#UPDATE seems like it was truly nobody

[yooniesim]

(weird post someone sent me under the cut, mind the tw)

[icewindandboringhorror]

Lineup of all of the characters that appear long enough to need a visual representation of them in the game lol

[adonis-koo]

wicked • 19

↳ Summary: In a desperate hope to stop war from breaking you are a serviced to wed the most vile man alive, the one who has committed atrocities and war crimes beyond comprehension, he who is responsible for the fall of many nations, the wicked prince who’s heart is made of stone. You are to marry a man who challenges every belief and moral you stand for, all while being faced in a foreign land with nobody but yourself too trust…But are you both truly that different? Or is hate not too far from love?

↳ Pairing: Jungkook/reader

↳ Genre: arranged marriage AU, enemies to lovers, it’s kind of a period AU??? Historical but also technically not? prince!AU, eventual smut

Word Count: 13k

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tags: vaginal fingering, tiddy sucking (jk is definitely a boobs man), semi public sex??, oral (f), so many petnames, dom!kook, brief masturbation (m), multiple orgasms, size kink, multiple positions, cowgirl, creampies, slight somnophilia? (they keep having sex when they're both extremely exhausted), spooning turned to doggy, some very filthy talk, corruption kink, semi degradation kink, the word seed is used once and I actually hate it, some sweet, sweet aftercare, pillow talk, grinding, cumplay, brief handjob (m), edging, cockwarming, they're so in love your honor

Note: people will be shocked at how fast this update has come out and honestly ?? so am I, but tbf half of it is smut so...iykyk ALSO if you haven't checked out the playlist for wicked, you totally should!!

After the first snowfall, winter had come rolling in with no sign of stopping and just as Jungkook had once said, Penumbra was now buried in snow. 

There was something so captivating about the snow, its crisp frosty delicate nature, how despite the sun being covered in clouds, the snow reflected off the light and made everything so much brighter. 

The land was so desolate and yet so full at the same time, it left a deep yearning in you for the warmth, but in an oddly fulfilling way, it let you rest deeper at night, taking in the great vastness of the land and its minimalism. 

The morning had been busy just as each morning before had been so, Yule was only a week away and the court had many aristocrats staying at the castle making merry. It was such a celebratory time and yet you still felt like a ghost better left in the past.

Your days were not all horrible, but the constant numbness never fully went away, at one time you had wanted to go to Yule in Kimhae to reunite with your parents, but the idea of leaving somehow filled you with as much anxiety as staying.

“Well? What’s on your mind?” Jungkook finally spoke, not looking up from his work book, making sure the last of his bill signs, contracts carefully written out and correspondence dealt with so he wouldn’t be behind on his work when you both made your return.

You had been admittedly antsy, tidying up your bedroom, packing what few trinkets you thought you might want during the nights of your journey, fiddling with your own work and where to put what.

You simply couldn’t sit still.

You didn’t reply for a long moment causing Jungkook to look up from his desk, blue eyes appearing from those dark thick locks of hair.

Sighing you shifted as you set your book against the bed, “…You’ll be mad at me.”

“Well you don’t know until you tell me.” Jungkook didn’t seem worried.

You glanced away once more as Jungkook stood up, rounding his desk to walk over to you, “…What if I was having second thoughts…About going to Kimhae?”

Jungkook curved a brow, “The morning we depart for our trip?”

“Don’t say it like that!” You pouted with an usher.

“Is it really the trip? Or is it something else?” Jungkook replied, brushing off your pout.

Your pout however only furthered because you didn’t have an answer, “I don’t know…I just…this is the first time we’ll be making a public appearance outside of Penumbra since our wedding.”

“And what about it?” Jungkook shifted, crossing his arms, still not understanding what your problem was and truth be told you wish you had a better answer for him. 

“Does that not make you anxious? It makes me incredibly anxious.” You frowned, wringing your hands together, you were anxious about everything truthfully, but the idea of making your first appearance in nearly a year, well…You didn’t know what to expect. 

But then again, Penumbra had prepared you for pretty much everything at this point, there weren't too many boxes left to check off on life events at this point. 

“Why would I be?” Jungkook cocked his head to the side, “I’ve nothing to hide nor prove to anyone…If you’re anxious simply because, then it’s understandable,” Jungkook reached out to you, brushing his palm over your cheek before it crept down to your neck, “A lot has happened, I think it’s only natural. But I also know you’ve been looking forward to seeing your parents for the majority of your stay here, it would be imprudent of me to let you cancel our trip at the last minute.” 

Your lips quivered a little, “Even if I’m terrified? What if something happens?” 

Jungkook’s lips curled into a little smile, his fingers curling around your neck, not squeezing, but in a loving hold you had grown so acquainted too, “Then I will be there to stop it from happening,” Jungkook’s forehead pressed down against yours, “I know you’ll regret not going more then if you do.” 

Your eyes fluttered shut before you leaned over to bury your face into the crook of his neck, Jungkook’s arms wrapping around you tight as you murmured, “I hope you’re right.” curling your arms around his waist as you let yourself become engulfed in his warmth and letting it swallow all of your consuming thoughts. 

It stayed like this for a long minute before Jungkook slowly pulled away, looking down at you as he spoke, “I have something I wanted to give you.”

You pulled away from him more to get a better look at him, tilting your head in curiosity, “A gift…?” 

Jungkook snorted, “Something like that. I wasn’t sure if it would be finished in time, but Jimin managed to get it to me last night.” He let go of you before walking over to the bed, leaning down as he pulled down out from underneath. 

You tilted your head at the thick cloth cover as Jungkook stood up, holding it out to you. It was long and thin but held a considerable weight to it, not too heavy, but just enough to let you know it was of incredible quality. 

He nodded at you as a gesture to pull whatever was inside out, opening the draw strings. The first thing you saw was the bright silver crest of a pommel, pulling it out further was a soft leather hand and pulling it all the way out revealed a shortsword around twenty three inches. 

You couldn’t help but let your lips part at just how beautiful it was though, the metal was reflective and the detailing along the fuller, the blade was double edged and as your eyes traveled back to the handle you noticed a sort of…language? Written down the grip.

“It’s the first of its kind,” Jungkook finally spoke, “Noxtria melted with Quicksilver for a lightweight balanced sword but sharp enough to cut through thick metal. Godslayer is it’s name.”

“Godslayer?” You looked up at him. 

“The idea behind this blade was that it would be lighter than air, but have the strength to kill a god. I couldn’t think of a better person to hold the first blade of its kind than my own wife. We’ve been working on your swordsmanship for a long time now and I think it’s time you carry your own sword.” Jungkook nodded, a sort of pride in his eyes as he watched you weigh it, giving it a whirl in your hand. 

The training you had done had definitely made you physically stronger, as while the blade had weight, it wasn’t taxing to hold, “I want you to never feel defenseless by my side, we’re partners and equals and while I hope it never again comes to you needing to use this, I want you to have it if the occasion were to ever arise.” 

You were speechless as you stared at the blade, a reflection of yourself in its metal staring back at you, lowering it you whispered, “Thank you, Jungkook.” 

A small smile pulled on his lips, “Anything for my little sun.” His fingers traced down your cheek, “The case for it is still in the cover, here I’ll help you with putting on the harness.” 

Jungkook took the cloth covering off it to reveal the heavy black sheath and the harness that it attached too, Jungkook had carefully pulled it around your hip, adjusting it until it was snug against your skin, it felt weird having such a thing attached to your body now. 

But there was something oddly…safe about it, as Jungkook said, this was a safety measure and it made you feel as such, you could only hope you would never have to take another soul but….Your fingers unconsciously lifted, rubbing over the spot on your chest, now scarred from where Di Jin had attempted to kill you. 

Jungkook as if knowing what you were thinking tenderly grabbed your hand pulling it away, “It’s difficult to see it now but…” He paused for a moment as if gathering his thoughts, “I think…if I could go back and change things I would, in a heartbeat. But I do think it happened for a reason.” 

Your lips trembled softly, “How could killing someone happen for a reason?” 

“It made a spectacle for one,” Jungkook replied, a certain soft note in his voice was his hand found its way back to your neck, “Those who doubted your ability to hold your own in the court will never question it again. Your words have always had bite, but now you have proof behind them.”

You shook your head, “I don’t see eye to eye with you on this Jungkook.”

“I know you don’t,” Jungkook replied, his thumb soothingly rubbing into your skin, “And I wouldn’t expect anything less, but your respect in the court is much more now than it ever was before. Not only this but…”

Jungkook paused for a long moment gathering his thoughts, “Knowing you have the capability to defend yourself…there will be times when we will have no choice but to be apart,” He sighed, “I will eventually have to lead projects that take me away from Penumbra, knowing you have the means to take care of yourself puts me at ease.” 

“I don’t want you to be apart from me.” You mumbled, anxiety at the thought immediately quelling.

Jungkook let out an amused breath, “That’s not something to worry about now, one thing at a time. If you have the rest of your things settled, we should head down, the sooner we get on the road the sooner we’ll arrive, and the sooner you’ll feel better.” 

“...I suppose.” You mumbled, but Jungkook was not feeding into your pouty expression, no matter how much it was his weakness, he grabbed your thick cloak which had laid abandoned on the bed, wrapping it over your shoulders as he buckled it up, grabbing his own to carry as he held out his arm for you. 

Letting him guide you down you ignored the stares of a group of court ladies staring you down, perhaps in wariness, perhaps because the court had easily taken notice of how close you and Jungkook had become in the last few weeks. 

The consummation of your marriage hadn’t actually changed anything, but Jungkook’s confession of love had really done a number on you both, and every time those sweet words left his lips you had the intention of saying it back. 

And yet every time it felt like the word got stuck in your throat unable to escape, perhaps it was because you were still scared, still in disbelief that Jungkook loved you, but all of his actions, his words, even the way he looked at you, it all screamed love.

Being met with snow on the ground, crunching beneath your feet you let out a breath that you could visibly see, a sensation you still weren’t quite used to, it was freezing cold and the journey would be very long. 

Jungkook had spared no expense to keep you wrapped in very thick layers in hopes that it would keep you warm, but it seemed no matter the amount, you were always cold. 

“Wheein is doing her last rounds of gathering items, she should be out shortly,” Taehyun called out, finishing fixing up your horse’s saddle, Jungkook walked up with you before helping you on and making sure you were situated before saddling his own horse. 

“Snow isn’t too deep yet, we should make a timely arrival,” Yoongi called out, trotting on his own horse up the path ahead before stopping next to Jungkook, “If we make it with not much snowfall, it should only take four days.” 

Your lip curled a little at the estimate, you knew Kimhae was further away then Eunoia, but you had been used to only a day’s travel when you were in Eunoia, they lived further West then Eunoia and a little further south. 

The climate in the West however made it incredibly dry, the further you traveled the less snow there would be, hopefully at least. 

Once Wheein had finished her last round of gathering any last minute packing she had come out with a few guards help and finished loading the pack horses and then mounted her own. It wasn't too big of an entourage of servants, but you had two of Yoongi’s men, himself and of course your two personal servants to attend you both. 

You were nervous for many reasons, showing your face to the outside world, you weren’t sure what reaction you would gain, knowing how the truth of Penumbra had been twisted beyond recognition, you could distinctly remember all the dread you had for two years of being engaged to Jungkook. 

Words that he had abused women in many ways, that he starved all of his servants and that he’d beat them if they disobeyed, rumors swirling that he already had multiple wives and you would be another trophy in his collection, some rumors even going as far as to say he had his dead enemies taken to the castle so he could bath in their blood. 

The list went on and on and every single one was just a rumor, nothing more than foolish lies spread to cause more fear, Jungkook was not a single thing he had ever been stated as, wicked least of all. 

But you were now nervous because you had seen both sides, the truth and lies both, and you couldn’t help but wonder what rumors had escaped Penumbra about you? Dread filled you once more, what twisted way could the world turn your murder of Di Jin even worse? 

That you feasted on his corpse? 

You could briefly taste the raw iron in your mouth that had you holding back a gag, Jungkook’s sharp gaze that had been looking ahead immediately on you, “What’s wrong?” 

You held your hand on your mouth trying desperately hard to not let the memory suck you back into the past, flashes of blood in your mind, cartilage mixed with skin, the raw smell of blood, “Water, can I have some water.” You forced the words out. 

Jungkook wordlessly pulled the water satchel from the side of his saddle, handing it to you, “You’re thinking.” 

You took a large swallow and slowly the faint taste faded back into the nothingness it came from, you shook your head handing it back to him, “I’m trying not too.” 

“You’re not doing a good job of it,” Jungkook replied, making you give him a look, he laughed a little though you spot the concern in his eyes, “Would talking about it make you feel better?” 

You sighed as you shook your head, “I think i’d rather talk about something else,” Lingering on your thoughts would only serve to possibly bring memories even more vivid back, “You’ve been to Kimhae right Jungkook?” 

Jungkook guided his horse a little closer to yours so you’d be able to converse better, “It’s been a long time. We visited when they hosted the War Council. I was…maybe seventeen? This was just in the beginning of negotiating,” Jungkook hummed as he thought about it, “Kimhae was dull in my opinion, they lacked conviction and were very obvious in the fact that they didn’t respect Penumbra or the Jeon name.” 

You listened to him before you let out a laugh gaining his attention, “I remember this quite well, I was visiting Seokjin at the time. I remember spotting you and your father arriving out my window but you were too far for me to get a good look. I remember him complaining though. Telling me you had this haughty look about you, acting as if you were better than him.”

Jungkook scoffed, “I was better than him. I am still better than him. If you were present at the time though…Why had I not seen you?” He looked a bit confused, as obviously women weren’t allowed in the War Room but that didn’t mean they were prohibited anywhere else, he had stayed a full fortnite at Kimhae that trip and not once had he seen you. 

“I made myself unknown on purpose,” You replied, a small frown tugging on your lips, “It was at Seokjin’s insistence of course, he didn’t want you near me with the potential to ‘corrupt me’, as he said.” 

“Corrupt you?” Jungkook scoffed, almost offended, “If we had met properly before our engagement, I feel we could’ve been cordial. Come to think of it I do remember talk of the Eunoian Princess, being in court,” Jungkook’s gaze became pensive as his brows pinched together, “I remember Seokjin gloating about how the fairest princess warmed his bed at night and that he loved nothing more then his name screamed in pleasure.”

You blinked multiple times before your gaze shot to Jungkook, “This was in reference to me?” 

You had known Jungkook long enough now to tell he was absolutely wrought with anger at just the idea, his knuckles tight on the reigns of his horse as he stared ahead, “Mhm. I once told you that we saw him differently, that’s one of the many reasons why. He loved to peacock around gloating about sleeping with you.” 

“Sleeping with me!?” Your mouth parted in somewhat disbelief, “We…” You couldn’t help but let out a scoffed laugh, he had been pressuring you for some time, but you never realized just how desperate he was to go out of his way to lie to other men that you both had slept with one another in such a way. 

And then the embarrassment began to flood in, was this why so many men in his court assumed you were loose, or that you were an easy woman? 

“Well I can promise you he was nothing more than a liar,” You let out another laugh as you shook your head, “Screaming his name in pleasure…The only name that was ushered was my own and even then that was on a lucky day.”

“Your name!?” Jungkook sucked in a harsh breath of air. 

You paused, suddenly realizing what you had just said, and then looking around, there was a good distance between Yoongi up ahead with his fellow guards and Wheein and Taehyun were conversing further behind, Fenrir having walked alongside you awhile now. 

“So Seokjin has gotten to experience that sort of intimacy from you.” Jungkook pressed his tongue into his cheek as if this was the worst news he could ever receive. 

“It’s not…” You sighed, trying to find the right words, you had never really planned on mentioning what little intimacy you shared with Seokjin, as it wasn’t relevant to your current relationship and truthfully, there wasn’t much to talk about, “I’ve…When we first started to explore an intimate relationship together, you remember me being frightened by it, yes?” 

Jungkook tilted his head, a little confused as to where this was going but nodded regardless. 

“The same could be said for back then- especially back then,” You explained as you lowered your voice a little, “I was nervous to lose my virginity, Seokjin already didn’t like my traditional Eunoian attire, but even moreso it had him acting out, trying to pressure me into giving myself to him. But I could never commit to it. The idea of him leaving me after I gave it too him made me too anxious…And..”

You sighed as you glanced down at the snowy earth, “I hated feeling like nothing more than a sexual fantasy for him. Looking back, it feels as if that was all I ever provided, some sort of exotic fantasy that he could escape to in Eunoia, never truly a person, a soul, just something to make him aroused and fulfilled. And so to keep him satiated but also withhold my own boundary, I offered to pleasure him,” You pressed your lips together, your nose wrinkling, “It wasn’t very often, nor was it very pleasant but well…It kept things from escalating beyond my control.”

Jungkook’s jaw only clenched, “How different things would’ve been if we had met that week. Perhaps you could have been saved from all that trouble.” 

“Things happened the way they did though,” You offered a weak smile, “It’s not something I ever think about anymore, after all, it feels so long ago despite being so recent. And I’m very content now.” 

You reached out to grab his hand as your smile brightened, “I’m happy I saved myself for the right person. I couldn’t imagine it with anyone else.” 

This seemed to soothe Jungkook in the right way, “Well when you say it like that it makes me think you’ll want extra help to keep warm tonight.” 

“Jungkook!” You smacked his shoulder, “What an indecent thing to suggest, in a tent? In the middle of a journey?” 

Jungkook chuckled as he gripped his reins in contentment, “No better time than the present princess.” 

You only shook your head, the hours seemed to go quick as you and Jungkook had talked about this and that, and then a content silence took over as the sky darkened and Yoongi had begun to look for a suitable spot to make camp.

They had managed to find a spot off road closer to the woods where the cold wind was blocked and snow wasn’t as deep, clearing off the snow before getting fresh cut wood to get a fire going, setting up tents didn’t take very long. 

Soon dinner was cooking over the fire, granted you had already eaten an abundant mix of packed cabbage and vegetables tossed together and despite being tired and hungry Jungkook was still easily fending you off as metal clashed together. 

“You’ll need to try harder than that princess,” Jungkook whirled the sword in his hand as you huffed a breath, stretching your aching arms, “If you were to fight an opponent far more skilled than you in battle what would your tactic be?” 

“Run?” You raised your brows, Jungkook seemed to enjoy asking hypothetical questions that you were certain would never happen. 

“Okay but in this scenario you do, what would you do?” He pressed, giving you a moment to regather yourself. 

“Well it depends, if they’re aggressive, which I assume they would be, it’s not difficult to size my lack of experience up in comparison to someone like you, I’d have no choice but to defend until they burn down their energy and then once they tire out I’d make a chance to strike.” You sighed as you lifted your sword back up. 

“Yes that would be the logical way to go about it,” Jungkook hummed, “Contextually speaking. But there are other ways, you can use your environment to assist you, you could also have another ally help or use your size to your advantage. Being smaller means being quicker. Again.” 

You both tapped swords before sparring once more, Jungkook easily more aggressive this time causing you to back step until you back stepped right into the deeper snow causing you to yelp, whining out at the freezing damp sensation seeping through your dress into your skin. 

“That’s not what I meant when I said use the environment.” Jungkook sighed as he rested the flat of the blade on his shoulder. 

You managed to step out back onto the shallow end as you whined out, “I am perfectly aware of what you meant! I’m trying! I just can’t seem to get it…” You let out a defeated sigh as a tremor jolted through your body at catching the cold nip of breeze. 

Jungkook only shook his head somewhat amused, “How about we rest for the evening and get you close to the fire once more.” His hand curling around your waist as you both walked back to camp, “You shouldn’t have such high expectations of yourself, I’ve been training since I was a child, you’ve come a long way for only training the last six months.”

“Sparring is also different then a real duel or battle,” Yoongi spoke, as he had been watching you both the last hour in amusement, “If you’re already doing this good in a spar, you’ll be able to hold your own perfectly fine in either.” 

“This is also true,” Jungkook yawned as he sat down on the large mat, offering a hand to you to help you down, “The adrenaline is different, when it comes to life or death, you fight with more than your all, more than you could ever muster for a spar, even a duel.” 

“I just hope it never comes to that.” You sighed with a shiver, scooting closer to the warmth of the fire. 

“What matters is that you’ll be ready m’lady.” Wheein offered a kind smile as she continued, “And I agree with his Highness, you’ve improved significantly compared to when you first started, it’s something to take pride in, you’ll only improve with time.” 

“The chances are slim but it never hurts to be prepared,” Yoongi chimed in once more, “Dinner is ready.”

The rest of the evening had passed with laughter and fellowship that you found yourself truly enjoying, and at some point you had tried to remember when the last time you had felt this at ease, this…at home? 

Even in Eunoia, tragedy had always surrounded you during your youth, uncertainty of the war and the future as a growing lady and plunged into icy fear as a young woman, you wanted to say you had other moments of relaxation. 

But you couldn’t think of a single time, except for this moment, you found yourself curling up against Jungkook, yawning as your eyes began to droop and your head resting on his shoulder.

When your eyes opened once more, you were uncertain of how much time had passed other than the indication that everyone else had departed to their tents. 

Jungkook had been leaning on one hand, the other wrapped around you as he had stared thoughtfully in the fire before realizing you had awoke, “Are you ready to depart for bed?” 

It was a quiet usher that made you nod with another yawn, letting him help you up as you walked over to your shared tent.

Due to the few people in your party, a circle of tents was formed, yours however just a little closer to the fire upon your request and how could you be blamed on a frigid night such as this? Even Fenrir was curled up right next to the fire, paying you both no mind as he continued to rest. 

The tent wasn’t extremely spacious, but it gave you enough room to get what you needed done without being on top of one another, “Let’s get you out of this.” 

“And into what?” You were more awake now than before, “Did Wheein leave me something?” 

Jungkook looked down at you, a sort of boyish look on his face making you pinch him, “Don’t look at me like that,” He chuckled softly grabbing your hand away from his bicep, “We have plenty of furs, and i’ll let you sleep on the fireside, it’s making me hot being that close anyways.” 

“It’s too cold!” You whined out quietly. 

“You really want to sleep like that?” Jungkook was already stripping himself, “I’m burning up personally.” 

Your lips parted multiple times at the sight of his chiseled muscles, biceps flexing as he pulled down his pants revealing the taunt thick muscles of his thighs, even more notably his undergarments.

“Come,” Jungkook had a small smirk on his face as if knowing your eyes roamed his body despite how hard you were trying to be discreet, “Let me undress you.” 

You let out a discontented noise but it was difficult to say no when he looked like this and he was looking at you like that, shuffling over you sat on your knees in front of him, Jungkook leaned forward peeling off each layer with a sort of lethargy, as if in no big hurry. 

Despite the chilled air you could still feel the lick of fire through the thick cloth tent, dropping the last layer down your shoulders you shuddered, a sort of shyness creeping over you as you felt your nipples immediately hardening at being exposed.

Jungkook helped you shuffled out of the last layer, in nothing more than your panties now, “It’s freezing,” You whispered, trying hard to not let yourself feel self conscious at being close to naked in the tinted firelight that your husband could easily see, “If you’re content let’s go to bed.” 

“Ah,” Jungkook immediately stopped you, eyes staying on your soft perked tits, “The cold will help keep you healthy.” He had a stupid boyish look on his face again as he leaned in, warm breath fanning along your cheek before he leaned down unable to resist parting his lips to take your left tit into his mouth. 

You let out a breath louder than you intended, but the you couldn’t help it, the sharp contrast between the cold air and his warm wet tongue had your body flush with arousal, and clearly you weren’t the only one as your eyes dropped down, a solid print formed showing your husband was also feeling the same. 

“Jungkook, it's too cold for this…!” You whined out quietly despite your legs immediately parting for him to sit between as he moaned against your breast, other hand squeezing your left tit as he pinched your hardened bud between his thumb and finger while suckling on the other.

You forced the moan back into your throat.

Jungkook finally released your bud from his lips, looking up at you with dark eyes full of arousal, “Well then we’ll just have to warm you up then won’t we, my goddess?” His hand slithering down your waist as he parted his lips once more your left tit, sucking harshly making you jolt. 

His fingers pushing beneath your panties as his fingers dragging against your puffy slit as you let out a breathy noise legs parting further for him as you leaned back on your hands, hips shifting to give him more access to your cunt. 

Jungkook was delighted by the invitation you could tell by the way he harshly sucked your bud, middle finger suddenly pushing inside you, sliding in with a slight pinch of discomfort that didn’t last long as he pushed all the way until his knuckle met with your body. 

“We can’t be too loud now,” Jungkook’s lips curled into a smirk, “So you’ll need to be a good girl for me and be quiet.” 

You bit down on your lip as he pushed his index finger inside you the pinched discomfort returning the sensation of his fingers pushing in and out of your little hole had you relaxing into his touch with a soft moan, walls squeezing around his fingers with each thrust. 

“Mmm that’s a good girl,” Jungkook grinned, pupils dilated in lust as he buried his fingers back inside your cunt, feeling your little walls clench around him once more before he brushed his thumb over your clit a higher pitch whine escaping you, “Ah, ah, remember,” Jungkook looked amused, “You need to be quiet if you want to cum all over my fingers princess.” 

“Kook,” You whispered, eyes closed tight at the feeling of his thumb teasingly brushing over your clit, fingers buried deep inside you as your walls tightened around his digits, “Please…!” 

The cold air was wrapping around your body, but the sharp contracts of his warm tongue and fingers burying inside you.

Jungkook laid you back against the fur before pulling your panties off, “You’ll get your pleasure, but you need to be a good girl and wait,” His voice was deep and soft taking off his own underwear to reveal his heavy, thick cock fully hardened, he parted your legs as you tensed cold air invading your cunt as he pushed his fingers back inside you, your clit extra sensitive from the cold with each little brush of his thumb, every little tease sent a sharp jolt of pleasure in your body.

Wet sticky arousal dripping from you little hole as you squeezed around his fingers, wiggling your hips a little with a whine, “Kook, need more..” You whispered out, not liking this slow teasing game. 

“Patience,” Jungkook replied, fingers pulling out of you only a little just to thrust them back in, he did this once more, even rougher, his pace was just right, hitting that sweet little spot inside your body that your walls clenching each time as your legs twitched. 

Jungkook’s free hand rubbed through your puffy wet slit before he gripped the base of his cock, a hissed grunt escaping him as he slowly pumped his base, watching the lewd act immediately made a soft moan escape you, just the idea of his fat cock inside you had you clenching hard around him as he began arithmetically thrusting his fingers into that sweet little spot.

“Fuuck you like watching me stroke my fat cock for you my love?” Jungkook let out a wicked look, his hand running all the way up his cock, thumb messily smearing his precum over his fat bulbous head before running it back down meanwhile his other hand began forcefully shoving inside your little hole greedily.

His thumb circling your clit as pleasure began shooting through your body, your eyes never leaving his cock that he squeezed tightly in his hand pumping it eagerly as his eyes flickered between your cunt sucking in his fingers needily and your face, entranced by his movements.

It made his shaft throb so bad in pleasure it hurt, he threw his head back with a low moan hips lifting as he thrusted his cock into his fist, feeling your little hole squeeze so tight around him it was difficult to move his fingers.

Jungkook locked eyes with you, that wicked look on his face, “What do you think that little ex lover of yours would say if he could see you right now?” 

“Mmm! Right there…!” You whimpered out, struggling to keep your voice quiet as your legs turned limp at how rough he was thrusting his fingers into that sweet little spongy spot inside you, “Kook, right there…!” 

Jungkook lifted his hips once more, fucking his fist at the way your legs lifted up, bringing them to your chest to obediently spread your cunt further for him, “Would he say I’m corrupting you right now?” 

You had to bite down on your hand to fight back the whines and moans trying to escape you, “Please…! Please.” You kept muttering it, body twisting and building so fast your mind was completely blank aside from the filth Jungkook was whispering to you.

“That I’m tainting his pretty little Eunoian princess, filling her cunt up until she’s completely fucked out cumming all over my fingers?” Jungkook harshly squeezed the base of his cock, keeping his knuckles buried in your cunt as he rapidly hit into your g-spot. 

Jungkook wanted to laugh at the strangled high pitched moan escaping you as you desperately tried to keep it quiet, feeling your warm little walls wrap tight around his fingers as you came, arms wrapping around your face to try and keep your cries of pleasure to yourself.

Jungkook eased you through your orgasm before pulling his fingers out of you, low breathes escaping you as your chest lifted and dropped before letting your arms drop from your face to the crude sight of Jungkook’s fingers in his mouth, eyes closed with soft moan as he licked your cum off them.

“This is the best way I could have ever relaxed.” Jungkook pulled his fingers from his mouth with a content look as he laid down next to you, your eyes however still on his hardened cock. 

“But you…” You frowned. 

Jungkook raised his brows before his eyes dropped to his cock before shrugging, “I don’t cum easily, a good and bad thing I guess. C’mere love.” 

“How do you want me?” Jungkook’s eyes snapped back open as they met yours, as if trying to figure out if he heard you correct, “I want you to feel good too, how do you want me?” 

Jungkook moaned softly closing his eyes once more, unable to look at those cute, eager little eyes of yours, basically asking to be filled up by him. 

“Ride my cock.” Jungkook replied, admittedly getting difficult to keep his eyes open, but he’d rather kill himself then miss the opportunity to cum inside your pretty, puffy little cunt. 

You knew what he meant, you had gathered as much the last time but you just… you awkwardly straddled him, his hands on your hips to help guide you, this wouldn’t be as difficult as last time right?

Grabbing his cock in your hand you heard a gritted hiss through his teeth, rubbing his bulbous head through your wet folds before lining him against your entrance, unlike last time you sank onto it.

Biting your lip as you squeezed your eyes shut, rather than a pinch the discomfort was still moderate, but not nearly as much as the first time. 

“Mmm fuck,” Jungkook moaned softly, still unable to process that he was getting to feel your warm little walls wrapping around his thick head, “Does it still hurt?” 

His hands soothingly rubbed up to your waist before back to your hips, “A little,” You whispered, settling your hands on his chest, “I still don’t know what I’m doing.” 

Jungkook opened his lidded eyes, trying his damn hardest to not fall asleep right now, “It’s not difficult, just a matter of practice. Sink a little lower…” Jungkook bit his lower lip a little at watching his cock sink further inside your warm cunt, “Now lift your hips like this.” 

You let his hands guide your movements as you let out a soft whine, the pain subsiding as his cock began to slide inside you with ease, stuffing you so full it was difficult to believe you had something this big inside you. 

Just the feeling of his heavy cock burying inside your cunt made your walls wrap tighter around him, slowly bouncing on his cock as Jungkook’s hands settled on your hips, “Fuck yeah love, just like that, riding my fuckin’ cock like you were made for it.” 

His words of pleasure made you bounce a little faster, taking him a little deeper each time before his hands tightened on your hips, suddenly grabbing you and pulling you all the way down, you let out a tiny whine at being so full of cock with no warning, walls rapidly clenching around him as you moaned.

Jungkook’s eyes were closed as he let out a breathy deep moan, “Could fall asleep like this every night, use my pretty little wife as my personal cock warmer, mmm keep squeezing around me like that.” He had a sleepy smirk on his face as his hands wrapped around your ass, urging you to start riding him once more. 

You quickly found you loved being full of cock though, cunt split open by something so thick and heavy, excitement trilled through your body making your walls wrap tight around him as you began bouncing on his cock.

Letting out quiet moans at the feeling of his shaft hitting all the right places inside you, “Mmm yeah, oh…fuck…” You whined out softly, sitting up right as you bounced all the down his cock as you grinded against his pubic bone.

Jungkook forced his tired eyes open to the amazing sight of you, his pretty wife completely naked bouncing on his cock, tits bouncing and face fucked out, clearly pleasuring yourself now, “Make me cum,” He moaned out softly, “Let me fill that pretty little cunt up.” 

You kept trying to bite back your whines as your hips became more messy in bouncing, uneven and unsteady as pleasure quickly built inside you, sinking back on his cock as your walls tightened, moaning just a hair louder as you creamed all over his cock. 

Jungkook was tired, sleep near taking him the same way you took his cum, letting it shoot deep inside you as you swiveled your hips, taking every lost drop he’d give as quiet breathes filled the tent, your own eyes closed with that same unmistakable tiredness. 

Jungkook let out a tired smile, “What a good girl.” He pulled you onto his chest, shifting you both to be buried beneath the blankets and furs, being skin to skin made you realize just how cold you had been. 

Jungkook’s skin was like fire, hot to the touch and your own personal little fire, curling up against him, your eyes immediately fell heavy, sleep had never felt so peaceful as being skin to skin with your husband.

The journey to Kimhae had been rather uneventful and what few encounters you had with wolves and even a bear, Fenrir had easily warded them off, your baby having grown so much in the last months now standing just a little taller than your horse.

Jungkook had been up ahead chatting with Yoongi for awhile now, something regarding plans on resuming the Eastern movement when you returned from Yule.

Wheein had been riding by you for awhile now in a comfortable silence aside from a few comments to Fenrir who had been running ahead in the snow and finding random branches to be thrown, the only problem being they were too heavy for you to toss. 

“Something on your mind Wheein?” You finally asked, having noticed a faraway look in her eyes for a good while now. 

Her eyes met yours before she gave a small, weak smile, “Nothing incredibly important I just…” She faltered a little, “I know the past cannot be changed but, I can’t help but feel like so many events could have been avoided if it weren’t for me.” 

You straightened up, frowning immediately at her words, “What would make you say that?”

Wheein hesitated to speak, “...What happened, with my execution, you…” It looked as if it was physically difficult to attempt to finish her sentence, “I know how important keeping your culture intact is for you. You’ve done nothing but try to become a Penumbrian Princess, and for you to be put in a position where you had to compromise your own personal oath and belief…” Wheein let out a shaky breath, visibly puffing in the cold air as her eyes looked watery, “I feel as though I haven’t given you a proper apology M’lady.” 

Your heart felt like it was twisted, “You have nothing to apologize over Wheein. I am still mourning many things but I…I don’t regret what I did. I said it once and I will say it again, I was willing to do anything to get you back. Di Jin was the assassin who attempted to kill me, which started this entire mess…I don’t know how much you’ve heard about the Estate…”

Wheein’s lips stayed in a frown, cheeks flush and rosy from the cold wind as she adjusted her shawl, shaking her head, “Only whispers of rumors to what happened, and my own assumptions when you intervened on my execution.” 

You let out a shaky sigh, trying your best to detach yourself from the memory as you recalled the events that lead up to that fateful night, “They had lured Yoongi away and I foolishly sent him in good faith that nothing would happen but…Di Jin revealed himself that night revealing that he had come to finish what he started. He almost did,” Your hand trembled as you pressed it against your chest, “Then he got closer to me, trying to kiss my neck and…I don’t know.”

And that was the funniest part, you still had vivid clips of what happened in your head, but it was all so fast, so gorey, your mind had blotted out a lot of it, “One minute he was on top of me, and the next minute I was covered in blood.” 

There it was, that distinct iron on your tongue, it made you sick to your stomach, “And I didn’t stop after he was dead,” Your lips trembled as you whispered, “That’s the part that scares me the most. He was dead and I kept going, I...it was like I was possessed, unable to stop. I felt…” It felt like bile was beginning to rise in your throat as you swallowed it back, “Good. Powerful, invincible in that moment, feeling his flesh in my mouth, the taste of his blood on my tongue-” 

Your hand suddenly grabbed your lips, trying to swallow back the bile which risen much faster, immediately grabbing the water satchel that hung off the saddle of your horse, taking a long drink from it to try and wash what you had just admitted away. 

It had been plaguing the back of your mind every moment it was quiet, the fact that something inside you liked it, even enjoyed the depraved act, showing someone who had disrespected you and your heritage, making a mockery of it for so long, a little devil inside you secretly wishing you had finished what you had started, to devoured him the way your ancestors would. 

Even now a little voice in the back of your head was thrilled by it, it never ceased to make you sick, Weak in the stomach with shame every time it crossed your mind, it felt so heretical to think let alone voice aloud, the extent of how much a secret part of you enjoyed it. 

“I am so sorry Princess,” Wheein whispered, clearly hurting for you as she held back her tears, inhaling sharply, “I still can’t believe what’s happened. I’m sure being away from Penumbra will be a good break for all of us.” 

“If I had just…” You had to stop yourself from saying what you wanted, you had the ability to heal Wheein’s mother, maybe if you had listened to Baba Enàir more carefully, had been more dedicated to your studies as a child…perhaps this whole thing could have been prevented if you had been the one to heal Wheein’s mother, disputing any claims, “I’ll never send you away so often like that without company, I never want to put you in such a compromising position Wheein and for that I am sorry.”

“We all have our grievances about what happened.” Wheein smiled sadly, “But what counts is that we are both alive and well, but…Something else does plague me.” 

You tilted your head, patiently waiting for her to continue as she gathered her thoughts, the wind blowing her black locks of hair back as she squinted her eyes, “We still never caught who sent the assassin. What if this happens once more?” 

You frowned, you had thought this as well, “Something tells me, whoever did this will try a different tactic next. We must remain vigilant, perhaps moreso in Penumbra then even in Kimhae.” You nodded in thought, “I do agree though, this will be good for all of us.” 

This had become routine at night it seemed, waiting for everyone else to depart to bed before being guided back yourself, undressed by your husband’s large, warm hands, and then taken whatever way he wanted, with his hands, his tongue, his cock, you weren’t picky. 

You however were starting to become used to the sensation of his cock spliting you open, his cum dripping down your thighs, an unfamiliar soreness between your legs that had a sweet ache that made you crave more. 

You had never understood the idea of physical intimacy in the past, it always made your skin crawl at the idea, but then again, you never had a partner you felt you could trust like this.

More than anything, you loved being close to him like this, loved that you could be so intimate with the person you trusted more than anyone, his arms wrapped around you, laying slightly on top of your back, keeping you warm just as he promised every night. 

It was odd, the comfort it brought feeling his warm cum dribbling from your little hole as you yawned, eyes closing as you dozed off in his arms. 

It was still late into the night when you awoke to his lips pressing on your neck, moaning softly as his hips rutted into you, cock hardened once more much to your sleepy surprise, “Mm, need you my love.” His voice was much deeper, telling you he was also half asleep, “Dreamt of your pretty little cunt, letting me fill it up.”

“Mmm Kook.” You mumbled out, eyes closing as you felt your leg being propped further up to give him better access to your little entrance, his arms tightened around your waist as he managed to line his cock up before pushing it in. 

A soft sleepy moan escaped you, an entirely new position you were acquainted with but something about it made you feel so full, his cock pushing all the way inside you until his hips were flush with yours. 

Each lazy thrust of his hips had soft noises escaping you, your eyes shutting in tired bliss at his cock pushing past your little walls, filling you to the brim each time, throbbing as the head of his cock kept hitting that spongy little spot. 

Jungkook moaned as he buried his cock inside you once more, his movements having paused forcing your eyes back open, was he asleep? Your walls suddenly squeezed around his cock at being so split open by him.

This elicited a moan from his lips that sounded like pure sex, “Your cunt is heaven,” He mumbled in your skin, “Could keep my cock buried inside you forever.”

Not moving was stirring you further, making you more awake as you whined, “Jungkook, move…!” You wiggled your hips a little earning a small thrust from him.

“Think I’ll asleep like this,” He moaned once more into your skin, “Like the way your cunt wraps around me like this when I’m splitting your cunt open.” 

Jungkook moaned at feeling your cunt squeeze around him once more at his words, just like he had hoped, “Just go back to sleep my love,” He mumbled in your ear, hand pulling around to cup your tit in his hand as he massaged it making you whine in frustration as your hips began to pull and lift, sliding his cock in and out of your cunt just a little. 

“Mmm fuuck, sweetheart go to sleep.” Jungkook’s voice was a pitch higher than before, his free hand almost guiding your hips though as you fucked back against him, and your eyes were closed but sleep was not on your mind. 

Your lips parted with a soft whine at the new sensation this position gave you with him behind, his cock slide inside you just the right way brushing that sweet little spot with each bounce of your hips, it had you rapidly clenching around his cock. 

Muffling your moans into your blankets as you pushed all the way back against him wiggling your hips as pleasure throbbed throughout your cunt, feeling arousal dripping from your hole as his cock slid back inside you with ease as you let out a pathetic whine, walls wrapping harsh around him but it just wasn’t quite enough to get yourself to orgasm. 

Jungkook let out a sleepy chuckle, “Working yourself up are you?” 

It wasn’t fair…! He woke you up and you were somehow the one falling apart on his cock desperate to cum, “Koo, please.” You whimpered out quietly, shifting yourself a little to be better able to lift your hips up to his, giving his cock better access to slid in and out of your little hole with ease. 

“Mmm shit, your acting like a bitch in heat,” He moaned softly, eyes dropping to your cunt that kept backing into his cock, “You want to be fucked?” He whispered deviously in your ear. 

And Jungkook knew you did, could feel the way your walls wrapped so tight around his throbbing cock, wanting so desperately to reach your climax. 

“Jungkook…” You whispered urgently. 

“Say it.”

You let out a frustrated noise, pausing your movement but Jungkook wasn’t having it, his hand wrapping around your neck as he gave it a harsh squeeze, letting out a small gag as his voice deepened in your ear, “Beg for it little princess, beg for me. Beg for my cock.” 

Jungkook suddenly thrusted inside you, harshly making your body jolt as you whined out, shaking your head, this only made him thrust rougher causing you to squeeze around him in excitement, “Mmm like this, feels…! Good.” You whimpered out quietly, your body twitching as pleasure blossomed in your cunt, you were so close…!

Jungkook buried back inside you, stopping once more causing a louder fussy whine to escape you, his hand squeezing around your neck once more, “If you like this then you’ll love what’s next. But you need to tell me, c’mon,” His hips lazily swiveled before giving short thrusts, edging your body as your hands curled into fists, “Tell me you want my cock, that you want your pretty little cunt destroyed by me, that you want to be filled with my cum.”

You could feel saliva dripping from the corner of your mouth, his cock teasing your body with such short movements it had you whimpering, “Koo’, fuck me, please…! Need you’, need your cock, anything…!” 

Jungkook moaned as your quiet frantic plea’s as he suddenly pulled out of you, a sharp whine escaping you as he swatted your ass to be quiet, manhandling you onto you stomach as he kneeled between your legs you felt confused before your hips were lewdly lifted, presenting your cunt to him. 

You didn’t have any time to adjust or even think before his cock pushed back inside you, a moan much louder than you meant for it to escape your lips at an entirely new, better sensation, every movement of his cock had you cunt squeezing in pleasure. 

“Mmm yeah, you like being made to take it from behind?” Jungkook moaned, keeping your hips up as he thrusted inside your little entrance, watching it split open for his cock before greedily sucking it in, “Maybe this is how your little dryad kin had children? Fucking like animals?” He whispered out, hearing a gurgled whine from you only made his thrusts that much more forceful, the sound of his balls smacking into your skin music to his ears, “Being made into nothing more than a bitch desperate for cock.” 

The side of your face was planted into the ground, eyes shut in pleasure at just how good it felt, his cock hitting every little sensitive spot inside you, his demeaning words that would’ve sent flames of angry through your body once upon a time only filled you with excitement, enjoying how he manhandled you how rough he was starting to thrust, no regard for whether your cunt could take it or not. 

Your mind was filled with all sorts of unholy things, not realizing how much you were beginning to moan, enjoying the way he had a hand pressed into your back forcing you down on the ground, his balls smacking your skin and his cock pushing past your tight walls. 

“Koo’...! ‘m gonna..! Mmm!” Your moans were gurgled, desperate, cunt rapidly squeezing around his cock, a feeling he had quickly grown to love as you crumbled beneath him, at his mercy as he roughly thrusted, burying his cock deep inside you as he quickly leaned over you, chest flush with your back as his hips became faster.

Just as you let out the whinest, loudest cry his hand covered your mouth to muffle it, tears began to build in your eyes at how powerful the pleasure was building in your body, your legs uselessly twitching and your body convulsing.

But it was all useless as his cock kept sliding in and out of your small hole, “Go on sweetheart, mm know how bad you wanna cum. I see those pathetic little tears. Cum sweetheart, cream all over my fat cock, make it nice and messy for me.” 

Your body was being jolted with every thrust of his hips, your clit aching to be touched as your cunt was full of his thick shaft, his dirty words whispered in your ear making you throw a whiny pathetic fit as your walls squeezed even tighter around him, so desperate to be obedient. 

“C’mon princess,” Jungkook moaned tantalizingly in your ear, his hips pounding into you with nice lengthy thrusts, wet lewd sounds coming from how soaked you were, “Can feel it, feel how bad that pretty little cunt wants to cum, squeezing around me so tight, fuuck, that’s it, c’mon.” Jungkook wasn’t intentionally edging you but god did it feel good, you were moaning and crying into his hand, tears slowly beginning to trickle down your face at how good you felt. 

Not a single thought in your head other than his cock stuffing you full, purposely dragging into the little spongy spot each time just edging you a little closer each time to your release.

“Does your little pussy feel good?” He teased you, a wicked grin on his face as his hips pushed fully inside you, giving short thrusts to keep you as full of cock as possible, “You like presenting this little hole to me? Letting me fuck my seed deep inside, my pretty wife who swore she’d never let me cuff her in bed? How does it feel knowing I’m going to fill your pretty little cunt up?”

Jungkook let out a low moan, feeling your muffled voice cry out against the skin of his palm as your cunt rapidly clenched around him cumming so hard it felt like your eyes were rolling to the back of your head. 

And Jungkook wasn’t stopping, his hips slammed into you, wet lewd sounds filling the tent and his balls smacking into your skin as he kept his hand on your mouth to keep your moans and cries of pleasure quiet, unable to subdue them yourself anymore, as the pleasure kept going, his hips jostling you around before you felt it.

“Fuck!” Jungkook growled out, burying his cock inside you as he came, roughly pumping his cock inside you as he let out a shaky moan, letting your greedy cunt suck every drop from him as he moaned, perhaps louder then even he intended. 

After a few more seconds he collapsed on top of you, making you whine, sniffling as you wiped your face as you felt his hand drag to your waist, stroking it tenderly as he pressed a kiss against your neck, “You’re so perfect.” He whispered, pressing another kiss against your skin, “Made for me. Only me.” His hand squeezed your waist, before he laid flat on his back shifting you around to lay against him, your body curling up as you set your head against his chest.

Your thighs were aching and your hand trembled if you looked close enough as you dragged it over his chest.

And for the first time, with the fire illuminating the inside of the tent, you took the time to drag it over the rough skin of his chest and upon closer inspection noticed all sorts of marks, curiously you shifted once more. 

“Was twice not enough for my little sun?” Jungkook chuckled as you straddled his waist, his hands wrapping around your hips, “We’ll need to start retiring earlier if you want me to have more stamina.” 

“I’m not…!” You felt your body flush, trying to remind yourself that you were in fact naked right now, “I’m just looking.”

“Mmm, so am I.” Jungkook’s eyes trailing down your exposed body to your cunt, watching the white substance dripping out onto his skin, “If I weren’t already exhausted I’d already have you bent over again.” 

“Jungkook!” You whispered out, starting to feel embarrassed now, “Stop…please.” 

He let out a tired, boyish smile and staring down at him you couldn’t help but mirror it, he looked much younger like this, more like his age, eyes lidded from tiredness as his hands wrapped further, fingers digging into your ass, “Is it a crime to admire my wife? You’re only sitting on top of me naked.” 

“I’ve seen you shirtless many times now,” You decided to no longer entertain his dirty thoughts, slowly lowering yourself down his chest making his fingers squeeze tighter around your ass, “But i’ve never truly paid attention.”

“To my godly physique?”

This made you both quietly laugh as you shook your head, unable to not be endeared by this new playful side of him you had never seen, “How did you know?” You whispered back, a light tease in your voice as your hand traced over his sternum, “I meant the scars…How many battles did you fight in?” 

Jungkook palmed your ass in his hands, massaging the flesh as he yawned, eyes closing as he hummed potentially trying to recall, “Too many to count honestly, I was drafted before the Five Year War started as to be properly prepared.” 

Your fingers traced over each scar, some long and thin, others short and deeper, few discolored still having never properly healed, others faded and hardly visibly, “How’d you get this one?” Your finger’s stopped on his left right, a circular scar it was small, as if he had been pierced.

Jungkook’s eyes slowly lidded once more, following where your fingers pressed, “When we first rode to Rolon for war, an archer shot me right off my horse, my only saving grace from death was the wind otherwise it would’ve pierced my heart, y'know it’s said the Rolon Archer’s were trained since children, they could shoot a coin from over a hundred yards away.”

“You were injured before the battle had even begun?” You whispered out, perhaps a little amused at his story. 

Jungkook’s hand trailed down the back of your thigh, pulling them apart just a little making your hips brush over his skin, the feeling of wet stickiness rubbing over his skin, “It was my first endeavor by myself, my men were counting on me to lead them, you can imagine it was a pretty pathetic sight.”

“So how did you manage to siege them if you could not get close?” You tilted your head, resting your elbows down his chest, your hips appeasing him as you softly grinded down on his pubic bone. 

“We had all camped outside their outer districts, preparing ourselves,” Jungkook let out a pleasured hum, eyes closed once more and fingers trailing back to your ass before settling at your steady, soft movement, “We could not get close to their borders without them shooting us down by the tens if not hundreds. And so we would have to make ourselves unknown, invisible.”

A quiet moan escaped him at the feeling of your hips pulling just a little further down just above where his cock was beginning to stir despite his own lethargy. 

“Invisible?” Tiredness was beginning to pull at your lids but you enjoyed this too much, the conversation, the feeling of your puffy, cum covered slit grinding against him, making him break focus, “Surely that wouldn’t be possible?” 

“Invisible to the faraway eye that is,” Jungkook’s brows pinched, fingers gripping your ass a little tighter as your hips dragged just along the base of his hardening cock, weepy and sensitive from having already came inside you twice this night, “Mmm, I didn’t think you’d be such a little lust driven succubus once we consummated.”

It made you grind him just a little harder, the feeling of his cock bobbing before it smacked against your cunt, fully hardened and precum smearing against your asscheek. 

“I’m trying to have a conversation,” You teased, hands traveling over the expanse of his chest before your fingers found his dark nipples, curiously you pinched them a little, “You’re the one that’s making it sexual.” 

A restrained moan escaped him as his eyes cracked open, you couldn’t help your curiosity, fascinated at his different reactions to different things, after all, you were learning his body just as much as he was learning of yours. 

“Sex is dripping off of you,” Jungkook sighed, feeling your hips tease his cock once more, puffy slit rubbing down it’s base before back to his pubic bone, “I can’t help the way my body reacts to it, climbing on top of me naked isn’t a productive way to have a conversation.” 

You couldn’t help but close your eyes briefly, relishing in the feeling of his heady, heavy cock dragging through your puffy slit, coating it in a mixture of your wetness and cum. 

Feeling his shaft rubbing into your sensitive clit was you let out a soft moan, “You didn’t continue your story. How were you invisible.” Your hips dragged back to his pubic bone, pausing your movement to try and refocus your conversation. 

Jungkook let out a displeased sound, fingers digging against your ass once more, “If you want to hear my stories, keep entertaining me.” 

“Can you stay focused?” You gave him a mischievous smile, slowly pulling back up to your elbows, his eyes immediately on your tits. 

“As long as you don’t make me cum,” Jungkook retorted right back, a cocky grin on his face, “Well?” You tried not to shy away from his expression as your hips slowly began rubbing on him once more, teasing the base of his cock as he let out a soft pleasured moan, eyes slowly closing once more to enjoy the feeling as he recalled, “I proposed to my men that we would camouflage ourselves with the terrain, we covered ourselves in mud and moss, whatever greenery we could and crawled on the earth to evade their eyes.” 

His fingers dragged down to the back of your thighs once more as your hips dragged a little lower down his shaft as your clit throbbed making a soft moan escape you, “That’s how you managed to siege their capitol Montclair?”

His fingers pulled your thighs apart, opening your slit a little more as it rubbed along is shaft back to his base, “Mmhm, like that,” He whispered out at feeling your hips pause at the base of his cock, wiggling a little to push it further between the lips of your cunt. 

Silence had suddenly taken over as your eyes shut, enjoying being able to pleasure your husband as your hips slowly rode the base of his cock, letting it slip against your lips and rub along your clit.

This type of pleasure was slow, tantalizing, making his hips rut a little, gliding with ease against your soaked cunt, “What about this one.” Your fingers briefly brushed along his left breast, a long wicked line crossing it as you slowed your hips back down. 

“Training accident when I was younger,” Jungkook murmured out, sounding half asleep, “I had assumed Hoseok was going for a lower strike but he tricked me, he got too close and accidentally sliced me right across the chest, it was a larger wound when it had first happened.” 

Jungkook had a faint smile on his lips as his hands dragged to your waist, keeping a firm grip to encourage your hips, his eyes pulled open only a little, “He wouldn’t stop crying while profusely apologizing to me, saying he’d do anything to keep the wrath from my father at bay.” 

“Did he hear about it?” Your moan was mixed with your soft laugh, grinding down as your clit dragged against his skin.

Jungkook’s breath hitched, “No, it only went as far as my aunt. She merely laughed it off, saying it was good practice for the real deal.”

You paused your movement, hands tracing down his particularly slim waist, just at the bottom of his ribcage, “And this?”

You lifted yourself up as Jungkook opened his eyes, “No looking.” You whispered out. 

This made him confused before he let out a quiet laugh, closing his eyes once more, “I’ve seen it already princess, you can’t hide anything from me at this point.”

“I’m…testing…it’s lewd.” You tried not to be embarrassed as you sat down on his taunt, thick muscular thighs, legs still parted as you situated your cunt against his base once more, “How did you get that scar?” You prompted him once more. 

Jungkook seemed to be having an increasingly harder time focusing as he felt it, your cunt making contact with the sensitive underside of his cock, your hips lifting to drag against his shaft, “It was when we attempted war with Kyoto, I was in the frontlines with the other underlings and an assassin of Kyoto had made his way into the trenches.”

Jungkook’s jaw was clenched as he felt your hand wrap around the head of his cock, giving short as he let out a breathy moan, hand running through his hair, “He was a full grown man and we were nothing more than boys pretending to be men. His sword longer than us all,” He bit down on his lip at your hand squeezing his cock, your cunt sliding against his base, “He cut two of the other underlings in half with just one swing, I was almost the third, I had barely managed to jump back in time but the tip of his blade still cut through me, blood was everywhere.”

“How did you live?” You whispered out, sadness somewhere deep inside you filled your heart through the haze of lust. 

“Jimin had managed to jump on his back,” Jungkook let out another breath moan at feeling your hand drag down his cock, “Stabbed him in the neck, he choked on his own blood as they all rushed to get first aid for me. I almost bled out that night but by some miracle they had managed to stop the bleeding and get me stitches.” 

Jungkook groaned as his hands curled into fists, pleasure becoming much stronger than it was supposed to, “Enough please.” 

The movements ceased, “Does it not feel good?” 

“It feels too good, I told you to not make me cum.” Jungkook sighed softly in relief as he felt you change positions back to your original, the weight of your body situated once more fully on top of him, “Mmm warm my cock.”

“I don’t understand how that works.” You whispered out, a bit embarrassed, you were a fast learner but you still didn’t know all the ends and outs of how all of this worked. 

This made Jungkook laugh softly, endeared at your words as he forced his tired eyes back open, “It’s simple honestly, sit on my cock, let it stay warm inside you. I’ll be able to focus and recall events more better that way.”

“Really?” You replied skeptically.

“Mhm, what else do you want to know?” Jungkook let a crooked smirk tug on his lips as you grabbed the base of his cock, obediently doing as he told you, the fat head pushing inside you, a noise escaping you both. 

Slowly you slid down his cock until your hips were flush with his, “Mmm, what now?” It was hard to focus now having him stuffing you so full. 

Jungkook let out a long content sigh, “Nothing, this is it. Ask away.”

His hands lovingly stroked your hips as you suddenly struggled to speak, feeling his fat large cock throbbing inside you, walls clenching around him as your arousal dripped.

Jungkook let out an amused breath, “Cat got your tongue?”

You shook your head, slowly leaning back down to rest yourself on his chest, but somehow laying made your body feel even more full, “This one?” Your words were soft, trembled with a quiet whine, fingers brushing over his right bicep, a thin long line curving around it. 

Jungkook’s hands stroked your waist before trailing over your back, “It happened during our siege of Prokiev, the battle happened overnight and it was dark out, fire my only source for my fight with their royal guard captain, our adrenaline was running out and we were both ragged, he threw a sloppy blow aiming for my chest but I moved away and back, the edge of his blade managed to pierce right through my chainmail. It wasn’t a serious injury.”

Jungkook let out a soft pleasured sigh at your little walls clenching around him, seemingly unable to relax with him buried this deep and unmoving in your cunt, “It serves as a reminder though.”

“To what?” You whispered out, setting your head down on his chest, biting down on your lip once more, trying so, so hard to focus on his words and not his cock, it felt like he was completely stretching you out, hitting all the way up into your stomach though surely that wasn’t possible. 

Even if it felt like it was. 

“That many want me dead, sharpening their blades that even a shallow cut could one day maim me or better yet kill me. Sometimes I wonder how I survived,” Jungkook murmured, eyes closing as he fought the sleep off, “Each of these scars is proof that I’m still here, that somehow despite all of the odds, whether it was pure luck, or pure skill, I lived another day. Learned, grew from my mistakes.”

Your eyes had fallen shut, tiredness pulling you into a lull as you felt a blanket being pulled over you, engulfing you in warmth once more. 

You let out a ghost of a whine at feeling the slightest rut of his hips, cock making sure it was buried as far inside you as possible, Jungkook pressed a kiss against your head, “Something above let me live, let me marry you, the love of my life.” 

Your eyes had become heavier with each passing gentle press of his lips, you had soon fallen asleep to the sweet sensation of his lips feathering your skin, hands stroking your side, cock keeping you full and ushers of love on his lips. 

While the journey had been safe and overall good travel, to say you were relieved to be in Kimhae was an understatement, the air was cold, but it didn’t have that wet sharp feeling it did in Penumbra, and only a bit of frost covered the ground now.

Your thickest layers were shedded during travel as it got warmer much to your relief, more than anything you were ready to see your family, and even more so ready to sleep in a proper bed and rest.

You couldn’t voice it aloud to anyone but your thighs were sore from not only riding your horse but also from other nefarious activities late into the night, you were absolutely ready to stand on your own two feet for the next week. 

Upon entering the gates of Kimhae the sight was familiar enough to you, elegant towering buildings, busy towns people who all seemed to pause from their business at the sight of not just you but your husband, whispers broke out and if your life in Penumbra had helped you with one thing, it was being able to ignore the stares.

Riding next to your husband as you made your way through the capitol until you arrived at the large gates of the palace, the courtyard open and lush, what you hadn’t expected was the sight of someone so familiar and yet…now had become a total stranger to you. 

Kim Seokjin, the man you had once thought was the love of your life, only to realize that this was a feeble, childish type of love, the type of love you think is love until you truly fall in love. 

He stood tall and proud as his eyes locked onto your figure, standing in white double buttoned vest and long sleeve, royal blue cape cascading behind him dramatically. 

He looked like something out of a fairytale and you couldn’t deny Seokjin was just as handsome as you remembered, clean cut and warm skin. 

Coming to a stop, your vision of him was somewhat blocked by your husband, and for the first time seeing them almost side by side made you realize just how different they were, Jungkook dawned in all black, hair array from travel and longer then when you had first met, well overdue for a trim. 

His look, all too familiar, neutral but often coming across as dark and brooding to a person who wasn’t well acquainted with him.

And you supposed you must have seemed different from your old self as well, you no longer wore flowery apparel light apparel, now often dawned in black and maroons, today no different though you had gone without the fuss and feathers to make travel easier, a plain black gown with an under layer of red peeping out, sleeves dramatically long but slits having formed to make movement easier, another white long sleeve layer beneath to keep you warm as well as curl up to your neck.

Jungkook had already dismounted his horse, holding his hands out to you as you stood up in your saddle, pulling your leg over before you felt the security of his hands wrap around your waist, lifting you down safely. 

You offer him a tiny smile of thanks as you turn to face Seokjin, the hand staying curled around your waist however did not go unnoticed by you as you both walked to greet your ex-lover. 

“Seokjin, I cannot thank you enough for your invitation,” You gave him a soft smile, perhaps a sort of soft spot for him still lingered in your chest, after all, while your love might not have been deep, it was something, and you’d take it for what it was, “It’s been a long time.” 

“Yes, I’m relieved to see you alive and well, it’s been too long.” Seokjin’s eyes were locked onto you and only you, and briefly you felt a sort of severed connection. 

His eyes drilling into you with a sort of passion that you only blinked at with a friendly polite smile, him taking your hand into his own as he lifted it to his lips, “Truthfully I don’t think enough time has passed.” 

Your hand was suddenly snatched away by a much larger one, Jungkook’s expression had quickly gone from neutral to one hundred percent leering and unfriendly, that typical icy Jeon glare as he spoke coldly, “Kim Seokjin.”

Seokjin’s eyes burned into the sight, Jungkook’s hand holding onto your own in a sort of protective manner, as if he assumed the man’s kiss to your hand would maim you.

“Jeon Jungkook.” Seokjin’s eyes twisted into a glare, but it simply didn’t have the same bite as Jungkook’s, “I can’t say I remember inviting the Jeon’s.”

“Interesting you say that,” Jungkook replied, a haughty cold look on his face, “Given one found its way to my wife,” He glanced down at you, a squeeze of his hand on your waist and his hand releasing your own only for his fingers to trace your jawbone, “Only the most beautiful Jeon.”

Jungkook’s thumb tugged at your lower lip and you couldn’t help but shy away from his gaze, somewhat flustered at such an open display of affection, “What my husband means to say is we’ve come here to represent Penumbra together, I hope this will be the first of many Yule’s we can all come together and celebrate the Rite of Peace.” 

You could tell by Seokjin’s gritted smile that whatever he had anticipated this was not it, it softened however as his eyes landed on you, “For you, I’d do anything Y/n.” His gaze became more sharp as they locked back onto Jungkook, “...And I suppose that goes for you as well. I hope your stay in Kimhae treats you well.”

“As do I.” Jungkook retorted, “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’d like to rest after our journey.”

You briefly glanced up at Jungkook, brow furrowing in a little bit of annoyance, you understood that Jungkook absolutely did not like Seokjin in the least, but couldn’t he be a little more discreet about it? 

This being your first public appearance as a couple meant you’d have to be careful how you presented yourselves, if he wanted to quarrel with the man you did not care as long as he did it in private where prying eyes and ears couldn’t witness it.

“Of course,” Seokjin almost sneered at him, making you shuffle a bit uncomfortable at seeing the men nearly bearing teeth at one another, “My head maid will show you to your room.” 

Seokjin gave you one last look, and you couldn’t quite describe it, it was one of yearning and longing, and yet it wasn’t reciprocated as you allowed Jungkook to lead you both into the palace following behind the maid. 

“What was all of that about?” You whispered reprimanding to Jungkook. 

Jungkook only looked ahead, “He touched you.” 

“...He was being polite.” You reasoned, you had never seen such displays from Jungkook before- well aside from the time Claudin had taken your hand. 

Come to think of it, you supposed this was less rash then when he pressed a knife into Claudin’s neck for so much as grabbing your hand to kiss, truthfully you should be thankful it didn’t escalate so quickly to that. 

Stepping into your guest room you paused, realizing this was the room you used to stay in when you were a maiden...Seokjin probably still has the route memorized…had he thought you’d come to Kimhae alone?

You shook the ridiculous notion away as you took your cloak off, Jungkook shut the door to your shared room, “He touched you.” He emphasized it. 

You turned around, raising your eyebrows, not understanding what he was getting at, Jungkook huffed, “Men who touch women like that aren’t being friendly.” 

“It was my hand!” You pouted, “You’ve touched my hands plenty of times.”

“And look where it led.” Jungkook countered as he took his own outer apparel off, “That’s just the way it goes. And perhaps because I also know you’ve sucked his cock-”

“Jungkook!” You cried out, embarrassment flooding through you, “Don’t say it so loud!” 

This made Jungkook chuckle as he sat on the foot of the bed, “Hmm, you’ve never sucked my cock before come to think of it.” He laughed even louder at suddenly being hit with the cloak you launched at him.

“I am tired and taking a nap, you can either join me or sleep on the floor if you keep being crude.” You kicked your riding shoes off as you pulled the covers curling up in bed, his body immediately beside you, arms wrapping around your waist. 

“I can’t help it,” Jungkook replied, snickering into your shoulder, “You’re easy to tease.” 

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Gobblick

Debut: Mario & Luigi: Brothership

The embargo on Brothership enemies that-I'm-not-sure-if-we-actually-had-or-not is OVER! Which MOD TWEETER is happy about, because she finally gets to talk about her favorite creature from the whole game: GOBBLICK!

From the success of fictional pitcher plants like Victreebel and...er...Victreebel, it's no secret that they've captured the hearts of millions worldwide! And yet, finding a decent video game pitcher plant in this day and age is hard. And that's sad! Especially since Wet-Dry World has arbitrarily decided my rent should be paid for in articles about video game pitcher plants!

Gobblick is SUCH a good pitcher plant design though, definitely worth the wait!! Look at that gut! Those spots! That big, long licker! The ridges on its leaf and lower jaw, seamlessly combining pitcher plant and bear trap aesthetics!

But, of course, the BIG show-stopper: EYES IN A VOID, BABY!!!! I love it!! It works PERFECT with the pitcher plant design! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they added them to REAL pitcher plants in a future update! They even remind me of that one talking pot in Winnie-the-Pooh that stuck onto my mind since I watched it as a child!

Since they're on the INSIDE of what is definitively its mouth, though, that raises the question...are these Gobblick's eyes at all? What if they're the eyes of something else? But...what would that something else be? A spider? A Lickitung? Perhaps it's the eyes of a treeshrew, and it's attacking out of embarrassment of us catching it using the bathroom? I'm sorry, hypothetical treeshrew! But you probably shouldn't stay in there, if that's the case, even if you're shy!

Or, most likely, these ARE the eyes of the noble Gobblick, and it uses them to watch its food go down! When you're a pitcher plant, is there honestly anything better to do?

Yes! And that thing is: attacking plumbers! Gobblick is such a fan of battling Mario & Luigi that he has not one, but TWO battles against them! That may not seem like a lot, but that's more than most Mario bosses in most single mainline games!

"Well, that's fine and all, but I bet none of its attacks include the coveted Root Attack," you might scoff. And you'd be wrong! Although real pitcher plant roots are, frankly, not really something to write home about, the root arms of Gobblick are able to dig through ground as they approach the brothers, in a way similar to Whispy Woods! Kirby's Dream Land 2 fans rejoice!

But, this isn't even Gobblick's only form! In fact, the first time I saw and fell in love with Gobblick was in its SECONDARY form! Warning, however, that this form is built off of integral spoilers for the game, so if you click below, do so wisely...!

Name: Glohm Gobblick

Debut: Mario & Luigi: Brothership

WOW! If you loved Gobblick already, then I hope Glohm Gobblick was worth the wait–it certainly was, for me!

Wine-red is just a perfect yet underrated color, especially for pitcher plants! I couldn't believe I had never thought about making a reddish pitcher plant prior, myself, but that just goes to show how ingrained plant color stereotypes are! I saw a picture of a pitcher eating a rat once, and it never escaped my mind, and THAT was red!

But Glohm Gobblick isn't just this beautiful shade of red for no reason! It's under the effect of being Glohmed, which makes anyone other than Mario & Luigi more powerful while amplifying their desire to be isolated and lonely! And unlike some other characters, there's nobody around that's worried for our poor friend Gobblick...it exists only as an optional boss you can come across on your own. Don't worry, Gobblick, we love you...!

Gobblick is never truly alone, however. Thankfully, the game specifies that this is not the Gobblick, but a Gobblick! It's one of MANY! Please expect Gobblick to make its way alongside Toads and Piantas as one of the main recurring Mario People, being charming background fodder for decades to come.

Or not, since it's canonically from another world. Too bad.

This should cover my Wet-Dry Rent for the next few weeks! Join me next time when I finally cover the last in the top three most popular video game pitcher plants: Weepinbell. Bye.

[luci4theminorannoyance]

Please can you do platonic 141 x reader x romantic(??) Ghost where the reader is addicted to painkillers? Like going through a pack per day and practically inhaling them before and after a mission. Its something went under the radar but somehow came to their attention Thank you!! xx

(Its ok if your not comfortable writing this)

a/n: sorry this took forever to post! I’ve been on a break recently to have a social interaction month I guess and things have slipped- also I’m quite alright with writing this! Tell me if I messed anything up of course as always because it’s my first time writing for lots of things

ghost:

-feels utterly horrid for not realizing the details, for gods sake he was dating you! He should have picked up on it, he should have done something, he should have! It makes him sick to his stomach that he wasn’t the first one to notice either

-it was gaz who told him, gaz… it made him feel so guilty that he hadn’t noticed before others did. Apparently gaz had noticed the little signs before him and had caught you after you had downed a pack of the medbays stored pain meds that were supposed to be lock

-was half scared to talk to you about it, but knew he couldn’t make it worse. So when you both luckily got some time off, he sat you down and held you close and just… talked. No special goal; just talking. And then he got you to sign up for some mental and physical help to work on getting off meds that he was so worried about you because of

gaz:

-froze in place when he saw you in the med bay. Sure he had expected something for quite a while, ever since you joined the team in fact he could clock something was off with you but he chalked it up to him being overly worried

-that was quite a bit ago, and you two have been good friends for so long now that he had grown blind to little warning signs

-he was frozen for a long time just looking, taking in the idea of someone he cared so much doing something he didn’t expect. Not that it was your fault, but it was truly unexpected

-he didn’t know what else to do so he dashed knowing you hadn’t saw him and told ghost, but didn’t think to tell price or soap

soap:

-wasn’t told till you were on break to get off painkillers, and utterly livid nobody had told him!! He wanted so so badly to comfort you but knew you probably didn’t need extra events during recovery, so he waited on his nerves end until you came back to base and utterly showered you in gifts as soon as you got back, chocolate, snacks, gifts galor

-he wanted to make up for not knowing, for not being able to help or reach you before hand, and gifts seemed to be the best way. He’s just always so glad your here and that you are getting better, albeit slowly

price:

-ghost had told him the day after your talk, and he was just utterly shocked, even more so then gaz to be honest… and he felt so guilty, why? Because he had brushed off the medbay nurses reports of missing pain meds for months thinking it was nothing big

-he’s your captain! He’s supposed to watch out for you, he’s supposed to be there for his team, that’s his damn job

-laswell had to slap him out of guilt to get him back in shape, and he promptly gave you and ghost the next month off, but made sure ghost would update him

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY DORIAN PAVUS  *  assorted dialogue from dragon age inquisition, updated version

i don't care what they think about me. i care what they think about us.

i like you. more than i should. more than might be wise.

discretion isn't your thing, is it?

all this dancing, politics, and murder makes me a bit homesick.

i suppose it really depends. how bad do you want to be?

living a lie... it festers inside of you, like poison.

i'm a man of many talents. what can i say?

the moment i saw you, i thought "there's a man who knows quality."

if you don't come through this, i swear i'll kill you.

i'm curious where this goes, you and i. we've had fun. perfectly reasonable to leave it here.

here is my proposal: we dispense with the chitchat and move on to something more primal.

i tease you too much, i know.

i'll have to find something we can do that doesn't involve teasing.

time to drink myself into a stupor. it's been that sort of day.

i see you enjoy playing with fire.

i like playing hard to get.

i'm not suggesting we venture into mutual domesticity.

if it's a trap, we escape and kill everyone. you're good at that.

talk to me. let me hear how mystified you are by my anger.

oh, i'm not arguing. just pointing out the ridiculously obvious.

if you choose to leave your door unlocked like a savage, i may or may not come.

now... what was i talking about? ah, yes. me.

i am apparently an incredible ass at accepting gifts.

i prefer the company of men.

would you prefer me bound and leashed?

sometimes the ones you love are also the ones who disappoint you the most.

you are the man i love, [name]. nothing will truly keep us apart.

the things you ask are just... very personal.

sometimes... love isn't enough.

there will always be an "us." we'll just be... farther apart, for a time.

i had no idea something like you was possible.

i'm imagining what you would look like in a dress.

i've never seen you smile so much!

i have no idea what you're talking about.

you stand there, flexing your muscles, huffing like some beast of burden with no thought save conquest.

you're shaping the world for good or ill. how could i aspire to do any less?

my footsies are freezing, thank you.

don't you ever bathe?

you're not suggesting we're similar.

watch where you're pointing that thing!

i'm not wearing a skirt.

it's significantly more impressive than hitting them with a sharp piece of metal.

i only meant to say i'm very sorry for your loss.

we can continue this dance forever, if you wish.

i'm saying we should be careful what we assume when it comes to such matters.

demons don't appreciate a man with good hair.

what i wouldn't give for some proper wine.

your outfit's entertaining. i'll give you that.

he had to leave early on account of assassination.

it's nice to know you have friends.

i'm here to do what is right.

come on, just answer the question.

they were asking me about you. personal things.

you said we'd be ass-deep in trouble. this is more like knee-high.

so what's your estimation? think we can win?

you can't call me pampered. nobody's peeled a grape for me in weeks.

you startled me. you're always so... nondescript.

you're a special and unique snowflake. live the dream.

i wanted to see you make flowers bloom with your song. just once.

you've done a lot less dancing naked in the moonlight than expected.

i've never seen anyone in this part of the world do it.

i realize there's more to you than that.

have i offended you?

for hating the outdoors, you sure seem to like bad weather.

i can't figure you out, [name].

you don't play their stupid game, they send an assassin or three your way.

i can't believe you're scared of magic.

i'm going to take that as a compliment.

still don't like me, [name]? after all this time?

[name], i owe you an apology.

i suspect people will use any excuse to hate us.

why be ashamed? power should be respected, not swept under the carpet.

maybe you're not a complete moron.

i just need to know you're capable of higher thought. for my own comfort.

it would take work. and soap. lots and lots of soap.

[nctinkverse]

Promissa Redux

Pairing: jaehyun x f. reader

Genre: mature, smut, angst, fluff, minors dni.

Preview and plot warnings (I will update as I go): dad Jaehyun, pregnancy, MC is a mom, mature, slow burn, excessive angst, abundant plot, and probably way too much dialogue, exes to lovers, Jaehyun 's family is in this (at least as I imagine they might be), a lot of intimacy, explicit content, swearing, alcohol consumption, mention of exes, heavy make-out session and annoying co-workers.

WC Preview: 1000

WC Total: Not sure, probably it will be 5.000 - 10.000?

Chapter 1 - Shattered promises & Broken vows. Chapter 2 - Valentines Day.

Chapter 3 - One call away is not close enough.

SYNOPSIS: Most of the fairy tales and romance novels, it all seems perfect after the happily ever after. But what if some stories started at the end?

Well not the end per se, nobody was dying.

But you always questioned, do princess get a divorce?

Do female main characters give up the man they fought to love after so many chapters?

At 32 years of age, divorced, mom to an incredible 5-year-old girl who was the greatest thing you and the love of your life ever did, you thought again about the same questions you had when you were 14 and your parents got divorced.

Jung was your last name for 2 years, Mrs. Jung was your title and you loved it, he was sweet, loving, an amazing father and so good to you in bed that you never forgot truly what it felt like to be loved by him.

Your story stated way past the end, the not so happily ever after.

It didn’t have many twists and turns like a superhero movie that keeps you hanging at the edge of your seat for the next plot twist.

In your mind, life was already full of uncertainties, hard decisions, mistakes and paying the price for choosing paths.

Life itself was already hard enough without the responsibilities of superpowers.

So how you ended up thinking about all that again at 32 years old, while holding an engagement ring box you found on your lover’s pocket while picking it up of the floor, it was something you will have to find the answers, probably soon.

------------------------Preview----------------------------------------

You were fast asleep when the phone rang. The name on the screen making you jump, why is he calling at this hour? This can’t be a good thing.

Immediately you laid your back on the headboard and answered the call.

"Hi."

"Jaehyun, is something wrong?"

"Oh, no…" You let out a relieved breath, being half asleep making you grumpy.

"Good lord, Jaehyun, it's 4 a.m!" You said, raising your voice a little.

"Oh shoot… um sorry… I didn’t check for the time zones. I should have called another –

You interrupted his rambling. He’s not usually someone to call, he could just spill so you can go back to sleep.

"Jae, spill, what’s the gossip, huh?"

He let out a little laugh since the gossip joke was an old one between you two.

"No gossip, but I do have something."

"Clearly, it's something good or you wouldn’t be calling on impulse, spill, Jaehyun."

"Yeah right…" He hesitated a bit, his telltale sign usually being him coughing even though there was nothing wrong with his voice. "I got sent this script for this movie, they want me as the main male character..." He hesitated again, which made you ask.

"Jaehyun, what did you do?"

"I sent a copy of the script to your mailbox."

You could feel your sleepiness going away as you scolded him.

"Jaehyun, are you nuts? You can’t ship stuff like this in the mail! What if it gets –"

"It got delivered today." He interrupted, making you stop your thinking.

Scrambling for a thought since he didn’t elaborate, you asked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with it?! I’m not a male actor, Jung."

"Read, dummy, read."

"And do what?"

"Tell me if you want it."

You opened your mouth to be obnoxious, pointing out the obvious, but Jaehyun must have listened to your 'I’m about to give you an earful' breath and went first.

"Listen, it’s an amazing script, just like the ones you used to want to work on. There’s an opening for a cinematographer, and I know you’re a hell of a good one, so if you want, it’s yours." He said in one breath, probably afraid you would interrupt again.

But from all he said, this part really got you confused.

"What do you mean it’s mine?"

"I showed the director your profile and portfolio, and he said yes."

"Fuck, Jaehyun." You didn’t know what to say since he was never one to interfere in your personal life since the D word.

"You’re sleepy, and I know how grumpy you can be at this hour, so… I still have to tell you two more things, the job is in the states, probably 3-4 months of filming, and I am supposed to give an answer on the male character in 48 hours. We would have to work together, and we would probably have to strike a deal with my parents since we can’t pull Junnie out of school, so…"

You understood what he said, but you needed at least a cup of coffee to process it. But before you could say anything, he went off again.

"I can give it up if you want." He said almost like a whisper.

"Give what up?"

"The character."

"You didn’t like it?"

"No, but –

You interrupted again.

"So, if you do like it, why would you give it up?" It made no sense to you.

"For you –"

It still didn’t make sense why he would give it up.

"Give it up for ME?"

"I like it, Y/N, but this script has you written all over it… and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable by being there."

Now you got him, yet he was about the last person in this world who could make you uncomfortable.

"Yuno…" You said in a softer tone.

You heard his breath and a soft "yeah?"

"I don’t hate you." You stated in your most soft yet firm tone, it was one of the things he must not forget about you two.

"I know, Y/N, I know."

"I am going to read it and think about what you said, ok? Don’t do anything hasty."

"Ok, I will let you go back to sleep."

"I’m not sleeping after all this, you know right?" You said, letting out a small huff.

"I know."

"What I am about to do is getting up, making some coffee and grabbing the script out of my mailbox, does it sound good to you?" You were being just a bit playful.

"It does, love."

That word made you warm like butter melting on a frying pan. Still, that wasn’t something out of the ordinary for him to call you. So, you let it slide.

"Well, for sure it’s better than staying in bed tossing and turning."

He let out a small giggle, he knew you were one of those to fight a lot with your bed at night.

"Good morning, love."

"Good afternoon to you?" You didn’t know what timezone he was on, so you tried.

"Try again." He said with a smiling voice.

"Good night!" You said like you had guessed the lottery numbers.

He let out a giggle sound and said, "Give little Nari 1000 kisses from me, will you?

"Why just a thousand?" You said with a little pout. You could hear his playful tone.

"Don’t you know our daughter? She might ask for in real life a thousand kisses; since you are the closest parent, you might fall victim to it, so I think that’s a great number for kisses."

You both giggled, Jung Nari, the lily to our garden, was at that phase where hyperboles would be a tough concept for her to grasp.

"Ok, fine." You agreed still giggling.

"I will call… stay safe."

"You too, Jaehyun."

"Bye."

"Bye."

And the line went silent.

[animehideout]

Hi ! I hope you are doing well um I never requested something so if it was something you didn’t wanted to write then feel free to not to 😭🩷

So there was a song it’s called nobody knows by kiss of life the choreo that the song has is really something!!! I mean that part when they swing their hips

I wanted to ask if you can write like when the reader is doing that dance how would jjk men ( any of them that you like but maybe sukuna and Gojo and toji?) react to her ?

Have a great night ! Or day ! :)

JJK Men Reaction to Reader Dancing

a/n: thank you anon for this request, I hope you enjoy it tho <3 and I truly apologize for the late update! ✨.

Choreography of Nobody Knows - Kiss Of Life.

Gojo Satoru :

Gathered with your boyfriend Satoru and friend group in a cozy living room, laughter and chatter filled the air as you settled in for your weekly game of truth or dare. The bottle spun around the circle, its rotations slowing until it came to a stop, pointing directly at you. A smirk played on your boyfriend's face, anticipating your choice.

"Y/n truth or dare?" Asked Geto.

You hesitated, the thought of revealing your deepest secrets to your friends suddenly feeling daunting. With a flicker of uncertainty in your eyes, you opted for the safer choice, daring to take on a challenge rather than risk revealing too much. You already know what kind of question Geto would ask anyway.

"I choose dare!!"

"Oh no you're spoiling the fun Y/n!" said Mei Mei.

You shrugged waiting for Geto to dare you to do something, hoping that it's not making out with Gojo in front of everyone, you wanted to keep your intimacy private and both you and Gojo agreed on that even though he had no problem with kissing you infront of everyone. Suguru's eyes gleamed with mischief as he pondered his dare. After a moment of consideration, he grinned and announced his decision,

"I dare you to dance to your favorite song!" he exclaimed in excitement.

Your eyes widened in surprise, a blush rising to your cheeks as you realized the playful nature of the dare. But you accepted the challenge with a determined nod. You've always enjoyed dancing but the thing is, none of your friends or even boyfriend knows that you're a professional dancer. But now it's time for them to discover your talent. With a confident stride, you made your way to the center of the room, grabbing your phone and clicking on your favorite song ' Nobody Knows - Kiss Of Life '.

The melody of your favorite song filling the air. As the music swelled around you, You let yourself be carried away by the rhythm, your body moving in time with the beat as you danced with abandon, as if you were on stage. A hush fell over the room, as they watched you in awe. Finally, reaching your favorite part, swinging your hips with a smooth flow, you moved them naturally, owning each move, having control over each muscle in your body. Your hips moving under your command. Mouths hung open in surprise, expressions ranging from shock to admiration, as they witnessed your grace and confidence on display.But none were more surprised than your boyfriend, Satoru, who watched with a mixture of astonishment and admiration. His eyes widened in disbelief as he took in your movements, his jaw dropping slightly as he realized he had underestimated your dance abilities.He never expected you to move so gracefully like that, never seen you dance before, and the sight of you moving with such fluidity and power took him completely by surprise. He had always known you were special, but in that specific moment, you seemed to shine even brighter, making him fall head over heels for you over and over again. As the song ended, the music fading into nothingness, you stopping in your ending position, the room erupted into applause and cheers, the sound of their praise filling the air with warmth and joy.

Your friends surrounded you, their voices filled with admiration as they showered you with compliments for your impressive performance. Your boyfriend Satoru, couldn't contain his excitement any longer. With a wide grin on his face, he rushed towards you pushing them away from you, his eyes shining with pride and admiration. Sweeping you into his arms, he twirled you around in a whirlwind of affection, planting kisses on you cheeks, forehead and lips as he expressed his amazement.

"Damn babe you killed it!! you always amaze me!!"

You chuckled at his enthusiastic state,

"It's not a big deal Satoru haha"

"I had no idea you could dance like that!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine delight. "You were incredible!"

As your friends tried to continue with the game, Gojo stopped them. With a playful smirk he said,

"Well sadly, you'll have to continue without us"

He took your hand, his excitement palpable as he led you away from the group. With a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, he whispered in your ear,

"Come on, let's continue the party just for the two of us...I need a private performance just for my eyes".

With a shared smile and a twinkle of anticipation in your eye, you followed your boyfriend eagerly, ready to give him a private dance, to unleash your full talent, and maybe teach him some dance moves if he's interested.

Ryomen Sukuna:

You accepted your fate, you lost a bet and you had to do it. You had to dance in front of him as a punishment. Your cheeks flushing red in embarrassment, you've never danced in front of him before. Sukuna; your boyfriend on the other hand, wore a mischievous grin as he eagerly prepared to capture your performance on his phone. Playfully, teasing you about your lack of dancing skills even though you didn't start dancing yet so he just assumed. He promised to make sure the video went viral among your friends. You've always been like this, teasing each other and having fun is your love language.

Sukuna played Nobody Knows by Kiss Of Life. Of course he knows it's your favorite song since you're always blasting it in your shared apartment, he almost memorized the lyrics by heart. As the music began to play, you put all of your shyness aside and chose to surprise him with your dancing skills. As you started to move flawlessly with each beat, his smirk dropped and his eyes widened instead, his jaw hanging open. His phone slipping from his grasp falling on the floor as he became completely transfixed by your performance especially when you started swaying your hips with the melody.

Completely dumbfounded and astonished by your moves as you displayed the choreography in front of him. In that moment, any thoughts of teasing or making fun of you vanished from his mind. Instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of admiration and pride swell within him as he realized just how lucky he was to have you as his partner in life. Slowly sitting down on the chair to try and compose himself. And as the final notes of the song faded away, he finally spoke pulling you to him, making you sit on his lap while his arms wrapped around you protectively.

"I...I had no idea! you were amazing"

"Hmm no longer interested in teasing me?" you joked.

He leaned in closet with a smile, trapping you between his arms,

"Well change of plan, I was too quick to judge. So that's why you're always blasting music huh? secretly learning how to dance"

"Yeah something like that, I can say I discovered a new skill" you chuckled.

"What about you dance it again? You know I was taken aback since you surprised me with your power moves so Um I wanna see again, you know practice for better outcome" He grinned, pressing a kiss on your lips.

Toji Fushiguro:

Dancing alone in the comfort of your house, you lost yourself in the rhythm of your favorite song 'Nobody Knows - Kiss of life'. You were too shy and embarrassed to dance in front of Toji, your boyfriend. You've been dating for not too long and it felt awkward to dance in front of him, scared that he might judge you or laugh at you even though dancing is your therapy. So you practiced your favorite activity whenever he leaves the house. Oblivious to the world around you, you lost yourself in the melody. Hitting each and every beat flawlessly. However, you didn't notice that your boyfriend Toji had returned home earlier than expected and stood silently in the doorway, watching you with a smirk. He was captivated by the sight of you, your carefree movements and infectious enthusiasm lighting up the room.

He couldn't help the way his heart started beating so fast when you started swaying your hips. As the song ended, you stood in your ending pose, breathing heavily from how powerful you were dancing. Suddenly, you felt his arms wrap around your waist and his lips press against your neck. Startled, you jolted in surprise, the sudden touch breaking your trance-like state.

"Omg– Toji you scared me" you said putting a hand on your chest.

His arms still strongly holding you protectively, his lips leaving a trail of kisses on your soft neck, tickling you a bit.He mumbled against your skin,

"mhm didn't know you can move like that, that was hot"

Turning to face him, you blushed furiously, embarrassment flooding your cheeks as you realized he had been watching you the whole time.

"Were you watching me?"

"Of course baby! I couldn't tear my eyes away from you. You're amazing you know that?" .

A surge of happiness washed over you at his words, your heart swelling with love for the man standing before you..Toji never fails in boosting your confidence.Without a word, he took your hand and led you back into the center of the room, where he pulled you close to his chest and started swaying to the gentle melody of another song.

"Let's dance together! I've always wanted to do this with you".

He held you so delicately yet so fiercely in his arms, swaying side to side together, dancing in perfect harmony, lost in the music and in each other's eyes. Let's say dancing together became your favorite habit.

[corralinesage]

Learning you by heart (2/?)

Here's another little update of the Christmas story! <3

Chapter 2: A second chance

If you had previously thought that you were obsessing over the woman –Natasha, as you had come to find out– you had been wrong. Now you were obsessing. You weren’t crazy. You weren’t. You couldn’t be. Instances like the one you had just experienced did not happen out of nowhere. You entered your empty apartment that night, feeling even emptier than your apartment was. Your roommate was out of town, visiting her brother in Boston. You felt like you had just been rudely shaken awake from a dream. You let out a deep sigh, setting down your purse, feeling a budding headache at the base of your skull. It had been building from the moment you had returned into the opera house to warm up and gather your belongings. You looked down at your arms, eyeing the dark brown coat you had acquired from Natasha. You felt hollow, still cold and stiff. You couldn’t wait to finally unwind after the dreadful day you had had. You shrugged off the coat and hung it up, brushing your dominant hand over it almost longingly before heading straight into the bathroom to draw yourself a boiling hot bath.

You spent an hour, maybe even two, in the bath, soaking up every ounce of heat from the bubbly water, staring up at the shower head in thought. You felt like you were going through a silent existential crisis as your mind tried to obsessively come up with all the different possible ways for your family to find out about your unfortunate death by getting run over. You envisioned your funeral, almost went far enough to pick out which songs you would want during your service, but you realized to stop feeding your imaginative mind after a lone droplet falling from the faucet brought you back into your senses. The bubbles were gone, your aching body feeling heavy and limber. The initial burn that had spread across your raw skin was gone and your headache had moved to your temples where it felt slightly more manageable. You had a feeling that it was soon about to disappear if your pain killer was ever going to kick in.

On your way into the kitchen, dressed in your bathrobe, you caught yourself eyeing the coat. Why would a stranger be so kind? It couldn’t have been normal. Nobody was that kind for the hell of it. Or were you truly that cynical that you couldn’t even receive an act of kindness with open arms? Did you have so little faith in humanity? You reached your kitchen cupboards with Natasha’s face on your mind as you began to make yourself a hot chocolate to ensure that you were going to be thawed from inside out. You made sure your drink was extra rich and extra hot before heading into your living room. You had a decent sized home for Manhattan’s rent prices, the view from your window displaying a white, narrow street of brownstones. You turned on the TV, cuddling up on your couch to enjoy your scalding hot chocolate, hoping to catch a break from the thoughts running inside your head. Those eyes, that look, the red hair. She had downright resembled an angel when she had looked down at you on the ground, or maybe she hadn’t. Maybe you were simply glorifying your guardian angel, playing it up in your head to entertain yourself and pretend that somebody cared for you. It felt ridiculous. You were alright. Your life was good. There were no voids to fill.

Your eyes landed on the screen of the TV, some Christmas romantic comedy coming up on the screen. You rolled your eyes, switching the channel only to be met with yet another Christmas movie. Every single program seemed to have at least a hint of Christmas in it, which would have been fine had it actually been Christmas, but it was at least three weeks away still, and to be completely honest, you weren’t a huge fan of the holidays in general. You had never been. You didn’t really see the point of it. To you it never really went beyond religion and commercial humbug. You felt as though you had no proper reason to celebrate it. You could appreciate the aesthetics, but you never cared enough to participate. You switched the channel again, finding a rerun of a detective series, settling for that while you sipped on your hot chocolate, your thoughts returning to Columbus Avenue time and time again. You wanted to talk to someone about it all, about her, but it was far too late to bother any of your friends with such mysteries, and your mother had an early shift at the hospital. She was about to perform a very serious operation that had been stressing her out for weeks on a long-term patient of hers. She did not need to know that her daughter was horsing around the city, getting herself killed in chase of a stranger. But it wasn’t only the availability of others why you didn’t tell any of your close ones, it was also your lack of ability to verbalize your experience. You couldn’t explain to anyone why you had gone after her, not even to yourself.

You fell asleep on the couch to the sounds of gunshots on TV, your exhausted body refusing to care about any surrounding noises. You needed sleep, and you needed it badly. Lucky for you, you slept like a rock, completely unmoving as you lay snuggled up on the couch, taking a much-needed break from the feeling that those green eyes stirred in you. It might have returned first thing when your eyes fluttered open again only to squint at the light coming from the windows, but at least you had gotten a small break from the draining task of trying to understand what you had witnessed and experienced. You moaned in mild annoyance as you turned onto your back, immediately aware of the physical abnormality you felt in your body. Your throat felt raw. You shut your eyes in defeat, noting your clogged nose and aching neck. Fuck.

“This cannot be happening”, you moaned quietly, testing your voice to see how bad the situation was. It came out hoarse, worse than it normally was in the mornings. You wanted to cry, but you didn’t, blindingly searching for your phone on the coffee table, nearly knocking over your empty mug in the process. You texted your director to bring out your understudy, and even called after her for good measure despite having no intention to open your mouth. You needed to preserve whatever was left of your vocal cords. Then you texted Beatrice and the cast group chat to let everyone know that there was a possibility of you being too sick to perform. It was entirely possible that you weren’t getting sick but were simply suffering from the aftermath of the cold weather you had been dealing with the day before. You glanced out the window at the snow tracks on the street, noting just how much it had snowed during the night. With a pained sigh you got up from the couch, noting that you had kicked your blanket onto the floor. You didn’t bother to pick it up, grabbing your rancid-smelling hot chocolate cup and heading for the kitchen.

You tried not to look at the coat that hung at the entrance of the house, looming ominously there. It didn’t belong there. It wasn’t yours. You kept your head straight as you walked past it, momentarily thrilled that you had been able to resist its pull, but right as you were about to step into the kitchen, your head turned to look at the brown coat as if to make sure it hadn’t all been a dream. It was such a deep, delicious shade of dark chocolate that you felt drawn to it. You wanted to touch the item, study it. The feeling became so strong that you simply went into the kitchen and discarded your mug before heading straight to the coat hanger. Your fingers brushed over the wool, feeling its smooth but coarse texture. Without embarrassing yourself entirely, you leaned closer as if by accident to smell the piece of clothing, noting the weak scent of perfume that lingered on the wool that still had a slightly damp smell to it. You pulled on the fur lapel of the coat, taking a better look at it. Your eyes noted the logo of a clothing brand at the neck. It was on the more expensive side but nothing outrageous by any means. The inside was lined with satin, a glossy brown material that begged for you to glide your fingers over it, so you did. You felt the fabric under your fingertips, exploring the textures, your hands sliding into the pockets to check them just in case if you were ever going to wear the coat out. Something cold and hard touched your right hand that was in the left pocket, a small frown finding your face. Your fingers curled around the object, pulling it out.

“Huh.” You stared at the flat piece of metal in the shape of a fish with a keychain ring attached to it. “A tag?” You eyed it carefully, noting that there were engravings on the polished surface. “Liho.” You flipped the tag around to see the other side, gasping softly. There was a phone number. Could it be hers? You couldn’t deny the jolt of excitement that went through you at the possibility of not being stuck with such an open end to your encounter with the woman. You wanted her to be something more than just a face you saw in the crowd. You owed her your life. There needed to be a bigger, stronger connection between you. It couldn’t simply be that she saved your life and that was the end of it. You had been given a second chance at life. It was meant to be a new beginning.

You thought about the matter for a moment longer. No, you were being ridiculous. You couldn’t go harassing Natasha for the hell of it. It wasn’t socially acceptable to be so needy and expect her to give a single dime about you despite her saving your life. It wasn’t fair of you to have any expectations for her. You pocketed the tag, placing it back in its rightful place, yet it remained on your mind with impressive consistency throughout the impromptu day-off you were having. What if she needed the tag? What if she hadn’t realized that her pockets weren’t empty? You stared into the direction of the coat as you sat at your dinner table, slurping on some chicken soup for a late lunch, the coat’s ominous presence eventually forcing you to pick up your phone. You waited in immense anticipation as you held the phone to your ear, listening to it ring. Your heart hacked in your chest. Could it be her number? You were practically clutching the phone with both of your hands as you waited.

“Hello?” The world stood still for a second. It was her.

“Hi.” You cleared your throat. “Hi, hey, it’s Y/N.” Natasha went silent, her eyes filling with tears instantly. She took a shallow breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she reigned in her feelings.

“Hi!” She sounded overly positive to her own ear, the tone disguising the onslaught of emotions that she experienced at the sound of your voice. “How did you get my number?”

“Uh, a cat tag for Liho.”

“Guess I had a cat”, she mumbled nearly imperceptibly. “Liho.”

“What?” You couldn’t hear her.

“Nothing. My cat, Liho. I miss her”, Natasha explained swiftly.

“Has she passed?” Your voice nearly disappeared halfway through the sentence. Natasha recognized the tone, a small smirk finding her lips.

“Did you get a cold?” And just like that she evaded the question.

“I did.” You coughed lightly to make your voice sound less harsh to her ear, attempting to get rid of the gravelly tone that you had had all day.

“You put your understudy to work”, Natasha hummed in mild amusement, eliciting a hum of agreement and a small chuckle from you that turned into a cough. It was followed by silence. You played with a strand of your hair, looking around the living room impatiently, glancing outside at the streetlamps that were turning on, making the snow glow golden. You couldn’t take the slight awkwardness, the words leaving your mouth on their own.

“I can bring you the tag… if you want. I’m bored out of my mind with this sick day.” Your heart hammered in anxiety. It had been a long while since you had asked a woman out. With all the work you had put on your singing career that year, it had left little time for personal relationships, and she was certainly someone that fit your criteria. “Oh, and the coat. I wouldn’t wanna rob you of that. It’s a beautiful one.” Natasha stayed silent, her weak breath barely flowing out of her lungs and past her parted lips. Could she handle it? “You can say no”, you blurted suddenly, realizing that the silence could have been caused by her search for an easy way to let you down.

“No, no. Oh-” She chuckled at her own awkwardness, starting over. “I’d love to. Meet me at Ground Central on 8th Avenue?”

“I love that place!” You squeaked out the words, scrunching your nose in mild embarrassment for how you sounded. Natasha smiled fondly; of course you did. She knew that.

“Perfect. I’ll see you there”, she hummed softly. “Bye.”

“Bye.” You ended the call, Natasha’s cheeks flushing an intense red as she clutched her phone to her chest, a gentle gust of wind dusting her blazing face with powdery snow. She stared up at the crystal-clear sky, faint stars starting to show through the darkening blue above. Without a second thought, she changed her course of direction and headed to 8th Avenue, the snow crunching under her boots with every step.

Natasha sat on a large black antique couch, her nails digging into the leather of the seat where the material had chipped off slightly. She was a nervous wreck, doing her very best not to show it as you walked through the front door into the delicious smelling cafe. You were dressed warmly in a rather obvious manner, the comically large scarf around your neck keeping your vocal cords safe and warm. Natasha stood up, smiling to you amicably as she made her way over to you, leaving her coat on the couch to save her spot.

“Hi, did you make it here alright?” She asked politely as she came to stand beside you at the vitrine that displayed all the delicious goods that the cafe had to offer.

“I did, thank you.” Seeing her again was stirring something within you. The previous night flashed across your mind, your body recalling the cold of the snow against your skin, the way her body had pressed up against your own, the way your head had ached. You stared at her ivory skin tinted by a hint of blush and her green eyes that you could not tear your gaze away from. You felt something swirl in your abdomen, an odd budding curiosity toward her.

“You guys ready to order?” The barista’s voice pulled you out of your momentary stupor over her enigmatic energy. Your head snapped to the side to look at the young woman behind the counter before returning to Natasha.

“Order what you want. It’s on me”, you said quietly, Natasha giving you a small, knowing smile that you took as nothing but polite. She didn’t protest, placing her order as if she would have known just how much you hated it when friends and lovers alike refused your genuine act of kindness. Natasha turned to the barista.

“One gingerbread mocha with an extra shot, please.” She looked at you expectantly.

“And a flat white with a cherry danish.” You pulled out your credit card from your wallet, watching the barista type down your order.

“What, no silly Christmas drink for you?” Natasha asked in a small tease, earning a laugh from you.

“No, not really a Christmas person”, you explained, turning to look at her. She had an odd, calculating look in her eyes, a hint of confusion flashing across her face.

“How could that be? You’re the lead star of the most talked about Christmas opera this year?” You let out an amused huff at her words.

“Perhaps that’s exactly why.”

“Ah, so you don’t like to mix business and pleasure”, she concluded.

“You could say that.” You looked at her again, the corners of your mouth turning upward on their own. You couldn’t quite stop looking at her. She had this smile that softened her rather intense features in a split second. You could see the way her eyes lost their stoic gaze, her brows relaxed, the apples of her cheeks became slightly more rounded to highlight the mild blush there. It was reserved, didn’t show teeth, yet it was somehow so full. You received your order a few minutes later before making your way to the spot Natasha had reserved for you.

“I love the atmosphere of this place”, you said as you sat down on a red antique armchair that was placed next to the black leather couch.

“Me too. It’s the perfect mixture of casual and comfortable”, she hummed in agreement.

“So, I take it that you’re a Christmas person?” You nodded toward her drink with a mountain of whipped cream on top, sprinkles and crushed candy cane on top. It amused you slightly. She had such a captivating, intense exterior that you hadn’t expected her to order something so ridiculous.

“I didn’t used to be…” She seemed to pause, her fingers playing with the warm mug of coffee. “But then I met someone who changed it for me.” You felt the heaviness of her statement, sensed the pain behind it, unsure where to take the conversation from there. “She showed me how fun it can be.” Natasha smiled at you, those green eyes boring right into your soul. You barely dared to smile back at her, but you managed just fine, thankful that she moved her focus on the drink instead to take a sip of whipped cream to break the charged moment. The drink left a white foam mustache on her lips that made you grin in amusement.

“You’ve got a little something there”, you said teasingly, pointing at your own upper lip to show her the spot you were referring to. Natasha rolled her eyes in good nature, wiping her lips into the back of her hand. You both chucked quietly.

“So, what’s your excuse for not liking Christmas? Any trauma in that department?” Her question didn’t come off as invasive but rather lighthearted and jovial.

“No, thankfully not.” You nursed your nearly scalding hot mug of coffee to warm up your stiff fingers, still clad in your scarf despite having taken off your coat. “I’ve just never really celebrated it. It means nothing to me. Just some lights and jingles.” Natasha pursed her lips.

“I get what you mean. Believe it or not, I used to be a proper Grinch.”

“You? No way.” You added some feigned disbelief into your tone as you eyed her christmassy drink, coaxing out a chuckle from her.

“What can I say? I was converted to the dark side.” Natasha raised her hands up in defeat, her smile only widening alongside yours.

“What happened there?” You looked at her with pure curiosity shining in your eyes, your lips sipping on your coffee.

“Love, but that didn’t end all that well, so now I just enjoy the overconsumption of sugar and winter spices, and the pretty lights outside.”

“Ah, you too have fallen victim”, you said dramatically, a sense of understanding budding between you.

“Unfortunately so. What about you? I can sense the bitterness from a mile away.” She had a way of speaking that made you feel like you knew each other. She wasn’t tentative about crossing boundaries. She was honest and straightforward. You chuckled at her comment, shaking your head.

“Oh, it’s been way too long for me to still be upset over it”, you mumbled to yourself but decided to answer her question anyway. “She… she was one hell of a gaslighter.” You smiled bitterly. “She was so good at it that I lost my sense of self. I forgot that I knew the truth and that I didn’t have to listen to her lies, let alone believe them.” You turned to look at her, those green eyes fixed on you. “I’ve been healing… slowly.” You scoffed softly at yourself, mildly frustrated by the lack of progress you were making.

“She sounds like she deserves a fist in her face.”

“Oh, she does”, you chuckled, nodding your head in agreement.

“She’s about my height, blonde hair, and a punchable face, so if you ever see her in the streets, don’t be afraid to clock her.” Your tone oozed amusement. You weren’t serious, and Natasha could tell. She knew you weren’t one for violence.

“Oh, I’ll serve justice. Trust me.” You both laughed again, a brief moment of silence taking over as you both sipped on your drinks. You took a few bites of your danish that you had not gotten a chance to taste yet because of your immersive conversation. Natasha’s eyes dipped down to your scarf, a hint of something along the lines of curiosity in her eyes. “Talking isn’t too hard on your voice, is it?”

“No, it’s okay. It’s probably nothing. Just a little reaction from last night.” You shook your head in emphasis. Your voice was slightly hoarse around the edges and maybe a tad bit lower than normal.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” She asked in visible concern. “It was quite a fall. I was rather rough.”

“Hey, you saved my life. I can take a little roughing up.” There was a hint of flirt in your words, the familiar suggestive tone bringing a bright, involuntary smile on Natasha’s face.

“Good, I’m glad you’re alright”, she hummed, once again looking at you with that gut wrenching longing etched into her eyes. It made you wonder what she was thinking. The emotion in her eyes made you feel uneasy, worried for something, but you didn’t know what. You couldn’t understand what reason she had to be looking at you that way. “The opera needs their lead singer. You were amazing out there.” And just like that the odd feeling you had experienced had been wiped away alongside that pained look in her eyes, replaced by playful compliments. “You always liked singing.” She almost said it as a statement instead of a question. It was too assertive. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, it comes from my family. We just always loved music, and then a teacher in high school steered me into the direction of classical singing. She said my voice suited the style. Did some theater too.” You chuckled openly at those days, recalling various hilarious moments from your catastrophic plays. “But let’s be honest, opera is just elevated high school theater.” You both chuckled. “I went to Julliard and now… here I am.” You smiled at her, shrugging your shoulders.

“Here you are”, Natasha whispered, an admiring look on her face.

“What’s your history with New York? Do you work here?” You wanted to know more about her. She looked slightly taken back by your question, like maybe she didn’t quite have a straightforward answer that time.

“I recently moved here, but I’ve visited enough times to know my way around. Although there are definitely still places that I have yet to see.” Her answer made you smile. What a perfect window of opportunity.

“Maybe I can show you around sometime. I owe you at least a dinner for your heroic efforts.” You could feel the way you looked at her. You knew that look, and a part of you was begging you not to direct it at her, but you couldn’t help it. You were interested.

“Maybe you can.” She responded to you with a small smirk on her lips. She seemed pleased. “Dinner sounds lovely.”

“I know a few good spots in the city. Anything you don’t eat?”

“I’ll eat anything as long as the company is good. And well… no worries there.” You could feel your cheeks heat, unable to break the eye contact that had you completely captivated. You needed a distraction before your feelings became too evident to her.

“So, what do you do for a living?”

“I work at Stark Industries.” It was the best she could come up with. She had forgotten to create a secure alias for herself. She knew she had once been working for Stark, but she could not fact-check anything on such short notice.

“Really?” You were clearly impressed. “How did you end up there?”

“To be completely transparent, through connections. I was offered a job, and I took it.”

“A businesswoman, I see.” You smirked. Her style of dressing definitely suited that description. “What do you do?”

“I’m a business development manager. I deal with company relationships, business opportunities and so on.” She would definitely have to send an application for the position in question if she wanted her lies to only be temporary.

“That sounds interesting. Do you like it?”

“It does the job”, she chuckled, taking a long sip of her gingerbread latte.

Talking to her was easy, effortless, and she certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes. Before you even knew it you had completely forgotten your initial agenda of returning the cat tag and finding an answer to the feeling she elicited in you whenever she looked at you. Not that you would have had words for such questions. She made you feel warm with her secure personality, witty demeanor, and attentive attitude. She asked you questions, made you feel included, your body sinking even further into the armchair even after you had finished your drink and pastry. She made you feel like you had always known each other which was slightly disturbing because of how uncommon that feeling was for you. The last time you had felt anything of the sort it had been with your ex. After going over the more practical aspects of getting to know her, the conversation took a turn for oddly specific details of your lives that ended up being bonding points for you. The early evening turned into night, the lights on the streets illuminating the busy people that were undeniably a trademark of the city. You wrapped your scarf tighter around you, as if it was a blanket, curling up on your armchair without so much as a budding intention of leaving any time soon.

“Yes, exactly! That’s exactly what I mean.” Your conversation had somehow led to you and Natasha being the most renowned film critics in New York City, at least in your opinion, as you discussed a movie that had only recently come out.

“The people weren’t ready for it”, Natasha shrugged in defeat, a smile lingering on her lips.

“They hate to see women win”, you sighed, your focus shifting momentarily on your empty mug of coffee.

“I hoped things would be better here.”

“In New York?” You asked for clarification. Natasha seemed to pause for a moment.

“Yeah. You know, the Big Apple, metropolis, a heavier concentration of educated people.” She really needed to get a grip on herself. She was too close to the edge. “But alas, I am still surrounded by idiots”, she chuckled light-heartedly.

“Don’t I know it.” You crunched your nose, feeling a sense of communion between you. She understood you and you seemed to share a lot of beliefs and opinions, which was always exciting because it made you feel seen and valued. “I find it surprising that so many people missed the entire point of the movie. It was right there”, you groaned, the look on Natasha’s face agreeing with you without her needing to utter a single word.

“It baffles me, truly.” Your topic changed into literature, somehow bridging into art and culture before circling back to movies and then again changing course to politics before you found your way to music. Natasha learned to tread carefully after slipping in a comment about a notoriously idiotic world leader, which elicited a confused frown from you, paired with a simple “who?”. She had had too many slip-ups, but thankfully the conversation carried on effortlessly. You wished you could have had five more cups of coffee if it had meant that you could have kept up the conversation to get to know her better, but you could already see from the corner of your eye that the baristas were cleaning the counters and the tables, emptying the vitrine in preparation for closing the cafe.

“Hey, guys, just to let you know, we’re closing in five minutes.” And before you even knew it, the staff was ushering you outside. You got up from your seat, Natasha pulling on her shiny black fur coat, both of you assessing the weather outside to prepare yourselves for the cold that you would have to face.

“Do you live nearby? I could walk you home, it’s dark outside”, Natasha offered as you headed to the front door after thanking the baristas for their service. She pushed open the door, holding it for you, her hand brushing only barely over your lower back as you walked by.

“You know, I’m not some damsel in distress. I can take care of myself”, you retorted playfully, Natasha smirking in amusement as she followed you outside, the snow crunching beneath your feet.

“I know.” The way she said it made you feel like she truly did know, the look she gave you letting you know that the reason for her offer had nothing to do with your ability to look after yourself, but perhaps something else, which made your chest squeeze from excitement; she didn’t want to part ways just yet.

You walked up 8th Avenue to Columbus Circle, turning to the right where you could easily go into Central Park where you would have an opportunity to find a space with less traffic and busy people roaming the streets. The park was beautiful when covered in snow. The once clear sky was now a murky grey, the very tops of the tallest buildings fading into the clouds above, the tall trees dusted white, some of the trunks and branches decorated with golden Christmas lights. Every bench, bush, and lamppost was covered by at least an inch of snow, the pathways littered by footprints, paw prints, claw prints. You felt so warm and cozy in your thick scarf and coat that for a moment you couldn’t even talk, soaking in the atmosphere to the fullest. Natasha seemed to feel the same way, walking silently beside you. She knew when to be quiet and she was comfortable with it as well, which you appreciated greatly. You listened to the crunch of snow, Natasha’s footsteps echoing yours as you breathed in the crispy air that made the tip of your nose sting. After walking aimlessly for a while, both of you simply admiring your surroundings, your attention shifted from the nature around you to Natasha.

Her cheeks and nose were tinted pink, red tendrils of hair framing her face beautifully. She didn’t have a scarf, but the lapels of the fur coat were enough to cover up her pale neck. She nuzzled her chin deeper into the coat, her hands in her pockets, eyes focused on the glistening snow around you. There was something indescribable about her beauty, something that gained your attention particularly, yet you had no idea what it was specifically. She just had an air about her that was intriguing as well as captivating. Her gaze shifted to you as if sensing your eyes on her, a gentle warmth spreading over your cheeks for getting caught. Neither of you said much more that night until you reached the nearest subway station where you ended up parting ways since you lived in different parts of the city. You stopped by the edge of the park, below a warm yellow lamp.

“Oh, before I forget, here’s your coat. The tag is in the pocket.” You handed Natasha a net market bag you had been carrying on your shoulder the whole day.

“Thank you.” She received it, sliding her arm through the straps to bring it onto her shoulder. “I hope I’ll see you again soon. You’ve got my number. Call me.” You grinned brightly.

“Right back at you. I had a nice time with you.” She returned your smile with equal excitement.

“Me too. Get home safely. Look out for cars”, she said teasingly, taking a step back to allow you to part ways.

“Yeah, yeah!” You laughed at her concern, waving your hand at her before descending underground to catch a train home.

[twstjam]

Lost Invitation (Part 2) - Respond, if you please

Sorry, I said half an hour, but blocking people took a bit longer than expected <3 Starting from now I'll be blocking everyone who likes Lost Invitation without reblogging it. If you reblog it onto a sideblog and I've blocked your main, do tell me or you might miss out on updates!!

Characters: Malleus Draconia, Meleanor Draconia, Levan Draconia, Lilia Vanrouge, Silver (brief), Sebek Zigvolt (mentioned), Yuu (mentioned) Word count: 4.6k (sorry, I got carried away writing the draconia fam lol) Summary: You're committed to helping Riddle Rosehearts and his card soldiers in a war against followers of the Jabberwock looking to usurp the rulers of Red and White. You're also in love with a stranger you met in the woods who wants you to run away with him. Whoever said that love and war weren't so different might've been onto something. In your experience, they're both equally difficult. Nobody ever said that you had to choose between one or the other though. Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Prince Malleus Draconia is not lonely.

He hasn't been since before he hatched, his mother had made sure of it. He has faded memories of dozing off to his mother's soft singing, listening to his father's long ramblings, and curling up in the safety of the right-hand general's presence.

After hatching, his mother had doted on him like any prince of the Briar Lands deserved to be. Her and Father had indulged his every whim and desire. The servants bowed and trembled before the wrath of a newly-born dragonling who, though only three feet long, snarled his grievances accompanied by licks of fire and brewing snowstorms. Lilia Vanrouge was the only one to not kneel so easily.

Malleus Draconia was a prince and a hatchling, but Lilia did not treat him as such. Lilia scolded him like he would Mother, a matured dragon, and only complimented or rewarded him when he earned it. Needless to say, he was not favored amongst the little prince's guardians… or so Lilia says as he laments on the times Malleus used to set his hair ablaze. It had enlightened Malleus as to why the general currently wears his hair so short as opposed to the portraits he'd seen, but the prince—as it is the nature of fleeting old memories—cannot vividly recall his caretaker's tales. They also struck him as incredibly odd and he concluded that as an infant he had been a foolish thing (despite his parents' insistence otherwise). After all, Lilia is his most favored caretaker. This favoritism had even led to Malleus seeking Lilia out when he had hidden himself away one day, giving the prince the honor of being the first to meet the general's adopted son.

Silver had been an enigma to him. How could a meek little human infant, a species which his mother mocked frequently for their weakness and stupidity, appeal to a hardened fae general? It was even stranger to him that Mother seemed to completely forget her disdain for humans when she saw the little bundle in Lilia's arms. Though he would never say it aloud, Malleus had felt betrayed when his mother had asked to hold the child and took him from Lilia eagerly.

This little… thing, could not even hold itself up or eat solid food, let alone seek it out itself. It was useless and weak and nothing like the fierce creature Malleus had been when he broke out of his shell. Or at least, that's what Malleus used to think.

Truly, Malleus must not have been as exceptional of an infant as his parents insist. Malleus had spent 20 years crawling, meanwhile Silver mastered walking on two legs in mere months. Instead of cawing and snarling, the child babbled and laughed, elicited smiles from those around him, made warmth swell in Malleus's chest when he called the prince's name for the first time. The boy had still been small, not even 5 years old, and yet he had been able to climb up Malleus's legs and sit on his lap when he had invited him to read with him.

Sebek exhibited similar speed in growth. Malleus had blinked, and suddenly the little halfling had risen from a screeching newt into a strong guard that rivaled his own grandfather. Sebek likes to shadow him, always quick to see to his every need and always eager to win his approval. It's overbearing at some points, but the boy is growing and learning and has come to put his loyalty to use for only matters worthy of it, learning from Lilia and Silver to not merely agree to Malleus's every breath.

The revelation for such a change brought all four of them closer. It's not rare to see the two young knights by the prince's side, the former general watching after them from not far off.

Suffice to say, Malleus Draconia is not lonely. Absolutely not.

As a matter of fact, he quite likes being alone; the peacefulness of isolation, the escape from his demanding responsibilities. He has to return to the castle at some point of course. He has duties to his kingdom, but no matter how brief, he takes the opportunity to have some time for himself. To have some time to indulge his desires instead of being Prince Malleus; to be away from the expectations of his subjects and parents and instead cater to only himself.

He never quite expected to meet someone searching for something similar. At the very least, not at the same place, and you continued to surprise him in ways he could have never imagined.

After all, who could have predicted that a revered dragon prince of the fae would fall in love with a human?

----

Perhaps to any other, days at Wild Rose Castle could be considered dull, either because of the dim lighting and black walls or the castle staff that always hurry by without a whisper of a breath and with bowed heads.

If one were to ask Malleus however, he would say that days at the castle are always hectic. It's a good day when the castle is serenely dark and gloomy, but on others…

"Your DISGRACE of an offspring is a pathetic sprite unworthy of my son! How DARE you even consider a courtship between them?!"

Lightning fills the throne room with a bright purple light. Three aristocrats yelp and scramble to avoid the strikes of lightning coming down from the ceiling. Princess Meleanor's glare is deadly as she lifts and aims her staff to bring down another volley of lightning.

"P-p-please forgive us for our transgressions, your excellency!" the patriarch weeps as his family collapses to the floor in frantic bows. From his throne, Malleus can see the family's young heir trembling with choked sobs. His mother isn't the least bit appeased, her glare hardening and her staff crackling with power.

"ENOUGH! I will not tolerate any more nonsense out your blabbering mouth! You have come into my home, insulted my son, and dirtied my floor!" Meleanor raises her staff with a furious snarl. The magic surrounding it strikes the ceiling and deflects into multiple bolts of lightning throughout the throne room. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND DO NOT DARKEN MY DOORSTEP EVER AGAIN!"

The nobles scramble back onto their feet and skitter out with fearful screams. The wails of Malleus's attempted suitor echo through the halls of the castle until the doors slam shut behind them.

Meleanor raises her head proudly, huffing a satisfied plume of smoke out of her nostrils. Beside the sighing Lord Levan, Lilia Vanrouge has his head in his hands.

"What nerve, to ask permission for our Malleus's hand whilst showing such disrespectful behavior!" Meleanor spins around with a flare of her cloak and seats herself on her throne, one leg crossed over the other. "I should have incinerated that child where they stood!"

"I'm quite certain your outburst had spoken the message quite clearly, my lady," Lilia says with no small amount of disapproval.

"I agree with Lilia." Malleus's mother whirls around to face him with a betrayed expression on her face. "It is no fault of theirs that I failed to give my full attention to them. They had every right to call out my rude behavior."

Meleanor scowls and tosses her head again. "If you exhibit overly courteous behavior then those stuck-up aristocrats will become too comfortable to speak ill of you. As a dragon, you must present yourself as one!"

"That courteousness is the only reason the staff does not perish within breathing distance of him," Lilia argues. Meleanor shoots him a glare but he isn't deterred. "The poor boy already has issue forming relationships. Your volcanic temper is not doing him any favors."

"I will deal with those interested in the future king of the Briar Lands and my son however I wish! In case you have forgotten, I am your princess and his mother!"

"He is 178, he is not a hatchling, Meleanor!"

"Regardless of his age I have no intention of allowing him to be mistreated or his heart to be broken."

"At the expense of others?!"

"Yes!"

"Ah, there he goes."

Meleanor straightens up from how she had been bent over to glare at the short general and they both look over at Levan. They follow his gaze and briefly see Malleus's tail slipping out of the throne room.

"Darling!" Meleanor gathers her skirt to dash after her son. As Malleus makes his escape, Lilia groans and slumps over the arm of Levan's throne. His friend pats his back in sympathy.

"You really must do something about that wife of yours," Lilia grumbles. Levan laughs nervously, but there's also fondness in his eyes.

"She is simply doing what she thinks is best for our son."

"It isn't and you know it is!" Lilia huffs, craning his neck to glare up at the lord. The corvid fae smiles sweetly and leans towards him with his elbows resting on the armrest.

"Have I told you how much cuter you look when you're angry?"

Lilia sputters, face turning vibrant red. "Be serious!"

"I am serious," Levan hums as he reaches to tuck some hair behind Lilia's ear. The other general swats his hand away and he laughs at the flustered pout on the smaller fae's face. "I pity those nobles, truly I do, but like you and I, I have a feeling our Meleanor knows that our young prince is keeping a secret. So at the end of the day, there is no harm done, hm?"

Lilia gapes and blinks at Levan in bewilderment.

"He told you?"

Levan smiles secretively, a hint of mischievousness in his eyes. He must know as much as Lilia does then, and though he is relieved to know that his friend is supportive of Malleus's feelings, he still dreads the inevitable of Meleanor discovering it for herself. Meleanor is both temperamental and viciously protective of her child, especially since his life had been threatened after she laid his egg during the human invasion centuries ago. It's quite easy to imagine her most likely reaction to her son being interested in courting a human.

"He did. He also requested assistance from me." Levan looks up and his eyes brighten. "There it is now."

Levan waves his hand. Lilia's keen ears catch the sound of beating wings and he turns around to see a window opening. A raven flies into the throne room and settles on Levan's offered arm. The bird caws a greeting to Lilia before bowing its head to the lord.

"Welcome back, my friend," Levan coos as he strokes its wing. "What news do you bring from the Rose Queendom?"

Lilia perks up at mention of the Rose Queendom and looks at the bird with interest. The familiar makes a series of clicks and squawks. Lilia isn't the most fluent in corvid speak so he waits for Levan to translate, but when he looks to his friend, the other fae's smile has turned into an ominous frown.

"…It's not good news, I'm guessing."

----

Malleus typically finds comfort in isolation. It brings him the silence he requires to think and focus on both official and personal matters. Unfortunately though, for his current predicament, his most trusted method of comfort only seems to distress him more.

The conflict between the Rose and Lily Queendoms is taking it's toll on you. It's inevitable—He sees it a lot in Father and Lilia, how their gazes would sometimes look haunted by ghosts unseen to him even when doing the most mundane tasks —but that does not mean Malleus has to like it, or that either him or you should simply allow it to wear you down.

Sometimes, when he is speaking with you, you would get a faraway look in your eyes, lost in thought. During those moments the bags beneath your eyes look more prominent, your body thinner, your skin paler. You would apologise for losing track of the conversation and Malleus would excuse it, but within his chest a pit grew deeper and deeper, filling with irrational concern for you.

The desire to hoard and care for those most cherished to him isn't a foreign feeling to Malleus. He recalls that at a young age he would nest with his parents at night and steal Lilia and his father's weapons to stop them from leaving the castle for their duties. Now, he watches over Silver while he sleeps and sits at the water's edge when Sebek practices his swimming.

It is something normal for dragons to want their loved ones happy and safe, but the way he feels it with you is incomparable. He cares for you, (which had initially surprised him, to care for a strange human) there's no doubt about it, but more than anything else he wants to be the one to care for you, to ensure your safety. To take you away and tuck you inside his wings, to gift you all the luxuries you could ever need so that you would no longer be hurt or troubled.

And the strangest thing? He desires the same thing from you as well. For you to care for him, cherish him, want him, love him. For you to take his hand and let him whisk you away to somewhere the two of you could see and speak to each other every day, where you could sit and listen contentedly to him and him to you and help him with his woes like he wishes to help you with yours.

Confiding in Lilia had been what led him to realise his feelings for you. The older fae's recollection of his parents' courtship had been… concerning, but it reassured Malleus that his desires were not unusual and that, most importantly, his beloved caretaker accepted you.

It had taken more courage to approach Lord Levan, but he should have known that his understanding father would support him wholeheartedly. At Malleus's request, his father had sent one of his ravens to the Queendom and Malleus now spends almost every waking moment anxious for its return.

Telling his mother about you is… another matter entirely.

You were right that it wouldn't be wise to bring you into his home. He loves his mother, but like him, she possesses the nature of the dragon. She is caring, excessively so, and… incredibly protective, to say the least.

And to say that Malleus is fearful of her discovering his romantic feelings for you, a human—a race she loathes with her entire being—is an understatement.

You are fearless, perhaps a little foolish, but not saneless. She will chase you off as she has many others. The incident today was only one of many.

Regardless of his mother's ill manners and your reluctance to be with him, Malleus's heart does not stop yearning and yearn he does as he sits alone in his rose garden, innocent red rose in hand, plucking each poor petal after the other as his thoughts whirl around his mind uselessly.

Perhaps he should have been more insistent. Perhaps he should have taken you back anyway. Perhaps—

"Malleus?"

The click of his mother's heels on the garden's stone path grow louder with each approaching step. Meleanor appears beneath the rose arch to the gazebo and Malleus hurriedly brushes off the petals that have gathered on his lap.

"There you are. I have been looking for you, dear." Mother smiles as she walks up the steps of the gazebo, the long train of her skirt dragging behind her. She eyes the rose petals scattered around him. "What are you doing?"

"Ah. I am picking rose petals… for tea." His mother raises an eyebrow at his reluctant tone so he quickly diverts the topic. "Am I needed somewhere, Mother?"

"No, no." Meleanor sweeps up her cloak to that it isn't trampled beneath her when she takes a seat next to him. "I was merely worried." With gentle claws, she cradles Malleus's chin and lifts his gaze to hers. "I did not scare you, did I?"

"No—" Never, he wants to say. Even if she can summon the most destructive storms and move mountains with a snap of her fingers, Malleus can never be afraid of his mother, but the churning feelings in his gut lodges the words in his throat.

Malleus pulls away from her touch, looking away before he can see her frown. "I apologise, Mother. I exhibited behavior unbecoming of a prince in front of our visitors."

Instead of reprimanding him, his mother laughs. She's always so self-assured; with her magic, with her choices. It's one of the many things he admires but also envies about his mother. If only he can reach that point of confidence in his life much sooner.

"My silly little beast. There is nothing to apologise for," his mother coos, brushing a lock of hair out of his face with a careful talon. "You did no harm. After all, you have been so distracted because you already have your eye on someone, don't you?"

Malleus turns towards his mother, wide-eyed, and her eyes glitter with excitement as she grins.

"How did you—" Malleus stops himself. How is he supposed to tread this? "…Did Father tell you?"

Meleanor's smile falls. "No, but I am hurt you chose to tell him before me."

Malleus swallows. He laces his fingers together in an effort to make himself feel less unsteady. "How do you know, then?"

"Come now, you didn't think a mother would not be able to see that her son has fallen in love, did you?" Meleanor giggles behind her claws, eyes bright with eagerness. She leans in towards her son and lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Tell me, tell me; what are they like? How did you meet? And most importantly: When will I meet them?"

Malleus opens his mouth and pauses. What does he tell her? Every scale on his being is restless, eager at the presented opportunity to talk about you, but certainly, he cannot tell his mother about you. About your humanity. She would, as Lilia frequently describes it, erupt. He did not need that display from earlier in the throne room to know this well.

(He grew up all his life with it after all; His mother losing her head at every slight insult or threat towards him and striking it with bolts of lightning until it runs away screaming.)

Malleus does not fear his mother, let alone resent her, but he does rather often catch himself wondering what it would be like if she were not so hot-headed.

"They are…" Malleus quickly trails off as soon as the attempt begins. He glances at his mother warily. She is giving him her full attention. The support should be encouraging, but the dread within him only increases. "You cannot meet them."

His mother reels back as if he had shocked her with electricity. Her eyes widen and then narrow. Her brows furrow and her lips pull into a displeased pout.

"Whyever not? …Are you ashamed of me?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Embarrassed, perhaps?"

"Far from it."

"Then do you fear that I would scare them off?"

"Yes— Ah, I mean—!" Malleus screws his mouth shut and looks away again. Meleanor chuckles in amusement.

"Silly beast," she tuts. Behind him, Malleus's tail thumps agitatedly and she twines her own around it to soothe him. "I am flattered that you think so highly of me, but I assure you that any mate worthy of you will not cower so easily before me."

Malleus wraps his tail around his mother's offered one, but his expression is one of scepticism. "How do you know for certain? Do you truly have so much faith in my choice of a partner?"

"Oh, of course not! You are still just a little beast after all," Meleanor teases with a light pinch to his cheek. "What I mean is that, whoever you choose, we shall know if they are truly the correct mate for you if they remain beside you regardless of any trials."

"Oh… I see…" Malleus lowers his head. He clasps his hands tightly together. He can still remember the phantom feeling of your own hands on them, of you pulling away from him. Of him watching your retreating back after once more rejecting his offer to take you away.

"Darling?" His mother places her hands on his and the memory fades away. "Is something the matter?"

"I… I want you to meet them, truly I do, but…" Your face flashes before his eyes again, with it your shy smile and your voice whispering,

"Someday."

Malleus gathers his resolve and faces his mother. "Not anytime soon, I fear."

His mother pouts again. "Oh, come now—!"

"I don't think they would fear you." There's no way to know for certain until you actually meet her, but it is something he's fairly confident in. "It is that… they are currently occupied and will not be able to make time to come to our lands in the near future."

Meleanor's eyes light up with newfound interest. "Oh? They are not of the Briar Fae?"

Malleus bites his lip anxiously. "Er, no. They are—"

A bird sings overhead. The two dragons on the gazebo lift their heads and see a silver-haired knight walk through the rose arch.

"Lady Meleanor, Lord Malleus." Silver dips into a quick bow and rises again. "I apologise for interrupting."

"Oh, Silver! What a pleasant surprise. Have you finished your training today? Come, come. It has been too long since we last spoke." Meleanor beckons to the young knight to sit next to her.

"Er, if I recall correctly, we spoke just this morning—!"

Meleanor doesn't let him hesitate for long. She crooks her finger and wisps of purple magic tug on his uniform until he's standing on the gazebo.

"I apologise profusely, my lady," Silver stammers as her magic fades off of his clothes. "But I'm afraid I cannot stay long, my father requests to see Lord Malleus—"

"Does he!" Meleanor's eyebrows are arched, her expression devious in a way both boys know does not hold good intentions for their respective fathers. "How fortunate, I was hoping to speak to him about Malleus."

"Mother—"

"Lady Meleanor—"

Before either boy could get a word in, magic begins to swirl around the princess's fingers and she chants, "Come, my eyes and ears, my wings and feet."

Magic swirls and shimmers around her. Beneath her feet, her shadow ripples, and a raven bursts out of it with a frantic caw.

"Now why are you in such a hurry?" Meleanor tuts, easily catching the bird out of the air before it could fly off. The bird squawks and flaps its one wing that hadn't managed to be caught in her hand. She directs a firm gaze on it and it freezes, letting a pathetic noise out of its beak. Malleus winces in sympathy.

"Where is my Right?" Meleanor looks down at her shadow, displeased, but quickly smiles again when she turns to Silver. "Give me a hand, dear."

With them pointing downwards, Meleanor pinches together the thumb and forefinger of her free hand. She makes a pulling motion and a squealing bat emerges out of Silver's shadow. It manages to escape the princess's grasp on it but only briefly before she catches it by its legs.

The bat squeaks and screams, no doubt profanities blasphemous when directed at the crown princess, but she is unfazed. Silver looks down at the poor creature apologetically as it clings to his uniform in an attempt to shake off the dragoness's claws.

"What is the matter with you? Stop behaving so childishly. Look, your son is being much more mature than you, how embarrassing." Meleanor forces the bat to let go of the boy and holds it upside down, continuing to be unfazed as it claws at her lace gloves angrily. "You should know better than to ignore a summons from your mistress."

She shakes the bat in a not-so-gentle manner and the animal grows in size and changes shape until Lilia is hanging by the ankles. The raven does the same, but Meleanor lets Levan go so he can perch on her arm more comfortably.

"—the matter with you! You absolutely insane princess!" Lilia yells once he's finally taken his two-legged form again.

"Yes, you're very adorable, dear," Meleanor says dismissively with a pinch to his nose. Lilia hisses at her, but despite his complaints there's no real heat to them and he calms down quickly. "Now, my loves, when were the two of you going to tell me that a secret someone has caught our Malleus's interest?"

"I sincerely apologise, darling," Levan says mournfully, and any amount of aggression in his wife's expression fades away when he pecks a kiss on her cheek. "but it was not our secret to tell."

"Alright, I suppose I can forgive that. I'm sorry, dears." Meleanor looks at her son and husband fondly but scowls when she turns to Lilia. "Not you."

Lilia sticks his tongue out at her without remorse. With difficulty, he twists around to address Silver. "You've found Malleus! Well done, my boy."

"Thank… you, Father."

"What is it that you wished to speak to me about?" Malleus asks, tilting his head in an effort to meet Lilia's eyes. The bat fae exchanges a look with the prince's father and then glances at the princess holding him captive.

"Perhaps we should wait until later—"

"Wonderful, since I wished to speak to both of you about a different matter." Meleanor's expression turns into a deceptively sweet one that immediately has Lilia's face souring. "My loves, would you tell Malleus that you also desperately wish to meet this secret potential mate of his?"

She flutters her eyelashes for good measure. Malleus sighs and shakes his head.

"Mother…"

"I know what you said, but perhaps with encouragement from all three of us we can twist a few rules…"

"Actually, my love, what we wish to discuss concerns this… person." Meleanor raises an inquisitive eyebrow at her husband sitting on her arm.

"What?" All eyes turn to Malleus. The prince suddenly rises from his seat, pupils thinned to slits. Leftover rose petals scatter to his feet. "Has something happened to them?"

"I apologise, Malleus, but Lilia is right." Levan casts a quick look towards Meleanor and Malleus understands immediately.

Meleanor looks frustratedly between her son and husband, unhappy at being the only one uninformed. "Now what is this about? Why are you so reluctant to speak of this person within my presence?"

Lilia purses his lips, determined to not say a thing, meanwhile Levan looks towards his son again meaningfully.

Malleus takes a breath.

"It is what I have been meaning to tell you. Mother…" Malleus glances at Silver standing to the side, at attention. "Silver is a human."

Meleanor blinks. She looks at Silver, back at Malleus, and then bursts into laughter.

"But of course he is, silly beast!"

Malleus attempts to continue, but she doesn't stop laughing like it's the most hilarious joke she's heard in a century. He looks to his father helplessly. Levan gives him an encouraging smile but the doubt that twitches the edges of his lips isn't very reassuring. Meanwhile, Lilia sighs exasperatedly and Silver frowns in confusion.

"Well, Mother…" Meleanor keeps laughing and the longer the seconds tick by the more his confidence falters. Perhaps… If he says it now, she won't hear and she can remain in ignorant bliss. "This person I am in love with is a human as well."

The laughter stops so abruptly that the deadly silence sounds as loud as a crash of thunder.

"What."

[tswaney17]

Wildest Dreams

@elriel-month | Choice

You know it's not a true Elriel Month if Azriel isn't just simping over Elain. This one is all fluff. Hope you enjoy it! 🌹🦇

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​​​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Please let me know what you think about this update. I love getting your feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 💕

Trigger warnings: Nothing but domestic fluff

Word Count: 1,230

This fic will be posted on AO3 only. Read the beginning below or click here to head to AO3.

Azriel landed on the front steps of his and Elain’s home, his boots cushioning the impact from the stone pathway. They had bought and rebuilt this home about a year after their mating and wedding ceremony, wanting a space to call their own. Though Rhys had gifted them the townhouse as a mating present—and an apology for keeping them apart once they realized the bond between Elain and Lucien had been nothing more than a spell from a corrupted Cauldron—they wanted to find something that was truly their own. Away from the bustle of the city and in a quiet neighborhood.

Nobody could argue that they enjoyed their peace and quiet.

He had been pulled away after Rhys’s unrelented pestering over some reports and the only reason he finally gave in was because Koschei was still at large and Azriel would stop at nothing to protect those he loved.

But that didn’t stop the ache in his chest from just how much he missed his girls.

Girls. Plural. As in more than one.

Read More

~~~~~

Remember, sharing is caring! Please reblog if you liked the fic. It helps spread my work and I truly appreciate it. 💕

While I have moved most of my fics to AO3 only, I am still going to utilize a tag list here on Tumblr. This as a permanent solution and may change in the future. For notifications, you can follow and subscribe to my fanfic account where I will be reblogging updates and snippets only. You can also find me on ao3. If you would like to be added to my tag list, please leave a comment on this post.

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[dragon-creates]

Five Times Jax and Pomni Share Dreams of Their Past Lives (And One Time Where They Remember)

Read on AO3

Read Part 2 Here

1/2/3/4/5/6

Jax and Pomni know that they can’t actually dream in this digital world, nor can they remember who they were before coming here. But after retiring to their sleeping quarters each night, they begin to have dreams of people who they have never seen before, not the circus themed cast of characters within this realm, but real people! Why do they seem do real? Why do these dreams feel more like memories? And why do these people remind them so much of each other?

I can't believe how much the silly circus show won me over, and how much brainrot these two have given me. I won't update for I while as I have other wips for different fandoms I'm working on but I wanted to get the first chapter up to help motivate me. Anyways I hope you like this and check out the rest of my tumblr to see what I get up to.

Also yes the chapter titles are Taylor Swift songs because I'm weak.

Fearless

The air was crisp and cool, though not to the point where people were shivering in their costumes, neon lights were in every corner anyone could see, flashing the paths with pinks, purples and green, different stalls and rides were up, ranging from candy apples and sweets stand to rollercoasters and Ferris wheels and every single person were dressed as either monsters, characters or whatever their imaginations would come up with. Truly, the festival had set the perfect atmosphere for Halloween…well, everyone except for Penny.

She was a short young woman, 23 years of age with long dark hair that reached her waste and curtain bangs along her forehead, with pale skin and a bony structure (she hated that part about herself).

It wasn’t that she was forced to come here – she had heartily accepted when her sister Riley and her girlfriend Winter asked – but now that she was here, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Penny wasn’t really the bravest person around, she flinched at the slightest sound, she dreaded talking to new people who would come her way and had relied on her older sister to help her out for most of her life, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t trying to overcome any of it. After all it wasn’t like she could control her anxiety, it was something she struggled with ever since she was little. But tonight, she wanted to prove that she was able to enjoy Halloween outside the comfort of handing out candy to trick-or-treaters from the safety of her home. So far, she really did like it, she had fun buying sweets and going on rollercoasters, and though it could be overbearing and loud sometimes, Riley and Winter would take her to a nearby café to help Penny catch her breath before doing something else.

However, this was part of the night that she both desperately wanted and dreaded doing…the haunted funhouse. She knew what was in there, jump scares, clowns and nightmares to last for the next few nights to come, but she didn’t want to miss out, now when she heard about how much fun people have had in there. She just wanted to prove that she wasn’t this scared little nobody, that she was a person who wanted to have fun like everyone else, to enjoy the things that everyone else had fun with. So here she was, dressed in a hastily sewn purple rabbit onesie of her own making (she had made it in a time crunch when learning about the festival) into a terrifying funhouse that deep down, where she wasn’t lying to herself, she did not want to go in.

“Penny no,” she turned to see Riley, holding Winter’s hand as the other girl was texting someone on her phone, “You know what your anxiety’s like, you don’t have to go in there.”

Riley had quite a lean build with noticeable muscle on her arms, she had shoulder length dark red hair, brown eyes and pale skin. She was four years older than Penny, and while she did seem a bit intimidating, she was always soft and protective over her younger sister.

“He’s still not answering,” Winter murmured, shaking her head, “He was supposed to meet us an hour ago.” Winter was slightly taller than Riley, with dark black hair and eyes with a tanned complexion. The two women were dressed in a couple’s costume, Riley as Poison Ivy and Winter as Harley Quinn, they were also supposed to meet with Winter’s friend, but the mystery person still hadn’t shown up yet.

“Maybe he’ll show up while I’m in the funhouse?” Penny suggested as Riley sighed, “I’ll be quick in there, if I run then I’ll have less time to acknowledge the bad stuff in there!”

“Penny, I know you and I know that if you go in there, you’re gonna have a panic attack,” Riley took her little sister’s hand, offering her a pleading gaze, “Please just stay out here with us and we’ll meet up with Winter’s friend. We could go on the rollercoaster again; I know you really enjoyed that one.”

Penny smiled fainty, Riley looking out for her wasn’t anything new, but she didn’t want her sister to be burdened with her. It wasn’t right, Riley deserved to live her life, have fun with Winter and not worry about her scaredy-cat sister all the time, she deserved better than that.

When Riley turned to face Winter again, Penny pulled her hand out of her sister’s and ran into the funhouse, ignoring Riley calling her name the deeper she went in.

She took a few more deep breaths, she was doing! She was doing it and oh…oh she fucked up. There were multiple paintings of disfigured clowns peering down at her from the halls, the eerie sounds of deranged crying and laughing made her hairs stand on end, there were paths twisting and turning as they reminded her that she could get lost in this dreadful house and mirrors that not only showed her in different shapes and sizes, but also her terrified expression. Riley was right, this was too much for her, she didn’t even want to come in here in the first place why did she do this?!

A crazed laugh made her jump, looking carefully over her shoulder, she noticed a tall jester from down the hall, his yellow suit stained with red, and his mask had a twisted smile, hiding dark secrets that she didn’t want to find out. With a scream, she tore off down the hall, the jester chasing after her. She knew that were going to be actors, trained with scaring the guests, but it didn’t mean that she liked it! She really, really shouldn’t have come in here.

She skidded to a stop when she came to a dead end, her back pressing to the wall as the jester came closer and closer to her. She bit back a fearful yelp as he slammed a hand next to her head, peering down at her. She took a few more breaths, trying to keep calm. This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real repeating the mantra in her head to help herself from screaming out…before fainting right into the jester’s arms.

.

.

.

“You have some nerve scaring her like that?! Aren’t you supposed to be trained with scenarios like this?!”

Penny groaned at the sound of a loud and angered voice, it sounded like it belonged to a woman and seemed very familiar.

“I am trained for your information!” A male voice retaliated, “I didn’t know she was going to faint!”

“Okay, Riley calm down, Jack be nice!” Another female voice entered the conversation, sharper and more direct than the other two, “What happened right now was an accident, we just need to wait and see if Penny wakes up before we call an ambulance, that was the procedure right Jack?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the male voice was quiet now, “I’m sorry again Winter, I genuinely didn’t know.”

Penny opened her eyes, squinting at the light as she sat up on what seemed to be a mattress. “Oh good you’re awake,” there was a woman she had never seen before beside her, wearing a white hoodie with a red cross on it, “My name is Lianne, I’m a paramedic for the funhouse in case something like this happens.”

“Penny! Oh thank God!” Riley rushed over to her, wrapping her arms around her younger sister and pressed a kiss at the side of her head, “You gave me a heart attack going into that house, and then hearing that you fainted?! Don’t ever do that again!”

Oh that’s right, she fainted, that explained why Riley sounded so angry when she woke up. God help which soul she was speaking to that suffered her wrath. “I’m okay Riley, you were right I shouldn’t have gone in,” Penny sighed, “I’m just tired of not being normal so I wanted to prove-”

“-You don’t have to prove shit,” Riley interrupted, “And you are normal, who the fuck made you think you had to go into a haunted house to prove that you’re a ‘normal person’?”

“Uh…myself?” Penny smiled awkwardly.

Riley shook her head and smiled, it was good to see that she wasn’t actually mad, just really worried, but to be fair worse had happened to Penny to make her sister go into ‘overprotective mode’. “Just don’t push yourself too hard again, okay?” she asked. Penny nodded again, Riley smiled one last time before her eyes furrowed and she turned away to face someone else, “And as for you!”

Penny looked up to see how her sister was talking to when her cheeks suddenly turned red from embarrassment. It was the jester from earlier! He was quite a tall man, with golden brown skin and eyes, with his hair in short dreads pulled up into a ponytail. His face with mixed with both frustration and shame, it wasn’t helping with Riley shouting at him.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook for scaring my little sister!” Riley growled, “I can’t believe you made her faint!”

“How did I make her faint?!” he retorted, “I’ve never had a reaction like hers before I didn’t know she was that scared!”

“That is enough!” Winter stepped in, grabbing them both painfully by the ear for a few seconds and then let them go, “Riley, go outside so I can talk with you, and Jack please apologize to Penny.”

Jack signed, turning to Penny as the girl flushed even more, she still couldn’t believe she fainted in front of him! “I’m sorry,” he said honestly.

“This is the friend I was taking about,” said Winter, “We were supposed to meet up, but he got called in since someone cancelled their shift last minute, but someone forgot to text us!”

“What are you taking about?” He reached into his pocket for his phone, “I sent you message before my…oh…I forgot to actually send it.”

Penny snorted, she tried to hold it in, but she burst out laughing instead, she couldn’t help it, the absurdity of the situation was just too much. She was so caught up in laughing that she didn’t catch the soft smile that Jack had at her reaction.

“Jesus Christ Jack,” Winter rubbed her temples, “What am I gonna do with you?”

“I have a few ideas,” Riley glared at him.

“Okay, you!” She grabbed Riley’s hand, “Come with me, Jack, keep Penny company while I have a chat with my girlfriend.”

“What?!” Penny and Jack said in unison, but Winter had already slammed the door.

“I should, um,” They whipped round to see that the paramedic was still here, having witnessed the entire interaction, “I should go tell my boss that there’s no need to call an ambulance.”

With that, she rushed out the door, leaving the two to stew awkwardly with one another. Penny’s rapidly beating heart wasn’t helping either, she really didn’t want to have another fainting episode again. It didn’t help that this Jack guy was really handsome. Huh? Why did I think that?

“So…” she spoke up, gulping as Jack turned to her, his eyes focused as though he were studying her, like a bug being examined, “What’s the jester like life? I mean! What's the jester life like?! Not the other one, forget about that. In fact don’t talk to me at all! Or do! Don’t let me tell you what to do, I mean, you’re not the one spouting out word vomit!” Jack raised an eyebrow at her, Penny shoved her reddening face into her hands.

It was then Jack’s turn to start laughing, messy chortles escaping his mouth at her bizarre sentence, leading Penny to pout at his reaction. “Sorry toots,” the laughter died down once he saw he face, “I thought you were funny, didn’t mean to offend you. And to answer your question, the jester life is pretty good.”

“You think I’m funny?” she asked. It wasn’t the first time someone laughed at her, but not because they found her humorous.

“Yeah, not everyone can ‘spout word vomit’ and make it cute,” he told her.

Penny blushed. Okay, first he found her funny and now he found her cute, she really hoped he couldn’t hear how loud and fast her heart was beating. “Um, sorry for fainting on you,” she murmured, “Surprisingly it was not the lowest moment of my life.”

“You’re sorry for fainting?” He raised a brow at her again.

“Well it led to my sister yelling out you,” she told him, “I’m sorry about that as well, Riley can get pretty overprotective over me or our mom.”

“Yeah, Winter warned me about that,” he replied, remembering the way he tried to not tremble at her fiery gaze. “If looks could kill.”

“Tell me about it,” Penny nodded, her eyes scanned the costume he was wearing, now having a face attached to it made it less frightening. The way the fabric was stitched and how the everything on the piece was placed, it looked less like something from a Halloween shop and more something homemade. “Did you make this?”

“Huh, oh this? I wish,” he said, “I actually had it commissioned, sure it cost a bit more, but I wanted it to feel a bit more real, you know, to scare people and that.”

“Yeah, well it definitely worked,” Penny giggled, “As someone who does commissions for others as well, its nice when someone reaches out for us to make something.”

“Us?” he titled his head.

“I’m a costume designer, well, studying a course in costume design at college,” Penny explained, “I noticed how your outfit was made and it instantly clicked in my brain.”

“Oh really? Did you also make that rabbit suit you’re wearing?” he asked as he pointed to her onesie.

Penny rolled her eyes, “Not my best work but I had limited time when Winter and Riley asked me if I wanted to come to the Halloween festival. But hey, its warm and cozy for the season!”

“I think it looks cute on you,” he smiled and winked at her. It was a friendly wink, nothing behind it, but it still made Penny’s toes curl. “How about we start over, I’m Jack.” He held his hand out to her.

Penny took it in her own and shook it, “I’m Penny. So, how do you know Winter?”

There was a nervous flicker in his eyes, but he blinked it away before Penny asked anything else, “We meet as freshmen in high school, she was a few months older than me, but she took me under her wing, and we’ve been friends ever since. I met Riley as well when they started dating but I have a feeling I might be on her bad side now.”

Before Penny could say anything else, there was a crash and a scream before Winter and Riley rushed back into the room, slamming the door behind them. “We forgot this was a haunted funhouse,” Winter trembled, her and Riley’s faces paling.

Penny and Jack shared a glance, stifling their laughter as the couple pulled themselves together. “Anyways,” Riley brushed herself off, “We should head home and tell Mom what happened.”

“Right,” Penny nodded before turning back to Jack, “Hopefully we’ll see each other again, but somewhere else cause with all due respect I’m never stepping foot in this funhouse again.”

Jack chuckled, “That’s understandable, and sorry for scaring you again.”

“That’s okay, at least we finally met,” Penny grinned.

“Alright, home time for you miss,” Riley pulled Penny up, giving a final glare towards Jack before leading her sister away.

“It was nice to meet you, Jack!” Penny called back to him.

“The pleasure’s all mine!” Jack called back, giving Winter a hug before she chased after the sisters.

In the car ride back home, Penny found herself smiling. Jack was nice, granted she wished it didn’t take fainting for them to meet but she was glad she did. “So,” Winter turned in the passenger seat to face Penny in the back, “Sorry that it was under these events how you met Jack, hopefully you were okay with him.”

“I’m not,” said Riley, focused on the road.

“Just keep driving mama bear,” Winter rolled her eyes before turning to Penny again.

“I was okay with him, we actually got on pretty well,” she admitted, “I’m glad I finally met him.”

Winter smiled and turned to Riley to smirk at her, “So, it looks like ‘big bad Jack’ won over your little sister.”

“Must you taunt me?” Riley groaned.

“But that why you love me so much,” Winter teased kissed her loudly on the cheek, “It was my taunting that drew you to me.”

Riley tried and failed to repress a lovesick grin. Penny chuckled at her older sister and turned to face out the window again, counting the stars that passed. Hopefully she would meet Jack again.

.

.

.

Pomni woke with a start. What on this digital earth was that?!

Ever since she arrived here, she never had actually dreams before. Whenever she ‘slept�� it felt like she was switching off, like a button on a computer game and blacked out before she was ‘switched on’ again.

But that dream, why did it feel so real? She remembered the concept of dreams, how anything random would happen and the little control you would have over them. Maybe she was a lucid dreamer in her past life and that’s why this one had more will power in it?

She thought back to that Penny girl, she acted so much like her, the nervousness, her fear of mostly everything and her reaction when she went into that funhouse. Although now, she would gladly take that funhouse over this ‘Amazing Digital Circus’.

Then there was Penny’s sister, Riley. Despite how threatening she was at first glance, the protectiveness she had with her sister and the loved-filled eyes for her girlfriend made her feel a bit safer than she ever felt here.

Did Pomni have a family before the circus, did she have an older sister that would protect with without a second thought? Did she have a family that worried about her, wondering what happened to her?

Then she thought of Jack. She thought about him interacting with Penny, how cheeky yet sweet he was with her. And the way he looked at Penny. She felt herself blushing. In a way, his laidback attitude and mischievous grin, he reminded her a little bit of Jax…

She shook her head, she was being ridiculous, regardless of what Ragatha said when she came here, this was just and only a dream. Besides, it probably wouldn’t happen again, and things would return to its usual format here, just switching on and off again.

She sighed and shoved off her bed sheets, mentally preparing herself for whatever sanity Caine had up his sleeves.

Its not like anyone else was having these types of dreams, right?

That would be the case…for anyone who wasn’t Jax.

The rabbit was currently at the breakfast table, he Gangle and Kinger waiting for everyone else to arrive.

Just when he thought we finally got used to this place, he had an actual dream last night, not the usual shut down he received every night. He remembered every detail from the lights of the festival to the noises supplied from the funhouse and that Jack guy in the jester costume.

There wasn’t much he got from the dream about him, just that was someone who worked to scare people and make money out of it, honestly it seemed the ideal career path he would take if he weren’t stuck here.

But what made that dream so memorable for him was that Penny girl. The way she would shyly peek through her hands, to her kind smile and her knowledge with costumes, and of course he couldn’t forget about her fainting spell. Talk about an unexpected surprise.

Although, she did seem sweet in a way, whoever this Jack guy was he hoped that he was smart enough to see her again. Jax sighed, what was he talking about? This was a dream, plain and simple, yet here he was acting as though he knew this Jack person.

Just leave it he thought bitterly its stupid anyway.

“I’m gonna check where the rest of them at,” he told Gangle and Kinger, “Zooble probably lost one of his arms again, so I might as well hide it if that’s the case.”

“Wouldn’t you rather help them find it?” Gangle whimpered.

Jax huffed out a laugh, “And where’s the fun in that?”

He got out from his chair, only to bump into another body, almost losing his balance, “Hey, watch where your-”

He looked down to see Pomni sitting on the ground, probably from him bumping into her, her red and blue eyes widening when she realised what she did.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she burst out, “Usually I sit next to you whenever we eat, and I didn’t see you sitting up but I’m still really sorry either way I shouldn’t have done that-”

“-Not the other one, forget about that. In fact don’t talk to me at all! Or do! Don’t let me tell you what to do, I mean, you’re not the one spouting out word vomit!”

“I’m really sorry!”

Jax snapped out of his trance, looking down at Pomni again, her eyes looking both sad and apologetic. He signed, reaching down to pull her up by the end. “Relax pom-pom, it wasn’t like you planned to do that…unless?”

“What, no, of course not!” she yelped.

 Jax laughed, the newbie was easy to rile up.

“Shut up Jax,” Zooble moved past him to get to their spot, “Let’s just get breakfast over with before we need to deal with the headache Caine is gonna give us.”

“Whatever,” Jax slumped back into his seat, Pomni gently placing herself upon hers as Zooble and Ragatha did the same.

The way Pomni acted just then, the way she was quick to flush and stutter over her words, and the fact that she was so nervous about everything as well. It was all just like Penny.

No, don’t, don’t be stupid Jax. Jack isn’t real, Penny isn’t real, so don’t bother comparing her to Pomni.

With that, he let himself continue with his food.

But it wouldn’t be the last time he or Pomni would make these comparisons, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last time they had these ‘dreams.’

See you next time, let me know if I've written them well, this is the first time writing for this fandom. And who knows, perhaps next chapter the sillies might actually go on a date? 🤷

[risustravelogue]

Overgrowth

Summary:

Your overprotective best friend wants to see how your crush treats you with his own eyes.

Featuring:

Best Friend!Tighnari, Alhaitham

Tone:

*chants* Fluff! Fluff! Fluff! Fluff! … with a hint of angst :)

Updated note:

This was originally posted on December 25, 2022, thus the Merry Christmas note. I am not sorry for tagging you again, my awesome brainrot pal Rin and lovely cuz nire 💚 I'm aware of the recent case with Tighnari's EN VA. I want to say that I play Genshin using the JP dub and thus Tighnari's personality in this fic and in my mind is based on that interpretation (if that helps). I would like to extend my sincere well-wishes to the victims and hope this will get resolved soon. Original post here.

Original note:

Merry Christmas!! This fic was written for the Elemental Supercharge collab hosted by @zhongrin. My entry: dendro + dendro = overgrowth. Thank you so much to @nire-the-mithridatist for the beta! Love you cuz 💚 Enjoy~! :)

🔗 AO3 | masterlist 🔗

To say Tighnari is your good friend is an understatement.

You first met him in the House of Daena when you were still teenagers, his ears twitching behind the thick encyclopedia he was reading up for an upcoming exam. You’d seen him a couple of times at the same spot by then—and you, who’d never seen a fennec fox hybrid before in your life, were intrigued. Extremely intrigued. So you did what every curious teenager would do when they met one of his kind: reach out to touch his ears.

“I can hear you, you know,” he said.

You yelped, startled. “Hear me? But I don’t—how did you hear my hand?”

“Aha, so you were reaching for my ears,” he said, looking up from his encyclopedia. A proud smirk was plastered on his lips. “My hearing is very good, you know. I could hear your clothes rustling over the books.”

“With those ears? Yeah, of course,” you blurted out. Tighnari’s eyes narrowed in a questioning look. You fidgeted nervously. “Oh, uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

After a few moments of silence, Tighnari burst into a giggle.

“You’re very straightforward. I like you,” he said. “Everyone else tiptoes around me when it comes to my ears and tail—but not you.” He stood up and offered his right hand to you. His tail swished from side to side in excitement.

“My name’s Tighnari. What’s your name?”

You accepted his hand and told him your name with a sheepish smile on your lips. “Nice to meet you, Tighnari.”

From then on, the two of you have been almost inseparable. He’s a good listener, and not just because of his fox ears. He listens to you when you need to rant—every time. More importantly, he knows when to give advice and when to just give you a pat on the back. When you had a bad breakup with your ex a few years ago, he dragged you to Gandharva Ville for a week-long getaway. He tended to you like one of his patients, but instead of herbal brews, he brought you light novels, chocolate, and your favorite comfort foods: cheese and his mushroom hodgepodge.

You feel truly blessed for having him as your best friend.

—

Alhaitham was your classmate in the course on ancient puzzles that you took as a Haravatat student.

He was known as a top student, and he was very popular with the teachers. Even so, nobody wanted to team up with him for group assignments, because one, he preferred to work alone, and two, he never failed to irritate others with his refusal to pretty up his words. But you had always found him intriguing. He didn’t talk or interact much with other people—partly because they tried to avoid being at the receiving end of his sharp tongue—yet he always managed to figure out how they think after spending only a short time with them. You came up with two possibilities: either he had very strong observation skills, or he had a network of spies in the Akademiya.

You decided that the first explanation seemed more plausible.

So when your teacher told the class to pair up for your final project, you naturally went to him. After all, someone with strong observation skills would be invaluable in solving ancient puzzles.

You walked up to his seat at the end of the class. You noticed that he was reading a book—and archons know you hated it when someone interrupted your reading time—but this was important.

“Hi, Alhaitham,” you greeted.

A pair of eyes with colors like red roses floating in water full of fluorescent moss looked up at you in annoyance. “Yes? What do you want?”

You fidgeted visibly in front of him, trying to appeal to his softer side. “I’d like to team up with you for the final project. The class has an even number of students, as you well know. Do you mind?”

After thinking for a second, he answered with a curt “No,” then reverted his gaze to the book he was reading. You smiled and sat beside him.

Thus began your collaboration with Alhaitham. For the months you worked with him on your project, you never found him to be irritating. He was just always honest when asked about his opinion. He was blunt, yes, but he never did it to annoy you on purpose, which was a good thing in your book. You also found him easier to understand than most people, as his thoughts and actions were always governed by logic. His actions might be unacceptable for most people sometimes, but he always appreciated your feedback on what he said or did.

On the last day of the course, the teacher praised the project both of you have worked so hard on. You nearly jumped out of your seat, but Alhaitham—now familiar with your antics when excited—wordlessly put his hand over yours and squeezed your fingers, stopping you from doing that in the middle of the classroom. You blushed. He’d never done that before—he would usually tap on your arm instead. That was the first time you felt his hand directly on your skin—he was warm, his palms rough and calloused due to handling swords, and his grip on your fingers was both gentle and strong at the same time. His touch lingered for a few moments before he pulled away, leaving you staring at his profile, questions about his intentions rushing one after another through your mind. You had to shake your head violently to refocus yourself.

That evening, you celebrated by having dinner at Lambad’s together. After some small talk, you braved yourself to tell him that you’d still like to meet up with him.

“Do you mind if I come to find you in the library sometimes?” you asked.

A tender smile bloomed on his lips. Your heart skipped a beat.

Since when is he so beautiful?

“Sure,” he said. “I would like that very much.”

It was at that moment you realized you had a crush on him. You found yourself trying to spend more time with him—in the library, in the café, wherever you could find him—and you even attended his thesis defense in a show of support.

However, your feelings for him never bore fruit—you lost touch with him after he graduated, two years before you did. He became busier each day and didn't have the time to hang out in the library anymore. You tried to not pay too much attention to it—it was a fleeting feeling anyway, you thought. You eventually got a very sweet boyfriend in your thesis buddy, but he cruelly broke up with you right after your thesis was completed. You were used, then discarded like a broken toy. Your heart was in a million pieces, and you thought you’d never recover if Tighnari had never intervened. With a heart full of scars, you never thought you’d ever fall in love again.

But then you joined a book club—Alhaitham’s book club. Overjoyed at reuniting with your old friend, you told him your latest updates, including your bad breakup with your ex. He listened intently, then said, “I’m sorry,” while squeezing your hands to comfort you. You found his touch to still be the same—gentle, yet strong. After that heart-to-heart, you can’t help but notice that for someone who claimed he didn’t like to be touched, he touches you a lot. A light tap on your shoulder, a pull on your wrist or arm to steady you when you were being clumsy with your steps, and his fingertips lingering on your skin—you’d never seen him be so physical with others, and sometimes you wondered if he did that on purpose.

As someone whose primary love language is physical touch, falling in love with him again because of those little touches was inevitable.

—

“Nari.”

“Yes?”

“I think I love him.”

Tighnari nearly falls out of his chair.

“You what?”

“Love,” you repeat, “I love Alhaitham.” Tighnari gives you the questioning look. “Well, I do. And I think he likes me, too,” you continue.

He lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Look, my dear friend. I love you and all, but I have to say this. Being in the same book club with him is one thing. Falling in love with him and thinking that he likes you, however…” He shakes his head. “I get that you once had a crush on him, but how did you even arrive at that conclusion?“

You think for a while.

“Well,” you say, “I find myself thinking about him every day—I dare say even every minute. And there are the lingering touches—”

Tighnari’s ears twitch in curiosity. “I thought you said he doesn’t like to be touched?“

“He doesn’t,” you say. “That’s why I think he thinks of me differently.”

Tighnari sighs again.

“It does sound like you’re in love with him, and that he likes you more than he likes other people,” he says. “You’re hopeless. But I’m afraid that you’ll only get hurt.”

“Why?”

Tighnari clicks his tongue. “He’s a purely rational person. And love is irrational.”

“Then why does he always listen to me when I’m whining about—about anything?”

“Maybe he’s just being nice.”

“Maybe, but from what information I’ve gathered, he doesn’t do that with other girls. Hell, even with people. You know how he takes no bullshit from Kaveh.”

Tighnari’s mouth goes agape. “I don’t even want to know how you ‘gathered information’ about him.”

“I have my ways.”

He throws up his hands in the air, a defeated look on his face.

“Fine!” he says, his tone rising, his ears flat against his head. A shaky breath escapes him. “I just don’t want you to get brokenhearted again. It pained me a lot to see you crying silently every day.”

Taken aback at his words, you consider your response carefully—you really want him to see how Alhaitham treats you differently. Almost immediately, an idea appears in your mind.

“How about you join tomorrow’s book club meet-up?” you propose. His ears quickly stand back to attention.

“What? Why?”

“So you can observe him yourself,” you say, a smile growing on your lips. “Then you can judge if he likes me or not.“

“That’s… a good idea,” he ponders. “Okay. What time tomorrow?”

—

You come to the meet-up with Tighnari in tow. He stands beside you as you knock on Alhaitham’s door. The homeowner himself answers it.

“Oh, hello. You’re early. And… well, well.” The scribe’s eyes turn towards your best friend. “I didn’t expect to see the Forest Watcher here,” he quips.

Tighnari scoffs, his tail swirling protectively around your waist.

“I’m here to accompany my best friend,” he says. You chuckle nervously.

Alhaitham smirks, clearly amused with Tighnari’s protectiveness. “Come in.”

You and Tighnari walk into the house and sit on the living room sofa. Alhaitham fetches coffee for you and water for Tighnari. A few minutes later, the other book club members come, and the discussion starts.

Again, you can’t help but notice that Alhaitham touches you a lot. He sits beside you for the whole two hours of heated discussion, his hand lingering at the bottom of your elbow, sometimes moving away but eventually finding its way back to your skin. You feel his fingertips sink deeper into your flesh every time Tighnari speaks—is he… jealous?

Meanwhile, Tighnari, who sits opposite you, has his eyes peeled between your face and Alhaitham’s hand. He notices how you keep looking at Alhaitham every few seconds, sees every blush you have every time Alhaitham touches you, and hears how your breathing hitches every time he speaks and Alhaitham’s fingers, in turn, sink deeper into your skin.

After two hours of observation, Tighnari has had enough.

He waits until Alhaitham is back from escorting the other club members out, then he stands up to face the taller man.

“Thank you for letting me join today’s meet-up,” Tighnari says, then turns to you. “Now—I think you have something to tell our host, buddy.”

You nearly choke on your coffee in shock. “Nari, this wasn’t—”

Tighnari shoots you a threatening look. “Tell him. Or I will.”

“What’s this about?” Alhaitham asks, confusion visible in his usually-stoic face.

You sigh. “Well,” you start, fidgeting. You try to meet his gaze. “I think I’m in love with you.”

Alhaitham freezes so visibly, you feel obliged to mouth “sorry” for suddenly springing a love confession on him.

Tighnari’s ears are now flat against his head and his tail is bristling. You feel the blood draining from your face. This is not good.

“Tell us. Do you—” he points at Alhaitham’s chest, then to you— “like her, or not?”

The scribe clears his throat and folds his arms in defense. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t have let her into my house otherwise.”

Tighnari hisses. “Don’t play coy. You know what I mean.”

Alhaitham raises his eyebrows. “That’s rather private, don’t you think?”

Tighnari backs off, but his tail is swishing side to side in annoyance. “I would normally agree. But she was badly hurt in the past, and I—” he chokes. “I don’t want that to happen again. Ever.”

Alhaitham steals a glance at you—who is nervously fidgeting, whispering “sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t punch him” rapidly—then focuses back on Tighnari.

“I’d rather her get hurt sooner than later. Before she overthinks about how you behave around her,” Tighnari continues.

On that, you stop whispering and shoot your best friend a protesting look. He turns his gaze to you. “Oh, shut up. You know you’re going to. You do that every time you have a crush.”

You blush. He focuses his gaze back on Alhaitham. “So yes, if that means intruding into your private life, that’s a small sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

Alhaitham stares at you for a few seconds. He lets out a sigh upon seeing you melt under his intense gaze.

“I see,” he muses and turns to Tighnari. “I suppose I should thank you.”

The Forest Watcher tilts his head. “What for?”

Alhaitham chuckles. “For making me realize that I should’ve done this sooner.”

Before you can react, he’s already sitting beside you. His left arm circles around your waist, pulling you towards him, and his right hand is on your left ear, his thumb caressing your skin like it’s the most precious thing in this world. You squeak in surprise when he pecks your nose. When he pulls away, he has a teasing smirk on his lips.

“Hmm. I don’t think that’s the right place. Excuse me.”

He dips in to kiss you in earnest. It’s a gentle act, him pressing his soft, warm lips against yours—a gentleness you wouldn’t normally associate with the highly rational man who is oftentimes described as “cold.”

Then again, you’re not exactly normal in his eyes, are you?

“I love you,” he declares softly, a tender smile on his lips—the smile that made you fall in love with him back then. “I’ve been in love with you since we were classmates.”

You feel tears start welling up in your eyes. “That long? Why didn’t you tell me?” you ask. You feel his arm tighten around your waist.

“You already had a boyfriend when I realized my feelings for you,” he says. “Had I known he was just using you, I would’ve risked getting punched in the gut for telling you about how I feel anyway.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry. I should’ve investigated more instead of just giving up and staying away.”

You lean forward to place a light kiss on his lips. He pulls back in surprise.

You chuckle at his reaction. “It’s okay. Thank you.”

With a small smile, he gathers you into his arms and turns to Tighnari.

“I believe this satisfies your curiosity, Mr. Forest Watcher?” he asks while playing with your hair.

Tighnari gives a huff of approval. “Yes,” he smiles. He walks to the front door and looks back at the two of you, affection abundant in his eyes.

“Congratulations, you two.”

You wave your best friend goodbye and lay your head back onto your now-boyfriend’s chest. He hums as he rocks you back and forth in his arms, both of you relieved to finally know how you feel toward each other. With the newfound love you have in Alhaitham and the enduring friendship you have in Tighnari, you feel secure—like an overgrowth of sturdy trees is watching over you.

Original end note:

I've always wanted Tighnari as my (fluffy!) best friend. I feel like he'd be very protective (bordering overprotective, even) of the people he truly cares about.

As for Haitham, well, he's a lot of fun to write. I feel like I understand how he thinks and behaves quite easily. And he's my husband, and I'm selfshipping, soooooo there's that.

Hope you enjoyed reading the fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! 💚

© @risustravelogue 2023 • no to reposting, yes to reblogging. feel free to send an ask to suggest, chat, etc. :)

[nabicube]

Beginning of the Happy Ending: Prologue

Masterlist ◈ Pairings: ot8 x gender neutral atiny reader (lmk if sth isn't gn) ◈ Genre: non-romantic idol au, angst, fantasy (?), all ages (correct me if I’m wrong) ◈ Summary: In the depths of despair, your world feels like it’s crumbling around you—nothing seems to go right. The only source of light in your life, Ateez, is dimmed when your bias, San, suffers a life-threatening accident on stage. Just when it feels like there’s no reason to keep going, an otherworldly being appears with a chilling message: you have only 100 days left to live. But there’s a choice—if you wish hard enough, you can switch places with San and save him from his fate. The decision is yours, but time is running out. ◈ Warnings: Themes of depression and despair, mentions of suicidal thoughts, dysfunctional family dynamics, supernatural elements, mild violence, swearing, idk if this is a warning but brief mention of Felix from stray kids (he's my skz bias hehe) ◈ Note: This series is a non-romantic ot8 x atiny reader story leaning more heavily on San x reader because he is their bias. It will be a compilation of short episodes, rather than chapters, showing how each member would guide you through hard times in real life based on their personalities. The story is more focused on the concepts and ideas than the plot. While there will be no romantic relationships portrayed, members and the reader develop a bond that is beyond just friendship.

Prologue: The End

Word Count: 1365

All it took was a single, cutting remark from your so-called parents—a seemingly insignificant jab that shattered the last remnants of your self-worth. The final barrier holding back the tide of despair had crumbled. Everything seemed to be falling apart.

All your life, you were forced to constantly move around, leaving you with no one you would truly consider a friend. At least nobody who you feel like you can spill all of these dark feelings of yours. You were failing miserably in school, work, your personal life.

You were emotionally drained, just so exhausted. It felt as if you will never escape this hell. You didn’t know what you wanted in life, because you were taken away your will to hope for any kind of future. 

The last thing that was keeping you on earth was your love for Ateez and San, your favorite idols. They’ve helped you through the most difficult times. And now, they’re everything to you in your crumbling life. Their powerful performances, music, and kindness for atiny…they gave you a reason to live.

But then there was the constant judgment from your parents.

“You’re seriously into those idols? Aren’t you too old for that?”

“Why would you waste your time on that? Why don’t you work on your life instead?”

When they insulted them, it almost hurt worse than when they insulted you. You were used to being degraded. However, they don’t deserve to be judged when they have nothing to do with how you are failing completely in life.

But now, you were just so tired.

You posted about how you felt on social media, but as always, no one responded. Most of your followers were bots anyway.

Just as you thought things couldn’t get worse, a post flashed across your screen from one of the kpop news accounts—and the headline you saw made your heart sink.

-------

Breaking: ATEEZ's Choi San Suffers Serious On-Stage Injury During Concert

-------

No. No, No, No. This can’t be true.

Your heart pounded in your chest so fast that your whole body started trembling.

San, the idol you adored more than anything, had been in a terrible accident on stage.

Your mind spiraled into chaos. You searched frantically for updates on San’s condition on your phone, but the situation seemed dire.

Despair washed over you. The one connection you still had to this world, the one thing that gave you a reason to keep going, might be gone.

If San is gone forever from this world, what is the point of staying here alone?

Maybe this was your sign to end it all.

Your vision started blurring, and as the darkest thoughts had almost consumed your entire mind and body—out of nowhere, a reply popped up on your social media feed from an account you didn’t recognize. The icon was the default image, and the username was some kind of random combination of alphabets and numbers.

The reply, clearly directed to your username, read:

“You will die in 100 days.”

What the hell?

You were confused. It was so random, yet it seemed like this random stranger somehow knew your situation.

After the initial confusion, the anger that you did not know who to direct at started boiling up.

You were thinking of what kind of nasty things to reply.

What the fuck? Who are you even? I’ll die when I want to, not when you tell me to.

But just as you started typing, suddenly, a shiver went down your spine. You were terrified, and you had no idea why. Suddenly, you were not alone in this room anymore.

And then you saw IT. Floating in through your closed window without any noise.

Great. Now I’m hallucinating. My brain must really be breaking down.

The entity kept floating closer until it was hovering over your bed. You wanted to look away, but you couldn’t. The only thing you could do was freeze and stare at it with wide eyes.

Does this mean I’m dead? And this thing came to take my soul?

It was tall and impossibly slender, its body a mass of swirling, black tendrils that writhed and twisted like living shadows. Its form shifted in and out of focus, as if the creature wasn’t fully tethered to this world. The entire entity moved with an unnatural grace, like smoke drifting through the air, yet it carried an overwhelming presence.

But then the thing spoke. Its eerie, deep voice was terrifying yet surprisingly soothing at the same time.

“Hey, I’m the one that sent that reply.”

Kind of sounds like Felix from Stray Kids, you thought.

Wait - what the fuck did it just say?

You almost laughed, despite the fucked-up situation, just because while that line was very unlikely to come from a demon��� grim reaper…shinigami? Whatever this was, it matched Felix’s voice better than Felix himself. Good choice, my hallucinating brain.

That Felix-sounding thing said slowly:

“You are completely consumed with the thought of death, aren’t you?”

You agree with that. The thing keeps going in a painfully slow, unsettling tone.

“While at it, do you want to make my job easier by switching souls with your favorite idol that’s dying? You could save him in exchange for your life, and I have one less death to deal with. Your body is going to die in 100 days, but…at least he’ll have another 100 days to live, and I get to procrastinate. You can die in his place now, or who knows, his body might survive. Even less work for me. Your choice.”

It took a while to process what it was saying. The product of your imagination seemed to be getting oddly specific and creative.

“W–What? Uh…what the actual fuck? Are you saying I can switch places with San? You’re giving me this power? Why? Why now? What’s the point?”

You can’t believe you’re starting to think this thing is real and trying to converse with it.

The thing doesn’t exactly have a face, but you somehow could sense it was irritated at your response. Its following words were spat out much faster as if it didn’t care to sound scary anymore.

“Um…did you not get the message? I’m fucking lazy. It takes like a whole day for me to process souls after a human dies, especially those by suicide. Oh, by the way…do you care to know how you’ll die in 100 days?”

The ominous character of the thing was slowly starting to fall apart into a more sluggish, human-like one.

“N—no! No, absolutely not!”

That seemed contradictory because you were going to take your life at any moment. But now, since there is a possibility that it could be the cause of death for San, you didn’t want to hear it.

“Alright, alright, I get it.” The thing says in an unserious tone.

Then suddenly, you remembered why you were panicking in the first place.

“I—I want to switch with San! How do I do it? I have to take his place before he dies!”

You were desperate. You were still not 100% confident that this was not your hallucination, but fuck it. You would do anything to save him.

“Just wish for it real hard. Then go to sleep. When you wake up, you’ll have switched.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to sleep in this situation!?” You snapped.

The thing let out a deep sigh. “Okay, whatever–Forget what I said, have a good night…” It said, floating towards the window, mumbling something to itself.

You panicked.

“W-wait! I’ll do it! I’ll try at least, so don’t go!”

The thing paused for a second, then turned your way and crossed its arms lazily, tilting its head, waiting for you to do your part.

You laid down on your side, squeezed your eyes and fists so hard that they hurt.

Breathing heavily, your mind raced, filled with nothing but thoughts of San.

His powerful yet sensual performances. His sweet, dimpled smile. His thoughtful words for atiny.

You kept thinking and thinking until exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster you had experienced, you finally managed to drift off to sleep. You were more tired than you thought.

[moon-alight]

If the World was Ending - S.Coups

Synopsis: You and Seungcheol have been broken up for a year when a sudden Earthquake began to rip the world apart. You weren't sure why but you wanted to be with him and luckily, he did too.

Inspired by the song: If the World was Ending byJP Saxe and Julia Michaels.

Warnings: The end of the world, fluff, exes coming together Word Count: 1060

General Masterlist

Seventeen Masterlist

You were merely watching television, a movie on the screen which you weren't really paying attention to. There was, however, one person on your mind, the same person who you weren't able to let go of no matter how hard you tried.

Seungcheol was everything, the best boyfriend you could've asked for but even the best people have issues. He liked to overwork himself. Staying late inside the Hybe building to finish certain things and even taking his work home which drove you up the wall.

Three beautiful years they were until yu both decided that it would be best to break up, to make sure you seperated so nobody would get hurt too much. It was the best decision but you still felt so lonely, so sad even after a year of being broken up.

It was when you were so deep in your thoughts that you felt it, the ground underneath you shook heavily and it should've scared you but it didn't. You frowned, stood up and walked towards the window. The sight in front of you was unerving to say the least.

Many people -- adults and children -- were running across the street, panicking and yelling. It struck you, this was serious. Everybody seemed to be rushing to get away, to escape death.

The movie you were originally watching on the tv got interrupted by a nation-wide broadcast, one with a warning popping up on the screen. The flashing lights and sounds caught your attention as you walked over to watch this broadcast.

"We interrupt your programming. This is a national emergency, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has detected a significant environmental event that will impact the greater Asia. You and your loved ones should seek the nearest fallout shelter immediately. Please stand by for further area updates."

If the world was truly ending, why weren't you scared?

No, instead you looked down at your phone and opened the one contact you swore you'd block a couple months ago but couldn't. Seungcheol was active but as much as you wanted to text him, you couldn't. Your pride stood in your way.

Truly the broadcast said 'you and your loved ones' and he was, oh he was. You knew he still was your loved one but were you his? He could have a new partner for all you knew. It honestly broke your heart to think about.

Knowing everyone would be rushing to safe areas, you sat down on your couch. Was there truly a safe area when the world was about to fall down? Everyone would be dead anyways, why bother, right?

The sun was slowly setting, the ground beneath you shook once more but much heavier than the first time. You held onto the couch, unsure what was about to happen though it felt as if the world was being ripped apart.

A repeated knock on your door snapped you out of your thoughts, you frowned, unsure who would've been at your door when this all was going down. Maybe some people were there to try and convince you of seeking shelter.

You stumbled, trying to balance on the shaking ground. You managed to reach the door and pulled it open only to come face to face with him. You inhaled sharply when your eyes landed on his.

He looked good. You hadn't seen him for almost a year but he looked rather the same. His dark raven hair stuck to his forehead thanks to the rainwater which had drenched him, he was breathing heavily and looked as though he had ran to you.

"Cheol--"

His arms wrapped around you, holding onto you. A feeling of familiarity and safety washed over you. You allowed yourself to break down, tears streaming down your face as you let yourself fall against him. He closed the door behind you two and sat you down on the floor of your apartment. He cradled you against him.

It felt as though he was never gone, he smelled the same -- like home -- and if he wasn't holding onto you so tightly you would've believed you were dreaming. He was drenched, sure, but you couldn't care less. He was here, with you, at the end of the world.

"You're here." You whispered in disbelief. You hadn't expect it, to be completely honest but you had hoped for him to show up.

"Of course, I promised you once that whenever you needed me, I would come and I will. I always will."

Sure, he did make that promise but when you were dating for two years. You thought after the breakup this promise would've been forgotten but Choi Seungcheol was a man of his word.

"I missed you." He muttered against you as he stroked your hair. "I have been thinking about you a lot. . . about our anniversary."

You huffed out a laugh at the memory. "Do you mean when we were so intoxicated that we stumbled into the house together like morons?"

"We didn't even make it past the kitchen, passing out right there." He reminded you. "I love you, I always have."

"Believe me, I love you too."

The tv began to rummage again, the noise made the two of you look up and stare towards it. The flashing letters took over the screen once more, announcing another warning.

"Seek shelter immediately." You looked towards Seungcheol without moving an inch, already feeling at ease. "This broadcast will go dark in five," You took in his wet hair which you always loved to tie into ridiculous ponytails just to tease him.

"Four," Your gaze fixated on his eyes next, his beautiful dark brown eyes which never failed to put you at ease in whatever situation you two had found yourselves in.

"Three," Your hands took ahold of his, squeezing gently as you knew how hard reality would hit in a few seconds. His big hands held yours in a way that made you feel comfortable.

"Two," There was so much noise outside as though the sky was falling and crashing onto Earth. Your eyes, however, without a care for what happened outside, focused on Seungcheol's smile which he held to make you feel calmer.

"One--" He leaned forward, pressing his plush soft lips against yours as he held onto you. A final explosion near your house setting off and complete darkness blinding you.

[kapyushonchan]

My (not so) short review that nobody needs hear for this update - KFOS and SOCN

*sighs* Boy, where do I start?

TLDR: KFOS and SOCN turned out disappointing. This is my personal impression, reasons below, warning - lots of letters.

KFOS - first, my minor pet peeve - I don't like that they stopped giving cutscenes with the favorites except Christian. Ram, Kamal and Sara have much fewer of them with Devi compared to him. I also noticed that the cutscenes have lost quality? Just close-ups? I've had the impression before that stories that drop in the rankings get less resources.

Second - I think Stasya doesn't "feel" the story yet, because the only emotions I experienced while reading were my disgust and tension during the dinner scene.

Well also Doran turned out well, his not-so-passive agression with wishing a long life to the queen (especially in the context that he can't express his displeasure with Englishmen directly and he can't kill them all, so he turns to caustic sarcasm) is just slay king energy.

Third - and here starts my rant - a lot of interactions feel artificial and underwhelming. Devi's confrontation with Clara in the street seemed just like that - artificial and not really well thought out. The concept of the scene itself is good - Devi sees how Indian servants are bullied in Britain and lashes out. But the tone, the consequences that author chose to portray is just.... Devi just pulls Guy Richi and shuts the racist arrogant lady up. Yayslay, but… was it me or it was underwhelming?

RANT

Come to think about it, you didn't have to go to Britain to see that behavior (or all those Indian movies I watched and a few books I read kind of misled me). AFAIK this attitude was common in occupied India, as some of the British upper and not so upper class moved there to occupy and make easy money there. They built districts to their taste and style - all those clubs and establishments where Indian servants worked and where Indians were not allowed to enter. The police, too, were subject to the British. This apartheid and humiliation could be seen in India at every step, but Devi notices it only in England? And, bear with me, but I really think she couldn't just go to a high society lady and berate her for the way she treats her servants without some consequences to her and to Christian reputation. Devi has not changed Clara's mind with this argument, and she certainly will not change the mind of the whole of English society, which stands on the opinion of the exclusivity and superiority of the British Empire over all nations that have not risen to the level of their greatness. That's how empires work. Devi's act was from the good heart, but impulsive, and she would be spoken of not with respect but with contempt, saying that Christian had chosen “a rude savage” as his bride. Because Devi is not at home. She is in the land of her enemies. Because the whole thing was truly none of her business and it's not her servant, and also doing that she could have made things much worse for the servant-girl and for Christian's reputation (breach of etiquette! that Devi likes to bring up when someone's rude to her). And in this situation it doesn’t matter how angry Devi and we as readers would have felt, because we are in a different world and we’re not making the rules there. We should be uncomfortable with this scene, we should feel anger and frustration in this scene.My point is that the scene would have been more realistic if at its outcome Devi was faced with indifference, condescension and judgment, as if Devi had done something wrong (she hadn't, she just ended up in a world where such attitudes were the norm). Devi should have felt like she was in the Looking Glass, she should have been thrown off balance by the situation. Girl power slay in the style of "I'm Basu and who are you?" doesn’t work here. Or rather it doesn't give you a nuanced outcome of the situation. Even if Devi had come out of the verbal confrontation victorious in her own eyes, society would have gaslighted her. And because of that sence of powerlessness, her anger would have gotten even greater, and she would have actually cursed Clara with the help of the Dark Mother. And Devi would realize that she can't behave in England the way she did at home. It must be infuriating, annoying, but it's something she and we as players have to put up with. It resonates with us, we have to feel these emotions. I would read, of course, how the heroine deals with injustice, but if we have a story about colonialism and the Dozen trying to throw off that yoke, why aren't we shown such scenes in all their colors? Because mere words and knowledge of the etiquette are not enough. I also think Devi's connection to the Dark Mother's anger could have played out as a sort of Death Note, where Devi curses someone and then misfortunes happen to those cursed people.

I think the artificial tone of the story is my main problem with season two in general. Devi finds herself in a foreign hostile country, but now she's acting like Amala in India and by simple demands she shuts up the lords and ladies left and right just by demanding respect and they just listen to her and shut up. And it looks like a safe route, like there are no stakes there. And with change of the “location” we have to feel discomfort - but not with food, weather and new clothes, but with a feeling like we’re walking on eggshells. Devi, in a conversation with lord What's His Face, intimidates him with Christian, and he stops harassing her. But then the same lord makes a shapito show of provocation at dinner, showing that he doesn't give a damn about Christian's opinion and doesn't give a damn about him in general. I'm not saying there shouldn't be provocation, it shouldn't have been so brazen and direct in words. After all, English high society can masterfully insult in a veiled manner, and the author's skill in writing such dialogues was clearly lacking here. Imho (just my imho) storywise here, in England, Devi should realize how lucky she is to be a member of high Bengali society where she is respected, valued and listened to, when in England she should feel that she is looked down upon, trapped and treated worse, like a second-class person, no matter what her background is. Here, if you are on a route with Christian, there should be a test of his and Devi's feelings in the context of the contempt of the entire upper class society for the "second class people" as they see Indian people to be. Christian has to experience that he has become a pariah in some way by choosing to marry a Devi.

I may have a misconception of how things worked back then, but my thoughts are that it's like all the tension is gone from the story. And there should be - it's a story essentially about two factions who hate each other, who don't want to make contact and settle because it's a story built on a colonial takeover. It's toned down here, yes, it's not historically accurate and all, BUT: if this base of historical events gives you an opportunity to use a great source of conflict, disagreement, and drama - you use it (that's why the provocation with beef at the dinner resonated with me -  I was fuming!). And alas, I'm feeling less and less of all that. Especially after the first season that SLAYED.

Also, Devi's offer to Doran to team up with Christian, to use him, would have looked different and even more tense if those political and social nuances worked, and their interaction wasn't just some game of "who knows more". What kind of games are these anyway, they're on the same side, behind enemy lines. Devi could have shared her frustration with her experience in England with Doran and then open some cards to him and admit that they need Christian's resources to determine who's sowing turmoil in the Dozen. There could have been some great GOT-style dialogue here, not just the "The Executioner despises the Englishmen and therefore won't even consider it, he needs to be persuaded", but "The Executioner has been through enough in his life to know that if there's a chance, you have to take it, politics is always played dirty". Doran is described as intelligent after all, not just angry walking muscles.

Well, that's just my thoughts and impressions, you're free to disagree with me here. I'm probably asking too much from a visual novel, I never read them with a magnifying glass to look for nitpicks, but…. But I really liked KFOS S1 ._. And I'm sad for the untapped potential.

SOCN - I was disappointed too. I think Remy's original idea to write that Agnia and Amen attack Livius and Eva but were saved by Seth worked better.

Now, it's friendship and magic, no conflict and drama. The two sides of the conflict resolve everything man-to-man, blow off steam and agree on everything.

And I have the feeling that all the seriousness of the situation has gone somewhere and everything has descended into some kind of farce.

Okay, Amen using Livius and Eva to achive his goals still works fine. But Seth, who fights Amen for fun and then agrees to cooperate with him - no. Just no. It's seems OOC. It doesn't work. Even if he's weakened like a God. Even if he needs Hemseth so much. Seth is a god, he has pride and principles, and there's no way I believe he'd choose to work with someone who kills his followers and weakens him. Neither will Amen agree to work with Seth who he thinks is some kind of Supreme shezmu. He hates the Supreme. He wouldn't go for an alliance either.

Has the writes watched too much of House of the Dragon? WHERE ARE MY CONFLICTS I'M ASKING YOU I'M GOING TO START A SCANDAL

I thought that Remy's decision that Amen and Seth couldn't be friendsto MC like the other favorites had to do with this intransigence, but no, some other reason.

What's the point of not being friends with the favorites if everyone's drinking beer and making truces with each other???