#and his non visible eye is quite literally dead space there's nothing there its just blank skin

[pempempemto]

i am not immune to human bill cipher . nothing is set in stone but i think we as a collective should let him wear dress-adjacent clothing more

[hyukmoon]

moon. | l.sy x gn!reader

lee sangyeon x gn!reader

word count: about 4.01k

to put it short: congrats! Something you should actually say, right? Your best friend and crush is getting married in two days and you feel,... well, not very good about it. So, wait... he's returning the feelings? Damn.

content warning: ANGST in capital letters, I would add lots of exclamation points but im lazy. So yeah, hella angsty. Some good old making out, it's kind of heavy at some point but no smut at this point lol. I don't condone any of the done actions, so yeah, I would've personally handled everything differently, but you know, y/n is kinda wild. Very awkward sometimes, but that's more the situation in itself. ALSO, NOT PROOFREAD

taglist: @loki-in-hogwarts

note: the second thing i wrote and im somewhat excited!!! Yes! Exclamation points. So,... thanks for reading :)

It was a great day. Well, at least seemingly for everyone but you. Your best friend in this world Sangyeon was about to get married to the love of his life, who is notyou and now you just stand in the hotel lobby waiting for it to happen. Funnily enough, the crushing feeling of desperation and fear didn’t seem to set in yet.

The hotel lobby was filled to the brim with acquaintances and other guests possibly confused by the uproar of the wedding guests. So, who were you specifically waiting for? The rest of your friend group, the ones who will most likely clean up after the wedding whatever will be left of you.

A nervous smile swept up to your lips, casually just avoiding every sort of tension that could come across you. Just with the luck of this entire occurrence an older woman started to approach you, demon alike features spreading around her face almost like she knew you were apparently the only single person here. An aunty, that wasn’t even related to you but had all the business to judge.

“Are you here for the bride or the groom?”, her sweet voice rang a familiar feeling in your stomach. Almost too sweet, making you suspicious of her intent. “I’m here for my best friend, Sangyeon. So, yeah, for the groom.”, you hesitated a second, “What about you though? Do you know the bride?”

“She’s my youngest niece, the only one that still visits, her sisters don’t even care anymore…” You nodded politely, not wanting to anger her now and stepped towards a different direction.

“So, my dear, are you here with anybody?” You already feared that question, the same as always. The eyes of yours started with a panicked expression searching through the room a familiar pair. “No, I am here on my own. I kinda wanted to focus on getting Sangyeon through with it, being there for him.” As a friend.

Possibly this was the first part of feeling despair and fear. People at this wedding were really waiting for them to get married. They weren’t joking, this would change everything.

“Ah, I see. You know, get over him. Well, it is time for you at least, you’re not getting younger. There are quite few handsome men here. I remember the names Juyeon and ah yes! Kevin, get over here!” As far as you were concerned, your facial expression couldn’t possibly look more stunned than a moment ago, yet another one of your good friends appeared, seemingly just as confused.

This only held on for a good second, Kevin knew exactly what to do. “Oh hi, I’m so sorry to steal [Y/N] away from you, but I actually need to talk to them on my own over a gift we both prepared for the couple!”, he grinned at the lady, who was obviously smitten with him. “Yes, of course, hun. Take your time.” She finally hushed into a separate direction.

“So, how are we doing? You seem kinda… stressed.”

“You don’t say”, you sighed, “if I have to go through a conversation like this again today, believe me I’ll-. “

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I get the sentiment. Even though I meant more the other situation. Like in, Sangyeon getting married and you sitting here all grumpy because of it.”, Kevin was already aware of your “small” infatuation with your best friend, a man too far out of your reach also funnily enough, the man’s wedding you’re attending. However, your friend in front of you didn’t seem to mind talking about it out loud in a place like the hotel lobby. Your lips tightened up into a fine line.

“I’m not grumpy! I just…I don’t really know what to do. I mean, I know I’m going to be there for him but yeah, okay, I might feel a bit grumpy.” The lobby did clear up a lot now.

“Okay, oof. There’s this dinner with everyone in the evening today, do you think you can get through that?”, Kevin asked hesitantly just as stressed with this additional complication.

“I mean, I probably have to, don’t I? This makes me so sick, ugh. Not gonna lie, my stomach feels like a laundry machine.” You laughed quietly and drifted off again into a place where you didn’t need to think about this.

“What did you really expect though? You know I love you, respectfully, but like, this feels like an incredibly bad move to do.”

“Don’t you think it would be worse if I didn’t show up at all? I’ll just need to go through this weekend and I’m outta here. No one will know anything.” It might feel like a nightmare but at least a nightmare you can actually run away from and not actually have to face at some point.

“Well, I hope you’ll keep your confidence. Because imagine I saw the person, I love getting married to someone else. Oh my, believe me, you wouldn’t find me for the next three weeks.”

“Not very helpful, a good three out of ten. I guess, I’ll just stick to sulking around then.” A dead smile crept up your lips following a stern look from your side at your opposite.

“Seems like a good plan, just stick to me, maybe we will find someone to take your attention away from this, huh?” A sly grin was visible on Kev’s face.

“Ughhh, of course. Let’s do this. It can’t get much worse than that”, you cleared your throat, “thanks, though. You actually make this here somewhat bearable.”

“Awww, come on. We should pack out our suitcases.”

No one can really prepare someone for a moment like this. Most older folk turned into their hotel rooms which left you in a party like situation seeing your closest friends turning it up in a huge pavilion while the future groom sits comfortably on a velvety sofa hand in hand with his fiancée.

The air was quite warm even at this time of the evening, not humid, just warm enough for everyone to taste the end of this era with nostalgia and a slight feeling of energy to experience what’s to come afterwards.

You as well sat down, continuously processing your environment. With a cup of your favorite drink, you felt invincible, nothing able to shake you down.

Now while this wasn’t a preferred environment, this was manageable; you could look your best friend into his eyes and proudly congratulate him on his wedding. You would be able to get over this and continue to be a great friend. Black hair with an intense facial expression made its way into your viewpoint along with a somewhat tipsy Kevin. Simultaneously the lighter hair of your best friend fought his way through the crowd.

Lee Sangyeon, the man lighting up your mood with simple touch of his fingertips was now signalizing for you to head outside towards the veranda of the pavilion. He exuded patience, yet clearly waiting for a response of you. You nodded and brushed cautiously over your evening attire.

“Hii, [Y/N]! Can I introduce this someone to you? This is Juyeon, he might look a bit intense, but he’s really nice to talk to! So, I’m gone for a sec then!” Kevin started drifting off into a different direction where you stopped him in his tracks.

“Could this wait? Sangyeon needs to talk to me. I think it’s important, I’ll come back though in a bit!” You gifted both of them an apologetic face and made your way around the men towards the going to be groom.

Surely it wasn’t exactly clear why he wanted to speak to you, especially on his own. He was still waiting for you after all.

“[Y/N]! What has it been? Like three? Four months? I missed you so much.”, Sangyeon pulled you into his chest abruptly and sighed softly into your shoulder. Engulfed entirely in his figure you never wanted to wake up from this again. Was it now 10 seconds? 15 seconds? Neither he nor you really seemed to let go, taking in all the scents of his that were formerly familiar to you.

“Yeah, I think so. You were probably busy planning this all and I just had to work, I guess.” Trying to keep it short was your main goal, appearing distant maybe. He didn’t mind at all though. Not discouraged from continuing this conversation Sangyeon pointed at the veranda, showing the only speck of space with little to no crowd.

The veranda was close to closed off to the party. Non distinguishable palm trees in the far distance were playing right into your cards for not having to look into his eyes. Magnetically glowing, that’s how he appeared. All happy and smiley about the obvious luck he was experiencing. Now again, he sat down with you in the beach chairs without loosing a word.

“The palm trees are so pretty. You remember me wanting to buy some new plants?”, you tried to invite him to the conversation.

“You always want to buy new plants, which time do you mean?” Sangyeon grinned to himself. “You know what? It’s so weird. Everything feels still so unreal. This wedding, also you at my wedding… So weird.”

“I am literally your best friend, where else should I be? Your funeral? At home? Who else is going to charm the hotel staff for some free capri suns and new towels?” Your mouth crinkled up and you let out a soft laugh.

“[Y/N] … You know exactly what I mean!”

“Noo, not at all. I’m so confused right now, not gonna lie.” Your face finally moved towards his direction, seeing his gentle gaze resting on you.

“Do you remember when we were still in school, and we promised each other we would marry each other if we didn’t find anybody else?” His gaze got more intense with each sentence.

“Yeahh, kind of. I was probably tired and it’s like ten years ago. I’m not really sure what you’re trying to tell me.”

“I really thought I was going to marry you. For several years, actually.”, he laughed. “I had such a crush on you and then you met your s/o and all that. Ughh, it seemed so complicated back then. Kind of weird to think about what could have happened if I did ask you out or something.”

“True.”, you turned away again standing up and resting against the wooden railing of the pavilion. “But you didn’t so, let’s just drop it there.” The weather as well started rebelling a bit, the wind hugging your figure slightly too tight for your taste.

“Why are you so cold all of a sudden?”, he whispered closely behind you.

“Well, you’re getting married tomorrow. And you’re telling me about a crush you had on me?”, you croaked.

“I was just being nostalgic, I thought this would be fine with you.” Sangyeon appeared now next to you on the railing, waiting for you to face his concerned dark eyes.

“It isn’t for me. It just feels wrong.”

“What feels so wrong about it? It was a long time ago.”

It is here, the bitterness. Bitterness shouldn’t even be the correct term, the pain of your heart going into a slump didn’t feel like a fitting word. Being reminded again that you will never have a chance again.

“Wait or is it not a long time ago for you?”, The voice of his tried to word his next sentence very carefully.

“I went out with them because I thought you were joking. Then when I thought about you, it was always different. It was too late though, you met her.” Only the close ocean along with the wind were hearable, neither you nor he were able to form another thought put into a sentence.

“You could’ve told me. I would’ve-.”

“Broken up with her?”

“No, I-.”

“Then what could you have done?”, you interrupted Sangyeon’s rambling, trembling while speaking. Terribly spiteful with a bite that wasn’t too often dripping down your lips.

“This.” Sangyeon pressed a fluttery kiss against your lips. Slender fingers tapped onto the skin right under your chin, signalizing you to look at him.

The now much calmer atmosphere made you snake your arms around his torso. Heat rose towards your head, longing after a second out in the cold again just to see his lovely facial expression. Your lips broke off and touched once more in an almost hypnotic fashion.

His hot breath started sliding downwards your cheek to your neck, physically making you unable to resist his entrancing presence. Also his hands broached over from your face down to your waist, holding you with the lightest touch.

Sangyeon’s lips darted away from yours, catching you staring deeply into his eyes. The silence felt warm now as well, filled with the slow and recovering breath of the participants.

“[Y/N], I think I still feel that way.”, a rosy blush swept over the man’s face you wanted to hear say these things so many times and so long ago.

“No. No. No. You shouldn’t! I shouldn’t either! I have to go.” The reality of the situation caught up to you. This was bad. Incredibly bad. Still the disgusting feeling of hope within this made its way up to your head. Stinging alongside the feeling of remorse, you didn’t think clearly, especially now, next to him.

You darted in the fastest way possible from the pavilion up to the hotel to your room, leaving him there.

Today should be the final day. The hopes that already should have been buried a long time ago, crawled up again and clawed its way into your mind. What if he leaves her for you today? Like in those unrealistic rom coms. Yes, again, it was unrealistic.

Leaving her at the altar and running after you. While all those thoughts of hope and wishes came together you found yourself with a stomachache. His fiancée was an incredibly nice person, sweet and kind along with being a beauty. You shouldn’t even dare to think about Sangyeon that way anymore, she deserved a lot more. Quite honestly, you felt pathetic. Who were you to run into their possible future?

Just because of a simple brush over the lips, his eyes staring into yours like no one else existed but you and his soft hands delicately touching your waist. A tap on your shoulder put you out of your trance, “[Y/N]? Can you go up to Sangyeon’s room? He asked for you.” Kevin’s eyes glanced at you with uncertainty. Neither you nor he knew why he wanted to see you.

Even more importantly, why did he need to see you alone? This seemed like dangerous territory after, basically yesterday. Agony rose again, what if he really was going to leave her?

“Sure, I don’t know why he wants to see me again though.”, you said and left to see the groom’s room. You stumbled more and more over every step closer to the door of the man who’s going to rip your heart and air out of your lungs. The normally soft laid out carpet felt in this moment like you were stepping barefoot over glass. There was the door, brightly painted in eggshell paired with the digits of the hotel room.

Before you could reach the door to knock on it, light brown waves greeted your overtly surprised face.

“You clean up well.”, Sangyeon’s rang in your ears clearer than freshly hung-up laundry in your nose. His previously concerned face curled up into a faint smile.

“Same goes for you”, you tried your best to hide the very apparent frog in your throat, “So, why do you need me?”

“Just needed to see you before going out there, I guess.”, his voice got a lot quieter. It got silent.

Not sure if a said word was necessary, you plopped down on a small, velvety stool. Every whisper was to be heard. An otherness surrounded Sangyeon, like he wasn’t there anymore, and his thoughts took over his being. You scooted closer towards him, just wanting to see him up close for the last time like this, smelling his earthy cologne from this distance.

“Why are you doing this to me?”, your voice went close to hoarse after the question. He was just as silent as before. No sound, nothing. This torment of a weekend was supposed to end with no gratification, not feeling free from this feeling on your chest? Your hand slid over his, the most desperate attempt to get his attention while also experiencing his touch again. Sangyeon jerked his hand back and returned to his absent posture.

“Why do you want to hurt me like this? I am your best friend, and you use me like I’m nothing.” The lack of power you had now made you sink down to the beige teddy carpet. Small tears started swelling up in your nearly dry eyes, kind of contradictory, yet the more tear drops rolled down your cheeks the rottener and hollow you felt.

“You were my best friend until you-.”, he stopped midsentence, “made me feel things again I didn’t need, I didn’t want.” Also his face was wet, ridden with tears making his usually calm and cheerful persona look like a painful insult.

“You asked me here. It hurts, Sangyeon. I can’t make it stop hurting, I don’t know what to do”, you reached for him again, “Could I ever be enough for you?” He returned your former attempts to stroke your face. Cornering both of you, the air trapped you in the toxins of heartbreak and hopelessness.

Once again, Sangyeon’s hand glid over your soft skin and halted on your face. Glaringly staring into each other’s eyes, you were there again. The day before, yesterday. Close to baring the soul of each person present.

“[Y/N], it’s not about being enough. It never has been. I have made a commitment I already broke, I…I can’t do this”, he sighed, “you know I love her.”

“I thought you loved me as well.” Overwhelming nothingness overruled you, almost scaring you about this reaction. You weren’t crying, yelling nor having any physical reaction at all. It was convincingly numb; the resting hurt would come later. Sangyeon’s head dropped in the dip of your shoulder and neck.

This sort of closeness would never happen again. You feeling him breathing into you while having his comforting heartbeat close to yours.

“I do, but I can’t do this to her. I would never do this to her.”, he whispered into your shoulder. A sigh came from his side.

“Then, please. Kiss me, for the last time.” The last part of the sentence left a disgustingly bitter taste in your mouth. This was over, right? His head, which was formerly resting on your shoulder, drifted up and towards yours. Also his expression blank and hollow, like he didn’t know anything.

For the last time, his hands cupped your face in a comfortable manner. As always, he felt homely, but he surely wasn’t yours ever. Not even waiting a good second or two, the light brunette’s face came closer to yours. With no hesitation both of your lips touched tenderly, releasing every sort of affection that could be expressed at that second. You inhaled again his intoxicating scent, in the hopes of having him all over you. His now reddened lips moved closer towards your jawline making you gasp for air.

Also, you weren’t completely still, constantly shifting your hands up and down over his torso upwards his neck, desperately feeling everything, you can for the last time. Sangyeon’s locks tickled you softly while he suddenly latched his mouth onto your neck right below your ear.

“No. Please, I just want a kiss on my lips.”, you said lowly, closely resembling a whine afterwards. He complied pretty quickly, leaving you with no thought but him tickling your bottom lip with his warm tongue. With him being this fast, you didn’t want to keep him on his toes. Entirely engaged in this moment, hands surprised you again on your waist, wandering closer and closer under the blouse you were wearing. You moaned into the kiss, making him take the opportunity to maneuver his tongue into your mouth.

Similarly to you, he was also stunned for a short moment when you grabbed up onto some strands of hair. A sigh left his now plump lips, a need of fresh air arrived onto both of you. Yet this was short lived, his hands captured your chin and attached his lips again onto yours in a matter of mere seconds. A bell rang, close footsteps to be heard across the floor reminding you of the situation you were in.

“Why am doing this? I am so sorry.”, you broke off his lips and took a step backwards at the door.

“[Y/N], we both did this, and it won’t happen again. We just need some time without each other. I think it would be for the best if we don’t spend time together alone anymore.”

“Are you doing what I think you’re doing? I don’t know what to say. I-.”, His lips captured yours again fast with a lot more force behind his kiss.

A strong arm shut the about to be opened door again and hovered over your head. The other one caught grabbed your chin with an almost contradictory feeling to it, the lightest touch just to shove you into his direction. You sighed into his lips, waiting for him to commit with his tongue one more time. Buttery lips pressed against yours and clang inside your mouth. Fiercely did your tongues meet, ending with him sucking on yours. Wet cheeks batting against each other with no intent of separating, your movement still came to a halt.

“You know what? I hate this. I want you to be happy, then if it is with her, I will just y’know…go or uhm mind my business.”, you slurred the last part. It wasn’t really one of your most prideful moments. Still flushed with tears and embarrassment you dropped again against the room door.

“I ask for one condition though,” incredibly hearse was your voice after the crying and even more so because of your follow up, “I do not not want to see you for some time, I don’t want to have to see your face ever again.” Tears weren’t anymore swelling up in your eyes, they never seemed to stop running down with no chance of leaving this conversation with an ounce of self-respect and pride.

It wasn’t even really much of a problem to leave him behind for a bit, it most likely would be for the best anyway, yet while his words should only leave a small mark and feel like a ripped off band aid, you felt alone. A sense of loneliness crept stealthily into you leaving you with nothing but a severe feeling of dread.

“If that is what you want, I’ll respect that.” The room got quieter till you heard the last of his words: “Of course, I still want you in on my wedding though, you’re still my best friend.” Sangyeon’s usual soft and kind smile appeared on his face, seemingly reaching you an olive branch. The former assertiveness and confidence drained through the conversation; you were nothing but a wreck.

“Alright, I’ll be there.”

The ceremony was beautiful. Fairy like flowers were hung all across the beach space, making the place more surreal than it was to begin with. Everything light with a hint of light green and an even lighter lavender tone. The air seemed to have evaporated all the tension and sadness from your face. All across the seats were relatives and friends sitting with a nervously happy face. Ironically, he really thought it was going to be you someday.

“You’re [Y/N], right? Everyone always tried to introduce me to you. Now we’re sitting next to each other at Sangyeon’s wedding together! I’m Juyeon by the way.”

[moonlightjeno]

swashbuckle and islands

a/n : this boy will be the death of me i love him so much. excuse my horrible grammar. my fav gif, and has nothing to do with the story lol but enjoyyy

genre : angst + fluff

pairing : readerxjeno & readerxmark

word count : 2.6k

okay,

okie, be ready for this mess

and excuse any non spaced words my space bar isn’t working properly

cool so your from an island

which imma call Skye bc i can

now your mum is originally from Skye, and had like second cousins of a cousin or whatever to throne but she married you father who was from the mainland 

which is a big no no but at the time she didn’t care bc she was so in love

skip forward a couple of years and the father is a complete ass

doesn’t work or really do much except order your mum around

anyone who has a wonderful father or really good parents im sorry don’t attack me this is for the story

:)

so, mum has had you and your older brother, whom your brother continues to admire your father bc he really just wants love and is hella lost in this mess of a world

Moving on

you used to have a really good relationship with your father until he changed.

cheated on your mother, and would blame it on you mum

in response you really just tried to help you mum get through this mess

big big mess

your brother, at the beginning helped and tried to calm your father  

boy kinda gave up, hela understandable

and left to the mainland to study medicine

wooot go him

but you were devastated because you were now alone 

now bc your brother has left your father has really worsened and blocks your freedom more and more

The point where you were literally only allowed to like go to school, work in the fields and be a servant

sksksk 

now remember how your mum was like the second cousin or smth to the royal crown?

Twas was importanttt

that managed to get you a study abroad year in london, 

queue your best friend mark entering

this boy showed you what freedom was and felt like for the first time since your father went off rails

iss been like a good 13 years and you're like 16 ??

I digress

mark literally made you feel more yourself because of his natural outgoing and easy behavior

It really was pretty amazing

And then the hiding and going out late at night was over

It was back to no friends, working at the field

sad life tbh

I must note, that because mark lived in canada bc why tf not 

y’all couldn’t really communicate

this is set when pirates where a thing, think of pirates of the caribbean 

I love those movies 

okie, progress two years 

of you thanks to you mum’s second cousin related human lol

you became friends with the cousins friends daughter 

y’all really had known each other since they were smol 

but hadn’t really been friends, bc the girl was pretty quite and a beaut

even her own father treated her better than she treated her own daughter

smh, ik this is a cliche live with it

but overall she was a really good person and kinda managed to sneak you around the island when you weren't on “duty” for your father

though its not that you didn’t like working in the fields bc you loved helping out with the animals and occasionally give food to those who were less fortunate than you and really couldn’t afford it

being a trooper, that you are you often told your friend idk wanna give her a name so y’all could come up with one if it were up to me it would be lilith about what you would see around the island and how the country was pretty not doing a okay

she would listen and talk about her own problems and how she wished she could travel and paint everything 

Bonding over traveling yep yeo

one day, you were supposed to work in the fields as you tend to have to do to the cows, and sheep and horses, while picking up the apples? from the trees ??

Idk i don’t farm

either wayyyy

you had finished your tasks early, and had struggled, and i mean stRuGgLed to get away from your father

he was in one of his moods today, shouting at everyone and refusing to admit he needed help

it was a constant reminder of every bad thing every failure that could happen in your life every thing you didn’t want for yourself or your mum who had slowly been getting sick and y’all had some money that could have helped her but your father thought that she deserved the illness

and i quote he said “everything happens for a reason child, if your mother had treated me and had been a good person this wouldn’t have happened to her, but alas some people deserve what they get”

skskskks 

he continued to say how “i on the other hand, have been a good man all my life, have always helped others so i don’t get sick”

this man i swear to god this has actually happened help

being very much done with your father who you really wished would just disappear and leave you and your mom who no longer lived with you but now lived with lilith to be

you had thought of running away for a very long time, though never knew how to get off the island it seemed impossible

sure you knew how to fight, somewhat by watching the guards and the little training mark you had taught your two years ago. 

missing mark hours but it wouldn’t compare to the guards of the royals who would never aid you

and even if they had, you had never learned how to sail which was ironic as the island you lived in wasn’t very large. Your only method of transportation has been your legs and your families faithful horse lethian ?? who really was your favorite out of all the animals 

running away from the trapped life had always felt like a dream, one that you had lived for for the small year in london with mark

you thought about running away again, the idea of sneaking into a trading boat slowly forming in your mind

you could take her your mum and lilith and travel the world go to london again and paris and canada and re-unite with the friend you missed the most

a smile had formed on your previous grim face, the dream something you held onto until your eyes opened and smoke covered the sky

a ringing began in your ears and you tried to stop it, your hands covering your ears in an attempt to stop the noise but the ringing only got stronger

the sky was black, shots were heard were the village people yelled in panic

you looked out towards the sea and could see the outline of a ship

a very large ship

oh shit 

a pirate ship

the flag blew proudly in the boat and from where you stood the bone white skull that contrasted against the black around it was made visible everytime the wind blew 

you gasped, everything anyone had told you about pirates were that they weren’t to be trusted

they were ruthless and would do nothing to stop from getting what they wanted

the stories you'd heard all came to the same conclusion you see the flag you run in the other direction

you pace quickened and in small time you were running towards the blazing village now up in smokes fire and fog covering the bakery, and fields

the school that had taught you the basics of reading and writing until girls weren’t allowed to attend was a blaze royal guards their black and purple uniforms waved their hands around and pointed their too heavy too unbalanced swords not being of much use

mom 

she should be safe

safe with lilith you thought, looking back towards were the small castle stood its bold flag still flying proudly in the grey and black sky

safe , shes safe you keep telling yourself a constant buzz that you repeated over and over to yourself in order to continue moving towards the castle walls

you only lasted a solid five minutes before the guards were holding the civilians back

you sighed angry these idiots being more preoccupied with holding back the citizens who were trying to get to safety behind the castle walls than actually dealing with the threat at hand

who hired them really??

being the stubborn human you are you decided to head towards the back entrance as yuo saw a flash of blonde hair headin towards the back gate of the castle 

oh no was your immediate thought their gonna get to lilith and mum

all the guards had been directed out of castle except a few that had stayed inside to keep the royal fam safe the infirmary had been left unguarded

you looked around trying to look for a familiar face, a familiar guard who youd seen at a practice lilith had dragged you too she had said it was too “admire suitors” you had shaken your head and laughed 

you had no interest in tying yourself to a man that would treat you like something to throw around but you let her revel in her fantasies 

no familiar face was found so you turned and ran towards the blonde head you had seen walk towards the back entrance grabbing a sword from one of the dead guards 

your cursed the clothes women were given making it impossible to run in impossible to fight in 

the blonde boy turned around at your approach, he was young you noticed

probably your age, his grin was deviant and his eyes were mocking as she approached 

“please” you tried “don’t hurt hurt anyone else” 

the boy looked at you with a puzzled look at laughed, slashing away at the thorns and vines that encircled the back door to the castle as he found the lock and tried to break it open

you got closer, looking at the broken glass bottles that littered the floor and torches that lit up the fogged street 

the boy was too busy with the look to realize the girl that had come behind him and hit him in the back of the head with the swords dull pommel the boy let put a yelp before collapsing at your feet

your small victory lasted a small time and before you noticed the boy you had tied with the thorns and vines from the door, which continued to be locked 

your mum and lilith as far as you knew safe

began to stir and as his eyes opened another boy appeared at the end of the alley

his hair seemed to be part of the night sky, falling over his dark eyes. 

“mark!” the black haired boy cried, his hand at his scimitar pointed directed towards you his other hand had managed to slip a dagger out of god knows where and sliced mark’s binds

mark the name sent a shock through you and you took a closer look at the young boy whose eyes were now wide open no anger shown

 but instead amusement and the joyous spark you had once known

he looked so different 

the black haired boy still had a sword at your throat and you swallowed briefly 

“mark?” you gasped feeling the tip of the sword against your neck a small movement and it would nick your skin, blood would swell

‘Mark’ looked at you again and laughed, 

the black haired boy looked confused “let her go jeno” 

jeno was like ‘excuse me ? she knocked you unconscious no i'm not doing that’ he didn't say it but mark understood and laughed again this time it was more mischievous a feral grin adorned his features

“let her go, she’s coming with us” jeno and you were both like huh? has this boy gone mad?

probably letss be realll

“umm no im not” you snapped at the boy you once knew, you glared at jeno who had regrettably removed his sword away from your neck but had placed the dagger threateningly close to your back ashe forced you to move along

you didn’t get an answer from mark who still seemed very entertained by the whole situation

he had changed so much since you’d last seen him *sigh*

you three walked back towards the village and you hadn’t realized how the screams of pain and fear were no longer heard

more than a few guards littered the floors and you tried not to gasp as jeno forcefully continued to move you towards the sea its waters black 

the walk to the pirate boat seemed to last ages, the sun had begun to set in the sky casting dark purple and red shadows above the black water that didn’t reflect any light. It broke your heart to see the usually clear water be black, the animals that lived in the waters probably struggling to survive.

when you finally arrived, the panic began to settle in again. you didn’t know if your mum and lilith were safe, you didn’t know what would happen and the boy you knew two years ago had changed so much that you could no longer read what he was thinking 

the ship loomed in front of you, you hear the small buzz of chatter from the ship and laughter

why was there laughter in such a horrible place ??

“Come on” mark said, already walking getting onto the ship, not looking back at the mess they had left behind

You no longer felt the sharp prick of a dagger or sword at your back, but instead it had been replaced by a strong hand guiding you towards the ship

the contact startled you, and you straightened and continued to walk forward the ship only a few feet away, you still held onto the rock that you had hit mark with, your sword taken away by jeno

you forced your feet to stop moving, because one more step and you’d be on the pirate’s boat, and ducked, and made a weak attempt at attacking the black haired boy behind you hitting him with the small rock you had on the leg

you begin to move away from the boat. The victory lasted a solid second before jeno had his arms around you, pinning your hands behind your back. No longer smiling, or understanding in his dark eyes. you glared at him and then at mark who had finally turned around, a sort of sadness passed over his features before he spoke

“you can’t run away y/n” he said calmly. “remember in london? when you dream about running away, leaving this island and  exploring the world? away from your father?”

his words shocked you, but you didn’t want to leave your mum she had no one else 

“i can’t just leave mark !! my mum, she’s still there and i can’t just leave her with father” a look of recognition and understanding flitted through jeno’s face and reflected in mark

“i know, i know but if you stay here and go back” the boy shook his head, the dark of the night making his blonde hair a dull light in the fog, 

you knew, that in many ways he was right. if you did go back the villagers had seen you with the pirates, being taken by them as the village had burned down and you weren't scared. the worst scenario would be that if you did go back they would imprison you, ask you for information 

hurt mum, hurt lilith even is she was part of the royals

you felt the tears well up in your eyes, and refused to let them fall

“we aren’t all that bad” peeped jeno’s voice who had softened again, until you looked at him and his gaze hardened

you forced yourself a small smile, and placed your foot on the board of the boat 

“Let’s go swashbucklers” you said, 

after all, the stories you’d heard had come from your father, and all his stories were a lie.

a/n : i hope y’all enjoyed that. ik there wasn't much jeno lol but i’m planning on king this a series if you want? send me an ask, if you do! either way, 

peace out luvs,

stay safe

[r-ahh-mi]

A Cure I Know // Part 5

Part 1  II Part 2  II  Part 3  II Part 4 II

Pairing: Elliot Alderson x fem!OC (Emerson)

Summary: A sex addict & a nut case - what a perfect pairing, don’t you think?

Warnings: Brief brief brief hint of sex talk, but overall pretty much no warnings.

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: If you’d like to be added to my tag list for this series or any of my other writing pieces, let me know and I will happily add you! Enjoy this cute little number xx

-

The evening after work was stiff and cold. Everything and everyone seemed to be frozen in their spots as they attempted, with crossed arms, to hold in any form of heat that was manageable during the cold month of January that hit New York like a gust of wind; both literal and figurative. Usually after work I would have gone straight home on severely chilled nights like this, but it was a Thursday. Thursday was therapy day. I was never fond of therapy, though I suppose it did give me someone with an unbiased opinion to talk to, but I just didn’t feel like I got anything out of it which I wasn’t going to blame on my therapist. She was nothing smaller than an angel who was trying to chisel away at the layered cement wall I’d built up around myself. 

You know me enough to realize that I'm not the most open person with others. It wasn’t that I didn’t find it appealing--i’m sure it would be beneficial for me to vent to my therapist or anyone willing to listen and get out my emotions instead of seeking out some sort of feeling through my body being sweaty and entangled with a near stranger, but everything felt so routine now. I wasn’t fond of therapy, but I also didn’t want to give it up because it was something I've been doing for years and it was something that i got to jot down on my calendar every other week. I didn’t want to stop seeking out intimacy with strangers because it was what I had been doing for years. Though I didn’t jot it down on a calendar, well, usually i didn’t, but i craved routine I guess you could say. I craved something that let me go through the motions, yet still gave me something to do besides sitting in my home with my thoughts to unravel on themselves.

Though, come to think of it, I hadn’t sought out anyone for sexual purposes at all this week. Seemingly normal to most, but not to me. I’m sure it was just my mind being preoccupied and busy...or maybe I'm finally cured of this ultimate craving for some sort of affection that is absent from my day to day life. The thing that struck me the most was how okay I was with that. I didn’t feel empty, I didn’t feel as though my routine had been thrown off its course or that my life didn’t have some sort of goal or purpose to fulfill. I was okay with it and had never even paid attention to the matter up until this very moment.

I didn’t let my mind get too carried away into this satisfactory feeling--after all, I had places to go. 

Thankfully the cozy loft building, that my therapist was located in, was nothing more than a ten minute walk at the very very worst. The cold temperatures were perfect motivation for my legs to get some lightning speed into them as they strolled quickly down the sidewalks that were just beginning to be littered with a light layer of snow. I let out an appropriately volumed sigh as I hung up my scarf and damp hat on the coat rack set just near the door. I was expecting to see Rose, the always smilie receptionist, which I did see, but stood next to her, just on the opposite side of the desk was someone I couldn't even have fathomed I would come in contact in this space.

Neither of us said anything as we stood there, both of us fully knowing, but not quite understanding why we were seeing each other's familiar faces in a space that was usually our own and completely separate from each other’s lives. It nearly felt like one of us had found out an intimate detail about the other, quite by accident.

“Elliot?” My words came out as if I was asking a question--Was this Elliot I was seeing? Was this a familiar face? Of course I knew it was, but my mind was still attempting to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.

A large puff of air gulped its way down his throat as his prominent Adam's apple nearly popped right out from under the tanned skin of his neck.

“Hi”, was all he managed to say as he stood there, visibly uncomfortable and looking as if I had found out something I wasn’t meant to know about.

“So uh...you see Krista--I-I mean Dr. Gordon?”

At the mention of her name Elliot lifted his eyes to mine, but quickly moved them back to some space he found safe enough to hold zoned out eye contact with.

“Yeah.”

“Oh, uh..cool!”, I spoke with a little too much excitement in my voice for the occasion, but I suppose you could call that a little nervous habit of mine.

It didn’t take Elliot but a millisecond for him to lift the dark fabric onto his head, creating several shadows along his cheeks, nose and chin as he began taking big steps towards the door I had just entered in from.

My body was still standing in the entrance so I knew Elliot would need to either ask me to move, and do so kindly, or I could think ahead and move out of the way for him. I’m sure you could guess which option I went with.

“Can you move.”

“Sure”, I quirked with a rotten grin on my face. Elliot didn’t seem too keen on buying into my teasing manor as he rolled his eyes, but still stood in his place.

“Please.”

“Please what, Elliot?”, I placed special attention to this name as it rolled off of my tongue.

Elliot shook his head, letting a tiny, you’d miss it if you blinked, grin appear before his sadly too familiar frown lines set back into his face.

“Emerson, I'm ready for you.”

I turned my head over my shoulder to see the ever pleasant face of Krista, formally known as Dr. Gordon, but she had always assured me she wanted to be on a first name basis with one another to secure some sort of comfort. I adored her.

I smiled at her as she watched curiously while me and Elliot exchanged body language that was much too uncomfortable for two people to know each other well, but also too familiar for them to be total strangers.

Without a word I moved my body out of the way, keeping my much too happy grin on my face as Elliot shook his head, but his lips were much more relaxed this time. Not a frown, not a grin--somewhere in between. I watched as he pressed his palm on the steel door handle and let his body waltz out into the cold New York night. I too made an effort to move my body in the direction I was meant to be heading in, that is until I heard a very faint, but clear “bye Emerson”. 

I turned around quickly, stopping dead in my course to Krista’s office, but all I could make out was Elliot's slim shadow against the lighted sidewalk just outside the once cracked door that was now fully shut. Surely my mind could’ve made it up and that was my very first logical explanation, but there was a tiny voice that also wanted Elliot to have said my name.

Whether it was meant to be heard or just for him, I didn’t care. Though it was a simple and generic mannerism that was taught to toddlers when teaching them “please” “thank you” “hello”, and other friendly exchanges, but a simple goodbye from Elliot seemed like a lot coming from him and it elicited a reaction in me that even Krista took note of.

“Do you two know each other?”

I turned back around to the curious faced woman and  clasped my hands together in my front as I debated on how to reply—because both a yes and no would be truthful answers.

“Sort of”, I shrugged as I walked past Krista and took my normal spot on the couch, but I couldn’t help but feel the warmth beneath me.

My thoughts began to wonder as to why he was sitting on this very same couch, or rather why he needed to seek out a therapist in the first place. I knew not everyone needed a full blown reason to seek therapy. For some it was used as having a person to talk to that was guaranteed to listen and be non biased; everyone needs that. On the other hand, what if he was seeing Krista because he had a problem. Whether that be a past or present problem, I wasn’t too concerned with, I mainly was just curious as to know why.

Maybe Elliot and I weren’t so far apart from one another. We both seemed to share lifestyles that were far from identical, but also the same in the fact that we both wore masks during our day to day lives. Elliot just thought he was good at hiding his and maybe to the rest of the world the mask fit perfectly and succeeded at its job. But I too wore a mask, just a different threading weaved its way into mine.

The saying ‘creative minds think alike’ can also be the same for just about anyone who shared a common personality trait. Crazy minds can also think a like and I could tell that me and Elliot, we were both fucking insane.

-

Tag: @rawmemalek​ @sassystrawberryk​ @itsme690​ @imnottiredofgettingoveryou​ @lovelymalekk​ @mezzomercury​ @sherlollydramoine​ @rami-malek-trash​ @amcquivey​ @txmel​ @crystalmethchristmas​ @ramimedley​ 

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Green Thumb - Chapter Two

Two

The old steam train wound its way through the hills as it crawled up the final incline towards Village Creek. Peridot looked out the window as the wooded countryside slowly drifted by - she sighed.

From the other side of the compartment, Steven, Connie, Amethyst and Greg looked on.

"She's still not over Lapis leaving?" asked Connie.

"Well, she did take the barn with her," replied Greg, "I still don't know how I'm supposed to explain that to Andy..."

"Well, at least the barn's intact," shrugged Steven, "It's just...in space now."

"Attention passengers! The train is now arriving in Village Creek! All passengers for Village Creek, please alight when the train has halted!"

The train was rumbling to a halt next to a small wooden station platform. There was still no sign of a town - the station seemed to be in the middle of the forest.

"Well, this is us," said Greg.

The group gathered their bags and walked down the carriage to the door. They alighted with some difficulty - the platform was quite low - and began to look around for any sign of an exit.

The station was completely isolated - the only signs of life were a small wooden signal box and a water tower, from which the engine's tender was being refilled. Other than that, there was nothing but nature as far as the eye could see.

"Wow," said Amethyst, "We're literally in the middle of nowhere."

"How do we find this farm?" asked Peridot, looking around, "Have we just been marooned?"

"Let me ask the engineer," replied Greg, "Maybe I can get directions."

He walked up to the engine. The driver was standing on the tender, watching the water tank fill up. He nodded as Greg approached.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"How do we get to Village Creek?" asked Greg.

The driver raised an eyebrow.

"Shoot, I've never seen anybody wanna go to that place," he said, "And I've been working this line ten years."

He pointed to the northeast.

"It's about two mile up the road that way," he said, "Just up the hill. I wouldn't go there, m'self."

"Why not?" asked Steven.

"All my years as an engineer," replied the driver, "I've only seen one person enter or leave Village Creek..."

He narrowed his eyes.

"...speak of the devil," he said, pointing behind the group.

"Mr. Universe!"

Greg turned. Colonel Thaddeus Beauregard was walking up the wooden platform, smiling amicably.

The colonel was an older man, his hair greying. He wore thick mutton chops over a slightly red face, and his eyes were beady and wrinkled. He wore a tan cotton suit and a brown necktie. His look was finished with a ten-gallon hat. Behind him was his accountant, who was short, a little bit stocky and dressed in a simple shirt and tie. The Colonel grasped Greg's hand in a firm handshake - a little too firm, in fact, as Greg winced from the sudden sharp pain.

"Ow! Uh, you must be Colonel Beauregard?" he asked.

"I do declare I am!" exclaimed Beauregard, "Colonel Thaddeus Hamilton Granville Thurston Beauregard the Third, to be precise."

Greg stared.

"...'Colonel' will suffice," said Beauregard.

"Uh, thanks," nodded Greg, "So, where's this farm?"

"Other side of the village, my man," replied Beauregard, "We can take my own automobile, you'll find it will fit your...family?"

"Yep!" replied Steven cheerfully, "One big, sorta weird family!"

"Quite," nodded Beauregard, "Well, follow me, we'd best be going."

He made to leave, his accountant and the group following him. Peridot took up the rear, still feeling melancholic - as she left the station, she heard the driver call after them.

"You be careful, fellas - there's something very weird about that town..."

"I don't know if I'm ready for this, Garnet."

Pearl was pacing back and forth, clutching her hair. Garnet watched from the couch as she fretted to herself.

"I mean, I haven't tried anything like this since before Greg!" she said, "And that was always with Rose, and I still don't really know if she felt the same way - what if this is that again? What if I'm just waiting until she gets her own Greg? I couldn't do that again, Garnet! I just..."

"Pearl," said Garnet, "You need to calm down. What will happen will happen."

"Well that's easy for you to say!" exclaimed Pearl. "You're literally the perfect relationship!"

"I know," nodded Garnet stoically, "It's awesome."

"I just...I need to know that everything's going to be okay," said Pearl.

"Well, where are you going?" asked Garnet.

"It's a concert," replied Pearl, "Down on the boardwalk. I'm not sure what Krol it is this time..."

"Well, you've been to a concert before," said Garnet, "Just be yourself. Don't try to overthink everything and just have fun. And if anything goes wrong, I'll be right here."

"So you'll be my...what did Amethyst call it...wingman?" asked Pearl.

"Let's go with that," nodded Garnet.

Pearl swallowed.

"Alright," she said, "I'll just go down tomorrow and be myself. It'll work, it'll work..."

She scratched the back of her neck.

"...I'm still nervous," she admitted.

"Then let's talk," said Garnet, patting the couch next to her.

"Okay, what about?"

Garnet shrugged.

"Anything."

The Colonel owned a large, pink stretch limo that dated from the nineteen fifties - he claimed it had belonged to Elvis. He sat in the back, having ordered his accountant to drive - he insisted on having his own chair, leaving Greg to sit in the front passenger seat and Steven, Connie, Amethyst and Peridot to squeeze into the back.

"I'm glad you've come, Mr. Universe," he said, "Your cousin, I'm afraid, left the property quite a mess, and we need it cleaned up. Village Creek has won the Appalachian Best Kept Community Competition ten years running, and I do not intend to lose it now. I don't care for the particulars of what you do, so long as it looks neat when you're done."

Steven looked out the window as they passed through Village Creek.

"Hey guys, the village!" he said.

The village looked fairly normal - a typical rural village. There was a small, wooden village centre and a statue of the founder in the square in front of it - this was surrounded haphazardly by small houses and cottages. There were few people on the streets, most of whom were either tending their lawns, talking among each other or walking from place to place.

As the limo slowly drove by, each person stopped and stared. Steven winced as the villagers glared at the passing vehicle - their expressions seemed devoid of expression, but their stares were piercing, and every one of them seemed to have vibrant green eyes.

"They love me," chuckled Beauregard, "Look at the way they watch me pass! Pure adoration!"

"If they start pointing at us and screeching, I'm out," grunted Amethyst.

"So this is normal?" asked Connie.

"Yep," shrugged Beauregard, "They do this every time I pass. I wouldn't think too hard about it, little missy."

"Yeah, the limo's so gaudy it probably makes their eyes bleed," muttered the accountant.

"What was that?" snapped Beauregard.

"I-I said the limo's so pretty it probably makes them...uh...all heed," said the accountant.

"That's what I thought," grunted Beauregard, crossing his arms.

The limo passed out of the town and over a rickety bridge over the creek. The accountant made a left turn and the vehicle drove up a bumpy dirt trail. Before long, they passed a rusty gate and pulled up to the farm.

"Yeah," nodded Greg, "It's definitely a fixer upper."

The farm was a mess. The fields were covered in weeds and dead vines, and the soil was uneven and untilled. The house was also in a poor state - the paint had peeled, the windows were broken and there was a visible hole in the roof. It looked like a disaster zone, and it was easy to see why it had upset the Colonel as much as it had.

"What do you say, Mr. Universe?" asked Beauregard as they climbed out of the limo, "Can you clean this up?"

"Well, it's...gonna be harder than I thought," admitted Greg, "But what the hey? It'll be a team effort, huh Stu-ball?"

Steven scratched his chin.

"We're gonna need a leader," he said, "And who better to lead us than Farmer Peridot?"

He hugged Peridot.

"Yeah, Farmer Peridot!" exclaimed Amethyst, joining the hug.

"Farmer Peridot!" echoed Connie, joining in too.

Peridot blushed.

"Sounds good to me," nodded Greg, "What do you say, Peridot?"

"...fine," said Peridot, "But we're gonna have to get started. We've got a lot of work to do..."

"I don't care who farms what," said Beauregard, "Just clean this place by Sunday."

He climbed back into the limo.

"I will be watching, Farmer Peridot," he declared.

He rolled up the window and the limo drove away.

"...okay, it's kinda weird when he says it," said Amethyst.

The fungus didn't really think, not in the same way a human or a non-corrupted gem would. It acted on instincts and reacted to stimuli. It had still retained orders from days long past, however; orders to colonise, orders to multiply and orders to oppose the rebellious Crystal Gems.

Through its many eyes on the surface, through which it didn't see but gathered environmental information from nonetheless, the fungus had detected the presence of the dreaded Rose Quartz as she alighted one of those strange human transportation devices. Instinct immediately set in - the programming of old orders.

It began to expand, to colonise. The Rose Quartz had to be eliminated...

[shadowedgarden]

From the Hunters, Among the Hunted

Chapter 3: Let the Fun Begin!

Warning: dead person at for short time near end, in case that is of concern to any.

Ch. 1: Welcome, Please Try not to Die || Ch. 2: The Desolate City

An objective is quite a helpful and welcome distraction.  After a brief scan to make sure you know what direction to head, noting quickly that you are already fairly close, you start off.  The next two rooms are filled with shadows due to the room above.  As your eyes adapt to the darkness, a vaguely irritated smile appears on your face.  You wonder if it would kill them to make less puzzles and traps that require falling.  Probably.  The exit is blocked by spikes, another common choice it seems, with six patches of falling ground spaced through the room.  You swiftly approach the closest on your right, wanting to get it over with.  The drop is not actually as far as you thought it would be, and you are beginning to adapt to these traps.  That doesn’t mean bracing helps all that much yet.  In the room below you find a faded old strip of scarlet fabric that was gorgeous when it was new.  It is used to tie back hair.  The wind must have blown it down here, the stone protecting it from too much wear.

You tie it into a bow and put it in your hair.  

Monsters won’t hit you as hard if you’re cute.  Pity the same cannot be said of humans.  

You climb up the shaft, a bit slower than with earlier ones due to having to navigate by feel alone; this time trying the pitfall to the left when you emerge.  You forget to brace, lungs getting their breath knocked out of them.  As you push yourself up, you wince.  You definitely gained at least a bruise from this.  You start feeling around for a switch, eventually finding it on the wall near the shaft, at around your head height.  You pull it, hearing the tell tale grinding of spikes retreating into the floor, and crawl back out and leave the room.  Luckily the spike barrier in the next doorway is also down, because you can’t see well enough to do anything other than bumble blindly around in there.  That does mean, though, that you have no idea what the three signs mean when they say “If you can see this”.  It takes you a bit of messing around and having your heart skip from the surprise drops for you to figure out the north sign will actually assist you, rather than drop you with no warning.  After that you figure the next such rooms out with ease.  You carefully step over a tangle of vines, glancing down the path towards the house, and, figuring you have a bit of time until Toriel arrives, step over another such tangle and move to a lookout that was previously obscured from your vision.  Making sure you stay well clear of the edge, you look up.  

The crumbling ruins of this once great city spreads before you, many times larger than you could have imagined.  Compared to this the village is tiny.  You can just see the ocean sparkling on the far side of the mountain, the forest cutting off the city just before it reaches the water and covering the mountain with a thick green coat.  Snow drifts off the top on a wind that doesn’t reach you, shimmering as it dissipates into its carrier.  Down in the ruins there is a scattering of camp-fires from the hunters.  Most tend to attack during the day, but once in awhile a squad will get drunk and start wandering around during the night.  Filthy creatures.  Some of the buildings have crumbled, while some others are relatively untouched, and vines seem to be the primary inhabitants now.  There are a dozen more areas that have fallen into the same type of almost-haunted seeming clearing like you saw earlier.  The once strong barricades and towering walls that had once protected the city are hardly recognizable now, where they are still standing at all that is.  In the distance and scattered among the forest are a few stray towns and farms, as well as one or two on the coast, all of which are also abandoned and overgrown, barely a single structure of which is visible from here.  Anything near the edge of the ruins is completely overgrown, to the point where you can hardly even tell where the city used to end.  Overshadowing the crumbling remains is the overgrown wreckage of a castle.  Even from here it is possible to see the flowers overflowing out of the courtyards, as well as the vines that consume all that still stands.  In one of the spires that has only partially collapsed, dozens of bed-frames sit exposed to the elements, the vines just starting to obscure them from view.  The vines had trapped some of the rubble, and as you watch a piece comes loose and tumbles to the ground.  Everything of value was ransacked a long time ago.  Near the base of the castle resides a circle of light from a human camp.  You glance down, checking the distance to the edge again.  Its steepness unnerves you, and this is not exactly the most inconspicuous of places to stand.  A stick stares back at you- not literally, calm down-, nearly touching your feet, positioned almost as though trying to remind you of Toriel’s house.  You pick it up and head back, shuffling through the leaves, and enter the front yard.  You hear her footsteps moments before she rounds the large tree directly in front of you.

“There you are, my child!  I was beginning to worry you had gotten lost.”  Toriel beams, then mutters too herself, slightly to quietly for you to catch.  At a volume clearly meant for you to hear she adds,

“Please, come inside.”

She turns to head in, a little bit of dust falling off her clothes as she does so.  For some reason that seems a bit more tragic than you think it should.  She looks slightly more tired than when you last saw her, regardless of the cheerfulness she has plastered on.  You follow, pausing at another Save star just before you enter.  You emerge into a hallway, with stairs that disappear down to the left on the other side of the room, and doorways to either side of you.  Through the left you can see a large table and through the right, more hallway.  A bookcase and flowers are to either side of the stairway.

She takes your hand and leads you down the right hall, stopping at the first door.

“You must be exhausted, so go right ahead and get some rest, it will take me a few days to arrange anything anyway.  I will leave you to get comfortable, if you need anything just call.  You can stay here until I can arrange for someone to pick you up, this is no place for a child.  Your room is this way.”  

You enter the room without bothering to see where she goes.  Against the right wall is his bed, with a toy-box at it’s foot and a wardrobe beside it.  The only other things to adorn the room are a drawing of a golden flower on the wall, a seemingly broken light source in the far left corner, and a single fabric doll on the bed.  Once you sit down on the bed, exhaustion washes over you.  You have never slept in this nice of a bed before.  It overrides your hunger, and you drop your backpack beside the bed, instantly drifting into an uneventful slumber.

By the time you awaken the sun has set again, and the delicious aroma of fresh baked pie has drifted tentatively through the room.  Groggily, you remember that you forgot to eat before you fell asleep, your stomach deciding that stabbing you is an appropriate reminder.  How nice of it.  You slowly roll over to grab a snack from your pack, and see that Toriel has left you a slice of pie a safe distance from the bed.  That explains the aroma.  You drop your feet onto the floor and pick up the snail pie.  …It’s an acquired taste.  You slip it into your pack anyway, just in case you need it later; then pull out food more to your tastes, and sling your bag over your shoulder, ready to explore.  Before you leave, you check the wardrobe, finding only a bunch of striped sweaters, and merely glance at all the cool toys in the toy box before deeming them uninteresting.  

You drift to the next room over, opening the door to find a bed against the corner opposite you, a desk between it and the door, and a wardrobe and bookshelf in the far corner.  Aside from a yellow flower and some broken crayons atop the bookshelf, and a diary and some pens on her desk, the room lacks anything smaller than a chair.  The bed is one of the largest ones you’ve seen.  You open the diary, which doesn’t look like it’s written in frequently, to a random page.  It seems to be an old one.

“If I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be?    A Momeranian!”

Jokes like this must be how she stays sane now.  You close the book and leave.  There is nothing more to look at here. 

As the only other door in this hall is broken, you head over to the other side of the house.  The doorway you saw earlier opens into the dining room, which doubles as a living-room.  To the right sits a fireplace, with a gentle fire burning in it, a bookshelf filled with worn books sitting to its right, and to its left a reading chair and a doorway to what can be assumed as the kitchen.  The place has a distinct sturdy feel, the damage being minimal with an essentials only attitude.  Toriel is asleep in the chair, with a book in her lap.  You plan to let her sleep, as she must need the rest, however, her phone doesn’t seem to agree with you, and she is up near instantaneously.  As she heads for the door she sees you, directing you towards the books and saying she will be back soon.  You spend the next several hours exploring the little left of the house you hadn’t seen, eventually settling down to read.  

You end up back at the spot overlooking the ruins, sitting cross-legged a few meters from the edge.  Throughout the night,  Toriel has yet to return for any interval longer than forty minutes, during which grabbing some shut-eye seemed to be her immediate priority; voluntary or not.  She just left again, in fact.  A monster candy rolls around in your mouth, slowly filling it with its distinctly non-licorice taste.  It’s the only monster food you’ve found so far that doesn’t just dissolve into a burst of flavour and energy upon entering your mouth, but only if you focus on making sure it doesn’t.  You had found a bowl full of them on Toriel’s table earlier and took a handful with you.  You finally discovered the real reasons why the village wanted the monsters dead, thanks to the books, and your mind mulls it over from time to time.  Fear, greed, and power have forever been the easiest way to get into a fight.   A yawn interrupts your thoughts just as the sun starts to lighten the horizon.  You should probably get some sleep.  You wander back to your room, eyes fluttering a little, and crawl into bed, drifting gently into familiar darkness once more.

A child walks through the forest, only a slight limp remaining of their twisted ankle.  It’s a quiet morning, the sun yet to lighten the horizon.  They know exactly how to avoid the guards and enter unnoticed. After all, they’ve been observing the area for a week or so just for this trip.  They soften their footsteps as they approach, pulling their hood up and obscuring them-self.  The people wore this sort of thing all the time in colder weather, and the child went unnoticed as they slipped through the village towards their house, hardly a soul even conscious.  When they reached the house, they slipped through the window of their younger sister’s room.  Their sister, however, was absent.  They swiftly located her diary, she hadn’t changed its hiding spot while they were away, and looked at the last entry for some sort of hint as to where she might be.  The writing was abnormally smudged, as though she had been writing in a great hurry.  From what was decipherable, it seemed their sister had overheard some guards mention seeing them with the monsters.  That had been the last piece of evidence needed to convince her that the village leader was evil, and she had been planning the kill for a few weeks.  She put it into action the morning prior.

A dread crept over the child as they realized this.  Their sister was too young.  She was the last shred of hope they had for humanity.  They slipped back out, heading towards the leader of the idiots’ residence.  When the house came into view, they stopped short.  They didn’t want to believe their eyes.  Pinned outside of the house by stakes through her shoulders, hung their sister, covered in dried blood.  In life, she had been the most beautiful person the child had every known, both inside and out.   Now she had been reduced to a desecrated, mangled, and shredded sack of flesh and bones.  She was hanging out in the open as a warning to any others that might be thinking about trying to kill the family.  She had been dead for several hours.  On the ground beside her lay the red ribbon the child had given her.  They approached, shaking, tied the strip of fabric around their arm, and took their sister down gently.  They piled her fallen pieces back into her corpse and carried her slightly stiff body into the woods for a proper funeral.  The only thing the child could see was red.

You awake to Toriel entering the room.  She sounds haggard.

“Oh good, you are awake.  Please gather your things and meet me by the door downstairs as soon as you can.”

She disappears from the doorway, presumably to wait for you at the door.  You pull a sheet off the bed, shoving it into your pack, and tie the ribbon into your hair, pretending you never had the dream, and head to the door with a piece of dried meat in your mouth.  The sun has set again.  You pause at the top of the stairs, looking back at the rest of the house.  You would not mind staying, you think, and the realization fills you with determination, a Save star at the bottom of the stairs channelling and amplifying the feeling.  Toriel is pretty nice too, almost to the point of making you wish she were your mom.  You soon turn the last corner, coming to a stop before Toriel and a large, solid, door.  Apparently, the humans appeared to be getting abnormally close to the house last night, and she suspects that the little safety it had might be compromised.  The best plan of action would be if you left, while she stays behind.

After all, she is here for a reason.  

“Take this,” she says, holding out a slip of paper.  “Show it to the first person you meet, they will bring you to Asgore.”  You refuse, stating that you will stay with her, and if she wants you to leave she must come too.  

“My child, please, he will take good care of you.”

Again you refuse.  You are being foolish.  She stands there for a moment, her face an expressionless mask, mulling over her options.  The distance between the two of you closes almost instantaneously, her arm brushing your shoulder as you skitter to the side.  You will not be that easy to catch, both of you know that.  She sighs, and a ping echoes around the hall as she pulls forth your soul.  This really does not seem debatable.  

“This is your last chance to leave on your own.  Please little one, stop being so stubborn,” she implores you one final time.  Immovable in your decision, you shake your head.  No.

Flames dance across Toriel's fingertips, growing into fireballs that she sends flying towards the child’s soul.  Warning shots.  Their focus sharpens, fingers twitching as they will their soul to dodge.  They notice a slight difference with how it responds.  They test a theory, surprise lighting up their eyes as the precision their fingers grant is realized.  The flames stop, giving the child a chance to leave, and they flick their soul over to ACT.  The CHECK reads:

*TORIEL  80 ATK  80 DEF *Knows best.

Their soul returns to the box, flames falling like rain.  Not ready for anything more than the warning, a fireball smashes into the child’s soul.  A wave of worry, lifetimes of loneliness, and sparks of hope crash down on them, stunning them for a few seconds and placing strain on the soul’s connection.  They recover, soul blinking back, just as Toriel ends her attack.  Yet the child stays.  The flames return, oscillating, trapping their soul against the wall, the damage washing over them again.  Still they refuse to run.  They ACT, choosing to TALK; if she is so lonely, why force them to leave?  She ignores them.  The fireballs comes in arcs, the child managing to dodge them all for the first time.  The cycle repeats for the next few turns: dodge, talk fruitlessly, dodge and still get hit, and after a few minutes give up on verbal protest.  Eventually, when the soul’s connection to the body was feeble, the flames subside, and she opens her mouth to try diplomacy one last time.  Before she can speak, a shout echoes down the hall, originating from a pair of humans.  Toriel whirls around, seizing the child’s arm and launching them out, the others having distracted them.

“I will catch up to you if I can.  Go.”  A hollow BOOM resounds through the tunnel as the door slams shut.

The tunnel is pitch dark, other than the torch on the wall.  It is impossible to tell how far it runs at this point.  You pick up the torch, then look back at the door.  The only thing you can do for Toriel now is hope.  The ground shifts softly behind you, and you turn to face it.

“Just cause you fooled her, don’t think you’ve fooled me.  I know what you are.”  It’s Flowey.  He looks about as grim as a flower can get.  "I’m watching you, soul-thief,“ he spits out.

His visit is decidedly ended as he disappears back into the earth, leaving you to climb up the tunnel by yourself.  Have fun with the hike.