energy.

“You’re doing great, little one.” He moaned when I once reached his hard and perky abs, leaving a trail of bruises and hickeys all the way down here. He groaned once I unlocked his belt and pushed his jeans down to his boxers. The outline of his dick was hardly poking out, getting me to an idea of my first blowjob ever.

I pulled the off and there he was, poking at me. The hard and red tip, cum dripping on them slightly. I took him in my hands, carefully pumping him. His eyes following my actions his whines and stares telling me to put him in my mouth, I couldn’t get him all in, him laughing at me trying my hardest to deepthroat.

“Your little mouth is amazing.” He mumbled with his eyes closed tightly, his hands getting lost in my hair. Moans and grunts getting me wetter and wetter. I couldn’t breathe and with my mouth being filled up completely, my eyes turning to the back of my head.

I backed up and took some time to breathe, a string of saliva connecting my lips with his wet and throbbing dick. He pushed his hair back, his hand still on my head, grabbing and pulling at it hardly. I choked lightly on his pressure on my head, pushing me down and forcefully getting me down. After some seconds of complete silence he let go and a broken groan echoed through my dizzy head.

“Uh fuck, how can this small mouth get all that in?” He smiled looking down at me with his lazy eyes on the string of saliva connecting his tip to my lips. I started to laugh out, the feeling of a dick in my mouth reminding me of a Popsicle. He laughed as well, this whole scenario being unbelievable. It was deep dark outside, the only light being the lanterns of the side street and the moon, shining out heavily. The wheat among us, the music that still played beside us.

He suddenly stopped giggling immediately and closed his eyes. His head was thrown to the ground and he held my head in his hands, still thrusting into my mouth hardly.

“Wh-Where can I c-cum?” He stuttered and I just continued to bop my head down his length, feeling every inch in my mouth, I choked a little on the twitch of his cock. “Fuuuck.” He groaned loud through the hard beats of the music. I felt his dick twitch again in my throat and as I moaned the vibrations got him to spill his load into my mouth. The warm liquid running through my throat, I choked once again and the shivers went down my spine mercilessly.

“Ah fuck.” He tried to collect his breath, moaning more curse words. I still sucked at the tip and popped him out of my mouth, his seeds running down my lips. I looked up at his brown eyes, stars above us reflecting in them. He had the warmest and softest expression on his face, starring down at my cum filled mouth, trying my hardest to swallow everything.

“Now it’s your turn, princess.”

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/71387616

Chapter 48

Nick rubbed his cheek against Arthur's hair and closed his eyes with relish. "Have you got time, Nick or do you have to leave?", the other man whispered, full of hope. "I've got time..." Nick said quietly, leaning against his lover and relaxing. Arthur turned around to smile at him and Nick took the opportunity to involve him into a kiss. Suddenly, Arthur became nervous again.

"Uh...Nick...I have something for you...", he whispered. "But Arthur, you don't have to give me anything." "It's not an offering", he answered with a shaking head. "It's not even a real gift, but..." He lifted up a box he had put next to the bed, eyeing it unsurely. Nick's eyes lit up with curiosity. "It's so that we can move freely in the Garden District," Arthur explained and handed the box to his lover, who didn't hesitate to open it. Inside, he found something made of red cloth. "You bought me fancy rags?" Nick was surprised and lifted up the cloth to take a closer look at it. He loved to get clothes as a gift. He however froze when he saw the suit was torn.

"That's how you have to go about in the Garden District, if you don't want to be thrashed. It's not quite beautiful...I know, but it's useful", Arthur nervously told him. "I thought I'll give you one so you don't have to rip apart one of yours." "Oh Arthur, this is a gift! You bought this for me, just to make me a suit?" Nick was touched. He had so many suits, he could've easily shredded one of them, but Arthur as a Downer had spent money to get him a new one. "Uh...not quite...", Arthur interrupted his train of emotions. "When I was in Hackney's institute I...well...took a look around." "You shredded one from his new collection?" Now Nick was shocked. "No, no, it was already in the throw-outs. I don't think he'll miss it," Arthur calmed him down. "I hope it's your size, but when it doesn't fit perfectly, it's an even better disguise." Nick quickly changed into his new clothes. Kneeling on the bed, he viewed himself.

"How do I look?" "Smashing, actually...", Arthur said. "You can wear everything, even these tatters." "Huh." Nick slid from the bed and posed in front of the mirror. "I could show this to Davey, he'll turn this into a trend. Garden style." "Perhaps. I don't think everyone looks as good in it as you." Nick turned to him. "And where's your disguise? I wanna see you in it." "Oh...well...it's still in my shelter, I go get it."

Some time later he came back, already dressed in what was left of a former proper suit. "Oh, wild," Nick blurted out. He planted himself in front of Arthur and put a hand on the other man's half exposed upper body. "I love how much flesh you're flashing." Arthur's cheeks turned faint red. "I'm...I'm glad you like it...", he stuttered, then he gasped because Nick ran his teeth along his naked skin. Arthur had goosepumps all over his body, Nick felt it under his tongue. "Do you want to try it out?" Nick absently licked the bite marks. "Yeah...why not?" "I mean...in the Garden District...." "If you like," Nick muttered and kissed his skin. "No, I mean....you know what I mean." Arthur's fingers curled into Nick's hair. Nick chuckled. Wrapping his arms around the nervous man he looked him deep into the eyes. "As you wish, my king."

"Well...I thought we could try it today because you have time now and...", Arthur stuttered, hating himself for that nonsense he was jabbering. Nick's aura was irresistible, and he didn't want to talk him out of something. He just had the feeling that Nick would leave after bringing him to bed, and he wanted to spend at least a few hours with him. And it would be nice if he could take Nick with him to the Garden District without fearing he would be recognised as a Wellie. "You know what? We could take some food with us and have breakfast somewhere at a pretty place." Nick slowly let him go. Arthur was afraid to see disappointment in his eyes but his lover was still cheery. Nick was actually up for an adventure.

"Hey, I have an idea", he said and walked over to his collection of guitars. He took a brightly colored exemplar. "Do you think this is too flashy?" Arthur eyed it. "Could be too much of a risk. It could be stolen or damaged..." Nick thought about it. He put the flashy guitar back down and looked around searching. "In this case...I have a better idea...where did I put it? Ah, here." He showed Arthur another exemplar that was quite dapple and battered. "I think I mauled a hotel room with this...a long time ago", he explained, skimming over one of the scratches. "Oh, the memories...But this should do it, don't you think? It still sounds alright." To prove it, he vibed the strings. What Arthur heard sounded normal. "Yeah...I think that's ok...Now you look like you've had the concert of your life." He chuckled. Nick joined him. "Don't take a photo now." "Oh, no, that concerns no one else but us. So, are we going?" "With pleasure." They packed some of Nick's supplies and left the hideout.

"I think I remember the way...", Nick said. "Are you sure?" "Yeah, don't you believe me?" "Well, I wouldn't bet on it." "You cheeky brat, you'll see." Nick poked him into the ribs. "Hey...don't worry if your memory isn't the best anymore. You have other qualities." "That was almost a compliment, my king. And still, I'll lead you to our destination, believe it or not."

Nick really remembered the way quite well. In fact, Arthur was impressed by his ability to memorize things again, after he had first met him in a rather poor  and confused state. And even though he took Joy. His tiny pupils proved it. For a second Arthur pondered if it was thanks to him that Nick had recovered so quickly, but then he dismissed the thought as kitschy. After all, not every Wellie turned downright helpless from Joy. When they reached the right hatch, Arthur praised him: "Wow, you really remembered almost everything." "What did I tell you?", Nick replied proudly, tapping his forehead with his finger. "Your Nicky didn't kill all his brain cells with motilene."

But Arthur didn't hear his answer. He had the horrible feeling of a déjà vu. As if he had experienced something similar before...In his mind, he saw himself and his brother range tall grass, looking for scraps of metal. Of course, the contest. Percy had the best memory of them all, Arthur thought. Did he remember what happened at the train station? Did he think about it every day, asking himself why his brother abandoned him there? Did he blame it on himself? ...because I'm slow. Percy had never been angry at anyone, but this time he really should be. Arthur wiped his forehead, as if he could wipe away the memories. Percy called out for him in his mind. "Arthur! Arthur, where are you? Arthur!" Then he felt that someone was kindly shaking him. "Arthur? Arthur, can you hear me? Say something!" Blinking and shaking his head, he found the worried face of his lover right in front of him. "Nick....sorry...I was distracted." "Distracted? You've been miles away! I thought you drugged yourself! Are you okay?" "Yeah...yeah I'm ok...I was just...pondering something. Nothing important. Don't worry." Nick eyed him doubtfully. "Okay, but if there's any problem...if you feel funny, or we have to go back, just tell me." "I'm alright, Nicky", Arthur said somewhat too casually and quickly kissed him, hoping to lead his lover's thoughts into another direction. "Come on, let's go."

Indeed, the garden impressed Nick enough to cheer up again. Arthur smiled too, so it had to be alright. Weird, how good he felt in shredded clothes. "And you think we make a good impression like this?" "Sure. It's all upside down in here. Also, try to look sad when we meet someone." "And what do I say?" Nick's fascination for this strange district grew again. "Just be nice, like with everyone else...just never mention that you're taking Joy. Don't be too happy, and don't talk about the past. They know it, but they don't want to talk about it." "I can relate", Nick mumbled. "Pardon?" "I mean, I can manage."

They strolled though the district as if it was the most beautiful place in the world, passing by a few wastrels that ignored them. Their appearance was enough to create the illusion that the two visitors belonged there. Arthur tensed at bit, walking though the demolished town. He avoided all the spots that were covered with writing and graffiti. They could be too much for Nick, even though he was still happily strolling along. After all, he knew how fast a Wellie's mood could change. Nick, however, felt nothing but nostalgic bliss while viewing the ruins. They reminded him of his early days with the band, when they couldn't afford any rent and lived in a ruin instead. It had been a good time, maybe the best of his life, because it had been peaceful, and they had had all their dreams to look forward to.

"Nick?", he suddenly heard Arthur ask. "Are you alright?" Nick laughed. "Now I was distracted." "We better leave the town." "No," Nick waved him off. "I thought of something pleasant...something I remembered lately...", he explained, stopping in front of a demolished house. "I've been living in one of these, can you imagine?" "You mean, before the bombs fell?", Arthur asked and promptly wished he had bitten his tongue instead. Bombs, Arthur. Good job. Is your life as a Wellie really that long ago so you don't remember that some words are forbidden?

Luckily Nick didn't hear it or something, he was still eyeing the ruin in awe. "No, I mean a house just like this." He pointed at it. "There were many of them in Hamlyn Village back then. And they were pretty useful for the band and me, when we were still nobodies. We've been free and we could do as we pleased." "I...I think I know what you mean...I've played in them as a kid...It was fun. Sally and I..." Arthur stopped. Now he really wanted to bite his tongue. Nick was surprised. "Sally? You knew Sally?" Arthur grimaced and crossed his arms. "We grew up together. We were friends", he uttered. "No way!", Nick was thrilled.  "The it girl Sally Boyle, your schoolfriend...perhaps even your girlfriend. You can't tell me she didn't fall for your charms, Artie." He poked him.

Not as much as she fell for my father's charms, Arthur thought. Loudly he said: "Look...let's change the subject, okay? I don't really want to talk about it." "Oh...", Nick said, figuring that he had awakened bad memories. "I'm sorry. Here, take one of my..." And without further thinking, he offered Arthur a Joy pill. Shortly after, he laughed nervously. "No, you won't..." He quickly hid the pill in his pocket. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to..." Nick was ashamed. "Hey, its okay," Arthur said and clumsily patted his back. He couldn't remember the last time someone had been ashamed because of him, instead of putting all the blame on him. "You're my Joy." Nick gave him a big smile. He had been told that by so many fans, but when Arthur said it it meant so much more to him. "How about another dose?", he asked and his lips came closer to Arthur's. Arthur engaged in the kiss, and they remained like this for long, enjoying it to the fullest.

Nick rubbed a leg on Arthur's. "I think I'm getting hungry...", he whispered, making Arthur's hair stand on end again. "I know a good place to rest..." "Alright, lead the way, my king." Nick let him go and Arthur was happy to finally leave the town. He led his hungry rockstar to the cliff coast, where most likely no wastrels came along. In addition, the view was scenic,  the ocean to one side and the nearly pristine nature to the other. "There. What do you think?" "Wonderful", Nick sighed. Full of anticipation, Arthur spread out the blanket and sat down on it. "Hmm, looks like the table is set", Nick purred, kneeling down to him and putting away his guitar. "And what a delicious meal it is..." He greedily kissed Arthur, pressing him down until he lay on him.

Arthur let it happen, helplessly roaming Nick's body. The shredded suits made it easy to reach naked skin. He didn't try to take the lead, he rather let Nick spoil him, who seemed to be really needy. Soon they were completely undressed and rolling around on the blanket, while Nick was treating every single centimeter of Arthur's body. As greedy as he was, he took all the time he needed to make the other man hungry. So hungry, that he could barely stand it any longer. "Nick", he gasped. "Nick, please...." Nick smiled, looking down at him. He held Arthur close and his hand ran along the other man's spine, downwards. "You want it?" he asked quietly. "Yes, please..." "Are you sure?" Nick's finger got dangerously close to his delicate spot. Arthur was breathing heavily and is cheeks were turning soft red. "I trust you." Nick gave him a gentle kiss, then he let his finger slide into him, testing if he was comfortable. Arthur drew breath. "Sshhh, my king...", Nick whispered. "Relax...". He massaged him slowly. "Is that good?" He educed a moan from the other man. Arthur began to move his hips, adjusting them to Nick's rhythm, while he clung to his lover and pressed his forehead against his chest. Nick used their rhythm to grant his finger a pause and get to the point. Arthur moaned louder and curved his spine. "Ssshh", Nick whispered, "You'll be fine." "That's a massive understatement," Arthur mumbled, feeling how a man filled him for the first time in his life. They turned into a sweating, panting and thrusting bundle until they came heavily. Arthur was sure he'd still feel it tomorrow.

When he had caught his breath, he struggled up. Nick lay on the blanket, smiling blissfully at him. Arthur enjoyed the view for a while, then he put his clothes back on. "Aww", he heard Nick say. "Why would you do that?" "Uh...in case someone walks by..." "That's not our problem, isn't it?", Nick answered and stretched out on the blanket, legs spread. "Nick...it could trigger them." "Oh, come on, they're half naked themselves." "But it's rather cold to be without clothes." "I feel warm." "Yeah, now, but you'll get colder." Arthur tossed Nick's suit at him, but Nick didn't move, except that he started to nonchalantly adjust his hair, acting as if he didn't hear him.

Arthur then grabbed the blanket and threw it over the stubborn rockstar. "Hey!" Nick's voice was muffled under the thick cloth. He freed his head only to stick his tongue out at him, what made Arthur giggle. He knelt down next to his lover to hug him tightly, wrapping the blanket around him. "You don't have to show yourself to everyone, Nicky. They wouldn't appreciate it as much as me", he whispered and pecked his cheek. Nick, wrapped into Arthur's care like that, began to fidget. "Then give me a sandwich at least. I'm really hungry now." Arthur pulled up the bag where they kept their supplies. "What's the magic word?" "I'm a star, I don't have to say please", Nick said with played vanity. "So?" Arthur silenced, picked up a sandwich, let it dangle over Nick's head for a second and then took a bite himself. "That's so good", he swooned, "if only the rockstar could say a nice word, he could taste it too." "What the hell? This is intolerable! I'll sue you, Mr. Hastings! You'll never set foot into your office again!" Arthur squeezed him. "Are you sure about that? Seems like I have you in my grip here. No way to sue me, and nobody's gonna hear your screams except some wastrels, but they won't care. I guess the cards are stacked against you." He took another bite from the sandwich. "Hmm..." Nick struggled harder, trying to free himself, but Arthur's arm remained wrapped around him. Now he remembered how he had choked the wastrel unconcious. He was really strong.

"No, no, no, my star. You'll stay and learn to behave, or I won't feed you." Nick tried his most pitiful hangdog look. Arthur was melting, but he didn't show it. "That doesn't work with me, I'm immune", he told him and continued to eat. Nick now craned his neck and almost reached his goal. "No", Arthur blurted out in surprise and held up his hand. Then he laughed. "You really are a piece of work, you know, but you won't get around this." He put down the sandwich and started to tickle Nick. "See, that's what you get." Nick laughed and curled, struggling out of the blanked little by little. They scrambled with each other until Nick went out of breath. "Stop...stop it...I can't....please." Arthur immediately stopped and lay down next to Nick.

"You're...something else", the rockstar gasped. Arthur eyed him. "Did I go too far?" "No...no, I had a blast." Nick untucked himself. "Here, let me spread this out again." "Uh...okay." "Did you see my clothes?" Arthur tossed them again and this time Nick caught them. "Fancy shreds", he said putting them on. "If you wear them, definitely." "Am I allowed to eat now?", Nick asked with an irresistible smile. "Sure", Arthur said and handed him a new sandwich.

[kawaii-kozume]

@ironqrowweek Day 4: Good Things Fall Apart, G

Ao3 Link

“Love,” A low voice echoed through Qrow’s sleepy haze. “Qrow, my love.” His eyes opened and he found himself looking at a ceiling with wooden beams propping it up. He turned his head and saw a familiar face smiling down at him. James’ head was resting on his hand and he smiled down at Qrow.

“Morning.” He said, eyes sparkling with amusement. Something was off, though, this wasn’t a James Qrow was familiar with. For one, there was not a trace of metal to be found on his body. His right hand that rested on Qrow’s hip was warm and soft and altogether unfamiliar. There was no shirt covering his chest and no scars littering it.

“Wha’s goin’ on?” Qrow asked, his voice still rough with sleep. He sat up and took in the room. It was a good size with a dresser to the side, a door that led to the rest of the house but the walls were a soft hazelnut color. Everything was made of polished wood except for the books that littered the surfaces.

“What do you mean?” James asked. He looked at Qrow with such reverence that Qrow was starting to get agitated.

“What happened to you?” Qrow demanded. “Where are your prosthetics? Is this a dream?”

“My what?” James tilted his head with confusion and it was adorable, Qrow granted him that much, but it wasn’t enough for Qrow to let it go.

“Where. Am. I?” Qrow grit out. James sat up and faced Qrow with his full body.

“You’re home. Qrow, you’re scaring me.” He said. Qrow stood up and walked to the closet. He threw the door open and moved clothes aside, searching for Harbinger. After not finding it, he turned around and watched James warily.

“Where is it?” He growled. “Where’s Harbinger?”

“I don’t know what that is. Are you feeling okay?” James stood and started walking towards Qrow but Qrow brought up fists that made him stop.

“Qrow.” James stated and that was the first time since Qrow woke up that he sounded even a little bit like his James. “Okay, you’re obviously disoriented. May I help you, please?”

James didn’t wait for an answer but held his hand up with his palm facing the ceiling. From his hand, a light blue aura grew and began inching its way from his hand towards Qrow. Qrow’s eyes widened watching this display. He’d seen something like this before: when Oz fought.

The blue aura wound its way around Qrow’s balled fist then up his arm. It was surprisingly warm and calming. It curled around his arm and then across his chest, leaving tranquility in its wake. Only after running over his temple did it return to James’ hand. Qrow had kept his eyes on the blue aura and only now looked back to James. He watched Qrow with a new understanding and hint of sadness in his eyes.

“You’re not my Qrow.” He whispered. Qrow’s tension returned tenfold and his hands balled into fists again.

“Please, I’m not going to hurt you.” Not-James said. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but well, let’s see if we can figure it out together.” James held his hand out to Qrow who took a last look at the closet where Harbinger should have been and then accepted the outstretched hand.

The rest of the day really seemed like a dream to Qrow. James dressed him in clothes that seemed like he’d wear, but there were small differences. Then, they left to go to the “Market” where they picked up groceries. James made small talk with others. The most fascinating thing was everyone using magic. Qrow’s brain almost couldn’t keep up. Colors of every shade imaginable flickered and flew by. Sometimes just lifting crates or holding something in midair, other times there were friendly fights. They walked along the tables set up and Qrow tugged on James’ shirt, like he used to.

“Do you think...even if I’m not from here, do you think I could use magic?” Qrow asked when James leaned over. The question caused James to look confused and then chuckle.

“I would think so, you and your sister are both pretty powerful.” He replied. Qrow perked up at the mention of Raven.

“My sister?” He asked. James looked at him out the side of his eye.

“Raven, yes.” James replied.

“Where is she?”

“I presume with her kids. But I’m not sure we should interact if you’re not feeling well.” James advised.

“Her kids.” Qrow breathed. He turned his gaze to James, determined. “We’re going. How far are they from your-our house? How do we travel?”

James stopped walking and pulled Qrow aside.

“Are you sure you’re in a state to see them? I think we should visit Pietro before going.” James said. Qrow shook his head.

“I will start walking with no direction. I’ll ask people. I’m going, James.” Qrow said. James said nothing for a minute and just held Qrow’s gaze, but eventually he sighed.

“Okay, fine. We’ll go after we’re done getting groceries.” James conceded. Qrow breathed, relieved. Maybe seeing his sister could help him understand what was going on.

***

Seeing his sister did not help. In fact, Qrow guarantees it made everything even more confusing. When they arrived outside a modest house made of brick and cedar, Qrow started feeling apprehensive. There were toys scattered in the yard from the door to the iron gate. James led him up to the door and knocked, then kept his distance. Qrow felt a small pang of upset. Even if it wasn’t his James, he kind of wished James had put an arm around him. The doorknob rattled and the door swung open. In the doorway stood Summer Rose, just as Qrow remembered her. Her silver eyes were bright and when she saw Qrow, her face lit up, dawning a grin.

“Qrow! James, come in you two!” She moved out of the way to let them in. “We weren’t expecting to see you today.”

The inside was much like the outside, toys scattered on the floor, tools and books littered tables and counterspace. In the kitchen, Raven was moving around, presumably cooking dinner.

“Rae, your brothers are here.” Summer presses a kiss to Raven’s cheek.

“Uncle Qrow!!” Twin shrill voices screamed in the distance. With a flash of bright red and yellow, two leeches attached itself to Qrow’s legs and Qrow looked down to see Ruby, around age 4, staring up at him with a toothy grin. She was missing a tooth. Yang clung to his other side, with a hand in his shirt. He looked back to his sister with shock. She turned around, setting a dish on the counter. She had a red bandana on, keeping her black hair out of her face, and there was an air around her of peace.

“Qrow?” James asked, setting a hand on the small of his back. Qrow stood, shell shocked taking in the scene around him. Taiyang came in from the back and sidled up next to Raven in the kitchen to wash his hands. Everything looked perfect, how it was supposed to be. It was domestic. Qrow felt tears well in his eyes and he brought a hand up to wipe them away.

“Qrow, what’s wrong?” Raven’s red eyes held concern, an emotion he hadn’t seen since Beacon.

“Nothing. I’m okay.” He croaked out. James rubbed his back and he closed his eyes. This was so nice. It was everything he ever wanted. It was perfect and what they all deserved.

It was wrong.

He wasn’t supposed to be here. Magic and peace and love, that wasn’t his life. He breathed deeply and pressed his eyes shut tighter. He needed to wake up now. He needed to come back to the real world. Otherwise, he’d hate himself even more.

***

When he opened his eyes again, it was dark. His hands were tied behind his back and his cheeks were wet, most likely from tears. A shadow moved in the distance.

“Who’s there?” He asked, voice tight.

“Did you enjoy your vision? It seemed like it.” A voice said. “You could go back to it. Stay there forever. At a price, of course.”

Qrow strained, trying to see what the person looks like. They had broad shoulders and they were tall.

“You get out of Mistral, permanently.” The voice said. There was a sound of a weapon opening and Qrow cursed, frantically trying to get a hand free. He bit his lip as he raised his shoulder then fell back on it at the right spot. Pain flooded his system as his shoulder dislocated but he was able pull it free from the rope. He pressed his teeth together and pushed his shoulder back into place.

“What are you doing? Do you think you can get out?” The voice leered. “You’ll be here awhile, Qrow.”

Qrow bit his response back and instead scanned the area above him. There was a window, barred of course, but maybe, just maybe, he could get through before he got shot. The voice continued to talk, much to Qrow’s annoyance, but he ignored it, hoping they wouldn’t hear him shift. They didn’t and he waddled over to a corner before taking flight, flapping his wings and wincing internally as his shoulder protested.

“What was that?” The voice asked. Qrow reached the window and started pressing his body through the bars. He exhaled as much as he could and squeezed through. He winced against the sunlight and took off into the sky, hoping to find a tree close by to rest in and reorganize his thoughts.

“You could go back.” The voice echoed in his head. Qrow couldn’t get rid of the image of his family, together and happy, out of his mind.

[starspotted]

Short Story: Amnesia

The components of this universe are strange and varied, but I can confidently say that not many live their lives backwards, with death coming first. I may be the only one, existing separate from all else. Timeless.

If time exists in the context of life, then there is little left to measure when you’re dead. There is even less when you were never alive to begin with.

What am I, you ask?

I might be a soul. But what I know of souls is this: Souls are fickle, faded things, in various stages of frailty. Souls aren’t born, but made. I know that you can often tell the age of a soul by how easily you forget having last seen it, like searching for your eyeglasses after placing them on your head. I know that souls enjoy meandering to and fro, difficult to see even in their old age and impossible to hear. Then again, even if they could be heard, it would be of little use—bodiless souls have a nasty habit of not making much sense. And, considering all this, I also know that I was never born, so I can’t have made a soul. This is without mentioning that I can speak. Speaking is a very rare thing for a soul, you see, as it’s very difficult to do so without lips.

Which brings me rather conveniently to this moment, and the harrowing sobs ebbing under the massive doors to my welcome room with the viscosity of bitter honey, volume pulsating in the rhythm of the tides. I don’t often experience sound anymore. Hearing anything now feels like standing (sitting, kneeling, floating, existing) in a place you’ve only ever seen in photographs. I’m entranced by it, drifting in the waves of it, when it eventually peters away—sniffles and coughs dotted further apart with the ever-decreasing frequency of retreating thunder. Finally, they stop, and their creator evidently decides to explore the heavy-set doors because they open with a soundless push. Air doesn’t rush in, as there’s no air in this place, but if there was then it would have suddenly filled the room with the greed that water fills a sinking ship.

The overwhelming height of the doors—endless height to meet a nonexistent ceiling—dwarfs the figure standing between them. A soul, one so faded and fleeting, fickle and feeble that it only flickers, hardly giving off enough light to show its own features. I learn a soul by touch, or the fabrication of it, and this soul currently floats too far away for me to feel. It doesn’t come any closer.

“Hello,” I say kindly. Souls remember kindness, or so I believe.

This soul ignores it.

“Where am I?”

My face, if I had one, I’m sure would look very shocked.

“Hey, I’m talking to you,” the soul demands.

“Impressive,” I say, referring to its talking. I must offend it because it grows just a little brighter.

Speech is rare for souls as it is, but it’s downright impossible for souls so weak and young as this.

I’ve never had to tell a soul it was dead before, so I wait. It flutters about in anger, then:

“Are you Satan?”

“I don’t believe so, no.”

“Where’s the doctor?”

“You remember your doctor?”

“Remember my—yes, I remember my doctor! What do you think I am, stupid?”

“Souls who come here don’t remember much.”

“Souls—souls?”

I don’t nod, as I don’t have a head.

“I’m… really dead?”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible.”

I consider this, then concede its point. “Death is very possible, but you don’t seem to be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How old are you?”

The flimsy blue halo representing the soul seems to gawk. “Are you telling me I look old?”

“No, you look very young.”

“Oh. Well, thank you.” A pause. “I’m turning 50 in just a few months.”

“Hm,” I say, honestly puzzled. “You’re old then. Not too old, though.”

“Well!” huffs the soul, affronted. “That’s just rude.”

“Will you come closer?”

“Why?”

“So I may know you as you know yourself.” This is certainly a puzzle I wish to solve. Although the body holds the memories of a world, it’s the soul that contains the memories of oneself.

“As if. You can’t possibly know me as I know myself.”

If only I had breath with which I could sigh. Before I can respond, the soul continues:

“You say I’m dead?”

“Yes.”

“Is this all death is? You and this room?”

“No. There are endless rooms and doors and other souls. You’ll meet them soon enough.” Outside, souls sway in breezes only they know and remember, none quite the same. They exist in all manner of colors, some multiple at once, some like they were in life and others more unusual. Blue grass whispers under foot and purple ferns crinkle in the unfelt wind and, where souls meet, they mix like watercolors.

“Are they nice?”

“There’s no reason to be mean, once you no longer have a body.”

“Do you know why I died?”

“Not until you come closer.”

“That’s alright. You don’t need to do all that voodoo stuff.”

Souls aren’t generally defiant. They don’t generally have an opinion one way or another about anything. “I insist.”

With the aura of a long-suffering grandmother, although I reckon this soul is somehow both too old and too young for such a thing, it bobs closer. I reach for the core of it—I want to find the crux of who it was—but there’s nothing. I falter, more bemused than ever. This soul is as tangible to me as the living. It might as well not be here at all.

“Are you finished?” the soul asks. 

I don’t know how to reply. It pulls away before I can figure that out.

“Unpleasant business, I know. You wouldn’t understand. I wasn’t expecting an afterlife, really, but this is actually rather nice. Now it is, anyway. Not while I was out there in the hall. And can you blame me? I wasn’t expecting to wake up and when I did it was just the most…  If I’m truly dead, then I had no reason to cry after all. I wish I had walked in here earlier. It’s rather inconvenient, you know, having doors.”

“The familiarity brings some souls comfort,” I say slowly. I must be feeling uncertainty for the first time.

“Not all, clearly. No, I think I’m good here.”

I want to ask what it means, but it’s growing so faint that it’s difficult to tell where it is. I wonder if it has already left.

“Do I just walk back out this way then? Yes? Well, there aren’t any other doors… Alright, I’ll be on my way now. See you later!”

They leave. I have the oddest urge to call them back to me. I dismiss it as curiosity, but then I feel more than an urge. I feel a tug.

An actually real, absolutely-not-metaphorical tug, and one I have felt before. It’s a soul being called back to its body, one that has not yet died—or had, but not for long enough. No wonder that soul can still speak—it’s still anchored to a pair of lips. But every other time this has happened has been while the soul is still in the room, distraught and confused. I am always still in the midst of learning it, learning them, who they were and might have been.

Rarely does it just rush out of the room like I was its mother-in-law critiquing its new haircut at a family reunion. Never have I not been able to reach into the center of it and pull out all its tendrils of self-identify.

I don’t know what happened to this soul, but I do know they can’t make it back to their body without me. The entire purpose of this nameless place, after all, is to ensure these souls don’t go wandering off. If they are the sheep, I’m the herder. And yet, I have a feeling this is one sheep who wouldn’t wander off even if I had begged it to. It’s an odd thing, meeting a soul that’s happy to be a soul, naked and intangible.

The doors open again.

In ambles another soul, a velvety ambrosia this time, so bright as to appear solid to the impressionable. It doesn’t say anything. It’s unlikely it can. It drifts cautiously closer.

The tug tugs harder.

“I haven’t done this before,” I tell the ambrosia, oddly convinced I should tell somebody or something at least. “But I can hardly leave a body without a soul.” I realize now I don’t know a great many things, and one of them is what would happen if I did. But I feel bad all of a sudden, asking a soul so glad to be here to kindly go back to where it came from. I also feel exhausted by the mere concept of tracking down a soul so transparent, one I can’t even feel. It would be not unlike catching mist.

This new soul, of course, doesn’t answer me.

“Most don’t get a second chance. I hope you feel thankful.” I consider this for a moment. The truth is, this ambrosia soul likely doesn’t feel much of anything beyond puzzled. Impressions of an identity that doesn’t have the words to piece itself together. I imagine a soul thinks in snapshot images, a reel of cut and scrambled film stills played in slow motion.

At least it will make this next part easier. I answer the tug. Before me, the ambrosia disappears like a light switched off, onto metaphysical roads meant for someone else.

A body without the right soul, a soul without the right body. What a peculiarity. The living will have to find a name for it, like they do for everything new in order to pretend it isn’t so unknown.

In the meantime, I believe I will call it amnesia.

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 28 – I’m in Love With You

“Wait, wait, wait. I don’t get it.”

“So much for all that lecture. You might wanna consider removing that appendage called head off your shoulders; I’m starting to doubt if it’s any good for you.”

“...Why are you so mean?”

“Took you long enough to realize that. And I can be meaner if I want to.”

Muzaka and Frankenstein had joined the key werewolf warriors and a small squad of werewolf researchers, Adne included, in the biggest lab that the wolfkind possessed, in the chamber stationed in the most estranged corner of the building.

The table they were surrounding was hosting a distorted shape that looked like a human-sized marionette broken for good.

But the metallic glare flashing here and there and overtly chiseled muscle fibers on its physique were too strange to be attributed to a marionette.

“So this isn’t your first time meeting this fella, right?”

“Right.”

“And this isn’t the first time he died, right?”

“Right.”

“But he came back after each death in the exact same looks, right?”

“Right.”

“Which means there’s a good chance you’d run into him again, right?”

“Make me say right one more time, and I’ll make sure you won’t ever get to mutter the term again.”

Yup, you’re definitely mean.

Whereas Muzaka grumbled in his head, he did not fail in wearing a serious face, regarding the one who once occupied this biotechnological body, as well as the last activity he exhibited before demise.

And such behavior was not limited to the werewolf lord.

“Just what could he have possibly earned from here to send to Union?”

“Do you think he learned about the QuadraNet...?”

And of course everyone’s top priority was the first topic to be brought up.

“But the transmission modem installed by Jang is fine. If this agent knew about the modem, there’s no way he would have left it standing.”

“He would have, given that he knew not the purpose of that thing.”

“But there’s no denying that now Union has acquired something from this lab.”

Adne, Kentas, and Dorant each added their conclusion drawn from the activity of the Union’s biological weapons.

Their number, force, and strategy were all superior to those displayed during their initial invasion; nevertheless, all they did was merely standing against the warriors near the boundaries.

Not to mention those that managed to break through the boundaries were not really interested in bloodshed or destruction; they simply exchanged a few attacks and counterattacks with Muzaka as he stood guard of the lab (although the said attacks and counterattacks did leave considerable damages).

All in all, apparently these unanticipated, unwanted visitors wanted to distract werewolves and hold them captive where they stood, supported by the fact that the “man in the iron mask” joined the rest of the army after whatever it had done.

That was when Frankenstein’s off-battlefield habit as a researcher and scientist kicked in.

“Perhaps he obtained something from your servers.”

Frankenstein by no means meant to upset them, but he did expect them to be alarmed.

To his bizarre disappointment, the werewolf researchers including Adne were unfazed by his words.

“We checked the servers as soon as we could access the lab, but we found no record of infiltration.”

“Impossible. Any attempt to pull something against security is bound to leave a mark one way or another.”

“We checked multiple times, but we found nothing.”

Since security programs and firewalls are protecting the servers in layers, any trial on breaking through the security, no matter how weak or brief it is, should immediately yield a permanent record.

So if they have found no such record, not even a dent, that would mean not a soul ever touched the servers, or......

“Would you mind if I take a look myself?”

Frankenstein scavenged through all servers and files, like a fox digging through snow after 3 weeks of starvation.

He could not find anything, however.

Normally this would have been a good thing, but he did not like the fact that the Union seemingly left nothing to sabotage the werewolves after days of skirmish.

‘Maybe Tao can pick up something. I’d better ask for a copy of the server log from Dr. Adne.’

That was when he realized that he had forgotten something – the purpose of his visit.

“Anyways, how long is it going to take for Lunark to return? It’s been days already.”

Kentas’s comment, spilled so very nonchalantly, struck the blonde human’s spine from its bottom.

He reacted by cautiously taking his part in the conversation, which was not outright unnatural, given that the last thing Kentas brought out before he lost communication with him was Lunark’s name.

“Speaking of which, you wanted to talk to me about her. What happened?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Did Lunark find you by any chance?”

“...Why would you think Lunark would find me?”

“Remember how in the past she brought you here in order to bring out Lord Muzaka from the experimental tank? So I’d thought maybe she decided to drop by once more on her way back from her escort to Lukedonia, because she had a personal favor to ask you.”

Kentas’s explanation guided everyone’s eyes towards Frankenstein.

On the other hand, they knew there is nothing Frankenstein can provide them with; after all, his question regarding Lunark’s whereabout preceded that of Kentas.

Which is why practically everyone began throwing their surmises and theories into the air.

“This isn’t the first time the girl’s decided to be gone for days. What could have happened?”

“And I’m sure she is gone for a good reason.”

“Forgive me, my lord, but we have just restarted our strife against the Union. And there’s no guarantee Lady Lunark would not run into them, may it be accidental or not.”

“So how about sending some of your warriors to where she might walk by?”

“But what if Lunark returns once we do that? And what if the Union strikes again when our forces have dwindled in number?”

“That may bring irredeemable results, my lord.”

They were not arguing; as a matter of fact, they were not. However, the rate at which their lips danced surely gave impression that they were less than a millimeter away from an argument.

As he watched them like some uninvited guest, Frankenstein was itching to hop on board. No, he was dying to demand them to tell him what was the last thing Lunark had done before she left.

“For now, let’s just give her a few more days. We’ll figure out what to do after we’re done waiting, if she does not show up. Right now, our priority lies within our boundaries, not beyond.”

None of the werewolves protested at Muzaka’s mediation, showing their universal agreement with a vow of head.

Frankenstein was the only one to keep his stiff stance, with blue fire wild in his eyes.

‘Seriously? They’re doing nothing about this?’

He kept his position as the crowd began to empty the room, and Muzaka, the last one to follow, caught him by the corner of his eyes and retraced his steps.

“Which reminds me, I didn’t thank you yet. Thanks, Frankenstein. We would’ve suffered much more if it weren’t for you.”

“...Sure, though I wasn’t really waiting for you to say that.”

“Of course you weren’t. Now be free and run along.”

What a way to treat someone you just thanked.

Frankenstein would have retorted so, if it were not for the fact that this was no time to let his tongue flaunt its deadly performance.

Now that the situation is terminated, he no longer had a legitimate reason to stick around. Strictly speaking, he is an ally of the wolfkind, not a direct affiliate. And he did not receive any invitation, unlike Yuhyung’s case.

He debated with himself if he should insist on helping werewolves to recover the damage; if he is lucky enough, he might get to witness Lunark marching back safe and sound.

Unfortunately, he was smart enough to calculate it was impossible to do that, and he had only himself to blame.

He remembered how he scribbled all over his body that he is busy when Muzaka first contacted him for their deal – the deal that Frankenstein accepted only when Muzaka employed the secret behind Raizel’s return as a bait.

So Frankenstein could bet that Muzaka is ready to see him racing across water this instant; the werewolf lord would definitely question if he declines to leave, with or without Lunark’s name dispensed from his mouth.

Which is why he eventually headed towards the exit, telling Muzaka that he needed no escort.

As he walked towards the least populated area around the boundaries, his steps grew heavier every second.

Aren’t they even worried?

No, she does not need anyone to worry about her.

I’m just being sensitive.

But what if the researchers are right? What if something did happen to her...?

That moment, the concern and anxiety brewing within halted his steps.

Should I go look for her?

Nobody can veto my independent search, so I wouldn’t have to tell the werewolves about this.

They said she was the one who took Mr. Yuhyung to Lukedonia. Should I start from there?

No, by now she should have left Lukedonia.

So where should I begin?

What if she ran into Union’s minions on her way back? So what if she met the same fate as Razark...?

Frankenstein did not even have time to remind himself that since the best fighters in Union are gone, no one would be able to even fake-pose a threat to the werewolf lady, before his eyes were gritted, his fists clenched like vise grip.

‘If someone dared to lay a finger on her...’

He knew he would not let those whatever-their-names-are-fiends live.

He knew he would chase them to the bottom of the earth if he has to, in order to butcher them and feed them to Dark Spear himself.

Just then, a familiar hue waved near Frankenstein’s eyesight and drew his attention.

It was the color emitted only when he unleashes the power of Dark Spear.

His head steeled as if he were slapped by an enemy, and he soon discovered one of his hands was plastered with the aura of Dark Spear, with something burning dark purple in the vicinity of the said hand.

He hurriedly restrained his power and gaped at his hand in puzzlement and alarm.

‘What have I done...?’

He swore to himself that he will keep the power of Dark Spear under control for this journey.

Prior to his arrival, he nailed it in his head that Dark Spear is not an option in the first place for the battle that may come.

Alas, as soon as he deliberated on the possibility that someone might have harmed Lunark, the first thing to pop into his mind was his cursed weapon.

Feeling indescribably complicated, he wiped his face with the palm of his other hand, and he spotted something through his fingers.

He finally registered the fact that he was standing in the middle of pink – pink from all corners waltzing beneath his knees, under the shades of trees and bushes.

He was standing in midst of the pink wolfsbanes native to the werewolf realm, the kind that Lunark told him about.

Wondering how he ended up here, Frankenstein stared into the wolfsbane nearest to him.

‘No wonder it felt kind of chilly here.’

One peculiar characteristic of wolfsbane is that it is not a sun-friendly species of plant; its flower blooms in the shades, in the area with cool temperature.

And his experience with this exclusive-to-werewolf-domain species of wolfsbane taught him that it was particularly sensitive to light.

He once left one of the samples from Lunark stranded on his desk, and after a brief absence he was to see how it partially withered under the desk lamp, as if it were partially mummified.

He could not imagine what kind of scene this plant with such vulnerability to artificial light would pull off under natural light that cannot be compared to his desk lamp.

He would not be surprised to see the plant burn to naught, like the one that was exposed to his aura just now.

The blonde human’s eyes darkened as he looked into the glossy pink petals, so vivid and brilliant in color that he could not even stare at it properly, let alone finger it.

The pink petals enveloping him led his thoughts to someone’s pink pupils.

Just what am I doing here...?

Why did I screw everything at hand because of her?

I know she doesn’t need any help, so why do I bother?

Why am I thinking of her as I view this scenery?

There’s no good in thinking about her. Or keeping her close.

If I were to keep her close in my current situation......

She might be gone. She might burn into ashes, like wolfsbane under the sun. Like the one that was caught in his aura.

So now was the good time to cut off all mental ties to the werewolf warrior and scurry back to his island.

Yet he could not understand why he could not leave and crumpled his face, when a voice smoothly sliced through the air.

“Frankenstein...?”

A mixture of incomprehension and fluster echoed, and his head spun towards the speaker as if it were enchanted.

“Lunark...?”

She was there, her hair and robe disarranged a little, probably due to a run-slash-sprint.

However, thankfully she looked as fine as she could be.

Which brought immense relief to Frankenstein’s heart.

Which would have induced a bit of annoyance smudged with reassurance if it were someone else.

This time it was different.

Thank heavens.

Frankenstein’s eyes and heart heaved as if tears would fall, and his entire world swirled.

He was scolding himself that there is no reason for the world to swirl, when Lunark spoke with bewilderment, stepping several steps back, “What is it...? What happened to you?”

Don’t.

Don’t shy away from me.

Don’t do this to me, after everything you’ve done to me.

Just stay right there and...

Then he noticed how his distance from the woman was closed, and he soon perceived that he was the one who invalidated their distance in a single breath, his body curled halfway towards her as if trying to take her in his arms.

The situation was more than awkward, but everything went to hell upon taking in Lunark’s countenance in his eyes.

Nothing matters now. She’s back. She’s back safely to her home. She’s back to me.

The moment he comprehended how he just applied his ownership to her, his heart resonated with several clicks.

The reason why he bolted out of his lab almost as soon as he lost connection with Kentas, who was about to mention something about her.

The reason why he had been hopelessly astray at heart and mind because of her.

The reason why he almost threw himself on her just now.

The reason why he felt joyous, almost ecstatic to see her safe and breathing.

I’m in love with you.

Now that he admitted it, the invisible weight on his shoulders lifted, only to move onto his chest.

Because for the first time ever, Dark Spear was right.

It was right when it said he did care for her.

(next chapter)

Aaaaand finally, ladies and gentlemen, Frankie admitted it! XD I was dying to compose and post this chapter, and I took extra care as I was plotting and writing. And the next chapter was also a personal highlight for me to write; you’ll get to see why next week. So I hope you’d stay tuned!