#The patterns are not mine; I don’t own them. And the beautiful felted decorations have only been loaned to us—they’re theirs.

[atenderofsycamoretrees]

Stella Jean Fall 2021 Ready-to-Wear

Photos courtesy of Stella Jean

[rae-gar-targaryen]

Today I’m thinking about the girl I was assigned roommates with my freshman year of college. She’s a fraternal twin, and it was one of the first and only things she would tell you about her as an ice-breaker. I think we were paired up because we had similar sleeping habits and (surprisingly) similar music taste.

She was beautiful. Thin. Amiable. Went out most weekends. Perfectly nice and well-liked. Her side of the room was minimalist -- next to no decoration, save for on-trend clothes strewn on her bed (and sometimes on mine), and an overflowing makeup bag as the only item on her desk, other than her laptop. 

My side of the room was overflowing with books. I dyed my own bedsheets to be vibrant and floral colors with my mom before leaving home. I tacked up posters and pictures on my side of the room, and my desk was piled high with my textbooks, my journals, the books I was reading, and my straightening iron.

We listened to music together while we got ready in the morning. To Passion Pit, she agonized over every last detail of her outfit before heading off to her nursing classes, while I struggled to find the appropriate plaid shirt/graphic tee combination for my daily trek to the other end of campus, to the run-down journalism building at the end of a tree-lined street. 

We would sometimes talk late into the night. 

I learned that she would critique my taste in books to her friends (and her friends back home via Facebook chat). Even if she hadn’t read them. I had a pair of coca cola logo patterned sleep shorts that I wore sometimes when it was hot. And whenever she would chat with a guy-friend from back home, he would comment on them. If I was in the room when they chatted, he’d greet me too, with a nice smile and a, “Hey, Coca-Cola!” 

I learned later that she told him not to flirt with me, and that I was a “freak.” She would say similar things to the other girls in our dorm. 

Midway through our first semester, she had this...I don’t know if I would call it a breakdown. She was homesick. She was unhappy and stressed in her classes. She felt like no one was listening to her when she was trying to express her unhappiness, and that she didn’t belong. I empathized with her. I felt the same. Don’t we all at 18? But I felt very assured that I was in the right place for me. I stayed up with her that night, made her tea in our dorm room kettle. I put my arm around her and let her cry on my shoulder.

I took out one of my journals and read her one of my essays, and one of my poems. I felt like in my other life before this one, I had expressed exactly what she was feeling in that moment. Different time. Different place. She didn’t give much away at the time, other than to commend my writing. To tell me she thought it was apt to her situation. That she was thankful. I encouraged her to find a different major that actually spoke to her interests, and would maybe come with a more manageable workload. I offered to let her have the room to herself on Sundays for longer so she could video call with her family. 

Things got easier and easier with us all the time. I never admitted to her that I knew what she had said about me. I didn’t see the point.

Flash forward to the next semester. She was waiting for me in our room one afternoon when I’d had a cancelled class. She told me she was sorry. When I asked “for what,” she revealed that she had gone through my journal -- and the other ones like it in my desk drawer. She’d told me that I was a good writer. As if that made it better. She wanted to read more of what I’d written because it had made her feel better. As if THAT made it better. Never mind that there were years’ worth of personal entries about my own struggles with myself. With the people in my life -- most she didn’t know. But a few she now did. With how I’d learned that she (and other girls in our dorm) had said nasty shit about me behind my back. 

Poems about heartbreak (of course). Attempts at writing songs (terrible, really). Half-finished ideas and thoughts that manifested themselves as adjective-heavy imagery when other words wouldn’t do the trick. (Nonsensical). 

She said she’d known it was a fucked up thing to do. But that she was sorry. Incidentally, her family was in town visiting that week, and chose that moment to arrive to pick her up. They came back and later thanked me for helping her through her moments of homesickness. That she had told them all about my journals. And “wow, she says you’re such a thoughtful person and good writer.”

We finished out the year, and I listened to her when she needed someone. But I never felt like I should offer to share myself with her again. She got better and better as time went on, and changed her major to psychology. She found her stride and started going to parties again. Was back to being how I knew her. 

To this day, I don’t know how to feel about her. About our time living together. I think sometimes about how we would cry together. About how someone so beautiful could feel the same as I did -- like they didn’t have a place where they were. And how we tried to make it better for the other. We haven’t spoken in years. But I remember ourselves as vulnerable 18-year-olds who bonded over obscure bands and fear of the unknown .... and little else. Those memories and people have their place in how you’re shaped. I’m sure of it. For some reason, she crossed my mind today. I hope she’s well. And that she learned how to speak less of others when she thought they couldn’t hear it. I still have all the journals.

[daenqyu]

Okay so Todoroki is insecure abt his scar right,,, so how about a drabble with Todoroki where he's been struggling extra hard with his confidence when it comes to his appearance lately,,, and his gn! S/o notices and spends an entire day just complimenting him, loving on him, just trying their best to let him know that they think he's amazing in every way 🥺🥺🥺 and that he's gorgeous

beautiful boy — todoroki shouto

( gif isn’t mine !! credits go to its rightful owner )

pairing: todoroki x fem!reader

genre: fluff

warnings: making out lol

word count: 1.5k

a/n: the fact i was already thinking about writing something like this and then you requested it ahhh, thank you so much anon! <3 i also wrote this with a fem!reader since that’s the style of writing i’m most experienced with.

TODOROKI’S hair feels soft against your fingertips as you gently massage his scalp, something you know calms him down. and it’s no different this time. he hums from his position on your chest, his arms wrapped around your waist to pull you close to him, content with the way you were holding him, yet his mind raced with millions of thoughts. he wasn’t one to care for looks, other’s or his, but his scar was something that always bothered him. it was a constant reminder of how terrible his childhood was, of how he was deprived from enjoying the things a normal child should; a reminder of all the pain that scumbag had caused to not only him, but his whole family as well.

and he knew you loved him, he knew you were completely and utterly in love with him, but sometimes he wondered if you really found him attractive. it was stupid. he shouldn’t worry about something as superficial as looks, especially since he knew that beauty was relative, but he did. usually he kept his emotions in check and didn’t show his insecurities or let them affect his daily life, after all, the least he wanted was to unnecessarily worry you. however, you were his girlfriend and you knew him better than anyone else, so it was no surprise you saw right through his act.

he wasn’t obvious, his actions could even be mistaken as meaningless, but you noticed. it was the way he wouldn’t look at you for too long, afraid you’d see him the way he sees himself. it was the way he hid his face in your neck whenever you two cuddled or simply hugged. and it hurt you. because he was so incredibly beautiful, in every sense of the word. not only was he smart and a perfect gentleman, treating you with the utmost respect you deserved, but he was also the most attractive person you’d ever seen. you understood how he felt, having your own fair amount of insecurities, and while his feelings were completely valid, you couldn’t just stand there and watch the love of your life think he wasn’t good enough.

you didn’t want to call him out and possibly make him feel worse, so you decided the best way to approach him was to be subtle about it. in school, you made sure to hold his hand whenever you had the chance and give him kisses when no one was looking, then when you were both training, you complimented his technique and let him know he was getting better at controlling his left side. that made him smile, a genuine smile that made your heart race excitedly. now you found yourself laying in his bed, hugging todoroki to your chest as one of your legs draped over his waist. 

it was a tiring day for him and his mood didn’t really help; he just wanted to cuddle with you and never let you go. and that’s exactly what you did. he looked so worn out and sleepy, you just couldn’t say no to that pretty face of his. 

“hey sho?” you called him quietly, in case that if he had fallen asleep you didn’t wake him up, but he moved his head to look up at you. his cheek rested against your chest and that made his hair fall in front of his face, not letting you see him properly. you giggled before placing your hands on his cheeks, and getting the hair out of the way. todoroki could feel the tip of his ears burning up with the fierce stare you had on him, almost as if you were captivated by him. or maybe you were looking at his scar. 

the thought had him moving his head to the side in hopes that you wouldn’t look at him much longer, but your fingers grabbed his jaw to keep him in place. you needed to let him know how beautiful he was, how much you loved him, and how a simple scar didn’t make him any less handsome. 

“you’re beautiful,” todoroki swears he almost cried at your sweet words, not expecting you to say that. “so ridiculously handsome.” a smile grazes your lips when he tries to hide his face, once again, on your neck, but this time you let him. he could be rather shy sometimes and he didn’t exactly like being the center of attention, so you understood how this could be somewhat overwhelming. however, you still felt the urge to shower him with your love. your hands slowly came up to hold todoroki’s face, his eyes still not meeting yours. “i love everything about you. you know that, right?” he nods before finally looking at you, a surprised expression decorating his features when he sees how serious you are.

shyly, todoroki takes one of your hands in his and plants a kiss on your knuckles ever so softly before interlacing your fingers with his own. the endearing action makes butterflies erupt in your stomach as you stare up at the boy in front of you; his hair is completely disheveled thanks to the way you were caressing it earlier, his eyes look tired yet excited at the same time, and a small smile reaches his lips when he catches you staring at them.

“i love your hair,” you continue talking whilst leaning in to his touch, closing your eyes for a brief moment as you revel in the comfort your boyfriend offers you, before opening them again to lock your gaze on his. “i love your eyes, i never get tired of looking at them. i love your lips and the way they feel against my skin. i love your hands and the way you touch me so carefully, as if i were you’re doll,” you pause mid sentence to plant a brief kiss on the corner of todoroki’s lips and he can feel himself falling in love with you all over again. “but most of all i love you. you treat me so well and always make sure i’m comfortable, i just hope you know that you’re more than enough and that i’ll never get tired of you.”

todoroki doesn’t say anything, too astonished by your words, instead he slowly pulls away from your grasp and places himself on top of you. his arms rest right next to your head and his knees between your thighs; the intimate position makes you a bit flustered and the way he’s looking at you doesn’t help either. his eyes bore into yours so intensely you can almost see the passion behind them, along with all the love he holds for you. before meeting you, todoroki didn’t really understand the concept of physical affection, thanks to his traumatic childhood, and the first time you tried to hug him he tensed up and patted your back awkwardly. however, once he felt comfortable enough around you, he never hesitated to latch himself on to you whenever he felt needy. 

and you loved the fact you were the only person who got to see this part of him, but most of all, you felt special. maybe even lucky. because you knew he had finally found a person who could give him all the love he deserved, and you didn’t plan on letting him go any time soon.

he’s so close. so close you can feel his heart beating against your chest and you smile when you notice how fast it’s going; you’re positive yours is the exact same, if not even faster. todoroki suddenly leans down and before you know it, his lips are touching yours. he kisses you feverly and passionately, wanting to convey all of the emotions you made him feel, the ones that were so intense he couldn’t describe them with words. your hands go up to play with his double colored hair while he gently nips at your lower lip, signaling you to open your mouth and you do. his tongue explores your mouth ever so carefully, as if he didn’t want to rush anything, and his actions elicit a soft moan from you. 

todoroki smirks in between the kiss, lowkey proud of himself from getting such a reaction out of you, but you simply look away from him, too embarrassed to face him. he thinks that’s cute, he thinks you’re cute, and since he doesn’t want to fluster you any more, he doesn’t force you to look at him. yet he starts to trail a pattern of open mouthed kisses all the way from your jaw to your collarbones, occasionally leaving a love bite or two which make your hips involuntarily grind against todoroki’s. he giggles, enjoying the way your body was always so responsive to him, and the sound makes heat rush to your face. 

“i love you too,” he smiles down at you and you copy him, joy filling your whole body as the sad expression todoroki had worn all week finally seemed to disappear. “thank you for lighting up my life.”

“you don’t need to thank me, pretty boy,” you plant another kiss on his lips. “thank you for making me happy.”

“no need to thank me, pretty girl.” 

[juminsmysticmc]

Pregnancy Series - Part 4.2

Going through the pregnancy

⚠️ Sensitive content -> mention of: pain, miscarriage scare, angst insecurities   -> every scenario ends with a happy end! ⚠️

Pregnancy Series: Part 1 // Part 2  // Part 3 // Part 4.1

Hello! A lot of you seemed to wait for the next scenario so I decided to post it earlier than usually ( most of the time it’s almost midnight for me, sleep pattern, are you planning to be normal again?) Whatever! I hope you like this one, please  keep telling me your opinion! 

Jumin

The times where your husband worked from home were becoming more and more frequent.

Ever since he found out about your pregnancy and noticed that you couldn’t come to work with him anymore, he made sure to stay more at home.

Even Jaehee got her own little place in his big office because now that you, his second secretary, couldn’t help him anymore, she had to take more work again. 

,,I am so sorry, Jaehee,’’ you whined when you stood in the frame, some coffee on a counter with some cookies.

,,Mc! We’re friends! Please don’t worry! I’m glad that I can help you. Besides, Mr. Han is taking a lot of my work too,’’ she smiled as she approached you to help you carry the stuff you bought them.

Jumin looked up and smiled.

He loved to see you with the baby bump. Soon he wanted to have his boy in his arms, feel the baby and his warmth, hear his cries, but he also wished that you could stay like this.

Although, the only thing he didn’t really like about the pregnancy were the little pains you had.

You often laid in bed the whole day because your back hurt or because you felt sick.

Ever since your baby began to move, you had the feeling that your baby kicked all your organs away.

But still, he loved this time so much.

But today was a day where you just stayed in bed, unable to move because you felt so fatigued.

Maybe you also didn’t dare to move because you felt an odd pain in your abdomen.

You softly shook your belly, noticing that your baby didn’t move at all, even though this was the time where he was the most active.

Jumin and Jaehee were in the room next to you, so you decided to finally tell him.

,,Jumin…?’’ you softly called him, trying to get up on your own.

Suddenly a sharp pain hit you, making you bow over, holding your belly.

,,Ugh, J-JUMIN!’’ you now screamed.

You could hear something fall when he rushed into the room, the sight of you making his heart stop.

,,My love?! What’s wrong, Mc?!’’ he asked you, placing his hand on your belly.

,,It… it hurts!’’ you groaned and began to sob.

Jumin looked down, seeing that the bedsheets were tainted red.

However, he had the feeling that you still didn’t notice which was good, as to not scare you even more.

,,Call the doctor, Assistant Kang!’’ he hissed, seeing that she stood next to the bed.

The doctor came a few seconds afterwards. Jumin made sure that there was always someone in the penthouse for cases like this.

,,It was a miscarriage scare. We could save the baby and your wife is well too. However, we need to put her on bed rest,’’ he whispered, making Jumin look at your bed.

,,Thank you. I will take care of her,’’ he whispered and laid next to you. Before you were put back in bed, he asked someone to change the bedsheets. He was more than happy that everything seemed to have gone well.

Zen

,,I hope we can see the gender today,’’ Zen said as he walked hand in hand with you towards the doctor where the both of you had your appointment.

You were already 24 weeks pregnant, but whenever the doctor wanted to tell you the gender of your baby, it was never visible.

,,Maybe my baby is just shy?’’ you chuckled as you rubbed your belly.

,,It’s mine too!’’ Zen whined and held your hand tighter, looking at every step, scared that you could trip.

You laughed as you heard his words. He was already so overprotective.

Both of you entered the room and told the lady at the reception that you had an appointment.

You and Zen had to wait for a few minutes until a nurse approached you and asked you guys to follow her.

You changed your clothes into a hospital gown so the doctor could see better and then sat on the chair.

,,Hello, Mrs. Ryu, how are we feeling today?’’ she asked you, greeting Zen too.

,,I’m nervous. I hope we can see the gender today,’’ you said and pulled the end of your gown.

The doctor nodded as she warned you. ,,It will be a bit cold, don’t startle,’’ she said with a soft voice.

You nodded as the cold gel met your belly.

She rubbed it with the gadget around your belly and stopped at some point, looking closely at the screen.

,,Do you want to know the gender?’’ she asked you.

Both you and Zen nodded, excited to hear what it would be.

,,Your baby girl is here, see?’’ she asked you, showing you the picture.

As soon as she said baby girl, you began to sob as you held Zen’s hand closer to your chest.

,,It’s a girl!’’ you sobbed.

Zen nodded. ,,Oh my God! I won’t let her have a boyfriend until I die! She will make everyone go crazy with her beauty!’’ he whined and kissed your head.

,,Thank you,’’ he kept sobbing while you laughed.

,,We will spend more money on pads,’’ you laughed.

,,And chocolate,’’ he laughed too, rubbing your arm.

,,I will print a picture. Everything looks good,’’ the doctor said with a bright smile.

As soon as you agreed on an appointment, you both left to post a picture on his Instagram.

Zen put on the caption, ,,Wife went from being a Princess to a Queen as we are accepting a new princess.’’

Immediately after the picture was posted, Jaehee called you to congratulate you. She was also sobbing into the phone.

The day ended with you and Zen buying a lot of cute, pink, glitter toys and decorations.

,,I can’t wait to style her hair… and to see how her first love will turn out!’’ you giggled.

,,No first love!’’ he whined and observed you as you tried to decide between a few more baby clothes.

Yoosung

Excited to learn your baby's gender, you and Yoosung entered the room after a nurse called you, his hand in yours as you laid down on the bed, pulling up your shirt as you knew what the doctor would soon do with you.

A young woman entered the room a few seconds later, making the nurse bow and leave.

,,Hello, my name is Dr. Lee and I will tend to you today. I will first take an ultrasound and check your baby’s heartbeat and then I will tell you the gender. Is there a person you would like me to tell you the gender?’’ she asked you, since nowadays, it was normal that couples planned gender reveal parties.

But you and Yoosung decided to enjoy the news of the gender on your own, so there was no need to tell anybody.

,,Are you perhaps new, sorry for asking,’’ you smiled.

The doctor nodded. ,,Freshly graduated, I am still unsure with the old things they use here. In the other hospital, we were totally modern,’’ she laughed as she watched the screen.

You pressed your lips together. There wasn’t much she could do wrong, right?

Well, at least you thought.

She soon began her checkup while Yoosung was still holding your hand as he too got nervous.

The doctor soon also began to look worried, rolling the stick she had in her hand from one side of your belly to the other side without saying a word.

,,Is there something wrong?’’ you asked her. Honestly, you didn’t want to know the answer. Deep in your heart, you just didn’t want to know what she had to say.

But your fear ended up coming to life. ,,I… can’t find the heartbeat,’’ she whispered.

You immediately began to cry. Hot tears began to flow out of your eyes as you began to uncontrollably sob. ,,But, I am sure it’s because I’m not used to the technology here. Let me call your doctor. Please don’t worry!’’ she whined, feeling guilty for your emotional outbreak.

However, you didn’t stop.

By now Yoosung too began to cry as he held your hand, his other hand on your belly, sticky with the gel as he begged and prayed in his head for his baby's well being.

Your doctor quickly hurried inside. ,,Mrs Kim,’’ she gasped as she saw you in tears.

,,Please don’t worry. I will check,’’ she said to try to calm you down as she pushed some buttons and placed the stick on your belly again.

,,Here,’’ she whispered. Soon, the room was shortly filled with familiar sounds.

You stopped crying as someone reassured you that nothing was wrong. Your tears stopped flowing.

,,Your baby girl is alright,’’ your doctor whispered, making you blink a few times. 

,,Baby girl?’’ Yoosung asked again to make sure.

,,I’m sorry if my young doctor worried you. She didn’t press the button for the sound. Please forgive her, I will teach her better, I’m sure this is a mistake she will never ever do again. I’m sorry you guys had to be the people she had her first experience with,’’ your doctor said.

,,It’s okay,’’ you said. A hiccup still left your mouth as your voice was cracking.

,,We all were young and trainees. It can happen,’’ you nodded.

It was a shock, but you felt much better and Yoosung was with you, now that he knew that you were expecting a girl...

Jaehee

You were in your 30th week.

Currently you were laying on the couch, a paper plate on your belly as you licked every single finger of your right hand after eating a few chips you were craving for.

The plate was still on your big belly as it suddenly twitched, causing the chips to lose balance and fall on the floor.

You groaned as you noticed that you just made a mess in your living room.

And of course Jaehee noticed the fall, coming immediately into the room to check on you.

,,What happened?’’ she asked you with her big, almost scared eyes.

,,Nothing,’’ you laughed and waved with your hand, calling her to your side.

She approached you, a bit scared as she finally sat down next to you, ignoring the chips on the floor for now.

You took her hand and put it on your belly. She loved to feel the movements of your boy, but this time there was no little hand or foot.

Instead, your big round belly began to twitch.

Jaehee quickly withdrew her hand and held the hand which was laying on your belly with the other one.

,,What was that?’’ she asked you and placed her hand on the spot again, feeling the twitch again.

,,Our boy hiccuped,’’ you chuckled and placed your hand next to hers on your belly, feeling the movements in your belly.

Jaehee’s eyes were showing pure love as her eyes rested on your belly. Your son was growing inside of you and this hiccup she felt as a twitch, was already a sign of a living creature.

,,I can’t wait to meet him,’’ she whispered.

,,Me neither… And I can’t wait to have my body back,’’ you laughed and tried to get up. Of course Jaehee quickly took her hand away from your belly and tried to help you up, her hand on your back as she lightly pushed you up.

,,Thank you,’’ you smiled and stepped on a chip, making a cracking sound.

,,I will clean it up,’’ Jaehee told you with a smile.

,,Oh, thank you, cause I think I’m on the verge of peeing myself!’’ you responded and quickly approached the toilet.

Jaehee looked at your back. Her smile never disappeared as she cleaned up the mess your son made.

Saeyoung

You were entering your 36th week when something you were already prepared for happened - labor.

You were cooking when you had the feeling that you were kind of kicked.

You stopped everything and placed your hand on your belly, feeling the pain again, this time sharper and more painful. You gasped for air and slowly tried to exhale the pain.

,,S-Saeyoung?’’ you called him, your voice filled with pain and fear. You weren’t sure what was happening but you just needed Saeyoung, your support.

,,Mh? Wanna make me taste the vegetables?’’ he asked you, busy chatting with someone in the chatroom without looking up.

,,Mh-mh,’’ you said, shaking your head.

Saeyoung looked up. He didn’t understand what you were telling him. ,,I-I’m in pain, Saeyoung,’’ you groaned.

The pain came back, even worse than before, making you fall into your knees. Luckily, Saeyoung caught you, supporting you below your arms as he called loudly for Saeran, who loudly approached you guys, gasping for air.

It was a moment of fear and adrenaline as the two boys somehow dragged you to your room, your painful cries in their ears as you finally laid back,

Saeyoung couldn’t think straight and Saeran decided to prepare everything, calling a doctor and turning off the stove to not burn the food and set the house on fire.

The doctor quickly arrived. He wasn’t surprised by the symptomes you were having.

,,Twins usually come earlier which is totally normal, but we will try to hold off the labor.

She has to be on bed rest. She isn’t allowed to get up, move around, or do anything else. She’s doing okay now, but make sure to go to the hospital as soon as she feels pain again,’’ he said.

Saeyoung nodded as he stared at the closed door of your room.

,,Okay, at least we can make them stay inside a bit longer,’’ you whispered as you stroked your belly.

Saeyoung stayed silent as he observed you. It was time for him to pack your bag just in case you had to go to the hospital.

But before that, his first step was to feed you since your tummy was growling.

,,I’m sorry, I have to eat for three!’’ you called back as he walked off, laughing.

,,Yes yes!’’ he kept on laughing, turning on the stove again.

Saeran

After you felt sick, you were much better which was something Saeran enjoyed a lot.

He loved to feel every movement of his twins and to see your belly twitch as someone had to hiccup. He loved to see the little bump on your big belly as one of the twins moved.

Today, you and Saeran had an appointment with your doctor. By now it was checked daily since you were 38 weeks pregnant and twins were known to come early, but Saeran was happy that you already passed the 36th week.

He was helping you to put on your dress and helping you put on your shoes as he grabbed your purse and held out his hand to walk with you to the place you were awaited.

,,I can’t wait to hear their heartbeat again,’’ Saeran said, smiling.

The last time, he asked to save the sound on his phone, but it was always different to hear the sound of his twins in person rather than on his phone.

You chuckled and patted his hand as he walked slower.

,,Didn’t you just hear it yesterday?’’ you asked him and already knew that he would be the most loving father.

,,You know,’’ he began, ,,I can never get enough of it,’’ he confessed, making you emotional.

You wondered how it would be as soon as the babies would be in your arms instead of growing in your belly.

You were happy to have your own body back and that you were soon able to do more things on your own, but you also knew that you would probably miss the movements, the feeling, patting, and stroking your belly, knowing that there was someone you were keeping safe in there.

But on the other hand, you could finally meet those two wonderful human beings you already loved even though you still didn’t know them.

,,I can’t wait to meet them,’’ Saeran said, almost reading your thoughts and opening the door for you.

,,I now know for sure that we are soulmates! You just said what I was thinking!’’ you laughed as you confessed at the same time, opening the next door, already inhaling the smell of the disinfectants.

,,You just noticed now?’’ he asked you, joking and looking at the wall filled with pictures of new born babies, imagining how cute his own would look as soon as they were born.

Jihyun

If there was something Lucy was the best at, it was coaxing the whole RFA into things like asking Zen to give her and Jaehee, as well as yourself, some DVDs of his, Yoosung to take her to a convention, Saeyoung to hack into a toy store and send her toys.

The one she had the most around her finger was her godfather, Jumin Han.

After two weeks of coaxing, begging, and whining he finally did what she asked for - building an indoor swimming pool.

Well, now that he built it, you guys had to visit him and use it, forcing you to go along.

And of course you also had to go into the pool because the little girl wanted to splash into the water with her mom.

But you just didn’t feel like it. To be honest, you wanted to hide the stretch marks on your body that were all around your belly.

The amount of rather red marks increased and that was making you feel… ugly.

You wanted to have your body back and you wanted this to stop.

Not even the baby oil you were using could help you.

To hide your feelings, you decided to never show them to Jihyun, scared that he would find you disgusting.

Today too, you tried to hide the hate, sadness, and bad feelings you felt towards those stretch marks.

But you were too late to put on a bathing suit and Jihyun saw how you sniffled in front of the mirror.

,,Mc?“ he called you, making you wake up from your trance and look at him, feeling caught.

,,Wow, now you will leave us!“ you groaned, waving with your hands nervously and angrily.

,,Why should I?“ he asked you, sitting down on the edge of the bed and pulling you between his legs.

You were already tearing up as you mumbled, ,,Ugly!“

,,What?“ he asked you again, coming closer to you.

,,I’m ugly!“ you repeated. ,,Look at my stretch marks!“ You pointed at your body.

Jihyun smiled, feeling bad as he rubbed your swollen belly.

,,Why do you think you’re ugly? You’re the most wonderful woman I’ve ever seen!“

,,These,“ you sobbed.

Jihyun knew that you felt unsure about your stretch marks for a while and now you broke down.

,,They are a symbol of the pregnancy we fought so hard for and so long for. Every one of these stands for one negative pregnancy test and hope. I know that you don’t like them, but to me, they mean a lot and besides, this isn‘t and never will be a reason for me to leave you!“ he told you honestly.

,,I would never leave you guys,“ he swore and kissed your belly.

,,Really?“ you asked him again.

,,Really,“ he said honestly and took your hand, kissing your belly again.

Suddenly the door flew open. ,,Mommy!“ Lucy called you, seeing you in your underwear.

,,Can we go now please?“ she asked you.

,,Will you go like that? No bikini?“ she asked you, puzzled.

You and Jihyun both laughed as you let go of your husband and went to get your swim suit.

,,I’ll be ready in a bit, baby,“ you told her and slowly got into it while Jihyun helped you so that you didn’t lose balance.

Vanderwood

After the shock of the other day, Vanderwood didn’t let you get up for the whole week, being busy with cleaning the house, packing some things for the move, and also taking care of you.

But finally, after you rested enough, to be more precise, after you told him how bad you felt and that you were better now and wanted to go out again, he decided that it was time to finally buy more things for the baby you were going to be welcoming soon.

Now that you knew you were going to have a girl, you kind of saw the toys in a different light.

You imagined how funny it would be to play with her, style her hair, dress her in cute clothes or make her look really cool, just like the posts you saw on Pinterest.

While you were daydreaming about the future, someone else was checking the baby clothes and bottles, making sure to take high quality products only.

,,Awwee, look, Vanderwood!’’ you giggled and showed him a little princess dress.

,,She will be too little for this, you know?’’ he asked you, making you laugh.

,,I know!’’ you smiled, but still decided to buy it.

,,No, honestly, I don’t think we need to buy Barbies and cars. She won’t use them so young,’’ Vanderwood said, looking at all the toys you wanted to buy.

,,Maybe I want to play with the cars. As a child I hated playing with dolls. I would rather play with cars!’’ you laughed and put the toys back, instead going for some other toys for a newborn, such as a teddy bear.

,,These shoes are so tiny,’’ you smiled and took the baby shoes in your hand, placing the pair on your belly and tapping on it with them as if someone was walking over your belly.

Vanderwood observed you. He almost enjoyed that moment.

You were in your own little world and he loved to see how in love you were with the thought of becoming a mother.

The both of you decided to buy some more things before returning home.

Vanderwood noticed that you already felt a bit sleepy and that you were walking a bit odd because your feet were throbbing in pain.

Once at home, you sat back on your couch and leaned your head against the pillow, closing your eyes for a short moment while Vanderwood placed the bags filled with the baby stuff in the hall, checking on you first.

,,Just a few seconds,’’ you said, making him smile and walk towards you.

,,If you are exhausted, feel free to sleep a bit,’’ he approved, patting your head.

,,I had fun today, thank you,’’ you said out of the blue, making Vanderwood feel… loved.

,,This wasn’t the last time, I promise, and I had fun too…’’ he whispered and decided that today he also could enjoy your warmth and lay down next to you...

Part 5 of my pregnancy series

MASTERLIST 1

MASTERLIST 2

MASTERLIST 3

🤰🏻ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ sᴇʀɪᴇs🤰🏻Masterlist here

19.05.2021// 21:44 MEST

[hollybee8917]

Señorita

Warnings: Angst, mentions of suicide, mentions of murder, attempted murder

Chapter 2- Twirling

Plot- Ransom starts stopping by more and more but not to see his grandfather. Marta attends a book release party. Ransom begins teaching Marta to dance.

  ��    For Marta, the days had spun into each other everyone looking the same until the day the mysterious package arrived at her door. Cautiously, she opened it in front of her mother and sister. Inside lay a beautiful lavender lace and satin dress. The lace had a swirled pattern and a satin ribbon decorating the waist of the dress. Also in the box was a pair of light purple kitten heels and a note. Marta’s sister, Alicia, snatched the note from the bottom of the box and read it aloud, “‘Marta, this dress was meant for you to wear to the book release party. Don’t disappoint me or let me waste my money on something you won’t wear. Be at 247 Lightfork rd., Boston at 3:00 PM on 5/17. See you then- R.’  Who is R?” Marta gasped, “Harlan’s grandson, Ransom, must have gotten this for me.” Mrs. Cabrera whistled, “Marta, this is very nice. Put it on.”

            The whole Thrombey/Drysdale family was standing outside the publishing house when Marta pulled up. She was right on time, Ransom noted by glancing at his watch. None of the other family members seemed to care that Marta had arrived. When she stepped out of the car and handed the key to the valet, he felt his heart leap to his throat. She was gorgeous. He smiled when he saw that she was wearing the dress and shoes he’d bought her. Her hair was pulled back into a simple French Twist and she meekly flashed teeth upon the sight of him.

            Ransom held his hand out to her and she took it, “Thank you Ransom for the dress and the shoes.” “You’re welcome.” Ignoring the whispers of ‘who is that?’, ‘Isn’t that Thrombey’s nurse?’, ‘She’s beautiful.’, and ‘What a fine little piece.’, Ransom and Marta bypassed the other family members to enter the building. Harlan greeted her, “Marta, you look wonderful. Ransom, you did a fine job picking out a dress.” The young Drysdale scratched his face as Joni gasped, “You picked out her dress?” His eyes danced in response. He was pleased with himself. A mousy looking man stepped up to the small stage that had been set up and tapped on the microphone, “Excuse me everyone. May I have your attention please?”

            Loud whispers turned silent and he continued, “Thank you all for being here. This release party is extra special because we will be launching two books instead of one.” Walt let loose a loud groan, “Dad, we didn’t discuss this.” Harlan hushed his son and the man resumed with a raised hand as a murmur found its way through the crowd, “I know, but I will not let you keep waiting on the man of the hour who is publishing his eighty-seventh novel. Mr. Thrombey, come on up here.” Harlan strode through the crowd, reveling in his hubris, shaking hands before ascending the stage with a little bit of help from bystanders. The crowd clapped and he silenced them, “Thank you all for being here. I always look forward to these events because it means that someone is enjoying my books. It’s true that today we are launching two works. One of them is my own but the second was written by someone very dear to me. I am excited to have him follow in my footsteps and can’t wait to see where his career takes him. Please welcome my grandson, Ransom Drysdale to the stage.”

As the younger man moved to his grandfather’s side, Walt let out a horrified, “RANSOM?!?” The son was muzzled by a look from the father who clapped his grandson on the shoulder, “It thrills me to know that Ransom’s work is to be received by the world to enjoy. I see great things for him as a writer. His novel is titled Ashes to Dust, whereas mine will be called Simply to Die For. Both Ransom and I will be wandering around the party, answering questions if anyone has them.” Descending the stage, the pair began mingling with the crowd and Marta noticed that the other Thrombeys had either a sour look or looked like someone had kicked their favorite dog.

           Pushing herself against the wall, the Latina watched as everyone praised and fawned over Harlan and Ransom. She began to feel uncomfortable and sipped the water she was given, waiting on her cue to leave. Then he came up to her. The guy was tall, blonde and quite cocky. “Hello gorgeous. How about you and I go somewhere and get to know each other?”

“Sorry,” she replied, “but I can’t. I’m working.” He attempted to pull her towards him by grabbing her backside and she yelped, “Please leave me alone.” The young man pushed his face closer in attempt to kiss her, “A pretty girl like you belongs with a stud like me, don’t you think?” Marta could smell the alcohol on his breath. As his lips got closer he was thrown back and Marta fell against the wall.

There, standing over them with a murderous gaze pointed at the guy, was Ransom, “She said to leave her alone, Chett.” He leaned down and helped Marta to her feet as Chett picked himself up, “Fine, Drysdale, keep your little Latina slut.” Ransom started to charge the blonde but was held back by Marta’s scared voice, “Ransom, please don’t. I don’t want trouble.” Chett smirked as he attempted to get close to Marta once more, “Are you sure you don’t want this, sexy, instead of whatever Drysdale is?” Now thoroughly angered, Ransom shoved Chett again this time following the shove with a punch to the gut, “Go Chett, before I do something I will regret.” Like a wounded dog, Chett retreated and Marta turned to Ransom, “Thank you.” “Don’t worry about it. Let’s get back to my party.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to go.”

“Let me walk you out in that case. I just want to be sure that Chett won’t bother you.”

Marta said goodbye to Harlan and the rest of the family before Ransom walked her out to the valet stand. She smiled at him, Thank you again, Ransom, for everything.” He nodded, “Anything for you, Señorita.”

Two days after the release party, Ransom was back at his grandfather’s house. This time, Marta met him at the door. At first, she was confused, “Ransom? Your grandfather isn’t awake right now. Did he know you were coming?” He strode through the doorway, “I am actually here to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. Why are you so shocked?”

“I just didn’t expect to see you so soon. I thought that after the fight at the party, you would lay low for a while. Harlan wasn’t exactly happy about it yesterday when he was talking about you.”

This time, Ransom moved closer to Marta and she felt as though her airway was constricting as he spoke, “Do you know how to dance?”

“What?”

“Do. You. Know. How. To. Dance.”

“Not really. I took lessons when I was young but I…”

“Then I’ll teach you Let’s go to the porch and we’ll begin your first waltz lesson.”

She found it hard to breath in his presence and dumbly asked, “Are you going to teach me?”

“I just said I was. Do you see anyone else? No? Then come on.”

Ransom led Marta to the sun porch and he moved the furniture about in order to make room, “The first thing we need is a workable space.” Cabrera tilted her head, “Why are you doing this?”

“If you are going to be my date to any of my grandfather’s or the other family members’ events, you will have to learn to dance.”

“Sorry, I must be going crazy because I thought I heard you say the word ‘date’. Why are you so interested in me?”

“Do you want to learn to dance or not?”

“Stop dodging and give me an answer.”

“Sure. What was the question?”

“Ransom.”

By this point, Marta was fed up, but Ransom grinned like a Cheshire cat, “Come on. I’m just messing with you. I think you are unlike any girl I have ever met. You intrigue me. Now, let’s dance.”

@chuckbass-love @the-fallen-nightmare @time-for-a-library @joannaliceevans-fanficblog @patzammit

[minachuuu]

Itzy Reaction to their S/O being Covered in Tattoos

This was my first request for an Itzy reaction and I was so excited because I love those girls so much, I hope you enjoy it!💜✨

Yeji

There was something about you that didn't let her eyes leave your silhouette, sitting across her, all the way at the opposite side of the cafe. Dressed entirely in black, a leather jacket draping around you brought in the exact pinch of mystery that called Yeji's attention. 

But just exactly as she was taking a sip of her iced tea, you had the fantastic idea of taking the leather jacket off, revealing your arms and neckline to be covered with various tattoos, your black shirt hiding so much more. Let's say that Yeji's body forgot how to deal with liquids at that moment, spraying everything over Ryujin, Lia and herself, making the few people around turn around to face them, including you. If she was nervous to talk to you before, now the nerves had doubled adding embarrassment to the mix. 

Standing up to the bathroom to clean herself, Yeji didn't notice you entering a few seconds behind her. She jumped startled when she recognized you, but you approached her with a smile. 

"Ah bummer, your shirt isn't going to dry quickly," You pointed at the obvious, your voice trembling.  You extended your hand, offering her your leather jacket. "Here, use this." 

She nodded, shyly taking the jacket from you. She agreed if you allowed her to buy you a pastry and you accepted with a chuckle. Both of you also found the perfect excuse to ask for your phone numbers. You know, only to return your jacket later. 

Add time to the mixture, and Yeji still doesn't understand exactly how one of the most embarrassing moments in her life brought the most amazing person into her life. 

Now, in the private comfort of your nights together, sometimes when you take your shirt off, she'll embrace you from behind, losing herself watching all the amazing illustrations engraved in your skin, gently caressing her fingers through them. 

Lia

By Chaeryeong's recommendation, this was finally the day that Jisu decided to go and take a walk in the park. But her stroll was interrupted when she heard the soft sound of a guitar playing close to her. She followed the music and directed her to you, who was peacefully sitting on a park bench, playing with chords and strumming patterns. But what caught her attention even more, was the sun lighting up such a variety of colors and pictures all painted across what she was able to see from your body. 

Even if you looked kind of hard to approach, you still awaked a fair amount of interest in Jisu, so she breathed in enough courage to talk to you, approaching slowly. 

"That sounds beautiful!" She tucked one strand of hair in her ear as she fidgeted with her hands. Her eyes tenderly scanning every drawing all over your body, prompted your cheeks to turn bright red. "Is it your song?" 

"Thank you!" You smiled, suddenly awakening something new in Jisu's heart. "It is mine, but I still can't get the lyrics right."

Bingo. She latched from that to make a conversation, offering herself to help you write. You couldn't help but notice how she couldn't stop looking at your tattoos, sometimes completely ignoring what you were saying. A great friendship sparked between you two from that moment on, but day by day, Jisu couldn't keep ignoring the butterflies in her stomach everytime she lost herself in the colorful collage that was your skin. 

So now that you two finally stopped ignoring your feelings towards each other and started dating, don't be surprised if she begs you to use more sleeveless shirts, crop tops, or tries to keep you from putting a shirt on as much as she can when you're alone. Jisu can’t help it, she just finds you a walking work of art, one that makes her go *keyboard smash* all the time. 

Ryujin

Ryujin doesn't really like to be told what to do, so she wasn't really amused by the idea of having someone unknown review her own choreography. But then you walked through the door, and she couldn't understand exactly how to feel about it. Your dark makeup and clothing, covered in tons of tattoos made her heart do flips in all directions, and she couldn't settle on feeling afraid, excited, intimidated or amazed. 

All this confusion made the usually confident and witty Ryujin all flustered as she couldn't even focus on the notes that you gave to her because her eyes refused to leave the illustrations engraved in your body. She only nodded at all your words, convincing herself that it was just fear what you aroused inside of her. 

But she was quickly proved wrong by her own thoughts, as you didn't seem to leave her mind at all; your eyes, your lips, the way your body moved, and especially, every drawing that was painted across your skin.

The next day, Ryujin opened the door and her eyes landed on you, calling all those feelings back in her. You glanced at her reflection through the mirror, smiling at her dumbfounded expression. 

"Oh hey Ryujin! I'm glad you could make it." You turned around, grabbing a little paper bag and handling it to her. "I bought some cookies and a coffee for you, hope you like them!" 

Right there, she melted on the inside. The cute gesture helped get her confidence back, making this rehearsal a blatant back and forth of pure flirting. 

It all grew up to become an amazing relationship, were one of your hobbies is to combine Ryujin's audacious attitude and your threatening appearance to prank people (Mostly Ryujin's groupmates, who are we kidding), but behind closed doors, no one could imagine that the most intimidating couple was all lovey-dovey with each other. 

Chaeryeong 

Look, Chaeryeong isn't one to judge people based on their appearance. She didn't mind that you were covered in tattoos at all, but how can she help it when you're known as the stone cold, intimidating, serious and bossy member of your group? And most of all, how was she supposed to breath now that you were standing right in the same practice room as her? Could you two be friends? Would you like her? Maybe find her cute? But what if you weren't her type? 

Your group and Itzy were collabing for a special stage at a music award show and she couldn't stop staring at you through the mirror, your stoic expression as you reviewed the steps of the choreography. She found her eyes straying to the rest of your body over and over again, tracing your tattoos in her mind, wondering how it felt to touch them. 

The rehearsal came to a break and you dropped over the couch, your members surrounding you. Chaeryeong kept staring from the other side of the room, but was a bit taken aback when, amid conversation, you let out the most gentle chuckle she had ever seen. In general, it was the first time she had ever seen you smile. Impressed by how your amiable aura wasn't going down either, she convinced Ryujin to help her approach you. 

Turns out, your stoic personality was mostly just a concept that you acted for the cameras, but the softer, more real side of you was what cemented her crush over you, especially contrasted with your threatening, and frankly quite attractive looks. Luckily for her, you did find her really cute, and you kept in touch after the awards, allowing much more to flourish between you two. 

Now that you two are happily in a relationship, she doesn't throw away the chance to relish on your tougher side either, running to the safety of your decorated arms every time she needs to forget the world around her. 

Yuna

You first met Yuna in a queue in an amusement park, when you were waiting to get on a ride. You were chatting with your group of friends when she caught your attention, and apparently it was mutual, since she kept staring at you and your few visible tattoos in your arms and neck. You chuckled at her wide eyes, as she locked them with yours. But she wasn't shying away from you. She instantly waved at you with a wide smile, nearing you. Yuna introduced herself, along with Yeji and Ryujin who were going on the ride as well. 

She wasn't afraid to start asking about your tattoos and their meanings, and honestly you didn't mind answering them either. Most of them were new, and you proudly showed them off to someone willing to listen. After a good while chatting and your mutual crush being obvious to everyone around, you both agreed on going up the ride together, since both your groups were in the odd numbers. 

From that day on, an amazing friendship grew between you two, and Yuna never lost the habit of asking for a meaning everytime that you got a new tattoo. Except for one day, where she pointed out one that didn't have any particular explanations, you just had tattooed it because it looked pretty and cool. Yuna nodded silently at the answer, lost in her own thoughts for some minutes. 

"What do you think about tattooing my face?" She blurted out, staring lost at the horizon. 

"Wha-" You blinked, startled out at the sudden question. 

"I am pretty and cool too!" She turned around, not an ounce of a joke in her voice. 

You couldn't help but giggle in response, the way she wasn't afraid to be herself just allowed your crush on her to keep growing everyday. Always enjoying each other's company, you were both excited at the idea of being something more in the future. 

[eveningstar1516]

Rise of the Demon King ~ Chapter 7

Rise of the Demon King

Fic: Multi Chapter Paring: MC x Everyone (Mostly Lucifer) Type: Angst with a Happy Ending Total Word Count: 26,758 TW: Major Character Death, Reader gets stabbed with a sword through their chest so..., Abusive Parents, Past Child Abuse, Demon Hunters, Loss of Control Summary: You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it. You’ve managed to anger the demon king. Now you hold your head high as he hands down your sentence. AO3 Portal: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065362

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previously:

As he walked through the halls towards his next class, he made a vow to himself to try and feel that unfamiliar emotion until he could name it, then keep feeling it, because, for Satan, it felt like Y/N was right next to them, with their signature smile on their face, proud of him for focusing on a feeling opposite of his wrath. Should he start to feel his wrath taking over, he would picture Y/N, holding his hand, encouraging him to feel that unfamiliar emotion. One he soon learned was called ‘Philia Love’.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 7 - Virtue of Loyalty (4265 words)

Our trip to the palace was a quiet one. Michael didn’t seem to want anything to do with me since he flew quite fast and left me behind multiple times as I'd never flown before and flying was extremely difficult. No one offered any assistance so I tucked my wings away, which I managed to figure out how to do after I accidentally did so mid flight, and ran under him. Looking straight ahead after confirming that I was keeping pace with Michael, I spotted the Celestial Palace. My jaw dropped in awe as I ran. The thing was massive! At least 2.5 times the size of Diavolo’s castle and even more decorative. The white walls were adorned with varying shades of golden accents making the palace seem larger than it really was. As I got closer, I learned that it was sitting in the middle of a massive garden that was overflowing with different kinds of celestial plants and trees. Although both the palace and garden seemed to be overflowing with decorations, everything still fit perfectly and was quite pleasing to the eyes.

Approaching the marble steps of the palace as Michael landed in front of me, greeting some gardeners as they stopped and bowed their heads to him. Signalling for them to resume their work, he continued up the steps motioning for me to follow. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I followed him looking as unfazed as possible. Upon entering I found that the outside of the palace does no justice to the massive interior. Abandoning plan to remain as neutral and unfazed as possible, I gazed in absolute awe at the decor, my mouth opening slightly. There were no lighting fixtures as massive windows lined the wall letting in more than enough sunlight through. A massive chandelier was located in the center of the room with golden and silver chains decorating it. The marbled floor also had silver and gold accents as a beautiful floral pattern was outlined. Hearing a chuckle behind me, I turned to see Michael looking at me with a smug smile on his face.

“Well how can you not expect me to be amazed by all this?!” I countered while spinning and gesturing around the room.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your smug smile said it all Mike” I flashed him a wicked smirk of my own as I called him by the nickname. His face darkened significantly as his tone dropped to what would have been a dangerous level had I not have spent my life with demons. It just didn’t have the same undertones as Devilish.

“Watch yourself child”

Giving him an exaggerated mock bow I responded.

“My humble apologies Sir Michael. I will be sure not to repeat the same error in the future.”

“Very funny.” He scoffed and walked off. I got up and followed him through the palace until we stopped between two massive golden doors to what I assumed to be the throne room. Michael addressed himself and stated that he brought me with him. 2 angels donning Celestial armour opened the doors. Michael walked in with his head slightly bowed and his gaze lowered. I walked looking straight ahead as I subtly took the room in. It wasn’t as big as I expected it to be. A golden carpet leading from the door to the throne was the most extravagant thing in the room. In contrast to the rest of the palace, the throne room was quite modest. Even the throne wasn’t extravagant, built for comfort instead of elegance. God himself looked to be a 6’8 man in his late fifties with chestnut coloured hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a simple white robe with gold accents. His eyes, a light blue colour, were emitting a slight white glow as we approached. Michael stopped a short distance from the throne and kneeled.

“Father, I have brought Y/N on your orders.”

“Thank you my son.” He turned to look at me.

“Y/N, you have caused quite the commotion in the 3 realms.”

I kept my tone playful as a polite smile made itself home on my face as I spoke with God.

“What can I say Father, trouble likes to follow me, wherever I may be.”

“That may be my child, although I am quite confused as to how you ended up here especially as a seraph. In case you didn’t know, that position must be earned here in heaven, so please explain to me, why I shouldn’t forsake you and have you fall to the Devildom?” He raised his right eyebrow and relaxed into his throne as he asked his question.

“Oh make no mistake, I didn’t want to come here in the first place, had I actually had a choice, I would have gone to the Devildom where I belong. Unfortunately, circumstances never seem to be on my side.”

“That still doesn’t explain how you came to be here, in that attire nonetheless.”

“Does it upset you that I come donning Lucifer's clothing and wings? I assure you, I didn’t have a say in my appearance. I am only staying here as long as necessary after all. I still wish to fall and return to my family.”

“Tell me child, how is it that a human finds comfort in the likes of demons rather than angels?”

“Whoever said I didn’t find comfort in angels? I find Simeon and Luke to be quite comforting whenever I get stressed with this whole 3 realms stuff. I just find the darkness of the Devildom more appealing as you and I both know what lurks underneath this “bright” soul of mine.”

“And yet you came here to me, why?”

“I presume you know the details regarding my untimely end?”

“Yes I am, although you weren’t due to perish yet, I do not dictate the souls within the Devildom realm. What of it?”

“I sacrificed myself for the brothers whom I have grown to call family so that they may continue to live despite being ruled by a tyrant whom you rivel for the title of “Devil””

“Watch what you say child! You are still addressing Father and not some random person off the street!” Ignoring Michael, I continued.

“I do not wish to return to the Devildom while it is ruled by King Abandon.”

“Child, I am aware of your relationship to the brothers as well as your loyalty to those you call family. I am also aware of the feelings you have for my eldest son. I ask you, has anyone told you about his duties while he was serving me?”

“Yes, Simeon and his brothers would speak about his time here as the leader of the council. Lucifer himself preferred not to talk about it but he answered my questions whenever I asked. I have also learned his work habits and often aided him whenever an overflow of work had come in due on a short notice.” God seemed to contemplate something. With a thoughtful look on his face, he addressed me.

“I have a proposition for you. You wish to fall and reunite with your family in the Devildom. I do not wish to have you up here, although you do not want to serve King Abandon.”

“That is correct.”

“I will grant your wish on one condition. I will allow you to return to the Devildom after Abandon’s reign is over, on the condition that you take Samael’s position on the council. You are to take over his responsibilities without attempting to sabotage the realm or abuse your power. Should you not be able to meet my expectations, or should you abuse your position, I will cast you out regardless of who is currently ruling the Devildom.”

Michael, who had stayed silent while his Father was speaking, was shocked by God's proposition.

“Father, are you sure this is the right way to go? Y/N doesn’t even belong here. Are you sure trusting them with Samael’s old position is a good idea?”

“Do you disagree with my judgment Michael? Do you believe me incapable of determining Y/N’s fate in my realm?”

Michaels face visibly paled as he realized the implications of his words. Bowing his head in mortification he answered his Father.

“‘O-of course not Father! I just don’t think that Y/N is qualified or ready to lead the council. They are unaware of how the Celestial realm operates and doesn’t have the experience that Samael possessed.”

Scratching his chin, God thought about Michael's words.

“You’re right Michael, you and the rest of the council as well as Simeon and Luke shall serve as their guide during their time here. You are to teach them how we operate and train them as to how to properly fulfill Samael’s role. You are to step down as the leader of the council once they have learned how to fill in the role themselves.”

Not being able to object to his Father's words, Michael agreed, although he tried to hide it, you could see how he clenched his teeth, obviously disapproving the entire idea and his new role as your babysitter.

“How about it Y/N, will you accept my proposal?”

“I have a few conditions of my own I’d like to add. I will accept on the condition that I return as soon as Diavolo is crowned king, no later and that other than the obvious changes that come with falling, no other changes will be made to me. I will follow your rules while I am up here and will serve you as long as it doesn’t result in any harm coming to the Devildom or Earth and their inhabitants. I will fulfill my role as Lucifer’s replacement during my time here, no more, no less.”

“Of course, that goes without saying. I will also add that you are to have no contact with any being outside my realm during your time here. We wouldn’t want anyone coming up here to retrieve you before our deal has ended now would we?”

“No, we wouldn’t. I accept your proposal to be Lucifer’s replacement until the time comes for Diavolo's crowning. Until then, I shall serve you and the council to the best of my abilities.” I stepped closer and kneeled before him as he sealed the deal.

“Alright then, as you are no doubt aware, each angel on my council represents a virtue. You shall as well. While Humility does not suit you quite right, I shall grant you a new virtue. One that could be considered a sin should it be applied incorrectly. I think you’d like that. Rise Y/N, Virtue of Loyalty.”

I rose to my feet as an invisible force caused my wings and halo to appear. They glowed a light blue as whatever magic God was using to tie me to the Celestial realm ran its course. Once the glowing dimmed down, I tucked my wings back in and bowed my head once more towards the being I now served for the time being and exited the throne room, making my way back to the House of Honors with Michael close behind. As we reached the front door, Michael turned me around. A hard and unforgiving expression on his face. A look of outright hatred in his eyes.

“Listen Y/N, just because Father has accepted you into the Celestial realm, doesn’t mean the rest of us have. You are still an outsider and I frankly do not trust anyone who has spent so much time around demons. I will follow Father’s orders in training you, but know this, Y/N, if I so much as suspect you of doing anything to upset the balance in the Celestial realm, if you hurt any of the angels here, I will take matters into my own hands. I will not allow a being as tainted as you to wreak havoc among the angels. Am I understood?”

Meeting his gaze, a smile made its way to my face as I responded.

“I will hold you to that.”

He took one last hard look at me and walked through the door. Left alone on the steps, I thought to myself, ‘Soon my demons, I’ll be back, soon’. I walked to the gardens and spent the next few hours tending to it until dinner.

In the Devildom. After they lost Y/N

As soon as they got home, Mammon went straight to Y/N’s room. How could he let this happen? He was their first damn it! He should have protected them, he should have stopped Lucifer, he should have done something! He entered Y/N’s room and immediately sat on their bed, made messily in their excitement to meet the king. He held their pillow, hugging to his chest as he started crying. Too lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t hear Asmo following him. Upon entering the room and seeing the state his older brother was in, Asmo put aside his own grievances and sat next to Mammon and embraced him, letting him cry on his shoulder. This reminded Asmo of a time in the Celestial realm. They were playing with Levi in the gardens when Levi tried to show off his tree climbing skills. As he was nearing the top, Mammon noticed the branch Levi was climbing looked ready to snap. He tried to warn Levi but was too late as the branch snapped and Levi fell. Mammon wasn’t fast enough to catch him. Levi ended up dislocating a wing and spraining his right shoulder. Asmo remembered walking by Mammon's room that night and heard quiet sobs, he knocked and opened the door revealing Mammon sitting on his bed, hugging his pillow crying. He sat next to his older brother and hugged him, assuring him that it wasn’t his fault and that Levi would be just fine. Coming out of the memory, Asmo did the same now, hugging Mammon and reassuring him that it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t have stopped Y/N from giving that order and that everything will be ok.

“Will it be though? It just won’t be the same without them.”

“I know. It will be hard, Y/N was our family, but we’ll be there for each other.”

They slept together, holding each other in Y/N’s bed comforting each other until they fell asleep.

Present

It was an ordinary day for Mammon. He had just gotten back from a modelling gig at Majolish and was thinking up ways to spend the money he just earned. He was thinking of treating himself to a night out as he’d also gotten a math test back that day and passed with a 90%! Just as he was thinking about where to go, he felt the pull of a summoning. Mammon opened his eyes to find himself in an old cold basement. He scanned the room noting that the only lighting provided was a small bulb with a pull down string in the middle of the room and 3 small candles near the summoning circle. He found that the room was practically empty save for a thin mattress in a corner and some stairs leading to a door. He then spotted the one who summoned him, a little girl. She looked to be no older than 5. She was wearing stained and ripped overalls, one of the straps was missing. A light pink t-shirt underneath. Her brown hair was relatively short, only reaching her shoulders and was a tangled mess. Upon looking closer, Mammon noticed that she was covered head to toe in bruises and there were deep scratch marks on her arms and legs. He looked at the hastily drawn circle under him and found out that she drew it with some chalked rocks. She held an old summoning book close to her chest. Her big brown eyes looked so scared, yet if he looked closer, he could see what looked to be hope sparkling in the background. He could tell by looking at her that she held vast magical potential. Whoever put her here obviously knew the same.

“A-are you Mammon?” By Diavolo, she sounded so broken, like if he spoke too loud, she would shatter. Kneeling down to her level, Mammon put a soft smile on his face.

“Yes I am. What’s your name?”

“Cynthia”

“Ok Cynthia, what can I help you with.” Mammon doesn’t know what it was about the little girl, but he found himself genuinely wanting to help her. Maybe it was the way they looked at him with hope. Maybe it was because they were just a kid, or maybe, it was because her eyes reminded him of Y/N’s.

“I want to leave. My parents locked me in here. They don’t care about me. They only use me for their spells. Please Mammon, help me. I’ll give you my soul if you want, just please!” Tears came to her eyes as she pleaded with him to help her. Mammon upon hearing what these sorcerers were doing with their daughter, became enraged. He held his hand out to Cynthia with a smile on his face. He took the book from her hands and put it on the ground next to him.

“No, no, no. I won’t take your soul. It’s alright Cynthia, I’ll help ya. Why did you think I’d need your soul to help you?” “That’s what my parents said. They’ve been using me to try and summon you. I heard them arguing about who’s soul they would give to form a pact. Then they decided that they would give you mine.” Mammon didn’t think he could get madder, but by now, he was seeing red. Not only did her parents lock her up, they used her to try and summon him thinking he’d just accept a child’s soul to form a pact with them! Mammon was beyond angry.

“Don’t worry Cynthia, the Great Mammon will take care of your parents! You’ll be out of here in no time.” Sensing his rage Cynthia grabbed onto his legs before he made it to the stairs.

“No, don’t hurt them!” Mammon looked down at the girl in shock.

“Please don’t hurt them. They may have done all these awful things to me but they’re still my mom and dad! I don’t want you to hurt them, just get me out of here!” Mammon looked at the girl like she’d gone crazy. Her parents, who have locked her up in a basement, used her for spells, hell even tried summoning him in exchange for her own soul, she wanted them alive?! He saw how genuine she was being and he couldn’t find the heart to say no to her. Instead, Mammon knelt down to her level and took her hand. Cynthia looked at him with tears threatening to overflow. Mammon brought his other hand to cup her face, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb.

“Ok Cynthia, I won’t hurt them. I am mad at your parents for doing this to you, but if you don’t want me to hurt them, I won’t.” Mammon then brought Cynthia’s right hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it gently. A yellow seal formed on the back of her right hand and a matching pink one on the palm of Mammon's right.

“Now we have a pact Cynthia. I didn’t take your soul, I took your sadness. Did you know that demons could also take emotions to form a pact?”

“N-no. Does this mean you’ll take me far away from here?”

“Yes, and it also means that you won’t ever feel sad again. I know a nice witch who can take care of you. She will teach you how to use and call me with the pact. This way, whenever you’re in trouble, you will be able to summon me without drawing the circle again and I can come protect ya.”

“O-ok.” Mammon then picked Cynthia up and walked up the stairs, kicking the basement door down he walked through the house towards the front door. Before he reached it though, he heard a scream behind him. He noticed that Cynthia tensed considerably in his arms as he set her down, hiding her behind his legs. He turned around coming face to face with a middle aged couple who he preserved to be Cynthia’s parents. Her mom then yelled at Cynthia.

“Cynthia Maxwell Daemon! You come here right this instant!”

“Shut your mouth lady. She doesn't belong to you anymore.”

“Nonsense! She’s my daughter. She is mine to do with what I want!” Mammon's patience was running out. A scowl appeared on his face as he growled out.

“Listen here lady, I’ve got some choice words for you two that I wouldn’t care to say in front of the girl, but the fact that you thought you could summon me and exchange her soul for a pact with you? You're crazy to think I’d ever accept that kind of pact. Now Cynthia and I are leaving and you ain’t ever using her again!”

Cynthia’s parents then realized who they were talking to and their attitudes immediately changed.

“Please forgive us, Lord Mammon. We hadn’t planned for the girl to summon you. We apologize for the inconvenience the child caused you. If you would stay, we could reimburse you for your troubles.” Cynthia’s father bowed his head as he addressed Mammon. Mammon on the other hand outright laughed at that statement. Turning into his demon form he barked out

“You think her summoning me was an inconvenience?! You two are crazier than I thought! Now listen here and listen closely, neither of you are to come near or look for her. None of you are going to use her again. We are leaving and don’t ever bother trying to summon me again. Ya know, you should thank Cynthia. If she didn’t plead with me not to hurt either of you, you’d both be dead. Make no mistake, if either of you try to summon me or if I find you anywhere near her again, I will rip your hearts out and feed you to Cerberus. Kapeesh?” The dark undertones of Mammon’s voice got through to Cynthia’s parents as their faces paled in fear and they quickly agreed. They begged for his forgiveness and promised not to harm Cynthia again if he could just stay awhile. Not bothering with them anymore, Mammon picked Cynthia up and walked out, flying towards the one witch he’d ever trusted. When he landed, he realized that Cynthia was crying.

“Sorry Cyn, I didn’t scare ya, did I?”

“A-a little, but these aren’t scared tears. I’m happy. Thank you for getting me away from them and for letting them live.”

“Of course. The Great Mammon keeps his promises.” Mammon walked up to the door of the small cottage. He knocked and a young witch with long blond hair, green eyes, and freckles answered the door.

“Mammon what a surprise! What brings you here?” She opened the door gesturing for him to come in.

“Sorry, not today Kelly. I’m actually here for her.” Mammon stepped aside, revealing a scared Cynthia behind him.

“Oh my Diavolo! What happened to you, you poor girl?!” Kelly rushed forward cupping Cynthia’s chin as she inspected her body, taking in all the bruises and cuts.

“Kelly, this is Cynthia. She summoned me to save her from her parents. I was wondering if ya could take care of her. I know ya've always wanted a kid, so…”

“Of course! I could never turn someone in need away, especially a girl as cute as her.” She said while pinching Cynthia’s cheeks. Cynthia giggled in response.

“Ok then, Cynthia, Kelly here’s gonna take care of you. I promise that she won’t act like your mom and she will help you learn how to use both your magic and your pact.” Reaching into his pocket, Mammon pulled out the Grimm he’d earned that day. He then put them into Cynthia’s palm.

“Here ya go kid. Now if you ever visit me, you’ll have some money to spend.” Mammon turned to leave when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Cynthia pulling him down to the ground. He crouched down. Cynthia then kissed his cheek, giving him one of the Grimm he’d given her.

“Thank you Mammon.” She then ran behind Kelly’s legs and waved goodbye with a massive smile on her face.

It’s been a couple years since Mammon saved Cynthia. She’d grown to be a strong and skilful sorcerer. He’d visit her often over the years with something in tow for her. Mammon never spent the Grimm that Cynthia gave back to him on that day. Whenever Mammon had a tough time with the numerous witches he’d find himself in debt with, he’d always find his way to her, and she comforted him, never asking for more than his company, something he was more than happy to give. His brothers would always know whenever he went to see her as he’d always come back with a content smile on his face. Deep down, he wished that Y/N could’ve met Cynthia. They would have made great friends as they were the only 2 people who could make him smile like this. Mammon may not have been able to save Y/N, but he swore that he would protect Cynthia, no matter the cost.

[hops-hunny]

Distance Makes the Heart Grow

CHAPTER 1

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Mafia Boss!Neville Longbottom x Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: (Y/n) lives a normal life. But that’s the issue, it’s normal, it’s plain, and it’s growing boring. Everyday she wishes for something, anything to spice up her life. But, when her old school friend (and crush) shows up at her bakery with a new look (and what looks like a new life), what will it bring for her? Will their puppy love grow? Will his big secret lead to the end of them or will it spark a new beginning?

Warnings: None for this chapter!

A/N: Nothing major happens in this chapter, this is sorta just like the beginning stages.

(Y/n) let out a load groan, hand searching aimlessly for the alarm clock on her side table. “Where is it?!” she continued to slap her hand around on her table, many objects falling to the floor before her hand finally landed on the right one, the rooster noises ceasing as her hand collided with the big snooze button. She rolled over, sighing as she stared at her speckled ceiling. “Perhaps I really should take the time to learn how to use the alarm on my phone.” it wasn’t that she was bad with technology persay. It’s just if it was produced after the year of 2008 you could forget it. Could you really blame her though? During all her years at Hogwarts, she had never made the switch her fellow classmates made with modern technology. Sure she had a smart phone but the only thing she could manage to do with it is call, text, and make notes in the notes app (something she had just recently learned as well).

Unwillingly, she crawled out of bed, stretching as she let out a large yawn, bones snapping and cracking like a New Year’s firework. She made her way to the bathroom, looking into the same mirror she always did, watching the light in the center flicker the same way as always. Life for (Y/n) was seemingly unchanging. Day after day, month after month, was spent exactly the same. She’d wake up, get ready for work, and then travel a few blocks down the street to open the bakery. Her bakery.

It wasn’t that (Y/n) didn’t enjoy what she did. She happened to enjoy her job very much. All her friends at Hogwart’s had encouraged her, giving her the push she need to travel the journey of opening her own business. It was something she had always wanted to do but her parents begged her not to. In their words they didn’t want ‘an over zealous and unrealistic’ daughter on ther hands. However, their rude words simply were fuel to the fire. During her 5th year, she began to busk tables at various shops in Hogsmeade. It was hard work, balancing long shifts at 3 different shops and still maintaining decent scores in each class. But, she knew if she couldn’t handle that then there was no way she’d be able to handle running a bakery. So day in and day out she’d work, and work, and work and by the end of her 7th year she had a decent amount of money saved up! 

The first issue had been finding a place in a good area that would gain traction and attention while the second one was finding someone willing to sell to someone fresh out of school with no prior business experience. She’d spoken to many people in various different places, some good, and some bad before she finally had been blessed with the chance of meeting Mary and her wife Denise. It was a miracle really. (Y/n) was short on the money, exponentially so however, Mary had sold to her anyways. She said she saw a passion in the girl that she hadn’t seen for a very long time and that it was something she wanted to help foster considering she had had her time to live her dreams and explore passions of her own. So with that, a handshape was exchanged for a beat up envolope filled with the entirety of the girl’s life savings. She had invested every nickel and dime she had ever earned into the place and she prayed it wouldn’t blow up in her face.

Which brought her to where she was today: a proud owner of a highly successful business. And of course, with great business comes a nice chunk of money which caught her parents’ attention. They had began to call her everyday but when that they didn’t work, they showed up at her shop unannounced. At first, she had felt warm inside. Her usual cold and distant parents had come to visit her! However, when they started crunching out numbers and percentages, that short lived happiness was replaced by irritation in which she quickly kicked them out, placing a charm on the building that when they’d attempt to enter (if they really, truly, had the balls to come back), their bodies would be flung right back onto the sidewalk into the heaping piles of trash on the city side walks. Now, (Y/n) was by no means wealthy, but she made a nice amount of money to be engaging in something she enjoyed so heavily, which is why she was confused where they had gotten the idea she had money to share with the main two people who were the cause of her insecurities. Plus, every extra dollar she had she put right back into the shop. Paying her workers, building maintenance, ingredients. She wasn’t a fan of having too much money, her family had shown her what that could cause (and how easily you could lose it all). 

Yet still sometimes she found herself wishing she could live the lavish lifestyle her parents once did. She mainly dreamed more so of the more engaging parts instead of the status and power that came with it. As she frosted various different cakes with thick buttercream, her mind would wonder to vivid imagery of beautiful hotel rooms, with breath taking views. Michelin five star meals, coated in delicious cream sauces. Endless adventure waiting to be discovered.

And yet here she was, sitting at a table as she stuffed her face with a raspberry marzipan cupcake. It was a Wednesday, first one of the month and as per usual, her and Twyla were set together, sampling cakes, chocolates, and other treats for the upcoming days. Wednesday had been the official day  they had chosen due to the slowed flow of people that would come in. (Y/n) liked to have a different theme each day of the week. The customers lived for it and she had massed a group of frequenters who came each day, wondering what the theme would be that day.

“You know boss, I’ve gotta say it. Working here and sampling all these cakes with you is giving me quite the ass!” Twyla said, turning around as she wiggled her ass in the girl’s face for emphasis. (Y/n) giggled, rolling her eyes as she swatted at the girl, missing as she jumped away from her last minute. “Hey! You gotta take me out to dinner first for that.”

“Just because we’re sampling cakes doesn’t mean that the store is closed! Anyone could walk in at any moment and would you really want that to be their first experience here?” she asked, eyes scanning the silver platter in front of them. She decided on the new dessert flavored chocolates she had been working on. Popping it into her mouth, she let out a moan of approval.

“I mean, I dont’ see why not! We’d definitely make a lot more money with a cake like mine!” the blue haired girl said, sitting down as she grabbed a chocolate as well. “Besides, I don’t think those little noises you’re making would help the scene.” she stated, snickering as the girl across from her tensed up.

“It-it’s not like that! The chocolate- it just- I just- ugh!” she stuttered out, huffing as she crossed her arms over her chest, pouting at the girl. “If you’re gonna keep being mean we can end this process. Just tell me what you think of the blueberry pie chocolate so I can know if we’re adding it to tomorrow’s spread.”

“Oh come on (Y/n) it’s good! Every first Wednesday we sit here, you overly critique yourself, then me and Tiana end up picking out our favorites for the next day!” Twyla was right, even their patterns for trying new things remained the same. (Y/n) wiped her messy hand on her aprons, sighing as she stood up to go back to her position behind the counter. Her employee followed, grabbing the platter to put back into the kitchen before joining her boss behind the counter.

“You’re right. I swear everyday is beginning to feel the same.” She opened her notepad, beginning to take inventory of the sweets they had in the display counter. “I’m grateful for everything I have, I really am. But sometimes I just wish I could have something, anything….”

“New?” the green eyed girl added, catching the (h/c) haired girl’s attention. She nodded, looking at the girl who had snuck a cookie out of the glass case. “I feel ya, girl. Everyday feels the same. Sometimes even when new people come in, I can already tell how they’re going to be. How they’ll act, what they’ll order, what method of payment they’ll use.” (Y/n) eyed the girl up, raising a brow.

“Are you sure you’re not just using legilimens?” she questioned, watching as the girl shifted on her feet, scratching the back of her neck.

“Okay so maybe I do sometimes. But a lot of the times I don’t! Like the other day this weird guy came in and- woah. (Y/n) I don’t wanna freak you out but I have a feeling those hotties in suits across the street are going to be walking in here soon.” Twyla said, in an uncharacteristically quiet tone. The shorter girl followed her friend’s gaze, looking out the glass doors across the street. Three unfamiliar men were crossing over, all in suits that she could only assume cost as much as four months of rent. However, the one in the middle really caught her eye.

Before she knew it, the bell chimed and the three of them made their way in. They looked very out of place in the brightly decorated shop. The one in the middle looked the most important, towering over the other two men. He had dark slicked back hair, an eyebrow piercing, and tattoos that were visible on his neck and hands (which had a few beautiful looking rings on them (none of which were a wedding band…)), yet his hazel eyes held a soft look to them. To his left was a redhead boy, freckles danced all along his face. His eyes were bloodshot from god knows what. He had tattoos as well (not as many as the middle man) and a few unique ear piercings. The guy to the hot tall guy’s right was attractive too but not nearly as serious looking as the other two. In fact, he was humming a song under his breath, a smile causing the tattoo on the right side of his face to crease. 

As she went to open her mouth to greet them, the man in the middle eye’s grew wide, his mouth gaping as he stared at her. He walked closer, examining her face closely which caused her to grow confused.

“I’m...I’m sorry. Do I know you?” she asked.

“(Y/n)?” she gasped at the sound of the familiar voice, her notepad and pen dropping from her hands. She made her way around the counter, staring up at the tall man.

“Neville?!”

NEXT||

TAGSLIST: @vayeya11 @pink-hufflepuff @clancyscookies @beewitchedlou @nevillelongbottomsgirlfriend @redpanda-poetry @vibingaesthetically

[writings-of-a-daphodil]

A Gift

Luke x ghost!reader

Summary: It's your birthday and you wish you could spend it with your family. Luke and the band try to cheer you up (super fluffy).

Requested?: Nope

Fandom: Julie and the Phantoms

A/n: This kinda came out of nowhere and once I had the idea I got carried away. I hope y'all like it!!

For you birthdays were a big thing when you were alive. You and your family would always go on a camping trip and have the time of your lives together. It wasn’t just limited to your family either, it was open to your friends too. It was your favorite tradition.

When you had met Luke, you had been looking forward to inviting him and the band, but then the fateful night at the Orpheum had happened. You and the rest of the band had died that night, now it was twenty-twenty and you were ghosts.

It had been great meeting Julie and forming a band with her, but as your birthday rolled around you were feeling immensely sad. Like Luke you had visited their family and you had seen them preparing to go on the camping trip in your honor. While it made you happy to see them keeping up the tradition, it also felt like a stab to the heart that you couldn’t be there with them.

In the days leading up to your birthday you had grown quiet and more reserved, struggling to find the energy to be happy. You couldn’t visit your family anymore, it just made you cry, but knowing that they were camping and you couldn’t be there also made you cry. It was a lose-lose.

So you had spent most of your time at the beach, watching the ocean and letting it calm you. There was something so relaxing about the way the waves moved and the push and pull of the tide. It was also nice to have privacy, just the crashing waves to keep you company.

It was inevitable that the band would notice your mood and absence of course, and notice they did.

You were at the beach, watching the ocean like normal. It was admittedly a beautiful day for your birthday. The sun was just breaking through the marine layer, creating bright orange patterns on the clouds.

Luke poofed in beside you, startling you out of your sad thoughts. The two of you had been dating since you got the band together and he was always there to comfort you.

“Hey,” he said, wrapping an arm around you. You sniffed in return.

“You didn’t think I would forget what today is, did you?” He asked, giving a small smile.

“No,” you answered, smiling a little bit.

“Good,” he stood up in front of you and grabbed your hands. “You are amazing and you are so great and understanding when it comes to me missing my parents, now it’s my turn to help you with your grief.”

You didn’t have time to respond before you felt the cold sand disappear from beneath you. The world shifted to new surroundings, ones that you definitely did not recognize.

“Luke?” You asked, letting go of his hand. You weren’t exactly in the mood for any surprises at the moment.

Luke moved back to standing in front of you. “Trust me on this, okay?”

He took your hand again and led you down a path. You looked around, trying to find anything that would clue you into where you were.

You slowly began to recognize your surroundings and you stopped walking. “What’s wrong?” Luke asked, stopping with you once he realized you weren’t moving.

“Luke, I-I’ve already visited, seeing them just makes me even sadder.”

“That isn’t why we’re here, Y/n/n. I’ve got a completely unrelated surprise for you.”

You hesitantly began to walk and Luke gave you an encouraging smile. “You are going to have a great day today. I promise.”

You gave him a weak and slightly nervous smile as you followed him. You walked over a hill and what you saw made you smile for real.

Julie and her family were setting up a campsite while the rest of the band and Flynn helped. After the whole Caleb fiasco Julie had let her family in on the ghostly little secret.

“Happy Birthday!” Luke exclaimed, gesturing excitedly at everyone.

“Happy Birthday, Y/n!” Everyone called, though Flynn, Carlos, Victoria, and Ray were a little late since they didn’t see your arrival.

You smiled at your found family. “Guys, this is so sweet.”

“Oh, this isn’t everything,” Reggie said excitedly. “Wait till you see what else we have planned.”

For the first time in a while, you forgot your grief and excitement replaced it. “I can’t wait.”

~~~~

After a few incredibly fun activities, you made it back to your campsite. The sun was still up and you had a while before everyone would eat dinner.

Still hyped up you had a lot of energy and you didn’t know if you could just sit around and chat or play cards. Thankfully Carlos suggested a game of Ultimate frisbee and once the words were out of his mouth, Reggie was chanting it to. You were definitely up for a game and from there, teams were formed.

It was you, Julie, and Alex versus Luke, Reggie, Flynn, and Carlos. You may or may not have specifically engineered it to have Alex on your team, him being the tallest gave an advantage.

You took on Luke. He smirked at you as Alex threw the frisbee to Julie and Flynn intercepted. You rolled your eyes and saw Flynn get ready to throw the frisbee at Carlos. Julie was trying to guard her and Alex was on Reggie, so in a split second you ran over to Carlos. You knew you were faster than Luke so you’d be able to get to Carlos and catch the frisbee first and fortunately you were right.

You intercepted and Luke tried to guard you, giving you a pouty face when Alex caught your throw. You smirked at him, running past Alex to the area near your goal. You had barely stopped running when Alex tossed the frisbee back to you. Luke was almost to you and Julie was open. You threw it to her and smiled as she caught it, scoring a point.

“We’ll get it next time,” Luke called running off towards his team's end of the field.

“Sure!” You called back, a bright smile on your face. However, Luke was right, his team scored the next two times and your team scored the last time before dinner, leaving you at a tie.

You all made your way back to the campsite and you ghosts sat down while the ‘lifers’ got their food.

“It was interesting seeing the frisbee get caught in midair.” Ray chuckled as he took his seat, almost sitting in Reggie before Julie warned him.

“Yes, I’m glad you were having fun,” Victoria said, patting Julie. You smiled at the gesture, trying not to feel sad about your own aunts.

Dinner was full of fun chatting and Julie translating for you and the guys. After dinner the guys got their instruments out and began to sing ‘happy birthday’ to you. You sang along so everyone could see you and it turned into an impromptu concert.

As the sun disappeared and the stars came out, you and your found family sang, enjoying the moment. You would definitely treasure these memories for years to come.

After you finished singing Luke came over to you. “Just close your eyes for a second,” he said, grinning at you like an excited puppy. You did what he asked, though rather reluctantly.

“Guys, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“We wanted to,” Alex said.

You heard a lot of shuffling right in front of you and eventually Luke spoke. “Okay, open your eyes.”

In front of you was a small pile of gifts. “Guys-“

Luke cut you off before you could protest any further, “Stop, you deserve all of this and more. And don’t say you feel bad for not doing more for our birthdays, I know how long it takes you to knit those scarves.”

“Fine,” you smiled. “Which one first?”

“Ooo! Open mine!” Reggie begged, pointing at a cleanly wrapped box.” You unwrapped it, careful to make sure none of the trash went anywhere, and gasped at what you were holding. It was an incredibly detailed and beautiful sketch of a horse.

“Reggie, did you draw this?”

He nodded. “And it’s got the first country song we wrote together on it.”

You beamed at him. “We’ll get that country album some day,” you vowed, gently nudging Luke when he rolled his eyes.

“Mine next,” Alex requested, pointing to an even more elaborately wrapped box. You opened it to see Alex had decorated your old guitar strap, painting it with your favorite colors. You had been meaning to do that since you got it and you were grateful he had taken the initiative.

“I love it.”

“Good, I’m not that artistic so I didn’t know what to get you and then I remembered that you had been meaning to decorate your guitar strap since you got it, so I did it,” Alex rambled.

You laughed. “How very thoughtful of you.”

You turned your attention back to the rest of the stack, but Luke was already ready. “Here’s mine.”

“You took the small package from him and opened it. Inside was a little box and in that there was a necklace. The pendant was an old guitar pick branded with the sunset curve logo and with it was a little card in Luke’s messy handwriting: A memento of the band we started all those years ago.

“I think I’m gonna cry.” You put your hand to your mouth and Luke took the necklace from the box, putting it on you.

“I love you so much,” Luke whispered to you.

“I love you too,” you whispered back, kissing his cheek.

After admiring the necklace for a little while longer, you went to open the rest of the pile. Julie got you a gift card so you could shop together(you still only had your clothes from the nineties). Ray gave you a framed photograph of you guys at the garage party singing Edge of Great and Carlos got you a ball of yarn. Even Victoria even got you a little candle that you absolutely adored and Flynn got you a bracelet that matched one that she and Julie were wearing.

“Guys, these are all so great, I can’t thank you enough! You better bet I’ll be stepping it up for your guys’ birthdays.”

“Looking forward to it,” Carlos said, after Julie repeated what you said. He turned to his left and smiled at you and you laughed, you were sitting more to his right.

“Tell him that I can’t wait,” you requested and Julie obliged.

While she did that you got up and hugged everyone you could. “Guys, this could not have been a better day.”

“It’s not over yet. We have one last gift for you!” Reggie said excitedly and you smiled brightly, tears of joy forming in your eyes.

“You guys didn’t have to,” you protested, blushing at the kindness they had been showing you. “You’ve already done so much for me.”

“Yes we did.” Julie sat down next to you and Luke sat on the other side, with an arm around you while Reggie and Alex leaned in behind you. You tilted your head as Julie turned on her phone and went to her camera roll.

You were about to ask what was going on when she played a video. Julie and the guys appeared on screen and you saw that they were standing outside the garage.

“Happy Birthday, Y/n!” They all yelled and you smiled, expecting them to do a little birthday recording of a song for you, but instead of getting their instruments Luke spoke.

“We noticed how sad you were about your parents and we had this idea...” with that the screen shifted.

You were only more confused when you recognized the inside of your parents house. It was easy to tell that the camera was filming from just inside your old kitchen. You watched curiously as Julie and your parents stepped into the frame.

“If you could say one thing to her, what would you say?” Julie asked and you realized she was talking about you.

Your mom sniffed, tears in her eyes. “I’d let her know how much I love her and how proud we are of her. I just wish we could tell her that. She was so talented, I just wish she could have lived her dream.”

Tears welled in your eyes at what your mom said, but they started falling when your dad spoke. “I’d wish her a happy birthday and tell her that I wish she could come camping with us. We kept up our tradition and I just wish she could know how much she meant-means to us. We missed out on so much with her and though we can’t get it back I hope she knows that we love her with all of our hearts.”

The video faded into a slideshow of some pictures of you, and in the background Now or Never was playing.

A good majority of the old pictures were taken during your camping trips and it was interesting to see how you had grown. When you were twelve, guitars began to appear in the pictures and there were quite a few ones of you playing around a campfire. Everyone was laughing in those, and it made you smile to remember when they were taken.

After the pictures of your family, they faded to pictures of you with the guys. There was even one of your first gig, you recalled that your mom had taken it. Your parents had been so excited for you. You had always felt so lucky to have such supportive parents.

From there, there were the newest pictures, ones of you with Julie and even some from your current camping trip that she must have added at the last minute.

After the last picture faded away you immediately grabbed all of your friends into a group hug. You couldn’t believe they had done this for you. You felt so unbelievably honored and touched.

You sniffed. “Guys, how did you do this?”

“Well, Alex, Reggie, and I got most of the pictures, we used some cameras to sneak them,” Luke explained.

“Yeah, it was not easy. I can’t count the number of times your parents almost saw the floating cameras,” Reggie said and you laughed.

You turned to Julie. “It means the world to me that you got my parents to say that. How?”

“I told them that I was trying to get to know the old band that had once practiced in my garage and from there they told me everything.” You hugged the girl tightly.

“I can’t begin to explain how much this means to me.” You opened your mouth to explain more, but nothing came out. “Just...this is...wow, guys. I-I just, thank you? I don’t know, thank you doesn’t sound like enough.”

“You don’t have to explain, Y/n, we’re just glad you liked it,” Alex said.

“After this, I’m gonna make sure you guys have great birthdays too.” Some more tears fell. “I just, wow.”

“So you liked it?” Luke asked and you beamed at him.

“I loved it.”

****

Tada, I hope y'all enjoyed this! Once I started writing it bloomed into this and I'm happy with what it came out to be. It's also been a while since I played frisbee, so sorry if the rules are wrong. Anyways, I loved writing this and I hope y'all have a fantastically safe and wonderful day/night!

Also if you want me to do more gender neutral fics just let me know, I only do she/her because that's what I’m most comfortable with, but please let me know if you want they/them on more stuff. I want to make this blog inclusive.

P.S. I am open to requests, but I won't get to them until after Halloween :) Please check my blog for the pinned post before requesting.

P.P.S. if you want to be on my taglist for all things Julie and the Phantoms, feel free to ask. I hope it works and please message me if it doesn’t.

[sombreboy]

Unsullied | yandere!pjm (E)

▎ 18+ / Explicit ▎ xtremity; 8 ▎ pairing: PJM x Y/N ▎ genre: pwp smut, dubcon, yandere, some angst, tiny amount of fluff ▎ word count: 7.4k ▎ warnings: heavy stockholm syndrome, stalking, cursing, sadistic!jimin, possessive/obsessive/delusional behavior, toxic relationship, manipulative!jimin, mentions of malnourishment, innocent/virgin!y/n, he calls you babygirl a lot, daddy kink, unprotected sex, dirtytalk, dubcon, mentions of blood, impegnation kink, fucking while pregnant, spanking/whipping, bruising, rough sex, oral/facefucking, choking, exhibitionism, forced voyerism, angst, death of side character(member), vague descriptions of murder. Idk if I’ve covered all warnings, but basically; don’t read this if you’re sensitive to any of these things.

A/N: This is from an older rp of mine with 🍎anon, some of you might recognize it! I know many of you missed it and asked about it..so, here it is. ♡

"Jiminie!" You shouted through the door of the locked room you had been caged inside of, "You can't do this to me! I'm not a toy you can keep locked up and play with whenever you like... I have friends, family, they will search for me! Please Jimin, just let me go!’’

Jimin was sitting on the floor, leaned against the wall outside of your room, glancing over at the locked door.

He sighed before responding, “It’s for your own good, Y/N! The last time I let you out, you tried to run away, I simply can’t risk that again. Don’t you understand?! You’re safer with me! I can take care of you!”

You made your way to the queen-sized bed. Jimin had the room decorated just for you, and you had to admit, it was beautiful, you couldn't deny that. Hand-painted flowers on the walls, a fireplace in the corner, a bookcase with all of your favorites and a big window, locked of course, showing the green forest outside. You had resisted giving in to Jimin for months now, but you started to get tired and lonely.

Maybe you should just give up even though you’re scared?

"Jimin. I don't want to be alone.", You began to cry, your voice breaking as you spoke.

Jimin got up to stand by the door, placing his hand on it to let his fingers smooth over the strong material it was made of. He hated to hear your cries, he hated that you continuously rejected him.

But he was patient. He knew you’d give in eventually.

Or at least, he hoped, “Y/n… shh, you’re not alone, okay? Hear me? I’m here. I’ve always been here, y/n… you’ve got me.”

You heard Jimin’s soft, reassuring words. But.. you also remembered times when he hadn't been that gentle.

A few days after Jimin had brought you here you'd hit him in an attempt to escape. You hadn't made it very far. He'd been furious and chained you to the bed, screaming at you for not being obedient.

But that was months ago now. And… well, maybe it had been your own fault.

Jimin just wanted to protect you, didn't he? Maybe it wasn't so bad to be loved by him? "Jimin...Please come.." You sobbed by now, begging for him to comfort you.

A wolfish grin pulled on his lips. Did he finally break you? Did he finally make you realize that nobody would ever love you as much as he does?

“I’m coming, angel, don’t cry.” He cooed, hurrying to unlock the door and step inside, eyes instantly finding you curled up on your bed. He’s missed seeing your face like this, otherwise only being able to see you through the monitors in the hidden cameras, or the vague interactions of placing the occasional plate of food in your room.

He jogged over to sit down next to you, hands cupping your cheeks to examine your face, “I’m here, my love.”

You felt Jimin’s hands caress your cheeks, eyes fluttering open to look at him. It felt so good to be close to someone again after all this time spent in isolation. You raised your hands, weak after being malnourished, and drove your fingers gently through Jimin’s soft hair.

‘‘My sweet, dear angel…” Jimin muttered, a small smile on his lips at your willingness to touch him. He would’ve groaned in joy at the way your fingers felt through his locks.

He swipes your dried tears off your cheeks with his thumbs, hands moving to wrap around your small frame in his embrace, pulling you close to press your face into his chest. He inhales your scent, the vague scent he loved so much still there.

You stiffened a bit when you were pushed against Jimin's chest. But, you thought, it felt quite nice. Jimin’s embrace was warm and despite everything; you felt safe. So you relaxed and leaned in further. His own scent calming to your senses, your body melting into his warmth. 

The two of you remain like this for a while, your breathing slowly regaining it’s normalcy, tears dried long ago. Softly, he continuously combed his fingers through your hair, a soft humming vibrating in his chest, ‘’You’re okay, baby... ‘’, Jimin withdrew just enough to be able to look you in the eye, his hand holding your cheek, as if he was keeping you in place, ‘’I’ll never leave you.’’ Your doe eyes meet his, fixated on you before he draws you in for a sweet kiss. It was delicate, slow, and filled with his obsession-..affection for you.

He continued to kiss you, drawing your body closer to his… And that’s when you felt something pressing against your lower stomach. Even though you were inexperienced, you weren't stupid. If Jimin wanted you, well, maybe you should just give your all to him? So that he could trust you?

"Jiminie..." You mumbled, blushing. "I... I've never... you know... been with anyone before..."

Jimin let his hands smooth down your back until they settle at your hips, lifting you to straddle his lap. He stares up at you with a piercing gaze, but it softens with his smile, his eyes morphing into the shape of small crescent moons, “I’d be your first.’’ He shines with joy as he states this, “It’s okay, babygirl... I’ll take care of you…’’

You gasped as Jimin’s hands roamed your body. His smile told you everything you needed to know, he was pleased with you and that, maybe a bit unexpectedly, made you happy too. You moved and made yourself comfortable on his lap, met his gaze, blushed and said, "What do you want me to do... d-daddy?".

‘‘Take off your shirt, babygirl.” Jimin purred, his fingers already working to help you pull it off for you. You felt his erection grow underneath you, he had been pining for this moment for forever.

You shivered when Jimin’s fingers met your bare skin and the top was thrown on the floor. Jimin’s stare on your naked form made you shy and hesitant and you tried to cover yourself. The blush on your cheeks never ends, "J-jimin" you whispered. "Why did you choose me? W-will... you always keep me here?"

Jimin wrapped his fingers around your wrists to stop you from covering yourself, placing your hands on his shoulders. His hands move to smooth over the soft skin of your chest, his breath shaking as he exhales, “It has always been you, baby. It’s just the way it is. My heart beats for you, my entire existence is for you… and just the thought of you,” he paused as he looked frustrated from just thinking about it, “the thought of you finding the wrong path with somebody else makes me angry… so I had to show you the right path. Everyone else wants to hurt you... I don’t... I love you.”

Your eyes widened slightly at Jimin’s statement. Of course, he'd told you many times already that he loved you, but somehow it felt a bit different this time. Never before had anyone cared so much for you. You smiled shyly at Jimin and dragged your right hand from his shoulder to his collarbone and the beginning of his t-shirt, dragging it, wanting him to take it off, "No one has said such things to me before... I want to be good for you Jiminie...", you said as your arousal grew stronger.

He wasn’t used to your willingness, always had to struggle for your affection. But now, you were finally his, giving yourself over to him. He thanked the gods for making you realize that you belong with him, a smile on his face, lower lip clamped between his teeth, removing his shirt to reveal his torso for you. It was strong, he worked out frequently to make sure he would always have more stamina than you, be able to protect you if needed.. Or catch you if you attempted another escape. And when he wasn’t working out, his love for dance kept his stamina high, ‘’I will remind you every single day how much I love you, babygirl.’’

A quiet gasp pushed through your lips at Jimin’s revealed torso. Never had you allowed yourself to think so before, but well... he was truly beautiful, "But... d-daddy. What if someone starts searching for me, and takes me away from you?" With unsure hands you made patterns on his skin, drawing lower and lower. Did you really dare? Touch him... down there? You looked up again, with eyes begging for guidance.

His lips parted, a small breath in excitement at your needy eyes. Your hands felt amazing on his skin, slightly cold, but it was okay. He was gonna feed you well from now on, you’re so well behaved for him, ‘’Don’t worry about that, my love. I took care of it long ago... Nobody’s looking for you.’’ At least, that’s what he believed. He placed his hands over yours, slowly guiding your fingers down to palm his erection through his pants, ‘’Besides, I would never, ever... ever... let anybody take you away from me.’’ He growled out the words with a lower voice.

Maybe you should feel worried by Jimin’s words, a few months ago you would probably have been furious and scared. But somehow, that had changed, and now it just made you feel fuzzy inside. It also made your arousal grow even more.

You inhaled a sharp breath when Jimin’s fingers guided you to his erection. As if on instinct you palmed him through his jeans and squeezed his length softly, "Does that feel good daddy? Am I being a good girl?" You stuttered slightly, "I-I think I want... uh... to see all of you..."

Jimin moans quietly underneath your touch, nodding as he leans in to press a soft kiss on your lips, “It feels heavenly my baby girl…” he helps you this time, unzipping his pants and pulling them down along with his underwear in one go below his hips, just enough for him to expose himself, “Don’t be shy, my love, this is all yours… I’m yours… please touch me.”

Your cheeks are tinted, but you try to ignore your embarrassment since Jimin seems so comfortable in his nudity. The kiss from Jimin leaves you needy for more, so you gently meet his lips again, letting him take control. He leaves you breathless. You don't actually know what you are doing, but you're hellbent on pleasing him so that's why you place yourself between his legs and drop down to your knees. While looking him in the eyes, you carefully lick the tip of his cock, anticipating his reaction.

Jimin cooes with approval, spreading his legs for you to position yourself properly in between, “What a good, good girl you are…” He breathes out quietly, the warmth of your tongue making his breathing heavier, “Keep going, you’re doing so well.” He urges you to continue.

His approval makes you bolder. You place your hands on his thighs, caressing them softly, while trying to fit more of his cock in your mouth and sucking gently. While you keep looking Jimin in the eyes, you see so much emotion. How could you ever have thought that they portrayed anything but love? If you love someone, you protect them from harm, and that was what Jimin had done. You were grateful, "Daddy... my panties feel sticky..." you mumbled.

Jimins jaw went slack, mouth hanging open in awe as he stared down at you in admiration, “You’re so fucking pretty.” He praised, one hand caressing your cheek before it moves to gently run his finger through your hair. Brittle, weak. But he would fix that. He was gonna give you your strength back now that you deserved it. He cooes at your little shy comments, “My little babygirl is wet already? You want me that badly, hm?”

You'd decided. Since Jimin had done so much for you, you'd do this for him. You nodded, "Mhm, daddy, I'm ready. I-I need you."

Jimin smiles at your words, grabbing onto your arms to pull you back up into the bed. He gently lays you down on your back before positioning himself between your legs on his knees, hands softly taking their time to roam over your every curve from your torso down to your thighs, ‘’My needy girl, my beautiful y/n... my everything.’’ He breathes out quietly.

It hurts when Jimin pushes into you, you’d be lying if you told yourself otherwise. But the look he gives you, the happiness and satisfaction, makes you think it's worth it. Isn't this what everyone wants? To have someone close, that cares and loves you? How silly you were before, you think, trying to reject this. You feel Jimin’s speed increasing, fucking into you harder, almost feeling like you’re being torn apart due to the very little time you were given to adjust to his size… and something starts to stir in you. It feels good. You whimper and moan, "D-daddy...uh... p-please".

Jimin started off gently, but you felt too good, he quickly became greedy. The sweat on his chest glistens as it drips down onto you, his whiny, needy moans pushing through his lips with every snap of his hips. He was so happy to finally feel you, and for you to finally feel him, ‘’You’re so good to me, babygirl, you make me feel so good...s-shit...’’

Jimin angles your leg over his shoulder, which makes you feel him deeper than before. He finds the spot that makes you shake with pleasure, and with just a few thrusts you've lost it. You take a hold of his biceps, nails digging into his skin, surely leaving a mark. Giving in to pleasure as you've never felt before, you clamp down on Jimin’s cock- feeling it throb inside you, "Aaahh... d-daddy it feels good." You moan. "You make me... feel so so good daddy."

Jimin didn’t even attempt to remain silent, mouth hanging open in pleasure as he thrusts into you with precise, forceful movements. All the time spent working out was paying off, being able to pleasure you like this was all he ever wanted, “Yeah?’’ He loves your praise, “Tell me how much you love me, babygirl...’’ His voice was strained, his hips losing it’s precise rhythm as he feels himself getting closer, he just needs that little bit of verbal praise to get himself there, “Tell me you want to stay with me forever, f-fuck... I promise to take care of you like this every day.’’

You shake and stutter from the overstimulation and the exhaustion, but the need to please Jimin is stronger, "Y-you are the first one to make me feel this way dadd-y, and the only one who ever will. I promise to stay with you, I-I want to stay with you daddy. I'm only yours."

Jimin smiled, a wicked look on his face as he stares down at you with a possessive look, “Yes, good babygirl, you’re mine.’’ He moans in between his words, hips pushing as deep as physically possible into you, keeping himself still when he cums. He didn’t care that neither of you had any protection, relishing in the thought of possibly impregnating you. He breathes heavily, looking down at where the two of you are joined together before slowly pulling himself out, slumping down to lay down next to you, pulling you close to embrace you in his arms.

Your heart beats erratically when Jimin puts his arms around you. Bringing you as close as physically possible, as if you together are one. You feel his cum dripping out of you but can't bring yourself to care. Slowly, your eyes fluttered closed, sleep overtaking you.

~~~

You wake up before Jimin does. His arms still securely hold you into place. You glance across the room, noticing the door Jimin in his haste forgot to lock. You carefully unwrap his arms, tiptoeing across the room, and make your way downstairs...

Jimin is fast asleep, groaning quietly when you carefully untangle yourself from his arms. He grabbed a pillow, hugging it as if it was you, continuing to sleep for a little longer.

For the first time since coming, you got the chance to look around a bit in the house Jimin had brought you to. As you imagined, the kitchen was downstairs -big and bright. You strolled over to the fridge, noticing a lack of ingredients for the breakfast you wanted to make for Jimin. So you carefully went up again, put on your clothes, searched for, and found, his wallet and then made your way out the front door.

Jimin woke up when the sun was shining through the window, he sat up with a groan and rubbed his eyes, “Ah I slept in late, babygirl…” He noticed the lack of response, eyes widening as he sees you’re not here, “Y/N?!” He quickly got dressed, seeing the door wide open. He felt his heart drop, did you just lie this entire time? Did you gain his trust just to leave him, and break his heart? He felt angry, seeing you left the front door unlocked, and his wallet was missing. His anger boiled inside of him, growling out as he swung his fist into the wall, causing his knuckles to get bloody and bruised. The thought of you leaving made him feel everything at once. He was determined to bring you back and, sadly, needed to punish you for leaving… Trying to leave. He didn’t know your true intentions, however. But you should’ve known better than to leave unannounced.

The sun was shining when you were on your way back home to Jimin’s place from the local supermarket. You had found everything you wanted, even fresh strawberries! Jimin would be so happy and pleased with you, that's what you thought at least. However, when you entered through the front door, your good mood died instantly. Standing in front of you stood Jimin, fuming with anger, towering over your smaller frame, "J-jimin?" You whimpered.

“Where have you been?!” Was the first thing he growled out as he closed the door was slammed shut, pushing your back against it as he clawed at your shoulders in a tight grip, startling you so that you dropped your bags, ‘’Why did you leave me?!” He started to feel paranoid, for all he knows you would have contacted the cops. He locked the door, eyes piercing down at you and his nostrils flaring with the heavy breaths he was taking.

You didn't understand his reaction. Didn't he see that you were trying to be good for him?, "J-jimin please... you're hurting me." You said feeling his nails dig into your shoulder. With tears falling and fear in your eyes, you mumbled, "I just wanted to make you breakfast..."

Jimin’s lower lip was clamped between his teeth, so hard it almost drew blood. He had issues with his temper, and even if he heard your intentions, he was still.. So angry, “Babygirl, you can’t leave the house without me. Not with the way you look… it will draw unnecessary attention towards us, and they could take you away from me.” He looked at you, his eyes softening at your cries. He pulled you in for a hug, his bloody knuckles staining your clothes, “You promised you’d be my good girl, right?” He was trembling, with both anger and worry, his voice still stern.

His still stern voice didn't ease your fear, even though he also hugged you. When he released his arms around you, the bloody knuckles were made visible to you. You gasped and with care took one of his hands in yours and tried to meet his gaze, "I-I'm sorry Jiminie. I want to be your good girl, I really do. I'm so so sorry." Your voice broke, "I don't want anyone to take me away from you. Promise you won't let anyone take me!" You cried, tears streaming down your cheeks, feeling guilty because he had hurt himself because of you.

His eyes looked sad, as if you broke his heart, “You need to listen to me, my love.” His eyes squinted with frustration, holding your hand in his as he presses kisses against your cheek, “How can I trust you when you sneak out without me?” He kisses down to your neck, before landing a harsh bite that’ll leave a mark, “Now I have to teach you a lesson again...” he sighed, he didn’t want to keep punishing you. But it was necessary, or you would learn that it’s okay to defy him.

You instinctively tried to jump away when Jimin bit your neck, but it was useless. His hold on you was too strong. Of course you wanted his trust, but not his lessons, "Jiminie, please" you sobbed, "I won't do it again, I will behave."

But to no avail. You saw no mercy in Jimin's eyes...

Jimin shook his head, clicking his tongue before letting you go, “Take off your clothes.” He said coldly while he was picking up the bags of groceries, leaving it on the kitchen table as he waited for you to follow his instructions, “And get on your knees.”

It was as if you had two different sides. One part of you wanted to oblige to everything Jimin said, to prove worthy of his love. But then there was also a part of you that felt wronged. You hadn't done anything other than wanting to make Jimin happy, why should you be punished for that? Your thoughts made you hesitate, and therefore you didn't get down on your knees fast enough...

Jimin felt impatient, and his hands roughly pressed on your shoulders to force you down on your knees in front of him, “When I say get on your knees, you get on your knees, babygirl.”

You stumbled down, and felt bruises beginning to take form on your knees from the rough treatment. The part of you that felt wronged grew, so when Jimin took a hold of your face you instantly snatched your head away from him.

Jimin crouched down, once more grabbing your jaw between his fingers, nails digging into your cheeks, “What’s going on with you today?” He stared into your eyes, eyebrows drawn together in frustration, “Since when did you become such a bad girl? Where did my good girl go? The one that obeys me and makes me proud?”

You have no choice but to look Jimin in the eyes, disappointment in you evident. It made you whimper. You didn't really want to, but you knew it would be worse for you if you didn't comply. If this was what you had to do to gain his trust, so be it, "I'll be good daddy." You said while waiting for your punishment.

Jimin smiles, satisfied with your answer, “That’s the girl I love.”

He roughly let go of your jaw, standing up straight in front of you. “Take off my belt, and hand it to me. I’m not helping you.”

You set your gaze on Jimin's growing erection. With unsteady hands you grasp his buckle, feeling Jimin's eyes on you -watching your every move. Since your fingers are shaking it takes a few tries for you to get the buckle open. When you do, you carefully drag the belt out from his jeans and hand it to him. When you meet his eyes again... well, you feel like a prey ready to be devoured.

He tightly grasps the belt in his hand, a wicked smile on his face, “Get up,” he kicks at you with his foot, “Go and put your hands against the wall, and arch your back, show me your pretty little ass.”, He snaps the belt against his palm like a whip, tongue swiping across his teeth. It was time for your punishment.

Your legs wobble a bit when you try to stand up, but you do as Jimin says. Put your shaking hands against the wall and bend down making your ass stand out. And then you wait, whimpering, for what's to come.

“Such a well behaved babygirl for me.”, He cooed as he sauntered over to stand behind you. He doesn’t touch you, simply lets you stand there for a moment, exposed and unknowing of what’s coming and when, “You must be so embarrassed that you dared to disobey, hmm? Tell me how sorry you are.”

You whimper again, really feeling exposed in this position and also vulnerable not being able to see what Jimin is doing. With a stutter you say, "I-I just wanted to make you happy daddy. I'm sorry, I didn't think about how dangerous the outside world is, I'll never go without your permission again daddy. I promise to be obedient." While hoping this will make him ease his punishment for you.

Jimin didn’t care about your apology, he just wanted to hear your high pitched cries, relishing in how embarrassed you were to be exposed to him like this. His cock throbbed in his pants at the view, “Good... now be a good girl and don’t move an inch.”

He knows it’d be hard for you to stand like that for too long, because he wants you to fail, so he could punish you more. He whips the belt once more, this time the leather smacking against your ass, hard, immediately leaving a bruise on your skin.

You scream out loud at the feeling of Jimin’s belt against your skin. Instantly you must focus to keep your legs from giving up, "It hurts daddy" you cry.

Jimins cock throbs once more at the sounds you make, he palms himself through his pants with one hand as the other whips the belt against the plump of your ass once more, “You deserve it, don’t you? Tell me you’ve been a bad girl.”

The marks on your ass were stinging with pain. Your legs start to fail you, and you realize that you won't be able to hold them up much longer, "Daddy, I've been such a bad girl, I'm sorry. I'll always do as you say from now on, I promise!’" You try to turn your head to face Jimin and plead with him.

He loves the way your tears trickle down your cheeks, his smile sparkled with pride. His eyes were dilated with lust for you, and he steps closer, wrapping the belt around your throat with one hand as he smacks your ass with the other, pushing your chest against the wall as he pulls your neck back to lay your head on his shoulder, “I love you babygirl. You’re taking the punishment so well…. Do you want a reward? Hm? How badly do you want it?”

Jimin's belt around your neck makes you gasp for air, so much so that you start to see black spots in the outskirts of your vision. The pain is almost unbearable, but somewhere inside you feel yourself liking the rough treatment. This was Jimin’s way of showing love. After all, he only did this to protect you from your own stupid decisions, "I-I want a reward daddy, please, I'll do anything for you." You try to say while gasping for air.

Jimin had a wolfish grin on his face, letting the belt fall freely still attached to your neck, giving you his full attention with both hands as he snakes his hands around your torso to cup your breasts, playing with your nipples roughly, pinching them as he licks your cheek, ‘’My best girl, you finally earned your reward…’’ His voice was raspy with lust, rutting against your ass with his prominent bulge, making a point out of what exactly this reward was going to be.

You feel the blood rushing, making your cheeks red and you almost feel feverish. It's as if you have no control over your body, and you can't help the moan slipping out when Jimin cups your breasts and licks your cheek. His hard erection makes you wet. Lust takes over and all you can think about is that you want to feel him inside you again, "Jimin, daddy, p-please, I need you."

‘‘Again, baby? You’re so needy, I fucking love it...” He kisses down your neck, his hand travelling down to cup your pussy, his fingers teasing between your soppy folds, ‘‘What do you need, baby? Tell me, and I might give it to you.”

You want to oblige, but the words you think Jimin wants to hear feel so foreign in your mouth. But you try to put that aside and focus on the pleasure you feel from Jimin's fingers,  "I-I want to feel you inside daddy." You moan loudly when his fingers continuously tease you, "It felt so good, so... uh... good daddy, when you came in last night. Please give it to me again. D-don't you want me daddy?"

Jimin nods hurriedly, sweat forming on his forehead as he can’t keep the smile on his lips away, his hands once again travelling from your pussy to remove his pants completely, unbuttoning his shirt so it reveals his glistening torso, letting the shirt hang freely, clinging to his biceps, “Arch your back, love, show me your pretty little pussy.’’

Your dripping pussy is on display, but you're both so emotionally dried out and physically tired that you don't care about the bit of embarrassment you really feel. You turn your head, catching a glimpse of Jimin looking like a predator in his ace. Like last night, Jimin doesn't care to prepare you with his fingers. You feel the tip of his cock nudge your pussy and moan out, "Oh my god, daddy, please I just need you inside me now." You say as you try to push yourself closer to him.

“Hush, babygirl, be patient,” he smiles as he speaks, his wolfish grin never ceasing as he finally gives you want you need with a harsh thrust of his hips, filling you up with his cock in one stroke, “Ah, fuck…you’re so delicious.” He bites his lower lip, keeping his hips still as he enjoys simply feeling your tight warmth embrace his length.

Jimin’s hard thrust makes you gasp for air. You are still sore from last night, but you've come to enjoy the pain, "You feel so good inside me Jiminie, a-aah." Even though he just punished you for not being obedient, you ignore his words about being "patient" as you whimper and try to wiggle your ass to make him move.

His palm lands flat with a smack on your bruised ass when you move, his hands moving back to grasp your hips so roughly that his nails were drawing blood from your skin, pulling his cock out of you, “Are you going to be a bad girl again?” He loved the mutual pining he tortured himself and you with. He wanted to fuck you dumb right fucking now, but making you suffer and whine was one of his favorite guilty pleasures.

It feels as if your legs are giving up. If it weren't for Jimin's painfully digging fingers on your hip holding you up, you'd probably already be on the floor. Your bruised ass and Jimin's cock leaving you makes tears once again form in your eyes, "No, I'm sorry s-sir, I'll be still, be a good girl." You try to steady yourself, face against the wall, waiting, just to prove it, "C-Can I get my reward now?"

“Ahh, good girl,” he cooes, pushing himself back into you, instantly beginning a brutal phase of fucking his fat cock into you, no regards towards how weak your legs must be by now, pushing your chest against the wall and a tight hold on your hips to keep you up. Every thrust causes your body to jolt forward and smack against the wall with a thud.

It feels as if you're going to pass out in any moment, both from pain but also the immense amount of pleasure you feel from Jimin's rough thrusts. You're nearing your edge. Just one small push. Maybe you've learnt your lesson after all, because instead of doing what your body begs you to, rub your clit, you ask for permission, "Sir, please you feel too good, aa-h I'm so close. Oh, sir please make me cum. I want to cum with you inside me." No longer caring about the foul words leaving your mouth.

Jimin pushes himself as close to you as possible, fucking into you in such a way that it was as if he was trying to fuse himself with you, his heavy breath fanning your neck as he kisses it softly, a big contrast to the way he’s fucking into you, “Such a good babygirl asking so nicely,” he keeps kissing below your ear, his low moans so needy, one of his hands snaking down to rub your clit in precise, swift circles, “Cum around my cock, my love, please.”

He wasn’t a begging type of guy, but saying please made his insides stir, making you feel like you were needed, an illusion of you having even a small amount of power over him.

Hearing Jimin beg and his expert hands on your clit is all it takes for you to let go and cum. You can't help but scream when the ecstasy spreads through your body. Your legs are finally giving up, you're like a doll in Jimin's hands. Despite not having any energy left, you still feel the immense need to be good for Jimin. As your pussy is clutching around his cock you say, "Sir, p-please I want to feel you cum inside. Fill me up, o-oh sir, put a baby in me and show everyone who I belong to."

Jimin moans loudly at your words, his hand on your clit moving up to wrap around your throat as his hips piston into you, greedy and needy to chase his own high, your cunt squeezing him so tight that it takes merely minutes for him to reach his peak, hips stuttering as he pushes his cock as deep inside of you as physically possible, filling you up with his cum, “I’m hoping you get pregnant, my babygirl... I’m going to cum inside of you every single day until you’re swollen with my child. Fuck, I love you so much...” he slowly rocks his hips back and forth, his cum forced to dribble out of you from his movements as he whimpers from oversensitivity, guiding your lips to his in a sweet kiss.

With the last bit of energy you have, you meet his lips. Thinking about Jimin’s words and feeling his cum roll down the inside of your legs, you feel quite pleased. The prospect of having Jimin’s child, being bound to him forever, once would have made you terrified but now... makes you feel safe and loved. He would take care of you, both of you if it led to that. When the lust at last fades away, you take more notice of how sticky you are, "Jiminie" You mumble, "Can you help me shower?"

He picks you up in his arms, kissing your face as he walks into the bathroom. He turns on the shower, still holding you in his arms as he hugs you, “Babygirl, you’ve done so well today.”

You thrive at the praise Jimin gives you… When you're both clean, even though you'd much rather go to sleep again, you go to the almost forgotten bag with groceries you bought before. It's still daytime, maybe you'll make lunch with it instead of breakfast? You think to yourself, "Jiminie." You say, turning around to see him standing behind you with watchful eyes, "Oh, uhm, I bought strawberries. Thought I'd make pancakes, well if you'd like?" You smile timidly.

Jimin tilted his head to the side, eyes flickering between you and the grocery bags. A smile pulled on his lips, eyes squinting as he reached out to touch your cheek, very gently this time, “I’d love that. But no sharp tools.’’

You melt under Jimin's gentle touch, "I'll be careful, I promise" you say, a big smile adorning your face. Now determined to make the best pancakes ever, you get right into it. After a short while you hear Jimin leave the room.

Another few minutes pass by when suddenly you hear a serial of hard knocks on the front door, and somebody screaming your name. You recognize that voice as your best friend Jungkook. Immediately you go to the front door, unlock and open it, "Y/N!" Jungkook says, relief evident in his voice, "Oh my god, why haven't you called me?! You've been gone for months! Just leaving without a trace!"

The relief slowly turned into anger, "I almost thought you'd died." Jungkook continues,  "And then Yoongi said he saw you here in the supermarket, so I asked around until I found this house. Y/N, why did you just leave?.. You know what, It doesn't matter, come with me now!"

You're struggling to find your words, when you feel a strong presence behind you...

‘‘Who’s this?” Jimin’s strong frame was standing behind you, his hands landing on your hips to pull you closer to him. His eyes were fixed on Jungkook, he knew exactly who it was, and he remembers he really, really isn’t fond of him.

Jungkook stares at Jimin’s hand on your hip, then looks up and meets Jimin’s eyes, "A better question is, who are you?!" Jungkook says, then looks to you for guidance.

 "U-uhm." You stutter. "K-kookie, this, ehm, is m-my boyfriend, Jimin. Haven't you met, uh, before?"

Jungkook looks skeptically at Jimin, "Oh, now I remember. You're that jerk that followed Y/N around. Boyfriend, you say? Uh-huh, don't think so." Jungkook says before taking a hard grip on your forearm, preparing to drag you away from Jimin.

Jimin’s hand flies faster than you could blink to wrap around Jungkook’s wrist, his nostrils flaring and eyes glaring at where Jungkook’s hand is touching what is his. How dare he touch his babygirl? ‘‘She wants to be here. Let go.”

Jimin's strong, but so is Jungkook. With a massive force and speed Jungkook rips his wrist from the elders grip, takes a hold of you with his other hand and drags you so hard that you stumble right into his chest, "Wants to be here my ass! You're the reason Y/N disappeared! I knew she wouldn't just leave me!" Jungkook screams, with you now tightly secured against his front.

Jimin was getting angrier, and you knew that he had a hard time controlling himself if he got angry enough, ‘“Leaving YOU?! She was never yours to begin with!” Jimin laughs mockingly, eyes blown wide with craze. He takes a step closer, hand reaching out for you, “Tell him babygirl, you want to be here with me, don’t you?”

"Ha! So you mean to tell me that she suddenly left everything, for you, whom she just the days before told me she was scared of!? You're lying, and Y/N is coming with me. And don't be delusional, she was always mine.", Jungkook growls. You try to wiggle your way out of Jungkook’s grip, when you do you catch a glimpse of Jimin’s eyes. The craze swirling in them makes you scared, not so much of him, just for what he could do if he was further provoked. You feel the strong need to comfort him, assure him, of course you're his and with him is where you should be…right?

Jimin took another step forward, his hand reaching out for you, eyes fixated in a tunnel vision for you, but keeping his attention on Jungkook, “She loves me. She loves ME.” His lips were trembling, the thought of losing you and seeing Jungkook touch you was driving him towards madness, “Don’t touch my babygirl...” his voice was calm, but his eyes were growing frantic, about to snap at any second.

You tried to get out of Jungkook’s hold, you really did, but you were still so weak, and his grip was too strong, "Jungkook, please let me go." You beg, knowing Jimin was reaching his limit, "Jungkook, I want to be here! And I do love him.. I love Jimin!"

Jimin felt himself calm down slightly at your words, finally getting close enough to grab your arm to pull you towards himself. Jungkook hesitantly let you slip from his grasp. Jimin hugged you, breathing in your scent as he whispered in your ear, “Please tell him to leave, or I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Your heart is beating fast as you obey, "Jungkook, thank you for looking out for me, but really I'm fine. You can go home now, it's okay!"

Jungkook doesn't trust you, it's clear in his eyes. He looks at Jimin and says, "You're going to pay for what you've done to her."

You feel Jimin start to shake with anger, his body vibrating against yours… Suddenly, you noticed the sound of sirens coming closer and closer...

Jimin freezes at the sound of sirens, his heart pounding, and his grip around you tightening. This couldn’t be happening! “You!” Jimin snarled at Jungkook, “You got the police involved?! Huh?” He laughed as if this was funny, but he was shaking in anger, eyes frantic, “Do you really think they will believe you? She’s gonna tell them the truth! That she loves me!” He looks down at you with quivering eyes, “Right babygirl?”

Your eyes are big with shock, the police are coming?

"I-I love you Jimin." you say but the confusion you feel makes it sound hesitant.

"I saw the bruise on her neck." Jungkook says, ignoring your words, and you automatically move your hand to your neck where the bite mark from the earlier punishment is evident.

"And I'm sure they will find even more marks on her body.. It's okay Y/N, He's not going to hurt you anymore." Jungkook says once again reaching for you, the sirens sounding just outside now.

Jimin flinched at the uncertain tone of your voice, his hands cupping your face, “You do love me. You can’t let them take me…” his voice grew desperate, his anger fuming up again, “Fuck!” He let go of your face to hold you in his arms, moving so that he was shielding you from Jungkook, “Don’t fucking take her away from me again.”, He was saying this out in the air, towards nobody. His body was clinging on to yours, refusing to let go.

You feel as if you're watching the events that happen from a different perspective, not really comprehending what's going on. Jimin’s arms felt like he was going to crush you, that’s how strong his hold was.

Then suddenly, someone tries to drag you away, but Jimin doesn't let go, more policemen come -together trying to separate you and Jimin. After a struggling push and pull, they eventually succeed. You hear Jungkook calling your name from somewhere, but more clearly than anything you hear a furious scream erupting from Jimin’s throat as they take him away from you.

Jimin fights back, the policemen struggling to keep him down, needing three to four men to keep him in control as they pull him towards the police car, cuffing his hands behind his back, “Baby! Say something! Fuck!” His eyes flicker over to Jungkook, crazed as he laughs, “You are gonna regret this! She’s never gonna love you like she loves me! And she will crawl straight back to me as soon as she gets the chance!” Jimin cooes, smiling as he gets shoved into the car. His eyes focus back on you, mouthing ‘I love you’ before the car takes him away. This was the last time you saw Jimin for a long while.

~~~

"Shouldn't you at least eat something?” Jungkook asks, not really expecting an answer. Weeks have passed since they took Jimin away, and you still don't know how to comprehend what had happened. You just feel... empty. Jungkook made you stay at his place, scared of what you'd do if left alone. You go to therapy, ‘stockholm syndrome’, the doctors explained. But that's not what you're thinking about now. In your hands you hold a pregnancy test, showing two lines, "I'm pregnant with Jimin's child." You say out loud.

~

Jimin was staring out the window, he’s been in prison for weeks now. They forced him to be evaluated, endless therapist sessions and anger management. If he behaved well, he would be released within a few months. Jimin knew this, he was an excellent actor, and a charming face. He played along, becoming the model student of good behavior as he counted down the days before he could finally come back to you. He’s been working out often to keep his mood swings in check, his one of few outlets for his energy. He sighs, combing his fingers through his hair before being called for his next anger management session.

Just a little bit longer.

~

You're on your way home from the latest therapy session. The doctor says that you've made progress. Told you, and made you repeat to yourself, that what Jimin did to you was wrong. He didn't love you; it was just an unhealthy obsession. You've said it so many times now that you almost believe it. As the months have passed, your baby bump has grown to be more and more apparent. You still live with Jungkook. A few weeks ago he proposed to you, promising to be a good father to your child. You said yes, to make him happy, and a ring now adorned your finger. You feel raindrops starting to fall, hurrying home.

Failing to notice the shadow that followed you.

~

Jimin was finally released yesterday, and ever since he got out his main focus was to find you.

And he did. Easily. It was a piece of cake for him.

It was a rainy night when he decided to stalk you throughout the evening. You looked healthier. Fuller. You were gorgeous. His babygirl was beautiful. The rain was starting to pour down, he pulled the hood over his head as he slowly followed you to your new home that he recognized as Jungkook’s. His temper was already running low. But he wasn’t surprised.

The rain had started to pour, so you were dripping when you came in through the front door, "Y/N?" Jungkook shouted from the living room. "Yes, I'm home." You took off your wet coat and shoes, when you heard a gentle knock on the front door. Without hesitation you opened it, and the face that met yours almost made you faint right on the spot...

“Babygirl...” Jimin smiled when you opened the door, the familiar pet name rolling off his lips as he took a step inside, inviting himself. His hair had grown longer, curly locks framing his angelic face, his body firmer from working out. His gaze quickly fell down to your baby bump, his eyes squinting and eyebrows furrowing. He didn’t say anything, as if expecting you to explain yourself.

You can't believe your eyes. The pet name makes you shiver, your legs feel weak and you can barely hold yourself up. How could he be here? The shock makes you stutter, "J-jimin?" Your hands, with the engagement ring visible, automatically go to protect your round belly. But it's as if the months of therapy sessions just disappeared, and your need to please Jimin washed over you as if he never left. You see the question in his eyes and make yourself answer, "I-I'm pregnant." You take a deep breath, "It's yours".

“Mine?” Jimin whispers, almost as if in disbelief. He takes a step forward to you, hand reaching out for your baby bump, “I’m going to be a father…” a smile curled on his lips, he took another step forward to put his hands on yours, lifting up the one with the engagement ring on it, examining it with a growing frown and confusion, “What’s this? You’re married?” Jimin touched you so casually, as if you still belonged to him, and you could see his gaze darkening while he’s waiting for you to respond.

Somewhere there's a voice inside you telling you to get the hell away from Jimin, but you also know that it wouldn't matter. He'd just hold harder onto you. You curse the ring on your finger, trying to come up with some sort of explanation. Your mouth is dry and you struggle to form words, "N-no, it was, uh just, you know... Jungkook, he..." But you don't get any further. You hear someone enter the hallway and see Jimin's pupils widen with anger at the person behind you.

“Jeon Jungkook.” Jimin spat out his words, still holding on to your hand as he lifted it up higher to show off the ring, “You married him? After being the very person who had me taken away from you?!” Jimin stared down at you, his grasp around your hand tightening.

You gasp, his grip on your hand hurting, "No, no no Jiminie." You beg. "I-I’m not married. I promise, I'm not!" Your eyes search for his, pleading for forgiveness.

"She may not be married to me yet, but she will be." Jungkook voices behind you, "Now let go of her. Want me to call the police again?"

Jimins attention is shifted from you to Jungkook, he lifts your hand to his lips to press a soft kiss on it, as if reassuring you that this will be over soon, before letting you go, “Do you really think prison will stop me?” Jimin starts to saunter closer to Jungkook, a smile growing on his face and his eyes widening in a craze, “I’m just gonna keep coming back. Why? Because my babygirl needs me.”

He stops, pressing chest to chest with Jungkook, gaze piercing through him, “She needs her baby daddy. And you couldn’t replace me even if you tried. It’s always gonna be me.”

You don't know what to do. How can you stop Jimin? ... or do you even want to? Jungkook’s hands turn into hard fists. He would not let this crazy man take you, "You really are delusional. I've taken care of her all this time you've been away! She's even said yes to marry me!" Jungkook smirks. "She's got a new daddy now."

Jimin's eye twitched, he hated when people called him delusional, he had full awareness, he knew exactly what he was doing and how he was feeling… it was just much stronger.

He cracked his knuckles as well, his smile faltering into a thin line and a cold expression, “You’re gonna regret having such a big mouth, Jeon.” Jimin didn’t give Jungkook even half a second before he hurled a fist towards his jaw with a loud crack. Jungkook was strong, but Jimin was faster.

The crack Jungkook’s jaw makes as Jimin punches him makes your blood turn into ice. You understand that if you don't do anything now, Jimin might actually kill him. You throw yourself in front of Jungkook, now lying on the floor, get down on your knees and dip your head against Jimin's shoes and the floor, "Please Jimin. Don't." Tears are falling from your eyes as you beg, "I'll go with you again, just let him be.. I'm yours, please!" You say as you continue to sob.

Jimin remains expressionless as he watches you cry by his feet, crouching down to grab your chin, guiding your face to look up at him with your glossy eyes, “Babygirl, I know you’re mine.” he pauses to wipe your tears with his thumb, “you know I don’t let anybody get away without punishment… he deserves it, doesn’t he? He took me away from you for such a long time.”

Jimins hand against your cheek feels oddly comforting, even in this situation. You search for the right words to say. Even though you've never loved Jungkook, you do care about him and you know that Jimin's punishment would break him beyond repair. "I-It was my fault, I'm sorry! If I just would've stayed inside this wouldn't have happened. Punish me, not him, oh please...!"

Jungkook grumbles behind you, "No Y/N, don't. I can take him."

Jimin ignored your pleas, simply giving you a soft, deep kiss that had you gasping. He’s missed your lips, and they tasted even better with an audience. He withdrew to stand back up, circling around you to stand above Jungkook, “You can take me, you say… you know what else you said?” Jimin now crouched down next to Jungkook, grabbing his throat and pulling him up in a sitting position, nails digging into his throat, “That I’m delusional. Hah! Who’s the delusional one here, truly?” He squeezes tighter, “You thought she loved you? Do you see how she crumbled right in front of my feet as soon as I called her babygirl? You’re nothing to her... I’m EVERYTHING.”

"It's just because she's scared. She doesn't know what she's saying." Jungkook dismisses, but not feeling as confident anymore. The blow Jimin gave him before and the tight grip Jimin now has around his throat, slowly making him lose consciousness.

Jimin lets go of his throat, not wanting him unconscious just yet. He pulls Jungkook by the collar of his shirt to stand up, and roughly drags him to a chair. He reached in his back pocket for a rope he’d brought with him and tied him tightly to it, giving his cheek a mocking pat, “I’ll show you just how much she loves me.” Jimin smiled wickedly, waving his hand to beckon you to come to him as he takes a few steps back.

“Babygirl.”

Your legs are too weak to stand, so when Jimin beckons you start to crawl to him on your knees. Suddenly a memory flash by from months before

‘And she will crawl straight back to me as soon as she gets the chance!’

Jimin was right, he's always right. On all four you crawl slowly, your heavy stomach weighing you down. You reach Jimin's feet, sit up on your knees, hands in your lap, head slowly lifting to meet his eyes. And then you wait.

“What a good girl,” Jimin cooed approvingly, his hand stroking the top of your head as he positions himself so that Jungkook has a clear view from the side, your obedient eyes staring up at him waiting for instructions. Jimin glances over at Jungkook with a wolfish grin, “Babygirl,” he says without even looking down at you, keeping his eyes in Jungkook, “Daddy wants his cock sucked.”

You feel Jungkook’s hard stare on you as you get on with Jimin's order. As always in the presence of Jimin your hands shake, but you do manage to open his buckle and zipper. He's already hard when you pull out his cock from his jeans, making a tentative squeeze.

"Y/N." Jungkook groans, weak from the rough treatment. "Don't do what he tells you. He's sick, just run when you can. I'll come for you and the baby."

“My baby.” Jimin growls as his eyes travel back down to you, “She’s always gonna belong to me, and so will our child.” His fingers grasp your hair, tugging you closer to his cock, “I’m her everything, isn’t that right?”

You spare Jungkook a careful glance, before you look up to Jimin and nod, "I-I belong only to you s-sir."

Jungkook’s hands turn into fists but he's too weak to do anything other than watch… Jimin’s hands hold you into place while you grab his cock with both hands, guiding the tip to your mouth, still looking Jimin straight in the eyes.

‘‘Beautiful, baby.” Jimin smiles, his expression filled with affection, he almost looked harmless, ‘‘Show him how well you can choke on my cock… I bet you never took Jungkook as well as you did me.’‘

He assumed the two of you had an intimate relationship during his absence, the thought of it infuriating, but it only fuels his fire to give Jungkook the nastiest show he’s ever gonna witness.

You give Jimin’s length one tentative lick, tasting the precum in your mouth. Jimin takes a harder grip on your head and pushes you closer, demonstrating once again that he doesn't want it gentle. So you spit on his cock, spreading it with your hands. Then you open your mouth as wide as you can, and take in as much of him as possible, ignoring that it's triggering your gag-reflex and makes tears stream down your face.

Jimin’s lips fell open with a breathy moan, his hips taking over slowly as he starts to fuck into your mouth, a hard grasp tugging at your hair, ‘’Look,’’ Jimin glares at Jungkook with a crazed smile, ‘’Look how fucking desperate she is to please me…fuuck, she feels so good…’’

Jungkook doesn't want to see this, but can't make himself look away. Your eyes glistening with tears, Jimin's cock disappearing down your throat, lewd slurping sounds leaving your mouth.

No, Jungkook thinks to himself, you never were this desperate for him.

Jimin finally saw Jungkook’s eyes focused on you, seeing the pain in his eyes, slowly breaking his spirit. It turned Jimin on even more, continuously fucking his cock down your throat for a few more thrusts before pulling your head back, your needy whines of protest fill the room at the loss of his length in your mouth, ‘’My love, get undressed for me….’’

The lingering taste of Jimin in your mouth makes your arousal grow. Your breath is quick. Tears and saliva cover your face, but you don't care. You gather your strength to stand up. Both Jimin and Jungkook follow your movements without blinking even once. You start off with your jumper and bra, then your jeans and underwear in one sweep, throwing them on the floor, embarrassment making your cheeks even more red. Hands once again going to your pregnant belly.

‘‘Gorgeous,” Jimin praises you as his hands reach to remove your hands from your belly, giving himself access to place his palms on your swollen stomach, ‘‘I made this.’‘

He smiled, crouching down to softly place loving kisses against your bump. A temporary moment of affection, something he knows to do, the manipulation of your emotions, making himself seem so harmless. And in a twisted way, he was. He’d never hurt you more than he had to, ‘‘I put this inside of you.”

You gasp when Jimin crouches down before you. Seeing Jimin being so lovingly makes tears form in your eyes, for a whole other reason than before. He does love you, you're sure of it, everyone else is wrong.

Jimin smirked, placing one last kiss against your swollen bump before standing up, circling behind you to turn you so that you’re facing Jungkook, still standing. His hands snake around you to palm your breasts, ‘’Even your tits have grown, babygirl,’’ He kisses at your neck, thumbs rubbing over your nipples. He wanted you so desperate, so wet and needy until your legs were unable to keep you up, traumatizing the man in front of them for life.

You can't bring yourself to care about Jungkook anymore. Jimin's right, it was Jungkook’s fault that you were taken away from him. Jungkook almost made your baby grow up without their father. What were you thinking, accepting his marriage proposal?

You place your head on Jimin's shoulder, moaning at the feeling of his arms around you, fingers touching every corner of your body, "Ahh, d-daddy, please, I've missed you for so, ugh, so long."

‘‘It’s been a while, my love,’‘ Jimin growls into your ear, giving you a long wet lick with a flattened tongue, a common move of his against your neck to claim you, keeping one hand playing with your breast as the other moves down to cup your cunt.

You move your neck to the side, giving Jimin even more room to do as he please, wanting to be marked by him even more. His expert fingers are just teasing you, not nearly enough to make you orgasm. You feel Jimin's erection touching your lower back. "P-please, don't tease me. I need to feel you a-again. Haven't you missed me? Aa-h, wasn't it lonely in prison without me?" You say, hoping to make him as desperate as you are. Hearing the almost forgotten Jungkook groan at your words.

“Oh, I missed your little pretty pussy so much babygirl, you have no idea how many times I fucked my hand, wishing it was this,” he slid a finger inside of you, pumping it in and out as he groaned at the wet noises made, “But don’t be greedy, love… I’m taking my time with you tonight... and...” Jimin stares at Jungkook, “He seems to rather enjoy the show by now.”

Jungkook couldn't help the groan that slipped out. It was just so sinfully arousing watching you, his childhood love, naked, sweaty and driven by lust, dirty sounds he never heard from you before now leaving your mouth. But it also made his heart break, because after all, he wasn't the one making you feel this way.

“Look him in the eye, babygirl…” Jimins fingers dig deeper, curling them to fuck his fingers against your sweet spot, “He fucking loves it, and he said I’m the one with issues… I wonder how badly he wants to fuck you right now.”

You struggle to open your eyes, the feeling of Jimin's fingers against your sweet spot making it hard for you to focus on anything other than the lust you feel. Afraid that your legs will give up, you hold on to Jimin’s arms to try and steady yourself, nails digging into his skin. That's when your eyes finally meet Jungkook’s, tied hands holding on to the chair so hard it might break. You moan loader.

Jimin keeps pumping his fingers into you until your pussy is dripping down his fingers and the floor, his own breath getting heavier with need as he ruts his cock against your ass, “Your pussy is gripping my fingers so tight babygirl, are you gonna cum? Hmm? Cum on my fingers and I promise I’ll fuck you so good with my cock.”

As if your body is as in tune with Jimin's commands as your head are, that is all it takes for you to cum, gripping Jimin's fingers even tighter. Your nails make a mark on Jimin's arms as you scream in ecstasy, not caring about anyone hearing. You fall down as your knees fold themselves, lying sweaty and fucked out on the floor.

Jimin lets you drop to the floor with a thud, heavy breathing and moans vibrating in his throat as he examines the bloody scratches on his arms, watching it drip down his arm, “Ah, babygirl has claws…”

He dropped to his knees, forcefully positioning you on all fours while facing Jungkook as he puts you ass up against his crotch, aligning his cock with your soppy entrance, “Tell me how much you missed my fat cock, Y/N.”

Jimin's manhandling of your body and foul words makes something stir in you again, even though you are so incredibly exhausted. But of course, what he wants, you want to give him. Your throat is sore both from Jimin fucking it rough earlier and from all the screams you've made, and therefore your voice is hoarse when you whimper, "Pl-lease, oh sir, I will always behave for you, just let me feel your cock inside." 

Jimin wastes no time, driving his hips forward to fill you up with his length, “I’ve missed this pussy so much,” he groans, his hands gripping at your waist, a familiar feeling that brings back memories to you from the very day he fucked you dumb in his kitchen before he was taken away, “When was the last time Jeon got to fuck my babygirl, huh? He looks awfully needy for you.”

You moan, feeling Jimin so deep inside you. Even though he prepared you with his fingers, you feel a slight sting when he enters. Seeing Jungkook turning his face away in shame you answer,

"O-hh, I-I didn't let him, no, he was n-never inside. Only you d-daddy, only you!"

You'd kissed Jungkook of course, touched each other intimately sometime. But you always ended it. Even though therapy made you say, and for some time think, otherwise, deep down you always knew that you were Jimin's.

“You didn’t even fuck her!” Jimin laughed mockingly, his hips roughly snapping against you, the skin of his pelvis smacking against your ass and your body bouncing with every thrust, “Hear that? The sweet sound of her pussy getting filled with my fat cock, she’s squeezing me so hard.” He’s taunting deliberately, loving the suffering and confused arousal he’s putting Jungkook through. He loved putting on a show.

Even though Jungkook now looks away from the sight of you, there's no way for him to escape the sounds coming from you and Jimin. He curses himself for not being able to control his arousal. But how could he? He'd imagined you naked like this for so long, thinking you'd come to him one day when you were ready. Oh, how wrong he was.

 "S-sir." You whimper. "I'm coming again, ohh my god please."

“Cum on my cock, my love, you’re doing so well,” Jimin praises you, savagely fucking you as he groans out his words, “’m gonna c-cum, gonna fill your pretty little pussy up... fuck, it’s been so long, I missed you so much.”

He no longer cared about Jungkook’s presence, focusing on the way your cunt squeezed around him like a vice grip, sweat dripping down his neck, “I can’t wait to make you pregnant again when you’ve given birth to our child, Y/N”

"Aaah, y-yes sir, p-please!" You moan. Your arms can't hold you up any longer, so you fall face down on the floor. Jimin keeps holding your ass up, pumping you so hard you almost feel as if you're going to break. And oh how you love it. For the second time tonight you feel ecstasy flow through your body, clamping down on Jimin's cock so hard it's almost hard for him to move, "Cum with me d-daddy, ah give it to me, please!" You beg.

Jimin has a bruising grip on your hips, his own mercilessly fucking into you, causing your entire body to jolt forward with every thrust, “Your pussy is squeezing me so tight,” he breathes out until he can no longer speak, a long drawn out moan echoing in the room as he cums, still moving his hips to ensure that you’ve taken every single drop of his cum.

There's a moment's feel of completeness as you sense Jimin coloring your insides white. Finally, you're back together again, "Mmh, never leave me again..." You mumble quietly. As your heartbeat begins to slow and it gets easier to breath, you look up, meeting Jungkook’s eyes once again. You see a tear in the corner of his eyes, and now when you're not clouded by lust you can't help the feel of shame that spreads through your body. Did he really deserve this?

“I’ll never leave, babygirl. Never.” Jimin cooes, slipping his cock out of you and pulling his pants back up again. He sits down on the floor, grabbing you to pull you close into his arms in an embrace, still naked and a mess. His hands gently smooth over your swollen stomach, his voice now smooth like honey, “I love you.” At this moment, it was unclear whether he was talking to you or the baby.

You must break your eye contact with Jungkook as Jimin embraces you, your face against his chest. When Jimin puts his hand on your baby pump, you put yours there too. It could have been a beautiful family picture, if you didn't consider the fact that you were a fucked-out mess, Jimin newly released from prison and then Jungkook bound up on the side, "Jiminie, w-what will we do now? What if the police come again?" You whisper and throw a nervous glance at Jungkook, "And what about Jungkook?"

Jimin grasped your chin and guided your lips to his in a soft kiss, “Trust me, babygirl. I’ll take care of everything.”

He glanced over at Jungkook, he won’t be saying a thing to the cops, because he won’t be around to.. No one was gonna ruin what he had with you.

You grasp your thrown away jumper and underwear, and put them on, not caring about them getting soiled. The cold stare Jimin gives Jungkook makes you worried, "Jimin." You say slowly, "What exactly are you planning to do?"

Even though deep down you probably already know the answer.

Jimin doesn’t look at you when he speaks, “Don’t worry about that, my love.” He takes slow steps towards Jungkook before crouching down to eye level with him, “He won’t bother us again. Now go ahead and draw us a bath meanwhile, hm?”

Your heartbeat quickens, and you hesitate. If you leave now, you're leaving Jungkook to his destiny, you know that. You look down on your baby bump. But then again, you need Jimin to be with you and your child. Your baby needs their father. And of course Jimin knows what's best, you conclude, "Y-yes, of course." You say as you lower your gaze, turn around and start to go to the bathroom, Jungkook’s hoarse voice calling out for you fading.

Jimin glanced over his shoulder until you were out of sight before staring down at Jungkook, untying him from the chair. Jungkook didn’t dare to move, his body weak and tired, and fear growing within him. Jimin pushes him off the chair so that he falls to the floor with a loud thud that could be heard all the way upstairs, “You will never come between us again.” Jimin mused to himself out loud as he straddled Jungkook’s chest, hands gently wrapping around his throat.

You try to ignore the sounds coming from downstairs by turning on the water to the bathtub, "It's okay." You mumble, stroking your stomach, "Your father will come soon, and he will always be with us from now on. We will be fine." But you can't stop a few teardrops escaping, falling down your cheeks.

Jimin squeezes Jungkook’s throat hard, “It’ll be over soon.” He whispered, gritting his teeth when Jungkook was clawing at his hands in the struggle for air, gasping and kicking loudly against the floor.

Jimin keeps his eyes focused on Jungkook’s, watching intently until the body below him slowly ceases to struggle, until the room is completely dead silent.

Jimin no longer had anything or anyone to stop him from having you. He got rid of the body eventually, before joining you upstairs for a bath, giving you a soft kiss on your head.

“Let me wash your hair, my love.”

~~~

A few years later…

The morning sun is shining bright through the windows of the living room, tiny dust floating in the air. It's quiet, the way it only is this early in the morning when it's just you awake,

"Mommy?" A small child’s voice behind you.

"Oh, hello my darling!" You say as you turn around. You take your son in your arms and lift him up, placing him on your hip. You shouldn't really be holding him, already having back problems from carrying your second child in your belly. Jimin wouldn't be happy if he saw, but you just can't help yourself, "You already awake Taemin? Should we go wake up daddy too?"

Your son nods excitedly, his smile a copy of his father's. You go to yours and Jimin's shared bedroom, the room he once prepared just for you, and place Taemin on the bed where Jimin lies.

"Daddy. Wake up!" Your son says, shaking his father. With sleep in his eyes, Jimin blinks, watching his son and then you. Love adorning his eyes. You may have had a shaky start, but you don't regret anything. You are exactly where you should, and always will, be. Right by Jimin's side.

Jimin stretched, a wide smile beaming on his entire face as he lifted up his son, carrying him in the air before hugging him tightly, eyes quickly traveling to you, “Good morning, babygirl.. Come here.” His eyes squinted as he smiled, feeling so happy that he finally had the life he wanted.

He had you, the love of his life, and a family that loved him more than anything.

He was needed, loved and forever swore to protect you with any means he deemed necessary.

© sombreboy 2020. Do not repost, edit or translate.

[hwangsbbg]

First - Hyunjin

3.9k word,

In which reader is worried about her first time with Hyunjin but it ends up being everything she’s dreamed of. 

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

"I really don't know what to do" You groaned, your head resting in your best friend's lap as you told him of your problems.

Hyunjin was going to be quite busy for the rest of the week with the rest of stray z with this project he couldn't tell me about.

The last time I had seen him was yesterday which explains why I was here ranting to Eric about my "relationship issues".

"It's not like I don't want to but every time we go a little far I start freaking out and I back out." I explain as the older boy runs a hand through his blonde hair.

Eric and the rest of the boyz were on break for around a month so I was over at their dorms whenever I could and spending time with my best friends.

I had to go back to the US in a month however to start my tour. I was on vacation for a good three months and decided to come spend it with my boyfriend and friends.

"You've been dating for like a year. I'm sure he really loves you and he won't force you to do anything you don't want to" Eric explains making me groan in frustration again.

"A year and four months. It's not that I don't want to, I just.. I feel like I'm gonna disappoint him or it won't be how either of us imagined" I let out.

"Listen dude. If you're feeling insecure or something let me remind you of the thousands of fanboys you have as well as the idols and celebrities who've tried hitting on you. You're gorgeous. Hyunjin knows that and I'm sure you wouldn't disappoint him. But if you're still scared, that's fine. You don't have to rush anything." Eric smiles a little towards the end of his small rant making me sit up and give him the tightest hug possible.

"You are the bestest friend I could ever ask for" I said before the door opened revealing Kevin.

"Kevinnn" I ran up to him and hugged him, his arms wrapping around me, returning the hug before letting go.

"Hey! What're you doing here? You said you were coming tomorrow" Kevin spoke.

"I needed advice" I pouted walking back towards Eric and laying down where I previously was.

"About what? Maybe I can help" Kevin sat down on the seat next to me and before I could even speak up, Eric began speaking.

"She's scared to have sex with Hyunjin" He spoke bluntly, my eyes widening at his unfiltered words.

"Well I wouldn't call it scared" I defended myself not really knowing why as Kevin gave me the dad look.

"You know, you shouldn't rush yourself. Your body knows when it's ready or not. You don't have to do it for him. When you're both ready it'll happen" Kevin explained, a soft expression adorning his face.

"But it's not like I don't want to. I do, it's just I get super nervous before anything happens" I explain exactly what I did with Eric before Kevin spoke up again.

"Don't even worry about this. Just live like it doesn't even matter and one day you'll feel if it's right and it'll happen okay" Kevin told me, giving me a tight hug.

"I literally love you guys. I needed this" I smiled as Kevin spoke up announcing he had to shower before leaving Eric and I alone.

"I'm heading back to my house in like two hours" I told Eric as he turned on the videogame console and handed me a controller.

"Two hours is enough to beat at least a hundred times" I laughed, picking my avatar for the race.

---------- three days later ---------

I opened the door to my house, walking in with Hyunjin following after me. He turned around and locked the door before we made our way up to the stairs.

Yes, I had bought a house in Seoul. I had the money and frankly it was much easier to stay at my own house then pay for a hotel every time I visited, which was alot.

Hyunjin was finally done with his secret project with the rest of Stray kids and came over to spend some well needed time with me.

I followed him to my room, giggling as he almost tripped over a staircase. I stayed the door, watching him in amusement as he opened the door and ran straight for the bed, plopping down onto it.

He rested his back against the dashboard and grinned at me, tapping on his lap making me laugh as I understood what he was implying.

I closed the door behind me, hurrying over to my boyfriend and sitting down on his lap, chest to chest, face to face with my feet on both sides of his legs.

He smiled, wrapping his arms around me before speaking up.

"It's only been three days but I missed you. What am I gonna do when you leave for tour again" He pouted, as I rested my forehead against his.

"We have a whole month and a half left, and when I leave I'll call you everyday. And remember we'll see each other in Berlin" I gave him a small peck, smiling widely at him as I pulled away, our noses still touching.

"If only we could stay like this forever" He sighed, his fingers rubbing circles on my waist.

I simply hummed in response, using my fingers to brush a loose strand of his golden colored hair back in place.

"You know you're really pretty" I blurted out, not really knowing why those were the words that decided to make their way out of my mouth.

"Thanks baby, you too" He chuckled, placing his lips on mine again.

I smiled into the kiss as he lifted his head up a little from the headboard allowing me to place my fingers in his hair and pull him closer.

"Your kisses are intoxicating" He pulled away.

I smiled for the hundredth time, reconnecting our lips as his hands held onto my waist keeping me steady.

I felt him nibble lightly on my bottom lip asking for entrance which of course I granted to him.

I felt his tongue brush against mine before mine responded and both of us began moving in sync.

We were actually quite often like this. Alone, in our own little world, appreciating each other's company.

I pulled away, leaving a kiss on his lips, cheeks and forehead, cupping his cheeks with both hands and smiling widely.

"I love you so much it hurts" I told him.

"I love you more baby. So much. I'm gonna marry you someday" He answered.

I couldn't even explain the amount of love I had for this man as I reconnected our lips, this kiss needier than the previous ones as I wasted no time in latching our tongues together and letting him create a steady pattern with his.

His finger trailed under my shirt, leaving a cold and tingling sensation on my waist as he continued whatever it was he was doing with his tongue.

He detached his lips from mine before quickly reattaching them on my ear, nibbling lightly on the lower part before moving down along my neck.

I let out a few ragged breaths as he began kissing and sucking lightly on my neck, his hands going up to my bra.

I let out a small whimper as he began sucking on a certain spot causing him to chuckle in satisfaction as he continued sucking on that same spot, applying a bit more pressure.

Meanwhile his hands palmed by breasts, covered by my bra. He squeezed on them making me involuntarily arch my back causing my hips to twitch forward.

A groan emitted from his lips as he began sucking on the exposed part of my collarbone, the only part my skin would allow him to.

"Let me just" he pulled away, hooking his fingers to my shirt before pulling it off.

"Gosh, you're beautiful. So beautiful baby" he latched his lips back onto my collarbone, more of it exposed with me now being topless.

He squeezed on my breasts again, rubbing on them as I let out a few barely audible moans mixed with whines.

He pulled away, pulling his shirt off in a swift motion as I indiscreetly stared at his body. His gorgeous muscles, his six pack abs, his tan skin, his chest, everything about him was absolutely magical, breathtaking.

"You're so fucking hot" I could feel my face heating up as he moved a strand of hair behind my ear, grinning, before cupping my face and pulling me into another kiss, this one sloppy as we were both simply desperate to feel more of each other.

He moved his hands back onto my hips, holding onto them as he guided them, moving them back and forth. I could feel my ass rutting against his growing erection and despite the layers of clothing I could feel the sensation on my core making me more and more wet by the minute.

He clearly wanted me to feel him as he let out a small groan, moving in the same rhythm as he moved my waist.

I pressed a few kisses on his neck before moving to his collarbone and sucking. I couldn't mark his neck or he would get in trouble but I freely let myself suck all over his beautiful collarbones, red marks decorating his skin as my hands roamed over his toned stomach.

"Ok baby.. um.. you're going kinda far now" he moaned, holding on to my face and pulling me away to look at him.

We had never gone this far, as I'd usually panic and he'd tell me it was okay and go take care of himself but after talking with Eric and Kevin I was convinced I could go through with it.

"Sorry" I apologized. If my skin weren't so dark, I'd be as red as a tomato.

"You don't need to apologize, I just don't want you to go further than you're ready to you know. I'm fine with what we do until you're ready" He whispered.

"I think I'm ready" I nodded at him. I was absolutely in love with him and I needed him right now.

"Are you sure baby" He asked, grabbing onto my hands and kissing both of them.

"I'm positive" I reassured him. He grinned. He was as virgin as I was and tried not to show how nervous he was when he trailed his finger upwards to the hook of my bra and unhooked it.

He easily pulled my bra off and stared at my exposed breasts, his breath hitching before he slowly moved his hands up and cupped them.

"Fuck baby" He groaned, moving his lips to them and kissing one, sucking on several spots leaving dark purple marks before taking a nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it, sucking it and letting it go with a popping sound before moving to the other.

I let out a moan, gripping onto his hair as he sucked harder on this nipple, his teeth slightly grazing on them making me hiss in pleasure.

He let go and the cold air immediately hit them making me shiver.

He chuckled at my reaction, picking me up and flipping us over so he was hovering over me.

"I love you so much beautiful" he pecked my forehead then my lips as he intensely watched my fingers undo his belt, then his jeans buttons before he helped me remove his jeans completely.

The bulge in his pants looked much bigger as the only thing covering it was now his boxers.

The nervous feeling kicked in again but it wasn't enough to overtake the absolute neediness I felt for my boyfriend at this moment.

I slowly moved my hand to palm his erection earning the loudest groan I've heard from him all day.

I began rubbing my hands up and down his boxer hidden length while he hooked his fingers on my jean shorts and breathed a "fuck" before pulling them down along with my underwear.

"Fuck. Fucking hell. Baby" he dragged the last word, staring at my body, completely naked and only for his eyes.

He moved his hand along my thigh, trailing it upward and stopping just before my core.

I looked up at him, desperately wanting him to touch me as he reattached our lips.

"You're so fucking hot" Hyunjin let out, finally touching me where I wanted by tracing a finger on my slit.

"Look at you already so wet for me" He tugged on my bottom lip, easily slipping a finger in my heat causing me to groan.

"Hmm you like that babygirl?" he curled his finger slowly moving it in and out before adding another one.

"You're so wet for me baby, look at how easily my fingers fit" he spoke, barely audible as he continued thrusting in and out of me with his fingers, his thumbs going my clit and rubbing on it.

The scenario was giving me more pleasure than the actions itself. Hyunjin, almost fully naked, his lips on mine and his fingers fucking me. Hell it was straight out of one of those wet dreams I had.

I arched my back to give him more access as he continued what he was doing, his hand going back up to grab one breast and massage it.

"Please, I want you, so badly" I finally let out.

"Fuck babygirl if you keep speaking like that I'm not gonna last long" He groaned removing his fingers making me wince at the loss of contact.

He was now on his knees between my legs as he began removing his boxers revealing his very erect length.

My eyes widened at it, wondering how the hell it was supposed to fit. He seemed to have noticed my worrying because he quickly spoke up.

"Don't worry baby, it'll fit. Trust me" He said making me nod as he threw the boxers aside.

He lowered himself so that his face was inches away from my heat as I stared at him in confusion.

He began kissing my legs all the way up to my thighs where I was certain he left a hickey or two before his face was directly in front of my core, his hot breath sending shivers to my core.

"I've always wanted to taste you" he said, attaching his mouth to my clit. I let out the loudest squeal ever, feeling an insane amount of pleasure all at once.

He began circling his tongue around my clit and sucking on it making me a wriggling mess.

"Mm stop moving" he mumbled against me as he used a hand to push me down. My hands unconsciously went to the back of his head, pulling him closer as he made out with my clit.

"Please. Fuck please. Don't stop" I let out whatever word I could think of as I tried pushing his face against me even more as if to get more pressure.

He smirked, licking a long stripe on my heat before sticking his tongue where his fingers once were. The warm feeling of his tongue inside of me, exploring my inner walls, thrusting in and out of me was driving me crazy to the point where I couldn't think straight.

"I want you. Please. So badly" I told him. I wasn't one to beg but when I had my very sexy boyfriend naked in front of me, between my legs, begging was the least of my worries.

"Of course babygirl" He pulled away, grinning at me, his lips swollen and red and his face flushed with strands of his hair sticking to his forehead.

"Isn't this is your first time too" I asked him and it seemed to make his confidence falter for a while as he blushed and muttered a small "yeah".

"Let me take care of you too then" I spoke up, instructing him to sit against the dashboard of the bed again.

"You don't have to do this babe" "No I want to" I said positioning myself between his legs.

"I really have no idea what I'm doing" I told him, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Just whatever feels right" He hissed when I grabbed hold of his member. I began stroking it, wrapping my hand fully around it and moving my hands up and down.

"Fuck.. yes like that baby" he moaned as I rubbed by finger on the tip of his cock, dragging it on the pink slit.

I out some spit on his length and rubbed it all around allowing me to move my hands faster.

"Fuckkk. Yes baby like that" He looked completely fucked out and absolutely breathtaking with his pupils dilated, his mouth slightly ajar and his eyes staring at me and what I was doing.

I finally took the tip in my mouth, continue my movement with my hands as I licked around the tip before hollowing my mouth and sucking on it.

I continue sucking, going deeper each time until I reached my limit. I made sure to not let my teeth get involved as I bobbed my head up and down his shaft.

"Ah I- I think I'm gonna come" he let out. I continued my actions, bobbing my head faster. Despite trying to control himself he began thrusting into my mouth, his cock twitching.

With a final thrust he released with a loud moan, eyes closed as he regained his breath. He opened his eyes to see me swallow the load he had just shot into my mouth.

"Fuck that's so hot" he ran a hand through his hair.

"You're so hot. You drive me completely crazy" He spoke in between breaths making me giggle.

"Can you keep going? Cuz I really need you right now" I rested my hands on his thighs and stared at him awaiting an answer.

"Fuck you really thought we were going to end things there?" He shook his head, making me smile as I laid on my back with him between my legs.

"Do you have a condom" He asked me, realizing he hadn't brought one.

"I'm on birth control" I answered simply, making him grin.

I had started taking the pills to control my period and the pain.

"Damn I just came and I'm already so hard again" He let out, rubbing the tip of his lenghth along my slit making both of us moan at the feeling.

He slowly inserted the tip making me hiss at the foreign feeling. Two fingers were nothing compared to his member.

"You okay babygirl" He asked. I nodded, giving him the pass to continue as he moved deeper inside until he was fully in and you couldn't see any of his member anymore.

"Fuck you're so tight. And warm. It feels so fucking good." He groaned, falling as if he were on cloud 9.

After the slight burning subsided I gave him the signal to start moving and so he did. He slowly moved out until only the tip remained inside of me before thrusting back in.

"Fuckkk Hyunjin" I moaned surprising myself and how loud and high pitched it was. But the sensation he had brought now was one I had never felt before.

"Say my name again babygirl" he repeated his actions as I moaned his name once more, fueling his ego.

"Fuck you're so tight but you take me so well. Don't you babygirl" he began gaining speed.

"Mmm only you Hyunjin" I replied, shutting my eyes closed and enjoying the feeling.

Hyunjin lifted one of my legs onto his shoulder and began thrusting even deeper than I had imagined was possible.

"FUCK- FUCK RIGHT THERE " I cried out as he hit a specific spot that sent a tingling feeling through my entire body.

He watched as my boobs bounced with every thrust, the scene making his release approach faster and faster.

Hyunjin bent down and began kissing me, messily as he continued thrusting, deeper and harder, always hitting the spot that had me going crazy.

"Fuck you're so hot Hyunjin. Fuck- fuck you're gonna make me come. You make me feel so fucking good" I cried as he moved to attack my jawline with kisses.

I could feel his cock twitching inside me and I could tell I was also close to releasing.

"So beautiful. All mine. Mmm you're all mine" he grabbed hold of both my hands, entangling them with his own as his thrusts began slowing down but he kept thrusting with the same intensity.

I felt my walls clenching around him more and more with each thrust.

"F-fuck Jin I'm gonna cum" I squeezed his hands tight as I reached my orgasm, my walls clenching around his cock as he came one again, inside of me.

"I love you so fucking much" He whispered, kissing my forehead before rolling over next to me.

"I love you too babe" I whispered, still trying to catch my breath.

"We need to clean ourselves" Hyunjin said making me nod.

"Wait here" He stood up towards the bathroom as I waited and after a few minutes he came back.

He picked me up bridal style making me giggle before taking me to the bathroom.

I smiled at him as I saw the bathtub ready. He put me down and I almost fell down, gripping onto his shoulder.

"Whoa baby, don't worry I got you" he said, holding me steady and helping me inside the tub.

"I'll be right back" he disappeared into the room for a few minutes before reappearing.

"I'm here" he climbed in the tub besides me, pulling me against him so that my back was against his chest.

He lovingly wrapped an arm around me while using the other to rub soothing circles on my thighs.

After a few kisses, a bunch of “I love you”s and actually washing ourselves clean, we went back to the bedroom where he had put on new sheets.

I smiled at him as he handed me a pair of underwear and his shirt to wear while grabbing a pair of sweatpants himself.

Yes, this was my house but it was full of his stuff as he often came over and even slept over.

"I'm glad this happened. I'm glad my first time was with you. With someone I love. It was absolutely amazing." Hyunjin told me, pulling me into his chest before we both fell asleep.

--------------- two days later -------------

"So you actually did it" Kevin asked in surprise and I nodded. Again if it weren't for the color of my skin I'd be as red as a tomato.

"Well, how was it" Eric asked right as Juyeon walked in the room.

"How was what" He asked sitting down beside us.

"She lost her virginity two days ago to Hyunjin" Eric told him, revealing my personal life as if it were nothing once again.

"Oh, congrats?" Juyeon laughed, giving me a small hug before speaking up again.

"Remember my offer still stands. If he ever hurts you I can kick his ass" Juyeon spoke making everyone in the room laugh.

"But really though, how was it" Eric spoke once again, not forgetting his original question.

"Um.. magical" I replied. It was simply magical. Better than I could've ever dreamed of.

[pressedinthepages]

Family Business

Fandom: The Witcher

Pairing: Eskel/Jaskier

Rating: T

Masterlist

a/n: Another day, another collab with Maragret @sometimesiwrite cause we just cannot stop. And this one will have cHaPtErS!!!!!!

(There is a link on my page where you can be added to my taglist :D)

Modern Coffee Shop AU. Eskel and his brothers run a coffee shop. Jaskier pops in one morning. Neither can anticipate what is to come.

The bell above the door of Happy Goat Coffee and Snacks tinkled quaintly as Eskel returned from the corner store, carton of almond milk in-hand. He slipped the receipt into the till and opened the milk fridge, taking stock to see if there was anything else that couldn’t wait for Wednesday’s delivery. All seemed to be in order—Barista Blend soy and oat milks, a few bags of regular milk. He didn’t like carrying almond (bad for bees), but it was the only thing some customers could drink so… here it was. 

He turned to make himself another coffee, taking stock of their baked goods: chocolate zucchini muffins, banana bread, blueberry muffins (a few missing, Geralt’s been here…), and an assortment of granola-based snacks. The overall business plan was plant-based and/or sustainably sourced in the hopes of filling a void left by the larger chains that were the only other options in the neighbourhood. It wasn’t a bad plan, and with the increasing number of conscious-consumer parents, they were establishing a strong and loyal customer base.

    Lambert carried a tray of sourdough paninis around the counter and began transferring them into the display case, arranging them as neatly as his energetic hands would allow. It had been hell working with him for the first little bit. Lambert took after their sainted mother only in being a morning person. His general pissy attitude skipped a generation and came directly from their grandmother. But the prickly bastard knew what he was talking about, and after some… heated negotiations, they managed to agree on finding a local butcher who could provide pork belly which Lambert would turn into proper bacon in the back. They barely had the space, but he somehow made it work, and it sold very well as an add-on. I mean, he wasn’t wrong. It did taste better.

    Of course, this didn’t stop the young brother’s grumbling. He simply did it while chewing. “Lambert, could you please, please, stop eating the bacon?”

    “I’m sorry, I must be doing this wrong. Do I look like I give a fuck???”

“No, you don’t. That’s why I’m doing it for you. Just...” he sighed “don’t eat us into bankruptcy.”

“What, so Geralt can drink all the fuckin organic ass lemonade he wants but I can’t have a piece of gods-be-damned bacon???”

“Geralt drinks the—oh my God you guys are killing me—look, I will talk to Geralt about the lemonade, you can have some, some bacon, and I’m going to try my hardest not to put my head through the fucking wall. Capiche?”

Lambert watched over Eskel’s shoulder as Geralt chugged the remainder of the lemonade from his cup through narrowed eyes in his direction.

“Fine.” Lambert growled, turning back to the kitchen. “You’ve got a fucking customer, by the way, boss.”

“Don’t call—oh never mind. Hello, sorry, welcome to the Exasperated Goat. I’ve changed the name.”

“I love it,” the young man on the other side of the counter crooned, cocking his hip with a smile. “Think it’ll really capture the true essence of the neighbourhood.” Eskel was struck dumb immediately, his words falling flat on his tongue. He was trapped in a pair of dazzling blue eyes and the brightest, most open face he’d seen in a—well, a depressingly long time, if he was honest. The young man was eccentrically stylish with bright splashy colours and patterns that had no business going together as well as they did. 

Eskel wasn’t the only one transfixed. His vivacious new customer was too busy marvelling at something inexplicable behind the proprietor’s hazel-green eyes and his… aura? Was that even a thing? How long have I been standing here? Oh God, am I staring? Shit. 

Geralt swaggered behind the counter and bumped into Eskel's shoulder pointedly.

“What can I get you?” He fumbled, working hard to regain his senses.

The young man recovered more smoothly, “Cappuccino, dry please. And a chocolate zucchini muffin. Please,” he added with a cheeky grin, holding out a twenty.

Eskel took the money and their fingers brushed, just the tiniest bit—was that a linger?—but he felt the sparks fly under his skin nonetheless, and as he got to work steaming milk, he desperately tried to remember how small talk worked. The young man beat him to it. 

“How’s the morning so far?”

Eskel sighed, glancing up at him. “Not...terrible,” he said, peering over his shoulder to find Lambert now munching on a mini quiche. “Lambert keeps eating the merchandise, but I suppose it could be worse.” 

Eskel was caught up in the man’s smile again until the rapidly rising temperature of the milk that brought him back to himself. He tapped the pitcher to settle the foam and wiped the steam wand, “How’s your day been...?”

“Can’t complain,” the man shrugged, taking a sizeable bite out of the side of his muffin—an act that Lambert would have seen as a criminal offense. Eskel disguised an amused grimace. “Had a gig last night, decent turnout. One or two people I didn’t know actually showed up on purpose.” Eskel knocked a portafilter empty, cleaning it with a well-practiced twist of the wrist. The man’s eyes drifted to the espresso-stained microfibre cloth that was currently being handled so expertly and found his mind wandering, jarred back to reality as the grinder kicked on. He jumped a little. 

“Ah, you’re a musician, then?” Eskel asked over the noise.

He nodded, swallowing thickly as he took in the breadth of Eskel’s shoulders. “I like telling stories,” he called back.

“Ah, you write your own stuff, then.” Eskel knocked the edge of the portafilter against the palm of his hand to settle the espresso and Jaskier was lost again, watching large, graceful hands working with strength and precision, all in the name of a decent cup of coffee. Eskel looked at his mesmerized conversation companion, “Or do you prefer to cover?” 

“Hm? Oh, well, a bit of both. I like to cover because it gives people a sense of familiarity, like they can trust you with their evening. It sets the tone. Then I do my own stuff once I’ve got them on my side.”

Eskel cut the shot as the rich caramel colour of the dark espresso began to run lighter, and he gave it a sniff, ensuring the extraction was good before pouring in a little milk, and dolling out large quantities of foam. He passed the drink to the young man. “Extra dry.”

“Ah, my hero,” the young man wrapped his hands around the cup and brought it to his lips. “Mmm, delicious as always.” 

“Always?” Eskel asked, tearing his eyes away from the young musician’s long, slender fingers. “Y-you’ve been in here? I don’t—I’d’ve thought I’d remember you.” 

“Mhm, I usually pop in in the afternoons though, it’s typically Geralt over there who’s working.” He waggled his fingers over Eskel’s shoulder and he heard Geralt grunt in acknowledgment.

“Ah, yes. He takes over from me so I can go home and sleep. Well, rather forces me to. It’s hard to remember there’s a home when you spend most of your time at your own business. You hear people talk about self-care? Mine’s Geralt.”

And the young man, who Eskel thought was incapable of being any more charming, laughed so brightly and earnestly that Eskel could’t stop the grin that spread to his own face—not that he’d’ve wanted to. 

"I suppose that's what partners are for, isn't it?" he said flippantly, adding a dash of nutmeg to the foam in his cup and stirring in a little honey. 

"Pardon?" 

"To remind you there's something other than work, you know, house and family and—" 

"Oh, uh, no—business partner. Geralt's just a—well not just. He's my brother." 

"Ah! I'm so sorry, I just assumed... You know, urban cafe, tasteful decore, and then you mentioned he’s your self-care. Most people aren't that close with their siblings is all." 

Eskel nodded, "Our other brother's in charge of the kitchen. It's... a long story, but, here we are!" 

Eskel watched as the young man took a deep breath through his nose, seemingly steeling himself. He was then met with those striking eyes again as a napkin was slid across the counter, just barely brushing his fingertips. “In that case...would you like to get dinner sometime?”

"I—what?" Eskel shook his head, not quite believing what he was hearing. 

The young man smiled again,"It's alright. I'm just giving you a napkin with my number on it. You can use it to communicate with me. You know, texting? Call me? Maybe eat some food?" 

"But I—I don't understand, why?" 

The young man playfully rolled his eyes, "If you're not interested, you can just say so."

“No! No, I absolutely am, I’m ju-“ Eskel stammered, trying desperately to keep from sticking his foot in his mouth and driving the young man away,“I’m just not sure why you are.”

The young man just laughed brightly, his blue eyes flashing beneath dark lashes, "Because you're handsome, hard-working, and the way we've connected just now gives me a hunch. Besides, how long has it been since you had a chance to get away and go to dinner with someone?" 

Eskel eyed his customer, thought for a moment, and tapped the napkin before picking it up. "Walk first, then dinner. I hate starting dates like a third-degree."

The young man set down his coffee and held out his hand, beckoning to Eskel over the counter. As he came around, he offered his hand in return, and was shocked by the—could he call it intimacy?—of the musician’s hand gently closing around his. It may as well have been an embrace. “I-“ and of course his voice cracked. Eskel cleared his throat with a chuckle, finding those beautiful baby blues once more. “I’m Eskel.”

"Julian. Stage name is Jaskier. You can call me either, it doesn't really matter." 

Eskel smiled warmly, "It's nice to meet you, Julian." 

"Likewise, Eskel. I, uh, I should get going. But. Text me, we'll make plans."

Eskel watched as Julian left, his stride long and confident. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, staring into empty space, but at some point Geralt once again appeared to nudge against his shoulder. “Better save that napkin, brother.”

Eskel nodded at the flimsy paper in his hand, looking at the digits like they were an ancient cipher that needed decoding. "Better yet..." Geralt said, surreptitiously grabbing Eskel's phone from off the counter, unlocking it, and texting, Hope you have a good day.

"Here you go," Geralt said, handing the phone back to Eskel before pouring himself a drip.

Eskel’s stomach simultaneously lept into his throat and fell onto the floor. “Geralt,” he breathed, watching the *read* message pop up, “well now what? By the way,” Eskel suddenly turned, wagging his finger at the end of Geralt’s nose, “quit drinking all of the merchandise!”

“First off, now he can actually text you back instead of waiting to hear from you all day, which is exactly what would happen if left to your own devices. Secondly... Lambert said he wouldn’t tell you.” 

Eskel shook his head, mouth agape, “Unbelievable.”

Eskel’s fingers itched as he continued about his morning business, his phone silent in his pocket. He had nearly given it up as a lost cause when it finally chimed, and then he almost sent the phone flying across the store in his haste. 

So sorry for the late reply, Eskel. I was on the metro and then I had to run off downtown and then, alas, my phone died. I should really get one of those portable battery things. Ah well. Thank you for the well wishes!! It really brightened my day once I finally got them 😍😍😍

Eskel exhaled deeply. Okay, this was okay, this was good. He typed and deleted. Retyped. Deleted. Geralt reappeared over his shoulder, glancing at the text no worries, wanted to make sure you had my number. Geralt shook his head and took a sip of coffee before grabbing Eskel’s phone and typing, no worries, glad you got it sorted. Hope the metro wasn’t too much of a disaster. Geralt handed Eskel his phone to peruse the message.

“When did you get good at texting?” Eskel murmured as he pressed ‘send.’ Geralt merely shrugged as he ambled away, clearly in search of something to snack on as he finished inventory and ordering. Eskel called over his shoulder, “Would you please make more lemonade since you drank it all?!?!” 

As Geralt’s hum in the affirmative hit his ears so did the chime of his phone.

Not bad at all! Only one shouty person, and he didn't even hurl obscenities after me :D Although a mother with a very large stroller gave me a rather impressive side-eye as I sat down with my guitar tucked between my feet and mumbled something about manspreading. Some days it's the little things that get you through 🙃

Eskel replied, That sounds about right for 2 in the afternoon. Too bad you didn't see the Singing Man, he'll really give your day a kick you didn't know it needed.

You know what would give my day a good kick? A lovely walk with a lovely man ;) 

And Eskel blushed. Full on blushed. Lambert snorted from where he hovered in the doorway. 

“Go on, lover boy,” Lambert smirked, taking a bite out of another goddam slice of bacon. “We’ve got it covered.”

He rubbed his face. It was hard to think straight. He'd been up since 4:30, and part of him just wanted to go home and sleep, but it was also the first sunny day they'd seen in what felt like over a month, and the idea of a nice walk with some light conversation wasn't unappealing in the least. He frowned at Lambert, "How do you even know it's him that texted?" 

"Because you just turned three shades of pink and stared at your phone like it's a piece of alien technology." 

Eskel grumbled and turned back to his phone. Would be nice to get some company and fresh air. What part of town are you in? Meet in the middle?

Meanwhile, Julian was on the metro. Again. His leg bounced where he was sitting, reading the same paragraph of some random book over and over again. He knew it was a long shot coming all the way back to the coffee shop—Eskel might be done for the day and gone home or out doing shopping or—but it could be worth it. He lept off at his stop and bounded up the stairs, and his phone dinged with a delayed notification. He smiled at his phone and stowed it away, walking as fast as he possibly could until he saw the familiar sign of the coffee shop. Julian slowed down so that he didn’t cross the line from ‘windswept’ into ‘desperate’ and peered into the little window. He spotted Eskel immediately, his back to the door and speaking with another man behind the counter, presumably Lambert. Julian smiled and pushed open the door.

"Whoa-ho-ho, Pretty Boy at twelve o'clock." 

Eskel looked up from Jaskier's Spotify account and quickly closed his phone. "I suggested halfway, I hope you didn't come all the way across town."

Now it was Julian’s turn to stammer a bit, his tongue feeling too large for his mouth as his eyes swept across Eskel’s form. Since this morning, it had clearly been a busy day. His cheeks were flushed and his hair curling at the nape of his neck, and he had even caught a glimpse of luscious chest hair peeking out from the sharp v-neck that pulled across his chest. “I-“ Julian grinned to himself, come on, keep it together, “I was already on the metro when you texted back, so I figured I’d just...come here!”

Eskel narrowed his eyes and hummed. "Want a drink before we head out?" 

"Oh sure, we can't eat the merchandise but you can give away free drinks to anyone who flirts with you?" 

"I—You—would you just..." 

Jaskier cut in, "I think you'll find that actually exactly how it works. Bit of an unspoken code. People have started taking advantage of it to get free coffee, though. Makes it hard for those of us who mean it..." Julian's eyes met Eskel's for a lingering second and Eskel had to remind himself to breathe. "London Fog, please, Eskel. But I'm happy to pay. I know tea is less expendable." 

"Hm. See, Lambert? It's a barista thing."

Lambert rolled his eyes as Eskel steeped the Earl Gray in a bit of hot water, added vanilla, and steamed some milk. He carefully slid the finished beverage over the counter, one of his hands finding the tie at the back of his apron. “So...” he said, trying to decide between meeting or avoiding Julian’s intense gaze, “would you like that for here, or to go?”

"I think you'll find it's already in a to-go cup," Julian said, raising an eyebrow. 

"That's because we're getting the hell out of here," Eskel said, and—much to Julian's instant pleasure and amusement—fluidly traversed the service counter, landing deftly on the other side. "I just need to change my shoes, and I'll be up in a second." Julian looked down to see Eskel's black work shoes covered with espresso and nodded, blowing on his tea as he watched, leaving him with the Prickly Brother, staring at him as he chewed his bacon. 

Julian sipped his tea and peered over the rim at Lambert, who had been scowling at him the entire time. Though he didn’t take it personally, it was likely that was just his face. “So,” Julian started, thrumming his fingers on the side of the paper cup, “you’re the one who’s been eating all of the merchandise?”

Lambert scoffed and scowled sideways, the last piece of bacon sticking out from the corner of his mouth. He nudged himself off the back counter and swaggered close to Julian. "Listen. I don't know what your deal is. But if you fuck him over, you will have two very big, very pissed off brothers to deal with. Got it?" 

"Fuck him over what?"

"'Scuse me?" Lambert said, scowling harder. 

"You said not to fuck him over, but didn't specify what."

It took Lambert a moment, but he granted himself one singular chuckle for the little shit. “Alright, kid. Just- be careful with him.” 

Julian smiled gently, peering over Lambert’s shoulder to where Eskel was striding back into the shop. “He seems like the kind of guy that I will certainly be trying my best to keep around.”

“Better believe it. You can spend your whole life looking, you won’t find a better guy than Eskel. He’s a fucking goldmine. But he’s our goldmine. Take his shine, you answer to us.”

“Yes, sir,” Julian mock saluted as Eskel handed something to Lambert. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a piece of bacon. 

“Geralt’s in charge,” Eskel rumbled (which Julian found enticing) and with that, he turned on his heel and pulled open the door. He held it open and Julian smiled as the two of them stepped into the evening sun.

Eskel took a deep breath as soon as they stepped into the fresh air, letting the warm sunlight spill across his face. It was beautiful to look at. His hair glinted with little chestnut highlights and his arching eyebrows became even more pronounced in contrast with the brightness of his skin in the evening glow. Julian watched the muscles of his face relax, the pressure of greeting people slowly dissolving. His shoulders dropped, and he looked truly exhausted for a moment before opening his eyes and smiling softly. “So, Julian. Do you like dog parks?”

Julian braced an excited hand on the swell of Eskel’s arm (and my gods it was firm), “I would love to go to the dog park...but will it be odd if we just show up, without a dog?”

Eskel laughed and Julian felt his knees go a bit wobbly and he tucked his arm around Eskel’s for support. He noticed Eskel glance down. Ah, right, a bit forward. Easy Jaskier. Julian smoothly transitioned to holding his cup with both hands and Eskel smirked privately, appreciating the non-verbal understanding. “No, not really. We can find a bench if it’s not too cold, lots of people come by and watch. Not everyone in the city can have an animal, people are pretty understanding of onlookers.” Julian still looked skeptical, “c’mon, it’s not like going to a playground. I promise we won’t be creepy.”

“Well...” Jaskier smiled, flipping his hair out of his eyes, “lead the way.” 

Eskel walked slowly, stretching their time (and his legs) as much as he could. They made polite, easy small talk, finding little details about each other as they walked.

It turned out that they had surprisingly similar tastes in music, and Jaskier was both pleased and intimidated to learn that Lambert doubled as a DJ on weekends at one of the more popular clubs downtown. He was further surprised to learn that their father owned and operated one of the oldest Italian restaurants in the city and was quite famous because of it—he’d opened it as an homage to his Italian wife when she passed away unexpectedly—and while Papa Vesemir himself was Polish, he’d learned to cook from the best. 

It seemed they were a culinary family, in fact. Both Lambert and Geralt had trained in professional settings—Geralt had a background in baking, while Lambert had trained on the line with his father. Eskel, it turned out, preferred to be behind the bar. He liked people. Enjoyed making drinks. His father always joked that he had the “magic touch.” Every drink he made always came out tasting better, even if he followed the recipe to a T.

“So, why the coffee shop?” Julien asked as they rounded the corner of the dog park. They both smiled as they saw fluffballs of all shapes and sizes bounding around, and Eskel led them to a small bench.

He kicked his feet out in front of him and sipped his own coffee thoughtfully. “It was something we all knew how to do, and we saw a niche missing in the neighborhood. We had originally wanted to make it a bit more of a hub for artists and public resources—you know, host workshops, put up fliers, put artists’ work on the walls to sell. It isn’t quite where we want it yet, but it’s our old neighborhood. Wanted to give something back to the community. Plus, we like having regulars. You don’t get the same thing with restaurants. Cafes, though, you can get to know people better. Build loyalty.” 

Julian sat for a moment, looking at Eskel with a deeper appreciation than he already had. “You’re amazing,” he breathed, the words spilling from his lips without so much as a second thought. 

Eskel flushed even deeper, his neck a very pretty shade of pink. “I wouldn’t say all that...” 

“But I would,” Julian nodded, downing the remainder of his tea. “You’ve created something beautiful in a place that’s meaningful to you with your family, that’s amazing. And I’m allowed to say that, because I personally decide what is and is not amazing.”

“Fair enough,” Eskel raised an eyebrow and hid a smirk behind another sip of coffee. “It’s just... well everyone’s gone and opened up a coffee shop now, and it’s getting harder to see where our niche still sits. It’s a diverse neighborhood, we don’t want to alienate anyone, but we have to stay open... ah, I dunno. I suppose anything seems unremarkable if you’ve been waist-deep in the logistics for long enough.” 

“Do you have open mic nights?” 

“What?” 

“Open mic nights, you know, local artists bring their instruments, read poetry, play music, promote new albums while people buy alcohol and food?” 

Eskel tilted his head, “Huh...” 

“Yeah. Huh.” Julian nudged Eskel’s shoulder playfully. 

“The only issue with that is hours. We’d have to hire more staff and/or open later in the day so we can stay open.” 

“You could man a proper bar again,” Julian sang, jiggling his foot at the end of his crossed leg. 

Eskel reached an arm up and over and around Julian’s shoulder, “Julian, either you’re a remarkable person and I don’t know what on earth you could possibly want with me... or you’ve been sent by one of our competitors to play a long con and put us out of business.”

Julian tried valiantly to hide the shiver that ran down his spine just with the proximity, the weight of Eskel’s arm resting comfortably on his shoulders. “Well, if I told you that, then I’d have to kill you,” Julian smirked. Eskel threw his head back and laughed, reveling in the rejuvenating aura of the delight of a human that had deposited himself at his side.

“Hmmm, shall we keep walking? Or—I don’t want to keep you if you’ve got things to do,” his gaze on Julian was sincere and unassuming and the young musician was certain he’d never had less sense of any ulterior motives than he did in this moment. 

“I should drop my things home before work, actually. But we can walk for a bit in the same direction if you like.” 

Eskel shrugged, “Sure! Which way are we headed?” 

“I’m an Eastender,” Julian smirked. “Off we go!” He offered his elbow for Eskel to take, which he did—a little tentatively and far more gently than Julian would ever have expected from someone so... physically imposing.

Eskel could feel the persistent thrum of blood under his skin, but not in a way that signalled any particular desire. He felt comfortable, more content than he had been in a very long time, and he felt like he could easily waste an entire day doing exactly what they’d been doing for the last hour. Walking, talking, laughing... 

“What are you thinking about?” Julian asked, looking up at Eskel and stealing his breath in the same movement.

“I’m—uh—“ he cleared his throat again, “I’m thinking about how pleasant this has been and... also how comfortable I feel. I—well, I get the jitters, usually. With this kind of thing Which is not to say I haven’t still got them but,” they stopped walking for a moment, and Eskel turned to face his date, “what I’m trying to say is you’re very comfortable to be around. And that’s new.” 

“Wow... honesty. I wasn’t expecting that.” 

“I’m sorry did-did I...?” 

“Just make me more impressed?” That damn smile, “yes, I’m afraid you did. How tragic.”

Just like that, Eskel was lost again, caught up in those eyes that shone with an enigmatic innocence and penetrating observation that kept him looking and left him speechless. And Julian... well Julian was uncharacteristically at a loss for words in front of this stunningly kind, unbearably-gentle man he'd impulsively taken a chance on just a few hours ago because of a hunch. 

Eskel wondered whether Julian had leaned a bit closer during their few seconds of silence and countered, leaning forward a little himself. But he didn't want to make the young man think he was in it for the wrong reasons. The fact that he was older and larger wasn't lost on him, and the last thing he wanted was for Julian to feel any pressure. Those bright blue eyes flitted to Eskel's lips, and he swallowed, waiting. But Julian's intuition was too strong—Eskel was hesitating. Instead of following his eyes to the full, soft-looking lips in front of him, Julian placed his hands on Eskel's chest and dispersed the tension. 

“If we don’t keep walking I’m going to freeze my ass off,” Julian finally said. 

Eskel huffed a small laugh. “Come on then,” he jutted his chin, and the two started walking again. 

After a brief silence, Julian spoke, suddenly worried that Eskel felt rejected in some way, “For what it’s worth, I also feel quite comfortable. With you, I mean.” 

“Yeah?” 

“I find I’m starting to move away from the Village scene. It’s always nice to have a community, of course, be able to go to a bar and know you’re in good company but... in the city, everyone’s trying on identities and—it’s all well and good, they should, but it’s just... well, it was fun for a while. I just want to play music and make people happy.” 

“Hm. I can relate to that.”

Julian stopped at the top of the street that would lead him to his apartment, not really wanting the evening to end, wondering whether Eskel was aware exactly how much he’d brightened Julian’s day. 

“C-would you...I mean, if I- or-“ Eskel stuttered, his fingers fiddling at his sides. 

“Go on...” Julian crooked his head with a gentle smile. 

“Would you mind if I came to one of your shows?”

Julian closed his hands around Eskel’s shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. “Good God, please come to one of my shows so I can look at a face that wants to be there instead of my bored friends.” 

“Well, I’m sorry it has to be my face,” Eskel fumbled in his self-consciousness, hearing the sound of his own distasteful insecurity. He grimaced inwardly. bad form, Eskel. 

“Hm. Clearly, you haven’t met my pimply weak-chinned-not-at-all-utterly-dashing friends.” It was so easy. Ludicrously easy, the way Julian made Eskel smile in that moment. It truly was a remarkable feat, one that none of Eskel’s former failed romances had ever navigated as easily, or as quickly.

“Thank you,” Eskel said quietly, only for Julian’s ears. 

“Whatever for?” Julian’s brow crinkled adorably and Eskel wanted to smooth the creases away with his thumbs. 

“For...for being bold. Because I know I wouldn’t have.”

“Oh please. This is all stage presence and bravado. I’ve been on the verge of a nervous breakdown since I wrote my number on that napkin. Listen, I’ve—ahh I hate to do this but I really have got to run. We can text later or I’ll pop by the cafe tomorrow and—“ 

“Absolutely, do your thing, I don’t want to make you late. Let me know when you’re free and we’ll grab dinner.” 

“I’ll check my schedule tonight. Should be free in the next few days. Have a good night, Eskel. I mean that.” Julian turned to go, but turned back, quickly pecking a kiss to Eskel’s right cheek, leaving the man standing with a half-smile of surprise on his face as he watched his new love interest scurry into his apartment.

Eskel walked back to the coffee shop, his cheeks pained from the smile that still hadn’t faded. The little bell above the door chimed and Geralt looked up from where was wiping down the counter, and Eskel heard a loud clang as Lambert dropped a metal pan and came running to the front of the now-empty cafe.

Eskel stood in front of his brothers. Geralt’s hand stopped where it was mid-wipe and Lambert fidgeted where he stood, hands on his hips. “So??”

Eskel hadn’t seen Lambert this energetic in a long time, and stood silently, drinking in his little brother’s excitement. Geralt came out from behind the counter, “Eskel. I don’t want to beat it out of you, but you’re leaving me with very few options.” 

“Nah, Geralt, you gotta use smaller words. He’s clearly having a stroke. Eskel!” Lambert clapped loudly, “How did. It go. With Pretty Boy. C’mon, we’re tryna close up here!”

Eskel finally spoke, “I—yeah, it was great. I, uh, I really like him.” 

“Fucking finALLY, BROTHER, THAT’S FUCKIN’ AMAZING!” Lambert practically jumped on Eskel, and Geralt sauntered over to put an arm around his shoulder. “You call Dad yet?” 

“No, I want to wait. I want to make sure this time. Don’t wanna get his hopes up. Plus he’s... well, he’s a bit younger—“ 

Lambert cut him off, “Whoa, I’m gonna stop you right there. What do you always do?” 

“Self-sabotage.” 

“Exactly. So shut up with that shit. You like him, yes?” 

“Yes. Definitely, very much.” 

“And he likes you.” 

“Well I mean—“ 

“That wasn’t a question. He likes you. End of discussion. He’s an adult, let him decide what he wants. Geralt?” 

“Surprisingly sound logic, coming from you. Frightening, actually.”

Eskel nodded along as his brothers bickered back and forth. He felt like he was floating on air, without a tether to the ground. 

“Oh, fuck, he’s really gone for him isn’t he?” Lambert muttered, watching Eskel’s eyes glaze over once more.

Eskel smirked and shook his head, “Fuck off, Lambert.” He playfully shoved his brother’s head to the side and went to count out the till and take it downstairs. He just sat down by the safe when his phone pinged.

Free for dinner day-after-tomorrow, playing a gig tomorrow night and Friday. Which would you prefer first?

Eskel smiled and typed out a response of his own, sending it before he could rethink it. Could I come to tomorrow’s gig and take you to dinner Thursday? I really want to see you again.

He felt his breath immediately quicken, but his hand was steady as he waited for a reply. 

*...* 

*...* 

*...* 

Oh Jesus God please just reply...

Gig tomorrow is at 8:30, Gibson’s Pub in Corktown. $5 cover and also $5 Mill St. on tap. Dinner on Thursday it is. Not fussy, but nothing too spicy. Your choice 😊

Not quite sure what we should do for dinner, but I’m sure I’ll think of something. I won’t miss it for the world. Meanwhile, Eskel knew exactly where he’d be going for dinner. He shot off a text to his father and requested a quiet table for 2 at his restaurant. Papa Vesemir never asked too many questions, but he knew he’d have to explain later.

If you have the opportunity to save the world rather than listen to me play Wonderwall at someone’s request, please do. You can hear that literally any time you want.

For my favorite son, what wouldn’t I do?

Eskel replied to both: That’s a tall order. Watching you begrudgingly play Wonderwall could let me die a happy man.

Thanks, Pops. I know you’re not working that night, just tell Giulio nothing fancy, okay? Just a normal two-top.

Eskel’s phone dinged twice more: Oh my gods, you really are trying to kill me aren't you? You’re too sweet ;)

Mhm.

Eskel continued on with Julian, content with leaving Vesemir to finish his night. Don’t get me wrong, there would be a deep amusement in knowing how much you definitely hate that song by now.

Oh, I absolutely despise it and it needs to go die horribly in a dumpster somewhere. At least now I’ll have a confidante tomorrow evening. You know, someone to really share my suffering with.

Will you play any of your originals? 

Would you like me to?

Only if you want. I understand if you’d rather not share them right away. 

Julian was quickly realizing the extent to which he had, very much, struck a gold mine. Part of him couldn’t help but wonder what was waiting around the corner to make things not work out This Time. But he shoved those thoughts back. I share my music every week with people who’ve either heard it all before, or are too distracted to really care. Mostly Tinder dates trying to gain hipster points. Please. I would be so happy to know you’re there and actually wanting to listen.

Eskel felt his heart flutter in his chest as he rested his elbows on the desk with a crooked smile. 

I can’t wait, I’m sure they’re wonderful :) Eskel wasn’t really one to use emojis, but this one just kinda...slipped out.

He was whistling by the time he got to the top of the stairs and his brothers were already waiting for him, jackets on, lights out, floors mopped, door ready to be locked. 

“Dinner? Eskel said, trying to wipe what he knew was a stupid grin off his face. 

“Where to, lover boy?” 

Eskel deferred to Geralt, “Hmmm. China down?” 

“Mother Dumpling?” Eskel offered, pulling his collar up as they headed out, Geralt and Lambert sounding their agreement. With the cafe door closed and locked, the three brothers headed out into the evening.

[flooffybits]

What

A love like yours knows no bounds, but a love like yours should remember that a heart like yours is precious above all.

Warning: character death, blood, cheating

Back || Next

Minji stared at you, the silence stretching as the tension grew thick.

Your breathing had yet to revert back to your normal breathing pattern and she could see just how shaken you were after asking her what Haneul showed you in your dreams.

You hated how you weren’t sure if it was another one of his tricks or if it really was another suppressed memory. But judging by how Minji had reacted to your question, you were beginning to believe that it was the latter.

“Minji…” You call and she slowly withdraws her hand to rest them both at her sides. Shame filling her features before she let out a shaky breath. "I promised to tell you if you asked." She whispers, and you barely even catch it with how low her voice had gotten.

Reaching to finally turn the lamp on, Minji shifts after, just so she's facing you, wanting to look you in the eyes as she answers your questions as truthful as she could. Though how quickly she'll be able to answer would be on how complex your question would be.

"Wendy… she's been another person Haneul strung along with keeping us separated." She started with a sigh, the bitter feeling coming back to her chest when she remembered the first time she'd met the woman, but she quickly shakes it off when she sees your face and remembers the expression you wore when she found you with the other. “We found you a little later compared to now and… you were married to her in that lifetime.”

You felt your heart sink at that and the images of what happened in your dreams kept rewinding in your head. “We didn’t hurt her, I swear.” She whispers, but when she recalls that painful moment, she can’t bring herself to look you in the eyes. “I’m sure he’s told you already, and while it was never my intention… you had an affair with me.” She quietly admits and you had to pause at the new information.

“Wendy found out about it and… she was upset, and she left your house but-”

“She got into a car crash...”

Minji nodded her head regretfully as you finished her sentence for her and you just felt sick to your stomach at this point.

"We tried to help her but… she didn't make it through the surgery, and right after that, Haneul brought us into another lifetime and wiped your memories again." She sighed out. "He didn't give you the chance to grieve. He didn't let you properly say goodbye and we just…" You could see just how difficult it was for her to continue, yet she pushed through, believing that you deserved to know the entire truth.

"Show me."

Minji blinks in surprise at your words, but when she remembers that your memories were back, she was quick to understand what it was you wanted her to do.

"You can still do it?" She asks softly before you nod your head, though the shaky exhale you let out after nodding informs her that you're not too enthusiastic about this decision either. “Y/n, if you don’t want to-”

“I just…” You cut her off with a pained look crossing your features. “I just want to know. I have to know. In another life, someone died because of me.” You try to hide the crack in your voice, but the way Minji’s expression shifts shows that you failed to do so.

She knows how much you care, even with the years apart. You cared too much for those around you, so finding out that you were the cause of your own wife’s death, even if it were in a different life, it was sure to affect you more than one would think.

“I understand.” Minji assures you before she gestures for you to lay down, and you do. Laying on your side so that you’re facing the older woman, she soon follows suit, leaving a little bit of space between you before bringing one hand up for you to take. And with one more inhale, you carefully take her hand before letting your eyes close, Minji looking at you for a few more seconds before she follows suit.

..

Minji brings you further into her memories and you watch as the scenery around you shifts in the blink of an eye.There are places that you deem familiar, yet there are those that are too blurry for your mind to fully comprehend.

But before you can question her about any of these places, it all comes to a halt and you find yourself standing in front of a house, walls painted a light blue and the lawn clean with the grass trimmed and flowers just watered maybe at least ten or so minutes ago.

“This is where you lived when I found you.” Minji spoke, her hand releasing yours as she walked closer to the fences. “It’s a beautiful home, and I honestly should have known by then that you weren’t the only one residing in it.” She mutters, a sort of grimace on her expression, but she quickly brushes it off before gesturing you to the house.

You quietly walk closer to the entrance, and instantly, the door opens for you, allowing you access into the house with Minji following after you.

The inside was as simple as it was outside, though having a few more decorations. There were pictures hanging on the walls and some resting right on the shelf above the fireplace. A coffee table sat in between that and a long couch, then a television was set on to the right, a few feet away from the archway that led to the dining room and kitchen.

“Y/n, come on, I’m going to be late!” A familiar voice meets your ears and you see as Minji’s shoulders tense for a split second before she’s forcing a calm look to show you that everything was alright.

There’s giggling that comes after, and you see another version of you holding the short haired blonde in your arms as laughter spilled from both of your lips when you refuse to let go of her.

“It’s still early, come on, do you really have to go so soon?” You ask with a small pout that makes your wife coo before she’s pressing the palms of her hands against your cheeks, a kiss being pressed to your forehead and drawing a sigh from your lips at the comfort that washes over you.

“How are you seeing this? You weren’t around for it.” You can’t help but ask, eyes straying from the couple to the woman standing next to you, but her eyes don’t look away, almost reminding herself of what she had once ruined.

“Because these are your memories.” She replies without looking. “The front may be mine, but at this moment, these are your own memories, connecting with what I have.” She explains softly, a sting to her heart in seeing you completely enamored by another woman who wasn’t her.

But it’s not your fault, she reminds herself.

You watch when Seungwan leaves the house and you don’t take too long to leave for your own job. The moment the door closes, you notice the shift outside, and you soon find yourself in Minji’s presence this time, a look of conflict in your eyes when the two of you stand not too far away from the Han River.

The older woman’s hair was dyed a vibrant red, and it suited her, you think. The brightness of the color complimented the bright expression she wore on her face as she gazed up at you from her crouching figure, searching for a flower before she finally found the one she was looking for.

“You know, red suits you.” You had said and the other looked a bit surprised, though her expression never falters as she giggles with a soft hue coating her cheeks before she’s holding the flower up to your face. “Well, I don’t know if you’ve been told, but white suits you a lot.”

And there comes the conflict again, because yes, you have been told that white suits you. Everyday, your wife would offhandedly comment on it whenever she saw you with either a white shirt, pants, or anything, really.

Innocence and purity.

But your thoughts were neither of those two because here you were, spending time with another woman whilst your wife did her best for the life you were supposed to live together.

You watch as your past self plucks the flower from Minji’s hands before gently tucking it behind the older girl’s ear, the white contrasting with her red hair, yet she looks ethereal either way.

“I don’t think anything could compare to your beauty.”

Your breath hitches while you watch yourself pull Minji closer, her front flush against your own before you had both leaned in. You only force yourself to look away when your environment begins to shift again and you’re once more inside the house.

“Tell me the truth.” Seungwan’s broken voice feels like a sharp blade running through your heart and you’re forced to watch whilst Minji could only look away in shame after Seungwan had arrived right when she was supposed to leave. “Tell me, Y/n.”

“I…” Your fists clench at your sides before your shoulders fall, slumped in defeat as you slowly shake your head. “I’m so sorry.” You whisper as the tears your wife had tried to keep at bay finally trailed down her cheeks as she took a step back.

“I don’t think sorry is going to be enough to fix something like this.” She chokes out, gesturing to you and Minji, and you finally lift your head when she races out the door, keys in hand. “Wendy, wait!” But as you reached the door, she was already starting her car and, soon, driving away from the home you had both built.

The home you carelessly destroyed.

Never mind the rain that pelted against your vulnerable form. You watched as the car slowly disappeared into the distance with tears of your own mixing with the water droplets that hit your skin while Minji tried to think of what she could possibly do to help you.

While you watch, you notice Yubin lurking somewhere in the distance, covered by the darkness with a small frown on her face. However, her gaze snaps to the direction Seungwan had gone off to when a bird perches itself on her shoulder, there’s worry on her features and it doesn’t take you long before you find yourself standing in front of the wrecked car, exactly like Haneul had shown you.

“She died before they could get her to the hospital.” Minji finally speaks again, watching as your figure stood watching as the flames consumed the car, the sounds of sirens echoing in the air whilst people began to crowd around, trying to see what had happened.

And among those people, you can see all of the girls littered around, blending with the crowd with apologetic and sorrowful looks on their faces when you tried to help your wife out of the damaged car, only to be pulled away so that the paramedics could get her into the ambulance when they got the stretcher ready.

“We wanted to help, but there wasn’t anything we could have done…” She added regretfully and before you had a chance to see further, Haneul came out of nowhere, placing a hand over your eyes.

And before the girls could spring into action, he waved his free hand and everything faded to black.

..

When you opened your eyes again, the sun was already peeking into the horizon and Minji was looking at you, the same sorrowful look in her eyes mixed with guilt and shame of what she had done, and you can’t help subconsciously squeezing her hand.

“I’m sorry.” She whispers and you slowly shake your head, a frown on your lips as you bring her hand to them just enough so they barely brush against her knuckles. “No matter how much I want to fix it, I know I was part of why that happened.” She uttered out. “Your grief may have been short lived but I hated how he didn’t let you feel any of it. And now that you know…”

She doesn’t need you telling her, because she can feel it throughout the entire trip through her memories. The air had shifted when it all came back to you and she knew it was only then when the pain actually came crashing down on you, slapping you on the face to make you see just what it was that you had gone through.

As they say, no matter how much you delay the pain, it will only hurt worse once it comes back to you.

“You didn’t know I was married…” You whisper and she slowly shakes her head. “I only found out when I saw you together at the grocery. Sua spotted you and that’s when I realized you were seeing me behind her back.” She explains, her voice laced with the pain and burden she’d been carrying.

“Why you didn’t tell me, I don’t know. But that night… I was supposed to tell you that I didn’t want to keep hurting her behind her back, even if she didn’t know anything.” She explained quietly. “That was when she caught me at your home. A friend of hers had caught us, together. And seeing us had confirmed her claims.”

“But you wanted to stop it from happening.” You try to reason, yet she shakes her head one more time. “As much as I love you, I could never do that to another person. I had you taken away from me once, and I know how much it hurts. I didn’t want anyone else experiencing the same pain I did, so I tried to avoid it.” She sighed out, letting her gaze move to the ceiling. “I thought to myself, in another life, I have a chance. But this one, I have to let you go even if it hurts.”

And it’s there that you understand just how deeply Minji has loved you despite your time apart.

Because no one would willingly sacrifice their hearts for the sake of someone else. And no matter how many chances she had, she’s not once given up or passed up the opportunity to reach you.

You had her heart from the beginning, and she wasn’t willing to take it back.

..

“Try again.” Bora’s gentle instruction meets your ears and you let out a huff before shutting your eyes for a brief moment, only to open them again and then stare at the pocket watch sitting in front of you.

Right after lunch, the older women whisked you away and brought you behind the house just so you were in a less noisy environment to help you focus more. But you didn’t understand why you were trying to recall the memories of an inanimate object instead of a living being instead.

“Judging by your behavior these few days, you don’t remember everything.” The older girl stated and you flinched when the memory of Minji that morning replayed in your head. “So, to recall, while you can look into people’s thoughts and memories, you can also recall how things come to be.” She gestures to the watch.

“That, for example. You can recall how it was made or how it came to your possession, when and where I got it for you, so on. In one of your older notes, you’re capable of doing more, but you just lack the practice. So now, we’re starting from scratch.”

Out of nowhere, a cloth wrapped around your head, covering your eyes and stealing your sight before Bora gave your shoulder a pat. “Best way to help you enhance your senses is by taking one away.” She states before her voice slowly becomes farther to your left.

“I don’t see how this-”

“Shush, just focus on what you want to do.” She tells you and you grunt. “I want to go back inside.” You say with a huff and she rolls her eyes before the end of the cloth flicks your ear. “Ow!”

“Focus!”

You groan but do as told, anyway, focusing your energy on the pocket watch after blindly searching for it in front of you, letting your hand wrap around the cool item and letting the image of it form in your head.

While you’re busy with the watch, Bora watches you from the side, arms crossed with a thoughtful look on her face when Minji walks out of the building to join the two of you, water bottles in hand to make sure you don’t overwork yourself.

“How is she doing?” The older of the pair asked and Bora let out a sigh. “She’s agitated, that’s for sure.” She nodded in your direction as you kept fiddling with the watch in your hands, but with how minimal your movements have been compared to earlier, it was clear to them that at least something was working.

Minji pursed her lips before nodding slowly. “Do you think I can help with that?” She asked slowly and Bora turned her gaze away from you to look at her friend properly. “Are you sure about that?” She questioned and Minji finds it ironic how she had asked you something similar earlier that day.

“If it’s going to help, then I don’t see why not.” She answers, trying to appear nonchalant, but Bora sees right through her. “Unless you’ve had a change of heart, what’s the reason you’re suddenly willing to use your powers on her?”

Minji huffs before crossing her arms. “I just want to help her.” She mutters, but Bora knows her well enough to know that she wasn’t telling the whole truth. “Jiu, whatever is going on between you guys, I don’t want you doing something stupid that could end up hurting both of you.” Bora stated before she looked back at you, watching as you stayed still where you sat.

Your shoulders were tense, but it’s not exactly long when your thoughts come spilling out and Bora can see her past self going through stores and eventually picking the watch up.

A silent smile creeps up her face as she nodded her head before the memory shifted to when you saw the watch smash against the wall in your dreams up until she had fixed it for you.

Once that stopped, Bora allowed the cloth to fall from your eyes and drape loosely around your shoulders, giving you back your eyesight that it causes you to blink at the sudden brightness that hit you.

“Well, you were able to do what you were aiming for.” Bora comments when she walks over, her hands folded behind her back, noting the slight exhaustion on your face when she walked closer. “But we have to keep your powers under control. They’re spilling over again and as helpful as it is sometimes, you know that it’s just as dangerous.” She explains while you nod your head and Minji kept quiet as she listened to the conversation instead, opting to not say anything for now since her own thoughts have yet to calm down after that morning.

Bora tries to come up with a way that could possibly help you, however the idea that pops up in her head causes her brows to furrow before she’s glancing at her friend, almost a little reluctant. “The way you’re looking at me is making me worried. What is it?”

Minji didn’t need her to say anything to know, and you look up at the pair. “I mean, the best way for your thoughts to run rampant is when you’re panicking… right?” Minji’s eyes widen at the suggestion, staring at her best friend as though she’d grown a second head. “You’re not asking me to do what I think you’re doing.”

“You said you were willing to do anything that will help!”

“But that’s too much!”

You reach for one of the bottles and take a quick sip before rolling your shoulders. “If you’re suggesting for unnie to use her abilities on me, then I don’t mind.” You cut in on their conversation, causing both their heads to snap in your direction. “If that’s what’s going to help, then it should be okay.”

“But I don’t want you to get hurt.” Minji argues, fists clenched at her sides while you shoot her a small smile. “I know you won’t do anything to intentionally hurt me.”

Your words cause her to go quiet and Bora takes that as a sign to keep going. “In the event that things go south, you can calm her down and reverse everything. I’ll be here to keep a hold of her, so we’ll be okay.”

“Fine.” She breathes out, opening and closing her hands before she lets them rest on her sides. “Just, if this turns out badly, I’m not doing it again.” She tries to sound firm, but it’s clear that she’s afraid. After what happened with Haneul, she doesn’t know what she would do if she were the cause of your distress again.

Bora gestures for you to sit against the wall before the cloth is back over your eyes. And without another word, chains wrap around you to prevent you from moving too much and potentially hurt yourself or anyone near you whilst Minji takes a cautious step closer.

She’s aware of Bora’s eyes on her as she moves closer. As soon as she’s kneeling next to you, Minji slowly reaches to rest her hands against your jaw, carefully cradling your face as she leaned closer, pressing her lips lightly against your temple before moving them near your ear, enough for you to feel her breath against your skin.

“I trust you.” You whispered when you could still feel her reluctance and Minji let out a breath before nodding her head. “I’ll be right here.” She whispers before she finally closes her eyes, whispering a single word before she feels your body grow rigid under her touch.

There’s a spike in your memories and thoughts. All the worries and fears come creeping up and your shallow breathing had alerted Minji and Bora that you were now in the state they were aiming for.

Minji doesn’t move away from your side, wanting to snap you out of it as soon as it becomes too much, and she was quick to do so at the first whimper that came from your lips. Bora even ran over, letting the chains fall to the ground while Minji ripped the cloth from your face.

“Hey, it’s okay. Just breathe.” Bora instructed, rubbing your back as Minji pulled you into her arms. “You’re okay, it’s okay. We’re stopping.” She whispered while running her fingers through your hair.

But despite the inner panic you had just experienced, you were more than willing to push through. “Again... I want to try again.” You panted while shaking your head. “But Y/n-”

“It’s okay.” You argue. “I can keep going.”

The pair exchange looks before they’re reluctantly agreeing, putting you back in the same state. It’s a cycle for the next few hours, and they can see that it’s taking its toll on you. By the time the sun starts setting, the rest of the girls have come to check on your progress, only to see the weary looks on the two eldest members of your group.

“Is this working?” Yoohyeon quietly questioned and Bora grunted while wiping the sweat off her forehead. “She’s trying, and we’re getting there. There’s just too many suppressed memories - emotions, that she’s facing.” She explains when Siyeon carefully grabs her arm to balance her.

“But you’ve been at it for hours. This is too much for all three of you.” Handong stated with a frown. “Unnie, I think you need to take a break.” Yubin tells them when she approaches your hunched over figure.

Gahyeon lightly squeezes Minji’s shoulder before her own frown deepened at the sight of blood trickling down your nose, an indication that you were overusing your powers and that you were pushing yourself far too much than you were supposed to.

Aside from that, they could all feel the frustration and exhaustion you were currently dealing with. But what makes them all worry even more is the image of the burning car that your memories bring to all of them.

“I think that’s enough for today.”

[acraftedmistake]

A Person Who Has Never Played MCSM Writes A Story About MCSM Chp. 15

CHP 15!!!!! Some good times and bad times lie ahead...... 

Enjoy!

“Everything okay?” Jess asked. Aiden was about to leave the house but had stopped halfway out the door, turned back around, and scanned the first floor while Jess and Olivia waited for him.

“Yeah.” Aiden said slowly as he began to close the door, twisting the knob to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally lock the three of them out, “Just thought I heard something.” He walked away from the house and patted his hair down. “You two ready to go?”

“Mhm!” Olivia finished zipping up the olive green jacket Stella had lent her. She was hiding her face with the hood of the gray sweatshirt Cassie gave her the day before as well. She knew there weren’t too many people out at this hour, but better safe than sorry.

Jess was wearing the leather jacket and beanie again, but he wasn’t too concerned about hiding his face this time. Earlier, he made a minor complaint that his clothes felt rather stiff after wearing them for a few days straight, to which Aiden promised that once they got back home he would throw their clothes in the washer.

“Let’s get going!” Jess said, adjusting the beanie on his head. Originally, Jess wasn’t too thrilled at the idea of going out at this hour. Knowing there might be Awakening members roaming around, or his alternate self--who had no problem beating Radar in broad daylight--made Jess uncertain over the safety of Obsidian Town’s streets. Aiden assured him that they’d be alright, it’d be three against one, and--in his words--he ‘Wants to do somethin’ nice for Olivia after last night’.

Jess appreciated the thoughtfulness, and in the end, visiting Olivia’s grave was up to… Well, Olivia, but he’d still be ready in case a creep tried to pull something.  

Jess couldn’t really blame Olivia for wanting to check out her grave. It’s her place of death. When would you ever get an opportunity to visit a place like that again? Not to mention, Jess had been wanting to get a better look at Obsidian Town rather than getting glimpses or constantly staring at the ground.

The three walked to the left and started their journey to the cemetery. Aiden and Olivia were making small talk, so Jess took this time to absorb his surroundings.

Up ahead, he could spot a tall, crooked, ivory colored tower in the distance. That must’ve been the library Olivia mentioned before. Even from all the way over here Jess could see how ruined the place was. Cracks stretched across it, it was riddled with holes, and it looked moments away from collapsing.

Jess scanned the streets. The long, thin black lamp posts on each side had thin string-lights tied to their tops that stretched across the streets in a zig-zag like manner. It’s a shame they weren’t on at the moment, they must’ve been wonderful when lit.

There were empty stalls they’d pass by occasionally. Colorful, patterned tents protected the bare tables, empty boxes, and scraps sitting underneath. Jess noticed each stall had string lights, small lanterns, or candles for light. He’d catch quick glimpses at folded signs tucked away and papers taped onto poles advertising items and prices. Seeing all of this reminded him of the farmer markets Beacon Town. Jess would always act so crabby when he woke up early for them, but it wouldn’t take long for him to get hyped up and dashing around the place until closing time.

The stalls and all were nice, but Jess couldn’t help but find Obsidian Town’s buildings to be… Underwhelming.

Many of the buildings, from what he could see, were constructed with the same materials: stone, wood, bricks, concrete, the occasional polished granite and diorite, and the rare terracotta. There were variations with the colors, but seeing the same materials got real tiring real fast.

And most structures here were just shapes. That’s all that could really be said. Squared, rectangled, plain shapes to fit the equally-plain materials. Even the sizes of the buildings felt plain. Many were one to two stories, a large handful reached three, and hardly any were four.

Jess was so used to Beacon Town’s monstrous structures, giant jungle trees sprouting from windows, walls of colored glass creating magnificent designs, and bridges stretching from roof to roof that connected the town together. The fun types of builds! It might sound chaotic but that’s what made Beacon Town feel like home. Obsidian Town was just that. A town.

‘Don’t think the people here can risk being experimental, to be fair.’ Jess told himself as he remembered how often quakes struck. He thought back to his town again. He thought about how so many homes would quickly collapse the moment a strong-enough quake would hit. Beacon Town was fun, but it wasn’t built with ‘sturdiness’ in mind, unlike Obsidian Town.

While the construction and sizes of these buildings were on the more ‘basic’ side, the way the citizens decorated the exteriors of their homes and stores was magnificent. Oh, how he loved their decorations. From markets using barrels, wagons, and carefully stacked crates to advertise their fresh fruit and flowers, to cafes that’d have their furniture with their own color schemes and accessories to make them stand out from one another. Some places had porches decorated with flowers and swinging benches, while others had balconies with tiny lights.

Jess would get a second to peer into windows they’d pass by, catching glimpses of interiors that’d tempt him to come closer and press his face against the glass to get a better look. Actually, he hadn’t noticed it right away, but so many windows in Obsidian Town were colored. They didn’t have any intricate designs--a majority of them were one solid color--unlike the stained glass back at the Order Hall, but they were still charming. He pictured in his head how vibrant the streets must be when night comes… The lights from the inside mixing with the colors of the glass must be magnificent.

One place that REALLY caught Jess’ attention was a stone gray building tucked between two larger ones. It had a simple square base, but had a noticeable tilt to it. It had a staircase that wrapped around it’s walls and led to the roof, where a smaller room sat atop, equally slanted. A wooden sign hung from above the door and had the words “Glass Art” on it. Purple, pink, and blue glass shards and chimes were held by opaque strings from the overhang; there was a large, round, beautiful stained glass window with the same colors beside the door.  

The glass art reminded Jess of Ivor and his potions. Man… How is Ivor? Is he doing alright? Is he worried? Hopefully he’s not working himself to the bone trying to find a way to save him and Olivia. Jess couldn’t wait to get back home and give that old man a big ol’ hug.

Come to think of it, has anyone mentioned anything about potions while they’ve been here? He doesn’t remember Olivia’s book talking about them, nor any of Aiden’s friends bringing them up… Are there no potions here? Or maybe there’s a lack of materials? They couldn’t go to the Nether or mine without a license--which STILL boggles Jess’ mind--so that probably made gathering resources hard. How would Ivor react to this? He’d probably say: ‘Pah! A universe without potions is a miserable one. Back in my day, we’d travel hundreds of miles to find the finest ingredients for our--’

“Jess!” He heard Olivia call his name. He spun around and saw her and Aiden standing under a stone arch. Olivia had her hands on her hips.

“You done dreamin’?” Aiden asked.

Jess didn’t realize how far he had strayed from the two. He hurried over and joined them at the arch.

“Sorry, sorry, I was busy thinking.” He skidded to a halt and fixed his beanie.

“Just glad nobody saw you.” Aiden said, “I almost stopped her from calling you cause I wanted to see how far you’d walk off.”

“Could you imagine if he got caught like that?” Olivia asked, “One moment he’s strolling through the streets, and the next he’s being pounced on by guards all because he was too busy sightseeing.” Her and Aiden chuckled at the thought.

“Oh, so it’s a crime to appreciate a town now?” Jess dramatically placed his hands on his hips, mimicking Olivia’s posture.

“It's illegal for you.” Aiden said, “Now come on, there’s a shortcut through the park.”

Aiden walked through the moss-covered stone arch. On each side of the arch were thick, green hedges that boxed in the park. Olivia noticed that, unlike the buildings in this town, the hedges didn’t form an actual shape; it would jut in and out at random, creating odd angles and corners. It was strange but charming.

A path that started under the arch and looped around the area, creating a horseshoe-like shape. Aiden ignored the path and continued walking straight through the grass. Olivia saw the usual things most parks had: Benches, lampposts, a sign telling people not to litter. She also noticed leftover chalk on the sidewalk, laying right beside children’s drawings of stick figures and hopscotch.

Obsidian Town’s park was small, nice, simple, and… Honestly a little dark. The thick clouds were already blocking most of the sun’s light, but the few, tall, thick trees had branches that hid nearly every inch of the sky. Despite how dim it was, Olivia could still spot wild flowers sprinkled around the grass, along with the bugs buzzing around them.

Honestly--and Olivia felt bad thinking this--she preferred this sort of park over whatever the heck Beacon Town had going on. Yes, Beacon Town was great in it’s own way. People could build whatever they wanted, and that’s wonderful, but sometimes she’d just like to take a walk without a constant ruckus surrounding her. Sometimes she just wanted peace and quiet--

“That guy’s missing his entire head!” Jess suddenly whisper-shouted as he lightly shook Olivia. Her heart started beating frantically as she hurriedly spun her head around. Her mind was going all over the place. Was it a decapitated corpse? A strange, alternate-universe monster? Or--or--

It was a statue.

“Jess, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” She sighed with relief.

“Sorry,” He took his hands off of her and pointed, “check it out though!”

Both Olivia and Aiden were looking at the statue now. It was a man frozen midrun, an axe held back--stuck in a swinging motion--while the other hand held up his battered shield, which covered his face. If he had a face, that is. It had to be The Impossible Man. Olivia wasn’t sure who else it could’ve been.

“He’s definitely seen better days.” She said under her breath. Besides his entire head missing, a majority of his body was covered in dirt, children’s chalk, and other strange stains. Cracks started from his broken neck and traveled to his chest, his armor was chipped and scratched, and a good portion of his axe had broken off as well.

“Yeah, I think there’s a couple more statues around here?” Aiden mentioned as they continued walking, “They’re all in pretty bad shape. The kids like to mess with them.”

Aiden scanned the park. “There’s one,” He pointed to the upper corner on the left side of the park. A statue was placed on a podium right in front of a tree. Despite the fact one of his legs was missing, he appeared to be sitting comfortably, gazing at the tree tops peacefully.

“Annnndddd…” Aiden kept turning his head in different directions, “I’m pretty sure there was a head somewhere… Oh!” He spun around, walking backwards now as he pointed to the direction of the entrance. Jess and Olivia followed his finger, their eyes landed on a wooden bench--and right beside it was a small column with a broken bust of the man on top. Olivia couldn’t make out much of the man’s face from here, but she kept getting the eerie feeling that his fractured eyes were somehow watching her. Constantly. Unblinking. She shuddered.

“You think the quakes are the reason they’re missing some parts?” She heard Jess ask aloud.

“I find it really hard to believe they somehow stood through all of those quakes and just lost a head or a leg. They might've been stolen.” Olivia theorized.

Jess put his hand on his chin, stroking an imaginary beard, “I think I remember seeing Hadrian have a couple of statue parts at his place…”

“What? You think old people just like to steal random body parts during their free time?” She grinned.

“That’s what I’d like to do when I retire!” He chuckled. Olivia rolled her eyes playfully.

The three came to a stop in front of a wall of hedge that stood a couple inches taller than Aiden. Unlike the rest of the hedges, this one probably hasn’t been trimmed in months. The surface was extremely uneven; hundreds of tiny branches and leaves stuck out and got tangled with one another. This hedge was also covered in flowers. Tons of them. Clusters of fluffy-looking, light pink flowers were scattered throughout, and were nearly as big as Olivia’s face. The ground was covered in old petals.

Olivia made sure that every strand of hair was tucked inside her hood. There was no way she wanted to spend the rest of the day picking out the twigs, leaves, and petals that’d get stuck in there.

Aiden walked to the right, staring into the bush and running his hand over it as he mumbled to himself, trying to remember where the shortcut was. Olivia and Jess awkwardly shuffled along. Aiden soon stopped, crouched down, then put his hand into the bush. He then took it out, huffed, scooched over a couple more inches, and repeated the process.

After a minute of searching, Aiden started talking to himself. “Maybe it’s on the left side? I could’ve sworn we--!” Aiden suddenly fell forward and into a large hole in the hedge.

Man, if Aiden hadn’t fell through, Olivia would’ve also thought he’d forgotten where the entrance was. The branches hid the hole well.

Jess helped Aiden to his feet. Aiden thanked him as he moved aside, motioning towards the hole.

“You guys go ahead.” Aiden said, “I’ll wait for you to go through.”

Jess and Olivia glanced at each other before Jess gave her a little bow, “After you.”

“How kind.” Olivia curtsied. She crouched and crawled through. The dirt was already making her pants a little damp.

Luckily, despite a few scratches, the crawl only lasted a few seconds.

She got up, cleaned herself off, and waited for the boys.

Jess’ head soon popped out from the hole. Leaves and tiny branches were caught in his hair. He wriggled himself out and brushed off his clothes.

“Here, let me help with your hair.” Olivia started plucking the sticks out.

“Thanks!” Jess said happily as he took off and shook the leaves off his beanie.

It was quiet for a couple of moments as they cleaned themselves up. Olivia felt her smile twitch.

“Hey, Jess,” She started slowly, “I’m… I’m sorry.”

Jess put his hat back on, “What for?”

“I know you don’t have the best feelings towards Aiden right now,” She stared at her feet, “I hope it doesn’t feel like I’m dragging you along.”

“What? No, no, no!” Jess exclaimed, “Look, I was real mad last night, but I wanted to go with you!”

Olivia brought her head back up to Jess, a tiny smile of relief on her face.

“And I’m sticking to my word. We’ll stick together no matter what.” Jess shoved his hands into his pockets. “And uh… We don’t really have a choice when it comes to trusting Aiden and his friends, but things aren’t gonna get better if I keep blowing up like I did yesterday--” A sudden grunt interrupted Jess and caused both of them to jump.

They turned to see Aiden struggling to get out of the bush. How much did he hear? Hopefully not too much. Hopefully.

Aiden tries to use his free arm to pull the rest of his body out, but after a few more seconds he stopped fighting and let his face fall to the ground.

“... I’m stuck again.” He could hear Olivia and Jess snicker as they grabbed his hand and began to pull. They were able to pull him out in no time.

“Thanks.” Aiden said as he shook off the dirt--and the embarrassment. “The memorials are on the other side of the cemetery. Should only take a minute to get there.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When they entered the cemetery, Jess kept his eyes peeled for any familiar names on the gravestones. A few graves had rather unusual colors to them. There was a dusty red one, an uncommon shade, but not odd. Then he’d walk by a blue one; he’s never seen a grave that color before--well, Reuben’s memorial had bits of blue in it, does that count?--Then he walked by a purple grave, a green one, an orange one?

“This is… The happiest looking cemetery I’ve ever seen.” Olivia said as she beheld the rest of the graveyard.

“Is that a compliment?” Aiden asked.

Olivia kept staring at tombstones until she finally said “I don’t know, I’ve just never seen a place for the dead look so… Lively.”

Taking in the rest of the graveyard, Jess had to agree . What was usually a dark, gloomy, dreary place was so, so vibrant. Even under this cloudy, dull weather, the many colors still popped. This was more like a miniature festival than a cemetery! Many tombstone tops looked like roofs with their pointed tops and little overhangs. Their heights and widths would range from short and broad to tall and scrawny. Heck, Jess could spot a couple of graves as tall as him.

“What the heck are your cemeteries like?” Aiden glanced back at them.

“Plainer colors, I guess?” Jess shrugged, “You know, blacks, grays, browns, nothing too flashy.” The only exception Jess could think of was, once again, Reuben's memorial.

“Really?” Aiden sounded genuinely baffled by this. “We hardly got any of those. What do they mean?”

Olivia and Jess exchanged confused expressions with each other before Jess faced Aiden again, “Sadness? Loss? I don’t think there’s any real meaning behind those colors, honestly.”

“Right, we don’t typically associate bright colors with the dead.” Olivia added in, viewing the cemetery again. Scrawny trees and tiny flowers with stems that reached her knees that were peppered around the area; most were in between the graves. She thought about Aiden’s question, “I’m assuming the colors here represent something specific?”

“Yeah, buncha things. Too many for me to keep track of, but I remember the important ones.” Aiden started as they continued walking down the damp dirt path. “When a person dies, their friends and family can choose the color of their grave. It’s usually… Like… Hm. It’s supposed to show what the person was like when they were alive, ya know? Yellow for the happy people,” He explained while pointing to a shorter grave of said-color, “orange for determination, that sorta stuff. Stella’s memorized ‘em all. If you ever wanna know more, she’s the person to ask.”

As Aiden kept talking, Olivia and Jess kept taking in their surroundings. Jess had noticed something. Every single grave they passed was decorated with gems. The gems were placed close by the names and dates of those who passed, and seeing so many of them in various shapes, colors, and sizes made him curious…

“Hey, uh, what’s with the gems?” Jess spoke up, “Are they real?” He was wondering if maybe they were regular stones that were carved and painted. There was no way Obsidian Town could have an overabundance of minerals, especially since the citizens needed a mining license.

“Nah, they’re glass.” Aiden replied, “I thought they were real myself until we had to choose some gems for Lukas--” He suddenly stopped in his tracks. Jess and Olivia peered over and saw a lit redstone torch placed in front of a grave. Aiden plucked the torch from its place, a scowl on his face as he blew out the flame then chucked the burnt wood across the cemetery.

“Anyways, what was I sayin’?” He began walking again, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

‘What was that about?’ Jess thought to himself. It must’ve been linked to the cult, right? Why else would Aiden have done that?

“Right!” He snapped his fingers,” So the gems are basically like the colors of the graves. We had to go to this special place where the people there pulled out huge chests filled with those things. Took us forever to pick ‘em out.”

“Each color chosen means something for the person that passed…” Jess whispered to himself as Aiden’s words from earlier echoed through his mind. He was rather fond of how Obsidian Town remembered their dead. It was more uplifting than what he was used to. Maybe he could make some changes to the graveyards once they get back to Beacon Town.

Aiden was quiet for a minute before he added, “Gill took the longest. He was real worried his gem wouldn’t be good enough.” He paused. “He… he ended up crying.”

His voice got quieter, “I hated seeing him like that.”

Jess and Olivia both tried to think of what to say, what ‘s the next best thing to do, but Aiden immediately changed the subject.

“What do you guys put on your graves?” Aiden asked, he sounded ‘normal’ again, but kept facing away from the two.

Jess hesitated, “Names. Dates.”

“A description of the person who passed.” Olivia added.

“Just words? Doesn’t that get a little… Depressing?” Aiden narrowed his eyes.

“Oh, you think that’s sad? We once wrote out an entire dictionary on a guy’s grave back in our universe.” Jess answered jokingly. Olivia let out a little giggle, and they even heard a chuckle out of Aiden.

That small chuckle was all Jess needed to hear to continue telling quips and share short, funny stories at Aiden’s way to try and lighten the mood. Aiden was soon sharing his own experiences mixed in with his own humor. Aiden and Jess were bouncing off of each other, making fun of their own universes while Olivia would throw in her commentary every now and then.

‘This is so weird…’ Olivia thought to herself. The three of them laughing while walking through a cemetery… it’s something that’d usually feel inappropriate to do, but here she wasn’t all that bothered.

This whole experience has been surreal. Entering a rainbow of a cemetery through a bush felt like something that’d only happen in her dreams, yet here she was. Honestly, it was a nice change of pace to not feel worried for her and her friend’s life for a moment.

She had nearly forgotten the dread she felt when she originally suggested coming here.

And then Aiden spoke up.

“Okay, okay, we’re finally--” Aiden stopped. “Here.” All happiness in his tone had left.

That didn’t sound good. That didn’t sound good at all. Olivia grabbed onto the string of her hoodie and began to pull on it as she slowly peered over Aiden. Standing before him were two graves. Olivia’s eyes were drawn to the shorter one. She trailed down the grave, the coral color fading into a deep shade of red until she stopped at the flowers laying beside a lit, redstone torch.

Olivia held her breath. Jess got close to her as Aiden approached the torch. He grabbed it by it’s barely-scorched base and brought it to his face to blow out the flame. Instead of throwing it away like the last one, he just placed it to the side, only a few feet away from the grave. He wore an expression neither of them have ever seen on him before. Fear? Heartache? Pain.

“We’re here.” He said again. His voice completely devoid of energy. His body was stiff as he walked to the side of the grave, with his hands curled into tight fists and placed at his sides. There was another redstone torch placed in front of the grave to the right, but Aiden didn’t say anything. Olivia took a few small steps forward and gave him a small nod.

As she knelt down in front of the grave--in front of her grave--she heard Aiden tell Jess ‘Come on’, followed by the sound of footsteps growing distant.

She sat alone at her grave.

She didn’t want to read the text. She really didn’t. Isn’t that funny? That was one of the main reasons she wanted to come here. To see if there was a chance she could read about her death, what happened to her, but now that she was here, she was terrified. She looked everywhere else but the epitaph before her. She stared at the small bouquet of flowers on the dirt--the dirt… She noticed it seemed… Messier compared to the other graves. Like someone tried digging through it. The bouquet, though! There was a mix of flowers held together by a red ribbon. Clusters of tiny, magenta flowers, a few pointed, white flowers with many petals, and a type of flower she actually knew the name of: Lilys.

She then brought her gaze up, catching a quick glimpse of her name written in gold, to observe the gems placed into the tombstone. Two orange gems, one yellow, one gold, another maroon, and the gem in the center was amber. They formed an arch around the words in the center.

‘Stop avoiding it.’ She told herself, but she didn’t listen. She turned to Lukas’ grave. She had to see his. She had to. It was right here and--and he’s her friend.

His grave was turquoise and had thin, white stripes that stretched across the top, and seven gems instead of six. Three on each side, and the last gem placed above his epitaph. He was given flowers as well.

The words engraved in the stone read: “LUKAS: Courageous and loyal. An inspiring leader and a brilliant friend.”

Short but wonderful. It was perfect. Reading it over and over again, she thought about just how lucky she and Jess were with having their friend still around. He’s done so much for them. Constantly helping Jess run Beacon Town, aiding the citizens, always visiting her and Axel whenever he got the chance… He could’ve left them during that Witherstorm. He could’ve ditched them at any moment when things got too rough, but he never did.

‘I need to give Lukas a hug when I get back.’ Olivia thought to herself. Lukas could still leave them one day without warning. He could finally get sick of them, die in a brutal fight, or--or end up being kidnapped like this Lukas--Olivia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, trying to get those awful thoughts out. Don’t think about that. He’s still alive. He still cares about them. He loves them.

Olivia kept her eyes closed for a moment longer before finally bringing her attention back to her own grave. She forced herself to read the words written for her; “OLIVIA: An intelligent, creative, and hardworking engineer. A bright spark of joy even during the darkest of days.”

Olivia stared at her words. A weird sense of reassurance was arising. She’s never thought highly of herself. She’d sometimes convince herself that others couldn’t tolerate her, and that she was one mistake away from ruining everything. She wondered if this Olivia ever felt a similar way. Was she constantly trying to make sure she said and did the right things? Try to fix any issue immediately so her friends didn’t think she was useless? Always second guessing her own thoughts?

Did this Olivia know her friends always loved her? Or was she riddled with fears and doubts until her sudden end?

‘She died a couple of years ago, didn’t she?’ Olivia tried to recall any mention of her death from Aiden. She wasn’t certain, but whether it was a few years ago, or a few months ago, didn’t change the fact that she died so soon.

She was young.

Younger than her.

To have her life end on an abrupt note… It scared her. It scared her so much. Everything could be taken away one day.

As she sat over her body, she felt her fingers begin to dig into the dirt, like they were trying to reach in and find the other Olivia’s hand. A sick form of curiosity made her want to know more. More about this Olivia. Her life. Her mind. To have a connection with her. It was her body she was sitting over, afterall. Her corpse. Her--

“Olivia?” Jess placed his hand on her shoulder. “Are you doing okay?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Come on.” Aiden gave Jess a light tap with his hand. He started walking away from Olivia. Jess hesitated. He looked at his friend for a second more before leaving with Aiden.

“We just needa give her some space.” Aiden said.

“Right, totally understand.” Jess wanted to stick around for a few minutes longer to study his friends’ graves, but that could wait. He didn’t want to make Olivia feel like he was breathing down her neck.

Jess thought back to the many instances where his friends’ lives were in danger, when they were so close to being taken away from him. He hated seeing his friends’ lives at stake more than anything; he’d go through Hell and back to protect them, and to be in a place where their deaths became a reality was so hard to wrap his head around.

Lukas left without a trace. No familiar faces to comfort him during his last moments, only enemies looming over him while he was in an unknown place. Just thinking about his fate made Jess worry sick about his Lukas back at home.

It was silent for a few minutes. Only their footsteps filled the void.

“So…” Jess started, wanting to make small talk, “What do the colors for Olivia and Lukas’ graves mean?”

“Olivia’s creativity.” Aiden replied, sounding short. “And Lukas’--” He paused and scanned the cemetery. He took a left turn and continued walking between the graves. “He’s…Don’t make fun of us, but his color stands for friendship.”

“Friendship?” Jess perked up at the word.

“I know, it’s probably super cheesy or whatever, but it fits him. It really does.” Aiden said.

“No, no, I completely agree! He’s a great friend--one of the best! If I had to recount all the times he’s been there for me, we’d be here all day.”

“Right. Same here.” They stopped at another grave with another redstone torch in front of it. This grave was short and purple, with many cool-colored gems placed in it. Jess didn’t recognize the name.

Aiden grabbed the torch and blew out the flame. Jess decided to ask another question.

“Any idea why The Awakening puts those torches there?”

“Probably for no good reason.” Aiden answered through gritted teeth as he chucked the wood as hard as he could across the cemetery.

There was something unnerving about the torches left at the grave. Their red glow would take over the colors of the graves, and their light under a thick, cloudy sky would claim your attention and make it hard to pull away. Their soft crackling would fill in the silence whenever he and Aiden didn’t talk; the occasional loud snaps from the flames would make Jess believe there was a threat following them.

Jess stopped at a tombstone and picked up a vase of flowers that had fallen aside. “The gems on their graves, what do they mean? Do you remember ‘em?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’d remember what the gems on my own friends’ graves would mean!” Aiden snapped.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!” Jess held the vase tighter. “I was just--I wanted to know more about them.” Great. Now they’re both feeling terrible.

Aiden’s demeanor softened when he saw Jess’ reaction. “No, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I’ve been--” He hesitated, “I’ve just been thinking about someone is all.”

“No, it’s no problem.” Jess carefully placed the small vase back upright. He folded his arms and joined Aiden’s side.

“I’m uh, still interested to hear bout those gems if you’re wanting to share.” He said.

“Yeah. I can do that for ya.” Aiden answered.

“For Lukas,” Aiden began, walking through the grass. “Gill chose blue. I remember that one’s loyalty. Gold for compassion. White for safety--he’d always double check our belongings every time to make sure we were prepared.”

Aiden stopped and grabbed a torch, “It was kinda annoying, but I miss it now.” He blew it out and threw the wood.

They kept moving.

“Rose picked pink.” Aiden started running his fingers over the grave tops, “She was real embarrassed when she chose it. Kept refusing to show us cause she thought we’d laugh at her.”

“I’m guessing pink’s for love?” Jess said, trying to make sure he wouldn’t trample any flowers.

“Yeah, and--” Aiden chuckled, “Rose wanted his description to be: Pretty blond dork with a decent sense of style. All of us were actually on board with it.”

“Did you end up pulling through with it?” Jess asked.

“Nah, the guys making the grave wouldn’t allow it.” Aiden spotted a couple of gravestones with torches by them. They were already burnt out. He grabbed two of the torches while Jess grabbed the last.

“What a bunch of killjoys.” Jess joked. Aiden laughed as he prepared to throw the burnt wood. Jess mimicked each step of Aiden’s. Hold, aim, then throw. Once they lost sight of the rubbish, they followed the dirt path to the entrance of the cemetery.

The cemetery wasn’t boxed in by hedges like the park, instead, it had a stone wall.

Aiden leaned against the wall. It didn’t look like the most comfortable surface--the rocks were jagged and would probably fall apart in moments--but he seemed unaffected by it. Jess stood nearby and took a peek through the gate beside them. Unlike the rough, uneven walls, the black fence was tall, sturdy, and had a huge, elegantly curved arch.

“Olivia’s got a few similar gems,” Aiden started, putting his hands in his pocket, “Two golds, yellow… She’s got amber--Man, I always mix those three up. They sound different enough but when they’re placed by each other, they all look the same. Amber’s slightly darker than yellow, but not as dark as gold. Amber’s positivity.”

“Lotta happy ones for her.” Jess commented. He’d been staring at the decorated buildings through the gate’s bars as he listened. He could spot bits of pots filled with flowers on the other side of the wall, their colors as eye-catching as the cemetery.

“Always made us happy.” Aiden said with a shrug. “She also had… Ah…” He pressed his lips together, “Orange! She had that one too. And then there’s…” He had to stop to think again.

“It’s not… Well, it looks like red, but it’s darker… Ah, shoot.” Aiden cursed to himself.

“Carmine? Maroon?” Jess tilted his head.

Aiden snapped his fingers, “Maroon! Right! Creativity; same thing as her grave. Picked it myself.” He said rather proudly.

“You guys really cared about her.” Jess mumbled. He tilted his head towards Aiden, “And I’m sure Olivia loved you guys all the same.”

Aiden stared back at him.

A small smile spread across his face, “Thanks.”

The two became quiet and looked over the array of colorful graves before them. The clouds slowly began to part; gems glistened as the rays of sun shone down on them.

“Should we check on Olivia now?” Jess asked after a few minutes of silence.

Aiden got off the stone wall and stretched his back, “Yeah, let’s go.”

~ ~ ~ ~

When the two returned to Olivia, the last thing they wanted to see was to see her in distress. The tips of her fingers were shoved into the dirt below, her eyes were stuck on the golden words in front of her, her mouth was parted--barely moving--with no voice to match. Jess couldn’t tell if she was trembling or not, but she was scared. Very scared.

Jess bit his lip and approached his friend. Aiden was right behind.

“Olivia?” Jess placed his hand on her shoulder, “Are you doing okay?”

Olivia jumped and jerked her hands out of the dirt.

“Yes--! Yeah, no, no don’t worry, I’m fine. Thanks--thank you for checking on me.” She replied frantically. She took deep breaths.

Before Jess could question anything, Olivia spoke up.

“Aiden, this uh--the substance mixed into the stone,” Her fingers trailed down the tombstone, “is it redstone dust?”

Her voice was shaky.

Aiden glanced at Jess, who was equally nervous as him, then said, “Actually, it is.”

He took a step closer to Olivia, “They don’t usually allow people to mix stuff like redstone or glowstone dust with the colors--especially cause they’re hard to find--but they made an exception for us.”

Olivia nodded along, blinking back tears.

Jess read her epitaph, “Guess all Olivia’s are just the greatest engineers out there, huh?”

“Damn right. She didn’t have a bunch of dust to work with, but she’d still crank out machine after machine like no tomorrow.” Aiden said, “Man, I remember every year for her birthday that’d be all she’d ever ask for. Not weapons, not new journals, not even a dang cake, just redstone dust. Course, the only places you could find ‘em were in caves or old shrines, right?” He asked while facing Lukas’ grave and grabbing the lit redstone torch below.

“Yup, we found a bunch of it yesterday.” Jess said, sitting besides Olivia.

“Right, and since it was so dangerous, she told us to not worry bout gettin’ it because ‘It’d be stupid to risk your life for some red powder’.” Aiden gestured with the torch, the flame getting frighteningly close to his hair.

“Well, I’d always lose track of dates and forget to get her a gift, so one of the other guys would back me up and tell Olivia we bought a gift ‘together’, and I felt so bad.” He thankfully blew out the fire after saying that.

“So then guess what I did one day?” Aiden said.

“Walked out and found a bag of redstone on the ground?” Jess asked sarcastically.

Aiden laughed, “I wish.”  

Aiden began pacing, the trail of smoke whirling around him, “But I decided I’d bust into one of those dumb shrine and find some dust for her, and I didn’t tell anyone bout it besides Jesse. He was on board with the plan, he was great at findin’ stuff, plus two people finding dust was much easier than one.” Aiden fiddled with the burnt wood, “We headed off to the nearest shrine and actually found enough dust to fill up a bag and a half, but cause of the state of that dump, some rooms would collapse after you opened the door!”

“You two ended up getting hurt, didn’t you?” Olivia had her hand on her head, already concerned over the direction of this story.

“Course we did!” Aiden threw his arms up. “I swear anytime the two of us were together, things would fall apart or we’d break a bone--” Aiden stopped his talking to quickly chuck the wood away. “Anyways, anyways, we got back home right on time for Olivia’s birthday and man did we look awful. Clothes were all dirty, got some real bad scrapes on my knees, Jesse grabbed so much dust it looked like his fingers were covered in blood, and I somehow got a black eye? I think the top of a chest smacked me...”

Olivia rubbed her temples, “You two really shouldn’t have risked your lives over a birthday present--”

“That’s exactly what she said!” Aiden exclaimed, “Went through all that trouble, and you know how she reacted?”

“Panicked?” Olivia asked.

“Bet she loved it.” Jess said, giving Olivia a nudge.

“She did--but Hero did she freak out! Dropped her cake and rushed over to get us cleaned up. Olivia was wrapping up one of Jesse’s arms--” Aiden thought to himself for a second, “--I think a big rock landed on it? But she was going off on us. Raising her voice and lecturing us like she was our mom, telling us it’s a miracle we were still in one piece, and why in Hero’s name we did something so stupid.”

“I mean, it wasn’t stupid if things worked out for you.” Jess pointed out.

“Yeah, but still.” Aiden chuckled, “It was stupid. It was so, so stupid. But after that, she loved our present. I’d never seen her smile so much. She was working on her machinery, telling me and Jesse how everything worked while we pretended to understand.”

Aiden carefully leaned on Olivia’s grave, “Hero knows I didn’t understand a single thing she was sayin’, but seeing her so happy…” His smile grew as his voice softened, “It was great.”

“That’s all so sweet…” Olivia spoke softly. “I love it.”

She was shaking again.

Jess turned to his friend to mention something, but stopped when he saw Olivia staring at the ground, fingers picking at the dirt just like she was when they came back. That same, terrified expression on her face.

“Liv--?” Jess mumbled, but Olivia started rambling nonsense.

“I don’t know if my words mean much to you--I know I’m not her--but you’re a good friend, Aiden.” Her nails started to dig into the ground, “All of this, all that you’ve done for Olivia--you--you--Even when I just--” She kept stumbling over her words, “Even when she died one day you kept being so kind to me--”

The more she kept talking, the more concerned--the more scared--Aiden and Jess became.

“Hey, hey are you alright?” Jess reached out to hold her, but Olivia shot her head back up.

“I’m under here.” She whispered. Her voice was so unsteady.

Jess was taken aback, “What?”

“I’m under here.” She said again. “I’m so close.”

Her hand began to claw at the dirt, “I’m so close. My body’s all mangled up in that box below, and--and my hair’s so long now.” She felt sick talking about this, she felt sick thinking about it. “It’d be so easy to just dig myself up. For Aiden to see her again. Jesse--Jess, we’re so close. I could look at myself. Look at my body. I’m--”

“Olivia!” Jess shook her, “Do you want to get out of here?”

Aiden wanted to offer his support, but Olivia instantly got on her feet.

“Yes. Yes I want to leave. I want to go home.” She kept repeating that last sentence while she hugged herself, breathing heavily. She was freezing.

“Right, we need to head back anyways.” Aiden’s stomach was in knots seeing Olivia like this. His hands turned to fists, “I should’ve known better. I shouldn’t have taken you here. I’m sorry--”

“Don’t.” Olivia cut in. “I wanted to go. You took me. I saw--I saw what I needed to. I appreciate it. Thank you.” She was stiff as a board.

Olivia took one last deep breath, “Let’s go home.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Damn them.

Damn them all.

Locked every damn door and window in this house. They’re hiding her, he knows they’re hiding her.

Did they really think locking themselves in would stop him? He used to live in this Hero forsaken house; he knows every nail, screw, and plank that makes up this despicable place.

He still remembers that trapdoor on the roof. He knows how to claw his way up there. He’ll pry it open with his own bare hands.

He’ll find her.

He will.

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

We need something with that new tattoo thing you just reblogged, like now

Oh you mean the one I just recently reblogged? done by @gspaepro? lets fucking GO. Also this shit is now canon in design, since I have the permission from them

Yiga rituals were very intricate. Motions and actions done in silence, motions done underneath candlelight and in the shadows. It was why traditional romance just. Didn’t suit their style, their way of life. Stuff like coffee dates, stuff like retiring in a farm, even wedding rings were not very common. It was one of the MANY reasons why it boggled Kohga’s mind, why he thought buying him an expensive ass wedding ring was the way to his heart. Don’t get Kohga wrong, it was a sweet gesture, but it was so...solid, so finite. It made Kohga feel like he’d be boxed in, like a cow behind a fence. He didn’t like it. 

“But you still shouldn’t have done that.”

He told himself. It had been years since Sooga attempted a proposal, and just yesterday, he tried again. Kohga was mad at first, but now that he sat here, in his bed, thinking about it, he realized that it wasn’t fair to Sooga. poor guy really poured his heart out to him, only to have it be rejected. It was why he avoided him all day, and had Von watch him in the meantime (usually he reserved that for Cil, but he REALLY didn’t feel like getting hit on right now). He needed to make it up to him. He needed something that wasn’t so ridged as those stones. Then it clicked. He went to the door, and turned to Von, who was laying the flirts on THICK to some foot soldier.

“Von, grab ass later. I need you to summon Sooga for me.”

“Yes, Master Kohga. You, me, your quarters. Tonight.”

He shot the flustered foot soldier a wink, and went off to go get Sooga. Wherever the hell he was. Kohga set everything up, just in time for him to knock at his door.

“Come in.”

Sooga opened the door slowly, helping himself in, and just. Standing there. Poor guy looked so stiff, as if he didn’t practically live in this room.

“Master Kohga, I just wanted to say-”

“Shh. Sit down for me, right here.”

Sooga sat down on the stool right by the bed. There was a silence as Kohga sat down on the bed.

“Sooga, I’m not mad. Okay? I get it. You really, really thought I was ready, after who knows how many years-”

“Three.”

“W-really three years ago? Fucking hell time flies. Anyhow, I’m sorry. I snapped because I was uncomfortable. But you didn’t deserve the way I yelled at you. So, I want to make it up to you.”

Sooga hesitated. He put his arm on the small table, as Kohga motioned for him to do.

“Master Kohga...are you...?”

“Yes. I’m going to give you something better than some stupid ring. Not that it’s stupid, It’s beautiful really. I just. Sooga, it’s not me. I want something that’ll let us BREATHE you know? So. I’m going to SHOW you what you are to me. Not with some rocks. Not with some gold and silver and something you can buy. It’s something I need to show you. Take off your sleeve for me.”

Sooga obeyed. Tattoos were a very intimate, very special part of the Yiga culture. You had to have one JUST to be a Yiga. Anything else done after that were usually done in bouts of passion, to show brotherly connections, to show a friendship unlike any others, or in this case, love. And to get such a sign of affection from his Master? His body was already his to play with.

“You are an artist, Master Kohga. I already boast that I have the most respectable brand out of everyone here.”

“Sounds like you. Idiot.”

He chuckled. Kohga wiped down the arm, just so nothing would get infected. Using a very special type of Yiga ink (that only Kohga was allowed to give for the clan to use. He made it himself, afterall), Kohga seemed to already have an idea in mind, and started to work. Tattoos were painfully slow to do, especially with the design Kohga had in mind. But Sooga didn’t mind. A few hours of pinpricks were worth it, just to be near his Master.

“May I ask...what made you decide to give me such a gift?”

“It felt...feel. The ring kinda...sorta...doesn’t. Feels restrictive. Like a bedazzled leash.”

“That sounds like a gift you WOULD like, though.”

“Shut up, you.”

They both chuckled at that. Sooga sat still, watching as the needle pricked his arm over and over, watched as the needle pushed the ink into his skin. Sooga always LOVED watching him tattoo people, on the rare chances he did so. Such careful, so caring of a touch.

“You know. This reminds me of when I first fell in love with you.”

“How so?”

“When you gave me my first tattoo. The one right on my thigh. I was so...transfixed. Such a strong man, with such a gentle touch.”

“Pfft. I remember that. You were such a string bean back then!”

Kohga chuckled. Those arms weren’t always so huge and bulging, and the rest of his body wasn’t always so meaty.

“I was. I saw nothing wrong with it. That is, until I noticed the man I had affections for, was constantly surrounded by big, bulky men. Suffice to say I was...jealous.”

“Even of Cil?”

“ESPECIALLY of Cil. You two looked so close back then. He was constantly at your hip. I always thought you touched him like this.”

“I mean, I DID do his tattoos. One of them anyway.”

Kohga was careful as he worked, making his motions slow, as if he’d startle Sooga if he moved too fast.

“One? What of the other?”

“He copied the one I did, put it on his other hand.”

“No wonder they always looked so different to me. It lacked the warmth of your style.”

“God you gotta make shit romantic all the time, eh?”

Sooga was so awestruck by the pattern. Lines and curves started to decorate his arms, slowly finding rhyme and reason against his skin.

“I can’t help it. When I’m near you, love is all I think about. You’re...the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I get that a lot. Usually four times a week.”

He chuckled. After the lines, Kohga painted what looked to be almost like serpents. He was curious.

“What is the meaning of this design?”

“These lines and shit? They represent stability.”

“And the snakes?”

“Means ‘ties that bond’, essentially. It’s...stupid. But my dad had tattoos like these, kinda.”

“I’m honored to share in the resemblance.”

“I’m gonna add more to it though, If I'm gonna be railing that ass, I don’t wanna think about my old man. Old MEN sure, but not mine.”

Sooga chuckled, shaking his head. His Master had SUCH a way with words. he watched as the lines and curved and snakes soon gave way to the classic Yiga symbol. Done as carefully as the first one had been done. He watched as Kohga carefully, and slowly, added what looked like sickles to the symbol.

“Sickles?”

“It’s more or less Yiga branding. To show where your ties are. Case you somehow forget where you belong.”

“Wouldn’t ever. Even if I had amnesia. I would know in my heart where I belong.”

“Sounds like something stupid you’d say. That’s all your stupid, mushy gushy bullshit.”

Kohga added dots, little criss cross designs, and of course-

“Bananas?”

“....because you’re sweet.”

“And you call ME mushy!”

Sooga threw his head back in laughter, which was cut short as Kohga smacked his arm, making Sooga wince.

“Ow! It’s TENDER, dammit!”

“Then quit makin’ me wanna do it! You moron! And it’s...more than just some stupid lovey shit. See how its one, two, and then one?”

“Yes?”

“That’s...us. Us together. We’re more together. Plentiful. That and I might be kinda hungry.”

“Do you need a break?”

“I’m already being romantic, if I stop now I’m not gonna finish, and this tattoo is gonna look ugly as shit.”

“Unlike you.”

Kohga shook his head, scoffing. Absolute idiot. More criss crosses, more dots. Then something Sooga knew immediately.

“Yeah, it’s your weapon, big guy. You remember when you got it?”

“Yes. You gave it to me, upon announcing my new duty of protecting you. It was such an honor. Such blades being crafted, and for ME.”

“You know, I designed it myself.”

Sooga looked at the blades at his hip, then at the red ink. Bright, like the spilled blood of their enemies.

“You did?”

“Yep. You’re...different, Sooga. You needed something that was more than them. I-woah, you okay?”

“Yes, s-sorry. You just. Touched me and...sometimes it makes me jump.”

Kohga chuckled, lightly strumming his thumb over the spot he just touched.

“Right here?”

“....yes. You’re just. You have very soft hands. Always so delicate. It’s why I...I wanted to put a ring on your finger.”

“This again.”

“I’m s-sorry! I just. I just really. Really love you. With all that I am. I wanted to show it to you. But...I think I see what you mean.”

“How so, big guy?”

Sooga paused as Kohga continued his work, cautious as ever. 

“You don’t want the traditional means of matrimony. You want to be free. You want to do as you please, and you feel as though a ring in a confine. I make you feel restricted. And for that I’m...sorry.”

Kohga put the needle down, lightly blowing at the ink. He looked down at his work, and even though his ass hurt from sitting down for so long, he was in fact, VERY proud of himself. Long sleeve of red, detailed, careful designs and patterns. Something that meant something to them.

“You know what those last two slashes are?”

“I...no.”

“It means instead of just one strike, you have two. Two weapons, instead of one. It means...you have me. Ring be dammed.”

“Does this mean i...understand you properly?”

Kohga looked up at him, before grabbing his face, and pressing his lips against his. It was an out of the blue kiss, one rough and full of affection Kohga had for him. It lasted only a second, and Sooga missed it right when Kohga pulled away.

“Yeah. You did. I need YOU. I need our lives. I need to exist with you. I don’t need this other crap. I need...what I show you, right here.”

Kohga’s soft fingers slid over his work, and it almost made Sooga shuddered. There was something so tender, so sweet and loving about the touch. Even the way his skin felt raw and sore, it made his heart thud in his chest. Sooga caught Kohga’s hand in his own before it could pull away.

“What if I sold the damn thing, and we went on a vacation? A long one.”

“I’m listening.”

“To some far off land? I’ll pack, I’ll even carry you over every mountain and hill.”

“Hmmmm...not QUITE convinced.”

“I’ll make every beauty of the world feel hideous in your presence.”

“Now THAT’S what I’m talking about. Let’s do it. After THIS has healed, of course.”

“This might heal. But my heart will never, not so long as your gaze stabs it so.”

“This...is gonna be a long vacation. I can’t wait.”

Kohga chuckled, holding onto his shoulders and kissing him again. Just one more time.

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria’s Prohpet  06

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

**major manga spoilers **partial nudity

When we entered the hotel, the staff looked nervous. At least they recognized King Sinbad this time. Everyone knew about the battle at this point, and some of us had bandages, so there were no questions about our appearance.

Some mild pleasantries were shared while they secured their normal rooms. Ja'far added, "We'll be booking two more rooms as well. Both with 2 beds." "Make that three rooms. Two singles, and one double," Sinbad corrected confidently. At Ja'far's questioning look he explained, "Mori deserves a room to herself, and we can't ask Morgiana to-." "I don't mind sharing a room with Morgiana," I cut in. It might not be my money, but it still felt like a waste. "I insist." His smile was unwavering, and being an actual King, Sinbad got his way -not that either of us understood why I needed my own room. I decided not to look a gifted horse in the mouth. It was only going to be for one night anyway. A group of maids came to escort us to our rooms. Masrur was with the others and would be able to get them in when they arrived. Before we started walking, Ja'far turn to me. "Mori, you can give them your coat now so they can start cleaning it." He had a good idea -in theory. Part of me was surprised that was something the staff of a hotel would do, but I figured he wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't possible. All the same, "I'd rather wait until I get to the room." "They will take good care of it and will return it to you." Ja'far must have caught my nerves and misinterpreted. Again words escaped me, so I used my actions. I grabbed the collar of my hoodie with one hand and the zipper tab with the other. I unzipped my hoodie to the bottom of my ribcage. Nothing slipped out, but I was undeniably not wearing anything underneath. "M-my lady!” Ja'far stammered. The maids were equally shocked. Sinbad had that sparkle in his eye. I regretted all my life decisions. As a demi-ace I often forget that some people experience sexual attraction just because. I zipped my hoodie back up quickly and repeated, "I'd rather wait until I get to the room."

There was the absolute shortest silence as Ja'far calculated what to do. He turned to one of the maids and requested a change of clothes to be delivered to my room. I guess having money really can buy any service you want. After the maid ran off, Ja'far apologized for not accepting my 'no' the first time, but still reprimanded me for not acting with better manners; he wasn't wrong. My shame lead me to the back of the pack as we started walking. For the first minute we walked in silence. Then the waves began to pick up. The injured dungeon capturer joined me. "You know, Mori," Sinbad still looked tired, but his smile shown like gold, "I had thought that metal was a small decoration. Is it a magic item? I've never seen clothes stitch back together like that." "What?" Zippers weren't invented until the 1800's, and Magi seems to start at our equivalent of early AD to maybe the 1500's depending on the region, plus fantasy stuff -all pre-industrial revolution. This world didn't have clocks let alone the manufacturing technology to make a zipper...yet. "Oh right." I slowed down a bit and put some space between us and Ja'far with the maids. The king matched my pace. I explained about the interlocking teeth, and demonstrated a few times (but no more than 3in/7.6cm) before fully zipping back up. I ended with, "This is nothing. You wouldn't believe the technology I had back home." Sinbad had a look about him; he was definitely plotting. "Would you tell me about your home sometime?" Again my knowledge was the most valuable thing about me. Ja'far glanced back at his King. He knew what his master was planning, and so did I.

"I don't know, King Sinbad." I played coy. "Why should I tell you something so valuable for free?" He played along, and let his shoulders drop in fake disappointment. "So you still think I'm a scoundrel? I'm even paying for all of your expenses." I hummed. "As I remember it, you agreed to supply those things in exchange for learning my name and my predictions to help save Balbadd." He didn't look like he had been caught in the act. This was definitely being used as an excuse to bring up going to Sindria again. And this time I wasn't nervous. I continued, "I did my part. Don't tell me you want to change the terms now that you won't be getting anything else out of it- like a scoundrel would," ending with a teasing tone. He directed all his charms at me. "What if I want to make a totally new agreement?" It should be illegal for this man to smile while making eye contact. "Have you given it more thought? Coming with me, and becoming the Prophet of Sindria?" Bingo "I have." I couldn't hide my smile if I tried, so I broke eye contact and watched those in front of us. "But I won't make my final decision until I hear what you plan on offering in return." The dust had barely started to settle in Balbadd, yet the two of us were already trying to make good on the seeds we planted when we first met. We both wanted the same thing -even our waves were flowing together. "Oh?" Sinbad was being as playfully as I was. I felt his hand hit at my elbow then slide down my arm until he got to my hand. His fingers curled around mine and he brought my knuckles up towards his lips. My eyes followed our connected hands; the sight lead me back to his eyes. As soon as our eyes met he stopped us walking -putting all of my attention on him- and said, "I promise as the King of Sindria, if you bless us with your prophecies, you will want for nothing." Did he really need to use seduction whenever he wanted something from a perceived woman? It was affective and heartless. Since I knew his character so well I decided to view it as proof that I held value to him. I know how to control my expression when I need to, but I can't seem to keep from blushing when Sinbad is involved. I answered him with a smile, "What more could I ask for, my King?” 

Sinbad's offer was about what I had anticipated. I'd be supplied with housing and food, and if I asked for something he'd get it for me as long as it was within reason. It would be like being a child living off of their parents with no disposable income of their own -and I wanted to be able to live as an independent adult. When my 'prophecies' run out some time in the next two to five years, and I loose my worth to him, how will I survive? It was too early to push for more. I had time to figure it out. At least, I'd have two years of guaranteed security. Sinbad's smile went from controlled flirty to prideful as he got what he was after. "Now you really are MY Beautiful Prophet." His grip tightened on my hand and he got us walking again. He seemed lighter on his feet as he guided me hand in hand. My free left hand flew to my face. I couldn't tell which of us I was more embarrassed for. I needed something else to focus on if I was going to survive his flirting. "I don't know how you're standing right now with all of your injuries -let alone flirting so hard." He laughed at my reaction. "Are you worried about me?" "Of course." I kept my eyes trained on the people in front of us. His blood was still on my clothes. It hadn't even been a day since he got those injuries, and yet I could feel through the bandages that the hole made by the ice spear was gone. "You literally couldn't stand on your own earlier. You may have mastered multiple Djinns, but you're still human." "If you're that worried about me, perhaps you'd like to look after me yourself." He pulled my hand closer to him again and of course the rest of me came with it. My shoulder bumped against his arm. He easily countered my attempt to damped the mood. He was definitely too smooth. "Watching you sleep does not sound like a good use of my time." I made a point of denying his risque implications. The idea of personally making sure he rested wasn't bad -I was into domestic stuff like that- but he obviously meant it in the most flirty and perverted way possible. Sinbad gave one last attempt to seduce me. "Since you're finally on my side; I was hoping we could get to know each other better." He had to be in pain with those injuries -even with magical treatment. So even if I ever was interested in a one-night-stand it definitely wouldn't be with someone in his condition. I removed my hand from his and put more space back between us. "We'll have plenty of time to talk later." Sinbad still had a playful tone but it was softer. "Is this another prophecy?" At least he knew how to take a hint. I answered without looking at him, "Yes, actually." He accepted my 'no,' so I felt like rewarding his good behavior. "Starting tomorrow afternoon we'll have plenty of time to talk." Sinbad was smart; he'd remember what I told him the previous day. The Kou Fleet would be arriving by this time tomorrow. There would be plenty of time to talk on the ship to Sindria. I was grateful that King Sinbad let me end the conversation. He walked next to me silently the rest of the way. It was strangely comfortable to have him right there. The calmer waves were nice too. I was dropped off at my room first and asked if there was anything else I needed or wanted besides the change of clothes that was on it's way. Sinbad was already trying to prove that I would "want for nothing." It would be better for me to accept the offer as a show of faith. After thinking it over for a moment, I asked for writing supplies. --- My room had multiple windows that let in a lot of natural sunlight during the day. There was a large bed with a canopy. Everything was covered in ornate patterns. It was a beautiful room. I might be more of a character artist than a background artist, but if I had the materials I'd be using the room as reference. Some maids showed up not long after I had finished looking around the space. They delivered the promised clothes, and 6 blank scrolls, a cloth pull-string bag, a few quills, a few bottles of ink, a cleaning clothe and a bottle for water. It was far more than I expected. I went behind the half wall and passed them all of the dirty clothes I had on. Instead of putting the new clothes on right away, I decided to wash up in the room's bathroom. Given the historical setting I really wasn't expecting much, but god bless anime contrivance. Sure, there wasn't running water, and I still had to use a chamber pot, but the soaps, conditioner and lotions provided were practically modern. India might have had the start of modern shampoo 3000 some years ago, but that wouldn't hold a candle to this. I had to be frugal with the water since I only had one large pot of it, but I managed to achieve a near normal level of clean. I caught my reflection in a mirror I only just noticed. Was this wish-fulfillment? Or just anime? My proportions felt the same, and that was definitely my bone structure. But seeing my breasts have some lift without a bra on was weird. I even ran around earlier without these lumps painfully bouncing around. It was unsettling, but extremely convenient. This couldn't be real life. Maybe I was in a self-indulgent fanfiction. I laughed at the thought. I shouldn't stand around naked. It was time to put on my new clothes. As someone who grew up in the preforming arts, and did historical reenacting (gov funded & SCA), I knew I could figure out how to put on whatever they had supplied me -I just wouldn't necessarily know the proper names for things. There was a white tunic, an over skirt, and a long cloth that reminded me of a cloth belt more than a decorative sash. They probably got me such nice things because I was a guest of a King. The tunic was tight in the usual places though. I didn't have any pins, so I had to leave the top unfastened. When tying the belt it pulled the front together more so the makeshift v-neck wasn't as exposing at least. The skirt was too long so I had to fold the top. If it wasn't for the cloth belt securing both tightly to my waist none of it would have fit. When I looked in the mirror I couldn't shake the feeling that an up-do would compliment the outfit. Luckily, I know how to put my hair in a bun with nothing to hold it. It wouldn't stay if I ran around, but I foresaw a lot of sitting down in my future so that wasn't a problem. My flip-flops didn't exactly complete the look, but whatever. Staring at my reflection gave me an odd feeling. I had worn similar enough clothes before as a reenactor, but I wasn't reenacting or dressing up for the fun of it. Clothes like these were going to become my new normal. And if I wanted my original clothes to last, I'd have to pack them away and never wear them again. I wasn't ready to visually discard my home yet. I felt tears forming. The Balbadd arc was technically over, but that didn't mean I had time to mourn yet. This wasn't just mourning my home. Thinking about my original clothes brought up the memory of Sinbad collapsing and bleeding on me which lead to the memory of people bleeding out on the street. If only I had acted sooner. If only I hadn't taken as long to accept that I'm here and should live in the present. I vowed to not allow anything like this to happen again. I started thinking about the future. It was easier than mourning. In the manga it states that the time between the end of the Balbadd arc and when King Sinbad returns from visiting the Kou Empire is six months, and that that was four months since the last time Alibaba saw the king. I couldn't explain it, but I could feel that fate would flow like in the manga instead of the anime in at least this aspect. Knowing I was going to be basically useless as a prophet for six months didn't sit well with me. I needed to think hard about the future and what I could do to change it -as well as what I shouldn't say. I had already promised that I would explain about the 2 times the world would almost be destroyed. The second time was Sinbad's fault. Could I really tell him this early that he would choose to destroy the world in the pursuit of his own greed? I didn't think so -especially not with David practically watching everything Sinbad does. There were roughly two years until the dark spot would form in Mognostadt, and Aladdin would agree to tell all of the leaders the story of the previous world. It was hearing that story paired with his savior/god complex and greed that sent Sinbad down the path of using David, and breaking into the Sacred Palace. There was a chance to prevent Aladdin from telling that story, but if I couldn't then I'd need to influence Sinbad enough that he wouldn't make the same decisions. I'd have 2 months to try to bond with Sinbad before he'd leave for the Kou Empire. Would it be worth the risk to try to go with him? Only 2 years until the turning point isn't a lot of time. The memory of Sinbad calling me "amazing" made me think that I had a chance to become someone he'd trust. At least I had already been making some kind of progress on Plan B. Plan A was making sure that Sinbad and co would arrive at Mognostadt before Aladdin would make the deal with Kouen. Depending on how early they got there, they might have to deal with the Reim's airships and bombs. Reim might have decided to join the Seven Seas Alliance right before the battle, but the Reim technology had caught everyone off guard. I actually knew how blimps and those explosives worked. Hell, with the magicians working in Sindria, all they'd need would be the knowledge of how the natural world works and they'd be able to exploit it much better than Reim by combining science with their magic. I had been a teacher for six years, a draftsman in tech for four years, and grew up in a science household. so I knew I had what was needed to bring this world into the modern era before Sinbad would in the manga. But should I do it? Sinbad had seemed interested in the technology of my world when I explained zippers. I could probably sell some of my knowledge. Then I'd be able to save up, so I'd be able to survive after running out of prophecies. I pulled out a scroll and made some test marks. Where would I start explaining the science behind blimps? How air isn't one thing? Would it be worth explaining to not use helium since it's flammable? Do I bother explaining the periodic table of elements? The affects heat has on air currents and weather? What about the flight mechanics of bird wings to make gliders or planes? I'd make it easy to understand later. For now I would write as much as I could remember. I left blank spaces here and there to go back to so I could fill in whatever I'd forgotten -I definitely didn't leave enough space in a few spots. I also made many diagrams. Isekai, or anime magic? Whatever it was, I adjusted much faster to using a quill pen than I anticipated. I had experimented with dip pens before and even made my own out of bamboo for a class, but I was never this fast or clean. The ink was slow to dry, so I let the scrolls hang off the table as I progressed along it. When I got stuck on how to explain something, I switched scrolls and wrote down everything that had happened and changed since I was Isekaied. It would help me figure out how things might change in the future. I didn't write down anything about the future directly just in case. This also gave me an excuse to draw for the first time in days. Since I was Isekaied 4 days ago, 2020 October 3rd, that meant it would be the 7th back home. I was missing all of the October art challenges. "'Remember Oct 3rd.'" I couldn't help but laugh. Fullmetal Alchemist had been a major hyper fixation for me back in middle school when it first came to the states. I even had 2 state alchemist pocket watches with that exact phrase etched on the inside. Now that phrase had a whole new meaning for me. I made a note to recreate all of my favorite stories if I could find the time -or at least write down as much as I could remember. I switched to writing about weather patterns.

The longer I wrote the easier it got. It still took a while with my poor night vision, but eventually my eyes did adjust to the light. I was on a roll or 4 (scroll pun). These scrolls were like a science fever dream. I even made one on biology and atoms and stuff. *Knock knock* I was surprised that someone was visiting so late. But then I could see the door very easily from the desk. I quickly turned to look at the windows. Sure enough, I had done an all-nighter. That would explain my growing headache. Maids were at the door. They returned my clothes. Most of the blood was out of the hoodie, but there were still a few spots along the seams where the stains didn't fully fade. You wouldn't see them unless you were looking for them though. The maids also told me that King Sinbad had a large breakfast prepared for everyone. I wanted to go -really- but the Kou fleet was coming and I wanted to pack ahead of time. I asked that they send my apologies and requested food be brought to me instead. My hands were shaking. Was it emotional or just physical exhaustion? I hadn't slept for 2 days in a row. I packed my clothes while I waited for the scrolls to dry more. It was nearly mid morning by the time the ink dried so I could finish. I left the room with everything I owned. I didn't plan on coming back. I couldn't find anyone until I left and saw Morgiana helping give out food. She let me know that everyone else was already at the Palace. I had been afraid that might be the case. I didn't know if I'd be allowed in, but I made my way there.