#The man in the cloak a mysterious figure call them whatever you want keeps being the main source of intrigue in the fic

[lieutenant-amuel]

Why have you stopped writing was born to lead?

I… didn’t want to answer this question. But it seems like you misunderstood me a little, because I’ve never said I’m stopping to write WBTL. It’s on hiatus now, it’s not abandoned.

Anyway, I admit I had a lot more dramatic~ answer to this question in my head when I first saw it, but after all I realized the main reason I’m stepping away from publishing the chapters is… life.

There are too many external factors that prevent me from being as productive as I’d like to be and given the fact I’m a lot more emotional than I think I am (damn it), I know I’ll be way too harsh on myself for not updating often (I update almost every month now, which, I think, is often enough, given how long my chapters are).

But I write this fic for joy only. And I want it to bring me joy only. The way to achieve it is to write it for myself. But I want to assure you that the fic is not abandoned. I just stop publishing the chapters until the entire story is finished.

I have no idea when I finish it. But for now, I just hope I’ll manage to do it.

I’m actually on hiatus now (and no, this is not some summer vacation hiatus, as I said I won’t publish the chapters until I finish the story, so it’s going to be quite a long lasting hiatus) and I won’t write anything for at least a month (unless I’ll get hit by some extremely cool idea that I’d want to write down right away), because I have some big plans in terms of outline and editing.

But that’s actually a good thing, because it means WBTL is not escaping from my head. If you want to send me my characters for the OCs ask games, or give me suggestions for the story, or simply talk about it with me, please do. I won’t mind. On the contrary, I’ll be extremely happy to know that any of you are still interested.

I hope it clears things up and you understand why I’ve made this decision.

[h-s-moonshadow]

The Mystery of Healing: Story 1 - Part 2

Fifteen minutes later, Kylantha was moving through the streets of Idolna, towards the main square where the traveling merchants would have set up their stalls. She saw their wagons as she walked down the street, colorful tops marking them as the wealthy traders.

Indeed even as she approached, she felt out of place. Her shirt was wrinkled and plain, her trousers much the same. Guards patrolled, not the town guard, they did not really have one here. After all, who would want to steal from a town with so few people in it. Everyone knew everyone. When something went wrong inside the town, it was often the townspeople who decided what to do with the guilty party.

And a party was almost always guilty. Be it the wolves that had taken Heldars sheep the winter previous, or the group of teens that had burnt down five houses the previous summer. There was always a guilty party. Even if Kylantha had not been in town to witness those events, she knew of them. There was precious little news.

What news there was recently, was of her. She tried to be sneaky, keeping to the shadows. Her small frame was useful as she slipped through an alleyway trying to get into the camp without being spotted by anyone. It would make her life so much easier. No need to talk, or to answer questions. She could find her grandmother and then she would do all the talking. 

Her training came in use during that time. As she slipped from shadow to shadow, through the easily permeable barrier of caravan wagons and into the caravan proper. As she started to look for her grandmother. She needed to figure out where…

“Kylantha?” The voice made her jump. It was not her grandmothers, rather a more masculine tone coming from the nearest wagon.

She turned to face the speaker so fast flowers flew from her hair- quickly replaced by budding new plants. Even as the ones that had left her floated to the ground. Landing perfect and beautiful. She took a moment to crush them with her foot.

The man who had spoken to her was human. Perhaps a boy no older than, was it eighteen by human standards? He was no adult. She had probably lived through multiple of his lifetimes. His hair was short and straight, cut in an almost militaristic fashion. He had an upturned nose, but not a snobby attitude as his green eyes took her in through large glasses. 

Glasses she could see herself in. Long black hair covered in a verity of flowers, dark brown skin and green eyes. The major features of her thin, small form. She regarded him, noting with curiosity a small bandage on one of his fingers.

“Are you going to say anything?” He asked. Leaning forwards, looking concerned.

“I was not planning on it Taylor,” She replied softly, looking down. Her answer was quick and precise. “Do you need anything from me?”

He shook his head. “No, not at all I’m just surprised to see you. Your grandmother said you had a more difficult job this morning.”

No questions that time. Good, she did not need to respond. “Do you know where she is?” She asked, trying to get away before he could ask any questions she really did not want to answer.

Taylor frowned and leaned forwards, adjusting his glasses slightly. “She’s with Caravan Master Etel, in the main tent.”

“Thank you,” Kylantha started to leave, moving towards the main tent when.

“Why are you not wearing your cloak?” Taylor called after her.

Kylantha froze and turned. Fighting against the urge to answer the question. It had been directly aimed at her. She could not pretend otherwise. Therefore her fight failed. “I don’t have a cloak to wear.”

“Do you want to go to the bakery? Talk about it? After whatever you do with your grandmother that is.” His voice was so kind, so warm. It was like that sip of hot tea that you could take right after the first snowfall. The questions were instead what happened when you spilled scalding water on your skin.

“No and no.” She said after a moment. “Thank you for the offer.” With that, Kylantha dashed towards the tent as fast as she could. Trying to not listen for any more questions posed to her.

“We don’t know where it’s gone Kinthara.” The deep voice of Caravan Master Etel could be heard even outside of the tent. Kylantha had not been meaning to eavesdrop, but when that single sentence was spoken she could not help but stop to listen.

“You want me to find it?” The voice of Kinthara, Kylantha’s grandmother, replied. “You are completely sure that this is in town?”

Part of her wondered if she should be here. After all, she was eavesdropping on her grandmother and a highly respected merchant. If she entered the tent then they might stop, and what they were talking about seemed important.

“Compleatly sure,” She listened as Etel sighed, and then evidently took a seat. She heard the thump of someone falling back into a padded chair. “Kinthara, I don’t have anyone else to turn to here. It’s certainly not the most important of items but…”

“My granddaughter and I can find it Etel,” Her grandmothers voice was gentle and comforting. “You need not worry about it. She should be…” Her voice faded.

Kylantha paused, and then noticed where she was hiding. The sun was hitting her causing her shadow to fall into the tent. The material the tent was made of was evidently thinner than she thought.

“How much of that were you here for Kyl?” Her grandmothers voice, accented by a chuckle floated out of the tent. Musical as always.

With a small sigh Kylantha straightned and walked to the entrance flaps slipping inside. The tent was sparsely decorated, with only a utilitarian wooden desk, a few plush chairs, and a blue and gold patterned rug that while fine, could use with a good cleaning.

“Only about the last thirty seconds grandmother,” Her voice was soft and apologetic as she looked at Etel. “I’m sorry sir, I was interested by the conversation.”

Etel smiled at her. A tall and broad orc, with almost teal skin. He had apparently never been the athletic type. Instead focusing on trade, he was well fed, but not to a point where the fine suit he wore looked out of place on him.

“I would expect as such. Your grandmother barely said hello when she heard what had happened. I half expected that she wouldn’t let me even tell her what was going on.”

“Come now Etel.” Her Grandmother waved a hand with a small laugh. “You can’t tell me a precious necklace has been stolen and not expect me to lock onto that.”

Kylantha nodded in resect, her eyes finding the ground again. “So if I may, what happened?”

[theveryworstthing]

So over on patreon Trevor asked for my take on the Addams Family and I grew up LOVING the Addams family movies so here we are. Instead of doing a straight up style interpretation, I decided to do a full on design challenge, using the characters as bases to make a black southern gothic Addams au. I actually drew the kids first, using the character bases of Wednesday and Pugsley to create some delightful kiddos I'm calling Sunday and Blanche. I of course then redesigned Gomez and Morticia into Carlisle and Mortesha.

The Addams have a very specific high aristocratic goth aesthetic (they've got a butler and nobody really works among other things) so in this re-imagining I wanted to go with vibes that run a little more middle class/upper middle class.  I thought it would be interesting to think about what would be considered weird and off-putting in an entirely different culture, and how being a big ol' goth is way less controversial than it used to be.

I tried to keep this short (HAHAHAHAHAHA) so I didn't spin off into an essay about villain coded families, black people in the horror genre, and normalcy as it pertains to social survival, but just...bits of that are in these designs and lore. Keep that in mind.

Also I made the kids twins because they've flip flopped in age so much in different media and also twins run in my family (i'm the daughter of one). And let's face it, I'm pulling a lot of their southern gothic traits from living as a southern goth so *shrug*.

10 thousand pounds of lore incoming loooooooooool.

The Parents

From the moment he saw her he knew that there was a 50/50 chance of him either never making it out of that swamp alive or marrying the figure that was creeping out from under the distant willow tree in a black cocktail dress. The third time she found him trussed up in one of her traps, he complimented her rope work and asked if she'd like to go out sometime after his head wound stopped bleeding.

Or while it was still bleeding.

If she was into that.

Some kids and a mysteriously burnt down Piggly Wiggly later, their love is still as strong and inescapable as a bear trap in a sink hole.

Carlisle Guillermo (now Addams through marriage but I wanted to give him two first names for a name since Gomez has two last names) makes a vaguely described living practicing ‘law’ around town. A loophole king, people come to him from miles around with contracts signed in blood, fights over chunks of hair buried in their rivals’ yard, dehydrated primate hands, memories that seemed like dreams until the evidence of their happenings became too real, and other regular Legal Items asking for counsel which he is all too happy to give. For a price. Sometimes that price is a homemade pie and sometimes it’s a million dollars, depends on who you are. Whatever you’re asked to pay it’s worth that price, and if you try to scam him out of work or he just plain doesn’t like you? Well. He knows how to twist a contract better than anything at the crossroads.

And he always gets his due.

He doesn’t just serve the local (living)humans though, there are many things that need proper legal representation in this day and age. You wouldn’t believe how many city councils try to build on sacred burial grounds even after he lets them know that his ghostly clients are totally gonna haunt the FUCK out of the ensuing shitty condos and curse their families for all eternity. At least 50% of his energy goes towards dealing with real estate bullshit.

Carl is an excitable and good natured(?) man who loves his family, cigars, dancing, and his many knife-based hobbies. People find him very charming once they get past the feeling that they’re talking to a sultry gator badly disguising itself as a human. I didn’t put a ton of deep thought into designing him, mostly I wanted to make a middle aged dude who looked like he would have been voted ‘most likely to smooch the literal devil’ in high school. Tbh he probably has, but no demonic ex’s can compare to his lovely wife~

Mortesha Addams(her name was already perfect so I just tweaked it)is a woman of many talents. A self proclaimed homemaker, she prides herself on a greenhouse full of Concerning Foliage, a beautiful wasp apiary, and a coop full of what are probably chickens that she keeps for what are probably eggs. She’s also an avid creator of the outsider art that can be seen around the estate. She has taken on the family business of selling her homemade goods in a little stall by the road just outside the swamp with her mom, and makes pretty good money doing so. A surprising amount of poison gets bought in quaint southern towns.

Speaking of poison, people who come out to the edge of the swamp to buy it are usually carrying a lot of secrets around, and Mortesha knows most of them. It’s not like she pries the truth out of people, it just so happens that many nervous hellos eventually turn into the tragic backstory power hour if she’s alone with a client for long enough. She supposes that’s just how people are. Despite the fact that the Addams are very active in the community (whether the community likes it or not) she especially, as a direct descendant of the first Addams matriarch, is seen as…Well not an outsider because the community feels A Certain Way about outsiders and despite it all the Addams are their people, but maybe something like an exception. They feel like whatever weirdness they’re hiding can’t be weirder than any given Addams, so they get a little loose with their words.

This is amusing to her, since Addams’ don’t naturally keep the kind dramatic secrets that their surface level prim and proper neighbors do. It’s much more fun to openly talk about those things.

Do they have a sadly decrepit yet terrifying grandma up in the attic? Yeah, like three. They got a tv, all the creepy porcelain dolls they could want, and they’re close to family. Where do you keep your gram-grams?

Any bodies buried on the property? Yeah some, but most are thrown to the gators.

Any creeping through the balmy summer night with ill intentions? Yeah dude, everyone loves a nice family stroll.

What about dangerous forbidden love? If an adult Addams isn’t incorporeal then they’re either queer or in a torrid romance with some person/thing mysteriously drawn to that awful swamp. Sometimes both at the same time. Most times actually.

Mortesha would know.

The current head of the Addams family is just as outgoing as her husband but a lot quieter and harder to read. She never really seems to get mad about much and always has a genteel smile for everyone whether they deserve it or not. A seven foot tall human shaped “Oh, bless your heart”. A perfectly composed Lady even when she’s, oh I dunno, burning down a Piggly Wiggly. You know. A regular southern mom. Chat her up at the hair salon for 50% off a jar of wasp honey with your next purchase of a mysterious but foreboding packet of herbs.

Designing her was pretty easy because I just drew a lankier Grace Jones and called it a day. I had some problems with her outfit simply because if we were going HARD southern gothic then she’d probably be wearing a white/cream dress with a fuller skirt but I thought keeping the silhouette and the black was more important. She’s supposed to be an anti southern gothic southern gothic character anyway. A woman who looks like she has a million secrets who is actually the most open person you could meet. For better or worse. The red hair came from a coloring error that I really ended up liking (my mom had red hair her whole childhood that only darkened up in high school so I can buy that an Addams can be naturally fire engine red) and the veil was to get more of that classic Morticia silhouette in there.

The Children

Sunday and Blanche are the twin children of Carlisle and Mortesha Addams. Some say the Addams clan got their cursed homestead when a wealthy local businessman made a deal with the devil and lost, leaving his grand mansion to his least favorite maid and cutting his losses once he realized that the swamp would do everything it could to drag the house into the water and take what was owed with its horrible curse. Others say that the family has just always squatted there and no one really cares because man, fuck that particular swamp. Have you been in there? Absolute horror show.

Anyway.

Blanche is the more outgoing sibling and quite the engineer/mad scientist in the making. He started going grey at 2 weeks old but considering he was also rocking some extra fingers, toes, and a tiny tail (he takes after his dad), his parents just put it on the 'not life threatening' pile and decided not to worry about it. He's the kind of smart that teachers find utterly infuriating, less a dog eagerly learning and obeying commands and more a hyena who keeps teaching itself how to pick locks. He has a few friends in his school's robotics club (which they honestly allowed him to make so the school could contain his... creations) but mostly hangs out with his sister exploring the swamp. They find all sorts of neat things in there! wedding rings, suspiciously lumpy garbage bags, cloaked cultists who can't read private property signs, it's an adventure every day!

Blanche is all about experimentation with his creations, his look, and his tether to this mortal coil. Is lipstick a cool thing to try? Let's find out. Can he get out of a strait jacket fast enough after being pushed into the depths of the swamp by his sister? let's find out. He's not dead yet and confused local doctors can attest to the fact that he's rarely attained more than a bad bruise so he's pretty set on continuing to kiss rattlesnakes on their cute little heads and have his sister practice her knife throwing at him until that fact changes.

Blanche is very much a country goth. Cowboy boots (customized by his mom), knife, and lighter are daily accessories. He likes to wear the crusty swamp jewelry they find (the rust adds a splash of color!) and despite appearances he does try to keep himself neat. He's just got  natural Grunge Colors and a tendency to wear clothes he likes until they fall apart. Pugsley always seemed the most modernly styled to me (which might just be because little boys clothes have been the same for a long time) so I wanted Blanche to be the most purposely fashionable Addams. Everyone else is goth by nature, but he's the only one truly familiar with goth as an alternative fashion.

I got really into designing Blanche because honestly, I find Pugsley to be the most boring member of the family. And he was hard to design! I had to mess with his vibe a lot to get him looking how I wanted. I know he's supposed to evoke an " 'evil' little boy next door who's parents never reign him in", but that's just goth Dennis The Menace.  I's 2020. We can at least go queer goth Calvin.

Sunday was much easier to design. Wednesday was my favorite as a child (of course) and I really wanted to keep the spirit of her look while adding things like billowy sleeves (it gets HOT down here), big poofy twists instead of braids, and a nice tie. She's a professional after all, been running the local pet cemetery since she was 6 and the previous groundskeeper met with an unfortunate accident after telling her that tarantulas don't have souls. Her specialty is creating beautiful naturalistic animal funerals similar to those that Maquenda (https://linktr.ee/artofmaquenda) makes, and she takes pride in creating miniature dioramas of her subjects after each burial which she uses as a kind of 3D catalog for future clients.

She really wants to try out her skills on humans one day. Well. Publicly try out her skills. Lotta random bodies float into the swamp. None of them have turned down her requests for diorama models so far. Most seem downright flattered. Plus, she usually figures out which graveyard/crime scene they floated over from and gets her parents to give them a lift back. She'll even help enact terrifying revenge from beyond the grave on whoever put them there if she's not, y'know, busy.

Besides arts, crafts, and pet based funerary arrangements, Sunday is an avid lover of archery (any ranged weapon really), books where little fantasy adventure animals die dramatic deaths, and history. She is That Kid who eagerly raises her hand when asked who Christopher Columbus was and ends up being sent out of class after 15 minutes for making 'a scene'. Her favorite party trick is just picking an item in the room and talking about how it relates to either some obscure historical figure with a buck wild life or a horrible disaster. At least one charity pancake breakfast ended with children in tears after her vivid description of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919.

Social-wise, while Wednesday is the girl that people ask to smile because they think she'd, "look so pretty", Sunday is rarely asked anything at all. People just kind of assume from her quiet nature (in between horrible history facts) that she's angry all the time and that she hates everyone. This is untrue. She hates some people but she's ambivalent to most everyone else and even downright friendly if you bother to talk to her like a person instead of a terrifying cryptid. Like, she IS a terrifying cryptid but she's also a little girl.  

That’s about it for now. One day I might do the other family members but for now I’m happy with the four I’ve redesigned. Making an au! Lurch in a family that doesn’t do butlers could be interesting. Over on patreon I put forth that he could just be Motesha’s mute little brother (similar bone structure) but Amy Crook had the nice idea of quote: “ a mysterious "cousin" that "helps around the house" whose origins are both long in the past and faintly unsettling. He's good for lifting heavy things, like that tank of propane you're about to throw into the burning Piggly Wiggly... “ which i now consider canon. Who's kid is he? How old is he? Not important. Anyone willing to commit arson with you is family.

Annnnyway.  This challenge was a lot of fun! I love indulging in AU’s.

[unlucky-rubber-ducky]

Found

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Reader

3265 words

Summary/warnings: Not proofread. Sleep deprived writing. Mentions of injury and fighting and sadness and all that jazz. Post-Order 66, baby.

A/n: This one is definitely a ride. If not good, I hope it is at least entertaining. It was entertaining to write. Kinda sad. As always, please let me know if there’s anything I can edit to make the story more inclusive. Thank you for reading!

The annoyance you felt as you trudged out of the marketplace was… unmatched. This was certainly not the deal. You would help Sar’pah clean up the mess he had made, and in return he would get you off of Abafar. Of course, when you had said ‘off of Abafar’, you had meant somewhere with some semblance of civilization; something to blend into. Not another Maker-forsaken desert planet.

You should have known that a ‘pit-stop’ on Tatooine meant kicking the dangerous fugitive offboard, but seeing as how Sar’pah himself was a wanted man, you had hoped he would be a little more forgiving. He had landed in Bestine, asked you to go get a few items from the market, and flew off the moment you stepped off the walkway.

Kriffing fool doesn’t even know what kind of fugitive I am. Your trusting nature may have lost you a ride, but it certainly didn’t extend far enough that you told people why you were on the run. You simply told them that working with you could be dangerous. It was up to them to decide if they wanted to take that risk.

Too many would love the reward a Jedi would bring them. And dammit, if you were going to be brought down by the Empire, it certainly wasn’t going to be for anyone else’s gain. So, here you were, stuck on another desert planet. One ruled by the Hutts, no less. A few too many brushes with them, before and during the Clone Wars, had you very wary to make your presence known to them. So, you figured that at least until you had a ride offplanet, you should try your best to avoid bigger settlements. (Well, as big as settlements on Tatooine could get.)

Which brought you back to the current moment. Republic Credits had never meant much in the Outer Rim, but you had just enough to buy some water and an admittedly sickly looking Eopie. You hadn’t really bothered to check what direction you were setting off on, just picking the horizon that looked the least difficult to navigate with a large animal. It was also in the opposite direction of Mos Eisley, where you were quite sure a few old enemies resided. 

You refused to acknowledge it, but you could feel the Force pulling you west. You were sure many Jedi had taken solace in the Force after all they had lost, but all you felt was… betrayal. You were well aware the Order itself was corrupt, you didn’t deny that- but mass murder? The will of the Force was to kill some of its most loyal followers? You had witnessed its power. You couldn’t deny its existence. But you could deny its benevolence.

So you kept going with the suns in your eyes and told yourself it was logical to go west.

“Hey!” You ignored it. You didn’t know anyone here, surely they were calling for someone else. “Hello? Excuse me?”

You finally turned to see a blue Twi’lek jogging to catch up with your Eopie. Three years of being hunted had your instincts screaming at you to reach for your lightsaber, but the friendly (if panicked) smile on her face put you at ease enough to let her get close enough to explain herself.

“Can I help you, ma’am?”

“Oh you don’t have to be so formal! I’m Sasrula, just Sas if it’s easier, and if you’re willing, I could really really use some help right now.” You stopped your mount entirely, turning so the suns were at your back and the stranger couldn’t see your face. You examined her more closely, which you could tell was making her more nervous. “I just need to get out of here, somewhere a little more sparsely populated, and quickly, or else I wouldn’t be bothering you, but just since I’m pretty light and your Eopie could probably carry both-”

“You were enslaved?”

She looked down at herself, seemingly only now noticing the small bits of fabric she had been given as clothing. Before she could go on another rant, you gestured to the space behind you. 

“Hop on.” Before she could get any closer you help up your hand, stopping her in her tracks. “There’s a cloak and some water in the bag.”

 The animal beneath you protested, already struggling with your weight, but when you calmed it down enough, it began its slow progress. The first minute or so was silent, but Sasrula’s chatty entrance was an omen of the hours to come.

“Whatcha doin’ on Tatooine?”

“Passing through.”

You could sense the doubt that washed over her, and the suspicion that your lie brought onto you.

“Most people ‘passing through’ Tatooine don’t ride off into the desert.”

“I have never killed anyone that wasn’t about to kill me.” It didn’t… soothe her, but the blunt statement seemed to ease her enough into another topic of conversation. 

“...did you have a job before Tatooine?”

“Few years ago.”

“Spouse?”

“No.” It was too late, though. You had stiffened, and due to her close proximity, Sasrula easily picked up that there was more to that story than you were letting on. “He and I were never married.”

“Already have a wife then, did he?” You let out a puff through your nose.

“Something like that.”

There was a time you had resented Obi-Wan for inevitably choosing the Order over you. For leaving your quarters early in the morning, whispering empty promises of love and a happy future. Nowadays you would go to the ends of a universe just for one more moment with him. But you would never get that. Because even if Cody hadn’t been the one to kill him, and he had survived the initial execution, Obi-Wan was too courageous and too selfless and too reckless to have made it three years on the run. 

And if maybe you didn’t want to consider the idea that he hadn’t come looking for you like you had spent the first two years looking for him, you would never admit it to yourself. You weren’t sure you could survive that notion.

“Was he handsome?”

This was the most Sas had seen you emote in the little while you had now been together- she wasn’t letting your mystery man get away that easily.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Rich?” You laughed, and Sas felt just a bit of pride that she had eased you up.

“Hardly! The man never remembered to bring whatever money he did have, and I would constantly have to apologize to Dex-” You stopped yourself. No names. Don’t get familiar. “Dex was the owner of a greasy little diner.”

There was something… pleasant, about pretending that your relationship with Obi-Wan had been a normal one. There was no Jedi Council to answer to, no status to keep safe, nothing. Just you, a few memories, and an escaped Twi’lek full of questions and eager to fill the silence.

“...then, the kriffing bastard, he pushed me into his closet! Like whoever was coming in wasn’t gonna figure out something was amiss!” The giggle coming from behind you was loud, and you were glad to finally be sharing these stories with someone. 

“Oh no I entirely relate, there was a guy who- why’d you stop?”

You all but fell off of the Eopie, stumbling when you landed but quickly steady on your feet. Something felt very wrong, and you were quite sure that something was moving towards you very fast. While your hand first landed on your lightsaber, you made the decision to grab the blaster you had stolen from Sar’pah instead.

A distant cloud of dust, coming from the direction of Bestine, was moving… fast.

“How fast do sandstorms usually move?”

“Well, it depends on the pre-existing weather and geographical conditions, but they can go hundreds of miles an hour, it’s not pleasant-“ she finally turned to look at what was causing you to panic “dank farrik! That is not a dust storm!”

“Well what is it then?!”

“A lot of trouble!”

As you tried to pick out details of the approaching figures, a reflection of light let you know they were on speeders. A brief glance at the struggling eoipe let you know you wouldn’t be riding away from this, and the miles of flat desert around you hardly made for any good hiding spots.

“Are we sure it’s trouble?” You knew it was- another whisper from the Force that you were trying to keep unacknowledged. 

“Yeah. I had hoped he wouldn't notice I was missing till tomorrow.”

Now that’s just… great.

“Who is ‘he’?!”

“My previous captor. He’s, uh, not very forgiving.” Sas moved to get off of the animal, but you stopped her. “Listen, I appreciate your entrepreneurial spirit, but you’re not gonna get any money from him for my return, he’s just gonna kill you.”

“I’m not trying to get any money, you’re not going back.” The Twi’lek’s surprise was almost palpable. “At least, not while I’m standing.”

The cause of the dust cloud had gotten close enough that you could see four speeders drawing near. Three had large, intimidating riders, and the front one, the fanciest one, had a severe looking older man.

They slowed when they drew close enough, and the cold look in the man’s eyes told you everything you needed to know about him.

“I believe you’ve made off with something of mine.”

“You’ll have to enlighten me, sir.”

He paused for a moment, taking your protective stance and hood-covered face in.

“I’m not so sure I do, partner.”

“I haven’t stolen anything since I landed on your dustball of a planet.”

He snorted, still looking down on you from his position on his speeder.

“That,” he pointed at Sasrula, “is mine.”

“She is traveling with me. Has been for a while.”

“You can’t fool me, traveler. I know my own property. Don’t try to lie.”

You held your hands up in mock defeat.

“Hey, I never said exactly how long she had been with me. No lies have been told.”

“How long is this gonna go?”

“Till you either let us go, or are crushed under my boot.”

“Now, we both know that’s not gonna happen.”

In an instant you dropped to the ground, dodging blaster fire from four different directions. Even in the heat of the moment you were wary to reveal your past, so you pulled out your own blaster, desperately trying to get back on your feet whilst dodging dozens of blasts every moment. Once you finally had the chance to stand, you were able to get two of the larger men down.

It was a stressful situation, and once again you hated to admit it, but fighting felt… good. Not the chaos or death or injury of it, but the feeling of letting the Force guide your movements, feeling it flow around you and tell your limbs where to go.

Unfortunately, the method didn’t work when you were surprised out of your focus. And a cloaked figure coming out of seemingly nowhere and kicking the leader off of his speeder was enough to startle you.

You cursed as pain shot from your right shoulder, and it took everything in you not to drop to the ground. You shot the last of the body guards, and aimed at Sas’s captor, who laid in the cloaked man’s shadow. You paused when you felt a hand on your arm. You looked up to see Sasrula, who was looking at you with an unspoken request in her eyes.

You handed her the blaster and let her take the shot. You understood the desire.

Once he was dead on the ground, you turned towards the other presence, who had taken to watching your interaction with Sas. You couldn’t see his face under the hood of his cloak, and some part of you felt better knowing your face was likely just as concealed as his. 

“Thank you for the help!” Sasrula’s bright voice poked through the suspicious silence.

“It was no trouble at all.”

Your blood froze. You were almost certain you knew that voice.

“Take down your hood.”

“Excuse me? I-“

“Please just do it.”

You could see his shoulders stiffen, and you knew he recognized your voice. He lowered his hood. 

His eyes were the first thing you noticed. They were sad. The saddest they had ever been. And so tired. But there was a burning hope, a burning question, that you knew you needed to answer for him.

So you copied him, and dropped your hood.

“Hey, Obi.”

That was all it took for you both to take off in a sprint, clearing the few meters between you in less than seconds. You jumped and landed in his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist.

You buried your face in his neck, sobbing as you tried to get as close to him as you possibly could. He let out a disbelieving laugh, and you pulled back to get another look at his face. You placed your hands on his cheeks, brushing the stray tears that had fallen from his eyes.

“I thought you were dead, Obi.”

“I thought you were dead, little one.”

There was a part of you that expected him to push you away when you leaned in to kiss him. A part of you that still felt it needed to hide your relationship. 

Instead, you kissed him and all of your grief and anger and sadness and deep adoration and love were on display for him, and his for you.

You finally pulled back and stepped back down on the ground when someone cleared their throat from behind you.

“I’m assuming this is the handsome man from before?”

You blushed and looked at Obi-Wan, who raised an eyebrow at you.

“Yes, it is.” You reluctantly pulled out of Obi-Wan’s arms, taking a step back to look him over for injuries. “How long have you been here? How did you survive all of the slaughter? I heard you had killed Grievous but then there was so much chaos, and I made my way to Utapau just to be sure you weren’t there and-”

“You went to Utapau?! Darling, that was foolhardy and-” 

You took another step back.

“And?”

“And dangerous! I can only imagine that place is crawling with Imperials!”

“What was I supposed to do, Obi? Yours was the only face I cared to see, so I figured I’d start from the beginning.” Conflicting and powerful emotions caused more tears to fall from your eyes despite your best efforts. “What was I supposed to do?” It came out as a whisper, and you hated how broken you sounded. Suddenly you felt very tired, and the previously forgotten blaster wound on your shoulder was beginning to burn with pain.

“I had hoped that you would let me go.”

“Could you have?”

“What?”

“Could you have let me go?”

Obi-Wan didn’t answer immediately, and you had your answer. Suddenly all of the heartbreak and quiet crying in your quarters at the temple were worth it. The three years of not knowing if you were searching for a ghost, the sneaking suspicion that he hadn’t done the same for you.

Worth it.

“Can I stay with you?” You sounded like a child and you hated it, but now that you had him you weren’t sure you could let him go.

His continued silence turned your heart to ice. Perhaps he hadn’t looked for you because he was tired of you. Perhaps you misread the situation. Perhaps he could have let you go. 

“Have you had any run-ins with the Empire?”

“Nothing beyond what any other Jedi has encountered.” You heard Sasrula gasp, and you felt just a little bad that you had entirely forgotten she was there. “I’m sneaky, Kenobi. Surely you remember that.” The curious turn of conversation had you feeling just a little more stable. He did not, however, smile.

“I’m staying here. On Tatooine. For a long time.”

“You’re saying I can stay?”

“It’s not like I can kick you off the planet.”

The rush of relief was sudden, and altogether too much for you. That, combined with the rather serious wound you had yet to take care of; the exhaustion of the past few hours; and the hot sun, it’s really no surprise that you passed out.

“Oh dear.”

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

When you woke, you felt blessedly cooler. The bandage around your shoulder was soft, and the blankets you were wrapped in smelled like the desert and Obi-Wan, which calmed your initial alarm at waking in a foreign place. There were no windows in whatever room you were in, but the general darkness around you suggested it was nighttime. There was a doorway with just a curtain across it, from which you could hear quiet murmurs. Your sleep muddled brain told you to lay back down and close your eyes for just a little longer, but you were too curious to sleep any longer.

When you stood you realized you weren’t in your own shirt. It was much larger than your own, and a slightly different color. You were, however, still in your own pants. Which was very appreciated. You took a few steps before stumbling, still rather weak from the past few hours.

You weren’t noticed when you first stepped into (what you could only assume to be) the main room of Obi-wan’s home. Said man was currently bickering with Sasrula over how to prepare dinner, and if they should wake you up to eat. You were glad to see that the Twi’lek hadn’t run off, and you were even gladder to see Obi-Wan in a lighter mood.

You finally caught his eye when you moved further into the room, and he quickly moved to your side in order to help you to a make-shift dining room chair, kneeling in front of you. You sheepishly smiled at your two companions, who both returned your look with concern.

“I see you two have become pals.”

“I see why you spent three years without him. Your man is insufferable.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and you both tried to pretend like Sasrula calling him ‘your man’ didn’t affect you.

“You gave us a bit of a fright, my darling. I hadn’t even realized you had been hit.” He kissed you on the forehead. “I do hope you don’t mind that I took your shirt off in order to treat your wound.”

You shrugged.

“Nothing you haven’t seen before.”

If he wasn’t red from Sasrula’s earlier comment, he certainly was now.

The Twi’lek snorted and made her way to the kitchenette on the other side of the small space, taking her chance to prepare dinner her way.

“How long did I sleep for?”

“About two days. You left me alone with a stranger for two days.”

“That explains why you’re so chummy with Sas.”

He grimaced.

“Yes. I… don’t know that I’ve ever met such a talkative woman.”

“Giving Ahsoka a run for her money, hm?”

“Don’t remind me.”

You chuckled, and felt a warmth in your heart that you hadn’t felt since you and Obi-Wan were both Padawan’s and had the galaxy ahead of you. Except… this was different. You weren’t sure you could call it better. There was too much bloodshed and trauma for it to be better. But it was undoubtedly freer. 

“Does it make you uncomfortable to say that I love you?”

Obi-Wan smiled softly.

“Never.” He pressed his forehead to yours. “I love you deeply, little one.”

[indianamoonshine]

siberu | reader x din djarin

summary: reader is not human, but a force-senstive humanoid, who is searching for a legendary sickle in the caverns of an arctic planet named siberus. she stumbles across a lonely, very lost, and very cold din djarin in the snow. they discuss the strange little creature in din’s bag.

mentions: cursing. mention of the youngling situation during order 66. gender is a construct. reader is absolutely fawning over how cute grogu is.

note: just two people repressing obvious feelings. this was a request so i hope @tolkienblackgirl​ approves! i’m sorry it was literally months before i got to it. it’s not a super happy ending and a little angsty which is very unlike me. i really wish i could’ve done more with this, but i have three other fics on my hands at the moment so i had to make it a one-shot.

rating: m just in case.

it was way too fucking cold here.

you didn’t care for siberus just by the briefing alone, but when your ship lands upon the frozen terrain, you teeth immediately clench. snow falls around you in flurries, the wind spiraling them into a weak tornado at your booted feet as soon as your ramp tumbles noisily upon the ground. the air was heavy with frost and it showed each time you drew breath, the vapor chilling immediately in the polar atmosphere.

you tug your shawl tighter around you - a piece of fabric that you realized very quickly wouldn’t do much against the bite of the tundra. you thought you were ready for the weather - thought you were prepared for the manner of dress required for siberus, but the reputation of the ice world had proceeded even the nastiest of rumors. no one dared tread upon siberus ground - not in years, anyway.

but that wasn’t just because of its climate.

siberus was one of the planets utterly destroyed by “the great purge”. a distressing lack of life forms shown on your radar as you scan the horizon, save for the exceptionally evolved animals that could withstand the tundra. as soon as you landed, they’d immediately scattered across the snow and fled to their holes in the ground. you didn’t blame them; for as long as they’d been isolated, the idea of an intruder must’ve been beyond terrifying.

the council told you it was here. somewhere, in these thousands of kilometers of snow and ice, is the last jedi sickle.

a powerful weapon...but you argued that it was hardly warranted a visit to hoth’s much crueler and unforgiving sibling. hells, the empire hadn’t even dared visit. maybe they might have had they known the sickle was secured in carbonite. maybe they’d gone out of their way if that piece of information managed to trickle through their grapevine, but even then, was it worth their time? you weren’t even convinced it was.

it was described as “the poor man’s dark saber”. while the sickle was nearly impossible to destroy, it wouldn’t peel through anything like the dark saber could. no. the dark saber was somewhat of a mythical thing. the sickle, however, felt more convincing.

and for whatever reason, they had entrusted you to retrieve it.

they were the council of augusten, your home planet, blackened by night at all times. a symbiotic relationship with a bio-luminescent plant was, essentially, your sun - your star. this resulted in a tolerable, but irritating, daytime blindness of its natives peoples and creatures. and while siberus wasn’t exactly bright this time of day (especially with such a raging storm concealing your view), it was enough to make the vessels thrum tensely behind your eyes.

you’re one of the last! they said triumphantly, as though to sweeten you up. a survivor of the order! it is your duty!

bullshit.

it wasn’t such a strange idea that the council wanted the sickle. it wasn’t, by any means, quite like the mandalore legend of the dark saber. but it wasn’t just the power wielding the weapon itself brought - it was the kyber crystal within it.

it could power thousands of machines and harness energy for millions of resources. honestly, you hadn’t even considered the worthiness of kyber crystals for anything other than constructing lightsabers, but it made sense. enough sense that you felt obligated to fetch it from this frozen wasteland.

you talked a big talk about being able to find it. hells! you almost convinced yourself it’d be a piece of cake by the way you spoke with such confidence and bullshit conviction at the briefing. but looking out upon the snow-laden horizon - mountains and all - you suddenly weren’t so sure of yourself.

pride, as always, comes before the fall. as usual.

you even considered going back. there wasn’t a handbook for finding ancient, priceless, jedi artifacts. there wasn’t a tracking beacon for it either and your abilities could only do so much. you prayed to the force that, if anything, your connection as a jedi might be enough to conjure it from hiding. and, of course, that proved fruitless within the first half-hour.

you’re about to collapse. it wasn’t the night that shrouded you that almost did it; the darkness was your home - your element. you vision (very literally) fared much better in the blackness. the cold, on the other hand, was licking at your bones and causing you to tremble beneath your own weight.

it’s when you’re on the verge of making camp that you spot a figure upon the horizon.

not just any figure.

a person.

there’s a surge of motivation to keep moving. (strange, how that works...) whoever it is isn’t very far away - not even four kilometers. and if they’re searching for transportation it clearly isn’t in reach. they move at a slow pace, forcing themselves to walk against the bite of siberus’s gale.

when you’re in reach of this mysterious being, you yell out in haste. “hey! you!”

the figure stops their fight with the current of snow. they’re knee-deep in the tundra - you’re waist deep, really. and when you squint through the particles of snow, blinking rapidly to melt it away, you notice the shine of...

beskar.

“a mandalorian?!” you shout.

you shuffle closer as they remain still as stone. if they truly were a mandalorian, they’d certainly be on their guard - certainly moving for a blaster at their hip. you’re able to see their helmet’s face pierced upon yours as you step closer. how they managed to hear you, you couldn’t be sure, but it was a welcome surprise all the same.

you wrap your shawl closer around you, protecting your cheeks against the sting of cold. you observe the mandalorian (or what you expected to be the mandalorian) in their steely armor as they consider you for what felt like minutes. (too long in this damn climate.) siberus’s two moons allow the beskar to glint when the shoulder pauldrons move just right, a beam of light reflecting into your sensitive eyes. you hiss as a result.

“what is it you want?” the mandalorian demands, body now angling towards you. they’ve obviously come to the conclusion you’re of no immediate danger.

you narrow your eyes as the wind picks up, flakes of snow blurring this person until they’re just a speck against a backdrop. you don’t even consider your next words - you’ve always been too trusting. but something in this mandalorian’s spirit told you that they were harmless. in fact, they could prove valuable to this mission.

anything to get you off this frozen rock as quickly as possible.

“come to my ship! it’s warm!” you toss your head in the direction of where you came.

the mandalorian is taken aback. they recoil, physically, on the balls of their feet. who in their right kriffin’ mind would invite a mandalorian to stay in the privacy of their own ship? especially on such a deserted planet?

still, the mandalorian shouts over the wind. “why should i trust you?!”

there’s really nothing to do but shrug. “because we’re both about to freeze to death!” you point to their beskar that is, while impenetrable, starting to collect icicles. no, nothing could break beskar, but the mandalorian inside it could freeze.

this is enough to convince the mandalorian.

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

you’ve made two cups of java by the time the mandalorian finally un-clenches his fists.

it’s a him. he told you by the way he moved - how his shoulders barely fit through the limited width of your ship’s entrance or how his voice rung beneath his helmet. still, gender didn’t really fit in your culture. gender wasn’t worthy enough to be considered important so you were hesitant of calling them either or.

it was when you kept dancing around the pronouns that he finally uttered, “i’m a male.”

you raise a brow, pouring the steaming java into a ceramic mug that had chips and stains on the sides of it. (the handle on yours broke after an upsetting landing from last mission. handles were hard to come by in this galaxy. a luxury, even.)

“oh?” you ask.

the mandalorian grunts, barely slipping his helmet past his lips to drink. you knew all about their creed so it came as no surprise when he immediately pulled it back down his chin.

“i know you’re augustenian. i’m aware of how your people feel about identity.” he pauses, lifting his head to watch your reaction. “male is fine. he is fine.”

it was kind - not blunt - the way this came from his lips. you allow a gentle smile to tug at the corner of your lips. “you knew from the markings, right?” you ask, motioning to the upside down crescent upon your forehead; it glowed a faint green in the darkness.

he nods a little. it’s hard to speak to someone when you’re unable to look into their eyes. you depended on the expressions of beings and it felt impersonal to speak to him now because of it. still, you weren’t one to question creed or faith.

“it’s hard to miss,” he replies, bringing his cup to the side of his body, and shifting between his cloak.

you raise a brow. “what are you doing?”

the mandalorian stills, aware that it may look strange if not explained. “i, uh...” he takes a deep breath and pulls a woven strap from his shoulder; a large, lumpy thing, that moves when he situates it. it even makes a coo’ing noise.

“did you manage to catch some wildlife?” you ask, amazed. you tilt your head, reaching a hand out to pull back the flap of the bag.

but the mandalorian grabs your hand in a brisk movement, clenching hard around your wrist. “don’t. he’s...” he sighs. “he’s a little jumpy.”

you furrow your brows. he knew the mannerism of this creature personally? it must’ve been a traveling companion you’d failed to notice. you pull away and nod, waiting for him to reveal whatever this thing was.

when a pair of long, green, and fuzzy ears pop out from beneath the bag’s opening, you shriek in delight. the little creature stares back at you, large black eyes rounded in the moonlight, and a curious smile beaming upon his kind face when he understands you are of no danger.

“what a precious little thing!” you coo. you reach out for him, fingers twiddling in anticipation. “may i?”

the mandalorian fixates his stare more heavily upon you. with a protective gruff he says, “if you try anything with him...”

you shake your head, bouncing a little restlessly in your seat. “i wouldn’t ever hurt a child.”

for some reason he seems to believe you but still hands you the baby with caution. when the creature’s little hands wrap themselves around you, a jolt of bliss surges through your body. you’ve always adored children and this really was a youngling.

but...he was more than that.

your smile fades slowly from your mien as you stare into his eyes, watching something unfold that the mandalorian before you can’t see. he’s sensitive like you. force sensitive. you can feel the way that the energy beats around him - like a dance - but weakening with every moment.

and then there’s an image.

an image you wished you’d never see.

younglings sprawled upon the jedi temple floor, their bodies mangled and bloodied from vicious crime. you find yourself turning away from his penetrating stare, brows furrowed in pain, when a collective scream of terror ricochets from a place very far in the past.

you weren’t there to see it in person. just in stories. as a survivor, the guilt haunted you at night. this was certainly...overwhelming.

“where did you find this child?” you find yourself asking, words barely audible through chapped lips. you didn’t even realize you were saying it until after it was done.

the mandalorian is quick to reply. “there was a bounty on his life. the empire - well, whoever they are now - wanted him.”

you find yourself gripping the child to your chest in possessiveness. “no. you can’t,” you gasp. “they’ll kill him.”

the mandalorian raises a hand to you in a show of sympathy. “i know. i didn’t give him to them.” he pauses, watching as you cradle the child in your arms and petting his long ears with tears in your eyes. “are you...”

you raise your head to watch him, anxious as to your next move. but you sputter out the truth like it was poison - like you couldn’t hold it in anymore. “a jedi,” you confirm. “yes. or...i was.”

the mandalorian is taken aback but the news registers him into silence. he observes the way you press the little one to your cheek and give him a small kiss near his eye. he smiles - albiet, sadly - beneath his helmet when the kid nuzzles against you in a show of affection, little claws wrapping themselves around your forefinger as though his life depended on it.

”i...” he hesitates, and then sighs. “i was quested to bring him back to his own kind. your kind.”

you’re aware of what he wants...what he’s trying to say.

“no.” you answer. “i can’t train him. i won’t.”

the mandalorian goes silent. through clenched teeth he asks, “why not?”

you look into the child’s face. he hasn’t spoken to you - not in the way jedi are able - but he’s given you an insight to his relationship with this man. and his fear was palpable - thick.

he was closing himself off. he was unstable.

you rub the child’s ears once more, finger and thumb warming the skin. “he’s cut himself off from the force. i don’t have the influence on him that is necessary to change his heart.” you sigh, placing the child in the mando’s arms. “i’m sorry.”

the mandalorian looks down at the child in his embrace as he snuggles against his chilled beskar without protest. “what can i do?”

you sigh, rubbing circles into your temple. what could he do? you had barely passed the trials by the time order 66 was executed. and most jedi were killed during the great purge. you were one of the very last - one of those the empire had not successfully tracked down.

but you were no master.

“there is a jedi...” you whisper. you wring your hands together in apprehension. “i’ve never met her. she’s called ahsoka tano. there are rumors she lives.”

the mandalorian is quick to respond. “how do i find her?”

“i don’t know,” you tell him truthfully. “her survival isn’t confirmed.”

the mandalorian grumbles under his breath. “dank farrik.” he sets the child back into his sling and tucks him to his side again.

you watch as the two of them stare at one another, both desperate for answers you weren’t able to give them. they seem to have endured a long journey - long enough that they’ve formed a bond you’ve never seen between a mandalorian and another living creature.

you sigh. “i’m sorry i can’t do more,” you tell him. “but at least stay and rest. you look as though you need it.”

he watches you between the slits of his visor and it’s unsettling that you don’t know the color of his eyes. that feels important to know about a person. he wasn’t a machine - he was a man - and he should be regarded as such.

it takes a moment for him to process the invitation. surely he didn’t get very many of those. while that wasn’t surprising it was still very upsetting; more upsetting than you’d expected, anyway.

you offer him your bed but he denies and tells you he’ll sleep on the floor. if you’d like to share with the child i’d be more than grateful, he tells you. you knew it was an honor to be trusted with this child’s life, so you accept.

in the morning, the storm has passed, and the child still lay in your arms after a night of peaceful sleep. you feel the mandalorian - whose name you never got - strategically remove the child from your limbs.

and just when he’s about to leave - he hesitates. you can hear his footfalls stop short of the exit as you pretend to still sleep for whatever reason. maybe you were afraid to look upon him again - that you’d find yourself slipping into a feeling you weren’t allowed to humor.

so you remain still.

you remain still even as the mandalorian wipes a strand of hair from your eyes, takes a deep breath, and allows the child to snuggle his nose against yours. he coos just slightly - a little goodbye - and it causes your stomach to drop to your knees.

you consider waking; to tell them you’d help find ahsoka, to say fuck it to whatever jedi order didn’t exist anymore and entertain whatever butterflies had tickled your insides when the mandalorian’s caress embraced your skin.

but when you open your eyes, they’ve gone.

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ 

NOTE: i’m so sorry this wasn’t what i originally envisioned but i still like it! also, i’d like to go ahead and say - in case i didn’t make it clear enough - that mando asked for the child to sleep with reader because it would’ve been super uncomfortable for him to sleep on the floor.

[xmagicxshopx]

🦇 The Funhouse 🦇

Genre: Fantasy Adventure, Fluff, Romance Rating: M Warnings: kidnapping, smut (consensual, mind you), sub!JK for a hot minute but then turns into a dominating beast, bondage, Kook’s a pantie sniffer, gambling (they make a bet XD) Pairing: vampire!jungkook x reader Notes: AU fic. Not idol!jungkook. Single quote marks ‘ ‘ are for thoughts and double “ “ are for talking. Additional Notes: This came about because I just can’t let go of long haired Jungkook. I can’t!!

Tagging: @grxnadxs​ @catsandstrawberries​ @jkeuphoriadreamland​ @jjungkookislife​

Summary: The carnival was in town and you couldn’t wait to hit the streets full of greasy fair food and the classic rides you grew up on. Accept there’s a new attraction this year. A funhouse. You wonder just how fun it is.

MASTERLIST

The carnival. Something you looked forward to every year for as long as you can remember. Even now when you were in your early 20s, the carnival never lost it’s shine. Although you of course outgrew a lot of the kiddie rides and had upgraded to more of the grander ones that were meant to appeal to adults rather than children. The classic Pharaoh’s Fury swinging boat ride was still your favorite to this very day.

However, as you walked along the streets munching on a corn dog in one hand and sipping on your large soda in the other, you couldn’t help but notice something that ended up catching your full attention. Not wanting to make a better roadblock, you quickly scurried off the street path and onto the sidewalk instead; heading for the direction of what appeared to be some kind of new attraction this year.

“The Golden Funhouse, folks! Like nothing you’ve ever seen before! Come on in! Buy a ticket and embark on the adventure of a lifetime!”

Standing there, you expected to see at least some kind of line to get in. Hell, you weren’t sure if anyone else was even listening to the guy as he shouted loud enough for the whole street to hear. Looking back behind you, it was kind of eerie, really. Not a soul was paying attention. It was almost like you were the only one who could hear the man or see the attraction.

“You! Miss! Come, come! I see you standing there eyeing my funhouse. Don’t be shy, now.”

Great. Just great. It wasn’t like you actually wanted to go inside the attraction. You were just simply curious, is all. Mostly curious as to why no one else was giving this place a first glance, let alone a second glance. But perhaps this attraction was something that you had been the last to discover and everyone else already knew about it? Yeah. That was always a possibility. So nothing strange or out of the ordinary here.

Sometimes you were a bit too paranoid for your own good.

“Come on, sweetie! Nothing to be afraid of. It’s called a funhouse for a reason! In fact---Your ticket is on me! Here---”

You stood there in amazement as the gentleman offered you a few bills to pay for your ticket into the attraction. Dang. Well this was unexpected. It wasn’t every day that you were getting a literal free ride. Deciding that it couldn’t hurt and you weren’t about to turn down something free, you shrugged and gave a bashful smile before finishing off your corn dog so you could throw the stick away in the nearby trash can; freeing up a hand to take the bills from him.

“Thanks, sir. I promise that if I enjoy the house, I’ll give you your money back.”

“Sir? Pffft. Please---- Call me Jin. And nonsense, my dear. No refund necessary. Just walk in and have a good time!”

Flashing a friendly smile to the guy you now knew as Jin, you nodded and took the bills from him before taking one last sip of your drink and tossing it in the trash. For it only being a carnival attraction, you felt awfully tense and anxious. Maybe it was because you had never actually walked through a funhouse before. They had simply never sparked your fancy. You were more of a roller coaster kind of girl.

Walking in, it only made your anxiety worsen.

“He calls this a funhouse?”

It.....well......you weren’t exactly sure what it looked like. But a funhouse was the last thing on your list. That’s for sure. Trying to keep your hands steady, you looked on ahead to see a booth of sorts with a-----good lord.

Perhaps you should just turn around and give Jin his money back. Say thanks but no thanks. Turning on your heel, you quickly went for the knob on the door only to discover that it wouldn’t budge. Panic started to flood your system, making you feel a dreading kind of high and lightheaded; your heart now pounding in your ears.

“It’s of no use, little human. You might as well come forward and claim your golden ticket.”

This wasn’t a funhouse.

This was a frickin’ haunted house.

The voice was deep and calm. Not threatening despite how you were feeling at the moment. You felt trapped. Trapped like a rat. Breathing heavily, you spun around back to the voice and got a better look at the booth. It indeed was a ticket booth but the ‘employee’ inside looked anything but a normal human. Well.....maybe he was. The voice was male but he was wearing a cloak and a creepy looking mask. If you hadn’t been so scared out of your whits, you’d have thought he looked kind of cool, really.

“Come. Adventure awaits you, child.”

“I don’t think a haunted house is the kind of adventure I wish to go on, dude. Now let me out of here. You can’t force me to do anything.”

“The only exit to this building is located on the other end. In order to get out, you must walk through the funhouse in it’s entirety.”

This sounded way too shady to you. But on the other hand.....it wasn’t like he was keeping you trapped here. He was telling you the way out. But.....things just weren’t adding up here. This all felt way too.....ominous??? Heaving a sigh and feeling a bit more calmer now that you knew there was at least one way out, you simply caved and stepped forward to give the creep your money. Weirdo.

“Your ticket, madame.”

“Thanks. So which one of these paths over here do I take? Does it matter?”

“It matters not, madame. Each path will eventually meet at the exit. I can assure you, no which entry is more thrilling than the others. They are all different but equal. Trust your gut instincts.”

“My gut instincts are telling me to get the hell out of here.”

The mystery creep simply chuckled and with that disturbing sound and imagery burned into your brain, you turned your attention to the paths that lay before you. Ugh. You were naturally indecisive with just about anything you did in life. Heck, it was hard for you to pick out the best looking veggies in the produce aisle at the supermarket.

“Whatever. I’ll just take the middle one. Screw this.”

With a huff and a puff of annoyance, you practically stomped your way into the darkened hallway. Couldn’t they have lit the place a little better? Geeze. You could hardly see your hand in front of your face. What was so fun about this??? Grumbling and trying to ignore the gut wrenching anxiety that was threatening to make you blow chunks, you finally found yourself in an area with a little more lighting. Finally. You could see.

They say be careful what you wish for.

“Good gravy. Another hallway?”

Just then, the floor and the walls started to rumble around you. Not really knowing what to do, you ended up wobbling and stumbling to the right side of the hallway and used the wall for support. The rumbling softened only for you to hear a loud crack behind you. It sounded as if the wood was giving way.

That’s because it was.

“Holy sshh----”

The floor was falling. Like----Falling falling. Like collapsing. Right from under your feet. Your fight or flight mode kicking in, you made the wise decision to fly as you started running down the hallway as fast as your legs could carry you. A scream that fell silent on your own ears filled the narrow space as the only thing on your mind was escaping a horrible, inky black death. Up ahead-----a door!!

Practically flinging yourself through the entryway, you not-so-gracefully collapsed onto the floor as you gasped and choked for air. Running wasn’t exactly something you were prepared to do when walking into a not-so-fun funhouse. Catching your breath, you subconsciously licked your dry lips and mumbled out loud,

“When I get out of here, I’m suing that Jin guy.”

Standing up and brushing yourself off, you notice you’re in what appeared to be some type of living room. But all the furniture was covered with sheets as if to keep them protected from dust. Speaking of, it was definitely everywhere. Fanning some of it from your face, you let out a small cough before walking further into the room.

Everything was covered save for a lonely glass lantern that held what appeared to be a single purple rose. Curiosity getting the best of you and figuring you might as well get your money’s worth, you approached the lantern that was perched on an elegantly vintage accent table and carefully opened it up.

All you wanted was a smell. Roses always smelled so good in your opinion. With just as much care, you eased the delicate flower out of it’s glassy prison and lifted it to your nose. But then.....things went horribly wrong. Again.

Everything happened at once. One minute you were smelling the rose, and the next your fingertip was pricked by one of the thorns. With a soft gasp, you kept the flower in your hand but managed to move the stem so that you could investigate the damage. It only hurt because it surprised you and you weren’t expecting it. Pouting, you put the rose back in it’s casing and went to go suck the blood off your fingertip till your blood would clot and the wound would close.

But you never got the chance.

Like getting hit with a freight truck, you suddenly became dizzy as the room in front of you started to spin and twirl this way and that way. Stumbling, it didn’t take you long to hit the floor as you tried to get yourself oriented again. God wow! What was going on?! Groaning when the spinning didn’t seem to stop, you tried closing your eyes but that only made you nauseated. Opening your eyes once more, you nearly screamed when you saw something moving from the other end of the room.

“Ease, my precious flower. You are safe.”

The dizziness had passed but severe grogginess took it’s place. Your head as well as your whole body felt like a three ton weight as you tried to look up at the approaching figure. It was a man. Another man. Weren’t there any women in this place??? With a slurred groan and letting your head lull against the hardwood floor, you managed to say,

“Need help........Help me.....”

“Sshhh. Ease, little one. Just close your eyes and take a nap. All is well.”

The voice sounded so soothing and you were absolutely exhausted. A nap did sound really good right now. But.....didn’t you have something important you needed to do? Your head was just so foggy that it was hard to think straight. Didn’t you have something.....like......Ugh. Screw it. Whatever. The voice was right. A nap was exactly what you needed and so you allowed yourself to fully succumb to the blissful darkness of sleep.

When you finally started coming around, the first thing you realized was that it was way too bright. Way too bright. Even from behind your closed eyelids, you could tell the sun had long been up and was trying to blind you through the window in your bedroom. Speaking of.......this bed felt way too soft to be yours.....

Eyes snapping open and completely ignoring the sun trying to burn through your retinas, you quickly scanned the room only to confirm you were indeed not in your own bedroom. Just like that, the events prior to your passing out were all rushing back to you in one massive headache. Groaning in pain, you instinctively placed a hand to your head while you tried to ignore all the vivid images and the thumping of your poor skull against the pillow.

“You are awake, little one.”

‘Dear god. No more surprises. Please. No more surprises.’

“Please, open your eyes, beautiful girl. You need to take this medicine. It will help with your headache.”

Against your better judgement, you cracked your eyes open only to see a very handsome looking young man crouched down next to the side of your bed. Well......perhaps it was his bed? You watched him sporting a million dollar smile as he carefully placed two pills and a bottle of water on the bedside table before making himself comfortable and plopping his bum down on the floor.

He looked otherworldly, really. Yet all he was sporting was an over sized t-shirt and some sweats. Some of his hair had been pulled back into a small ponytail so that you could see his face in it’s entirety. Perhaps it was his face that made him appear so......ethereal? Yeah. It had to be. Because otherwise, he just looked like any other normal young man.

“You’ve been out for quite awhile, I was beginning to worry, little one.”

Why did he keep calling you that? And why was he talking so......funny? Different? You couldn’t quite place your finger on it but it was almost like he was speaking in a fashion as old as time itself. His tone didn’t match his young appearance at all. With your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, you simply laid there watching him like a hawk. He must have been able to sense your hostility because he gently raised his hands up in surrender and spoke just as softly,

“I mean you no harm, dear. It was I who brought you to this place. You are in my home. I found you laying unconscious in an alleyway just on the outskirts of the town I live in.”

You knew that was a load of bull. Despite your pounding headache, you remember quite clearly the events that transpired right before you passed out. Giving him your best glare silently telling him that you were not impressed at all with his story telling skills, you spoke up with a scoff,

“Liar. I was in that funhouse same as you. Now you better be giving me some real answers before I have you arrested for drugging and kidnapping.”

However, all that threat got you was a soft but dark chuckle along with a gentle shake of the head. The male looked anything but threatened as he flashed you a small but warm smile of endearment. Were you some kind of joke to him??? Was he seriously going to act like this when he had basically just----Ugh! There was so much wrong with this picture!!

“Relax, my flower. You are safe here. I do apologize for the way we had to meet, but it’s critical that I keep you here for the time being. Just until I get some answers.”

That was NOT what you wanted to hear.

“Excuse me??? You get some answers??? What about me!?!? Don’t I deserve some frickin’ answers too!?!”

Honestly, he liked you better when you were sleeping peacefully and all he could hear was the soothing sounds of your breathing and your heart beating. But this screeching of yours was something he could do without. His poor sensitive ears just couldn’t take it. Wincing and resisting the urge to cover his ears, the male instead tried to soothe you by replying a bit hesitantly,

“Yes yes, of course you do. Please, ask away and I shall answer to the best of my ability.”

You couldn’t help but narrow your eyes suspiciously at him when he suddenly became so complaisant. There had to be a catch, right? Or maybe he was just saying anything he could to pacify you? Eyeing him with just as much suspicion, you asked in a voice dripping of uncertainty,

“How can I trust anything you say? You’ve already lied to me once.”

“Then what’s the point of seeking answers if you won’t believe a word I speak?”

Well dang. You weren’t expecting that as an answer. He really had you trapped, didn’t he? Here you were, stuck with a creep who talks funny. Not only that, but you’re pretty sure he was the one who drugged you back at the funhouse. You don’t know how and you don’t know why but something told you he wasn’t going to be very forthcoming of such information. Heaving a heavy sigh of defeat, you asked half-heartily,

“Can I at least have your name? Otherwise I’m just going to start addressing you as Jerkface.”

Watching him shake with soft chuckles, you couldn’t help but notice that his smile reminded you of a bunny rabbit. Or maybe it was the way his nose scrunched up in amusement. Heck, his whole face reminded you of a bunny. Come to think of it......this whole thing reminded you a lot of the tale Alice in Wonderland.

“Jungkook. My name is Jeon Jungkook.”

3 WEEKS LATER....

“Do vampires even need to exercise? I thought you guys had super strength or something.”

Yeah....It’s been three weeks since you were kidnapped by Jungkook and a lot had happened in that span of time. To sum it up, your life has been completely turned upside down. Fun fact, vampires exist. You had to admit, you didn’t see that one coming when Jungkook had revealed his red eyes and elongated canines to you after he had confessed his true nature.

In fact, you had laughed in his face and called him crazy; feeling a bit crazy yourself. Vampires weren’t supposed to exist, right? They were merely a tale to tell gullible kids during Halloween. But when the male calmly took out his brown contact lenses and you sat there and watched his pointed teeth grow in length.....that was no magic trick.

Being held captive by a vampire wasn’t all bad, you supposed. It wasn’t like he was starving you or keeping you in a cage. Heck, he left you wanting very little, actually. Aside from wanting to see the outside world. Otherwise, he took care of all your bills, provided you with whatever you wanted to eat and drink, and gave you your own room to decorate and furnish however your heart desired. Online shopping? He had you completely covered. Bought you whatever you wanted with no questions asked no matter the price.

It honestly felt like Jungkook was your sugar daddy, really. And maybe, just maybe, you felt a bit guilty because it seemed like you were taking advantage of him and his money.

Then your mind would jump back and remind you that he was keeping you here against your will and that it served him right for you to spend all his money. It was like a constant tug of war in your mind. Were you really still being kept here against your will? Or were you finding yourself more and more willing to stick around?

“Despite what you may believe, little human, I do not bask in the reality that I am a mutation of my former self.”

Watching you stand there in his personal exercise room blinking in confusion, he couldn’t help but chuckle while standing up from the piece of equipment he had been working at and started to wipe it down as he clarified in words that he knew you’d comprehend a little easier,

“In other words, I don’t enjoy being a vampire.”

Well if he had just said that the first time around. Rolling your eyes before you could help it, you walked further into the room and just like a curious feline, you reached out to experimentally poke at one of pieces of weight lifting equipment. Some of these contraptions looked like they could eat you whole.....Kinda like Jungkook. Speaking of, his words finally dawning on you, you quickly turned to him and asked in genuine shock,

“Wait----You don’t like being a vampire???”

Not being able to hold back a soft snort of amusement, the male set down the cleaning supplies he had just been using to wipe down the piece of equipment before taking a seat on the padded floor itself. Sitting with his legs crossed in an indian style, you decided to follow suit and plopped down across from him so that you could see him in case he tried to pull any funny business.

“No. In fact, I quite despise it. Being a vampire has meant giving up a lot of things that I used to love doing when I was human. Like exercising. And food? I absolutely loved food and even enjoyed cooking in the kitchen. Now? It all tastes like damp cardboard. And something that should taste like disgusting copper now tastes like liquid paradise. Worst about that? I don’t have much of a choice. Granted, there’s different types of blood but.....in the end.....it’s all the same.”

Dang. You weren’t expecting him to be so.....open about it. Was this seriously the first time you’ve had a real conversation with him since he kidnapped you? Come to think of it.....You really hadn’t given him the time of day because you were still ticked at him. However, seeing him sitting here now as he shared some of his history with you, things felt different. He flashed you a warm smile before looking around the room and adding casually,

“Exercising was something I had quickly became addicted to in my younger years as a teenager. In fact, I was supposed to go to college for physical therapy but that never happened. There’s just something really rewarding about treating your body right, you know? Something empowering about being able to pump your body and strengthen it more and more with every passing day you hit those weights.”

He paused long enough to look you in the eye with his majestic red ones and added softly,

“I refuse to let my undead genetics take that happiness away from me.”

Wow......You were pretty sure your mouth was hanging open by the hinges as you stared at him in utter amazement. This had to be the most sincere and, dare you say, vulnerable you’ve ever seen the vampire since being brought here. Had he just seriously opened himself up like a book for you to read? You felt kind of bad now for making such a snarky comment earlier. The guilt must have shown on your face as he smiled a little wider and added,

“Please, do not feel bad. I used to let it bother me but I no longer do. No amount of sulking will change what I am. There’s no magic potion or incantation that can reverse what I’ve become. What’s done is done and I must make the most of it and keep moving forward. Speaking of----”

You watched him while still in a daze as he stood up and dusted off his bum and knees. That seemed to be enough to snap you back to reality and you as well got off the floor only to eye him curiously. You were getting used to his smiles as they often revealed his slightly longer than normal canines. And now that you knew what he was, he didn’t bother to wear his brown contact lenses around you; red eyes on full display.

“What would you like for dinner tonight? I was thinking of cooking something for you since I indeed do miss it. Being in the kitchen and all.”

5 MORE WEEKS LATER....

If anything, you were only growing more and more comfortable with your new way of living. In fact, after getting over your pride, you allowed Jungkook to show you around the exercise room and even let him show you how to use each piece of equipment. Truth be told, getting a gym membership had always been something you wanted to do but could never seem to find the time or the money. Now it was like you had your own personal trainer with your own personal gym and it was all free.

Jungkook wasn’t all bad despite the fact that he had kidnapped you and was holding you captive. Despite being a vampire with his long canines, his red eyes, and his love for blood spiked wines, he wasn’t any less human than yourself. He wasn’t kidding when he said he loved to work in the kitchen. The guy was an amazing cook! Meals that you would have normally paid an arm and a leg for, you got for free because Jungkook made it for you.

The guy worked a normal day job, cooked, did yard work, had hobbies. The only reason he didn’t clean around the house was because you had insisted that you needed something to do while he was gone during the day. Not to mention you felt absolutely terrible now. As in you felt like a Grade A Moocher. It was hard to remember that you were technically being held here against your will when you were living such a high life.

You had just finished up cleaning your personal bathroom and was putting the cleaning caddy away in the storage closet located in the hallway when you heard the front door open. What you weren’t expecting was to hear high pitched squeaking sounds filling the bottom floor of the house along with a very panicked sounding vampire.

“Yah yah. Shush. You’re supposed to be a surprise!”

Curiosity getting the better of you, your feet quickly guided you to the top of the stairs only to see a very flustered looking Jungkook trying to keep a squirming----

“Puppy!! Oh my god!! Look how cute!!”

Yes. In the vampire’s arms was a very excited looking puppy. It’s coat white as snow. Couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old because you could tell it had just opened it’s eyes and it’s paws were still very fleshy and pink-like. Along with that, the ears looked like cute little flaps on the top of it’s head. Not even listening to Jungkook telling you to be careful about going down the stairs so fast, you quickly reached the bottom and nearly ran into him in your haste to get your greedy hands on the cute little fluff ball.

“Oh my gosh!----Gender? Name? Breed? Details, Kook. I need details. Oh my goodness you’re such a cute little thing, aren’t you!?”

The male couldn’t help but smile fondly with amusement sparkling in his ruby red eyes. Honestly, he had been on the fence about doing this. Getting you a pet. However, seeing the look on your face and how you lit up like the brightest star, he knew he had made the right decision. It was no secret to him that you felt lonely and cut off from the world because that’s exactly what he had done to you. He cut you off from having any other human interactions. Despite how good you had it here, he knew this was no way for you to live.

The guilt had ate away at him and he knew he needed to do something to give himself peace of mind. Otherwise, he was just going to sit in that stupid study of his reading through books trying to find answers and only causing himself more grief knowing what he was doing to you. Honestly, that’s why he always went the extra mile to make you happy. Whether it be fixing your favorites for dinner or buying anything you wanted online and throwing in express shipping. It was a constant tug of war in his mind and in his heart.

“It’s a boy and he’s a pure bred Korean Jindo. I felt he would be the best for you because jindos are extremely loyal and smart. They’re Korea’s hunting dog after all. I figured he could keep you company and look after you while I’m away during the day at work.”

Hearing all of this, it clicked in your mind what he was actually saying and you couldn’t help but ignore the puppy trying to lick your face as you gave your full attention to Jungkook; surprise and shock written all over your face. Not even registering the fact that you were being smothered in wet puppy kisses all over your cheek, you asked in genuine surprise,

“You mean.......he’s mine? You mean....you got him for me?”

Jungkook couldn’t decide if your surprise amused him or broke his heart. Your shock was so pure and genuine. There wasn’t a trace of bitterness or sarcasm in your voice either. He could see it in your eyes and hear it in the change of your heart beat. You were touched by his gesture and perhaps that was something comforting rather than something sad. Smiling and nodding, suddenly feeling a bit timid, he replied in a small and shy voice,

“Yes. He’s yours. That’s why I haven’t picked out a name for him yet. You’re his mother now so you should be the one to name him.”

Touched. You were absolutely positively touched by this huge gesture of his. Taking it all in, you realized this was the first thing that Jungkook’s done for you without you having to ask for it. Sure he had made you meals but not before asking what you wanted to eat. But this......Gosh this was on a whole other level. Staring down at the precious little canine as he let out an adorable yawn and a squeak to go along with it, you knew the perfect name for him.

“Hajun. His name is Hajun.”

You looked up from the pup who was making himself comfortable being cradled in your arms and saw the odd look on the vampire’s face. It was a look you had never seen before. He looked....so happy and at peace? Perhaps there was even.....love in his eyes? No---Maybe it was just fondness? Gah you didn’t know. And just like that, it was gone. Clearing his throat, said vampire put on his usual dazzling smile and offered casually,

“Why don’t I start dinner and then while it’s cooking, we can hang in the kitchen and look up some stuff for him, hmm? He’s going to need a lot of stuff. Like a dog bed, food and water bowl, some toys. And if we want to start him out on puppy pads, we’ll need some of those too.”

“Okay! That sounds awesome!”

You had spoken in an excited whisper as you didn’t want to disturb the cute little pup still trying to nap in your arms. Gosh he was so precious and small. Well to you he was. He’d occasionally let out a tiny squeaky whine and you just wanted to coo out loud over how adorable it sounded. Gosh were you getting baby fever or something? Then again......Jungkook had said himself that you were this little guy’s mother. Not even thinking anything of it, you said out loud in a casual tone,

“We’re gonna co-parent, right? I’m his mother but you’re his father, yeah?”

Dear god he nearly dropped the jar of pasta sauce he had been holding. Did you have any idea what you did to him just now??? His heart hadn’t moved within his chest for years but it seemed like you were doing your hardest to make that change. Thank goodness you were still in the foyer and he was in the kitchen so that you couldn’t see what an emotional mess he was. Composing himself, he replied back casually,

“Of course. It would be my honor to be his father. We’ll make the best puppy parents.”

Okay his voice cracked a bit there and went up an octave but hopefully it didn’t seem out of the ordinary to you. Jungkook was a freaking vampire. Nothing was supposed to make him sweat but boy were you pushing it. He really really needed to find some answers or the mystery that was you was going to be what drove him to insanity. If only you knew the things you did to him by merely existing. He was beginning to think those dusty old books in his library weren’t going to tell him squat and that irked him.

And yet it gave him the best excuse to keep you here. Close to him.

While the pasta boiled and the sauce was simmering, you had since plopped yourself into one of the chairs at the dining table that shared an open space with the kitchen itself. So it was like the dining area and kitchen were all one room, really. Which you kind of liked for when you wanted a second helping of Kook’s amazing cooking. Kook the Cook as you had once called him. You’d never forget the way he had cutely scrunched up his nose, acting as if he didn’t totally love it.

After picking out an adorable bed along with a set of water and food bowls that had cute sayings on them, it seemed super easy from there on out to pick out the rest of the items that Hajun would need. Speaking of, the little pupper was currently wobbling all over the table as he was just learning how to walk. The sight was so precious but you also wanted to focus, so Jungkook offered to watch the little guy and make sure he didn’t fall overboard while you picked out what you wanted.

“Okay. I think I got everything I want for him. Gosh he’s going to love his bed!! And the bowls are so cute!! ‘I woof it down’, how adorable!!”

The vampire couldn’t help but snicker in amusement as he had since then been gently bouncing the puppy in his arms while you practically had spasms over every little thing you bought for the fur ball. He wasn’t sure who was more cute, you or Hajun. With a chuckle, he offered the pup to you so that he could take the laptop and put in his billing and shipping information. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see you gently rubbing your nose against Hajun’s as the canine tried to lick your lips in pure innocent joy.

He had definitely made the right decision.

“Okay. Everything’s ordered and will be here in two days. I’m gonna finish dinner but I’ve got another surprise where that’s concerned so shoo shoo. Out of my kitchen. Go give Hajun a tour of the house.”

4 MONTHS AFTER YOUR KIDNAPPING....

“W-What?”

You sat there in shock as you heard the words fall from Jungkook’s mouth. The two of you were in his study. The first time you had ever been allowed in the room. You had just finished lunch and took Hajun for a walk around the estate (yes Jungkook had even let you out of the house!) when the vampire had called you front the sliding back door and requested that you join him for a conversation. You hadn’t thought anything of it......till now.

He looked so sad, too. Although he was trying his best to conceal it. You’ve been around him long enough to know when he’s trying to put on a brave face and right now he was failing miserably. As if it caused him physical pain, he cleared his throat and said once again,

“You are free to go. I am a man of my word and I told you that once I found the answers I was looking for, I would let you go.”

This didn’t feel right. None of this felt right. No......No no no no no no no no. You refused to believe this was happening. There was this uncomfortable feeling in your mouth like you wanted to puke. You felt weak and shaky and apparently it must have been pretty obvious because the vampire himself looked at you with worry more than sadness.

“Please, little human, say something.”

“I----I don’t understand. I----I don’t know how to feel right now. I----We----You---”

Letting out a groan of frustration, you were happy to see that he was giving you your time to get your thoughts together so that you could continue. It just didn’t make any sense. In fact, he had never even told you why he was looking for answers or what answers he thought he was going to find. He had kept you completely out of the loop and now he was just going to let you go? After you had time to......to.......

Get attached.

“What did you find? You’ve not told me anything about these answers you’re looking for that you’ve suddenly found. Don’t I get to know too before you just throw me out? And what about Hajun? He needs both of us. Both his parents.”

There you go again. Warming and breaking his heart all at the same time. He was beginning to think you had some magical abilities of your own. Trying his best not to anger you any further than you already were, he offered an apologetic smile before speaking softly in that soothing voice you had become so accustomed to hearing.

“My sweet little human. My precious flower. I am sorry to have upset you. I figured you’d be happy to finally be free. You can go out and live in the world again just as you had done before. You of course will be taking Hajun with you. I would never keep you two apart.”

Well now you were just ticked to the point of tears. Your eyes burned as the salt water welled up around them. Jaw tightened as you tried to control your breathing through your nose. To say you were upset would be an understatement. Throwing your hands on the arm rests of the chair you were sitting in, you suddenly shouted,

“I don’t want to leave, you idiot! I love you!”

Well dang. It seemed neither one of you expected that to be what came flying out of your mouth. Well.....you had known quite some time ago that you didn’t want to leave. Granted it had taken some time to come to terms with but you eventually did it. However, you hadn’t dared tell the vampire such news because.....well......you didn’t really know why you hadn’t told him.

You had just told him you loved him. Jungkook stared at you for what felt like an eternity when it was really only a couple minutes. It was hard for you to read his face as his expression was fairly blank save for the surprise in his eyes. Despite how mysterious he tried to be, his eyes really were like windows to his soul. Perhaps he had even been that way when he was human.

“You......You love me.....”

“Ye---Yes. I do. Don’t ask me why right now but yes. I love you, Jerkface. And you better tell me you love me back or I’m gonna have Hajunnie chew your balls clean off.”

Of course this caused the male to bust out laughing as his face instantly scrunched up in that adorable way that you had become so used to seeing. His eyes squinted shut and his nose did that cute scrunch and dear god those cute bunny teeth of his. He ended up throwing himself back into his chair as his laughter rang through the room.

Seeing him happy made you happy. And perhaps that’s when you realized you were falling in love with Jungkook the Dorky Vampire. Kook the Cook. Hajun’s father. Perhaps you finally understood why people in love always claimed that their significant other was their everything.

Jungkook was your everything.

Wanting to wipe that smile off his face, you smirked and practically snuck up on him as you suddenly made yourself at home in his lap; straddling him and placing your hands on his shoulders. This immediately quieted him as his head that had been thrown back in laughter was quickly snapping back up to see what you were doing. This was the closest you had ever been to him physically and now that you were, you didn’t realize how vibrant his red eyes really were.

“What do you think you’re doing, flower?”

“Want to know why I picked Hajun for a name?”

He hadn’t expected you to reply to his question with a question of your own. It seemed kind of random to him. The conversation had been about the two of you, not the fluffy little son the both of you shared. However, now curiosity was getting the better of him, so with a nod of his head, you grinned and said casually,

“Ha can mean summer, great, and grand. Since it was summer at the time, I though that would be appropriate. However, Jun means approve and permit. Meaning.....”

He was still trying to figure out where you were going with this little explanation and how it related to the two of you when your mischievous grin turned into a warm smile filled with love and soft eyes to match. If his heart could beat, it would have pounded right out of his chest. Feeling your fingers lightly caressing his cheek, you finally said,

“Meaning I accept this. I accept you. I approve of you and I am officially permitting you to keep me captive permanently.....Because you’ve managed to successfully hold my heart captive for a while now and I don’t want you to set it free.”

Dreaming. This has to be a dream. Jungkook was going to wake up any minute now and discover this was all some wonderful dream that was going to haunt him for the rest of his days. But he sat there in his desk chair blinking and blinking. Nope. You were still there; sitting in his lap and straddling him looking absolutely gorgeous in your over sized t-shirt and sweats. Just like him. You two had become quite the peas in a pod it would seem.

“May I kiss you?”

“Jungkook, I just told you I loved you in two different ways. If you don’t kiss me I’m going to be very insulted and you’ll be sleeping in Hajun’s bed and Hajun will be sleeping with me.”

Speaking of, their precious pupper had grown quite a lot in such a short amount of time. Jindos were meant to grow into pretty decent sized dogs so you had been enjoying your time with him while he was still a small little thing as much as you could. He wasn’t going to be tiny for long, that’s for sure. You guys were going to have to buy him a larger bed before you knew it. It was then that a soft pair of cold lips pressed gently against your own.

Your first kiss with the vampire was magical. Despite the coolness of his lips, they really were soft. Softer than you expected coming from someone who was supposed to be dead. You could tell he was nervous and uncertain so you helped him along and tilted your head a bit so that you could deepen the kiss. Part of you wondered if he had ever kissed a girl before. Or kissed anyone for that matter.

That little push appeared to do the trick because he was growing bolder by bringing you closer in his lap so that your hips were pressed firmly against his own. His confidence seemed to only grow as he used a hand to gently cradle the back of your head so that he could better take control of the situation and you gladly gave him that control. Mewling into his mouth when he suddenly trapped your bottom lip between his teeth, you couldn’t help but grip his shoulders a little tighter.

Then.....something happened. Something that you definitely weren’t expecting after kissing your vampire captor turned crush turned lover. It was like hearing steam rolling from a humidifier or something. Opening your eyes and pulling away, you looked at Jungkook to see him slowly opening his eyes as well. The sight shocked you both speechless and wide eyed.

Indeed, steam was literally seeping out of the vampire’s body. Up and up the steam poured till it eventually started to form a shape just a few paces away from where you both sat at the desk. Suspended in midair was a foggy, smokey looking bat as it gently flapped it’s wispy wings. You watched with a hanging jaw as the bundle of smoke flapped it’s wings one last time before flying out the open window. Open to let the approaching autumn breeze in.

“What the----”

Looking back at the male, you gasped at what you saw. Eyes no longer red stared on at the window in shock and confusion but with a sparkle to them. Skin that was once porcelain now a beautiful shade of tan. Not too dark. Just the right amount. As if he had just gotten a good dose of sun. And the warmth. He was warm. It was as if.......As if......

Jungkook was human again.

Without even thinking to ask for permission first, or to at least say something to the poor man, you quickly lifted up his shirt just enough to place a hand on his chest where his heart should be. Sure enough, you could feel a beat. It was a bit rapid but that was to be expected. This had to be just as much of a shock to him as it was to you. If not more. Letting out a squeal of excitement, you suddenly tore your hand from under his shirt only to take his shoulders and shake them with pure joy.

“Jungkook!! You’re not a vampire anymore!!”

Meanwhile, the poor man had been stuck like a broken record as he tried to process what the heck just happened. So it was true??? What he had been researching for----hoping for-----wishing for----It was real! The whole reason he had called you into his study. He had found the answer he was looking for but he realized that once he found it......

Gently taking your hands off his shoulders so that he could gingerly hold them in his own, he couldn’t get over how perfectly your fingers entwined with his. Your small hands were made for his larger ones. Waiting for you to calm down, he gave you a warm and loving smile. You were practically glowing with happiness and for the first time in quite a long time, he felt his heart fluttering in his chest.

“My precious flower. My beautiful purple rose. I have a confession to make.”

Uh oh.....

“I kind of already knew that if you were to kiss me.....it would break my curse.”

Not giving you time to say anything, he quickly added on in explanation; knowing you’d react a little better once you understood what he meant.

“The answers I’ve been searching for all this time.....it was you. It was always to do with you because you were the one who could set me free. I just simply had to be sure. It is said that a real love’s kiss can reverse the transformation of a vampire. Therefore, the kiss does not work on purebred vampires. But since I was turned.....”

Taking a quick pause for breath that he normally didn’t need to worry about, he went on to explain himself further.

“However, I said I was a man of my word. The deal was that once I found the answers I was looking for, I would let you go. Of course, there was a part of me that wanted to trick you into kissing me. I’ve been desperate to be free of this curse for years. Decades. Centuries. But I realized......”

He gave you a warm and soft smile; eyes full of apology and yet love.

“I couldn’t do it. Because I’ve fallen so hard for you, my flower. And when you love someone, you put them before yourself. You think of them and their happiness before your own. So I knew what I had to do. I had to let you go. Because it was what you wanted. My love for you is stronger than my desire to be free.”

That definitely was not what you were expecting to hear when he said he had a confession to make. You sat there on his lap with your eyes frozen open and your mouth hanging in shock. However, you managed to blink once, twice and finally snapped out of it before saying in a breathless whisper,

“You......You really love me too?”

“Of course. How could I not? You’re strong, courageous, sweet, caring, funny. Seeing you with Hajun when I get home from work makes me want to put a ring on your finger so badly every time I walk in through that bloody front door. I started fantasizing about what it’d be like to take you out on the town or take you on a vacation with me. I want it all with you, my darling. If you’ll still have me....”

Was that even a question at this point??? Rather than responding with words, you responded with action. You were done talking for a bit. All you wanted now was some time to finally be able to openly and freely love on this man. The irony of it all still baffled you but that was something to be dealt with later. Right now, you just simply wanted him. All. Of. Him.

That was how Jungkook suddenly found his head being yanked up by the roots of his hair and his mouth suddenly being smothered by your own in a heated kiss. You really knew how to take his breath away, huh? Despite his slight delayed reaction, the man’s brain finally kick-started and his hands found purchase on your hips once more. Guess you were gonna have him after all. Good to know. You broke the kiss long enough to mumble,

“Take me to bed, Jungkook. Now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Just like that, the male grabbed a firm hold of you and lifted the both of you out of the desk chair. Blindly kicking it somewhere behind him so that he wouldn’t risk tripping, he got a better grip on you and started to carry you out of his study. He knew just where to take you. Meanwhile, you were going to town on his poor neck. Biting, sucking, and licking; turning his neck into a map of the galaxy itself. It was going to take a lot of makeup to look decent for work tomorrow. Deep down, he didn’t mind it one bit.

Swinging the door to his bedroom open, the young man wasted no time in playfully tossing you onto his king sized bed. Yes. His bed. And lord did you look perfect there laying on it all sprawled out with your hair fanning every which direction. Dare he say, your lips looked a bit red and swollen. Probably from assaulting his neck just a minute ago. Looking like a predator as he crawled up after you, he sounded more like a child as he said with a whine,

“Pleeeeaaassssse can I put a ring on your finger??? Pretty please? What is it you humans used to say? ‘With a cherry on top’. That’s it, right?”

You couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter as you stared up at the practical man-child hovering above you. His muscular frame didn’t match his baby boy pout and puppy eyes at all. Reaching up and playfully tapping at his nose, you said soothingly but perhaps a little teasingly,

“Kookie, we only just discovered that we love each other all of two minutes ago. Wouldn’t it be too soon? Shouldn’t we see if this whole couple thing will work out first? And for the record, you’re a human now too.”

Hmm. Even after all this time, you were still the tough cookie to crumble it would seem. Well......Jungkook would just have to fix that, wouldn’t he? Suddenly smirking, the male was quick and sly as he suddenly trapped that finger of yours between his teeth. The suddenness of the whole thing caused a soft gasp to leave your lips. What you witnessed next made your core clench around nothing.

His sharp onyx orbs never leaving your own, he slowly began to suck on the digit that he had successfully captured between his teeth. Gone was the whiny man-child and in it’s place hovered a man hungry for something. Hungry for you. The predator was back and that left you stuck being the prey. Couldn’t say you minded, though. It was then that a sudden idea popped into your head and it was your turn to smirk.

“Okay, big boy. Let’s make a wager. You give me a mind blowing orgasm and I’ll marry you. How about that?”

“Deal.”

With the challenge accepted, Jungkook knew exactly how he wanted this to play out and if everything went according to plan, you’d be Mrs. Jeon before the night was over and it wasn’t even dinner time yet. He always did believe that life was too short and that one should enjoy dessert first....

Climbing off of you, he nearly skipped like a happy child as he went towards his walk-in closet. Swinging one of the doors open, he closely inspected his collection of suit ties and grabbed a silky violet one and a midnight black one. This was going to be so freaking fun for him! It had been too long since he was sexually active and now that he found what he believed to be the woman of his dreams, this moment had been long overdue for him. He could only hope you would enjoy it to. After all, that was the whole point of this bet.

Although you both knew that despite the playful nature you were both exuding on the surface, this moment held a lot more meaning underneath. Behind every teasing look or gesture, there was love. Sure this would be sexy as hell, but this was also about love making. He wanted to show you just how much he truly had fallen for you and that he was serious as a heart attack when he said he wanted to wife you up. With both ties in hand, he slowly made his way back to you while speaking in a tone of explanation,

“The human body holds five basic senses. Touch, sound, sight, taste, and smell. You, on the other hand, will only have three by the time I’m done with you. So....I need to ask.....”

Dear god your body was already heating up with excitement and your core ached something awful. You could feel it physically throbbing and couldn’t stop your thighs from clamping and rubbing together. He couldn’t just spat stuff out like that and then leave you hanging. With a shaky nod of your head, his eyes and smile softened a bit as he asked with sincerity and seriousness,

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course. With my everything.”

It wasn’t even a question for you, really. Granted, a few months ago you would have told him ‘hell no’. But things were different now. Despite his illegal methods, Jungkook was a wonderful man. A man that any woman would be crazy to turn down. Kind of made you rethink your initial refusal to marry him. However, you were torn out of your thoughts when the young male smiled in relief and spoke softly,

“Good. Because you can. You can always trust me. I promise you that.”

With another nod of your approval, the male flashes you a charming smile before getting to work on his plan that would ensure him victory. Climbing onto the bed once more, he was perched on his knees while setting the violet tie down next to you and lifting the black one up in front of himself. That smile turning into a smirk, he began explaining in a casual yet suggestive tone,

“It’s been proven that when one of the five senses gets cut off, that brain power used to control that sense gets put to use on the other remaining senses. So.....If I were to just do something like this.....”

And that was when you suddenly found yourself shrouded in darkness. You heard him softly and sweetly ask you to turn your head so that he could tie the blindfold and dear god you were in so much trouble. Perhaps you should have either been more specific with your bet or not placed the bet at all. This wasn’t gonna end well for you.....Well......depending on how one wanted to look at it. Swallowing hard, you asked in sudden curiosity,

“Now what?”

“Next, I’m going to tie your hands above your head to the headboard. But don’t worry, my love. None of the restraints are going to leave a mark unless you fight them enough.”

Wow, he was right. No longer having your eyesight made all your other senses increase. Especially your sense of hearing because you were having to rely on that more than anything else at the moment. In fact, you hadn’t realized how hard you were breathing till you heard it with your own ears. Before you knew it, Jungkook had successfully taken the remaining silk tie and had your hands secured above your head. Just like he wanted.

Laying there, you played through in your head the five senses again. He said you’d be left with only three by the time he was done. He had cut off your sense of sight so that left you with touch, smell, sound, and taste. You had been so lost in thought and calculating that you hadn’t heard the male get up from the bed till he was climbing back on once more. And even then you only knew this because you could feel the bed dip and heard him approaching.

“This is where you need to trust me, okay? In my hands are ear plugs. If the idea makes you uncomfortable, you need to tell me now. Okay, my flower?”

“I can take it. I can handle it. Please just touch me already. I can’t wait much longer.”

It’s true. You were literally squirming under him as he had you straddled between his legs. This was so freaking hot and sexy! Never before have you thought of implementing bondage in the form of losing your hearing. Sure the blindfold was a classic but hearing!? Genius! Or maybe your sex life had just been that bland and vanilla??? Either way. You were officially throwing in the towel. Bet or no bet, you wanted this. You needed this.

His dark chuckles soon became muffled as you felt him carefully inserting the ear plugs one at a time. Oh god. Oh god. You could feel your breathing increase and you’re pretty sure your panties were absolutely soaked. Even just feeling him shift on the bed had you gasping in surprise; amazed at how much your sense of touch had increased from losing both your sight and your hearing.

The five human senses really were incredible, huh?

Now that he had you all sorted and ready to go, the sight was unbelievably delicious. Oh yes. His first real ‘meal’ after being human again. He couldn’t imagine it any other way. Dessert really should always be eaten first. Subconsciously licking his lips that had suddenly became quite dry, he moved into action while still admiring your beautiful form.

Your poor chest was heaving as you adjusted to the changes in your senses. It was plain to see you had never done something quite as adventurous before. Good. This would only help his chances of winning the bet. Of course it was just a bet but......Jungkook was competitive by nature and so it was only natural for him to want to win. But having you here and having you say you loved him......He had already won the best prize of all.

Not wanting to shock you too much, he gently rested his hands on your hips and slowly rubbed at the skin there in what he hoped to be soothing motions. He would have told you to try and relax but he knew you wouldn’t hear him. Or at least you wouldn’t hear him well enough to know what he was saying. Instead, he tried to ease you up by massaging your hips, already feeling you relax a little bit. Good. Now maybe he could enjoy this without worrying if you were going to pass out from lack of oxygen to your brain.

First off, he had to get you out of some of these clothes. They were all in his way and that was just unacceptable. With a soft huff through his nose, he began by lifting your shirt so that it was bunched up just over the swell of your breasts. Had he still been a vampire, he probably could have just ripped the thing right down the middle but those days were over. Thank goodness. Reaching underneath you, he worked on unclasping your bra and was thankful to see you acting on instinct and arching your back for him to make things easier.

Shoving the offensive contraption out of his way, he eagerly leaned forward to capture your left bud in his mouth. You should have expected it. You really should have. But judging from the way your body was instantly arching and the audible gasp that left your lips told him otherwise. Or perhaps you were finally realizing just how strong your sense of touch had become. Yes. He had you. Hook, line, and sinker.

While his mouth busied himself with your left breast, his one hand made itself acquainted with your right breast, tweaking and teasing your sensitive nub. Meanwhile, he was using his other hand to help keep himself balanced so that he wouldn’t crush you under his weight. The guy was pure muscle, after all. Your moans quickly filled the room and that was when another idea struck him. Gosh you made his mind think such filthy things, didn’t you? This was all your fault. He was certain of it.

Not quite finished enjoying the swell of your bosom, he allowed himself a few more minutes of suckling and nibbling at your nipples. He wanted them nice and red and perky. Gosh where was his cell phone when he needed it??? A camera. He needed pictures. Meanwhile, he could feel you squirming under his lips and whining loudly in his ear. Then again, you probably didn’t even know how loud you were being with those ear plugs in.

Having his fill of your beasts and pleased with how much it affected you, he moved on to the next phase of his plan and where his latest idea had sprouted from. Carefully moving down your body, he was relieved to see you calming down already. So sensitive. He loved it. Now down towards the end of the bed, he began working on getting your sweatpants off along with your panties. Yet again, you knew to help him by lifting your hips and in a flash, your bottom half was completely naked.

Tossing your sweatpants somewhere to the side, his main focus was on your panties that he held in front of him. God you smelled amazing. Not being able to resist the temptation of it all, he eagerly pressed the dampen cloth to his nose and inhaled deeply. Dessert would be oh-so sweet. Yes it would. Without another second wasted, the male crawled back up your body with panties in hand before he carefully eased your mouth open.

Bloody hell what was this man up to??? Your mind reeled with possibilities as you laid there with absolutely no eyesight and no way of hearing anything. Every time you thought you could catch your breath, he’d find some way to snatch it right from your lungs. You’d had your nipples played with before but what he just did there was on a whole other level. His mouth was magical. You were convinced. But then he was going and prying your own mouth open. Jungkook. Always full of surprises.

The next thing you knew, something soft and damp was being stuffed into your mouth. What the----were those your panties!!?!? Oh good lord!! You didn’t know if you wanted to be completely mortified, absolutely furious, or totally turned on right now. Apparently Jungkook wasn’t going to give you time to decide because not a minute later, he was back down at your feet and it was like a shock wave had been sent straight through your body. From the tips of your toes, all the way to the crown of your head and everywhere in between.

Jungkook’s tongue.

Jeon Frickin’ Jungkook was going to eat you out.

You were so done for.

Muffled moans and loud slurping soon filled the bedroom as you instantly tried to struggle against your bounds above your head. Again, this wasn’t your first rodeo but, Jungkook was making it seem that way. Gosh what were you? A virgin??? No. You knew exactly what it was. You were too gosh darn sensitive. That’s what it was. It was like having your vibrator set to the highest right off the bat. You couldn’t control your body as you tried to squirm away. Too sensitive. Too sensitive! Yet it felt so so good.

Meanwhile, the male was having a feast all the while trying to keep you still. Your hips had bucked almost violently into his face and that’s when he knew he needed to hold you down with some force to it. Keeping your hips locked down in place, he threw your legs over his shoulders and got into a better and more comfortable position so he could enjoy his meal a little better. God you tasted like heaven. The most sinful kind.

Attaching his lips to your swollen, aching clit, he risked taking a hand off your hip so that he could ease a single digit into your fluttering core. The muffled moan that came from you could have meant two things. You either liked it or it brought some discomfort. Making sure he coated his finger with your natural juices, he tried once more and......there it was. Much better. Those were the moans he wanted to hear you make.

If this was how things were gonna go down, you weren’t going to last very long at all. Nope. Your walls were already trying to suck his single finger in with everything you had. Subconsciously, you tugged and pulled at the silk tie still wrapped around your wrists. Was it just you or did it feel like they were getting tighter? Eh. Your senses were so effed up and turned around now, you didn’t even know. Why were you even thinking about that in the first place. Your soon-to-be husband was giving you the treat of a lifetime here.

In between sucking on your clit, he teasingly drew circles and figure eights over the poor abused bundle of nerves. But he didn’t want to stop there. No. Oh no. He needed to stretch you out before moving forward with his plan. With that thought in mind, he carefully entered another finger into your sopping core and heard you let out another moan. He could feel your hips twitching and trying to buck against his hold but he remained firm in his resolution.

Adding a third finger had you feeling deliciously full and made your walls clench around all three digits as Jungkook worked you to heaven and back. Unlike your own, his fingers were able to reach spots deep inside you that you could only dream of. More specifically your sweet spot. Although your sight had been cut off due to the blindfold, that didn’t stop the stars from bursting behind your eyes and the moan from drowning in your throat. He was ruthless.

Fingers moving faster and lips sucking your clit raw, Jungkook’s face was almost completely covered in your juices as he had his way with you. Almost there. He could feel it in the way that your walls were trying to squeeze off the circulation to his fingertips. He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if you squirted. Seriously. You were soaking him and the bed both. He couldn’t help but internally grin at the mental image of your mortified face.

Just before you could tip over the edge, everything stopped. Fingers were gone as was his mouth. You were about to raise holy hell when suddenly your panties that were soaked in not only your juices, but your saliva as well had been pulled out from your mouth. Good. Because despite your slightly aching jaw, you weren’t going to let this slide. Still blind as a bat and not giving a flying leap if you could hear or not, you started shouting,

“Jeon Jungkook!! You better get back down there before I----”

“Yah! Relax!”

He then quickly but carefully took out the ear plugs and untied the silk tie from your eyes. Thanking the stars that it had started to turn a bit cloudy out, you eased your eyes open only to stare up at a smiling Jungkook. Ugh. Look at that stupid smile on his face. All pleased with himself. Jerkface.

“Give up yet?”

“Absolutely not! You didn’t even let me finish, you jerk! You frickin’ edged me!!”

Laughing with a half fist raised to cover his nose and mouth, his whole body shook with amusement as you just laid there fuming. Even more so, he was so freaking heavy that he had you locked in place underneath him so you couldn’t even try to knee him in the balls or anything. Jerk. Pride and dignity out the window, you whined loudly and tried to wiggle underneath him.

“Koooook. Come oooonnnnnn. Make me cum! Please?! I was so close!”

“Say you’ll marry me first.”

“Ugh! Fine! I’ll marry you! Now gimme that mind blowing orgasm you promised me before I make you sleep outside!”

You should have known you wouldn’t win that bet. You should probably be thinking more smarter about this whole thing. Marriage was a big deal. But so was being kidnapped and held hostage for four months and look where that got you. Maybe things would be okay. The two of you could make it work. You never know till you try, right? What’s life without a little reckless decision making and taking some huge risks?

Speaking of huge.......

“Oh my god, Kook! It’s not going to fit! Stop stop!”

“Will you just relax for one minute???”

Letting out a soft whine of defiance, you watched with eyes filled to the brim in nervousness as the male had tugged both his sweatpants and boxer briefs down in one go. He was huge! There was no way he was going to fit. No way! Whimpering, you instinctively tried to move away from him but strong yet careful hands kept you in place. With a soft shush, Jungkook’s voice washed over you in a soothing tone.

“Hey. Hey. Flower. Ease. Ease. You said you trust me, right?”

Not realizing you had shut your eyes, you slowly opened them back up to stare into the soft yet sparkling orbs of your lover. The warm smile on his face instantly calmed your frazzled nerves. You couldn’t help it. You were sensitive. Your body had just about reached it’s high and then it all came to a stop. You were still adjusting to having all five of your senses back and it was just really hard to fathom how his length was going to fit. You hadn’t had sex in forever.

“Ye-Yes. I trust you. I really do. I’m just scared. It’s been awhile.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with being scared. But you can trust me. Okay? I’ll go slow. We’ll take this in baby steps.”

With your nod of approval and official consent to proceed, Jungkook carefully untied your wrists so that he could take both of your hands in his and gently kiss at the slight red marks the silky fabric had left in it’s wake. With that same warm smile of reassurance and love on his face, he instructed in a soft and soothing voice,

“Now, I want you to plant your hands wherever you need to, okay? Try not to worry. I got you. You’re safe with me. I promise.”

Okay. Maybe it was a good thing he was trying to wife you up because you’d be absolutely stupid not to marry this guy. Nodding once more, you decided to simply wrap your arms around him with your dull nails already trying to dig into his back as if to brace yourself. When he felt you were comfortable and one hundred percent ready, he slowly eased himself till the tip of his cock was gently prodding your entrance. He had already been at half mast for awhile but there was something about seeing your smaller figure laying there underneath him that had him up to full height in no time.

“Ease, my love. You’re fine. Everything’s alright.”

Swallowing and nodding, you shut your eyes tight as you felt Jungkook slicking up his length with your natural lubrication. Even that alone had you shivering and letting out a feeble moan. This was it. Here we go. Biting your bottom lip hard enough to risk breaking skin and eyes still shut tight, you felt him ease himself further till the head of his cock was gently pushing against your opening. Granted he had managed to stretch you out a bit with his fingers earlier but you were just so wound up and tense. He needed to distract you.

With a plan in mind, the male leaned down and gently started to nibble at your neck; searching for that spot that would help send you to the moon with euphoria and in turn make the perfect distraction for you. An open mouthed kiss here and a gentle suck there. Nudging his nose along the skin of your neck, he reached up and gently tugged on your earlobe before whispering softly,

“Relax, my flower. Just trust me.”

Leaning back down to your neck, he could feel your muscles relaxing a little. Taking this chance while he had it, he used this moment to ease his hips further and sure enough, the tip of his cock breached your entrance. There. The scary part was over as far as he was concerned. But wow! You were so warm and so tight. Okay. Okay. He had to focus. Think of you before himself. Those were his words and he was a man of his word. Vampire or not.

Okay. Okay. You could do this. He was in. He was in and your koochie hadn’t split in two yet. Wow he was so big! Seriously! Had you seriously went so long without having sex that you were suddenly a virgin all over again? Or was he just that big??? You didn’t know but suddenly you felt his teeth bite your neck and a wave of pleasure coursed through you causing your walls to clench around him; making you both moan in union.

Dear god he shouldn’t have done that. Why? Because the way your walls just clenched around him like a boa constrictor had him seeing stars and made his hips twitch just the slightest. Okay. Let’s not do that again just yet. No more biting. Not till he was fully sheathed in you and he could have his way with you. Taking a deep breath himself, he stared down at you and waited for your next nod of approval.

Slowly but surely, he was easing himself in till he bottomed out and the two of you shared a sigh of relief. Jungkook had his forehead pressed against your own as he licked his lips before teasingly licking your own. Bless your heart. You were taking his size like a trooper. He’d make sure to get you whatever ring your heart desired after this was all over. You deserved it and so much more. As he planted sweet and teasing kisses all over your face, you couldn’t help but giggle in bashfulness before saying softly,

“Okay, Kook. You can move. I think I’m good.”

“Very well, my love. You’re doing so well. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

Being as careful as if he were handling precious glass, he eased his hips back and watched for any sign of discomfort that might flash across your face before slowly pushing himself back in. God you felt amazing. So warm and tight. He just couldn’t get over the amazing feeling of being inside you like this. Raw with no boundaries. Granted, he was going to have to try and remember to pull out. You were on the pill but that wasn’t guaranteed and he never dreamed that he’d find a mate so condoms weren’t exactly something he had lying around the house.

“Faster. Harder!”

“Oh? You mean like......this?”

He was such a show-off. One minute you were digging your nails into the fabric of his shirt only for him to pry your hands away so that he could quickly rid himself of the offending article of clothing. Once he was completely naked and still sheathed deep inside you, he made just as quick work of your own shirt and bra that was already half off anyway. There. Both of you were completely naked now. Grinning, he said with a deep voice,

“I’ll show you faster. I’ll show you harder. Be careful what you wish for, my love.”

Oh boy----

Suddenly pulling out, he had you flipped over onto your hands and knees in a flash. Were you guys one hundred percent certain there wasn’t still some vampire in his blood? Because dang that happened super fast. You didn’t have time to think on it further because the man in question suddenly stuffed you full of his cock once more; causing you to let out a small cry of pleasure and pain. God he was so big. Seriously. It was a miracle he even fit. Your poor pussy.

If walking wasn’t an option before, it definitely wasn’t going to be now. Jungkook may no longer be a vampire, but that didn’t seem to slow down his super strength any. Your body felt like it was being jerked back and forth at a rapid pace and you’re pretty sure you were going to have finger-shaped imprints on your hips by the time this was all over.

Jeon Jungkook was still a freaking beast, man.

“Ju-un-ko-oo-ook.”

You couldn’t even say a single word without it being broken into thrust-paced syllables as the male dominated you like the animal he had turned into. It was hot as hell. You definitely weren’t complaining. But you would be in the morning. Your hands gripped the bed sheets beneath you with white knuckles as you felt your end quickly approaching again. Trying to get a full sentence out this time, you managed to cry out,

“I’m close!”

“Me too, babe. Me too!”

He knew just how to get you to that mind blowing release he had promised you. With one muscular arm wrapping around your middle, he hoisted you up till you were both on your knees with your back pressed and practically molded against his chest; both of your skin slick with sweat. With his other hand, he quickly reached down and started to furiously rub your clit, causing you to let out another cry of pleasure.

“Oh god! Yes! Just like that! More! More!”

“Such a greedy little thing, aren’t you? Tell me why you deserve it?”

“Because I agreed to marry you, you jerk!!”

Okay he had to admit......You had a good point. You got him with that one. Grinning like an idiot upon hearing you say the words out loud, he decided to treat you to a little reward and while moving his hips a little harder and a little faster, he rubbed and pinched your clit before leaning in and zoning on your neck so he could bite and suck once more.

Hearing your high pitched moan told him he had found the perfect combination to unlock your release. He could feel it in the way that your walls were starting to spasm around his hard length. Dear god please don’t let him cum inside you. As much as he wanted to......it was for your own protection. That is......till the words came tumbling out of your mouth.

“Kook! Cum with me! Cum inside me! Please!”

Well.....if you insisted. Holy lord the two of you better not regret this later. Don’t get him wrong, of course Jungkook would love to have actual children with you. But he still wanted time with you all to himself. Plus he felt like the two of you were getting lots of good practice in by having Hajun around. He was like a low maintenance baby and the male enjoyed that aspect of parenting. He wanted kids. Just not in this moment.

However, your wish was his command and so he finally brought the both of you to your end because as soon as you started constricting around his cock, it was enough to tip him over the edge as he too let out a loud moan and spilled his load; your walls milking him for everything he was worth. Wow. If his release was anything like yours, he was pretty sure he had delivered and then some because he felt like he was on cloud nine right now.

With a few lingering thrusts to help ride out both of your highs, he took a moment to pause and catch his breath. It had been a long time since he needed to worry about oxygen getting to his lungs and his brain. Wow. He forgot what being human was like. Humans were so fragile compared to vampires. Speaking of fragile......

“You okay, my flower? I didn’t break you, did I?”

“Nah, I’m good. But I don’t think my pussy is ever gonna be the same again. Wow.”

He snorted while you giggled. Perhaps it was the amazing sex you just had, but you were incredibly happy right now. You were full but it was of a different nature. Whole. Perhaps that was the better term you were looking for. You felt whole and complete. Sure you were probably going to be sore beyond belief in the morning but you didn’t care at the moment. All that mattered was being here with Jungkook. The man you once despised and now couldn’t imagine your life without.

Easing his softened length out of your poor abused pussy, Jungkook treated you with care once more as he eased the two of you down and under the covers. It was probably dinner time by now but honestly the male just wanted to take a moment and lay here with you. The woman of his dreams. The one who set him free from a terrible curse. You looked so beautiful laying there with your skin glowing and eyes sparkling with life.

“So tell me, what is it that you love about me? Is it my charming good looks? Maybe the muscles?”

You couldn’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl when he propped himself up with one arm and flexed the other in a dramatic fashion; his face scrunching up in that cute manner that you love so much. In fact, you were still so high from your release that you couldn’t stop giggling at his dorky antics. Trying to stay decent, you covered your mouth before shaking your head and replying back in a teasing tone,

“Nope. Those don’t impress me. But you do make a pretty mean devil’s food cake. What frosting was that you used on it the other night?”

“Double fudge.”

“I knew it! A man after my own heart.”

“Looks like I got it, didn’t I?”

The two of you shared identical smiles of warmth and love as the male reached out to gently tuck a couple crazy strands of hair back behind your ear. Yes. He had certainly captured your heart and you were okay with that. Once upon a time? Absolutely not. If someone had told you that you’d be falling in love with a man who drugged and kidnapped you, you would have laughed in their face. But here you were.

“You know......I was never one for funhouses and that one was creepy as hell.......but I think I could get used to staying in this house. It’s super fun”

“Oh my god. You’re such a dork. Get dressed. Dinner will be ready in 30.”

You giggled as he playfully shoved your shoulder. Grinning like an idiot in love, he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to your lips before rolling out of bed to head to the bathroom so that he could clean himself up real quick before making dinner. It all felt really domestic and that was when you realized......

Maybe you really did want to marry that dork.

And perhaps even have a kid or two.

Speaking of.......

You rolled over and immediately spotted Hajun sitting at the door with a wagging tail and tongue out just panting away in happiness. Your cheeks instantly flushed the heaviest shade of red as you played a staring contest with your fluffy son before saying in a weak and pleading voice,

“Please tell me you just got here.”

[bigskydreaming]

Shout out to that time in the preboot universe, when Lilith showed up to Donna’s wedding to the red-headed man she’d once prophesied Donna would marry and who would die horribly and thus is the reason Donna broke up with Roy originally, thinking the prophecy was about him, (its a long story, just go with it).....

.....and so then here’s Lilith just popping up at the Wedding of Doom she forewarned against, after being out of touch for ages, but she’s flying solo with no plus one and thus no sign of her caveman boyfriend Gnaark (its a long story, just go with it) and when all the other Titans were like hey wtf where’s Gnaark she was just like oh something terrible happened there but I don’t want to get into it now, its a wedding, cheers, because Lilith just does that, when she’s done talking she’s done talking lmao.....

....and then this winged angel named Azrael started popping up all the time and the other Titans are like wtf Lilith, is this dude stalking you, and she just casually waves them off and is like oh yeah, he’s been doing that for ages, he wants me to be his ‘mate’ or whatever, its this whole thing. Don’t worry about it though, its no big deal.’ Because again, Lilith’s just like that.

And then when Azrael keeps showing up Lilith starts glowing every time he’s near and turning into a combustion engine about to blow, and her teammates are like Lil, once again we are just here begging you to call this a big deal, this dude seems to be turning you into a human glowstick, but Lilith is just like omg stop being so dramatic, that has nothing to do with him even, I’ve been having those little ‘heat attacks’ for like years, and the Titans are like WTF LIL, WHY DID YOU NOT MENTION THIS BEFORE, and she’s just like ‘I forgot to okay, god, get off my ass already’ and she stormed off and dramatically quit the team with a huff and a “AND IM NEVER COMING BACK except for when I totally will cuz I already foresee this apocalypse we’re gonna have to prevent in like two years, so nobody take my room okay, thanks bye, and NO DICK, I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE UPCOMING APOCALYPSE JEEZ I HAVE OTHER THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT RIGHT NOW, I’LL GET TO IT WHEN I GET TO IT'’.....because I mean....Lilith. *shrugs*

And then she came back and joined the team during the Terror of Trigon storyline and she was all dramatic and prophesizing left and right except lol it wasn’t really Lil as she was possessed by a bajillion Azarath spirits who were like, hey we’re gonna hijack you to cleanse Raven of evil, sorry not sorry, but don’t worry, we’ll tidy up after ourselves before we leave’....

And then she got depossessed and Azrael starting popping up again and she starting doing her human glowstick thing again except this time with actual fire actually burning shit all around her, and Lilith’s like “okay, fine, I’m willing to concede now that this MIGHT be an issue,” and everyone’s like GEE YOU THINK???

And her ‘heat attacks’ were now big and noticeable enough that they eventually got the attention of Lilith’s birth mother, cuz Lilith had been adopted and found that out and started searching for her birth parents and answers about her powers and where she came from when she was like, thirteen (its a long story, just go with it), and so Lilith’s flame on moments finally caught her birth mother’s attention and she showed up and was like surprise, oh hey and also I’m the Greek Titan of the sun, who escaped from Tartarus awhile back and came up with this whole plan to get back at Zeus and the rest of those turds by making a secret weapon baby - that’s you hon, so proud of you - and yeah your dad was just this rich dude who had a company I wanted to take over, I just kinda incinerated him once I had you and didn’t need him anymore, sorry but its not a big loss he was kinda dull, you wouldn’t have liked him anyway, but also, then this random nurse kidnapped you and derailed my master plan of using a toddler Titan to topple the Olympians, but now I’ve found you and we can get right back to that, and that’s what you missed on Glee!’

Cue the rest of the Titans being like......ummm, we have some questions and also some concerns, but Lilith’s just like huh, so what you’re saying is I’m a divine celestial being? Huh, yeah that tracks. Okay, I believe you! But also I don’t like your plan and I think you kinda suck so I’m gonna like....not do that and instead help the gods defeat you again sorry not sorry but I mean yeah, I’m just not feeling it here, I don’t think this mother/daughter thing is gonna work out on account of the you sucking part.

So then that happened and then Zeus was like, hey we’re down a demigod, how would you like to be a goddess? And Lilith’s like yeah, that sounds good, I’m not busy right now. And the rest of the Titans are like umm, Lilith? The team? We do occasionally save the world and protect people and stuff? And she’s just like oh relax, you’ll be fine without me and I’ll be back in time to help out with that alien invasion in a couple years....and Dick’s like wait what, but Lilith’s already gone and getting her demigoddess on. Because, y’know. Its Lilith. She has her priorities figured out.

And then post-Crisis she eventually rejoins the team as the masked and mysterious figure Omen, who wouldn’t reveal her secret identity, because like, she’s Lilith, and she decided hey I’m just not gonna let the team know that its me and just like, idk see what happens. No particular reason.

Except then she’s abducted by this villain named Haze and she has to use her powers to summon the original Titans to free her, at which point her identity is revealed and she’s like yeah, surprise, it was me the whole time, and the Fab Five are all like WHAT THE HELL LILITH, and she’s like WHAT, I WAS BORED, LET ME HAVE HOBBIES.....and also at this time she and the Titans found out oh btw, turns out that whole backstory about you being the daughter of that Titan was a lie, we’re not really sure how that works but just FYI, you’re actually just the illegitimate daughter of this super rich tycoon, and also FYI, Haze is actually your half brother who hates you because of something to do with the dad you didn’t even know existed, soooooo....that’s a thing....

And then she goes back to the Titans for awhile, still as Omen but with everyone now knowing its her under the cloak and mask, the jig is up, Lilith’s like ugh, lame, now what am I supposed to do for fun. But then it also turned out that for some reason that was never actually made clear, now she also had telekinetic and illusion casting powers and she was like ooooh now these I can have fun with. Coincidentally, like, half the team decided now would be a good time to take a sabbatical and focus on their own cities.

And THEN she was kidnapped by Vandal Savage, who wanted to make her use her powers to divine the perfect lineup of bad guys to take down the Titans once and for all, and Lilith’s like ‘well shit, you got me, guess I gotta do what you want,’ except of course she purposely chooses villains she foresees the Titans beating, which they do of course, and then they beat Savage, and Lilith is just like, dude, I know I’m the only precog here, but how did you not see this coming, like seriously, what on earth made you think there was gonna be any other way this was gonna go? OMG you’re so stupid, what happened to all the smart villains, ugh even being kidnapped is boring now, lame.

And then she died, and like, never actually came back except as a spirit in one story and a Black Lantern in that Blackest Night event, and that sucked. But oh well.

Anyway, the point is I miss THAT Lilith, the unpredictable, whimsical, always dragging chaos in her wake and not giving a shit because look its not her fault Destiny is like totally obsessed with her....

She was just a guaranteed source of WTF and she did it all with unnecessary flair and drama and she was one hundred percent a primary reason Dick Grayson was destined to have gray hairs by the time he was thirty, but oh well, that was just the price of being friends and teammates with her, because Lilith was just...*sighs* she was just so Lilith.

That’s really the only way to sum her up. A dozen writers took her in a dozen different directions cuz they couldn’t decide what to do with her so she ended up doing everything and being extremely extra about it which really tied it all together and just made it a universal truth that when it comes to Lilith, don’t just expect the unexpected, like....just accept that with her anything is possible and plausible and the most random shit will end up connected to her and you just gotta roll with it, because that’s just how it goes with her.

[darthspideys]

antithesis // four

din djarin x jedi! reader

summary: You expected to find another of yoda’s species, much less under the protection of a particularly stubborn mandalorian. Little do you know its that discovery that will change life as you know it, and put all three of you in danger you never saw coming.

words: ~2k

a/n: so I had to repost this because I deleted the orginal version which prevents you from reading any of the other versions I relogged.. I’m an idiot  

disclaimer: I h8 baby yoda and it

You really don’t know whether to be offended by him calling you a hurricane or not. Very easily you could push him onto the ground, put your foot on his chest for the third time today and show him who’s boss, show him that he shouldn’t doubt you or mess with you just like you do everyone else. Only you don’t, you let it breeze past you, and you don’t overthink it. You can’t quite explain why but you think it has something to do with the fact that you might be getting through that thick helmet finally. 

He doesn’t know what he means by it either. As he looks at you, really takes a good look for the first time in the whirlwind of a day, he doesn’t know what to make of you. It’s a new feeling since he is very good at judging people at least he thinks, or at the very least he forms opinions on people within seconds of meeting them and it usually stays that way. It hasn’t stayed that way with you, he thought something about you that he doesn’t want to repeat at the beginning of the day but it’s been changing ever since then. You’ve gone from enemy, to menace, to women who took out twenty stormtroopers single handedly, who can cut through anything with that lightsaber who might just be a real life jedi, to know when you're something else entirely. 

When he looks at you, you're closer to earth. You’re grounded as you stand in front of him, like you’ve settled down the dust is beginning to clear and he thinks that maybe the real you is shining through. For the first time he wants to know you, really know you, you're a mystery that he’s desperate to solve and that scares him a little. Not as much as you scare him, because you’ve had him on the ground unable to move twice today which is more than anyone else has. 

“You’re staring,” You say, trying to cut through the silence. 

“I’m not,” He shoots back, “Just happened to be looking in your direction, you don’t know what I was looking at.” 

“Whatever you say, Mando,” You start to think about leaving but you don’t. Something makes you want to stay put, you just want to sit there and be next to him for as long as you can which is something that you don’t want to get into. “Can I ask where we’re going, then?” 

“No,” He says. 

You cross your arms, “This feels a bit like kidnapping then.” 

He sighs, so verbally that you can hear it through the helmet, “Not if you willingly got into the ship.” 

“When I did it was because I didn’t want to be captured by the empire,” You narrow your eyes, “Maybe not kidnapping but definitely entrapment.” 

“Do you always talk this much?” 

“Yes,” You don’t miss a beat. “Is it annoying? Do you think I’m MirchiKyramud?” You tease, hoping to maybe annoy him into submission. “There’s a very easy solution, just drop me off with the child and I’ll be out of your hair.” 

He turns to you, “You think you’re so smart don’t you?” 

“I know I am, but thank you for the compliment.” 

“It’s not a-” He stops, realizing that it's a battle he’s not going to win. 

You tap your fingers against the console, half to break the tension filled silence and half because you're trying to think of what to do. The adrenaline of fighting off about twenty stormtroopers and not dying when presented with the darksaber has yet to wear off, and your brain is running at a speed where it's hard to comprehend anything. There are other people, people you know who would be able to come up with a plan in this situation and execute the plan to perfection. You on the other hand are scuffed around the edges and your first instinct is to fight your way out of it, which is impossible here because the cockpit is very small. That and the kind of fighting you want to do would destroy the console, which would most likely end in all three of your deaths which would defeat the purpose. 

That’s the conundrum. 

A conundrum which is compounded by the fact that the Mandalorian is staring at you again. 

“Yes?” You ask, “You look like you have a question.” 

“I don’t look like anything,” He shoots back. 

You take a deep breath, “Just ask me, whatever it is.” 

“You understood what I said when I-”

“Insulted me?” 

“It’s not an insult,” He says, like he’s already got his answer. 

You sigh, “It’s insulting to me for you to act surprised that I’m still alive when you left me to the empire.” He’s surprised at that, you can tell. “But you're wondering how I know that, and the answer is it’s none of your business seeing as I’m not even supposed to be here.” 

He grumbles something under his breath, something that you can’t hear this time and you sigh in reply. Suddenly a planet comes into view, “What is that?” 

“Nevarro,” He replies. 

“Why would you go there?” 

“To meet with some friends.” 

“That is unnecessarily ominous.” 

Nevarro isn’t any better than Tatooine. It’s still dry, sandy which reminds you that there’s still sand in your hair. The wind blows through the city square you walk through, and you cross your arms over your chest huffing out a frustrated breath. The mandalorian shut down all of the other questions you asked him once you got into orbit leaving you mildly confused. You follow him anyway because he’s your only way off this dust bowl and you still need the child he’s so very protective of. Though you're beginning to wonder if the little thing is more trouble than he’s worth. 

You trudge close behind the Mandalorian through the sand, trying to keep yourself from accidentally making eye contact with anyone else. You would never admit it, but you’re a little out of your element. You’ve never been someone who’s used to being in the city even after the war you still feel removed from places like this, like a fish out of water. 

The Mandalorian is on edge just like you are. You can tell from his body language, and from the way he’s been carrying himself since your time in the cockpit. For someone whose face is concealed he gives off a lot of hints about his feelings in his body language. The run in with the empire has rattled him more than he wants anyone to know, and he’s scared of the dark saber more than he wants you to know. 

“Can I ask why you would meet with known associates with the empire on your tail? I didn’t kill all of the stormtroopers, I killed some of them but I definitely didn’t kill Gideon and if he’s come after you twice he’s going to go for lucky number three.” He quickens his pace and you keep up with ease. “Seems like you're walking into a trap, unless you want another confrontation with them?” 

“I want to warn them,” He stops and turns to you, “The empire is after them too.” 

“You care about them enough to put yourself at risk,” You narrow your eyes, “Interesting.” 

“Interesting?” He repeats like a question. He wonders what you're trying to get at, but you don’t say anything else so he just keeps walking.

You meet his friends for all of five minutes before you’ve got your lightsaber at the throat of someone outside the crowded Cantina. People pass by but they don’t notice, which makes your skin crawl. You turn your attention back to the man in front of you, “How did you find him?” You growl. 

He smiles a sick smile, “We have eyes everywhere.” 

“Do you?” Suddenly you feel the Mandalorians presence behind your back, but you don’t pay him any attention. “In case you weren’t aware, you lost the war. The empire is dead.” 

“You think you won Jedi? You're more of a fool than I thought. The empire can’t be destroyed, we’ll always be there in the shadows, waiting until your republic is weak.” You can’t quite explain why but that shakes you to your core. 

You drop him to the ground and he runs off. You turn back to the Mandalorian, unsure. He grabs your hand, “We have to go.” 

But when you turn around you see that the crowds that had been walking through the market have cleared, and standing in the middle of the plaza is a woman with a jet black cloak covering everything but her face. Not a good sign. The Mandalorian steps forward, but you hold out your hand against his chest and stop him from moving forward. “Hukaat'kama,” You say and he nods. 

The figure stands in the middle of the plaza, and when you step forward she pulls down her hood to reveal her face. She pulls down the hood to reveal her brown skin, and dark black hair braided back in small braids she undoes the cloak all together and lets it fly off in the wind. You recognise her, and you freeze.

Seeing her sends you back into a memory you thought that you would be able to forget. You can smell the smoke from the village, and see the fire overtaking the homes, and her standing in the middle of all of it, reveling in the destruction she inflicted. There’s someone else too, standing off to the side out of sight. He stands and surveys the wreckage with a look on his face that you can’t forget. 

The Mandalorian calls out your name from behind you which shakes you back into the present. This is a different town, with the same woman, only you're here now and you can protect it.You take an offensive stance, and unsheath your own lightsaber, ready to strike if she moves towards you. In response, she unsheathes her own and ignites it, the red blade sticking out against the yellow of the sun and the landscape. You were right on that one too. It’s the second time in less than a day that you’re going to have to do lightsaber combat which is more than you’ve done in a long time. But you’ve convinced yourself that you're ready for this, and you have people to protect so there’s no room for error. 

She lunges at your first, which doesn’t surprise you and you jump back and she misses the strike at you. At first, it doesn’t look like she has an abundance of skills, and you’re trying to gauge how good she is with the hopes of knowing who she is and where she comes from. You try not to panic at the possibility of more sith hiding in the shadows and focus on winning this battle. You go on the offensive, moving forward and swinging at her rapidly but controlled so that she can’t think of a counter offensive. 

She pushes back on you, aiming at your head which you block and then going lower which you also block. You take a couple of steps back and break into a run, pushing her back using a combination of physical strength and the force, which sends her flying back through the air about ten feet. You think it’s over, but soon enough she comes back into the plaza, a light film of debris covering her upper body. So she doesn’t give up easily, you note that. 

Before you can even think of something she comes at you at a speed you’ve never seen and pins you up against the wall surrounding the plaza. She holds the lightsaber to your neck dangerously close to slitting your throat. She looks at you with not an ounce of feeling in her eyes, she just looks in disgust. “Jedi,” She sneers, “You’ve become stronger than the last time I saw you.” 

“Strong enough to kill you,” You respond. 

Then she smiles, “You’re father thought the same, and where did that leave him?” 

Suddenly you kick her right in the stomach, sending her back clutching it. “It left you with an enemy,” You kick again and her lightsaber falls out of her hands as she stumbles back. Then you punch, knowing that she won’t be able to block all of them and put the lightsaber to the side as you use your normal combat skills. You take your own lightsaber and point it at her throat, as you throw hers through the nearest wall so she can’t use it. 

“Now-“ You start, “Where’s the empire?”  

She spits, “I don’t work for them.” 

“Liar,” You reply, “Scum like you are always working for one master or another. Who is it?” 

Suddenly something slices over your head, and her lightsaber is in her hands, but instead of facing off against you, she runs. You don’t even think about following because you're a little out of breath, and the idea of facing off against her again is not appealing. You fall to the ground and try not to let the tears pricking your eyes fall onto your face. If you weren’t in the middle of a public place, you’d probably let out a deep guttural scream. 

The Mandalorian appears at your side. “What the hell just happened?” 

You don’t even register what he says, you don’t even look at him. “I thought I killed her.” You don’t even notice him there, you're too consumed with your own failure. “I was supposed to kill her!” You say loudly, and the stones of the town square crack at the force of your anger. 

taglist:

@mjlok // @abysshaven​ // @itsafreakingtouque // @carrietrekkie​

[painless-innit-colourful]

‘Weeping Headstones - Prologue’

The beginning of a Doctor Who AU I’ll never finish: Tommy and Tubbo are all set to hang out and go stargazing when- Well, they never can get a bit of peace, can they? Feat. some suspicious statues in the shape of Weeping Angels...

It promises to be a beautiful starry night. That’s what Foolish apparently told Tubbo earlier that day as he hung around Snowchester. Tommy doesn’t know how he knows that or how far he trusts it to be true, but if he’s right, he’s glad Tubbo’ll be here to spend it with him. It’s been a good week or so since they’ve had the chance to go stargazing; between bad weather, Tubbo’s responsibilities in Snowchester, Tommy’s new hotel project and yesterday’s nuke test, they’ve both been rather busy lately.

Just the thought of it makes him clear his throat on reflex, and it brings a smile to his lips. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t have radiation poisoning. Like, eighty percent. Okay, maybe he should’ve been more careful, but since he and Tubbo emerged from Dream’s creepy-ass vault with their lives Tommy’s been feeling rather indestructible. Not to bring Hamilton back into it, but he couldn’t seem to die. Besides, they had medicine, he hadn’t been accidentally hit by a nuke, and Dream was in the prison. Nothing could possibly pose him any threat right now.

As if to immediately prove him wrong, there’s a sharp ‘TWANG’ from only a few feet behind him, accompanied by a sharp whistle of air. Tommy’s reflexes from fighting a dozen wars and never knowing who to trust kick in, and he sinks down on the bench as an arrow sails through the empty space where his head just was. He has no armour and only a random sword on him: on the other hand, it’s just a skeleton. He draws his sword, dropping to one knee using the bench as a shield. The skeleton stands on the path outside his house, nocking another arrow on its bow. Tommy takes advantage of that brief moment, vaulting the side of the bench to run at the skeleton. He lands one hit on the wretched thing’s shoulder when he hears a familiar hiss from behind him to the right. He lets out a cry of surprise and swings in a wide arc, striking the creeper that had also snuck up on him and sending it back a couple metres or so. He scrambles back in the direction of L’Manberg, watching as the creeper shuffles forward and the skeleton fires a lazy shot to the side of it.

“You okay?” Tubbo sticks his head out of Tommy’s doorway, obviously alerted by Tommy’s surprised squeaking. “Nothing I can’t handle.” He says quickly, darting forward and delivering a second strike to the creeper, sending it reeling back again. Tubbo appears to disregard his statement, levelling a loaded crossbow at the skeleton and pinging a bolt off its skull. It makes a dull thudding sound and leaves a sizable dent. Tubbo reloads again, but the skeleton shoots first. Tommy doesn’t even need to dodge, as the arrow sticks in the creeper with a sound like someone stepping on a stick of TNT - don’t ask how he knows what that sounds like. There’s another hollow thud as Tubbo cracks another bolt off the skeleton’s body, and the magic holding its bones together disintegrates along with its form.

“We can call that one a team effort.” Tubbo shoots him a wink and goes to retreat back inside when he’s stopped by a small gasp from Tommy. He turns back, “What is it?” The blonde boy is sifting delicately through the pile of ash left by the creeper, revealing a round of black shellac like a palaeontologist uncovering a precious fossil. Neither boy can suppress the grin that forms. “Which is it?” Tubbo asks, and Tommy lifts up the disc to show the red centre. “Blocks again.” He leans back and gets to his feet. “You want it?”

“Sure.” Tommy passes it to Tubbo with a gentleness reserved only for discs and injured friends, and Tubbo gives him a genuine smile as he goes to put it in his ender chest. As he carefully puts it away, a warm feeling spreads through him. Contentment. He keeps an ear out for any more Tommy mishaps.

The boy in question is currently messing with the jukebox, resetting Cat since it had stopped playing since his encounter with the skeleton-creeper duo. The familiar synth melody begins to play, and Tommy’s about to recline back on his bench when he hears a series of small crashing noises, like someone’s dropped a frying pan down a flight of stairs. Furthermore, the noise came from the opposite direction to his house. He looks in the direction of the downtown SMP but sees nothing- No, wait.

Sticking just above the footpath is the top of a head. Someone’s crouched on the Prime Path stairs up to his house, and they’re watching him. Tommy maintains eye contact while getting up, going for a staring contest to psyche them out, whoever they are; he hasn’t figured that part out yet. They’ve got grey hair and a very stony gaze that turns his stomach over, but apart from that, he can’t make out anything since their body is out of his sightline. He makes his way over, head whirling with thoughts. Is this the apparently infamous Addison Rae??

Tubbo’s communicator buzzes unexpectedly. He yanks the microphone down to his mouth with two fingers, hands full of cr*p from Tommy’s chests. “Tubbooooo…” From the sound of Tommy’s voice, he’s making a regretful face and has just done something stupid. “On a scale of one to started a war, how bad is it?” A loud sigh is transmitted through the headphones in regrettably crisp quality. “Different scale. This is like that time I mistook a scarecrow for an attractive woman.” Tubbo sniggers. “What happened?”

“I feel like a foolish man, Tubbo.” “What did you do?” “I thought someone was watching me from the stairs, right? But it’s just this creepy-ass statue.” He plows through Tubbo’s giggles, kicking the statue with his foot in irritation. Part of its arm goes with it. “I’m being trolled with an oversized garden gnome.” “Weird. What’s it look like?” “It’s- It kinda looks like it belongs in a graveyard actually. It’s an angel, but its hands are on the stairs and everything, like it crawled up here to get me.” “Ah yes, angels. The most terrifying of monsters.” “I’m gonna ask Foolish if there’s a family relation-” “Oh god don’t-” “Or if I can kick it off the stairs like the other one. There’s a broken one down there.” He relayed, peering down at a pile of grey limbs and ash on the ground far below.

“I say pay it no mind. I’m nearly done.” Tubbo passes on, dumping an armful of saplings into a corner of the appropriate chest, inventively named ‘nature sh*t’. “How long does it take to find drugs in my chests? If it’s that hard, we have a serious problem, and not just with your eyesight.” Tommy complains, putting on a show of frustrated gestures to no one as he makes his way back to the bench. He flops down, ignoring the acute feeling of being watched sourcing from the statue on the stairs. “Tommy, looking in your chests is like trying to find the button in Pogtopia.” The blonde boy sits up straight, his back cracking in several places. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Tommy can hear the smile in Tubbo’s voice the next time he speaks. “Lot of stuff that looks about right, but none of it actually does what you want it to.”

Tubbo hears the beginning of a reply masked with an undignified splutter, and he’s about to shoot something back first when the scream rips the sarky comment out of his mouth. He sprints up Tommy’s stairs and throws himself out the door, crossbow levelled… But there’s nothing there. Also, there’s no Tommy.

Panic starts to rise. He scours the immediate area, peering over the edge of the hill, along the path towards the hotel, all the way to the stairs down to L’Manberg, checking the houses opposite Tommy’s and down the stairs where Tommy said the angel statue was. And while there’s a broken pile of stone far below as he described… Whatever Tommy saw on the stairs is gone. 

There’s no time to worry about that.  “Tommy!”  His thoughts race. What could’ve happened?  The wind starts to pick up, and it brings a whirring sound only just obscured by the dying strains of Cat.  “Tommy?! C’mon man, this isn’t funny!”  It can’t have been a mob, there was nothing there. There’s no one else in the area; even so, Tubbo loads his crossbow and keeps it handy. He hasn’t been killed: there’s no blood and no body.

Could Dream have escaped the prison?

The thought sends a chill through him, rivalled only by a frigid Snowchester morning. Tommy hasn’t told him, properly, about his exile yet. There’s still a lot of leftover feelings involved for both of them. Even so, it’s plain to see: Dream hurt Tommy in ways neither of them had dealt with before: ways they should never have to deal with. If Dream were to get out of Pandora’s Vault and then go for Tommy before anyone could warn them…

Tubbo has his phone out and is halfway through typing Sam’s number when a small noise behind him causes his danger sense to start blaring like a nuclear siren. He turns, standing near Tommy’s door again, just in time to see a figure pass overheard, leaping from the roof of Tommy’s house and landing ahead of him. The figure makes a beeline for the bench, or more accurately the jukebox, and Tubbo watches dumbfounded as the figure lifts Cat from where it’s playing with practised ease and places it into their coat. The mystery thief is facing the wrong way for Tubbo to see their face, but he does take note of the pink hair tied back in a small ponytail, the ruby-red, fur-lined cloak and the sturdy boots leaving tread marks in the grass before they hop over the edge of the hill. He runs forward to perhaps get a shot in as they escape, only to be met with an empty landscape and the beginnings of a very pretty sunset.

He drops his phone to his side, jaw slack and nerves shaking. Someone’s trolling him and Tommy by moving an angel statue around. Then Tommy suddenly vanishes with a scream. And the icing on the absolute disaster cake: a possibly very powerful enemy’s just made off with one of the discs.

“Oh, f*ck me.”

[oreolesbian]

the rescue

The silence was piercing. 

It wasn’t the first time they had been in a desperate situation, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last, but Din had felt the sheer strength of the dark trooper nearly piercing through his helmet. He had suffered under the power of only one, let alone an armada. 

Gideon, as pompous and arrogant as he was, was almost right to laugh. To triumph over their failed attempt to overtake him. 

They had the darksaber, the beskar staff—they at least had a chance. 

Din glanced over at Fennec, usually a beacon of confidence, and watched her hands white-knuckling her blaster. 

Mandalorians are good at killing. That’s what everyone said. Piled on top of all the other myths and stories about his people. Yet they were struggling to bring themselves back, to restore order to their cursed planet. 

The darksaber, still in his hand from where Bo refused to take it, grew heavier. 

The doors were banging in harder, and harder, and harder, until—

“Incoming craft, identify yourself.” Bo was leaning over the comms channel, staring intently at the grainy footage of an X-wing coming their way. 

Din frowned over his own terminal, seeing the same footage. The New Republic had no reason to know they were here. 

Grogu cooed from his position on the floor. 

It wasn’t until Fennec commented that he even noticed the banging had halted. 

Gideon looked frozen to the floor in a mix of awe and terror. Assume I know everything. But did he know this? This...shadow coursing through the halls? This—

“A Jedi?” Bo breathed, drawing everyone’s attention.

Indeed, it was. If the bathing green light of the lightsaber was any indication. 

The stranger swept through the droids without a moment’s hesitation, a vengeful angel cloaked with an unfathomable amount of power. Din had seen the things Grogu had done: the healing, the levitating, the trances. All of it was powerful and beyond his understanding, but this. 

He had never felt more entranced. He had seen the other Jedi, Ahsoka, move, but only from a distance. One could only assume, like the stories spread about the Mandalorians, that the ones of the Jedi were elaborated as well. After all, they had been wiped out. Surely beings of such immense capability, of such terror-inducing godly abilities, could not be killed. 

This one definitely couldn’t. His blade swept easily through the monstrous machines, his hood neatly over his head as he twisted the blade and crushed the metal innards with nothing but his mind. Sparks of blaster fire swiveled around the hallways, blurring the footage, but it mattered not. 

It was as if the galaxy was put on stand still, holding its breath as the Jedi grew closer and closer, enough time to allow Gideon, in his true showing of character and pure panic, to roll and fire at Bo. 

She dropped the ground with a pained grunt, her armor blocking the fire, but leaving Grogu exposed. 

Din wasted no time. He dove in the line of fire, taking in more hits to his armor before the others could take Gideon out. 

He turned to check on the kid, only to find him on top of the terminal, leaning over the screen with a small, three-fingered claw leaning longingly over the figure of the Jedi. The two of them stared at each other.

They had been through so much. But Din knew this was his goal. To get the child to his people. To keep him safe. And he was no fool. He saw what lingered in those big black eyes, so innocent yet so wise. 

Longing.

He turned to Fennec. “Open the doors.”

She whirled on him, eyes wild. It was obviously everybody’s first time seeing a Jedi in their full glory. No matter his good intentions, they were all scared. 

“I said, open the doors.”

She tightened her hold on her blaster, sharing a look with Cara while still trained on the blast doors. “Are you crazy?”

She made no move towards the buttons. Huffing, Din did it himself, allowing himself a hardening breath before allowing the Jedi a path straight to them, the eerie green glow easing into the bridge amongst the smoke and debris of the decimated dark troopers. 

The lightsaber deactivated with a steady hiss before being clipped back onto its home on the man’s belt. With gentle movements, the hands—one gloved, one not—tossed back the hood, revealing a face much younger than they had expected. 

His hair was a darkened blonde, a mop over his blue eyes, and his face was passive, as if he hadn’t just spent the last five minutes effortlessly cutting down into the dark troopers. 

“Are you a Jedi?” Din asked, holding his head high despite his trepidation. 

Then, the unexpected happened. The man smiled. 

“I am.” His voice was soft. He held out his hand. The others shifted their blasters in preparation, drawing a chuckle. “At ease. I come as a friend. My name is Luke Skywalker.” He nodded towards Grogu. “He called for me.”

“The kid called for you?” Kaska echoed in disbelief. 

“Through the Force,” Din said, watching Luke’s smile grow wider. 

Cara spoke next, her voice almost hoarse in her shock and her blaster dipped low. “Wait, the Skywalker? The one that killed the Emperor?”

Luke’s head dipped. “That is a story that’s been told, yes.” Din noted a brief hesitation on his face before looking back at Grogu, who was peeking curiously around a chair. 

Luke caught sight of him and softened, dropping to his knees and extending a hand out. “Hello, little one. It’s nice to meet you.”

Din felt a surge of protection, stepping closer to the kid and ready to fight the Jedi, no matter how powerful he was. He continued to be caught off guard as Luke continued smiling at him. 

“You’ve become close to him. He spoke fondly of you.”

“He doesn’t want to go with you,” Din croaked, knowing it was a lie the minute he said it. He couldn’t help it. He wanted to protect the kid, to bring him to his people. Luke was his people. But after losing him, he couldn’t help but want to hold on a little bit longer, to maybe hold out and believe that he could keep the kid around. 

He watched Luke nod slowly, his eyes impossibly understanding. “And he does not have to if he chooses. I only came to offer my aid. I will respect his decision and yours, whatever it may be.”

Then he rose back to a stand, curling his hands at his waist. Grogu continued to coo, catching both of their attentions. Luke continued to smile, but there was something more behind it, a sadness, a memory of some kind that the kid was pulling up. 

Din couldn’t get over the Jedi’s age, how a face that young surely couldn’t have been around for the purges like Ahsoka had been. And yet, if his abilities hadn’t shown enough, he had gone through much more just to be here in this moment. Which was how it clicked.

Luke needed Grogu as much as Grogu needed him. 

If the Jedi were to truly return to the galaxy, they needed to be around each other, to share their knowledge amongst one another, to feel safe. 

He sighed. 

Luke cocked his head, eyebrows furrowed curiously. “I believe he wants your permission to go.”

“My permission?” Din stared at Grogu incredulously. 

“Like I said, he cares about you.” Luke stepped forward, offering a sympathetic look. “I know you have no reason to trust a stranger, but I swear to protect him with my life. He is strong in the Force, but talent is nothing without training. He can stay here with you, but if you truly want him to be safe, he needs to master his abilities. I can help him with that.”

Din glanced between the two Force-users, overwhelmed. He knew, more than anything, about sticking with your own kind. Being a Mandalorian was everything to him, his blood. Being without his own, to see so many imposters, to see the sacrilege on the very name of his people by others who would never even come close to understanding… 

He lifted Grogu into his arms, stroking one of the big ears. “You...have my permission, Grogu. You belong with him. He’s one of your kind.” He swallowed. “I’ll see you again. I promise.”

He looked to Luke to confirm his promise, feeling the weight lift from his shoulders as Luke nodded warmly. 

The clawed hand was suddenly back, and pawing at his helmet. Din’s throat felt tight, and he couldn’t stop the sudden warmth behind his eyes. Just as he moved to lower Grogu down, he noticed Luke turning his head, his eyes lowered. Unbeknownst to him, Luke had first-hand experience with the gripping private moment that included revealing a long-hidden face, for he had been one of the only ones to truly know Vader’s face, to hold him as he lay dying. A final goodbye. 

Grogu pulled at his helmet once more. 

Din gave a shaky smile before allowing himself to snap the armor back, just enough to where they could see each other. Just them—Grogu and Din. No one else in the galaxy mattered.

Then the tiny hand was at his face, brushing along the weeks-old stubble with a bubbling curiosity. Din chuckled. “Alright, buddy. It’s time to go.”

Another gurgle. 

He snapped his helmet back into place before lowering Grogu to the ground, his arms still looped around his boots. Luke turned back with another polite smile, before startling as a figure bumped into his legs from behind him, whistling excitedly.

Luke laughed. “Grogu, this is Artoo. He’ll be coming with us too, if that’s alright.”

Din almost laughed with him when Grogu spun around, entranced by the lights on the astromech droid. He cooed as he waddled over to him, further and further away from Din. 

Luke kneeled once more, allowing Grogu time before lifting him up into his arms in a gentle cradle. 

Then, the blue eyes were back on Din, serious and determined, yet kind. “Thank you for trusting me, Din. Please, if you need anything, I’ll be there.” He turned to the entire group, humbled by their awe-stricken looks. “May the Force be with all of you.”

And then, as quick as he had arrived, he was gone, leaving Din to stare and ponder how the mysterious man had known his name.

[willowbleedsonpaper]

Ghost Of You (Part 5)

Draco Malfoy x Muggle!Reader

W.C. : 3200

Summary:  The war with Voldemort was over. Draco Malfoy was forced to flee for his life ending up in Muggle London where he met you, the muggle whose house he broke in looking for a place to hide. You agreed to let him hide in your house if he promised to let you live your life normally. How will your relationship work as time passes and you both realize you’re no longer just partners in crime?

A/N: Can someone expalin to me the sorcery behind feeling like I wrote an entire book and realizing is shorter than previous parts? Because I don’t get it and I’m confused. Doesn’t matter, I’m back and ready to keep posting.

Again, thank you for the 100 followers. Love you all my Skittles (Yes, I am calling you skittles).

Please, let me know what you think. I love reading your comments! Shoot me an ask or somthing if you would like to be tagged. Enjoy and happy reading!

*Not my GIF. Credits to the creator*

You were frozen staring at the man just outside your door. Visibly shaken, your grip on the doorknob turned your knuckles white. Both, Jack and Draco’s eyes landed on you after a minute of silence. both in worry and confusion.

 Jack cleared his throat, looking at you “Can I come in?” he asked in a serious tone.

 “We were actually in the middle of something.” said Draco before you could answer yourself, stepping forward his chest bumping with your back. You gave him a hard stare, wondering if he actually remembered the turn your little chat had taken. You noticed then his clenched fists at his sides, he didn’t want Jack there.

 You moved your body aside, using it to push Draco back with your steps. The door opened completely, letting Jack inside with a soft Come in from you. Waiting until Jack had made it all the way to the living room, you turned to Draco behind you “Don’t think you will get out of this so easily, Malfoy.” you hissed, poking his chest.

 You were already turning to go to Jack when a cold hand grabbed your wrist, pulling you dangerously close to him “Don’t call me Malfoy” he said lowly, marking every word. His last name practically growled with a deep burning hate.

 “Or what?” you looked straight into his eyes, his grip on your wrist tightening “You’re going to force me?” you dared, his entire face turning red.

 “I promised I wouldn’t but you are being really tempting at the moment.” he mumbled letting go of your hand and storming to the kitchen without a word.

 You watched him, wanting to feel bad but you were really worked up because of everything he said before Jack’s interruption, he clearly was holding back from using his secrets to make him leave and to make you behave, as he had called it, so you let him go turning to the living room where Jack was.

 He was sitting at the couch, reading over the few papers you had left there from your work. He had always loved to go over your work, saying he had so much to learn from you. You were tempted to let him be a little longer, unfortunately you and the man in your kitchen didn’t have the time or patience to be nice.

 “What are you doing here Jack?” you asked sharply making him jump in his seat. He quickly placed the papers back from where he took them, jumping to his feet.

 “I came to see how you were,” he said simply, giving you a nervous smile “ I saw Sally and she told me you were sick.” he explained.

 Jack, was a sweet caring guy, there was no denying it. But you felt his behavior out of place. If you still were together you would have never minded him dropping by your place unannounced claiming to be worried about you, but you weren’t and the fact that it wasn’t the first time he had done it was even more infuriating.

 “Jack, you can’t keep doing this.” you sighed in defeat, rubbing your temples with tired look in your face “You ended things, remember? Not me, you.”

 “I know but…”

“No, you can’t keep coming here just because you heard I’m sick, or because  you heard I had bad day at work or because you miss me, you just can’t.” your words came out so fast you doubted he even understood what you said but his hurt look said otherwise.

 He let a breath out turning in his place, he ran a hand through his hair “I’m sorry, okay.” he spat turning his face to you, two steps and he was in front of you holding your hands in his.

 “What?” you said loudly, shaking your hands out of his “What do you mean you’re sorry?”

 “I made a mistake,” he told you with a determined look in his face “I know I did, but I felt like you didn’t love anymore and then you said you didn’t want to get married or have a family and I got scared!”

 “And then broke up with me.” you added with a fire in your eyes “I know, I was there.”

 “But then I didn’t see you for months, you wouldn’t even look at me at the halls at work, never talk to me and I realized how important you are in my life” he said, desesperacion taking over his features.

 But you had stopped listening at some point, your body felt like a statue at the tension gathered in every single one of your muscles and you were surprised that you weren’t visible shaking. “Y/N…” he whispered, seeing you had a dead look in your eyes, remaining completely silent.

 “And all it took for you to realize that was breaking my heart.” you mumbled so low he frowned, taking a hesitant step towards you “My. Heart.” you repeated, making him stop dead in the spot.

 “I’m sorry.” he whispered shakily with glossy eyes.

 “Being sorry is not enough Jack!” you snapped, pointing at him with sharp movement of your hand “I loved you, I cried every night because it wasn’t enough for you just being with me and you are sorry?” you yelled in disbelief, a stray tear rolling down your cheek.

 He had a dead look in his face, and you thought maybe you had gone too far before he scoffed, taking you by surprise.

 “Didn’t took you too long find someone else, though” he grunted, his eyes shifting to the kitchen before returning to you.

 “What is that even supposed to mean?” you asked, cleaning your cheek with the back of your hand.

 “C’mon Y/N” he said, his arms flying in the air when he began to pace back and forth “You are the most popular teacher at school, you were at everyone’s mouth.”

 You stared at him wide-eyed, the tears falling now freely down your cheeks “What?” you stuttered, covering your mouth with your hand.

 “Please, don’t act like you don’t know. Everyone at school saw you with the mysterious blond man. ” he mocked and you turned to the kitchen, remembering the day that Draco forced himself into your work, entertaining the entire class with the made up stories of your time together at college.

 You would have smiled at the memory, being more funny now that Draco had assured you he would never do something against them, but you felt numb as you face Jack once more “You’re jealous.”

 “What?” he spat, stopping his pacing.

 “You didn’t came here because you were worried,” you said meeting his eyes “You came here because you’re jealous of Draco.” you muttered, watching his face contort into one of confusion.

 “Who the hell is Draco?” he asked, and you quickly realized your mistake stumbling back.

 The sounds of the kitchen made you look back, a couple of crashing sounds catching your attention. You were about to walk in there when Draco emerged, positively on high alert when his eyes landed on you “We need to go,” he said grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the door not even waiting for your answer.

 You let him pull you with him leaving Jack behind, you tried to talk to Draco, asking him all kind of questions that he wouldn’t answer. His face moved wearily over your car and the fence separating your house from your neighbors.

 “Hey!” Jack shouted, following you out the door “You can’t just run from this, you…”

 Draco cursed under his breath, turning momentarily back to Jack “Would you just shut up?!” he hissed, pulling you to your car.

 He place his hands on your shoulders and looked you straight in the eyes “I need you to get in your car, drive as far away as you can. I will look for you, okay?” he ordered, seeing the tears in your cheeks “Do you understand?” he asked softly, looking wildly for your eyes bringing his thumb up to your cheek, cleaning the tears there.

 You shook your head, eyes wide as you glanced from your home to him “No.” you told him, trying to sound more confident and failing getting a small smile from him.

 “Y/N,” he called you when you started to rant, making you stop “They found me.” 

 You felt the knot in your stomach tighten, shaking your head furiously at him “No, I’m not leaving you.” you cried, stepping away from him and the car “Let's’ go to the police, they can do something.” But you didn’t hear whatever he answered you, your eyes focusing over his shoulder on the cloaked figures emerging  from down the street.

 Everything around you slowed down, the masks in their faces sending chills down your spine as one of them raised their arm towards you, holding in their hand an object like the one Draco carried with him at all times. You didn’t have time to shout anything, your body acting on its own as the words coming out from the person right in front of you were muffled by the pain of your body landing over Draco’s.

 Your scream was cut short when Draco and Jack both reacted, kneeling beside your car taking cover from the sudden flashes of light being thrown in your direction. You were in a complete state of shock as you slowly turned to Draco, his back at you when he rose to his feet, shooting the same flashes of light from his wand, yelling words you couldn’t fully understand.

 Jack was yelling beside you, but you were unable to move your eyes from Draco. Everything you didn’t want to believe when you connected the ideas of him carrying a wand with the inexplicable reason as to why he could make you do his will with a whisper in your ear was becoming true right before your eyes.

 “Merlin!” he yelled, snapping you out of your trance “Silencio” he casted, pointing his wand right at Jack, who shoot his hands around his throat with a distraught look.

 The heavy breathing coming from Draco made you realize it was the only sound you could hear. You turned to him, his head poking over your car before he took your hand again “C’mon” he breathed out.

 He started running, never letting go of you. You managed to grasp your hand around Jack´s jacket, pulling him with you enough for him to follow. Draco took you out of the streets, entering the forest behind your house.

 You had ran for minutes, the lights tiny dots in the distance. Looking around you, you saw nothing but trees that looked the same, everywhere you turned looked the same. You wanted nothing but to stop. And you did.

 Draco turned to you, searching your eyes with a questioning look before he saw your shaking form “We can’t stop now, love.” he told you with a pleading look, reaching his hand for you to take again.

 Just when you were about to take it, something pulled you back, your fingers barely brushing his “No” said Jack with a hoarse voice “I don’t care who you are or who is after you, you’re not taking her with you.” he placed an arm around you, pulling you behind his body.

 Draco made a sound from deep in his throat, fighting his own body to not launch himself at Jack “You’re lucky I let you follow, if it was up to me I would’ve left you with them.” he mumbled, walking forward and you followed breaking out of Jack’s hold.

 “Draco.” you called, quickening your pace to keep up with him “Draco!” you yelled, seeing as he kept on ignoring you.

 He snapped his head at you, clenching his jaw he moved his eyes anywhere but you “What?” he muttered coldly.

 “What...How did they found you?” you stuttered, glancing back to make sure Jack followed. You jogged, taking his arm with your small hand, only managing to make him turn towards you.

 But the sounds of laughter reached your ears and you turned back, the echo making you snap your head in every direction you heard it coming from. Draco took your shaky hand in his again walking further into the woods, not really knowing how to return home, or if you ever would.

 “Draco!” someone sang, voice echoing in the air “You can’t hide forever!”  

 “No.” he muttered, looking wildly in every direction he could.

 The woods were dark, no light that came from the moon or the stars helping you as he cursed under his breath “Lumos.” he whispered, a soft light shining from the tip of his wand, making you stumble back and not falling for his tight hold in your hand.

 He gave you an apologetic look, mouthing something you couldn’t understand before a whisper behind you brought you back “There you are.”

 You both turned with a jump, a woman standing behind you with a grin in her face, her wand moving a stray piece of hair from her face. She tilted her head, eyeing your entire body before she dedicated a dark smile to Draco.

 “You’re supposed to be dead.” he said sharply, pulling you behind him.

 She laughed, walking around so she could keep an eye in both you and him “Don’t sound so sad to see me.” she said, her voice raspy “After all, we are family.”

 Your eyes looked for any reaction in Draco but he kept a stoic look at all times “I don’t know you.” he muttered, glancing swiftly at you.

 You didn’t know what to do, not understanding anything of what was being said or was happening made you even more frustrated, your eyes burning with the unshed tears you were fighting to keep at bay. You couldn’t breakdown there. The three of you had to make it alive first.

 Your heart stopped inside of you, eyes looking everywhere around you for Jack.

 “Oh, Draco” she pouted, her eyes shining with amusement “You hurt my feelings” she placed a hand over her heart before her eyes fell on you, your stomach turning inside you “Who is the mudblood, Drakey?”

 “Stay away from her,” he growled raising his wand towards her, using his body as a shield “It’s me who you want, leave her out of this.”

 She chuckled darkly, taking the same stance as Draco “Doesn’t mean I can’t make you watch as I play a little with her, your death can wait.” she said and you fisted his suit jacket in your hands.

 “Touch a single hair in her and you’ll regret the moment you came looking for me.” he threatened flicking his wrist, a red light shooting from the tip of his wand.

 She gasped, her eyes wild as the blue shield she had created dissipated from the air “You were always weak minded, just like my traitor of a sister.” she hissed and Draco didn’t need to take two look into her eyes to know what was coming.

 He ordered you to run, giving your hand a quick squeeze before he started dueling the woman again. He shouted spell after spell, moving expertly he draw his wand across his body and pushing with force towards her.

 You would have been in awe of him, but the image of the woman on the opposite side make you want to run and never return. She was enjoying herself, she had went out of her way to hurt Draco and now she had him right there at the end of her wand to her disposal. You had to do something.

 Draco was purposefully walking back, trying to get a grasp of you and where you were hiding. He knew there were more death eaters around, but he would have never imagined that his aunt herself would be leading the hunt for his head.  She knew she had been loyal, but never to want to kill him after all was lost. He should’ve have known.

 She struck one right blow at Draco, immobilizing him just enough for her to walk to where he stood still “Did you know your own mother helped find you?” she said, bringing a hand up to his face. “Not even your own mother can stand the idea of you, you blood traitor.” she spat, wrinkling her nose.

 “Go to hell.” he said through gritted teeth, staring deep into her eyes.

 She gave him a look of disgust, making a puking sound before patted his cheek “That’s no way to treat Auntie Bella. But first,” she said, clapping her hands together and looking around “Where’s that mudblood friend or yours?” she asked.

 “She has nothing to do with this!” he shouted, watching Bellatrix walk back with a grin “Leave her and I’ll go with. No fight.”

 She opened her mouth, the words getting stuck in her throat as she fell to the ground with a thud sound. Draco stared at the unconscious body of her aunt on the ground before he snapped his head at the squeaking sound coming from you.

 You let the piece of log fall from your arms, bringing your hands to cover your mouth. You glanced at her, taking the wand from her hand “Did I kill her?” you asked Draco shakily, your eyes were puffy but you had stopped crying and were more in shock. Numb.

 “No.” he told you, following your eyes “She’s still breathing, see?” he pointed to her chest, the air flowing in and out of her lungs. He clumsily took a step towards you taking your arms and pulling you to his chest in a hug. “We need to move, love.” he said, the words muffled by your hair in his face.

 You nodded, pulling away from him “I found Jack” you told him, starting to walk “He’s unconscious too” you showed him to where he lay on the dirt. Draco kneeled beside him, examining his body before he gave you a satisfactory nod.

 “There are more of them in the woods,” he told you, looking straight into your eyes “I need to get us out of here, including your git of an ex.” he mumbled pointing at him on the ground, grabbing  your hand “I can do that, but I need to know you would be fine.”

 “Why?” you whispered, wrapping your arms around yourself. He took off his jacket, placing it on your shoulders carefully.

 “I need to know you won’t get scared and run.” you took a hesitant look to Jack before turning to Draco.

 “Okay.” you whispered, hearing the sigh of relief from his lips.

 He stretched his hand at you, taking yours and lacing your fingers with his “Take Jack’s hand, please.” you did as he told you, looking at him again “Are you ready?” he asked you and you were sure you would never be ready, but you had no choice, so you gave him a weak nod. He took his wand out, giving you one last glance before the world around you spiraled away.

 Then everything turned black.

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

SURPRISE! For the purpouse of this fic Auntie Bella is alive :) 

TAGS: @fanficflaneuse​ @accio-rogers​ @gloriousrebelrunaway​ @slytherinprincess03​ @coldlilheart​ @aasthapiplani​ @nebulablakemurphy​ @strawberriesonsummer​ @l1teralegend​ @infinity1o1​  @nevermore9292  @artist-bby​ 

[residentanchor]

When the Mask Falls

Word count: 10k+

Ships: Sleepxiety

Summary: Virgil has worked as a messenger for pretty much all of his life to make ends meet. It worked well, he hardly had to talk and he did enjoy the quiet time on the road, but he was always excited to make it back home. He mostly delivered letters for the rich family in town, the Dormir’s, as they tried to find a person to marry their son.

He was glad Remy Dormir was as particular as he was. Remy spoke his mind and turned down every marriage offer before it could begin before running off to the pubs behind his parent’s back to party. He was Virgil’s best friend and long time crush, but he was okay with pining from the sidelines. He didn’t want to become the next person Remy chased out of town... and their friendship was more than enough for him. 

Warnings: unsympathetic Deceit, angst, cursing, kidnapping, happy ending

Note: This was a writing commission for /@theeternalspace! Thanks so much, I appreciate it!

Virgil wrapped his cloak around him a bit closer as he made his way up the path. He was tired from running around all day despite the fact it was a regular occurrence for him. Whenever he was traveling home, he pushed himself a bit harder than normal. He didn’t dislike nights camping in the woods, but he always missed the comfort of his own bed. However, a job was a job and he was quick on his feet. When the Dormir’s, the richest family in the town, decided to hire him, he couldn’t say no. Running around delivering packages and letters wasn’t glorious, but it paid well enough for him.

Though, he was finishing his last job for them right now. The big house that loomed in front of him was a familiar and welcoming sight. The home of the richest people around, the Dormir’s, along with his best friend, Remington. As Virgil climbed the stairs and knocked on the door to deliver his final letter, he looked up towards the sky and saw the sun at its peak. It was almost midday, still too early for Remy to be awake most likely. Virgil had gotten back home faster than he had thought.

The door creaked open and a familiar face answered. “Virgil, good to see you again. Are you here for master Remington?”

Virgil reached into his bag and pulled out the crisp letter. “I can wake him for you if you need. I’m just dropping this off.”

The servant nodded and took the letter. “Excellent. Shall I expect you to deliver a response for us once again?”

The servant moved and made room for Virgil to enter. With a nod, he accepted and stepped into the home. “I don’t think so, he didn’t wait around this time.”

“Very well. I suppose I shall deliver this and prepare to have guests.”

“I’ll go wake Remy up before his parents find out he was probably out all night again.”

Virgil quickly made his way up the stairs and to his best friend’s bedroom door. He hardly gave it a knock before he opened it, slipping quietly inside. The room was dark, curtains blocking out the morning sun as best they could. Remy was nothing more than a lump of blankets on the bed and Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Rem, it’s almost midday!” He leaned over and nudged the lump, earning a groan from his friend. “Your parents are going to be looking for you soon. You sure you want to still be in bed when they get here?”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll get up.” Remy sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Virgil thought it wasn’t fair how nice his bed head looked in comparison to his own. Remy took almost no time to prepare claiming that his beauty just came so naturally. Virgil always huffed at that but couldn’t deny how useful it could be sometimes. “What do they want now?”

“I just came back with a response letter again.”

Remy rolled his eyes and stretched, letting out a yawn. “Hate to break this to you, but you’re always bringing back letters. It’s kind of your job?” Remy slipped out from underneath the blankets and headed for his armoire to get an outfit for the day.

“From the people they’ve been talking to, smart ass. They didn’t seem like they were expecting a response back this time. Which can only mean one of two things.”

“My parents changed their mind or someone from the Darvin family is coming to visit. Joy...”

Virgil scoffed and turned away to let his friend get changed. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea to just invite them over like you’ve been friends for years. You don’t know them!”

“True, but my parents have been exchanging letters for weeks now. You know this, you are their messenger.” Virgil flushed a bit as he heard the sound of ruffling clothes fall. “Which means they’re probably gonna try to set me up with their son or something.”

“Charles. I already don’t like him, I bet he’s more stuck up than you are.”

“Aww, Virgil, you jealous?”

“Excuse me--jealous of what?!”

“The idea of me in another man’s arms? Come on, Virgil, you’re my best friend and I am cute.”

Virgil ducked his head away, glad his back was to his friend. He could feel the blush growing on his face. “Yuck, no thanks. He can have you.”

“A lot of people want me, it happens when you’re rich and beautiful. Besides,” Remy’s footsteps sounded a bit closer as he walked up to Virgil. He stepped into view, fully dressed and presentable. “He doesn’t go by Charles. He goes by his middle name.”

“Charles D. Darvin. What’s his middle name anyway?”

Remy snickered a bit. “The D. stands for Dee, actually.”

“How original.” Virgil looked unamused. “They couldn’t afford a full name, really? I thought your parents tried pairing you off with every rich family they came across?”

Remy moved toward the door and threw it open. “They have money, trust me. Their family has been wealthy for generations. Probably why my parents want to get us to meet so quickly.”

“So they’re gonna sell you off to moneybags? Good, get you out of my hair finally.” Virgil couldn’t hide the playful smile on his face from Remy if he tried.

Remy scoffed as he started down the hallway with Virgil trailing after him. “I will not hesitate to drop his ass if he tries anything, you know that. I don’t care what my parents say, I’m not going to marry the first person they throw at me.”

“Yeah, that’s what you said the last three times they tried to marry you off.” Remy turned and glared at his best friend as Virgil just smirked back. “Hasn’t worked yet.”

“I am a treasure that is only worthy of someone I choose.” 

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Remy looked over to his friend and sighed dramatically. “What?”

“How are you so ignorant? I’m irresistible, Virge! No one can keep away from me for long! It’s just a matter of me picking who I want.”

“Whatever you say, Rem.”

----

Virgil had a bit more free time now that he wasn’t delivering letters for the Dormir’s once more. It usually didn’t last very long. Remy had a streak of chasing away his parent’s latest attempt at having their son settle down. Then they hired Virgil to deliver more letters as they continued to look. It wasn’t perfect but it worked well enough for Virgil and let him stay close to Remy. He felt like the Dormir’s didn’t approve of their friendship but let Remy get away with practically anything, even having a friend they thought wasn’t worthy enough. Virgil was just glad they were too busy to realize the hopeless gaze he had for their son. Virgil was smitten but he would never admit it or act upon it. It was obvious enough that Remy didn’t return his feelings, but their friendship was something he’d always treasure. For now, he’d wait while Remy played with his newest guest.

Unfortunately, that meant that they were busy preparing for their visitors so he wasn’t exactly welcomed at the moment. He’d simply be in the way while ‘actual important people’ were there. The Darvin’s were sending their eldest son in hopes of doing what other families had failed to do--marry the only Dormir heir there was. Remy’s family was rich and owned quite a bit of land and everyone around knew it. Marrying Remington Dormir would give them power, something everyone seemed to be after. Remy was going to inherit everything himself which made him the perfect target for money hungry families to try and pair their children off with him, gender be damned. The whole idea sounded stupid and upsetting to Virgil, and not just because of his unrequited crush. He hated seeing people try to win over his best friend with promises of money and power that Remy obviously didn’t care about. Something good came of it, he supposed. If he could sit back and enjoy Remy calling out all these families and putting them in their place, it made dealing with it almost worth it.

Though, that part hasn’t happened yet. They were still waiting for this ‘Charles’ to arrive and that left Virgil incredibly bored with no one to talk to until the ordeal had passed. If they didn’t infuriate Remy by the first day, he’d keep them around for a bit to entertain himself, which means Virgil might meet them before they ultimately left. If there was one thing Virgil didn’t like, it was having to deal with new people. Shoving letters at them and taking new ones before walking away? Fine. Actually having a conversation? Just plain cruel.

There was one thing that Virgil held no doubts about. Remy wasn’t the type to settle or like anyone, really. Remy didn’t just swoon and fall in love. The fact he got along so well with him was so strange, it’s the only reason the Dormir’s allow Virgil to talk to their son at all he feels. Well, besides it being something Remy wanted himself. They never denied their only child whatever he wanted. Remy had chased everyone else in his life away after a while. Virgil was the only one to break through the tough exterior that was Remington Dormir’s personality and stay. Virgil took pride in that. He knew, no matter who they were, no one would ‘woo’ Remy and sweep him off his feet. Certainly not enough to chase Virgil off after so many years. 

Finally, a few days after delivering the final letter, the mysterious suitor came into town. He was traveling alone and sat atop a horse, but everyone figured out who he was. He was wrapped in a heavy wool traveler's cloak, embroidered around the seams and far too elaborate and expensive for a simple traveler. He didn’t ask for directions, heading straight for the massive building that peeked through the trees at the edge of town. He didn’t look at or greet anyone as he silently made his way through. Virgil watched him ride by, his perfectly quaffed hair and cleanly shaven face infuriating him to his core. Who did this guy think he was? He hoped Remy was smart enough not to fall for a pretty face.

Virgil was too anxious to follow after him, though. He’d leave them to their fate with Remy, the fear of being caught greater than his need to see how they interacted as they first met. This guy could be gone in a matter of hours, so what did it matter?

---

Remy sat at home listening to his parents fuss over how it was important he made such a good first impression before the suitor appeared, Remy not really caring what happened. All previous suitors were flops, surely this one would be as well. Their speech had been said so many times, he was sure it was rehearsed by this point.

The knock on the door was enough to have his mother take a step back and smile at him. “You’re such a handsome man, you’ll sweep Charles off his feet in no time!”

“Duh,” Remy mumbled under his breath. “It’s the other way around that’s the problem. I am a catch.”

Remy cleared his throat and looked uninterested as his butler brought a man into the room. The stranger took off his cloak and smiled at Remy as if he was genuinely happy to meet him. Remy couldn’t deny he was attractive, but that didn’t mean anything. So were all the others.

“Charles Dee Darvin, but you can call me Dee,” he offered his hand in greeting and Remy took it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Remington Dormir, you may call me Remy.” 

“We’ll leave you two alone,” Remy’s mother called out before shooting her son a glare. “Be nice, Remington!”

Remy waited until the footsteps trailed off and pulled his hand back from the handshake. “Okay, look, ‘Dee’, I’m not looking to get married anytime soon. My parents don’t listen to me when it comes to this stuff. They think shoving every rich person my way will suddenly make me ‘fall in love’ or whatever.”

“Oh thank goodness!” Dee let out a sigh. “Me neither! Truth be told, my parents have recently passed away from illness and, no offense, I’m not really interested either! There’s still so much more I want to do before I get married and take over the family business, you know? Your parents just seemed so excited, I figured I could at least stop by to meet you.”

Remy blinked in surprise before snickering. “Well, then we might just get along great! We can stage a whole fight and get you out of here in no time, but I can at least show you around first!” Dee nodded as Remy strutted by. “I can even show you the town, but we will have to be careful. Everyone around here loves me, of course. How could they not? The only one who isn’t aware of how much they’re in love with me is my best friend, Virgil. He’s in complete denial.”

“Oh? Is he now? How are you so sure of that?”

“Oh, pshh, he’s always coming over and hanging out and checking on these ‘suitors’ my parents send. I mean, I don’t blame him, really. My charm is irresistible!”

“Well,” Dee fell in pace with Remy and smirked devilishly. “How about before I go, I get him to admit he had feelings for you?”

“Oh? Sounds intriguing. And what do you have planned?”

“Well, we pretend we’re falling for each other. We do a bit of flirting and get him to admit he’s jealous. You haven’t had a successful suitor yet, correct? If he thinks this might work, he might slip.” Dee glanced over at Remy as he smirked, proud of his plan. “What do you think?”

“Ohh, how evil! I like it, this could be quite fun! A masterful performance from us and have the whole town be the stage!” Remy threw back his head and laughed. “I think we’ll actually get along rather well!”

“Well, let the flirting begin, shall we?”

---

“Virgil!” The sudden voice startled the man as he jumped, turning toward the source. “I heard you were back in town!” An older man waved and walked over and Virgil resisted a sigh. He was not one for casual conversation.

“Yeah, hey.” Virgil shifted a bit awkwardly, not used to talking to people around town. Most folks just left him alone unless they had work for him. “Did you need something delivered?”

“What? No, I just wanted to say hi!” Virgil tried to believe that, but there was no reason to talk to him unless they wanted something. “Haven’t seen you around! Have you been to Dormir manor?”

Ahh, so that’s what they wanted from him, information. “Yes, I was doing business for them for a while but that’s ended. I haven’t been there recently if that’s what you mean.”

“Oh, so you haven’t seen their newest visitor, then! Quite a handsome young man, this one.”

Virgil had not. It was always exciting news when anyone traveled to their town. They very rarely got random travelers so most people came by for the Dormir’s. When the man on horseback rode through, Virgil tucked away and waited for him to ride by as he always had. He did not want to see the face of the latest person trying to marry his best friend. Not unless they were actually going to stick around this time.

Virgil shook his head and glanced away. “Nah. I know Remy. If they’re just after money and flattery, he’ll have them out of town before sundown.”

“Oh? I thought you’d care about the people trying to marry young Remington.” Virgil looked up at the old man who smiled back. Something about the look he was giving Virgil spoke more than words could. Virgil couldn’t help but blush before he ducked his head away again. “Come now, boy. When are you going to say something about this? You care for that young man, you should step in and--”

“Look.” Virgil took a harsh tone as he glared up at the old man. “Remington Dormir is a brilliant man who can marry whomever he chooses. No suitor will be able to waltz in here and change that.” Virgil took a moment and held his breath. “No matter who that person will be, I will respect his choice because he’s my best friend. Whatever makes him happy.”

The old man let out a sigh as his shoulders dropped. “Boy… What about what will make you happy?”

Virgil closed his eyes and shook his head. “If Remy is happy, then I’ll be happy too. No need to have someone important get mixed up with a peasant boy and become the biggest laughing stock this side of the kingdom.”

“Virgil-”

“I hope you have a nice day, sir.” Virgil quickly spun on his heel and marched away, his tattered cloak billowing around him. The old man called out for him once more but gave up once Virgil didn’t respond.

Remington Dormir. From the day they met as kids, he didn’t care about Virgil’s ‘lower status’. When Virgil didn’t treat him special like everyone else in his life, he was interested in what Virgil had to say. For the first time in Virgil’s life, someone cared about what Virgil thought. As they grew up, Remy lost more of his filter and spoke his mind. He chased off suitors that tried to get rid of Virgil for being ‘lesser’. He scared away anyone who was after him for his money or status. Virgil respected how he kept his values and would stick by the man to keep him safe. Remy was ignorant to peasant life and would sneak out to the pub to try and rebel against his parents. Virgil was afraid someone would want to take advantage of him or his parents or try to get money from him because of his name so Virgil was there every night to keep him safe. Remy never asked, but he always thanked him at the end of the night. If that’s all Virgil got as payment for it, then it was more than enough for him. Seeing Remy safe and still wanting him around was more than he could ask for.

So how could he let him know that he’d been harboring these feelings? It would ruin their friendship, something Virgil treasured more than anything in the world.

Virgil floated around town for a while after that. His home was nothing too cozy. He spent so much time traveling that it was a small place he never wanted to spend any time at alone. It was old and drafty but sturdy and a perfectly good shelter for anyone. He didn’t own much besides the essentials and a decent suit Remy had convinced him to get tailored just in case. However, he mostly was avoiding going home in case he missed their newest guest storm out of town. 

Though, a short time later, he heard the townsfolk start to happily greet someone in town square. It was enough of a change to pique his interest, though it didn’t sound like someone storming out of town like he had hoped. He made his way closer into the square and found the crowd, standing on the edge and listening in.

“Did you have to travel far?”

“Will you be staying long?”

“You two seem friendly already!”

“It’s nice to see young Remington behaving for once…”

Eventually, someone turned and saw Virgil, smiling and stepping out of his way to allow him to get closer. Soon, others followed and Virgil ducked his head, wrapping his arms around himself under his cloak. He never was a fan of attention, what were these people looking at?

“Oh, Virge! Perfect timing, come here!” Virgil looked through the crowd and barely made out Remy standing with someone else. Remy seemed oblivious to all the tension around them, waving Virgil over excitedly. “I want you to meet Charles!”

“Please, Remington, you may certainly call me Dee.”

“I will when you start calling me Remy, darling. Virgil!”

Making his way through, Virgil finally got a good look at ‘Dee’. He was tall, his hair was natural and wavy and god, why was his jawline so sharp? Even Virgil couldn’t deny he was attractive and his smile seemed genuine and friendly which only made Virgil hesitant to dislike him. Something screamed at Virgil to be on edge and Virgil tried to shove it down. Jealousy would get him nowhere right now.

He held out a hand, wearing a pair of silk gloves, and smiled. “My friends call me Dee and any friend of Remy’s is a friend of mine!”

“Oh, good! Because Virgil is sticking around, no exceptions! He’s my closest friend and my confidant! We’re a packaged deal!”

“Of course,” Dee let go of Virgil’s hand and smiled. “I could never come between your friends. I do hope we get along as well.”

“Especially if he wants to stay, right Virgil?” Remy walked up and placed his hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “No one comes between me and my best friend! No matter how cute he is.” Virgil watched Remy look over at Dee and wink, confused by the display in front of him. Was he… flirting? Remy flirts, yes, but usually not with the suitors picked out for him. 

“Oh, Remy, you flatter me so! Such high compliments of someone of your beauty, you must be careful. I may grow an ego at this rate and you have enough for both of us.” Virgil couldn’t help but chuckle, staring back and forth between the two. They seemed like… good friends already. Remy smiled and looked at Dee a bit and Virgil felt his stomach twist. Was… was this real? For the first time, did Remy meet someone who could match him? Someone he was actually interested in? Virgil hadn’t seen him give any of the other suitors the time of day. But this guy… handsome and charming and funny, everything Virgil could dream to be. Of course someone so perfect would finally catch his attention.

‘I’ll respect his choice because he is my best friend.’

It was still too early to say, they had only just met a few hours ago, but Virgil had never seen a suitor get this far before, especially so quickly. 

“W-wow, Remy. You two seem to get along great already.” Virgil smiled and turned to Dee. “Just remember, buddy. I’m the best friend and no matter what happens, that doesn’t change.”

Remy seemed to frown at Virgil’s words, not that his friend had seen. Dee most certainly did, however. “I would never take your place intentionally. However, I do see a bright future ahead of us. Just have to see where it takes us, right Remy?”

“Oh, yes! Absolutely! If you’re in my future then I guess it’s looking pretty good.” Remy smiled and glanced at Virgil again. He was still smiling. Why was he still smiling? “Well! Sorry to leave so suddenly, but we have dinner plans, right Dee?”

“Of course,” Dee held out his arm for Remy to take. “We should make our way back  before it gets too late, my dear.” 

‘It’s still early! You have plenty of time!’ Virgil wanted to shout it for everyone to hear, but he kept his mouth closed. “Well, I hope to see you soon! I’d like to get a bit more acquainted with your new friend if he’s going to be staying.”

‘You’re not supposed to be happy about this! Say something!’ Remy nodded and waved. “Of course, I’ll see you around, Virgil!”

Virgil watched the two make their way back to Dormir manor for a bit before glancing around. He jumped, realizing dozens of eyes were on him, each giving him a look of pity. He shrugged it off and spun around, retreating to his home finally. The day was still early, but he felt exhausted enough to sleep through the night.

---

“That didn’t work at all!” Remy huffed, pacing back and forth. “He was just… all nice and supportive!” Dee sat in a chair with his legs crossed, watching the other each time he walked by. “He was supposed to be mad!”

“Is it really a bad thing he was supportive?”

“Yes!” Remy stopped and stomped his foot. “He has to be jealous! He has to like me!”

“Why?” Dee tilted his head and leaned against the armrest. “Why does it matter that one person in the world doesn’t see how enchanting you truly are?”

Remy waved him off and turned away, a scowl forming on his face. “Because! It just does!” After Dee didn’t give any sort of response, he turned back and saw Dee staring at him in surprise. “What?”

“Nothing, I apologize.” Dee folded his hands in front of him. “We can try again tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but what if that doesn’t work? We’re gonna need a plan if we’re going to get this to work!”

Dee scrunched his nose in distaste. “You want to keep trying?” He frowned a bit before a thought came to mind. “You want me to help you?”

“No one else is going to and you’re almost perfect. Handsome, smart, rich. I’d call you absolutely perfect but I’m standing right here.”

“Yeah,” Dee leaned on his hand and smiled up at Remy. “I’ll agree to that.”

Remy held up his hand and silenced the other. “Save it for when we see Virgil!”

---

Virgil couldn’t believe it. 

This new guy has lasted longer than any other suitor by a long shot. He’s not only still hanging around, but Remy was practically draped all over him. The Dormir’s were thrilled and basically picking out flowers for the wedding. Dee didn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon.

“Remy, meeting you has been such a pleasure. You’re far more enchanting in person than I had been told.”

“Oh, Dee, you flatter me so. Keep going.”

Virgil hated all of it.

The worst part? Remy kept inviting Virgil over, wanting him and Dee to get along as much as possible. So he had to watch Remy flirt with the man while Dee stared at Remy with gooey eyes like he was in love and it hurt. Virgil kept smiling and hiding his pain and Remy seemed to be falling for it. Dee, however?

“I know you like him.”

Remy had invited Virgil over for dinner, something he didn’t normally do when suitors were still visiting. He had accepted out of courtesy and had been dreading the night ever since. Even Remy’s parents seemed a bit surprised at how well he was getting along with Dee.

“What?” Virgil responded before Dee’s words sunk in. “I mean, duh. Of course I do. We’re best friends.” Virgil chuckled nervously for a bit before noticing Dee wasn’t buying it. He stopped and looked away, trying not to panic. “What does it matter?”

“It doesn’t, not really.” Virgil looked up at Dee who smirked back. He looked cocky and it was enough for Virgil to throw out everything he felt about the guy and just loathe him. His initial distaste when they had met floated back up to the top once more. “Remy had a chance to pick you and oh, look. He picked me instead. You can like him all you want, I can certainly see why, but that doesn’t change a thing.”

“I know that.” Virgil glared back, not backing down. “My feelings don’t matter, as long as Remy is happy.”

“Oh, sure, of course, but why stick around if you know you’ve lost?”

“Lost?” Shaking his head, the messenger actually felt a bit confident for once. “Lost what? Remy? He’s not some--some prize to win, I get to be his friend. I get to see him happy. We get to spend our lives with one another. Where in any of that have I ‘lost’? He doesn’t return my feelings, so what? He doesn’t have to and I can’t make him. I’m certainly not losing out on my end.” Dee stood stoic as Virgil went off on his tangent. “You know that you can’t get rid of me, so don’t even try. So, fine. Get married. Be the love of his life or whatever. I’ll still be here for him.”

“Oh, you foolish boy.” Dee chuckled and shook his head. “You underestimate me.” Dee leaned in a bit closer. “Good. Makes my job easier.”

Dee walked away to try and find Remy who had left the room a few minutes before. 

Virgil stood back and thought about everything that Dee had said. Sure, he didn’t explicitly say that he was going to drive Virgil away, but shouldn’t he warn Remy? Dee was trying to break the first rule that he put down… but does that mean that if he tried to explain, he’d make Remy pick between him and Dee? He was sure he would be picked but… Did he really want to chance that and find out the true answer?

Virgil had gone back and forth about it all afternoon. As it grew closer to the end of the day, it was almost time for the dinner he had already accepted before the talk with Dee. Virgil spent every moment since then figuring out how to back out of it. That was, until the moment that Remy’s parents had called Dee away for something, leaving the two of them alone.

“Alright, girl, spill it.” Virgil looked to his best friend who was unamused. Remy crossed his arms in front of him and huffed. “What’s with you this afternoon? You’ve been acting super weird.”

“Oh, it’s--”

“No, none of that.” Waving his hand away, Remy walked closer and pointed at Virgil accusingly. “You are not about to lie and tell me it’s nothing. Babe. We’re best friends. I know you better than that.”

Virgil felt his face flush in embarrassment. “It’s… just… something Dee said bothered me, I guess. I’ll get over it.”

“Oh? What did he say?” Virgil remained silent and Remy let out a huff. “Vee! Just tell me, you can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?”

“He talked like he was going to get rid of me. Like, not those exact words, but he asked why I hung out with you and no one else. Like he was accusing me of something.”

“Something?” Virgil looked at Remy and felt his stomach drop. Why was he smiling? This was serious! “What do you think he was accusing you of?”

“I dunno… Maybe he felt I was going to chase him away so he wants to do it first?”

“Virgil,” The serious tone in Remy’s voice put Virgil on edge. “Are you… jealous?”

“Of what, Dee? Gosh, no. You can have him!” He shook his head and his face twisted like he had tasted something sour.

Remy nodded and tried to hide his smile. “If not Dee, then… Me?” Virgil froze and Remy felt his heart soar. Yes. Yes! This was it! This is what he had wanted to hear for all these weeks. All of his and Dee’s efforts were finally paying off. “Virgil, do you like me?”

“I’ve gotta go-” Virgil turned to run.

“No, Virge, let’s talk about this! Virgil!!” Remy chased after him but it was no use. Virgil was lithe, agile and much faster than Remy could hope to be. He was out the front door and down the road before Remy had a chance of catching him. “Oh, Vee…”

“What’s with all the commotion?” Dee walked out of the other room, Remy’s mother trailing close behind.

Remy shifted on his feet while trying to think of an answer. “Oh, Virgil was feeling a bit upset! Ran right out the door! I don’t think he’ll be back for dinner.”

“What a shame, I hope he will be alright” he watched his mother wave off the closest person in Remy’s life without a second thought before turning to Dee. “Well, you can check on him later. Dinner is almost ready.”

Dee walked up and smiled, raising a brow. “Everything alright, my dear?”

“Yes!” Remy squealed excitedly. “Dee, our plan worked! He’s been totally super jealous this whole time!”

“Yeah, that much was obvious, you just figure it out yourself?” Dee wrapped an arm around Remy and directed him toward the kitchen. “You two have it bad for each other, I figured that out on my first day.”

Remy tensed and waited until they got to the door of the dining room before taking Dee’s hand and removing his arm from him. “Right, well, thanks for sharing earlier. Now that I’ve heard it, we can finally call this whole thing off.”

Remy strode into the dining room, leaving Dee to watch him as he sat down. Dee scowled and glared for a moment before collecting himself and painting the smile back on his face. 

---

Remy heard a loud bang and shot awake, blinking and trying to make out the shapes of his room. Even with his curtains drawn, he could tell it was still pitch black outside. Usually he was dead to the world but something had put him on edge, his heart racing and short of breath. He adjusted to the dark and glanced around, sitting silently on his bed as he listened for any unusual noises.

Just as he was about to give up and lay back down, he heard creaking outside his bedroom door before it slowly started to open. He reached over to his end table to grab a dagger he had on display. He wasn’t sure if it was actually sharp but he wasn’t willing to take the chance.

He let out a sigh of relief when he was able to make out Dee slipping into his room, fully clothed and ready for… Remy wasn’t exactly sure.

“Dee, what the shit are you doing in my room? I need sleep to stay this beautiful!” Dee slipped quietly over to the bed as Remy placed the dagger back down on the table. “Nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Wouldn’t want that.” He spoke softly, his deep voice could send shivers down someone’s spine with the way he spoke. “Now, get dressed. We’re leaving.”

Remy sat for a moment before chuckling. “The hell are you talking about? It’s the middle of the night, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yes you are. You’re going to write a little letter to your parents about how excited you were after I told you the news and just couldn’t wait so we left as soon as possible.” Dee leaned one hand on the bed, getting closer to Remy as he backed away. “They’ll think we left last night.”

Remy pushed back against his mountain of pillows and started to turn away. “What news? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, have I forgotten to mention?” Dee smiled and crawled onto the bed. “I talked to your mother last night. She said if I had your approval, we were to be wed. Just as Virgil ran away, how perfect.”

Remy pulled his knees to his chest to make a barrier between him and Dee. “Yeah, no. Sorry, hun, not interested. You do not have my approval, remember? I was doing this to make Virgil jealous.” Dee reached out and grabbed Remy’s arm. “Let go of me!”

“Or what? You’ll run to that peasant boy? The same one who ran away from you today?” Remy pulled his arm free and glared at the other intensely. “What do you think will happen? You’ll be whisked away to live with him and everyone will be okay with it? He doesn’t even have to guts to admit he likes you. Hell, you can’t even admit to yourself that you like him, you had to use me to do it!”

“The hell should I listen to whatever you have to say?” Remy’s voice wavered, suddenly realizing his hands were shaking as they gripped his sheets tighter.

Dee smirked and crossed his arms. “Because I now know your biggest weakness now. So,” Dee pushed himself off of the bed and glared back at the other. “Get up. Get dressed. Pack your things, and I won’t have to use every ounce of influence I have to ruin that low life into a shallow grave where you’ll never see him again.”

Remy sat there for a moment as he watched Dee waiting impatiently by his bedside. “No.”

“No?” “I’m not going to allow you to threaten me in my own home so you can get your way!”

Dee stood there a moment before letting out a sigh. “Then we will do this the hard way. Guess my note is going to do.”

“What?”

Dee moved in an instant, launching himself across the bed. Remy held up his hands and pushed him away, but not before Dee reached out with something in his hand. Remy wasn’t sure what it was, but it smelled sweet and was overpowering. That’s all he could make out before everything turned dark.

---

Virgil hardly slept that night. He kept thinking of ways to convince Remy that he was just imagining things again. He had a tendency to get ahead of himself and go overboard with very little context and Virgil knew that, but usually he wasn’t so… accurate. Remy had been ignorant of his feelings for years and yet the slightest bit of hesitation and he was able to guess what was going on?

Virgil knew that he just had to wait for sunrise and head over like he did every day and pretend things were normal. Say he ran away because he didn’t want the Dormir’s to think he was getting in between Remy and Dee. The two had grown close exceptionally fast and Virgil’s feelings finally coming to light would only make Remy’s parents more suspicious of him then he already was.

---

“He what?!”

“Left last night! Poor boy must have been so excited that he couldn’t wait! Should have talked to us first but you know how he can be.” Remy’s mother smiled as she turned to her husband. Virgil glanced behind them and noticed the butler loading up a coach to the side. He made no comment of it when he arrived, hoping it was Dee finally leaving. “We’re on our way to follow them now! Charles had told me he wanted to make the announcement at a social gathering!”

Virgil looked up at her confused. “You mean… like a party?”

She scoffed and waved him off. “Someone of your social status would make that assumption, but it’s much more high class than a party. They’re going to announce their engagement to anyone who is anyone!”

“Oh, right. I guess that’s what he meant, then.” Virgil bit his lip and glanced away as everything pieced together. Charles was right, Virgil did underestimate him a bit and now Remy was gone.

“Who are you talking about?” Mrs. Dormir asked, curious to Virgil’s mumblings.

“Dee, sorry, Charles mentioned something to me last night.”

“He told you about the engagement?!” Virgil looked up to the surprised look on her face and froze. “I know he talked to me about it, but he told you? And you actually gave your approval?”

Virgil felt a fluttering of panic in his chest for a brief moment before he got an idea and smirked. “Yeah, I mean, we got along pretty well and it’s Remy’s decision anyway. It’s kinda why I ran off. Charles asked me to keep it a secret but I’m terrible at keeping secrets. Remy knows me well enough that he could tell something was off so I ran away to keep the secret. I was just a bit surprised that he took off last night, but it makes sense. It’s a very Remy thing to do after all.”

Waiting with baited breath, Virgil hoped that they took the bait and half baked story he came up with on the spot. Mrs. Dormir smiled and turned to her husband with a chuckle. “It is like him to just run on ahead like that, isn’t it? Our little fire crackle!” She turned back to Virgil with a genuine smile on her face. “Would you like to come with us?” Virgil visibly tensed and she waved him off. “Oh, none of that! You’ve been more than welcome in our home and you and Remington are the closest of friends! It would be a shame you miss his engagement! He’d want you to be there and I know you would want to be there for him.”

Mr. Dormir nodded in agreement. “We will be leaving shortly. Do you have a nice suit of some sort? Can’t have you going to the masquerade like that!”

Virgil nodded and pointed over his shoulder to the pathway. “Yeah, Remy told me I should have a nice outfit just in case so I got one tailored at that shop when I was doing a delivery for you once.” Both of them seemed a bit surprised at that. “It was a bit pricey but I don’t really spend the money I make on anything other than the essentials and you never know when you’ll need to dress up, right? Looks like he was right and I’ll get some use out of it after all.”

“Good, we can pick up masks for all of us once we arrive! Surely after word gets out, there will be plenty for sale!”

Virgil let them talk before they walked off, excited about the plans for the future. Finding out that Remy left in the middle of the night? He had underestimated Dee but he had also been underestimated. He was going to show up and find Remy and discover the truth and get some answers. 

Virgil spun and ran off to his home to pack for the trip. Leaving in the middle of the night? Holding a huge party to announce the marriage? That all sounded like Remy, that was undeniable, but something kept him on edge. Something wasn’t sitting right and had the warning bells ringing in his head like crazy. 

“Virgil, do you like me?”

Why did Remy seem so… happy? He was smiling! Virgil had thought he was plotting something, but what if--?

What if, for once in his life, he didn’t just shrug it off and believed it to be true? Remy always made him welcome, always defended him. Always thanked him after a crazy night at the bar and always said he would never leave him behind. So maybe it was his heart being hopeful, but Virgil decided to take a page from Remy’s book. 

He was going to face him and find out before he lost his chance forever, even if nothing has changed. Even if Virgil was wrong, he couldn’t let this just go by. Not knowing would eat away at him for the rest of his life.

---

“Don’t look so glum! Guests will be arriving shortly!” Dee walked over and placed his hands on Remy’s shoulders. “And please put your mask on. Don’t want everyone falling at your feet before I can even make the announcement! Your beauty knows no bounds, my darling.”

“You mean hide me away in plain sight so I can’t try to escape?”

Dee scoffed and rubbed Remy’s arms, which he decided he had deeply hated at that moment. It was an action meant to comfort someone but instead it simply made his skin crawl. “Not like it would matter, my dear. You’re in my home now, not yours, and I’ve got friends who can keep it that way. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, don’t want your parents having an accident on their way home, now do we?” Dee patted Remy on the back and walked out, a grin across his face. 

Remy waited for the door to close before he turned to the dresser where his masquerade mask sat. Of course he would pull something so elaborate that also worked so well in his favor. Hide him away in a sea of people until the announcement was made. Then anyone who was anyone wouldn’t let him break the engagement due to social bullshit. He was trying to think of a way out of this whole situation and this stupid party was his best bet, not to mention also his last chance. However, his parents wouldn’t understand he was being used before he would get caught trying to escape. If he just had someone to help him out, if only he had someone who would listen, if only Virgil were here.

Remy picked up the silver and golden trimmed mask and looked back to the mirror, holding it up to his face. He frowned, upset at how good he looked. I mean, of course he looked good, but he didn’t want to look good for Charles. He didn’t want to wear anything that man and picked out for him. Sure, the guy was charming enough, but the whole ‘kidnapping and blackmailing you to marry me’ thing kind of killed any chance he would have had, not that he had any to begin with.

Come to think of it, it was Dee’s plan to flirt together to make Virgil jealous. As soon as Remy had mentioned Virgil was probably hopelessly in love with him, Dee had immediately offered the idea! Was it to get him to flirt back? Was that just a coincidence or… Had he really planned this from the beginning?

“That son of a bitch.”

That had him plummeting down a mental spiral as he thought back to their previous conversations. Dee’s encouraging words to take it a step further to try and get a reaction from Virgil. They kept up the charade in front of his parents so it didn't seem suspicious. Dee did not want to plan the break up until Virgil finally caved… everything that made sense in the moment seemed to only lead up to what inevitably happened.

Kidnapping and blackmail? That's what Dee's plan was if he didn't go along willingly? Threatening him and his family so he would agree to marry him? Remy needed to come up with a plan to get away from this psycho and fast, he only had a few hours left.

---

Virgil scoffed at the price of the cheap black and purple mask he had picked up and handed over the gold. It was necessary to get in and not immediately be noticed by Charles Darvin. Mr. Dormir helped style Virgil’s hair, slicking it back instead of having it fall in his face like it normally did. Virgil stood up and squared his shoulders instead of his slight hunch. He looked completely different than he normally would and even Mrs. Dormir made a noise of approval. He knew he’d at least blend in well enough that he may sneak by Dee but finding Remy would prove difficult.

The Dormir’s led the way into the manor, greeting the butlers at the door as they made their way in. The entryway was larger than Virgil had ever seen and it led to the front room which was packed full of people in masks. Virgil felt his heart plummet, unsure of how he would find Remy in this mess.

After a while, he had excused himself from the Dormir’s to mingle with the guests and try to get away from some of the noise to assess the room. Unfortunately, every corner had someone chatting away and laughter all around, celebrating whatever news Charles had planned to announce. As the night dragged on, Virgil felt no closer to finding Remy. Was he even here? Would he find him too late?

He was in a full blown silent panic when someone reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side. Virgil turned and looked up at the man in the silvery mask as he started to collect himself.

“Virgil?”

“What?” Virgil’s eyes lit up as he started to collect himself. He looked exhausted and not nearly as confident as he usually did but this was, without a doubt, his best friend.

“Sorry,” Remy pulled his hand back as he apologized. “You just almost looked like someone I knew. The masks have been throwing me off all night, I do apologize.”

“Remy,” Virgil reached out and smiled, gently placing his hands on Remy’s shoulders. He watched Remy tense up and rubbed his arms to try to relax him. It worked and Remy smiled before launching himself at the other. “Woah, okay! Hello to you, too!”

“Oh goodness, Virgil! It’s really you! I thought I recognized that suit, you look so good, babe!” Virgil laughed and Remy pulled back. “Oh, it’s the absolute worst! Charles planned this whole thing from the beginning and he’s threatening my parents into getting me to agree to this engagement and it’s the worst!”

Virgil frowned and grit his teeth as he tried to contain his anger. “I knew something felt off about this whole thing.”

“Girl, you know I’d have taken you with me if I was doing anything fun, you always have my back.” Remy sounded genuinely sincere as he spoke, not an ounce of his usual sass in his tone. “I don’t know how to get out of this one.”

“Do you trust me?” Virgil spoke low enough that Remy barely was able to hear. He nodded without hesitation and Virgil smiled. “Keep him distracted long enough before he makes the announcement. I have a plan, okay? Just play along.”

Virgil then wrinkled his nose in disgust and took a step back, dusting himself off. Remy looked confused before an arm fell over his shoulders. He looked over to see a mask that mimicked his own with gold and black, piercing eyes glancing down at him. “Everything alright, my dear?” The voice asked and Remy tensed, recognizing Dee’s voice anywhere. 

“Is he with you?” Virgil spoke in a deeper tone to hide his own. “Seemed to think I was someone else. Does he not understand what a masquerade is?” Virgil let out a ‘hmph!’ and stormed off, fixing his vest and not looking back at all. His heart was pounding, hoping Dee wouldn’t pick up on the fact that it was him in the least. Even Remy wasn’t sure it was him at first which was a good sign. Once he was far enough away, he glared over to where they were before finding them missing. He ran a hand over his hair, reflexively wanting to push it out of his face like he normally would, and walked away.

---

“And whom did you think that could have been, my dear?”

Remy shoved the arm off his shoulder and spun around, staring Dee down. “I don’t care if you succeed, I will make you regret ever messing with me until the day you die, is that understood?”

Dee chuckled and shook his head. “You’ll come to love it here as soon as you get out of your head that your messenger boy is not coming for you. However, if it makes you feel better, I’d be more than happy to hire him myself. I’m sure he could help me keep tabs on your parents.”

Remy felt his face burning with anger. “So you can keep a tab on him as well?”

“There is nothing I wouldn’t do to make you safe and happy here, so yes. Now,” Dee held out his hand with a smile. “Let us give our special announcement, shall we?”

Remy glared at the hand and crossed his arms, refusing the offer. Dee chuckled and shook his head as if enjoying the little rebellion. He reached out and cupped Remy’s face with his hand, gently brushing his cheek with his thumb. Remy smacked it away immediately, leaving Dee open to grab it in return. Refusing to let go, he pulled Remy along toward the staircase where they could get to higher ground and make their announcement.

As they broke away from the crowd and climbed the steps, Dee turned and smiled. “Remember, your parents will be watching and I have made sure they won’t leave without my say. Don’t you want them to make it back safely?”

“Go choke on a turkey leg.”

Dee smiled and turned on the stairs, facing the crowd. He waited for Remy to turn to the crowd and look back at him reluctantly. “Well? Can’t make the announcement without you.”

“Right now? Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”

“Why? Nothing will change between now and later. Don’t you want to celebrate?” Dee smiled and held out his hand once more. Remy ignored it and took the last final steps to be level with him, pushing the hand away. “A little better, you’re already learning. Don’t forget, we still have to sell it.”

Remy huffed and turned away, searching the crowd as best he could.

“Could I get everyone’s attention?” The roar of chatter quieted down as everyone turned toward the stairs. “Thank you. My name is Charles D. Darvin and I welcome you all to Darvin Manor. As you all may know, I have returned from a trip a few towns over to meet the lovely Remington Dormir.” Remy took the opportunity to remove his mask, hating how much it was made to reflect Dee’s. “Since my parents passed, I’ve been hoping to meet someone to help me take over the family business.”

Which was contradictory to what he had told Remy when they had met. He had said he wasn’t looking to be married anytime soon. Now he’s finding out it was the opposite and he went to Remy with that specifically in mind, just like he had thought.

“When we had met,” Remy spoke up, cutting off Dee. “Charles assured me we didn’t have to simply be married.”

“We had clicked right away, however, and things changed.” Dee challenged back. “As the weeks grew on, there was one thing that we both became aware of. We were in love.”

The crowd gasped and Remy felt his heart skip a beat. “Dee was in love with me, and I-”

A man pushed through the crowd and approached the stairs. “Was in love with me.”

Everyone in the room watched as Dee turned red, glaring at the figure as he advanced up the stairs. He slowly took off his purple mask, a few strands of his hair falling out of place and into his face. “Virgil,” Remy smiled, reaching out for him. Dee wrapped his arm around his shoulders and forcefully pulled him in. 

“Remy, we talked about this,” he hissed under his breath.

“Yes, we did.” Remy looked at him and smiled. “When you came to me, I told you my best friend was in love with me, something you admitted you noticed when you met him immediately. Together, we decided to flirt to make him jealous and admit his feelings.”

“What you both forgot,” Virgil approached slowly, one step at a time. “Was that I was willing to do anything for Remington’s happiness, even if that meant stepping aside. I am a messenger, not one fit to be with someone as high class as a Dormir. Until that final night, when you approached me about your plan.” Virgil turned around to face the crowd. “A gathering to allow me to prove to the Dormir’s and anyone else who had any objections see how far I was willing to go for Remy to prove my love.”

Remy shoved Dee off and took a step down, reaching back out for Virgil. “Dee explained it to me and we came up with a plan and now here we are.” He heard Dee make a noise of discontent behind him, but his eyes never left Virgil’s. “He came after me and I happily accept his affections, regardless of what anyone has to say.”

“Remington--!” Dee bit out before turning back to the crowd. “Surely, someone here would have objections to you being with a peasant when you could be with me?”

Virgil took the final step, meeting up with Remy, and wrapped his arms around him carefully. Remy had realized that it wasn’t the actions that made his skin crawl earlier. When Virgil had rubbed his arms to soothe him, it did. As Virgil held him in his arms, he felt at ease. His heart fluttered as it had with Dee, but not in panic. This whole time, he wanted to prove Virgil was in love with him. How ironic that it was Remy who was in love but completely unaware of his own feelings. 

“Remington Dormir!” Remy and Virgil looked to the figure at the bottom of the stairs and saw Mrs. Dormir looking furious. “You planned this whole thing to try to convince us to let you be with Virgil?!” She let out a sigh as Mr. Dormir walked up behind her, placing a hand on her back. “You stupid boy!”

“Mother, just listen!” Remy called out. “Virgil is-”

“That is enough, Remington, you listen to me!” She yelled back. “Did you think we were stupid? That you had to go and make a big show of all of this and make us look like fools?” Remy leaned back as if her words physically hurt. “We know you like Virgil, sweetie. Anyone who has seen you two together can figure that out. We were just waiting for you to do something about it!”

“What?” Virgil and Remy spoke at the same time before looking at one another in confusion.

“Son, why do you think we hired Virgil in the first place?” Mr. Dormir asked. “We knew Virgil wouldn’t speak up himself, it’s just his nature. We knew out of the two of you, it would be you who would say something against anyone who would have objected. Who cares if he’s a messenger boy if you two love each other? We were so worried when you ran off, we thought you were acting a bit brash and acting out because of a little misunderstanding you two may have had. We came here to talk to you and set it straight, but it was a masquerade and we couldn’t find you.”

“We would never have let you marry Charles, sweetie. We knew it wasn’t real.”

“What?!” Dee called out, marching down the stairs. “How dare you tell me what I can and can not do!”

“That is enough out of you, young man!” Mrs. Dormir shouted. “That is my son you’re playing with. I don’t care how rich the Darvin name makes you, you are outnumbered. We have respect for others!”

The crowd began to murmur as they glanced Dee’s way, frowns on their faces. “Wait, hold on just a moment!”

“It’s okay, mother.” Remy descended the steps, Virgil following close behind. “Virgil and I forgive him, he tried and failed. No need to tear him down too much.”

“I’m okay with it.” Remy elbowed Virgil in the side and sent him a glare. “Ow! Okay, no tearing him down. I mean, he is still grieving, isn’t he?”

“Anyone else have an issue with Virgil and I?” Remy challenged the audience, staring down the many faces in the crowd. The room remained silent as he turned, sending glances in every direction. “No one? Good. Now if you shall excuse me, we have things to discuss.” Remy reached behind him and grabbed Virgil’s hand, pulling him out of Darvin Manor. They marched down the pathway and into the town. Night had fallen and it was quieter by far, the crickets unable to be as loud as the chatter from earlier. 

“Remy, are you okay?”

“You are an idiot!” Remy spun around, tears in his eyes. “You were really just watching as my parents threw suitors at me and you weren’t going to say anything?!”

Virgil hunched over, more of his hair naturally falling back into place. “I just wanted you to be happy with whomever you choose.”

“You mean my parents, whomever my parents choose.”

Virgil stood up and scrunched his nose. “No! You didn’t seem to return my feelings and I wasn’t going to force you to!”

Remy blinked and a tear ran down his face. He cursed under his breath and wiped it away, angry it had even fallen in the first place. “My goodness, we are a pair of idiots!”

“I’ll agree to that.” Virgil stepped closer, grabbing Remy’s wrist as he rubbed away at his eyes. “You really return my-”

“Virgil, I swear if you finish that sentence, I will hit you. Hard.” He looked up at Virgil, squinting his eyes. “Got it, babe?”

“Got it, babe.” Remy blinked and flushed before he turned and hid his face. “Oh, what’s this? Can’t take your own nicknames when they’re thrown back at you?”

“Shut up!”

“Anything for you, babe.” Remy whined as Virgil reached out and pulled him close. “Anything.”

---

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[poisonously-alluring-sev]

Snape One Shots ~ Gothic Lust {Continued}

Summary: Emily is one of the more popular students at Hogwarts, who also happens to be a goth, and even though most people like to obsess over her and want to date her, she has never let any of the students at Hogwarts date her. Children of all ages she didn’t like so when a dark and mysterious MAN who matches her grumpy and dark aesthetic comes along she can’t help, but be curious.

Pairing: Snape x Female OC

Warnings: Swearing

Time: Two years before Harry graduates

Word Count: 5100

Recommended Song: My Oh My by Camilla Cabello

Main Character: Emily Jones; 20; DOB: Dec 16th, 1969 (Sagittarius); American; Caucasian; Slytherin; Pure Blood; 5'5; light skin; dark brown hair with green tips; green/gray eyes

Being in my dorm alone for a while was starting to make me feel hyper lonely and was really starting to get to me so I decided that maybe if I went to the common room and read a book, it might be better. With all of the thoughts running through my head of the past day, my mind was very clouded. I took down just a basic muggle fantasy book and thought maybe reading something that wasn't about spells or potions would calm my head. After a while listening to the fire crackling and hearing the faint voices of other students in the nearby dorms was a very nice environment to focus in and now I was annoyed that I didn't grab a spellbook instead. While reading my mind wandered a bit remembering Snape's voice in my head when he was asking if I was alright. I remembered his face when he caught me when I fell from the ladder. It was very cheesy and cliche, but I truly was kind of lost in thought about him. The feeling of his hands against my skin, this is something I've never experienced before considering I refused to get into any relationship. now, however, I feel like maybe I should open myself up and try something new, I was also pretty bitter and seemed to follow in my parent's footsteps. I also didn't want to end up like them in an arranged marriage so I guess I should be trying to get a boyfriend every now and then.

After a little longer, I decided to head back to my dorm and go to bed since I was probably going to sleep a lot after today and I will probably spend most of the day in my dorm or in the dungeon hallways. I went and took a light shower, braided my hair so when I woke up it would be wavy and got into my pj's. Sitting down on my bed about to climb in and heard a ticking on my window, I looked up and saw Snape's owl staring back at me. I smiled at the sight of his bird, but as soon as I went to grab the letter that he held in his feet he bit me. I groaned out in pain, snatched the letter and went to the bathroom to clean my hand. After covering it up and climbing into bed I opened the letter and it read,

Jones,

I feel like it might be time to tell you what was written that the first letter I sent to you before Dumbledore took it. I also would like to talk more to you about what had happened to today along with teaching you more about potions.

Sincerely,

SS.

PS,

I would like my cloak back the next time we meet.

I was happy to be hearing from him again, but without seeing his face or hearing his voice, I wasn't sure if he was being sweet or not, at least until the end. I laughed to myself.

"He's never getting that cloak back." I closed to letter back into the envelope and laid my head down to fall asleep. The next morning I woke up to the sun on my face, making me angry because I didn't feel ready to wake up just yet, but then a figure stepped in front of the window. I hadn't moved or made any noise yet so I could've just pretended to be asleep, but I wasn't that smart. I recoiled back pulling the blanket up to my chest as if it was protecting me. I looked straight at the person and was immediately relaxed when I noticed it was just Snape. He was looking out the window until I freaked out. I sighed and said to him,

"Jesus, can a girl not get any privacy here?' He smiled gently and replied with,

"Hey, I'm not wreaking the place, plus I thought I would be welcome here."

"Oh, yes you are, 100%, I just was not ready to wake up with someone standing around in my room." He took a seat down in one of the chairs in the room as I sat up completely, dropping the blanket and giving him a questioning look before asking,

"What are you doing here, may I ask?" He moved forward in the seat and said,

"You left something of yours in my classroom last night." I tossed the book onto my bed and I gave him a 'well what else was I supposed to do?' face and he just smiled back at me.

"Well," he said as he stood up from the chair, "I should probably get going seeing as you need to get dressed and whatnot." I gave him, yet again, another confused look to which he rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him, but before it shut completely I shouted at him saying,

"Wait!" The door stopped and I stood up from my bed basically prancing to the door. He opened it all the way and said,

"Yes?" I had a bit of momentum at this point and slowing down didn't seem like a good option so I throw myself into his arms wrapping my hands around his neck so he could catch me. He stepped back a little surprised then when I pulled my head out of his shoulder he looked at me for a moment, before I closed the distance between us, smiling as I moved my lips onto his. He didn' smiled back into the kiss, but it did kiss back to he clearly wasn't upset with me or anything or came to yell at me about making out with him earlier so this was a plus. I pulled away after a bit smiling like an idiot and catch Snape admiring my face.

"You know," he rested his hands on my waist as I stopped standing on my toes, "I think tonight would be good to finish another potion." I nodded in response.

"I think so too, Snape."

"Oh, yea and call me Severus, all that professional shit gets boring. I chuckled at his joke which, in return made him grin. After that, he left my side and went on with whatever he was doing before he decided to pay me a visit. I, on the other hand, was reading up a bit more on the book Dumbledore gave me as I wasn't able to learn anything from it before, but maybe now that I knew what was going on inside Severus' head I would be able to focus.

Through the first few hours of being awake, I seemed to put myself into some kind of trance that kept me focused on the task at hand and I was getting pretty good at learning a couple of new skills from Dumbledore's book. However, I was getting bored and decided that I should pick a potion I wanted to learn about later tonight if Severus would give me the option to choose. After reading up on a couple of strange potions I thought it might be a good time to take a walk either around the grounds or maybe find myself at Hogsmeade. I threw on a long black, trench coat and made my rounds through the school until I came up to the main entrance to where I would be going next. It was a little chilly outside and it did look like it was about to rain, so I decided to head to Hogsmeade, I could get some food there at least since I missed breakfast by a long shot, and I could also maybe buy something else in one of the other stores nearby. I went to the three broomsticks and snacked on a sandwich and sipped on some tea until I got bored of listening in on some old people gossip. I hopped out into the street again just slowly making my way through the little town noticing things I didn't before like the new sign outside of Zonko's or the freshly cleaned doorsteps leading up to Honeydukes, I can only imagine how happy the store owners are now that most of the students are gone for the holidays.

I stepped up to the nice little store called Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop to see if they had any cool-looking quills and such. After about 20 minutes of browsing and wondering if the owner was dead or not as he slept in his seat, I decided to buy more ink and a new white quill. At that time I was honestly done staying in the cold and was ready to take the hilly walk back to Hogwarts, but before I could something seemed to pull me towards another shop. Almost immediately I found myself browsing the items on the shelves of Gladrags Wizardwear. I normally get all of my clothes from family, but occasionally I'll go out and buy something they probably would forget about. I found some nice Slytherin style pants and a jacket that was still in my range of style that I think anyone would appreciate along with some nice perfume that smelled like roses and firewood. Weird combination I know, but it was worth it. I also got a little something for Severus, not really because I felt bad that he got me something and I didn't get him anything, but that's totally the reason. It was a nice light cologne that smelled like pine needles and wine, and I honestly was confused by a couple of other kinds too. Like how do they get the smell of old books or the ocean into a bottle? I bought my items, pulled out a small carry bag that I keep shrunk in my pocket in case I impulse buy, and started to make my way back to Hogwarts Where nothing was really interesting.

I told the painting our house password and as soon as I walked in it seemed like everyone that stayed back was in the common room. I was pulled aside by another seventh year who asked me to join their party. It wasn't anything like the party we had before everyone left, but we still had booze and some music. I told them sure as I had nothing better to do and dropped my stuff off at my dorm. Before I left I changed my clothes and remembered that Severus basically threw my potion book at me earlier, making me feel kind of nostalgic even though it happened this morning. I put it back on my shelf and hopped down the stairs to see a couple of boys chugging bottles of booze and everyone else around them chanting and yelling at them to drink faster. I joined in by hopping onto a shelf to get a good view of the chaos that was slowly starting to happen and laughed when someone bumped into a girl who in return pushed back and happened to hit one of the boys downing alcohol causing him to lose and choke up a bit from breathing in some of the subsistence. I got past a glass which I downed pretty quickly but then decided to not get drunk as I would probably find myself alone here in about an hour or running through the halls like an idiot. I wasn't in the mood to be caught drunk, as McGonaggell would tell my parents, so I just sipped on my next drink and enjoyed watching everyone else slowly bring upon the apocalypse.

After a couple of laughs and such to make the day feel less boring I was about to get down from the shelf and maybe sneak into the library and search through the restricted section, but before I could a brawl started with a couple of boys and Murphy. Not surprised as I was I stayed up there and watched the scene play out. The boys that were fighting actually knew what they were doing so things were pretty interesting, mainly the blood that started to flow, until a younger student came into the common room followed by McGonaggell and Severus. I groaned out loud as the fun was over and the kid that got them seemed to be traumatized as if he had never seen a basic brawl before. Severus pulled the boys apart as McGonaggell yelled at them and then turned to everyone else for drinking underage until she turned to me who was trying not to hold in a laugh as the boys looked so guilty.

"What is it you're doing up there Ms. Jones?"

"Oh, nothing, just watching the show." She frowned at me as she walked towards me and everyone was watching us probably thinking I was going to jump at her or something.

"And as a prefect, you are following your jobs are you?"

"On a daily basis ma'am."

"And this 'show' you watched, it wasn't breaking any school rules?" She raised an eyebrow at me as I sighed and told her very calmly.

"Come on professor, a little fight has to happen sometime, how else are we going to get our anger out, turn each other into frogs and then never be able to turn each other back?" She crossed her arms and in her way glared at me, she then turned around and told the boys to go to the hospital wing then immediately go to the kitchens after. Severus stood there as McGonaggell followed them out and before she left she said to me,

"Prefects can also get detention too Ms. Jones." I swore under my breath and hopped down off the shelf and started to mock her after she left. Then Severus filled the room with his voice explaining what kind of stuff we would have to do once classes started again, like cleaning the pots from the kitchens, or sweeping the floor in potions every day after class. Everyone moaned, but he didn't care and before he left he just looked at me for a second which then made me say,

"If you're thinking about making me class the whole class, I won't do it." He scoffed and walked away. I could tell that he wanted to say something back, but obviously it wouldn't be a good time to say anything else right now. I told everyone else that I would steal some potions from Pomfrey for the drunk when the hangover started and they all thanked me. It's funny really, I didn't even do anything and yet that was why I got into trouble. I made my way back up to my room, hopped on my broom and made my way to the windows outside of the hospital wing hoping that when I got there, Pomfrey would be busy with the boys who had black eyes, and cut-up's knuckles.

*** Hours Later ***

I sat at the Slytherin table slowly eating my food with my head in my hand, clearly lost in thought or just not in a good mood. A student next to me was laughing with her friends until she noticed me and asked me,

"Hey, Joney, you alright?" I shrugged my shoulders as I didn't really know what was wrong with me since today wasn't a horrible day, but I was just feeling weird.

"Detention boring you?"

"Probably." She went back to her laughing friends as I just watched my food and slowly raised it to my mouth. I listened to their conversation until it turned into heavy gossip and I thought, maybe if I tried hard enough I could focus my mind onto Severus and chat with him in my head. I thought about him and replied his voice in my head from when he first pushed into my mind and repeated his name over and over again, after about like five minutes of trying different things my mind kind of changed and everything seem to be a lot quieter around me like everything was muffled. I glanced up at the teachers' table to see Severus glance at me. I didn't know if it had worked so I asked,

"Severus?" A couple of seconds passed.

"Yes, Jones?" I tried to hide my smile at the fact that I actually managed to do it and then I heard Severus say something else,

"Is there something you want, I can't keep the connection going forever." My smile dropped, I thought I had managed to reach him, well maybe I did, it might not have been strong, but I got his attention. I told him through my thoughts,

"It's just really boring over here, I wanted to talk to someone who didn't need gossip to be the topic of the day."

"I thought that's what all popular people enjoyed talking about." I chuckled lightly getting a couple of weird looks from a few girls around me. Not really paying any attention to them I responded to him saying,

"I normally like to listen to it, but it gets boring after a while. Plus you're a lot more interesting than them." I glanced back up to him and saw him kind of hiding his face from me. Was he blushing? Oh god, I hope he is. I smiled myself and then said to him,

"Sorry, that was very cliche. We should probably get back to eating, talk to you later." I took my gaze away from him and broke the connection. I focused on my food and tried not to look up at the teachers' table. I had a feeling that even though he seemed to be affected by it, it dawned on me that he definitely doesn't get compliments at all and probably doesn't let people in his life. Once I finished I stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, I decided to just walk around until detention trying to avoid going straight to the potions class. Severus was probably feeling pretty awkward at the moment and was probably going to cut the connection anyway, and I think that since it was me who did it, it might've made it less awkward. Soon I had circled the whole castle a few times and decided I should probably head downstairs to see if Severus was actually going to give me something to do or if we would just lead each other on and make out again, and honestly, I was kind of hoping for the second option. I knocked on the door and heard him tell me to come in. I slowly opened the door and gave him a little smile once he looked up from his papers. I closed the door with my back as I leaned on it and slowly made my way up to him as he went back to the papers covering his desk. I stopped in front of the desk and as I swayed back and forth I asked him,

"Soooo, what are we doing tonight?" Not looking up from his work he told me.

"Well since I didn't give you the detention, you'll be cleaning the desks for me as the first years didn't bother doing it before they left." I looked over at the tables and groaned out loud.

"Oh come on, the mess has hardened by now, it'll be impossible to clean it, unless..." I pulled out my wand and was about to cast a cleaning spell, but Severus knocked it out of my hand with his own spell and told me.

"You'll be doing it by hand."

"What!?" He just kept a straight face as I reacted this way making it hard to tell if he was fucking with me or if he really wanted me to do it. I crossed my arms and told him,

"You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking."

"It wasn't my idea to give you detention, plus you smelled of alcohol, I bet Mivera wanted to yell at you for that but thought that detention was good enough.

"I guess it's good that she stills thinks I hate you," I grinned at him as he glared at me, I crossed my arms and grabbed the things he had for me on his desk frowning at them and said,

"because I find this very entertaining." Giving him another grin as I walked over to the first desk. He huffed and went back to his work as I tried not to throw myself across the room when I scraped the tables, it was like I was chopping wood with a needle, it wasn't working. After I got one table done, he was still working on stuff and I ended up getting so sick of basically falling over as I put so much pressure on the stupid thing that I said aloud,

"I'm gonna kill McGonaggell for this." Then at the moment where I wasn't paying attention, I moved my hand to maybe make it easier but just ended up cutting my hand open. I cried in pain as it wasn't a cut it was a full-on wound that started to bleed a lot. I sucked in a heavy breath and looked over to Severus who didn't even look up. I walked over to his desk and shoved my hand into his view to which he immediately freaked out and jumped to my side of the desk and put a cloth on it to stop the bleeding. I was being very bold with him as I was pissed he made me do work and now I was injured badly. As he put more pressure on it pain shot through my hand and I cried out saying,

"Jeez stop squeezing it hurts!"

"Do you want it to keep bleeding?"

"I wouldn't be bleeding if you didn't make me do work." He huffed again and got a new cloth as the one he used before was covered in blood. He grabbed me by my shoulder, threw the cloth at me and started to walk away saying,

"Let's get you to Pomfrey." I sighed and wrapped the cloth around my hand slowly which seemed to make him impatient and look like he was going to yell at me to hurry up, but stopped when he remembered I was hurt and probably wanted me to be careful with myself. Walking to the hospital was quiet and hard as Severus basically ran down the halls as I followed and a couple of times I caught myself squeezing too hard making it hurt and bleed more. Once we got there Pomfrey was cleaning are table and sighed when I entered behind Snape. She walked over to me and said, clearly not wanting to give me another potion if I was drunk, but when she saw the bloody cloth her nursing kicked in. She had me unwrap the cloth and she poured some kind of cleaning subsistence on the wound that stung a lot until I couldn't feel any more pain and she said to me,

"I'm going to have to stitch it so you might want to look away." I watched her stop the bleeding and get ready to stitch it shut and honestly I wasn't really scared about watching the stitching it never phased me before. As she weaved the thread through my skin I noticed that Severus was still standing next to me and was watching Pomfrey's every move, like he was waiting for her to hurt me which, honestly, I doubt would ever happen. Then I thought of something, why didn't he just heal my hand like last time? He literally healed my broken wrist in seconds, couldn't he heal a wound? I stopped questioning it when I started to feel really sore and I felt a sharp pain in my hand which made me recoil away from Pomfrey. She stopped and looked up at me, Severus stepped a bit closer to me, but I shooed him away.

"Sorry about that, I guess the potion wore off, here, drink this, it'll keep the pain away for the rest of the day." Downing the potion I noticed Severus staring at me and not the job PomPom was finishing up. I glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow he was acting pretty strange since I showed up in his class and honestly I would say that I shouldn't worry about it since he was probably just making sure he didn't have an accident on his hands that he would have to take care of with Dumbledore. He raised his own eyebrow at me and Pomfrey gave me a couple of things, but before we could leave Pomfrey said to Severus,

"I don't know what you have your students doing in detention, but clearly it's dangerous." He waved her off as we left the room and as we walked through the halls I wasn't sure if I was still going to clean the classroom so I asked,

"So, do I still need you to clean your desks?" He quickly told me no and kept walking, since we were basically going to the same place I followed him through the halls and even though keeping up with him meant me running behind him, I still managed to stay relatively close by. As we walked neither of us said a thing to each other, but it wasn't horrible, I was still curious as to why he reacted the way he did before. Like he was going to protect me from the stitches. Once we reached the hallway I opened the painting and before I went inside I shout at him,

"Goodnight, I guess." He turned around and said back to me,

"Goodnight, Emily." I smiled at him as he walked down the rest of the hallway. Feeling a lot better, and no longer in pain, I jumped up the stairs to my dorm and landed on my bed. Feeling happy that he called me by my first name for the first time, I got ready for bed and as I rid myself of my clothes I realized that I hadn't gotten my wand back from my detention. Knowing that and not wanting to walk all the way to class and or having to search the school for it and the person who knows where it is, I decided to go right now. Not even changing out of my pj's, I ran through the common room jumping over the couches. Sneaking through the dark halls and trying not to get caught wasn't easy with the fear that he wouldn't give me my wand back, so hiding from Flich didn't really work at first, but with my legs carrying me quickly away from him, I managed to getaway. I had made it to his classroom and burst through the door without even knocking making him wonder what the hell is wrong with me. He stood up and crossed his arms as I bent down to rest my hands on my knees to catch my breath.

"Forgot... my wand." I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes as I calmed down. Severus picked up my wand from in his desk drawer and came over to hand it to me. As I stood up he was right there in front of me and once I was standing up straight I was basically face to face with him with only a few inches between us. I gently took my wand from his hand but letting it linger on his skin. I kept eye contact with him as I did it and before I could pull my hand away he grabbed it and pulled me into him crashing our lips together. Almost right away my hands wrapped around his neck and pulled on his hair as he grabbed me violently by the hips making me lean against him. I smiled into the kiss as he didn't seem very happy today and now I know that he wasn't upset with me. I pulled on his hair a little more and got a deep growl out of it which honestly turned me on hearing that deep growl coming from his throat. I moaned against his lips and he placed his hand underneath my ass picking me up without any effort. I laughed when our lips broke connection for a second to breathe. He placed me on his desk and pushed his ways through my legs even though I tried to fight it. He pulled me onto the edge of the desk by my waist and put his hands back onto my face bringing me closer to him just by a bit. He then grinds up against me getting another moan out of me and kissing my neck causing me to lose track of time. I placed my hands on his shoulders and after a while of grinding and hair-pulling, we needed to breathe so we pulled apart and mixed our breath together.

I closed my eyes and rested my head on his. Severus placed his hands around my waist and hugged me towards him. We stayed like that for a few seconds without talking until I chimed in and said,

"You really do know how to treat a woman don't you?" He chuckled at my comment and I grinned at him since I never saw him smile before let alone a laugh, so I took it in stride. I hugged my arms around him and let out a long sigh, opening my eyes again and seeing him already admiring me. Blushing like an idiot he kissed my gently not like the heavy make-out section we just had. I moved the stray pieces of hair out of his face and gave him a smile, which in return earned me another kiss. For the rest of the next, we just chatted a bit about some random stuff and I would sometimes complaint him and that would make Severus break eye contact with me. I then thought that it was probably a good idea to head back to my dorm and as to not get in trouble Severus walked me back to the common room where he left me as soon as it opened. Before I walked in I told him t wait and looked around to make sure that nobody else was here. Then I pulled on his shirt bringing his face down to my level to give him one last kiss before I went to bed. Once we pulled apart he said goodbye and for the rest of the night I let my grungy, grumpy facade disappear and wouldn't stop thinking about Severus and how his hands felt on my waist and face.

requests?

[grahammasurian]

Dumping Your Responsibility.

The dumpster outside my apartment building was completely overflowed. The truck missed a couple weeks for some reason and people just kept piling their shit on top regardless.

“My sin will be forgiven, the next sinner will go to hell!”

This came into my head whenever I thought of the garbage situation. I considered myself 99% innocent since I didn’t use the dumpster during these couple weeks. Unfortunately when disaster happens it doesn’t care how much you were involved, all it sees is your darkness.

What I could have done was call up our landlord. Maybe I didn’t add directly to the trash pile but I still could have brought attention to it. Unfortunately my mind gave me a great reason for not calling him, a wonderful why even bother type of belief. These curses will kill you but they provide immense relief.

He lives someplace nicer and keeps his back turned on this building, so if I don’t tell him anything he’ll keep believing whatever fantasy he’s living. Whenever I bring up something for him to look at he puts it off or conveniently forgets about it, can’t say I blame him. I'd love to do the same sometimes and then feel guilty about it for the rest of my life. It’s hard to convince myself that a life of eternal guilt is worse than a life of hard work. Maybe the simple solution is to just disregard the guilt and make everyone despise me, though I can’t say that seems like a good long term strategy.

I guess everyone likes to avoid responsibility too, don’t get me wrong I get it, because man it sure feels good to not take anything seriously, just sit back and relax through life, I’ll lay down in my bed and fold into a quarter circle. Pull my knees up to my chest and gently hold myself, like swinging in the breeze floating along to somewhere better.

Eventually some birds had a war over the trash that was at this point spilling everywhere, old food, old clothes, plastic shit, maybe real shit. It was a disaster but seemed to be an appropriate punishment for us. I watched a seagull pull apart a bag for 30 minutes, something about the completely boring and ordinary scene held a power over me. I imagined this feeling of our civilizations being consumed again by nature, it’s easy to forget that nature is constantly trying to integrate us more effectively. Integration with an ocean with a mysterious intention.

We could have salvaged things there, rescued some of our dignity and just accepted responsibility for what we did by not doing. I sat some nights debating whether or not I should just go out there and clean up everything alone. I didn’t mind the day, but at night I just loved how things seemed to come to life inside me. There was a power that I didn’t have access to during the day.

I decided it wasn’t worth cleaning up, after all I don’t really care what these people think of me, unless they express it to me. Plus I felt like I fit in better with my environment as a lazy drifter. When I run into the people that live here occasionally there is enough willpower on all our parts to say “Hi” and then move on our way. The two people that live under me, man and wife, maybe around late 50’s early 60’s always give me a glimpse into a possible future. The guy looks like his soul has been sucked out and not in a good way. It scares me for a moment and I tell myself I’ll keep it in mind but my actions don’t change.

The next week after the missed pickup and our experiment with apathy, something happened.

It was 12:33 AM, I was laying down in my bed with the window open, listening to the wind and feeling the slight breeze on my skin. Sometimes I’d lay there for hours listening to music or in silence, using drugs of course. The sounds of the night combined with distant sounds of the city created the backdrop for the worlds I explored in my mind. I break away from the atmosphere and write some ideas down in some form then go back to my mind.

I heard a familiar sound, the mother of this girl screaming in that resentful kind of way. Whenever someone talks that way to me my stomach gets sick, I see this person is using me to escape from something. You know instantly that this isn’t about you anymore, it's about them.

I hated the way this mother yelled at her daughter, I didn’t have kids of my own but I didn’t mind them, I generally see children as innocent beings until they gain awareness. When they become aware they turn into wood, hopefully they make it through and become real but many don’t. Some play as the twisted craftsmen, shaping the world with design. Night after night I’d hear this poor girl being molded into something that will make her unhappy for the rest of her life.

Even though it’s hard to feel connected with darkness, you still elicit feelings for things of the night. You react more on principle and not bigger picture at night, this mother was injecting venom deep into the mind of her daughter. Like a jackass I sat there each night it happened and listened to it like music.

 Being man enough to walk down there one day and call her out on her shitty behavior was always in the back of my mind, but then I would think some more and figure what difference would it make? Sometimes I snap out of my delusions and wake up, I see who I am from up here.

Just look for the right words.

It didn’t happen every time but sometimes this warped girl would dash outside, slamming doors and shouting behind her. Most times I’d hear her small steps pace around or walk down out of earshot then eventually I’d hear her again coming from the other side of the building, maybe doing two or three laps like that before cooling off and gaining enough strength to go back. She feels like she just wants to give up but chooses to continue to face that fate which shows just how much courage she had.

This night the young girl made her usual escape, something about the scene caught my attention. Normally I just ignored it for the most part, but tonight I felt worried for her and listened to see if she was okay.

The shriek of her screaming scared me sober. That kind of pitch that you can only get when you feel real terror.

Confusion at night amplifies fear to a level that can go beyond anything you’ve ever felt. Sometimes hearing a loud noise randomly in the middle of the night only to realize it was something conspicuous is an interesting moment of tension and release of tension. When you listen to death it creates tension that doesn’t go away unless you force it to release.

I couldn’t see much but the sounds made up for the rest, I looked on in horror as this poor unfortunate girl came running towards the front door to come back inside. She must have forgotten to prop it open a little this time like she usually did. The door was shut, she couldn’t escape through there and it was the only chance she had time to try.

This whole thing happened so fast it was as if my mind refused to think about what I was seeing, this bear that must have smelled some food nearby came across her instead.

Hearing someone produce screams that come from a dangerous place, sends a painful shock through you. It would have been nice if I was one of those people that got off on that kind of thing but unfortunately I had to deal with the feelings of misery, dread, sadness, fear, anger, all at once.  

A little bit slower than what should have been immediate there was incredible energy from all around, people coming out and making noise, not too many but enough for me to be impressed.

The general sentiment at the time was:

“Oh My God!” A big fat lady wearing a shaggy blue sweater screeched out. There were many other intense shouts, deflated yelps, sobbing murmurs, all mixing together slowly creating the atmosphere for a tremendously horrific scene.

All these half awake people, semi-disconnected souls felt something deep down within them for once. For the first time in decades some of these hopeless people felt alive, they acted without thought calling back to our primate ancestors. They witnessed a driving force, without realizing the lesson unfortunately.

Some of the people approached the girl to try and attempt some kind of help and others stayed away, accepting the situation or too afraid to know how bad it really was.

Some sobs were heard throughout the night as people came and went, voices that sounded defeated, voices that sounded ready to give up and heavy with guilt.

“Emily! No!” The mother cried. Obviously still drunk. Obviously deluded into thinking her daughter is anywhere close to alive.

“Please baby I’m so sorry! Please wake up baby!”

I had great disdain for this mother, but at that moment I felt bad for her. This woman made mistakes and in the end all it causes is suffering.

They came for her daughter, whisked her away into the abyss forever. Black cloaks riding into the stars on their skeletal horses. I wasn’t sure whether or not the constant beating I was hearing was a drum or my heart. We summoned these demons with our ritual, the choices we made were acts of incantation that brought forth monsters with the power to possess mortals, the possession was the final step in ensuring resurrection lest one of us snap out of the hypnosis and rescue the rest from the gaze of Medusa.

Then some downcast EMT workers took away her body, from the low looks and words after immediately coming upon the scene it was clear that hope didn’t exist anymore. I never saw the aftermath personally, where the actual attack happened was obscured to me by the awning over the door. Sometimes imagination makes things worse.

The mother followed her daughter into the darkness 3 weeks later.

[sshbpodcast]

Tales from the Holodeck: DS9 Fanfic: Chris’s Story

Not only has A Star to Steer Her By wrapped all of Deep Space Nine, but your podcast hosts are also celebrating our fifth anniversary of bringing you through all of Star Trek! As a treat, we’ve concocted DS9-themed fanfic stories and teleplays in our much-celebrated “Tales from the Holodeck” series that you can listen to us cold read here (this one starts at 39:05). Read on for the transcript of Chris’s Weyoun-Ee’char story below, that might pilot a whole new series we’re all asking for!

[images © Paramount/CBS]

“Dude, Where’s My Ee’char?”

By Chris

Random picks: Weyoun, Ee’char

“Tea, earl grey, hot?”

Miles O’Brien instinctively glanced up at those words. Surely not. Sure enough, a lanky Andorian walked up to the counter and accepted the drink that had been called out. Admiral Picard – well, not Admiral, anymore, but even thinking of him as “Jean-Luc” was bizarre to O’Brien – had less than no reason to be hanging around Starfleet Academy. Or Starfleet anything, for that matter.

“Not that I can entirely blame him,” he mused to himself, going back to the PADD containing last week’s warp field dynamics exam. “Nothing’s felt right since Romulus was destroyed. And then Mars…maybe Keiko’s right. Maybe it’s time to retire.”

He sighed and put down his stylus. Twenty years of teaching at Starfleet academy and even he could see how things were shifting. The students grew less and less enthused, dropout rates going up, those that did stay becoming so by-the-book when it came to everything that it was maddening.

“They’re just lacking in imagination,” he’d moaned to Keiko one day. “If I’d thought like them we’d’ve never got the Defiant working like she did. They think the deflector array is just for deflecting things.”

He had immediately realized how ridiculous and old-mannish it had sounded. But even his wife had been on Starfleet ships long enough to get it. Everything on a ship potentially had a purpose no one had ever dreamed of, and dreaming it up in that critical moment could be the difference between getting the ship home and a warp core breach.

“Professor O’Brien?” came a strangely-familiar voice from behind him. He turned and saw what he thought, at first, must have been a Romulan because they were smiling. And there was a sardonic edge to the tone that didn’t seem terribly Vulcan, either. But the fellow had that waxlike pallor that was unique to the latter, something their cousin species had evolved away over their centuries apart.

“Yes. Can I help you?”

“No, but my employer believes he can help you.”

Well, this was shady. Was Section 31 out for belated revenge? Maybe someone had finally slipped in Starfleet Intelligence and the Orion syndicate found out he’d worked undercover against them? Could it be that some T’Lani was still cross about what he and Julian had revealed about their corruption? The grudge could’ve gone further back; someone related to the incident at Setlik III had tracked him down. Christ, for someone who’d only ever been an engineer he’d sure managed to pile up a list of old enemies that could come calling. Ought to at least make him an honorary Commander for that.

“And he would be?”

“An old friend.” The mystery man reached into a pocket and pulled out a small, red figurine. The coonskin cap was unmistakable. “He said this would explain. He remembers the hours you and the good Doctor spent on this.”

So it wasn’t Julian, but someone who knew how they’d passed their time in their DS9 days. Didn’t rule out Section 31, or necessarily a few others, but it did make him feel a little better. He realized the man was still holding out the figure to him, so he reached out and took it, putting it in the bag he’d been carrying his PADD and some miscellany in.

“My employer understands that you’re too cautious a man to just meet somewhere.” The man’s voice – what was it that was so familiar? – had dropped even further. “Be at your desk in twenty minutes. A signal will come in. Use the code on the bottom of the figure.”

The man turned without another word and strode off. O’Brien raised his eyebrows and watched him go. He’d have to tell Julian about this next time they talked; he’d be jealous. Goodness knows how long it had been since his old friend had been involved in any cloak-and-dagger shenanigans.

*

Despite everything O’Brien was a little surprised when, back at his desk, his computer began to chirp. The text on the screen read “incoming external transmission”. External transmissions were always supposed to go through central comms; only an Admiral could bypass that procedure, normally. He turned the little figure over and punched in the numbers he saw there.

“Ah, my dear Professor O’Brien!”

“Ga-” O’Brien stopped himself. For some reason he felt if he said the full name of the Cardassian now grinning at him from the screen it would just summon the whole of Starfleet security. Just behind him and to his left stood the mystery Vulcan/Romulan from the cafe.

“You look well, Professor,” Garak continued, not acknowledging whether or not he had caught the Engineer’s odd outburst.

“Having you call me that is a bit weird,” O’Brien admitted. “How about Chief? I think that’s still technically my rank.”

“Very well, Chief. I believe you know my associate?”

“Not that I can remember.”

“Oh, how silly of me,” the man said, reaching up. “I still have the mask on.”

His hand slid down his face, and the telltale webbing of a holographic disguise flickered to life as the pallor, eyebrows, and eyes vanished. Instead there was a very different kind of pointed ear, skin like powder, and violently violet eyes.

“Weyoun…”

“Yes, it would seem there were, in fact, a few leftover despite what we had been told.” Garak smirked in that old, familiar, entirely unsettling way of his. “It seems they just meant their Alpha Quadrant supply.”

“Of course, I’m now the actual, final one,” Weyoun added. “Garak here found me right before I was…discarded. My predecessors had not been quite so lucky.”

“Is that where you’ve been the past two decades then?” O’Brien asked. “The Gamma Quadrant?”

“Mostly.” Garak raised his brow briefly. “Someone has to keep an eye on the Dominion. Starfleet Intelligence can hardly be trusted to do it on their own, the Romulans are too busy trying to keep their culture intact, and Klingons have never had a spy agency in their entire recorded history.”

“I see.”

“I came across a story that I thought might interest you.” He glanced down and pecked a few buttons just off-camera, and a ping sounded on the Chief’s computer. “Look particularly carefully at the upper left-hand corner of the screen. It was a pleasure to see you, Chief.”

“Wait…”

But Garak was already gone. O’Brien knew there’d be no point in asking for a trace. Should he report this? He was supposed to, certainly. But this was Garak. O’Brien…well, okay, to say he trusted Garak would be a staggering lie. But he certainly felt like both the Federation and he personally owed him enough that he could be allowed this little indulgence. At least once.

Decision made, O’Brien opened the message he’d been sent. He winced when he recognized rather quickly the world of Argratha. It had all the appearance of a news story of some kind. But the Universal Translator hadn’t caught up to the shift, so he started over and paused it.

Argratha. He’d been twice. The second time some fifteen years later, to testify at a public hearing about his experiences the first time. What his false-memory twenty year imprisonment had been like. There was talk at the time of abandoning the practice; it made the judicial process too casual, too many false guilty charges because, for those who’d never experienced it, what was really lost? The Chief and countless others had told them. How real the time felt, and how cruel the simulation was. He’d told the Special Envoy who’d arranged for him to go that he felt he deserved a medal for how calm he’d been during his testimony. The Envoy had chuckled until the Chief’s expression had told him he had very much meant it.

He started the story up again. When he’d not heard anything for months after his testimony he’d assumed the reforms had failed and the sick practice was still going on. But in fact it had simply taken a bit of extra time and work. The story was about the closing of the final facility that had run such incarcerations. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to weep or go celebrate. He was going to call Keiko straightaway, that much was…

The upper left hand corner.

“No.”

He had almost forgotten to look.

“No.”

Despite it being the entire reason Garak had dropped by.

“Fuck.”

Ee’char. His “imaginary” cellmate. Standing among the crowd of politicians and other self-congratulatory types formally shutting the program down. Almost identical to the twenty-year-older Ee’char from his memories, though one that had clearly lived a somewhat less wretched life. One who’d gotten proper meals and sleep and care, just like O’Brien had.

But did he have the false twenty years that still occasionally wafted into his nightmares and had him waking in a cold sweat? Did he still, on rare occasions, almost set aside a bit of his meal before realizing saving it wasn’t necessary?

“In short, friend,” the Chief said aloud. “Who the fuck are you?”

*

He was glad the stopover at DS9 to switch transports had been short. None of the old crew were there, anymore, but he was fairly certain he was at least vaguely acquainted with some of the Stafleet staff that still maintained a presence on the Bajoran station, and the last thing he wanted to be was some old man wandering around his old posting looking worn and nostalgic. Even Quark had shipped out for Freecloud. A part of him had been tempted to see if Morn was still at his usual seat in whatever the bar was called now, assuming it was even still a bar. But he had just stayed in the docking ring and then made his way to the next leg of his journey.

He spent the flight through the wormhole standing by a window with just about everyone else. He realized that he’d never gone through it after the War had ended, so it was his first time making the journey in ages that he wasn’t expecting to potentially die on the other end. It was so nice to just watch it, to get lost in its beauty, and vaguely wonder if Sisko was watching him just then.

*

O’Brien stood in the space between two homes, watching as a car slid noiselessly from the sky and halted in front of the house. Finding his old friend had been much easier than he’d expected; Garak had encoded everything he needed to find the man in the newsclip he’d sent. A door hissed open and the old Argrathan stepped out. He exchanged inaudible words with someone in the vehicle before the door shut and it lazily drifted back into the sky. O’Brien glanced around. No one else seemed to be coming. He watched as the other man walked towards the his home.

The Chief darted from the shadows and jogged across the street. If Ee’char heard him he showed no sign. O’Brien reached up, paused, and then gently tapped the other man on the shoulder. He gasped and spun.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I’m…ah…I’m Miles O’Brien.”

“Oh. Oh! Yes, yes, I remember watching your testimony.” He held out a hand “Ko’vax.”

“A pleasure,” the Chief replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

“But why did you come to see me?”

“We…well, we were cellmates, you see.”

“Were we?” He nodded slowly. “Well. Someone had quite the sense of humor.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been arguing against our mental prisons for a very long time.” His lips went slender and he glanced off. “Please. Come in, have a warm drink.”

“I…sure, thank you.”

*

“I never had the misfortune of experiencing what you or so many others did,” Ko’vax explained, putting down what seemed effectively to be a mug in front of O’Brien. “But my father did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” He picked up his own mug, almost took a drink, but didn’t and put it down. “His story was similar to so many others. To yours. Adjusting was so hard. Too hard. They don’t offer any kind of help to reintegrate to society. To help you deal with the fact that you’ve not actually lost any time but it still feels like a huge swathe of your life is gone. That might be worse than actually losing time. I don’t know.”

“Neither do I. I’ve never had the real version.”

“He lasted…half a year. My brother found him.” Ko’vax paused and took a sip of his drink, and the Chief finally did automatically. Not that he took any note of the flavor. “I’d already started writing letters, but I got more active after that. Showed up at politician’s doorsteps. Showed up and shouted at meetings that had nothing to do with it. Became a real pain.”

“Must’ve been afraid they’d…well, you know.”

“Oh, sure. But I didn’t care. Let them. Let them put me in a fifty year dream, a century, I knew I’d be fine. I’d have my rage to see me through.” He sighed. “I was so angry for so long. I mean, I never stopped being angry, but you can’t be as constantly angry as I was at first. That would be impossible.”

“So what happened?”

“I lived my life. But I never stopped my campaigning. Whatever free moment I could scrounge up was spent talking with others who shared my goal. I guess someone thought it would be a good laugh to have a cellmate based on the man who hated them and their program so damn much.” He smiled. “But then I got to be there today. When it all ended. Thanks to so many people. Like you.”

“I…” The Chief paused. “I’m glad I could help.”

“So what made you come to see me?”

“I wasn’t sure who you were, to be honest. Outside of looking like Ee’char. That was his name.” He paused. “I guess a part of me was almost hoping you’d been part of it somehow. So I could let you have it. And feel less bad about…how things went between me and the other you.”

“We didn’t get along, eh?”

“We did, eventually. And then for a long time. But then, towards the end…”

“It gets particularly bad, yes. Everyone says that.”

“Well. Glad to know it wasn’t just me getting special treatment, I suppose.” O’Brien took another drink. Now that he was paying attention he realized it was very pleasant. He’d have to find out what it was and bring some home. “We fought. You…he…I killed him.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’ve nothing to apologize for. I killed you. Sort of.”

“I’m sorry on behalf of a government that will never properly apologize fo anyone affected by their sick little program because they think it’s just fine. They are giving it up with great reluctance you can be sure.” He paused. “And I’m sorry you were driven to that. I know we’ve barely met but you don’t seem the type. So it must have been truly awful to drive you that far.”

“I guess so. I hope so.” He paused. “I don’t know. I’d killed before. Served in one war already by then. But this was something else. Something that still comes up at me in the wee hours. Every time I’d killed before then I could justify it as having been for my survival. And that’s what I told myself it was that time, but I’d not actually proven that first. I told myself it must have been so I could.”

“I wish I could help. I’m almost sorry I’m not who you thought I was.” He shrugged. “If it helps, well…I didn’t go what you went through, but I saw firsthand what it does to people. I know how real it can seem, even to those who go in knowing it isn’t. You had no idea. I’m sorry they used my face as part of your torture. But, if it helps…well, I forgive you. On behalf of the false me. And I only wish you the best.”

“Thanks.” He smiled, nodded. “That actually is nice to hear, somehow.”

*

The wormhole again. Its eddies and currents and majesty unchanged even as the twenty years around it had entirely altered O’Brien’s world. Why had the gone all the way to the Gamma Quadrant? What would he have done if Ko’vax had been involved somehow? Certainly not killed him. Shouted for a bit? What good would that have done? But what good had this done? No. Time to move on. Figure out what’s next. He’d been in neutral for far too long, and…

“Oh, I know that look,” came a voice to his side that he scarcely believed he was hearing. “That is the look of the Chief when everything seems against him. When things have stopped making sense.”

O’Brien turned. There, not looking a day older when he’d last seen him, still in the now very out-of-date uniform, stood Captain Sisko.

“Well, Chief. It’s time for things to start making sense again. And I’m going to need your help.”

The End

—

For more DS9 fanfic, check out Caitlin, Jake, and Ames’s stories from this round of Tales from the Holodeck! And be sure to keep listening to new episodes every Thursday on SoundCloud, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and stay out of brain jail if you can. Jay-sus.

[thepaperpanda]

Confession || Doctor Strange x Reader

Summary: You are Strange's apprentice. You happen to be in love with him. One day you find a courage to inform him about your feelings.

Warnings: none

Words: 1364

Authors: Cass

A/N: Story written for @justmebeingtheweirdmeiam​ writing challenge. My Prompt was: “I wanted to say “I love you” for the first time without stuttering, but that failed.”

Another day seemed so boring from the very beginning, yet you had promised yourself that you will no cross it out before the end.

Being an apprentice of doctor Strange himself wasn't an easy task to perform.

The man was moody, and sometimes you were having enough of him. Yet no matter how hard he was on you, you were always coming back to him. It occasionally felt like babysitting a child that lacks of self-control though.

That day couldn't get any worse, you though to yourself after getting downstairs to the large room filled with books. You froze as soon as you passed the threshold. A huge pile of new books was awaiting on the long, wooden desk. Of course, he left me the worst job to do, as always, you though, closing eyes shut for a brief moment.

Then, you started to catalogue the books.

"I can see you finally decided to get up and start your duties, Y/N." Stephen said walking into the room.

Stephen took you from Kamar-Taj after everything that happened. You were a promising student, so promising that the Ancient One herself was training you but after she was gone you were left all alone. He didn't want you to stay there.

He was hard on you and it was completely on purpose, Stephen tried to do whatever you could to make you work hard on yourself and your skills.

You stopped yourself from snapping back in a response, instead you nodded your head slightly. "I'm sorry, Master Strange, I sat too long with a book yesterday's evening and I overslept," breif information was recited smoothly like you would have prepared it before. "As I can see, you've gotten new books for our library, Master."

"I told you to not call me Master, I am indeed your teacher but we aren't in Kamar-Taj anymore," Stephen looked at pile of books, nodding. "I got the for you, those should be fine for your level of knowledge. They are perfect unless you sleep while reading them." He joked, teasing you.

Stephen's cloak floated to you slowly and looked over your shoulder on all of the gathered books.

You petted the cloak gently like you would be petting a little bunny. "Where should I put them? Am I free to decide or do you have some idea?," You asked Strange not looking at him.

You felt his glance on your features, but you didn't dare to give him a look. "Do you want me to bring you the manuscripts I've found in the library recently?"

He nodded, looking at you. "Yeah, that would be nice. I need to take a look at them."

Stephen knew about your feelings torward him, he spend a lot of this with you and he wasn't blind but afterall he could be mistaken. That's why he never did any move when it comes to you, he Stephen waited at you.

"And you can even take them to your room. Like I said, I got the books just for you. I already have read them."

"Of course, Stephen," you told him.

_______

Moving books to your room took you almost an hour. Some of them were pretty heavily, and even with the help offered by cloak, the job was hard.

_____

At the evening, after you finished your meditation session, you've gathered the manuscripts and headed towards Stephen's chamber.

Stephen was busy when you came to his room, so only his cloak floated toward you and wrapped itself around you in a greeting movement.

Strange flipped the page and looked up from his book, rubbing his eyes. "Ah, the manuscripts. I forgot about them." He muttered, sitting straight in his seat. "Thank you, Y/N. Without your help I would get lost long time ago."

You nodded briefly and smiled at him. "Don't say that, you would manage well even without me."

"You think so? Because I am more than sure you are really wrong." He chuckled and closed the book to pay full attention to you.

You put the manuscripts on the top of his desk and took a step backwards. "You're a great Doctor Strange. You're the Stone Protector," you sounded like you would be lecturing him.

Stephen laughed. "I may be a stone protector but I am not a doctor anymore. Not a real one, that's for sure, this kinda ended up my career." He said looking at his hands. "Or maybe it was my stupidity. That's why I make sure to work hard on you."

"I think it wasn't a stupidity but rather a high self-esteem and uppity nature...," You told him trying your best to keep your face straight.

Stephen smiled at you but then he leaned his elbows on the desk. "You know, I noticed a shift in your behaviour."

"A shift on my behaviour?," You asked and tilted your head, crossing arms behind your back. "I am afraid I don't understand."

"And who told you that?" He simply asked, looking at you with a frown. "Why I wouldn't be keen on my own idea?" Stephen smiled mysteriously.

You frowned and cocked your brow. "It was your.... I thought... The Ancient One... Her idea was..."

"Her plan was to teach you, indeed. She couldn't predict that all of this will happen." Stephen shrugged. "I took you here because I didn't want you to stay at Kamar-Taj alone."

He cares for me, he really does, you thought to yourself, and placed hand to your chest. "I understand, sir..."

"I took you in, even if I am not a good teacher. I didn't want you to waste your potential and I didn't really want to be alone here though." Stephen explained.

You nodded. "I understand." You bowed head a little and walked back to the door to leave his chamber, yet you stopped with palm placed on the doorknob. "Stephen...," You turned your head towards him.

Stephen took one of the manuscripts and looked at it briefly before his attention returned to you. "What is it, Y/N?"

"There's something you need to know...," You whispered and turned towards him fully. “I wanted to say “I love you” for the first time without stuttering, but that failed... So I'll tell you now... I think I'm in love with you..."

"Come here, young apprentice." He told you simply.

You walked to him trying to hide the blush but failed on that.

Strange got up from his seat and grabbed your hand. "I was hoping you will say that because I can say that you're dear to me too, Y/N."

"No!," You pulled your hand out of his grasp. "Impossible. You're an important figure while I am no one."

Stephen looked at you surprised, he did not expect such a reaction. "Does it really matter who are we? If not the stone I would be no one."

"You're someone even before the Stone," you told him in a serious tone. "You were saving people's lives, and now you're the protector of the Stone. And I am here only because our destinies were somehow tangled together by a coincidence...," You looked down to your feet.

"So... You know those are our destinies, yet you refuse to accept them? Am I really that bad, Y/N?" Before Stephen could say or do anything the cloak wrapped itself tightly around you two as if it was happy.

The sudden movement of the cloak made you giggle nervously.

The material tightened around two of you, pushing you closer to one another, so in the end you had to wrap your arms around Stephen's waist.

"Cloak! You're incorrigible!," You chuckled softly, and gasped through parted lips as you smelled Stephen's cologne.

Stephen laughed and wrapped his arms tightly around your waist, pulling you closer. "Well, I think the cloak doesn't care what we think. It just wants us to be together, and be aware that the cloak isn't the only one that think like this."

You dared to tap his nose. "We'll see what future holds for us," you told him as you slipped out from his embrace. You stopped by the door. "Good night, Stephen. Don't be long, another day is about to come."