#but like another objectively cute guy existed and I was all like ‘yeah no spark babe’

[dr-lizortecho]

me: why am I single????

me everytime someone flirts with me or straight up asks me out: who even are you? do we know each other??? have you even been my friend for like a decade yet? do I even understand your soul? No? No.

[shepard-ram]

Hello I'm light anon and i bring you the first chapter of an au i started awhile ago with the help of Ender anon (hi love you/p) , the supernatural au named Abnormalities and its very long

Abnormalities

Chapter One - Phasmophobia 2.5k words

:readmore:

“Prove it then.” 

Of course, Sap and Dream’s arguments always lead to some sort of challenge. Ever since you met them in middle school, it’s been like that. Sap would say something, Dream would fire back because Sap was clearly wrong in his eyes, and it would spiral from there. Today’s topic of debate: The existence of the paranormal. Specifically, ghosts.

What sparked it? A cheesy horror film you picked out for the monthly movie night. Your stereotypical ghost film with lazy jump scares with bad effects and acting.you only bought it so you four could laugh at it. You Guys laud sprawled on the couch while Sap took up the floor. All was well, Until Sap proclaimed that real ghosts wouldn’t be that shitty. Dream, heavily disagreed that ghosts even existed. George didn’t take a side but you backed Sap up. The world is to weird not to have ghosts in it.

”Oh absolutely.” Sap nodded, agreeing with your assessment.

Dream rolled his eyes “Sure, sure, just how are you going to prove me wrong? There isn’t a ‘haunted building’ anywhere in town.”

 At that moment George decided to speak up “What about the old willbeck farm?, the one a couple miles out of town. I always heard it was haunted by a kid or something.”

“That stupid place?  Those were just stories are parents told us to keep us from trespassing.”

You shrugged. “It’s a start.”

Next thing you know, you and sap blew your paychecks on ghost hunting equipment. You ordered the basics, an EMF meter, a good camera, a thermometer, you even bought a ‘Spirit box’ and some smudge sticks, all too spite Dream who complained that you were being scammed. 

You both ended up begging George to use his car to load up your equipment as he was the only one to have a large enough car for your equipment. He relented after a day of relentless begging. 

The Willbeck farm was a 40 minute drive from your home, which left a lot of room for discussion.

“You three are idiots.” 

You leaned forward to poke your head over the passenger seat. “You didn’t have to come, you know. You could have stayed back and do boring things like dressing up patches or something.”

He turned his head with narrowed eyes. “And make sure you guys didn’t fake your ‘proof?’ Not a chance.”

You laugh. “You’ll be the first one we feed to the ghosts.”

You bickered back and forth until George announced that they had finally made it. Not even seconds after he pulled into the clearing in front of the property, you and Sap practically kept out of the car and rushed to the trunk to get your gear. After distributing equipment amounts your group you took your first look at the house

The Farmhouse was much larger than you remembered reading about. It was a huge two story red building with a faded white trim. The word around it looked like it had been rotting for years and it definitely smelt like rot. AMany of the windows were broken in, and the glass was a gross brown color. The roof had some holes in it and the gutters had been ripped from the roof and laid scattered around the outside. A large barn was off to the side and had the same kind of wear to it. The entire property was surrounded by a torn up wire fencing, which had a lot of crows perched, eyeing you intensely. The Erie feeling the house gave off was intensified by the soft sound of the wind and the loud crow caws. 

If houses had a criteria to be haunted, this one checked off all the boxes

Sap let out a low whistle before lightly nudging your arm “Dude, this place makes your home look tiny!”

You scoffed at that. Sure your rented home was small, but was cheap enough to pay for while you worked your way through community college. A one bedroom, one bath, a combined kitchen/living space, all on top of a double garage was all you needed. 

It was a slow walk to the porch, all of you hesitant to actually set foot in the run down building. The steps creaked under you, and the wooden boards sunk slightly. You were at the head of the group, so you were the first one inside, taking a couple steps in the large foyer. It was full of outdated furniture, something you’d see out of the early 90’s. A large staircase sat to the left, hugging the wall as it pushed into the upstairs.  There was a door to your right, leading into what you believe was the kitchen.

You held the camera up and you got a good shot of the room, if there were no ghosts you’d at least have some cool photos.

The four of you spread out into  the room observing every corner of it. Sapnap was the one armed with the EMF reader. He waved the hand held device trying to get something, anything to read. He did manage to get one, honing onto a stuffed cow that was nestled into the couch.

It was dusty, like everything else in the room. Otherwise it was in semi good condition. It was... cute. Too cute to just be sitting in this old farmhouse for the rest of time. Dream had other opinions.

“That means nothing. It’s just a cow.” 

To be fair, it was the first time either of you had used this kind of equipment. You decided to put it in your bag, hoping to study it later. It could be a fluke, but you guys couldn’t bow down now!  The hunt has only just begun.

Every room on the first floor was subject to an EMF and Temperature checks. Dream and George fucked around while you and Sap scanned for anything that could be more than a fluke, the only thing that could be found was in the kitchen. A small carved statue of a crow.

It gave off the same readings as the cow plush, so perhaps it wasn’t a fluke. You found it sitting on the open windowsill, it was so life-like you almost mistake it for a living crow. Something was telling you that it was probably the oldest thing in the house. You gently placed it in your bag with the cow, another piece to your growing collection.

You took a moment to glance out the window. There were way too many crows sitting on the wire fence to be normal. It was the beginning of summer, so crows even migrate?

With the first floor cleared, you lead the charge upstairs. The floor boards only got louder with every step. You quietly asked whatever prime deity was watching that neither of your group would fall through the floor. The whole house felt unstable.

The top of the stairs lead you to a Hallway. It was small and only had two doors and at the end of it stood a large magnificent bookshelf.

You took the first door on the left accompanied by George while Sap and Dream opted to poke around in the hallway, formally splitting the group for the first time.

The room wasn’t very Large, nor could you tell what it was supposed to be used for as pretty much everything was covered with sheets of some kind. There were a couple of uncovered boxes laying on top of things, so it wasn’t completely boring. A couple of minutes of scavenging later, George called for your attention.

“Look at this” George presented you a beautiful lute from one of the few uncovered boxes. It was crafted out of a dark wood and had what you thought was engravings of fish along the sides. How old was this thing? Was it even usable?

“Let me see!” You asked, setting down the camera before making a grabby motion towards the lute, which was met with a questioning look from the Brit. “I want to see if it’s in tune.” 

He decided that it was a good enough answer before handing over the old thing. You strummed the strings, and it sounded surprisingly good, despite the cloud of dust that came off it. You paused for a brief moment before playing a quick melody, just a song you played back in middle school for a recital. You hummed along until yelps from outside and many thumps. 

You quickly set the Lute down and follow George out the door, fearing that something had gotten your two friends. However, instead of a gory mess, you saw Dream standing holding a book, while a whole pile of them at his feet, a few inches away from the bookshelf. 

“The shelves just collapsed on themselves.” He quietly said. The look on his face was puzzled, like he was still trying to figure out what had happened. 

“Or maybe,” Sap started. “The ghost doesn’t like you touching his stuff.”

“I’m keeping it then, the ghost doesn’t need it.” 

“What’s the title of it?” You asked as you fake over to view the damage. Dream opened the book and flipped through it. 

“It’s old, There isn’t a title nor is it in English, old English I think.”

What was such an old book doing in a relatively modern house? You shake the thought away and motioned for Dream to give it to you. “I’ll hold onto it, I want to see if I can get it translated.” Another treasure for your growing collection.

You turned back to check on George, he wasn’t next to you, instead he was messing with the final door, seeming to unjam the lock and push into the room. You decided to grab the lute and take it as a keepsake.

Picking it up again made your head feel... loud. You couldn’t tell which thoughts were yours and which were intruding. A pair of eyes were watching you somehow but the room was empty. Panic rose in your chest, your heart was beating so so loud. A cold hand touched your shoulders, yet you couldn’t tell if it meant you harm or not.

“Hey... are you okay?”

And it stopped. Everything was clear again. You turned your head to look back seeing Sap poke his head through the door. “You’ve been standing here for a while.”

You nod, “Yeah yeah... we should- we should stop splitting up.”

You’d only find out later that the Lute has the same effects that the other two objects did.

The house search was a bit of a bust. The only ‘Supernatural’ experience you had was the EMF meter going off and the strange experience with the lute which you opted not to tell your friends about, writing off as the Erie nature of the house getting to you.

Finding nothing else interesting, you took one last look at the entrance room before stepping out. You feel a weird sense of longing, something pulling at you not to go. You tried to shake off the feeling and you walked back to the car, just to put all your goodies away in the trunk. 

All that was left on your to-do list was to check the outside area and the barn. Being the person that you are, you went straight to the barn. They boys could handle the rest of the property alone. alone  The building had no doors you waltzed right though the entryway. Despite never actually being in a barn, it looked right to you.

It was devoid of any livestock, but there was Hay everywhere. Light shined through the holes in the ceiling, making the room clear enough. The soft blue liquid that was spread across the hay-

Wait. What?

Doing a second take revealed that the whole barn has some weird blue goo smeared everywhere. It looked too Fresh to be painted, it looked wet. There didn’t seem to be a set trail, just pools of it. You found most of it by a ladder that led up to a new section of the barn.

The blue substance was dripping from the loft of the barn. 

It had to be.

And you were right! Sort of. Finally dragging yourself up the old latter not really minding the blue that now stained your clothes, you found the source.

He was standing- floating?- there, as if waiting for someone. The man was tall, taller than you or any of their friends, absolutely towering over you. His entire pallet was muted, his skin was fucking Grey. His attire was strange too. Something out of a renaissance fair. What was the strangest was that he was translucent and bleeding? Out of a cut on his chest. That blue substance oozing out of his stomach onto the floor boards.

He smiled.

“You found me, little songbird.”

The temperature drop had you shivering, but that also could have been from the absolute terror of seeing a real ghost.

That loud feeling returned in full force, directing your attention onto him.. You had to go. But it was like you were frozen place. He moved to cup your face, cooing as he looked you over.

“It’s not polite to touch things that aren’t yours, yet you handle them with so much care... I don’t mind.”

He wasn’t acting out of malice, thank prime, but It didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. He was too close.

“.... pretty songbird. My pretty songbird.”

A beat past before you could hear your friends calling for you. Your head cleared for a moment so you took it and ran. Practically flying down the ladder and hurting yourself in the fall. Ignoring the pain you booked it to the car right past Dream and Sap, who were standing by the entrance to the barn.

“We- We have to go. Now. Please we need to... to...” you couldn’t really tell what you were saying, everything was moving too fast. Great Prime, that was a real ghost. You- You were talking to a ghost. A Ghost called you a Song bird. 

A Ghost.

That ended your hunt right there and then. You weren’t in a fit state to keep going. Especially not when you’re covered in... whatever this blue stuff is. You’d come to find later that you had a blue hand print on your face, right where the man had cradled your face.

You’re so out of it, you don’t realize when your friends are guiding you up the stairs to your home. One of them says something about leaving the loot in your garage, but you don’t really care. This is a future problem. You give a small thank you and a swift goodbye before passing out the second you feel your pillow under you.

So deep in sleep you don’t realize that your tiny home has a few new residents wandering about. 

Or the fact that one of them watched over you as you slept

-----------

I AM SIMPLY ASHAMED OF HOW LONG IVE BEEN PUTTING THIS OFF IT WAS A CRINE TO NOT LET Y'ALL SEE THIS EARLIER. LIGHT YOU'VE DONE A FANTASTIC JOB AAUAUGGG

[woogyu]

A World Tinted Gold | Mingyu; Chapter Four

Kalon; beauty that is more than skin-deep

streamer!y/n x werewolf!mingyu

notes; werewolf au

word count; 2402

previous | next | masterlist

summary; The only werewolves you encountered were the ones living inside your video games. They were nothing more to you than mythical creatures you often had to kill in order to complete objectives. You had a good thing going with your online gaming setup. Your supporters were kind and usually tipped well during streams. Sure it meant you had to deal with the occasional creep sliding into your DMs, but it was worth it. Playing games online was putting you through college. Little did you know your quiet life was about to be turned upside down at the hands of someone you didn’t think existed outside of the virtual world.

»»————-　♡　————-««

Your eyes slowly fluttered open, squinting as bright light flooded your vision. You didn’t remember falling asleep, hell you weren’t even sure what day it was. Flashes of wolves and fangs came back, your eyes flying open as your body woke up. It took you a second to take in your surroundings, you were inside and in bed, but it wasn’t your bed.

“Awake, are you?” a voice asked, your eyes snapped up to a male in the corner of the room. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, blonde hair falling slightly over his eyes. You had no idea who he was or where you were... what happened to the wolves that saved you? A million questions flashed through your mind as you starred wearily at the man. You clenched and unclenched your fists, maybe you would be able to outrun him.

“I wouldn’t try a grand escape if I were you. You’ll re-open your wound and I don’t really want to stop the bleeding again” he admitted, smirking when your eyes widened in surprise at his correct guess. He moved toward you, his hands raised to show he meant no harm. Your eyes flashed down to your leg... right the wolf had left you wish a nasty gift. Soft white gauze was wrapped around the appendage. You were surprised to find that it didn’t hurt much when you flexed the muscles. This guy had taken care of it. Why would he do that?

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and we will do our best to answer them” he promised, he seemed tired just thinking about it. You blinked a few times, eyes moving back up to focus on him as you tried to sort out your thoughts.

“Where am I and how did I get here? Who are you?” you asked, surprised when your voice came out gravely and uneven. He gestured to the glass of water on the nightstand next to you, which you gladly took and gulped down. You figured if he wanted you dead, he would have just let you bleed out.

“My name’s Soonyoung. You are at, er, my friends and I and live in this house. It’s just outside the city” he began, chewing on his lip nervously as he dodged the one part of your question that was important.

“How did I get here?” you asked again, this time more forceful. When he didn’t immediately answer you let out a sigh. “Last thing I remember is these wolves that saved me from this other other wolf” you explained further, eyebrows drawn together as you tried to piece together this situation on your own.

“Mingyu, she just woke up, you can’t just...” a voice called from outside before the door to the room you were in was thrown open, a tall male with sandy brown hair standing in the doorway. His body seemed to visibly relax when he saw you, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

“You’re okay… thank god” he breathed, leaning heavily on the doorway. You could see traces of blood along his shoulder and a mark that seemed to resemble a wolf bite. Maybe he had been attacked by the black wolf as well…

“Okay, who the hell are you and why am I even here?” you demanded, patience short as you starred down the three males within your view. They obviously didn’t seem to be a threat to you, but it confused you more as to why they seemed to actually care about your safety. The brown-haired boy, you assumed his name was Mingyu, seemed confused by your question, his head tilting to the side like an overgrown puppy. You had to admit, it was a little bit cute.

“What do you mean? I’m the one that saved you” he said like it was totally obvious.

“Hey! You would have been another wolfs snack if Seungkwan and I hadn’t heard the growling” a different auburn-haired boy chimed in, hitting the, Mingyu, on the back of the head.

“Idiots” Soonyoung grumbled, turning to glare at the others standing outside of the room. “I hadn’t exactly gotten around to explaining everything yet” he said through clenched teeth, the 3 males outside shut their mouths and averted their eyes awkwardly.

“What do you mean saved me? It was a wolf…” you trailed off, your eyes narrowing as you inspected the taller boy. That hair… you could have sworn… No, nope, there was no way, you must have hit your head on something because obviously you weren’t thinking clearly.

“Yeah so you see…” Soonyoung started, turning around to look at you with a tight-lipped smile. He clasped his hands together before letting out a nervous laugh. “We are kind of like werewolves… well the full moon stuff is all a myth and we can shape-shift whenever we want. Really, we are more just like overgrown dogs” he tried to make it sound better, less scary for you, but it wasn’t really working.

Okay so maybe you had hit your head harder than you thought and this was all just some weird fever dream. You smiled and nodded along, maybe if you pretended to believe them, they would let you go.

“Oh yeah, totally, that’s so interesting” you said in a fake sweet voice, moving the blankets to the side as you started to get up. “You know I’m really late to this thing I have to go to, so I do really need to be getting home now” you said with mock sympathy. Your path through the house was blocked, but maybe the window would be a good escape option. It was obvious that whoever these men were, they had a few screws loose and you weren’t eager to figure out their motive for having you here.

“You think we’re making this up, which you know, is really valid” Soonyoung admitted, pursing his lips, seemingly thinking about something. “If Seungcheol was here he would probably have a better way of breaking this down for you, but I think the fastest way would just be to show you” he decided with a bright grin. Your fingers played with your clothing uneasily, unsure of how you felt about this idea.

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea…” Mingyu spoke up, it seemed like he could almost sense how you felt about all of this. The more you starred at him the more you found similarity between the boy and the wolf that saved you. The strange feeling you felt when you looked into the wolfs eyes were echoed when you looked at Mingyu. Every time you forced yourself to look away, your eyes found their way back to him; it was almost magnetic.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine…” Soonyoung said, you weren’t sure if he was trying to convince the rest of you or himself. “We don’t really have a choice here… If we leave her with questions, there will just be more problems later. Better to just explain it all upfront” he continued; well you did want answers. There must be some logical explanation to all of this, men couldn’t just magically transform into wolves, that only happened in video games.

“Normally we have a rule not to expose ourselves to humans, for our protection mainly, but since you’re Mingyu’s ma-“ Soonyoung continued speaking, seemingly without thought until Mingyu roughly cut him off.

“Since I saved you, that rule can be bent a little bit” Mingyu quickly finished, flashing Soonyoung a pointed look. You weren’t sure exactly what was going on anymore… but honestly this was far from the weirdest thing they’ve said since walking into the room. Your eyes widened when you caught a flash of gold in Mingyu’s eyes. It must have just been the lighting.

Mingyu walked over and helped you up, supporting most of your weight along his shoulder as he led you outside. Well at least now you had a better chance if you did want to run. As Mingyu set you down on one of the front steps your fingers brushed along the back of his neck. You could have sworn you felt a spark when your bare skin met his. You didn’t have much time to think about it, as Soonyoung pulled your attention back to him.

“Okay, try not to be too amazed okay” he said, his hands emphasizing his words and a cocky grin on his lips. You rolled your eyes and leaned against the railing, Mingyu standing to your right but slightly in front of you. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought he was taking a protective stance. A few of the other men in the house filtered in behind you, their names either unknown to you or forgotten.

You watched Soonyoung as his body began to tremble, and then right before your eyes you watched a man turn into a beautiful silvery wolf. Paling, your eyes bulged… no there had to be some sort of trick going on… this wasn’t real. You watched as the wolf, Soonyoung? Trotted over to you, seemingly proud to prove you wrong. You didn’t really care about being wrong right now, whatever this was you wanted nothing to do with it.

“I want to go home” you announced, voice shaky as you stepped away from the wolf and men surrounding the house. You wanted to run, get as far away from these people as you could, but you knew your leg would never allow that. Your eyes shifted around nervously, prepared for one of them to stop you, to grab you and lock you away somewhere. Mingyu’s eyebrows drew together in concern and you watched as he took a step toward you.

“I can take you home” he promised, sincerity in his voice. “Just don’t put too much weight on that leg” Mingyu begged, his eyes flickering down from your face to your injury. You nodded a little bit, shifting your weight onto your good foot as you leaned away from him.

“Now… I want to go home now, please” you spoke, the words directed to him. You didn’t want to admit it to yourself, but you were scared. You didn’t know what was going on and no matter how hard you tried to find an answer you came up with nothing. You were eager to put all of this behind you and move on. Never think about wolves or these men ever again.

“My car is just over there” he pointed toward a white SUV along the side of the house. Before you could start to walk toward it, he came up next to you.

“Here, let me help” he all but whined. You didn’t have the heart to deny the aid, your leg already starting to throb from being over exerted.

»»————-　♡　————-««

The drive back was quiet. Mingyu didn’t try and explain things further which you were grateful for. Your brain was pretty much maxed out on weirdness today. You spoke up only to give him directions back to your apartment.

As Mingyu pulled up next to the building he paused, his hand reaching out to wrap around your wrist before you could step out. When his flesh met yours you nearly recoiled due to the warmth that radiated off of him. It wasn’t painful, but the comfort that accompanied it startled you.

“This has the address of the pack house and my phone number written on it… and y/n… please… don’t tell anyone about what happened” Mingyu pleaded, pressing a piece of paper into your palm. You wanted to throw it away but to avoid offending him you stuffed it into your pocket. You nodded numbly at him, pulling your wrist away from his clutch before you could get too comfortable with whatever feeling rising up within you. He didn’t have to worry about you telling anyone anything… you didn’t ever want to think about it again.

“Thanks for driving me home” you mumbled, stepping out of the car and closing the door. You didn’t spare him another glance before turning and limping into the safety of your apartment. Your feet were sluggish as they struggled to carry you up to your room.

Only when you were within the safety of the familiar walls did you allow yourself to fully relax, the day’s events crashing heavily upon you. What the hell had you gotten yourself involved in? No, if you started asking questions like this then you were admitting to yourself that whatever you saw out there had been real. You weren’t ready to face that. You needed to move on, forget about whatever magic tricks those men could perform and get back to your life.

Shit… Ciri had been expecting a call from you and your phone was likely in a wolf’s stomach. You pulled your laptop off of your desk and situated it into your lap. Ciri answered on the first ring, her features laced heavily with worry.

“Oh my god y/n, I was two hours away from calling the cops to do a search party” she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing your face. You managed to force a small smile, stretching your legs out in front of you.

“What the hell happened to you? You look like shit” she winced, leaning back in her chair and gave you a concerned look. You didn’t even know how to go about creating a fake story for what happened. Maybe if you just kept it vague enough, she wouldn’t ask questions.

“Got hurt while I was filming… broke my camera too… I lost the footage, I’m sorry” you explained, voice impossibly small as exhaustion weighed heavily on you.

“I don’t give a damn about the footage, you are okay, right?” she asked, biting his bottom lip as she watched you, obviously not satisfied with your story.

“I’m fine, I promise” you said, forcing an unconvincing smile. “Hey, I think I’m going to head to bed, still a bit tired from it all” you explained, trying your best to maintain a tone that wouldn’t raise further suspicion.

“A… alright” she conceded, frowning at you through the camera. “Just… let me know if you need help with anything… yeah?” she moved closer to the camera and offered you a small wave.

“I will” you promised her, returning the gesture before closing your computer. Maybe if you slept for long enough this really would turn out to just be some incredibly realistic dream.

[irwintry]

hiiii babe sorry to bother youuu can i request a lil writing where the reader is rlly good friends with 5sos and luke ash and mikey think her and cal are both hopelessly in love with each other and at the very end they confess??? youre the bestest💖🥺

hi babe! i’d love to :-) p.s. you’re the bestest best 

-

He had one hand on the wheel, another curled around the gear shift while he tapped mindlessly to the latest pop song on the radio. Physically, he was in the same care as you, but mentally, you knew he was knocking back drinks on a beach somewhere far from reality. Work consumed him; it consumed all of them. 

You kept quiet, not a thought in your mind on the ride over to Luke’s. The pseud cat-and-mouse game you conjured up in your head had been going on for too long for it to overwhelm. Most days, you pretended your feelings for Calum hardly existed at all. So, you tapped to the beat of the song and stared out the window at the setting sun. A few drinks with friends would get your mind off of it. 

Their only job failed as the night dragged on. 

Calum’s head was elsewhere for hours. His shifty eyes trained on posters and unimportant objects in the room before settling back on you. Once your brows furrowed in concern, he pressed his lips into a thin line and rejoined the conversation.

“Okay, whoever bought this cider—” Michael began, voice booming loud over the four others. “—I’m in love with you.”

“I’ve literally never tasted anything so heavenly before,” Ashton said against a sloppy slurp on the cider can’s rim. 

“That’s what she said.”

“Oi, fuck off.”

“Y/N brought them,” Calum said monotonously, although you could see a small smile grow on his lips. 

Michael’s jaw dropped dramatically. You could visualize the drunken thoughts swirling around his brain. “We’re in love?” 

A giggle left your lips. “Only if you say so, Mikey.”

“How’s Y/N gonna be in love with that—” Luke pointed at Michael across from him. “—when they can have this.” His finger moved toward Calum. 

Your chest felt hot, but only for a brief moment. Calum’s eyebrows knotted as a short laugh left his lips. And then, in those few split seconds, you swore you saw something else flash over him. Was he nervous? 

“What the hell’re you talkin’ about, mate?” Michael asked. Everyone was all laughter and smiles, brains buzzing with light intoxication while a bowl of chips was passed between the group. It never mattered how much Michael drank—his voice carried high above everyone else’s.

“Oh, c’mon, Mike,” Ashton chimed in, “you’ve seen it. These dumbasses—” He motioned to you and Calum. “—are hopelessly in love. You can see it in their eyes. They scream desperate romance.”

“Care to explain what you mean by desperate romance?” you said to Ashton. 

“No.”

“How’ve you not seen it, Michael?” Luke said. 

Michael looked properly taken aback by his friends. Meanwhile, Calum stayed silent through it all. He seemed amused, but you pretended that his silence spoke words only you needed to hear. 

You folded your arms over your chest. “Do I get any say in this?” you asked.

“Why—are you gonna deny it?” 

Your mouth went dry. “Well, I—I just wanna know why you think we’re in love. That’s all. Relax. You guys are so accusatory tonight.”

“Cos’ you two are the most lovesick-y pair of airhead lovebirds that I’ve ever seen,” Ashton said through laughter. He took a quick sip of the cider you brought. “You’re attached at the hip—practically meltin’ into each other.” 

“I—what?” Your eyes found Calum across the living room. He had his jaw clenched until his eyes found yours in return. They were wide—panicked almost, and his hands fidgeted with his can of cider to keep busy. 

The more you looked at him, the more you understood why his friends felt this way. 

Calum stood a second later. “’M gonna take a piss.” 

“Lovely, mate,” said Michael. “Thanks for sharing.”

“Anytime.”

You watched with a frown as Calum left down the hall. Something in your chest pulled, telling you to go after him and talk the last few seconds through. The more you let time pass, the larger the feeling grew. It was building in your stomach like a heavy, dark mass. 

The conversation between the other boys faded into something of little nonsense. So, you stood too, barely glancing back as you hurried down the hall. Your fingers had fallen numb.

You shifted weight between your feet until the bathroom door opened a minute later. Calum raised his brows, allowing room for you to squeeze by him, but you didn’t budge. 

“You all right?” he asked. His pouting lips were already a distraction. 

“Did that bother you?” you said breathlessly. You could still hear the close chatter of the other three in the living room as you spoke. “Back in there? A-about the whole—”

Calum shook his head. Now, he seemed unaffected and confused. “No. It was—it was just banter. Between friends. I mean—” He chuckled and scratched his nose. Now, you could see the nerves peaking through. “—we’re close. They’re gonna make fun of us no matter what we do.”

“They think we’re in love.” 

“Yeah. They made that pretty clear.”

You didn’t know how to edge it out of him. You didn’t know why the words felt like molasses on your tongue or why your chest ignited with sparks when he kept his eyes locked on you. You didn’t know why you were desperate to reveal everything right then and there because your best friends had innocently joked around with you. But you wanted the feeling to leave you alone. A confessional was worth it to get the thoughts out of your mind. 

“Do you think we’re in love?” you ended up asking. 

Calum didn’t react. He didn’t speak. He stared at you as if the answer would be spoken for him. But his eyes softened, the corner of his lips twitching before spreading into a smile. 

“I, um—” He hugged his arms tight. “Sometimes I think that. Yeah.”

“Sometimes.”

“Do you?”

You nodded slowly. “Sometimes.”

Calum grinned until crinkles appeared beside his eyes. Nevertheless, you still couldn’t read him. Whether he was happy with your answer or playfully amused, all you wanted was a solid answer. Did he reciprocate your feelings or not? 

“You’re in love with me, darling?” he asked. 

You hadn’t expected to answer that. “I-I—” Your throat closed up, and it wasn’t because Calum’s tongue had slipped over his bottom lip. “You’re making this so hard on me.” You managed a small chuckle, but the sweat collecting on the back of your neck proved that you weren’t joking. You pressed your hands to your cheeks as heat spread into them. 

“I’m so sorry—no, you don’t have t’answer that.” Calum took your wrists carefully. He lowered your hands down to your sides but his touch never left. “It’s just really nice to hear that you’ve thought about it. About us.”

“You have, too?”

“Course, babe.” He chuckled. “Like, all the time.”

You couldn’t help but smile now. “Really?” 

He nodded. “We’re not gonna tell them any of this when we get back in there, all right? Cos’ then they’re gonna be all we told you so and get all high-horse-y on us. Sometimes secrets are fun. And, um—I kinda just wanna see where this goes. I-If that’s cool with you.”

“You mean, you’re in? You wanna—you would wanna—”

Calum cut you off with a laugh and a quick peck to your lips. When he pulled away, you were certain your heart had stopped. 

“I’m in,” he said after a few seconds. “Are you?”

You tugged him down by the neck, reattaching your lips in a soft kiss. It was warm all over. A kiss that made you addicted to his touch. “I’m definitely in,” you breathed out with a smile. 

“That was cute—can I pee now?” Michael asked from behind. 

Calum’s hand slipped from your waist. “Did you hear all of that?” he said. 

“Only the part about not telling us and so on,” Michael explained, quirking a brow. “But fuck ‘em—I’ll keep your secret. As long as you don’t tell Luke I’m using his deodorant.” 

You grimaced as Calum laughed. “Deal.”

The bathroom door shut, and Calum wrapped his arms around your waist once again. 

“You wanna get out of here?”

[wingsofkpop]

Hiraeth - I.IV: Danced of the Damned

pairing(s):  Hybrid!Im Jaebeom x Reader, Witch!Mark Tuan x Reader, Werewolf!Jackson Wang x Reader, Vampire!Park Jinyoung x Reader, Supernatural!Got7 x Reader

genre:  Supernatual!AU, Dark Magic!AU, heavy Angst, slight Fluff, eventual Smut

warning(s): Mature language, mentions of death, hints of traumatic experiences, blood, etc. 

word count: 5k

synopsis:  How far are you willing to go to find out the truth about Moon Dye Bay?…

chapter directory

You don’t know exactly what you were expecting to find in the archives of the Town Hall. Maybe a couple old files holding the ancestral information of Moon Dye or a couple ancient photographs where the faces are too blurred and rotted to recognize. Even the finding of a mere rusted pocket watch would have crossed your mind—not a thick registry stuffed full of unthinkable truths. 

In your defense, you just happened to stumble upon the records in the dank, dusty basement where the town’s archives stay. It was hidden in a secret compartment behind chalky boxes of cold cases that were forgotten a long, long time ago—how else were you to satiate your curiosity? Inside the mess of cobwebs and dust, there sat the information that would both make and break your sanity. 

And maybe if Jaebeom hadn’t approached you in that alleyway and confirmed your suspicions… your mind would have been able to come up with some sort of rationalization. 

“Look, I wanted to tell you so many times…” You can’t bring yourself to meet Mark’s gaze, finding more interest in swirling the contents of your untouched tea. Through the corner of your eye, however, you can see your companion feverishly shaking his head, “But knowing about me would put you in danger, (Y/N)... I couldn’t do that to you.” 

“That wasn’t your choice to make, Mark.” 

“I know that, but—fucking hell.” Mark buries his face in his palms, still rocking back and forth, “It shouldn’t be like this… God, I never wanted this—” 

“And you think I did?” You hiss, uncaring about the pure venom in your tone. “How the fuck am I supposed to process all of this? That vampires and werewolves and witches and probably goddamn pixies exist? That my best friend has magical powers and talks to the dead?” 

“I don’t—” Mark timidly shrugs, “talk to the dead…” 

“Well, at least there’s that much.” A heavy sigh passes from your lips, expelling barely any tension from your aching chest. You toy with the handle of your teacup before finally gathering the willpower to meet Mark’s eyes. His irises are wild and filled with all kinds of emotion, you immediately notice. Probably a mere reflection of your own. 

As much as you want to stay angry at your best friend—you physically can’t. No matter how many times your head and your heart go back and forth. Mark lied to you. Mark has been lying to you all this time. But something inside of you won’t let your eyes see past the genuine remorse and hurt written along his face. 

He’s still your best friend. 

Mark sighs, “What do you want me to do, (Y/N)?...” 

“I want you to tell me the truth—the whole truth.”

“I can’t do that,—” 

“I at least deserve that much, don’t you think?” Mark withers beneath your murmur, dragging a hand down his face with a frustrated breath. After another moment of silence that seems to stretch on for hours, Mark grabs a nearby bottle of bourbon, pours himself a glass and finally nods. 

“If I tell you everything, there’s no going back… Are you sure you’re okay with that?” 

“Not really, but I don’t have that choice anymore.” You hum. “I need to know.” 

Mark nods again. “Where do you want me to start?” 

“At the very beginning.” 

The way Mark throws back the alcohol sparks uneasiness in your gut, but not as much as the gloomy darkness that overtakes his gruff tone. 

“The main story begins with the first ever vampires that came into existence, known as the Prime Two…” Mark moves to pour himself another drink, but changes his mind and ends up drinking straight from the bottle. You wonder whether you should ask for a sip as well. 

“But you know them already… as Im Jaebeom and Park Jinyoung.” 

  ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ 

Youngjae releases a content breath as he steps into the warmth of the bookstore, effectively escaping the post-rain chill of the outside. He shakes the remaining coolness from his hands before heading toward the front counter, where Bambam is stationed flipping through a high-end fashion magazine. Youngjae fights the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Bam?” 

Bambam looks up at Youngjae’s voice. “Hey, man. What’s going on?” 

“I need your help.” Youngjae surveys the area of the store, checking down aisles and around corners for any signs of life. The racing of his heart somewhat slows at the lack of other customers, allowing him to turn back to the cashier and continue, “The coven is in danger. Nayeon-noona is dead.” 

“I heard about that. I’m so sorry, hyung.” Bambam nods his head, “What can I do?”

“Are you able to see an account of everyone who steps foot in this town? Visitors included?” 

“Yeah, I know some guys who can get whatever information you need. You feel like taking a trip up to the police station?” 

Youngjae hums in response, waiting patiently for Bambam to lock up the register. He watches the younger throw on his coat before meeting him behind the counter. With Bambam in tow, Youngjae leaves the comfort of the shop. After Bambam locks the door, the two continue through the cold in the direction of the police station. Youngjae again checks his surroundings, feeling more than just the chill of the air. 

“Did you… find what killed her?” 

“What?” 

Bambam repeats again a little louder. “Nayeon. Do you know what killed her?” 

“A hunter and another witch.” Youngjae explains, “We have records of them murdering countless covens before coming to Moon Dye.” 

“I may not know everything about this supernatural stuff, but don’t hunters hunt vampires...?”

“We’re not sure why either of them are specifically targeting witches.” Youngjae shudders, pulling his coat tighter around his shoulders. “I just hope we can find them before…” 

“Hey.” Bambam halts Youngjae’s pace with a hand on his arm. “We’re gonna find these douchebags and make sure they don’t hurt anyone else.” 

Youngjae weakly smiles. “Thanks, Bam.” 

“C’mon. I’m freezing my ass off.” Youngjae follows Bambam’s wishes and continues down the street, feeling less and less paranoid knowing the younger is by his side. Instead, Youngjae’s mind thinks back to your sudden entrance only mere minutes ago.

Youngjae wanted to stay at the mausoleum and help Mark deescalate the situation, but the older insisted that he continue the search. He can’t help but remember the betrayal across your features—the way you looked at him and Mark as if they were aliens. 

“Why did you give (Y/N) Mayor Bhuwakul’s old diary?” The question escapes Youngjae’s lips before he can stop himself. His inquiry visibly takes Bambam off guard, manifesting in the form of confusion along his features, before shifting to realization. 

“Because she deserves to know.” 

“But what about Mark-hyung? You know what this will do to him, right? To him and (Y/N)?” 

Bambam shakes his head. “I know Mark cares about (Y/N), and (Y/N) cares about Mark.” He peers at Youngjae through the corner of his eye and shrugs, “That’s not gonna change just because she knows the truth, hyung. I doubt that will ever change.” 

Youngjae doesn’t respond, keeping his eyes trained on the moving pavements at his feet. He knows Bambam is right, and knows both Mark and (Y/N), but something in his gut doesn’t feel right—like a sense that something is coming. 

Something bad… Something really, really bad. 

  ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ 

“So you’re telling me that not only are there vampires almost a thousand years old running around without a care in the world, but you’re also the leader of the town witch coven who protects Moon Dye from supernatural threats?” Mark nods at your recount, holding back a smile at the cute furrow in your eyebrows. “You realize how absolutely unreal that sounds? Right?” 

“You said you wanted the truth.” 

“I’m only slightly regretting that decision now.” You sigh, smoothing a hand over your scalp. Mark notices a stray hair fall across your forehead at your movement. He’s not sure whether it’s the light buzz radiating throughout his veins or the way your eyes seem to glitter in the sunlight, but his mind has to warn his hands to remain glued to the table. Still, Mark can’t help but feel disappointed as you brush the strand away. 

You shrug your shoulders, “How… How do you do it?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Like…” Mark carefully watches your expression, noticing the slight tremor in your tone as you trail on. “How do you… do magic…?” 

“Well, there’s a bunch of ways.” He explains, “Spells. Potions. Channeling objects. Control of the elements. Some witches can even see events from the past, present or future.” 

“So you don’t wave around wands and ride on broomsticks?” 

The first genuine laugh leaves Mark’s lips for the first time tonight. “No. Though Youngjae did try to enchant his car to fly one time.” 

“Where does it come from? The magic?” 

“It’s dependent on the witch, and the type of craft they practice.” 

Not desiring to scare you off, Mark chooses to show a more modest example. He focuses his attention onto your cup, still full of now cold tea, and murmurs a quick incantation beneath his breath. Your entire body flinches as the glass lifts at least six inches off the table, enough to hover at the level of your eyes. After a couple seconds, Mark lowers the cup back into its original place. When he meets your gaze, he expects to see fear embedded beneath your irises, but it’s the opposite: 

You seem fascinated. 

“I usually practice Traditional Magic, so I use the Earth and other natural elements to amplify my magic.” Mark says, “Most witches are born with their own powers, but that’s not always the case. 

“Youngjae—take him as an example—is a Siphoner. In order to generate magic, he has to absorb it from other things, be it objects or people.” 

“So he… siphons magic?” 

Mark smiles. “Exactly. You’re catching on pretty quick.” 

“I wouldn’t go that far.” You shake your head, curiously peering down at the stationary teacup before returning your attention back to Mark. “When I read through that book in the archives, I saw something about Lycanthropes… Does that mean what I think it means?” 

“Werewolves.” He states matter of factly.

“They exist too then?” 

“You remember Kim Yugyeom? Bambam’s best friend?” 

You nod. 

Mark nods too. “He’s the second in command of Moon Dye’s pack. I don’t think you’ve met the new Alpha, Bang Chan.” 

“I’ve heard the name from some of my kids.” Mark can practically feel the exhaustion from your sigh. He debates the idea of reaching across the table to take your hand in his—the loneliness of your fingers spurring him on even more. Before Mark can make up his mind, you’re already withdrawing your limbs and hiding them in the comforts of your lap. 

“I just—I’m just having a hard time processing all of this.” 

Mark shakes his head, “It’s a lot to take in, (Y/N).”

“I know, but—” You pause to lift your head, furrowing your eyebrows in his direction with the beginnings of a scowl overtaking your lips. “I’m still pissed that you kept this whole other world a secret from me. I mean, for fucksakes, Mark, you’re my best friend.” 

“I’m—I was protecting you. Knowing this stuff exists doesn’t come without consequence, (Y/N).” 

“Stop saying that, oh my god—” Mark waits as you bury your face in your palms, deeply breathing through the divots of your laced fingers. After maybe a minute of silence, you raise your head and murmur, “What is it about me knowing that puts me in danger? I was nearly killed by that vampire without knowing shit.” 

A wince overtakes Mark’s features. “It’s complicated…” 

“I’m so sick of everyone using that excuse.” You hiss, “You don’t keep something like this from me, especially the fact that you’re—” 

“Do you know how Nayeon died?” Mark can see how his sudden question takes you off guard by the widening of your eyes and pursing of your lips. You take a few moments to collect yourself, right your expression, before answering: 

“She was… killed by an animal.” 

Mark shakes his head again. “No. Nayeon was murdered by a supernatural vampire hunter and another witch.” 

You blink. “B-But… was she a—?” 

“She was a witch—an innocent witch that never provoked, nor hurt anyone.” Mark leans forward until the edge of the table presses harshly against his ribs. The uncomfort does little to garner his attention—too focused on speaking to you with his desperate eyes. “This world—my world is dark, (Y/N). The creatures in my world are even darker, including me.” 

He pretends not to catch the brief wave of unease that washes over your face. 

“Right now, there are two fucking crazies in town out to kill me and my people.” Mark gulps at the stone long formed at the back of his throat. “If I lose anyone else, I—” Unable to finish his sentence, Mark shifts his focus. “I just need you to understand, (Y/N). Please.” 

“Mark—” Tremors shoot through his veins as your fingers latch around his wrist—the warmth of your touch sobering the last remnants of his mind. He has to hold back tears at the pure sympathy that resonates from your bright irises. “I understand, okay?” 

He nods, not trusting the quality of his voice. 

You softly squeeze his arm. “No more secrets though… Promise me.” 

“(Y/N)—” 

“Promise me.”   

Mark knows he shouldn’t, but the way you’re looking at him—so calm, yet so determined—the way you always look at him… He can’t do anything but give in. 

“I promise.” He murmurs, placing a hand over your own with a weak smile. “No more secrets.” 

You nod approvingly, offering up a smile of your own. Your lips part again, as if to ask another question, when a knock sounds from the door. Mark almost verbally protests when you pull away, but holds back his annoyance to answer the unexpected visitor with a silent sigh. However, he can’t hold back his scowl at the sight of Jinyoung on his doorstep. 

“Mark. It’s good to see you.” 

“What the hell are you doing here?” 

“I apologize for my sudden visit, but I needed to talk to you about—” Jinyoung’s voice trails off, which Mark quickly realizes is because of your known presence. He watches, with narrowed eyes, as you and Jinyoung exchange an array of glances before he turns back to Mark. 

He shakes his head. “I didn’t realize you had company. I’ll come back—” 

“She knows.” An uneasy feeling erupts in Mark’s gut at the weak expression that crosses over Jinyoung’s face. He doesn’t like how Jinyoung looks at you again, nor the blank stare you offer the vampire in response. 

Jinyoung nods. “I see…” 

“What did you—?” Mark’s phone rings before he can finish his question, temporarily relieving him from the atmosphere of awkwardness and irritation. He steps aside to allow Jinyoung the space to enter while pulling his phone from his pocket. His eyes remain fixated on the interaction between both you and Jinyoung as he answers the call, lifting the device up to his ear. 

“Please tell me you and Bam found something.” 

“It’s not much, but we at least found a lead.” Mark breathes a sigh of relief at Youngjae’s answer. As to include both you and Jinyoung into the conversation, he turns Youngjae on speaker phone, avoiding the curious glint in your gaze.  

“There’s no record in the police database of any suspicious visitors entering town within the last few months, so we’re sure they probably got into Moon Dye undetected, or at least not on city file.” 

“How does that help us?” 

“You need to let me finish, hyung.” Mark can practically hear Youngjae roll his eyes over the line. “We may not have records, but some of Bam’s friends were able to look into the cameras stationed around the border of the road that leads into town. They caught footage of a bus dropping off two young women, who were then picked up by a 2018 BMW M6. We tried to track the license plate number, but the registration is private.” 

Jinyoung murmurs with a nod, “So someone who lives here in town brought them in. It’s possible we may be dealing with more than just a hunter and a witch.” 

“I don’t think so.” Youngjae disagrees, “The tracking spell would have picked up on every accomplice involved in Nayeon-noona’s murder.” 

Mark feels sick at the slight grimace that pulls across your features. He knows you're playing strong by the way you quickly mask your discomfort. 

“Anyway, we were only able to track the vehicle as far as Poison Square. But we do have the faces of the two young women that got off of the bus.” 

“That’s something then.” Mark sighs, sharing a wary glance with Jinyoung. “What do they look like?” 

“Both are probably somewhere in their early- to mid-twenties, have dyed blonde hair and are relatively around the same height.” 

Jinyoung shakes his head. “That could be anyone. Can you be more specific?” 

“The one woman has three distinguishing beauty marks: One on the bridge of her nose, another above her upper lips, and a third near the corner of her mouth.” 

“Shouldn’t the hunter have something on them? Like a mark?” 

“We wouldn’t be able to see the hunter’s mark.” Jinyoung shuts down Mark’s inquiry with a frown, “It’s only visible to other hun—” 

“This mark… Is it a tattoo, by any chance?...” Mark nearly flinches at your sudden question—Jinyoung almost doing the same. The latter resurrects from the surprise before releasing a hesitant answer: 

“Well, I’ve never seen it myself, but… yes.” 

“Oh my fucking god…” The pure shock that overtakes your face sends warning bells chiming through Mark’s mind. He sets the phone on the table before dropping to his knees in front of your sitting form, immediately noticing the trembling of your hands. Worst case scenarios play through his thoughts like creepy puppet shows, but he pushes them away to focus on you. 

“What is it?” 

When you meet his gaze, your eyes are wild with a blend of shock  and fright. Mark feels even sicker than before, and not because of the alcohol. 

You gulp. Not once. But twice. 

“I… I know who Nayeon’s killers are.” 

  ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

“Please, just let me go…” Jihyo sobs, hot tears beginning to spill down her burning cheeks. The rope around her wrists chafes uncomfortably at her skin, eating away at what little dignity remains in her heart. “I really don’t understand what you want from me…” 

Momo releases a huff—the sight and sound mirroring a dragon blowing smoke through his nostrils. Jihyo watches through terrified eyes as Momo paces across the living room floor, feverishly shaking her head and mumbling incoherencies underneath her breath. The fear continues to grow when Momo stomps to where Jihyo is frozen stiff on the sofa. 

“How many fucking times do I have to repeat myself?” Momo growls, shoving her tattooed arm in Jihyo’s face. “You see this mark, then you’re a hunter. It’s not rocket science.” 

Jihyo weakly shakes her head. “You’re sick, Momo… Th-This whole thing about vampires and witches and hunters doesn’t exist…” 

It’s a lie—Jihyo knows in her heart that a part of her, a very stupid part of her, believes every little detail that has left Momo’s lips. Some of it makes too much sense not to be true: The sudden animal attacks. The mysterious disappearances. The unexplained instances she’s had ever since she moved to Moon Dye Bay. 

“I told you that—”  

Momo’s voice cuts out at the sound of a slamming door. For a moment, hope swirls through Jihyo’s gut, thinking that either Sana or (Y/N) must have come to her rescue, but the burst vanishes at the sight of Mina stepping into view—Jihyo’s fear instead skyrockets. 

Momo said she’s a witch. 

“What is going on here?” Mina demands, her tone stern and expression cold. Momo only smiles in response. 

“Sister!” She skips over to the newcomer, delicately taking Mina’s hands into her own. The act actually surprises Jihyo, not expecting the supposed, rather sadistic hunter to be capable of such affection. “Jihyo can see my mark! She’s a hunter just like me, sister!” 

Mina immediately tears her hands away, glaring at her sister with such bewilderment and venom. “Are you out of your damn mind!?” 

“Wh-What do you mean?” 

“Jihyo cannot be involved in any of this!” Goosebumps rise over Jihyo’s skin at the hidden darkness beneath Mina’s words. Her eyes glance toward the hallway, wondering the success rate of being able to reach the front door without alerting either sister. “Do you not remember what happened last time you tried to train another hunter?” 

“Things will be different this time. I am stronger now—we are stronger.” “You don’t know that for sure.” 

“Think of how easy it will be to take out the rest of Tuan’s coven with another hunter on our side, sister.” Momo persists, striking more panic through Jihyo’s already stocked body. Against her better judgement, Jihyo tries to escape her rope bindings… and unsurprisingly, fails. 

Mina shakes her head furiously. “Tuan and his witches have sided with one of The Prime brothers. We can’t risk killing another member without putting our own lives in danger—”

“All the more reason to take on another hunter.” Jihyo shrinks in on herself as Momo grabs Mina’s hand and leads her to her prisoner on the couch. “Please, sister. Think about what those witches did to us—about mother and father.” 

Silence, save for the hum of rushing blood in Jihyo’s ears, hangs in the air, thick like a pool of humid fog. Like Momo, Jihyo carefully watches Mina’s expression, searching for any features that may determine the underlyings of her fate. 

“So many lives we’ve already taken for mother and father.” Mina pulls her hand free from Momo’s and shakes her head. The rope seems to dig harder into her wrists—as does the terror in her chest when Mina murmurs her next words: 

“When will it ever be enough for you, sister?…” Jihyo’s gaze remains transfixed on Mina as she makes her way back through the kitchen, pausing to offer the bound woman an apologetic glance. “I’m so sorry you were brought into this… but I’m even more sorry that you’ll have to die because of it…” 

Whatever remaining hope inside Jihyo snaps as Mina throws her one last pitiful smile before rushing out the apartment—leaving Jihyo to the mercy of her deranged sister. 

  ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

Jinyoung closely watches how your fingers seem to cling to Mark’s hands as you think over your words, almost as if his mere touch is enough to keep your mind grounded. And though he’d never admit it aloud… Jinyoung feels envy that Mark is the one who’s comforting you. 

“Mina and Momo are friends of Sana from when they were in high school.” You explain, peering between both Mark and Jinyoung’s curious expressions. Though Jinyoung notices how your gaze seems to avoid his seeking eyes. “I don’t know anything about them beside the fact they’re foster sisters, and they had a pretty shitty time in the system.” 

“Then how are you so sure it’s them?” Youngjae inquires, still over the phone. “And how did you know about the hunter’s mark?” 

You pause, and based on your expression, Jinyoung would guess you’re almost reluctant to answer his questions. He moves to soothe your uneasiness, but Mark beats him to it: 

“We have to know, (Y/N)... It’s important.” 

Jinyoung’s jealousy expands at the intimate glance you and Mark share. 

After another moment of quiet and a heavy sigh, you finally speak, “The other day, I heard Jihyo comment on a tattoo that Momo had—but there was no tattoo. Neither Sana nor I saw one, so I just thought Jihyo was imagining things until…” 

“Until now.” Jinyoung finishes. He inhales an unsteady gust of air, carding his fingers through his styled hair, and shakes his head with a solemn expression, “(Y/N)... For Jihyo to be able to see Momo’s hunter mark would mean she’s a—”

“We have to warn the others.” Mark interrupts Jinyoung, suddenly rising to his feet. “Youngjae, give a call to Lia, Jisung and Minho and tell them to get their asses over here as soon as possible.” 

“Already done, hyung. I couldn’t reach Minho, but I left several voicemails and dozens of texts.” 

“I’ll start on that linking spell we talked about. This ends tonight.” Mark lifts his phone from the tabletop, readying his thumb to tap the end call button. “Get here safe, okay?” 

Youngjae hums. “Fifteen minutes. Maybe ten.” 

“See you soon, Youngjae.” No sooner had Mark ended the call does your voice sound: 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? ‘This ends tonight’?” 

Mark shakes his head. “(Y/N)—” 

“No. I want to know what that means.” You abruptly rise, sending your chair sliding across the wood floor with a shriek. Jinyoung waits for Mark to come up with an answer, secretly enjoying the obvious discomfort amongst his features, before answering himself after maybe a minute of radio silence: 

Jinyoung places a hand on your shoulder. “It means we do what we have to do to keep everyone safe. Including you and the town.” 

“But you won’t… kill them? Right? I mean, there’s-there’s other ways that don’t have to end with anyone dead, right…?”

“I don’t know.” Jinyoung murmurs honestly, “If they’re willing to talk, then maybe. But if it comes down to it—” 

“Please, don’t…” His heart practically breaks at the shakiness of your tone. “Just—do anything you have to, but don’t kill them…” 

Mark raises an eyebrow with a scowl, “They’ve killed dozens of innocent people, (Y/N). If anything, they deserve to die.” 

“Maybe…” You shake your head. “But killing them would make you no better than them.” 

Jinyoung feels as if you just punched him in the gut with your words. He has to let go of your shoulder to reach back and support his weight against the table, suddenly dizzy and light-headed.

“We’ll…” Mark sighs, “We’ll try our best, okay?” 

You nod before wiping your palms against the side of your jeans. 

As you and Mark engage in another round of small talk, Jinyoung tries to settle the nauseous feeling in his gut and focus on anything other than the fragrant waft of your scent. He knows he would never hurt you—his self control is too grand to allow anything like that—but the lack of human blood is beginning to affect him again. For the worse. 

Usually Jinyoung is able to hold his own with only a couple droplets of animal blood every few days or so. However, his strength and other abilities have long depleted since he began this strict diet, and while he may not be anywhere near desiccation—Jinyoung is certainly hungry. And weak. Very, very weak. 

He just hopes he will be able to withstand the upcoming battle. 

“But I want to help!” 

“And the answer is no fucking way. Absolutely not.” Jinyoung returns to reality just in time to see Mark shake his head indignantly toward your seething figure. Since then, he notices the two of you have moved to a nearby lectern, where Mark is currently flipping through a large grimoire.

“I can help, I mean—Mina and Momo know me and I swear I can—” 

“It’s not fucking happening.” Mark growls, slamming the book shut and leering down at you with a sneer. Jinyoung catches how your face doesn’t falter in the slightest at his angered expression. 

With a single finger, you poke Mark’s chest. “I’m not just going to sit back and watch while you and your damn wizard gang go and play hocus pocus with a pair of killers.” 

“It’s too dangerous—!” 

“Do I look like I fucking care!? Didn’t think so!” 

Jinyoung steps in, making sure to keep his tone calm so as to not infuriate you anymore. “Mark is right, (Y/N). I’m sorry—but you’d only be a liability for us to keep track of.” 

Your expression hardens. “A liability—? Are you serious?” 

Mark doesn’t spare a second glance in your direction and instead turns to Jinyoung. He points toward the countertop behind the vampire, “Can you grab the bowl that’s there? The one from yesterday’s ritual?” 

“So that’s it then?” Jinyoung  grabs the silver bowl filled with dried blood and the charm bracelet as you continue to rant, and hands it to Mark. The witch immediately dips two fingers into the crimson liquid, closes his eyes and begins to murmur a hushed incantation. 

You shove at his shoulder. “Mark? Are you kidding me?” 

“(Y/N), please—” Jinyoung steers you away from the witch, forcing himself to keep strong underneath your icy stare. “It’s for your own good…” 

With a clenched jaw and sparkling eyes, you shake your head. For a moment, Jinyoung hopes you’ll simply turn on your heel and leave the tense atmosphere of the mausoleum, but as always—you surprise him. 

“You know, I let your and Mark’s lying about everything slide because I wanted to move past it—for a fresh start.” You lean closer until Jinyoung can practically taste your minty breath on the tip of his tongue. “But you two are still treating me like some sort of princess that needs to be protected.

“And you know what, Jinyoung?” Your hiss strikes something deep inside Jinyoung’s soul—something even he can’t place. “I’m no princess. And I don’t need to be protected. You’ll do best to get that shit through your head.” 

Neither Jinyoung nor Mark try to stop you as you stomp out the door. 

Jinyoung bites his lip before turning to Mark. “Are we… doing the right thing?” 

“I don’t know.” Mark replies, and for once, Jinyoung can relate to the lost tinge in his tone. 

“I really don’t fucking know.” 

[maxbradley]

Crash

***[Mature Content]***

"Get outta here, Brad." Shoving him off. The humidity must have shortened brain circuits because the next thing the black dog knew was that his muzzle was pressed against a nearby locker—swollen hands blocked the horizontal fall, and were made numb— "Listen, Goof boy." Turned him 'round and jabbed straight at the face—"Hrr-” — A bit of blood and sweat trickled down Maximilian's bare chest. Livid eyes burned holes through Uppercrust's contorted face, "Listen to what?!" The hands slammed themselves up to the other's chest to thrust him back into another metal object, which clattered and shook violently. The sophomore stormed off down the narrow pathway, waist towel in hand. He had barely gone ten feet when a rough arm gagged the neck, putting him into a lock— "Brad!-” Coughing— "Let go!!”— The yell became a scream "As you wish you little fucker!" A strong kick to the back sent Max reeling to the stone floor. The blood from the initial attack slithered onto the cracked surface. The only thing that ran through his brain was revenge—A near killer instinct that never gave halfway during that triathlon of an event—

Both rough hands pulled back at sandy brown hair as the standing figure's thick eyebrows raised as he inhaled deeply, letting the adrenaline slide— "Max, Max, Max. Do I really have to remind you why I'm like this?" A small chuckle. "No, you don't." By now Max had gotten himself up again, wiping off the bodily fluid from the side of his mouth. The left side sported a purple bruise. The humidity—the warm water vapor helped in nothing to control his shaky intake. "Let go of it, Brad. What's done is done. Shut the hell up and get outta here. I have no time to deal with a loser like you— The brows on the jock were still raised. Max had expected a sudden fury; the face showed little to no emotion, but the next actions spoke volumes. Again wheeled around to the side of the lockers, banging at the side and back of the kid's head—Every blow more sickening than the last—violent, unforgiving—hot loathing to the core. It was soon making contact with one of the shower poles and the protruding knobs. The white dog was never done and threw the victim onto the tile wall coming back with a supernatural grasp giving even more thrusts of the head and body on the white plane. All this time the boy screamed—shrieked in fury and pain. Convulsions didn't cease until the scarlet liquid seeped into his gloves. Max Goof was choking on his own flesh and blood— "You IDIOT! Do you have any idea what you and your team did to my reputation?!" No sympathy. No pride. Undiluted hate. "You- you've deserved everything that happened to you." The boy was murmuring down at the waist cloth sprinkled red and white. He didn't dare make eye contact this time; he was afraid to face the very thing that undermined his being back in high school… back when he—himself—was the loser. A cough let the coagulated blood fall between their feet. Bits touched the predator's toes. Dark blue eyes peered down before returning to the crooked head. Fingers wrapped themselves around the kid's neck and forced eye contact— "Today, Goof, you've lost." Words could not describe the darkened features of the young man's countenance. Once so full of emotion and life, Brad seemed so subdued that the enigmatic smile was all of a sudden more than just a show of pride. A heartbeat shot Max's emotions to the stratosphere— Humiliation, hatred, and insecurities broke into sobs. This change of pace took the sports fanatic by surprise, releasing the grip on the kid's windpipe, letting him sink down to the reddened tile. Salty tears washed away the gore… From the blue a fresh towel was thrust into his lap, "Shut the fuck up. You're a man—Now, get up before I make you." The black dog buried his wet face into the cloth, soaking up as much of the excess as he could. The stained gloved hand pulled at dark hair and stayed there, while the other did pull weight together to get himself up. The waist towel loosened, nearly fell off—but was saved in the nick of time. This little wardrobe malfunction startled Brad—flesh tone changed color and made him turn around to scan the locker room to see if anyone had heard in on anything that occurred. Splashes of a crusted red umber decorated the number of impacts given for the poor bastard. Against his will, the human side bounced back, not helping to stop the guilt that scorched his soul. The breathing had become just as shallow as the other. What the hell have I done? – A bead of sweat rolled down his neck. Am I really that angry? Dammit! Why does he have to be so cute?! Why is he so determined to make a fool of himself; and so full of life, friends—Family! Shit! I'm a jealous bitch! "Brad…-- Whipping his hair back—"What?!" Abnormal and hollow; eyes wild. "Don't even get near me anymore. Don't talk to me— Uncontrolled feelings flooded into fleshed strong arms—One on the shoulder, one on the waist. Both canines were shaking, and the overbearing humidity did not aid one bit in finding their sanity— "Don't touch me." Pink attacked the boy's cheeks as the reality struck him cold. Bleeding and all, a tongue rammed into the warm crevice and nearly sucked out the feeble life he had left. The boy was about to crash down and burn again when the other arm took an iron clamp up and down the exposed back pulling him forward, closer than ever before. Bellies were touching—Max grabbed a strong hold wrapping himself around the man's shoulders for support in partial fear of dragging Brad down with him. The lip lock broke for an instant, "I want your fury—I want your spirit. Give me everything it took to win!" The command injected newfound energy. The hands on Brad's neck dug into the nerve, onto the shoulder blades and onto his back—leaving imprints wherever the gloves made contact with the bare skin as their mouths clasped onto each other—traveling down the forehead, bruised cheek and eyelid down to each other's neck and collarbone—varied to each other and never in sync. The jock wanted to break the boy's vertebrae, ribcage—arm—anything, just to get a whimper or a yelp of pain— The expression that played on both faces was not that of bliss, but of incessant rivalry, mixed into that of confused pleasure and stimulation— "Stop—we should stop—please, Brad," panting. "Bradley." Another deep kiss led to a fumble of hands rubbing at bare chests, up and down Max's slender sides, finally reaching that last cover, "You won't be needing this anymore— The sudden refusal knocked the senior down, slipping on the slick tile along the way. Head fell with a thunk— "Ohh—what the hell-!!" Massaging that little bump, which was nothing compared to the blood loss at the back of the Goof boy's skull. Max, as satisfied as he was, only displayed a show of disgust… Or, was it a longing for something other than the lying body at his feet? "Maximilian—we got a good thing going here—why stop now??" "Roxanne." "… what.. ?" A phlegm-filled gulp—"Roxanne." How was it possible, after all the times he suppressed her very existence, hitting it off with other girls—her image was all of a sudden as vivid as death? "Your first time?" Brad was leaning forward in curiosity in an all-too-casual sitting. His neck bent back to try and find the answer in the kid's reddened eyes. "…. No." ~~ "But, what do you mean I can't see you again?" "A lot's been going on, and I can't take you with me." "Roxanne, please—I'll even transfer out of this campus— Slapped away, "Come back to your senses, Goof!"~~ As the name rang like mad in his ears, the 19 year old peered over the guy in front of him again. No, Roxanne was not his first time—she wasn't even a lover. No one ever was… His weakened heart suddenly ached for some pure form of affection. And now, it seemed that his last chance at true happiness had flown away… The only thing left was an empty shell of lust—a primitive desire. All he ever knew was school, friends and sports… Roxanne and his dad. The last fence to hurdle, separating him from selling his soul to the devil, who took advantage of his hesitant stature, "Relax, Goof, everything's gonna be fine— Everything's gonna be fine. Everything was thrown back to a sharp clarity. What the hell was he doing? What would happen if his father found out about this? The expression of worry was blatant. "Oh, Max. Nobody's gonna know what we did here. At least, I won't tell." "… Yeah." The gloves were removed. The last spark of innocence was extinguished, "Sure you won't, Bradley." There was no sense of letting his one chance of humiliating the X-Games King get away. "I might as well make the best of it." A low growl to his now darkened features. All the senior could do was let out a small gasp. The eyelids drooped to indifference. Not a smirk, not a frown. The movements were brutal—towels were ripped off, exposing themselves to each other. Max slammed his body full-length over the other, letting Brad's head fall to the tile again— And again as the black dog took his turn—ramming his mouth into the other while strangling him with both hands—"What the hell are you doing?!—” Hacking The pressure tightened, "Please!" and suddenly gave way, I'm supposed to hate this person— "Remember?! I'm supposed to hate you! Despise you—" Fever attacked as the boy manically pressed forward—"fuck you." Bradley's eyes widened until only the pupil was seen, at a loss for air and for words. As the words sank in, something clutched at his own heart. Out of fear, he let Max do exactly as he threatened, letting those ebony fingers grab at his crotch and pull and tug, and squeeze at everything—Loud moans were all the crazed boy could perceive—but he wanted something more out of this jerk— The legs went up in the air, massaged ferociously before letting a throbbing organ inside. A little howl, "Ha ha—Max, you look different… " a nervous chuckle. "Well, you told me to give it my all." It was now obvious that something in this kid's mind had snapped—that childish spirit had gone only to be replaced by a somber mannequin. The senior's breathing came in abnormal intervals; he could only utter this, "No—wait—Maximilian—-!!" This boy of no sexual talent dominated over the leader—going in deeper and deeper with each thrust. All Goof boy could imagine was revenge, torture. He already regretted not being close to a power tool—As the blood attacked his reddened cheeks and down his fur in drying clumps with all the sweat rolling down his body and biting his tongue to not join the chorus below him, all he wanted to do was go even further— To the point when he began to rock in all directions to find the place where the jock was most vulnerable, "Haa! Haa! M—Max. Max… ! Ngh—nggh—MAX!— A hand wrenched onto the other member and with a strong thumb tortured it at the same time the sophomore delved in again. The multitasking was doing the trick—"STOP!”—Pain-filled howl— Eyes flared as a corner of the predator's mouth jerked upward, "Everything!!" Both figures arched forward, backward, inverting against each other and grinding. Vapor, sweat on each and every part of their bodies. Bradley realized that he'd been ignoring every plea. Max could no longer contain his innate desires, pulled out and bit the tip before swallowing the organ whole, "Agh! Do you want to rip it out of me?! Stop it!" Up the naked fingers went from behind, legs high in the mist— The jock went beet red. Nearly fainting, he felt the final strokes of the tongue and thrashing of teeth before moaning aloud, "You goddamn Freshman!" A burst of semen went up in the boy's mouth— Horrendous flavor. He spat it right in the guy's face. Never had a feeling over him been so foul—A wave of nausea only fed into the boy's anger, fury, loathing for the man under him. The black eyes finally took a good, long look over the surface of that lean, toned… Before going down any further, Maximilian's eyes snapped back—locked to blue orbs, which were half opened before making contact. A dominant fear of the new predator ran circles in the jock's mind. He didn't know what to say—what to do—Usually, he would set the ground rules when it came to sex. I've laid more men and women than anyone on campus! "And now this-" inaudible whisper. Goof didn't even flinch. It took this long to come to terms with the fact that he was smiling. Smiling, not for the pleasure of either one of them, but because he was so close, "And… I'm about to win, Brad." The young man's state of mind shifted gears—the shallow breathing that carried the fear soon returned to its normalcy, and then a crease formed down the middle of his forehead. It was lethargic at first—And then those elements of bigotry and pride which he had always thrived on flooded into him like before— "Shit!" a shout of frustration and a fist at the cold tile. The boy was within him again. Max gave him no time for a comeback— The next thrust was one of the strongest, knocking the air out of him, and again—once more as the boy screamed out, "This is for you, Brad!"—Eyes livid—entire body shaking—fists clenching and unclenching before settling on slugging the brat in the face— "This is for everyone who ever tried to break me, whenever I was down— "ALWAYS, BRADLEY! ALWAYS!!" Maximilian was becoming either deaf or blind to whatever he spat out in the current situation, because the screams had gotten harsh and blood-curdling—more blows, bruises quick to form—Claws dug into flesh and pried open ridges— "BUT WHY?!" The bloodied hair matted over his face "Max!" Ill attempts at spitting out the copper "WHY?!?" Max Goof had lost himself to years of literal and imagined persecution—Faces flickered for milliseconds on end as the hardened member dug even deeper, tearing at the entrance's sides— "You motherfucker! You're gonna kill me!!" No generous amount of unsettling bodily fluids was enough to conceal the same exact being that had tried to kill this same kid much earlier. Legs slammed straight down. There was no room left for that foreign object to budge— "Shit!! Sh—it! Fuuuck—!" The other writhed in pain at the height of his anger, to be so close only to be shut out… Again. "Get—" Brad's laid back attitude scorched off. The boy's inferiority complex kicked in with bitter disappointment. "Brad… ley?" "Get, the hell, out of me.” Another sickening heartbeat was accompanied by a tearful gasp. The worm pulled out. Before he could even begin to apologize the pissed jerk jutted his arms right into the broad shoulders, rocked himself up and over the ex-predator, causing him a near concussion, grabbing at a leg and twisting the whole body down to the ground— "oof!”—Backside in full view—"Bradley, I'm sorry!" All the pain and pleasure had reached its peak, and was about to be released. The leader's aid consisted of rough slides up Max's ass, ramming into the zenith, All those suppressed shrieks and moans of the obscene belted out getting lost within all that jungle rhythm in the mist—that whitewashed rainforest— "Agh—Bradley! Haa—ha!—Nggh! Please, Bradley—" The slamming continued, frantic. The one last ill hold onto his dying rage as the same image of the same girl emerged, then realizing who was actually over him now, "I hate you— I hate you!" Roxanne!! "I HATE THE WHOLE WORLD—!!— Ah!—Tension released from his own cock right before the crazed jock let out his second wave of cum, "I want to die." Both expressions were shattered with scarlet. Both were hard of breathing, unable to understand the void of time. The boy's hand fell limp on the tile; his body sank to the floor in a puddle of their own sweat, blood, and tears. A splash of cold relief washed away all existence of what happened here, in this unnecessary lovemaking—lust. A strong limb pulled the dead weight up to its feet. Out of the void was a warm, sturdy shield, pressed against the swollen cheekbone. Eyes barely open, the loser shuddered and let out a withering sigh as the cascades fell on the embrace. Bradley, finally eradicated of all his hatred toward this naïve individual, planted a firm, prolonged kiss on his head, face buried in his bloodied hair… "Oh, Max, I hate you too. So much." His arms wrapped even tighter with the energy he had left. "Roxanne." The demon turned child wept at his grave loss… "Maximilian Goof, no matter what the hell happens next, I won't let you die—Promise of an enemy." Saddened in the heart, face down—hidden in his rival's chest, this loser couldn't help but attempt a smile.

[sapphirestarxx]

Through the Night

Summary:

Modern AU. Miroku x Sango with a healthy dose of Inuyasha x Kagome.

Sango is a demon slayer in a world that is unaware of the existence of demons and evil spirits. When her best friend and priestess Kagome calls her and tells her she wants Sango to meet her new “boyfriend” she meets not only him but his best friend, Miroku. After a confrontation in an abandoned house, secrets are revealed and they all must work together to defeat a foe they know very little about. One that has been leaving behind strange runes and attacking those with spiritual powers, leaving them in mysterious comas. Along the way feelings start to develop between the two pairs.

Chapter 1 also posted on my AO3

Tag Wall:

@lavendertwilight89 @hnnwnchstr 

Let me know if you’d like to be added to my tag wall!!!!

Sango sighed, wondering how she had ended up here. The abandoned house loomed before them. Why did she always let Kagome talk her into things?

2 DAYS AGO    -

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Sango made sure her weapons were in their proper places before allowing the glamour to settle back around her. The demon slayer armor she wore became fitted black jeans and a green shirt, her weapons disappearing from sight all together. To the average passersby, she would now appear to be completely ordinary. The glamour was a nuisance but a necessary evil.

To the rest of the world demons "didn't exist." Of course that wasn't actually true or she would be out of a job. She also thought her latest clients would beg to differ on that sentiment.

It had been a pair of snake youkai infesting the home of an elderly couple and ended with the demons attempting to eat their visiting grandchild. Their neighbor's kid had gone "missing"...the third in a string of missing people in that community and Sango had made the gruesome discovery that all of them were long dead at the hands of the demons. They had convinced the nice older couple they were two hungry and homeless children, which wasn't surprising considering snake youkai were known for their shapeshifting abilities and gluttonous natures. What was surprising was encountering this type of demon so close to actual civilization. Wilderness was their preferred habitat, after all. There had also been a strange symbol burned onto the wall of their makeshift den, a symbol that was a match for ones she had been seeing at the site of other recent demon attacks. Many of those attacks had also claimed casualties. Mulling it over in her head, Sango wondered what it could mean. 

'Well, that's a job for another day,' she decided. Current job completed, Sango started to head home, looking forward to a nice long shower. With steam. Lots of steam. She checked her phone and paused. A missed call from Kagome. Hmm. Curious, Sango called her best friend back. The line rang twice before the other girl picked up.

"Sango!"

She smiled at the obvious warmth in the other girl's voice. "Hey, Kagome. I saw your call."

"Right. Okay, before I say anything don't freak out."

"Okay...I'm listening."

A hesitation. Then--

"I want you to meet my boyfriend."

At that, Sango stopped mid-step. Her friend was quiet on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, what? Your boyfriend?" She finally managed.

"Yes."

"Kagome, since when do you have a boyfriend? Since when were you even dating someone?"

"A month ago."

"A month?!" Sango echoed incredulously. "And you never told me?!"

Kagome let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm telling you now, right? Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, just...surprised." She took a breath. "And okay, maybe a little mad. I can't believe you're only just now mentioning him to me."

Kagome. With a boyfriend. And for a whole month! That she hadn't told her stung Sango a bit. They were best friends! She was sure Kagome had good reasons for not telling her sooner and she was going to demand those reasons just as soon as she got over the shock of Kagome having a boyfriend.

"I'm sorry! Forgive me?"

"Fine, fine. But you owe me an explanation." Sango grumbled, giving in.

"So as I was saying, I want him to meet my best friend." Kagome's voice turned crafty. "By the way, he'll be bringing his best friend, too. I've seen pictures and the guy is really good looking. You should wear something cute."

Immediately suspicious, Sango narrowed her eyes.

"Kagome, if this is another one of your matchmaking schemes…"

"I'm just trying to introduce my best friend to my boyfriend and he just happens to be bringing his own best friend. Who is single, by the way."

Sango stayed silent. The last time Kagome had tried to set her up had ended terribly. The guy's name had been Kenjiro, the son of a wealthy family that made regular donations to the shrine Kagome worked at. He had liked to flaunt his status, making constant not-so-subtle allusions to his wealth. Sango hadn't been able to pronounce anything on the menu of the fancy place he had taken them to for dinner, and then made comments about how any wife of his would need to know such basic things. That obviously was the wrong thing to say to her, and long story short, she had ended up walking out and walking home.

The time before that was Kuranosuke. He had been sweet but there was no spark between them. At least not on her end. Not to mention his nose had been running their entire date, grossing her out.

"Come on, you want to meet my boyfriend, right?" Kagome reasoned, all innocence. Sango wasn't fooled. Still…

"Okay. Fine. Yes."

She did really want to meet this boyfriend. She also hadn’t seen Kagome in weeks and missed her friend terribly. If that meant going along with more of Kagome's matchmaking shenanigans then that was just the price she would have to pay. How bad could this one be?

"Yay! Okay, I'll text you the time and place. You're busy tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. I have another extermination."

Sango didn't elaborate. Kagome was the Head Priestess at the Higurashi Shrine and knew exactly what she was referring to. That was actually how they had met, when they had both been in middle school. Sango had still been in demon slayer training at the time and was assisting on a mission gone wrong. Her father had been struck in the arm by the stinger of a scorpion demon while protecting her. Feeling overconfident she had been careless and charged in headfirst leaving herself wide open to attack and her father had paid the price.

While the wound itself hadn't been too bad, the demonic poison had turned the shallow scrape into something much more deadly. Purple tendrils of miasma had been snaking through his veins, working their way from his arm to his heart and an immediate purification was needed. They had rushed him to the nearby Higurashi Shrine where Kagome was the attending priestess at the tender age of thirteen. She had also still been in training herself but her vast spiritual powers had propelled her into a more prominent position. With a little help she had saved Sango's father and they were fast friends to this day, ten years later.

"That's the fourth one this week, right?" Kagome's voice was quiet. It worried Sango, too. A typical week usually involved about two jobs, three if things were really crazy. That number had doubled and this was the third week in a row she was being kept so busy. Most demons left humans alone in this modern world, out of disinterest or self-preservation. Something was going on that was agitating them. Something to do with that strange symbol that kept turning up.

"Fifth one, actually." She responded.

"Be careful."

"Always."

Sango hung up.

~☆~

Two days later Sango stood outside the cafe, checking the time. Worried she was going to be late she had left with time to spare. It had worked in her favor as she had arrived a few minutes early.

'Wear something cute.' Kagome had said. After some internal debating, Sango had given in and decided to listen to her friend's instructions. She had dressed in her best jeans, the ones that hugged her every curve. For her top she donned a cute sleeveless blouse that allowed a hint of cleavage to peak through as a tease in a shade of pink that matched her eyeshadow. Unsure of what to do with her hair she had opted to leave it down, dark brown locks framing her face. As a final touch she had grabbed one of her daggers, strapping it to her right leg in a thigh sheath, glamour hiding it from view.

Not that she thought anything would happen. She was here to meet Kagome's boyfriend, not to slay demons. Still it never hurt to be prepared. Especially with the way the demons had been acting up lately. She hadn't become so good at her job by being careless.

After a deep breath she opened the door and stepped inside. And promptly tripped on the turned up corner of the entrance rug, stumbling a little and dropping her purse. Stifling a sigh of frustration Sango bent over to pick it up. It took a few attempts and some fumbling before she finally grasped the offending object. She gave it and the rug a glare like her sudden clumsiness was somehow their fault. As she straightened she became aware she was blocking the way for the person who had just entered behind her. She turned to apologize and the words died on her lips as she took in his appearance.

'Oh God, he's hot,' She thought faintly.

Thick black hair just a little too long was pulled into a short ponytail, strands escaping to fall around his face, bangs brushing his forehead. Gold glinted at his ears, one small hoop on his right and two on his left. Roguishly handsome features dominated his face, with a sharp jawline and firm lips. Eyes the most interesting shade of cool blue verging on indigo regarded her under a strong brow, one of which was quirked up at her. Right. She was staring. And standing in his way. She swallowed.

"S-sorry." She stammered. 'Nice, Sango,' she thought. 'Way to stun him with your wit.'

"Are you all right?" He asked. His voice was low and smooth and it was doing funny things to her insides. She reminded herself to breathe. 'Get it together,' she told herself. 'Stop staring at his perfect face and answer the man.'

"Y-yes." She cleared her throat and tried again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take up the whole entryway." There. That wasn't so hard. He was probably enjoying watching her make a fool of herself in front of him.

"No worries. Besides I should be thanking you for treating me to such a breathtaking view." He replied, eyes bright with amusement.

The what?

"The view?" Sango repeated. He couldn't mean-- … She had been bent over with her ass up in the air for a few long moments just minutes before. Surely he wasn't referring to that, was he?? She was trying to decide what else he could have possibly meant and if she should be offended when he spoke again, answering her.

"Your lovely face, of course. When I saw you the room instantly became beautiful." He winked.

She blinked. Then laughed. It sounded like such a bad pick up line she thought he had to be joking. Yet somehow it was still making her blush. The hell??

He smiled at her reaction. "And now I've been graced with your smile. I'm truly a blessed man."

His lines were so cheesy but she couldn't help but be affected. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t thought she was a sucker for a pretty face but apparently she just hadn’t found the right pretty face to make herself act foolish for. She just looked at him looking at her, and they stayed that way for a few heartbeats, her skin flushed at his compliments while she cast about desperately for something to say in response. What did someone say to something like that?

"Uhm, er, thank you. You're really full of one liners, aren't you?" She finally said, a bit awkwardly. It had to be obvious she was flustered which was ridiculous because those were the lamest lines ever. She should have been rolling her eyes. "I-I'm actually here to meet a friend. I'm sorry, I don't want to keep them waiting." Good, now she could make her escape with some of her dignity still intact.

"What a coincidence, me too." He paused. "Wait a second, are you Kagome's friend Sango?"

So much for escape. Also…

'How does he--' And then it dawned on her before she could finish the thought. Of course this would be him. ‘He's really good looking.’ Kagome had said and, well, she definitely wasn't wrong.

"Oh, you must be-- "

" --Inuyasha's best friend." He finished for her. She assumed Inuyasha had to be the name of Kagome's boyfriend. Kagome hadn't mentioned his name to her but had clearly mentioned Sango's name to both of them. That hardly seemed fair.

"I'm sorry, you seem to know my name but she never told me yours." 

"It's Miroku." He told her with another smile that made her heart pound.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Miroku." Sango said, his smile so nice she couldn't help but return it with one of her own.

"Likewise, Sango. Let's go find our friends, shall we?" He gestured gallantly with his arm in a 'ladies first' motion. Sango did roll her eyes a bit at that but there was still a smile on her face as she turned to face the inside of the cafe for the first time since arriving. She immediately spotted Kagome sitting at a booth, the other girl watching them avidly. No doubt she had witnessed the whole exchange with Miroku, including her dumbstruck expression upon seeing him for the first time. That was definitely something she was going to be hearing about later, she knew. In the meantime Kagome was waving them over.

Sango's eyes shifted to her friend's companion, taking him in curiously. He was also pretty good looking, she had to admit. As she and Miroku approached the table she was able to get a better look at his features, which included a strong jaw and a mane of jet black hair reaching to his waist, two forelocks framing his face. His sharp blue-gray gaze was screwed up in a small frown at whatever he and Kagome were discussing. 'He seems like a happy guy.' She thought flippantly. The most interesting thing she noted about him, however, were the purple and white prayer beads around his neck. They were completely at odds with the rest of his otherwise modern appearance; red pants and a plain white t-shirt.

Kagome looked up at their approach. "Hey guys!" She greeted them.

"Hey!" Sango returned with a smile.

"Hello, looking lovely as always, Kagome." Miroku said. Sango noticed how smoothly he said that and started to wonder if he was just a flirt by nature. They slipped into the booth seat, Miroku being a gentleman and allowing Sango to go first.

"Hey yourselves. It's about time. We've been waiting for ten fucking minutes." Inuyasha complained. Kagome shot him a look.

"Hey, Miroku and I are on time." Sango said, frowning a bit at his confrontational manner. Was he always like this? She chanced a look at Kagome who was mouthing 'sorry,' and Miroku who looked like this was nothing new. 

"Sorry, Inuyasha is just moody because he's hungry," Kagome said, taking Inuyasha's hand in hers. "Isn't that right, babe?" Inuyasha reddened a bit at that, which Sango found interesting. Weren't they supposed to be dating? Maybe using endearments was something new to their relationship, she reasoned.

"Anyways," Kagome continued, turning back to them, "You two already met?" She looked delighted.

"Only just now." Sango said. "So this is your boyfriend?" She prompted, trying to change the subject. This was why they were all here, after all.

"Right. This is Inuyasha, my boyfriend. Inuyasha, meet Sango, my best friend. And you've already met Miroku." Her brown eyes sparkled a bit at that last sentence.

"If I had known how beautiful your friend was, I would have insisted on meeting her sooner." Miroku replied, causing Sango to blush but also groan inwardly. Kagome had to be eating this up. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Kagome grinned and then looked at Inuyasha expectantly.

"I didn't mean to snap at you," he said gruffly at Kagome's prodding. "I wasn't tryin' to be rude."

"We're working on his people skills." Kagome told them.

"It's fine." Sango said. Her opinion of him improved a little bit at that. Maybe he was just having an off day. "So Kagome tells me you guys have been together for a month now. How did you two meet?" 

They both froze and shared a look before speaking at the same time.

"I was taking a walk when--"

"She came to the forest and--"

"I mean--"

"That is--"

They both cut off, Kagome's expression a little panicked. Weird. What was going on? Telling the story of how they met should have been one of the most basic things to answer.

"You met when she was taking a walk in the forest…?"

Miroku covered a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Inuyasha and Kagome were saved from having to reply at the appearance of their waitress, who had arrived carrying a tray with four waters. 

"Hello, my name is Himari and I'll be taking care of you this evening! How are you all doing?" She greeted them cheerily while setting their waters on the table.

"My day just got even better at the sight of you." Miroku smiled up at her and the waitress practically swooned. Sango frowned at that.

"Oh my, you're too kind." She demurred, a blush high on her cheeks.

"It's not kindness if it's the truth." He insisted. Himari fluttered her eyes at Miroku. Inuyasha looked disgusted.

Sango felt her own expression souring. Just like that the spell was broken. So he was just a flirt, then. She didn't know why she had expected him to actually be genuinely interested in her. Maybe it was just the sincerity in his voice when he had spoken to her. Or the intensity in his eyes when he had looked at her. Kagome had also hinted that this was meant to be a double date of sorts. And here he was trying to smooth talk their waitress. She should have known better than to be swayed by a few pretty words.

"Oh my," Himari was saying. "Well I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders." She slid a coy glance Miroku's way before scurrying off.

Beside her, Miroku was lifting his glass to take a drink. Extremely annoyed now, Sango raised her arm to grab her own, "accidentally" elbowing him in the process. This made him slosh his water, causing some to spill on his shirt.

"So sorry," she said in a tone that was not remotely contrite. "I'm sure our waitress would be happy to clean it up for you, though."

Miroku paused in dabbing at his shirt with napkins to shoot her a weird look. Inuyasha choked on his own drink while Kagome was staring at her wide-eyed. Sango pretended not to notice and studied the menu instead.

"It suddenly got a whole lot colder on that side of the table." Inuyasha commented. His observation was followed by a long awkward silence.

Himari came back and took everyone's orders, all the while making flirty remarks to Miroku. Sango tuned it all out, already done with the evening. How stupid to have allowed herself to be taken in by a pretty face and prettier words. So what if he was charming and ridiculously hot, and time had seemed to move in slow motion when she first saw him. She told herself she wasn't interested in him anymore; the guy clearly wasn't picky. Any girl would do, and she wasn't about to be one of them. She had standards.

"So have you guys heard about this haunted house that's nearby? There's a local legend about it, it's very interesting." Kagome said in an obvious effort to diffuse the tension.

Sango wondered where Kagome was going with this. They were a priestess and a demon slayer respectively, so they both knew these types of stories tended to have some truth to them, not to mention they had both already heard of this particular urban legend. The guys they were with on the other hand had no knowledge of the world that was really out there. She was trying to communicate this to Kagome with her eyes but the other girl was determined to avoid her gaze. 

"I haven't actually. What's the story?" Miroku replied, sounding genuinely curious.

While Kagome explained the history of the legend their food arrived. The story went that the broken down house was haunted by the spirit of a man who had killed his family and then himself. Unable to move on or accept the horrible things he had done in life the man's spirit became affixed to the house, haunting it and bent on making those who crossed his path to suffer. It was said that anyone who went in never came out, their bodies never found. The place was located a couple miles away off the road, a relic from another time and now since surrounded by overgrown woods and shrubbery.

"I think we should go check it out! It'll be fun." Kagome finished.

"You sound like one of those people in horror movies who make terrible decisions." Sango said dryly. From beside her Miroku laughed a little at her joke. She was still annoyed at him so she refused to acknowledge it, even though it secretly pleased her a little. 

"The house is supposed to be haunted and you wanna go check it out? Are you fucking stupid?" Inuyasha burst out.

"What? Are you scared?" Kagome teased.

"Of course not! I'm saying we shouldn't go looking for trouble." He looked pointedly at her.

"Well I'm not opposed to the idea." Miroku said, eyeing Sango. She wondered if he was trying to impress her and suppressed a laugh. If only he knew what she did for a living. The idea of a murderous ghost didn't scare her in the slightest. She shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" She said. After all, the evening couldn't get much worse.

"Alright, it's decided." Kagome said happily. Inuyasha grumbled indistinctly next to her and she cheerfully ignored him.

As Himari dropped off their checks she pulled out a piece of paper, writing something down on it. When she was finished she took Miroku's hand and placed it in his palm. He looked at it then at her. "Call me." She said with a saucy wink.

Sango fumed. Unbelievable. She was supposed to have been getting set up with this guy and the waitress was giving him her number. And worse, he was taking it! He smiled as he placed it in the pocket of his black leather jacket, though there was a nervous edge to it. Maybe it was because of the gimlet eye she was giving him. She didn't care anymore. She half hoped a demon did make an appearance tonight and ate him.

~☆~

Since it wasn't too far away they had all agreed to walk there. Upon setting out Kagome found herself beside Sango, with Inuyasha and Miroku up ahead talking amongst themselves.

"So that's really your boyfriend," Sango said, and Kagome could hear the disbelief in her voice.

"I know he's a little rough around the edges but he's got a good heart. Well, mostly."

"I'll take your word for it. I know we just had dinner together but I still feel like I know nothing about him."

"Yeah...tonight didn't exactly go the way I had hoped." Kagome responded with a small sigh. "I really thought you and Miroku would hit it off, too."

"He was too busy hitting on the waitress," Sango said sourly. "You didn't tell me he was a hopeless flirt."

"I'm sorry. I think he really did like you though. You should have seen his face when he first saw you. I don't think he meant anything he said to that waitress, to be honest. It just sounded like empty flattery." Kagome insisted.

"He accepted her phone number!"

"Yeah...there is that."

Kagome didn't know what else to say. Or rather there was only so much more she could say. She had only met Miroku a handful of times before and while he was charming and a bit flirty he didn't come across as a player to her. After a few more moments she said, "I'm going to go catch up with Inuyasha now. But I think this will all work out. I just have a feeling. Trust me."

She escaped while Sango sputtered behind her and came up beside Inuyasha, grabbing his hand. "I'm going to steal him from you now, Miroku."

Miroku gave an easy smile and allowed himself to fall back into step where Sango was walking. Kagome gave Inuyasha's hand a soft squeeze.

"Do ya have to do that?" Inuyasha asked, looking at anywhere but her. Despite his words he let her keep his hand in hers. Even hand holding was difficult with him still. Kagome sighed.

"Well you are my boyfriend right now, so yes I do. This is a normal thing for couples to do. You're not convincing at all." Kagome replied. "We've known each other for a month now. You have to get used to me eventually."

"Keh, whatever. This is stupid," he said, but the words had no heat behind them.

Meanwhile Miroku had been walking beside Sango in silence. Once it had stretched a little too long he finally decided to say something.

"Have I done something to offend you?"

"Of course not."

"Really? Because you seem to be ignoring me, quite spectacularly I might add."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sango replied. "Why should I care if you decide to flirt with our waitress or accept her number. It's none of my business."

He glanced at her but stayed quiet.

"It's not like this was an actual date." She continued.

"A date?" He echoed looking at her curiously.

"I shouldn't have listened to Kagome. She always tries to set me up with the worst guys."

"Set you up?"

"Are you going to repeat everything I say?" She snapped.

"I'm just trying to understand what's going on." He explained. 

Sango frowned at that. What was there to understand? "Listen, it doesn't matter."

"Were you under the impression this was supposed to be a date?" He asked.

With a sinking feeling Sango realized Inuyasha must not have phrased this as a set up of any kind to Miroku. Here she was acting like a jealous girlfriend when the guy had just been trying to have a good time. He owed her, a girl he had just met, absolutely nothing. She was going to strangle Kagome for leading her to believe this was some kind of date. She was absolutely mortified. Her face burned and she was glad it was dark out so he couldn't see.

Miroku smiled like he had just been let in on a little secret and reached into his jacket, pulling out the piece of paper with the waitress's number.

"I think I understand now. If this is bothering you, then here. I wasn't planning to call her, anyway." He crumbled it up and tossed it away as she watched. "I'd much rather have your number instead."

She was skeptical of the feelings his words stirred in her; she knew from prior experience that pretty words were just words and meant nothing. Actions proved everything. And if she had to admit it to herself, she was also scared to let someone like him in. Better to keep her walls up than risk anything happening and getting hurt. Her first impressions were mixed but they weren't favorable enough to convince her to trust him.

"Maybe if you weren't such a flirt." She finally said. A sudden wind gusted by, raising goosebumps on her arms and causing her to shiver. Her thin sleeveless top didn't offer much protection from the elements and she was regretting not bringing a jacket of her own. Miroku noticed her shiver and frowned. "Are you cold?"

"A little." She admitted.

"Here," he said, removing his jacket and holding it out to her. "Take it." 

Sango looked at him in surprise. She was hesitant to accept something like that from him but she was cold and she supposed he was just trying to be nice. And get back on her good side. She took it from him after a slight hesitation. "Thank you."

Putting it on she gave a soft sigh of contentment. It was still warm with his body heat and she tried not to notice how that seemed to warm her more than the jacket itself.

"We're here!" Kagome called out and Sango stopped, looking up and taking in the scene.

Another cool breeze fluttered through the trees of the surrounding wood. Branches shifted at the disturbance, moonlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves to shine upon the ruin they all currently stood before. Held together by splintered planks and rotting boards it was a minor miracle the structure was still standing.

'Of course,' Sango thought, 'it probably wouldn't have gained such a reputation for being haunted if it wasn't in such disrepair.'

"Wow! It really looks haunted." Kagome said. There was actual excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, exactly. So tell me why the fuck we're here, again?" Inuyasha groused, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh come on. Don't be such a spoilsport." She nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "This is supposed to be fun, remember?"

"You have a strange definition of fun."

"Hmm. Fun, you say?" Miroku said, stealing a glance at Sango. Her skin all but glowed in the pale light as she tugged his jacket closed around her to ward off the chill in the night air. Their gazes met briefly and she quickly looked away, a light blush coloring her cheeks. So she was embarrassed to have been caught looking at him. How cute. He bit back a smile and shifted his attention back to Kagome. "So what is this fun plan of yours?"

"I'm so glad you asked, Miroku!" She practically gushed. Inuyasha had a long-suffering expression on his face next to her. "I was thinking a game of truth or dare would be exciting."

Sango had been studying Miroku out of the corner of her eye but she jerked her head up at those words and leveled a death glare Kagome's way. 'Don't do it, do NOT do it.' The other girl forged gamely onward, as if her best friend wasn't shooting daggers at her with the mere power of her gaze.

"In fact," Kagome continued, beaming, "Why don't you start it off with Sango?"

That's it. She was going to kill Kagome. Kill. Her. Obviously she was ridiculously attracted to Miroku and her best friend, well aware of this, hadn't given up on trying to match them up. And the guy had lent her his jacket and okay it smelled kind of nice which meant that he smelled kind of nice. And he was undeniably charming. But he was bad news for her heart. A total flirt. First buttering her up with pretty words then coming on to their waitress right in front of her. No matter that he had told her he hadn't actually been interested in Himari. She had no time for a guy like that.

"I'd be happy to," Miroku was saying. "Sango, my dear. I dare you to either brave the depths of this haunted house alone or spend an evening with me."

She would not be pulled in by his words again. She wouldn't. Also what the hell did he mean by 'an evening'? Why did he have to phrase things so weirdly? 

"No thanks. I'd rather take my chances with a homicidal ghost over a womanizer." She marched into the house without a backward glance. Let a ghost try to attack her. She could use the outlet.

Miroku sighed. "Well, it was worth a try."

"Did ya have to accept that girl's number?" Inuyasha asked dryly. "Probably would be having better luck if you hadn't."

"I didn't want to be rude. Besides, I threw it away." Miroku protested.

"So then give her a nice tip!" Kagome exclaimed. "You're never going to win Sango over by flirting with other girls."

Miroku thought about that for a second. Was he trying to win her over? Sango had said she thought it was supposed to be a double date and he had had no clue. Typical of Inuyasha to conveniently leave out that detail. He thought back over their brief interactions so far and found himself intrigued by the combination of her shy innocence and fiery attitude. And the way she had looked at him when she first saw him had stuck in his brain, beautiful brown eyes widening in surprise and attraction. He realized it was from that moment on that yes, yes he was.

"You're absolutely right, Kagome. And I would be remiss in letting such a beautiful woman chance danger by herself." With that flowery speech Miroku followed Sango into the building.

"Well it's a good thing he went after her in case something happens. There's a strange aura around that house." Inuyasha commented.

"Hmm. I don't know. Sango has a few tricks up her sleeve." Kagome said.

He looked at her askance. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out." Kagome replied with a small, knowing smile. "Anyways, I agree. It's good he went after her. Maybe this can bring them closer."

He stared at her. "They just met…"

"Exactly! They need something to act as a bonding experience to help bring them together. Relationships have to start somewhere."

Inuyasha looked at her like she had two heads. "What the fuck are you on about? Relationship? Not likely with that womanizer." He snorted.

Kagome made a face. "Yeah, he seems like kind of a flirt. But you saw the way they both looked at each other when they first saw each other. There's something there. And he's your friend, right? He has to have some redeeming qualities. Besides, I just have a feeling. I can't explain it."

"Keh. Whatever." He scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"I think you'll be surprised." Kagome responded, smiling up at him.

-----

Meanwhile Sango was carefully picking her way through the ruin. The floor had rotted through in several spots that, coupled with the darkness, made it a minefield to walk in. Decay hung heavy in the stale air along with the scent of dust and earth. There was a feeling of foreboding in the atmosphere that she hadn't noticed when standing outside. She admitted to herself it was probably because she hadn't been paying attention to such things. A hand crept to the hilt of the hidden dagger at her thigh.

Her thoughts circled back to the source of her distraction. 'My dear,' he had said. She let out a dismissive laugh. Hardly. There was a sudden noise behind her and she whirled, drawing her dagger from its sheath to hold it in front of her in a ready stance.

"Whoa! It's just me." Miroku said, holding a hand out. She relaxed, letting out a breath. He noticed the weapon in her hand. "Where did you get a dagger?"

She didn't answer him. It was like her thoughts had conjured him. She became annoyed. "Why are you here? I thought I was supposed to do this alone."

"I got worried." He shrugged. "If something were to happen…"

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself. I don't need--" she broke off noticing something on the wall behind Miroku for the first time. She stalked forward and Miroku almost took a step backwards at the intensity of her approach. Stopping beside him, she raised a hand to touch something on the wall. He turned to see what it was that had caught her attention. A complicated twisting of shapes formed a rune that was etched onto the surface. Dark splashes coated the wall and the floor beneath it...dried blood. He frowned. This was…

"I've seen this mark before." She said by way of explanation. He looked away from the symbol to look at her in interest.

"Really? Where?"

Sango opened her mouth to respond and that was when all hell broke loose. 

There was a flash of greenish light that momentarily blinded her and while she was disoriented something knocked her sideways with bruising force. She collided with Miroku and they both crashed to the floor in a heap of limbs. Shit. Looked like there was some truth to the rumors after all.

She scrambled to her feet, gripping her dagger tightly, just in time to see the thing that had struck them circle back for round two. Glad she had had the foresight to bring one of her weapons, Sango wasted no time charging forward to meet it. This was what she was made for. She wanted to check on Miroku but there was no time for that. Springing into a somersault she avoided the creature's mouthful of teeth attempting to bite her in half and brought her dagger up to slice a line down the length of its serpentine body. It screamed in pain before collapsing into itself and dissolving from sight.

Breathing from exertion Sango rushed over to Miroku who was standing now. She had just reached his side when he grabbed her roughly by the arm and swung her around, holding her close to him. Massive jaws bit the air where she had just been standing. What?

"It's an evil spirit, not a demon! Your attacks aren't going to do more than anger it!" He told her.

Sango looked at him in shock. "How the hell do you know that?!" She demanded while dodging another strike from the afore-mentioned angry spirit and pushing Miroku away in a purely instinctual move to keep him from harm. 

Her foot got caught in a hole in the floor and she stumbled, her momentum causing her to pitch forward and fall. The spirit wasted no time taking advantage of her misstep, bringing a clawed hand down to crush her head. She freed her foot and rolled to the side at the last minute, striking out with her dagger as she did so and savaging its neck. It roared in anger and pain and she used the distraction to right herself and gain some distance.

"Evil spirits give off a different aura than evil demons do." He explained.

"No, I mean how do you know any of that!"

"Because I'm an exorcist! And by the looks of things you're a demon slayer. Physical attacks won't do any good against an opponent like this. It requires something spiritual."

Her thoughts went instantly to Kagome, but her friend wasn't currently there to help them. She wanted to take the time to process this new revelation about Miroku but she had her hands full at the moment. Defeat this thing, then figure out what the hell was going on.

Miroku was chanting incantations, dodging the strikes of the ghost with practiced ease, never missing a word or a step. It grabbed a broken table and flung it his way and he ducked to avoid it, eyes narrowed in concentration. Sango could feel his spiritual powers rise up in challenge to the evil spirit. The house around them began to groan from all the abuse. Much more and they risked bringing the whole building down around them. 

He had almost finished his spell when it broke free of his hold, rushing him. In a desperate move Sango threw her dagger, hitting it squarely between the eyes and divesting herself of her only weapon. It was her turn to grab him and pull him to her to avoid the path of the rampaging spirit. The spirit crashed into the wall next to them, the force causing wood to splinter and making them fall to the ground again, with her on top of him. 

"I wish I could take the time to enjoy this." Miroku said from beneath her. Before she could respond he flipped them so that he was now on top of her and then brushed a hand along her side, stroking upwards.

"Hey!" Sango yelled. "What--"

"Calm down," he said, reaching into one of the pockets of his jacket that she was currently still wearing and retrieving a small stack of white papers. "I just needed these." He rolled to his feet, pulling her up with him as they avoided yet another charge of the enraged ghost. "You could have just asked for them!" Sango said indignantly. 

Miroku didn't reply and rushed the evil spirit, casting the papers towards it and calling out, "Evil spirit, begone! I banish you from this place forthwith!" His power surged as they stuck to the spirit and crackled with blue light and the force of his energy. Sutras, Sango realized belatedly. Of course. She was momentarily impressed that, like her with her dagger, he too had come prepared in case of any trouble. She respected that. He clearly knew what he was doing.

The evil spirit struggled for a few minutes longer, screaming in outrage before Miroku's power finally overwhelmed it. With one final screech and a burst of light it vanished, exorcised. He slowly lowered his hands, breathing hard from the effort.

Sango walked over to where her dagger lay on the ground and retrieved it, placing it back in its sheath. She turned to look at Miroku, a million questions running through her mind. He caught her look and gave a half smile. "We should probably go see Inuyasha and Kagome. They must be worried."

She followed him outside in silent agreement. When they emerged she caught sight of the concerned faces of their friends. Kagome was looking a little pale and had clearly been in the middle of arguing with Inuyasha about going in after them, judging by the firm grip he had on her arm and the way she was pulling at it.

"I fucking told you it was a bad idea to come here but you didn't want to listen!" Inuyasha was saying.

Kagome had opened her mouth to respond but broke off from whatever she was about to say at their appearance. "Sango! Miroku!" The relief in her voice was palpable. "Oh my God, are you guys okay?! What happened?! We heard such a huge commotion and Inuyasha refused to let me go in!" This last declaration was punctuated by a glare at Inuyasha. He glared back.

"An evil spirit attacked us." Miroku replied. Sango noticed this announcement was met with zero surprise from Inuyasha, who just scowled harder at the information. Kagome didn't seem shocked that Miroku was aware of ghosts either and thus had to have known he was an exorcist.

"I noticed a mark on the wall that matches other runes I've been seeing at recent demon attack sites. Along with bloodstains," she added. Obviously she had been wrong in her deductions that Inuyasha and Miroku knew nothing about the world of demons and ghosts that existed alongside humanity. 

Inuyasha's gaze landed on the now-visible dagger at her thigh and his eyes bugged. "Is that dagger made of demon bone?" He demanded.

Miroku muffled a laugh. Sango blinked. "Well, yes."

"You're a demon slayer?" He rounded on Kagome. "Did you know?!"

Kagome looked at him like he was slow. "Of course I know she's a demon slayer. She's my best friend."

"And you didn't think that was important to mention to me?!" He said, his voice rising.

"Again, she's my best friend! It's not like she's going to slay you! Would you calm down!"

Now Sango was confused, not to mention tired of not knowing what the fuck was going on. This had been a very trying evening and her patience was running thin. She was about to start demanding that someone give her answers when Kagome spoke again. 

"You said there was a strange rune on the wall?" She directed her question at Sango who nodded. 

Kagome seemed to think something over before arriving at a conclusion. She turned to Inuyasha. "Take them off."

He looked at her. "Seriously? Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He removed the prayer beads from his neck, the ones that had seemed so out of place with the rest of his appearance, and the change was instantaneous. It must be a focus for a strong glamour, Sango realized as she took in his transformation. 

Black hair became bright silver, his blue-gray eyes shifting to a startling gold, and nails lengthening into claws. She was sure if she looked in his mouth she would find a set of fangs. The most interesting part of his change however was a pair of dog ears atop his head in place of the human ones he had worn moments before. A set of traditional hakama pants and a haori, both in the color red, completed the picture, with a sword tucked into the sash around his waist.

So. Miroku was an exorcist, most likely a Buddhist monk if she had to guess based on the incantations he had been reciting. Inuyasha was definitely not human. Both were things Kagome quite obviously already knew. It was time for some answers. Sango looked at her best friend.

"Kagome, what is going on?" 

[movie-s-alter-egos]

Chapter 1 - SYS Switching Your Subconscious

DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT CREDIT

DO NOT EDIT WITHOUT PERMISSIO

I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER

Jacksepticeye/Sean McLoughlin owns the characters.

Instead of this video being published on July, let's say it was published in September. And the break is going to be a week instead of a month. The current virus that is spreading around the world doesn't exists in this story.

P.S. Have you guys noticed most of Jack's "I'm taking a break" videos are released in July. I find that very weird and coincidental.

______________________________________________________________

~Seán's Point of View~

"Buy my coffee." I giggle quietly and press a button on my desk to stop the camera's recording. I turned off my lights in the back and front of the computer, and went downstairs for some coffee. I just finished talking to my fans through the lens about my planned out break for this month, now I have to send it to Robin. This break is going to help me so much, and it will help Robin, too; he won't have any videos to edit from me. I'll have the time to think about my emotions better, to hang out with Evelien and BB, and get more sleep. I won't have to worry about not uploading on time again because I'll be on break. I'll still check on my social media daily, but no more stressful 'due dates'. But what else should I do over the week?

"Mew." I felt something rub against my ankles and I look down to see BB the cat greeting me in the kitchen. "Good afternoon, sir." I kneel down and pet BB's head and back. "Ya got bored of Gabby's work? She's almost done." As I walk to the living room entrance, he follows me with pitter patter feet towards the couch and lays next to my thigh. "You want to watch a movie with me, Boss?" BB turns on his back and I scratch his chest. "Or do you want attention?"

"Seán? Where's BB?" Evelien enters the living room and sighs quietly. "There you are, you brat." I chuckle and look at him. "What did he do this time?" "He tried to chew on my cords again," Gabby pouts childishly and sits on the other side of BB. "He's probably missing Henrik."

I gasp slightly. "That's why your cuddling with me. Your pampering me till so I'll take you to him!" Evelien giggles quietly and scratches the kitty's head. "You could take him, I mean, you haven't seen them in a while." I bit my lip and set my mug on the brown coffee table. "I could check on them."

"Just stay away from Anti this time. I don't want you getting hurt again." I hold my arm slightly, touching the long scar through the fabric. I pull my hand away and smile. "I promise, I'll be okay. Big Boss will protect me!" I grin and pick up BB, walking downstairs to the basement. "Stay safe," I hear my girlfriend call as I opened the door at the end of the room. "I will!" BB meows loudly and the light of the entrance blinds my eyes. "My god," I enter the new room and go down more stairs till a white door is shown. I knock on the door lightly. "Coming!" An American accent calls out from the other side and Chase opens the door. "Hey, Jack, long time no see... for real." He moves away from the door and I walk in.

"Sorry about that, I was really busy, but not this month, I'm going to be on break." "Really? That's awesome!" A few jingles are heard after I set Big Boss down on the floor and he runs off to the living room area. "Yeah, and I finally will get some time with Evelien, BB, and you guys with no worries." I grin and fold my arms. "And more sleeping in for me." Chase chuckles at my phrase. "Where's everyone else?" "Oh, James and Henrik are in the living room reading, Marvin is in his room doing whatever he does, and Jackie is outside practicing his combat." The vlogger points behind him. My eyes widen a bit. Sh!t. "Is the shield up in the backyard? If the neighbors see hi-" "Relax, Jackie asked Marvin to put it up an hour ago. They can't see anything except grass and tree." Chase shakes his hands to calm me a bit and I sigh quietly. "Good, where's Anti?"

A shrilling scream is heard from the living room area:

"GET ZAT ZING AVAY FROM ME!" The both of us rush in the room and see the German doctor standing on the couch, moving away from BB, who was coming towards him. "Oh my lord," I mumble in embarrassment. Jameson comes over and picks up the cat. "Zank yo- OH MY GOTT!! STOP ZAT!!" Before I could predict it, Jamie starts chasing Henrik with BB in his arms and a grin on his face. Chase laughs out loud and we can hear more German swearing across the hallway. "ZIS IS NOT FUNNY!" I chuckle softly

"Your phobia of cats is!" I call out and sit on the couch. "When did it even start?" Chase sits next to me. "So you asked me something before this happened?" I nod. "Yeah, where's Anti?" "No clue really, he has been hiding in his room for a while lately. I hope he isn't hurt." I nod again and look at the TV. "Anything new happen?" "Nothing much. Anti hasn't been acting out as often as before. Jackie got more powers and Marvin is improving on his magic."

"The kids?" I ask hesitantly. Chase blinks and looks away. "Still no visits, Sammy turned 5, wasn't invited, but I brought her a gift a day before. I hope she got it." I smile. "At least you can give them something and see them every other weekend." He nods slowly. I bite my lip nervously. "Sorr-" "It's okay, would've told you sooner anyway... We got a new ego.." I smile at the thought of someone new. "Really? Can I see them?" I turn around to look and I jump in surprise and yelp after seeing someone right behind me. "Uh, Robbie...s-sor..y."

I saw another me, but with grayer skin, purple hair, white tinted eyes like he was blind, and a few stitches everywhere around him. He was hugging himself and looking away sadly. His voice was slightly deeper than mine, but quieter, softer, and a bit choppy. He wore a black and white stripped shirt and pants, and he walked bare foot.

"It's okay, buddy, you just startled him." Chase chuckles and pats his shoulder. "Heh, Robbie says.. hiiii.." Robbie, I believe that might be his name, grins cutely and waves slowly at me. "Hi, I'm Jack-" "I-I know..Chase.. talk bout....yoo.. lots.." He giggles deeply and fiddles with his sleeve. "That's cool, when did you come here?" I ask. "Man..ny...many... ni..ghts and daaays..." He looks at the ceiling and seems to daze his focus out of the conversation. "It was last week, he appeared in Jamie's room and he was running out silently screaming in fear. The poor thing almost scared him to death." I take Robbie's hand in mine. "It's nice to meet you, Robbie."

The same screaming was heard again and the two run back in the living room. "Zis is ridiculous, stop chasing me with the catz!" Henrik curled up on the couch after jumping on the cushions while covering his face in fear. BB meows in Jamie's arms and JJ sets the cat down by Henrik without him knowing. "Kitty?" Robbie looks at BB with curiosity and picks him up quickly. "Robbie! Put him down!" Chase grabs the cat from his arms. "No holding the kitty without permission, alright?" "O..kay..Can I ... hold.. kitty..?" "Of course." Chase hands the zombie BB and he meows loudly, licking Robbie's nose. "Kitty soft.." Robbie giggles quietly and pet the brown and black fur.

"Jack! Jack!" I hear a voice behind me and see Marvin with his mask above his face holding a leather book. "Can I practice some magic with you?" I shake my head quickly. "No. No, no, no, no." I mutter. "Last time you used magic on me, I couldn't walk for a week and a half-" "But listen! I can't practice this type of spell with fruits or objects, it has got to be with humans like you and I." I shake my head more. "No offense, but I don't want to end up in the hospital." Marvin pouts and his pupils dilate like cats do. "Please?" I huff. "No." "Please??" He pleads with bigger and twinkly kitten eyes, and grabbing my hands. i bite my lip nervously, feeling warmth come over me. Oh, god. Not again. Those f***ing eyes, he knows I can't resist those, and why does he have to use magic for that too? Why is he so freaking cute???

I look away after a bit. "Fine," I grumble quietly. I heard Marvin whisper many yes's and he looks through his book with jumpy feet. "Cuteness overload always gets him, doesn't it?" Chase mutters to Jamie, and I see him respond with a silent snicker. I glare at them and they look away like nothing happened.

"It's a body-switching spell." I look at the magician in worry. "Are you sure it's safe?" Marvin nods with a smile. "Of course. I wouldn't practice it with living people if it wasn't. All I'll need to do is say the words written here and touch you with my hand, then we'll switch." I think for a moment and grab Marvin's arm. "But how will we switch back? I don't know if I can read that." He glances at my worried face. "Don't worry. My spirit will be in your body, so I'll still be able to cast it when we'll switch. My magic is linked with my soul, not my body." He explains and points to the page on his book. Two silhouettes of people are standing next to each other with a double sided arrow between them. "It's that simple?" Marvin nods again. "Yep, no dangers."

"But if you say the phrase wrong, something else will happen, right?" Chase asks. "That's not likely, because I have been practicing the phrase. I know Latin after all, so no worries." I huff quietly and stand near Marvin. "Alright, but change us back right after, okay? I don't want anything happening," I demand. Marvin grins. "Okay, okay."

The magician starts speaking in the Latin language and holds my arm. Blue light sparks around his hand and my arm, but they disappear immediately after. "Huh.." I expect to look up and see myself staring at me, but I saw Marvin's disappointed face still. Nothing happened. "I swear I said it right." He mutters and looks at his hand. "Maybe you need to keep trying." Chase says. "Mayb-"

"̶̜̥̙̔̄͋̉̈́C̵̨̡̱̹̮̭̝̹̠̻̊a̴̧̱̹̤͔̙̪͓͖͎͓̳̝̟̮̓́̆̽͋͝ͅt̸̟̦̭̭̲̮͈̤̻̙̤͐ͅc̴͎͍̣̼̬̲̹̃͐͋͌̾̍̏ͅͅh̷̡̗̯̹̟͚̠̺̗̻̼͗̀͆͌̈́̊́͆͗̌̔̒̕͝͠ͅ ̸̡̡͚̰͉̣̗͖̠̘̬̜͇̃̿̒͒̒͋t̵̡̬̻̯͘h̵̢̛̼̯̺̹̬͆̌̔̂̾͘͠i̸̢̨͇̣͇̭̔͊̀̃́̃̌́̑͘͘s̵̹̥̟̰̟͍̭͕̹̮̞̎́̈́̚͜!̷̰̯͓̍̎̔̍͛̄̑͐̿͊͜͝"̴̛̛̝͇̭̟̻̓̒́́̋̽͋̊̉͗̊̎͘͝

Anti appears behind Marvin and pushes him forward, and they both glitch away. "........what?" I mutter. Chase shrugs. "Don't know."

______________________________________________________________

~Marvin's Point of View~

I felt someone push me forward and my body is sparking with glitches. I run into someone, placing my hand on their back and I accidently push them as well. I saw my hand spark blue for a second, but that could be the glitching. They fall face forward into the pavement and a dog on a leash runs off. "God damn it, Anti! I'm so sorry!" I call to the person, but they chase after the dog. Anti giggles loudly and I knock his head. "Don't do that! I was in the middle of practicing magic." Anti smirks at my complaining. "I was just having fun," He glitches and his head twitches. "Take me back!" I order and he chuckles. "You're a magician, can't you teleport back home?" I growl and point at him. "Not out of the house perimeters, you know that. You are the only one who can use your powers outside of our home." Anti huffs and rolls his eyes. "Stop being a cry baby, it's not that bad to be outsid-"

"I will call Sean." Anti flinches and death glares at me. "Fine," He mutters and grabs me by my shoulder. The familiar sparks and glitches come around us and we are back in the living room. "Vhat happened?!" Henrik rushes over to me. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Anti was just pranking. I'll have to try that magic trick tomorrow and see what's wrong with it," I state and walk back to my room.

______________________________________________________________

~3rd Point of View~

Marvin leaves the room, as well as Anti glitching to his own, and the rest of the five egos and host stay in the living room to catch up. Jackie had come back in after an hour and they all decided on playing some video games, with Henrik leaving to finish some work. BB had followed Henrik to his room, but he kept the door closed, so he went back in the living room to hang out with Jamie. Robbie didn't know how to play most of the games on the screen, so he mainly watched them argue and fight jokingly. Soon, Jack had to go back upstairs to get lunch and talk with Evelien, his girlfriend.

As Marvin went through his book, he found a note at the corner saying that the spell will start in 15 hours after spell.

Marvin: Set an alarm for 5 am.

Jack: What? Why?

Marvin: The spell said that it will work after 15 hours. I'll also be setting an alarm to see if we switch then.

Jack: Ah, smart :0

Marvin: Do it now so you don't forget

Jack: Your so eager

Marvin: You're*

Jack: Don't correct me >:v

After their texts, they set up an alarm for that morning and continued to do their things.

Word Count: 2234

Next

______________________________________________________________

DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT CREDIT

DO NOT EDIT WITHOUT PERMISSION

I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS IN THIS CHAPTER

Jacksepticeye/Sean McLoughlin owns the characters.

[dingletragedy]

one last night on this earth, can you teach me how the heart works?

ao3 link (part one)

London is one of Aaron’s favourite cities in the world. He’s so used to the stillness of village life that the buzz of the city makes him feel alive. Alive and brand new. There’s possibilities hidden down every street, hope in every bright light, and anticipation thrumming up every unimaginable skyscraper. It’s just a shame he’s not the one who’s made a life for himself down here, no, Adam has.

Truth be told he couldn’t be happier for Adam, but he can’t help the envy that flows through his veins. Aaron is stuck in Emmerdale still, the same routine day in day out. Work, eat, sleep. It’s not as if anyone is stopping him from following in Adam’s footsteps, well, anyone but himself. It’s just that he’s finally settled in Emmerdale, finally, after so many long years of feeling lost in his own body, he’s found a home. A home in his body, his mind, the village.

So of course he takes any and every opportunity to escape down the bustling city for a week. And Adam is more than happy to put him up, even goes as far as paying for his train tickets on occasions, desperate to see his best mate. Neither anticipated quite how painful the distance would be. Aaron now understands why people say losing your best friends is like losing a limb.

The thing is though, even spending the week with Adam can’t stop the gnawing feeling of loneliness eating him up, especially not when Adam ditches him for a date on the first fucking night. He’d matched with her on Tinder apparently, which Aaron scoffs at, because do people really still use that app? Her names Amelia, and that’s about all Adam knows about her considering they’ve only been talking for twenty-four bloody hours.

That feeling of envy is back again. Aaron can only wish he was as carefree and confident as Adam.

The hours tick by and Aaron betrays himself, somehow in the midst of feeling sorry for himself, he redownloads the Tinder app. Aaron’s had tinder for a lifetime but his profile hasn’t been updated since he was 20, he’s not exactly arsed about online dating, he reckons it’s overhyped and underwhelming. He finds himself scrolling through Tinder once a year, at most, when he’s exceptionally bored or having a dry spell in the sex department. Nothing has ever come of the swiping though.

The app alerts Aaron the second it’s finished downloading and curiosity gets the better of him.

He reviews his own profile first, and he instantly regrets his decision of entertaining his loneliness. It’s awful. Maybe this is why his previous success in online dating has been slim to none. He’s got two pictures up: the first is a silly photo of him and Adam, tongues poking out and shit-eating grins on their faces. The second is a picture his Mum had demanded she took of him after his first shift at the garage, his overalls are covered in grease and his own sweat has matted his hair to his forehead. Attractive, Aaron thinks. His bio reads a simple ’Not after anything serious’, and he cringes against it.

He doesn’t know what he’s after really, but with a bio like that he’s practically asking for unwanted dick pics. So he changes it.

Aaron, 22, Yorkshire. Mechanic. Trying this thing out again.

He’s happy to keep the simplicity of it without sounding like a creep.

Adam is pottering around in the kitchen, making himself (and Aaron) a predate dinner, when he stops and leans over Aaron’s shoulder. And Aaron curses himself for not being more secretive about his swiping, because suddenly Adam is acting like a small child on Christmas Day.

“Yes mate!” Adam exasperates when he notices the not-so-subtle app illuminating Aaron’s phone screen. “It’s about time you got yourself back on the dating scene.”

Aaron blows an unimpressed breath of air between his lips. But okay, Adam is probably right, only Aaron isn’t going to tell him that.

“You can’t swipe left on everyone,” Adam laments. “He was cute.”

“Nope.” Aaron flicks his finger again.

It's almost automatic. See a picture, swipe left, see the next picture, left again.

“Oh come on!  He’s cute, too!”

“And what would you know about it?” Aaron questions with a raise of his brows.

“I might not be gay, Aaron, but I do have a pair of perfectly good eyes.”

Fair point, Aaron thinks.

Adam rolls his eyes at him yet again. “C’mon, there’s gotta be someone here that’ll fit your exacting standards. Oh - what about him!”

“If you fancy them so much then maybe you need to start accepting that Ads.”

And he gets a punch on the arm for that.

With one final swipe left Aaron closes the app and Adam’s straight in his ear. “Oh come on mate, just give it a chance. Ya never know, you might just meet the love of your life.”

And so Aaron opens the app back up, to shut Adam up more than anything. He watches on as it refreshes itself, finding a new bunch of not-quite-right-men for Aaron to judge.

And then, the next profile comes up.

“Wow” he hears Adam blow out, frowning down at Aaron’s phone, “He looks like a bloody model”.

The photo staring up at them isn’t one Aaron expected to see on a site like this. It’s too sophisticated, too perfect, too gorgeous. Admittedly, this guy did have a really nice face. Aaron would have to be blind not to see that. If that's all they were going by, then he was definitely a winner.

He enlarges the profile, curiosity getting the better of him. Luckily the oven timer steals Adam’s attention back to the job at hand and Aaron is free to browse without judgement.

Robert, 24. It reads.

He’s a business manager or something fancy like that and he’s not at all Aaron’s usual type, but when he comes to think of it, what even is Aaron’s usual type? He curiously reads on.

Travelling between home and the big city.

Proud owner of an Audi R8.

Looking for someone to keep up with the demands of my non-existent social life.

I’m on Tinder because I’m Solo, what’s your excuse?

And honestly, that last bit goes straight over Aaron’s head.

He’s got four photos, dressed impressively in all except one, where he’s in his sweats and has a younger girl laughing at his side. That’s Aaron’s favourite. It looks like somebody's home, if the furniture in the background of the shot is anything to go by. It's taken from Robert's front as he leans against a wall, though he's in the middle of talking or laughing, his mouth open in a smile as he focuses on someone off camera to the side. He's got a can of cider in one hand, the other tucked into the pocket of his jeans. Casual yet jaw-dropping.

And yeah, for once Adam was right, he does look like a bloody model. A too-good-to-be-true model.

“Just swipe right will ya.” He hears Adam pipe up, and of course Aaron acts as if he has no idea what Adam’s talking about.

“Mate I’ve seen ya staring at his face for the last ten minutes. Just go for it”

“What’s the point anyway? He’d probably just be another nobody. Another one to add to the ever-growing list of nobodies.” Aaron falters. “Or, he could be the one” “I won’t meet the love of my life through a screen, Adam.” “And you won’t meet them cooped up in here all day either.” And, again, he has a point, but Robert is bloody gorgeous and Aaron is, well he’s Aaron. With one final look, Aaron sighs loudly and locks his phone, leaving Robert’s profile just sitting there, waiting for someone else to take the chance Aaron just threw away.

---

Robert is 24. Which doesn’t mean he has his shit together, because he doesn’t. But what he does have is a degree, and a more than successful job. And although technically he’s been an adult for six years, his downfall comes in the shape of dating. He's had relationships before, plenty, boys and girls, but never one that’s lasted longer than a year. Some may say commitment and Robert Sugden just aren’t compatible.

Except he’s got an invitation through the door this morning, another university friend is getting married and Robert really wishes he was at that stage of his life. He doesn’t mind being on his own for the most part, and it’s not as if he’s short of one night stands, but there’s something about the loneliness that digs at him, sometimes. The thought that maybe it’s too late for him, maybe he missed his chance somewhere along the way. There’s a party he should have gone to, or a train he should have missed. There’s someone he should have met by now, right?

He shakes his head of the thoughts but still finds himself scrolling through Tinder later that day, determined not to put his phone down till he’s fired off at least one message.

After an excruciating half an hour his thumb is throbbing in pain, but then gets to the profile of a man named Aaron, who is currently a few kilometres away, and he purses his lips. Because the guy’s picture has two attractive men on it, but one of them sparks Robert’s interest a lot more than the other. He looks young, but his profile also looks very outdated and Robert laughs against it, because it’s obvious this guy sucks at online dating. It really shouldn’t be so endearing. Robert gets plenty of attention online, but he wouldn’t exactly say he’s a dab hand at Tinder. A couple of one night stands and a few terrible dates isn’t anything to show off about.

Luckily the boy, Aaron, has another photo. And fuck, he’s wearing overalls. Robert claims he doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but he’s definitely feeling something at first sight.

As if by some miracle, Aaron has his Instagram linked to his account and although it’s is about as bare as his Tinder, it gives Robert the chance to do a spot of obsessive stalking. And even after thoroughly looking through all of Aaron’s 7 photos, he still can’t pinpoint what it is about the younger boy that’s making butterflies dance in Robert’s stomach.

At first, Robert thinks about swiping left because Aaron is, objectively, very hot. Maybe too hot. And Robert’s not sure he can handle the rejection. But then he reminds himself who the fuck he is and swipes right.

It’s a match! the app announces, and Robert wants to immediately fire off a message to Aaron.

So he does.

---

Aaron should know better by now than to leave his phone unattended in Adam’s company. If he doesn’t return to a camera roll full of ridiculous selfies, then he returns to a new match and message on Tinder.

Considering Aaron hadn’t swiped right on any of the 5o or so suspects he got through, and Adam is looking rather sheepish, it’s pretty obvious what’s gone on here. He gives Adam an earful, makes sure he knows exactly how pissed off Aaron is but stop abruptly when he unlocks the notification.

It’s a match, Robert likes you too. Getting chatting!

Aaron clicks on the message with a thudding heart and sweaty palms - Hey, tie your shoes! I don’t want you falling for anyone else.  - it reads. And can barely stop the laugh from escaping his lips.

Adam spots the bashful smile that Aaron is sure must be covering his face, “So, what did he say?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, do you? Anyway, haven’t you got a date waiting for you. You know you can only be fashionably late a number of times, Adam.”

And then he as much as pushes Adam out of the door, as if he’s shipping his moody teenager off to school. Once alone, Aaron has the time to think of a reply for Robert.

Aaron wasn’t one in favour of online relationships. He thought the whole process was awkward and unsafe. You never knew exactly who you were talking to online – they could be someone old and gross rather than what they proclaim to be. But he figured there was no harm in chatting to Robert, it’s not as if he was ever going to meet him.

Aaron: That sure is a shit pick up line for someone who claims to own an Audi R8.

Robert: Hey that’s one of my best! And not one I use lightly, thank you very much

Aaron: It was terrible mate Robert: Friend-zoned already? Ouch. Wounded :(

Aaron: What are we, 17?

Robert: God no. Well at least I hope not. Although I’ve got to admit you do look pretty babyfaced on those photos.

Aaron: Charming

Aaron: But yeah, I probably was about 17 then. I don’t use this thing much

Robert: Guess I should count my lucky stars then? ;)

Aaron: Are you always this dramatic?

Robert: What can I say, it’s all part of my charm

Aaron: Sure, mate ;)

Robert: Right go on then. you’ve got three questions. Pick wisely.

Aaron: Who said I want to ask you any questions? Bit sure if yourself aren’t you?

Robert: Are you always this mean?

Aaron: What can I say, it’s all part of my charm ;)

And Aaron has to take a minute out, because surely that can’t be right, surely he, Aaron Dingle, can’t be flirting? Aaron had never been a flirt, anyone would tell you that, in fact, the only way to describe Aaron’s flirting was hopeless. But after all of the few minutes he’d been chatting to Robert, he felt like he’d known him forever – which was strange because they hadn’t even talked about themselves yet - but Aaron felt comfortable enough to let his guard down for the first time in years.

Aaron bit his lip – wondering why he was analysing his own behaviour so much. Sure, Robert was fit, but that didn’t mean that anything was going to happen between them, so Robert’s opinion on him shouldn’t mean anything. But it kind of did.

There’s something about Robert that makes him never want to stop talking to him. Something so compelling, so different, so - exciting.

So he doesn’t stop talking to Robert, not until it’s nearing three in the morning and Aaron’s losing the battle he’s been having with his eyes to stay open.

Aaron says his goodnights to Robert and shyly suggests they pick up where they’re leaving off tomorrow. Thankfully he gets an eager response and falls asleep with this foreign, but warm, feeling in his chest.

---

They talk every day for the next few days, alternating between messages and silly photos of absolutely anything. It becomes a mainstay in Robert’s days, something he looks forward to when he wakes up and anticipates throughout the day.

It’s the fourth day of consecutive conversation when he dares to suggest something to Aaron. A skype call.

It’s Wednesday evening and Robert’s had the day from hell at work, but he’s made it past the halfway point, now there’s just a mere few days before he’ll be back in the comfort of his Leeds office, with people who actually know how to do their jobs.

He’s perched on his bed, the bedside lamp is creating a warm glow around the hotel room, the nights drawing in earlier every day now. And Aaron’s in the same position, Robert figures when his blurry figure takes over the screen. He’s wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and what appears to be a pair of tracksuit bottoms. Suddenly Robert feels like an idiot for purposely keeping shirt buttoned to the top and fixing his tie. Aaron looks gorgeous though, so much more so that Robert could’ve ever imagined. It’s obvious he’s the same boy from the few Tinder pictures, that cheeky grin is unmistakable, but he looks so different also. Older, as if he’s grown into himself, and there’s stubble now, stubble that Robert can’t wait to get his hands on. And his eyes, Robert doesn’t know what to say about his eyes, just that he hopes all his future children have those eyes.

Aaron’s voice is quiet and soft and delicate. Not at all the kind of voice you’d expect to come from someone with Aaron’s appearance. He sounds almost timid, nervous even, and a part of Robert hopes he is, because if Robert’s rapid heartbeat and sweaty palms are anything to go by, then so is he.

They chat for hours, Aaron lets Robert whine about work and Robert listens to Aaron as he moans about what a terrible host Adam is. Robert tentatively asks about Aaron’s plans for the rest of the week, he knows Aaron’s heading back to Yorkshire soon and, well, he wants nothing more than to see him - really see him - while they’re both down in London.

“Me and Adam are heading out tomorrow, he’s finally decided that we should do something other than play Fifa all day whilst I’m down! He said something about sight-seeing and then a few drinks, but what he probably means by that is pointing at the London and then sitting in a pub all night.” Aaron replies, and really, Robert is on awe of him. “Why?”

“Well I was just - um - wondering - if you - um,” He takes a depth breath and reminds himself who the fuck he is, “Can I take you out, Friday night?”

And Aaron’s back to biting his lip, a frown taking over his features. It does nothing to stop the nervous feeling tearing apart Robert’s stomach.

And suddenly Robert’s backtracking, “I mean if you want. It’s fine if you don’t I just thought-”

“Shut up idiot, of course I want to.”

“Yeah?” Robert questions with what must be a shy smile, one replicated by Aaron.

“Yeah.”

Three hours later he’s still there, on Robert’s computer screen, yawning and scrunching up his eyes and smiling without teeth. Robert smiles back at him and says, “You should probably go to bed.” And Aaron fake whines and says he doesn’t want to go to sleep when he could be talking to Robert instead - sleep deprived and inhibitions melted away. They spend another half an hour just ending the call, arguing about who will be the first to press the threatening red button at the bottom of the screen. And honestly, Robert feels like a teenager again with the way they're just looking at each other, unable to hold their laughter in.

And when Robert wakes a few hours later his laptop is still placed on his knees. Aaron’s face filling the dimly light screen. Aaron’s soft snores pouring out the tinny speakers. Aaron’s chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Robert falls back to sleep and for the first time ever, he dreams of a warm body and the deepest blue eyes.

[leaa-drws]

Numinous / Calum Hood A.U. / Ch. 1

/ Numinous ~ Describing an experience that makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted. /

~2.8k words

“So I get into the bedroom and,” she takes a deep breathe trying to calm herself before continuing,  “I already knew something was off before, and then…in our bed…he…I can’t even say his name anymore…he is such an…I don’t even know…”, the calming effect of oxygen doesn’t last and she goes back to sobbing, clutching a nearly empty beer bottle in her shaking hand.

“You don’t have to Suze, he doesn’t deserve you calling him anything but Dickhead anyway.” Jamie takes the crying mess of a beautiful young woman into her arms, slowly rubbing her back whilst somehow managing to look both terrifyingly angry and motherly concerned at the same time.

“Fucking asshole is an option as well”, I contribute, probably wearing the same expression on my face, “or Bastard, Fucktward, son of a Bitch, the list goes on.”

As Suzanne just continues crying, Jamie’s facial expression starts to lean more and more in the direction of furious.

“You want us to do something?”, she asks giving the impression of wanting to rip both of Deans balls off whilst screaming obscene things at him.

I would have laughed at the idea, since my cute, petite friend was anything but a fighting machine, but because Suze was one of the sweetest creatures on this earth and this asshole shattered her heart, I couldn’t help but wanting to do just the same.

Still having her head buried in the Jamies shoulder, Suze whispers between hiccups and sobbing sounds, “You couldn’t do anything if you tried, you’re far too small for that.”.

“Hey, not my fault both of you are such giants!” the addressed exclaims, looking at me in relieve that our best friend was back to at least murmuring insults, after the last half an hour of going back and forth between shaking from crying so hard, and trying to tell the story of her boyfriend cheating on her.

Whilst Suze slowly lifts her head, taking a sip of her beer and brushing one light pink colored strand of hair behind her pierced ear, she glances at me, then at the now empty bottle of beer in her hand.

“Well, there is something you could do…”

“Already on it. Another beer?”, I ask wiggling past our bags to leave our booth.

“Nah, done with crying, done with beer. I’m gonna get drunk. Bring the tequila.”, she whispers, her voice still shaky, but seeming motivated to forget.

“Well, when the queen speaks, who am I to object?”, I laugh, happy that we are out of the crying zone for now, since Dean doesn’t deserve even one of the tears, she shed for him.

As my two best friends start a conversation about all things shitty in life, I make my way through the packed bar to get our drinks.

I was just trying to get around a heavily making out couple without disturbing them when my eyes made contact with the ones of one of the regulars, who was standing at the bar, as always, talking to some female, as always. The flavor of the day was tall, brunette and looked more than just amazing.

I can’t stop me, I shoot her a slightly repelled look, not getting why she would be with him since she doesn’t only look gorgeous but nice as well. He smiles at something she said, but in the moment he sees my judging gaze land on his company, his eyebrows furrow and his facial expression changes to nearly, no that’s not possible, to nearly protective.

It does not fit the image I have of him in my head.

We, Jamie, Suze and I, always saw him whenever we were here and since we were always here, we saw him a lot. But not one of our trio had ever talked to him, mostly because he was only here to pick up woman like Mrs. Supermodel and seemed like a major asshole for that reason.

That didn’t change the fact that the man got good genes though. There is hot and then there is scorching, burn-the-house-down hot.

I mean I kinda get the women getting it on with him, he’s got the kind of presence, that could fill any room and that just tells you that the sex would be borderline amazing. He also seems very intense. And sometimes a little scary.

Remembering Jamies a little too loud, a little too drunk words: “He’s like that blonde, manwhore one from How I met your mother only worse, a thousand times hotter and with enough sex appeal to set a girl on fire by looking at her for just a second to long.”, I realize I always thought she was nuts. Barney Stinson was a character to laugh at and you don’t laugh at a man that radiances that kind of power and confidence. But the nickname stuck.

The tall, dark haired male directs his gaze back to the woman, again laughing at something she said, and I finally get around the couple to the bartender.

I nod to Nico, who finishes the drink of another costumer and wants to know what he could get for us.

“Are we still at the good old beer?”

“Nah, Suze wants to forget.”

“That boyfriend of hers?”

“Yeah.”

“Knew he was trouble.”

“Me too. Wished I was wrong though.”

“Couldn’t agree more. You’re gonna get your tequila in just a sec.”

Uttering a thank you, I enjoy the music playing in the bar and let my eyes wander over all the other college students that are happy to have finished exam season. We would have been celebrating as well, but sometimes life’s just a bitch. Or douchebag-boyfriends for that matter.

To my right some regular is nursing a beer when I hear a female voice whispering rather loudly and drunk how she would go and freshen up and then they’d go somewhere else because she was “horny as a squirrel”, whatever that’s supposed to mean.

I turn towards the voice, seeing the hips of the brunette I saw with “Hot Barney” swaying slightly whilst walking in the direction of the toilets.

He stands next to me at the bar now having his eyes fixed on a petite, beautiful, asian features sporting woman that just walked into the establishment laughing at something her friend said.

As soon as the friend turns away, trying to find a table in the packed room, the woman turns towards the Bar. In the moment she makes eye contact with him she starts blushing and it doesn’t exactly go away when she makes her way over and the man inquires if she was here with her boyfriend. Confused I listen to the starting conversation. What about the Supermodel?

At the intimidating man’s question the new girl giggles that she doesn’t have a boyfriend and reverses the question.

“No, am on my own tonight. Wouldn’t have any objections against keeping you company though.”, his deep voice rumbles.

I’ve seen him around lots, but I’ve only ever heard him talk once or twice. He had a kind of rough, very deep voice, sounding like pure sin.

For a moment, just listening to him, I could understand the fascination he sparks in the women he picks up. But I am not a toy and I would never let myself be treated like one again, so sorry Barney, you’re missing out.

The flirting next to me continues and as it gets obvious, that the man took interest in both women I get mad. My best friend is sitting here, bawling her eyes out because of her boyfriend cheating on her and here’s just another asshole playing with girls like they exist for that pure reason.

I turn to the coquetry laughing woman and the man that looks forbiddingly handsome and in a moment of rage and weakness, I lean over ever so slightly, just enough to catch the attention of the female and say, in a calm voice: “He’s got a wife. Plus, he’s really bad in bed. Like you’ll fall asleep when he goes down on you and only stay awake when you fuck because he is screaming for his momma so loud. I don’t even wanna know what kinda issues he’s gotta have to do that. So…being the side chick, even for one night, won’t even remotely pay off.”

The girl’s eyes went wider and wider as I continued talking and when I stopped, she looked at both me and Hot Barney with the most horrified expression.

“I am not a side chick.”, she declares, looking worried. I wouldn’t have believed the other part of my story either, the man screamed sex, but even I would have assumed that that great piece of ass was of the table if I didn’t know of his Barney-ways.

“I know girl, I know. Better make your way outta here, before the wife turns up though.” When I respond I try to lace my voice with an understanding tone.

The woman turns and leaves, head held high, mad but somehow looking ashamed by what possibly could have happened. The moment I turn to Hot Barney I know I did the right thing, but I also know that I am in trouble.

The man is standing in front of me, controlled but discontent, the heat he radiates feels scorching on my skin. Although I am slightly scared, I can’t help but getting mad at my traitorous body who is awakening under the concentrated attention of such a perfectly build, utterly masculine human being.

Slowly I swallow, not being able to do anything but averting my eyes from his chest and looking upwards into his dark eyes.

For a brief moment I realize that this is the first time, that I am able to perceive his eye colour and somehow, just for a fraction of a second, I find myself surprised at the warmth that I am sure the colour might be able to hold.

But the moment goes by and the eyes stay hard and so dark they seem black.

“I really don’t know why guys always go for the dumb ones. Like I could be a jealous ex-girlfriend for all she knows and just be talking shit.” I start rambling, trying to get the emotion that is radiating of Hot Barney to lessen and my reaction to subside.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?”, his voice was raspy and felt like a warning although he spoke perfectly calm. Calm and very slowly. Yeah. Definitely not even on the same scale of intensity as Barney Stinson.

Although my body feels like squirming under the gaze, that could be promising so many things in another situation, as other beings, I hold onto my exasperation as well as the eye contact and respond with a voice not laced but drained in angered emotions: “I could reverse the question, but it seems like the answer to that is pretty darn obvious!”

“We were just talking. How about you calm the fuck down woman?”, despite the use of swearwords, his tone didn’t change by even one octave.

Now my anger is so much stronger than whatever sexual attraction there has been, “So was I. Sometimes “just talking” just isn’t that nice, is it? And I will calm the fuck down whenever I want to, thank you very much.”

“How about you share your damn problem?”, the warning gets more and more prominent, his voice even deeper, but both volume and pace stay all the same.

“You are just an asshole, that’s my problem!”, I exclaim at the lack of better words, channeling all my rage regarding Dean and what he did to Suze towards the man that now looks slightly amused, the anger vanished in seconds.

Which to my disadvantage only makes him more attractive. And me once again angrier. Why the fuck was he laughing at me?

“So, doll, I’m an asshole, hm?”, he asked, lightly crooking one eyebrow, a slight twinkle in the now lighter, more golden brown than black seeming eyes. His lips formed a small smile when he heard my outburst. “What about you? What are you? You come over here, obviously not having a great day from the start, look disgusted at my sister and stop me when I talk to a beautiful woman, then you continue to rant, calling my choice of female stupid and me an ass, when I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Sister. The Supermodel. Fuck my life. I am such an idiot. Of course. Good looks had to run in the family.

As he sees the realisation taking place he lightly leans against the bar, propping one leather jacket clad arm on it. His hand, chunky rings on his fingers, hangs relaxed from the wooden countertop.

My eyes direct their gaze towards the floor, the discomfort probably evident on my hot feeling face. Like oh-so-often in my life I am thankful for being born without red cheeks.

“Yeah”, now my voice is small, “You know about what I said earlier, I have to apologize. It just looked different to me and I don’t know, I guess I jumped to conclusions since I see you around a lot, and well, judged based on that. I really am sorry, it’s been a hell of a day, but I know that’s no excuse. Plus, even if you were being an ass, it’s not my place to criticise.”

When I finish talking my eyes can’t help but watching his reaction.

For a moment he looks taken aback, maybe by my honesty, maybe by the image people have of him, I have of him. Quickly I push that thought aside, why would it matter to him what anyone here thought, especially what I thought?

Then he is back into character: “It’s alright, doll. Don’t ever confuse Mali Koa with the chicks I take home though. Who, to make that clear are well aware that I am here a lot, what that means and who they are to me. Might be a dick, but I am not that big of a fucking ass. You get me?”

“Yes”, I say, feeling the weird need to answer, “I get you. And it really is none of my business, once again I am very sorry. I’ll let you continue now, have a nice evening.”, I turn around, not caring about the drinks, just feeling horribly embarrassed.

“Wait.”, the deep voice pulls me back, as if it was physically keeping me, “Your girl. The one crying. S she the reason for your temper? She alright?”

“Sure, she’s gonna be fine.”, I reply, a little taken aback by the change of topic.

“Got anything to do with her man? He treated her wrong?”, at my confused face when I turn back around he smiles tightly, “See you around a lot too doll and that guy of hers, he’s no good.”

“Exguy”, I correct him, almost automatically.

“Exguy.”, the man nods, his face serious. His gaze lands on me again, “Truth, doll, she alright?”

Somehow, I feel myself unable to lie, “No, not right now. But she will be.”

“He hurt her?”

When I don’t answer directly, thinking about how the question was meant and how I got in this situation, he looks at me, his eyes stern, “Doll, it’s a yes or no question. Did he lay hand on her?”. Although his eyes are serious his tone changed, he sounded softer, like he tried to make this easier for me.

“No, he didn’t. He didn’t touch her.”, I answer, as confused by the sense of safety the unknown man gives me as by the interest he shows.

“Good. You’d tell someone if he did, right? You’d tell a friend, someone that deals with him.”

“Ok”, I can’t help but answer.

“Good,”, he repeats, “this ‘s important to me doll.”

“Why?”,

“Just don’t like women treated badly. You? From what I’ve seen whenever you’re here? Seem like a darn good woman. Your girl? Good enough for you to act that emotional? Gotta be good too.”

“She is. They both are.”

He nods again, his gaze serious. “You take care of both of them.”

“I will.”, my voice is soft now, this feels like it really is important to him and although I don’t understand why, I want to give him what he needs in that moment.

“Take care of you too. That mad because of what happened to her? Don’t care what you said to me, you feel that passionate about a friend, you let it out. ‘Respect that.”

“I will.” I repeat, my voice soft again, his praise, for some odd reason, feeling warm in my body.

“Good. I’ll see you around.”

“Ok”

“We’ll talk.”

“Ok”, I say, not wanting to move quiet yet but not knowing why either.

“Get back to your table, doll. Your friend needs you.”

“Ok”, as I take my drinks, that Nico must have set behind us sometime before, and turn around I hear his voice call me back once more.

“Name’s Calum. Not Hot Barney. Don’t even fucking like the show. Need to stop calling me that.”

“Ok” I repeat, the last thing I say before I return to our booth, hearing how the sister returns from the bathroom drunkenly and giggly asking if Calum was ready to go to find a guy for her, listening to how his deep voice counters with the plan of going home and letting her sleep it off.

Calum.

It’s a good name, I decide.

Intense.

Fitting.

[im-just-here-for-the-drama]

Gay Characters in Kdramas: The Good, The Bad, and The Mediocre

Gay characters rarely show up in Korean dramas. Though there have been a few characters over the years,  In terms of representation, the characterization and stories of these characters are usually nothing to write home about, but I figured, why not write about it anyway? Here’s my watch and don’t watch list, if you’re looking for gay characters in kdramas.

Warning for spoilers galore!

The Mediocre (these aren’t bad, but they’re not the best either)

Lily Fever (2015)

The Story: Kyung Ju heads to her friends house one day to find her missing passport. She finds Se Rang instead.

Should You Watch?: Sure. This show is quirky and just downright odd. The ending leaves a lot to be desired and the story itself is kind of all over the place, but it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s short, most of it’s nonsense, and the girls have lots of chemistry. It’s only a bonus that Se Rang is a standout character of this show. You’ll probably fall for her yourself by the end of the webseries.

The Lover: Joon Jae and Takuya (2015)

The Story: Different couples live together in an apartment building. The show shows us snippets of their lives. Joon Jae’s life gets turned upside down when he meets his new roommate Takuya.

Should You Watch?: Hmmm...yeah. I started watching this show expecting it would showcase the typical Korean bromance between the guys. The kind where the show makes it seem like the guys might have feelings for each other, but the show just skirts around the topic entirely. In the first few episodes, that’s exactly what happened between Joon Jae and Takuya (with a lot of sex jokes and penis jokes thrown in for good measure. That’s actually what most of the show is). But the show eventually, actually, went there. Joon Jae and Takuya don’t get a whole lot of screen time, but when they do, we get to see some serious feelings thrown in with all the crass humor, and Joon Jae and Takuya do admit to having feelings for one another. The ending could have been a little better, but it was a happy one, so baby steps.

Perseverance Goo Hae Ra: Jang Goon (2015)

The Story: A group of rag tags come together to form a band. Jang Goon joins the band and meets their manager Tae Poong who he’s had a crush on for years.

Should You Watch?: Only if you’re interested in the rest of the show. Jang Goon has a fairly interesting storyline. He has a friend who accepts him after finding out about his crush and he has to rebuild bridges with his father who doesn’t accept him doing music (and Jang Goon’s scared he wont accept his being gay either). But Jang Goon’s storyline is such a small part of the story it wouldn’t be worth it to skip through to only his parts.

Daughters of Club Bilitis (2011)

The Story: A one episode drama detailing the lives of four lesbian couples.

Should You Watch?: I watched this so long ago, I honestly don’t remember a single shred of what happened in it, but I’ll say yes, watch it. Because there are so few lesbians in asian dramas you have to watch the one’s that exist. The entire show is about lesbians, so I  mean, why not?

Reply 1997: Jun Hee (2012)

The Story: The lives of a group of high school students in the year1997. Jun Hee has a crush on his friend Yoon Jae.

Should You Watch?: Yes and no. The Reply Series (Reply 97/94/88) are pretty good dramas after all. They’re great for nostalgia, family, friendship, and the like, but if you’re here solely for the gay? Probably not worth the time. Jun Hee’s a side character. We see him crushing on Yoon Jae and he confesses his feelings to Yoon Jae and another friend, but there’s not too much more than that.

Seonam girls high school investigators: Eps 11-12 (2014)

The Story: High School girls investigate and solve problems in their school. The show is episodic and in these two episodes the girls attempt to help Su Yeon and Eun Bin who have to hide their relationship from their classmates.

Should You Watch?: Yes. I honestly don’t remember much about this one either, but I do remember it being decently done. This show caused a lot of controversy years ago when it aired Korea’s first lesbian kiss ( probably korea’s first same sex kiss period that was a legitimate kiss and not used for laughs). It’s worth checking out to see what caused all the ridiculous uproar.

Wise Prison Life/Prison Playbook: Han Yang (2017)

The Story: Big time baseball player Kim Je Hyuk turns into a crimanal overnight. After he’s convicted, he has to face his new life in prison. He meets some interesting people in prison. Among them is the drug addict Han Yang.

Should You Watch?:  Yes, because the story itself is a really interesting take about a man who goes to prison, meets a lot of different, people, and ultimately makes new friends/family. If you’re just watching for the gay? I’d still have to say yes, despite the fact that Han Yang doesn’t get the happy ending he deserved. Han Yang was one of my favorite characters in this show. I don’t know how he managed it, but I swear Han Yang got funnier as the episodes passed. I was really endeared towards him attempting to kick his drug habit while also trying to salvage his relationship with his ex-boyfriend Ji Won. He had such an interesting story arc, was such an entertaining character, and I didn’t feel like the show ever made fun of him for being gay. This character was just such a joy to watch, I definitely don’t regret watching, even though I wanted more.

Moment at Eighteen: Jung Oh Je  (2019)

The Story: Transfer student Jun Woo has no interest in school life, as he is traumatized from being expelled from bullying. Meanwhile, Soo Bin has been watching Jun Woo all this time. She sees a different side to Jun Woo than the one that other people see. Oh Je, is Jun Woo’s best friend who starts to discover his sexuality.

Should you watch?: Hmmm… sure. Oh Je has a decent side plot. It was interesting to see him figuring out he liked Hwi Young and coming out to his ex girlfriend and his friends. I do wish his story was expanded a little more though. There were several things I would have liked to have seen, like coming out to his family, and I thought they wrapped his story up a little too quickly at the end.

Love with Flaws: Won Suk and Ho Dol (2019)

The Story:  Joo Seo Yeon, is a hot-tempered physical education high school teacher who always wears sneakers, jeans and training uniforms.  The death of her parents helped instill a deep sense of compassion, a generous heart and an outspoken objection for anyone who drinks and drives. Living in a house with three wild and very attractive brothers, she loathes flower boys. Her ideal type is someone who is “not handsome.” Won Suk is one of her handsome older brothers.

Won Suk has closed his heart to relationships and love, but he lives his life as an openly gay man. Ho Dol is closeted and lacks confidence. They meet one night at Won Suk’s bar.

Should you watch?: People have been kind enough to condense Won Suk’s and Ho Dol’s  story into parts on YouTube so yeah, go ahead and check it out.

These two don’t get a whole lot of screen time, but the little they do get is nice. We get to see Won Seok help Ho Dol open up and be more confident with who he is and in turn, Won Seok opens up his heart.

The Bad (you probably shouldn’t waste your time on these ones)

Personal Taste: Director Choi (2010)

The Story: This dramas about a straight guy who pretends to be gay in order to gain access to the blueprints of a woman’s house…or something like that. Director Choi’s specific story revolves around his attempts at courting that guy.

Should You Watch?: Absolutely not. Half of the time the drama equates being a gay man to automatically being feminine, a woman, or not a “real man”. Director Choi is also a good deal older than the male lead and makes several attempts at courting him even though he’s not interested. It kind of came off as the “creepy old gay perv” and that didn’t sit well with me.  I suppose you could skim through the drama to watch Director Choi’s scenes. If sad gay men Is your thing. I just felt bad for the guy most of the time.

Ho Gu’s Love: Kang Chul (2015)

The Story: Ho Gu’s a pushover, a fool, and kind of an idiot. He meets his old classmates and things get a complicated. One day in High School Kang Chul meets Ho Gu’s twin sister and mistakes her for Ho Gu. They spend the day together and she kisses him.  The kiss sparks feelings in Kang Chul. Of course Kang Chul thinks it was Ho Gu who kissed him and years later, when he meets Ho Gu his feelings grow stronger.

Should You Watch?: Yes? Maybe? If you really want to, but mostly…no. With this, I expected that the typical drama set up would happen. Similar to all gender benders, Kang Chul would find out that it wasn’t Ho Gu he kissed. So any feelings he was having for him would immediately get swept under the rug where we could all pretend we never knew his heart fluttered for another man. Imagine my surprise when episode after episode passed and that didn’t happen. We got down to the last few episodes and Kang Chul had admitted to himself that he liked Ho Gu, he came out to his parents, and his coworkers assumed he was gay. The show was actually depicting the struggles of being gay in Korea and it was arguably one of the better storylines for a gay character on Korean t.v., but then the show couldn’t stay strong and they flipped the script. Predictably, Kang Chul finds out it was Ho Gu’s sister he kissed, the show copped out, and lo and behold Kang Chul was straight with no further mentions of any other possible sexuality. Watch it if you’re curious, but be prepared to be extremely disappointed by the end.

Graceful Family: Mo Wan Joon  (2019)

The Story: Blah blah blah, revenge or something- at a point it’s revealed that Mo Wan Joon is a trans woman.

Should you watch?: If you really like revenge melos maybe, but if you’re looking for this show to do something good and offer up some good trans rep? Nope.

Literally nothing about Mo Wan Joon’s story is watchable. I wasn’t even entirely sure the show even knows what being transgender even means. It comes off as more of a plot twist to put the family all in a tizzy more than anything else. They don’t really show much of Wan Joon’s struggle or anything poignant or engaging.

Sweet Munchies: Tae Wan (2020)

The Story: Jin Sung pretends to be a gay chef to film a tv show for money. Tae Hwan, a closeted fashion designer falls for him.

Should you watch?: No. "Everyone loved Personal Taste right? What if we just did that again but with a chef this time?"  This could have been potentially groundbreaking, but by the end of the show the two leads are unlikable and  we just wind up with more sad gay tears. But Lee Hak Joo as Tae Wan? *Chef's kiss*. This man put me through the wringer and he does it so subtly. If you must watch, literally skim through Tae Wan’s parts.

The Good (these are worth the hours of your life you wont get back)

Painter of the Wind (2008)

The Story: Shin Yoon Bok is a talented painter who disguises herself as a boy to search for her father's murderer and meets a master painter who guides her into being a great painter. Kim Hong Do is the man who teaches Yoon Bok how to paint, and they develop a strong friendship of mentor and disciple.

Should You Watch?: Yes. On the surface this sounds pretty straight, but ignore the summary, because yes there’s a loveline between Yoon Bok and her mentor, but the most interesting story here is the loveline between Yoon Bok and a Gisaeng she meets named Jeong Hyang I’ve seen plenty of gender benders, but I’ve never seen one where a woman falls in love with the girl who’s pretending to be a boy. This drama isn’t technically supposed to be gay, but it’s extremely gay when when bisexual Yoon Bok hits on the gisaeng the first time they meet. Yoon Bok finds herself falling in love with the Jeong Hyang too and the love between them comes off as extremely genuine and sincere. I don’t care what that show was trying to tell me, Yoon Bok/Jeong Hyang was the true otp.

Life is Beautiful: Tae Sub and Kyung Soo (2010)

The Story:  A family drama about a blended family. The show focuses heavily on Tae Sub and his boyfriend Kyung Soo

Should You Watch?:  Absolutely. In this drama we actually get to see a same sex couple. There’s not just one gay character or a situation where you have to read between the lines. Tae Sub and Kyung Soo are a gay couple who get to be together and happy and they get screentime! The show focuses on Tae Sub coming out to his family, his family's acceptance/non-acceptance, and Kyungsoo’s family’s non-acceptance as well. We get to see the guys work through their problems together and we get to see how they’re relationship changes and grows. My only complaint about this show is that it aired seven years ago and korea has shown little to no progress in terms of lgbt characters and couples in kdramas since.

Rural Outcasts (2019)

The Story: Sun Hui moves to a small village where she lives her life as Soon Ho until she can make enough money to become her true self. Dong Ja, a feisty 12 year old, breaks into her house one day.

Should you watch? Yes, although, heads up, there’s a cis man playing a trans woman. Found family always makes for a heartwarming story and this one is no different. I loved the bond between Dong Ja and Sun Hui and I loved their mother daughter relationship. Very sweet and heartwarming, but be prepared for some heartbreak too.

[thewitchandthebeasthimself]

The Witch and The Beast Himself: Chapter 3

I woke up to find myself laying in bed in what appeared to be in the bedroom of my new apartment. The walls were bare, the sunlight shining in from the windows through the white blinds. There was an extra bathroom in my bedroom like I had requested. My clothes from last night were still on and I had a massive headache from the spell I performed last night.

“Ughhhh,” I said aloud in English. “My head. I hope Shizuo’s okay.”

I got up to go to the bathroom. Instead I stumbled over something huge on the floor. I looked down to see Shizuo lying on the ground, startled awake by me tripping on him. He still had his clothes on from last night, battered and bloody from the damage he took the night before. His sunglasses were folded up on the ground beside him.

“Huh? Shizuo? What are you doing here?” I asked in Japanese, a bit startled. I hope he didn't hear me worrying aloud about him.  “You were knocked out after you did that thing to me last night so I stayed over to make sure you alright,” he said, sitting up from the floor. “Thanks for that by the way, I feel really great. I still want to kick those guy’s asses for that shit though.”

“Why did that happen?” I asked, sitting down on the ground with him.

“Those Blood Diamond bastards have been trying to kill me for weeks, I still don't understand why this keeps happening but I want to get to the bottom of it. I bet that flea bag’s behind it.”

“Izaya?” I asked.

“Yeah that scumbag,” he said. “I saw him give you something.”

“Oh,” I reached into my pocket and pulled out Izaya’s card. “I had told him I was here looking for someone then he gave me this card with his number on it.”

“Throw that away,” Shizuo said. “You don't want to get involved with that flea. He's bad news. He's always got his nose in someone’s business for his own benefit and messes with people’s heads for fun. He's always tried to frame me for the shit he’s involved in but his plans never work out the way he wants them to.”

“Yeah I knew there was something weird about him. Kyouhei told me to stay away from him too.”

“Yeah you should.” he sighed. “I guess i’m not any better, I’m known in this city for wreaking havoc everywhere I go.”

“You don't seem as bad as you think. You brought me here and kept an eye on me.” i said, putting a hand on his shoulder for reassurance.

“Psh, you were the one that saved my ass, I don't think I could ever repay you for what you did for me.” he said.

“... I think you can.”

“Hmm?” he asked, confused.

“How about we… um...  go out sometime? I don't have to start work for a couple of days and I would like to see you more.” I said, stunned by my own words.

I can't believe I just asked him out without a problem, I thought. Back in Salem this was a huge problem for me or I’d find myself waiting on the guy for too long until he found another girl and blew me off. This could end badly.

He smiled at me. “Yeah that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I’d like to see more of you too.”

“Really?” I asked, shocked.

“Yeah why not? You seem like an alright person yourself.” he said. I felt his energy change to a warm, vibrant, and confident feeling.

“Great!” I said. I can't believe that actually worked.

Feeling a bit better about myself I stood up and stretched my limbs. “Um I hope you won't think it's weird or anything but would you mind sitting here with me for a bit? I'm brand new here and I’d really enjoy your company.”

“Fine with me.” he stood up and looked at himself in the long mirror next to my bed. He tousled his hair around, saying, “Ugh I look like shit. My clothes are ruined.”

“If everything is how I requested when I arrived I should have a washer and dryer in my kitchen,” I said. “I’ll put a pot of coffee on for us while you get your clothes cleaned up.”

“Okay,” he said. He undid his bow tie and began pulling off his worn out and bloody bartender uniform piece by piece right in front of me.

Oh my god, he's getting better and better everytime I see him, I thought. Before he could see me watching him I spotted my suitcase next to my new dresser and walked over to it to find a t-shirt and some comfortable shorts. I walked out of the bedroom and spotted the wide open kitchen next to the living room. I walked into it and changed into the clothes I picked out. I grabbed up my clothes off the floor and threw them into the washing machine next to my kitchen counter.

I was grateful that my apartment came fully furnished after everything that's happened on my first day in Ikebukuro. There was a little bag of coffee next to the coffee maker and a “Thank you” basket from the apartment complex full of treats, food, and bottled water to get me through my first day here.

I played with my magic a little bit by using my energy like a pair of hands to pour some coffee in the coffee maker, pour a bottled water into the water slot of the coffee maker, then pressed the button to begin brewing it.

He came out of my bedroom in a t-shirt he had on underneath his bartender uniform and his dress pants to throw his clothes in with mine. I just couldn't stop staring at him. Despite his immense strength he didn't have a whole lot of muscle or a six pack, but he wasn't thin either. He had more of an athletic and toned body.

He sat down on the couch in the living room looking at me so I sat down next to him while we waited for the coffee to brew.

“I haven't gotten your name yet.” he said.

“It’s (your name),” I said.

“Great to finally put a name to your face. So what's this thing about you being a witch?” he asked me. Then he seemed to be a little embarrassed and said, “Sorry, if you don't mind me asking.”

“Its fine,” I said. “I am a witch from Salem, Massachusetts in the US. I've been doing this for practically as long as I can remember. I've studied and mastered different kinds of magic and learned to speak and write in Japanese fluently so that I could come here. My hometown is known for the infamous salem witch trials in the 1900's. You'd think there were tons of others like me living there but my parents and I are the only real witches left in Salem. Our powers scared a lot of people there and it might have even frightened myself at one point so I came here to start a new life where I could have friends that didn't know what I was. Except for you, of course.”

“Hmm, that's really… Interesting. But it's sad that people feared you and your family for it.” Shizuo remarked.

“Yeah i guess that's just how it had to be for me to get of there and explore more of what the world has to offer. I found a whole new side of the world that I had no idea existed.”

Shizuo smirked. “And then you met a monster like me.”

“No way! You're not a monster at all, trust me. I’ve seen actual beasts myself and you don't even compare to them.”

“Heh well thanks,” he said, feeling relieved.

“So what about you and your strength, if you don't mind me asking?” I asked.

“Well its just something that came with being me. As my name implies, I desire to live a quiet and peaceful life. I believe I am generally a calm person until someone pisses me off. That's when my strength shows and I find myself flinging giant objects at people, punching people into the sky, and pulling signs out of the ground to knock people out with. When I was little I had tried to throw a refrigerator at my little brother for eating my food.”

I laughed. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yep, that really happened. I’ve broken every single bone in my body since I've discovered this strength but it's made me come back stronger each time.”

“So that's how you survived being knocked in the head and shot in the back.” I said.

“Yeah they aren't the first to try something like that on me. Luckily I have Shinra to patch me up everytime it happens.”

“Mhm, who knows what would've happened if you didn't?”

“I don't know, I guess I wouldn't be here. People are so afraid of me here because of my power. I kinda wish it didn't have to be like that all the time. I just want to be SEEN like a normal person, to be loved like a normal person.”

“I know how you feel,” I said, inching a bit closer to him by turning my body towards him, leaning my arm on the back of the couch behind his head. “I wish people in my hometown weren't afraid of me because of what I can do.”

He looked at me with a wide smile on his face and peering into my eyes again.

Oh boy.

“I don't know what it is about you,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, pretending to be dumbfounded with a big smile on my face as well. I like where this is going now.

“You're just… different.”

“Well you're cute,” I blurted, then put my mouth on my hand.

“I'm.. What?” he played, following my lead. I could sense that he was also liking where this was going; his energy changed to an aroused sensation.

“I said.. You're cute.” I inched even closer to him, my face so close to his I could feel his breath on my neck and my jaw.

He inches himself even closer to me and wraps his arm around my waist and moving his hand up and down my waist. The feeling of his touch, his warm and alluring energy caused me to tingle in ecstasy all over. I couldn't think straight, my body shook to each of his movements, i could feel goosebumps rising all over me. My heart was skipping beats causing my own breathing to feel irregular.

“Are you okay?” he asked, noticing my tingling and breathing. He looked up and down slowly from my lips to my eyes.

“Yeah,” I said, catching my breath. “I just… I'm losing my train of thought. Intimacy is much more intense for a witch. Everything just feels so different.”

He leaned in closer, his face just mere inches away from mine. “Oh yeah? So how does this feel?” He ran his hand up my back, cradled the back on my head in his hand and pulled me in for a light kiss.

Fuck.

I lost myself to him and wrapped my arms around him, causing me to deepen the kiss. Sparks were flying in my head. My heart felt like it was gonna leap out of my chest. As we made out we played with each other's bodies, him running his hands down to my ass to pull me into his hard chest and me raking my fingers through his hair.

We pulled away just barely for me to answer his question, “It feels great.”

He lightly chuckled onto my lips before running both of his hands up my back, cradled me and pushed me down sideways so that I was lying on the couch and now beneath him. He moved my right leg aside so he could get between them and move up my body to my face to kiss me again. Before I knew it I had wrapped my arms around him to pull him into me and hiked one leg onto his hip. He wedges his tongue between my lips to open my mouth and began dancing it around my own tongue.  

We were stopped suddenly by the doorbell ringing. He pulled away from my face and looked at me curiously.

“Huh, wonder who that could be?” I said, also confused. He pulled away from me and sat up on the couch so that I could get up, straightening himself up. I did the same and straightened up my hair the best I could before I walked over to the door and opened it.

A girl with short black hair, glasses, a long black hooded dress and just as Erika said, huge breasts was standing at the door holding a box in her hands. Her energy felt oddly suppressed.

“Um good morning, sorry to bother you,” she said, bowing slightly and awkwardly to me. “Are you (your first and last name)?”

“Yep, you must be Anri!” I said, smiling at her. I held my hand out for her to shake. She looked down hesitantly at first but then smiled and accepted my handshake.

She chuckled a bit, “Erika must've told you about me.”

“Yeah, she did.” I said.

“Well umm she'd told me that you moved into the apartment next to mine and that we should be friends so I went out to the store and bought you a welcoming gift. Its just some snacks, I hope thats alright.” She handed me the box of what smelled like a mix of different cookie flavors.

“Oh, that's really sweet of you!” I said, accepting the box. “Thank you so much!”

“You're welcome, (your name). It was nice meeting you and I hope we can become friends.”

“Me too, you're really nice.” I said, smiling back at her.

She looked over both of her shoulders and said, “Well I have to go, I have some friends waiting on me.” she nodded her head at me. “See you later.”

“Okay thanks for the welcoming gift. Bye!”

As she turned away to walk down the steps I shut the door and locked it.

I turned to place the box of cookies on the kitchen counter. Our coffee had finished brewing a few minutes ago so I grabbed out two coffee mugs from the cabinet over the sink.

I turned to face Shizuo who was sitting up and waiting patiently.

“How do you like your coffee?” I asked.

“Black is fine,” he said. I showed off a bit by using my energy like a pair of hands again to pour some coffee into the two mugs. I energetically put the coffee pot back, picked up the mug and guided it over to him where I set it down in the coffee table in front of him.

“You could've just brought it to me,” he smirked.

“Aw come on, I wanted to show off a bit.” I laughed. I used my actual hands to rip up a couple packs of sugar and tore open a little cup of creamer to put into my coffee. I picked up my cup, walked over to the couch to sit next to him again.

We sat in silence for a second drinking our coffee before he spoke again.

“I've seen some crazy shit but I've never seen anyone use actual magic before,” he said. “And here you are, playing with it like its a toy. Its… its kind of cool actually.”

I giggled at his compliment, “Thanks a lot. I'm still surprised you haven't ran away from me after seeing what I can do.”

“No way in hell I’d run away from you now. I'm still surprised you haven't ran away from me yet after seeing what I can do.”

“Well I couldn't do that either.” I said. “You know, I came here also looking for a certain something but I found you instead. Was it fate that brought us together?”

“Maybe, but I'm not complaining,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and kissing me lightly on my temple. “What were you looking for here?”

“I heard that there was an Irish Urban legend called a dullahan living and working here like a human also in search of its head. I’m really curious about it and wanted to meet it.”

“Hmm, a dullahan, huh? I might know what you’re talking about.” he said. I could feel in his energy that he wasn’t lying.

“Wait, really?” I asked. “How? Where is it?”

“Remember my friend Shinra I told you about? His girlfriend Celty is actually the known as the Headless Rider here.”

My face lit up and I jumped in excitement, immediately understanding what he meant. “Well can I meet her?”

“Umm not yet.” he said. “The last I spoke to them Shinra said that she had taken a job outside of the city that’d probably take a few days. I could check on them later on for you and see if she’d made it back yet.”

“That’d be perfect!” I hugged him. “Thanks a lot, that is really cool of you, Shizuo.”

He chuckled a bit and looked at his phone. His sighed as his smile turned into a frown. “Hey, I have to go take care of something with my employer. Are you free tomorrow by chance? I’d love to take you out on that date I promised you.” He grabbed his sunglasses off the coffee table, put them on and began walking towards my front door.

“Yeah that sounds great!” I said, following him to let him out.. “Here, take my number.”

“Alright.” he punched in the number as I said it to him. “Thanks for the coffee by the way,” he winked at me, making me blush.

“Oh stop it!” I slapped him lightly on the arm.

He laughed at me, looked down at his phone, then looked back at me. “I’ll text you in a minute to make sure I have the right number. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you too.” I shut the door behind him and locked it.

Wow, this is just surreal. Ikebukuro is by far one of the most interesting and insane places I’ve ever been to, I thought as I finally got around to unpacking my suitcase and getting all of my stuff set up. I get to meet the dullahan within the first few days of being here. But most interesting of all I got to meet him. The supposed most dangerous man in the city is actually the most kind hearted and genuine man I’ve ever met. I really can’t wait to see more of him.