#don't usually write about my ocs. let alone post said writing about them but i should try that more often

[moopermoment]

various sketches of moonee and their puffle family

[allmoshnobrain]

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

part 23 of ? | masterpost

word count: 3319 | ao3 link | fic's playlist

Finally, I spotted him, chilling on a couch in the corner, rocking a beer and a smoke as his serious eyes stared at me. My heart tightened seeing him like that; normally, when he saw me, it meant smiles and a hug. Now, however, he just watched me, his cool blue eyes meeting mine from across the room. I held his gaze for a while, my face turning a bit warm as we looked at each other. Heart skipping a beat, I wondered: was he gonna brush me off? Stand up and bail, pretending I wasn’t even there?

✦ summary: Reuniting with James forces Nore to confront the complicated feelings that arose after their kiss.

✦ on this chapter: dave mustaine x female!oc, james hetfield x female! oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, angst, love triangle, drinking, smoking, recreational drug use

✦ a/n: Hello! I'm finally on Christmas break and have lots of free time, so I'm trying to write as much as I can! I'm really glad I could post this chapter before the end of the year, and I hope it won't take me too long to post the next ones :) We're on the final half of the story, and things will get a bit more intense from now on. So, how do you think James and Nore are gonna deal with their feelings from now on? I'm really excited to write about it! Thank you so much for reading, feedback is welcome and motivates me a lot! ❤

✧ I want to be the girl with the most cake / He only loves those things because he loves to see them break / I fake it so real, I am beyond fake / And someday, you will ache like I ache ✧

It didn't take too long for me to catch up with my friends again. Just a bit over two weeks post-Leanne's birthday bash, Cliff gave me a ring with some exciting news: the band had landed a gig at a renowned venue in Los Angeles, and if the first show drew a good crowd, there was talk of a repeat performance to wrap up the year.

I hadn’t crossed paths with James since he had kissed me; gotta admit, the idea of facing him after all that had happened had me feeling a bit uneasy. But I was hopeful that, when the time came, we could have a conversation about it. I just hoped we could keep our friendship. There were many things I could handle, but losing him for good was not something I was ready for.

The band needed to fill the place, so Cliff asked if I could bring someone along. I ended up inviting Pat, my friend from the record store, to join me at the show. I mean, asking Dave was out of the question; as time went by, he was getting more and more bitter every time Metallica came up. Even though he wasn't thrilled about me going to the show, having a companion seemed to ease his mood a bit. Ever since I came home with a bruised hand from having to defend myself, he seemed to gradually become more protective and concerned every day. I knew he'd rather I not navigate crowded spots alone, especially at a metal show. But, when it came to Metallica, his wounded pride still had the upper hand.

I met up with Pat right outside the record store before the gig, so we could go to the venue together. She greeted me with the biggest smile, her blonde locks and blue eyes all dazzling.

"I'm so stoked!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing with happiness as I handed her the ticket and the backstage pass. "I've never had backstage access before. This is gonna be rad!"

"Yeah, it's cool. But don't expect anything too fancy; we usually just score some drinks and access to the dressing room," I said, throwing out a strained smile. I tried not to let the nerves creep in about seeing James again, but now that showtime was approaching, my anxiety was cranking up by the minute.

"Oh, don't be a buzzkill," she pouted. "You’re in a bad mood today? Aren't you happy to see your friends?"

"Sorry, Pat. I'm just kinda on edge," I replied with a sigh. Despite really liking Pat, I wasn't up for diving into the whole James-kiss situation with anyone. Truth is, I had been mulling over it way more than I'd like. Couldn't wait to clear the air with James once and for all.

We rolled up a bit later to the venue, and there was already a decent line of fans. It always blew my mind how they had just dropped their first album not long ago but were pulling in a hype crowd that was growing by the day. I could sense the West Coast getting too cramped for whatever they were cookin' up. And, like always, no need to wait in line for us; the IDs whisked us straight backstage, where the guys were getting their act together, getting stage-ready, and already a bit toasted.

I couldn't really zone in on the whole scene that kicked off with Lars, Kirk, and Cliff swooping in for the welcome party; drinks were handed out, cigs were fired up, and Lars, as usual, threw in his cheeky comments ('hey, your friend's a total babe!'). But honestly, none of that was grabbing my full attention. My eyes were on a mission, desperately looking for the only person I wanted to see. No matter how much I tried to fool myself, all I cared about was making sure things were cool between James and me.

Finally, I spotted him, chilling on a couch in the corner, rocking a beer and a smoke as his serious eyes stared at me. My heart tightened seeing him like that; normally, when he saw me, it meant smiles and a hug. Now, however, he just watched me, his cool blue eyes meeting mine from across the room. I held his gaze for a while, my face turning a bit warm as we looked at each other. Heart skipping a beat, I wondered: was he gonna brush me off? Stand up and bail, pretending I wasn’t even there?

Instead, he just got up, strolled over, and handed me the beer bottle.

“Want some?” he asked, throwing a faint smile my way. I blinked, kinda surprised. The way he talked, it was like nothing had happened. Like he never had kissed me. Like I never had bolted out of Joe's kitchen, leaving him all alone.

But, hey, wasn’t that exactly what I wanted? For things to be normal again. For us to stick to being friends, no drama.

“Of course. You ever see me turn down a beer?” I replied with a grin. He let out a soft chuckle and handed over the bottle, his cold fingers brushing mine for the briefest fraction of a second before he brought the cig back to his mouth.

Before long, the venue staff gave us the heads up that the show was about to kick off. The guys wrapped up their final checks, and Pat and I joined them, enjoying a beer by the stage. Pat was all hyped about it; even though she didn't know the band, she was really getting into the music, full of the enthusiasm you'd expect from a dedicated fan. As for me, I was a bit more reserved this time. Don't get me wrong, I was always happy to catch up with my friends, but I couldn't ignore how uneasy I felt, especially when I noticed James's glances, splitting his attention between the crowd and shooting looks my way, a silent storm brewing in his blue gaze.

After the concert wrapped up, he handed his guitar over to a puzzled Kirk, not even bothering to look at him. He headed my way, big steps and a bit of annoyance wrinkling his forehead; at that point, I was almost sure he was going to cup my face in his hands and kiss me again. The idea had my face turning hot, my heart racing, and the palms of my hands getting sticky with nervous sweat, recalling the feel of his lips on mine. Instead of that, he just stopped and locked eyes with me for a moment, carefully studying my face before saying:

“So? How was the show?”

“It was awesome! You guys rock, I loved it!” Pat exclaimed, all excited, breaking the momentary electricity that had arisen between us two. James raised an eyebrow, curious, as if just now realizing she was there, and shot me a puzzled look. I just shrugged, wearing a slight smile.

"It was killer, like always," I said with a grin, and he shot one right back at me. There it was — the familiar, genuine smile I'd been missing all night. I couldn’t help but feel relief wash all over me when I saw it.

We wrapped up the night at some random downtown bar. Most of the time, I stuck with Pat since she only knew me there. A couple of beers, a joint, and watching her all hyped up did the trick; I started to unwind, and soon enough, I was enjoying the night with a lightness I hadn't felt in ages. Had a cig between my lips, just chilling and keeping an eye on the guys from a distance. Cliff and Kirk were deep into some serious chat, sharing a joint. Lars and James had found some fans from the show, cracking up and talking loudly while passing around a bottle of vodka.

"Can I ask you something?" Pat threw out. I shifted my gaze from the scene, catching her curious, kinda fuzzy look — probably thanks to a bit of the booze. Before I could even answer, she kept going: "What's the deal with you and James?"

"Me... and James?" I raised my eyebrows, totally caught off guard. She nodded, a little smile playing on her lips. "We're... We're friends."

"And that's it?" She raised an eyebrow, and I furrowed my brow.

"Of course, that's it, Pat! You know I'm dating Dave."

"Yeah, I know. It's just..." She started, letting her eyes wander over to Lars and James before turning back to me with a mischievous grin. "He's quite the looker. Mind if I flirt with him a bit? Just for fun, you know."

I blinked, caught off guard, and then burst into laughter, my face heating up in a mix of surprise and confusion. Out of all the scenarios playing in my head for that night, Pat showing interest in James was definitely not on the list.

“Sure, why not,” I said, and she shot me a smile before strutting in the direction of James and Lars. I watched her go, a little smirk on my face, a tiny pang of envy sneaking into my chest. Maybe life would be more of a breeze if I could summon that kind of confidence in myself so easily.

"So now you're playing matchmaker?" I heard Cliff's familiar voice, and I looked up to meet his brown eyes staring at me. I grinned as he lit a cigarette, handing it to me before popping the top of the beer can he had in his hand. "Are you okay?"

"Never been better. And you?"

"Are you sure?" he raised an eyebrow. "Last time I saw you, you weren't very happy."

"Yeah, felt a bit down after... you know, what happened," I confessed with a sigh. "But I think that's all settled now, isn't it?"

Cliff didn't seem entirely convinced. He took a drag from his cigarette, the smoke billowing out before he reached out to me. I took the cigarette from between his fingers, bringing it to my lips.

"I thought James liked you," he commented, his attentive gaze fixed on my face. I shrugged.

"Maybe he does. But you know I have a boyfriend, Cliff. Maybe it's good for him to be distracted by some other girl for a bit," I said, and Cliff snorted.

"Not even you believe that, Nore."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think? Are you sure about what you're doing, throwing your friend at him like this? Or will you regret it later?"

"Why would I regret it?" I furrowed my brow, then stared at him defiantly. "I know what I'm doing, okay?"

"If you say so," he shrugged, taking the cigarette back from my hand.

I watched him walk away with a frown, scanning the area for James, my stomach churning uncomfortably when I couldn't find him anywhere.

We bounced out of the bar late at night, still riding high on excitement and energy, a bit too drunk but not giving a damn about it. Lucky for us, the guys were staying at a friend's house nearby, and a quick call to Pat's dad had us sorted for a ride home from their place. I said my goodbyes to the guys and enjoyed the cruise home. Pat, usually a chatterbox, was oddly quiet on the drive. When I nudged her about James, she blushed so hard I couldn't help but crack up.

When I got home, I made a beeline for the shower. The hot water washed away the remnants of the night's boozing, helping me unwind and finally realize how tired I was. I slipped into my PJs, hopping into bed next to a knocked-out Dave.

I let out a soft chuckle when his arms wrapped around me, his lips landing on my neck. It was like he had a sixth sense that woke him up the moment I was back, even from the deepest sleep. Like he just knew I was nearby. How could I think of anyone else when Dave loved me like this?

“Hey,” he mumbled, his voice all sleepy, planting a kiss on my shoulder.

“Hey,” I replied with a smile, turning in bed to face him. I swept his ginger hair away from his face, and he grumbled before pulling me closer, burying his face in my neck.

"Missed you tonight," he murmured, his raspy voice making me shiver in the best way. "Glad you're back."

"Course, I'm back," I whispered, running my fingers through his hair. "We’re not gonna fight tonight, right?"

"Hmm..." he grumbled, his lips making their way up my neck until they met mine. His hands grabbed my waist as he settled on top of me. "No fights... got something else in mind."

I laughed into his kiss, my face warming as he turned up the intensity, making my whole body heat up. In that moment, wrapped up in his arms, I was sure I was loved. I was sure he loved me. And that was, and always would be, enough. 

Or, at least, that's what I told myself.

✧ if you'd like to be tagged on the next parts, let me know and I'll add you to the tag list! ❤ ✧

[omegasmileyface]

The Foleys' Incredible Crisis

Chapter 1: Call It Stormy Monday

Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad) was written and performed in 1947 by T-Bone Walker. It is one of the most popular Blues songs ever, and has been performed and reiterated by countless other musicians. It has been credited with inspiring B.B. King to take up electric guitar, and it is included in the Library of Congress.

Happy Invisobang!!! This should have been posted earlier in the week but I couldn't make myself get to the computer to finalize/format it. Hehe. This year I had the INCREDIBLE experience of working with Shadow and Sharks, who were such wonderful artists— they have a whole smörgåsbord of art to please your eyes in this story! They have kept me on my toes— as I write this, the final, collaborated illustration is still a secret to me 👀 Lola is an OC I named once I realized Tucker absolutely feels like he has a little sister. Since then she's been in my heart and I can't let her go. My wonderful girl Lola. It's a treat whenever I get to see her in the wild— I almost had a heart attack when she appeared in Lex Luthor's Ascent from Supervillainy to Fatherhood by halfagone!

For a directory of all currently posted chapters and related content, check out the Table of Contents!

fic summary: After a whole week of vacation stuck together, the Foleys were more than happy to have some time apart. So when they each found themselves caught up in ghost business, that meant handling it alone. Angela wasn't planning on improvising a ghost conspiracy, Maurice was hoping to avoid working IT, Lola didn't think playing a hero would take her out of school, and Tucker would really have liked to focus on his own problems. But, really, what else did they expect from Amity Park? Home, sweet home.

words: 2269

AO3 link

next chapter [pending]

Tucker dropped his bag with a thunk. He was far beyond caring to be delicate, despite the electronics inside— he just wanted to shed his shoes and jacket and maybe the memories of the trip along with them.

"Ohhhh-kay," said his mom, grimacing at the trash can. Nobody had thought to empty it before they left. "What a vacation!" She laughed emptily. "I'm going to bed. You can fend for yourselves for dinner."

Tucker's dad popped back out from behind the bathroom door. "Before you go," he called over the rush of the faucet, "can we all just agree? Real quick, get in the den and then we can all ignore each other."

Lola sighed loudly and gave up untying her shoe, just kicking it off. Tucker agreed. He couldn't wait to wash his hands after the long trip.

His dad dried off his hands and joined them in the den, looking each of his family members in the eyes one by one. "I propose we never talk about this trip unless we have to."

Everyone agreed with as much fervor as they could muster after the fraught day.

"Also," said Lola, "I think we should try not to talk to each other for a whole day."

"Works for me," said Tucker.

His mom yawned. "Much as I love you all, I'm good with a day pretending you don't exist. Tucker, can you walk with Lola to and from school tomorrow?"

He looked at his little sister. She shrugged.

"As long as she plays nice, yeah."

His dad clapped. "Cool. Alright. So, unless one of us needs something, we all mind our own business tomorrow? Okay. I'm gonna order a pizza, and... I'll sleep in the guest room tonight. Pleasure doin' business with you all."

Tucker closed his eyes and sighed, pleased at imagining taking a shower and sleeping in his own bed in a few hours.

They had just wanted to see family in Chicago. What a disaster.

The library was quiet when Angela Foley came in. That made sense, she worked weekday mornings, so they usually only saw adults and the rare preschooler. As much as she liked helping the spread of knowledge, it was nice not to have too much to do at the front desk. Maybe she could get a crossword puzzle or two done.

She had made it about halfway through the puzzle (Angela knew a lot of things, but wordplay was never her specialty. What on Earth was she supposed to get from "gift for a blue lady"?) before someone walked in, paused, and went straight for the front desk.

She put on her smile. "Hi! Can I help ya with anything?"

The man was tall, wearing a clean white button-up shirt and jeans. His brassy skin and black hair caught strangely in the fluorescent lights, turning almost orange at their edges. She was pretty sure he was a ghost in disguise, but she had helped ghosts before. Usually, if one was asking for help using a library, they weren't intent on doing anything violent.

Usually. She still reserved a little caution.

"Yes, I'm looking for information on a very distant place. Where might I find something like that?"

"Well, what place is it?"

"It's called An Aghaidh Mhòr."

Angela blinked at the unfamiliar sounds. "I'm not familiar. Is that... Gaelic?"

The man fiddled with his sleeves. "Scottish, I believe, yes."

"Alright." Angela stood up and moved toward the computer monitor at the desk by the door. "I'm going to check in our catalog for books on Scotland."

The man watched silently as she searched. Angela hummed. "It looks like, in house, the only books we have on Scotland are travel guides covering the whole of the UK or Europe. I don't expect they'd have many details on smaller places— well, I'm assuming An Aghaidh Mhòr is small, since I haven't heard of it. If you'd like, you can check anyway, or I can contact another library in the system, and they can send over some more specialized books, but that might take a few days."

The man said nothing, but his eyebrows furrowed in thought. Angela recognized the face of a person with a wide, potent array of bad options.

"Or, if you're more pressed for time, we do have a few computers and Internet access here. I can help you find some web sites that might have what you're looking for."

"And this wouldn't take any longer than looking through a book?"

Angela smiled and headed toward the public computers. "Faster, even, if you know what you're doing. I can help you if you've never done it before."

They began their search, and the man caught on quickly to what Angela was doing and how. She helped him for a while, long enough to find out that An Aghaidh Mhòr was a place in the woody North of Scotland, usually called Aviemore, and was something of a tourist destination. Beyond that, she left him to do his own research and went back to her crossword.

She just had a pesky few clues left when the man started muttering curses in another language and walked back over to her desk.

With panicked eyes, he said "I have to be honest. What I'm looking for is, ah… evidence that An Aghaidh Mhòr has an open community of ghosts alongside its humans. I'm certain that it once did, and I know that it still must. But I have chased every tail of information I could find that led to pages on the computer, and none of them, regardless of detail or experience with the town, has mentioned it."

He looked down and seemed to weigh something in his head. "It must be some sort of secret. Whether to protect the ghosts or to protect themselves from ridicule, the living people of An Aghaidh Mhòr have hidden their ghost society. You have to help me find it."

The little hairs on Angela's body all stood up. Warning bells were going off in her head. There was nothing to do but remain calm. "If that's the case, I don't know about anything like that. I can send out a question to my colleagues to see if they know anything, but I'm afraid I can't–"

"No!" The man swung out a hand, and the inner doors swung shut, silvery light weaving across them like fishing nets to keep them in place. The lights dimmed and his skin faded to a deep, fiery orange, layered and complex like agate. His eyes glowed like the moon. The few library guests gasped and looked at him in shock.

"You are a keeper of information, from a city with a striking connection to ghosts. I need to know the truth about ghostly An Aghaidh Mhòr, and you must help me find it." His silver eyes were full of fear, but Angela couldn't bring herself to care how the ghost who just trapped and threatened her was feeling.

She had to think fast to get out of this safely. Something to keep his hopes up…

"Fine. Fine." Angela held up her hands. "I'm not confident in my own grasp of the situation, but I do know of some secrets like the one you're talking about. It'll take some time– say, a couple hours– to put together anything meaningful, and I'll need to call in an expert, but I can do it. I will do it."

She could only hope her friends were any good at improv.

Maurice was never one for early mornings, but he always made the best of his hour alone after the kids went off to school and Angela's shift started. That was his time to make coffee and goof around. He could prance around the kitchen in ways that would make Tucker gag if he were there, and as long as he couldn't see his neighbors, he could put them out of mind enough to sing as loud as he wanted.

Before work was the blues hour. Today he put on Lucille. Whole album, on tape, from the top.

If anybody asked why he started his days with the blues, he'd probably say something about the sad lyrics reminding him how lucky he was. How no matter how embarrassing the family vacations or boring the work or sleazy the boss, he still had a clean house around him and a faithful wife beside him.

In reality, though, he mostly just liked the beat.

Once he got into work, it was just the same as ever. Double-entries and journalizing. He didn't even get to mix up which accounts he dealt with. VLADCO was too big for that. It was Accounts Receivable, 140-180, day after day.

But at least it wasn't IT.

Then, after almost an hour of swimming through "Axiom Labs, Ltd. $1,300 Debit" and "Hey, Maurice, how was the weekend?" and "Nugreen Ectosuppliers, LLC $400 Credit" and "You get that last letter? Crazy what Masters is trying these days, yeah?", everything went dark.

(Or, at least darker than usual. The grainy white of every surface in the office never lent itself to anything deeper than a cloudy grey.)

After a few seconds of quiet shock, the lights came back. Now, however, there was a ghost floating in front of the door connecting the Finances and Supplies department to the rest of the facility.

He seemed to be well-muscled and of average height, though it was hard to tell exactly what a ghost looked like when they were putting off that much of an aura. His skin was dark green and rough-looking, like bark, and there was a reddish halo around his head like some sort of spectral hair. His blood-moon eyes looked over everyone in the room individually before anyone dared speak. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"This is the center of a company that arms humans againsts ghosts and similar threats. Yes?"

Shocked, a few people nodded.

"And you are all from the department keeping stock of supplies. I do not know where your weapons are kept, but I know that you do. Someone in here will retrieve them for me. I need them, if I am to bring my people, ghosts and humans, together again."

The tension finally broke the membrane freezing time, and several office workers started to move for phones.

"Don't bother trying to get help. I have severed all the lines of communication between you and the world outside this office. I will leave you alone, as soon as someone leads me to the armory."

Maurice glanced at the little LCD display on the phone on his desk. No signal. His computer, too, had nothing when he clicked over to the Internet settings.

No one said anything. Some kept trying with their phones, but not a single person offered to explain how scant and useless the actual in-house ecto-equipment supply was or show the path to it. Maurice imagined they were all thinking the same thing he was; yes, complying was generally the way to stay safe in a hostage situation, and panic was strong, but a ghost coming into town and getting their hands on even just half-assembled ecto-equipment never went well. And, maybe even more importantly, VLADCO had terrifyingly strict regulations on safe ecto-tech policy. Unless the immediate threat of being personally hurt for information increased, the consequences in the long run were the biggest monster here.

The ghost crossed his arms. "Fine. You have one hour to bring me to the weapons. I can wait. I have waited this long. If you take any longer, or if you attempt any trickery, then I will start going through with threats. Until then, you may have your time to panic and fantasize about ways out that don't involve giving up company supply. I will be standing here."

He leaned against the door, and his gaze stayed rock-hard on the workers and their cubicles.

Maurice caught the eye of his most tolerable coworker Jacob. Jacob widened his eyes in some silent look of panicked questioning. Maurice shrugged. He was scared out of his mind, but what was there to do? Freaking out wouldn't do anybody any good. He could wait here and see if any ghost hunter showed up, and once they got closer to the end of the hour, everybody could meet up and decide if it was worth giving up the ecto-tech.

For now... well, he certainly wasn't going to do more accounting. This was as good an excuse for a break as any.

He toyed around on his computer for a bit, fidgeting with whatever programs he had. Maybe if the ghost noticed him, he could say he was looking for office schematics explaining where the ecto-tech was held. Really, he couldn't think to do anything but let off stress.

He played around in the rudimentary E-mail client for a bit. Mimed sending goofy messages to his coworkers while he knew he couldn't accidentally send them. But there, at the top of his inbox, was the automated morning office update. It had just come in four minutes ago... after the communications were shut off.

Was there some kind of hole in the ghost's anti-communication measure? The intercoms weren't working, and normal E-mails weren't going through, even within just Finances & Supplies. But the daily updates worked on a different system than the normal E-mails, so nobody had to send them at a consistent time each day, just queue them up.

...Was there something about the different setup that made it immune to the ghost's blackout?

Maurice got to investigating.

[bogginswritings]

Sleepless Nights for the Damned || Percival de Rolo x fem!reader

I'm sorry for my absence. I didn't write anything here in the last like 9 months. Writers block and school were killing me. I hope this can make up for it a little bit, but don't expect too much. I practically forced this out. (I love Percy smsm)

Pairing: Percy de Rolo x fem!reader/oc

Summary: The nights were the hardest for Percy. When his mind could wander because his hands aren't preoccupied with anything. He was lucky now, though. He had her.

Warning(s): Mentions of past trauma, Percy's backstory, angst and comfort, panic attacks (Percy)

(idk who posted the GIF, I'm sorry)

Percy wasn’t entirely sure what he looked like anymore. 

He had mirrors, of course, but the reflection didn't always look familiar. He didn’t really know what he was supposed to look like, anymore. Would he have looked like this if his childhood would keep going as it did; happy and joyful? Would the dark circles not be under his eyes? Would he not have the white hair, but rather the brown locks he always had?

He didn't know. But it seemed common, to no longer recognize himself. Wandering alone for years in the need of vengeance, a routine of eating rotten bread from trash cans and stealing apples on the market just so his stomach wouldn't complain; one could say this changes a man.

Percy met a group, and he came up with the name Vox Machina. While this was somewhat stable, he was far from happy. He wasn't even entirely sure why, because he had great and caring friends now. His stomach was always full with food that hadn't already gone bad for at least two days. Sure, the jobs they did to earn some coin wasn't always 'ethical’, per se; but it kept them going just fine. Percy wasn't happy, but he was content. As content as he could get, anyway, for the desire of revenge still lingered and nightmares took over his sleep.

Sometimes he’d kill the Briarwoods in said nightmares,  though maybe those should be considered dreams, he didn't know where they came from. Even during the day he thought about it, a gnawing feeling of pure anger taking over his entire being. He had episodes like this, they’ve become more frequent, though Percy was not entirely sure where they came from. Sure, he was so pissed no word in the English language was enough to describe it, but he didn’t think that a feeling of rage would consume his entire being.

No friend could make this better. No one was there at night to comfort him. They didn't understand. He couldn't blame them, he never told them. It wasn't fair to put a weight like that on their shoulders, to trauma dump when they all have so much to deal with already.

Percy felt hopeless, to be quite honest. Especially when he woke up in a cold sweat and had no one to go to. When he had a bad dream as a kid he would just slide in with his parents, now he waited in bed hoping to fall asleep again or at least have his body get the rest. Sometimes he was just extremely mad when he woke up in the middle of the night, and he’d get to his workshop to tinker.

It was always the same, and it felt like a routine. Just like it was routine for Vex to check Trinket’s teeth and Grog to clean his weapons. However, this was a routine he didn’t participate in voluntarily and he couldn’t get out of.

Once again his eyes snapped open, his breathing heavy. It felt like he had to lift up a brick from his chest with every breath in. Percy shot up, sitting upright to try and shake off that horrible feeling. The feeling he was going to pass out from a lack of air. The feeling he was dying. He tried to stay quiet, but a whimper slipped past his lips. He did his best to muffle it, to be silent. Usually he wouldn’t have to worry about it too much, but usually he was alone in his bed. He didn’t share it with someone.

His body got a shock from another stifled sob. Percy could feel this was going to be a bad ride, one he had to let wash over him. Wave after wave until the storm calmed and it passed. They seemed to be more frequent and during the day it fueled his being more and more with wrath and a desire to kill the Briarwoods. Percy didn’t just want to kill them, he wanted to hurt them. He needed them to feel all the sadness and anger he has felt and-

He tried to take a deep breath, to not spiral into there. Right now he just had an intense feeling of fear and panic he didn’t know how to control.

A gentle touch on his shoulder, the weight on the bed next to him dipping. “Darling?” her gentle voice rang through his ears. He couldn't register everything quickly, but she'd sat up too; one hand resting on his thigh whilst the one his shoulder started rubbing circles.

This was the first time Percy had woken her up with it. Though, to be fair, they had only started sleeping in one bed for a week or so. He knew he probably should have warned her beforehand that this could happen- would happen, but everytime he tried an itch in his throat stopped him. God, he felt like such an asshole waking her up, and that only added up to the bad feeling of guilt he had.

“I-” he swallowed, his eyes darted around the room to find something to focus on, “I’m sorry.”

“Look at me, Percy,” Her voice was soothing, “Focus on me.” He did. It took a while, her words still getting processed in his brain, but he did. Her heart broke when she saw his wobbling lips,  “Good, take a deep breath with me.”

Percy tried, he really did, but it just wouldn't. It caused him to fall into more of a panic, his breathing turning rigid. She asked him for something so simple and he couldn't do it. “I-I can’t- I can't-” Her hand moved away from his thigh, but before Percy could start crying because ‘she was definitely leaving’, it came back on his chest. “I’m here. Can you lift my hand?” She asked, and she took deep, loud drags of air to demonstrate. It took a while, but he managed to lift it slightly. And then some more. “Good job,” Her hand moved lower, resting on his abdomen, “And now? I need you to breathe through your stomach.” Percy remembered she did it with herself sometimes too, a hand on her belly before they went into battle. He understood why now, because once he managed to lift her hand it actually felt like air was going inside his lungs for the first time in the last- what, five minutes? It took a little while before it became a rhythm to breathe like that, but it helped.

The hand on his shoulder had moved to hold his face, he didn’t know when that happened, but he only noticed it just now. The feeling was nice. “Better?” She asked, and he nodded, “Good.” She gave him a kind smile, and Percy just didn’t know what he did to deserve her. She knew exactly what to do, and she didn’t even know what this was about. If the woman was honest, though, she expected it to be about the dragon at first. An intense experience they went through. But they’ve been through worse, and it didn’t seem to have bothered the man before. Nonetheless, she caressed his cheek and held him. Percy never had someone comfort him like this, but he knew he liked it. “We can get out of bed for a bit, get that busy mind of yours on something else for a while?”

“I’d like that.”

And so here they were, at the table of the shared household of Vox Machina. Two mugs of tea stood in between them, still steaming and too hot to drink. They didn’t say anything, Percy was too lost in thought and she waited for him to figure it out. “I’m sorry.” It broke the silence after a while. The woman gave him a look, not one that ridiculed him; rather one that asked why he would say that, “You shouldn’t be.”

“But I am, I’ve woken you up. I should at least have had the decency to warn you about it.”

“Does it happen often?” She asked, worry etched into her voice. She always assumed the dark circles under his eyes were from late nights in his workshop, like the others. He was a workaholic after all. She didn't think there was more behind it. She felt horrible for not asking him, to make sure. “It does,” Percy said, “I should’ve said something, I’m sorry this is pushed onto you.”

“Stop apologizing,” she dipped her finger into the tea, deciding it was cooled down enough to drink, “That’s what partners are for, if you don’t get that comfort then what kinda relationship do you have. Would you have gotten mad at me?” He shook his head, even though he knew it was rhetorical, “Exactly.” She took a sip, Percy following soon after, “If you ever need to talk about it, I’m here for you. And if you don’t that is okay, too. I’ll still be right by your side.”

“I want to talk about it- I do, I tried.”

“Take your time, Percy,” she reassured, “We aren’t in a hurry. When you’re ready I’ll be here.”

He nodded, sending her an appreciative smile, “I promise I will be. Later.”

“Later,” she affirmed, and they drank the rest of their mugs in silence.

…

“I just remembered we have that dinner at Uriel’s,” They were back in bed, the woman playing with Percy’s hair as his head was tucked under her chin. They didn’t cuddle often, but this felt nice, “You excited?” She felt him nod, “Though I’d be more excited if Grog remembered his manners.” She snorted at his response, but she couldn’t find it in her to disagree.

“I can’t wait to have a change of scenery. Fancy foods,” she gushed, “and fancy drinks.”

“It’ll be good for us, to get some respect as Vox Machina,” Percy said, “It could get us better jobs.” She hummed in acknowledgement. That would be nice. She kissed the top of his head, “We should probably sleep then, to look presentable and all.”

“I always look presentable.”

The woman snorted, “You sure do, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

That night was the first in a while where Percy felt safe.

Alrightie, hope you enjoyed!

[f-oighear]

For the Writer Ask Game with fruits, let me give you some 🍒🍍🍋🍌🍏🍈🫐 for your fruit basket^^

fghjfgjhsd that is indeed a basket. Thanks!

🍒 What’s your favorite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!)

I think I've said it several times already but writing Zora and Nebra is always a treat whether it's romantic or platonic. They are so funny.

🍍What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with?

I like canon divergence! Both for reading and writing, really. I also love time loop stories or time travel stories.

As for AUs I dislike... it'd be settings I don't understand or lack the knowledge to? (and where it's crucial to have that knowledge) Like some historical AUs or the Omegaverse— I've never managed to understand what was going on in the omegaverse.

🍋 What’s your favorite spicier trope to write?

fhdfhjs none. Spice isn't for me, I'm afraid. Vanilla writer 😂

🍌 In your opinion, what’s the funniest joke/reference/pun you’ve made in a fic?

Ohhh... I like running jokes. Noelle not having a restraining spell is the only one I can think of right now. I also had a lot of fun with Neran in I'll Follow with references and cultural jokes.

🍏 Is there something you overuse, whether it’s a certain phrase, trope, or piece of punctuation?

I think I overuse italics? It was striking in the middle parts of the Soulmate AU (The Agreement, Where The Heart Is, Stargazers). I caught that upon rereading Where The Heart Is a few months ago (and edited some italics out fhdfdsj). I'm also a sucker for stream of consciousness. Love internal monologues. Will never stop.

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

I'd say the Silvas, although I've worked much less with Solid than the other three (I have arguably worked more with the dead OCs than him which is appalling— I'm sorry, Solid).

My favorite head canon about House Silva as a whole is that they are fundamentally seen as 'cursed' by the other two royal houses. I hc that there's only the four Silvas remaining— everyone else is dead or gone— and that's why the current Silva siblings are all so pressed about their reputation. They're alone to fend for themselves.

I think Nebra was clingy as a child. Nozel had a few hiding places in the castle and Nebra found every single one of them. The poor boy could get no peace unless Acier kept Nebra busy to get her eldest some reprieve.

Nebra is messy. She is a pacer, she is a klutz, she is constantly embarrassed by it and hides it behind the usual confident front. It also shows up in several fics of mine but she is absolutely awful at any type of paperwork she attempts on doing.

Nozel doesn't trust his siblings and I think he will tend to fix his siblings' mistakes himself without telling them he did. Especially if it involves squad work. There's also what happened after the dinner of doom in Your World.

Solid was a fussy baby and then a fussy child. Asking for one thing and then crying and yelling because he didn't want that or he wanted it before or he wanted it differently. Fussy.

All Silva siblings have a little box with things that belonged to Acier. Noelle got a few scraps like post cards Acier sent. She has spent so much time trying to copy her mother's handwriting.

Aaaand I think I'll stop here because we're going to sad territory 😂

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

Mmmh... It's a tough one because I don't usually focus on what's not there or not there enough? I think the good thing about BC is that dspite having loads of characters, they're all fleshed out enough for people to get interested in them? You see fans of different characters or minor characters everywhere (so you see head canons and analyses and fics and art about those characters or ships too). So I don't think there's anything lacking or underrated.

Went on a ramble here and digressed, so I'll just answer the question. Favorite underrated thing in my fandom: Early Black Bulls fics! The chaos it must have been. (also, we thank @acacia-may for the ones she wrote, they are incredible)

[perfectpaperbluebirds]

Sicktember #21

Prompt: “But if you stay, you’ll get sick too.”

Fandom/OCs: The Black Tapes Podcast (Alex and Richard)

Words: 1590

Sicknario inspo: "Keep your distance, I've caught a cold" from this post, "No, you're not" from this post, “We need to do something about that fever” from this post, and "a bad cold" from this post

Author’s comments/background: Not much to say on this one, except that I love pieces in which I can incorporate several “sicknarios” into one. If you don’t know the characters, you can check out my other stuff where I give more description. It’s a fandom that not many other people here like, but that I love, and writing these nerds is always a treat. I hope to write something else for them over this holidays as well, so you’ll probably see them again soon. 

~~~***~~~

"Keep your distance. I've caught a cold." 

Richard Strand frowned as he read the text from Alex, frozen in a moment of indecision, as he'd been just about to head to her house to pick her up for work. He thought for several moments about how he should respond.

"Do you need anything?" he asked at last. 

There was a long delay before she responded: "I hate to ask, but… could you bring me some NyQuil and some orange juice? I know I just said keep your distance, but no one else is available. I'm sorry to ask."

"It's no trouble. I'll be there soon," he quickly replied. 

It took only minutes to stop at the store, so he was pulling into Alex's apartment complex in no time. He parked and made his way to her door with her supplies in hand. He cleared his throat before he knocked, feeling strangely nervous. When she answered, Richard tried not to show his surprise at her appearance. He had never seen her so disheveled. Even through all the early mornings and late nights they'd spent together, Alex had always seemed so put-together. The woman before him now, dressed in a fuzzy robe and slippers, looked anything but. She looked exhausted and miserable and shaky… and sick. She smiled at him as soon as she opened the door, though, looking more like her usual self right away.

"Richard, I can't thank you enough for doing this. You're a lifesaver." She held out her hand for the shopping bag. 

"Like I said, it was no trouble. Are you sure you have everything else you need?" He handed over the bag almost reluctantly. 

Alex braced herself against the doorway and Richard saw her legs trembling, though whether from cold or weakness it was hard to say. "I think so," she replied. "You don't need much when you just sleep all day, and that's exactly what I plan to do." Her voice, what was left of it, petered out into a hoarse coughing fit that she muffled into her elbow. The coughing left her eyes and nose streaming, so she then had to tidy herself up with a tissue, the friction heightening the blush around her nose, which was only matched by her flushed cheeks. 

Richard watched all of this with mounting concern. "Do you have anyone coming to help you?" he asked. "You seem very sick."

Alex shook her head and tried to wave away his concern, but the gesture was lost as she instead had to press the tissue to her nose to catch a pair of sneezes this time. 

"I'mb fide," she croaked when she was able. Blowing her nose, she tried again. "I don't think there's much anyone can do, you know? These things just have to run their course."

Richard frowned. "You shouldn't be alone like this, though. What if something happens to you?"

Alex shrugged. "I've been taking care of myself for a long time. I'm used to it. I don't want anyone to have to worry about me."

"Then I'll stay with you," Richard said. “I can work from here just as well as anywhere else. You and I will both rest easier if you're not alone."

"That's not–"

"You're shaking so hard you're about to fall over. Let's go inside, please. I've kept you talking for too long."

In a smooth motion, Dr. Strand reclaimed the shopping bag from her and took her arm, gently leading her to the couch where it was obvious she'd been lying before he arrived. She tried to protest again as Richard began to make himself at home.

"I'm fine, really. I'm not–"

"No, you're not fine, Alex." He paused, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I've seen you work through half a dozen illnesses since we started working together, and you've never missed a day. So if you're saying you're sick, that means you must be feeling awful. You're not fine, so let me help you. Please."

Alex made an exasperated sound. "That's beside the point. You don't need to stay. I don't–"

She was interrupted by her phone ringing. Both of their heads snapped to the coffee table where it was lying. Alex groaned when she saw the name on the caller ID.

"Ugh, Brittany. That's a student that wanted to shadow me this week. I forgot to call her to cancel for today. She'll talk my ear off if I answer, and probably try to show up here anyway just like you did."

"Let me handle this," Richard said, looking almost mischievous. He picked up her phone. "Dr. Strand speaking," he said in his most formal tone. The moment of shocked silence that followed told Alex he had had exactly the effect he'd hoped. Then Brittany began to chatter, but Richard cut her off before she could really get going.

"Yes. Thank you. Perhaps another time. No, Alex won't be available today. She's–" 

A well-timed sneezing fit burst out of Alex just then, and Strand angled the phone so the caller could hear it. "Sorry. As you can hear, she's caught a bad cold."

Brittany tried to start up again, but Strand wouldn't let her. "I'll tell her that. Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience. Take care now." He hung up with a decisive gesture, then gave Alex a smirk. 

Alex rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Don't act so smug. I could've done that too. But thank you. I appreciate your help I guess. Not that I had much choice in accepting it."

Richard chuckled. "You're welcome. You see, I can make myself useful in the most unexpected ways. You'll be glad I'm staying."

"But I don't want you to stay, though," she groaned. "If you stay, you'll get sick too, don't you get it? And then where will we be with both of us out of commission?"

"I've considered the possibility. It really wouldn't be that serious. IF it even happens. We've spent plenty of time together and have never gotten each other sick before."

"Neither of us have been sick like this, though," Alex groaned, then coughed, Richard thought, for emphasis. "But I can see your mind is made up. I hope you don't regret this."

"Whatever happens, I will never regret helping you," Richard said seriously. "That much I can assure you. Now, would you like some juice? Or is there anything else I can get you?"

"Yes please to the juice, and then NyQuil." She had to stop to cough before she continued. The cough sounded very weary and all the more harsh because of it. "I haven't slept in two days because of all of this, and I really want to be knocked out for a few hours."

"Your sleep patterns will be ruined if you do that."

"I'm beyond caring. I just want to sleep."

With a shrug, Richard complied. 

Alex got her wish, and with some help from the good drugs she was asleep in no time. Richard, meanwhile, tried to get some work done. However, his attention never strayed far from Alex, and since she was restless, he got little work done. Every time she moved, his eyes flew to her. She had yet to stop shivering since he'd arrived, as if ice had settled into her bones, so he wasn't surprised when she startled awake less than an hour after she fell asleep. She looked even worse than she had when she laid down, disoriented and not-quite lucid. She groaned as if in pain when she tried to sit up, and groaning naturally made her cough as well. 

"What hurts?" Dr. Strand murmured, already at her side.

"Everything," she moaned. "Like someone took a hammer to me."

He made a concerned sound as he pressed a broad palm to her face. "We need to do something about that fever. It's not coming down."

"What fever? I dunno what you're talking about, I'm the picture of health," Alex mumbled. 

The attempt at sarcasm made her companion smile a tiny smile. "Whatever you say. More drugs couldn't hurt, though. Sit up and take this, please. And this too. Let me get you more juice."

Alex obediently swallowed the medication he handed her, and even took the high road by refraining from pointing out that he always said medications that only treat symptoms are as good as worthless. She didn't have the energy for an argument, and she would try anything that might help her feel less awful. 

Even after Strand wrapped another blanket around her, she continued to shiver, which seemed to make her cough. He bit the inside of his cheek, thinking. 

"Sit up for a second, please," he said.

Alex groaned, having just laid back down, but sluggishly complied. Richard sat down where her head had been, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close against him, making sure she was warmly covered. 

"Sleep against me," he said. "You'll be warmer and hopefully cough less."

It was a testament to how poorly she was feeling that she didn't argue, just simply let her weight collapse against him as her heavy eyes fell closed. 

"Thank you," she breathed, nestling closer against his chest. 

"You don't have to thank me. Just get well soon, please," he murmured in reply. 

Alex had no reply to that, because she was already fast asleep.

[mannatea]

The World Could Be Beautiful, a Tales of Symphonia ‘fic (Chapter 5)

Word Count: 25,224 Summary: After a chance encounter in Izoold, Raine and Regal both get a lot more than they bargained for. (A one-night stand 'fic with consequences.) Chapter Summary: Regal announces his marriage! And it's their wedding night. Pairing/Characters: Regal/Raine, Genis, George, and assorted OCs as the story requires. Lloyd, Colette, and Zelos all show up later. Warnings: Blanket warnings for the entire fic: pregnancy (and all that comes with it), discussion/mention of abortion, power imbalance, fantasy racism. Rating: Explicit. (No sex in this chapter.) Genre: Romance/angst/bumbling through an awkward and frankly frightening situation.

The title is the link to Ao3 for Chapter 5!

Notes under a cut. (Read after the chapter.)

What can I say? I stand by the fact that if George was not thrilled with Alicia, who was poor and human, he would be very unhappy about Raine. That said, you can't really blame the man for being suspicious.

--

There was a period of time where wealthy people went on post-wedding "tours" and sometimes these were called "holidays." Historically "honeymoons" were pretty long affairs. I like the idea of the tradition existing in both worlds but managing to feel different. In Tethe'alla, it's something only wealthy people do because it involves not needing to work for weeks if not months. Since a lot of these marriages are arranged or for convenience, this time frame lets the couple get to know one another in a more private sense (vs. in front of all the staff of their home).

In Sylvarant, it's more about having time to get to know your spouse/spend time together/kickstart reproduction lol. The better off people do usually use this time to go somewhere fun, but that's considered a luxury. Raine actually uses the term "honeymoon" in-game (Lloyd + Raine, Altamira's hotel scene: she says the room seems like a honeymoon suite). What's truly interesting is that the hotel doesn't...advertise it that way. (Hence my dumb headcanon.)

--

Dreaming of your wedding day... Yeah, not everyone does this, but I think a lot of people do at least idly wonder about it or have an idea of what they expect/want for it.

I didn't drag this conversation out because Regal's too smart and I don't think he'd pry about this, but Raine never let herself think about what her eventual wedding day would be like because she didn't think she'd have one anytime soon (not as long as she was pretending to be an elf, anyway).

--

I like the idea that Raine is a gifted writer. I feel like in-game that information alone makes her fan-club make a lot more sense. Just imagine she's published a few papers on research in the last five years.

She's also on occasion a bit more expressive in writing. It feels safer and is therefore easier for her. In this case, she'd prefer to be more honest with Genis but she's paranoid that her letter could be read and she can't afford rumors right now..so it's time to lie (and hope he Sees Through It).

Also the bit about how she feels like she could lie straight-faced to Zelos or Sheena. This just fills me with the desire to write a fake dating scenario where they do have to lie to one or both of them, because it would be hilarious. Zelos in particular would be hard to convince HAHAHAHA.

--

Rings in Tethe'alla being traditional is something I've used before. I just imagine with Sylvarant being so poor they have other traditions that make more logical/financial sense in different areas of the world (wearing a certain color, wearing their hair up, whatever).

--

WEDDING NIGHT. Poor Raine can't focus on her book with this on her mind. I didn't want to give off the impression that she was anxious about it, or even nervous, because she's had sex with him before. If he expected it now she would agree to it because it's their wedding night. She's mostly just feeling uncertain/shy about it. They both said they didn't think about it too often, but this is a special circumstance and they didn't discuss it.

As to Regal's real reasoning for why he's not insisting on sex on his wedding night (other than the fact that he's just straight-up not a jackass): it's a combination of things. He doesn't want to push her, he doesn't care that much, he really just wants to have what he feels he missed out on when they hooked up in Izoold, and frankly if there was a bigger expectation of it placed on him for something this personal/intimate I think he'd struggle with it.

Also, Raine thinks she's not a romantic but sometimes she does say weirdly romantic things. Telling a man who suffered crushing guilt for almost a decade over how his hands were tools of violence that you're "in good hands" GIRL PLEASE. Also saying his birthday matters to her because it's the day her husband was born??? RAINE.

Regal "There Can Only Be One Romantic" Bryant eats this shit up. He's so stupid I love him.

--

Also, that boyfriend? Don't forget him. (:

[crinkled-emotions]

If you're up to it, would you be interested in writing a fic where Rooster is stomach sick and tries to power through it at the Hard Deck and ultimately ends up throwing up on the ground, leading to him getting really embarrassed? If not, it's okay! I love your writing :)

I'm not currently taking Rooster requests BUT this was so up my alley I literally went oH FUCK and took this straight to Pooty where I then proceeded to dump ideas on her and then I remembered I had this sitting in my drafts!

It's my OC, Dee, and Rooster again, I'm on a bit of a kick because I'm finally nearly ready to post the prologue. If you wanted to write Hangster please let me know I'm in such a Hangster mood too!

(it's the Rooster is a slut [affectionate] agenda)

This was a little more graphic than usual but I've been playing it safe lately so y'know. Do what you will with that information.

This is a nice little filler fic while I finish up chest infection fic and also that tumblr prompt that I got overly attached to lmao.

-

Dee's parents had flown in a couple of days prior and now that they had recovered from the flight, they were insisting that Dee and Bradley take a night for themselves, child-free. The moment the Daggers caught wind of this they were inviting Dee out (oh, yeah, Rooster can come too) and they collectively met at the Hard Deck. Jake and Sav were also having a kid-free night, courtesy of their next-door neighbour. Penny and Maverick waved from the bar but didn't interrupt the Daggers when they reunited at the pool table.

Dee smacked Rooster's ass as she made her way over to Bob, pausing to give him a hug before turning to Phoenix and they fell into easy conversation. Rooster ambled over to the game of pool happening at that moment, snatching a cue from where Jake was leaning on it.

"Ah, sorry, Bagman, didn't see you there," he said without a hint of apology in his tone. The other aviator went to complain when he smirked.

"Kid-free night and you're here? You poor bastard."

"I nearly stayed home myself, Dee deserves a night on her own and I was falling asleep while she was getting ready."

"Sav tried on at least three pairs of jeans before we left the house; I'm convinced they were all exactly the same."

Mickey burst out laughing.

"Man, you have no idea. My mom once took me shopping with her and I'm telling you, she held up the exact same thing in both her hands and asked me which I thought was better."

"Try having daughters," Rooster grumbled but deep down, he adored his girls and his son.

"Amen to that, man," Reuben agreed, clinking his beer against Rooster's when Penny appeared and placed a cold one in his hand.

"First one's on the house. Good to see you out and about, Rooster," she said as she walked back to the bar. Rooster thanked her, taking a sip.

-

"How are you going, Dee; is it still chaos?"

Phoenix rounded the table Dee and Savannah were sitting on, bumping Sav's shoulder playfully as she joined them. Dee shrugged, picking at her beer bottle label.

"It's the same as it generally is; Roo's still asleep when I get up, and he's getting the kids ready for bed by the time I get home. By the time we're even thinking about alone time, we're both exhausted. I feel bad; he's home, and we haven't-"

"-oh, good, I don't think either of you want another baby right now," Phoenix deadpanned and Savannah snorted, rolling her eyes. Dee laughed.

"You're definitely right, but I miss him. There's this thing he does, with his-"

"-I'm gonna stop you right there, I can barely look at him straight after his and Jake's antics at Thanksgiving," Savannah said, a grimace on her face. She and Jake had also chosen to go kid-free for the night. Their eight month old, Ronan, was with their neighbour for the night. The ladies all burst out laughing, Dee glancing over at her husband. He was looking at her too and when she raised an eyebrow Bradley winked. She snorted, winking back and turning back to her conversation with Sav, Phoenix and now Bob who had ambled over.

-

The next time she glanced up, she took one look at Rooster across the bar and put her water down. Bradley's face was flushed and his flannelette shirt was hanging on a nearby stool. He was talking to Javy and Reuben, leaning on the pool table, but there was something off that Dee couldn't decipher from so far away. She nudged Mickey's arm, gently interrupting the banter with Jake and Natasha.

“Are you fucking- oh, shit. I gotta go, but thanks for the chat. I miss hanging out with you guys.”

“You too, Dee. Have a good night.”

Mickey tuned back into the conversation with Jake and Natasha, letting Dee make her way across the bar to her husband. He wrapped his arms around her, leaning into her smaller frame.

“Ready to go home?” She asked into his tank top. When he shook his head she glanced up at him in question; she'd gotten the vibe he'd had enough when he'd passed her at one point and passed her his half-full beer.

“I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

Dee pulled away, brushing a hand through Rooster’s hair and frowning.

“Right now? Are you drunk? Look, I get we've been lightweights since the kids came, but-”

“-we should- fuck, I'm-"

“Okay, c’mon.”

Dee took him by the hand, leading him out of the Hard Deck. Penny and Maverick, still sitting at the bar together, waved at the couple in passing. Maverick’s brows furrowed at his godson’s condition but Dee shook her head.

"Bit off more than he could chew; gonna go puke on some shrubs outside and he'll be ready to go again."

As the couple walked toward the front doors Dee put a hand on Bradley's back, grimacing.

"You’re running a fever,” she whispered to him as they neared the Bronco.

“Wouldn’t be surprised.”

His face was pale, a hint of green, and Dee steered him to the nearest bush.

“Alright, there you go,” she said softly, running a hand over his shoulders. Rooster leaned on the wooden barrier, wincing when his stomach cramped. At least he’d made it outside. He whimpered, throwing up again but with a little less intensity.

The first time was always the worst. Dee could remember it all too well from her morning sickness days.

“I know, honey. Slow down, I don’t want you to tear your throat.”

“I can’t,” Rooster croaked from where he was still trying to catch his breath after the last bout. When he caught a break he scrubbed at his nose, going to wipe his mouth with the end of his shirt. Dee stopped him, pulling a baby wipe from a travel pack in her purse.

“Still wiping vomit, even when we don’t have the kids with us,” she snorted. Rooster suddenly looked guilty.

-

“Baby, I’m so sorry, I totally ruined it-“

“-what are you talking about? I spent time with the team, Mav showed me some of your baby pictures, and we socialised with people who are taller than our belly buttons. Ugh, the fact that I said that- I feel like I've been watching Bluey through my eyelids on repeat.”

He snorted. Dee helped him upright, sighing as she swiped at his moustache. Her hand snuck up the back of his shirt, feeling for the fever she’d thought she felt earlier. Sure enough he was burning against her palm and she frowned.

“Did you feel sick earlier? How long have you had a fever?”

“I dunno, I thought I just didn’t eat enough before drinking.”

“Okay, let’s get you home. Are you going to projectile again?”

“I’d just like to say a blanket apology now, because we both know the next 24 hours are not going to be pretty.”

“Ha! That’s cute.”

Dee tossed the baby wipe she’d used on her husband into the nearest bin, grimacing as she pointed at it.

“Why couldn’t you have hurled in that?”

“I. Uh. Panicked?”

“Good for you, Roo, meanwhile I’ve gotta find something to rinse the puke off the ground with.”

“It’s literally the puke spot for the Hard Deck. Jake was there last month; even poor Bob made an appearance once.”

The colour drained out of his face again and Dee pushed him back toward the bush when he put a hand on his stomach, the other held to his mouth in disgust. Dee moved her hand firmly between his shoulder blades, making sure he wasn't going to fall on his ass.

“Okay… there you go, honey.”

-

With Bradley sitting in the Bronco, very quiet for someone who made her laugh so hard she'd recycled her coffee into her cup on more than one occasion, Dee made her way back into the Hard Deck. Sav had found her husband and was sitting on his lap, undoubtedly whispering something very not-safe-for-hard-deck in his ear by the way he blushed. Dee had never seen Jake Seresin blush and quite frankly, she kind of hoped she never had to again. It was unsettling.

"Penny, hey. Listen, can I ask a favour- oh. Uh. Thanks."

Penny handed Dee a plastic bucket as well as paper towels, winking.

"I've done this a couple of times. You can keep the bucket, I've started buying them in bulk."

"You're a car-saver, Penny!" Dee called before jogging back through the crowd.

By the time she got back to the Bronco, Rooster was hanging out of the door but he hadn't actually been sick. He glanced up at Dee and winced.

"So... not the ending you were expecting to tonight?"

"Hey; my parents are here a week and a half. I'm not pissed; well, I'm not now that I know you're not drunk."

"I wasn't- pass that here."

Rooster reached for the bucket Dee had, tucking it into his arms.

"Alright, you hold on to that, let's get you home. Good thing I can drive the Bronco."

The Bronco only really came out when it was the two of them; other than that, it followed Rooster around on his deployments if possible. Now that he was permanently stationed out of North Island and Dee and the kids had moved to San Diego, most of the time the Bronco was a daily commute vehicle.

-

By the time they were pulling into the driveway, the house quiet because all three kids were with Dee's parents at the airbnb they were staying in. Dee unbuckled her seatbelt and reached over, detaching Rooster from the bucket.

"Pass it over, babe, I don't want to see you until you're in the shower."

As unwell as he was, Rooster glanced over and winked at Dee, holding a fist to his mouth again.

"Bucket-"

"-oh, fuck, gotcha-"

Dee passed the bucket back, rubbing a hand between Bradley's shoulder blades.

"Let it out," she sighed, resting her shoulder against the steering wheel to keep an eye on her husband. When he had control of his stomach again, she took the bucket and got out of the Bronco, taking the bucket with her to unlock the door. Once Rooster was inside she directed him to the downstairs shower and went into the laundry to start clean up.

-

[novantinuum]

Finger painting, cricut, film?

Ohohoh the first one is going to be interesting indeed... *eye emoji as I look at this list...*

Thank you so much for sending one in, fren! :D

Writer/OC ask meme source

__

Finger Painting- Share a small snippet from your earliest work (or the earliest that you can get back to). How would you rewrite it today? Either share the rewrite itself or just describe how you’d do it.

Hmm... so, I'm only going to go back to my earliest Gravity Falls story, because to go any earlier would be to lose my sanity. Let's look at "Stanford in the Looking Glass."

Interestingly enough, I already AM re-imagining this fic! It's a series of thematically interconnected one-shots about Ford and his reflection throughout his life. I'm definitely not finished with this re-write yet, not enough to start posting what I have in full, but I can definitely share a small snippet.

Original, written in 2016:

When Stanford Pines returned home from school that day, his father was miraculously nowhere to be seen. "He just left for a- a breath of fresh air," his mother said when he asked about it, and that was that. Didn't even bother to shed a single glance at him. Her eyes were glued to the pages of her book instead. She’s trying to distract herself, he realized. It hurt, but he was used to it. "...Oh." He wasn't entirely sure what else he expected. Suddenly feeling much smaller than he really was, the young boy shoved his scuffed hands into his overall pockets─ too-narrow pockets, which were definitely not made to hide more than five fingers─ and timidly shuffled away.

Re-written in 2023:

When Stanford Pines returns home from school that day, Dad is miraculously nowhere to be seen. "Your father?” his mother says when he inquires about it. “He just left, for uh- a breath of fresh air.” And that’s that. Not a single word more. She doesn’t even bother to spare an empty glance at him, her focus too caught up within the crinkled, yellowing pages of her latest novel. (He flipped through some of her books once, out of idle curiosity. Her tastes aren’t anything to his interests. All she ever reads about is boring historical romances, where the men sweep the women off their feet and everyone lives happily ever after.) "...Oh,” he mutters, rocking back and forth on his heels. He’s not entirely sure what else he expected, asking this question. Still, Ma’s scattered lack of attention stings more than she probably realizes. Circumstances suddenly making him feel much smaller than he really is, the young boy shoves his scuffed hands into his overall pockets─ too-narrow pockets, which were definitely not made with more than the typical number of fingers in mind─ and timidly shuffles away.

Cricut- Are there any characters you’ve had to “cut” from a story? Are there any moments/chapters/stories you’ve had to “cut” entirely?

So, I've cut moments from my stories- like, a few paragraphs at most- but I don't think I've ever had to resort to fully chopping a chapter, let alone a character. Mostly that's just because I write 100% for hobby, and am not looking to make this feel like a job. I like trying to ensure my work is as decent quality as I can muster, but also... there's a limit to how fervently I'm going to edit before I throw something online. I don't want to stifle my creative spirit by starting to give myself rules, y'know?

That being said, I keep all of my cut scenes just in case I ever wish to go back and recycle any metaphors or phrasing from them. I think one of the largest scenes I've ever cut was from an early chapter of The Ballad of Aryll. The moment just wasn't working, and I ended up having to approach it from an entirely different angle before I was satisfied with the direction. It was actually a kinda rare moment for me, usually I'm able to wrestle with my words until they slot into place, but that time I had to physically delete around 700 words before I could continue.

Film- Which one of your fics do you think would work best if turned into a movie? Who would direct it?

Oh god... Uhhh... does picking a storyboarder team work? I can think of one SU fic I'd love to see as a boarded storyline, and that's my four chapter misadventure "Contact," in which Steven accidentally cracks his gem on a mission and his family has to reckon with the genuine possibility of his death before finally sourcing the cure for it at Rose's fountain.

In the 100% hypothetical universe where this happened, I think this story would translate to an animation best with the talents of SU storyboarders Raven and Paul IMO, because I feel like their style always provides really good, exaggerated expressions at wham moments- perfect for providing contrast between the mundane and the delicate, and then the distressed, painful moments of this story.

[twisted-tales-told]

Hi!

So, I saw your pinned post and went and read the fic.

First, thanks for changing your original idea. I was cursing under my breath (knowingly, of course, that I had no one but myself to blame for clicking into something that was going to hurt) until I read that note. So, thanks for sparing my masochist self the pain 😂😂 and gave me that epilogue 💜

But what I wanted to highlight was: Your Peter is so lovely. I love his personality and how he comforts James without pushing him or forcing him. For me, Peter is so important for the marauders: Too many shiny and loud personalities (even Remus that is the quiet one have such a strong and sometimes rigid personality) needed someone to glue them all. I know, I know, is usually James and his shiny self... But that only works in the beginning. I think that is Peter with his silent mischievous ways (as giving him the cloak in the hospital) and his ways of really understand them all, who keeps them glued together day after day.

Also, it was nice that you used aloe vera leaves (coctel fact, here it is called sábila). I like magical plants (as mandrakes and gillyweeds) but I think a lot about how the use of "muggle" plants and herbs where and sometimes still are considering sorcery and in my headcanon Sprout teach them too about them.

So, that's it. Sorry if it is a little long, I just wanted to say: Thanks for those lovely four chapters 💜

NEVER apologize for long asks! They make my day as I don't get very many!!

Changing the ending to My Jamie was possibly one of the easiest decisions I've made in my whole life. We put Jegulus through so much, I want to be somewhere comfortable for this fandom, you'll never get the miscommunication trope or unhappy ending trope for Jegulus in my works. They're simply not stories I'm fond of telling.

As for Peter, his character is something I hold so close to my heart. I barely had friends growing up, let alone a friend group. And I think the fandom needs to do a better job of reclaiming Peters character.

I'm not saying writing Peter as a villain is bad. But JKR wrote his character riddled with so much fatphobia that he needs to be treated as an OC in order to dismantle this.

His motivations, his role, and the way he's treated by surrounding characters (aka. how he's often on the "outside" of the friend group, isn't as academically accomplished or smart as them, and how he's literally given a Rat as his animagus) is at its root fatphobia.

I personally headcanon him to be more introverted than the other three marauders. He likes his alone time, and isn't a big partier. I think him and Remus would have spent a lot of time together because of this as well.

I think he did brilliantly in school, and would have been a very academic studier. Very interested in history, arithmancy, and magical knowledge. He would have preferred desk work as opposed to hands on classes like potions. Thus, I think he would have gone on to have a career as an unspeakable.

I also headcanon his animagus is a bunny. Not because having a rat is a bad animagus, but because I know the reason he was given that animagus, as well as the role of traitor, is because he's fat. His animagus being a bunny brings positivity to his weight. He's cuddly, soft and very comforting. I know some people also head canon a Guinea pig, and I love that, I just also like bunnies a lot.

I also think he would have been very good friends with both Pandora and Dorcas aka our resident stoners. Deep philosophical conversations in the green house would be his VIBE.

Now, here's the part this fandom might not be ready to hear.

Headcanoning Peter as ace constantly is not good rep. Give him sexual relationships, romantic relationships, show that he can be desirable. It is too easy to fall into the stereotypes that fat people are ace/ace people are fat. These stereotypes are something we all must dismantle and break away from.

This has been an extremely long rant but I said what I said & I think people need to really start re-thinking how we write his character

[asher-writes]

1 and 5 for your favorite OC ship!

--Joy (@italiangothicwriteblr)

God, I don't know if I have a favourite, all of the relationships I've written so far are just so different and bring different things to the stories they're in.

Having said that, I want to study April and Ember under a microscope, so let's do them.

What’s their love languages?

I'd say April's love language is definitely acts of service or physical touch. He hates the words "I love you," and at first he's so uncomfortable with being told that he's loved that he starts feeling nauseous. So they have to find a ground where they're both comfortable with the relationship they have - for April, he shows his adoration for Ember through making his life easier. He'll turn up with something like "You said the other day you had this problem and I've solved it, here's what you need."

But physical touch is important to it, even though he wouldn't admit it. When I was writing a bunch of little things for April I had this one scene where he basically said the reason he goes to so many parties and hooks up with so many people is because when he's alone for too long, "his skin starts feeling like it wants to kill him". Which is something I feel when I get touch starved, like my skin is just Bad and Wrong. He gets touch starved so fast but doesn't recognize it as touch starvation because of childhood neglect – but the boy, he needs his cuddles.

For Ember though! Quality time. He needs time alone with April, they're both busy people with busy lives, and he needs his privacy. He's usually very private about his home life and just in general, about himself. Whilst April might be more used to the sort of life where he hides absolutely nothing, Ember wants a little more barrier between their relationship and the rest of the world.

He gets through the day to spend some time alone with April, it's a big motivator for him. No matter how stressed he is at least he knows he's getting cuddles (and, knowing them, way more than cuddles).

5. Who does what chores?

April makes a mess and Ember half-heartedly cleans it. That's about it really.

Ember does his best to make sure that April doesn't accidentally create a bioweapon in a cup because he forgot to do the dishes, but neither of them are incredibly clean people. Neither of them really grew up with the opportunity to be clean people either, they didn't grow up in the sort of environment where that was entirely possible.

Questions are from this post!

[mishkakagehishka]

A Twisted Crossover | Twisted Wonderland Collab

!! I'm very excited to post this! A Twisted Wonderland collab with the wonderful @sammo-writes-whatever, featuring her OC Yumeko Amane, and my own Jure Bodulić :D I hope reading this will be as fun as it was for me to work on it, and be sure to check Sammy's blog for the Yumeko POV <3

Word count: 3852 Concept: The prologue of Twisted Wonderland, up until chapter 5, but instead of a solitary Yuu finding themselves alone in a new world, the twist comes from two people who'd never even met beforehand being isekai'd into the world of Twisted Wonderland

"So," as early summer doves sang, three high schoolers were sitting in a park, on short stone walls, able to finally relax after the final exam of the year. "Some exam that was, huh?" The tallest of the group, a lively boy appropriately nicknamed Vrcko, opened the conversation. "Stop it. It's over, I don't wanna think about it until the results come out." Taking a swig of some soda, the gloomy one of the bunch answered. "It's over now, anyway. If we pass, we pass, and if we fail…" "Lighten up, Roko. I thought the exam went just fine." The third, a mop-haired brunette with a lopsided smile, chided. "Don't say that, Jure, you'll curse yourself," Vrcko said. "Curses don't exist, stupid." "No, no, they do," Vrcko refused to be silenced, "My cousin's friend had a classmate who said she aced the essay, but ended up failing it. You'll curse yourself if you say it went fine." "You're an idiot. What else do you believe in? Magic? Is there a spell to make you see reality?" "There's a science to these things, bro!" "Anecdotal evidence is not real evidence." "There he goes again! Why do we even hang out with him, eh, Roko?"

Jure merely rolled his eyes, but still chuckled at the usual silliness. He looked out at the sky. Not a single cloud in sight, but the Sun was as merciless as always. It almost made him feel faint. The soda was cooling enough, but the clothes they had to wear to stay in line with the hellish dress code did very little to help keep him cool. Actually, he started to feel really faint.

Roko was the first to notice - the way Jure's eyes seemed to fade in and out of focus. He was swaying ever so slightly, as if he was moments away from fainting. "Hey? Jure, you okay?" He inquired. "Uh? Yeah, fine, just a little… this heat, you know? I'm feeling kinda… sick to my stomach." "Better you get sick after the exam than during, right?" Vrcko, true to his character, tried to lighten the mood, but took initiative by looping an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Lie down here for a moment." He guided Jure to lay properly on the wall, fanning him with his hand. "I'm gonna go buy some water, I don't think soda'll do him good now. Roko, watch him!" "Yessir," Roko responded unenthusiastically. "That's an older brother for ya, huh?" "Yeah… you can really tell he's got an army of little sisters." "You're making jokes. Good to know you're not dying." "Shut up, man. I've no idea what's happening, I feel like…"

He felt like he was hallucinating. Every time he closed his eyes to give them a rest, visions of a large building covered in darkness and a starless night sky arching over it invaded his mind. It was unlike anything he had seen before. It resembled a gothic castle, appearing both welcoming and intimidating all at once. And he could hear a voice, someone talking about a mirror. To a mirror? He saw a mirror. A young man was reflected in it, but it wasn't himself. An outstretched hand, inviting to be taken, and the voice repeating not to let go of it. Jure felt as if he was being invited, called. As if he was being told to follow the person in the mirror. Vocalising those thoughts to Roko, he only received a hum in response. "It's not a heatstroke, is it?" "If you got a heatstroke in the fifteen minutes we were sitting here, you probably have other issues. I'd look into those voices talking about mirrors, too." A pause. "Roko." Jure's voice now sounded alarmed. He was still laying on his back, his forearm shielding his forehead from the Sun and Roko sitting by his feet. Both were facing the road. Both were staring with eyes as wide as saucers, breaths stuck in their throats. "Yeah?" "You see the carriage and the devil-horse, too, right?" "... yeah. Yeah, I see it." "What the fuck?"

That's the moment where Jure's memories turn fuzzy. There is a large gap, there must be a large gap, between seeing that carriage, and where he found himself now. Standing in robes that looked fancier than anything he's ever worn, face-to-face with the angriest talking raccoon he's ever seen, and the most horrible gut feeling he's ever had.

A headache that grinds out at the bones of the skull, and a deafening ringing in the ears. That's what Jure registered first as he regained conscience. But his eyes open to darkness, and he realises he's enclosed in a tight space of sorts. As he felt around, trying to find a way out, he noticed how constricted his movements were. He was no longer wearing the simple t-shirt and jeans he remembers wearing moments prior - he was wearing some sort of robes. "What the…" he mumbled, pushing against the wooden walls of his cage. The space wasn't even big enough for him to spread his arms, but the boy tried his best to push his entire weight on the panel before him, the one he had felt budge during his feeling around, but it was as if it was locked with a chain.

There was some commotion outside, he could hear a high-pitched voice talking about becoming a great magician… and then there was the crackling and flowing sound of flames. Was there a fire? Jure, once more, shoved his entire weight on the front panel, managing to finally break it. He fell face first, but he finally felt as if he could take a deep breath, his lungs aching for oxygen he hadn't even noticed he was missing. As his eyes adjusted, he looked around - he was in a large, dark room, with a mirror in its centre, and right in his field of vision were a short girl with silver hair and a… cat with flaming ears? The cat was also talking. "Did I pass out? Am I dreaming?" He mumbled to himself. The girl was wearing odd clothes, he noticed, which reminded him of his own feeling of constriction earlier. Looking down, he confirmed to himself that he was indeed wearing robes. They seemed to have been made from quality material, but he was just as confused about them as he was about the rest of the situation.

"Dreaming about getting roasted by a raccoon with a European boy, that’s a new one!” the girl giggled when she noticed him, a hand demurely placed on her mouth. And Jure frowned, shooting her a weird look with a raised eyebrow. He thought he was the only one confused here, but as it seems, this was dreamlike to the girl, as well. It's not as if he can deny the possibility of this being just a dream himself though, it's the far more realistic option, even if it was quite the vivid dream "Well, keep dreaming! 'Cause I ain't no raccoon!" the cat responded. The cat responded? "The cat talks?" Jure said to no one in particular. "Not a cat either!" it protested.

The girl went on to comment how this must have been the weirdest dream she'd ever had, and Jure couldn't help but agree. He's had his fair share of odd dreams here and there, but none this weird, and certainly not all this vivid. His friends would get a kick out of hearing the details about it, though.

As he was thinking about it, however, he saw the girl seemed to have been considering something. He was about to ask, before the creature spewed more flames, and she ran towards him. Grabbing his hand, the girl pulled him as she ran through the corridors and hallways. Her hand was small, as was the rest of her, but he was taken aback by the contrasting boldness she held in just grabbing him and running like that. Still, he followed.

He couldn't deny that she was intriguing, and he may as well try to make a friend with someone as equally new to the situation as he was, even if it were a dream. He looked at their surroundings as they ran. He's never seen an interior this fancy, but by the signs, he reckoned it must have been a school. Maybe a boarding school for some sort of rich kids. How he'd got there was anyone's guess.

After some time of running, which felt like hours to him, they arrived at a library. At least, Jure thought it was a library. Bent over, hands leaned on his knees, he panted trying to catch his breath. "If this is a dream," he lamented between breaths, "I wanna wake up." Nothing quite like aimlessly complaining. Taking another raspy breath, he stood upright again, scanning their surroundings. It was a fairly large and open room, books strewn everywhere and some even floating. He didn't want to think about the logistics of flying books any more than about the talking, flame-spewing creature they saw. But he then looked at the girl again. As he was about to try and introduce himself, he only managed to open his mouth before that creature burst in, breathing flames left and right haphazardly. The girl tensed and seemed to have hidden herself behind Jure, who, perhaps on instinct, spread his arms in a protective manner, attempting to shield her. "Oi, what the hell do you want, you… you freak of nature?" he asked the creature. “Freak of- how dare you?! Foolish humans! Did you really think that you could get away from ME? Now, unless you wanna get burnt to a crisp, take off that-”

But before it could finish its tirade, the sound of a whip echoed through the library, and Jure closed his eyes, wincing at the sound. That must have hurt - but he's thankful it wasn't him in its place. He lowered his hands slightly, expecting whoever saved them from the creature to be on their side. "You okay?" He whispered to the girl, before bringing his attention back to the newcomer.

And boy, was it a newcomer that demanded attention. An adult man around Jure's height, wearing a suit with blue details, keys and mirror fragments dangling from his vest, and the most peculiar mask sitting atop his face. Crow-like. The mask concealed his eyes, leaving only glowing yellow dots in their place. Jure couldn't tell if he was wrong to lower his guard around the man or not, but, surely, if he wanted to harm them, he would have already done so. Regardless, he didn't move from his spot in front of the girl. For some reason, he couldn't fully trust the man in front of them. "Ah, I've found you at last," the man started talking, his voice almost melodic, "Splendid! I trust you two are this year's new students?" "Students? But I just finished-" "My, were you ever eager to make your debut. And even bringing along an untrained familiar…" "As if I'd ever listen to some human! Let go of the Great-" the creature's voice was muffled by the man, who constricted further the whip. He seemed to hold no care for others' input, from the way he was ignoring both the creature and Jure. "Yes, yes, rebellious familiars always say that. Do be quiet, will you?" The man continued to talk about a student orientation, gateways and coffins, on and on. Mere nonsense to Jure, who was too busy trying to figure out whether he was sleeping, or dying and in some weird limbo between life and death in which he was seeing hallucinations and visions.

Jure found it wiser to keep his mouth shut, given he was in the most unknown situation of his life to date. What was he to do, but listen to the man speak, try and take it all in without losing his mind? It was a dream, or a vision anyway. Either way, he'll wake up, and his friends will make fun of him for passing out in the middle of a park. Maybe even get chided by a granny who'd think they got drunk at three in the afternoon. The girl was the one who interrupted the man, however.

Jure was surprised, for a mere moment, but this girl also grabbed him and ran minutes ago, her boldness is something he'd already noted about her. It was commendable, he thought, but it might get her hurt. He tried to motion to her to be quiet, but decided against it. The man didn't seem to want to hurt them, in fact, he thought of them as students. She'd seem disrespectful at worst. But it was a moment between that thought and realising the man's attention was suddenly on him. He'd asked Jure something, this man, but the boy wasn't paying attention. "Umm…" he trailed off, bringing his hand to the back of his neck in a defensive stance and looking away, "Sorry…" he added, quietly, hoping whatever it was that he was asked was answerable with an apology. “No matter. I will explain while we walk. For I am gracious!” The way he emphasised the word "gracious" made shivers run down Jure's spine. For some reason, he couldn't imagine the man was being honest. But explain he did.

"This," He motioned around them, a grand wave of his hands trying to emphasise the grandeur of their surroundings, "is Night Raven College. A school of great history and even greater prestige. We have been operating for well over a century, and you are both immensely lucky to have been chosen by the black carriage - by this very institution! Indeed, for potential mages of such great luck, you sure are an impulsive pair," though he muttered the last part. "Ahem! In any case. And I am this proud school's current headmaster, Dire Crowley. At your service." "Um, mages? Like, magic? Magical mages?" Jure repeated, the cogs in his brain hitting a snag on that specific word. "Well, yes, that is why you are here, is it not? Night Raven College, after all, is one of the most prestigious magic schools." "Magic...?!"

To say Jure was at a loss of words was an understatement. He was skirting the edges of disbelief and the aching knowledge of this being far too vivid for a mere dream. But magic? That was a step too far. "But magic doesn't- it's not real…" he muttered under his breath, his sight suddenly turning fuzzy. But how else would he explain the happenings of the past day? Have 24 hours even passed already? It was midday when he was whisked away, yet now it was already night-time. The loss of an entire day, the demonic horse and night-black carriage; the awakening in a coffin to a cat that huffs and puffs flames; and this man. Dire Crowley. Even Jure knew there was something odd about him, about his pointed ears and hidden - yet reflective - eyes. It wasn't quite human and, if such non-human yet sentient beings existed, beings like that damned cat, as well, then why is magic a step too far? Perhaps, Jure pondered, because magic was easier to deny. He hadn't seen any yet, not any real magic.

He hadn't even noticed when he'd squatted down, desperate to feel grounded, hands pressed against the cold stone below them, until Crowley spoke once more, urging them to leave for an orientation. Gravity felt stronger at that moment and he felt as if his whole body was resisting his attempt at straightening up.

Said orientation took place in a room dripping in opulence, an aura of ceremony and importance, yet thickly veiled in darkness. The room in which he woke up, that he could only now fully take in. Looking around, the entire room was in the colours of the night, with the most prominent source of light being the large ornate mirror in the centre of the room. The room was filled to the brim with youngsters Jure deemed to be close in age to himself, all dressed in the same weird robes. Almost like a uniform of sorts. He watched the youngest-looking of the sort stepping up to the mirror, proclaiming their names, and promptly being told by a face in the mirror where their "soul belongs" - it's wrong to assume that Jure had come to terms with the existence of magic, he merely stopped questioning it for a moment. He felt if he continued, he’d have a total breakdown, after all. Looks-wise, he’d assumed the people who surrounded him were all students, at a high school age. There were a couple of those students who stood out, those who, as he understood, were heads of the dorms the mirror was pointing the students to. All peculiar in their own ways, to be sure.

Yet, at the same time, the one who stood out the most was the girl who seemed to be in the same situation as Jure. She was the first other human he saw after waking up, and she seemed just as new to this whole thing as he was, so, naturally, he felt intrigued. Still cautious, knowing he'd just barely met her that day and didn't even learn her name yet, he observed her from the corner of his eye. Hair a vibrant silver, not unlike a few other students he saw there, and striking blue eyes. But above all, he noted how young she looked. Not just because of her height, but her face, and even the way she carried herself, in a way, made Jure question if she was even at an age to be accepted into a high school. Of course, that only made this whole situation even weirder to him. He'd have thought she might have been a gifted child, a prodigy who skipped a few grades, if not for the few glaring details. The most important of which, being that they were both strangers here. Nobody was as confused or as lost as they seemed to be, that much was obvious. It would be unwise to let their guards down.

He kept an eye on the girl as they were called to approach the mirror, realising her age and stature might make her a target for any ne'er-do-wells. While he couldn't say he would be overly eager to protect a stranger whom he has no connections to, he felt responsible for her. He carried an ideal of an older brother, despite not having any younger siblings himself, and the idea of a child like her getting hurt while he was in the vicinity simply did not sit right with him. Besides, they both were in unknown and new situations, a school unlike any other, with supposed mages all around them. They were already allies through that, is what he thought, so it would only be right to watch her back.

The mirror asked for his name, and he felt eyes prodding at his back as he whispered the answer out. A quiet, "Jure Bodulić," his head bent down. The mirror, rather, the face in the mirror was almost grotesque, resembling a painted theatrical mask. It moved in emphasised, almost animated, motions, mouth widening and cheekbones pulling apart as it hummed and thought, pondering the response. Jure himself had no idea what the response could be; he had no idea what constituted the colour of a soul, or what that had to do with school dorms. But maybe that's why the mirror was there, perhaps nobody knew? Perhaps not. The mask scrunched its non-existent nose up in faux disgust - before stating that the colour of his soul was unclear to it. "I sense no magical powers from these two. Soundless. Colourless. Shapeless. Utterly vacant," it began. "Well, okay, I don't think we deserve the name-calling," Jure protested. "Therefore," it continued as if it wasn't even interrupted, "no dorm would be appropriate."

The rest of the night was a ride. That talking cat-creature made a mess of the rest of the ceremony, before getting collared, quite literally, by a boy with hair as red as his temper. It was a show, a good one as far as Jure was concerned, but it hardly made him overlook the problem that arose. The mirror, and the school itself through it, rejected them. They were told they had no way back home because neither the girl's nor his home countries even existed in this place. This place, as Jure was enlightened to, being a completely new world. A separate plane. An alternative dimension. Something to that tune, something that he was way too tired to think about. As he thought - the girl and he were strangers here.

Crowley told them not to worry (a paradox if Jure ever saw one, the man was as trustworthy as the town's gossip, and he knew him for a mere hour at that point), that he was far too gracious to kick them out when they had no way home, nor money to care for themselves. That he would give them a place to stay in exchange for labour. Fair enough. While he was laying out those terms, Jure let his mind wander again. The girl seemed shaken. Of course she did - he reprimanded himself - anyone would be. He was also shaken, he wasn't going to deny it, this whole evening was just one thing after another. In a somewhat awkward show of support, he reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly and giving her a reassuring smile. Or, as reassuring as he could make it considering he was worried and tired himself. He hoped the gesture would make her feel, if anything, as if she had an ally by her side; someone she could count on.

They both agreed to the headmaster's terms, for what other choice did they have, and followed him outside. Jure immediately noted how cold it was. The nip in the air wasn't freezing by any means, but it was uncomfortable. He can't imagine it was still early summer, as it was before he was transported here (still a reality that will take getting used to). When he looked over to the girl, checking to see how she was faring, their eyes met. Hers were so big and bright, and he hoped it was truly a reflection of her soul. At that moment, he remembered he still didn't know her name. "I'm Jure Bodulić," he offered with the friendliest smile he could muster. "What's your name?" He might as well attempt to befriend her, between it seeming like they'll be stuck here for a while and not to mention living under the same roof, it seemed like a smart idea to form an allyship with the other "new kid". "I'm Yumeko," she answered. "Yumeko Amane." "Good, good. Nice to meet you, Yumeko. Guess we'll be roomies from now on." He mused. Off to a good start, he thought. He hoped.

[mist3lla]

On That Rainy Day

Chapter 1 - Transfer Student

❀ Characters| Cecilia de la Fuente, Nikolai Stepanov

❀ Genere| Series, OCS

❀ Warnings| Mild Cussing

❀ Summary| Cecilia seems to have gotten used to being alone, and she liked it. But then a guy named Nikolai transfers to her school and seems to have taken a liking to her.

❀ A/N| Proofread!! This is a series I'll be writing. I wrote this back in June. It was originally gonna be posted on Wattpad but I decided against it. I completely forgot about this series and I just remembered that I wrote this and edited a couple of things!! Hope you guys like it!:D

"How am I supposed so get home now?" I questioned myself.

I was out at the park. Playing with my friends like I always did. Then suddenly it began to rain.

"Aw man. I knew I should have asked Mitzy's mom for a ride.."

"Here. You can use my umbrella." Felix said to me.

"But you're going to get sick! I'll just run back home. I can run super fast! Faster than lightning!"

"No no. It's okay! I will wait here. My mom and dad are going to pick me up."

"Well..If you say so. Thank you!"

I took the dark haired boy's umbrella. A pretty red color. With it, I ran towards my home. Not knowing that that will be my last time seeing him.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

10 years later

Cecilia's POV

"Don't forget to step by the office later today! The winner of the Mural Art Contest has been posted!"

"Ugh she's probably gonna win. She always does."

Like you're gonna win with your 1st grader drawing..

I head out of the classroom and towards the office. A month ago the school announced a Mural Art Contest. The drawing from the winner is going to be painted onto the left wall of the school. And I hope I win.

"Huh?. ."

That's odd..My drawing didn't win. Oh well..

If I got second then who got first..?

"Ni..Nikolai Stepanov?" Is he new? I don't recognize that name. He's in my grade..I usually know if there's a transfer student. Although I did hear a rumor that there was a transfer student a week ago..

I am a loner. And no it's not because I'm weird. Well maybe..I don't know what people think about me. I am asocial. Which means that I don't like socializing and I try to avoid it. I just like being by myself. There's no fighting and no drama.

But I believe that the reason why I don't  have any friends is because..well..I'm different. And by different I mean by..you know..skin color. My name is Cecilia de la Fuente. Pretty name right? Well..you and I might think so..buuut the other kids here....heh let's just say they may not think so.

Back on topic. Since I'm the "quiet kid" I usually hear all the chisme that goes around the school. But I have never heard of this Nikolai Stepanov.

I turn around. A tall guy with dark haie walks into the hallway. He seems to take care of his hair unlike the other guys at our school. It looks so fluffy and soft. Like clouds.

I notice that the girls around me start to whisper.

"Look that's Nikolai! He transfered here last week!"

"Didn't he get into detention for a week on his first day?"

"I heard that it was because he punched a teacher."

"He punched Mr. Robinson. He deserved it anyways. Mr. Robinson's fucking creepy..."

"I think he's Russian."

"His face! Oh my God."

"Have you heard his accent?"

I sigh. No wonder why I haven't seen him before. I have to admit..he is kinda good looking. I bet that the girls will be all over him soon..

A group of 4 girls head towards him. Unfortunately I was right. Poor guy..

The bell rang. Marking the end of our free period. My next period is Art. My favorite.

Will I have any class with Nikolai?..I hope not. He seems to get the girls attention a lot..and some of them are crazy enough to think they have a chance..they might even change their classes just so they can be with him. That thought scares me..

I step inside of the Art room. I find my seat and set my bag on the floor. I like art because it's so peaceful and qui—

I hear someone enter the classroom and walk towards me. . . They sit on the chair next to me. Their bag falls to the ground with a loud thud. 

"Hello." They must be talking to the people in front of me. "Rude. . .Oh my god. Helloooo?" Again..They must be talking to the people in front.. right?. . Oh no "Hi.." I say while I turn towards them. It's the guy, Nikolai. 

Wow Cecilia you just had to jinx it..

I can see why the girls like him so much. He has a red streak in his beautiful dark hair. With the most prettiest green eyes I have ever seen. His hair is so fluffy that I just want to to—No! Cecilia put yourself together!

"My name is Nikolai Stepanov. I recently moved here last week."

"U-Um..I'm Cecilia de la Fuente.."

STAY CALM CECILIA! He's new. He probably doesn't have any friends..maybe?.. He's just lonely and wants to get to know people. And when he gets to know a lot of people he'll leave you alone. Hopefully. . .maybe.

"You have a very pretty name. You can call me Kai." He smiles. Oh God that smile.

"Thank you." I smile back. When does class start?

"Let's get to know each other from now on. What do you say? I don't know any people here and I had a pretty rough start."

"Um. Sure! Why not?"

WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO SAY??? Something like oh sorry no I don't like talking to people. If I said that then the conversation would turn super awkward...

"You seem kind of my type Cecilia." He smiles. Or is he smirking?? "Are you single by any chance?"

O-Oh. He's one of those guys..

"I'm sorry I don't date anyone who I've just met or haven't talked to..heh" I laugh nervously feeling my cheeks burning up a bit. What is he thinking?? Asking a girl out when you literally just met them??

"That's too bad.." He sighs. "Oh! Let's try to find something in common. Hmm how about..we talk about art. Since we are here. In art." He adds.

"I saw that you won the mural art contest." I reply back nervously.

"I did? Hm I was thinking I wasn't gonna win. You entered too right?"

I nod.

"I thought for sure that yours was going to win. I really liked the flowers. And the dove too! Your drawing is amazing!"

"Thank you..I really liked your dandelions. Um..I just really liked your drawing. Like the whole vibe and look of it..heh." Nikolai thank you for carrying the conversation..

"Thanks. Oh! And the message too! Like how your drawing was like about spring coming after winter. Like the Sun always comes out after a bad storm. Something like that."

Ah. He noticed?

"Sit in your seats!" the teacher said while closing the door. "After learning multiple techniques on using water colors, you will have a project on painting a scenery using water colors. The project will be due next month. Since you are still beginners. If you need help on your painting, ask for help from your seat partner."

"Cecilia? I unfortunately only know how to use colored pencils. I've never painted before. Could you help me with the project?"

You've got to be kidding me.

[kpop-s-akura]

Back to You | Chapter One

Pairing: Lee Suho x OC

Genre: fluff, angst, romance, comedy

Warning(s): strong language, mentions of violence (nothing too bad since I suck at writing), smoking, slight sexual harassment

Word Count: 6.6k

(Gif is not mine; credits to rightful owner)

"This is stupid and unnecessary."

"You're stupid and unnecessary!"

"Real mature, Junie."

"You just said that meeting my friends is 'stupid and unnecessary', what did you expect?"

Chaewon rolled her eyes, very well knowing that the boy had a point, but still unable shake to her nerves.

Meeting new people has never really been in the girl's forte; no matter how confident she seemed in a crowd, "properly" meeting new people turned her into an entire new shade of shy and introverted.

And the fact that these specific people were important to one of the most important people in her life, didn't make her or her anxiety fare any better.

Seojun noticed and stopped to turn to her.

"Don't be so nervous. These guys are really nice, you'll be fine."

Chaewon nodded, still unsure, but followed his lead up the staircase that led to Suho's house, one Seojun's friends she was meeting.

Seojun spoke in a soft and comforting voice, "I really think you'll like them, Chaewon-ah."

She smiled.

❀❀❀

"You're an idiot!"

"Shut up! You're the idiot!"

"I'm not the one who messed with Yongpa High thugs and got them to chase us right now!"

It would be an understatement to say that Han Chaewon was pissed when her post-noraebong bliss with her brother was very quickly squashed afterwards when the two siblings were approached by delinquents from Yongpa High.

Though to be fair, the siblings themselves were both kind of delinquents themselves; but the girl's anger was more directed towards her twin brother, Han Seojun, rather than their chasers for her current mood.

"Well-!"

"Just shut up and get on the damn bike!" Chaewon ordered as she did so herself as well as securing her helmet.

"Yah! I'm older than you, don't tell me what to do." But despite the elder's words, he put on his helmet and sped off alongside his sister on their motorcycles.

With Lee Seongyong right on their tail.

Chaewon led her and her brother through various roads and alleyways, knowing this part of town like the back of her hand; Seojun riding just a couple feet behind her, trusting that the younger would get them out of the mess he created for them. She always did.

It seemed like an endless cycle between the two: Chaewon getting Seojun out of trouble while causing chaos herself and leaving him to clean it up and vice versa.

They were quite the chaotic neutral duo, if you would.

And the majority of the time for them, it was fun. Even the slight life-risking aspect of it; although "life-risking" could be a bit of an exaggeration.

It was fun as long as you weren't alone, and Chaewon always managed to snag a sibling or friend (not that she had many of either) and rope them into being her partner in crime.

But as much as she enjoyed the trouble-maker lifestyle, she thinks of it's disgraces. She thinks of Seyeon.

Seyeon and how much he disapproved of her trouble-making since she was much more frequent in doing so compared to her twin counterpart.

Even when he would (un)willingly take part in his friend's mischievous shenanigans, it was something he loved about her. Something he loved about all of them.

Chaewon was aware of this, but what would he think of the current me? She would constantly ask herself questions like these; though the "he" could be any of the three boys that were constantly on her mind.

The thing is, she already knew the answer. It saddened her to think of it, but what else could she do?

"Chaewon!"

She briefly looked back at her brother, wondering what that was about, before realising what he was warning: a girl was straight ahead, and she was about to hit her.

The unknown girl braced for impact while the twins jerkily swerved to each side of the obstacle.

Avoiding her, but not avoiding falling on the ground along with their bikes.

"Shit..." They cursed simultaneously.

The girl recovered from her shock and went to go apologise to them.

"Excuse me, are you two okay? What should I do?" She muttered the last part to herself. "Are either of you hurt?" Seojun irately pulled off his helmet, shaking his hair out while breathing heavily and glared at the woman who stood behind him.

Hearing a moan of pain from Chaewon, still lying on the ground, he rushed over to her and pulled off her helmet as well.

"Chae-ah, are you okay?" Seojun searched for any injuries, spotting g several messy scratches and gashes on her legs.

"I'm fine." The girl grumbled. Seojun lightly brushed over the bleeding wounds, causing her to wince and smack his hand away.

"Sorry..." He said half-heartedly. Seojun could never handle seeing someone he loved in any sort of pain or hurt in any way.

Still somewhat blinding with anger, Seojun carefully helped his twin up before angrily walking towards the worried and now scared Im Jugyeong.

"Yah!" But before the temperamental boy could chew her out, he spotted the group of motorcycles after them and quickly dropped his and Chaewon's helmets to the ground.

He took his sister's hand as they ran away, not realising that they had left Chaewon's fallen sword hair sticks on the ground.

She was struggling to keep up with him, but her adrenaline was going full force and it soon felt like there was never an injury in the first place.

She wouldn't let him carry her, knowing it would just slow them down even more.

They got to a certain point where they decided to split up, Seojun going left and Chaewon going left. A bit of a last ditch effort.

But as some of Seongyong's boys gained on her, Chaewon realized she couldn't run from them forever with her injured legs. So she stopped, putting her hands up and feigning surrender.

The boys caught up with her and grabbed at her shoulders, only for Chaewon to grab one of their wrists and flip them over her shoulder.

She turned to the other guy and back kicked his chest, causing him to take a tumble backwards and onto the ground. Chaewon started walking over to finish him off, not noticing that the first guy was up again.

He kicked her square in the back, causing her to fall onto her injured knees with a pained yelp.

She squeaked slightly when the second boy stepped on her back to push her fully onto the floor, putting more and more pressure every second.

"Not so tough now huh, princess?" One of them taunted before they both grabbed her arms and did their best to keep her under control. The boys brought her to the rest of the group where Lee Seongyong had Seojun cornered.

"Look what we found, boss."

Seojun's eyes went wide at his sister's slightly beat state as Seongyong turned to his underlings and smugly smirked at the captive girl.

"Well, well, well. I thought it was weird when the Han Twins weren't together."

"She put up a bit of a fight."

"I'd expect nothing less." The head gangster (if you could even call him that) chuckled to himself and lifted Chaewon's chin up with his index and middle finger. Seojun growled lowly as he started towards the two but was almost immediately stopped by two boys "guarding" him.

"Such a pretty thing," the slimy boy said, trailing a finger to a loose strand of hair, "perhaps you can be accepted as payment." He brushed it out of the way, only for Chaewon to savagely bite at his finger, Seongyong only just pulling away in time. Seojun chuckled at his reacted while shaking his head.

"You're a delusional bastard to think for even a second that Seojun would agree and that I would allow that." Chaewon narrowed her eyes and glared at the still slightly shaken boy. But nonetheless he went back to being smug.

He walked back over to the male twin while cracking his knuckled. "Well then I guess I'll have to find another way to get even with your brother." Chaewon gasped as Seongyong punched Seojun in the stomach, causing him to fold over.

"Oppa!" She rarely used the term "hyung" or "oppa", but when she did, it was usually blurted out on accident or during a time of distress.

"Hey, when I think about how, because of you," She screamed again when Seongyong kneed him in his stomach, bringing him to his knees. She could feel the pain of her twin almost vividly, she wanted wanted to throw up at it. "I have no money left, I just..."

He brought the boy back up by his jacket.

"Hey. You didn't come out that day intentionally to backstab us, right?" All Seojun did was scoff with a mocking smile. "Did you think we wouldn't do anything if you ignored and avoided us?" Seongyong went in to land another punch, but only ended up hitting air as his target shifted slightly over.

"Don't hit the face." Chaewon mimicked her brother's reaction from earlier in chuckling while shaking her head.

The teenage bullies just started to scoff in disbelief at the boy's brazenness.

"Yes, you avoided it. Okay, you're dead today." Just as Seongyong placed his hand on Seojun's shoulder with his other fist poised for another punch, the sound of a siren alerted the group: causing Chaewon to stop her struggling.

"Hey, the cops are here."

"Let's go quickly!"

Chaewon shook off the boys that held her hostage before straightening out her clothes.

Lee Seongyong however was hesitant before finally letting go.

"We'll meet again, Han Seojun."

As soon as the boys ran off, Chaewon ran up to her brother and practically jumped into his arms with a hug to the best of her abilities. Seojun returned the affection, whispering sweet nothings into her hair and assuring that they were okay now.

"Are you okay? Does anything seriously hurt?" Seojun smiled at the girl's concern for him and just opted for kissing her forehead.

"I'll survive. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Chaewon smiled back and shook her head.

"I'll survive."

Im Jugyeong, who had turned on the siren, came out of her hiding place and stared in the direction of where the group of boys ran off.

She slowly backed up with Seojun's helmet in one arm and Chaewon's hair sticks in the other hand, gasping when she distractedly bumped into said boy's solid chest with said girl beside him. The two were staring down at the bewildered girl.

She turned around and became even more intimidated by the twins' height. Although Chaewon wasn't much taller than her, Jugyeong being 5'7 and the other girl standing at a strong 5'9, her stare was enough to make her quiver.

"What's with you?" Seojun said with a blank look on his face.

"Uh, about that... Oh, there!" She pointed at a space between the twins who did nothing but turn their heads slightly at her finger in synchronisation before rolling their eyes.

"What are you doing?" Chaewon said with the same bored look on her brother.

Jugyeong bit her lip, realising she was pretty much screwed before turning to run away, almost falling on her face.

Chaewon caught her by her backpack and brought her back up, causing the girl to slam into her surprisingly also firm figure. Jugyeong slowly turned to look at her.

Chaewon tilted her head. "What do you think you're looking at?"

There was a slight silence before Seojun spoke up, "Run."

The girl seemingly snapped back into reality, running away. "Oh, oh, bye!" She ran away screaming.

"Saebom High School?" The twins pondered in unison.

"What an odd girl..." Chaewon wondered as Seojun scoffed at the interaction. She brushed her hair out of her face and ruffled it when she realized something.

"My hair sticks..."

Seojun stopped as well.

"My helmet!" They looked at the fleeing figure of the girl realizing she possessed their personal items.

"Hey!" But she was pretty much long gone.

"Aish..." He cursed.

"Want me to go get them?" Chaewon offered, ready to go sprint for her and her brother's possessions. They were both of fairly high emotional importance.

"No, you're injured. No more running for you." She rolled her eyes, but conceded.

"Let's go home; Gowoon is probably worried about us." Chaewon patted Seojun's shoulder, he looked at his sister and nodded before they started on their way back to where they left their bikes, the girl relenting in letting her brother carry her via piggyback ride.

❀❀❀

"Gowoon-ah! We're home!" Chaewon called out into the mostly empty house.

"Hey! How was noraebong?" Gowoon was sitting at their kitchen table with her schoolwork spread out.

"Good! Until Seojun was an idiot..." Said idiot glared at her.

"When is he not an idiot?"

"Yah!"

Chaewon laughed and placed her bag on an empty space on the table when Gowoon noticed her wounds.

"What happened to you?!" Chaewon looked down, she nearly forgot about her messed up legs.

"Consequences of Seojun's idiocy and a little bit of my own." She vaguely said before taking a seat next to her younger sister.

"Need help with anything?"

"Nah, I'm good. But you should clean those up and get some sleep."

"Eh. I'll pass." Chaewon winked with a smirk before getting up.

She's gotten into enough trouble and enough accidents that she's gained quite some knowledge about injuries and how to treat them.

"Imma patch myself up a little and then go out."

After cleaning and bandaging her plethora of scratches on both of her legs, wiping off the little makeup she had on, and changing her clothes, she grabbed her bag and made for the door.

"See you later!" She called out to the other two, though Seojun was probably asleep; that being a major reason as to how Chaewon was allowed out of the house at that moment.

Seojun trusts Chaewon to handle herself, but with everything that had happened earlier that night, his big twin brother instincts were skyrocketing; they have him either keep his counterpart in the house after a certain time, or demand he go with her.

"Be safe and don't get into too much trouble!" Gowoon cautioned.

"I make no promises on either of those things!"

❀❀❀

Having decided to take a nice walk instead of rising her motorcycle, Chaewon entered Prince Comics; a place that she's called her safe haven since...

Anyways, the atmosphere of the comfy bookstore had helped her more than she though it would.

She'd spend most of her free days there whenever she just needed a break.

She rarely actually ever read the books, only when she was really bored but not tired enough to nap-- so she just took cat naps.

2-3 hour long cat naps.

The Ahjussi didn't mind though, he liked the company and personality of the young girl. He even put a bean bag, pillow, and blanket especially for Chaewon. He was always happy to see her enjoy it.

Like right now, Chaewon nestled her head further into the bean bag; setting aside the blanket and pillow since she had since changed into short sporty shorts, tucking her exposed and bandaged legs into the warmth of her oversized hoodie.

Lee Suho entered the area with couches and chairs that were bathed in the light yellow-orange light, taking in the place he hadn't come to in awhile.

As he was about to go search for his desired book, he noticed a small, curled-up figure to his right-- face covered by their hood.

He turned to the body, studying it for a second. His eyes roamed over the person before spotting sliver of a certain tattoo on their ankle-- a tattoo he knew all too well.

It was of a key.

"Chaewon...?" He whispered in disbelief. The girl opened her eyes at the all too familiar voice.

Though Chaewon has always been a heavy sleeper, there was one voice that always seemed to get her up and moving besides her brother's.

"Suho?" She said in a similar tone to his. He froze.

God how he missed his name coming from her lips, only she could have that effect on him.

They tried to keep their eyes from checking the other out (in a non-sexual way. sort of.), though their voices and facial expressions already gave away their shock.

It's been so long since she's seen Suho. She noticed how he seemed to get even more handsome, if that was even possible.

But there was something else. Something obvious. But at the same time, Chaewon couldn't quite put her finger on it. Or maybe she didn't want to.

Because this new thing about the boy before her wasn't something good.

She wasn't a fan. Then again, she wasn't a fan of Suho in general.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a monotone voice while holding a cold façade, Chaewon decided to do the same.

Her expression hardened and became slightly agitated. "Well I was taking a nap before someone so rudely interrupted me." She began stretching out her limbs like a cat, getting prepared to get the hell out of there.

"This is a comic store to read, not a motel to sleep in." He scolded.

"What's it to you where I sleep?" She snipped getting up. The boy slightly blushed at the double-meaning of her words while the girl hadn't cared to notice.

Her new position had exposed her injuries, Suho's eyes notably widening at the sight before quickly going back to indifference.

"What happened to you?"

Chaewon scoffed.

"Since when do you care about me or my wellbeing?"

"Well it's kind of hard to miss all of that." He gestured to her legs. "It doesn't mean I care about you."

Ouch.

The girl just scoffed again and rolled her eyes for what seemed to be the billionth time that night before going to leave.

She didn't need this, not after the day she had.

But she was suddenly pulled back by her hood and stood in front of a puzzled Suho once again.

"The hell?!" She brushed his hand off her hoodie. There was a jolt of electricity when their skin met, though neither addressed it and settled for just staring (glaring) at each other.

This went on for another minute or two when the Ahjussi came back from his bathroom break and went to see if Suho had gotten his book or not.

"Yah, Lee Suho. Did you get the-" He stopped short, noticing the position of the two and their tension.

"Am I interrupting something?" Suho and Chaewon looked at the owner, stepping apart after noticing how close they had gotten. Chaewon cleared her throat before bowing to the Ahjussi, thanking him for letting her stay as always, and then scurrying out of the store.

"Is Chaewon-ie okay?" Suho couldn't bring himself to answer.

He just stood there as he replayed their interaction in his head; wondering what the hell just happened.

❀❀❀

"Motorcycles! Motorcycles!" The friend group turned around to see two motorcycles heading right towards them, jumping away just in time.

The twins continued to clear a path for themselves, parking in the designated area for bikes.

The bustling students continued to stare and chatter amongst themselves in awe and shock.

Chaewon and Seojun took off their helmets, shaking their hair out while doing so.

She tugged and tightened her high ponytail as he brushed his fingers through his hair a couple of times.

When they got off their bikes, Jugyeong froze, recognising the two siblings from the other night.

"They're..." The memories replayed in her head as if they were on tape. "They're from out school?" The girl couldn't believe the unbelievable coincidence.

"The Han Twins are back," Sua remarked.

"Why are they here?" Sujin rhetorically asked, Taehoon echoing her. The group watched as Seojun and Chaewon started to walk to the school's entrance; the elder's arm around the younger's neck.

"The Han Twins?"

"Like how there are the Bermuda Triangle in the Atlantic and black holes in the universe," Sua began, "there are three charming students at our school, whom if you fall for once, you can never exit and get out: The chic, cold beauty God Lee Suho; the rough, wild horse God Seojun; and the dangerous, seductive Goddess Chaewon. Just like deciding between three of your favourite foods is so mind blowingly hard, they're the three ethereal beings at Saebom High School. They're the three top ones!"

Jugyeong's eyes comically widened upon hearing Chaewon's description.

Dangerous? She wanted to facepalm herself for already making an enemy out of a girl who was known to be not-so-friendly.

Meanwhile, the Han duo and Lee Suho had finally come to a stand-still at the front of the building, the two boys looking at each other intensely.

Although Chaewon was able to keep her poker face upon seeing Suho, she kept looking everywhere but him.

She didn't know if the feeling she was getting in her stomach from seeing him again were butterflies or knives.

"Forget the top three nonsense, I hate them. Though I can't really say too much for Chaewon since she can be more enigmatic than Lee Suho or her brother at times. And yet they're still the heartthrobs of Saebom boys and girls alike."

Despite the tension between the three being completely visible to anybody and everybody, the students kept chattering away, loving how this was going.

"The Han Twins returned!"

"They'll get into a fight again."

"Oo, it's already so loud!"

"I love it!"

But as Jugyeong and the group started getting nearer towards the three, she could see how they didn't really seem like friends.

"What's with them? They don't get along?" She asked, turning her head towards Sua.

"They used to be best friends, but they somehow fell apart. When they meet, the atmosphere gets so cold. It's especially weird since everybody thought that Suho and Chaewon were together during that time since they acted much closer than the other." Jugyeong was shocked, trying to process and imagine the two together.

In her mind, they fit pretty well look-wise and personality-wise.

Suho saw how Chaewon's eyes could never quite meet his own and kept his eyes on her.

Seojun took notice of this and roughly brought her closer into his side and raised an eyebrow at the boy who had since then turned his attention back to him. Chaewon's eyes traveled to the ground while Seojun turned his head and scoffed before eying his nemesis once again.

"So annoying."

Chaewon, wanting to escape from the situation, started tugging at her brother's hand that was still hanging off of her shoulder. "Let's go, Jun." Seojun kept his eyes on Suho for another second or two before complying with his sister's wishes.

The frozen exterior of Suho's heart cracked a bit as Chaewon's expressions burned and lingered in his mind, watching the siblings walk off.

The girl in question fighting the urge to look back at him.

❀❀❀

"Hello!" The teacher greeted the class who greeted him back while walking into the room with Seojun and Chaewon in tow.

Suho slightly perked up as they went up to the front of the room, both with their heads held high and looking bored as ever.

This time it seems, Chaewon had no problem in locking gazes with Suho before looking over the class again.

"Alright, Seojun and Chaewon are back now. Good to see them, right?" The class answered back 'yes' before giving a round of applause as instructed by the teacher.

"Bravo!" Cheers kept ringing throughout the classroom, Seojun looking off to the side in faux embarrassment while Chaewon just kept a blank and cold face, intimidating some of the students into silence.

"One of you can sit next to Suho—" The twins looked at each other in alarm, though not particularly showing it.

"What?"

"What now?"

They looked at the teacher.

All eyes were either on Suho, who just looked straight ahead, or the twins, one sighing before walking to where Jugyeong was sitting.

Chaewon watched him kick the leg of the desk, startling the girl.

"Yah. You go."

Jugyeong was just as bewildered as when they first met, only being able to point at herself and ask, "Me?" in a meek voice.

"This was originally my sister's spot." That alone was almost enough for Jugyeong to jump out of the seat, not wanting to test the girl's 'dangerous' reputation.

"Oh, Jugyeong has weak eyes, so she's sitting there." The teacher explained, causing Chaewon to quietly scoff and mumble to herself, "'Weak eyes' my ass..."

Though the teacher had heard her, he elected to ignore it before asking Taehoon to move.

"Taehoon. Our handsome Taehoon, can you switch spots?" The boy, of course, readily and excitedly accepted; the class laughing from his antics.

But before he could get up and walk to his newly appointed spot, he noticed that Seojun had still not moved from his place near Jugyeong's seat.

Chaewon walked up to Seojun, noticing that he was about to refute his senior and demand that she have her seat back.

But she was tired and didn't feel that it was necessary; even if it meant having to sit next to Lee Suho, it was better her than her twin.

She nudged him, getting his attention before nodding to the seat in the corner of the class, "It's fine, Jun."

The seat she motioned to was perfect for napping and not paying attention, she really knew how he was in school. But that didn't matter to Seojun if his sister had to sit next to his rival. He started mumbling about how her sitting next to said rival wasn't happening, but Chaewon was persistent in her glares, slightly pinching him and making the boy wince as he felt her sharp, ruby-red stiletto nails.

He conceded, but not before throwing a sharp and dangerous look at Suho, though the boy wasn't phased.

The twins split ways; Seojun going to his new seat in the back, Chaewon taking the one next to Suho's with Taehoon two spots behind her.

She felt Suho's gaze burn into the side of her face, but paid no mind and rested her head on the desk as her brother was doing for a nap.

Not even 5 minutes later, the sound of a door slamming open caused Chaewon to wake up, looking to the side instinctively. She didn't quite know how to feel when she didn't see Suho there, but quickly turned her attention back to the source of the sound that disturbed her sleep.

A group of boy entered the room, crowding around Seojun who still had his head on the desk.

"Yah, Han Seojun. If you and your sister returned, at least one of you should've shown your face and said hi." Chaewon suddenly stood up from her desk, the object making a horrible screeching sound that had all eyes on her. Seojun banged his fist on the desk before doing the same, exchanging looks with his sister once he felt her presence beside him.

The siblings had a stare off with the taller boy, causing the students to tense up.

This continued outside the school, Seojun and Chaewon standing a couple feet in front of the group of boys when the big one spoke.

"Hey, brother. Today's such great weather for you to die." Seojun rolled his eyes.

"Are you guys a girl group or something?" He scoffed.

"Seriously. Why are you standing like that?" Chaewon questioned, but the boys just sneered and chuckled mockingly among themselves.

"Why? Are you going to hit us? Okay, come in. Come here!" They all got into fighting stances.

"Yah, Kim Chorong!" Seojun's voice boomed, the two stepping up to the boys intimidatingly before he spoke up in a mock bravado tone.

"Your joke was a bit too much." That's what did it for all of them. Everyone started laughing, Chaewon even turning to her brother and playfully punching him before mocking his words.

"Hey, great acting for a pair of trainees." Chaewon playfully rolled her eyes at the boy while smirking.

"Ex-trainees, thank you very much." Chorong just stuck his tongue out at her to which she did the same.

"This is so childish." Seojun said, feigning irritation, "How much longer do I have to play around?"

"Yah, brother!… it's honestly fun, you know?” Chaewon started to laugh harder at the sound of their joy and the sight of seeing her brother teased further.

“Have you guys been well?” She asked.

“Yeah.”

“Woah!” Seojun suddenly exclaimed. “Kim Chorong, I think you gained more weight. Did you bulk up?” The victim of the taunting was staring at the taunter with incredulity while the rest started to crack up again. Chaewon rolled her eyes and shoved her brother’s shoulder, going to wrap her arms around the bigger boy.

“Yah! Leave him alone, Junie.” She pouted.

“Thank you, Chaewon! And for your information, I lost 10 kilograms!” Chaewon giggled at the banter as one of the boys commented that he could see the muscles.

Chorong turned to look down at the girl who was still clinging to his side.

“If your mother better?” He asked. She smiled fondly at her friend’s concern and nodded her head.

“She’s a lot better. Thanks, Chocho.” The two exchanged eye-smiles as the rest let out relieved sighs.

“What a relief. I’m sorry I couldn’t make a munsang.” Chorong said, turning back towards the other twin.

“Yah, what do you mean by munsang, you fool?” Seojun scolded. “It should be munbyeong.”

“Hey, hey, hey.”

“Smart!”

Chaewon smiled as her brother proudly pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around the girl and resting his head on top of her head, both smirking.

It was good to be back.

❀❀❀

Chaewon decided to break off from the group to get food from the cafeteria, having forgotten money to go to the snack bar.

While in line, she spotted Lee Suho.

He’s so different... She couldn’t help thinking the obvious, but it felt so unsettling for her to see the boy she once thought she knew so well to be so... cold.

But under the circumstances that occured, it was understandable. And she couldn’t be a hypocrite by saying that he was the only one that changed.

Then all of a sudden—

“That girl...” Im Jugyeong had come to the lonely looking boy and gave him a red ginseng juice.

His favorite.

How did she know it was his favorite?

Why did she give it to him?

Why did I care?

Why am I asking all these questions?

“The hell?” Jugyeong walked away as Chaewon started placing food onto he tray.

Later that day while Chaewon was looking for her brother and friends, she saw Suho sitting on a bench looking at his phone with earbuds in, when the girl came up to him again.

This time, she was holding a large bag and took out one of his earbuds before whispering something to him and quickly running off.

Ah, so she’s another one of his fangirls. I should’ve known. Chaewon rolled her eyes, starting to walk again.

Only to stop again, seeing Lee Suho actually get up and seemingly follow the girl.

Chaewon couldn’t contain her curiosity and decided to quietly follow him, ending up at the rooftop.

She stayed by the door and watched their interaction. She almost felt bad for Im Jugyeong, knowing how harsh Suho could be.

It seemed to be worse this time around though since Jugyeong decided to flee from the rooftop, not even noticing her eavesdropper.

“Wahhh, you’ve really changed, Lee Suho.” Chaewon said walking out from her hiding place.

Suho turned to her and looked irritated, but also somewhat guilty and surprised. He didn’t want her to see that.

“Did you follow me or something?”

“Mm-hm.” He was quite surprised by her honesty, but he should’ve seen it coming. “I was quite curious when that girl was so brazen as to do what she did. I had to see what would happen.”

Silence stood between the two for a moment before Suho sighed and brushed past Chaewon and back into the building. She continued forward to the edge of the ledge and placed her hands on it, observing the view and breathing it in before pulling two things from her pockets.

Suho watched from the entrance as the girl took a cigarette from the box and lit it with her lighter.

“You still do that stuff?” He couldn’t help but to ask. He, Seyeon, and Seojun always hated whenever she smoked, even though it was a pretty rare occurence. But it still came to a point where they organized an intervention and her family had almost sent her to rehab. After that, he thought she was sober, or at least got better at hiding her actions, but things change he supposed.

Chaewon didn’t answer, seemingly unbothered by his still being there and instead blowing another puff of smoke.

“Does Seojun know?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your busine-”

“I’m making it my business because I’m not going to stand here and let you ruin your life doing that shit!”

“Oh please, Lee Suho. I’ve done plenty of other stuff that’ll ruin my life, and I’m not going to start giving a fuck just because you say so.” 

Suho internally cringed at the stuff implied by her words. He knew she was reckless and liked trouble, but he didn’t know how bad it might’ve gotten over the time they’ve been apart. 

Seeing and interacting with her now made him question how close they really were back then.

“Besides, as if me dying wouldn’t make you happy.” Chaewon softly spoke, it almost sounded sorrowful; though it still held some hot resentment.

Suho felt his facial expressions go awry.

I wouldn’t be happy. I’d be devastated.

“Maybe I should do it more often. Speed up the process, put us both out of our misery, finally put a smile on that frustratingly, emotionless face of y-”

“Don’t.” He interrupted. Neither noticed how close Suho had gotten while she was talking.

“Don’t say those things.” He whispered.

Chaewon didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what to say. And all she could hear was her heartbeat about to break out of her chest.

“Why not? It’s not like you care about me, right...?” Chaewon shakily asked with an almost mocking undertone.

He didn’t say anthing and neither did she.

After about a minute of nothing, Chaewon turned back around to face forward. She closed her eyes, trying to reel her emotions in. Bringing the cigarette back up for another hit, Suho took the death stick from between her lips and threw it onto the ground, putting it out aggressively with his shoe.

She was too shocked to even scold the boy and his actions, seeing how he had seemingly gotten even closer.

Suho stared intensely at the girl. His eyes were full of caring and warmth. Yet at the same time, they were full of cold nothingness. But Chaewon could see under that, she always could; that’s one of the things that made them so compatible. 

She just didn’t know if her senses were trust-worthy or not this time around.

They could always tell how the other actually felt. But times have changed.

They changed.

They weren’t Suho and Chaewon anymore.

They weren’t anything anymore.

❀❀❀

It was the next day during gym.

The students were outside playing dodgeball while Chaewon had her tracksuit jacket wrapped around her waist, exposing her normal clothes, and sat on the sidelines watching her brother play.

She could feel a certain pair of eyes on her every so often as she felt herself do the same, but nobody else seemed to notice it.

“Yes! Han Seojun, out!” Chaewon laughed at the fact her brother was eliminated, especially with it being by the hands of Lee Suho and Yoo Taehoon.

As he walked off to join his sister who was now standing up, the ball from the girls’ side traveled to where the twins were, Seojun stopping it with his foot before Im Jugyeong could grab it.

“Yah. You’ve seen us before, right?” Jugyeong laughed awkwardly as the twins stared down at her.

“What are you saying?” She tried taking the ball only for Seojun to press harder on it.

“You ran off with my helmet and my sister’s hair sticks.” She looked back up at him.

“Did you not?”

Jugyeong’s eyes went to the space beside him and pointed at something, “Oh! Over there!”

“We didn’t fall for that last time either-“ Before he knew it, Seojun was shoved to the side as a ball collided with the back of Chaewon’s head who although wasn’t in any pain, was pretty pissed.

Several noises of shock and disbelief sounded from the boys’ side.

“Chae-ah!” Seojun rushed back to his sister’s side and held onto her. “Are you okay?” Before she could answer, he turned to the culrptiy and glared at him with flaming death and growled, “Aish!”

“S-S-Sor… T-t-t-the class president! It was the class president.” Ahn Hyungyu tried explaining in extreme fear.

Jugyeong stood up with the now free ball. “I’m sorry. I’ll give them both back tomorrow.”

It felt like déjà vu when the girl turned around again about to fall on her face; only this time, no one was gonna help her.

Lee Suho, who was watching the whole thing in silent anger, stalked off, but not before roughly shouldering the boy who accidentally injured Chaewon and stepped over Jugyeong’s sprawled out body.

The show was over and Seojun went to scold Hyungyu who was still apologizing profusely, but Chaewon stayed where she was, staring at the boy who was walking back into the school’s building who wanted nothing more than to ask if she was okay.

❀❀❀

Chaewon, Seojun and the rest of their friends walked down the hallway; some girls and boys passing by whispered in awe and silently fangirled/fanboyed.

The twins walked beside each other and smirked at the attention. It was amusing to say the least.

This continued in an almost slow-motion fashion when all of a sudden—

“Wait.” Seojun dropped down to the floor and started re-tying his shoelaces. Chaewon chuckled and jokingly pushed his shoulder, making him lose his balance and making her laugh even more.

“MOVE!” The group looked forward to see Im Jugyeong running down the hallway with a face full of cake.

Although it was a weird sight, Chaewon stayed where she was and stood in front of the panicked girl.

Jugyeong came to a halt with wide eyes in front of the taller girl who had a questioning look with a perked up eyebrow.

She slightly bowed with a quiet “excuse me, sorry” before running past her and jumping onto Seojun’s back and catapulting herself forward.

“Yah!” Chaewon squatted down onto the floor beside her brother who was now sprawled on the floor. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He gritted looking at the direction of the runaway girl.

But it didn’t stop there; the rest of their class following Im Jugyeong, also in a panic.

Chaewon hurriedly brought Seojun back up to his feet and pushed them both to the wall for safety.

“What the hell is going on?!”

They waited for a couple of seconds to see if anymore people would go stampeding down their way, being relieved when it seemed to be over.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Jun?” Chaewon looked over his body for any injuries.

“I’m fine, Chae. Really.” She smiled at him and linked their arms to start walking.

Then Lee Suho came from the other side of the hallway, the side where they had originally come from and where everyone had gone to.

And he wasn’t alone.

Hiding underneath his jacket was Im Jugyeong, still cake-faced.

The twins had to stop and stare at the unusual scene; neither knowing how to feel at the sight before them.

❀❀❀

🌸A/N: Yay! I can’t believe I finally published this. I’m going to start working on the second chapter as soon as possible. Also, I realize that Yeji is also 5’7, but I looked at the height of the other characters and decided that 5’9 was good. Besides that, please excuse any typos or mistakes. I hope you enjoyed!

BTW: The picture below is Chaewon’s outfit. The white dress shirt part of the uniform is unbuttoned and tied in a croptop way, showing the bralette. I tried finding a good picture of Saebom’s uniform but it was pretty hard so I just cropped Sujin’s. Sorry for it’s pretty low quality😅

[hetalia-reacts]

So it's been 2 weeks has passed and the darling hasn't reacted to the punishments the Allies has been giving them, and if anything has been ignoring them ( basically any punishment the boys throw at them has no effect ). Another 2 weeks has passed, but to the boys surprise this seems to get a new reaction out of the darling. With every passing day the boys goes out an kills innocent people( y'know to pile more work on the darling ); and the more people they kill the more panicky, agitated, worried, and scared the darling becomes. The darling keeps pleading them to stop and let them do their job, warning them if they don't stop they'll regret it. The boys doesn't listen, if anything they'll relish in the feeling. One of world most powerful creature is finally submitting to them. How delicious, yet pathetic. It's been 4 days since then, and darling still pleads and begs them to stop and let them go. Around this time the boys are just getting home and is about to go check on their darling. But then they stop when they heard some muffled voices in the darling's room. Did the darling somehow contact someone to help her escape!!! And to think they was about to let her off of punishment! Well I guess that won't be happening any time soon. When to boys got to the room; the darling was on their knees and it looked like they were praying, and on in the center of the room was a very bright light and. The boys couldn't believe it, it was.... God. The darling was constantly apologizing about how they could let all of this happen and how the regretting meeting the boys in the first place. God has forgiven the darling and said it wasn't their fault. God has broken their remaining bounds the darling had around their hands and feet. The darling wasted no time running out of the room and unleashing their beautiful black and white wings. But before they full ran out of the room, the darling gives them a pity yet angry glance. " I tried to warn you. I just hope when Grimmy ( it's the nickname for the grim reaper. The darling works very close with them and is extremely close with them ) get here, they'll go easy on you. " Then the darling flies away. Now that's left in room was the boys and God. God tells them what they did was unacceptable and that it doesn't matter that they love the darling to much, and that they darling plays a huge role between life, death, and the afterlife; and that they could of messed up something. And all the lives they took and the sins they've committed, He'll have to punish them. After when God said that, the boys help a uncomfortable chill ran down their spine. Then the room has gotten darker all of a sudden. Out of the corner of the boys eye they saw a skeleton hand reach into the corner of the door. Then the light flickered off for a second. The hand wasn't there anymore. But then the boys felt a presence behind them. Turning around they saw a 9 foot ( almost 10 foot ) tall skeleton looming over them, they were wearing a pitch black cloak in. It was the.Grim.Reaper. After that nothing can prepare them for what they boys went through, it was worse than literal hell. Let's just say the boys regret killing all those people and they did to the darling. ( This part 2 the Angle of Death ask ) Also this is what the darling looks like.

This is my OC. So minus the hair, eyes, face, body. I'll just leave it to the other readers imagination

I was unsure if this was an ask, like a part two for me to write, or simply just you explaining what happens next and what the reader is supposed to look like. So I'll do their reactions to getting punished and what their punishments are. Also, I summed up what you wrote in a more story-like format instead, I hope you don't mind! If you do let me know either through messages or through another ask and I'll delete what I wrote and simply leave your ask posted! Everything is below the cut due to length~

2 entire weeks have passed since the initial punishment. 2 weeks of no souls being taken care of. But that's okay, it doesn't affect you yet. You can handle this, you won't give them what they want: a reaction. They come down every day, bloodied with an innocent person's blood, but you won't say anything, won't react. This angers them. Another agonizing 2 weeks pass. They were getting tired of you not doing anything other than taking the food and water they gave to you. Today is different though. You're fidgety, feisty, and overall look terrified. They assume the punishment is working. They can't help but feel pride at watching you beg and cry for them to stop killing people, to let you at the very least reap their souls and come back. It's exhilarating, delectable. The power they feel bringing you, an Angel of Death, to such a state is a rush they could get addicted to. Your pathetic attempts to threaten them saying "something bad will happen if you don't stop this," were enjoyable to some degree as well. How sad their little caged Angel had become. 4 days later they come home, your voice seems to echo from where they left them. What happened? Who were you talking to? How did you contact someone? Regrettable that this happened, you were acting so good before this and he was honestly considering letting you out early for good behavior. He barges into the room where his darling is. You were praying to a bright light, a bright light that was near the center of the room. It appeared to be some entity. No, it wasn't just some entity, it was God himself. His darling was apologizing to him, saying you didn't mean to let this happen, sorry for not being strong enough to stop him, and the biggest stab to his heart, you were apologizing for even getting to know them in the first place. He watched as the chains released their holds on your ankles and wrists and you wasted no time in stretching out your gorgeous wings and walking towards an exit to the outside. You only turned to look at them for a second, deep sorrow and intense anger in your eyes. "I tried to warn you (___). I just hope Grimmy is able to show you some mercy when he gets here." You then flew away after that, leaving him alone with God. He looks disappointed, explaining that love won't be a good enough excuse to save him from his very own punishment. He had disrupted the work of Heaven and Hell, killed innocents simply out of spite, and he must atone for those crimes. God leaves in a flash of bright white, leaving him in a now dark room, a chill traveling up his spine as he soon feels a presence in the room. He catches the boney hand of something out of the corner of his eye. As he turns to see it clearly, he sees a giant skeleton draped in a black robe reach out a boney hand to take him. He has never been through a worse hell than this.

2p America (Allen)

Allen is regretful while he is taken to his punishment. He knows he deserves it, he went a little crazy from the power he had over you. And now that your gone, never to return to him, he feels like this is a just end to his empty life. His punishment is among the worst. The Grim Reaper makes Allen live out what he did to those innocent souls as well as suffer the same punishments he had ever given to you. He will eventually go mad, and if you were to spare him and see him, it would simply make him go deeper into insanity and depression.

2p Canada (Matt)

Out of all of them, he feels like he is the least deserving of this. He hadn't made you suffer, or kept you locked away. He may not have let you go far without him, but he didn't completely stop you from doing your job. I can see Matt being regretful, but not for long. Only for as long as he feels he really deserved. His punishment is by far the least painful. The Grim Reaper makes him suffer in a more creative way, he was to watch what could've been. As someone who was usually always gentle with you, it pains him to watch what his life could've been if he had just stayed patient and lenient.

2p England (Oliver)

Oliver is a tough one to crack in this case. He's already insane for the most part so nothing really scares him while he is being taken to his punishment. Oliver also really can't see what he's done wrong. He isn't regretful for what he did, at least not to those people. His punishment is hard to decide. In the end, Oliver is tortured by leaving him alone. He will wait for eternity alone, no one to speak to, nothing to do, he will rot away forever until even his facade of sanity is no longer there to keep him company.

2p France (Francois)

Francois has no complaints. He figures this is just another bad thing to add to his miserable existence. He's partially regretful for what he did to you. He knows he shouldn't have snapped at the end of the day and that getting a power trip wasn't like him and he should've caved sooner. However, in the end, he's still selfish and he figures you should've been careful, he did warn you about his dislikes after all. Francois's punishment is to take away his peace. He will be driven insane by noise. He's the only one to be let back out into the human world again. Francois is now constantly plagued by noise, and any vice or sin he commits (drinking, smoking, killing) the noise will only get louder.

2p Russia (Viktor)

Viktor is not at all regretful. He doesn't care at all. Viktor is one that would actively try to fight against The Grim Reaper. Of course, he fails at this. Viktor's punishment is similar to what he did to you. He is left alone with other punished souls in a type of confinement. Viktor will be subjected to years of push and pull tactics. He will come to fully rely on The Grim Reaper or whoever is watching over the souls, flushing his pride and intelligent mind down the drain.

2p China (Zao)

Zao is deeply regretful to some degree. He feels he disrespected you, your job, and your boss. This is something he never wanted to do as he honors respect deeply. On the other hand, he isn't regretful for punishing you, he still believes wholeheartedly that you deserved it, just maybe not to the degree he took it. Zao's punishment is similar to Viktor's. Zao has a deep sense of honor, of pride, and he is punished by spending eternity being taunted, teased, beaten, and spit on. This is another one where he would go absolutely insane and become a whole other person. If you ever took the time to see him you would not recognize the man in front of you, and he wouldn't recognize you either.

[igotyouniverse]

Breathe Me - Chapter 3 [nct vamp au]

Pairing: Oc x Taeyong , Oc x Johnny [side: markxoc, tenxoc, lucasxoc, jaehyunxoc]

Included Members: Taeyong, Johnny, Mark, Lucas, Ten, Jaehyun, Doyoung, Haechan (maybe more)

Genre: Drama, Romance, Angst, Fantasy

Warnings: angst, blood, death (this chapter), strong language

Description: After dropping out of college and coming home for the first time in two years, 22-year-old Ava Lee gets caught up in a mystery surrounding the people she thought she knew for so long. Between friendship, affairs and true love the young women finds herself being pulled into a  nightmare she would never wake up from.

a/n: dundunduuun. I re-wrote this chapter 8476 times. Yikes.This chapter is from the boys' (mostly Taeyong) point of view so you get a little insight on the different relationships and what happened :o Plus some explanation to what they (obviously) are and other stuff . *winkwonk* Anyway I hope you enjoy this! I’m actually hyped to write the next one, oof. (I had to delete and repost this because Tumblr wasn’t showing it anymore and idk why)

[tagging @neowritingsnet and @czennienet because tumblr won’t let this post show up in the tags, whysoever :^)

words: ~5k

Ch. 1 || Ch. 2 ||

Taeyong sighed, resting his back against the wall of the café. He looked down to his feet, listening to the conversation the two girls had, while hiding in the back room, to avoid looking at them. Yes, he felt a bit ashamed for eavesdropping but was it really eavesdropping if he would understand every word anyway? He didn't even have to try to specifically listen to them. The café was quiet, just some cozy music playing in the background – nothing that would distract his sensitive senses.  

He let the back of his head fall against the wall, his eyes now facing the ceiling when someone came into the room.  

“You good?”, Jaehyun said and Taeyong nodded at his friend, straightening himself up and walking up to the table, thinking if he should just make some more pastries to keep his thoughts collected and senses calm.

He saw how Jaehyuns eyes were glued to the small doorway arch, leading into the main room of the café. Taeyong knew that he was listening as well. How couldn't he?  

“Did you know that she was back?”, Taeyong asked, raising one of his brows, looking directly into Jaehyuns eyes when he turned his head away from the noise and towards his friend.

Jaehyun kept silent for a minute and bit his lip. Taeyong knew, that he couldn't lie to him. Well, he could try.

“It's fine if you don't want to tell me.”, Taeyong added softly and let a small smile escape his lips.  

“Thank you.”, Jaehyun answered, seemingly relieved.

Taeyong looked away, not wanting to disturb his friend much longer.  

“Strange, isn't it? Why did she come back now?”, Jaehyun asked quietly, starting to set up some hot water to get himself some tea.

“I don't know.”, he answered, his voice sounding dry.  

He felt how Jaehyun looked at him.  

“It doesn't matter, as long as you won't let her out of your sight.”, Taeyong added and sighed.

“Of course I won't. I didn't let her out of my sight for the past years now, just how you told me to do. But it's not like we're that close or something. She rarely really talks to me anyway.”, Jaehyun answered truthfully.  

“I know. You don't need to tell me what you're doing if you don't want to, Jaehyun. I won't force you to tell me.”, Taeyong tried to smile again, not letting his emotions out of control for a brief second. He knew, that Jaehyun knew he was hiding something, yet he didn't further ask him anything.  

These years ago, after the incident, Taeyong needed to change something. He knew that she was at risk of getting hurt. But Johnny was incapable of even talking about her, after what happened. Taeyong just had to know how safe she was in New York, so he entrusted her safety with Jaehyun. The boy knew, what could happen if he sent Jaehyun but he couldn't care about his own feelings. It wasn't right. So he didn't.  

Yet, it was indeed strange that she decided to come back for now. It was even stranger that no one seemed to feel the need to tell him. He could understand them, though. None of them knew his part of the whole story – not even Johnny. And that's how it was supposed to be. Still, he wished someone had told him so he could prepare. But as much as he was worried to show anything, he knew that she wasn't able to see it anyway. However, the encounter with her wasn't how it was supposed to be. The way she looked at him, he could see her emotions written all over her soft face. She remembered something in the back of her head. He sighed slightly, trying to think about what he'd done wrong. It wasn't usually like this. She was supposed to see him as a complete stranger.  

“You want some tea?”, he heard Jaehyun ask and shook his head. It wasn't like they needed it anyway, yet he knew that Jaehyun enjoyed the taste of it.  

They both looked up as they heard how the girls stood up and brought their plates and cups to the counter. They noticed how Ava stood still for a moment, before leaving the café.  

“Do you think it's a good idea to let her come to the party?”, Jaehyun asked after he took a sip of his tea.  

“Well, you can't un-invite her. As long she won't be left alone, nothing will happen.”, Taeyong patted his friend's shoulder before going out to collect the dirty dishes and putting them in the sink where he started to clean them.  

“Ah, Johnny's outside.”, Taeyong said as he sensed the presence of his friend right outside the back door. “Would you mind picking up some books from the store?”, he added and looked at Jaehyun, who was staring it him for a second too long. Both heard that Ava was probably going there right this second.

The room got silent for a while, only filled with the noise of running water and the scrubbing of the sponge, Taeyong cleaned the dishes with.  

“Fine.”, Jaehyun sighed, not able to say no, even though Taeyong didn't do anything.  

Taeyong listened how both of them went to the store next door and finished doing the dishes and putting them back in the shelves where they belong.

It wasn't easy for him to see Ava after this time, yet he just had to pretend he rarely knew her. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if he'd knew her at all. All these memories he buried in the last corner of his brain, where they should just fade slowly, but they simply weren't as slowly fading as he wished for. It was tiring for him. Way easier, when she wasn't in the small town, though. He even resisted from asking how things where going whenever Jaehyun had some news. He just pretended he didn't care at all. It would be way too awkward and exhausting if he'd tell them. It was for the best just like things were.

Maybe she wasn't staying for long anyway, maybe it was just a short visit whatsoever. But deep down he knew it wasn't. He was a little uneasy thinking about the part, maybe even anxious. It wasn't like he thought their house was a dangerous place, yet he preferred to let her stay out of it for as long as possible. He sighed and looked at the clock, thinking about how he would survive for the next hours with his head full of thoughts.  

Lost in thought, he cleaned the tables. Was it insensitive for him to send Jaehyun and Johnny together when he knew she was there? Maybe. But it wasn't his cup of tea, honestly. He didn't want to interfere with their lives, especially not hers. The years went by and she got more grown-up, he thought, probably much stronger than before, so she'd knew what was best for her. Or at least, that's what he wished for.

He knew that the city she knew changed and it wouldn't take long until she started to ask questions. Things happened, life went on. Taeyong wanted nothing more than to protect her from all these things which had happened and will happen but he wasn't in the position to do so. He just hoped time went by quickly and she'd return to a city where she was safe. Well, safer than here.  

Taeyong could easily hear how Johnny and Jaehyun came through the backdoor again, their hands full with books. He could tell the shifting atmosphere between them and watched how Johnny just quickly nodded at him before bringing the books into the café, placing them in the intended bookshelf on the wall at the back.  

Taeyong sighed and looked at Jaehyun who just shrugged his shoulders and completed his task the same way Johnny did.  

“Why did you tell her to come?”, he heard Johnny ask Jaeyhun as both of them joined Taeyong in the back.  

“Well, technically I didn't tell her. Her friend invited her beforehand.”, Jaehyun chuckled and tried to avoid Taeyong's staring gaze.

“You do realize I'm not blind, don't you?”, Johnny hissed and Taeyong saw how his jaw clenched. Johnny wasn't good at hiding his emotions. He never really was.  

“I know.”, Jaehyun answered plainly and leaned against a big table in the middle of the room.  

“I don't know what you want. Do you want to make me mad?”, Johnny's voice was strained, he got angry. Taeyong avoided to look directly at his friend, continuing to listen to their conversation, even though he didn't even want to hear it at this time.  

“Jeez, not everything is about you, Johnny.”, Jaehyun said annoyed, running his hand through his dark hair and sighing, looking at Taeyong, asking him for help but Taeyong just turned around and headed outside of the door.  

He obviously didn't tell Johnny about the task he obliged Jaehyun with as he honestly didn't think of them to collide like this any time soon. He sighed and stood in front of the back door for some time, fighting with himself if he should listen to their conversation or not.  

“Since when are you close to her anyway? I never even see you talk to her.”, he heard Johnny ask Jaehyun.

“You mean because you talked to her so much the last years?”, Jaehyun chuckled, “Honestly, you should seriously get your shit together. She won't wait forever, you know.”

The door opened in front of Taeyong and Jaehyun stared at him before closing it behind him, leaving Johnny alone in the room.  

“I won't ask you to tell me why you want me to do this.”, Jaehyun sighed once more and started to walk next to Taeyong, who fell silent.

･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･

“Didn't you say it was a small gathering?”, Jaehyun said while watching more and more people casually walk into their house. Most of them had some kind of booze or snacks in their hands, everyone already seeming to feel a little lightheaded, as they started to laugh and dance to the music.

“Yeah, I might've told some people and you know-”, Lucas answered apologetic and pouted towards Jaehyun, who just rolled his eyes and patted Lucas' shoulder to signalize him that it was fine. He couldn't change it anyway now. Lucas face lit up and he smiled at Jaehyun, thanking him for being chill and cool, before wiggling his way through the mass of people, in which everyone seemed to know him.

Jaehyun's eyes followed the youngest with every step he took. He was young, just wanting to enjoy is life, Jaehyun thought, yet he knew that Lucas wasn't quite there yet. He still had his phases in which he still was unable to control himself. Not being able to control oneself, mixed with young people who were buzzed was a delicate matter. He did trust Lucas, though. He knew, that he would never hurt anyone on purpose and saw how much he tried to fit in and adjust to his life with them.  

“No need to worry, he has a good day.”, Taeyongs voice appeared next to Jaehyun, who turned towards his friend and smiled mildly.

“He seems to be in a good mood.”, Jaehyun said, when looking at Lucas again, who was now standing amidst a group of people, probably telling some story or jokes. The music and people way too loud for him to focus on his hearing ability to listen to their exact conversation.

“Yeah, he kinda invited half of the town, as it seems.”, Taeyong said, scratching his neck

“I'm honestly surprised to see you down here anyway. You don't like parties.”, Jaehyun stated, his head turning towards his friend again who shrugged his shoulders, his eyes scanning the people in front of them.  

“Just wanted to check in what's going on in my house. I'll probably go upstairs soon.”, he said after finishing his quick scan and look back at Jaehyun whose eyes were still on him, totally aware of the fact that he wasn't telling him something yet again.

Jaehyun let his eyes wander back at the room, watching how two of the local detectives came in together, where they immediately got greeted by some others. He watched how the girl took just a minimal step back, as soon as another girl stood next to her. The human didn't even notice it, just continuing with her talking but Jaehyun saw how the girl shifted every time another person was close to her. For a second, he looked back to Taeyong, whose eyes were focused on her as well.

Just as he looked back at her, her eyes met theirs and for a quick second, he felt something. A feeling in his stomach, a small burning, a signal. His muscles immediately tensed and he felt how his mouth got dry.

“Do you think she knows?”, Jaehyun whispered to Taeyong, whose muscles were clearly strained just like his.  

“The question isn't if she knows. It's why and what exactly she knows.”, Taeyong answered and kept on looking back at the girl, “I'll be upstairs. Would you mind coming up later?”

Jaehyun looked at Taeyong for a second and nodded before his friend let the girl go an quickly walked the stairs up.

When he turned away, the girl and her friend were gone. He sighed and squinted his eyes, looking at his hands.  

Taeyong closed the door to his bedroom behind him, quickly running up to his desk to search in the documents he so carefully made the last months, when things started to change in the town. He knew, something was about to happen. He felt it in his guts ever since that day when Lucas had to join them. Something happened that night – not only a transition but something more. He felt how a ritual took place inside a house somewhere in town, he just couldn't figure out where exactly. He searched the whole night but couldn't smell or hear anything at all in the middle of the town, which was more than suspicious to him, keeping in mind that his senses were so old and trained, he could hear noises hundreds of miles away. That's when he knew there had to be something non-human going on. Something magical.  

Which was technically impossible, because the last real witch who lived in  town has died and as of his knowledge she didn't have any children. It wasn't usual for witches to hold a ritual on some random night, no, they need to plan their rituals carefully and with months, if not years, of preparation, especially if it's a ritual to welcome a new member to their family.  

He knew, that witches weren't evil and usually he got along with them for the past decades but the way the ritual took place and the fact that they used magic to shield their ritual from them made him  think about the motives. It backed up his feeling that something was about to happen, something that the witches know about. Yet, he didn't know where they come from. They could've used magic for weeks to hide themselves from him and his friends. But why would they do this?  

“Damn it.”, he whispered under gritted teeth, his eyes scanning his documentations from the past months, trying to figure out what they're planning. The fact, that the girl lived in town for years before made him feeling unwell. If they were somewhat able to hide her powers and family history to him, they could be up for more.  

He sighed and walked up to his window, facing the front yard, watching cars pull up and people walk in. His gaze quickly caught two familiar figures in the dim light and saw how they slowly walked up to their entrance. Taeyong followed the movements of Ava for as long as he could, watching how she looked over the yard, while talking to her brother before they stepped inside.  

A mild knock on his door made him look away, waiting for the person to walk into his room.

“She's a witch, isn't she?”, Jaheyun said and looked over at Taeyong, who let himself down on a chair.  

“I think so, yeah.”, Taeyong sighed once more and watched how Jaehyun leaned himself against the door frame.  

“She's talking to Ava.”, he added and the look in Taeyong's eyes changed for a quick second, before he closed his eyes and tried to collect his thoughts.  

“Well, that's nothing we should be worried about.”, Taeyong finally answered and clicked his tongue. “You should probably know, that Ava doesn't have magical powers.”, he added and looked at Jaehyun, who just shrugged his shoulders.  

“She could have, though. I didn't know that girl had them as well.”, Jaehyun said while letting his eyes wander through the room to keep them busy.  

“She doesn't have powers.”, Taeyong stated once more, his voice firm as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.  

“Maybe they aren't active, yet.”, Jaehyun tried to argue but as soon as he saw Taeyong's look he shut his mouth.  

Taeyong knew that Ava couldn't be  a witch but for now he didn't want Jaehyun to know more than he needed to at this point. He saw how Jaehyun rolled his eyes and sighed.  

“Fine. I still think it's weird, that she's coming back to town just after the witches activate their powers.”, Jaehyun added.

“Of course it's problematic. Just try to keep an eye out for her. Especially tonight.”, Taeyong said and looked away, trying to put  the memories back in the corner of his head.  

“I will.”, Jaehyun said and as soon as Taeyong looked back at him, his friend turned around and walked back downstairs.

Taeyong sighed, standing up to look outside the window, before resting his head on the cold glass. His mind was way too loud for him to focus on one single thought or sense. It was a mixture of emotions, covering his thoughts like a thick mist. He needed to find out what was happening in the middle of the town, before his family got alerted. It was enough, that Jaehyun already sensed his uneasiness. He didn't need all of them to sense the distress he was going through. It was his task, his  purpose, to keep the peace for as long as possible and he knew he couldn't risk any danger to it.  

He closed his eyes for a second, trying to structure his thoughts. If Jaehyun sensed something, it wouldn't take long for the others to feel the same, especially now with that witch in their usually well guarded house. He needed to know what her motives were. Yet, he knew he couldn't underestimate her. Even when she was young and got her powers recently, he knew what they could do. Sooner or later he needed to talk to her. His eyes opened, fixating a small figure running out of the house. He saw how Ava practically stormed out, just to stand still for a second, her face turning towards the forest next to her. He furrowed his brows, her eyes were red, her blood pulsating rapidly in her body. Taeyong watched how she closed her eyes for a quick second, before walking straight forward into the woods.  

He waited for a moment, looking after her shadow, which was quickly disappearing in the dark, where not even his eyes could follow. He could clearly see how upset she was. He sighed, realizing how stupid it was for her to come into this house.  

Taeyong walked outside of his room, were he was greeted by Johnny standing next to Jaehyun in the small hallway upstairs.  

Johnny's head was rested against the wall, his eyes squinted together, while Jaehyun just stood there next to him, arms crossed in front of his chest, eyes wandering towards Taeyong, who could see clearly how Johnny's breath hitched and how he tried to keep his emotions in control.

He thought about saying something, but he couldn't think of anything which might be helpful for Johnny. Noone could actually help him with his emotions or guilt. It was something he needed to figure out by himself, so Taeyong decided to leave them behind, making his way downstairs, quickly disappearing through the front door without someone noticing him.  

He looked around, trying to make Ava's figure out but he couldn't. He furrowed his brows, following the path he saw her going at through his window. The music slowly disappeared behind him, making it easier for him to hear and try to find the girl. He stopped in his tracks when he suddenly heard noises somewhere around him. Footsteps. More than one. He knew the steps didn't belong to a human as he started to follow them, his heart starting to beat faster as he heard more noise moving further away.

Taeyong's breath started to hitch, his eyes scanning every inch in front of him, jumping from point to point, trying to get her tracks. His senses were on edge, he felt his body burning as he rushed through the woods in his supernatural speed, trying to follow the scent, which was already burned inside of him. He felt her emotions wandering through the air. He could clearly feel fear surrounding her, paired by fast, swift footsteps.  

He heard bricks cracking under someone's steps, letting his legs carry him towards the sounds. He could hear her short breaths. His ears could hear how her heart beat rapidly in her chest, he could feel the terror running through her. Taeyong felt his body tense, his mind going blank when he heard the scream. A scream, so full of terror it felt like his blood froze in his veins.

His eyes scanned the surrounding, trying to see anything in the dark, which usually wasn't a problem but something felt off. It was, like he couldn't quite see as clearly as he was used to, as if his vision was blurred, which was impossible. He continued to run through the woods, slowly losing the sound of her breath and heartbeat, which both got quieter with each second passing by.  

But then she saw her. It felt like he choked on air, seeing how the girl lied on the leaves, covered in dust. He looked around, a feeling growing inside of him. His emotions swirled around in his body, unsure about what exactly he was feeling at all. He was afraid – in fear. The prominent bite marks on her neck were in a deep red, blood still drooling out of them.

He looked at her body, how her eyes were closed, her skin looked pale. For a quick second he thought she might be dead. Fear spread through his veins, closing his eyes trying to concentrate on his senses. He sighed in relief, when his ears could hear a slow heartbeat.  

Taeyong looked around once more. He knew he wasn't alone. He could feel something lurking in the woods around him, carefully watching him. But there was no time. He couldn't go and search for the one who did this.  

With a quick motion he picked the nearly lifeless body up, pressing her against his chest. He looked at her fragile body, which was barely moving. Her eyes were sunken, skin pale due to the blood loss. He could see her veins through the thin, white skin, yet her face looked like it was covered in shadows.

He pressed his lips together as he rushed through the woods, leaving the lurking shadows as far behind him as he could.HIs mind went completely wild, thousands of thoughts and screams spinning through his head, feeling like it was about to explode at any seocnd.

The house was no option to put her, obviously, with that many humans around. Nobody could see her. He knew, that it wouldn't take long for his family to smell her blood through the air. He knew, they'd come fast.  

His legs carried him back near the house, a small entrance covered by trees and bushes leading right underneath the earth, into the crypt of his house. He breathed the muddy, thick air underground in and couldn't remember the last time he went in there, usually preferring to stay upstairs.  

He rushed inside a big room, covered in dust and spiderwebs, laying her down on the stone table in the middle.  

“What the fuck.”, he heard Jaehyun whisper behind him, his eyes wide in shock, “Who?”, he asked looking at Taeyong.

Taeyong was suddenly angry – no, he was furious. “I told you to not let her out of your sight! How could you let her wander through the woods alone?!”, his voice was deep as he felt how his blood started to pulsate in his veins, turning the skin under his now shining eyes black., “This is your fault!” he hissed, trying is very best not to fall into a rage.  

“I- Listen. If I knew she'd go into the forest I would've followed her, I thought-”, Jaehyun tried to explain himself, knowing that he had to calm Taeyong down. His own voice not as steady as he wanted it to be, his eyes fixating on the body in front of him.

“Clearly, you're unable to actually use your brain!”, Taeyong growled, grabbing Jaehyun by the throat, pushing him against a cold-stoned wall, a small choking sound escaping Jaehyuns throat.

“I'm giving you one simple order and now she's dying and it's your fault. Her blood is on your hands, Jaehyun.”, Taeyong's emotions covered his thoughts, making it nearly impossible for him to think clearly.

“Y-You're hurting me.”, Jaehyun gasped, his hands on top of Taeyong's, trying to fight him off but his strength wasn't even near Taeyong's.  

“What's going on?”, Johnny asked as soon as he came rushing into the room, trying to get Taeyong's hands off Jaehyun's neck, before even realizing what was going on.  

Within a second, Taeyong suddenly snapped back into reality and out of his rage, when he heard more people saying his name. He let go of Jaehyun's neck, turning towards his family, who was staring at them before their gazes went down to the table, eyes growing wide in shock.  

“Oh my God.”, Johnny's voice was shaking as he stumbled through them, falling on his knees next to the table, his hands desperately grabbing for hers. His eyes scanning her body until they met the marks on her neck. He gulped, feeling how his stomach turned upside down.  

“What happened?”, Johnny whispered under his breath, his eyes still fixating on the girl's neck.  

Taeyong took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second, waiting for his rage to pass. He looked at Jaehyun, who was now standing in the corner of the room, his eyes on Ava as well. He could see the shock covering his face now.  

“I found her in the woods.”, Taeyong answered and looked down at Johnny, who started to shake. He put a firm hand on his shoulder, trying to distract him from his urges, “I don't know who attacked her.”, he added, his eyes focusing on her chest and heartbeat, which was getting weaker with any second passing by.  

“She's dying.”, Johnny whispered under his breath in pain and strain, his eyes still glued to the girl in front of him. “This is my fault.”, he choked, closing his eyes for a moment.

“It's not your fault.”, Taeyong tried to comfort him, his voice slowly softening.

Taeyong's mind screamed at him, fighting over what he should do next. He felt like his chest got pressed together, barely able to breathe. But he couldn't show any weakness now. He couldn't allow it. He took a deep breath, letting go of Johnny's shoulder. It was more than enough, that Johnny had to see his emotional outburst before.  

“She's dying.”, Johnny repeated, his hands still on hers

Taeyong looked over her face, how her skin now lost every bit of color it had left. Her lips were chapped and blue. He was aware of the fact, that there were only two possible outcomes and he was sure he wouldn't be able to handle both.

“Please, Taeyong, you need to do something.”, he heard Johnny plead, his eyes locking with his for a moment. He saw fear and desperation so clearly in Johnny's eyes, it felt like something hit him right in the stomach. Taeyong hesitated for another second before he walked up to stand behind her head.

Taeyong looked down at her once more, his fingers now carefully stroking over her dirt-covered hair. He pressed his eyes together before burying his fangs in his wrist, biting down until the thick, dark red blood ran down his skin, feeling how Johnny watched his movements closely.

He knew it was wrong to take the decision from her, to put this life on her but at least it was a life. He took another breath, whispering a soft “I’m so sorry” before putting his  bleeding wrist on her opened lips, letting his blood run into her mouth just before she took her last breath and started her transition.

･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･