#Oh? You guys are running on the ground in the mud trying to save villagers.

[sebille]

Love that whatever the scions and the wol are doing - Estinien is always doing something way cooler.

[kvj-novels]

Senku x fem named!reader

Rating: this chapter is E for everyone though there is some strong language

Warnings: this fic has elements of smut and a mention of eating disorders THIS CHAPTER DOES NOT CONTAIN THE CONTENT WITH THESE WARNINGS.

Summary: Imogen has been awakened from petrification but she suffers from amnesia upon waking up. Senku and Taiju - her lover and childhood friend (respectively) before the petrification - must do their best to help her recall her past life.

Smut summary: soft sex, first time, no warnings but very NSFW.

Chapter Three

I walked deep into the forest, my feet getting cut up from the rocks and the branches. Eventually I stopped at a river and sat down in the sand. I didn’t notice how bad my feet got until I smelt blood. I looked down at my now red feet and frowned. Inching a bit closer to the shore I slid my legs into the water.  It stung and I hissed when I reached down to wipe the mud and dirt off.  “Damn it.” I whispered. I just let my feet float in the water and let the current wash them. I sighed and leaned back on my hands. Just my luck that the only person who knows me also holds a grudge...I laughed. How perfectly stupid.  I can’t even remember how old I am and here I am already having boy troubles.  I sighed and wiped my cheeks, they were still wet from crying. “Fuck it.” I said to myself. “I got woken up into a future with a brand new slate. I’m 3,700 years older than I was before. I’ll just...be a new me. Forget about trying to remember who I was then.”  That was my resolve. What was the phase? New year new me?  Try new millennial, new me. I think.  I got up to go back to the village. My feet were swollen and burning but I needed to get back so tried to forget about the pain. I think I remember how to get back...it’s not too far. It’s still mid day, too. I just need to listen for the bustle of life and I’ll be fine.  I was about half way there when I get a weird feeling on the back of my neck. I stopped and rubbed my neck. The hairs were standing on end. I shivered despite the heat.  I heard a low growl come from behind me. I froze.  It hit me that this was no longer modern times and that I could be in deep trouble. I slowly turned around to see a large bear a few yards behind me. She was snarling at me but not moving.  I gulped.  A smaller cub came out from behind her. I had a feeling I walked through her home and she wasn’t happy about it.  I took a step backwards while still facing her and prayed that I didn’t look threatening enough to attack, only warn. I kept inching backwards and when she growled again I stopped for a moment. “It’s okay...I’m leaving...please don’t hurt me.” I started to move again but my foot met resistance and I stumbled backwards. Another cub yelped and jumped out from under me as I fell to my ass.  The mom got on her hind legs and roared.  I screamed.  She started to charge and I scrambled to my feet, the adrenaline kicking in well enough to numb the swollen cuts on my feet. I ran as fast as I could but I knew in the back of my mind I wouldn’t be able to out run a bear.  I screamed for help as I ran hoping without hope that I was close enough to the village for someone to hear.  As I ran past a tree, a large figure came slamming into my side. I was scared the bear was super smart and was pummeling me to the ground but when I felt the warmth of human skin on my face as I was held tightly against the bare chest that rammed me to the ground, I realized instead that someone heard my cries. Both of us went tumbling, the man held me tightly as a hill took our momentum and made us tumble faster until we came to stop at a tree. His back took the blow and he grunted.  My head was spinning still even as we were stopped. He picked himself up, one arm still wrapped around me.  “Are you alright?” he asked, sitting on the ground. I grabbed my head to try to make it stop spinning. “Y-yeah...maybe a little cut up.” I responded when I felt a warm trickle of blood down my cheek.  “I’m sorry,” He said. “that wasn’t a very clean save was it?” I finally looked up into his face to see the warm red eyes of Senku in front of me.  “Senku?” “Was getting dressed when I heard you scream. You’re not too far from the lookout. Sorry, I should’ve warned you that it’s dangerous out there. The animals are used to owning the woods.” I swallowed to force my mouth closed as I stared at his chest. His slender frame deceived you when fully clothed. Senku was quite strong and very ripped. And I couldn’t help but a stare a little too long now that he had no shirt on. Senku ripped off a piece of his pants and wrapped it around my head over the cut. The pain from the pressure jolted me out of my daydream.  “Sorry,” he said. “I’m not very good bedside manners.” He tied off the bandage and stood. “Can you walk?” He asked. I looked down at my feet which were even more cut up than before. My legs were bleeding and my dress was almost in pieces.  “Damn,” Senku said before I could respond. “I really did a number on you didn’t I?” He helped me stand and swept me up in his arms without hesitation. He seemed different now, maybe not so on edge.  “I’m...sorry.” I said. “I probably shouldn’t have stormed off like that.” “Don’t be sorry...that was just me, being an idiot again.” He said, easily finding the path to the lookout and walking it back. He set me down on one of the beds that Ruri had previously mentioned was in the small building that used as a hospital.  “Let me get something to clean up all your wounds.” He grabbed a bowl of hot water and a rag and sat down next to the bed.  “Senku?” I asked.  “Hm?” He looked up at me through his brows as he gently wiped down my legs.  “Can we start again?” I asked.  “What do you mean?” “I mean...I can’t remember what happened 3000 years ago...but I want to know you now, here, in this place that you seem very dedicated to. And...well I want to know you the way I did back then but I want to do it differently.” He paused for a moment to think. “Clean slate, you’re thinking?” He asked. I shook my head. He dipped the towel in the hot water again.  “The past doesn’t really matter in this world does it? You’re all just trying to survive. So I shouldn’t focus on the past especially if I can’t remember it.” I said.  “Well, there’s where you’re wrong.” He said. “When I broke free of the petrification, a made it my goal to advance society back to where it was and save all 7 billion people on the planet.” He paused to gently pull some debris out of a cut. “That’s a very ambitious goal...” He chuckled. “Yeah it is. And believe it or not, I’m not an idiot at science. When I got to this village it was in the Stone Age. Thanks to a lot of hard work and some very dumbed down lessons, I’ve not only gotten these people to the age of electricity, I be also helped them understand it so they can make, and explore, and do things on their own.” “So...you’re a big nerd?” A smiled.  He let out a laugh and a flashed a contagious smile. “Yeah, I’m a very big nerd. I’m also the only person on the planet right now with the knowledge to bring the world back to where it was. I guess that’s why they insisted I stay the chief.” He got up when he finished cleaning my wounds and grabbed a large bowl of precut bandages.  Sitting back down to wrap my feet he eyed me for a minute.  I blushed. “W-what?” I asked.  He smirked. “All that talk about forgetting the past...If you don’t want to remember, I won’t tell you. But remembering the past is exactly my goal. It looks a little different for you but I would be happy to tell you everything I know about you. Taiju, too.” “Who’s Taiju?” “Oof. Don’t say things like that to him, you’ll hurt the brutes feelings.” He chuckled. “The guy who was with us in the tower.” “Oh right - sorry. I knew him too?” Senku shook his head, he was suddenly very focused on the wraps, being careful as he went along. “Yeah, we actually met because of Taiju. You knew him before you knew me.” I was quiet so I could listen, I hoped he would continue when I didn’t respond.  “Taiju and you go way back. We were childhood friends, I knew him since kindergarten. But you and Taiju literally grew up together. Somehow I never met you though. Not until senior year anyway.” “Senior year?” “Oh yeah, uh, the last year you have to spend at school. Once you’re senior you can graduate and either move on to college - a more focused type of school. Or you could move on to a job, life, family, whatever the hell you want honestly. After high school, you’re considered an adult so people let you do whatever, you know?” He finished with my feet then moved to the head of the bed to work on the cut on my head.  “Anyway, Taiju introduced us at the end of junior year and we hung out a lot all the next year. I don’t know if that dumb brute was trying to set us up from the beginning but he was really smart about it; just a casual introduction and then bam, you were hanging out in our group all the time.” I flinched when he put the hot rag to my head. “Sorry,” he pulled back.  “No it’s okay.” I looked up at him. “Please, keep going.” He continued cleaning my head and then cleared his throat. “Just before summer break I asked you out on a date. I hung out with you more that summer than I did with Taiju. He didn’t seem to mind though since he had his own love life he was going on and on about.” He chuckled.  “How was it? The date I mean.” “We were both nervous as hell. I took you to a walk through tour of one of the biggest science labs in Japan.” He laughed. “Looking back on it now it probably wasn’t the greatest of first date ideas, but you didn’t seem to mind.”  I smiled.  “What else happened that year?” “Well, summer was over and we had to go back to school.” He paused for a moment to tape a small bandage to the side of my head.  I sat up fully when he finished, carefully bringing my bandaged legs under me. He sat on the bed next to me. “I told you I couldn’t make things official yet...I was too focused on my school and I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go after graduation.” He sighed and rubbed his neck. “That was my first mistake. You understood but I could tell it was bothering you a bit. I psyched myself out because I was overthinking it. If you can’t already tell, I’m very much an idiot at matters of the heart.” I bit my lip. “Is that...when we argued and I got mad?” He shook his head. “I said a lot of thing I really regret. I blamed you as a distraction and I tried to push you away. I hate to admit it, but I was scared. I wanted so badly to not mess things up with you that I fucked up and messed things up anyway.” He let out a deep sigh. “Our last conversation was an argument. I said I cared more about science than I cared about you. You promptly slapped me across the face and said you’d save me some trouble and would never have to talk to me again.” I frowned. He continued, “I don’t think any harsh word ever spoken to me has hurt more than that. And it was my own fault.” I swallowed. I felt a lump in my chest that made me want to throw my arms around him and tell him I’m sorry.  But the mental block of complete emptiness and detachment from not truly remembering this man in front of me, stopped me. I looked down at my hands. “We didn’t have a lot of time together then huh?” I asked.  “No...I didn’t see you for a whole week and then the petrification happened.” “I uh...I still can’t remember any of it. Even though you’ve told me the majority of it.” I forced down the lump in my throat and tried not to cry again. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I felt empty. Hearing that story makes me really happy but...it’s like it’s literally just a story. I can’t picture any of it.” “It’ll take time. Amnesia can only be cured by the patients willingness to remember the parts they’ve lost. The fact that you can’t remember what school is tells me that more was happening than just a little bit of love life drama. Whatever it was caused you to block out not just me, but physically every single part of school.” “How do I find out what that was?” “I would suggest you find Taiju. Like I said, you guys grew up together. I think you lived in Taiju’s house. I never got around to asking what happened with your family, so I can only assume that he’s the one who can tell you that part of yourself. I can go find him for you if you like?” “Not right now please...if it’s not too much trouble, I’d really like to stay and keep talking with you.” He smiled a bit. “I’ll go get us some dinner then. Meet me up in the tower, take your time.” He got up and left the small building, headed for the village. I thought about the story he just told me and smiled. Butterflies erupted in my stomach again. I felt like that was proof to myself, a bit. Proof that Senku and I had something together. Proof that I...

Well, I probably shouldn’t get too caught up on that feeling.

********

Tag list @viskafrer @bee-cakes @potatochic2003 @gxldenhunny @cheesey-fox @guijh103 Please DM me if you would like to be added to the tag list!

[wouldpollyapprove]

A Girl That Wasn’t Meant To Love

Request: can you do a tommy x reader based on the song hell on high heels by motley crue

Requested by @magnificentzombiebasement

Thomas Shelby x Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: Language, alcohol, prostitution

A/n: I had a completely different idea for how I wanted to write this and what I ended up actually writing is more of like a prologue. If you guys like this, I may write a second part, but it’s not a priority at the moment. I also want you guys to know that I gave up editing this halfway through b/c it’s hella long and I’m lazy. So, that’s the reason things may be spelled wrong or not make sense at all.

Masterlist

“There’s no shame in this life,” she’d been told before. It was by an old woman, one stuck in her place at one time in her life. “There is no shame in doing what must be done to survive.” Head held high, that’s what Y/n lived by. Ugly truths and monstrous men, she saw nothing but the end of the line. Every night was touch or go, wondering if she would have enough money to make it to the next. But with each rising sun, she grew stronger and the money in her pockets started to bulge.

There was no shame in what she did if it led to her survival.

Y/n never liked the only word ever used to describe women like her: “prostitute”. The word, unclean, allowed men to shove her face in the mud. Women, who never had to do a days work on their back to pay the bills, would spit at her, curses, even words sailors wouldn’t utter, leaving their porcelain lips. They didn’t see the pot of gold they had stumbled upon, all that they had that was out of reach from other’s. They were selfish in believing that some people had a choice in what had to be done to put food on the table.

It had always been a struggle to come by much of anything. Y/n grew up in a village in France that knew everything but wealth. People made enough to live, but never leave. War was the only thing that ever allowed boys and girls alike to wave at the village behind them. Most never returned, but there were always more to replace those in the ground. Producing like rabbits, there was no such thing as plentiful. Skin and bones, they all worked day and night to live for another hour, but it was never enough for Y/n. 

Tough as nails, she was tired of living from meal to meal. Wishing for the world, she wasn’t like her mother or sisters, who dreamed of getting by, she wanted to take what was her’s. And so, with what little she had, she fled to Paris. It took days, different strangers pitying her state, the dirt stained clothes and tangled hair, but eventually she reached the golden city.

There, she could find little work with the skill set she’d acquired as a child. Laborers weren’t meant to walk the streets of the capital, they were meant for the tiny villages that she came from. And so, another line of work had to be found and that is when the woman who ran Le Sphinx pulled her inside. Knowing nothing of prostitution, Y/n was forced to quickly learn, being educated in both the desires of men and etiquette. 

Once ready and thrown to the lions, she did whatever she could to stay above the sharp, white teeth. At first, there were many nights with tears streaming down her cheeks and the thought of home forever circling around her mind. It was hard to adapt to something she’d known nothing about. Even harder when she was merely competition to the other girls. No one would extend a hand, wipe the tears off her stained cheeks and tell her that it would get better. The girls at the brothel were worse than the ones Y/n encountered on the street. They did anything to start a fight and were worse than thieves. If you valued anything, it wasn’t to be kept in plain sight. It was a war zone one no man would ever have to face.

But before Y/n knew it, she was on top, the woman all the business men and visiting royals wanted to spend the evening with. It wasn’t bad to be sitting in the lap of a Norwegian royal, not once you were aware of how much their hat alone cost. Drowning in riches, this was close enough to the life she wanted. With all the money given to her by the men that believed they were her only loves, she packed her bags and moved to London. 

That was where the rich became even richer and where our story starts.

Settling into her London home, Y/n decided she would rather spend her days doing anything but lying on her back. There were some clients, wealthy ones, that she’d see occasionally, but she wanted to make money in other ways. And with all that she had saved up, she did just that by purchasing a dress shop. It was the perfect quaint life that she had been looking for all along and it was finally her’s. Most of her days were spent hiring seamstresses or going over new fabrics, Y/n wanted women to flock from all over the country to buy her dresses and she would do anything to achieve that.

But like everyone, she got bored. 

Wanting more than to roam the streets of London, she decided to put one of her best workers in charge and run around the English countryside. While on her little holiday, Y/n stopped in Birmingham. Meant to be the manufacturing capital of the country, it didn’t try to hide that fact. But she loved it. The dirt and grime, the sweat that covered the brow. She was raised just as they were, work until the day was done. The broken backs and accidental deaths were something she was all too familiar with. 

These people were her people.

Taking in the city around her, Y/n wandered into a pub near a few factories. Whether it was accepted for women to venture out on their own in this city or not, she didn’t care. A mediocre whiskey sour was all she was asking for. Pushing the doors open, gold details ran along the wall as the sun peeked through stained glass windows. For a pub on the wrong side of town, London was all that crossed her mind. There were many pubs in the capital that held themselves like the one she stood in. Shaking off her shock, Y/n took a seat at one of the bar stools, sinking into its cushion. 

“What can I get you?” the barmaid with eyes that dripped of honey and charcoal curls asked her.

“How about a whiskey sour?” she smiled at the girl. She looked to be no more than eighteen, what an age to be. By the time Y/n was that age, she was already in Paris, doing the job few women willing accepted. The girl nodded, curls bouncing around her chiseled face, before fetching the ingredients needed.

Y/n leaned back in her chair and began to search her purse for a cigarette. It was a bad habit she’d picked up from the brothel, but it did wonders at calming the nerves. She searched and searched, but it appeared that she smoked the last one that morning. “Fuck,” she muttered, doubling checking.

“Missing something?” a voice asked from across the bar.

She straightened to lock eyes with a tall man, his brunette hair shaved at the side. Unsure what to make of him, she simply nodded. He held himself like a businessman, suit and all, but all she could see were the rough edges of a working man.

“What have you lost?” he asked, waiting for a proper answer. 

Sighing in defeat, Y/n placed her bag on the bar. “My cigarettes. I fear I’ve cleaned myself out.”

A soft smile tugged at his lips, slowly he dug a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled a pack out. “I happen to have a few.”

Y/n couldn’t help but smile seeing the canister. God only knows where she’d have to go to buy a new pack. “Mind sharing one with me?”

Waltzing over to her side, movements swift and precise, he held one out between his fingers for her to take. Gently, she slipped it between her own before placing it between her lips. Being a gentleman, the man already had his lighter out by the time it was snug between her painted lips and lit it for her. “Thank you…” she waited for a name, taking a drag.

“Tommy.”

“Thank you, Tommy,” she smiled and watched as he slid into the seat next to her. “I assume your first name’s Thomas then.”

Tommy smiled. “No, it’s Ethel.” The statement pulled a laugh from the woman sitting next to him. “And what’s your name? Or do you not have one of those?”

“Oh I have one,” she said right before the barmaid returned with her drink. “Thank you,” she smiled at the girl. Attention back on the man beside her, she took a quick drink of her better-than-mediocre whiskey sour before answering his question. “Y/n L/n.”

The man nodded, eyes going up the length of her body. The silk smooth fabric of her dress, the purse discarded on the bar top, and the jewels that hung around her wrist told Tommy all he needed to know about her. Plain as day, Y/n came from money. “What brings ya to Small Heath?” Tommy questioned, lighting his own cigarette, and leaned back in his stool, turning towards her. 

“Small stop before traveling to London,” she admitted.

“London’s home, I take it.”

Y/n shrugged and flicked ash into the ashtray between them. “For now.”

Silence fell between the two. For once in her life, butterflies fluttered around her stomach, creating a knot that was both nerve racking and pleasant. There was never a chance for Y/n to even think of any sort of love except that of money before moving to England. But still beside Tommy, she felt something that she had never experienced before. Her heart told her it was more than just the love that overcame a silly school girl. No matter what it said, though, her brain overruled and told her off on the silly notion. 

The two spent the rest of the day talking at the bar, swapping stories of all they had done. Y/n swept her early career into a dark closet, locking it away from the young man. She knew how his sky blue eyes would turn the color of the sea with the knowledge out in the open. She couldn’t have that. For most of her life, Y/n had watched people’s views on her change in an instant based on a profession many dipped their toes into in the name of survival. She wouldn’t have that with him. Not when she could feel it in her bones that he was meant to be something more.

Eventually, Y/n had to go back to London, but she didn’t board the train without handing Tommy her address. “Write. Please. Anytime you wish, write to me. I will always answer,” a glossy smile danced on her lips, she placed a small paper in his palm. 

“I will. I promise,” he answered. Though they hadn’t known each other long, both knew that they would never lose touch.

“I best be going now.” Y/n scanned the station, noticing as people began to board the train. “Goodbye, Tommy.” Before she could turn on her heels, a hand caught her wrist and pulled her back. A grasp escaped her before soft lips captured her’s. Deepening the kiss, Y/n wanted to do anything but board the locomotive. 

Tommy pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. “Goodbye, Y/n,” he said with a sad smile as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

They parted that day and as Y/n watched him become nothing with the growing distance, she could still feel his lips on her. Call it love, call it lust, but it was one of the great wonders of the world, that she knew. 

Once in London, Y/n made haste to write to Tommy. Her friends couldn’t help but notice the smile that adorned her face when the mail was dropped by every day and the one letter she picked out of the rest, holding it to her chest. They wondered if she’d found a lover or a boyfriend, but there was no answer she could give them.

What was Thomas Shelby to her? To a girl that wasn’t meant to love?

An answer couldn’t be given in fear of ruining what had been created. 

Piles of letters flowed between the pair and soon, Tommy was asking her to come to Birmingham once more. The same excuses were used each time. She couldn’t find anyone to watch the shop or money was tight and she couldn’t spare a penny. White lies left her lips dressed as the truth. She couldn’t leave the safety of her home to visit the darkness of the unknown. Everything surrounding the man was new to her and Y/n couldn’t figure out how to handle it. Run straight at it or hide in the corner, those were her options. She liked the corner.

But Mr. Shelby wouldn’t have it with the excuses, deciding that if she couldn’t come to Birmingham then he would go to London.

A knock at the front door pulled mighty barks from Pearl, the French Bulldog Y/n found starving on the streets one night. With eyes on the stove, Y/n was weary to leave them unattended to answer the door. “Be there in a minute,” she called, giving the eyes a few extra seconds before sliding them onto a plate. Pearl ran between her feet, almost tripping her, as Y/n walked to the front door. Doing her best to keep the creature in the house, using one foot to hold her back, she opened the door, body freezing when she locked eyes with the man in front of her. 

“Y/n.” A smile like honey spread across his face, almost making Y/n forget why her heart seized up in fear. 

“Tommy,” she breathed out in return. The dog behind her used the shock to her advantage and quickly found a gap between her owner and the door, slipping through to bark at the stranger in front of her. Y/n scoffed and quickly scooped the dog up before she could take a bite out of Tommy’s polished shoes. “Pearl, you pest,” she scolded. “Um, please, come in.”

When the door was opened wider, Tommy stepped through the threshold and began to strip himself of his coat. “I was in town for business, thought I’d come see you.”

A smile lit up her face at his words. No one had ever been kind enough to do that, not for the innocent reasons he was. “There’s breakfast in the kitchen if you’d like some.” He nodded, following close behind as she led the way, eyes scanning the walls that past him.

“Lovely home,” he remarked as Y/n gestured for him to have a seat at the kitchen table. Doing as she pleased, he sank into the wooden chair and took in his surroundings.

The second his eyes had landed on her months before in the Garrison, Tommy knew the woman came from money. Back straight as a board, jewels dangling from her body, there was no mistaking it. He sat beside her, hoping she couldn’t sniff out dirt poor, violent prone individuals. By the end of her stay in Birmingham, it seemed she knew no difference between expensive suits obtained by gun point and those with a handful of coins. 

It was foolish for Tommy to believe she would want anything to do with him. He was a poor boy turned thief turned war hero turned criminal. Little he touched after the war was legal and he knew better than to believe that a woman of her status would ever want a man like himself. 

“Yeah,” she shrugged while dishing eggs onto two plates. Before placing them on the table, she set a piece of toast next to the eggs and grabbed the butter off the counter. A plate was placed in front of her guest, who wasn’t sure if he should be surprised that she knew how to cook. Anyone who owned a house such as the one Tommy found himself in usually had a few maids and a cook, but not Y/n it seemed. “What business brings you to London?”

“None worth anything,” he answered.

A groomed brow raised, she wondered why he wasted the trip. “Then why come?”

The answer that escaped his lips hit her in the heart, the one she saw coming. “For you.” For her, he had left the comforts of his home. For her, he had wasted precious time. And for her, he would surely be disappointed. 

“Tommy,” she drawled, eyes gloomy to match her said smile. “You didn’t have to.”

Leaning back in his chair, his blue eyes pierced her own. His demeanor had changed. Once loving and sweet, now sharp and calculated. “You refused to come see me, decided to come see why.”

Y/n sighed, unsure whether to let her eyes wonder or stay focused on the man in front of her. “I’ve been busy,” she lied.

Her words must have been see through, not an ounce of weight to them, when Tommy rolled his eyes. “Apparently, you’ve been so busy that you’ve allowed yourself to visit the coast.” His words were bitter, laced with venom, each syllable as dangerous as the next. “Thought I wouldn’t find out?”

A foolish move to believe she could live a wonderful life. Once back in London, Y/n had done her fair share of research on Thomas Shelby. When it came to survival, it was always best to know all those around you. Y/n couldn’t allow anyone to burn her empire, no matter how much she was willing to let them. She knew Tommy was making his way up in the world, climbing the latter, each rung as illegal as the next. He was a quick witted and calculated man. Ambition seemed to always cross his mind. Tommy seemed to know as much about her as she did about him. But if he only mentioned her trip to the coast, perhaps he didn’t know all she thought he did.

Opening her mouth to say something, she was cut off before a word could get out. 

“What am I to you?” The words were heavy on his tongue, even heavier ringing in her ears. 

Y/n sat there, opening and closing her mouth, the breakfast in front of her completely forgotten. There was no perfect answer. No sentence that could be formulated that could wash away the pain evident in his eyes. There was no word that could be uttered to mend what she had broken but the simple truth.

Letting her eyes scour the room, she did her best to avoid eye contact as Tommy’s gaze drilled into her. “If you believe you don’t mean anything to me, you’re wrong. You mean the world to me.”

“You have an interesting way of showing it.”

Y/n couldn’t help but flinch at the bitter words. “I…” she shook her head and got to her feet. She couldn’t sit still, not with her heart attempting to beat out of her chest. “I don’t know how to love.”

The words were barely above a whisper but Tommy heard them from his place at the table. Eyes softening, he wasn’t sure he’d understood her properly. “What do you mean?”

Pacing around the kitchen, tears welled up in her eyes at all she didn’t want to say. Y/n wasn’t ashamed of her past, in fact, many would find it triumphant, but it wasn’t one that bathed in love. She had never been loved or in love until she had met Thomas Shelby at a pub in Birmingham. Many only had one love and that was good enough. But with her background, love was never enough. She could love with her whole heart, but her loyalty would always come into question.

“I have never been allowed to love,” Y/n explained at the mini bar in the corner of the room. It may have been early, but it was never earlier too early for a drink. A strong on at that. Shaking hand poured whiskey into a glass, filling much more than needed. “I-I have never been in a… relationship that wasn’t physical.”

Tommy wasn’t sure what to make of her announcement or  the woman that stood before him. Whiskey pouring over the rim of her glass, it wasn’t hard for the man to see that her gentle words covered up a dirtier trust. Pushing himself out of his chair, in a few quick strides, he was by her side. Long fingers snatched the drink from her hand, placing it on the counter. “Were you a-”

“Please, please don’t say it!” she begged, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Please.” Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her against him, her head resting against his chest. “I won’t, I won’t,” Tommy said, rubbing a hand up and down her back. It did little soothe her but it was better than doing nothing. “It’s alright, love.”

Y/n shook her head, pulling away enough to meet his eyes. “No, it’s not,” she cried. “I’m fucking filthy! Not someone anyone would love.”

It broke his heart to see the pain in her eyes, the truth she placed on each word. Placing a hand against her cheek, he stroked the smooth skin, letting her melt against his touch. “I love you, Y/n,” he said softly to combat her sobs. “And I don’t care how filthy you are, I love you. And if I have to teach you how to lover properly, then so be it. But if you can love Pearl then I know you can love anyone.”

She was quiet, savoring each word that was said. No one had ever said such a thing to her and meant every word. Some customers had believed they were in love with her, taken her kindness for passionate love, but it was never that. “Do you mean it?” Y/n asked as Tommy wiped her tears away.

“Every word.” He leaned down, capturing her in a kiss. Y/n grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Tommy could have stayed there, with his arms wrapped around her, forever, but Pearl had other ideas. The dog barked from the other side of the room, earning laughs from two. Turning his attention back to Y/n, Tommy brushed a stray hair behind her ear and asked, “Now, will you come to Birmingham with me?”

*~~*~~*

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[hunidlo]

Call of Fire

CHAPTER 2 - The Purpose

Rating: M

Word Count: 3K

Pairing: The Mandalorian x F!Reader

Warnings: slow burn fic,  violence, injuries, death, grief, language

A/N: English is not my first language so apologies for any mistakes in grammar. I’m basically making stuff up about the reader’s powers but why not, right?

Summary: Taunting a bandit is never a good idea. Thank Maker, Mando is near to save the day.

< Previous Chapter  //  Masterlist

***

The Mandalorian stands on the top of the ramp to his ship looking in the direction of your escape, the stick still firmly clutched in his hand. He tosses it to the side with frustration and shakes his head to clear his mind and forget about the whole incident. He knows he has more pressing matters to attend to right now. He looks at the tracking fob which is now flashing rapidly with red light. 

He lifts his head and looks again towards the woods where you have disappeared just moments ago—

“Shit!” he sighs.

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

You are trying to calm down and catch your breath. Your knees buckle, taking you to the ground. You sit exhausted, stabbing pain regularly shooting to your side. 

“You mean ... like ... a real Mandalorian?” Zullu is standing above you, wiping sweat from her forehead with dirty hands, smearing mud all over it. “Like from my gran’s stories?”

“Yep,” you say simply. 

And then you start laughing. Hysterically. It might be the exhaustion, or maybe you just can't believe you pulled off sneaking into a ship belonging to a Mandalorian. Maybe both … but you are currently laughing yourself silly.

Zullu is watching you awkwardly. She chuckles a couple of times until she is laughing with you and your guffaws echo through the forest.

“We should get back to the village,” you say eventually, still panting and your stomach aching from all the giggling. “I owe you—by the way—you totally saved me back there,” you admit and Zullu smiles at you in appreciation.

“D-do you think he’s following us?” Zullu is biting her nails and keeps looking over her shoulder as you walk.

“Relax. If he was, he would have already caught us.”

Oh, just how badly you have underestimated him.

***

You’re finally getting closer to the village when the sun is about to set. You’re exhausted but you can’t stop wondering, what is a Mandalorian doing on this planet.

Then again, maybe it’s for the best that you don’t know and if you are lucky, he’ll leave just as quickly as he appeared because the last thing the people in your village need right now, is more trouble. And he sure looked like a lot of trouble … broad-shouldered, mysterious, intriguing, and so intimidating … yeah, ... basically a definition of trouble.

“Gran used to say, most Mandalorians were mercenaries and bounty hunters. Maybe he’s really here because of ... you.” Zullu says out of nowhere, interrupting your—let’s be honest, slightly embarrassing—train of thought.

You shake your head when you process what she’s saying, “Nonsense, how could he possibly ... it’s been fifteen years ...”

“Yeah, but they don’t forget, you know,” Zullu frowns, looking genuinely worried. “You can’t be hiding here forever.”

“Fed up with me already?” you try to lighten the now heavy atmosphere. In fact, you are not overly fond of the conversation getting far too serious now.

“No … n-no, you know you’re my best friend”—she’s looking down at her feet as always when she’s struggling to find the right words—“it’s just … I feel … feel like you have a different … purpose, you know? ... Like in life? ... You’re not supposed to work on the field for the rest of it.”

“What’s wrong with the work on the field?”

“Except the fact that you hate it?” 

You don’t like her sarcastic tone—yet—she’s got a point. You love the village, you love the people, but a farmer’s life is just not for you. You crave adventure. Maybe that’s why you so desperately seek it whenever a chance occurs. Eventually, you have to admit to yourself that—to some extent—that’s why you want to fight the bandits … and why you so recklessly pissed the Mandalorian off ... 

… And then there’s the thing about your origin and your parents. Fifteen years ago, your parents left you here to hide you—to save you. The villagers took you in. You want to go to search for your parents but … you could never leave Zullu.

“I …,” Zullu continues when you’re being quiet for too long, “I just think … know actually … you’re meant to—.”

“And you?” you smile and try to steer the conversation away from you. “What’s your life purpose?” 

She shrugs, “Uh ... don’t know... haven’t found my purpose yet.”

“Well, I’m sure yours is much greater than mine.”

Zullu exhales through her nose. “Don’t you wanna know why your parents left you here, hiding you from—” She looks over her shoulder one more time. “—the Empire?” she whispers the last words as if someone might be eavesdropping.

Oh no, here we go—the topic you wanted to avoid.

“The Empire is gone,” you reply, “my parents are ... too—most probably—so we might just never know.”

“A-and you’re okay with that? I mean… not knowing who you really are?”

“Yes,” you say resolutely. “And I’m fine with working on the farm for the rest of my life,” not so resolutely.

Zullu tilts her head sideways, raises her eyebrows at you and blinks slowly.

“Why are you bringing this up again?” irritation in your voice is now undeniable.

“Because… the Mandalorian—”

“Oh, Mandalorian-Shmandalorian ...” you snap.

“... and I haven’t told you but—” she continues, ignoring your comment, “—I have overheard mum talking about you. She said … said your parents—”

“Do you hear that?” you cut her off. “Listen ...”

And then you hear it again. The horn.

The horn!

What? No. No! It’s too early, it can’t be ... next week … it’s three months next week … they shouldn’t be here this early.

Wasting no more time, you burst into a sprint and run to the village as fast as you can. Zullu’s right behind you.

The villagers are just as confused as you are but are already gathering on the square nevertheless.

“What’s happening? They shouldn’t—” Zullu panics.

“I know,” you exhale, “They’re early. We’re not ready.”

“What do we do?”

You sigh but do not reply to her.

The bandits head straight to the barn to look for the stored food. Their leader is watching over the villagers who stand in a line as always. One of the bandits comes over and whispers something to his boss, but you can’t hear what he’s saying.

“Take everything, we’re gonna need it,” the leader replies to his mate and dismisses him with a simple wave of his hand.

With that … Shit! The fire’s back. It’s back and it’s running through your body like molten lava— 

“You can’t!” you hear yourself crying out with a voice firmer than you expected. “You’re early … we couldn’t … the people will starve here!”

Zullu, who is standing next to you, turns her head in your direction wide-eyed.

You are not exactly sure why you did it—and what you should do next—but you can't let them steal all your supplies, right?

The leader takes a few steps forward and looks down at you.

Surprisingly enough, you’re not scared. You’ve seen a more intimidating gaze today and this guy is nowhere near as threatening as the Mandalorian. So you give him the most defiant look you have. And then—

Your little staring competition ends abruptly when the bandit slaps you with the back of his armoured hand and watches as you drop to your knees. 

Son of a bitch, that hurt. That fucking hurt. You hold your jaw in your hand and flex it as you feel the coppery taste of blood filling your mouth.

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

“Stupid … again … brave … but stupid,” the Mandalorian exhales to himself.

He’s lying on the top of the hill above the village, observing the whole scenario through the scope of his rifle. 

He rises to his feet with an irritated grunt.

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

You don’t remember ever being hit like this. Your jaw hurts but you’re determined not to let the bastard enjoy humiliating you. You need a few moments to recover but then you slowly get to your feet again, put on the same venomous look as before, and spit in the bandit’s face, spattering a considerable amount of blood mixed with your saliva all over his repulsive visage.

“You little ...” The bandit wipes the blood with the back of his hand and gropes for his blaster. 

To your astonishment—and before you can come up with an action plan preventing you from being shot in the head—he suddenly halts his movement and is now looking over your shoulder, squinting at something behind you.

You follow his gaze and turn around to see ... 

… the Mandalorian?

Huh, so he followed you back after all.

Only now can you take a proper look at him as he’s slowly approaching the village. Sure, you saw—and let’s not forget also fought—him back on his ship, but everything happened so quickly that you didn’t have time to fully scrutinize the way he looks. 

You should not be so amazed. You used to listen to Zullu’s grandmother—eagerly hanging on her every word—when she told the stories about the Mando’ade to local children in the evenings. You knew the Mandalorians are bound with a creed and their culture revolves around war and battles which the elderly woman used to tell you about. Never have you imagined them to be this impressive though. So you just stand there with your mouth half open, taking in every detail of him as he comes nearer. 

He’s tall, evidently agile and strong, judging by his arms and thighs. Well, and you also remember how hard his grip was on you this afternoon. His armour seems almost crimson now as it reflects the light of the setting sun. Beskar—you recall— that's what the old woman said their armour was made of. He has a rifle strapped to his back, a blaster by his side, and the wind plays with his cape as it flutters behind him. What a presence. 

His helmet is pointed at the bandit standing next to you, piercing him with the same intimidating look he gave you when he caught you sneaking into his ship.

“Let them go,” he says, his voice dark and foreboding.

“We have no quarrel with you, Mando. Feel free to turn around and walk away.” The bandit is trying to stay calm but he’s just whistling in the dark.

“If you don’t want to start one, leave the supplies and never come back.” The Mandalorian is getting closer and closer to the square keeping the same slow resolute pace.

The other raiders have already noticed the disturbance and one by one began emerging from the barn, joining their leader on the square.

The Mandalorian doesn’t seem to care much that he’s outnumbered. He stops and rests his hand on his holster. He looks at the villagers and jerks his helmet to the side. They understand the gesture and back up slowly. You intend to do the same.

However, the bandit leader notices your intention, quickly wraps an arm around your neck and pushes you in front of him, hiding thus his body behind you. He’s now taking slow steps back—retreating—using your body as a human shield.

“Kill him,” he growls and drags you behind the cart that is conveniently standing in the square with half of your supplies already loaded up.

Your back is pushed to the offender's chest so you're facing away from all the action and you can only hear when the blasters begin shooting all at once. You have no idea what’s happening on the square behind you. You can hope for the best but you’re not entirely sure what it is. From what you know, the Mandalorian might be just as barbaric as the bandits so it might be out of the frying pan and into the fire for the village anyway.

After a good ten minutes of shooting, dull bangs and a couple of shrieks, there’s silence. 

Suddenly—you’re being pulled out from the hideout. The last bandit standing is pushing you in front of him and you can feel a barrel of his blaster now pressed to your temple.

There are about ten bodies lying scattered around the square—lifeless—a smoke from the blaster shots still rising from some of them. With your peripheral vision, you can see a few of the survivors disappearing in the woods. They apparently decided to cut and run.

The Mandalorian is kneeling on one knee, leaning over one of the bodies, checking their vital signs. He swiftly draws his weapon again when he sees you two approaching.

“Drop the blaster, Mando,” the bandit warns. “Drop it, or I’ll kill her.”

The Mandalorian puts his hands up slowly and lays his blaster on the ground. However, as he raises to his feet, a flock of little whistling arrows shoots from his vambrace and flies towards you. You shut your eyes awaiting certain death. Instead, the pressure against your temple disappears, the arm around your neck eases its grip and the bandit falls dead behind you.

You raise your vision only to see the Mandalorian striding towards you. You’re still petrified and puzzled. 

Suddenly, he stops midway, staring emptily behind you. 

Um ... this is not good. 

You slowly turn around and gulp.

A horde of bandits, probably the rest of their encampment is rushing towards you. Ten or fifteen brutes armed with blasters, knives and spears got alerted somehow and are ready to avenge their fallen comrades. 

“Hide!” the Mandalorian shouts to you, raising his blaster again.

You do as you’re told. You run past him and across the square, noticing the huts are deserted. All the villagers must have already fled to the woods during the first shootout. You can only hope that Zullu escaped with them.

You dash into the woods not stopping for a moment. You can still hear the shooting behind you coming from the village. You should find the others, find Zullu, make sure she’s alright—

A figure comes from their hideout behind one of the trees about fifty feet in front of you.

It's one of the bandits.

“Going somewhere?” he smirks at you, his blaster already levelled at your chest. 

He doesn’t wait for your reaction. A blaster shot echoes through the forest. For a second time today, you close your eyes awaiting the inevitable. When you open them again, Zullu is standing in front of you, her hands spread out in a protective gesture.

“No!” you cry out, tears already forming in the corners of your eyes.

She falls backwards to your arms and you slowly put her to the ground with trembling hands, holding her head in your lap as you kneel under her.

You hear the bandit in front of you burst into laughter. Horrible, gruesome laughter. Rage is building in your body, igniting every molecule. You look at him to see he’s raising his blaster once more to point it at you.

You’re going berserk, the fire is spiralling through you more intensely than ever before. You feel like your body would combust if you hold it back longer. You can’t fight it anymore. You won’t.

Somehow instinctively, you stretch your arms out in front of you, your fingers spread out but you’re slowly, convulsively closing them up. The bandit’s body lifts from the ground. Confused, he frantically kicks around, searching for solid ground under his feet. Then, his face distorts into a horrifying, painful grimace. You are holding him in front of you for a couple of seconds until you abruptly spread your arms with an excruciating scream. Following the movement of your hands, the bandit’s body is torn in half in front of your eyes. His lower half is tossed vigorously to the left, his torso to the right, colliding with the nearby tree with a splashy thud.

You have absolutely no understanding of what just happened but you have no time to think about it now. You quickly turn your attention to Zullu who is looking at you with glossy eyes.

There’s a nasty blaster wound in her belly and she’s covering it with her weak hands. 

“Zullu—,” you cry out, “—fuck—what have you done?”

“I saved you, dummy.” Her chuckles turn to cough.

“... You’re gonna be alright. We’ll get you help … just stay with me, okay?” You try to shift yourself under her body so that you can attend to her wound.

She grabs you by your wrist and shakes her head. “I’m fine ... I’m ready ... f-found … my purpose ...,” she struggles to speak, “... now promise me, you’ll find yours.”

“Don’t talk like that—” 

“I saw what you did … I’ve always known … you’re special.”

“I-uh ...” You’re lost for words.

“... I overheard mum saying … saying your father was a doctor—clone engineer … worked for the … Empire … betrayed them … they hunted him ... that’s why your parents hid you here.” Zullu coughs and takes a couple of deep breaths before she speaks again. “She knows where they are.” Zullu looks straight to your eyes as she continues, “I’m sorry I haven’t told you before. I was scared you would leave, but I know now that you have to go,  you have to find them.”

“You’re my best friend, I won’t leave you, I need y—” a choking sense of despair causes your voice to crack before you are able to finish.

“You were never meant to stay on this p-planet ... you’re meant to do great things ... I know it ... find your parents, find your purpose … promise me ...”

You feel dizzy now. “Zullu—” 

“Promise me!” she urges.

“I promise ...”

She smiles at you, raising her hand to touch your cheek but it collapses on the ground beside her and you witness the sparks in her eyes die out.

You burst into tears and tug her close to you. Hugging and squeezing her motionless body���consumed by aching grief—you cry.

You do not know how much time has passed but you finally find the strength to get up from the ground. You gently pick Zullu’s body up. The shooting that could have been heard from the village before has ceased.

You slowly walk towards the village, carrying Zullu in your arms. You don’t care about the possible threat that might still be lurking in the woods. Your mind is blank, you feel empty inside. There’s nothing left, only pain.

You have lost everything today.

***

< Previous Chapter //  Masterlist

[namjoonspiration]

ON [1]

Pairing: Jungkook x reader

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 6.2k

Summary: You and your best friend Jungkook grew up in the only Mage village in the corner of the Citadel--the last civilization on Earth. When the humans feel threatened by the magic abilities of your people, you are taken away from your family. Thankfully, Jungkook remains by your side.

Warnings/Tags: violence, hate, imprisonment and forced labor (but, it’s not hardcore or extremely upsetting because that’s not what this story is about), finding happiness even in the darkest of places, kissing

Author’s Note: Welcome to my second BTS fanfic! Thank you guys for all the support for my first one (Saudade ft. Jimin)! I’m a little late in posting this, but here it is finally. This is chapter 1 out of 6 (maybe?). It won’t be super long. BUT this is my interpretation/imaginative storyline I created based on the ON music video. Enjoy!

Masterlist

Part 1

Year 3040 – 379 years after the Fall of the World

“Y/n, please be careful! I won’t wash your clothes again if you fall in the mud, and you’ll be wearing it for the next week,” your mother warns as your little legs took you farther and farther away from the hut—your home. You reply back with a high-pitched okay, only half-paying attention to what she said. You are too excited about today’s mission to give thought to anything else. The wind helps carry you faster, lifting your feet off the ground and whipping your hair in front of you.

The dirt under you became wet and tried to suction you to the ground as your trail changed from dirt paths to the tilled fields. The ever-looming walls that always remained in two directions of your vision at all times grew even more gigantic with each step towards the end. And by the end, you mean it the part where those two walls connect, keeping you and everyone in your village inside. These walls continued around in a massive rectangle that encased the Citadel from the outside world, like an army of giants.

You search amongst the kids running about near the East wall for your best friend. “Kookie!” You call. “Kookie!”

Jungkook, whose mouth is pressed in concentration, looked up from the lily he was trying to levitate. “Here!”

“Did you find the rabbit again?” You asked about today’s mission, watching him staring intently at the flower top.

“Yeah! You can see him from here.” He abandons the daisy and rushes to the wall. You run after him. He peeks through one of the holes caused by the many cracks in aged pewter stone. “He’s right there. He’s nibbling on that patch of grass,” he moves and gestures for you to look with a floppy wave of his small hand.

You peer through with one eye and spot the rare brown speckled rabbit. It was having some lunch on the thin short grass that covered the endless open environment outside. “How do you know it’s a he?” You ask.

“I just do,” Jungkook shrugs, tapping at the wall with the toe of his shoes.

“But I named it Princess Brownie, so it’s a girl,” you counter.

Jungkook crosses his arms. “No, its name is Captain Carrot.”

“Not so! We named it Princess Brownie the last time we saw it,” you pout, looking back out the hole. Suddenly, you spot another bunny—and then baby bunnies! “Oh my gosh! More rabbits!” You shout in excitement.

“Lemme see, lemme see!” Jungkook pushes against your shoulder, trying to see outside too. “Are those babies?”

“Yes! It’s a family!” You both watch them sniff around the grass for a few moments longer. Then, the two bigger bunnies hop closer to each other and rub noses. “Bunny kisses!” Jungkook ‘ews’ in disgust. “What? S’Cute,” you say.

“Kissing is gross,” he screws up his face, waving his arms in front of him in a ‘no’ fashion.

“Oh yeaahh?” you drawl, eyeing him mischievously and making a kissy face. Jungkook’s eyes widen in terror, and he turns on his heel to run away. You begin to chase after him, quickly gaining distance on him. Even though he’s a year older than you, you have pretty long legs for a six-year-old. He looks over his shoulder to see how close you are and begins yelling in fear. He pushes himself to run faster. Both of you dodge other kids left and right, most of them calling for you two to stop before the adults scolded you for causing such a ruckus. Jungkook ceases his wild screaming but doesn’t stop running.

Eventually, you get really tired. You stop, hands resting on your legs and you try to catch your breath. Jungkook didn’t seem to notice that you stopped chasing him. You sit against the cold stone of the wall, calming your breathing.

Sometime later, Jungkook circled back and found a seat next you.

You were caught up in your thoughts when he asked you what was wrong. “I wish we could go outside.” He knew what you meant. The outside world beyond the Citadel. No one ever went outside the walls unless they were ordered by the Governing Circle to find medicines and supplies, but very rarely did it happen because it was dangerous for those who went out and then came back in to where everyone was living.

“I think we will one day,” Jungkook says optimistically.

“You think so?” Despite his hope, your voice was sad. After a few moments of silence, “You promise?”

He gives you a closed-lipped smile. “I promise we’ll go outside one day.”

You smile, playfully bumping your shoulder into his. When then he bumps back, and then you bump back, and he bumps back until it turns into an all-out pushing contest to see who is stronger.

A boom sounds, like a cannon being fired.

You and Jungkook cease your shoving, startled by the sound.

A sequence of chirps and whistles followed immediately after.

You look at each other in panic, both knowing the meaning of those sounds.

The village was in trouble. And the Governing Circle was on their way.

Scrambling to your feet, you begin to run back towards the house with Jungkook running fast by your side.

“Mommy!” You lock your arms around your mother’s legs. “What’s happening?” You cry. Everyone in your village had dropped everything and stood in the crowd at the village gates. Jungkook had left you to find his parents, and you lost him in your line of vision amongst the throes of people.

“I don’t know, baby. It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry.” You mother reassures softly, patting your head and wiping your tears away. Her voice is comforting, but her expression is anything else but as she looked beyond the gates.

Men on horseback are approaching the village entrance. Soldiers with guns in tow and directly two horses pulling an iron prison wagon behind them. You mother tightens her grip on you into steel, pulling her behind you. You could feel tremors of fear shaking her.

They enter the village, the Lead Governor of the Circle standing at the forefront. He is wearing an eye patch rumored to be cover a nasty eye infection that never healed. A thick scar ravages the cheek underneath, and his icy blue eye drills fear into those who dared to look him directly in the face.

“People of the Mage community,” his voice booms, making you clutch your mother’s skirt tighter in your hands. “You’ve betrayed our trust, and it has resulted in several deaths of our brave men who dare venture outside the Citadel for our survival.”

“We haven’t killed anyone!” An elderly Mage steps forward and her shouts. Her words are very quickly echoed by the other adult Mages around her.

“Silence! Or you’ll be arrested for insubordination!” He threatens. You watch as those who had the courage to speak up suddenly cower back with their heads bowed. “Nearly thirty years ago when our kinds signed the Treaty of Coexistence, you Mages—the last of your kind—agreed that you would not use magic to keep the darkness that plagues this Earth away. And in return, we allowed you to enjoy the safety of the Citadel. Now, magic has brought that evil closer to us, and it has killed our own and it’s your fault!” His face is bright red with rage.

“So, we’re here to stop you from breaking the law any further and to save the lives of humans. First, arrest the children!”  He orders. Shouts of protest erupts from the Mages. Your mother cries for them to not take you, hiding you as much as she can. Terror makes your blood turn cold. Why were they here to arrest you? Where were they going to take you? You didn’t do anything.

“They don’t have magic! We do! Take us and not the children!” One of the younger parents steps forward, tears running down her face. She holds her wrists out to the Lead Governor.

He scoffs at her, a horrid laughter scratching its way out of his throat. He nods at one the armed soldiers.

And he shoots her.

She falls to the ground, blood staining the dirt underneath her.

It becomes absolute chaos. Screaming, yelling, pleading, Mages fighting against the soldiers from taking their children, who were wailing as they were dragged from their parents. But even in the midst of the ear-ringing pandemonium you could hear the Lead Governor’s voice loud and clear. “We know about you Mages! You lose your magic at old age, so you pass it all onto your offspring! They are dangers to the citizens of the Citadel and will be treated as such!”

An iron-grip wraps around your arm, and you scream. “Mommy!”

“NO! Don’t take her! She isn’t a danger to anyone! She’s only six years old!” You mother pleads, keeping a locked grip around your waist. “Please, please, please…” Your mother is crying hysterically, mirroring you. Two soldiers grab at her shoulders, trying to pull her away from you, but she won’t relent. A solider hits her in the head with the butt of his gun, and she collapses. She loses hold on you, and you’re dragged away.

“Mom! Momma!,” you cry hoarsely, kicking at the soldiers hauling you into the iron wagon. Your knees bruise against the unforgiving metal when they throw you in with the other sobbing children. You crawl, scrambling away from the opened door to the iron box, sitting in the far corner. You curl into a tight ball, burying your face in your arms.

“Y/n!” Jungkook shouts, moving from his spot to sit close to you.

“Kookie…” You sob, looking up at him. He has a growing bruise on his cheekbone, tear tracks staining his face. You couldn’t think of what else to say. Nothing made sense.

The soldiers throw the last of the kids in the box and slams the doors into locked position. It becomes very dark. The only sunlight streaming in is from the intermittent line of small punched out circles at the very top of the box that none of you could reach. Then the wagon is moving, the protests of your mom and the Mages growing fainter until you can no longer hear them.

Jungkook rests his head on your shoulder and gently, carefully, holds your pudgy hand in his. “We have each other.” After a while, you calm down, exhausted but soothed by your best friend’s presence. “I’ll keep my promise,” he murmurs. That promise had suddenly become so much more, unspoken between the two of you. The promise you’ll both be freed one day from the prison you had just entered. The promise that one day the Citadel will simply appear as a tiny box in the distance.

Year 3049 – 388 years after the Fall of the World

Nine years didn’t change much. Since the day you and the other children were taken, you’ve grown up together in a dank prison, let out only when the soldiers have been ordered to take you to a cased-in farmland. They had used the word “greenhouse” to describe. But that didn’t make this whole situation more peaceful or less wrong. When you first arrived at the prison, the soldiers pushed all of you in pairs into individual cells. Thankfully, because you and Jungkook never let go of each other’s hand, you got assigned to the same cell.

You both had sat in there for days at first, periodically receiving water and bread with cheese. You’d made sure to split it evenly between you and Jungkook while also agreeing to ration it as long as you could. Neither of you could tell what time it was or how many days had passed. The food never came at regular enough intervals to tell what meal it was.

Then, one day, all of you were herded to the “greenhouse.” There the Governor of Agriculture was waiting to reveal how your life would be moving forward. He was an elderly man with a white beard, dressed in tan cotton robes. He looked kind to you at first glance, but as you learned so far in the past—well, you guessed—several days, nothing seemed so clear anymore.

But you always welcomed a surprise.

Mercifully, he had vouched for all the Mage children, appealing to the rest of the Governing Circle that your magic would be valuable to the survival of humans.

If there was a moment that any of this became even more confusing, it was that moment.

The Governor of Agriculture, whose real name was Michael—and preferred you to call him that—did not completely agree with the Lead Governor’s decision to prison you until they finally figured out what to do with all of you. However, you weren’t under any illusions that this guy was some kind of Saint. He still wanted the Mage children imprisoned and their magic restricted, only freed when it served to benefit the survival of the Citadel’s human citizens. A blessing, but still a curse. That blessing was—

Food.

It was certainly odd, but you realized later that there is worse labor you and the others could have been subjected too. You were taught farming skills—how to plant seeds, how to care for crops, when to harvest them. They tried to force your magic to cooperate with the plants the first year that you were there. Unfortunately, they were under the impression that your powers were in full bloom. They learned quickly at that your young age, it takes years for them to develop beyond simply being able to levitate objects—something that Jungkook forced himself to quickly master, but you could still not do even four years later.

At that point, you had become concerned that they would take Jungkook away from you and separate him into the group of older kids that were beginning to successfully get their magic to cooperate with the crops, while you would keep farming like a human. You cried to yourself every night that Jungkook wouldn’t come back for hours, nearly making yourself sick that he wouldn’t ever walk back through the cell door.

To your fortune, he always did, albeit eyes already closed, swaying with exhaustion until he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep. He always came back like that, practically sleepwalking and overworked. You became so concerned about his health that you secretly ate less of your food and put more on his plate for him to eat the next morning. It was all you could do for him.

Then, to your surprise, one evening, he wasn’t so exhausted and caught you crying uncontrollably after a particularly bad day. “Y/n? What’s wrong? What happened?” He asked, looking you over to see if you were injured.

“They’re going to take you away from me, Kookie.” You cried. “I can’t get my magic to work. They are getting impatient with me, I can tell. They’ll find some other use for me, and I’ll never see you again.” Your sobs wracked your body again.

Jungkook shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes. Goodness, when was the last time he had a haircut? It was down past his shoulders now, you thought to yourself distractedly. “That’s not going to happen. I told you, we’ll always have each other. I won’t go anywhere without you.”

“I know, Kookie, but it doesn’t change the fact that my magic doesn’t work,” you said, frustrated with yourself.

“I don’t think that it’s your magic that doesn’t work; you’re just not being able to express it.” He explained, and it slowly began to make sense to you. You’ve felt repressed the last four years you’ve been here already, thinking about your mother, who you might never be able to see again. That you’re trapped between one cage and another with no telling when you’ll be free. “I’ll help you.”

Jungkook sat crisscrossed on the damp stone of your shared cell, the only light coming in from the lamps outside your cell door. You joined him. He fished something from the pocket of his beige cotton clothes, which were too big for him. The soldiers always did that with the clothes, so as you got bigger, you’d grow into them for a few years. Less resources they had to spend on you.

He pulled out a lily and tenderly placed it between you two. You looked at him in surprise, and he simply smiled at you. “It gets a little easier to take things from the greenhouse the more time you spend up there. Try and levitate it,” he gestured to the flower, perfectly untainted with the stain of this place.

You focused all your energy on it but are only able to get it to move a tiny bit. It wasn’t even that profound. Your magic looked like nothing more than a slight draft or wave of the wind. You set your eyes downcast. You were a failure. How could you even call yourself a Mage? “I can’t do it, Kookie.”

“Yes, you can.” Your eyes met his when he gently touched the underneath of your chin to lift your head. “And you don’t have to do it alone.” He used his other hand to bring yours to meet his, palms and fingers pressed together. “Every time you want to use your magic, think of the connections you share with it. It’s in your blood; your mother gifted it to you; the other kids have it, who got it from their parents; and I have it. We’re connected by magic—a living, flowing entity that surrounds us and binds us. Think about it… You’re never alone. Believe in that.” His voice calmed your spirit and centered your magic with every word. Your eyes had fallen shut, seeing the faces of those you loved and had happy memories of. Your skin tingled and warmed until it cooled.

You opened your eyes to see the lily floating between you and Jungkook.

You stared at it, shocked. “Jungkook, are you sure you’re not making it do that?”

He merely laughed, beaming at you. “I’m sure. This is 100% all you. It’ll take more practice to master it, but now you know that it’s possible.”

You let out a shuttering breath of relief. So much of the anxiety and worry that had wrapped around your lungs like a vice finally let go, and you could breathe again. “Thank you, Kookie. I don’t know what’d I do without you.” You released your magic, throwing your arms around him in a hug.

He wrapped his arms around you, too. You can still hear the smile in his voice when he said, “You’ll never have to find out. I’ll always be here.”

Life became a little easier after that.

You were forever grateful for Jungkook’s presence in your life. You had to give back somehow, so you would secretly teach the other young kids who were struggling with their magic expression while pretending to plant seeds. Soon, every single Mage child got their magic to cooperate with the plants—getting them to grow faster and better, removing sickness and disease, increasing the yield of each crop, coaxing tropical crops to finally grow in this dry climate.

You were silently put in charge by Michael to grow oranges the next year, given a few orange seeds that had survived hundreds of years since the Fall. You weren’t sure if there was any life left in them, but it didn’t matter because your magic could get the inner workings of the seed functioning again. Getting the seed to sprout was the easy part, but it took the better part of three years for it to grow. Finally, the summer you turned sixteen, the sprouting had grown into a tree and produced oranges. Michael was so pleased that he allowed you to have two on the week of the Summer Harvest.

You were so excited to share them with Jungkook. You’ve heard the taste is like nothing like you’ve ever had before. When you were dismissed, you hurried to the Greenhouse, spotting Jungkook and gesturing for him to meet you in a hidden corner behind crates of fresh vegetables and the tool shed.

“Jungkook, look,” you whisper excitedly, showing him the bright fruits. “Oranges! I finally got them to grow!”

“Shhh,” he holds a finger up to his mouth, chuckling. “That’s awesome. I have something to show you too.” He presents his hand from behind his back to show you a handful of— “Strawberries,” he grins excitedly.

“They look amazing,” you examine them closely, pocketing the oranges in your apron.

“Yeah. They taste even better too.” He hands you one, and you don’t waste a second in biting into one. Strawberry juice escapes your mouth and dribbles down your chin. You try to catch it and wipe it off with your free hand. Jungkook chuckles again, happy to see you clearly enjoying yourself. He eats his own strawberries, and insisting you eat the last one since he’s already snuck in more than he should have while picking. After you finish, you pull out the oranges, so he can get a better look at them. “How do you eat them?”

“Well, you see, you have to peel them. The skin is too bitter and thick to eat, but the fruit on the inside…” You skillfully peel one orange and hand it to him. You quickly then peel the second one. Opening the circular fruit, you pick a fat, juicy slice and hold it between your fingers. “It’s citrus-y, but sweet. Open up,” you nod at him, excited for him to finally taste it.

He opens his mouth, and you gently plop it in. When he first bites down, his face first screws up, but then relaxes in the indulgence with a few more bites. “It tastes so good,” he says, and you giggle at his satisfied smile. “You eat some.” He pulls a slice from his orange and takes a step closer, coincidentally putting you between him and the wooden shed. He holds it out, nodding at you like how you did with them.

You can’t help the giggle that escapes you before opening your mouth to receive the orange. Jungkook takes his time bringing the fruit to your lips, gently feeding you the fruit, watching your face as you pull the orange slice into your mouth and eat it. The corners of your mouth turned up at the delicious taste of the fruit and at Jungkook’s hopeful expression.

You take your turn to feed him another slice of your orange, doing it exactly as he did. He gets a playful look in his eyes, and then makes sure his lips brush your fingertips when you feed him the orange. You feel a hot blush creep onto your face, which does not go unnoticed by Jungkook. He thoughtfully eats the fruit you just gave him, reading your expression as you try to hide your red cheeks from him with a hand. When you drag your eyes back to his, he grins cutely at you, and you can’t help but blush further or fight your own grin.

Jungkook reaches a tentative hand out to brush your hair behind your ear. You had recently cut off several inches of it again with the gardening scissors you snuck from the Greenhouse again. You’d even given Jungkook a haircut, so his hair wasn’t hanging in his eyes while he worked. You were by no means perfect at it, but you did your best to make him handsome.

He smiled down at you, and you suddenly couldn’t remember when he’d gotten so much taller than you. When had the muscles in his arms appeared? When did his face begin to lose the soft roundedness of childhood? Then you wished he was seeing you the way you were seeing him just now. You weren’t kids anymore.

He brought a hand to cup your cheek, moving closer. Searching your eyes for an answer to the silent question of permission. You nodded, your nose just barely brushing his before your lips meet in your first kiss, for both you and Jungkook. Your lips were trembling against each other’s, not sure how to explore such new territory. He pulls back to search your face again.

Then, you were both smiling like complete idiots. He presses his lips to yours again and again and again until they meld perfectly in synch. Your hands come to rest on his waist. You two deepen your kiss, tasting a mix of strawberries and oranges, sweetness and citrus.

And you swear, the sun grew brighter outside the Greenhouse, its rays breaking through the cracks in its structures to shine on your faces, and the world appeared more colorful. It was euphoric. Your settings melted away, and you felt free for the first time in years. You could feel your magic dancing with his in the air around you. The plants around you perk up more in their pots, and the birds chirped a little louder. Jungkook’s hands move from your face to your waist and yours to wrap around his neck, pulling the other impossibly closer as you two lay sweet kiss after sweet kiss on each other’s lips.

When you two became breathless, you finally pull back with much reluctance. Jungkook rests his forehead against yours as you both became to giggle to yourselves. “I love you, Jungkook,” you whisper to him, hoping to keep this moment between just the two of you.

“I love you too, y/n. Always have.” He steals one last kiss from you before having to let go even though he very much did not want to, as he expressed. You assure him that you would see him later on that day, and he walks back to his station after staring at you for several moments longer, not wanting to take his eyes off you. He thought you looked positively radiant—skin pink, eyes bright, mouth pulled into a big, beautiful smile.

Thus, began several weeks of farm work and taking advantage of every possibly excuse you had to see Jungkook in the Greenhouse to steal a kiss when no one was around or to brush hands when they simply weren’t looking. Of course, then at night when you got back to your shared cell, you watched each other fall asleep while lying in your separate beds, murmuring sweet nothings and promises of your future together.

….

However, the Citadel seemed to have a way of ripping away the things you loved just when life was happy.

You and Jungkook were sitting on his bed in your cell, playing handshake games. He was quietly singing to you one of the songs from the Hymns of the Mages that he remembered from childhood. You tried to keep up with his angelic voice with your own singing but didn’t do as well as you hoped. Jungkook loved that you were singing, stealing kisses from you to make you feel better.

That’s when you heard men screaming from down the dank hallways of the prison. You were swords slashing, guns being fired. You both scrambled to your feet, rushing to get a peek out of your cell’s door to see what was happening.

The screaming and clashing of metal kept getting closer and closer until heavy footsteps rushed in your direction. “Get them out!” Doors of cells creaked open loudly, along with startled yelps of your fellow Mages.

Suddenly, a large, muscled man—a warrior—with long silver hair appeared in front of your cell, his gold eyes feral. Jungkook jumped in front of you, shielding you from the man, and pushed up back into the cell. The warrior smashed the lock with his weapon, and the door swung wide open. He stepped into the cell, weapon tight in hand and pointed towards Jungkook, who took up a fighting stance, his lips parting to reveal bared, gritted teeth.

The air sudden tasted metallic in your mouth. You realized it was because of Jungkook. His magic was radiating from him. It was like a heat wave rippling off his body. How was he doing this?

The warrior simply scowled at him and raised a hand, eyes closing shut. Then the metallic air dissipates into clean oxygen. Jungkook’s body visibly relaxed, and you stepped around him, watching the warrior curiously. Then your boyfriend said, “You’re a Mage.”

“We’re here to rescue you. Get you out of the Citadel,” he said, firmly.

“Really?” Your voice was full of hopeful.

“Yes, but we don’t have much time. I’m afraid our mole has gotten cold feet, and it won’t be long before the Citadel realizes we are here.”

We? There were other Mages, here?! Had your village finally figured out how to save its children and escape the clutches of the Governing Circle once and for all?

“Let’s go!” He shouted at both of you before stomping out of the cell to bark other orders.

Jungkook led you out first, following close behind you. In the hallway, your fellow Mages were either looking around confused or eagerly following the silver-haired warrior. The warrior’s team, men you’d never seen before, shook kids from their stupors and pushed them up the dungeon steps. Jungkook made sure the younger ones—the ones that were babies when you all were taken from the village—behind you two got in front and were following.

The sounds of quick breathing and feet running on stone bounced off the prison walls. Everything seemed so quiet otherwise.

Too quiet.

“Don’t let them escape!” One of the familiar voices of a Citadel soldier called behind you. You turned around and saw men with guns approaching fast. One of the Mages shouted for the silver-haired warrior in front, who pushed the kids to keep following another one of his team to the trucks. At the last second, the warrior and two other Mages stopped an onslaught of bullets flying towards you with a wall of powerful force. The metallic taste had returned in the air, but ten times more potent than before. The warriors groaned in effort until the soldiers at last emptied their guns and had to waste precious seconds to reload. Just enough time for the Mages to raise stone spikes from the surroundings walls to block the path.

“Run!” He bellowed, urging everyone to duck from any further bullets fired.

You were all sprinting out of the dungeon, and you could taste the fresh night air. You were so close to freedom!

What you didn’t expect was the smoke that instantly invaded your lungs. There were fires everywhere outside, blurring in your vision as you ran. Screams of terror and of pain rattled your ears. More Mages. They were everywhere, fighting the Citadel’s soldiers or anyone who tried to get in their way. Bodies dropped to the ground one-by-one. They noticed their silver-haired leader emerge from the prison with their intended targets and worked ferociously to clear a path to the vehicles.

They had to get out of here. They were already out of time.

“Get in the carts!”

Mages began to pile into carts strapped to horses, but the little children were loading too slowly. The Mages put up walls of force or moved the wind to blow around everyone, creating screens of smoke. You and Jungkook, along with the other older kids hauled the younger ones up into the cart beds and closed them shut. You all hopped in after them.

“Go! Go! Go!” A Mage warrior called after everyone was on the carts.

“Wait!” Jungkook whipped around in the cart bed and saw one of the children sprinting desperately. He must have gotten lost in the chaos. Without even thinking, Jungkook jumped out of the cart, rolling onto the ground to his feet and ran for the kid.

“Stop, stop!” You shouted desperately. “There’s one more!” The silver-haired warriors gold eyes glared at you. “Please! Jungkook, hurry!”

He ran as fast as he could back to the kid, dodging bullets. He scooped up the kid, who wrapped himself tightly around Jungkook’s torso, and sprinted back. He was panting heavily, sweat running down his face. He had to make it. Pounding boots sounded closer to him, and whipped around just in time, arm outstretched and eyeing a nearby fire to direct it onto the soldiers chasing him.

They are set ablaze immediately, howling in pain as the magic in the fire burns through their flesh rapidly. Jungkook turns back on his course quickly, leaving the men on fire to become ashes as they fall to the dirt.

You slam your hand against the wood of the cart. He’s going to make it, he’s going to make it, he HAS to make it! “Jungkook!” You called, desperate for him to run faster.

He gritted his teeth, willing his legs to move faster. He’s so close. 10 meters. Then, out of nowhere a black guard rammed into his side, sending all three of them reeling off track.

“No!” You cried.

“We need to go!” One of the Mages ordered. “The others can’t hold the gate any longer!” You looked towards the gates; they were slowly closing. If the warrior didn’t instruct those horses into full sprint in the next ten seconds, none of you were going to make it out.

Jungkook let go of the kid and blocked the black guard from attacking the boy. “Go to the carts,” he shouted. A large cut on his forehead sends blooding dripping down the side of his face into his eye.

The young Mage ran towards the cart, and you hopped out, ready to hoist him in.

“C’mon, c’mon,” you hurry him along and toss him into the back. You turned around, hoping to see Jungkook running towards you.

But he’s not. He’s still trying to fight off the black guard.

The black guard suddenly brandished a knife from his sleeve and cut deep into Jungkook’s arm. He cried out in pain, hand flying to the injury. It’s the worst pain he’s ever felt in his life. This wasn’t just a knife wound. He felt like all of the magic in his blood was burning in his veins.

“No!” You tried to run towards him, to save him! But thick arms wrap around you and haul you back to the cart. “No! Let me go! We can’t leave without him!” You kick and punch the Mage warrior who had a hold on you, but he won’t relent dragging you further away.

“We’re leaving now!” He hauled both of you into the cart bed, his grip like iron.

“Jungkook! Please!” Tears burned like acid in your eyes and down your face.

Jungkook has flipped on his stomach, still screaming in his pain. And he sees you, trying to fight your way to him. You’ll have to leave without him, he thought, but this isn’t goodbye. No… A new kind of rage filled him, one that scorched more than the pain in his body. Gathering the last bit of strength, he had left, he yelled as loud as he possibly could. “I promise!”

I promise I will find you again. I promise we’ll be free someday. I promise we’ll burn the Citadel to the ground. I promise to stay alive.

You heard him. Every last one of those promises etching themselves into your heart. You felt his rage, his pain, and his relentless love for you.

The carts hauled faster and faster, and Jungkook grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Even as everyone looked towards the gates that were closing with each passing second, you couldn’t move your eyes from where you can see Jungkook being lugged to his feet and taken away.

“Come on!” You here the warrior driving shout in frustration, urging the horses to go faster.

The stone gates get closer and closer

No, we won’t make it, it’s too close. We’ll crash the truck.

The Mage warrior bellows a cry of war, snapping the reins quickly in one last effort.

And then you’re through the gates, the stone booming shut behind you.

Deafening silence sucks the sound out of the air like a vacuum.

You stop fighting the Mage and fall to the floor of the cart bed, staring numbly at the Citadel—a locked box, probably to never be opened again. Black smoke billowed up into the night sky in thick clouds, the inner walls of the Citadel lit orange by flame. And Jungkook—your best friend, your true love—your Jungkook, was still inside.

You felt a hand at the back of your neck, and then a sensation that stole the breath from your lungs and froze the blood in your veins.

You fell, out cold, and the Citadel became a tiny box in the distance, until it was nothing more.

[neargaztambide]

Nightmares Better than Memories

Summary: the twins, among their search for anomalies, find a chest in the middle of the forest. A chest, which is more than it appears

Words: 1.187, almost

Text made for the Stan Twins Celebration Month, idea from @thestanbros​ (week number three: ADVENTURE)

DISCLAIMER:  this story contains graphic descriptions of violence and torture. These still have their doubts about its veracity, although they are not completely ruled out. Discretion is advised.  

“Hey, Stan: have you seen this!” Ford called Stanley to see something he had found in the brush. The aforementioned went quickly, and visualized what his brother discovered: a large chest, sealed with silver clusters. “What it could be inside?” Ford asked with great curiosity towards him. In response, Stanley raised a crowbar, and said, “We won't know it until we open it.” Stan approached and without hesitation, began to forcing to open the chest. However, it seemed to be difficult to open it. -I-it's stuck. C’mon, gimme a hand.” Ford approached him, and they both pried. Little by little, they made that chest opening.

They didn’t notice it, but a black smoke began to spread between the opening of the crowbar and the lid. “C’mon, c’mon… just a bit” Both men had to use all their strength to open it, with a lot of difficulty. From one second to the next, the chest finally was open. The lid broke, falling heavily to the ground. The smoke, the menacing smoke shot up into the sky like fireworks. The crowbar fell because both brothers covered their ears when hearing such horrible screams. Heartrending screams of a thousand and one voices attacked their ears, horribly and without stopping. The smoke quickly became a small hurricane. The leaves, the trees, and everything in their vicinity began to swirl. They both felt their feet float, rise from the great storm they left...

There was a pouring rain in the middle of the forest, in the middle of the night. One of the twins, Ford, was awakened by the icy drops of water, and by a lightning bolt that was heard listening to many meters. The man, dizzy, got up. He thought he had been knocked unconscious by the smoke, and that hours had passed. “S-Stanley?” Ford called weakly to his brother. He tried to search through the dark to no avail. He was in a shallow pit of earth, and he climbed, removing the mud, straining. Scratching the wet earth and using his nails as he could. He reached the end, just to hear a cry for help: “Ford! Ford, where are ‘ya?!” The screams of his brother ignited the alarms of danger in his mind, causing him to run away and also, stumbling in the mud when he rummaged in his pocket for his Lantern. “Stanley! Don’t worry, resist just a while!”

The fear, the uncertainty, the constant escalation of stress when not finding his brother, but only weeds, but not his brother, get Stanford to the fullest fear, the fullest horror on his recent months of life. “Stan, talk to...!” A scream interrupted him. It came from behind. A man lunged at him, at which Stanford drew his pistol, and seeing that the man was armed, he didn’t hesitate to shoot. That guy was pushed back, the flash put up more light, along with the explosion of the gun. He fell heavily to the ground, and Stanford pointed the flashlight at the man... his soul, his sigh showed his utter horror: a man with blue eyes and recently emptied of life, a white, blond face, and clothes made of pressed wool, skins of different beasts and leather. And where in the world where they when they found the chest, what was the last place they decided to visit? Scotland. There was only one village who dressed like that, who were inhabitants of Scotland and northern Europe, the most vorpal people for their torture and sacrifices: the morbid Vikings.

“Stanley, you have to run away from ‘ere! RUN!” That's when despair finally possessed the older brother, running and searching. He was running and hurting himself with the branches of the trees, not caring about that: the only thing that interested him was protecting him, taking care of him, saving Stanley from whatever those monsters could do to him. After so much persecution, Ford heard, among all that, voices that spoke in an understandable language. “Stanley.” Ford went to that address. His flashlight stopped working in the pouring rain. His only guide was audition. He searched, he tried to see through his ears those strange voices that may be his brother's downfall, and yet, it may also be the means to save him. “Ford? Ford, please help...!” Something stilled his voice. That meant it could be serious. Ford tried to fight through the darkness. He was able to get there, hearing the voices more clearly. From among the trees, he could make out that there were a few bonfires, lights, which made the vision somewhat easier. Hidden among the trees, Ford saw Stan being dragged. He writhed as best he could, dirtying his bare chest and muddy arms. He was gagged by what Stanford thought was a piece of leather. The Vikings looked wild and menacing. Among one of them, one with deer horns appeared on his hood, and his face was hidden by its shadow. Ford saw that bonfires could more or less be protected by makeshift roofs made of leaves and leather. Stanley was raised by one of the Vikings. Lightning struck the ground, producing more light. Right there, something that that ray, maybe in a heavenly way, could show a body for a few seconds.

It was from a man. Tall and Stanford could see that the decomposition process was already taking effect in the abdomen and hip area, showing holes in putrefying meat. His face was not covered, so his eyes showed that if they were so open, it seemed that they were going to come out of their sockets. The rest of his features showed that he had died from lack of blood, due to his terrible paleness and other symptoms. Ford looked down after checking his hands, which were hanging from strong ropes. Between his back, there were two stretches of skin that spread like wings, attached also with ropes. Right in all the area of ​​the rachis, and among all that, already backlit, there were some lines, which must have been… the ribs. On the shoulders, the victim's lungs hung. The sacrifice to some pagan god -perhaps to Valravn, or to the Vættir, or to something else- was through such a visceral way of dying. The Vikings were going to do the same to him. The same horrible form of torture. Even some whispered a song that in Stanford's ears was almost diabolical because of the deep and broken voice.

[Concept Art from Hellblade: Senua´s Sacrifice]

He didn't think what he did: he acted the way the Vikings acted: like beasts. That's the instinct of a beast: threaten it, and it will rip your throat out. He pulled out his gun and started shooting at those monsters. He couldn't, he didn't want those savages to hurt him. He couldn't allow it. They saw it, just like Stan: the Northmen thought they were being attacked by a strange hermit who cast magic by his fingers. Ford quickly went to Stan, lifting him off the ground and protecting him at all costs.

Stan finally spat out the leather and warned his twin about the Vikings coming after them. One took the other to flee: they could not finish everyone without ending up seriously injured. They ran to flee. They were looking for a way out of that nightmare. The Northmen were chasing them, looking for them and shouting unintelligible things. It was all just confusing. “Ford, run, run!” “Don't leave me, do you understand?!” Ford continually hit his headlight to turn it on. He had an idea to run away: if the chest got them into that, the chest would also get them out.

The two of them hid behind some trees, causing the Vikings to finally lose sight of them. They crouched down to try to go unnoticed. “I'm fine. You?” Stan is completely unaware, since he lost his glasses and couldn’t see anything; just a blurred darkness. “I think we should go for the chest... it's the only thing that came to my...” Something came from the darkness... Stanley couldn't see it, but Ford did: it was a horse that walked calmly despite the pouring rain. “Ford, there’s somethin’? What’s that noise?” On top of the horse, there was a fatal figure by its black cape and its long cane. Ford didn't know who that guy was, until he turned his face toward them, making a star-like glow appear where the right eye has to appear. He, still looking at them, used his stick to point something towards his back. The two brothers stared at the mysterious apparition, who then looked ahead again, and his horse walked slowly. Stan felt something strange about that creature: it seemed to have more than four legs. Ford followed the figure until it disappeared into the darkness. “I think I know where we’ve to go...” whispered Stanford, helping to lift Stan up (he didn't need help, but he didn't want to part with him). They both headed in the direction the shadow pointed them. Behind them, something sounded: a wake-up call from one of the Northmen. “Oh, fuck!” Ford shouts and hurried to Stan. The Vikings trooped after them, yelling and almost beating them.

They crossed even more branches, almost stumbled through the mud; the relentless rain tormented them with its cold that froze them to the bone. In a few minutes, and both falling near a strange stone, they looked back: they could make out the menacing shadows that were already reaching them. Stan felt the stone, and saw that it was indeed the chest. “Sixer, it’s here!” Both were being seized with fear, they were going to get closer! Stan shook the chest, vainly trying to get the chest to transport them again. “C’mon, just do it!” Stan gave the chest a good blow, and it, without either of them touching it, began to exude the same smoke. They both felt it as a hot, a burning sensation.

The two of them came out driven by that smoke. They seemed to be turning hands, gripping them tightly. The men from the north couldn't see it, but the cufflinks were stretched like a garter that swirled into the chest.

Ford felt he was flying, thrown into the unknown... until he fell into something hard called ground. Stan also fell next to him. They were both breathing hard, and looked up. The lid was decoupled from the hinges, but black smoke gripped the lid and snapped it back into place, sealing the chest tightly.

“Are you okay?” Ford asked his twin. “I'm just gonna say one thing” Stan stared at the sky, tired, but not exhausted of humor: “: I don't wanna to know ‘bout treasures or chests... got it?” “... got it...” Stanford smiled, about to laugh at outbursts of nerves and relief: they had narrowly escaped. Stan followed him. “Wanna go to Stan ‘O War” “Sure…”

[gamernovellist]

A Brother’s Regret

Hey everyone, guess who’s reviving their Tumblr just to post this short story. So this is one of my D&D character’s backstory that I shared with my group and they praised it, so I decided to share it. I’m actually pretty proud of it because it’s the first short story I’ve written.  Anyways, sorry for stalling.

TW: Suicide and Bullying

Caden put on his left shoe again and tied it. He was already running late for work before he noticed the sole of his shoe tearing away. It only took him a couple minutes to fix, but those were minutes he couldn't afford. He stood up from his bed and patted down his clothes, taking one last look at himself in his bedroom mirror to make sure everything was ok. He started to leave his room, but his sister stopped him at the door. ”Hey Cade, can we talk?” Lyra asked, looking at the floor, her black hair covering her eyes. "I'd love to sis, but I'm really running late, and Mr. Walsh will kill me if I slow him down again." "Oh, alright." Lyra rubbed her wrist, she still hadn't looked up, but Cade could see her frown. "Oh come on, Lyra, don't be like that, smile a bit." Cade poked his twin's side and started tickling her. Lyra started laughing. Her tickle spots hadn't changed since their tickle wars as kids. Cade stopped and stepped around her. "I'll be back in a couple hours, we can talk then ok." "Ok." Lyra said, she was still giggling a bit, but was calming down. "I also made you lunch." Lyra pointed to a bag on the kitchen counter. Cade grabbed it and smiled at her. "Thanks Lyra. You didn't have to though." Lyra shrugged. "Hurry up. Mr. Walsh is already going to rip you a new one." Cade widened his eyes. "Shit, you're right." He kissed the top of his sister's head. "Love you Lyr." "Love you too." She said as Cade left the house

Cade ran from one end of the kitchen to the other, chopping vegetables and doing any other little thing he could to speed up Mr. Walsh's cooking. He was extremely lucky Mr. Walsh offered him this job as a cooking aide. While there were places that would hire a fifteen year old, not many of them would accept 'that half elf'. One of the downsides of living in a small human village. But there was nothing he could do about that. Luckily Mr. Walsh didn't care, his customers on the other hand did. To continue working there all Cade had to do was try to stay unseen as much as possible. If someone saw him from time to time it was fine, Walsh could talk his way out of it. But people could spread rumors if they learned Cade helped prepare most of the food. Cade had just finished up chopping an onion when Mr. Walsh came into the kitchen. "Hey kid, we slowed down a bit, go ahead and take a break." "Thank you Mr. Walsh." Cade said, pushing the chopped onions aside and putting down the knife. Cade walked to the table in the corner where he took his breaks. He let out a deep breath as he sat down. Not a second later his stomach started rumbling. He grabbed his lunch and took the container out of the bag. On top of it was a letter. On it, it read 'To my dearest brother'. Cade smiled at his sister's handwriting. He set aside his lunch and opened the letter and read it.

Dear Caden, First of all I want you to know that I love you. You and mother are what I cherish the most in all the world, at least the moments when mother isn't distant. But even with all the love we share, it is not enough. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. Everyday I live is pain. We don't belong in this town, and I'm starting to believe there is no place for us in this world, no place for me. You got lucky with Mr. Walsh's inn, and the bullies at school have even started ignoring you a little. But for me, their insults have only escalated, and I can't do anything about them. If I talk back to them, they redouble their forces. If I retaliate, I'm in the wrong. But everything they say is true. I am worthless, I'm only a burden. Even father knew I wasn't worth the effort and that's why he left us. Mother sees it every time she looks at me  and it drives her to drink. And you, we haven’t spent as much time together, I can only assume it’s because you’re also starting to realize how worthless I am. I tired to make it all better, but there is no solution. But one. I love you brother, and thank you for all the memories we've shared. But this life is only torment, and it won't get any better. My last memory is going to be of the only happy place I had in this world, and let my last thoughts be of all the memories we had there. Goodbye Caden. Love, Lyra

Cade stared at the end of the letter. He only broke out of the trance when a tear fell on the paper. He noticed his hands trembling. Cade thought this had to be a joke. A very sick, distasteful joke. It was payback for Cade not talking to her before work. Cade shot up out of his chair. Lyra wanted to talk today. Maybe this is what she wanted to talk about. Maybe he could've, helped her. Cade felt more tears fall down his face and guilt build up inside him. "Caden what's wrong?" Mr. Walsh asked. Caden hadn't noticed him approach. "I'm sorry Mr. Walsh, I have to go." As soon as the last word left his mouth Cade took off out of the inn, not waiting for his boss's reply. He ran through the streets, hoping he wasn't too late. There was no way any of this was serious. No way Lyra would actually, would actually… His mind brought back the image of her face that morning, how she couldn't even look him in the eyes. Cade ran faster, he had to get to her before she went though with it. Cade was too in his mind that he didn't see the group of people in front of him until he'd ran into them and lost his balance. "Watch where you're going knife ears." Cade heard an familiar guy's voice say. "You'd think with ears that big he'd have echolocation." There was laughter all around him, and he knew he ran into the last group of people he wanted to run into. "Fuck off Luther." Cade said, getting off the ground and facing the group of bullies. Cade tried to get through, but Luther and one of his goons blocked his path. "You're not going anywhere mutt. Not until you apologize." Cade glared at him. "I don't have time for this." Cade knew it wouldn't stop at an apology, Luther would keep making up things he'd have to do before he let him go. It' been that way since grade school. "Do it or else we'll make Otto set up another date with your sister and leave her hanging." The group laughed at that threat, as if remembering a good joke. Cade stared blankly at them. "You did what?" He snarled. "You should've seen the look on her face." Jolene, another of Luther's posse, said. "She was so depressed after waiting a whole hour for Otto to show up. As if he'd ever date an ugly bitch like her. Just for good measure we dumped buckets of mud on her." Anger rose up inside Cade's chest, but it was also joined by guilt. Lyra had the biggest crush on Otto, and if something like that happened, and he hadn't heard of it. Lyra must've been holding it in, and Cade grew even more worried. Cade shoved Luther and his lackey out of his way and ran towards the forest. He ignored Luther calling him a "Stinking half elf." behind him and kept running. Lyra had written that she was going to end it in the only happy place she had, a place they shared many memories in, and there was only one place that matched that description. Their secret base in the woods. Cade turned left at the Twisted Tree of Mystery, and then a right at the Mighty Fallen Tree Warrior. "Lyra!" He called out Cade thought back to when they first found the spot, how happy they were to have a place away from everyone that would call them names, and how they came up with the names for the places they had to pass to reach it. "Lyra! He tried again. He remembered all the games they would play, and even all the little animals they befriended. There had to be no way Lyra really wanted to kill herself there, this was all just a sick ploy to get him there. "Lyr-" Something snagged Cade's foot and he was sent tumbling down a small hill. Cade scolded himself for forgetting that tree branch. Lyra and him would say that was an intruder trap. Cade found it ironic he'd fall for it. Cade got up and ran the last stretch to the base. When he saw the giant tree, he knew he was there. "Lyra!" He called, looking around to see if he saw her. He couldn't find any trace of her, only the toys they'd left there from their childhood and never put away. Cade checked inside the little house that was against the tree. They'd always found it weird how it was just sitting there in the middle of the woods. They even thought it was haunted for a while. But eventually they used it almost everyday. The house was empty, just like Cade's hopes that his sister was ok. He turned around in a circle, wondering where she could've gone. That's when he heard a hoot. Cade stopped and locked eyes with the owl perched on one of the tree roots. The area was always inhabited by a bunch of owls, but Cade had never seen one perched so low when he was there. The Owl hooted again before flying off around the tree. Cade sensed a sort of intelligence in the bird and decided to follow it. But he soon wished he hadn't. Around the tree, a couple feet away from it, hanging from a branch, was Lyra's body. Cade stopped in his tracks, all the feeling in his body left him. All he was left with was sadness, and guilt. Cade's legs trembled, but he took another step forward, and another. Somehow he made it a few steps away from Lyra before collapsing. Tears streamed down his face. He wasn't sure if they'd just started, or if they’d been going for a while and only now he was feeling things again. Cade saw a glint on the ground below Lyra and walked to it. He picked it up, and the tears intensified. It was Lyra's ring, the one she saved up to buy. It wasn’t super pretty, nor was it expensive, but Lyra loved it because she earned the money working with their mom. Lyra held on to the ring as a dear memory. Cade held the ring close to his chest and let out a painful yell, and sobbed. Cade heard the sound of wings flapping away in fear, and wings flying close. He heard a hoot, but ignored it. He was such an idiot, how could he not see how much his sister was hurting. How could he not see that she wanted his help. If only he'd been a better brother. If only he'd stayed and listened to what she had to say that morning. "Oh sweet child, how dour this is." A voice sounded around Cade, but he didn't look up, he didn't care. "Don't blame yourself child, you were no more at fault than she was." The voice continued. It sounded almost motherly in nature, like how his mother sounded on her good days. Cade heard more hooting, and more wings flapping around him. But he didn’t care. His sister was dead, she'd killed herself and it was all his fault. There were even more hooting and Cade couldn't help but think of how they reminded him of the bullies laughing at Lyra's situation. That's when Cade realized they were just at fault as he was. Lyra wouldn’t be gone if they hadn’t bullied her into it. "I'll make them pay." Cade said to himself. "Revenge is never a good path to take, child. Your sister would not want that for you." Cade opened his eyes. He stared at the grass underneath him, at the crumbled leaves on the ground. There was something odd in their color, they were more vibrant than they should be. "But they have to pay for what they did." He told the voice. "I have to stop them before they do this again. This shouldn’t happen to anyone, and I won’t let it happen ever again." "You are not strong enough child." The motherly voice said. "But I have to be." Cade looked up and his mouth opened. The area he was in seemed to have shrunk, and tree branches grew where they hadn't been before, encircling him. But on those tree branches were owls, dozens of them, probably even hundreds. Lyra still hung above him. And while he still felt guilt, he also felt conviction. "Very well." The voice said. Cade couldn't figure out where it was coming from. "I can help make you stronger, but only if you agree to help me when I ask for it." Cade was worried. He knew better than to make deals with strange voices in the woods, but he also knew the voice was right, he wasn't strong enough to face the bullies. He'd go back to face them and they'd beat him up like they’ve done so many times before. Besides, there was something behind the voice that made it seem like Cade could trust it, as if the voice truly cared for him. "Why do you care so much?" Cade asked. "Because I feel your pain, child." The voice said. "I've watched the two of you play and grow in these woods. It feels like I've lost someone as well." Caden remembered all the owls he's seen in the woods over the years. Caden and Lyra were always alone in the woods, but Cade realized they weren't ever truly alone. "Ok." Cade said. "I accept." The roots and branches in front of him parted way for a hand to reach out. It wasn't quite a hand, it was more like a talon, and the arm was covered with feathers. Cade hesitated but a moment before grasping the talon and shaking it. The roots and branches opened up even more and the hand's owner stepped forward. The figure was an owl with an unusually expressive face. She was much larger than an owl should be, larger than anyone Cade had seen. Atop her head were white vines that descended like dreads. Simply through the handshake Cade learned the entity's name. The Owl Mother. "Come, my child. You have much to learn."

[naruto-v2]

Minato x Kushina

“Tomato” The boy with a bandana pointed at her. “That’s what we’ll call you from today on because your hair is sooo red!” The laughed out loud, causing Kushina’s face to heat up. The had cornered her as she returned from the bathroom, but no matter. Her hands clenched into fists as she readied herself to defend her clan pride, her red hair. Suddenly, a boy with golden hair stepped in from of her.

“It’s not nice to bully others you know.”

“O-Oh Minato! We-We were just welcoming her! With a cool name, that’s all.”

He glared at them, causing them to scamper off. He turned to her then, “Why don’t you join my group for lunch?”

“Hmph, I didn’t need your help.” She crossed her arms angrily and tried to leave. Just then, someone wrapped her arms around her. She turned to see a girl with raven hair in short twin tails, like pineapple stems. “Kushina-sama right? Come on, it’s no fun eating alone. Join us?” Kushina, seeing that a girl was going to be there too, felt more comfortable joining them.

Kushina later learned that the girl’s name was Shimeru, a tomboy, fun-loving girl. She was then itroduced to Iyashi, a boy with shaved hair, and Yoshirou, a boy with long black hair pinned to the top of his head.

Iyashi, Shimeru, Minato, Yoshirou, these were her first friends at the Academy and the people she would end up spending many days with. 

********** When she realized that she was in love with him:

As usual, Minato escorted Kushina home, relishing their time together. Kushina shooed him away as they came to her front gate. She knew if her siblings say her with a guy, they would be relentless in their rumors and teasing. Minato smiled knowingly and waved as he left. Kushina opened the front door to see an empty house. It stood eerily quiet. Where was everyone? Usually her adopted family of five siblings would be running around, causing the familiar ruckus throughout the house. As she walked through the long hallway, a group of ninja suddenly crashed through the window and kidnapped her.

They tied her up, blinding her so she could not see and gagging her so she could not scream. Then they carried her as if she were a sack of potatoes, rushing off to an unknown location.

The entire way, Kushina dropped strands of her hair, praying that someone will come for her, to save her.

And someone did, Minato. With his speed and silence, he took out the two ninja before they could put up a fight.

Kushina felt herself drop into the waiting arms of someone and rush of air around her as the newcomer rushed off. When they got to a safe enough distance, Minato took off all the pieces of rope and cloth.

“Are you okay Kushina?”

“Minato!” Her eyes watered as she looped her arms around him. “Thanks for saving me.” She felt a strange sensation at the bottom of her stomach as her cheeks heated up.

She had her face buried in his chest but she could tell he was smiling. 

“How did you find me?”

He scooped her up as he replied.“Usually you would hear a lot of noise from your house, so I checked the chakra signatures when you went in.” Minato paused. "I went in after you but they must have detected me because I got stuck in a genjutsu.”

Kushina tensed up as she said in a quiet voice, “You should have gotten help idiot, not come after me. If you had gotten injured or died...” She choked down a sob. 

“Are you the jinjuriki?” He asked suddenly.

Kushina jolted as she stared at his face, expecting to see the frown and bitter eyes of the classmates she snarled at one too many times for calling her tomato.

But Minato just smiled. “It’s not a bad thing. It just means you are protecting our village.” he said, causing her heart to miss another beat.

He took her to his house that night and swore to interrogate the Hokage for what had happened tonight. There was no way a whole family would disappear for no reason.

*******

Kushina was known throughout the school as the red hot habanero- beating up any and all people that tried to make fun of her hair. And she was there again, surrounded by cherry blossoms, wet mud, and the menacing seniors of her school. Their friends had been beaten to a pulp by Kushina and they were hungry for revenge. Kushina, unfortunately, could not defeat these as they were older than her. Reluctantly, Kushina had sent a message to Minato for help and  he was there in a flash, body flicker. He fell over and rolled on the ground at first, but quickly bounced onto to his feet and whisked out two kunais. The boys recognized him immediately and backed off. They did not want to deal with the legendary Tsunade for hurting his son.

"I hate it,” Kushina muttered, hands twisting in the wet mud that was seeping through her clothes. “I hate this school, I hate this weather, I hate everything.”

She watched as Minato stopped and turned towards her, moving with cautious steps. He didn’t say anything, just opened up his arms in case she needed someone.

“Most of all,” Kushina sniffed, tugging at her soggy hair mixed with mud, “I hate this stupid mop on top of my head.”

“That’s a shame,” he replied, his hand brushing through her hair, “I quite like it.

She felt a tingling sensation in her stomach as her heart sped up. She coughed forcibly to hide her embarrassment. “Let’s just go home.”

He took her arm, incidentally at the same place where a bruise was forming, making her wince. He drew back quickly. “Sorry about that, I was just thinking I could patch you up a little before we go.”

Even though she had seen in multiple times, it still amazed her to see the green glow of the medical jutsu he used to heal her. And afterwards, she felt no pain whatsoever.

*******

“And now you’re telling me what's been going on with you,” Tsunade ordered, and indicating her son to sit down in front of him with a nod as Dan poured citrus tea into the cups. “You’ve got both of us worried.”

Minato laughed. “You’re exaggerating, mom.”

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him.

“You think I don’t know my own son?” she said, before taking a sip of the tea.

Minato looked away abashedly.

“Now you talk or I’ll make you.”

The blond opened his mouth, then closed it. His parents were very familiar with his friends as they had come over more times than he can count. He did not want his mother doing anything irrational to help him...

“You’re mother’s right, you should talk to us. Especially when you need advice” Dan told his son, his voice warm.

Minato smiled at his father's remark. He tried to form the words, feeling a blush creep onto hos cheeks. Despite trusting them, this was an embarrassing topic to talk about.

“Is it your early graduation?”

Minato shook his head. Not that that didn’t bother him any longer, but … well, that wasn’t it.

“You worried about grades?”

Another headshake.

Tsunade’s lips uptured playfully. “Love, maybe?”

Something in Minato’s face responded.

Tsunade laughed.

“She’s gotta be a living goddess to have caught your attention.”

Minato looked up, face tinged red. “You could say that...”

“Don’t worry,” she told her son confidently, “I’m sure she’d be elated to have you.”

“I don’t think she likes me that way though.” Minato twisted around his cup.

“But I thought you were popular in school?”

Minato gave a small smile. “That doesn’t change anything. We- We’ve been friends for a long time”

Tsunade’s mouth formed and O at realization, “Ah, that is the most difficult decision.”

After a moment of silence, Minato asked, “How did you and father get together?.”

The blond took a deep breath. “You won’t get anything useful from that or any of my experiences with love. I stuck like glue around only one friend my entire childhood… and it was on the field that your father and I met. He was as sweet as you, Minato. I took to him quickly.”

Minato sighed and took a gulp of tea– he had to admit, his father had amazing skills when it came to tea. “So… what should I do?”

Tsunade looked to her husband, who was also thinking hard about this issue. 

“Maybe ask your other friends, her close friends, see if she likes you back.”  He suggested.

Tsunade shook her head, “At their age, they should be able to make their own decisions. You should talk to her. But be careful, changing friendship into a relationship is something you can’t take back.”

Minato’s lips curled into a tight smile.

“I understand.”

********

It was a week later that Shimeru walked up to him after school, “Do you like someone?”

“Uh… Why?”

She thought about it for a moment before replying, “Someone likes you.”

Minato’s breath caught in his throat. She can’t mean Kushina. “I like Kushina.” He blurted out, knowing that he can trust her with this information.

She gazed at him with wide eyes, then clicked her tongue. “I can’t believe you haven’t noticed already. She is heads over heels for you. I know she told me not to tell but I want her to be happy. You know where she is, don’t delay it.” With a pat on his back, Shimeru left him.

“Hey,” he said, taking a step towards Kushina.

“Oh, hey,” she replied, smiling at him. “You waiting for me?” It was five in the afternoon, the time Kushina’s tutorials ended. She had more chakra than most people so it was hard for her to control it.

“Who else?” Minato flashed a nervous smile at his friend. He took a deep breath.

“You have so many friends and admirers Minato, I don’t understand why you don’t try indulging them a little.”

Minato stopped walking abruptly, causing Kushina to to turn around to look at him. “I like you.” He said a little too quickly. “Will you go on a date with me, Kushina?”

Kushina's face turned a bright red as she gaped at him. Her heart pounded out of control.

“Yes,” She said quickly. “Let’s do that. I mean, let’s go. I mean... where? Where to.”

He laughed at her blubbering, causing her to turn even redder.

“Ichiraku ramen?” Her favorite place, as Minato had come to know it.

“Y- your treat, though,” Kushina stated, crossing her arms as if trying to appear her normal, defiant self.

Minato smiled widely, relieved that she had accepted. 

“Sure,” he replied.

Kushina started to walk, and Minato followed. Somehow things felt a little akward between them, but Minato knew it would dissipate with time. 

*********

Kushina wandered Konoha, craving some restaurant food for dinner. ‘Tonkatsu sounds good. But it’s a bit expensive…’ she thought to herself. She passed buildings and people, surveying all the restaurants and their prices. Maybe I’ll just get the groceries first...

There was a sudden flash, and Kushina instinctively lifted her arms to catch someone that was falling in front of her.

After a moment, she realized she was holding Minato. He looked up at her with a big dumb grin. “Kushina, I’ve fallen for you and I can’t get up.”

With a face as red as her hair, and unable to think of anything to say, Kushina dropped him. “Minato! W-What are you doing?”

Minato rubbed his rear ruefully. “Saying my daily ‘I love you.’”

She sighed, “I’m going shopping, why don’t you do something more useful and come with me.”

‘Five spice powder, rice, dried shrimp, dried seaweed,’ Kushina thought to herself as she rounded a corner.

And walked right into Minato, who was supposed to be helping her get the chicken for tonight. He gave her a big dopey grin. “Did you cast a genjutsu on me, because I’m lost in your eyes.”

Kushina looked at him with concern in her eyes as she pressed her hand to his forehead. “Are you ok?”

He smiled at her, “Of course.” He lifted the meat to show her, “I got what you asked and was waiting for you that’s all.

As they waited in the register line, Kushina whispered into his ear, “Where are you even getting these weird phrases?”

Minato gave an awkward chuckle. “I saw them on The Konoha Tribune and wanted to try them out.” 

Kushina rolled her eyes. “Reading the newspaper like an old man?”

“Hey, they have some really interesting things.” He said, a little hurt by her words. She shoved all the bags into his arms. “For annoying me all day and using me as a test subject, you better carry all those.”

“I was going to even if you didn’t ask.” She knew that of course, yet she felt a tinge of annoyance at his  smile. “I needed hands to do this.” She snapped back as she unwrapped a lollipop, his favorite flavor, and shoved it ungracefully into his mouth.

*********

“Congratulations on graduating,” Minato said as he swung upside down from a tree branch and brandished his bouquet of flowers as soon as he saw Kushina walking over. “I’m sorry I had to miss the ceremony.”

Kushina looked at his upside-down face. He looked handsome even like that. She knew he was really busy these days with the current political circumstances and an oncoming war, but she could not help feeling the sting of disappointment that he had not been there when she walked across the stage. Ever since the kidnapping situation, and the revelation that he could make up seals, it seemed like every one of the older ninja wanted his assistance, so much so that they’d asked him to graduate early.

Noticing her frown, he dropped down in front of her, reaching out to comfort her. “Oh, I’m really sorry, Kushina, can I make it up to you?”

“I don’t care that you weren’t there, idiot,” she snapped, blushing a little. “I’m going home.”

Minato followed her, hands in his pockets. She slowed down to let him fall in line with her, secretly happy to walk next to him under the stares of her classmates and their parents as they took the busy road away from the academy. As always, he filled her with warmth and calmness.

Then she realized the stares were not for her particularly, but for the bouquet of flowers Minato was still holding. She snatched it from him, “Ugh, you’re drawing a lot of attention with this.”

He chuckled, “I had to give you something.”

“Buy me some miso ramen then! That’s the least you can do.”

When they got there, They greeted Teuchi and his son Sarui. When Kushina asked about his day, Sarui boasted about how his wife was expecting a child and how it would be the highlight of his life. Kushina eagerly volunteered to help take care of him or her when the baby was born, remebering how she had pestered her parents when she was young to have a sibling. Minato agreed with her. 

***********

Kushina watched Minato with awe as he etched a swirl and a loop and a few characters into the bark of a tree, building on a half-formed idea as he worked. He had been developing this for months but only ever tested it to see if it works. Kushina had been learning the complex Fushi alphabet since three years old, yet she had never thought of mixing it with modern language, much less creating a new jutsus out of it. And he was only a chunin.

In that mission, Minato realized Toshirou, their teammate and his last friend from their academy group of five, did not return after the allotted 20 minutes to fend off the enemy. Kushina urged Minato to keep going but he refused to lose yet another friend. Kushina refused to let Minato go alone. Unfortunately, when he teleported there, they found themselves surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered. Minato’s teleportation failed the next two times, making him wonder if there was a cooldown time he did not think of. Upon fighting, both accumulated deep gashes along their skins and nearly exhausted all of their chakra. Minato tried the seal again, grabbing Kushina's hand and Yoshirou’s collar, focusing the last faded remnants of his chakra. The ground and the Cloud-nins vanished as they landed three miles away.

Minato’s knees buckled then and he collapsed onto the ground. Kushina cursed at him under her breath. She lifted him up, dragging him with her, each step sending another jolt of pain through her. Minato shuddered with an unseen chill, fingers tangled painfully in her hair. It was sheer luck that a medic was nearby. When Kushina woke up again in the hospital tent, she looked over to see Minato smiling at her. If she was not busy holding back tears, Kushina would tell him he looks much too happy for someone near death. Then again, he would only respond that being around her made him happy, no matter the situation.

In the afternoon, he was propped up in a sitting position to get some food and answer some questions the ANBU captain had, detailing his latest seal invention.

"What's so wrong with saving your teammates?" Minato asked when he finished. Kushina did not like these men pressuring Minato when he was clearly still recovering. Protectively, she had planted herself beside him despite the doctor’s protests that she should rest.

Kushina glared at him with narrowed eyes, fury rolling in waves off of her, and spluttered out ten kinds of obscenities. She wished  he'd get angry about something for once.

"You could've died," she snapped.

"You could've, too." He mused and added, "I didn't want that."

"Look, if you think I'm that easy to kill - "

He kissed her mid-insult, knowing that she was only going to start shouting and annoy the sleeping neighbors.

Instead of protesting, she leaned in and kissed him back like it's the last thing she'll ever do.

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

After her little outburst in the hospital tent he decided to rethink his priorities, and instead he decided to take on a Genin team instead.

"Your new students are 7, 9 and 9 years old?" she asked him in an incredulous tone and Minato merely scratched his cheek shyly before nodding. "That is much too young, way too young to be a ninja! They deserve a childhood."

“I think you are the only one who stayed at the academy until 13 years old Kushina.”

“And I needed all those years. Minato, when you become hokage, promise me you’ll change this. This… this just isn’t right.”

He rubbed her arms gently, “I understand. I will do what I can.”

When he told her it was Sakumo's son, she had expected a well mannered, generous young man. However, Kakashi turned out to be a haughty, snobbish little boy who seemed to consider others beneath him.

Kushina right off the bat told Kakashi that he was an arrogant little brat and should learn to behave. Kakashi shot back that he thought Kushina is a disgrace to ninjas and possibly a waste of oxygen. Minato has to slam a pot down on his table a little too hard to quite them, telling one to behave himself and the other to please be quiet, because she's being out-argued by a nine-year-old.

Kushina mutters something obscene as she leaned over to peer in the pot. "I thought you hated seafood."

Minato rolls his eyes and hands her an extra-large serving without a word.

When Kakashi's out of earshot, he tells her that his father had committed suicide last year and he had basically rejected everything that his father resembled, which unfortunately was respect, kindness, and honor. She softened considerably after that.

"I do not like that boy," she says sometimes – and then one day without any warning it becomes "I do not want that boy to live with us or anything" and he brings his student home from a mission to find saury and eggplants taking over their fridge.

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

Out of all three of Minato’s team, Kushina loved Obito best because he loved to have fun and was respectful to everyone. He always sought out people to help and she always noticed it, all around town.

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

The Yellow Flash nickname started as a bad joke between some jonin under the influence of too much sake - but it stuck and by the end of the month, nearly everyone in the village knew Minato as such. Then unexpectedly, one day, it turned up in a captured Mist bingo book.

"Welcome back home, you’re a day early." Kushina said as she helped him take off his coat. “I guess that would be expected from the Yellow Flash.”

“The... what?” He spluttered, gazing at her with wide eyes.

She laughed, “There’s gossip from my friends that everyone is calling you that.”

He tried to be modest about his new jutsu, of course. He explained the seal and the precise chakra control to the Leaf's elders and elite, first cheerfully, then seriously, and finally with growing desperation when he realized that no one else can even move themselves an inch with his technique. Other seals are brought in for him to examine - twisting, complicated ones on musty scrolls - and he found with surprise that he could read them like words on a page, expertly untangling them until everyone but the Sandaime and maybe Orochimaru completely lose track of what he's talking about.

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

Two years of bonding was all they got. Kakashi was only eleven when things went downhill. When Uchiha Obito died, Kakashi reevaluated his values and decided that maybe teammates really are more important. He swore on his life to protect Rin, but just as they left the collapsed cave, they found themselves surrounded. Rin with her fire and Kakashi with his lightning, they fought until they had exhausted themselves. It was lucky that Minato had come back for them in time to defend them.

Minato felt guilty for have left them to complete the mission and stood by Kakashi’s side, insisting that Kakashi be allowed to keep the Sharingan eye. He told Kakashi to live for the sake of the people he loves, have loved, and will love. Become strong for those people, as that was his nindo.

Kakashi expected that the Uchiha clan would berate him for defying the Sharingan. He expected Mikoto to glare at him every time they passed each other on the streets for letting her precious little cousin die. Thinking of her before it all, a kind woman who always invited them over for dinner, tore at his heart. He expected the punishment for almost failing the mission when he went after Rin. He expected the whispers that followed him as was for his father. But that did not mean it did not hurt.

Friend-Killer Kakashi. That was his first nickname, and it left a sour taste in his mouth. 

They never spoke it out loud in fear of punishment from the Hokage, but he could hear the whispers.

The rumors had started when he came back with the Sharingan. The Uchiha clan were outraged that their Sharingan could just be gifted away. Then their pride was damaged a second time when Minato beat them in court- Not that it was hard, the Uchiha rarely won in court. The very next week, everyone was whispering how Kakashi had killed Obito to obtain the power. The week after that, people hypothesized that it must have been jealousy for Obito and Rin’s passionate love. Some elaborate plan, they would say, to get the power and his crush at the same time. 

Rin always pulled him closer to her when they said these things, letting her warmth remind him that he was not alone, but it pained Kakashi everytime. He dreamed of his father many times, realizing how he had felt and hating himself for having distanced himself when his father needed him the most. He had the nerve to feel disappointed that his father had fallen so low. He regretted that he never apologized or said a proper goodbye. 

Oftentimes, he would wake up to the right side of his pillow dampened by tears. Obito’s eye. He was fine though, as long as he had his four puppies, and Rin. He vowed to dedicate his life to protecting her, for the sake of his best friend.

Rin mourned everyday, so to cheer her up and strengthen her, Kakashi put up a front, smiling for the first time in his life. He invited her out to meals and spent time with her, allowing her to curl up in his embrace and cry. It broke him every time but he always told her that he was fine, that she could always lean on him.

He could tell his change of attitude only spurred on the rumors, but Rin was all that mattered. As long as she was okay, he would be too.

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

Less than a year later, Rin died. Kakashi and Guy fended off the people as they urged Rin to go ahead and blow up their headquarters. Of their group of ten that charged into enemy territory together, only the three of them remained and destroying one of their communication spots would help move the war to Konoha’s advantage. He had not planned that there would be more soldiers waiting at the headquarters after the ruckus they made to attract their attention. When Kakashi realized Rin had disappeared, he left Guy to finish the mission and went after Rin, knowing he might die doing so. He felt that something was wrong when the soldiers put up a weak defense against him as he retrieved Rin. He felt that something was wrong when a strange dark chakra seemed to be emanating from Rin. But he ignored it all, he had to save her. 

Then they were cornered by a different group of Shinobi at a bridge. That was when Rin jumped in and killed herself. 

Kakashi went into a shocked coma. 

Minato sat silently outside the hospital room, his mind blank, and he had absolutely no idea what to do next until he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. His wife sat next to him, one arm draped around him. They discussed the prospects of making him move in with them.

Kakashi’s mind cleared up after a month of muddled memories and twisting and screaming in his bedsheets. He woke up to see Kushina sitting by his hospital bed, holding onto his hand.”Kushina-san?”

She muttered a few incoherent words as she opened her eyes. “Oh Kakashi! You’re awake!” Kushina’s arms pulled him into a hug. Almost all his muscles clenched in protest. He had not expected such a warm greeting for what he had done.His mouth opened to say stuff, but the words were stuck in his throat as tears trickled down his cheek.

Unable to form a sound, Kakashi lifted his arms to curl around Kushina. She was warm and comforting, even if her hair tickled his face. “It’s okay, Kakashi. We’re here for you,” she murmured quietly, stroking his hair.

She pulled back slowly and stood up with a smile, “Wait here.” She stalked outside for a few moments before returning with Minato.

He rushed forward too and hugged him.

As Minato pulled away, Kakashi blurted out with a confused tone, “Why aren’t you guys angry?”

Minato frowned, a wrinkle creasing between his eyebrows. “Why would we be angry?”

One of Kakashi’s hands came up to gently touch the bandages that covered Obito’s eye. It still stung painfully, a constant reminder of his loss. “Both of them are dead.” His voice was flat. Dead. Like he felt. “Because of me.”

“Oh, Kakashi.”  Kushina sighed, her voice cracking as tears welled in her eyes. She cleared her throat to speak with a firmer voice. “We truly believe it couldn’t have been you. You cared too much for her to have stabbed her.”

In that moment, Kakashi could see the front Minato had always put up drop to show a sorrowful and weary gaze. Kushina took his hand and squeezed it. “One of the hardest lessons to learn is that the people you love will die, it is unavoidable. It happens much more often in times of war and within the life of a shinobi.” He sighed heavily, sounding more exhausted than Kakashi had ever heard him. “All you can do is latch on desperately to a purpose. Your nation’s safety, your wife at home, your friends who are still alive. Wallowing in guilt over every death will only ruin you. If you want to honor them, remember them in your heart, Kakashi.” Kakashi, in his own misery, had forgotten that Minato had lost two of his close friends and countless teammates. 

He stared at the white bed sheet, blinking back tears. “I…” It felt like his throat was closing over feelings he couldn’t put into words. Kakashi trembled, his chest aching and his vision blurring. Even knowing that his sensei’s words were true, the guilt smothered him like heavy smoke, cutting off all his oxygen. Kushina’s arms wrapped around him again as Minato rubbed soothing circles in his back. In that moment, he dropped all his walls and felt his Sharingan eye cry. He leaned into her, feeling the warmth seep through him. Once again, he thought he could love again.

After his sobbing died down, she added, “We’ve discussed this and we want you to stay with us,” she said.

He opened his mouth to argue, but she interrupted loudly, “And no arguments. We already got the papers and everything settled!”

Kakashi’s eyes widened, “Papers?” 

“To adopt you.” Minato stated matter of factly.

Kakashi felt his eyes stinging again. “Are you sure about this?” He asked quietly, “I-I” His voice faded as he bit down on his lip.

Minato’s expression didn’t waver as he nodded. He never wavers, not in the face of danger, not when Rin grieved for months after Obito’s death nor when Kakashi collapsed after hers. “You’re my student, but you mean so much more than that to me.” Minato smiled gently, his skin crinkling around his eyes. “In fact, I admit I think of you as my son.”

Kakashi couldn’t look at him. Minato sensei’s words reminded him of his father, causing the ache in his heart to worsen.

Minato knew not to press the question. “Our relationship doesn’t have to change  if you don’t want it to, but I want you to know that that I care for you.”

Kakashi wanted to accept, but the memory of his father’s body with a sword through his chest made him falter. The thought of Minato or Kushina ending up dead as well was enough to relight that burning panic - his chest tightened, numbness like a shiver tingling into his arms. He made a strangled sound, like his father’s last gasp as he drove the blade into him. Minato laid a steady hand on Kakashi’s chest, seeing that Kakashi’s breaths were quickening.

“You’re all right Kakashi, you’re all right now. Focus on my hand.”

“How can I ever repay you for your kindness Sensei.” Kakashi breathed, feeling embarrassment heat up his cheeks. 

When they returned to Minato’s house, Dan urged Kakashi to eat some hot food before resting. It touched Kakashi deeply to see all of them talking to him as if they had always been a family.

After dinner, Minato returned to work and Dan offered to wash the dishes so Kushina could show Kakashi to his bedroom. Kushina guided him downstairs to the ground floor with a cozy living area and a door at the far wall. She brought him into the room: a bed with a shuriken print duvet on the left wall and a study table on the right. “You can sleep in here. Look! We’ve already changed the bedding for you!”

He was at a loss for words. “If you have nightmares, please don’t suffer by yourself, come to us, sleep with us. We have our arms open for you.” She looked at him meaningfully before showing him to the closet. Inside was all of Kakashi's clothes and belongings. “Feel free to decorate this room however you want!” 

He spun around to hug her, pulling her tight against him, as if she were his lifeline.

Kakashi was not opposed to being their adopted son, but he was only twelve and both of his teammates were already dead because of him. His mind screamed at him that he shouldn’t go near them. Yet, Kakashi wanted to believe that this would turn out for the better, that everything’ll be okay.

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

Tsunade came home early from the hospital for once as today was a special day. The four of them, Dan, Kakashi, her, and Kushina spent the day setting up the decorations, knowing that this event will be important to distracting Minato from the war. When he entered the room, the four stood up from their seats at the dinning table, "Happy 20th birthday, Minato!" 

As he sat down, Kushina and Dan both offered him a plate of a new dish they were trying out, pressuring Minato to choose the champion. He laughed nervously, torn between his father and his wife. Both of the dishes were delicious. His eyes wandered over to Kakashi, pleading for help. The copy ninja looked away, stuffing himself with another large chunk of teriyaki tofu.

“I- uh... like my wife’s better.” Dan huffed angrily as he sat back down beside his wife.

She brushed his pale blue hair out of his face as her red lips curved into a smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll always be the better cook to me.” Her leg brushed his under the table, making him shudder. 

“Lets book a hotel later.” He whispered into her ear. 

After an hour of joyous chatter and the clinking of silverware, Kushina called their attention to the cake. Kakashi eyed the cake warily. It looked so good but he had already stuffed himself full of the delicious food on the table. 

They launched into the birthday song, Kakashi being slightly off tune. Then all four of them watched as Minato blew at the candles. His first attempt did not take all of them out, causing Kushina to giggle and tease him for not living up to his lengendary status. He rolled up his sleeves and made a show of finishing the job. 

When Minato had opened all of their presents, all very ordinary civillian objects, he started a game of charades.

At night, in the privacy of their bedroom, Kushina whispered to him, “You know, you are my sun. Bight, cheerful, warm. Oh, if you left me I would wander the darkness of this would forever alone.”

Minato tickled her, “Where did you learn these cheesy lines?”

She giggled, trying but failing to push him away. When he finally relented and wrapped her within his arms, she gasped out, “My friends and I were doing poetry yesterday and they helped me come up with this. They say nothing beats a love poem for your hubby.” 

He nuzzled her neck, “They might be right. I really liked it. Can you repeat it to me?” And she did. Minato smiled fondly. When they were younger, Kushina would have been disgusted by calling him sweet things and dishing out compliments. But now, she served as his anchor to who he was and kept him alive through the hellish war.

Everyone smiled and waved at Minato with an air of respect. Respect for killing thousands of people in the war. If he hadn’t been hardened by all the deaths, he would have thought the notion disgusting. He tried to push it from his mind, to be proud of being one of the strongest Jounin in Konoha and a very possible candidate for the position of the Fourth Hokage, but he couldn’t help wishing he was a normal person. As a man with a fearsome reputation that struck fear in the hearts of many, Minato knew there were hundreds of enemies out there who have sworn revenge against him and his family.

Minato rarely came home because of all the missions his team was taking but Kushina wasn't bothered because she had Kakashi to give her company. She had refused to send him out on any more missions during the war as she felt he was too young, and had suffered too much already. He agreed with her only when she protested that she would be lonely at home and needed a guard as much as a companion.

If a mission had been particularly bad, instead of asking Minato about it, Kushina would hold him close, wrapping one arm around him and resting his head against her shoulder, reminding him that he. When he was ready, she would be there for him.

One night, he had the darkened look again and she sat silently next to him, weaving their hands together. After a moment, he told her of the Uchiha on his team that had died on their latest mission.

When the war was finally over, it was printed on the Konoha Tribune the very next day. Kushina kissed him passionately and they made love that night, ecstatic that the horror was finally over.

"I'm going to be Hokage," he told her a week after the treaty was formed, a cheerful grin on his face. Kushina tackled him in a tight hug, smiling brightly back at him as she planted a tender kiss on his lips. She had spent the week spreading news about his achievements to everyone she knew and had even convinced the press to spread his name even further. But she would not tell him that; she was happy to support him from the shadows.

As Kushina stood with Kakashi leaning against her in the crowd of cheering people both Ninja and civilian alike, she felt a sense of pride when she saw the newly appointed Yondaime Hokage standing atop the Hokage Tower, with his cloak billowing in the wind.

His eyes scanned through the crowd of people as if he was looking for someone, and when his blue eyes met Kushina’s own, a delighted smile made its way on his lips. She could tell he was looking at her, even without him saying it. She had felt him gazing at her for many years already.

The next day, they prepared for moving into the Hokage Residence so that Minato’s work would only be a step away. This allowed for efficiency and safety. Tsunade and Dan insisted on staying in the house, unwilling to let go of the place they have many fond memories of.

***********

Everyday was lively in their new home. Kakashi had gotten a room on the second floor because he enjoyed the view it offered. A blanket of green spread out to the horizon, and in the winter, it would be entirely white. Sometimes, he could see ripples in the leaves, indicating a shinobi returning from work to their family or a shinobi leaving for their next mission. Either way had a promise.

 Ever since moving in, Kakashi’s days had become more lively. Whenever Minato was given a break from from his duties, he would would thunder step into the house with his brilliant smile and play with the dogs. If Kakashi had not planned a mission for the day, and Minato would even train a little with him. Kakashi liked to be around Minato, both because of his charisma as a leader and his chakra, warm and sunny. It amazed Kakashi how easily Minato could draw everyone in to listen and fully trust his ideas. 

********

The frost bit into Kakashi as he stood motionless in front of the memorial. 

He traced his numb fingers over the carved letters. Uchiha Obito. Nohara Rin.

Hatake Sakumo, Kakashi added. For what he had done for his friends, he deserved to be up there too.

His lips were purple and his body has quivering, goosebumps running alone his arms. But all he could think about was the blood he still sees on his hand some days.

She committed suicide to save the village, he would tell himself. But then another part of his mind would whisper, No, you’re the one who killed her. 

His chest ached painfully as his right eye shed tears. I miss them… He couldn’t help remembering the times when Obito had dragged him to his house to eat dinner together. Obito’s grandmother was an amazing cook and was even kind enough to offer to teach Kakashi. He remembered Obito and Rin seeking him out on the weekends, dragging him to their sleepovers. He remembered all his banters with Obito and Rin’s constant support. Their laughter… their chatter… 

Kakashi’s knees buckled as he dropped to the ground, clutching at his heart. It was Obito’s death anniversary today, and that was the only time Kakashi allowed himself to visit the memorial. He knew his mind would get carried away and that it would only reopen old wounds, but he had to see them again.

A flicker of chakra was all the warning he got before strong arms wrapped around him, engulfing him in warmth. He sobbed, and gripped at the arms, seeking solace in the embrace. He didn’t realize how cold he had been until he felt the searing pain in his fingers and on his ears.

“Kakashi,” Minato said tentatively, “You’ve been here too long, you’ll get frostbite. Come home.”

Kakashi nodded slowly. “Take me home Sensei.”

The world blurred as Minato flash stepped home in the time between one blink and the next. Kushina stood up immediately from the couch and wrapped a thick blanket around Kakashi. A hot mug of chocolate milk, bitter just the way Kakashi liked it, was shoved into his hands as they sat him down.

The tears did not stop. Kakashi put down the mug to bury his head in Kushina’s chest. She held him tight against her. He listened to her heartbeat, the steadiness calming him slightly.

Kushina held him until his tears eventually ran dry and he sagged with exhaustion. 

When he finished his drink, Kushina helped him take off his jacket, pants, and shoes, leaving only his boxers and a thin long sleeve. She led him to the bedroom she shared with Minato and urged him to lay down.

Kushina fitted him in her arms and Minato laid down behind him, wrapping his arms around him. His sensei raked his fingers through Kakashi’s silver hair as Kushina rubbed his back, soothing the aches in Kakashi. With them, Kakashi felt safe and warm. Kakashi curled into the space between the people he thought of as parents, letting himself drift off into sleep. 

So be it that he was Friend-Killer Kakashi to the outside world. 

The only people who mattered to him knew the truth and that was enough. 

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

It was with the influence of Kushina and his own love for children that Minato pushed the minimum age of Genin to 13, the minimum age of Chunin to 15, and the minimum age of Jonin to 17. This change, he hoped, would bring about an educational change and allow for more emotional stability. Two years into this reign, Minato felt that the economy had stabilized and, with both Kushina and his desire for children, decided to try for one. He believed that if they just kept a close watch on Kushina, the pregnancy would turn out just fine.

**********

Kakashi groaned as he pushed back his sweat laden hair. The summers in Konoha were unbearable, baking its citizens late into the night, and it was at its worst during midday. For the past month, he had taken up as many field missions up north as he could to escape the city-sized furnace. He loved the colder months: the icy chill, the snow-covered fields, the soft snowflakes, and the glacial waters. When he was young, he’d often make his father tell him stories of the Hatakes, Samurais and hunters from the Land of Snow, proudly wearing fur coats made from animals they have hunted down. Up there, towering spruce trees spread across the vast area, flourishing even in the cold. Konoha’s oak trees huddled together in dense clumps, surrounding Konohagakure in a sea of green leaves. He’d much rather be surrounded in frost than simmer in this heat, and sometimes he dreamed of sledding across the ice with the Hatakes. Kakashi wedged his way in next to his furry companions, all of whom had taken post in front of the air conditioning unit.

It was useless, pressing up against Urushi only made his discomfort grow. Even though they made quite a mess everyday and were near impossible to train, Kakashi refused to un-summon any of his puppies, and besides, they’re the ones that helped keep Kakashi out of nightmares at night. Kakashi wandered back to his bedroom to open his fan. He shoved his face into the warm wind, hoping for some relief, and let his thoughts drift to happier things.

Minato and Kushina were officially going to be parents- despite their insisting that they already were. Kakashi feared the monstrosity the kid was going to be. With the strength and healing of his grandmother; the sunny disposition and intelligence of his father; and the chakra of his mother, Naruto might very well save the world one day. And- Kakashi smiled- he will teach that boy, his brother, all his jutsus.

Kakashi glanced over at the right side of the room, where a crib had been placed. He had persuaded them to place it in here, knowing very well that the first months after his birth will be a constant headache. For the past few weeks, he had been collecting things to decorate the area, readying it to welcome home the boy. Just then, Shiba bounded into the room with a ball clenched in his jaw. Kakashi groaned, feeling lethargic and lazy. 

Bisuke whimpered pleadingly, rubbing Kakashi's hand. “It’s too hot to play, Bisuke,” Kakashi complained even as he took up the ball. At this point, his dogs knew he had a weak spot for them and couldn’t deny their requests. 

He threw the ball back into the living room, hoping to entertain the rest of the group. Bisuke gave a satisfied yelp before bounding after it. Kakashi smiled at the sight. Suddenly, a chorus of barking rose from the living room, followed by a familiar voice. Kakashi rushed out of his room to apologize, but Minato just shook his head, laughing, “I should be the one apologizing for startling your pets.”

Bisuke had darted behind the couch and, upon sensing the warm chakra, peeked out to see Minato. The other dogs were all bounding energetically around Minato, begging for his attention. Minato had seen it necessary to place three pronged kunais all over the house in case of emergencies.

The first thing that tipped Kakashi off was his hokage outfit. He had been working. The second was that he thunder stepped into the upper living room rather than go through the front door or the downstairs living room. “What happened sensei?” Kakashi knew that it was usually this time of the day that Kushina went to visit her friends, Mikoto and Meibuki. Could she be in danger? (Shimeru was dead, so was Iyashi, but the world must go on.)

“Nothing’s wrong… I just wanted to tell you about the dangers of giving birth as a jinjuriki. Let’s go into your room to talk.” Kakashi was intrigued yet worried. Nobody but the immediate family of the jinjuriki and the council knew of this secret.

Before heading in, Minato crouched down to give Bisuke a pat. “Sorry I startled you, buddy, I’ll play with you later ok?”

After they talked, Kakashi sat in grim silence, contemplating the situation. Kushina was in grave danger if her pregnancy ever got revealed. She did a transformation jutsu to walk around town but stayed indoors for the rest of the time. Kakashi could tell she was frustrated and irritated by the rules, but now Kakashi knew just how crucial it was. Minato took the ball from his pocket and waved it over Shiba’s nose, grinning. “Is this yours?”

Shiba yiped excitedly, making Minato smile. He pitched the ball across the room and laughed, far too calm for somebody who just revealed his wife was in danger. At least, it would seem to outsiders. But having lived so long with him, Kakashi could tell Minato was worried.

When Minato left to finish his Hokage duties, Kakashi tried to distract himself from the depressing onslaught of thoughts, he reminisced the first time he got the dogs. It had been a cool autumn morning and his father had come home from another mission with a large kennel.

He had sat down with Kakashi and revealed that his mother had been an Inuzaka. “Unfortunately, she died on the battlefield when he was very young. Her dog had been found barely alive, severely crippled but alive. She had recently given birth and the Inuzaka clan wanted to pay their respects by giving you one of her children.”

Kakashi accumulated more puppies along the way, always eager to adopt them into his family as it made him feel less alone. It was when he had gotten his third puppy that he realized he would need a method to summon them, and thus his use of ninken on the battlefield.

******

When Kakashi had helped Kushina put on her shoes, the swollen belly being an annoyance as always, he burst out that he wanted to go with her. She eyed him suspiciously. He had never enjoyed their gossiping and idle chatter. Plus, their children were much younger than him.

“If you are worried about my safety too, let me just remind you that I have and had two ANBU guards dogging me my entire life since a certain kidnapping incident.” She was getting quite fed up with being treated as if she were some porcelain doll, degraded from her shinobi status to a mere civilian. 

“No! I- I just get bored staying at home. Spending time with you sounds nice that’s all.”

Kushina had enough experience in her life to tell he was lying, but it was no use to call him out so she agreed. She made the most of it now, taking him to get a snack, see a sight, or get a dessert whenever they headed out. It made her less irritated, excited actually, to think of it as a son-mother bonding time.

“There's my favourite wife and favorite son!” Minato greeted them when they got home from their daily walk, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. 

“You’re home early, don’t you usually have a ton of paperwork?” The two, sweating from the sweltering heat outside, quickly changed into the slippers Minato had placed down for them and stepped inside.

As Kakashi watched Minato retreat to the kitchen, he realized that the light from the living room made it seem as if there were a glow about him. Kakashi smiled despite himself and thought about how both Minato and Kushina were so bright, carrying the will of fire confidently within them, that they could illuminate the entire Fire country together.

Kushina patted him gently on the back and led him forwards into her- no, their- home. Minato handed them both mugs filled with a light orange liquid with jelly bits. “I worked extra hard yesterday so I could be home to cook you guys something. I miss you guys sometimes, you know. And Kakashi, I bought your favorite drink, mango aloe.”

“You’re such a good father.” Kushina said as she took a seat at their dining table.

“I can't be your favourite son,” Kakashi argued, sipping at his drink. He closed his eyes to relish the refreshing coolness.  “You have your real son on the way.”

Minato, the twenty-five year old war-hero, sighed wearily, he had tried arguing this point before but it got him nowhere. Kushina waved the thought away as she sat opposite the two, “Naruto's going to be a crying mess once he's born. You, on the other hand, will be just as sweet and wonderful as now.”

Kakashi blushed, knowing his arguments might be annoying them. Yet they never showed him anything except softness, patience, and joy.

All the traits that made Kakashi admire his Sensei and his beloved wife.

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

When Kakashi went to sleep, cuddling one of his puppies as he always did, Minato pulled Kushina into the bath to wash together. He knew that it was a tough matter to be pregnant, as he could tell by her constant complaints, unpredictable mood swings, and strange food cravings. As such, in addition to caring for her, he made it his duty to massage her every night.

At first, she had been against it as he worked so hard as the Hokage, but he refused to relent. In the end, she consented only to stop his persistent requests. He told her that when Naruto was born, she would have repaid him two times over for his efforts.

As Kushina lowered herself into the tub, some of the water sloshed over the rim and puddled on the tiled floor. She leaned back against Minato, who was already accustomed to the slightly heavier weight. He kissed her ruby red hair, then her ear. 

She took his hands and moved it onto her protruding stomach, letting him feel the movements of their child. “He’s already got my personality, you know! He’s been moving around all day, that over-hyper child.”

“If he’s like you, I would think he loves ramen too.” They both laughed as they thought of Minato’s late night excursions to Teuchi’s home, begging for just one bowl. The first time, Minato had insisted that it was an emergency, not that he was trying to take advantage of his Hokage status. After a few times, Teuchi had a to-go bowl ready for him, and if they met, Teuchi would wink knowingly. “Wouldn’t want a very pregnant and very angry wife to go on a rampage would we. You wouldn’t be a very good Hokage if you let that happen.” Having visited his restaurant almost everyday growing up, Minato only laughed at his words and thanked him, knowing full well that he was trustworthy.

“You know,” Minato said suddenly, “I hope they have your hair, beautiful and red. Maybe they’d grow it long, and I can brush it everyday like I do yours.’”

Kushina took up a strand of her long hair between her fingers and smiled. The thing she had hated once had become a source of pride for her. “I hope they’ll have your sweet and sunny disposition,” Kushina returned.

Minato smiled at her, “And when they grow up, maybe when they have a crush of their own, I’ll tell them all about the first day I fell in love with you. Then I’ll tell them how I fell in love a little more every day since.”

“Do you think Kakashi would ever get a girlfriend?”

Minato chuckled as he repeated the words his mother had said to him once, “She’s gotta be a living goddess to have caught his attention. You know, if he just smiled more, all the girls would be fawning over him.”

“Ah, that is true. He is a very handsome and intelligent boy. I’m so glad to have him as our first son though, he is much more mature than people his age.”

“I hope Naruto is not too crazy.” They both laughed again. Minato pressed his cheek into the side of her hair, watching as she scrubbed her arms.

It wouldn’t be long now before they’d get to meet him, and they were oh-so-ready to welcome their second son.

“I’d like it if our children were friends,” the red-head murmured, and looked up to see her husband wrinkled his nose in distaste.

“I’ve no problem with Mikoto-san, but her husband… ”

“Come on, Fugaku isn’t that bad,” she pressed.

He raised an eyebrow at her, then sighed, “Their pride and stubbornness really gets to be too much at times.”

Kushina replied quietly, “The Uchiha are only defensive because everyone else discriminates against them.”

“I know… I’m working out a treaty right now, and Fugaku is a sensible man. He knows the best course of action will be to accept.”

Kushina intertwined their left hands together, gazing at the glimmer of their wedding ring. “I know you’re trying your best, but will you be able to get it through the council? You told me before that the council protested against letting Uchiha have any form of power.”

He rubbed her shoulder with his free hand, “I got the education laws through, this shouldn’t be any harder. You know I won’t relent unless it goes down peacefully.”

Kushina giggled, “My stubbornness really has rubbed off on you.”

When they finished off their bath, Minato helped Kushina out of the tub and into her clothes. She always got a little frustrated at the difficulty of putting on underwear and shoes by herself, but Minato’s presence was enough to calm her.

[onesmallbunny]

Haechan x Reader

Request by a sweet anon (with brilliant ideas): “can you pls write about haechan falling in love w another apocalypse survivor? lots of fluff but maybe a little angst? thanks ✌️”

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SCENARIO IT IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA!! I hope you’ll like it tho :3

Genre: fluff; angsty

Words: 2,2k

It’s been almost a year. Almost a year you were traveling by yourself, trying to find some safe place to live it. Almost a year you were all alone. Almost a year since… this happened.

A year ago, a disaster happened. An apocalypse. I know what your thinking. This only happened in movies of books… Well at least, it was what you thought back in the days. But it happened for real.

You remembered everything about the day when everything fell down. You remembered you studying at school quietly. You, imagining yourself out of this school, travelling. Well, karma can be a bitch sometimes…

You also remembered the screams of this one teacher getting eaten in the playground, and you, watching everything through the window. You remembered this creature of evil, crawling on the grown, and this other one walking to you, his hands trying to reach your face. You remembered all the screams, the despair, the blood, death… Everything.

And yet, you were doing your best to forget.

It’s been years since you stopped counting the days, now. You were always alone and realizing how many days had past could make you go crazy. So, you were just walking. Walking as if you were hoping something will happened, as if you were thinking someone could save you.

At this point, you didn’t even know why you were fighting back when those creatures were attacking you. What was the point to survive when you were alone?

You woke up on a new day, after sleeping on this mattress you made by yourself with things you’ve found here and there, on abandoned houses. You took some berries to eat as a breakfast, put everything you had on your back and continued your long journey.

“Alright.” You said to yourself. “Where should I go now…” you sighed and looked at on a side of the forest you never explored. “Well I guess I’ll go there.”

You started walking, following a little road in the middle of the trees and flowers. You could hear the birds singing, some animals waking up after a long night of sleep… Oh yes, you were so jealous of their ignorance, their innocence…You wish you could be a butterfly sometimes… Or a bird. Or even a flower, a tree or some grass… Everything but this desperate girl you were at the moment.

An hour passed, maybe two or three. Perhaps more… You totally lost the notion of time. The more you were waking, the less you could hear the noises of the forest around you. And suddenly, everything was quiet. Abruptly, you stopped moving, listening around you, trying to catch any sound. This situation wasn’t normal…

Not even a second after, you heard this noise. The sound you feared and hated the most in the world : the sound of those creatures, running to you. You analyzed the situation as quickly as possible, detected where the noises came from and started running in the opposite direction. You didn’t know where you were going. The road was full of trees and mud, almost impassable. But if you were struggling, at least the creatures following you will as well.

And you were running and running and running. You were used to it now. But the more you were running, the more you realized something was wrong with the situation. The creatures behind you were closer and they wouldn’t stop. The path in front of you was more and more difficult, and you were exhausted. Wait. What was happening. You thought about it for a second and then realized… what it the end, already? You survived all this time for nothing? No… this couldn’t be…

A second of inattention, a branch of a tree on the ground and with a loud noise, you fell in the grass screaming of pain. Out of breath and with a painful ankle, you took you stick in you bag, stood up and tried to calm down. They were approaching. You could hear their horrible moaning, their feet crushing everything on their way, and a second later, you saw their terrorizing and empty eyes looking at you.

“Alright, monsters…” you whispered, getting ready. “Let the show begging…”

One of these hideous creatures jumped to you, screaming, drool mixed with blood falling from its mouth. You hit him violently with your stick and its body in decomposition touched the ground with a loud noise. You didn’t even have time to relish your victory that another one ran to you, its teeth trying to cut your arm. You ferocity stuck your sword of fortune in his left eyes and pulled it back with force, almost loosing your balance.

This wasn’t good. You were already out of breath, and they were so many left. You neutralized one more, and another… But you won’t survive much more. You were exhausted, helpless, alone…

Suddenly, one of these creatures pushed you on the grass and broke your stick with his own teeth. Laying on the ground, you stared at this horror with tears on your red eyes, shaking of fear. The monster was slowly approaching, as if he was playing with you.

You closed your eyes, feeling all your strength living your body, your soul. So this was the end… You survived all this time for nothing after all. How pathetic…

“Move your head!”

Hearing this voice was like a call from heaven. You looked at your left and saw a young man, holding a gun in his hands, running to you.

“I said move!” he shouted, pointing the gun toward the monster.

In a second, you moved your head, closed your eyes and heard the sound of a bullet going through the creature’s head. You finally opened your eyes, and saw something that looked like heaven. Tens of people, men and woman killing those creatures one by one, right in front of your eyes, saving you. How long has it been since you so real people…

“Are you alright?”

You looked up and saw the young man who saved you. He has soft and deep brown eyes, brown hair and a nice and warm skin color, like honey.

“Are you alright, miss?” he repeated.

“Oh, yes…”

“Okay, can you stand up? We have to go. Others are coming…”

As he was helping you to stood up, you felt your head getting heavier, and your eyes closing.

“Hey, stat with us, okay!”

“I think i’m going to…”

And then, total blackout. All you could remember was the sound of the young boy’s voice, telling you to wake up.

…

…

…

You slowly opened your eyes, awaken by the sunrise, softly touching your skin. You were laying on a very comfortable bed, in what looked like a tent to you. You checked around you, still a little sleepy and saw an old lady, showing her back to you.

You tried to stood up, confused and dizzy.

“Where am I…?” you whispered.

“Oh welcome back, sleepy head- No, no, no please young lady, lay down. You must be so tired.”

“Where am I? and? And are you?”

The young lady was about to reply, but someone walked into the tent, loudly. It was the young boy who saved you the other day.

“You’re finally awake!” he said with the happiest smile.

“Don’t scream, Haechan, she’s still weak!”

So, Haechan was his name…

“Sorry miss Lee… I’m so relived she’s okay.”

“Yeah I can see that…”

Miss Lee raised an eyebrow, surprised of the young man reaction. Haechan finally walked to you with a soft smile, and sat on a chair next to your bed.

“Hello, I’m Haechan. Do you remember me? I saved you, the other day!”

“Yeah, I remember. Thank you about that by the way… I thought I was already dead…”

“Well you would be now, if we weren’t here!”

“Yeah, I guess I would…”

A silence took place in the tent. Miss Lee left the two of you alone a while ago, and you didn’t have anything to say to Haechan.

“Anyway hmm… Can you stood up?”

“I guess I can. But Miss Lee said-“

“It’s fine, come with me. I have to show you something. Put some clothes on. We prepared this for you!”

You changed your clothes somewhere no one could see you and came back next to Haechan.

“Where are we going?”

Haechan just smile and opened the tent. At this very moment, as the sun was almost blinding you, what you saw amazed you. Even more than this day when Haechan and his friends saved you.

It was like a little village, with so many people. Nice trees, cute flowers, children playing together innocently, pregnant woman walking around, old man feeding birds, teenagers chatting together…

“Am I dead?” you asked. “Is this heaven?”

Haechan laughed, surprised.

“No it’s not, and you’re perfectly alive. Welcome to the Village! One of the last real town on hearth. We live all by ourself, with agriculture, hunting and stuff… And we can be happier! The village is not that big, though. Everyone knows everyone! That’s pretty cool. Oh, and look here…”

You followed him, but couldn’t really listening to what he was saying. After all these years of survival alone in the woods, you finally discovered civilization. A place where people are happy and where they don’t need to fight all the time to survive…

“And there, it’s a little library-“

“Can I stay here?”

Haechan turned his head and looked at you, surprised. Realizing what you just asked, you blushed, and looked away, embarrassed.

“I mean, I don’t want to be a burned or anything…”

“Of course you can stay! I mean, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to so…

“Really?”

“Of course! You really thought we would leave you all alone in the wild?”

You stared at him for a while, unable to say anything. Your dream was about to come true...

“Thank you so much...” you whispered, feeling your eyes getting wet.

“Hey you don’t have to cry, everything is fine!”

You nodded, laughing and whipping your tears off. You couldn’t believe it. Today was probably the best day of your life.

“I didn’t have time to ask you but... What’s your name?”

“My name is Y/N.”

“Y/N... That’s a pretty name. Well, you probably heard it but my name is Haechan!”

...

...

...

Days passed since Haechan rescued you from hell. You were now living a peaceful life, in a very small (but cute) house next to Haechan’s, in the village. You guys were always together, you were so attached to him, so much that you decided to join the Night Watch with him and some of his friends, so you can be with him a little more...

“Are you going out with Haechan tonight?” asked Jeno, one of Haechan’s bestfriend.

“Yes! We both going into the woods tonight, to see what’s going on there!” you replied with a smile, whilst fixing your gun on your belt.

“You seem pretty exited about it, Y/N...” Jeno laughed a little seeing your red cheeks. “Dont worry, he was as exited as you!”

Jeno winked and left the room, just like that, leaving you blushing and confused. He was actually right; you were so happy to go in the wood by night to face those monsters and all these horrific places... because you just wanted to be with Haechan.

“Y/N, are you ready? It’s our turn already.” Haechan’s cute head penetrated the room, making you blush even more. “Are you okay? You look...red?”

“I am! I’m fine! Let’s go...”

You almost run out of the room, extremely embarrassed, leaving Haechan behind you, confused.

“Okay then...” he said. “Let’s go!”

It was already a very dark night. The moon as your only source of light, and you could have been very scared, but feeling Haechan next to you while you walk into the woods made you feel better.

“So hum...” he finally said while walking next to you, after a silence. “Do you like your new life there?”

“I couldn’t imagine a better way to live to be honest... And it’s manly thanks to you, Haechan. Thank you so much for everything, really. You saved my life.”

Haechan blushed, embarrassed and tried to cover it by playing with his back hair.

“Well I didn’t do much... I mean- I wasn’t alone. I was with Jeno, Jaemin and all the others...”

“Yes but you were the one who killed the creature that was about to eat me.”

“That’s true...”

“So you saved my life.”

“Yeah... apparently...”

The young man was all red and couldn’t meet your eyes. He was so adorable, you couldn’t stop smiling. You came closer to him, get on your tiptoes and put your lips on his cheek, softly, closing your eyes. Surprised, Haechan stopped moving, breathless.

“A little gift for you.” you whispered. Embarrassed, you ran away, leaving your friend behind you, still in shock. Haechan put his hand on his cheek, and suddenly blushed, realizing what just happened.

“I would save her everyday just to have this gift once more...” he whispered to himself.

Tonight was the best night you’ve ever had. No monsters, no fight, nothing but cuteness and... love? You didn’t really know if it was love, but at least, you knew one thing. You wanted to be with Haechan.

Forever.

[shanastoryteller]

my what a guy, gaston!

okay so i know i already did one of these for beauty and the beast (for fuck's sake shana write about some new fairytales why are you like this) but i listened to sam tsui's cover of a tale as old as time and OH BOY, OH MY HONEY OH MY DARLING

okay, so in the very early stages of the original beauty and the beast, gaston was an aristocrat. that eventually got scrapped, but oh what if it didn’t

so say gaston is the son of someone very high up in the royalty chain, someone who’s parents are important enough that he spends an awful lot of time at the castle? and our prince adam isn’t really down with this whole ~being a prince~ thing, he’s a brat, like so many other kids are brats (but these kids don’t get turned into beasts by random witches, like i’m sorry but i’ll never not think that beast didn’t get the short end of the stick there) and so he spends the least about of time possible parading about with a crown on his head. he likes going outside, like riding his horses and playing in the woods, and all sorts of other things that make his parents shake their heads and despair at the inability to have another child, because their son is a small disaster.

and here comes gaston, who’s older and more long suffering. gaston in naturally dramatic, okay, he likes being flashy and fun and loud, all the things the son of a noble shouldn’t be. so by the point he meets adam he’s listened to his parents, folded himself up nice and tight into this quiet boy who just doesn’t want any trouble. adam loves trouble. if he can’t find it, he invents it.

so he grabs onto gaston like glue, and gaston is irritated, but he’s the prince, he can’t say anything or his parents will kill him. so he lets adam keep dragging him out horseback riding and hunting and rock climbing and all sorts of things little noble boys aren’t supposed to do. they spare, and no matter that gaston is bigger and older he never wins, adam always ends up pinning him to the ground with his arm to his throat and he’d more irritated about it if the prince didn’t look so delighted every time he won. adam loves all the animals that he’s not interested in eating, and gaston tries to point out that it’s a little weird how thrilled adam is to take down a deer when two minute later he’s trying to entice a wolf to come closer so he can pet it, and also holy shit adam that’s a wolf what’s wrong with you

adam loves his staff, the people who do their best to reign in this little terror but don’t try that hard, because the thing about bratty kids is that they’re rarely brats all the time, as an adult you swing between wanting to strangle them and finding them so adorable and charming your chest hurts. so mrs. potts indulges him, likes the way he’s only ever really patient while he’s playing with her son chip when he’s snuck into the kitchen to beg her for some extra cookies. lumiere and cogsworth are his tutors and spend more time arguing with each other than teaching him, and he’s delighted by that.

and so adam is this loud, exuberant little prince who slowly but surely picks at gaston’s barrier until gaston almost feels like himself again, and adam doesn’t do what his parents did. adam doesn’t make fun of him for how much he cares about his hair, about how he hates dirt under his fingernails. as long as gaston keeps following him into dangerous situations, adam doesn’t care about much of anything, and gaston loves him for it.

and gaston’s on the cusp of teenagerhood when he realizes he loves adam, the prince, this is awful and he immediately has a panic attack over it, he’s to be lord and adam is to be king, it will never work, oh, and adam probably doesn’t like boys, and – oh my god, all those schoolyard taunts about him being gay we’re right this is a nightmare.

he’d freak out about this properly and probably go charging to the castle to confess his love in true embarrassing 12 year old fashion – except his parents set him down, pale, and say, “they’re gone, they’re all gone, the king and queen were found dead and the prince is gone and now a monster lives in the castle.” and of course gaston takes this to the most logical conclusion – a beast broke into the castle, killed the love of his young life, and now he’s claimed the castle for his own.

this is gaston’s defining moment okay, this is the point where he snaps and never goes back. he rebels against his parents, refuses to fit himself back into the mold of the perfect son, tries to live his life like adam would have wanted him to. that means being exactly who he is and damn the consequences. he focuses on his hair and his clothes and his looks, he pursues hunting because it reminds him of adam, because so much of their friendship took place in the woods, covered in mud and laughing. he pursues hunting because, one day, when he’s the very best he’s going to go the castle and kill the beast that killed adam. and his parents are furious about all of this and they disown him in favor of his young siblings and he just. doesn’t give a shit.

so he moves to the town, and everyone loves him, of course they love him. he’s loud and arrogant, but – he’s not cruel. he’s beautiful and brings in more pelts and meat than any other hunter and gaston doesn’t miss the days of being a young lordling in the slightest. but girls keep throwing themselves at him and he doesn’t know how to keep refusing either outing himself or hurting their feelings, so he goes to belle. belle, who is every inch as pretty he is. belle, who is smart and quiet and kind in a reserved sort of way. if there’s anyone who won’t judge him, it’s her.

so he goes to her, and tells her the truth – that he only likes men, that he’s not interested in advertising the fact, and asks her to pretend to be his lady. and belle, kind sweet belle, agrees. she does it out of sense of duty to help those in need, because nothing she knows of gaston says she will enjoy this. but she’s proven wrong, because gaston was raised to be a lord of course he’s educated, just because he doesn’t really care about any of that stuff doesn’t mean he doesn’t know it. and belle can speak with him like she can no other, because gaston has more formal education than anyone else in this village. and to their surprise, gaston and belle become friends, become the closest of friends, and gaston hasn’t known this closeness since adam, although it’s different because he loves belle but he’s not in love with belle.

and one day belle and her father are out traveling and sudden snowstorm forces them into the castle. belle knows there’s some sort of monster that supposedly lives there, but it’s either the castle for refuge or dying of cold outside, so into the castle they go. and instead of a hideous monster there’s adam, the beast. he’s rude and gruff and calls them twelve kinds of idiots for getting caught in a snowstorm in the first place. he offers them a room before sulking back into his study, watching the last petal threaten to the fall from the rose.

the castle is so excited to have guests, to have a young girl that may be their saving grace, and beast doesn’t know how to tell them that he likes girls well enough, but the only person he’s ever loved is a prickly, stuffy little boy who used to wring his hands together whenever they went looking for wolves. the storm doesn’t abate, and belle and her father stay. beast likes belle, likes how much she loves his library and the courteous way she speaks to all his staff even tho they’re all furniture, and he wishes he could love her, she is a woman that deserves to be loved. but he can’t.

back in the village, gaston has had it. the beast took adam from him, and he wont allow that thing to take belle. he rallies the villagers and goes marching to the castle, determined to save belle and her father, determined to kill the thing that killed adam.

so they storm the castle and he and the beast fight. belle and her father rush forward to stop the rest of the angry village men, and belle is screaming at gaston to stop, that things aren’t as they seem. but he’s mad with bloodlust, with revenge, and he’s about to take the beast’s head off with his axe when the beast lunges and pushes him to the ground, pinning him with an arm to his throat. and the muscle memory is so sudden and visceral that gaston freezes and stares at the snarling beast and whispers, “adam?”

and the beast blinks, and pulls back a little, and goes …… “gaston!?”

literally everyone is so confused, but they only get more confused when gaston throws himself at the beast and there’s a rush of magic as the last petal falls and the spell is broken. gaston sees beast for who he really is, loves him wholly and completely in the way only children can, and the curse is broken.

so gaston goes from having the beast in his arms to having a man, and he kisses him, outing himself in front of the whole village and not caring in the slightest. “i’ve missed you,” adam says, reaching out a hand to cup gaston’s cheek.

his staff are people again, and the cloud of darkness that had fallen over the castle is lifted. the old and irritable third cousin twice removed who’d been running the country is more than happy to hand it back over to adam, so happy in fact that he doesn’t question anything about this incredibly weird situation.

gaston and adam were children with a children’s love, but as adam gets his castle and kingdom up and running again, gaston is there. and their love deepens, and strengthens, and becomes something much more real and true than it ever was before. and gaston knows he can’t keep this, that adam will need to take a queen and gaston won’t be able to be with him after that.

except no one told adam that, because he goes to belle who just, never left the castle because she likes it and it likes her and her two favorite people are here. and also they’ll pry her from that library over her dead body. “hey,” adam says, “so, i’m kind of the king now.”

“i noticed,” belle answers, and doesn’t look up from her book.

adam considers closing it, but also considers that he likes his hands attached to his wrists. “want to get married? we’ll need to produce an heir or two, but beyond that you’ll get all the books you want and a whole country to boss around.” one of the things adam had quickly learned was that belle loved bossing people around.

belle doesn’t look up from her book. he hadn’t honestly expected her too. “okay. I’m dating plumette. im going to keep doing that.”

“nice,” he says, because plumette is a lot prettier now that she isn’t a feather duster.

so adam find gaston and tells him that he’s marrying belle, and gaston’s whole heart breaks but it makes sense, adam and belle make sense together, and he wishes he could make himself hate either of them but he can’t because he loves them both. but then adam is talking about how belle will have the rooms next to theirs, and gaston should probably stop paying rent for his house in the village, he lives in a literal palace, come on now.

and gaston figures out that adam is planning to stay with him, that belle is his wife and queen in name only and and gaston will continue to be the one in his heart and in his bed. adam is talking about how they all really need to sit down and do something about the redistribution of tax revenue, and they should probably do it before the wedding because otherwise their subjects will only show up to throw fruit at them. gaston cuts him off by pressing his king and love of his life against the wall and kissing him breathless.

cogsworth and lumiere walk by and pause mid-argument to wolf whistle at them before continuing on their way. gaston and adam end up having to hold each other up as they laugh so hard they can’t breath.

and everyone lives happily ever after.

read more of my retold fairytales here