#That would also scare the PANTS off her proverbially speaking.

[ochcko]

Continued from here. ♥ @cowlsmash

"No--!” Oh, why did she have to open her mouth?! Her protest to his questioning her courage in regards to scary movies was immediate, perhaps a little too loud to be genuine... well, mostly because it wasn’t. But she needed to work on her bravery the same as she needed to work on everything else if she wanted to be a hero worth her salt, she thought. If a scary movie made her quake in fear, then how in the world could she expect to hold her ground in the face of something even scarier than that?! A faint clearing of her throat.

“I mean, I guess I am a little? But I just want to be--I want to know I can have your support. Y’know, as back-up.” Brown eyes returned to the television screen in front of them. Surely a movie called A Quiet Place couldn’t be that bad, right?

...her hand was already sneaking toward his own in preparation of what was to come.

[youarejesting]

Daylight

[Full Masterlist]

Beta: @fluffy-fluffu @taegularities @xiaokoo​ (if I forgot someone let me know, some people were in anon) Rating: Teen+ Pairing: Jimin x Reader Genre: Fluff, fantasy, adventure, angst, scifi, Romance, mystery,  Words: 12.6K

Summary: When trying to find a place to sleep the reader finds an elevator that only goes down. When it reaches the bottom, the reader is met with a new world and new civilization. Have you found somewhere you belong or are you in over your head.

You were looking for a place to sleep. The train station had two areas: the new and improved station on the ground level and the old and abandoned level underground. The underground level was blocked off, but you needed somewhere to sleep. No amount of graffiti, rats or even kids with cans of spray paint could stop you. 

You slipped past the fence and headed down the stairs until you reached the old abandoned floor below. You could hear every footstep that echoed. With the limited light from the platform at the top of the stairs you could only make out outlines of pillars and benches. You would turn on a light but that would give your position away. 

While finding the edge of the platform you almost fell onto the tracks. Jumping down, you followed the wall till you reached the little maintenance rooms at the end of the long almost pitch black tunnel. You were hoping you could find one with either a power socket for your phone or a built-in phone to call out. Though who would you call? You were homeless, meaning you had exerted all other options and lost the ‘friends’ you thought you had.

Hand colliding with a doorknob -that would leave a bruise- you stepped inside and waited. Hoping you were alone but not able to guarantee, you had to work up the courage to turn on a light. 

Deciding to flip the light switch, you gave yourself a mental pep talk. After all, if you were to die anyway it wouldn’t matter if you exposed yourself to hidden demons, devils, ghosts, murderers, or crazies.

The place was empty and small. You saw an old-style computer, the type that’s all bulky and awkward in shape. The huge monitor had an ugly keyboard built in and a long wire leading to the mouse. What, was this built in the eighties? You assumed the motherboard was underneath as such.  

Turning on the light, you looked around intrigued - this place was clean, like seriously clean. This platform and train line had all been abandoned, so who was coming here to clean it? Even if it was a maintenance room, it was odd, and everything inside was old which made sense, except the elevator in the corner. 

The elevator gave many red flags: the fact there was only a down function, and the fact it seemed to be clean like the rest of the room somehow made it worse. You walked over and found a clipboard on the desk; eyeing the bin beside the desk, you noticed the empty can of coke. 

Someone signed off on maintenance just yesterday. Again, who was performing maintenance on an abandoned rail line? Especially on the vintage equipment. Turning to face the elevator, the proverbial curious cat inside you clawed at the thought of where the elevator would take you. Could it be another floor, a secret base, some machinery storage or perhaps, you thought morbidly, hell? 

Taking the chance, you pressed the call button for the elevator. The doors slid open, lights flickering on overhead and you heard the bell chime to indicate the elevator had reached. Stepping inside nothing seemed off at first glance. Pressing the down button, you waited as the elevator descended. It all seemed normal.That was until an entire floor length passed. 

You grew worried, you had been descending further than you anticipated.

The elevator continued on its journey downwards while you sat on the floor, now worried about what you would come across in the end. You had noticed the government symbol on the floor of the elevator and that made everything even more suspicious. But a part of you was happy you had somewhere safe -albeit cold- to sleep, even if it was an elevator.

When the elevator finally stopped, you saw twinkling lights in the sky which were lightening to a peachy color. It was like you were outside, but that was impossible. You had gone underground, you know you did, and even if you had somehow gone up, you would be on the city streets outside the train station, not in some beautiful parkland.

You stood there in awe, watching the sunrise, taking a moment to fully appreciate the scenery. Something you didn’t do quite often. You had been locked up in the safe confines of your room for a long time and it took being homeless to really appreciate nature and things it had to offer, like the rising sun. The air was refreshing and the sounds of the animals were mingling with the constant from the river in a calming harmony. 

You heard a sound and whipped around to look for the cause, when you heard a gasp. 

“Are you the Almighty?” 

Your heart hammered in your chest. The only thing you noticed was how sweet the voice was. Why was someone down here? This was getting weird, something was going on and you were scared to find out what it was.

Your eyes darted around trying to find the person down there with you when you finally saw him. In front of you stood the most beautiful person you had ever seen, ethereal and perfect. You knew you were pretty good looking, but your recent lack of home meant you weren’t as clean as you wished to be.

As you examined him further, you noticed little things like how his long brown hair was tied intricately with ribboned fastens, and peaking through the hair were two pointed ears. It was odd but the more you looked at him, the more you realized how inhuman he really looked.

He seemed to be looking at you the same way, studying your shorter stature and lack of pointed ears with a curious look on his face. You had seen elves before, in movies, the Christmas type and the fairytale kind, and you had to admit Legolas had nothing on this man.

His dark eyes sparkled bright like the stars as they examined you, “Hello, do you understand me?” His voice was so eerily soft, it caused you to shrink. He smiled at your reaction before speaking softly, “I won’t hurt you.”

“Where am I?” You asked this time, causing him to look shocked. His smile became wider, showing off his pearly white teeth.

“You do understand me.” He stepped forward, making you cower back at his advances. “What is it like in the heavens? Is this your vessel?” 

He grinned looking around you and at the elevator, smiling and tapping at it, “You must come back to the village and we will hold a celebration.”

He took your arm and led you through the trees. He didn’t seem to be rushed nor did he feel threatening in any wayHe just gently guided you along, asking you questions. He didn’t really give you time to answer before he started talking again. 

“Tell me, are you one of the Almighty? I have never met an Almighty before, we pray to them and they give us gifts from the heavens. I have only met elves and that is it. What is your name?” He turned and just as you were about to answer he continued, “My name is Jimin.”

The whole trip you learned a lot about Jimin, he was excitable, he liked to talk, listen when needed and he also liked dancing and being mischievous. He said the other elves ignored him because he wasn’t noble or rich. He wasn’t as well-bred as the others.

“You are so tiny, Yoongi will be happy, he is the shortest Elf you will ever meet. Well, I assume elves, where you are from, are quite tall.” He laughed.

“Um, I have never met an elf before,” you plucked up the courage to admit and his eyes turned to youIt was apparent that he was shocked. “Sorry.”

“So, Elves don’t exist where you are from?” He asked, watching you nervously shake your head. “That is so strange.”

As you continued walking, the sun rose some more and you began to notice a few more things that shocked you. You had realized the whole place was an artificial world. It seemed to go on for a fairway, you could just see walls of vines and greenery, but there were lights that simulated artificial daylight. 

The roof had screens showing a fake sky - there must have been UV lights as the trees and vegetation seemed to be growing well. Then, of course, there was the elevator shaft you had been in before: the further you walked along the road, the more animals, buildings and people you had seen. 

They turned to you, gawking at your differences and style of dress. To them, you must have appeared like a filthy child dressed in rags. To you, they were a beautiful community draped in the finest of fabrics. They were dressed in a style you could only describe as a mix between a Sari and a greek Toga. Even Jimin who told you he wasn’t noble or rich was dressed better than yourself. It was then that you noticed how big this underground ecosystem really was and on top of that, the people were all beautiful beyond comparison. 

They all looked scared of you, each tripping over themselves to show you around and lavish you in gifts. Jimin had rushed off once a noble woman had spotted you. He left you in her care, deeming himself no longer worthy of your presence. You watched how the elves lived and played with the children.

The tour of the village was long, your legs growing tired, merchants giving you fruits and tea. You were going through the town centre, walking between stalls. People busily rushing past. You caught Jimin’s eye. He seemed to be teaching something to some slightly younger elves, and when one fell, he helped them up and brushed off the dirt from their pants before giving some words of encouragement.

You met many people before you were taken to a small bathhouse to be washed and buffed, your hair was brushed and twisted into a beautiful hairstyle. The fabrics wrapped and draped around you were more expensive than any piece of clothing you had ever owned in your life.

Feeling cleaner than you had in a long time, you were led into one of the elaborate buildings before they sat you down, giving you food and entertaining you. They called for dancers and there he was, stepping out in silks and lace, spinning and leaping, moving as if  he was weightless. Jimin truly was beautiful. 

After his dance, he was ushered away and a woman stepped out, “I am Lady Adora and I am the leader of the village. I have brought to you some of the finest men. Pick any elf you wish, they are noble, each pleasing to the eyes and well educated.”

Was she trying to sell you a man? This seemed to be some weird arranged marriage business. You were led out from behind the dining table and asked to walk down the line, “This one is the eldest, Kim Seokjin - he is handsome and romantic, he has good heritage. Next is Min Yoongi, who is shorter than the average elf, but he is creative and enjoys the simple things.” Just as you thought, this was like the bachelorette and you were supposed to pick someone. Admittedly they were all gorgeous, it was insane. “Jung Hoseok is from a brilliant family of scholars and he has a cheerful disposition; he is friendly and caring.” Lady Adora continued.

“Kim Namjoon is a genius, he has a love for nature and is from a good family. Kim Taehyung is a little odd, but he is refreshingly curious and has equally refreshing features.” Your eye caught sight of the dancers; there he was in his soft silks and laces, peeking from behind a pillar. Behind him, some small elves also seemed to be peeking at you curiously.

He shushed them as you stepped up to the last young man, “This is our youngest, a very talented man, he is from a good family and he strives for perfection.”

“They are all very nice looking,” you said with a smile.

“Would you like to have them all?” The elf leader spoke up in confusion. 

“No, that’s not what I meant,” you backpedaled quickly, “I was just admiring their skills and beauty as you had described them to be, very handsome individuals with good backgrounds.”

You saw the dancer giggle into his bell sleeve and subconsciously smiled back at him. You were led back to the table and sat down, “You can choose any of the eligible young elves within the village, has anyone caught your eye?” Adora asked sitting beside you and handing you a drink. “You have plenty of time to decide. How about some more festivities? Dancers!”

Jimin raced back into the clearing of the dining hall. He knew he wasn’t a noble or anyone particularly worthy of being with an Almighty. The Almighties were the beings they prayed to in order to receive gifts from the heavens. This Almighty was a gift from the heavens for the people and he knew that she had to be treated favorably, so as to please the Almighty.

Jimin had never seen anything like you before, your beauty was subtle, hidden but under the right circumstances you bloomed like a flower. He enjoyed watching your expressions as he danced. It was the reason he chose to dance, to make the Almighty happy with each performance.

“He dances so well,” you smiled; he could hear you and a part of him hoped it was you he was talking about. “The one in the black and red silks with the red lace.”

“That is Jimin, would you like him?” Upon hearing Lady Adora offering him of all people, he stumbled and the music stopped.You rushed out around the table, but he was already scurrying into a bow as if he was begging for his life. Sitting on his feet, hands flat on the floor and his forehead touching the ground. He did this whilst crawling backwards away from you.

“Jimin,” you whispered, lifting his head. It was cheesy how his heart fluttered in his chest when your eyes locked on his. His mouth fell open, he believed he saw you blush, his breath caught in his throat. Did he say your beauty was subtle? He was wrong.

“I am sorry, I will go repent,” he said, bowing low again.

“Please forgive Jimin, he must have been light-headed,” Adora said as if trying to calm you. He never believed in the elf’s stupid idea of love at first sight, but there he was, in love. 

Taking his hands in yours, you lifted him and guided him to the table. He almost choked when you tried to make him sit in your chair. Jimin dug his feet into the ground when you tried to lead him up the steps to your seat. He felt uneasy with the whole room watching him struggle and eventually sat down on the step below you, graciously accepting the food and drinks you offered albeit embarrassed. 

“I am sorry that I didn’t perform well,” Jimin spoke sadly, his ears and cheeks aflame. “I will make sure to be better next time.”

“You are a beautiful and elegant dancer and I enjoyed watching the way you moved to the music.” Your words sounded so warm and the accent was unlike anything he had ever heard. His brain got past your voice and caught up with what you had said and he ducked his head from how red his cheeks had become.

“You are too kind, I-'' He was cut off by Adora asking if you had decided on an elf. You leaned over to Jimin.

“Why am I supposed to choose an elf?” you asked. Jimin took a sharp breath, your hair had brushed his shoulder and he lost himself in your eyes, “What does choosing an elf mean?”

Jimin laughed almost in stitches. You didn’t know why these elves were being presented to you and he decided to explain it all before you had to choose. Because what if you chose randomly and didn’t like the elf? He wanted you to be happy. Even if a small part of him was jealous of the noble elves. You would be stuck with them together for eternity after all.

“Lady Adora, I think it would be best to explain to the Almighty why she is choosing a suitor,” Jimin prompted, lowering his head. She was a caring leader, but he still wanted to show her respect. Everyone in the community knew one another, and Lady Adora had practically raised him. Though elves could live forever, there had been times where elves had lost their lives. 

These times included when the Almighty would be angered and come down from the heavens and take those they wished, laying waste to anyone who got in their way. Jimin was familiar with this notion: his father had been the previous leader of the village - he had tried to stop the Almighty from taking some of the innocent elves. Jimin was  only a baby when he and a few other children were taken. 

Jimin’s parents fought hard, but they were both killed in the process for interfering with the Almighty’s plans. The children were returned, unharmed, but the damage was done. Jimin was orphaned. It was strange. Jimin was so young, so he didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed none of the children taken really remembered what happened either. 

“The Almighty will be blessed with any elf she chooses to spend the rest of her life with,” Adora explained smiling; it was amusing to see the realization on your face. “The elves will now demonstrate their specialty energy.”

They had magic, they were air and water benders or something. These were real Naruto jutsus. You were about to lose your mind. ‘Pick a husband, and guess what their secret powers are.’ That’s what she should have said in the first place. Jimin had almost wet himself, giggling at your expense when he realized you didn’t know what this whole celebration was for. They were celebrating you and apparently your gift was an eternal super hot elf husband.

“Who do you choose?” Adora asked and you froze. This had to be some sort of fever dream. The elevator collapsed on you and you died, the rats underground were probably eating your body as you dreamt this.

“Does everyone have powers?” You asked Jimin and he held out his hand where a glowing orb appeared, “What’s that?”

“I can heal things.” He smiled, healing being something he believed stemmed from his parents deaths. Cultivated with the hopes of never suffering loss again. “Do you want me to explain to Adora that you need more time?”

“We can have the boys answer some questions if you would like?” Adora seemed desperate.

“I think I will need more time to choose properly ” you said, squaring your shoulders definitively and Lady Adora nodded approvingly. 

“Excellent,” she clapped her hands, “you shall all get to know each other before choosing.”

The dinner and celebrations raged on filled with laughter and dancing, when Lady Adora spotted you yawning. You were guided to a room where you retreated for the night in a warm bed. 

You woke in disbelief. You weren’t dead in a collapsed elevator nor were you being feasted on by a group of rats. No, instead you were in the softest bed, feeling like you had just gotten the best sleep of your life. You sat up hearing a knock at the door, quickly straightening up and calling them in. 

A small part of you was scared that they would figure out you weren’t who they thought you were to be and they would kick you out or worse. Your memory was a bit foggy and everything seemed like a dream. It was hard to discern what was real and what might have been your imagination while you slept.

It hit you that this was all real, when they drew you a bath. They filled it with soft petals and took it upon themselves to help you wash once more - it almost seemed like overkill, you were scrubbed and polished just yesterday. Did you really need another thorough clean?

Dressed in the most delicate of dresses intricately tied around your waist and neck, you spun, watching the skirt flutter around you. You were giddy, wanting to sing and dance. It was such a drastic change. The community seemed so welcoming and gentle, they had no negative thoughts or intentions. 

They guided you to the town square which had been decorated in flowers. The boys were walking around with baskets of flowers, some sitting making flower crowns intricately and you skipped after Jimin, who led you to a beautiful meadow by the river. The hem of your dress was bouncing slightly with every step. You crouched beside him, looking at the flower crown he began making. 

“Wow! That’s pretty. Can you make me one?” you grinned; Jimin spluttered and he looked at you in shock. Had you offended him? “I’m sorry.”

“No, you did nothing wrong, it’s just flowers are a big part of courting in elf tradition, if you accept the flower crown, you accept the elf as a prospective partner. Or at least you like them enough to dance with them during the flower festival.”

You hummed in thought and grinned at him, “I like you enough to dance with you, unless you want to give it to someone. Then I won’t bother you”

“No one usually dances with me?” He laughed, more to himself, “Last year I danced with Hana. I think she did it out of pity and she didn’t keep time, so she stepped on my toes.”

“Oh no!” You frowned, “wait, I don’t know the dance?” 

He stopped looking up at you, you were fretting, “please teach me the dance!” You gripped his hands and he nodded, taking your hands. He led you away from the flowers in the small meadow and began explaining the dance and you nodded, paying attention. 

He tried to teach you the dance, giving you directions and laughing when you felt hopeless. He took your hands and guided you through the steps, humming a foreign tune. You were reduced to giggling something about the spins, the hand holding and the steps felt so good; you were so happy and giddy. 

You spun laughing and fell against his chest, he caught you, quickly placing you back to your feet and stepping back. “You are actually a really good dancer.”

“Maybe it’s because you are my teacher?” You smiled.

“If only you would look away from your feet,” he teased and you laughed.

“It's been fun dancing with you, I have never learnt a proper dance before,” you blushed, tucking your hair behind your ear. “Thank you Jimin.”

You kissed his cheek and ran off and spinning quickly to see his bright red cheeks. You joined the festivities, trying the food and even playing some of the games with the ribbons and hoops. 

It was time for the evening dance and the young eligible elves stood with their hands out, flower crowns intricately designed resting atop their palms. Weaved flowers of different sizes and styles in colours of pinks, blues, reds and more, held by confident and bored looking elves. Behind them a nervous Jimin caught your attention.

You watched as he looked down, it was hard to see the crown from so far away but the colour scheme seemed to be yellow, the ribbon to which the flowers were weaved was a shiny gold. Yellow flowers usually represent friendship, like Jimin calling out for someone to just be his friend. 

“Hey, Hana, are you going to take Jimin’s flower crown this time?” One of the young female elves called in a hushed tone across the small group of eligible elvish maidens and yourself of course. 

“No, I did it last time because I felt bad for him” she whined. You felt disgusted that they were avoiding him.

“Whatever, someone has to make the first move,” the girls looked at each other nervously and you gently brushed past them and headed straight out onto the dance floor.

It seemed everyone was waiting for you to choose, stepping up to the first elf. You looked at the pink flowered crown in his hands; it was a little over the top and not your style. You saw his smirk and proceeded to step on, making a few of the other young elves laugh, Seokjin’s pointed ears turning red. 

“Seokjin, I thought you said no one could say no to you or your flower crown” they snickered. You continued. The next crown was almost falling apart and the elf ducked his head, apologising. 

“Hey, a crown doesn’t define you, people have different strengths. You are really smart from what I heard?” You smiled and moved through the lines, being polite and admiring their creatures, praising some and chatting with others. The purple crown was elaborate and beautiful, you smiled praising him. You would have taken it, had it not been for Jimin shuffling in the next row in your peripherals. You looked over and found him fiddling with his crown, pouting.

Thanking Jungkook, you stepped into the next row, not bothering to look at him any more and heading straight to Jimin. He was no longer watching you; he was staring at the floor, his hair covering his eyes. 

“Jimiiiin~” you smiled, spinning happily, “This is really pretty, can I see it?” 

He puffed up from your praise, getting a little bashful and held the crown up for you to see, “Oh this is lovely, Jimin, this is so pretty.”

“Thank you,” He was becoming more and more bashful, wiggling his shoulders cutely, scuffing his shoes on the stone.

“Can I wear it?” You asked, cupping your hands under his and looking up hopeful. You didn’t want to take away his choice on who he could give the crown to, but you also thought of him as your friend you were closer to than the others.

“Are you sure?” He asked and you nodded grinning. 

“Yes, but I don’t know how to wear these.Do you know how to tie them?” He laughed like sweet bells tinkling in the wind and it left you a little dazed and embarrassed, “Don’t laugh at me.”

“No, no, I would never,” he smiled, gently lifting the delicate flower crown onto your head, and taking the two ribbons, he began tying it behind your head. 

He was so close looking into your eyes as he tied it off and arranging the little flowers hanging strategically from the crown. Jimin’s crown was probably the sweetest looking, so delicate and intricate with soft petals or pale yellows and deep golds. 

You smiled and took your spots on the dance floor and the others did the same, the line of female elves and yourself facing the line of male elves and the dance began. Slowly you recited Jimin's teachings. 

Three steps forward, you  offered your right hand and he bowed, accepting the offered hand with both of his. While his right hand held yours, squeezing reassuringly, his left softly glided up your arm as he stepped behind you. 

His left hand slid from your left shoulder, down your back where he clutched your waist, trying not to giggle as he realised you were ticklish.. Your heart was hammering in your chest as you followed the routine, placing your left hand atop his. 

You looked down and he whispered into your ear, “Keep your head up, don’t look down, I will lead you perfectly trust me.” The feeling of his soft breath brushing the shell of your ear made you shiver. 

You felt beautiful and loved all from just one dance, it was like being the main character in a movie getting to dance with a beautiful man. He spun you and you were now facing one another, hand in hand, swaying and spinning.

You were exhausted from the dancing, your throat a little dry. You were met by Seokjin who handed you a drink. “Good evening, my lady, I apologise for not introducing myself sooner, I am Kim Seokjin, from the main house of Kim.” 

“Oh well, thank you for the introduction,” you smiled, taking a sip of the drink and Jimin looked awkward. 

“You have to choose an eligible bachelor and I thought it wouldn’t be fair unless we each got to spend time and get to know each other - so with that in mind I thought I could show you some of the fun games?”

“Uh sure, I guess you are right, it’s only fair I hang out with all of you equally.” He took your hand and looped it around yours, walking you away to the festival activities without giving you a chance to thank Jimin. 

Seokjin was hilarious, he took you to a small stall where there was fish in a tank and if you caught the fish, you got to keep it. You tried your best, but you were too busy laughing at Seokjin to catch anything. He was terrible and it was so comical, watching him fail his expressions over the top. 

You splashed water at him and he looked offended, he splashed back and you ran off before he could catch you. The two of you spoke, getting to know one another. Seokjin was really charming and handsome. He spoke to you about food and jokes and your cheeks ached from smiling, your sides stung from laughter. He stopped in front of a sweet scented stall, “you should try these - they are sugared roses, they are delicious.”

They were indeed delicious and he smiled at you, “it’s happening!” Seokjin took your hand in his bigger warmer one and dragged you along excitedly. 

“What’s happening?” You asked curious as to why he was running and he turned back grinning so childlike and pulled you along. 

“It’s the fireflies, come look!” He pointed at the sky and you saw it begin: the fireflies started to dance beautifully. It was amazing in all different colours and shapes and sizes; they spun together in the air, twisting and turning like a small galaxy. 

You felt someone standing behind you and smiled, Jimin was lost in the sight, “pretty.” 

“They dance to find love, that’s why every year in spring we dance as well,” Jimin said, “you will find love eventually.”

He handed you a small bag with a fish inside. It was white with a tail like a fan, tipped with gold and very pretty. “It’s a thank you for dancing with me.”

“Wait Jimin, I don’t have anywhere to put the fish.”

“Oh” he frowned, “I do, it can stay in my pond at home.”

“Well, then I will have to visit and take care of the fish,” you grinned, bumping your shoulder with his. Jimin was so cute. 

Once you woke and dressed your first destination was Jimin’s house to feed the fish. Jimin lived in a big house by himself and you were confused, “where are your parents and brothers and sisters?”

“They died when I was born.” He let out a soft sigh, the two of you sprinkling the fish food into the big pond out the back. There were about a hundred fish in different shades. He smiled leaning over to sprinkle another pinch of fish food, his hair dangerously close to the water, and you hooked your fingers around the tressels and tucked it behind his ear. 

He paused at the contact, shivering as he grabbed his ear, blushing. He let out a giggle, “Come on, let’s go see your new fish.” He brushed his hands on the lap of his midnight blue robes, standing and offering his hand to you. He pulled you up onto your feet and without letting your hand go he led you through the garden to another tiny pond where there were not as many fish occupying the small pool of water. 

But swimming in the water was the beautiful fantail fish Jimin had gifted you the night before. It was such a beautiful fish with its long tail fluttering in the water as it moved. “You are so pretty,” you grinned, gesturing to the fish food in the tiny heshen bag. “Can I?”

“Of course, she is very pretty. I couldn’t give you anything but the best, you are an Almighty. I put her in the tank with my oldest fish. I raised him since he was a baby, he is very calm.” This fish was also a fantail, but black with silver spots. Jimin held out the bag and you sprinkled the food out and he smiled.

“How old is he?” You smiled, watching the two swim around happily. 

“He turns thirty-five this year,” Jimin smiled, “Fish of this kind will often live till they are forty.”

“Wait, you can’t be over thirty-five, you look like you're twenty,” You scoffed, looking him up and down. He was quick to throw his head back and let out an adorable laugh, falling against you for a moment before picking himself up from your shoulder.

“I like that, Twenty, hahaha!” Wiping his eyes, Jimin ran away giggling, “I am sixty-five!”

“NO WAY!” You gasped chasing after him.

After feeding the fishes that morning with Jimin, you were sitting by the small fountain in the town centre, the people were cleaning up from the flower festival and the dance that night. It was a great night, but it was nice to see how the elves lived day to day. The festivals and celebrations were fun, but draining. Now no one was trying to wait on your hand and foot.

The elvish girls were giggling and quick to approach you, “Good morning, my lady. A few of us are all going to the waterfall, if you want to join in the fun.”

“Oh, that sounds really exciting,” you smiled, placing down the slices of melon Jimin had bought for you before he ran off to teach the young elfs. A disappointment filled you when you remembered you didn’t have a swimsuit. “But I have nothing to wear. What do you wear when you go swimming?” 

They giggled, grabbed you by the hands and pulled you towards the stalls in the market.It was an open lane that branched off from the town square. Stumbling into a marquee full of summer fabrics, they began offering you different options on what you could wear. You found something that resembled a bikini from the surface.

You smiled, showing the elvish ladies your selected swimwear.They went quiet and you wondered what they were thinking. But ultimately, this would be the most comfortable for you, it was what you were used to, so you were going to wear it no matter what.

Taking the fabric and following the group of elves, you trekked through the forest for a short while until you came across a small waterfall. The water was crystal clear and you could see the water running from a few pipes in the wall. There were a few tents where everyone got changed. You were helped by one of the ladies into the swim wear and she tied everything securely. 

Stepping out, the girls chorused ‘ooh’, making you feel a little self conscious - maybe it was weird to show this much skin. But they quickly forgot about what you were wearing and raced into the water. It was refreshing to swim, and you had to admit, your serotonin levels soared when you were splashing and playing with the elves in the water.

Some of the male elves were climbing the waterfall and jumping off squealing excitedly and you followed them. “Hey, you going to jump too?” The young male asked. His hair was braided entirely, so it was out of his face. “Come this way, it is easier to climb.”

He helped you up, guiding you the whole way, taking your hand to pull you onto tall rocks and placing your feet when you were determined to climb the smaller rocks. “You are so tiny, are you sure you can climb this one?”

As if his words had jinxed it, you slipped falling into his arms, your back pressed to his chest, his strong arms wrapping around you. He turned you in his arms and looked at your hands feet and knees for any cuts, he saw the slight graze on your palm and looked guilty.”I’m okay,”

Taking your hand in his he kissed the abrasion and apologized. “I should have been more careful.” He wouldn’t let you climb any of the rocks alone after that. You were thankful when you reached the top.

“Hey Jungkook, what took you so long, you scared?” A deep voice called. When you stepped up onto the flat part of the waterfall, you noticed the elf’s eyes widen as he took your hand helping you across the rocks. “Are you going to jump?” 

The two were giving you tips and tricks on how to jump properly. It was a lot. “I will go first and you can see how it is done,” Jungkook grinned, “Then Taehyung can count you in.”

“Okay.” You nodded, feeling a little sick at the idea of dropping that far into the water. Jungkook jumped, whooping the whole way down and it made you giggle. Now it was your turn.

“I will count you in, okay? And then you jump,” Taehyung said and you stepped up to the edge and shuffled back.

“Wow, that is high!” Your heart was beating in your ears like a drum and you felt like your legs give out.

“Come on, you can do it!” Jungkook shouted from underneath you. It seemed everyone was cheering you on from the bottom and you turned to Taehyung and stumbled over.

“I don’t think I can do it” You said, grabbing his arms, “I’m a big chicken, I will just walk back down and everything will be alright.” 

He rubbed your shoulders reassuringly, looking you in the eyes, “Hey, listen to me, I know it is scary, but it is a lot of fun and safe and you will love it.” You looked at him, he had gotten rather close and his hand snaked around your waist. You couldn’t even bring yourself to think about the jump as you were lost in his expression. 

His grip around your waist tightened and he lifted you up, alarm bells ringing as he ran towards the cliff and you started screaming. The jump was scary, but the fall was amazing, for a second you felt like you were weightless in a void. 

Splash! It was all over in a matter of seconds. When you resurfaced, you smacked Taehyung in the arms, calling him a traitor and then laughing when he tickled your waist. “You are a butt.”

Jungkook and Taehyung were playful and the three of you were searching for shiny rocks in the bottom of the water. They even showed you a cool underwater cave where the three of you sat talking before you swam back out. You grew tired of swimming and went to sit in the shade, hoping you wouldn’t get burnt. Even though there wasn’t a real sun the UV lights still worked the same.

Laying out your towel beside one of the other noblemen that you had previously been introduced to, you sat down and smiled. “Hey, I am Y/n.” You gave him a tired sigh, laying back on the towel, “You aren’t swimming?”

“Nah, it’s too loud,” he laughed, not bothering to look at you. “Heard you jumped off the waterfall.” 

“Oh, yeah,” you blushed, “who told you that?”

“No, I mean I heard you.” He smirked, turning to look at you and you blushed. He was quiet and the two of you soon dressed and bailed as the rambunctious group had gotten too loud for you both. 

“Here, try this.” Yoongi handed you a few berries and smiled when you tasted them, “So, with this choosing thing, what are you thinking?”

“I am not sure,” you sighed begrudgingly, you were supposed to choose and you couldn’t leave them hanging forever. 

“Well, if I can be honest to you lady Almighty,” he said softly, “Man up and choose Jimin, it is obvious how much you are in love with him.” 

You were stunned. He took a berry from your hand and smirked, walking away. “Wait, come back here. What do you mean, I am in love with him?”

“Everyone can see your face light up when you see him and you flirt like all the time.” He shrugged, picking up a small string instrument and sitting on the porch of his home, strumming away.

“I do not flirt like all the time,” you mocked his tone, before trying to defend yourself by further saying, “I don’t even flirt like any of the time, it’s called being friendly.”

“Friends don’t get lost in each other's eyes. I saw you this morning on my walk, you were touching Jimin’s ear and that’s beyond flirting, that’s heavy petting,” he said and you blinked confused.

“I was tucking his hair out of the way so it didn’t get wet, since when has that been heavy petting?” you asked with a laugh, reaching out to Yoongi, “Seriously, I could touch your ears and it would mean nothing.”

“Hey, stop,” he commanded, cheeks bright red. You looked confused and he examined your confused face. “You do understand that an elf’s ears are an erogenous zone, like it is intimate to touch another elf’s ears.”

Heat filled your cheeks. “Oh no, I did that to Jimin, I must have weirded him out. I hope I haven’t touched anyone else’s ears-”

“You would know if you did,” Yoongi said, patting your shoulder, “Look, Jimin likes you too, I think he understands you didn’t mean it like that.”

You wanted nothing more than to apologize to Jimin, but instead, you kept your mouth shut in shame. He let you feed the fish and watched you curiously. “Is something wrong, you seem really quiet today?”

“It’s nothing, I just have just been thinking,” you smiled softly.

“Have I done something wrong?”

“No, if anyone has done something wrong, it is me.” You let everything spill out, “I want to apologize for doing things that might seem really intimate, I didn’t know that's what they meant, I was just trying to be friendly, cause you are my friend.”

“Oh, yeah sure, no I understand, I guess I thought, but nevermind.” He gave you a strange smile, “We are friends, of course. I have to go teach the kids dance this morning, I can see you later though.” 

You nodded, getting up quickly, “Maybe we can have lunch together?”

“Uh, I might be a bit busy,” he said, walking you out the front door and racing off and you just stood there, feeling kind of confused. Was it weird that you had addressed it? You hoped not.

Thinking that maybe you should read up on elf traditions and mannerisms etiquette and more, you headed to the one place that would house all this information.

The Library. 

What a library it was - there were floor to ceiling bookshelves and aisles and the books were all hand written and magnificent. “Good morning, My lady, can i help you find something today?”

“Yes, I want to know more about elves, the traditions, the etiquette, everything?” You hummed, “I mean I just found out yesterday you can’t touch an elf’s ears.” 

The man in front of you blushed and shuffled his feet, when you heard another voice, “Yeah, that’s something you should know.” The figure appeared from behind the bookshelves and smiled. “I mean between his book smarts and my street smarts well, we will have you thinking like an elf in no time.”

The two were indeed smart, Hoseok explained - his father was big on literature, but he often snuck off to Jimin’s dance lessons instead of studying. “The life of a scholar never stops, or whatever my dad says.”

You had finally learnt different holidays and aspects of life as an elf, it was kind of fun and you enjoyed hanging out with the two young elves. They followed you through the town, explaining things and making you laugh. 

“And that is the orphanage.” They gestured to Jimin’s home and you frowned, “It used to be the last leader's home but when they died their son was left orphaned and the house has become known as the orphanage.”

It was like a knife in your chest. You wanted to console Jimin, hold him and tell him he was loved, that his parents would be proud of him. There was nothing left for you on the surface, no one who you cared about or cared about you, but underground you had this connection with everyone you met.

Jimin was definitely avoiding you and you were worried as to why. He left you notes saying the fish had been fed and he was already at dance practice and that he was practicing for the night of the children. Hoseok and Namjoon explained that the night of the children was a feast in honour of when the elvish children that the Almighty had taken were returned safely. It was the anniversary of the reuniting of families. 

Each of the children who had been taken  participated in the celebration and Namjoon was dreading it. You were dressed in a beautiful violet coloured robe and as you walked into the feast just like last time, you were sat at the head of the hall. At a big table, alone. 

The dancers came out, some of the elves looking nervous. Seokjin was sweating, standing oddly with his arms in a twist, but once the music started and they all started dancing their moves telling the story. 

The elves twisted and turned in fabrics of sweet colours, they were swept up by other dances in black and dragged off stage, Jimin among them. When the other elves returned they danced and scattered off the small stage and Jimin walked out, his cream robes slowly falling as he went, revealing a thinner inner robe of black and he danced a solo, expressing his loneliness and sorrow.

You were crying, wiping your eyes with Lady Adora’s silk handkerchief, you watched as all the elves came back onto the stage and bowed. It hurt to see Jimin in pain, it was worse than losing your own family and perhaps Yoongi was right. When you love someone, they become your most important thing and right now, Jimin felt like the only thing you cared about. Without thinking, you spoke up. “I choose Jimin.”

They all seemed shocked, including Jimin who looked like he was about to pass out. You didn’t know whether he was excited or scared. You hoped he wouldn’t hate you for it, you really liked him and it was becoming clear how much he meant to you. 

If he could love you as well, you would be happy. Of course, if he said he didn’t want to be with you or seemed uneasy, then you wouldn’t force him. They all froze and you blushed self consciously, it felt like you had just declared your love for Jimin.

“I mean if you want to, that is?” You flushed, and he bowed looking confused.

“I would be honoured.” His hands were shaking and his face was heating up and you requested that he sit next to you at dinner.

It was odd. Jimin was still distant and you were trying to see him Very early one morning, you got up early and knocked on his door. He answered, seeming tired and he looked at you. “I am here to see my fish.” He nodded, allowing you in and you walked through his house to the backyard where the fish ponds were, watching him race off down the hall. You knelt by the fish pond, feeding them tiny pinches of food. You spoke softly to the fishes, looking for any sort of sign. “Has he said anything to you guys?”

Jimin reemerged dressed and hair brushed, you smiled softly watching him contemplate something internally as he watered the flowers. Tugging lightly on his sleeve and stealing his attention once more. “What is it? You can tell me.”

“I um, wanted to know why you chose me?” He asked softly. You had noticed his habit of running his fingers through his hair a lot, and right now was no exception.

“I chose you because, as I said the other day, you are my friend, Jimin,” you answered honestly and his face fell, “I had taken my time to get to know the other elves, but since I met you we got along and since then have been running into each other often. You are kind and gentle. Out of all of the people in that room, you were the one I considered my dearest friend, and if there was anyone I would want to spend the rest of my life with, it would be you.”

“I thought you said that you didn’t mean to be intimate, you were just being friendly.” He seemed a little bitter about those words. You hadn’t realized that’s how he would interpret them that afternoon.

“Wait, you stopped hanging out with me because of that?” Your mouth fell open.

“You were flirting with me, you kissed my cheek and practically declared your interest in me when you chose me at the flower festival dance and you even came to my house to feed the fish and you touched my ear, what was I supposed to think!” He rampaged. “You then, after leading me to believe that you liked me a lot, told me that it was all a mistake and you wanted to just be friends.”

“No, I meant that I didn’t know the actions were seen as intimate and I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, so I told you I was being friendly at the time,” you huffed, standing in front of him, looking up at him exasperated, “not that I wasn’t falling in love with you. Cause I was falling in love with you and I got scared that my stupid actions would weird you out and drive you away. But then you disappeared, ignoring me and I realized how much I missed you and wanted to be with you for eternity. I realized that your life means more to me than my own. Because I love you so much, it scares me.”

“You love me?” He paused, eyes wide and you nodded, your throat dry, making it unable to speak. He suddenly came forward, cupped your face and kissed you desperately, like he had been waiting an eternity and you clutched his robes, not wanting him to let you go. He pulled back, pressing his forehead to yours, “I know I am not like the other guys, I have no fortune and I am not noble, but I will do everything to serve you and make you happy.”

“The fact that you care so much for me already means I made a good decision.” You smiled. “As long as you want to marry me as well, there is nothing in this world that can stop us.”

“You are going to have to learn how to dance for our wedding.” He grinned cheekily.

“I made you a bouquet, it is tradition. I hope you like them, they remind me of you,” Jimin began, explaining all the flowers and the reasons behind why he chose them. It was so early in the morning, but he had to give you the flowers before you were all dressed up, so it would be a surprise when you walked down the aisle.

“The little white ones mean innocence and purity.” He smiled pointing them out.

“The baby’s breath,” you nodded, waiting for him to continue, eyes scanning the bouquet for any other flowers you recognized. However, when he failed to continue his explanation, you lifted your gaze, suppressing a giggle. “It’s just what we call it, because it’s small and soft like the breath of a baby.”

“Oh, that does make sense,” he hummed and you pointed at the bright yellow Dahlias that highlighted the bouquet and he blushed. “This one represents a commitment shared forever by two persons, like marriage.”

“I love them Jimin. Thank you.” 

Jimin blushed and scurried off with his ears red. You were feeling giddy with excitement. If someone had told you two months ago, while trying to find a place to live, you would get married to a beautiful young man with a heart of gold - well, you would’ve outright laughed in their face. 

The ladies were practically squealing at the encounter between Jimin and yourself, but quickly sent him away as they had to get you ready. After all that he left with the bouquet, but the ladies said they would retrieve it later, once you were completely ready. You were soaked in a warm bath filled with soft flower petals and they began scrubbing you down completely.

“My lady Almighty, can I ask you a question?” You turned to the woman brushing through your hair, it seemed almost comical how many young elvish maidens were helping you get ready. They were all excited and trying to keep you calm, as today was the big day and she was smiling softly. Dressed in a soft sunset pink and each looking stunning. “Why did you choose Jimin? Is it because he is a good dancer?”

“If it were me I would have chosen Jungkook.” Another woman grinned.

“I think it was because he was nice and gentle. I saw him in the marketplace. He was kind and helped one of the other dancers who had fallen. It was very nice of him.” You smiled softly, “And then, he truly is an amazing dancer and he is really beautiful, he seems to be perfect inside and out.”

“We have never really seen him in this light, we apologize,” the woman said, twisting your hair into a beautiful updo, “I guess we were more focused on status and money.”

They helped you into your shoes and led you to the mirror. You gasped and tried to hold back the tears. You were wearing a beautiful white midriff top that had no sleeves and the fabric in the middle had been twisted to give a sweetheart effect. It was lined with a gold lace trimming and matched with what could be likened to the cutest pair of panties which were also white and gold. Then you were wrapped in the white silk with gold trimmings, twisted and tied in a way you had no idea how to create or get out of it. It made you feel ethereal.

The ladies were talking excitedly about how you looked so beautiful and how they couldn’t wait to see you get married. They were all giving you tips and revealing secrets about what elf men liked and disliked. You appreciated the help, never having the opportunity of dating an elf on the surface.

They were telling you about how an elf’s ears were sensitive and ways to use it to your advantage and you were a blushing mess remembering your encounters  with Jimin and the almost encounter with Yoongi. 

They started talking about the prospect of a child and how many you wanted to have, and when you honestly answered about always wanting a big family, maybe four or five at the minimum, they were shocked. 

“So many!” They squealed. “You are a promiscuous little minx!”

You blushed, giggling with the girls. They told you all about traditions and customs and different aspects of their little world. They were happy about being enclosed underground and part of you could agree, they were safe and protected from the harsh world and all the cruel people who lived in it. 

Like the drunk driver who killed your parents, leaving you orphaned and homeless overnight. Like the people who you thought were your friends, but eventually faded away making excuses to drive you away as it was embarrassing to hang out with someone who was homeless.

No, here everyone was part of a community.They worked together and you never wanted to leave. Not because they treated you so highly. No, it was much simpler than that, because they treated everyone with such kindness.

There was a knock at the door and the ladies all left quickly. You wondered who it was now, heart beating rapidly in your chest at the thought of the ceremony starting soon, taking deep breaths, trying not to think of the people that would watch you walk down the aisle or say your vows. Trying not to think about the possibility of Jimin saying no and you being forced to leave this beautiful paradise.

Shutting out all the thoughts you concentrated on Jimin’s declaration, “He wanted to make you happy.” Someone called your name and turning, you were met by two men, human men dressed in black business suits. “Come with us.” They grabbed you by the upper arms and began escorting you from the room and outside towards the elevator.

You were being forced to leave. Jimin smiled bashfully, you were a vision of beauty and felt his breathing hitch, stolen from him by your very being. “I am sorry, I forgot to give you the flowers…” It was then that he noticed you were being dragged away and he felt his heart break. Had he angered the Almighty, you were being taken from him. No, you couldn’t leave, you were supposed to be here for the rest of your life, happily married, but here you were, being ripped from his life. 

“Wait for me,” you pleaded as the doors to the elevator closed. It was a long journey back to the surface and you tried to keep your cool. Hoping you could return, it wouldn’t do to cry and ruin your makeup, it was your wedding day. Hopefully it could still be your wedding day. Crap. Now you really were crying.

No one seemed to understand that you didn’t want to leave. They were all apologizing that you had to go down there and you were feeling more and more annoyed as time passed by. You shuffled your bare feet, they felt cold against the linoleum flooring. They offered to get you some slippers, but you refused.

“You have to sign the non-disclosure agreement and then you are free to leave, but never speak of it to anyone,” the man said, gesturing to the paper. “Look, we will even give you all the  money you want, buy you a small home and give you anything you wish for. Just sign the paper.”

“I don’t want to leave, let me go back,” you pleaded. The man looked shocked, but that was it. You had thought they would finally let you leave, but it was after another thirty more minutes of questionnaire that they considered allowing you to go back down, and thirty more minutes for them to agree to it being permanently. 

“Alright, you can go back down, but we will revisit this case with the higher ups and they will make the final decision.” They sighed.

You were free to return. 

There was no escort, you headed back down alone. You looked at the mirror, everything was still as it was, not a hair out of place and you were glad the elves preferred soft and subtle makeup. That way, eyeliner and mascara weren’t really included - otherwise your face would have been streaked and stained with dark streaks.  

Once you reached the underground, you rushed out of the elevator; it was raining, a cold artificial rain, you running through the streets, still wearing your white dress as you called his name. Everyone poked their heads out to see what was going on. 

You frantically searched for Jimin, looking for any sign of him. Ripping off your shoes in the process as they had gotten stuck in the mud. Hope was dwindling - where could he be? - as the last resort was the wedding venue, and you ran to the courtyard out the front of the palace. 

There were empty seats with ribbons of white and gold, the aisle was long and you raced down, the petals sticking to the bottom of your bare feet. There he was. Waiting at the altar alone, a bouquet of white and gold, waiting patiently as you had asked of him. 

You ran to him, grabbing him by the collar without a second to hesitate and pulling him into you for a searing kiss. Or two. Or three. Apologising between kisses for having to leave.

“I am here and I love you. Let’s get married.” You grinned as he smiled. Lady Adora ran out into the rain, soon followed by more elves, each getting soaked. The two of you exchanged rings and he took your hand into his, saying his vows and you said yours. Lady Adora announced you married and guided you both out of the rain into the palace where a feast had been prepared. You were bathed and redressed into another outfit as you had been all muddy.

This had given who? time to cook and decorate, and when you stepped out again, Jimin was immediately by your side. He didn’t hesitate to pull you into his arms and led you in a sweet dance. It seemed for his own benefit that he kept you close like he was consoling himself from the idea of losing you.

After a feast and dancing, Jimin took your hand and escorted you from the palace ballroom and to a room. He explained that Lady Adora had prepared it for the two of you to share for as long as you wished. He unlocked the door and pushed it open to reveal a beautiful room, even more glamorous than the one you had previously stayed in. With soft white rugs and romantic flower petals strewn across the floor and fresh fruits and soft looking blankets. It all looked so warm and cozy.

But now you were hit with nerves, growing shy. You looked up at Jimin in all his beauty, “I um, don’t know how to undo this dress, they tied the fabric and I-” Jimin slowly stepped forward, watching your reaction. It was like your heart was going to explode out of your chest with how heavy it was beating. Your breathing was so shallow that when his hand cupped your cheek you felt your head spin. 

“You look so beautiful.” His hand gently took the fabric and undid the ties. You caught the dress right as it was about to fall off and blushed. Your hands were shaking with a mix of anticipation and nerves.

“Are you going to undress as well?” Jimin blushed and started undoing his own attire. He walked you to the bed, all the while you clutched the fabric of your dress. He gently placed his hands on yours and let out a soft chuckle. He undressed you from the fabric and looked at the sweet undergarments you adorned.

Releasing a shaky breath, he smiled up at you. “You are beautiful and I am nervous.”

“I am shaking, I am so scared.” You giggled “I am scared that you will realize that you don’t want me and leave.”

“I could never leave you. I want you. Trust me.” He took your hand, placing it against his bare chest and you could feel his heart beating just as fast as yours. “I love you and this heart is now yours to keep.”

The first kiss was intense, full of passion and fire and you buried your hands in his hair playfully, brushing your thumbs across the tips of his ears.

If you thought taking off the dress was difficult, then putting it on in the morning was an even bigger struggle. You ended up having to ask for Jimin’s help. He blushed at your request, making you laugh. For he was now your husband and you had just woken up after your wedding night. But it was redressing that felt more intimate to you both.

You were embarrassed, the whole community was present in the palace hall for a celebratory breakfast. It seemed Lady Adora was ashamed that the plans for the wedding ceremony had fallen through. They showered you with gifts and the food was beautifully presented. Each family bowed and presented you with their offerings and well wishes. 

You spent most of the morning proceedings, fiddling with the ring on your hand, it was so shiny and delicate. With two entwining silver bands that in the right light reflected a barely there iridescent green the bands were shaped to look like ivy wrapping around a beautiful round yellow tourmaline.

It looked like a beautiful flower atop vines, and you were in love, there hadn’t really been time to admire the ring in the rain, but now you couldn’t stop looking at it, getting lost in the colours. Jimin’s hand gently laid atop yours, bringing you back to the present. It seemed the people were waiting for you. Jimin repeated the question quietly to you under his breath. “They are asking if you would like to stay in the palace or if you would like them to build you a more elaborate home.” Gently pressing his lips to your jawline, you nodded, pretending to be contemplating the question and not daydreaming. 

Jimin let out a bit of a giggle when he heard you hum. “Everything has been wonderful, and I would rather live in the palace amongst everyone, it is a piece of history.”

Lady Adora seemed pleased by this response and announced they would clean and refurbish the best room for you. The day was filled with choosing different fabrics and furniture styles, Jimin liked the more natural and floral themed items, especially the golden dahlias. As the room came together, it became the flower of the palace, the garden beds in the town square all filled with golden dahlias.

Custom clothes had been made for Jimin and yourself, pale gold robes embroidered by the dahlia. You thought the elves would get sick of the novelty, but they loved it as much as you did, the flower held such a wonderful meaning to you. 

The elves spent their days playing music, dancing and making sculptures or other art, they told stories and practiced using their special energies. You enjoyed watching Jimin practice healing, seldom bored as he practiced shirtless. He caught you staring most of the time and puffed out his chest proudly and you thought he’d started to do it purposefully. 

Jimin taught you how to meditate - it felt kind of silly at first but soon you grew to like it, just sitting in the room alone with your thoughts. It gave you time to process all your uncertainties and even encouraged you to talk about them to Jimin. 

You told him how you’d lost your parents, opening up about your life and he smiled, kissing your temple, telling you everything happens for a reason, that you were brought to him for a reason. He told you that he, too, had lost his parents and that fate must have chosen you both considering your past, so you could heal together. It was a lovely sentiment and you started to believe it. There were so many aspects of your situation that were crazy and unbelievable, from an underground city to elves, magic and marriage. If ever there was a time to think about fate it was now.

It had been the best few months of your life and if you could go back and do it all again you wouldn’t change a thing. Jimin woke you with kisses pressed to your shoulder blade, making you giggle. 

“Morning.” He smiled, you turned to him, admiring his beautiful features in the glow of the fake sun.

“What are your plans for today, my love?” You brushed some of the tendrils of hair from his face; he braided his hair for sleeping, but every morning there were always some pieces that fell out.

“Well, I thought we could go for a walk, perhaps have a picnic and if it’s not too late, we can swim at the waterfall,” he grinned before sitting up and wrapping himself in his robes, “If it’s too late, well, then we will have to swim at the waterfall now, won’t we?”

“So either way we are swimming at the waterfall?” you scoffed, standing up and dressing for the day, and he helped you tie the robe as he smiled cheekily.

“No, if it’s too late, we can’t swim at the waterfall. We will have to swim at the waterfall.” He stressed the words differently the second time and you raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he is implying.

“Enlighten me on the difference?” You watched his grin stretch wider, clearly you had played into his hand.

“Well the difference my dear, would be the dress code.” He slinked off elegantly across the room, gathering the hair brush, ready to style his hair for the day. You looked after him, mouth hanging open, about to call him out on his daring nature when the door burst open, revealing Taehyung looking nervous.

“The Almighty, they are here and they are asking for Y/n.” You felt sick. Why were they here and asking for you? Why were they ruining this?

“What do they want?” Jimin urged Taehyung, sounding a little hostile. You took Jimin's arm, gently squeezing his bicep, trying to calm and reassure him.

“Everything is fine, let me talk to them,” you said as you smiled, kissing his cheek and heading out of the palace out of the courtyard. You were escorted out of the town by Taehyung and up the small hill towards the elevator. They were waiting for you, you growing nervous as you turned to Taehyung. “I want to speak with them alone, if something goes wrong I won’t let you get hurt. Tell Jimin, if I don’t return, to go to the waterfall.”

“Y/n?” Taehyung spoke worriedly and you smiled, waving him off. He reluctantly left you to speak with the men in suits.

“Hello Gentleman, what can I do for you?” You smiled.

“We spoke with the higher ups, they don’t want humans down here.” The man said. “I am sorry, I am going to have to take you back up, you can’t stay down here.”

You nodded. “Okay,” you gestured to the elevator and when they turned to it, you ran into the forest, hoping for shelter in the dense trees. However, from the loud gunshots and the stabbing heat in your side, you weren’t quick enough. You tried to keep running, you just had to make it to the waterfall. Jumping off the cliff and landing in the water, you felt the pain radiate through you at the impact, and you took a deep breath and swam under the water into the tunnel to the cave.

Once inside, you dragged your form out of the water and laid on the smooth rock, waiting for help. You grew cold as the night fell and you were losing hope. You held on as long as you could, but eventually, you fell unconscious.

The cold was replaced with warmth, a pleasant heat that took away the pain. You felt it fill you until you felt like you were in a little incubator. You felt tingling sensations in your chest, stomach, head, eyes, ears, everything felt like you were floating.

When you woke, you were still in the cave and Jimin was sitting there, his hands outstretched and glowing over your stomach. His chest was shaking and even though his eyes were closed you saw the tears dripping, and heard his sniffles. You reached out, surprised that you didn’t feel pain, and sitting up, you saw your wound had healed.

“Jimin,” you called, and he blinked, looking at you relieved, lunging for you to give you kisses, his hands buried in your hair. His thumb brushed affectionately by your ear and you pulled back surprised. There was this feeling in your chest and stomach, a fluttering sensation just from him brushing your ear. “What is it?”

“Well, I um, I haven’t ever healed a human before, my power heals injured elves to the optimum elvish form. And well, it healed your body to the ultimate elvish form,” he said slowly and you shivered, the feeling still tingling from touching your ear. “I am sorry.”

“Wait, so I am an elf?” you asked, examining his expression for any form of jest or lie, but there was none; he was serious. You tried to process it further: what did this mean, being an elf? “So I am an elf?”

He nodded, you were so shocked you couldn’t formulate your thoughts and feelings into any further actual questions. “Your body is now elf.”

“So I have pointed ears,” you tried to address the obvious and then you asked the question you were most scared about, “will I age differently?”

“You will live the life span of an elf, so several thousands of years, your body will act like an elf, grow habits like an elf,” he bowed his head lower, “I am so sorry, you are no longer an Almighty.”

“Don’t be sorry, this way we can live out our lives together at the same pace.” You kissed him, rubbing your nose to his affectionately, “I am sure I can learn everything as we go. The most important question is; do you still love me even though I am not special?”

“Not special? You will always be special to me, and honestly your features have been enhanced by the transformation, but not altered. You are still an exotic beauty,” he smiled cheekily. “You could look like a troll and I would still love you.”

“Thank you,” you smiled and the two of you swam from the cave and emerged from the water. It was night time. You took Jimin's hand in yours as you headed for the town. The men were waiting and they raised their guns at you. 

“You cannot stay here, it is time to leave,” the man commanded.

“I can’t leave, I am an elf now,” you raised an eyebrow, “they will notice my differences in aging.”

“We have orders, and if you do not come willingly, we will shoot you.” You didn’t and you froze in pain; amongst the pain, you felt your skin crawl oddly and the muscles contract until you felt something pushing out of your skin. 

It was a painful process, but you were healing yourself and you looked at Jimin who looked worried. 

“I’m not leaving, so you can pack up and get out of here.” You grinned and they nodded, leaving with a warning. 

It was an empty threat as you were never bothered again. With Jimin eternity seemed easy, and you couldn’t wait for the years awaiting you. Falling in love was a fairtrade to never seeing the daylight again.

If you enjoyed this story don’t forget to Like | Reblog so others can enjoy it too.

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 84

Eventually realizing that Coulson ignoring your calls meant he was too busy to get back to you, you had to resort to other methods of finding a SHIELD employed therapist to snatch up. ...assuming there was one. But there had to be. Or you hoped there was, otherwise all this time delaying waiting for Coulson had just been a waste. Fury was out, of course. Preferring not to speak to Nick unless absolutely necessary. That was the way your relationship with him worked best. You were sure he’d agree. You were also sure he wouldn’t totally approve of you trying to steal someone under his employ. 

It was one of the first afternoons in April that you found Nat and Clint sitting at the Avenger’s Mess-hall kitchen table, eating sandwiches, talking and laughing amongst themselves, that you decided it was time to stop waiting and time to start making moves. And, you also decided, in the effort of not wasting any more time… 

“Hey, does SHIELD have therapists?” Asked as you pulled up a chair. Getting right to the point. 

They both looked at each other and then back at you. Nat arched her brow. “I don’t know if we’d call them therapists by… regular standards. What we have are more… field evaluation mediators.” 

Tipping your head, “Meaning?” 

Clint slung an arm over the back of his chair. “Meaning they’re the people in between you and going back to work, once you get off a particularly…” Hanging on the end of the word as he thought. 

Nat helped, “Messy mission. You know. Lots of people put in the ground. That sort of thing. After that, before your next mission, you have to sit down with one of those people to evaluate your mental state.” 

“They’re the worst.” Clearly Clint was not a fan. “Why do you want to know, anyway?” 

“I’m trying to get a therapist for the Avengers.” And at that, Nat and Clint shared a side-eye with one another before making an effort not to burst out into laughter. But there was laughter. “I’m serious!” Feeling frustrated. And perhaps embarrassed. “I don’t think I can just get someone off the street for the shit we’ve been through- even if you guys don’t like the idea- I would like one. And I think some of us would benefit from having someone qualified to talk to, too.” Taking one for the team, practicing what you were trying to preach. So on and so forth. Hoping if you came out and just said it, everyone else would feel more confident about it. 

Clint took a bite of his sandwich, shaking his head. Mouth half full, “You mean Tony. Right?” 

“I mean all of us.” Immediately not okay with the idea of them piling on him. Sure… even he had said it himself a while back. He was a piping hot mess. But so was everyone else. You were sure of it. “Aliens came to New York. I don’t know about you guys, but that’s not normal. And I’d like to start trying to unpack all of it.”

“What’s there to unpack?” Clint seemed hard pressed to give in to this idea. 

“Something beyond our understanding tried to take over earth. And there’s probably more where that came from. There were- I don’t fucking know- armored space whales and tech I’ve never seen before- and we killed like- a lot of them without thinking about it- and I’d like to talk to someone about it.” It all sort of just came out of you, as you assumed it might. 

“You’re talking right now. Don’t you feel better already?” Clint, grinning at you. 

Nat put a hand on his arm, silencing him. Perhaps sensing his humor wasn’t going to help the situation. “I think I know someone. You want me to set up a meeting?” 

“Yes. Thank you.” 

                                                       ----

Deja, the therapist’s name was. “Vu, I assume.” Tony had said the night previous, while the two of you lingered around the edge’s of sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. Making jokes to ease his own discomfort. He’d promised he’d see a therapist. Now you had one- provided everything went okay. So… he had to go. 

“Linit, actually.” You’d corrected him, and tried to soothe him. You guessed it was normal to be nervous. You were sort of nervous too. But this was good… right? 

Of course you’d prepared just about a mountain of paperwork for her to get through, and secured her her own private office- just in case this was a permanent thing. Maybe it would be. Maybe it wouldn’t. But before you could even get down to making sure she was a good fit, she had just about a hundred NDAs to sign. Because maybe this was foolish. Maybe superheroes were just meant to suffer.

Because trusting a stranger to listen to all their problems, all their secrets… that was foolish, wasn’t it? What if she decided an NDA and whatever salary you were going to pay her wasn’t enough? What if she went to the press? Wrote a book? Exposed every little thing you or any of the other Avengers told her in confidence? How could you be so sure that she wouldn’t? Even if she was legally not allowed to do that… had that stopped people before? 

But Nat had recommended her- and wasn’t this the reason you’d went with a SHIELD employee? To assuage these fears? So with all that in mind- and all the paperwork signed in triplicate… 

You tried to ignore everyone else hovering about nervously as you sat down in her office- door open. This wasn’t a session. It was more an introduction. You just weren’t in the right state of mind to make a good impression, unfortunately. Where you perhaps should have handled this with more care, your Stark Industries business sense was driving your motion. Your thoughts. 

“Thanks for agreeing to meet- and signing all those papers. Let me just start off by asking what you hope to get out of this?” Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. You were not welcoming her into your proverbial home. You were probably going to scare her away. But, at the same time, she wasn’t the last resort. And maybe she wasn’t a good fit. You couldn’t let yourself just get comfortable yet. 

She seemed to take it in stride, smiling. “The same thing as you, hopefully. But let me be frank, and just between us… I’m happy to get picked up from SHIELD. I went there thinking I was going to make a difference. But signing off on soldiers’ mental states just so they can go back out into the field… that’s not why I wanted to become a psychologist.” 

Was she being too open? Divulging too much to lull you into a false sense of security? Saying exactly what you wanted to hear so that you’d give in and tell her all your secrets? 

Or perhaps you were being too paranoid. And perhaps she was just trying to be frank, honest, and open about her desires. What had led her here, to you. Genuinely happy for a turn of events. ....hard to say which was the truth. Or was it? 

Maybe this was the perfect time to utilize a little sense. So you focused in on her. Just a little. Was she being honest? ...sure seemed like it… sure… felt like it… but maybe this, too, was an act. After all, even if Tony had obliterated your files with SHIELD, surely they had rebuilt them by now. Had them hidden on some secret server. Maybe she knew all about you, and knew just what to do to try and fool you-

“You seem hesitant.” Said after a lengthy pause of your own. Too in your head. “I understand the process of finding the right person for a position this… delicate must be challenging.” 

“Delicate is putting it mildly. I’m sure you’ve seen the news, and considering your employer, you know who you’d potentially be dealing with. Let me just ask, do you think you could help them?” Them including you of course, but that didn’t need to be said right now. Just trying to be the intermediary for your team. You wanted the best for them… 

“That’s a loaded question. I could smile at you and say yes, sign more paperwork and take a check. Come in every week and listen and try my best- but it isn’t that simple. And… I suspect you understand that. Every person is going to approach my services differently. Let’s start here- what do you want out of therapy?” 

What you wanted? -or, simpler put, what was the point of this? Why, everyone else aside, were you trying to hire someone to help you? What kind of help did you want? What did you want to accomplish? 

Fanning your hands out over your pants, you realized you were fidgeting. Just a little. Was it your anxiety you wanted to work on? Your jumbled thoughts? Your… “I need someone to help me process all of this. I… need help unpacking all of it. My life wasn’t like this, even just six years ago. And I need help… adjusting.” Everything had happened in so short a time. Tony had gotten kidnapped. Tony had come back. You’d fallen helplessly in love. People kept trying to kill one or the both of you. The world had changed. There were superheroes and aliens and gods. 

How was a person supposed to deal with all of that? 

Deja went quiet for a moment a little too long- long enough to make you uncomfortable, in your vulnerability. She put her hands together. Her smile was delicate. “Therapy isn’t a one-and-done. I can sit here. And I can listen. And I can try to help you put things in order, to prioritize, to make sense. But part of the work is on you, too. Do you think you’re ready?” 

Ready? Ready for what? To make changes? To unpack? Unload? Try and make sense of it all? “I’ll get less ready to more I keep putting it off- and- I want to emphasize. This isn’t just about me.” 

“I understand that. But you can’t force them to sit here and try and help themselves any more than I can. If they want to sit down, I’ll focus on them when they’re ready. But while I’m speaking to you, I want to get a sense of what we can accomplish together.” 

“Are you scared of any of them?” You had no idea why that had come out of you so suddenly. Maybe in an attempt to cover up your own insecurities while she was reading you so openly and trying to get you to commit to plans. You were dodging her. 

Such a good sign that you needed help, right? 

“Are you?” She looked over you, casting a serious glance over the rim of her glasses. 

“No.” But you worked with them. Knew them intimately. Loved them. They were part of your family now. 

“Then why ask me?” Calling you out. 

“This job will no doubt be tougher than the ones you did for SHIELD, regardless of if you liked those ones or not. I’m just… trying to get a sense of things.” Sort of lying, but sort of not. 

“I’m not afraid of a challenge. ...Banner makes me a little nervous. If you want my honesty. But clearly he has a handle on… everything. I think I’ll be fine.” Her blunt honesty made you feel a little better, somehow. “And, listen… I’m no stranger to my clients being distrustful. I think it tends to go hand in hand with the locales. But this can’t work unless you do trust me, and decide you can be open with me. I’m willing to come as long as it takes until you get there. As long as you think you will. Eventually.” 

You understood what she was saying. Trying to impart that she didn’t want this to be a waste of her time any more than you wanted to waste yours. Were you willing to put in the work? Were you willing to let your guard down? Were you willing to be open and honest? ...that was the whole point of this, right? What were you looking for therapists for the Avengers in the first place, if not for all that? But maybe it had been easier just trying to do the scouting and not… thinking about what it all actually meant, had it ever come together. 

“What I know is…” You took a deep breath. Deciding… deciding it was time, now, to start trying. “I haven’t been doing well. I’m not a complete mess, I can go about my life. I can work. I can get things done. But a few months ago, I was having meltdowns of slightly epic proportions. I can’t continue to live like that.” Not just for you, but for the consequences it unearthed for the innocent people around you. “And I just have the feeling that my life is going to get harder, the longer we- ...the longer the Avengers are a thing.” 

Her eyes drifted low, seemingly in thought. Her hands folded together again, and she sat back. “Do you envision a time when the Avengers aren’t a thing?” 

“I don’t know. It seems impossible right now. Like we might be doing this forever. Because threats don’t just disappear.” 

“Do you want to do it forever?” 

The question stopped you cold. You’d been thinking about this, a little frantically and disjointedly, a few separate times. Was this your life forever now? Was there a future outside of this? What about you and Tony? What sort of future could you have as a couple if crazy world-ending shit was happening all the time? Or kidnappings and attempted murder? 

“No.” 

The answer hurt you. Surprised you, too. But it was honest. 

“Not forever.” 

“But you don’t think you can stop?” 

Your anxiety spiked, a cold tightness in your chest. Flight response pushed at the corners of your brain. You didn’t want to be with the Avengers forever. That was out there now. Out there in the world. “Hey- this seems like a session- I think we’d better finish up your paperwork and get you on payroll- make it official.” You were on your feet. Knowing how obvious this all was, to someone like her. Hell. Anyone. You weren’t being terribly secretive right now. 

 “Is this official?” She let you get away with it anyway, smiling up your way. 

“I think we can move forward. We can’t tell if it’s not a good fit until we work with each other a little more- and- them too- don’t forget.” 

“I’m not forgetting.” She stood, offering her hand out. “It’s been a pleasure. When can I look forward to sitting down with you again?” 

You gave her hand a firm shake. “How about next week. Monday work for you?” 

Her laugh surprised you. “Technically I work for you now, once I sign my name on a few more dotted-lines. What’s best for your schedule?” 

“Monday evening.” That was a lie. Nothing was ever going to be good for your schedule. But you’d push things around to make an attempt at making this a regular thing. You had to. For your own sake. “I’ll try to push a few of the others your way, too.” 

“Not too hard. I don’t want them to reject the idea of this outright. It won’t help anyone.” 

Nodding, “Understood. I’ll send Pepper in here to help you get set up. You like the office?” 

“It’s very nice. Thank you.” 

“Good.” 

Great. Wonderful. Fantastic. 

                                                         ----

Because everyone seemed to be avoiding you, for no reason at all, you and Tony opted for a quiet dinner at the penthouse. While you’d ordered in, you still unboxed everything and plated it. Dinner was eaten in the living room in front of a TV neither of you was really listening to. In fact, Tony had been talking about something. Research in the lab- suits- you were listening. Honest. But… it wasn’t all sticking. You were still thinking about what Deja had said. More importantly, what you had said. And after dinner was over, you followed him into the kitchen. Leaning your elbows onto the counter in a slow slide, you put your chin in your upturned palms, watching him as he washed the dishes. Just as he got to drying the last plate, you couldn’t hold it in anymore. 

“Do you think we’ll be part of the Avengers forever?” 

He lowered the plate, looking up for a moment, then grinned lightly, shaking his head. “You spoke to her like what- twenty minutes? She that good?” 

“I think I like her.” Honestly you weren’t actually sure yet. But she seemed honest. And nice. And willing to work hard. And try and help. What more could you ask for? “But… it wasn’t really a session.” 

“Yet here you are after not listening to anything I said this evening, thinking about our future with the superfriends.” 

“I listened.” Protesting. But you sensed he didn’t believe you. ...he was right. “I just… what’s the point we’re working towards? Are we going to be on-call for the rest of our lives? Or are we… are we going to reach a point where we don’t have to worry anymore?” 

He set the plate down in the drying rack, slinging the dish towel over his shoulder. Going to you as you stood and then sat back atop the counter, his hands cradled your hips. “If you’re looking to me for guidance on this… I don’t have any right now. I’ve been thinking about this, too. And I don’t know.” You appreciated his honesty, even if it was blunt and put an unease in your heart. You would rather that  than him lying. “Do I want to live in a world where eventually we finish and get to go home? Of course I do. ...do we live in that world?” 

Your eyes left his. Feeling almost guilty. Because it seemed obvious. How could you? How could evil ever just be gone from the world? Not even the small threats that didn’t concern a team like the Avengers. But the bigger ones. How could you believe they’d just one day be gone forever? 

You couldn’t. “No.” Feeling a forlorn sense of sorrow over this realization. 

Reaching one hand up, he tipped your chin, angling your eyes back towards his. “I love you.” Despite the grimness of the situation, this, as always, got a small smile out of you. Made you feel better. “Do we live in that world right now? No. I don’t think so. But that doesn’t mean we won’t ever.” 

“That’s pretty optimistic, for you.” Sliding your hands up his chest, you beckoned him closer. Eventually wrapping your arms around him, resting your head on his shoulder. 

He gave you a squeeze, his head laying atop yours. “Realism is more my thing. You’re saying it’s not realistic to think we could achieve a… balance?” 

“I don’t know.” Mumbling into his shirt. “I hope so.” 

“I can work with hope.”

[clansayeed]

Bound by Destiny ― Chapter 4: The Decision

PAIRING: Kamilah Sayeed x MC (Nadya Al Jamil) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Destiny ⥽

Nadya Al Jamil (MC) has been struggling from the day she moved to Manhattan, but her new job as assistant to the mysterious CEO of Raines Corp was supposed to turn her luck around. Until she finds herself caught in the middle of a war involving the Council of Vampires who secretly run the city. An evil from the birth of Vampire-kind stirs beneath, feeding on the conflict, and finds Nadya bound to a destiny she never asked for.

Bound by Destiny and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the Bloodbound series and spin-off, Nightbound. Find out more [HERE].

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

There is a lot of information forced at Nadya all at once, but she finds expensive wine helps her cope better than usual. Oh, also, Adrian is a vampire.

[READ IT ON AO3]

Because it takes forever for the wine to pour into the glass — okay not really forever but longer than instantaneous, which is what she needs right now — Nadya decides to save herself the grief and lets her mouth catch it instead.

It’s not a good wine. Well, it’s actually some expensive, twenty-something year old vintage from some remote place in Italy, which is probably the definition of good wine. But it’s a dry white and she’s always preferred her alcohol to be on the fruity side. Dry wine just makes her feel like an alcoholic jonesing for anything that will do. Even if it tastes like butt going down.

But of course the moment the bottle is empty she wishes it wasn’t. Gross or not, having alcohol is a lot better than not having alcohol.

She scans the wall until her eyes land on the speaker comm. near the door.

“If you need anything, anything at all, just buzz okay? The staff are pretty good at meeting needs.” Adrian’s voice echoes in her head, throws itself around every corner of her skull and it reverberates like ripples on a pond.

“My meeting won’t take long. It’s just… there are protocols for things like this. I’d rather stay here and make sure you’re all right, please believe that. But I might probably be the last person you want to look at right now. So… if you need me, just say my name on the comm. It’ll go right to me.”

He left his jacket on the coffee table. Nadya plucks her feet up from the plush rug and tucks her knees against her chest. Like the wool might bite if she gets too close.

No, not the wool. The vampire who owns it.

She wants to call Lily. Lily’s voice might make everything okay — or at least a little more okay than the very-not-okay she is right now. But none of her things — her coat, gloves, hat, phone, wallet — are in the lush apartment. It’s almost kind of a good thing, after she thinks it over. Keeps her from making any stupid choices.

The sun’s over the man-made horizon of skyscrapers by the time the elevator door signals an arrival. Nadya’s watched the entire morning, transfixed, as the room gets lighter. Lighter, but not too light. Her eyes should burn staring at the star for too long but whatever dark film coats the windows keeps her safe.

Safe. Ha.

Each footfall on the marble floor is pointed; purposeful. Measured steps that demand to be heard. He doesn’t want to scare her; doesn’t want to sneak up on her. That’s her Adrian — always considerate, always going above and beyond.

Only it isn’t her Adrian, is it? It’s Adrian; but not a version of him that she knows. Makes her wonder how much of everything has been a lie.

Does she even know the real Adrian Raines at all?

“I brought you some coffee and a bagel from the cart downstairs.” She’s never thought of Adrian as a man parallel to the word uncertain but he sure sounds that way. Doesn’t mean she wants to look at him, though.

“I thought it best to call you in sick today,” he continues, “give you time to… you know. Process everything.”

She wants to thank him. She can’t — doesn’t stop from huddling in on herself in the chair pointed outward towards the world beyond. It was always big, she knew that. But now it just feels… well, it feels big, still, and now inside-out.

Finally — Nadya doesn’t know how much time has passed but Adrian stood there, behind her, the whole time — Adrian clears his throat and starts to retreat from the room.

“I’ll come back tonight. See how you’re doing. Please try and eat something?”

He’s giving her space but somehow it’s… infuriating. She doesn’t want space. She wants ignorance; blissful ignorance.

The elevator opens. Nadya’s voice feels foreign in her own ears.

“Make sure Lily knows I’m okay?”

Her voice can’t be more than a whisper but Adrian hears it across the apartment. She doesn’t even question it — just another one of the things about him she didn’t know.

“Will do.”

“And don’t… don’t tell her.”

“I won’t, Nadya.”

She hesitates; doesn’t speak until she’s sure the doors have closed and Adrian’s on his way up (down?) to his office.

“Thanks.”

As promised Adrian returns that night. There’s a few bites out of the bagel but the coffee remains cold and untouched. He glances in the kitchenette and sighs at the four empty bottles placed in a neat little row on the countertop. One dry white — three sweet reds.

With her generous amount of free-time Nadya’s spent most of the day thinking about similarly shocking events in her life; something that might have any possible weight like this. There was finding out she was adopted — pretty earth-shattering but it didn’t change her relationship with her mom. Then there was walking in on her boyfriend of two years with a girl she remembered once partnering up with in their biology 101 — that, too made it feel like her life was ending but she got over it.

Naturally she’s come to the conclusion that no; nothing will ever compare to nearly being torn to pieces by a creature from a Stephen King novel one minute and being rescued by her boss the next. And then finding out that said boss was actually a vampire.

“Are you just gonna lean against the wall all night?”

Adrian masks his surprise well when Nadya looks up his way. She tucks her legs underneath herself on the sofa and gestures to the empty cushion beside her with a nod.

“You — really, you’re sure?”

Sometimes he’s so stupid that it makes her head hurt. Was that a thing; did you become immortal at the sacrifice of your common sense? It would fit a lot of pieces into the proverbial puzzle.

“You wouldn’t have come up here if you didn’t hope I’d wanna talk about it, so…” Another gesture. This time Adrian sits. He’s stiff, postured. Nadya tries to remember if he was always like that or if he feels like he no longer has to pretend.

There’s nothing but tense silence and the repeated drumming of Adrian’s fingertips on his pants. Then he stands — fast, but not inhumanly so, still makes her jump — and makes his way to the kitchenette while muttering to himself.

“We should get you some water. That much alcohol — you shouldn’t be intoxicated for a conversation like this. Have you eaten anything else? You need something in your stomach. Toast, maybe…”

When it’s apparent he’s not returning Nadya joins him. Takes a few hesitant steps on jelly-filled legs and curls her toes at the cold tile beyond the rug but eventually makes her way to the bartop seats where he pulls open a linen curtain to reveal themselves to one another.

He doesn’t miss the hurt in her eyes. She doesn’t miss the regret in his. It’s one of those moments film critics would call ‘sexually charged’ but in reality is anything but.

“‘M not drunk,” she says; not unlike every person unaccustomed to copious drinking ever, “see?”

Adrian stops with two slices of bread between his fingers. “What am I supposed to be ‘seeing,’ exactly?”

Her nose scrunches up in a small frown. “I’m balancing on one foot.”

“Sure you are.” He makes sure she is steadfastly attached to her stool and resumes his goal.

Yes, her head is swimming in a sweet-red sea, but who wouldn’t need something to take the edge off when faced with learning the reality you thought you knew wasn’t actually reality, but a fake reality, and a real reality existed and was much, much worse?

“Don’t think of it so much as a fake reality,” Adrian replies, “as… a curtain in the world. And we keep the bad things behind the curtain as best we can.”

Did she say that out loud?

A plate of dry toast cut in triangle-halves slides in front of her. “Yes, you did.”

He waits until she’s midway through the second slice to speak again.

“This isn’t how I wanted you to find out Nadya — please believe that. I… if I had my way you wouldn’t have found out at all. I went to great lengths to keep you very far from anything so much as tangentially associated with… my other work.”

The toast scratches her throat as Nadya swallows.

“You wanted to keep me in the dark.”

“Yes; for your own safety.”

“An’… And last night? Wasn’t so safe then, was I?”

There’s accusation in the slur of her words and it makes Adrian recoil. She wants to apologize out of habit and forces more toast into her mouth to avoid it.

Finally, Adrian nods. “You’re not wrong.”

There are so many questions — too many, it feels like — and not enough time for Adrian to answer them all. Like she’ll grow old, wither, and die before everything makes sense. Why couldn’t it ever be as easy as it was in the movies? Why was this such an impossible thing to accept?

When Nadya finishes her toast Adrian takes the plate and gives it a rinse in the sink; leaves it on a drying rack overhead. It’s the most domesticity she’s ever seen out of him.

“D’you live here?”

He doesn’t break stride to answer — coaxes Nadya out of her stool, waits until she can stand without swaying in a nonexistent breeze, and brings her back to sit in the main room. “No, well — it’s mine but I only use it if I leave work too late. Or if there’s a guest in need of it.”

“Too la—oh.” Nadya answers her own question without help. Curls back up on ‘her’ side of the couch and brings a rough-hewn decorative pillow to her chest. “The sun.”

When the air around them has grown more liquid, when their usual familiarity permeates the space despite Nadya’s attempts to keep that well and tight to her chest, Adrian turns slightly towards her. Gives her his full attention and stops pretending otherwise. His arm thrown over the back of the couch, one leg propped on his knee; they could be talking about the weather for how relaxed he is. It frustrates Nadya to no end.

“If you don’t have a place to start…”

“I don’t.”

“Okay,” he nods resolutely, “then I’ll go. My name is Adrian Raines. I was born in 1753. I’ve been a vampire for over two hundred years.”

It doesn’t make everything okay. Everything is very not okay. But hearing his confession doesn’t hurt. Actually, Nadya finds herself relaxing slightly. He’s brushing the lies aside.

“I’m a member of what we call the Council; six vampires — leaders in our fields, I guess you could say — that make and enforce the rules of our kind here in New York. Each Council member leads a clan, and in that clan there are 29 vampires underneath us by law. That way we, ahem, we can keep the city in control.”

Adrian adjusts his tie; fiddles with the knot before tugging it over his head in frustration. It falls on the floor at the foot of the couch. “It’s been this way for decades — New York under our thumb, I mean. It was necessary when America was expanding at a rate we almost couldn’t keep up with. And it’s been a good solution, until… recently.”

His voice falls flat. Every new fact spins in Nadya’s head like a bad carnival ride; throwing up a dozen questions and a dozen more each time he opens his mouth. But since she can’t decide on one she just listens.

“At the beginning of this year there were more reported Ferals wandering the city limits than the past decade as a whole.”

“Ferals?” Nadya doesn’t recognize her own voice, how it pitches with fear. New York was full of feral things; feral cats, feral rats, feral pigeons probably. But feral vampires weren’t so easily brushed aside.

“Yes, that’s what attacked you in the park.” Adrian answers her unspoken question. “Ferals are vampires without a Clan — without… well, here,” he starts unbuttoning his shirt and the suddenness makes Nadya shy away; until he shoulders off the fabric. He watches her carefully as she takes in what must have once been an angry, violently red scar but now only existed in the thinnest silver skin — a brand of sorts she’d never noticed before (well why would she, he’s usually very clothed and rightly so), “this keeps my consciousness, everything that makes me me, to my body. It keeps me from going —”

“Feral.”

“Yes.”

Like an out-of-body experience Nadya watches her hands take Adrian’s offered arm and cradle it gently. The scarred skin has puckered over time, only the barest ridges to outline it.

His hands are as cold as they’ve always been — but it feels as though she’s noticing it for the first time. There’s a pulse, faint possibly because she has no idea where to check for one, and in the quiet she can hear his breathing.

She looks up with a sudden revelation. “That’s why you started driving me to and from work, isn’t it?”

“Can you blame me for wanting to keep you safe?”

“You can’t keep the whole city safe.”

“No, but I’m trying my best.”

The throw pillow is a comfort as she resumes cradling it against her. It’s a lot to take in. If she hadn’t seen what she had… felt the hot, rotten breath dripping saliva on her cheek… she may not have believed him otherwise.

“So all these, uh, these Ferals, they mean people are being Turned and not… claimed?”

“In a way. What they mean is someone is knowingly breaking the pact by which the Council was founded and that can’t stand. Not everyone cares about the danger to the citizens the Ferals pose; some only care about the exposure risk and what that might mean for our lifestyle here.”

“But you care.”

“I do. Kamilah does too, in her own way.”

Kamilah. Now Nadya has no trouble imagining that woman as a vampire. Well — she is one. And she looks it, too. No one could be so… inhumanly beautiful.

Adrian’s shoulders move in a light laugh; it startles Nadya out of her thoughts. “What? What’re you laughing at?”

“I just wish she was here to see your face.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“She asked why I hired you at the Gallery. She’d said something to the effect of,” and never again would Nadya like to hear his impression of his fellow vampire, if only because it was as embarrassing for them both as it was terribly inaccurate, “‘a decent assistant requires a personality, which that lady lacks.’”

She didn’t expect to feel flustered any time soon and gapes like a fish for something to say, to defend herself as though this wasn’t all from weeks ago.

“I — well — she just —”

“Hey, I defended you.”

She huffs. “You’d better have.”

“I insisted it was because you were taken by her. But Kamilah… she’s worldly in every way but towards herself.”

Nadya’s glare doesn’t stifle his amusement in the slightest and, overcome with a sudden need to flee but knowing she’d fall on her face if she tried, she reaches over and punches his arm without remorse. He doesn’t even pretend to flinch.

“Perhaps try and be a little less transparent next time?”

Next time implies so many things; most of them Nadya doesn’t know if she is comfortable with just yet. But they had proven just then, together, that they could still have the same camaraderie as before. If anything she now had the opportunity to load herself with an arsenal of garlic-related puns. There is a visible ease in Adrian’s demeanor, too. They’d relaxed around each other and didn’t even notice.

Though her head is no less cloudy, Nadya puffs up her chest and brushes the mop of her hair away from her eyes. Looks Adrian right in the face and clears her throat as though she’s preparing to speak in front of hundreds instead of a lone man.

“So…” before she can even begin to falter Adrian offers a nod of encouragement and somehow it works; makes her try again, “So… I have a question. Or two. Maybe more.”

They talk until the sun starts to lighten the horizon. Until Nadya’s speech starts to sound a little more sober and then slurs again from exhaustion. Until she can’t keep her eyes open and the last thing she recalls is exactly how many currently sitting government officials are secretly vampires; which is apparently a number that should (and does) alarm her.

The digital clock on the bedside reads 18:44 when she drags herself back to consciousness. Still light-headed, she trades several frustrated words with the ticking seconds before she turns back over for another snooze. Just fifteen minutes, she buries her face into the down pillows — ten times better than any hotel she’d afforded in her lifetime, I’ll get up at the hour.

And when she doesn’t; when she wakes to the elevator’s bell and can see moonlight dripping through thick nighttime clouds, Nadya’s pretty sure — ninety-five, maybe ninety-eight percent — she’s dying.

“If I’m right in assuming you’ve never been to a wine tasting, I’ll have to get you to schedule one for us both. Wine that old needs to be savored — not put down like moonshine.”

Nadya can hear the smirk in Adrian’s telling-off; she’s never wanted to kill a man so much before.

“Lower… your voice…” she hisses, some eldritch horror balled up under a ratty mess of hair and the thudding of her college drum line on the squishy part of her brain, “or I’ll go Buffy on you.”

“Good to know you’re back to yourself. You should call your roommate.”

It’s a Herculean effort to turn around and face Adrian where he sits on the edge of the bed. But her reward of aspirin and a large bottle of water is totally worth it.

“I would,” she gasps after chugging the entire bottle, “if you’d give me back my phone. ‘M not gonna call the press about your big fangy secret.”

Confusion flits over Adrian’s face but he quickly understands. Nadya watches him reach over and open a drawer on the bedside table. There was absolutely no way that drawer had been there previously, because he pulls out her phone in a duh sort of way that leaves her feeling some kind of dumb. No, she’s convinced, he must’ve installed it during my coma.

Sure enough there are over one hundred texts from Lily all with the same effective aura of panic. Then she messages being contacted by Adrian and while the frequency of the panic subsides there’s a spike in offers of stalking, rescue missions, and a rather serious offer to call the police.

Rich people think they can get away with anything, well, not on my watch. She can hear it now.

[TEXT]: hey lil sorry about everything & 4 not getting back 2 u [TEXT]: I’m ok was mugged in the park by pizza & phone buttdialed adrian

Lily reads the messages instantly. The frowning emotion-icons are vehemently unamused.

[TEXT]: u dont expect me 2 believe that >:( [TEXT]: r u ok??? [TEXT]: ready 2 fial 911 [TEXT]: dial*

Before she can even think up a response the screen shifts and Lily’s ringing. The shrill ringtone is enough to make her head split back open and Nadya groans; hits the “REJECT” button.

[TEXT]: not now, big headache

[TEXT]: nadya I’m freaking out

After she runs a hand over her face an idea comes to mind. “C’mere,” she gestures to Adrian who awkwardly shifts forward on the bed. The angle is terrible and it would never see the light of her social media but the picture she takes of the pair of them should be enough to ease some of Lily’s tension.

[TEXT]: pic.jpg [TEXT]: c? I’m fine

She’s near ready to ask Adrian what will happen if the police arrive when Lily responds.

[TEXT]: get home asap. will borrow paper 4 new job [TEXT]: plz b safe [TEXT]: <3

Nadya sends a heart back and tosses her phone somewhere to be lost in the vast sea of king-sized blankets and coverlets. Adrian’s hand on her shoulder somehow feels like both a comfort and a burden.

“Are you alright?”

Is she?

“Yes,” a beat, “and no.”

To his credit, he acts like it’s an acceptable answer. “It can be a lot to take in. And usually… we don’t wait this long before debriefing. But there was a meeting and then you were intoxicated. So —”

All she has to do is hold up a finger. They’ve known each other long enough now that if it takes anything more then the problem at hand is much larger than Adrian’s making it out to be. She doesn’t even ask.

“Right, debriefing…” Says the word like it’s gone sour on his tongue. “It’s — well — you’re not the first person to stumble across this secret.”

“Stumble? I’m pretty sure I did a little more than stumble. And it wasn’t even my fault.”

“True. But regardless — we’d have been outed centuries ago if we didn’t have measures in place. Measures to ensure we can stay in the dark.”

He’s strangely clinical as he says it. Like debriefing is some operation that everyone has to go through at some point in their lives. Maybe they do and she doesn’t even realize.

“Why do I feel like you’re using a fancy word for making me forget about all this?”

He smiles. “Because I am, and you’re incredibly astute.”

“Why bring it up now? Why not bring it up when I was losing my… well, my sanity and sobriety?”

Adrian shrugs. “As I said; I didn’t want to risk it when you weren’t sober. When you couldn’t…”

For a man who always has something to say he’s hesitating an awful lot. More than Nadya can stand. “Couldn’t what, Adrian?”

He opens his hand palm-upwards — an offering. To no one’s surprise she takes it. Immediately he begins to leech her warmth, but at the moment she doesn’t mind sharing.

“I wanted to be certain you could consent to it. Most who go through what you did — that kind of trauma; the violent entry into our world — they want to forget. They want to go back behind the curtain and return to a more peaceful life.”

“And a more ignorant one. And arguably more dangerous.”

“You don’t need to convince me,” he chuckles, “you and I agree on that front. And because of that, especially, I wanted to make sure you got the whole story before making your choice.”

Before deciding not to go through with it. He doesn’t have to say it. The words linger between them, unspoken and strangely not unlike a plea. Nadya can feel it in the way Adrian squeezes her hand. He wants her to remember. That’s why he took his time — eased her into everything — gave her space and whatever he thought she needed.

To his credit Adrian wasn’t wrong. All the time alone (paired with the wine, never forget the wine) was helpful. As his assistant it was Nadya’s job to make sure she knew some of the more quirky things about her boss, but along the way he’d picked up a few things about her too.

“What happens if I do it; get debriefed?”

He sighs heavily. “You’ll forget everything I’ve told you, and your attack. Likely Lester would set up a cover about the attack — if we really needed we could stage a criminal assailant.”

“That’s…”

“Involved? Sometimes it’s necessary.”

“Would I forget I ever knew you at all?” Not only does the sheer potential of the power shock her, but it doesn’t sit right in Nadya’s gut.

“No, the debriefing doesn’t go that far back. But the best scenario would be your termination, a small severance pay, and help until you found a new job. This would just be another career that didn’t pan out and you’d go about your life better for it.”

“Who are you to decide what’s better?” she asks; can’t help but get slightly defensive over choices being made for her, and not with her.

Adrian doesn’t answer, instead just gives her a nod. I hear you, it says, I agree.

“And since you’re going to ask… if you choose not to be debriefed, well, things will change, inevitably. You’ll have to be formally allied with my clan, Clan Raines, in the presence of two other Council members at least. Your work won’t change much — you already work nights with me. I’d probably take over your health care costs more than the company basics. Just in case, you understand.”

It brings the first genuine laugh from Nadya in days.

“Oh, I’d expect it. Would you, uhm, you know…” While Adrian tries to finish her thought, Nadya subconsciously scratches her neck.

“Feed from you?” He shakes his head vehemently. “While one of the Council pacts is to only feed on the willing, it wouldn’t be a—a condition. I’m not hurting for donors.”

“Oh, good. Talk about inappropriate workplace activities.”

“Indeed.”

The silence is hesitant; filled with uncertainties. There were so many new directions opening up in front of her but Nadya could see it all boiling down to one choice. One of two.

Adrian doesn’t get the chance to ask; his mouth closes audibly at her held up finger.

“I think you already know my answer.”

Outside the clouds part to reveal the soft glow of the moon. Adrian smiles.

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Winner’s Curse Ch. 8

CJ stalked the cold, gloomy alleyways that lined the street to the docks with a brazen whistle and jaunty step. A proverbial sore thumb compared to the adults and small Vks who scurried about with shuffling steps using the shadows as cover from the watchful eyes of the Coven.

“As if they would care about the doings of cowards and sidekicks.” CJ thought to herself. She had only been back in the Isle for a few days, possibly weeks, time was never a sure thing for CJ, and she had pieced together a little of what had happened when she was gone.

Some big name villains had gotten their magic back and were ruling the Isle with an iron fist, no one was allowed to do anything without their permission, children and sidekicks were punching bags for others, some sort of new hierarchy, etc.

CJ didn’t particularly care. She wasn’t going to stay here for long anyway. She was meant to live on the high seas and after seeing all the booty that she could plunder from places like Camelot Heights and Charmington, she had a growing desire to return to Auradon. A land filled with gold and magic and all sorts of princess to scare and seduce unlike this island of delusional madpeople.

And she was going to plunder and steal on the Seven Seas on the Jolly Roger. Her birthright.

Just as the golden compass that she took from its’ hidden, crocodile-ridden vault on Neverland that used to belong to the once glorious Captain James Hook, that Jolly Roger was another piece of her great legacy. It would aid her in her acts of treachery and it would be a sign to all her future enemies that her scourge was coming. iT would strike fear into their hearts even before they saw a glimpse of her.

She wanted to be the most vile, bloodiest pirate that ever lived. More dangerous than her father, more wanted than Calico Jack, people would say Blackbeard was the male CJ Hook. She was dangerous in her own right despite what these idiots on the Isle thought. She was always third. Behind Harriet even though Harriet hardly did anything but keep up the Jolly Roger and occasionally entered a bar brawl, and behind Harry who was practically Uma’s whipping boy.

Voluntarily Uma’s whipping boy and first mate. It was disgusting.

When she was young she had envied and idolized her brother for his fierceness and the hook he used to slash people’s throats for daring to not follow his orders. But ever since he fell for Uma and pledged his life to serve her, she lost her respect for him. Why be a first mate when you could be a leader and take the best share of booty for yourself.

It was a universal rule not to fall for anyone on the Isle. It made you dependent and weak. Yet Harry was clearly hook over his head devoted to Uma and that seemed to make him stronger. Harry fought like an untamed animal with Uma by his side whenever someone treaded on their turf or insulted their gang. People feared him more now than ever, not daring to speak a bad word about Uma or him. They said he was insane. They said he killed for fun, a true sadist.

She hijacked her way to Auradon, she stole a whole roomful of treasure, she’s been living the good life on the seas without a tie to anyone, a leader unto herself. And she was still second-place to Harry, a pirate who was no leader, just a first mate.

It was just like that when they were kids. Her father treated Harriet more or less with respect or left her alone since she took care of things when he was off drinking until he could see and defeat his hallucinations of Peter Pan. He more or less ignored Harry seeing too much of himself in the boy, seeing his failure in the future. Her, she was his favorite, she knew that. Sure, he didn’t like it when she talked to him, he wasn’t a fan of kids talking or kids in general, but he would treat her mildly better like teaching her the proper way to stab someone. But it was clear that he had no hopes for her to grow into her pirate legacy or any of her capabilities. 

Apparently, he thought her siblings had more raw skill and she had too much of his obsessiveness.

Fine, he was right she was obsessed. Obsessed with treasure, with being a pirate, with being great. She was going to get her own treasure. Steal it from her own father. Like a true treacherous pirate.

He would hate her.

Good, she hated him.

Hook was a greedy man. Wouldn’t be such a fearsome pirate otherwise. He refused to give up any of his possessions to his children. They hadn’t “earned” it. Or as he usually yelled at them, “You’re supposed to be fucking pirates! Get your own treasure!” That declaration led to the bitterest resentment in her piled near the times he forgot her existence in favor of talking to her siblings, doubting her, agreeing with the rest of the Isle. Placing her fourth behind the rest of the family.

She would prove them all wrong, and make them pay.

Her angry thoughts echoed with her pounding footsteps as she kicked the hollow wooden wall behind Madame Medusa’s casino that had formerly been the diamond plunder’s basement, now Lady Caine’s lair.

CJ would have liked to make a dramatic entrance, much like the one she did at the Auradonians silly Neon Lights Ball  but she sadly didn’t not see any vines or ropes to swing from so she settled for bounding down the stairs and brandishing a sword.

Brandishing her sword in a dark, empty room apparently, the only light coming from a small window.

The basement was much larger than she thought basements were supposed to be until she realized she was in a small entrance room and she had to go through another door. The door led through a stone hallways, it’s only light coming from the cracks of the wooden ceiling which CJ figured must be the floor of the casino. Some stones had been chipped and the place reeked with mildew and dust but it was also decorated to intimidate.

There were blood splatters and spare limb joints wedged in corners of the walls, rusty swords bent with decay that had been stuck to the wall and unable to be removed. Posters buxom female pirates and males with broad chests holding knives in their mouths were crudely tacked up alongside “Wanted” signs of Lady Caine’s gang.

CJ recognized some of the pirates from the stories Harriet used to tell. The heartless Blackbeard, the infamous Davy Jones, and CJ’s favorites, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, Grace O’Malley, Ching Shih..

“Hmmm I like her too.” A female voice purred, sidling up to her side. It took most of CJ’s composure not to jump at the sudden presence of whom she instinctively knew to be Lady Caine and forced herself to smooth her face into a wicked grin as she faced the self-proclaimed “Queen of Thieves.” 

The older pirate was a bit shorter than her, reaching to her nose but that didn’t lessen her intimidating presence. In fact it just made CJ even more on guard knowing that it was likely Lady Caine would find a sneaky advantage like hitting her in the crotch or some other unprecedented move using the dagger at her belt. 

The rest of her body was less intimidating since toll of the Isle showed. She was skinnier than CJ so it made her corset look like it was hanging limply from her body rather than pushing up ‘the goods.’ Her hair was limp too, and straggly from lack of clean water and constant sea mist.There was an uneven spread of muscles on her arms tempered with some new and healed-over scars, one that even went through her skull and roses tattoo on her right shoulder. Her left leg was clearly injured since she favored to lean on her right and CJ could see the spread of blood seeping through her tent-canvas pants. The one piece of jewelry, a skull necklace was cracked and rusting over making it look more like a demented clown. 

What really brought the scare factor was Lady Caine’s face. Her mouth was set into an unnerving casual smirk. The kind that implied she was the type of person to arrange for someone ‘to swim with the fishes’ simply because she needed something to do to fill her time. Yet her smile didn’t reach to her eyes. No, her eyes were too guarded, menacing, immediately telling CJ that if she tried to double cross her, than Lady Caine would return the favor. Ten-fold. 

“Yes, she has quite the treasure chest.” CJ commented. 

“Heh, I meant I wouldn’t mind taking over her nine hundred squadron fleet to raise a little hell,” Lady Caine raised an eyebrow, her brown and shoddily red-dyed bangs brushed against CJ’s cheek as the older women got into her personal space. “But I can share your admiration for her figure too. Would she be any competition for that voodoo sorceress you’ve been with?”

CJ forced herself to breath normally through her mouth despite her sudden wildly thumping heart. Unexpected and unwelcome memories filled her mind, pushing the faded poster of Ching Shih away. 

Freddie’s dark lips, stained with purple berries that brought out the highlights of her kelp green eyes. Those same lips who created enticing and persuasive arguments with her ‘velvety’ voice coaxing new sounds out of her as they glided across her body. 

Her nimble hands easily able to pickpocket and grope with none the wiser than she, but CJ always knew because she knew that girl. Her tricks of trade, her facial tics, what sent her over the edge in the most pleasurable sense of the world.

That was until CJ had been totally blindsided when Freddie decided to become independent. She knew Freddie had a stubborn streak, which Freddie would retort that she wasn’t stubborn, she was practical, not carrying the obsessive Hook madness. But for Freddie to abruptly tear away from her to have her own dreams was something CJ never thought would happen. Freddie had always seemed to content in helping her with her own schemes, she said she found keeping CJ under control to be entertaining which would be followed by a night of dark magic and ecstasy.

“Of course not.” CJ barked out a hearty laugh and tried to move the conversation to safer, less complicated, emotional areas as well as keep her mind off the stunning spawn of Facilier.

“The girl is my sidekick. My pet. My Auradon pet since she insists on becoming a famous singing star for those goody goodies. She’s not at all like Ching Shih. What I would give for a nine hundred boat squadron which brings me to the important thing. How am I getting the Jolly Roger?”

“We’re getting the Jolly Roger.” Lady Caine corrected leading her toward a bigger room which CJ could tell had used to be used for storage due to the familiar musty smell of aged alcohol. The large boxes had been shifted and carved to form makeshift chairs, weapons were hung or stabbed haphazardly around the place and in the center was a wooden throne which Lady Caine lazily slouched upon, looking at CJ up and down with amusement.

CJ pulled out her sword again, glaring at Caine threw slitted eyes. “Not the deal. The Jolly Rogers mine.”

“Relax. I don’t want that ship, I have my own. I just have my own plans for your father once we steal it in front of bloodshot eyes.” Lady Caine smirked malevolently, “He still drinks, doesn’t he?”

CJ faltered a little when she realized that wasn’t a rhetorical question, “Uh maybe. I don’t associate with him. I’ve been Auradon.”

“I’ve heard about that. Now that is something people should talk about more. You got into Auradon on your own. No pitying help from Prince Furrball. No ‘turning good,’ turning their backs on us so we could rot in hell while their mushy goodhearted brains sleep on pillows. You lived up to your wickedness, CJ.” Lady Caine cocked her head, looking oddly at CJ. Her eyes glinted with a strange happiness and her mouth curved in a genuine smile like when Captain Hook envisioned himself killing that dratted green boy. So proud of his imaginary accomplishment.

Proud. That was what Lady Caine looked like. Not proud of herself but proud for CJ.

CJ’s staggering realization that someone was actually proud of her was tempered by the words sinking in, “No one talks about me and my accomplishments? I have stolen loot from Merlin!”

“Exactly. They still speak of your brother and his violence, but not your greatness. It’s ridiculous. Descended from two great pirates..well I’m a great pirate, your dad-” Lady Caine waved her hand as if she couldn’t quite describe the numerous fatal flaws of Captain Hook in words.

“Yeah…” CJ wasn’t sure how to continue, another odd feeling, she had always remained sure and in control most of her life, “How did-How are you my mother? Dad despises you. He has dreamed of you and Pan being crushed under his stern.”

“And I despise him as well. It’s complicated. I wasn’t in the right mind when I did it. I was drunk, we were fighting, his Hook slipped and instead of scratching me it kind of went the hot and sexy route..huh? That actually wasn’t very complicated now that I say it out loud.” Lady Caine shrugged, wiping a hand over eye and smudging her heavy eyeliner. It sort of reminded her of Harry. 

Truthfully as she looked longer at Lady Caine she found it difficult to see the resemblance between her and her supposed mother. Lady Caine’s brown hair matched more with Harriet and the eye-liner, totally a trademark of her brother. Maybe..just maybe if Lady Caine ate more and filled out, CJ would be able to see if they have the same slender figure, and if she wiped away the magenta lipstick, maybe they had the same lips.... 

“And you’re not Harriet’s or Harry’s-” “No.” Lady Caine vehemently denied, “I would remember if I slept with that son of a bitch more than once, especially if I was pregnant afterwards. Just once is enough for me. What else do you think the C in your name means?”

CJ hadn’t meant to look so shocked but she lost her control, her eyes bugged out and her jaw dropped, “The C is for Caine?!”

Lady Caine burst out laughing, getting off her chair and back to CJ’s side, “No again. Your dad named you and he would never choose something that referenced me. You should have seen the look on your face though. Ha!”

Once CJ’s heart resumed its normal rhythm, she managed a weak laugh, “Okay great. But seriously, the Jolly Roger. What’s the plan? I want that boat.”

Lady Caine looked like she was about to laugh again, but she refrained seeing the seriousness in CJ’s eyes. “There’s no official plan...yet. But you will be in charge of it since you know Hook’s turf better than I do.” A part of CJ’s gut pinged at Caine’s words. It felt wrong somehow. Too easy that the “Queen of Thieves,” known for her hard will and controlling way would just hand over the plan to CJ, even if she was her child. Yet CJ swelled with ambitious excitement. She was finally getting the respect her reputation deserved. She could totally plan and execute a way to take the Jolly Roger.

“What do you want with all this?” CJ questioned, giving in a little to her gut feeling and eyeing Lady Caine warily.

“Like I said, I have my own score to settle with Hook. And a small favor. I want to use the Jolly Roger to storm Corona.” “You see, CJ, long before you were born. Before Auradon or the Isle or any of this existed. I lived in Corona. My father was a petty thief that King Fredric jailed because he couldn’t stand any sort of criminal. Murderers in cells with domestic abusers and first time offenders. It was Corona’s own version of the Isle. The first one. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Beast took the idea from him.

My father died in that prison since he couldn’t compete with the big guns. I grew up on the streets which was for the best I suppose ‘cause look at me now.  

But that self-righteous King Fredric has the balls to send me with common criminals and louses all over again. Off with his head along all the rest of those do-good bastards.”

“Off with their heads?” CJ laughed, giving the moment some levity, “You sound like the Queen of Hearts.”

Lady Caine glared at her, visions of anger and blood quite evident on her face, “Tie them to the rack, firing squad, crucifixion. Whatever you want. The point is those Auradonians will suffer, and they will not live.” 

———————————————————————————————————

Jordan inhaled deeply before knocking on Ben’s office door.

This was it, today was the day, no turning back.

After getting those cliches out of her head, Jordan paused to make sure that the rumbling of her stomach was just hunger from being too nervous to eat dinner and not impending throw up out of nervousness.

Yet before Jordan could knock on the door, Ben flung it wide open. She was starting to wonder if Ben was some door opening psychic for the past five times she visited this week to go over Operation: Defeat the Coven (official more badass title still in progress), he always opened the door before she knocked. Either she was a very loud presence or Ben was always waiting for someone to bother him.

She had a feeling it was the latter since he was King of Auradon and all, which seemed sad. She knew she would go crazy if she had people constantly knocking on her lamp all the time asking to fix some crisis or other.

Well, people used to do that to her lamp, but after sending those people off in a sandstorm, almost everyone learned to leave her alone. Just how she liked it.

"Hi, Jordan! Are you ready to beat some baddies?" Ben enthused, sounding unusually chirpy and breathless.

"Baddies? Really? No wonder you got caught so quickly on the Isle." Jordan shook her head with amusement.

"Yep, that's me." Ben said, pushing her back so he could close the door behind him, smiling way too brightly and nervously swishing his bangs out of his face as if that would make him look more casual.

Yeah, he was hiding a girl, or he was watching porn. She had seen Aziz act with this sort of bad nonchalantless plenty of times whenever she popped by his room unannounced. And since Ben was way too innocent to even know of the dark side of the internet and he did possess a girlfriend, she could bet he and Mal were having some alone time.

Ben leaned firmly against the door in a move that would prevent anyone from being able to open the door without getting through him, "Do you need any last minute supplies?"

As he said this, Jordan finally spotted the tell-tale bite mark on his neck that confirmed her suspicions.

Jordan was tempted to make a comment about how it looked like a certain purple dragon had marked him as part of her hoard, but refrained. Auradonians were still on edge about Vks even though they had been around for a year, and even more were up in arms about Ben promoting Mal to be his future queen. 

If anyone had gotten wind that Mal was in Ben's room, alone, giving him love bites and who knows what else when he was supposed to be doing kingly duties, the scrutiny would be worse than ever on Ben. She might as well let them have their private moment.

Even though that private moment just showed how relaxed Ben was about Operation Defeat the Coven while she still wanted to throw up.

And that's exactly why she needed to talk to Ben. It was clear he had too much faith in her and her abilities and so he needed to be given a reality check of how they could all die and the world that they know it would be taken over by every villain on the Isle imaginable.

"Ben, I promise I'm not backing out. I mean, it is really too late for me to back out anyway so I can't. But I don't feel prepared for this at all. I'm a genie. I'm a sidekick. I don't really make tough decisions, I just entertain people with my magic powers, not fight them. The Coven have a millennium of experience over me and in dark magic which a completely different sort of power, and-"

"I understand how you feel." Ben put a comforting hand on her shoulder while her mouth dropped rather unattractively.

"You do?"

"Hey, I turned king when I was 16. I read a lot about politics and policy making, but it is completely different when I was thrown into ruling. It was like everything I studied and read meant nothing at all when it came to dealing with people and trying to listen to all their problems and think of plausible solutions on a deadline. I can't say I know what I'm doing most of the time."

Well that was very reassuring knowledge.

"But one major thing I have learned when it comes to leadership is that we all develop our own style. You can't prepare for it, you can't learn it. It just comes to you as you learn and grow. You just have to take your time."

"But I CAN'T take my time!" Jordan retorted, "This mission has a short deadline with snap decisions. I can't grow from this."

"It's adventure. People always grow and develop during an adventure like all our parents in their stories." Ben answered back with irritating calmness.

Jordan felt her eye twitch. She should have known that knocking some reality into the eternal optimist wouldn't work.

At least the eternal optimist had eyes so he could see her clear annoyance and distress because Ben said something else, "Besides Jordan, you may be the leader of the mission, but you have your friends to help you. That's why I have a Council. I don't know everything, but I surround myself with people who do and who will help guide me to making the right choices. You're not alone in this."

Jordan exhaled, surprised by how that little nugget of advice actually eased some of her nerves. She did feel pretty confident about her team. Aziz and Jay were excellent with parkour and other athletics so they could be counted on in the case of an attack, and Calix had the magical skills to go up against the sorcerers with her. Plus she had adventured with Aziz and Calix enough times to insticively know when to act in sync. It was too bad Jay was left in the cold in that respect, but he knew his way around the Isle so he had an advantage over all of them.

Additionally, Ben, Carlos Jane and Evie volunteered to alternate in keeping contact with them via magically-enhanced ear chip so they could research useful information in the library if needed.

She trusted them to know what they were doing, and she supposed with so much back-up if she did make a mistake then they could resolve it quickly before any real damage ensued.

"Thanks, Ben. I think I'm ready to go." Jordan said, brushing his hand off her shoulder.

"Right. I'll meet you there. I should go get Mal." Ben said, fixing his collar and rushed into his room.

Jordan sing-songed to the door before leaving, "Ben, I'm pretty sure Mal's room is on the other side of the castle."

She walked quickly to the front of Auradon Prep by the Beast statue where Evie, Aziz, Jay and Calix were already waiting and the moon was high above them all.

Since Ben had arranged the excuse to FG that she, Jay and Aziz were taking a field trip to Agrabah for a week to research illusions in connection with desert mirages so the two boys were dressed in loose pants and shirts that concealed the thick leather body armor underneath as well as the shafrah and scimitar strapped to their legs.

She had copied that look in a flowing black sundress with a two straps filled to the teeth with daggers criss-crossing her chest.

Truthfully, she never used a dagger before, but like with leadership, she hoped she would catch on. How hard could it be to stab someone?

Calix, on the other hand, was looking far too casual with a one shouldered toga that showed off most of his chest and no way to hide weapons anywhere on his body. Apparently he ignored her lecture that you can’t flirt someone to death in mortal combat. 

"Good luck." Evie hugged Jay once she saw Jordan arrive. "Avoid Harry and the Gastons. And any of your exes."

"I don't have exes. We didn't date on the Isle, remember." Jay said, mock punching Evie on the shoulder, "I just have enemies that I slept with and never talked to again."

Ben and Mal joined the group before anyone could comment on that topic, not that Jordan knew exactly what to make of that piece of information, and they started their official goodbyes.

"We're only an ear chip away." Evie said handing each of them a small metallic chip that Carlos had made to place in their ear drum, "All you have to do is press and it turns on and off, and since Mal spelled it. It is guaranteed to work even when you close the barrier."

"Alright. Now where are we going first? Maleficent's castle? Ursula's fish and chips?” Jay clapped his hands together, clenching his fists for the undoubtedly upcoming fights.

"The jungle." Aziz, Calix and Jordan said in unison.

What?" Jay, and Mal looked utterly confused by the answer.

"Do you not check the group messages?" Jordan snorted derisively, "Anyway, we are going to the jungle first to fix some of the holes in the barrier. Since Evie said the jungle is unoccupied by humans, we won't be noticed and attacked by the Vks immediately. Calix and I will fix the holes so the Coven won't be able to have an escape route. Then we'll work our way inland to the Coven's laier and do battle."

"Oh, okay. But you’re wrong though on the jungle being unoccupied. Some people live in the jungle. Mainly hunters who wanted some fresh meat rather than the leftovers you give us." Jay corrected.

All the Aks tensed at that and Ben looked shamefaced to the floor.

Jay hadn't said the comment in a bitter or accusatory way, but matter of factly. Which made it sound worse. It was simply a fact of the Isle that if one got tired of rotten and disgusted food from the overprivilged that you had to face the dangerous wild jungle and kill for raw meat.

"You’ll fight those VKs off we meet them." Jordan instructed after an awkward silence. Then nodded to the others. "We're going now."

Aziz took the cue and rubbed her lamp that was snugly strapped to his hip. She hated the fact that she had to bring it to the Isle, but she had no choice. While she could do magic to in transporting herself places, when it came to performing magic on others it required a wish.

"I wish to transport to the jungle of the Isle."

Shimmery pink smoke enveloped them, wind rushing past their ears and moving their bodies even though it felt like their feet were still firmly on the ground. Once the smoke cleared, all they could see was shades of green and brown.

The green came from the leafy canopy and thickets of thorns that blocked the view of the sea while the brown was the dead grass that crumpled underfoot, the dead trees that fallen over to their left in a small pile and the holes of dirt.

Jay crouched by one of the holes, studying the edges. Standing up he informed them a hyena probably created it.

"Are hyenas nocturnal?" Calix eyed the hole nervously, looking around as if to find some sort of protective cave even though there was nothing but trees.

"Yes, but I wouldn't worry. Usually the leapords take care of them." Jay said ignoring Calix’s more distressed look and motioned for them to follow him into the trees. "Since we are near the coast, the cliffs should be close by here."

And so their journey began. 

[soulbranded]

fight - from @sgtjamesbbbarnes

@sgtjamesbbbarnes – one word prompts

fight :   my  muse  stops  your  muse  from  getting  into  a  physical  fight  with  someone  else. (I’m flipping the script a little bit here)

Before the Accords fiasco, the farthest she’d been from home was a few trips down to New Orleans with Pasha. But now Rachel was traveling all over the place, and not just in the continental US. It made her feel very much the small-town girl, and not in the cutesy, romcom sense. It was fucking overwhelming. Languages she didn’t understand, unfamiliar customs, police, not to mention each country’s own thriving extra-human population. She was striking deals, making alliances, tracking people down–all things she should in theory be good at, but every time her throat went dry and her stomach squirmed. When she’d caught Steve looking over a classified file and finally coaxed the truth from him, it was almost a relief. He was looking for somebody. Tracking spells were cake.

Except they had no DNA. Why was nothing ever easy?

She’d thought about the problem for a solid three weeks. The dude they were chasing–Steve called him Bucky–had quite the reputation. She’d looked him up in what remained of the Council database. His arm seemed the key. It was unique. An energy signature, mechanics, something. The answer was right there, itching at the edge of her mind, until she finally latched on to something. As she was wont to do, she went chasing after it, meaning she dropped off the face of the earth for a while with just a scrawled note that said Got a plan, be back later, don’t break any walls.  

She’d traveled to Europe on a glamoured passport. Magic made fake IDs so much easier. Her theory was a little sketchy, but it wasn’t without legs: the Winter Soldier was practically an underworld boogeyman, as old as Steve. Unless it was a Bond-esque reincarnation, some kind of enhancement had to be at work, and from what she’d read in her research–because despite her temperamental attitude, Rachel was fucking thorough–HYDRA had to be working on a serum similar to what Steve had received. If it was similar enough at the molecular level, it could provide her with at least a direction, if not an exact location. Europe was her hotspot based on her latest intel and gut instinct; Europe was familiar, the proverbial fortress on the hill, and snipers sought the high ground. Worst case scenario, she was on a wild goose chase. But hey, at least she got to play with some possibly mind-melting magic. 

In Romania, she rented a small apartment and slept the jetlag off for a few hours before starting her ritual. Oh, how she missed her metal rings in her cabin. They made it so much easier to hold a circle. But chalk was going to have to do. She drew a wide circle and put her herbs and copper bowl in the middle of it, along with a small vial that she had paid an obscene amount of money for and on which all her hopes were riding. Like called to like, so if they were even remotely the same…well, she just had to hope. And hope the spell didn’t reveal her to anyone. Or kill her. Nobody said the plan was perfect. 

Mugwort, cowslip, and iris root went into the bowl, along with a few extra ingredients. Rachel held the vial up and looked at it, then exhaled a long breath. Here went nothing. She dumped the vial–blood–into the bowl and then picked up a small knife and pricked her thumb, massaging her own blood into the mixture. A match to set the spell aflame and she was breathing in the earthy smoke. For a second, nothing happened. Then she saw a face, contorted in pain, some kind of machine attached to his head. She saw experiments. The whirred past her vision like a malicious tilt-a-whirl. She saw years of torture, of death, of pain. Memories that weren’t her own flickered like a movie reel, and above it all, it was cold. So, so cold. 

This was not her usual tracking spell. She was getting this man’s life. And she couldn’t stop it. Her mind recoiled, trying to push the horror away, but it stayed with her, an avalanche that buried her own thoughts and emotions. As suddenly as it started, it abruptly shifted. A street. Modern times. A small cafe and a man hunched over a cup of coffee like it held the elixir of life. He looked up.

Bucky.

The spell broke, and Rachel fell backwards onto her elbows, panting. Well, her brain hadn’t dissolved, but she had this weight. Everything she’d seen and felt sat on her chest in a writhing mass, incapable of being separated, just one huge jumble of misery. This was who Steve wanted to find? 

This was the fabled Winter Soldier? 

As soon as she collected herself, she grabbed her bag and gun and dashed out the door. She knew that street. It was fresh in her mind and it wasn’t far away. Her gut said the spell had ended in real time. She could make it. And she could–do what, exactly? Walk up to a deadly assassin and say Hi, wanna go to New York? 

Great, Rachel. You flew halfway around the world, cooked up some sketchy ass magic, and ended it with no plan. What was that about being thorough?

But those memories stayed with her. This man, this Bucky, to say he’d been through hell was an understatement. It made her remember a grey windowless room with a chair bolted to the floor, and an emotionless voice telling her she must have faith. Steve had faith in this guy, and she had faith in her gut, so she plowed ahead. What was he gonna do, shoot her in broad daylight?

Maybe. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time, and probably wouldn’t be the last. One day she was going to learn to improve her life choices.

She rounded a corner and saw a faded red awning above some black metal chairs. The cafe. In the corner, tucked as far away from others as he could get and with his back to the building–the Paranoid Chair, as she liked to call it, which also happened to be her favorite–was Bucky. He looked like he’d gotten his clothes from a lost and found and had a baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes, but it was him. Rachel almost laughed in satisfaction. It’d worked. She hesitated for a moment, keenly aware of the gun in her shoulder holster beneath her jacket. Her gut said she needed to come at this with those memories in mind. Put the Soldier aside and remember the man. Christ, wasn’t that poetic, coming from her. 

She started walking toward him when a throng of men entered her vision, approaching from the south. They were heading straight for Bucky too, and they did not look like they’d chosen the Friend Route RPG option. Rachel sped up, but she was farther away, and had to cross a busy thoroughfare. The men reached Bucky first, and she almost got hit by a car due to her fixation on his reaction. She knew that body language. It was defensive, reluctant. Dangerous but unwilling. 

She slapped the hood of another car as she ran across the street. Bucky’s fists were clenched and the men were shouting at him in a language she didn’t understand, their faces hard with rage. The man at the front, who was approximately the size of a small mountain, drew back his fist, but she saw it first. Bucky was countering already, his left arm, the enhanced arm, ready to fly up.

Without thinking, Rachel flung her hand out and sent a spell flying. It hit the man in front and knocked him into the wall so hard it cracked. “Stop!”

The men turned in unison to look at this little redhead running up to them speaking a foreign language. Rachel drew to a halt, putting herself between them and Bucky. He towered over her, almost as tall as Steve, but she’d taken bigger fish. 

“I said stop.” She panted, more from adrenaline than the run, and magic crackled along her skin. Another roll of her wrist and she cast a glamour over Bucky. “He’s not who you think he is.”

Mountain Man eyed her. “Cine dracu esti tu?”

Rachel blinked. “Listen, just… shoo.” She made a flapping motion with her hand. She could amp up the magic and scare the hell out of them, but that risked attracting even more attention, and she actually was trying to deescalate the situation. 

“Nu este nimeni. Lasă-o din ea,” Bucky said. Rachel looked behind her at him, and he deftly sidestepped her so that he was now shielding her. She had to duck to the side to see what was happening. Goddamned tall guys.

They exchanged a few more words that Rachel didn’t understand, and their postures grew more threatening. Her interference seemed to have caused a shift in Bucky. He was trying to protect her. He pulled his arm back again, and this time she hit him with a spell, although it wasn’t nearly as strong—just enough to knock him off his balance.

“Look,” Rachel said, exasperated, and gestured to Bucky. Her glamour came off him in strong waves, but unless she was the unluckiest person on earth, these guys would see an old man instead of the true Bucky.

They looked between each other, looked at Bucky, looked at her, back at Bucky, and after several eternities, turned around and stormed away. Bucky was leaning against the wall, holding his arm. Rachel winced. She really hoped she hadn’t just given him cause for another punch.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “I just didn’t think it was a good idea to draw attention with a fight.”

He looked at her with haunted eyes. Rachel was suddenly freezing. “Who are you?” he asked, his voice rusty as if from disuse.

“Would you believe I’m a friend?” His face said no. “Okay, friend of a friend? I’m a friend of Steve’s.”

Now it was Bucky’s turn to blink. His eyes darted back and forth as if he were sorting through information. “Steve Rogers?”

“Yeah.” Now that the immediate danger was gone, she went into damage control and looked around. A few people were staring, but nobody had stopped and she didn’t hear any sirens, but it was probably better to get the hell out of here. “Why don’t I buy you a coffee somewhere else and tell you all about it?”

He hesitated. “No.”

Oh, how the turns had tabled. She knew that look. It was paranoia, the kind that comes when they really are out to get you. And she knew, oh she knew, that it was the kind of paranoia that wouldn’t budge.

“Bucky,” she said. “I know you got no reason to trust me. But I swear I come in peace.”

The name got his attention, and he gave her a tortured look. “What did you do to me?” He let go of his arm and rotated it, but the movement was off. It was less like working a muscle and more like realigning a transmission.

“Magic. I’m… not normal. And we’ve got some things in common.” She offered him a wan smile.

He stared at her for a long moment, and she swore he could see straight down to her bones. “Why are you here?”

That was the question wasn’t it. Ostensibly, she was there because of Steve. But after what she’d seen in the spell, she had absolutely no desire to make this man do anything he didn’t want to do. There were days she could still feel the spelled iron around her wrist. She wasn’t going to take away anyone’s will, come hell or high water.

“I’m here to talk. To give you some options, and then to do what you want. If you want to come with me, you can. If you want me to get lost, I’ll never bother you again. Either way, it’s your choice.”

His eyes cast downward for a moment, and then he sighed. “Are you okay with a bit of a walk? There’s another cafe far enough away from here we should be safe.”

Rachel smiled, and there was warmth in it. “Lead the way.”

[jojuarez26]

If you only knew how truly Erudite Blue you actually are not

Divergent fanfiction: Eric/OC Mature content and strong language. I do not own any part of Divergent

Tarrin's POV

I haven't seen or spoken to Eric in almost two weeks now, although Four has and admittedly, I am jealous as hell. Eric finally submitted all his legal documents. So the proverbial cat is out of its fucking back and the psychotic bitch that rules Erudite with a damn machine gun has flipped her shit.

Jeanine went on a rampage the second she knew about Analisse and the fact Eric was able to not be made compliant with threats as we for once are actually the ones two steps ahead of the game.

First she turned Erudite upside down on it's head trying to locate my daughter and I. Then being the oh so logical thinker we needed her to be, Jeanine stormed Amity because that's where Jacob of is at. Apparently both Jacob and Johanna Reyes told Jeanine to go pleasure herself with a barbed wire stick and get the ever living fuck out of Amity. Well maybe what they said was slightly more Amity but still the same interpretation.

Next she tried, and I do stress tried, to go to Candor and strong arm Jack and my Aunt Kathy. I'm totally confident that it would be accurate to say Aunt Kathy literally told her to fuck off and get the hell out of Candor.

The funniest part of the way Jeanine thinks is that she did not, nor would she ever think to so much as email Abnegation. As far as she is concerned Eric would rather poke his eye out with a stick on fire than ever stoop so low as to ask Abnegation, the useless stiffs, to help him find a pencil.

Technically she would be right. Eric would not and did not. But, Four would and he did. Well not the Faction itself, but a specific member. A divergent sympathizer and one of the nicest people I have ever met, Natalie Prior.

Without a second thought, no questions asked and not a single ounce of hesitation because of who I am essentially married to Natalie snuck the three of us into an unused and pretty much abandoned house in the older unused section of Abnegation.

Her and her daughter Beatrice made sure to come check on us every day and bring us anything we needed that they were capable of procuring.

Natalie's husband Andrew is on the council. This allowed Natalie to be in communication with Eric without any suspicion yet not giving up any knowledge of the where abouts of Analisse and I.

Eric and Natalie where still extremely careful of the content of their contact and mostly used codes and key phrases to relay information to each other.

Although Jeanine for the most part has Dauntless in her back pocket, they would still never allow her to rand sack Dauntless or shake them down looking for Eric's missing fiance' and mystery child that ninety percent of all people question even exist. I did such a spectacular job at hiding my pregnancy, not to mention how Eric's parents snuggled us out of Erudite, most had no knowledge or proof Analisse did indeed exist.

However Max was completely ok with pretty much monitoring all of Eric's daily life in Dauntless. From planting bugs and surveillance equipment in both Eric's office and apartment to placing spy details that followed his every move.

This was the reason Analisse and I have had no kind of contact with Eric period. Needless to say we are both going threw withdrawal and driving poor Four bonkers.

"Good morning Tarrin." Four murmured pouring himself a cup of coffee just waking up.

"Good? Seriously Four what the hell is so good about it," I spat sarcastically.

"Ok. Well I'm just going to get dressed and run some parameter checks, like all day," Four replies cautiously. Now I feel bad.

"Four wait! I'm sorry. Please don't leave me alone today," I suddenly burst into tears.

My horomones and the severity of my situation have me a hot mess of fuckery. Seeing as how Four is the only adult I have interactions with and well, Analisse only cries, eats and fills her diapers, Four gets shat on. Alot. Everyday. By the grace of God he takes it with a grain of salt and rolls with the punches.

"You T, I really do like you even with your poor taste in men. However even though said man is an asshole, at least he is consistent. He is constantly an asshole. You my dear are as inconsistent as the bowel movements of the elderly. Quite frankly your mood swings give me whiplash," he says all this in a quiet yet serious tone.

"I very very loosely understand that just having a baby turns you into a lunatic because your horomones are in overdrive. I also get being stuck in seclusion with a newborn and a stranger are probably about as helpful as a full moon at a daycare or in a nursing home but, damn you and mini Eric are exhausting me," he dramatically threw his head back throwing an arm over his eyes.

This is what I love about Four. Although I know he hides alot of pain and demons behind his humourous approach to life, it is relaxing and breaks the tension.

"Oh admitted Four, you loves us. Seriously though, I am so sorry. I know you didn't choose this mission, Eric ordered you to take it. For what it's worth I'm grateful you did."I tried to hold back the tears as I spoke.

"T it's not-"

"Let me finish. Please." Four just nods for me to continue

"I'm not exactly sure to the full extent why you and Eric hate each other so much. What I do know is Eric trust you and respects you as a loyal Dauntless soldier. Considering we are born and bred Erudite regardless of our aptitudes and Eric very recently defection to Dauntless. We were raised to keep your acquaintances close and your competition closer," I pause to make sure he is still on the same page as me.

Reading his facial expressions and body language, he understands, he's just not sure where I'm going with this.

"The point I am trying to make is this. The short list of people that is logically acceptable to trust, especially with someone with Eric's nature, is already exceeding it's limits at best. So the fact that he trust you. Especially with it being with mine and Analisse's safety, actually speaks volumes." I'm once again trying to choke back tears to continue.

"Both myself AND ERIC, are and will be eternally grateful. I know Eric will probably never say or acknowledge that, but I will. Thank so much for being here when you don't have to be. You have also become someone I would consider a friend so..... Thanks," I sniffed and put my head in my hands.

I suddenly feel hands on my shoulders. Four is rubbing them soothingly. This truly suprises me especially with him being former Abnegation. Once he can tell I've calmed down, he moves to sit across the table from me.

"Complete honesty, when Eric recruited me for this," he waves his hand around the room," I was baffled. I was slightly shocked any female could tolerate him for more than a one night stand let alone long time girlfriend who just had his child." He has an amused look on his face but his tone of voice is still serious.

"Four if your just going to bash Eric, I really rather not at the moment if you-"

"Hey. I let you finish. Let me finish. Please." He asked and pauses to see if I will. I do.

"Ok. So I generally viewed Eric as a cruel person who's only emotions are bored, angry and sadism. Well except when he is intimating people into pissing their pants just by glaring at them, I think that actually gives him joy," Four smirks and I can't help but laugh.

"That is until he told me about the situation and about you and his mini-clone. I actually saw love, fear, sadness and frustration. And it wasn't fake, forced or sarcastic, it was genuine. To say I was shocked is putting mildly. No I was not thrilled or happy at all that I had to do a favor as I saw it, for Eric. But I was more curious and intrigued when I got a glimpse of an actual human with actual humanity. I had come to believe he was really a machine and possessed a switch that turned his humanity off most likely permanently." He sipped his coffee and I took the opportunity to ask a question.

"What where you actually curious about, what made you more accepting of the situation?" I was liking the distraction of my craziness by this conversation.

"I wanted to see what ridiculous, crazy, hooker looking, sluty nose had actually melted some ice off of the cold steel that was Eric the asshole heart," he grins ear to ear.

"Excuse you!! Did you truly think so disgustingly of me?" I ask half shocked half offended.

"Of YOU personally? No. Of the mystery woman Eric knocked up, absolutely. However the second I laid eyes on you I was actually shocked, possibly slightly in denial," he smiles.

"How? Why?" Now I'm curious.

"You looked nothing like a hooker. You're actually really pretty, and normal looking. You're also nice. I am actually a little envious that an asshole like Coulter managed to have a woman as smart, beautiful, caring, yet still sassy and classy as you." He blushed and looked away.

I knew that Four wasn't actually jealous Eric had me personally or that he harboured secret feelings for me or something crazy like that. He was just jealous Eric had a good person who loved him in general. Four is extremely lonely with a very low opinion of himself for reasons I can't fathom. What I do know is someone in his past damaged him, scared him deep emotionally. Who or why is what I don't know.

Just as I was about to start asking him about his self, my peanuts piercing banshee wails filled the air. I stood up letting out a deep sigh.

"Hold that thought mi amigo. I have to attended to my motherly duties. This conversation is far from over though. I am going to pick your brain some more. I want to know more about you."

His demeanor faulted ever so slightly to nervous, maybe worried. It was quick, but I still caught it.

"How very not true Erudite of you? Wanting to actually listen when someone else speaks and value their opinions," he almost sounded desperate to change the subject with his attitude change.

"Oh fuck dick. I got your number. We are most definitely going to talk about you too," I playful shot over my shoulder as I walked away.

@pathybo @tigpooh67 @lunaschild2016 @emmysrandomthoughts @jaihardy @beautifulramblingbrains @clublulu333 @iammarylastar @kenzieam @captstefanbrandt @badassbaker @badassdauntlessgirl @gotlokis @kgurew @that1girloverthere @girlslovestorys @onceinamillionlifetimes @sporadichologramblizzard-ed17414 @dani5102 @book-boys-are-my-guilty-pleasure @littlesouthernrebel @haliannej

[feral-flower-child]

Siblings Through Trauma

The house is exactly as Evelyn last saw it. Small, cozy, well kept. All it needs is a white picket fence. She and Edward haven’t stopped holding each other in some way since they left, needing to be reminded that what happened is over and they’re both there and alive.

That night is quiet. The calm after the storm. Neither want to sleep. Both know they should. Eventually they both fall asleep on the couch, only for Eddie to wake up hours later crying and scratching at nonexistent stitches. It takes a long time for Eve to calm him down. They don’t sleep for the rest of the night.

~~~

"You got some new tattoos."

The sentence is a soft break in the silence that had taken up the morning. Neither has talked about what had happened yet or the nightmares they experience nightly, even though it's been weeks. Maybe they should.

'Yeah I did.' Eve sits down on the couch next to her brother with her water bottle in hand, still sweaty from her early morning run. The exercise clears her mind. She turns her back so that he can see the large tattoo across the plane of skin. Part of it is obscured by the sports bra she wears but most of it is visible.

Tentatively he lightly traces the words, knowing they’re in Fae but unable to read them. "What does it say?"

It's our story. The Hotel. The…the deaths and tortures. Everything. So I never forget. Even if my memory is wiped again or something happens, I’ll always remember. Her voice is quiet in his mind as she visibly shudders. One of her hands traces the tattoos right above her hips. These are the names of everyone who died. That’s yours. She points to the middle name, an elegant symbol with winding writhing swirls.

"I-it’s so beautiful. The story. It looks so beautiful." But it's not. He talks equally quiet, blocking memories and pain as he takes his hand from her back.

She turns back around and nods at him. 'Yeah. It does. That’s the wonder of Fae. Making the ugly beautiful.'

"And this one?" Eddie gently holds her right arm and turns it so her forearm faces up, revealing another winding story in Fae.

'Mine and Dark's story of how we met. What I remember at least. At the end is a traditional Fae song for love and protection for couples. Well mates but same difference. It's also got our first kiss.' She smiles at the memory.

"In the burnt down library among the wreckage of a bomb." He rolls his eyes and pinches at her arm.

'Yep!' She swats at him and stands, draining the water bottle. 'I’m going to make breakfast if you want some before your shift at work.'

"Sounds good to me." Edward watches her leave with a soft smile.

~~~

Edward lounges on the couch, having not done anything during the day besides eat a little. Evelyn watches him from the hallway with a concerned frown. A ping goes off from her phone, causing her to check the notification with a sigh. Yet another order from her shop. She’d reopened a few days ago and all her customers have been pounding at her proverbial doors for their supplies.

She ignores the new order and walks back into the living room and sits down next to Eddie. 'Bad day?'

He just nods.

'Want to talk about it?'

A shake of the head. She sighs and leans forward to kiss his temple.

'You know where to find me Eddie. I’ll always listen.' She's about to leave when he grabs her wrist.

"I…I just keep remembering. Everything. The sounds. The screams." His voice is quiet and broken, just barely a whisper but Evelyn can hear it well enough. "Knowing…knowing you were here and you could be hurt and god I prayed that he would protect you. Even if he was doing all of this, he would protect you.

"And then…it was quiet. And he sat by my cell in silence. I could tell he wanted to talk, he wanted to say something. Maybe to try and make this better. And then…he left. And my cell door opened and I got this just sudden urge to…improve myself. And—" His voice cracks as he shudders. Eve places a hand on his. "And then I wasn’t myself. At all. Nothing. And there you were and you looked so broken and hurt and I knew what was going to happen but I didn’t want it to. I don’t even remember how I hurt you. Just…blank."

She doesn’t talk, just wipes tears from his cheeks as her own face becomes damp with sorrow. Eddie sighs shakily as she lays down next to him to hold him. They don’t talk anymore, just hold each other and cry silently.

~~~

The adoption center is a cacophony of animals barking and meowing and chittering. Evie walks from pen to pen, oo-ing and and ah-ing at each animal. Her brother follows behind her with a soft smile, laughing when she gasps loudly.

She’s stopped before a large pen with a St. Bernard, the dog panting and pawing at the cage at Eve. 'I love her already,' she hurriedly signs.

"You don’t even know if she’s what we’re looking for." Ed throws an arm around her shoulders and reaches his other hand through the chainlink. The dog immediately licks at his fingers, earning a smile from both of them.

'Fine then let’s ask.' Evelyn ducks under his arm and goes back to the front, asking one of the caretakers about the St. Bernard. Edward stays and continues to pet her talking quietly with her. When his sister bounds back with a caretaker, her smile is wide enough to let Edward know that she’s already got her heart set and there’s no way he can say no.

"Since you’ve already decided we're getting her, what's her name?"

'Talia. Isn’t it such a pretty name? And she’s a service dog for panic attacks and people with PTSD.' She kneels back down and pets Talia through the fence, laughing at the licks she gets in return.

"Yeah, it’s a beautiful name Evie." He turns to the caretaker and they begin to talk adoption.

~~~

Do you remember when we met? Evelyn asks. The stars are spread out above them, the grass chill and soft against their backs. Talia lays between the two siblings, her head and forelegs on Edward's stomach and her tail and one of her back legs on Evelyn's.

Edward laughs next to her, a rich sound that she has been hearing more and more lately. "Yeah of course I remember. You almost blew up my condo."

She sputters next to him. I did not.

"Yes you did, don’t even deny it." He sends a snapshot of a memory to her. A younger, scrawnier, teenage Evelyn crying inside his old condo while her hands and eyes glow an explosive red. "You scared the shit out of me and my roommate."

Okay so I did almost destroy your condo. Sorry. But it wasn’t really my fault so there’s that.

"Uh huh. Why are you asking?" Edward looks over at her with a slight frown.

In return he gets a sigh. I just. I don’t know. I miss it. The simplicity. Before everything else happened. I wish I could be fifteen again. Okay no, fifteen sucked ass. Sixteen was good. I stayed with you.

"I understand. But did you have Talia? Did you meet Ava and Camilla? Did you find Dark?" Talia thumps her tail at the mention of her name, panting slightly.

………no. Evie finally looks over at him.

"Exactly. It’s been shit. But it being shit led us to our good times. For instance: if a random starving teenager who had a lot of problems didn’t randomly show up on my doorstep freaking out because her powers were getting out of control, I wouldn’t have the best, most annoying little sister in the world."

Her lips finally quirk in a smile as she punches him on the arm. 'Had a lot of problems'? As in past tense? She looks back up at the sky. Does that mean that all the shit we went through back then will be worth it?

Eddie pulls her closer. "Yeah. I hope so. Hey look, a shooting star." He points to a streaking light in the sky. "Make a wish."

They sit in silence for a few moments before pushing Talia off them and heading back inside.

~~~

Evelyn stands in her room, her duffel bag on the bed while she grabs clothes from her dresser and closet to fill it. Talia watches from the threshold of her room. Evelyn doesn’t hear Eddie walk in and lean on the doorframe, at least until he speaks quietly. "I’m sorry Evie."

'I told you it’s fine. You need space right now and I’d be an asshole to deny it.' She turns to her brother and smiles at him reassuringly. He doesn’t seem convinced.

"Where did you say you were going again?"

'A mansion. We got the invite a few weeks ago remember? Apparently there’s a gathering of people, more egos. I’ll be okay I promise.'

Ed sighs and looks at the bag. "Phone, wallet, spells?"

Eve laughs and grabs the heavy duffel. 'Yes brother dear, I have everything I need. Stop worrying.'

"Impossible to do I’m afraid." He cracks a smile and walks over to envelope her in a hug. "Stay safe okay? Text me if you need me."

I will. I promise. I should get going. Take care of yourself and Talia yeah? Evelyn backs away and smiles at him.

He manages to smile back. "Yeah of course. You’d probably kill me if I didn’t take care of her."

'You’re learning. I love you.'

"Love you too. Now get going." He pecks her forehead and smiles as she backs away. She smiles back and opens a small rip in the air to place her duffel in the void before closing it.

Talia whines at the rip and Eve kisses her head before opening a larger portal, this time opening to a fringe of trees. With a final wave Evelyn walks through and closes it, leaving the room almost unnaturally silent.

Edward sighs at the quiet and pets Talia before getting ready for his next shift at the hospital.

~~~

WOW THAT TOOK FOREVER. Okay so for anyone confused, this is a story of snippets into my character Reaper's life after an event in a roleplay where her brother is Dr. Iplier aka Edward/Ed/Eddie. Reaper's name is also Evelyn.

@pleaseletthisjimbetaken @splatoon-jim @californiakxng @written-stone @readeatfightlove13

[iamwhelmed]

For Whom the Bell Tolls: Chapter 7

Also on AO3 and Fanfiction.net!

Summary: When monsters start to invade Mayview, the morality of the connection between a medium and their spirit comes into question. Is killing a spirit any different from taking the life of another human? Relationships between club members become strained, and if Max thought the club was coming apart before, it certainly is now.

Saturday

Suzy wasn’t one to leave the clubroom unless absolutely necessary, meaning, barring classes and interviews, she was the journalism club’s gatekeeper and defender, the proverbial judge and jury. That was why Dimitri had to wait to act until the weekend, when even Suzy wasn’t hanging back-- not for lack of trying, actually; she’d been kicked out of the school by an on-duty school deputy more than the school would probably admit. Next time meant suspension, and suspension for Suzy meant no weekly paper, not that anybody read it in the first place.

Dimitri ducked around the corner leading into the hallway, leaning forward to see where the lingering school deputy would head. He was an old man, not quite the age of the school nurse, but certainly getting there. He scratched at his bald head, unintentionally inching his working hat as far back as it could go without tipping off.

“Eh, coulda sworn I’d heard somethin’.”

He readjusted the hat and turned to walk to the other end of the hall-- away from the clubroom.

Dimitri turned the corner and padded over to the door, an ever-watchful eye following the officer down the hall as far as he could see him. He set one hand on the knob and turned it, sliding the door open one centimeter at a time. The lock on the door to their clubroom had broken somewhere in their sixth grade year and, courtesy of their inattentive club leader, was still yet to be fixed. It drove Suzy up the wall, and was also why she put her chore money up to pay for the lock on the filing cabinet-- Dimitri’s current obstacle.

He slid the door shut behind him.

“Let’s see if I still remember how to do this…”

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the bobby pin he’d stashed away before he left the house. Suzy had taught him the ins and outs of lock picking at some point when he first joined, and though he’d paid attention, it wasn’t like he went out and actively rummaged through people’s things the way she expected him and Collin to. He would have looked for the key, but he knew Suzy too well-- if she hadn’t taken it home with her, she’d hidden it somewhere even he would never think to search. Picking the lock was the simplest solution-- quickest, mostly painless, and effective.

He inched the bobby pin into the slot and went to work unlatching the chain.

Sorry about this, Suzy, but you started keeping secrets first.

There was a small snap, and the lock fell loose in his hands. Perfect. “Now to find out what you two were hiding from me.”

The top drawer was usually empty, save for a few sticky notes with information Suzy was still convinced was relevant, like phone numbers and names with vague summaries below about why they should be covered. Some dulled pencils could usually be found rolling around in there, alongside some clippings from more legitimate newspapers, like The Mayview Times.

Sitting atop all of that were the papers he’d seen Suzy lock away. Dimitri ignored the CONFIDENTIAL stamp on the front and stripped the first page off the stack.

He read the first few sentences, then had to repeat them to himself again to be sure that’s what he was actually seeing. Then again, and again. He read them until each word sank in, and the harsh reality of Suzy’s latest scoop washed over him like an ice bath, like a tsunami of water so freezing it left him numb and paralyzed, standing there, holding reality in shaking hands.

The bathroom smelled like aftershave. The living room smelled like aftershave. Heck, the whole flipping house smelled like an Abercrombie and Fitch model came in and took a bath in a tub full of cologne! Max was practically gagging, and he knew even Zoe had to smell it from her room, and her door had been closed all day!

“I’m leaving to finally get all this extra hair trimmed off!” His dad paused at the stairs, raising a hand to fluff the ends of his hair. “Should I keep it a little longer, or go a little shorter?”

Max lingered by the dip in their family room floor, contemplating whether to sit on the couch or stand around until his dad left so he could get back to his bedroom quicker. He wasn’t in the mood to watch TV, but his bedroom was even closer to the bathroom than the living room, and if the smell of “Blue Thunder” got any stronger, he was sure he’d asphyxiate. Max shrugged. “I wouldn’t cut off too much. Can’t have her thinking you’re a well put-together business man, can you?” He was trying to get laughs, and usually that was something his dad might have chuckled at, but a quick glance in Dad’s direction and he knew where his father’s mind was.

He was staring past Max, down the hallway where Zoe’s room was. Her door was locked and she hadn’t answered anyone all day.

“She’ll come around.” His dad was focused on him again, looking startled; he’d probably interrupted a train of thought. Max turned away, looking to the floor, nearly hoping Pj would come fading in at any second and he could escape the awkward conversation-- or at least push it to a later date, but Pj was somewhere else, wandering in the house in a room that Max wasn’t in. Figured. The one time Max wanted him to pop out of nowhere and scare the pants off of him and he wasn’t around to. “She’s your kid, right? She’ll get used to the idea eventually.” That was the least mushy way he could figure to word it.

His dad crossed the room just to steal his cap and ruffle his hair. Max winced, but the familiar sensation of a smile was crawling across his lips. “I’ll be home by eleven o’clock tonight, son. Be good!” He ducked out of the room before Max could even raise a hand to wave.

Meditation, though rewarding, was a trial all on its own. Instead of blank thoughts, Ed found his mind wandering to places that were dangerous, places that made him lose all concentration.

The way her hair hit his face on her way by.

The way she didn’t acknowledge him-- no look, no word, no wave-- like he didn’t even exist.

He toppled over. One of the other students cracked open an eye. He waved an apology and got back up on the slab of wood to begin again.

It was over. He’d lost her. Before he even had a chance to fix things, to fix himself, she was gone. He hadn’t even tried to speak to her when he came home last night; he couldn’t handle a repeat, couldn’t handle her ignoring him again because if it happened twice it was real and he wasn’t just imagining it. But he knew. She was replacing him, setting Max on the pedestal where he once stood, knocking his statue off and watching his bust shatter into thousands of jagged pieces. And why would she try to clean it all up? She’d only stab herself, and he wasn’t worth the effort.

They weren’t worth the effort.

He nearly fell off again, leaning too much weight on the front of his legs, but caught himself at the last second, straightening up.

He was almost jealous of Max, but the truth kept logic saddled on his mind; Max was the better friend for her. He wasn’t some baby that ran away when she needed him, or some lazy coward who spent all his time messing around with video games instead of training to better himself as a man.

He fell backwards instead of forwards this time, bumping his head on the floor before the rest of him even hit the ground. Grunting, he got back up and tried again.

He was stupid! So, so, stupid!

And now she was gone, and all he could do was watch Max take his place, watch him be the better man… and it was already killing him.

Things would be better for her when he left. She could forget him entirely, and maybe he’d find a new best friend, too, though he already knew none would quite compare. She’d follow him around forever in his wimpy little heart, and it just hurt that he wouldn’t be in hers.

He fell over again, and this time, something hard knocked him upside the head. “Ow!” A pair of slippers padded over to stand in front of him. “Hey, who did that?” His eyes trailed up the length of his foot before hitting the robe, and from there on, Ed already knew who he was looking at. He set his chin on the mat and gave his master his most pathetic pout.

Master Hashimoto frowned and looked from Ed to the thin wood he expected every student to balance on when meditating-- something Ed still clearly wasn’t the best at. “I am impressed you keep getting back up, child, but I am less impressed that you must keep trying. Why can you not concentrate?”

“Just...” Ed rubbed the back of his head where, what he was now sure was, Master Hashimoto’s staff had left a small bruise. “I’m just tired is all.” He forced himself to sit back up, moving to set his butt on the small plank of wood, thick and wide enough to stand on, hard to balance on-- apparently. He presumed correct posture, crossing his legs and closing his eyes.

Hashimoto sighed, and was gone without so much as a drift in the air.

The clock hit 11:00 only seconds before Max heard his dad coming up the stairs. The first few steps were long between, like he’d been taking two steps at a time, and then the sounds of shoes against wood came faster, and he was coming up to the top in seconds. “Max! My son!”

He was sitting up from his place on the couch slowly, inching the bucket of popcorn off his lap (it’d been the only thing strong enough to cover up the smells of “Blue Thunder”). One hand reached over tentatively to pause the horror movie he’d been watching, heart beating a mile per minute.

It went horrible. It went terrible? She said she never wants to see me again?

His father opened his arms wide, then swung around on his heel with the widest grin he’d had in five years plastered on his face. Unlike the others, not that he hadn’t been genuinely ecstatic to move back to his hometown, it was real and it reached his eyes and Max could feel it radiating sunshine in the dead of night from across the living room. “It went great! She was amazing!”

Max’s hand froze before one finger ever set on the remote.

“... Oh?”

“She’s got her own collection of Star Wars lightsabers-- even one of the real models used in the first movie! How awesome is that?”

Max chuckled and raised one butter-covered hand to the back of his neck, wincing even when he tried to smile. “That’s-- that’s great, dad.”

His father started jumping up and down like a little kid, balled hands up to his chest, wide and toothy smile inching larger by the second. “And she was so beautiful! Blue hair, blue eyes! I could have sworn I was dating a mermaid!”

“Cool…”

“And you made the right call! She apparently” and here he reached a hand to twirl some strand of hair around his finger “loooves the men with some volume.”

He was starting to feel sick. Every bit of his stomach that might have been peckish, every part that might have once wanted some of that popcorn-- it was all disgusting. His insides churned, and he very nearly clapped a hand to his mouth to hold back the pound of vomit inching up his throat. It stung, and so did his eyes. The woman in the movie being brutally murdered, via axe-wielding serial killer, shrieked and wept, and Max chewed on the inside of his bottom lip.

He swallowed it all down. “Glad to hear it, Dad.”

“It’s all because of you, mine loinfruit!”

He didn’t even have the energy to correct him, because it was a stupid joke and he didn’t much feel like joking at all; in fact he wanted to throw a fit. He wanted to pick up his popcorn and throw it into his dad’s face, because his mom’s picture was sitting right there on the end table and how could he even think about another woman when her face was right there, right freaking there! It was wrong! It was demeaning! It was cruel and how could he say something like that about another woman?

Max slid off the couch and mumbled some excuse about being tired and not knowing how late it was, but the hour would be carved into his mind for a good while. He didn’t even bother to shut the TV off; he was sure his dad would take it over when he went to his room.

He shut the door softly when he wanted to slam it, then rested against the wood and slid down until his rear hit the floor. He heard his dad start the movie over-- he was in the clear.

Max rested his head against the door, then brought it up and slammed it back down four times, maybe five, trying to get the stinging in his eyes to go away. He wasn’t some teary-eyed brat, he couldn’t just cry over something so stupid!

He couldn’t cry because his dad was happy…

He choked on air.

… even if it was with another woman.

He didn’t want his dad to move on. He didn’t want some stranger coming in, trying to be his mom, trying to play a part that never should have been open to begin with! He knew she made him happy, but that didn’t mean she should! He tucked his knees to his chest and set his head against them, fingers clawing at the carpet on either side.

How am I supposed to even tell him?

[tacittherapist]

It’s... a soft black book, larger than a pocketbook but smaller than a notebook. No title. Hmmm...

You rummage around your bookshelf, flipping open a few titles just to make sure you hadn’t for whatever reason disguised your diary as something else. Perhaps to mislead your mother? It was a plausible theory. No luck on the bookshelf, though. You turn over a few loose knitted articles of clothing without much success as well.

Unbeknownst to you, Jade stumbles across your diary underneath your messy bedsheets. It lays open, your neat lavendar handwriting describing your first and only sleepover at the Friedman household.

Dear Diary,

This entry will be in two parts to make up for yesterday’s absence. Last night... I attended my first sleepover. Entirely by accident, mind you. Still, it was... fun. I normally don’t connect well with other girls, but I think Jenny humored me long enough to take the edge off the awkwardness. She also taught me this game. She called it MASH. It uses some sort of funny, nonsensical numeric cadence to appear clairvoyant. In the moment, we used the names of various boys from our class along with incredibly vapid professions and locations. So, naturally, I thought I’d... do it properly. See below:

I feel the need to addendum: many of these choices were not mine. The ‘anti’ options were chosen for me by Jenny last night. The only columns I decided for myself were profession, honeymoon location, and person I’d wed. It feels silly, as it should; it’s a vapid schoolgirl’s game. Still, I am... satisfied with this fate. To think I’d be half as successful as my mother is something to look forward to. Honeymooning in Hawaii is obviously a plus. As for the other outcomes... I’m sure being a professional zookeeper with a turtle as a means of transportation is something straight from one of John’s movies. Speaking of whom, it was surprising to me that I’d land on such a silly combination and instead marry Jade. Although, I suppose she does live in some remote Pacific Island... close to Hawaii, perhaps? Married to Jade... Mrs. Rose Harley? Jade Lalonde? It’s unclear to me how that would work. Still, not the worst fate. I’m sure Jade would make a good wife, so long as I manage to keep her awake. It seems all those all-nighters she has been pulling for her astrophysical research has taken a toll as of late. Perhaps I could be one of those doting housewives who would bring her coffee in the wee hours of the night? The thought is silly, but charming. Now that I think about it, Jade is very likely one of the few girls I’d be comfortable with. Everyone else, and please pardon my own hypocrisy, just seems so shallow. Yes, I know. Typical goth to think of the others as shallow. Trite? Perhaps. Accurate? Absolutely. I’m glad we listed boys last night. Otherwise, I probably would still not hear the end of ‘Well, who would wear the proverbial pants in the relationship? How could you have children? Etc.’ from Jenny. Although, I suppose it’s worth nothing here, just to affirm to myself: I can see myself dating a girl. Erm, a woman? I’m twelve, what am I saying? Ugh...

Sorry. The topic of dating is still a faraway concept for me. I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with being intimate, nevermind sexual. Innuendo and teasing is one thing. Being intimate means being vulnerable. The thought scares me. Suppose I do become vulnerable to someone; I allow someone to get close. Will they realize that past the obfuscation and snark... I’m just an anxious oddball? That I don’t know as much as I let on? That despite my stellar track record as an occult and obscure enthusiast, I still don’t quite know who I am? It already feels compromising to put these feelings to words, but it should be done. If not to process this fear, then at least to recognize it. I’ve been reading more about psychology; recognition is an important first step. I suppose many of these fears may go away as I mature. With any luck, I’ll be more confident as a teen, and, endgame in mind, fully actualized as an adult. Today’s entry on the next page. ==>

The lightning flickering its way across LoLaR draws your attention for a moment. It doesn’t usually do that, and that probably says something. Perhaps something is waiting for the Seer down below. You’ll go with her, if she asks to. Of course you will, even…

Even though her response forms a sickly knot in your stomach. Even though some parts of her reply give you pause - make your heart swoon for a fragment of a second at their implications, the rest? It kind of hurts. You struggle and fail to hide your response. Your ears have always been one of the most surefire prophets of your mood, and they’re currently drooped at their tips, angled back towards your scalp. Your posture slumps a little. Your Harley grin fails to surface properly, just looking queasy, and your laugh falls flat. Is… is that what she wants for you as well? To just… never address your feelings for your closest and most fondly-regarded friend, to live and die in a comfortably painful void of ‘nothing’? Romantic tension or no, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for your friends especially her so if it’s what she wants is to maintain the status quo forever, so be it. …after just one more weak prod at the fictional concept she dreamt up.

o-oh, haha… if… if thats what you - i mean… if thats what uhm. if thats what minister tibalt wanted and - and how he felt then… then i guess its best that… that brigham never tried to bring it up again? never… never knew if his beloved friend fel… felt th-

You choke off the rest of your sentence, clenching your eyes shut for a moment to clear them, then looking back up at the Land of Light and Rain. 

h-hey look… its stormy on lolar, i wonder if that means itll rain on board too once we get back into orbit between them…