#ch: doom is no man's second choice

[brw]

Marvel men with a pregnant disposition:

Exodus

Wolverine

Reed Richards

Colossus

Alex Summers

Frank Castle

Eddie Brock

Luke Cage

Marvel men with an abortive disposition:

Akihiro

Kraken the Hunter

Doctor Doom

Gabriel Summers

Julio Richter

Tony Stark

Cable

Bullseye

[armpirate]

RED || Jungkook | Ch. 20

MASTERLIST Previous ||  Next

Pairings: Demon!Jungkook x fem!reader  

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, fantasy, past life

Warnings: Explicit language, mention of death and suicide, demonology, violence, rough sex

Summary: Y/n thought her life couldn't get worse after losing her parents in a tragic accident. Years after, she's aware of everyone moving forward, while she's in the same place, isolated and alone. She struggles to find meaning in a world that seems indifferent to her grief. Desperate for comfort, to feel the deep connection she had been missing, she starts the manifestation, expecting an inoffensive entity to walk with her that rough path. What she doesn't know is that she awoke the mysterious entity tied to an old necklace around her neck.

Jungkook, a mysterious and seductive figure, appears in her life, offering the company she craves. But as his presence grows stronger, so does the unsettling sense that there's more to him -and the necklace- than meets the eye, unfolding all the reasons that took him to that place.

Now, as the past bleeds into the present, Y/n must fight with her growing feelings for the demon who seems familiar yet dangerous. Jungkook is determined to reclaim his power, but in doing so, he may doom Y/n once again. Bound by fate, the two are locked in a dangerous mix of love, redemption, and the looming threat of destruction. 

Will they break the curse that has haunted them both, or will history repeat itself with devastating consequences?

Chapter duration: 14 minutes

The door clicked shut behind him.

Jungkook didn't move. His eyes were fixed on the man now standing in Y/n's apartment -too real to be a memory, too quiet to be anything but wrong. The figure looked human, painfully so. Clean-cut, dressed in an ordinary black coat over a crisp white shirt. No horns, no wings, no smoke trailing from his fingers. Just eyes like shattered obsidian, and a smile that never quite reached them.

The apartment held its breath.

—I should've known it was you —Jungkook said quietly, his voice scraping against the silence like sandpaper—. The air changed the second you stepped in.

The man tilted his head, amused.

—Still poetic. I was hoping death hadn't dulled that.

Jungkook's jaw flexed.

—What do you want?

—To look at you —the man replied, stepping further inside, past the threshold as if invited. He didn't bother to glance around. His attention was fixed on Jungkook, like a curator studying a cracked statue—. The lovesick parasite. My... how you've evolved. Last time we looked at each other this way, you were wearing an old hanbok covered in your own blood.

—Don't call me that —Jungkook managed to say, ignoring the rest of his mocking words.

—But that's what you are —the man said, tone patient—. You feed off her, don't you? And now something inside you thinks that makes you more than what you are. Foolish thing.

Jungkook's fists clenched at his sides. He could feel the old ache rising in his chest, the one that told him this being wasn't just his maker, but his judge, jury, and warden. The one who had watched him fall and called it mercy.

—You said I would never feel anything again —Jungkook said—. You said I would be empty.

—And you believed me? —the entity asked, lips curling—. You always wanted to believe the lie that you were cursed. That your suffering was punishment. But you made a choice, Jungkook. You always did. You were the one who chose all of this.

He took a step forward, and the lights above flickered. The shadows around the corners of the apartment seemed to twist, as if drawn to him. The air grew colder.

—I died for her —Jungkook said, low and tight—. I died, and you turned me into this.

—You didn't die for her, you died because of your own pride, because you thought you were above our laws —the man replied simply—. Still, you begged for another chance, and we gave it to you.

—I didn't ask for this.

—No —he agreed—, but you asked to stay. And that comes with a price.

Jungkook took a step back, as if distance could lessen the weight of the words.

—She's saving me —he said, quieter now.

That drew laughter -a soft, cruel sound that echoed too long for how short it was.

—No, you're killing her —the man narrowed his eyes.

Jungkook froze.

—What?

—The bond —the man said, his tone turning clinical—. It was never meant to take root like this. An incubus is designed to feed and move on. No attachments. No anchors. But you? —he looked at Jungkook like he was a broken equation— You tethered yourself. You let her inside. And now it's unraveling the curse.

Jungkook's breath caught.

—Unraveling...?

—You're not purely demon anymore. But you're not human either. You're something in between. Something unstable. And she's caught in the middle of it.

The silence cracked open between them. Jungkook could feel his heartbeat -louder now, irregular, real. Like it was trying to remind him of the body he didn't deserve.

—What's happening to her? —he asked— Tell me.

The man stepped close enough that Jungkook could see the fine pattern of veins beneath his skin -black, like ink in water.

—She's changing, too. The more you feed off her, the more of yourself you leave behind. It's fusing your soul to hers.

Jungkook stared at him.

—I can stop it...

—You already passed that point —the entity interrupted sharply—. You think you're protecting her? You're draining her by just being here still. Her chest aches after you touch her, doesn't it? She dreams of things she shouldn't, her body is growing colder... The bond is claiming one of you. You broke every fate that connected you two when you killed yourself, and now you're just forcing something that shouldn't exist. You're just pushing the inevitable.

Jungkook felt the weight of those words settle over him like wet concrete.

—She's going to die if you don't stop —the entity said—. Or you are. One of you has to go. There's no room for both.

—No —Jungkook whispered—. That's not... I'm sure there's a way.

—There's not —the man said—. Not if she chooses you. And she will. That's what makes it so cruel. She'll follow you to the edge. She'll let herself break for you.

He lightly scoffed, looking attentively at Jungkook.

—It's funny, isn't it? No matter what life you're in, she'll always risk something for you. First, it was her life as a princess, being dishonored. And now, it's her own life.

The man began walking toward the door again, casually, like he had merely dropped off a message.

Jungkook's voice cracked behind him.

—Why are you telling me this?

—Because I want to see what you'll do about it.

He looked back once, just once.

—You can love her. Or you can save her. But you can't do both.

Then the door opened, and the shadows seemed to follow him as he slipped out, leaving Jungkook alone, with only the echo of that final choice twisting in the dark.

The door shut behind the entity like the final chord of a requiem.

Jungkook didn't move.

He stood in the same place for a full breath, then another, the silence inside the apartment pressing inward like a shrinking room. His chest tightened -subtle at first, then sharp, sudden, stabbing. He stumbled back two steps, gripping the edge of the kitchen counter to steady himself.

The veins beneath his skin began to sting. Not with heat. With fire.

His breath hitched. His spine arched. He collapsed to his knees as the floor beneath him warped -tiles curling, walls bending, shadows twisting like they were watching. The apartment convulsed, reacting to the thing inside him.

Blood dripped from his nose.

—F... Fuck —he whispered, trying to stand, but his limbs felt like wet cloth.

He pressed his palm to the floor to push himself up -only to watch it glitch beneath his skin, rippling like water touched by lightning. The world around him blurred, cracked, broke.

Then, the visions came.

A forest, trees thick around them, voices echoing in the distance, yet he could only focus on her. His eyes followed the tear rolling off the corner of her eye as she fought between getting the last breath and speaking.

That vision mixed with another one before Y/n could even close her eyes.

It was him, drenched in red, eyes dull, kneeling as the last of his warmth spilled from his chest. His last breath wasn't even with her, not even next to her coffin. He was alone, in front of the cold lake where they used to meet at night.

He saw the moment his soul was taken. Ripped. Offered.

The bargain, the black eyes, the voice saying: "If you want to stay, there is a price".

He had said yes. Anything to stay close to her, even if he didn't know it yet. His soul was always hopeful to find her in another life.

And now... Now the cost was due.

His body convulsed. The tattoos on his arm, those cursed sigils, flared once, then faded, flickering like extinguished runes. He screamed. Then the room snapped back into stillness.

He lay on the floor, gasping.

Everything was wrong. His skin burned, but not from heat. His eyes, he couldn't see through the dark the way he used to. The hum in his veins, the low thrum of demonic energy, the thing that had always told him when to run, when to feed, when to hide, silent.

He dragged himself to the mirror in the hall and stared at his reflection. His pupils, once pitch black and sharp, were human. Deep brown, rimmed in soft red from the bleeding. And the mark behind his ear, the oldest one, the symbol that bound him to the plane of shadows?

Gone.

The fear hit then. Not a demonic panic, but something smaller. Rawer. Mortal.

—Y/n... —he whispered, hoarse.

His hand reached out like he could pull her through the mirror, or back into him, back into the memory before the change.

And then, he heard her.

—Jungkook? —her voice, soft and far, like it was being pulled through layers of silk and stone.

It sounded like her. It sounded real. But it came from everywhere.

—Jungkook, are you okay?

The sound of her footsteps. Close. Too close.

Panic gripped his spine. He tried to rise, stumbling toward the bathroom. He couldn't let her see him like this, not yet. Not when he didn't know who he was anymore. Not when her touch could tip the scale again.

He pressed a trembling hand to the bathroom wall. It didn't ripple this time.

The mirror in front of him reflected something terrifying: a man breaking open, and something inside whispered that this was only the beginning.

Y/n stood in the doorway, keys still in her hand, coat half-off her shoulder. The air smelled strange -something like smoke, but colder, metallic. Her boots echoed too loud on the floor as she stepped in, eyes darting toward the hallway.

—Jungkook? —she called again, a little sharper now.

No answer.

The living room was empty. The kitchen, too. She spotted the blood before she saw him -tiny droplets, trailing from the fridge toward the hall like breadcrumbs. Her stomach dropped.

She followed it.

The bathroom door was slightly ajar, steam clinging to the mirror as if someone had screamed inside and the glass hadn't forgotten. Her fingers trembled as she pushed it open.

Nothing.

Then, a sound behind her. The click of the bedroom door.

She turned just as Jungkook stumbled into view, shirt clinging to his chest, face pale, chest heaving like he'd been drowning in something thicker than air. His eyes locked onto hers.

She froze.

His gaze, something in it was off. Not the usual storm, not that dark, hungry look he wore when the demon in him stirred. This was different.

Raw. Unshielded. Almost... human.

Her voice cracked.

—What happened?

He didn't answer.

She rushed to him instinctively, reaching for his arm, fingers brushing the inked skin she always used to feel burn under her touch, but this time, nothing flared.

No electricity. No rush of energy. Just skin. Warm.

She pulled her hand back like she'd been stung.

He noticed. His brows pinched faintly, confusion flashing behind his lashes before he looked away.

—I'm fine.

—No, you're not —her voice wavered—. You're... cold. And you're shaking. Jungkook, what...

—I said I'm fine —he snapped.

But his legs buckled. She caught him before he hit the floor, arms around his waist, guiding him down gently. Her knees hit the hardwood, but she didn't care. Not with the way his body curled in on itself like it was being held together by will alone. Not with the way he avoided her eyes.

He used to feel dangerous. Charged. Like touching him meant playing with fire that could either burn you or light your whole life.

Now... He felt breakable.

She placed her hand against his cheek, trying again.

—Look at me.

He did, and her heart cracked in the silence that followed. Because it wasn't the demon looking back. It was him. Tired. Lost. Something quietly slipping from his grasp. Something she didn't understand, yet. But her soul knew the weight of it. Her soul had always known him.

She swallowed, trying to keep the tremor from her voice.

—What's happening to you?

Jungkook closed his eyes.

—I don't know.

And for the first time since she'd met him, he looked scared.

Her chest tightened. She'd seen him almost kill, tease, protect, flirt, seduce. She'd seen him drunk on power and desperate for touch. She'd seen him when the hunger turned his voice to gravel and his gaze to knives.

But she'd never seen him like this.

Unmoored.

And it terrified her more than anything.

She didn't let go. Even when he pulled away slightly. Even when she felt something in the air shift, like the universe had turned its gaze toward them and was watching closely now, holding its breath.

Y/n leaned in closer, forehead nearly touching his. Her voice was barely a whisper.

—You're not fine, Jungkook. You're changing.

A pause. Then, softer:

—So am I.

The silence after her words hung heavy between them, thick as velvet.

Jungkook didn't move. He couldn't. His back was pressed against the wall, knees drawn close, Y/n crouched in front of him with worry carved into every inch of her face. Her hands hovered near him, unsure whether to touch again. Unsure if what stood before her was still the same being she'd once feared... then trusted... then craved.

He forced a breath through his lungs, chest tight with something colder than pain.

—I think... —he began, choosing each word with a surgeon's care— It was just a side effect from the change.

She didn't buy it. He could see it in her eyes. But she waited.

—A bad one —he continued.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to play the role of someone confused, vulnerable, not cornered.

—It felt like I was burning inside. Like someone was peeling me open, layer by layer.

—And the blood? —she asked softly.

He glanced down at the half-dried smear on his collarbone.

—This is probably the least important of all.

It was a lie. A clean, simple lie.

The truth was still coiled behind his ribs: That the entity had stood before him, had entered her home like it belonged there, and had looked at him with something between pity and possession and whispered: "Either you or her".

He didn't tell her that. He didn't tell her of all the visions that kept reminding him of his own mistakes.

Her, dressed in moonlight and silk, lifeless on temple stones. His blood soaking into sacred soil, his own screams echoing in a body that had already stopped breathing.

He didn't tell her what the entity's parting words had really meant: that the love binding them wasn't a blessing. It was a noose, slowly tightening.

Jungkook looked up at her again. Her fingers had finally touched his hand, curling just slightly, grounding him.

—I think I've taken too much from you —he said, voice flat but true—. The feeding. It's changing me.

Her brows furrowed.

—But we already knew that, right? —she tilted her head— What did you feel this time?

—I don't know yet —another lie. He knew too well—. My powers are stuttering. I can't sense things like I used to. I don't feel hunger anymore. But I do feel... this —he gestured vaguely to his own chest—. It's like... parts of me are falling off. Or being replaced.

He didn't say the rest: That the entity had hinted this wasn't evolution, it was dismantling.

And the only way to finish the transformation... was to devour her completely. Or let her go.

But if he let her go, would that even save her?

He pressed his lips into a tight line.

Y/n moved closer, kneeling now, cupping his jaw like she used to when he first started sleeping in her bed. When he let her see him without the shadow.

—I don't care what you're becoming —she whispered—. As long as you don't lie to me.

He swallowed.

—Then I won't —he said, hating how easily the lie rolled off his tongue.

She nodded once, kissed his cheek, and rose, telling him she'd get water, or food, or something to help. And the second the door clicked shut behind her, Jungkook exhaled.

It wasn't just her he was trying to protect. It was himself, because somewhere beneath the fear and fatigue, something colder had crept in during the entity's visit -something he didn't want to name yet.

What if this was never about punishment? What if the gods knew exactly what they were doing? What if this love -this hunger- was a slow, exquisite execution?

He tilted his head back against the wall, throat dry, pupils shrinking in the light. And for the first time in centuries, Jeon Jungkook felt human enough to cry.

The room had fallen into that hushed stillness only the dead of night could conjure.

Outside the window, the city was a dim constellation, distant lights flickering like embers in a dying hearth. The moon hovered low, swollen and pale, casting long shadows across the floorboards of Y/n's apartment.

She slept in the bed behind him, one hand curled near the pillow where he'd once lain. Her breathing was soft, steady. Innocent in a way that made his heart throb in his chest—not from lust, but something far crueler: guilt.

Jungkook sat cross-legged on the windowsill, shirtless, his skin bathed in silver. The black ink twisting down his right arm was no longer still. It flickered in quiet pulses, like veins lit by some internal lightning. Every few minutes, it blinked out entirely -then reappeared, weaker. Like the tattoo was forgetting it belonged to him.

His fingers traced the fading edges. He could still feel the echo of the entity's voice, curling around his spine like smoke.

"You or her"

A cruel ultimatum, but he'd already chosen, hadn't he?

Maybe not aloud. Maybe not even fully in thought. But his body, his soul, every shattered shard of what made him him -they all curved toward her like magnets. Every instinct, every rebellion, every restrained hunger screamed the same thing:

Stay. Protect. Love.

Even if it killed him. Even if it was worse than killing him.

The sky blinked. A cloud passed.

He pressed a knuckle to his lips, breath fogging faintly against the glass. Then, almost inaudible, he whispered:

—If I have to burn through heaven or hell to stay with her...

The moon caught the fire in his eyes.

—...then light the fucking match.

Far away, so far it couldn't possibly be now, a grin split the darkness.

The entity stood in a place that didn't obey time. Not night, not day. Not anywhere real.

Smoke coiled at his feet. A mirror cracked in the background. And before him, small threads of red and gold twisted in the air -lives, fates, decisions. One thread pulsed brighter than the rest.

He reached out, brushing a finger across it.

—So be it, parasite —he whispered, voice layered like a broken choir—. Let's see how brightly you burn.

A spark flared. The game had begun.

Taglist: @vsr4197 , @aznstoner , @curse-of-art , @futuristiccupcakebanana

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[mikhailwrites]

Ghost x Soap / The Silence in Between Ch 8/9

Introspective Ghost stashed away to Soap's cottage in the Scottish Highlands where he later stumbles upon Johnny's old journal.

Excerpt from Chapter 8 on AO3:

The sight that greets him once he emerges from the bedroom hits him like a freight train. Soap is half sitting and half lying on the couch, snuggled in the tartan as he scribbles something into his sketchbook. He probably feels Ghost's eyes on him because the soft scratching of the pencil on the paper stops, and he looks up, smiling at Simon. Jesus fucking Christ, the man should be included in the Geneva Conventions as a weapon of mass destruction.

"Mornin' LT, I've made you a tea. It's probably not too cold yet," Soap gestures to the coffee table, and Ghost follows the movement to the big mug full of dark liquid.

He mumbles thanks as he goes to the couch, Soap shifting to make space for him to sit. There’s more on the table: toasted crumpets, butter, and strawberry jam. With every passing second, Ghost can feel himself falling apart. Send him to hell, and he will be the last man standing, but subject him to this soft, domestic cosiness, and he will fold, not even bothering to put up a fight.

He lifts the mug and lets the strong aroma of bergamot trap him in the comfortable familiarity. Simon sips the Earl Grey. It's good. Not great, mind you, but good. Definitely not made with bottled water. The crumpets are already cold, which is a shame, yet it's still the best breakfast he's had in weeks, maybe even months.

Ghost eats a little, the feeling of impending doom keeping him from enjoying the moment fully. He needs to tell Johnny about the journal. He half-expects Soap to throw him out, just after informing him that whatever friendship they had is no more. Maybe he will take a swing at him, too. If the roles were reversed, that's what Ghost would probably do. He would tear the man apart. Choices have consequences; that's his favourite phrase, which could very well be his motto. Ghost has made his choices; it's time to face the consequences.

Full Chapter on AO3

[ggren-mainz]

Umineko - question arcs playthrough -> ep 2 - 5

last part - All parts and episodes - next part

My gf almost finished the play and she actually thinks its good, yay! I also found subtitles for the second ep as well so yay.

hmm so that's what kinzo wants? to capture Beatrice in a 'cage'? that would check out, especially with his personality.

"ouuuuughhhh beeaaattrriiiiceee plsss comee seee meee agaaainn" *puts anti Beatrice charm right at the door *

helll yeeaaa so true beato. Beat that old man into oblivion.

you ever read something and think to yourself "wow...this is def a metaphor for something....too bad idk what that something is"? Well anyways this can be taken as a metaphor for many things, it's a pretty simple concept. Waited for their death (release?) for so long but they got the taste of happiness and life and now they no longer wish for it. 13y old me vs adult me or something.

Does this imply that Shannon will be the killer this time and that Kanon was the killer last time? Not the killer of everyone that's for sure, but i mean the first 6. As in he fell victim into her game the first time round and did her work? But it wouldn't make sense for him to kill shannon. Tho i am like 80% sure he was the one who broke the mirror the first time.

BITE IT KANON, BITE IT!!!

Higurashi ch 8 moment. (though could it mean he's not the piece that will be used this round? i don't think it's a protagonist thing, we clearly had multiple till now.)

He would be an amazing flat earther/anti-vaxxer. Those facebook posts would slap.

Me omw to explain how mass paranoia and mass hallucinations are actually the answer to anything she brings out, and actually kinzo just poisons everyone with hallucinogenic gas (that also turns everyone gay because of the...woke.)

Is this how the witch's portrait looks this time around?? And also, Beatrice so great she broke my game again, thank god i just saved.

dw about it, she'll just come and say everything (including your lives) is hers. Easy peasy. (feat my mousepad barely scribbled names of the ones talking)

she wants your hearts ( ^ 3 ^) (on a silver platter)

wait wait wait,...wait. I only realized 3 lines later but I know this refers to the proof of how she's related to them but this def relates to the witch and magic stuff as well. Too much accent has been put on it. hm. So then if nothing that's shown to us here is definite proof, then what is? does this say we need to read between the lines? it would help a shit ton, especially to toss away the random acts of magic, but i feel like that's the wrong approach. That's he one Battler took, and we all know he is not the brightest. But for now, we should keep this in mind. It's not that what we see here isn't real, or we can just toss it away, it's just that it's not the truth. (yes i know one spoiler about all the red text being true, idk what that means tho with this new revelation i think i get what it will mean, but mostly i just wanted this text to look cool lmao)

Omggg so she has met Beatrice before!! yaaayyy.

There's so many choices and they all sound like the wrong one. They were both doomed from the start, doomed by the narrative or something.

1- lol as if, the golden witch has chosen you as a sacrifice once, she will do it again. And 2- hm is Genji somehow working with the witch? Like i just thought about it, and it would make quite some sense.

Sent my gf the jp text cause I don't get it. What does this mean? is this a pun? Like ok i get it, she's doesn't look like Kanon but like...there isn't really that much of a similarity. Does she mean "you don't act like kanon"? That's the only thing that would make sense to me.

(ok asked my gf and now it's even weirder because she confirmed the verb after means she's referring to them looks wise. Which is...? because they don't really look alike. So yeah...i think I'm sitting too much on one line)

oh she fr for this one.

woah woah woah, what does this mean? But she sure is way cooler this time around. Go shannon go!!

let's put it simply Beatrice...which one is it... mommy or daddy issues? Mayhaps both?

wow just like with a kindergarten kid. No but I'm loving this Sayo, pls don't get killedddd.

So the rest serve dinner but Kirye asks about Beatrice and chaos falls upon the entire room, as obviously no one from that room invited her. They fight a bit but my issue is... ROSA DIDN'T READ THE LETTERR!!

i am so annoyed at that, i was hoping Maria would pressure her but no apparently. Maybe she'll read it with the adults but still. The kids deserve to hear.

next part

[thequietmanno1]

TheLreads, Vigilantes ch 97, Replies Part 1

1) “Now it is time to return to our headache, it’s a vigilantes chapter! We’re about to the see the humiliation of tensei (I fucking love tensei) by the hands of Koichi. Let us see how many seconds this high-speed chase will take, on Chapter 97: Pursuers”- About 10, if we’re not counting the failed talk-down attempt Tensei made which took longer than the actual pursuit.

2) “And look at that, it’s the emissary of hell himself. Alright Koichi, you don’t even know what’s coming your way, but trust me, you’re not gonna like it”- Not even just dealing with the usually-competent Tensei, it seems Koichi’s also gotta deal with most of the top pros out hunting him, hamstrung as they may be by Furuhashi’s writing.

3) “Ok… This is not the neighborhood, because everyone in there knows Koichi vigilante name, but this imply that he’s well-known enough outside of Naruhata? Right. I hope I’m merely misinterpretating this.”- Koichi’s fame appears to have been spreading by his more visible acts of do-gooding, but that’s also the same reason he’s being chased right now, having gained a rep for both good and bad reasons. I guess we could have seen more of this in prior chapters if the series had lasted longer.

4) “Dammit Koichi, pay attention, we don’t want to add vehicular manslaughter to your criminal record.”- ….does Koichi himself now count as a high-speed vehicle when he’s in motion? Like, he could always compete with them, but would a collision still be filed under “bodily harm” if he ran over somebody?

5) “THERE IS OUR MAN, THE LEGEND, THE ENGINE

TENSEI

AND HE’S ALREADY BEING A NARC TELLING KOICHI TO SLOW DOWN, BASTARD WANTS TO GIVE HIM A TICKET”- Koichi’s casually broken more speeding laws than hero laws, and now it’s all catching up to him….literally.

6) “Now Tensei, although I fucking love you, I have a feeling that Koichi does not feel the same to trust you. You know, it’s not like there was almost three years of story to show you two being friends and bonding while jogging to justify this

but then again, nothing important happened on that timeskip”- I’m starting to feel like the words “three-year timeskip” will become your version of the “Bat credit Card” skit whenever somebody brings it up….so I hope your sister continues to mention it at every opportunity

7) “And Koichi of course doesn’t trust him, because being honest, why should him? From what we know they met like, twice, this has all the emotional impact of two acquaintances by name meeting after three years.”- I appreciate Koichi having the brains to not immediately turn himself in to the official heroes, but still not casting off his goodwill with them by continuing to flee, instead taking on a third choice of using the truck to maintain his escape velocity whilst also letting him have a conversation with Tensei and letting him argue his case. Even if it was a doomed attempt, Koichi isn’t as Pro-vigilante as Soga, Knuckles and the others (ironically) and does want to believe in and trust the official heroes. It’s just that this time, the stakes are too high and personal for him to take that chance, so however reluctantly, he’s gotta break the law to keep their illegal operation running until Pop’s safety is secured. 8) “Don’t even waste saliva Tensei, he won’t stop, the fact you allowed him to roam free for those last three years don’t necessarily mean much much considering that every single hero in town also never batted an eye to him, even though he technically is famous.”-  Everybody being willing to let Koichi “play hero” does make them mighty hypocritical now the situation’s turned dire enough they need to step in and preform actual hero work in his stead. In that respect, Fires Georg actually kept the correct attitude up towards Koichi the entire time. 9) “Can you, Tensei? Can you really? Because I wonder for how long you would be able to.

Here’s the thing, why don’t you prove you’re capable of by catching Koichi first? If you can’t catch a single measly Vigilante, what shot you have of protecting Pop from a villain?”-  Koichi’s rise in competency against (furuhashi-nerfed) heroes does unfortunately highlight Soga’s point about how their group is needed on this operation, because if the heroes aren’t capable of stopping Koichi, then Nomura will easily penetrate their defences – and the fact that there’s multiple heroes in play hero only increases his chances, because we’ve seen how expertly he infiltrated that big hero operation against Bee Pop.

10) “Yeah see, this was a good reason for not trusting the cops and the heroes but it pains me to have to swallow the fact it’s once again Soga being the voice of reason.”- At this point, what’s one more pain to the list? Might as well grin and bear it, cause we sure aren’t getting a sudden switch over to Bakugo being Koichi’s helper, funny as that would have been. 11) “Also, he probably could’ve already done that if he wanted, I think he’s planning something. That’s the only explanation for him not going up a building and then legging it the opposite way since you can’t do sharp turns easily.”- Since a lot of heroes, especially pros, tend to use Ariel support or parkouring around the city rooftops to get around whilst on patrol, Koichi going up high only makes him a visible target and puts him in their preferred hunting grounds, as shown by both Edgeshot and best Jeanist, whose ability let them semi-spiderman their way around. Sticking to the dark streets lets Koichi move quickly and mostly undetected, but with Tensei covering the ground he’s forced to go high or order to avoid the net.

12) “Huh, guys, a net? He can jump over it

and even if that fucking creppy-ass girl tries I doubt she’s fast enough to catch him 

what is going on”- Tensei and his sidekicks are cutting off Koichi’s avenues on escape on the gorund whilst letting other, more mid-air capable heroes monitor the area from above in case Koichi tries to go vertical as an escape. Demonstrating teamwork and trust even between different groups of heroes, just like a proper Pro should.

13) “And there he goes… Yeah, I knew that would be the case, they didn’t even stood a chance

Really, no air support to intercept him even though everyone by now knows he can jumps around and is just a minute away from actually being able to fly. I retract my statement Tensei, turns out you are an idiot.”- Tensei’s group is highly-skilled at cooperating in large-scale operations on a level ground floor, but we’ve not really seen many of them that can fly well, if at all. In which case, Tensei’s ok with allowing other pros who have skills that cover that gap to step in to subdue Koichi if words or force won’t convince him to submit. It’s honestly not that different from the kinda tactics Izuku’s pulled off with 1A and their varied abilities before, showing how success requires more than one superhero who’s capable of covering all possible types of situation. 14) “TENSEI PLEASE DID YOU SERIOUSLY CAME ALL THIS WAY TO CATCH HIM AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN BOTHERED TO GET SOME INTEL ON WHAT HE CAN DO NOW?

HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE SKY EGG AND FIRES GEORG RAMPAGE, THE HEROES SHOULD HAVE KNOW WHAT HE CAN DO ALSO, WHO ELSE DID YOU RECRUIT FOR THIS”- The heroes did know what Koichi can do. That’s why Tensei outsourced some extra help this time around….

@thelreads

[aizawas-upper-left-wisdom-tooth]

Guess I can't do worse than the last guy...

AO3 Link

Ch 1

Trans lives matter. Don’t support JKR, even if the HP franchise is great. Don’t buy official merch and don’t support bigotry.

Chapter 2 (Got me spinin like a ballerina)

Yep, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got here. I think to myself as I dangle upside down in my floating baby walker. My mother charmed it so I couldn’t get out without her magical signature because I “keep getting into grown up things.” Honestly at this point she should just move all the dangerous or sensitive objects in another room if she doesn’t want me touching them.

With perfect vision, I glare up at the irritating device and contemplate some of my life choices. Thankfully the blurred vision really was just crappy newborn eyes and nothing more. In this recent escape attempt I was hoping some accidental magic would kick in and free my ass, but alas, all I have managed to do is make myself a fool… again… shocker, I know.

The walker is slightly off balance, due to the enchantments not really being designed to flip upside down. I’ve been stuck for the past 6 minutes or so, squirming and trying to get back upright so that I can try and get back to my personal mission of grabbing the mind arts book from my dear muhma’s expensive book collection. I would certainly love to learn those asap so that I don’t have a wizened old man with a terrible sense of fashion poking around in my head.

Slowly, the walker rotates lazily and spins me with it while I stare absently into the abyss of my own making. I knew I shouldn’t have insisted my motor skills were fine enough to drink my juice while studying “the big boy books” and yet here we are… Icarus and the Sun… doomed to repeat the cycle of unnecessary hubris until the sky herself collapses upon us at the end of time… and space… and I think the blood isn’t quite leaving my head anymore.

In the year and a half that I’ve been living as the rat’s ass himself, I’ve managed to impress quite a few people! And subsequently, have stopped impressing my mother who now takes every day in stride and sometimes gives me these looks as if wishing that she could convince herself to grab the giggle water again. I honestly have no idea how babies work and was able to keep my mouth shut a whole two months before slipping and insulting that mouth breather of a grandfather I have.  

The short, ugly, gourd of a man could have played uncle Vernon in another life. The only thing he really had going for him was that he actually knew how to not yell every other sentence, but that was about it. He oozed disappointment like the pink goo from Teletubbies. From what I could gather, dear old mumsie had a star-crossed lovers escapade with a muggle guy and had to dropped him as all of this pure blood bull shit got to be a little too in your face (Thanks Tom). Unfortunately, she was just a touch too late in her decision because 8 months later she’s giving birth to what would have been the second coming of Judas if it weren’t for my ass going full body snatcher on little Pete here. All of this I have learned via the sentient washed up Pillsbury dough boy I, unfortunately, have to call a grandfather now.

This common rain frog with control issues couldn’t go two seconds in my presence without making it well known just how disappointed he was in my existence. He kept on insisting that my grown ass mom had to do as he said and “put the ugly thing out back with the bins.” Enid, my saint of a mother, was trying to find the nicest way possible to tell her dad to shove his opinions up his ass to be with the other shit he’s made when he turned to me and told me… a two-month-old… that he couldn’t believe his daughter had allowed a “filthy little half breed” to even exist in the first place.

Honestly, the man set me up, I had no choice but to rock his shit with 4 simple words.

���Die mad about it.” I had dead paned while locking eyes with the human trash heap.

One of these days I would like to figure out how to frame memories. The traffic light red glow of the bastards face was dwarfed only by the brilliant beam of my mothers first genuine smile at me.

Enid, the poor thing, had some alcoholic tendencies that she had given up for me(presumably) when she found out she was pregnant. While she’s never told me this, context clues are far from lacking and the way she stares at her tea after a long day… well, I suppose it’s a good thing she can’t transfigure it into something stronger. Not that I can blame the lady, after meeting that ugly ass Boohbah of a man she had to grow up with, I can actually say I’m quite proud of her for not having gone harder on the substance abuse. Not to mention her mother who disdainfully ignored everything around her and looked like the walls of the cottage we live in were going to try and purposefully dirty her (clearly knock off) “high end” robes.

I still have no idea why mom-sickle had allowed them into her home, much less had them meet me. My best guess is that it had been some sort of last test for them to see if they could behave. The spoiled brats failed spectacularly and I haven’t seen the two oompa loompas since they stormed out though the floo. I had silently wished that they would be too huffy and insulted to remember the floo powder when stepping in the fire place, but no such luck I suppose.

Enid works as a seer at the ministry and even had a prophecy in front of me that I could’ve sworn was about the JFK assassination. Thankfully her friend, Lynda Tuberdrain, was over at the time for a “play date” with her daughter Kelsey, so they were able to get it on record in the ministry. I had taken full advantage of their fretting to sneak away from the boring 8-month-old I had been forced to share a blanket with in the garden next to the table our mothers sat at and managed to get to the small Horklump bed Enid was growing. The spikes had tensed out of the mushroom tops when I got closer and it stopped me in my approach. Lynda and my mother had found me leaning back and forth, mesmerized by the spikes flexing in and out while I did so.

I begin to let out a sort of wheezing sound as I reach the 10 min mark being stuck upside down, not unlike a dying…. Something. I’m not gonna lie, my brain is not feeling up to computing right now. I should probably make an effort to call for help before I die in a much more embarrassing way than the first time. I allow my throat to let out a large whine like that of a humpback whale(nice, still got it!) until I see Enid come around the corner. She freezes for a moment caught between shock and laughter before diving at me to help get me upright.

“I’m not gone for five minuets-!” She grumbles reprimandingly at me. I can barely hear the concern behind it as the blood begins to circulate my body again.

“liar!” I slur while she holds my head still to keep me from swaying too much. I cough once or twice while the world stops spinning. “You’s was gone LOT longer than that!”

She cringes at my severe lack of proper grammar, like she does every time I purposefully butcher the English language when I’m mildly upset with her. I really lay into the woes of life and her cruel nature of leaving me alone with that death trap of a walker so she could focus on dinner. Never mind that I’m more like a needy roommate than a baby and am usually perfectly capable of being on my own for hours(not that she would ever give me that privacy). By the end of it all, worry has left her face as she gives me her best withering deadpan look, that lets me know just how done with my shit she is.

“Are you hurt?” What should be a loving question comes off closer to a scathing statement without any real heat behind it.

“Yes.” I say, exaggerating the pout of my lip. I give her my largest and fakest doe eyes as I pat my chest above my heart. “Right here. Mothers lack of care for widdle Beby Pete hurtes so much! Beby Pete might not recover from the ouchies!”

Somehow her withering look deepens and she looks to be considering the pros and cons of the worlds latest abortion when she stands with her hand on her hip.

“You’ll live.” And with that she pulls out her wand and with a quick wave the walker is following behind her leading into the kitchen. I gasp dramatically and start on another bout of fake woes and tears dripping with sarcasm while I watch the bookshelf I had been trying for drift further out of my reach.

Magical houses are amazing and super different from one another! Each house or building I’ve been to has had its own unique spin or flourishes unique to the wixen that inhabited them. From color schemes to personalized carvings and door frames, each house and even buildings, molded themselves to the magics surrounding it. I had asked my mom about it a few months ago and she gave me a quick explanation… and then a longer explanation when I wouldn’t stop nagging her.

Wixen homes are made from materials that work well with magic. Different woods and metals that tend to absorb magic like a sponge overtime. Dwellings will often take on the attributes of the people living in them. This prosses can take years to happen naturally and often times will end up with a bit of an eclectic vibe due to the amount of people living in the house going up or down and the different magics used on the property or building itself. This really explains why places like the Black ancestral home can be so dark and hostel to strangers. It’s often said that you can judge a wixen by the state of their home, of course, that entirely depends on how long they’ve lived in the house and how much time they’ve spent there.

The Pettigrew cottage is beautiful. The previous owners had obviously been into herbology and warding. It felt a bit like a hobbit hole at times and I would make the direct comparison if not for how my mother has affected the house. She had bought it in disrepair a good 4 years before I was born and bits of her have seeped into the area over time from what I’ve seen of older photos.

Once large and round windows have started to take on a bit more of a sharp oval look. And the plaster and wood walls have begun to crack to reveal a grey brickwork underneath. The once cozier low ceilings have started to raise while the rafter stick out slightly more than before. Warm wood flooring has lost some of its color and I believe the rug from the living room has grown a few centimeters. Enid definitely has more of a castle vibe then the original cottage core that was going on. Ravenclaws and their towers!

I tapper off in my whining and busy myself with watching my mother cook. She’s never been the best at the practical side of magic, always exceeding in the theories and specifics. That being said, she almost never cooks or cleans with just magic and instead uses it as a passive aid more than anything. I watch things float and clean themselves with wonder. I never truly get tired of seeing this. One day, I’ll be able to do that! One day, it won’t seem so impressive… I can feel myself getting impatient and jealous and fall back on my usual method of distraction.

Tom…. Good old Tommy… He should be what, in his mid to late 30s right now? I think that’s about right. He was in his 50s-ish when he killed the Potters… I’m going to have to prevent that. I have to remind myself that these are real people, James… he could be my friend… Will we be friends? Will I even go to Gryffindor? I always thought I’d be in Slytherin, maybe Hufflepuff… Possibly even Ravenclaw, but Gryffindor?? Should I even try and be friends with the Marauders? They were bullies at times… but if I was there to rein them in, maybe they wouldn’t take things as far? Remus I definitely think we’ll be friends, but Sirius is... a bit of a wild card. That’s a whole lot of teenaged angst and rebellion I will have to handle, not to mention Wixen appear to be allergic to therapists and mental health awareness. Good lord, I’ll probably have to be the therapist mom friend!  

And fucking Tom! I don’t even know how many horcruxes he has right now! Do we kill him first and hunt horcruxes second while he doesn’t have a body and his death eaters panic? Can we even kill him? Was the Order of the Phoenix that incompetent or was Voldemort really just THAT powerful? My very presence here has shaken the world if I think about it. Without Peter betraying the Marauders, Harry doesn’t get his tragic backstory and kill Tom. So, did I just completely break that prophecy before it was even made? Will Harry even be born?

I always get nowhere with that line of thinking so I switch back to something I can plan for.

Right, so, I’ll definitely be fighting in this war if I can’t Manipulate, Mansplain, Manwhore Dumbledore into taking care of it before we graduate. And even if Tom dies for realzies before then, there’s no guarantee that one of his bull shit followers won’t take up the mantle like some fucked up version of a relay race. So my main focus has to be on learning all I can about magic before then and training my body to be ready… I wonder if I can convince Enid to put me in some muggle martial arts classes? OH! And Guns! MAGICAL GUNS! I’M GONNA MAKE SOME MAGIC GUNS!

I start chuckling to myself as I think about all the different possibilities for combining years of internet and DnD sessions for the most unhinged and yet still practical combinations of magic and non-magic fighting and/or prank ideas. Never mind my doubts of being friends with the marauders, they are going to love me and despair.

Vaguely, I can feel the weight of a concerned stare from my mother. I blatantly ignore her.

I do however, calm myself down and begin making a mental note on some ideas to circle back to.  Then I come up with a basic to do list of what goals I’ll be wanting to reach if possible.

Study like my life depends on it, because in all honesty, it does… and also magic is dope and I want to know EVERYTHING!

Begin training for physical fights, try not to minimax on magic because that’s how you get got!

Try and come up with some fun pranks/inventions! Even the most harmless of pranks can have their uses.

Don’t forget your roots! Enjoy the muggle side of society and keep an eye out for new ideas and fun places.

Come up with some school wide activities to promote inter house unity, try and break Toms access to new recruits!

Coming in at my second priority, just under kill fascist, racist, wizard Nazis… Find out how to kill/destroy dementors. Cause that’s just fucked up man.

Oh yeah. It’s all coming together.

Ch 3

[joshriku]

in x-men red 11 charles says, 'he was my oldest friend! he died in your arms!' to storm when talking about erik and i keep thinking about it, not just bc it's heartbreaking but also he wouldn't be able to handle that at all like if erik had died in his arms he would've exploded krakoa with his mind i think. so i talked to a friend and then wrote this small fic snippet about it!

“Please,” his voice trembles. “Please, you can’t do this to me.”

Erik coughs, and the cough breaks his heart. At an alarming speed, Charles is falling apart, trying to keep Erik together through sheer force. Blood drips out of his mouth, joining the rest of it pooling out of his chest, and Charles doesn’t know what to do. 

“Elixir,” he says weakly, clutching Erik in his arms like it could do anything. Half of him is willing to hold back his emotions, to not let everything swallow him whole; the other half is rapidly trying to come up with solutions. “You can still—I can get Joshua—”

Erik’s hand makes an attempt to cover its own. “No, old friend. It has to run its course. I can’t—” he coughs again. Charles is so very close to breaking down in sobs. “I’m not afraid of it.”

“I’m terrified,” Charles confesses, voice breaking. He’s smaller than he’s ever been. He was in a psychic warfare with the Eternals moments ago, but it wasn’t terrifying. It was—it was so nothing compared to this. His world is dying in his arms and there is nothing he can do. 

Or, rather, there is. There is so much he can do to save him.

He simply can’t. 

Erik tries for a smile. It’s tainted with blood, still. “I’m sorry.”

“No, please,” Charles tries again. “You don’t have—even if you—even if you die, I can bring you back. Without back-up, I can—your DNA, probably, I can—resurrection—”

“Without back-up, it’s my choice,” Erik tells him. He's looking more serene as the seconds pass by. Sickness settles in Charles' stomach immediately, panic seizing up. “It's—a matter of principle… you wouldn't go against my wishes.”

“Erik, please,” he tries again. His eyes sting. “Let me save you.”

A chuckle finds its way out of Erik. “You have new gods now,” he cites, a memory that feels like a millennia ago. “It always ends like this.”

“It doesn't have to.”

“Charles…” And, for a brief moment, it almost looks as if he wants to take it back. To let himself be saved. Before Charles can grip the sentiment and push, Erik lifts a hand and puts it against his chest. “I… you will be alone, with this dream of yours.”

Charles shakes his head, not sure what he's denying. Dreams don't mean anything, he wants to say. In the face of this horrible, awful reality, dreams mean nothing. 

“You don't believe that,” Erik smiles at him again. “I think—” he coughs, “—you are right.”

“What?” he breathes out. Why is Erik still smiling like that? Charles can't let go of him, his hands stuck to his body, trying to delay the inevitable. 

“They never stopped hating us, Charles. They never did.” He sobers up, briefly, like every breath hurts to take and it's enough to snap him out of his imminent doom. “We… all of us—all of us who are hated and feared—mutant or human—we must stand together, or we will be eliminated. Krakoa was a compromise. Our dream. But your dream, I—” Another deep inhale. “I think it's the right one.”

“Then stay,” Charles begs. All the chords inside his body are snapping one by one. “Let's see the dream together. You and I, like we used to. Please, Erik. Please. I—I can't lose you.”

He bows down further, resting his head against Erik's. He can't lose him. He can't. He can't—he can't, he can't, he can't, he can't—

“I'm sorry,” Erik answers so softly, like he genuinely regrets the pain this is causing him. “You are a good man, Charles. There's—there's no need to prove that to everyone, every day. You are good.”

It's odd, confusing, and Charles doesn't know what point he's trying to drive home—all he knows is that he's got a few seconds left. 

“Promise me you'll take care of yourself,” Erik's hand drops from his chest, tries to hold Charles' hand instead. 

Charles nods. “I—I promise,” and then, finally letting the last chords snap, “Promise you will, as well.”

“I'll be fine, wherever it is I end up, if I ever—” There's a pause. Erik goes very still, but his eyes focus somewhere Charles can't see. “Anya?” 

The chords wrap around Charles' heart and squeeze. He brings Erik's head closer to his chest and stops holding back his tears. 

“She's smiling at me,” Erik breathes. “She's—proud of me. Can you believe that, Charles?”

“Yes,” he answers quietly. He notices, a little too late, that Erik is crying, too. “Yes, I can believe that.”

His body is turning rigid. The warmest person in the world is slowly turning cold. 

“I'll be right there,” Erik mumbles. “I'll…” 

The sentence gets lost forever. 

Finally, finally, Charles snaps. 

[brw]

@dilfdoctordoom

talking about long hair i’m not forgetting that this dumb bitch is a fucking raccoon right now.

[heimdallsbraids]

Blood of Mine | Ch. 4 (Heimdall x fem!reader)

Summary: Life is pretty simple. Survive the harsh conditions of Fimbulwinter in Midgard, trade with your dwarven friends in Svartalfheim and – avoid the shit out of Odin’s most loyal lapdog? If word reaches the All-Father about your blood-bending origins, you’re doomed… (Hints of Avatar: TLA, but not a crossover)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Profanity, descriptions of violence

First chapter | Previous chapter | Next chapter

View on AO3

Chapter Four: Blunder

Early morning sunlight filtered through the windows, your eyes languidly following the little streams of dust particles that would glint and catch in the rays. The soft furs on your bed served as a nice warm layer to fend off the cool air that threatened to raise goosebumps over your skin, the motivation to get your ass out of bed wavering with each breath you took.

Eventually, you yawned and sat up, the furs drooping down to your waist as you stretched your arms high above your head. You were set to work with the cooks of The Great Lodge today, having already gotten a feel for the local markets over the past week. It would be your first time working in such a large kitchen, but you found yourself looking forward to it either way. The merchants had been plenty accommodating to you, and you’d even made some new friends to catch up with at the Black Thunder tavern sometime down the track.

Things were going surprisingly well.

Several timid knocks at the door startled you, and you hurriedly hopped around to tug your pants on.

“One second!” You called, taking a quick moment to brush your bed hair with your fingers. You’d just washed it last night, so thankfully, it sat pretty nicely in a low ponytail.

Upon opening the door, you were pleased to see a middle-aged servant carrying the last of your order from the tailor shop. Excited, you ushered her inside and helped organise them into your wardrobe. She seemed to find it odd that you were assisting her, but she offered you a small smile nonetheless before ducking out to continue with her chores.

You had to admit, you were pretty giddy with the new wardrobe you’d received, even if it was from a man like Odin. Now, you were happily set with several new tunics, pants, belts, boots and even a couple of dresses – the latter being a luxury you haven’t had the chance to wear in a while. The only downfall was that you now had much to pay him back for, despite his saying otherwise. It was a little too friendly, you thought; there had to be a catch.

Jörgen – the head cook – promptly greeted you as soon as you entered the busy kitchen. “Come, come,” he said, the ageing wrinkles on his forehead creasing as he fussed. “Let’s get you into an apron, and I’ll show you what to do.”

It wasn’t long before you were put to work alongside a few other kitchenhands chopping up and organising a plethora of fruits, meats, and vegetables. Just like the merchants, they were welcoming and had you included in their conversations in no time. After a few hours, however, your hands grew sore from the repetitive slicing motions, and you placed your knife down to massage your aching palms.

A young man with brown hair and hazel eyes, Amir, was quick to notice and sidled up to you, taking your remaining vegetables with a charming grin. “Thought you could use the assistance.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” you told him, a tad sheepish.

He winked. “You can thank me later.”

Stunned, you glanced around at the other servants as he prepped the food with the kind of speed only an experienced cook would have. Two girls were giggling with each other, one slapping the other’s arm and coughing once they saw you’d noticed. Was this guy… flirting with you?

Jörgen approached upon noticing the commotion and whisked you away to his station. He wanted you to prepare a small snack of your choice for Odin himself – under his inspection, of course. With no indication of the esteemed All-Father’s food preferences, you quickly caught on that it was a test of sorts and immediately set to work making a personal favourite of yours. Within the hour, you were ready to present your dish.

“Frida!” The cook beckoned forward a female servant passing by in the halls. “If you would please take this to the All-Father’s study. Hurry now. He’ll be waiting.”

Your mouth opened in protest as the servant hurriedly removed the dish from your hands, but she was already out the door before you even produced a sound. Wow, they really don’t mess around…

Unsure, you asked, “What if he doesn’t like it?”

“Then we’ll be in the shit,” Jörgen deadpanned, throwing a kitchen rag over his shoulder. At your horrified expression, he chortled, “Just joking! It’ll probably wind up on the dinner table for everyone else to eat tonight, though I doubt that will happen. You did good, kid.”

 “Don’t do that! The last thing I want is to get anyone in trouble…” You groaned, dragging a hand down your face.

The remainder of your shift went smoothly, and by mid-afternoon, you raced back to your room to change into some fresh clothes for your outing with Thrúd. Over the past week, the two of you bonded over your shared fascination with the Valkyries and planned to visit the training grounds together so you could watch them for the rest of the day. It would be your first time seeing them this close, so it’s safe to say you were pretty ecstatic.

Just like Mum, you reminisced, virtually skipping your way to the grounds.

The sounds of clanging steel and loud shouting greeted you first, then came the view of dozens of Einherjar spread out in groups of two. Thrúd spotted you and waved you over to where she sat on the high deck just above the fighting, and you joined her, dangling your legs over the edge. She filled you in on the two Valkyries leading today’s session, Hrist and Mist. Both were formidable warriors unmatched in their synchronised combat skills, bringing Asgard countless victories in battle.

“You’ll see Gnà around sometime,” Thrúd grinned, looking the most enthusiastic you’ve ever seen her. “She’s the new Queen of the Valkyries, and, boy, does she put on a good fight!”

You chewed on your bottom lip at the news, inwardly hoping that Freya was okay, wherever she was. You didn’t know her personally, but your mother worked very closely with her. Was she even alive? If so, where was she?

Your eyes followed Hrist as she slowly wandered around the field, monitoring the soldiers’ movements, razor-sharp wings glinting green in the afternoon sun. It was hard not to admire her. When you were younger, you dreamed of becoming one yourself, but your hopes were dashed once your true powers came to light. Your mother was absolutely adamant about your blood-bending remaining a secret to keep you safe from those who would dare use it against you.

“I’ve been meaning to ask-” the teen beside you began after a moment. “Where do you actually come from? I mean, you don’t exactly strike me as a full-Midgardian.”

 “What gives you that idea?” You asked.

“I dunno, you just seem… different, I guess? I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

You quirked a brow. “A mortal who’s different. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Hah, you know what I mean!” She chortled, nudging you in the side with her elbow. “I’m just saying, a lot of the Midgardians I’ve met are weird!”

“Sure, sure.” You laughed, mirroring her actions. You paused when she suddenly grasped your hand. “What?”

“You wanna go train for a bit?”

“What, in there? With them?” You jabbed an incredulous thumb towards Hrist and Mist.

She shook her head, standing up. “Nah, there’s another spot around the block. Come on!”

You jogged along with her as she led you to another training area. This one, though significantly smaller, was equipped with more practical equipment. Archery targets lined the back fence with countless markings and indents, while wooden training dummies were scattered throughout the area. A few were in dire need of replacement – some missing an arm while others didn’t even have a head.

“Is this where you usually come to train?” You asked, plucking a piece of hay stuck to one of the dummies.

She nodded her head. “Gotta put in the hard yards if I wanna become a Valkyrie!”

You stood back as she unsheathed her large blade from her hip, taking a swing at the dummy. The sword lodged into its’ side with a thwack before she withdrew it and widened her stance, ready for another shot. Slow clapping sounds approached from the entrance gate. There Heimdall stood, leaning his elbows over the top of the hardwood as he addressed you both with a shit-eating grin.

“Amateur hour, is it?” He sighed, folding his hands together with one final clap. “Figures you two would be the stars of the show.”

Thrúd instantly took the bait, storming toward her kin with a snarl. “I don’t see you training for anything these days. Getting too comfortable on the wall, huh?”

He snickered under his breath and extended to his full height with a tilt of his head. You were quickly learning that that was his non-verbal way of saying, ‘I’m gonna fuck around with you for a minute’. Thankfully, most of those cues hadn’t been aimed at you over the past week, which was surprising considering your last encounter. But, of course, that didn’t exempt you from a scathing remark every time he moseyed past you in the dining hall.

He entered the area deliberately, calculative – as if daring her to take a swipe. “Unlike you, I have actual responsibilities. Adult responsibilities, you see. You may find it hard to fathom since the All-Father hasn’t and – let’s be honest here – probably never will consider taking you on after your drunken failure of a father-”

It was as if an invisible string snapped, and suddenly, Thrúd was throwing punch after punch, missing every single one as Heimdall dodged side to side with ease, her blade long forgotten on the ground. You winced as he delivered a rough shove to the side of her head, throwing her off balance. She let out a frustrated growl as she clambered to the side, just barely catching herself before she tumbled to the ground. It didn’t take her long to correct herself, though, and she gained on him once more, this time aiming a boot towards his shin.

“Nope!” He taunted, using the hilt of his sword to ram against her knee.

A punch. Dodged. A kick. Deflected. A swing. Shoved.

You’d never seen Heimdall in combat before, but it was easy to see how infuriating he would be to go up against. His gift of foresight made it impossible for the girl to land a hit, let alone get close enough. He was clearly finding this fun, too, the ruthless sneer only growing on his face with each attack he evaded.

If it were anyone else, you would’ve found it amusing – Hel, attractive even – but with each second that went past, with each cuss word that flew from the teen’s mouth, you only found yourself growing more aggravated. Before you even realised what you were doing, your fingers twitched, and warmth flowed down your arms as you glared at the arrogant God taunting your friend.

Silence overcame the three of you as Thrúd finally managed to clip the side of his bicep with her enclosed fist. It wasn’t a particularly hard hit, as most of the momentum was lost already, but it was enough. Heimdall had faltered, unable to lean back far enough as you, for the slightest second, controlled the warm blood flowing through his lithe form.

Thrúd was practically gawking at her still-closed fist, holding it up in the air as if it would disappear at any moment. “What the fuck?”

Heimdall was livid, his glowing eyes sliding past his niece and straight over to you. He knew.

You gulped, pointing a finger to the entrance. “U-uh, I’m just gonna-”

It all happened so fast. The arrogant God was before you in a flash, his hand clamping over the sensitive junction between your neck and shoulders in a bruising grip. All of a sudden, you were being pushed forward, forced out of the training area, onto the main street and into what looked like an empty storage building.

He flung you to the side, slamming you into a stack of wooden boxes. You whimpered in pain as a sharp corner dug into your hip, your hands flying up in an attempt to hold the infuriated Aesir back. Fortunately, he halted, face close enough to feel his warm breath puff down your neck.

“You know, I couldn’t figure it out the first time I met you. Why I couldn’t see anything in that stupid little head of yours!” He yelled, eyes ablaze with fury. “And now, hah… you just gave yourself away, scum.”

You were frozen, mortified that you let your powers slip, that you used them on him, of all people, and that he caught on so damn fast. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you stuttered, shaking your head.

He slammed a fist into the box beside your head. “Don’t! Lie. To me.”

You twisted your neck to the side, clenching your mouth shut as he bore down on you, those bifröst eyes of his burning into your soul. What have I done?

“What, pray tell, is a blood-bender doing here in Asgard, hm? Enlighten me,” he spat, gripping your chin and forcing you to look up at him.

 “F-fuck, I’m just working, I swear!”

A scoff. “Was that supposed to be convincing?”

“It’s true!” You implored, muscles shaking from the strain of holding yourself up. “I own a small business with my Dad in Midgard; ask Odin!”

He looked thoughtful for a moment, his irises jumping between each of yours, searching. He pulled away suddenly, and you collapsed to the ground, your hands flying to nurse your aching hip. You watched as he dragged a heavy-looking desk across the floor with ease and perched himself upon it.

“The All-Father,” he shot you a pointed look, “-would never waste his time on a poor, useless excuse for a merchant for no reason.”

You swallowed.

The vicious smirk returned. “My guess is he probably already knows – or has an inkling, at least.”

“What does it matter anyway?” You deflected, using the boxes as a crutch to stand up on shaky legs. “You probably felt how weak I am. I can’t even control my own powers!”

He waggled a finger at you as if talking down to a child. “Ah, ah, ah! See, that’s where you’re wrong.” He pat his hand to his chest, “I believe you have complete control of your powers – my unable to see into your mind tells me that much. And yet, here you are, hiding in plain sight, no different to a common thief. Why is that?”

“I…”

“I know why!” He piped up loudly, making you jump. “You’re afraid of it, aren’t you? Terrified to utilise your own powers. Tch, pathetic.”

Silence enveloped the room. Even with his foresight denied by your powers, he was awfully perceptive, and it worried you. Were you really that easy to read?

One thing was running through your mind now, which you voiced instantly. “You can’t tell him…”

He actually laughed at that, but there was nothing joyful about it as he drummed his fingers against the edge of the table – as if itching to take you by the throat this time. “What makes you think I’d listen to the likes of you?”

Your shoulders drooped in defeat as you looked down. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just, please, don’t tell him.” You pleaded.

“Is that so?” He’d pulled away from the table now, approaching you with slow, calculating footsteps. “Do you even understand what you’re offering?”

You bit the inside of your cheek as you stared at his boots, deciding to try again. “I’ll do anything, just don’t tell him…”

Your chin was snatched up once again, though much calmer this time, but it was his eyes that had you shivering with hesitation as you gazed up at him. “You have no idea what you’ve signed yourself up for, sunshine.”

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

..."STAR-CROSSED LOVERS"??? YES.

Thank you so much @cheri-translates for translating Victor's SAND AND SEA DATE. You're an angel. 🥺🥺🥺

Now I'm gonna start blabbering since I've many feels about this date LOL~ 🙃

⚠️Warning: There are some spoilers regarding Victor storyline from the main story chapters that haven't been released in EN yet.

🌹

From "I won't save you a second time" [CH 1] to "I don’t need you to save me a second time." [The date in discussion]-- LOL as hilarious as this is, the irony.💯

Ngl this date felt like, the writers thinking since, under the context of the theme, the physical pain of time travel & crossing countless of dimensions & timelines is not possible-- let's just nearly kill him by spilling blood & dehydration but still we gotta nearly kill this man cause he wants to be in love.🙃

Idk why I'm getting so emotional LOL but there are so many call-backs I can remember on top of my head right now--

[The lines & moments from the date are indented & in bold letters.]

MC: "Victor, I’m helping you look for a water source. Let go!"

🌹 The sad broken cup scene from [CH 18-16], MC urging Victor to let go & him stubbornly refusing, until she gives in.

MC sacrificing herself to revive the river, part of it is to save Victor- other part of it is also for the greater good of the people in the city.

🌹 [CH 18-18] MC's monologue- "This time, put everything on my shoulder & let me be your hero one last time."

& sacrificing herself for the peace of the world even though it only made more chaos.

Victor releasing the hand that supported him at the edge & deciding to sacrifice himself with her. & the vow- "No matter what awaits you, I’ll be with you."

MC's monologue: "It turns out that no matter what the ending is, he’s willing to be with me."

[CH 18-28] Victor deciding to use the sundial watch one last time despite knowing that'd kill him for sure & might lead the world to perish as well. Dummy & Selfish in that moment. His final vow before MC disappeared, "No matter where you are, I'll always find you."

[CH 19-6 Dream World Victor route]

MC: "What if this really is a dream. Then what?"

Victor: "Then I'll turn it into reality."

[CH 25 phone call- In the Hospital]

"No matter what you are facing in other space-times...Wait for me."

[CH 36-10, after Victor returns from his 10K years time travel]

Victor: I thought you are never going to be afraid again?

His warm breath moistens my eyes. I inhale through my sore nose. Resisting the urge to bury my face in his chest, I look up, staring straight into his eyes-

MC: I will never be afraid again. Because you really came back. Victor is standing here before me like a treasure once lost and now found. What do I have to be afraid of?

Victor is stunned for a moment. The corners of his lips loosens a bit, while the contours of his face softened a lot. He raises his hand to wipe the wetness from the corner of my eyes.

Victor: It seems that this dummy has grown up a lot during this period. Listen carefully, I will never return to a world where you are not.

[CH 37 PV line]

"Whatever choice you make, I'll always be here."

[CH 37 karma by-line]

"I will accompany you on the road leading to the future."--

Basically the eternal insistence of him having an internal MC GPS tracker LOL ALWAYS being by her side.

Kidnapping incident.

🌹...[CH 30-7 to 30-10] Agio Street underground gambling den mission- wants to say a hello.🙋‍♀️

Abandoning the honor & glory of leading a comfortable life as a feudal lord to restore the river & to find the fateful couple, probably hoping to find his love too, but won't admit cause even if it's AU, he be like- "I'm still Victor" LOL

[CH 11 karma by-line]

"I won't let go of you & the world."

The physically-mentally painful exhausting wait & time travelling of 10K years, walking through endless dimensions & timelines, only to start from the very beginning every single time- hoping to find a way to save the world & protect the girl-- wants to say a hello too 🙋‍♀️

MC's monologue: Still, I want to have one more look at Victor… before leaving.

🌹 This specifically reminded me of a [CH 37-5 Victor split route] monologue from MC--

"It didn't matter what was waiting for me. I would face it with my head held high. Even so, I still wanted one last second...just one second. Let me call his name one more time...let me take a good look at him...just one last time..."

Victor: In that case, stay here. Stay by my side.

🌹 He has said the same sentence in different ways under various circumstances but one I can remember right now,

[CH 24-12 Black Cabin reunion]-- "But right now...Just stay by my side."

MC noting down how she always finds herself in his arms whenever she's fainting or getting in trouble. How Victor has been quietly taking care of her & protecting her. How the person before her walks in steady steps with forceful heartbeats.

When she was in her most depressing state [CH 18], he was there like the steady pillar of support, helping her in every way he could. He was pretty much the glue that kept her in one piece.

Again, in winter world, he stood by her side even as a stranger.

Not just these two incident, throughout the entire game, especially in the latter part of the story, they work together like partners, she learns to trust him with pretty much everything & they work through everything they can together.

Those few mentions in the date-- could be referred to how Victor has always been the constant source of warmth, encouragement, strength, support, protection in her life. No matter what world or when, he never really changes. He is still the same man. & His constant state IS choosing MC every single time.

Victor lies on the sand quietly, and it’s as though everything has returned to the beginning when we first met.

🌹 Indication towards how their storyline ALWAYS goes back to square one or comes in a full circle-- from Victor saving her from the car crash as a kid [& this being repeated many times afterwards, even in winter world], to the lightning incident [MC jumping in front of Victor both as a child & an adult], to both being in coma for week, staying in the hospital & taking care the entire time [MC in CH 11, Victor in CH 32], to stabbing each other countless times. [CH 18, CH 36-- & every other times Victor has seen those incidents happening before his eyes while time traveling.] *que tears*

🌹▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️🌹

I could possibly make a full blown essay which I already kinda have out of some other specific call-backs I can remember right now. Specifically the theme of the date being star-crossed lovers-

Legend tells of two lovers. Because of the pressures of their nations, they could not be together, and decided to drown themselves in a river for love.

Because of this, the River Goddess was enraged, and she cursed the land nourished by the river which was under her control. Since that day, the Socya River gradually dried up.

The Goddess left an exhortation-when the fateful couple reappears on this land, the river will be surge once again...

& This perfectly echoes the canon theme of Victor x MC storyline--

🌹 As in, Victor being someone who, objectively speaking, seemingly has everything & yet sacrificing practically everything--

[giving up over-seas university offers, staying in the city instead of moving abroad even though his business could be expanded more, relentless search of 17 years, appointing private detective for 6 years, building up Souvenir etc.]

--- to find MC & then in the mission of keeping her safe, even at the cost of his own existence. Trying everything beyond his limits to prevent the destined deaths of MC he has foreseen- from happening & it being doomed to no end every single time.

🌹 Every single time he had to give up the ONE thing he wanted to protect the most or wanted the most.

🌹 Both of them being so willing to put each other in the front line just to give each other happiness.

🌹 Another running theme of their storyline-- both of them keep losing each other countless times & then find each other again.

• Victor losing MC as a kid, finding her as an adult. Victor nearly losing her in CH 10.

• MC losing Victor due to the time rift in CH 14 & finding a way to contact each other through the sundial watch.

• Victor losing MC in CH 18 first-hand. MC leaving Victor behind in CH 19- dream world.

• CH 24 Black Cabin reunion & CH 27 OG timeline reunion

• MC nearly losing Victor in CH 32, due to him going to coma

• MC losing Victor in CH 34 due to Victor going on the time-travel journey of 10K years

• Final reunion in CH 36 [Then we have the journey to S2. But that's a whole new discussion.]

🌹So...both of them being able to truly be with each other is actually-- defying fate & writing their own destiny. *SOBS*

🌹I wanna end my blabbering with two precious moments from [CH 36- Victor split route] that echoes this theme even more.

MC: "I've always chased after your silhouette and I was never afraid. Because I know you'll always be there waiting for me. Victor, if you really disappear... I will be with you, and we will both be forgotten by the world."

MC's monologue: "Victor, once we have crossed countless dimensions and futures, and returned to each other’s embrace. If everything has to disappear with time, as dust into the wind... Then, I'm glad that we have our final promise."

[She's referring to the promise she made of being forgotten by the world to be with him & the promise Victor made earlier to never leave her again.]

[brw]

One World Under Doom #4

[armpirate]

RED || Jungkook | Ch. 11

MASTERLIST Previous ||  Next

Pairings: Demon!Jungkook x fem!reader  

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, fantasy, past life

Warnings: Explicit language, mention of death and suicide, demonology, violence, rough sex

Summary: Y/n thought her life couldn't get worse after losing her parents in a tragic accident. Years after, she's aware of everyone moving forward, while she's in the same place, isolated and alone. She struggles to find meaning in a world that seems indifferent to her grief. Desperate for comfort, to feel the deep connection she had been missing, she starts the manifestation, expecting an inoffensive entity to walk with her that rough path. What she doesn't know is that she awoke the mysterious entity tied to an old necklace around her neck.

Jungkook, a mysterious and seductive figure, appears in her life, offering the company she craves. But as his presence grows stronger, so does the unsettling sense that there's more to him -and the necklace- than meets the eye, unfolding all the reasons that took him to that place.

Now, as the past bleeds into the present, Y/n must fight with her growing feelings for the demon who seems familiar yet dangerous. Jungkook is determined to reclaim his power, but in doing so, he may doom Y/n once again. Bound by fate, the two are locked in a dangerous mix of love, redemption, and the looming threat of destruction. 

Will they break the curse that has haunted them both, or will history repeat itself with devastating consequences?

Chapter duration: 12 minutes

The first thing Y/n registered when she woke up was that something felt off. For a moment, her sleep-addled brain struggled to place it, but then reality came crashing down.

Right. He was still here.

She rubbed her face with both hands, groaning into her palms before dragging herself out of bed. Maybe -just maybe- he had taken the hint, realized he didn't belong here, and vanished into thin air like some polite supernatural entity would.

But as she looked better into the area where the small living room was placed, her hopes were immediately and violently crushed.

There, sprawled across her couch like he had personally paid rent, was him. In her robe.

Her pink, fluffy, questionable-life-choices robe.

One leg was slung over the armrest, his head propped up on a pillow, flipping through TV channels with the boredom of a man who had seen every possible outcome of existence. He barely spared her a glance before settling on a cat documentary and sighing dramatically.

—Oh, look. This one just discovered fire.

Y/n blinked.

—What the hell are you still doing here?

Jungkook clicked his tongue, finally looking at her with an expression that screamed, Wow, you're slow.

—Existing? Suffering? Thinking about how many different ways humans disappoint me?

Y/n was not in the mood for this. Not after last night, not after running for her life, and definitely not after waking up to a demon wearing her damn robe.

—You were supposed to come with me today —she reminded him, crossing her arms.

Jungkook stretched lazily, letting out a noise that was far too comfortable for someone who wasn't even supposed to be here.

—Hmm… Yeah, about that… —he looked up at her with a slow smirk— No. You go, I stay. You bear with the lame way humans have managed to live like, and I stay here… Living life like it's supposed to be lived.

She inhaled sharply and counted to three. It did absolutely nothing for her sanity.

—Fine. Then stay here.

Jungkook arched an eyebrow.

—Alone?

—Yes, alone. That means no following me, no touching my stuff, no opening the door, no talking to people, no…

—You forget something —he interrupted, sitting up and tilting his head like a cat about to cause problems on purpose.

Y/n narrowed her eyes.

—And what's that?

Jungkook's smirk widened.

—My little fan club from last night? Might still be watching.

For a second, Y/n felt her stomach drop. The eerie figures from the mall, the whispered warnings, the fact that they had seen her…

Jungkook knew the exact moment she hesitated. He grinned like the bastard he was, and Y/n only wanted to throw something at his head -hard enough to erase his existence.

—Ah, there it is —he said, leaning back as if he had already won—. That tiny flicker of fear. Cute.

Y/n clenched her jaw, murder flashing in her eyes, but Jungkook had already stretched his arms above his head with a victorious sigh.

—Guess I have to go with you after all. Tragic, really.

And just like that, he turned the tables to make it seem as if she was the one who needed him there, instead of just forcing him to go wherever she went because she just couldn't trust him. At all.

She hated him. She really, really did.

—You are the worst thing that has ever happened to me —she muttered.

Jungkook hummed, not even offended.

—That's fair. Now go make me coffee.

She complained as she clenched her jaw, but she still turned on her feet to head to the kitchen and, indeed, prepare him a coffee.

It was cute, actually.

In his past manifestations, he had to beg for some attention, for the minimum things to keep up with a bearable subsistence while he was in that realm. And, even then, he found himself struggling, always being reminded he wasn't the one in control before he was thrown away like a broken toy nobody could play with any longer.

But Y/n… She was a good person. He could see through her eyes her pure sould and kind heart, which made him wonder even more why she manifested him in the first place.

Y/n regretted taking him with her immediately

Y/n regretted taking him with her immediately.

First, it was the subway.

Jungkook complained the entire way.

—Why are we underground again? It doesn't make any sense. Isn't there enough space outside? This is beneath me…

—Literally —Y/n deadpanned.

But he wasn't done.

—This is a disease-ridden, mechanical coffin for the poor.

—Oh my god, shut up.

She had tried ignoring him, but he scoffed at everything. The smell, the flickering lights, the existence of other people. He even flinched when someone accidentally brushed against him.

—They're touching me. Why are they touching me? Do they know what I am?

—Because that's how public transportation works —Y/n hissed—. And fuck, they're so lucky not to know you at all…

—No. This is how suffering works.

By the time they reached campus, she was already exhausted. But the moment they stepped onto university grounds, she realized this was the real problem.

Jungkook moved like he owned the place.

Even in the crowd of students, he stood out.

It wasn't just his appearance -though that was definitely part of it. The sharp jawline, the piercing gaze, the way he made the cheapest clothes in the department store look like the most expensive outfit. Even with his new clothes, he still looked like royalty slumming it among commoners.

And people noticed.

Girls whispered as he walked by, guys side-eyed him like he was some celebrity they couldn't quite place.

—Who is that?

—Is he a new professor?

—Nah, too young… right?

—Okay, but why does he walk like he has a personal army?

Y/n felt secondhand embarrassment just existing next to him, and just then she was realizing what a bad idea it was to take him with her at all. She was starting to think that having her neighbors scared away every day and finding her house restructured wasn't too bad of a thing anymore -if she had to compare.

—For fuck's sake, could you just… not?

Jungkook didn't even look at her, he was too busy overhearing the comments that were being made about him.

—Not what? Be stunning? Unavoidable? Perfect? Irresistible? Let me tell you it's in my nature as the thing you manifested.

—Just be normal.

Jungkook made a face like she had just offended his entire bloodline.

—I'd rather die.

Y/n groaned, rubbing her temples as she led him through the campus. She tried to convince herself how it wasn't that bad "This is fine. I'll just keep him out of trouble, get through the day, and…"

Then Jungkook stopped walking.

Y/n turned back, already irritated, only to find him standing completely still, staring at a lecture hall.

Inside, a professor was giving a lecture, gesturing towards the screen as students scribbled notes through one of the doors that were half opened.

Jungkook didn't move, he actually couldn't quite pick the moment he stopped walking to stare at the scene.

His gaze lingered on the professor, sharp and unreadable. Serious, yet at the same time he was approachable. And, even better, he was able to help those young people learn something that could be -or not- useful, but that would definitely help them move forward into new things.

"True wisdom is not in what you know, but in how you inspire others to learn". He blinked at that sentence, not knowing where exactly it came from, but feeling it itching in the back of his head.

For the first time since they arrived, he looked… intrigued.

Something about it made Y/n pause, wondering if he saw something like it happened the previous day at the mall.

—Something wrong? —she asked.

Jungkook took a long moment before answering, unable to move his eyes away from the gentle gestures the professor was making as he spoke.

—No… —his voice was distant, thoughtful— It just feels… familiar. I don't know.

Y/n frowned but didn't insist on knowing more. She certainly didn't bother asking or interrupting his bubble. She just waited there, and she finally peeked through the door to find nothing special.

Jungkook blinked, shaking himself out of whatever trance he had been in the second she stepped closer. When he met her eyes again, the intrigue was gone, replaced by his usual air of smug superiority.

—This place is laughable —he muttered, striding forward again—. Come on, I need coffee if I'm going to survive this.

And just like that, the moment was over.

Y/n had barely survived the morning with Jungkook glued to her side

Y/n had barely survived the morning with Jungkook glued to her side.

He had been insufferable during the lecture. First, he kept tapping his fingers against the desk in an annoyingly rhythmic pattern. Then, when that didn't get enough of a reaction, he started whispering snide remarks about the professor's voice -mimicking it under his breath with an exaggeratedly dull tone.

—And so, as we analyze the key elements of human philosophy —Jungkook droned mockingly.

Y/n elbowed him in the ribs. It wasn't like she cared about that professor's feelings, but she needed to be able to focus to get her notes right. And that thing next to her wasn't making it any easier for her.

— Shut up.

—You shut up —he shot back, grinning—. You're just mad because I actually understand this stuff better than you do.

—If you're so damn smart, why don't you take notes?

—Because that'd be doing your job.

He simply smirked, leaned back in his seat, and stretched like he had all the time in the world.

— And I don't need to. It's not like I'm going to need a degree. That's your thing.

By the time the lecture ended, Y/n was already regretting bringing him along. But now, she had to deal with the next challenge: lunch.

She had barely sat down in the cafeteria when her friends zeroed in on Jungkook like vultures spotting fresh prey.

—Who is that?

—Oh my god, is he new? Why haven't we seen him before?

—He looks like the typical bad boy in a movie in the 2000s…

Jungkook, ever the attention-seeker, smirked as he took a seat beside Y/n, stretching out like he owned the place. He hadn't even introduced himself yet, and he already had them in the palm of his hand.

Y/n groaned inwardly, it was just the reaction he was used to receiving. It was his nature, it was why he existed.

—Guys, this is… Jk —she said reluctantly, thinking for a second on how to name it.

She spent like a minute trying to convince herself that those two letters would sound well enough to avoid unnecessary questions.

—Jk? —one of her friends echoed—. Just JK?

—Just Jk —he confirmed smoothly, flashing them a lazy grin.

—Where does it come from?

But before that question could be answered, Mark leaned over to look attentively at Y/n.

—So, how do you two know each other?

Y/n opened her mouth to answer, but, of course, Jungkook got there first. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping into something low and teasing.

—Fate.

Y/n shot him a glare so sharp it could've cut glass, but her friends were already eating it up.

Of course they were.

—Fate? —one of them repeated, eyes wide with intrigue.

—Oh, that's so romantic.

—So, what are you? Some kind of mysterious soulmate that popped out of nowhere? —the snort was quickly followed by a serious expression— No, seriously. I want a man like that.

Jungkook smirked, resting his chin on his hand.

—Who's to say? —he quickly looked at her— Your little friend right here might be helpful to you then. Right?

Y/n resisted the urge to strangle him.

—It's not fate —she corrected, crossing her arms—. He's just… new. We met at the library today, and it seems like he took a little bit longer to show his face in class.

—Really?

Jungkook simply puckered his lips, shrugging his shoulders as he let Y/n deal with it by herself, since she was that good at making up stories.

—He told me he's also looking for a place, since he's new in town. So he's staying with me.

Now, that got a reaction.

—Staying with you?

—Like, living with you? In that small studio you're staying at? There's only one room. Not even room. Like… your house is your room.

—Y/n —Mark gasped—, is there something you're not telling us?

Jungkook leaned back, smug as ever, watching with amusement as Y/n struggled to dig herself out of the hole he had created.

—It's not like that —she groaned.

—Sure —Jungkook murmured under his breath, just loud enough for only her to hear—. Whatever you say.

Y/n barely resisted the urge to stab him with her fork. She was managing to get out of the situation -at least, almost-, and Jungkook's comment just made them look at her even more suspicious than before.

This was going to be a long lunch break.

The walk back home was quieter than Y/n had expected. She kept waiting for Jungkook to make some snide remark about how dull the day had been -how humans were predictable, how university was a waste of time, how he was better than to go places using his feet, or how her friends basic and easily guided by gossip, how he was so above all of that.

But instead, he was silent.

They had stopped at the university gates, where the golden hues of the sunset cast long shadows over the campus. The usual chatter of students heading home faded into the background, leaving them in their own little bubble of stillness.

Jungkook stood next to her, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, his gaze fixed on the sky.

The orange and purple streaks in the clouds reflected in his dark eyes, and for once, he looked… almost peaceful. No arrogance. No teasing. From that perspective, he definitely looked like that college crush you'd hope to go on a date with.

He was just being thoughtful. And it was calm.

Y/n tilted her head, watching him with curiosity.

—Did you learn something today? —she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Jungkook didn't respond right away. He exhaled softly through his nose, his lips pressing together as if debating whether or not to answer honestly. Then, without looking at her, he spoke.

—More than I expected.

His voice was lower than usual. Quieter.

Something about the way he said it made Y/n's stomach twist -not in fear, not in irritation, but in something she couldn't quite name -because she couldn't understand it.

She wasn't used to that version of him. The version that wasn't constantly trying to get under her skin. The version that didn't wear his cocky smirk like armor and that kept acting as if he was superior to everyone around him.

She wanted to ask him what he meant. What exactly had he learned? Why did he look so lost in thought?

But for some reason, she hesitated.

Maybe it was the way the light hit his face, softening his sharp features. Maybe it was the rare quiet between them, a moment she didn't want to ruin with questions.

Or maybe… maybe she was afraid of the answer.

So instead, she let the silence stretch a little longer before nudging his arm lightly with her elbow.

—Well —she said, offering a small smirk—, don't go getting too smart on me. I don't think I could handle a know-it-all version of you.

Jungkook finally looked at her then, blinking as if she had pulled him out of deep thought. His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smirk, but not quite a smile either.

—Too late —he said, his usual playfulness creeping back in—. I was already a genius to begin with.

Y/n rolled her eyes, but the weight in her chest didn't fade.

As they started walking again, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to him than he let on.

And for the first time since meeting him, she found herself wondering… Who was he before all of this? Before becoming that demon trapped in that necklace?

Taglist: @vsr4197 , @aznstoner

[ginkgomoon]

Hello there! I hope everything is going well with you. (・∀・)

I have some questions. In CH 30 & 32 the Time Observer mentioned about the "price being too heavy/dear" & he mentioned that he never expected for Victor to choose that method to prevent the crisis. I was wondering what price is he talking about & what's "the method" he mentioned? & Victor collapsing in CH 32 was not from hitting the bullet I believe. What exactly happened there?

Also...I don't know the details but I think I saw it somewhere that Victor goes through different timelines & dimensions for 10000 years in the later part of the story...? I remember reading it in a R&S that every time he crosses a dimension he'd experience soul crushing pain... The mere thought of doing it for so long honestly made me feel traumatized. I was hoping you could give me some insights as to what exactly he was doing.

I hope I'm not bothering you with tons of questions & they made sense. Thanks a lot in advance! Have a good day! <3

Hello!!

Thank you, you too! :)

I hope I helped answered your questions here. It's quite long, so enjoy the read!

I did Victor’s Time Observer analysis and I’ll be heavily referencing that post to help answer this particular ask. Big thank you to @cheri-cheri and @ey8508 for help clarifying some of my thoughts concerning Victor this chapter! Spoilers down below! ⏱

“With great power comes great responsibility.” -The Peter Parker Principle

We all know Victor bears great power, but also with that comes great responsibility. He is the sole individual who has the will and power to alter time and space, however this develops drastic consequences to his health and to history- all for his love for MC.

Victor doesn’t care about this price- he is more concerned with whether he can prevent the death of the girl in every unpredictable future.

“The person who can save the world… is not me, but her. As for myself, I know my ending line and how much pain I can bear better than anyone. I would rather take such a risk.” -Chapter 35-36 Rumours and Secrets

Chapter 30-6

Victor is seen to be flanked by bodyguards on Adagio Street. Moments later, in a pure white space, we see the Time Observer addressing Victor.

I stood in the centre of the street, looking hesitantly around, but I was unable to spot that familiar figure.

In the dead of the night, from the distant horizon, there seemed to come the sound of a mechanical little violin.

In a boundless, pure white space, the music would be at time peaceful and solemn, and at others somber and mournful. After the final note, that pair of tightly-closed eyes opened.

The Time Observer looked at Victor, neither showing surprise.

That pale white hand brushed lightly over the violin strings, and his gravelly voice spoke up with the pluck of the string.

TO: “The natural rules of operations no longer supply. This world… in memory is a turbulent past and in imagination, there is no serene future. She should have stayed in that world. Her return was a mistake.”

Victor: “If you’re still here that means we still have a chance.”

TO: “A chance that comes at such a heavy cost. Is it really worth it? You will soon understand, in some things, you are doomed to helplessness. Try with all your might, and yet, it remains out of reach.”

Victor: “I won’t let her die again. No matter when."

This will foreshadow future events such as in Chapter 32, where Victor shows a demonstration of this.

Chapter 32-6

Amidst the scattering glass shards, I saw a number of bullets flying towards me.

Only one thought ran through my mind.

Am I going to die?

Chapter 32-8

In the darkness, a crack suddenly splits open, and a blinding light appears, obscuring my sight. My heartbeat practically came to a standstill, the pain I expected never came. The blinding light disappeared, instantaneously replaced by darkness.

Time seemed to pause for a second.

The pitch black bullets, the fractured glass, the car in mid-air…

And then it fell all heavily to the ground.

And in this moment, Victor challenged “fate”, or rather, the “natural rules of operations”, stated by the Time Observer.

I reached out and grabbed the black clothing fluttering before me. Even my voice was trembling.

MC: “Victor…”

I looked in a daze at the man before me, at those fierce eyes beneath his wind-blown hair.

He was looking back at me, as if trying to etch me into his eyes with his deep gaze. But there was another emotion hidden within as well.

After confirming he was unharmed, I let out a sigh, then looked anxiously into his eyes.

MC: “What are you doing here?”

Victor: “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

But this time, his voice was flat.

MC: “I’m sorry… but I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m not unaware of the danger… I must simply stay and stop them.”

I hastily wanted to get Victor out of danger, but his feet were planted firmly. I looked up, to get a look at his expression.

His voice was steady, stopping me in my tracks.

Victor: “I see.”

MC: “You really believe I can stop them?”

Victor: “I said before, even if you don't trust yourself, always trust me. I won’t do anything I'm not sure I can handle. Go what you think needs to be done.”

He patted the back of my head lightly, with a hint of tremor in his voice. He didn’t ask me or stop me, as if he already knew the choice I’d made.

So, while the STF agents and runaway Evolvers were battling, MC was literally going to die at that moment. But Victor enters- using his Evol to stop time, ultimately stopping the bullets and MC’s death.

I whirled around, hoping to catch sight of him.

MC: “Victor!”

I wanted to tell him I’d done it, that I really had prevented this crisis.

A faint worry floated up in my chest. What about Victor?

Medic: “Someone, come quick! There’s another person here!”

I turned and hurried to the end of the bridge.

I then quickly found him.

Ringed by a crowd of people, there he was, the person I would recognise anywhere.

It was…

I halted my steps for a moment, then ran to him without hesitation.

I broke into a panic.

Chapter 32-10

Victor… What happened to him??

I pushed the crowd aside and frantically ran to him.

His face was pallid, eyes squeezed shut, his hair plastered messily to his forehead with sweat. I grasped his hand, unable to believe how icy cold it felt to the touch.

MC: "How could you… Why did you…”

Just then, those eyes shut with pain cracked open. He pursed his lips and then coughed violently, blood started trickling out. Even like that, he still chuckled weakly.

Victor: “I used to think… that your problem was that you thought you could control fate all by yourself. Stubborn, self-reliant, in over your head. Whenever anyone tried to tell you anything, no matter what they said, it was always in one ear and out the other.”

Although it sounded a little weak, his voice was unusually calm, and didn’t really even pause or halt. Almost if, if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to start again.

Victor: “But I really did learn a little something from you. You are the thing unto yourself, so only know the best what your values and decisions should be. No one can guide you. And just like I can’t hold you back, you also can’t change this decision that I’ve made. Don’t ask why, this time, just let me say my piece.”

His voice grew weaker, but he managed to lift his right hand and place it over mine.

I clasped his hand, and a feeling of suspense and dread came over me like I'd never felt before.

MC: “I know… I know… You don’t have to say more.”

He was afraid of something, but not because his life was slipping away. It was more like… something would happen.

Victor closed his eyes, completely exhausted. I squeezed his hand tighter, as if trying to hang on to those remnants of warmth.

You have to make it through this.

A man standing by the riverside swiped his hand through the fog, swiped his hand through the fog, stirring it up into an erratic vortex.

Zero: “Did he actually…”

TO: Like I said before, he is the most suitable candidate.”

Zero: “But he refused to help us open the Door of Return.”

TO: “Perhaps it’s only temporary, and he’ll change his mind. I didn’t imagine he’d choose this method for preventing this crisis. Too bad… the price was so dear.”

After Victor saves MC from death, she finds him on the ground- pale and in terrible pain. Throughout Victor’s time with MC, we slowly see the influence he has on her- and the influence she has on him. He tells her that while she shoulders everything on her own and never listens to anyone, she did teach him things in the process. With her love and kindness, she strives to defy “nature's course” and saves worlds. Literally.

You were correct, Victor didn’t suffer injuries from the bullets because he stopped them just in time but Victor is overusing his Evol, and it’s gradually taking a toll on his body. Even back before MC crossed over to the Winter World, Victor was trying to find other alternative ways for MC to live and not sacrifice herself. Unfortunately, there were none. He did also suffer immense pain whenever he time traveled, especially when it led to his time travel pocket watch cracking and breaking in the end.

Victor would normally be practical and very principled in how he executes his plans, but this time around, it was him. This- he- was the plan. That's it. This is similar to how Victor opened a time rift to send MC away in Chapter 18- to somewhere and sometime in space. He waited for her to come back with the help of the Time Observers to confirm her safety. Only someone with his powerful Evol could do that, otherwise they’d risk losing consciousness in the “Time Rift”.

Additionally, he held onto that hope that MC could and would be saved in the end, like how he tried to find her for 17 years after the orphanage incident, not knowing whether she was dead or alive. Victor wants to wield that control, denying “helplessness” and “winning all the bets” he had with MC prior to her “death” in Chapter 18. Victor stated that if she couldn’t trust herself, then she should trust him and his decisions to protect her. Even if it’s detrimental to his health. Life-threatening, even. Because in the end, Victor knows he will always win. He just does.

And since he knows that he won’t be able to stop MC from doing what she wants, we now see him fully embracing then acting upon it. He accepts that she’s her own person and he has grown to have so much faith in her, seeing how she successfully survived Winter World then coming back home safe. It’s almost like- “okay. It’s you and me against the world”.

On the sidelines, Time observer and ZERO both observe, surprised that Victor will pay such a high price to avoid MC’s death from occurring- with the risk of his own. Could they have lost their most powerful time Evolver from this incident?

Though, we shouldn’t be surprised that the Time Observers think that Victor would be so foolish to use his Evol up to the point where it would actually kill him just to save MC. It's literally in their name- “Observers''- they haven’t and aren’t even allowed to actively participate in the events that happened in Loveland, let alone the different histories and worlds that existed, other than claiming to “correct it” by influencing other people who can. They don’t appear to have this kind of empathy in understanding Victor and why he wants to save MC’s life, or how important she is to him.

“You misunderstand. We never alter, we are correctors of history. We want you to join us, your power’s scope of influence has already surpassed the dimension of this current world. Before you are rejected by it…”

Victor: “I will not leave this world.”

“Even if you’ve seen the future of what is all to pass?”

Victor: “No matter what happens, the person I’m seeking for is right here.” -Black Curtain: Chapter 6

Also taken from my Time Observer Analysis-

Since Victor’s Evol is strong and has the capability to do more than “observe” like the Time Observers, he is the one who is deemed the most suitable and more responsible for “grasping the time in the past and the future”. Ever since STF found out about Victor’s Evol, they wanted him to cooperate with them too. Every time he stops time, certain surrounding energy and space changes.

The organisation also entertains the idea of fate, and how things should be refused to be changed. Since they have “seen the future of how the world ends”, they want Victor to cooperate with them in making it stop. Nobody can rewrite the ending among them, except him. Victor refuses to join because he doesn’t adhere to this idea.

“QUEEN’s return has brought unexpected consequences; the entire collapse of the world is ahead of schedule. The world’s line has come to an end, no matter through time or space, we can no longer interfere in this world.” Was there a difference in letting each world go to the end alone to close all the world lines in the future directly? Although we found a breakthrough, this situation really caused us a lot of headaches: she who should not have survived and she should not have been sent to other worlds. As a result, it would seriously interfere and disrupt the timeline. No one had done it before, and no one except Victor could do it.

In disbelief, we weighed it and threw the olive branch- as long as he is willing to cooperate, we will help him find her. As decisive as he was to refuse a few times before, this time he had promised me without thinking. And for a moment, I didn’t know if his decisiveness was good or bad. -Chapter 33-34 Rumours and Secrets

Victor "travelling ten-thousand years in the future" was mentioned in his Chapter 35-36 Rumours and Secrets. The Space and Time Administration (who the Time Observers were under) could "repair his abilities", after he stopped the bullets from hitting MC. He would have to stay there for the Space and Time Administration's time duration of ten-thousand years. Victor accepts. (BIG THANKS TO @cheri-cheri FOR CORRECTING ME LAST MINUTE WITH THIS ONE, YOU AMAZING HUMAN!!)

[baepsaesbae]

Heal Me, Kill Me Ch.4

Pairing— Kim Taehyung x reader

Genre— Vampire!Taehyung x Vampire Hunter!reader, ANGST, mild smut +18, comedy (i tried), fluff in this chapter

Warnings— Unprotected explicit sex, fingering, blood mentions, death, 

Word Count— 6.9k (nice)

Summary— You’re one of the best vampire hunters in the world. That’s to be expected when your parents are the best of the best. Your life had solely revolved around ruthlessly killing vampires, making you a cold blooded machine. However, things take a turn once you meet Kim Taehyung, your latest target.

A/N— Huge shoutout to @dee-ehn for this beautiful banner! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think! Things are starting to get spicy~

The chilly crisp air that once gently kissed your cheeks had transformed into a biting cold that gnawed at your bones. Dread began to settle in as Taehyung led you by the hand, blissfully unaware of the daunting job you’ve been tasked with. You knew you should have killed him right away, but you couldn’t help yourself. You were well aware of the consequences, and now it is time to face the repercussions. 

Your jewelry was prepped and loaded with your special poison that consisted of neurotoxins from the deadliest animals. Pufferfish, scorpions, and king cobras were among the lethal mix. You had also laced your anointed silver dagger with the poison, as you would need every advantage you could get to combat Taehyung's strength.

“Would like some tea to calm your nerves, darling?” Taehyung asked sweetly.

“Yeah, that might help,” you shot him a meek smile.

Taehyung nodded and kissed the back of your hand before leaving you to make the tea. His sweet gesture made your heart sink. How could you possibly kill this man? The one and only person you’ve ever loved in your life? Well, even though he was not technically a person, no one had ever made you feel so loved before.

Taehyung quickly returned with hot tea and you gratefully let the cup warm up your hands. He pressed his cold hand against your forehead to check for any sign of illness.

“I’m fine, Taehyung,” you assured him.

“The air is getting colder. This is the opportune time for pestilence to strike,” Taehyung chided.

“Ok dad,” you rolled your eyes at him. God, you’re gonna miss this silly banter.

“I thought girls address their significant others by ‘daddy’ now?” he innocently asked, causing you to nearly spit out your drink.

“Some girls yes, but not in this instance. It’s more of a kink,” you explained.

“So was Freud correct in his reasoning?” Taehyung questioned.

“Well, yes and no. I don’t know. His theories are stupid and sexist. I hate that guy,” you concluded.

“I’m inclined to agree, he was rather odd,” Taehyung nodded wistfully.

“You act as if you actually knew him,” you scoffed, knowing damn well that he probably did meet him at some point.

“Of course not, that would be impossible. How old do you think I am?” he tried to joke with you. The subject of time and age always seemed like a touchy subject for him (and rightfully so). 

“We’ve been over this. You’re probably centuries old or some shit. You always talk like some old timey character in a cheesy period film.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not necessarily,” you smiled at him. 

You really should stop dragging this on. It’s only going to cause more pain. Well, maybe spending just one more day with him wouldn’t be too bad. Nothing you do now is going to avert the pain. You might as well make this final day count.

“Darling?” you asked after a moment of silence.

“Yes, my love?” Taehyung gazed softly at you.

“Can you cuddle me all day? And make me feel like the most loved girl in the world?”

“My darling, you are the most loved girl in the world. Nothing in this realm can ever diminish my affections for you,” Taehyung tightly embraced you.

His kind words made you shed a silent tear. You will cherish every last second you had left with him. And that you did. The rest of the day was spent bundled up together under the warm covers of his bed watching Peaky Blinders. You insisted that he finish all of the episodes that day (which was a silly notion to him, but he obliged nonetheless). 

It was late afternoon by the time the show was completely binged, and now your stomach was growling relentlessly. 

“Hungry?” Taehyung chuckled.

“I believe so,” you clenched your stomach.

“I’ll go whip up some quick sandwiches then. Would you like some tea as well?”

“I can make the tea, you just handle the food,” you ordered.

“As you wish,” Taehyung complied.

It was time. You brewed the tea as you normally would, making sure you acted as if everything was okay. Just like you did before, a quick motion was all it took to pour a lethal dose of your special concoction into Taehyung’s tea. 

There was no turning back now. Taehyung happily brought the sandwiches to the table. You smiled at him, fighting to hold back tears. At least your last memory of him would be pleasant.

“I love when you make the tea, it always tastes better than mine,” Taehyung praised you as he brought the cup to his lips. 

Your breath hitches as he takes a sip. Immediately his face contorts with disgust and he looks at you with hurt betrayal in his eyes. Your heart breaks as you hesitate for a second; your hand is gripped around the hilt of your poisoned dagger. 

With tears streaming down your face, you lunge at Taehyung. He quickly evades you, your blade narrowly missing his neck. Just a scratch of your blade would spell out his doom. Taehyung coughs out as much of the poison as he could. 

Again, you propel yourself at Taehyung, zeroing in on his neck. He grabs you by the back of your head and effortlessly flung you across the room. You crash into the wall, the impact knocking the wind out of you. In a split second, Taehyung was in front of you, pulling you up by your hair.

You tried to stab him, but your efforts were futile. He grabbed your wrist with such force that it felt as if it was about to shatter. The dagger falls to the floor and his hand moves from your wrist to your neck.

The pain in his eyes was too unbearable to look at. Tears welled at the bottom of his eyes as he opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find any words to say. 

“I could kill you right now,” is all he managed to say.

“Then do it,” you say without any hesitation.

“Go to sleep,” Taehyung demands, his words laced with the most potent magic you’ve ever encountered. In an instant, you were in a deep slumber. 

You wake up in an unknown amount of time later. Your hands and legs are tied up to a chair in the middle of Taehyung’s living room. The restraints are so tight that you couldn’t even squirm your wrists or ankles. 

Taehyung was rapidly pacing back and forth in front of you. His puffy eyes indicate the waterfall of tears he must have shed while you were knocked out. 

“Tae--” you tried to call out.

“Don’t,” Taehyung snapped at you, instantly shutting you up. 

He was using his magic now, and there’s nothing you can do to combat it. You had no choice but to sit helplessly as you waited for Taehyung to speak again.

“Why? I thought we had something real. I would have never hurt you. Did I not show you that I am harmless?” Taehyung finally said as he imposingly stood over you, “You may speak. Tell the truth.”

“I was ordered to exterminate you by the VEC. Taehyung you have to believe me when I say I love you. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I regret ever doing it,” you cried.

“Why should I ever trust you again?” he scoffed.

“If I didn’t kill you they would just keep sending more and more agents. You already encountered some before me,” you kept trying to explain.

“I tried to tell the vampire hunting couple that I have not done anyone harm in centuries. I’m sure you’re curious as to how I satisfy my peculiar craving. I pay a very handsome sum to the local hospital, and in return they supply me with endless blood donations. No one is harmed in the process. But those people refused to listen to me. I didn’t want to hurt them, but they gave me no choice,” Taehyung recounted. 

“Those people were my parents,” you said softly.

Taehyung’s harsh gaze softened. He didn’t know how to react. He reasoned that avenging your parents may have been a justifiable reason to kill him.

“I’m terribly sorry, ___. I did not want to hurt them, but they were belligerent. I did not have a single moment of peace while they were pursuing me. You must have thought I was a monster this entire time,” Taehyung’s voice cracked, and he turned to hide his face from you.

“No, Taehyung, not at all. I love you. I never really knew my parents, so as awful as it is to say, their deaths didn’t really affect me. I treated this mission like any other, but curiosity got the better of me. Taehyung, I’ve never felt more human than when I’m with you,” tears began to cascade down your cheeks. 

Taehyung remained silent and refused to look at you.

“I foolishly thought that the least I could do was give you a quick painless death. I didn’t want you to suffer,” you continued.

“___, I have never known a greater pain than this betrayal. I was willing to give you the world,” he finally turned to you, revealing that he too was crying, “And I still am. I have not been so enthralled by another for as long as I can remember. I do not know what kind of spells you used on me, but I fear that they are unbreakable.”

“Neither of us used any magic on each other before this, Tae. I wish you killed me on the spot when you first saw me,” you wailed.

“And ruin the single most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen? I couldn’t bear to think of it,” Taehyung said softly, gently caressing your wet cheek with the back of his hand. 

Taehyung picked up your chair with one hand and brought you to the dining table. 

“I’m going to untie you. Please do not try to run away or kill me again. We both know you are no match for me,” Taehyung said sternly.

You nodded quickly, eager to get the restraints off. You obediently sat still after he tore off the rope that bound you to the chair. Taehyung took his place opposite of you. Silence filled the air as tension built. Finally, Taehyung slid his poisoned tea to the middle of the table.

“Since peace does not seem to be an option, I believe it would be best for one of us to die,” he stated. 

You stare blankly at him.

“Or perhaps, we could run away together and never look back. I can forgive this little infraction if you can forgive me for my deceit. We were both keeping secrets, and in the end it only harmed both of us,” he continued. 

“We both know that can’t happen. The VEC would hunt us down relentlessly,” you disagreed. 

Before he could react, you grabbed the cup and consumed its contents in the blink of an eye.

“___! What are you doing!?” he yelled at you, leaping across the table to smack the cup from your hands. 

“I have a tracker in my bloodstream, Taehyung. They’ll always be able to find me, and we will never know peace. At least this way, you can flee and continue to live out your life,” you smiled weakly.

It won’t take long for your body to become paralyzed. After all, this was meant to kill vampires, not humans.

Taehyung cradled you in his arms, clutching you close to his chest. He wept over you as your body began to stiffen. Your cognitive abilities will remain intact until the very end. You watched as Taehyung’s heart broke for the second time that day.

“You fool. I don’t care if they keep coming after us. It would all be worth it if it means that I can have you by my side,” he cried as he cupped your cheek.

It was evident that the poison had begun running its course. You couldn’t reply nor could you move any part of your body. Only your eyes could convey your sorrow. Taehyung leaned down to plant kisses on both cheeks before gingerly placing one more on your still lips. 

He picked you up bridal style and headed for the door. He walked along the trail on which you used to skip alongside him. The chirping birds that once greeted you were eerily quiet now. The evening dusk hour made the trees cast long spooky shadows along the path. The lake comes into view, but now it looks menacing as fog rolls along the water.

“I wish I didn’t have to do this, ___,” Taehyung said somberly. 

You couldn’t say anything, but your eyes expressed your deep heartache.

“Don’t look at me like that, love. It’ll only make this harder,” Taehyung set you down gently on the edge of the dock, “I loved you, you know. I trusted you.”

Taehyung bent down to give you a final kiss. You could feel his sorrow as his cold lips pressed against yours. After parting, Taehyung began to sing. Tears began to roll down your cheeks. Of course, you were crying because you didn’t want to die, but also because you loved Taehyung’s voice so much. It was probably the one thing you’d miss most from this world. Besides Taehyung himself, of course.

“Have I lost myself? Or have I gained you?” Taehyung’s beautiful voice carried through the air.

Taehyung placed you into the lake on your back. You floated for a few seconds before your legs began to dip deeper into the water. Now completely immobile due to your poison, you had no choice but to drown peacefully.

“Please don’t say anything. Reach my hand out to cover the mouth,” Taehyung sang, his eyes never leaving you.

The water engulfed you as your head finally sank below the surface. Taehyung’s voice began to fade away as your lungs filled with water. Is this what your dreams have been warning you about? Have you already seen your own demise? None of that matters now, as the dull light from above the water gets further and further away.

Everything fades to nothingness as the water swallows you whole. Your vision, hearing, and consciousness slip away. Nothing but the frigid lake can be felt now.

Is this really how you’d go? Maybe you deserved it. You did attempt to kill the love of your life. You couldn’t help but be thankful for the time you spent with him.

Water fills your lungs, and you’re certain that your time has finally come. For being raised as a vampire hunter, you managed to stretch out your life expectancy. You closed your eyes for the last time as you sunk further towards the bottom of the lake.

Suddenly a warm light caressed your cheek. Your eyes fluttered open as you desperately gasped for air. All of your senses flood back and it’s incredibly overwhelming. There’s an unbearable white light that temporarily blinds you. Loud indiscernible sounds cause you to crumple to the ground. Soon the loud noises turn into a muffled tone that you can’t quite make you. The light begins to fade away as well.

You finally open your eyes once again, and are shocked by what you see. You’re in a lush garden, surrounded by gigantic trees and beautiful flowers. Birds can be heard chirping overhead. 

‘Is this heaven?’ you thought to yourself.

“Not quite yet, child,” a voice boomed from above. 

The sudden response made you jump. You looked around to try and find who responded, but to no avail. 

‘God…?’ you thought. 

“You flatter me, little one,” the voice chuckled. 

The voice wasn’t as loud, but was now much closer. It honestly even sounded a little familiar. You turned around to see a giant figure looming behind you. Flowing golden robes elegantly wrapped around the figure. As your eyes focused on it, you saw a familiar face smiling down at you. Wait what the hell? It looked and sounded exactly like Yoongi. 

“Let me speak before you ask any more questions,” the faux Yoongi said, “Welcome to Purgatory. You are neither dead nor alive nor undead. Your soul is temporarily in limbo. You must be a rather peculiar human. Most souls merely pop in here for an instant before their fate is decided or they are pulled back into the mortal realm. I have been instructed to converse with you,” the being explained.

“Y-yoongi?” you stammered in your confusion.

“Ah, I am not Yoongi, though I’m sure I resemble that fellow. I am perceived as any being who is held dear by those who gaze upon me. Usually I appear as a lover or a parent. Forgive my curiosity but under which category is ‘Yoongi’ to you?” the being sat beside you.

“Neither. But he’s probably the closest thing I have to a parent,” you shrugged.

“Interesting. Do you have a lover?” 

“I think I did before I fucked everything up. What happens now?” you asked. You didn’t want to ponder on why this strange being did not take the form of Taehyung. Surely you held Taehyung more dear to you than Yoongi.

“You get to choose,” the being replied, “Also, I am not a god, upper or lowercase. You can think of me as sort of a cousin to Death. I am inevitable, but much less known,” it must have sensed your eagerness to figure out what it was.

“Do you have a name?” you inquired, now looking at it in awe instead of fear. If you didn’t know any better, you would think you were sitting with the real Min Yoongi. However, this being’s powerful aura easily gave it away as an imposter. 

“Names are powerful things,” fake Yoongi tsked.

“Surely you know mine. It’s only fair for me to know yours,” you replied, “And I keep calling you Fake Yoongi in my head.”

“You may call me Lethe, as some have called me before,” it said after a long pause.

“Cool. Nice to meet you, Lethe. So what is this choosing business? Whether I live or die?”

“Of course,” Lethe said as a matter of factly.

“Wouldn’t it be obvious that I’d want to live?”

“Do you?”

That question filled you with doubt. What happens if you go back? How would you face Taehyung? Would it even be possible to talk it out and pretend like it never happened? Or would you need to go through the ordeal of attempting to kill him again?

“Those are all valid questions,” Lethe nodded.

“I forgot you can read my mind,” you said with surprise, “How long can I stay here?”

“Time does not exist here. But I suppose for your feeble mind to comprehend, I’d say about 2 more hours. At least, that’s what it’ll feel like to you. You can converse with me for the time being,” the immortal sat beside you. 

And so it went. Lethe helped you weigh out your options. Lethe taking Yoongi’s form helped you open up. This was the closest thing you’ve ever had to a real heart to heart with a parent. Perhaps Yoongi was more important to you than you thought.

Lethe had already known every detail of your life, as they do with all those who pass through their domain. It was clear that you weren’t ready to die. You were just lost on what to do when you go back.

“Time is nearly up, little one,” Lethe softly said, “Have you made your decision?”

“Yes. I want to go back to the land of the living,” you smiled.

Lethe returned your smile as they began to wave their hands above you, making you instantly sleepy.

“I’ll be happy to see you again when it’s finally my time to go,” you managed to make out before letting out a yawn and shutting your eyes. 

“That would be nice, little one. But no one ever remembers me,” Lethe said in a bittersweet tone as they sent you back to the mortal plane.

“___? ___! ___ wake up!” you heard muffled yells.

Your eyes opened slowly, but it was too dark to see anything. Your entire body ached. Bitter chills began to set in as you realized you were sopping wet, making the wintry air even more unbearable. 

You drop back into a state of unconsciousness, but you swore you still faintly heard someone calling out your name. 

“You didn’t have to come here yourself.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? I lost her parents. I can’t afford to lose her too. Why the fuck didn’t you step in immediately?”

  “You ordered me to observe her, and that’s exactly what I did. She would be dead if it weren’t for me.”

“I’m gonna kill that bloodsucker myself.”

“...Yoongi…?” you weakly called out, your eyes still closed.

“___?!?” you heard the men scramble to your side.

The sheets you were wrapped in were warm. The biting cold that hurt your bones had faded away. Your body ached beyond belief, and you didn’t have the strength to sit yourself up.

“___, are you okay? I’ll get you some water,” a familiar voice said. It must be Jungkook.

“___? Are you awake?” Yoongi’s voice was much closer now.

“Yoongi?” you repeated while your eyes slowly opened to adjust to the light. 

“Oh my god. Thank god you’re okay,” Yoongi pulled you in for a tight embrace. 

“We really thought you were done for,” Jungkook handed you a glass of water. 

“I thought I was too. I really think I died for a little bit. I can’t remember exactly what happened, but all I can recall is a bright light and maybe a forest? I think Yoongi was there?” you replied in a daze.

“Well, I was the only person with you until Yoongi showed up so I’m not sure about that. Unless you mistook me for Yoongi, which I take offense to,” Jungkook half smiled before taking a serious tone, “I saw him dump you in the lake. Why didn’t he drain you first?”

“Extremely tactless of you, Jungkook,” Yoongi admonished.

“He hasn’t harmed a living person in a long time. Well, except for my parents,” you softly answered.

“Come to think of it, he didn’t drink your parents’ blood either,” Yoongi stated.

“Please don’t hurt him. Please leave him alone. He won’t hurt anyone,” you begged. 

“He hurt you, ___. For that, he needs to die,” Yoongi said sternly.

“I poisoned myself,” you admitted.

“What?” Yoongi and Jungkook said in unison. 

“I...I love him. I told him to flee and live in peace after I sacrificed myself,” you began to cry.

“Are you stupid?” Yoongi asked in disbelief, “That thing killed your parents!”

“In self defense! They wouldn’t leave him alone after he told them numerous times to back off!”

“How do you know that? How do you know he wasn’t lying?” Yoongi argued.

“I can tell! You of all people should know that a vampire hunter doesn’t survive for long unless they can detect deceit in any and every form.”

“Sir, pardon me, but I think she’s telling the truth,” Jungkook interjected.

“Unbelievable. You too, Jungkook? Are you in love with the vampire too?” Yoongi scoffed.

“No. I just believe in her. When has ___ ever deviated from a mission? She’s your top agent. I don’t think she’d let herself get swept up by seductive charms,” Jungkook reasoned on your behalf, “I spoke with her yesterday. There was no trace of magic on her. Hopefully my word as your second highest agent means something. Plus, I’ve seen her express more emotion this past week than I have her entire life.”

“Jungkook,” you gratefully smiled at him.

“What the fuck are we supposed to do then? Just let him go without any consequences? I will not let your parents’ deaths go unavenged,” Yoongi crossed his arms.

“Let me talk to him,” you requested.

“What are you gonna say?” Jungkook joined you on the bed.

“I…” you trailed off.

What can you say to him? For one, he thinks you’re dead. You can’t imagine what he must be feeling right now. Anger? Sadness? Maybe he would be temporarily happy if you returned to him. However, it wouldn’t be long until your betrayal hurts him again.

“I just want to see him,” you finally say, “I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

“Absolutely not,” Yoongi shook his head, “I’m not sending you back without a plan.”

It took three days before you fully regained your strength. Yoongi and Jungkook took turns taking care of you. Jungkook offered to help you bathe, but you turned him down with a glare. 

“Can HQ function properly without you?” you asked Yoongi in the kitchen.

He turned around quickly, surprised that you’re out of bed, “___! Sit down, don’t strain yourself.”

“I’m fine, Yoongi. I’ve been in bed for too long,” you shooed him away.

“I guess we can all have dinner together at the table tonight. I made fried chicken,” Yoongi said triumphantly, “Also, I haven’t had a day off in years. The VEC can handle itself for a little bit longer.”

“The chicken smells amazing, Yoongi. I’m gonna take a shower because I feel and smell disgusting.”

“You sure you don’t want my help?” Jungkook materialized out of nowhere.

“Sure, you wanna help me take a shower?” you peered up at him.

“Are you being serious?” Jungkook’s doe eyes widened.

“Yep. The only condition is that I’m going to kill you afterwards,” you deadpanned.

“Mm so you’d still want to take at least one full shower with me,” Jungkook teased.

“Shut up, bunny boy,” you rolled your eyes.

You could hear Yoongi chuckle to himself behind you. It must be a relief to see you back to normal and bickering with Jungkook as if nothing happened. 

Flashbacks of your last encounter with Taehyung filled your head as warm water cleansed your body. You didn’t know what you’d do, but you made up your mind. You needed to see him. You wanted nothing more than to be in his arms again. You longed to feel his soft lips on yours. 

Dinner was full of smiles and playful banter. The food was delicious (fried chicken was Yoongi’s speciality) and it tasted even better since you hadn’t been able to eat solid food in days. 

“So, what are we gonna do now that ___ is feeling better?” Jungkook questioned with a mouth full of food.

“I’m going to go talk to him,” you affirmed. 

“Again, what are you going to talk about?” Yoongi raised his eyebrows.

The rest of the evening was spent devising a plan. It took a lot of convincing by both you and Jungkook, but Yoongi finally gave in. It seemed like even Jungkook was hesitant about the plan, but backed you up nonetheless. Jungkook and Yoongi would be your backup in case things went south.

The next day you drove to Taehyung’s home. The drive that you once happily made now brought you dread. You had no idea how Taehyung would react. You just prayed that he wouldn’t kill you on the spot.

It was now well into the winter season. Snow covered the ground and frosted the windows of Taehyung’s weathered home. Knocking on the front door may not be the best move, but it’s what you decided to do. There was no answer. You tried to turn the knob to find that the door wasn’t locked at all. 

You snuck through the front door, cautious not to make any sounds. Something was amiss. Someone as cautious as Taehyung would never leave their front door unlocked. The house was eerily quiet.

He was nowhere to be found on the first floor. You journeyed up to the second story in the hopes of finding him. A rustling from his room was heard.

You tiptoed to his room, the door was wide open. Taehung was staring out of his bedroom window. The world seemed still for a moment. You quietly walked into the room, and realized that the room was filled with bouquets. Flowers ranging from lillies, chrysanthemums, carnations, and roses made the room smell sickly sweet. 

“Taehyung,” you called out to him.

He turned to you to reveal his tear streaked face. His eyes were red and puffy. He cast a disinterested gaze at you before he shooed you away with one hand.

“Go away. You’re not real. When will this hell end?” he sighed.

“Tae, my darling, I am real,” you approached him slowly.

“My own imagination won’t let me live down my guilt, huh? I suppose I deserve it,” he replied sadly, turning back to face the window. 

“Taehyung, I’m right here, dumbass,” you say with more conviction as you hug him from behind.

He jumped at your touch, whipping around to face you with inhuman speed. His cold hands gently cupped your face, as tears began to fall from his eyes.

“How? There’s no way you can be real. There’s no way that you’re ___,” he cried out, hugging you tightly.

“You better believe it, Taehyuung. I didn’t come back from the dead to be ignored,” you tried to joke, but your voice gave you away.

It was a bittersweet reunion. Tears freely fell, wet kisses were shared, and best of all, you were in each other’s arms again. Any fear you had regarding awkward tensions had dissipated. 

Taehyung held you in his arms as you recounted the past few days. You came clean to him about being a vampire hunter, and about how you were the VEC’s top hunter. You started to cry again as you told him about the inner turmoil you struggled with ever since you met him. Taehyung listened intently to everything you said, clutching you closely the entire time.

“The President of the VEC knows that you’re here?” he asked after you finished.

“Yes,” you answered.

“Is he going to kill me?” he seriously inquired.

“He may try, depending on the choices you make today,” you replied. 

“What choices do I have? I’ll receive any consequences you deem fit,” he kissed your forehead. 

“How do you feel about working for the VEC? It took a lot of arguing, but Yoongi agreed that if I can keep you in check, you would be allowed to work with me. However, one slip up and you’re dead. Those were his words exactly,” you explained.

“What exactly does a ‘slip up’ entail?” he questioned.

“Killing and/or eating any humans. You would only be allowed to kill vampires. The VEC would ensure that blood will always be provided to you to avoid any hunger killings,” you laced his fingers between yours, as if this was any normal casual conversation.

“My ultimatum is that I either work for the VEC to kill my own kind or to die? Is that correct?” he clarified.

“That sounds pretty harsh. But yes, those are your only options.”

“What if I kill all of you instead?”

“Okay, you have three options then.”

“But only one of them will allow me to spend my life with you,” he replied gently.

“You’ll do it? You’ll work with me at the VEC?” your eyes lit up.

“If it means I get to be with you, of course. Vampires are solitary creatures anyway. I have no remorse for my kind that resort to needless violence,” he planted a tender kiss on your lips.

“In that case, I have one more condition. This is a personal request,” you whispered.

“Anything for you, my darling,” Taehyung cooed.

“Turn me.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened, stunned by your request. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. 

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I finally found a real reason to live, and it’s you. I had just been going through the motions until I met you. Please, Taehyung. I want us to stay like this. Forever,” you pleaded.

“Do you know what you’re asking, ___? You’ll be dead, just like me. You’ll be dependent on feeding on human blood. I’ve had countless years of practice, but the hunger can sometimes become uncontrollable,” Taehyung tried to reason with you.

“I would have you to help me through all of that,” you stroked his cheek.

“What if the VEC decides to hunt us down?”

“Then we can flee together. Or we can fight them. I don’t care, as long as we’re together. You don’t have to do it right now, but just know that I want it,” you say in a defeated tone. 

“If you’re sure,” Taehyung gripped a handful of your hair and tilted your head back, “I’ll do it.”

“Then do it. Bet you won’t,” you teased to hide your nervousness.

He chuckled at your response. He peppered gentle kisses along your neck, before licking a long stripe along it. The tingling sensation made you moan. Taehyung’s hand found its way between your thighs. He slowly began to rub your clit while seductively whispering in your ear.

“I’ve been dreaming of doing this since the first time I saw you,” he growled.

You took off your pants to grant him easier access to your intimate spots. 

“Good girl,” he praised, slipping a finger into you.

You moaned as he added another one. You felt your body clenching as he brought you closer to your climax. His fingers curled perfectly and his pace quickened. He had simultaneously been kissing your neck the entire time. 

“You smell so fucking good, darling,” his deep voice resonated in your ear, “I can’t promise that this won’t hurt. But I do promise to fuck your brains out after.”

He didn’t give you time to respond. You had been holding out long enough. You reached your high as his sharp fangs bit into your neck. The initial puncture hurt, but it began to feel better as soon as Taehyung lapped up the blood. Taehyung suckled your neck as his fingers played with your clit.

“T-tae t-that’s too much,” you struggled to say.

“Don’t act as if you can’t take it, darling,” Taehyung growled in response.

He threw you on your back. He let you have a second to catch your breath, as he tore off his blood stained shirt. He dove right back into feeding from you, but now his hard crotch was grinding against your wet exposed core. 

“I have to warn you, this next part may be a bit unpleasant for you,” he stated as he licked the blood off of his lips.

This sight of a bloody Kim Taehyung was oddly erotic. Knowing that it was your blood on him strangely made it even more hot. 

Taehyung bit his own wrist. He held his bleeding wrist over your mouth.

“Drink,” he ordered.

You did as you were told, hesitantly licked his wrist. The metallic taste caused you to cringe.

“It won’t work if you don’t do it,” he scolded.

You grabbed his wrist and brought it to your mouth. You sucked on the wound hard, swallowing as much as you could. Taehyung groaned, the sight of you feeding from him turned him on more than he could imagine. You couldn’t take it anymore after a few minutes. You stopped to get some air.

“That should be good enough, darling. Well done,” Taehyung kissed your forehead.

“How will I know if it worked?” you asked.

“It takes a little while for my blood to circulate throughout your body. It’ll happen, don’t worry. For now…” his voice trailed off as his hand returned to your pussy.

“Do you want me to make you feel good again?” he teased, his fingers lightly tracing your lips.

“I thought you promised that you’d ‘fuck my brains out’?” you deviously smiled.

“I do intend to make good on that,” he returned your sly smile.

He flipped you onto your stomach, and propped your ass up. He gave it a good slap, one that stung for a few seconds afterwards and immediately turned your ass red. 

He ran his length along your pussy, coating himself with your juices. He teased you by slowly putting just the tip in before coming back out. You didn’t have the energy to be your normal cheeky self. You patiently waited for him to ease into you. His hand came around to grip your neck, forcing your head upwards.

“You’ve been such a good girl,” he growled, as he finally gave you his entire length. 

His hips bucked into you ferociously, his grip still firmly around your neck. Your neck was still sore from being bitten into, but at this point you didn’t care. You were still sensitive from your last orgasm, and Taehyung was drilling directly into your g spot. 

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he panted.

“Please fuck me as hard as you can. I really can’t keep up with you much longer,” you managed to say.

“Sure thing, darling,” Taehyung obliged.

He pounded into you harder with speed that you couldn’t handle. He let go of your neck, allowing you to collapse onto your chest. His hands gripped your ass instead. His strokes became sloppier, indicating that he was now close to his limit. 

With a sudden grunt, Taehyung released his load into you, his hot semen filling you up. He leaned over to you, and you thought he was going in for a kiss, but he licked your neck instead. You didn’t realize that you were still bleeding. You turn to the side to give him better access. After the bleeding stopped, he cuddled you, pressing his chest against your back.

“You have the sweetest blood I’ve ever tasted,” he kissed your ear.

“Thanks I guess? Have you ever tasted a diabetic? That might change your opinion,” you laughed.

“I can’t recall. I just know that no one has ever tasted better,” he squeezed you tighter, “Also creeping thistle.” 

“Huh?” you turned to look at him in confusion. Was he speaking in code?

“You asked what kind of flower I thought you were before. I believe I can give you my answer now,” Taehyung replied thoughtfully.

“Okay I’ll bite. What does a creeping thistle look like?” 

“You know those tall purple flowers you see on the sides of the road? Those are creeping thistles,” he answered. You paused to recall driving past them.

“Wait, those are weeds!” you cried out in disbelief, “You think I’m a pest like a weed?”

“They are weeds, yes. They are resilient, persistent, and can hurt you if you’re not careful around them,” Taehyung chuckled. 

“Those don’t really sound like compliments--”

“But they also produce beautiful purple flowers that go unappreciated. Purple is my favorite color,” Taehyung interrupted you. 

“Fine, I’ll take it since you said they’re beautiful or whatever,” you playfully rolled your eyes, but you were touched by the thought that went into his answer. You noticed you were growing colder by the second, and snuggled closer to Taehyung to try and produce some body heat. He noticed this and helped you get under the covers before cuddling with you again. 

 “You’re going to die tonight. Don’t worry, that’s part of the process. I’ll be by your side the entire time. You’ll be like me in the morning,” he kissed your forehead. 

“Will it hurt?” you asked, slightly scared.

“The worst is over. The most excruciating part is when my blood begins to circulate in yours, but I think I successfully distracted you from that pain,” he smirked. 

“Oh I’m sure that was the only reason you dicked me down senseless. Thank you for your generosity,” you laughed.  

Your body began to feel heavy yet weightless at the same time. Panic began to set in. The feeling was similar to when you drowned in the lake. Your breathes became more strained as you struggled to inhale sufficient oxygen. Sensing your distress, Taehyung held you tighter and whispered a single word into your ear.

“Sleep.” 

“You look pretty harmless.”

“I try to be, for the most part.”

“Jungkook! Get away from him. Don’t talk to him. Taehyung, if that’s even your real name, you’re on thin fucking ice. If ___ doesn’t wake up when you say she will I’ll put your pretty little head on a spike.”

“You think he’s pretty?”

“Shut up Jungkook.”

You slowly opened your eyes after hearing the men bicker. You woke up to find all three of them standing in front of the bed. Jungkook had an uncharacteristically somber look on his face while Yoongi looked gloomier than usual. You could tell that Taehyung had reverted back to his reserved state in their presence. 

“Yoongi? Why are you here?” you questioned. You started to panic. Did Taehyung admit to turning you? You hadn’t even thought about how to break the news to Yoongi. If you weren’t dead now then you’d surely be dead after Yoongi found out. 

“Your phone rang. I answered “Yoongles” who had some rather choice words for me. I told him that you were fine and resting. He barged in immediately after that,” Taehyung explained.

“Yoongi I told you that I would--”

“I’m beyond relieved that you’re still alive. I only called because it was urgent and--”

“The VEC was attacked,” Jungkook butted in.

“What?” you were shocked. 

“We’re the only ones left,” Yoongi stated.

Published October 24, 2020. No editing, copying, translating, or reposting allowed. All Rights Reserved © 2020 Baepsaesbae.

[captainseaweedbrains]

The Hunger Games: Ch. 5

I am finally getting around to writing up thoughts. Life am I right? So I’m not only behind, but starting a bit later on my chapter thoughts. 

Here are my rambling thoughts and emotions on chapter 5: 

"Good news, though. This is the last one. Ready?" I get a grip on the edges of the table I'm seated on and nod. The final swathe of my leg hair is uprooted in a painful jerk.// Girl, I feel you. We’ve all been there. #Noshaveforever

This has included scrubbing down my body with a gritty loam that has removed not only dirt but at least three layers of skin// It’s called exfoliating, Katniss, and I promise, it is good for your skin. If they can do one thing for you, it is this. 

Okay. Like Katniss, I have a soft spot for her prep team. I can’t help it. They feel like they mean well and I’m a sucker for it. Even if they are prepping her for death.  💀

He gives his orange corkscrew locks a shake and applies a fresh coat of purple lipstick to his mouth.// I wonder if SC thought of the most gaudiest looks and just rolled with it. Probably. But some of these outfit choices just seem so out there that I have such a hard time picturing it. Am I alone on this? My fashion sense is that of a bygone era. So maybe that’s why. What is high fashion? Not me. That’s what.

Octavia, a plump woman whose entire body has been dyed a pale shade of pea green // Why would you want to look like a Sim? Why is that in style here? 

"Excellent! You almost look like a human being now!" says Flavius, and they all laugh.

I force my lips up into a smile to show how grateful I am. "Thank you," I say sweetly. "We don't have much cause to look nice in District Twelve."

This wins them over completely. // Katniss!! I love you. Never change. I do love how other worldly each party sees the other. Maybe it’s a comment on colonialism in that sense shut up Terri Your English degree is showing BUT how Katniss views them as strange birds rightly so because one legit probably looks like a Sim and them viewing her as NOT HUMAN even though she definitely looks the more normal in the room and I stand by that Where was I going with this? It just feels a bit Two Worlds colliding. Okay. Moving on. 

Just how filthy was Katniss? Like she definitely bathed before coming. Twice in one day. So what is their standard here? I don’t want it because it’s probably too much effort. #lazy

It's hard to hate my prep team. They're such total idiots.// My thoughts exactly. 

I cannot stress how much I love how blunt SC makes Katniss’ thoughts. It feels so human to me and I don’t always see that in writing. It’s nice. 

Am I alone on wondering if Cinna has that eyeliner tattooed on? I don’t know why that’s always my first thought with the second being “ouch.” 

I do love how Katniss is always thrown when her pre-perceptions of the Capitol are challenged by *the few* people like Cinna. 

I saw someone point out how Katniss remembers a lot of details like the stylists and past years winners and their strategies and I’m wondering if it’s more like how I know stuff on like the Kardashians that I don’t really want to know or care about knowing. Just facts living in her head rent free. But she remembers a lot of details on the Games.

He presses a button on the side of the table. The top splits and from below rises a second tabletop that holds our lunch.// The future 1950s ads promised and Disney Channel’s Smart House made those in my generation fear. That or a super fancy automat. 

Unpopular opinion, but I absolutely hate when Katniss goes on about the food and how to make dishes. I think it’s so boring to read. Even one sentence about what everyone is eating dulls me. 

What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button?//Okay, I know we kind of already have this luxury to an extent, but I too want to press a button and my food is magically there, in my home, already made. #queenlazy

My heart saddens when Katniss wonders what people do in their free time. She is a CHILD. *cries*

Okay. So I know Katniss has boasted about concealing her thoughts, but is she REALLY good at it? She gets called out a lot by practical strangers. I will cling to my headcanon that she is truly an open book and just believes she’s sneaky like that and Peeta pretends she’s succeeding at later in life. Is this canon? Maybe? Don’t @ me

SC’s commentary of sexualizing young teens and kiddos is amazing and yes, please keep coming at us like this, Suzanne. 

Also those poor, naked children. Not only were they going to their deaths, but they literally were paraded around on national television buck naked. 

I'll be naked for sure, I think...Naked and covered in black dust, I think.//An example of why I just love her narration. I crack up every time at the clear doom in her “voice”

He sees my expression and grins.//A true madman because I can only assume her face is that of horror.

I am still mad at the scaly-looking outfits the movie gave us and how they made her hair look

It crosses my mind that Cinna's calm and normal demeanor masks a complete madman.//He is a madman. We accept it and move on from here

*Peeta enters* *Cue my glee* 

*He is my favorite and that favoritism will show*

*Listen I am here for the messages on war and our consumer culture SC is providing*

*But I will not hide why I’m really here rereading these books*

*WEEPS* SHE IS RELIEVED TO SEE PEETA 

"What do you think?" I whisper to Peeta. "About the fire?"

"I'll rip off your cape if you'll rip off mine," he says through gritted teeth.//Don’t touch me. The teamwork they already share. 

Haha I just imagine Peeta has that big smile on his face all “Haha I want to die right now”

THEY’RE LAUGHING. Precious beans. 

I guess we're both so nervous about the Games and more pressingly, petrified of being turned into human torches, we're not acting sensibly.// That or you both are talking to your crushes and are feeling giddy about it. Don’t deny it Katniss. We see you

Lmao Katniss’ enthusiasm for D1 cracks me up

Cinna over here just lighting people on fire and relieved it worked properly. This man, I swear

She calls him dazzling. Be still my heart. 

Also I still don’t understand the true purpose of Cinna presenting them as united. Maybe I’ll get a refresher later on. Is it just to make them stand out more because they’re united? I don’t understand this angle at all. So #SameKatnissSame

Lmao or maybe Peeta’s the one who is all “Idk, but *sings* I wanna hold your hand...” 

Or not. But you bet Peeta is pumped. He’s not naked on national television and he’s holding his crush’s hand. Peak day for Peeta Bram Mellark, with all things given.

I do hope they are waving correctly. 

I'm glad now I have Peeta to clutch for balance, he is so steady, solid as a rock.//I’m FINE. Totally FINE that this will be how she views him for the rest of the series. FINE.

Narrator: She was not fine. 

How absolutely sad that she mentions how the Capitolites took the effort to look in the program for their names. How they waste CHILDREN’S LIVES. 

But I shall focus on her gaining confidence and Katniss Everdeen legit getting caught up in the moment where she is blowing kisses at them. The power of a great outfit, amirite? 

Someone throws me a red rose. I catch it, give it a delicate sniff, and blow a kiss back in the general direction of the giver. A hundred hands reach up to catch my kiss, as if it were a real and tangible thing.//Oh my god. So Extra

Everyone wants my kisses.//Peeta wants those kisses 

"No, don't let go of me," he says. The firelight flickers off his blue eyes. "Please.// I am crying as I think about their interaction in the same square in Mockingjay, when she tries to take the nightlock pill and he stops her. “I’ll never let go, Jack”  

SC can describe Snow however she wants, I will forever see Donald Sutherland and only that. Even when Snow is a teenager I picture Donald. The power of Donald Sutherland.

I love that she doesn’t realize she’s still holding his hand. If Portia had enough time to spray them down, she’s been holding on for awhile. Katniss, explanation?  👀 👀 👀 👀 👀

"I'm sure they didn't notice anything but you. You should wear flames more often," he says. "They suit you." And then he gives me a smile that seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me. // AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SHE FEELS WARMTH RUSH THROUGH HER

THE SHY FLIRTING

PEETA, YOU SHY SLY BEAN OF A FOX

The more likable he is, the more deadly he is.//Yeah, for catching a dangerous thing called FEELINGS. 

Katniss, how does *kissing* him help matters here? You clearly caught wind he was flirting and your first thought was *le kiss* ???????

These two, I swear

And Katniss is just so smol having to stand on her *tiptoes* to kiss his cheek. #teamsmol

Onward to the next chapter!