#and her reply that 'even ghost stories can have teeth' is said looking not at peter but elsewhere)

[idkyetxoxo]

Jacaerys Velaryon - Leap of Fate

Summary - A young woman's daring climb over a wall to escape an arranged union leads to an unexpected encounter with her betrothed himself. What begins as a night of escape becomes the start of an enchanting story of love and destiny.

Pairing - Jacaerys Velaryon x reader

Warnings - None

Word count - 2102

Masterlist for Jacaerys • House of the Dragon General Masterlist.

I took a deep breath, my gaze locked on the stone wall ahead. The sky, darkening with the approach of night, cast eerie, elongated shadows that flickered like ghosts on the rough surface. 

My palms grew sweaty, and a shiver of anxiety ran down my spine. The height of the wall seemed to mock my courage.

"Alright, if I can just make that jump and haul myself up, I should be able to manage the rest from there," I murmured to myself, my voice tinged with a mixture of hope and trepidation.

With a resolute nod, I steeled myself, my teeth clenched in a grimace of concentration. My fingers dug into the wall's jagged surface, desperately searching for any crevice that would hold. 

The coarse texture of the stone scraped against my skin, each movement sending a jolt of pain up my arms. I glanced down, and my heart skipped a beat. 

"Seven hells," I muttered under my breath as the dizzying height made itself known.

I pressed on, scaling the wall as best as I could. Halfway up, I dared to believe I was making progress, but fate had other plans. My foot slipped on a precarious rock, and I felt myself plummet to the ground. 

I landed with a jarring thud, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs.

A muffled cry escaped me as I lay sprawled on the ground, staring up at the indigo expanse of the night sky. The stars seemed to mock my plight. 

With a groan, I pushed myself up, brushing off my cloak in frustration. Realizing it was more of a hindrance than a help, I tossed it aside, my frustration evident.

Determined not to be thwarted, I tried again, managing to reach just under halfway before pausing to reassess.

"What are you doing, my lady?" a voice called out suddenly. 

I yelped in surprise, my fingers losing their grip as I scrambled to regain my balance. In a graceless tumble, I crashed to the ground.

I lay there, staring up at the heavens, lamenting my misfortune as the voice approached.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, my voice sharp as he reached out to help me. He quickly withdrew, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"What are you doing?" he asked again, and I sighed heavily, glancing from the wall to him.

"Scaling the wall, what else does it look like?" I replied, my exasperation clear. He seemed taken aback by my tone.

"Why are you scaling the wall at this hour?" he asked, his tone genuine but puzzled. I considered his question for a moment before a sudden idea sparked in my mind.

"Yes, that's perfect!" I exclaimed, turning to him with a bright, hopeful smile. His sceptical gaze met mine.

"You could give me a boost up, and then I can navigate the tricky part," I suggested. He took a step back, extinguishing my hopeful smile with his reluctance.

"No," he said firmly and I groaned in frustration.

"You are truly a horrible person," I declared, my voice laden with annoyance. "How can you see a lady in distress and not offer assistance?" 

His reaction was a surprising burst of laughter, a reaction that did nothing but further annoy me.

"If you tell me why you're attempting such a daring escape, I promise I will help you afterwards," he said, crossing his arms with a look of genuine curiosity. 

I pursed my lips, contemplating whether to reveal my predicament.

"If you must know," I began, as he listened intently. "My family has betrothed me to the prince." 

I watched his eyes widen slightly. "I do not wish to marry him. I have never even met him. What if he's ugly or dull, or worse, a terrible person?" I finished, my irritation clear.

Instead of offering sympathy, he laughed again—this time, with genuine amusement. 

"I'm glad my predicament amuses you, but you promised to help me, so you must," I insisted, gesturing for him to come closer. He obliged, but then abruptly halted.

"I will not assist you over the wall," he said, his tone resolute. I sighed in exasperation, feeling as though this ordeal would never end, my patience quickly wearing thin.

"I will not help my future wife escape our union," he added. 

The weight of his words hit me like a blow, and my eyes widened, a mix of shock and disbelief swirling in my mind as the reality of the situation sank in.

"Prince Jacaerys?" I gasped, my voice barely above a whisper. He nodded, his expression a mix of amusement and satisfaction.

The colour drained from my face as the realization settled. I had been scaling the wall to escape my own arranged marriage, only to find that the prince, my betrothed, had caught me and was now standing right in front of me.

My eyes swept over him, taking in every detail. He was nothing like I had imagined. Far from the monster I had conjured in my mind, he was undeniably handsome, with an effortless charisma that immediately dispelled my worst fears. 

I couldn't help but wonder how I had ever thought of running from someone like him.

"My prince, I truly apologize," I stuttered, attempting an awkward curtsy. 

I was painfully aware of how absurd the situation was, struggling to reconcile my desperate escape with the reality of facing my would-be husband.

He watched me with a mix of amusement and curiosity, clearly enjoying the irony of our encounter. 

I fumbled for the right words, my mind racing to understand how to address the man who was both my captor and the very reason I had been trying to flee.

He watched me with a new, softer gaze, and a genuine smile curved his lips. 

"No one told me you were this beautiful," he said, his voice warm and approving. "In fact, you might be too beautiful. People will talk."

My cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and I fumbled with my words as I attempted a modest, "Thank you." The compliment, unexpected and sincere, left me momentarily flustered.

He arched an eyebrow playfully. "Do you think I am ugly and dull?" His question, though lighthearted, made me acutely aware of how disoriented I was, struggling to maintain my composure.

"My prince," I stammered, my voice trembling with earnestness, "I spoke on impulse. I truly did not mean anything I said." My confession was met with a soft chuckle from him, the sound both reassuring and disarming.

"Would you still like assistance up the wall?" he asked, his tone now imbued with a teasing edge. 

I glanced from the daunting height of the wall to him, and then back to the wall, shaking my head in resignation.

He grinned, clearly amused by the turn of events. His expression softened, and he took a step closer, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of mischief and warmth. 

"Then perhaps we should discuss our next course of action," he suggested, the lightness in his tone making the situation seem less dire. He leaned slightly closer, his gaze both curious and engaging. 

"What troubled you enough to consider scaling a wall to escape me?" he asked, a playful edge in his voice that made it difficult not to smile at his jest.

I hesitated, then answered simply, "I do not know you."

He clicked his tongue thoughtfully, his expression shifting to one of contemplation. "You are correct," he said, nodding slowly. "We can change that."

He took a moment to gather his thoughts before offering a glimpse into his life. "I enjoy training with my brother Luke," he began, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

"Although he's not the best sparring partner, he tends to be too gentle in his approach. I also find great joy in soaring through the skies on my dragon, Vermax and, above all, I have a deep fondness for cake, especially lemon cake."

I stared at him for a moment, slightly taken aback by the unexpected turn the conversation had taken. His casual, almost endearing revelations seemed to defy the seriousness of our earlier exchange.

"Now, you must tell me something about yourself, my lady," he prompted, breaking the silence.

I shook myself from my daze and nodded slowly. "I enjoy reading," I began, trying to match his openness. "Occasionally, I like to go swimming in the open sea and most of all, I treasure the time I spend with my kitten, Biscuit."

He smiled warmly at my response. "We must arrange a meeting between Vermax and Biscuit," he suggested with a playful glint in his eye.

I raised an eyebrow. "And what if Vermax thinks Biscuit is his next snack?" The thought of my kitten being mistaken for a dragon's treat was not entirely comforting.

He laughed quietly, the sound rich and melodic. "I would protect Biscuit with all my strength," he assured me, his voice earnest.

"But," he continued, with a mischievous gleam, "if Biscuit were to take a daring leap onto Vermax's back, I might have to step in to mediate a peaceful introduction."

I chuckled, the image of Biscuit attempting such a bold manoeuvre brought a reluctant smile to my face. "Well, if you're prepared to play dragon diplomat, I suppose I can trust you with my precious kitten."

He placed a hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture. "Consider it my solemn vow," he declared with mock seriousness.

I couldn't help but laugh, the tension of our earlier conversation melting away. "I'll hold you to that, my prince. I'd hate to have to explain why my kitten became dragon fodder."

Our laughter was abruptly interrupted by a clap of thunder, and I jumped slightly at the sudden sound. The sky was now darkening rapidly.

"Perhaps we can continue this conversation inside," he suggested, his tone both practical and inviting. "Now that you've decided not to run off." I bit my lip, nodding sheepishly at the jeer.

As a small downpour began, I squinted to locate my discarded cloak. Before I could even bend down to retrieve it, he had already picked it up.

"Allow me," he said, his voice gentle and courteous as he approached me. 

With the grace of a true gentleman, he draped the cloak around my shoulders, his touch both tender and precise. The fabric enveloped me in a comforting embrace, and I nodded appreciatively as he deftly fastened the strings, securing it snugly against the chill of the rain.

As we began to walk toward the shelter of the castle, he glanced at me with a thoughtful expression. 

"Perhaps we should have a maester check you out," he suggested casually, his tone light but laced with concern.

I turned to him, raising my brows in surprise. "A maester?"

He nodded, his gaze shifting to me with a hint of amusement. "I saw you take a few tumbles," he admitted, a small, bemused smile playing on his lips as he gently pulled a small leaf out of my hair.

I swallowed my embarrassment, a flush creeping up my cheeks. Before I could react, I reached up and smacked the leaf from his hand with a playful swat.

"How mortifying," I muttered, trying to mask my chagrin with a sheepish grin.

He chuckled softly, the sound a gentle remedy to the lingering tension between us. 

"I assure you, there's no need to be embarrassed," he said, his eyes dancing with mirth. "In fact, this will make for a rather delightful story to share with our future children."

His words caught me off guard, and a deeper blush crept up my cheeks at the thought of such an intimate future. I quickly looked away, my gaze dropping to the rain-slicked stones beneath our feet. The steady patter of rain seemed to echo the rapid beat of my heart.

"Perhaps" I murmured the words barely audible.

"Could we possibly agree that this little escapade remains between us?" I asked, "I'd really appreciate it if this interaction wasn't mentioned to my mother or father."

He nodded, a knowing smile curling at the corners of his lips. "Yes, I believe it would be best not to announce your eagerness to escape me. Consider it a secret between us."

As we continued to walk towards the castle, the rain began to fall more heavily, but the shared laughter and understanding between us made the journey seem lighter.

In the years that followed, the tale of Prince Jacaerys and his wife would become a cherished legend, a story celebrated across generations. 

Our tale became a beloved fairy tale, told and retold to children and adults alike. 

It was a story of two genuine souls, intertwined in a narrative that captured the essence of love and destiny, our lives a testament to the magic of finding connection amidst the most unforeseen circumstances.

A/n - Yes this is inspired by that iconic scene of George and Charlotte in Queen Charlotte

[captainmullin]

If you're still doing prompts, Belial + Halloween maybe?

I'd love that

I’m usually always taking prompts for any event! :P Feel free to send in anything you’d like! Haven’t written Belial in a bit, so hopefully this does him justice-

November One-Word Prompts: Belial + Halloween

The fallen angel stared down at The Grandcypher ship from his place high above on the streets of Port Breeze - a common stop amongst the crew. The chilly fall air blew across the rooftops, but the temperature made no difference to the primal beast. Belial sighed and leaned further back onto the chimney he had chosen to make his lookout spot on. He watched the festivities down below, not much of a desire to take part, but… one thing did catch his eye.

The costumes. Kids and people of all ages were wearing costumes, ranging from as simple as a bedsheet over their head to be a ghost, or as complex as one little Erune girl dressed up as Tiamat. Belial chuckled to himself, resting his head on his hand. He continued to watch as the crowds below grew in size - all leading towards the center of town where a bonfire was. Belial was deep in thought - how could he make this more… fun?

The members of the Grandcypher crew were not immune to the holiday spirit, either. Gran raced along the deck of the ship, with Djeeta close in tow. They wore matching costumes, each decked out as vampires. Belial could even spot the fake fangs that Gran wore, despite being so far away. If he leaned in just a bit closer, he could make out the conversation they were having…

“-Gran, hurry up!” Djeeta ushered her brother further and further along the streets of Port Breeze. “We’re going to be late for the ceremony!”

“I’m going as fast as I can, Djeets!” Gran retorted back, still adjusting his fangs. “The spell that makes my teeth look like this feels weird. I don’t like it.”

“Ugh, just don’t do it then? You really confuse me…” Djeeta said, slowing her pace down to match Gran’s. They were almost to the center of town at this point, and the crowd had only grown larger.

“But then it wouldn’t be accurate! Vania told me-“

“Vampy never really tells the entire story, you know that!” Djeeta cut Gran off, but then immediately looked apologetic: “Anyway, just… try to have some fun with it, okay, Gran? You’ve been really stressed lately…”

“Okay, okay…” Gran then finished adjusting his costume, and with a quick magical undo, his teeth were back to normal - and he was feeling much better. “There! Now we can go.”

“Finally!” Djeeta grabbed her brother’s hand and took off into the night, their capes flying behind them. Belial smirked, and then made his descent. Yes, this was sure to be a fun night.

~~~

The primal beast began his prowl in the town, having taken on a disguise - well, let’s call it a costume - for the evening. He glamoured himself a new outfit, one with all of the bells and whistles he could ever need. Belial had decided to keep with the Halloween spirit… quite literally. It wouldn’t have taken much effort for him to find an old bedsheet lying around and be a ghost, but he decided to make his skin more pale and his clothes almost… translucent. It wasn’t like he was human to begin with, so making adjustments to his form was relatively simple. (…Maybe he just couldn’t come up with anything better than a ghost).

Belial had reached the epicenter, where the great roar of the bonfire could barely be heard over the shrieks of delight of children. There were pranks and jumpscares being placed on each other, and the younger ones took quite a liking to spooking their parents. Belial grinned to himself, intending to scare someone, but-

“Boo!” Djeeta jumped out in front of him, her fingers resting on the hilt of her sword. Belial clicked his tongue, sighing. Of course he would be spotted by the Singularity, nothing would’ve gotten past her. “What are you doing here? Unless this is a really elaborate prank, in which case I’m impressed.”

“You never know when to quit, do you?” Belial replied, rolling his eyes: “What if I said I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about, hmm? Would you stop me?”

Djeeta paused, then moved her hand away from her weapon: “…I’d still be suspicious.”

“Haha! That’s the Singularity I know and love!” Belial said, taking a few steps closer to her: “Where’s the other one? It’d be boring if there were only two of us.~” His words dropped to a purr, and Djeeta shivered.

“Ugh. That’s my brother, don’t talk about him like that. He got… overwhelmed and is sitting somewhere. Not telling you where, though.” Djeeta shot back, pushing Belial away.

“Mmn… and here I was hoping to have a little treat of my own tonight… it seems like all I get is tricks.”

“Are you seriously just here to… people watch?” Djeeta asked, crossing her arms. She wasn’t quite ready to let her guard down, but she also wasn’t going to chase him away if he wouldn’t hurt anyone. Maybe.

“Aw, you don’t trust me?” Belial laughed, “Yes, yes, go have your fun. I won’t do anything tonight. Unless…”

Belial smirked and ran his tongue over his teeth, baring his own fangs: “You’d like to try and suck my blood, little vampire.”

Djeeta shivered again, and turned on her heel, “Go bother someone else, you creep.”

“Ugh, fine… but you know where to find me.”

With that, Belial was gone, having disappeared into the night again. Djeeta was alone, the fire a distant noise to the beating of her own heart. What was he up to? Was he spying on them? Thoughts and questions churned in Djeeta’s mind like a cogwheel spinning an engine, but no solution was found. She knew she also wouldn’t get any answers out of the angel herself, so Djeeta instead found her composure, and went to go tell Gran of what just happened.

Maybe she’d run into him again later.

[theskeletonprior]

Write Time: Day Thirteen

This month, my goal is a cool 30 000 words written. I’ll be carrying on with more RAVENOT. If you’re curious, you can take a look at my WIP intro right here. And if you’re really keen, you can read the first chapter (sort of a pilot as I toil) right here! Now onto the daily ramble.

I'm playing catch-up today with something of a vengeance because I know that my beloved husband will be reading my work later today while waiting for their mother to have a doctor's appointment. So I'd like there to be something to pass the time. I'm very excited about this new structure for RAVENOT, I think approaching it as a number of episodic novellas is really right for the character and for the story. I also get to learn so much about the world I'm writing in, just through what I discover in these novellas. I was also quite heartened to learn that Hideyuki Kikuchi was my age when he began writing his Vampire Hunter: D novels, and he's still writing them quite happily, and successfully today. So who knows what the future holds for Ravenot and I? An excerpt, for today!

When the attack finally came, Ravenot evaded it without looking, canting his head to one side to avoid the sudden thrust of a long, sharp beak. Had he been less wary, it would have pierced him through like a spear. "Rats! I thought I had you." The fey giggled, dancing back from Ravenot as they turned, one hand resting on the hilt of their longsword. This fey was not afflicted with the rot that Ravenot had seen on the others, and stood towering over him. She had the head of a heron, but her torso was humanoid, long arms crossed over her chest. Nestled in her hollow ribcage was a human head, and it was with this that she spoke. She had a mantis' raptorials, long serrated limbs, ready to grasp and ensnare, and he had heard the fluttering of her wings when she retreated from him. The wisps jingled around him, scattering in their panic, and cursing the end of their entertainment. "I will not quarrel with thee," said Ravenot. "I have come to help. There is—" "A rot, in the woods," the fey interrupted. "I know. I've seen it. Shall I tell you where?" "I need no favors." That made the fey snap at him again, and he was swift enough in ducking that her beak did not catch so much as a hair from his head. That sharp point had surely snatched up eyes and tongues, had punched holes through unwary throats. "Rats!" As she drew nearer, Ravenot could see the chitinous quality of her skin, even where it had at first seemed like feathers. Not so tough that his blade could not sunder it, if need be. The fey were not as precious about such things as mortals were. "'Tis summer," said Ravenot, though they did not yet draw their weapon. "Art thou certain 'twould be wise to play with me?" "I know you," said the fey, her long heron's neck retracting sullenly, "and I know the perils of the season." "I know thee too," said Ravenot. "But I would fainly leave thy name unuttered. Do not offer at me again." That made the fey suck in her breath, the teeth of the head in her belly chattering with displeasure. "I don't believe you," she said. But she did not strike at him a third time.

Until next time!

Taglist: @alexanderflowerbird @void-botanist @carmillasboywife @ceph-the-ghost-writer @wintherlywords

As always, let me know if you’d like to join or leave the taglist, and I’ll act accordingly. You can reply right on this post, if you'd like. Divider by @/strangergraphics, from this set: here. Thank you!

[seriesxwriting]

He makes me smile

Pairing- rafe Cameron x fem!reader

Series- outer banks

Summary- you and Rafe are broken up but one happy birthday text could change all that.

Warnings- kissing, I’m guessing swearing, drinking? Mention of drugs.

“Y/n!!” “Hey girl get into the party” I giggled opening the door wide to let my friend in. “Happy birthday girl ugh I haven’t seen you in ages” she wrapped her arms around me tight squeezing me. “I’m so glad you could make it Jade” I rubbed her back grime closing the door. “Your not even drunk yet are you? Come on it’s almost one it’s not even your birthday anymore and your not drunk?!” She exclaimed dragging me by my wrist towards the garden.

I stepped out to join all my friends as they were drunkenly dancing. It made me giggle and feel a bit warmer inside. I didn’t really feel like drinking I wasn’t in the mood. Evey where I step in my house I remember how Rafe was here for my party a year ago. And now he wasn’t. But drinking would be the best way to forget about that. “What he having? Oh you have rum!” Jade squealed reaching over for it.

“I’ll have the rum” I laughed under my breath. “Y/n! This is our song come and dance!” Nelly yelled from the dance floor. “I’ll be over in a moment hun” I yelled waiting patiently for my drink. In that moment my phone dinged. My eyes dried and my lips parted as a shock wave came over me.

“Who’s that- you look like you’ve just seen a ghost” Jane stopped what she was doing. “It’s um- it’s Rafe” I stuttered staring at my phone in disbelief. “Did I just hear the name Rafe?” Evie stopped as she was walking past with Izzy. “He- said happy birthday” I swallowed still not knowing what to do or even say. In fact my whole body was stand still and couldn’t be moved.

“No- no no no no no no” Izzy shook her head “he’s just being a dick and trying to lead you on” she explained giving it straight to me. “What do I say” I looked at them blankly. “Just put T-Y” Jane shook her head holding two drinks in her hand. “I’m just going to say thank you” I bit my lip while typing the message. “You really should wait till the morning, leave him waiting a bit” Evie told me shrugging her shoulders. “Too late”.

“What did you say?” She replied sipping her own drink. “I said thank you rafe” “no! Why’d you say his name now you made it personal” Jane gritted her teeth together before shaking her head and holding my drink out. “It is person- it always will be with him” “it doesn’t matter actually, put your phone away and get pissed with me, I half and halfed your drink”. I was about to turn my phone off before Rafe sent another message and my phone dinged. “What’d he say?” Izzy asked reserved, squinted one eye.

“He asked to meet and talk at our spot” “he knows your at a party you put it on your story” Jane reminded me with a lifted up eyebrow showing that she clearly wanted me to say no or just ignore him. But I didn’t. “I just need to see this through, it’s been a long time” “you mean you just need to see him” Evie folded her arms. “I haven’t seen him in a long time” I bit my lip. “Y/n please don’t ruin your birthday with that Twat” Izzy begged me fluttering her eyebrows.

“I’ve already said yes, I won’t be long our spot is like a five minute walk from my house” I smiled confidently, happily. “Your making a mistake girl you can do so much better” Betty told me appearing from nowhere to re fill her drink. “Exactly!” “But what if I’m not, I just need to talk to him clear things up but I’m not going to let him push me around” I explained starting to walk backwards. “Do not walk out of that door y/n y/l/n” Jane put her finger out at me.

The warning meant nothing, I turned around and bolted out of my garden and through the house to my door. I could hear people chasing me but I didn’t have time to check who. “I need to see this through, I’m sorry, love you I’ll be back soon byeee!” I shouted as I slammed the door behind me and in the girl’s faces . I took a deep breath looking at the dark night sky before setting off. It was only a little walk, down to the field next to my house. When I got to the road I saw rafes dirtbike out the front.

Turning down the slip road I walked with my heart punching my chest. The nerves were piling up. Then I saw him. He was sprawled out across our bench on his phone, his helmet under his arm. He looked hot. I brought my hand up to my mouth and made a coughing sound to let him know I was there. “Y/n” he jumped up scanning me with his eyes. “It’s like two degrees why aren’t you wearing a coat?” “I don’t plan on staying long Rafe, I have a party to get back to”.

“I know- it’s shit timing from me, but I’ve been building up to this for a while” he blinked looking across from me. “You don’t have to be scared of me y/n you can sit down” he backed away sitting down on the other end of the bench. “I’m not scared of you Rafe” I sighed making my way over to him. “I’m scared about why you asked me to come” “why do you think” he sighed sitting back but keeping his eyes on me. “You don’t want to know my answer, it doesn’t put you in a very good light”.

He sighed sounding stressed. “because I made a fucking mistake” “I know you did” I shrugged honestly feeling my body start to shiver. Rafe noticed too, that’s when he began removing his coat and jumper to give to me. “I don’t need them” “stop being like dat, before you catch a cold” he rolled his eyes thrusting them towards me. I bit my lip taking the jumper off him and throwing it on my back. “That’s all I’m taking” “still stubborn” he smirked, i couldn’t help but smile.

He just had some effect over me, when he smiled it made me smile. He makes me smile. “Seriously y/n- I miss you and I’m genuinely ready to put that shit that pushed you away- away- in fact I’m ready to burn it” “your ready to stop going out and doing coke with your friends?” “Yes” rafe nodded looking serious dead straight into my eyes. “Your ready to stop doing weed?” “Yes” “what about starting fights? Misbehaving, leaving me on delivered?” I folded my arms sitting back on the bench.

“Lying to me, ditching me, coming home late…” “y/n I’m not going to sit here and lie to you, I’m not going to say it’s going to stop all at once all together but i promise that I will try my best to be the person you want me to be and with time all that shit will be behind us” Rafe explained cutting me off, he slid over to me putting a hand on my thigh for comfort.

“Rafe- I want to believe that’s true, you don’t know how much I want to, but I can’t go through this again I can’t be happy and then have you tear it away from me again rafe” I shook my head feeling the tears prick in my eyes. “My life since you, has only gone down hill and I’ve realised that you are my person I don’t- I don’t know how to prove that your the only person I want for the rest of my life” he sighed putting his forehead on top of mine.

“After everything that happened- do you really expect me to trust you” I asked him softly feeling one of them tears fall down my face. “No- but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try and get you back” he whispered wiping my tear off my face with his thumb carefully dragging it across my soft skin.

“I want things to go back to how they were Rafe, but is there too much history?” I swallowed nervous to know what he thought. “The history is what’s going to make us stronger y/n”. I looked up at him sadly not knowing if that’s what I believed. “You don’t- have to decide now, take as long as you need god knows I took my time realising that I wanted you” “but that’s not fair Rafe” I shook my head.

“That’s me leading you on- i didn’t like when you did that to me and I’m not about to do it to you” “so- what do you want to do?” He asked slowly. I swallowed sitting forwards looking Rafe in the eyes. “I want a trial, I don’t want labels on anything but I want to give it a month and if you’ve earned back my trust you can make me your girlfriend after that- if you haven’t, we are done- done done” I folded my arms seriously.

“So- your giving me a chance” “mmh” I hummed as a smiled unfolded on my face. “You won’t regret it” he told me taking my hand and laying a kiss on it. “Come on Rafe I hated your lying not your kisses” I rolled my eyes and held my hand behind his head pushing him towards my face. I felt a laugh vibrate from his lips as they met with mine. I usually knew him to be more rough but he was ever so gentle with me. When we pulled away he leant his forehead on mine.

“So what’s your plan for the rest of the night” I whispered brushing my fingers through his brunette hair. “No plans” he chuckled shrugging his shoulders. “Wanna come back to my motive, you can stay?” “You- sure?” He chewed his lip pulling away slightly. “You will get some dirty looks obviously, my friends all do hate you but I’m sure you’ll grow on them”. Rafe through his head back laughing “challenged accepted.”

“I know you don’t want labels, but your mine right?” “I’m yours rafe, for now” I giggled, he smirked shaking his head. “For the rest of our lives babe”.

For more like this try my Masterlist

[jurassicsickfics]

In A World of Hurt

This story was requested by @blueandbetaraptors

It was late at night, during the summer of 1975, and teenage best friends Norma Watson and Chris Hargensen were having their regular Thursday night sleepover. These little get-togethers usually consisted of nonstop gossip and tea-pouring, but tonight, Norma had been oddly quiet. She fidgeted with her blonde braided pigtails as she and Chris sat together on their shared bed. Chris turned to her. "You alright?" She asked, briefly looking up from filing her nails. Norma shrugged. "I dunno...I've got this weird twinges in my stomach..." she said. "Probably gas." Chris said, flashing her best friend a sympathetic smile. Norma managed a chuckle. "Yeah, probably. But...I'm tired, can we go to bed now?" She asked. Chris nodded, placing her nail file back on the nightstand. "Sure, I'm tired too."

The girls turned off the lamp and laid down, Norma cuddling up to her friend and resting her head on her chest. Chris may be a notorious bully at Bates High, but alone with Norma, she's a big softie. But only Norma gets to see that side of her. As the two girls laid together in bed, Chris noticed Norma grimacing in a pained expression, but didn't have time to think anything of it before she dozed off.

Soon, 2 A.M. rolled around. Chris was sleeping so soundly when she was woken to being shaken by Norma. She groaned sleepily as her eyes fluttered open. "What?" She asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I don't feel good..." came the soft, tearful reply. That got her attention. Chris sat up, stretching briefly before turning on the bedside lamp. She turned to look at Norma and her eyes widened; her best friend was pale as a ghost. "Whoa! Norma, what in the world is the matter?!" She asked, concern written all over her face. Norma curled in on herself, her arms wrapped tight around her middle as her face screwed up in a grimace. "I-I don't know...my tummy hurts...really bad..." she said.

Chris mumbled a soft, "Oh honey..." as she felt her friend's forehead. "You're burning up..." she said. Norma was shivering, both from pain and fever as she snuggled closer into Chris's side. "It hurts...hurts so bad..." she sobbed, each breath coming out with a soft moan. "Do you think you're gonna throw up?" Chris asked. Norma shrugged. "No...well, yeah, kinda, but it doesn't hurt like that. I've never felt pain like this before..." she answered. This worried her friend even further. "What do you mean? What does it feel like?"

Norma shifted positions, trying to get comfortable but to no avail. "Sharp...stabbing..." she answered, trembling so hard her teeth chattered. Chris's eyes widened upon hearing that description. "That doesn't sound good at all..." she said. Before either of the girls could get out another word, Norma clamped a hand over her mouth and, as quickly as her pained body would allow, sat up and puked over the side of the bed. Chris cringed in sympathy, reaching over to pull her friend's braided hair back out of the way and rub her back.

Once done, the sick girl turned over, laying back down against her friend's chest. Chris rubbed her back and asked, "Does that feel any better?"

"Ow! No, no! That made it worse!" Norma wailed, clutching her side.

"Oh no...Norma, I think we need to take you to the hospital..." Chris said, already moving to get up and get dressed. Norma didn't protest as her friend frantically darted around the bedroom, throwing on a sweatshirt and leggings.

"C'mon, can you get up?" She asked, and Norma shook her head.

"Norma, you've gotta try, I don't think I can carry you. You don't have to get dressed, just put a coat on." She said, pulling her friend to her feet and wrapping her up I a coat.

The two made their way to the car, struggling of course, and Norma threw up again on the hallway carpet in the process. But Chris didn't care; she had bigger problems on her mind than a little puke on the carpet. Snatching the keys to her father's car off the table by the door, they made their way outside into the dark, empty neighborhood. Once in the car, Norma curled up in the seat, pulling her knees up to her belly and whimpering. She turned to Chris as she started the car. "Won't your dad get mad at you for taking his car without asking?"

Chris shrugged. "I don't care, let him get mad. You're more important to me than that."

Norma managed a weak smile at that. She couldn't help but wonder what happened to this side of Chris when they were at school. Sure, Norma was a firecracker herself among classmates but Chris could be downright horrible and mean, but when she was with her best friend, her safe place, she was a big sweetheart.

Thankful for the lack of traffic at this hour, Chris made it to the emergency room in record time. And no sooner did the nurses and doctors see the state that poor Norma was in, they leapt into action.

Hours later, after the sun had come up, Norma awoke in a hospital bed, Chris asleep by her side. She glanced around the room, and there were her parents, too.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked. Norma's mother gave a soft smile. "Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling?" She asked. Norma shrugged. "Better I guess...the pain is gone...wait, how'd you know what happened?" She asked. Her father spoke up, "Chris there called us. She paced this room the entire time you were in surgery and she hasn't left your side since. "

Norma's tired face was a mask of confusion. "Surgery? What happened to me?"

"You had appendicitis, dear. They removed your appendix."

And suddenly it all made sense. The pangs of pain, the nausea, the fever...then the awful stabbing pain...of course. Why didn't she think of that? It was painfully obvious looking back on her symptoms now.

"Oh wow..." Norma breathed, laying down again and cuddling into a sleeping Chris.

"You guys weren't home..if I wouldn't have been with Chris..."

Her father finished for her, "your appendix would likely have ruptured...she got you here just in time."

Norma took a moment to take in that information. Her best friend had just saved her life, and she was so grateful she could cry right then and there. She buried her face in her sleeping friend's chest and whispered, "Remind me to thank you when you wake up...I love you so much..."

[titanicfreija]

Campfire Stories

The next server bank was a bust, completely ruined by bombs, raiders, weather and time; but Freija decided it was late enough to stop. The bombed out ruin of city held little to look for.

"You actually camp? In a tent?" Thomas watched Freija tie her hammock tent into the exposed ceiling joists with an incredulous brow raised.

The second floor of the office building gave them a good view of the area without being too obvious, and smelled mostly of dust. Even the bugs ran out of food here.

"I was about to ask what you did," Freija chuckled. "You'll sooner go back to orbit, won't you?"

"I try to divide my activities into tasks so I can get parts done and stop, instead of being caught in the open in the dark," the Warlock replied. "I should have said something when we got done in the last one."

"I wouldn't have stopped anyway." The chipper grin had a feral undertone that Thomas could appreciate. "I have a backup tent, if you want. They're not meant to be shared or I would." She knelt in place as a pack materialized on the ground in front of her and the harmony between her and her Ghost stung Thomas again. "Or you can go to orbit and we can ping you down with coordinates."

He couldn't decide if she was teasing or patronizing. "I'll try and tough it out, I'm a big boy." Freija offered the folded tent, and he untangled it to examine. If she'd asked him to build a shelter in a forest, he'd have a full cabin in an hour, but this 'survival gear' of the spoiled Tower-dwellers worked just as well and embarrassed him with his inexperience. "Don't help and don't watch if you can't keep that look off your face. I can do it, I just can't make it look easy." He narrowed his amber eyes at her and she grinned as she ducked her head between her shoulders.

"Alright, then I'm gonna go establish perimeters," she declared, placing her M5 across her back and picking up Polaris Lance. "Don't die."

~

He did fine and Freija didn't come across any active threats, so the evening wound down pleasantly. This chunk of world saw a cool breeze come in with sundown, batting down the growing humidity. The Guardians spent a while studying a Golden Age map of computer network from a telecommunications company that went bust before the Exodus program.

After the sun's last color faded and the night truly set in, with the only lights coming from the Ghosts and Freija, the pair took their boots off and settled into their hammock-tents.

"What did you do before the Vanguard?" asked Freija. "Like, all Guardians, not just you, but also just you."

"The same thing any super-powered immortal would do-- we went to war. Thus the title Warlords. Gathered little groups of normal people, got them to feed us with promises to protect them from the rest of us." He picked at his teeth. "I'm not certain I'm ready to tell you about my longer history."

"Why not?"

"I'm not better than anyone else." The warlock didn't squirm, but he fixed his eyes to the dark for several moments before he shook himself. "I'm not proud of it."

"I've crushed Ghosts," Freija pointed out. "Killed refugees. I'm still ashamed of ever having set foot on the Tangled Shore, and I was a baby back then. I haven't had a long time to be a monster, but I'm still a monster."

Thomas rocked his head and frowned with thought. "You're such a bleeding heart, it's hard to think."

The Titan cocked her head curiously. "Were you a Warlord? I know I'd have been one. Probably with the best intentions, at least at first. I know how I get."

Thomas chortled and picked at his teeth again. "You'd start a whole country, getting bored and traveling between three or four settlements." He stuck a leg down to swing. "I wouldn't have called me a Warlord, but I'm sure the mortals I kept with me would have," he eventually admitted.

Freija's curious brow creased further and Thomas looked skyward to shed the scrutiny. "I didn't mean to start the collection, they followed me because I was Risen and because they didn't have anything else. I'd happen on bands while I wandered, they'd join me, and we would wander together. I thought of them as equals, but they saw me as something like a god. I didn't feel the rift until one of them died. I did my best to do right. I kept them as safe as I could. I also killed... a lot of people in the process. I didn't try very hard to find a way around it, but even if I had... killing normal humans is... too easy. Even hand-fighting." He took a long, slow breath and blew it through pursed lips, finally lowering his eyes to his companion. "So, to answer your question more directly, yes. I don't feel like I was, but by pretty much any standard of the definition, I was."

The gleaming silver ironically hid any real expression. "I always wondered," she said eventually. "Not-hyphen-warlord. Funny to think about you, though."

He snorted another soft laugh. "Yeah. Rex misses those days. I don't."

"You kept a band of humans?"

"Got followed," Thomas corrected, irritated with remembering any of it. He didn't remember any lines, any discussions, but he did remember feeling forced to take these people under his protection, because anything else was abandoning them to die. "But because they were following me, I felt like I needed to protect them." His breath hitched and he rolled. "During hungry times, I let myself starve, giving them my share of the food. Rex tried to heal me through it, because the damage could be healed-- he'd restore the muscle and fill the bone, he could even put my fat back. But the hunger couldn't be healed away. Stomach stays empty, no matter how fat you are. I had them execute me when it hurt just to start over. Kept me strong enough to help hunt."

He didn't look at the expression on the Titan's face, but he could still see more light than usual from her eyes. Thomas turned his view away and tried to speak, but he couldn't get his voice above a whisper. "And that still wasn't as bad as failing to save Til."

Freija sucked another breath, but he heard sympathy in this one, not surprise. "Yeah. That part sucks," she said. "It's only happened a few times. I can't imagine it being someone I know."

He did know that. She liked finding strays and helping them find homes. And more than a few times, she'd lost one in the process. "Yeah." He rolled back over and saw Freija watching the dark instead of him, which made him feel better. "Yeah. It made me so.... Fucking... Jealous when I saw what Titans could do. That would have been perfect."

Freija offered a non-committal, "uh huh," but he could tell she hurt for him.

Thomas swung lightly in the hammock, kicking his leg to get going. "I rose about the time the Iron Lords were founded, so I didn't have too many Warlords to deal with. Most of the threats were nature and other independent humans troops and Fallen. Eliksni. When the Iron Lords found me, I was quick to declare myself Risen, not Warlord, and they took my people in with their own, and I joined in to help out. Spent time with them and wandering. Got to help with the Tower foundations, that was a whole big thing. Worked for a long time in salvage. I liked the chance to settle. Didn't get into the Ahamkara hunts, but only because I knew I didn't have the power, and I worried I would wish on accident. Last thing we need to find out is if I could become a Titan by dying and rising again."

Freija snickered. "Yeah, I can see that. So that's the wanna-be-a-Titan thing? How often did that kind of thing happen?"

Thomas swatted the air passively. "It's more than that, but at the same time, it's even simpler. A barricade would have been infinitely more useful than my rift the entire Dark Age. I don't know if we're actually physically weaker or if it's just me. I'm just not that great with my Light. I don't think my jump would be better but I would get more mercy for it if I could get my Light under my feet."

Freija hummed with thought. "I wish I had a rift sometimes. Takes forever to get safe enough for Sunny, sometimes, leaves me to hide and bleed out. But-- just so you know, the jump is more like it's pushing from my hips, not my feet. Legs are for steering. Hunters are the ones that use their feet. What do you guys use? You all fly like you have wings, like it's a pull up from your shoulders instead of a push from beneath."

Thomas watched the shining eyes and shimmering skin in the darkness. "You're so weird," he told her, not for the first time.

She kicked irritably and fell back into the tent, out of view. "Sarah was smarter than me. Sometimes it shows when things are quiet and still enough. She had an eye for details, patterns. You always say that when I say something that isn't stupid."

"It's not about stupid or smart, it's just what I expect from history, what you say, and what you showed me. You say you don't notice detail and you're bad at puzzles. You say you can't keep track of what's going on in combat. You say you struggle with conversations, your armor and weapon mods, your aim. I have seen, personally, every single one of these things. You're impatient and foolhardy and insensitive and there's been a lot of times where I think you forgot to even look at your mods when you swapped kits.

"And yet you talk scared people out of fighting without speaking their language. You start fires with Polaris Lance at distances that require spotters and bullet trajectory math. You predict enemy crucible tactics with what looks like cheating or clairvoyance. You made an offhand joke at a puzzle that turned out to be a truth that helped me finish it. And you tell me, by looking, how each class uses their Light to move through the air."

Thomas couldn't watch her as the tent swung with her weight. "Sarah could do it. Sunny says it's because it's too much effort to move as fast and hard as I do and think like she did at the same time. She put it like, I have a max capacity. I can split it up to wherever but putting half the effort into thinking means half the effort going to running and shooting."

Thomas gave her a sound of acknowledgement. "Something else," he said again, closing off his tent.

~~

Request

Communication

The Database

Something Else

Campfire Stories

Jealousy 

Bickering 

Revealed

[dedos-0]

Wednesday X Male Reader

The Mark Of The Outsiders

(First story so don’t judge me but please do tell me what I can improve on if I do a bad job ;-; and also this is my story and it ain’t following the main show so yea)

Warning there will be gore

While everyone was talking Wednesday sitting by herself in the corner of the room ignoring them all and looking out the window feeling like there’s something off a few minutes goes by the teacher comes up and a teenaged boy follows behind him having a black cloak wrapped around him with black gloves and a mask that she never seen before every immediately shuts up listening and wondering why he has a weird but creepy looking mask on while Wednesday looks at him with curiosity ”Hello my name is (Y/n) and that’s all I’m saying the rest doesn’t concern you” a girl from the right side of the classroom asked “why is he here isn’t he just some random guy who has no powers I bet he’s wearing that mask to cover up how ugly he is” everyone starts chuckling after what she said except Wednesday, Enid, and Xavier the Reader he just went and sat right next to Wednesday giving her a little wave and he didn’t bother her or anyone when the bells ringed he was silent and always the first one to leave he always vanished like a ghost every single time every class she goes he’s already sitting down waiting and she doesn’t even notice him unless he makes a sound which would usually get her on edge and make her turn immediately just to see him there but she never really minded it it kept on happening like usual until lunch time when he was walking to a table where no one was he was confronted by a group of boys they all wanted to fight him so one of the boys punched him hard across the face the Reader retaliated by completely busting his nose and break one of his legs making him scream out in pain as part of his broken bone was sticking out of him blood gushing out of his leg and nose fast and at a steady rate the two of the boys ran right at him both in there werewolf forms about to slash his chest and legs off but before they could land there strikes the Reader immediately reacted by pulling out his Eternal Twin Void Blade with his left hand and aimed at the second boys wrist with what was attached to his right wrist was a handmade voltaic gun but it was completely silent but very precise with every shot he uses his hidden blade to cut off one of there hands and he aims his voltaic gun and shoots him right in the wrist joint being very precise about where he shot making it to where he can’t use that hand as the bullet penetrates his skin it burst in flames searing his skin and flesh as if it was meat on a grill everyone around them was looking at Y/n in horror as what he did except for Wednesday at the very end of her lips was curved a bit upwards but it immediately went down after she realizes that she was smiling something she haven’t done in years she looked back at the fight and sees Reader beating the last guy with his bare hands near death before he stopped you could see all the bones coming out of there arms or legs and there teeth on the ground as blood continues out of the group of boys like a waterfall the Reader just grabbed his food and left Wednesday went right after him after following him for 30 minutes he just stopped “come out Wednesday I know your there following me” she was shocked cause she never made a sound but he was able to notice that she was following him so she came out from behind a pillar “I want to know why did you cut off, or shot there hands and broke there arms or legs” he turned and looked at her before replying “cause they deserved it” after thinking about his response “i see…” was the only thing she could say even though she wanted to continue talking to him her but her words caught on the tip of the tongue and just wouldn’t come out before she knew it he turned and walked away from her leaving her there…

[lovevalley45]

#fictober23 day 3

"Okay, show me."

original fiction (prelude to #fictober22 prompts 3 & 4)

word count: 601

cw: implied sexual content

“Hey, uh, is it weird to get bitten by a wild animal and not have it heal for a week?”

George put down his phone and glanced over at his friend Terra as she looked in the mirror, sweatshirt hiked up to look at her side. 

“When the hell did you get bitten by a wild animal?”

“Remember that cute girl, Lindsey? She wanted to go on a camping date, you know, fuck in the woods or something,” Terra said. 

He raised his eyebrows. “And not just enjoy the great outdoors like a normal person?”

“I mean, fucking in the woods is enjoying the great outdoors, right,” she asked. “Anyways, I was walking back from the showers, ‘cause things got messy, and she fell asleep like right after, and this big wolf lunged at me and attacked me. It only got in a nibble, but-”

George stood up. Terra was definitely one of his wilder friends; the 3 AM phone calls he frequently received made an interesting list of secondhand stories. But this was a new level of wild for her. 

“What do you mean ‘a wolf lunged at you and attacked you’?”

Terra shrugged. “Like I said. A little.” She looked back down at her side. “Though, seriously, dude, I do not think this is healing right.”

He sighed. “Okay, show me.”

She pulled her sweatshirt down and came over. “I mean, it’s kinda gnarly.”

“Just let me see.” George tugged her sweatshirt up and couldn’t help his wince. There was no blood or scabbing, but the deep teeth marks were still imprinted in her skin. “Did you go see a doctor about this?”

Shaking her head, Terra said, “I tried to tell the park ranger guy, but he said there aren’t any wolves in this area. Basically thought I was delusional.”

“Did you try showing him the massive teeth marks in your skin?” George asked. 

“Well, no, because I would have had to flash him,” she replied. 

He buried his face into his hands. “You have to be kidding me.”

“I mean, I feel fine. Maybe a little more carnivorous. I had a really big craving for beef today, but maybe I’m just low on iron. And my silver bracelet was really itching me last night.”

Sitting forward, he asked her, “When did you go camping?” 

“It was last week. Five days ago, maybe,” Terra answered. 

George picked his phone back up, googling lunar calendar. Werewolves weren’t real, right? They couldn’t be. 

“Five days ago. Full moon,” he told her. “Did that wolf look… anthropomorphic?”

“Do you think some guy in a fursuit bit me?”

“Terra.”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t know. It was dark, and I was just trying to get back to the campground. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t even stay, I just left and ghosted Lindsey.”

Tucking his phone back in his pocket, George laid a hand on her arm. “Well, I don’t think you can just pretend it didn’t happen.”

Terra met his eyes, slightly shining with the warning signs of full on crying. “You think it was a werewolf, don’t you?”

“I don’t wanna sound crazy here, but I was thinking it,” George admitted. “Either way, it sounds way worse than you wanna admit.”

She bit her lip. “It really shook me up. And that’s why I didn’t want to tell you, but this stupid bite mark won’t heal.” 

“Come here.” He pulled her into a hug. “Even if you turn into a werewolf, I’ll always be there for you.”

Terra laughed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

[vampirelover890]

Corpse of the Corporate Ladder (2/?)

(CW: Depictions of death, corpses, gore, decapitation, deception, and janitorial work ahead)

The new janitor is... strange. Pale as a ghost and as anti-social as could be; I don't think anyone's had the chance to hold a conversation with her. I've asked around the office to find that no one's even seen her in town after hours. That wouldn't be so odd if New Wallachia wasn't such a small city. I approached Lance in HR and asked what'd happened to Jeanie. He said that upper management found that her performance as janitor was sub par, and as such, had been replaced by one of the C.E.O.s relatives. She recently came into hard times and needed this job to survive. It was the least he could do.

The people in the office have been almost afraid of the new janitor, which was fair. Barb, the gossipy bitch she is, has been spreading rumors about her since she started, telling people that she eats rats and lives in the janitor's closet. During lunch today, I approached the new janitor. Up close, you could understand where Barb was coming from. Her skin was devoid of almost all color, and her outfit seemed to barely hang off her malnourished frame, like a big shirt on a child. She stood in the corner of the warehouse underneath the office, holding onto her mop like it was the only thing keeping her safe from the ground. I approached and with as much kindness in my voice as i could muster, asked, "Hi! I'm Dylan, what's your name?"

From her hollow frame came a strained voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard and a frog had made passionate love in her throat which replied, "Si- Sio- Siobha... n. Siobhan."

Her voice was quite shocking, but I pressed on, asking, "Well- Siobhan... how are you feeling today?"

"Hunger... y. I'm always... so... hungry."

The story that Lance had given seemed to hold up. She really did seem to be on hard times. I felt awful. Siobhan looked and sounded like she was seconds away from dying, and if it weren't for that fact that she stood and spoke before me now, I'd think she was.

"Siobhan, is there any way I can help you feel better?"

In response to my question, Siobhan dropped the mop and extended her arms for a hug. As I went in, she gave me a great toothy smile and-

Siobhan sunk her teeth into Dylan's shoulder and ripped his flesh off of his shoulder, locking him in a firm grasp with strength betraying her physique. Dylan began to wriggle like a snake in the claws of a hawk. His screams were to no avail. The warehouse was empty, his co-workers none the wiser, eating lunch. Siohan finally loosened her bear hug on Dylan after crushing his ribs and popping his heart. Siobhan dragged Dylan's corpse into her closet. Her sacred room where no one dare enter. Where she may too enjoy her lunch break. After removing his head, she picked the flesh off his spine and indulged on the gooey desert that was his brain.

[aparticularbandit]

you know, here's the thing: if viola actually caught peter quint stealing from bly - like actually was conscious and aware that was what he was doing and her power as a ghost to stop him and keep him there for an indefinite amount of time as punishment - she probably would have intentionally killed him.

as opposed to dani, who she likely would not have tried to kill, or flora, who she would have mothered A LOT. (jury's out on whether she would have mothered miles; she would have been spending too much time ripping peter out to help with that much.)

[willshipanything-blog]

Rules of the Game- Chapter 1

My first fanfic, so be nice (but I will gratefully accept constructive criticism) <3

Full Chapter Index here.

If you want to read and comment on AO3, it's here (I'm darkbelle on there).

More detailed tags and warnings over there. For now: dead dove, kidnapping, violence, non-con, you get the picture.

Chapter 1: Misdirection

“You’re not leaving, are you, Y/N?”. 

Ms. Rutherford, the librarian at Galesburg Community Library, looked up suspiciously, abandoning her book stamping duties to ask you this. She had always been very particular about the volunteers sticking to their scheduled hours. It was almost sinful you were leaving earlier than expected. 

You turned from exiting the front entrance to face the help desk, piled high with books waiting to be stamped for return and shelved with their neighbors. You thought you might have sneaked out without a fuss. You suppressed a smirk as she pushed her glasses up her nose slightly. She was a walking stereotype of your typical librarian, old and stern, but you had to admit her book recommendations were superlative. Recently you’d been on a Brontë binge and you and Ms. Rutherford had had several (admittedly) heated discussions over the better sister; she was Camp Emily, you Team Charlotte. 

“My ride let me down at lunch, so I need to set off home earlier today,” you replied “but I’ll be back right on time tomorrow!”

“What else can you expect from young men these days? Really, to let a young lady walk alone at night, and with that deviant on the loose, no less!” 

You stifled a laugh and instead exhaled through your nose in amusement. “Ms. Rutherford, first of all, it's 4pm, and honestly, it’s no big deal, it’s not the first time I’ve had to walk home by myself, I’m a big girl! See you bright and early tomorrow!” You turned quickly to avoid a tirade of criticisms about the current generation of young men, which you were very well aware of. As you pushed open the double oak doors of the library, you couldn’t help ponder that Jonathon, your boyfriend of just over a year now, had pissed you off when he had told you last minute he had plans with friends to drink beer and watch football. How original. 

These thoughts disappeared as you stepped outside. You weren’t going to let it bother you. Glass half full, Y/N, you thought to yourself: at least the weather was nice. Although lugging your bookbag in this heat wasn’t ideal, you weren’t going to complain about the weather being so pleasant this late into fall.

Hopping down the stone steps of the library, you thought about another thing that Ms. Rutherford had said- that deviant. It still made you uneasy thinking about the recent spate of missing young boys, especially when you had known one of them. Only distantly, but it still made your stomach turn to think about. It was hard to try and forget though, between the near empty streets at night and the endless rows of MISSING posters that desperate families kept pasting to every fence, streetlight and store window in Galesburg.  

At least at this time of day, most kids had gone straight home from school. Even with leaving the library early, you were able to avoid them. It seemed that all they could talk about these days was ‘the grabber’, as they’d so unashamedly nicknamed him. This moniker spread quickly throughout their friendship circles; it even started to be used by the police, newspapers and TV stations. The speculation about who ‘the grabber’ was gonna get next, the whispered dares to say his name three times in the mirror, as if he were some bogeyman, set your teeth on edge. He was real, not an urban legend to tell ghost stories about. Most kids seemed to forget that they were the ones at risk. Had it gotten colder or was it just these thoughts making you shiver? 

You started to drift away from these ruminations, thinking instead about the large takeout pizza you were gonna order and have with a cold beer once you got home. Extra mushrooms too, which Jonathon hated, to ensure he wouldn’t eat your leftovers. That’ll teach him. Whilst practically drooling over this thought, you heard a sudden rush of steps behind you. Too late to turn around, an arm collided into your own. 

A kid (barely a teenager judging by his size) had flown right into you. Knocking you slightly off balance, he turned but didn’t stop, holding out both hands in a ‘whoops, my bad’ sort of gesture. You noticed tape on the palms that he held up. Must have wrapped them up himself, probably he’d been fighting and had to bandage his knuckles. He did look like a scrappy little thing. 

“Hey, sorry guapa!” he called, turning forward once more and racing on ahead once it was clear you weren’t hurt. You smiled and shook your head, shouting after him down the street. 

“Be careful, kid!” He was already gone, turning the corner about 30 yards ahead of you. 

As you turned right at the same corner half a minute later, a strange scene presented itself, making you stop in your tracks. Crouched on the sidewalk a few feet in front of you was a man with ashy brown-gray hair down to his shoulders, muttering to himself as he tried to collect what looked like a litany of spilled groceries. Looking past him, parked on the curb a little way back was a matte black van with faint green text etched on the side. Even further up the road, you could just make out the young boy still in a rush to get someplace. The crouched figure looked less than enthused and didn’t see that another person was standing just a few feet away from him.

You regained your senses. “Oh! Here, lemme help you,” you volunteered, beginning to grab a couple of oranges that had rolled near to where you were standing.

“No, it’s fine, I got it,” a gravelly voice answered, clearly annoyed at the situation. And why wouldn’t he be? You saw the spilled milk and broken eggs over the sidewalk, things that would have to be replaced. 

“Are you sure? Sorry that kid knocked you over, but I don’t think everything’s ruined,” you said hopefully as you held up the oranges to inspect them. 

“The kid didn’t knock–” the surly voice ceased speaking as he looked up at you. 

A moment of silence followed as the man stood up slowly. You were taken aback by his appearance, his face covered in what seemed to be greasepaint, the top half of his visage hidden by a pair of dark, clunky sunglasses. He must have easily been six feet tall, wearing all black save for a blood-red turtleneck under his silk shirt. Your stomach shifted, suddenly feeling somewhat uneasy around this stranger standing mere feet from you. 

His voice was different when he next spoke; a friendly, almost childish intonation. “Uh, what I meant to say was, I’m sure that boy didn’t mean to bump me like that. I’m normally such a klutz without anyone helping me along!” he smiled goofily, a row of slightly crooked white teeth now visible.

Your silence and continued look of worry was evident, and he spoke again apologetically:

“Oh, uh, sorry for all this,” - here he held both hands up, ringed fingers outstretched, pointing towards his face in an exaggerated gesture - “but my costume isn’t complete. Would you mind passing me my hat, dear?”

Here he gestured theatrically with an arm, guiding your line of sight to a black top hat sat amongst the broken eggs. Feeling only a little reassured by his friendly tone, you stooped to retrieve it. You passed it to him, both of you stretching an arm to cover the distance between you, and as he grabbed the rim he flipped it expertly and it landed on his head. He gave a bow, the vaudevillian look complete, and you huffed out a half-laugh, exhaling a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding in. 

After explaining that he was a part time magician, hence the ridiculous outfit, and the van emblazoned with the line ABRACADABRA- ENTERTAINMENT AND SUPPLIES, you both started to pick up what was salvageable from the spilled mess on the sidewalk. He insisted you needn’t help, but you insisted even more that it was no bother. He put the rescued groceries into the back of his van and promptly slammed the door closed. 

“Well, thank you again, you’ve been such a good girl helping me out here.”

You were about to reply for the twentieth time with ‘no problem’, but sensed a strange look come over the man’s face, a vacant, contemplative gaze that you couldn’t place. Before you could speak he interjected, cognizant again.

“Say, you’re not my usual audience, but would you like to see a magic trick, dove?”

Once more, you were taken aback, this time by the strange nickname the man had used, but you’d concluded he was what your mother might have called ‘an eccentric’. You had also unabashedly concluded that this man was charming and (under the facepaint and glasses) really quite handsome, despite the fact he was old enough to be your father. You played ball, nodding at his request.

He chuckled almost imperceptibly under his breath and took a couple of paces towards you. With an elaborate wave of his hand, he reached towards the right side of your face, grazing your cheek as he tucked some hair behind your ear. You hoped you weren’t blushing too much at this spectacle. A shiny quarter was retrieved, and you couldn’t help but smile widely. 

The misdirection of this trick became apparent when you noticed too late the man’s other arm come swinging towards your face at full force, his fist making contact with your jaw with a thundering crack. 

Your body hit the hard sidewalk below you. White hot pain seared through your face. Too shocked to even scream. You felt yourself sitting up, holding yourself on unsteady, wobbling arms. Your vision spun furiously and you recognized the click of a car door opening somewhere in your mind. Whilst you willed yourself to get up and escape the situation, an arm grabbed your chest from behind and in an instant an acrid taste entered your mouth, preemptively choking out any screams you might have attempted. The same spray misted your eyes and it stung like hell. If your body was slow to react to the first hit, it was molasses now. You felt a tight pressure under both of your arms. It was him. He was dragging you to his van. This wasn’t going to end well unless your body at least attempted to move. 

You felt yourself hauled like a sack of flour onto the hard floor of the van. Last chance, both your feet still touched the outside ground, and your mind begged you to do something. Too late. You felt the man’s bulky frame straddling you as he climbed into the van himself, dragging you underneath him further into the vehicle. Your bare arms and legs were stippled with splinters as you were tugged roughly along the wooden flooring, but this pain hardly registered to you compared with the excruciating burning your face felt and the sting from the man’s initial blow. A thud of doors told you he’d now trapped you inside. 

Only now did your sluggish body begin to react. You flailed your arms wildly, though your legs were now firmly trapped under the man’s weight, and your voice was a raspy whisper, clearly from whatever spray had hit you full in the face. As you fumbled blindly with your hands balled into fists, you felt your left hand hit something solid and heard a vicious growl. You’d managed to hit the figure mounted on top of you. A small victory for only a moment; hands suddenly gripped both of your wrists, and bundled them underneath him with your fettered legs. 

As you felt another blow on the side of your face, followed by another, and another, you cursed yourself. Why didn’t you fight back sooner? Or run after that first blow? Why did you talk to a stranger at all? These questions and more exploded in your mind, but began to fade as you sank into unconsciousness.

Al thought it such a shame about that rude young boy. Running past without even offering to help him. Shame too; looked like he had some fight in him. He was going to chalk it up as a bad job, maybe even try another street elsewhere, then she came. This was unexpected. He had closed his van and was going to thank her for her help, when he had called her that- a good girl, he’d said. The idea struck him in seconds. Why not? If the game didn’t work out as planned, who would know? No one who would live to tell the tale. She’s older than the other boys by quite a margin, but he’s still bigger and stronger than her, maybe it could still serve his purposes for the game. And she was a woman- even if naughty boy didn’t work, there were other things that could be done before dispatching her in a shallow grave with the others. Al thought meditatively for a long time on the drive home, the sun just beginning to set on the warm Denver evening.

[chasingpj]

𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬

pairing: percy jackson x child of zeus!reader and jason x older sibling!reader

requested: yes!

warning: two curse words, mentions of stealing, death of a parent, and i believe that is it!

category: headcanons, fluff

a/n: i may have gotten too carried away but... i had a lot of fun writing this haha. i hope you guys like it!

pre-relationship

you and percy invented the phrase power couple but coming together took a while

your relationship dynamic would be very similar to thalia and percy's at first

you're both natural-born leaders, so you guys butt heads very often

you're more calculated and organized when it comes to things and percy being impulsive really annoyed you

he's lucky that even though he is impulsive, things somehow always work out in the end

if it wasn't for annabeth urging you guys to get along, you probably would still be at each other's neck

how did she get you guys to get along, you may ask?

she locked you guys in a storage closet :)

and said figure it out ♡

this happened after a friendly sparring practice turned into a full-on fight with your powers

annabeth insisted she wouldn't let you guys out until you declared to be friends

at the time, you were like, percy will never be my friend, ew

percy was just as annoyed

after a good hour of bickering and resisting your urge to choke him out

you guys found that you had a lot in common, actually?

huh, who would have known?

apparently annabeth

you guys talked about your life outside of camp and bonded over the worst teachers you've ever had

turns out, percy wasn't that bad

you'd never admit that out loud though

after a while, you started to feel things

were percy's eyes always that pretty?

yes, they've always been

oh look, those freckles over his nose? adorable

did you just call Percy adorable? yeah, you did… gross

you tried to deny your attraction to him

you were pretty sure this was a cruel joke from aphrodite (it was… more for your dad's than for you guys, though)

then you started noticing changes in his behavior too

now you guys were sharing blankets at the campfire when it got chilly

he even shared the blue cookies his mother sent him too

that's when you should have known he was down bad

both of you have awful sleep schedules

you hated sleeping in cabin 1

it was clearly built not to be slept in, and every few days, you found yourself having late-night conversations with percy at the docks

once the harpies snuck up on you and percy told you to get in the water with him

you didn't know how to swim, and you were kinda horrified of open water

you wanted to refuse, but you were cornered on the docks

you either jumped or got eaten

the last thing you said was that you couldn't swim before percy didn't give you a choice

he grabbed your hand and jumped in

his arm wrapped around your waist to keep you in the air bubble he had made around you guys

at first, you didn't focus on it

too busy trying to defend yourself from his teasing

he continued to mimic the way you screamed when he dragged you into the water

"wow, you can fly, but you can't swim?"

you rolled your eyes, trying to defend yourself

you called him annoying, and he playfully threatened to let you drown

you guys joked and laughed, staying a little too long underwater

after your laughter ceased, you found yourself looking into his eyes

the both of you became quiet

suddenly his arm around your waist, the way your chests were pressed against each other made you horribly flustered

and you're not sure what you were thinking

actually, you weren't thinking at all, but you leaned in and kissed him

like really kissed him, it was a proper kiss

ahhhhhh!!!

probably would have kissed him longer if the water nymphs didn't giggle, exposing their little audience

once you pulled away, they scattered, ready to gossip about what they saw

the news made it to atlantis pretty fast

after the kiss, things were so awkward

you avoided him for days, and he avoided you

annabeth felt the tension, and she was upset because just when you guys were getting along, suddenly, you guys were avoiding each other

the battle of manhattan was approaching soon and the last thing anyone wanted was for you guys not to get along

you both avoided annabeth’s questions, not ready to confess what you guys had shared

eventually, annabeth kept pressing you about what happened

you blew up and admitted that you made out with percy in the water

annabeth was speechless before she burst into laughter

you didn't understand why it was so funny at first

but then you did

the both of you laughed until annabeth said that she wasn't surprised at all

the battle of manhattan comes around, and in the urgency of the moment, you guys were able to rise to the occasion

your movements, thoughts, commands were completely coordinated

you guys were an extension of each other, kicking ass

at the end, you were both offered immortality

the offer took you back to a conversation you guys had where you spoke about how you'd never want to be immortal

the both of you exchanged looks before you simultaneously denied the gift

zeus was offended x2

after that, you guys returned to camp half-blood

the both of you were upset at the campers you've lost and trying to recover from the adrenaline of battle

you and annabeth sang percy happy birthday and the three of you sat together and ate blue cake in a comfortable silence

weeks passed, and one day, you're met with annabeth barging into your cabin asking when you and percy are going to talk about your kiss

it was the last day of camp, and she was insistent on you talking to him

you reluctantly agreed, mainly because annabeth threatened to lock you in a storage closet again

you guys sat on the dunes in silence for a while

the both of you wanted to confess, but neither knew how to do it

after some silence, the both of you spoke at the same time

you stuttered over each other and then began bickering back and forth on who should go first until you blurted out that you like him

you cringed and looked away as percy froze in his spot

it was silent for a moment before percy whispered, "I like you too."

cue your second kiss

your teeth slightly bumping with his since the both of you were smiling so much

and you swore you heard thunder in the distance even though there were clear skies

relationship

you lived in a foster home on the other side of manhattan, so you guys saw each other every weekend

you guys went on movie dates, long drives, and you would sleep over pretty often

for the spooky season, you went to haunted houses and carved pumpkins

you watched horror movies together, teasing each other when one of you jumped and tried to cover your face during the scary parts

you went to his place for Thanksgiving and you arrived early so that the both of you could help sally cook all day

you and percy put blue food coloring on the mashed potatoes

for the first time ever, you felt like you were apart of a family since sally had welcomed you with open arms

everything was going great but then december came around

the last time you saw percy, you guys were christmas shopping for his mom

your last day of school ended a few days after his, so you planned to meet at CHB

but when you got there, you found out he never arrived

you called his home from the payphone in the big house

sally was relieved to hear from you, a part of her hoping he was with you

but you both found out that neither of you had heard from him in a few days

meeting jason

you and annabeth tried everything to find him

then you got a dream from hera that the answer to where percy is was with the guy with one shoe

you arrive and you find this blonde kid and not your boyfriend; you were kinda actually very annoyed

but this blonde kid felt familiar

you weren't sure what it was, and then you heard his name — Jason Grace

surely, it was a coincidence that he shared the name of your missing brother

you were too young to remember his disappearance

the only remembrance you had of him was a picture of the both of you as toddlers sitting happily beside thalia

you always wondered who was the little boy in the photo and it wasn't until a few years ago did thalia tell you about him disappearing

you were a bit wary of him at first, especially since he had no memory of where he came from

it wasn't until he conjured lightning with his sword, did you have no doubt in your mind that he was your brother

the first night you guys spent in the cabin together was awkward

you couldn't really catch up since he didn't remember anything, so you told him what thalia told you about him and your mother

you didn't reveal him everything, not wanting to overwhelm him and you had decided to call it a night before you went into detail

you explained the rest of the story after he came back from his quest

you tried to ask him questions hoping he’d remember more, but his memory wasn't coming back fast enough

both you and jason were growing frustrated, so one day you iris messaged thalia

the both of you came up with an idea to jog jason's memory by showing him things that he enjoyed as a toddler

jason was pretty sure it wouldn't work, but he went along with it

thalia recalled that the two of you really liked watching the flintstones as babies

so you and jason sat down and watched every season available on dvd

and well, it didn't work...

thalia also mentioned you both really liked sweets, so you tried to jog his memory with candy bars

you had to convince jason to sneak out of camp with you

he thought it was such a bad idea, but you reassured him he'd be fine

after reluctantly agreeing, jason and you escaped at night to buy actually steal candy bars from the closest gas station

jason panicked as he watches you shove candy bars in your sweatshirt

"we're gonna get caught"

"if you keep looking that scared, we just might," you replied a little too calmly

he tried to relax, but he just looked like he saw a ghost the entire time

on your way back, you may have electrocuted a harpy and fought a couple cyclops and all the fighting and running made you lose one of your snicker bars

you were upset, to say the least

unfortunately, after stuffing him with chocolate, that didn't work either

then you tried to show him the few pictures you were able to salvage before you were taken to the foster home after the death of your mother

jason sat in front of you on the floor as you pulled the box from under your bed

you smiled, finding an old picture of your mother, and you put it up to his face, taking in the similarities between the two

"yep, you look just like her," you confirmed as you smiled sadly

even though jason didn't know her, he felt a sense of pride when you had told him so

every time a memory would come back, you were the first person he told

when his memories with lupa came back, you were shook

and then you teased him, saying that he's basically a dog

once you threw a twig and told him to go fetch

he didn't find it as funny as you and leo did, but oh well

you also asked if he howled at full moons, and you were met with the straightest face you've ever seen on jason

it was the funniest thing ever to you

every week you guys kicked ass in capture the flag

you guys were more alike than you thought

it was guaranteed that whichever team you were on would win

in the months when the argo II was being built, you had a lot of times to bond with jason

your dynamic was really fun as you were a bit more rebellious and silly while he was a lot more responsible and mature

after the argo II departed

you reuniting with percy was something you thought about for months

you were so excited when the argo II was officially ready to fly over to camp jupiter

your pulse was thumping in your ears when you saw percy in the crowd

after months of worrying about where he was and if he was still alive, it was almost surreal to see him right in front of you

you lunged into him so hard, he stumbled back as you kissed him

just like your second kiss, the both of you were smiling so hard your teeth kept bumping against his

"i love your new look," you commented on his toga, and he snorted,

"yeah?"

"oh yeah, it's kinda hot."

the both of you laughed, content to be in each other's arms again

after getting on the argo II, you were the reason jason and percy formed some sort of a friendship

you were the mutual ground for the both of them since they had a soft spot for you

the tension between the two was something you couldn't disregard and you hated how weird it was at the beginning

if they butted heads, you tried to mend the problem

you understood both of them well enough to understand where they came from

at some point, you and annabeth thought it would be funny to lock them in a storage closet

so you did

they kept complaining to be let out but eventually, they gave in

little did they know that you were standing near the door and listening to their conversation

jason told him how you helped him a lot and all the ridiculous things you made him do

and percy shared stories of you from quests and at camp

the both of them laughed and bonded over having someone as amazing as you in their lives

"y/n is pretty great," percy smiles

"yeah, they are," jason agreed

needless to say, your heart warmed at the praise from your two favorite boys

masterlists taglist: @xxyrr @nct127bee @mochabreezeee @minamisulemisa @yanfeisluvr @Slytherclaw-kitten @-thatgirloverthere- @passionswift @nanskidoodle @idk-bye-no @ilikefluffygingercats @all-hailreyna @autmngirlworld @Sunkissedskin1328 @Hermioneswifeee @quteez @hajigayy @aleksanderwh0r3 @drayshadow @tonyedwardstarkk @londoncherry @ashookykooky @lotusnegra666 @loverstyless

[the-al-chemist]

💜 Ghost

[ellie-e-marcovitz ☺️]

Thank you for the ask! Here’s a little story about Cleo Hexley meeting @lifeofkaze’s Henry Lovecraft.

The Secret to History

The school bell echoed in Cleo’s ears, pulling her out of her slumber. She lifted her head from the desk and blinked. Around her, the other students were packing their quills and books away and starting to leave the classroom. Cleo sighed heavily and followed suit, leaving Professor Binns to continue his lecture alone, not having realised that his lesson had ended and his students had all gone.

She walked through the halls of the castle in the direction of the library, her annoyance growing as she put more space between herself and the History of Magic classroom. She had assumed that with being such an old school - centuries older than Ilvermorny - Hogwarts would be a far better place to study when it came to history. Instead, she spent the majority of her time in her History of Magic classes trying and failing to stay awake while Professor Binns droned on in his monotone voice, and the hours following the class attempting to teach herself whatever it was that she was supposed to have learnt in that time.

While her peers - those who presumably didn’t want to be Runologists when they were older - settled themselves into the Great Hall for the evening feast, Cleo settled herself into a quiet corner of the library, surrounded by piles of books.

“Well, hello there,” said a voice. Cleo turned her head to look either side of herself, but could see no one there. “I don’t believe that we’ve met before.”

The voice was not disembodied for long. Cleo stopped frowning in confusion as a ghost floated through a nearby bookcase.

“No, we haven’t,” Cleo told him. “I’m new here. Sort of. I’m an exchange student.”

“From Ilvermorny, I expect. I recognise that accent,” replied the ghost, and Cleo thought she could pick up a trace of an accent in his voice, too. He held out his hand to her, and Cleo instinctively reached out to shake it. Her fingers went straight through the ghost’s, and he chuckled. “My name’s Henry. Henry Lovecraft.”

“Mine’s Cleo, Cleo Hexley.”

“But of course it is.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I should have known that you were a Hexley from looking at you. After all, I’ve watched generations of your family walk these hallowed halls in the time I’ve been here.”

“I see.” Cleo’s teeth grazed her lower lip. “If you don’t mind my asking… How long have you been here, exactly?”

“Only a hundred years or so. Not as long as some,” said Henry, and he looked curiously at the book open on the table in front of Cleo. “What are you reading?”

“Oh, nothing much. It’s just a history book.”

“Just history?”

“I’m trying to teach myself the curriculum,” Cleo explained, and Henry’s lip twitched slightly. “It’s really not that interesting.”

Henry looked aghast. “Not that interesting?”

“I just mean that it’s remembering lists of dates and facts, that’s all.”

“Miss Hexley. Cleo. May I call you Cleo?” Henry asked. Cleo nodded, and Henry hovered over the seat opposite her. “There is far more to history than dates and facts. It is the secrets and stories of times gone by, of people who have lived through such times. If you look and listen closely, you can still see and hear these stories etched and echoed in the present.”

“That’s great. Real great,” said Cleo. “But I don’t see that echoes of stories of days gone by are going to help me pass the end of term exams.”

“You are missing my point.”

“Okay, so what is your point?”

“That history isn’t supposed to be learnt, it is supposed to be explored,” Henry told her. “Yes, it can teach you things, this is true, but what it teaches are not the sort of things you should - or even can - be tested on.”

“They aren’t?”

“No, these lessons are too great for that. I’m talking about learning about yourself, and about the world around you and people in it, both as they were and as they are now.”

“I guess that kind of makes sense,” Cleo nodded.

“I should hope so. I’ve had a century to consider the subject, after all, and access to all the books I could ever want to read about it. I could help you find some that you might find more interesting, if you like.”

Cleo smiled at Henry before closing her book and rising from her seat. She followed him through the labyrinth of shelves that made up the library, her fingers running over the spines of the books they held, listening to him tell her a story of a time long ago.

[moonctzeny]

Baby

au+trope+prompt game: college!au Jaehyun + fake dating + it’s just so hard not to fall in love with you

pairing: jung jaehyun x fem!reader x asshole!yuta

other members as background characters: yuta, mark, johnny, jungwoo

genre: angst, smut

word count: 9,124

warnings: abusive relationship, toxic behaviour

summary: “When Yuta breaks your heart for the millionth time, you meet Jaehyun, freshly broken up and looking for revenge. You decide to start fake dating to get back on your exes, but your plan takes an unexpected turn. You fall in love.”

a/n: I really don’t like putting yuta in a negative light like that it’s just for the fic’s sake! also I literally used the name Naeun as Jaehyun’s ex because I think it’s SUCH a pretty name, NO correlation whatsoever to any korean celebrity named naeun!

_____________________________________

You knew it was wrong.

Looking through your boyfriend’s, Yuta’s, phone while he took a shower, was the arguably the tackiest thing you have ever done.

He was always distant lately, only seeming to make time for a booty call, and at first, you blamed your hectic schedule. Your major was demanding, to say the least, so when Yuta suggested that you replace your dates with some “quality time” at his dorm, you had no objections. You didn’t know that he also meant ignoring your calls, canceling on you at the last minute to meet up with his frat brothers, and keeping your relationship strictly between four walls and two naked bodies.

The thought of him meaning more to you than you meant for him ate you away. It creeped in your mind while you heard the water running from your shower, and lead your fingertips to tap in the password of his phone.

Opening his messaging app, you recognize his best friends’ icons in a group chat consisting of his frat members. You scrolled up, ignoring the latest massages regarding a party that the frat would be throwing in two weeks. You started to feel guilty, not exactly sure what you were looking for, when you saw your name at the screen.

m0rklee[00:10]: @yutassanhyung, i saw your girl today at the supermarket! why didn’t you tell her about the party next Sunday?

you[00:12]: what girl lol  

m0rklee[00:13]: y/n?? i thought you guys were together?

you[00:12]: nahh

fairyteil[00:15]: eyy @yutassan if you’re done with her i know a couple guys who wanna hit it too

you[00:16]: be my guest haha

you[00:16]: don’t get me wrong she was bad when we met but shit is getting kinda stale

tenoutoften[00:17]: aren’t you on your way to her place lol

you[00:17]: hey hey pussy is pussy

Was that all you were to him? Pussy?

Yuta called you special, he called you yours. He didn’t like it when you were talking to other guys. He ripped your lingerie set because he didn’t want anyone else to ever see you in it but him. And then he dared to go around and call you a fling?

You heard the water stop running and knew you didn’t have much time until you had to face him, the thought alone making you sick.

You didn’t bother to lock his phone again, leaving the chat that made you so upset open. Grabbing your keys and a jacket, you left your place and hoped that Yuta would get the message and get the fuck out of there before you came back.

Your legs walked on their own accord, your memory leading you to the only place where you knew you’d find any sort of comfort. When Johnny opened his door, tears were already streaming down your face. He took the open tequila bottle you were holding and pulled you in for a hug. He smelled like weed and beer, and after hearing the “Is that the pizzas?”, you realized that your best friend wasn’t alone.

You quickly wiped your cheeks and fixed your sex hair that Yuta messed up, trying your best to look presentable. Johnny put a hand on your back and lead you to his living room. Jungwoo, your and Johnny’s friend from high school, was sprawled out on the couch, a little disappointed after seeing that you were, in fact, not the pizzas. Next to him, drowning in a bean bag, was Jaehyun. You didn’t really know him very well other than the fact that he took the same major as Johnny, so you felt a little insecure looking as messy as you did right now. His eyes were red, just like the other men’s, but you could swear his eyelashes looked a little damp.

Jungwoo’s words were muffled by the barbecue chips he was munching away.

“Yoo y/n, I didn’t know you were coming!”

You placed the tequila bottle on the table,

“Yeah, Woo, figured you wanted something to drink”

“Move” Johnny murmured to him, but he only stretched and sighed dramatically, shoving a handful of chips in his mouth.

“I don’t need a drink I need food. I’m hungry and I got the munchies”

Johnny grabbed his ankle and with impressive ease, dragged Jungwoo to the floor. The taller man sat on the couch, on the side next to Jaehyun and you followed his lead, letting a grumpy Jungwoo lean his head on your knees. Taking the lit joint from Jaehyun’s fingers, Johnny turned his attention back on you.

“So tell me chica” he said and took a hit, “who do I have to beat up?”

“Yuta”, you grumbled, “I’m ghosting this motherfucker”

You felt the vibrations on your lap when Jungwoo started talking.

“What did he do this time? Didn’t I tell you not to get involved with stupid frat boys?”

You started petting his hair, the softness comforting under your fingers.

“Apparently I’m not ‘bad’ enough for him anymore” you replied, throwing air quotes and rolling your eyes.

“Whaaaaat” Johnny drew out with a cough after taking a particularly deep inhale from the blunt, “you’re like the baddest bitch I know. Even now, that you’re all puffy from crying and smell like his dick”

You hit his shoulder, almost dropping the joint he was passing to Jungwoo, embarrassed that he would say something like that in front of Jaehyun, an almost stranger to you.

“I don’t know, man” Jungwoo started, and you could hear the smile on his face, “when girls cry it’s kinda hot”

You were contemplating how many hairs of his you should rip out of his scalp when the telecom rang, assumably by the pizza delivery man.

“Saved by the bell”, Jungwoo muttered to himself and got up quickly to open the door. While the youngest paid for the pizzas, Johnny held your hand, a bit guilty for his words earlier. He had a mischievous smirk and kept shifting his gaze between you and Jaehyun, who had been sitting in silence ever since you got here, occasionally smiling at your friends’ teasing.

“Fuck Yuta, man. You should find a nice guy to treat you well and fuck you even better y’know?” he started, and patted his buddy roughly on the back, “Like Jae over here”

Your eyes widened and you instinctively glanced at Jaehyun, ears a deep red and a matching shocked look on his face.

You cleared your throat, “No offense, but, like, aren’t you practically married to this girl-uhhh what’s her name again? Naeun?”

To someone who wasn’t listening to your conversation, it must have seemed like you tased him, or brought up a painful childhood memory, or asked him if he’d be willing to lick a lemon after washing his teeth. He looked away from you, and turned his attention to his nails, ripping a cuticle off in deep concentration. His voice was so quiet when he finally spoke, that you barely heard him. “I broke up with her, actually.. Like, three hours ago”

Guilt washed over you in an instant, not knowing that you scratched a wound so fresh. You wanted to apologize and even ask if you should leave the three alone, when Jungwoo grabbed the Tequila bottle and crashed on the couch clumsily between you and Johnny.

“Fuck love!”, he yelled, “let’s get wasted”

_______________________________________

You stared at the empty José Cuervo bottle rising up and down Johnny’s chest with every one of his snores. He was laid out on his couch, his tall height taking up all of its entirety, leaving Jungwoo passed out on the floor. Jaehyun followed your eyes and smiled at Johnny’s sleeping face, mouth open and tongue spilling out.

After the 4th shot, you found out that Jae was a pretty decent guy. He let you rant about Yuta while your friends were busy trying to see who could eat a large pizza by himself the fastest. You told him all about how you never went on dates anymore, how you looked through his phone after having sex, and the text conversation you found earlier tonight. He listened carefully, without judgment, and after smoking some more of Johnny’s staff, he opened up to you about his relationship with Naeun.

Or rather, how he found her fucking his roommate on his own bed.

You always thought of these two as what they call a ‘power couple’. Valedictorian meets basketball all-star, they graduate and have beautiful babies, while all the rest of us mortals can do is admire from afar. You would have never guessed the toxicity, constant cheating and manipulation that Jaehyun was recounting. You bonded over stories about cancelled dates, emotional distancing and feeling like you’re always the one giving but never receiving. If you were being honest, you would have never expected such emotional depth from a college point guard. He drew you in with his gentleness, and you noticed how different he was from Yuta, who engulfed you with his intensity. You also hated how even now, you were still thinking of him.

Just then, you got his third message for the night:

asshole [03:35]:come on baby don’t ignore mee, me and the guys were just messing around

you [03:36]:stop texting me

you [03:38]:we’re done

You locked your phone, upset and angry, and felt Jaehyun sigh.

“I know I’m falling for her stupid games, but I just want to get back at her y’know? Show her what she’s missing, that type of thing”

You knew exactly what he was talking about. During the past hours, you weighted all the possible ways you could make Yuta regret ever taking you for granted.

He was so charming that he could get laid with anyone he wanted (and probably did, even when you were ‘dating’), but even after what he said to Taeil, you knew that he hated the thought of anyone else fucking you. He wanted your body to be his, without having to deal with the commitment that came with that privilege.

You thought about fucking one of his frat buddies, but that would get you from being called ‘Yuta’s girl’ to ‘ΘΨΩ’s cumslut’, and your self esteem couldn’t take that blow.

Jaehyun’s deep voice interrupted your train of thoughts.

“Maybe Johnny’s right”

“Huh? ”

“You should date me”

You blinked at him twice, not knowing what to reply when you saw him wave his hands frantically in front of his face.

“Fake date me! I mean, you should fake date me. Sorry, the weed’s got me a little fucked up”

At first, the idea seemed crazy. Yes, it would make Yuta furious that you were supposedly fucking one of the hottest guys on campus. Yes, Naeun would get mad that she didn’t have Jaehyun’s constant attention that she so craved anymore. Yes, you two might have revealed your deepest insecurities, opened up your hearts to each other all while sharing a bottle of alcohol, but you had never hanged out together without Johnny being present. You had barely hanged out together, period. But wouldn’t that make it even more believable? Two of Johnny’s best friends break up at the same time, meet up at his house and inevitably end up together. You didn’t share the same major, so you wouldn’t have to put up the act too much at college. And with social media, making a fake relationship believable was easier than ever.

asshole [03:42]: fuck you. you think you can find someone better than me?

Drunk and lacking logic, you agreed on the plan, and gave him your number. You had just finished creating the contact on his phone when he suddenly got up and rushed to the bathroom, facing the consequences of the tequila and weed combo.

You passed out on Johnny’s bean bag and when you woke up on Sunday afternoon, Jaehyun was gone.

———————————————————

You didn’t expect him to text you on Monday, thinking that it was intoxication that gave him the idea of fake dating and made it look brilliant. So when he gave you the address to his dorm, to further discuss your ‘operation’ you were surprised, but determined to succeed.

The plan was simple. You would start tagging each other on your instagram stories, to show people that you were spending time alone. He agreed to pick you up from your lecture on Wednesday, your classes coinciding on neighboring buildings. And for you final act, he’d come with you as your plus one for the frat’s party next Sunday. Mark was nice enough to invite you, after Yuta ‘forgot’ to do it instead, and Naeun, being Taeil’s sister, wouldn’t miss it for the world. It was the perfect opportunity to flaunt your new relationship, all while being on the opponent’s part of the field.

You started off innocently enough. After you and Jaehyun finished brainstorming ideas about the ‘operation’ as he insisted on calling it, he suggested you stay for a movie and some Chinese food. His dorm was cozy, a little messy, maybe, but it fitted his boyish charm. He had a nice collection of vinyls, stating that his favorite one was I. by Cigarettes After Sex. You were a bit taken aback by his love for dreampop and rnb, but the more you got to know him, the more it seemed to fit him nicely. On the wall next to his bed hung a display full of all of his sport trophies. He was known for his basketball skills, but you also saw medals for soccer, track, volleyball. Amongst them all was an English certificate and a spelling bee award. You wondered if he ever felt pressure trying to be so perfect all the time.

The movie was terrible, but Jaehyun managed to entertain you by making silly jokes throughout and mocking the actors’ bad acting. It was the first time you ever saw him crack a joke like that and be willing to contort his handsome features. So much better than the dream boy image he was feigning for everyone, but you didn’t know him well enough to tell him. The movie was halfway done when he picked up his phone and opened a camera app through his Instagram.

“Shouldn’t we take a story? Since we’re together anyways?”

You nodded and scooted closer to him. He was a bit hesitant as he positioned the camera to capture your legs that were touching, a scene from the movie playing in the background. It was a cute picture but nothing indicated that the two of you were more than friends. You pressed the X at the top of the screen to discard the picture, and placed his hand on top of your thigh. You turned around just in time to witness his ears turning into a fuschia pink.

“Is that okay?”

He nodded and regained his cool, taking the picture and tagging you with a red heart next to your username.

A couple hours after leaving his place you texted him, asking if Naeun had replied to his story. He said that unfortunately, the only person who batted an eye was Johnny, replying with a “ ���� 👀 👀 “ .

———————————————————

You met up again the next day, at your apartment this time.

He looked nervous being in a place so foreign to him yet so personal to you, so you decided to turn the lights down to help him relax, insisting that you weren’t trying to seduce him or anything. He laughed at your joke but still looked tense, and you thought that maybe he needed some liquid courage to open up.

“Hey Jae. Want a drink?”

It took him 3 beers to finally loosen up and show you his dimpled grin again. You were sitting on the floor, facing each other and feeling comfortable in the ambience of the room. A Spotify playlist was playing in the background so it would fill up the awkward silence but wouldn’t distract you from your conversation.

“Wait wait wait. So you sleep without a pillowcase?”

“Yeah, didn’t you notice it when you came to my place yesterday?”

“I thought you forgot to do your laundry!”

His laugh was resonating and deep and manly. It made his eyes disappear and his face light up, not that it didn’t anyway - the guy could easily be a skin care ambassador, and you made a mental note to ask him about his moisturizer later.

You followed his gaze to one of your walls. Pictures were filling it up, memories of yourself and your siblings, of your friends from home that you missed, of Johnny and Jungwoo. You felt a little insecure then, comparing them to Jaehyun’s countless medals and awards.

“I’m not good at sports like you, so I have nothing else to hang on my wall”, you laughed awkwardly but he shook his head.

“No, I’m actually jealous of you. Everyone always seems to want to be around you”

“Except Yuta”

“Yuta’s an idiot, then. You are way out of his league anyways.”

You felt yourself turning into a blushing mess and looked for a way to break the awkward silence that followed his comment.

“Wanna share another one?” you asked him, shaking the empty beer bottle on your hand and he nodded. You started getting up when you felt him put a hand on your shoulder and pick up the bottles you had finished up from the table himself. He rinsed them off and put them away to the recycling bag next to your sink, the domesticity of the action making you melt. You watched as he stood on his tiptoes to reach a lager from the top drawer of your fridge, revealing a defined set of abs and two cute dimples on his lower back. You ripped your eyes away immediately, like you were caught doing something illegal, and he walked back to his spot next to you. As soon as he sat down, he groaned and threw his head back.

“The bottle opener was on the kitchen counter. I forgot to bring it”

Without saying a word, you took the beer from his hand and placed the cap in your mouth. It was a party trick that your older brother had taught you when you were 15. After finding a stable indentation on your teeth, you manipulate the rough edges of the cap and pop the beer open. You return the glass bottle to Jaehyun, who’s looking at you incredulously.

“Fuck me, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen”, he breaths out and you feel your whole face burning up. You opened and closed your mouth a couple times, trying to register that someone like him thought you were hot, when you felt your phone vibrating, saving you from further embarrassing yourself.

Johnny’s picture lit up on the screen and you mentally prepared yourself for the following conversation. You and Jaehyun decided against telling anyone about your relationship being fake. It’s not that your best friend wasn’t reliable, but if you told Johnny you had to tell Jungwoo, and Jungwoo doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut to save his life.

“John, what’s up”

“Eyy chica what took you so long?”

You looked at Jaehyun who had leaned back against the pillow of your couch and sipped on the beer you would share.

“Yeah sorry I was a little busy”

“Busy.. with Jaehyun?”

You tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but you were still trying to recover from the previous incident.

“Yeah, he’s here”

“Ohh I see, little y/n can’t get enough of Jae’s slam dunks.. I bet he’s teaching you the bank shot, the opening tip, the double dribble, the fast break, the palming.. he sure is great for a rebound-”

You interrupted him, growing tired of his nonstop basketball innuendos.

“Why did you call me Johnny?”

“Damn, sorry, I just wanted to ask you what you wanted for your birthday”

Shit, you forgot about that.

“Just get me whatever, I don’t care, you know how much I hate celebrating anyways. I’ll get the cake myself, so no surprises”

Jaehyun lifted his brows and waited patiently for your call to end before asking:

“What are we celebrating?”

“It’s my birthday on Friday. I’m going to invite a couple people over and Johnny’s already stressing over it. Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to come”

“How can your boyfriend not come to your birthday party?”

You laugh bitterly.

“Well, it’s not like Yuta came last year. To any of my parties for that matter”

“Well, he must have made up to you somehow? Got you a very special gift or something?”

“If you count eating me out as a gift then yes. It was very rare indeed.”

You took the beer from him and took a sip yourself. You noticed he had his eyes glued on his phone, his expression gloomy.

“Is everything okay?”

He snapped out of it at the sound of your voice and turned his phone screen towards you.

It was Naeun, or rather a post on her instagram account. She had her tongue out in the picture, hugging two guys that were unfamiliar to you. You read the caption.

“One day the loser will realize that the diamond he thinks he’s playing with is actually a rock”

Jaehyun mumbled an apology. I guess he thought that you’d be a bit offended being called a ‘rock’ but you were actually feeling satisfied. Your fake relationship had managed to get her attention, and for Jaehyun’s sake, you wanted to rub it in her face even more.

You opened your camera app and placed your phone on the table next to you. He figured what you wanted to do so he sat up straighter and motioned to his lap. You’d normally be a bit hesitant to sit on him if it wasn’t for the two beers and your determination, that had fired up again due to Naeun’s words. Leaning back a bit, you set up the self-timer and he put his hands on your hips to stabilize you.

You had agreed on turning up the boldness of your pics, so you placed your hands on his neck, right under his jawline. He snaked his hands upwards and wrapped them around your waist, bringing you even closer. His eyes were glossy from the alcohol and he looked at you with an impressive calmness, considering the intimacy of your position. It seemed like he was waiting for something, the ticking of the timer urging you to take things a bit further and he nodded, as if giving you permission. You leaned in, and pressed your lips on the corner of his mouth, like you couldn’t decide on kissing his dimple or his lips.

After hearing the click you climbed down from his lap, and prayed that the photo came out in focus. Your heart couldn’t handle another retake. From the angle of the camera, it seemed like you were a couple in love, sharing a sweet kiss on the lips. You added a cute caption and tagged him, so he could repost it later on his own account.

It hadn’t been 5 minutes before your phone lit up.

yutassan replied to your story: what the fuck?

You smiled triumphantly and showed the message to Jaehyun, who laughed at Yuta’s reaction. He gave you an excuse about some forgotten homework and how it was late and he has to go.

“Remember, I’ll pick you up tomorrow from class, so wait for me”

After he left, you thought about your almost kiss and the dimples of his back for way too long.

——————————————————

You exited the classroom with a growing headache. The lesson today seemed extra boring, and all you could think about was that you had to convince Johnny that it really took just three days for Jaehyun and you to officially start dating.

As promised, the pair waited for you at the end of the hallway, your best friend looking at the two of you expectantly. Jaehyun was a good actor, you thought, as he approached you before you got to reach them, meeting you halfway.

“Hey baby”, he smiled at you, the nickname turning your legs into jelly. He wrapped one arm around your shoulder, and kissed your cheek sweetly, making Johnny coo at the two of you.

“I can’t believe that I hadn’t thought about pairing the two of you together earlier”

He must have thought that the awkward body language and the silence that fell was a sign from you and Jae to leave you alone. He excused himself, saying something about “letting the young lovers swim in the pool of their love”, or something along those lines.

The two of you walked together, following the road to your next class that was just a few buildings away.

“So how has class, baby

You rolled your eyes at the insistent nickname, “you know that Johnny left us, like, 5 minutes ago, right?”

“Let me enjoy itttt”, he whined, “Naeun never let me call her anything like that”

“Why is that?”

He looked at his feet moving and frowned in thought.

“She said I was embarrassing her in front of her friends. I think she just didn’t want other guys to know that we were together”

You felt a pang of sadness and you realized that it always followed any conversation you two had about his and Naeun’s relationship.

“Well then if you call me baby, I can will you honey. Or sugarplum. Or pumpkin pie. Or-“

It was startling how fast Jaehyun pressed you up against the wall. In just a moment, he had put his hands on your waist, burying his face in your hair. You shivered when you felt his breath as he spoke against your neck.

“Yuta’s watching us”

All you could do was stay frozen in place, and listen with wide eyes.

“Huh?”

He chuckled at your response, but he replied patiently.

“Yuta? Your ex? He’s right over there. Figured we should give him a show”

And with that, he kissed you. Everything was happening so fast, that you could barely comprehend that Jaehyun, that was a stranger in the past weekend, was now making out with you at the hall, for everyone to see.

And that included Yuta.

You opened your eyes in the kiss and searched for him, spotting him with his frat buddies. His eyes were piercing through the two of you, and you saw Mark holding him back by the shoulder. The look on his face was priceless.

Jaehyun pulled back and you wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Thank you”, you whispered, “but I need one more favor”

“Anything baby”

“Slap my ass as we walk away”

Sure enough, Jaehyun took your hand and you continue your walk, momentarily stopping to make eye contact with Yuta and give you a little spank. It was something your ex loved doing on the rare occasion you two met up outside of your dorms, no matter how public the setting. You heard Mark yelling something at his ‘Yuta hyung’ and that’s when you thought, your plan just might work.

———————————————————

You didn’t see Jaehyun until your birthday. It was just a small get together, but your place was starting to get a bit crowded as time went by. Johnny had been suffocating you with hugs ever since he got there, reminiscing the time you met as teenagers and calling you an old lady. Jungwoo on the other hand couldn’t stop asking about Jaehyun. You kept making excuses about how he didn’t feel so good today and might not make it. You didn’t expect him to come, of course. Just because you had agreed on fake dating, it didn’t mean that he had any obligation to be present in all your social events. The loving message he left on your Facebook wall was enough to fulfill the purpose of your current relationship.

That is why, when you heard a knock on your door, the last thing you thought you’d see was Jaehyun holding a dozen of red roses.

“Happy birthday baby!”, he exclaimed and gave you a kiss on your cheek,

“I asked Johnny about your favorite flowers, hope we got it right”

Feeling speechless, you took the roses from his hands and inhaled their sweet scent. You were dumbfounded that he actually came, and even brought you a present. You thanked him for coming, and he repeated the same thing he said back at your place, “how could your boyfriend miss your birthday?”

And even you were fooled, momentarily, when he held you by the waist later that night and sang you happy birthday. You blew your candles and all you could wish for was a love like the one Jaehyun was faking for you. He helped you clean up, and was more than willing to socialize with all of your friends. You admired how well he fitted in your social circle, already friends with Johnny and Jungwoo, yet so nice that even people he met for the first time came to love him.

You were sitting on one of your dining chairs, your two best friends already passed out on your couch. They had brought two bottles of vodka and your favorite tequila, but you weren’t in the mood to drink. You couldn’t help but remember the time when you practically begged Yuta to be there on your special day and he still missed it. You were scared that if you got a little drunk you would text him, or worse, call him, his sweet talk bringing you back to him all over again.

The only sounds resonating through your apartment were Jungwoo’s light snoring and a chill Spotify playlist playing from your laptop. A familiar tune came on, and you recognized it being ‘Nothing’s gonna hurt you baby’ by Cigarettes After Sex. You immediately looked at Jaehyun, the only conscious person still at the party other than you. He threw his head back and sighed contently at the sound of his favorite song. You saw him get up and walk over to you, reaching his hand out.

“Will the birthday girl spare me a dance?”

You slow danced in the middle of your living room, ending the night in the sweetest note. Jaehyun always felt so stable, so safe. You wondered how he got himself tangled up in that mess of a relationship with Naeun. Maybe it was the way he treated people with such kindness, void of any prejudice. Maybe he was a little bit like you, and didn’t think he deserved much.

“She’s crazy” you mumble against his chest, his confused hum making you feel the vibration on your face.

“Naeun. She’s crazy for ever cheating on someone like you. You’re perfect”

“I have my flaws”

You thought about how competitive he got when you played beer pong earlier, how his ears get red when he gets embarrassed, how he shows his dimpled smile in apology when he’s late. His love for drinking and how it makes him more honest, his trust in people that must have gotten him hurt many, many times. You liked them all, you loved them all.

“It’s just so hard for someone not to fall in love with you”

———————————————————

And that’s how the days went by with Jaehyun. You met up almost every day, in restaurants for a nice dinner, or hanging out in each other’s dorm. It was so much fun getting to spend time with him, that you sometimes forgot to make your meetup public on social media. You helped him with his math homework, and he helped you dye your hair. You even went to his basketball game, and he dedicated one of his goals to you, following every teen movie cliche.

You felt a little sad how it was all falling to an end. The plan was successful, for the most part. Naeun had asked Jaehyun to meet up later tonight, talk things through. You wished he wouldn’t go back to her, but you knew you had no real say in his love life. Yuta saw that he didn’t own you, that there were people like Jaehyun that were willing to give you what your ex had promised you, but wasn’t able to give. Well, not really, you reminded yourself. Jaehyun was faking it. You shouldn’t let yourself get lost in the fairytale, even if the past two weeks were some of the best of your life. He had proposed that you claim that the reason for your upcoming ‘breakup’ was differences in character, but you decided to stay friends. You were happy that at least, in the midst of all this mess, you met someone like him.

It was Saturday, a day before the frat party. You had invited him over, celebrate the end of your relationship with some pizza and a movie.

The movie was boring, but Jaehyun made you laugh. It reminded you of the first time the two of you met up alone. You had gotten comfy on your couch, sharing popcorn when you noticed. A huge bruise was peeking out from Jaehyun’s tank top, the dark color contrasting against his porcelain skin.

“What the hell?!” you exclaimed and scooted closer to him. You rushed your hands on his chest, your fingers pushing the fabric aside to examine the bruise. You found even more bruises scattered around it, accompanied with scratches that stretched longer than his top could.

“It was from the game the other day”, he tried to excuse, but you weren’t buying it.

“Jae, I was there. You played basketball, not WWE. Now who did this to you?”

He sighed and fidgeted with a loose string on his jeans, clearly uncomfortable.

“When I caught Naeun with my roommate, and broke up with her, she didn’t take it very well”

You kept staring at him, urging him to continue.

“She started calling me names, saying that she’s the best I’ll ever have. That I’m worthless without her, just a social climber trying to mooch off of her popularity”

He motioned on his torso, “When I kicked her out of my place, this happened”

“Is that the first time she acted violent?”

He shook his head. “Pretty much every time she didn’t get her way”

“Jae”, you started, placing your hands on top of his “this is abuse. Have you ever talked to anyone about it?”

“It’s- it’s nothing. It’s embarrassing”

“No it’s not! Abuse is not exclusive to any gender! Guys get affected by it too!”

“It’s embarrassing because I know I can physically stop her but I don’t”

His eyes were starting to water, the sight was heartbreaking. “I sit there frozen and just take it”

“Why?”

“Because part of me believes her. That I’m hopeless without someone like her, dictating what I can and cannot do. I don’t need a shrink to tell me that it’s sick. I have these bruises to remind me”

You were starting to get angry. Angry at that bitch for hurting him, angry at Jaehyun who puts up with it, angry at you, for not seeing past the obvious like everyone else.

“I’m not letting you go see her tonight”

He laughs at you, putting up an invisible barrier between you.

“Not letting me? Wake up y/n! We’re not a real couple, remember? We’re just faking it to satisfy our selfish needs. This whole thing is pointless”

He stormed to the door and you tried to stop him, but he was too riled up for that.

“You’re going to forget about me as soon as this whole circus is over, just like everyone else”

“How can you accuse me like that when you haven’t even let me be a part of your life for real?”

“Because now you’ve met me. Me. With all my ugly, all my fucking bruises. Is it still so hard not to fall in love with me?”

With that, he closed your door with a bang, not even letting you answer that yes, it was impossible not to fall in love with Jung Jaehyun.

———————————————————

History seemed to repeat itself, as you got a text from him the next morning, that you didn’t expect.

jaehyunnie: let’s meet outside of the frat at 10:30, i’ll bring the booze.

And that’s what you did, showing up with your shortest skirt, spotting Jaehyun sitting a few meters from the frat’s entrance. He was laying against the wall, his eyes red, and he gave you the same smile he always did when he saw you, as if your fight yesterday never happened.

“Hey baby” he said and pulled you in for a hug. You couldn’t resist the invitation, and felt yourself melting in his embrace. He smelled like weed and shower gel.

It was nice, how he proclaimed your truce, but you still had to get something off your chest.

“Listen, Jae, about last night, you were right. This whole thing is pointless. We can go home, if you want”

“No baby”, he started and pulled away just enough to look at you. His eyes were droopy but glancing back at you with such care as he moved a strand of hair out of your face, “we’re here to have fun”

You wondered why he was still willing to come to the party with you as your boyfriend. Maybe he wanted to do you one last favor with Yuta, or maybe he wasn’t done indulging in Naeun’s petty games. You looked at his forearms, noticing a few scratches that weren’t there yesterday.

“I’m guessing you and Naeun didn’t make up last night”

He shook his head, and rubbed his hands on your back, keeping your temper down.

“Did you get in a fight?”

“Something like that”

You didn’t know what came over you. It was anger and protectiveness, possessiveness even. You laced your fingers in his locks, letting his head rest against the wall. If Naeun wanted you to speak in her language, then so be it.

You started kissing his neck, on that part on the side that is tender and sensitive. You heard passerbys whistling at the two of you, seemingly getting it on in public. Your licks and sucks weren’t meant for pleasure though, you had a goal and that was to leave a bruise. A statement for Naeun.

You walked in the building hand in hand and followed Jae to the kitchen, where he poured you a drink out of the bottle he brought along. Looking around, you sensed a couple familiar faces staring back at you from the crowd. Taeyong from class, Mark and Ten, and last but not least, Naeun. You downed the drink in one shot and lead Jaehyun to the dance floor.

He put his hands on your hips, and swayed you at the sound of some club song you weren’t familiar with. You ground your ass against him and he hissed, keeping you close against him. A little voice in your head was screaming how this isn’t real, to him this is all pretend, but you ignored it. You wanted her to think that he was yours, that she couldn’t hurt him anymore.

“Why are you doing this to me y/n? Yuta’s not even around”

Jae turned you around, and you put your hands on his shoulders. He looked absolutely breathtaking tonight. You searched his face for a flaw, yet couldn’t find any. You wouldn’t change a single thing on him.

“She’s here” you said venomously.

He buried his face in your neck, inhaling the smell of your hair and trying to ground himself from his high. “I don’t give a fuck about Naeun”

He kissed your ear and your mind fogged up even more.

“She didn’t ask me to meet up yesterday, I did. I wanted to tell her that she and I were done, for good. I thought she wouldn’t be here tonight, but I guess she changed her mind”

What?

“Then why are you here? And why did you let me give you that big ass hickey?”

He stopped nibbling on your ear, and whispered to it instead.

“I’d never miss up on a chance to feel yours”

The bodies dancing next to you, the liquer you had downed a few minutes ago and Jaehyun’s words were getting too much to handle. You felt suffocated, unable to distinguish where reality ended and pretending began with you two.

“Jae, I need a moment, excuse me”

Releasing yourself from his grasp, you made your way to the kitchen. There wasn’t any fresh air, but there was plenty of booze. You poured yourself a shot and as you downed it, you felt another liquid trickling down your top.

You looked up to find out who managed to make this night even worse for you, only to come across the last person you needed to see tonight. Yuta.

“Shit I’m sorry”, he muttered and you avoided eye contact, thinking you’d manage to get away without him realizing it was you. Luck wasn’t on your side tonight.

“Well well well. Long time no see.”

Confidence was dripping from his smile, to his stance, to the way he looked at you. He had dyed his hair your favorite color, his white locks begging to be tugged and played with. To top it all off, he smelled good, so, so good. He smelled dangerous. Comfortable.

You immediately realized that you didn’t have the self control needed to resist him. Turning on your heel, you started to get the hell out of there when he held your wrist, keeping you in place.

“Wait, I’m sorry, you can’t stay like this, you’ll catch a cold”

“Since when are you worried about me?”

“C’mon y/n, please. Come upstairs, I’ll give you a clean shirt. No funny business, I promise”

You hated yourself for this, but you followed him upstairs to his room, like a pray falling right into the hunter’s trap. He closed the door behind him, muting the loud music and you sat on his bed that you were so familiar with. Looking through his closet, he passed you one of his t-shirts, and turned around to let you change with some privacy. It was comical how chivalrous he was acting, considering the unspeakable things you’ve done in here.

“Not like you’ll see something you haven’t seen already”, you murmured and he chuckled, raising his hands.

“Hey, I’m a gentleman. It’s my fault, after all. I have a habit of getting you wet.”

Blushing at his comment, you quickly changed into the clean shirt and felt the bed dip next to you. You thanked him under your breath and started getting up, when you felt him hold you back once again.

“Stay, just a moment. I’ve missed you”

“What do you want?”

“You, baby”

Yuta was the one who said it, but you swore you felt Jaehyun’s voice reverberating through the nickname. Suddenly, it felt like there was no air for you to breathe.

“That’s not happening, Yuta. I’m with Jaehyun now”

He scoffed, “Jaehyun? Naeun’s puppy? Come on now, we both know you can do better than that”

“Don’t talk about him like that”, you bite back, but he doesn’t budge.

“What kind of boyfriend leaves his girl alone in a party like this?” He grips your chin, making you stare at him face to face, impossibly close. “Look at you. Every single guy in this party wants to fuck you. You expect me to be ok with this?”

Yuta lets his other hand glide on your knee, moving up to your thigh slowly. He smiled at how easy it was to focus on him.

“Do you remember how I made you feel? How I reminded you that you’re mine? You were moaning so loud, Mark thought you’d pass out. You loved it.”

You wanted to scream, tell him that this was the past you, that you couldn’t take going back to him once again and get your heart broken one more time, but you felt helpless around him. The warm feeling was only temporary, it would soon evaporate when you face the fact that to him, you are nothing but a play toy, a possession.

And that’s when Jaehyun barged in through the door. His eyes moved frantically from Yuta’s hands on your thighs, to his band tee you wore, to your discarded top on the floor. He quickly turned red, the color spreading from his neck to his face, then landing on his ears.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing with my girlfriend?”

You instantly got up, following his thought sequence.

“It’s not what it looks like! He spilled his drink on me and gave me a clean shirt and..and..”

“And you decided to sit on his lap to thank him?”, he mocked you and Yuta laughed.

“Calm down, dude. I didn’t make her do anything. Besides, it’s not the first time y/n found her way over here after some disappointing dick”

Jaehyun grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up from the bed, forcing him to stand and face him. You moved between the two, trying to stop the catastrophe that was about to happen. Jae might have more muscle power than Yuta, but if the whole frat ganged up on him he would have to leave this place in a stretcher.

“Jaehyun please, let’s just go. Baby, please”

The nickname was the only thing that brought him out of his rage and made him listen to you. He let go of Yuta and took your hand, dragging you out of the room.

You were two hallways down when you pulled away, forcing him to stop.

“Why did you have to get so mad?”

“Why the fuck did you go back to him?”

“I didn’t! It was just.. so hard for me to tell him no”

You felt your eyes water with how pathetic you sounded. Jaehyun rubbed his hands over his face, groaning in frustration.

“Don’t you understand how much it fucking hurts? To see you with that guy that treats you like shit when I’m right here, willing to give you everything? When I’m in love with you?”

You couldn’t process what he said because in a moment, his mouth was on yours. The kiss was so different than the one you shared at the hallway of your campus. It was passionate, it was rough, and this time, he monopolized your attention. His lips were determined to bruise into yours, leaving you breathless and causing your back to fall against a wall. It was crowded around you, eyes prying into your intimate moment but to you, the only person around was Jaehyun.

“You smell like him”, he growled, sucking on the tender spot under your ear, “makes me wanna fuck his scent off of you”

That was all you needed to hear. You led him to the frat’s guest room, knowing that Taeil always kept a spare key in the lamp next to the door. Unlocking the door seemed like a tour de force with Jaehyun leaving open mouthed kisses on your neck, but you finally managed to stumble inside. You locked the door behind you, continuing your heated kiss, hands roaming around each other’s body.

He was taller than you, so when you felt him grab your ass with such eagerness, you almost lifted off the ground. You palmed him through his jeans, the roughness of his hard on making your panties stick from wetness just a bit more.

“I want to taste you” you managed through kisses, but he just unzipped your skirt as a response, pulling it to the floor in one hasty move. Petting your clit through your underwear, a shiver ran down your spine, spreading goosebumps all over your arms and legs.

“I don’t think I have the patience for that”

He walked you backwards towards the guest bed, taking his pants and shirt off along the way. You sat on the edge of it and admired his godly proportions, when you took notice of the bruises and scratches that led to your fight on Saturday. Suddenly feeling the need to slow down, you started leaving kisses over each and every one of them. You wanted him to trust you, give in to you completely. He had his flaws just like he said, but you wanted all of him. And you wanted him now.

“I need you, now”, you voiced your thoughts and helped him take off his boxers, revealing his hard cock. He was thick and decently long, making your mouth water and your pussy clench.

Towering on top of you, he removed your panties that were embarrassingly damp at this point, and by his smirk, you knew he noticed.

Jaehyun bent your legs next to your torso, making you expose all of you. He licked his lips as he dove into your lower ones, muttering praises about your “pretty pussy”, turning you impossibly wet.

Jung Jaehyun never disappoints, you thought, because the moment you felt the first lap over your sensitive bud, you got a taste of heaven. He alternated between licking and sucking over the spot that turned you into putty against him. You were already unbearably turned on at this point, and the changing pace of his tongue made you lose your mind.

Your pants and moans only seemed to urge him on, and after a few minutes of his careful treatment you felt yourself getting close. He must have sensed it, because when you grabbed the bedpost in an effort to stop shaking, he stood on his knees, and reached for a condom in his wallet.

You didn’t have time to complain about the denial of your orgasm, and started taking Yuta’s shirt off, when he grabbed your hands and placed them back on their previous position on the headboard.

“Don’t”, he said sternly as he lined himself up your entrance, “I want to fuck you in his shirt”

There was no time to think about whether his request was healthy or not, because when you felt him stretch you out, the only thing on your mind was him and his dick.

You let out a deep moan and he took it as a sign to screw himself deeper inside you. Your pussy gushed uncontrollably, filling the room with the lewd sounds of skin slapping against skin. You unlaced your fingers and ran them down his back, ghosting them over the dimples that had affected you so much.

Jaehyun lowered himself, letting his chest touch yours, and you could feel his abs contracting over the fabric of Yuta’s shirt.

“I bet he’s never eaten you out like that, yeah?”

“N-no, never, ahh”

He sat up again, putting your legs over his shoulders and lifted your butt off the mattress, gripping your hips to steady himself before continuing his incredible pace.

“You’re mine, aren’t you baby? Mine to give you everything.”

The position felt divine. He was hitting it incredibly deep, reaching the spot that had you moaning so loud you were thankful for the unbearably loud music of the party. You were sure his fingers would leave a mark over your hipbones but you didn’t care, the pain only accentuating the warm feeling in your belly.

“J-Jae don’t stop - fuck don’t stop I’m gonna cum”

He leaned over, grabbing your face that was contorting in pleasure.

“Look at me when you cum for me”, he demanded, and when you rolled your eyes behind your head, letting go, he let out his first moan for the night.

He kissed your lips sweetly, helping you ride out your high.

“You’re so beautiful, my baby. So, so beautiful”, he praised and you submitted fully to him. He turned your body around, positioning you in all fours, and you wondered where the gentle boy you met at Johnny’s house went. His dick buried in you once again, spreading your juices around and the sensitivity of your previous orgasm made you aware of every single inch.

“So fucking tight”

Jaehyun didn’t go easy on you. He saw how much you liked it, how you were pushing your ass against his cock. He pounded in and out of you with the intention of fucking your thoughts out, and that’s just what he did. When the feeling got too much, and making any sort of noise seemed like a feat, you felt him push your hair back, and start biting on your neck, most definitely leaving a mark.

“I’m gonna cum. Fuck, I’m gonna cum”, he muttered, his voice wavering and you felt him release in the condom inside you.

It took a while for the both of you to regain your breaths. Jaehyun’s chest was heaving up and down as you rest your head on top of it, not brave enough to break the silence.

“I’m sorry”, he finally said and started petting your hair lovingly.

“About what?”

The bed was foreign and small but you both stayed still, wanting to bask a little more in the peacefulness of the moment.

“About getting so possessive, and saying all these things out of jealousy. I acted just like him..”

You kissed his left peck, listening to his heart that was starting to beat in a faster pace.

“Jaehyun, you’re nothing like Yuta. I get how you felt, I feel the same way when I think about you with Naeun”

He took your hand that was resting on his abs and planted a kiss on your palm. Your heart did a flip and you were pressed so close together, he sure must have felt it.

“I should have told you about her sooner. About the fights and how I let her go because of you. I was in denial about my feelings for you because-“

He stopped mid sentence, wary of the way his words would come off to you. Jaehyun was a proud man, but he opened up his heart tonight, admitting he was in love with you. He had already exposed so much of himself that you gave him the time he needed to organize his thoughts.

“Because I was insecure. That you would never like someone like me. That Naeun was right. That you were only interested in playing pretend with me and didn’t mean any of the things you said, and I let myself get carried away in a lie”

You and Jaehyun were two lost souls, trying to break free from the constraints your insecurities built up for you. You didn’t have to succumb to your masochistic tendencies anymore, wasting your time in heartless lovers because now you found him and he found you. Both unable to see any value in themselves, but more that willing to treasure the other. And that was enough for you.

“I’d be honored to be loved by someone like you. Baby.”

[translations-by-aiimee]

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chapter 19

Original Title:  二哈和他的白猫师尊

Genres: Drama, Romance, Tragedy, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 19 - This Venerable One Will Tell You a Story

The girl was extremely pale, with an oval face and round eyes which were especially attractive. She was wearing a light pink skirt, her hair tied back. She looked like a young woman. She rubbed her eyes blankly in the dark, looking from side to side.

"Where am I. . .?"

Chu Wanning said: "You are in Return to Truth barrier I set up."

The girl was taken aback and said fearfully: "Who are you? Why is it so dark here? I can't see you, who's talking?"

Chu Wanning replied: "Did you forget?. . . You're already dead."

The girl's eyes widened: "I'm. . . I. . ."

Slowly, she remembered.

Lowering her head, she folded her hands across her chest. She murmured in a soft, unwavering voice: "I. . . I'm already dead. . ."

"Only souls can come to the Return to Truth barrier. Here, their hatred will be eliminated. No matter whether the dead person has transformed into a vicious ghost or an ordinary spirit, they will retain their original and personality appearance, known as their 'Return to Truth.'"

The girl was frozen for a while as if she was gradually remembering the past. Abruptly, she dropped her face and silently wept.

Chu Wanning said: "Have. . . you been wronged?"

The young girl sobbed: "Are you King Yan*? Or Bai Wuchang*? Are you here to avenge me?"

*(T/N: King Yan [阎王爷] is the one to judge the dead while Bai Wuchang [白无常] is one of the deities to escort spirits to the underworld)

Chu Wanning held his forehead and said: ". . . I'm not King Yan or Bai Wuchang."

The girl sobbed quietly. Chu Wanning was quiet for a while and didn't speak. He waited until her cries calmed down a bit and then said: "But I am here to help you air your grievances."

When the girl heard this, she choked and raised her gaze, and said with a mixture of joy and sorrow: "Then you really are Lord Yama*!"

*(T/N: Same person as King Yan)

". . ." Chu Wanning decided not to continue this topic with her and instead asked: "Do you know what you've done after you died?"

"I don't know. . . not really. I just remember that I was so, so sad. I wanted to get revenge. . . I wanted to go to them. . . I wanted to find him again. . ."

When the soul had just awakened, it would take a minute for all their memories to return to them, but it didn't matter. Chu Wanning patiently asked her: "Who did you want to go to?"

The girl whispered: "My husband, Chen Bohuan."

Chu Wanning was astonished. Chen Boyuan - wasn't that the name of the eldest son of the Chen family?

He asked: "What. . . what's your name? Where are you from?"

The power of Tianwen was infused with this illusionary barrier, and the dead who entered would almost always talk honestly with Chu Wanning. Therefore, the girl replied: "I'm a concubine, Luo Xianxian. I'm from Caidie Town."

"Before I came, I read the analects of Caidie Town. There are more than 500 households in this town, and there's no Luo family. Who is your father?"

The girl slowly remembered the details, her eyes filling with even more sadness: "My father used to be a scholar in the village. He was my father-in-law's brother-in-law's close friend. A few years, he contracted tuberculosis and passed away. Then I was the only one left from my family."

"Then why did you die?"

The young girl froze for a moment and then she sobbed: "I had no other option but to die. They, they lied to my father and stole the secret recipe for the butterfly fragrance powder. They beat me and scolded me, threatened me, and told me to leave Caidie Town. I. . . I'm a weak woman, where else could I go? I didn't have a single relative left in this world. . . The world is so big, where could I go? Apart from the Underworld, where else could I go? Where would there be room for me. . ."

After she recalled the events of her life, she seemed to have infinite bitterness and sorrow in her heart, She was desperate to talk to someone. Chu Wanning didn't even have to ask anything else, she slowly continued on her own.

It turned out that Luo Xianxian lost her mother when she was young. She heard from his father that she had an older brother, but her brother was separated from them in the chaos of the Lower Cultivation Realm, and they never saw him again so she didn't know whether he was dead or alive. When her elder brother was lost, Luo Xianxian wasn't even a year old, still in swaddling clothes. Later, she tried to remember her elder brother, but she still had no recollection of him.

There were only two people left in the Luo family were Xianxian and her father. The father and daughter depended on each other. They wandered around and finally built a small house in Caidie Town and lived there.

That year, Luo Xianxian was five years old. The Chen family's oldest son, Chen Bohuan, was two years older than her.

At that time, the Chen family hadn't made its fortune. Several members of the family lived in a two-bedroom earth-rammed hut. An orange tree was planted by the low wall of the small courtyard. In autumn, the tree was full of fruit and it grew over the low wall and snuck into the Luo family's yard.

Luo Xianxian tilted her head. The branches full of oranges looked like lanterns during the Lantern Festival. She was shy and introverted. She didn't play with others. She was always alone. She would dutifully be peeling some beans, raising her head from time to time and peeking at the orange tree peeking over from the Chen family's yard.

The oranges were temptingly yellow, and against the sunlight, you could almost taste the sweet and sour fullness of their juice.

Luo Xianxian looked eagerly, gulping and swallowing from time to time. Her cheeks were sore from the cravings.

But she never reached out to pick one. Her dad was a scholar who had been inferior to her father-in-law's brother-in-law. He failed the exam, but he didn't lose his backbone. His sour scholar brain was probably hurting but he always coached his daughter to be a "gentleman."

At the age of three, Luo XianXian knew that wealth couldn't be lusted after and poverty couldn't be changed. She never reached out to pick the oranges that were close at hand, even though she craved for them.

One night, Luo Xianxian sat in the courtyard humming and washing clothes by the moonlight.

Her father wasn't very strong, so he had to go to bed early. The poor man’s child had to take charge of the house. The little girl rolled up her sleeves, soaked her thin arms in the barrel, and rubbed her face earnestly.

Suddenly a hoarse cough came from the door, and a young man covered in blood staggered in and stared at her.

The little girl was so frightened that she even forgot to scream.

The young man's face was dirty and bloody, but his eyebrows were very handsome. The two people stood frozen staring at each other for a while. In the end, the young man couldn't stand up anymore. He sat down slowly against the base of the wall, panting, and said hoarsely: "Bring some water."

Xu was that kind of young man who didn't look like a bad person or perhaps Luo Xianxian was simply too kind-hearted. Although afraid, she still ran back to the house, made a cup of tea, and held it up to the young man's mouth.

The young man wasn't very polite. He threw back his drink, then wiped the corner of his mouth. Rolling his eyes back, he stared at Luo Xianxian's pretty face. His eyes glazed over and he didn't speak for a while.

He didn't speak, Luo Xianxian didn't either, she just blinked timidly. She held her hands at a distance she thought was safe enough and sized up the stranger.

". . . You look like an old friend of mine." The young man suddenly grinned, squinted his eyes and smiled eerily. With the bloodstains on his face, it was really quite terrifying. "Especially the eyes, they're so round. It looks like you could gouge them out, stick it in your fingers and swallow it in one bite."

When he said such horrible words so plainly, even with a little smile, Luo Xianxian trembled even more, and subconsciously covered her eyes.

The young man said: "Heh, clever girl. Just cover them up. Don't keep staring at me. I can't control my own hands."

He spoke casually with a northern accent.

Moonlight fell into the courtyard. The young man licked his chapped lips and suddenly saw the orange tree stretching into the yard. For some reason, his eyes lit up. His pupils flashed in the light, the lustre brightening for a moment before dimming back down. He raised his chin and motioned.

"Girl."

Luo Xianxian: ". . ."

"Pick an orange and peel it for me."

Luo Xianxian finally spoke up. Her voice was soft, slightly trembling, but she didn't hesitate to say: "Sir, that's not my family's fruit tree. It belongs to someone else. I can't pick one."

The young man was taken aback. She wasn't sure what went through his mind but his face slowly sank.

"I told you to pick one. I want to eat an orange. Pick it for me!" The last phrase was harsh like he spat it out through his teeth. Luo Xianxian shuddered, still stubbornly stood her ground.

The little girl was soft-natured, but her bones were the same as her stubborn father.

"I won't."

The young man's eyes narrowed. He raised his nose, his expression changing: "Do you know who you're talking to, brat?"

"If you want to have some water, I-I'll pour it for you. If you want to eat, there's some food inside, but the orange tree isn't mine. I can't pick it. Father said taking something without asking is stealing. I'm a gentleman. Wealth can't be lusted after and poverty can't be changed. You can't fish. . ."

In her rambling, she started talking about fish instead. The half-grown girl blushed. She insisted on what her father had taught herself and ended up completely fumbling her words, but under the young man's gaze, she was violently trembling, and her legs were weak.

The young man was speechless.

Hearing such a little kid, especially a young girl, say things as odd as "taking without asking is stealing", "wealth can't be lusted after and poverty can't be changed", and - and "I'm a gentleman"?? pfff, he normally wouldn't be able to stop himself from laughing out loud.

But he couldn't laugh.

On the contrary, there was a strong resentment in his chest and his heart was being crushed like it was being trampled by a horse.

"I hate your kind, so-called. . ." He supported himself on the wall, shakily rising to his feet, and hissed out: "Good man, gentleman, hero, benevolent."

Under Luo Xianxian's horrified gaze, he slowly moved his injured foot, he moved over to the orange tree. He looked up, sniffed the smell of the orange tree almost greedily, and then a red gleam of rage flashed in his eyes. Before Luo Xianxian could react, he climbed the tree, shaking it, trampling, kicking, and hitting its branches.

All the oranges on the branch crackled and fell to the ground, rolling away. The young man's smile was twisted and he shouted wantonly: "Taking something without asking is stealing! Wealth can't be lusted after! The mighty never yield!"

"Sir! What are you doing! Stop! Dad! Dad!"

Luo Xianxian hadn't wanted to call for her father. Her father was a weak, powerless scholar so there wasn't much he could do. But she was a little girl after all, and she was so terrified that she finally broke down.

"What are you shouting about! Your dad can come out and I'll cut him down too!"

The little girl was scared silly. Small water droplets rimmed her round eyes, tears forming.

The Chen family next door went to a neighbouring village to visit relatives so the whole family was away. No one could stop this lunatic.

The little madman shook the oranges all over the ground and still wasn't satisfied. He stomped on the ground several times, crushing several oranges, growing ferocious. She didn't know where he found the strength, but he jumped over the wall and flipped into the Chen's yard. In the courtyard, he found an axe and chopped down the whole tree. Then he turned around and cackled.

He laughed and laughed then abruptly stopped. From his squat, he straightened himself, staring blankly in a daze.

Suddenly, he turned his head and waved to Luo Xianxian: "Girl, come here."

". . ." Luo Xianxian didn't move. She was frozen to the spot, the little cloth shoes embroidered with yellow flowers digging into the ground.

Seeing her hesitating, the young man calmed down his voice and said as sweetly as he could, "Come here. I have a treat for you."

"I. . . I don't. . . no, I don't want to go. . ." Luo Xianxian mumbled. Before she finished speaking, the young man suddenly grew irate again——

"If you don't come here, I'll go into your house and slice up your father!"

Luo Xian trembled harshly but finally took small steps towards him.

The young man squinted at her: "Hurry up, I'm not waiting all day."

Luo Xianxian lowered her head and moved towards him. When she was still a few steps away, he suddenly stretched out his hand and violently pulled her over. Luo Xianxian let out a scream, but it only reached the back of her throat before something was shoved into her mouth to gag her. The young man stuffed an orange into her mouth. It wasn't peeled or washed, but covered in the dirt and pushed into her mouth.

The young man tried to force her to eat it in one bite. The orange split open and was rotten inside. Half her face was covered in the rotten fruit, but the lunatic was still smiling. He crushed the fruit into her face, stuffing it into her mouth that she was desperately trying to keep closed.

"Aren't you a gentleman? I thought you didn't eat stolen food. So what are you eating now? Huh? What are you eating now!"

"Haaa. . . no. . . I don't want. . . dad. . .dad. . ."

"Swallow it." The young man narrowed his eyes and stuffed the last bit of fruit into Luo Xianxian's mouth. His pupils gleamed with an eerie light and he shuddered. "Swallow it!"

He watched Luo Xianxian forcibly swallow the orang. She muffledly choked out "Dad". The young man was silent for a while, then he suddenly smiled.

That smile was more terrifying than his hideous face.

He stroked Luo Xianxian's hair with satisfaction, squatting in front of her, and said softly: "What are you calling your dad for? Shouldn't you be called out to me? Isn't the orange I gave you sweet? Was it delicious?"

With that, he picked up another one off the ground.

This time, he didn't stuff it in her mouth. He carefully peeled off the orange peel and cleaned off all the white piths attached to it. Then he wiped his hands, broke off a piece, and brought it to Luo Xianxian's lips. He whispered: "If you like it, eat some more."

Luo Xianxian knew that she had encountered a madman today. She had no choice but to lower her head and silently ate the orange that the madman handed her. The sweet and sour juice melted down her throat and her stomach churned. . .

The young man squatted there, feeding her slices of oranges. He seemed to feel better and even started to gently hum a song.

His voice was rough, very hoarse, like a broken gust of wind, vague and inaudible. Luo Xianxian could only make out a few words.

"Three or four flowers fall into the pool, the bell chimes once or twice on the shore. The best thing is to be young, a light-footed horse, you can see the end of the world. . ."

He suddenly said: "Girl."

". . ."

"Tsk." He curled his lips and reached for Luo Xianxian's slender face, "Let me look at your eyes."

Luo Xianxian shivered. She was powerless to resist. She could only let the young man inch forward, his bloody finger coming closer and closer to her eyes.

"This is how it is," he said.

Luo Xianxian whimpered and closed his eyes. She was really afraid that this madman would, on a whim, poke out her eyes like they were fruit.

But the young man didn't poke them.

The other coldly said to her: "Didn't you teach me the saying that wealth couldn't be lusted after and poverty couldn't be changed? I've also got something to tell you."

"Hmm. . ."

"Open your eyes."

Luo Xianxian's eyes were tightly closed. The young girl laughed in exasperation and hissed: "Don't be like that. Open your eyes!"

". . . Do you think I won't be able to gouge your eyes out if you have them closed?!"

Luo Xianxian forced her round eyes open, her slender eyelashes trembling, and tears streaming down her face which looked pitiful and fearful. She wasn't sure how to make this stranger happy. He suddenly let go of her cheek, his hand lingering in the air, and then gently patted her head.

He gazed into her eyes, and a trembling smile shook from the corner of his mouth. His smile was distorted, ferocious, and just a bit miserable.

He said: "There are men in Linyi. Twenty of them are dead."

After he spoke, he turned around and his figure sank into the darkness and gradually disappeared.

Only the mess on the ground was the only evidence that such a person, covered in blood in the middle of the night, had been here.

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

[somewhatgreatexpectations]

Lay Me Down (Wanda Maximoff/ Reader)

Hello, again! We have reached the endgame, as in we have reached Endgame in the timeline. Loosely inspired by Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down”. Pieces from the film are used, but definitely have adjustments to fit the story. Let me know your thoughts!

Summary: How will the events of Endgame play out for Y/n and Wanda? 

“Can I lay by your side, next to you? And make sure you're alright, I'll take care of you. I don't want to be here if I can't be with you.”

It felt as though everything went dark for just a moment and almost immediately you were back. The first sight that greeted you when you opened your eyes was a man in a cape, much to your disappointment. You would have much rather been greeted by a certain green-eyed woman who held your heart. The man urgently informed you that you all had been gone for five years, erased from existence by Thanos. The idea was so troubling that you almost didn’t believe him, but something within you knew it to be true. You had felt it in your final moments in Wanda’s arms before you faded away. 

Wanda. She was the first thought to enter your mind. Had she existed the last five years on her own? Was she erased from existence with you? Was she okay? The last thought struck fear into your heart. You wouldn’t know what to do if she wasn’t. 

There was very little time for processing though since the man, who said his name was Stephen Strange, told you it was time to fight again. If you all didn’t act quick, Thanos would be sure to succeed in his wicked plan again. This required everyone, and you didn’t hesitate to agree when Strange opened a portal for you to enter through. 

The portal that Strange created for you opened into a bleak field, and as far as the eye could see were waves upon waves of Thanos’ army. Thousands of them. There was one thing that gave you hope though. One thing that made you believe that the battle wasn’t lost yet and that was seeing countless members of the Avengers step out of similar portals. Despite the myriad of people stepping out of various portals there was no sign of Wanda which caused anxiety to bloom in your chest. Unfortunately, you weren’t given much more time to look for her as the members of Thanos’ army appeared to push forward eagerly. 

You knew that your main focus should have been preventing Thanos from erasing half of humanity again, but you couldn’t help the fact that Wanda was the one thing at the forefront of your mind. She always would be. The heartbroken look on her face as you faded away was burned into your memory. You needed to find her, and you needed to find her now. You needed to see for yourself that she was okay. 

You didn’t care if you had to tear Thanos apart with your bare hands to do so. 

When Thanos’ army began to push forward even more, you got into a defensive stance, everyone around you doing the same. A unifying sense of determination was heavily present around each of you. Losing was not an option this time. 

The sound of a familiar voice caught your attention. As you glanced over you took in the sight of Steve who looked worse for wear but okay overall. Breathing, and that was what mattered. A sense of relief washed over you because at least you knew that he was okay. “Avengers,” he called and reached a hand out, your eyebrows quirking in surprise as he summoned mjölnir. “Assemble.” He finished assertively as each of you rushed forward, prepared to overcome any obstacle that stood in your way.  

The anger that you felt at the situation made it easier to harness your powers. Anger that Thanos thought he had the right to take life, anger for the knowledge that he succeeded once already, anger for being taken from Wanda. 

Looking around, you noticed that one of the bigger threats was a metal looking creature that was firing down at everyone. With a deep breath you focused your attention on the being and slowly brought your hands together, forcing the vessel to fold in on itself and rendering it useless. Smirking in satisfaction as you watched it fall to the ground. 

As soon as the army noticed who destroyed the creature more of the beasts began attacking you. Dozens had surrounded you when you saw a small glimpse of red energy flash out of the corner of your eye. It was faint and in the far distance but you’d recognize it anywhere. The red energy could only mean one thing. Wanda. She was still here. Your heart pounded anxiously.

You need to get to her now.

Making quick work of the creatures that surrounded you, you began sprinting in her direction as fast as you could. As you got closer you could hear her voice over the chaos.

“You took everything from me.” Wanda gritted out through clenched teeth as her eyes glowed with a wrath you had never seen in her before. Her hands stayed at her side, glowing brightly. 

Thanos stared back at her unflinchingly, “I don’t even know who you are.”

The calm in Wanda’s voice sent chills down your spine. “You will.” A moment later you watched her begin to attack Thanos and it was clear that he didn’t stand a chance against her. He didn’t stand a chance against this powerful woman who’s heart he had played a role in destroying. 

You knew you couldn’t call out to her because if you did her concentration would break and she would be put at risk of Thanos overtaking her. Instead you focused on defeating his members that were coming to his aide so he would have to face her on his own. 

He was destined to lose at her hands.

It seemed Thanos was aware of that as well as he called for the larger of the flying ships to begin firing down into the field to get Wanda off of him.  

“Wanda!” you shouted as you saw her attempt to shield herself from the attack, only to get thrown by the force of the hit. As quickly as you could you built a barrier around her and began running in her direction. Not caring that you were leaving yourself exposed to the blasts. 

The distance between you two was hastily closed as you instantly dropped to your knees at her side, pulling her in your arms and checking her for any injury. She stared up at you like she was seeing a ghost. “Y/n?” You tenderly stroked her cheek as you nodded. 

When she finally processed the sight of you in her arms, life filled her eyes again as they illuminated with affection. It didn’t matter to her that you both were in the middle of horrifying battle with an evil being. All that mattered was that you were there with her. The emptiness she had felt when she saw you fade vanished and was replaced with an inconceivable amount of love. 

Wanda surged forward and clung desperately to you, a choked sob escaping her lips. “I thought I lost you.” she said shakily into your neck.

You clung to her just as desperately, tears of relief falling down your cheeks at the knowledge that she was safe and, in your arms, once again. “I thought I lost you.” Came your shaky response. 

Just as Wanda was about to respond another blast hit the ground right next to you and sent you both flying. You managed to hang on tightly to Wanda and land under her to lessen the impact. “Are you okay?” she asked worriedly as she pushed your hair lightly out of your face.

“You know, under any other circumstances, I would have loved to be in this position.” You said cheekily. 

Wanda let out a watery laugh at your response. “I’ve missed you.” She said before connecting your lips passionately. You wrapped your arms around her waist as you eagerly pulled her closer. 

Wanda pulled away a moment later. “As much as I’d love to continue, we have a battle to win.” She stood up and offered you a hand which you gladly accepted.

“To be continued?” you teasingly replied with a wiggle of your eyebrow. 

Despite the situation, she couldn’t help but laugh. Falling more in love with you than before if that was even possible. This. You. It was everything she needed for the rest of her life. 

“To be continued.” She confirmed.

The playful look on your face fell when you realized something. “Why did they stop shooting at us?” 

Wanda tilted her head, she hadn’t noticed that until you pointed it out. Both of your gazes turned skyward as a bright beam of light crashed through the largest ship that was in the sky. “I’m guessing it has to do with that.”

“Badass.” You whispered quietly to yourself as you watched.

Wanda smirked in amusement as she took your hand. Your gaze shifted to meet the emerald eyes you cherished. “I love you.” She said adoringly.

“I love you, too.” You replied without hesitation. You’d never hesitate to say those words to her again. “Now let’s go get rid of this giant purple monster, so we can have that happy ending I promised you.” Wanda bit her lip and nodded, melting at your words. That was all she wanted. To live happily with you. 

Together you began running in the direction that the gauntlet appeared to be. Only letting go when you both had to use your hands for your powers. 

“I don’t know how you’re gonna get it through all that.” You heard Peter tell the woman who you recognized to be Carol Danvers from Fury’s stories.

Both you and Wanda landed at her side a moment later, “Don’t worry.” Wanda began confidently.

“She’s got help.” You finished with determination. All the women on the team joined together and charged fearlessly forward into the battle. You and Wanda worked together on destroying the ships and creatures in the sky while some of the other women cleared a path on the ground for Carol to transfer the gauntlet to Scott’s van. 

There was only a short distance between Carol and the van when you noticed Thanos throw his weapon aiming directly towards said van. You tried to run towards it to stop the impact, using your hand to try and summon the metal within the weapon. The problem was that you noticed it a moment too late. The spear like object had already impaled the machine. The force of the explosion threw you back into a large stone, your head taking the majority of the damage.

Wanda looked over worriedly from where she was keeping a group of at least two dozen creatures at bay. You gave her a thumb up to ease her worries. She seemed reluctant but turned back to getting rid of the creatures. 

When you were able to focus on the scene in front of you, you saw Carol get launched into the large rock right beside you from the force of Thanos’ hit. Shortly after Thor and Steve appeared to attempt to stop him from snapping his fingers once again. Both being removed by Thanos despite their superhuman tolerance and strength. 

When you saw Thanos approach Steve who was on the floor you jumped up protectively and flicked your wrist. His feet sunk into the ground, preventing him from getting any closer. You didn’t have superhuman tolerance or strength like Steve, but you’d be damned if you just sat there and watched Thanos attack him and then erase half of humanity again.

“Y/n, stay back.” You heard Steve grunt from his place on the ground. 

Your action was enough to get Thanos’ attention as you began using your powers to manipulate the metal in his hand to stay open. Distracted by trying to keep his hand open, you didn’t notice him getting closer. Steve finally got up and raced over only to be a second too late. Forced to watch in horror as Thanos’ opposite hand that held the power stone hit you in the head at full force. 

Wanda landed just in time to see you go through the large rock you had been leaning against just moments before. She screamed. 

As she gathered you in her arms, she gently tried to coax you awake. Fear sinking into her heart when you didn’t even flinch. With shaking hands, she checked your pulse and was relieved to still feel your heartbeat thrum steadily beneath her fingertips. 

Suddenly, everything around Wanda went quiet. When she lifted her head, she was relieved to see Thanos’ army fading to dust around her. She tenderly pulled you closer to her body. Tears brimming at her eyes. “We won, Y/n.” she said shakily. “We won. We can finally have our life together. Our happy ending. Please, wake up. Please.” She begged quietly.

The only comfort she found was the way your breath softly fanned across her cheek and the way she could feel your heartbeat steadily against her own. Tears fell down her cheeks, but she refused to let you go.

When Steve placed a cautious hand on her shoulder, she jumped. “We have to get her to a hospital.” He said meekly, his eyes troubled as tears fell from his eyes as well.

Grudgingly she let him pick you up and load you on the waiting jet, blind to anything going on around her. When Steve said he’d meet her there later she barely heard him as she took your hand in hers, pressing her lips firmly to the back. Shortly after feeling the jet rise in the air and begin the short trip to S.H.I.E.L.D’s facility where their top medics were waiting to tend to you.

“I’ll take care of you. We’ll have a happy ending.” Wanda gently stroked your cheek, smiling slightly at the warmth that she still found on your skin. A moment later tears began falling as she rested her head against your hand. “I don’t want to be here if I can’t be with you.” She whispered despairingly, hoping that you’d squeeze her hand, or open your eyes, anything. You were all she wanted, all she had. She couldn’t lose you. She wouldn’t recover.

Part 12! Can you believe it? I’m honestly shocked we’re already on part 12. Only one part left though. What do you all think is going to happen in the last chapter? Annnyway, as always, hope you each enjoyed reading this part. Thought and comments welcome, seeing them makes my day :)