#and Ink forgot completely why they fought in the first place and is just happy to have his friend back

[wishing-stones]

………. I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing your dreamtale headcanons 👀👀👀👀👀 I could literally ramble abt my own headcanons all day every day if it weren’t for the sheer amt of anxiety in my silly little head 😅

(i recommend clicking on the images to get a better read)

anyway a lot of thoughts about dream and dreamtale.

feat. one small dream thoughts

[sweeethinny]

death bed (coffee for your head) by Powfu for Drastoria?

I know that music has all this super sad background and that you would probably expect me to make Astoria die, BUT, as I always say here, nothing in this world will make me leave another child in the universe of HP orphaned, so, everything ends well at the end of this one shoot. I took a long time to write, mainly because I wanted it to come out the way I wanted, and I think I came up with something similar to my head Sad stories and fights are still a hindrance for me to write, but I am improving Thank you for sending! I loved this suggestion <3

''Astoria, I love you so much, which is why I'm writing this.

Last night after what your father said, after everything they pointed out ... I cannot arrest you, I cannot condemn you that way. You deserve so much, much more than I can give you. I wanted to be the man who will give you a family, a son, who will see you come in white and be waiting for you to be able to say 'yes', but it's not me. Unfortunately. It sucks that we met in this life, when I'm just a monster, just like your dad pointed out. That's what I am, after all. You always made me very happy, never doubt it Astoria, being on your side made every minute worthwhile, and for a few days I even thought I could leave it all behind. But I can not. It just doesn't work. As much as you say my past doesn't define me ... it does, Tori, he made me like this, he made me have the fucking Dark Mark on my arm and I can't get you sick with this shit. Don't blame yourself or lose sleep over this, you have a bright future ahead and you deserve to live the best life ever. Thank you for seeing me a little bit of the life I could have had, but unfortunately that needs to end.

I wanted to be the man of your life, like you were the woman of mine.

I will love you forever and ever.

Forever Yours,

Draco Malfoy''

She wanted to throw up, cry and scream all at the same time, lying on the floor while sobbing, watching the paper tremble in her hands, and the ink getting more and more smudged with every drop that fell.

Draco left her

Before she could think, before could reason perfectly, she was leaving the room, running through Greengrass Mansion, jumping the steps and barely seeing the path had taken to her father's office, opening a door with all her might, exploding in all its fury before the man could defend himself;

''He ran-away! Are you happy now? After you said all the things ... all that bullshit! He was just a boy! Coerced and afraid of having their parents dead! He was never a murderer, he never did me any harm, and now, because of that shit of yours yesterday, he found it safer to leave.''

"Well, it looks like he hurt you now" The man shrugged, still stiff and looking indifferent, which irritated her even more

''What ... Draco thinks he's doing me a favor, that you were right, that ... DO I LOOK HAPPY?''

''Don't you see the ruin it would take you? What would it do to your reputation? No one else would look you in the face!’’ Astoria snorted irritably

''And do I care about that?! Fuck them!, I DO NOT CARE. You can't meddle like that in my life, I'm not a child and I know very well who I choose to marry''

''You look crazy, do you see that? Screaming and doing all this drama''

''All this drama? My fiance left me because of you!'' The father finally seemed to feel something

''My fault? If he were a real man he would have hit the front, not run away like a coward! In fact, running away is the only thing the Malfoys know how to do. ''

''He knew it would hurt me, he knew that causing a fight with you would hurt me ... '' The man fought a battle with a daughter, one staring as angry as the woman

''You said it yourself ... do you look happy?’’ He raised a dark, defiant brow.

''I'm going after him'' She turned away, being stopped on the next step, feeling her father's hand on her arm

''Astoria ... ''

''No, he is my fiancé and I am going to marry him, whether you like it or not ... I always knew that people would talk about it and that they possibly came back against me, but my own family?'' She swallowed the ball that formed in her throat, with her eyes prickling ''I think you look a lot like the rest of the pureblood, after all''

It wasn’t very easy to find Draco, there was a world of possibilities where he could have hidden, and as far as Astoria knew him, he would have preferred a place she wasn’t aware of how to get there.

What made her travel to Scotland.

Being Pure Blood had its privileges there.

She had already talked to some people who might know about her whereabouts - even her in-laws (they wouldn't be ex, until she decided they would), but nobody knew anything. Nothing, until she presses one of his co-workers and finds out that he has taken a portkey for Scotland.

It was so obvious, and so stupid that she hadn't thought of it.

Of course, this was not a small neighborhood with few houses and few people to question about a handsome, tall blonde, it was a country, and it took a lot of effort to imagine where Draco would be hiding.

And so, she was going up to an abandoned and broken castle that was on top of a hill, in one of the cities in the interior of the country, feeling frozen by the wind that whistled in her ears, time closing over her head, and the houses looking smaller and smaller. But at least, she found him

"You idiot!" It was the first thing that came out of her mouth as soon as she opened the door to that old, dark castle with a smell of dust that would probably make her sneeze, managing to find him sitting in one of the most distant chairs, drinking something that looked like wine

''Astoria .. What the fuck are you doing here?'' She realized that there were pictures torn across the walls, in addition to broken silver, looking very familiar for some reason.

''What do you think? Marry you, idiot! Or did you think I would swallow all that shit and be quiet?'' The two were close, and as much as she missed him a lot, after all, it was almost two months hunting him around, her fury was first ''Do you think I care about any shit you did years ago? During a war!? I do not. And it annoys me that you make that decision without consulting me or asking me what I think about everything my father said, and if you want to know, I think it was great nonsense.''

''You do not understand? Astoria, you deserve someone better than me, someone who can- ''

‘’-I want you, is it hard to understand? Did the Dark Mark melt your brain by any chance?'' Her heart was pounding, so nervous and happy to have found it, and alive. For a few days, she really thought she would have lost him forever, far beyond mere rejection.

"No, and that's why I'm giving you a chance to run a long way"

''I did, and even then, I ran to a fucking hill behind you. I think that says a lot'' the man denied, pacing and messing with his long, light hair.

''I cannot arrest you''

''It was never a prison, I'm here of my own free will, I'm old enough to make my own choices, I'm not a slob like you and my father seem to believe'' Draco looked at her as if he had heard the greatest offense in the world, grabbing her shoulders and vehemently denying

"I would never think of that"

''Is what it seems. You think I have no right to say who I should or shouldn't marry, whether or not I should stay by your side, which is my decision, only mine! How many times do I need to say that what you did or did not change what I feel? I like you Draco, I love you, we all have a past, and you've changed’'

''How are you so sure of that? How can you not even imagine that I can succumb to the darkness again?'' She already wanted to cry, exhausted from all that, needy with the whole situation and possibly getting sick from the drastic temperature change

''You could have done anything that day, you could have acted in many other ways, but you just preferred to do nothing and go away, afraid of hurting me ... Would you do that if you remained on the side of darkness? Would you care that much?'' Astoria stared at him, letting the walls fall completely, tired '' You said you couldn't be the man of my life, that you couldn't be the one waiting for me at the altar, that you wouldn't be the father of our son, but. You can be all of that, you are already the man of my life Draco. Every time .. '' She let herself cry, biting her lip before continuing ''All the times I thought you could have died, that you would have really abandoned me, that I would be without you .. I wouldn't even update imagine without being able to wake up by your side, of not having your love notes hidden by the house, of being alone.''

''I just don't want to hurt you, Tori, I could never do that to you'' When she think back to that night, she would remember there were tears in his eyes ''I love you so much, so much, that if necessary, for protect you, I stay away''

''You're already hurting me, and you're already getting away and proving to me that this is not what I want ... When I asked you out the first time, you asked me if I wouldn't mind the looks, and I said not. And Draco, I didn't change my answer'' The man wiped away her tears, smiling sadly in her direction

''I was thinking it was for your good'' Astoria denied, finally hugging him

''It wasn't ... I need you here with me, I want you here'' Then, without even realizing it, she continued; ''How will I raise a child on my own? He needs a father to teach him how to fly''

''What?!'' Draco pushed her away, eyes bulging and squeezing the woman's shoulders, looking like a white paper.

''Oh .. right, I forgot to mention that I'm pregnant'' Astoria smiled awkwardly, a little waryly, before being pulled back into the hug, feeling his chest tremble in a silent cry, which obviously caused your.

In the end, Draco was the man who had seen her come in a white dress, who had become her husband and who was the father of her son.

He was her man, always had been, regardless of anything.

And there was never anyone who made her change her mind.

[askmyboys]

Arvish

Here’s giant goat god, husband to Osmund!

| Name: Arvish

| Nicknames: Arv (only his husband is allowed to call him Arvy) or Vis

| Gender: He/Him, They/Them, or It/It’s (mostly mortals and the books used they/them or it/its and he loved both pronouns so he decided to use them as well)

| Age: Also old like Osmund really, centuries old essentially

| Height: 140ft

| Species/Race: Giant God God (he can also size shift)

| Hair Color: Dark Brown (Quiff Hairstyle)

| Eye Color: His eyes used to be Pitch Black (the colors of the eyes in this regard are KINDA lowkey symbolic? His eye color now Forest Green (you know he has them rectangular pupils) he has one scar over his right eye but he can still see out of it thankfully.

| Appearance: Let’s start off like we did with Osmund- Alrighty, his ears are the same p much as Osmund’s except the top is a brown color with white fur on the bottom, he’s got a brown goat tail with white fur on the bottom as well, his feet are hooves and he actually just has hands, his fingers for some reason have something that look like black ink smeared on them- it doesn’t come off either it just seems to be apart of his skin, he does have sharp black claws as well, he’s got horns but they are more like ram horns (got them BIGEM curly horns babey) he wears his wedding ring on his right horn actually (he isn’t afraid of it coming off, it’s not STUCK on there but it’s not just going to,, slip off or anything) BUT when he’s out and about for long periods of time he has a heart shaped rose quartz locket that he keeps it in and wears it around his neck (last I checked rose quartz symbolizes love, trust, and emotional healing)

His skin color? Well he’s honestly just tan- its from staying outside like 90% of the time lmao but given the nature of his world who WOULDN’T wanna stay outside in it (also bc i almost forgot, his beard is actually pretty fluffy looking and he also has sideburns- despite being a fluffy beard he manages to keep it looking well groomed as best he can ...never let the fluffy looks deceive you either, c o a r s e, coarse as hell) (also he’s got razor sharp teeth too, ...i-is he still a goat?)

Anyway- He wears one of those golden egyptian collars around his neck (mostly for Osmund who a d o r e s it), he doesn’t really wear a shirt or pants either, he has a long loincloth (it goes down his legs even, so it's kinda like a loincloth-dress esque thing?) he just didn’t feel comfortable with the short loincloths… He cut a little hole out in it so his tail could stick through as well, he has a bit of chest fluff, no its not hair its like ACTUAL fluff- He also has like a fuck TON of scars, there’s SO many scars all over his body, they don’t seem to be any fresh or new wounds they look like they happened a VERY long time ago…

He also has a few golden bracelets going up his wrists and some near his biceps as well.

| Personality: Well, let’s start with how he was in the past bc everyone loves remembering their past right? ...ahaaaa… Anyways- Arvish was a greedy power hungry god who’d do and say anything to get what he’d want, he’d manipulate a few other gods/goddesses here and there but the mortals? O h they were ALWAYS the easiest to manipulate, he was also hungry for wars, it didn’t matter what kind of war it was, when it came to war, he loved choosing the mortals over the other gods and goddesses because of them being easy to trick essentially, it was SO easy to start a war with them! Humans fight over the s m a l l e s t of things it would seem! And because of how much he loved war you know he was absolutely the leader in a few of his own, feuding with other gods/goddesses and mortals all the same, he l o v e d money as well, money was the key to power and succession it seemed, especially in the mortal world, money made it easier to control them.

He was definitely an EXTREME control freak, you either bowed to him or you defied him and defying him would definitely end in a painful death more than likely, he was p much evil, cruel, sadistic, and a very stinky bastard man essentially- He was downright awful ...And then some time later on in his life, he met Osmund, a peaceful warrior who’d only fight if he had to, it was definitely a cliche love at first sight type of thing but even then, Arvish tried to deny his feelings, he didn’t feel love or anything like that, love was NOT an option for a god like him, and love was a weakness, having feelings for something or someone had been considered a weakness! So naturally at first Arvish and Osmundus were into it, the two fought greatly against each other- The first battle Osmundus won and usually, he’d finish the job but when it came to Arvish…

Unlike most that crossed him and pushed him, he slowly lifted his sword away from the other god’s neck and told him to simply get out, don’t come back… Of course Arvish only mocked Osmund for showing m e r c y to one of his enemies, he should have finished the job bc this was definitely not the last he saw of Arvish, the two had MANY great fights and when Arvish finally won a fight, after he had beaten Osmundus finally, now it was time to finish him off so he couldn’t get in the way! (Cause Osmundus was one to stop him from his evil deeds, he was a divine protector after all) but… Arvish just… Couldn’t, the more the two interacted, albeit after fights, Osmundus even went as far as to offer him some tea and a sit down to read a book, after they JUST fought?! Osmundus always spared Arvish, he taught the god things even HE didn’t know…

...And that had all strengthened Arvish’s love for Osmundus, such a wise god… Arvish couldn’t bring himself to finish Osmund off, especially after the god had said “Well, you’ve finally won…! I’m impressed, you’ve grown stronger Arvish… ...Well, if you want to finish me off, I won’t stop you” which confused him greatly “I… What are you playing at you old fool…?” Os only chuckled “Nothing, I’m completely serious, if you wish to finally get me out of the picture, I’m not going to stop you… In fact…” He would have then took his sword and stuck it into the ground (not the black obsidian sword) and stuck it deep so even he probs couldn’t have even pulled it back up (its a landmark now p much) really, it was all the kind acts from Osmund that he had provided after every fight, the knowledge from books, the offerings of tea, and the kind words he spoke even after fighting so harshly that just eventually broke the power hungry god, he only offered a hand to Os “...Get up… I… I just can’t do it…”

Arvish even admitted as he helped Osmund to his feet, half on guard just in case this was still all a ruse to attack him unexpectedly “...You have shown me kindness even when we are the greatest of enemies, even the very first time when you had the chance to take my head, you didn’t… You spared me, you knew I would come back, you knew I would never have given up, so why…? Why didn’t you just take the opportunity to finish me off?” Osmund would only laugh at that “...Well, why didn’t YOU just take YOUR opportunity to finish me off? I even offered you to do so…” (damn, this turning into a fanfic isn’t it?) Arvish couldn’t deny, okay Os got him there and for the first time he laughed genuinely at that “...I don’t understand you at all you old fool… Such a strange soul…” after a bit though, Arvish was going to leave actually but Osmundus stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder “Why don’t you come inside, Arvish? We can settle down for the night and talk with some tea…” Arvish was shocked by this, shocked that the other god would even offer this after the BIGGEST fight they had ever had just transpired but Arvish for whatever reason took it.

Alright this is going to be waay too long if I keep up fanfic format, so basically after the biggest fight, Arvish and Osmundus has called a truce at first, Arvish would eventually start coming over but not to start a fight, no… He was just visiting Osmundus, that feeling in his chest never left from day one, but it only got stronger as time passed, same for Os it seemed, Arvish got taught the beauty of nature, how peace could be a much stronger asset than wars, how greed and power would only leave you feeling empty in the end and it had been true, even despite how much treasures he had stolen at first, he never did feel truly happy or anything, it was just wanting more and more and nothing satisfied him, and even the mortals had… Such intriguing ways of living life, Osmundus taught him s o much… After all this, Arvish became a MUCH more peaceful, kind, gentle, caring, and sweet soul… Even though the books and things speak ill of him at first (some books had been twisted to keep him labelled as the bad guy) most books tell the WHOLE tale. Now of course after all this, Arvish had admitted eventually that he had fallen in love with Osmundus and this was the first time he was actually nervous… He figured the other god would take offense, laugh at, or even reject him entirely.

Of course that’s when Osmund let him in on a little secret, he’s felt that way the entire time as well, and that it only grew stronger as time passed, same ofc with Arv obvs- but ahem- anyways- Os accepted the confession and the two had went on dates, strengthening their bonds the more time they spent together, and eventually when the time was right, Arvish was the one to propose first actually, and that was the MOST nerve wracking moment of his entire existence, even though he had knew Osmund loved him v e r y much so and of course he loved him back immensely as much, there was still a secret fear of rejection… However, this led to the first time Osmundus ever cried, at first Arvish was nervous that he had offended the other god or upset him so he quickly apologized but before he could even say anything more, Osmundus pulled him into a tight bear hug “...Yes, Arvy, I’ll marry you…” 

...And now it was Arv’s turn to cry, this also being the very first time HE ever shed a tear, and thus the two became husbands, and p much lived in peace and happiness.

I know that’s long and wordy but I had to describe this almost fully for anyone to TRULY understand Arvish, its basically literally the enemies to lovers trope, Arvish gave up his war, power, and greedy ways for Osmundus in the end, he could have taken the chance to end Osmundus so no one else could stand in his way then, not in those regards anyways but he just couldn’t do it, so yeye y’all get the basic point

| Side Facts: Arvish’s world used to be barren essentially, there used to be no signs of life there aside from him and whatever subjects he had, whatever minions he had, etc- But those were just there to serve him, there was no forests or any beautiful scenery… BUT since Arvish changed his ways, his world grew brighter, various plants, trees, flowers had began growing, wildlife had started appearing even! Many things happened to his world and it was no longer barren, now he has almost infinite forests and meadows spreading ALL across his world, one of the forests even have a LARGE lake (when I say barren, his world previously was literally just, d e a d looking, it was nothing but sand n sandstorms mostly, no sounds of life or anything could be heard and the silence would be enough to drive a human crazy excluding sand storm sounds n the sounds of a literal god and his minions BUT shhh! And despite not being any living creatures there WERE skulls of ones)

Arvish has a flower crown that had been made specifically for him, it seemed to have been designed by the other gods/goddesses and even some demigods, it was designed specifically for him, celebrating his change and growth into a better person, however… His sins and atrocities of the past still haunt and plague his mind to this day, everything he’s ever done and said still haunts him, and sometimes he wonders w h y… Why was he ever like that in the first place? Osmundus usually knows exactly what to say and do when he notices Arvish spiraling, which Arv is very thankful for… Arvish never expects forgiveness either from anyone he’s done wrong, and to the ones he has even killed, he regrets that d e e p l y, he wishes he had never been… t h a t kind of being… But, to the ones he’s done wrong to, like I was saying, he doesn’t ever expect forgiveness from them bc even though he’s changed, he really doesn’t feel he deserves it, he’s caused so much harm, so much pain, so many bad things and he’ll take those to the grave one day.

(catch that god of death character I made waaay back when fuckin cackling at this man lmao, i dont even know where I put those gods’ descriptions and now I really wanna find em again bc im makin’ gods/goddesses/demigods and a whole ass world for them all) Also one more thing, this is in reference to appearance back up there but im too lazy to have to fix the text movin down a page n shit, basically- he wears a silver nose ring AND his nose is also black like the his fingers (he does have a bit of darker brown going up it, its kinda another goat-like nose, it seems like it should be painted on, you’d think but in fact it’s genuinely just something on ‘im)

[uncultureddirt]

Waiting (3/3) - Mark Lee fic

~REQUESTED~

“I have to do something about this.”

PART ONE ||| PART TWO

He thumbed through the book recklessly, quickly passing over the dog-eared pages and sighing helplessly. Mark told himself that he didn’t know why he felt so frantic to get this project done. It was Friday night; he knew he had the entire weekend. He really wasn’t worried about finishing it. No, his mind was whirling for another reason. Subconsciously, he was denying how he felt and attempted to avoid confronting his emotions again. He tried to direct his energy into something productive to distract himself, which ended up being his English project.

But as he held the book in his hands and stared at the words before him, his distraction began to fail. He was reading the words, but not understanding them. All the letters and blobs of ink seemed to collide, come together at the edges, bounce off each other, and nothing registered in his head. 

And then his plan collapsed altogether, because his mind replayed the concluding moments of class that day anyways. 

After a long class of writer’s block something finally came to him; an idea had finally danced across his brain. He began writing frantically as the fear of this thought escaping him had presented itself and there wasn’t much time left before the dismissal bell would ring. But mid-sentence he was stopped, the thought was gone. He forgot it altogether. It wasn’t because he had a poor memory; he was just easily distracted, and something more important had taken hold of his attention. 

Mark felt your eyes on the side of his face. He felt your stare. He noticed you stopped writing and out of the corner of his eye became aware of your gaze shifting to him. He fought with himself to ignore it, and act like he didn’t notice. But, truthfully, he enjoyed being the center of your thoughts for a while; he wanted to prolong that experience. The downfall of that wonderful feeling was that he couldn’t focus. He imagined you looking at him, thought about what you were thinking, and played over hypothetical situations in his head where he would turn to you and apologize, telling you what he was truly thinking. His mind was swimming far from the once relevant sentences on his page; he had drifted too far from the land and was lost completely at sea. Lost completely in the thought of you. It was funny; he appeared not to care, or not to notice, when the reality was entirely different. 

He shook his head, bringing himself back to the present, back to his room with Romeo and Juliet held tightly in his grasp. 

~

You walked into Darten’s class on Monday morning silently and wondered if Mark finished his section of the presentation. 

You were a bit of a control freak when it came to group projects, always making sure everything is beyond perfect, but this time you did not have the slightest clue what Mark prepared. Maybe he didn’t prepare anything at all. 

You saw him walk in and sit down, fumbling through a stack of index cards. You saw his mouth moving as he flipped through them. You could tell he was nervous. 

‘I guess he did prepare something.’ 

You sat back and watched as the presentation before you commenced. You couldn’t recall what Luke and Jamie had talked about. For all you knew, the whole thing could have been in French. You spent the time somewhere else. Your mind drifted to laying on the back of your car. You swore you could feel the breeze dragging over your skin, and as you stared up you were met with a clear sky, the sun bathing what felt like the whole universe. You turned to your left to see his face, Mark’s face, and he was smiling. He was happy. He placed a hand on your cheek and looked to your mouth. You felt your stomach swirl. A light feeling had consumed you and held you hostage. You wanted to stay there. Remain in your hazy daydream. You wanted it to be real. But as Mark began to bring his face to yours, you were brought back to the classroom.  

The sound of clapping filled your ears. You looked around, seeing your classmates begin to applaud as Luke and Jamie took their seats. You were confused for a moment, then utterly disappointed. You looked across at Mark, hunched over his cards.

That’s all it ever was. A daydream.

“Y/n, Mark.” Mr. Darten called out. 

You looked across the room and met eyes with Mark.  

Smiling softly, you nodded. ‘Maybe that would chill him out.’

You and Mark made your way to the front of the room. You stood in front of Mr. Darten’s computer and began typing, searching through his shared documents to find your presentation. 

‘Sorry if this is basic Darten’

‘Found it,’ you said internally. You had named the document, and you thought it was a national treasure, ‘Wow I’m funny.’

“Y/n stop laughing at yourself and start presenting please,” Mr. Darten said, teasing you from the back of the room. He had his feet on the desk in front of him and his signature mug held tightly in his hand. 

You moved next to the board, opposite of Mark. He looked flushed as he bent the index cards in his hand, trying to outlet his nerves. You noticed. 

You were first to talk, so you began, “Hello guys, today we will be talking about probably the most recognized Shakespeare work, Romeo and Juliet. Our goal was not to bore you with the plot, nor revisit ideas you’ve heard every time the names Romeo and Juliet exited your mouth,” you made eye contact with Darten and raised your eyebrows as if to say, ‘told you so’. 

You tapped the title slide to bring you the actual presentation. You weren’t the best public speaker, but you felt good this time. Confidence had washed over you and you spoke neatly, with clear inflection and perfect articulation. You began delivering your findings passionately, walking through thematic elements and symbols in a way you hoped was different and appealing to listeners. 

You reached your last slide and stumbled on your words slightly as you remembered the boy standing next to you. He would be speaking in a few short seconds. Your content was running out, and it was time for you to pass over the stage. You clicked the next slide; it turned into a photo of a girl sitting in front of a window. There were no words, just the picture. You turned your head slightly. You had no idea what he prepared. 

He glanced at the white cards in his hands, and then he tucked them into his pocket. “I chose to look at characters, and uh, how their external actions, remarks, even physical appearances correlated to what they were, uh, feeling on the inside.”

He began speaking about the photo on the screen and did so for the next seven pictures. He analyzed each photo gently, touching upon the subject’s face and aligning it with their internal thoughts and emotions. Each picture was to represent a character in the story, and it all matched elegantly. The words flowing from his mouth were colorful and potent; they filled the room in a way you’ve never experienced. Who was this boy? Since when was he so knowledgeable? Since when did he understand feelings so well?

He tapped the screen once more and two photos came up, side by side. It was a boy laying in a field, his face touched by the sun. He seemed calm and relaxed. Peace was flowing within him. Next to the first image was the same photo, but it was dark. The sky was cloudless, but absent of stars. The boy lay beneath the blank sky, and he no longer looked tranquil. Without sound or expression, a coldness was conveyed through the picture; a sadness stained the screen. 

You looked at Mark as he spoke. You no longer felt like you were a part of this project, you were an observer, a member in the crowd. 

“Romeo’s a very interesting character to me. Upon my initial reading I um, I was confused why he was so dramatic. He seemed fragile and conflicted. In Shakespeare’s time, men were never traditionally portrayed as weak, let alone their cause of weakness being inflicted by a woman. It was very different, and I couldn’t understand why he was so, uh, soft I guess?” Everyone laughed quietly at Mark’s word choice, and you did too. He started again, “Romeo was experiencing love and heartbreak, two things that can’t really be seen, but can be strongly felt. The only way to properly express this was to completely defy the norm and break the toxic male archetype. By showing a male acting this way, Shakespeare properly depicts the power love has on an individual.”

You weren’t sure if you were dreaming. You couldn’t tell if your brain had drifted helplessly back into your hazy daydream. Mark, who couldn’t say ‘hi’ to you now, was standing before a group of people and describing the depths of love? You shifted your weight, moving back and forth as you listened to him speak. His words were entering your ear softly, and then a string of words, so familiar to you, exited his lips. 

 “I mean love does make you act all strange.”

Your eyes widened and you stared at the floor in front of you. It all was coming back, the day at Sunbelt’s. Your conversation in the parking lot, the way he laughed nervously when he talked, and how the wind pushed his messy hair back. Every detail about that day came back with those words. 

“Your thoughts can switch very easily. You can move from a place that feels warm and inviting, to one that feels familiar, but changed and cold, like these photos. The boy isn’t changing his location, it’s simply the time of day; the passing of time can transform a place and transform feelings. A confident boy like Romeo, faced with love and heartbreak, acts strange. He fumbles his words, he spends his days thinking of her, he can’t seem to focus because she, uh, Juliet, is uh all he sees,” he paused for a moment and you looked over, noticing his face grow red. Slowly you realized it wasn’t the book he was talking about. After recollecting his thoughts, he concluded the presentation and smiled softly. 

 “I mean love does make you act all strange.”

His words replayed themselves once again. 

You looked back at Darten who nodded approvingly. You knew you guys killed it, but you had no clue how. Your dialogue was limited for weeks, but you guessed that Mark’s mind wasn’t as absent as it appeared. He must have been thinking about it a lot, and it showed. You were happy for him. You wanted to tell him, but you didn’t know how. 

‘Holy shit, Mark. What in the hell just happened?’ you thought to yourself as you went to sit down. You sat at your desk antsy to talk to him, to ask him questions, to say sorry for being so short with him. You wanted to say so much, but you didn’t know where to start. 

~

“Hey!” you shouted at Mark. You were walking to your car after class and you noticed him quite a bit ahead of you. You didn’t mean to yell, it just escaped you, impulsively. 

He turned around, confused at first, but once seeing you he looked slightly surprised. 

“Hey!” he called back. 

You furrowed your brows as he stood frozen, “I don’t like yelling, can you come here?” Your voice grew louder as a car passed by you, concealing your words. 

“What?” he shouted back.

“Mark come here!” you yelled. 

He mouthed an ‘oh’ before lightly jogging towards you. 

Once you two stood face to face, it became too real. All the words you had inside vanished. You felt your heartbeat quicken as you stared at his face, your ears swirling with the words from his presentation. You didn’t know why, but you were slightly out of breath, “Um, where did all that come from? Like all that you said?” 

He pulled the index cards he was flipping through before and handed them to you. 

You felt frustrated, “No like where in your head did all that come-?”

He interrupted, “Go to the one that says ‘last’.”

You flipped through the cards, confused as to whether he really understood what you were asking. Your eyes gazed over his messy, boyish handwriting until you saw the card he was talking about. Every card preceding it was packed with markings and covered in highlighter, but this one was almost empty. Your eyes scanned over the words slowly.

‘Talk about your feelings.’

You looked up at him. His face was serious, maybe even partially embarrassed. Mark kept his eyes fixed on the gravel. His heart was racing, you just had no idea. You opened your mouth to say something, but his voice beat your words. 

“It’s what I wanted to say to you. I guess it was harder to say to your face than to the class,” he stopped and looked at you, "because uh, they think I’m talking about something fictional written on a page by some old guy, something I don’t feel for them. It’s hard when you’re looking at me. I guess I was waiting for the right time, and then the right time became an excuse because I was scared. I started to forget what I was even waiting for.”

You felt your heart burning a hole through your chest. He was only confusing to you because he was confused with himself. He was wrapped up in a feeling he didn’t know how to feel, nor how to express. 

You felt words exiting your mouth; you weren’t sure who was controlling them, your brain suddenly worked separately from your body. “Your presentation was perfect. I secretly hoped it wasn’t about the book,” he laughed and looked down, “and it’s all okay. I like you Mark, even when we didn’t talk. I still liked you.” 

He bit the inside of his mouth to stop from smiling, “I like you too.” 

The air was still after he said it, but not in an awkward way. You both were basking in the words that still sat in the air. Words that you both waited for so long to hear. There existed some sort of comfort within all the silence, within the faded sounds of cars leaving the parking lot, within the cloudy voices of kids walking out of the school, within the small space between you and Mark.

The End.  

[atethewriting]

The Tail Of A Golden Deer: The Sixth

This is a collaborative project with the account @jongins-laceglove. We apologize for the delay and hope you enjoy the sixth part of this series!

A Deer watched as the two men ran off, staring at the group before him with a wide smile on his face.

“I’m gunna go find Jisungie!!!!! I’ll be back!!” He yelled enthusiastically, running back into the dark and scary wood.

A carefree, young lad spun and skipped around without a single thought in mind. Except for, well, Jisung. Little did he know someone was watching him from the trees. Eyes that roared with green hues, and a uniform in which was for little girls. The thing stared and pondered with its’ little green eyes, growing curious.

Another watched the deer carefully, just as unaware. A man with spitting red hands and tan skin, followed Chenle by foot. All while Peppermint remained carefree.

That is, until he saw something so dreadfully horrible that made him stop right in his tracks.

A boy with dark hair hang lifelessly from a rope that was carefully tied into a noose. The boy’s body was bruised and cut and mangled, while his head dangled by his spine. Slowly, the fairy fell out of the rope’s hold and landed silently on the cold ground.

Chenle felt himself tick and buzz as he began to laugh, allowing the toxicity of freedom and in-sanity crawl under his skin. Crack, snap, bloody murder. The Canary’s hair and once-beautiful antlers went ink black, dripping with blood and dead skin. His once-gone fingers into sprouted bones, all the while his mouth tethered shut and spread into a sewed-on smile that reached to his ears. With eyes as red as hers, the Canary turned around and laughed at Haechan. This laugh wasn’t carefree and joyous at all. This laugh...this laugh spoke murder.

“Hiya, Freak!” He giggled, getting a bit too close for Haechan’s liking. The smell of death reeked throughout the forest, nothing the two hadn’t smelled before. 

Haechan let out a hearty sigh and fought off the feeling to kill Chenle, realizing that he was definitely needed. “Hey.” He spoke blankly. 

“Haha! Acting tough, are we? How cute, how cute indeed. Yep! Yep! Such carefreeness for one who just killed my best friend. How cute, how cute indeed. Yep! Yep! We found your double. There is always the possibility of replacing you, but my Mama said we need you and your triples later on. Yep! Yep! The Canary always wins! Indeed, Indeed!” The boy’s voice worked like clockwork, ticking and buzzing and slowly losing control. A small whisper in his ear told him what to say, so he gladly listened. 

Haechan remained silent. 

“My Mama said not to trust men who know men in lab coats! Yep! Yep! How cute, how cute indeed! Rude! Rude!” Chenle sang as he paced around the Mage, laughing and giggling. 

That seemed to trigger Haechan in a way that made him stumble back and fall on the ground, a small gasp leaving his lips. “W-Who told you about that!?” His eyes went wide, a part of him trying not to cry. 

“My Mama!” The canary replied cheerfully, humming.

“G-get away from me, freak!” The mage yelled, getting back onto his feet and running off. 

Chenle only giggled, turning around and returning to his normal self. 

“Well, I found Jisungie...I guess...” 

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

Winwin sat nearby the mangled body of a wind, mumbling about how he can’t leave Kun with a child and no one to protect him. He had no clue if Aldrich had returned yet but he knew that he couldn’t leave Kun with a fucking CHILD. It was a bad idea to let Kun keep her in the first place but it was even worse for this to suddenly happen. 

It then hit him.

“FUCKKKKKKKKK Even if i do make it back Baekhyun is literally going to slaughter me if he found out this happened!” Winwin yelled quite loudly, scaring off some birds. 

A loud whistle sounded throughout, spooking Winwin. Curious, he sprung up and followed the sound. 

Oh, it lead back to the cabin. OH, everyone’s here. 

“I have news...” The deer whispered, staying awfully close to his double. “J-Jisungie...Jisungie is dead...” 

Minseok blinked at him, trying to process his words before sighing heavily, moving sit down on the deck.

Hybrid Jisung smiled at the news, turned away from the group as he sat next to Yixing’s body.

That night was one big blur, everyone getting ready for bed as Minseok stared off into the forest, pacing nervously as he tried to decide on what to do with Yixing.

He walked by his body countless times, not even having the stomach to look at his lifeless form.

The moment he died kept replaying over and over in his head, the feeling he got as his friend’s life force slipped from his body like it was nothing wasn’t anything short of pure, unfiltered dread.

He finally gave up, letting out a loud frustrated noise as he opted for just putting a bed sheet on him and walked into the house.

He would have missed it when Chanyeol woke with a start, blindly searching for his notebook if it weren’t for his excessive cursing.

“Fuck if I don’t find it now I’m not going to be able to write it down, shit where is it I’m gonna fucking scream that god damned notebook is-“ Chanyeol flinched when his notebook smacked him in the face after Minseok threw it right at his face with an expectant look in his eye.

Chanyeol quickly sat down at the coffee table, quickly trying to scribble down all the events of his vision before it completely slipped from his mind.

“Fuck!” He growled, throwing his notebook across the room when he completely forgot some important information before he could write it down.

Minseok gingerly picked it up, flipping through the tattered book before stopping at the page he wanted, only to be more confused than ever.

“Orange. Blue. Black. Death. Jongin. Ch” He furrowed his brows and repeated it over and over, looking between the book and Chanyeol with a questioning look on his face.

“I don’t know, Minseok.. I really don’t know. I can’t help beyond that, I’m sorry. It’s gone.” He sighed, slumping over on the couch in defeat and running his hands over his face.

“And Jongin? Why does that name sound so familiar...” Minseok pondered as he walked over to Chanyeol, handing him his book back.

Chanyeol shook his head, taking the book absentmindedly with furrowed brows. “I.. It’s on the top of my tongue, but I just can’t quite put my finger on it. For some reason my first thought is that he has something to do with Renjun.. but that can’t be right, no that’s impossible. Right? It’s gotta be.”

Minseok stood there, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what to think of this situation when he and Chanyeol were suddenly startled out of their thoughts by the sound of the glass door slamming shut- making them both jump in surprise.

They exchanged a suspicious glance before they both scurried outside, seeing an orange-headed boy with a fluffy striped tale slinking quietly into the dark forest and immediately following after.

~~~~

He stared down at the dead body of his doppelgänger, happy with his work as he tied the cloth pouch that held Jongin’s eyes to his belt.

He was about to fly off- before he heard the argumentative shouts of.. three? People in the distance, and decided to have some more fun that night.

He quietly walked through the forest, slowly getting closer and closer before he broke through the tree line, and startled the three men.

“W-wait, you look.. Chanyeol I think you were right about Jongin being related to Renjun... I think they used to be friends.”

Kai snarled, his boney dragon wings twitching and his white eyes seemingly glowing under the moonlight. “You knew Jongin?” He threatened.

The tallest one nodded once, his ears flopping slightly with the movement. “Yeah actually. He was- wait, knew?” He backed up.

Kai smirked, staring right into him “Yes, knew. Why I killed him, after all!”

They gasped, but the one with the orange hair stood out to him in particular, so of course he did the most logical thing.

Kill him.

He lunged forward, ripping into the soft skin of his stomach with his left hand and tearing out organs as the boy let out pained screams. Black flames from his hand burned him from the inside out.

Kai turned to the other two that were trembling in fear, too shocked to say anything as he twisted his hand once more- making the boy scream even louder and enjoying the way that they flinched.

He finally had enough, reaching into his rib cage and burning right through his lungs to rip out his heart.

He kicked the body aside, moving towards the other two.

“Now. What do you know of Renjun? Where is he. If you play nice I might let you live~ barely, of course- But you’ll survive.” He teased.

The short one shuddered, his eyes still glued to the corpse of his friend and not even registering the words his taller friend sassed back at the man.

“I’d like you to say that again with just as much confidence after you know just how many seers I’ve killed, boy.”

The boy glared as he moved to punch Kai- but let out a guttural scream when he grabbed his arm, breaking his bones with the sheer force of his grip and tossing him to the ground as though he weighed nothing.

Kai smiled at the two before he slowly lifted both of his arms. One backed up as the other merely sat on the ground in horror, pathetically scooting against the dirt in an attempt to escape. “No.. no, please! I’m begging you, don’t!”

Kai just chuckled deeply, and steadily grew flames in the palms of his hands- the left being black, and the right being blue.

“Well, this was fun while it lasted.”

He shot his flames at both of them, their cries of pain the only thing he could hear over the sound of burning flesh.

He frowned at the blue flame, being reminded once again of the days when his bastard of a father took him to that small blue room.

When their screams finally stopped, he relented- and made sure he was satisfied with their charred beyond recognition corpses before finally flying back to wherever he came from.

~~~~~~~~~

What’s it like to lose your best friend?

Only few know that feeling.

Only few know the hopelessness.

A deer, a mouse, a bard, and many.

In-Sanity is a lot of fun.

When you’re doing it with another.

The Deerest of Deers stood silently and blankly, rapidly changing from his other form back to the original. It couldn’t decide. Didn’t want to decide. In-sanity is funny. It likes to bounce around wildly in your mind while you try to stay alive. Quite humorous, if you ask us. It likes to glitch and sting and buzz. A monster of all sorts, we must say.

He ticked and buzzed and flinched when the others around him in the cabin living room spoke. Everything was incomprehensible, blended in with each other. Reverbs and autotunes lifted their voices until everything was just hums and squeaks.

The boy let out a small, freakish sound. Down he went, to the ground. Not unconscious, just overstimulated. The voices mocked him. Told him it was all his fault.

The voices only laughed and the buzzes and static noise got louder. Every other sense blocked out as he fought his mind.

Don’t slip into In-Sanity.

Don’t slip into In-Sanity.

Don’t slip into In-Sanity.

Mint, snapping, twisting, deer.

The boy let out another freakish sound, covering his ears and trying to drown out the hearty thoughts that stabbed him countless times over.

It was testing him. Probing his mind with questions. He wasn’t ready, wasn’t worthy.

“Stop go away!” He yelled, yet nothing came out.

“I can’t!” He said once more, no one heard him.

A slip out of mind. To where no one heard his cries. His mind. His mind. His mind.

As soon as it started, it was over.

Skin, pale and scared, seemed to glow. The red and white hues to his features returned, no longer gold. He wasn’t worthy anymore.

To everyone else, he had merely changed colors like a chameleon. No one saw his pain. No one saw him collapse.

“Don’t trust men who have green couches! Don’t forgive men in lab coats! Don’t believe men in orange! A tiger is dead! Yep! Yep! A griffin has no heart! Yep! Yep! Dobermen Dead! Indeed! Indeed!” He blurted out, unable to control what he just said. Covering his mouth, he shook. “W-what...I-I didn’t mean to say that! Why did I say that?!!”

Jisung watched Chenle from a corner of the room, his own eyes swimming with worry. He’d been trying to muster up the courage to walk over and help him- seeing as nearly everyone else couldn’t see his distress through the haze of their own.

He mentally slapped himself when Sicheng and Yuta stepped into his line of vision, unfamiliar serious looks in their eyes.

He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but before he could get the words out they both reached down and grabbed an arm, pulling him up. A confused noise escaped his mouth as they dragged him up the stairs into his and Chenle’s room.

Sicheng pushed him down on the bed, Yuta sitting down next to him as he pulled a chair away from the desk in front of the window it sat in front of.

He was speechless, eyes flicking between the two with a suspicious look.

“What do you two want.”

Sicheng snorted out a laugh, crossing his legs in the chair.

“We wanted to know if you need to talk? Not just about all the deaths.. but things in general.”

Jisung looked surprised, and he was indeed as to why they’d want to talk to him of all people. Why not Chenle? He certainly needed it more than him.

“I.. I suppose so. It honestly hasn’t caught up to me yet.. and I don’t think the worst has come.”

Yuta nodded, moving to wrap his arm around Jisung’s shoulder. “I see.. well, you know we’re here for you when it does hit. If you need us we’ll be there- no matter what. Don’t be scared to come get us.”

“I second that!”

Jisung chuckled, reaching to grab the desaturated orange blanket with cream splotches and black stripes that was draped over the headboard.

He wrapped it around himself, a comfortable silence settling in between the three. He didn’t have to speak for them to understand his situation or noisy mess for thoughts. They just knew. almost as if they’d been through something similar.

~~~~

Jisung shot up from his sleep in a cold sweat, looking out the window to see a bright crescent moon.

He swallowed, but the lump in his throat protested, causing him all the more pain.

He blinked, suddenly realizing the wetness of his cheeks.

All too fast, his mind flashed with the memories of his boyfriend from his dream and he only cried harder.

He got up quietly, padding through the hallway and down the steps to the bathroom. He picked up a small animal that was glowing dimly, and grabbed some sugar cubes for it on his way to the bathroom.

He set the small fluffy yellow creature onto the side of the counter, right in front of the mirror and giving it the snacks. He smiled softly as it’s glow became brighter with happiness, nearly buzzing in delight as it hummed sweetly.

With shaky hands, he took out Chenle’s pocket knife and sniffled, staring into the mirror at his own blurry and disoriented reflection.

He raised the knife to his hair- slicing off chunks until it was an inch long on top. With shaky hands, he shuffled through the drawers in the shelf behind him, pulling out an electric razor and deciding to shave the bottom a bit.

He stared into the mirror with a dull look, holding back the urge to scream and cry and punch something until his fists were bloody.

He clenched his jaw, suddenly turning to go back upstairs.

He walked right past his room, turning into an empty . His tears started falling even heavier, dripping onto the ground as he searched through the drawers for Chenle’s lighter.

He finally found it, pulling it out of the drawer and dropped to the ground. He hugged it close to his chest, sobbing freely.

After a while he calmed down a bit, and he decided to get up and go act upon whatever impulses his mind feeds him.

As he was standing up to leave the room, he jumped- the silhouette of his roommate startling him.

“C-Chenle? What are...what are you doing out of bed...?”

“What the heck do you think I’m doing?! I’m trying to find that stupid book...Yep! Yep! Indeed!” Chenle grinned and approached the other, his figure darkened and bloody. In between the knots and strings of his mouth, a set of sharp teeth rest, waiting to strike. The boy’s red eyes glowed so brightly that it was almost blinding to look at. 

“Would you like to commit a crime as horrible as murder with me? For sure! For Sure! We shall ruin life and death! The king has befallen! Yep! Yep! In a pile of roses, once more! Yep! Yep! May we pray for his poor soul!” The Canary giggled, twitching and ticking as he hummed around the room. 

“My Mama,” He continued, looking back at Jisung, “My Mama said to have you help me, as you are as heartbroken as I am!” 

Jisung gulped, shoving the lighter into his pocket and averting his gaze to the floor. “I don’t know who your ‘Mama’ is, but she’s wrong. I’m not heartbroken. I don’t know why I would be. It’s not like.. like he’s really gone or anything. He’s just, he’s just missing, that’s all. Yeah, he’s missing!”

He bounced over to the doorway, looking behind him to Chenle, waiting for him to follow.

“I- I’ll find him! Yeah, You’ll burn the book, and i’ll g- go look for him. And I’ll find him! He’s okay, I just know it.”

Chenle stopped the taller one, tightly gripping his wrist and looking down. 

“Jisungie...You can’t go in the woods anymore...there’s an evil man there. H-He...He killed your...your me. He’ll kill you, too, if you go out there. The man with...dragon wings...He doesn’t show any mercy. Just...Just grab the book. We’ll burn it together, okay?” 

He let out a shaky and weak sigh, the tension in his body slowly disappearing. 

“I.. I will burn the book with you. But after that, I can’t promise anything. I appreciate it.. but I have to go into the forest. I can’t explain it, it’s like there’s something calling me. And I need to know what it is.”

“Then, I’m going with you.” The Deer let go of the mouse’s wrist, leaving the room and coming back with a lit lantern. “But let’s do it before it gets too late. We can burn the book when we get back, or we’ll get it now and do it in the woods. How does that sound?” 

Jisung only nodded. 

And, off they went. 

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

With winds of ice and horror, two boys stood at the edge of a dark forest, wielding only a pocket knife, a lighter, an old book, and a lantern. In Xymore times, right now it would be 2 First, or, 2AM. 

The Wood, alive with creatures only the night knows, crawled up their backs and made them shiver. Howls and shrieks and cries they had never heard before. Sounds only heard in dreams. The wisps of eerie whispers tickled them. 

Only a small flame brought them to the center of it all. Everything fell into a sort of enchanting spell at this hour, whistling a tune while purple lights dangled from the trees as if they were hung for a birthday party. 

��Mendorus Candelactum...” Chenle mumbled, “The Goddess Of Memories...She’s watching...We mustn’t make a sound, Jisung...” 

“How do you know th-”

“Shh...” 

The Deer stood tall on his heels and sniffed the air, pointing North, deeper into the forest. 

“That way...” He breathed, quietly heading the direction he pointing to. 

The reeking smell of death filled their noses and blanketed their tastebuds with rotten, human flesh. Chenle, quite used to it, kept moving closer towards the smell. Jisung, however, gagged and unwillingly followed the canary. 

What they saw was hideous. 

Guts scattered the forest floor. Blood, clotted and gooey, stuck to the bottoms of their shoes as they directed the light towards the source. Three dead bodies rest mangled and stagnant, hollow of any magic. Just a shell of the people they used to be. The youngest let out a choked sob once he saw someone familiar, yet the oldest directed his attention towards the rope that hung from a tree, and the man who lay beneath it. 

A graveyard of magic and unfulfilled hope. It disgusted them, yet, intrigued them, as well. A lighter and a book, four dead bodies, possible doom...It intrigued them. Made them so undeniably curious. What lie at the end? Only the dead knew that answer. 

The small “tick, tick, tick” of a lighter being lit was the only sound made in this moment. Soon after, the crackling of a book being burned to ashes, and the choked laughs of two In-Sane children. ‘Such a pretty sight,’ they pondered, allowing for the in-sane-ness to drown them in such a pretty and curious light. ‘Such a pretty sight to see the ones we hate mangled on the forest floor.’

Jisung giggled, the misplaced happy sound cutting through the air over the crackling of the burning book. His hand subconsciously reached towards the dancing fire, before the sound of a twig snapping from behind startled him.

He whipped around towards the sound, flinching and swiftly pulling out his dead boyfriend’s knife from his back pocket.

His eyes widened at what he saw, the corpses of their deceased friends- and his boyfriend- rising from the ground, their empty eyes dull-ly twinkling from the light of the small fire.

“Burn.. Burn.... Burn........” They groaned, clawing and stumbling after the pair before Jisung had to slash at Minseok’s hand when his body got too close. “I.. I think that’s how they died...” Jisung mumbled to himself, clicking his tongue as he grabbed a heavy rock to bash Chanyeol’s skull in with it while stabbing Minseok in his rotting temple, successfully killing them one last time.

He panted, staring down at the bodies in a moment of uneasy silence before a shrill scream of surprise ripped out from his throat, being shoved to the ground with a harsh pushed from behind.

He struggled, slashing at the crazed, re-animated body of his boyfriend that reached for him while he sobbed. “No! No, please- Chenle! It-It’s me! Don-don’t you recognize me?! It’s- it’s go-ing to be ok-okay! Just please, Don’t hurt me!!!”

Our very deer-like Chenle twitched and ticked towards his double, pulling him up by the back of the shirt and giving a dead stare. Looking him in the eyes, the Canary’s pupil dilated until the eye was as small as a pin. Looking death in the eye, giving his doom the final laugh before reaching up the lighter in which the book was burned from. Slowly, the small whispers of the forest silenced, being filled by the short breaths of someone who’s faced death many times over.

“You can’t hear me...You have nothing left...But, I promise you...I will take care of him. You shall hurt no-one...an-y-mo-re. May Death never forgive you, and may you light up in flames and fuel our heat.” 

The Silence, like a bubble, popped. Soft, crackling noises from the fire that burned a familiar body. 

“He’s watching us. Such...a foolish boy...Jisungie...Someone’s watching us. He’ll make it 21...We must hurry home.” 

A whip of dark light flew by them. The small laugh of a confused man, creeping up behind them. 

“I recognize those certain words, yes yes,” The voice spoke, making himself apparent. 

Kun. 

“Mark told me once, I thought it was your father who would say it. Of course, it’s you. He could tell the future! Ah, green, green!” Wrapping his arms around Chenle and squeezing tight, a bright smile lit up the forest. “Your father wouldn’t be proud of you, but I am.”

“Kun!!” The Deer smiled, returning to his normal self and helping up Jisung, “Jisung! This is...oh, are you okay? You look awfully pale.” 

Said boy shivered in dread, wrapping his arms around himself on the ground he sat disoriented upon. He stared Into the distance- the feeling of something being wrong consuming him before the question registered, and he stood up stiffly, offering a curt nod to no one in particular.

“Yeah, I’m.. fine. I’m just not used to an... anybody el-se b-ut m..my Chenle car-ing about m-e.”

He wiped blood off of the blade of his knife with the fabric of his tattered gray shirt, cutting a long slit into it accidentally as a result.

He scrunched up his nose in anger, impulsively flipping the knife downwards in his hand before shoving the knife into the hole.

Right as it registered in his head what he’d done, it was too late.

He gasped, the pain slowly spreading through his body before he pulled the knife back out of the side of his side in a panic- spasming in pain and flinging the knife through the air blindly.

Kun blindly caught the knife, recognizing its’ pattern and dropping it to the ground, letting a small gasp grab his throat and strangle him. A choked cry brought him all the way left as he stumbled over to Jisung and absent-mindedly started to treat his wounds. A strange tingling feeling brought him to a halt, feeling as if there was a ghost touching his shoulder. He shivered, continuing what he was doing until the wound was bandaged and secure. 

Yet, something felt off. Not in the way that’s like “oh I’m not home”, but in a “I know this place” kind of way. He knew this forest. 

It was the forest he went missing in over 20 years ago. 

“What the...”

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

By now it was getting to be sunrise and the three In-Sane members of the group made their way up the steps, too tired to notice that a green book and some pointy object rest where Yixing was supposed to be, but now gone. 

Tired, but aware, Kun saw the small sign that was hung right next to the door, absolutely speechless. 

“Renjun...Renjun...Huang Renjun...?” He spoke to himself, entering into the cabin after the two boys.

With Chenle and Jisung already in their rooms, probably sleeping, Kun took his time peeking around the cabin until he had someone to talk to. Reminiscing the old cabin and memories he had in the past. 

The fiery heat of a Phoenix made his way down the stairwell, still sleepy and in his soft pajamas. It was quite early, after all. Sunlight breeched through the large windows Kun was facing, causing him to groan and shield his eyes from the powerful light. His tucked-away Fairy wings were quite visible, now, as his black shirt wasn’t at all heavy. This caught Renjun’s attention. He gasped so loud that it made Kun swiftly turn around. 

The two shook as they tried to keep themselves together. Many, Many years it had been since they last made eye contact. So many lost years in which the Phoenix called the Fairy’s name deep in the woods with no response. They both looked so mature now, it was almost too good to be true.

“Kun?” 

“Renjun?”

Renjun trembled, his eyes stinging with the pain that came along with the remembrance of lost memories.

Pictures of his childhood flashed before his eyes in a vivid haze of laughter and fun. He had been friends with the fairy at a young age.. up until he disappeared without a trace one day, leaving the boy to wonder if it was all a dream.

But he stood before him now, in all his glory.

He blinked his thoughts away, stepping closer to the other man.

“Is... is it really you? I- I assumed you were dead. You look so different now...”

“I would say the same for you, Renjun. Yes, it really is me...I uh...thought I’d never see this place ever again, honestly.” Kun didn’t seem to smile, even in this moment of joy. Yet, the phoenix could tell Kun was insanely proud of him. “Oh, right. My Renjun wanted me to tell you that he is okay. He’s at home resting....Mmmm...Do you have any soda...? It’s been years since I’ve had a coke.” 

Renjun’s caramel brown hair glowed ember in a moment of excitement as he jumped to the kitchen happily.

“That’s right, you used to really like pop didn’t you?” He thought out loud, swiping a can of coke from the top shelf of the fridge.

“I like to drink one out in the place we used to play around as kids... I never really thought about it before, but I really miss those days.” He pondered reminiscently.

“Mmm...” Kun looked down at the floor, holding the can of coke tightly in his hands. Soft tears slowly fell down his face while he attempted to push them away and act like nothing was happening. “S-Sorry...Sorry I’m sorry...”

The distant arguing of two of the now awake members came crashing down the stairs. Winwin...and Yuta...Surprise, surprise. Winwin came tumbling over to Kun, tackle hugging him. 

“Saonac, soam-raoc acaas!!“ He slapped Kun right on the cheek, giving a small pout and sitting on his lap. 

“Shoth of!“ The stupid, tear-faced idiot returned. 

“Dhraeen~” Winwin stuck his tongue out, wiping Kun’s tears away. 

“I’ve missed you, too.”

The loud crash of a startled man came tumbling down the stairs, quickly collecting himself and looking at the group with wide eyes.

“I know the coordinates!”

[squishymochisoo]

not your ordinary train ride || soulmate!han jisung

genre : soulmate!han jisung, college au, childhood friends, angst, fluff

pairing : han jisung x reader, hwang hyunjin x reader

words : 2.3 k

sypnosis : you haven’t talked to him in 8 years, but these few days you kept seeing him on the train all the time. was this a sign that you should approach him? or should you just keep staring at him from across the train carriage? is this fate?

~~~

you sighed as you stared at your surroundings. your eyes flickered as you saw two people walking right into each other on the other side of the street. you watched as the girl shout at the other only to stop suddenly. you saw the eyes on both widening.

you smiled softly as you glanced at the two new found soulmates. you only wished you could’ve already found your soulmate. but you know life has its ways with messing with you; sadly.

you heaved out a sigh and carried on walking down the street, feeling happy for the two strangers. you were already late for your lecture but you continued to stroll down the street not caring about the time. you let your mind wonder as you thought about what it you bumped into your soulmate.

you glanced at your wrists where the tattoo of your soulmates first words with you was inked.

‘no fucking way’

those words tattooed on your wrist- such vulgar words could be seen by anyone who would glance at my wrists.

‘well he must be nice’ you thought sarcastically. you couldn’t imagine a stranger – your soulmate coming up to you just to say ‘no fucking way’. and then what happens? we kiss and a pumpkin carriage appears and drags us to our wedding? it wasn’t that you were opposed to the idea of having a soulmate however you’d just wished that your soulmate wasn’t a mean or an arrogant person that was all.

~~

you sighed as you speed walked out of the lecture room. you just had enough of school. you dragged your feet behind you walking towards train station. you just felt so stressed from the overwhelming amount of work that your professors had been throwing your way these few days. not only that, you just felt so lonely and empty. almost like a floating soul. all your friends has been busy with life and well their new-found soulmates.

and who did you have? –well, no one to be honest. every day was the same on repeat. it was just a cycle to you. –wake up, get ready, attend classes – contemplate whether or not to buy takeout – then end your day with completing assignments and lying in your bed.

would it be so different even if i met my soulmate right here right now?

 you leaned against the glass next to the door staring at your phone. you kept pressing the next button – every song that was playing not satisfying your ears. you just didn’t feel like listening to the song at all. you paused on the song – way back home by btob – not too sure if you wanted to change the song. after staring at the screen for while you locked your phone tucking it in your back pocket. as the song resumed in the background.

your eyes shifted around the train carriage. before stopping on someone. you squinted your eyes trying not to be obvious that you were looking his way.

you wrecked your brain trying to remember why he looked so familiar. as he looked up from his phone you swiftly looked away, hoping you weren’t caught.

‘oh god this is embarrassing’

you took out your phone, pretending to read something as your pupils glanced at the corner. you let out a small breath as you realized he wasn’t aware of your stares.

your eyes widened as you realized who he was. you could tell it was him just from his side view. it’s been almost 8 years since you last talked to him.

you wanted to talk to him or even just acknowledge him but somehow you just couldn’t form the words in your head. the both of you ended your friendship sour. would he still be mad? it’s been 8 years, does he even still remember you?

 “are you seriously taking his side?” he exclaimed hands shot out, clearly enraged.

“jisung, it’s just an opinion. i just prefer my bread not toasted. you can like toasted bread.” you laughed not understanding your best friend.

“no, it’s not just that. ever since he came into our lives, you’ve been taking his side!” jisung shouted furious. you were taken aback. you’ve known him from 9 years and never had he once raised his voice at you.

“ji- what are you talking about?” you asked confused by his actions.

 “all you do is talk about him! hyunjin did this, hyunjin said that – did you know that hyunjin-“

“that doesn’t mean that i’m replacing you!” you cut him off seeing where he was going with the conversation.

“jisung” hyunjin interjected before being cut off by jisung again.

“shush you, nobody’s talking to you” he glared at hyunjin. you gaped at jisung.

“don’t talk to hyunjin like that!” you fought back – clearly surprised by how rude he was acting.

“there you go again defending him!” jisung scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“i’m defending you because you’re being a jerk!” you walked away pulling hyunjin in toll.

you didn’t know then that, that would be your last conversation together. you thought that the fight would resolve itself and you’d be back to being best friends the next day. but you were wrong.

 when you were twelve, you were so convinced that it was his fault the both of you stopped being friends. but now at the ripe age of 20, you realize how you played a major part in it. you were at fault.

 “hey! where were you during break? i went to the bathroom and when i came back you were gone!” jisung asked from his seat as you entered class as the bell rung.

“oh, i went with hyunjin! i thought you went off first, i’m so so sorry ji!” you tugged at his arm asking for forgiveness. it wasn’t intentional at all that you left him, and jisung knew that. it was just a mistake – that was bound to happen several more times.

 “y/n!” you heard a shout from outside your door. you grumbled as you left the comfort of your bed, trudging to the door. jisung smiled brightly and pouted when he saw your face.

“i waited after school for you! you said that you had volleyball training today!” your eyes widened.

“oh my gosh! i totally forgot to tell you! i didn’t feel well so i walked home with hyunjin” jisung’s smiled faltered a little but not too much for you to notice.

“that’s okay, rest well alright!” jisung waved and left.

 you never knew how jisung could still keep up his bright smile then even when you kept ditching him, even if it was unintentional.

 “y/n!” jisung ran in the classroom lightly slapping your arm. you laughed.

“what is it this time?”

“you know that new ghost movie! let’s go see it! how about this weeken-“

“i’ve already seen it” you whispered feeling a little guilty.

“oh? your parents probably brought you to it! doesn’t matter, i’ll ask chan hyung or something!” jisung said animatedly.

you didn’t have the heart to tell him that you went with hyunjin the previous weekend. you felt so guilty that you forgot to invite him. you felt like such a bad friend. but you didn’t know how bad it was for jisung. he just kept smiling. you didn’t know how upset he would be if he found out that you went with hyunjin.

he eventually did find out.

 “hyunjin! wanna go watch a movie this weekend?” jisung asked hyunjin, he wasn’t that close to hyunjin but it seemed that everyone around him had seen that stupid movie.

“oh the horror movie?” hyunjin questioned. jisung nodded excitedly already planning his weekend with hyunjin in his head.

“i’ve already seen it with y/n” jisung froze for just a millisecond.

“oh okay then” jisung nodded dejectedly turning his back and walking away.

 at that point jisung couldn’t comprehend how he felt. did he feel sad? angry? betrayed? his twelve-year-old heart couldn’t decide. maybe he was acting selfish. y/n wasn’t only his best friend. but it also felt like y/n wasn’t jisung’s best friend anymore too.

 you blinked, realizing the train had reached your stop. you clambered off shaking off thoughts of jisung from your head. you didn’t want to start thinking of the past.

except your brain doesn’t ever listen to you.

 you laid in your bed thinking about jisung and how you were a stupid twelve-year-old. sure, everyone was stupid at that age. but you felt like you were exceptionally stupid as compared to everyone else.

you glanced at your soulmate tattoo on your wrist smiling. you hoped your soulmate was someone like jisung. now that you think about it, jisung was everything a girl would have loved in a boy.

“have you gotten your tattoo?” you asked jisung jumping up and down excitedly. your eyes travelling down to his wrists. jisung lifted his arms.

“nope! not yet” you pouted. neither of you had your soulmate tattoo yet. most of the girls around you already had theirs, showing them off during class.

“what if i don’t have a soulmate?” you sighed. ‘who would want me in the first place’ you thought. you felt an arm wrap around your shoulders.

“then you have me. i don’t have a tattoo too. then maybe we can be soulmates.” jisung whispered softly calming you down.

 “i should stop thinking about him, it’s not like i’ll ever meet him again.”

 once again you were wrong.

 you saw him again, in the train, in the same train carriage. you still weren’t sure whether you wanted to approach him or just pretend that he wasn’t there. you couldn’t make up your mind.

 i’m going to say hi, that’s right y/n just saw hi. he was your best friend for goodness sake.’ you thought in your mind. just as you started gaining the courage to walk over to him, the train stopped and jisung alighted. you stared from behind not sure what to do. a part of you wanted to chase him, but your legs stayed stuck to the ground. you watched as the doors of the train closed right in front of you.

you lost your chance just like that. you were never going to see him. you contemplated alighting at the next stop and backtracking to his stop. but you were a hundred percent sure he wasn’t going to still be at the station.

~~

“mommy i don’t want to go to sc-shool” you whimpered as you hugged your mom’s legs.

“sweetie, you’re already three, you need to go to school to grow!” your mom gestured her hands widely.

“i can be big?” you asked innocently giving her a toothy grin.

“that’s right!” you mom laughed. you smiled now excited to start school. you turned your head at the boy next to you who was crying, his hands wrapped around his mommy.

 “why are you crying?” you asked him after tapping his shoulders. his mom gestured for him to answer you.

“i- d-don’t wan-t s-school” the boy cried out as tears travelled down his face.

“hey, if you go to school you can grow! and be a big boy!” you exclaimed happily. the boy turned around to face you.

“r-really?” he sniffled. you hummed in agreement.

“now let’s go to class boy!” you pulled his hand.

“my name is jisung!” the boy retorted.

“okay jisung! mine’s y/n!” you ran towards the building where most kids were entering from.

 “y/n! you don’t even know where your class is!” you heard your mom class after you.

 ~~

you scratched your head as you stared at your phone, frowning. you typed furiously in your phone before locking it. your groupmates weren’t replying to you in the group chat. how were you supposed to complete the assignment alone?

am i the only one who cares about my grades?

 you leaned your head against the window on the train and closed your eyes. you were just so tired. you heard a bunch of footsteps walking in and out of the train and it stopped. you felt a presence beside you shuffling.

 “no fucking way” your eyes shot open as you sat up straighter looking to your right. the chubby cheeked boy smiled at you.

his smile hasn’t changed at all

“j-jisung?” you stuttered, heat rushing to your cheeks, only you didn’t understand why.

“y/n” you smiled as you heard your name fall from his lips.

“you look nice” you awkwardly added.

“nice? you mean handsome?” he giggled. you slapped his arm out of habit. your eyes widened as you realized what you did.

“i’m sorry! i didn’t mean that!” you exclaimed.

“no worries soulmate” jisung winked and crinkled your nose faking disgust.

 “try again.” you said monotonously as a joke. jisung got off his seat and kneeled on one knee on the train. your eyes widened as you pulled him up on his feet but to no avail.

“y/n, i haven’t seen you in 8 years and you end up being my soulmate. please let me take you out on a date.”

“if i say yes, will you stop being embarrassing?” you harshly whispered.

“sorry babe, it comes with the package.” you rolled you eyes before smiling lightly at him.

 never would you have thought that your ex-best friend would be your soulmate. but life has its ways right?

 “wait so you’re saying we didn’t have our tattoos because we already found each other?” you questioned. jisung nodded.

“why didn’t you tell me earlier!” you slapped his arm.

“firstly, oww. you need to stop doing that. secondly, i didn’t know until recently! don’t blame me!” jisung pouted.

 you smiled again. you never knew a smile could leave your cheeks hurting. but with jisung, anything was possible.

|||||

yes! i finally wrote something! originally this was supposed to be a jeongin fic but i felt like this wasn’t the right one for him yet! i’m working on something i think. 

but let me know if you enjoyed this! or any constructive criticism! or even send love ! nyotr was definitely a work in progress and did take me quite sometime to write!

[celestica-1988]

The heart tattoo

The Dirt! Motley Crue one shot

Being close friend of Nikki Sixx was one of the best things in your life.

You knew him since high school when you were both outcasts, he was actually the only one person who dared to talk to you during that times.

He was two years older than you and when you finally finished that fucking lager known as school you moved immediately to Los Angeles to stay with him.

At the time you two had a little thing going on, it didn’t last long, but you managed to be still friends each others. Through him you got to know Mötley Crüe and especially Tommy Lee, who was your current crush.

But at the moment the drummer was the last of your thoughts, you were at a pool party and you caught Nikki looking at you more than one time.

Intrigued by that you reached him on the beach chair he was lying on.

He was drunk as fuck, nothing new for you.

“Ohi, Nikki.” “Ohi, Y/N.”

He starred at you in silence, the thing started to be awkward.

“What’s up, Sixx?

Haven’t you seen a girl in bikini before?” “Countless times and I saw even more naked girls.” He blinked, you snorted and rolled your eyes.

“So, why do you look at me the whole night?

Do you miss me?” “Pff. As I didn’t know you have a soft spot for Tommy.

I wasn’t watching you, I was watching your tattoos.” You were puzzled, since when Nikki was interested in looking other people’s tattoos?

He pointed to the stick and poke tattoo you had on the left thigh: a heart with two crossed bones on it.

“Did you do it by yourself?”

You rolled your eyes again because you told him that story a million of times before.

“Off course, I told you countless times. I did it the night before leaving Seattle when I fought with my mother for the last time.” That tattoo symbolized the difficult relationship you had with your mother and Nikki knew this too, but when he was drunk he forgot a lot of things about everyone.

“Yea, true. So, can you tattoo me?” You almost chocked on your beer.

“What?” “Give me a tattoo, Y/N.” “No way in hell, Sixx. What if it gets infected or you regret it after tonight?” “Come on, Y/N.” “No.” But you knew he was a persistent man and this was just the first round.

 An hour later you gave up.

He kept asking you every thirty seconds, he was persistent and merciless and you grew a headache from annoyance.

“Ok, Sixx. I give up, but you have to shut your fucking mouth.

And if it gets infected or you’ll end up regretting it once sober I don’t wanna know shit about it!”

He raised his hands and screamed, you let out a sigh, completely defeated by the bassist.

“Tommy, Vince, even you, old man. Come all here!”

“Fuck off, Sixx.” You chuckled ad Mick’s response.

In the end the whole band gathered around you two, yes, even Mick.

“Y/N is gonna give me a tattoo, so I thought: let’s all get a tattoo.” Tommy eyes lighted up immediately, he was the kind of person who get excited easily.

“Fuck yes, man. Let’s do this.

I’m ready.” “Vince?” The singer was so coked up that just nodded, he didn’t even understand the question probably.

“Mick?”

“On a scale of 1 to 10 your idea is a solid 20 for idiocy.” “Come on, Mick. Don’t be such a bitch! You are my friends, you are my family.

Let’s celebrate it with a tattoo.” “Damn, Sixx. How the fuck could I say no to this?” “Does this mean that you are in?” “I am.”

At this point the band had a group hug, it was sweet but it didn’t help since you were panicking in silence, inside your head. During that brief exchange of words your anxiety grew up so much that it could reach the fucking moon. You had to tattoo four grown up men, drunk as hell and with the risk to mess up with their health.

“Y/N, what do you need?” “A sewing needle, ink, disinfectant I guess. Oh, and a marker!”

Nikki got up and after a few minutes he came back with what you asked for.

You took the needle and a lighter, you lighted it up and put the tip of the needle over the flame.

Some seconds after the tip was orange.

It was all ready and set up.

One by one you tattooed all the guys.

Nikki was ecstatic about it, he kept talking forgetting the promise of keep his mouth shut.

Tommy was excited, he asked you where you learned to tattoo and a lot of things.

Vince just looked at you before you started and said: “Will this tattoo make me hotter for the chicks?” “Hotter than lava.” You said with a sarcastic smiled that went completely wasted.

Mick was the only one calm and silent.

You appreciated it a lot.

Some hours later all the guys had a sloppy heart tattooed on their wrists and you were tired like hell.

 The day after you woke up at a scream in an unfamiliar bed.

It took you a while to figured it out that the person was screaming profanity was your crush Tommy and that you were at Nikki’s house because you passed out at the party.

You followed the voice and reached the kitchen, all the guys were there and they were looking their wrists with a confused look.

“Why the fuck have I matching tattoo with y’all? An heart??”

That was Vince.

“Don’t look at me, Vinnie. I have no fucking idea how this heart ended up here, too.” “As I believe you, Lee! You always the one starting shitty pranks!”

“Shut up! I have a fucking headache!

And I have no fucking idea when, where and why I got this tattoo.” This was Nikki in his unstable hang over mood.

You exchanged a quick look with Mick, both of you were grinning like the Cheshire Cat himself.

The others kept fighting like children, but that was what you love in them and you were proud to give them the infamous tattoo. And happy to be the only one –beside Mick – to know why Nikki asked you do that in the first place.

After all they were a real family.

[akkinda-imagines-blog]

Back 2 U -- Taeyong Soulmate AU

A/N: A soulmate au (first words your soulmate says are on your wrist in black and turn white when they’re said) with Taeyong of NCT. This is my first venture into writing for groups other than Seventeen so I hope you enjoy! If you do, don’t be afraid to send me feedback or a request!

I used a member of another group simply to have a name to use! I am in no way trying to slander that member or the group.

Trigger warning: Unhealthy relationship (not with Taeyong, don’t worry)

Genre: slight angst, fluff-ish

Pairing: Reader x Taeyong

Word Count: 4k+

Out of all the collections of words, numbers, and letters there were in the world, you thought that 1:27 A.M. was the least romantic pairing one could have inked on their wrist. Your friends seemed to agree.

“Come on, Y/N, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings!” Donghyuck insisted, reaching out to grab your wrist and pull you back down into your seat.

You were at McDonald’s late at night with your friends, trying to ignore your constantly ringing phone that sat on the table before you.

“He’s an idiot.” Mark added, trying to make you laugh and forget Donghyuck’s teasing over your tattoo. Donghyuck hit his shoulder,  but didn’t disagree, which sent you into a fit of giggles.

“You should turn it off.” Jaehyun said from his place to your left, nodding his head toward the phone.

He was the most transparent in his concern for you, though Johnny was a close second. Mark and Donghyuck seemed mostly angry at your boyfriend, Jiyong, for leading to your current situation.

Your relationship with Jiyong had never been a calm one. You knew he was wild at heart - in fact, you had met him at a club and had hooked up that very night after some drunken dancing. He was closed off at times and emotional and clingy at others. From the start, Donghyuck had been vocally against the relationship. He insisted Jiyong was a player and, in his words, a douche. But you were in love and still are, though that’s now causing problems for you.

“I know you’re cheating on me.” Jiyong spat angrily as soon as you entered your shared apartment. You had just come home from a busy day at work and all you want to do was come home, change into sweats, and cuddle with your loving boyfriend. That seemed to be far from reality.

“What are you talking about?” You asked, looking at Jiyong oddly. He scoffed and took a sip from the beer bottle he held in his hand. You mentally cursed at the sight of it. A drunk Jiyong was either the best or the worst. It amplified his already intense emotions.

“Mark called.” He said simply. “Forgot a sweater over at his dorm? Of fucking course you did.”

“What are you implying?” You asked in astonishment and disbelief. Of all the people he could target, of course he had to go after Mark – your best friend who was also the nicest person you knew.

“That you’re a whore.” Jiyong hissed, slamming his beer bottle onto the table beside him and standing abruptly, swaying slightly. “You slept with Mark, didn’t you? That’s where you were just now – not at work!”

“Do you even hear yourself?” You scoffed, shaking your head at how ridiculous his accusations were. “I always come home from work at 8 on Fridays! And I would never cheat on you! I love you – we’ve been dating for almost a year!”

“Shut up!” Jiyong yelled, not wanting to listen to your reasoning. “I work so damn hard to buy you nice things and this is how you repay me?”

He had drunken tears flowing from his eyes. The hardest thing for you to do was to watch him cry. Whenever you fought, it was like any argument you had would fade at the sight of his tears.

“Jiyong, I love you. You have to believe that I would never hurt you like that.” You promised, your heart breaking at the sight of him.

Jiyong worked hard – you knew that. His label pushed him beyond his limits and he drank and partied to cope. He was so emotional and raw and that’s what you loved about him. All you wanted to do was make him happy. Making him this upset made you feel guilty – like maybe you shouldn’t meet up with Mark and Donghyuck as often as you do.

“Get out of my fucking apartment!” Jiyong yelled suddenly, breaking you from your thoughts.

You stared at him incredulously.

“Babe, I-“

“Don’t fucking “babe” me! Get the fuck out! You think I can’t find another slut like you in the club? You’re just a cheap whore who will jump on any idol’s dick! Get out!” He screamed, pointing at the door you’d just entered from. You gripped your phone tightly in your hand and felt tears gathering in your eyes as you slammed the door behind you.

The only person you could think to call was the same person you’d just been accused of sleeping with – Mark.

“Hello?” Mark answered on the fifth ring and he seemed out of breath. Most likely, he was practicing late in the SM building, as he usually did.

“Mark,” Your bottom lip quivered as you tried to hold back tears. “Jiyong threw me out.”

“What? Where are you – are you okay?” Mark asked in a rush. You heard Donghyuck and Johnny in the background asking what was going on.

“I don’t know what to do! I have nowhere to go!” You said, tears now falling. Sobs racked through your body and you heard Mark muttering assurances to you as you cried.

“Jaehyun’s going to drive us to pick you up. Go to the coffee shop across the street. We’ll be there soon.” Mark assured before hanging up and leaving you to cry as you waited for them.

 Luckily, (or not, depending on how you think about it) Mark and the others were more than willing to let you stay at their dorm. It was crowded and rowdy, but you were surrounded by positivity and the best friends anyone could ask for.

With the support of your friends, you were determined to finally end things with Jiyong and move on. They’d even offered to go apartment hunting with you. Unfortunately, Jiyong seemed determined to patch things up with you. He’d even stopped by at the dorm the morning after the fights and tried to talk to you.

That leads you to where you currently are, sitting with your friends with a buzzing phone, trying to forget how badly you wanted to answer the phone and get back with Jiyong. It was two days after Jiyong threw you out and you were almost ready to give in.

“I’m just leaving it on in case someone else messages me.” You said, only half telling the truth. In truth, you actually wanted to see what Jiyong was saying to you. You were pretty sure that if he apologized sincerely, you’d take him back.

“Who else is going to text you? We’re your only friends.” Donghyuck quipped, earning a snicker from Mark and Johnny. Jaehyun shook his head and sent him a sharp look, clearly thinking you couldn’t handle Donghyuck’s humor at the moment.

“You say that, but we’re also your only friends, Donghyuck.” Johnny laughed. Donghyuck glared at him while the rest of you laughed at the comeback.

Johnny smiled at you as you laughed and you sent him a thankful look.

“I should just answer your phone and tell him off.” Donghyuck remarked, referring to your phone. You rolled your eyes. If you have a dollar for every time one of them had said that exact same thing, you’d be almost as rich as your friends are.

“It’s Y/N’s place to talk to him when she’s ready.” Jaehyun pointed out in your defense.

“And when is that going to be?” Donghyuck muttered, taking a large bite from his burger afterwards in an almost sulking manner.

“Soon,” You said, though you didn’t completely believe yourself.

“He’s not your soulmate, right?” Johnny asked. You and Johnny had just became friends recently so he didn’t know much about your life, unlike Donghyuck and Mark, who knew you inside and out. Even Jaehyun had known you for almost two years now.

“No. I haven’t met my soulmate yet.” You answered, your right hand immediately going to your left wrist, where the numbers were inked. They remained plain - simply thin, black lines versus the white they’d become once you met your soulmate.

“I’ve been telling you to let us post flyers around Seoul so you can find your soulmate quicker!” Donghyuck joked. You laughed, but his suggestion was actually something he said a lot. He seemed convinced that if you found your soulmate, you’d forget all about Jiyong.

“You do it first and then I’ll let you.” You retorted.

“I’m an idol! If I do that, girls will go out and get fake matching tattoos just to lie and say they’re my soulmate,” Donghyuck argued, though you’d heard it before.

Donghyuck’s tattoo was in English, you discovered a few years ago when you two met. You’d hit it off so well the two of you insisted on comparing soulmate tattoos.

“I’m going to pray for your soulmate. They’re in for a long ass ride with you.” You said, causing Donghyuck to snort and Mark to chuckle at your reference to his rap.

“You’re such a -”

“Y/N! There you are, I’ve been calling you all day!”

Jiyong’s voice overpowered Donghyuck’s insult. You whipped around to see Jiyong entering the restaurant and walking quickly over to your table.

His hair was pink this week and he dressed as though he was on a catwalk instead of roaming the streets of Seoul late at night. A black mask covered the bottom half of his face and sunglasses covered his eyes in an attempt to disguise him from the masses.

“Jiyong, I -”

“Why are you here with these guys?” Jiyong demanded upon reaching your table. He grabbed your arm and pulled you to your feet so you stood beside him.

Donghyuck stood from his chair quickly, anger apparent on his face. The rest of your friends followed suit.

“Jiyong, we’re just eating.” You answered, trying to placate them. He and Mark had already exchanged some heated words over the phone and the last thing you wanted was for them to fight and be all over the gossip blogs and news sites.

“Why haven’t you answered my calls?” Jiyong asked, his breath smelling of alcohol and cigarettes. “I’ve been worried about you!”

“If you’re so worried, why’d you throw her out?” Johnny growled. Jiyong released your arm and turned to face Johnny, anger rolling off him in waves.

Jiyong felt as though he was better than everyone, but especially those new to the music industry. Your friends seemed to be at the top of the list of people Jiyong hated as well, making this situation very bad.

“Who do you think you are?” Jiyong asked. “This is about our relationship and has nothing to do with you.”

“Jiyong, let’s go outside and talk.” You offered, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from your friend. Jiyong stormed outside with you in tow, his footsteps heavy, as if weighed down by his anger. You heard Donghyuck and Mark angrily whispering as you exited the restaurant.

You and Jiyong stood in the cold night air, illuminated by the bright neon lights of the McDonald’s sign. Before you could even take a moment to think, Jiyong was already pulling you into a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I love you so much. Please don’t leave me.” Jiyong said, his voice wavering as if he was on the verge of tears.

Despite knowing better, you looped your arms around his waist and pressed your face into his chest. You breathed his scent - leather, cigarettes, and his favorite cologne - and felt suddenly as though it would be silly to throw away your relationship over one argument.

Besides, you thought, wasn’t Jiyong right to be at least a little jealous over how much time you spent with your friends?

“Come home with me.” Jiyong said in tears, pulling away just enough for him to cup your face in his hands. His sunglasses were off now and you could see the emotion in his eyes.

“I -”

“Y/N?” A familiar voice called out from your left, further down the street. It was Doyoung, one of Mark’s friends who lived in the dorm you were crashing at.

“Why are you outside? You’re going to get sick.” Taeil another boy from the dorm, added with a smile. With them was another boy. He was Taeyong, who you hadn’t spoken with and hadn’t even really been in the same room with. You weren’t sure if he was just shy around strangers, but he hadn’t even introduced himself to you.

“G-Dragon-seonbae?” Doyoung asked in confusion, seeing you two in a rather intimate position. Jiyong stepped back from you immediately and wiped away the tears on his face quickly. His sunglasses shielded his expression of pure embarrassment from the others.

“What are you guys doing here?” You asked the others as they approached.

“Jaehyun told us you were getting food and we’re starving.” Doyoung answered, eyeing Jiyong in confusion all the while.

“Isn’t it a little late to be eating? What time is it, anyway?” You asked, realizing you’d left your phone inside.

“1:27 AM,” Taeyong answered. You were surprised by how deep and grounding his voice was. You’d only ever heard it in songs. It sounded familiar and almost comforting to you – like someone was wrapping you in a blanket.

Taeyong looked only vaguely different with a bare face and wearing sweat pants and a plain t-shirt. You were stunned to find he was still very good looking, his kind doe eyes shining brightly despite the dim lighting.

“I’m going back to the apartment. Are you coming home tonight?” Jiyong asked, interrupting your thoughts of Taeyong. You hesitated as you turned to face him.

“I don’t know.” You answered truthfully, holding your breath as you waited for Jiyong’s response. He scoffed.

“I’m taking you back after you left me all alone and that’s all you have to say?” Jiyong demanded. Behind Jiyong, you saw Taeyong’s eyes narrow.

“Forget it. Don’t come home.” Jiyong hissed before stomping over to his car that was parked nearby and driving off.

“Is everything alright?” Doyoung asked suspiciously, knowing about your current situation with Jiyong. You shrugged honestly.

“I have no idea.”

You arrived back at the dorm at 2:30 A.M. that night. Mark and Haechan were livid that Jiyong had shown up out of the blue, though it wasn’t very shocking since the McDonald’s you were at happened to be very close to the apartment you and Jiyong shared.

Despite their reluctance, Taeyong ushered them off to bed soon after you arrived back at the dorm. Soon enough, you found yourself in the living room alone, wrapped up in a spare blanket while the boys went to bed.

Half an hour later, you were still awake and heard a door open. Taeyong slipped out of his room, his face looking as though he’d just seen a ghost. You sat up and hesitated, wondering if you should ask him what was wrong. You two weren’t close at all, you realized, and it might be too personal for him to share with an almost stranger.

“Taeyong?” You asked, deciding to at least try and make conversation. Taeyong stood in the doorway leading into the living room, seemingly alone in his own thoughts. Your voice gained his attention and he glanced up at you.

“Did I wake you up? I’m sorry.” Taeyong said sincerely. You shook you head quickly, wanting him to stay and keep you company.

“No, I was already up.” You assured him. “Can’t sleep either?”

He shook his head and moved into the living room, shutting the door leading to his room softly, as several others were sleeping inside. He took a seat on the ground before you nervously, his mind preoccupied.

“Are you okay?” He asked, surprising you with his concern for you. You nodded, though you weren’t sure you truly were alright.

“Are you going to get back together with G-Dragon-seonbae?” He finally looked at you straight on, his eyes boring into yours. You almost wanted to look away due to the intensity of his expression, but didn’t.

You really weren’t expecting him to ask about your life. It took you a moment to formulate an answer.

“I don’t know.” You answered honestly. “Most likely I’m not. I just…”

You paused and sighed deeply, swept up in your confusing emotions once more. Taeyong nodded thoughtfully, waiting for you to continue. You felt as though you had his full attention – as if you were the only person in the world in that moment. It was so alien to you that someone would be this raptly interested in you.

“He’s not good for me.” You admitted. “Plus, Donghyuck’s always bugging me about my soulmate, and I guess he’s kind of right. I should leave Jiyong now while I have my friends supporting me. Who knows – maybe my soulmate’s just waiting for me to leave him.”

You laughed lightly at your own lame suggestion and were surprised to find Taeyong giving you a small smile. Your heart hammered in your chest, butterflies blossoming in the pit of your stomach at his smile. You hadn’t felt this way in a while, if you were honest. It helped that Taeyong was so different from Jiyong and also very good-looking.

“But enough about me.” You said, trying to draw the conversation away from any topic that might make you cry. “What’s on your mind?”

Taeyong’s expression returned to a neutral one, which seemed to be the expression you were most familiar with seeing on his face.

“Soulmates,” He said simply. You nodded in understanding. At your age, everyone was obsessed with finding their soulmate. It was all your friends (aside from Donghyuck, Mark, and the others) would talk about when you met up with them.

“It must be hard being an idol and trying to find your soulmate.” You agreed. He hummed in acknowledgement. “What does your quote say?”

His eyes met yours again and you were shocked that your heart raced once more at his intense expression. Even if his face was neutral, it was like his eyes held all his emotion. It was almost like being sucker punched – the loss of breath and the adrenaline.

Taeyong slid closer to where you sat and held out his arm, which was covered by the thick sleeve of his sweater.

When the sleeve was pulled up and your eyes scanned over the words, your breath caught in your throat.

In white ink, the words ““Isn’t it a little late to be eating? What time is it, anyway?” were written on Taeyong’s skin. You immediately felt in your heart that those words had left your mouth – that they had been the first words Taeyong had truly listened to you say to him. You didn’t even have to pull back your own sleeve to know that the “1:27 A.M.” would look similar.

Taeyong remained silent, knowing that you had put the pieces together. He slid his sleeve back down, his back resting on the sofa from his place on the floor. You remained wrapped up in a blanket barely a few inches away from him, your brain racing.

“I…” You stopped and started speaking several times, only to not get past that same word time and time again. What was there to say?

You and Taeyong were soulmates. You had barely said a handful of words to each other. He was an idol and astonishingly beautiful. You were dating Jiyong. You were strangers.

A door opened quickly across the living room. A sleepy-eyed Yuta stumbled out of his room and looked at you and Taeyong in confusion. He muttered something about the bathroom and stumbled out of the room, leaving you in awkward silence.

“Y/N…” Taeyong began speaking and, like you, couldn’t finish his sentence.

“I need some time.” You said simply. He nodded and looked down at the floor in thought. “Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

“Of course, sorry. Good night.” He said, getting up and going into his room without another word.

You felt like an asshole.

You went to the apartment you shared with Jiyong the next day. You sent him a rather long text saying that you just couldn’t be with him anymore. You ended things and planned on packing up your things as quickly as possible, before he could convince you to stay with him. The revelation about Taeyong just cemented what you had already known was supposed to happen.

Mark and Jaehyun took you apartment hunting the same day. You came up empty, but it was progress. Most of the guys even helped you pack up your things in Jiyong’s apartment, including Taeyong. You put them all into storage until you could get an apartment, but Jaehyun and Johnny promised they’d help you move in whenever that happened.

You decided you couldn’t stay in the crowded NCT dorm forever and instead got a hotel room not far away. Donghyuck hated not being able to tease you all day from the convenience of his dorm, but you knew he’d just annoy you via text anyway.

You didn’t talk to Taeyong the day after discovering you were soulmates. You met his eyes several times, but it seemed as though you both knew you weren’t ready yet. It seemed he was giving you plenty of time to think, which you were actually very thankful for. Moving on from Jiyong wasn’t going to happen in a day or even a month. Taeyong understood that.

Jiyong called you later that night. You answered despite yourself, prepared for him to be in tears and begging for you to take him back.

“Your boyfriend stopped by today.” Jiyong hissed angrily over the phone. Your brows furrowed in confusion. “He told me to stay away from you. Guess you really were cheating on me, huh?”

“I never cheated on you!” You replied.

“Then it’s just a coincidence that Tae-fucking-yong shows up with a white soulmate tattoo and tells me to leave you alone? When did you find out, huh? Were you hiding this from me for weeks? Months?” Jiyong demanded. You scoffed.

How had you ever loved someone like him, you wondered. He was cocky and arrogant and seemed to think the world was out to get him. You didn’t understand how you made it past the first date with him.

Jiyong ranted for a while before you hung up with a laugh. Thank god he wasn’t your soulmate.

The next time you saw Taeyong was a week after dumping Jiyong. You were meeting up with Donghyuck, Mark, Jaehyun, and the others to celebrate finding an apartment. It was nearly midnight when you let them all into your new place. Though it was mostly empty, their excitement had you feeling like you had just won the lotto.

Taeyong gave you a small smile from across the room, his arm covered in a black, long-sleeved shirt. You almost wished he would approach you and save you from Johnny and Donghyuck making dumb puns.

“Hey,” Mark interrupted, looking at you oddly. “What’s going on with you?”

“What do you mean?” You asked.

“You’ve been giving Taeyong heart eyes all night.” Donghyuck agreed. You felt your face heat up at their accusations.

“I have not!” You defended, causing Johnny to snort.

“You actually have. It’s giving me major secondhand embarrassment.”

“Shut up!” You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. Yuta approached you, marching across the room from where he had previously been talking to Taeyong and Taeil.

“Hey, can you go talk to Taeyong already? He won’t shut up about you!” Yuta exclaimed, causing everyone in the room to look directly at you and Taeyong.

“Whenever we tell a joke, he always mentions how much you’d laugh at it!” Taeil agreed.

“I do not!” Taeyong objected, though his red face said otherwise.

“Yeah, you don’t want to know how many times he asked Mark to text you yesterday to see if you were okay!” Winwin chirped. Taeyong’s face found its way into his hands, hiding his expression from you.

You smiled despite how cringe-worthy others might think their stories sounded. The fact that Taeyong was talking about you and worried about you was enough to make your heart race uncontrollably.

“Just kiss already.” Johnny muttered, causing Jaehyun and Mark to laugh loudly. You chuckled and rolled your eyes, a blush spreading across your face.

You met Taeyong’s eyes and gestured for him to follow you into the next room, desperate to get away from the jerks you called friends. He followed you into what would eventually become your bedroom, though it was currently empty.

“I’m sorry.” Taeyong said as soon as the door was closed. You laughed and shook you head.

“You don’t need to be sorry.” You assured him. “It’s nice to know you think about me, actually.”

He smiled and stole glances at you before looking back at the floor like a nervous middle schooler.

“I have to be honest.” You said, looking at him directly, hoping he’d meet your gaze. “Getting over Jiyong isn’t going to be easy. But I��m happy you’re my soulmate.”

Taeyong’s face lit up, his eyes meeting yours. You noticed that his nose crinkled as he smiled and that made your heart melt. He reminded you of a puppy with his emotion-filled eyes and cute expression. Wow, you thought, you’d really lucked out on getting Taeyong as a soulmate.

“Thank you. I’m glad you’re my soulmate too.”

“We should get to know each other. There’s a cute shaved ice place around the corner.” You offered nervously. Taeyong’s smile widened.

“It’s a date.”

[meggonagall]

Saving Severus Snape - Chapter 1

2nd May 1998 - 10:30am Twenty-eight hours - could that have been right? It felt like days - since she had last slept. In the last twenty-eight hours, she had broken into Gringotts - disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange - escaped on a dragon, fought a battle the likes of her kind had never seen, and witnessed more death and devastation than anyone - especially any eighteen-year-old – should have ever experienced. By all rights, she should had been exhausted. But she wasn’t. It was a few hours since Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter left Dumbledore’s office for the comfort of their four-poster beds, in the Gryffindor dorms. They begged her to follow, yet for some reason, she could not bring herself to leave. There was something Hermione Granger had felt was just… wrong. There was something that happened, in the early hours of the morning, she felt was not meant to be. Of course all of those who had lost their lives really should not have, but there was one death, that deep down in her gut, she knew should not have been. Hermione paced in front of Professor Dumbledore’s desk - well, technically, she supposed, it was Professor Snape’s. The sun was shining through the windows and, since the sounds of battle have ceased, it was eerily quiet. Her brow furrowed as she spoke to herself aloud. “It should not have been like this,” she whispered. “It was unnecessary. All because…” She trailed off. She continued trekking back and forth in the complete silence. All of the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses had left their portraits, the better to see what was going on throughout the rest of the castle. The only occupant which remained was Dumbledore, who was apparently sleeping in his frame. 

After Harry had repaired his wand, and spoke to Dumbledore’s portrait, he explained everything to her and Ron. They knew about the Resurrection Stone, Harry being the unintentional Horcrux and Professor Snape truly being on their side. Even though Hermione was surprised by all of the information, in a way, she wasn’t. She had had an idea about Harry, since he was so easily able to look into Voldemort’s mind, all of this time. The fact that the Hallows truly did exist, and the stone was in the Snitch Dumbledore had given Harry, was the biggest shock of them all. But Snape… She had had a feeling, all along, that maybe he really was working for The Order. Why else would Dumbledore have trusted him so completely? Obviously, she had never spoken her suspicions out loud. Ron would have thought she was mental, and Harry would have been sure to never speak to her again, let alone allow her come with him on his hunt for Horcruxes. And it was Professor Snape’s death that she felt had been so wrong. “He had killed Dumbledore, by Dumbledore’s own request,” she began speaking to herself again. “Therefore, the wand never really was his, just as Harry had said. He should not have been killed.” If there was just a way that she could have stopped it from happening… What could she have done to change things and make sure he did not meet the same fate? Obviously a Time-Turner was definitely off the table, as they had all been destroyed, so how could she possibly prevent it? “His life had been so tragic,” she sighed. “The man truly did not know happiness - which is dreadful. Maybe that is the reason he did not even attempt to stop his death from happening? He just - he just let Voldemort kill him. After everything that he has done, and has sacrificed, he - more than most - deserves to live. To live and to be happy.” Just at that moment, almost in response to her musings, a drawer opened next to where Dumbledore kept his Pensieve. Hermione’s head turned towards the noise and she saw a box that levitated out of it. Curiously, she walked over and grabbed it out of midair. “What in the world…?” she wondered. She quickly rushed over to the desk and opened the box. Upon seeing the contents inside, she gasped in shock. “Oh my!” Laying in front of her was a Time-Turner, an envelope and a folded up piece of parchment. As her hand shook slightly, she reached in and picked up the envelope first. Written on the front in purple ink, the handwriting slanted, it read, “A.P.W.B.D.” She looked at the initials, not having any idea what they meant and noticed the yellow discoloration of the paper; the envelope was very old. She flipped it over and saw it was sealed in purple wax - the Hogwarts coat of arms. After slowly placing it back in the box and still wondered what all of this could possibly be about, she picked up the - also yellowed with age - piece of parchment. She unfolded it carefully with a trembling hand. Dear Miss Granger, If you are reading this, then it is time. As you by now should have noticed, there is a Time-Turner, which lies in front of you. It has been set accordingly for you to begin your journey. If you would, please, give the envelope - also is contained within - to myself once you arrive. All will make sense to you shortly, I am sure. Most sincerely, Professor Albus Dumbledore Hermione had to read the letter over once more, due to the fact that her hands trembled so badly, she could hardly make out the words after she had read, “Time-Turner.” “The box appeared after I mentioned wanting to save Professor Snape. Is that - is that what I’m meant to do?” She looked desperately at the portrait of Professor Dumbledore, hoping he would give her some answers. “Sir, please. Is that the meaning of all of this?” she pleaded. No sound came from his portrait, save for a soft snore. Yet, Hermione could have sworn she saw the corners of his mouth turn up in a slight smile. Truly she did not need Dumbledore to respond, for deep down, she knew what she had to do. With her heart pounding ferociously, she looked towards the door and then back at the golden necklace which, for an innocent-looking object, appeared so frightening to her in that moment. She sat down in a chair in front of the desk and put her head in her hands. “Do I go? And if I do, do I tell the boys where I’m going?” she wondered out loud. “No.” She shook her head. “They’ll only try to stop me. Or worse, attempt to come with me. This would be something I’d have to do on my own. I could not lead them into any more possible danger.” Hermione sat and truly thought this through. She did not have any idea as to what time period this Time-Turner would take her to. She did not know where she would end up, once she used it. Is it worth it? she thought. Should I use this? I have no doubt that Professor Dumbledore sent this… but why? If I am correct, and it does have something to do with Professor Snape, is he really worth possibly putting my life on the line for? Hermione twisted the golden chain around her fingers as she worked out the reasons she should do this. He should have attempted to save himself, and he just did not. Maybe if I go back and just show him that he truly is not a horrible person. That he will, one day, be a true hero. Maybe he would fight. Fight to live. This man put his life on the line, for many, many years, all for the benefit of the Wizarding World. He was forced to kill, what I am sure, was the only man he truly considered a friend. Voldemort could have found him out at any moment and ended his life without a second thought. Surely a man who has sacrificed love, friendship, family – and a bit of himself along the way - in the line of duty, deserves a second chance. A chance to live. Not just to breathe, pump blood through his veins and exist, but truly live. And if there is even a chance that by using this Time-Turner, I could achieve that, then I must use it. And with her decision made, Hermione stood up. She took a deep breath, three steps towards the desk, reached for the envelope, then placed the Time-Turner around her neck. Her heartbeat reached an alarmingly dangerous rate, sweat formed on her brow, and her legs were shaking. As she activated the Time-Turner, the last thing she saw, before the room around her began to spin, was the portrait of Professor Dumbledore wink at her.   Hermione soon found herself thrown to the ground, and judging by the rug near her face, she was still in Dumbledore’s office. Or, once again, in his office. Quickly, she stood up - which was not the best idea. She began to feel woozy, swayed on her feet and attempted to keep down the vomit that was threatening to explode out of her. Her eyes were out of focus, so she heard his voice before she really saw him. “Dear girl, what has happened to you and how did you come to appear in my office?” Dumbledore asked calmly as he stood up from his chair. Hermione completely forgot that she was still covered in blood, dirt and wearing torn clothing, and could only imagine what Dumbledore must have thought, despite the tone of his voice. She could not believe she had been so foolish not to wash up and change her clothes. Self-consciously, she looked down at herself and attempted to straighten out her shirt when she noticed the envelope clenched in her hand. “I’m - I’m not quite sure what is going on, actually,” she admitted a bit weakly. As her eyes finally focused, she saw a much younger Dumbledore in front of her. Although his hair was still long and silver, his face was much less lined and slight hints of auburn could still be seen in his beard. She watched Dumbledore’s eyes take in her disheveled appearance as she walked closer to his desk. He looked concerned for her, but also a bit confused - which was certainly something she had never seen before. “I was told to give this to you,” she said and placed the envelope on his desk. Dumbledore’s eyes rested on the Time-Turner around Hermione’s neck as he picked up what she had laid in front of him. He glanced down at the initials, which Hermione still did not quite understand, and his eyes twinkled. “I see. Now this is becoming clearer,” he whispered as he tore the seal and pulled out the parchment within. Hermione kept her eyes on Dumbledore and was becoming more nervous with each moment that passed. “Sir, I’m still not quite sure where, er - I mean, when I am,” she said as Dumbledore read the letter. Looking up, he smiled at her kindly. “Well, Miss Granger, I know you are aware that you are at Hogwarts.” Hermione nodded. “As for when,” Dumbledore continued, “you have traveled to the 30th of August, 1976.” That was all that Hermione could bear. The thought of being sent back twenty-two years was enough to make her knees go weak. She did not anticipate traveling so far into the past. The vomit she attempted to keep down came flowing out, all over Dumbledore’s floor. The room seemed as if it were closing in around her and it began to look like she was seeing Dumbledore from the end of a long tunnel. There was a ringing in her ears as she felt herself begin to fall; everything went dark.