#also back to the guy; his stuff is spread out almost like mine its kinda funny

[altruistic-meme]

not sure what i did to chase off the other guy who was up here?? his stuff is still here but he left a while ago and hasn't returned yet ?????

[hero-dwelling]

On the "is tenkos dad bad for disliking superheros" message - I think it was not intended. For context, I'm someone who actually does dislike superheroes and find it kinda stupid with all the costumes and stuff - and I also by that point had soured on MHA and only read it to see how it would end - but at no moment thought I "wow Hori is attacking me and calling me a bad person for not watching MCU movies" Still I think there are other moments, where more serious problematic messages were spread by Hoir, so even if this one was true, it would kinda pale in comparison

(I mean, Horikoshi and his associates have done official tie-ins with Marvel, and he has cited it as an influence, so…)

Building off of my previous post:

I think you are correct that it is not intended. 

But I do think I am onto something. 

By its final chapter, My Hero Academia ends up perpetuating the same superhero system it tries to interrogate, criticize, and reform--with the ending offering almost no reforms. 

Maybe the supervillains end up disappearing in this ending. 

But the worshiping of heroes persists. 

And I can’t help but read Kotaro’s animosity towards superheroes as still a message of, “Don’t be like this guy--keep buying the merchandise.” 

Granted, a lot of what I’m writing here is probably plagiarizing what Bob Chipman has already covered when comparing the films The Avengers and Batman v Superman. 

To summarize Chipman’s interpretation: The Avengers presents the World Security Council as antagonists who don’t believe the Avengers can work as a solution, the film audience is now put into a position to cheer on the Avengers as an idea and hence the MCU as a viable storytelling avenue. By contrast, Batman v Superman takes more from its director’s previous work on Watchmen, suggesting that superheroes are actually a terrible idea and would not work in society.

(Chipman has gone back to this well when talking about Matt Reeves’s The Batman, so who knows whether he and I are chasing windmills.)

To share a bit where I’m coming from: I got into My Hero Academia right before the anime came out because I had heard good reviews from manga readers I knew, and I was already a fan of both the superhero genre and school life manga series. 

And the tone of the story matched largely what I prefer in superhero stories: I want the Adam West Batman, the animated Brave and the Bold, stuff like Dr. Horrible (go to hell, Whedon) and The Tick. I like the goofy, the campy, stuff that can parody the conventions of the genre. I’m not saying My Hero Academia had to be wacky, but when I enjoy something lighter but still a bit subversive or deep, I do tend to be critical when the supposed depth is illusory. And My Hero Academia did feel like it was less deep than it acted like it was. (If I can ever organize my thoughts, how Toga was handled at the very end felt like a refusal to really go further with the queer text with her and Ochaco, and killing her off refused to commit to that story.)

Since you gave your context, I’ll share mine: I have taught, written about, and presented on comics and superhero stories, including My Hero Academia. I appreciated a lot of what My Hero Academia started with--before it just fell apart for me, coincidentally when we meet Kotaro and get Shigaraki’s back story. And I think that moment if fell apart for me still ties into the point I made about Kotaro: the story is making a massive shift in focus from the heroes to the villains, and if you want people to sympathize with the villains, why not have a parental figure who is not only abusive but commanding “No superhero stuff”? 

That may be one reason why I’m also reading the manga during that League of Villains arc as insisting, intentionally or not, that the superhero stuff is still cool, because the story just felt like it was struggling to figure out how to both criticize the superhero stuff, while not getting rid of the cool costumes and powers. 

I think you could relate that as well to what Overhaul was trying to do, take on the aesthetics of supervillains while updating the yakuza for that time period. (The Seth Rogen Green Hornet film had a ton of problems, but having a villain who also was struggling to maintain his organized crime racket by slowly morphing more and more into a stereotypical comic book supervillain was an idea that had the potential to be a lot better.) 

“Sure, these villains are villains, but, first, aren’t they sympathetic, and second, while the villains have legitimate grievances against superheroes, you don’t want to be like Kotaro who just hates the heroes for being heroes! I mean, look how cool all of these characters look! Don’t you want to cosplay Shigaraki’s new outfit? Don’t you think both the superheroes and supervillains have good appearances and fun powers? Buy the video games and play as them--embody them! Buy the merch! Don’t let this dark spin to the story stop you from enjoying the story--keep giving us money!” 

However, in defense of that series, I did massively misinterpret a lot about My Hero Academia when I first wrote and presented on it. (I initially thought it was far more aspirational than it ended up becoming: I thought it was presenting a world that figured out how to be anti-racist, anti-bigotry, and pro-accessibility, then the English dub had Jiro insulting Tokoyami’s appearance, Vigilantes talking about NIMBYs and discrimination against larger-size people, and much later the back stories for Spinner and Shoji.) 

And to emphasize: I enjoy the camp and the costumes, I completely understand someone else like you not liking the superhero story and the costumes and tropes, and I don’t think My Hero Academia, intentionally or not, was trying to compare someone like you to Kotaro, so much as the story was telling the superhero fans “you don’t want to be like Kotaro, so support the superhero stuff.”

And if I could keep writing, I would talk about whether My Hero Academia had a problem that Attack on Titan ended up having, where the message, iconography, and historical references got so muddled that you don’t know what the story was trying to communicate. In other words, was Attack on Titan anti-fascism or pro-fascism? Because I gave up on that series, and it was too uncomfortable to keep seeing that story take on the icons of fascism without seeming to meaningfully condemn them so much as use them as window dressing. In other words, Attack on Titan seemed more like Starship Troopers the novel rather than Starship Troopers the movie. 

But I wish I could figure all of that out, because I think it would help address what you hint at with regard to the “more serious problematic messages” in My Hero Academia. 

I won’t put words in your mouth as you didn’t mention what those problematic messages were. 

But for me, having the heteromorphs yelling about bigotry at a Black superhero like Rock Lock was poorly done (is this story suggesting Rock Lock is propping up a bigoted system when he as a Black superhero should not do so?), the last-minute lore dumping and worldbuilding with the various anti-heteromoph massacres that could have been set up earlier, Toga just getting absolutely fridged while other characters survive far more brutal injuries and the potential refusal to just commit to a queer story there without it requiring burying the gays (and whether this ties into killing off Midnight, an incredibly in-your-face sexual person), not committing to visuals that show the actual reforms Ochaco and Shoji accomplished, and, outside of the text, the goddamn jackasses online that can’t get over that maybe Izuku is happy teaching and aren’t just insulting Izuku and the women in his life as if he is a loser in case he is still single and as if the women owe him anything. 

[ganondoodle]

something i just realized thats yet another point to the whole "sonau did all the things before the shiekah did, actually" weirdness is the helmets of those unnamed and utter voids of personality ancient sages- their weird ass sonau helmets are very clearly meant to be the titans heads but "sonau" so i guess the shiekah didnt even come up with that design on their own either, isnt that totally coolio (why are they wearing that sonau stuff anyway ... doesnt that too come off as weird?? putting face masks made of the design from the dominant culture of the king ruling everything over the other races leaders heads and not even giving them a name .. let alone a pesonality, or anything to say but the literal same exposition dump 4 times???)

also, though it is a smaller point, the sonau being supposedly "from the sky" also sitts wrong with me bc we know the shiekah had a long history of admiring the stars and trying to read from them etc, which combined with everything else just kinda adds to the weird feeling of the sonau having hijacked all of the shiekahs things in retrospect despite the shiekah as a whole having a wayyy longer history (and no i dont find it inspiring or like ... cool that the sonau are bascially the origins of everything the botw shiekah ever did, it feels not just disrespectful but like it cheapens the shiekah as a whole since now they really had never an original idea i guess lol - i swear if they meant that random "mechanical beast" that zelda apparently rode when she was trapped back in time as some sort of precursor to the eponator zero from botws dlc im gonna scream-)

additionally, the sonau being from the sky is still kinda weird to me given their other heavily used design elements are clearly based on undergound stuff, like the lightferns being literally every lamp bc i guess they knew only one kind of lamp to build, one that only gives off an eery cold slightly greenish light, (not really working in favor with that also cold grey and rather featureless blocky design of all the totk sonau structures) and the design of the constructs looking alot like mini/gigamas, i dont know if i want to believe they invented all of their stuff that isnt grey blocky rock after coming to the surface and mining the underground barren .. given how spread out their mines are they must have had a pretty strong grip on hyrule before they all went extinct from *gestures vaguely* -i think the english version puts it more vaguely but the german text def implies they all died 'somehow'- which is weird and underexplored as well-

all of this really adds to the sonau just ... not fitting into anything, not the world, the history, the design, the story, and their presentation as those only good goodestes of peoples makes me even more sus of them- i know im not the only one who was convinced that rauru was running some sort of scheme behind your back or something like that for almost the entire game (also to the person that added to this post saying that the same rauru statue being over and over at the end of the shrines made him feel even more like an "divine king" kind of dictator vibe, yes i feel like that too) and yet he is only ever presented as the oh so kind and good and perfect king by divine right, with his only mistake ever being not stabbing ganondorf right away i guess, but its fine, he died to seal gan after all uwu, what a noble guy, uwu

*sigh*

... man this entire game is such a mess once you start to think about it even a little, tbh i think zelda fans should be kinda offended this is what we are offered for an even higher price than botw after all this time ... we deserve better man :(

sorry, long post, got totk thoughts ...again

first botw vs totk shrines aesthetic and meaning; then shiekah symbolism thats overtaken by sonau

botw vs totk shrines (not in quality of puzzle since i talked about that a little before, but as in aesthetic, meaning etc)

something that worked well with shiekah shrines in botw was that these things were built SPECIFICALLY to make a future link stronger, theres that denialability to it that kinda make sense when you think about it, they are small challenges for the future hero to test and make them stronger, they are spread around the world bc you wouldnt want to hide some major source of power in one place, a monk literally sacrifices their life to enable you to gain more power their dead body waiting for you at the end (neat!!), they are each a little different in pose and clothing and im pretty sure its implied each monk made the puzzle for their shrine themselves; and the ones that rely on something happening in the world first can also be explained by their ability to see the future, the shrines and towers all rise up from the ground, which gives them that believable sense of they have been down there all this time and been activated via the net connecting them all to signal it is time- their design is also just .. nice? its got a nice contrast of the dark and the ligher brown with eye catching light from orange to blue to pink telling you in what states of operation it is (idle, working/done, corrupted) and their shape design is a very striking mix of bigger emptier spots of dark with the lighter browns wiggly lines coming in in nicely paced patches and the strong lights poking through giving you a nice soemthign for your eyes to look at (their tech is also a mix of magic stuff AND mechanism, they still look and work kinda magical but still have cogs and springs and looks like they are actual maschines put together)

totk shrines have no real denialability to why they are the way they are, its pretty clear that they are there for game reasons (and to copy botw i guess?) with no proper thought given to it (or failed to convey); they are already there when zelda does her time travel bs, and i heard (havent seen it myself? or dont remember) that the sonau shrines were built to .. keep monsters at bay? ok, im not even gonna question that part ( ... but i am .. i guess lightmagic wahtever dont think about it) so .... why do they contain a puzzle at all? its not to prevent monsters from entering since you need raurus hand to activate it (in botw you need the shiekah stone to do so which isnt really found besides yours either but ... their purpose is to test and empower you anyway .. and pehaps in a wider range to strengthen the bond with other folks when you have to work with them to get to it) then they werent present in botw so they must have ... somehow appeared out of nowhere? their connection to the lightroots might have been an attempt to try and make them feel more connected but that didnt work either imo, the shrines on the surface mirror lightroots in the underground, implying they are connected somehow, i at first thought like the lightroot is their root and the shrine is the flowerbud, but its very clearly just some ...magic rock crystal with stuff built around it including a teleportation thing thats pretty much copied from the shiekah ones (??) and you somehow ... enter magic dimension (which is .. fine, but i liked how in botws it was an elevator going down, making it feel like you are put into a physical room underground) but then there .... are also shrines in the sky ... that have no lighroot to connect to .. (i guess .. magic light wahtever dont htinkaboutit) so that part kinda falls flat- and the bring-crystal-to-shrine-spot (uhg) also debunk that thought since its a (tasty looking) green crystal that just kinda warps into a big grey rock ... for some reason, at their end is always the same colorless statue of da kind and his fridge wife (not her build) they are also missing that denialability that they were built for link specifically, sonau cant see into the future so (unless they yoinked that from the shiekah too??).. how does .. anything of that work then? especially with the crystal ones given that they are always a blessing shrine sicne bringing the crystal to its spot is counted as the puzzle but they couldnt have known that thats where it would end up at (and then ...how and why would you put a shrine thing into a crystal thing and disconnect it and throw it whereever when it manifests somehow again thousands years later- i need to stop thinking about it)- then their aesthetic is white green and gold(ish) which is a nice color combination in itself tho its lacking that neat status singaling and the eye catching contrast with their glow, the green glowy bits dont stand out as much, their shape design i dislike alot since it ... looks kinda unfinished and in a strange disconnect to their tech; buildings and statues are very blocky solid colors with the occasional rune or dragon carved into, which is also very blocky and one colored, their shapes are pretty uniform in a blocky way, theres not alot of shape contrast anywhere besides basic smaller block and bigger block, the most interesting looking ones are the ... outer walls of the shrines with their scaled look and the ground with the circle patterns; their tech and clothing is in a strange disconnect, its got a gree-tealish scale like texture in anything solid, be it tech or ornaments, it also features alot more gold and also brown stones that look rather untouched- now, for clothing, that is fine, the shiekah didnt dress like their tech either (.... mostly, ancient armor does exist) BUT the constructs and tech also have that more natural look to them

the fact that the same blocky statue waits for you at the end alsso removes not just coolness but also personality, instead of individual monks that gave their life for you and you setting them free once you take their spirit orb its the same representation of the holy king and queen giving you some light juice to cure you more of miasma .. which doesnt actually matter sicne you get your normal arm back no matter how many light juices you got at the end anyway (their "tech" also just looks less like actual maschinery and much more like .. magic tm, the constructs have nothing maschinery like about them and are just floating rings animated by green magic wiggle lines and function almost the same as literal bokblins with the added thing of being able to fuse/use tech.. the empty spot of a threat like the guardians is very prominent once you realize that the constructs are largely just like a reskinned bokblin, and the miasma hands, while neat, are more like a surprise jumpscare and less like a looming threat and are also not taken to their full potential)

theres also a disconnect between the sonau as we are introduced to them in totk and the actual sonau ruins from botw, which share a common dragon motive but have a much more .. MORE aesthetic, theres even color present you dont see anywhere in totk sonau stuff, like the red paint- you are given the explanation that those are ruins built by hylians as a monument to the sonau but i think it falls very flat sicne its clear it wasnt designed to be meant like that in botw and also looks much more withered than the totk sonau ruins which rarely look withered at all despite being even older than the botw ruins; im very sure its jsut an excuse bc their design for totk sonaus got changed ... for some reason, just like their "barbaric" origins in the phirone/faron region

shiekah symbolism and more kinda overtaken by sonau

so, soemthing i really dont like about the sonau as well is that theres quite a bit that they take from shiekah and kinda... present it as being the origin of it, actually;

we all know the very dominant symbol of the eye/third eye with three eyelashes and a tear drop for the shiekah which is established in the very first chronological game (skyward sword) but also featured in alot of other zeldas, it symbolizing their connection to hylia and their foresight (perhaps even more? i dont know everything); now we got the sonau who ... have a LITERAL third eye (and it doesnt even look special ..) that has three lashes and they paint tear drops under their eyes... (which has only the connection to .. the tears zelda sheds when shes a dragon, no other character does so at any other point, lol?) it makes it seem like we are to assume that the shiekah got their symbols from the sonau, actually, just like their tech wasnt their invention either but the sonaus, actually, who are new to the franchise and have no other connection to anything of past games, unlike the shiekah who have been there from the start really

then theres the tech, the ancient shiekah had very advanced, mystical tech in botws ancient history and now the even MORE ancient sonau had even MORE advanced tech way before them in totks lore which goes beyond even botws ancient history

im not saying symbols gotta be exclusive to one group of people but .. it holds alot of significance carried from the older games too, it feels strange for them to highjack the shiekah symbols and achievements WITHIN the two games that are supposedly directly connected in timeline and world (while also pairing them with those supposedly aniecnt hylian feather crowns and belly out look ... which, im no expert but i raise my eyebrow at that) together with the fact that nearly any and all traces of shiekah tech, except for the little needed parts that are never called that though and are just footnotes .. if anything, are precisely erased feels .... off

another long ramble about my thougths about totk, some people graciously call them analysis but i wouldnt say its that, its jsut a largely incoherent waterfall of words that would have spun around in my head for weeks if i didnt write them out and i keep coming up with more thoughts bc im thinking about the rewrite and well ...

im gonna have art soon again ... promise <(＿　＿)>

[lilith-jean-stark]

Secrets

Warnings: none!

Summary: You and Peter find out each other’s secrets by accident.

A/n: I’ll be setting up a blurb night soon! So stay tuned 😎

You got off the train and made your way to school. Another boring day at mid-town high. Being the sister of Tony Stark had its perks, but it also had its downsides. No one knew that you were Tony’s sister, but you had to admit that being the secret sister was nice because you didn't have people up in your face all the time, except Peter Parker. Peter Parker was the only one who knew your secret. You and Peter had been friends for years and up until a couple weeks ago he had no idea about your secret. You stupidly were doing work for Tony in your notebook while having lunch at school one day, when Peter happened to sit next to you.

*flashback*

"Ugh this formula isn't working." You thought to yourself. Maybe it was just this noisy cafeteria that was making it difficult to think.

"Hey whatcha doing?" Peter said sliding beside you on the bench. Peters eyes widened "Stark industries?" He said a bit too loudly.

"Peter shush!" You snapped and scurried to get your notes into your book bag.

"What are you doing with formulas from Stark industries?" Peter whispered.

"That's not what it is." You rolled your eyes, "silly Peter." You booped his nose with your index finger.

Peter blushed, "uhm yes y/n it is, uh," he stuttered then shook his head to break his gaze with you, "Yes it is, I have an internship, I've seen them."

"I can't say." You groaned, annoyed he didn't take the nose boop as bait to change the subject.

"Come on, it's not like I'd tell anyone." He whined.

"Okay fine, but you have to swear that you won't tell anyone." You said sticking your pinky out for the two of you to pinky swear.

"I swear." Peter said locking his pinky with yours.

You leaned in and whispered "Tony Stark is my older brother and I kinda own part of Stark industries."

"No way!" Peter looked at me in shock.

"Yes way, but it's not a big deal." You laughed and showed him a picture of you and Tony with your parents before they died.

"Wow, he's pretty cool, isn't he?" Peter said in awe.

"Maybe to you because of your internship, but as a brother he's kinda lame." You smirked and nudged Peter with your elbow, to let him know you were only joking.

*end flashback*

You smiled to yourself at how understanding Peter had been about keeping your identity from him. You stood at your locker and sorted the books you needed for class into your bag.

"Y/n!" You heard Peter shout from the other end of the hall.

You waved to him and he jogged down the hallway to you.

"How's it hanging Parker?" You asked as he leaned against the locker next to yours.

"You ready for that Chem test tomorrow?" He asked.

You rolled your eyes, you and Peter had known each other for years and he still forgets that you’re pretty much a genius.

"Sorry forgot we have a prodigy here." Peter put his hands up in defense. "Actually May has been asking about you, she wants you to come over for dinner tonight." He said, crossing his arms.

"Peter you didn't tell her did you?" You said in a hushed voice.

"What? No! She asked what you've been up to, because you know she hasn't seen you around in awhile. So I lied..." Peter trailed off and looked at you with hopeful eyes. "I said you had an internship at Stark industries too."

You laughed slightly, "I'll send Tony a text and let him know I won't be home for dinner.

"Sweet, you're not mad?" He asked.

"No peter I'm not mad. You're actually a genius for telling her that." You smiled at him for being so sweet and for protecting your secret. Even though you knew he was dying to tell Ned and pretty much anyone who would listen.

"Oh and Ned might be by later too. He's got this lego Death Star he wants to build." Peter said staring to get all giddy.

"Wait, didn't you two build that a couple months ago?" You raised an eyebrow curiously at him.

Peters face went red, "oh yea i meant he needed help with his homework." He said quickly and started off down the hall, "gotta go gonna be late for class."

You sighed and headed to class. You didn't think anything of Peters weird behavior, due to the fact that Peter was sometimes scatter brained.

Peter got to math class and sat next to Ned.

"You can't come over tonight." Peter whispered to him.

"Why not , the Death Star isn't going to build itself Peter."

"Y/n is coming over for supper and she thinks we already put it together. She'll get suspicious." Peter whisper yelled.

"Fine, but it wouldn't have to be rebuilt if someone didn't make me drop it." Ned rolled his eyes at him "And you haven't told her about you know what yet?"

"No I can't Ned." He mumbled.

Later after school peter went and did his usual spider man stuff. He was just about done and was heading home and then realized that he had forgot about you. He raced home and climbed into his room through the window. His bedroom door was already shut, so he dropped to the floor and took his mask off.

The door opened, "hey Peter, May said to make myself at home..." you started to say, your eyes focused on your phone.

Peter quickly pressed his suits release button and let it fall to the floor, then kicked it under his bed.

"She said I'd find you in..." You stopped short of yourself when you looked up from your phone, to see Peter standing there in front of you in his boxers. It was just like Ned all over again, Peter had thought to himself.

"Woah Sorry Parker." You put your hands up in defense and smirked, holding back laughter. You stood there staring at him and laughed, "I guess I should have knocked."

Peter blushed, "Aunt May, can you please stop letting people in my room without knocking!" He shouted.

"I'll go check out what May is up too and come back when your dressed." You said.

"No, its fine!" Peter said, grabbing a sweatshirt and pulling on pants.

"Why were you in your underwear anyway?" You asked.

"I was warm." He lied.

You shut the door and glared at Peter. "You better not be lying to me. You realize that I have access to the worlds largest data pool, if I want to know something, I’ll find out."

"Look Y/n, i am not lying." Peter almost couldn't get the words out. You frightened him sometimes, you were very confident and fierce, never caring what others thought of you.That and you were smarter than him and you were pretty much one of the most powerful people in America with being a stark. Even if Peter was a good liar, you could still tell whether he was lying or not and if looks could kill, you would be shooting daggers from your eyes.

Peter watched you as you tilted your head to look behind him. "So what's that?" You pointed to the underneath of his bed.

"Nothing, just stuff."

"Peter?" You pushed past him and grabbed his Spider-Man suit and pulled it out from under the bed.

"You just happen to have a bright red leotard?" You questioned and then spread it out before he could rip it out of her hands. "Peter!!!!" You gasped and dropped the suit, "That's spider mans suit, I built that!" You shot him a look, "wait are you Spider-Man?" You asked as your eyes grew wide with realization.

"Yes." Peter said annoyed and grabbed the suit, hiding it in his bookbag. Then he realized what you had said, his eyes widened "you built that?!"

You grabbed the bookbag and pulled the suit from it. "Yes I did, Tony asked me to do a suit for some spider guy. I didn't think he was talking about you!" You exclaimed and examined the suit. "What did he tell you about the suit?” You asked.

"Mr. Stark said he made it." Peter said nervously.

"God of course he did.” You rolled your eyes. “Anyway that's besides the point, you're Spider-Man and you've been using my tech to help you fight crime? Did Tony tell you about the formulas too!? Is that why you caught me in the cafeteria." You looked anxious and kept looking at the suit.

 "No, the formula I noticed was mine..." Peter looked down at his hands.

"Wait, the spider web goo, you made that?" You looked at him in disbelief.

"Yes I did, I gave the formula to Mr. Stark because he wanted to see if he could improve it. Then he told me to leave it how it was. I was confused when I saw you with it because Mr. Stark was the only person I told. So I figured you had to be working on Stark industries stuff if you had my web formula." Peter explained.

"Peter that's the coolest chemical reaction I've ever seen! I love playing with that stuff!" You said excitedly.

Peter blushed and you pulled him into a hug. “Let’s get out there before May starts getting suspicious.” You said almost as a hum, you were as happy as could be and even happier now that you and Peters secrets were out.

[quickspinner]

Not Exactly a Loophole (but he'll take it)

Luka's got a crush on one of his regulars, but there's just one problem. His mom may not be big on rules, but when it comes to her bar Nanarchy's, the few she has are nonnegotiable--including the rule that employees are not allowed to ask out patrons. With Juleka also pining for a cute customer, Luka's determined to find a loophole...but the universe seems to have its own plans.

Rating: T (mostly for language)

This one is a belated birthday gift, but not for me--for the lovely @mamanabeille! It was meant to be a meet cute featuring EMT Marinette, but bartender Luka kinda stole the spotlight, so it didn’t quite come out like I intended, but I hope you all (and especially MA!) enjoy it anyway! 

The bar was nearly empty the first time she walked in, but Luka was sure he would have noticed her in the craziest crowd. She paused in her approach to the bar when she saw him, but when Luka gave her a friendly smile and simply asked what he could get her, she came the rest of the way over and slid onto a stool, ordering her drink in a quiet, hesitant voice, pulling out her wallet.. 

“I thought Juleka was working tonight,” she said as he took her card and opened a tab for her. 

“She will be.” He glanced at the clock. “In about an hour.” 

Her eyes widened slightly. “An—“ She frowned, pulling out her phone, and then something seemed to click and she folded her arms, pouting, as he set up to mix her drink. Luka felt like pouting, too, over the fact that Juleka had seen her first. She was really cute.

“They told me the wrong time,” she grumbled. “Because they thought I would be late. Which means I nearly killed myself getting home to change and get back here for nothing .” 

“Not for nothing,” Luka said easily. “Juleka’ll be here in an hour. We’re not busy, I don’t mind if you camp out. You look amazing, I’m sure she wouldn’t want to miss you.” 

She looked a little confused for a moment, and then her eyes went round and she touched her fingertips to her soft red mouth. “Oh, n-no, I’m not, uh—I mean I don’t um—“

Luka winked at her. “It’s okay, I won’t tell her anything.” 

“Rose!” she squeaked, waving her hands so frantically that Luka instinctively slid her drink out of the way. “I’m friends with Rose! She wanted to come while Juleka was working, and I had a—a bad experience at the bar I used to go to, and she said that kind of thing doesn’t happen here, and a bunch of us were supposed to meet up so Rose could fli—TALK! To Juleka and the rest of us could have a drink and hang out in peace but they gave me the wrong time because I’m late for everything, but for once I’m not late and now I’m stuck here with you and—“ She slapped a hand over her mouth and looked so horrified that Luka could only laugh. 

“Well, Rose is right, we don’t allow any kind of disrespectful behavior here, my mom’s very strict about it. She values Nanarchy ’s reputation as a safe space and she’s very particular about it. I promise you, being her son wouldn’t excuse me from an ass-kicking if I was inappropriate with you, or stood by while anyone else was, so feel free to hang out and wait for your friends.” He picked up another glass, flipped it in his hand before scooping it full of ice, and then he filled it with water and set it in front of his reluctant customer. “My name’s Luka, just let me know if you need anything.” 

He lingered long enough for her to smile tentatively back at him, and then busied himself far enough away from her that she wouldn’t feel crowded, setting up the wells and making sure everything was stocked and topped off before the rush started. 

Marinette nursed her drink and pouted, annoyed with her friends for wasting her time this way. Sure, she was always late, but her job was demanding and she wasn’t always in control of when she was able to leave. She couldn’t just ditch Adrien to handle it all, that would be mean. As it was, she’d been late leaving her shift today, and she had scrambled home to get home and get herself presentable and get here in time. 

Then she walked in, triumphantly on time and not even in her work clothes, and those losers she called friends weren’t even here! And then she got all confused and tongue-tied and practically preemptively accused the cute bartender of harassment, even though in two minutes of conversation she could tell that he wasn’t anything like that guy that ran Graham’s and—

She groaned quietly and dropped her head on her arms. 

Luka didn’t look back at her, but there was a slight quirk of his lips and the tiniest motion of his head in her direction that said he knew she was watching him. He set the two handful of beers he had just picked up on the bar in front of him and dipped a hand in his back pocket, coming out with a bottle opener spinning on one finger. He flicked the caps off the bottles in quick succession and then with another twirl, the bottle opener went back to his pocket like a six-shooter into a cowboy’s holster in some old western. Marinette giggled, and only then did he tilt his head in her direction and wink. 

Marinette squeaked and buried her suddenly red face back in her arms. She was pretty sure she heard a low chuckle from down the bar. 

Juleka walked in about forty-five minutes later. She took one look at Luka and asked, “What happened?” 

“Hmm?” Luka looked up at her from where he was slicing limes.

“That’s the dumbest grin I’ve ever seen on your face,” Juleka commented as she tied her apron on. “And that’s saying a lot. What gives?” 

“Nothing,” Luka said, resisting the temptation to squirt her with lime juice. It was too early in the evening to escalate that far. “I’m just in a good mood.” 

Juleka’s eyebrows raised. “You’re always in a good mood. You don’t always grin like a dope.” Luka opened his mouth to say something rude when they were both distracted by a surprisingly strong but very feminine voice carrying the length of the bar. 

“Luka!” Both of them looked down the bar to the pretty dark-haired lady waving at him (and wincing slightly as she realized how loud she’d been), and Luka’s grin grew wider as he waved a hand to acknowledge her. 

“I’ll get it,” Juleka said as he reached for a towel to clean his hands.

Luka took a step back to block her from getting around him. “Oh no you don’t. She’s my customer.” 

Juleka blinked at him in surprise and then smirked. “Oh. I see.” 

“You see nothing,” Luka told her, tossing the towel at her face as he made a beeline down the bar. “Back off. You can serve their table later, but while she’s at the bar, she’s mine.” 

“Never knew you were so possessive,” Juleka muttered, moving the towel aside with two fingers and dropping it into the dirty bin with a gesture of distaste. 

“Laugh it up, I’m gonna get you back soon,” Luka called back, and turned to his customer. “Doing all right? What can I get for you?” he asked, smiling as he leaned his hands on the bar in front of her. 

“My friends are almost here,” she said, setting her phone on the bar where he could see the message chain. “I was going to go ahead and order for them if that’s okay?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Luka said, looking at the list of drinks. When he was sure he had the order, he leaned back and smiled at her. “You can go find a table if you want, I’ll get the drinks ready and have Juleka bring them to you.” He winked, and she giggled. 

“That would be perfect. And...thanks, Luka,” she smiled, blushing a little, and he thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. “My name’s Marinette, by the way. Which...you actually probably knew, because you opened my tab, um...” 

“I did,” he grinned, and began setting up glasses on the bar top. “But it’s nice to hear it from you.” Marinette gathered her things slowly; she’d spread out across the bar as she’d waited, with pens and a small notebook and a set of index cards with neat notes scattered across her part of the bar.

Luka pulled his mind to the task, picking up a jigger and flipping it in his hand. Realizing that Marinette was still watching him, he poured some liquor and then gave the jigger a flip around his hand as he made eye contact with Marinette. He had to chuckle when her eyes widened slightly and her face flamed up red. She forgot all about picking up her things as she watched him mix the drinks, and he struggled not to show off too much, amused at her fascination. He quirked an eyebrow at her and she suddenly remembered what she was supposed to be doing, and began picking her things up haphazardly. She reached for a pen, but knocked it with her fingers, sending it spinning off the back of the bar. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry—” she exclaimed just as Luka’s hand snapped out and caught it before it could fall to the floor. Fortunately he hadn’t been holding anything liquid at the time, and he hastily picked up the shaker he’d dropped on the bar and set it back upright before handing Marinette her pen back.

“It’s okay,” he said soothingly. “No big, Marinette. Relax.” 

She was staring at him, her blue eyes round, and slowly she took the pen back from him. “Thanks,” she whispered, and shrank a little, tucking the last few things in her purse.

“My pleasure,” Luka smiled. “Seriously, Marinette, you’re here to unwind. Don’t sweat the small stuff, okay? No pressure here. Just take your time.” He flipped a shaker up over his shoulder and caught it behind his back, and Marinette put her chin in her fist and pouted again. 

“How do you do that?” she asked enviously. “I’m such a klutz when I’m not focusing.” 

“Practice,” Luka shrugged. “I’ve been working here since I was old enough to be behind the bar, so. It’s not really anything special, but it makes pretty girls smile, so…” He grinned at her, and then motioned behind her. “Table six is the quietest, over there by the wall. I’ll have the rest of these done in just a minute, and—”

“Marinette!” someone squealed from the door and Luka chuckled. 

“—And there’s your friends,” he said, as Marinette turned and waved. 

She turned back and gave him a smile that nearly knocked him off his feet. “Thanks a bunch, Luka, really. You’ve been great.” 

“Any time,” he barely managed to answer, and had to swallow quickly afterwards. He mixed the rest of the drinks on autopilot, his eyes darting back to Marinette as she and her friends settled at their table. He saw the petite blond with her raise her hand and wiggle her fingers, and a quick glance down the bar showed him Juleka standing as if she had been hit in the back of the head with a board, a faint rosy color tinting her pale cheeks.

Luka grinned and loaded the cocktails on a tray before carrying them down to her. “These are for six,” he told her, and she looked at him stupidly. Luka smirked. “You know that saying about people who live in glass houses?” he grinned, nudging her arm before he headed back to the next customer waving for his attention. “Don’t drop anything,” he called back, and heard Juleka snort. 

***

Girls Night was no longer the trial that it used to be. Marinette loved everything about Nanarcy’s . Their aesthetic was cool and unique, their atmosphere was fun and chaotic in a controlled way, their live music nights were amazing, and they didn’t overpour, so everybody was only as drunk as they wanted to be at the end of the night. 

And their bartenders were hot. Rose was head over heels for the quiet, dark-haired Juleka, and Marinette was pretty well smitten by the kind, gentle man with the shaggy hair and the soft eyes, who never seemed to take offense no matter how many times she put her foot in her mouth. She’d never been as early as she had that first day, but she did rush just a little to beat the girls there, so that she could sit and talk to Luka for a bit before the rush hit. 

He was just so nice , and easy to talk to, and perceptive, and she always relaxed after a few minutes in his company.

Unfortunately Marinette couldn’t be early all the time, and the girls were already at their table and there was already a crowd at the bar before she arrived.

She stood on her tiptoes, looking over the crowd, and saw Luka about the same time he saw her. He flashed her a broad grin that set butterflies wild in her stomach. She gave him a small wave and then formed her fingers into a d, their sign that she was the designated driver tonight. She saw him nod, and started working her way through the crowd to the bar. 

Luka picked up his napkin and did that funny flick with his fingers that sent it spinning onto the bar right in front of her. Marinette really wanted to know how he did that, but his hand moved so fast she couldn’t follow it no matter how many times she watched him. She saw him chuckle at her pout as he flipped a tumbler in his hand, filled it with ice and soda water,  and then set it on the napkin. “Good to see you, Marinette,” was all he had time to say, but his warm, smooth voice still made her melt a little on the inside. 

She lingered at the bar for just a moment, watching him joke and banter as he flipped and spun bottles and tumblers and shakers, dropping them to catch behind his back, his movements all smooth and practiced. He’d told her once that what he did wasn’t actually that hard, but it still looked like magic to her. It had surprised her at first; he’d struck her as a quiet, laid-back kind of guy, not someone who enjoyed crowds and attention—but then she’d seen him play with the band one night, and understood. Luka might be quiet on his own, but in front of an audience, he was a performer, and if she’d thought what he did behind the bar was impressive, seeing him on stage with his guitar was, well...breathtaking. 

For all that flash, though, it was watching him shake a drink that made her go weak, eyes glued to the lines of his arms and the slight smirk on his face. Marinette picked up her soda and headed back to the girls’ table before she could embarrass herself by swooning on the bar. The girls gave her knowing looks when she arrived, but other than the smirks, they left her mercifully alone about her increasingly obvious crush. 

Marinette felt fortunate that Rose was more fun to tease (and safer; Rose didn’t flail and knock over drinks when she got flustered). Rose blushed and denied and then gave herself away by sighing dreamily as she looked at the tall girl behind the bar. Marinette couldn’t help covering a snicker with her hand, though as her gaze followed Rose’s, her traitorous eyes snapped straight to Luka. 

He seemed to be in some kind of one-up contest with his sister, the grin on his face positively wicked as he balanced a cocktail on a bar spoon on his forearm—which required to him to keep his arm flexed in a way that made the normally subtle swell of muscles along his arm much more obvious. Marinette groaned and leaned on Rose, who was peeking through her fingertips and trying not to squeal as Juleka rolled her eyes and set up a row of glasses in front of the bar. Twirling a bottle in each hand, Juleka smirked at Luka. Luka was good, but Juleka obviously outmatched him in this context. She was herself beautiful and elegant, with her hair tied back in a thick braid and perfectly done makeup that highlighted her fine bone structure. Her features were a little rounder than Luka’s sharp angles, and she was tall and slender without being as lanky as Luka. The pair of them together were unfairly attractive. 

Juleka’s motions at the bar were fluid and graceful, without any wasted movement, and she was fast . She filled the cocktails on the bar in front of her, mixing them up first and then stacking the shakers to pour all four glasses at once. Then she turned to Luka, plucked the glass off of his spoon with a lifted eyebrow, and set it on her tray, swinging it up onto her shoulder. Luka made a laughing gesture that was clearly I surrender , and Juleka smirked as she went around the side of the bar.

“She’s so beautiful,” Rose swooned into Marinette’s side, and Marinette smiled, bumping her shoulder into Rose, who just flopped in the other direction to drape herself over Mylene and sigh some more.  Marinette gave her friend an affectionate look, and then tried to school her expression as Juleka appeared at their table, setting cocktails in front of them with practiced ease and a quiet, “Welcome back,” with a subtle smile. Her eyes, though a different color, were as intense as Luka’s, and Marinette thought they stayed focused on Rose for a beat longer than the others. Then Juleka’s gaze flicked to Marinette’s drink and her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Refill?” she asked. 

“No thank you,” Marinette said automatically, and Juleka nodded. Those amber eyes flicked back to Rose as she set the last cocktail down in front of her. “Enjoy,” was all she said, but there was a subtle quirk of a smile to her lips, and Marinette could feel Rose freezing like a deer in the headlights at her side. Then Juleka was gone again, her heavy braid swinging behind her, before Rose could even think of anything to say back. 

“Ooh,” Rose moaned, frustrated, grabbing her drink. 

“Next time,” Mylene said consolingly, patting Rose’s arm. “It’s busy here tonight. I’m sure she’ll be back when there’s more time to chat.” 

That was true, Marinette thought, but still...they’d been coming here for weeks and things didn’t seem to be going anywhere. She’d thought Juleka was interested but maybe…

“You know what, I’ve changed my mind,” she said, picking up her glass and sliding out of her seat. “I think I do want a refill.”

“It just tastes better when Luka serves it,” Alix snickered, and Marinette pretended not to hear her as she made her way to the bar. She needed some answers, and maybe it was time to try the direct approach. 

Luka was hopeless, he knew, watching Marinette’s table out of the corner of his eye even as he teased Juleka. He didn’t care if it made sense or not; he was crazy into the girl, and her mere presence made him feel more alive. 

Juleka snatched his cocktail and Luka had to move quickly to catch the bar spoon and dump it in the bin. He waved Juleka off with a laugh and glanced back at the table again where Marinette was consoling her little blond friend, who was clearly suffering after Juleka’s display. That only made him grin wider. 

Luka allowed himself one lovesick sigh. Marinette was so beautiful, and he loved the way she put so much individuality into the way she dressed, and the contours of the muscles in her arms as she waved them about, talking with her hands. She was funny, and she was sweet, and she was smart , and every time she came in he entertained fantasies of quitting on the spot, confessing his love, and running off with Marinette in the rain (he wasn’t sure why it was always raining in his fantasies, but it seemed to fit her for some reason). His mom would probably forgive him. Eventually. 

Juleka would kill him though, and besides, he liked his job and he got to see Marinette almost every week. And...maybe he was a little bit chicken. Just a tiny bit. There was every chance that instead of falling into his arms and agreeing to run away with him, Marinette would be startled and freaked out and run away without him, and then he’d be out of a job with a broken heart in the bargain. Just because she liked joking around with him, and watching him (because he definitely didn’t miss her eyes on him, with as often as his were on her), didn’t mean she was interested in the reality of dating him—especially if he were suddenly jobless. 

So the fantasies would stay just that for now. 

Ugh, sometimes he really wanted to...hug his mother in a bone-crushing but loving way and tell her that for someone so hung up on freedom, her rules were a righteous pain in his ass. 

That would probably get him fired too. If you fire me, I’ll have to come live back at home with you , he mentally argued with his imaginary mother, but it didn’t work any better in his imagination than it would have in real life.

Unfortunately Juleka didn’t seem to be having any better luck than he did. Luka had a half-formed plan to call in a favor so he could get Juleka cut early, so that she could run into Rose on her way out and get around Anarka’s rules that way, when he was startled out of his thoughts by someone calling his name.

Luka was moving down the bar to smile at Marinette before he’d even fully processed that she was calling him, but the crease between her brows made him hesitate slightly. 

“Juleka didn’t get you a refill?” he asked, but Marinette shook her head. 

“I told her I didn’t need one, and then I changed my mind.” She set her glass on the table and nudged it towards him. “Also...well, I want to ask you something.” She shifted uncomfortably, and Luka swallowed as if that would keep the sudden butterflies in his stomach confined there.

“Anything,” he said glibly, with a smile that showed no trace of his nervousness. “What’s on your mind?” 

“Well, it’s just...do you think…” She glanced up at him shyly, and looked down, cheeks pinking. 

Luka leaned his elbows on the counter and lowered his head, cocking it slightly to show he was listening. His fingers laced together and squeezed tight in front of him.

“Does Juleka like Rose?” Marinette asked, glancing nervously back at their table. 

Luka blinked. “Ah…”

“Before you answer,” Marinette said quickly, turning back to him. “It’s just that Rose really, really likes Juleka, but Juleka hasn’t...well she does flirt some, but Rose isn’t sure, and...I just don’t want to be encouraging her to pursue something hopeless, so I’d really appreciate it if you’d tell me now if Juleka’s not interested in her. I won’t say anything to Rose, not directly, I just...if it’s not going to happen, I can maybe get her to—”

“It’s not hopeless,” Luka interrupted, trying not to laugh, though whether at his own stupidity or Rose and Juleka’s, he wasn’t sure. “It’s definitely not hopeless. The only thing hopeless is my poor little sister.”

“Oh,” Marinette breathed, and then smiled. “Okay then. I’ll tell Rose not to give up?”

“Definitely not,” Luka confirmed, straightening. “But we’re not allowed to ask out customers, so she’s either got to catch Juleka on off hours or make the first move herself. Mom’s a real stickler about it. I’d get in less trouble for being high on the job than hitting on a customer.”

“Oh,” Marinette’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, I see. I...I guess that makes sense. And Rose hasn’t wanted to be creepy if Juleka was just…” She blushed, surprisingly intensely. “You know, being nice because it’s her job.” 

Luka snorted. “Juleka’s not nice.” 

Something hit the back of his head and Luka straightened to find Juleka glaring at him. “What are you saying about me, jerk?” she demanded, and Luka rolled his eyes, looking back at Marinette.

“See?” he grinned.

“Shut up and move,” Juleka grunted, shoving his arm until he stepped aside for her to get by. 

“Someone’s in a mood,” he called after her, and she turned her back to the bar and flipped him off where only he could see. 

“Rude,” he chuckled, and focused back on Marinette. “Look, I can’t speak for her, but as her brother...I don’t think your friend has anything to worry about, yeah?”

Marinette gave him a dazzling smile. “Thanks Luka. I really appreciate it.” 

“Anything for you,” he grinned automatically. 

“Send us another round for the table when you get a chance?” 

“Sure. I’ll have Jules drop it off.” He winked at her, and her smile got even brighter.

“Perfect.” She gave a happy little bounce before she hopped off the stool and went back to the table. Luka watched her go, and saw her look back at him over her shoulder. He sighed. 

“Dumbass,” he said to himself, shaking his head as he turned away to get their drinks ready.

Well, at least Juleka would be happy. If Rose still felt weird about asking her out, he could still try and get Juleka cut early the next weekend. Victor was always asking for more hours, surely he’d do Luka a favor if it meant weekend night tips…

Not that that helped Luka any. He looked back towards Marinette’s table and sighed. 

Well, he’d get his own chance eventually—or he’d make one, if he had to. 

***

“I’m missing girl’s night,” Marinette huffed, throwing herself behind the wheel. She was missing seeing Luka, she thought petulantly. Her one night a week to see him and she was missing it because Adrien had said something stupid to the person resonsible for their schedules, and she was his partner, so she was guilty by association.

“I said I was sorry,” Adrien sighed, hauling himself up into the passenger side of the ambulance.”

“Say it again,” Marinette grumbled. 

Adrien groaned, slumping into his seat. “I promise that I have never in my life been more sorry than I am at this moment, facing this whole shift with you in this mood.”

Marinette glared at him, but the radio called their attention. 

Their first few calls were simple enough, but the next one made Marinette suck in her breath sharply. 

“What?” Adrien asked, looking at her. 

“That’s my girls’ night bar,” Marinette breathed. “26-year-old male…it could be Luka...”

Adrien raised an eyebrow at her. “You want to pass it on?” he asked, not unkindly. 

Marinette shook her head. “Nobody else is even close. Let’s go, but you take lead if it’s—if it’s someone I know.”

“It’s probably not,” Adrien reassured her, flipping on the lights and sirens.

Marinette made a noncommittal noise, trying to ignore the cold weight that had settled in the pit of her stomach. Adrien put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed—and then braced himself as Marinette pulled out into traffic.  

When they walked into the bar, they had to shove their way through the crowd that had formed in a ring being kept back by a man and a woman wearing shirts that identified them as security. 

“Marinette!” Rose cried, waving at her with one hand, and for an instant, Marinette froze.

Luka was sitting in a chair, looking dazed. He kept trying to get up, but Juleka shoved him back down with one hand. Rose was pressing a blood-stained towel to his head. 

“Oh no,” Marinette murmured. Adrien squeezed her arm, and then moved past her, his stride purposeful. Marinette pulled herself together and followed, pressing her lips together. This was her job, after all, and she was good at it. It was just another call, and Luka would be fine.

Luka was confused as hell, and his brain didn’t quite feel connected to his body. He was vaguely aware that his head hurt, but he couldn’t seem to make sense of what was going on. He’d woken up on the floor, and then he’d nearly fallen when he tried to stand, and Juleka had shoved him into a chair and fluttered over him, alternately swearing at him and sounding at the edge of tears, and Luka still had no idea what was going on.

“What happened?” he asked.

“You’re a fucking idiot, that’s what happened,” snapped Juleka. “We have bouncers for a reason , dumbass.” 

“Bouncers?” Luka asked, bewildered. He blinked, trying to focus and clear the fog from his mind. The room didn’t seem to want to be still. It wasn’t spinning, exactly, just tilted to the left slightly. A flash of white crossed his vision and he focused on it for a moment, and then blinked again, still confused and sure he couldn’t be seeing what he was seeing. “Marinette?”

“Hey, Luka,” she smiled, leaning over him. 

Luka grinned. “Hi.” Then he frowned. “Thought you were working tonight.” 

“I am working,” Marinette said gently, pulling something out of her breast pocket, and Luka vaguely registered that the white he had seen was some kind of uniform shirt. Then he jumped slightly and blinked as she shone a light in his eyes. “He lost consciousness?” she asked, but then Luka was distracted from Marinette as someone else took his arm. He blinked down at a blond man that had knelt next to his chair and was pulling... stuff out of a bag beside him. 

“Yes,” Rose confirmed from somewhere behind him. 

“Luka, was it?” the blond man asked. “I’m Adrien. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Kentucky sunrise,” Luka muttered. “Told Jules to keep an eye on the guy, he seemed shady.” 

“He was shady,” Juleka said, fingers squeezing on his shoulder. “He got nasty and I told him to leave, and he grabbed me, and then this idiot jumped the bar to come get involved and—it’s kind of a blur after that, but he got Luka in the head with a glass or a bottle or something.”

“Where’s the guy now?” Marinette asked. 

“Ivan’s got him in the back, waiting for the cops.” 

Luka tried to follow the conversation, but he couldn’t seem to concentrate for very long. Adrien started asking him questions, and Luka’s world greyed out a bit as he tried to focus enough to give the right answer. They seemed like really dumb questions, and Adrien kept touching Luka’s head where it hurt. Luka tried to push his hands away, but Marinette caught Luka’s hand and squeezed it tight. Luka looked back at her, focusing on the cool blue of her eyes. She asked him something, but he didn’t quite catch it. 

Fuck, he was tired. He just wanted to get somewhere quiet and dark and less peopled and go to sleep. 

Marinette’s hand on his cheek brought him back to reality a bit. She was frowning. “Luka, do you feel sick?” 

“No,” Luka sighed, eyes fluttering closed. “Just tired.”

“Luka,” Marinette said sharply, and he opened his eyes again. “Don’t go to sleep, okay?”

Luka whined, but tried to keep his eyes open. He leaned his head on Juleka’s stomach, and felt her hand stroke gently through his hair. He must really be messed up, he thought with mild amusement, for Jules to be that gentle. 

“I think we better take him in for evaluation,” Marinette said to...someone. “He’s definitely got a concussion, and that head lac needs stitches.” 

“Agreed,” said Adrien, and Luka began to lose the battle to stay awake. “Come on, stay with us.” Someone squeezed Luka’s arm, and Luka struggled to open his eyes again.

Luka lost track of what was going on after that, moving mechanically when someone asked him to and just trying to stay awake. The only thing he really registered was Marinette leaning over him in the back of the ambulance, stroking his hair back from his face and looking at him with such softness that his breath caught even through his fog. “I’ll drive,” she said. “Take care of him for me.” 

Luka was confused until Marinette disappeared from his side and Adrien settled in next to him instead, a faintly amused look on his face. “She must really like you,” Adrien commented under his breath. “She hates to give up the action and drive.” 

Luka smiled weakly. 

***

The hospital was a confused sequence of waiting rooms and big noisy machines, but as they sat through it all, Luka began to regain some focus and clarity, and by the time they came to tell him that he was fine, he pretty much was, aside from the throbbing in his head where they’d stitched the wound closed and the anesthetic was wearing off. 

“We’re going to keep you the rest of the night for observation,” the ER doctor told him, “But unless there’s any sudden changes, you should be good to go tomorrow. Just take it easy for the next few days.” 

Luka didn’t bother to argue since the night was mostly gone anyway. All he really cared about was getting to a bed, now that they had cleared him to sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, Juleka was sitting next to his bed. 

“Hey, dummy,” she said, when he turned his head to look at her.

“Hey,” he sighed. “Can I go home yet?”

Juleka snorted. “Knowing hospitals, it’ll take all day just to fill out the paperwork to get you out of here.

Luka made a face. “Probably true, actually.” He sighed and laid his head back, lolling it over to look at her. “Tell me you at least got a date out of it.”

Juleka blushed, and dropped her gaze, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. “She’s a nurse at this hospital, do you know?” Juleka mumbled, fiddling with her fingers. “She stayed with me the whole time they had you doing all those tests. We’re...having dinner tonight when she gets off work.” 

“Awesome,” Luka grinned, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. 

Juleka took a moment to collect herself, and then she lifted her head and grinned at him. “Now it’s your turn.”

“God I wanna marry that girl,” Luka groaned, smiling dreamily. “Gorgeous and smart and funny and a badass. This is it. I’m totally gone for her, Jules.”  

Luka didn’t need to see Juleka’s smirk, he could hear it in her voice. “What else is new?” she snorted.

Another memory surfaced and he grimaced. “I’m not sure puking all over her partner in the back of her ambulance made the kind of impression I was hoping for.”

“Don’t worry,” a male voice chuckled. “You’re not the first, and I’m sure you won’t be the last.” 

Luka and Juleka both looked towards the door. Marinette and her golden-haired partner were standing there in clean uniforms. Luka felt a sudden flutter in his stomach. The EMT uniform didn’t do much for her, compared to her usual perfectly tailored clothes, but...she looked strong and confident and in charge, and it was definitely doing things for him. Her hair was tied back and pinned up, but that just made her beautiful eyes more prominent, and the same smile tilted her sweet lips.

He suddenly remembered what he and Jules had been talking about. Oh God, did she hear him? Luka swallowed nervously.

Marinette gave him a little wave, her shoulders hunched slightly. “I hope you don’t mind that we stopped by,” she said shyly. “I— We just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Adrien grinned broadly, clearly amused, and Juleka began to snicker. She leaned over and whispered to Luka, “Your heart monitor’s going crazy, dumbass.” Then she kissed his forehead. “Call me when they’re ready to let you out of here.” She walked away from the bed, and Luka realized too late that she was planning to leave him there with Marinette. 

He registered about that time that the monitor behind him was indeed beeping frantically and felt himself flush. He fiddled with the clip on his finger, but if he took it off the nurses would come charging in, so he took some deep breaths, trying to get himself under control as Juleka stopped to exchange a quiet word and a hug with Marinette, with a quick handshake for Adrien. 

Adrien and Marinette approached the bed and Luka reached up self-consciously to smooth his hair before remembering the bandage on his head. He extended his hand towards Adrien instead. 

“Hey, man, I really am sorry for throwing up all over you,” Luka told Adrien. “I swear, I didn’t know it was coming.” 

Adrien smiled ruefully as he shook Luka’s hand. “I’m used to it. Sometimes I think I have a target on my chest.”

“Serves you right for always wearing such expensive shoes,” Marinette huffed.

“They’re comfy!” Adrien protested. 

Luka chuckled and looked at Marinette, taking in the uniform and trying to recalibrate his mental image of her to include this new information. It wasn’t as hard as it seemed like it should have been; she’d always had that something about her that said she could do anything, and she was certainly fit enough to be hauling people around, and the impulse to help people fit in with her sweet nature. 

He really hadn’t thought he could fall any harder, but looking at her now—staring at her, he realized abruptly—he accepted that this hole was a lot deeper than he’d realized.  

Marinette leaned over the side of his bed and reached toward his hair. “May I?” she asked, and at Luka’s nod, she parted his hair to peek under his bandage at the stitches. She was close enough that Luka could smell the faintest hint of sweet vanilla even past all the medical smells. The monitor began to beep warningly again and Luka thought he saw the corner of her mouth twitch. Her fingers skimmed his cheek as she lowered her hands. “It looks good. You probably won’t even notice it with your hair covering it.”

“Thanks,” Luka said stupidly, not really sure how one was supposed to react to a compliment on how well one’s head was sewn back together. 

“How do you feel?” she asked, straightening a little. 

“Not too bad,” Luka shrugged. “Still have a headache, but it’s much better.” 

Marinette frowned. “What are they giving you for pain?” She looked at the board in his room without waiting for him to answer, and gave a slight sigh. “Well, that should fade soon, hopefully. As long as your imaging came back normal—” Luka nodded. “—it should just be a question of paperwork.” She laid her hand over his and squeezed. “You should be back behind the bar in no time. No more fights though, okay? You scared me, when we got the call for your address.”

“Sorry.” Luka gave her a lopsided smile. “Can’t say I wasn’t wishing to see you, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.”

Marinette giggled, her eyes darting away and her teeth catching her lip for a moment before she looked back at him, a bright smile slowly growing across her face. For a moment they just stared at each other. Adrien raised his eyebrows and put his hands in his pockets, wandering back across the room. 

Luka barely noticed. Marinette was looking at him and he had never seen her eyes so soft before. Except—except that one moment when she’d been leaning over him on the gurney, and she’d promised him he was going to be okay, and then she’d looked up at Adrien and said take care of him for me…

He was so transfixed by her eyes that he didn’t react to her leaning over the bed until he felt her hand on his chest and her breath on his face, and then he only had time to gasp and close his eyes as her lips found and caressed his in a soft and tender kiss. He leaned into it as much as he dared, and managed to move his mouth to kiss her back, electric thrills moving through him. 

He followed her when she pulled back, and opened his eyes to stare at her in wonder as her lips left his. 

“I’m dying,” he said flatly. “I’m dying and no one wants to tell me, is that it?”

Marinette giggled. “No more than everyone else.” Then she actually blushed and looked down. “I’ve maybe been thinking about doing that for a while now.” She glanced up through her lashes and a truly wicked smile slowly spread. “And trust me, when you actually are going to die, you’ll know it.”

Luka’s attempt at a reply became a strangled noise at the back of his throat. 

There was a quiet cough from the other side of the room, where Adrien was turning red attempting to hold in his laughter. “I’m getting the feeling you didn’t actually need a wingman here,” he said.  

“Take a walk, Adrien,” Marinette said in a warning tone, and leaned in to kiss Luka again. Luka moved to meet her, lips parting eagerly as he buried the hand not covered in wires in her hair, only vaguely aware of Adrien’s gusty sigh and the sound of the door opening and closing, or the rapidly accelerating beep of his heart rate monitor again.

Somewhere in the haze Luka realized he wasn’t on shift, and anyway Marinette had kissed him first, and Anarka’s rules didn’t matter anymore. 

“Hey,” he mumbled in between kisses. “Want to—mm—get coffee sometime? After they let me out of here.” 

“I’d love to,” Marinette sighed, and kissed him again. She giggled. “You should have told me about that stupid rule sooner. All this time, I’ve been waiting for you to make a move.” She pulled back and blinked for a moment, and bit her lip. “Um. I should probably tell you that I told my boss you’re my boyfriend.” She shrugged. “If I start dating you after you’ve been my patient, it’s weird, but if we were dating before that, then it’s just unfortunate coincidence, so…” 

“I’m cool with that,” Luka said quickly. “Very cool.” They grinned like fools at each other for a moment, and then moved to kiss again. 

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a nurse poked her head in. “Mr. Couffaine? We’ve been getting an alarm from your monitor—” She paused, taking in Marinette’s wrecked hair and two blushing faces. “Oh.” 

Marinette giggled, hiding her face in his shoulder, and Luka groaned. “How much do I need to bribe you to turn that damn thing off for the next f—” he glanced at Marinette. “Ten minutes?” 

The nurse rolled her eyes, but winked at them. “Just remember you’re supposed to be taking it easy,” she admonished, crossing the room and unplugging the monitor from the wall. “If anyone asks, you’re in the bathroom.” 

“Yes ma’am,” Luka grinned as the nurse shut the door behind her, pulling Marinette back in.   

[binniedeactivated]

➥ PAIRING ||  taehyun x beomgyu

➥ GENRE || soulmate au! , enemies to lovers!, fantasy fanfiction

➥ W/C | 10k+

➥ SYNOPSIS || in which the both of them were admitted to Halls of Brotherhood: University of Magic.  They were soulmates. yet they hated each other. But the marks on their skin said otherwise. 

→ soulmate au where the thoughts of their soulmate inscribe themselves on one another’s skin

➥ WARNINGS || profanity, slight violence, angst I think?, fluff, mutual pining,  slow burn kinda?

a/n; okay guys, this is my first time writing fantasy fiction so pls forgive me if it isn’t good. I’ve been trying to write this genre for years but couldn’t get it right. @moonlit-lixie your ask inspired me to write a soulmate au 🤲🏿

“You promised me I’d go to a normal school. You promised that I wouldn’t have to practice any of that stuff”. beomgyu whines to his mother from the passenger seat. It was the middle of the night and his heart was pounding in annoyance. He takes a hefty glance out the window through his bifocals and loses himself in the fast paced scenery. He wished he could be one of them. You know. a part of nature. Like a tree, a flower on the side of the road or something. He would do almost anything to escape this. 

“Gyu sometimes things just have to change”.  She swiftly replies. her beautiful face was calm and sullen while her hands rested on the steering wheel. That was one thing beomgyu always envied about his mother. She was so full of serenity in the midst of anything. she was a brave woman in the dust of any type of chaos. 

“I don’t want to dabble in that stuff ”. 

beomgyu swallows the leftover spit trapped in the space around his tongue. Magic has done nothing for him in life and in his mind, it never will. Magic was a nuisance. Magic was unforgiving. Magic killed his father.

She sluggishly presses her foot on the break and the both of them lean forward a bit at the sudden halt. beomgyu peers out of the windshield loathing in nervousness. They arrived at the train station and to his luck the boys were still boarding. His mother unbuckles her seatbelt shortly and beomgyu could only take a dreadful gander at her in shock. He wondered how she could be so comfortable  mindlessly sending her only child away to practice the very thing that did his family no good. 

“Why do I have to go? What difference will I add to them?”. 

“gyu what did I tell you about talking like that?”. 

He bit his lips feeling a little sorry for himself. He could’ve backtracked but he didn’t. That’s how he felt about himself and he couldn’t help it. He  was too puny to do much of anything. Puny, anxious and hot tempered. And without those thick round glasses he could barely see what was right in front of him. 

She gets out of the vehicle and once she did that beomgyu realized there would be no further discussion in the matter. He pushes open the passenger side door and tugs his luggage with him. He stuffs a hand in his pocket while the wind tousles his lengthy, black hair across his forehead. It was cold as hell outside and he wished he could just go back home to his bed. His mother approaches the conductor, showing the piece of mail she’d gotten days prior about beomgyu’s admission. Although the wind was tossing his hair a great deal beomgyu could still make out the sight of the conductor nodding in confirmation, gesturing him over. His mother awaited him at the entrance of the train to which he approached her with hesitance. Almost as if he were waiting for her to stop him in his tracks and admit this was all a prank. Or  shake him vigorously, admitting this was just a dream But no, everything was just as surreal as the hopeful sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him, as if she knew something he didn’t. 

She clutches either side of his head and plants a kiss on his forehead. 

“I love you okay? You know I'm not doing any of this to spite you. Magic is in your bloodline. I’ll be in contact with you always alright?”. 

He clutches her wrist. “I don’t want to do thi-”.

“Be strong for me beomgyu. Please”.

His heart ached at the agony in her eyes and he obliged. Magic was never his dream. It was hers. He nods his head though, telling her that he loves her and bids his farewell while stepping into the train cart. When he stepped on he was immediately pissed, assuming maybe he got the wrong cart. Out from the cold he was immersed into a noisy train, with loud and rowdy boys who were either talking at an ear piercing volume or pointlessly horsing around. none of them paid any mind to beomgyu though. Which was good, beomgyu hoped they kept that behavior up for as long as he were there. He swallows and pulls his varsity jacket sleeves over his fingertips, suddenly feeling anxious whilst walking down the aisle eyeing the empty seat in the back by the window. He hated settings like this. So lively and obnoxious it felt like the walls around him were closing in. 

“Bro! Let me see!”. 

A voice shrieks at a distance behind him before his footsteps grew closer, sounding as if he was sprinting. Within a blink of an eye beomgyu’s shoulder thrusted forward and he fell to the side, a result of the boy roughly running past him hitting his shoulder with no regard. Beomgyu felt his elbow suddenly press into the plastic bottle that the seated boy beside him was drinking from, leaving it now dented and water spilling all over the boy’s shirt. just by the way the boy was breathing beomgyu could tell he wasn’t too pleased. He pushes beomgyu off of him, so hard that his back almost hit the seats across from him. 

“Yo! Watch where the hell you’re going!”.

Beomgyu peeled himself off the seat and fixed his ruffled clothes. His heart rate quickened just seeing the boy’s face drawn into an angry expression. Overwhelming fury coiled in beomgyu’s stomach. 

“It was an accident!”. He hisses. 

“Well don’t make accidents you just spilled my water all over me you fucking idiot!“. 

Beomgyu clenches his jaw and balls his fists until his knuckles turned white. 

“Don’t call me that”. 

“Yeah? Or what? What are you going to do?”. 

Once beomgyu charged forward he was immediately braced back by a long arm stretching across his chest. A clean shaven, outrageously hefty man who they would later know as Cyprus-- one of the headmaster’s faithful subordinates--had made it his duty to prevent the dispute from going any further. 

“choi beomgyu”, he bellowed, his voice much more hoarse and gruff than beomgyu, or any of the boys expected. The cart grew quiet once the man spoke, they were tight lipped--  as if he used his hands and closed their mouths himself. beomgyu swallowed nervously and casts his eyes up at him.

“kang taehyun”, he bellows next. his dark eyes loomed over the both of them. taehyun breathed. 

“yes?”. he mutters, something in him refusing to sound as scared as he looked. 

“when you speak to me you use yes sir or no sir. do you understand?”. Beomgyu could only rest his eyes on the boy who was on the verge of beating the living shit out of him minutes prior, now mumbling with a speck of fear in his eyes. 

“yes sir?”. 

Cyprus then peers over at beomgyu. Beomgyu shifts his eyes from taehyun to cyprus a couple of times before realizing what he wanted. 

“oh um--um yes sir?”. 

“violence is not tolerated here. unless you want to face your discipline before you even get your room key, I suggest the both of you sit yourselves down somewhere”.  

Like the fall of a microphone cyprus unhands be0mgyu and continues his journey along the carts making sure the rest of the boys were in order. Even after his disappearance the cart was dead silent. 

Beomgyu tugs his luggage along with him to a random seat in the back, throwing himself down and laying his head back on the head rest as soon as he touches the chair. The doors were closing and the train was about to take off soon. The chatter on the cart began to sprout back up again. beomgyu sighed with his attention out the window. He wanted to be anywhere but here. 

“don’t worry about tyun, he’s been like that ever since we were kids”. A rather mellow, wistful voice spoke beside him. 

Beomgyu rolls his head over tiredly to the direction of the voice. He hadn’t even realized he was seated next to someone. 

“He’s been what? A sensitive piece of shit?”, 

The blonde haired boy smiled and laughed a little. Beomgyu had never seen a smile so bright in his life. His face was sort of angelic too, it had this shrill glow to it that beomgyu couldn’t stop looking at. He wondered if the boy was even real. 

“No-- i mean he’s hot tempered like that all the time. So don’t sweat it. You’ll eventually learn to just stay out of his way”. 

Beomgyu sucks his teeth. “or he can learn to stay out of mine”.

The boy laughs again, his face glowing so uncontrollably bright that his smile was a little contagious, spreading the disease of a small smile on beomgyu’s face also. The boy offers his hand, 

“You’re funny. I’m heuning kai. Maybe we should be friends”. 

Beomgyu was hesitant at first but nonetheless he shook it. 

“I’m choi beomgyu”. 

Heuning kai nods, thinking it was pretty odd to respond with “I know who you are”. Even though he did. He knew exactly who beomgyu was.

Beomgyu continued staring at his face-- it was obviously glowing at its edges. A sharp, pretty silver lining coasting along his jawline and over the crown of his blonde hair. Either that,  or maybe beomgyu was just sleepy. 

“So? Heuning kai …. what are you? Are you even a human?”. Beomgyu jokes. He really couldn’t fathom the other’s angelic appearance. 

Kai’s cheeks began to tint pink in embarrassment.  He thought he was blending in pretty well for the most part.  “What makes you ask that?”.

“You’re glowing”. 

Kai’s hands immediately touched his face which was incredibly warm. “Oh gosh I thought I had this under control”. he reaches into his bag and pulls out a small bottle of milk to drink. 

“Have what under control?”. 

“The glow. I’m half human and um--half fairy. I applied here so I can practice my magic”. 

Beomgyu had an urge to touch him. He looked so pretty and perfect he wanted to see what he felt like at least once.  He reached his hand out slowly to press his hand against kai’s. His skin was so velvety and pillow-like their hands practically melted into each other. 

“Wow you’re so soft. I’ve never really met a fairy before”.

“Half. I’m a half fairy. A hury”.  

“What’s the difference?”. 

“Well, full blood fairies are incapable of feeling human emotions and they lack human-like qualities. They act off of magic instead of logic. But since I’m half, I’m able to use my magic wisely”. 

Beomgyu nods in response, yawning with a sudden weary feeling washing over him all at once. 

“That’s pretty cool. Can you do me a favor though and wake me when the train stops? I’m beat”. 

Kai agrees, even though he wanted someone to talk to for the duration of the ride. He knew the other boys would think of him as a weirdo or freak of some sort. He was glad that beomgyu didn’t. No one ever took fairies too well. Beomgyu turned over though, curling his legs in the seat and allowed the moving moon to be his lullaby until he fell into his slumber. 

By the time the train arrived at their destination the morning had already beat them to it. Kai had done his duty by waking beomgyu as he asked, even though it wasn’t easy. He remembers his mother--who was a full blooded fairy-- used to sprinkle sleeping pixies over his face when he was younger to get him to wake up. Oh how he wished he could’ve used them for gyu. Hopefully when kai gained some more experience he’d have those under his belt. 

Beomgyu tugs his luggage and tiredly walks through the grassy quads of the campus  which was utterly beautiful. The blades of grass reflected hues of vivid greens he only saw in his dreams. Even the shadow stone architecture of each building was built into a modern piece of art. Each building had different words carved into the stone at the top of the building. Words such as “Magic Engineering house”,  “Magic Alchemy”, and even “Philosophy of Magic”. along these Multi colored stone walls and lining them occasionally were these big glass windows that were shiny and the cleanest he’s ever seen. But of course his moment of fascination came to an annoying end when he saw a big arrow sign, pointing first years to the direction of the auditorium. 

“Oh gosh”, beomgyu whined. “I just wanted to sleep”. 

“It’s morning time now. Plus you didn’t even get your room key, where are you going to sleep?”. Kai spoke from beside him. Beomgyu shrugs. 

“I’ll sleep on this grass if I have to”. 

Beomgyu meant it too. He really would’ve if he wasn’t so afraid of looking like an idiot. Instead he followed kai into the crowded auditorium,  it was filled with all of the first year boys babbling excitedly about what kind of magic they were going to be best at. Pft. as if they knew. Beomgyu refused to sit by himself so he followed kai to the end of the seventh row. 

Once beomgyu sat down he only looked up in demise, of course kang taehyun was also sitting at the end of the array of seats across from his. Beomgyu pretended he was taking short glances around the auditorium just so he could let his eyes fall on taehyun every once in a while. He happened to be conversing with his own friends looking as smug as can be. Beomgyu watches him talk with his hands. So sophisticated-like. Like he knew what he was talking about all the time. He watched as his black hair sat so neatly over his eyes, how cool he kind of looked with his red hoodie falling off his shoulder a little. Or how cute he looked with his dimples pushing into his cheeks whenever one of his friends said something funny. 

No, no way. No way could he be this cute. 

“Good morning first years! Headmaster Hutton welcomes you to Halls of Brotherhood: University of Magic!”. 

The applause after those words were extravagant. The boys clapped like they were at a concert or something. It was so loud it actually made beomgyu blink back from his small trance. Taehyun shifted in his seat uncomfortably amongst the applause. While he was clapping he felt a stinging sensation along his forearm. He was going to ignore it thinking maybe his hoodie sleeve had scratched him a little. But it felt as though something was writing into his skin. He hesitantly pushes his hoodie sleeve up his arm with black ink catching his eye. His forearm was stained with sloppy yet surprisingly legible handwriting. 

No way. No way could he be this cute. 

Taehyun shakes his head and pulls his sleeve back down over the dark mark with his stomach churning. He’d just gotten on magical grounds and his soulmate had already begun thinking about him. In a way taehyun felt selfish. He wasn’t thinking of his soulmate at all nor did plan to at any point. He just wanted to study magic and that was all. 

He couldn’t help his curiosities though. He snakes his eyes through the overstuffed auditorium full of boys, trying to decipher one by one who could it possibly be, who was looking at him at the moment or even sneaking glances his way. But from what he could tell everyone was paying attention to whatever the headmaster was saying. He still searches around even circling his eyes to beomgyu a couple of times. Of course beomgyu was paying him no mind, sneaking whispers over to heuning kai ever so often. After the episode they both had on the train it was safe to say that taehyun wasn’t fond of beomgyu at all. hell, he still wanted to beat the shit out of him for that. But in this moment he felt quite different. He watched as the boy's lengthy sleek black locks fell all over his head each time he moved and even the strands in the back reached down the nape of his neck. With the numerous piercings in his ear and the tan colored varsity jacket he was wearing taehyun noticed that beomgyu’s face starkly contrasted his look. A cute, rather anxious boy who dressed confident, maybe taehyun found that to be a little attractive. 

Maybe he’s a little attractive.

He quickly casts his eyes back on the headmaster though, catching up on the instruction of where to get room keys and uniforms. Beomgyu thought uniforms were kind of stupid, then again he didn’t mind waking up in the morning not having to think of an outfit. He wasn’t much of a morning person anyway, so that situation seemed pretty glorious. What wasn’t so glorious though was the tingling sensation crawling across his skin. He smacked himself, thinking it was a bug or something but the scrawling only insisted.

“You alright?”. Kai whispers. 

Beomgyu breathes and lifts his shirt sleeve up glaring at what looked to be a tattoo in someone's  handwriting. It was slanted and italic, quite beautiful actually. 

Maybe he’s a little attractive. 

“wow already?”.  Kai whispers again. “Your soulmate is already thinking of you”. 

“I don’t know why. I’m just sitting here. I’m not even worried about a soulmate. I don’t want one.”. 

“nonsense. You should think about them more. Having a soulmate is quite nice you know”. 

Beomgyu shrugs it off, ignoring his words and anticipating the end of orientation. He was grateful to finally get his room key, class schedule and uniform-- khaki pants, a yellow argyle sweater vest, a red tie and a white long sleeve button up to wear underneath. They were going to be sent an extra supply of them later, but for now they were required to wear them to each class. To his great fortune he was rooming with heuning kai. Well, to his fortune and misfortune. He wasn’t sure how kai would be as a roommate yet. 

On the other hand the room they were given was nice though, the typical two bed duo with a good amount of space in the middle as well as their very own desks and top cabinets on both walls. Kai throws his things down just to look around. And beomgyu did the same, trying to figure out what kinds of things he could put on his desk to encourage him to study. god, he hated studying. Just the thought alone made him want to pack his things and go home. But studying was the only way he'd get stronger in magic, so he had to learn somehow. He hoped kai had good studying habits. Perhaps he could copy off his paper every once in a while. 

“Wow. This room is pretty nice. I was expecting something smaller”. Kai spoke, walking around a bit. 

“Yeah me too. I wonder where we shower and stuff though”. 

“Headmaster says the showers are down the hall for each floor”. 

“Shit. so you’re telling me I can’t have my privacy either”. 

Kai laughs. “Well, the showers have curtains you know. They’re like little stalls. It isn’t like a group shower or anything. Like the ones in prison”. 

“Great. How awkward it’ll be to walk out the shower in front of a bunch of boys with just a bathrobe on”. 

“You’ll be fine hyung. Don’t sweat it”. 

Beomgyu sighs and plops himself down on the vacant bed, lying in a fetal sleeping position. “Can you wake me when another big event happens that requires my attendance?”. 

“Going to sleep already? You don’t want to go to breakfast?”. 

“Breakfast? We have breakfast?”. Beomgyu asks, still lying in his position contemplating on getting up. 

“yeah it’s still early. They can’t have us settle in without feeding us. You coming or what?”.

Beomgyu sighs. “You know what I guess I’ll come. I guess I am a little hungry anyway and I should take advantage of this food while I can”. He gets up and straightens his jacket a bit before following kai to the refectory. It wasn’t a long walk persé but  it did take quite some time to get there. He was glad he tagged along with kai because it would’ve been kind of sad for him to have to walk this path alone. 

“So? Heuning kai? Why aren’t you as excited and obnoxiously outgoing as the other boys?”. Beomgyu couldn’t help but ask on their way. Kai gives him a light shrug. 

“It’s just college I mean, what’s there to be excited about? It isn’t like anyone is going to take me seriously anyway. I might as well stay out the way”. 

“Take you seriously? Why wouldn’t they take you seriously?”. 

“Wow you seriously don’t know much about the world of magic huh?”. 

“Growing up I forced my mother to raise me like a regular kid. It was only until now where she decided that she wanted me to follow the mages in my bloodline. I’m practically a human. Anyway though, why wouldn’t they take you seriously?”.

Kai exhales with shame creeping up his throat. “Well in the world of magic, you have the big leaguers kind of like the NBA. the mages and the wizards and all. And then you have those in the middle, who are really good alchemists and magical engineers. And then all the way at the bottom there are the fairies. That is where I come in”. 

“Why are you guys at the bottom?”. 

“Well the others don’t think we’re as capable of having strong magic. They think we all just dance in glitter and glow in happiness. Like we’re completely oblivious to the world around us which isn’t true. And since fairies are kind of rare, there hasn’t really been a single fairy that proved otherwise. Meanwhile we hear about these great mages and wizards all the time,  so it’s kind of like we have nothing to go off of for ourselves”. 

beomgyu takes some time to think for a moment. In a way it was kind of true, he hasn’t really heard of fairies and their capabilities throughout the span of his life, hence why kai is the first fairy he’s ever met. Well, half fairy. The dilemma was still kind of surprising to hear about nonetheless. They were now opening the door to the entrance where beomgyu sits his hand on kai’s shoulder. 

“Well, I believe in you heuning. I think you can prove these bastards wrong”. 

Kai chuckles as his gesture, more appreciative than gullible. “Thank you but you don’t have to say things like that to cheer me up. I know mages and wizards are very strong in magic so maybe I won’t ever be able to top them. But as long as I’m perfecting my craft I guess that’s okay”. When he said that it kind of hurt him a little even though he internalized it prior to even attending the school. I guess it just hurts more when saying it aloud. 

Once they opened the double doors it wasn’t a surprise to see a little over one hundred first year boys in there already. The dining hall looked like something out of a Victorian era movie. There was a big beautiful bright chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling and elegant designs engraved in the stone walls along the drapes. Even the floor was pure marble, sparkling and shining as if they were inviting every foot possible to walk on them. There were four extremely long dining tables in the center of the hall and buffet styled food around them at a distance along the walls. The boys were noisily eating at the tables and conversing with their friends. It made beomgyu kind of wonder how these guys made friends so fast in the first place.

Okay, so maybe beomgyu hadn’t been thinking about the pros and cons to this school before but after seeing the food he realized that it was definitely a pro. He’s had his fair share of good meals but he hadn’t ever seen food as perfect and well cooked as the food there. 

“Wow,”. beomgyu tones with his eyes grazing over the strawberry banana pancakes, topped with whipped cream and melted butter. Kai withdrew two metallic trays from the stack, one for him and one for beomgyu. 

“I know right. I was not expecting this”. 

And taking a few glances from a couple of tables behind them was taehyun who was chewing into his food and half listening to the conversation with his friends. There had to be some way he could get revenge on beomgyu. Especially with how unapologetic he looked when he did what he did to him. And then arguing with him after that made it much worse. Taehyun didn’t like disrespect of any kind, and he especially wasn’t going to take it from some puny kid. 

“I think, when we get really good at magic we should form a larger friend group you know? Like one of us could be good at alchemy, one at spells, one at history, you know”. Soobin begans, forking a big glob of rice into his mouth and finger combing his hair.

Yeonjun chews with his cheeks full, “who ever told you that you’d be good at magic?”. Earning a slap on his shoulder from soobin. 

“To have you know both of my parents were great mages that graduated from this school”. 

Taehyun sips orange juice from his straw. “Yeah and you’re they’re idiot son”. To which yeonjun tries his best to laugh without the contents of his mouth making a disgusting mess all over the white table cloth. Soobin rolls his eyes though and follows taehyun’s line of sight. 

“Hey isn’t that the kid who spilled water on you on the train last night?”. 

“Yeah. that little bastard”. 

“Tyun give it a rest, man. Mistakes happen”. Yeonjun consoles while wiping the corners of his mouth. 

Taehyun ignores him and gathers the small plates of food he hadn’t planned on eating, settling them onto his tray. 

“I’m going to go throw this stuff away I’ll be right back”, he uttered, removing himself from the table before even getting a chance to hear what they had to say. He breaks his way through the crowds of kids clutching his tray tightly in his hand until he was finally in the spot he was aiming for. He squeezed into the space in line,Just behind beomgyu where the trash can was located. He fake trips over some boy’s shoe, leaving him and his tray flying directly into beomgyu’s back. The metallic tray flipped and smeared the food all over the back of beomgyu’s jacket and fell to the floor obnoxiously loud. So loud in fact that it caught the attention of everyone in the refectory. 

Beomgyu stood there stunned, hoping what he thought happened to him hadn’t just happened. He could feel the heat of the food slide down his jacket and onto the floor below him and he turned around to see taehyun, stepping back and holding his hands up in surrender innocently. “It was an accident”. He admitted. But beomgyu knew full well it wasn’t. He could hear the animosity laced in his tone. Anger pooled in his chest and he grits his teeth. He automatically reaches his hand out to push taehyun back a couple of inches, almost knocking him into the heads of the boys behind him. 

“What the fuck you moron!”. 

Taehyun stumbles back to his feet and clenches his jaw even angrier. He pushes him back twice as hard. Beomgyu runs back and tackles him to the ground, trying his best to wrap his hands tightly around the younger’s neck. 

“Get the hell off me!”. Taehyun grumbled, snaking his hand from his side and finally managing to punch beomgyu in his jaw with it. 

After escaping his trance of shock kai rushes over to beomgyu’s aid and tugs him off of taehyun, trying his best to hold him back from going for a cheap shot. Soobin and yeonjun finally decided to amble to the scene also; they too were in too much shock to do anything the first time. Soobin helps taehyun off the ground and yeonjun acts as the safeguard to prevent taehyun from going back for another punch. Not that he could anyway, they could hear the sound of heels clashing against the marble floors gradually breaking their way through the group of boys until taehyun and beomgyu found out who they belonged to. 

A gorgeous woman who wasn’t any much shorter than them but was visibly older. A loose black bow tie clung around the collar of her white button up which she tucked into her long, plaid green and purple skirt that kissed the floor. Her dark spiral curled hair sat on her shoulders, unwilting and uptight, just like her displeased face when she approached them. She had this beautiful staff in her hand, it was purple and it had a pretty crystal ball at the top of it, like she withheld all of her magic within it’s confinement. She held her head high with pride before she spoke, 

“Mr. kang? Mr. choi? come with me please”. She beckoned before strolling out of the exit door. Kai pats beomgyu’s shoulder before letting him leave with taehyun following shortly after. The two boys were nervous as they followed her, for she hadn’t turned around once but it was like she could sense where they were behind her. 

“Look around yourselves dear. I want you to ask yourselves whether you see a campus or a boxing ring”. her high aristocratic voice bellowed as she walked, placing her staff in the space in front of her as if to help her get there. however beomgyu noticed she could walk just fine, she had perfect posture even. well she had the posture of a stuck up snob. 

“I expect an answer,”. she adds after their silence. 

“I see a campus mrs”. beomgyu rushes to speak in hopes of lessening the punishment they were already set on getting. he wishes he wasn’t so quick to talk though, his jaw was still aching in pain. he clutches it softly.

“It’s madam genevieve to you darling. kang taehyun? I’m assuming you see a campus as well?”. 

“yes madam genevieve”. 

she kept her thin red lips pursed into a fine line. 

“hm. I want you both to know that violence is never tolerated here. now since this is your first quarrel I shall start you off with a warning. anything after this will be detention and grade point deductions. do I make myself clear?”. 

beomgyu swallowed. cyprus obviously didn’t tell her about their train incident but he wasn’t going to be the one to tell her. And from the look on taehyun’s face taehyun wasn’t going to be the one to tell her either. 

“yes madam Genevieve”. The both of them stated in unison. 

“this university isn’t called halls of brotherhood without reason. we’re all on the same team and we should treat each other as such. now run along. mr. choi I suppose you need a slip to visit the medi?”. 

beomgyu was still stunned on how she could see him painfully rubbing his mouth when she hadn’t turned around. hearing her say that made beomgyu want to punch taehyun back twice as hard but he rather not risk his grades when the first day of classes hadn’t even started yet. he deserved to be in just as much pain as him.

“yes madam”. 

she curved her hands at an angle and blew into them softly, a signed slip of parchment paper gradually appeared in beomgyu’s hand. he jumps a bit at the sudden use of magic but he figured these are the kinds of things he’d have to get used to in this school. he bowed to her and graciously thanked her before going on his way to find the medical building. 

taehyun hated himself for feeling a little guilty after beomgyu departed. he deserved it didn’t he? he was trying to convince himself that he gave him a taste of his own medicine. But the tinge of guilt still hadn’t gone away. 

beomgyu was laying down when he felt the scrawling on his skin again. the medi-wizard was rubbing the scented magic oil along his jaw, it smelled of hints of chocolate and cocoa butter. beomgyu wondered what would happen if he licked it. but he was still a newbie at magic and didn’t want to risk those types of experiments with himself. as the oil settled on his skin he felt the aching pain go away. he could finally move his jaw properly.

“there you go. that should do it. you’re all set to leave lad”.

beomgyu sits up promptly and thank him, not expecting this visit to go by as fast as it did. after what happened though he lost his appetite. so instead of going to the refectory he went to back to his room and plopped himself back on the bed like he was before. the stinging sensation in his forearm resurfaced and he lifts his sleeve up to read. 

I wonder if he’s okay.

beomgyu sucks his teeth wondering why his soulmate had sat and watched the incident occur instead of helping him. Or preventing it from happening even. This is why he didn’t care much for a soulmate. He thought the only thing they’re good at is thinking. he withdrew his soiled jacket and he turns over in fetal position, ignoring the fact that he still hadn’t put his sheets on the bed yet and fell asleep anyways.

he hadn’t known how much he was tired though. by the time his eyes fluttered open the sky had darkened, and kai’s half of the room was already set up with posters on his wall, yellow and blue sheets on his bed, and his clothes folded neatly and put away. the room was dark but glowed a soft dark blue due to the string lights that kai had along the top borders of the walls. music was playing from somewhere though and beomgyu blinked again this time trying to find where it was coming from. he found kai sitting at his desk on his laptop, the soft + chill indie playlist was coming from his computer. 

beomgyu breathed. “kai? what time is it?”. he says groggily.

“hm? oh you’re up. it’s around 8pm or so. you missed dinner so I brought some back to the room for you. It’s on your desk”. 

beomgyu was grateful, as soon as kai mentioned dinner his stomach practically wanted to bite him. “god you’re a lifesaver thank you”.

he got up and approached his desk clutching the container, “what is it?”. 

“Steak, mashed potatoes with gravy and snow peas”.

immediately upon opening beomgyu grabs a fork and shoves a piece of steak in his mouth and sighs in relief. he was starving. he hadn’t eaten all day. 

“Is your jaw alright? What happened in the refectory today?”.

beomgyu sighs before sitting at his desk across from kai. 

“yeah I’m fine. the medi rubbed some chocolate magic oil on me. But that little son of a bitch taehyun threw his food all over the back of my jacket. On purpose”.

Kai furrows his eyebrow, “the medi rubbed chocolate magic oil on you?”. 

“yeah”.

“And then what?”. 

beomgyu thought for a moment trying to figure out what the younger was getting at. once it came to mind he grabbed one of his salt packets and playfully launched it at kai’s head. kai laughed in response and dodged it. he dodged it way too late though. 

“It wasn’t like that”, beomgyu starts, “he only rubbed it on my jaw. plus that medi wizard is old as hell”. 

“for all I know you could be one of those people who likes when old men rub oil on you”.

beomgyu chuckles and clutches his plastic knife in launching position. “you say another fucking word heuning and I will dart this at your eye”.

kai chuckles again. “Anyway. taehyun was probably just trying to get revenge”.

“revenge for what? the train thing was an accident. that kid is insane”. beomgyu sits his bowl down eyeing kai’s laptop. “what are you doing online anyway? classes aren’t until tomorrow morning”.

“our class schedules were posted. you should check yours to see if we have classes together”.

“I will after I take a shower or something. I think that breakfast food settled into my clothes a little”. beomgyu pulls up his collar and sniffs, crinkling his nose at the weird scent. 

“I think now is a good time. earlier when I went it was a bit crowded”. 

beomgyu huffed and looked through his luggage to find his pajamas and toiletries. he threw a towel over his shoulder and promised kai his return. It was weird being away from home. I mean it was college, of course it’s what beomgyu expected but he wasn’t expecting all of it to happen so soon. it was what his mother wanted for him. 

beomgyu was coming near the bathrooms and he was happy to hear how empty it was. well, he thought it was empty. he strolled inside, hearing quite a few voices and laughter. he immediately stopped in his tracks though when he spotted taehyun in the wide bathroom mirror in front of the sinks, shaving his face with a towel wrapped around his waist. beomgyu immediately stood back by the wall near the entrance where taehyun couldn’t see him. 

it wasn’t like he was afraid. but it was late and he didn’t feel like dealing with taehyun’s shit right now. it had been a long day, only the first day in fact. He couldn’t afford any deductions this soon. 

beomgyu stepped up inch by inch, peeking over the other side of the wall. he saw taehyun’s wet black strands of hair falling over his forehead. he was focused, in the mirror trying to shave as much as he could. beomgyu’s eyes fall onto the younger’s arms and body. his abs were chiseled and he built quite a bit of muscle in his biceps from what beomgyu could tell, they were glistening every single time taehyun shook the can of shaving cream. beomgyu curses at himself. 

fuck. why is he so good looking?

Beomgyu places his head back on the other side of the wall where taehyun couldn’t see him. He decided to get a towel and throw it over his head just to get himself safely to a stall. although he looked like an idiot, his plan worked and he was sure to lock the stall behind himself and immediately stripped himself of his clothes. 

taehyun ran the razor underneath the warm water. he felt that sensation again. The one he felt earlier with the feeling of something inscribing itself on his skin. he glanced at his forearm to read, 

fuck. why is he so good looking?

taehyun laughs a little to himself.  he looked around at the few guys that were in the bathroom. most of which were either talking to their friends or in the shower stalls but neither was paying him any mind. he didn’t want a soulmate but he also thought the little aggression in his soulmate’s tone was kind of cute. maybe it wasn’t so bad not knowing who his soulmate was. 

he goes back to shaving and looking at himself in the mirror, thinking about the message on his forearm over again. 

*********

“You look fine hyung, really”. Kai tried to encourage, but beomgyu wasn’t having it. He could feel his body growing hot inside the uniform and to make matters worse, he looked too preppy for his liking. He stood in the mirror, tugging on the collar of his button down with disgust. 

“Why does it have to look like this?”. 

Kai clutches the notebooks in his hand, “it’s school orders to wear our uniforms to each class or it’s a deduction. And speaking of, being late for class is a deduction also. So you might want to put your shoes on”. 

“Shit”. Beomgyu grumbles, clutching a shoe off the ground and trying his best to quickly shove it over the heel of his foot. “I’ve already got several warnings. Hey what class do you have first?”.

“I’m in the philosophy building. What about you?”. 

“Damn it. I have alchemy”. Beomgyu shoots up after he was finished, taking another glance at himself in the mirror before swinging his backpack over his shoulder. “I look like an idiot. But whatever”. 

Kai laughs and opens the door, “let’s go”.

Parting ways with kai was kind of hard, beomgyu will admit. He wasn’t fond of making friends on his own. If it was up to him he’d rather talk to kai for all of his years enrolled. He didn’t mind kai being his only friend. Anyways though, it took him a good amount of time to even find the alchemy wing, much less arriving on time. And  professor harlow made that known as soon as beomgyu walked in. wasn’t scribbling on the chalkboard, no-- rather the chalk was scribbling for her while she leaned on her desk and took sips of her black coffee. 

“you’re late mr. choi. had trouble finding the room?”. 

Shit. beomgyu thought if he said nothing and just kept walking it would keep her from speaking to him. But no, of course she discussed it out in the open and everyone’s eyes were on him now. 

“yeah sorry about that. gonna try and be earlier tomorrow”. 

Beomgyu quickly informed as he kept walking to the back of the room where the empty seats were. He wanted the interaction to be over with as soon as possible. 

“In Alchemy we have labs and lab question discussions. Everyone is assigned to a three person group. Mr. choi you’ll be in group #4”.  

Beomgyu took a breath and searched around the table numbers. A solemn feeling of relief washed over him once he found that it was on the other side of the room, he probably was looking like an idiot in front of everyone. He pulled out his chair and threw his backpack down, nodding at his tablemates. It was only a matter of time before professor harlow began speaking again, laying out the rules and expectations of the class. The pink haired boy held his hand out to beomgyu with a small smile, 

“What up. I’m yeonjun”. He whispers. 

The blue haired boy beside him held his hand out also, chewing on a snack he snuck in. 

“I’m soobin”. 

Beomgyu nods and shakes both of their hands firmly. He didn’t understand why they were so fond of handshakes at a young age. I mean, he didn’t want them to jump into an extravagant hug or anything but gosh, It felt like he was greeting a professor or something.

“I’m beomgyu”. 

Yeonjun nods. “how are you doing? I’m sorry about taehyun the other day”. 

Beomgyu rolls his eyes at the reminder. “It’s alright I’m fine, thanks for asking’. 

“yeah he’s a little hot tempered. Don’t worry about him though. We’re going to do our best to keep him cordial with you in this class”. Soobin adds. 

Beomgyu could almost snap his pencil in half with his hand. “he’s in this class?”. 

Yeonjun turns a little and points his head in Taehyun's direction. beomgyu’s eyes followed and he saw tahyun seated with his own tablemates, highlighting due dates on the syllabus. By that gesture alone beomgyu already knew what type of student taehyun was. And he always hated those types of students. The know-it-alls.

Beomgyu annoyingly shook his head, making a pft noise before turning his attention back to the chalkboard. “this is going to be such a shitty year”. he told himself, frankly not caring if the others heard him or not. whether or not they heard him throughout class, all he could hear was them. each and every day they were consistently arguing back and forth over stupid things. most of which beomgyu tried to ignore for the most part. but it was hard to get a lab done when his partners just wanted to get on each other’s last nerve. maybe this is why they repeatedly failed alchemy.

“I totally won that bet. hand over the cash soobin”. 

“no because you didn’t win”. 

“yes I did. I won it fair and square and you know it”.

“you always want to win everything hyung. how about you learn to lose sometimes?”.

beomgyu shook his head and adjusts his safety goggles and lab coat, placing the beaker full of liquid on the weighing scale and recording the data on the sheet of paper. he hadn’t known making potions would be exactly like chemistry. he was never particularly good at chemistry but since yeonjun and soobin were no help he had no choice but to put his own skills to the test. 

“that’s why I can’t play these types of games with you soobin. you’re a sore fucking loser”. 

“I’m not you’re just a big brat who thinks he needs to win every possible thing in life”. 

looking right past them two though beomgyu glances over at taehyun who was at the other table across from him, of course doing the lab as he was told. he was talking to his group mates and for some reason a tinge of jealousy stained beomgyu’s heart. 

beomgyu hadn’t realized that his thought provoked an inscription in taehyun’s forearm.  he faltered a little while pouring the bits of sodium in the hydro flask before turning away to check the message. 

I hate the fact that I’m so jealous of everyone who has access to you

access to your humor , your friendship, your heart. 

possessiveness comes so easy for me I feel like you’re mine.

taehyun’s cheeks tinted and his heart flutters in a way he never felt before. He decides to continue with the lab experiment so his groupmates wouldn’t question him about anything. He couldn’t help but to think of it over and over. before thinking of something else.

I am yours. always and forever, sweetheart.

“they called you sweetheart? that’s so cute!”. Kai jeers at the dinner table, making the boys around him look at him a little oddly. Beomgyu rolls his eyes and spreads the butter on his piece of bread. “Stop it kai. It isn’t that serious. And I also think you’re glowing a little”. Beomgyu said the last part rather quietly. Kai settles himself and smooths his hands over his hot reddening cheeks. He couldn’t wait to learn more magic so he could control it a lot better. 

“I’m sorry I just got a little excited. You should be excited though. who knows what can happen. Maybe you’ll fall in love”. 

“pft I will not”. 

“ I think you will. especially since you’ve never been in love before”. 

beomgyu takes a pause before chewing into the buttered bread. “wait--how do you know that?”. 

“oh um well it’s another hury trait of mine. we know a lot about the lives of different humans”. 

“so you’re telling me you knew who I was this whole time?”.

“yeah but i know everyone. everyone just doesn’t know me”.

beomgyu chews on a sweet potato fry. he glanced over kai’s features, thinking the boy was way too innocent for his own good. 

“have you ever been in love before kai?”. 

“yeah but I think it was one sided. I hope to find true love someday”. 

beomgyu smiled a little to himself, sliding his arm around kai’s shoulders. “you will. don’t worry. for now we can have fun and fool around until then”. 

kai’s heart grew warm and beomgyu could tell he was a happy about the gesture, his face started glowing again. 

“thank you hyung”. 

“so like are you guys dating?”. beomgyu heard someone ask from the other side of him.  he turns to look and by the boy’s face he could see that the ginger haired boy wasn’t genuinely curious at all.  he looked as though he was on the verge of laughter, like someone sent him to their table as a joke. 

“why the hell do you care? who even are you?”. beomgyu rebuttals.

“just wanted to tell you that you guys look cute together”. The boy adds, cupping his hand over his lips to keep from laughing. kai didn’t like feeling like this. he hated the feeling of becoming angry. it was a feeling his fae family had felt way too often, they were evil creatures and kai didn’t want to be that way. 

“go away”.  kai mumbled underneath his breath in a tone that beomgyu had never heard out of him before. it was dark and didn’t sound good at all. the boy stands up, making a scene. 

“or what? no one is scared of you, softie. you look soft you can’t be a wizard or a mage. what the hell are you? a fairy?”. 

at the sound of that word almost everyone around them dropped their jaws and stared, just waiting to see what kai’s reaction was going to be. and by this time kai’s face grew hot but it didn’t glow. this time it was almost crimson red.  he reaches his hand over and pulls the boy by his collar. the boy’s heart dropped at the sight of kai’s pupils growing larger, and not in a cute way. no, kai’s eyes had become all black. 

“offuco”. he growls, with pixie dust flowing from his mouth and into the boy’s. and sure enough the command did exactly as kai expected, the dust sneaking into the boys throat made him choke to the floor. his neck and face had begun to turn red, so much that his friends had to practically drag him to the medi wing. 

beomgyu’s heart was pounding and he was terrified. So was everyone around him who had now turned around back to their tables, not wanting to partake in anything else. beomgyu swallows with his eyes peering over at kai. he looked much more normal and his pupils even decreased in size. the red in his face had seized and his milky skin was arriving again. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I have to go— take my meds or something”. he quickly clutches his backpack and makes his way out before beomgyu could even say his next word. dinner wouldn’t be anything without kai though and he truly felt bad for him. he didn’t want to just sit and eat alone not knowing what was possibly running through the boy’s mind. so beomgyu grabs his backpack too and takes an early exclusion from dinner. 

he trudges down the hallway cursing at himself for taking this way. to his luck taehyun, soobin and yeonjun were all standing by the vending machines at the end of the hall. he needed to get to kai though and this was the quicker option. he sucked up his pride and tried not to make eye contact but of course yeonjun had something to say anyways. 

“beomgyu? what’s up”.

shit. 

“yeah what’s up gyu. I’m going to try to work on the lab questions tonight. I feel sorry that we didn’t do the experiment”. Soobin adds. 

beomgyu shrugs. “yeah it’s alright. I’ll try to work on them too”. 

Yeonjun nods, “later on we’re having some drinks in my room if you want to stop by”. 

taehyun glares at the pink haired boy. 

“what? he can come along if he wants”. 

“no he can’t. him and his weird ass boyfriend can stay where they are”. 

“oh shut the fuck up taehyun”. beomgyu harshly replied. 

“you shut the fuck up. I can say what I want to say. you’re not coming”. 

“tyun relax a little”. soobin warned, eyeing Cyprus who was already down the hallway. 

“don’t mind him he’s just being an ass. you can come if you want”. yeonjun continues. 

“no thank you. I don’t want to go to a place where I’m not invited by everyone”.

“so keep walking then”. taehyun adds with his arms folded. 

beomgyu shoves him back into the vending machine.“you fucking have issues”. taehyun gets off of it getting ready to shove him back but yeonjun acts as a safeguard once again, preventing anything else. 

“guys. relax alright? you both aren’t going to be practicing shit but detention if you’re just going to fight all the time”. 

“fuck that. fuck him. I have to go”. beomgyu snatches yeonjun’s hand off his chest before continuing the walk back to his room. 

he knocks, barely hearing anything before he walks in. he was happy to see Kai sitting on the edge of his bed with a pill bottle in his hand and a bottle of water. he looked normal for the most part, just a little spaced out. which is completely normal after the episode that just occurred.

“you alright kai?”. beomgyu asks, shutting the door behind him. 

“I’m okay hyung. I'm sorry about earlier”. 

“you don’t have to apologize for your traits. stop doing that. I’m your friend and I just want to learn more about you”. beomgyu takes a seat on his own bed, rubbing his hands on his slacks. “so what was that?”. 

“remember when I told you everyone thinks that fairies dance in glitter and glow in happiness?”. 

beomgyu nods. “yeah?”. 

“fairies are evil hyung. and the worst thing you could ever do is use the word fairy as an insult to any of us. and some fairies don’t like being called that”. 

beomgyu’s eyes widened. It scared him a little. “so what are you called?”. 

“we’re called the good people”.

“geesh kai. I wish that boy knew that. you practically choked him to death without even touching him. I think next time I have alchemy I’ll try my best to make a potion for that. that was kind of cool”. beomgyu laughs a little in attempt to lighten the mood. kai smiles a little along with him. 

“don’t use your magic to hurt people. I didn’t want to do that but I was angry and evil magic is the only thing I was really taught when I was younger”.  

“It’s alright. that’s what we’re here for. to get our magic under control.”

“you’re right. thanks hyung. well thanks for checking on me”. 

“no problem. I was trying to get here faster but I almost faught taehyun’s dumb ass again”.

“Again?”.

“he’s such a bitch kai. you out of all people should know that. yeonjun invited me for drinks in their dorms or whatever— and taehyun got all defensive saying that I couldn’t come”.

“drinks? you should’ve gone and had fun with the third years”. 

“without you? If I would’ve gone tonight you would’ve been coming with me”.

this was true. If beomgyu had gone he would’ve bought kai along. but taehyun knew if beomgyu tagged along he didn’t know what would come out his mouth while he was drunk. perhaps he would’ve admitted everything he thought about him. and he couldn’t afford for beomgyu to know any of that.  he hated him yet he was attracted to him all at once. this is what mainly had his heart racing as soon as beomgyu walked through the door. 

“gyu! wassup man”. yeonjun for some reason yelled a little louder than he intended. there weren’t many people in the third year suite drinking along with them but it was quite enough. more than beomgyu or kai been around at least. the room was dimly lit and there was music playing amongst the chatter between the boys in the room. 

“what’s up. I bought heuning with me”. 

“that’s no problem I’m glad you came. thought you were going to ditch us after you were about to beat taehyun’s ass”. 

Beomgyu swatted his hand as if to discard the statement. “never mind that shit. we’re just here to experience the fun with third years”. 

a drunk soobin immediately pushes a bottle of whiskey to kai’s chest. “let the fun begin”. 

and truly beomgyu wasn’t expecting kai to drink as much as he did. beomgyu drank a little, but not out of control. he was too busy laughing at the piss poor job the third years were doing at karaoke. kai was too, he was laughing so hard on the ground next to him that his face flushed pink. 

taehyun had been on the other side of the room talking amongst his other group of friends, eyeing beomgyu every chance he got. he didn’t want him here but he was too drunk and weak to do anything about it. especially when beomgyu locks eyes with him back, the both of them stared each other down for what seemed to be five minutes before they nervously looked elsewhere. 

If only you knew how pretty you are to me.

taehyun’s drunk thoughts were scrawled across beomgyu’s arm. to which beomgyu slides his sleeves down and tries to hide the blush in his cheeks. 

If the sun could laugh or smile I’m sure it would look a lot like yours. stunning, and it takes my breath away.

I know I can’t have you 

and I hate the fact that a small piece of me wishes that I could 

I’ve grown weak for you and It feels like I’ve known you before. It feels like I’ve loved you before. 

and the more taehyun watched him laugh and smile he realized it was true. he did. he loved beomgyu so much. and when beomgyu locked himself in a bathroom stall just to read the numerous tattoos all over his body he had realized he loved them too. whoever his soulmate was, he was in love. and he couldn’t help it.

[moonbeambucky]

Hey Neighbor (Part 13)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader, Billy Russo x Reader Word Count: 2663 Warnings: fluff, light angst, brief mention of smut

Summary: You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right… that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

A/N: I’m still sorry... or am I? 😂

PART 12 | HEY NEIGHBOR MASTERLIST

Sunlight filters in through the part of the window not blocked by opaque curtains, the golden glow reaches Billy’s eyes making him throw an arm up to block out the brightness. He’s careful of his movements, not to disturb you as you sleep against him.

He had a good time last night bowling and meeting all your friends but when you accepted his offer to come back to his place that was when the real fun began. In the comfort of his apartment you sat curled against him on his couch, feeling warmth spread through your body from the amber colored drink in your hand, though Billy was more intoxicating.

You quickly found your way into his bed, tangled together as your hands and lips explored every part of each other until you reached soaring heights of passion and pleasure. Billy was an incredible lover and you hadn’t thought that simply because he had broken your dry spell. He knew how to please and did so generously. You didn’t intend on staying over but truthfully your legs felt like jelly afterwards you couldn’t do anything but stay beside him, falling asleep in his arms.

Billy puts his arm down, shifting just a little so he could face away from the sunlight, the slight movement unintentionally waking you. He felt bad, watching as your heavy lids blinked themselves open a few times before they focused on his beautiful smile.

“Sorry, go back to sleep babe,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

A smile pulled at your lips as you felt the soft lingering touch of his lips. “S’okay, I want to stay awake.”

Billy smiled at the soft noises you made as you took in a stiff inhale of breath, your body tensing up as you turned away from him, bringing your hand to cover your mouth as you yawned. The feel of morning breath was heavy on your tongue so you decided to go to the bathroom, hoping there would be mouthwash you could freshen up with.

Goosebumps prickled at your skin when you pulled off the sheets, sitting up as you scanned the floor for your clothes that had been scattered around the room amidst the throes of passion. Billy’s eyes roamed your bare skin, memories of last night bring warmth to his body, feeling himself ache for you again the longer he stared.

You spotted your sweater, pushing yourself up from the low platform bed to grab the crumbled fabric from the floor, stretching it over your skin. Beside it was your pants though you picked up your lacy bottoms and stepped into them before leaving his room to find the bathroom.

Billy leaned back against the arm he folded under his head, not feeling like getting up to find his phone wherever he last left it. He didn’t need to distract himself anyway since you walked back in, slightly shivering as your bare feet walked along the cold floors.

“C’mere,” he said, pulling back the blanket.

As you began to get back in bed your movements were halted by “nuh uh” as Billy shook his head. “No clothes in bed, it’s the rules.” He smirked, sitting up towards the edge of the bed.

A giggle escaped your lips as you moved towards Billy’s side of the bed, standing in front of him. His hands went under your sweater, holding you firmly by your waist.

“Those are the rules, huh?” You repeated, grinning coyly as you let your hands glide up his arms, caressing his smooth skin until your fingers met a raised ridge along his left shoulder.

Your brows furrowed with concern as you stared at another scar on his chest, having missed both in the dimmed lighting last night. They were clearly old but by the way Billy’s jaw tensed you suspected they weren’t fully healed.

His dark gaze wandered as he focused on something behind you, his trance dissolving from the sound of your sweet voice saying his name.

“There was… this guy, Arthur. He volunteered at the Ray of Hope group home I was in. We all thought he was so cool, playin’ stickball and hoops with us. I was ten or eleven at the time.” Billy clenched his jaw, clearing his throat of the lump that formed there.

His hands dropped into his lap and he began wringing them. “When a grown man tells you that you’re pretty you know nothing good is coming. Let’s just say I wasn’t interested in the kind of games that he had in mind. I went after him with the stickball bat, caught him a few times before he broke my arm… ripped my rotator cuff in three places.”

You had been listening quietly as Billy spoke, not realizing you were holding your breath until his hand cupped your cheek and you let it out shakily. His story wasn’t new– no, unfortunately you had heard about this situation too many times but despite being familiar with this in your line of work Billy’s story really affected you.

No matter who the person or what their story is, you care deeply about all the cases you have from Metro-General but Billy was different. You really liked him and hearing him talk about the terrible memories from his past reminded you about Pietro and what could have happened if someone had been there to help. Growing up in the system is hard enough as it is, but if the caretakers aren’t doing their job to protect these children…

Sighing, your lips flattened into a line of frustration. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Billy.”

“Hey… don’t, okay?” His hands wrapped around your waist as he looked up to meet your sympathetic eyes. “Everyone’s got a story, this one’s mine.”

His lips stretched across his face into something that wasn’t quite a smile but not a frown either. You knew it wasn’t easy to share, something he clearly can’t forget though you appreciated his openness, feeling closer because of it.

Leaning down you cupped Billy’s cheeks, feeling his scruff scratch at your palms as you placed a gentle kiss to his lips. You felt him smile against you as he kissed back, his hands grabbing the hem of your sweater and breaking the kiss for him to pull it over your head.

Billy kissed your exposed skin, softly, slowly as he laid you down on the bed. His touch was like heaven, setting fire to your soul, and together you climbed higher and higher until you reached the apex of pleasure a few more times over.

You got home late in the afternoon knowing you had a novel’s worth of texts to return from your friends, mainly the girls wanting to know all the details. Bucky’s was the only text that you replied to right away. He hoped you would get home safe, and behind your shared wall he let out a sigh of relief, reading your message that you did, even if it meant you were only getting home now.

Bucky shuffled reluctantly to his door, wondering why there’s a knock. Looking through the peephole, he can’t help but let a smile stretch over his face.

“Hey neighbor!” you said, with a beaming smile.

He hadn’t seen you in a few days, throwing himself deep into his work, thankful for the distraction. “Hey Y/N.” Bucky takes note of what you’re wearing, a comfy hoodie and oversized polar bear pajama pants. You always had the cutest pajamas.

“You busy? I was gonna watch a movie and order a bunch of food since my period came and all I want to do is eat. Sorry was that TMI?” you asked, seeing his expression change in a multitude of ways.

He let out a slightly uncomfortable laugh. “Where’s Billy?”

“Working.”

Bucky wasn’t happy with that answer, making him feel like you were settling for plans with him since Billy was busy. He was about to decline, making up a lie about anything just so he didn’t have to feel bad about himself before you continued.

“But I’d rather hang with you anyway. Not that Billy would care about my period like that but, I don’t know, we’re not at that point yet, you know? Like I feel like I can always be myself around you.”

His blank expression turned into a smile as Bucky nodded his head. “Yeah, yeah I get that. I feel the same about you.”

Bucky felt a weird sensation in his stomach as he stood there smiling at you, breaking out of his trance as you spoke again.

“Okay so hurry up and come over. I don’t know what I want to eat. I kinda want tacos, but also pizza. And if you have cookies bring them over because I already ate the ones I had.”

It felt right, sitting beside you on the couch, stuffing your faces and laughing as you watched a movie. Bucky took it upon himself to grab the bottle of Advil from your bathroom, bringing over a full glass of water for you to take for your cramps.

“Thanks. You know, I know you hate relationships and stuff but you’d make a really good boyfriend.”

Bucky was frozen, the only sound he could hear was that of his heart drumming rapidly in his ear. “Y-you think so?” he croaked out, swallowing down the thick knot in his throat with a gulp of his drink.

You nodded, leaning forward to set the glass down on your table. “Why, you don’t?”

“No, that’s… That’s not it.” He turned away from you, silent and contemplative.

It wasn’t always like this. Bucky was a young boy that grew out of the idea that girls had cooties long before his friends did. It started with Olivia. They met in sixth grade, two nervous kids in a brand new school that happened to sit next to each other in homeroom.

Her eyes were like honey and Bucky was stuck, letting himself get lost in her beauty. He memorized the freckles speckled across the nose and cheeks of her sandy brown skin like a galaxy of stars, each one more dazzling than the last. Her hair was polished bronze packed in tight corkscrews that Bucky loved brushing aside so he could kiss her; every morning before they got to class, during lunch where he neglected his food in favor of her lips, and after school when they parted.

Bucky loved her as much as a young man could love a young woman, his first love, the girl he thought he would have everything with. He was a fool to think he could have it all, blinded by his utter devotion to Olivia before he realized his relationship was more one-sided than he realized.

They spent seven years together and not once did Olivia tell him she wasn’t planning their future the same way Bucky was. Olivia meant everything to him and when she was accepted to college on the West Coast Bucky immediately started looking into transferring to a school out there. It didn’t matter that their music program wasn’t as accredited, he was willing to do anything to make what he and Olivia had last.

What Bucky didn’t know was that Olivia didn’t feel the same. Not anymore. She fell out of love with him and was hoping to use graduation as a clean break. She broke his heart and Bucky was devastated.

He didn’t understand how she could stop loving him just like that. How it was so easy for her to let go of all their history; wondering what the turning point was in their relationship and why she didn’t tell him. His trust was broken. She strung him along for months, years maybe? It wasn’t just the fact that they broke up, she had moved on. Olivia was with someone new and every day Bucky asked himself why he wasn’t worthy of love.

He shut down, losing himself in composition, letting the melody of strife carry him through the sea of heartache. It was decided then, by a boy who was barely a man, to take what he needs and never be vulnerable again. It was easy.

It was easy.

Over the past few months everything has changed. There was a moment Bucky was ready to abandon his beliefs. He had grown up, matured; he knows his boundaries and knows there is so much more of himself to give to someone.

Bucky thought that someone could be you. It was a silly idea. You were just friends. But he was friends with Olivia first too. He felt the same ease as you did with him, enjoying spending time with you even if you did nothing. He thought there might have been a chance, somehow for him to break free of the mold he set upon his life and ask you out but someone beat him to it.

You and Billy had been seeing more and more of each other. He remembers that feeling from so long ago, desperate to spend every waking moment with the person that sent your heart a-flutter. Bucky understood when you cancelled plans with him, for the times Billy was able to make a last minute date after work arrangements changed. He understood, even if he didn’t like it. He couldn’t object even though he wanted to. You were happy and Bucky felt worse the more he thought about even thinking of taking that away from you.

He changed the subject, letting the movie resume but the thoughts never left his mind.

For the first time in a very long time Bucky is lonely. While the world is out overspending on chocolates and roses, fancy dinners and champagne Bucky lays in bed, trying to distract himself with a movie. He’s usually alone on Valentine’s Day, by choice. It’s too complicated to sleep with one of his regulars, not wanting to get their hopes up by any means on the day that celebrates love.

Bucky exhaled a heavy breath, upset with himself for being unable to keep his mind off everything. His heart is a dilapidated shack lost in a desolate wasteland. Abandoned after so many years, it’s dust covered, with a haze of cobwebs clouding over the part of himself that used to thrum with life.

And suddenly the walls become unsteady. His heart begins to crumble at the sound coming from the other side of the wall. It’s you, with unmistakable cries of pleasure, in a duet of passion with Billy.

Bucky shudders, feeling uncomfortable for being able to hear something that should be so intimate. It’s payback perhaps, a taste of his own medicine for all the times he’s disturbed you in the same way.

His mind runs wild against his will, imagining you in bed as the soundtrack of your lovemaking permeates the thin walls. It’s bittersweet poison to his ears.

Bucky throws the blankets off him, nearly tripping over the boots he haphazardly toed off earlier as he rushes towards his desk. He grabs his headphones to block out the sounds, a painful reminder of what could never be.

He grabs his phone, scrolling through his contact list. So many names and yet he feels nothing for them. He stops at your name, his chest hitching with agony. He wants what you have. To love fully, and give himself completely to someone. To renovate all the broken pieces inside of himself.

His fingers tap away and Bucky refuses to stop himself of their doing. He’s scared but excited, knowing the threat of getting hurt again is very real but he’s had enough of telling himself that the way he’s been living is what he’s really wanted.

With his own melodies playing in his ear Bucky is ignorant of the way you cry out Billy’s name. He is blissfully ignorant, opening the Tinder app he’s just downloaded, creating a profile because he’s finally ready to give dating a real shot.

PART 14

[4ragon]

can you please expand your thoughts on how aai1 handled turnabout ablaze? I noticed your (rightfully) low ranking of Alba earlier so I’m kinda curious about your opinion ^_^

Okay, before I go into this, I want to say: I love this game. I love all the AA games. Even the ones I have the most complaints about (this and DD) are wonderfully fantastic games with a fun cast and intriguing murder mysteries. You should play the ones you haven’t played yet, even the ones you’ve heard negative stuff about.

That being said, Turnabout Ablaze I think is sort of emblematic of every single problem I do have with AAI.

Ace Attorney Investigations is a little bit of a mess. At its best, it’s a fun murder mystery game with a stellar cast. It introduces Kay Faraday and Shi-Long Lang, it gives us more time playing as Miles Edgeworth, always a treat, and more time with my man Gumshoe. The mystery solving is fun and it offers a new kind of gameplay than the usual point and click style for investigations.

However, it also has a lot of weird pacing problems. Your new assistant and rival don’t show up until case 3 of 5. And Lang isn’t even in case 4, so he’s barely even a presence in his debut game, even though he’s a wildly interesting and fun character. All of his development is shoved into Turnabout Ablaze, and even though it’s welcome development, I kind of wish it was spread out more.

But going more into Turnabout Ablaze: It is long, arduous slog occasionally interrupted by some fantastic moments only to be dragged back down into the deepest recesses of hell. Its midpoint feels like a climax and everything past that point slowly and sadly peters away into a sad mess of one man slowly walking away from you to get on a plane.

To start with, this case in particular has so many different people being accused of murder. Kay, then Larry, then Shih-na, then Franziska, then Alba. AAI has this issue in almost all these cases, but it never feels as pronounced as it does in this one, this meandering, confusing mess of a case. It feels like we’re never really making progress, we’re just running in circles and occasionally hitting a brick wall while we get derailed from some bullshit or another.

I feel like the setup of AAI makes accusing people you care about far less impactful than it did in any of the other games, since that blame can be passed around so quickly and easily. Every single case has at least one moment where a recurring character gets accused, and it feels almost artificial? Like of course we’re going to have to care about Gumshoe and Maggey and Kay and Franziska and maybe not Larry but that’s a personal choice of mine. Yet most of those accusations never really last long enough to have anything meaningful happen plot or character wise, save for maybe Gumshoe in the flashback case? But there’s no tension to that one since we know Gumshoe ends up fine. The rest of the time it’s just an excuse to keep dragging Miles through a constantly meandering plot.

Also, there’re these weird distractions all over the place that lead nowhere. Having to deal with Larry and Oldbag for a few minutes hours even though it has nothing to do with the case at hand is annoying. If we got rid of that second murder, would anything have changed other than a few hours of gameplay? You just have to rewrite a few parts and boom, two hours of my life saved. Or the statue section, did we need to have that statue section? These would be well and good if they were fun to solve, or character building, but they weren’t. They were just there to add time to an already bloated final case.

Adding to that, I was not a huge fan of the Smugglers plot that they were pushing to be the overarching narrative. I feel like it was meant to be this big, intimidating force, but it ended up being so boring and impersonal. And boring. And did I mention boring? 

You know what was interesting? Calisto Yew, betraying her friends. Calisto Yew murdering Byrne Faraday, and then Kay’s investment in hunting her down. Then you get to the big climactic showdown with Shih-na, and it’s amazing! It’s satisfying! We’ve been developing this Big Bad for three cases and watching her finally break down, getting to that reveal of who she was, the shootout, all of it was fantastic and wait, what was that? Shih-na didn’t do the murders for this case? She was just a cog in the machine? There’s more game? Oh. Uh. Right. Okay. Whoo.

Also Quercus Alba, uh, sucks? He sucks. He sucks so much. He’s boring and smug, but also he’s this nothing character. He sweeps in at the eleventh hour to be the final hurdle, but he had no buildup other than walking around in the background as this doddering old man we didn’t care about. It wasn’t even in a “Ooo he was always there the whole time” way that Shih-na had, it was just this boring old man doing boring old man things.

And then they have the audacity to make the final confrontation with him last for HOURS longer than it needed to. And every single time it feels like we’ve progressed, not only have we made no progress, but we are actively slamming ourselves into the same brick wall over, and over, and over again.

“Oh, you see, Miles Edgeworth, I have ✨Diplomatic Immunity✨!”

“Ah, well, how about this proof! Proof that you are involved with the smuggling ring! What do you think about that?”

“Well, what do you think about this ✨✨Diplomatic Immunity✨✨ that I still have. Oh well time to go on a plane—”

“Wait! Wait Quercus Alba, what about this new proof! This proof that you could have done the crime!”

“Wowie, my ✨✨✨Diplomatic Immunity✨✨✨ certainly thinks you’re making an interesting point.”

And then Lang shows up to get rid of his ✨✨✨✨Diplomatic Immunity✨✨✨✨ after we’ve been in the same fucking time loop for what feels like twenty years of my life and then suddenly we have to prove without a shadow of a doubt that Alba did the murder?? Why???? That’s not how it works?????? Can someone fucking ARREST THIS MAN???? GUESS WHAT GUYS YOU DON’T NEED TO PROVE HE DID IT YET, YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO ARREST HIM YOU’RE NOT IN COURT?????????? END IT!!!! PLEASE!!!!! JUST END IT!!!! FUCK!!!!!!!!

I don’t care about the Smuggling Ring! It’s this weird nebulous idea that has no real bearing on any of the main characters other than Lang. And also like “Oh no, my country’s economy is in shambles” that’s so????nothing???? Again, if we could have anything tying us to the importance of improving Zheng-Fa’s economy maybe that would be different. Human beings as a species don’t really connect that well to a macro level if there’s nothing to make it feel personal, you know? We know nothing about Zheng-Fa and have no connection to Zheng-Fa, and we don’t have any way to conceptualize Lang’s struggle in a way that holds any meaning. Sure it’s important, but it’s not dire to us, and that makes for a shitty confrontation!!!

Let’s look back at the other final cases in this series. AA original: Miles is in danger. His smug mentor is not only trying to get him killed, but did the killings himself. AA2: Maya is kidnapped. It’s a struggle between your ideals of finding truth and justice and making sure your best friend isn’t killed. AA3: Maya is missing, and then later, suspected of murder. You’re confronting this big bad who's been a problem from case one and then also proving yourself to Godot.

They’re all personal stakes. They all matter to the main character, and the bad guy had a DIRECT hand in why. And yes, Alba ordered the killings, but again, it’s so impersonal, it’s like three steps removed so as rendered meaningless. Then you add on top that he’s got no motivation, other than greed and power I guess, he’s not fun, considering how many circles he makes us run in only to get to the same problem every single go around, he’s barely a character, he—!!! I hate him!!! I hate him and not in a fun way!!! Just end the case!!! Please Capcom!!!!

Again, the first half? When we were building to that confrontation with Shih-na? Great! Climactic. Fun. Interesting. But the rest? So deeply incredibly frustrating.

Sorry this was longer than I meant for it to. But I’m not too sorry. After all, I have ✨✨✨✨✨Diplomatic Immunity✨✨✨✨✨

[yn-dreamlife]

Our Princess

Ok so like I don't know if ya’ll have seen the interview or whe=atever where BTS dresses up as Princes and then proceed to like kiss each other on the cheek and stuff but imagine like you're there and they dress you up as a princess and like.... yeah. (Heres the interview if you haven't seen it)

BTS x reader (OT7 x reader)

Genre: fluff

Warnings: fluff, low-key smut/lemon, mentions of smut, cuteness, nicknames, eventual shy reader use of the word daddy/daddies (like once)

Images not mine just found them on the internet but I did make the collage.

As I sneak into the back of the building I have to stifle a gleeful giggle at the sound of my boyfriends laughter. I can tell at this moment its Namjoon and Taehyng laughing and my heart swells at the thought of them. 

I truly am blessed to have such seven amazing boyfriends. And im blessed to have a friend who's willing to sneak me into this interview, of course I could have just told them the truth and come with them but this would be better. 

I just got back from my world tour and while most of it they where with me the last month (give or take) they had to return home. They called me to ask when I would be home and when I heard they where having an interview at the place my friend works I quickly lied so I could surprise them. 

They’ve done it to me tons of times before, it’s only fair I get to do the same. And hey if this happens to be how we officially tell the fans we’re together then I’m okay with that. Sadly im not actually sure what this interview is and y/f/n wouldn't tell me. 

“y/f/n!” I groan as she drags me away from where my feet were already carrying me. 

“Sorry y/n/n but I gotta get you in the proper attire first.” She says winking. 

I look at her suspiciously “you’re not sending me out in lingerie or some shit right?” She sputters before quickly yelling at me in a hushed whisper how they don't do that here and I couldn't help but chuckle, “just checking.” 

She rolls her eyes pushing me into a room and locking the door behind us, sometimes the boys need to leave an interview during break just to be alone and it would ruin the surprise of me being here if one barged in. 

As I finally look around I gape at the big ball gown right in the center. “Woah! What lucky duck gets to where that?!” I gasp admiring the beautiful dark blue dress. 

“You” She states like its a simple fact like humans need to breathe. 

“M-me- What?!” I look at her dumb founded and she just smiles. 

“Mmmhmmm!” She hum happily pulling it off the mannequin. I waste no time undressing and quickly putting the dress on before she changes her mind or something. 

I feel giddy as the dress slides on my body. “y-y/f/n” I stutter out staring at myself in the mirror as she quickly applies some makeup and puts my hair up in an elegant updo. 

“Hmm?” she hums.

“I look-” You pause truly speechless. 

“Absolutely amazing?” You nod silently, “of course you do! With me as your stylist where could you go wrong?!” She chirps happily as she looks at her watch. 

“Are we to late? Did this take to long?!” I ask worried trying to ignore my growing disappointment. 

“What?! No! Just trying to see if they’re all dressed and ready. You’re going to be the last one to go as our surprise guest.... and it looks like its time!” She says as her phone chimes. 

I stand up hands sweaty so I wipe them on a towel. “Wont they see me as I enter?” 

She shakes her head, “no they’ll be turned around and blindfolded incase someone tries to peak.” She says winking, “oh and you will be too!”

“What?!” I exclaim shocked.

“Yep... haha kinda for the whole beginning half.” she says scratching the back of her neck. 

“W-wha -why?!” I asked in a hush voice as she leads me out of the room. 

“You’ll see.” She whispers placing a silky blindfold carefully on my face, not tight enough to ruin my makeup. I sigh as we continue walking.

“Alright boys! Are you guys excited?!” y/f/n asks excitedly. she whispers for you to sit back and you do so carefully. 

“Yes!” Jungkook says excitedly. “I want to see this mysterious beautiful princess!” I can hear the smile in his voice and ignore the slight ache. ‘He’s doin it for the fans, they dint know about us yet.’ I remind myself. 

“May I ask a question?” I hear Namjoon ask. 

“Of course!” y/f/n says. 

“How old is this princess?” He asks I assume I’m supposed to answer but a hand is slapped over my mouth before I can do so. 

“She’s around all of your age!” she says quickly as Namjoon hums thoughtfully. You nod remebering they don't know its you yet. 

“Can I please please please take the blindfold off now?!” I hear Hoseok asks and I almost ‘aww’ at him but I refrain. 

“No.” y/f/n, states simply. “-First” she says cutting of there groans of frustration. “I want you to guess who it is.” She says, “Or who you hope for it to be.” 

“Papa Mochi!” I hear Jimin cheer happily and I almost bust out laughing but I quickly cover my mouth. 

“That’s a guy!” y/f/n says exasperated like she's heard this all day. 

“fine!” he groans, “ummm Kumiko!” Jimin says.

“Is that just a random person?” She asks and when I don't hear anything but a sigh from her I  assume he just shrugged. I shake my head smiling as I listen to a bunch of random names leave there lips. 

“Kaede” I hear Namjoon next.  

“Iva” Jungkook says

“Koge” Jin spoke next. 

Now it was Hobis turn “Rai”

Taehyng waited a second before also replying, “Risako”

“Ishi” Yoongi speaks calmly. 

“What do you all just have a random store of names in your head?!” Y/f/n asks exasperated. I can hear the smirk in her voice when she speaks next, “Surprised none you said your best friends name.”

“She’s still on tour.” Tae says rather roughly. 

“Calm,” Namjoon whispers but I still caught it, ‘just how close to them am I?’ I wonder reaching my hand out only to meet the fabric of someones shirt. 

“Wah!” He exclaims and I recognize it as Taehyung. ‘So I’m very close.’ I think  to myself. “Uh thanks...” he mutters moving his shoulder away. ‘cute.’ I think. 

“Jeez sore subject haha sorry folks,” she pauses and clears her throat before continuing. “Anywho go ahead and take off the blindfolds!” She says and as I go to reach for my own a hand on my wrists stops me. 

“Not you m-lady.” She says in a fake accent. I hit her hand away pouting. 

‘Lame.’ I think to myself bitterly. 

“If she can't see us why is it fair we get to see her?” Yoongi questioned. ‘Thank you!’ I thought exasperated. She groans. 

“ugh! fine! Party pooper, you can keep your mask on too!” She chirps and my shoulders sag, ‘so much for that.’ 

“Fine” he says and I can hear him sit back down. I hear the others collectively gasp as I assume they remove there masks. 

“What? Who is it?” Namjoon speaks this time, ‘so he kept his blindfold on too.’

“You two are gonna wanna see this!” I hear Jungkook say and I can hear the grin in his voice. It makes me smile and I wave shyly biting my lip. 

“Y-Y/n?!” I hear them both exclaim. My grin widens. 

“Y/f/n get this damn blindfold off me I want to see my bo-” I cut myself off, “My boys!” I say in a rush. She groans

“Okay but you'll have to wear it again for one of our games.” She states matter-o-factly. I Quickly rip it off and my smile gets impossibly larger as I see them all standing there. 

“Look at all of you!” I say grinning as I stare at all of them in there prince outfits. A noticeable warmth spreading to my cheeks, ‘shit they look really good.’ 

Before I can think more on how amazing they look I am quickly picked up and spun around by Namjoon. I laugh gleefully as he does so, me and him spent the least amount of time together on FaceTime over the past few weeks sadly, both busy at the wrong times. But that doesn't mean we didnt catch each other eventually. 

“Why didnt you tell us you where coming?” Jimin asks swiping in as soon as joon set me down to hug me and the rest of the boys followed. 

“To surprise you of course!” I say grabbing Yoongis cold hand as he pulls away. 

“Well it worked!” kook exclaimed.

“Yeah this is almost as good as papa mocha right jimin-ah?” Hobbi says nudging him. 

“Hey don't be like that!” He says as he stares at me helplessly. I laugh at this. 

“No, no I think chim would have preferred Papa Mocha right Jin?” I say looking at the handsome man. 

He smirks, “I dunno... maybe” I laugh bending over slightly as I do so missing the way all there yes where trained on me. 

“Alrght alright, enough of the gooey best-friend stuff!” y/f/n says. “We’re gonna take a break to give you seven time to prepare and poor y/n here time to enjoy herself before our next game.” she says about to walk away. 

“Wait! Whats the next game?!” I ask. 

“You’ll see.” As the cameras are turned off we are all sent away, the boys walk with my to ‘my room’ but we all know cameras where there to catch what would be said and whatnot so we stopped in the middle of both and I turned to all of them smiling widely. 

“You should have told us!” Taehyng grumbles as he clings onto you from behind nuzzling his head into your neck. 

“If I did that I wouldn't have been able to see you get all angry at the thought of me being away any longer.” I said bopping his nose and his own cheeks reddened. 

“Oh yeah, guess you heard that huh?” I make a mhm sound and he hides further in my neck as I giggle. 

“So kookie was I pretty enough to be worth it? Was I a good enough mysetery beauty princess?” I ask, he bends down cupping my cheek, “The only one who fits the bill,” he whispers placing a kiss on my lips. 

“Hey knock it off!” I say as a blush creeps its way onto my cheeks. They all laugh at that. 

We go to our own rooms and I sit waiting impatiently. Ten or so minutes later y/f/n comes back and pulls me into the room again and sits me back in the chair. 

“Okay so our next game is called... drumroll please!” All the boys smack there hands on there thighs, “Blush-rush!” She declares. 

“What?! Oh no!” I say exasperated “grrr curse you y/f/n!” I say shaking my fist at her as the boys laugh. 

“Yeah yeah thats the witches job not yours m-lady.” I scoff. “Ok! theres two rounds! One action round and one verbal round! y/n sets the boundaries, and you boys follow them but otherwise your good. Your goal? Make y/n blush as long and as deeply as possible.” She says looking to you to set the rules. 

“Ok obviously you boys know the no-no squares.” You say simply and they all chuckle nodding. “Okay, uhhhh I guess..Oh! No yelling in my ear!” You glare at Jungkook then remembering when you where still best friends and he screamed in your ear to wake you up, while acting out how he would wake his future girlfriend. 

He holds his hand up defensively and I shake my head at him smiling. “I don't know! You guys know me, so you know whats to far!” I said shrugging. They all nodded smiling, they know old boundaries of when we where trying to hide it from the fans are off the table, we’ve seen the theories and there isn't any negativity towards them so we figured why not.

If it comes out it comes out, if not then thats okay to. We’re happy ether way, it was a group decision. 

“Alrighty then lets get going!” She says smiling. “Boys pick which one you do first-” she gets cut off by an enthusiastic Namjoon. 

“Words!” He says quickly and all the boys quickly nod in agreement. I can't help but laugh. 

“Alrighty then y/n back on with the blindfold.” I groan but put it on anyways. 

it’s a long moment of silence before I hear anything at all, quickly thoughts of being alone flood into my mind but are quickly washed away by someones breathe hot on my ear. 

“Baby girl,” Instantly I recognize Jin, “you should have told us you where coming, we could have welcomed you home properly.” my eyes widen beneath my mask knowing full well what usually happens when we reunite. 

I clear my throat trying to avoid the blush on my cheeks. “Don't try to hide it princess,” Namjoon says his voice deep and on my other side, I can feel the warmth from the two bodies next to me. “You always react so well, such a beautiful blush.” 

This time I can't stop my cheeks from turning pink. “Little one~” It’s Jungkook, completely different from the excited adorable one who just minutes ago was excited to see a mysterious princess “doing so good, you’ve barely blushed so far.” He purrs but then chuckles deeply “Or you weren't blushing.” I groan slightly as I shift in my seat. 

‘Damnit only three of them have-’ “Hello Kitten,” ‘Yoongi, shit’. “Look at you, don't you look so pretty?” He says and I know if he could he would run his hands threw my hair right now. 

“Hello my little flower,” I hear another voice right next to my ear, ‘hello hobi’ I chuckle. “Something funny? Or you just like the way we’re making you feel?” I don't answer and he just chuckles at that. 

“Hello my little angel~” Jimin practically purrs into my ear just like Yoongi. “I love your dress, it would look better on my bedroom floor though, don't you think?” I try to shake off his words but of course the blush continues to grow.

I know who has to be coming next and I’m not surprised when I hear his deep voice, “Hi baby, are you happy to be surrounded by your daddies?” He whispers in my ear and by now the blush has moved down my necks and up to my ears. 

“Yes how are-” Jin gets cut off by y/f/n. 

“Alright alright!” She cuts in, “jeez guys I said make her blush, not kill her... you seven jeesh.” She pulls the blindfold off and I look up to see all seven of them around me smirks on there faces. 

‘uh-oh’ I look down not able to stare at them any longer, its to much I’m already warm enough. I didnt think they would be so.... suggestive. 

They chuckle as they see my cheeks warming up again. “I have to go cool off in the bathroom!” I say quickly standing up and moving to the hallway. I lean against a wall breathing deeply. 

“Damn you.” I sigh as I cover my face, even the after thought makes me blush.

“y/n?” I hear y/f/n, I look up at her smiling softly. “We can't make it a silent part, no one would no what they said and we all sign privacy policy contracts.” She said seriously. 

“Oh it’s fine I just was shocked really,” I huff out a laugh, “but lets make it silent, I want to see what our fans come up with.” She grins nodding. 

I go back out smiling reassuringly at the boys who all relax visibly. I sit back in the seat preparing myself for the next round. I breathe deeply as y/f/n gives the all clear as I watch Hobi approach. 

Truth be told I don't know what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting him to just sand in-front of me forcing eye contact, thats for sure. So when it got to be to much I quickly looked away, and thats how I knew I fell into the trap. His finger making its way under my chin to turn my face towards him as he leans in closer. 

And just when I think he might kiss me he pulls way smirking and I purse my lips to prevent a smile. So caught up in the moment I didn't realize Yoongi slipped behind me until I felt his hands move down my exposed shoulders only to go back up and move towards my collar bones. Goosebumps forming on my heated flesh. 

He drew his hands away drawing them close to my throat. Jimin also comes up not hesitating to move his hand from my cheek to my neck where he hovers placing slight pressure from his finger tips almost like from one of the first few videos he took of my where instead of doing the face smooshy thing he went and choked me. 

I know my face is beat red by now but there is still four more to go. I smile as Jungkook comes up to me, he wouldn't do anything to bad- I’m instantly proven wrong as his arms go around my middle, feather light touches moving over my sides the same way he does when I’m blindfolded and- ‘nope! don't go there then you WILL blush more!’ He smirks triumphantly knowing that was enough. 

Taehyung is much more.... pg I suppose as he peppers my face with kisses repeatedly, but I realize that that he was just to prepare me for when Namjoon sneaks up behind my sticking his face in my neck. He is sure to hide what exactly he’s doing by his position but I feel his lips moving up and down my neck going to the spot by my ear. 

Jin is the last, and what he does is simple but effective. He simply takes me off the chair and places me right onto his lap, and of course once again by now my face is beet red and they’ve surely beaten me since Hobi, but it was more fun to let them all go. 

After that the interview was basically done we stayed for about an hour more before we all decided to drive home. I was in my car with just Jungkook and Namjoon while the others went in there car. Im sitting in the back in Namjoon’s lap, yes there was a perfectly good seat beside him but honestly neither one of them cared and I loved the contact. 

We where stopped at a stop light the conversation at a comfortable silence when I spoke up. “You guys where very... open.” I say as I hide my face in Joons neck. he chuckles his hands moving up and down my back. 

“What can we say, not seeing you for, what a month? Add onto that the opportunity to publicly do anything we want with you, well we have to do everything we can.” he said smirking squeezing my hips. 

“Well not everything.” Jungkook says winking in the rear view mirror and once again I blush as a giggle leaves my lips. 

It’s a week later when I go onto youtube and find the latest conspiracy video for the eight of us shockingly. It’s videos of us over the whole time we had been dating, proof of the long time relationship. I smile as I show the boys and we reminisce on the old videos. 

I decide to post a picture on my instagram from the interview, one of the seven of them in there costumes and then one of me with each of them alone, namjoons was one of my favorites, not that I didnt love them all of them but one of the camera men caught the moment he picked me up and spun me around and I knew I would always treasure it. I put the caption, “My princes.” 

Seeing this they put a picture on there official insta saying “Our princess.” No one truly asked any questions, they all just knew. The comments where filled with friends saying finally, and fans agreeing saying how happy they where. And we where too. We truly would have a happily ever after. 

Hey guys my request an taglist’s are always open! Thank you!

[mysingularitybts]

Glances a Jung Hoseok One-Shot

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x famous!reader

Genre: romance

Warnings: smut

Part 1

Part 2 

As soon as I got home I let out a deep sigh. What had just happened? How can a person affect me this way? I have dated in the past and none have ever made me feel this flustered and out of control.

I decided to go to bed since it was late and tomorrow I had to go to the studio, yet when I closed my eyes instead of darkness greeting me it was his sharp eyes staring deeply at me. It was the smirk he threw me all night and it was the heat I felt when we came into contact.

I couldn't keep this to myself or I would drive myself crazy. So, I did the only reasonable thing... I called Nari, my best friend. The phone rang many times and just as I was about to give up hope Nari's groggy voice greeted me.

"What Y/n?" she grumbled into the phone.

"Something happened and I don't know what to do about it," I answered desperately

"Are you okay? Where are you?" she worriedly asked.

"Yes, I'm okay. Well, kinda. I'm home" I huffed into the phone.

"Y/n, you are worrying me," she told me. I felt her bedsheets ruffle as she got up.

"I met BTS," I let out as if it was the most tragic thing ever.

"Really?! That's great!" she exclaimed, ignoring my tone.

"I'm not finished,"

"What... don't tell me you hooked up with one of them?! Who was it?" she then again yelled into the phone.

"None of that," I answered, rubbing my tired eyes out of frustration.

"Damn it y/n just tell me already!" Nari fumed.

That's how I spent almost an hour recalling what happened in the past 12 hours. As I told the story Nari would release oh's and ah's. I think she thought for a second my life was a drama.

"So, what do you think?" I asked hoping to get some advice out of my best friend.

"Holy shit that was intense," she exclaimed. I just hummed at her reaction.

"I can't get him out of my head," I whined, throwing myself face down on the bed.

"Sadly I can't help you that much. The only thing you can do is wait for him to ask you on that date which I guess should be soon," she tried reasoning with me.

"How do you know?"

"He will want to go out with you before he leaves LA, duh," she explained simply.

"You're right, you are so smart," I said as she let out a noise agreeing, "I'll try to sleep now, goodnight!"

"Night!"

I tried to sleep once more, but this time I was so exhausted physically and emotionally that I fell asleep in a few moments not allowing the rapper's actions to haunt me.

The next day I felt a lot better and had a better grip on my emotions. I went to the studio and had some recording done. I also got some writing done having found some inspiration on the dark-haired man.

At around noon I went out for lunch with Carly. Stepping into the studio a huge flower arrangement greeted me. It was very colorful making me suspect who it was from. Carly just looked at me with a raised eyebrow waiting for an explanation.

I ignored her as I searched for a card to confirm my suspicion. I found it between the many flowers I quickly took and read through it a smile forming on my face.

'Sweetheart,

Would you do me the honors of having dinner with me at 8?'

-Hoseok

Xxx-xxx-xxxx'

Not wasting a single minute I searched for my phone and typed a simple message

'Yes ❤️ - y/n'

He answered very rapidly with a message of his own.

'I'm so happy to hear that sweetheart. I'll pick you up."

I made sure to send him my address when a chuckle behind me startled me.

"Huh?" I dumbly said.

"Who's got you blushing?" Carly asked accusatorily at me.

"Nooo oneeee," I said innocently.

"Is it one of BTS?" she asked knowingly.

"How did you know?" I asked, baffled at her guess.

"Nobody else caught your attention yesterday, honey," she explained.

"Yeah, it's J-hope," I answered, playing with my fingers hoping she wouldn't scold me.

"Okay, just be careful, okay?" She said with a supporting smile, "I'm not saying they're bad, but they are very busy guys and you also have your career to be worried about."

"...I know I'm just hoping for the best,"

"Let me know where you'll be so I can give a fake lead to the paparazzi. I don't want them bothering you today and spreading fake rumors,"

"THANK YOU SO MUCH CARLY I LOVE YOU SO SO SO MUCH," I squealed in her ear as I gave her a huge hug.

This is why I loved Carly. She always gave me the freedom to explore. Even if it came with a hundred warnings. I knew it was because she cared about me.

Going back to work I tried to rush through it so I could go home earlier. Seeing my rush Carly just told me to leave and go enjoy my date. I didn't question as I picked up my stuff and almost ran out the door.

Once home I had a bath and made sure to exfoliate my skin so it was silky smooth. Having some extra time I put on a face mask so my skin was also on point. I was going the extra mile to impress Hoseok.

At around 5 I began doing my hair and makeup. I opted for straightening my hair making it look shiny and long, I took the two front strands and tucked them behind my ears. For the makeup, I did a soft, neutral, glam look with a red lip. Then the hard part came...choosing what to wear.

I remembered he mentioned we were going to a restaurant so I began searching for a dress.

I picked a black silky dress. It reached my mid-thigh, had an open back, and only showed a bit of cleavage in front. Looking at myself in the mirror I looked hot!

At exactly 8 PM my doorbell rang. I went down and opened the door to see a very handsome looking Hoseok in a black suit and a white button-up. The first few buttons of it undone.

"Hey," Hoseok greeted me as I opened the door.

"Hi," I shyly said, noticing how his eyes took in what I was wearing.

"You look stunning," he complimented not missing to shoot me a grin. l

"Thank you," I said, not knowing how to proceed my nerves taking the best of me.

"Ready to go?" He asked, offering me his ringed hand.

"Definitely," I answered, placing my palm in his embracing the warmth he emitted.

The first minute of the car ride was a bit awkward, but it quickly dissipated as we began talking about our day. Once we got to the restaurant we had a full conversation going.

He brought me to a very notorious restaurant in LA. It was known in the industry as the restaurant to go if you wanted a bit of privacy since it had many entrances and even though it had lots of windows you could see inside without actually being inside.

Tonight there were no paparazzi outside, thanks to Carly I believe, so we used the main entrance. Once inside the waiter quickly led us to a table and gave us the menu. After taking our order our conversation resumed.

"Nari and I used to get into so much trouble and we didn't even do anything horrible. We would always just prank her brother," I laughed remembering the old days, "He used to be a cry baby and that's what got us in trouble."

"Poor boy with two crazy girls torturing him," Hoseok teased chuckling at my memory.

"We didn't torture him! It was like a competition we had to see who could make him cry first," I tried defending myself but realized Nari and I were a bit cruel to six-year-old Youngjin.

"I remember when we were still trainees we did something similar with Jungkook," Hoseok said trying to recall the memory, "Sometimes he'd be upset and we'd simply say 'You're going to cry?' and it was like a trigger."

"You see it's fun!" I exclaimed giggling.

Somehow as the night went on his hand found mine at the table. He held it delicately, his hands were soft and warm, his rings in contrast were freezing.

"How is your album going?" He curiously asked, changing the subject.

"It's getting there... There are still a few songs missing and I'm working with some other ones to make them better. Hopefully, by next year it will be released," I uncertainly said, "This album is a bit more complicated since I'm trying to explore a new sound," I explained.

He just nodded his head letting me talk. I loved that he would just listen to what I had to say now and then adding to it or giving me his advice. We had a good conversation and I got to know him on a more personal level. He was a bright guy always looking for the positives whose smile made you smile. He was so supportive too and whenever he talked about his work you could sense the passion going out of his pores.

The night went in a blur and dessert soon came. He took me by surprise as he fed me some of it and then cleaned my bottom lip with his thumb as some chocolate was left behind. It was both sexy and sweet.

When we finished eating we went up to a little terrace in the building where you could see the view of LA and all of its twinkling lights. We stood there looking out at the view, it was peaceful.

I heard him clear his throat and call my name, "Y/n?"

"Yes?" I asked turning to look at him.

He looked nervous standing there playing with the rings on his finger. He looked hesitant so I extended my hand to hold his and reassure him.

"I am so glad you agreed to the date," he began saying his eyes on the floor, "When I met you I didn't expect to feel such a great connection to you."

"I'm glad I wasn't the only one that felt it," I told him softly.

Feeling more confident he raised his eyes to mine, "Even though we haven't known each other for a long time I find myself caring about you a lot and I can't seem to get you outta my head. I would really like to keep seeing you and I know it might not be so easy with me being on tour and you with your work, but I would really like to try..."

I stood there shocked. I hadn't expected him to reveal his feelings so rapidly, but I also understood why he did it. If he didn't do it now then when? Our lives are so hectic you don't know when the next time you'll see a person will be, so, you need to hold tight to them.

"If you don't want to, I'll respect that, but please think about it," he finished saying at my lack of response.

He gave me a defeated look as I didn't respond immediately or even after a few seconds. I was trying to organize my thoughts, if there was one thing I was sure of it was that I didn't want to let him go.

"I don't have to think about it," I said, squeezing his hand, "I would love to keep seeing you. After all, you've made me feel things I never thought I could feel."

At my confession, Hoseok's eyes regain that spark that was unique to him.

With his confidence returning he asked, "Does that mean you would like to give this a try and be my girlfriend?"

"I would love too," I excitedly giggled.

Facing him, I briefly looked down at our hands. His thumb lightly brushed against my skin and I smiled as he pulled me closer to him. My eyes met his but not for long as I glanced at his lips once I saw him do the same. He let go of my hands and gently moved them to my waist as I placed mine on his arms. He got closer to me until his lips met mine in the sweetest of kisses. I could tell how nervous he was and I was too, yet I also felt overwhelming joy at the same time. His lips were warm and inviting with a hint of chocolate from our previous dessert. We fit together, not just emotionally, but physically as if we were two puzzle pieces that lost each other long ago and finally found each other. I felt his grasp on my waist tighten slightly as my hands moved to his chest. His heartbeat was erratic and I smiled into the kiss knowing I had the same effect on his as he did on me.

We pulled apart, I opened my eyes to see him gazing at me. An unidentifiable feeling filled my heart as we went back in for another kiss not having quite enough. While the first kiss was sweet and tender this one was full of fiery passion. Our lips moved more feverishly desperate to feel each other, he pulled me even closer having me flush against him. The heat rose as I felt his tongue ask for entrance and without hesitation, I parted my lips. My hands then traveled to the back of his neck where they tangled themselves in his hair. We stood there for what felt like a small eternity, but eventually, we had to pull away as our lungs started burning, begging for air.

With smiles on our faces, we turned back to the LA scenery. Hoseok wrapped his arm around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. After a few moments of peaceful silence, I asked, "What now? What else do you have planned?"

He looked at me with wide eyes, "I don't have anything else planned," he laughed, "I was too worried thinking you might reject me to plan something else."

"As if! I would never," I said in a defensive tone.

After thinking for a second I gave an idea, " We can go to my place... I have a bottle of wine waiting for us," I told him as I looked up at him, "That is if you want."

He looked down at me and with a kiss to my forehead he said, "Let's go."

He intertwined our hands and led me back to the car and as the gentleman, he is he opened the door for me. As Hoseok drove I couldn't help but observe him, there was something about how he gripped the steering wheel and how his eyes focused on the road that made him look so attractive.

Being so deep in thought he took me by surprise as he said, "You know it's rude to stare," he briefly glanced at my blushing face and finished by saying, "But since it's you I'll let it pass."

---------------------------------------------------------------STOP----------------------------------------------------

He placed his hand on my thigh warming it up with just a touch and as I grew accustomed to its presence he started to caress my thigh. Up and down. Up and down. Never touching where I wanted him to be making my core throb. It made the car ride unbearable and filled with tension. He knew what he was doing since when I turned to look at him he had a smirk on his lips.

I placed my hand on top of his to stop the teasing and gave him a knowing look.

He shamelessly laughed and said, "Sorry Sweetheart couldn't resist."

"All in due time Hobi be patient," I simply told him, squeezing his hand.

Once we got to my house I opened a bottle of wine and sat on the sofa beside him. It was as if he was a magnet and I was metal. We instantly attracted each other and came into contact not being able to be apart.

We had a nice conversation going about BTS's upcoming tour.

"So, wait, you just finished this tour and you have one scheduled for next year?" I asked surprised.

"It's for the new album that's dropping. Hopefully, we'll go to more places than this year," he responded excitedly while taking a drink of his wine glass.

"I don't know how you do it, I wouldn't be able to bear being away from home for so long," I admitted while watching the wine as it swirled in the glass.

"Remember I have the guys who are practically my family," he explained with a fond smile, "Besides we've worked so hard to get to where we are now we're scared it will all go away if we take a break."

To some extent, I understood his worry. In this industry one day, you could be on top and the next on the bottom. There was always a search for the next new talent, but there were also people who would do anything to be on top even if it meant playing dirty.

"I doubt it though you have the best fanbase in the world," I reassured him.

It was the truth ARMY was always consistent. They always tried to support BTS to the fullest even if they made mistakes.

"Is that so?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Of course I've been a proud ARMY since practically the beginning," I reminded him.

"So tell me who is your bias?" he asked, getting even closer cornering me in between the sofa and him.

"Hmm? I'm not sure..." I teased with a grin.

"Is that so? There must be somebody," at this point his nose was brushing against mine.

"W-w- well there is Namjoon but my heart's not set on it yet...there is time for it to change," I told him trying to gauge his reaction.

"Then let me convince you," With every syllable, he said he pulled me closer till the gap between us was no more and our lips touched in a searing kiss.

Our lips moved in unison as if we had practiced it a million times before. We separated for a split second placing the half-drunk glasses on the table, yet our lips crashed once again not wasting a single moment.

My hands found themselves around his neck playing with his dark tendrils. I pulled on them and the most beautiful sound came from his mouth, a deep and sinful moan. Wanting to hear it again I pulled again and my ears were blessed with the wicked sound.

His hands pulled me into his lap making me straddle him, as they then roamed my body leaving a fiery trail behind causing goosebumps to arise.

He started trailing kisses around my neck finding my sweet spot and sucking on it, making me moan and grind my hips over his groin which in turn led him to buck up against me.

My hands moved across his chest feeling his hard lean muscles contract. I couldn't get enough of it. I needed more of his burning skin. I had to feel the heat he emitted and the rapid beating of his heart.

I untucked his crisp white shirt while he marked my neck with purple flowers that I would surely regret tomorrow. He nipped my neck which made me leave scratch marks down his flawless chest.

He started kissing my lips again and dragged his hands to my back as he toyed with the zipper of my dress.

He pulled back and with dark and dilated eyes asked "Can I?"

Breathless I replied, "Yes."

We held eye contact as he torturously pulled the zipper down causing my dress to drop down to my waist leaving my chest exposed. My nipples hard due to arousal and the sudden temperature change. They weren't cold for long as Hoseok quickly took one into his mouth and covered the other with his palm.

All I could do was moan and whimper as he alternated between sucking the bud and rolling it with his tongue. He rolled the other between his fingers and occasionally pulled it making me whimper and say his name.

"H-Hoseok, ahh," I stuttered with pleasure while gripping his back.

"What was that sweetheart?" he asked while momentarily pulling back. His other hand lowering down to my butt and giving it a hard smack.

"Hoseok!" I screamed as pain and pleasure flooded my senses at the same time.

"Just like that," he darkly chuckled.

It was amazing to see how a person can change from a bright, sweet, and seemingly innocent to this sexy lust-filled man. Both beautiful and dangerous simultaneously.

Hoseok picked me up as I locked my legs around his waist trying not to fall and made me direct him to my room. Once in the room, that was thankfully clean, he dropped me on the edge of the bed and finished pulling off my dress. I was almost bare with only the thin layer of lace covering my nether regions.

I sat up to finish unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off in a swift motion. His chest was an amazing sight to behold. It reflected the hours of training and practice he endured daily. I kissed down his chest and stomach, making sure to leave some marks of my own, but stopped at the hem of his pants.

I looked up at him to see him staring at me with hooded eyes and slightly parted lips. Staring into his eyes I took off his belt, unbuttoned his pants, and lowered the zipper slowly to torture him just as he did to me moments earlier.

Once his pants were off I began to palm him through his underwear not missing how his hips slightly thrust at the contact and he let out a sigh. Having tortured him enough I lowered his boxers letting his member spring up. It stood proudly with a vein going up its length. His head leaking pre-cum.

I began pumping him while swiping my thumb over the tip. Hoseok groaned as he tipped his head back. He then looked at me with a mixture of confusion and desperation as I stopped my movements, but understood as I brought him to my mouth. I started bobbing my head as I worked my way deeper until I had most of him in my mouth.

Hoseok's hands grazed my shoulders not being sure what to do with them. So, I took them and placed them on my head letting him take the lead. Taking that as permission he grabbed my hair and started guiding my movements. At some point I had him completely in my mouth, I felt as my nose touched his pelvis but before I could choke he pulled me back with a string of saliva connecting me to him.

Hoseok pulled me up and started kissing me his tongue tangling with mine. He placed me by the pillows on the bed kissing down to my neck, to my sternum, down to my stomach until I felt his breath in between my thighs. He did all this while I looked at him pleadingly. He made me suffer as he kissed around my thighs making me wince now and then as he bit down.

By this point, I was dripping and he knew it. He touched me through my underwear and felt how soaked I was. With a smirk, he rubbed up and down my slit not giving me what I wanted most.

I let out a huff of frustration and he took it as a queue to begin his work. He lowered my underwear and I felt as it got stuck to me due to my arousal. He gazed at me intently while he very slowly and gently pulled them down.

I whined, dropping my head back onto the mattress which made me not notice when he brought his fingers to my heat. I gave a mix of a squeal and a moan as he rubbed my clit in circular motions. I tried clamping my legs shut due to the sensation, but he placed himself between them not allowing me.

He wasn't doing much and I was already a moaning mess. He stuck a finger into me and he cussed at how tight I felt with only a finger in. I started gripping the bed sheets around me trying to hold onto something.

"Hoseok... p-p-lease more," I begged the feeling of his finger inside me not being enough.

"Whatever you want sweetheart," he complied by inserting another of his long fingers the tightness increasing as he kept going.

The rings on his fingers added to the pleasure as they brushed against me and soon enough I started to cum, my thighs started to tremble and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. My mouth open but not letting a sound out.

He brought me down off my high slowly, not stopping immediately. As I came back to my senses I could still feel the twitch of my thighs. I hadn't noticed that at some point my hands exchanged the sheets for Hoseok hair as I released my grip on it.

"That was beautiful," he praised.

I couldn't stop the blush that covered my face.

"Don't get shy now baby," he hummed in a low voice.

Hoseok crawled back up to me and looked at me in the eye, lots of emotions swirling in them. He brushed my hair off my face and at the sweet gesture I couldn't help but bring my hands up to his cheeks and pull him down to my lips. His mouth still tasted like me but I didn't mind. I pulled back slowly as I bit his lip and dragged it out till I released it. His eyes turned darker than before at the action.

"Don't play like that sweetheart," Hoseok growled in my ear.

I acted innocently saying "What do you mean?"

"You know what," he said as his thumb went over my lips.

"I need you Hoseok," I whispered. For a second I thought he didn't hear me until he spoke.

"Whatever you want you get sweetheart."

After what felt like an eternity I felt him sink into me and we both let out a moan in unison.

"Fuck you're so tight," he groaned shutting his eyes tightly.

"Just for you," I reassured, and as I said those words I saw a fire ignite in him as he started thrusting slowly and deeply.

"Faster baby," I whined.

He complied and started going faster, his hands laced through mine. He went deep inside me making me feel full and hitting all the right spots. The sight of him on top of me was otherworldly, the way he'd let out silent groans and how his eyes focused on every little reaction I gave.

Just as I was reaching my peak he stopped his movements. Pleadingly I looked at him. He took my hand pulling me up as he sat against the headboard and in his low voice said, "Ride me."

I could only say one thing, "With pleasure."

I straddled him and slowly sunk into him. He held my hips as I bounced on him, his hands occasionally roaming to my chest. He was truly a sight to behold as the sweat dropped from his neck and chest giving his skin a gleam. Plus, the way he'd try to hide his moans and groans. The moans caused by me.

"I'm not gonna last long sweetheart," he revealed with a grimace.

"Me either baby," I agreed as I felt the knot forming in my stomach.

He then started rubbing my clit with one hand while he pulled me to his lips with the other. Just like that the uncontrollable heat between us amplified to extreme measures as we reached our climax together. He muffled my moans as he kissed me. The long kisses slowly turned into pecks until we pulled away with our breaths heavy and our foreheads touching. The heat was there but it was faint having been satisfied for now. I got off of him suddenly feeling very empty.

We laid on my observing each other and recuperating from the past activity. Hoseok caressed my arm with his fingertips relaxing me even more. After getting my breathing under control I noticed he had an infectious smile on his lips which in turn made me smile back. Sunshine Hoseok was back.

"Was everything okay?" He asked slowly, making sure I was alright.

"It was perfect," I whispered, not wanting to break the serenity of the room.

"You were perfect," he responded, pulling me closer so I laid on his chest, the one I had marked in many ways.

"Oh, stop it," I said, the smile never leaving my lips. I hoped he wouldn't notice the blush appearing on my face.

"Know what?" his voice turned serious.

"What?" I was curious to see what he would say.

"The moment you walked up to us in the awards and gave me that sweet glance... I knew I felt something for you." He confessed sweetly as we laid there basking in each other's presence.

I didn't need to say anything since he knew I felt the same.

Cuddling more into his side he kissed my head. I thought about how the time to come would be hard because of our careers, but I paid it no mind. As long as I have Hoseok by my side I would go to hell and back.  

A/N: *cough cough* well that happened. It's my first time writing smut so bear with me. If you liked it let me know! If you didn't don't worry it won't happen too often. The way I wrote the first part really didn't leave much of a choice this was what was supposed to happen.  

So, if you guys enjoyed it please let me know and make sure to like and reblog to show your support.

I'm still shook.  Honestly.

PS. I'm sorry for grammatical mistakes but I really wanted to publish it. I'll probably go back later and fix them.

See you guys later ;) 💜 x

-Nikki Marie

[beautifulterriblequeen]

I’m really intrigued by Rayla’s moonshadow assassin peers. I especially am interested in Andromeda because I think she is the only other girl in the group? Do you have any headcanons in how these teen/young adult assassins interacted? Do you think Rayla isolated herself from them because she was always iffy about taking a life? Also TDP finally colored their map and I know you live maps, find any new cool stuff? I especially love how there’s a frozen sea north and a spinning sea south, imagine the powerful Magic’s that channeled to make them.

Okay, so I jumped straight to the map, did 80% of it, and wandered away for a few weeks. I apologize, anon. Let’s get this going again:

I’ve got a few headcanons on the Moonshadow assassins! It seems likely that they hang out mostly with each other, when they hang out, to reinforce their teambuilding and to give them some socialization, since assassins tend to keep others at arm’s length. So I kinda figure they tend to roam as a pack on their evenings out in the village, if they’re not married to a non-assassin like Runaan is.

I think that could be part of the reason that Rayla might not have hung out with the others as much, too: Runaan wanted to be either training or at home with Ethari, so Rayla probably spent a lot of time doing those things just because he did them. And when Runaan was doing more serious training or missions, that’s when Rayla had her free time to run around the forest and make adoraburr friends. 

Runaan could’ve probably insisted that she do something more assassiny with her free time. Shadow an assassin, do more studying, practice certain prescribed skills on her own. But he didn’t. He let her play. Soft assassin is soft!

Listen, anon, I have a fun headcanon for you about Andromeda--and by fun, I mean it’s really angsty half a second after you start thinking about it. Ready? 

What if: Andromeda is Runaan’s half-sister. If they’re both Lujanne’s children by different assassin dads who kept dying in battle, but a Moon mage needs an assassin leader partner to defend Xadia with, and Lujanne knew her son Runaan wasn’t old enough to lead yet, so she burned through three or more husbands protecting him until Runaan was well trained enough to lead the assassins himself and had fallen in love with a mage who adored him and would be his partner in her place.

 Andromeda looks a fair bit like Lujanne, too:

Along with Runaan, they all have long hair, side tails bound in silver cuffs, and some form of braids. Andromeda’s hair is sectioned in front similarly to Runaan’s. Her accent sounds more British than Scottish, though she only has the one line: My eyes for truth. And Lujanne and Andromeda are the only two Moonshadow elves we’ve met who have medium blue horns, while Runaan’s are dark blue. Almost everyone else’s horns have purple or pink as their base color.

But then, see, Andromeda went on Runaan’s mission, and she died. Her spirit was the most aggressive in TTM, usually closest to Rayla with her sword out, as if she hated Rayla the most. If she had a vested family interest in Runaan’s mission succeeding, and then it went pear-shaped because of Rayla, that would make sense.

No matter if she’s related to Runaan or not, she’s wearing horn cuffs, so she was in a dedicated relationship of some kind, and that’s so sad. Someone’s missing her the way Ethari’s missing Runaan. :’((((

Anyway, it’s just a headcanon, but since you asked, there ya go.

Okay, on to my thoughts on the map, of which I have a normal and healthy amount:

The Map Border: 

Everyone doodles in the borders. I love to see what they put there.

Starting in the upper left and going counter-clockwise, the five human crowns are cool

Cornucopia swirls center left look like an homage to Cabbage Man from ATLA

Bait is staring at Evenere. his home? Or maybe he just wants to eat the dragonfly on its logo

Human defender has a beard. Hairagorn. He's very heavily armored but has no helmet. Long hair is braided to rest on front of shoulder, like the blond elf in the painting at the Moon Nexus. Old timey hairstyle?

He’s defending Katolis Castle specifically. I wonder if the little white building is kinda random or if it’s supposed to represent the Banther Lodge. Nah, I have a better guess: that’s where Viren grew up

The crack in the map looks meta. It's been repaired somewhat. Makes me wonder if it's an in-world map, whose, who ripped it, and who fixed it. Sir Phineas Kurst seems like the kind of guy to almost shred his really cool map

The star behind Zym's egg has seven points

The two ships on the southern waters are western and eastern respectively. Tidebound elves from Singapore? Jack Sparrow would be proud

There is land just south of the Dragontail, wonder what’s there?

The leaves around the human figure are small and numerous while the Moonshadow elf has fewer but bigger leaves

The elf is standing in the way of one of the six leaves growing out of the rune rose and that leaf's curly tip seems to have been replaced with a curl of the elf's very long hair

The human pose is more offense and the elf pose is more defense. But the elf has two swords, and one has some wicked hooks in it.

Elf has 4 fingers instead of 3 so whether it’s in-universe or meta, they were drawn by a human :DDD

The elf's braid winds around their horn and I think that's clever

High collar shirt under protective layer, bracers and elbow gloves, bare biceps, complex shoulder getup, ornate hair that's butt long and partly braided, two long slightly curving swords... horn cuffs too. This is a Moonshadow assassin in the same gear Runaan's got, poised to defend the Xadian half of the map as the human is poised to defend his side

The rune rose isn't a compass. It has a two sided pointer and six primal runes. Just decorative I guess. ;)

More lettuces on right center.

Maybe a portaling caterpillar on the center knot? Little bug pal, I see you

“The Five Human Kingdoms” lettered in red, “Xadia” in blue. Giving me Stratego flashbacks. Even the flowers on their banners are color coded

Banners in the corners are similar but Xadia has more fluttery tips

Thunder drawn all attacky top center, does he have anything to do with the Frozen Sea being frozen?

Compass rose under Thunder’s wing

Dick island near the compass. Well, Duren is the breadbasket of the human lands. A most excellent cartography joke! 10/10 would chortle wholesomely again

The Human Kingdoms:

Neolandia

Capital Eboreus seems to be a lake city below a mountain and I'm here for all the Lake Town refs. 

It's also the eye of the elephant shape

Not a lot of trees, mostly grasses or desert. Only borders Duren across a couple rivers/estuaries/sea channels

Heart shaped island next to elephant trunk

Land generally broken into several sections by sea/rivers 

If it’s rivers, they seem to generate from the capital’s lake and flow in several directions. And they say there’s no magic left in the western lands! ;)

But if there was exactly one source of freshwater in a desert land, it makes sense that you’d find a way, magical or mechanical, to spread that lifegiving water in as many directions as possible so your people can thrive so kudos to Neolandia’s ancestors/Tidebound elves/whoever managed that, it’s brilliant

I can and will make up explanations for anything on a map. I adore worldbuilding

Del Bar

Two named locations. Since Del Bar’s national symbol is a serpent, I guess Serpentongue is the capital.

Hinterpeak is a sweet name. Looks like Helm's Deep with that retaining wall. What’s it for? Are there dwarves in this land? Is it an Earthblood stronghold? Maybe it’s like the Mines of Moria, and the Earthbloods were chased out and/or killed inside and now it’s full of nasty orcses but someone left a MacGuffin down there so *nudges hero* Off you pop.

Nice forests around the southern mountain range but northern DB is more arid or grassy lands like Neolandia. 

Considering that crops grow well in Duren, which is farther north, I assume there is a massive meteorological gyre over the human lands, with a southern wind blowing down over the western realms and keeping them icy until the mountains of Hinterpeak block and divert them, protecting Evenere. The winds don't blow eastward without warming right up-- and causing thunderstorms in Katolis how about that-- because there is a warmer side to the gyre over Katolis and Duren, blowing tropical warmth and moisture north and providing rain for trees and crops alike. Most years, anyway.

How does the weather fail in Duren for seven years in a row, anyway? That seems like a Thunder issue. Unless it’s a Sunforge issue, which I’ll get to below.

Ahem.

Borders Neolandia, Duren, and Katolis across rivers, but most border is coastline.

Serpentongue probably got its name from the two river heads around it

Cluster of dead little cracks spawns a single river. Looks like someone cracked the tub and it drained away. I wonder how much of this landscape has been affected by the Mage Wars. Big watery basins have flooded and other spots seem dead. The lands may or may not actually touch depending on how deep some of these waterways are

Evenere

Looks like someone punched holes in the land with a giant pencil to make it a separate island. Broken outline with scattered islands

That Pawprint Isles has only four toes

Moon-shaped island is very crescenty indeed

Are these isles home to refugees or outcasts from Xadia? Listen, I want pirates and that sea looks pretty Caribbean to me

No capital city, hmmm what's that about? Is it underground, does it move? Maybe Fareeda’s capital is on the back of a world turtle and she’s constantly on tour around the island?

That arm of land ending in a peace sign, please can we get surfers

The hills emanating from that claw shaped headland look like something is sleeping under the island, hello yes I am here for giant immortal creatures please

Katolis

its capital is also called Katolis, the only human realm to use the same name twice

Weeping Bay could be a ref to the tears the humans shed after they reached the west. Or the Moonshadow elves as they left their forest for the east. Or both. Both, in this case, is bad but balanced

Boomerang island next to the Dragontail

The river the Dragaang rode on was going uphill

The watery slash in the land between Katolis and Del Bar is awfully straight. So is the one between Del Bar and Neolandia. I call magical warfare.

Katolis has a bunch of mountains in the east, part of an old natural border before the lava one appeared

Mt Kalik is probably volcanic. It's a standalone mountain and it's really tall. Rex Ignius maybe? Oh, probably not, I think I see him peeking on the other side of the map

The trees of Duren and Katolis are different then the western lands. Softer green, deciduous. And the land itself is yellower, warmer in tone

Forests centered on Mt Kalik

The Moon Nexus looks like an eye on a dragon head near the Dragontail, and Evenere looks like a severed wing (Yes I am still wondering where Luna Tenebris went, why do you ask)

Weeping Bay looks like the most natural body of water in the western lands

Three red little trees scattered around the Katolis map. Fruit trees? How very Moonshadow.

Duren

The only land border among all the human kingdoms is between Duren and Katolis. Maybe it used to be further south along the river?

Capital is Berylgarten, set on a lake. Beryl is a stone that’s usually green, blue, or yellow in color, very gardeny

Second smallest realm but the breadbasket of the human lands. Has several little forests and great tilled fields

Being a farmer in Duren is probably as awesome as being an assassin in the Moonshadow Forest; you do what you do for all your friendly kingdoms

Northernmost land is cold and craggy, named Skall's Hook along the sea

Third ship in the Frozen Sea is icebound and crushed. Looks western, indicating no possible passage

Lots of colored trees and shrubs as if fruitbearing, I keep comparing Duren to the Yakima Valley in Washington State

Where the lava reaches the Frozen Sea, it melts the ice next to Duren's mountains

Northern Xadia:

Lux Aurea

Most of the center lands of this map has warm tones for its ground. Maybe that’s because of the long reach of the warmth and light of Lux Aurea’s Sun Nexus, and only the lands that are just too far from it are truly cold and icy. It would explain why Duren is a breadbasket realm so far north--it’s just across the border from Lux Aurea.

If there’s anything to that, then I suddenly worry for the fate of all the human lands now that the Sunforge has gone dark. It’s early summer now in Xadia, and crops in Duren will be ripening soon... Unless the sun’s magic was helping them grow. This coming winter could be rough. Next winter, people will die. Unless they can purify the Sunforge again.

Also, I have to wonder if Duren’s seven years of famine had anything to do with Sunforge shenanigans. They’d have happened at Khessa’s command, and we know she despises humans. If she was responsible for all the struggles that humans had to go through without enough food for seven years, and then their desperate attempt to fix the problem by invading Xadia for a Magma Titan’s heart which extended and exacerbated the war, I can see why Aaravos might feel Queen Khessa deserved to die

The city’s shaped kinda like an Egyptian pectoral necklace on this map, and that’s super pretty and not at all ominous

Also that’s a lot of gold for a whole city and I wonder how they got it all

The Shiverglades and the Shards

These areas are north of Lux Aurea and seem cold but not very icy, even though the Frozen Sea is right there. More thoughtful glances at the Sunforge over this one. Is it warming the land, or not warming the sea? Both?

Shiverglades is a play on Everglades, so this is a cold swamp, which sounds super fun I’m sure. Permafrost, tundra maybe?

The Shards seem to be rock islands with ice mountains. Glaciers are cool. 

I wonder if something broke those islands off on purpose. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy worldbuilding? Yeah, well, I like world-wrecking, too.

Storm Spire

Has a good view on everything that happens for miles, including Lux Aurea, the Midnight Desert, the Shiverglades, the Black Tundra, the Uncharted Forest, and Drakewood. 

Defensible position, no other tall mountains nearby

Also able to alert others to danger, especially since Avizandum could teleport like lightning

The Midnight Desert

It’s pretty big! And it looks like it’s littered with ruins of columns and dead palm trees. Like something else used to be in that great space and then something Very Bad happened to it. Maybe there was one great city where all the elves could mix together, and then it got utterly obliterated and the elves all fled to their respective safe places around Xadia. A city of black stone, back when Aaravos wore a crown? Now pulverized to dust and surrounded by not one, not two, but three primal nexuses? Hmmm...

All the wisps could be heat from the sand, or spooky spirit hints, or just an ominous sign of danger from the snakes below, but the overall effect is that the land is unhealthy if not cursed

The oasis is marked, and it must contain a spring since it runs a river out to join the river that passes through the Moonshadow Forest

Also the actual oasis kinda resembles a blue lizard which is adorable and probably also terrifying

Moonshadow Forest

The Silvergrove is the only village marked in the forest, so in keeping with the other lands and general map legend rules, it’s likely the capital/central village for the Moonshadow elves

The village is marked by four round-roofed homes between two tall leafy trees that shelter and hide them. It’s a hybrid balance between the blocky manmade castles of the human lands and the actual forest around them, showing a blending with nature that even the Sunfire city of Lux Aurea did not embrace, with all its golden buildings

It’s a good-sized forest, and it kinda stretches thin to the east but there it tentatively connects to the Drakewood Forest

Moonstone Path to the west just chilling in the lava like a blank alignment chart. Moonstone Path is Chaotic Hot.

Southern Xadia:

Ruins of Elarion

Elarion is a city, and it’s been lost to the humans for a thousand years

The building outlines are squared-off towers like the more modern castles in the west, suggesting that humans in Xadia built for strength and defense as soon as they could. They felt vulnerable and created protections in their architecture. The three elven cities we see also play to their strengths, but those strengths include magic. Elarion’s humans had to find a different strength, and they went with craftsmanship and ingenuity

It seems to be the only human city from before the border was drawn

“Ruins” doesn’t necessarily mean no one lives there at all, but it’s been emptied of humans and no one else has maintained it since

It had a great position on a vast lake, with sheltering hills and easy sea access

Sea of the Castout

This inland sea has five inlets and outlets. It’s hard to be sure which is which with some of them, with the way the water is drawn on this map. But I’m kinda liking the idea that all the water swirlies are places where Tidebound magic has been placed over the millennia, so the water can do whatever it needs to do depending on circumstances. That goes for the human lands, too. Katolis backward river, you’re off the hook.

With a name like "Castout,” I wonder if it was some kind of universal toilet to flush away things you didn’t want--including humans--who might wash up near Elarion and start to build there. Yeesh.

The rivers that flow into this sea pass through or near the Moonshadow Forest, the Midnight Desert, the Storm Spire, Drakewood, and the Uncharted Forest. That’s a lot of drainage.

It’s pretty far from the Tidebound Archipelago, so maybe its name is referencing Tidebound elves who have left their home colony

Was this always a sea, or did something that Xadia wanted to forget get flooded and hidden in the depths?

The land around it seems open and hospitable. It could be a good place to build/rebuild in a time of peace.

The Far Reaches

Open grassland with low hills

Two of the hills look like giant boot prints

Several colorful trees which I hope are fruit trees

Bounded by two rivers from the Sea of the Castout

Looks homey tbh, great spot to retire to get away from everything if there were a war that really shook you up

Ocean Point

There’s a Star rune here, and it could mean many things

The closest other marked location is Elarion

If this was where Aaravos lived of his own free will, I can see why he’d take a shine to the humans. They were his neighbors.

If he is imprisoned here, it’s literally the furthest point in Xadia from the other elven realms, with the Moonshadow Forest being the closest one and Umber Tor not too much further but in a totally different direction. If they were trying to isolate him physically with a portable mirror to watch over him, that’s a good spot for it

Possible location that the cube is leading Callum toward? Portal to the Star Touch home plane? Aaravos’s seaside B&B? Trap street?

Eastern Xadia:

Drakewood

Umber Tor looks to be the tallest mountain in all of Xadia, save possibly for the Storm Spire. It’s more traditionally mountainy, with a nice snowcap. Since it’s labeled, I’m guessing it’s the Earth Nexus, under which an Earth Archdragon sleeps

Also there’s a giant yellowish-brown dragon chilling next to the Tor. Yeah, he seems nice. Rex Igneous, I presume?

Or maybe not, since the neighboring forest is called Drakewood. Maybe this woods is just where a bunch of Earth dragons hang out? Ezran and Pyrrah flew off and returned with a crew of Sun dragons from somewhere, so dragons must have communities too

The mountains that edge the sea are shaped roughly like a stone dragon in flight

Drakewood seems to be the forest closest to Umber Tor, with both deciduous and evergreen trees, though there’s a huge swath of wooded land here, to the north and to the southwest. I wonder what the locals consider the border where the Drakewood becomes the Uncharted Forest and why. The way the evergreens are drawn almost looks like a border, a sort of kingswood set aside for a specific use. Rex Igneous’s best toothpicks?

Uncharted Forest

Okay this is a properly magical name, very mysterious. But uncharted by whom? People with charts? This might be a Sir Phineas Kurst name, which is outsidery, and it makes me wonder if the locals/neighbors have their own name for it, which the human explorer never learned, a la “Thunder” for Avizandum

Maybe “Uncharted Forest” just means no one ever turned those trees into charts though, old growth ftw

If no one lives here, will someone move here? If someone lives here, who are they? Earthblood elves? Moonshadow elves? Humans? This mystery, it calls to me

the trees are mostly deciduous and fill basically all of this whole section of land, up against the mountains and the rivers, so it seems very fertile land indeed

Earthblood elves could live here, but there is no city marked. Maybe because we haven’t gotten that far in the show, or maybe that’s the wrong sort of descriptor for how the Earthbloods live and organize. Maybe the whole forest is their city, like Pando, the interconnected quaking aspen clone forest

The northernmost part of this forest lies right between the Storm Spire and the Tidebound Archipelago, so it might get a regular flyover route for migration or messages

Yes, this forest is the most interesting place in Xadia to me, I desperately want to learn more about it

Black Tundra

Yeah this place isn’t ominous

Similar to the Shiverglades, but where that has shrubbery, the Black Tundra has single dead trees and creepy curving spikes. Scorched? Poisoned? De-magicked?

The water north of this area isn’t frozen, and with a lake to the south and a river and a moderate mountain range, the whole area looks like it would otherwise be decently habitable, but instead it’s cold and black

Is climate change a thing here, or will we get a nice horrible disaster instead?

Tidebound Archipelago

These islands have dotted lines around them, like they’re submerged at high tide, or maybe made of shifting sand that literally moves around like sand dunes across a desert, or perhaps they’re exactly at sea level with half their civilization in the air and half underwater or in cool bubbles, or maybe the islands actually float

Maybe the Tidebound elves even sank them on purpose for defensive purposes

The archipelago is about even latitudinally with the Storm Spire Lux Aurea, Berylgarten, and Eboreus so they probably get pretty nice weather

There’s no ice in sight here in any direction along Xadia’s east coast, so presumably the prevailing current is a warm one

do they have bridges connecting the islands? Ferries, animals who give them a lift across?

the islands have quite a bit of space on them. I wonder if there’s a big population, maybe a shifting population? Do Tidebound elves migrate up and down the coast like gray whales and return to the islands for certain holidays or social events?

This is probably the hub of the Tidebound elves’ culture, but the sea surrounds the whole land and infiltrates it with many rivers and lakes. The Spinning Sea and the Frozen Sea are pretty firm Do Not Enter signposts, but a determined Tidebound could get around either one if they wanted to

What I’m not seeing here is a city. Either it’s not been marked yet, or that’s not a thing that Tidebound elves have in their culture. If they don’t have a city, they’re possibly migratory in family groups, or maybe they stick to small villages like the Moonshadows do, but with even less central leadership

[belladxne]

i will see you where the shadow ends | chapter 2

[see notes for ao3 and ff links]

part of the put your faith in the light that you cannot see series AU: Breath of the Wild pairing: KiriBaku word count: 5,548

chapter 2: there’s a stirring in this head of mine (i can’t find the things i’d known)

Inko, Eijiro is not at all surprised to discover, is a very kind old woman. She tells him a little about the Great Plateau—about how it’s said to be the birthplace of Hyrule, about the nearby ruins of a once-significant temple left abandoned after the decline of the kingdom one hundred years before, about how she’d been living here some fifty years and hasn’t had a visitor in decades. He’s suddenly very glad he did decide to talk with her.

He doesn’t know how to even begin to explain his situation when she asks, mostly because he doesn’t know anything about it himself, but she doesn’t pry further. She warns him of monsters in the area, and offers him her torch to use as a weapon should he run across any.

And when they’re done talking, she gives him directions to her home, and asks—well, insists, really, that he join her for lunch, so long as he hunts around for some of their meal himself and helps her cook. Eijiro’s—well, he’s very anxious to get going and figure out just what it is the voice needs him to do, but he has no idea how to do that, and no idea how to even start to figure it out, so he can’t find a good reason to turn her down.

Also… a home-cooked meal sounds really good and the mysteriously disappeared voice isn’t berating him or anything for so much as considering it, so he doesn’t really want to turn her down. The matter settled, Inko shifts, brushes herself off, and reaches a hand out to him imploringly.

“Be a dear and help me up, won’t you?” she asks, voice tinged with humor. “These old bones just aren’t as sprightly as they used to be, I’m afraid.”

Eijiro’s already reaching to help before she even finishes speaking, smiling brightly as he chirps, “Of course!”

He was right when he thought of her as a little old lady before. She’s not quite a foot shorter than him, but Eijiro still towers over her just a little when he gently pulls her to her feet, and he flashes a huge, sharp-toothed grin when the portly woman grants him a grateful look and thanks him, before turning and gathering her walking stick.

“Glad to help!” He beams—before gasping suddenly. “Your cloak!”

She pauses in her steps, looking down at it as though she expects to find a tear, or a stain. “Hm?”

“It’s—that’s the Sheikah symbol on the back,” he says, bouncing on his feet with excitement because—because—he might be actually getting somewhere, finally!

“Oh!” Understanding crosses her face, and Inko nods. “So it is.”

“So—so if you’re a Sheikah—you have to know something about the cave I just came out of! It was—I don’t know, these two weird sealed rooms, with smooth stone walls that had glowing constellations on them? I was in some, uh, tub of weird blue liquid? The door to get out—the big, main door—it had the Sheikah symbol on it.”

He hadn’t really thought about how batshit the stuff he was saying was, until he sees how high the eyebrows on her face have lifted. But—but if she’s Sheikah, she has to know something. Doesn’t she? Even if this is crazy, she should be able to tell him something.

He knows the desperation is showing on his face, but he can’t help it. If she can tell him anything at all about the strange place he woke up, then maybe it’ll give him some hint of where he needs to go. He has to find the voice—has to help him with—with—he doesn’t even know what, and that’s the whole problem.

“Well, that’s...” Inko flounders, and Eijiro can already tell from the way her brows draw together and the lines on her face deepen in thought that he’s not going to get what he wants out of this conversation. Please, he wants to beg—her, or the Goddesses, or someone. But he doesn’t know what good it would do, and Inko keeps speaking, “quite the story.”

He must look truly pathetic in his disappointment, because it’s unimaginable how thoroughly sympathetic and rueful her own expression grows in response. It almost kinda makes him feel worse, knowing that he must look that pitiful about it.

“I’m sorry, Eijiro,” she says, finally, once she seems to have processed the—well, the mess of a recounting he’d given her. “I spent most of my life with the Sheikah, but I don’t even come close to knowing all their secrets. A lot of it’s beyond me, to be honest—and that’s just counting the things the Sheikah themselves remember.” She shrugs gently, hands spreading out before her in apology. “It sounds like you’re talking about one of many, many ancient structures the Sheikah built ten thousand years ago—and even the Sheikah have forgotten much of their history and workings. An effort was made a hundred years ago to unearth them and study them, but—well… with the fall of the kingdom, not enough progress was made. I doubt there’s a soul alive who can fully explain what you just described to me.”

Eijiro’s shoulders slump, and he sighs. “But… you can’t tell me anything?”

Again, the compassion and remorse overtake her expression. “Why don’t you get to work on finding something for us to eat, and we’ll brainstorm over lunch? I won’t be able to tell you much, but it’ll be easier for us both to figure out on full stomachs after a warm meal, I think.”

It doesn’t occur to him until after he’s sullenly agreed, set off, and faced up against no less than four bokoblins—weak ones, which gave him a lot more trouble than he thinks they should have—that Inko didn’t even really question that he’d said he’d woken up in the strange basin of glowing blue water, or ask him how he’d gotten there at all.

Not that he’d have been able to answer, but it strikes him as just a little odd. Or a lot odd.

He’ll go with a lot.

It’s when he’s scaling a large rock jutting out of the middle of a field near Inko’s house to gather some rushrooms from the cracks in the stone that he hears it—or, well, almost hears it. He kind of misses it, at first, though he tilts his head when there’s just—almost—something. He assumes he’s imagining it, because it’s so barely-there, but as he moves to tuck the rushrooms in his pocket it’s a little stronger, a little more pressing, and it has the indescribable feeling of the voice.

He startles, so excited to hear from him again that he loses his grip on the stone, and it’s all he can do to keep from dropping the rushrooms as he slides and skids his way some fifteen feet down the rock face. His feet hit the earth at the base of the surface with a heavy thump, but he manages not to stumble or keel over.

Eijiro…

The voice is muted and distant somehow, but he hears it this time, head jerking around wildly even though he knows at this point he’s not going to find its source. It’s just instinct, to look for him.

Eijiro, the voice persists, and this time it’s actually distinct, only growing clearer and more solidly present the longer he speaks, Don’t just ignore that Sheikah Slate I left you. There’s a point marked on the map. Go there.

Eijiro doesn’t know the voice can see him, but he thinks he can. The comments he’d gotten earlier make the most sense if the voice was watching somehow. So he nods, tucking the rushrooms he’d grabbed into his pocket and reaching for the Sheikah Slate with the same hand. He winces expectantly when he glances towards his free hand, the one he’d scrabbled against the stone surface for purchase when he’d begun to slip, expecting to discover his fingers scraped raw, but—

—he blinks when his eyes find that his hand’s not really much of a hand, at the moment; the skin replaced by vivid crimson scales, fingers and nails sharpened to something more like talons, making his hand look something more like a claw. Like a dragon claw.

He can do that. He can do that! He hasn’t thought about it once, since waking—hadn’t once bothered to ponder what his sharp, fang-like teeth meant, mostly because it was so normal to him, so straightforward. Of course he’s dragonblooded—it’s not something he’s remembering, but more something he’d known the whole time and just hadn’t thought about.

When he pulls his hand away from the stone, his dragonscales and claws soften and mold back into regular skin exactly the way he’s used to as he reaches a finger to navigate the screen of the Sheikah Slate. A map, this thing has a map somehow… and he finds it, after just a moment—though, uh, map seems like maybe an overstatement.

It’s just a blank blue screen, dark and not at all very informative. The only distinctive features are a few lighter blue lines that seem to section off huge chunks of land and three symbols sort of near to each other in the middle: an odd blue emblem, a flashing yellow circle, and below them a yellow triangular arrow—which he figures out must mark his position on the map when he turns the slate, and the arrow rotates with him.

That… that’s crazy, he thinks; sure, you can mark your current position on a map, but to have that mark move with you? And even keep track of the way you’re facing on the map? He doesn’t know if this is magic or some other means, but he still thinks it’s crazy. And cool as all hell.

Based on his own orientation, he thinks the blue marking must be the odd cavern he’d come from. When he moves his finger over it, words appear on the surface of the map—it says Shrine of Resurrection in text of the same bright blue, and below that, in smaller text, Travel. He stares. What does that mean? What does that mean—resurrection?

It gives him an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Why in the hell is he popping out of weird tubs of glowing stuff in a shrine of resurrection with no idea who he is or how he got there? Is he a dead guy? Oh, gods, is he a ghost? What the hell is going on?

Oi, oi. The voice gets his attention, snapping him out of his thoughts as they spiral further into conspiracy theorizing, but this time the voice doesn’t ease any of his anxiety as he tears his gaze from the—the shrine on the map. You’re wasting daylight, asshole. Get moving.

Again, he finds himself pouting. “Has anyone ever told you you’re pretty grumpy?”

The voice doesn’t dignify that with a response, so he sighs, eyes once more drawn to the bright blue text, and with a swallow he tears his eyes away instead towards the flashing yellow circle. Even without process of elimination, that’s obviously the point the voice was talking about.

Clipping the Sheikah Slate back onto his belt, Eijiro reaches down to his feet where he’d left his satchel—it was easier to climb without it—and pulls it over his shoulder, numb and distracted. He moves the rushrooms from his pocket to the bag, and then sets off. Even with his mind muddled and desperate for answers, it doesn’t occur to him to ignore what the voice said. He just—just knows it. If the voice wants him to do something, he has a good reason.

There are quite a few bokoblins between him and the mark on the map—most of them scattered in the field directly around his destination. It’s taxing, fighting them all, but the rhythm of combat settles him somewhat. It’s mindless and familiar, and shifts his thinking to action. There isn’t time to get existential when he’s got to keep track of enemies’ positions, the pattern of their strikes, his own dodges and attempts to get past their guards.

So he’s a lot more grounded by the time he’s slinging a boko bow over his back, one that he’s just pilfered from one of the last few monsters guarding this spot. He pulls out the Sheikah Slate to double check, but…

But he’s here. He’s here, and it’s... just a pile of rocks. The voice had... sent him to a stack of boulders?

Why?

He does see something, though, now that he narrows his eyes at the gap in between the boulders—a hint of stone that looks different. Looks like the same smooth, tan material he’d seen some of in the dark interior of the… the Shrine of Resurrection. Immediately more alert, he jogs closer.

He realizes quickly that there’s more space than he thought under the huge slabs of stone—that the rocks are covering and held up by another structure, the tan stone he’d seen forming pillars of some sort, maybe? There’s a ridge, like a low half-wall, made of the same stuff, and when he gets under the overhang of rock that darkens it all, he sees that the floor of this area is the same black stone from inside the shrine, and in the center of it all—another pedestal.

Clambering over the low ridge ringing the structure, he all but runs to the pedestal, in a hurry to inspect it. Unlike the ones in the shrine, it’s not lit up—not until he gets closer, and it starts giving a dull, slowly-pulsing orange glow. Just like the first pedestal in the shrine, this one has a rectangular indent, just the right shape for the slate. As soon as he closes the last two steps, the uncanny feminine voice from the shrine sounds.

“Place the Sheikah Slate into the pedestal.”

He examines it a moment—both the rectangular depression, and the little clamp that sticks out from the bottom of it. He tries to remember how the first pedestal had offered the slate to him. The eye had been facing towards him, and the handle up, he recalls, so he pulls the slate from his waist and fits it into the clasp the same way.

The clamp smoothly rotates the slate so that the screen is facing him and then lays it into the indent, before the whole thing glows brighter. A blue Sheikah eye lights up on the screen as he leans closer to watch, eyes wide in fascination, and then the inhuman voice chimes, “Sheikah Tower activated. Please watch for falling rocks.”

Just as he starts to wonder what any of that means, he hears an odd whooshing noise above his head, and suddenly—there’s an earth-shaking rumble below him, so intense he struggles to keep his feet under him. Struggles, right up until he doesn’t, because with one more immense shake he’s knocked to the ground hard enough to smack his head against the stone, and then there’s a swooping in his gut as he feels himself being lifted, and fast.

It’s fast enough to shatter all the stone that had formed around and leaned against this structure, sending it all flying as the whole thing jerks into the air, and Eijiro has his eyes squeezed shut through most of it, groaning from the bump that’s surely forming on the back of his head.

By the time he does open his eyes again, he’s shockingly out in the open, surrounded by bright blue sky on all sides, and the structure—oh, the tower, that’s what it had meant when it said Sheikah Tower activated—is still somehow rising. Its ascent has smoothened out and slowed somewhat, but the deceleration sends his stomach swooping in a different way, now. Not for the first time in this past hour, he finds himself thinking, What in the actual, ever-loving fuck is going on?

The tower settles at its full height, after a few moments, and some—he doesn’t even know, antennas?—lift themselves up at the top of the structure, before a line of blue light shoots up the center of the tower and mists off of it for a moment. Dazed and baffled, he slowly and admittedly ungracefully climbs his way to his feet, looking around him in—

Well, in awe.

That may have been crazy, and absurd, and absolutely unpredictable, but—the wind whips his hair around his face and the world opens up around him and if he felt like he could see most of Hyrule from the cliff outside the Shrine of Resurrection, it was nothing compared to this. And—his eyes widen in surprise, as he realizes that there are now more of those towers out there that he can see—that must have all pushed themselves up out of the earth with the one he stands on now.

“Distilling local information.”

Eijiro’s focus is pulled back towards the plinth where the Sheikah Slate still rests, and as he watches, an odd black stone that hangs suspended above it lights up blue with the Sheikah symbol and several lines of glowing Sheikah text slowly sliding down its surface, towards a curved point directly above his slate, where… it seems to turn into a gathering of blue liquid? Maybe the same stuff from the shrine?

The same musical, repeated beeping tone from when his slate ‘authenticated’ sounds, and as he watches, a large droplet forms slowly before it finally drips off, splattering onto the screen of his slate with a loud plink!

Most of it seems to somehow absorb into the smooth surface of the screen, but some mists off in odd, glowing blue tendrils that Eijiro flinches away from, half afraid they were about to splash into his eyes. The slate chimes and lights up blue for a moment, and as he leans closer again, the map appears—and fills in, all of a sudden! Where before there was a single dark, lined-in area with no features, now the center of the map is colored in shades of brown and blue, and he can make out trees and structures and lines of elevation and bodies of water.

It’s an actual map, now, one that makes sense to read and actually maps his surroundings—though he realizes all of the other outlined chunks of the map still remain dark. Still, it’s something, and he eyes it curiously.

“Regional map extracted,” the odd, high-pitched voice says, and then the center of the pedestal is familiarly rotating and lifting, and the Sheikah Slate is once again being lifted out of the depression it had rested in and presented to him. Still amazed, he plucks it out of its clasp and moves once again to hook it to his belt, before turning away.

He doesn’t get far—not even far enough to start wondering how in the hell he’s going to get down from here—when the faint, barely discernible tones of the voice are back, and this time the unknown man’s voice is accompanied by an odd, mystical humming in the distance.

Remember… the voice says, muffled, but this time when Eijiro whips his head around, towards the sound of the rumbling hum, he does see a sign of the voice—that same explosion of golden light from before. Only this time, it has a source: the room at the heart of the castle in the distance—of Hyrule Castle.

You have to try to remember.

As he stares, fully turning to face towards the source of the light and the voice, Eijiro’s enraptured and relieved, to finally know where it’s coming from; where he has to go to find him. He can’t help but run to the edge of the platform, though the distance it closes isn’t much.

You’ve been asleep, Eijiro. For—fuck, for a hundred years now.

He freezes in his tracks at that, bug-eyed and caught completely off-guard. He doesn’t even have time to process, before there’s another heavy rumbling at his feet, forcing him to scramble for solid footing as the earth shakes.

The monster, here— the voice presses on, not deterred by the trembling of the entire world around him, —when this shithead’s back at full strength, it’s going to destroy everything. Everything, Eijiro.

Eijiro watches in horror as, while the voice speaks, a sickly-looking black mist begins rising and swirling around Hyrule Castle. Though it’s obviously some kind of odd smoke, or gas, it just—just looks somehow oily and slimy. It’s disgusting to behold as some shape seems to form out of it—a horrifying murky face that trails more of the smoke behind itself as it begins to circle the castle. An enraged roar so loud it carries all the way across Hyrule Fields to where Eijiro stands emits from it, and the voice raises its volume in irritation to be heard over it.

So I’m waiting. You don’t have a lot of time to help me stop this. So—so hurry the fuck up.

Both the light and the grimy mist seem to flair and swell and then—Eijiro gasps, as all at once both seem to be swallowed up into the heart of the castle again. It… it looks like one smothered the other, but he can’t tell which. All he knows is he can’t leave the voice alone with—with whatever the hell that creature was. He can’t.

The voice didn’t—wouldn’t say as much earlier, but he needs Eijiro. And Eijiro’s not going to let him down.

The climb down from the tower is an ordeal.

It’s the first time he’s really, very certain that something is wrong. He remembers the short climb, only ten feet or so, to get out of the Shrine of Resurrection, and how it had left him a little winded. Somehow he knows that it should have been easier—that he’s able, or should be able, to climb heights more effortlessly.

He shouldn’t, at least, have to deal with his arms aching and shaking, fingers stiff and sore, before he’s even a quarter of the way down the tower. After that, he has to start alternating between trying to climb down the oddly-latticed bars of tan stone, and just letting go to drop down to the rest platforms littered every twenty or so feet down the sides. It’s an attempt to spare his knees from the impact and his muscles from the strain in equal measure, and it helps, somewhat.

The voice—he’d said Eijiro had slept for… for one hundred years. Had slept, for that long. Is that why he feels so weak?

He’s unsettled and unsteady in more ways than one by the time that his feet touch down on solid ground, and he startles slightly when he hears Inko’s voice calling for him. Sagging a little against the side of the tower, he blinks and looks up at her as she approaches. She’s moving faster than he would have expected, honestly.

“Well, now,” she says, once she’s close enough that her voice carries without shouting. “This is certainly something, isn’t it?” She cranes her head back with apparent awe, before once again looking to him shrewdly. “If you were up there, you must have seen that this wasn’t the only one of these odd towers to erupt. They’re just about everywhere you look, it seems. Like something very old deep below the earth has woken up...”

There’s wonder in her tone, and then her eyes flick down to the slate at his hip, then back towards the shrine he’d emerged from, before she asks, “Did you have something to do with this?”

“Um...” Gods, he hopes she doesn’t expect him to explain it, because he doesn’t understand any of what just happened. Certainly not enough to put it into words. At a loss, all he really manages in answer is a nod. She lets out a hum, thoughtful and considering.

“If you don’t mind me prying,” she starts, and Eijiro winces, unsure how to express any part at all of that process, or gods-forbid how it worked, but instead she asks, “Did anything strange happen while you were on top of the tower?”

Oh, boy. Where to begin. He pushes off from the tower, having caught his breath, and scratches self-consciously at the back of his head. How do you tell the sweet old lady, who invited you into her home for lunch, that you’re hearing things?

“Uh, I kinda… I heard a voice?”

Instead of looking at him dubiously, or like he was some kind of weirdo, her eyes light up in interest. “Is that so! A voice, hm… Did you recognize this voice?”

Eijiro falters again, at that. Does he recognize the voice? He doesn’t… sound familiar, or at least, Eijiro’s not sure if he sounds familiar, but… he trusts the voice completely, and finds himself calming whenever he hears him. He can even read the voice, all of the tics and underlying tones—would he be able to do that, if he doesn’t know the voice?

But as hard as he tries to place the voice in his memories, it all comes up as blank as most other things. He can’t remember.

“No, I, ah… I don’t think so?” he answers, wishing he could be sure of the response. He didn’t recognize the voice, but… should he have?

For a brief second he thinks he sees a flash of disappointment cross Inko’s face, but it’s gone so fast he’s not sure he didn’t make it up, replaced with a thoughtful look. “Hm, that’s too bad.”

Before he can form a response, she turns away, slightly, gazing off towards the direction of Hyrule Castle in the distance, and seemingly changing the subject. Though—admittedly, it is still pretty relevant, considering what the voice told him up there.

“If you were that high up,” she starts, nose just slightly crinkling in distaste as she regards the castle, “You must have noticed all that awful mess surrounding the castle. That, young man, is what we all know as the Calamity, All For One.”

He turns to look at her, before facing the castle, eyes wide. The name is familiar; there had been legends—a horrible entity that sought only complete control and destruction of Hyrule. It was only a legend, but… it was said that it was supposed to be coming back. He inhales sharply, realization overtaking him.

One hundred years, the voice had told him. During which, the Calamity had come back, it seemed.

“One hundred years ago, that horrible thing brought the entire kingdom of Hyrule to ruin,” she continues, oblivious to his own dawning horror and understanding. “It appeared right out of the blue, when no one could have expected, and it tore through everything in its way. Many… many, innocent lives were lost, back then. Too many.”

Her voice is soft, and impossibly sad. She doesn’t look quite close to a hundred, herself—not old enough to have lived through it, but she talks as though it were a personal ache. Sheikah could be old enough to have seen it, but she’d said she’d only spent time among the Sheikah, not that she was one.

He looks over to see tears pouring freely down her face, and oh, no—he’s always been an empathetic crier, and he feels his own eyes start stinging in response as he quickly pulls his gaze away to stare at the ruins of the castle again.

“Sorry, forgive me,” she mumbles as he sees her wipe at her eyes in his periphery, and he can only shake his head at the notion that she has anything to apologize for, before she presses on again, “For a century now, the heart of Hyrule itself, the castle, has somehow been able to contain that evil. But only barely. You can see it, how it festers in there, building up strength to break free and loose itself on the land once more. From the looks of it, that won’t be long at all.”

She sounds scared—terrified, at the prospect, and he doesn’t blame her one bit. It’s… what she’s describing, what the voice described, it can’t happen.

Sniffling, Inko wipes again at her eyes, before turning to him. She looks… so, so sad, but for him, somehow. “If you’ll forgive me prying again… be honest with me, Eijiro. You plan to go to the castle, don’t you?”

He blinks, surprised that she somehow read him. It’s that motherly thing she has going on, it has to be; moms know everything. He doesn’t get it. So he takes a shaky breath, eyes still watering profusely in response to hers, to steady himself for the obvious answer.

“I do.”

He has to. The voice is there. And someone—someone has to stop that monster, before it can cause any more catastrophes.

She huffs out a somber little laugh. “I knew that would be your answer.” She turns forward again, this time not looking to the castle, but to the edge of the plateau, where it drops off into an abrupt cliff. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, dear, but this plateau is very isolated. We’re surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs and drop-offs, and the walls that line the plateau are ancient and crumbling. They’d break apart beneath your feet if you tried to climb down them, and you’d tumble to certain death. The path to come in and out got caved in decades ago, and filled up with rainwater. I’m afraid there’s no safe way down from the plateau. There hasn’t been for a very long time.”

What? But—but—that can’t be true! The voice needs him, and she—she’d even seemed to accept that Eijiro was going. If there’s no way, then…

“So, we’ll just have to figure out a new way down, I suppose,” she continues, with a mournful-sounding sigh, and he looks back to her with desperate hope. “Which sounds like another matter to think on over lunch.”

It sounds definite, and he feels gratitude fill him as he grants her a watery smile. Boy, he’s had a full and emotionally taxing day, and he hasn’t even been awake for a full hour and a half. She reaches out to him then, to pat him reassuringly on the arm.

“In the meantime, though, there’s something I think I ought to show you. Come here.”

With that, she turns away, starting to walk up an incline to their left, to give them a better view in the direction she indicates. He follows curiously, and they both seem to take the time to compose themselves. When they do clear the top of it, she points with the hand that holds her walking stick off towards another structure—a bizarrely-shaped, large lump of a thing that’s clearly made from the same smooth, black and tan stones that make up the rest of Sheikah buildings. And most of it is glowing, orange.

“You see that funny structure there?” she asks, turning to make sure his gaze is focused in the right direction. “It wasn’t glowing before. It didn’t light up until the exact same moment you sent that tower shooting up into the sky. There’s an awful lot of those shrines around Hyrule, but none of them have glowed for as long as I lived—they’ve been dead as a doornail, and no one could get into them. Certainly not for lack of trying. I think whatever you did with that tower woke them up, and it might just be possible to get inside now.”

She turns to look at him, expression encouraging. “I was just thinking, if that voice you talked about spoke to you because you found that tower, maybe it would want you to enter these shrines, as well, since they seem to be connected.”

Eijiro almost jumps for joy—he’d been thinking exactly the same thing! Every time the voice spoke to him, it was either because he’d just used some Sheikah technology, or because he was telling Eijiro to use some Sheikah technology. Maybe—maybe whatever was in these shrines would help him figure out a way off of this plateau? Or at least give him more information on the shrine he’d come from.

“Inko, I think you’re right!” he gushes, excited, and he’s already taking his first, eager step in that direction. “He probably would, I have to—”

He’s stopped by a hand on his arm as she scolds him, tone amused, “Ah, ah, ah! You’re not charging off to that shrine right this second, young man. You’re starving, and I know you haven’t had anything but that baked apple and whatever you could find to snack on around here. You’ll go to that shrine later, after we’ve gotten a hot meal in your belly.”

“But...” It’s so close, and he’s so glad to have some real idea of a next step! But she tugs gently on his arm, pulling him in the direction of her home, and once again Eijiro finds himself cursed by the burden of being unable to say no to a kind old woman.

He’s all but vibrating with eagerness to get to that shrine, to figure out what’s inside, but… but it’s like she said. Later.

Besides… now that she’s mentioned it—(his stomach releases a roaringly loud grumble to assert its own take on the matter)—gods, he is starving.

[edgythought]

Strangers in the Bar II

Part I  |  Part III

Alex Turner x OC (I guess??)

Description: Two lonely people observe each other in a bar. It leads to something nice. Word count: 2,982

Warning: swearing, alcohol consumption, smoking.

A/N: Nobody wants the second part but I am posting it anyway. Maybe, you'll enjoy. If you do, let me know! 

The time flew by like a super-modern spaceship through the deep void of silent space and my stay in LA was coming to an end about just as fast. I still didn't know if I liked the city or not. It was totally different from what I'd seen before, but the aftertaste wasn't that pleasurable as I thought it would be.  Maybe I was a prisoner of my own superstitions and prejudices, but I will never know. Moreover, Californian weather is just not my cup of tea, I would prefer something a lot more northern than constant heat and melting asphalt. But I must admit the city has its own unique vibe you cannot casually pass by, it wipes you away with its simultaneous boldness and sneakiness. 

It was a challenge for me not to think about the dancing dude I met the first night. Let's be clear, I hadn't fallen in love, but there was definitely a spark between us, even if it was a result of drinking too much. Some nights I even wanted to google him, but my drunk ass never asked for his name. His face looked familiar, like I've seen him before, but I couldn't remember for shit when and where. So, I gave googling up and continued with doing my stuff, which was a lot more important than some random guy I popped into at some bar. I thought it was a drunk adventure and this gave some assurance it will not happen again and I can move on. But I'd be lying if I said what happened didn't bother me in a way I didn't want it to. 

I was always very sensitive to vibes and energy people are emitting. That feature brought a lot of pain, but also a lot of understanding, so I tried to develop it as much as I could. And what I saw and sensed that night made me think about it way too much. I saw a lonely person trying to enjoy a simple moment of happiness, but I also saw a sharp mind and a visible ache in his eyes. I totally understand it may sound like an absolute bullshit, but I got the impression we were vibing at the same frequency in some way and it would be stupid of me not to admit I would do it again without thinking. And this fact was bothering me a lot. It was something I couldn't accept, like, how can it possibly be real — to meet a guy and have such a connection with him without even speaking to one another? Bear with me, I told my friends a lot, while sharing this story with them. But could I bear with myself? The answer is not really.

My time in LA is coming to an end, I thought, it would be nice to say goodbye where I started. To finish the adventure properly and leave for good.

It wasn't much later when I saw some familiar spots I observed while smoking near the bar on my first day in LA. Those palm trees were actually fascinating in a pastel background of the twilight sky, warm and so close you may have had a chance to touch it. There was no clouds whatsoever, so I took a pic of tree silhouettes to remember this beautiful view when I'm back home. What if Los Angeles becomes my home? I thought to myself strolling down the road, searching for a sign indicating a spirit-scented place. Soon enough I saw it on the other side of the street and rushed there. It wasn't as crowded as I remember it to be, but I guess that's going to change in an hour or so. I came too early, but I desired to get wasted and nothing was standing in my way so I just followed the waitress into the bar and crawled on the stool with all the grace I managed to find in my body. The bartender asked me what I'd like to have and I ordered "Orgasm" without thinking. Dude tried to make a joke out of it but unfortunately I wasn't impressed since I heard it way too much throughout my whole cocktail-drinking life. It was only funny the first couple of times. Anyway, I came to drink and I got what I wanted in 4 minutes. I spent the time glaring around, but there was nothing unusual for my eye to catch, just a bar, millions of them around the world. The music was on point, though. I thought it was a jukebox, the one you pay to put a song on, but I was wrong. Turned out, it was one of the bartenders who was in charge of music for the night and they took turns to be a DJ. At least, that's what I heard from the bartender, when I made a remark on the music. I was quite impressed, since it's mostly jukeboxes I saw in this kind of places. I found it pretty authentic and also very encouraging for the personnel to try their chances with music. What is more LA than that? 

My cocktail was tasty enough for me to distract myself with it for a while. My head was almost empty and I felt I achieved what I was striving for, so I needed to think what to do next. I was alone and a little bored. Maybe I can try to talk to someone? Just for the sake of having a conversation… - I thought - People are probably thinking I am a weirdo, I came alone and I drink alone. Well, this is who I am now and bitches shall accept that. Anyway, the drink was so delicious I finished it without realizing it. I ordered another one and decided it would be nice to smoke. 

When I got out I saw the last couple of minutes of the hot Californian twilight and was left to enjoy the early night. Cicadas were singing their oddly rhythmic song and I was inhaling smoke like it was my last cigarette on earth. It was nice to feel the relaxation spread from my chest to my hands and then knees. It felt nice having nothing to worry about for a night  and just do whatever your heart tells you to, even if it's totally stupid. The smoke twirled in the air above my head in irregular spirals. I watched it slowly dissolve in thick warm air, traffic noise making the whole experience a little bit ambient. I took out another cigarette and lit it from the previous one, as I had lost my lighter a few days ago and hadn't bought another one yet. I know, I know. My mind was in a weird state, I felt very calm and very nervous at the same time and I couldn't say what exactly caused it. I should probably stop drinking and smoking so much. But not today. 

My cigarette was quickly coming to an end as I watched people gathering near the bar entrance for a small chat or a smoke. I went back inside to continue my contemplation with a cocktail in my hand, but I was also determined to get to know someone. Maybe, that cute bartender who served the "dancing juice" will be back? I could talk to him, at least I did last time and it wouldn't be that awkward. But I haven't seen him today yet and I wasn't sure I will, therefore I decided to concentrate on people, cruising back and forth between table area and the bar itself. Everyone seemed very comfortable and friendly, but not a one familiar face in the whole room. Suddenly, I heard a phrase that made me jump on my stool and rush to the dance floor, occupied by two young men in weird shorts. 

Get on your dancing shoes!

I cannot explain why the indie tunes from 2000s made me so eager to dance, but they did and I was fine with it. I wiggled my ass to the beat, shook my head and pretended to sing the song to the boys in weird shorts. They somehow agreed to take part in my performance and the three of us had a very nice time dancing and jumping around for the next couple of songs. Soon I was very hot and went back to my place at the bar to take a sip of my drink and order a refill and some water. I went to the bathroom right after I saw the bartender nod at me, letting me know he heard what I told him, as the music was getting louder.

I was surprised to see there was no queue to the bathroom, so I used my chance not to hurry and take my time to fix my makeup and hair. I was even more surprised to see the bar crowded when I finished and I was absolutely flabbergasted to find my place at the bar occupied by some dick! Can you tell I went from 0 to 100 in a couple of seconds? My mood wasn't so great before but now it was pretty much spoiled. I saw the guy talk to the bartender and put my drink aside and my ass went off. Somehow in such situations I have a resting bitch face, which may serve an impression of me being unbothered, but it's not exactly how I felt then. I was furious because there was no other place to sit at the bar and it was just rude of the guy to sit on my stool, cause there was my drink, signifying it was occupied.

I came up to the dude and touched his shoulder to catch his attention. He turned around with half a smirk quickly changing into a look of surprise. I could feel my eyes grow in size when I saw who it was. "Is it fucking real?" - I asked myself, trying to be less shook. What an amazing coincidence, my stool at the bar was occupied by the dancing dude! - Who would have thought, am I right? — he said, fully turning to face me. — Not me, for sure. Get off my stool. — I shoo'd him from the stool but he didn't move a muscle. — Nope. You weren't sitting here when I came in, so it's mine now. — I raised my eyebrow in disbelief. — Don't be a little dick, you've seen my glass standing right here.  — I will buy you another one if you get off my dick. And once we are talking about that…. — he chuckled a bit. — You can sit in my lap if you fancy. My eyes widened, I was astonished by his bold move. — Are you flirting with me? — Who knows. So, mardy bum? Are you climbing in my lap or …? — he asked, looking attentively at my face with a wide smirk, pleased with himself. 

I threw my hands in the air silently and turned my back on him. I didn't fancy sitting in a random dude's lap, even if the dude was kinda hot and not actually random. Oh God, FUCK! He looked a bit different this time; his beard was trimmed and his hair was gelled back, black shirt and pants so tight I could probably see the outline of his underwear if he wore any. What a dweeb. I guess I'd recognized him instantly if I saw those pants. 

Why is this so embarrassing? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I wanted to sass this bitch out, but I couldn't come up with anything merely appropriate for the situation, so I decided to ignore his questions and turned to take my glass. At this exact moment a very familiar and a really slow song came on.

I somehow lost my breath and fell into a spiral of memories I had associated with the song playing for a second. I was watching people dividing into pairs on the dance floor and it broke my heart a little. I remembered my ex-sweetheart holding me tight to him while this exact song played quietly in our apartment, right after the final fight we had. I remembered the emptiness I felt then and my eyes became too watery. I am not going to cry at the bar today, I told myself. No one was going to ask me to dance today anyway, I thought, and it stroke me pretty hard. I turned to go out of the bar to have a cigarette when the dancing dude touched my hand. I looked at him, struck by the sensation. He was offering his hand to me.

"Shall we dance a little?" 

I had no time to think properly and the whole situation felt a bit like deja vu. He was waiting for me to take his hand, eyes on me, wandering from hair to eyes, to boobs and back. I accepted his almost silent invitation and followed him to the middle of the dance floor.

When I'm around slow dancing in the dark Don't follow me, you'll end up in my arms

We were surrounded by different couples and that's one of the reasons I loved LA. It was just beautiful to see people simply dancing together. No one really cared what people might have thought of them, this is how it should be. He held my hands in his and as we're almost the same height I almost touched his long nose with mine. We remained silent while we were swirling in a very little space we had among all the people. His palms were soft and warm and I enjoyed his touch, even though I didn't want to admit it. 

Soon enough we got even closer and danced way slower. My lips were almost on his jaw as we were almost hugging each other to a sad song. Him being so close yet so far made me puzzled in some way. I didn't want this to happen and yet here I am, staring at dude's earlobes and gelled strands of wavy hair on the neck. Pretty view, should I say. He smelled exactly the same as I remembered and I found the smell heavenly complex. This sparked an idea to spend as much time in his arms as possible, but I shooed the thought away. It would be inappropriate.

I turned my head a bit to see his face clearly. His eyes were closed, but I could sense something going on in his head. He moved easily and graciously, even with me by his side and I was pleasantly surprised to realize he led me all the time we were dancing. I smiled a little to myself. It felt good to be in his arms and I decided it won't hurt to put my head on his shoulder, so I did. I took a deep breath, inhaling his cologne and smiled again. He tilted his head a bit, so it would touch mine. I thought about how we looked like on the dance floor seen by others. We probably look like two sad people dancing to a slow song, I sassed myself and shook my head a bit. Dude asked me if I was okay and I responded "sure". That was it, the whole conversation during the dance.

Can't you see? I don't wanna slow dance  In the dark

As the song was reaching its climax, we almost stopped moving at all. My hand that was placed on his shoulder slid down to his waist. He did the same with his hand, still holding mine. I liked him not pushing anything on me and appreciated the effort to be nice. It felt right to be this close to him somehow. I saw him lip-synching a little to the song and felt his warm breath on my cheek. I kept smiling as I watched his private performance. With the final phrase we stopped completely and just stood in each other's embrace for a couple of seconds longer than necessary. I didn't want to let him go. He seemed to feel the same. I blushed a bit, because it was getting awkward. Eventually, we split and I followed him to the bar.

He sat on a stool next to mine which appeared to be empty and gestured a bartender to come over. I sipped my cocktail, which I completely forgot about, to be honest. I was watching the dance floor and the dude turned to me and asked "Whatcha gonna drink, mardy bum?"

I did not expected that and took some time to proceed with the question. I looked at him, confused. "Nothing for now. Excuse me" i said and rushed to the bathroom. I didn't want to use it, however, I felt an urgent need to get away from his deep dark eyes inspecting my face. I turned on cold water and splashed some on my neck and chest to calm myself down. I guess I shouldn't have left like this, I thought, maybe I need to go back and try to have a normal conversation? I wanted to talk to someone less than half an hour ago. Oh no, there would be no conversation, darling, you will just stare at his face for an uncomfortably long time until he finds you creepy and leaves, I told myself. Well, this sucks but I have to go back anyway. I'd fancy a smoke, after all it was an experience and I definitely needed some nicotine in my system. I went out of the bathroom to finish my cocktail at the bar and found the dude's stool empty. It made me a bit sad, but I didn't say goodbye either, so it's only fair. I knocked my drink down and headed to the exit.

[lanamemories2]

Startled by the sound of his door opening, Lana turned after making her last adjustments. She’d been hanging his birthday gift by his window, a prime spot for the breeze to stir if the latch was undone. Strung up on a homemade mobile, one she’d recruited the help of various minions to make, dangled twelve separate origami animals, each a different colour. All had a personalised message from one of Dom’s friends, if you spread the paper flat to read them.

Ducky’s said ‘cool guy :)’ and was folded into a bear. Navy white pinstripe. 

Philly’s only had a little goblin doodled on holding a fistful of socks. The paper was an expensive kind, white with mint and lilac glitter. Folded into a caterpillar. Lana liked this one because caterpillar’s have butterflies inside them and she feels the magic in Philly is sourly overlooked by the general population -- she’s the most likely person Lana knows to sprout wings and fly away.

Viktor’s was far too explicit with a recurring mention of cock. It could not be included in the gift.

Maggie’s was a wolf. Lana drew a little smiley face below the snout that wasn’t quite fitting, but it felt friendlier, that way, more Maggie -- paired with a dainty floral paper, too. It had a quote written on from Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “She rested her head against his and felt, for the first time, what she would often feel with him: a self-affection. He made her like herself.” It finished with “love you, Maggie x”. 

Marlowe’s was a tiger. Flame orange, eye catching. On it, it said: ‘anyone who's put up with my shit for almost four years deserves a medal of some kind... like pinned to their lapel and personally engraved and everything. i got outbid on ebay so I don't have a fancy medal to give you...so instead i'll just say, you're a good guy dom evans! and I hope you have a fucking awesome birthday man. if anyone deserves only good things its you :)‘.

Rosa’s was folded into a monkey. Pink paper, in the end, because Rosa makes Lana think of love and blushing and sunsets. ‘dom i can't believe you're 23 today, you're an old man now!!! when i was just an embarrassing 12 year old and made those happy 15th bday shirts for you i was so obsessed with you because a small part of you thought you were an angel on earth and you'd come to protect me but it's nice to know now that we can protect each other. i'm still going to wear those 15th bday shirts for the rest of the week so everyone knows, i think your life is the most celebration worthy thing in existence. and if you want to know i am, in fact, hoping that i never marry so that by the time i'm 35 we can just run off together, preferably with franklin in tow, and have a worry free life, it's what you deserve. i love you forever dominic james evans!!!‘

Kasey’s was a fish in a pastel shade, sweet like a ripe peach. ‘Happy birthday Dom, you're the best of the best!!‘

Jude’s was a sloth. Deeper blue. Lana hassled him to write Dom one despite the fact they aren’t even particularly close. On it, he wrote: ‘Dunno you that well but you seem alright. Lana’s pacing as I write, clearly riled her up enough. Saw your ass in full view, high definition. Was decent. Good work soldier. Back to the trenches. Happy birth and shit.’.

Gunner’s was a dog. She did her best to capture the essence of a golden retriever with yellow paper, given that this was his family pet’s breed. Notably, she drew a very large dick onto the origami between it’s legs -- assuring Gunner Paxton’s legacy wasn’t overlooked. ‘in first year i had a hard time making friends and you saw me struggling in the caf when i sprained my wrist so you offered to help me cut up my food and i thought it was weird but it was the first time a stranger showed me care in such a specific way now i always feel cared for with you and it's nice so thanks for being you and happy bday‘.

Jack’s was a lion. Below the paper mane Lana wrote ‘NOT UGLY’ in small, block font, almost fashioned like a collar. The paper was faded black and white, referee striped -- tribute to his time coaching little league. Unfolded, it says: ‘dearest cousin Dominic, you are my favorite cousin even when you peed on me that one time at the beach because you said it would keep the jellyfish away. thank you for always throwing the football around with me and even being okay with it if i threw it too hard and it hit your nose and made it bleed and we had to tell my dad you tripped over a rock. happy birthday let’s get fucked! Love Your Best Friend, Jack Hall :P’.

Will’s was a shark, folded from paper slicked to look like an oil spill, gleaming in the light -- dark and technicolour, all at once. Lana drew sunglasses over the eyes. ‘sorry i tried to dye your hair purple that one time. you're kind of great even if statistically you shouldn't be since you're an RA. that's fucking bizarre of you, by the way. you seem to be one of those people that's genuinely good which is also fucking bizarre but i figure if anyone around here deserves a good year, it's you. happy fucking birthday don't die xoxo‘

Marla’s was a pigeon. Oxblood red. She wanted a vicious city-dwelling creature that feasted on the flesh of abandoned McDonald’s fries. ‘you are more worthy than a thousand plates of ikea meatballs. you can seize life by the balls. the meatballs. extended meatball metaphor. you are a leaf floating on an amber river. you are a cherry blossom caught in a ceiling fan. if auras existed yours would be INCREDIBLY fucking sexy. you will live a long life and father approximately 333.3 children.’

Noah’s was a sky blue dog with a doodled strand of wheat from it’s mouth. ‘hey man happy birthday :) not to get all sappy but im really grateful to know you. don't know if luck is real but if it is, hope this brings you some of the best of it there is’. A drawing of a little four leaf clover after the message.

There was a thirteenth string without anything attached and Lana almost took it as an omen of how unlucky it was, her opening up in this way, how much she’d come to see it as a curse. But she held it in her hands, anyway. A swan as white as the Betta fish she’d pointed out as him at the aquarium. Wishing star white. Whiter than an angel. The most Dom paper she could think to fold it from, when she woke up and realised she’d been dreaming about him. 

“Hey,” she breathed with a laugh, cat burglar caught with the ruby in gloved hands. By all practical accounts, she’d broken and entered. “Charmed my way in. Wanted to, um... Was meant to be a surprise, like, an in and out job, and... I told some other RA Gunner left his inhaler here and he went all crazed, like, Action Man, whipping out a master key. Totally Oscar worthy. Should probably... let him know Gunner isn’t dead, later, but. Wanted to give you your present. It’s, um... I mean, it’s everyone,” came as she sifted gently at Philly’s caterpillar, smile bubbling to the surface. “I got them all to write you stuff. It isn’t, like, crazy, or anything, but.” Lana wet her lips, excitement overflowing -- she couldn’t seem to smother her smile. “This... is mine.” That did it. It faded as her eyes dropped. She pinched the swan delicately in both hands, then, blood rushing in her ears -- it provided amusing contrast, the coy blush in her cheeks with the devil horns she’d slid into her hair, a costume nobody had asked for. “Kinda wrote it... a while ago. It’s -- I don’t know,” she second guessed, laughing again at how dumb she was sure she sounded. Gestures like this always scared her, when she really meant them, felt like far too much. “You can read it, if you wanna.” @domfm​

[blitz-and-hearth]

Please baby step into the mist

Alright its a little late but here's my Halloween ghost fic! It’s got a happy ending but tws for past suicide, discussion of suicide, character death and blood  AO3 link 

There's someone in Hearthstone's house. It's not the first time it's happened. He has no way to keep track of time but knows he's been dead for a long time, as the world changed around him. The ghost didn't like looking out of windows because of that. Last time he had he'd seen that roads were made of stone now that people drove metal carriages on and everyone was dressed extremely casually. It mostly just confused him, but Hearth could easily imagine the rage his father would have he was here to see it. Father had always been old fashioned, pissed at the youth and young women who wore pants. Hearth could only imagine the rage Alderman would have especially right now, a dark-skinned man having just broken into their house and making himself at home in what had once been the drawing-room. Hearthstone kept his distance as he watched him curiously, even though he didn't really need to. No one alive could usually see him, it took effort to be seen, which was just fine with him. He just wanted to be left alone. People didn't come here often. And yet here the guy was, in his house, leaning against a wall and panting from breath like he'd been running from something.

The man in his house was short and broad, wearing a dress shirt and a coat that didn't match. His hair was done in dreads and tied back, his face handsome but his nose looked broken, crooked. Hard to tell in the dark but Hearth was pretty sure there was blood on his face. Usually, the people who came to his house were younger and brought alcohol. They'd wander around laughing and talking about how it was haunted, sometimes painting things on the walls. They made up all kinds of stories, it was a bit amusing. He wasn't a murder and nor had he been murdered, but that was what most of the more ridiculous stories entailed. Some were pretty spot on. He had been a noble and he'd... Well he'd had enough of being alive that was all there was to it. Hearthstone preferred the more wild stories about witchcraft and Satanic scarifies to the more accurate ones... At least he usually was able to scare kids like that off pretty easily. But this guy was alone and seemed uninterested in the rest of the house or its history. Hearth hadn't liked his home in life, cold and too big, but in death, it was all he had. He didn't like anyone else being here. Different or not this guy had to go.

Hearth drifted closer to him, getting a better look. He was bleeding after all, and his clothing rumbled. Must have been in a fight. Hearthstone watched as he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and try to stop the bleeding. He felt a little bad but... The guy couldn't stay. It was hard to explain how exactly it worked but Hearthstone had gotten pretty good at haunting. He'd put his energy into the house and it would react to him. He focused and spread his hands, encouraging the house's temperature to drop and the walls to groan. The man looked up a bit nervously but didn't move. Hearthstone was just getting started. Wind suddenly picked up in the room, dropping the temperature further, making the guy pull his coat tighter around himself and shiver. Then suddenly to his surprise, the guy spoke

"Hey, could you not?"

Hearth almost jumped with shock at the bold casualness of the request, the wind faltering a bit

"Like I've heard all the stories and shit, I know you're a big scary ghost who throws stuff at people and may or may not have been murdered but I need a place to stay for the night. Just one night. I think we can get along for just one single night, right?"

He explained. Hearthstone hesitated. This was new. Oh sure people had tried to talk to him before but it was always some nonsense with candles and started with something like "If there's anyone here who would like to communicate-" No one had directly addressed him like this before. Hearth liked it better but still didn't like someone in his house. After a moment of considering what to do, he drifted over and grabbed a piece of wood from a long collapsed shelf before throwing it at the guy. He quickly scrambled out of the way and got on his feet. Ah good. Usually, this is when they took off running. But this man didn't.

"Ok so maybe not. Look I get it, this is your house and all..."

He glanced around

"Will you let me stay if I clean up some? I mean, I'm sure you can't like it being so messy in here, I just got here and it's giving me a headache already"

Hearthstone frowned as he looked around too. The house had been in disarray for so long. He never tired to clean, didn't feel like it, too much energy when he could be using that to scare people off or hold a book to read. Well... Maybe it wouldn't hurt. If it was just one night it seemed like a pretty fair trade... Hearthstone moved back over closer to the man again and traced his response in the dust by his feet

Ok

The guy grinned wide as he read it and his smile lit up the whole room. Oh. If Hearthstone could blush he would. He'd always been aware he'd.... admire the male form. But that was something he'd only been able to really admit in death. It didn't matter once he was dead after all. He had no better chance of having such a thing then he did in his own time, but also didn't have to worry about being forced to have a wife, nor being jailed or killed for such a thing.

"Thank you! I'll make it worthwhile. You're Hearthstone, right? That's who most of the stories are about anyway. I'm Blitzen. I suppose you can't shake my hand or anything, but it's still nice to meet you"

The man, Blitzen, started to ramble as he began cleaning. He didn't seem to mind that Hearth couldn't or wouldn't reply most of the time. Hearthstone would admit he was a little lonely, and it was nice to be spoken to so casually. He learned a lot of things watching Blitzen talk to him, missing a few things when he spoke too fast or he'd turn and he couldn't read his lips, but a swift gust of wind or tossing something light at him usually got him to slow back down. Blitzen was 20 years old. He liked clothing and wanted to make them one day. He was homeless, which is why he was even here in the first place. He was getting back on his feet though, had found a place that might hire him called Wal-mart (He laughed when Hearthstone took the time to ask him what kind of store only sold walls) but someone called Junoir had a bone to pick with Blitzen. Some of his goons were out to get him and he had to be careful to keep a low profile. Hearthstone didn't tell too much in reply. It took too long and too much energy to trace things in the dust. But he told the other man he was deaf and could read lips so stop talking so quickly. And that he liked books, be careful with those they'd been here since he'd died. Blitzen didn't ask him about his death or what it was like being dead. That surprised him mostly because that's what he would have asked a ghost if he'd met them in life. But he was very glad he didn't. It was much more pleasant to have Blitzen rattle on about fashion magazines and how he hated the things people wore in them. Eventually, the whole drawing-room was cleaned up. Not spotless of course, still cobwebs and dust, but all the clutter and broken beer bottles were gone and his books had been carefully stacked in the corner. Blitzen dusted himself off with a sigh and stretched

"There that looks much better"

He muttered before yawning

"Right, I'm heading to bed. Thanks again for letting me stay here for the night"

Blitz said for the hundredth time, going to sit down and curl up against a wall. Hearthstone hesitated for a moment before deciding fuck it, might as well. There was one room he kept nice through the years the house had been abandon and it had a bed... His brother's room. He knew Andiron would prefer it to be used when needed rather than kept as a pristine snapshot of history like their father had done after the boy died. Hearth tugged on the edge of Blitzen's jacket. He jumped and blinked

"Nng? What is it?"

he mumbled with sleepy confusion. Hearthstone tugged on his clothing again

"Oh please don't make me leave, we had a deal"

Blitzen groaned with enough resigned desperation to make Hearth's nonexistent heart break. He wondered how often Blitz had been kicked out of places he'd been told he was welcome in.

Not leave. Follow me

He traced in the dust. Blitz seemed hesitant but got up, allowing Hearthstone to gently tug him along. The ghost leads him along through the halls to a room he'd been careful to make sure no one ever got inside of. It was exactly how it always was, with the bed made and room clean, though the silk sheets were dusty. Blitzen looked around with surprise

"Whoa, this is like right out of one of those Victorian period based movies... This isn't- It's not your room is it?"

He asked.

Not mine. Brother's

Hearth wrote on the dusty mirror

"Oh... Are you sure you want me to stay in here? I'd been fine on the floor"

Blitz muttered. Hearthstone wished he could explain that his brother had been a kind-hearted boy who would have given everything he had to someone who he thought needed it and wouldn't have minded a stranger using his bed at all. Instead, he just wrote

Yes sure. Sleep

Blitzen still seemed hesitant but moved over to the bed and dusted it off. He didn't get under the covers when he laid down

"Damn I can't remember the last time I slept on a bed... Thank you"

He muttered to the air, not sure where to look.

"You've been kinder then like any living person I've met in the past year... Its kinda crazy...."

Blitz added as he closed his eyes. Hearthstone felt an ache in his chest. He knew the world was cruel but everything he'd seen of Blitzen was kind-hearted. He'd treated Hearthstone like a person, even when he'd tried to scare him out of his house. It was unfair. Life always seemed to be the hardest on them... Hearth stayed by his side as he slept, wishing he could do more and wondering why people weren't kinder until dawn came. In the morning Blitzen got up, looking well-rested.

"Thanks again for letting me stay, was really kind of you. I'll get out of your hair now"

Hearthstone found himself wishing he'd stay just a little longer. He hadn't realized how lonely he'd been

Come again?

He wrote on the mirror. Blitzen seemed surprised and grinned

"Really? Sure. I mean if you want me to come back. I don't want to bother you, I totally get the appeal of spending your afterlife alone in peace"

No bother

Hearth replied, wishing again he could have more ability to communicate

"Alright, then I guess I'll see you later Hearthstone"

And just like that, he was gone. Hearthstone went about his usual business. Float around, throw some stuff at a kid who got too close to the house, read the books he'd been reading for years. But it felt so much duller now. It has been years even when he died that he'd had someone who made him feel less lonely. There'd been Inge. But his father had forbidden her from spending too much time around him. And Hearthstone had known she'd been in love with him, and it made him feel guilty that he could never love her in the same way. For once since he'd died he tried to pay attention to time passing as he waited for Blitzen to return. It was only a week before he came back but somehow that felt so much longer than all the years that had passed.

Finally, Hearth spotted Blitzen climbing into the house through a broken window. He looked a bit cleaner this time, his beard trimmed and shaved a bit, clothing looked freshly washed. He had a backpack and was smiling that big grin that lit up the room. Hearthstone eagerly hurried over to greet him, trying not to think too much about just how happy he was he came back

"I'm back! You here Hearth?"

He called out. Hearthstone reached out and poked him in the chest to let him know yes he was there. Blitzen jumped and then laughed

"Hey again. Sorry, I hope this isn't too soon for me to be back. But I ended up getting that job and uh well... I thought you might like some new books? I mean you've been reading the same ones for like 100 years now gotta be at least a little sick of them right?"

He explained as he took off his bag and unzipped it, digging through before pulling out a slightly battered softcover book labeled Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone

"It's used but like who cares, used stuff is usually better. I wasn't sure what you'd like but this is a modern classic, and I've heard rumors you were into witchcraft when you were alive"

Blitzen explained as Hearthstone just stared at the book. No one had ever bought him something before. And Blitzen was living on the streets, surely he couldn't have the cash to spare. He couldn't believe he'd even think of doing something like this for him. He wasn't even alive and Blitzen was still so kind... Hearth was a bit overwhelmed, the temperature dropping rapidly and sparks of energy crackling through the air as he lost control of himself for a second. Blitz quickly took a step back, looking nervous

"Hearth? Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry I can return it-"

He started to say but Hearthstone quickly reeled himself back in

No it's good. Thank you

He wrote quickly in the dust on the walls before taking the book from him, cradling it to his chest like it was a fragile precious object. Blitzen relaxed again, looking somewhat amused as he eyed the book, which appeared to just be floating in the air to him.

"You're welcome, I hope you like it. Oh, I also brought this. I know writing everything has gotta be annoying but it'll properly be a bit better on a notebook than just in whatever dust is around"

He added as he also pulled out a notebook and pen. Hearthstone was a bit reminded of the slate his father used to make him write on, but that'd just been because he'd like humiliating Hearthstone. He and Blitzen didn't have a better way to talk since he couldn't see him. He put down the book and took the pen and notebook instead.

Thank you. You're so kind to me, you can come stay here whenever you like

Hearthstone wrote before turning it back towards Blitzen, who blushed and rubbed the back of his neck

"I'm not that nice. I just figure... Everyone always treats this house, and by extent, you badly. Its the town haunted house and all. Everyone always telling crazy stories and kids get in here to do dumb shit while getting drunk. I don't think that's very fair, just because you're dead doesn't mean you don't deserve respect. I mean, I completely get how it feels to not be treated like a person"

He muttered shyly. Hearthstone felt his non-existent heart ache again

You are very kind and I won't hear otherwise. Though, I don't hear anything else either

He wrote back. Blitzen read it and then burst out laughing

"Oh my god, you're a bit sassy huh? I like that"

He chuckled

Maybe I am, just a little bit. Will you read with me? It drains energy to hold things

Hearth asked him. Blitzen nodded still smiling

"Ok sure. I haven't read these books since I was like 12. Just poke me when you're ready for me to turn to page"

He said as he took the book back and sat down, holding it so Hearthstone could easily read over his shoulder. They read like that all evening, and Hearth was quickly entranced by the story. While the stories of witchcraft were wildly over-exaggerated he had always been fascinated by magic. And he definitely related to how badly the poor boy Harry was treated by his family. He wished he'd discovered he was actually a wizard and could have gone on a fun adventure instead of... Well. It was nice to daydream. They got pretty far into the book before Blitzen started to drift off. Hearth realized he must be tired, it was pretty late now, they'd been reading by a strange pocket light that didn't seem to have a flame for a while now. He poked Blitzen in the side, waking him up a bit

"S-sorry I drifted off a bit"

It's late. You should go to bed

Hearth wrote back

"Yeah you're probably right, I'll have work in the morning... Can I sleep in the bed again or should I go?"

You can stay. You can stay as long as you like Blitzen

Hearthstone replied. Blitzen blushed a bit as he smiled shyly

"Now whos being too kind?"

He muttered as he slipped a small piece of paper into the book to keep their place and got up, heading to bed. Hearthstone followed him. He wasn't sure why he just felt like he should make sure Blitz was safe. He didn't and couldn't sleep, so he might as well... It felt a little creepy, a little self-indulgent, but... Blitzen was pretty and it gave Hearthstone time to admire him all he liked.

"Goodnight Hearthstone, thanks again for letting me stay"

The living male said as he got into bed. Hearthstone responded by taking the sheets and pulling them over him.

And just like that, they fell into a routine. Blitzen would leave in the morning for work, Hearthstone would do what he'd always done of drifting around and occasionally scare people away from the house, and then Blitz would return to the house in the evening. They'd talk to each other, mostly just Blitzen chatting to him. Blitz would eat dinner, usually strange foods Hearthstone had never laid eyes on before that came in brightly colored wrappers, and then after that, they'd read together until Blitzen was tired. It was... Cozy. Hearthstone had never felt so content before. He'd wondered a lot after he'd most recently died why he became a ghost. If it was his punishment for all his sins or for how he'd ended his own life. But if waiting all those years was what it took to meet Blitzen he would have done it all again. He could relax around him. He was able to open up about himself eventually after a few weeks. Eventually, Blitzen asked him what he'd been dreading. He'd been acting a little odd today, a bit quieter and a little down. They'd already finished reading for the night and Blitz was laying in bed, but still awake. Seemed he was having some trouble sleeping tonight

"..... Hey Hearth?"

He asked eventually. Hearthstone poked him in acknowledgment.

"What's it like? Being dead I mean..."

He muttered seriously. Hearth had to think about how to answer for a minute, gripping the notebook tightly before writing

It's cold. And borning. Hard to keep track of time and you run out of things to do quickly. Then you're just kinda stuck doing things over and over again. Only got better when you showed up

It was an honest reply. Blitzen read it, enough light from the moon to do so. He sighed a bit and sat up, pulling his knees to his chest

"I don't wanna be intrusive but... You don't have to answer but... You killed yourself, right? Not murdered like in some of the stories?"

Hearthstone frowned worriedly. He'd never seen Blitzen so somber before... And he'd never asked about this before. It worried him

Yes

He answered shortly, hoping he wouldn't be asked to explain

"....... Do you regret it?"

Blitzen asked after a long moment

Why are you asking me all this?

Hearthstone responded rather than answer

"I don't know. I thought about doing that once but didn't end up going through with it, obviously..."

Blitzen said so quietly Hearthstone almost missed the lip movement. He was completely floored. He'd never known.... Blitzen talked about a lot of things but he'd never even mentioned it.... Hearthstone didn't know what to say. Blitzen was such a bright and wonderful person with so much passion, he lit up rooms and brought joy everywhere he went. Or at least he did to Hearthstone. He would have never guessed he had thoughts like that. Hearth reached out and squeezed Blitz's hand tightly. Blitzen turned and looked his direction, an unreadable expression in his eyes. After a minute Hearth let go and started to write quickly

I don't regret it now. I did for a long time. But I wasn't made for the time I was born. I'm too different, deaf and fancy men over women. I couldn't survive that time period. If I hadn't done it my father would have eventually. But it's not that time anymore. And I got to meet you. So no, I don't regret it, but I don't think it was a smart thing to do either, and I defiantly don't want anyone else or you to do something like that. Being dead isn't fun, it's scary seeing everything else change as you stay stagnant and has been pretty terrible until you showed up. So please don't do anything stupid, you deserve to live life to its fullest

Blitzen read it slowly, taking time to absorb it. He looked away once he'd finished reading and Hearth realized there were tears in his eyes. He couldn't help himself, Blitzen was upset and he wanted to do something to comfort him. He hugged him. It was a weird sensation. Hearthstone had never hugged anyone since he'd died, barely touched people at all really. It wasn't like it was when he'd touched other people when he was alive. But he could feel Blitzen's warmth. Blitz gasped a bit in surprise at the feeling of arms around him without being able to see anyone there. Hesitantly he raised his hands and tried to hug him back. He could feel Hearthstone but there was no temperature, just sort of something vaguely solid under his hands. They just held each other for a good five minutes before suddenly the feeling of Hearthstone being there vanished.

"Hearth?"

Blitzen called out worriedly. After another minute the pen lifted into the air and shakily wrote on the notebook

Used up too much energy

Blitz sighed with relief and smiled a bit gently

"Sorry. You're right of course, my thoughts just get to me sometimes, and I... I just had to know"

It's ok. Surprised you didn't ask about it sooner

"I didn't think it was polite"

Blitzen replied as he laid back down

"I'm just sorry we didn't meet in life. But then again I don't think I would have lasted in your time period either, seeing as I don't really like girls either"

There was a surprised choked sound from nowhere and Blitz opened his eyes with equal surprise

"Was that you??!"

He asked, laughing

Shut up, how am I supposed to know when I make sounds?

Hearthstone replied though he was very pleased that Blitz had cheered back up

"Good point. But it's still cute"

He muttered. Hearthstone felt his face burn. He didn't know ghosts could blush. Hesitantly he reached out and took Blitzen's hand once again. Blitzen's smile widened and squeezed his hand back

"I'm glad I got to meet you"

Hearthstone wanted to reply he felt the same way but didn't want to let go, so instead, he gently squeezed Blitzen's hand back as the other man started to drift off

Several months went by. The two were happy. Hearthstone was feeling more alive then he had when he was living, Blitzen brought such light into his afterlife. And Blitzen was being more honest about his feelings since that late-night conversation. He talked more about how he'd ended up on the streets, about his shitty mom and how much he missed his father. Hearthstone told him about his parents in return as well as his brother. When he'd told him about his father Blitzen got unreasonably angry. It took him a while to calm him back down and convince him finding Alderman's grave to piss on wasn't worth the time it would take. ("I don't care how backward the times were Hearth, he still didn't have a right to treat you like that!") It was a little embarrassing, but also very sweet. Things weren't perfect but just about as close to perfect as things realistically could get. And both of them were happy. So, of course, it couldn't last.

Hearthstone wasn't sure what he could have done but he felt like he should have done something. Blitzen was late home one night. Hearth was only a little worried about it but it had never happened before. He tried not to think about it and go about his usual business. He wondered later if he could hear if he'd have noticed sooner. But he didn't know if any sound was made at all that could have alerted him. It was pure luck Hearthstone had noticed something was happening at all. He'd just happened to glance out the window to see the three strange men close in on Blitzen, who'd they gotten cornered against a tree in the overgrown yard. Hearth watched with horror as one of them drew a knife and started to gesture at Blitzen with it, saying something Hearthstone couldn't see from this angle. immediately the ghost bolted to his feet and raced downstairs to the front door without even thinking about what he was going to do. He threw the door open with a strong bust of wind, making it slam against the wall, just in time to see the man plunge the knife into Blitzen's stomach as the other two held his arms. He saw the flash of red blood and Blitz cry out in pain. Hearthstone felt like he'd been the one stabbed, cold horrible stabbing pain in his chest as he watched them let go of Blitzen, who fell to his knees gasping for breath and clutching the wound. Hearth opened his mouth and screamed. The three men whipped around, staring at him with horror. Actually staring at him. Hearthstone didn't know how but he knew they could see him as rage and pain rated from his ghostly form. Sparks filled the air and the ground rumbled as Hearthstone took a step forward, the only thoughts in his head Blitzen Blitzen have to protect Blitzen. Needless to say, seeing an enraged spirit howling like a banshee surround by lightening was more than enough to send the three men packing. They scrambled over each other to get away, screaming as they raced off into the night. Hearth wanted to make them suffer, make them pay for hurting Blitzen. But he couldn't. He was already on the edge of the porch, and he couldn't leave the house an invisible wall surrounded it keeping him there. He pushed against it for a bit before giving up, some of the rage fading as he looked at the crumpled form left on the ground, at the blood pooling.

All the rage left him then. Blitzen... Hearthstone pressed against the invisible wall again, hands scrambling at it. No no no, he had to help him. He had to do something, he couldn't just let him die. The limp form stirred a bit and shifted, Blitzen shaking weakly as he managed to look up. His eyes landed on Hearthstone and widened. Oh. He could see him too.

"H.. Hearth...?"

He called out. Hearthstone nodded, eyes watering with tears, hands still pressed against the invisible wall. Blitz coughed and blood dripped down his chin into his beard as he pushed himself up onto his feet. He stumbled, clutching his bleeding stomach, but managed to stay standing.

"Don't push yourself you're losing too much blood"

Hearthstone signed, even though he wasn't sure if Blitzen understood. The injured man shook his head as he stumbled forward, leaving a trail of blood on the grass behind him.

"'S too late... Hosptial... too far... I don't got a phone...."

He mumbled as he finally reached the porch, wavering on his feet before collapsing just inside that inviable wall onto the wooden planks. Hearthstone went to his knees next to him, clutching Blitzen's hand as he sobbed. What else could he do? He was just a ghost he couldn't heal him nor get him to a doctor. Blitz looked at him with hazy eyes, breathing turning shallow

"You're.... Just as beautiful as I thought you'd be..."

He mumbled weakly. Hearth shook his head

"Please you can't die please don't go please don't take him from me"

Hearthstone signed, not sure who he was begging to. He'd never been a god-fearing man but he'd go to hell and back if only Blitzen would live. But he wouldn't. He could feel the life leaving Blitz, draining out of him with his blood. Hearth opened his eyes as he felt a hand on his face

"D-don't cry Hearth.... Please..."

Blitzen mumbled, trailing off. He gently tugged Hearthstone down by his shirt and Hearth could do nothing but obey, letting Blitz pull him down to press their lips together. Hearthstone could feel him going cold even as he kissed him, quickly breaking down into sobs against his lips. He feels the exact moment Blitzen goes, the moment Blitzen left his body. But... He doesn't feel his spirit leave. Hearthstone pulls back to wipe his eyes before opening them again. He sees Blitzen's body, bloody and going cold, but he also sees Blitzen standing next to himself. The ghost Blitzen looks at his body for a moment with a puzzled expression before changing to surprise as he realized what had happened. He then looked at Hearthstone. Hearth felt some very mixed emotions. He was still feeling sorrow that Blitzen had died, but now he was feeling a rush of relief too. Relief that Blitzen wasn't gone, that he was still here. Before he could work through how he wanted to react Blitzen tackled him in a hug. And Oh, that was different. Blitzen felt warm, and so so real as he wrapped his arms around him. Hearth sobbed again as he buried his face into the shorter's shoulder. They held each other for a long time, both desperately clinging to each other like they were both afraid the other was going to leave.

Hearthstone's sobs had quieted to sniffling by the time Blitzen pulled back. He took Hearth by the arm and guided him inside, neither wanting to look back at his body.

"I'm sorry"

Hearth signed at him

"No don't be. It was gonna happen eventually, Junior wanted me dead and he always gets what he wants"

Blitzen said, handling the fact he'd just been murdered pretty well

"But-"

"No buts. It's done and there's nothing either of us could do to change the past"

Blitz huffed, gently squeezing Hearth's arm. He hesitated and then smiled a bit

"But there's still the future, and we've got a pretty long time for it... For each other"

He muttered as he looked up at Hearthstone, who blushed. Blitzen laughed a bit

"I'm not... I'm not happy to be dead per se. But I am happy to finally see your face. If I was gonna be a ghost I'm glad to get to be one here, with you"

He said with a soft smile

"I think you're the reason I've stayed here. I was waiting for you"

Hearthstone signed and it was Blitzen's turn to blush

"Can... Can I kiss you again?"

Blitz asked. Hearthstone didn't answer with signs, leaning down to press their lips together again instead, putting all the love he felt for Blitzen into it. Blitzen returned it, wrapping his arms around his neck. It felt like coming home.

"Alex get outta there, don't you know its haunted? You'll get possessed"

Magnus called out sarcastically as he watched his partner in crime smirk at him from inside the old broken down house

"Maybe I wanna get possessed"

Alex hummed as she turned away from the window to look around

"Hey ghouls! It's me, ya girl!"

She called out as Magnus climbed through the window to join her

"Haha. But seriously I don't know if I wanna stay here overnight"

He muttered a bit nervously

"And no not because of ghosts, but because someone got murdered here a few years ago, you heard about that right?"

Alex frowned a bit

"Yeah I did but if you've got a better idea where to stay tell me, Maggie, cause I've got nothing. All the shelters are full and some dude selling drugs is in our usual spot"

Magnus sighed, knowing she was right.

"Alright fine but if we get killed by ghosts it's your fault"

He grumbled as he followed her. Alex paused and picked something up

"Hey look, I didn't know ghosts liked Harry potter"

She joked as she held up the book. Magnus was about to make a joke about the ghosts in said book when suddenly it was snatched out of Alex's hands, floating away from them. The two teens froze, eyes going wide with shock. After a tense moment, Alex muttered

"Uh... I was kidding but I guess they do like Harry Potter"

Hearthstone returned to Blitzen's side with his copy of the sorcerer's stone tucked under his arm

"Think we should let them stay?"

He asked his boyfriend

"Yeah sure, they look like they could use some help"

Blitzen signed back as he pressed up to his side.

"Just be careful, last time you let someone stay you got stuck with me"

He teased. Hearthstone gave him a mock look of horror before giggling.

"I'm not stuck with you, you're stuck with me"

Blitzen laughed too before calling out to the teenagers

"Hey kid, quit messing with that! You can stay but put it down!"

The shorter one quickly dropped the wooden duck and backed up with his hands in the air like he was scared it would explode, the green-haired girl laughing just a bit nervously at him. Hearthstone smiled and pressed a kiss to Blitzen's cheek

"You're such a scary ghost"

"I'm your scary ghost"

Blitz replied with a smirk. Hearth huffed back as he wrapped an arm around the shorter pulling him closer. The two ghosts happily leaned on each other as they watched over the teens in their home, enjoying their afterlife, together.

[sherrybaby14]

A Game of Pleasure

ANON SUBMISSION - NOT MINE!

(Anon who sent ask about submitting the (Dub/Non-con, Marvel/GOTG xFemale Reader story. [insert obligatory apology for crappy title] I hope you like it!)

Summary:  The Guardians invent a new game centered around a discovery about female!reader.

Warnings:  NSFW, Non-con / Dub-con, Gang-up, Smut, 

It’s a drunken night of fun on the Guardian’s ship. Somehow the conversation turns sexual. Pretty much everyone else but you is fairly open about sex. Where the others would randomly announce being horny as if they were merely stating that their back itched, you would blush and keep it to yourself, despite the fact that you were horny a lot. You can’t help it after all. Yondu is pretty hot, and the other guys weren’t too bad looking either. Neither was Gamora for that matter.

It’s unclear how it got started, but somehow the conversation got turned to what others liked in bed. You try to look absently out the window and ignore them, but the conversation the others are having is hot, and it’s making you horny picturing yourself in those situations.

Normally this would be no issue. You would just wait for the conversation to be over, then when everyone decided it was time for bed you would just make your way to your quarters and quietly take care of your need.

However, tonight would be different. Rocket can apparently smell your arousal, and of course he makes a comment, asking you why you aren’t joining the conversation, since it’s clearly turning you on. He does this just to embarrass you, since it’s kinda clear that you’re shy about this stuff.

“What? Shut up.” you say, blushing. 

Drax rolls his eyes. “Man, you Earthers really have hangups.”

You blush harder and turn to face the window again. Damn raccoon. Why couldn’t he just leave you to be horny in peace without embarrassing you!?

“Aw, c’mon sweetheart.” Yondu laughs, approaching you. “It’s nothin’ to be embarrassed about.” 

You are suddenly surprised by Yondu pulling you into his lap. “Hey!” you cry out in protest. 

“What?” he laughs, slipping a hand into your pants. “I’m just helping ya take care of your little problem. Oh- a bigger problem than we thought boys! She’s wet as hell!”

You try protesting again, but he pressed on your clit, making your protest mix with a strangled moan. 

“No- Ahh… wait… hnngg! Ah god, mmm- d-don’t!” You try to scold, but you couldn’t deny the pleasure building in your core and making you squirm against his hand.

Mantis, confused by your reaction places a hand on your forearm, hoping she can better understand if she can feel your emotions. “Oh! Its the strangest thing! She’s embarrassed, but she’s also experiencing so much pleasure!”

“S-shut it, Mantis.” You feel your cheeks burn. Your hips rock of their own accord as Yondu continues rubbing your clit. Moments later you can hear Yondu laughing as your moans indicate that you are climaxing.

Mantis only now lets go of your arm. “That was very interesting. She must have needed that very badly, all I can sense now is relief.”

“She came really fast too, captain.” Kraglin laughed.

Yondu finally releases you and you try to straighten yourself up before you storm off, telling the others they were dicks as you did so.

***

That night sparked almost a new game with the team, and you weren’t sure if you loved it or hated it.

Obviously, the team saw how fast you came, and decided to settle if Yondu really deserved the right to brag for being “that good,” or if it was really what Peter suggested; that you must always just cum that easy.

You were simply minding your own business, walking into the flight deck when you were suddenly caught off guard by Gamora.

She walked up to you, said hi, then immediately started rubbing you through the thin material of your pants.

“Gamora! Ahh! Ohh! What the hell- ohhhhh!” you started and were cut off by your own moans. Your legs shook and you attempted to push her away, more forcefully at first but soon halfheartedly as you started to feel your coil tightening. “Gamora! What the fuck- ooh… oh God! Oh fuck!” Your orgasm hit like a ton of bricks and you slumped back against the wall as she pulled her hand away.

“Damn,” you heard Yondu say in disappointment.

“Looks like Peter was right,” said Drax, “she climaxes very easy.”

“This could be fun,” Yondu grinned, pushing his disappointment away that you actually didn’t cum that fast because he was just “that good.”

It seemed that the rest of the team thought this as well. After this hypothesis was confirmed, the others thought it would be funny to just see who could make you cum at the most random times. You thought they might have been keeping score.

Due to this new “game,” you came so many times you lost count, and were edged more than that, again, mostly for their own amusement. Apparently you get “adorably pouty” when your orgasm is denied, and of course you’re too shy to request they finish, so you’re basically out of luck until you can find some private time, which you didn’t have much of.

You’d walk out of breakfast and be quickly surprised by Kraglin grabbing you and rapidly flicking your bean and making you cum in nothing flat. After you’d cooled down Yondu would usually find you in the hall, followed by Peter and Gamora, all of which would edge you in succession, sometimes allowing you to cum, sometimes leaving you frustrated and desperate to where Drax’s ambush near the control room was almost welcome. Yondu would find you the most often, always liking to make a show out of it. The quiver of your knees, the buck of your hips, how you’d always start to protest before your impending orgasm betrayed you and you’d fight not to moan.

Again, you weren’t sure if you loved or hated this new game. On one hand, it took care of your “horny all the time” problem. On the other hand, however, it was humiliating to be forced to cum for the others’ amusement, not to mention how the others would laugh about your “adorable blush” or the “cute” way your knees quivered when you were held or left on an edge, which was frustrating but you couldn’t deny how amazing it felt.

One night, much like the night that started all this, the team was having a night of fun and drinks. Of course it didn’t take long before Yondu yanked you into his lap so he could play with you. Of course you protested like always, but this time it was only halfheartedly. The last eight times you had been “gotten” you had only been edged, so now you were dying to finally have release.

Yondu noted with a grin how you didn’t seem to be fighting it as much this time as he slipped his hand into your panties and began circling your clit. He also noted how you had more trouble biting back your moans this time and he grinned at Kraglin as your hips started to jerk, indicating you were getting close. The blue man briefly considered stopping before you could cum and leaving you on the edge, but decided to have mercy instead, believing you must have needed to cum really bad since you were being more receptive this time.

You tipped into your orgasm and bucked against his hand, but you were so desperate that you didn’t stop once you had finished, needing so much more. You could hear Yondu laughing as he realized and he began to rub faster, surprised, but willing to give you what you wanted. You came again and Yondu pulled his hand away and you whimpered slightly in response, still needing so much more even after that.

You caught your breath and finally looked up to see the surprised yet amused looks on your team’s faces. It finally hit you what you had just done. Not only had you not protested as usual, you had actually ridden his hand in desperation to cum. Your face began to turn a shade a scarlet and you made a move to get up, but Yondu gripped your hips and pulled you back down.

“Now, now, there, Lil’ lady.” he chuckled. “There’s no need to be embarrassed. There’s no shame in needin’ to cum.”

“Hey, boss, why don’t we see just how long she can go this time?” Kraglin suggested with a laugh.

“Sounds like a plan.” the Centaurian laughed, “Apparently she needs it.”

Before you could protest, though not sure you wanted to with how horny you still were, Yondu began stroking your folds and your breathing became deeper and you gave up on speech as you were overtaken with pleasure. Before long you came a third time, opening your eyes to see Gamora standing in front of you. 

“I think I’d like a turn.” she smiled, noting your blush.

“There’s an idea, we’ll all have a go,” Yondu laughed.

“I-I d-don’t know…” you tried, shifting and again failing to stand up from the blue man’s grip.

“Don’t fight it, girlie. I can tell yer dying for more. If Mantis were here she’d be able to prove it (Rocket was teaching her and Groot how to play poker a few floors up) I bet it’s been building up all week.”

Next thing you knew you were laying on the floor and your pants were being pulled off by Kraglin while Yondu held you in place and Gamora sat next to you and began gently running her finger up and down your slit, making you shiver. In embarrassment you tried to protest again but again you were shushed, this time by Gamora as she spread your lips to grant her full access to your clit, which she then began to lick ever-so-gently. Your breath hitched and your eyes rolled back. You could hear the others chuckling at your reaction. You tried but failed to suppress your purrs and moans as she lapped around your bud.

With her gentleness your edge was coming slower, just as she wanted, but in little time your climax began rounding the corner. Kraglin began massaging one of your breasts and it sent you over the cliff moaning loudly and bucking into her tongue. You felt her plunge two fingers into your entrance and begin pumping, and your body writhed and bucked in response, almost immediately throwing you into another climax. 

Gamora dismounted to allow someone else a turn and Drax took up the mantle. 

Drax began gently petting your folds at first to let you cool down a bit.

You heard Peter whispering something to Gamora but before you could make out what he said you were caught off guard by Drax rapidly rubbing your clit. You began breathing hard and fast, your head thrown back in ecstasy and you couldn’t even focus on being embarrassed anymore that Yondu and Kraglin were laughing at your reactions because you couldn’t really focus on anything besides the fact that you were already cumming again and he wasn’t stopping. You thought you might pass out.

You had cum three times in succession and were practically screaming in pleasure before he finally had mercy and let you breathe, and you had hardly noticed that Gamora had left and returned with something purple which she handed to Peter.

“My turn.” Peter said to Drax as he knelt between your legs. He was holding what appeared to be a purple ribbed dildo. 

“W-wait…” you gasp, “I-I’m not sure-”

However, Starlord didn’t feel like waiting and he inserted the device. It entered easily thanks to your wetness and be began to pump it in and out. 

This felt different. You had never had anything other than your own fingers, and now Gamora’s, inside you before. This filled you, and the ribs felt… well you weren’t sure you had words. It was like getting an incredible massage, only on the inside, but better. Much better. 

You stop protesting, and begin to purr.

“Oh, she likes that, boy.” Yondu said with amusement, noting your breathing get faster and how your legs began to quiver. 

Your hips began to buck again of their own accord and you welcomed your climax. You heard one of the others ask how many times that had been and heard someone answer back that it had been at least your ninth, but honestly you were starting to lose count. You had rather enjoyed that last one if you were honest, but honestly you weren’t sure if you could take more.

Peter allowed you to cool down for a moment and for that moment you thought they were done, but then he started pumping again. 

“Oh! Oh please!” you cry.

“What lil’ missy? Ya want more?” Kraglin laughed, reaching down to rub your clit as Peter fucked you with the dildo.

“Oh god! No! I can’t!” You trembled and bucked, it was too much, you were going to explode, you knew it.

“Ya’ll be fine, darlin,’“ Yondu laughed and began caressing your breasts. “I don’t think we need the rest of these pesky clothes in the way though…” 

The next thing you knew he was pulling your shirt off over your head, and you were now naked and utterly exposed. Yondu took this as an opportunity to pinch and rub your now bare nipples.

This added stimulation made you shriek and moan. “God! Oh my god! I-I can’t!” You saw stars and your orgasm hit you like a freight train. You shrieked as you came harder than all the rest. None of them stopped. “I can’t take anymore!” you whine, your whole body shaking.

“You know, Peter, if you hit that button on the edge, it also vibrates and tickles the g-spot.”

Before you could shout a protest Peter had already pushed the button. You threw your head back and shrieked. It was too much, but so wonderful at the same time. Even if you wanted to protest further you couldn’t manage the speech. Your body trembled and bucked as you shrieked into another orgasm. And another. And another. 

You were vaguely aware that you had squirted, maybe twice, but it was hard to focus with having had so much stimulated at once, and you could hardly register that they had finally stopped. 

You lay there utterly spent and exhausted, inches from passing out and barely aware that they were now lightly stroking you in a comforting way as your eyes closed. 

The next thing you remember is waking up naked in your bed. There was a note on your bedside table waiting for you in Yondu’s handwriting. 

“I’d be happy to have a repeat of last night anytime ya like, but jus’ a lil’ one on one with the two of us. Maybe we can beat yer record from last night. (An’ if ya don’t remember, ya got up to 13.)”

You immediately blush and throw the note away.

However, you couldn’t completely deny that the offer was tempting… not if the wetness that just gathered between your legs was any indication.

Perhaps you’d take advantage of this alone time while you thought about your decision…