#and say he could only have fallen for her when he saw her true form just. ugh i can't stand it

[seagullcharmer]

i don't think this applies to any mutuals but i've been stewing vaguely over tp fans who think link only fell for midna when he saw her true form. like. we did Not play the same game apparently

[deceitfuldevout]

A Woman Like You

Tommy Shelby x WOC!Reader

Word Count: +1,215

Warning(s): Angst, Sexist remarks, Societal pressure, Sterotypes.

Author's note(s): I've recently been using writing as a form of therapy. This goes to all the ladies that can relate.

You've fallen head over heels for Tommy Shelby, but now you're questioning if his intentions were sincere or not.

GIF by nofckingfighting

You made the mistake of falling in love. You should've seen the signs sooner. You started working at the Garrison as a bar maid with Grace, eventually moving up to being their sole entertainment. You were an exotic bird who had caught to wandering eyes of drunken Englishmen. Some folks would say you had these men in a trance, with your rare features and seductive mannerisms. Some even say you're a witch. But there was only one person who saw you for you. Tommy Shelby.

It was refreshing, being seen as a soft, delicate thing. His demeanor would shift when talking to you. He's much kinder to you that with any of his men. That was until another, prettier face had caught his eye. You of all people knew the truth: Tommy Shelby would never love you. Instead he'd fallen for your coworker Grace. She's everything you weren't. That may have been the reason why. Of course, you should've seen the signs. How he'd look at her with such tenderness.

Eventually his entire personality completely changed with you. Perhaps they were his true colors. After her death, things went south. Tommy returned to you, but only for physical intimacy. He was rough, unapologetic, and at time, downright cruel. He hadn't spoke to you like a lady, with basic respect. It almost hurt knowing men will never speak to you with kind remarks. As soon as you found a better option, you let him know right away. When you close the pub for the last time, Tommy was there. It was strange, having an Englishman waste his previous time on foreign blood.

You turn around to find Tommy sitting on a barstool, not paying him mind. Then something strange happened. He isn't usually this tender, not even in private. So why on earth was he telling you to stay? After every humiliating thing he'd put you through. How Tommy would shimmy you off his arm in front of his business associates. It only got worse when he'd flirt with women right in front of you, then ask for a fuck because it was convenient. Perhaps it was the liquid courage, maybe even the hormones that made you tear up with anger. But for some reason, you wanted to let him know he hurt you, "Enough, Tom, you need to stop doing this,"

He tilts his head up, genuinely surprised that you'd spoken up. His eyelids are hooded, "If you've got something to say..." he lights up a cigarette, "...say it now," how predictable. Tommy's cruelty had no limits. You were tired of being his little plaything, "I deserve better than this, better than you," letting him know how you truly felt, "You're fucking selfish, you know that?" tears already streaming down both cheeks, "You could've told me you were seeing other women, Tom," your vision blurs. Tommy objected, "You knew who I was when you met me--"

"Yeah, yeah I thought I did, until you decided to to make an acceptation with that blonde whore!" you knew what it would take to get his blood boiling. You wanted to hurt him the same way he hurt you, "I've wasted most of my life waiting for you to love me back, I wasted my good years on a man who wouldn't care if I bled out on the floor!" voice now shaking. You were filled with regret, pain, and anger.

He doesn't even know what the weight of his words did to you, "I know how you English men see women like us, we're always sexually desired but never loved, enough for a good fuck but not enough to make a wife," a chuckle escapes your tips at the thought of it. How could he marry someone like you? His name and status that he's worked so hard for would be tainted. Because who could ever love a woman like you? He had the audacity to roll his eyes, "You were entertainment, to bring customers in," someone pretty enough to keep company around.

"Everything, Tom, everything I've been doing, the act, because I am not allowed the luxury of being seen as innocent," after pouring your heart out, he still hadn't believed you, "Don't act like you haven't been seeing other men," he scoffs. You started to laugh at that remark. Had he really been that clueless? Tears stream down both cheeks. You wipe at them, smearing your mascara, "Now that's incredible," a deep grunt is trapped in the back of your throat, "You really think I'm a whore, don't you?" in an almost hushed tone, "Tommy, you were my first and only, do you really not believe me?" nothing felt worse than being betrayed by the one you trust the most, "All I ever wanted was for you to love me," since the beginning you were there. Even when he was mourning Grace you were there to keep him comfort. How foolish of you.

"Now you never told me--"

"I know who you pretend I am, who you want me to be," you roll your eyes, sniffling for a moment, "I'm not like you Tom, I can't pass, I can't change the color of my skin or features-- I will never be the white woman you've always wanted me to be, the kind of woman you'd keep on your arm without feeling embarrassed, why can't you just accept that?" a faint pause, "You told me...you told me she wasn't your type," barely a whisper, "Was everything a lie?" when he doesn't say anything, it was the only answer you needed. At that moment you snapped, "Please! Look at me!" you smack his arm, "Tommy!" when he does you're given only a cold stare.

Of course, it was never going to be someone like you. There are tears brimming your eyes again. It hurts, knowing that you will always be second best. Always an option but never the first, "At first I was confused, your infatuation with Grace didn't make sense, and now I see that it never mattered who she was," your breath hitches for a moment, "You were always going to choose someone like her..." now rambling about the obvious, "Prettier, blonder...whiter," you taunt.

Each word felt like venom on your tongue. You should've been used to the poison by now, "You don't know how long it took for me to trust a man again, after the pain I've been through--women like me, Tom, we don't have pretty blue eyes that get us what we want, not without a price," that remark made your skin crawl, "Always the seductress, never seen as pure," a dark chuckle erupts, taking up all sound from the bar. Tommy only stares back at you, with that same cold expression. You lean against the counter, looking down at the wood before returning to glance at him, "Did you ever love me?"

If there's one thing about Tommy, is that he would never lie to you, "No," a short, simple answer. You give him a soft, faint smile. Saddened by the loss but also relieved that you were free at last, "Thank you," with that you left, never returning to the Garrison again.

[sopebubbles]

Master List

Eight

Synopsis: in a world where alphas, betas, and omegas live along side modern humans as second class citizens, you've fallen through the cracks of a society that wants to take everything wonderful from you. Luckily a timely encounter with the boys just might save your life.

Chapter summary: Jin's form of leadership comes to bite him in the ass, and everyone will have something to say about it. Will they still follow him?

WC: 8k

Warnings: ANGST, fighting/yelling, swearing

Jimin's head snapped to attention when a knock at the door pulled him out of concentration. His coworker Nina poked her head inside.

"Jimin, there's a girl here to see you."

"I told Sana we would meet after lunch. I'm still trying to catch up on some paperwork from last week." Jimin looked bewilderedly at the stacks of papers cluttering his desk.

Nina shook her head. "It's not Sana. It's some girl named Y/N. Never seen her before. But I'll tell her to come back another time."

Jimin shot out of his chair the instant he heard your name. "No. Don't! I'll see her."

Nina paused as he opened the door to follow her. "I thought you were busy."

Jimin blushed and smiled. "This is important."

Nina gave him a playfully suspicious look before walking back to her desk. Jimin followed her and felt the tightness in his chest release when he saw you sitting in a chair, swinging your feet while you waited. Yoongi was right; you did seem like a little girl, especially the way you curled in on yourself.

"Y/N?" His voice was so quiet he wasn't sure you would hear him, but your head turned in his direction.

He'd been so thrilled by the news that you'd come that he hadn't stopped to think about why until he saw your wide eyes look at him from gaunt features. The last time he'd seen you, you were well fed, energetic, almost glowing. That might have just been the tail-end of the heat hormones, but you almost looked like a different person now. Your skin was ashen, with dark bags under your eyes. It was only a week since he saw you, but it looked like years on your face.

"Y/N," he repeated.

"Surprised to see me?" You asked as you got to your feet and approached the counter once again.

"Yes," he nodded. "But it's a good surprise." He wanted to launch into a million questions, but he hesitated. The last time he tried to really talk to you had backfired. He followed your gaze to Nina, who quickly looked away when she realized she was staring. "Come to my office so we can talk."

"I'm glad you came," he said as he closed the door behind you and gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. "Where have you been staying?"

You looked at your hands in your lap, but didn't answer. "How is Hoseok?"

Jimin tried to smile for you, but it was weak. "Hobi is fine. He's wondering where you've been. He was hoping you would stay. We all were."

"I don't think everyone was," you mumbled. 

"What?"

"I know Seokjin was just trying to be polite. I would have just been in the way. It's better for everyone if you just pretend you never met me."

Jimin's heart sank. For a moment he had believed you came to him so he could take you home, but you wouldn't make things that easy. "So why did you come here?"

"You said you could help me find a job." He froze momentarily before sitting on his own chair. Was that really the only reason you had come? "I've been looking online for the last week and I just…" you looked up at him and he met your gaze expectantly. "I haven't had a lot of luck the last couple of years trying to pretend I'm Sap, but it's really hard to get a job I can manage when they know I'm omega. So, you said you knew people who would hire me…"

Jimin nodded knowingly. Unemployment was generally considered an alpha problem because many, if not most, omegas chose to stay at home, but that trend had been changing. Omegas faced a lot of stereotypes about not being able to handle physical work (which wasn't true) and for their frequent heat cycles, making employers view them as unreliable. On top of that, you were far from the only omega to not finish high school since the onset of heats made attendance difficult at best. While Jimin was all for omega empowerment, he couldn't help wishing you'd choose to just stay at home with Hoseok. But he was getting ahead of himself. Jimin clicked around on his screen for a moment before his printer began to whir.

"I have a list of businesses that hire omegas, and who give priority to people in your situation." Jimin grabbed the sheet of paper off the printer, but hesitated before handing it to you. "Would you reconsider coming back to the house?"

You sighed and shook your head. "I can't, Jimin."

"You really can. I know that maybe Jin didn't seem so keen, but Hoseok is worried. Yoongi–" he stopped himself from admitting that his alpha was a wreck, but he didn't think he imagined the glint in your eyes as the mention of his name. "He really wanted you to stay. So do I. We want you to be safe."

"It's nice of you to worry," you said, reaching for the paper. Jimin reluctantly handed over, feeling defeated. "I can take care of myself, though. I promise, I'll be fine."

When you stood up to leave, Jimin had the sinking feeling that you really wouldn't be, but there was little he could do about it. He couldn't lock you in this office until you agreed to come home with him. He sighed in resignation. "You can tell anyone on that list that I sent you and put me as a reference," he told you, picking up one of his business cards and scribbling his personal phone number on the back before he handed it to you. "And if you change your mind, you know where to find us. Our door is always open to you, Y/N."

"Thanks, Jimin," you smiled sadly. 

He wanted to do something crazy, like ask you for a hug and maybe try to give you a proper scent mark so that you'd walk out of there with a bit of him, a bit of them. But he could only watch you go.

Yoongi drummed his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel as he drove to pick up Jimin from work. Normally the beta went to and from work with Namjoon or Jin, depending on their schedules, but today the pack alpha had sent a mysterious address to the group chat and told them to meet there after work. The location happened to be in the opposite direction of home from Namjoon's school, so Yoongi offered to pick Jimin up. He was more than happy to do it. He'd been feeling edgy all day with the house feeling so empty, everyone gone to work and even Hoseok mysteriously missing from the house in the afternoon, taking Taehyung with him. Your absence rang from every corner of the quiet house, mocking him.

When he pulled up outside the shelter, Jimin was chatting casually with some alpha teens in front of the building. He flashed Yoongi a crooked smile, and not the endearing kind, but the troubled kind; the kind that let the alpha know immediately that something was off with his younger mate. He cut the engine and stepped out of the car.

"Hey, Yoongi!" One of the young men on the sidewalk called as he stepped up on the curb and held out an arm for a greeting. Yoongi clasped his hand and bumped his shoulder. "Where you been? Missed you on the court."

Yoongi grimaced. Playing with the kids was one of his favorite things to do with his free days. Jimin liked to act like it was some sort of mentoring program; and maybe it was, but it was very informal. Just a few hours playing around and maybe every now and then Yoongi managed a conversation with one of them and was able to give them some advice, but it wasn't a big deal. Nonetheless, Jimin knew it meant a lot to the young alphas to have Yoongi spend some time with them and treat them like people, something that was frequently absent from their daily interactions, as you well knew. He also knew Yoongi enjoyed it beyond the game.

"Sorry, man. I promise I'll come by later this week," Yoongi told him and meant it. He turned his eyes to Jimin. "Everything okay?"

The beta nodded. "C'mon, let's go."

Yoongi opened the car door for Jimin, then nodded to the guys still standing around before he walked around to the driver's side. He started the engine and pulled into traffic before either of them spoke another word. Silent minutes stretched before them, but Yoongi couldn't take it.

"Are you afraid to kiss me in front of your clients?" Yoongi asked, half joking, although he'd usually get at least a kiss on the cheek from Jimin when he first saw him, even if it was on those afternoons he showed up at the shelter.

"Of course not, hyung," Jimin answered lightly but didn't look in his direction. 

Yoongi reached out his hand to take Jimin's. "Then can you tell me what's wrong?" He asked with a kiss to the back of his hand. 

Jimin's fingers tightened around him and he cleared his throat. "I saw her."

Yoongi came to an abrupt stop a couple meters short of where he meant to at the red light. 

"Y/N?"

Jimin nodded. "She came to see me at the shelter."

Yoongi turned his head to look out the rear window. "Is she–? Did she–? Is she staying there?" He finally managed to ask, when he really wanted to ask why you weren't in the car with him right now going back home.

Jimin swallowed. "She's too old, hyung," he reminded his alpha and watched him sink back into his seat. "Besides, she said she wouldn't come back with me. She thinks…she thinks it's for the best, and that we were just being polite."

Yoongi leaned his head back against the rest and a thousand protests died on his lips. Jimin didn't need to hear them. "Do you know where she's staying?"

A car honked as they sat in front of a green light and Yoongi slowly pressed on the accelerator. "She wouldn't say, but that makes me think it's the same shelter as before."

"Shit," Yoongi muttered.

"I'm sorry, hyung. I should have found a way to make her stay. I should've called you. I just…it all happened so fast."

Yoongi spared him a quick glance. "Jimin, did you think I'd be mad at you?"

Jimin squirmed. "Not mad…"

Yoongi laid his hand on Jimin's smaller one again. "Jimin, of course I'm not upset with you. I know you couldn't hold her there. If she wasn't willing to come, that would only scare her, and the last thing we need is for her to be scared of the least intimidating member of our pack."

"I'm going to try not to be insulted by that, hyung."

Yoongi smiled in spite of himself. "Damn. Okay. I mean, it sucks. You know I want to find her. But this is good. We know more than we did. At least she knows where to find you if she's in trouble but—oh! Is she in trouble? Why did she come to you?"

"She's not in trouble as far as I can tell. She just remembered that I said I could help her find a job, so she came to see me. It seemed like maybe she was ready to stop pretending to not be Lykos." Jimin almost sounded proud.

"And?"

"I don't know. All I could really do was give her a list of places I knew are usually hiring and tell her she could use me as a reference."

Yoongi nodded thoughtfully. "That's good. If anyone calls you trying to hire her we might be able to find her," he said, mostly mumbling to himself. 

"Hyung?"

Yoongi pulled to a stop in front of a large, yellow house. Jungkook and Namjoon pulled up right behind him in the police cruiser. They all stepped out at the same time, sharing a glance before turning their curious and confused eyes toward the property. Yoongi noticed the realtors sign in front with the bold red "SOLD" sign. His stomach flipped. 

"What the hell?" He muttered in a low growl before he made for stairs up to the porch, trodding carelessly over the green lawn. Stomping up the steps, he knocked loudly on the front door.

Hoseok answered the door with a beaming, heart-shaped smile. "Welcome home!"

Jimin watched Yoongi's jaw clench, and he was certain that if it had been anyone but Hobi who answered the door, Yoongi would already be on a tirade. Jimin reached out to grab his elbow, silently telling him to stay calm but also reminding the alpha that he was there as they stepped over the threshold of the house.

"What is this, Hobi?" Yoongi barely restrained his growl, but his discontent was clear. He moved further through the entryway into what would be the living room only to let the others inside. 

"This is our new home," Jin said, standing at the counter where the open concept living room and kitchen blended. Yoongi opened his mouth to speak, but Jin cut him off. "Before you start, let me show you around first. There's so much more room. There's a detached garage where Taehyung can do his painting. There are also three bedrooms upstairs. The master bedroom is absolutely massive. Wait till you see. And plenty of room for the kids," Jin rambled on, setting one foot on the first stair, ready for them all to follow him up.

"Jin," Yoongi said the syllable firmly without raising his voice.

The older man froze and looked down at him in frustration. "Can you at least look around before you get upset."

"So you understand that I'm upset?" Yoongi asked calmly. 

"You're always upset about something," Jin mumbled in response.

"That's not true, Jin. And that isn't the point."

"Then what is the point, Yoongi?"

"Did you buy this house?" He asked through his tight jaw.

Yoongi's citrus went bitter, stinging their noses, and Jin swallowed but stood firm. "Yes. Hobi and I came to look at the house yesterday and made an offer. The seller was highly motivated and we signed the papers a few hours ago."

"You and Hobi? And who else was involved in this decision?" Yoongi demanded, casting his gaze momentarily at the omega. 

"No one. Hobi liked the house, and I bought it."

"Oh, Hobi liked it, so that's all that matters," Yoongi threw his hands up and walked toward the back door.

"Yoongi, it's really a great house. Just take a look," Hoseok tried to persuade him.

"I don't care about the house!" Yoongi snapped.

"Don't yell at me!" Hoseok snapped back, stepping closer, but Jin came off the staircase to get between them.

"How could you two do this?"

"I know you hate change, Yoongi, but–"

"This isn't about not wanting to change!"

"Then what is it about, Yoongi?" Jin tried hard to keep his calm. 

"It's about you deciding we're all going to move suddenly, like we're just pieces of furniture in your house."

"Yoongi, Jin and I have been looking for a house for months," Hoseok reminded him. 

"I know. But I always assumed when you got serious about buying one you would consult us. How can you just make a huge decision like this for all of us?" Hoseok balked at the betrayal in Yoongi's eyes. 

Jin's chest puffed out before he spoke. "We made the decision we thought was best for everyone."

Yoongi shook his head. "Your un-fucking-believable, Seokjin." Jin let out an exasperated sigh. "What gives you the right to treat us like this?"

Jin growled low. "I'm your pack alpha. It's my right to make the decisions I think are best for this pack. You're just upset because you wish you were pack alpha over me."

Yoongi stared him straight in the eyes as he spoke. "I don't, Jin. I don't want to be your pack alpha. I just want to be treated with a little respect." He took a step closer to where he had to look up to keep eye contact. "But if I were the leader of this pack, I'd do a hell of a lot better job than you've been doing lately."

"Yoongi," Namjoon finally stepped in, his voice a warning that Yoongi did not want to heed.

"You think this is easy?" Jin snarled back. 

"It's not meant to be easy! But you see it as a set of privileges when it's meant to be a set of responsibilities!" 

"I am trying to be responsible! I'm trying to build a proper home for our children!"

"Damn it! That's the problem! For your children. Because you're so ego-maniacally focused on these kids you don't even have yet that you don't give a shit about what you're doing to the pack you have right now!"

"That's not true, Yoongi," Hoseok jumped in.

Yoongi held up his hand. "Don't defend him, Hoseok. For the last year you've been catering to him instead of facing the fact that he's changed."

"I've-"

"You used to be so caring about all of us. You had such a big heart when I met you. You were so open and that's why I fell for you. You made me feel so safe. You brought Jimin into your home without a second thought. But now I don't even recognize you. You don't care, do you?"

"That's not fair, Y–"

"You don't care that Tae will have to walk outside at night to get to his studio when his nightmares keep him up? Or that this house is so far from Jungkook's station? Or that you're taking me and Jimin out of the most stable home we've ever known without even asking us? Or-"

"Yoongi," Hoseok gasped, chagrined at the alphas slipped admission. 

"No. Fuck this. I'm leaving." Yoongi hung his head in defeat and shouldered past Namjoon to get to the front door.

"Hyung, wait!" Jimin called, going after him.

"Jimin–"

"Give me your keys. You're not driving angry like this," the beta reasoned. Yoongi gave them up without a fight and stormed out of the house. The door shut with a thud of finality. 

Jin swallowed in the silence that followed before he spoke. "Let's go see the rest of the house." He turned toward the stairs, and Namjoon made to follow.

"Kim Seokjin." He froze at the frigid tone of Hobi's voice.

"He's just pouting, Hobi. He'll get over it," Jin said over his shoulder.

"Jin," he said more loudly this time. "He is our packmate. And he is just asking us to listen to him. Now you're going to take me home and listen."

When Jin and Hobi arrived at the house the first floor was dark except for the sliver of light underneath the closed door to the spare room, but they could hear Yoongi's angry footsteps upstairs. Hoseok rushed up the stairs ahead of his mate to find Yoongi rummaging through drawers, pulling out shirts he thought were his. It had become difficult to tell the difference between yours, mine and ours. Five years together had made their lives enmeshed in the most intimate and simple ways.

"What are you doing?" Hoseok asked softly from the door.

"Making it easier for you all to move without me," Yoongi mumbled as he closed one drawer and opened another.

Hoseok's voice trembled as his hands did. "What do you mean?"

"If it's easy to make the decision to move without even asking then it doesn't matter if I go with you, right? So I'm taking my stuff, and you can take the rest."

"Yoongi, that's not true," his omega said, stepping closer to try to stop his hands.

"Hoseok, back off."

He let out a small whimper. "We made a mistake. I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, but I know I was wrong, okay? Please, let's sit down and talk about it calmly."

Yoongi held still, trying his best to resist acting out. He wouldn't get violent. He wouldn't get physical no matter how much he felt like exploding. Not to Hobi. "I don't feel calm right now. I need you to give me some space and let me do this."

"No!" He whined. "Don't do this! Don't leave us, please?"

"Who's leaving who, Hobi?!"

"It's not like that, Yoongi, honestly."

"Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?" Jin said from the door.

A growl started in Yoongi's chest when his eyes fell on the alpha.

"It's just a house, Yoongi," he added. 

"Maybe to you. Maybe to you it's just a place to live."

"What else is it then Yoongi?" Hoseok asked, desperate to understand what was going on in his head.

Yoongi sighed and hung his head back to stare at the ceiling. "You guys are so privileged. You don't get it. You grew up in homes that were yours, where you were born and where you belonged. Then you came here to live in your own home. You take it for granted that wherever you go to live will be your home. You don't know what I know. What Jimin and Y/N and even Tae knows! Do you get that this is the only place I've ever felt I belonged? That until I came to live here and you accepted me, that I was only ever a guest wherever I was? Do you know what living with that kind of insecurity is like? This is the only place I've ever felt safe and you've just taken that from me."

"It will be the same at the new house, Yoongi," Hoseok spoke softly. "It will be your home."

"How can I know that? When it feels like you don't want me there because if you did you would have asked about my feelings before making such a huge decision? I feel so unsafe with you both right now. So if it seems like I'm acting childish, maybe I am, but I feel so out of control right now. And if that's how I feel, how do you think she will–" Yoongi's voice died.

"Y/N?" Hoseok asked after a heavy silence.

"She's gone, Yoongi," Jin reminded him and received a black, watery glare in return.

"She's not. Jimin saw her today. She's not ready to live with us but she went to Jimin for help, so she might. Only if she comes here, we'll be gone. And what would she think except that your offer to stay meant nothing and that there is no place that's safe. You're pack alpha. You're supposed to make us safe."

Jin watched Yoongi as he ranted and felt his anger soften. The man was right, he hadn't considered those things at all. If he was being honest he hadn't cared if Yoongi or the others disagreed with their choice of home, but he hadn't even considered that they might have such a strong reaction. The new house was a better one, and he thought that would be all that mattered. When he finally responded, he spoke as softly as he could. "Yoongi, I didn't mean to make you feel that way. Honestly, I didn't know that it would matter that much, and I'm sorry. But you're safe and you belong in our new home just as much as you do here."

Yoongi scoffed. "A year ago I might have believed you."

"What do you mean?" Jin questioned and didn't miss the way Hoseok's back stiffened. 

"You've been pushing us all out ever since you started trying to get Hobi pregnant," Yoongi accused.

"Not this again."

"Yes, this again! Every time Hobi goes into heat you treat the rest of us like we're less important than you. Like you're the main character and we're all just the supporting cast."

"Because he's my husband! He's my omega! This is my pack! If you hate it that much then go find Y/N and start your own! See if I care!"

"Jin!" Hoseok cried as if in pain.

"Fine! I will!"

"Yoongi, no! Both of you stop it. Don't say shit you don't mean. No one is leaving. Fuck!" Hoseok stepped close to Yoongi and cradled the alpha's face in his hands. "Please, baby. Don't leave me. I swear. We can work this out. Calm down, please." A tear dropped down Yoongi's cheek, and Hoseok wiped it away with his thumb. Yoongi wrapped his hands gently around his wrists and pulled his hands away.

"I'm sorry, Hobi. I just…" his eyes flickered to Jin. "I just need some space right now."

He took the bag he had been filling with random t-shirts that may or may not have been his and walked past Hoseok, past Jin and down the stairs. He didn't know how much they heard, but Namjoon, Tae and Jungkook all stared at him as he moved quickly through the living room toward the spare room, which Jimin had been readying for both of them to sleep in.

The others slowly made their way upstairs to see their pack alpha and omega. It wasn't particularly that they wanted to comfort Jin and Hobi, but they all knew there was nothing they could do for Yoongi at the moment, and none of them had gotten the chance to say their piece yet. They found Hoseok sitting on the edge of the bed facing the window that looked out onto the street, while Jin remained by the door, both speechless and not acknowledging the other.

"Are you here to leave us, too?" Jin asked bitterly.

"Hyung, don't get angry with us. Especially when you're the one who caused this," Jungkook spoke softly. Despite being the youngest, he had known Jin longer than anyone, except Hoseok, and he wasn't afraid to tell him the truth.

"I'm the bad guy for wanting to give my family a better home?"

"No, hyung," Namjoon answered as he sat on the corner of the mattress, facing his alpha. "But at any point did you even think to ask us what any of us thought would make a better home for all of us?"

"We've been looking for a long time and none of you have ever said anything," Jin defended.

"You and Hobi have been looking," Taehyung corrected. "You show him things you're looking at. Maybe we should've spoken up before, but we didn't know how. Honestly I've been kind of terrified of what's going to happen and then…this was kind of sudden."

Hoseok turned to see his youngest alpha with a tear-streaked face. "What are you afraid of Tae?"

He sank down onto the bed beside his omega, facing him and letting the contact of their legs sooth his fraying nerves just a bit. "I guess…I don't really know what's going to happen when you eventually have Jin's baby. I'm not sure what it's going to mean for the rest of us."

"What do you mean? It will be everyone's baby. It will only add to our pack," Jin told them, a little shocked by Taehyung's implication.

"Then why does it matter so much if the baby is yours? Why can't it be any of ours? Mine or Namjoon's or Jimin's? If nothing will change between all of us, then why has so much changed already?" Tae wondered in a shaky voice.

"We're still a pack. Nothing has changed. We'll still be a pack," Jin tried to assure him.

"With all due respect, Jin, only you, Hobi and Jungkook know what it's like to have a pack this big." Namjoon shrugged. "The rest of us don't know what happens to other partners when a couple has a baby. We've just been following your lead, and it seems like…I don't know. We get pushed to the edge?"

Hoseok choked down a whine. He didn't know why, but he'd known his husband was struggling for months with his feelings about having a child. When he couldn't get Jin to talk about it, he decided just to support him in any way he could. That had mostly meant going along with his ideas and boosting his confidence. He hadn't realized how much he had been neglecting his other pack members. Suddenly it made so much more sense that Jungkook, Yoongi and Taehyung had been spending so many nights outside his nest when he realized they didn't feel as welcome there. 

Hoseok reached out to grip the back of Tae's neck and meet his eyes. "Tae, baby, your home will always be with us. And I'm so so sorry for not making that clear enough, and for not discussing it with you before we made such a big decision." 

Tae smiled weakly and wrapped his arms around the omegas middle to bring him closer. It was far from making everything better, but he still appreciated being told explicitly that he was still wanted. "Things might change when you have Jin's baby," he said, not able to keep the worry from his voice even though he kept it quiet.

"Why is everyone so obsessed with the fact that it will be my baby?" Jin grumbled. 

"Why are you so obsessed, hyung? You said the baby will be all of ours, so why does it have to be you?" Jungkook reiterated the question they could never get a straight answer for. 

"I have a family line to uphold. I know you all don't understand that, but it's important!" Jin cried out, finally cracking under the crushing weight of that pressure. 

"Is it more important than not alienating your pack? Is your family–which already has a whole group of kids to carry on its name–is it more important than the one we've spent a decade building?" Hoseok asked, looking at Jin for the first time since Yoongi had left the room.

"No. Of course not," Jin sighed. 

"Since when was it ever important to you anyway?"

"Well, you are my husband. Shouldn't your first child be mine?"

"You didn't answer the question, Jin," Hoseok said sternly, crossing his arms.

"Fine! It's never been important to me. But it is important to them! And I thought maybe if I could prove to my mother that I'm a proper pack alpha then for once she wouldn't look at me like a huge failure!" The loudness of his voice got away from him even though he felt relief for finally getting that off his chest.

"I cannot believe this is about your mother!" Hoseok shouted back. "You're going to risk losing Jimin and Yoongi over your mother, who has never treated you the way that she should?"

"What do you mean lose Jimin?" Jin asked seriously.

"Look around, Jin. Where do you think he is right now? Do you honestly believe that if Yoongi goes, Jimin won't go with him?" Jungkook asked. The thought caused him a great deal of pain. Everyone relied on Jimin, more than he probably knew. But he understood, because even if Jin was being a complete ass, Jungkook knew he would stick with him, too.

"Who else wants to go with them?" Jin looked around the room. Half expecting to see every hand raised. 

"No one wants to go, hyung. Not even Yoongi," Tae told him. "We just want to know it matters if we stay."

Jin rushed to sit behind Tae on the bed, covering the younger man's back with his chest. "Of course, Tae. Of course it matters. I would never want to live without any of you," he promised. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being the pack alpha you deserved and for making you think you weren't important to me. Hobi, I'm sorry for causing all this drama and putting you in the middle of it. I never meant to. I was just-"

"A spoiled brat."

Jin sighed and flopped back into the nest on his back. "Yeah. And I need Yoongi, too. To put me in my place when I'm clearly out of line and out of touch."

Jungkook crawled onto the bed to where his leader rested and pulled back his bangs to lay a kiss on his forehead. "We can all do that. But you do have to apologize to Yoongi…if you want him to come with us."

Jin looked sadly into the betas eyes. "Of course I want him to come with us. How would we manage without him?"

"What if he won't come?" Namjoon asked. "What if…I think she's more important to him than we are."

Hoseok still faced away from the group, but spoke clearly. "She's not. He just knows she needs him, more than we do. Or at least, more than we've been showing him. Jin needs a baby and Yoongi needs that omega if we're ever going to have any peace."

"Hobi–"

"Everyone get out."

"Hobi, wait–"

"You're in my nest with your work clothes on. Get up. Go get some pizzas because I don't have time to cook tonight. Get cleaned up before you think about crawling in here again."

Hoseok's boys didn't wait to be told twice before moving and getting out of his way.

Yoongi entered the spare room while Jimin was in the bathroom and flopped onto the bed. The beta had used the blankets from your brief nest to make the bed more cozy. Your sweet apple scent was fading, but he took a deep breath in while he could.

"I'm sorry, it's not a proper nest," Jimin said from the door to the bathroom. It could never be a real nest unless it was made by an omega. 

Yoongi raised his hand in the air toward Jimin. "It will be great if you come down here with me."

Jimin did as he was bid and cuddled into his usual spot, draping his body half way over his hyung's. Yoongi took a deep breath of him, lavender and apples and regrets.

"I don't like hearing them fight," Yoongi said after several minutes.

"I know. But it's not your fault. It had to happen eventually," Jimin reassured him.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, hyung."

"I'm acting like I know all the right things to do, but right now I don't know. I don't–" Yoongi tried to hold a sob that was caught in his throat. "I don't want to leave, Jimin. Truly. I love it here so much. I love them. All of them. Even Jin. Even when he's being the world's biggest asshole. But he–"

Jimin stroked his hand along Yoongi's chest to calm his breathing. "It's okay, Yoongi. I trust you. Whatever decision you make, I'll be with you. If there really isn't room for you and me anymore, we'll find our own place. We'll find Y/N. We'll make a home together."

Yoongi pulled Jimin tighter to him and sobbed into his shoulder, whispering repeated apologies while Jimin tried to hush him until they fell asleep just like that.

It had killed Yoongi to leave Jimin in the middle of the night to go to work, but he'd made it through the shift with that hollow, numb feeling left in your chest after you've expelled all your other emotions. He didn't realize how many had actually been boiling in his chest and for how long until he finally got them out. He hoped that he'd make it home in time to drive Jimin to work, but when he arrived, only Jin and Hobi were in the kitchen. Their eyes met with his briefly before he ducked into the spare room and shut the door. He knew he'd have to speak to them eventually, but he wasn't ready yet. The raw anger caused by built-up hurts that he let explode yesterday was gone. He almost didn't feel angry at all anymore. But all the hurt was still there, but while he couldn't tell them how to fix it, talking to each other would only risk inflicting more harm. He showered quickly before he sank into bed and fell asleep surrounded by the scent of you. 

When he woke in the afternoon he laid in bed and listened to the soft sound of Hobi's footsteps moving from room to room, already organizing to move their whole lives across town. The papers had already been signed. The decision wouldn't be changed. It was fine. Yoongi got up and changed into basketball shorts and an old extra large t-shirt (which was in fact Namjoon's), slipped on his basketball shoes and walked straight from the bedroom out the door before he could be caught out by anyone. 

Yoongi kept his basketball in his car because he was always ready for a pick up game. He tended to have a relatively new one at any given time because when all the balls at the shelter inevitably wandered off, he would leave his and go straight to buy a new one or two. He picked up the ball from the floorboard of the backseat where it wouldn't roll around too much and headed into the shelter. 

Nina, or anyone else who might be working, never stopped to ask him what he needed anymore as he strolled past the desk. She merely offered a pleasant 'hello, how ya been?' And let him be on his way. He went straight back to Jimin's office first.

"Come in," Jimin said quietly when Yoongi knocked on his door. The alpha could see the exhaustion on his face as soon as he walked in. "Hey," he smiled tiredly, but he was genuinely relieved to see the man. 

"Hey, sweetheart. How are you?" Yoongi went around the desk to give him a hug they both needed. He nuzzled Jimin's head under his chin, making sure to give him a good scent marking like he had intended to do this morning. 

"I'm alright. Just tired."

Yoongi crouched down to examine the beta's face more closely. There were dark bags under his eyes and an unfamiliar frown on the usually happy man's lips. "Did you sleep after I left last night?"

"Off and on," Jimin shrugged and continued when he saw Yoongi breathe in to speak. "And before you say sorry to me one more time, don't! You're banned from apologizing for anything."

Yoongi closed his mouth to pout for a second before he asked, "for how long?"

"Until you've done something you need to apologize for. And that doesn't include going to work or leaving me on my own for a few hours. I'm a big boy, Yoongi."

"Well…:

"Don't even start, hyung!"

Yoongi chuckled and pulled him in for a chaste kiss before he stood. Leaning against the desk, he took a look around Jimin's small office. "Anything interesting happen today?"

Jimin knew what he meant to ask, but he hadn't seen or heard from you. "Not today."

"Okay then." Yoongi did his best not to sound disappointed. "I'm going to go shoot some hoops for a while and then I'll drive you home. Make sure you tell Joon." Jimin hummed, and Yoongi turned to leave but stopped and hesitated a moment before he asked, "How was it this morning? I wanted to drive you but–"

Jimin waved his hand dismissively. "It was fine Yoon, don't worry. We didn't talk or anything, but we don't normally talk much on the way to work."

Yoongi grinned. "Neither of you are morning people."

"I'm literally amazed we make it to work every morning," Jimin agreed. 

When Yoongi got to the basketball court it was empty. It was unusual, but not a total shock. It was really a lovely spring day out and if the kids wanted to soak up some of the sun's energy, that was perfectly understandable. He didn't mind playing alone for a bit until someone came in; they eventually would. He stretched before warming up a little and practicing his free throws. There was something calming about having a basketball in his hands. No matter where or when, the feel of the ball at his fingertips never changed. No matter where he moved to or who was around to play, there was always a court, always a game. If it wasn't for basketball he might not have met Jimin at the court where Jimin went to meet his friends even though he never played. 

He let his mind wander as he dribbled and shot, all according to muscle memory. There was too much on his mind for it to completely go silent, but he let the thoughts run through him instead of trying to control him, and by the time someone came to break up his solo practice, Yoongi had a plan. 

Earlier in the morning, Jungkook and Taehyung had gone to get moving boxes and soft packing materials. Since then, Jungkook had gone to work and Tae was responsible for getting his painting room packed and cleaned, leaving Hoseok alone in the kitchen carefully packing dishes with one eye on the front door and the other on the clock, just waiting for his packmates to come home. 

When Jin comes home first, he can't help but feel a short pang of disappointment. He'd been dying to see Yoongi all day, just to be able to look at him and know he was doing better. Even though he knew that was probably too much to expect. Even though he didn't feel like he should be forgiven yet. 

He couldn't believe how thoughtless they had been—how inconsiderate he had been. When Jin first took him to the house, Hoseok fell in love immediately. He could imagine them all there so easily and picture how their lives would blossom and thrive there. He even pictured you there. There were two smaller bedrooms down the hall from the master suite. One would make a charming room for the children, and the other would be a perfect room for you, at least until you got more comfortable with them. There was space for everyone and Hoseok just wanted it so badly. They moved too fast, but it all seemed to fall into place so perfectly. He had overlooked any immediate concerns in view of the future happiness they would all have, and now he felt terrible for it. Knowing he was complicit in how things played out was the only thing keeping him from being cold toward Jin. Even though he still didn't fully understand Jin's own motivations and wasn't ready to talk about it, he knew it wasn't all Jin's fault. And it wasn't only Yoongi that he needed to make amends to, although the others he felt certain he could placate with plenty of TLC and reassurance. What he didn't know now was whether Yoongi would even give him the chance. And then there was Jimin, who hadn't said a word and hid himself away. Hoseok wasn't sure quite what the beta was feeling, but he knew that when he found things too difficult to face, he tended to hide behind Yoongi and let the alpha speak for him.

Hoseok's focus snapped to the door the instant it opened again and was relieved to see his two smallest packmates enter together. Yoongi met his eyes and he couldn't help brightening up just a bit. At least they'd come home. Jimin went straight to the kitchen where Hoseok was wrapping bowls in paper and washed his hands. After he dried them, Jimin hugged his back. Hosek froze for a split second at the unexpected contact before he melted into Jimin.

"Do you want me to order dinner tonight? I've been craving Chinese all day," Jimin said, nuzzling the omegas back in a way that made him want to purr.

"That sounds great, Jiminie," he smiled and missed him the moment the beta let go. Jimin didn't go far though, only pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table.

Yoongi took a bowl from the stack on the table and a piece of brown paper and began to wrap it carefully, but Hoseok laid his hand over Yoongi's.

"You don't have to help," he said softly.

Yoongi paused and looked him in the eyes for a long moment. "Am I still a part of this pack?"

"Of course you are."

"And I'm still one of your alphas?"

"Always, Yoongi," Hoseok assured him.

He shrugged and began wrapping again. "Then of course I'm helping. You need me. I'm an expert mover."

"Yoongi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to exclude you. I was thoughtless and I'm really so sorry," he rushed out, unable to go another second without at least trying to put things right. 

Yoongi gave him a half smile. He bit back the knee-jerk 'it's okay' because they both knew it wasn't. "Apology accepted. I'm sorry for flipping out."

Hoseok shook his head. "It was a big deal and you reacted the only way you could."

Yoongi sank into a chair and covered his face with his hand. "I felt like a stupid teenager, yelling at my mom because I didn't know what else to do."

Hoseok frowned and reached for his hand. "I feel terrible that we triggered that for you."

"It's alright, Hobi. What you and Jin did was shitty, but I think I was brewing for a while. I should've noticed last week with how upset I got over Y/N, but I think going to her old apartment set me off. My mom and I lived in a few places like that, and those were the most chaotic times of my life."

"I'm sorry, my love," Hobi said again, stroking his hand. 

Yoongi laughed and looked at Jimin, who was already looking at him. He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, I get it now." Jimin grinned back, but Hoseok only looked confused. "No more apologies, Hobi. I've already forgiven you. It's done."

Hoseok pouted for a moment. He didn't feel like he'd said enough. "I have to say sorry to Jimin, too. I should've thought more about your feelings."

Jimin shrugged. "I know you won't let it happen again. 

Hoseok nodded and continued. "I need you to know you'll always be a part of this pack. I shouldn't have been in such a rush, but you have to know that it was because I could see how happy we could all be there. I even have Y/N's room picked out already."

Yoongi's back straightened. "Y/N's room?"

"Yeah. I don't know how you would, but I just feel like you'll definitely find her, and she has to be part of our pack."

Yoongi felt the slightest twinge of possessiveness, wanting you to be only his. But his fingers tightened around the omega's. "Thanks, Hobi."

"Does that mean you'll move with us?" Jin asked softly as he entered the kitchen. 

Yoongi looked at Hoseok and shook his head. "Not yet. I think I should stay here a while."

"When I saw her yesterday, I told her that if she needed anything she could come here. Yoongi and I want to stay for a while to see if she comes," Jimin explained the plan Yoongi had discussed in the car. Even though they accepted Hoseok's apology and wanted to stay with the pack, they knew they still needed some time to cool loff from the hurt their packmates had caused, and waiting for you would help, especially if you actually did show up like they hoped. 

Jin nodded thoughtfully before meeting Yoongi's eyes. "That's fine. The house is already listed, but you can stay until it sells. And in the meantime I'll do anything I can to win your trust back. I hope you know how sorry I am for how I've made you feel."

Yoongi nodded but said nothing, knowing that trust could only be built with time.

A/n: i am the tiniest bit sorry about mc being basically absent this chapter. But all in good time i swear. 💜

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Taglist is still acting weird. I'm sorry.

[cameronspecial]

Hiii I love your writing so much! I was wondering if you could maybe write something where Drew and the reader moms have been friends since college only causing for the reader, Drew and his siblings to be close due to growing up side by side in Drew’s hometown.

Drew and the reader have been together for a while and they have a little girl together (around 3 or 4 years old) They return to their hometown to celebrate Christmas with their families all together opening gifts, eating Christmas lunch and things like that just loads of fluff between Drew and his daughter the reader and the family.

I would really appreciate if you could do this thank you!!!

Magic Snow Globe

Pairing: Dad!Drew Starkey x Reader

Warnings: N/A

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 0.8K

A/N: Surprise! This wasn't on the schedule so it is my Christmas gift to you guys. This is separate from my dad!Drew series.

Masterlist

Drew watches as Grace examines her father’s childhood bedroom. This isn’t the first time she has been in it, but it feels like the first time because her consciousness is now able to form memories. Her eyes catch the snow globe sitting on the desk and she runs to it. She glances at her father for approval and he nods for her to pick it up. Once the trinket is in her hands, Drew picks the small girl up and places her on his lap as he sits on the bed. “Do you want to know where Daddy got this from?” he asks the three-year-old. Her head vigorously moves up and down. He takes the orb into his hands, turning it over to wind the key at the bottom. The melody of “Silent Night” plays as he begins his story. “Your mommy gave it to me. When we were in middle school…” 

———

Drew loved Christmas time. It meant that he got to spend the Winter break with the Y/L/Ns. This year, they were exploring a little Christmas village that Y/N’s mom found. The hour and a half drive was long, yet worth it once they saw the picture-esque shops covered in snow. Y/N and Drew were old enough to be allowed to go off by themselves and it was exciting for the pair. Drew’s eyes drank in everything and he adored everything about this town. The Christmas music. The small town architecture. The smell of gingerbread cookies in the air. It all brought the holiday to life for him. “God, I wish I could stay in this place forever,” he thought to himself out loud. She caught his words and wanted to make that dream come true. She excused herself for a minute, remembering something she saw inside of a store. She came running back with her hand behind her back and a wide grin on her face. 

“Close your eyes and hold your hands out,” she ordered. He was confused but obeyed her words. His eyebrows met at a point when he heard the familiar tune of “Silent Night”. A weight fell into his hands and his eyelids pulled apart. In his hands was a snow globe. Inside the glass, there was a red-bricked house with a green wreath on the black door. The roof was covered in glittery white snow and more sparkles floated through the water as he moved the orb around in his hands. “Why are you giving me this?” he questioned. She shrugged with a smile, “We can’t exactly stay here forever, so I thought that being able to bring a little piece of it with you would be just as good.” Drew didn’t feel like he needed his jacket anymore because her gesture warmed him up to be burning hot. He knew this was the moment he realized he had fallen in love with the girl who would do anything to make his dreams come true.

———

“And Mommy really did do everything she could to make my dreams come true. She’s the reason why I have an amazing wife, a successful career as an actor, and the most spectacular baby girl in the world,” he recounts. He lifts his daughter into the air and attacks her with kisses. She giggles at the feeling of his lips on her cheeks. He sits back down with her in his lap. He notices she is clinging to the snow globe like her life depends on it. “Auntie Brooke just got in. Come say hello, you two,” Y/N instructs her family. Grace nods and hops off of her father’s lap. She carefully places the symbol of her parents' love on the desk and runs downstairs to greet her aunt.

———

Christmas day, Y/N’s head rests on her husband's chest as everyone watches Grace and her cousins unwrap gifts. The adults love to drink in the Christmas magic coming to life for the kids. Y/N’s nephew places Grace’s next gift onto her lap and her parents watch as she tears apart the paper. Her face lights up at the snow globe she finds. She wobbles a little as her feet plant on the ground and she stands up. She makes her way to Y/N and Drew. Her mother pulls her into the adults’ hold. “Thank you for the snow globe, Daddy,” she says, kissing his cheek. Drew smoothes back her hair, “You’re welcome, Gracie. This is a promise that Daddy is going to do everything he can to help you achieve your dreams.” Grace snuggles into her father’s chest at the promise before going back to opening presents. Drew notices his wife’s gaze and kisses her on the lips. “I guess I’m going to need to get you another snow globe. We wouldn’t want our other baby to feel like their dreams aren’t going to come true,” she whispers to her husband. Drew’s eyebrows furrow for a second and then he fully comprehends her words.

A giant grin crosses his face as he rests a warm hand on her stomach. “I can’t wait for our little family to grow. I can’t believe that I keep having my dreams come true because of you. Having an amazing family with you will always be my biggest dream.” Drew should thank that snow globe because it must have some dream-giving magic. 

Taglist: @winterrrnight @loves0phelia @thelomlisrafecameron @nonbullshit-toleratingkindagirl

[silent-raven13]

Hey! <3🫶🏿

Gwen and Pav saw Hobie laid back being chill, they thought he looks so cool with his 'I don't care' personality. They noticed how many girls he would get around him, it's crazy to see him flirting and putting on his British Charm just to get them blush. The ultimate Rizzler as Pav giggles about it between Gwen. They were laughing at the way the girls fawn over Hobie's bad boy charm, his slick coolness bloom.

"Another girl gave him, her number?" Gwen asked as they stopped another anomaly in this world.

Pav nodded, "Yup! Too bad they will never get a call from him. His world is in the 70s."

"Oh yeah, he doesn't know about certain technology..." Gwen giggles.

"You know, what I noticed!"

"What?"

"Have you noticed how chill, and carefree he is, but" Pav turns his view to Gwen, "You saw how he reacts with-"

"Miles!" The two said at the same time with agreement. The two noticed how pink their punker gets whenever Miles comes around or touchy feely, he tries to play it off as being a kind friend.

"Right? He totally has a crush on him!" Pav said with excitement.

Gwen asked, "Who Miles having a crush on Hobie or Hobie has a crush on Miles?"

"Both!"

"Ahh," She grins widely, "Yeah, my gaydar keep going off whenever I see those two together."

"Are you okay with him crushing on your Miles?" Pav asked being concerned with Gwen's feeling. The Ghost-Spider did had feelings with their artistic friend.

"Yeah, me and him talked about our... feelings for one another isn't gonna work out. I'm pretty much trying to figure myself out first, and it's not fair to him after the whole Canon crap with Miguel." She sighs feeling a bit guilty to put her friend through so much. "It's fair for him to date someone..." Her blue eyes stare off at Hobie merely chatting to the teenage girls before they left. "Hobie would be good for Miles, and the same with Miles being good for him."

"Awe, you're such a good friend. You sacrifice your own selfish needs so your best friend can be happy! I'm so proud of you!" Pav hugs her with joy almost teary eye.

Gwen let out a low chuckle, "It's not that deep."

"Oh but it is. Gwen, you're a true Spider-woman!"

"Ha, yeah. I am!" She grins widely showing off her gap tooth.

"Hey, mates. What you two talking about?" Hobie calls them over as he walks toward them with his hands in his pockets. His wicks bounces by every step he takes.

"Nothing! Just... we wonder if you could rizz up anyone!" Pav said out loud.

"Rizz?" He tiled his head at the modern slang. The poor guy takes a while to understand his friends' slang because they live in a time where everything is modern. Especially when technology is so advance, he can understand it since he's one smart punker. Yet, it takes time for him to understand the devices like Smartphones, computers that are in smaller forms called tablets? What a wild time for him to live!

"You know, Rizz! To flirt or woo a person! It's a popular slang in our worlds." Pav explained, "Can you charm anyone if you want?"

"I wouldn't say everyone, but yeah. Why?" Hobie eyes at his two friends.

"Well, we know you always get girls to talk to you. We just want to know your secret." The blond teenager said.

"It's pretty easy. You just be cool, calm, relax like this," He kept his posture the same, "and give a look like this. Have your eyelids half open and smirk." His eye lids half open almost alluring, his smirk made his lips more lush, something about his face always enchant them.

They got Pav and Gwen blushing a bit at how easily they were rizzed by their friend. "Oh my Brahma! Turn that off! Turn that off, I think I almost fallen for you!" Pav put his hand on Hobie's face being on his tippy toes.

"Guh-" Hobie muffled by the sudden hands on his face.

Gwen could only closed her eyes, with her arms crossed and foot tapping on the ground. She's too upset with herself to be woo by Hobie's charms, and it wasn't all that much. Damn, he got her.

"You two asked!" Hobie chuckles in amusement, "Nothing wrong with that..."

"Well, it's better than what Miles' learn from his Uncle." Gwen admits finally looking at her friend.

Pav laughs out loud pulling his hands away from Hobie's face, "Oh yeah, the hand on the shoulder then go," He mimics the move to Gwen with is hand placed on her left shoulder, and his voice deeper, "Hey!"

"AHHH, ewww!" Gwen laughs with shrills in her voice being so weirded out by that move. "Ugh, it's so bad!"

"Hahaha, tell me about it. It's just weird!" Pav laughs along with Gwen having to do a little jog in place to release his laughter out somehow. "I bet you can pull it off." He said to the punker.

"Me? Pfft, I doubt it. It looks bonkers!" Hobie said out loud. "Your not gonna catch me doing that."

"Okay, but can you rizz up Miles? The same way you did with me and Pav. We wanna see his reaction."

Hobie bite his bottom lip, cursing himself to brag a bit. "Sure..." Putting a fake smiles, he saw Gwen and Pav giggles among themselves. Something tells him this might be bad...

~Later at Headquarters ~

"I told you, I have my own way." Hobie said to Pav.

"Oh, come on. You got show us what kind of move your gonna do!"

Gwen saw Miles portal opening up, "Um... Guys get ready. Miles is coming.

Miles run out of the portal to find his friends, "Hey, guys! I'm sorry I was late, had to finish up a project for tomorrow's class." He breathes heavily.

Hobie's whole body frozen, he could feel his heart beat in his ears, for the first time he felt his pawns sweating, "Oh you're just in time, right Hobie?" Gwen giggles.

Miles look at the tall singer with admiration, his doe like eyes couldn't get any bigger with those honey-glazed brown eyes. Pav and Gwen saw how Hobie's magazine collage around him turns pink with small fonts that read, "Fuckfuckfuck!"

The punker had a plan to do his look, but Miles' joyful face caught his off guard, Once again.

"Oh hi, Hobie! What's up, man?" Miles let out a small smile at him.

Hobie calmly walk up to Miles having his normal color, then he awkwardly place his right hand on Miles' right shoulder being taken an aback by this sudden gesture.

Gwen groans, "Oh no, not that."

"Oh boy..." Pav shook his head.

Then Hobie let out a small smirk then said, "Hey."

"That looks so damn awkward from here." Gwen said to Pav.

Pav nodded, "Not even his accent came save him. No way this will-" The two saw Miles being super bashful, his hand on his cheeks heated as was wooed by Hobie.

"It works on him!!!" Gwen stood in shock.

"Wow!" Pav's mouth dropped. "The bar is really low for him then?"

"So cool." Miles said, being flustered. "Hobie, how can you do that while be cool?"

"I'm always cool, luv." He grins widely, pulling his hand away. Not his best move, but it did the job. Gwen and Pav watches being too surprised. No one can rizz like Hobie!

"Ca-can you teach me, man!" Miles' eyes gleams bright almost like two sunflowers being blessed by the sunlight, his body bend low to meet Hobie's eyes, those luscious plump lips suddenly look so glossy almost kissable. The sixteen year old hold his arms behind his back as he cheeks flustered from being shy to ask for more advice, "Please, Hobie? I want to be cool like you, hmm?" He pucker his lips trying to do his best puppy dog pout.

Hobie's eyes widen like he saw something so forbidden, something too damn cute. It was all too much for him, his whole body turned pink to red to soft pink then flashing through many pinks and reds. It stopped when his whole body turns to sparkle heart shape stamps red paper.

"WHOA! I never seen him do that before!" Gwen shouted in shock.

Pav gasps, "He can have sparkle paper!"

"Um... Hobie?" Miles' hand gently tug Hobie's sleeve.

The seventeen year old quickly cover his mouth trying to hold in his own colors, the red becoming vivid. "Um.. yeah, Sunflower." He couldn't stop looking at Miles, he's just too damn cute for his own good.

"I was hoping you can teach me," Miles' hand gently rub Hobie's hand, feeling the cold spandex and long fingers with his own slender warm hands. "right now?" He looks up at Hobie with those bright eyes and beautiful sunkisses glowing cheeks.

Hobie froze again almost fainting. "Hobie, are you okay, man?" Touching Miles' hand was enough to send him fainting, he felt his whole body to warm... too red for his own good.

"I'm... I'm fine, luv." He lies trying to play it off.

Pav whistled, "Looks like they're meant to be!"

"Ditto. Let's go get lunch!" Gwen offers.

"Oh sweet! Let's leave the lovebirds." The two walks away to go get some food. Looks like the Rizzler have been rizzed by Miles.

Miles merely smiles at Hobie, who is still frozen in place being all sparkly with red and pink colors. "Hobie, your so funny..." Miles giggles.

[seivsite]

its me again!!

uhm anyways… how about blade’s s/o falling sick and fainted in the middle of their mission as hunters or wtv and he takes care of them 🥺🥺🥺

BLADIE SAVES THE DAY .ᐟ

includes: blade x fem!reader. established relationship, swearing, mentions of blood and injuries, reader almost died lol, kafka & silverwolf cameo, soft bladie — wc: 900

Shit.

The woman cursed as she stupidly got herself injured while on a mission assigned to her by Elio. She clearly remembered that he never mentioned she would get injured in his script. However, fate had other plans, and she found herself being stabbed in the stomach. How fun!

“Fuck!” she grunted, forcing herself to stop running, as she realised she was now farther away from her enemies. Leaning against a wall, she tried to apply pressure to her wound to stem the gushing blood. She never imagined it would come to this; she shouldn’t have let her guard down.

The wound continued to throb, and (Name) couldn’t maintain her standing position any longer. She decided to sit down by a nearby wall. Lightheadedness enveloped her, and she closed her eyes as the pain became increasingly unbearable. Her ears began to ring, adding to the disorienting sensation. Suddenly, she heard muffled screams of her name. Opening her eyes, she saw a blurry vision of Blade, yelling at her to stay awake.

“Ren...” she managed to mutter before collapsing and falling unconscious in Blade’s arms.

“Shit, shit, shit! (Name), don’t you dare die on me right now,” he exclaimed, urging her to hold on. He quickly commanded the Silver Wolf to teleport him back to the spaceship.

When (Name) fell unconscious, Blade had never run so far in his life. Silver Wolf could only teleport him back to the spaceship if they were within a minimum of 10 kilometres, but unfortunately, they were around 15 kilometres away. Determined, Blade pushed himself to the limit, covering the remaining 5 kilometres in under 10 minutes.

Blade was teleported to the spaceship, wasting no time in rushing (Name) to the infirmary for urgent medical attention. Anxiously, he paced back and forth in front of the infirmary door as the doctor attended to her. Finally, the doctor emerged and informed Blade that he could now visit (Name). Without hesitation, he entered the room and sat beside her unconscious form, tightly holding her hand.

“God, I thought I had lost you for a second,” he muttered, his lips kissing her hand. Several hours had passed, and Blade remained by her side, though he had fallen asleep.

(Name) slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the blinding lights. She felt warmth on her hand and saw Blade sleeping on her lap. Instinctively, she reached out with her free hand and gently rubbed his head. Feeling her touch, Blade woke up and immediately embraced her tightly.

She winced slightly, and Blade apologized with a whisper. (Name) returned the gesture, rubbing his back. “I’m surprised I’m alive right now,” but Blade interrupted her, saying, “Don’t joke about you being dead, because I would do unspeakable things.”

(Name) could only laugh at his response, apologising for worrying him. She also teased him, mentioning how rarely she sees him being this caring towards anyone.

“Fuck off, that was a moment of weakness,” he retorted, arrogantly pulling himself away from her lying form.

“Nah, he’s smitten with you, sweetheart,” Kafka said, leaning on the doorstep. “Glad to see that you’re alright, kid.”

“You should be grateful Elio informed us in time. Blade rushed off as soon as he heard you were injured,” Silver Wolf chimed in, blowing out a bubblegum bubble.

“I did not!” Blade denied the accusation, although it was the truth.

“Aww, so you do care for me, Bladie,” she teased, giving him a playful smile. “No, I don’t,” he retorted, but his flushed face betrayed his true feelings.

“We’ll leave you two lovebirds be. Get better soon, (Name),” Kafka said before dragging Silver Wolf away.

“Ren,” she called out his name in his native language after they both left. Blade turned his head towards (Name) as she held her hand to his face.

He slowly moved his face towards her hand, and she gently cupped it, softly caressing his cheek. “Thank you for saving me.”

Blade sighed. “Yeah, whatever, hmph—?!” he yelped in surprise as she moved his face towards hers, giving him a passionate kiss. He responded to the kiss with equal passion, holding onto her hand and neck, fully immersed in the moment. The kiss continued for a while longer, but eventually, they reluctantly pulled apart, both in need of air.

“I’ve always wanted to do that, you know?” she chuckled, observing Blade’s now red face and ears. “Could’ve given me a warning,” he said, gazing into her eyes.

“Hmm, but where’s the fun in that?” she replied. “Also, can we move to my room? This bed is quite uncomfortable.”

Blade nodded and swiftly took (Name) to her bedroom. Gently laying her down on the mattress, she took his hand and pulled him to lie in bed with her. “Sleep with me?” she asked, her eyes filled with puppy-like innocence. He could only sigh, feeling weak under her adorable gaze. “Fine,” he replied, and she cheerfully exclaimed, “Yay!” before snuggling up to him and falling asleep almost immediately. Blade stroked her hair for a few minutes, feeling a sense of peace, before falling asleep as well.

“Aren’t they just the cutest?” Kafka remarked, leaning over their cuddled forms. “Darling, did you already take pictures?”

“Yeah, I’ve got them all right here,” Silver Wolf replied, pointing to her phone.

“What excellent blackmail material. I guess I’ll be enjoying free coffee for the next few months,” Kafka cunningly commented.

NOTES. this is 900 words exact. and i am proud of that HAHA i loved this request so much thank u xion for requesting it. ihad so much fun writing this!

LIKES AND REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED! ‹3

[tryingtodotheright-thing]

Hello Sunset - 5

AN: Thank you to everyone reading as always. We're still in the past in this chapter. We'll only be getting brief glimpses of the current timeline for now until the audience has caught up on what's happened till date. Your feedback is valued and welcomed :) PAIRING: Seungcheol x fem!reader GENRE: exes to lovers, idol verse, angst WORD COUNT: 3,777 WARNINGS: reader has anxiety and depression, swearing, mentions of alcohol Text in blue is spoken in Korean. PREVIOUS / NEXT

29 November 2023 - around 9pm

Y/N had never experienced such a mix of emotions in the space of those short hours. Happiness, awe, pure laughter, pride, tears of joy, fulfilment and many more. The goosebumps didn’t leave her even ten minutes after the band had said goodnight and goodbye. She felt so privileged to have been part of this night and to witness the abundance of talent. She didn’t even know that she’d been crying as they’d gotten to the last chorus of Run To You. That was the first song of SEVENTEEN she’d fallen in love with. She’d felt someone nudge her and when she looked, S.Coups handed her a tissue without judgement. Y/N definitely fell harder for him then and there. He wasn’t going to be shaken from his position of bias though others often came close. She’d tried to laugh off her tears and thanked him in Korean before turning her attention to the stage. Like a child coming down after being wound up in anticipation for a party, she was slowly coming back down to earth when the concert ended.

The manager who’d guided them earlier had asked them to remain in their seats for a few minutes for the crowd to clear, before they could head backstage. Y/N was restless as she waited and tried her best not to fidget. She turned to her left, away from S.Coups, and subtly checked her reflection on her pocket mirror to see what state her makeup was in. Luckily, the mascara stayed true to its advertising as waterproof and remained in place. She then plugged her phone into the power bank she’d brought with her as it was running low on battery after the evening of filming. She saw a message arrive from Emma asking if the concert was over and when she’d be back. Sometimes, Y/N did feel like she swapped her strict parents for a strict minder in the form of Emma. Texting her back to say, the concert had just finished and that she was meeting with Joshua first and then would head back, Y/N then locked her phone and tucked it away in her backpack. 

She knew, in the busyness, she would be able to give Joshua the slip and say goodbye at the arena. She really didn’t want to intrude on their celebrations tonight and definitely not more of S.Coups’ night. She wanted to go home and rewatch her videos and others’ fancams and relive the night before the post-concert depression settled in, as probably most CARATs who’d shared the experience with her would be doing. Y/N kept bouncing her knees as she looked around the now nearly empty arena, observing that crowd had cleared quicker than she thought.

S.Coups cleared his throat as if to say something but then hesitated. Y/N faced him and tilted her head in question. He stayed silent and looked as if he had a lot on his mind, a frown overtaking his face. Y/N was about to ask if everything was fine when he beat her to it.

“Did you enjoy the concert?” 

He seemed eager to hear her response, meeting her eyes as he waited for a response. His eyes were intense and the fluttering began again. Why did she always turn into an idiot in front of him? It was his turn to slant his neck to look deeper into her eyes. His beanie slightly budged with the movement and Y/N wished she could take it off to admire the way his fluffy hair usually framed his face. Realising he was waiting for her to reply, Y/N inwardly reminded herself to get herself together.

“Yes, I enjoyed it thoroughly. They were very good! I especially enjoyed ‘Run to You’. You must be very proud of them.”

He looked pleased at her answer, his shoulders raising and his posture straightening as if her words gave him power. 

“They’re good - it’s all them, not me.” 

Of course, he would say that. Spoken like a true leader, Y/N thought. She admired it and was envious at times of being a solo act. She had no one to rely on. Yes, she had Sian and Emma to support her career as a musician and she had wonderful best friends in Rachel and Eun Ji. The bond she saw in SEVENTEEN and the way S.Coups led them, protected them and nurtured them was admirable and truly special and something she wished she could have. In fact, the way they all treated each other was so genuine and lovely. She’d heard it from the horse’s mouth afterall. The times when Joshua would call her for a catch up, he would share little tidbits of how each member did something for him without fanfare. She’d tell Joshua each time that they had something unique and to protect it at all cost. He would laugh but then agree. 

The manager returned to collect them not long after their brief conversation but by then the unspoken tension between S.Coups and Y/N had lightened and Y/N felt less nervous as she walked behind him through the corridors to get to the green room. The walkway was narrow and the staff were walking back and forth, getting organised and securing things away for when they returned for the next concert in two days. Whenever a staff speedily walked in their direction, Y/N felt protective of S.Coups who was taking slow measured steps. She would fasten her pace to match his and place herself between him and the staff so they wouldn’t bump into him by accident. After a couple of times, he’d noticed and when she did the same again, he tapped her hand to get her attention. A flush of heat shooted through her veins at the touch. He smiled and shook his head, as if to say he’s fine. With a sheepish grin, she shrugged as if to say I didn’t do anything and remained next to him as they finally made it to the green room. 

“You all better be decent!” S.Coups shouted as he walked in first. 

“Hyung!”

“Coups-yah!”

“Seungcheollie!”

Voices called out in glee, greeting their eldest.

“Y/N!” Joshua shouted a beat later in delight, seeing her walk in behind the manager. She grinned and picked up her pace moving towards Joshua as he did the same. The two hugged, Y/N’s height left her head tucked under his arms. He patted her head affectionately before the two released each other. 

“You were brilliant tonight. You all were! I was honestly in awe the entire time. I don’t know how you can all sing like that and, whilst dancing such complicated choreos. I was getting tired watching you but the energy never dropped from any of you. You were just awesome, Josh.” 

Y/N’s compliments gushed out as if a stopper had been released. 

“I didn’t want to come empty handed so I got you a little something.” She added shyly before taking off her mini backpack and digging out the card she’d written. Y/N loved to write cards for her friends. For birthdays, for celebrations of milestones, in time of condolence or just to appreciate one of them. She handed it over to Joshua, a little reluctantly as she realised others were observing their interaction, particularly S.Coups. 

“I also got you a little care package but it’s back at the hotel. Your manager said I can drop it off to him tomorrow before I head back.” 

“You shouldn’t have, that’s so sweet of you, Y/N.” 

He ruffled her hair in affection, which earned him a playful glare from Y/N as she fixed her hair. The two caught up on what they’ve been up to. Y/N talked about all of the shows she’d filmed for whilst visiting.

“Can you believe that the song for the first round was ‘God of Music’? What are the chances?”

Joshua laughed and asked if she managed to solve it. She’d replied it’s a surprise and he’d have to watch the episode to find out, getting him to promise that he would watch it and let her know his thoughts. 

After updating each other on the latest happenings, Joshua took Y/N around the room, introducing her to staff and band members. Conscious they were all likely very tired, Y/N kept the interactions short and just congratulated them on their award and on a great concert. Some spoke for longer, asking which performance she liked best (DK), if she came up with the synths in the chorus for her song ‘Electric’ (Woozi) and how she ended up appearing as a surprise guest with Fall Out Boy (Vernon). She was recounting to Vernon about how her old YouTube covers from her teen years were popping up in all her interviews and they mostly used her Fall Out Boy covers as examples so Pete and Patrick naturally came across it and messaged her, when one of the staff called out for everyone to start making their ways to the cars and head to the restaurant where the team dinner would take place. 

“Oh, I should get going as well. Josh,” calling his attention from where he was standing talking to S.Coups, “I’m gonna head back as well.” He seemed to signal to S.Coups that he would be back and walked to where Vernon and Y/N had been chatting. Unexpectedly, S.Coups also followed after him following a pause, approaching the English speaking trio who were in debate. 

“Erm, where do you think you’re going missy?” 

Y/N rolled her eyes at this and looked at Vernon as if he would commiserate but she got no sympathy. Vernon nodded in agreement, encouraging Y/N to come along and she wouldn’t be overstaying her welcome, as if anticipating her argument. She looked to S.Coups for back up only to receive a small smirk in response. Y/N sighed, knowing it was a lost cause and really, as long as she wasn’t bothering anymore, she was more than happy to get a little more time with Joshua given how little they get to meet in person. 

She’d ended up in a car with Dino, Mingyu, Vernon and Joshua. They had been quickly ushered into the vehicle and she ended up in the middle row next to Vernon, with the troublesome trio sitting behind her. Dino kept the mood up, cracking jokes left, right and centre. Dino and Mingyu, realising Y/N was fluent enough in Korean to follow along, roped her into their antics as Vernon listened in amusement next to her, though you wouldn’t be able to tell with his ever perfect stoic expression. Joshua had already planned that they wouldn’t reveal Y/N’s fluency in Hangul so they could embarrass Seungkwan at least once. Sometimes, it was hard to remember that they were a group of men in their 20s and not a bunch of rowdy teenage boys. 

Their plan worked to the tee when half an hour later, when the restaurant reserved for SEVENTEEN and their staff echoed with laughed at Seungkwan’s look of betrayal as Y/N spoke to Jeonghan in Korean after letting Seungkwan try to tell her a story about Joshua in mainly gestures and some English for a good few minutes. Joshua, the mastermind, looked so proud of himself as Dino and Mingyu tipped their heads back and cackled. 

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw S.Coups shake his head at their silliness. He caught her looking and held her stare before he shook his head again as if in disappointment but gave away his amusement with his gummy smile. Y/N’s smile grew brighter as if someone had plugged in a LED light that illuminated it. She shrugged at him to explain that she was helpless against the evil Joshua and his apprentices. Like that, they communicated across the room in gestures, smiles and eye contact. S.Coups looked away first, though he looked reluctant to do so, when a staff member called on him to make a toast. He wasn’t drinking, Y/N noted. He held up a can of Coke Zero and remarked on the team’s hard work, thanked the staff for their support and promised that the team will work harder and show a better side of them in the new year. 

Y/N once again congratulated the members who shared her table. Joshua made sure not to neglect her, staying by her side most of the time and making sure she had someone to talk to when he wasn’t. He’d apologised again, during a quiet moment between the two of them, about cancelling their plan. Y/N brushed it off, saying there was nothing to apologise for. 

Y/N jokingly added, “You’ve already made up for it by giving me three hours with my bias tonight.” 

Joshua chuckled at this, and then as if a light had gone off in his brain, his expression turned to mischief. 

“Coups-yah! Come here for a second!” 

Y/N was alarmed. She knew she would be subjected to whatever goading Joshua had cooked up and there was no point in trying to resist. Preparing herself for the humiliation, she turned to Vernon who was on her other side and said, “It was nice meeting and knowing you, Vernon. I’m about to ascend to the afterlife once Josh’s done so I’ll say my goodbyes now.”

Vernon was unfazed. After all, it wasn’t his first day with the chaotic and rambunctious group of friends. He just poured Y/N a drink and gestured to it. Y/N picked up the shot of soju and declared, “One for the road to hell then,” and drank it in one go.

S.Coups had walked over to their table as Y/N put her shot glass down. She didn’t have to turn around to sense his presence. She could pick out notes of his perfume despite the smells of BBQ around them. His presence fell over like a shadow and the butterflies returned, bigger in size. They’d been fed with each interaction and now rested on the top of her lungs, urging her to turn around and bask in the sculpture of art standing tall and strong behind her. They begged to be fed again, greedy for one more smile that would set them free and flying again. 

“Coups-yah. Come here, sit next to me.” 

Joshua slid to the right, creating a gap between him and Y/N. S.Coups slowly sat down, careful not to bump into a glass as the space was tight. They sat shoulder to shoulder, the sleeves of her black dress brushing against his soft hoodie. Y/N felt as if she’d been set alight, but only the right side of her. The flames flickering each time S.Coups adjusted his seating. 

“Have you had anything to eat yet?” 

Joshua fussed over S.Coups, piling a plate together for him despite S.Coups’ resistance to more food, saying he’d had plenty already. Joshua continued to ignore S.Coups’ response, stood from his seat and leaned over to grab the food that was closer to Vernon instead of asking him to pass it. The movement was abrupt and pushed S.Coups towards Y/N, and as Vernon was the man that can’t be moved, she was squished between the two Hip Hop Unit members. 

“Aish!”

S.Coups exclaimed in annoyance and Y/N tried to make herself smaller. 

“Don’t get annoyed, my friend. I’ve missed you and am making sure you’re well fed.” 

Y/N just knew he was building up to say something to embarrass her. This was also why she called Joshua the older brother she wished she had. He didn’t hesitate to tease her when the opportunity arose. She watched him like a hawk, glaring at the 95 liner when he gave her an amused smile. 

“Coups-yah. Do you know my friend, Y/N? I’ve mentioned her to you before, right?” 

S.Coups gave a polite smile in Y/N’s general direction, not meeting her eyes and returned to looking at Joshua, looking tired. He hummed in acknowledgment, so Joshua would go on. 

“She released her first full length album at the beginning of the month and it’s been topping the chart, you know.She’s been nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Act categories at the BRIT Awards for it.” 

He’d not forgotten to boast about his friend’s achievements first. 

“Have you listened to the album? You know what, let me play you my favourite song of the album. It’s called ‘Honey’ and I think you’ll really enjoy it.” 

Joshua quickly found the song on Spotify and pressed play. Staying silent till the chorus was over, he lowered the volume and proceeded with his monologue, “It’s good, right?”

S.Coups didn’t even have a chance to say anything polite about how he enjoyed it. 

“Y/N-yah, you had some great inspiration for this song, right? In fact, I remember you telling me that you wrote the song for your bias in SEVENTEEN. Coups-yah, did you know that Y/N’s bias is -”

 Y/N had shoved a ssam in Joshua’s mouth as he was mid-sentence.

“Stop talking and eat. You’ve had too much to drink that you’re waffling.” with gritted teeth, Y/N ordered. Joshua tried to speak but the ssam was too big so no one could make out what was being said. S.Coups looked between the two friends, realising he was missing something. Y/N could almost see his thoughts as he debated whether to ask or just let it go. He seems to have decided on the latter as he patted Joshua’s back and got up, taking his leave and moving towards the main crowd. He’d said that he was heading home after taking leave from everyone. 

As soon as he was out of earshot, Y/N took Joshua to task. 

“Why. Would. You. Do. That! You. Twat.” Each word was enunciated slowly with a smack on his shoulder. 

Vernon finally burst out laughing when the British insult came out. Joshua leaned away to avoid the smacks as he playfully stuck his tongue out and shouted, “Merong!”

He’d been louder than he had intended to be and caught the attention of the restaurant for a second. They realised he was up to his old tricks and returned to their own discussions. 

“This is why I can only handle you in small doses, Josh. Vernon, I don’t envy you.”

The pair raised their glasses at each other in consolation and took a sip. Joshua just laughed, saying he brought joy and fun into their lives and they knew it. The conversation dwindled as the tiredness set in for everyone. Y/N’s phone hissed and she saw it was a message from Emma, asking her to come back soon. She took that as a sign and got up from her seat. She hugged Vernon, telling him to keep in touch and to let her know when their LA-born friend was too annoying. Joshua shoved her in a light-hearted manner, saying he was an angel. 

“No, that’s Jeonghan.” 

He couldn’t argue with that. The two friends left Vernon with the rest of their tablemates, and walked towards the exit. Joshua wrapped an arm around Y/N, murmuring his thanks for her attendance. She returned the thanks, grateful for the invite and showered him with praises again for the award and the concert. The two hugged in a gentle embrace, swaying side to side subtly before the movement became exaggerated, as they avoided a sombre goodbye. Y/N wrangled a promise out of Joshua to visit her in London, hopefully on their next break. Joshua ruffled Y/N’s head in affection, before poking her forehead hard and telling her to get going as it was late. The door behind them opened and revealed S.Coups with his jacket and mask on, also leaving the gathering.

“Ah, Coups-yah. You’re off as well, now? I’ve called a driver to take Y/N to her hotel. Are you going in the same car?”

S.Coups had looked surprised to see the two of them outside and alone. Their interactions looked intimate when he walked in and he wondered if he had interrupted something. He shook his head at Joshua’s question. He didn’t think he would be taking the same car as Y/N. It was risky to be seen alone with a female that wasn’t staff. It didn’t make sense to do so when he wasn’t fully acquainted with the foreign singer. The car for Y/N arrived first. She bowed to S.Coups and took her leave from him and wished him a speedy recovery. She looked solemn as she told Joshua to look after himself and quickly embraced him as he patted her back. She waved one last time once in the car, with the window rolled down before the vehicle took off leaving the two friends behind in the cold winter night.

S.Coups saw that his friend looked wistful. He was now even more curious about their relationship. Were they really just friends?

“It’s not what you think.” 

S.Coups wondered if he had spoken his thoughts out loud. 

“She’s like the sister I never had. She really cares, you know? I don’t feel judged when I speak to her.”

“Then, I’m happy you have someone like that. You have us too, you know?” 

Joshua chuckled at that. 

“I know. I know. Well, it’s time for you to head back. That looks like your car.” 

Joshua pointed at the car that was slowing down and pulling to the curb. S.Coups said goodbye to his friend, telling him to rest up and wishing him luck for their next concert on the 2 December. In transport, S.Coups reflected on the evening. It was an interesting one. Outside of the usual banters that came with their gatherings and the milestone they had celebrated, Y/N was someone who had made the night interesting. She’d quickly made friends with everyone from the members to staff. She’d ingrained herself after a night of socialising, had everyone at ease and laughing at her jokes. Yet, with him, she’d kept her distant. He’d overheard stories all night that he was keen to meet the vivacious women everyone had been describing to him.Yet, when he’d joined their table, she’d gone meek and quiet. Call him Sherlock but he was curious. 

[self-destructinganimal]

A Song in the Darkness

A Rings of Power/Lord of the Rings fanfic

Characters: Gil-galad, Elrond Peredhel

Warnings: Hurt/comfort, depictions of war and suffering, cannon character death explored

Gil-galad stands alone as all is lost at the battle for Eregion. Dark indeed is the end, and it should not be faced alone

Gil-galad stood alone. Surrounded. A snarling circle of uruks had closed around him, but the mound of bodies lying at the feet of the king caused them to hesitate. Instead they hemmed him in. So skilled he was in wielding his spear, that even with their overwhelming numbers, none of their blades had yet found their mark. 

But though there was no pain in his body, he gazed in agony past the orcs as the last of his warriors fell around him. He thought of despair then, and he remembered the stunned eyes of his herald, on his knees in the mud, exhaustion and despair pressing him into the earth. 

“Durin will come” 

He had not come. The king thought grimly, and he thought of death, the loss of life, of saying goodbye to these shores. Such had been the path of other elven warriors before him, such seemed to be his own path now, surrounded by foes far greater in number then even he could overcome. And suddenly he felt a twinge of the agony he had seen  in the eyes of Elrond take hold of  his own being. Dark indeed, was the end, and it should not be faced alone. He looked for his herald. Saw his body flung down into the earth, his head fall back into the mud. Saw the greedy hands that reached out for him as their Adar stared at his prize. With a great shout he leapt over the wall of surrounding foes, slashing Aeglos with swift and unyielding fury. 

When he reached them, though, the Uruk father had hidden his prize and stooped to claim another. Adar stood waiting for him. His hands gripping dark, blood-stained curls, holding the collapsed form up against his own body as a shield. Gil-galad looked on the face beneath the blood and bruises and saw that it was white. For one moment his agony overwhelmed him and robbed him of breath, nearly drove him to his knees. For a moment he thought he was dead. For a moment the grief was too much. 

Adar saw the suffering in his eyes as their gazes met. 

“He lives yet” 

Gil-galad saw that it was true. 

“Even I, gifted as I am, have no desire to face the wrath of your spear High King Gil-galad. Lay it down and I will not slay him before your eyes.” 

“Slay him now or later, death shines her face on both of us, Adar. Tell me why I should not instead ensure you join us in her arms?” 

Adar brought the limp body closer to him. His fingers cupped the lolling head almost gently. 

“You forget High King, that I am also counted among you. I know the desires we hold are the same. The desire to preserve and protect that which we love. My quarrel was never with you or your kind. It is with Sauron. For him alone, have I come.” 

He looked down at the body he held and for a moment sadness touched his brow and Gil-galad saw a flicker of light in his eyes, and just as quickly it was gone, and they glittered like stones. 

“I will defeat Sauron. I will spare you as a token of goodwill. When the other elven kingdoms hear of my mercy, they will come to you, and you will persuade them to leave my children and I in peace.” 

Gil-galad opened his mouth to speak, the bitterness of his position overwhelming him. Pride and the pain of agreeing with the twisted fallen elf before him. He rebelled against it. And then he saw the hands on the beloved face and he thought of Sauron, still barricaded in Eregion and the foolishness of one individual thinking he could defeat him when his own mind was riddled with the diseases of hate and anger. 

“The others will be spared with me” 

He said only. 

And Adar smiled but his grip did not lessen. 

“I will defeat Sauron first. Then we will discuss terms. But for now, I will honor this.” 

And he let go of the herald, who dropped bonelessly into the slog beneath him. 

Gil-galad watched as the orcs picked up the other wounded and his friend and only then, did he lay down his spear. 

...

“Elrond.” 

“Come back to the light. To sun overhead, to sailing moon. To flower and blossom, tree and root. To all good things in Arda, come back.” 

I bid you, return. 

He held Elrond in his arms, wiping away the mud from where he had pitched forward when dropped. 

To his side Vorohil and Arondir sat, grimacing in pain. He had used his hidden ring to relieve the pain of their injuries, warily, so that Adar might still be deceived, might still be ignorant of his carrying it. Their injuries had seemed the most severe, and so when they had been thrown into the stables under guard and chained to the walls he had turned to them first. Now he crouched beside Elrond, checking for his hurts. 

Arondir crawled to his side. 

“My King, he was swiped by the troll before you arrived. I saw the blow catch his skull. Perhaps that is why he does not wake.” 

Ai Elrond! 

Gil-galad cupped the left side of Elrond’s head, turning it gently so he could see the damage. A long slice bled red over his cheek, but true to Arondir’s warning, of greater concern was the wound half concealed by the limp, blood-matted curls. Streams of blood curled down over the ear and as Gil-galad gently probed he found the abrasion there, found the flesh swelling into a hard lump, saw the the blow had also caught his shoulder. 

How Elrond had risen to help deliver the final blow was beyond him, now he understood why he could not leave his knees when the only thing keeping him on his feet had been ripped away. 

Rage filled his soul. Rage that the darkness had won. That goodness had been so abused and trodden down. That light had been chased from Eregion, crown jewel of the realm. That innocence and delight in all things pure had been stamped out forever. That here he sat in a stable, chained, the high king, helpless to what had been done. 

Vilya was screaming from where he had concealed the ring. A sort of heartbeat, thrumming in his being.

“A favor I must ask from you soldier” 

He said, and watched as the elf nodded. 

“Keep a watch on the guards, make sure none cast their foul gazes here for a time.”

The elf nodded his assent. Eyes meeting in understanding, and Arondir raised his bruised and wounded body to maintain a vigil. 

Vilya slipped on his finger as if she wanted to herself. 

When he brought the ring to Elrond’s body he felt a surge of response. He felt a stream, like a gust of air on a torrid summer day, or the gentle wind on an autumn evening. She was singing breath back into his lungs. She pulled, she coaxed, he bent forward his head in a sigh over his fallen herald. 

...

He was on another battlefield. 

He was on fire. 

Burning, scorching fire. 

It consumed everything. 

Some evil flame, flickering down his body and taking dominion over his mind. 

He was alone, and the darkness overwhelming and the pain too great. 

Cool ray of starlight, gust of wind, softness of grass, glory of tree, beauty of song, quiet understanding of love. 

They were no longer. 

Only ash. 

Smoke. 

Burning banners and stacks of bodies. 

Flame. 

Only flame. 

It was consuming him. 

The end was dark indeed. 

It was painful to face it alone.

But lo! A  song came from the darkness. 

Faltering, as if the song itself came from deep pain. 

A song of silver starlight, and cool pools of water beneath them. A song of breeze on a torrid day, or salve on a throbbing wound, a song of wind to bend the trees and to whisper through rocks on high mountains. 

And suddenly there was breath. A cool wind on his scorched face. 

He opened his eyes, and saw another battlefield. Saw a beloved face. A face that had almost been a son to him and was now a friend, fired together in pain and loss, and a refusal to surrender the light. 

But it was no longer he  that held Elrond’s body, it was Elrond that held him. His face was older, deeply lined, agonized. He was singing, gasping as if the song took his own breath, gasping as if in pain. And the song came out silver starlight, and healing breeze and deep, deep cool pools rippling over his burnt flesh. 

“Come back Ereinion.” 

Come back to me.

Light of day 

Glory of night

Caress of goodness

Carried on beating wing 

And dancing feet 

And song of the child 

The light is

The light is here 

The light is given me to give to you 

Come back to me

On his neck Vilya burned, a cool flame. She reached out for the song of the half-elven and she joined it, and it became even more powerful, it swept over him, encloaking, enveloping him. The two joined songs became one, became a powerful current, and it flooded over and swept into his lungs, and a gentle breath came back out. 

They were both mourning. 

And Gil-galad knew they knew what he knew. That the flames had taken too much of his body. 

Yet still Elrond, trembling from wounds of his own, had pulled him into his own bloody arms, to sing healing cool over him, so that his passage might be in peace. 

“Is he destroyed?” 

He heard the scorched voice come crawling out of his throat, it hardly sounded his own, so raspy and horrid, but Elrond wept over it. 

“Yes, high king.” 

“You have bought a great victory for all good today, Ereinion. It is you that have preserved the light.”

He felt Vilya flicker around his neck. She was reaching towards the bowed head of Elrond, her light flickering in the tears on his cheeks. She was bidding goodbye and she was reaching forward. 

His hands found her. Clasped her and tore her off. 

His hands gripped his herald, his brother in arms, his son. 

“And it is you who shall continue to preserve it.”

“Ever you have been grace even in suffering Elrond Peredhel. Since first you came to me with your brother, through loss and pain, even those who had taken all from you, became loved by you. How much dark did you coax the light into? How much healing into pain? How much love into where had only been sundering?”

He looked to the smoldering world around him. Saw broken bodies and weeping survivors. Saw a son bent over his noble, fallen father, shouting his pain to the sky. 

“Ever shall the world need this grace.”

“Ever shall you continue to give it to them.” 

Elrond’s hands closed softly over his own. 

“Ever did you give all this to me, my father.”

And he could speak no further, for his own throat filled and no words came between them, only love, and it swept over them and carried them to the place of departure. And only love remained. 

Go towards goodness

Namarie. 

Namarie 

Namarie

...

Vilya sang over Elrond’s body. Sang songs of breath and cool wind. 

And Gil-Galad knew peace. 

In the midst of the crumbling city. Chained and bloody. There would be more crumbling cities, and more pain, and more darkness. 

But there was goodness. 

Goodness to be bought for the rest of Middle Earth. 

And those to preserve it still. 

And Elrond breathed beneath his hand.

[tagthescullion]

The Friend of my Friend

Fandom(s): Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Summary: Being a teenager sucks. Being a clear-sighted teenager sucks even more. But nothing, nothing in the world, sucks more than being a teenager hated by the most beautiful girl you've ever seen. Specially when you don't even know why.

(Or: Rachel has a massive crush on Annabeth).

Rating: G

Words: 2600 (such a beautiful round number)

AO3 link

Rachel turned away as Percy dropped by the wall beside her. The only light they had was that of his bronze sword, faint in the oppressive darkness, but still, she didn’t want to risk him reading her expression.

Percy Jackson could be obtuse but he was a good friend, he would recognise her misery straight away.

“She’ll come around eventually,” he whispered.

Rachel sighed. So much for keeping her thoughts to herself. 

She tried to find the sleeping form of Annabeth Chase, but she could only hear her deep breaths. She’d fallen asleep a while ago. And thank God for that, the last thing she needed was the daughter of Athena listening to Percy’s tactless remarks.

“She hates me,” she murmured back. “I have no idea what I’ve done!”

That wasn’t true, Rachel told herself. She hadn’t stopped staring at Annabeth the whole time she’d spent with her and Percy on this damned quest.

It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t choose to find her attractive, she just did!

But it didn’t seem to matter. Clearly the girl was repulsed by Rachel’s attention. 

It frustrated her, if she was honest. It wasn’t as if she’d made Annabeth uncomfortable. She hadn’t made any moves or anything, but she knew some people were just like that.

“Chiron says she can be possessive about her friends,” Percy told her. “That she has trouble letting people into her life.”

Rachel shrugged. She wasn’t convinced. If Annabeth didn’t like people, she’d treat Rachel plainly, but not in such a mean way. Being distrustful was one thing, but being completely rude was another. 

Percy studied her expression. “Go to sleep,” he said. “I’ll take the first watch, I’ll wake you guys up later, yeah?”

Rachel didn’t argue. She was exhausted. She couldn’t understand how demigods went on and on with barely any sleep. Still, it was the most interesting summer she’d ever had, and probably ever would.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Rachel saw the pegasi fly off as she dragged her feet towards the closest subway station, and felt the heaviness of loneliness settle into her. The way an adrenaline rush passes and leaves you feeling worn-out and light-headed. She realised, embraced suddenly by reality, that she would have to face her mother and father, who would likely not be pleased with her unexplained disappearance.

As she boarded the train, attracting more than a few wary glances, she thought about the last minutes with her new group of friends –if she could even call them that–. 

Percy had been kind, as always. Rachel was impressed that he’d memorised her phone number. It looked as if he could actually talk to those horses. That was, in Rachel’s eyes, the best of his superpowers. She had always wanted to talk to animals.

The young boy, Nico, had intrigued her. He was tiny, couldn’t be more than eleven, she wondered whether it was normal for demigods to be left to their own devices in sixth grade. The kid had seemed powerful, stubborn, resilient… if a bit rough around the edges. She tried not to compare him, hungry, and a bit wild, to a boy talking his mother’s ear off in the seat in front of her.

Rachel got off at the next station and breathed in the not-very-clear Brooklyn air. There was a construction site on her way home. They were building a huge apartment block, dust blew over towards her, making her sneeze.

She felt bad for Grover. She didn’t know him much, but she had been fighting her causes for as long as she could remember. Reaching the end of a lifelong quest to feel you failed must be terrible. It wasn’t as if his job was over, even if Pan was dead –gone, faded–, Grover had been given the seemingly impossible task to save green spaces by the same deity he’d been searching for his whole life!

Rachel felt a moment of raw anger against her father and the people like him. Could they not see the irreparable damage they were causing? 

She kicked a stone hard. It banged against a light-post causing a couple of pigeons to coo indignantly.

They flapped their wings, attracting the attention of a golden Labrador passing by. His owner, a big man with soft eyes, stopped to pat the dog’s head.

He reminded her of Tyson. The image of him calmly approaching the pegasi, stroking their necks and talking to them in soothing tones was almost enough to dissipate the irritability she felt.

But then she remembered Annabeth. 

God, she had barely even looked at Rachel as she was about to leave. She glanced her way for a fraction of a second with a face full of distaste and that was it. Simple and effective, Rachel hadn’t dared look her way again after that. 

She shook her head. It wasn’t fair to blame Annabeth. If it had been a tough day for Rachel, she could not imagine how utterly nasty it had been for her. 

Rachel didn’t know the whole story with Luke. Whether he’d been a brother to Annabeth, or a friend, a mentor, a crush. Whatever the story was, Rachel knew he’d been important to her. And he had let her down, time and time again.

It was hard not to follow into Percy’s anger when Annabeth had defended Luke so passionately. Luke didn’t deserve shit, much less the unconditional support of Annabeth Chase.

Rachel sighed. In Annabeth’s eyes, Rachel herself didn’t deserve that affection either, that much was clear.

She stood in front of her front door. She took a giant breath before knocking twice. She looked awful, she felt even worse, and to make her future even bleaker, she was facing her parents’ wrath. Not worried anger, born of care. They’d be upset because she’d used her father’s name to get that damned chauffeur to drive them around Denver.

Haldane, their butler, opened the door. To his credit, he looked only a bit bemused.

“Welcome back home, Miss Dare,” he said simply.

Home�� that was one way to call it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Rachel was excited. After almost a month into the school year, she had finally convinced Percy to go bowling with her.

She knew this fantastic 80s-themed alley with smoothies to die for. And it was not too expensive, she knew Percy wasn’t comfortable being invited everywhere. 

She was waiting for him by the door. 

She’d picked her outfit to go with the decor. A pretty sweatshirt in strong colours that she was proud to say didn’t match her hair at all, and straight-legged, high-waist overalls to give it a final retro touch.

She was keeping an eye out for a teenager on his own –with a high probability of collateral monsters– so she missed Percy’s arrival completely.

Somebody poked her shoulder, making her jump while she turned, which resulted in a clumsy ballerina flip that would’ve ended with her on her ass if it wasn’t for Percy’s quick reflexes.

“Elegant.” A dry voice offered from the side.

Rachel’s attention, which had been focused on apologising to Percy, snapped to the side.

She was there. Annabeth Chase was there. In all her tomboy, I-don’t-care-what-you-think-of-me glory. 

Rachel’s feelings turned surprised, annoyed, and joyful in the span of a second. Her cheeks were burning, but to hell if she would let this girl —the woman of her dreams or not—  make her look bad in front of her friend.

“I was aiming for dramatic,” she replied. “Elegance is overrated.”

Percy smiled. Annabeth rolled her eyes. 

Once inside, Percy looked around with interest. Rachel knew he liked the vibes, he was a hopeless fan of The Breakfast Club, Back to the Future, and a bunch of other cliché 80s movies his mom had shown him.

“I’ll go get us set,” Annabeth announced as they went in, leaving Rachel and Percy to get in line for their shoes.

“Why did you bring her?” Rachel asked once they were out of earshot.

Percy looked confused. “Because she’s a friend. You said it would be nice to go out more and meet new people.”

“Right,” she didn’t want to tell him Annabeth didn’t count as new people because they both did, in fact, know her. “And did she know I was coming?”

He blushed. 

“I told her on the way!” He said defensively.

No wonder she’d been so angry. 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As far as Rachel’s summers went, flying into a warzone and immediately having her pilot fall asleep was almost as bad as seeing nature fade into oblivion the year before. 

She panicked, yelled, clutched the pilot’s seat, shook him roughly, yelled some more, and accepted she’d die a grotesque death squashed between the helicopter’s cabin and a skyscraper.

Only after having reached that phase of despair, did she hear a loud tapping outside the window, prompting her to look out and see…

“What the hell?”

Annabeth Chase’s floating form appeared on the other side of the door, her head bobbing as —Rachel tried to look out without feeling dizzy— her pegasus' wings flapped. Behind her, like a loyal puppy, Percy Jackson held on for dear life.

Shocked as she was, Rachel missed Annabeth’s enraged expression and subsequent screaming.

Rachel shook her head. With the noise of the helicopter and the erratic boom-boom of her heart in her ears she had no idea what the girl wanted.

Annabeth and Percy pointed at the door and disappeared from view as they dodged the helicopter’s propellers.

Finally, Rachel understood.

She forced her wobbly legs to drag her to the side of the cabin and struggled with the lock. 

After several seconds in which her mind —not working well that day, obviously— reminded her that Annabeth would think her a useless idiot if she couldn’t so much as open the damned helicopter door, she heard a thump as something —someone— slammed into the outside of the copper.

Annabeth had jumped off the pegasus and was holding on to the handle with all her strength.

Rachel pushed hard and managed to slide the door open, to grab Annabeth and to pull her inside without catapulting herself off the flying vehicle —a feat she considered heroic by itself—.

“Took you long enough,” Annabeth gasped as a greeting.

She didn’t seem afraid of their imminent death, which was very cool. Instead, she looked annoyed as hell.

“I—” Rachel looked around, finding some excuse. “And the pegasus?”

Annabeth looked worried for a second but she schooled her expression. “Percy will take care of him, he’s good with horses.”

Rachel nodded. “I don’t know how to fly this. The pilot fell asleep as soon as we got into Manhattan.”

She grunted as affirmative, pushing poor Phillips off his seat, and taking his place.

She pulled a lever, pressed some buttons, and the copper stabilised. 

“Wait,” Rachel said. “You can fly a helicopter?”

She shrugged. Despite facing away from her, Rachel could see her smirk in the reflection of the windshield. “It’s not that hard.”

Rachel was about to differ but Annabeth made the goddamned thing descend so quickly her ears popped. She threw herself on her seat and put her seatbelt on.

Once safely on the ground, having landed in the middle of Fifth Avenue —which was unnervingly still—, Annabeth got off her seat and stretched.

“That was fun,” she said. 

Then she jumped off the helicopter.

Rachel slowly moved her trembling legs to the open door. She held onto the handle and looked down.

She thought of Phillip, and pushed him off the helicopter with her.

They landed with a thud and, immediately, Rachel tried to find her bearings.

She saw Percy and Annabeth discussing something a few feet away; Percy with an awed expression Rachel could relate to, and Annabeth looking particularly pleased with herself.

“You saved my life,” Rachel said, only a bit sorry for interrupting them.

Annabeth flexed her shoulder, as if it hurt. “Yeah, well… let's not make a habit of it. What are you doing here, Dare? Don't you know better than to fly into a war zone?”

“I—" Rachel glanced at Percy, trying to convey that they had to speak alone. She didn’t want to say that out loud, she was afraid it would offend Annabeth. Instead, she said: “I had to be here. I knew Percy was in trouble.”

“Got that right,” Annabeth scoffed. “Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some injured  friends I've got to tend to. Glad you could stop by, Rachel.”

Rachel sighed. It was the worst time in the universe to be thinking she wanted to be liked by a girl who had never so much as been neutral to her existence.

She dropped down on the curb and put her head in her hands. “I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to… I always mess things up.”

And she was about to mess them up even worse when she told Percy her weird Force-vision had told her he wasn’t the hero. The hero of what? Rachel had no clue. But it wasn’t Percy.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was boiling hot by the time her dad’s chauffeur was to pick her up in a gas station nearby Camp.

Rachel had promised she’d go to that stupid finishing school, and she always kept her promises. 

Which meant she was now saying goodbye to her new friends and to the new world she’d become part of. 

“You'll do great,” Annabeth reassured her as she hugged her. 

Rachel tried not to blush. She was the Oracle now, and couldn’t think about hot people.

Still, it had been such a relief that Annabeth had warmed up to her at last. She’d been worried about invading her territory, after all, the daughter of Athena had been at Camp for ages, who was Rachel to invite herself into her turf?

But it didn't seem to bother her. If anything, she looked quite overjoyed about Rachel’s new job.

Rachel bit her lip before replying: “I hope you're right. I'm a little worried. What if somebody asks what's on the next math test and I start spouting a prophecy in the middle of geometry class?  The Pythagorean theorem shall be problem two… Gods, that would be embarrassing.”

Annabeth laughed, which made Rachel smile. Making Annabeth laugh was hard these days, what with everybody still mourning their losses. 

“Well,” she added, “you two be good to each other.”

Annabeth smiled ruefully, but Percy looked at her weird.

“What do you mean?”

Rachel shared a look with Annabeth.

“Nothing,” Rachel said. “Forget it.”

Percy tilted his head. “But—”

“Let go, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth said, blushing slightly. “It’s awkward to have to explain.”

Rachel was a firm believer of not clarifying things if it made the matter worse, but clearly Annabeth wasn’t, and neither was Percy.

“Oh,” he said, giving Annabeth a shrug. “Because you think it’s funny that she dumped me without even dating me?”

Annabeth blushed harder.

Rachel said, “What?”

“Yeah, when we were in Olympus, remember?” Percy asked. “Sorry if it was a secret, I just thought it was ridiculous, a bit pathetic for me, but funny after it happened.”

“No,” Rachel shook her head. “I remember that, but I wasn’t dumping you.”

Annabeth waved a hand, clearly uncomfortable. “You don’t owe us any explanations, it’s okay that you liked him.”

“Him?” Rachel couldn’t believe her ears, nor the bemused faces both Percy and Annabeth had. “I didn’t have a crush on him,” she argued. She pointed at Annabeth. “I had a crush on you.”

“Oh.”

It was safe to say Rachel had never, nor would ever, see Annabeth look so astonished in her entire life.

[2manyfandoms2count]

Message in a Bottle

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm a little late to the @theerasfestlovesquareversion party, but here's my submission ❤ Special thanks to @miabrown007 for beta-ing!

Happy reading!

Read on AO3

---

Marinette sat at her desk, one foot tucked under her, thoughtfully clicking her pen as she tried to organise a message. 

Her thoughts, which went a thousand miles an hour on a slow day, had come to a freeze about twenty four hours prior, when she’d seen – and heard – Adrien’s lips pronounce three little words she’d only ever dreamed of hearing from him. It was just her luck that they were tuned out by warning beep s, and followed by the Startrain doors clicking shut, as in slow motion, without her being able to do anything to stop them.

A part of her had screamed, urging her to chase after the moving vehicle, but her body had remained standing still on the platform, completely and utterly stunned. 

She still wasn’t entirely sure how she’d gotten back to her parents’ bakery. How she’d gotten to bed, fallen asleep.

All she knew, as she’d awoken in the morning, was that she knew something she didn’t before, and felt a sense of clarity regarding what she needed to do – but that was when her mind had woken up, too. 

And thus the calm before the storm had ended, her mind suddenly swept by a force faster than the wind, dispersing any coherence in her head, scattering words like autumn leaves, before they even got a chance to associate with each other. 

She slammed her head on the table, hoping it would help reset her brain; unfortunately it only brought on a throbbing pain. She winced as she rubbed the budding bump on her forehead.

“Screw it,” she mumbled, finally putting her pen to paper. 

Dear Adrien, 

My feelings since you’ve left have been all over the place, but it’s kind of frightening how happy the three little words you said as the doors of the Startrain closed, made me. They’ve been all I’ve been able to think about (which you know better than anyone might not be the best thing right now – but in a good way! I wouldn’t want you to take them back for the world. Unless you want to. Which would definitely not be a problem, of course. Although maybe just a little. But I’d get over it, I promise).  

Marinette’s hand hovered over the page. She was rambling – which could be fine when she talked, but felt pretty stupid to her in written form. This wasn’t her diary. She couldn’t afford to have a stream of consciousness run on her page; maybe Adrien would read it, and think she was crazy, rip up the letter, throw it in the fire, and she’d never, ever, hear from him again. And then what?

If anything, the reason he’d gone to London in the first place, to get away from the press following Hawkmoth’s (his father’s!) defeat, so he could focus on the latter’s upcoming trial, was enough to justify a clear and concise message. She didn’t want to burden him with her feelings when he surely had infinitely more serious things to think about. 

“Marinette, it can be just a first draft, you know.” Tikki’s soothing words snapped her out of her spiral. 

She looked up at the small divinity, who smiled encouragingly. She nodded, then turned her attention back to her words, biting the end of her pen as she reread them.

Little did she know that Adrien, a small body of water away, was doing exactly the same thing…

—

Dear Marinette,

I’m so sorry I panicked. I didn’t mean to say I like you . Partly, because it’s a little embarrassing that I blurted it out like that – but mostly, because I like you doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel about you. I just saw you, your freckles (the ones I thought I knew like the back of my hand – but that couldn’t be true now, could it? Else I would’ve realised who you were sooner), your smile, and the way you looked at me, and suddenly I got cold feet, and that was the extent of what my tangled brain could produce. 

Adrien spun in Félix’s desk chair, assessing what he’d written thus far. It was a good start, he supposed. His life had been turned upside down by the cataclysmic revelation that Hawkmoth was, in fact, his father, and arguably even more so by the fact that Ladybug was Marinette – he was allowed a certain amount of disorganisation. 

Although he’d obviously been surprised by the former fact, he had to admit that, retrospectively, it did make sense. He even felt stupid for not figuring it out sooner – or, rather, for figuring it out back when Hawkmoth’s powers were still fairly limited, and the damage done (both physical and psychological) was only a fraction of what would happen next, but being too much in denial of the kind of person his father was, and therefore falling for his tricks. 

But his father had grown cockier with his powers, sloppier. His desperation sent him in a slow, downward spiral, hijacking his every thought, eating away at him until one day, he’d stumbled out of what Adrien would later discover was his lair, straight into his atelier, holding his head in his hands – still clad in the purple suit that made most of Paris tremble.

Adrien had stood frozen in the doorway, at first not comprehending what he was seeing. Then, as his father – Paris’ most wanted villain – finally noticed him, the cogs in his brain had whirred again, and he’d made a dash for his room, knowing fully well what he needed to do.

Plagg had to go. Whatever happened next, he couldn’t end up in his father’s hands. 

He’d sent his best friend and his ring away just before the iron curtains had come down on his room’s windows. Just before the tears came streaming down his cheeks, as he cowered in a wardrobe, completely and utterly alone.

Until Marinette’s rescue mission, that is. 

Her being Ladybug, had come as both a complete surprise and an obvious conclusion to a mystery he’d done his best not to uncover since the day he’d first met his Lady. Adrien had obviously dreamed of figuring out who hid under his partner’s spotted mask, daring to ask every so often on the off chance that maybe she’d reconsidered her stance on the matter. But never, in his wildest dreams, had he ever made the conscious link between the two girls who brightened up his life. 

(Not that he remembered, anyway.)

Her plan had been so ingenious that he hadn’t clocked what was going on at first. He’d heard his father go on a rampage around the mansion in his search for him, half begging Adrien to listen to his explanations, half threatening him; and then there was silence as the doorbell cut through his words, and echoed through the house, once. Twice, insistent.

The silence was loud for a second, followed by footsteps running down the hallway. Gabriel opening the door. Voices, cordial at first, although Adrien couldn’t quite make the words out. He wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, what Marinette had said, but somehow, she’d been invited in.

“Adrien?” His father’s tone was completely normal as he’d knocked on his door. “Adrien, your friend Marinette is here to see you. She saw the security system go off and came to check if everything was alright.” 

“I know how you feel about closed spaces,” Marinette had chimed in. Adrien had slowly crawled out of his hiding spot and made his way towards his room’s door, frowning, trying to remember when he’d told her about his fear. “It’s almost as bad as one of our friend’s fear of running out of cheese,” she’d added as he’d opened the door, turned towards Gabriel.

Adrien had stared at her blankly.

“Another one of our friends is worse about sweets, though,” Marinette had continued seemingly breezily, but Adrien had noticed the insistant glance she’d thrown him. “You should see her in January, she can’t get enough galette.”

Gabriel had chuckled politely, his shoulders tenser than usual, tearing Adrien’s focus off of Marinette’s words. “Well, as you can see, Adrien is very well, no need to worry. Now, if you don’t mind, I have an important matter to discuss with my son.”

Adrien had felt his blood run cold as his father’s fingers dug into his shoulder, which, from Marinette’s perspective, he assumed probably looked like a recreation of the painting looming over the grand staircase.

“Oh, of course, I’ll probably leave you to it, then,” Marinette had looked down, and fidgeted with her ring. 

Adrien had been torn between screaming out for her to make a run for it, to get as far as she could from the mansion and his father, somewhere safe, and begging her to take him with her. But something about her gesture had caught his attention.

Marinette didn’t wear a ring. And this wasn’t an Alliance ring, which he’d seen spread among his peers like wildfire. They didn’t have a common friend who loved galette. Or camembert.

The only person he knew who loved camembert was… 

He’d caught Marinette’s eyes, hoping she could read the question in his eyes. The way she’d nodded back, very slowly, led him to think she had. 

Swiftly, he’d turned around before his father could move, and grabbed the brooch he’d suspected lay beneath his scarf, tossing it to Marinette (Ladybug!), who’d caught it just as she called for her transformation. She’d grabbed his hand before jumping over the balustrade, almost dislocating his shoulder in the process (a small price to pay to get away, really). 

Adrien had heard his father swear after them, his footsteps rushing down, but he didn’t get very far. Ladybug opened the mansion’s door, and what seemed to be the entire Parisian police force rushed in, tackling him to the ground.

Just thinking about it again gave Adrien palpitations. He took a deep breath and got out of the chair, deciding to take a small break from writing. He owed Marinette so much.

—

Anyway, I know it’s only been a couple of days, but I haven’t had any news from you, and I feel like I’m going crazy. Realistically, I know that I like you, combined with our double… friendship, I guess?, must mean that I’m not just any friend to you, but I can’t help but wonder why you’re so silent. I guess I haven’t really been in touch either, even before your departure, but there’s just been so much going on with the trial… I don’t want to bother you, but you should know I’m here if you ever need to talk. Kwami, I wish we could talk right now. Even if I like the idea of sending you a letter, since there’s less chance of things getting lost in nerves.

Because I love you, Adrien. I’ve been trying to tell you for so long, but it never felt like it was the right time nor place to say it. I think I know why, now.

Marinette put her pen down and rubbed her face with her hands. The more she thought about it, the more everything made sense. All this time, she’d felt as if she’d been missing a piece of a puzzle, which threw all her confessions slightly off kilter – as it turned out, her feeling had been justified. 

What a shame the moment everything fell down like pieces into place had to be when Adrien had to leave. 

She shook her head. It was only temporary. She sat back in her chair with a sigh, looking out of her window. It was getting late; Notre Dame’s façade was illuminated, casting a comforting glow in the night. She wondered if Adrien’s view was as pretty as hers, and what he was up to. She didn’t dare bet he was thinking about her, but she hoped he did.

Do what you will with this information, she scribbled under her confession, sighing. I’m here if you need to talk, about anything you want. The weather, the upcoming trial, how you’re doing in London, how annoying I can imagine Félix being, what everyone in the class is up to, physics… You name it! I just really want to hear your voice again, especially your laugh.

You deserve to laugh, Adrien. So, so much. And I hope this letter brings at least a smile to your lips.

—

“Kid, you should be careful where you put your letters, I almost used it as a napkin for my extra mature pont l’évêque ,” Plagg yawned. 

“It wouldn’t matter much if you did,” Adrien sighed.

“Yes, I read it, you’re not sure you’ll send it, blablabla,” Plagg mimicked, holding up the piece of paper. 

“Hey! That was supposed to be private!” Adrien snatched it from his flippers with a huff. 

“It would be a shame, you know. It’s just the kind of thing Pigtails would love to receive.” Plagg shrugged. 

“You think?” Adrien asked, his voice suddenly hopeful.

“Trust me, Adrien, I know. ” 

Adrien couldn’t help the wide smile that spread on his lips at the thought. He went through his latest addition to the letter. 

You know, I feel like my neurons are a little less scrambled now, but Aunt Amélie is keeping me busy on this side of the Channel (I’m really discovering London, though, which is nice – I’d never been to Brixton, Camden or Hampstead Heath, but they’re great places to explore! I’d like to take you there someday, if you’ll allow me), and on the rare occasions I can sit down, which is generally late at night, I have to try and focus to go through the mess we’re going to be faced with. To tell you the truth, I much prefer sitting here writing to you, even though I don’t even know if I’ll ever even send you this letter. 

I keep thinking about the next time I’ll see you. I really want to run back to Paris, to you; I almost did, back on the train. I’m sure there would’ve been a way to stop it in its tracks, but in a way, I’m glad I didn’t. Even if there’s nothing I would’ve liked more than staying with you, putting a little distance between me and my father was quite welcome. If only there’d been a way for you to be with me… 

Sometimes, I think about calling you, but I’m always afraid that it’ll be a bad time, what with the UK being an hour behind you and all.  

He picked up his pen and added:

I hope you’re okay and that you know that I miss you and our hangouts, both in school and on the rooftops. I can’t wait to see you again, my Lady, whatever the circumstances. A small part of me hopes that it’ll be before the trial, or that we’ll get to be alone together for a bit afterwards. You and me against the world, and everything. 

(And maybe some of your dad’s chouquettes.) 

Lots of love, and hope to hear from you soon, 

Your Adrien

“There,” Adrien announced to no one in particular as he sealed his envelope. “I really hope you’re right, Plagg.” 

—

Anyway. I won’t hold you up any longer, but I just thought you should know how I feel. I’ll see you at the trial, at the latest – please don’t love London so much that you won’t come back… 

Forever yours, 

Marinette

Marinette dotted the i in her signature with a heart, and decided against re-reading the whole letter. Instead, she took out an envelope, neatly folded the page in three, and slid it inside. She wrote out Adrien’s name on the front of it, along with the Fathoms’ address, stuck a stamp at the top, and indicated her return address at the back. 

Then, she picked up her bag, and prepared to go to Alya’s. She’d post the letter on her way there; it would distract her from the wait that inevitably came with snail mail. 

She hoped her letter wouldn’t get drowned in the mass of mail Adrien surely received. 

Now, all she had to do was wait.

—

A week later, coming back from school, Marinette found a letter on her desk, and recognised the address’ calligraphy instantly. She all but tore the envelope open, her heart rate accelerating and a smile spreading wider and wider on her lips as her eyes progressed through the message. 

The date at the top told her that Adrien had written to her before reading her letter, but one thing was for sure: they were on the same page.

She placed the sheet back on her desk when she was done, feeling giddier than ever, and reached for her phone – it started ringing in her hands, Adrien’s face lighting up the screen. She almost dropped it in surprise.

“Hi,” Adrien’s voice breathed on the other end of the line.

“Hi,” she repeated, feeling herself blush. “How are–”

“I got your letter,” he blurted quickly, cutting her off. 

“I got yours, too.” She gently ran her fingers down the paper on her desk.

“Good, good.” He chuckled awkwardly. “Hey, I know this is a strange request, but would you mind going up to your balcony for a second?” he blurted quickly, cutting her off.

“Um, okay.” Marinette frowned a little, but still made her way up. Maybe it was a question of connection.

She swiftly pulled herself out of her skylight, and froze. 

Her balcony was covered in red roses: they were entangled in the wrought-iron, stood in vases on the floor, in a petal path leading straight to… Astrochat, sheepishly holding a single red rose. He hung up the phone.

“I love you too, Marinette,” he said. 

Tears welled up in Marinette’s eyes as she threw herself into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could. 

“Don’t worry about me not coming back, I’ll always stay,” he whispered in her hair. 

Marinette looked up at him, feeling like her heart might burst out of her chest. 

“Glad to hear that, silly cat,” she said with a smile, standing on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his.

One of his arms wrapped around her waist while his other hand softly cupped her face as he deepened the kiss. Fireworks erupted in Marinette’s stomach. She wished time would stand still to let her savour this moment forever. 

Although her wish wasn’t granted, knowing that Adrien returned her feelings and would come back to her did make their parting a little easier. 

“You know, I don’t know what the future holds for us, my Lady,” Astrochat said as he was about to leave, gently taking her hands in his, “but one thing I do know is, if you’ll allow it, I’m never letting go of you, of us. Not if I can help it.” He brought her hands to his lips, his eyes boring into hers.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Marinette answered, pink dusting her cheeks. 

“I bet you will.” He winked. “See you soon, my love.” 

He kissed her again, gently, longingly, and then slid his visor shut and took off. 

Marinette wistfully watched him fly away, her chin propped up on her arms, leaning on her bannister. 

She truly was the lucky one.

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

GUYS I'VE OFFICIALLY LOST IT-

So. Awhile ago, I saw this post, right? Basically it just said that Sera and Sir Pentious' cards have very similar compositions, and that Seraphim, which is what Sera is, are often associated with serpents. Interesting, but could still be a coincidence, right?

So anyways I checked the reblogs and saw somebody say they should kiss. And now I'm insane.

Because like... the only thing we know really about Sir Pentious' potential story arc in the show is that he's gonna have a crush on one of the other characters. And the only thing confirmed about his sexuality(to my knowledge) is that he is attracted to women. We don't really have any way to know who his crush is, because there are a lot of women in Hazbin Hotel, but could still be noteworthy, right? And like... okay this is gonna sound like the most "trust me, bro" evidence I could possibly pull out of my ass at first but I just need you to hear me out here, okay? Sera's crown and Sir Pentious' hat have a lot of visual similarities. Here's a helpful diagram :)

Which like. Okay. Could literally be nothing, right? Except for two small things that I can't let go of: One, Sir Pentious' goggles + the v-shaped brim on his hat were added to his design AFTER he was given a more prominent role in the show-

(Pilot design, back when he was meant to be a one-off villain of the week vs current design as a member of the main cast)

And two, the Hellaverse shows kind of have a tendancy to use visuals in order to signify characters' relationships to eachother. It's also just a pretty popular form of symbolism as a whole tbh, but the Hellaverse has a lot of really good examples. Like, for instance, how Vaggie's new outfit is a lot closer to Charlie's color pallette than any of her previous designs, or this really good breakdown by @/raeynbowboi about the symbolism of hearts in Hazbin Hotel and how they pertain to Angel Dust/his relationships! It's from awhile ago so some of the info is a tad outdated, but overall I do think the analysis holds up. Meanwhile, in Helluva Boss, Moxxie and Millie have basically the same color pallette and they were the most functional relationship in the entire show before before Fizzmodeus came along. Which, speaking of those two...

See, I made this diagram because, after I pointed out the similarities between Sera and Sir Pentious' headgear to my dad and asked him if those kinds of similarities were a valid form of analysis(because I am but a humble highschooler that doesn't know everything about media analysis, and also I felt like I was losing my mind-), my dad said that I should look at the creator's(Vivziepop's) other works to see if couples having similar motifs was a recurring theme. So obviously, I picked my favorite couple in either show and disected their designs for every little detail that could maybe possibly be an intentional parallel. And while some of it is kind of iffy, like Fizz's limbs being the same kind of blue as Ozzie's tufts could just be a way to show that Ozzie made them, or both of them having uh, two things sticking off of their head(that one's definitely a reach-), I think stuff like both of them having hearts as a recurring detail in their designs or having lITERALLY THE SAME EYE COLOR??? Are pretty good evidence that Viv/the Hellaverse design team tend to use visuals to signify characters relationships.

ALSO!!!! If the Fallen Angel Vaggie theory ends up being true, there could be some interesting parallels to draw between Chaggie and Sera/Sir Pentious! Something about like... demon royalty/random angel vs angel royalty/random demon. Could be used to draw parallels between how the two societies treat that kind of thing idk.

So, now that all the meta evidence is out of the way, we can get down to what really matters: would these two work as a couple? Do their personalities mesh well togther? And the answer to that is!

IM SORRY FOR USING THE GIF IT WAS A GOOD JOKE IN MY HEAD BUT TYPING THIS OUT IDK IF IT'S ACTUALLY FUNNY-

But in all seriousness, I don't actually know. We just... haven't seen enough of Sera to know for sure. In fact, this whole theory is based off of small details that definitely add up to SOMETHING, but could very well be pieces to some very different puzzles that I'm trying to shove together because somebody jokingly suggested that they would fit. Like, the parallels really COULD mean something, and it COULD have something to do with Sir Pentious having a crush on another character, but like. There could also be a million other answers to both of those questions, y'know? I also have a tendancy to make wild conspiracy theories about genuinely inconsequential details... I almost never talk about them publically, but still. Though I will say, based off of Sera's description in the leaks, I could definitely see a world where she bounces off of Sir Pentious pretty well. Her description in the leaks very much gave me uh... Isabela cover of Surface Pressure vibes, y'know? Shit that is- that is a weird way to describe that but most people on here have seen Encanto right? Y'all get it? And Sir Pentious is both a Victorian Gentleman Type and completely unhinged. Like... idk there's something there. I could maybe see it working. But at the end of the day, it's just too early to tell.

That being said I WILL be trying to pump out some fanart of these two before the actual show comes out and crushes my crackshipping dreams. Also their ship name is either SeraPentious or PentSera I can't decide.

Edit: Wait a second... SeraPent. Serpent. PUN!!!!!!!!!! Okay I think I'm going with SeraPent-

[jokeringcutio]

Arthur Fleck/Joker x Reader : Savior Fill (2)

Remember this prompt? Could u please do reader x joker 2019?

Reader protects Arthur (before he turned into joker) from when his sign was taken and she beat the kids up and he won’t ever forget that moment. But now,Arthur turned into the joker, he returns the favour by saving her from bad guys?

And when he saves her, he walks elegantly towards her 😫✨ and says “I missed you, doll” 🫣🫣🫣😭✨

AN: LOOK, it's a second fill to the same prompt 8D I’ve written it in such a way it can also be seen as a modern-day au.

Title: Savior Fandom: Joker 2019 Pairing: Arthur Fleck (Joker)  x Reader Rating: Mature for safety. Warnings: Violence, (attempted) sexual assault, Crude Language, Clown beating, Sweet Arthur, Sweet Reader, Blood. ~ Savior Fill : I Need You ~

1.

When you turned the corner down the busy shopping street and into the alley, you were surprised to see a group of five teenage boys hunched over something.

Or rather, someone.

Between the dirt from torn open bins and mud from the fallen rain earlier, lay a man. You squinted to see what was happening but quickly caught on. The boys weren’t trying to help the man up. By the movements they made, your first thought was that they might be dancing. But they weren’t. Not if the only music was the sound of shouts and curses from the boys and the soft whimpers from below their feet.

The man in question lay in the ditch, face shielded from you. But you had caught sight of the oddly colorful curls, a wig, and the oversized shoes. A cardboard sign lay several feet away, folded and covered in dirt and mud. He must be one of those hired promoters, you mused. You disliked guerrilla marketing as much as any other, but beating the man up was going way too far.

These boys were bullying the man, kicking down at his shins and using their feet to bruise him, and perhaps even worse. Behind you, the main street was crowded, and people were shuffling on the sidewalks, but hardly anyone seemed to so much as glance at the sight in front of you. This is the busiest shopping street in the city, why does no one stop? you thought in a panic.

“Hey,” you shouted while sweat formed on your head. Your heart was beating wildly in your chest. Why does no one stop? You thought again. But once they heard your shout, some bystanders turned around and seemed to notice the youths at the side of the road.

Thank God, you tried to calm your wildly beating heart. Your cry made the boys stop their terror and turn towards you. For a moment, you feared they would attack you next, but once they noticed that other people had stopped to look at them, they quickly turned around and fled into one of the alleyways.

Pussies, you thought angrily, but you decided not to chase after them. Instead, you walked over to the crumpled form of the man who lay in the ditch. His arms shielded his chest and face from the brutal attack. But by the sight of him, it hadn’t worked that much. Fresh bruises covered his cheek and his arms, and when he noticed the attackers had stopped and finally dared to look up at you, you saw his lip had been split and blood was running down his nose and into his mouth. He looked horrible. There was no other way to describe this poor man.

“I am so sorry,” you said while kneeling beside him. You brought a careful hand to the man’s shoulder. Your eyes widened slightly when the man smiled up at you. A true bloodied smile. How? you wondered. How can someone who has been hurt this badly still smile? You watched the trail of blood from his nose all the way to his teeth. And then he seemed to lean into your touch.

“What are you apologizing for, love?” the man asked, voice smooth like silk. There was a certain hoarseness to it, a lowness that was reminiscent of smokers. And indeed, a faint scent of cigarettes reached your nose.

What had you been apologizing for, you wondered. And your frown made way for a more innocent expression. “I should have been here sooner,” you whispered.

The stranger in front of you let out an embittered laugh and you waited quietly for him to calm down. His chest convulsed and he brought a first up to his lips. It almost seemed like he coughed, as if he choked on his own laughter, but you kept your hand on his shoulder through it all, trying to give him a little bit of comfort. It seemed to work, and after a full minute or two of painful laughter, the man quieted down.

Once he fell silent, he looked up at you again. Bright green eyes met yours, and you saw the confusion within them. You gently squeezed, mindful not to squeeze too hard in case he’d been bruised there too before you removed your hand from his shoulder.

Swallowing seemed hard as you watched him, but your mouth felt dry and you wanted to ask him how he was doing. You saw his eyes dart down to your lips before they slid up to your eyes again. He observed you as if he’d never seen anyone like you before.

“Should I bring you to a doctor? Do you want to report this to the police?” you asked, hand on your chest to calm your own racing heart.

The man’s eyes slid to your hand and darkened. Then he shook his head. The blood was still streaming from his nose. But he pushed himself up, his oversized coat fell with the motion like water cascading down a waterfall. He was dressed as a clown all right. A tiny hat on top of his wig and a plastic flower pinned to the breast pocket of his coat. He brushed his thin hands past his pants, unknowingly wiping traces of blood all over the brightly colored fabric.

“No, thank you, love. I’m fine,” the man said, and you couldn’t believe your ears. He was fine? Had he looked at himself yet? You frowned up at him, all the skepticism visible in your expression. Now that he stood, you could tell that the man in front of you was far from well. There was something frail about him, perhaps that was why the boys had decided to go after him? He seemed skinny, a certain sadness visible in his eyes. The makeup hid most of his true features, but you thought he must be older than you by at least a decade. Perhaps you were wrong though. Most of these jobs were done by young students such as yourself.

He was clearly bruised, his sign destroyed and his skin tattered. His blood had ruined his costume. He looked like he had stepped out of a horror show. “You can’t go back to work like this,” you gently said, and finally rose from your knees.

Standing in front of him, you could see the stubbornness in his eyes. But there was something else in there. As if he was lost and uncertain. As if he didn’t know what to do with himself now.

You carefully reached for his hand, not caring if anyone was still watching. “Come on,” you whispered while you waited for his fingers to slide into your own. “Let me get you home.”

For a moment, his green gaze lay upon you, intensely. You saw his jaw twitch and knew he considered your offer, but you feared he would reject it and walk away.

Then his fingers were in yours and you smiled.

2. You learned the clown’s name was Arthur Fleck when you walked him home to his apartment that day. It was thanks to you that his boss was informed of his absence from the job and the reason behind it. You had gone to the nearest apothecary to get the right band-aids and disinfectant to help him clean his wounds – as apparently his entire medicine cabinet was off limits and he wasn’t going to allow you to look in there. You ended up home at such a late time that evening, that your parents were on the verge of calling the police.

You explained to them what had happened. How you had saved a clown from being attacked and how you had helped the poor man home. Despite being proud of you, your parents were also extremely worried that you’d gone home with the stranger without notifying them. You had to admit you’d forgotten. You’d been too focused on helping the man. This Arthur.

When at his house, you had helped him clean his face. And when the makeup had been taken off, you’d finally seen him for the very first time. He looked handsome, you had to admit. Definitely older than you, but appealing despite it all.

He’d kept your mind busy for months to come and became your secret little crush. You’d daydream about seeing him again, of accidentally bumping into him in the subway or watching one of his performances as a clown. But despite returning to the main shopping street in the weeks after meeting him, you didn’t catch a glimpse of him again. He just wasn’t there. The shop owner had no need for him and wouldn’t tell you where he had hired the man. Though you had spoken to Arthur’s boss, you couldn’t remember what the company he was working for was called.

You knew where Arthur lived but, the exact route to get there was a blur. You’d been too caught up in chatting with him to actually pay attention to your surroundings. So you made an attempt to find his apartment, but the streets all looked the same to you, and you got no closer to finding his house.

It’s better this way, you thought wryly. Don’t want to come off like a stalker. Then a nice boy from your class caught your attention and he managed to distract you from your secret crush.

He was attending the same courses as you. An attractive young man, closer to your own age, and with similar interests. You allowed yourself to get closer to him because it helped you forget about the unreachable Arthur Fleck.

You hoped this new boy liked you. He seemed to give hints that he did. But the two of you danced around each other, both too shy to ask the other out. Instead, you formed a friendship that made you feel all warm inside. And you forgot the clown you had helped scrambling from the pavement. You forgot about him and thought this might be the end of it all.

Just that one faithful meeting.

A memory of a crush that would never come to fruition. It would be all you ever have of him.

3.

It was broad daylight when it happened. It was summer and you enjoyed your free time by going into the city. You’d nearly forgotten about Arthur. Not fully – he was still in the back of your mind, but the ache from longing for him had become dull and easier to ignore.

You had promised to get your mom some cash from the bank and stood in line, awaiting your appointment, when a group of men rushed into the building, guns drawn. Your heart nearly stopped and frightened, you obeyed their shouts to hold up your hands and then lie down on the floor.

The cool air circulated by the air-conditioning sent goosebumps down your skin as you lay on the cold tiled floor. You were dressed for summer, after all. Shivering, you saw how the group of men made their way to the counter, ordering the staff to hand them all the money they had. While one kept his gun aimed at the woman behind the counter, the others scattered among the visitors, emptying their pockets and taking anything they deemed expensive enough with them.

One of these men came to stand next to you and pushed his foot against your side, the toes of his shoes poked between your ribs painfully and you winced before you rolled to your side. The man looked down at you properly now and a smirk spread on his lips. “I think I’m gonna need more than just your money, pretty little lady.”

You looked up at him in dread. You didn’t know where it came from, but your reply was a thoughtless stammer. “It wasn’t my turn yet,” you whispered, meaning to say that you had not had the chance to collect your money yet. You were broke. Well nearly. But the man didn’t catch on.

“Aww,” he cooed mockingly, “I think it is your turn,” and he leaned forward to grab your arm in a painfully tight grip. You knew it would bruise but were left with no choice but to follow his movements. He forced you up to your feet.

The man pressed you tight against his chest while he held your arm twisted behind your back. He held a painful grip, too tight for comfort. A clear sign that you were not to get away from him.

“Please,” you begged him. No way you were going to let this man get away with whatever plans he had for you.

It was at that moment, that someone’s voice could be heard echoing throughout the bank. “Hey,” it wasn’t a shout, but it had been forceful enough for the men to shut up. An eerie silence fell in which the men turned their heads to greet the newcomer.

In the doorway stood a man, a red suit on, face painted and hair dyed an unnatural tint. You had heard about this man. The Clown Prince Of Crime. Gotham’s latest and most successful criminal.

He stood hunched, a cigarette between his lips while he held a lighter in his left hand. His right hand was in the pocket of his pants, while his left moved slightly, lazily throwing the lighter up before catching it a few times.

Then he tilted his head to look at the men.

“Boss,” the one nearest to the counter began, but their boss shut them up merely by removing his right hand from his pocket and raising his index finger.

“The Joker,” one of the women behind the counter said, breathlessly. Most of the hostages looked at the newcomer in fear. The Joker had rapidly gained a reputation for being one of the most unpredictable and cruelest criminals Gotham had to offer. It was a given that anyone who was aware of who he was, was fearing for their life at this point. Would he set fire to the bank? Would he take a gun and shoot everyone dead? It wouldn’t be the first time he would do such a thing.

You felt a rapid rise in your heart rate, your chest rising and falling rapidly while you tried to breathe. The man’s fingers were still curled around your arm, digging into your skin. But you hardly felt it now that you came face to face with Gotham’s most dangerous and most wanted man in the whole of history.

Joker’s eyes met yours and it felt like lightning struck you. An ice-cold sword pierced through your spine, keeping you pinned to the spot. Those green eyes, you had seen them before. You remembered them. You thought you would never see them again.

Arthur? But that couldn’t be, could it? He was no criminal.

You stood frozen and hardly registered how the Joker shook his head and tusked. His hair, it was his hair. A different color, but you recognized it anywhere. You had dreamed of running your hands through it so often.

“I think you have something of mine there,” was all Joker needed to say for the man to let go of your arm. The man stumbled backward as if scared all of a sudden. So this Joker, this semblance of Arthur, was truly their leader? And they revered him? They did as they were told by him? This cowering frail man that you had saved from teenage boys was now the most wanted man in the whole of Gotham?

And then another scary thought. Had it been his orders to rob the bank then as well?

But your thoughts came to a sudden stop when you saw Arthur’s hand move. It was him, wasn’t it? It truly was Arthur?

The Clown Prince of Crime. He walked elegantly towards you, taking his time, a cigarette in his hand, still burning. Then he brought it to his lips and took a long drag before he exhaled slowly. Little clouds of white swirled up from his lips to disappear into the summer sky.

“I missed you, doll.” ~_~

AN: I take suggestions for a follow up ;D (perhaps smut?)

[smittenbyvillains]

Fallen From Earth 2

Warnings: almost kidnapping

The next few days when the same. You ate, became friends with the girls and the teasing went on. You didn't say anything. You being here was already most likely really bad. You were in class when there was banging against the magic barrier. Oh no. He was here. You quickly went to your dorm and hid. Valtor was having the witches attack the school. He was here though. He wasn't one to step into the school. This was really bad. You sensed something was about to happen.

You looked outside your window and saw the Winx going after him. You went into your closet and hid in the darkest spot. Being careful not to say anything. After a while, everything seemed to calm down. You were about to leave the closet when you heard those footsteps. It was heavier and not the Winx or any professor. The person was walking around your room. They were looking for something. You didn't have anything of value. After they left and it had been a few minutes you went out of the closet and ran to find the girls.

Halfway there someone pulled you close to them. Your back against their chest and they had a hand over your mouth so you couldn't scream. You tried to squirm out of their hold but their hold only tightened around your waist. Then the color of their coat caught your eye. It was Valtor. The one person you were warned about.

"Stop moving you pest fairy." He said. The winx soon arrived and went to attack him but saw he had you. He wasn't letting go of you.

"Let her go Valtor!" Bloom said. He only shook his head.

"No can do dear Bloom," Valtor smirked. "You want to attack me for your revenge but your new friend here is in the way. Quite the situation." Something in you snapped. You transformed into your fairy form. You were the fairy of angels. When your wings appeared they knocked Valtor back. They were like how you would have imagined. But this is real. Did this really happen all along?

Valtor had been knocked on the wall making a dent. He was in shock for a second before getting up and smirking. "My my... quite the show I just got." He spoke. You turned to face him.

"Don't touch me again!" You spoke almost shakily. He walked over to you and grabbed your face.

"No can do my little angel." He said with a chuckle. "I'll be back. Make sure you are ready to leave" He said as he walked into the shadows. You stood there for a second just shocked. The girls carefully walked over to you.

"Are you okay?" Techna asked gently. You opened your mouth to speak before flying off to another part of the school. The girls only frowned worriedly. Now they knew what you were but why weren't you here in the first place. You found an empty classroom before going into it and just sobbing your heart out. You had your knees against your chest as they were bent. Almost like you were protecting yourself.

The Winx girls all went to find you and split up. Faragonda would have their heads if they didn't find you. The classroom door opened and you could feel someone knelt down.

"Hey, hey what's wrong?" The voice asked gently. You looked at the person. It was Palladium. You sniffled and wiped your eyes. You didn't know what to say. You were overwhelmed and just confused. It was true. You were a fairy. Now you understand why you felt different. Is this why your parents treated you differently? Were you, not theirs?

"He almost took me." You hiccupped. Palladium made a glass of water appear and gave you it to drink it. You drank it. "I-I I'm scared... this is confusing." You mumbled. "I only imagined being a fairy this type of fairy but it's true..." He only listened.

"I think you look very pretty in your fairy form if that helps. Did you not transform ever?" He asked being gentle. You shook your head.

"No. I only imagined it in my room." You sighed. You weren't shaking anymore.

"I hate to say this but we need to talk to Faragonda now. This is serious." He said and helped you up. You just nodded. You decided to stay in your fairy form. He walked you to the office and when he opened the door you saw Winx, and Faragonda there as well as some teachers. Everyone was clearly worried. You were as well.

"The girls told me what happened from their side but we need your side," Faragonda spoke. You just nodded. You were just more scared than normal because you knew what he could do. "Whatever you're ready." You started to speak after that.

"When I heard the fighting I went to my room to hide. After a few minutes, someone entered my room and was looking around. I got out of the closet once they left but Valtor must have been waiting." You said all in one. You were frowning. Bloom just wrapped an arm around you.

"He won't grab you again," Bloom said. You nodded. You knew you weren't going to be sleeping anytime soon. You bit your lip.

"I know his power. He scared me as a child." You said honestly. "I know I can't say what happens due to the universal laws but he gets worse." You transformed finally feeling safer than before.

"I will keep searching about you Y/N there has to be a book," Faragonda said.

"I must have a storybook about me... right?" You asked. Faragonda smiled.

"Of course."

[morganski-19]

Steddie Week Day 7: Free Space

@steddie-week

read part 1 here

Finding himself sitting in his van parked in front of the Harrington house, Eddie taps his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the song blaring through his radio. He came here pretty late for Steve's terms and without much of a plan. Only to explain himself and hope Steve would forgive him. Forgive him for running away after their kiss and avoiding him for a week after it. 

Eddie hopes after everything, Steve will understand. If things had played out differently, he would have stayed. Would have asked Steve to come home with him. Finish the path of wandering hands and soft moans that started in the locked bedroom. But then Eddie had to get in his head and force himself to think that Steve and Nancy were back together, that he was putting himself between something he should just leave alone. 

He blames it on the alcohol. Messing with his brain to tell him things that weren’t true. Make him think that Steve would actually do that to him. Brought his old form of thinking back to his head. Eddie wouldn’t have thought twice about Steve doing this to him if he’d never got to know him. Revert the Steve he had fallen for back to the old, fake version he was in high school. Not the real, kind-hearted, thoughtful Steve he knew now. 

It’s funny really. If Eddie had really thought about it, he would have noticed that the looks in Steve and Nancy’s eyes were not of love, but of worry and thankfulness. Steve isn’t the type of person to kiss someone else while he’s in a relationship. Or even kiss someone and do a complete one-eighty and get with someone else. That might have been the old Steve Harrington but it’s not the new one. And even then, Eddie had a feeling that old Steve Harrington wouldn’t leave someone completely hung out to dry without at least telling it to their face. 

Finally deciding he’s had enough, Eddie shuts off his car and exits, slamming the door. He marches up to the Harrington’s front door, praying that Steve won’t just shut it in his face. Doing a few quick shakes and deep breaths to get himself ready, he finally knocks 

It opens a few moments later with a disheveled Steve behind it, hair not falling into its perfect place, and comfortable sweats adorning his body. “Oh, so now you want to see me.”

Eddie tries to put on one of his smiles, make light of the whole situation, and hope that it will make the bitterness leave Steve’s voice. He can’t force it, only hoping that the sincerity will come through anyway. “I need to talk to you.”

Steve scoffs, rolling his eyes. “And the other times I tried weren’t good enough for you?”

His gaze meets Steve’s, filled with a mix of anger and sadness. “Those times were different. I misunderstood-”

“You misunderstood,” Steve interrupts. “No, I think I was the one who misunderstood. See, I thought there might be something between us. Something I’ve been wanting for a while and I had the stupid thought in my head that you wanted it to. But you were so ashamed that it happened that you just hide from me for a week and now you’ve come here to say that you want to talk. I don’t think we have anything to talk about.” 

Every part of Eddie is telling him to run, let it go, and just move on from it. But Steve’s too important for that, and he deserves to know what really happened. Steve starts to shut the door, but Eddie stops it, slamming his hand against the wood. “I saw you with Nancy that night,” he blurts out.

“What does Nancy have to do with any of this?”

“When I came down from the bedroom, I saw you pull her into a hug and kiss her forehead. Blame the alcohol or whatever, but I thought you two had gotten back together. That you kissing me was just a fluke because you couldn’t have her, and then you could so I ran. Ran away from the party, away from you. I … I knew I couldn’t handle the rejection so I just decided that I was never going to let it happen. 

The door opens fully again. “Come in. 

Eddie lets out a relieved breath, walking inside the house. He turns to face Steve, the anger from before morphing into hurt. Steve crosses his arms and stares at Eddie, searching his eyes for some sort of understanding. 

“Do you know what happened that night?”

“Yeah,” Eddie nods. “Robin told me about it when she came over earlier today.”

“Why would you think that I would just kiss you and go back to her like nothing happened?”

Eddie rubs his eyes. “I don’t know. It’s happened before. Guys kiss me just to mess with me before going back to their girlfriends. Looking back, I know you wouldn’t do that to me. But in the moment and after the way I saw you look at her a few months ago-”

“You thought that I would do what all those other guys did,” Steve finishes the sentence, taking a step toward Eddie. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way.”

“And I’m sorry for not letting you explain why you did it.”

Steve reaches out and pulls Eddie into a hug. Eddie returns it, sinking into the other’s touch. “I forgive you,” Steve whispers as they pull apart, pressing his forehead against Eddie’s. 

“I forgive you too.” Eddie leans forward, closing the gap between them, pressing his lips against Steve’s.

You can totally stop here, or you could read the full version here on my ao3. (warning: it gets spicy)

[jazz-my-soul]

Lucifer ( A VERY LONG READ)

Honestly, i feel like Lucifer made a huge impact on me and i like the idea of his characther.

However, i would like to talk more about him.

Firstly, he has six wings especially "red wings", so that mean's that he must be a Seraphim. I can be very wrong with that, since i'm not sure myself however, we do need to keep in mind that Seraphim's are the being's closest to god itself (however, the question if god exists in hazbin hotel's universe is still uncertain, or perhaps there is a council of Seraphim's or something similar to it, we don't know even know if Lucifer siblings will be present (however that does depend on which version of Lucifer we are going for). He has been described as a trickster and a dreamer, he has fallen in love deeply with Lilith and they gave the apple of knowledge to Eve and they were punished for their sin's and casted into hell itself.

That being said, they are some people that theorized that Lucifer's true form is a six winged duck, which i do believe is wrong because we do see him turn into an a snake when he gives an apple to Eve (and his demonic apperance also resembles a snake (aka eyes, his tounge). In some scenes with Al, he also growel's and you can kinda hear hissing. I would also like to say that i don't believe that Lucifer and Lilith are divorced, poor guy is just depressed because his wife dissapeared into the thin air, and he MAYBE is afraid that she left him (but it was pointed out that Lucifer and Lilith are madly in love with each other). Issue more araises that he already became depressed when heaven made his dream's into a mockery. He was literally hell-bound into giving humanity free will and because he broke the rule and gave Eve an apple of knowledge, he was casted out into hell where he would see what would become of his dream. His world overpopulated by sinner's who are psyhopath's, sex addicts, abusers, most of the time, well very bad people. That already crushed his spirits and of course, with him and his followers (aka other sins) being twisted and turned into demonic version of themselfs, his only hope and pride were his daughter and his wife. That is the only thing which made him happy, and his daughter loved his little projects, i believe he makes ducks because his little daughter smiled when she saw one.

I don't know how much of the intro of the first epizode was true(as much as i would like to believe that the story which Lucifer told Charlie was true (and perhaps, there is truth in it but there are also white lies in it as well, we know nothing about Eve and what happened to her, Lilith face was in a shadow in a flashback and we do have to acceot that he is after all a sin of pride itself). We do know that Lucifer know's more about heaven but that being said, he is also the sin of the pride. As much, he is a goofy and loving dad, his pride is the reason why he lost contact with his daughter. He is to afraid to make the first move and too prideful to admit that he need's company and that he is lonely and is extremly desperate to be part of Charlie's life. Ever since his wife left somewhere (and i feel like she probably told him that she will be gone for a while, or she left him a message) it still hurted him and he most likely didn't know how to approach Charlie, so he locked himself and created and hoarded ducks. He also avoided meeting with the Adam and send Charlie in his place, you could feel that he loves her and everytime when he chooses the wrong dialog and his daughter get's hurt or little bit angry at him, he feel's so small and hopeless. A popular and ongoing theory is that Al is chained to Lilith, and i do believe that is true. Perhaps he is send there to protect the hotel and keep eye on Charlie (either he lost the fight or failed manipilation against Liltih, or they both made a deal wtih each other (he protect's the hotel and keep's an eye on Charlie and in the return he keep's his power or gain's something more). Also Lucifer's and Al's dad battle was very fun to watch. Of course, it hurted his pride to see that Charlie already found somebody who was that close to her and managed to replace his role of a father to Charlie, however, i personally don't believe that Al see's Charlie as his daughter (he MIGHT bond with her more into later seasons but he called her his wannabe daughter and gave himself the role of the parent, because he KNOW'S which words sting Lucifer's prideful soul and Lucifer also know's how to rile up Alistor when he called him an "Hazbin" and when he was smug about the fact that Al was in the end of the day, just a other psyhopatic sinner and he poked Charlie around with that information, basically telling her "I told you so".

(Also i love these card's, kinda forgot to mention how menacing and (kinda cute) Lucifer is, it is kinda suprising to me how through the epizode's he really manage's to look like an angel and a demon in the same time, he either look's soft or sharp and both at the same time).

Some people pointed out that the last song was a bit rushed and didn't really felt earned for them both to reconnect with each other but i didn't hated it. I do agree that the epizode's felt a bit rushed, it is hard to have a normal healthy season when there is only 8 epizode's (i do hope they will be more in later seasons, or that perhaps they will be 40 mins long, instead of 24 mins). And i do understans the points of it being rushed and i do agree that it does feel rushed, perhaps i feel like we needed more time to see their bond to make it more impactful but again perhaps they were on the time crunch but i did liked the dialog between them. Luficer was so desperate to finally be with his daughter and when Charlie told him "Why dosen't my own father believe in me", it just crushed him. I don't think Charlie got manipulated by Al for 100% but i do feel like, she really felt like a daughter who just wanted that her father didn't pointed that what she is trying to do will lead in faliure, because she wanted to make her parents dream come true. With them talking with each other and seeing just how desperate Lucifer is to protect her and is afraid of losing her but at the same time he does really see her for a person who she became to be. Also another mystery is how be is still able to have an contact with heaven, he clearly has some connection because heaven ALLOWED Charlie to go there so even if Lucifer isn't allowed to come, there are still some angel's who are willing to hear him out or accept his request. Either that be his sibiling's, perhaps his father, maybe friends?.

Charlie is also tehnically an half angel as well, so i do feel like she actually will need to flaunt that fact as well to heaven. I do hope that we see more of Lucifer later on. I was just so suprised by how well he is voice acted as well. I did had my doubts when i heard an sneak peak of the song but listening to the song, the voice actor's vocal range, he is a perfect fit. Also a small thing which i would also like to see, is that we will probably see Lucifer be more intimidating, but i feel like he only does that to the people who hurt Charlie or who just cross his line but again, love him. I want to see more of him and his relationshop with Charlie and Lilith!.

Perhaps, IF WE MIGHT SEE Lucifer and heaven (aka Sera, his siblings, other ange's (if he has them) and such being in good graces again (which will take SEASON'S for it to even be possible). I would like that they call him by his real name which is Samael (because that was his original name).

Sorry for the long post but as being said, i just loved his characther. I remember when people theorized what kind of father he will be and it was very different then it actually became.

[luniellar]

Breathe Me (Garrick Tavis X OC/Reader) - Chapter 3 - The Empyrean Series Fanfiction

When Xaden Riorson and Garrick Tavis arrive at Samara, they are forced to prove themselves all over again. When Xaden heads off to see Violet at Basgiath since their dragons are mated, Garrick finds himself alone in this unfamiliar area trying to get his name established navigating fights and ambushes. He owed his life to the man.

One particular night when Xaden leaves for Basgiath, Garrick finds himself with a new company. One who starts turning his world upside down and giving him something, that isn't just the Xaden and rebellion, to fight for. ______________________________________

All rights to Rebecca Yarros for her original work and original characters. My scenes and characters are my own. ______________________________________

Contains: Fourth Wing/Iron Flame Spoilers Warnings: Language

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3

Read on AO3 | Wattpad

Lei Aukai

“Wake, now.” 

When I opened my eyes my senses were clouded in anxiousness. I clutched my heart trying to dull the feeling. Cosheirm was seeing something. 

“What’s wrong?” 

I haven’t woke up with this kind of feeling since the last time when - 

Cosheirm cut in. She was always good about protecting me. She was stopping me before my thoughts could wander off to eternal sadness.

“I was flying by the south clearing of Samara when I noticed another brown. It looks like Chradh has been circling the area for a while.” 

I pulled up my hair in my high ponytail and dressed in my gear within seconds. “Do you see anyone else?”

“Yes, from the looks of it, Sgyael will be arriving.”

Garrick must have called Xaden as well. I sheath my blade behind me. “I’ll meet you outside, Coshe.”

✦ ✦ ✦

I ran outside, moving as fast as I could to get to the dragon rendezvous point. Only the dim moonlight lit up the area outside. The field around me blurred as I felt the electric blue energy course through my veins allowing me to jump from one area to the next. The cool air filled my lungs and when I reached the clearing, I saw a familiar figure. His massive height alone was all I needed to know who that was.

A gust of wind blew around us as Chradh landed near him. If looks could kill…Chradh was menacing. Deep gashes and scars from fallen dragons who dared to share Chradh’s presence in the sky were visible from this far distance. Steam blew out of its nostrils as it looked around the field before locking eyes with mine. The crimson-red eyes watched me curiously. 

Garrick turned and I politely waved over to him who looked just as surprised. Gods, did I just do that? He started to walk towards me and he paused for a second to look up at the sky. Another gust of wind blew behind me. 

“Coshe,” I mentally greeted. I watched as Garrick moved his way over to me. His posture was tall and strong as his long legs glided over the ground. The thick dark curls on his head bounced on his head with each step. 

“Lei? What are you doing here?” He asked once he knew I was within listening distance. 

“Uh,” I started not sure how to answer the question. “I, uh, had a hard time sleeping when I heard Coshe.” It was kind of true.

Coshe grunted behind me. It was her form of rolling her eyes at me. “Coshe saw Chradh circling a particular area and got curious. It could be dangerous. Let me fly with you.” 

A huge grin appeared on Garrick’s face revealing his perfect smile. Chradh stepped forward tilting its head at me. My heart skipped a beat. “I appreciate the concern, but Xaden is already on his way. I think we got it covered.”

“An extra pair of wings won’t hurt right?” I added. Garrick shook his head. Was I being too pushy? I think I remembered Iris saying something about how guys don’t like girls who are too pushy? 

“This could be dangerous, Lei.” My name sounded so special in his voice. He stepped closer to me and he was within arms reach. His gaze moved up to my head and moved across my face down to my… lips. My mouth parted. “I’ll find you in the morning.”

“I’m not five, Garrick,” I replied. “I’ve handled dangerous things before. I won’t get in your way.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “This is not the kind of danger you think. There are some secrets I’m not allowed to tell-” 

“About venins?” I cut him off and his mouth dropped open like I froze time. He blinked back at me with his eyes open. I trust my gut with this one because this sick feeling has been stirring in my gut since the moment I woke up. I was told that the majority of the people in the Continent didn’t know about venins, but it looks like I was wrong. 

“I tried to keep it away from you,” Coshe admitted. 

“You know I always appreciate you,” I replied. 

“Did you just say-” Garrick asked when he finally found his voice again. 

“Yes, I know about venins. So let me fly with you and Xaden.” 

“How did you-” Garrick started to say and frowned, glancing back at Chradh. “Chradh wants us in the air right now. Xaden is close. Are you sure you want to do this?”

I smiled and turned to Coshe. “Come on, the last one in the sky is a loser.” I heard thuds as Garrick’s footsteps hit the ground and he made his way to Chradh. 

Once I mount Coshe, she springs into the air, her wing pulling in strong gusts of wind. To my surprise, Chradh is right behind us as we stabilize in the sky. Half a second later, Garrick is flying beside me keeping up with Coshe’s pace. 

I raise my right hand, pointing my pointer and thumb toward him, making an uppercase L above my forehead. As Coshe thrusts her wings and propels us forward past Chradh, I swear I heard his deep laughter echo in the sky.

Garrick Tavis

After a short flight, I see Xaden and Sgaeyl in the air with us. When my flying speed slows down, Coshe and Sgaeyl follow, repositioning their location diagonally behind Chradh. I can sense that Chradh is trying to locate the runes again. 

“Anything?” I ask after a moment of circling. 

”Yes, the rune is weaker now, but it’s still there.” Chradh replies. “I don’t sense the venin.”

I look down and see a structure that looks like an old wooden abandoned building out on a small clearing from this distance. Although the clearing was small, it was enough for three dragons to land. I throw a hand gesture in the air to signal Xaden and Lei that we will be landing here. I hold on tight as Chradh dives down effortlessly and lands on the clearing field. A few seconds later I hear two other dragons land.

Across the clearing is a larger version of the same old wooden building. From a closer distance, I could see that the windows were boarded up with planks. There was a small entrance located on the side of the building. 

Xaden walked up from behind me inspecting the structure with narrowed eyes. I glanced behind to make sure Lei was okay. I didn’t know why I was so worried when it came to Lei. Maybe it was because I was always used to new riders at Basgiath either barfing or tripping after dragon flights. Lei stood up from where she was sitting on Coshe’s rough back. I watched as she crouched down, buckling her legs like springs. I took a step forward when I saw her jump off, but she landed so gracefully. 

“What’s her deal?” Xaden asked. 

“I don’t know,” I replied as I turned back to face the structure when I saw her walking towards us. “I met her on the flight field.”

“Do you trust her?” 

I was about to reply, but Lei walked up behind us. Of course, I trusted Xaden with everything, but I didn’t know if her knowledge about venin was my secret to tell. I cleared my throat as her sweet vanilla scent filled the space around us. I don’t think I could ever get used to that. 

“Alright, you guys can keep watch for me while I check inside,” Lei said as she stepped on the other empty side beside me. 

I looked over at her. “What? No, you stand watch with Xaden. I’m familiar with runes.”

She looked up at me, meeting my eyes. “You guys are new to the Samara outpost and by seniority alone, you both fall under my supervision right now.” Lei glanced over to Xaden. “I never had anyone fall under my supervision and I am not going to make today my first.” 

“Garrick and I will stand patrol,” Xaden said and walked over to the empty clearing behind the building. His shadows thrived in this environment and there was no way either of us was going to fall tonight. But, he didn’t argue back.

“But-” 

Lei reached her hand over her back and pulled out her sword from her back in one clean motion. “No buts. Help me by watching my back,” she smiled and started making her way over to the door. I knew she was skilled and more than capable. But, I wanted to hold her back. I didn’t like the thought of her going in there by herself.

I know Chradh said no venins, but we didn’t know what the runes were. I looked behind me and saw Lei wave her hands over the door followed by a soft thud as the door creaked open.

“Look forward,” Chradh reminded me from the sky. “You must focus on your duties so she can do hers.” All three dragons were circling the skies. 

I clenched my jaw and looked ahead. My eyes carefully examined every inch of the forested areas. I didn’t see any movement. Everything was still. As my eyes rescanned the fields, my mind couldn’t place why the rune's presence weakened by the time we arrived.

It wasn’t like the rune was moved to a different location or hidden underground. According to Chradh, the rune was always located in this abandoned building. Then, there was also the venin presence. Was the venin here to monitor the rune? But if the rune was important to be monitored, why would the venin not have a patrol set up? Nothing was adding up.

Unless the rune was worthless from the start. A meaningless rune designed to create a strong presence to attract whoever was nearby. It only needed to hold the presence until it attracted the prey. No . I turned around and started running. This was a trap.

A scream pierced my ears, the sound shattering the stillness. My heart raced as I ran as fast as I could to the wooden building. I felt the same uneasiness in my chest from earlier, stirring in my chest. That was the venin and I knew I was moving closer to it. 

When I got to the doorway, a cloaked figure was holding a body in the air by the throat. Lei’s hands were clenched around her neck, grabbing a hold of the cloaked figure’s wrists. Her feet kicked in the air desperately as the figure lifted her higher. 

“Lei!” I screamed as I reached for my iron dagger and ran at the cloaked figure at full speed. Winding up my arms, I was ready to drive the dagger when the figure turned to me, his brown eyes were rimmed with red with protruding veins glaring back at me. He smiled as he effortlessly moved Lei’s body where I was planning to drive the dagger.

No. 

I immediately dropped the dagger and my hand grazed off to the side. The cloaked venin grinned as he kicked my ribs, knocking me off to the side. The force was nothing like I felt before. My back hit the wall and I gasped for air. My vision blurred for a second as my eyes fixed on Lei's body hovering with her hands dangling. I blinked slowly trying to stay conscious. A loud thud rang in my ears. When I opened my eyes again, Lei’s body was now lying next to mine. 

“So pathetic,” the venin’s voice rang out. Something about the voice was familiar. “This is so fucking easy.” 

I looked up to see a glint of a blade in the venin’s hand. He pulled his arms for the final strike and I pushed off the floor reaching for a dagger strapped to my side. Everything was in slow motion as his blade came down. No, I was too slow. 

The darkness surrounded me. I couldn’t see anything. No Lei. No Venin. Did I die? I didn’t feel the blade and my ribs were still bruised. It would suck if this pain was going to be persistent on my way to see Malek.

“I didn’t expect you to be here, Riorson .” 

I blinked again and the familiar moonlit space came into my vision. I looked across from me as Lei was lying there with her eyes closed. Xaden had covered us with his shadows.

“You’re shadow-wielding skills are like what they say. It’s truly exceptional.” 

Why did this voice bother me so much? I looked up and I caught a glimpse of his blond hair with his hood down. What the fuck. 

“What the fuck do you want, Pratt?” Xaden replied. 

“I was just trying to teach Tavis here a lesson. I was hoping little Lei would join him. She was always so fucking predictable. But you… I didn’t expect you to be here.”

Silence filled the air again as I watched Pratt step over Lei’s body to Xaden. “We are waiting for you. If you give me a name drop when you decide to stop by, I won’t kill Tavis.”

What the fuck was going on between Xaden and Pratt? I pressed my palm against the floor and slowly propped myself up. I stared toward the doorway where Pratt’s cloak was covering Xaden’s body. The floor felt like it was shaking as I dragged myself over to Lei, taking her hand into mine. I wrapped my finger around her wrist and confirmed her pulse. 

Thank the gods.  

“I will never choose to join you,” Xaden replied. 

Pratt continued to walk forward, passing Xaden. “I have no interest in killing you, Riorson. You might want to get Lei to a healer soon though.” He turned around and his eyes shifted from Xaden to me. “I choked her pretty well.” 

My free hand clenched into a tight fist. “You fucking pussy,” I spat out. Fuck, I tasted iron in my mouth. 

“I will see you guys around,” Pratt chimed back cheerfully. “Next time, I will crush you with my hands Tavis. Oh and Riorson, think through my offer again. It still stands. Your best friend will get to keep his head.” 

Pratt turned around and walked off his black cloak dragging behind him.