#and how apparently I am in the wrong for getting scared when some strangers unleashed dog comes running and jumping and sniffing at me

[elliwoods]

Alright..... I need to know

[sweetestlamb]

Still, I Rise

Summary: Damn teenagers and their angst. 

Author's Note: Back with another chapter, if you didn’t already know it I will be revealing our mystery character from the last chapter LOL please put down the bats and weapons (jk take them out it’s hilarious!) With this chapter we are getting closer to the “climax” and I am so excited to write the fun chapters I have planned ahead, one scene that I am really looking forward to writing is the camping trip, I had so much plans and events that I wanted to see that didn’t because TVN woke up and chose basic, we hate to see it. I can’t wait to rewrite history honestly also can’t wait to just move to onto regular schmegular teen problems, I swearrrrrrr. 

"Don't you dare embarrass me this time. You aren't ugly why can't you get these damn little rich brats to like you? Are you truly this useless? Don't come home if you can't make this one fall for you!"

Those had been his father's final words right before his hand split his lower lip open with a razor sharp blow that made his head whip in recoil. His father's footsteps faded as he walked away leaving him crumpled on the ground, anger and embarrassment raging in his blood. He hadn't chosen this life at all, never wanted to be a bargaining chip for that despicable man. First with Eun Dan Oh and now this new girl, Kang Sujin.

She'd initially stood him up and he had felt foolish sitting in the lavish restaurant by himself, checking his phone but no calls or messages arrived.

His father had been livid that night, more vicious than usual his stepmother's weak screams served as the soundtrack for his brutal beating. Why couldn’t she just be quiet? Did it make her feel better when she acted as if she actually gave a shit about him? His brother coming into his room after with those pathetic weeping eyes and a bandage had only made him angrier, he shoved him away slamming the door in his face, refusing his help. He didn't need anyone, nobody could save him from his horrible fate. 

It hadn't taken much research to find out her school and on impulse he'd gone there without her knowledge, watching from afar at first. A tiny girl with short hair framing her face had ran giggling into a taller girl with long dark hair and a classically beautiful face, they walked side by side smiling and laughing and that's when he'd heard her call out , "Sujin we should get something to eat!"

It wasn't love at first sight or anything ridiculous and disgustingly romantic like that, but he felt a connection to the girl for some inconceivable reason as if they were kindred spirits or something, maybe it was the remnant of a bruise he saw on her wrist hidden beneath her sweater. 

It seemed they had more in common then he had initially believed, it was a grim similarity. 

He'd gone home feeling less burdened than before, and his father's smile had been terrifying when he'd told him that he would work hard to win the girl over, only because he knew how quickly that smile could evaporate and his father could become the monster he was accustomed to. He tried not to flinch as the older man clapped him on the shoulder, his body already in fight or flight mode.

His father had merely smirked at his apparent fear.

Bastard.

So he'd taken to following the other girl around, she was going to be his fiancé anyway so he saw nothing wrong with it. And that was how he learned about the other boy, a tall slender boy who looked like someone that would grace an idol magazine cover. They were together more often than he liked, and it seemed more than platonic if the glances and subtle touches were a sign.

He wasn't jealous per se, but this would be a roadblock in his plan that he couldn't afford. He was getting used to not being beaten. 

The day he'd followed them to the hospital presented another challenge for him, he hated hospitals and what they represented with every fiber of his being. He'd spent too much time in them growing up and then again for a girl who couldn't care less about him, she was another reminder that he wasn't worthy of love. He had thought he loved her but still hurt her whenever she disobeyed him, he knew he was no better than his father.

Unexpectedly Sujin had burst through the hospital doors, surprising him and forcing him to hide lest she spot him, peeking out from his hiding place behind a tree he saw her distraught and near tears running the opposite direction. He stood in shock merely watching and waiting to see if the unknown boy would follow her, but thankfully he never came.

Pushing down his own wariness and discomfort he walked into the hospital immediately feeling a cold chill on his skin, he refused to call it trauma that made it sound like something was wrong with him. He was fine and he could do this.

Thankfully the nurses were too busy and nobody noticed him walking by and he froze when he spotted another man who was capable of making him flinch. Doctor Kang, he looked anything but approachable in his gleaming white lab coat and he remembered watching the man laugh with his father as they both sold their children without remorse. Instinctively he hid watching the man glare into a hospital room, he almost feared for whomever was the recipient of the ice cold gaze.

Minutes melted by before the doctor finally walked away, his steps clipped and echoing on the linoleum floors and he finally let out a sigh of relief when the other man disappeared around the corner.

Stealthily he rounded the corner and took the doctor's abandoned spot, peeking into the room through the small window in the door. It was that boy again, the idol wannabe but this time he wasn't alone there was a young girl with a bouquet in her arms and a older woman lovingly patting him on his cheeks.

His mother.

A loving one, at that. 

His blood seared watching the domestic scene, jealousy ripping through him like a tornado. There was no way he was letting this asshole have Sujin too, he already had too much. More than he, Baekyung would ever have.

                                                                The motorcycle roars under her thighs as they whip down the road. It only serves to remind her of the first time she was on a bike with another boy, his cologne and the scent of leather infiltrating her senses and making her heart jump through hoops. This time she feels nothing but annoyance and extreme frustration, barely holding onto the stranger in front of her as she leans forward to yell above the engine, "Pullover!"

She knows he heard her based on the immediate tension in his body but he continues to ride ignoring her request demand. With a grunt she grabs onto his waist only to bodily drag them to the side not caring if they both crash at this point she cannot stand another second on this bike with him, instantly he straightens them before skidding to the side and finally pulling the brakes bringing the motorcycle to a halt, the moment the bike stops she hops off in a frenzy.

Thrusting the bottom piece of his helmet up he screams at her, "Are you insane? You could have hurt us!"

She bares her teeth at him, ready to unleash her full anger on him now without an audience. 

"Who the fuck are you? And why did you come to my school?" She bellows glaring poisonously at the strange idiot who had single handedly upended her day.

Moving calmer than she's feeling, he dismounts finally pulling his helmet off and then squeezing it under his arm looking down at her. 

With a condescending look he stares at her, "You know exactly who I am, don't play dumb it's beneath you."

He's right. She does know who he is although she had never seen him or known his name, she had truly thought she could ignore him and he would disappear. Just like with her father that was proving to be an erroneous dream that would never come true. 

"But I'll formally introduce myself since we are going to be engaged soon after all, Baekyung. You can call me oppa though."

Engaged soon.

Her head spins from his words, she feels terror shift over her like a thick suffocating blanket.

"You don't even know me. Why would you even agree to this?" She stares at him in disbelief, at a loss to his acquiesce to their tragic fate.

The look in his eyes haunt her, it's like staring in a mirror and gazing back at the person she was months ago. Somehow without her knowledge or consent she'd changed, grown even and therefore started believing that her life was just that, hers.

"You act like we have a choice. Don't be stupid, we have to just do as we're told. It's easier this way for everyone." He repeats those words that she herself had uttered to Seojun not so long ago, a sense of deja vu washes over her. 

"How is letting ourselves be used easier? Don't you have your own dreams or aspirations? Isn't there someone you actually like?" She knows the error of her argument immediately as she says it, his eyes narrow into thin enraged slits and she can practically feel the anger vibrating off him.

"Don't pretend to care about me. This is about you and your little boyfriend," he spits the word like acid and immediately she remembers those chilling words he had whispered in her eyes earlier, "Do you think he'll be safe?" That was all it had taken for her to go with him, he couldn't get hurt she wouldn't allow that to happen ever. She had no idea what those ominous words meant and how this boy could pose a threat to Seojun but she knew she had to hear him out and protect Seojun anyway she possibly could. 

"He's not the only one you should be worried about." The smug bastard continues with a humorless grin on his face and suddenly the dots connect, her father outside of Ms. Han's hospital room and that calculating look on his face. Her stomach drops.

"Leave them out of it!" She screams embarrassed at the urgent plea in her voice but she can't help it, she's so scared more than she's ever been for herself.

"Well that all depends on you doesn't it? Your dear father will have no reason to do anything to them if you listen like a good daughter and date me as expected."

She stands frozen once again feeling helpless, it kills her inside all her growth slipping down the drain in a matter of seconds.

"Why are you doing this?"

He stills at her question, his cold mask dropping and leaving something numb and unreadable in its place. It feels familiar to her, she awaits his answer with bated breath.

"I want to live, even if I have no control over it. I'd rather be alive."

Thunder clashes above them, the previously sunny day shifting into a gray dark distortion, heavy storm clouds ominously loom above them and the first raindrops land perfectly on her cheeks, crying the tears that she refuses to let fall. She has no more left to cry.

Confusion is an understatement to express Su-ah's true feelings following the mysterious boy on the motorcycle, when she finally gets Sujin on the phone the other girl is quiet and mumbling, evading all her questions and as soon as she mentions Seojun, Sujin shuts down hastily ending their conversation with some nonsensical excuse. 

That was not going to be the end, Sujin might want to play dumb about the true nature of their relationship but she wasn't part of the circus. She was no clown, she had eyes and it was clear that they liked each other and it was only growing the more time they spent together. She wouldn't let her best friend sabotage something that could be great for her, she deserved happiness and Seojun made her happy. So it was truly that simple. 

Stomping up the slight incline to school, she huffs and puffs determined. She was going to talk some sense into the other girl.

Those thoughts come crashing all around her when she sees Sujin coming out of a car, a car that she has never seen before and her questions are answered when the boy from yesterday steps out after her. Every eye in a ten mile radius is watching them, captivated by this new school scandal. Girls already squealing and giggling, envious of Sujin and doing very little to hide their true feelings. 

“Why is he with her? She isn’t even that pretty. He should be with me.” 

The lies people told themselves to sleep at nights, sad. 

Accidentally knocking the gossiping girl to the side with a rough shoulder check, ignoring her dramatic cry she sprints the rest of the way, once again pushing through the crowd to get to Sujin.

Immediately their eyes lock and she begs Sujin for a answers, What happened? Why are you doing this? What’s going?,  she flinches at the cold emotionless stare she gets in response. She watches in dismay as the tall boy bends down as if to hug Sujin and that's when a loud grumble fills the air, she turns around to the all too familiar sight of Seojun on his motorcycle. He revs the handle bar causing the crowd to part like the Red Sea, then he rides slowly until he's right next to Sujin bike inches away from touching her.

With a practiced motion he tugs off his helmet, those sloping feline eyes already on Sujin in a hard stare.

The tension is insurmountable and cloying and Su-ah watches transfixed before Sujin breaks the impasse, tugging her bookbag over her shoulder she stomps into the school without a word to either boys. But then the interloping boy calls out, “Have a good day. Princess,” and Sujin stops immediately at the word, turning around with a ferocious look in her eyes, “Don’t call me that. My name is Kang Sujin to you. That’s all.” Su-ah sees the way that Sujin’s eyes almost subconsciously seek out a certain cat eyed boy and feels like she misses an entire conversation between the two before Sujin finally walks away. 

The mysterious boy glares at her retreating back before shooting a cold glare at Seojun and then promptly hopping back into his car, the backseat as he's chauffeured away.

"Oh my god! That was so hot! Princess?” 

"Who is that? Does Kang Sujin have a boyfriend? Wow, she’s mean to her boyfriend too. What a bitch.” 

Why do you think Seojun looked so angry?"

"Maybe he's worried about losing his bad boy title!"

The crowd erupts around them in loud voices, all curious about what they've witnessed and already creating rumors to appease their curiosity. Suddenly a loud motorcycle screech causes them all to jump silence falling over the crowd before Seojun rides away, the tight clench in his jaw visible even from her distance.

Lunch is a step above awkward, bordering into painful. The easy conversation that used to be a staple of the table is all but decimated, instead everyone eats quietly chilled by the cold air permeating from both Seojun and Sujin. They only speak when spoken to and avoid all eye contact, especially each others. It's painful to be a witness to and she notes regretfully that neither are eating home made lunch today, opting for the school lunch instead.

Sujin had never officially told her but she knew that they were making food for each other, their smiles watching the other eat made it too obvious.

This was serious. Looking at them now they looked like complete strangers, everyone was too nervous to question the elephant in the room. Everyone except poor Chorong.

"Why is everyone was so awkward today? What did you two fight or something? Why do we all have to suffer because of your lover's quarrel? Just kiss and make up already."

The table all looked on with opened mouths except Suho and herself who both looked worried instead.

And people thought she was slow, how had they all not realized what was happening? It was clear as day.

She flinches at his well-meaning words that are evidently not well received by either teen, watching them both glare at the table unmoving and the silence drags out painfully before Seojun breaks the stalemate. Standing without preamble he glares at Chorong before placing the stare on Sujin, it does nothing to change her unaffected stare. With a loud sigh he stomps away, despite his friends dismayed shouts of his name.

She continues to eat her lunch, watching Sujin in her peripheral.

She looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulder and Su-ah for the first time in their friendship has no idea what to do.

But when they all start to funnel out of the cafeteria she follows the other girl anyway, tugging her into an enclave where they are hidden from the rest of their classmates Sujin cries out at the sudden jerk but loses her defensive stance when she realizes it’s just her. 

“What?”

“What’s going on? Why are you letting that punk bring you to school and why are you and Han Seojun acting like you broke up before you even started officially dating? Sujin-ah, please tell me what’s going on.” She pleads latching onto the other girl’s arm peering up at her with puppy dog eyes, they have never failed her before. 

“I can’t tell you yet, I’m sorry.”

There’s a first time for everything and she frowns at Sujin feeling like there is a mountain between them. She can’t help the hurt that she feels knowing the other girl doesn’t trust her enough to tell her what’s going on. She thought they had moved past all the secrets and hiding but obviously she was wrong. 

“I really am sorry. But I will tell you everything soon enough.”

She releases Sujin’s arm, ready to walk away. She hates being in the dark. But before she can walk away, she feels Sujin hand on the bottom of her sweater tugging her backwards, she looks back with a perplexed glare. 

“Do you trust me?” 

She stares at Sujin and the soft tilt of her head as she asks the question, and her answer is easy, although she has no idea what’s going on and none of this makes any sense to her she doesn’t have to think about that answer. 

"You shouldn't do this to him. It's too cruel." Suho expects a biting retort or even a call for him to mind this damn business, so he's shocked breathless when instead the other girl smiles at him, a tiny almost indecipherable thing that makes her lips thinner. 

"You two have come a long way." Sujin responds unexpectedly shaking her head and walking over to the couch, before beckoning him over too.

He stares feeling suspicious but ultimately he follows, curiosity winning.

"I think I'm ready." Sujin expels a deep breath, twisting her hands nervously in her lap. Before he can ask her what exactly she's ready for she continues, "I want to tell your father what happened if you really think he'll help me."

He's too late to swallow the strangled gasp that escapes from his lungs and he leans back in surprise. He wants to continue his conversation about Seojun but he’s scared to do anything to make the other girl retreat or change her mind now. That conversation will have to wait for another day.  

Sorry Seojun. 

"Are you sure? You're really ready to do this?"

There's a long pause and he watches a myriad of emotions run across Sujin's usually expressionless face until something that looks suspiciously like hope blossoms making her glow brighter than the sun.

"Yes. I want to try living just for me."

Blinking away the moisture in his eyes, he pulls out his cellphone sending his father a message.

Please come over.

It only takes seconds but it feels like an eternity before his father replies, he smiles at the message.

On my way.

He stands up to put the kettle on the fire, he knows that tonight will be a long night and he needs something to keep his hands occupied.

When his doorbell rings he's shocked when Sujin stands up looking at him with a serene gaze, "I'll get it." He only nods at her in reply, watching as she greets his father and man recovers quickly at the unexpected visitor, smiling warmly at Sujin before pulling her into a warm embrace.

Even more surprisingly Sujin doesn't flinch, allowing herself to be wrapped up.

His father embraces him as well, patting him on the back and again on the head when they break apart. He can feel Sujin's eyes on them and he moves away guiltily. Now isn’t the time to rub his burgeoning relationship with his father in her face. 

"Have a seat Dad, thank you for coming so quickly."

His father lifts an eyebrow at the sudden serious tone of his voice but he follows his directions nonetheless folding his hands on his lap and looking inquisitively between the two teenagers.

"Is there something you both want to tell me? Perhaps you two are....." His father motions vaguely between them and he stares back not comprehending until his father smiles slyly and Sujin beats him to it, protesting ardently.

"No! No, it's nothing like that. There's someone else...I mean no. That's what what we wanted to talk about."

He raises an eyebrow at Sujin's slip and his father chuckles at her stuttering and the red blaze across her cheeks.

His father waves his arms in appeal, apologetic grin on his face. "Sorry I didn't mean to embarrass you both. I just always hoped you two might one day. A father can dream."

He scoffs at his father, "Give up on that dream she's like family to me. We would never see each other that day."

Sujin nods passionately in agreement and his father shrugs easily, now looking even more curious than before.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

Sujin stills on her spot on the couch, the determination in her bones seeming to melt away with every passing minute. He fears this won't go as planned and he has no idea how to motivate her.

Then a loud vibration rumbles from the couch and it takes Sujin a moment to realize it's her phone, he watches curiously as she looks at the message and then a single tear runs down her round cheek. The determination curls back around her like armor, he watches in amazement as she sits taller turning to look at his father with newfound courage or maybe it wasn’t newfound but suddenly uncovered by whatever she had seen on her phone. 

“Suho asked you for help for me. I’m really the one who needs your help.” He can hear the slight quiver and hitches in her words but she gets them all out and instantly she has his father’s undivided attention, he even turns his body to fully face the girl. Pride swells in his chest at the sight, he was worried his father would only be adamant about helping him directly as a way to get closer to him but now he can see that he was wrong about the other man. Genuine concern fills every line and wrinkle of time on his face. 

“What is wrong? What do you need help with and why can’t you tell your parents?” It’s a innocent question, and logical too but he fears Sujin’s reaction, when she feels like she is backed into a corner in the past that has led to her lashing out with dagger sharp remarks, he watches with his heart lodged in his throat.

“Because they are the ones hurting me.” 

His lungs deflate releasing all the air that was trapped in the sacs, she said the truth without hesitation and he turns to glance at his father watching him process the bomb that she has just dropped on him. His father opens and closes his mouth several times, before finding his voice it is but a whisper when he responds to Sujin. 

“That time you needed a doctor.” The statement is directed to Suho and with a sober nod he confirms what his father already knows, with a loud sigh his father sinks into the couch quiet rage on his face. “I should have known, you always seemed so scared of him but I thought it was just his parenting style I never thought...never expected that he would....I should have done something!” 

Sujin laughs, it is pained and small but he hears it and immediately turns to look at her, “He sounds just like you like father like son I guess,” Sujin directs that at him and he blushes in memory, he can’t deny the claims. Then she turns back to his father with surprisingly soft eyes, “Don’t blame yourself, just help me now if you can.” 

“I will use all of my resources to make sure he spends his life in jail.” 

Suho jumps in his seat looking over at Sujin, that is way more than they had ever discussed that was what he truly wanted for the monstrous man but it always seemed like too much to ask for but here was his father saying it as if it was completely plausible. 

“Jail? Do you really think he can go to jail? It would be his word against mine, I never took any pictures. I was stupid.” Sujin berates herself, and before he can dismiss the self inflicted insult his father is already moving closer and putting a large hand on her trembling shoulder, only then does he realize how the girl is shaking like a new leaf. 

“No, it will be my word against his. I will also get that report from Doctor Kim, that could be used as evidence. You’re just a kid and a victim, I’ll handle this you don’t need to do anything else. You’ve handled enough on your own, we got you now.” His father looks over at him as if waiting for his approval and he moves onto the couch with them both, after a moment’s pause putting his hand on Sujin’s other shoulder. 

“We got you.” 

Jukyeong glances over nervously at Seojun the aroma of coffee thick in the air as she sweeps up the beans she had clumsily spilled on the ground, she waited for Seojun to playfully scold her as he often did when she messed up at work but the reprimand never came and when she glanced over at him he had been staring longing at his cellphone. 

Su-ah had been the first to notice how weird him and Sujin acted around each other and despite not having a lot of experience with relationships, especially those of the romantic kind she could see that they didn’t hate each other as much as Sujin tried to drive the deceptive point home. They were always teasing each other and Seojun found any excuse to be near Sujin and soon he wasn’t the only one, they just seemed to naturally gravitate to each other at times bickering so much it was like they were the only two people in the room. 

But all that had come to an abrupt end with the sudden appearance of the boy on the motorcycle, the entire school was in a uproar over him, Baek Kyung, she had heard the other girls whispering his name. On paper he seemed very similar to Han Seojun, same bad boy persona and affinity for motorcycles and glares. But the biggest difference she noticed was Sujin's reaction to them both, she had heard from some gossiping girls how vehemently Sujin had declared that Baek Kyung not call her “princess”, a moniker she had commonly heard Seojun use to refer to the girl.  Sujin never stopped him these days, instead rolling her eyes and speeding up to escape from him, he would chase after all calling her the sweet nickname all the way. 

When Seojun would use it to refer to her in passing such as, “Are you gonna eat that princess?” Those were times that Sujin didn’t react at all, simply handing him whatever food in her container had caught his eye that she had ignored. 

They were casually domestic in a way that they never seemed to realize and she couldn’t help but categorize. Seojun liked Sujin that was becoming clearer and it seemed like the feeling was mutual, even if the girl wasn’t yet ready to admit it. 

Which was why this new development came as a complete shock to her, why was Sujin suddenly giving her attention to someone else? 

“Did you guys have a fight? Just tell her you’re sorry.” She offers out of the blue, and Seojun turns to her with a puzzled look drying a mug with a cloth, “What are you talking about now clumsy?” 

Thankfully the shop is empty, she quirks at eyebrow at him folding her arm when he continues to play dumb. 

“Sujin. You guys clearly had a fight, you’re both so hot tempered. Her temper is probably worst than yours though so just apologize okay? It’s better than fighting.” 

He stares at her with a blank face before turning away, rubbing firmer at the mug in his hands and she worries for its safety. 

“Why should I apologize when she’s the one who’s with another guy? Don’t worry about me, I will be fine. Clearly this was one-sided. She doesn’t like me.” 

She openly laughs at him now, looking at him like he has two heads. “What are you talking about? If she didn’t like you then why did she follow you to your mom’s hospital? She tried to be all sneaky but Chorong told us everything. Plus she always gets jealous when other girls give you food at school and don’t think we don’t all know that you guys make food for each other!” 

He whips around looking at her with huge eyes, “Wait you all knew? So when I said that someone special made it for me? You knew?” 

She smiles brightly, “Yep. It wasn’t subtle at all.” 

He sighs in annoyance, turning away to hide the pink on his face. 

“I’m not apologizing. I didn’t do anything wrong.” 

She sighs at the boy’s words, knowing that this fight might go on longer than it needs to and she wishes she could just shake some sense into both of them, why were they choosing to suffer like this? 

Damn teenagers and their angst. 

Grumbling she goes to take a customer’s order, glancing over at Seojun with a final sad smile. 

Hopefully they can figure this out without falling apart. 

Time seems to move slower than usual today and he almost pumps a fist in  triumph when he sees that it’s finally eight and they are free to leave. 

“Do you want to me to walk you to the bus stop?” He offers Jukyeong out of politeness but she shakes her head no, telling him that she is going to meet with her older sister for dinner running out before him and hailing a cab, he smiles at the sight that’s one girl who loves to eat. 

Turning off the lights in the shop, he turns over the “open” sign and locks the door behind him. The cool spring night air brushes against his cheeks and he makes his way to his motorcycle, mounting in one motion and sighing as it purrs to life before he speeds off his destination already in mind. He bobs and weaves through traffic, smirking at idiot drivers who blare their horns at him when he inches too close to their precious car but even they are not enough to rain on his parade. 

When he finally arrives, he bounces off the bike throwing the helmet onto the handlebar carelessly before bounding over to the figure he sees waiting. 

He can’t help the smile that tugs against his lips, ultimately setting it free as the figure turns around at the sound of his boot stomping on the ground. 

“Did you wait long?” He asks moving closer until he can feel the heat wafting off the body in front of him. 

“No, I only just got here too. Why are you smiling like that? You look deranged.” 

He smiles wider, feeling mischievous after what a certain klutz had revealed to him with a smirk he leans closer to her, grinning harder when she leans back looking at him with a confused glare. 

“I heard from a certain birdie that you followed me to the hospital and that you get jealous when other girls give me food. Is that true princess?” 

Sujin growls at him, shoving his shoulder hard before stomping away to the park bench. He eagerly follows after her, throwing his arm over her shoulder smiling at her wearing yet another one of his sweaters, this time a black one that reaches the bottom of her knees and completely hides whatever she is wearing underneath. She looks equally sexy as adorable and it makes his blood boil in a way he has been trying harder and harder to suppress around her. 

“I knew you would try to milk the situation. This isn’t why I told you everything.” 

He smiles recalling what Sujin is referring to. 

Just a day go.....

He stares angrily at his phone in utter disbelief that she would have the gall to call him after what had just happened. She had left on another boy’s motorcycle even though he had asked her not to, he didn’t know what was going on but seeing her leave like that, he wished he knew how to turn off all his feelings for her. No other human should have this kind of power or control over him but here he was ready to burst because she had picked someone else over him. 

“What do you want?” He barks out answering the call with a hard press of his finger and immediately he starts to lose some of his fire when he hears her soft staggered breaths on the other line. 

“Seojun, can you meet me somewhere?” 

He wants to say no, to bitterly hang up on her and tell her that he has someone new too but that would be a lie and he desperately wants to see her and hold her and find out why she decided to rip his heart out and stomp on it.  

Feeling pathethic he answers her with a sigh, “Where are you?”  

Songnisan park. It’s not too far from their school and he hangs up without answering hopping on his bike and riding to her. Maybe it’s stupid but he can’t turn his back on her just yet, he still wants to hear her out even if she’s going to break his heart. 

By the time he reaches the park it’s raining, pouring down in sheets despite the warm weather and he immediately sees Sujin sitting under the downpour while other park goers are running and using picnic blankets as makeshift umbrellas. 

The scenes feels all too familiar and he wonders if this will be their end? Would life be that poetic to have them end the same way they became? 

Sighing he tugs his sweater off, walking quickly to close the gap between them before sitting beside her and thrusting his sweater above both their heads, protecting them from the rain. 

She turns to him with a gasp and he realizes how closely they are sitting beside each other, he can feel her breath when she exhales and it washes over in an intoxicating breeze. He has to forcibly put some distance between them before he does something that he knows he shouldn’t, especially not now. 

“My father knows about us. He saw me at the hospital and I’m scared he saw your mother and sister too. I don’t think I should visit anymore.” 

He pauses to process her words and he feels his chest tighten with anger at the mention of that sub-human, if he ever tried to harm a hair on his family’s head that would be the last thing he ever did. But once the rage passes by he thinks of the rest of Sujin’s sentence, my father knows about us. 

They were an us. 

There was an us for people to know about? 

“Us?” He replies stupidly, unable to stop his heart from fluttering. 

With a sound of exasperation she looks over at him, “How is that the most important thing that I said?” The pretty blush on her face does not go unnoticed but he responds to her statement staying focused, “My mom was discharged today. They said it was just a scare and nothing serious. He can’t do anything to us, if he tries I’ll kill him.” 

He means it, every single word falling from his lips. 

He’s not prepared for Sujin to sob and drop her head onto his shoulder, he drops their sweater umbrella at the sudden pleasant weight feeling the rain drench his hair and shirt instantly. 

“I’m so happy to hear that. I was so worried about all of you.” 

A bubble of happiness explodes in his chest and he’s so close to just letting go of all his anger and holding her, seeing her so worried about his family is almost enough to undo him. 

But, he can’t forget the image of her riding off with someone else. His heart will never forget that ache, that indescribable pain.

“So you care about me now? Is that why you left me like that today? Because you care so much?”

He is being petty, he knows that but he can’t stop the jealousy that is fueling him right now. His green eyed monster is raring its ugly head. 

“That’s the guy you told me to stand up, remember? That’s the guy my father is trying to sell me to. He’s been following us and he knew about you, he threatened you. I did what I had to, I have to do this until I speak to Suho’s father. I think.....No. I’m ready now. I’m going to tell him everything and ask for his help.” 

His heart is pounding erratically in his chest, he can barely hear the rain over the loud thumping of the organ and he can’t believe he ever doubted her, feels guilt twist around him but he pushes that aside to take in everything she has confessed to him, without saying the words she has all but confirmed everything Jukyeong carelessly exposed to him in the coffee shop, she cares about him too enough to want to protect him at any cost. But most importantly she was starting to care about herself, she no longer saw her life as expendable and was willing to ask for help even at the expense of revealing her darkest secret and getting her hopes up. 

Fuck she was the bravest person he knew. 

Without thinking he tugs her into his arms, wrapping her in a tight hug before he realizes what he’s doing but by the time he starts to move back she’s already hugging him back, her arms tight around his shoulder and her head in the dip of his neck and it’s too perfect to stop now. Absently he strokes her wet silky smooth hair and when they finally draw apart, the barest amount of space between them he takes another risk, glancing at her eyes pleading and then smiling when she nods, giving him permission even without knowing what he plans to do, simply trusting him, he leans forward and plants a soft butterfly kiss on her forehead, she hisses in response but instead of moving away she latches on to him tighter. 

“I’m so proud of you baby.” He kisses her again, firmer this time putting all the love and pride he feels for her in that gentle kiss to her brow. 

He expects a lot of things in response to his bold move and the new nickname, a punch, a kick, her loud denial and rejection, he is emotionally prepared for any and all of those reactions, but instead she steals his breath away when she smiles up at him, looking into his eyes and he realizes that she’s looking for permission too and he nods, nervous and anxious to see what she will do. 

With a moment’s hesitation she tugs him down and he goes easily, his heart in his chest and he closes his eyes as her face draws closer to him, his heart is pattering now a crazy thundering mess filled to the brim with anticipation. 

He feels her plush lips against his cheek, the rain making the skin slick and he hums in encouragement as the kiss lingers before he opens his eyes and immediately they are lost in each other’s eyes and he can feel their faces moving closer as if opposite ends of a magnet and he waits for her to stop them, to push him away and run off but she is just as lost as him, moving closer too and when only centimeters separate their lips, a loud crash of thunder booms high above their heads making them jump apart, both flying to opposite ends of the bench. 

“We should...um get out of this rain before we catch a cold.” 

The ride home is awkward and he can barely breathe with how tightly she’s holding his waist but he smiles through the rain, taking care to move carefully on the wet streets not wanting to hurt Sujin and then they are in front of Suho’s apartment, much too fast to his disappointment. 

They both sit unmoving for a few seconds before Sujin releases his waist from her death grip and gets off the bike. 

“Let’s talk over there for a minute.” He states dismounting too and walking over to the scaffold so they can escape the torrential rain for a moment at least. 

They stand awkwardly shivering from the cold in their wet clothes, it’s obvious that Sujin is embarrassed about what happened- their kisses-but he can barely contain his joy, if he were alone right now he would be doing backflips. 

This day as made a complete 180 turn for the better. 

“I have to pretend to date him. We already agreed to come to school tomorrow. He agreed to stop following me if I let him take me to school and go on dates. He has to put on a show for his father too.” She says talking so fast that the words slur together and he wonders absently if she’s nervous? And if so, why? Was she nervous about his reaction? 

He nods in understanding, “Okay. I forgot to say it earlier, but thank you for telling me and not leaving me in the dark. I appreciate it.” 

That’s the logical part of his response, he knows what it took for Sujin to involve him in her plan and how huge it is that she hadn’t wanted him to misunderstand her feelings and motives. But she’s still the girl that he likes and he can’t help the illogical things that flood his mind too. 

“Not on his motorcycle though.”

She looks at him with a deep searching stare and he simply stares back, nonplussed. He knows what he sounds like, a bargaining jealous boyfriend. That’s exactly what he wants to be so he sees no reason to attempt to explain himself, whatever she’s thinking is true and he isn’t the least bit ashamed to admit it. At his unabashed stare she crumples looking away with a barely hidden smile, “Okay. Not on his bike. Even though I never told you that you were allowed to have conditions, this isn’t a negotiation.” She complains but the sting is gone because she has already agreed to his request, he flashes a smile at her. 

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. I will have to act jealous, that shouldn’t be too hard.” He winks at her and this time she does try to punch him, he barely dodges her fist. 

Such a violent little thing. 

“I never said you had to do anything.”

He shrugs, “It makes sense. I like you so it would only make sense that I would be jealous if I thought you were dating someone else, plus he will probably want to see that too.” 

She’s as red as a strawberry as she sprints away from him without another word, waving at him over her shoulder. 

He smiles all the way home, before falling into bed after a much needed warm shower, his toes and fingers were like ice chips when he finally got home. 

Remembering one more thing, he grabs his phone shooting a quick text message. 

Don’t let him call you nicknames. Only Sujin. 

Reading it back he determines that the message is a bit too...commanding and if he wants to keep a certain boot out of his ass he better fix it so he swiftly adds:

Please. 

Present time....

“I didn't do anything. She just suddenly started telling me how much you adore me and how you can’t live without me and that I should just forgive you and take you back.” He sniffles dramatically watching amused as Sujin rolls her eyes, before angrily pulling out her phone, he laughs suddenly worried for Jukyeong so he snatches the object from her hands, much to her chagrin. 

“I might have exaggerated about what she said, a teeny tiny bit.” He demonstrates the small amount with his fingers and she glares at him biting out, “Liar,” before snatching back her phone and stuffing it in her pockets with a grumble. 

Getting serious he turns to look at her with anticipation, “How did it go? Were you able to tell him everything?” She is staring out at the horizon, despite him boring a hole in the side of her head begging for eye contact. 

“I hesitated. I lost my confidence.”

He can hear the defeat in her voice and without a pause he opens his mouth to comfort her and tell her how strong she is and explain why this is just a minor setback but next time they can go together and if she needs him to he will hold her hand the entire time and give her every last drop of his support and--

“But then I got a message and it gave me courage. So I told him everything and he agreed to help me. He wants to send my dad to jail, not just emancipate me.” 

She did it. 

She really did it. 

He smiles at her wider than the ocean. 

“You did it, Sujin.”

She stares at him in palpable shock, he immediately knows why it’s not often he uses her name and he expects her to be happy that he isn’t calling her the nickname she is always dismissing, she’s always so adamant that she is not a princess much less his princess.  

“Don’t call me that.” She says finally turning to meet his eyes and he stares back confused because he had only said her name, why was that a problem? Wasn’t that what she had been trying to get him to call her since the first time he dubbed her princess? 

“What do you want me to call you then?” 

He is truly asking but the look she gives him makes him feel like the dunce in the corner of the room and realization unfurls in his body like a slow moving tsunami and he smiles unbridled at the epiphany. 

He hasn’t wanted to get his hopes up by making assumptions about what this is but maybe it’s time that he have some confidence now, he was someone important to her. She had already proved that in so many ways these past days. 

Taking her hand in his, he smiles brightly at her. 

It’s the first time that he has held her hand, and he can feel the damaged skin in his own smoother hand. His heart aches for only a moment, her hands are just like her they might look bruised and pitiful at first glance but beneath the broken surface lurked unimaginable strength and power and just like the rest of her, they were imperfectly perfect. He never wanted to hold another hand, this was the only one he needed. 

“Good job, you did it Princess.” 

She smiles up at him, looking gorgeous-heart stoppingly so-and he can’t help the way his chest constricts as if he didn’t know it already he knows it now unequivocally . 

He, Han Seojun belongs to Kang Sujin. 

[hopetofantasy]

‘Soft, sweet lips’

Part 2: "Your turn now"

Part 3: “Thank you”

A VDS FIC - PART 1 (fluff)

“We’re not playing David Bowie!”

Jens whined, staring intently at Sander, who was already scrolling through the playlist of his favorite artist. 

“You don’t have any say in this, bro. His car, his rules, his playlist.” Robbe turned around in the passenger’s seat with a huge grin on his face. “Just be happy that he wanted to do this.”  “Like he wouldn’t do anything for you if you asked him to. He’d probably spray an even bigger graffiti mural on the frikking cathedral, if you pouted long enough.” Moyo joked. He was sitting right next to Aaron, who was already fast asleep. Jens hated the backseat. It felt too crammed, especially with the sleepy friend drooling on his shoulder. 

This road trip wasn’t his idea. But he needed some fun time with his friends. Relaxing. No thinking. Because everything was too complicated these days. He desperately needed to get away. “You know, Jens, you’re just jealous I got this from my parents for succeeding my first college year. I bet you didn’t expect to be picked up in a brand new car, did you?” Sander replied with unnerving enthusiasm. He gave a red cheeked Robbe a fast peck on the lips. 

Jens looked down with an heavy feeling in his heart. 

He didn’t like the way they were so lovey dovey all the time. It made him feel lonely. He wanted someone to stand by his side. Especially lately. That’s why the last comment stung a little bit harder. He knew Sander’s parents were rich. He knew his home life improved greatly since Robbe came into his life. Robbe was Sander’s rock, Sander’s mom knew that. 

Robbe didn’t knew what was happening with Jens nowadays.

How his home was only getting worse. How his parents would never be able to buy something like a car. Their yelling was getting louder and louder every evening. Sleep was starting to be a problem. Especially because his little sister kept crawling into his bed with the saddest face he ever saw. 

And then she would ask the same question over and over again. 

“Are mommy and daddy getting divorced, Jens?” 

It broke his heart every damn time. 

He didn’t want to think about that now. He shook his head to clear the thoughts.

Jens wanted to be happy. So he put on a fake smile and grabbed Moyo by his wrist. This startled his friend for a second. 

“Yo, bro, did you bring the weed?” 

“Yeah, ofcourse, I’m not an idiot.” Moyo replied. He pulled out the bag and started rolling. Meanwhile, Sander and Robbe were bickering about which highway was the fastest to take. Apparently they were going to a lake somewhere. Sander’s parents knew someone who knew someone. Which meant they could go to a lake house in the Netherlands without any reservations or payment. 

Suddenly, Moyo looked up at Jens with an uneasy smile. Like he felt that Jens needed a good conversation with a friend instead of some weed. Maybe he was used to reading his mother’s vibes and developed a sixth sense for mood-swings. 

“You ok, bro?” 

Jens sighed. He took the rolled joint out of Moyo’s hands and lit it up. “I am now.”

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

The sun was already setting when they arrived at the lake house. Five hours later. The Waze app told them it should have took only two hours, but hey, it was Sander at the wheel. He knew all of the fastest routes in the Netherlands, he exclaimed. He’d already been there multiple times, right? What could go wrong? 

“So now we know!” Aaron cried out loudly, while trying to pull himself out of the crowded backseat. Multiple bags of booze fell out of the car with him. The one on top made a loud clinking sound.  “Know what?” Jens asked. He checked the bag where the sound came from. Thank god, no jenever bottles were broken. 

“What a terrible driver Sander is.” Moyo laughed, with tears in his eyes. “You suck, man, I’m sorry for the examinator who gave you your driver’s license. He’s probably wondering right now what he unleashed on the world, by letting you drive.” “Hey hey hey,” Sander laughed. “The man was just too scared, he didn’t dare to withhold my license or I would've driven him into a tree, okay?!” 

Moyo was slapping his hand on Sander’s back, laughing out loud. They seemed to get along pretty well these days. They appeared to have the same, weird dark humor. Which was unexpected. He never knew Moyo had this totally different side to him, a softer side, until he surprised the boys a while back with his speech about bipolarity. 

But hey, at least Robbe couldn’t have been happier with this development. He was floating on cloud nine the last couple of months. Which Jens liked. He liked it a lot. A huge weight seemed to be lifted off the smaller boy’s shoulders. He was happier now. 

Robbe used to be so closed off all the time. Not communicating. Not acknowledging his own struggles. It was so difficult to get through to his best friend at times. Even when he knew that Robbe was struggling with something, he didn’t know how to pull it out of him.

Now it was the other way around. But, did Robbe notice? 

“Broerrrs, huddle together!” Robbe cried out. 

“We have three rooms in there. I guess Sander and I get one for ourselves.” His cheeks were starting to flush crimson red. “Since we... ehm... since we will -” “Yeah yeah, no need to explain, we KNOW.” Aaron sighed and rolled his eyes. They were all used to the couple’s public displays of affection. They almost barged into the bathroom during their session at a party. Thank god Sander was able to close the door within the millisecond. No need to repeat that, no thanks.

“But who will have his own room?” “Rock paper scissors?” Moyo proposed. “Sounds good to me!”

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

Well at least he will get a good night’s sleep. Alone, Jens thought, while looking down at his half empty jenever bottle. 

He was sitting at the very end of the campfire. The boys were all huddled on the other side. Moyo was telling the story about how he tried to kiss Noor at the Christmas party, which didn’t exactly end the way he wanted. 

Robbe was laughing along with his memories. He knew how Noor was wired. When Moyo made his move, Noor straight up laughed in his face while listing all the things she'd rather do before she would ever kiss Moyo. 

One even involved kissing Britt. 

Which still made Jens chuckle. 

Aaron was listening intently to every word Moyo said, like he was learning the expertise in how to pick up chicks. He’s such a dork, honestly. But you know, you can’t dislike him. It’s just how Aaron was. Dork and all. 

Sander, on the other hand, was much more peculiar. He was sitting the closest to Jens. Silently sketching some lines, which looked vaguely like the bike tunnel in white light? Jens couldn’t figure out what was so important about a tunnel .  

Every now and then, his mind wandered back to this strange boy with the bleach blond hair and black combat boots. 

You know, when his face was relaxed, he could see why Robbe fell for Sander. He wasn’t ugly. Plus he had a muscular body. Not that Jens thought about a boy’s abs or the way that made him feel. It was purely out of curiosity, ofcourse. Like why his best friend would fall for a boy. Jens could never imagine falling in love with a boy. Boys were different than girls. More muscled, more rough. More complicated?

He shook his head to rummage his thoughts. He was drifting away slowly, getting more and more drunk and high on the beat of music. Wait, what music? His hazy brain registered the song coming from the other side of the cabin. He didn’t know they had neighbors. Nobody told him about the other cabins. Why didn’t anyone tell him? He wanted to party as well.

Jens stood up with the bottle in his hand. Maybe the other people wanted to party with him. This group was getting boring anyways. The couple was slowly kissing while slipping away towards the cabin and the other two were laying on the ground looking at the stars. High as a truck. Jens rolled his eyes.

He stumbled towards the music. Why was walking suddenly so difficult? Walking didn’t use to be so difficult, right? One, two, three. Come on, Jens! One, two, three, four. 

Dancing on the beat, Jens slowly stepped closer to the other cabins. He recognized the song. He heard the laughter of a boy, teasing the other two boys by the choice of their music. “Come on, this is what you call music?” “Well, I’m sorry, we don’t all have the same taste in underground bands like you do, Luc. Please spare us some popular music.”

The boy laughed loudly. His soft curls were bouncing off his head. Jens' heart stood still for a second. Then the cute boy looked up and saw Jens staring at them. 

“Guys, I think we have a visitor.”

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

“So Jens-from-Belgium, what do you think of us so far? Were we very welcoming to a drunk stranger like you?” Kes asked while passing on his joint to Jayden. Lucas was looking at Jens, like he was a puzzle waiting to be solved. 

Jens laughed and looked down. An hour had a passed since he met these guys. He was feeling much better. Still a bit high, even though he was pretty sure the booze was already wearing off.  So why did he still feel this way? 

He felt Lucas’ eyes on him. Some deep soulful eyes. Beautiful eyes. He didn’t dare to look inside them. But he still wanted to. 

“Well, you all seem pretty awesome. Maybe we should all hang out tomorrow, get to know each other better?” The last part of the sentence was directed towards Lucas. The mysterious boy with the bouncy curls. 

He really liked this boy. He was different. Jens felt something stir inside him. He was nervous. He was feeling a bit queasy even. What if Lucas said no?

“Yeah sure. Tomorrow.” Jayden answered instead. “But tonight, I think I'm going to go off to bed.” Kes was nodding along. “Yeah same. Luc, are you coming?” 

Lucas was still looking at Jens with an intense stare. He shook his head, without saying anything. Kes didn’t seem surprised by his simple reaction and walked away. 

“So you’re not going with your friends?” Jens asked nervously. Lucas shook his head again and sat a bit closer to Jens.

 “Didn’t feel like it,” he muttered. “it's always the same thing with the guys. Drugs, booze, partying, girls. Sometimes I just want to sit, relax and enjoy the stars. Enjoy the music. Enjoy some good company.” His cheeks started to flush a little. 

Jens didn’t know how to answer this statement. He felt the exact same way. He wanted to talk, wanted to reveal his life. To this boy, to ease his pain. He wanted substance. But, instead of answering, he looked down. 

“You seem different,” Lucas remarked. “You’re not like the others. You’re not boring. You are you.” 

Jens looked up to the beautiful boy again. He was pleasantly surprised. Did Lucas just gave him a compliment? He seemed to be flirting with Jens, but he wasn’t sure. It was making him agitated and he didn’t know why.

“Well, I try. I don’t think I’m myself right now. I’m just...,” his voice faltered a little. His eyes felt teary. “Lost and lonely, I guess.”

“Lonely?” 

“Yeah...”

He waited for an answer, while looking down again. Maybe he went too far. He never opened up his soul like this before. Maybe the boy would think he was a weirdo. A loner. A loser. 

Then he heard a sound. Lucas seemed to be nudging even closer to Jens. He heard him sigh deeply. Like he knew. Jens felt an arm coming around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. He didn’t want to hug this total stranger. 

But he did.

So he let himself go and fell into the much needed hug. It was so nice and comforting. They fitted perfectly together like puzzle pieces. Lucas touched his hair. Brushing it away slowly. A warm breath on his neck. He felt his heart beating against Lucas’ chest. The sound was growing louder by the minute.

Thump, thump, thump. 

Jens’ mouth felt like a desert. His hands were clammy. The butterflies in his stomach were twirling at record speed. He felt a hand caressing his cheek, nudging him to look up. The Dutch boy smiled a little. His eyes were blue windows, filled with only softness.

“Aren’t we all?”

He pulled him closer, noses slightly touching each other.

A hitched breath.

A heartbeat.

And then there were only pink lips. 

Soft, sweet lips.

[thesoftdumbass]

Winged Men and Demigods

Jim Kirk x reader

1 Year Anniversary Challenge: Ancient Greece Myth

Summary: You are a demigod, the daughter of Selene, goddess of the moon. You are sent on a quest to capture storm-spirits, monsters, and receive some help along the way in the form of a winged man with blond hair and striking blue eyes. 

Word Count: 6.6 K

Warnings: slight anxiety, weapons, fighting, storms, slight feelings of inadequacy, inferences of sexy times. Not beta’d. Barely edited. Lord help us.

Characters: Pythia, Nyota Uhura, Pavel Chekov, Hikaru Sulu, Spock, Christopher Pike, Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, Leonard McCoy, Jim Kirk

Tags: @yourtropegirl @starshiphufflebadger @annathewitch

Walking around the garden of your small home in Delphi, Greece, watering the anemone and pulling weeds, you sense a presence behind you. Bending over casually as if smelling one of your flowers, you reach into the slit in your dress and unsheathe the celestial bronze dagger from your thigh holder. With precise movements, you spin in your place and hold the knife to the throat of the person invading your home.

“Am I supposed to feel threatened, demigod?” The Oracle of Delphi stands in front of you in her robes of bronze and scarlet, her face blank. You immediately remove the weapon, re-sheathe it and step back, bowing and then standing, your back straight with respect.

“I apologize, Pythia. I did not know that it was you.”

“Apparently,” she says, looking you over skeptically. “I am surprised you did not use your mother’s weapon.”

You smile sheepishly, twirling the ring on your finger. “You could have been anybody. I don’t want a stranger knowing my secret. Only you and the other demigods at the Temple know that I am half human. Unleashing the weapon could expose me”

“That is wise, young demigod,” she nods in approval.

“I do have a name, Pythia. Besides, I am no younger than you,” you point out.

“I am much older than I look, YN,” she puts an accent on your name and gives a small smirk. “You must be wondering why I have come to you.”

“It has crossed my mind, yes. Is something wrong?”

The Oracle sits down on a nearby bench and gestures for you to join her. You do, and after a few minutes of silence, she starts speaking. “Do you know of the Hurricane Winds?” Remembering the scrolls that you read from during your training when you were young, you nod your head. “So you must remember that they are kept on an island far away from civilization, under the rule of Aeolus.”

“Of course, they are only released when the gods need them,” you recall.

“Two of the Anemoi Thuellai have escaped the island, as I saw last night. Nobody knows how, but they need to be taken back before they cause irreparable damage to the mortal world. You and two other demigods will seek out and capture the storm spirits to be taken back to Aeolus. Your partners for the journey will join you at the Temple of Apollo in two days. Make sure you are ready to leave then.”

And so you were. Two days later, you left your home in the morning and made the walk to the Temple, carrying a pack filled with anything you might need on your journey; clothes, weapons, money, food, and maps of Greece.

You walk into the Temple around noon, the sun brightly shining down on you. Making your way to where the Pythia is, you see her standing with two other people, and you observe them as you walk. The woman is beautiful, dark skin and long silky hair, her almond shaped eyes set off by perfect cheekbones. The man that is with them, though he is clearly younger than you, is handsome as well. Blond hair sits in curls on top of his head, and his bright eyes widen as he catches sight of you nearing the group, a smile gracing his face.

“You must be YN!” he exclaims as you reach them.

“I am. And you are…” you say with an unsure smile.

“Chekov, Pavel Andreievich,” he steps forward and offers his hand, which you shake.

“I am Nyota Uhura,” the woman introduces with a smile and nod of her head.

“It is nice to meet you both.”

The Pythia let you get introductions out but decided to get to business. “The three of you can get to know each other better while on the journey. Right now there are things to discuss.”

Nyota, Pavel, and yourself nod respectfully and let her speak.

“I received a vision from Apollo last night. He told me that you need to consult the Anemoi. They can help you find the venti and capture them, you only have to be respectful of them. There is a boat at the docks waiting to take you to Thrace.”

“Will the wind gods know where the venti are, or do we have to search all of Greece?” Pavel asks, concerned.

“They will be able to tell you where to go,” she answers assuringly.

After this the Pythia walks you out of the Temple, leading you down the mountain and to the dock. The white sails of the ship flap in the breeze, the promise of smooth sailing ahead. Right before you walk up the ramp to board, the Oracle stops you.

“I wish you luck on your quest, may the gods be with you and protect you.”

“Thank you, Pythia. We will do what we have been chosen for,” you say.

You hear Pavel and Nyota also say farewells but you don’t want to eavesdrop, so you walk onto the ship and look around. You notice the captain walk across the deck, and your companions join you as he reaches where you are standing.

“My name is Captain Hikaru Sulu, welcome aboard. It’s an honor to have half-bloods with us,” he says warmly, his face adorned with a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Captain,” Uhura says respectfully.

“We are ready to set sail, it should just be a few minutes now.”

“Can we pray before we go? I would like to ask for safe passage from my father,” Pavel asks modestly.

“Of course.”

The four of you gather into a circle on the deck of the ship, your hands joined and heads bowed, and Chekov starts to speak in his thick accent.

“Poseidon, we ask for safe travel over the sea, and for luck with our quest. Please protect my new friends and I as we journey to Thrace, and then wherever else the gods send us.”

With a few words of thanks and a promise to send burnt offerings at the next opportunity, you set off. Captain Sulu shows you to your quarters, three separate bedrooms on the same deck, and you settle in for the long journey, putting away the few things you brought with you and pacing around the room.

You have no idea what you’re up against, and even though you are a trained demigod with strength surpassing that of the average mortal, you are scared of what awaits you.

You head to dinner after failing to rest, your mind far too worked up for that, and are given a plate. You sit down at a nearby table and find yourself accompanied by Nyota and Pavel. You sit with them while they make small talk, content to just listen, but Pavel brings you into the conversation.

“I think we should all get to know each other better. YN, do you want to start? You haven’t talked much.”

“I guess so,” you clear your throat, “I wasn’t raised by my parents. I grew up at the Temple of Apollo, training for the day when I could help people, but this is my first quest. I moved into town when I came of age and have stayed there since.” You shrug, not knowing what else they would want to know about you.”

“What about your godly parent? Do you know who they are?” Nyota asks kindly.

“My mother is Selene,” you tell them. You understand why she asks that second question. Many demigods go their whole lives without being claimed by their parent, though luckily you had been claimed at a rather young age.

“Goddess of the moon! That is very exciting. Poseidon is my father, which you may have heard earlier.” Chekov’s eyes sparkle with silent pride and you nod, chuckling.

“What about you, Nyota? Do you know your parent?” you ask, becoming more invested in the conversation.

“Hermes,” she says with a humble voice. “My father is actually the reason that I study dialect, it comes to me naturally because he is the god of language.”

“That is fantastic! The only thing I can do is swim well,” Pav admits.

They both turn to you, asking silently for your input. “I didn’t get any special abilities, I can’t lead the moon’s chariot or anything like that. I do have a weapon that my mother gave me, I only like to use it when necessary, but it is nice to have.”

You continue speaking to your new friends all throughout dinner, learning more about each other and becoming closer. That night you go to bed with positive thoughts running through your head, your anxiety about the quest held at bay as you fall asleep.

The rest of the trip to Thrace passes quickly. You spend your time learning how to fight in harmony with Nyota and Pavel, listening to the Captain tell stories about his young daughter Demora, and watching the sea pass by from the bow of the boat. Sooner than you realize, you are leaving the ship.

“Be safe, my friends. If you need anything, my crew and I will be in Thrace for another two days, we could take you where you need to go,” Captain Sulu tells the three of you as you step off the ship, clasping a hand on each of your shoulders in a sign of friendship.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Hikaru,” Uhura says sincerely, and you leave, making your way to the cavern of the Anemoi.

When you arrive at the base of Mount Haemus, you look up at it in wonder. The mountain is covered with lush green plant life and clouds encircle the snowy caps, giving the mountain a majestic beauty. You love the view, there’s just one problem.

“We don’t have to go to the top of the mountain, do we?” you question.

“If so, then I am wearing the wrong sandals to hike in,” Pavel chimes in.

“Wait, look!” Nyota points, frowning in consideration at what is happening to the mountain. Slowly lines form and shift in the stone, revealing a grand doorway of gold and midnight blue just a few feet in front of you.

You brave a step toward the door that seems to be opening by itself, but take a step back when you find that someone has appeared in the doorway. The man before you stands tall with a stiff spine and his hands behind his back, his black hair laying over his forehead uniformly.

“Welcome to Mount Haemus, half-bloods. We were sent word of your journey to reach us. Please, come in.” You give a nervous glance to your friends but follow the man as he steps back through the opening. He stands back as the three of you enter and the gilded door closes behind you. “My name is Spock. If you will come with me, please.” Spock turns around and walks down the corridor that you are currently in, causing you to follow him. You only notice after a step or two that there is a pair of wings situated on his back. The torches illuminating the corridor cast off of the black feathers, silhouetting his bird-like appendages every few steps.

To prevent yourself from staring, you turn your gaze to the floor and the shadows playing against the marble tile as you walk. Finally entering a brightly lit cavernous space and looking around, you stand in awe at the marvelous paintings and sculptures, only to notice that Spock had continued walking without you.

You catch up with the group just as they reach the back of the room where there is a platform set above the ground, and on it stands four beautiful thrones, each adorned with different fabrics and precious metals. Only the third seat is taken, and the occupant stands as you near the platform. His hair is wavy and graying. His face is impassive and his eyes watch as you approach, soft gray wings extended out to his sides and radiating authority, even as he stands with a cane.

“Sir, these are the demigods whose journey we were told of,” Spock bows to the man in front of you out of respect and you follow suit.

“Please, stand up. There’s no need to bow.” You follow his request and stand straight. “My name is Eurus, but I go by Christopher Pike around here. Call me whatever you wish, my friends. What can I call you?”

Ny is first to speak up, “My name is Nyota Uhura, daughter of Hermes. It is an honor to be here, sir.” You and Pavel follow her lead and soon introductions are made, the five of you sitting down to dinner at a lengthy table, you and your friends have not eaten since breakfast on the boat. You are joined by two other men, one of them with floppy brown hair and kind hazel eyes disguised by what seems to be a permanent scowl, the other with thinning red hair and a friendly smile. They were introduced as Leonard McCoy and Montgomery Scott, respectively.

You’re waiting for the meal to start, sitting across from Leonard and listening to him talk about the work that Hippocrates is doing in the field of modern medicine, his brown wings rippling as he speaks happily. Another person enters the dining hall, his steps echoing loudly as he rushes to a seat, finding one to your right. He lets out a profanity as he sits on his wings, one only you can hear.

You chance a look as he adjusts in his seat and your breath catches, this is possibly the most beautiful man you have ever seen. His tan skin and golden hair remind you of Apollo, but the striking blue eyes that cast over you hold depths greater even than the sea. You shake yourself out of your daze though when Chris starts speaking.

“Ahh, Jim. I was wondering if you were going to join us for supper, we’ve been waiting for you. YN, Pavel, Nyota, this is James Kirk. He’s the last of my attendants, now you’ve met everybody but my brothers.”

“Sorry I’m late, Pike, I lost track of time while reading through my scrolls. It’s a pleasure to meet everybody.”

“It’s fine, Jim. Let us eat!”

With that, dishes start moving to the table, appearing as if from thin air. The Anemoi act as though it is an everyday occurrence and maybe it is, but you are not used to it and it seems that you’re not the only one.

“How do you get the food to float through the air like that?!” Pavel’s face shows awe and wonder.

“The dishes aren’t floating, the Aurai move them. They’re breeze nymphs, most people can’t see them unless one reveals herself to you. They work here with us,” Leonard tells Pavel, who smiles like he’s just learned a secret.

Food is passed around and wine flows until your stomachs are full and your thirsts are quenched, and then Chris decides to get to business.

“So what is the reason that you’ve graced us with your presence?” he asks cordially.

“It is the Anemoi Thuellai, sir. Two of them have escaped Aeolus’ Isle, and the three of us have been sent on a quest to capture them so they can be taken back. Apollo sent us in your direction, knowing that you would be able to help us locate the storm winds,” you say in a polite voice.

Pike listens as you speak, nodding decisively when you’re finished. “I’ll send some Harpies to scout, they will be back in the morning with the information you need. You are all welcome to stay the night, of course. I will make sure your rooms are ready soon, and the four of you can head out first thing in the morning.”

“Four of us?”

“But there are only three on the quest, sir.”

Pav and Nyota speak at the same time, and Chris just smiles at the confusion.

“I’m sending one of my attendants with you. While I am sure you are very capable demigods, the venti are extremely powerful beings and you may need some help. And I would go myself, but,” he gestures to his cane and his bad leg, “I can’t go on adventures anymore.”

“So which of us is joining the quest?” Montgomery, or Scotty as you had been informed to call him, asks the group.

“I can go,” Jim volunteers without hesitation. He hasn’t left the mountain in a long time and wants to stretch his wings, but that isn’t the only reason that he wants to join. From the moment that Jim Kirk entered the dining room, he has been mesmerized by the ethereal beauty currently sitting beside him, has listened to her speak throughout the meal, and now that he has an opportunity to spend more time with her, he won’t let it pass.

“Are you sure about that, son? It will not be easy,” Pike double checks.

“I’m happy to help, Chris.” Jim gives a bright smile and you’re surprised you don’t melt at the sight.

“Alright then,” Chris claps his hands and stands up, drawing everyone’s attention. “Len, Spock, the two of you gather a party of Harpies and send them to search for the two ventus and get back to me by the morning. We need to know where they are and what they’ve been up to. Scotty, can you help me make our guests’ rooms up?” When he receives affirmations, Pike sends everyone to do their tasks.

“Do I need to do anything, sir?” Jim asks, making to stand from his chair.

“You have a lot to do in the next few days, you should rest for now.” Pike turns and addresses your friends, “I’ll tell you when your sleeping arrangements are ready,” and with that, he walks out of the room.

It’s relatively quiet as you try to come up with something to say. You are already close with Ny and Pav, but you are hesitant to say anything, lest you embarrass yourself in front of Jim. You’re saved from having to fill the silence, though, as Leonard comes to rejoin the group.

“Harpies are on their way out, we should know something by dawn,” he says, sitting back down and reaching for a drink.

“That’s good, the venti have already been gone for so long. The sooner we can get them back to the island, the better,” Ny states.

The conversation picks up after that, just small talk to pass the time, and pretty soon Eurus comes back into the room and informs you that your beds are ready, sending you off so you can rest.

The next morning you peek your eyes open slowly, letting yourself wake fully before getting up and getting dressed. Just as you are securing your weapons in place, you hear a knock on the door to your bedchamber. You are greeted by the sight of Jim standing on the other side of the door, bright eyes shining as he notices you in front of him.

“Good morning,” you greet softly.

“Good morning YN, Chris asked me to bring you to the dining room for breakfast,” Jim says, sending a smile your way.

You nod with a smile, looping your arm through Jim’s, which he offered you. When you reach your destination Jim pulls out your chair for you, making your heart skip a beat at the gesture. You murmur your thanks and earn a nod in return as Jim sits down beside you. Breakfast passes by quietly, bread and honey filling you and giving you the energy you need for the day. Soon after, Pike shares with you what he has learned.

“The Harpies that were sent to scout returned this morning with some news. The two Anemoi Thuellai that have escaped are nearby Chios, an island in the Aegean sea and off the coast of Asia Minor. We do not know why this place has drawn them, but we must stop the storm-winds. They have already caused severe disturbances in the atmosphere and need to be stopped.”

“And how do we stop them? I know we take them back to Aeolus, but how can we capture them?” Pavel asks.

“I will provide you with a bag made of ox-hide to carry the venti in. You must keep both of them busy until they are within close range of each other and then open the bag, they will be drawn in. As soon as they are inside, secure the bag and they will not be able to escape.” Chris allows you to absorb that information for a few moments before speaking again. “Now, do you have transportation to Chios island or shall I arrange for some?”

“We have a friend at the port of Thrace, he said that he would help us, he will still be at the dock,” you tell them of Hikaru and how helpful he has been.

“Wonderful. While I’m getting everything ready to go, you can spar to stay ready for the venti.”

You are led into a large training room in the cavern, covered in mats, a wall to one side loaded down with weapons. You survey the rack of swords, longing to hold the weight of your own again. You feel somebody step up beside you as your finger brushes along the edge of a shined blade, the handle glowing gold.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” you hear Kirk speak reverently by your ear, one of his large hands reaching out to grasp the handle and lifting the sword from its perch.

“It is… it makes me miss using my own.”

“So why don’t you?”

You touch the adamantine ring on your right hand, wishing to unleash the weapon inside. As long as it doesn’t hurt anybody, you think, why not? “I suppose I will.”

You take a few steps and end up in the middle of the floor, looking around to make sure that no one is nearby before closing your eyes and taking a steadying breath. Channeling your energy in a short burst as you exhale, you feel the familiar weight of your blade in your grip and move your hand in a small wave, allowing the sword to swing around in a showy move. You hold it up in front of your face, the crescent-shape of the crossguard glittering in the lights of the room.

Applause breaks out around you, giving you a burst of confidence, and you rotate your sword a few times in the air around you. “Zat is incredible,” you hear Pavel’s unmistakable accent and smile.

“YN, how did you do that,” Nyota asks, impressed.

You shrug, giving a reserved smile. “I told you that I got this from my mother, well… I harness a little bit of energy from the moon and turn the ring into what it was truly made for, protection… I don’t really know how to explain it,” you say, shrugging your shoulders once more.

You look around at your friends grinning back at you, but a breath catches in your throat at the look of absolute awe on Jim’s face. He catches you looking at him though, causing your face to heat up and you to avert your eyes. Clearing his throat he steps forward, reaching a hand out to you.

“May I?”

“Of course,” you answer, thinking that he is going to compare both of your weapons, but before you can pass it over, your instincts kick in and you block the hit that he sends toward you. You bring your arm up to counter-attack, which Jim sees coming and defends. It goes like this for a few minutes before you’re bent over, hands on knees and breathing heavily. Calling it a truce, you reach out a hand to Jim, which he accepts.

Allowing your heart rate to slow back to normal, you look around you. During your sparring match, everybody had dispersed into their own fights and you watch as Nyota gains the upper hand on Spock, but before she can strike, Spock leaps to avoid her weapon, spinning mid-air with his wings folded around him in a protective cocoon before coming down several steps from her. You can’t help it, you clap your hands in admiration for the swift movements and Spock bows stiffly to show his appreciation.

You go over basic fighting maneuvers until Scotty and Chris come into the training room, the former carrying a large satchel in his hands. Chris waves his hands for everyone to gather in the middle of the room and you do, Scotty’s wings fluttering as he merrily explains how to use the special ox-skin to capture the venti.

Once the four of you have memorized the new information, you are sent to gather your belongings from your rooms and prepare to leave the cavern and Mount Haemus behind. Gathering your pack and ensuring that your sword is safely back on your finger, you make your way to the throne room to say goodbye to your host and depart.

Jim leads your group through the corridors, walking to town and back to the docks where you meet Hikaru and his crew once again. “My friends,” he greets with a smile and open arms before his eyes land on Jim standing at the back of the group. If he finds Kirk’s wings to be out of the ordinary he doesn’t let on, just introducing himself in a friendly manner.

Pavel tells Captain Sulu about the information you have received and he plots a course for Chios, setting sail not long after. This trip on the boat passes much like the first, nothing remarkable happening for the entire journey. That is until you are approaching your destination. The closer you get to the island of Chios, the rougher the seas are, sending the ship lurching in the rising waves.

High winds cause the sails to thrash uncontrollably and dark clouds become even more ominous. Sulu steers the ship into an alcove of the island to avoid rocky shores, narrowly being missed by a flash of lightning.

“Where is that storm coming from? The weather was clear only this morning,” Hikaru is confused.

“That would be the venti,” Kirk says darkly, the feathers on his wings bristling.

“I’ve read about the Anemoi Thuellai, but there is not much information about them, only that they wreak havoc over the seas,” Nyota offers.

“I’m guessing that we are about to learn a lot more about them,” Pavel swallows as the ship pitches, and you worry your bottom lip between your teeth.

“So, do we have a plan?” you ask, looking around at your group hopefully.

“Eurus told us to distract the storm-winds and get them close. I think that one of us should control the container while two others lead them to the south side of the island, away from the village. We can meet at the center of the island, opening the bag and drawing them inside. Scotty said that the ties you close it with are magic and will hold for as long as they need to, allowing us to take them to Thrace.”

“Good luck, demigods. I will be here when you get back,” Captain Sulu assures you.

Nyota’s plan is simple, but it’s a good one. Walking off the bridge and out the door onto the deck of the ship along with your friends, you are stopped by a hesitant touch to your arm. Looking back, Jim is behind you, facing you with a look that you can’t decipher. He quickly moves his hand away. A look of determination fills his face then, though his eyes display a softness.

“Be careful, YN,” he says, softer than you had heard him speak before.

“You too, Jim,” you smile, reaching for his hand and giving his fingers a comforting squeeze. Amber wings unfurl and stretch before your eyes, beating against the tempest and taking Jim into the air. You watch as he moves toward the small town on the edge of the island, ensuring that the citizens of Chios are safe and have taken shelter.

You climb over the rail on the port side of the vessel and descend the ladder into the shallow water beneath you, wind pushing waves up over your knees and making it difficult to get to your destination quickly, but you manage. You reach the shore where Ny and Chekov are waiting for you and tie your hair back, preventing the wind from whipping it around.

Nyota double checks that the ox-hide is secured to the belt around her waist and looks at you steadily, her brown eyes unwavering. “You two know what you have to do?” You and Pavel give affirmations and Uhura nods. “Bring the venti my way. Stay safe, and we’ll get these monsters back to where they belong.”

You split ways with Ny, moving alongside Pav to where the typhoon appears to be strongest. You fidget as you walk, twisting your mother’s ring around your finger. Pavel notices and asks if you are alright.

“I’m okay, Pav, thanks. I’m just anxious. I’ve never fought a storm before, and I don’t even know how effective I will be in a brawl,” you lift your arms in exasperation.

“I have no idea what I’m doing either. None of us have had to do this before, not even Jim. The best we can do is to stay level headed and put our minds to work. We will succeed.” Chekov’s assurances help clear your head, giving you confidence for the first time since you left Delphi and you tell him how much it means to you.

As you approach the Anemoi Thuellai, you hear a flapping noise even above the wind and Jim touches down beside you, hair sticking to his face from the rain that you are currently being subjected to.

“Everybody in the village is safe, I told them to stay indoors,” he says before you can ask.

“That’s good, we don’t want anybody hurt that doesn’t have to be,” Pav speaks up.

“These guys are bad news, I got a good look as I was flying overhead,” Jim warns as he removes his sword from its scabbard.

“Let’s do this, then,” you summon a bit of energy and your sword is once again held firmly in your grip. Pavel raises his spear high, letting out a loud yell and gaining the nearest storm’s attention.

That may have been a mistake.

The ventus turns toward your trio and you can barely see it from behind the wind and rain. Their entire form is made up of the storm; dark clouds swirling in a vaguely humanoid shape. Bright balls of light distinguish the beast from the storm it is creating, lightning extending out every few seconds. You look up in horror, guessing your opponent’s height to be around ten feet… far above your height.

The daimone lets out a powerful roar that sounds distinctly like thunder, causing its friend to face you also. Immediately you raise the sword in your hand, swinging at the monster nearest you. You puncture its leg and a bright light erupts from the wound, diminishing the storm clouds, but it only serves to anger it more. Lightning crackles around you and it’s as if you can taste the electricity in the air. You inflict several more wounds, dark gray slowly being replaced by a soft glow, but it’s still not enough.

You turn away quickly, preparing to run, but you’re surrounded before you can move a step. You are shielded from the wind and rain and you open your eyes only to be met by the sight of Jim. His wings wrapped around the both of you protectively and you have to stop yourself from thinking about how /soft/ they are.

You’d lost track of your friends as you fought, but Jim had been circling in the air, hitting the ventus’ defense and came to help when your adversary got too close. You still heard Pavel fighting the other monster a few hundred feet away. You look back at Jim, his face holding concern for you and you answer his unasked question.

“I’m alright.”

“Okay YN, now we need to run, we have to get over to Nyota. She’s waiting with the satchel, and I think the venti are mad enough now to chase after us. When I let you go I need you to run to the rendezvous point. I will be behind you and Chekov the whole time if you need my help.”

“Thank you,” you say breathily and lean forward to place a chaste kiss on Jim’s lips, not even noticing as his jaw goes slack in shock and happiness.

He unfurls his wings from around you after you return your sword to its original form, and you do as you were told, making a break for it. “Pav!” you yell, indicating for the younger man to follow after you. It takes a few moments but you feel his steps sync up with yours and hear him panting in exertion. You look behind you to confirm that the venti are following you and they are, their energies sparking off one another.

Facing forward again, you empty your mind of thoughts and worries and just let yourself breathe, losing yourself in the action of placing one foot in front of the other and find yourself looking at Nyota in the distance.

The world around you becomes a blur as you close in on Ny and the venti advance on the three of you. The next thing you know you’re looking up at the suddenly clear sky from between Jim’s arms, the ox-skin glowing as the storm-winds try to escape the magic containing them.

“We did it,” Pavel mutters to himself almost disbelieving, and then shouting. “We did it!”

You giggle at his excitement and allow yourself to catch your breath, tucking your head into Jim’s shoulder and reveling in the victory.

“We thank you for the help you have provided us on this quest, we will be forever grateful for your hospitality, sir,” Uhura addresses Eurus as the four of you stand in front of the platform in the throne room of Mount Haemus.

“It was my pleasure, Nyota. Thank you for bringing the venti back, now Spock has been able to return them to their isle. You are all welcome to stay as long as you wish, we need some excitement around here.” Pike addresses all three of you, but his gray eyes sparkle as they linger on you and Jim standing so close to each other. Your cheeks warm and you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, averting your eyes.

You and Jim had become extremely close on the trip back to Thrace, staying up late talking, sharing your love for the stars, and getting to know each other better, so much that you began to let yourself imagine spending more time with him.

“We appreciate it, Chris. If it is acceptable, we would like to stay for a few days before making our way back to Delphi. We have been traveling for so long, and Captain Sulu and his crew need time to rest before setting sail again.”

“Any time. Your rooms are still ready from when you were last here. I will see you all at dinner,” Pike dismisses you all. You grab your bag and head for your quarters, but a voice stops you before you are halfway there.

“YN, can we talk for a few minutes?”

Jim’s voice is timid and you stop walking, curious. “Of course.”

He leads you to a library, large shelves displaying different texts and tables covered in scrolls. You take a seat at one of these tables and wait for him to speak. You can see him thinking through how to phrase his words, opening his mouth and closing it a couple times. After a few minutes, you decide to try and get him to spit it out.

“Jim,” you say softly, approaching his pacing form, and his wings flutter as he turns to face you and you smile. “Are you okay?”

This seems to do the trick, as he finally speaks what is on his mind.

“Would it be ludicrous if I asked you to stay with me? Here at the cavern, I mean. I know you have a home in Delphi and I wouldn’t want to tear you away from that, but,” he can’t seem to find the words for a moment, “I think I love you. It may seem laughable, but I have been enamored since I laid eyes on you, and fallen more and more each time we talk. I don’t want you to feel pressured into staying here, but if you want… you have a place at Mount Haemus.”

As Jim finishes his monologue, you turn your gaze to him. You had been trying to process his words, and looking into his sincere eyes, you believe him. Jim isn’t someone who would lie about something so serious, but you’re still shocked. You had never thought of yourself as anything special, your mother’s blood and protection the only thing that set you apart, but the way Jim is looking at you tells you differently. Thinking back on it, he had only ever looked at you in adoration and respect.

As you are evaluating your own feelings, Jim is silently freaking out. Did he read you wrong, and you weren’t really interested in him? Was that too much to dump on you all at once? The mute environment is too much and after a few minutes, Jim really has to say something.

“YN?” You look up into his vulnerable face, watching as he tries to deduce your thoughts. After a moment, though, he gives up. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for, Jim?”

“I… shouldn’t have rushed all of that out. I can give you time to think-”

“I love you too,” you interrupt him before he can take his invitation back, “what more is there to think about? I would love to stay here with you, if you’re still offering.”

“I am still offering,” he speaks hurriedly, reaching his arms around you in an embrace. After a minute he pulls away, brow furrowed. “What about your life in Delphi though, your friends and family?”

“I don’t have any family back there. And my friends, they are here with me. If I stay, they will surely come visit. And if I haven’t imagined it, Spock and Nyota seem to be getting familiar. I doubt it will be long before something happens between those two,” you chuckle.

“Are you sure you want to be with me,” he asks, his eyes gleaming with hope.

“I am sure. I love you, Jim,” you murmur.

The moment between the two of you changes and you feel yourself leaning towards him, your lips touching briefly. You open your eyes when you feel Jim pull back, but soon enough his lips are back on yours and your senses are engulfed by all of him.

“Let’s go tell everyone the good news, shall we,” he says, his voice husky with desire, “or better yet, maybe I can show you to your room first…”

You shudder at the unspoken proposition and lean into him further, placing a kiss to his jaw “I really like that second option…” and giggle as you take the lead down the hallway to your bed, ready for a long life ahead of you spent with Jim.

Post-A/N: So what did you guys think? I hope you enjoyed reading this! It took me so long to write, and I know it’s pretty long, but I am so glad you stuck with me ‘til the end. I know that it’s not perfect, I probably got a lot of details wrong and also left some characters in the background, but I tried. Really hard. I need sleep...

I wrote this in the present tense, as you can see. If you have a preference about which tense I use (past/present/both) then I can try to do that next time., this one just turned out this way. I hope you all have a lovely Valentine’s Day!

[sp4c3-0ddity]

Ink on a Page

an Inkheart AU (sort of)

Category:  Gen Word count:  ~1600 Chapters:  1/?

Summary:

Pidge has lived a normal - if unstable - life with her mother for the last fourteen of her sixteen years, but even the fantastical books she reads never could've prepared her for the wild twist it takes when an 'old friend' of her mother's appears unannounced at their door.

Read it on ao3

Or below the cut:

Chapter One

At a brisk knock on the front door, Pidge took off her headphones and turned her face towards the sound, wondering who would be visiting so late on a weeknight. Unsure if her mother was even still awake, she crept out of her bedroom, down the hall, and to the door, right as someone on the other side knocked again.

“I’m coming,” she grumbled. She stood on her toes to peer through the peephole, and when she ascertained that their late-night visitor didn’t look particularly threatening, she unlocked and opened the door.

The woman standing on the landing was tall – taller than the average man, Pidge thought – with unblemished dark skin and silvery hair that shone in the dark, reflecting the streetlights like the moon reflected the sun. Her eyes gleamed blue when they drifted down and landed on Pidge, and she smiled.

“Hello,” she said in a lyrical accent. “Is Colleen here?”

Pidge blinked, stunned. There was something…ethereal about this woman, something she couldn’t put her finger on. “I…yeah,” she said. “I’ll go…get her.” Without a second thought, she slammed the door shut and locked it, ignoring the woman’s cry of alarm.

“Mom!” she called.

“What?” said Colleen, poking her head into the entryway. She looked at Pidge, wide-eyed and questioning. “Who was at the door?”

“Some lady asking for you,” Pidge said. “I panicked and shut the door in her face.”

“This late?” Colleen sighed and approached, waving her aside so she could check the peephole. Pidge clasped her hands and waited, watching her mother frown, lines of concern deepening on her forehead and at the corners of her eyes.

“Do you know her?” Pidge asked.

“Yes,” Colleen said. She didn’t elaborate, though Pidge imagined she must surely sense her curiosity, but she opened the door and stiffly greeted the woman, “Allura?”

Pidge peeked around her mother to see the woman’s – Allura’s – face smooth, irritation vanishing and immediately replaced with a pleasant smile. “Colleen,” she said. “It’s been a long time.”

“It has,” Colleen agreed.

Pidge looked back and forth between the two women, uncertain what to make of it – her mother’s aloofness and the stranger’s politeness. Perhaps Allura was an old business colleague or contact, since she appeared too young – maybe a few years older than Pidge herself – to be a former classmate.

(Most people, apparently, kept in touch with old classmates, something Pidge struggled to do despite having so much ‘experience’ meeting new ones.)

“May I come in?” Allura wondered, her smile looking uncomfortably frozen in place.

Colleen glanced over her shoulder, then at Pidge, as if only then realizing she was still there. But then she said, “Yes, I guess you can.” She stepped aside, making room for Allura to enter before shutting the door behind her. As she inspected their surroundings – everything from the small television set to the atomic clock on the wall – Colleen asked, “Would you like anything to drink?”

“No, thank you,” said Allura, turning her head towards Colleen. “I hope this won’t take long.”

Colleen’s face said that she hoped the same louder than any words ever could, and as the two adult women sat at the small kitchen table, Pidge hovered, curious. But before Allura broached whatever topic she had on her mind – whatever shared history she and her mother had – Colleen looked at her and said, “Pidge, please go to your room.”

Her eyes widened, disappointment making her heart heavy. “But—”

“Katie,” Colleen said, stern. She almost never used Pidge’s given name, only saying it when it was especially serious, and hearing it now, for the first time since she started high school, shocked Pidge into obedience.

She retreated to her bedroom, back stiff, but rather than closing the door, she left it cracked. She retrieved the empty water glass from her bedside table and rested it against the door, then she pressed her ear to the bottom.

“…find me?” Colleen was saying.

“Does it matter?” Allura said. “I understand that you don’t wish to be found by the likes of me, Colleen, but I promise that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”

Pidge narrowed her eyes. ‘Likes of me’? There was no hint of bitterness in her voice, as if Allura only stated a fact.

“That’s what you said last time,” Colleen said testily, “and after that you promised I would never have to see you again.”

There was a last time? Pidge set the glass on the carpet and hurriedly rushed to her desk, grabbing a pen and notebook and turning it to a blank page. She settled back on the floor and leaned against the door with the glass in her right hand, notebook balanced on her lap with pen poised to write.

“…lied,” Allura said, sounding regretful. “But circumstances have changed, and I have reason to believe Zarkon has plans.”

Pidge scribbled the unfamiliar name down, spelling it the way it sounded.

“Zarkon always has plans,” Colleen said dismissively, and Pidge imagined her waving a hand. “And he’s welcome to them, so long as he leaves me and my family out of it.”

“You see, I think that is the problem, Colleen. My contact inside claims he’s searching for someone with a silver tongue.”

A ‘silver tongue’, Pidge wrote. A smooth talker? A diplomat? A businessman?

“Well, it won’t be me,” her mother said.

Pidge’s hand froze. Colleen Holt? A silver-tongued smooth talker? She smirked at the thought; though her mother was quite the accomplished journalist, she spoke clinically and to the point, without any honeyed words. She was good at appealing to reason, and awful at manipulating emotions.

At least, that was how Pidge thought someone with a ‘silver tongue’ would be like.

“It’s possible it won’t be,” Allura seemed to agree, “but just in case, I would like to take you and your daughter under my protection.”

“And what use is your protection?” Colleen demanded. “It didn’t save my husband and son!”

What?

“That was—those circumstances were different!” Allura retorted, immediately defensive.

“Well, I see no difference!” her mother said, the screeching of a chair’s legs against tile signaling that she stood. “It’s thanks to you and your Voltron that they’re gone!”

Voltron? Pidge thought she recognized that as the title of a dusty old science fiction novel sitting on the bookshelf in her mother’s bedroom.

“Oh, if you want to point fingers, then I am not to blame!” Allura held her ground. “I’m not the one with the silver tongue, Colleen! I’m not the one that unleashed Zarkon on your world!”

“I’m not the one who had the responsibility to stop him in theirs, Princess!”

Pidge put her pen down and closed the notebook, momentarily overwhelmed with all this information. What the hell were they even talking about?

“All right,” Allura said, voice lower, so quiet that Pidge strained to hear her. “Perhaps we both are to blame.”

“Maybe,” Colleen agreed grudgingly, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I have a different responsibility.”

“Then we are at an impasse?”

“Yes,” Colleen said.

“And I can’t convince you?” said Allura. She sounded regretful, even a little sad. “I won’t force you, Colleen, but I do wish—”

“No.”

“Colleen—”

“No,” Pidge’s mother said. “While we speak of responsibility, protecting my daughter is mine, not yours. So thank you, Allura, but I decline.”

Pidge held her breath during a pregnant pause ready to give birth at any moment, mind carefully blank as if the noise of her thoughts would muffle the voices coming from the kitchen.

Finally, Allura said, “Very well. I am…sorry you feel that way.” Her chair’s legs scraped against the kitchen floor, heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway and towards Pidge’s room as she walked to the front door.

Colleen followed her, and their voices became too distant for Pidge to hear, so she dropped the glass – it landed softly on carpet without breaking – and leaned her head against the door, stunned. Her mind reeled with what she heard, and even as she stared at her sparse, confused notes, she couldn’t make any sense of it.

Who was Zarkon? And what did her mother have to do with him?

The front door slammed shut, and a few beats later, Pidge heard her mother’s footsteps approaching. She quickly tossed her notebook underneath her bed and moved to sit in her desk chair, settling her headphones back over her ears right in time for Colleen to open the door without knocking.

“You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?” Colleen asked without a hint of judgment in her tone.

Pidge slowly and deliberately took off her headphones and turned to face her mother. “Who’s Zarkon?” she said, deciding there was no shame in confessing her crime after all.

Colleen’s face – already gloomy – darkened. “It doesn’t matter,” she said.

“Yes, it does,” Pidge insisted. “You sounded”—and it hit her, why the conversation between her mother and Allura unnerved her so, besides a simple deficit of information—“scared.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” said Colleen.

“But—”

“Pidge,” Colleen said. When Pidge only stared at her, wide-eyed, she smiled and continued, “Allura is just an old friend, but we parted badly last time we met. Love, you have nothing to worry about.”

Pidge glanced towards her bed, towards the notebook that she feared implied otherwise, but then her eyes drifted to her mother, whose reassuring smile begged her to believe it. So despite the questions – despite the mention of characters she didn’t know, including her father and brother – Pidge said, “Okay.”

It’ll be okay, Colleen always said every time they moved and she had to change schools again.

It’ll be okay, Pidge thought as her mother came in and kissed her cheek before bidding her goodnight.

[ohnohetaliasues]

Luko Heartfilia (Fairy Tail)

(Kat)

Canon has been broken

Name: Luko G. Heartfilia

HE CANNOT BE A HEARTFILIA. THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF LUCY HAVING NO SIBLINGS, SHE HAD NO ONE GROWING UP. DO NOT BREAK CANON.

Nickname: Luko / Lu-kun / Lukonatic Race: Human Age: 24 (X791) Sex: Male Height: 5’11” Weight: 194 lbs Eye Color: Teal Hair Color: Blond

I have a bad feeling.

-Personality- Protective = He his extremely protective toward his friends and family. He will also protect stranger if they are in trouble without even knowing if they are enemies or not. Show off = He tend to show off at some point, that is either his awesome magic or his physic or anything that he can show off, he’ll probably do it. Caring = He cares too much xP Bad temper = He tend to anger himself quite easily if something goes wrong or he doesn’t like it Self-Confident = He is confident in his abilities to do things or what needs to be done (This + show-off = OUCH!! XD)

So he's all caring and nice, but hurt someone he cares about, and boom. He will hurt you.

-History- At birth, Luko got seperated from his family due to his Father, he never wanted an addition to the family other than Lucy. But Layla didn’t agreed, she prefered to gave him to another family instead. So one night, Layla went to town alone with Luko in arms and knock on the door of the first house she thought was good enough. A young man opened the door with his wife by his side, they were confused by why this woman came to their house with a newborn child in arms. “Please, take care of this boy for me! Or else he might die!” asked Layla to the strangers. Without knowing who that woman was, they accepted with pleasure. Before leaving, his mother place a hand on his head and said; “I will come see you as often as I can my dear Luko…Heartfilia!”

What?

WHAT?

NO.

Why would Jude Heartfilia just give up his son? Why would he just want to keep one child but not the other? This makes no sense! 

AND WHY THE HECK WOULD LAYLA JUST GIVE HER CHILD TO SOME RANDOM FAMILY? HOW WOULD SHE KNOW THEY WOULDN'T JUST THROW HIM AWAY? THAT WAS SO STUPID. THIS DOES NOT MAKE YOUR OC INTERESTING.

A few years as past since then and Luko was healthy. He was about nine years old at that time and he was happy with his new family; the Gravis. Earthor; his foster father was an Stone-make user while her foster mother was a writting of light user (Hikari no écriture). 

Just say Light Écriture. it's not hard.

Also, EARTHOR IS LITERALLY THE FORMER NAME OF THE ACCOUNT I FOUND THE OC ON.

They both decided to have a child of their own only a few years after they took in Luko, her name was Kathyrina, she is four years old. His real mother; Layla, was seeing him now and there when she had the time but one day, she stop. Not because she didn’t wanted to see him, but because she past away.

three years later, he decided to go out with his sister Kathyrina for a walk. They were both alone in the woods but something happened, Luko started to hear some “roar” close to them so they hide in the bushes. “I’m scared Luko…” - “Don’t worry, i’m here! We’ll be fine. Just don’t look ok?” Only Luko had his head out and looked at what we could call, a Dragon Slayer using his magic on giant rocks. The sound of it made her sister cry and she was extremely scared of it, so they both ran off but has she kept on running, Luko stop and looked back once more. “I hate that kind of Magic…, it’s scaring my sister and I don’t like it!” He then runs off with a serious face and something on his mind. When he returned home, he asked his foster father to teach him Stone-Make Magic, so that one day he could deal with that kind of magic that is scaring people, Luko wants to protect people with that magic!

Um.

Would Jude even allow that?

And seriously? He hates all Dragon Slayer magic because it scared his four year old sister one time? Just "I will never forgive that person for using their magic and I will forever hate said magic because it scared my four year old sister. Therefore it is the worst kind of magic ever.” 

Six years… after six years of intense magic training, he was good at it, but not only that but his foster mother also taught him writting of light. But he didn’t like the idea of doing this with a pen and in combat, so he decided to use it on Blank cards so he could use them later or when in need of it. “I’m set to go, thanks mother, father!”

This makes zero sense. And what was his motivation? One Dragon Slayer? That's ridiculous.  

“I know your not our real son Luko but in our heart, you will always be part of the family.” said his foster father At that time, he remembered something that his mother Layla told him when he was younger. That he have a real twin sister called Lucy. 

Twin sister?

TWIN?

NO. THIS IS NOT OKAY. LUCY IS AN ONLY CHILD FOR A REASON.

ALSO THIS GUY HAS TEAL EYES. IF THEY'RE TWINS, THEY WOULD HAVE THE SAME EYE COLOR, WHICH IS BROWN.

LITERALLY NOBODY IN THE HEARTFILIA FAMILY HAS TEAL EYES. LUCY HAS BROWN EYES . HER MOTHER HAD BROWN EYES. HER FATHER HAD BROWN EYES. HIS EYES NEED TO BE BROWN.

“Maybe I need to find Lucy, she was with my parents the whole time, i’m sure I can learn new things about my real family!”

And so, at twenty-one, 

Nope. Nope. Lucy was 17 at the beginning of the series. He's TWIN brother apparently. He needs to be her age.

he left his home in search of his sister Lucy Heartfilia but he didn’t know where to go or how to reach it. One day, while on his adventure, he found a wounded young lady on the ground. With his nature of been protective, 

What's 'nature of been'?

he went to see if she was okay, but at the same time, a monster tried to eat the both body, and so Luko used his powerful Stone-Make Magic to push back the creature. He asked her if she was alright and she replied with a nod without speaking. Luko then asked for her name and she simply said; “Sigrun…” with a smile. He then unleashed one of his card with Writting of Light on it to ease the pain she was having and heal her wound. After this was done, they talked for a while without seeing the time pass.

Only Wendy can do healing magic. Do not break canon any more than you already have or so help me.

Then two man approaches Luko and Sigrun, one of them had blonde hair while the other one had black hair. “Come on Sigu, we’re leaving!” said the blonde man but Luko’s intuition made him move in front of the young lady with protective motive but she then put a hand on his back telling him they were his guildmates. Understanding the situation, Luko let her go waving goodbye; “Hope we’ll see each other again!” yelled Luko. She looked at him and whisper; “I hope…”

I am so done with everything involving this Gary Stu.

Two years as past since then, at the age of 23, Luko was still searching for his Twin sister that he thought he would never see her again. He had no clue nor advice on where to search or anything at all, he just searched every corner possible of every town while asking Townfolks. But one day, something clicked! He remembered his Mother telling him that Lucy wanted to go in Fairy Tail when she was young right before she past away. So he then decided to go and search for the Fairy Tail Guild Hall!

Layla was dead before that happened. And if you watched the OVA 'Memory Days', you would know that. Layla died when Lucy was very little. And Lucy only found out about the guild because her older self stopped a runaway carriage with her inside on a hill in front of Magnolia which was facing the guild hall. 

I've said it once, I'll say it again:

AND GET HIS AGE RIGHT.

At last he found it after a few months! 

Literally ask anyone who doesn't live under a rock and they will tell you the Fairy Tail guild is in Magnolia.

THEY ARE THE STRONGEST GUILD IN FIORE.

But it was small and almost no member were there, not even Lucy. When Luko asked if Lucy was here, they all lowered their head in memory of her been gone for almost 7 years. While nothing he could do, he then put his faith in his fist and asked if he could join the Guild and they accepted it!

If this is during the x791 arc, then they would be surprised that anoyoen would want to join the now weakest guild in Fiore.

-Personnal Info- Like: Sigrun/Flirting/Sweets

Who is Sigrun? He met her once and now he likes her?

Dislike: Dragon Slaying Magic/Bad attitude/Thunder

Wow, he is not going to like Laxus, Gajeel and Natsu. 

And Natsu is really protective of Lucy, so heck off, Luko.

Hobbies: Missions/Mess around with friends/Card Tricks Favorite Food/Drink: Sake and Pasta

I am losing my mind.

And it never described him meeting Lucy, so I don't know if she's going to be OOC.

-Social Info-

Family Twin sister Lucy Heartfilia - Alive Father Judes Heartfilia - Deceased Mother Layla Heartfilia - Deceased Foster father Earthor Gravis - Alive Foster mother Leona Gravis - Alive Adopted Little sister Kathyrina Gravis - Alive Friends: Sigrun, Nixus, Megumi and many more

Also, Megumi is apparently and Earth Dragon Slayer, just the thing he hates, and she's his friend. This makes no sense.

Girlfriend: I can’t confirmed it Rivals: Gray / Jirubaisu

Why Gray...?

Roommates: None, lives alone -Profession- Guild: Fairy Tail Guild Master: Makarov Dreyar Rank: Normal member Guild Mark: On top of the left hand in dark yellow Teammates: None, can handle stuff on his own

His family is alive and he's of normal rank? Wow, that's refreshing. I've seen so many OCs who are S class and super edgy because their whole family died in a dolphin attack or something poorly thought out like that.

Also, Megumi is apparently and Earth Dragon Slayer, just the thing he hates, and she's his friend. This makes no sense.

-Magic Abilities- Magic: Stone-Make Magic Weapon: None Abilities: Able to create solid object or weapon with the earth elements. Can also create few living object but requires a lot more magic power to control. Attack -Stone-Make: Mace (Offensive) -Stone-Make: Javelin (Offensive range) -Stone-Make: Turtle Shell (Defensive) -Stone-Make: Mud Slide (Floor) -Stone-Make: Rock Fist (Offensive - For hand-to-hand combat) -Stone-Make: Gargoyle (Offensive creature - used mainly for flying opponent) -Stone-Make: Rock Golem (Ultimate ability, requires a lot a power to handle but deals massive amount of damage) More will come in my head ^.^ -Additional Abilities- Light Cards/Writing of Light: Blank cards with light inscription on them from his second magic power; Hikari no Ecriture (Writting of light). Although he almost never use it, he DOES put them on cards to keep effect for later uses that is for combat or outside. Writting of Light is a support kind of magic that can heal wounds and some other stuff, but Luko is far from using it all the time, he would rather keep it has a last resort or to save someone.

No. Only Wendy can use healing magic.

Enhanced Speed: Although is not has fast as Jet; his running speed is “Slightly” faster than any other human, and by slightly i dont mean alot…

YOU MUST EXPLAIN THESE THINGS.

Enhanced Reflexes: With his speed enhanced a little, so does his reflexes. The way to avoid enemie’s attack or magic will make this perk usefull.

Okay, that's apparently it. 

I... I cannot even.

Anyone who wants to make a Fairy Tail OC, never make them related to a main character by blood directly. Just don't.

~Kat