#Raising his arms and staff with the entrance of the chorus

[bloodied-dagger]

after dancing around my room for the past 10 minutes or so with a staff and imaginary blindfold, I have concluded that I would want to play Tiresias in EPIC if given the chance to play any character

[randomrosewrites]

At the break of dawn

Pairing: Diluc x GN reader Summary: Diluc returns late - very late - from his vigilante duties one day, exhausted and worn out. At the break of dawn, he crawls back into your loving embrace. Words: ~1K Warnings/ tags: Fluff, comfort, Diluc getting affection he deserves TM, kaeya makes an appearance.

A/n: *shakes bags of treats* diluc simps come get your food. (It's been a while since I wrote anything, apologies for the roughness of this. Just a little idea that's been worming its way into my mind.)

You’re awoken by the dim, blue light, filtering in through the curtains. Morning has arrived, but the sun has not yet risen, the window wet with condensation.

You can immediately tell that no one’s in the bed from the lack of warmth, but for good measure, you crane your neck - wincing at the ache you feel; you slept on it funny - to confirm. Feeling along the bed, you’re only met with cold, undisturbed sheets.

He’s late. Very late coming home.

You stretch out on the plush bed like a cat, working out your aching muscles. Swinging your legs over the side, you slide off the bed, wrapping a nightgown around your body. The manor is quiet, save for the occasional creak of wood or the faint tick of the grandfather clock. You tip-toe out of your bedroom and down the hall with careful steps, not wanting to disturb the tranquil atmosphere. No signs of the person you’re searching for - he really didn’t come home last night. How unusual.

On the first floor, you poke your head into the kitchen, nearly scaring the staff half to death. A few maids and cooks who’ve - by the looks of their half-done-up uniforms - have just arrived. They all rush to fix their uniforms, not wanting to be caught in an unprofessional state.

“M-master…” one of them murmurs your name. “We were just about to get started on your morning breakfast. It will be ready shortly.”

“No rush,” you reassure them. “It’s still early, take your time.”

With a chorus of “thank you’s”, you leave them to get to work, treading over to the living room.

It’s tidy, as is everything in the manor. Adeline - the head maid - personally sees to that. Yet you can tell there’s a struggle between her and her employer. The desk by the window is cluttered with papers, accounts, bills, receipts, and all the like in an organized mess, stacked several inches high. Your partner always liked overseeing everything himself, even if it usually ended with him exhausted beyond measure. The papers on his desk are unorganized, left behind after he went out for his nightly duties and never returned to put them away.

You adjust a paperweight on the stacks so they don’t scatter before leaving the desk to curl up on the couch by the fireplace. Pulling a blanket over you, you open a book and begin reading.

The maids come from the kitchen ten minutes later, wheeling in a cart of delicacies and tea. They spoil you at the winery, heavily. Your partner’s wealth ensures you have anything you’d ever need and more. (Though rich or not, you know he would always spoil you.)

“Anything within my power that I can grant you will be granted,” he’d told you, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckle. “You’re precious to me.”

In response, you’d hold him how equally precious he was to you.

Just as your morning tea is being poured, the front door opens with a bang, startling the maid so much she nearly drops the pot.

A tall, hooded figure stands in the doorway, adorned in black clothing. Red-rimmed gloves lift to tug his cloak from his face, and you can’t help the way your stomach flutters nor the way you break out into a smile.

“Good morning, Diluc.”

Diluc Ragnvindr shuffles into the manor, handing off his cloak to the maid and rubbing his shoes against the entrance rug. “ Good morning.”

He looks and sounds exhausted. His shoulders sag as he rests his claymore against the wall before sluggish shuffling over to you on the couch. His eyes are half-lidded, weighed down by fatigue. His hair is a mess as well, it snags on the tassels of his coat as he tries to remove it, earning a mumbled curse from him.

“Busy night?” you inquire, taking the coat from him and laying it over the arm of the couch.

“Very,” he sighs, exasperation seeping into his voice. He kicks his boots off and collapses onto the couch, undoing the ruby crystal at his tie.

You raise a hand to cover his. “Allow me.”

Diluc complies, letting your careful fingers undo his tie. You place the item on the coffee table and scoot over, patting the spot beside you.

“Lay down, darling.”

Diluc is drawn to you like a magnet, body seeking to press up against yours. You pull him into your arms and lay down on the couch together. He sighs deeply as he buries his face into your chest, pressing his ear right over your heart. His arms loop around your torso and his legs intertwine with yours. Snug. Warm.

You card your fingers through his hair, tugging at the elastic holding his crimson locks back until it unravels. Diluc’s hair pools around you, silky, long, and with a hint of smoke.

“Thank you…” he mumbles, so quiet you almost miss it. You don’t miss the affection soaking his words.

You press a kiss atop his head, petting down his hair. “You’re welcome.”

He’s asleep almost instantly in your arms. His breathing steadies and the tension leaves his body as he sinks into you. Your hand remains at his hair, gently massaging his scalp. Diluc’s very warm, and with his body heat, the blanket, and the fire in the hearth, you feel your eyes begin to close, too.

You’re almost asleep yourself when there’s a sharp knock at the front door. It swings open before a maid can get to it and a familiar head of blue hair pops in.

“Good morni- oh Arcons.”

You put a finger to your lips as Kaeya carefully shuts the door behind him, a mix of disbelief, amusement, and joy plastered on his face.

“Quiet, you’ll wake him.”

“Is he sleeping? Oh my god, look at him.”

“Kaeya,” you repeat, fighting off a laugh. “Hush. Let him sleep.”

Kaeya creeps closer, craning his neck like a peacock to get a better view of Diluc. “I wish I had one of those kamera things. I’m never gonna let him live this down. He looks like a little lamb when he sleeps.”

“What do you need, Kaeya?”

He waves a small stack of papers in his hands. “For sleeping beauty, from Jean,” he places the stack of papers on the coffee table with a wink. “Enjoy your morning, I’ve leave both of you to it.”

He leaves as quickly as he comes, slipping out through the front door with a flourish of his cape.

“A nuisance, as always…” grumbles a sleepy voice, making you jump.

“Did we wake you? Sorry.”

“Not you…” Diluc mumbles, shifting in your arm. “Kaeya’s always...loud…”

You can hear the adorable pout in his voice.You rub his back soothingly. “He’s gone now get some rest,” and because you can’t help it, you add, “Sleeping beauty.”

The noise Diluc makes is enough to make you laugh, pressing a kiss against the top of his head in apology.

[britishassistant]

Crowley kid! Yuu gets kidnapped by one of the villain dorms and Crowley is touring the the lair and just come across his kid, just chilling their designated chair snacking and roasting the villains, maybe joking around with the minions a bit and then they see each other and it’s like that Spider-Man pointing meme

Thank you for the ask, dear anon!

This kiiinda got away from me a bit, but I thought it would be good since this blog has now reached over 200 followers! Whoo! Thank you all for your support!!

Crowley was just popping by to see how Leviathan’s operation was running.

He liked to do this kind of thing, show up when the supervillains competing for his attention least expected (or appreciated) it and demand they show him how their operations were running. The reactions and sights he got to see where always so much more honest than what a prearranged visit could offer him.

Take Leviathan-kun, for instance.

The young man is uncommonly nervous in Crowley’s presence, not quite stuttering, but clearly not far off from it either. He keeps adjusting his glasses minutely, making the light flash off them even as he rattles out his salesman’s spiel of guarantees and flattery.

The thieving corvid inside Crowley preens. Today was an excellent day for a surprise inspection.

There’s clearly something going on right now that Leviathan was desperate to hide from him, which just makes Crowley want to dig deep and uncover whatever this dirty little secret is and drag that wriggling, struggling weakness into the light.

Great Seven, he loves his job.

It doesn’t take long for him to ferret it out—as desperate as Leviathan is to redirect his attention the loyal minions moving like schools of fish through the lower levels of the lair, he doesn’t have the authority to do anything but totter after Crowley as he strides towards the control room of this fine establishment, his cane clicking against the ground with every step.

Great Seven, he loves his job.

There’s the raised voices of Leviathan’s lieutenants emanating from within, along with...someone else?

Crowley pauses, taking in the scene inside.

There is a person is tied to a chair in the center of the room with one of the Leeches hanging sideways off of their lap, arms wrapped around their shoulders as he leans backwards and swings his legs back and forth. The chair is beginning to teeter dangerously.

“Floyd, if you make us fall again, I’m suing you for damages.” A familiar voice quips.

Crowley’s insides go cold.

“Aha! So mean~ I’d never let you get hurt, Shrimpy~” The reckless and violent twin coos, nuzzling close.

“You already did.” The most kidnapped reporter in this city deadpans. “Twice.”

“Bold of you to assume that you’d be able to press charges in the first place, Yuu-san.” The sadistic and coldblooded twin grins.

“Azul likes me better than you two, he’ll represent me if I sell him my kidneys.” Yuu says loftily. “Plus I have witnesses, like that guy...there...”

Well, that’s ruined his dramatic entrance, but Crowley slams open the doors anyway, making his cloak billow and letting those leeches see the angry flash of his eyes.

“A-hem!” He booms. “What exactly do you think you’re doing? Is this how you think professional villains behave?!”

The sadistic twin stands to attention, bowing shallowly to him, as though that will keep Crowley from noticing how he’s moved in front of the hostage and his violent brother, who’s curled over Yuu with his feet planted firmly on the ground and is cocky enough to think baring his teeth at Crowley is somehow a good idea.

“Floyd.” Leviathan’s voice is clipped, moving towards his henchman and the captive. “My deepest apologies on behalf of my staff, sir. I’ll instruct them to take the prisoner back down to the holding cells to continue the inter—”

“No, you will not.” Crowley commands, swirling towards the aquatic supervillain. “You will release them from your custody immediately, and as I am so gracious, I will be sure to educate all of you about how violating personal boundaries—”

“Oh, come off it, you old crow.” Yuu drawls, one eyebrow twitching. “Don’t start pretending like you care now.”

The sadistic brother makes a small, choked noise. Leviathan has gone so still it’s doubtful he’s even breathing. Even the violent twin is staring at the reporter like they’ve grown a second head.

He clears his throat to hide the small sting in his chest at the remark. “W-why I don’t know whatever you are talking about, stranger I have never met before. I will arrange for an escort to guide you home, as I am so gracious.”

The reporter scoffs. “Well, isn’t that just the story of my life. I told you last time, I don’t want any of your goons within ten blocks of my apartment, remember?”

“Yuu, while I always appreciate your sparkling wit, please stop talking.” Leviathan mutters, eyes focused on Crowley. “Are you aware of just who this person is?”

“Who he is? Of course I know who he is.” Yuu’s exasperation is evident in their voice. “He’s my bio dad.”

Crowley bristles, feeling his feathers puff up in alarm. “Hatchling!!”

Leviathan chokes, wheezing for air as he gasps out, “Bio—what—?”

The sadistic Leech brother is visibly startled, whipping his head back and forth between Crowley and Yuu, lips moving too fast to read though no sound comes out.

“Eeeh~? The big scary boss man is Shrimpy’s dad? No waay~” The violent Leech brother jabs a thumb in his direction. “Who would fuck him?”

“HOW DARE YOU—!”

“Nobody.” Yuu says. “I was born via in vitro fertilization.”

“Hatchling~!” Crowley whines, disliking how wrong-footed his child leaves him. “That is hardly kind!”

Yuu lets out an undignified snort. “Sure, because that compares to dumping me back on Uncle Divvy after a week out of the test tube with instructions to leave me under a bridge somewhere.”

Both Leech twins pin him with equally unnerving stares, and Crowley has to remind himself that he is three times the villain they’ll ever be, that they couldn’t actually hurt him even if they did both attack at once.

Leviathan is just leaning against his desk, mouthing “Uncle Divvy” to himself with the sort of frquency usually reserved for those afflicted by Divus’ hysteria gas.

“We talked about that!” Crowley pleads desperately. “It was to make sure that you could grow strong through adversity! I could hardly expect you to take up my position if you grew up soft and dependent, now could I?”

“Babies are soft and dependent, that’s the whole point. I’d have been dead within the week if Uncle Divvy hadn’t given me to Mom and Dad.” Yuu sighs, slumping back into the chair. “Whatever. I’m never taking over from you and I don’t want any of your money. Can I go home now?”

“I’ll arrange for a car as I am so gracious—” Crowley states firmly at the same time as Leviathan interjects with “Ah, let me take you—”

He shoots a poisonous glare at the young upstart, and then at the unprofessional lackey who’s still clinging to his child.

“No thanks, to both of you.” Yuu sighs. “I’ll just call Yuuken to pick me up—”

“Eeeh?! But Shrimpy, he’s so lame and boring!” The twin in Yuu’s lap whines. “I can’t even squeeze him properly!”

“Yeah, that’s not really a negative here.” The reporter quips, putting up with the way the merman whines and nuzzles into their shoulder, teeth dangerously close to their jugular.

“I don’t like him.” Crowley sniffs. “He’s too good an influence on you.”

“Well, guess whose business that is?!” His offspring asks cheerily, before dropping back into their irritated moue. “Not yours. I’ll spend time with whoever I please, you can go suck an e—”

“I’ve called you a cab, Yuu-san.” The sadistic Leech brother pipes up, pulling his phone away from his ear. “It’s already paid for, so please don’t worry about it.”

The reporter frowns again, before shaking their head with a tired sigh. “Thank you. I need to go sleep off a migraine, so untie me and I’ll see you three next week or something.”

Leviathan moves forward to tug swiftly at the ropes pinning their arms behind their back and pulling his henchmen off of them, finally. “Let me escort you out at least. It wouldn’t do to have any more unpleasant surprises before you got home.”

“Fine.” Yuu pins Crowley with that look that always makes him want to squirm. “Have a lovely day, Dire Crowley-san.”

“Likewise.” He watches his heir walk out as the violent Leech twin calls out “Bye bye, Shrimpy~!”

He turns to those two upstarts, drawing himself up to his full height. “I am certain I don’t need to impress upon you the fact that none of what went on in here leaves this room, yes?”

The sadistic one meets his eye for a moment, spreading his hands wide with an unpleasant smile. “I am unsure of what you mean, Crowley-sama.”

“Yeah, dunno~” The violent one chirps from where he’s now perched in the recently vacated chair.

“Well, suffice it to say that Divus came up with a very interesting potion to affect merfolk, some years ago.” Crowley allows himself a cruel smirk. “One that gives them legs permanently. Shame it doesn’t do the same for lungs. I will not tell him how...carelessly you boys have been treating one of his most prized experiments, as I am gracious, am I not?”

He watches the pair of them swallow reflexively with a thrill of dark satisfaction. “Yes, Crowley-sama.” They chorus.

“Wonderful!” Crowley chirps, clasping his hands together. “Now, I think it’s time for a special lesson on respecting the personal boundaries of one’s hostages, don’t you?”

[thran-duils]

And Those I Can’t Charm, I Can Kill (P.4)

Title: And Those I Can’t Charm, I Can Kill (Part Four) Summary: Fem!Reader x Mafia!Tony Stark. Too many fringe gangs were making ties and your father noticed. He reached out to the Stark mob for an alliance, offering up a piece of his territory at first. When Stark told him he had enough land, your father offered up the next best thing: you. He knew Stark needed a wife and what better way to solidify a relationship between the two mafia families? You were not naïve, you knew the life and you were trained with guns and negotiations. Your father had made sure of that. The two of you had seen each other on multiple occasions at mafia get togethers and knew of each other. Stark accepted the transaction but little did he know he was going to get a little hellion handed over to him that would not kiss the ground he walked on. He would grow to love it too. Words: 3,561 Warnings (more WILL be added, I am sure): Eventual smut, power dynamics, sexism, smut, public sex, fingering, dom/sub powerplay, kidnapping, violence, death, knife kink, gun kink, angst with a happy ending

Part Three || Part Five || Masterpost mobile || Fanfic masterpost

You and Tony had stared at each other – you down at him and him up at you. It had felt good, fucking him. You had surpassed the real intimacy of a relationship – something the two of you had never had – straight to physical. It was how you normally did things, but it had just taken longer this time than a one-night stand.

But this was different. This was your husband.

You had a deeper connection now. You were startled out of your desire for this to be continuous.

And suddenly by your own doing, the two of you were apart, you standing yourself and him sitting, and you brushed at your hair, uncomfortable before turning for your clothes just to try to escape this unfamiliar territory. Normally, you would say something witty, grab your clothes, and leave. But there was no leaving him. You slept in the same bed. Even if that bed itself had not been christened by the two of you yet.

Tony was off the couch and came up to grasp your arms, stopping you and you looked up at him.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

The words fell around you. And your breath was short, working yourself up again. Tony saw it too and his thumbs caressed your arms, peering in closer. It was not threatening the way he was acting – comforting more than anything.

“I’m here… I’m here to be with you,” he started slowly, stumbling though. He was a man after all in the mafia, raised with the toxic masculinity that came with it. He was trying to navigate his feelings and be soft with you as well. “I want you to feel safe with me. In all aspects.”

It was intimate. And it was reassuring to know that he was making the effort to move even deeper with it. It was exciting. But you still wanted to be guarded.

“I’m not afraid of you,” you answered. Your eyes shot down and then you said, thinking on your feet, “We are both just naked in this room… standing in front of each other. I want my clothes. In case someone walks in.”

Tony’s eyes shot down and he gave a strangled laugh. “Right.” He let you go.

You gave a half smile before you ducked down and grabbed your bra, doing it up. Tony followed suit, beginning to dress himself back up. And then you grabbed your dress. You pulled it over your head and turned around promptly, “Zip me?”

The complete opposite of what you had asked merely ten minutes ago.

Tony cleared his throat, “Yeah.”

He zipped it up and his hands rested around the base of your neck. You were only suspended for a few moments before you turned around to face him again, your faces close. His slacks were back on, belt done, but his dress shirt half buttoned up, that drew your eyes for a split second.

“This is awkward,” he acknowledged sheepishly.

“Yeah,” you agreed and then cleared your own throat. “Um, let’s exit separately. That would seem normal to everyone else. Don’t want to shock them and all.”

He was amused, giving a little laugh, “Right. Don’t forget your thong though.”

“And there you go being the ass that I know,” you retorted, going to grab it and shimmying into it as he gave another laugh.

<><><>

You saw Bucky and Rhodey watching you come back out, curiosity painted on their faces. They had seen how angry Tony had been taking you back into the room and now that you were coming out alone, that was sure to draw their attention. Shit. Tony should have walked out first. You looked away quickly walking past their table and going back to where your friends were sitting before they could stop you.

Moving through the center of the group, you sat back down, adjusting your dress but did not miss the white-hot stares you were receiving from your circle of friends. You met their gazes and leveled them before giving an expectant shrug.

“Where did you go?” one of them asked.

“Nowhere,” you answered simply. You picked up one of your bottles on the table and began pouring shots. “Let’s drink.”

Another friend answered with a giggle, “She went somewhere with her husband.”

You glowered, stalling in pouring the shots, and asked, “So?”

“Did you finally give it up then? Because you’re being defensive. Oh, look, here he comes.”

Following their gaze, you saw Tony walking out now. He was being as normal as you, no sign of a smirk on his face. But then he did give it away. His gaze did flick over to you and the two of you locked eyes for a moment before he looked away again.

“You totally did,” your same friend crowed.

“If you don’t shut the hell up, I’m going to kick you out of the VIP section!” you threatened her.

“Touchy, touchy! Fine, I’ll drop it. It’s done. And so is your honeymoon officially!”

“Ass,” you snapped as you passed the shots out.

<><><>

Tony sat down at the booth and straightened out his suit jacket. “Where are the shots?”

“Well, we took them without you because you were gone for so long,” Natasha said with a twinkle in her eye.

“There’s plenty of alcohol in this bar. I should know. Where’s our bar—”

Someone showed up at the table, dress in the staff uniform and asked, “What’ll it be, Mr. Stark?”

“A round for the table. Bourbon.”

Natasha and Bucky protested. “No, vodka, please.”

“Fine, bourbon and vodka. Just bring two bottles, everyone has their glasses already. Blanton’s and Grey Goose.”

The server nodded, “Of course, Mr. Stark.”

As soon as they walked off, Tony looked around the table again. And they all averted their eyes. Sighing annoyed, he asked – even though he had a good idea already what was going on – , “What is it?”

Clint took the dive for everyone else and tried to say as nonchalantly as possible, “You look… not pissed off.”

“And?” he asked with a sharp edge to his voice. “Do I always look pissed off?”

“Yes,” came the chorus around the table and he frowned, displeased.

Unable to help himself, Bucky chortled, “You fucked,” as Rhodey cracked a wide smile at his statement.

“Be respectful,” Tony snapped at them.

Bucky closed his mouth, biting his cheeks as Tony took a long swig of his drink.

“Respectful? You’re the one that’s been complaining she sleeps turned away from you!” Rhodey said, still laughing lightly. “I was frankly getting tired of hearing about it. This is good news for everyone.”

“You’re welcome then,” Tony muttered to everyone’s continued amusement as the server came back with their bottles. He thanked them and took the bottles, beginning to pour everyone their own respective shots.

“To the King and Queen then,” Natasha proposed, holding up her shot glass.

<><><>

A few weeks later, there was commotion at the front door, and you put your book down before sliding out of the recliner you were in. You could hear Tony; he was angry, ranting. You came into the entrance hall cautiously and found him storming up the stairs. He stopped and was shouting still back at Steve, something about making sure that the car was destroyed and far from the city.

He noticed you were standing there suddenly and that is when you got a full view of his face. He was scraped up.

“Christ, what happened?” you asked him worriedly, coming closer to the bottom of the stairs between him and Steve. Steve took the hint and told Tony he would make sure it happened and turned on his heel to leave.

To you, Tony said, “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.” He began to turn to go up the stairs further.

You followed quickly, “You don’t look fine. Here, let me help.” He started to protest but you were already there, going past him. You stole another glance and saw there were scraps by his eyebrow and upper cheek, bleeding still. “There’s a kit in the guest bathroom. That’s closest. Come on.”

Tony followed you and you told him to sit on the toilet. He did as you said, looking hesitant. You dipped to grab underneath the sink and pulled out the first aid kit. Working quickly, you got the hydrogen peroxide as well and used the cotton balls to wipe at his face. He hissed and you apologized gently, dabbing with care.

“What happened?” you asked again as you wiped at the cuts.

“It doesn’t—”

“Tony.”

He ground his teeth for a few seconds before saying, “I almost got run over.”

You stilled and pulled away to meet his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“One of Weston’s guys.” You knew Weston. He ran an outfit outside the city, smaller but it was influential for keeping the borders secure.

“Weston?” you asked in disbelief. As far as you knew, he did not have any issue with Tony.

“I don’t know. We were working at a site and all of a sudden I heard someone coming in quick and Thor shoved me out of the way.” Your heart clenched and he saw. “He’ll be fine. He got nicked and it sent him spiraling. If it had been one of us, we would have had broken bones. He’s shaken up and bloodied, but he’s gonna be fine.”

“That’s good,” you said dropping the cotton balls into the trash and moving towards the bandaids and antibiotic ointment. “But, did Weston send him?”

“I don’t know,” Tony said honestly. “I don’t think so. The guy is someone who had an issue with me personally. Seems his brother got killed or something in a recent raid. Wanda and Rhodey were interrogating the guy after Steve forced me to come back here in case there were other people gunning for me.”

“That was smart of him,” you said tapping the ointment onto the cuts. “I’m glad he brought you back.”

“Oh, yeah?” Tony asked with a small smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yes, I would like you to always come back alive if you could manage that for me,” you retorted, opening up a bandaid. You bandaged up the worst of it and added for good measure, “And if you could be more cognizant of your surroundings that would be a good place to start to make sure that happens….”

Turning away from him, you heard him give a light chuckle at your quip. You felt the air shift behind you, and you closed the kit, pushing it back further on the counter.

You made to ignore how close he was and walked towards the door, but he was quicker, grabbing your arm and stilling your movement. His other hand grasped the door, and he threw it closed before turning you around and holding you against it. Staring up at him, you stayed still, waiting for him to make his move.

“I’ll take that into consideration, just for you. I’ll keep my head on a swivel. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like a good plan.”

Tony’s lips curled into a smile before he leaned in and you followed his movement, coming in to kiss him softly. He hummed in approval, his hands ghosting up your sides. His thumbs brushed over your nipples, and you wrapped your arms tight to paw at his ass through his pants. He liked that by the noise he released, and you sucked in at his bottom lip. Pinning your wrists above your head, his lips dragging roughly over yours. You bit at him now in a mock threat, and he chuckled before capturing you in a passionate kiss. Your pelvis ground towards him and your tongue slipped into his mouth, swirling. The two of you were locked in a passionate dance.

Tony groaned, pulling away as you brushed his length through his slacks with your thigh. He turned you around in a fluid motion, keeping your wrists pinned and pressed himself against your back. Your neck was sucked and peppered with eager kisses, him dry humping you. You dragged your teeth across your bottom lip, a wanton whine escaping.

He let go of your wrists and made quick work of pulling your sun dress up and freeing himself from his pants. Working with him, you spread your legs and arched your back, anticipation crawling over your skin. Pulling your underwear aside, he drove up into you, holding tight at your hips.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you gasped as he picked up speed.

Anyone walking by outside the room would be greeted with loud, pleasured moans and the sound of skin slapping skin with how hard Tony was driving into you. You hardly cared; it was your damn house after all.

The two of you found a slow rhythm to relieve the intensity, a needed break. You rolled your hips, riding him with precision. His hands flexed, one coming up to cup your breast, kneading at it through your dress. He leaned forward enough to suck at your earlobe, whispering filth into your ear before he gave a rough nip.

You pushed back roughly and hissed, “I’m so close. Please.”

Tony’s hand fell from your tit and found its way between your panties and wet pussy. His fingers worked at your clit, and you groaned loudly, begging for him to not stop and he promised you he was going to fuck you good. He was working fast again, his breath coming quick and hot.

“I…I…” you stuttered moments before you clenched, your heat enveloping him tighter.

“Oh, god, that’s it, baby,” Tony praised in a low groan, his fingers faltering on your clit. But he thrusted quicker for a few seconds before he was pulsating. His hand fell to your thigh, fingers digging in as he stilled, emptying completely.

His head rested on your shoulder, the two of you breathing heavy. He found his breath again and laid a soft kiss at your neck.

“Well, that helped my stress,” he breathed.

Leaning back, you turned your head to be able to see him well enough to give him a kiss. Against his lips, you smiled, “Glad I could be of some assistance.”

<><><>

Erick was walking beside you, checking his phone. He suddenly stopped, holding out his arm to stop you as well. “We should go to another store.”

You furrowed your brow and said, “What? Why? I’m done. And they said they would be at the café now for lunch.”

“They’re going to be late.”

Shooting a look across the street, you spotted Bucky inside and slid your eyes back to Erick, looking completely unimpressed. “Nice try. Bucky is already inside.”

Erick swore underneath his breath and you frowned, sensing you were being kept out of the loop about something. You had been surprised when Bucky and Natasha had asked to ride along with you and Erick when they learned where you were going to be going shopping but had told them to come along. They had made it clear they were going somewhere else but would meet back for lunch.

You began walking again and Erick said more firmly, “Y/N, we should find another store to go into.”

Pressing the crosswalk button, you crossed your own arms, your bags bumping up against your middle. You always insisted on carrying some of the bags. Erick was your bodyguard, not your servant.

“Y/N.”

“I heard you. And I’m choosing to ignore you.”

Erick sighed loudly as the light came on to cross and you did so, hearing him follow you despite his protesting. Bucky spotted you through the window and his eyes shot back to Erick, giving him a disappointed glare. It only served to encourage you to move a bit quicker. Upon entering the café, you saw Bucky staring directly at you and Natasha looking at you over her shoulder.

“You’re supposed to be shopping,” Bucky said as you approached the table.

“I’m done. I thought we were having lunch,” you told him, sitting down beside him, placing your bags on the ground. “What’s the hold up?” Natasha was tight lipped as was Bucky as Erick sat down next to Natasha. You exhaled deeply and said in a quieter voice, even though you were alone in the corner, “You can trust me. You know you can. You’re doing a drop off, aren’t you?” Bucky cocked his head and you picked up his coffee and took a sip. “I know Salazar likes to do business in that building. You must need some new toys.”

Natasha and Bucky exchanged a look and for once, you noticed Erick actually looked amused at the fact you had forced yourself into the situation. He knew you were not stupid and he was probably feeling a little sense of pride that they were noticing that as well.

Adjusting in his seat, Bucky admitted in low tones, “Yes. And someone who isn’t gonna be happy about it has people set up inside watching to see who goes in and out.”

“I can do it.”

“It’s dangerous, Y/N,” Erick told you immediately before the other two could respond. His amusement was gone.

Seriously, you asked, “For me? They’re not even to think twice about me walking in. Sure, I’m married to Tony and my dad is a boss. But people really don’t pay attention to me except thinking about getting me on my back.”

Natasha ground her teeth at that, uncomfortable.

“Well, it’s the truth,” you said, shrugging. “They’ll think I’m just going in to look at the back jewelry room. All I care about is shopping anyways, right?” Natasha cocked an eyebrow and you said with a smirk, “Yes. I do know about that too, and I’ve been inside. Problem is I’ll have to actually go up to the room and that guy — Tucker — is a sleazebag.”

“You think I’m gonna let you go alone?” Erick asked.

You patted his arm, “Look at you being chivalrous.”

“Tony would have my balls if I let you around Tucker without me.”

“Wait, we did not even agree to this,” Natasha cut in, holding up her hand.

“Give it to me,” you told her, holding out your hand. “I can carry it in my purse. Go upstairs, get something small from Tucker or act like I was not impressed with the selection, and then come back down a back way to drop it into the chute before circling back and coming back out the front entrance.”

You flexed your fingers after they did not react quick enough. “I have concealed carry if anything goes wrong. And you know Erick is a great protector.”

“I have to ask Tony—” Bucky started to say.

“Bullshit,” you told Bucky. “This needs to get done. I’m assuming it’s time sensitive. And you had an unexpected snag and you have the solution sitting right beside you. Not acting on it is going to make you miss your goddamn window. I have gotten my hands dirty before and involved with this type of shit. It’s nothing new.”

Natasha nodded at Bucky stiffly and he sighed, reaching into his jacket, pulling out a thick bag and handing it to you. You felt it was money and put it into your purse swiftly. It was concealed by the fact it was hidden in a grocery store bag, not see through. Picking the menu up, you quickly scanned it.

“Erick and I both like breakfast sandwiches, his with ham and mine with bacon,” you told them putting the menu back down on the table. “I want an orange juice too. You?”

“Water,” Erick answered before following your movement to stand up.

“I’ll be back before you know it. Hopefully before the food gets here. Mind my bags, please,” you told the pair before striding off and not waiting for their answer.

Tucker was a sweet talker as always, commenting on how nice your jumpsuit looked. His hands trailed along your own and you pulled away naturally, not forcing it. When you politely brushed off his advances, he congratulated you on your recent marriage since he had not seen you since it happened. You bantered back and forth with him about how he was always able to find out the latest gossip. He told you that it was big news that Tony had gotten married; if you did not know it, you were not keeping your ear to the ground at all.

To your surprise, he had something in stock you really wanted. And it was for Tony. A nice new ring and you took it happily. Hopefully if Tony caught wind of this – which he certainly would, you doubted Bucky or Natasha would lie to him – this would soften the blow.

On the way down, you did exactly what you said were you going to do and you dropped the bag off in the chute and came back around. Walking right past the people that you knew were watching for whoever it was that Natasha and Bucky were worried about. They only glanced at you and looked away when they saw the small signature bag of Tucker’s business.

Sliding back into your chair, you placed the bag on the table and said, “It’s done. Also, do you think Tony will like that?”

~~~

Marvel tags: @coconutqueen21 @undecidedsworld @holl2712 @agustdowney  @biiskuitx @buttercupfangirl @namjoonwatcheshentai @kaylamcd2000 @damntonystarkandhissmile @aditimukul

Fic tags: @patheticallysentimental @suchababie @downeyreads @teenageregression​

[mieohmy]

𝖬𝗒 𝖬𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋? | 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝖩𝖺𝖾𝗁𝗒𝗎𝗇

PAIRING: teacher! jung jaehyun x teacher! fem reader 

GENRE: flufff, humor

WC: 2.7k

NOTES: tiny mention of blood

SUMMARY: you think it’s cute how your seventh grade students can’t get enough of Mr. Jung. or in which the whole middle schools ships you and jaehyun together.

ღ  

“Miss y/l/n! Miss y/l/n!” You look up from your computer. “Yes?? What is it?” One of your students suddenly asks, “Do you have a boyfriend?” You raise an eyebrow. “What? Um, I don’t think that’s appropriate for class.” Your students protest. “No, Miss Y/l/n, we just wanted to know more about you... that’s all!” one kid pipes up. You scoff. “How many months has it been since I started teaching you guys?” You stand up and grab the papers you were about to hand out to the students for homework. “It’s none of your business, but no, I don’t have a boyfriend.” You hear whispers, and someone faintly says, “But you’re so pretty...” causing your heart to warm. 

After you finish passing it out, you let the kids go. You didn’t think much about the question, not knowing what was to come.

ღ 

It’s a few weeks later when you sit by Naeun at the teacher's table for lunch, that the topic comes up again. She greets you as you place your lunchbox on the table, unpacking your food. “How were your classes?” she asks. Humming, you reply, “Busy as usual, you know.”  Naeun nods, sighing as she laments, “I wish I at least had someone at home to care of me with all this work... Hey, y/n, do you have a boyfriend?” You pause. “No, not anymore.” Naeun sits up. “Oh, sorry.. I didn’t-“ Cutting her off, you laugh. “You don’t need to be sorry about anything. Let’s just relax during our break as much as we can, right?” She smiles in relief. 

The two of you are interrupted by the lunchroom doors opening. You immediately hear whispers and giggles. Turning your head, you see Jaehyun Mr. Jung and another teacher walk in. This was only your second year teaching here at a big school, so you didn’t know all the staff yet. 

“Wow, I have to admit Mr. Jung’s very handsome, no matter when. And I think all the kids agree too.” It was a known fact that Jaehyun was the definition of a teacher-crush. He was extremely handsome, and all students liked him and his class. You’re not sure how many times you’ve heard his name being mentioned in class by your students. It could be about his face, his outfit of the day, or even what he ate for lunch. You nod absentmindedly at her words, mostly focusing on your food. 

Naeun raises her eyebrows at you. “Ohh, so you think he is too??” You stuff a mouthful of food into your mouth, “Well-“ “Who is too?” a voice cuts in. You harshly swallow, coughing. “Are you okay??” You recognize the owner of the voice. It’s Jaehyun. You turn, meeting his eyes. “Yeah, it’s all good..” He nods before placing his papers on the table and leaving to get something to eat. 

“Oooh...” Naeun sings. You roll your eyes. “He was being polite.” You two continue eating until Naeun abruptly says, “You know, you and Mr. Jung would actually look good together.” You squint at her. “Naeun... don’t start shipping me with every guy I speak with now.” “But,” she protests, “it’s not any guy, it’s Mr. Jung. Jung Jaehyun. I don’t believe he’s dating anyone so, think about it.” She stands up to get to her next class, leaving you to sit and contemplate. 

ღ

You’re walking to the office when you’re stopped by a small gathering. Jaehyun’s here, you notice. Getting closer, you see him kneeling next to a crying girl. Two other girls were standing there as well. Must be her friends. You quickly walk closer. Jaehyun senses your presence and his head turns to yours. 

You see a flicker of recognition in his eyes as you ask what’s going on. “She lost her book and was searching for it. She was going to be late for her next class, that’s why she panicked. Her friends here were helping search, but they still couldn’t find it.” 

You slowly nod in understanding. Squatting next to Jaehyun, you reassure the crying girl. “It’s fine. We’ll find your book, and you won’t be counted late to your next class. You should go to the restroom and get yourself cleaned up, alright?” She shakily nods and heads off. You dismiss her friends, the two of them whispering and glancing at you and Jaehyun. 

He stands up, offering you a hand. You gratefully take it as he pulls you up. “Well, that was something, wasn’t it?” You fight back a smile, agreeing with him. He scratches his head, about to say something, but you remember you had to go somewhere. You quickly bid him goodbye before running off.

ღ

Some students were staying after school for tutoring. You’re helping a kid when one girl speaks up. “Miss y/l/n, you said you don’t have a boyfriend, right?” You frown. This topic again? You look up and see the other students have tuned in on your conversation. “No, I don’t. Why are you asking?” She shrugs, fiddling with her pencil. “I mean, you’re so pretty. We all thought you were dating someone.” 

You shake your head and laugh. “Thank you, but no, I’m not dating. I don’t do that anymore.” She nods thoughtfully. “Well, I think we can find you, someone..” You notice a mischievous look on her face before you cut her off. “Get back to work! This isn’t school-related!” She salutes. “Ma’am yes ma’am!!”

ღ

You didn’t know how fast word spreads between kids. It’s only been like what, three days? and rumors were flying everywhere. “Are Miss Y/l/n and Mr. Jung dating?” “ I think he likes her.” “They would look freakin good together...” You sigh as you write on the board, hearing the whispers behind you. And while all these rumors spread, you had no idea what Jaehyun was thinking. 

It became the talk of the school. Even the staff knew and shipped you two. Naeun brings it up one day in the teachers’ lounge. “What’s all this stuff with you and Mr. Jung?? My kids keep talking about you two, and they don’t even have you or him as your teacher.” You shrug. “I don’t know. Kids like to make a big deal of out anything.” 

“But this time, they aren’t wrong.” she teases. “I agree with them. You two would be like the power couple of the school.” You make a disgusted face. “I don’t want to be known as the power couple of a middle school.” Naeun laughs, the two of you getting into other boring topics. 

It didn’t help when Jaehyun had to go to an emergency meeting one day, and he couldn’t get a substitute for his sixth graders. You’re not sure why you’re surprised when he comes knocking on your door, a sheepish smile on his handsome face. You’re pretty sure there were several rooms between your and his classrooms’, so why did he come to yours? 

“Miss y/l/n, you wouldn’t mind watching my students for a couple of hours?” You immediately shake your head, “No, of course not. Come in!” The kids slowly shuffle in, some of them shooting you both weird looks. 

After he leaves, you continue teaching as the little kids watch on. In the middle of it, your neighbor knocks on your door and tilts their head in. It was Mrs. Park. She catches your eye and beams. “So sorry to interrupt, but thank you for taking Mr. Jung’s kids. I had no more space in my classroom, you know...” You let out a forced laugh. No way... could she have done that on purpose?? Nah.. “No! It’s no problem! We’re all fine in here. His kids are really well behaved too!” 

“It’s only because Mr. Jung is awesome!!” one of his kids suddenly says. You hear a chorus of agreements, even your kids who must’ve previously had him were nodding. “He’s so kind and a really good teacher as well!” a student says, purposely looking at you. You attempt to smile, but it comes off as a grimace. How long would this go on for??

ღ

The audience was silent, attention focused on the bright stage before them. The dancers held a special performance for the school in the auditorium, AKA a break for you. You watched, entranced as the dancers seemed to effortlessly glide across the stage. Suddenly the thought popped into your head that you left the classroom door open. There was nothing wrong with that, but you wanted to be on the safe side. 

Not wanting to bother the onlookers, you slowly get up from your seat, ducking down to stay as low as possible. Curse the darkness, for you didn’t notice that one darn kid whose foot was sticking partially out into the walkway, and you trip over it. You gasp, bracing yourself for the hard ground, but you only feel something strong in front of you, holding you inches from the ground. 

Your eyes open, seeing the ground in front of you. Your head turns, and it’s Jaehyun. He was conveniently sitting on the end where you tripped and luckily stuck out his arm to catch you. His eyes are full of concern, staring at you. People are whispering all around, you think Jaehyun silently mouths a question to you. 

You squeeze your eyes shut, get a freakin grip y/n!!, before detaching yourself from him and quickly walking out-you’re not sure what exactly happened- it was too dark, and you were too embarrassed. You briskly walk into your classroom, shutting the door behind you. 

You let out a silent scream. Did you really just trip and fall in front of a bunch of students!?!?? You slowly breathe in and out, collecting yourself. It was dark. Maybe some people didn’t see. You remember the whispers and stares, cringing. 

You’re not surprised when during the next period, all your students are talking. Probably definitely about you and Mr. Jung. You’re furiously typing away on your keyboard, trying to drown out the sounds of the kids gossiping. “Miss y/l/n,” one kid says. 

“Yes?” you call out distractedly. “Are you interested in anyone?” Wow, way to be discreet. Your typing comes to a cease, but you don’t look up. “Well, I’d hope not, since I already have a husband.”

Immediately gasps and whispers break out. You continue typing and clicking away. “B-but Miss y/l/n... I.. I thought you said you didn’t have a boyfriend??” “Yeah, I don’t have a boyfriend anymore. We got married so I have a husband now.” The students remained shell-shocked for the rest of the day until they’re released from school. They run out, probably to spread the news that you’re actually married. 

Once everyone’s out, you sigh and examine your desk. You pick up the small photograph (that no one noticed apparently) of you and your husband. The two of you were red-cheeked and had identical shining grins on both of your faces. You smile, the happy memory fresh on your mind. 

Suddenly someone knocks on the door before opening it. Your head turns around to see Jaehyun. He steps into your classroom, looking around. “What are you doing?” he asks. You grin. “Just looking at an old picture..” Cocking his head, he asks, “And what picture might that be?” 

You place the photograph down before walking over to him and placing your arms around his neck. “Hmm.. I think you should know. After all, you were in it.” He laughs before leaning down to kiss you. 

ღ

You met Jaehyun in college, both of you wanting to become teachers. You started as friends until all your friends kept commenting on how good the two of you looked together. At first, you laughed it off, but over time, you started thinking about how it would be like if you actually started dating him. And apparently him too. I mean, he was handsome, kind, polite, your mom LOVED him.. so what kept you from liking him so much?  

You went over to his apartment (now your shared apartment) one night for a celebration after finishing finals. “Ughhhhd,” you groan, throwing your bag on his couch. Jaehyun smiles, looking at you from the kitchen. “Rough day?” You nod, slowly walking over to examine what he was doing. “What are you cooking?” He chops some veggies. “Noodles. But healthy.” 

You make a confused expression. “What kind of healthy noodles now?” Jaehyun laughs at the look on your face, not paying attention to the knife and cutting his finger. “Ow!” he hisses. Your eyes widen, walking over to him and grabbing his hand. Examining the cut, you see blood well up. Immediately you bring his hand to the sink, turning on warm water and running his finger under it. 

You look up at him, slightly annoyed and amused at the same time. “Jaehyun. How did you just cut yourself right in front of me?” He scratches the back of his head sheepishly. You drag him over to his couch, sitting him down as you grab his first aid kit. 

Rummaging through it, you hear him say, “Y/n, it’s not a big deal. It’s just a cut you know..” Huffing, you respond, “Just a cut my ass, you didn’t sound like it. Now shut up and let me take care of you.” Grabbing the medicine, you sit closer to him and take his hand. 

You carefully put on the ointment and wrap the bandaging around it. Finished, you look up to see his face extremely close to yours, already staring at you. You raise your eyebrows, cheeks reddening. “Uh-“ but Jaehyun’s hand that reaches for yours silence you. “I was distracted by you.” 

You open your mouth, but no words come out. He continues, “I was too busy looking at you to pay attention.” You gulp. “Why?” You notice him lick his lips before responding. “Because I like you. Isn’t that obvious?” You’re shocked. This guy? No, he wasn’t even a guy, this fine man... liked you? You can’t even get a word out as he places his lips on yours. You immediately move your hands to his hair, feeling the soft strands. 

Breaking apart, he chuckles. “So I guess that means you’ll be my girlfriend?” You pretend to think for a second, before saying, “I guess... if you’ll finish making time dinner.” Jaehyun freezes. “Oh shoot. The noodles!!” 

After that, the two of you dated until graduation when he proposed. You didn’t cry. You still insist on that to this day. You didn’t purposely apply to the same school he was teaching at, the offer just came up, and it was convenient that you could go to work together. (Strangely, no one saw you two when you arrived at school) And you don’t know why you never told anyone about your relationship, no one really asked, and you both just kinda went along with it. No one assumed anything, probably because you preferred being called by your last name instead of his. You just liked it more, and Jaehyun didn’t mind. That is until the whole school started pairing you two. 

ღ

The memory resurfaces in your mind as you sit in Jaehyun’s lap, snuggling comfortably as the TV blares in the background. You smile, and he notices, pinching your side. “What’re you smiling about?” You bury your face in his neck as you say a muffled response. “Nothing.” 

You continue watching whatever’s on the tv until you suddenly ask, “Do you think the students know yet or?” Jaehyun shifts, tightening his arms around you. “Nahh, my students feel bad for me. They think I don’t know anything and still have a crush on you.” Your head shoots up from his chest. “And you don’t?” you ask indignantly. He laughs, sitting up. “What?” 

You don’t know why you suddenly become embarrassed. Looking down, you fiddle with the end of his shirt. “Have a crush on me?” There’s a moment of silence where Jaehyun stares at you. He bursts out laughing before grabbing your hands and pulling you back into him. Kissing the top of your head, he responds, “Y/n, we’ve been married for almost a year now. Yes, I always have a crush on you.. idiot.” 

“I had to make sure!”  

[minachuuu]

When The Lights Go Out

❣When The Lights Go Out❣

❤ Pairing: Gahyeon x Fem!Reader

❤ Genre: Suggestive & Fluff

❤ Word Count: 5.1k

❤ Song Suggestions: Daybreak by DreamCatcher & Squeeze by Fifth Harmony

“Hey Y/n!” The door swung open, forcing you and Gahyeon to jerk apart your hovering lips. Yoohyeon, followed by the rest of the DreamCatcher girls entered the green room from the venue of the show both your group and your girlfriend’s were going to perform at. “Long time no see!”

It’s not like the rest of her group don’t know that you two are dating, you never tried keeping it a secret. And even if you wanted, it was almost impossible to keep something hidden from them. 

DreamCatcher was one of the closest groups you have ever met, they dropped and picked up Gahyeon from all your dates even before you two were official. It was also important for her that you met all of them beforehand. 

You remember that day pretty vividly. It was a little nerve racking, the thought of meeting all these powerful girls that were her older sisters, of course they’re watching over her. You do the same with the maknae of your group, so you understand where that came from. But luckily for you, they all loved you. Putting aside all the joking threats, or at least you hope they were jokes, of taking care of Gahyeon, you actually became pretty close with all of them.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with that. But you would be lying if you said that sometimes you wish they weren’t around all the time.

“Hey Yoohyeon!” You waved with your free hand as you wrapped the other around your girlfriend, she sheepishly cuddling into your shoulder. “Hi girls!”

“Did we interrupt something?” Handong chuckled as her gentle eyes laid over you both. 

“No, not really,” You responded while shaking your head, bringing Gahyeon closer to you with your arm as she chuckled in your neck. “We were just talking-”

“Really? Wow, how boring.” SuA scoffed at us, sitting besides me as she took out her phone. “If I were you and I hadn’t seen my girlfriend in so long I would just ea-”

“Unnie!” Gahyeon reached and jokingly punched SuA away. 

“What?! I’m just saying the truth!” She defended herself, trapping you in between of a bickering battle. “We’ve all been busy with comebacks and don’t pretend you weren’t all ‘Aw, I miss my Y/N!’ every single day for you two to be all ‘We’re only talking’ Gahyeon-ah! Especially when Y/n is dressed like that!”

Red rushed up to your cheeks as your eyes scanned your body from head to toe. Thanks to your comeback, you embarked on your usual ‘tour’ around music shows. With all the glamour, of course the extravagant outfits were included, and this time, you fancied a two piece costume that highlighted all your best, exalted all your movements and most importantly, could make everyone fall at your feet at any given time. All combining with your newest concept, a classy version of the already known girl crush concept. You had asked to be the first in the dressing room and the makeup chair, so you could be able to visit your girlfriend in her green room as soon as possible. 

Gahyeon wasn’t complaining about it either, since your comeback overlapped with the promotions of her group’s comeback. They were already on their last week of promotions whereas this was your first one, giving you both an opportunity to spend a little time together, even if it just meant stealing kisses in between stages, curtains and dressing rooms.

“So...! You really missed me that much?” Your hand raised your girlfriend's chin to meet her eyes with yours. 

“Of course I did, you pabo.” Gahyeon poked your nose with hers as you giggled together. 

It’s not like you weren’t that lovey-dovey, but you preferred not going overboard with the public demonstrations of affection that much, it just didn’t feel comfortable enough. Especially with both of you being idols, you never knew what pair of eyes could be around.

But right now, you were only surrounded by her members and staff, who already knew you and your relationship pretty well, so maybe sneaking a kiss wasn’t so bad-

A knock on the door made you turn your head away from your girlfriend, especially when the voice coming from the opening entrance was the one from your group leader.

“Hello Dreamcatcher sunbaenim!” Her head peaked in, scanning around for you as she bowed to all the girls and staff in the room. Her eyes finally landed over you, a relieved gasp coming out of her mouth as she signed you to follow her. “It’s five minutes until they call us to stage Y/n!”

You sighed, nodding at your leader in response. Gahyeon patted your chest letting you know it was okay for her since, after all, this was work for both of you, and you couldn’t neglect it just for a relationship. You stole a quick peck from her lips and stood up from the couch.

“Will I see you later?” Gahyeon asked, playing lightly with your hair.

“I’ll try my best jagi.” You winked back at her.

Maybe it was the outfit with a combination of a makeup that perfectly highlighted everything she already loved about you, or maybe all this accumulated time without seeing each other, but Gahyeon couldn’t resist pulling your hand and you with it in for a more lively kiss. 

Of course you didn’t reject the offer, softly brushing your lips against hers, before going for a more daring approach. She wrapped the edges of your top around your neck, pulling you closer. Recognizing the flavor of her favorite lip balm, you never got tired of tasting her lips over yours. 

“Sooo… ” Your leader cleared her throat as she rested against the door frame, waiting for you to stop saying goodbye to your girlfriend. Her voice hesitated as she tried to make the moment a little bit less awkward for the spectators. “Congrats on the song unnies! It’s pretty good!”

“Thank you!” JiU chuckled back to her, following the thread of awkwardness. You started noticing the clumsy pace of the conversation, laughing against each others’ lips in the process. “Your album is pretty good too! Gahyeon invited us to listen to it and we really liked it.”

You heard your leader giggling and halting her words, and just then is when you felt the entire room turning their eyes over at you both. You placed a last peck on her lips and pulled away, unhurriedly releasing her hand in the process. Gahyeon sent a flying kiss your way and winked back at you, causing your cheeks to flare up.

“You guys know we love you both but you don’t have to rub it all on our faces.” Siyeon sneered, making you turn to her. Her happy eyes relieved you, knowing she was just messing with you as she often liked to “You know? Some of us feel a little lonely and you don’t help.”

“I’m so sorry Unnie,” You chuckled at her as you bowed in respect, moving towards the exit door. “Good luck today everyone!”

“Thank you!” All the girls waved back at you, in a chorus of happy and excited voices. 

“And good luck to you too,” Your girlfriend planted a kiss on your cheek as she accompanied to the door. “Give your all Y/n, promise?”

“It’s not going to be hard with you on my mind.” You returned the kiss as you stood under the door frame. Getting lost in her perfect eyes once again, a calling force that didn’t let you say goodbye to her completely.

“Let’s go, I told the girls we would meet them behind the stage.” You leader pulled your hand, calling you back to reality. 

“Oh, true.” You shook your head to ground you back, taking in a deep sigh. You allowed yourself one last word to your girlfriend as you started walking away from Dreamcatcher’s dressing room. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She was quick to respond as she waved to you.

You started walking backwards unable to take apart your eyes from her. It was your leader who rolled her eyes at both your puppy-eyed faces and turned you around by the waist, playfully slapping your shoulder to bring you back once again.

“You’re feeling lonely Siyeon-ah?” You heard SuA’s loud voice coming from the inside. “Let me fix that for you!”

“Unnie, what are you doing?” Siyeon responded in a fairly confused tone. “Unnie!?”

You chuckled at the last words you could hear coming from that dressing room before your girlfriend closed the door behind her. You had enough time to get to the stage by then, so it wasn’t necessary to run towards your destination. 

“Should I remind you?” Your leader broke the silence as you walked together. “They haven’t even raised our dating ban, if someone-”

“...Someone catches us like that I could get into big trouble.” You finished your leader’s words as you sighed. “We’re both adults, we know what we’re doing.”

“I don’t doubt that, but you’re still in a rookie group.” She shoved her shoulder against yours, shaking her head. “Don’t forget that Y/n.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” You giggled as you shoved her back.

You both arrived at the stage just when your group was being called in to pre-record your performance, all your group got into their positions as you greeted the team and the staff. Usually it takes about three to five takes of the same choreography, with different camera angles and closeups so that they can be stitched together and edited to get the final cut that will air later. 

Your group breezed through the first three easily and quickly, but by the third pass, a new fire rose inside of you when with a glimpse you spotted Gahyeon on the stage wings, her eyes not leaving your moving silhouette as you graced the stage with your daring choreography. 

By the fourth and fifth take, you noticed how cameras focused a bit longer on you. BUt what they didn’t know is that you only made it for the girl living inside your heart, and standing a few feet away from you.

What you couldn’t notice until you finally finished your pre-recordings, was that your girlfriend already fashioned her comeback attire and her killing makeup, the sight punching you straight in the stomach, leaving you breathless. All happened behind you as your group thanked the show’s staff for their hard work and started moving out of the stage. Not until one of your members jumped and surrounded you with her shoulders, happy with the smooth shoot.

You shook your head back to reality, walking alongside your members. And just as you were exiting the stage, it was DreamCatcher’s turn to record their performance. Remembering to hide your relationship from unknown eyes, Gahyeon brushed by your side just politely bowing to all your group, and her eyes maybe lingered an extra second over yours. Only then you were able to catch a closer glimpse of her outfit. 

DreamCatcher always had this super badass concept attached to them, and their styling was no joke either. Rolling with this new biker concept, Gahyeon fashioned some shorts that kept her thighs uncovered, a leather jacket loose enough to drape off her shoulders and high black leather biker boots. Her hair was let down, styled to look as if the wind tapered just enough against it. Her members fashioned similar outfits, some with pants or vests, but it was your girlfriend who you couldn’t take your eyes away from.

“Hey guys,” You called your group as you kept your eyes firmly over Gahyeon. “Do you mind if I stay over here for a while? I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Your leader chuckled at your obviously flustered expression. “Just don’t get caught on camera drooling over Gahyeon.”

You instantly raised your hand to your mouth, cleaning over a fictitious drool that your leader made you thought was already hanging from your mouth. Your groupmates chuckled at that, as you furrowed your eyes towards them, as they headed back to their green room.

DreamCatcher’s comeback music started resonating over the entire venue, turning you around to pay attention. Making sure you were well within the shadows and out of the cameras’ reach, you leaned over a wall, making yourself comfortable to watch your girlfriend give it all on her performances.

You never got tired of watching her in her element, you could see the passion seeping through her in every movement she nailed and every verse that she sang. All combined only prompted you to fall more and more for her, wondering whatever you did to deserve such an amazing girlfriend in your life.

Lost in your trance, you never noticed how they only needed three takes to get everything perfectly, and they were already on the finishing pose of the last one. Maybe it was one of the advantages of being in a more experienced group. 

“This has been DreamCatcher!” JiU and the girls acknowledged the staff’s hard work as they bowed, making you remind in embarrassment how you were all hypnotized to forget that. “Thank you so much for your hard work and caring for u-”

Abruptly, the lights of the entire venue shut completely off, leaving everyone in the dark. Mumbles of confusion were heard all around as people started using the lanterns on their cellphones to light up the rooms around. 

You straightened up the wall, ready to run to your girl if necessary until your urgency was relieved when her group was instantly surrounded by all their managers and their cellphone lights. And really it was you who was going to need a little more help to find your way around, since your phone was with your managers, all the way back at your dressing room.

“Attention!” One of the high ranked staff called the entire stage area. “There has been a problem with our power plant! All artists must be moved to the dressing room area until we can get the backup power back on!”

People started moving around you, and you decided that it was better to stay exactly where you were, hoping somebody could help you. To your great luck, one of DreamCatchers managers who already knew you well enough, saw you and invited you into their lighted brigade. 

You greeted the girls in the formal way that you were expected to when there were other people around, bowing down them as they politely greeted you as if you hadn’t been kissing one of their members an hour ago.

“Really good performance out there DreamCatcher sunbaenims!” You congratulated them, walking besides them to their green room. 

The girls giggled at your comment, partly because they were not used to talking so formally with you by now, but they all thanked you genuinely anyways. A light brush against your hand made you slowly turn your head towards it’s direction, only to find your girlfriend staring to the front, but walking right beside you.

You understood her message perfectly, taking her hand in yours and intertwining your fingers. After all, the darkness wouldn’t let anybody see what was going on down there.

You entered their dressing room behind them, only to end up once again at the same couch you were with before being called by your leader. 

“The heaters are off too, it shouldn’t be too cold but we can give you this in case you’d like to cover yourselves.” One of the show’s staff approached behind you, handing out blankets to everyone. “We’re so sorry for the inconveniences.”

“Thank you!” All the people inside the room chorused as they exited the room, heading to the next one with another batch of blankets.

Gahyeon grabbed one from the stack over the table, and draped it over both your bodies, using it as a perfect excuse to cuddle back into you. 

“You were amazing out there.” You whispered to your girlfriend as the air started filling itself with other conversations to kill time. “I was really thinking ‘Wow, that’s my girlfriend!”

“Y/n! Stop, you’re making me blush!” She whined back to you. Her hands roamed under your laced shirt, resting over your core. The whole gesture caused a chill to bolt down your spine, as you surrounded her shoulders with your arms. “You’re not bad yourself Jagi!”

“You really liked it?” 

“Of course I did!” She playfully slapped your arm, a little offended by your questioning. “And I’m so excited to see everything you guys can do, especially you.”

“Oh, can think of one thing that I would love to do…” You added, chuckling to yourself.

“Really? What is it?” Gahyeon excitedly jumped in her place, her bright eyes still shining in the obscure room, full of curiosity.

“Eh-” Caught off guard, you cleared your throat as you avoided her eyes. “I can’t tell you now-”

“Y/n-yah! That’s not fair!” She complained, puckering her lips. “You can’t go saying that and then just not tell me!”

“Yes I can.” You answered dryly.

“Please tell me?” She begged in the cutest voice she could, trying to get you to fall for her. 

“No.”

“Then I’ll make you!” She returned with a confidence that flustered your brain.

“No, Gahyeon. What are you-” You halted when you saw Gahyeon’s smile grow up, as you felt her hands roaming to your exposed ribs from under the blanket. “Oh no, don’t you dare.”

But it was too late, she started tickling you mercilessly making you contort over your own body, trying to fight back the laughter that urged to come blasting out of your mouth. The blanket ended up falling on the floor from all the movement, as you fighted against your girlfriend’s playful hands. 

Your stomach was starting to hurt from trying to contain the laughter and all the shifting out of your body, as she couldn’t stop cooing at you, taunting you to say exactly what she wanted to hear.

You somehow managed to stand up from the couch and away from your girlfriend’s hold. And it was your turn for vengeance. Gahyeon could see it coming from the wicked smile growing on your lips, and didn’t waste a second standing up and running away from you, out of your reach and quickly enough, out of the room you were sharing with her group.

Bolting behind her, you weren’t sure if you heard the voices of your members or DreamCatcher call both your names or you had just hallucinated them. But it was a worry that lasted just one second, enough for your eyes to catch the silhouette of your girlfriend running away from you across the dark halls of the venue. 

Gahyeon’s cute taunting giggles helped you go behind her as this game of cops and robbers started for both of you. She ran in between the different dressing rooms and up and down the stairs, sometimes barely avoiding your hand as she turned out to be faster than you imagined.

She just knew that once your hands were on top of her, there’s no way you were taking them off. Which, right now, wasn’t such a bad idea for her. 

She cut the corner and quickly entered an empty dressing room behind her, covering her mouth from the giggles and heavy breaths that tried to escape and give away her location. But it didn’t work out too well after all, because even in the dim light that the entire building was buried on, her platinum, purple-ish hair was bright enough, and you knew exactly where she was hiding.

Gahyeon’s breathing calmed down but she stopped hearing your steps. She waited for a few seconds, but curiosity won over her, and to her own demise, she peaked her head out of the dressing room’s door to try and find you. That’s when you jumped in surprise against her, surrounding her with both your arms to avoid another escape attempt.

“Finally! My vengeance will fall upon thee!” You thickened your voice as your hands fought against your girlfriend to find her tickly spots. 

“I promise I won’t do it again!” She giggled, looking at your eyes for forgiveness. “Only if you tell me what you wanted to say downstairs!”

“Ah…” You abruptly stopped trying to reach her, trying to remember what you actually wanted to say. You placed your hands around Gahyeon’s waist, pulling her close to you. “Wait- I don’t remember what that was.”

“Want me to remind you?” You felt her hands sneaking back to your ribs once again, a cheeky smile growing on her perfect lips as she giggled.

“You’re in a very compromised position right now.” You raised your eyebrows this time, softly moving your hands up and down her waist to remind her that you could attack first. “Would you really-”

The new sudden tickle attack caught you off guard, making you accidentally kick the door to the dressing room close behind you. But at least you weren’t defenceless now, as you started tickling her back in response. 

Drowning in between your smiles and giggles, you didn’t realize there was a couch sitting exactly behind you. And just one more step back was enough to tumble both of you back over it, with Gahyeon falling on top of you.

“Fine! Fine. I give up!” You breathed out as you took in the impact and laid down the couch comfortably, Gahyeon snuggling against you as you both calmed down your breath. 

“So you’re going to tell me what you wanted to say before?” She looked up at you, and there was no way you could say no to the brightest eyes in your life.

“I can’t remember it exactly,” You started, gaining a sigh out of her. You took her chin in your hand and raised her close to your lips. “But I think it would be better to show you.”

Her head tilted in curiosity, with her eyes narrowing full of desire to know and a light nod from her head were enough of an answer for you.

Your hand traveled back to her neck as you pulled her closer to you, crashing your lips together with an accumulated craving from both sides. Letting your fingers play with her hair as you soaked your senses in each other's fragrances. 

“Is this what you wanted?” Gahyeon’s voice resembled that of her morning voice, as she tried to keep her tone and volume low. Just exclusive for the moment.

“For longer that I can remember,” You whispered back against her lips, sneaking words between each gentle brush of your lips. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the girls. But we don’t get much time together… Alone.”

“And you couldn’t wait a bit longer?” She giggled, raising her eyebrows but clearly not against everything that was happening. 

“You tell me about it,” You scoffed back. “You’re the one who couldn’t keep her hands off me down in the dressing room.”

“Look,” She moved her hair to the side, shaking her head as she seductively leaned her lips against your ear.  “I’ll just say that whoever put you in that outfit deserves a raise.”

“I’ll make sure to pass down that message to the stylist then.” You teased back as you turned your head, capturing her lips with yours once again. 

Time seemed to stop for both of you as your lips coordinated their delicate choreography. It didn’t matter how used to each other they were, they would never have enough of the velvet like sensations and flavors, those whose combination sparked fireworks up in your hearts and entire melodies in your bellies.

Her hand made it up to your cheek, gently caressing it as you couldn’t have enough of each other. You raised your hand to meet hers, interlacing your fingers together and pulling your hands apart of your face. A smile growing against your lips prompted you to sit up, directing Gahyeon up with you. Her unoccupied hand shooting up at your collar as she pulled you up herself, not breaking your lips apart at any moment.

Only a lack of air in both your lungs prompted you to halt, but your hands clutching to each other gave up how far from the end this was it. Gahyeon took advantage of the break to move on top of you, straddling your hips. The dim light of the room was enough to catch a glimpse of her hooded eyes and cheeky smile, just as she snaked her arms around your shoulders and up your neck, lacing her hands with your hair. 

You let your hands roam to her hips, pulling her as close to you as possible. The smirk growing on your lips caused a big smile on your girlfriend’s face. You shook your head, incredulous of the entire situation, begging that no one woke you up if you were dreaming. 

Only Gahyeon was able to bring you back, as she used her hands behind your head to bring you closer to her. Benefiting from that, you placed her lips right on the edge of her jaw, charming your way around her skin. Your hands roamed to her thighs, gently holding at them as you slowly kissed lower each time, eventually arriving at her exposed neck. Little gasps escaped your girlfriend’s mouth as you dangerously kissed closer to her collarbones, but her private whispered whines only kept you wanting more.

“Y/n?” She gasped your name, immediately making you pull apart. 

“What happened Jagi?” Your hand gently put her hair behind her ear, resting over her blushing cheeks. “Anything wrong?”

“No, just...” She sheepishly whispered, locking her eyes with yours. A glance full of love in its purest form only made you question why you hadn’t crossed each other’s life earlier. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Not hesitating a second you smiled back at her, gently pulling her head closer to yours. 

Connecting your lips once again, lingering with each other a bit more aggressively this time around. Your leather and lace outfits smoothly grinded against each other as you desperately enjoyed each other as much as you could, feeling your heart burn itself with a sweet warmth that you knew only by Gahyeon’s side. 

Your tongue brushed against her lips, asking for permission to go further. She let you in with a mild whine as your tongues played against each other for dominance, unleashing brief moans from both of you, as her hands pulled your hair roughly and your fingers dove harsher against the skin on her hips.

Between the clicking of your mouths and the creaking of your complex and expensive costumes, you didn’t notice the door creaking open, and a hand clicking the light over the room.

“Here you are, they’re calling us back to the st-” Dami’s voice abruptly stopped as her eyes laid upon the sight in the room. Her cheeks heavily blushing, her eyes growing in circumference as the words she planned to say completely left her mind.

Both of you jumped apart, looking back at Dami startled. For what seemed like minutes, none of you three dared to move as to try and hide from your own existence, each of you asking for the earth to swallow you whole.

“Oh, look at that,” You cleared your throat as you quickly took your hands off your girlfriend’s hips, hiding them behind your hair. “The light is back…”

“That’s… That’s good!” Gahyeon janked her hands away from your shoulders, standing up from your thighs and fixing back her clothes. “Yes, that’s definitely good.”

Dami could do nothing but stand there just, staring back at forth at the both of you. And you both dared to do anything but stand up and try to fix your clothes as much as you could. A crushing silence engulfed the room as you three just… stood there in awkward quietness.

“Hey, did you find them Unnie?” Your leader’s voice approaching from the hall made you shut your eyes and furrow your eyebrows, shrinking in your place.

“I haven’t but I think I heard Dami over here.” JiU’s voice answering back marked Gahyeon’s turn to hide behind her hands, pulling them up to her face as both’s steps kept moving closer to the room. “There she is!”

“Hey Dami, did you find somethi-” Your leader’s voice now at the door halted when her eyes laid upon yours, as you apologetically smiled back, your cheeks growing in redness.

Both your leaders crossed their arms at the sight in front of them, bearing the disapproving grin all over their faces, it was kind of clear for everyone what had happened in that empty room, and if it wasn’t for poor Dami, who might have to carry that image in her mind for the rest of her life, who knows how far you and Gahyeon could have taken it. 

“Do we want to ask about it or...?” JiU called off as a grin grew on her face. 

Both of you just shook your head, walking towards the door to go back to work. Your leaders followed you close behind as you walked the halls of the now lighted venue all together. You turned your head towards your girlfriend to catch her already looking back at you with a faint smile on her perfect lips. You returned the smile adding a wink to the mix, to what you both giggled at the ridiculousness of the entire ordeal.

“Oh hey! There you are- WOAH.” SuA stopped her steps as she came closer to both of you. But contrary to the other girls before her, she released a loud chuckle to the air. “Oh Gahyeon-ah. I knew you would take my advice.”

“SuA!” JiU told her off but there was no turning down her loud laughter as that called the rest of the girls around you.

“Yeah…” Siyeon tried to contain back her laughter as she scanned both of you from head to toe. “There’s no way you both are going back into the stage like that, hurry to hair and makeup quickly for a retouch.”

“Yes unnie.” Gahyeon and you chorused as you took a quick peek at each other. 

Your disheveled hair-dos matched your lipsticks, that now lied beyond the borders of both your lips. Not mentioning the ran eyeliner, but you could swear that was from the tickling and not the making out part. But neither of you bothered explaining, you both knew you were gonna get nagged about this for a long time, and preferred ot giving them more weapons to do so.

“Dami, are you okay?” Yoohyeon’s sudden change of tone to one more concerned called everyone’s attention to both of them. “You look like you had seen a ghost.”

Gahyeon and you couldn’t contain the cackle that the comment caused, JiU and your leader following with you. Soon everyone but Dami was giggling as they understood the real reason of her appalled expression, as she sighed lowering her head, trying to get the image out of her head.

“Yeah, don’t mention it.”

[frostmarris]

Jailbreak

KakaSaku, KisaSaku, ShikaSaku - Fantasy Au

summary: A witch, a knight, a dog trainer, and an apprentice mage. Great minds think alike.

notes: gift fic for petrikore for the Sakura Haruno discord server's 6 month anniversary exchange!

there's uh,,, a lot more lore and world building that I thought up that I didn't end up including in the fic lol. Maybe I'll continue one day?

Enjoy!

: :

The hall is silent except for the crackling of flames and the whispers of onlookers. The torches perched equidistant along the polished stone walls of the grand hall hold their flickering fires behind fine metal cages, twisting and curled in elegant loops that glow red when kissed by the flames. The court is full, fine silks and satins and lace and pearls crowded together between the towering columns that lined either side of the main path from the entrance to the throne. The noblemen and women keep clear of wide path, necks craving to see over each other and the occasional muffled tap of tailored shoes against marble floor joining the crackling and whispers. Royal guards are placed periodically down the sides of the wide walkway to hold the line, either to keep the members of the court back or to protect them from something else.

All eyes are on the pair of grand doors opposite of the throne, the carved wood aged but well-maintained and the metal lining reflecting the light of the torches. Dancing shadows are cast over the painted carvings of forest creatures - foxes chasing rabbits, a mother doe grazing with a fawn, wolves running as a pack, birds soaring overhead, a hunting party on horseback following a lone stag. In the center, standing atop a green hill, every blade of grass meticulously carved, is a white silhouette of a strange beast - the single horn in the center of its forehead pointing to the heavens and touching a fallen star. The paint and carvings mimic the light radiating from the star, stretching out over the other creatures and bathing them in its ethereal glow.

A chorus of footfalls grows steadily louder from behind the carved wood and the whispers fall silent, leaving only the crackling flames to accompany the low groan of the old doors as the unicorn is split in twain.

The metallic ringing of armor scraping against armor and the sturdy thuds of leather boots against the marble floor soon drowned out the flames, but the entourage of royal guardsmen is ignored in favor of the woman  trapped in the center of the pack. Two men stand on either side of her, just a step behind, with their hands on their hilted swords and their keen gazes never leaving her profile. Ahead of her walks the Captain, holding the iron chain attached to the heavy shackles encompassing her delicate wrists.

Her skin is rubbed red and raw under the sharp edges of the cuffs and her gown is torn and stained along the hem. A long sleeve ripped up to her bicep and a straight scratch along her left cheek, but she might as well have been dressed in all the finery and jewels of a queen with how the court stares in awe. 

She radiates… something. 

Something unseen and powerful and glorious that has breaths caught in lungs and eyes unblinking as she strides forward, the chain slack and her back straight. She stands with all the power and regal air of a royal lady of the court, as if she were here as a guest rather than a prisoner in chains. 

The deep green of her gown, velvet and hemmed with silver threads, sweeps over the marble like a curtain of moss, silent compared to the footsteps of the soldiers. Beaded starlight dappled lightly over her skirt gathers together in larger clusters towards the bottom hem, gradient of silver and white sparkles that catch the crackling flames with every movement. Her skirt trails behind her, tattered and torn, and the guardsmen take care not to step on it. 

They keep a wary distance from the woman, even though they must remain close - as if afraid to touch any part of her.

Hair the color of flowers only found in the royal garden cascades down the open back of her dress, brushing over unmarred skin and twisting in loose curls. Her head is held high and remains facing forward even as her eyes pass over the awed faces of the court. Eyes like the emeralds lining the King's crown and a face that is both hard edges and gentle curves, her stern expression unwavering and the smallest downward tilt to pink lips is the only inclination to her thoughts as she is led towards the raised dais of the throne.

The guardsmen and their charge stop at the first step of the platform and the hall falls silent once more, except for the soft rustling of fabric as the King shifts in his throne. Hard, aged, brown eyes stare into sharp green and the hall is filled with bated breaths, no person daring to speak or draw breath too loudly lest they draw the ire of either the King or the woman.

She stands tall and unwavering, refusing to break her gaze from the King's. Neither of them speak and the tension in the air grows heavy and thick, the crackling of the flames falling to a soft hush as well.

Then, her eyes flicker upwards and green-stained fingertips curl as her hands fist against the fabric of her gown.

The flames lick and rage against their delicate metal cages, growing bigger and brighter and hotter as her gaze falls on the single opalescent, spiraling horn mounted at the top of the King's throne, the jagged ivory base still stained red.

: :

Kakashi sees a ruby. 

It is placed in the center of her forehead, pressed into her skin rather than the metal of a circlet or crown, and it catches the flickering flames of the torches as she passes by.

The Guardian of the Forest, he'd heard them call her - a strange woman inhabiting the mysterious woods just at the edge of the King's claimed land. She kept the creatures of the forest safe, allowing neither hunter nor soldier to enter and discover its secrets. Tales of magical beasts mingling among common animals and an ethereal being dressed in leaves and moss who wandered its hidden paths.

They were bedtime stories and lullabies that all children who lived near the woods grew up hearing, their dreams filled with creatures of legend and fae that would whisk you away into the darkness if you walked too close to those tall, tall trees.

He couldn't recall any mention of pink hair and eyes like green fire, however.

Kakashi stands at the edge of the crowded court, one of his hounds sitting obediently his side while he stands mesmerized, catching glimpses of the strange woman as she is led towards the throne. 

He rarely ventured inside the castle anymore, preferring to spend his time in the kennels where he trained and tended to the royal hunting dogs. He'd had his fill of the court and politics and retired some years ago from his position as the Captain of the Guard. No more bloodshed, no more fighting - Kakashi had seen enough battles and men dying to fill several lifetimes.

Now, he took his place as the kennel master, making sure the hounds were kept happy and healthy between hunts and training pups for their eventual roles in the King's hunting parties. He spent a fair amount of time in the woods, but specifically those near the castle that were used for game and sport. Occasionally he ventured to other forests where townsfolk and noblemen hunted for their meals, but never to the great forest to the West, where white stags and black wolves and something otherworldly roamed.

Kakashi had been checking up on an order for new leather leads for the pack when he'd heard the whispers amongst the castle servants.

"A strange woman in chains caught by soldiers."

"A witch was being bought to the castle."

"The Guardian of the Forest had been captured."

So, he'd slipped into the throne room and kept to the edges of the great hall like many other curious members of the palace staff, unable to resist.

And he sees the woman, standing so tall and strong despite how the shackles dwarf her wrists and she barely reaches the shoulder of the guard next to her, soft and lovely and out of place in the court, and Kakashi insists to himself that there must be some mistake.

But then his hound whines and cowers and the flames lick at the metal cages of the torches, nearly grazing him as they seem to reach out in their rage, and the air grows cold, heavy and thick in his lungs.

And he knows that a mistake has been made, dire and dreadful.

: :

Kisame sees a sapphire.

It reminds him of his homeland, where the sea met the land and great waves crashed against towering cliffsides, carving back the rock and stone as it tried to reclaim what had once been under its care. Ocean spray and salt on his tongue, weathering his skin well before calluses and scars from training and combat. His gaze reading the horizon and tides and stars and the grand forests to the West only a legend for the children of seafarers and fishermen. 

He'd always wanted to see those green, green woods and trees as tall as cliffs, even though his heart sang for the water and seafoam. 

Kisame trained and worked and eventually found his place in the castle guard for the royal palace itself, his ocean home and those rocky shoals seen now only in his dreams. His heart yearned for both the sea and the woods he'd yet to witness, caught between both and unable to choose whether to return or venture onwards.

Now head of the King's personal guard, he dreams of both the past and the future - of before and more.

The Lady of the Woods, he'd heard whispered. 

First as a story-creature when he was a child - a magical woman who'd never seen the ocean or horizon or sky, only trees and their reaching arms that hid away the stars and clouds with their canopies of leaves and vines. A being that spoke to the forest and bade the plants to follow her commands. Both a prisoner and a warden, where life was so unlike that of the coast and the inhabitants sounded alien and strange.

And now again, as he stands at his post to the right of the dais, armor glinting under the flames and his hand resting at his side, always just a moment away from reaching for his sword.

Kisame sees her as the grand doors open and the procession of guardsmen enter and his heart stops.

He sees the sunsets over the horizon that he misses, pink and lovely and breathtaking, and the greens of the great forest he yearns to see, cloaking a body with pale skin that had never known ocean spray or the harsh coastal sun.

Her eyes are more green than any leaf and they travel over the staring faces as she passes, unreadable and intense. The sapphire in the center of her forehead seems out of place amongst the greens of her eyes and gown and fingertips and the pinks of her hair and lashes and lips and Kisame stares like everyone else, something thrumming in his chest and in his ears.

Her eyes meet his own and he takes the smallest, sharpest breath, holding her gaze for what feels like hours, but he knows is only an instant, before her attention is turned to the King. Her anger is palpable and sweat beads at the nape of his neck and he doesn't dare take his eyes off of her.

Kisame is privy to more information than most, as he is always at his King's side, and he knows this woman has been brought here for heinous crimes - murder of soldiers, destruction of royal property, defiance against the King's will - but he finds himself unable to believe it.

She seems so delicate and frail, despite the strength behind her gaze. How could one small - lovely, beautiful, otherworldly - woman destroy an entire battalion? How could this woman have possibly uprooted a small fortress and crushed stone into rubble?

And then her gaze moves away from the king and to the horn mounted overhead and Kisame feels a chill unlike anything he's experienced in years.

The bite of ice in his veins and the suffocating pressure of water and drowning, no air left in his lungs and his heart heavy in his chest. 

His hand is on his sword before he even realizes it and he's stepped forward, just the same as all the guards and soldiers present. The flames behind him grow wild and unruly, but he feels no heat from their lashing tongues. 

Kisame's hand is on his blade but he can find no true desire to draw it, lost as he is in the Lady's gaze.

: :

Shikamaru sees an onyx.

He'd been restless all morning, a heavy pressure at the back of his skull and an unsettling feeling under his skin. He knew what would be happening today, had known for the week leading up to it, but he had no idea what to expect. And not knowing is one of his least favorite feelings. 

The Witch of the Moors.

She was a legend - an enchantress, a sorceress, a shapeshifter - who had only ever been glimpsed through trees and branches of those daring few who entered her woods. Ruby hair, onyx eyes, golden hair, topaz eyes, diamonds and sapphires and pearls and emeralds and so many conflicting stories that encompassed years and years and years. Wearing the forest like a gowns and cloaks and hallowed by starlight, the very earth listened to her command and the creatures of the forest both feared and adored her.

She wasn't supposed to be real.

If anything, it was just some reclusive witch hiding in the great forest to the West, driving away people who tried to enter.

But then the King had taken a hunting party to the forest and returned with the most glorious trophy, exposing his sins to anyone who looked upon the opalescent horn he'd mounted.

Shikamaru had been on edge ever since he'd seen the horn, still bloody and shining though slowly dimming as the King laughed and regaled his grand story. He'd wanted to leave, to lock himself away in his study and beg for forgiveness as he knew there would be dire consequences. But his teacher had a place on the King's council and, as his apprentice, Shikamaru must remain at his side. To learn and listen so that one day he'd be able to take his place as a royal advisor and mage to the King.

His fingertips were numb and his shadows restless, flickering at the edges and twisting underfoot as he stood perfectly still, hands clasped behind his back and his expression tired and every fibre of his being screaming for him to run.

The first omen came the next morning, a dark storm reaching across the sky like a clawed hand, the castle its final mark. Reports claimed that the storm stretched across miles and miles, no break in the black and charcoal clouds. Lightning crackled just under the surface, never striking the ground but filling the air with static and energy.

The storm originated from the great forest, with its massive trees and otherworldly legends, and reached all the way across the kingdom for the King himself.

He had the horn mounted to his throne that evening.

And during the night, he claimed someone - some thing - had slipped into his bedchamber and tried to kill him.

(Reports from the guards claimed that they had rushed to the King's chamber at the sound of his screams, to find him waking from a nightmare and a manic look in his gaze.)

The next day, he sent a small battalion of soldiers to the forest. 

Only one man returned, half dead upon his horse with reports of a bloodbath and screams and a witch standing on the rubble of what had once been an ancient watchtower.

The King consulted his mages and magical advisors and they came back with a potion, iron shackles, and a plan.

And now the Witch of the Moors had been brought to the castle to answer for her crimes and, again, all Shikamaru wanted was to run away.

The air is electrifying in the hall well before the doors finally open, the hair on his arms standing on edge but no one else seeming to notice the unrest in the atmosphere. Shikamaru stands to the left of the dais, at the back of the council and behind his teacher but with a clear view of the path to the throne.

The grand doors open and his blood sings.

A powerful force rushes through his veins, both chilling and burning all at once, and he hasn't seen her yet but he k nows she is there. There are whispers and hushed voices calling feather-soft into his ears, drawing patterns against his bare skin under his clothing and making him tense. His shadows writhe and twist and it's the only movement from him as he finds himself standing frozen-still, gaze straining as he waits for her to come into view.

Shikamaru finally, finally, sees petal-pink hair, green eyes brighter than any gem, and an onyx stone in the center of her forehead and he tries and fails to breathe.

Something is so terrible wrong and he can tell that his teacher feels it now as well as he tenses and inhales sharply through his teeth, but Shikamaru doesn't dare look away from the woman - he never wants to look away.

He feels her anger under his skin and in his veins and he knows she has every right to tear the castle itself down around them and rip apart anyone who stands in her way. He knows the only crime committed has been against her and, then and there, he resigns himself to whatever destruction she desires and knows that he will be leaving the castle by daybreak.

The flames roar and scream and rage and after things are calmed to simmering rather than overboiling and the woman is led away in her iron shackles, three minds simultaneously come to the same conclusion.

Tonight is the only night she will spend as a prisoner.

: :

Kisame brings her food.

He swipes the meal meant for her from one of the prison guards to hand-deliver it himself, using his authority as the head of the King's personal guard and claiming he wants a closer look at the witch, sharp steel in his gaze and his jaw tense.

The hardness of his expression melts away as he faces the door to her cell, high up in one of the tallest towers and far away from earth and soil. He meets her with a hushed voice and light steps as he enters, finding her still shackled at the wrist and kneeling at the far edge of the dark room. There is a single hole high above her, allowing a single ray of light from the setting sun to enter the cell.

She pauses in the midst of singing in a language Kisame doesn't understand and looks up at him, those emerald eyes practically glowing in the dark.

He carefully approaches her and slowly lowers to one knee, setting the food in front of her. Though her meal had originally only consisted of stale bread and water, he'd added a few fresh pieces of fruit that he'd swiped from the kitchen to the platter.

She meets his gaze and Kisame feels as if she is staring into his very soul, reading every thread of his being and slowly taking him apart, piece by piece.

And then her stern, indecipherable expression melts away and she offers him a near-smile, reaching out to touch his arm with her cuffed hands. He's never felt such soft skin against his own and he freezes, breath caught again before he bows his head in reverence and promises his return. Kisame unwillingly backs out of the cell and and doesn't look away from her until the door is closed.

He swipes the spare ring of keys mounted at the guard station after passing the original back to the prison guard, already making plans for a pair of horses and supplies.

: :

Kakashi brings her a blanket.

It's old and from his own home, so he's inwardly apologetic for any lingering dog-smells, but he would rather she have something of his than something belonging to the castle. 

It's still fairly early in the evening and he distracts the prison guards with Pakkun, the small dog grabbing their attention as he makes off with someone's coinbag and they chase after him. Kakashi slips through the shadows, unseen and unnoticed and well practiced at getting where he wants to go without being spotted.

He curses as he finds the spare ring of keys missing from its usual spot in the guard station and resigns himself to picking the lock, using skills that have gone unused for some years.

The sound of muffled singing stops just as he manages to unlock the latch and carefully push the door open.

She's kneeling in front of the far wall, hair he longs to touch and run through his fingers cascading down her shoulders as she watches him warily. Still slightly crouched, Kakashi stares at her for a long moment, forgetting why he'd come, before he's startled by a soft bark in the distance.

Pulled from his reverie, Kakashi glances over his shoulder before silently slipping into the cell. Her eyes narrow and he holds up his hands as a show of peace, smiling behind the cloth covering the lower half of his face. Green eyes stare and stare and he holds his breath for almost too long, relaxing when she finally seems to find what she's searching for in his gaze.

Kakashi speaks, softly and lightly and her tense shoulders lower, her head tilting and sending those soft tresses in further waves down her arm as he procures the blanket from under his belt. He holds it out to her and she hesitantly reaches for it, his boot brushing an apple core as he takes another crouched step forwards.

Soft, delicate hands touch his rough, weathered fingers and she gives him the smallest smile as she accepts his gift.

His heart is pounding in his chest and he nearly lets out a small laugh, but then he hears more barking in the distance, grimacing behind his mask. Kakashi promises to return and slips back out of the cell, listening to the click of the lock and casting the door one last look before disappearing into the shadows.

: :

Shikamaru brings her a candle.

He stashes it away in his pocket and heads towards the tower used as a secondary prison with a lie on his tongue and conviction in his veins. He claims that the other mages sent him to see the witch, showing off a vial filled with shimmering black liquid that, in reality, is just metal shavings and ink. 

He's led to her cell and watches as the door is unlocked for him, one of his shadows slipping into that of the prison guard to inspect the key as he enters the dark room, the sound of singing suddenly stopping. The sun has set and the sky has been dark for some time now, with the only light coming from the torches lining the hall outside the cell doors. The guard places a torch temporarily in one of the wall sconces and closes the door behind him, leaving Shikamaru with the woman.

She's bundled under a blanket and watching him with curiosity, something tickling the edges of his awareness and making him shiver, a buzz of energy under his skin. He stands there for a moment, holding her gaze, before walking forward and slowly dropping to his knees in front of her. Removing the candlestick from his pocket, Shikamaru gathers some of the energy in the air into his hand and passes his fingers over the wick, a flame lighting to life and flickering between them. The light dances across her face, catching in her eyes and the onyx on her forehead, and he waits with bated breath.

Then she chuckles and Shikamaru finds himself smiling, holding reaching to her left and using some of the melted wax to anchor the candle to the stone floor. When he looks back up at her, he's caught off guard by warm lips on his forehead and a spark of energy that rushes through him and makes his hair stand on end, his blood racing and roaring.

With hushed whispers, Shimamaru promises to return, retrieves the torch from the wall of the cell, and returns to his room to pack only the most important of his possessions.

: :

The next evening, after a tense day full of anxious thoughts and restless bodies, the commander of the King's personal guard, the kennel master, and the apprentice mage return to the prison tower.

Kisame and Kakashi arrive at the same door at the same moment.

They balk at each other, both searching for their next course of action and unwilling to harm each other. Kinda-sorta-friends and all that.

"Commander Hoshigaki…" Kakashi says, shuffling awkwardly with his lockpick hidden behind his back.

"Hatake…" Kisame answers back, just as stiff and tense.

A long stretch of silence passes between the men, muffled singing heard from behind the door next to them, and Kisame just barely shifts, the ring of keys hidden under his coat jingling at the movement and slipping out of their place in the picket he'd hurriedly stuffed them into. They hit the ground with a dull thud and both men look down, sweat beading on Kisame's brow as Kakashi’s eyes widen.

The knight grimaced, wondering if it would be quieter to knock him out by punching him in the face and knocking his head against the wall.

"...So that's where the spare keys went." Kakashi mumbles after a moment and Kisame's confusion is just long enough for the silver haired kennel master to sheepishly hold up his lockpicking tool and let out a nervous laugh.

Kisame opens his mouth to speak but is too dumbfounded to find words. They both silently shuffle their feet for a moment before a tired groan from the shadows has both men suddenly turning towards the source, a sword raised and a knife in hand within seconds.

Shikamaru steps out of the shadows, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and holding up the copy-key he'd made with the other. 

"Man, did we all have the same jailbreak idea..?"

The three would-be rescuers all stare at each other for a moment, Kisame resheathing his sword and Kakashi slipping his blade back into its spot on his belt as there's a chorus of awkward grunts and murmurs.

"One horse or two..?" Shikamaru asked after a moment, looking up at the much-taller Kisame. He'd only been able to get a single stallion, since he rarely left the castle anyways, and he doubted Commander Hoshigaki would be as unlucky.

"Two," Kisame admits, scratching at his cheek. "I've, uh, got them saddled and ready over by the West wall."

Shikamaru nods in approval but then Kakashi lets out a tired chuckle.

"Cart for me."

At their stares he sighs and shrugs.

"I've got dogs I'm taking with me, alright?"

The air is eerily quiet for a moment as the three men discuss their plans in hushed tones before Shikamaru suddenly tenses, static under his fingers as he sends the door a startled look.

All at once there's a rumble and a crash, the ground shaking and the sound of thunder filling their ears, coming from behind the cell door. The three men share startled looks before scrambling forward to unlock the door, a rush of fresh air meeting them the moment they throw it open.

The far wall of the cell has been blown apart, tree roots and branches digging into the floor and reaching into the room while the light of the moon dappled the darkness through the leaves. 

Kneeling on the thick roots with one leg outside of the tower is the witch, who looks back at the men for a long moment. Then, she grins, waves, and hops off the ledge, sliding down the length of a massive tree that had reached up toward the tower, branches and leaves curling away from her as she makes her escape.

Kakashi, Kisame, and Shikamaru stare at the place she'd been for a long moment before the latter finally speaks up.

"S-so, uh… do we follow her or take the stairs..?"

[empoleon]

funny how it works out, innit?

• rated t, one shot, 4310 words

• also available to read here

Leon hates when Raihan’s alarm would sound off in the morning for two reasons. The first is plainly obvious—it means he has to get up and out of the warmth that so pleasantly held him all night long. 

He shuts his eyes a bit tighter while silently hoping the annoying beeps coming from Rotom would somehow turn into some sort of white noise. That idea sounded lovely in his mind. 

There’s a bit of movement to the left of him and an arm is suddenly grabbing at his bare thigh.

“Lee,” Raihan’s voice is thick with sleep, “time to get up. Joggin’ this morning, remember?”

Ah, there it is. That is Leon’s second reason for hating the alarm. Whoever thought of going for morning runs at 5AM was a real bastard.

Rotom stops its incessant beeping and Leon hopes, no, prays, that maybe this will finally be the morning where Raihan changes his mind and they both sleep in instead. 

The covers move slightly and the next thing Leon feels is Raihan’s lips brushing up against his shoulder. 

“Do you need some motivation?” he asks Leon quietly. He moves his lips up near Leon’s neck, and then his jawline, pausing for a moment. “You need to shave.”

“I feel so inspired, thank you,” Leon mutters, but there’s no bite in his tone. 

Raihan pecks him on the cheek and grins. “You’ll feel even better after our run. I’ll be in the shower.”

Leon sighs and nods his head. “Alright, I’m getting up.”

 .

 Leon definitely did need to shave, much to his own surprise. He swears that some nights it’s as though his facial hair goes through some strange growth cycle.

He carefully brings the razor down his jawline and wipes away any excess shaving cream that is left over. 

“Oi, Rotom!” 

Raihan’s voice almost causes Leon to nick himself. “You don’t need to yell! I’m in here too, y’know.”

“Ah, sorry,” his voice sounds muffled momentarily and then he peeks his head out from around the shower curtain. “Hi.”

Leon spares him a glance before turning his attention back to his reflection in the mirror, trying his hardest not to smile.

“So…” Raihan begins, “can you—”

“Can I do you a favor?” Leon cuts him off, angling the razor down his chin.

He shouldn’t look at Raihan. He really, really, shouldn’t, not because of the obvious oh he’s naked reasoning that yes, does make sense, but rather Leon shouldn’t because if he does, he will end up laughing.

“You know me so well, love,” Raihan smiles at him. “Could you grab Rotom for me?”

Leon wipes off the remaining shaving cream off of his face with a cloth and sets it on the sink countertop. He finally dares to look over at Raihan and breaks into a fit of laughter. 

“You’re awful, you know?” he says between laughs. “Absolutely awful.”

Raihan tries to pout at him, but he only succeeds in looking silly—being wet, naked, and wearing a shower cap with Goomy patterns on it isn’t doing him any favors. 

Leon concedes and quickly steps out of the bathroom and back into their bedroom, locating Raihan’s Rotom Phone near his side of the bed. 

The passcode has always been easy to guess, even if Raihan rarely ever updates it. Leon has Rotom pull up the music app before he walks back to the bathroom. He swings the door open and clears his throat loudly.

“I see the crystal raindrops fall, and the beauty of it all is when the sun comes shining through.”

Raihan yells something at him, probably something along the lines of questioning what he’s doing, but Leon pays no mind to it. 

“To make those rainbows in my mind, when I think of you sometime and I wanna spend some time with you.”

“Stop,” Raihan sticks his arm out from the shower and tries to grab at Leon, but he misses. “You’re off-key!”

The chorus of the song begins to play and Leon starts to dance—he only manages to thrust his hips one time before Raihan steals the phone out of his hands. 

“Out,” he demands, a grin on his face. “Get out and go get dressed, you tosser.”

Leon complies and blows him a kiss. “See you in a few!”

 .

 “Do you want to stay home or come with me?” Leon asks Charizard. 

It’s funny when he asks that—Raihan’s apartment in Hammerlocke isn’t exactly their home, but with the amount of time Leon spends here, it may as well be.

He gently scratches at Charizard’s chin, moving his hands up towards his horns. The Pokémon makes a quiet, pleased grunt in reply.

“Yes? You’ll have to stay in your ball though,” Leon reminds him. Charizard nods his head. 

“Alright then,” Leon smiles at him. 

Raihan rounds the corner and steps into the room, tugging a shirt over his head. “I can’t find my gloves—”

“I got ’em,” Leon holds up the thin pair in his hands. “We’re still getting coffee afterwards, right?” 

“Ta, love,” Raihan takes the gloves from him. “Yeah, we are. Big guy coming with us?” he glances at Charizard.

“Yep, just him,” Leon nodded his head and held up a Poké Ball, returning Charizard for now.

They both head towards the apartment door and step outside, Leon first and Raihan after him, making sure to lock the door behind them. 

“Arceus, why do I agree to do this with you?” Leon shivered and jumped up and down, trying to warm himself up. It was closer to six in the morning now, but that definitely didn’t make it any warmer outside.

“Because it’s good for you,” Raihan reminds him as he turns around. “Also, you love me, so,” he shrugs and smiles. 

Leon pauses to look at Raihan, regarding him silently while he fixes his locs. 

I really do love you, he thinks. It brings a smile to his face.

 .

 People always wave and say hello whenever they go on their morning runs. It’s nice. 

“Look, it’s the Chairman!”

“And Raihan, too! How cool!”

Leon is often surprised at how many citizens are actually out doing things at this hour—children, too.

There’s a small cafe next to the Pokémon Center they stopped at. Leon is leaning against the brick outside, catching his breath while Raihan orders them coffee. He cups his hands together and blows on them, trying to warm them up.

A group of young boys nearby are battling Pokémon out in the small courtyard that is adjacent to the cafe. Leon watches them with a small smile.

“Piping hot,” Raihan exits the cafe carrying two medium-sized plastic cups. “’ere you go,” he hands one of them off to Leon, who takes it graciously. 

“Do you know what that’s all about?” Leon takes a sip out of his cup and motions across the way to a small hanging advertisement on one of Hammerlocke’s many skyscrapers.

Raihan leans forward and tries to make out the fine print on the sign. “Uh… something about weddings, I think. It’s this new thing the city’s been promoting since spring is around the corner.”

“Weddings? In Hammerlocke?” Leon raises an eyebrow. “You’d think Wyndon would be more of a hotspot for such a thing.”

“Oi, watch it,” Raihan nudges him with an elbow. “You and I both know it’s quite lovely here all year round.”

“Hey, Mr. Raihan?” 

One of the young boys who was battling runs over towards them before Leon has a chance to come up with a rebuttal. 

“’ello, chap!” Raihan squats down to greet him. “Something the matter?”

The boy glances between the two of them and back at his friend before he speaks up. “We were wonderin’ if you could give us some pointers.”

Leon chuckles. “Popular this morning, aren’t we?”

“Oh, shush,” Raihan elbows him once again before turning his attention to the boy. “I’d be happy to, but are you sure you wouldn’t rather have the former Champion give you some tips?”

“We want him to watch!” the boy exclaimed. “Please don’t go anywhere,” he tells Leon earnestly, to which he laughs again.

“I’ll be right here then,” he nods his head. 

The young boy leads Raihan over towards his friend while Leon watches them with amusement. About a month or so ago, it probably would have made him feel a bit bad about himself if any young Pokémon trainers weren’t interested in… who he was.

Everything is different now though, of course. He’s happy to no longer be the one always in the spotlight. 

A group of Rookidee fly overhead and their chirps blend together with the sound of Raihan’s voice and the two young trainers laughing. 

 .

 “Mr. Chairman, we will need you to go over this and sign it sometime this week,” a league staff member hands Leon a small stack of documents.

“Alright, sure thing,” he flips through the papers briefly. “I don’t have any meetings scheduled for this evening, right?”

“No, sir.”

“Great, thank you—”

Leon’s Rotom Phone flies straight into his face and flashes its screen. “You have a new message, Leon!”

The league staff member excuses themself from the room and Leon sighs.

“Quite the entrance, Rotom, but didn’t we talk about this?” he frowns. “When I’m busy you can’t just fly in here at random, unless—”

“It is a message from Raihan!” Rotom tells him in its high-pitched voice.

That changes Leon’s demeanor immediately. “Oh.”

 .

 He ends up calling Raihan instead because he absolutely loathes texting the man.

“I don’t see anything… are you sure it was an explosion?”

Leon is staring out one of the glass panels in the Battle Tower, scanning the local area. His Rotom Phone is hovering beside him.

“I’m telling you, I heard some kind of loud bang,” Raihan’s voice says over the line. “I’m at the boutique right now, by the way. Can I use your discount?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Leon says absentmindedly. “Oh wait—I think I do see something.”

There’s a puff of smoke out in the horizon that is faintly tinged blue and purple. It’s hard to make it out for certain, but if Leon didn’t know any better, he would say it looks like—

“Leon? Are you there?” Raihan asks him after a moment.

“It’s a wedding ceremony,” Leon sounds breathless. “Wow, it’s beautiful.”

There are countless Butterfree and Pidove flying over the area from what he can see after the smoke begins to fade. 

“—weather, really?”

Leon blinks and shakes his head. “Come again?”

“I said with this weather I’m surprised,” Raihan’s voice expresses his astonishment. “It tried to snow just the other day!” 

“It sure is pretty, though,” Leon presses a hand up against the glass window. His breath fogs up the view for a second and he wipes at it with his sleeve. “I told you Wyndon is perfect for these kinds of events.”

“Yeah, yeah,” even without seeing it, Leon knows Raihan is rolling his eyes. “You’re still meeting me at the station once you’re done with your work, right?”

Leon chuckles and steps away from the window. “If you’ll still have me for dinner, yes.” 

“Wouldn’t change that for the world, love,” Rahain tells him.

 .

 “Why do I have to be here with you again, Lee?” Hop trudges along behind his brother as they walk towards a local jeweler’s store. “It’s so early,” he whines. 

“This place opens at nine,” Leon glances down at his wristwatch to check the time. 8:42 is displayed in a bright green color.

“That doesn’t answer my question, though,” Hop stops Leon from crossing the street and points to his left. “Wouldn’t Sonia be a more suitable friend to ask?”

Leon turns his head to glance down the street and frowns. He could have sworn they needed to cross here, but apparently he was wrong.

“No way could I ask Sonia to come with me,” he says after a moment. “She’d have a laugh at me, for sure.”

“And you think I won’t?” Hop grins at his older brother while they walk down the pavement. 

“The difference is,” Leon pauses in front of the shop’s door once they reach it. “I can handle your jokes, little bro. I’ll never hear the end of this from Sonia once she finds out.”

 .

 “Do you need any help today, sir?” 

Leon is about to speak up, but Hop beats him to it. “We’re good, thank you.”

After the clerk walks away, he turns towards Leon and shoots him a look. “You’re going to blow your cover if you speak to anyone!” 

Leon winces and nods his head. “Alright, alright—I forgot, sorry.” 

They’re the only two customers currently inside the quaint shop due to it being so early. Hop is dressed fairly normal, mostly because he had no idea where Leon was planning to bring him at such an early hour. 

Leon, on the other hand, tried his best to look inconspicuous—he doesn’t need the media finding out about this yet. That apparently means donning his usual attire, fairly casual, including a snapback—yes, the picture perfect example of being discreet.

At least he opted to wear a pair of sunglasses.

“What do you think of this?” Leon points to a certain piece behind some glass. “It should match his eyes, yeah?”

“That is so corny, Lee,” Hop snickers. “You’re absolutely whipped.”

“Don’t start with me,” he tries to sound stern, but it’s extremely difficult for him to hide the smile that’s spreading across his face. It’s true. 

Hop steps to the side of him and peers into the glass display. 

“He’ll love it,” he says after a moment, and it helps to calm Leon’s budding nerves. “It’s perfect.”

 .

Leon waits one whole week before he decides to give Raihan the present he bought for him. It’s been safely tucked away in a spot where no one would dare to look—Leon’s closet.

(which is actually raihan’s spare closet in his apartment, but leon has turned it into an endless hoard of snapbacks and joggers.)

He’s equal parts nervous and excited when he hears the door click open that evening and the familiar sound of Raihan setting his bag on the floor. 

Leon slides into the hallway on his socks, excited. “Welcome home!”

In his head, he pictured Raihan coming home all cheery and bright, like he normally would. Unfortunately, that is not how this particular evening pans out.

Raihan looks… tired. Exhausted is probably a better word for it.

“You alright?” Leon walks over towards him and holds out his arms. Raihan eagerly leans into the welcoming embrace. 

“Yeah, ’m just really knackered,” he sighs and presses his face into Leon’s shoulder. “Sonia had called and—”

“Sonia called?” Leon gently nudges him back and leads him into their living room. “Why?”

“She’s been doing some research and me, being the nice bloke that I am—”

Leon pauses to consider this. “You are pretty nice.”

“I know,” Raihan grins as he sits down on the sofa. “Anyway, I told her I could poke around in the vault, see if there’d be anything of use.”

“And you ended up staying there for hours, right?” Leon knows him too well. Raihan is always the one offering to lend a hand if need be.

“I almost couldn’t get up after I realized how late it was getting,” he groans and flops back into the cushions. “Sitting hunched over for so bloody long was a mistake on my part.”

“Gotta take care of yourself, y’know,” Leon walks into the kitchen for a brief moment before poking his head back around the doorway. “Did you have supper already? If not, I could reheat you some leftovers.”

Raihan slowly rises up from the sofa and stretches. “Nah, I think I’m going to turn in for the night.” 

Well this certainly isn’t part of Leon’s grand plan to give Raihan his present. 

“Are you sure?” For some reason, Leon can’t bring himself to move out of the doorway in the kitchen. He should try to think of something to keep Raihan busy so he could—

“Yeah, I’m good,” he gives Leon a lopsided smile. “I’ll see you in a bit. Night.”

“Night,” Leon softly parrots it back to him. He watches quietly while Raihan leaves the room and ascends the stairs. 

There’s always tomorrow, he tells himself. What’s one more day?

“Yeah,” Leon nods his head and pats his face, feeling more determined. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

It doesn’t take him long to turn off the lights in the kitchen and head upstairs himself, wondering if Raihan already made it into bed or if he decided to take a shower beforehand. 

Leon can’t say he’s surprised when he steps into Raihan’s bedroom and finds the man curled up under the covers instead. 

He stops by the edge of the bed and runs his hand along the outline of Raihan’s calf. 

“Did you wash your face?” Leon murmurs the question. His fingers move up slowly towards the head of the bed and he rests his hand on Raihan’s shoulder.

“No,” is the sleepy reply he gets a second later. It partially sounds like a groan. “Didn’t think of it, actually.” 

“That’s alright,” Leon’s hand moves towards Raihan’s cheek and caresses his skin. “Missing one day won’t hurt.” 

“You coming to bed?” Raihan sticks his hand out from the covers and blindly tries to grab at Leon’s arm to pull him closer. 

“Yep, budge over,” he proceeds to climb on top of Raihan and sprawls out across his body, which causes both men to start laughing. 

Tomorrow can’t come soon enough. 

 .

 Leon thinks he made a mistake when he decided to do this in the morning. He forgot about his number one enemy—the bloody alarm. 

He rolls over onto his back and yawns. The alarm ceases its beeping and Leon turns his head to look over at Raihan. 

“Mornin’,” he says with a small smile. 

Raihan’s voice is a bit muffled, but Leon is pretty certain he heard him say it back, and then there are arms wrapping around Leon’s waist.

“Are we going for a run today?” Leon asks him, assuming he already knows the answer. The bed is pleasantly comfortable this morning, but he’s not going to hold his breath on the chance that today might finally be one day they get to sleep in.

“No way,” Raihan buries his face into Leon’s shoulder and sighs. “I want to sleep.”

Leon blinks at him. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Alright,” he isn’t going to argue or ask why—he wants to enjoy this for as long as possible.

He’s not sure how much time has passed when he wakes up again, but he hears water running and music playing. 

Leon rolls over to check the time—10:30. Not too late at least. 

He sits up and stretches, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. “Raihan?”

“Yes?” his voice carries out from the bathroom, definitely sounding more cheerful than he did last night. 

“Good morning!” Leon calls out. “Are you showering?”

Raihan pokes his head out the bathroom doorway. “Not yet, why? Need the loo?”

“Nah, just wanted to see your lovely face before you clean up,” he grins. “Don’t take too long, alright?”

“Mhm,” Raihan doesn’t sound convinced. He steps out of the bathroom and crosses his arms. “Are you going to sit there and wait until I’m done then?”

Leon nods his head solemnly. “Yep.”

An eyebrow is raised and a look is shared between the two men, but neither one of them says anything else. Raihan shrugs and returns to the bathroom, and Leon…

Leon decides to act. Quickly. Before he loses his nerve again. 

He gets up from the bed and walks over to the closet, finding the gift he hid among his clothes. The store clerk had wrapped it in a small grey box with a ribbon on top. Nothing too flashy. 

“Okay,” Leon whispers to himself. “Okay, I can do this. I’ll practice and—it’ll be fine, yeah.”

He paces back and forth in the bedroom for a few moments before he stops and takes a deep breath. 

Kneeling down is easy, so he doesn’t have to practice that part. But what in the world is he going to say?

“Oi, Lee? D’you mind grabbing me a shirt?” 

Raihan barely has one foot into their bedroom and he turns his head and sees Leon and more importantly, what Leon’s doing. 

“Oh,” Leon’s brows raise up the second he remembers he’s still down on one knee. 

“What are you… doing?” Raihan asks him slowly. 

“Marry me?” 

His voice cracks, and it is absolutely embarrassing the living hell out of Leon, but he did it. He feels proud of himself, in a way. 

Raihan simply stares at him and says nothing at first. The shower head running in the bathroom is the only other noise that can be heard.

“Lee,” he swallows before continuing, “you want to do this right now?” 

Leon nods his head energetically. “Yes.”

“I’m in my knickers,” Raihan gestures to himself and lets out a shaky laugh. “Seriously? You’re not having a laugh at me?”

“No,” Leon scrambles to stand up and reaches out to grab Raihan by his shoulders. “No, never. I promise. I love you.” 

A flicker of emotion crosses Raihan’s features before he ends up wrapping his arms around Leon’s waist and pulls him into an embrace. 

“You’re a complete knobhead, you know that?” Raihan buries his face into Leon’s shoulder. “I love you so much.”

“So is that a yes… or?” Leon is hesitant to ask. 

Yes, yes,” Raihan nods his head. He pulls Leon back and smiles at him. “A thousand times yes.”

Leon grins up at him and carefully takes Raihan’s left hand into his own, slipping the ring onto his finger. It fits perfectly and now that Leon can see it on Raihan’s hand, he’s glad he picked the one with a thin stripe of cerulean.

He feels like he’s floating on an Altaria’s wings, knowing that he’s finally going to be marrying his best friend.

There’s this look on Raihan’s face though, and it’s gone within a second, but it’s as though he suddenly remembered something. Leon almost doesn’t catch it.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. 

“Promise me you won’t get upset?” Raihan bites his lip. 

Leon immediately assumes the worst—this is a mistake, he doesn’t want to marry you—but he slowly nods his head and tries to prepare himself.

Raihan steps away for a moment and walks over towards his side of the bed, rummaging through the nightstand. He pulls out a small box that looks identical to the one Leon had. 

“No,” Leon gasps, mouth agape with disbelief. “Bloody hell, you’re kidding right?”

“I wish I was,” Raihan sits down on the edge of the bed and holds out the box for Leon to take. 

This box is dark blue in color and velvet—it feels very soft to Leon’s touch. When he opens it, he can’t help but laugh. 

“This is beautiful,” he says after a moment of examining the silver ring. “How long have you had this hidden?”

Raihan counts with his fingers. “About two weeks, I think. Almost three. I was trying to find the right time to—well, you know—but I guess you beat me to it.”

Leon sits down next to him and hands the box back over. “You can still ask me if you want.” 

He glances at Raihan to see him considering this. 

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes,” Leon says without any hesitation. “Please?”

Raihan gets up and moves himself into position in front of Leon. He looks into those amber eyes, takes a deep breath—and he starts to laugh instead.

“Oh, come off it!” Leon playfully shoves at him. “You need to say it!”

The laughter subsides as Raihan tries to compose himself again. He slowly takes one of Leon’s hands into his own and glances up at him. 

“Will you marry me?” 

Leon nods his head enthusiastically. “Yes,” and to the surprise of no one, his voice cracks a bit again. 

Raihan slides the ring onto Leon’s finger with a steady hand, right before he’s tackled back onto the floor by his new fiancé.

“I love you so much,” Leon peppers Raihan’s face with kisses. “So very, very much.” 

 .

 “So,” Raihan starts to say, “ceremony in Wyndon, after party in Hammerlocke?” 

They’re having lunch at the Battle Café in Motostoke. It’s been approximately two days since they both proposed to each other.

Leon is fiddling with his ring, barely paying attention to a single word Raihan says when he nods his head. 

“And honeymoon in… Postwick,” Raihan settles on saying, waiting for Leon’s actual reaction.

It works quite comically. Leon finally snaps his head up in horror. “No, absolutely not in Postwick. Are you mad?”

“Nope,” Raihan grins. “Just wondering when you’re going to stop staring at your hand. I know it’s pretty, but I am right here, you know.”

“So you’re saying I should be paying attention to you,” Leon bites back a smirk. He doesn’t phrase it as a question and states it as though it’s obvious. 

(of course it is.)

Raihan nods his head. “Well, that would be nice.”

Leon holds out his hands and waits for Raihan to reach across the table and lace their fingers together. 

“I love you,” he says with a warm smile, bringing Raihan’s hands up towards his lips. Kisses are pressed along his knuckles and Leon pauses once he reaches the silver band.

At least he took his eyes off of his own ring for a moment.

Raihan returns the gesture with a gentle squeeze. “I love you more. What about Alola?”

“Alola sounds perfect,” he agrees.

[finn-ray-nal-beads]

I meant to send this here but sent a message instead. Either way 🤣

I know you’re not doing much writing right now, but if you feel inclined to do something anything fucked up for Valentine’s Day with Flip or Captain Blowhole, it could be the sort of fucked up that we all deserve!

Take on Captain Blowhole vs Cupid?!? Like Cpt Hook and Tinker Bell, except Cupid is a full sized ugly ass man with a beer gut like captain Underpants! 🤣

I’m literally writing a fic I’m titling Flip vs Cupid where he has to go arrest a flasher on V Day and has to tackle him down and wrestle around etc

A/N: Holy fuckin’ shit man! The third part in the Siren Series is finally here.... Who the hell am I being so efficient this week! The is the final part and I am so fuckin’ proud of this series I just had the best time writing it out! I hope you all love it and thank you @safarigirlsp for sending in the ask to finish this love fest out! 

Warnings: tw: violence, tw: death, tw: assault (we get slapped as well as we slap someone too), degradation, slight edging, unprotected sex, angst, mutual pining, fluff because I love these two so much, misuse of pirate puns and buccaneer banter, smut because we all love some of that cock talk, mentions of a certain ADCU character entering the mix (the tides will tell us)

The night was long and cold, the depths reaching near frigid temperatures as the Jolly Roger trudged on through the beacon. Frost building on either side of the hull, encasing the wood in a tomb of sorts, causing shivers to radiate from the crew as the soft snow fell around them.

“C-Cap,” Ron shuddered at the wheel, his eyelashes coated in snowflakes as he kept Flip’s course steady and true, “you sure we’re goin’ the r-right way,” he shivered rubbing his extended arm to cultivate some heat while he waited for a response.

Flip coughed, a thick fog releasing from his mouth as he glanced up slowly, his inky locks coated in a slick of frost as well. 

“It has to be,” he muttered, the vortex of the lights cascading around the entirety of the ship in a tube as the snow kept falling. 

He glanced back down, running a quivering finger down the direction of the map, huffing when he noticed the course was tried and true to where his trusty ship was heading. 

His chorus of shudders racking his body upon glancing back up at his lethargic crew, the snow and ice impeding them from their usual performances. The track of light fell where the sea met the sky, the eerie silence causing even more confusion as he noticed the pulsing of the colors in the distance. 

He wondered if you were at the end of this so-called rainbow. If you would even recall who he was, let alone let you be taken by him again. 

The shame settling over him in a veil as he began to worry about your rejection. You were completely out of his league in every aspect, including the fact that you could breathe underwater. What if he had set sail to track you down for nothing? Were you already occupied with another sailor, like a whore? Or was it just not meant to be based on the differences you shared? 

Either way, his grouchy ass had to find that out on his own, rules be damned. You had been on his mind every single day since he’d taken you on those golden shores. Your face framed by the sun lived rent-free, your luscious body sand-covered and begging for him, your gorgeous voice echoing his name as a song in his head. It was all intoxicating and he had to hear you again before he burst into flames.  

The vortex grew brighter and brighter, the sound of an impending whirlpool approaching with rapid speed in the direction of the ship. The crew jumping from the frigid conditions instantly as the hull rocked from the waves picking up and the amplified light. 

“Hold steady boys!” his booming voice echoed through the deck as they scrambled to their stations, little puffs of fog making their way to the illuminated ceiling of the tunnel as they made ready for the next part of the journey. 

“Cap?!” Ron frightened slightly as the wheel took on a mind of its own, spinning a fury while the bow dipped into the water vortex, “Cap what do I fuckin’ do?!” the both of them holding on for dear life as they began to spin down into the whirlpool. 

“Hold the fuck on!” he gritted out, reaching for any piece of wood around them to ground them to the deck, the sounds of cries and yelps radiating through as the boat hurled towards the blackened center of the pool, a bright wormhole opening to glisten in his pupils as they approached it. 

“Holy fuckin’ shit!” Ron cried out, completely scared out of his wits, grabbing onto the same piece of wood as his pal was, “Cap what’s going on?!” screaming at him while he watched Flip fixated on the light. 

“I think it’s the entrance,” he spoke almost calmly, his ship barreling into the bright beacon with the littlest efforts, the entire crew stifling the light from their eyes with hands raised as it was sucked inward. 

_____________

“Daddy what the hell is going on?!” you huffed into the throne room, your parents perched in their rightful places as you blew a huff of bubbles out in annoyance. 

“I was busy,” crossing your arms as your tail spanned below you in a cascade of greens and blues, your hair flowing in the clear water as you scrunched your face. 

“Watch your mouth, Y/N,” he commanded, pointing his trident in your direction, the threat causing you to roll your eyes and brush a hand in disgust. 

After you had returned from your escapade, the torture had ensued. Your father put more pressure on you to fulfill his wishes of becoming married to the most suitable bachelor in the Seven Seas. 

The thought of anyone but your sailor boy making you gag audibly as he showed you suitor after suitor for weeks and weeks, only to find himself more annoyed at your defiance of him. 

“The time has come my daughter,” he boomed, your mother smiling uncomfortably at the exchange, gulping loudly before he continued his power trip over your duties as a Princess. 

“The time has come for what?” scrunching your eyebrows at him in more annoyance as he smirked devilishly at you. 

“For you to meet your betrothed,” he cooed, the bubbles condescendingly falling from his trout mouth as your jaw dropped before him. 

You pushed a finger in your ear, making sure to clean it out properly before answering him back, “I’m sorry… my who?!” your eyes bugging out of your head before you could lunge at him in a fury. 

“You know exactly what I said,” darkly speaking as he gestured his staff to open the double doors, revealing a merman as they escorted him to the side of your father. 

“My sweet daughter,” he pandered, “this… is Matthew… The new future King of the Ocean,” the tall, blonde gentleman smiling as brightly as a guppy while he was doted on by your father. The sight of them nauseating you to no end as you surveyed him. 

Arms still crossed over your covered tits, pushing them out slightly as you inched forward to take him in further. He wasn’t completely hideous, you thought to yourself, his face chiseled and handsome. His body was built heavy and stacked, abdominals straining under his scaled skin as you watched him speak in hushed tones to your father. His hair a cascade of golds and yellows, as the curls satisfyingly framed his face. But he wasn’t your sailor. 

Your handsome, tall, and dark buccaneer. The one with the chiseled features, thick black locks, and a heavy swinging cock. He wasn’t even close to him, and would never be in your mind. 

You looked around while they had their little conference, rudely ignoring your presence as you surveyed the room, wondering if you could make a break for it and go find your love again. 

It wouldn’t be too hard, you thought, he wasn’t that elusive in any sense of the word. You knew his ship from stem to stern, having conjured it back from the depths while he laid passed out on the sand that day. 

Recalled what his crew looked like, grabbing each of them from the Locker one by one to revive them. It would be as simple as recalling his trails he’d left coupled with your gift of echolocation to find him before he even blinked. You considered it. Biting a lip as you darted panicked eyes between the armed guards at all exits. 

“Y/N,” your father cleared his throat, “are you going to introduce yourself to your future King?” he smiled again, extending a hand for yours to come closer. 

“I’m so sorry about her,” he gripped your fingers in a death grip, a hiss coming out of your throat as he pulsed them, “she’s kind of spacey… forgive me,” pushing you to collide with his thick body in a thud. 

“Ow! Fuck!” pushing him off you in an instant, putting your hands over your tits as they throbbed from the collision. 

Another blow to the back of your head via the trident, “watch your whore mouth!” he boomed again, “I am deeply sorry, Matthew,” he smiled fakely again. 

“It’s perfectly fine, Your Highness,” he bowed slightly, “I like my women a bit feisty,” the fire burning in his eyes as he glared down at you. 

“The challenge of it all is… tantalizing,” taking your hand in his and bending down to lightly kiss it, the disgust fanning over you as his lips touched your scales. 

“Y/N,” he cooed beneath you, “it is a pleasure to be in the presence of such… beauty,” the waft of heart-shaped bubbles escaping his lips as he weaved his words. 

You pulled your hand, nursing it as you rubbed the spot where his snake-like lips had touched it, feeling utterly violated as your lips formed a pout in his direction. 

You contemplated for a moment, going over the positives and negatives as you watched him gaze at you, his handsome features no doubt hiding his true identity underneath. You rustled up to meet his eye line, your eyes becoming slits as you whispered, “You will never be my betrothed,” you menacingly growled, fangs snarling in his direction as you watched the flames blaze from a soft pink in his eyes to a glowing red. 

“You disgusting, conniving, snake!” landing a hard slap on his face before a shrill scream left your mother in awe of your actions. 

“You little bitch!” he hissed, watching the anger boil over you while your father lit up behind you in a rage. 

“How dare you, Y/N!” he boomed again, “you’re going to marry Matthew if it’s my last dying wish!” the tears spilling down your face as you spun around to meet his gaze. 

“Make me daddy!” you spat in his face, ready to give him another set of choice words before a huge flash of light interrupted the party. 

The whole group turning glances at each other, “did someone open the portal?” your mother putting her hand over her mouth in fear, cowering behind your father in a fit that made you cringe. 

“Your Highness, I can go check it out… There’s no reason for you to be put in danger over this,” he bravely puffed his chest out like a pompous jerk, patting the top of your head like a child. 

“Stay here my fiery siren,” he spewed, the nickname making you shoot daggers his way as he swam his way out of the balcony. All of you collectively inching out to see a huge bubble encasing a massive ship in the middle of the city. 

Gasps of shocked cries ringing out as passerby gazed in wonder at the bubbling orb floating in suspense, seemingly unphased by the fact it was smack dab in the center of a lost city. 

You squinted, not looking at your slimy suitor but the boat encased in the waves, cocking your head as it came clearer into your view. 

You audibly gasped, the flurry of bubbles and a wave as you placed both hands over your mouth, hoping your parents didn’t notice your surprise. 

“Don’t worry Y/N,” your dad placed a heavy hand on your shoulder, “when he gets back you can ask for an apology… I know he’s a man of reason,” smirking down thinking you were worried for his safety. 

_________________

“What the fuck?!” Flip scared out of his wits echoed as his voice reverberated along the walls of the water bubble. His crew shouting all kinds of curses as they prayed Hail Mary’s over the devil magic that had brought them to their orbed hell. 

He panicked, running from all sides of the ship, rubbing his eyes as he gazed around at the majesty that had cleared around the encasement. 

The city was a beacon in the depths of the darkness. The cool blue waters surrounding all sides of him in a tropical paradise littered with all colors of fish, seaweed, glorious statues, and towers, all centered around a glimmering castle. 

He gulped when he caught a glance of panicked merfolk, the realization that they were circling he and his crew sending him spiraling as he gleefully smiled at his successful venture. 

“Holy. Fucking. Shit,” he gasped, “Ron… R-Ron we made it,” he panted, begging his buddy to pinch him to see if he was dreaming. It was just as the books had revealed. The mecca in the ocean was lost to all the land dwellers in a mysterious flash. Yet here he was, face to face with a slew of shocked faces gazing at him like they were the fish out of water. 

“W-what do we do now, Cap?” Ron tugged at his jacket, Flip frozen in place just like his crew as they deadpanned the scene before them of hoards of merpeople all ages crowding around their forcefield. 

“I-I’m not entirely sure,” he quipped back, “I didn’t think we’d actually get this far,” gripping his friend’s hand on his shoulder before shuffling it off of him. He walked towards the starboard bow, coming face to face with a pink-tinged merman. 

The tips of his blonde locks a rose color, his chiseled face looking slightly similar in character to him. It was eerie how close their bone structure was, like looking in a mirror but morphed into a blonde wig instead of his trademark black waves. He cocked his face to the side, the handsome face doing a similar gesture as his pink irises came into a clear view. The slits of his pupils boring into Flip’s golden ones as he surveyed his near doppelganger. 

He cleared his throat, thinking to speak, and then possibly realizing it may not be heard via the separation between him and the mysterious fish. He squared him up even further, glancing down the expanse of his thick chest, rippling abs, and his stark pink tail, whipping in the waves as he noticed him doing the same thing. 

The silent exchange making Flip shiver with unsureness. He had never felt this way. He had stormed a slew of shores in his days, being the young swashbuckler he was, and come across many a menacing buccaneer, and slew them like the stud he was. 

But this… was enemy territory… and by enemy, he knew he was number one on the crowd’s list. The foreigner who crashed into town unannounced, and unwelcome, all to search for a woman. Isn’t that how it always goes though? 

“What have you come here for, sailor?” the haunting voice of the merman penetrating the wall in a clear, melodious tone, like he was inside with them. The crew shuddering from the sound, begging Flip to look away as if he were Medusa.

He cleared his throat, breaking from the hold his gaze had on him, gripping the sides of his jacket as he spoke, “I’m here to find one of your kind, merman,” his eyebrow cocked as the man looked unimpressed at his response. 

“Is that so?” he smirked, his fangs slightly showing as his voice, mesmerized Flip even further, “and who… may I ask, would you be possibly looking for 7,000 leagues under the sea?” the man entertaining his stupidity as he pandered to the captain. 

“For your information, fish boy,” he sneered, not loving the condescension in his tone, “I’m looking for a siren…” meeting his menacing stare noses touching the wall of water between them. 

“There’s a million sirens in this town, swashbuckler,” he chided, “you’re gonna have to be more specific… or are you too drunk to remember your own name?” the joke producing a fit of giggles from the crowd behind him. 

“Sober as a stone, Pinky,” dishing it right back to him, a frown emerging from his lips at the degrading name, “Y/N… That’s her name,” the tone of his voice lowering as he watched the fire boil in the man’s eyes. 

“Y/N?” his fists forming as his tinge on his entire body went from a blushed pink to a bright red, turning around to face you on the balcony. 

You gulped, waiting for the mess to start as your betrothed beckoned you with a finger to the bubble. 

“My darling,” he cooed, the flames boiling over as he tried to keep his composure, “you have a visitor,” gripping your hand in the same as your father had done the time before, a hiss leaving your lips as you flashed your fangs at him. 

“You mean, Princess Y/N of the Sevens Seas? My betrothed?” he chanted, the anger completely seething from his teeth as he presented you to the captain. 

Your shocked face coming nose to nose with your sailor in a fit of embarrassment as you realized he was dangling you like chum in front of him.  

“Sailor?” you gasped, his handsome face becoming more clear as your delicate hands touched the side of the bubble, your magic clearing the path to a thin line to see his precious face gaze at you. 

“Y/N?” his heart almost leaping out of his chest as his hands met the spot where yours were on the opposite side, “I thought I wouldn’t ever see your gorgeous face again,” wanting so badly to feel your plush lips on his as you watched his face soften at the sight of you. 

“I’m here, Captain,” you quipped, trying to hide your expressions as the grip on the back of your head tightened from your other suitor. The blood boiling in his hands singing your scalp as he listened to you quietly spoke to your true love. 

He jerked your body away from the wall, the feeling putting you into whiplash as he threw you back, “how dare you,” he seethed, his eyes glowing even brighter upon seeing you fawn over a human. 

“How. Dare. You. Fucking slut!” the explosion of a fireball and a cascade of black bubbles emitting from his head as he blew his top. 

“You fucked this garbage didn’t you, whore?!” he angrily pointed at you, your expression telling him everything as you darted glances between him and your sailor boy. 

He towered over you, lifting a heavy hand to your face, and slapping you with all the effort he could muster, “answer me you fucking land lover!” the tears spilling as you tried to gulp the words out, your silence doing more to egg on his mood. 

“Get your fuckin’ prissy hands off her and fight me like a fuckin’ man!” a booming voice echoed from the bubble, revealing a spent Flip, his jacket and hat torn off in a fury over the show he’d seen. 

Matthew turned, steam shooting from his ears as he watched Flip stand his ground on his ship, “You wanna fight you fuckin’ bastard?!” inching to him and morphing himself to a human in a flash, his tinge not changed as he appeared on the deck, fire blazing in between his fingers as he stood toe to toe with the captain. 

“Let’s fuckin’ fight,” he calmly huffed, his teeth hissing out heavy breaths as Flip removed his sword from his waist, standing ready to fight. 

“Let’s go Pinky!” he gritted, moving to throw the first blow, metal colliding with his fiery fist in a flash of sparks. 

The clanging of blows hitting in tandem as they danced across the upper deck of the ship. Flip bobbed every attack he had, same with Matt. The both of them reading each other’s movements like a dance before landing a crushing blow to the merman’s shoulder, the blood spewing out in a wave that splatter all over Flip’s shirt and exposed chest. 

“You’re gonna regret that, sailor,” his devilish grin spurring him to attack faster and more agile as he landed an equally hard blow to the buccaneer’s midsection. The fire burning his skin in a sear of pain as he grunted a moan, stumbling back up while Matt chuckled at his victory. 

“Had enough?” he pandered, cocking his fiery head to the captain. 

“Not even close, fire crotch,” upturning a smirk as he jabbed another blow to his chest this time, the blade piercing in a spray of blood again as a cry rang out through the orb. 

You watched in complete terror. Each blow getting more and more deadly as they duked it out. 

Soon, Flip was gasping for breath, trying to center himself as he sustained more damage. Matthew noticing him falter under his superiority and making a note as he watched him weakly get back up after the last blow he’d taken to his stomach again. 

“What’s the matter sailor?” he chided, loading up another crushing blow as he watched his enemy pant, his weapon falling at his side in exhaustion, “too much rum?” laughing as he landed a crushing blow to the top of his head, knocking Flip out cold underneath him. 

He smirked, surveying the crew as they stood back, scared out of their boots. He huffed, walking to the edge to find you, panicked and shocked at the turn of events. 

“My sweet love,” he cooed, the fire still burning at a dull roar as he spoke, “you’re going to forget this ever happened… and you will call me your King, just like you’re going to be my slave the rest of your days in this ocean,” his commands cutting you like a knife as you sobbed uncontrollably. 

“Fuck you!” pounding on the bubble wall in a fit as he maniacally cackled in front of you, “I’ll never be yours, fucking pink bastard!” spitting as it fueled his raged laughs. 

“Now, now…” he tsked, running a slick finger to where your forearm was rested on the wall, “I love my women feisty,” cooing again as you writhed in frustration and pain for your sailor. 

Your eyes closed shut as you heard his evil cackle ring through your ears, only to look up when it was stifled by a muffle it seemed. 

You glanced back up, eyes blurred as you blinked your vision back to see what had happened now.

Flip stood towering over the fireball, his sword logged from his back to poke out his beating heart like a skewer, while his thick hand fell over his mouth, eyes rolling back in his head as he succumbed to the sweet release of death. 

“Heartless mother fucker,” he gritted, driving the sword back out of your betrothed, his limp body crashing to the deck in a thud. 

“Flip!” you cried, pawing at the wall when his gaze met yours, his exhausted body breathing a sigh of relief when he saw you. 

“Hey there, gorgeous,” he cooed, your tears dripping even further as you pined for his touch. 

“Flip I-I’m so sorry,” you whined, wishing you had the right words to say in this exact moment, “I shouldn’t have ever… Fuck, I shouldn’t have left home!” beating the bubble again in a fit of self-pity as you watched him wince gripping his side in pain. 

“Don’t ever apologize, sugar,” he cooed, the pained smile coming over his face as he limped over to you, “you’re the best adventure I’ve had,” putting a hand to meet yours on the wall again, both foreheads leaning to meet too as you both exhaled in adoration of each other. 

“I-I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” he admitted, his hushed tone so low that only you were able to hear it. 

“Neither have I,” you whispered in the same tone, the smiles and fits of laughter falling over the both of you as the tears kept rolling. 

“Can ya come with me? I need you… More than I care to admit,” he bashfully shied away, your face curling into pure joy as you realized what he had asked of you. 

“You mean… Forever?” biting a lip to hear him beg for you. 

“Well I didn’t fuckin’ cross the entire ocean, go down a tunnel of doomed light, swirl into a fuckin’ whirlpool, and fight pinky over here to just ask for one more night of sand sex,” kicking the limp noodle on the ground in a huff. 

You laughed out loud, the bubbles leaving your mouth before you placed your finger over it in embarrassment. 

You turned to glance at your parents, who, by now, had ventured through the crowd to marvel at the orb, seeing the debauchery unfold in horror. 

“Daddy?” you questioned, wincing slightly as you turned around to see your father in complete shock. 

“Daddy? I-I,” you couldn’t get the words out before your father wrapped you up in the biggest embrace he had ever given you. Your arms only wrapped around him after you realized what was occurring, the tears now a blubbering mess as you hid in his huge frame. 

“Go,” were the words you heard. You looked up, shaking your head from side to side in denial as you wept in front of him. 

“Go… have your freedom, my sweet baby girl,” placing a soft hand to your as he dried a tear from your cheek. 

“B-but, daddy my duties, I-I,” he shushed you, looking with all of the love he could conjure up. 

“Fuck all of that,” a laugh echoing from his lungs, “I want you to have an adventure… go find something worthwhile… and with someone you love… this place will still be here if you want to come back, sweet thing,” the words spilling from his lips causing your jaw to drop open again. 

“Daddy, wha-,” wondering if this was all a charade to keep you here with them. 

“This lad must truly love you if he trekked across the ocean to find you,” looking to Flip who was registering the conversation before his eyes. 

“I think that says more about his character than any of the suitors we had picked for you,” his voice calm and collected as he spoke back to you. The silent exchange of love between you a welcome embrace to the fights you’d been having since you had turned thirteen. 

“I-I do love him,” looking back to his boyish smile as he stumbled from the pain on his side again. 

“I know you do, sweet siren,” he brushed a hair from your face, “now go… have an adventure I could never have,” pressing his forehead to yours as you both reveled in the peace of the exchange. 

You broke your hug, barreling to your mother who had at this point, sobbed the entire ocean over sea level, and gave her the largest hug. 

“I’ll be back mommy,” you cried, kissing her forehead as you back away from your family, waving at the crowd of folk surrounding you before morphing into your human form and sucking yourself into the bubble. 

You gathered yourself, getting your wet hair back, and shuffling off the water as your soaked nude form came to his view. 

“Hey sailor,” you cooed out, shy as you batted those gorgeous lashes his way, your silky body glistening with water droplets for the whole world to see. 

“Hey there, my sweet siren,” he panted back, gulping some air as he winced in another round of pain. 

“Holy shit,” you gasped, running to his aid, “sailor… You’re hurt,” putting a delicate hand to feel the heat from his abdominals pulsing under him. 

“Nah,” he grunted, leaning on your for support as you walked his down to the double doors of the main deck, “I’m tough as they come, sugar, I’ll be fit as a fiddle in a few days,” wincing in pain again with a groan. 

The crew had been eyeing your form as your cascaded down the stairs, tits and areolas bouncing, bare cunt flashed unbeknownst as you were more preoccupied with Flip and his health. 

You both glanced around, wondering why the guys weren’t preparing to blast out of this popsicle stand. Their jaws gaping as they surveyed your ample curves, Flip’s face inches from a supple tit as he registered reality.

“Mother of fuck!” he got up, the pain in his voice echoed as he stood to cover your body with his, “get hold the sheet and get us the fuck outta here you peepin’ Tom’s!” he bellowed, the boys coming to attention and scrambling with their orders as they were still flustered over your beauty. 

Flip pushed you back into the doors, trudging into his quarters with a thud as he landed on his bed. You went right to work, ripping his shirt off, and tending to his wounds while you both felt the ship take off to the surface. 

__________________

“You know you never told me you were a Princess,” his gruff voice whispered as the night had set over the sky, his body littered with bandages as you tended to each with the most care. 

“Forgive me… The last time we were together it didn’t seem like the right time to bring it up,” you quipped back, earning a low hum from his chest to ring out. 

“Matty boy was right… You are kinda feisty,” he quoted the smirk over his lips deepening as he watched your face scrunch in disgust over the name. 

“If you’re trying to get some tonight, you’re not winning any style points by bringing that snake up,” pressing a little harder on a wound to see him writhe in pain slightly. 

“Sorry, sugar,” he chided, “but it’s somewhat true,” he chuckled shying away as you tried to push on another cut to cause him some more pain. 

“Such a smooth sailor,” you sang, your lips ghosting his as you drank in his musk. 

“That’s what they call me,” he dished right back inching his mouth on yours in a dainty kiss. 

The feeling was elating. Your lips connected in tandem as they begged for more, the tongues dancing in your mouths as his hands snaked to grip your bare tits in his thick digits. 

A relieved gasp left your chest, followed by a moan when he ran his thumbs over your peaks, the circles to magical as they coaxed you to straddle his lap with a soft grind on his hardened erection. 

“I missed these gorgeous tits,” he moaned, moving his lips to your right breast and sucking the life out of it before doing to same to the other. 

You fumbled with his pants, pulling his bloomers down in a fervor as his cock sprung to attention, the weeping head falling in the direction of his left-leaning tower. It expanded the length of your thigh, the purple head, begging to be sucked up into your cunt as the precum slid on the inner meat of your leg. 

“I missed this cock of yours, captain,” you moaned, your words egging him on as he assaulted your chest with a variety of bites and bruises, hands gripping your ass with all the strength he had in him. 

You brought it to your entrance, rubbing the tip on your bud as it slicked up the wetness that had formed over the course of being reunited with your man. The feeling of it tapping your bean sending waves of electricity through your spine, throwing your head back as you sat on him inch by delicious inch. 

“M-mother f-fuck,” he grit out, his teeth still encasing a nipple as he bit down on it in pleasure, “this fucking cunt,” his breath coming in hot and heavy as he watched your face fill with bliss. 

“There’s nothin’ like this perfect pussy of yours,” he panted out, your grinding on his pelvis spurring his dirty mouth to spill out obscenities. 

He bucked up into you, meeting your cervix with every push as he watched you edge yourself over him. 

“You like your shores stormed, huh, siren,” he grunted, feeling your walls flutter around him as you fucked yourself into your release. 

“I fuckin’ love this mast of yours,” echoing back as you rode out your orgasm, the feeling of his pubic hair and his tip knocking your spot a magical combination as you clenched around him in a death grip. 

“That’s my good girl,” he groaned out, the overwhelming feeling over your luscious cunt spilling all over him sending him into overdrive as he stilled your hips. 

He spilled his swimmers deep into you, the endless waves of white coating your sandy beach in a glaze as he finished his motions under you. You fucked faces gasping for air as you both came down from the high of the night. 

You collapsed on him, making sure to avoid his wounds as he kept a steady arm around you. Petting his chest as you felt a gush of spend escape your full cunt. 

“I’m never gonna lose you again, Y/N,” he whispered, kissing your head as he nuzzled you closer to him. Your leg wrapped around him in a koala as you both closed your eyes in bliss. 

“Trust me, sailor,” you cooed back, letting out a heavy sigh, “I’m not goin’ anywhere now,” slowly drifting off to the sounds of his cold heart beating in your ears. 

____________

HOLY MOLEY I FINISHED A SERIES FINALLY I AM SO EXCITED! I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS WHALE COCK OF A TALE! 

taglist: @maybe-your-left, @safarigirlsp, @clydesfavoritegirl, @mrs-zimmerman, @thepalaceofmelanie, @hopeamarsu, @caillea, @historyandfandoms50, @mariesackler, @millenialcatlady, @thepriceofstars, @roanniom, @kathorax, @driversmutbucket, @clydes-hole, @xxcatrenxx, @paper-n-ashes

LMK if ya would like to be added to the list! All of the love!

[nxrthmizu]

| me and you | Sugawara Koushi

»»——⍟——««

song | Night Changes - One Direction

pairing | Sugawara Koushi x Reader

words | 2.9k 

author’s note | Hi yes I am late but,,, Oh wait I have no excuses. Anyway, please reblog and comment if you enjoyed reading! Not sure if I’m still being shadowbanned :/ Not proofread so let me know it there are any mistakes! 

»»——⍟——««

cadowly’s songfic december mlist

»»——⍟——««

Goin' out tonight, changes into something red

His mouth dropped at the sight of you, a gentle smile on your lips as you walked into the room. You were dressed in a black cloak, a dark green scarf wrapped around your neck like a snake. The kids’ attention instantly gravitated towards you, a whole bunch of them swarming towards you, a walking clump of excited chatters and ‘Merry Christmas, L/N-sensei!’. 

Her mother doesn't like that kind of dress

“Hello everyone,” You replied with a laugh, tugging off your cloak and your scarf as you walked into the classroom of the pre-school where both you and Sugawara Koushi worked as teachers at. “Merry Christmas!” 

A blush crept up his cheeks when you undressed, proudly showing off a bright red sweater with what seemed to be Rudolph on it. The pre-school had organised a secret gift event, where everyone would buy a gift, wrap it, and leave it under the tree. Later on, everyone would get a chance to pick out one gift for themselves, and since the teachers were required to participate, Sugawara had picked out a sweater, wrapped it in a cute box, and left it under the tree in the teachers’ staffroom. He had never anticipated the fact that you would choose his gift, giving your reason for the choice as ‘It looks really nicely wrapped, whoever bought this must’ve put a lot of effort into it!’.

Everything she never had she's showin' off

“L/N-sensei, your sweater’s really cute!” One of your kids said with a beam. 

“Thank you!” A soft smile graced your lips as you glanced down at the sweater with a fond expression. “It’s from my secret santa!” 

The kids continued to chatter excitedly around you as you set down your cloak and your bag in Sugawara’s classroom, where both of your classes were having a joint Christmas party. 

“Merry Christmas, Suga-san.” You greeted with a smile, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “Your sweater’s really cute.” 

He glanced down in surprise, remembering with sudden shock that the sweater he was wearing came as a set with the one that he had wrapped. His was dark green, and also had Rudolph on it- Except Rudolph was standing in a different pose, of course. 

“Ah.” He coughed awkwardly. “Thank you. I like yours, too.” He knew without a doubt by the glint in your eyes, you were aware that the sweater you were wearing was from him. 

“Thanks! I really need to thank the person who got me this sweater.” At this point you were just teasing him, and boy was it working. Red flushed across Koushi’s cheeks, and it wasn’t because it was snowing outside. 

“Suga-sensei, you’re blushing!” One of the girls pointed out with a giggle. This caused a chain reaction throughout the classroom, the forty-or-so kids you had packed in Suga’s classroom rushing to the front, where he was sitting cross-legged on the carpet while wrapping some last-minute gifts. 

“Suga-sensei’s blushing!” Came the chorus of the kids’ exclamations. The red on his cheeks only darkened as he tried to laugh it off, but unfortunately for him, the red around his cheek, neck, and ears did not recede. 

You laughed softly. “Alright, alright. That’s enough. Who’s excited for the gift exchange?” 

The kids raised their hands and jumped around enthusiastically, some bragging loudly that they got amazing gifts for their classmates. Sugawara breathed a sigh of relief, glad that you had redirected the kids attention. 

“We still have a few students who aren’t here yet, so why don’t everyone leave their gifts under the tree first and we can play some small games while waiting for the rest of your friends, okay?” You suggested with a smile, the kids instantly rushing to grab their gifts from their bags to stash under the tree that both your classes had decorated together. 

“Thanks.” He smiled thankfully at you, praying that his blush had lightened up. 

Your eyes twinkled in amusement. “No problem.” 

»»——⍟——««

“Suga-sensei!” One of the girls approached him, pushing past his arms to settle into his lap. He chuckled, patting her hair as he gave her a questioning look. “I have a question!” 

“Well, go ahead.” He smiled. 

“Are you and L/N-sensei dating?” The kid whispered, looking up at him with saucer-sized, curious eyes. 

Sugawara coughed loudly, trying not to choke on his own embarrassment. “No! I mean... No. No we’re not.” 

“But she’s so pretty!” The girl scrunched up her eyebrows, not understanding why her teacher wouldn’t want to date the pretty teacher from the neighbouring class. “And she’s really nice!” 

“Well, yes, but...” He struggled with his words, trying to remember that you were across the room and that he couldn’t let the conversation get out of hand or he was done for. 

Little did he know, across the room, seated with your own kids, you were being confronted with the same question. “L/N-sensei, are you dating Suga-sensei?” One of your boys, who was cuddled up against your side while he munched on a piece of cake asked you, the rest of the kids tuning in to listen in interest. 

“No, but what made you think that?” A light blush painted your cheeks but you kept your cool, entertaining your kids with the conversation. 

One of the kids who were seated in a semi circle around you piped up. “Because he’s really nice to you!” 

“Because mommy said you two look nice together!” 

“Because his sweater looks a little like yours!” 

You smiled, your eyes flicking up to spot a flushed Sugawara across the classroom. “Well, we’re not dating. If we are I’ll let you guys know, okay?” 

It wasn’t just the kids, though. 

“How was the Christmas party?” One of Suga’s kid’s mother asked as she engulfed her child in a hug. The boy broke into a grin and begin ranting about the cake and the gift that he had picked out from under the tree. “That sounds great!” 

“I met new friends from L/N-sensei’s class!” The boy continued to say excitedly. 

“Ah, L/N-sensei?” The middle-aged woman glanced across the entrance of the pre-school, spotting you, also talking to one of your kids’ mother. “Wow, she’s really pretty!” (Suga had to stop himself from nodding vigorously in agreement.)

The boy agreed without holding back. “Yeah! Suga-sensei blushed when he talked to her!” The grey-haired teacher spluttered, not expecting his own student to betray him. 

“Is that so?” The mother instantly piped up, wiggling her eyebrows at Suga, whose face flushed again. “Suga-san, I think the both of you would look great together! Is she single?” 

“I-” He fumbled around with his words. “I think?” 

The mother shot him a smirk, walking away with her excited child as Sugawara blushed, drowning further in his growing affection for you. There you were, across the entrance, waving goodbye to one of your kids. “See you after Christmas break!” You smiled so brightly he was sure you could outshine Hinata, the literal sunshine child. 

The both of you sighed in relief as the last kid was picked up by his mother. At that rate, the both of you were ready to collapse from exhaustion- Dealing with kids during Christmas eve was one of the most draining things you had ever done, and the two of you were incredibly grateful that you had combined the class celebration- Because it meant only one classroom to clean up. 

“I’m exhausted already, and there’s still the staff celebration tonight.” You complained with a tired whine as you picked up all the trash left behind. 

He shot you a knowing smile, feeling his mental fatigue start to settle in. God, he loved kids, but they could be a handful at times. 

“L/N!” One of your female coworkers burst into Suga’s classroom, startling the two of you. Her expression turned sheepish as she apologised quickly. “I’m really sorry but- I can’t send you to the staff party tonight!” 

Your face dropped as you groaned. You couldn’t drive, and the party location was a reasonable distance from the nearest train station, and you didn’t feel like walking... 

“My mom suddenly told me she wanted me home for Christmas eve, so...” She winced. “I’m really sorry. Maybe you could get another teacher to send you?” 

“I could.” 

The both of you turned to look at Suga, who had paused halfway through sweeping the floor. “I’m going to the party. I could drive you.” 

“Perfect!” Your coworker clapped her hands a little too enthusiastically. Your eyes narrowed at her suspiciously as she very conveniently ignored your questioning gaze. “You can go with Suga-san, then. Sorry and thanks again!”

 »»——⍟——««

Drivin' too fast, moon is breakin' through her hair

“Wow.” Sugawara couldn’t help the way his jaw unhinged at the sight of you, clad in a tight-fitting red dress that hugged your curves in a way that left little to his imagination. “I mean. Um. You look great.” He offered, trying to fix his composure, heat bursting in blossoms across his neck, cheeks, and ears. 

“Thank you, you don’t look too bad yourself.” You replied gracefully, your heels clicking as you walked down the steps of your apartment. 

Sugawara had cleaned up from his sweater-dressed pre-school teacher look into a well-groomed man with soft grey locks, a dark-green dress-shirt with a Christmas tree patterning and black jeans. “T- Thanks.” He stuttered, rushing over to hold the door open for you, quite like the gentleman he had a reputation of being. 

She's headin' for somethin' that she won't forget

The ride started off a little tense until you started humming along to the song on the radio, enticing him into joining you. He could barely keep his eyes on the road- How could he, when he had an angel like you in his passenger seat, eyes blinking under the stars and your heavenly voice tickling his ears?

Havin' no regrets is all that she really wants

“Suga! Oh, hi L/N-san.” A male teacher greeted the two of you with wiggling eyebrows that instantly made the two of you look away from each other. “Well, get yourself some drinks, we’ve got quite the night ahead of us!” 

We're only gettin' older, baby

“Come on, the two of you have been sitting here for the whole night! Get on the dance floor!” 

The two of you were seated by the bar, nursing your respective drinks (Suga had a glass of carbonated water- He wasn’t allowed to get drunk and he’d be darned if he forgot his responsibility of driving you home) while sharing small-talk, primarily about your classes and what you do outside of work. Koushi enjoyed your presence; Conversation just seemed to flow when he was with you, and awkwardness a foreign concept that he had forgotten. The twinkle of your laugh was imprinted in his mind, your eyes curved into crescents and a giggle vibrating down your throat. 

“I don’t... Know how to dance.” You admitted shyly. 

Your coworker rolled her eyes. “Just get out there!” 

“I’ll go with.” Koushi laughed, setting his drink down. His hand found yours, in the maze of coloured strobe lights and the next thing you knew you were laughing, smiling, giggling as he brought you the centre of the dance floor, like he wanted to show off to the world just how special you were. 

You flushed in embarrassment, feeling multiple sets of eyes on you- Your coworkers’. “What do I do?” The whisper was shot to the grey-haired man, who was already moving to the music like he was born to dance. 

“Just listen to the music and focus on the beat.” He laughed, taking both of your hands into his, jerking you onto the beat and directing your movements until you got a hang of it. “There you go!” 

And I've been thinkin' about it lately

Everyone in the room must’ve been able to see how in love with you he was, Suga mused with a tiny groan. There were literal hearts in his eyes when he looked at you, your red dress dancing in the air alongside you, a slightly-drunk smile on your lips. The pounding music faded away from him, the only sound he heard being your angelic laugh. At that point he was sure your laugh could cure the world’s deadliest diseases. 

Does it ever drive you crazy

“I’ve never had that much fun.” Breathless, you smiled widely at him, both of you (Well, mostly you) stumbling back to the bar. 

His eyes softened at the sight of your tousled hair, your gleaming eyes, the thin sheen of sweat on your skin. You looked like you hadn’t went to a club to dance in ten years- Which, judging from how stiff you were when you were first dragged onto the floor- Was probably true. 

Just how fast the night changes?

“Hey... Can we get out of here?” You asked after a while, giving him a mini-heart-attack when you turned to look at him. “It’s getting too loud for me.” 

“Sure,” He replied easily. Heck, you could ask him to get on a plane to anywhere on the planet and he’d probably still say sure. Koushi knew he had fallen for you, and when he fell, he fell hard. 

Everything that you've ever dreamed of

The two of you grabbed a couple of rental bikes a little away from the club, scanning the barcodes with your phones before pedalling away. Your red dress fluttered in the wind from under your coat, your hair loosened and a couple strands waving at him with a laugh while they flew behind you. 

Disappearing when you wake up

He wished he could continue pedalling behind you forever; God, what he would give to have Christmas eve last forever. Your laugh played on loop inside his mind, the ring of your giggle warming him, insuring his body against the cold winter. 

But there's nothing to be afraid of

By the time morning came, would you remember? Would you remember the park that the two of you stopped at because you wanted to stargaze? Would you remember the love-struck way he stared at you while your eyes were fixated on the dots of white up in the sky, just out of your reach? Would you remember the way he took a breath of courage and intertwined your fingers together just as the clock struck 12? 

Even when the night changes

“Merry Christmas, Suga-san!” You smiled, looking at the time on your watch. 

It will never change me and you

“Merry Christmas, L/N-san.” He replied, an identical smile on his lips. You leaned closer, your lips connected with his as sparks exploded as loudly as the fireworks up above in his heart. 

“W- Wait!” Koushi pushed you away, cheeks flushed and painted a visible scarlet despite the dim lightning of the park. “You- You’re drunk. I’m not going to take advantage of you like this, you’ll regret this when you wake up.” 

A pout crossed your lips, but you figured he had a point. Even you knew that you were slightly drunk- It was the boldness of your actions, the way stars seemed to litter the air around your silver-haired coworker, the shine in his eyes that were a little brighter than usual. 

“I won’t.” You pursed your lips. “I probably won’t dare to do it again if I’m fully sober.” 

»»——⍟——««

“Suga-san?” 

He swore he almost had a heart attack when he woke up at 8am and his phone was ringing, your caller ID staring him in the face, urging him to pick up. “Yeah? Do you need anything, L/N-san?” 

“No, uh, can I- Can I come over?” 

If he didn’t have a heart attack at seeing your caller ID, he had a heart attack at your request. “Uh- Sure? Why?” 

“I... I’m not too sure either. I’ll explain when I get there.” 

Christmas morning was a wonderland of white falling from the sky, your window sill covered with an inch-thick of cold, powdered sugar. There was a faint throb in your head- You had drunk a little bit more after returning to the party with Sugawara. Fumbling around, reaching for your phone, you turned it on, blinking in surprise as you stared at the three words etched on your lockscreen wallpaper. 

‘Kiss’. ‘Sugawara’. ‘Koushi’. 

“What did I do last night?” You mumbled, sitting up. Flashes of a park, a sparkling night sky, and a silver-haired coworker flipped through your mind like a flipbook with a dozen pages missing. At last, you figured you might as well call the man in question- Surely he knew what you did last night. 

»»——⍟——««

“I... Woke up to this on my lockscreen.” You explained, showing him your phone. Red burst across Koushi’s cheeks like cherry blossoms, and for a moment you wondered if spring had come early. “I figured there was no harm if I came over.” 

“So... Are you going to do it?” He eyed you, a mixture of shy and curiosity. 

In one swift movement, you jerked the front of his shirt, pulling him to you for a kiss. When you pulled back, Sugawara Koushi was a stuttering, blushing mess who had apparently forgot how to use his words. 

“No harm in trying.” You shrugged with a tint of a smile across your lips. “So... Did you forget how to use words or...?” 

“Dammit, you can’t just do that to me like this!” 

»»——⍟——««

taglist. @mrs-kuroojinguji @procrastination-lady ​@drippinginhoneyandgold ​@shoyosun​@aka-a-shii ​@shibayamasbae ​@churochuu​ @seijohlogy​ @dearsukuna 

send an ask to either @owlywrites or @cadenceh2o to be a part of Cadowly’s Songfic December’s taglist!

hello sorry for how late it is but uhhh yeah 

»»——⍟——««

[havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong]

Prelude -- Safety

The cowardly Master keeps moving, step by step. The Master beside him, striding forth with their kouhai in tow, find themselves in the hot seat.

Struggling forwards, their next challenger remains a familiar face -- a fading, fated encounter.

The burning fires grow hotter still.

Within the city, navigation grew tougher still -- no longer could one even use the remains of the city outskirts to determine north from south. What the broken building's didn't cover, the endless flames did.

So far, the only hope lay in Kagekiyo -- about the only one here who had any sort of bearings here. Perhaps the flames didn't affect them, or perhaps they were simply more attentive than the normal human. Despite Olga Marie's grumblings, the Avenger still took the lead, seemingly slipping through broken-down alley and fiery roads at random.

"We're getting nowhere... How do we know that they don't think we're --" "--Don't start tempting fate now, Olga. I get that having an Avenger as one of our only allies isn't exactly reassuring, but doubting them this much is going to make things worse."

'Thank God for Ritsuka,' I mumbled to myself, barely overhearing them speaking to Olga. The soft grin, relaxed muscles, and laidback posture they kept did wonders for the nerves of their coworkers -- something someone like Olga likely needed badly at the moment.

Suddenly, a slight cloud of ash shot up to my face -- and quickly brushing it off my face, I found myself hearing the sound of two objects clashing --

--Steel and wood. Before even registering what had just occurred before me, a clash had begun, and just as easily been cut short.

As the dust settled, my eyes first moved to one of Kagekiyo's katana, then the seemingly normal wooden staff that caught it. Held by an arm covered in a blue cloak, partially covering their face with the hood --

Just in front of Kagekiyo stood a blue-clad, pale man, his face adorned by a casual smirk.

"...You're no Genji," the Avenger muttered, taking a step backwards and sheathing their blades in unison.

"'Genji?' Can't say it rings a bell, but... Say. You all look normal, for a change. Put down your weapons -- I'd rather not start another fight."

The blue-clad Caster stepped towards us, only now flicking off the hood that obscured his face. Greeted by a face seemingly all-too-familiar to Olga Marie, the Director let out a sigh as though she'd been holding it back for days.

"Finally, some sanity! You're C--"

"--Keep it down."

Almost instantly deflating the poor Director's excitement, as she tried to snap herself back into serious mode, the Caster raised a finger to their cheek, tapping it gently.

"Listen, I'll cut to the chase. You've probably noticed all the Servants you've fought aren't really Servants. A bit more aptly, they're replicas."

To this, Kagekiyo nodded silently, the grip on her katana's hilt tightening slightly, as the Caster continued.

"There's reason for that. Every Servant that was defeated here got turned into... whatever those were. I'm lucky I survived, but there's nothing left here."

As the Caster glanced away for a time, trying to think of what to say next, a footstep to my left alerted me of Ritsuka piping up.

"What caused this to happen?"

As my gaze turned to the other Master, I found their laidback grin faded -- their form slightly more tense.

"That's simple," the blue Caster responded, "Saber. She's turned all of them into whatever those are. And... this war won't stop until you do her in."

...

A straight answer -- but judging by the furrowed brow Ritsuka now wore, and the widened eyes of the Director beside them, this hardly spelled anything good.

"...The only Saber of the Fuyuki Grail War was..."

...Ritsuka hardly needed to finish their sentence. Olga wouldn't dare to, either -- even without the knowledge the others seemed to have, I could understand the odds were stacked against us. Even if we had an Avenger, two Casters, and Mash on our side -- their worried expressions gave good reason not to be confident in success.

Trying to dismiss the feeling of something taking hold of my neck, I reckoned it my time to speak up.

"How do we do that?"

Even despite the mildly incredulous gazes flung my way, I held my ground on the question. To this, the blue Caster took it upon himself to survey the Servants we had -- Mash included -- his eyes moving along each one of us as though gauging our odds of success on the spot.

"...The lady with the shield. What is your name?"

"M-Mash Kyrielight, sir."

At being called by the Caster, Mash stepped forward, moving her shield slightly to lean against it properly.

"...Your weapon is a shield, isn't it? It's possible your defensive Noble Phantasm could block Saber's attacks enough for everyone else to attack properly."

The blue Caster's eyes remained dead on Mash, waiting for a response -- only met with the lady turning her gaze to the floor.

"...You don't have one?"

"I... don't know, sir."

...The blue Caster thought for a moment, directing his gaze momentarily towards the other two Servants -- first to Kagekiyo, whose gaze hadn't moved from him at all, then to the younger Caster, who'd until now let the adults keep talking.

Then, the Caster snapped two fingers together, and turned around.

"That's entirely fixable, Mash. Come with me, all of you -- I have an idea."

--

The western flames hid a small cave beyond them, accessible through a heavily-worn path through a broken building. Avoiding chunks of steel and concrete that had fallen haphazardly to the ground, the blue Caster only stopped at the entrance to the cave -- waiting a moment for Olga Marie to catch up before continuing.

"This cave has the secret to Mash's Noble Phantasm, probably. I'm going to need Mash, and the two Masters, to enter. Nobody else."

Before the Avenger could open their mouth to speak, the blue Caster raised their finger to their mouth -- mouthing something that Kagekiyo appeared to have understood. The young Caster, though, seemed perfectly content to sit back for the time being, as did Olga Marie.

...Though, the blue Caster's eyes darted between me and Olga Marie for a moment -- before settling on me, smiling slightly.

"Doesn't look like we're going to need any runes for you. Just get in there -- I swear it'll work."

With quite possibly the least convincing pep talk of all time, Ritsuka, Mash, and myself were pushed into a horribly dark cave.

--

...Nothing could be seen. Only a few odd torches lit the way in the cave, spaced just a little bit too far apart. The brief flickers of light would often give way to a nigh-endless darkness, all-encompassing.

'...It's almost nostalgic.'

Even so, I could make some sense of where my teammates were -- Ritsuka to my left, controlling their breathing. Their bracelet rattled against their wrist faintly, beads shaking just enough to strike each other. To my right, Mash. The clinking of her armour gave her right away, even if that armour was barely armour to begin with. The heavy shield, almost scraping against the ground at times, hardly helped. And behind me, a skeleton. The rattle of its bones gave it right away --

...Wait.

"Ritsuka! Behind us!"

Narrowly ducking just in time for what was likely a blade to sweep over me instead of through me, Mash wasted no time at all jumping behind me, striking the fragile beast with a bash of her shield. Yet, the second that one fell, the all-too-familiar sound of rattling bones grew, like a Greek chorus that grew to encompass us entirely. In a moment, I found myself backpedalling until I hit a wall -- Ritsuka following suit, tapping a spot on the ground before us with his foot to give Mash an indicator of where to go in this darkness.

There had to have been around nine, perhaps more. Trying to parse the sounds of one skeleton from another was almost impossible -- only mildly feasible when one's walking made a separate noise from another. However many there was, each approached Mash in groups of three -- as if to surround her, and get to us.

"--Mash! You can handle this, right?!"

"I'll be fine, Senpai!"

Even saying that, I could faintly hear her movement -- going backwards, desperately attempting to cover three skeletons at once, before raising her shield and swiping each skull off with one slash of the 'less blunt' portion of her shield.

'I suppose a skeleton would fall apart to anything faintly blade-shaped.'

Even so, they would only keep on coming -- wave, after wave -- arrows slung over us, blades narrowly blocked by the shield Mash carried. Even without the ability to see properly in this darkness, I could've sworn I'd heard six, maybe seven of them, wailing away at Mash's shield.

And yet, nothing was happening. Mash just kept waiting, then slicing down as many as she could, before waiting once more. This rush of enemies just wasn't enough -- clearly, something picked up on by the blue Caster, who now found himself before them, as Mash cleared the final skeletons from the area.

"...You did well. But considering that wasn't enough to make you get serious, it looks like I'll have to instead."

The rattling of Ritsuka's bracelet grew a little louder, and the gasp of one of us could be heard to the right. Yet, the blue Caster said little, stepping back to prepare his staff.

"I believe her Noble Phantasm will trigger if she needs it, and she will find the name then. But she has to need it first."

"H-Hold on! I would've needed extra help for those skeletons!"

Though Mash stepped forward in protest, the Caster laughed a bit -- lighting a flame to illuminate all four of us in the cave.

"You handled them just fine. You'd need it to even survive -- that's when you will find it. If you can't withstand my Noble Phantasm, you have little hope of even attempting to resist Saber's."

Even as Ritsuka opened their mouth to talk, the gaze of the Caster spoke all that had to be said -- leaving the Master only able to grit their teeth.

"...Mash. Prepare for combat!"

"Yes, Senpai!"

In a moment, the Caster made quick work of attacking first. A series of fireballs, seemingly directed towards Mash.

'Thank the gods... Nothing towards me, yet.'

Such a shot was easy enough for Mash to block. Each ball struck her shield, and dispersed just as quickly -- only one or two fireballs getting through.

Yet, those few fireballs still made their mark -- as the Shielder winced from the sudden burning feeling spreading through her arm, as a fireball struck true.

"Good defence -- but not perfect."

The Caster appeared to be relaxed enough, even now, to give mid-battle critique -- even as Mash closed the distance in only a few steps, seemingly already intent on bashing the Caster with as much force as she could put behind that massive block of steel.

But all it took was a single well-placed dodge to have Mash fall face-first into the ground -- rolling onto her back just in time to eat a fireball directly to her arm.

"Mash?! Damnit..."

Ritsuka stepped forward, already tempted to use his Command Seals -- only backing down once more as Mash stood back up. Placing her burnt arm behind her back to try and protect it from further arm, she'd again position her shield in front of her -- and watch.

"...I'm not getting anywhere fast."

The Caster furrowed his brow, thinking aloud, seemingly realizing the futility of trying to whittle down Mash. However -- there was something more he could do.

"My magecraft is a cage of flames."

'...He's doing it.'

The Caster oriented his staff horizontally, his casual grin fading away.

"A flaming, yet verdant giant."

Mash began to step back.

"Retribution. A shrine that purifies the evil of human affairs."

Her foot, then, landed directly onto a flame that had just now sprouted -- growing powerful, impossible, in mere moments, as if to engulf her.

"The one who destroys--"

The Caster slammed the bottom of his staff upon the ground.

"Wicker Man!"

--Before the Shielder could even escape, before her rose a being that only barely fit the cave it was in. A massive 'cage' shaped like a man -- the flames beneath it serving to execute whichever poor soul became locked in its walls.

Yet, as the flames tore its legs ever so slowly, its concern remained purely on the Shielder -- the Caster grinning slightly, as the hand of the Wicker Man lowered itself upon Mash.

"Mash?! --Caster, stop this! She's going to-"

"--If she fails this test, she would just as soon die by Saber's hand! If she doesn't learn now, she won't ever get the chance!"

--Just as the Master beside me took a step forward, then another, as if intent on attacking this Caster themselves --

--My eyes fell to the Shielder, her eyes wide as saucers, quaking, yet holding up that shield of hers.

Whispering something perhaps similar to a faint wish to be safe.

As she closed her eyes, forced to place faith into the steel that lay in front of her --

--in a moment, the flame beneath her was blown away, and the hand of the Wicker Man collided with an icy-blue barrier.

[takingcourage]

Can I request Simon Montjoy x MC for telling ghost stories? And bonus if I get to see Simon as a father 🥺

Thank you so much for this request, Nonny! Writing Simon as a father was an absolute delight!

This story borrows from Roald Dahl’s The Witches: not a “ghost story,” per se, but one of my favorite scary stories to read as a child. All excerpts are in italics.

_____

They were only an hour in, and Cassidy was already on her third flute of champagne. She sipped from the top of her latest glass, grateful for the fleeting moments when she had the the fizz of bubbles to counter the booming monotone of Viscount Kirkley.

Her grandfather-in-law really did have the most tedious taste in friends.

With a glance toward the opposite end of the room, she saw that Simon was in much the same state. Even from this distance, it was easy for her to see that his eyes had started to look a bit glassy. As he caught her attention, his mouth kinked up in a trademark smirk.

Returning the look with a smile of her own, Cassidy traced a finger over the stem of her glass and tried to give the appearance of being interested in the proceedings. Aside from decorum and the show of solidarity, her real motivation for hosting the evening's festivities was the promise of dancing. It had been too long since she'd had an excuse to dance with her husband.

Behind her, there was a brush of fabric and a quiet titter that sounded very much like an apology. Cassidy turned over her shoulder to find Celeste at her side, one lip caught between her teeth as if steeling herself for something unpleasant.

“I’m sorry to bother you," she sidled close with the whispered interruption. "But if you could join me outside, Ms. Davison would like to speak with you.”

“Of course.” Cassidy followed the other woman through the ballroom and into an adjacent hallway.

Even with a fair amount of alcohol in her system, her blood chilled on reading the distress in Ms. Davison's features. It wasn't the first time the nanny’s face had matched the color of Mitsy's roses, but the florid hue was still a rather unnerving sight to behold.

“I’m so sorry to disturb you, ma'am, but they've disappeared." In spite of her appearance, she managed to keep her tone even. With a deep, resolute breath, she resumed her explanation. "I was only gone for a moment, but I can’t find them anywhere."

“They’re quite good at that,” Simon remarked, sauntering in to round out the little gathering.

“Where were they when you left them?” Cassidy inquired, disposing of her glass on a nearby windowsill.

“The nursery.”

She shared a look with her husband. Even with the size of the estate and its extensive grounds, that could really only mean one thing.

“We’ll find them.” With a slanted brow, Simon downed the rest of his drink and set the glass beside his wife’s.

Following his cue, Cassidy continued, “Why don’t you take the rest of the evening off? We’ll take care of getting them to bed.” No matter what awaited them upstairs, it was preferable to enduring the rest of the night’s speeches. It wasn’t quite the distraction she might have hoped for, but she was hardly going to turn her nose up once it had appeared.

The relief in the nanny’s eyes was immediate. “If you’re sure, ma’am. Violet hasn’t been any trouble; she’s been sleeping since half past. I'd just gone to check on her when the other two ran off."

The news was hardly surprising. Their youngest was still too small to get herself into much trouble unless prompted by the other two. Somewhat unfortunately, the eldest Montjoy siblings were more than capable of producing enough mischief on their own.

"We'll see that the other two are tucked in soon."

She and Simon broke off from the group, finding their way to the staircase with purposeful strides. Now that the initial shock had passed, Cassidy was finding it difficult to keep a handle on the laughter that kept bubbling up in her throat. “This is all your fault," she accused, wagging a finger in the direction of her husband's nose. "You must be regretting your decision to show them those passageways last week.”

“And miss this prime opportunity to teach them a lesson? Absolutely not!” The wink he flashed her couldn’t mean anything good. 

When he wheeled toward the left and away from the nursery on cresting the top of the stairs, she caught his meaning. With a quiet gasp of surprise, Cassidy followed close behind him.

“No doubt they’ve snuck in there to tell ghost stories or some such rot.”

“Like you did when you were their age?”

“I didn’t run away from my nannies in the middle of parties.”

From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the telltale tilt of his smile. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Well....” he equivocated, “circumstances were different. Mine knew about the passages and could follow after me if they wished. My disappearances may have been a nuisance, but they were never a hazard to anyone’s health. Did you see the vein in her forehead just now? I hope she goes home for a proper lie-down.”

“We really ought to give the poor woman a raise,” Cassidy considered as they passed into the Blythe Room. "Even with us, those two are quite a handful."

Simon slid an arm behind the headboard, easily locating the release for the passage door. "I wouldn't have them any other way: unspoiled by the world, free to let their imaginations wander wherever they may. They’re rather perfect."

Her heart clenched at the tenderness of his statement. Their children were curious and kind and compassionate, with a mischievous streak just wide enough to keep life full of excitement. It was little wonder their family and all the household staff were so fond of them. 

"...though I shall need to have a chat with them about this particular scheme -- how they thought they'd get away with it, I'll never know."

"Do we have a plan of attack?" She joined him at the entrance in the wall, starting to feel the adrenaline thrum through her extremities.

"We sneak in and scare the dickens out of them," he shared matter of factly. “Does that meet your approval?”

“I can be pretty quiet when I need to be.”

“I know you can, darling.” The flash of heat in his dark eyes sent a thrill across her skin.

She was going to have to get him back for that later. Removing her shoes, Cassidy hooked the thin straps over her fingers and tiptoed into the tunnel after him. Her anticipation rose as the light faded behind them, leaving them in almost total darkness. As they rounded the corner, she could just make out the glow of a torch around the next bend.

“Shhh,” Simon warned needlessly.

With great effort, she managed not to elbow him in the ribs. If he thought she’d be the one to ruin a prank, he was quite mistaken.  

They edged closer, Amelia’s voice growing more articulate with every step. "Don't stop! It's getting to the good part."

"How should you know? You've never read this book before."

"I can tell! My neck is tingling. Feel it!"

“Fine.” There was an indistinguishable grumble before Calvin resumed reading:

“Did you ever see that painting, Grandmamma, with the little girl in it?”

“Many times," my grandmother said. "And the peculiar thing was that little Solveg kept changing her position in the picture --”

From somewhere ahead of them, Amelia gasped at the revelation.

“One day she would actually be inside the farmhouse and you could see her face looking out of the window. Another day she would be far over to the left with a duck in her arms.”

Cassidy predicted Simon’s response even before she heard his measured intake of breath.

"Quack-wack! Quack. Wack-wack!"

The noises weren't terribly convincing, but it didn't matter: a pair of shrieks echoed before they'd even stepped into view. Two small bodies were huddled tightly against the wall, though they jerked apart as soon as their parents appeared. A flashlight rolled aimlessly before coming to stop at Simon’s feet.

"What do we have here?" he asked, retrieved the torch to spotlight each child in turn. Though the shrieking had stopped, they were still working to catch their breaths. Still clinging to the cover of the book, Calvin held his hand to his chest. "A pair of escapologists who think it's clever to scare their nanny to death?"

Amelia's brow plummeted at the accusation. "We didn't mean to frighten her."

"Yeah!" her brother joined in, dropping the book to his side with the force of conviction. "We just wanted to read! Ms. Davison said we couldn't because she thinks it's too scary --"

"--even though you and mama told us we could. It's not fa--"

Simon's level gaze ensured that his daughter’s pouting was short lived.

Heaving a sigh, Amelia dusted off the book cover and replaced the bookmark that she'd been worrying between her fingers. "We'll write a letter to apologize tomorrow morning. Is she still here? We could go and tell her sorry right now."

"We sent her home, but I think she'd be grateful for an apology tomorrow," Cassidy encouraged, wondering how it was possible to move from fear, to frustration, to regret quite so quickly. Amelia rose, coming to meet her with a hug that suggested the depth of her feelings.

"Can we get back to the book then?" their son piped up again. "We can’t stop in the middle of a chapter.”

Simon handed him the light and considered the question, carding a hand through his son’s hair in the meantime. Calvin made a show of shying away from the attention, though the attempt was halfhearted. “If you promise to pen your apologies first thing tomorrow morning.”

“We do!” the children chimed in chorus.

Simon chucked the boy’s chin and took a step toward the nursery. “Then perhaps we should finish the chapter together before we send you off to bed.”

“Really?”

Simon darted back at his daughter’s question. “You know I don’t joke about story time.”

“But the party!” Amelia objected, eyebrows slanting into a perfect facsimile of Simon’s.

“We’ll go back after you’ve gone to bed.”

Satisfied with the answer, she joined her brother in trekking back though the dim hallway.

“Don’t drag your heels now, into your jim-jams!" Simon cast an eye after them before falling back to walk with his wife. With practiced ease, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her near. “I rather like this turn of events.”

“We’re as bad as the children, running out on our own party.”

“It’s grandfather’s party.”

“That we’re hosting,” Cassidy reminded, making a mental list of all the ways their sudden disappearance must have violated conventions.

“My grandparents are more than capable of seeing to the guests. Besides, it’s not as if people aren’t used to us being a bit... unconventional now and then.”

As they made it back through the nursery passage, she considered the pronouncement. “I was never one for conventions.” His hold on her hip tightened, and she settled comfortably into his side.

“It’s one of my favorite things about you, darling. Now, let’s get these two miscreants of ours to bed. if we time it right, we’ll be back just in time for dancing.”

[atinydise]

Ateez reacting to their s/o being scared of open water (1/2)

❦ Genre: Fluff.

❦ Pairing: OT8.

❦ Word count: 2k6.

❦ Requested: Yes, thank you! 🦋

❦ Masterlist.

Part 2

HONGJOONG

When Hongjoong asked you to come at their filming set for their new MV, you didn’t expect to end on a boat on the middle of the water. For their pirate concept, the staff proposed to film on a ship. You never knew about that. And if you do, you would probably decline the invitation. You are dating Hongjoong for 3 months now and you never confessed to him that you were afraid, even terrified of open water. Just the fact that you can’t know what kind of creature or how deep the ocean is, was paralyzing you. At the first second when the boat left the dock, you started to freak out. But you managed to do it well, since nobody noticed how scared you were yet. The group were acting for their scenes, enjoying this late trip. Hongjoong came to you every time he could, asking if you were okay. “You seem paler than usual.” He noticed. You lied few times, saying that you were a bit cold. But you couldn’t handle your fear any longer.

When the group started to perform and dance the chorus part, you felt the boat shaking below you. All the hard work you did to remain quiet and calm, failed. Your breath became heavier and your entire body was shaking. You held the pole next to you tightly, like if you were going to fall in the water soon. You tried to regain your spirit but in vain, tears were already sliding on your face. You sat against the pole or it would be more accurate to say that you flinched and fell against it. “Y/N?” called Hongjoong, stopping in his tracks when he spotted you. The look you gave him, made his heart stop. You looked so terrified. He ran to you, holding you tightly. “What’s happening babe?” All the members were surrounding you, making sure you were safe, except Seonghwa who went to the buffet to bring you water and sweet snacks. “I’m scared of open water,” you confessed, pointing at the large horizon. Hongjoong patted your head, not reducing his embrace on you, “why you hadn’t told me earlier? I would have never asked you to come if I knew.” “I didn’t know you were talking about filming on a boat,” you started. “And you seemed so happy, I didn’t want to ruin everything.” Hongjoong felt bad. You endured all of this for him and he didn’t notice that you were uncomfortable. “We are going to end this soon, okay? We will do our best so you can go home as fast as possible, okay?” he rubbed your cheeks. You closed your eyes and simply nodded. Hongjoong helped you to stood up and asked his manager to keep an eye on you. When he left, you stared at him to see any madness or disappointment but no, he simply asked his members to stay focus and to do their best so your nightmare would stop. But for sure, in the future, he would help you to get rid of your fears.

SEONGHWA

Seonghwa was on 2 weeks break. He jumped on the occasion to propose you “baecation” in Jeju Island. Of course, you accepted, the island is amazing and sharing these moments with Seonghwa made it more than magical. The day before departure, your boyfriend came to your apartment. It would be easier to organize and to leave to the airport at the same time. “Did you packed all of your stuff?” he asked, seeing the size of your luggage. “I think, I took everything I need for sure!” you smiled, proud of you. “You know that we leave for 2 weeks only… not 2 months.” He laughed. You rolled your eyes. “You talk pretty much for someone who can’t close his luggage,” you said, pointing at his extra bag on the corner of the room. “You don’t know… maybe I have a surprise for you inside!” he teased you, hugging your back softly. “A surprise?” you said, interested. “What is it?” “You need to wait tomorrow!” he kissed your cheek and left the room. “Wh- Wait Hwa! You can’t leave me with this!” you ran after him, trying to know what he bought you. You begged the whole night to know his surprise, but he didn’t give up. He said that you needed to wait at least to be in the taxi tomorrow. The next morning, you were the first one ready, yelling at your boyfriend to hurry. “I never saw you so excited.” He raised a brow, almost scared by your behavior. “It’s been…” you grabbed his arm and stared at his watch, “it’s been almost 10 hours that I’m waiting!” “Then you can wait 10 minutes more than,” he stuck his tongue out at you. “You’re so evil Park Seonghwa.” After that you both started to grab your luggage, made sure all the lights were off, you exited the apartment. You rushed to the taxi, yelling on Seonghwa to walk faster. After making sure that you gave the taximan the good direction and get enough to pay him, you faced your boyfriend next to you. “I guess it’s time,” he smiled. You nodded impatiently. He looked for something in his pocket and take back a big an envelope and handed it to you. You almost ripped it of his hand and opened quickly. “I thought it would be funnier to spend 2 days on a boat instead of the plane!” he said happily. Your heart skipped a beat. Your hands started to shake. You couldn’t hold the 2 tickets correctly and you got an urge need to throw up. “It’s amazing huh?” he asked you. You nodded, “y-yes…” You didn’t seem convinced he thought. “You don’t like it?” “No… I mean I like it but… I’m really scare of open water. It’s a fear that I have since I’m a child and it’s hard for me to go or even think to do a cruise or something related to the sea.” You felt his stare on you. He might be disappointed, he looked so happy to spend these 2 days on a cruise. “It’s okay,” he held your hand, trying to calm you down. “I know you are disappointed, but I don’t think I can do that Seonghwa…” you bent your head, ashamed and sorry. “It’s okay! I will buy airport ticket right now and everything will go as planned okay?” He kissed your hand. “I was stupid to change our plans without talking to you.” “No, I like surprise, it was nice,” you smiled. “We’re going to spend a good vacation no matter what okay?” You nodded, nothing will ruin your special and magical weeks with Seonghwa. But you will need to work on your fear, and you are pretty sure that your boyfriend will help you.

YUNHO

You heard a loud knock at your entrance door. You got up lazily and sleepily of your bed and rushed to the hallway. “I hope the building is on fire…” you grunted, wanting to choke the intruder who ruined your precious sleep hours. When you opened the door, you saw Yunho, freshly prepared with a wide smile. “Yunho…” you sighed. “You know what time it is?” you said, yawning out loud in front of him with your messy hair. “Yes! It’s 7AM and I’m here to asking you to hang out!” You rubbed your face, “Yunho… it’s 7AM-“ “I know, get ready! We are leaving in 15 minutes! You don’t need make up!” he said, getting in your apartment to sit comfortably on your couch. You sighed and went to your bathroom. More faster than you thought, you were in the group van, heading to an unknown place. “Where are we going?” you asked, rubbing your eyes. “To the beach!” he shouted happily. “To the what?” you asked. “To the beach. You know the place with sand and water,” he giggled. You knew exactly what beach was but the thing he didn’t know was that you were scared of it. The fact that you don’t know how deep the ocean is or what you can find inside, terrified you. “It will be a fun day huh!” said Yunho excited. You nodded, not daring to tell him the truth. You just tried to come up with an idea to get rid of this situation. “Oh but… I don’t have a bath suit!” you yelled, almost too enthusiastic. “It’s okay! Mingi and Jongho helped me to choose the perfect on for you,” he smiled, shyly. He was perfect, you thought. He planned everything from the beginning to the end. He just wanted to enjoy a nice date with you. You couldn’t ruin all of this effort. “Thank you,” you replied softly. The road to the beach lasted almost 1 hour. During the whole time, you prepared mentally to act like the little mermaid for your boyfriend. You will need to do your best to not freak out at each fish who comes to you or when your feet won’t touch the sand anymore. Before going straight to the beach, Yunho insisted to take a little snack because it was incredibly hot today. You saw a little food truck selling fresh and consistent fruits salad. When Yunho was ordering, you settled the towel on the sand. The weather and the atmosphere were nice but just by looking at the large ocean in front of you, made you nervous. “Here our little snacks young lady!” said Yunho sitting down next to you with the bowl and 2 forks. “Thank you,” you smiled, already picking a piece of pineapple. “Can’t wait to drown you,” he giggled. You laughed nervously. Maybe it would be the good moment to tell him that you would probably not leave the sand. “Yunho,” you started, playing with your fork, nervously. He hummed, staring at you, cheeks full of fruits. It was cute to see. “Don’t be mad at me okay, promise?” you asked. “Why I would be mad at you?” “I’m scared or even terrified of open waters…” you confessed, biting your lip. Yunho tilted his head, not being sure to understand you. “What do you mean by open water?” “I’m terrified to ignoring what there’s below me,” you said, pointing at the ocean in front of you. “Oh really?” You nodded, “I was scared to ruin the day you planned so well, I thought I could face it and do some effort but just by sitting here… my legs are shaking.” “Do you want to go home?” he asked, worried for you. “But we came here for nothing then and you were so happy to come here too…” He stayed quiet for few seconds. He might be mad you thought, and he has the right to. “What about we stay between the sand and the water? We can still spend a good day! No need to swim far away!” he smiled, picking a grape. It was a good compromise. “It sounds perfect,” you smiled. “Good!” replied Yunho, picking a strawberry for you.

YEOSANG

You exited the restaurant with your boyfriend Yeosang and his longtime friends. They invited him for his birthday to eat his favorite meals. You knew that it would be a good time for him. But for you it was definitively not. Why? Because the whole dinner, a girl, that you never saw, was kind of flirting with everyone, Yeosang included. She was loud and tried to get the attention on her every time she could. She was touchy with everyone. She tried to grab Yeosang’s arm when you were focused on your meal, but the dead stare you gave, dissuaded her. But it’s not the worst part of the night. One of his closest friends, challenged everyone to go on a midnight bath. The weather was pretty nice, and nobody would be around to stop them. Yeosang was hesitant at first but they convince him that it would be funny and safe of course. When you thought that you would be in your home at 11PM, you were walking to the nearest beach to get a midnight bath with people you barely know and a girl that you want to punch. “It would be funny!” said Yeosang, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. “I don’t think it’s a good idea…” you claimed, looking at his friends a bit far away from both of you. “Why? People are doing that too! And there’s still bodyguard if something happens.” He tried to reassure you. “Yes, but the water might be cold,” you tried to find an excuse to dissuade him. “Hm for few seconds but everything would be fine!” he kissed your head. “And it’s not like we are going naked!” You punched his waist with your elbow, “perv.” He laughed, rubbing the hurt spot. “Be ready to be drown.” “You won’t do it,” you replied, sure that he wouldn’t do it. “Oh really?” he smirked. “You will be the first in the water, I’ll throw you so far that you will be in the middle of the ocean.” He laughed. It was funny for him but for not for you. Your fear of open water was the reason of why this night was getting worse. Just by walking on the street, seeing the large black ocean at night, almost made you run away. “You don’t say anything huh,” he said proudly. You pinched his arm, “don’t play with me.” “Or wh-“ “Yeosang! Let’s go!” yelled one of his friends, running to the ocean. You gulped; everyone was so excited. “It’s time Y/N!” said Yeosang grabbing your hands, leading you to the water. Your brain stopped working but your body was following your boyfriend. You saw the water drawing near you, step by step. “Yeosang, I can’t do it.” You finally said. “Oh, come on Y/N! It’s only water!” he giggled. “No, I can’t do it!” you insisted, trying to get away of his grip. His friends were already on the water, drowning and splashing each other. “Then you don’t let me too much choice Y/N,” warned Yeosang. “Huh-“ He picked you in bride style and started to walk in the direction of his friends. “Yeosang! No! Put me down!” you said freaking out. “Never!” he laughed. You tried your best to get away of his embrace, but he didn’t want to give up. “Yeosang! Put me down!” you sobbed. Your boyfriend stopped on his tracks, staring at you. He was shocked to see that you were actually crying. “Y/N? What’s wrong? I just wanted to play with you,” he asked, putting you down. “I’m scared of open water! I can’t do that…” you sobbed, wiping your tears before someone see it. “Why you didn’t tell me earlier, I would never act like that with you!” he facepalmed. “It’s not a big deal…” you sighed. “It is, I’m not supposed to play with your fear. I need to protect you no matter what.” You giggled at how kitschy it sounded but replied, “just go there with your friends. I will wait you here okay?” “What? I won’t leave you there alone-“ “Just go, it’s your birthday. I won’t go anywhere.” You reassured him. “But what if someone comes to hurt y-“ “Then I will yell. But I won’t be scared because I know that my white knight is there.” You teased him. He shook his head, “no if you don’t go swimming, I won’t. We will both do it when you are ready.” He claimed, sitting on the sand, looking at his friend. “Yeosang…” “It’s okay! We will do everything together okay?” he smiled, holding your hand. You smiled, happy to get a boyfriend like him. “I didn’t know you were so romantic.” “Yes, but don’t tell to Wooyoung or I’m done.” He replied, kissing your knuckles.

Part 2

[middaysoups]

Excerpts from My Book: A Beast Within (Chapter 1)

"Thank you so much, adventurers!" a villager cried as the group of four walked towards the Lord of Sruth's home. All but one man in the group welcomed the praise. Silas merely smiled at the villagers that thanked them gratefully. Baxton, noticing his friend's discomfort, wrapped an arm around him.

"Relax, Silas." he smirked. "We'll out of here by morning, or afternoon. Depends on my hangover."

The dark-haired man couldn't help but chuckle at the warrior's reassurance.

The meeting with Lord Bancroft of Sruth went in a blur. He had invited the four to a feast that night and they couldn't be more happy with it.

Baxton laughed in his drunken state with a serving girl on his arm as he watched Aldwin stumble up to the stage with his lute. Erik chuckled from his seat next to his brother as the bard began his tale.

"Now now!" he yelled. "Hush up! Wist, will ya? And listen to my tale!" he began to pluck some chords for his story.

"In the Forest of Scath, South of the Elven Kingdom of Ríokt Shíog in Awt Haveer, lies the Sólbán, Anon. A witch in the power of transfiguration. There are many tales of her magic. Some say she can turn fire to water, rocks to air, a human to an elf!"

His lyrics made the crowds laugh, seeing it all as him trying to scare a few people. Soon he began to sing the chorus, a very visual one at that. This rose the laughter and merriness, people soon singing along.

Just outside the manor of the Lord's home, Silas smirked as the lyrics reached his ears. He took another puff from his pipe, staring off at the night sky. This was his idea of a night of celebration; sitting upon a stone wall, looking at the scenery and a pipe between his lips.

He let out the smoke from his lungs, a small cloud floating in front of him.

"Cruthela Dragú." he muttered and felt a familiar white glow in his eyes.

The cloud of smoke turned into the shape of a dragon, coming to life. It flew around the young man's head and he couldn't help but smile at his work. It was only the little things he used his powers for, and unless it came to extreme measures would he use it for battle. When he had no other choice.

His magic was very much different from his wizard friend, Erik. Wizards need a staff to conjure magic, whereas Silas's kind were more similar to what the Ancient Mages were, having being blessed with the magic that flows through his veins. The main borderline between his kind and the mages; was that ones are blessed by Gods and the other Demons.

Gods blessed the Mages. Demons blessed the Warlocks.

He remembered thoroughly when the Demon Lord, Marbh, visited him in his dreams as a boy. Granting him such powers and knowledge many others would not be able to comprehend. Then going through the years, upgrading his knowledge and spells, learning the ancient language of Awt.

Silas quickly shook his head. No. He will not remember the past. He refused to. He could already feel his back beginning to burn from trauma. The little smoke dragon burst into a puff and flew away in the light summer breeze.

After taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and the music from inside filled his ears once again. Aldwin's lyrics made Silas hum along.

"She'll find you in the Scath,

And turn your limbs to bones.

She'll turn your arms to spider legs,

And cook your eyes upon the stove.

She'll give your head a body,

But it won't be your own

It'll probably be a goat's or so

And the rest is for her crows!"

****

The sound of the morning rooster echoed across the village of Sruth. Baxton groaned as a headache hit him like a ton of stones. He couldn't help but curse in his head for drinking too much. He noticed the serving girl from last night was gone, probably to start work. He sighed and his head flopped back into his pillow, his chin-length hair fanning around him.

The door to his room suddenly burst open and footsteps walked towards his bed.

"Morning, sleepy-head." Silas mused, knowing the warrior was about to become a grump for the day. "Seems like you had a nice night."

"What do you want, Silas?" Baxton grumbled, his voice muffled.

"Well, breakfast is being served. I think the last you want is to wake up and find no food available for you?" The dark-haired man began picking up the warrior's clothes that were flung on the floor, throwing them on the bed.

"Piss off." Came the reply from the bed. Silas smirked and noticed the wash-bowl of water on the bedside table. A sly idea came to his mind and he couldn't let it slide. Raising his hand a little he whispered.

"Bogalath."

The bowl lifted itself up, now under his control, and he let it pour on his companion's head. Baxton jumped up once the cold water hit him and began cursing out the warlock.

"Silas!"

The dark-haired man left the room in a race-walk, chuckling to himself as he descended the stairs to the great hall of Lord Bancroft's home. The other two companions sat on the benches, Aldwin munching on some buttered bread and Erik reading his little spell book with a cup of tea.

"I hear the troll is up." the wizard commented while taking a sip of his drink. He knew more than well what his twin was like on such mornings. Silas sat down next to the bard and smirked over to Erik.

"Sleeping Beauty will grace us with his presence soon." Aldwin let out a laugh and they all continued their breakfast.

The morning went on and by noon the four adventurers were ready to move on with their unknown journey. They stood outside the Lord's manor, citizens around them seeing them off.

"I am more than welcome to house you again," Lord Bancroft said. "I will be sure to send word to your father back in Dina, Princes Erik and Baxton. You two are more than the help we need in this land, we are forever in your debt."

The twins smile proudly. Silas and Aldwin stood behind them. The beginning of this journey came to be when King Eowyn of Awteera in the province of Awt Haveer, saw it time to send his two eldest sons on their journey to the neighbouring province to help around the towns, villages and ending their journey on the Eastern coast of the Kingdom Cuvact. It was tradition in the royal family and was the symbol that a prince was ready to be crowned king.

After thanking and bidding the Lord farewell, the four began to leave to village. They had just made it to the entrance when a voice called them.

Silas, who was walking at the back of the group, turned to be greeted by a courier. He was a young boy with blonde hair and dressed in rags, a chestnut horse followed behind him.

"A letter for the Prince's company." the boy said and handed the letter to the warlock. Silas nodded thanks and opened up the parchment, taking note of the crest pressed in red wax. It was a crest of a seal on a shore-rock in water. The three other men glanced over Silas's shoulder.

"That's a royal crest." Erik stated. "Cuvact, the Kingdom of Cuvact."

Silas's amber eyes skimmed over the neat writing in front of him.

"We are being summoned to the capital." he explained as the others continued reading over the letter.

"What for?" Baxton asked once his twin took the parchment from his companion to read.

"Creatures." the wizard said. "Creatures attacking from the East."

"What kind of creatures?" Aldwin asked, looking to Silas who only shook his head with a shrug.

"It doesn't say."

"Well then we might as well get moving." Baxton suggested and the began their long walk to the capital of Cuvact, Munegate.

[guksauce]

✨Paradise✨

Description: Ryung finds herself caught in a dream she never thought she’d have after receiving an invitation by her older brother, Kim Nam-joon, to join him on the road with 6 other members of Worldwide famous, BTS.

Word count- 4,652k

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

Chapter 1 •Guilt•

“Ryung, are you almost ready? We’re going to be late sis.” My ears perked up when my brother called from the bottom of the stairs and I was reminded of the journey I was about to take. Namjoon stood at the door to hold it open for me and tapped his foot to whatever rhythm was pulsing through his soul. I couldn’t help but admire him, smirking for just a moment before I came hopping down the stairs.

“What are you smiling at?” He asked, amusement written all over his face as he ruffled my hair.

“Making fun of you for being so impatient, Joonie.” I said and pushed past him, winking. He chuckled happily and helped me shove my bag into the trunk and raised his eyes to me.

“Its good to have you around again kid.” He said, gently pinching my chin with a smile before retreating to the driver’s side.

The drive felt almost too short as I watched the world pass by until we pulled up to BigHits studio and climbed out. My mind was still stuck on one of the songs we sang together in the car, our faces; ridiculous attempts at corny performances as I hummed the tune quietly and walked through the front entrance. We laughed in the car on the way here between chorus’s and rolled the windows down as we drove across the bridge to let everyone hear how much fun we were having. Not a care in the world.

I hadn’t seen Namjoon in probably 5 years. As soon as he moved out, he was on to bigger and better things than working in our family’s small street restaurant. Before long he was the leader of a group called BTS. One that had now become worldwide famous, and impressively so. Our parents couldn’t be prouder regardless of the pain it brought them. Almost every year since BTS debuted, they’ve been on tour and television and radio and numerous other entertainment shows, and only were able to visit home every so often. By the time he was available to come home, I would be studying at school and working, though I could have very well asked to come home to spend time with him after having not seen him for so long. Through all of it we tried to stay in touch. He understood that I was just trying to make a life for myself and did nothing but encourage me. We are close in a nonconventional way and it works, though the guilt I feel for not knowing as much as I should about my brothers passion is overbearing sometimes.

“They’re very excited to meet you. Hoseok and Yoongi have been asking about you all week.” I looked to Namjoon, my eyes squinting in the sunlight, and grinned.

“How unusual for Yoongi.” We grinned at each other, sharing a look of equal sarcasm as we walked inside.

The hallways were bustling with life, BigHit worker bee’s buzzing around, getting all the necessary things done to assure the best outcome for when it came time for BTS to take the stage again. I was impressed with how focused everyone seemed to be. But even through their professional state, they all bowed to Joonie and me and greeted us individually as we made our way to the dance practice room. Just as we reached the door I stopped in my tracks and balled my hands into fists. Taking a deep breath, I already felt oddly out of place in this building and I hadn’t even met the most important people.

“What’s wrong Ry?” Namjoon’s hand rested on the handle, turning it slowly as he looked at me and my heart skipped a beat in my chest as I threw my hands forward.

“Wait! Wait, wait…” I started and cleared my throat. “What if they don’t like me Joonie?” I asked quietly and he stared at me blankly for what seemed like forever as I waited for him to give me an honest answer. It surprised me, to say the least, when he threw his head back and started laughing manically, slapping the wall to keep himself from doubling over. I started to laugh as well but it quickly turned into a groan of annoyance when he finally composed himself and spoke calmly, trying to catch his breath.

“Aaiishhh, my stomach. I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious. And insane by the way. They love everyone. They will definitely like you.” He said, trying valiantly to wash away the nervous breakdown I was about to have, and pushed open the door, holding his hand out to me. Thankfully, taking it made my stomach stop churning so much and I took another deep breath, stepping through the threshold with him. He kept me behind him at first and I gripped the back of his shirt for an extra boost of confidence.

“Hey guys.” Namjoon said to the group of men I knew were standing in front of him. I could hear heavy breathing and giant gulps of water as they all came walking up to him.

“You’re late hyung.” A low voice spoke, and I could feel Namjoon’s body shake with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I know, I’m sorry. I brought a surprise with me though.” He said.

“A surprise? Where?” Another of the members asked, the voice soft and fluffy, like a cloud. I took the opportunity to peak my head around Joonie’s arm and smiled.

“RYUNG-SSI!” Hoseok yelled, the first of them all to notice and he pulled me from my hiding spot to trap me in a hug. I giggled as he lifted me off my feet and spun me before letting me back down.

“Look at you Ryung-ssi, you’ve grown up! You’re so beautiful!” He exclaimed in perfect English and took my hand, lifting it so he could spin me around. I laughed and hugged him again.

“Me? Listen to you Hobi, your English is so good now! I’m proud of you!” His smile grew wider so as he looked up to Namjoon.

“You can thank your brother for that. He’s been teaching all of us.” I heard Yoongi say as he approached us and enveloped me in a hug. It was my turn to be surprised. Over the years Joonie would facetime me almost every other night, to check on me, our parents, and to make sure everything was going ok at home while he was on the road, and Yoongi and Hobi were always with him. I felt like I knew both well, and that being said, Yoongi never struck me as the kind of person that would, of his own will, accept physical contact of any form. I was flattered and It made me smile as I cuddled a little deeper in his arms before he could pull away.

“Guys this is my little sister, Ryung.” Joonie announced to the others and continued to introduce me to the rest of the members, pointing first to the one with the fluffy pink hair.

“This is Jimin.” Jimin was beautiful. His face was flawless, though all their faces were, and his eyes turned into cute crescent moons as he smiled at me and waved.

“Its nice to meet you Ryung-ssi.”

“This is Jin.” He pointed to the next. He was tall and broad shouldered, but his features were soft and playful as he smiled and pointed at himself.

“That’s me. You can just call me Worldwide Handsome. It rolls off the tongue better.” He joked, or didn’t joke, either way it made me giggle as he waved just as Jimin had. “Its nice to meet you.”

The next was already smiling from ear to ear a smile SO boxy it made me squeal and pinch his cheeks, to which he did the same to me and laughed.

“Namjoon-hyung, she’s like a puppy!” Tae. I recognized him as much as I did the others, through magazine covers and funny video’s that would appear on my social media accounts. Much like Jimin, he was utterly adorable, and I had also been so excited to meet him one day. Behind me, Joonie laughed and clapped his hands at our silly show of affection. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Ryung-ssi.” He said in perfect English, his accent only adding more adorableness to him.

“You too Taehyung.” I turned to Namjoon, releasing Tae’s face, and praised him for his English teaching. I’d seen interviews of him online talking about how watching Friends helped him learn English. It always gave me a sense of pride and nostalgia, remembering the late nights we would stay up during summer holiday, gorging ourselves on chips and too many soft drinks while we copied what the actors were saying. I would always get so mad at him for picking on me while we tried to learn, but then would always end up laughing at each other when we would get it wrong.

The last of the men to greet me was one I had avoided eye contact with since Joonie and I walked through the door. There was nothing wrong with him…God, everything about him is so right. I really didn’t know anything about him but much like the interviews, pictures of his latest outfit or selfies, always float around my social media.

“And this is Jungkook.” He had his arms crossed as he leaned to the right with his head tilted just slightly as he examined his shoes. His hair had grown since the last time I saw him in a video or picture. It suits him really well. I thought as he lifted his eyes to me for the first time and smiled a small smile, bowing his head briefly, giving me ample opportunity to watch as his hair fell just over his eyes before waving.

“Nice to meet you.” He said quickly and I returned the bow.

“You as well Jungkook.” I replied, a little disappointed by how uninterested he seemed as well as distracted, but I smiled anyway hoping to ease the tension written in his body language somehow.

“Alright guys.” Namjoon stepped forward, resting his hand on my shoulder, and flashed a toothy smile. “Let’s get to work.”

I was mesmerized by their ability to dance and stay together. I was as clumsy as they came so it was satisfying to see them move as a unit. They were perfect in every way, hitting every beat of the music with ease. I smiled in the mirror when Jimin pointed at me during one of the songs and blushed when their bodies rolled effortlessly in time with the song they danced to now. It was one I hadn’t heard yet but loved. I heard one of the staff say it was called ‘Dimple’. It was catchy and cute and made it hard not to move along with it. So as not to be a distraction, I saved myself the embarrassment of trying to dance in front of them, and settled with just swaying my hips side to side until the song was over.

I made the mistake of clapping when they were done. Not that I didn’t want to but the room was unexpectedly silent for at least 3 dozen people to have just watched 7 men kick ass, the only audible noise the sound of their heavy breathing, but I was just so impressed with their performance that it was inevitable. They all looked to me in the reflection of the mirror they danced in front of with confused faces along with all the staff in the room with us. So much for embarrassing myself…

Putting my hands down, I gripped them behind my back and leaned against the wall, looking away from the mirror as they all came running over for a drink of water.

“Thank you. For clapping, I mean. No one ever claps for us here because it’s just practice, but that was a nice feeling.” Jin’s voice was clear and kind as I looked up at him. He smiled and gently pinched my chin between his fingers before walking away with his water, plopping down onto the floor.

“AISSHHH IM SO TIRED!” He yelled and sprawled out like a starfish, the others following suit. I was thankful for his yelling diverting the unwanted and awkward attention I was feeling. I built up the courage to leave the wall and sat in the middle of the group as they relaxed.

“You guys are incredible. That was amazing. No wonder army loves you so much.” It was true, I could see now why their fanbase was so vast and supportive. They worked hard to show them everything they had, every time and I felt lucky to be a part of it all.

(LATER THAT NIGHT)

“So, this is how you spend your evenings? It’s nice to have a meal like this together.” The rest of the day had gone by quickly and the night was coming to an end as we all crowded around the table in Namjoon’s hotel room. Boxes of local Asian cuisine covered every inch of its rectangular surface while we all dug into the different choices, some noodles here, some chicken there. They all hummed agreements to my question and statement and continued to stuff themselves with their chopsticks. It reminded me of those moments in anime when the characters would shovel whatever they were eating into their mouths wildly and with a quickness. That’s exactly what they all were, great characters.

“Yeah, we try to come together whenever we can to talk about any questions or concerns about any upcoming shows. We also take this time to talk about how were feeling and doing. Kind of like a check-up to make sure everything is going smoothly.” Yoongi explained and slurped up another noodle from his bowl.

I smiled, looking down at the takeout box in my hand, halfway empty with noodles. Without meeting their gazes, I took a moment to think through what I was going to say to them next. The day with them all proved to me just how close they all were as I watched them interact with each other. Especially how they behaved with Joonie. It proved to me just how much I didn’t know about my brother and his personality and his family. I felt…well…guilty for not being more involved in his life and with the people that meant the most to him.

“Thank you, guys, for taking care of Joonie. He’s found something very special here with all of you.” I spoke softly but jumped when Hoseok sat up straight and coughed up part of his food, grains of sticky rice falling from his lips as he laughed.

“JOONIE?!” He exclaimed with his eyes wide and a hearty laugh escaping him as Tae patted him on the back, joining in on the laughter with the others.

“I don’t need taken care of!” Namjoon yelled and faked a pout.

“What a cute nick-name! Joonie!” Hoseok managed to shout this time without spitting his food out onto himself and the floor.

“Baby Joonie.” Yoongi said and smiled a cheesy smile, sticking his tongue out at Namjoon who rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Aaisshh! Cut it out! Ryung-ssi, why did you have to say that around them?”

“Ow! he’s blushing!” Jin said and laughed, swatting at his knee, almost laughing himself off the end of the couch, making Namjoon point and laugh.

Watching them together was like…watching Friends with my brother all those years ago. He was smiling and laughing like we used to when we were kids, his whole aura lighting up like a Christmas tree the more they bothered him about my nickname for him in the same way he would pick on me for not being able to say the name ‘Rachel’ right for the first few months of our English experiment. Everything went into slow motion as they all laughed together and picked on one another. I felt myself shrinking further away as I listened to their voices blend together, thinking that if I said anything, it would be like a knife. I don’t want to cut into this…

Setting my noodles on the table, I stood, unsure of where exactly I was going to go but knowing I needed to get out of there now before I ruined the mood for them. I put on a show of yawning and stretching my arms high above my head so that none of them would find my change in my demeanor suspicious before making my way to the door and out stepped into the hallway without bothering them. I lent against the door after shutting it behind me, their presence trying to pull me back into the room to enjoy the fun of bullying my brother with them, but my room was just 3 doors down. The crisp white sheet and fluffy pillows on the bed were beckoning me to lay down. It seemed best that I let them have their time together.

2 Hours later I heard them all come shuffling down the hallway, splitting up in different directions to their own rooms for the night and I sighed, sinking down further under my blanket. 3 knocks at my door made me sit up rod straight, thinking maybe it was Joonie coming to ask me why I left so suddenly. I panicked and looked around in my mind, desperately searching for an explanation or excuse that would be suitable enough to not make him worry. Climbing out of bed I tied my robe around me tight and walked to the door, raking my hand through my hair worriedly as I swung it open and started talking immediately.

“I’m so sorry I left so soon Joon…ie…oh. Hi, Jungkook?” To my surprise, Namjoon wasn’t on the other side of the door but rather the last person I expected to come knocking on my door in the middle of the night. A fluttering feeling rumbled in my chest as he stood over me, a smirk settling on his lips when I realized it was him.

“Hi. I uh…just wanted to check on you. You left without saying anything earlier, so…” He said nervously, rubbing the back of his head. I took my hand from my hair and nodded, stepping to the side.

“Would it be ok if we talked for a little bit?” I asked and he nodded. Now was as good a time as any to get over this ridiculous feeling. What better way than to dive right in?

“Of course.” He walked through the door and followed me out onto the balcony. We leaned against the railing and looked out over the city. The air was warm, and the neighborhood was busy, the nightlife buzzing quickly around the streets, the lights bright and the people brighter regardless of the dark sky.

“Namjoon is doing so well.” I said and stared at a neon sign in one of the restaurants windows across the street. We stayed quiet like this for what felt like an hour as I collected my thoughts. “I don’t feel like I should be here.” I stated honestly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jungkook look in my direction and rest his chin in his palm.

“Why do you feel like that? Has something happened?” He asked and I shook my head vigorously.

“No, no, not at all! I…” I turned to him then and stuck my hands out in front of me, afraid I had offended him. “No, you guys have been wonderful to me since I arrived, really. I just…Let me start over.” I insisted and I sat in one of the chairs, shaking my head clear as he followed suit waiting for me to try again. “I don’t really know what I’m feeling. I feel like a terrible sister for not spending more time with Joonie. I feel like I’m interrupting something I have no right to be a part of because I haven’t been here since the beginning like I should have been. I feel like…I’m in the way. I don’t know what to talk about when I’m around all of you, though I really should because you guys and all of this is such a huge part of my brother’s life and I’ve just missed all of it. But also because you’re all so awesome. I’m mad at myself for not trying harder to be with him or to visit while you guys were touring. I feel so selfish for picking myself over him, for not being better…I could have been better.” My words were starting to turn into mumbled sobs by the end and I couldn’t control the tears that kept threatening to spill out as one dropped from my bottom lashes.

“Hey, woah. Don’t cry princess. Hey, its okay.” He spoke softly, just barely over a whisper and reached out to me. He cupped his hands over my cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that ran down to my chin. “Look, Namjoon…is not the type to care about that stuff. I’m sure he doesn’t mind that you were trying to live your life. You’re his baby sister no matter where you go and no matter what happens. Why would he bring you here if he didn’t want you here? Why would he bring you here if he had even the slightest doubt that you wouldn’t fit in with the rest of us. He must have seen something in us that reminded him of you, to make him want so badly for you to come all this way to meet us.” I kept my eyes shut as I listened to him speak and focused on the timber of his voice, soft and calming. He gently pinched my chin and lifted it, making me open my eyes and look at him for the first time since id started babbling. I found myself swimming in dark honey orbs. I was acutely aware now, of the term of endearment he’d used just moments ago, and tried with all my might not to let the blush I could feel coming on get out of hand as he continued to speak.

“The way you pinched Tae’s cheeks was the first real signal I got that you belong with us. And he called you a puppy. He loves puppies. If that isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.” He chuckled, the smile spreading on his face reaching his eyes this time, reminding me of how coldly he looked at me when we first got to practice earlier today. I made a mental note to confront him about it at a later time.

I looked over his face, memorizing every detail while he kept hold of my cheeks and made sure to get every tear that spilled from me. His skin was flawless, the bridge of his nose; thin and sculpted to perfection, his eyes dark and smoldering. His lips were plump and pink and parted slightly, revealing his white teeth. And just under his bottom lip was a single beauty mark, right in the center. An imperfection that couldn’t possibly be able to make him more attractive yet somehow it did.

“You don’t have to worry any more about whether or not you fit in here. Just be yourself and I promise you’ll be ok.”

He was right and I knew it already. I knew my thoughts were silly, but I genuinely didn’t want to pop up in the middle of something my brother was already so immersed in. I swallowed and clenched my jaw as I dropped my eyes to the floor and nodded. He pushed back my hair, curling it around my ear, his fingertips tickling the sensitive skin on my neck at the base of my ear as I looked back up at him. His smile was enough to make he feel better.

“Hello, anyone home?” Jungkook and I jumped back away from each other as though we’d both been doing something we shouldn’t have and cleared our throats. Trying to keep my heartbeat at a safe pace, I swallowed once more for extra measure and called out to my brother who I could see through the blinds checking the bathroom to see if I was there.

“Out here Joonie!” I called and stole a glance at Jungkook. He had sunk further into the chair he sat in and pulled his phone out from his pocket. I giggled at his attempt to look normal, though he didn’t need to try so hard.

“There you are. I was wondering where you went.” Namjoon said, stepping outside onto the balcony with us. He glanced down at Jungkook and then back to me. I couldn’t quite gauge the expression on his face, a mix between good and bad. “Hey Jungkook.” He said.

“Hello Hyung-ssi.” Junkook replied, standing to lean against the balcony railing again.

“I just came to say goodnight and to tell you to prepare for a day outside. We got the day off tomorrow and there’s a beach we always come to when were home and have some time off. It’s just a little out of town so that’s where we will be going. You brought your swimming gear, right?” Joonie asked with a wide smile and gave me 2 thumbs up when I nodded briskly. “Alright come here.” He scooped me up in a hug he didn’t know I needed, and I wrapped my arms around his torso tighter than I normally would have, nuzzling my face into his chest.

“Are you ok sis?” He asked me in English, reminding me again of who my brother is. I nodded against his chest before pulling away.

“Alright, get some sleep. Ill see you in the morning.” He said and kissed the top of my head before heading back to his room, but not before taking another questioning look in Jungkook’s direction.

Jungkook turned to me then and I gave him no warning before hugging him too, tightly like I did for Joonie and listened to his heartbeat. It took him a moment, but he finally thawed and wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head.

“Thank you for talking with me tonight. You really made some things clear to me. I feel a lot better about my place here.” I whispered and heard him huff a small laugh through his nose as he squeezed me a little tighter, rubbing my back in slow circles.

“No problem. I’m here to listen if anything ever bothers you. I’m here for you for anything if you need it.” He also spoke in English, his accent making a few of the words sound a little off but it was so cute I didn’t even care. It was just more proof that with these 7 men was, no, IS exactly where I needed to be. I vowed to be more open and more myself when I was around them from now on.

Giving Jungkook one more squeeze, I walked him to the door and thanked him again. He bowed and quickly gave my chin a small grab before leaving me to my thoughts for the night. New thoughts now, positive and happy, flooded my mind in place of the ones that had been building walls in my head. That night was the first in weeks that I drifted peacefully off to sleep, without any problem, to the hum of the city below.

{Hello everyone! I hope all of you are doing well and learning to love yourself through all of it. This is my first time posting a BTS fan fiction, so I hope I’ve done a good job. Let me know what you think if you decide to give it a read! To all my fellow army, I love you! Enjoy, lovely’s! -MissJK❣️}

[banshee1013]

Whiskey Straight, Vamp Chaser

As promised, Part The Second, where the girls and I meet for happy hour and a vamp hunt. What could possibly go wrong?

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

"OK, everyone back?"

We had switched from computers to phones, opening the Discord voice channel there in preparation for the transfer. 

A chorus of assent from my phone. 

"OK, last check. Mags, machete, gun, ammo, and dead man's blood?" 

"CHECK!" 

"Cori, Med kits, gun and ammo, machete?" 

"Got it…" 

"Ella, daggers and machete?" 

"Yes! Let's do this!" 

I grinned at her enthusiasm, used it to calm my ever-increasing nerves.

I checked for my own machete in my backpack. Pulled it from the sheath and verified the sharpness.

Time to stop stalling.

Either do it, or call it off.

Last chance. 

"Cee?" Mags' voice, concerned. 

I sheathed the machete, placed it back in my backpack and shouldered it. 

"OK, let's do this." 

I heard the rustle over the channel as backpacks were pulled on to shoulders, scratching noises as cell phones were placed in the shoulder strap pockets. I placed my own there as well, then faced the doorway.

"FOCUS. HARD. Close your eyes and envision the pictures in your mind, smell the dirt and the trees. Feel the ground under your feet and the air on your skin. KNOW YOU ARE THERE, and walk forward." 

I followed my own directions, and felt the cool air of my spare room become the hot dusty, air of Manning, Colorado. The carpet became gravel and dirt, my footsteps kicking up dust as I completed the transition. Opening my eyes, I looked around. 

No one was here. I began to panic, pulling my phone out of the strap pocket to see if they were still on Discord…

… silence.

Of course. The damned phones didn’t work over here.

SHIT SHIT SHIT… did I just lose all my friends to the Ether or something? 

Then the air in front of me began to shimmer… and then another, and another. Through the shimmers, I saw three figures emerge. 

Dark brown hair trailing to copper at the ends, ruddy highlights shining in the late afternoon sun, dark brown eyes glinting merrily behind the rims of her glasses. Mags. 

Light blonde hair glinting gold, soft hazel eyes. Cori. 

Finally, dark brown trending to black hair and bright blue eyes, the tallest of us and the baby - Ella. 

Shocked silence as we glanced around at each other.

A gaggle of gals in flannel and jeans, looking like a mini Supernatural convention. 

Holy fuck. We'd done it. 

Ella and Mags rushed together for hugs before bringing Cori in for a slow gentle hug.

Then they turned and rushed toward me… 

"WHOA Whoa whoa hold it!" I shouted, waving my hands frantically at them. "No hugging me until we check the Grace situation!" 

The girls stopped in their tracks. Ella approached, holding out a tentative hand. 

"Here, I'll try…" 

"Slowly…" I warned. 

I reached my hand toward her’s, and she approached cautiously. As she neared, I could feel the static begin to build up between our outstretched hands. 

At about an inch away, a small electric bolt leaped from my fingers to hers. She pulled her hand back with a hiss. 

I sighed. "Ok, so no hugging me until it's time to send up the Bat Signal."

"Does that mean you can transfer the Grace?" Ella asked. 

"Not sure," I shrugged. "But it's a good sign, I think. The Grace reacts to you like it does with everyone else here, so I'm hopeful." 

We gathered up to disperse the dead man's blood and medical kits. Mags handed Cori two clips of the bloody bullets, keeping two for herself. 

I wiped a sleeve over the sweat quickly beading on my forehead from the hot afternoon sun.

"C'mon, let's get outta this heat. First round's on me!" 

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

Entering the bar through the back entrance, we grabbed the table in the back I had sat at when I was first here.

Even though I wasn't expecting trouble, I liked the vantage point. 

On the way in, I looked for signs of the vampire attack I witnessed, or the vamp I had zapped into the outside wall, but there was nothing there.

It's almost as if I had imagined it… but I know I didn't.

I still had a sunburn-like discoloration where the vamp had grabbed my arms - Grace burn.

I left the flannel on to hide it. 

The others were chatting animatedly as I got up to grab a round. Sauntering up to the bar, I waved and smiled at the bartender, who absently nodded in my direction as he finished preparing drinks for the waitress' order. Finishing, he approached to take my order.

"Howdy… can I get a Coke… oh, do you have ice tea?"

He nodded shortly.

I didn't notice.

I should have.

"Ok, awesome, I'll get one of those as well, and two shots of whiskey."

"What brand?" he demanded, voice flat.

"Uh… you got Johnny Walker Blue?"

"No."

"Ok, how about Woodford Reserve?"

He jerked around to the row of whiskey behind him, grabbing the Woodford and pouring the shots. Filled a glass with ice, followed by Coke from the soda dispenser and placed it next to the shots. Filled the last glass with ice, then tea from a jar on the counter, where it joined the others.

He looked at me with narrowed eyes as I handed over cash for the drinks, turning to the POS system and returning with change. I waved him toward the tip jar, where he deposited the change as if it were cursed. 

I wondered who pissed in this guy's Wheaties.

Balanced the drinks in my hands and brought them back to the table.

"Ice Tea for Cori, Coke for the infant, and S H O T S for Mags and me!" 

Cori giggled and Ella rolled her eyes.

Mags and I clinked our glasses and shot the smooth liquid down.

Oh, it burned SO GOOD.

I waved at the waitress to bring two more. 

I also failed to notice her curt behavior as she delivered the shots, until Cori pointed it out.

"That gal is angling for a lousy tip…" she murmured as the waitress spun on a heel, taking the cash Mags handed her.

"Yeah, and I already tipped her with the change, so what the hell?" Mags huffed, annoyed.

I stopped with the shot half-way to my mouth, setting it back down as Mags glanced at me, puzzled.

"The bartender was the same way." I looked around at the other clientele frequenting the bar.

Not many, and all actively ignoring us. 

I shrugged. Maybe the staff was just having a crappy day.

I picked up the shot, clinked again with Mags, and threw it back.

Lowering the glass, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, near the little stage toward the front of the bar.

A guy was setting up karaoke gear. 

NO. FUCKING. WAY. 

"Omighad you guys that dude has karaoke gear!" I whispered excitedly to the girls, gesturing toward the small stage.

"We totally have to do this…" 

"Oh no way…" Cori squeaked.

"Eeeek not me!" Ella gasped.

"Go get 'em, sis!" Mags chortled, shoving my chair away from the table with her foot, hands shooing me in the direction of the stage.

"FINE! I'll get you to join me yet…" I might have slurred a bit as I strutted to the stage. 

I didn't notice every eye in the bar follow my progress as I approached the karaoke guy and told him my song selection.

Karaoke Guy smiled and nodded, handing me a mic.

I had enough presence of mind to take it gingerly from his hand as to not draw what would be a rather conspicuous spark.

Turned my back to the audience, mic held dramatically overhead. 

The intro began to play… Bah bah badada bah bah…

Pulled the mic to my mouth.

"Let's go girls…" I sang, spinning around and strutting the stage. 

“I'm going out tonight, I'm feelin' alright

Gonna let it all hang out

Want to make some noise, really raise my voice

Yeah, I want to scream and shout”

 I could hear the girls whooping from the back.

The rest of the crowd, minimal as it was - dead silent, eyes fixed on me. 

Ok, so I'm not Shania Twain, but I could carry a tune, as well as being a complete show-off.

They should have at least been booing if they hated it.

 “No inhibitions, make no conditions

Get a little outta line

I ain't gonna act politically correct

I only want to have a good time”

 I began to get a bad feeling about this.

Knowing a section with harmonies was coming, I gestured for a second mic from Karaoke Guy and headed back to our table, still singing.

 "The best thing about being a woman

Is the prerogative to have a little fun and"

 Handing the second mic to Mags who leaned across the table with it, encouraging Cori and Ella to sing along.

 “Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy, forget I'm a lady

Men's shirts, short skirts

Oh, oh, oh, really go wild yeah, doin' it in style

Oh, oh, oh, get in the action, feel the attraction

Color my hair, do what I dare

Oh, oh, oh, I want to be free yeah, to feel the way I feel

Man! I feel like a woman!”

 My back turned to the rest of the bar, I mouthed as they sang "Follow me up to the stage… NOW!" with a small jerk of my head toward the stage.

Something about the look on my face encouraged them to get up and join me as I sauntered back to the stage, putting on the performance.

Watching out of the corner of my eye.

My unease growing.

 “The girls need a break-tonight we're gonna take

The chance to get out on the town

We don't need romance, we only want to dance

We're gonna let our hair hang down

The best thing about being a woman

Is the prerogative to have a little fun and”

 The four of us crowded on the stage and sang the chorus.

During the musical bridge, I spun around to turn my back to the audience again.

Turned the mic off, and Mags turned off theirs. 

"Look at others," I whispered tersely. "Something is VERY WRONG HERE." 

They looked. Cori turned white and Ella gulped.

The bridge was ending. "Keep going…" I urged, and turned the mic back on. 

I nodded at Mags, who turned their mic back on in time to join in for the chorus again, as I whipped back around to face the silent faces in the bar.

Openly hostile now. 

If not for the wave of fear racing up my spine, I would have been offended.

I sing PRETTY GOOD, DAMMIT. 

This wasn't about the music, or Karaoke Guy wouldn't have even been booked.

This was something else. Something about me? 

The girls sang along with the third chorus and at my encouragement, walked around the bar back to our table.

The eyes stayed on me. 

I continued to sing, really putting on the act now and keeping their attention… watching out of the corner of my eye as Mags and the girls pulled their machetes from respective backpacks, tucking them into belts under flannel shirts.

The syringes of dead man’s blood into pockets. 

Ella pulled mine out of my backpack and tucked it alongside hers, my syringes joining hers. 

They all sauntered back to the stage, singing along as the song ended.

Ella sidled up close, passing my machete to me behind our backs, and stuffing the syringes into my back pocket. 

Silence fell across the bar.

Karaoke Guy looked around at the silent faces in the bar and paled.

Probably thinking he was going to get ZERO TIPS tonight, judging by the hostility of the crowd. 

"Soooo…," a dark voice rumbled from the back door of the bar. "You're back." 

Our heads snapped simultaneously in the direction of that terrifying voice.

I recognized him instantly from my research into this case.

Luther.

Eight others at his back.

All flushed a bright red from exposure to the sun just now beginning to touch the horizon. 

With the seven others in the bar, including the bartender and the waitress, that put the count of possible hostiles at fifteen.

TOO MANY. 

Luther stalked the rest of the way into the bar, cronies at his heels.

"You didn't think I wouldn't recognize the stench of that angel Grace on you, after what you did to Johnny?" 

Oh shit. I hadn't thought of the fact that *other* supernatural entities might be able to detect Cas' Grace. 

"Um, who's Johnny?" I croaked, and winced. I was going for "tough and not giving a shit" and failed. 

"My brother, who you shocked to death with that borrowed angel Grace of yours." 

Mags leaned into my right ear. "What the hell is he talking about?"

"Later!" I squawked back. "Let's get out of this mess first…"

I turned back to Luther, still slowly approaching, the bar patrons getting to their feet to join them.

The bartender reaching under the bar and grabbing a shotgun. 

"Dude, I wasn't trying to kill him. He grabbed me and that shock happened, I couldn't control it…"

Trying to distract Luther long enough to get the Bat Signal going. 

"I don't CARE," Luther growled. "You're HUNTERS, here to wipe out my nest. AGAIN." 

I spun around to face the others. "HANDS IN, NOW!" I barked, thrusting my hand out to them.

The girls grabbed my hand without hesitation.

I willed the Grace into them. 

At the moment of contact, a blue-white spark raced down my arm and splintered in three directions, traveling up each of theirs. Rushing up their shoulders and necks, a bright flash of blue in each pair of eyes.

The shock sent our arms flying up, stumbling away from each other. 

The flash temporarily blinded the vampires, giving us a moment to recover.

I spared a glance at Karaoke Guy.

He was backed as far into the corner as he could get, pale and trembling.

Good luck for us, he was human. Not a threat.

Bad luck for him. 

"Ella, get him outta here!" I commanded, gesturing in his direction.

She nodded and rushed to him, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him to the bar's front door.

He squeaked as a tiny blue spark popped between them when Ella grabbed him. 

Well, that's good news. The Grace transferred, and it didn't throw people across the room when touched.

Although that would have been a nice trick to still have if the vamps manage to grab us.

I had no intention of letting them get the chance. 

The bartender aimed the shotgun at Ella and Karaoke Guy as they raced for the front door.

Mags and Cori both reached behind their backs, pulling guns from belts, leveled them at the bartender and pulled the trigger. 

Two bullet holes appeared in the bartender's forehead, the shotgun blasting pellets into the ceiling as he toppled backward. 

Ella hit the door at a dead run, Karaoke Guy pulled behind her. 

She was safe. I could breathe again. 

So the Grace transfer appeared to have worked. Did Jack notice? Was he on his way with the Cavalry?

I prayed just to make sure.

"Jack, can you hear me? We're in a jam and need help RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" 

Silence. My heart crawled up to my throat, choking me as the vampires approached.

The only thing keeping them at bay was Mags' and Cori's guns. They saw the bartender go down and knew something was up with those bullets. 

Finally, a dim voice in the back of my head, whispering… "Celina… are you ok? I saw Cas's grace split up and I'm looking for Sam, Dean, and Cas right now… is it time for their surprise?" His voice grew stronger in my head, and more concerned. "You sound scared, why are you scared? I thought this was a fun surprise…" 

"Jack, please, I'll explain later, just PLEASE get them here!!" 

Refocusing on the current situation, I noticed the vamps had managed to flank us, blocking us from both exits. 

Well, this is what we came here for.

Time to get to work. 

I nudged Mags and nodded toward the bar. The bartender was out but not dead, and that needed to be corrected. She nodded and, jamming the gun back in her waistband, pulled out the machete and rushed the nearest vamp.

The blade made a graceful backhand arc, meeting the vamp's neck and lopping it cleanly off. 

Cori and I whooped from the stage. Mags grinned and leaped up to the bar, swinging at another vamp reaching for her foot, taking off the top of his head at ear-level. Still effective. The vamp dropped as Mags disappeared behind the bar. The waitress, growling, leaped over the bar at her and quickly found her head flinging across the bar, hitting another vamp in the back and startling him long enough for Cori to take his head off from the stage. 

Five feet of fury, I watched, amazed, as she darted from one table to the next, jumping on top of each to get at neck level, sending vamp heads flying. 

Luther, moving with inhuman speed, jumped onto the stage, his hand closing around my throat as he shoved me against the wall. Stars swam in front of my eyes from both the hand closing off my airway and the jolt to the back of my head.

I had the presence of mind to not drop my machete, and thrust it at his midsection. 

He pulled back enough to avoid the blade and threw me across the room. 

Slamming into the far wall, I started to feel the world turn black.

NO.

Not gonna leave my friends to fight alone. 

I shook my head and stood back up as Luther came for me, wiping the blood starting to trickle down my forehead into my right eye.

I raised the machete and blinked back the darkness trying to encroach on my vision. 

Luther danced around me just out of range of my blade.

"So, where are your friends, huh? The Winchesters, right? Where's the angel that shot you up with that Grace?" he taunted, circling. He smiled a toothy grin at me and my breath hitched as the second set of teeth descended. 

"Are they on the way? I hope they hurry so they can see me rip your throat out and drink you like a fountain." 

"NOT GONNA HAPPEN, TWILIGHT!"

Ella's voice's coming from the back entrance of the bar.

I startled as a dagger flew past my ear and lodged itself in Luther's chest. He staggered back, reaching to pull the blade free. 

It gave me enough time to reach into my back pocket and pull one out of the syringes of dead man's blood.

Pulling the needle cover off with my teeth, I yelled and rushed him, jamming the needle into his neck and pushed the plunger…

 … the blade came free and he slashed me with it. 

It sliced across my right shoulder from collarbone to upper arm, through the flannel and t-shirt underneath.

Luther beat me to the floor but not by much.

Blood darkened the green flannel and I clutched at it, falling to my knees. 

"OHMIGOD CEE are you ok? OH SHIT OH SHIT…" I heard Ella squawk behind me.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine, I got him with dead man's blood WATCH YOUR BACK!" I shouted behind me, not turning to look, assuming at this point we were all pretty much surrounded. 

I picked up my machete with my left hand as Luther began to stir, recovering way too quickly from the dead man's blood.

I raised up on my knees and lifted the blade above my head, bringing it down on his neck.

It lodged halfway through.

Well, it was with my weaker left hand. 

I crawled to kneel over him, sitting on his chest as his hands fluttered at his sides, trying to grab at me.

Placed my left hand on the hilt of the machete, my bloody right hand on the other side near the tip of the blade, and pushed down with my entire body weight.

I felt the razor-sharp blade complete the slice through his spine.

He stilled, arms dropping with a thud to the floor.

I collapsed on top of him, vision fading to black.

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

I barely felt the arms picking me up and carrying me to the back table, but when two bright flashes of light inundated the room, I raised my left hand to shield my eyes from the glare. When I lowered it, I blinked up into the wide, worried green eyes of Dean Winchester. 

"HEY there you are!" he exclaimed, pressing gauze to my bleeding shoulder. Reaching for my left hand, he slapped it down over the gauze and pressed it down with his own. "Hold this on there while I go clean up your mess." 

I winced more at his words than the pain caused by the heavy press of his hand over mine against the wound. The pressure eased as he let go and moved away, whipping his machete from his belt. 

He stopped. Silence fell over the bar as a final thud echoed.

I sat up on the table and surveyed the room. 

Not a single vampire stirred. Hard to move without a head.

Mags stood by the bar, covered in gore, her machete in one hand and her gun in the other.

Cori stood tall on a table, surrounded by beheaded vamps, the machete gripped in her white-knuckled hand.

She released her grip and the blade clattered to the floor.

Ella stood by the back door, Sam's arm around her shoulder as he examined a cut on her forearm, still clutching her machete.

He gently pried her fingers loose and hers followed Cori's to the ground. 

Cas and Jack stood shoulder to shoulder, two smoldering vampires at their feet. 

The Cavalry had arrived.

But not before our little team had wiped out 13 vampires.

By ourselves. 

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

"WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!" Dean roared, glaring down at me, white-knuckled hands gripping the table edge. 

I flinched back against the fury in his voice.

Well, I had it coming. 

Sam leaned against the wall by the table, arms crossed and wearing a quiet frown. His silence in the face of Dean's outburst spoke volumes. 

Ella sat next to me at the table. Cas held a glowing hand over the gash on her forearm, slashed with her own silver blade after throwing it at a female vampire. As with Luther, it had distracted the vamp long enough for Ella to separate her head from her shoulders, but not fast enough to prevent the vamp from pulling it free and slashing Ella with it on her way down. 

Jack had offered to heal my shoulder, but I declined. Using his powers to bring Sam, Dean, and Cas here was minimal enough, but the power used by smiting the vampire would be a beacon for God - Chuck, whatever – if he happened to be looking for it. I refused to allow him to make himself more of a target by using even more power to heal me.

He now sat on the other side of me, eyes downcast. 

Dean had already laid into him. Now it was my turn. 

Cori and Mags had a few scrapes and bruises but had come through the fight relatively unscathed. They sat on the other side of Ella. Defiance and pride shown in their eyes in equal measure. 

I took courage from them and raised my eyes to meet Dean's.

I stared down his fury. 

"What was I thinking?" I said, softly at first but stronger as I gathered my courage. "I was thinking that we needed to PROVE to you that we could help you SAVE THIS WORLD." 

Dean stepped back from the table, shock replacing the fury but only for an instant.

"What the HELL would lead you to believe that we need YOUR HELP?" 

"Oh, I dunno… because it's GOD you’re facing, and EVERY SINGLE THING you've ever defeated being shoved back into your face again?" I shouted, rising to my feet, left hand still clutching bloody gauze to my injured shoulder. "You need all the help you can get!" 

"Really?" Dean snorted sarcastically. "Help from YOU." His narrowed gaze swept the table, landing on each of my friends. 

I was proud of them. They all met that gaze unflinching.

His eyes snapped back to mine. "You're not even hunters." 

I barked a laugh at that. "LOOK AROUND YOU, DEAN," I snarled back, sweeping my head around the room to indicate the mass of dead bodies on the floor. "Thirteen dead vampires before you guys showed up. I would BLOODY WELL SAY that makes us hunters!" 

His face flushed, eyes narrowed further. He stepped into my space, daring me to flinch back.

I stood my ground, eyes unwavering from his. 

He leaned down to get right in my face.

"Why do you CARE?" the softness of his voice laid waste by the bitterness within. "None of this affects you. This world can BURN and you just have to step back through your little portal or mirror or whatever to your safe, happy, monster free world and be fine." 

Shock poured over me like a wave of cold water at his words, just as quickly replaced by fury of my own.

It must have glowed like a flame from my eyes, 

Hastily backing away from me as I stalked toward him.

Left hand dropping away from my right shoulder, the gauze held there falling to the ground as I raised a bloody palm to shove him against the wall, bracing my bent left arm over his chest to hold him there. 

Sam pushed himself off the wall to intercept me and found five feet of Cori in front of him, hand outstretched to his chest and holding an inch away.

She barely came to his ribcage but held him still by the sheer force of her will. 

Cas began to stand up as well but just as quickly had Mag's hand on his shoulder, lips set in a straight line and brown eyes almost black as she shook her head in a terse 'no'. 

Ella preemptively grasped Jack's arm, but there was no need. He didn't move, staring at Dean with a look akin to shock. 

"What did you just say to me?" I choked out past gritted teeth. "I KNOW I did not hear you accuse me of not CARING about you, or this world…" He pushed back and I shoved him against the wall again, the back of his head rapping against the wall. 

"I KNOW you did NOT SAY that what happens to YOU, or SAM or CAS or JACK, DOES NOT AFFECT ME!" I wailed, furious tears beginning to fill my eyes. "You DO NOT get to say that to me!" 

I shoved him one last time, then turned and walked away, tears falling freely now.

"You cannot tell me that you don't know how much you all mean to me… to US." My voice shook through my tears.

I spun back around to face him, and my heart lurched at the stricken look on his face. 

"We may not be from here, Dean… but you have saved ALL our lives, time and again." I looked at Sam, hazel eyes wide and bright. Turned to Cas, meeting his warm blue gaze. I finally smiled at Jack, his hazel eyes backlit with shining gold.

"ALL of you have saved us, time and again." I stifled another sob. "I can't bear the thought of a universe without you!" 

I was suddenly encircled by arms - Ella on one side, Mags on the other. Cori reached out to touch my shoulder softly, brushing at first then clasping.

I sobbed into their shoulders, and they cried back onto mine. 

I felt Cori's hand fall from my shoulder, and turned to find her tear-streaked face pressed into Sam's chest, his arms gently encircling her. 

Then Cas' hand on my shoulder, a warm glow infusing it as he healed the wound there.

Ella and Mags released me, and I turned to Cas to thank him. 

As I began to speak, he pulled me in for a gentle hug and I lost all my words. My head pressed to his shoulder, an arm around my waist and the other behind my head, he brushed a soft kiss against the top of my head.

It might have just been my imagination, but I felt the rustle of wings around me, encircling me. 

I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed with all my might. I felt the rumble of his chuckle against my chest, and a feeling of overwhelming joy rushed over me, suffusing me like warm sunlight. 

"Alright, alright, that's enough..." Dean pulled me from Cas and spun me around. Hands on my shoulders squeezed, held me at arm's length. 

My head drooped, eyes falling to the floor.

A hand under my chin raised my eyes back up to meet his. 

"I need you to understand," his voice rough, eyes bright. "I need you SAFE." He released my chin, hand returning to my shoulder. His eyes turned to Mags and Ella, both wrapped in Sam's long arms, and then to Cori, her hands gently held in Jack's. 

"I need ALL OF YOU to be SAFE." 

It was my turn place a hand on his face, to bring his eyes back to mine. 

"There's only one way to do that, Dean." 

I can't believe the words that were about to come out of my mouth. 

"We have to defeat God." 

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

"I don't believe this… that son of a bitch was holding out on me!" 

I stood up from behind the bar, brandishing an almost full bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label. 

"Hell yes! Bring that sweet stuff over here!" Dean exclaimed from the table in the back. 

I placed four shot glasses on the tray, joining the glasses of water, soda, and iced tea. Sliding the tray off the counter with one hand, I grabbed the bottle of Blue Label with the other and headed back to the table, meandering around the strewn bodies of the beheaded vampires. 

Approaching the table, I set the bottle down, then passing the tray under my arm, around and over my head before swooping down and sliding it onto the table, not spilling a drop. 

"Show off" Dean smirked. 

"You know it." I grinned, and took the chair between him and Cas. 

Sam grabbed the bottle and poured shots for him, Mags, Dean, and me. Cas passed the ice tea to Cori, sodas to Ella and Jack, and the glass of water for himself. 

Dean picked up his shot glass and considered it for a moment, before thrusting it into the center of the table. 

"To a hunt well done." 

Sam grinned and clinked his glass against Dean's. "Hear, hear." 

Six glasses joined theirs, chiming merrily against each other. 

"Cheers!" Ella squeaked, and we all laughed. 

Leave it to the teenager to show us how it's done. 

Four shot glasses full of some of the most expensive whiskey in the world were tossed back and subsequently pounded face down on the table, startling the other four. 

"Ooooh shit, that was GOOD." I breathed. 

"Hell yeah it was," Dean agreed, grabbing the bottle and pouring four more shots. 

We clinked and shot that one as well. 

"OK, down to business." Sam, ever the one to want to get down to business. 

"And business is GOOD!" Dean chortled. 

"Are you drunk ALREADY?" chirped Mags. 

Sam rolled his eyes, and I shook my head. 

"ANYWAY… " I started. 

"What *I* don't understand," Dean interrupted, "is WHY you think Chuck - God, whatever - is a danger to YOUR world as well." 

"Well, that's easy," Mags said. 

"Yeah," Cori added, 'if Chuck can destroy *this* world, what's to stop him from destroying *ours* as well?" 

"Hell, he might already be in the process of doing so, if you think about it, " I mused. "Climate change, asshats running the world, etcetera ad nauseam." 

"And the way things are going, my generation is going to be left holding the bag." Ella groaned. 

"So let US take care of Chuck!" Dean asserted. "Problem solved!" 

I rubbed my temples. "Jesus, you're a broken record." 

"How 'bout this," Sam proposed. "We need help, like a job pops up that we think you can handle, and we're busy, and Jody and Donna are busy… we'll call you over and you can help." 

"It can be like my training, right Sam?" Jack offered. 

"Sure, something like that," Sam agreed. 

"So, as in, NEVER." groused Ella. 

"RIGHT," Dean agreed and brandished a finger at her. "Especially for you, kiddo." 

Ella rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her soda. 

I caught the eyes of my friends.

A subtle shake of my head.

The message was clear - we're not going to win this argument.

Not yet. 

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted," I said, yawning and stretching. "It's late, and we should be getting back." 

"Hey, the day is just beginning in South Africa," Mags countered, then stifled a yawn. "But I see your point. I'm beat as well." 

I sighed, and pushed back my chair, rising. "OK, let's call it a day." 

The others stood as well, and we began saying our goodbyes. 

A kiss on the cheek for Jack, who blushed and made me promise, again, that we'll go to Disneyland soon.

A big moose hug from Sam, who crouched down just to pick me up and swing me around.

A repeat of the warm sunshine hug from Cas, that left me a little breathless. 

Finally, Dean, who wrapped me up and rocked me back and forth.

"Was that a long enough angel hug for you, Cas Girl?" he teased.

"Shut up, Winchester," I laughed, my voice muffled by the flannel.

I pulled back a little.

"Hey, did you notice something?"

He looked puzzled. "What?"

"This." I pulled his head down and gave him a big sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"ACK!" he exclaimed. "Gross."

"Fine, calling my kisses gross." I pouted. "But that's not what I was talking about."

"What, then?"

I smiled into the curious green eyes. "No more shock value."

Eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, you're right. Was it because you split the Grace between you?"

I nodded. "I figure that's the case."

"Well, that's good, " he said, pulling me for a last hug. "I missed these."

"So did I, you big goober."

I reluctantly pulled back, turning to join the others, headed for the mirrors in the bathroom. 

"Hey, you guys…" I called. "Uh, big surprise - the mirrors are no longer necessary."

The girls turned questioning eyes to me.

"Thanks to the gift from our resident angel," I smiled at Cas, who gave a tiny bow of his head, "not only will you not be sleeping it off for the next several days, but all you need now is a doorway." 

"Well, that's cool!" Ella exclaimed. 

I led the way to the back door of the bar. 

"Same principles. Focus, fix your homes in your mind, know you're there. Close your eyes and walk through the doorway." 

"Ok, I'll give it a try," Cori said, her voice unsure.

"THERE IS NO TRY, ONLY DO," I intoned.

Cori laughed. "Ok, ok, I'm gone. Bye!"

"Text the burner phones when you get there!" I reminded her.

She nodded, and with a final wave, closed her eyes, walked through the doorway - and disappeared into the shimmer. 

A few moments later, the burner phones simultaneously buzzed.

Cori was home, safe and sound. 

Next was Mags, then Ella, each confirming their arrival home.

Finally, my turn. 

As tradition dictated, I turned back to Dean.

"I love you."

He grinned. "I know." 

I turned and walked through the doorway, emerging into my spare room.

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Part The Third Coming Soon-ish.