#but another good name for it is “the monster au where i never explained and only vaguely implied any of them are monsters

[the-raindeer-king]

Monster au (no content warning. Gn reader, use of y/n, reader is a medium)

The two of them always show up late in the evening, far after the sun has set. It's easy to clock which one of them is a vampire, especially since you've never really seen him eat anything. He'll order something, sure. But the food always gets packed away in a to-go box that Johnny takes.

You learn through Johnny that the other man's name is Simon. Oddly normal name for a vampire, you think. But maybe he hasn't been around long. You don't bother asking, it seems rude too.

But that's the routine. Johnny and Simon come in late, sit in your section, and have dinner. Sometimes you take your break with them. It doesn't feel like you're forcing yourself into their little group. Hell, Johnny's your roommate. But sometimes, the way Simon stares at you makes butterflies erupt in your tummy and heats your cheeks.

You're pleasantly surprised when Simon comes in with someone else tonight. It's not a complete shock; Johnny's preoccupied with the full moon. But you've never seen them come in with anyone else, and you've certainly never seen this man before.

You head over to his table with a smile, already pulling your pen out of your apron pocket. “Hey, Si. You're here early,” you comment. A technical truth. The sun had set only thirty minutes ago; the sky still aglow with the remains of the day.

“Soap said you don't work late tonight,” he replies.

Another truth. One of the new girls took your typical shift, meaning you'd have been long gone by the time Simon normally comes in.

“Couldn't lose your favorite server,” you joke, noting the way his eyes crinkle, a sign he's smiling under his medical mask.

You turn to his friend, an apologetic smile on your face. “Where are my manners? I'm Y/N. I'll be your server tonight.”

Both men stare at you, different looks on their faces. Simon's eyebrows are furrowed together, confusion dancing across his eyes. The other man, dark hair and even darker eyes, stares at you in shock, mouth agape.

“Love, who are you talking to?” Simon asks carefully, his honeyed eyes darting between you and the other man.

“Your friend,” you answer, reality already settling heavy in your chest. You've gotten pretty good at telling the difference between the living and the dead, and haven't had a slip up in awhile. Only to ruin it all in front of the man you've been trying to impress.

“I, uh, I mean… let me get you some water,” you awkwardly fumble out, turning and practically running away.

You fumble around in the kitchen for fifteen minutes, hoping maybe he'll just leave. But that's the thing with the undead: they've got endless patience. Simon's practically glaring holes into the other side of the booth, as you return with a glass of ice water.

“Sit.”

It's not a question, and you know better than to argue. The other man scoots over, and you sit beside him. Subconsciously, you wrap your hands around the glass of the cup, the cold grounding you to the present situation.

The man moves his hand slowly, mouthing something as he does. It takes you a second to realize that he’s using sign language, that either he didn’t speak during life or his death removed the ability to. You don’t ask, just appreciate that he’s signing slowly so you can keep up.

“Your nickname was Roach?” you ask, outloud, missing the way Simon’s posture changes at the statement.

The man explains that his name is Gary, but Simon knows him as Roach. They were in the military together, before Simon got turned. This is news to you, as you had only gathered bits and pieces of Simon’s life from the things Johnny and him had dropped during casual conversation. Which, in all honesty, wasn’t a lot of information.

Finally, you turn to look at Simon, who stares like he’s seen a ghost (pun not intended). He stares intensely at the spot where Gary sits, like if he stares hard enough he’ll be able to see him. After a moment, he turns his dark eyes on you, frowning.

“So, you can see the dead?” he asks.

“I prefer the term medium, but yes, I can see the dead,” you agree. “Can hear them too, sometimes. It depends on the spirit.”

Simon sighs, leaning back in the booth. He pinches the bridge of his nose, trying not to go off on you. For a man, literally and metaphorically, surrounded by the ghosts of his past, he’s equally impressed as he is pissed that you didn’t say anything sooner. But, for now, he needs to know what Roach wants. The man deserves peace, after everything they went through together.

“Okay, so what does he want?”

“What?”

“Sanderson. What does he want?”

Now, it’s your turn to stare in confusion, eyebrows furrowed together. “What do you mean?”

Simon grumbles under his breath for a moment. “Don’t ghosts usually linger when they’ve got unfinished business, or whatever? So, if he’s still hanging around, then what’s the issue? Why hasn’t he passed on yet?”

“Oh, uh…” you reply, glancing over at Gary, who shrugs in response.

You learned pretty early on that, in some cases, the deceased just can’t move on. Sometimes it’s because they need help moving on, a burial in the wrong spot, missing important items, ect. Tangible things that they have no power in controlling. But, sometimes, it’s because they’re stuck in eternal limbo, better known as purgatory, condemned to wander the earth forever. But you’ve got a feeling that telling Simon this isn’t going to end well, so you keep it to yourself for now.

“He, uh, he doesn’t know,” you tell Simon, who looks like he might blow a gasket.

[mykuup]

Of bone and bloom - Cryptid!Eddie Munson AU Epilogue

Moodboard + summary + Serie Masterlist

My masterlist

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Epilogue

Summary : What you call something you're dreaming of, appearing in front of you in the middle of the day. Magic? Hallucination? Insanity? Yeah.. it's definelty insaity right?

wc : 1,067 words

Warnings : fix-it end // back to 1986 bc it's his year baby // fluff // kinda soulmate ending? // monster romance // MDNI // size gap // no mention of y/n // afab reader (but no description)

A/n : I will never say thank you enough. You guys are incredible! Thank you for all the love you gave to this story. Every like, every comment, every reblog went straight to my heart. Your reactions were priceless and I LOVED reading y'all.

I'm not a huge blog, I'm not a very good writer but I don't mind because of all the kindness you sent me during this serie. I'll always be grateful 💜

@saphirmoraitie I love you beyond stars. Thank you for being in my life

Taglist : @jasminelafleur @maedesculpaeusoubi @sassidykassidy @arabellagreenleaf @babybatlover @littlexdeaths (aka @thefreaksrecs )

This year is my year. I can feel it!

Eddie had always been a little different. His friends, his band, his age and his obsession with Dungeons & Dragons—it all made him stand out in ways he wasn’t always sure he liked. But there was something else, too. Something he couldn't quite explain, even to himself. It wasn’t just the dreams he’d had for as long as he could remember. Or the way the woods that bordered his town seemed to call to him like a familiar song. It was something deeper, a pull he couldn’t shake.

For years, he had played it off. After all, who would understand if he said he felt like part of him belonged to another world? But it was more than that—it was as if his soul had been searching for something. Or someone.

That was why she had appeared in his campaigns. The creature. An NPC (non-playable character) he’d created from scratch—though, if he was honest, he wasn’t sure where the idea for her had even come from. She was a beautiful, mysterious guardian of the forest: powerful yet kind to the players. He named her “Wildflower,” avoiding a human name to keep her untethered to his world. Every time the Hellfire played, Eddie found himself giving the monster—the cryptid he would say to Gareth for the millionth time— more depth, more of a backstory, more of his attention. She was his favorite character, a quiet obsession that gnawed at him in ways he didn’t quite understand. 

His friends teased him about it sometimes.

“What’s with you and this forest spirit chick?” Jeff would joke, and Eddie would shrug, laughing it off. “Just a muse, ‘kay?” he’d say, though even he knew it was more than that.

Still, he never imagined he would actually meet her.

It was a late afternoon in the fall, the crisp air clinging to the last vestiges of summer warmth. Eddie, as usual, had slipped away to wander the woods. The high school behind him felt stifling, too loud, too full of people who didn’t get him and Mrs. Clark’s class had nearly driven him up the wall. He needed space to breathe, a chance to be alone, to smoke and unwind.

Out here, at his usual picnic table deep in the woods, there was a quiet that settled his mind. The rustling leaves, the scent of pine, the earth solid beneath his boots—it was where he felt most at home.

But today felt… different. There was a hum in the air, a subtle vibration, like something was stirring just beyond his senses. Drawn by that feeling, he wandered deeper into the trees, his feet carrying him farther from school, away from the noise and chaos of the world. The pull grew stronger, guiding him until he found himself in a small clearing.

And then Eddie saw something. Someone.

At first, he thought he was dreaming. The thing was standing beside a tree. A form that looked like a girl was standing there, her antlers entwined with vines and blossoms, her eyes glowing softly in the fading light, looking exactly like the cryptid he created.

She was there. His Wildflower.

The one he had drawn over and over during class, sketched in his notebooks, described in vivid detail to Dustin, Jeff, Gareth, and all the members of Hellfire Club. The character he’d built at the gaming table and saw in his dreams. She was real. You were real, and you were standing right in front of him.

His breath caught in his throat as your eyes met. You froze, your ethereal form tensing as if unsure whether to run or stay. But Eddie... he couldn’t move. He could only stare, his mind whirling with thoughts that refused to make sense. How could this be real? How could you be real?

But then, something clicked. Deep in his chest, a recognition stirred. It was like a lock turning, a door opening to a memory he didn’t know he had. His heart raced, but at the same time, he felt... calm. Like this was meant to happen.

He took a slow step forward, dry leaves crunching beneath his boots, breaking the spell of stillness between you.

“Wildflower, you’re here!” he said, his voice soft but filled with the weight of years he couldn’t explain. As soon as the words left his lips, he knew them to be true. He had been searching for you his whole life, even if he hadn’t realized it.

You blinked, and for a fleeting moment, your expression softened. Recognition bloomed in your eyes, and Eddie’s heart skipped a beat. Did you know him, too? Could you feel the pull between you, the connection that seemed to stretch across lifetimes?

You took a step toward him, each movement as graceful as if the earth itself were guiding you. Slowly, you reached out, your hand hesitant, and Eddie met you halfway. His fingers brushed against yours, and a spark shot through him—not painful, but electric, like the entire forest was alive between you.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” you whispered, your voice soft as the wind but heavy with meaning. Eddie’s chest tightened. He had no idea how or why, but he understood your words. It seems like he also thought he would never see you—his whole life. The dreams, the stories, the inexplicable draw to the woods—it had all been leading him here, to you.

“I feel like I’ve waited for you all my life,” he murmured, stepping closer. His heart raced, but he felt no fear, only certainty. “And now you’re here, and I remember you.” Finally, Eddie understood—this was where he was meant to be. With you.

The world around you seemed to blur as he took you in—your radiant beauty, the shimmer of the air around you, and the sense of belonging that settled over him like warmth on a winter’s night. He had always felt out of place in the world he was born into. But here, with you, he felt whole.

“I’m here now,” you whispered, your voice trembling slightly with emotion. “And I won’t leave you again.”

Eddie smiled, his heart swelling with a mix of relief and joy. He knew this was only the beginning. Somehow, across time and lifetimes, your souls had found each other again. He had no idea what the future held, but he didn’t care.

Because he was finally home.

[queen-of-scissors]

I saw your "god of the multiverse" thing where reader tells them abt the other games theyve played and i just-- JFJSJFJEBOFJSNFEOFN I AM JUMPING SO HARD ON THIS HYPE TRAIN--

I only have two words for you.

Among. Us.

You're welcome.

BUT LIKE FR FR THO-- HOW WOULD THEY REACT?? Since the entire thing is literally cooperate or die for crewmate, or Eat Hot Chip And Lie / Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss for imp

And like, imagine them being named Dolos or Apate as a new epithet if they enjoy lying as crewmate to stir the pot or just regular lying as imp (dolos was the spirit of trickery, apate was the personification of deceit-- you can make either kaeya, albedo, ruebedo or dain give the title since theyre all from khanriah)

Or like-- they could also be rlly uncomfy with being imp and just being a model crewmate and they could be given the epithet Eleos or Anteros because of it

Just-- THSKFJSKDJWJ soooo many possibilities for reader/creator

And like-- oh my gOD IMAGINE THEM TRYING TO MAKE THE ACOLYTES PLAY IT AHAHAHA

The murder?? Theres gonna be a LOT

Sorry if there was a lot, i just rlly enjoy what you've written so far!! Have a nice day :))

GOOD SHİT GOOD SHİT THATS SUM GOOD SHİT RİGHT THERE!!!!

First, explaing the game.

Everyones reactions will be diffrent about it, no matter how you explain it;

The scared ones

Noelle, Diluc (brother flashbacks),Barbara, Bennett, Razor (lupical PROTEC lupical!! NO KİLL), sucrose, Jean, Yelan (you... Kill your friends??)

The impressed ones

Kaeya, Childe, Venti, Hu Tao, Yanfei (sees it as a usefull skill), zhongli (MF is impressed by anything u do smh), Lisa, Ei, Yae miko

The confused ones (what why would you?)

Ganyu, Xiao, Diluc, İtto (doesn't even understand the rules), kuki shinobu, Kazuha

"İ WANNA TRY!!! oh wait does this count as blasphemy-"

Childe, Venti, Albedo, KLEE (actually thinks it like a game), Yelan (ok since you said its not actually killing them i wanna try), İTTO, Nahida (knows its a game), Heizou

Now if we were the imposter you are right. İt doesnt matter if you are bad at it, they are going to call you as some god that has been assosiated with trickery.

İ wrote a story about it. But didn't make the reader as imposter because no one wouldn't dare to say you are an imposter. Even as a joke

ESPECİALLY if it was a traitor!AU. Tough im not sure that they would even play if that were the case

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

İ made the story of how you got the title a bit long, i hope you like it :)

More under the cut!

______________________________________

"Have you guys ever played 'vampire'?"

Your voice echoed in the throne room, they looked confused, they weren't expecting your answer to be another question.

You were bored out of your mind. Watching people come and go in the room just for them to ask for your guidance about daily stuff was a pain, both phsicaly and emotionaly. So you opened your phone to get a bit of a downtime while no one was there to ask for your divine wisdom.

"Forgive my rudeness, Your highness. But... What does that have to do with it?" Said Albedo, who got there for your divine wisdom.

"You asked what i was doing in my device, so in order for me to answer, you must for answer my question."

"Vampires..." He mumbled "aren't those imaginary, humanoid monsters that drink blood to survive?"

"Ah, ok. i see that you never played."

"Play what exactly?"

"So its a game about a group of villagers trying to find a vampire/werewolf among them.

You choose one host, and that person controlls the whole game, The other players all close their eyes and the host walks among them, and picks a vampire.

Each night, the vampire chosses someone to kill and that person is eleminated, and each day, the other players try to find the vampire and kill them.

İf they choose the wrong person that person is also eliminated."

Acolytes look at eachother, that sounds so fun?!(deffinetly not the kill eachother without killing eachother one is the reason not at aaaallll)

"Ohh, İ see," Kaeya said, impressed "so this game also tests you ability to not get caught and lie, as well as finding lies. This is interesting!"

"...turnes out, you might have a chance after all, since the creator favors imposters and all." Diluc half whispered to him.

Lets pretend we didn't hear him for his sake.

"Yeah so on my phone im playing it but this version is harder."

"OHHH i wanna try!" Klee said exitedly!

Jean stoped her "Klee, the creators device is a holy one, so we cant just ask them to give it to us for our desires."

"Actually i dont mind! Does anyone else wanna play?"

The smartest yandere ones were having a light yagami moment ("if i agree to play they might think im a murderer and discard me but if i don't play they will think im avoiding these types of games because im a murderer myself and i would get discarded again. Oh i know, i will wait someone to take the bait and say 'of everyone is playing then i will too' then no one will suspect me hahahahHAHAHA İTS ALL ACORDİNG TO PLAN-)

"İm... Sorry your Grace but... İ think i will just watch." The depressed Yaksha said, he hates to dissapoint you but he doesnt want to kill people that he concidered friends, even if its fake.

Zhongli looked at you and his gaze softened.

"İ shall join if Your highness would join as well."

"But of course!!" There is no way you're going to miss THİS OPPORTUNİTY.

_____________________________

The game.

This isn't the game where you taught them how to play. (Which... Took like.... 3 whole days. İm not writing that)

Yae and Venti (a dangerous duo smh) asked for your permision to make the event prised. You agreed, this might make things more fun! They didn't told you what it was though.

PLAYERS: ChildE, Bombombaku (Klee), windbornbard (Venti), foxlady (Yae miko), Rockhead (zhongli(venti messed it up)), (your choise of player name), COOLGUY (itto), Al Haitham, Ei, Dreamy (Nahida)

.

.

.

İt started as you being a crewmate. The god team were immediatly on your side, attempting to keep an eye on you. But as soon as you shot them an angry glare from across the room, they left you alone.

you were a bit worried that the imposter was going to get too scared and not kill you for the whole game just because you are the creator, and having the gods in Real life be at your Side even in the game might scare them even more.

You watched as rockhead leave the caffeteria, Ei going to the opposite direction from him. But windbornbard did not move at all. Not even an inch.

You made your character walk up to him, wondering if he is having connection problems, just as you tried to get him to move, he killed you and ran away.

..... That smart mother fu-

Honestly, you weren't mad at all, (just a bit if you game rage alot like me) because this could help to ease tention in the first few rounds.

You followed windbornbard a little, wondering if he is going to get another kill. You both passed the boiler room and through security camera room. Seeing other players and fake tasking.

.

DEAD BODY FOUND

Your toughts were cut short as they discovered COOLGUY's body.

Windbornbard gasped "the creator is dead?!"

Your throne room was filled with whispers, and angry mumbling, completely forgetting that COOLGUY is also dead (poor itto).

"Who would dare such a thing?! İ tought the gods were going to be at their Side the whole game!" ChildE said panicing, as if you actually got killed.

Al haitham picked on quickly, "if there was an agreement on protecting them. That can only mean that one of the archons is the traitor."

"Maybe, both of the imposters are gods?" Foxlady spoke in her teasing voice, profably to see Ei's reaction. "After all, theres only one way that they can get away with this, trap them and leave no witnesses behind."

"What you are saying is unlikely," Dreamy objected. "if that were the case, one of the archons would be dead as well, as all of us promised to protect them, one of us would have to witness the murder and the second imposter would kill the other god."

"Uhhhh... Guys?? İm also dead??? HELLO???"

Rockhead cutted in. "Sadly, we cant make any assumptions on who killed our creator, since we all parted ways to do our tasks by ourselves when..." He trailed off in the end, Coughing to hide his emberrasment, he didnt want to admit that he got scared.

"Then im voting to skip the vote." Windbornbard said. Someone find this man, you can't deal with his smug face if he wins!!

And thus, everyone skiped the meeting an no one got voted out.

-------

Next round you decided to do your tasks. That might help the crew a bit. While you go through the corridors you noticed Al haitham and windbornbard is going to somewhere together, and its not the first time you caught them walking Side by side. You're not sure if Al haitham got suspicious of venti or he is an imposter as well. Either way its an interesting duo. Maybe you should check the cameras.

You went to security room and looked through.

Blockhead was standing in the corridor, watchin Ei from a distance.

ChildE was avoiding everyone, immideatly leaving if the room has a player inside, he is taking it so seriously, he is profably not an imposter, you thought.

Klee was getting in and out of the rooms, Following random people and waiting just besides the door. İt suspicious but it could be that she is just exited to play.

You closed the security camera window, and looked across the real world room instead.

İtto placed the phone you gave him to his side and crossed his arms, pouting because he was the first one to die. Trying to look at other peoples phones from where he stood, to find the other imposter.

You could see the sweats forming at zhongli's forehead. He was SUPER concentrated. Why was he, amongst all of the other acolytes, being so serious about it anyway?

You looked at the traitor, who realised you were looking at him and smiled at you. You smiled back, at least one of them is having fun!

Suddenly his smile grew bigger and went back to his phone. Uh-oh he has an idea doesnt he.

EMERGENCY MEETİNG

"AL HAİTAM STOP FOLLOWİNG ME" he partly screamed.

"You misunderstand me, i was just following to make sure you are not a traitor."

"Oh realy?! Then explain why while we were in the room to the east, the doors were locked and you started to chase me?"

"...that did not happen."

Foxlady cutted in "now that you mention it, i do remember that one of the rooms that had my tasks was blocked by a door."

"İM VOTİNG AL HAİTHAM" windbornbard said. İts all going acording to plan hehehehehe. Some other started to back him up as well.

"Wait."

Everyone in the room turned to Blockhead.

"İ understand that all the evidence seems to be targeting hım. But i know my bard friend here for quite long, i can tell when he is being serious." He looked at windbornbard, "could it be that you are trying to blame Al Haitham for your crimes against our creator?"

"You seem to have quite the imagination old friend" he said calmly, imitiating him "it is as you say, we've known eachother for a few thousand years after all. So i too, can read your emotions."

Venti once again turned to you "your highness said so themselves, it is just a game afterall, so theres no need for me to treat it as a war between rivals. Of course im not in my serious mood."

He turned back to him "now thats out of the way, i must ask, why did you gets so offensive and tried to protect Al Haitham? Kind of... What was the world? SUS? don't you think?"

You almost burst out laughing, it was so funny hearing it from him, he sounded like a grandpa who is learning internet lingo, despite his youmg voice.

"Are you suggesting that, i am the one who killed the creator?"

"Now i didn't say that, you could be the one that killed 'COOLGUY', since you have strick policies when it comes to the creator."

They glared at eachother while Ei voiced her opinion. "What bard sais sounds very belivable, while mr Zhongli also made a convincing point. İ suggest that we vote Al Haitham, and if he does turn out to be an imposter, we can figure out from there."

"Well, it seems i can't get myself out of this one even if i try. İt was a very fun game." Haitham sighed. He accepted defeat, just like that? This isn't like him.

"İ expected for you to fight a bit more over this, not gonna lie"

"İ was more interested in the gameplay, rather than the prize itself. So being able to see the working mechanics was enough for me."

"Ah i see, maybe i can teach you sometime?" You asked innocently, not caring of the angry glares that turned to him as soon as you said that.

"İ belive the academia would bother us as soon as we got out, so that wouldnt be productive." He crossed his arms, knowing that this knowladge could profably get him killed. "But i do appriciate the tought, thank you, your highness"

Everyone hold their breath as the result was written in the stars.

AL HAİTHAM WAS THE İMPOSTER

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

Everyone, including the ghosts stayed in the positions they spawned in. What now? Do they do an emergency meeting again and vote zhongli off? But is this right to assume right away? Should they wait a bit longer for evidence?

Before the meeting cooldown ends, everyone finally made up their mind. They all went back to their tasks.

You almost finished all of them, but the bar was only half full. Acolytes are too busy trying to find the last imposter that everyone seem to forget doing tasks causes instant win.

This round was worse, the lights go out, random doors closing and opening, causing panic among people, but venti was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he is doing this because he paniced, He has to kill 6 players all by himself afterall.

EMERGENCY MEETİNG

Ei, Klee and Dreamy died

"hOLY shit- 3 people died?!" İtto screamed.

"This can only mean one thing.." childE said, he was the one that pressed the meeting button. "Mr. Zhongli, care to explain?"

Everyone in the room looked at both of them

"İm not sure what you mean, Childe, would you be as kind as to enlighten me?" He said calmly, but it was obvious that he was getting irritated.

"The whole round, the rooms were randomly opening and closing. İ can tell that was a trap to create confusion, windbornbard has experianced the same thing. Only the smart ones that are experianced with faking their identities can think of this trick."

Oh this was a personal attack-

"İ agree with your opinion, however, i suggest that you choose the next words carefully, afterall, there is only 3 players left. İf we happen to fail finding the imposter now. We might not win this game."

Foxlady stoped both of them, realising this conversation contains topics from Real life"now now, lets not fight, even though the prize is grand, it is just a game after all."

Yeah what is the prize anyway?

She added "But i must say, what you said is quite right, only the ones that has an experiance to fake their identities can in fact create confusion skillfully"

"See? She agrees with me-"

"Hey now, have some manners. Don't you know that it's rude to interrupt while a lady is speaking?" She teased. ChildE cursed himself for being overly exited while she continued;

"However, the reasoning for you to claim blockhead- ah i meant Mr Zhongli- is an imposter is not realy a strong one. Since everyone in this room have experianced acting as another person."

Venti jumped in "yeah, aren't YOU the one that uses a fake identity in the first place? Harbinger of shneznaya?"

"How curious," zhongli added "blaming people is exactly what the imposter would do. İf i hadn't known better, i would have said that you are the imposter that is trying to cover up."

Yae raised a Brow "hmm? Do you have something else to say?"

"Not that it matters of course, but i have noticed that my usually talkative friend seem to be rather silent." He eyed Venti "And we have accused hım for being an imposter before."

"İm just watching, as you guys make this whole game about yourselves. İ have been having fun with my tasks!"

"Oh realy?" Yae teased, "what was the last task that you have done?"

"İ... Uh... The wires?"

"Which ones?"

"İn the.... Upper part of the ship."

"İs there even wires on there?"

"Yes there is! İ meant the caffeteria!"

"You were having fun with matching colors? My aren't you childish~"

"İ uhh well- you asked me the last task i've done! Not my favorite one!"

"Why are you stuttering bard?" Zhongli pressed on.

"You never got questioned by the shrine Maiden?! She is scary" he whispered

"Of course not, unlike you, i am not someone that causes trouble."

"OH come on! Why are you all mean to me all of a sudden?!"

"Yeah im voting him." Said childE.

"İm only voting for you because you told me im scary and that hurt my feelings" she laughed.

"Well, Barbatos, any last words?"

"İ was sooo close, thats not fair ;;"

WİNDBORNBARD WAS THE İMPOSTER.

Crewmates win!!

__________________________

.

.

.

.

Childe stoped you from leaving. "Your highness, do you have a moment?"

"İ guess? What is it?"

"Since this competition doesnt realy have öne winner. How do we know who won?"

"Zhongli, Yae miko and you won, because all of you survived untill the end."

"....does that mean you will go on a date with all of us..?"

"Wait what-? A date??"

"Fox lady said that the winner is going to have a date with you."

"İ DİDN'T KNOW THAT????"

"THEY DİDNT TOLD YOU?!"

_____________

The whole tevat was mourning their loss. The day you were killed by the hands of someone they knew you held dear, there were offerings to your shrine, silent appologies were made.

The weather was rainy, as the world cried with your followers.

This is the scene you were greated with as you walked towards the shrine that made for you, after giving the winner the... Prize...

"Uhh guys.. im not dead?"

"Sometimes we can still hear their voice..."

Your acolytes was eternaly happy for your short visit ("guys i didn't leave-"). You never died. Anyone could still feel your presence when they looked at the sky, to the infinity.

You are the

İnfinity.

The undying one...

"Oh your Grace welcome how have you been? :D"

"The game was fun and all, but do you guys have to make everything dramatic?"

"Speaking of the game, were you the one that found the imposter? But got killed because of it? "

"Man i wish. Maybe next time i won't die immediatly!"

______

[dampfur]

I finally finished designing all the voices for my Redlico Slay The Princess AU so here they all are ✨

This was all pretty fun to make and figure out for Licorice

Maybe I’ll at some point do legitimate interpretations of the voices in canon but no promises

Under the cut I’ll be explaining the design process of these guys and I’m sure the inspiration for most of them are pretty obvious

The Hero: Since he’s basically the default or standard voice you have in the game due to being the first voice and the voice that’s always with you, his design is based on the standard look of the licorice servants as well as a bit of Licorice himself with the cloak and eye color. (the gold lining comes from my own design of Lico that has those bits on his robe) He also gets the privilege of carrying the pristine blade

The Smitten: He’s the most flashy of the voices so the ZZSkull costume/minion design is what I went with since the red fits with the theme of love and with the whole K-Pop band thing going on with this costume I’m sure you could sweep the Prince off his feet with a musical performance~ 🎶

The Cold: I mostly chose the Pale Reaper costume/minion design for the color palette as it’s well- cold. But I did look at the costume description and it describes the Pale Reaper minions as “a ruthless army of obedient servants knowing no fear or pain.” Which did remind me of the Cold with the whole lack of feeling.

The Stubborn: Based on the bomber minion Licorice has in his OB ability. It’s an angry little guy and what better way to win a fight than to literally just explode I guess.

The Cheated: Based on the Parfaedia school uniform. Even tho it’s not confirmed Licorice went to that school it’s a good enough placeholder for what the Cheated represents for him. A time in his life where he studied magic and got no recognition out of it. Much like the name, he felt cheated out of success.

The Contrarian: His Grumpy Shroom Fairy costume felt a bit difficult to place on any of the voices but ultimately I went with this one. I basically chose this costume because Licorice dislikes it. And the Contrarian is certainly known for pushing peoples buttons and wanting to make choices that usually oppose what most of the characters want and more usually at the Narrators expense. So he wears this costume in opposition to how Licorice generally feels about it as it doesn’t paint him in any intimidating light. It’s a silly goofy outfit for a silly goofy voice

The Paranoid: Based on the Licorice Oozlings. Licorice himself expresses disgust over having to see the Licorice Sea again and the citizens of the Dark Cacao Kingdom have stated how much effort they put into making sure the monsters never get past the wall. The Oozlings make a great representation of the sense of fear and paranoia the cookies from there have felt over having to deal with them and Licorice probably felt a similar way when he had once lived there. And of course Licorice did use them as minions within the chapter 13 story so there’s another heavy association he with them.

The Opportunist: Based on the Aberrant Conjurer costume. Aside from the clear upgrade in outfit, this costume seems also like an upgrade in power. Licorice himself is much like the Opportunist always wanting to come out on top. In this costume it definitely feels like he’s gotten what he wanted. Although he can never outshine the powerful Dark Enchantress Cookie who he continues to be devoted and loyal to, and certainly would be to his benefit to be loyal so he can continue getting stronger with his magic and to not get caught in the crossfire of DE and her spreading of darkness and destruction. I’m basically comparing the Opportunist and the Wraith Princess to Licorice and DE since Licorice joining her is highly beneficial to him in his pursuit of power (of course in his case he’s doing it out of actual willingness not survival but the point still stands given how being on her bad side would be very dangerous)

The Hunted: This is the only voice not based on anything related to Licorice aside from the bones. He leans more into the animal appearance with the bird look and being the only voice to have pointy hands. There’s a few reasons for the bird motif specifically. One, the Hunted acts like prey always trying to run, hide and survive hence looking like an animal that can be easy prey. Two it’s a reference to the Long Quite being a bird so might as well stick that in here. And three, my personal Licorice design has bird skulls instead of human(?) skulls so it really was just preference.

The Broken: Based on the potion minion Licorice has in his OB ability. This minion I thought just had a sad looking face so I thought that’d fit him. This potion minion of course carries a potion around and it has a heart inside it. I thought to incorporate that into the design with the cracked heart as a sign of his broken spirit.

The Skeptic: The most difficult and bizarre design choice out of everyone as he’s based on Rocky, the rock that Licorice finds in Last Cookie Standing. I initially thought of this as a joke cuz I ran out of ideas and was just like “I’ll put Rocky here and call it a day” but I actually ended up making this make sense. Rocky comes a series that’s a Survival/Total Drama Island parody. Which of course is filled with characters using their wits and other skills to get through the challenges. Part of the appeal is watching the contestants build and destroy trust with one another. It is important you choose your allies wisely and think things through if you wanna win. So ya Rocky’s association with Last Cookie Standing made my decision with the Skeptic make sense.

[peaches-and-pity-points]

Tangled AU

I've never liked the isekai angle of Twisted wonderland much. I've deqveloped an alternative way of looking at things to suit my fancy.

Per the name; the player is in a tangled situation. The sole heir to a kingdom, stolen away in the dead of night as a baby and raised by the man (because twst) who took them. Maybe he was in love with the queen, spurned by her rejection and took the only child she'd ever have as penance. Maybe its closer to form and the queen took a plant he needed to keep himself young and alive indefinitely, and the child simply being around had that same effect. Something no one would notice if they weren't looking for it.

Your father home schooled you; taught you everything you know. He restricted your interactions with the outside world and any online activity. But he knew best. He loved you after all, he just wanted to keep you safe. He told you your mother died giving birth to you, that's why he's so protective. You grew up in a cottage, far away from society. The world was dangerous, he warned. You shouldn't trust anyone but him, especially other men! Anyone else might want to hurt you or steal you away.

Magic existed in fairy tails and nothing more, that's what he told you as you did all the cooking and all the chores. Then, one day, you woke up in a coffin to a cat weasel trying to strip you.

The place you come from? These people have never heard of it. Are you sure its real? Of course! Your father wouldn't have lied to you about that. You must have come from another world. You don't have any magic inherent to you, but my! You're a beast-master/tamer! Fear not, this fruity headmage will probably look for a way to send you home! Maybe! After all, the mirror said there's no where you belong!

And its right. You were stolen away from your actual family as an infant. You don't belong there anymore. You don't know them, and they don't know you're even alive. Your father kidnapped you as a baby for his own selfish purposes. You don't belong there. Its not a home or a place of love. Its a prison.

Thus the game's events unfold. Perhaps there's an epilouge of sorts, where you're seen on TV by your birth parents and your "father". You look so much like the queen, there's no doubt you're their child. The headmage is in for such a surprise when this royal couple appear in his office, demanding to see the prefect. They must be mistaken! The prefect isn't even from this world! But, ah... Their child was kidnapped as a baby, weren't they? W- Well, they don't even have magic? What's this? The queen too, is a beast-master/tamer? Oh, w- well... Oh. They-- They know the prefect's blood type, of any and all birth marks and that they may or may not be a girl (depending on the player)? That's disconcerning! Time to meet with them!

I can't imagine it goes smoothly... "You're our kid, actually and the man who raised you is really a monster and kidnapped you as a baby." Yikes. Tough break, prefect. You don't leave with them like they want you to, but they give you space to process this shit. Sharing this development with your friends is mostly fruitless. They offer you support and comfort, but there's not much they can really do for you.

A few nights later, and as Grim is getting snuggly in bed with his hench-human, they suddenly get up. They don't respond to anything he says and they nearly run him over when he gets in front of them! Then, they even go outside barefoot/in just their socks and sleep clothes! Really, its a good thing the school grounds are crawling with your stalkers-- Er, I mean, your friends! One of them catches you on your apparent way to the gates, and carry your ass back to their dorm for safe keeping.

When you wake up, you're wrapped snuggly in bed with Grim. Its just that its a housewarden's bed. After explaining to you what happened, everyone is wracking their brains on who would want to potentially kidnap you. Its strange. You don't remember anything out of the ordinary happening before going to bed. Just that... Well, you could have sworn you'd heard the lullaby your dad used to sing to you as a kid as you fell asleep. But that couldn't be related... Right?

[barclaysangel]

Junior Wheeler Playlist

*pats playlist* This bad boy can fit 207 songs that lasts in total 12 hours and 27 minutes. I fixate too much on Junior. But I got inspired by @high-functioning-fang1rl Nica playlist so I had to do one for Junior too.

This is on my iTunes account and idk how to manage Spotify so if y'all wanna listen to it, I'm going to put all the songs down below. The ones with * on it are the ones I 1000000% relate for Junior. And feel free to send asks about any of the songs and I'll legit do a lyric analyst to explain why I chose it for Junior.

Anyway, enjoy :)

Avril Lavigne

Losing Grip*

Wish You Were Here

Let Me Go

Billie Eilish

COPYCAT

lovely*

you should see me in a crown*

bury a friend

everything i wanted*

Therefore I Am

Happier Than Ever*

Christina Perri

Distance

The Lonely*

Tragedy

Human

Digital Daggers

Where the Lonely Ones Roam*

The Devil Within*

Can't Sleep, Can't Breathe

Still Here*

Bad Intentions

Dorothy

Raise Hell*

Wicked Ones

Beetlejuice the Musical

Dead Mom*

Say My Name

That Beautiful Sound

Home*

Evanescence

Going Under*

Bring Me To Life

Everybody's Fool*

My Immortal*

Tourniquet

Hello*

My Last Breath

Whisper*

Sweet Sacrifice*

Weight of the World*

Lithium*

Like You

Lose Control*

All That I Am Living For

Made of Stone*

The Change*

My Heart Is Broken

The Other Side

Lost in Paradise*

Sick*

Never Go Back

A New Way To Bleed*

Even in Death

Missing*

Farther Away

Fall Out Boy

I Don't Care*

My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark

Alone Together*

Young Volcanoes*

Irresistible

Centuries*

Immortals*

Halsey

Empty Gold

Hold Me Down*

New Americana*

Ghost

Colors*

Colors, Pt. II

Gasoline*

Control*

I Walk the Line

Alone*

Now or Never

Sorry

Good Mourning*

Lie*

Angel on Fire*

Devil in Me*

clementine

Graveyard

Forever ... (is a long time)*

I HATE EVERYBODY*

3am*

Finally // beautiful stranger*

Still Learning

Bells in Santa Fe*

Easier than Lying*

Lilith

Darling*

1121*

honey

Whispers*

Ya'aburnee

People Disappear Here*

Hollywood Undead

Young*

Paradise Lost*

Another Way Out

We Are*

Medicine

Renegade

Imagine Dragons

Radioactive

Demons*

I'm So Sorry*

Monster*

Who We Are

Natural*

Enemy*

LINKIN PARK

Faint

Numb*

What I've Done*

Heavy

Livingston

Shadow*

Surprise!*

Marina and The Diamonds

Oh No!*

Teen Idle

Melanie Martinez

Dollhouse*

Soap*

Training Wheels

Pity Party*

Milk and Cookies*

Mad Hatter*

The Principal

Show & Tell*

Drama Club

Lunchbox Friends*

Orange Juice*

High School Sweethearts

DEATH*

VOID*

FAERIE SOIREE

LIGHT SHOWER

SPIDER WEB*

LEECHES*

BATTLE OF THE LARYNX*

THE CONTORTIONIST*

NYMPHOLOGY

EVIL*

PLUTO*

Olivia Rodrigo

brutal*

Can't Catch Me Now*

Queen

Bohemian Rhapsody*

Under Pressure

The Show Must Go On*

Set It Off

Nightmare*

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead*

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Skillet

Falling Inside the Black*

Monster*

Taylor Swift

I Did Something Bad*

Don't Blame Me*

Look What You Made Me Do*

my tears ricochet

seven*

this is me trying*

hoax

Anti-Hero*

You're On Your Own, Kid*

Vigilante Shit*

Three Days Grace

Just Like You*

I Hate Everything About You

Born Like This

Overrated*

Pain*

Animal I Have Become*

Riot

Let It Die

Bitter Taste*

Break

The Good Life*

Someone Who Cares*

Chalk Outline

Misery Loves My Company*

Human Race*

Pain Killer*

Fallen Angel

So What*

Nothing's Fair in Love and War

One Too Many

twenty one pilots

Stressed Out*

Ride

Fairly Local*

Other Artists

Let Me Down Slowly by Alec Benjamin

Here by Alessia Cara*

Panic Room by Au/Ra*

I'm Gonna Show You Crazy by Bebe Rexha*

Dark Side by Bishop Briggs*

idfc by blackbear

Break the Rules by Charli XCX

Arcade by Duncan Laurence

The Monster by Eminem*

Gorgeous Nightmare by Escape the Fate*

Seven Devils by Florence + the Machine*

You Found Me by The Fray

Achilles Come Down by Gang of Youths*

So Alive by The Goo Goo Dolls*

Blood // Water by grandson*

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day

Impossible by James Arthur*

Human by John "The Ragin Cajun" Jones*

Broken by lovelytheband

How Villains Are Made by Madalen Duke*

Twisted by MISSIO

Voices by Motionless In White

Funeral by Neoni*

How You Remind Me by Nickleback*

Don't Let Me Get Me by P!nk

Cradles by Sub Urban*

Bad Things by Summer Kennedy*

Shattered by Trading Yesterday*

Unsteady by X Ambassadors*

Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

[gayliketheancients]

Welcome to the challenge prompt AU

Hello friends, and welcome back to Gay✨ has brainrot for her own fanfic. This post is a welcome to the AU guide where I explain what we’re looking at.

Before I say anything else, a PSA. Fuck JKR. LGBT rights are human rights. How did she write the most queer coded characters and then be like “sorry, only Fumbledore is gay. Love him!” Lol nah.

This au is based loosely off the criteria in this post, where the lovely anonymousqualities called into the Tumblr void for someone to take on their idea. I’ve heard their call, they looked over my outline, and I am posting part one today! Woo! The OG prompt was meant to be plotless, kinda crack fic ish, but I don’t know how to quit when I’m ahead so there will be a good deal of lore-building/lore-fixing from the source material.

Enjoy! ✨

Timeline: Halloween 1981 - Harry’s 8th year

Ships:

To Death, With Love: gifts within the love affair between Life and Death

Jegulus, Wolfstar, NobleFlower, RoseKiller, PandaLily, platonic MoonWater, Drarry (in the future), and more!

Things it will be featuring:

Regulus raising Harry

Harry and Draco becoming friends as young children

Regulus being a spy for James - but not the Order, never the Order. Him building a resistance of former death eaters with Narcissa Malfoy’s help.

Harry being a prodigy - and a scary one at that

Lily and James are alive (surprise! Regulus put them in a coma and adopted their son!)

BAMF Minerva McGonagall and BAMF Narcissa Malfoy

Snape gets an actual reception arc instead of dying a trash lord (hello, Uncle Severus)

And so much more!!!

A link to the series ❤️

1-There Is No One Else

Regulus saves Lily, James, and Harry. Minerva saves him. Custody changes, Remus goes ape shit on Dumbledore, and the smallest moments of context.

2-Family Home

Regulus raising Harry from ages 1-4 (ft Grandma Minerva), meeting Miss Cissy and Draco

So many cute moments in this one.

3-We Who Remain When The Price Was Paid

Harry Potter becomes the Master of Death on his 5th birthday. It's like playing where's Waldo, but instead, it's where are Harry's uncles???

Narcissa starts the resistance of exclusively wives of Death Eaters (blood magic pta moms)

Uncle Moony, Uncle Padfoot, Uncle Barty, Uncle Sev

4-Ragtag Little Family

Regulus just wants to hold a family meeting. But you can't hold a family meeting unless you can get the whole family in the same place.

A prison break, wolfstar reunion, wolfsbane potion trials, blood magic pta moms get a name, another prison break, a unicorn, a rat, and a birthday.

(happy adoption day, Uncle Moony)

5-Moony, Bobcat, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to introduce Harry James Potter-Black

Harry's last year before Hogwarts. Lily and James are awake, we get the family meeting Regulus has been wanting, and everyone tries to figure out how to function again.

6-Mirror Images, Distorted Reflections

Year One (in progress)

7-Forbidden knowledge and misunderstood monsters

8-Turns (in the tides of war)

9-The choice no one gets to make

10-The ones who lived

11-I love (the ghost of) you

12-Roads unseen guide us home

13-Always and forever with you

Fan Art (yall, you have no idea how exciting it was to even just typer that omg)

From our beloved prompt giver, @anonymousqualities from little Luna in 4-Ragtag Little Family ❣️

[melaton1nx]

Not sure if you mentioned it anywhere or not before but where did your inspiration for your AU come from? Any good backstory or lore you have or got planed you can drop crumbs for.

IreallylikeAUlore

YEYSYEYSYES UM,

I never mentioned it because no one really asked me 😅 but i’d love to explain!

originally my idea was to make an au related to space and stars, and flare was going to be some kind of guardian for the stars (cliche and nasty I don’t like it), and basically a copy of dream tale. This was somewhere in middle school, so the idea was delayed until I picked it up again late December of last year!

I was watching and reading Underverse/Xtale, and it stunned me that the involvement between AUs can create something so explicitly ✨cool✨, so I got to work on the AU I paused for about 8 years. Of course, it still was space themed, and it was originally going to be called “galactitale”. However, I realized that the name didn’t make sense with the storyline that I had in mind so far (a fire-sans with a demon dog friend), so I threw it all away and started fresh with focusing entirely on Sans.

I kept the idea that he was going to be a fire-skeleton, as well as the demon dog idea, (the idea was borrowed by the kind of thing X!Chara has with Cross) and developed a thorough small plot: an asteroid is yanked down by the inexplicable magic of a human’s soul and into the surface where monsters and humans frolicked, and the magic from that human uses the astrological matter from the asteroid to evolve into some sort of “spirit” and fuses with Sans’ soul (who at the time was knocked out from the crash).

From there I continued to fantasize about what else would happen, what would the other monsters be doing, etc. Soon, I got the most brilliant idea after reading about Dusttale: Sans murdered everyone. However, he did it by accident (the demon-ish idea, but he’s not a demon, moreso just another sort of creature that is completely made out of fire but has the behavior of a werewolf) and unconscious (except for when he killed Papyrus, he definitely was awake for that). I sadly didn’t write any of this down, but just continued to imagine what else would happen.

And it ended with this: as a result of killing almost all of the monsters (only one survivor, who escaped to the underground), the humans put several bounties and warrants for Sans’ death, triggering a sudden panic attack in Sans, and he soon found himself in the anti-void, where he slowly became friends with Error!Sans (again, just like Underverse😭😭)

there’s a huge gap as of right now for the middle because I’m leaving that to be filled by the asks I get here in order to get to the present part of the AU, which is Nightmare!Sans kidnapping Flare!Sans and joining his team, which positively changes his social anxiety, but continues to unleash that huge fire-monster to murder people or monsters in order to create negative feelings for Nightmare!Sans to feed on and get stronger.

I’m writing the part where he meets Mint!Sans and yknow, become a thing, but that’s all I have right now, hope this makes it more clear to you! :] 🫶❤️

[thisliminalspacedaydreams]

For the fanfic writer asks let’s do M A and R for our names lmaooo

Hellouuu

M: What’s the weirdest AU scenario you’ve ever come up with?  Did it turn into a story?

I think TISAYCTM. I've always loooooooveeddd a good soulmate AU. The Star Wars fandom was overflowing with them, there were SO MANY I couldn't even read them all, but god knows I tried. So I really wanted to write my own little version of soulmates AU but I wanted it to be original and not like the other girls.

I've seen the Hanahaki disease trope, the tattoo trope, the sparks fly when you touch trope, the A/B/O trope, and they're all fun and games, but and I wanted it weirder.

I was reading Plato's Symposium at the time, and I love aliens, and it kind of started from there, the idea of having monsters/aliens/humans as soulmates and being separated by Gods because of their power, long ago.

And it just...SNOWBALLED into whatever the hell I'm writing now.

A: Of the fanfic you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

My fave solo fanfic is Heartless, even though she's full of holes and I'm editing her to all hell as we speak because I see all of her flaws and I want to fix her and make her all pretty.

My non solo fave is currently under works and I hope to god we get to release it at some point because it's been something I've been loving for a year, and we recently started writing it and I think it might become my best duo work, when it's done. I hope so anyway.

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing?

There are a few fics out there that are written in a way that drive me bananas.

Choices is one. @sophsicle writing was the one to push me into writing fiction again. I think they have such a weird effortless beautiful way with words that cannot be replicated. It's so simple but always somehow packs a punch and I don't know many long stories where all the words are needed and everything matters?

Pledge is another by @ellabesmirched. The writing there is also phenomenal and so different from what I've ever seen. I couldn't believe my eyes as I was reading that fic. I was drawn into the world and the characters and I think there is something about how the intentions are rarely really explained, and it leaves a LOT of room for interpretation for the reader, and I love that stuff. I like not being spoon fed my fics.

Annihilation by had me sobbing because the writing is bonkers???????? and I actually will never recover from this fic. NEVER. The companion fic was just as crazy. This line comes from Apocrypha : The man’s eyes are the sort of incomprehensible color that’s only ever mentioned in descriptions of horrors and God.

I don't know what to say. It's insane writing.

Living in border lines and every work by inthesquare @aboutnavi is so criminally underrated. There's an effortless poetry about her writing that strikes me just the right way.

There are SO. MANY. amazing writers everywhere. In all the fandom spaces I've ever been in, there are at least ten or twenty writers who I think are absolute game-changers. These are just off the top of my mind, but that doesn't diminish other writers' worth.

I think the beauty of fanfic writing is that it's so obviously un-edited and so much less palatable than "mainstream" fiction, which makes finding writers that are original and weird and wonderful much more easy than through mainstream books where books are edited to all hell and (imo) all end up looking the same.

I like the rawness of fanfic.

Yes. Give me your brain movies. That you thought up in your mind. While pretending to care about your 9/5 job.

This ask game

[aura-bird]

Encounter AU

So a few days ago I pondered this question. After some thinking and ideas, I bring you this~

Its basically an AU where Sparrow has an unfriendly encounter during his Nether expedition.

This AU contains spoilers for some events in Outsiders SMP.

----------

Like in canon, after Sparrow gets his blaze burners from the nether he has to now either build a new portal or find one.

He eventually comes to a crossroads of sorts. Either trek through a soulsand valley, bridge over a lava ocean, or head back into the domain of the creature that is probably still hunting him.

Hearing said creature's hiss in the distance behind him, he decides on the soulsand valley.

Now, Sparrow has heard many folklore tales about this biome. How it hold the souls of people who got lost and never made it to an afterlife...and those who were damned to never reach one as punishment.

Of course, he takes these stories with a grain of salt as he is a man of science and innovation.

So he's walking through the valley (avoiding skeletons and ghasts and other monsters that very much want to kill him), when all of a sudden, a thick fog rolls in.

He is then greeted by a sickeningly-friendly tone that makes him cry out in panic/surprise and he bolts. He runs aimlessly through the fog and trips, eventually picking himself up and dusting off his clothes.

When he looks up he sees a person before him. They have long brown hair tied in a ponytail and are wearing a green & brown tunic that matches their brown pants and gloves. Their body, despite it's slight transparency, looks as if it was covered in burns and their face bore three diagonal lines that looked like claw marks across one eye.

Sparrow questions who they are and the stranger apologies, introducing himself.

"Sorry, where are my manners? My name is Owen. What brings a human like you to this forsaken realm?"

Sparrow explains he needed blaze burners for a project and then questions if c!Owen is a hybrid.

c!Owen simply laughs, a malicious sound that sends a chill down Sparrow's spine.

"Me? A hybrid? I cannot think of anything more insulting than being a lesser species."

Sparrow does NOT like how c!Owen says those words, hearing the contempt and spite in his voice. Still, being polite Sparrow apologizes.

"O-Oh, sorry I um...didn't mean to insult you I just...everyone else I've met so far has been a hybrid of some sort or at least had powers. I've met a person who can teleport, another that can shoot fireballs from his hands, even a swarm of bees taken humanoid form."

He pauses before continuing, asking if c!Owen does not like hybrids and then adding that he himself finds them fascinating.

"You are a man of science then? I can respect that. I was a soldier myself."

So the two of them talk a bit more. Sparrow mentions how he seeks to learn about hybrids as he wants abilities of his own and c!Owen eventually gives his whole spiel about being a soldier, the war between humans & demons/tieflings ending through peace and how he had to stop it; just the whole arrogant hero-complex shtick he had near the end of Outsiders.

He then mentions that he tried to protect the people in the maze by killing all the demons/tieflings they were imprisoned with (sans the one who sold him out) and as thanks, they left him to burn to death in a dungeon. Whatever greater power in the universe exists then deemed him vile and so he's been damned to the nether for eternity, never to see an afterlife.

At this point, Sparrow is now horrified and scared and with that, c!Owen begins to make a suggestion.

"If you wish to get powers of your own, why not capture the hybrids for experiments? Learn how they work, how their designed, how to take their power for yourself. They're lesser beings compared to us humans anyway, no one will miss them."

It is here that one of several things can happen:

Good Ending 1:

Sparrow ponders the idea, but the horrifying image of Scott helpless in a tiny cage, his body bloodied and his eyes dulled from drugs or torture comes unbidden to his mind.

The very thought of doing such horrible things to those he calls his friends sickens him and he snaps at c!Owen for even considering such a thing.

"No wonder your soul is damned to this forsaken place! You are a monster, moreso that the beings you hunted! I'd rather try the method of dying to get abilities before I subject the innocent to any kind of harm!"

At that, he bolts, leaving the fog and c!Owen behind.

He then returns to the overworld and after building the mixer that will allow him access to brass he decides that if he refuses to experiment on hybrids...then he'd experiment on himself instead.

Cannon events follow with him building his machine.

Good Ending 2:

Similar to the above good ending, Sparrow snaps at c!Owen and flees...but c!Owen being the vengeful spirit he is doesn't let him get away easy.

Sparrow leaves the fog and c!Owen behind, unaware that in his fleeting c!Owen possessed his body.

From here, Sparrow and c!Owen become a 'Jekyll and Hyde' scenario as both their consciousnesses battle for control.

Sparrow sometimes wakes with blood on his hands and/or clothes or some horrible device/machine he doesn't remember building/designing as c!Owen uses him as a way to exterminate the hybrids ('cause he's is very much a speciesist and Sparrow gave him a new goal to pursue).

Sparrow eventually notices that some of the hybrids' abilities have mutated, meaning they've died. A few of them act afraid of him and make any encounters short; further adding to Sparrow's confusion since he doesn't remember doing anything to insult or scare them.

Eventually what's going on is figured out. Sparrow either discovers the truth by himself or the hybrids do (because they're worried and want to help) and confront him about it.

If Sparrow figures it out then he knows can't let c!Owen in on the fact he's aware of his presence. He needs to plan a way to separate them from each other while still making c!Owen think he's got all the cards here.

Maybe he lets the hybrids in on it in a very subtle manner so they can help, maybe he experiments on himself to try and expel c!Owen from his body because he doesn't want to put his friends at risk. Regardless, he's either successful or he fails and it's then up to the hybrids to save him.

If the hybrids figure it out then things are a bit easier as c!Owen would have no idea of their plans. They all work together to try and figure out how to save Sparrow from c!Owen.

The hybrids then would confront Sparrow.

If the man is himself he is confused about the sudden intervention and even more confused when his friends end up enacting their plan. What that is, I have no idea but it probably does involve them unfortunately having to kill him at some point. If c!Owen is in control when they confront Sparrow, he comments about it.

"Impressive that you managed to figure it out, didn't think you had the capacity to achieve that."

They first demand Sparrow's release and c!Owen just laughs at them because that is not happening. He's waited far too long for a host he could use to escape the purgatory he was trapped in.

Since c!Owen doesn't release Sparrow, they proceed with the plan.

Ultimately, in the end c!Owen is either expelled from Sparrow's body or just obliterated entirely. Life then returns to normal and Sparrow finds that with his death, he now has abilities like his friends.

Neutral Ending:

Like in the good endings, Sparrow snaps at c!Owen with the same speech. This time, however, when he turns to run one of his feet is sucked down into the soulsand, trapping him.

c!Owen now has a devious and sadistic grin on his face as he strides up to Sparrow, relishing in the man's helplessness.

"Brave words, but this is MY domain. Thank you for the tip about other lesser beings being around, you've given me a new purpose!"

At that, c!Owen, being a vengeful spirit, takes control of Sparrow's body and possesses him. Sparrow is forced into his subconscious and c!Owen gains full control of his body.

He poses as Sparrow for a time, but ultimately, begins his quest to wipe out all the hybrids. Some hybrids face permadeath, others don't.

The hybrids don't understand why Sparrow is suddenly so bent on their extinction and while some try to fight back, some of them (like Scott) can't hurt the one they called a friend.

At some point, it's discovered that Sparrow is possessed. Whether by Sparrow forcing his way to control for long enough to beg for help or simply someone is reborn with powers to tell what's going on.

Either way, they try to find a way to kill or expel c!Owen while still saving Sparrow. Maybe they do and Sparrow is left with all his lives or even just a single life remaining, maybe they don't and while they do stop c!Owen's conquest, Sparrow faces permadeath.

This is unfortunately a scenario where not everyone survives to the end. Who lives and who dies is up to interpretation.

Bad Ending 1:

Sparrow takes c!Owen's idea to heart and thanks him for it. c!Owen then leaves him and Sparrow returns to the overworld with purpose.

He then begins to plan how he will capture the hybrids, what experiments he'll need to run, and basically just throws all morals out the metaphorical window.

Several machines are built in a secret lab, and Sparrow's plan to capture and experiment on the hybrids begins.

In the end, he gets what he wants...and the hybrids all perish. Sparrow is the only victor here.

Bad Ending 2:

c!Owen possesses Sparrow in this scenario in a way similar to the 2nd good ending with the human not aware of his presence. This time though, instead of taking control of Sparrow's body and mind on occasion, c!Owen makes him experiment on the hybrids; a voice in his head telling him he wants this and that it's the only way to get powers.

In the end, like the above bad ending, all the hybrids permadie and Sparrow gets what he wants...

...or, at least what he THOUGHT he wanted.

With the hybrids all dead, c!Owen is quite pleased with himself and thanks Sparrow for his help before leaving the human's body.

It is then that Sparrow is hit with the reality of what he's done. What he does as a result of this realization can vary, but I'd imagine his guilt would eat away at him really badly.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Do you have any song associations for Roxy or any of the gang? Or just what type of music they’d each listen to? You don’t have to answer if you haven’t anything solid to answer with, but I’m curious and thought this might be an interesting lil question to answer :>

I have a few for Roxy though nothing that fit her exact and are mostly AU related.

In terms of songs I think she would enjoy singing, I think "I'm Me" from Phineas and Ferb, "Be Prepared" from The Lion King and "We Are The Champions" by Queen are ones that come to mind pretty easy as well as "Fences" by Paramore and "Running With The Wild Things" by Against the Current. Other things I can see her singing are things like "Beggin'" by Maneskin and "I Could Be A Better Boyfriend" or whatever the name of that song is by I forget who, and of course, "Jenny" by Studio Killers is a great one. "She-Wrecks" by Ghost Bear could be a good one too maybe?

"The Mute" by Radical Face fits some of her Dogisms quite nicely I think. Specifically the beginning verse that's a nice one. "Snail" by Cavetown kinda fits and the "Honestly, I've had enough of looking at a dead man" lyric fits pretty well I think with the whole Foxy situation. "Rainbow" and "Monster" by Dodie are nice as songs about being different or acting in a way that seemingly makes her worse than everyone else and what not. "The Moon Will Sing" by the Crane Wives also matches some of her circumstances I think and maybe "Wolves of the Revolution" by Arcadian Wild too? Oooo "Howl" by the Family Crest would be good.

Thinking about this post I've also started associating a few songs with Roxy's relationship with other people which is interesting.

For the recent "Freddy and Roxy don't like each other" development, "Who Are You Really" by Mikky Ekko is a good one I think. I have this song lyric comic idea for the both of them with the lyrics from this song so that's fun. "Rules" by Hoosiers would be a good one for them probably. The lyrics of "one man falls another takes his place" also takes on a pretty neat meaning here.

I like "A Good Song Never Dies" by Saint Moel for Bonnie, possibly Bonnie and Roxy's relationship too, it's really neat. The song "Everything Moves" by someone I don't remember the name of is also a good song for him I think. I can see Chica and Roxy singing "Tongues & Teeth" by the Crane Wives though mostly because of an AU that focused heavily on their animal bases where it was a slowburn enemies to lovers kind of thing.

I can see Chica listening to "Back For You" by Duplex Heart. I associated it with an old Roxy AU and listening to it again, it's giving me really big Chica vibes.

A song with Sunny and/or Moon vibes is "Circus Hop" by YonKaGor if you want to go an angsty route though that has some very sensitive imagery in it and the video so make sure you read that warning at the start if you listen. It's really cheery but also really dark and I dunno it just lines up a bit

Monty gives me the vibe he'd sing Abba. Don't ask me why. I don't know. He just gives me big Abba singer vibes and also that he and Roxy would learn the dance from Dirty Dancing where they consistently switch roles throughout the dance, ending on her lifting him. I can't really explain why it's just a big mental image that's plagued me for a while lmao

You want a good one for the whole 'animatronic robots' thing? You want to feel some things from a song? "Turn Back The Clock" by Steam Powered Giraffe. There's some robo pain right there.

"Karma" by AJR also fits a few of them, same with "I Won't" and "Burn The House Down" and stuff. I'm starting to see a trend in the stuff I've been listening to lately I promise I have way more varied taste in music than this lmao it's just not all relevant I swear

Honestly, any song I listen to ends up a Blorbo song lmao. These are just the ones with the strongest connections. Oh also "Hellbent" by Mystery Skulls is a bop and is great for daydreaming some AU scenes, particularly a few with Vanessa in them.

Every song is a blorbo song if I daydream hard enough though I dunno. Does anyone have anyone else have any they'd like to share? We can all recc each other some music here it could be fun

[tomoathestory]

☆Introduction☆

{Personal}

I'm Cry! Or Tomoa, Moa, Crioh, or whatever other nickname you can conjure up for me lmao

Some of the things I'm interested in is Voltron: Legendary Defender, Diary of a Wimpy Kid (specifically the Dysfunctional Perspective on TikTok), DC (mostly batfamily stuff, but I like the rest of it too), and Criminal Minds. I'll update this when I remember because these are just off the top of my head.

I play video games often, mostly Overwatch 2, Fortnite, Monster Prom, Roblox, and occasionally Minecraft. I play more, but there's too many to list! (Junkrat/Mercy main here LMAO!)

My favorite color is orange, I'm not sure what shade, though. Purple is definitely a close second, tied with yellow. My favorite TV show is Criminal Minds!! Season 7 Episode 19, Heathridge Manor is my favorite episode (mainly because my favorite actor, Kyle Gallner, is the unsub)

{Writing}

I first started writing (like, creative writing in my free time for fun) when I was around the 4th grade. Or about 9 years old. My first ever story, from what I can remember, was this one piece of fanfiction that I refuse to name. (Seriously, you couldn't pry it from my cold, dead hands.) From then, my writing kinda just followed me I guess? It was never something that I really like, shared with other people. I've mostly written just fanfiction, but I also have some original works that I love to think about. I think my longest character has been with me since 2020? Maybe 2021. I'll introduce yall to him later!!

I'll try to reblog posts that have amazing writing advice that I agree with btw,

{Tomoa}

The story that this blog is about (it still has no name, that's why I'm calling it Tomoa for now LMAO) has been floating around my head since around Janurary/February of 2022. So it's been with me for a little while now. It's definitely change a LOT since then. Like my main character used to be named Lukas, and now his name is Aaron lmao. He also used to be Russian for some reason?

The story was also supposed to be a lot more angsty and sad, but now it's supposed to be more fun and romantic (I developed a boyfriend for Aaron, and it's so adorable)

At the time of writing this, I have 11 characters and a cat. I'm gonna make an introduction post for each of them as time goes on, but for now I'm gonna stick with just my own intro+tomoa intro.

Here's me trying to explain my storyline (poorly done lmfao)

Aaron gets kicked out by his dad (mom not in picture), and gets recruited by villains. He goes on to be a villain but is laying low. So, in his mid twenties (where the 1st book takes place), he's like an average villain. Nothing sticks out, just a (somewhat) regular villain. Little does he know, his arch-nemesis just so happens to be his high school friends-with-benefits who he may or may not still be talking to. (He definitely is. And it's not talking, it's "talking.")

{Extra - aka ramble time}

Some of my goals for my story is to try to allow for a little bit of each kind of representation. Does that make sense? I hope so. But like, for example, I have 2 aroace characters in my universe so far (I PROMISE ITS JUST BECAUSE IM TALKING ABOUT THE MAIN GROUP), and I'm trying to make most of my characters from different origins too. My main character is Mexican/German/American, so I've still gotta do a bunch of research for him. I want for people to feel seen and represented when they finish reading my book, but the main purpose (and the original one) is to entertain. So not only do I want them to feel seen and represented, but I also want them to be like "Hey, that was a damn good book." (And then write fanficiton and make fanart and make AUs and social media accounts about my story <33)

Also!! Yall can ask me anything!! I love answering questions!! You can also try to suggest something for me to write, I'll make another post about what I will/will not write

[minniepetals]

cry me a river | the cruel and the fool

— summary: nothing hurts more than trying your absolute best and still not being good enough

— pairing: bts x reader

— genre: angst, mafia!au

— word count: 8.8k

— warnings: a brief moment y/n almost has her ptsd triggered — brief mention of leehyun, toxic thoughts/acts [[ to anyone who might be afraid/cautious of reading this chapter, to be honest i don't think this chapter is too bad as compared to a few previous chapters, namjoon doesn't actively trigger y/n's ptsd of leehyun, but if you don't wish to read this chapter (or any other chapters for reasons), you can always send me an ask and i will gladly explain what's going on in hopes of not wanting to miss anything ]]

— PART 15 / previous post / masterpost

“Y/N?”

You look up with a startle, taking in a sharp intake that forces you to flinch, and when you turn around at the familiar calling of your name, you have to take a moment to compose yourself so that you don’t instinctively take a step back at the man before you.

Mingyu stands steady on his feet and you almost crumble at the fact that he called you Y/N and not boss because boss means you’re okay, you’re fine, you can take everything that’s coming at you, you can control it, control everything. But Y/N means you can’t. You’re not fine, you’re falling into disorder and you’re ruining yourself.

Y/N means you’re losing control. 

As if he understands just how much the effect of his word has caused you, Mingyu steps up from where he stood, keeping a good distance between the two of you and you hate the fact that today he hesitates to come to you.

There are days when you feel guilty for scaring them, for forcing them to abide by all that you are, to accommodate your needs, and forcing their way of thinking to quickly act just because you’re weak and you can’t do anything by yourself. There are days when you hate yourself more than you do on normal days, when you can see it in your Reapers’ expressions just how concerned they are.

They never look at you as if you are a monster, as if you’re some insignificant robot built up by your father in the same way everyone looks at you. They don’t look at you as if you’re just a puppet who holds no feelings, as if anyone and everyone can do anything and everything to you and you won’t hurt.

They know you hurt.

They know you hurt more than anyone.

Even in this room in a building filled with people who only want what’s best for you, you feel yourself trembling as you hold everything in, unable to scream, to cry for help, because all your life you’ve been shown that calling out gives you nothing in return. Even as you know your Reapers would never do such a thing to you, even as you know more than anyone that they’d come to you in a split second were you to utter the simple whisper of “help,” you don’t dare to.

You’re scared.

Scared.

So you tremble as you hold in the cry, falling completely silent, and it breaks you to do so.

“Y/N.” Mingyu calls again with a little more warmth, with a bit more comfort, and filled with a little less anxiety and fear. He calls you softly, a gentle expression plastered on his face when you look up with another startle, the serene on his features shocking you a bit.

He calls your name with care and if you knew how to cry, perhaps you’d be bawling your eyes out like a newborn baby, letting your tears out uncontrollably without a care in the world because you know there will be people who will do all that they can to ease your heart once again.

He calls you with such a tender gentleness it reminds you of the way Mister Butler used to call for you, the way Hoseok called for you.

Mingyu, Mister Butler, and Hoseok, all three different souls built in the same egg; the shell, the egg white, and the yolk.

Mister Butler was your protection, the very one who kept your innocence safe, the very one who held onto your hopes and dreams, keeping them safe in the warmth of his arms. When he left, you lost all of that; your innocence, hopes, and dreams. Years later Hoseok took his place, providing you with love. He gave you the happiness you sought for when you were with Mister Butler, a promise the two of you made with the linking of your pinkies. Mister Butler was the first to break his promise and you broke it soon after, leaving Hoseok who kept your love in the warmth of his arms, losing your love and happiness.

Then came Mingyu walking into the picture. You aren’t sure how it happened, when you began seeking out for the warmth of his arms, but perhaps it was always there, like how it was just meant to be in the same way it was natural to rely on Mister Butler and Hoseok’s warmth.

When he sees you shaking uncontrollably but keeping your silence and peace, Mingyu simply opens his arms as if saying; “It’s okay. You can come to me when you’re scared. I know you’re scared.”

And it reminds you of the way you used to go to Hoseok. He was always the first person you sought out whenever something frightful had shaken your core and you couldn’t handle things by yourself. It was always Hoseok.

When you let yourself go to Mingyu, when he engulfs you in his arms and when you lean into his chest, ears pressed against the resounding beat of his heart, you allow your mind to rest as you let your eyes flutter closed, legs giving in as he holds you on the floor in the middle of the living room.

This is your foundation. Your calm, your control.

This is your Mingyu.

When it finally comes to the day he leaves your life, you wonder how that will be. Will he leave you in the same way Mister Butler left you? Or will you leave him in the same way you left Hoseok? Both of them were out of your control, and both of them you were forced to cut ties with. You wonder if one day Mingyu will grow tired of you or if one day his loyalty will take him too far and he’ll die for you.

You don’t want him to leave. Not now, not ever.

If he leaves, who will you have? He’s your last one, the very person who’s holding onto your breaking pieces so you don’t completely crumble. Mister Butler was your protection, Hoseok was your love, and Mingyu is your foundation.

You don’t want to lose another one, another solace. You don’t want to lose your last one. Because you know after Mingyu, there will be no one left to take care of you in the way the three of them had. If you lose him you think it’ll probably be the last of your control. If you lose your Reapers, you know you won’t ever be able to pick yourself up again.

They can’t save you in the same way you’ve saved them but still, you’ve come to rely on them in more than one way. They’re the only ones keeping you afloat in this deep, deep sea. The only ones keeping your broken pieces together.

“Something’s wrong,” you whisper into the silence after a long, long time. “...I can feel it. There’s another storm coming, Mingyu.” You’re limp against his chest, body unable to keep its strength up just like all those other times when you lay against him. Perhaps you’re hurting him with your weight, perhaps his body’s cramping up in some ways but Mingyu doesn’t dare move. “I don’t want it to come.”

He knows you’re scared, he can feel it.

“What would you like us to do?” He asks, softly, in order to keep you sane, to have control over your situation in just the slightest bit when it feels like everything is falling apart. He lets you regain control for a moment, just like the building foundation that he is.

“...Stay,” you say. “Just…stay.”

And so he remains there for another hour longer to help you breathe a little easier, to help ease your heart, to calm the storm that had risen against your chest. It is only when Yeonjun comes in do you finally separate.

“I have your tea ready, boss,” he says when he walks in.

You’re weak and unable to walk on your own, body barely even able to step away from Mingyu so the two of them help you get off him. Yeonjun takes over the base, becoming the stepping stool that you need. He takes you in his arms while you make no protest, head turned to lay against him like a rag doll who holds no strength left in her body.

And when the young genius takes you out the door on his own, Dasom emerges to have a look into the living room, her face blank as she takes in the figure who remains seated on the floor, eyes looking lost in thoughts.

“Is your heartbeat that calming?” She asks into the silence, breaking Mingyu out of his daze as he looks up with a calm expression. ��Boss always calms down the second she hears your heartbeat. Makes me wonder if you ever have moments when you aren’t calm and your anxiety takes precedence.”

He chuckles lightly, a rueful smile curling along his lips. “If I ever let the situations get the best of me, I’d lose my role as her foundation, and then what would happen? Have her suffer even more without being allowed a moment of calm?” He looks at her with furrowed brows, hand balling into a fist. “If I ever allow myself to become weak, I’d hurt her and that’s the one thing we cannot ever allow to happen. Y/N needs her moment of peace. Even if that moment lasts for just one second, if I can’t be her calm among the storm…she’d break.”

“But then what about you?” Dasom asks, her features marked with concern for someone else other than you, and Mingyu realizes it’s probably the first time she’s ever allowing her worries to show so openly.

“It doesn’t matter.” He picks himself off from the floor, averting his gaze as if avoiding his emotions. “As long as I’m alive, I live as her foundation. If I can’t do my job well, there’s no point in any of this.” As he walks by to leave, Mingyu takes a moment to pause beside her, putting a hand on the blade of her shoulder. “Even if we can’t save her, we can still give her room to breathe. If I ever rip that calm away from her…I’d never be able to live with myself.”

He walks away before Dasom can say anything else.

.

.

.

A blue vintage corset with a pretty white skirt that flows all the way to your ankles, accompanied by a matching blazer draped over your shoulders while your hair stays up by a white claw clip, you walk down the hall of the art museum all on your own, paying close attention to every painting presented on the wall at each of your sides.

You keep your eyes keen and open with arms crossed against your chest while your heels click from underneath you. All the guests in the building are common innocents who’re here simply for their own pleasures. You’re here for a different reason.

“..Miss?” 

Your heels stop clicking at the call of the hesitant voice behind you, already falling on your guard, and when you slowly turn around at the person, you find a young man you aren’t too familiar with.

“I apologize, you looked vaguely famil…” Your eyes narrow his way as he trails off as if trying to put an image to his memories, just before something in him clicks when his eyes widen. “Are you..the Reaper?” You keep your expression unreadable, remaining blank, and when it looks like you won’t answer his question, he goes to speak some more. “The scythe earrings,” he says, pointing at the silver dangles on each of your ears, “you..killed my uncle.”

Huh.

“So what? Looking for a chance to kill me now, are you?”

“No!” He quickly says and you fix your gaze towards the side at his sudden outburst, knowing the bystanders have just heard and have been alerted. Upon that, the man clears his throat awkwardly before continuing in a lower tone. “I just meant…I know my uncle was a bad man.”

“...Do you?” As you say that, a familiar figure catches the corner of your eyes and when you go on to focus your attention a bit more on them from behind the stranger’s shoulder, you feel your expression falling when you realize it’s Namjoon and Jimin.

If Namjoon and Jimin are here, the others shouldn’t be too far away. And that only means trouble.

You’re on your feet again, taking a turn opposite of where they are as you continue on your walk.

“It’s best to not associate yourself with me. If you offend me whether on accident or on purpose, I will rid of you without hesitation.”

“W-wait! I just..-” He runs to catch up to your pace, frantic looking. 

You stare at him up and down before sighing. “You’re wasting my time. Seeing as the insignificant man I killed is your uncle, I implore you to heed my advice and not show your face to me ever again. I do hate to be reminded of the memories of the past. They don’t serve well for the future.”

“I apologize, it’s just…I’m glad to have seen you in person, Miss Y/N. The rumors do you no justice, you’re more beautiful than they imply.” You don’t like the smile he shows you. “If you could be so kind, I would love to invite you to—”

“I told you, sir, I do not like to be reminded of the past.” You turn your face from him, walking sped up this time but he remains stubborn.

“I understand.” He doesn’t if he keeps following you insistently. “Being in the same room with you alone is a blessing, I’ll be sure to watch you from afar if fate ever allows us the moment again.” What a creep. “Ah, but what’re you doing here at an art museum? Are you here for your next target? Who is it?”

“It’ll be you if you don’t stop bothering me.”

He laughs as if you just said a joke. “My extended family would certainly have a heart attack if that were to happen, being as you’ve already gone and rid of my uncle. But truth be told, I’d be lucky to have the new Reaper kill me by her own hands.”

“Would you?”

“Of course! To have your beautiful hands—”

You stop in track all of a sudden, putting a hand up to have him freeze in place when he tries to reach out for you. “Sir.” Your voice drops deep, a frosty chill walking in as you stare him down from the side eyes. “If you really don’t wish to lose your life over some petty incident, I advise you to leave me now before you really make me angry. I’d hate making a scene in front of innocents but if you lay even the slightest touch on me, I’d do the same I did to your uncle and perhaps even worst.”

“...” He falls silent at your words and just as you think he’s finally done and realize the truth behind your threat, he speaks again as you’re about to walk away. “Who knew such a lady with refined beauty could get angry so easily.” He scoffs lightly, mocking you as his mask falls away. “You may be beautiful but your heart needs to be worked on. I bet my uncle didn’t even do much to have him face your wrath.”

“What your uncle did to me is none of your concern.”

“You must have killed your father for the same purpose, huh? I heard he cared for you quite deeply yet you returned his kindness by killing him. What a spoiled little brat.”

They don’t know your story and they never will, but that doesn’t phase you one bit because everyone is just like him; dumb and stupid, always believing the other side of the story without truly looking into things. Not that you care, they can think however they’d like, it doesn’t concern you.

You’re still going to kill the ones that did you wrong.

You ignore the man’s comment to keep walking, not wanting to stop this time no matter what but when you feel his presence once more with the way he comes at you at an alarming pace, you grab the white silk that was wrapped around your waist and played as a belt for your skirt, untangling the decorated bow and in a swift manner, you wrap the silk a few times around the man’s wrists, forcing it behind him in a rushed and assertive act that has him quick to scream at the pain.

You can feel a light tremble in your hands, the PTSD from Leehyun still here, so you make sure you aren’t touching him in the slightest, and when his scream alarms the people around you, you keep your cool as you stare down at the man, strengthening the tight grip of the silk with no mercy.

“You’re all the same. This is why I hate men.”

“Y/N?”

You sigh inwardly to yourself upon attracting the attention of Namjoon and Jimin and clench your jaw at the onlookers showing concern and worry. 

“Are you alright ma’am?”

“Was he bothering you?”

“Should we call security?”

You look up at the civilians who watches on with brows knitted on their features, your keen eyes taking in each of their expression. Calling in security now will only anger this man further and you can’t have their faces falling recognizable to him in case he holds any grudges. You know not to involve people and ruin their lives when they haven’t done anything wrong to you but the sight of the man who dared to try to lay a finger on you even after you’ve warned him otherwise makes you tremble with uncontrolled anger.

You told him you hate to be reminded of the past but he ignored your words and now you’re left here remembering Hwang Leehyun and his despicable touches that suddenly surfaces as if all they’ve been doing nothing but hiding under your skin, waiting to be revealed each time your memories resurfaces.

You hate it, you hate it, you hate it.

You want to kill this man.

“I’ll deal with him.” Namjoon’s commanding voice brings you back to the present for a second, just a split second. But still that second saves you for a moment because that second allows you to fall distracted, eyes flicking over to him sharply, and you watch when Yoongi and Jungkook, who you didn’t realize had also come over, take the man off you.

It saves you from having to be cautious in letting him touch you, allows you to breathe, to stand back up straight, to hide your hands behind your back.

That’s right. You’re calm, you’re calm. Nothing fazes you, you’re fine, everything’s fine. He didn’t touch you, he didn’t even graze you in the slightest. You’re fine and no one has to get hurt.

No one has to die. Not today.

You turn towards the crowd, feigning a small smile as you lower your head slightly at them. “Thank you for your concern, please return to your business. I apologize for the public disturbance.”

And without waiting for them to make their moves, you turn, following Namjoon away from the scene.

It’s silent for the longest time until you’re brought to the back of the building where it’s secluded and the sun is already setting. Yoongi and Jungkook keeps the man held against his will with Jimin following along, and Namjoon looks at you for a moment before he addresses you.

You should have known he’d visit this art museum. Namjoon enjoys looking at art during his pastimes, especially during times when things are rougher and he needs his moments of peace.

“How would you like to deal with him?” He asks, noting at the way you keep your hands held behind your back while keeping your distance. It seems you’re still cautious of being touched.

You look away from the man who had offended you, brows knitted as you stare at the horizon where the sun is slowly setting. “It’s fine,” you say, “looking at him a moment longer will only cause my blood to boil.”

You’re still dealing with the aftermath of your last endeavors, they can tell, that’s why Namjoon remained silent about the profound revelation he found. Although he may be angry with questions waiting to be demanded out of you, he kept his emotions at bay after seeing it physically in front of him just how hard the last event had hit you.

Still, he can feel his patience quickly slipping away now that he’s bathed in your presence. You still seem weak, not your usual aloof self who was always so great at hiding your true self slip past anyone, and although others may not realize it, he’s able to see through you in some of the slightest ways, letting him know that you’ve indeed taken a great hit from Leehyun.

His body may have burned away but the memories will always remain.

Namjoon understands how that feels.

“Leave him be then,” he tells the two before looking at you again, “I’m sure you’ll deal with him if you’d like in the future. I won’t interfere.”

You give him a nod and the three of them leaves with the man in toll, leaving you alone with Namjoon.

Silence fills once more, leaving you with the same uncomfortable feeling you’ve felt for the past few days. A storm is brewing and slowly but surely, you can feel the match beginning to ignite. Perhaps he has something to say to you, perhaps he realized something, or perhaps it’s something else, but either way you see that Namjoon isn’t speaking up even though it looks like he’s hiding something from you.

You turn on your heels, not wanting to stall this moment any longer. If he wishes to say something, whether that’s about what happened at the Hwang’s manor or something else, he can say it at another time. Right now you just want to return home and take your anger out in the training field.

“Jungwon.” You pause in your steps upon the name that slips from Namjoon’s mouth, his first word taking you by unexpected surprise. “He’s dead…isn’t he?”

There’s a hint of wrath in his voice, a hint of fear, a hint of unease and terror, accompanied by anxious thoughts that run through his mind and as you stand there still under the lights that have flickered on upon the sun now dimming the city, you don’t give him an answer.

But that in itself is an answer and you hear him scoff.

It’s filled with disbelief and disappointment.

“To think you’d lie to me and use someone I love against me.”

You turn around at those words, making sure to keep a level head. Despite the fact that he found out the truth about your schemes, you always told yourself to be prepared for moments like this. Namjoon would have found out one way or another. After all, he wanted the truth on where his brother was, and eventually, you would have either had to relay to him the news of his death or he’d find out on his own.

You just never expected he’d find out this soon. You thought you had more time.

“I didn’t lie to you, Namjoon, I just withheld the truth.”

Namjoon laughs at those words, the amusement dead and filled with nothing but pure ire. “And what? You think that’s any better? You know just how much my brother means to me.” You see the other three returning from where you stand, see the way the rest of them have come along as well and it almost feels as if you’re cornered. You can’t run, you have to face Namjoon’s wrath and their disappointment but you expected this. You expected to be hated by them and you prepared yourself not to care, to let them go when the time came. They left you, you’re free to leave them in the dust as well. “You were my wife and I trusted you with my vulnerability. I shared a part of myself I’d never share with anyone else and this is how you’re going to act in turn? By using information on my brother against me?”

You know what you’re about to say is toxic, that you shouldn’t turn this against him but after what happened with Leehyun, you can only feel your patience and mask slipping away as the day passes so you don’t care to hold your tongue this time.

“I could say the same thing about you, Namjoon. I trusted you with my heart and guess what happened in the end? You took it right out, ripped it to shreds, and threw it onto the ground without a care in the world.” The new scars on your body, the gash on your leg, they all still hurt in many ways and you hate the fact that they saw you in that vulnerable state.

“This is my brother we’re talking about.”

“And what? My feelings never meant anything to you?” You ask, challenging him. “You have to admit what you did to me was wrong and even after all these years, you’re acting as if nothing happened. I hate it most when people feign ignorance and pretend all is well without wanting to face the horrid part of things.” You take a sharp look at the others, making sure they know as well. “From the very beginning, I was on the losing end. I was made a pawn in the game you took part in, all just for the sake of power, and then you proceeded to toss me aside once you no longer needed me. Isn’t it only fair I do the same thing to you?”

“That doesn’t make it right for you to have used my brother against me,” he retorts with the same fire burning in your eyes. “You acted as if the butler who served you was someone you cared deeply for but in the end, everyone’s just a pawn for you to use at your disposal, huh?”

“Then you and I are similar in that aspect. You are not innocent, Kim Namjoon. Did you really think after all these years I’d remain that same soft-hearted girl I was then?” You chuckle bitterly at the thought. “She would never forgive the person that I am now but she’s gone, Namjoon, she’s dead, so she cannot stop me from using you in the way I wish to. If I want to use your brother against you, I’ll use your brother against you. The butler I grew up with was a butler who served me well, but he was foolish thinking he could have gotten out of that manor safe and secure without troubles along the way. Your father was the one who led him to the Reaper’s manor but when his mission grew completed, he hesitated upon leaving. Do you wanna know why?” You stare him dead in the eyes without blinking in the slightest way.

“It was because of me,” you say, unfaltering. “He stayed because of me. And guess what happened in the end? I killed him.”

“This is all your fault,” your father whispers into your ear. “He’s dead because of you.”

The trembling and terrified little girl then no longer shakes when she looks into the eyes of Kim Namjoon, the little brother of the very first man who ever loved you and the very first man whom you loved gently in turn.

Mister Butler was a man who always smiled your way no matter how rough the circumstances were. He was always there for you, the only one who held his arms out when you stood on the side, holding your tears in upon the rejection from your mother and father, the only one who allowed you to cry without scolding you, without scoffing or walking away. He was the only man who cared for you in the Reaper’s manor, providing you the fatherly protection you always needed from the very beginning.

He was your father, your brother, your friend, and the companion you sought the existence of. He was your soulmate, the very first one.

And when he left, your world fell apart. 

Nothing was right from the very beginning but he made it seem as if that in itself was okay because he was there and whenever he was there, everything turned out to be okay at the end of the day. You could go to your mother, get rejected and ridiculed, but turn to your butler and he’d sing you praises after praises. You could look up at your father with those wide and innocent eyes, the eyes of a child seeking the slightest attention they could receive from a busy and distant father, and even after he ignored you for the hundredth time, you could turn to your butler and he’d give you the attention you crave a hundred times more.

“I hope Mister finds your happiness someday.”

“And I hope the miss finds her happiness as well.”

You both broke your promise; his was forcibly ripped away from him and you no longer seek to find the pleasures in life.

You see the way Namjoon’s brows furrow slightly more, his chin protruding in the way it does when he’s angry, but you can tell there’s some suspicion leveled your way upon your words so you decide to drive him more mad.

He can hate you all he wants. You want him to hate you. He has to hate you and see you as nothing but a cruel and selfish monster.

You’re a monster.

“The day of the incident, I watched him with my very own eyes as life slipped away from him. His eyes were lifeless, dead, a corpse. In the same way I killed my mother and father, I killed your brother as well. The man who cared so much for me died at my very own hands. His death was all..my...fault.”

You drag out the words, speaking the last remaining three words carefully and slowly as if to try and purposely antagonize him.

It works.

Because you see the way Namjoon’s eyes brighten with red, how it shakes, how his lips tremble slightly, how it takes him a moment before he tries to get the words out of his throat. “...What?”

Hoseok watches you with brows slightly knitted in between, his mouth open but unable to utter anything out and you hate the way he looks disappointed, as if everything that he’s ever known about you is slowly slipping away and the mirror has slowly but surely shattered.

It’s okay though, you want this. You want him to hate you, to finally show anger and disappointment and think all ill thoughts of you with no rainbows or sunshine left in between. If Hoseok thinks nothing but love and still cares for the person he let slip from his grasp, it will only hurt the two of you in the end. 

Because you are incapable of loving, you have to make him hate you.

And if that means making him hate you through your hatred for Namjoon, then you’ll use that to your advantage. No one knows of Mister Butler anyways, and the ones who did have all died and left to burn to tell your tales. No one knows how much you loved that man, how you cried so hard the day your father killed him mercilessly. Though you may not remember clearly of the incident itself, you will never forget how much it hurt losing him and in turn, being blamed and made the villain of his story when all you ever wanted was nothing but his happiness.

Father turned everything onto you. Everything was your fault. You killed your beloved butler who showed nothing but love and care towards you. You were the fool who killed your father, your brother, your friend, your companion, and your soulmate.

You killed him.

You killed him.

Namjoon lunges after you in a blind fits of anger and as you keep your emotions well hidden in the depth of your heart, you hate the way this reminds you of those days all those years ago when Namjoon grew to hate you and the rest of your lovers did nothing but watch in turn.

Here you are reliving those same memories.

But rather than letting him take you down the way you did those years ago, this time you fight back. This time you lunge right back at him, not caring for anything else in this world even as something in the back of your mind tells you that you can’t win.

You can never win against Namjoon because at the end of the day, he will always be stronger than you. No matter how much strength you’ve gained through your years of torture, no matter how hard you’ve trained, how great your masters were, your strength can never exceed that of his.

“How dare you?!”

If Namjoon wasn’t blinded by rage, he’d use his brain just like any other day and realize how could a small little girl just nine years old possibly kill a man who held the strength and power of a mafia heir behind him? If he wasn’t so blinded by emotions, he’d remember the girl you used to be; afraid of guns and violence and always hidden behind the safety and comfort of her loved ones. How could a little girl like that, whether loved by her people or not, possibly rid of another man?

How could she? When all she wanted was nothing but happiness for the people that gave her nothing but kindness?

“Namjoon stop.” Hoseok. Poor Hoseok who still has the brains to try and rationalize things tries to meditate between two opposing opponents.

“Stop?” Namjoon scoffs. “She killed my brother!”

That’s right, blame me. Hate me. Hate me even more.

“You know what’s funny?” You pick yourself up from the ground, disregarding the fact that your white skirt now has stains on it as you reach for the knife hidden under it. “That I still haven’t gotten an explanation as to what happened all those years ago. Do you really think I’ll keep being patient without ever demanding an answer out of you?”

“Why the hell did you kill my brother? What did Jungwon ever do to you?” He doesn’t look for an answer before forcing you to dodge to the side with his blade grazing the skin of your arm. No matter how quick you are, you’re still slower than Namjoon. “That’s right, Jungwon didn’t do anything, did he? He’s not the type to hurt a little girl.” The more he pushes forward, the less space you have as you dodge back with your feet leaping behind at each step he forces you to take. “Did you have your people go after him? Force him to submit to you? Did you go to your father and make up stories in order to get rid of my brother?”

You manage to land a punch on his face upon those words, feeling your own anger building up. “I told you my truth. Why don’t you tell me yours, Namjoon? Surely I deserve it, right? After putting up with being your pawn, after letting you use me on that mission where you forced me to submit to a disgusting creep. Did you ever actually love me, Namjoon? Or was that all just a game you and the rest of your boys decided to play in in order to see how long things would last?”

“Y/N—”

“I didn’t deserve that.” Your eyes burn with red, baring your teeth as you glare at the rest of them. “We live in a world where emotions and weaknesses are not welcomed yet I trusted you with my heart. I gave you my soul. I listened to your problems, allowed you to lean on me, held you, loved you, did all that I could because I trusted in your love, and in turn, I got treated like nothing but a pawn in that little game you decided to play.” 

You push Namjoon against his chest upon his silence. “I put up with so much. Allowed you to degrade me, belittled me, let you say all those cruel things to me while being that silent good little girl you always cared for. That night I ripped my ring out, I even begged on my knees for you.”

“..What?” Hoseok whispers softly, words you’re unable to be heard because you’re focused on everyone else but him. He stands there in utter silence, listening to you and taking each and everything to heart.

You got on your knees and begged for them?

They…forced you to that point?

Them?

Hoseok turns to look at the rest of them with disbelief, as if trying to find someone in order to tell him that you’re wrong, that they didn’t force you to that point, and that you’re just spewing out nonsense because you’re angry.

“And you.” But before he can get an answer out of any of them, you’re speaking up too quickly as you point your finger at the rest of the boys. “Do you have any idea how much I second-guessed my position in our relationship? How much I envied the passing times you’ve already spent with one another? How many nights I went to sleep thinking perhaps you could have done better, perhaps I shouldn’t have intervened and got into the arranged marriage? Do you have any idea how many insecurities I built, convincing myself that you could never love me as much as you loved each other? That when it ever came to a point where one or two of you is fighting against me, I’d be on the losing end and no one would take my side because you loved each other more than you loved me?”

You laugh bitterly thinking about those days, feeling foolish for not giving in to those thoughts. “You had the audacity to make me think otherwise when in the end, my greatest nightmare came true.”

Namjoon forces himself in between you and them, pushing you back slightly on the shoulder. “Don’t make this about you.”

“What? Don’t make this about me?” You scoff at him with disbelief. “I gave you my truth, Namjoon, don’t you think it’s high time you gave me yours? Unless you plan on keeping me in the dark forever? If you really loved me then, if those three years were real and not a lie you built for me to live in then give me the truth that I deserved all those years ago. You wanted me gone no matter what, right? And I gave you that benefit, I walked away from our marriage because you no longer wanted me there anymore so whatever the hell is the reason behind those cold shoulders of yours, give it to me damn it! I deserve it more than anyone!”

“I stopped loving you!” He shouts against your anger and it catches you off guard for a moment.

You look at him for a second and when a heartbeat passes, you let out a disbelief scoff. “Now was that so hard to say? You sick bastard..!”

You push forth with your knife hung in the air but before you can strike, Seokjin’s right in front of you, forcing your hand away and as you take a moment to watch him with bafflement, you realize the rest of them are all standing by Namjoon’s side, refusing to let you harm him in any way.

Hoseok looks distraught as he remains where he first stood, his head falling to the side, avoiding your gaze, and once again it seems that no matter how hard you tried, you could have never competed against their love for one another. Because even if Hoseok were on your side then, they would have never pushed him away or allowed him to leave in order to stay by your side. They loved him too much to let him go to you.

How selfish.

How…cruel.

“I see.” The strength in your voice weakens as you face the hard truth and although it looks like they want to say something, you don’t let them. “In the end, you really did love each other more than you did me. And I’m not upset at that, why I be? Feelings are something we cannot force no matter how much we try but you should have told me the truth instead of letting me be the fool into believing I could have been enough. I was never enough for you, was I? Or perhaps you were already enough for each other you didn’t need another one to intervene. Perhaps in the beginning you really did love me, or you thought you did. I want to believe in that love because you showed me sides to you you’d never show to anyone else. I want to believe that you were kind and not some cruel, heartless monsters who never cared for me and only used me as your pawns.

“And I’m not hurt because of the past. I’m over it. I’m hurt at the fact that you turned the little girl I was into a lovesick fool and made her believe nothing that she did would ever satisfy you. But she did nothing wrong…did she?” You look at them with your cold expression falling away, the anger still there but lessened as you’re more disappointed and hurt than anything. “I did nothing wrong. I was always enough, but you made me feel otherwise.”

You turn from them, not wanting to look at them any further. And as you walk away, this time even Hoseok doesn’t chase after you.

Perhaps he understands your pain, knows just how much the boys have messed up. And whether he wants to choose you or not is not a choice for him to make because at the end of the day, it will always be the boys.

You will always be Hoseok’s second choice.

.

.

.

“...Som.”

“Boss?” Dasom’s at your side in an instant. You aren’t sure how and where she appeared from but the second you walk in through the doors and uttered her name, she’s right there at your disposal, her eyes widened, a quick display of surprise plastered on her usual expressionless face. “What happened there?” She points at the light graze on your arm, her anger clear. “We aren’t supposed to go for another one until later so who dared to hurt you? Who do I have to—”

You put your hand up, cutting her off immediately just as Yuna appears alongside her. They remain silent in your presence, taking in the way you look. Your once pure white skirt spoils with dirt, blazer hung over your arm for someone to take, eyes falling blankly to the floor with a look of exhaustion clear on your face. There’s a slight furrow in your brows, lips sealed tight, eyes twitching a little.

You’re trembling in the slightest way. It won’t ever be prominent to the normal eyes but your Reapers will never miss anything about you.

Dasom’s quick to rush away on her feet without a word, probably to call Mingyu, while you look around for something, feeling restless, before sitting flat on the floor.

“I hate heels,” you utter, allowing your legs to straighten right before you, and without needing to demand anything out of them, your Reapers know immediately what to do.

Yuna crouches down to take your shoes off while someone else takes your hair clip off to free your hair.

“Boss?” And when Mingyu’s voice is heard, you stare up with an effort, suddenly marked with a memory of the past.

Everyone has left the room upon your silence. Everyone but your right-hand man.

You sit still on the floor of your bedroom, the only place that’s secure in this hellhole. You hate what lies outside the door, hate the halls, the eyes of your father’s men, your father himself, and everything else that exists.

Mingyu tends to the wounds you reveal after ripping your sleeves off, trusting in only him to see them after having gone through a series of feigning your strength before your father. He sent you on another dangerous mission, hoping to kill you.

“Boss?” Mingyu speaks up into the silence, prompting you gently as if he knows there are some things you want to let out.

So you speak. “Mingyu.”

“What is it?” He remains patient upon your hesitation, so you turn to look at him, eyes distant but holding onto your last bit of sanity that still exists.

“I’m tired,” you say, and that’s all he needs to hear to understand.

“Mingyu.”

He crouches down to your level and stares at the cut on your arm before taking a look at your slightly reddened feet from the heels. The silence lingers in the air and so he looks up at the rest, a signal they’re quick to pick up on and without a word, the Reapers that have gathered around all scatter away.

Once they’re all gone and out of sight without alerting any of your senses, you finally utter out more words.

“I’m tired,” you say, and Mingyu understands.

You’re tired, tired of everything. Tired of the world, of people, of everyone that has hurt you, of being weak and unable to face the truth without trembling, of pretending, of keeping strong, of lying, of being lied to, of your enemies, of your friends, of everyone and everything.

You’re tired.

You want to rest, to stop, to reset, to freeze time, to relive everything and make better decisions just so you don’t have to live through all of this ever again.

From what Mingyu can tell, there’s only one group of people that can make you look this way. There aren’t a lot of people who can go up against you after all, not to mention you had no plans to face anyone annoying today, so the only conclusion he can come up with is that you accidentally met up with Bangtan and something happened.

“He found out Mister Butler died,” you say, already knowing that Mingyu can always speculate what’s going on with you. Mister Butler will always be Mister Butler to you. Not Kim Jungwon, not Namjoon’s brother, not a man belonging to another gang, just Mister Butler. Your butler.

Your kind and gentle butler whom you killed.

“Ah,” is all Mingyu says as he makes himself comfortable on the floor.

You take your knees up to your chest and lay your cheek against them. “I told him I killed him myself.”

He purses his lips. “Why would you lie to him like that?”

“I wanted him to hate me.” You pause. “To blame me.” It’s a simple answer and Mingyu can already tell what’s going on inside your head.

You hate showing any bit of weakness in front of others, especially in front of strangers and in front of people that have wronged you. You hate it when someone shakes your core, when you can’t stand upright, when your falsehood falls and your brave act begins to break, and he knows you must have hated it most that you had to show such a vulnerable side of yourself towards the very ones who drove you back into such a harsh environment, forcing you to survive all on your own.

They unknowingly fed you to the wolves, just to watch in horror as they finally witnessed the consequences of their actions. What makes it worst is that they don’t even know that that was all their doing. You would have been safe staying with Bangtan if they hadn’t forced you to leave.

Lying to Namjoon about killing his brother was your way of distancing yourself from him, because even you could tell something would have changed in your relationship were he to begin acting differently around you after London’s mission.

You hate being weak and you hate it most of the people’s reactions to it.

Some people use that against you while others sympathize and act with more care around you. You and Mingyu both know Namjoon isn’t the type to use your weakness against you so you decided to keep playing the villain and drive him away.

“Do you ever plan on telling him the truth someday?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because he deserves it,” Mingyu says, “that’s his brother after all. No matter what happened between the two of you, you know he deserves the truth and not the lie you told him of killing his own brother yourself.”

You know.

You know more than anyone Namjoon deserves to hear the truth about what happened all those years ago. You remember the first night he opened up to you about his brother, how broken he looked to believe he failed Jungwon when in reality he had nothing to do with his death. It was all the corrupted fathers that involved themselves in the game of thrones, willing to discard all and anyone away whether they were family or not.

Namjoon’s father was just like yours and you know that if Namjoon were to ever find out the truth about your father, he’d hate himself the most.

They all would.

But you don’t care to give them the truth because they don’t deserve it, none of them do. None except Hoseok but you know that if Hoseok were to ever know everything, he’d beat himself up the most and you don’t deserve to put him through any of that.

Your secrets will remain yours both from Bangtan and the Reapers.

Still, if there’s anything Namjoon deserves, it’s the truth about his brother, just as Mingyu said. It wasn’t fair of you to use his brother against him after all. You were cruel for that but you had to do what you had to do. It was the only way to get through to Namjoon, make him a pawn in this stupid revenge game of yours. He doesn’t deserve the lies you gave him, the truth you withheld from him, but revealing the truth about Mister Butler’s death will also bring your own truth forward and you don’t think you can take that.

“If I tell him the truth about Mister Butler…that means telling my truth.” Mingyu watches you carefully as you speak and because you know even he and Yuna doesn’t know much about your past, your brows knit in distress as you look away from that piercing gaze, holding onto your knees even tighter. “Father killed him,” you utter bitterly as you bite against your lower lip, the effects of the incident still a place you’d rather not return to. “He was the first love I lost.”

You’ve told them about the first man who ever showed you kindness, that because he loved you, he died. You told them about Bangtan, that they failed you and betrayed your trust. The two of them, Mister Butler and Bangtan, are the very reasons why the Reapers are not permitted to love you.

To you, being loved is something out of the book. You’re scared of being loved because in the end, they either die or betray you. That is why you cannot see how deeply the Reaper’s loyalty lies.

Because you refuse to.

Because you’re afraid of it.

Afraid of loving and afraid of being loved.

“If I tell him about Mister Butler..how he died and how he lived…he’ll connect the dots. He’s already doing it right now, I’m sure of it. How can you still blindly think a father actually treated his daughter finely knowing she’s been through some stuff? Namjoon’s not stupid, none of them are. It was easy to live in the lie back then but now that I’m deliberately going after people, how can anyone not begin to question things?”

So you’ve pushed them away not only because you didn’t want them to treat you any differently but also because you’re pushing them away from the truth they may be hoping to find out.

“Not that it matters much anymore anyways.” You press your forehead upon your knees, hiding your face completely. “I told him I killed his brother and he told me he stopped loving me. In the end, the old me who was once the center of their attention fell away and was never enough for them. What a pitiful little girl,” you scoff lightly, bitter at the fact you’ve just uttered. “Nothing hurts more than trying your absolute best and still not being good enough. She was so..dumb. But maybe she knew the truth all along. Maybe she just didn’t want to believe in it, deluding herself into lies after lies, trying to keep up the fantasy, living in a house of cards that had been inevitable to fall from the very beginning. 

“She was a fool. An utter, pitiful fool.”

[zozo-01]

"i understand why you won't love a monster like me."

*cocks gun* Sammy, my love, it's your turn to be put under the pain machine. As mentioned earlier, this is all based on @taelonsamada's incredible Imperium AU AU fic, Return to Shore, where Darlin' and Asher were together before some bad things happened.~ (Part 3/4)

CW: Angst, Sam thinking the Darlin' is using him to move on from Asher, Imperium Canon Divergence, EVERYONE GO READ RETURN TO SHORE NOWWWWW!!!!

--

He thinks they’re too good for him.

How could he not? He was the monster that his mother warned him about. The cruel beast who would snatch and condemn the innocent to his cursed life. The vile creature that cowered before the sun.

Darlin’ is the pure sunlight that chased away the sinners in this world. Sinners like himself.

It had been that righteous anger, their sense of justice, that had guided him to them in the first place. He thought, like the heartless monster he is, 'perhaps I can use them to exact my revenge.' He had fully expected to be rejected at the door, without a chance to explain himself.

They hadn’t.

They gave him the honour of their time and heard his plea. Darlin’ decided that his cause was worth fighting for.

He later learned that they found his cause worth dying for.

He justified his care for the reckless wolf by thinking he needed them alive to kill his maker. But after the rooftop incident… where they had almost fallen to their death… he realized a crucial fact.

He needs them alive because he needs them. Not their claws or fangs or their tracking abilities.

He needed just them.

Unbeknownst to him, Darlin’ became the light of his dark life. They were the sunlight he craved to feel again.

Of course someone so incredible, so beautiful and so goddamned good it hurts his soul was also the light of another’s life.

The Shaw Pack’s (he doesn’t even know if that’s the right name) Alpha had always made great care to check in on his packmate. Sam hadn’t thought much of it. He was their Alpha and as it was his job to make sure Darlin’ was ok, no matter how difficult they made it to accomplish that.

But seeing the Alpha look at the wolf… and how they were looking back… it was evident to everyone in the room that the two had shared history.

A more personal history that either may let on.

The Alpha had lit up watching Darlin’ walk into the room. Or maybe it was just the den light’s reflecting the tears in his eyes. Sam knew that look. He knew the way Asher’s eyes soften and a small smile dare peak on his face.

It’s the same look he gives Darlin’. The only difference is that Sam has always been to much of a coward to look them dead in the eye with that soft look.

But the Alpha was no coward. He looked at Darlin’ with love in his eyes, a look that came natural to him. Like he had full confidence that Darlin’ would look at him the same way.

And the Alpha was right, Darlin’ was looking at him the same way. The same small smile and love-filled gaze.

Sam just wished that he could be the recipient of that gaze.

But who was he kidding. He was a monster, and Darlin’ had dealt with enough monsters in their life.

They deserved something that was good and pure as they were. A hero.

A hero like the Alpha that had save them from the wicked fangs of another vampire.

The fact that he had the chance to bask in Darlin’s glow was enough of a blessing in his second life. So if keeping them in his life meant that Darlin’ would use him for their own pleasure, then by God he was ready to be used.

He never was a man to ask for much, but all he wishes is for Darlin’ to stay in his life. He craved for the warmth of the sun on his skin. He craved the feeling of their warmth.

He notices the clench in Darlin’s throat when they speak to the Alpha and he notices the twitch in Alpha’s hand. Maybe he wanted to caress their hair? Hold their hand? Or perhaps Sam is projecting his desires onto the man in front of him.

There is a voice deep down that tells him that the Alpha and him feels the same way for his Darlin’.

And it seems that Darlin’s desires lied with the man from their past.

Sam was okay, though. It was better for Darlin’ to hand their heart to their Alpha, a man he can trust, and not him, the sadistic, cruel, vile, despicable being that has put them on a suicide mission.

But goddamn it, it hurts knowing that he will never have their heart. Not in the same way they have his.

[pkg4mumtown]

Through Glass (Ch. 5)

Chapter 5: I Just Want you By My Side

Rating: M

Summary: Strange is getting closer to figuring this problem out, meanwhile you and Stephen are getting closer to one another.

A/N: Hi! Thank you for all the love! I want to take a moment to explain that none of the dreams have been from the same universe. Also, my HC is that Stephen runs really cold, like every part of him. We’re also getting closer to some smut, not this chapter but maybe soon so I do want to preemptively warn that it would be with Stephen and some of his creatures would appear. If that’s not your cup of tea, keep an eye out for the summary on the next chapter.

I’m also aware that some of the beings mentioned in this chapter are probably not the ones Stephen absorbed but…they were never named so….I’m giving them names! :D

Strange = Dr. Strange in reader’s universe

Stephen = Strange-Supreme

Warnings: Feelings of being watched, Multiversal Stalking, Possessive!Stephen, Eventual body horror, Gender Neutral Pronouns for Reader, No Y/N, First Person POV, What If AU where Reader dies instead of Christine, Strange-Supreme just needs a hug honestly, Stephen in Reader’s universe is a big dummy, Stephen is touch starved, consentacles, eventual smut, reader/monster romance

Catch up with Chapter: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

I’m not looking for words

I’m not running from hurt

I just want you by my side

In this moment in time

Feels I’m crossing a line

I’m not looking to set things right

-Angel by Poets of the Fall

Pinching my knees together around Stephen’s hips, I pressed him into the mats with my head tight to his neck, which was covered in red and dark blue—almost black—tunics. He got ready to buck me off him, or unbalance me at the very least, drawing his knees up and planting his feet on the floor to help him. With my legs on either side of his, I tucked my feet under his butt and drove my hips down heavily into his. His breathing hitched as I created a good amount of pressure on his diaphragm. I clicked my tongue at him with a devious smile, his mouth turning into a determined scowl as I felt his scarred hands creep up near the back of my collar. 

“Ah, ah, ah, Doctor,” I chastised, weaving my arm on the inside of his, placing a palm on his bicep, and straight-arming his arm back to the mat.

I slipped my hand down back to the mat, punching it underneath his arm and gripping the back of his tunic before repeating it with the other side. All at once, I unhooked my feet and shoved my knees into his armpits while bringing my hands to the top of his head, so his arms were stuck above his shoulders in a weak position. 

“You know—,” Stephen grunted under me, trying to buck me off again but failing as I now sat on his chest. His eyes dropped to the seam of my pants, as if he could see clearly what lay hidden beneath, “—if there were less clothes involved, you would be beg—”

I took one of my hands that lay on top of his head, turning my wrist slightly to grasp his gray-streaked ponytail firmly. I tugged it gently, enough for his brain to short circuit, “No, Steph, I think you would still be the one begging.”

Stephen moaned as I tugged a little harder, pressing a chaste kiss to his full lips only for him to tug my bottom lip between his teeth—

Strange’s eyes flew open, his dry throat making it difficult to slow his breathing. He let out a pitiful groan and glanced down, seeing the tent through his comforter. With a huff, he dropped his head heavily back into the pillow. The loneliness was beyond overwhelming.

When he initially got the “bright” idea to erase your dreams of the two of you together, he wasn’t banking on being infatuated with you through his own dreams as time went on, but here he was—craving your touch. It was bad enough that he’d accidentally said your name that first meeting, and you then called him out on it later. Maybe it was a good thing you two argued before he left the other day. It would make hating him and keeping your distance easier, in his opinion at least. For a split second, he wished he would just give up, but he was far too deep in the process. Plus, your dreams coming back so soon after mentioning it to him? Far too suspicious. 

It wasn’t like he wanted to do this because he hated you. He dreaded it every time. But since he saw those fourteen million timelines and some of them ended with you dying because of his enemies down the line? It was something he didn’t even want to chance. 

The best thing—the best gift he could give you was a life free of him.

But you were right earlier, what had he done to help your current issue? It was something he didn’t want to answer at the time as you crushed his ego so effortlessly and ruthlessly. He was proud, really. Between running off with Wong for actively dangerous dimensional issues, going solo when he was needed, and checking in on America and her training; he was pressed for time concerning your issue. Not to say he wasn’t doing anything about it, but he was slower to come with results than he would have liked. So, he could understand your frustrations with him. What he didn’t understand was how unconcerned you were for the problem now. What if you weren’t decent? So what? He would have hoped that him rushing in at the off chance of danger would have been welcomed; expected even. Was he supposed to knock and wait for you to answer while some demon was feasting on your soul?

As Strange got the spell ready to redact the dream that had him so hot under the collar, he cursed as he remembered something. He had meant to check on the wards in your house while he was there but had gotten so frustrated that he simply left. He knew something was off, maybe something had breached or been prevented from breaching, but only looking at the wards would have given him more information since whatever signal he was getting from here was diluted. Maybe it was cloaking itself. Could the entity have already come through? If it was powerful enough, he supposes maybe it could try to hide from him, but his watchlist was incredibly extensive—if he did say so himself—and if he could clock Loki standing on a sidewalk for all of twenty seconds? Highly unlikely. What kind of Master of the Mystic Arts would he be if he could let something like that slip? 

Strange proceeded with the spell and took off toward the library to figure out what he was going to do about it.

My eyes opened with a soft groan, feeling my bed dip on the opposite side behind me. Damn it all, why did that dream have to end? It was so—so—

Fuck. That bastard.

Rolling onto my back and shifting my legs to do so, I was pleasantly—or unpleasantly—surprised to feel...well...horny. I was throbbing for fuck’s sake. What was I dreaming about?

“Nice dream?” I heard Stephen’s low voice whisper in my head.

“Y—I guess—I don’t know,” I cleared my throat, looking over and seeing the Doberman curled up on my bed staring across the space between us. 

He tilted his head to the side, nostrils flaring, “You’re lying,” I heard him smirk. “Your pheromones changed.”

“I’m not talking about this while you look like a dog, Stephen,” I glared at him. 

“What would you rather I looked like?” he hummed and I could almost hear the mirthful smirk playing about his lips.

“I’m just saying—plus, you don’t need to be a dog to hang out here.”

“’Here’, as in, your bed specifically or...?” he continued, just being annoying for the sake of riling me up further.

“Oh, shut up,” I groaned, covering my heated face.

Stephen’s snickering laughs gradually morphed from bouncing around in my head to just next to me, the bed shifting as his body reverted to its natural state. Peeking through my fingers, I chewed on my lip as I saw Stephen in that same reddish t-shirt but with sweats covering his legs instead of jeans. I felt cold fingers wrap around my wrist and peel a hand away from my face, prompting me to remove my other hand, as well. With his hand still connected to my wrist, he gave my arm a gentle tug in a silent ask for me to come closer.

Who was I to resist?

I shuffled closer, leaving a little space between us; far enough that we still laid on separate pillows. My heart pounded intensely in my chest; nervous and excited all the same. 

“Good morning,” Stephen’s soothing voice washed over me as his hand glided up my forearm, landing comfortably above my elbow and tracing patterns on the soft skin there. 

“Morning,” I mumbled, still chewing heavily on the inside of my lip.

“Nervous?” Stephen wondered aloud.

“A little...”

“Don’t be,” he smiled, shifting an inch closer.

Hesitantly, I brought my hand up to his face; hovering just out of reach. Stephen waited patiently with a soft smile accenting his stormy, gray eyes. My fingertips touched his sharp jawline first, trailing up towards his mouth to run over the coarse, brown hair on his face. Growing more comfortable and confident with my actions, I flattened out my hand and pressed my palm against his cheek, reminiscent of the TV incident. I let my thumb run back and forth over his goatee, watching his eyes flutter shut as a content hum leaves his mouth. His hand that rested on my tricep dropped, landing on my mid back to keep me in place. Stephen kept his eyes closed as he savored the moment, not seeing me as I brought my face closer to bump noses with him softly. A breathy laugh left his lips, his eyes opening at the contact as he gently knocked his nose against mine in retaliation.

The moment was serene and peaceful, all things that didn’t seem like they would quite fit with Stephen based on his looks. But his photographic memory soaked up every single moment and stashed it away for a lonely night. 

I just couldn’t help myself.

Angling my nose just slightly away from his, I closed the inch of distance between us and pressed my lips against his—nearly jumping in surprise at how cold his mouth was. It was brief, fleeting, and left Stephen wanting so much more. His head chased mine as I pulled away, but he had the restraint to stop himself from pressing it.

“S—sorry,” I gulped. “I know I’m not them b—but...”

“Shh,” he hushed, running his hand up and down my back to soothe me. “I know you’re not and that’s okay. I’m not trying to replace them with you, love,” he murmured, searching my eyes for any hints of regret.

Giving me time to stop him, Stephen moved back in and brushed our lips together again. I didn’t pull away this time, instead pressing my lips firmly against his to deepen the kiss. I felt something wrapping firmly over my hip, separate from his hand but was too lost in him to look. His lips parted just enough to let my bottom one fit in before closing back around it with a content sigh. I let my hand slide to the back of his head to encourage him to go deeper—if he wanted to, of course. He did so happily, swiping my lip with his cool tongue teasingly. The hold over my hip tightened with the one on my back but I paid no attention to whatever reality-defying things were happening there; focusing only on his secure pressure and cool, slanting mouth.

Before it could go any further, my alarm blared behind me. I jumped, knocking into Stephen’s nose as I scrambled to turn it off. As I sat up and turned over to slap the offending machine, I finally saw what else was holding me along with Stephen’s arm. A muted-green tentacle leisurely retracted back to Stephen’s body, as I settled back on the bed. Stephen’s head tilted in thought, briefly rubbing out the pain in his nose, as he studied my face while I watched the tentacle. 

“Sorry if that made you uncomfortable, it wasn’t keen on listening,” Stephen glared at the tentacle and swatted it as it took its time to disappear.

“No, I—it's okay. I, um, I liked it,” I squeezed my fingers together as I felt a blush rising up my neck. “Sorry about the alarm.”

“No, it was probably a good thing,” Stephen smirked. “Don’t want to get too carried away. I’d like to at least make you dinner first,” he teased, sitting up to hang his legs over the edge of the bed.

Sighing, I reluctantly got up since the alarm went off for a reason. “I gotta get ready for work,” I groaned.

“I’ll see you when you get home,” Stephen took my hand, drawing me in to stand between his legs. 

He laced our fingers together in one hand and cupped side of my leg with the other, tilting his chin up with a hypnotizing, needy look in his eyes. I bent to give him another kiss, less passionate than before and combed stray hairs away from his face with my fingers. 

With one last smile, I headed toward my bathroom and Stephen toward the mirror.

Bzz Bzz Bzz 

Groaning under my breath, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, seeing the words “Incoming call from” flash across my screen with the name “Wizard” following closely behind. I cringed at the thought of why he was calling but answered anyway, the knowledge that I had never messaged or called him when he gave me his card just crossing my mind at that moment.

“Do I even want to know how you got my number?” I sighed heavily into the microphone.

My name was the first word out of his mouth, making me increasingly impatient, “Probably not, sorry for the sudden call. Are you free at noon today?”

“I have an hour for lunch, why?” I knitted my brows together.

“I need to check the wards in your house. I meant to the other day but—uh...yea,” Strange trailed off, clearing his throat at the awkward silence that followed.

“Uh...” I really didn’t want to at the risk of compromising Stephen but couldn’t come up with anything believable on the spot. “It’ll take me a bit to get there but…”

“No need, I can have a portal waiting for you outside when you’re ready,” Strange interrupted.

“Alright, then,” I frowned to myself, “I’ll text you the address.”

“Thank—.”

I hung up before he could finish and checked the time, seeing that noon was only an hour away. I only hoped that Stephen would be out of sight when we got there. Looking around for anyone who might judge me for what I was about to do, I brought my phone close to my face and tapped the screen—not entirely sure how the whole gateway thing worked despite Stephen attempting to explain it to me on a few occasions.

“Stephen?” I whispered at the black screen. “Stephen!?” I whispered louder, hoping for a reaction, but there wasn’t any. Shit. Hopefully, that was a good sign.

Around noon, I stepped outside my building and sent Strange a text with the address. Within seconds, a portal appeared a few feet from me with Strange and the outside of my house visible on the other side.

“How long do you think this’ll take?” I muttered, passing him while sifting through my keys.

“Not too long, I just want to get a read on the wards,” Strange shifted on his feet as he moved to follow me.

We filtered into the house, me going in first and slower to make sure Stephen was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, the coast was clear to the naked eye but when Strange entered the house, I could instantly feel Stephen’s eyes on us from somewhere. We stood in the entrance for a second, Strange scoping out what was in the vicinity as I'm sure he felt Stephen’s weight in the room, too. 

“Where’s your dog?” Strange picked up right away, looking at me out of the corner of his eye for a reaction.

Fuck.

“He—Uh—he’s at doggy day care. He has anxiety when he’s alone and I don’t need my house getting torn up,” I made up there and then.

“Right,” Strange hummed, raising his hands and gesturing until his sorcery came to life and revealed the wards that were still in place, “And what did you say his name was?”

“I didn’t,” I paused, feeling Strange turn to glare at me in disbelief, “But if you must know, his name is Armani.”

“Interesting,” Strange murmured as he examined the closest wards.

“Why?”

“Nothing, no reason. It was just one of my favorite brands before…this.”

“It’s a lot of people’s favorite brand,” I stated with a hint of mockery woven in.

Strange snapped his mouth shut with a scowl, turning to examine the wards in the living room but stopping in his tracks when he saw the lack of a ward on the TV. He side-eyed me as I nervously clenched my fists but moved on to my bedroom anyway. Strange hummed again as he saw the lack of a ward on my bedroom mirror and again in the bathroom. He frowned, deep in thought as he made his way back to my room. He suddenly froze up as he realized something, his blood running cold at these findings but he couldn’t show that presently. This being had not only destroyed some wards but destroyed them in a way that didn’t let Strange know the intensity with which it was destroyed. It was clean. There was no evidence of tampering with the ward, just the complete lack of it.

“Is everything o—”

Strange held up a shaky finger and slowly stepped over toward the mirror by my bed, “This wasn’t always here, right?”

“N—no I moved it,” I mentally cursed myself.

“Why?”

“I—I wanted to? I—y’know? Balance a—and all that?"

“Don’t lie to me,” Strange snapped, reaching out to grab my wrist before I could back away. “Why would you move it closer to you if you can see this thing in mirrors? Hmm? Make it make sense!”

Shit. Shit shit shit. Stephen, you better have some self-control, I thought to myself, panicked not for my own safety but for Strange’s and the damage that could be caused if Stephen were to react.

“I’m not lying! Let me go, I sw—,” I muttered, cut off by Strange’s cloak wrapping around his wrist.

“Levi, what the fu—ow!” Strange exclaimed as Levi yanked on his wrist so he’d let me go. “Whose side are you on?” He gave the collar a dirty look and reached for me again, only for Levi to slap his hand away. Strange glared at me for being uncooperative and berated his cloak, “Traitor.”

Levi pointed repeatedly to the mirror with one of its corners, tugging Strange closer to the mirror. I blanched at how intuitive the relic was, hoping whatever it was feeling wasn’t recognizable as Stephen, considering it was already familiar with his presence by being bonded to one of him.

With a passing scowl, Strange stood closer to the mirror and paused. His brows drew together as he grew closer in proximity, bringing his hand to the mirror and inhaling sharply, “Whoa.” He took a small step back, like something had just assaulted his senses.

Without hesitation Strange waved his hands in a pattern until he made a mandala with rings inside of it spinning in opposite directions. He furrowed his brows as he examined whatever it was showing him as if he could read the spinning runes—well, he probably could. As he continued observing the changing runes, his eyes bounced wildly around the mandala in...shock? His eyes widened comically near the very end, the mandala fizzling out of existence for a moment, leaving only his shaking hands in their same positions. As if having a sudden moment of clarity, he recreated the spell, freezing it in place so the rings would stop spinning, and squashed it down until it was contained in his palm in a magenta sphere, not unlike the tiny crystal ball Stephen watched over. Watching the small sphere in disbelief for a moment—his breathing growing less heavy by the second—Strange made it vanish with a twist of his wrist, sending it who knows where. 

My own body was vibrating with nervous energy at what he possibly could have gotten from that. It’s not like he saw anything in the mirror but his own reflection, but whatever information the spell had given him was seemingly not good whatsoever.

“I need—I need to go,” Strange shook his hands out to stop the trembling that had taken over once the sphere disappeared and snapped out of whatever shock he had been experiencing.

“What happened?” I asked, following him as he began striding toward the living room with panic settling in my chest.

“I need another opinion.”

I didn’t even get to catch up to him before he was opening a portal, striding through it with purpose. He only paused as if suddenly remembering he portaled me here in the first-place and created another portal, pushing it toward me before shutting his completely.

No. No. No. No. 

Strange was spiraling—panicking—as he entered the Sanctum. He gripped his hair, running his hand through before groaning and grasping his head harshly. He was thinking too hard, too fast, too much all at once as his brain overloaded with information and horrible scenarios.

Why were there signatures of such a large number of mystical creatures in that mirror?

Strange had only been banking on one entity, that’s what had been observed by your friend, at least. The wards being completely stripped on a few surfaces terrified him. How could he not have felt it coming through? What had come through? All the beings he felt...he should have been able to feel them come through the gateway. He should have felt those wards being destroyed or seen evidence of them still. Some of those beings shouldn’t have been able to pass through the wards to begin with. So, what happened? He spiraled as he noted every creature he felt mixed in with his own unique magical signature—probably left over from the spell he had cast from the wards.

A variety of mystical creatures. Dimensional gods. Dark Dimensional demons. Surtur’s dragon. Shou-Lao. Shuma-Gorath.

By the Vishanti, was he having a heart attack? Is this what it feels like? He gulped, still freaking out where he arrived in the Sanctum. Having enough sense to head to his room, he attempted to calm down before seeking Wong's help. Finally.

The rest of the work day was normal, suspiciously so after what had transpired over lunch. Strange was catching on to something and I had no idea what it was or what Stephen was going to do. On the bus ride back home, I tried to figure out what I was going to say to Stephen to come up with any way to throw Strange off. 

All that thinking went out the window as I approached my front door.

Now everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear

(They say love hurts)

But I know (it's gonna take the real work) oh-oh

Nothing's perfect but it's worth it

After fighting through my tears and finally you put me first

I halted at my doorstep, key hanging midair as I heard Beyoncé blasting through the walls. What in the world? With a renewed sense of urgency, I shoved the key in the lock, and swung the door open.

The sight before me was certainly...unexpected.

I hurriedly closed my door to prevent any nosey people peeping in from the sidewalk as I stood dumbfounded at the sight of my kitchen. Stephen’s green tentacles spouted from all different surfaces of my kitchen, all doing different tasks from another. What caught me off guard was the violet-colored rune sheath around them with ever-moving rings.

“Stephen?” I called out as the door slammed shut behind me.

Baby, it's you

You're the one I love

You're the one I need

You're the only one I see

Come on, baby, it's you

You're the one that gives your all

You're the one I can always call

When I need to make everything stop

Finally, you put my love on top

With no sign of Stephen, one of the tentacles finally took notice and dropped what it was doing to hover in front of me. It was almost...excited.

“Hi there,” I cooed, holding my hand out.

It happily thrust itself into my hand, nuzzling my palm. Knowing the creatures more or less had a mind of their own despite the control Stephen had over them, I was still cautious, but this creature had never been malicious to me since I first noticed it.

“It’s been a while, huh? Well, besides this morning,” I blushed, feeling the appendage wrap around my waist and over my shoulder in a sort of hug. I lifted my hand to feel the creature tentatively. The texture was not what I expected, so instead of a slimy, octopus-like texture; it felt rubbery; with raised, calloused ridges; and a humid-to-the-touch, skin-like covering all over. The undulating muscles underneath allowed it to move across my body, gripping me in a tight but comfortable hold. “What should I call you, hm?”

“Oh, good, you’re home!” I heard from the TV. I turned to see Stephen half way out of the screen as it was the easiest thing for him to climb out of. As he cleared the TV, he waved his hand down, lowering the volume of the music so we could hear each other better.

I blushed harder at being caught cuddling with one of his creatures, though I suspected he could feel what was going on through the tentacle anyway. 

Stephen stifled his laughter at my deer in the headlights expression. “You know, those are from an extremely dangerous being named Shuma-Gorath,” Stephen informed me while pressing a shoulder against the wall. The tentacles sprouting from his back re-routed themselves from random entry points in the kitchen, back to Stephen’s universe, and through the TV; before going back to work on whatever they were doing in the kitchen so as not to get tangled up.

“So, I can call you ‘Shumie', then?” I turned my attention back to the tentacle with a huge grin, who had happily come back after Stephen made them re-route. 

The tentacle wiggled in response and wrapped around me again as if it was happy about that.

With a crooked smile adorning his face, Stephen shook his head and wade his way over to us. He gently shooed the tentacle away, which came back anyway to wrap around both of us as he stepped into my space.

“You’re a goofball, you know that?” Stephen laughed, drawing me in by the waist. 

“I do my best,” I grinned, winding my arms around his shoulders. “What’s all the purpley stuff?”

“Mm, I highly underestimated how sensitive this Strange was to energies, so it’s just a better spell. It shouldn’t leave behind any more residual energy. He definitely knows something now, so I just wanted to stop wasting time behind the mirror with you,” Stephen explained.

A quiet passed over both of us, leaving us staring at each other’s features in a tranquil moment while calamity ensued in the kitchen background. Stephen’s eyes fluttered shut and before I could figure out his plan, his forehead was pressing desperately against mine and relishing the closeness.

“Are you okay?” he murmured.

“Yea,” I whispered back, not wanting to break the serenity. “I was worried about you more.”

“It was…definitely a challenge to keep it under control,” he sighed.

One of his hands left my waist to take the hand that Strange had grabbed, bringing it down from his neck to examine it. There were no visible marks and the shock plus initial pain had worn off by the time I got back to work. It was more jarring than anything considering the circumstances. Stephens’s cool fingers rubbed gently over the area, before bringing my wrist to his equally chilly lips and pressing a soft kiss there. The temperature difference, in addition to the sensitivity of that area on the inside of my wrist, caused me to shiver. Stephen’s eyes immediately snapped open to meet mine, allowing a smirk to grace his handsome features. He dropped his lips to the sensitive skin again, keeping his eyes locked on mine to witness the quiver that took over my body.

“Jerk,” I laughed softly, twisting my wrist out of his hand and sliding it back over his shoulder.

“You love it,” Stephen sighed happily, closing more of the distance between us.

“Maybe,” was all I got out before I completely closed the distance—using my toes to push me up a little higher—and pressed my lips against his. 

A soft groan escaped Stephen, pulling me impossibly closer to him with Shumie locking us together. I welcomed his icy tongue tracing my lips before spearing past them and making me shudder with need. He was intoxicating, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the creatures inside of him. With a gentle scrape of his protruding fangs—that had come out to play—on my lip, Stephen finally released my mouth.

His soft breath whispered over my lips, “I think Shumie’s done with dinner.”

“Good, I—I'm starving,” I mumbled, my world still rocked from the intensity of his kiss.

Stephen smirked at what he’d caused and dropped one more quick kiss on my lips. He willed Shumie to untangle us so we could see the damages in the kitchen. Stephen not-so-subtley adjusted his sweatpants, batting away both Shumie and a boney, black, demon-like claw as both tried to prod at the area. I stifled a giggle at the sight, not surprised one bit since I was already aware that he and the creatures affected each other in many ways. 

“Quit it!” I heard Stephen plead, slapping away Shumie once more as it nudged him at the waistband of his sweats.

Ooh, come on, baby

You put my love on top top top top top

You put my love on top

Ooh, ooh

Come on, baby

You put my love on top top top top top

You put my love on top

My love on top

Love On Top by Beyoncé

Chapter 6

Bonus: Some cute picrews I made of Stephen and Strange!

Link

[ghost-ghost-baby]

Narcissist (alpha!readerxOmega!Bakugo soulmate au)

An: this is heavily inspired by the song narcissist by younger hunger definitely recommend listening to it!

An: BIG TY TO MY BETA FOR EDITING THIS ABSOLUTE MONSTER OF A FIC WE STAN!

Word count: 3.2k (ur welcome)

Summary: Bakugo being a little shit basically- Mina and Denki r sick of him- reader runs out of scent blockers-

Warnings: omegaverse, swearing, Bakugo being a dick, reader just thinks he’s hot, gets a bit spicy but nothing graphic, non traditional dynamics (subby alphas) drug use (weed)

You were in a familiar room, one you’d come to love since you’d started dreaming of it, and you sat on the bed and waited… any moment now.

“Oi, are you here, shithead?” The voice of your omega was dreamier than it was in real life; his harsh words unable to punctuate the tranquility of your dream.

“I always am, Katsuki!” You chirped, grinning as he slowly faded into existence. The black tank top and jeans he wears make him look far too good, and your brain short-circuited for a few seconds.

“I told you not to fucking call me that!” He growled, but you only laughed. Reaching out to grab his hands before he could stop you, you pull him down so you could kiss him. Any anger he had quickly melted away, and Katsuki had pulled one hand away to rest on your shoulder and pushed back. You got the point, you pulled away for air and leaned back on your elbows as you did. Katsuki followed and straddled you without a moment of hesitation. His mouth latched onto your neck and you let out a hum. With one hand gravitating to tangle in his hair, he gave you another push that had you lying flat on your back.

“Hey-”

“Shut the fuck up, don’t ruin this.” Katsuki bit down on your throat and you squeaked, although he licked over the mark seconds later to soothe it, and only pulled away to kiss you when you tried to talk again. You melted, let your hands wander down to his thighs, and had your thumbs rubbing absent-minded circles. Then, Katsuki was unbuttoning the shirt you had on, hands quickly trailing lower to-

“Y/N! Did you hear what Mr. Aizawa said?” Mina’s voice brought you back from the dream you had the night before, and you blinked at her as you blanked.

“No way I'm working with their dumbass!” Katsuki snarled as Kiri forced him into a seat at your table, and you turned your head to Sero with a questioning look. He usually knew what was going on in class.

“We have a group project for a presentation, Mr. Aizawa picked the groups-”

“Oh hell yeah, all my best bro’s working together? Sounds like fun to me!” Denki leaned over to hug you and Mina, and the pieces started to click together. You were working on an art project, with your mate, who hate-

“How could anything be fun with Y/n around, they fucking ruin everything.” Katsuki grumbled to himself, refusing to meet your eyes despite sitting opposite you. Kiri mouthed an apology to you from his seat next to Katsuki. Honestly, you had no idea why he’d decided to act like… such a brat really, but it was just an act, however annoying it was. The two of you were soulmates, he’d come around, eventually.

“Oh hush, Bakugo, Y/n’s a riot and we all know it! You’re the one who goes to sleep at like, 8pm” Denki came to your aid. The electric blonde then pressed a kiss to your cheek that had Katsuki gritting his teeth.

“So, what's the project, guys?” You flipped through your book to a fresh page, resting your chin on your hand as you waited for the others to speak.

“We have to show the versatility of styles and composition under a singular theme!” Kiri was the one that answered you, and the group immediately started throwing around ideas.

“I think we could do horror, a lot of horror artists have different composition styles and still manage to convey the-”

“Tch, that’s the best you could come up with? I’m not surprised, an alpha as shitty as you can’t be capable of any decent ideas.” Katsuki sneered, but you only smiled at him as the group agreed with your idea. Your omega merely grumbled and hunched over in his seat as the group discussed the different artists you could use as examples.

You’d stayed late to double-check something with a professor, and you were still flipping through your notebook as you walked through the unusually empty halls. You weren’t paying attention to where you were going, and before you knew it you ran into someone, the same someone who shoved you against a wall seconds later, but your fear subsided when you realised it was just Katsuki.

“Watch where you’re fucking going, dipshit.” Katsuki wasn’t even sure why he’d pushed you up against the wall, but being this close to you, touching you… it was..nice…

“Tch, god your scent is so weak, you smell like a fucking beta, how’d I get stuck with such a runt, huh? Some sick kind of joke.” Katsuki’s tone didn't match what he was saying. The way he leaned forward to rub his cheek over your scent gland definitely said otherwise, but you stayed quiet, he always found some excuse to scent you, but he’d usually get embarrassed and storm off if you dared to say anything.

“You’re pathetic, you know? Being this submissive for an omega, are you sure you’re not a beta? It’d make more sense.” You bit your lip when Bakugo pressed a kiss to your neck, only hesitating a moment before he started sucking a mark onto your skin. His words bounced right off of you because all you could focus on was how hot he was and how he’d subconsciously put his thigh between your legs and thank fuck you were on scent blockers, or you’d never hear the end of it.

“Really, you aren’t even going to try and defend yourself? You’re even weaker than I thought.” A growl next to your ear made you shiver, and Katsuki pushed away with a snarl when he was satisfied. He cursed at you again and warned you ‘not to tell anyone or he’d kick your ass’ (he wouldn’t) before he walked away, leaving you to walk home with your head completely in the clouds.

“What took you so fucking long, huh idiot?” Katsuki was on you the second you appeared in the dream, pulling you down into a rather ferocious kiss before you could say anything. He bit your lip when you didn’t open your mouth fast enough, swallowing any protests you would have made, and continued to kiss you until you were dizzy. “I’ve been waiting two hours…” He pulled away to kiss under your jaw, and if you didn’t know him so well you’d miss the insecure tone in his voice.

“Sorry, Midoriya wanted-” You stopped when Katsuki growled, biting down so hard you were surprised he didn't draw blood.

“Why the fuck are you saying his name here, huh? Are you tryna piss me off?” He pulled away to sneer at you. You opened your mouth to explain, but the words died in your throat when he unzipped your hoodie, and any coherent thought you had went out the window when he started to kiss your neck.

Everything was ready. The lounge room was set up, complete with snacks, drinks, and stationery for you and your friends to work on the project. They were meant to be here any second, and you couldn’t help but hover near the door to your apartment. You weren’t used to having people over and it still put you on edge having others in your space. But that thought left your head when a knock sounded on your door. You quickly opened it and were almost knocked over by Denki and Mina engulfing you in a hug.

“Thanks so much for hosting bro!”

“Awww you laid out all these snacks and stuff too! An omega’s gonna be really lucky to have you one day Y/n!” They pushed inside. Denki closed the door as Mina oohed and aahed over the setup, their praise had a slight blush rising to your face as you sheepishly rubbed your neck. Sero was next, quickly hugging you before he joined Denki and Mina, then Katsuki and Kirishima last. The blonde pushed past you without saying hello, but Kiri pulled you into a hug so tight you couldn’t breathe for a second, and was complimenting the setup as you took a seat. You tried to sit next to Mina, but Denki let out a whine and the pair was pulling you down between them before you had time to protest. Denki immediately leaned on you once you were settled. Katsuki couldn’t focus on the project, how could he, when his two dipshit friends were all over his mate. And you weren’t even doing anything to stop them! In fact, you were leaning into their hugs and giggling at every stupid joke they made! It had Katsuki fuming. Kirishima was the only one close enough to smell the angry shift in his scent, and he glanced between his friend and you, slowly putting the pieces together. You really had no idea what was happening, but Denki’s head was on your shoulder, and Mina’s arm around your waist as she asked questions about the project, giggling and pressing a kiss to your cheek whenever you got confused, which happened more than you’d like to admit. The blonde gritted his teeth when Mina’s hand went to your thigh, you were his! Nobody else should ever be touching you like that! You should know better! So when you excused yourself to grab something from your room, of course he made up some excuse about needing the bathroom so he could follow you.

The door to your room closed with a click, and you quickly spun around, expecting to see Mina or Denki, anyone except Katsuki to be honest.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He was seeing red at this point. He cornered you and made you stumble back until your waist hit your desk.

“Uh- getting more pens-?” You held out the pack of pens with a confused look on your face that only made Katsuki angrier. How were you so stupid? And so fucking cute when you were- he cut off that thought, he needed to focus on yelling at you. Not the way your brows furrowed and how you nervously bite your lip as you waited for him to say something. Wait- were you blushing? Fuck, maybe he should-

“Katsuki? Are you oka-“

“Shut the fuck up, dipshit.” He snarled. Then, catching you both off guard, he leaned forward and kissed you. Your eyes fluttered closed immediately. He’d only kissed you in your dreams, which was nothing compared to this, and you hesitantly placed your hands on his waist. His hands went to your hair to pull you closer, tugging it until you got the message and parted your lips for him. Katsuki let out a hum of approval as he deepened the kiss, why hadn’t he done this sooner? You couldn’t focus on anything other than how much Katsuki tasted like caramel, he didn’t taste like caramel in the dreams. You couldn’t help but whine when he pulled back. Another insistent tug on your hair had you tilting your head back, and Katsuki didn’t waste any time kissing over your neck. You were so lost in the feeling you almost missed the words he growled against your skin.

“You should know better, you’re mine. Other people shouldn’t be fucking touching you like that.”

“Do you think they’re like…. Finally-” Mina made a hand gesture that had Denki cackling, even Kiri cracked a smile.

“I hope so, it’s getting hard to watch all the back and forth.” Sero sighed, dropped his pen, and stretched.

“Yeah, have you seen how mad Bakubro gets though? It’s pretty fun to push his buttons like this!” Denki grinned as he leaned his head on Mina’s shoulder, and she wrapped her arm around his waist.

“I don’t know… Bakugo’s uh… stubborn, to put it nicely.”

“Your scent is weird… are you wearing a different perfume?” Mina leaned her head on your shoulder, arms wrapped around your waist as you glanced at Katsuki. After whatever the fuck had happened in your room, he’d gone back to acting like he hated you, so, you’d kept letting Denki and Mina do whatever they wanted. He had his eyes fixated on the work, and you turned back to Mina with a smile.

“Oh, sorry about that! I forgot to refill my scent blockers and my doctor’s not available until next week.”

“Don’t be sorry, bro! It’s nice, like really, really nice!” Denki came up behind you, throwing a quick glance at Katsuki before he leaned forward, crooning and rubbing his cheek over your scent gland, Mina doing the same a moment later. The pen Katsuki was holding snapped, his angry scent pumping out in waves as he glared daggers into the book in front of him, all too aware of you laughing.

You were hyper-aware of how strong your scent was, this was the longest you’d gone without scent blockers since you’d presented, and you’d lit a scented candle to try and cover it up. It hadn’t really worked, maybe you should light some incense-

“Y/n! Sorry we’re early!” Mina’s hand on your shoulder broke you from your thoughts, and you shook your head before you smiled. Denki cut you off before you could apologize about your scent.

“Damn Y/n! It smells like you baked cookies- oh my god did you bake-”

“Don’t be stupid, babe, it’s just their scent.” Mina shoved him inside, shaking her head as she followed and closed the door behind her.

“Oh! Of course!” Denki nodded, and he and Mina linked arms with you. They walked you over to the couch and sat you all down with grins on their faces.

“Uh… guys-?” You didn’t trust that look, it never leads to anything good.

“Well, since the project is like, 99.5% done-” Mina started, hand coming up to play with your hair.

“We thought we deserved a reward!” Denki interrupted, reaching into his bag and producing a blunt. You felt your own grin forming.

“Oh my god- is that from-”

“Shinso! You know he sells the best stuff on campus, I decided to splurge for my bros!” Denki looked incredibly pleased with himself, and you couldn’t help but tackle the blonde in a hug.

“Oh my god Denki, you’re the best!”

The three of you were blazed by the time the others got there. Sero happily bounced over to share the blunt, while Katsuki and Kiri just sighed and sat down with you. Katsuki’s eyes instantly zoned in on where you were lying on Mina and Denki on the couch. He was oddly silent as he tried to keep his cool, the nagging thoughts that had always been there slowly got stronger. He’d always had to be strong, people perceived him as weak just because of his dynamic, so he’d rejected the thought of being with an alpha, hoping for a beta or omega. Or you. You never made a big deal out of your dynamic, and always treated him as an equal. Then the dreams started. He loved you, he really did! But his whole reputation would go down the drain if he was claimed by an alpha, especially one with such a weak scent and mild presence. So…. he pretended to hate you in public because the two of you had your dreams, where nobody could judge him! Even if they did pale in comparison to real life. But lately… he couldn’t stop wondering… were you getting tired of waiting? With the way you were acting… the thought made his stomach turn and his canines come out. Especially since you had run out of blockers. Your scent getting stronger and stronger as the days went by. You were his alpha! You shouldn’t be scenting other people! Especially omegas! And you certainly shouldn’t be laying on them while you were ignoring him! You hadn’t even said hello to him! You were too busy getting high with those assholes like you didn't belong to him! You were his, it wasn’t fair!

Mina was the last out of the apartment. She kissed your cheek and winked at you as the door closed. The exhaustion set in as you leaned against the door.

“What the fuck was that?” Katsuki growled and made you startled when you saw him by the table. You only shrugged as you went to pack up the stuff on the couch.

“Denki got us some weed because the project was done-”

“Not that, dickhead! They were all over you!” He marched over to you, trying to ignore how good you smelled up close.

“And? We’re not-” You responded, and Katsuki was shoving you before he realized, ignoring the way you yelped as you fell on the couch. You sprawled on your back and glaring up at him.

“Katsuki! What the fuck!” Katsuki didn’t reply, eyes traveling over your vulnerable form. Flush rose to his face as he realized how provocative the position was, causing warmth to pool in his tummy. If kissing was so much better in reality, what would it be like to be inside you? Feel you clench around him and pull his hair when he hit your sweet spot? Would your thighs shake the same in real life when he just kept going? The omega didn’t even realize his scent had changed, he just licked his lips and stared at you with hooded eyes, fuck he wanted-

“Are you okay? You zoned out.” Fuck, when had you gotten up? You were so close now, your scent overwhelming. He never wanted you to go on blockers again.

“Fuck, Katsuki! Katsuki! Are you in heat?” It finally dawned on you. Katsuki’s scent had taken on a sweeter tone it didn’t usually have, and with the way he kept zoning out, it was obvious. Plus thoughts of him on top of you that wouldn’t leave your brain alone. Your question snapped him out of his daze, and the omega snarled at you, stepping back and stumbling when a jolt of pain went through him.

“Fuck off, like you could trigger-” His voice cut off as another wave of pain went through him, causing you to reached out to steady him without thinking. The omega was going to let out a growl but it quickly changed to a whine as it escaped his mouth. You pulled your hand back like it had burned, although your mate’s temperature was so high it wasn’t out of the question. You took two steps back and froze when a feral snarl ripped through the room, dark red eyes pinning you in your place.

“He-hey Katsuki…” Your voice stopped his growling, and it took every ounce of self-control you had to stay coherent as he advanced, your rut already trying to cloud your judgment. Your eyes darted around the room, maybe you could make it to the bathroom? Then Katsuki could ride out his heat and you could talk about it? yeah. Katsuki was only a foot away from you now, the grin he had on was somehow more unsettling than the snarl, and you shook your head to get some of your resolve back. Okay, three, two, one-

You made it maybe ten centimeters before Katuski caught you, and pushed you back down on the couch. He wasted no time sitting on your lap and tilting your face up to look into his eyes.

“You’re not getting away from me, Alpha. I know you want this. I should have done this months ago.” Sincerity shone through your omega’s lidded eyes, and you felt your small shred of resolve shrink away even more. Your hands flew to his chest to push him away.

“Ka-Katsuki it’s just- just your heat, you don’t mean-“

“Don’t tell me what I do and don’t mean, alpha.” Katsuki was back to growling at you. His hands grabbed your wrists, pinned them down, and used his knees to keep them in place. He went back to cupping your face, red eyes boring into yours as he thought of what to say and a growl leaving him whenever you dared to look away. You were so, so obnoxiously pretty, it made it even harder to focus. Katsuki kept getting distracted by little details, like how your eyes shone and you kept biting your lip.

“You’re so fuckin stupid, ya know that? Of course, I fuckin want you, you’re my alpha- I don’t… I don’t care what other people think anymore, I just want you.” Katsuki’s tone was softer than you expected, and you could only gape at him as a blush quickly rose to your face. You knew he didn’t hate you, but hearing him say that lifted a weight off your shoulders you’d been carrying for who knows how long. The moment passed, all the softness went away as Katsuki leaned down to kiss you, and this time you kissed him back without any reservations.