#either way i'm sure you'll find what makes you happy as long as you look for it :)

[whenlilyfallsinlove]

i know you

eli moskowitz x reader... (y/n) is basically jess in gilmore girls.. ive been obsessed with cobra kai lately

"what the fuck are you doing?"

"excuse me?"

you don't think you have ever felt as angry as you have done today. finding out that one of your best friends, that you just so happened to be in love with, had changed completely as a person was one thing. finding out he tried to beat up the third member of your little trio was another.

so you did what you had to, you always felt the need to go out the way to protect eli and demetri. you didn't think it would end up being from each other.

approximately half an hour earlier:

"(y/n)." demetri's face flooded your screen, as you were sprawled across your bed. calls were usually a common thing between the two of you now eli was distant.

"demetri.. hey! you okay?" you respond, taking note of his face.

"no." he says, in a deadpan tone.

"umm why? what happened?"

"eli happened."

of course. ever since your best friend since age 6 joined cobra kai, he had felt like a whole new person. he even gave himself a new name for goodness sake! you and demetri both knew it wasn't the real him. you'd known him for too long. that being said - this new persona didn't stop him avoiding you both.

"what did.. what did he do?" you look into your phone camera, worry evident on your face.

"he tried to beat me up! i was at the mall with sam and robby.. and i went to the comic book store.. and he was there. wasn't happy with my yelp review and tried to fight me."

"what the hell." your eyes widen slightly. rage soaring through your veins. what was he playing at? putting on a front to show off to his friends. why didn't he remember who his real friends were?

"i know.. i just can't believe he would do it. we were friends with him!"

"i know.. are you sure you're okay?" you ask, concerned.

"i'm fine.. robby and sam helped fight them off it just.. caught me by surprise."

"i bet it did.. look i'll ring you later, okay? i just need to take care of something."

demetri knew you all too well.

"don't do something you'll regret." he says.

"i won't."

now here you were, shouting at someone that was supposed to be your best friend. the boy you have had a crush on for so many years.

"don't 'excuse me'. you know what you did." you scoff, walking closer to him. you had decided to wait until he had finished karate to talk, it seemed appropriate.

"oh yeah? and what's that?" eli looked at you, his tone cocky.

"you tried to beat up demetri! what are you doing?" you question, looking at him in disgust.

"he shouldn't have put up that yelp review." he scowls.

"oh who cares about a stupid review! he's supposed to be one of your best friends." you say, angrily.

"not anymore. i'm not friends with pussies."

"what the hell is your problem? what.. you gonna ditch us just because we don't want to beat people up like you do?" your voice raises slightly, causing eli's scowl to falter.

"I told you, i'm not friends with weak people." he says.

"are you kidding? seriously! who was the one that used to fight your bullies in elementary? me! who was your first friend? demetri!"

"we're not kids anymore. people change. friendships change. it's not my fault you guys aren't strong enough for this." eli says, looking away from you, his demeanour crumbling.

"you're not like that either. you're putting on an act!" you exclaim.

"an act? the fuck? this is me now, accept it." he shouts.

"what's going on with you?!"

"nothing.. im fine." he says, his eyes searching your face.

"i know you. i know you better than anyone! this isn't you."

"what do you mean?"

"you know what i mean! starting fights with demetri.. ditching us for those idiots.. being so violent. why are you being so violent?" you ask, looking him in the eye.

the pleading in your voice makes his face soften slightly. you always had a way of getting to him. i mean, of course you did, he'd always had a massive crush on you.

"just tell me what's up with you! i care about you. why are you being like this?" you beg.

eli struggles to get his words out. he wanted to reach out, he wanted to hug you. he wanted to go back to yours and watch doctor who with you and demetri. but he coudln't.

"you don't.. you don't know me anymore." he forces out.

your face falls and eli swears he could feel his heart break.

"fine. don't expect me to wait for you anymore." and with that you turn and walk away, a small part of you hoping he stops you.

he doesn't.

he wants to, he really does. but that's not him anymore.

he watches you walking off with a pained expression, knowing hes fucked up. he just can't bring himself to stop you.

[ladylokilaufeyson5]

Where The Shadows Dance - The Proposition (i)

Bodyguard!Azriel x AutumnDaughter!Reader

CHAPTER I: The Proposition

SUMMARY: Beron has invited the High Lord and Lady of the Night Court to spend a week in the Autumn Court. Azriel and the rest of the Court of Dream believe he has ulterior motives, and they are correct - but these motives come as a surprise.

WARNINGS: Um. Misogyny. love that for us (i hate the autumn court). swearing (the f-word (as in fuck)), y/n has daddy issues (bc beron is a cunt) and uh... i haven't read acotar in ages so apologies for any OC characteristics and forgetting everything about the autumn court. but i did read HOFAS recently so hopefully az isn't too out of character. also tw: beron

NOTE: so obviously Y/n is the daughter of the autumn court. we know they have red hair BUT i want this to be as less oc as possible so y/n has your colour hair and u can make up ur own story about why but mine is that she's 'rebellious' (as you'll see later on) and just dyes her hair. also special thank you to my moots @icey--stars and @fieldofdaisiies for proofreading my work! i love you guys<3

WORDS: 2.7K

Azriel glowered at the male sat across from him. Eris either didn't notice or pretended he didn't care as he reclined in his chair, one arm over the back and looking for all the world he was in his own home, rather than the Court Of Nightmares.

"Eris," Rhys drawled, "if you have any information to help us with this meeting with your father, we would appreciate it immensely."

The High Lord of the Autumn Court had invited the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court to his castle for a week, as a gesture of good will, and an attempt to strengthen their bonds. Of course, the court was suspicious of the intent behind such actions. Although Azriel had sent his contacts in to find any sliver of information, his spies had come back empty-handed.

Eris rolled his shoulders, seemingly at ease despite being surrounded by the Night Court's most deadly warriors. "I am not entirely sure what he wants, but I assume it has something to do with my sister, Y/n."

Y/n, the only daughter of the High Lord of Autumn. She was quite young, by Fae standards – only seventy-nine. She had not fought in the war against Hybern, and had very little training according to Azriel's knowledge.

"Why her?" Feyre asked carefully.

Azriel heard the shift in her tone. She was wondering, as they all were, what Beron intended to do with her. The Autumn Court was just as backwards as the Court Of Nightmares, and females were considered little more than property. 

Eris simply shrugged, either not hearing the implications in the High Lady's tone, or simply not caring. "That is all I know, I'm afraid."

Cassian grunted, his eyes still on the heir to the Autumn throne. No one was particularly happy about the bargain they had struck with him, but he seemed to be a willing ally. For now.

"What can you tell us about her?" Feyre inquired.

Eris watched her for a moment, before responding, "She is… wild. Untamed, and unpredictable."

Despite his words, Azriel sensed a flicker of admiration in his tone. Azriel stored that piece of information away. It could be a weakness of Eris's, his sister. They may need to exploit it one day.

"Sounds like my kind of lady," Mor grinned.

The fact that Mor bothered speak in Eris's presence was a gift that the heir did not appreciate enough. Azriel glanced sidelong at her, noticing the way her unbound golden hair cascaded down her back, and the amount of skin her low-cut red dress revealed. Once, looking at her like that would have sent Azriel mad with longing. But after she had confided in him, after she had revealed she could never love him back because she preferred females… some part of him had been relieved to let her go.

Eris scoffed at Mor's comment. "Yes, well, she irritates my father to no end."

There was a silence, and Azriel wondered whether Y/n annoyed Eris as well, before Rhys sighed, "Well, if that's all, Eris, I'm sure you have places to be."

The dismissal was clear in the High Lord's tone, and Eris rose from his chair with a nod before leaving the council room. Everyone was silent as the male left, all eyeing each other. Feyre and Rhys were looking at each other, a clear indication of their telepathic conversation, and Azriel watched the two with a hint of jealousy. Of course he was happy from them – finding one's mate was one of the most fulfilling things one could experience. But he couldn't help but feel a sense of longing for his own. It seemed he was the last of the court to find his mate, and he had a fear that he would never find them.

"Has anyone heard much about this Princess?" Cassian asked, looking towards Azriel.

Azriel shook his head. "She is one of the most guarded individuals in Prythian. My sources struggle to even see her."

"Very guarded indeed," Rhysand murmured.

The Court of Dreams debated between themselves the possibilities of what the High Lord of Autumn could want regarding his daughter. Azriel had a few of his own suspicions – to have her taken away, or perhaps trained in combat – but none of them seemed accurate. 

After a while of debating plausible explanations for Beron's offer, the court decided to head home to the City of Starlight in order to get a good night's rest before their meeting tomorrow. The High Lord and High Lady were going, as well as Cassian and Azriel. Morrigan was not permitted in the Autumn Court, so she would stay behind with Nesta to hold down the fort while they were gone. Amren would also be travelling to the Autumn Court, and although the monster she was no longer crawled beneath her skin, she made most people wary.

As he lay in his bed, Azriel couldn't help but wonder what awaited him tomorrow. He was curious about what the Autumn High Lord wanted, especially regarding his daughter, although he was also wary. Although Autumn had helped them in the war, they couldn't be trusted. Azriel fell into an uneasy sleep, cautious of the days to come.

Azriel awoke at dawn the next day. They weren't due in the Autumn Court until the evening, so Azriel decided to go through his morning exercises. The Valkyries weren't up yet, so he went through his warm ups, taking his shirt off halfway through. The morning was uneventful, and Azriel ran over the information they had in his head. Eris had suggested that Beron may be seeking a favour of some sort, so perhaps it had something to do with that.

The day passed by quickly, and soon enough, those travelling to the Autumn Court had gathered in the living room of the River House, just as they had planned. Azriel and Cassian wore their scaled, black armour, while Rhys and Feyre wore their finery. Rhysand held his mate's arm, and Azriel grabbed onto Cassian, before winnowing to the entrance of the Autumn Court castle.

It was big, and made of stone. It was quite majestic, if Azriel was being honest – high towers and red and orange flags waving in the wind, large windows showcasing rich carpets and tapestries inside.

Rhys led the way, Feyre on his arm and Cassian and Azriel following closely, and Amren trailing behind. Guards monitored them as they passed through the halls, their armour heavier the closer they got to the throne room. Azriel marked each one as they passed, something he was sure Cassian and Rhysand were also doing.

The doors to the throne room opened, and revealed the High Lord of the Autumn Court sat atop a dais, the Lady of Autumn seated beside him. Beron's sons stood on his left, and his daughter was seated to her mother's right.

Azriel paused at the sight of her. She was beautiful, even by Fae standards. Her h/c hair shone in the Fae light liming the walls, piled neatly on her head in a braid crown. Y/n’s e/c eyes sparked with mischief and curiosity, skimming over the members of Azriel's Court, until they finally landed on him. Her gaze was mesmerising, and Azriel couldn't find it in himself to break it. A small smirk played at the corners of her mouth, as if she were aware of the effect she had on him, although Azriel's mask of icy cold had not budged even an inch. Azriel quickly tore his eyes away from the Daughter of Autumn, marking the guards posted by the doors and the dais, and counting the weapons each of Beron's sons carried. 

"Beron," Rhysand purred, ever the arrogant High Lord, the mask back up despite the High Lords' meeting all those months ago. "So lovely to see you again. Thank you for inviting us to stay."

Beron rose from his dias and stalked towards the High Lord of the Night Court. Everyone tensed as he stepped closer and closer, and Azriel subtly reached for the dagger at his side. Beron's blood would spray across the marble floors the second Azriel suspected he would harm his High Lord or Lady. But Beron simply held his hand out, and Rhys gripped it tightly, his eyes holding a small amount of surprise.

"Rhysand. A pleasure to have you here," Beron replied. Azriel didn't miss the slight strain in his voice. "You must be hungry. Shall we?"

Beron inclined his head to the dining room and led the way with Rhysand and Feyre at his side. He hadn't even acknowledged the High Lady, something that made Azriel want to rip the male’s head off, but Rhys got there first.

“And what about my High Lady?” Rhys purred, a dangerous edge to his voice.

Beron’s smile faltered slightly, and he glanced at Feyre with a barely concealed look of distaste, as if he would rather rip off his own toenails than address a female with the same amount of respect that he would expect. Azriel felt a protective anger surge through him, and he watched carefully, curious as to what the High Lord’s next move would be.

“Of course,” Beron said, his voice dripping with fake courtesy. “My apologies, Lady Feyre. Of course it is wonderful to have you both visit.”

Cassian gave Azriel a look that said, And-what-about-us? Aren't-we-wonderful?

Azriel sent him a look back that said, Shut-the-fuck-up.

Beron led them all to the dining room, the Autumn colours present everywhere they looked. The chairs were all high-backed, and Azriel knew that Beron did not care if he and Cassian would be comfortable with their wings. Everyone took their seats — Beron at the head, Rhysand to his left, and Feyre beside him. Azriel sat next to his High Lady, Cassian taking his seat adjacent to the shadowsinger. The Lady of Autumn (still not a High Lady, despite the fact that Viviane was also now a High Lady) sat to Beron’s right, Eris beside her, and Y/n next to him, and across from Azriel. Azriel felt Y/n’s eyes on him, and he met her gaze. There was a curious look in her eyes, a look of anticipation mixed with mischief.

Dinner was served, an array of meats and vegetables placed on the table by servants, mostly lesser fairies. None of them looked Azriel in the eye, and he wondered if it was because they knew who and what he was, or if they’d been trained not to. Y/n, however, had no such qualms about this, and stared at the shadowsinger unabashedly.

Beron struck up a conversation with Rhys — small talk, something that Azriel internally cringed at, because it was definitely just to fill the silence. Ever the gracious guest, Rhysand responded in kind, although Azriel knew he was wondering what Beron’s ulterior motives were.

“How do your siphons work?”

The table went silent as Y/n spoke, her cunning eyes trained on Azriel. Beron looked at his daughter with a hint of irritation gleaming in his eyes, as if it was unacceptable for her to speak without permission. Azriel glanced at Rhysand, who was watching the daughter of Autumn with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

“How do you know that is what they are called?” Rhys asked, his eyes trained on the only daughter of Autumn.

She shrugged, and answered, “I read a lot in my spare time. I remember reading about the Illyrians, and their siphons. If I remember correctly, Illyrians tend to possess only one, yet the two of you hold several.”

“There is no need to question our guests, Y/n,” Beron scolded firmly.

Y/n frowned. “I was simply curious.”

“Do not speak back to me,” Beron reprimanded, a burning fury now evident in his eyes.

Y/n slumped back into her chair slightly and bowed her head. “My apologies, Father.”

Beron didn’t even acknowledge his daughter before he turned back to Rhys, as if her mere existence didn’t deserve another moment of his time. Azriel watched the female in front of him as she stared at her plate, and felt a sense of sympathy for her. Azriel owed her nothing — he did not know the female in front of him, did not know if she even deserved his sympathy — and yet he felt the need to protect, to wipe that blank expression off of her face.

“Our siphons act as a conduit for our raw power,” Azriel offered, causing Y/n to look up. Beron paused, glancing at the shadowsinger and the Autumn daughter, and Azriel continued, “It helps to control our magic, to make it precise and nimble, rather than a messy outburst of power.”

Cassian gaped at his brother, as if he had never heard that many words come out of Azriel’s mouth in one sitting. While that was an inaccurate statement, it was true that Azriel never tended to speak in front of new people. He wasn’t sure why he had done so anyway. But Y/n bowed her head in thanks at the information, perhaps still wary of answering and speaking without her father’s permission, but Azriel had observed a small, triumphant light in the female’s eyes at his reply.

Azriel watched as that gleam faded when Beron cleared his throat, gaining the attention from everyone in the room.

“There is a reason why I have asked you here,” Beron stated.

“Surprise, surprise,” Cassian muttered, and Azriel elbowed him.

Beron glanced at Cassian for all of a second before continuing, “There has been an attempt on my daughter’s life.” Stunned silence met Beron’s words, and Azriel caught Y/n rolling her eyes. That raised his suspicion — were Beron’s words false, or did she simply believe it was not an issue? “If it appeals to you,” Beron went on, “I seek to employ one of your Night Court warriors as her personal bodyguard.”

Rhys blinked once, his only sign of surprise. Beron looked at Rhys expectantly, and Azriel could have guessed the thoughts that flew around Rhys’s head.

“Why one of my warriors?” Rhys inquired carefully.

“I hoped it might help strengthen bonds between our courts,” Beron expressed.

Azriel watched the High Lord of the Autumn Court carefully. There seemed to be no ulterior motives hidden within his demeanour — he did not shift nervously, none of his facial features even so much as twitched.

“And say I agree to this,” Rhys said casually, “how long would you hold onto one of my warriors?”

“Until the threat against my daughter’s life is eliminated,” Beron answered.

There was silence for a few moments while everyone processed what was happening. Azriel looked at Eris to see the male’s eyes on his father. They were carefully guarded, a mask in place to ensure no one was able to discern what he was thinking. Azriel turned his gaze to Y/n, and a shadow slithered up by his ear.

She does not believe it to be such a serious matter, the shadow whispered. She wishes for this dinner to be over so she may go back to her quarters and finish her novel.

Azriel blinked in surprise at the information from his shadow. Usually, his shadows would tell him what others could not see and hear — but this felt almost like too much. Yes, his shadows had a tendency to recognise when someone was lying, or what weapons they were concealing, but to give him a person’s unvoiced opinion on a matter was something new.

But indeed, with her chin propped up on her delicate hand, and twirling her dessert fork in the other, she appeared to be completely disinterested. Azriel turned his gaze back to the male beside her, to see Eris already watching his sister. His eyes were cold and calculating as he regarded her, as if he was mentally playing out how this ‘bodyguard’ situation would go. With the slight frown tugging the corners of his lips downwards, Azriel assumed Eris did not believe it would end well.

“Please, do take time to come to a decision,” Beron offered. “I do understand this is a lot to ask.”

“We shall have an answer by the end of the week,” Rhys said with a nod.

Beron nodded back, and Azriel wondered what they were getting themselves into.

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[forever-rogue]

Hiiiiiii so idk if you saw how Kourtney Kardashian revealed her pregnancy to Travis Barker but it SCREAMS Rockstar!Eddie to me…

Just imagine him jumping off the stage after a show all sweaty and shit, kissing you over and over again, just over the moon so happy… I- it’s doing things to me 🥵

AN | I have not seen it, but looked it up, and it’s totally rockstar!eddie! Enjoy 🥰

Warnings | Language

Pairing | Rockstar!Eddie x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 2.3k

Masterlist | Main, Eddie 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"No way," you looked between the small stick in one hand and the box in the other. You weren't sure if you were more excited or nervous or downright terrified, "no way!"

You looked in the mirror and studied your reflection; you were wild-eyed and flushed, hair in a messy bun and still in pajamas. You'd basically woken up and run to the store as such and still hadn't made much progress. You were much too excited. 

Today marked the second period in a row that you'd missed. Combined with the way you'd started to feel lately, you couldn't help but wonder. And that led you to this moment - finding out that you were pregnant.

Your first thought was to call Eddie right away to tell him the good news. You hadn't been trying to get pregnant but you hadn't been trying to prevent it either. But - Eddie was still away, so close to being home from the tour Corroded Coffin was currently on. Tomorrow night was the hometown and last show of the tour. You'd see him soon.

And that gave you a wonderful little idea.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Nancy," you called her as soon as you'd gotten showered and dressed, still feeling like you were in a daydream, "I've got a big favor to ask!"

"Uh oh," you could hear the amusement in her voice, "what did you get up to this time, trouble?"

"I may or may not have gotten myself knocked up," you waited with baited breath for her to catch on. Trying to keep it casual and nonchalant was already proving to be a challenge. It took her a few moments before you heard her excited gasp.

"You're pregnant?!" She was practically squealing in delight as you nodded enthusiastically, barely remembering that she couldn't see, "oh my god, that's amazing! When did you find out?"

"Like an hour ago," you still had the test on the kitchen counter next to you, "you're the first to know."

"Yay," your best friend sounded like she was tearing up as well, "I'm so happy for you. Seriously, this is wonderful. Our babies will be able to grow up together!"

"And Steve and Eddie can be the dorkiest dads ever," you sighed softly, "I haven't told Eddie but since tomorrow's the last show of their tour, I figured I'd surprise him then. I have an idea-"

"I'm in!"

"I haven't even told you what the plan is yet!"

"I don't care," you loved her tenacity, "I'm in regardless!"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Later that evening the two of you were camped in your living room, with big, colorful markers and poster boards. Your plan was to right some sort of announcement on them to Eddie, letting him know that you were pregnant. You played around with a couple of different ideas, but eventually settled on one. You'd be front and center at the show tomorrow and would make sure he saw your sign.

"Do you think he's even going to notice?" You looked at your handiwork and let out a long sigh, "or do you think he'll ignore it? Maybe he'll think it's just a random fan."

"Seriously?" Nancy scoffed playfully as she nudged your leg with hers. You offered her a sheepish grin in return, "he always looks for you. He's…such a sucker for you."

"Hopefully," you couldn't help the way that her comment made you feel. You knew he loved you, that much was always obvious, but knowing others saw it too was an entirely different type of sensation, "especially now that I'm carrying his kid."

"He's going to freak out," you raised your eyebrows in question and she shook her head, "freak out in a good way! He's going to he terrified, but he's going to be a great dad. And you'll be a great mom. Swear."

"I hope so…if not I've got months to agonize over it," you finished coloring in the big block lettering of your word and leaned against the couch, "was it both incredibly amazing and terrifying for you when you found out?"

"Duh," she teased softly, "its normal. No one's got it all figured, but that's okay. It's going to be amazing."

"What if I'm not ready?"

"It's a little too late for that, I think," she winked at you, and your entire face flushed. You'd always been all in for Eddie - this just made you even more sure of that.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I'm having second thoughts," you looked over at Nancy who was standing to your right with a huge smile on her face. She understood your nerves - she'd felt the same way the first time she told Steve she was pregnant. You were clutching the poster in your hand so tightly that your knuckles were turning white, "maybe I shouldn't."

"You should and you will," she wiggled the poster in her hands and offered you what she hoped was an encouraging smile, "we're here, the posters are ready, and Eddie will be on stage any moment!"

"Okay," you felt sick to your stomach, but you were pretty sure it wasn't anything due to your pregnancy, "right."

Before you could argue with her any further, the crowd erupted into deafening cheers. The sudden shift in the excitement caused you to startle for a moment before nerves settled into your bones. You were in the front VIP area, close to the stage as you often were, which gave you a perfect view of the stage. 

You almost swooned when Eddie came onto the stage along with the rest of the band. The crowd was cheering their name and you couldn't help but join in. This was exactly where he was meant to be - he owned the stage with grace and ease. 

Eddie gave a little speech before the band rolled into their set. Any remaining nerves went away as you sang and bopped along to the music with Nancy. It was easy to lose yourself in the moment, but you were quickly pulled back into reality when you saw Eddie looking around the crowd. He was looking for you, just as it always was. 

You heard your heartbeat in your ears as everything around you seemed to disappear. You weren't in a sea of thousands anymore - it was just the two of you. His pretty face lit up with a saccharine and beaming smile as his eyes found yours. Your own smile in return was practically ethereal as you blew him a kiss. He winked before slipping back into rockstar mode and continued playing his heart you.

 You always wondered how he could even find you, considering the bright lights of the stage made it difficult to see much of the audience. He said it was because his heart always knew where to find you. He called him a dork; he called himself a hopeless romantic for you.

"Oh come on," Nancy practically squealed as she held onto your arm, "the two of you are disgustingly precious!"

"I know," you admitted softly, "I know."

As the rest of the show went on, you kept trying to find the perfect moment to hold up your poster. You decided to save it for the last song - what better way to end the show?

You shouted your little plan into Nancy's ear and, to no one's surprise, she totally supported the idea. Once they started playing the last song you threw up your posters and started calling Eddie's name loudly. The two of you were attracting attention from all around you. Part of you expected to find angry looking faces ready to tell you to keep it down but instead you found a lot of excited faces.

"Eddie!" You shouted his name at the top of your lungs, jumping up and down to capture his attention. That seemed to spark something in him and he turned towards you. It took him a few moments to lock eyes with you, but once he did you saw him look at the posters the two of you were holding up. 

His expression blanked for a moment before he seemed to realize what they said. In big, bright letters your sign said, Eddie, I'm pregnant! while Nancy's said Eddie, she's pregnant! 

“Hold on,” Eddie stopped playing, looking at you the entire time as he grabbed his mic, “pardon me for a moment.”

And with that, he practically ripped his guitar off and set it on its stand at the edge of the stage before jumping down into the audience and making his way over to you, pushing eagerly through the crowd. He stopped right in front of you, reading over your sign again before looking at you with a nervous expression. His heart was beating so wildly that he was surprised that it didn’t burst through his ribcage. 

“Baby,” his voice was almost trembling as you looked at him with teary eyes, “are you serious? We’re having a baby?”

“Yes,” and just like that, the tears were running down your cheek as you nodded at him, “I’m pregnant.”

“No fucking way,” he eagerly, but still tenderly, took your face in his hands before leaning in to kiss you. You could feel him smiling against your lips as he kissed you; the fact that you were in the middle of a giant crowd didn’t both either of you. He pulled back and gently brushed away your tears, “we’re having a baby?”

“We’re having a baby,” you confirmed as he looked at you incredulously. To him you were, and had always been, pure magic. You were the girl of his dreams and now you were having his baby? It seemed like a dream, “surprise!”

“Best surprise ever,” he promised as he kissed you again. He looked back at the stage and then at you, “let me, ugh, let me wrap things up real quick.”

“By all means,” you pressed a kiss to his cheek before nudging him back towards the stage, “I’ll be right here.”

He nodded before almost running back to the stage, leaping onto it and grabbing his beloved guitar again. He turned back to the rest of the band and they looked at him in understanding, already well aware of where this was going. 

“Ladies and gents,” he looked through the crowd that was eagerly watching him, “I think I’ve just gotten the best news ever from the best person ever. My girl - she’s pregnant!”

Your entire body warmed up as you shook your head at his antics. But you knew him and loved him, and the fact that he was immediately so excited made your heart feel happy and relieved. You could feel the crowd turn to you as they started to cheer. 

“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and now she’s giving me the best thing ever,” he took a moment to breath, already feeling a rush of emotion bubble up, “baby, I love you so much. And, on that note, we’re gonna end this night on a song that I wrote for her when we first started dating. So if you know the words, sing along!”

He launched into your song, one of many, and a huge part of the crowd joined him. It was such an odd thing to have so many people singing one song in unity and to know that it was al for you. Eddie might have a been a lot of things, but he was the love of your life. That much you’d always known.

Sure, the idea of being pregnant and having a baby was terrifying, but with Eddie at your side, you were sure it would all be okay.

-

After the show, you made your way backstage, not even having to bother to flash your access pass as you looked for Eddie. You felt electric, but you couldn’t wait to have a moment alone with him.

As soon as you were in his proximity, he spotted you and made his way over to you. This time he was able to wrap his arms around you and pulled into his body, hugging you tightly.

“Eddie,” you laughed softly, feeling him pepper kisses all over the side of your head, “I can’t breathe!”

“Sorry,” his cheeks pinked as he looked you over, almost as if he was trying to see any visible sign of your pregnancy, “I’m just…wow. You’re pregnant and I’m just…wow.”

“I found out yesterday,” you reached into your pocket and handed him one of the several tests you’d taken, “and I wanted to surprise you.”

“Best surprise ever,” he looked at the small stick with a look of awe etched into his features, “and that little reveal? Baby, you’re a genius. This is…fuck, I’m so in love with you.”

“Are you…happy?’ you asked softly, still craving the reassurance despite his clear indication of happiness.

“So happy,” he brushed his knuckles along your cheek, sighing softly, “this is amazing, baby. There’s no one else I’d ever want to do with this. But, it’s about you too - are you happy?”

“Yes,” you promised, taking his hand and settling onto your belly, where soon you’d be able to see evidence of your child, “happier than ever. I love you so much, Eddie.”

“I love you too, baby,” he whispered so only you could hear it. You felt him gently rub your belly, “and you too, baby. Both of you - so much.”

[oceaneyesinla]

I feel crappy so of course I have to make a character infinitely soft and Shoto is the blorbo I have chosen. He might be too soft but honestly I'm happy with how this turned out

CW: themes of mental illness (none explicitly stated but implied)

Divider by @/cafekitsune

Shoto knows something is wrong as soon as he lets himself into the apartment. The lack of you at the door, fluttering around him with your wide smile and cheerful chatter only makes the quiet of the apartment louder, and he's worried. Your texts throughout the day had been missing that usual spark, and had stopped all together as the day progressed.

He has a feeling he knows where you'll be, so he sheds the outer layers of his hero costume, leaving it all neatly by the door. He shucks off the rest in the laundry room, swapping into sweats and a t-shirt. If he deliberately picks the one with a stupid design that he knows always makes you giggle; well, that's between him and the washing machine.

The apartment still looks the same as when he left, and the observation only makes that little knot of worry tighten in his chest as he makes his way to your bedroom. A peek into the kitchen as he passed had already told him you probably hadn't eaten.

He pushes the door open and he finds you exactly where he expects to - a little ball, curled up on his side of the bed, wrapped around the plushie he won for you back when you were still just friends pining desperately for each other.

You're facing the door and when you see him, you try so hard to smile, but he knows you better than that. He knows the way your eyes crinkle and the shape of your lips and the sunshine that he swears he can feel when you look at him. This isn't that smile. It isn't even the smile you throw his way in the tenderest of moments; the one that melts his heart and makes him wish he was better with his words because you deserve nothing short of masterworks to describe his devotion to you.

No, this is the smile for when you're trying to reassure him. Trying to hide your own pain or worry or heartache for his sake. It's a valiant effort, but one he picks apart in an instant. Your lips don't turn up as much as they should, and the light of your happiness is absent from your world weary eyes.

Just as he knows your smile is a mask, you know he's already lifted it away to uncover what lies beneath. He watches as your smile falls away and the tiredness in your eyes spreads across the rest of your features. Crossing the room takes seconds and he kneels next to the edge of the bed, smoothing your hair away from your forehead with one hand and reaching for yours with his other. As soon as he laces your hands together, you're holding on like you're scared he'll leave. Never. Not when you're the brightest star in his sky, even on your darkest days.

He's not sure what's triggered this and he's almost certain you don't know either. He leans in to press a gentle kiss against your forehead and when he pulls away, he catches the sheen of a tear making its way from the corner of your eye.

"Bad day?" He keeps his voice soft and his hold on your hand tight. His words seem to shake something loose in you and more tears begin to fall as you nod. He brushes them away with a thumb before he moves, shifting you so you're sitting up and he can wrap his arms around you, cradling you against his chest.

You don't cry for long, but he makes sure you're settled, relaxed into his hold with one of his hands stroking up and down your back before he speaks again, murmuring his words against the crown of your head, "You need to eat. Do you want to stay here or come with me to the kitchen?"

Your arms tighten around him and when you pull away to meet his eyes, there's a hint of a pout on your lips. That draws a little smile from him; a hint of sunshine peeking through the clouds of your sadness. You always want him closer; never shying away from open adoration and he would never get tired of your hands and your eyes and your lips finding him in every room and every lifetime.

Lifting you up into his arms is easy, and your legs settle around his waist like they have a thousand times, your head resting against his shoulder, "Okay. We'll eat, then we can talk."

This time, your smile is barely there, but there's a flicker of your usual light behind it, "Okay." You fall silent as he carries you to the kitchen and he's caught off guard when your lips brush against his jawline, "I love you, Shoto."

Your murmured confession is soft and sweet and only reinforces what he knows in his soul, "I love you too."

He sets you on the counter and begins to move around the kitchen. He can feel your eyes on him and when he looks at you, he knows you'll be just fine - because he will always be there to soften your fall.

@pixelcafe-network

[misc-obeyme]

I just saw the event and I hope I'm not too late but Lucifer x MC requests w/ author's choice maybe?

Hello there, my friend! You are not too late, in fact, your request was the first one I received!

Soooo since it was author's choice and we're talking about Lucifer, I went with fluff. Because soft!Luci is one of my favorite things ever. So here are some general fluff headcanons about him.

Thank you for participating!

COZY COMFORTS EVENT

GN!MC x Lucifer fluff headcanons

Warnings: none

Lucifer notices everything about you. It isn't just the way you mesh so well with his family. It's the little sparkle in your eyes when you tease him. It's the way your voice changes slightly when you say his name. It's the light touch of your hand seeking his when you're nervous.

Lucifer shows his love in quiet ways that may be missed by anyone else. He will give you things you need before you realize you need them. When you're struggling, he will show up beside you to lend a hand without you needing to ask.

Lucifer will bring you flowers, but they'll be the rarest and the most beautiful. Arranged spectacularly in a beautiful vase that you keep in your room. It's regularly refilled with new bouquets from him.

When you're at RAD, he'll stop you in the hall just to check in with you. He might ask you something about his brothers, but his true motivation is to make sure you're doing all right. He'll tell you to come to the music room when you get home because he wants to spend more time with you. You'll find him waiting with a bottle of Demonus and a soothing record (one that isn't cursed).

You're certainly the only one that Lucifer would even dream of allowing to touch his wings. It's a special moment when your fingertips brush against the soft silken feathers. You try not to react when you feel him tremble slightly beneath your touch.

He's always busy, doing paperwork, being summoned to the castle, spending his hours at RAD doing council work. And yet he always takes a moment to speak to you alone. His ruby eyes roaming over your face, like he won't ever get enough of looking at you.

You sometimes wish you could tell people who fear him what he's really like. How he'll carry you to your bed any time you fall asleep somewhere else in the house. How he reaches for your hand when he knows you're feeling uncertain or afraid. How he'll hold you all night if you've had a rough day. How he'll admit to you that all he wants is for you to be happy.

No one knows Lucifer the way that you do, but you're surprised to find that no one knows you the way that he does, either. He lets it slip occasionally, just how aware of you he is. If he's had one glass of Demonus too many, he mumbles about the color of your hair and the particular curve of your smile.

When you're alone, Lucifer will kiss you and kiss you and kiss you, needing you more than he's needed anything in his long life. He'll fall to his knees at your feet, overcome by how willing he is to do whatever you ask. He begs you to touch him, to know him, to let him know you. He needs you, MC. Don't let him falter.

You don't. You stand beside him in all things, whether you're alone with him in his room or among the rest of the student council at RAD. It's a little daunting to think that you are the stability that Lucifer leans on. That after all the years he's been working and fighting alone, he now has you to hold onto.

Lucifer will catch your eyes from across a crowded room just to give you a confident smile. It's the one that says he knows he's on your mind. It's his way of saying you're on his, too. He wants you to know he's thinking of you. He wants to make you blush slightly from his regard.

Your love is a tender thing that Lucifer holds close to his heart. He knows how quickly he could lose it, how quickly he could lose you. All the power in the Devildom might not be enough to keep you with him forever. But for now, he will worship every single part of you, every day of your life.

cozy comforts | masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[deathbxnny]

HI LOVEE!!!

ok, this is a once in a lifetime occasion because I am obsessed with WuWa.

May I request an angst to fluff fic with Husband! Jiyan?

So, fem reader as always! As we all know the busy General spends most of his time at the front lines, but he always makes sure to send his sweet wife some gifts back! But she can't help but feel a bit neglected by him, missing him too much and some people's loud mouths talking bad about their relationship did not help either, so what happens when Jiyan returns home to surprise his wife but finds her crying silently instead? I'll leave that to you!!

I just love him sm, he's my lovely main! what's your team pookie? I'll share mine! Jiyan (main DPS) Encore (sub DPS) and Verina (Healer), sometimes I switch Encore with Rover (I chose the female one, which one did you choose?)

anyways, love you, keep yourself hydrated and rest! sweet flowers for my sweet bxnny → 💐🌻🌺

I saw angst and felt the voices (angst demons) attempt to take over lmao.

But my current team is usually made out of Calcharo, Verina, and Yinlin (I sometimes change out either Calcharo or Yinlin with my boy Jiyan tho, depending on what I'm fighting-). I also chose the female Rover, btw! She's just so cute!^^

So with that all said, thank you for the request, and I hope you'll love this too, dear moot!!<33

Content: Female/afab reader, husband Jiyan, some angst, hurt/comfort, mentions of paranoia, death (not of reader or Jiyan), mentions of war, sfw

Reader is afab!

((Not proofread))

When he's gone for too long. (Husband!Jiyan x Fem!Reader)

Your excitement dies when you open the front door in the hope of seeing your husband, only to be faced with a soldier instead. He stands there calmly, face expressionless like all the others before him, as he holds out an intricate package to you. If you didn't know any better, you would've knocked it out of his hands.

"A package for you, my lady. From the general." The man hummed, waiting patiently for you to take it. He didn't shy away from the anger in your eyes, the pain and pure annoyance, that was then stilled with a deep breath. They were used to it by now.

"Thank you." You said, the package feeling heavy in your hands when you shut the door behind you again wordlessly. Not seeing the way the soldier opened his mouth once more to say something else.

Something that would've quelled the anger in your heart.

You threw the gift on a pile next to the door, dust slightly filling the air when it hit the many others that came before it. It wasn't that you weren't grateful or happy. But you also just wanted your husband to be here instead. You wanted him to hand you these gifts. Him to be the one that appears at your door after being gone for so long.

It angered you that he wasn't here, even if you knew why.

Being a general was difficult and draining. It forced him to stay out on the frontlines for weeks and even months on end with minimal communication, if any at all. His solution was, therefore, to simply send his wife lavish gifts in hopes of making her feel less lonely, but he knew better than to believe that it ultimately worked in the long run.

Your anger made you feel selfish, and the guilt made you feel worse. You were stuck in an inescapable cycle that was impossible to break out of. Leaving the home for a break was impossible as well. No matter where you went, the pity filled looks and taunting whispers seemed to haunt you. It made you barely step out of the house. You couldn't do it, not without him.

It was a miserable existence, and yet you never voiced your woes to Jiyan either. You didn't want to burden him with such troubles when he had worse things to worry about. He had been through atrocities he could never even speak of, so surely you could survive the couple weeks without him, right? He was keeping you all safe, his sacrifices were important. Even if it was at the cost of your sanity.

But now that you sat here in the darkness of your living room all alone, you realise that you perhaps never accepted the neglect as much as you wanted to. You felt horrible, the guilt eating you alive whilst you shed endless tears and hid your face in your hands, body shaking and trembling with every sob. It was unfair. It wasn't right. You had to wipe away the agony and be strong for him. You shouldn't act like this.

What would the people think if they saw the generals wife crying over him performing his duties? They'd mock you even more, shake their heads in disappointment, give you lethal looks that burned you from the inside out. The embarrassment, the shame... you internalized it all until this very moment. You had finally burst at the seams, and just as you thought that you'd have to suffer through this alone as usual, a gentle, calloused hand cupped yours softly.

"My love?" His voice startled you, a gasp leaving your lips as you attempted to pull away and turn your head in panic. You didn't hear him approach you. Heart sinking in your chest, you realised that he was sitting right next to you, his other hand resting on your back to keep you in place against him. You couldn't breathe, as you panted heavily.

"What happened to you? Did something happen in my absence? I sent a soldier to send you a message about my return, but..." His eyes swayed to the pile gifts near the doorway, his heart clenching when he began piecing together what may have caused your plight. Despite you thinking otherwise, his observant eyes caught onto more than he let on. He wasn't blind or deaf to what the general public seemed to think of you, nor was he that unaware of your pain and neglect. He himself felt pain for his actions, even if he had no true choice in them. It's a sacrifice that had to be made as long as there was a threat to the city and most importantly your life out there.

But now, as he sat there, your face pushed to his chest as you cried, and his heart cracked under the pressure of your tears, he realised that he didn't need to sacrifice your well-being this much as well. You didn't deserve it.

"Please... don't leave me like this again." Your words were quiet, so quiet that he nearly didn't catch them, but his mind and soul were only focused on you. His gaze softened as his hand ran through your hair before he pressed his head against yours in solidarity. He didn't want it to get this far. He didn't want to make you cry until even air couldn't enter your lungs.

Perhaps he had overworked himself far too hard. Perhaps he had been gone for longer than he needed to... but that will stop now.

"My apologies, my love. It won't happen again. I will try staying for longer now..." He trailed off, as he kissed your forehead and wiped away your tears. He knew he had alot to make up for, but he wasn't the type to back down from such an important mission.

And the smallest relieved smile on your tired face made it worth it.

Alrighttt... I hope this was okay! I admittedly wrote this half asleep, so I'm praying it's not terrible lmao... Anyway, thank you again for the great request, moot!!<33

[0xstarzx0]

DARK RED

Rafe Cameron S3x Reader

CLOSE COMMAND

[English is not my native language❗️❗️]

SYNOPSIS: Rafe found you and he’s planning on keeping it with him forever.

TW: toxic behavior, manipulation, control manipulation, threats, violence mentions, victim’s reprimand. !The reader is considered a weak-minded person, which explains her behavior towards Rafe! Mention of abortion. Insult

______________________________________________- [PT2]

6YEARS LATERS 

You watched your sons play happily in the streets of Chicago. You no longer lived as a kook, but you were happy with your children.

Music echoed through the streets as the boys were with their friends while you sunbathed peacefully.

"Mom, look what I can do!" said Elijah, making animal shadows with his hands.

You laughed and applauded, Dean coming to sit next to you.

Dean and Elijah are twin brothers.

Dean physically resembles you a lot. His eyes are just a little lighter than yours and his hair is not as wavy as yours.

Elijah strongly resembles Rafe, with the same hair, eye color, complexion, smile, EVERYTHING.

But in terms of character, they are completely different. Elijah inherited your character, while Dean has Rafe's character.

They are too young for you to say which one reminds you more of Rafe, but either way, you do your best to make sure they don’t become like him.

"When is Harper coming?" asks Dean with hint of frustration in his sad expression.

"She's coming at six-" Dean cuts you off. "How late is she staying with us?" You shrug your shoulders.

Tonight, you're working as a waitress for a high-end event in the north side of Chicago. You don't know what time you'll be home as these events can go on sometimes until three in the morning.

"I don't know Dean, but I'll make sure to come home as soon as possible," you say, gently stroking his hair.

"You always say that, but you come back super late!" The little blond puts his head against your shoulder.

It pains you to hear that because it’s true; sometimes in order to make sure you can make ends meet, you find yourself working overtime.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Dean hugs you with his little arms. "I love you, mom." You stroke his back. "I love you too, baby."

✯

The event had been going on for over an hour now, and the floors in the luxurious hotel where you were at began to fill up.

You stood up straight and tried to be as pleasant as possible. The atmosphere is enjoyable for the guests.

Each of them flaunts their wealth or talks about business. You recall the parties of this kind you used to attend with your family.

None of them were missed by you, you greet a woman as she starts talking to you.

She's quite attractive, with her medium-length black hair and her brown almond-shaped eyes. She acts as if you were the best friends in the world.

However, she doesn't do anything except talk about her life, there’s no coherence in what she’s saying, but you say nothing.

You hope to get at least a tip of $150 at this point.

She looks away from your eyes for a moment to look over your shoulder and smile. She waves her hand, probably attracting someone.

You begin to turn around to leave when you freeze. Bad memories come back one by one to the surface. Your heart beats so loudly in your ears that you can no longer hear.

You apologize and head to the bar, setting down your tray and run to the bathrooms. Rafe was there, he was right in front of you.

He still looks as charismatic and threatening as before. You walk to the sink and splash some water on your face.

And if he had recognized me? Will he make me pay? Will he be angry that I've deprived him of his children for so long? No, impossible that he’s recognized me.

You lift your head and find yourself face to face with him in the mirror. A satisfied smile on his face. You swallow hard and look at him.

His blue eyes are still as beautiful as ever, his shaved hair gives him a charm.

"It's been a long time." He says, locking the door. He advances, and you back away.

He straightens his tie and looks at himself in the mirror. "How's my child?"

You freeze in fear, the stress is at its peak. "I had an abortion." You gasp for air. He chuckles and looks at you. "You ran away just to have an abortion?"

You look at him angrily. "What do you want Rafe?" You tremble and he finally looks at you. "I know my children are somewhere in the streets of Chicago. Judging by your appearance, they must be in the South Side."

"Fuck off, Rafe!" You yell at him in anger. Rafe comes closer and looks at you with anger. "There are people who have disappeared for less than that Y/N. I suggest you lower your damn tone."

Rafe leans forward and tilts his head slightly. "I missed you." He tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. You shudder at his touch.

"You broke my heart by leaving. How could you do this to me after everything I did for you." He grabs your chin and forces you to look at him.

There was a time when you would have apologized on your knees, but not anymore. "You were violentwith me."

He shrugs nonchalantly. "That happens in every relationship, it’s nothing serious." You look at him, shocked.

"How did you call them?" He asks, folding his arms across his chest. You furrow your brows. "What?..." he massages his temples. "The twins, what have you named them?" You tremble, how does he know?

"I don’t know what you mean." Rafe sighs loudly. "Do you really think I’m here by accident?" You frown, he takes out his phone and unlocks it.

He puts it on the sink, for the past five months he'd known where you live, your job, your friends, and most importantly, where his children were.

"I don’t blame you for leaving, Y/N, I’ve spent every day for the past six years thinking about you and the kids." He grabs your chin and forces you to look him in the eyes.

"I’m going to change, I promise, just give me one more chance to show you how I can be a good father for our kids." He caresses your cheek. "For our family."

You would like to scream at him, tell him to leave, but Rafe isn’t stupid. He knows that you won’t because you feel too guilty that the twins don’t have a father.

"Alright..." You say, looking into his eyes. "One and last chance." Rafe smiles and kisses your forehead. "Promise."

Rafe hugs you tightly and gently runs his fingers through your hair.

Rafe knew you were going to say yes, he was sure of it, and anyway, if you had refused, he would have made sure you wouldn’t be allowed near the children anymore.

Having money works that way.

Rafe knows it will take some time for you to no longer be afraid of him, but he will wait because that is what soulmates do. 

They always forgive their other half.

______________________________________________

Hello everyone!

And yes, after several months without news about this fan fiction, I finally write the end!

I'm sorry if the end hasn't pleased you, I don't like it too much either but I tried to do what I wanted the most. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask them to me in private or in request, I'll answer with pleasure <3

taglist 🏷️ :

@rafemotherfuckingcameron @macchili18 @devotedlyelectronicartisan @julesandro

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[starleska]

Hello again!! I'm the anon from before (and I'm glad to hear you had a nice time yesterday!!!), and here's what I wrote.. I've been thinking a lot about the 'Wally eats with his eyes' idea, as many have been !!! I'm not sure how to warn for what this exactly so feel free to tag it with whatever you deem necessary. Wally just. Likes you a lot lol. i guess this is a little silly but i had a good time writing it haha

You are having a staring contest with your friend Wally.

You can't quite remember who started this, or why. Just that Wally had wanted to draw somewhere outside and you tagged along with him, until you were sitting somewhere in a field of flowers around the Neighbourhood.

Wally simply returns your gaze, unblinking, his hands folded over on top of his sketchbook. You think this has lasted long enough. What you want to do is crack a smile or a joke, but you find that your muscles are frozen stiff, and your tongue is so, so heavy.

His pupils expand.

You're supposed to panic about being this frozen up. Moving shouldn't be so difficult. But it's like your body feels like even stressing out about this is too much effort. You feel warm. Your eyelids tremble with the effort to blink. There is no movement, though your eyes don't burn either. You've held them open for so long that the world starts to gray out around you.

His pupils expand.

Wally leans his head to the side, little by little. You mirror his movements without thinking. The tips of your fingers are tingling, your feet feel numb as if fallen asleep. He smiles at you even more than usual. You think that this makes you happy. His lips part slowly, as if to speak, and-

"Hiya, guys!" Eddie calls out from the path to your right.

Your body jolts in surprise, and the spell is broken. By the time you whip your head around to look, Eddie has already continued his delivery route without waiting for a response.

Your returned awareness feels like breaking the surface after almost drowning. A weight disappears from your body, and you practically double over, gasping for air. Your shoulders are shaking, your eyes wide. When you squeeze them shut, it burns. You feel tired like you never have before.

"That was good," Wally says. For a moment, you are hesitant to turn your head back and look at him. You want to hide from his eyes. But you snuff that thought out as soon as it pops up, because that's just silly. You must've eaten something wrong, or have caught a cold. What else could explain this.

You look at Wally. He looks normal, and his eyes upon

"W-what did you say?"

"I asked: Are you feeling good?" Wally speaks even slower than he otherwise would, but his smile is as wide as ever. "You don't look good, friend."

"I don't… I'm a little out of it," you force out a laugh. "I think I'm getting sick."

Wally leans forward.

"You'll be okay," he says, and puts a hand on your knee. "Let's sit here until you feel better."

!!!!!! anon!!!! anon do you know how good this is?!?! oh my gosh!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭 honey, i cannot express how much i adore this fic. it's such a wonderful blend of terror and intimacy, so frightening and claustrophobic yet warm and safe in a way you can't understand...ugh, i'm in love 🥴 your descriptions are so vivid - i could really feel Your panic and nausea. some real Lovecraftian horror stuff going on in here. and oh my God the little detail of him saying, 'That was good' and then switching to 'Are you feeling good?' absolute chills!!! 😱😱 if you feel comfortable enough, you should absolutely post your writing somewhere!! you've got such a talent for writing, Wally in particular, and i'd love to read more of your stuff should you be inclined. i'll definitely be taking some tips from this awesome little fic going forward 😉 thank you so much for sharing 🥰

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

A race for love p.3

Hii guys, I hope you enjoy this part, here's part 2 if you've missed it.

- Austrian Gran Prix 2023 -

As you step into the Austrian Grand Prix, your heart pounds with a mix of excitement and nerves. The roar of engines, the buzz of fans, and the vibrant energy of the paddock are almost overwhelming. You take a deep breath, trying to soak it all in.

"Y/N, I have to go back with the team to arrange some details," your dad says, pulling you out of your thoughts. "Do you want to stay at the motorhome or wander around?"

"I'll go for a walk, but I can be back for lunch if you want to have lunch together," you reply, not wanting to intrude but hoping for some time with him amidst the chaos.

"I'm not sure if that'll be possible. I have to talk with some investors over lunch," he answers, sounding apologetic.

"Oh, it's okay, Dad, don't worry. Maybe another day," you say, trying to hide your disappointment with a forced smile.

He nods, giving you a quick squeeze on the shoulder before hurrying off. You watch him disappear into the crowd, a mix of longing and understanding tugging at your heart. With a sigh, you turn and start to wander around, deciding to make the most of the day on your own.

You stroll through the F1 paddock, marvelling at the impressive setups, the gleaming cars, and the intense focus of the teams. It's thrilling to be so close to the action, but after a while, you find yourself gravitating towards the F2 and F3 areas. Franco had mentioned he'd be here for some tests, and the thought of seeing him brings a flutter of excitement.

As you make your way through the less crowded F2 and F3 paddocks, you notice a few drivers chatting and mechanics working on the cars. The atmosphere is slightly more relaxed here, and you feel a bit more at ease. You walk around, peeking into garages, hoping to catch a glimpse of Franco.

Suddenly, you feel two hands cover your eyes from behind. "Guess who?" a familiar voice whispers playfully in your ear.

A grin spreads across your face. "Hmm… is it… Lewis Hamilton?" you joke, playing along.

Franco laughs and removes his hands, spinning you around to face him. "Close, but no," he says, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

You chuckle, feeling a little shy but happy to see him. "Hey, Franco! I was hoping to find you here."

"Well, here I am," he says, flashing you a charming smile. "Wanna walk around with me? I have a bit of time before I need to get back to the car."

You nod eagerly, and the two of you start strolling through the paddock together. Franco points out different things as you go, sharing little tidbits about the teams and the cars. He's animated and funny, making you laugh with his impressions of some of the more eccentric engineers and drivers.

"So, how are the tests going?" you ask, genuinely curious.

Franco shrugs, a hint of a sheepish smile on his lips. "Not too bad, but not great either. I'm still getting used to some of the adjustments they made to the car. It's all about finding the right balance, you know?"

You nod, hanging on his every word. "I bet you'll figure it out. You're a great driver."

He glances at you, his smile softening. "Thanks, Y/N. That means a lot coming from you."

You blush at the compliment, looking down at your feet for a moment. "So, what's next for you? Are you hoping to move up to F2 next year?"

Franco's eyes light up at the question. "That's the plan. It's tough, though. There are a lot of talented drivers all fighting for the same spots. But if I keep pushing and show them what I can do, who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky."

"I hope you do," you say earnestly. "You deserve it, Franco."

He grins, giving you a playful nudge. "You're making me blush, Y/N. Keep this up, and I'll be too flustered to drive."

You laugh, feeling more at ease with every passing minute. "Well, we can't have that. You need to be in top form for your sprint race."

"Exactly," he says, his tone teasing. "And I should probably head back soon. Gotta get in the zone."

You nod, feeling a little disappointed that your time together is coming to an end. "Good luck, Franco. I'll be cheering for you."

He smiles, his gaze lingering on you for a moment longer than usual. "Thanks, Y/N. It really means a lot to have you here. Maybe we can hang out more later if you're free?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," you reply, your heart fluttering at the thought.

Franco winks at you before turning to leave, his confident stride carrying him back towards his team. You watch him go, a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your chest, already looking forward to the next time you see him.

After Franco heads back to his team, you decide to wander around a bit more before making your way back to the F1 paddock. The air is filled with the sounds of engines revving, and the scent of fuel lingers in the air. It's all so thrilling, and you find yourself smiling at the sheer energy of it all.

As you walk, a sudden gust of wind sweeps through the paddock, causing papers and debris to scatter. Something light and red flutters through the air and lands near your feet. You look down to see a Prema Racing cap lying on the ground, the wind continuing to tug at it.

Instinctively, you bend down to pick up the cap. Just as you stand back up, you hear a voice behind you.

"Hey, thanks for grabbing that!"

You turn around and feel a jolt of surprise. Standing in front of you is the boy from the Barcelona Grand Prix, the one who nearly ran you over with his scooter. He’s wearing a Prema team jacket, his brunette hair slightly tousled from the wind. His brown eyes are bright as he steps closer, taking the cap from your outstretched hand.

"You're welcome," you say with a smile. "It was about to fly away."

He looks at you more closely, squinting a bit as if trying to remember something. "Wait a minute… Have we met before?" he asks, a curious smile playing on his lips.

You can’t help but laugh. "Yeah, we did. Barcelona, remember? You almost ran me over with your scooter."

His eyes widen in realization, and his cheeks flush a deep red. "Oh my god, I’m so sorry about that!" he exclaims, clearly embarrassed. "I was in such a hurry, I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t mean to—"

You wave a hand, cutting off his apology. "It’s fine, really. No harm done. Just gave me a bit of a scare, that’s all."

He rubs the back of his neck, still looking sheepish. "Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I’m Oliver, by the way. Oliver Bearman." He extends his hand with a friendly smile.

"Y/N," you reply, shaking his hand. His grip is firm but gentle, and there’s a sincerity in his eyes that makes you feel at ease.

"Nice to officially meet you, Y/N," Oliver says, grinning. "I promise, no more scooter incidents."

You laugh again, enjoying his company. "I’ll hold you to that."

Just as you’re about to say more, a voice calls out from behind Oliver. "Bearman! We need you over here, now!"

Oliver turns his head towards the source of the voice, one of the Prema team members waving him over urgently. He gives a quick nod before turning back to you. "Looks like duty calls," he says with a small sigh. "But it was really nice running into you again, Y/N."

"Yeah, you too," you reply, feeling a bit disappointed that your conversation is being cut short. "Good luck with everything."

"Thanks," Oliver says, flashing you one last smile. "Maybe I’ll see you around this weekend?"

"Maybe," you say with a nod, hoping that you do.

He gives you a small wave before jogging off towards his team, putting the cap back on his head as he goes. You watch him for a moment, still smiling from the unexpected encounter.

As you turn back towards the F1 paddock, your mind buzzes with everything that’s happened today. From spending time with Franco to running into Oliver again, it feels like this weekend is already full of surprises. You can’t help but wonder what else might be in store.

With a renewed sense of excitement, you make your way back to the hustle and bustle of the F1 paddock, eager to see what the rest of the weekend will bring.

Here's part 4

[overstuffd]

🎭Choose your mask 🎭

@fatguarddog's Feedist Kinktober ✨ Day 2

Masquerade Ball 💃

Ingredients: witchy, sorcerer feeder, magical weight gain, mind control, letting the beast inside out.

🎭🎭🎭

What do you mean you don't have a mask for the ball?

Here, come look at my selection. No, I insist - really.

You know why I throw these parties, don't you? To encourage people to bring out their true nature. So choose your mask carefully. The effects can be quite - profound.

The boar mask? A strong choice. The boar takes what he wants, voraciously.

Food, drink, pleasure - a boar gluts themself to absolute excess. Always indulging, always seeking greater satisfaction.

We'd have to lead you straight to buffet table, let you pile a plate high with rich delicacies while someone presses a huge glass of wine into your hand.

The more you eat and drink though, the less satisfied you feel - and soon you're tearing strips of meat straight from the roasts on the long table and pushing them into your mouth with grease stained fingers. You chug wine straight from the flagon, deep red dripping from the corners of your mouth.

When there's no more room in your belly, you'll still crave greater release. That's when you mount some poor doe or rabbit mask wearer in the middle of the hall, chasing more pleasure as you grunt and moan like the hog you are.

No? How about the cow mask? The big, glazed eyes in the mask make the world look softer, gentler - just like you will be soon.

You'll find more cow-mask wearers here tonight. They'll be gathered on soft cushions together around a huge, low table piled with delicious treats. Cream cakes, cheese stuffed pastries, fried rice balls dredged in rich sauce.

Your new friends will show you what to do. How to recline so you give your belly room to comfortably expand. How to slowly gorge yourself, washing bites down with one of the sweet, creamy drinks the servers keep bringing to you. How to rub your gut as it grows fuller, relieving the pressure from the feast you're casually stuffing yourself with.

Of course, it can be hard to get relief by yourself. I'm sure some of the other partygoers will be happy to help. There's a gentleman in a bull mask and nothing else who I'm sure would be happy to help soothe your tight stomach, and if your moans happen to get him excited, well - you can return the favour.

The last choice? Ah - the hound mask. Choose this one and you'll stay by my side all evening. Don't worry, I won't let you miss a moment of all the enjoyment.

I'll have the servers bring over a selection of my favourite treats and hand feed them to you as you sit so nicely at my feet. See how the mask wraps around your neck? I can clip this chain right there and make sure you don't get up to any mischief.

I'll make sure you don't go thirsty either, letting you lap sweet wine from my goblet. If I like the way it makes you blush and rub against my thighs I'll pour you your own bowl, letting the chain out just a little so you can drop to all fours and lap it up for me.

I know you'll get worked up watching everyone else play together, but don't worry - I'll be kind enough to give you my boot to grind on as you warm my cock in your drooling mouth while I chat with some of the other guests.

If you do a very good job, I might just pull you into my lap and finish inside your soft hole, sinking my teeth into shoulder as you whine like needy dog you are.

[bvidzsoo]

Compass of our hearts

Author: bvidzsoo

Warning: smut, violence, blood, murder

Pairing: Park Seonghwa x female reader

Word count: 20,7k

Summary: Park Seonghwa was an orphan. The day Captain Kim found him on the shore the only thing he had with himself in the little basket was a golden compass, his mother's name craved inside it. Seonghwa cherished it dearly and worked hard to find out where he belonged to. However, as a pirate, you make a lot of enemies and you decided to make Seonghwa yours the day you stole his compass. It was your first mistake, you messed with a feared pirate. Your second mistake was not realizing that Seonghwa would find you, and take his compass back as well. (Reader is called Kim Bora in the following oneshots.)

A/N: Helloo everyone, the first part of the Black Ocean series is here!! I hope the fight scenes aren't as bad as I personally think they are lol. I'm not a master smut writer either, but I tried my best, so I hope it's not horrible. If anyone wants to be added to the taglist just let me know, there will be seven more oneshots with the other members in this universe. Please leave feedback, reading your thoughts about my work is the best feeling ever. I hope you'll enjoy this little oneshot, happy reading!

Taglist: @pingyu-in-wonderland @marievllr-abg @lelaleleb @loveforred @horanghae8 @jeonghanscarat7 @orshii

Series Masterlist

               I was breathing hard as I tried to gain focus, having been thrown against the wall, again. It was starting to take a tool on me, the pointless tousling and teasing. I did not like fighting this way. I liked getting straight to the point, getting what I wanted. I never played around with my prey, but Seonghwa seemed to enjoy it as a wide smirk decorated his lips, his strides long and slow as he came closer, almost caging me against the wall. I huffed in irritation as he raised my chin with the tip of his very sharp knife, our eyes finding each other’s. Seonghwa was breathing hard too, lips parted and forehead sweaty as his long wavy black hair fell into his sharp eyes, his ponytail messy. His eyes held an intensity which was capable of making me surrender to him, but I stayed collected. Not this time, I wouldn’t give in. My lower left arm was burning from the huge gash Seonghwa’s knife made and I couldn’t ignore the blood dripping down his cheek where I had cut him just minutes ago.

“You could have made this so easy and quick for yourself, Y/N.” His voice dripped with venom and I gulped when his knife pressed harder against my skin, lightly grazing against my neck.

“I like to play around,” I muttered and forced out a chuckle, ignoring the quick pounding of my heart, “But you know that already.”

“Too well.” He snapped and I gasped when I felt blood trickling down the side of my neck, skin slightly burning. He really meant it this time that he’d kill me if I didn’t give back what was his. All of this fiasco for a damned compass. I glared at him and in a swift moment pressed my own dagger against his torso, ripping his shirt open and making it clear that if he were to slice my throat I wouldn’t hesitate in sticking my own weapon into him.

“How are you going to find the compass if you kill me, Seonghwa?” I taunted, mimicking his tone when he said my name. For a split second his eyes turned into slits and I was sure he would kill me right then and there, but the pressure of the knife from my neck disappeared and I felt the lump in my throat disappearing as well. It didn’t mean I was safe, it just meant I wasn’t getting my throat slit open. I lowered my dagger from his torso as well and tried to come up with an escape plan fast. The window was open, if I kicked him hard enough to get him to double over, I could run to the window and jump out. I knew where my sister’s friend lived, I would go there and take her with me. Going into hiding was a must right now.

“Where is it?!” Seonghwa’s voice slightly trembled from anger and I looked behind him, eyeing the window.

I shrugged before looking back at him, having decided what my next move would be, “I don’t know, want to play a game to find out?” And before he could answer, I punched him hard in the jaw, making him stumble backwards. He was flabbergasted as he looked back at me, wiping the blood from his lips, but before he could charge at me, I kneeled him in the stomach, hard. Seonghwa doubled over instantly and started wheezing, face contorted in pain. I didn’t necessarily liked hurting him and I found myself hesitating for a second before I snapped out of it and made a run for the window. The room wasn’t big, I could easily make it out and get away from Seonghwa. But I heard groaning from behind and as I latched onto the window sill, ready to jump over, a hand was suddenly in my long hair, fisting it. I was yanked back harshly and I yelped, eyebrows furrowing as Seonghwa held me flushed against his body, pulling on my hair so hard I thought he’d leave me with a bald spot. I went to fight back, but he grabbed my neck from behind with his left hand, but he didn’t squeeze. He secured me in a firm grip, warning me. I gulped and listened to our rapid breathing, Seonghwa’s chest rising and falling quickly against my back. His body hadn’t changed at all. He was still as sturdy as before, even felt like he had gotten stronger.

“Let me go.” I snapped and turned my head to the side, trying to look at him. Seonghwa watched my face for a second, taking it in, before he blinked and his gaze turned cold. I couldn’t pretend like the warmth of his body and the grip he had on me wasn’t affecting me, but my self-respect would never let me tell him. I had already admitted to thinking about him often back at the Inn.

“I prepared a little surprise for you,” Seonghwa whispered in my ear, my eyes fluttering for a second, before he harshly turned my head towards the window, making me watch what was happening outside. And my whole blood ran cold in me. I froze, almost unable to breathe. My little sister was walking outside, singing to herself as she played around with a pebble. The sight that terrified me wasn’t her being home despite her saying she’d spend the day at her friend, it was the man dressed in all black with a rag covering his lower face following her, knife held very obviously in one hand. Nari was oblivious to him and he was getting closer and closer to her.

“Stop!” My voice raised and I tried to wriggle myself free from Seonghwa’s grip. The man following my little sister, Nari, was Choi San, a ruthless mercenary. She stood no chance against him, I couldn’t stand here and watch as San kills my little sister, the only family I have left.

“Stop him,” I begged Seonghwa as I stopped trying to get away from him, “please tell him to stop. I will give you anything you want, Seonghwa, please don’t let him hurt Nari.” I knew now the two worked together. Seonghwa was the Quartermaster of a very infamous pirate crew whom had been terrorizing the four kingdoms and four seas for a decade now and everyone knew what they were capable of. Even I did now. I would’ve never thought Seonghwa was smart enough to find me as I barely came home, once a week every month, but seeing San trailing my sister woke me up to the reality of the predicament I found myself in. I was careless and dumb; I stole from someone whom I should’ve never messed with.

Seonghwa chuckled and I felt his hot breath on my cheek before he whispered in my ear again, “Never thought I’d hear you begging, love.” And without another word, he whistled loudly and I watched as San placed his knife up his sleeve and turned around, walking off, my sister oblivious to everything that could’ve happened to her due to my stupidity.

“Now, give me my compass.”

            One year ago business wasn’t going as well as at the moment, so I was forced to earn money in questionable ways sometimes. Nari, my little sister, was attending a quite well-known school in our humble city and it cost us a lot. I never complained, I wanted her to have a good life. A life better than mine. We are seven years apart and after our parents one day just mysteriously disappeared, I had to take things in my hands. I had to keep the two of us well fed, clean and I had to earn enough money to pay our monthly payments and schools. However, when things got hard I had to give up some luxuries and one of them was my education. I was only fifteen, but I had no choice. Nari started going to school that year and we wouldn’t make it if I didn’t start working full time. It was a hard choice, I loved what I was doing, I always loved studying. I dreamed of becoming a historian one day, but I placed my dreams aside and worked hard so that my little sister would have a nice life. But even that wasn’t enough, so I decided to try out something new. I wasn’t proud of myself at the beginning, and I was scared too that people would realize I was the one stealing their jewelry. However, nobody seemed to find the thief, and I continued on with my antics until I was almost caught. It was the wake-up call that I needed to move to a bigger city, where everyone didn’t know everyone. And that’s when my hard work started paying off. I became a merchandizer of sorts; I exchanged the stolen goods for gold or money if the buyer paid me well. It was a shady business, but everyone knew how I got the expensive jewelry, it’s not like I had anything to hide. Besides, usually pirates or other criminals were interested in what I had to offer and it was rather easy to trick them into paying me more than the jewelry was actually worth. And just like that, I had enough money to bring back to my sister to pay her school and the utilities at home. She always thought I was working for a wealthy family; I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the money I earned wasn’t rightfully mine. Perhaps one day, when she’d understand why I did the things I did, I would tell her the truth. But the business didn’t always go smoothly, sometimes I needed to do some extra work here and there, that’s how I found myself working at an Inn, dressed in a silk dress with a corset accentuating my waist and pushing my breasts higher up for the pleasure of mostly disgusting men. I refused to sleep with any of them, no matter how many times I was offered a large amount of sum, I wasn’t that desperate. I was just a simple waitress who liked to trick men into paying more for their drinks than the actual price was. But of course, nobody had to know about that.

“Welcome, Sir Edwards!” I plastered on my brightest smile as the constable walked inside, wearing his very expensive fur coat he bought last week from the boutique down the street. I bet he didn’t know it was stolen from a very wealthy man who stopped by here two weeks ago. I was the one who stole it and then sold it to Madam Joy, her clothing was the best of the best, even the royal family would come here to buy her newest gowns. A wide smile appeared on Sir Edwards’ lips, his eyes lighting up at the sight of me. I happened to be his favorite waitress, always humble and sweet; the man loved compliments and a person who would listen to his gloating.

“Ah, Y/N!” He exclaimed and I rushed to his side, helping him out of the fur coat. It was still as soft as last week, however once its white fur was now brown, Madam Joy thought a little change was necessary to it, so its real owner wouldn’t recognize it, “I haven’t seen you here in over a month.”

I looked away, blinking quickly, hoping I looked abashed, “How attentive you are, Sir.”

Sir Edwards chuckle and leaned a bit too close for my comfort, “With my favorites I always am.”

I giggled and grabbed onto his arm, starting to lead him towards an empty table. The other girls I was working with gave me amused looks before turning their heads away, not wanting Sir Edwards to notice them. If he was here, his little officers would be also joining him, and that meant we’d make a lot of profit tonight. These wealthy men always ordered the priciest wines and scotch. The table I led the constable to was close to the opened window and furthest from the bar, he didn’t have to see if we mixed anything into their drinks. Sometimes these men would get rowdy and really loud and since we were forbidden from kicking anyone out as long as they were buying, we’d put a little powder into their drinks which would make them sick or sleepy, depending on how much they’ve had to drink.

“I hope you don’t mind this table, Sir, it’s a bit far from the bar but it’s close to the window and that way you can always catch a whiff of fresh air.” I smiled at the man sweetly as I pulled out a chair for him.

“It’s almost as if you read my mind,” He chuckled loudly as he sat down, placing his hand on mine, making my stomach churn. Sir Edwards was by no means attractive or young, but he paid well and he came in just when I needed it most, “I’ve been craving fresh air all day long.”

“It must get stuffy sitting in your office all day long,” I said with pity lacing my voice, slowly pulling my hand out from underneath his, “May I bring you your favorite, Sir Edwards?”

“Bring five extra glasses too, sweetheart, my boys are joining me soon.” Just as I thought, he was bringing over his favorites from the night watch. The other five guys were regulars too and every waitress hated them. They were relatively younger than Sir Edwards and they were nastier and ruder as well. I usually turned a blind eye to all of their snide remarks, but I promised myself that one day I would punch all of their teeth out. But first, I needed to scam them into giving me all of their money.

            And the night went accordingly to my plan. Currently, there were fifteen extra pennies hidden in my little pouch, all from charging our buyers with some extra pennies. It was hilarious how easy drunk people were to scam, they didn’t even care about the money as long as they had something to drink. During the night, a few women had stumbled inside the Inn as well. Few were wearing quite eye-catching rings and bracelets. That was their first mistake. Their second mistake was letting me fawn over them and touch them, testing whether it would be easy taking it from them or not. And their third mistake was getting so wasted they could barely speak. The musicians were playing a catchy song and a few people were dancing and singing loudly as I made my way through the crowd, almost spilling the expensive wine on my white silk dress. I glared at the man, but he wasn’t paying any attention to me, of course. Fixing my expression, I smiled sweetly as I made my way to Sir Edwards’ table, hearing the front door squeaking as it was opened, nobody wanted to fix it and it was bloody loud.

“And here is your glass of wine, imported straight from France, a little sweet but not too much.” I announced loudly once I reached the table, carefully pouring wine into the six glasses. The men stopped conversing and watched me, some too drunk to actually see me and some merely tipsy.  Sir Edwards was clapping excitedly and he placed a ridiculous sum on the table for me, thanking me for paying so much attention to him that he didn’t even have to tell me the previous glass was empty now. I took the pennies while bowing my head at Sir Edwards, thanking him for being so generous, but he just laughed it off and offered me his glass.

“Why don’t you try it yourself? Tell us whether it’s good or should we just ask for another one?” I blinked surprised at Sir Edwards as he has never offered me his glass previously. I gulped and smiled a little as the six men from the table watched me with curious eyes. So, I brought the glass up to my lips and slowly took a bigger sip, expecting it to be sweet, like I was told. But it was rather bland and strong. I tried not to cough and plastered a wide smile on my lips, acting as if I had tasted the best wine in the whole world.

“Now I understand why these cost so much!” I exclaimed, acting rather daft, making the men laugh. They raised their glasses in the air as I handed his back to Sir Edwards and went to head back to the bar, when I felt a grip on my wrist. I looked down at the man holding me, he was the newest recruit of the night watch. He was rather young, I heard he comes from a wealthy family, probably bought his way in, but he was very rude and violent. I witnessed him beating someone to a pulp one evening, when I was headed home, because they dared bumping into him. I know the man he beat up; he was blind, how could he possibly see him?! Thankfully he survived and was at the infirmary, recovering.

“I’ve got enough money to buy this whole building,” The young officer started, eyeing me up, “How much would it cost to have you for one night?”

I scoffed and looked off in the distance, trying to collect myself. Men would say ridiculous things here, but nobody was as shameless as this disgrace of a man gripping my wrist. So I yanked it out of his hold and leaned down, whispering in his ear, “You could be the richest man of the four kingdoms and four seas, and you could still not afford me for one night.”

The young officer was outraged as his eyes widened and lips downturned, raising to his feet at lightning speed. He wasn’t even taller than me. I smirked at him before starting to walk off, hearing Sir Edwards telling him to sit down and have some manners when his seniors were talking. I probably shouldn’t get on the police’s bad side, but a young officer like him could do nothing to me. I went back to the bar and sighed loudly, pointing at a glass and a cheap scotch for Jongdae to pour. He chuckled and poured just a little bit as the waitresses couldn’t get drunk while working.

“That’ll be five pennies, young lady.” I chuckled as I downed the liquid in one go, cringing at the foul taste of it.

“I’ll give you eight if you pour me another one.” I playfully bargained with my colleague and he chuckled.

“Nine?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Eight, take it or leave it.”

“Fine.” He poured me another one as I placed eight pennies on the surface of the bar, making Jongdae chuckle.

“You sure these are real?” I gave him a look before downing the alcohol again.

“Go ask Sir Edwards if they are real, dickhead.” Jongdae started cackling and I shook my head at him, fixing my apron.

“I’d rather stay here; they look like awful people.” He wasn’t wrong, but to be fair, they could’ve been worse.

“Sir Edwards is alright; the others are the problem.” I muttered.

“It’s always the younglings which are rude,” He said that as if he wasn’t only seventeen years old, making me chuckle, “By the way, that man walked in like five minutes ago, you should go serve him before he leaves.”

I let out a quiet groan as I turned around, looking for the client Jongdae was talking about. My feet were killing me and the corset started being a little too tight, I couldn’t wait for my shift to be over. And just to my luck, the man had to sit the farthest from the bar, right next to the exit. Jongdae poured me a glass half full of scotch and I took off towards the man. He was alone, sitting at a table for ten. I eyed his surroundings, wondering whether he was here by himself or with others. But it seemed like he was alone, looking down at something he was holding, deep in thought. I stopped next to him and cleared my throat.

“You seem like a scotch lover.” I spoke up, a pleasant smile on my lips as I caught the man’s attention. He wore clean but slightly scruffy looking clothes. His waist high pants were of black leather, it was quite obvious he’s been wearing them for a long time now. And his unbuttoned shirt at the top seemed faded in its color. When he looked up, I was speechless for a second. His face was mesmerizing, I could confidently say he was the handsomest man I have ever seen until now. His sharp eyes were dark but they held a soft intensity, rather friendly than intimidating. The bridge of his long nose was straight and his red plump lips formed a small smile.

“I actually hate scotch,” He said softly with a chuckle. His voice was smooth and melodic, I was taken aback by the appearance and aura of the man sitting in front of me, “Do you happen to have beer?”

“We do.” I had to clear my throat as I sounded rather breathless, I tried not to blush out of embarrassment, but the man’s cheeky smile had my heart somersaulting.

“If you could bring me that, I’d appreciate it.” He was so polite, very rare around here, “And you can have my scotch, you look like you need it.”

That made me chuckle as I looked around the Inn, taking in the chaos and drunk people, “Yes, I do.”

But the scotch wasn’t free and I wasn’t about to pay for it, I just gave Jongdae eight pennies, “It’ll cost five pennies, though.”

The stranger’s smile got wider, amused, “Other Inns sell it for three—”

“Quality over quantity, you know.” I cut him off with a nonchalant shrug. The man chuckled and shook his head a little, easing his hand into his pocket before he placed five pennies on the table. I looked at it for a second before I downed the half full glass in two big gulps, instantly regretting it. I shuddered and closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the burn to pass.

“Oh, yeah,” The man chuckled as if he read my thoughts, “I don’t drink scotch for exactly that reason.”

“Noted.” I managed to say hoarsely, taking the pennies and placing them in my pouch, “I’ll be right back with your beer, but that’ll be eight pennies.”

And before he could complain about the cost again, I walked off, shaking my head and massaging my stomach. I haven’t eaten since lunch, one more glass like this one and I’ll be drunk in no time. Jongdae spotted my expression before I arrived at the bar and laughed loudly as he poured water in a tall glass. I took it without hesitation when he handed it to me and cursed loudly after downing it in one go.

“One beer, please.” I placed the glass inside of the bar, where Jongdae worked, and he chuckled, handing me the beer meanwhile I handed him four pennies for it. Yes, I charged everyone double the amount so that I could still gain something. Being smart was necessary at crucial times. Once arriving to the handsome man’s table, eight pennies were waiting on the table for me and I handed him his beer without a word, focusing on other clients in need.

            The handsome stranger ordered five more beers before I was finished with my shift and I threw my apron at Jongdae when he mentioned how my pouch looked heavier than usually. He wasn’t wrong, but it was none of his business, so I waved at him and bid goodbye to my other colleagues before taking off. Sir Edwards and his boys left an hour ago, the Inn was starting to finally quiet down, eight waitresses weren’t needed anymore. But as I was making my way towards the door, the handsome stranger noticed me and smiled at me. I was about to bid him farewell too, but he called me over. I apologized and told him my shift was over but he could ask Yoona for more drinks, and to my surprise, he asked me to join him. I debated on refusing, but my curiosity got to me. I haven’t seen him around here until now, and not many new people frequented our Inn. The compass he kept clutching from time to time caught my eyes and I was curious to see it from up close, but it looked like it was very significant to the stranger, I knew I had to get close if I actually wanted to see it. Besides, he was handsome too and well mannered, I figured sitting down and talking to him wouldn’t hurt anyone. Except that we got extremely drunk, the both of us. The stranger, who’s name I learned was Seonghwa, kept buying beer after beer, he was downing them as if they were water and at some point, we started mixing the scotch with the beer, which was a big mistake. It hit me like a truck and I found myself unable to form coherent sentences. My head was spinning and my eyes were struggling to stay open, but I wasn’t sleepy, it just felt better if I closed them. Anything that Seonghwa was saying sounded funny and I kept giggling as I tried ignoring how hot I was feeling. Seonghwa and I had moved closer to each other sometime during our drunken story-telling and I tried to keep my eyes off his red lips, but they were really plump. And looked really soft. And kissable. And warm. And before I could blink again, those red limps were pressing against mine, not too harshly but not softly either. I was surprised at first and didn’t react, thinking that my intoxicated mind started hallucinating, however, when Seonghwa pulled back I realized it was very real and I quickly leaned forward, pressing my lips against his. He kissed back, his lips warm and soft and as kissable as I imagined them to be. The sounds of the Inn seemed to disappear around us and Seonghwa’s sudden hand on my thigh definitely made me feel hotter. It wasn’t the alcohol only anymore making me feel warm all over. Our lips moved cautiously against each other, curious of the other’s rhythm, slow and exploring.

Before I could form a sentence, I felt myself moving, standing from the chair and walking away from the table, Seonghwa’s arm around my hips guiding us up the stairs, towards one of the many room’s the Inn had upstairs. I was probably the one who mentioned it to him, but I couldn’t be sure as my mind was in a haze, barely registering what was happening around us. It felt like ages, but it were probably just a few minutes before I felt my back pressed up against a cool material, it was the wall of the room we had walked inside. Seonghwa was standing in front of me, taller with a head and it made me giggle as I looked up at him and started playing with his black, wavy hair. It was longer than most men wore it and I liked it as I let my fingers run through it. Seonghwa’s hot breath kept hitting my face as he was leaning down, taking in my face. I didn’t realize it, but he caged me between himself and the wall, acting as if I had in mind to run. When our eyes locked, my giggles died out and I bit my lower lip, taking in the intensity in his eyes. He was insanely attractive and I could feel my body heating up once again as I pushed his head closer to mine, very slowly connecting our lips. There was no softness and curiosity in this kiss, it was needy and feverish as Seonghwa devoured my lips, holding the back of my head as if his life depended on it. I followed his pace and explored his wide shoulders with my fingers, lightly tracing his neck before he suddenly gripped my chin and pulled away, pupils dilated. He was gasping for air and my heart was beating like crazy. His lips opened and quietly whispered if it was alright and I nodded, fingers already unbuttoning his shirt, eager to see what was underneath. Seonghwa’s fingers made quick work with my corset as he quickly undid the string and I was finally able to breathe regularly, that is, until he grabbed my thighs and lifted me up, my legs securing around his hips. I pushed his shirt down his shoulder, biceps, and arm, allowing my hands to roam against his blazing skin. Seonghwa’s lips found mine again and we started kissing as I held onto him tightly, poking my tongue in his mouth. He started sucking on it as he walked us towards the bed, making me sit as he pulled away, my lips desperately following after his, but he stopped me with his finger.

I gulped and watched as he took his shirt off, followed by his leather pants, standing in nothing but his undergarment. His body was lean and smooth, muscles bulging everywhere, showing off the physical effort his work required. I reached out and grabbed his waist, feeling his soft skin. Seonghwa closed his eyes as I leaned forward and started pressing soft kisses against his torso, following his V line, but he stopped me before I could reach his undergarments. His fingers hooked underneath the thin straps of my silk dress and he pulled it over my head as I raised up a bit to help him. Suddenly the cool air of the room hit me, and only now did I notice that the window was open. The salty breeze entered the room as I moved back on the bed, allowing Seonghwa to crawl towards me, eliciting a chuckle. My breasts were perky from the sudden temperature change and I laid down as Seonghwa crawled above my body, a hand grabbing my left breast, kneading it carefully. I closed my eyes and sighed, running my hand up his arm as his other hand trailed my thigh up to my stomach, slowly massaging it. I gripped his nape and pulled his face down, kissing his lips feverishly, allowing his tongue to explore my mouth as he pinched the bud of my breast, making me gasp. My legs went around Seonghwa’s hips and I pulled his body close to mine, as he slowly started grinding against me, building the tension more and more. My mind was hazy and foggy from all the alcohol, I could only remember bits and pieces, but Seonghwa’s groans and moans followed by his rhythmic thrusts were forever drilled in my brain. His pace was slow at first, allowing me to accommodate to his size as I hadn’t done this in a while, but when I faintly whispered to him that I wanted him to go faster he picked up his pace, pulling out and pushing back in, one hand holding my hips fiercely, leaving little fingerprints for me to later find. His other arm rested next to my face and his head was next to mine, lips grazing against my ear from time to time as he whispered sweet nothings to me, my moans getting gradually higher the faster and stronger he slammed back in. My head was thrown back as I whispered his name, but it wasn’t enough, I needed to feel more, so without much thought, I flipped us over, making Seonghwa’s eyes widen.

I groaned at the new feeling, his member reaching deeper inside in this position. I adjusted my knees a bit, making my hips move and Seonghwa’s hands flew to hold them, a whine leaving his lips. I watched him as I slowly started moving, dragging out my movements as best as I could, watching as Seonghwa’s eyes closed and his mouth opened, cursing quietly to himself. Pleasure racked my body as I fastened my pace, gyrating my hips, gasping when I hit the spot I much needed to. Seonghwa’s eyes snapped open and he started thrusting upwards, watching me as I matched his pace, moans getting throatier and whinier as I was chasing my high, stomach tightening and toes curling from the pleasure. We were a mess of moans and groans, chests falling and rising rapidly, holding onto each other desperately, moving messily, chasing our own release. Seonghwa’s head was thrown back as one hand held my breast and all I could remember was the knot exploding in my stomach, making me moan his name again and again, feelings his hands guide me through my high as he came undone inside me, lips parting in a loud moan, hips stuttering for a second before stopping their movement altogether. I was panting on top of him and ran a hand through my hair, missing the warmth of his hand once he release my breast. As I opened my eyes he pulled me down and captured my lips in a passionate kiss, slowly pulling out, and flipping us over, lips never leaving mine for a second. I ran my fingers through his hair lazily and felt the fabric of the blanket being pulled over my body as Seonghwa pulled back, pressing a soft kiss against my lips, then my eyes and my forehead before settling on his back and pulling me into his side. I bit my lip and fought the smile that threatened to appear on my lips, but when he wished me good night, I could hear the smile on his own lips. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I wouldn’t be here when he’d wake up because I wasn’t planning on staying the night. I had to go home and hide the stolen jewelry and money before anyone could come back to the Inn and accuse any of us from stealing it. So I promised to close my eyes and wait until Seonghwa fell asleep, except that I also fell asleep and when I opened my eyes again, the sun was just about to rise. I panicked and groaned when my headache hit me like a hammer, head pounding viciously. I had too much to drink last night, my mind was still hazy, memories after I sat down to drink with Seonghwa unclear.

Slowly, I became aware of the naked body I was sleeping against, of an arm holding my middle lightly and of my own naked body. The activities of last night hit me suddenly and I gasped, carefully getting out of Seonghwa’s grasp. I did not intend on sleeping with the handsome stranger, yet I couldn’t complain. I clumsily dressed myself, struggling with the string of my corset, so I didn’t even bother to pull it together as tightly as I normally would. I looked around for my pouch and found it on the floor, next to the nightstand, where Seonghwa’s pants were thrown. As I bent down and grabbed my pouch, making sure nothing fell out of it, my eyes fell on the golden compass I had seen Seonghwa clutching. He wore it around his neck, but while he was undressing, he took it off and placed it in his pants, it probably fell out when he threw it around carelessly. I took the compass in my hands and stood up straight, examining it from up close, realizing it was made out of gold. I bit my lower lip and opened it, examining it. It was in perfect condition, it looked old and like it cost a lot of money. Squinting a little bit and bringing the item closer to my eyes, I could make out a name on the inside of the compass, Bu Seolhwa. I wondered who that was, but my attention was quickly back on Seonghwa as he sighed in his sleep and shifted, turning around, onto his stomach. I probably shouldn’t have taken an item which looked so personal, but when did I care when stealing from innocent people? Now really wasn’t the time that I would start caring, although I probably should have been wiser and placed the compass back inside his pants pocket. But back at that time I didn’t know who Seonghwa was. I didn’t know the danger I’d place myself and my sister into by stealing his golden compass.

            I pulled on the reins, slowing my horse to a trot as we entered through the gates of the city to which I haven’t been to in six months. There was nothing wrong with it, I loved it here, but for some reason I couldn’t find the power in me to return. It was weird, it’s never happened to me. Suddenly, as if it burned me, I was reminded of the weight of the compass around my neck, indirectly making me think of Seonghwa. There was something particular about him that I couldn’t place my finger on. Perhaps it was his constant politeness while we conversed, his softness and carefulness. It stayed with me, and I often times found myself thinking about him, wondering where he was. I didn’t ask what his occupation was or where he was from, therefore I basically knew nothing of him. He mentioned something about the Black Ocean and then about the Barren Sea being the most chilling experience of his life so far, but I couldn’t be very sure, my intoxicated mind couldn’t pay much attention to his words. Perhaps it was the compass I kept on myself at all times that kept him so alive in my memories or perhaps it was the way he made me feel. Shaking my head, I focused back on my surroundings, slowing my horse to a walk as we entered the heart of the city. It was buzzing with people, merchants shouting and trying to charm people to their stalls, selling their products. Little cafes were opened, ladies in beautiful dresses were enjoying their teas while giggling and gossiping, meanwhile men either read the newspaper or hurried back to their work places as lunch time was over. I pulled the reins to the left and my horse took down on a smaller street, walking us away from the madness. The shop I was headed to was by the heart of the city, but not quite at view as the owner tried to stay away from the watchful eyes of Sir Edwards; the two have always had the ick for each other. I stopped my horse and carefully got off, petting its head before tying her reins against the lamp post in front of the shop. She looked at me and neighed loudly, making me chuckle as I took off the smaller bag from the saddle I carried with myself. From the outside it looked as if the shop was closed, but I knew Mr. Jung kept his shop open at all times, too greedy and desperate for any kind of stock. I pushed the door open and walked inside the dimly lit place, looking around. It hasn’t changed at all. The shelves were still covered in dust and the chandelier hung way too low in the middle of the room; a few candles unlit. I walked around it, eyeing the desk and the empty chair behind it. There were papers scattered around the table and a pen lying messily on a bare paper, the ink creating a small black circle on it. I stopped in front of the desk and knocked on it loudly, waiting for a reaction. And it came instantly as there was commotion behind the door I was facing. After a loud grunt and a crash, the door flew open and out came a middle-aged looking man, beard long and already white, a funny hat resting on Mr. Jung’s head. I chuckled as I watched him stumble through the door, shoe catching in the doorway, and for a second I thought he’d faceplant on his own desk, but he caught himself last minute and puffed loudly.

“What a particular way of greeting your customer.” I muttered amused, throwing the small bag I carried with myself on the desk carelessly. Mr. Jung’s eyes lit up and he was quick to sit down, pushing the papers off his desk and onto the floor. Seems like his business hasn’t been flourishing lately.

“Good morning, Miss Kim.” He said with a sweet tone, his golden tooth showing as he grinned. I rolled my eyes and opened the bag, knowing very well he was being nice only because I had something to offer him. Mr. Jung was a cranky and unpleasant man to be around.

“No need for fake kindness,” I said as I held the bottom of the bag and raised it up, emptying it’s contents onto the table. Mr. Jung’s eyes grew wide and he gasped, hands flying to touch the golden coins. Indeed, I did bring a lot, but not all was his. Unless he paid me well, of course, “How much for these?”

He didn’t hesitate with his answer, “Your bag filled with pennies and two bars of gold.”

I chuckled, crossing my arms in front of my chest. My bag was not a big bag, it wouldn’t work, “Johnny from the little town just two hours away offered me more, Jung.”

“Perhaps Johnny is easily fooled.”

“Perhaps Johnny isn’t on the verge of closing his shop due to losing clients—”

“I did not lose clients!” Mr. Jung exclaimed, cutting me off, pointing his finger at me accusingly.

“Did you not, really?” I raised my eyebrows, taking a coin in my hand, “Because that’s not what Madam Joy said to me last night.”

“Madam Joy doesn’t know anything!” Mr. Jung stood appealed, face going red, “That woman gossips all day—”

“That woman is smart for knowing at all times what’s happening in the town,” I cut him off, throwing him a glare, “your pathetic reasoning leads me to believe that you did lose clients, Jung.”

The man opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it and sat back down, rubbing his chin. His reaction said it all. Business was awful and without stock he’d be closing his little shop in no time.

“Give me two bags, full bags, of pennies and I won’t ask for any gold—”

“Outrageous!” He exclaimed again and I chuckled, playing with the coin in my hand.

“Take it or leave it Jung, I can always find a dealer who’ll pay me better than you have been paying me throughout all these years.” I snapped and threw the coin back down on the desk, leaning forward to grab my small bag to start putting away the goods I had to offer. Mr. Jung’s eyes widened in panic and he started stuttering as he tried to stop me from putting the coins away.

“I guess Sir Edwards won’t have to keep an eye on you for too much longer.” I muttered as I made eye contact with Mr. Jung, infuriating him.

“I am not closing my shop!” Mr. Jung slammed his fist on the table and I chuckle, muttering a small ‘sure’ as I closed the bag, tying it tightly and turned to walk away without a word. A shuffle and then the crash of something, probably his chair hitting the floor, echoed behind me before hurried footsteps followed after me. I wasn’t even close to the door when Mr. Jung grabbed my wrist, stopping me from leaving his shop. I looked back at him uninterested, watching him fumble for a second before his eyes fell to my collarbones, eyes narrowing slightly.

“I fill your bag with pennies, give you two bars of gold for now…and in two weeks you can come back for another penny fill, what do you say?” I took a second to think, knowing that this offer was the best. Johnny offering me more was a lie, he didn’t even want to fill my own little bag with pennies, “And…I sell that beautiful compass ridiculously overpriced, giving you half of the money.”

“No.” My answer was instant; I didn’t need to think about his second offer. The compass was not up for sale. It was mine, and I wasn’t giving it to anyone. They could tell me they’ll make me Queen and I’d still not give it away, “The compass is not for sale.”

“But—”

“I said,” I snapped, stepping closer to Mr. Jung menacingly, “It’s not for sale.”

His eyes narrowed again as he looked down at the compass, nose flaring in anger before he shook his head, “But the other offer?”

“That one’s good.” I said with a smile, pulling my wrist out of his grip as I offered him my hand. He didn’t look pleased as we shook hands before he took my bag full of coins, a few watches, and women’s jewelry, “I’ll be back in two weeks.”

“I’ll make sure to have the money.” Mr. Jung grumbled, still eyeing the compass, making me glare at him. I grabbed it and pushed it underneath my white shirt, pulling the collar of the jacket over it, hiding my little treasure from him, “I have seen that compass before, Miss, you should be careful.”

His eyes held no emotion, but his words were threatening as Mr. Jung continued, “Ateez has been asking around about you. Not only here, in neighboring towns as well…”

Ateez? The name sounded familiar yet I didn’t know from where as I racked my brain, knowing that I’ve heard it from Sir Edwards once in passing. He was saying something about a tiara and a ship, pirates too even?

“You should be careful too,” I spoke up as Mr. Jung walked back to his desk and I headed for the door, “Sir Edwards was saying last time I was in town that he’s caught a link of yours, another dealer. Perhaps he’ll catch you before you could close your shop.”

I didn’t wait for Mr. Jung’s reaction as I pushed the door open and walked outside, the closed door behind me muffling his angry shouts. The man had terrible mood swings; he was never able to deal with his anger properly.

I approached my horse and petted her nose again, kissing it before I whispered to her that I would be back. There was a little bakery down the street and I haven’t had breakfast yet, I was craving some freshly baked bread. The weather was pleasant despite it being the beginning of September, if my coat wasn’t so thin I would’ve felt hot by now. I greeted a few people I knew as I walked, smiling and stopping to exchange pleasantries with an older lady who sometimes played the piano at the Inn I would work at when in need of more money. She was always nice but very nosy, I made sure to tell her as little as I could about myself. The bakery was in sight when I heard rapid footsteps approaching me from behind. When I turned my head to see what was happening, it was already too late as my mouth was covered by a rough hand and I was pushed into the dead-end alleyway to our right. I came face to face with three men as I was pushed forward by the one holding me. I glanced back to see two more there. This was bad. I was a skilled fighter, but I was alone and they were five. Two would’ve been good enough already. Damn Mr. Jung. He really hated it when something didn’t go his way. All of this for one stupid golden compass? I sighed and grabbed the sleeves of my coat, the man around me tensing. There was one really tall and really muscular one, I hoped he’d attack me last or at least knock me out fast if he decided to come at me first.

“Relax, boys,” I said with a chuckle, taking the coat off and throwing it to the side, not wanting it to get in the way, “I’m just taking my coat off, why so tense?”

I knew teasing and talking would do nothing right now, but I tried to stall and think of a way of running away. I was quite the fast runner, too many close calls of getting caught do that to you.

“Give us the compass.” The biggest said and I sighed, grabbing the handles of the two daggers hidden in my thick belt.

“There’s really nothing special about it,” I said with a shrug, its weight reminding me of Seonghwa again. Now really wasn’t the time to think about him.

“Boss wants it,” The same man said, “give it to us while we’re asking nicely.”

“No, because it’s mine.” I snapped and the first guy to my right took off running towards me. I quickly took my daggers out and sliced his arm when he reached out for me, making him scream out in pain. I kneeled his stomach and kicked him to the ground as hard as I could. The next one was by my side in an instant, grabbing my arm and hauling me around, making me scoff. I elbowed them in the stomach and sunk my dagger into their thigh, his cries of pain loud as he fell to the ground. I ripped the dagger out and attacked the next guy straight away, not waiting for them to attack first. They had a knife, this time, and he was successful at cutting my cheek, making me hiss. I tried to punch him, but he dodged, when I was whirled around and punched in the face. I groaned loudly, holding my nose in bewilderment. But again, my leg was kicked and I almost lost my balance, turning around in a furry and punching this time successfully the guy in the face not just once, but twice. They stumbled into the wall and as I was about to stab them, my hair was grabbed and my head was yanked back, making me yelp.

“Don’t touch my hair!” I screamed, stepping on the man’s toes hard, twisting my heel and leaning forward to elbow them in the jaw, making them stumble back. I turned around and stabbed them in the stomach, making the man gasp. But I didn’t even have time to pull my dagger out as the last guy standing, the really big one, had me by my shoulder and threw me against the stone wall. I groaned as my shoulder crashed into the wall rather hard, pain spreading through my right arm. Great, now I’ll have to get that fixed probably. But as I looked at him, I was slapped rather hard and accidentally bit my tongue, making it bleed. What a perfect day I was having…and it was only Wednesday. I groaned and straightened up, attempting to punch the guy, but he grabbed my fist and twisted my arm, turning me around as I was pushed into the stone wall, left cheek crushed against it. It was rather painful and I scoffed at how weak I seemed to appear next to this big man. It was really comedic; I could usually protect myself.

“All of this for a compass—”

“Shut up!” It wasn’t enough that I was struggling to speak due to my face getting crushed, he proceeded to smash my head against the stone wall, making me lightheaded too. I huffed loudly, squeezing my eyes shut for a second as I felt so dizzy I could throw up. The man’s right hand raised, leaving my right arm free and despite me trying to push him away with it and wriggling around, he still held me pressed against the wall, hand grabbing the compass around me. I started writhing around more aggressively, trying to squeeze the chain between my chest and chin, thinking it would do anything to stop the man from taking it. I really couldn’t lose the compass; I would never forgive myself. I shouldn’t even have taken it in the first place. The name on the inside made it seem really personal. I had no idea who Bu Seolhwa was, but assuming by their name, it could be a sister or other relative of Seonghwa’s. Perhaps a lover too. I yelped when the man tugged on the string harshly and thanked the Heavens for putting the compass on the hardest metal I owned at home, as it didn’t break right away. The man was grunting as I was fighting against him, trying to get him off pathetically, when suddenly he just stopped moving. The grip around me disappeared instantly. I was released in a blink of an eye; the action startled me. I turned around swiftly, still holding one dagger and pointed it forward, thinking that the man was playing games with me, but he wasn’t. He was dead. Eyes wide with blood pouring out of his jugular. My mouth dropped open when I took in the scene in front of me, all the other four men having suffered the same fate. My eyes fell on the man standing to my left, a thin, little knife in hand as he watched the men on the ground. He was dressed in all black, hands glowed and a hat on his head as the lower part of his face was covered by a black rag like thing. I stepped back when their head snapped towards me, crashing into the wall. I held the dagger firmly, ready to fight them at any given point. When our eyes met, I gasped, holding the dagger higher up, pointed at the person now. The man’s sharp eyes watched me with intensity, rage mixing with bewilderment. His eyes…they looked exactly like…Seonghwa’s? I gulped when he took a step towards me, eyes falling to my neck, but I stood ready to defend myself. When the man and I made eye contact again there was nothing but hatred in his eyes and I felt confused as they approached me, gripping my wrist so hard that I dropped my dagger. I hissed and grabbed his wrist with my other hand, trying to pry their fingers off myself, but the person tugged on my wrist and I looked up at them, eyebrows furrowed. The person looked and felt so familiar. Have we met before?

“Seonghwa?” I whispered startled as the scent of salt and lilies engulfed me. Not many people walked around here smelling like lilies and Seonghwa was the only one I could remember recently meeting who smelled like it. Well, six months ago, that is. But the man said nothing and released me abruptly, turning around and running off, making me run after them, but I realized I couldn’t leave my daggers at the crime scene. I had to leave now if I didn’t want anyone to see us. I was sure someone has already reported to the constable about weird noises, I couldn’t let myself be seen by Sir Edwards here. So I grabbed my daggers and coat and ran off, having long forgotten about fresh bread, as my mind was reeling at the thought of having just seen Seonghwa. Was it really him? Why would he save me after I stole his compass? Right, so then it couldn’t have been him. And who were these Ateez people looking for me? I had to figure it out fast, before I could put Nari in even more danger.

             I barely made it to my horse when the constable came hurrying down the street with a few of his men, searching for the people creating the disturbance. I concealed my face in order to avoid getting seen by him and got on my horse, directing her towards the Inn I was staying at. It was the same Inn I work at, but today I was their client. After making it back there I realized how shaken up I was and the violent thumping of my head. That huge man didn’t go easy on me, I figured I had a mild concussion. I had enough strength to bring my horse to the stable and ask the little boy to take care of her until tomorrow and I’d pay him generously before I made my way inside the Inn, struggling to walk up the stairs. My vision was blurry and the coat around me made me feel hot. The compass seemed to be a screaming reminder of Seonghwa right now, and without thinking much, I took it off, glaring at it.

“Oh my goodness,” I heard a female voice muttering worriedly, coming from the top of the stairs, “Y/N you’re so pale—”

I felt hands gripping my arms and I looked up, but couldn’t see well. It was one of the girls working at the Inn, Yoona. I tried to tell her that I was alright and I just needed to sleep, but my mouth wouldn’t move and my vision was darkening second by second. All I could hear was Yoona’s panicked scream before I felt my body falling towards her.

When I came to it the sun was setting, and there was a damp cloth on my forehead. I rubbed my eyes, and groaned, my right shoulder quite numb at the moment. I looked around and realized I was in the room I was staying at and sighed, closing my eyes for another second, noting that my head was still thumping, but not as violently as it had been previously. There was knocking at the door and then it opened, Yoona walking in with a tray of food. My stomach churned at the smell and I grinned at her, slowly sitting up.

“Figured you’d be hungry,” She muttered, placing the tray on my lap as I thanked her, “How are you feeling?”

“Ugh,” I groaned, grabbing the bowl of rice and the chopsticks, “like I was slammed against a brick wall more than once.”

Yoona chuckled and grabbed the damp cloth off my forehead, “You looked very bad in the morning. I thought you were about to die or something, you’re lucky Jongdae has some little knowledge about diseases.”

I chuckled as I munched on my dinner, looking at Yoona, “I’m not sick, I was beaten up.”

Her eyes widened and she gasped quietly, coming to sit on the bed, “What? By who?”

I shook my head and bit into the chicken wing, “Don’t worry about it, they’ve been taken care of.”

“I heard they found five dead men in an alleyway close to the market…” Yoona’s voice was quiet and I looked up, our eyes meeting.

“It wasn’t me,” I shook my head quickly, “They were the ones who attacked me, but I didn’t kill them—”

“You’re so fragile, how could you kill them?” Yoona chuckled and ruffled my hair, making me glare at her, “I’m just glad they didn’t get to kill you.”

I hummed and drank some water, placing the cup by the bed, on the floor, as Yoona stole some bread from my tray, “What did they want from you?”

Her question made me pause and I looked at her as I swallowed the food I had in my mouth, “A compass—”

When I touched my neck, there was nothing. And it registered that I couldn’t feel the weight of the golden treasure anymore. I panicked as my eyes widened and I placed the tray on the bed next to me, heart racing as I turned to my bedside table, searching my coat for it. Yoona watched me grow more panicked before she placed a hand on my own, stopping me from getting out of bed, “Stop, you didn’t lose it.”

I looked at her confused, and slightly desperate, as she grabbed something out of her pocket and handed it to me. It was the compass. I let out a long breath, opening it and checking the name inside, making sure it was mine, “You dropped it when you fainted and while Jongdae carried you to your room I went back and got it—”

“Thank you!” I whispered as I offered Yoona a quick hug, taking her off guard. She chuckled and patted my back, pulling away.

“I figured it had a sentimental value when I saw the name on the inside.” Her words made me feel bad all of a sudden, making it clearer that I had stolen something from Seonghwa which was very significant to him. Mr. Jung’s words rang through my head for a second and I watched Yoona stand and take the tray with her.

“Wait, do you know anything about—Ateez?” I stopped her with my question. Her eyebrows furrowed and she slowly shook her head.

“I’m not sure, but—” She hummed, pursing her lips, “They might be a Pirate crew.”

“Pirates?” I muttered surprised as she nodded before walking out the door, leaving me alone. I placed the compass around my neck and got out of bed, opening the window to allow the fresh air inside. I leaned against the frame and started thinking. The man which saved me today made no sense. What was his reason? He was clearly hostile towards me so I don’t understand why he ran off. Perhaps he knew the constable was coming and didn’t want to get caught. His eyes flashed in my mind and I sighed, shaking my head. I was confused. The eyes reminded me of Seonghwa, but it couldn’t have been him. The scent was another giveaway, but still, his demeanor and the intensity behind his eyes weren’t like Seonghwa’s. They were menacing and filled with hatred, the man wasn’t gentle nor careful. I glanced down at my right wrist and realized I had bruises from the harsh grip he held me by and I groaned, realizing my right arm and hand were of no-good use for the week. I convinced myself that it couldn’t have been Seonghwa and I was probably hallucinating from getting my head bashed against the wall so many times.

            After washing up and braiding my long hair, I dressed in clean clothes and applied a little bit of blush on my nose and cheeks, making them appear sun kissed. I was feeling better by the evening, having eaten and taken a little medicine for my head, the only give away that I was in a tousle was the cut on my cheek, now all cleaned up, and the bruises around my wrist. My right shoulder looked fine; however it didn’t feel exactly fine. But all in all, after a jug of beer I knew I wouldn’t be feeling the discomfort anymore. And the night was young, I had to use it to my advantage as the Inn downstairs was already filled with drunken people, so easy to trick. After walking around, I found myself sitting down at a table with six men who were playing some card games. They eyed me curiously as I placed three pennies on the table and asked for some cards too. Upon realizing what the stakes were, they each dropped some pennies on the table, the winner would take it all. At the beginning I allowed myself to lose, pretending like I needed to be taught the rules of the game, also waiting for them to get drunker and less aware of my cheating. Yoona came by to give us a new round of beer, I only drank one as I wished to stay sober, and as she was passing by me she whispered that the man next to me had a red heart. I grinned and as it was my turn, I asked the man if he had that specific card, having him hand it over to me. I was the first one this round to have no cards in my hands, therefore I won. The men groaned as they watched me take the pennies, making me chuckle.

“Seems like you learn fast, young lady.” The man to my left said with a loud laugh, patting me on my back. I chuckled and made sure I closed my pouch before taking the cards in my hands to shuffle them.

“The secret is to pay close attention for two or three rounds, mister.” I said as I started handing out the cards for everyone, the six men placing each five pennies on the table. The sum was getting bigger and bigger as the game progressed and I was enjoying it. One of them seemed to be rather cunning and he was always very close to winning, and probably would have, if I wasn’t cheating by Yoona’s help. She’d pass each round by us, when I subtly signaled it to her, and would look at the cards of the men in passing, whispering the missing card I needed. At the beginning it was all for fun, we did this to frustrate men, until we realized we could actually make some plus money by it. So now, the pennies I earned throughout these games were always half mine and half hers. The men I played with got louder and louder the more jugs of beer they kept drinking, and I found myself enjoying their company. They were middle aged men, all happily married and five of them making their living by fishing. The cunning man made jewelry with pearls, he liked going out on the sea with his friends, always bringing them food and more water to drink. I found myself telling them about my sister and how good she was at school, poetry being a passion of hers. They advised me of letting her live her life freely because once she gets married she won’t have the time anymore. While the man sitting in the middle was shuffling the cards for us, I smiled at the cunning man and told him that if he ever needs pieces for his jewelry to make them fancier and pricier, he should let Yoona know about it and I would get back to him. The men were surprised to hear that I was a merchandiser myself and still single, a woman at twenty-four years old was expected to at least have one child. However, they seemed nicer than most men as they just made a joke about it and carried on with their tales about the sea and their fear of pirates. That perked my interest and I found myself focusing more on the conversation than on the game, which wasn’t the smartest as I had placed the compass on the table as prize instead of coins. When the men saw it their eyes had a new glint in them, all wanting it probably.

“Why are you afraid of pirates, mister?” I found myself interrupting their conversation, almost missing my turn to ask for a new card. Thankfully, I got it right and I was still ahead of the cunning one.

“Have you never met one?” The man to my left asked and I shook my head, peaking at the cards of the man sitting on my right as he accidentally placed them on the table. He was rather drunk, he probably didn’t even care about the game anymore.

“I haven’t.” I answered with a shake of my head, “I’ve never sailed out onto the sea…or the Black Ocean.”

“Perhaps that’s better,” The man next to the cunning one cheered as he got one pair of cards right, having to get rid of only two more, just like me. I bit my lower lip and looked around, checking the others cards. They still had plenty besides the cunning one who only needed to get rid of one more before he equals us. That wasn’t the best, but I could still make it, “The sea isn’t for everyone, child, especially not for a lady like you.”

“I’m quite the fighter, mister.” I said with a chuckle, watching the cunning man as he looked around the table and asked the really drunk one if he had the card he needed. I smirked to myself, he probably must’ve also checked his cards while they were on the table as he got it right and the drunk one had to hand it over.

“It’s good to know how to protect yourself,” The cunning one said, giving me a small smile, “Pirates are different, however. They are violent and ruthless. More people die at their hands than at the Justice Court.”

My eyebrows furrowed as I hummed, noticing that he has equaled me and the other man in the cards. Now I really needed to pay attention, so I looked around for Yoona as the front door opened, still squeaking as loudly as ever. My back was facing it and I wasn’t curious to see who entered, I needed Yoona to help me out in these next two rounds. Thankfully, she noticed my stare and started walking towards us, watching for the signs I made. I needed a black leaf in this round and a red clover in the next one.

“Have you met a pirate?” I asked the table, all men nodding grimly. The one next to me, the really drunk one shivered and looked at me with wide eyes.

“This scar,” He pointed at the scar on his chin, it was quite wide, “was made by one of them. Just because they were asking for the fish I caught and I refused to give it to them…I still remember them, Ateez—”

“Ateez?!” My voice raised, which made Yoona look at me as she found the card I was looking for and motioned that it was at the cunning one. She shook her head at me and smiled when she was noticed by one of the men, asking if he needed anything. He said the music should be louder and Yoona walked off with a chuckle, giving me a warning look.

“They are quite known, child, have you never heard of them?” The man to my left said as the one to my right slurred his words, asking for some cards from me, which I didn’t have. I shook my head as an answer to the question and looked at the cunning man, asking if he had the black leaf. He nodded and handed it over, now I only had to get rid of the clover pair and I’ll win.

“It’s said that their initial Captain died when his son was only fifteen and ever since then he’s been the Captain of the ship. He’s called The Slayer, and child, if you ever come across them, just run the other way. They traffic women and not only, steal, and commit crimes no human should—” The man to my left shuddered and took a big gulp of his beer, checking his cards and asking me if I had the black heart, but I didn’t, “They’ve been the kings of the four seas for ten years now, many ships have sunken in the Raging Sea and Icy Sea…yet they somehow always come out unscratched. Constables hate them in each kingdom and people fear them everywhere. You should look for a golden ring with the letter A engraved in it if you want to know it’s them.”

“Didn’t—” The man to my right hiccupped and closed his eyes for a second, “Didn’t their Quartermaster—have a compass?”

“A compass?” I asked surprised, my eyes falling on the one on the table.

“He’s an orphan, child,” The man to my left explained, eyes barely open as he looked at his cards, these men were finished, I had a feeling this would be our last round playing, “The compass he always carries with himself is the only thing he had on himself when the initial Captain found him.”

I gulped and felt a bile rising to my throat, impatiently waiting for it to be my turn, so that I could finish this game and get a fresh breath of air. My heart was beating faster than before and the longer I looked at the compass, the worse the feeling in my gut was getting. It couldn’t have been Seonghwa. He looked nothing like a pirate. And he wasn’t wearing any rings the night we met. It surely must be a coincidence that he has a compass just like the Quartermaster of Ateez.

“Mister,” I smiled at the man to my left, eyeing his cards, “Do you happen to have a red clover?”

The man looked down at his cards with a frown, lips turning into a pout when he had to hand it over. I thanked him and placed my last cards down on the table, raising my palms in the air, showing them that I had finished the game. All men groaned as I pulled the pennies towards me, placing them in my pouch and quickly wearing the compass again. It felt uncomfortable to not have it around my neck, these past six months I have grown quite fond and protective of it.

“I’m afraid I have to say no to a next game,” I said as I stood and waved Yoona over, “But the next round of beers is on me.”

The men chuckled and nodded, one telling me that was only fair after I took all of their money, “Yoona, please serve each one of them a jug of beer, I’m paying.”

“Yes, of course,” She said with a pleasant smile and after biding farewell to the men, I followed Yoona to the bar, “Y/N, listen, there’s a man—”

I looked at her with furrowed eyebrows when she gripped my arm harshly, “He’s been staring at you quite—murderously ever since he entered the Inn, I think you should go.”

“Where’s he?” I muttered and Yoona turned her head, muttering quietly in which direction to look. Following her instructions, I turned my head and gasped. In the same spot where six months ago he was sat, it was Seonghwa sitting again. His eyes were narrowed and a scary smirk formed on his lips when he saw how wide my eyes were. I sucked in a harsh breath and ripped myself away from Yoona, “I’ll find you after your shift is over to pay you, I have to go now.”

Yoona said nothing as I hurried away from the bar and from the following eyes of Seonghwa, up the stairs and straight to my room to pack all of my belongings and leave earlier than planned. But first, I had to wait for the bar downstairs to close and for Yoona’s shift to be over. I couldn’t leave without keeping up my end of the deal.

            I had been a nervous wreck for the past few hours, pacing up and down in my room, checking the door every five minutes to make sure I had locked it. I even closed the window and drew the curtains closed, too paranoid of Seonghwa possibly watching me from the outside. There was one single candle lit in the room, barely creating any light, but it was more than enough. I couldn’t give away which room I was staying in, scared that Seonghwa was here, watching, listening, waiting for the right moment to attack. I had taken the compass off and hidden it deep inside my bag, tucked away in my other pants’ pocket. I knew what he was here for. The sailors tales about the Quartermaster of Ateez kept ringing through my mind and I jumped every time there was the lightest sound outside my door. I knew I was overreacting, but I couldn’t help it. If Seonghwa was here, he was here to take his compass back and possibly kill me. It must’ve been him in the alleyway who killed those men, and he was brutal. He stabbed the jugulars of five men without batting an eye to it and I knew he could do worse to me. I sucked in a deep breath as the clock hit three o’clock in the morning, Yoona’s shift was over and I could finally leave. The bar wouldn’t close for another one or two hours, but that wasn’t a problem, at least I didn’t have to sneak out. I quickly rolled up the tail of my braid in a low bun and pinned it up, making sure it wouldn’t annoy me while riding my horse back home. The ride took about four hours and then I needed a boat to cross to the small island my sister and I lived on. I looked in the mirror and made sure my pouch was secured against my belt before I walked up to the door and paused. I took a deep breath and opened it to a dimly lit hallway. It was quiet and nobody was standing in front of my door, so I allowed myself to relax a little bit. Perhaps Seonghwa wasn’t here for me. I stepped outside my room and turned to the left with the intention to go to Yoona’s room, but my body crashed into a solid one. I gasped at the familiar scent and jumped backwards, body moving on its own before my brain could even register what was happening. For a second, Seonghwa and I stood staring at each other, until both of us snapped out of it at the same time. I jumped back inside my room and went to close the door and lock it, but Seonghwa pushed it open before I could even place my whole wight against it. The door slammed against the wall loudly as I let go of it, grunting due to the force he was using. I walked backwards further inside the room, hand gripping my dagger’s handle. Seonghwa watched me menacingly as he very easily pushed the door closed with his foot only, lips pulling up into a bone chilling smirk.

“Long time no see, Y/N.” The way he said my name made me shiver, I found myself unable to speak, “Six months, to be exact.”

So he was counting the months too. Perhaps he was awaiting our next meeting. Perhaps he’s been planning this for a long time. Perhaps I’d be a dead woman once Seonghwa walks out of this room. I couldn’t let that happen, I couldn’t leave my sister alone. So suppressing a shudder, I tried to gather myself and act fearless.

“I see you’ve been patiently waiting to see me again.” I mocked, body tense as Seonghwa made no moves, just watched me like a predator watches its prey before pouncing on them.

“I wouldn’t say patiently,” He chuckled, eyes taking in my form, searching for something, “you move around a lot, so it was difficult to find you.”

So this would’ve happened sooner if I didn’t travel around the South Kingdom so much to steal, “Why would you want to find me?”

Perhaps playing coy wasn’t the smartest right now, but it seemed to stop Seonghwa from attacking just yet. He chuckled and massaged his forehead for a second. He didn’t look much different since the last time I had seen him. If anything else, his shoulder seemed to have gotten wider, or perhaps it was just the corset hugging his torso perfectly creating that illusion. His wavy hair has gotten longer, though, and it was tied up, the shorter strands falling in his face. I tensed when Seonghwa suddenly approached me with slow steps, and almost took my dagger out when his fingers touched my left cheek. I stared up in his eyes, missing the gentleness in them from last time, now only seeing anger and hatred. I never thought this man was capable of looking at me like that.

“Was it you—” I found myself whispering as his fingers traveled down my cheek and then jaw, “who killed those men in the alleyway?”

Seonghwa smirked again, raising an eyebrow, “What do you think, love?”

Before I could answer him, his fingers just barely pressed against the skin of my neck before his hand wrapped around it, holding it firmly. I reacted instantly, dagger in hand and pointed at his own neck. Seonghwa chuckled, but didn’t squeeze me or even move.

“Where is it, love?” He asked quietly, eyebrows raised as I tried to control my body and stop it from shaking.

“Where is what?” I managed to ask breathlessly, finding myself lost in his eyes. Seonghwa hissed and his grip suddenly turned tighter around my neck, yanking me closer as I pushed my dagger harder against his neck too.

“Don’t act like you didn’t take my compass, Y/N,” He hissed, voice dangerously low and dark eyes boring into mine, “I saw it around your neck earlier.”

“I don’t have it—” His free hand gripped my wrist and twisted it so suddenly, that my dagger fell from my grip as I cried out, a stabbing pain travelling up my arm. Seonghwa looked furious and I tried to free myself, but he started choking me as he whirled us around and walked me backwards until I was slammed against the wall, head crashing against it harshly. For a second my vision blurred and I knew this wasn’t good for the small concussion I got just this morning, and as if a reminder, my head started thumping lightly. With my left hand I tried to push Seonghwa off but he was like a rock, way stronger than I was.

“Stop it!” I choked out somehow as my left hand made it to his face and I started pushing him away by it, turning his head away. Seonghwa still didn’t budge, but when I tried to push his eye with my thumb, he released my right hand and slapped my other hand off his face, allowing me to grip his neck back with my right hand, squeezing as hard as I could. Seonghwa’s jaw clenched as we stared each other in the eyes, both of us fighting to suck in an ounce of air, lungs burning from the lack of it. Of course, I started seeing black spots already, having been restricted for longer than Seonghwa, but I still tried to squeeze him harder, which wasn’t working out too well. He suddenly released me, making me cough as I sucked in a deep breath, glaring at him. Seonghwa had a crazy glint in his eyes as they had widened and he looked at me with a grin that made my skin erupt in goosebumps.

“Stop it?” He asked with a chuckle, getting all up in my face all of a sudden, making me recoil from him as I avoided eye contact, “You took my compass. For six months I’ve been trying to find you to take it back and you’re still playing games with me. I should’ve killed you in that alleyway.”

My jaw clenched and I mustered up the courage to look at him, “Then why didn’t you? The compass was right there, around my neck—”

I jumped when he punched the wall next to my head, face so close to mine our lips were almost touching, “Where did you put it?”

“I don’t have it with me—”

“Don’t lie to me!” Seonghwa shouted, making me jump as I cursed myself for only have one dagger on me.

“I’m not lying!” I screamed back, “Do you see it around my neck?!”

“No,” Seonghwa chuckled, his demeanor suddenly changing, “because you’re not wearing it.”

“Because I gave it—”

“Don’t make me torture it out of you, Y/N.” The sudden sweet tone mixed with the look in his eyes and the caress of my cheek rendered me speechless as a chill ran down my spine. I gulped and opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t. Why would I think he wouldn’t harm me just because I was a woman? Just because he slept with me once. If he was who I feared he was, I needed to get away right now.

“Who are you?” I asked in a whisper, flinching when he gripped my chin and raised my head.

“Park Seonghwa,” He leaned down to be eye level with me, “Quartermaster of Ateez.”

I tried to keep myself composed, not give away anything, but for the first time in my life after the disappearance of my parents, I was scared. Seonghwa watched me closely, a smirk appearing on his lips as I gulped and glared at him, calculating my next move. I didn’t miss the subtle glance at my lips and I couldn’t help but glance at his, trying to distract him in any kind of way, but Seonghwa seemed unimpressed.

“Is that supposed to tell me something?” I feigned ignorance, making Seonghwa chuckle. He looked at the wall past me, sucking in a deep breath, and it was the little momentum I needed to take action. I suddenly gripped his head and headbutted him, making Seonghwa yelp as he stumbled backwards. I pushed him roughly and ran to my bed to grab my bag and leave, but Seonghwa recovered faster than I thought he would. I barely grabbed the bag when Seonghwa composed himself and gripped onto my bun, yanking me backwards. I yelped and held onto his wrists, his tug on my hair making my scalp hurt, but he just pushed me forward, making me fall face first into the bed. I tried to break free, but Seonghwa kept me pinned down by my head.

“It’s in your bag, isn’t it?” He asked amused as we both looked at the disregarded bag on the floor.

“No, it’s not!” My answer came too quickly, making it very obvious that it was there. Seonghwa just chuckled and pulled me up, still holding me by my bun. I took my chance and elbowed him hard in the stomach, but he still didn’t release me. My other dagger was on the nightstand table, so I tried to tug us in that direction, but Seonghwa realized what I was trying to do and stopped me, pulling me against his body.

“Love, will you stop fighting back? It’s quite obvious I’m stronger.” He whispered in my ear and I huffed, stepping on his toes, making him hiss. His grip loosened a bit on my hair and I yanked myself free, whining at the harsh pull of my scalp, but at least I was free. I turned swiftly and slapped Seonghwa hard, making him chuckle as he pushed me with such force that I fell backwards on the bed, him instantly straddling me. My hands went to hold his neck, but he pushed them away and pinned them on both sides my head, chuckling. I tried to kick him or do anything with my legs, but it didn’t do much as the position wasn’t favorable for me.

“Will you give up now?” He asked smugly, leaning closer to my face, “It’s embarrassing how many times I overpowered you in the past few minutes.”

“Aren’t you such a gentleman?” I scoffed, lifting my hips and trying to throw him off balance, but it literally did nothing.

“I would be…if only you deserved it,” He said with a shrug, eyebrows furrowing for a second, “Do you know what we do to those who steal from us?”

I remained silent and just glared at him, making Seonghwa roll his eyes, “We cut their hands off—and then feed them to the sharks.”

I scoffed but said nothing else as I stared up at the ceiling, ceasing my resistance. I had to outsmart him somehow, but nothing I seemed to do was good enough, “Did you ever take your sister to the mainland?”

My eyes snapped to his, mouth falling open at the mention of her. How did he know I had a sister? My heartbeat picked up and I started wriggling around again, huffing and letting out a silent cry when he didn’t budge, “Don’t you dare touch her!”

“Oh, she’ll be safe as long as I get what I want.” Seonghwa said nonchalantly, smiling sweetly. I really needed to give the compass back to him, didn’t I? This was embarrassing. I have never been caught by the person I stole from before. I should’ve just given that damned compass to Mr. Jung when he asked for it, then I wouldn’t be in this predicament.

“I sold it already, Seonghwa.” Yet, I still found myself lying to the man holding me down, “A wealthy man is probably sitting at his desk, marveling at the beauty of that golden compass, meanwhile my pockets are filled to the brim with coins.”

“You didn’t sell it.” Seonghwa muttered, eyebrows furrowing.

“Yes, I did.” I taunted him more, smiling when his eyes darkened and he leaned closer. Just a little bit more, and I could execute my new plan. If brute force wasn’t working on him, I had another way of distracting him.

“No, you didn’t.” Each of his words was sharp, eyes narrowed into slits as he stared at me with hatred and I chuckled, abruptly leaning my head up and smashing my lips against his. Seonghwa made a surprised sound and didn’t kiss back, pulling back instantly, but I caught his lower lip between my teeth, refusing to let him go so quickly. Seonghwa hissed and pulled his head away swiftly, glaring down at me as I licked my lips, looking up at him smugly.

“What?” I chuckled, suddenly easing into the bed, releasing all the tension from my muscles, he looked at me as if I was crazy, “Don’t tell me you didn’t miss me. What else would you be here for?”

“I’m here for my compass!” He exclaimed annoyed and his grip around my wrists turned stronger, but I continued to smile innocently.

“Are you, really? Then why didn’t you take it from me in that alleyway? Why are you here, in my room, on top of me, pinning me down against my bed?” Seonghwa’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched me.

“I’ll tell you why,” I whispered, leaning my head up again, looking him in the eyes with the most alluring expression I could muster up, “because you missed me. Because you’ve been thinking about me just as much as I have been about you. Maybe it was because of the compass at first, but then you remembered the way I felt around your body. The way my lips tasted. The way I moved against you and the sounds I—”

I couldn’t even finish my little taunting because Seonghwa crashed his lips against mine, pushing harshly and kissing me urgently. There was nothing soft in this kiss, just us fighting for dominance and teeth crashing against each other occasionally. I moaned into his mouth when his tongue pressed against mine and noted how his body seemed to soften, rather than pinning me down, he was just keeping me in one place. Taking that to my advantage, I sucked on his tongue, making Seonghwa moan into the kiss as I buckled my hips and swiftly pulled my legs out from underneath him. Seonghwa went to pull away, but I didn’t allow him as I sucked his lower lip between my teeth again and he just pressed his body against mine, melting into me. I hooked my legs around his hips and knew the next thing I needed to do was get him to release at least one of my hands, so I started slowly moving my hips against his, moaning to distract him even more. Seonghwa’s lips moved against mine urgently and I started getting affected by his quiet noises and obvious bulge in his leather pants. But I willed myself to stay focused, and thankfully he fell right into my trap when he went to hold my hips down with his left hand, releasing my wrist. I quickly held onto his nape and pressed our lips even more together, lips slightly hurting from his feverish kisses. I didn’t need my other hand as I held onto his hips tightly with my legs as I suddenly pushed him backwards, flipping us around. I tried to continue kissing him, but Seonghwa gripped my neck firmly, pushing me away. Our lips were touching as we breathed out through our mouths, our breaths hitting each others faces. He held my back with his other hand and sat us up, eyes ablaze as he watched me. I couldn’t escape if he held me so close to himself, so I just kissed him again, waiting for him to let his guard down completely. His soft lips fit perfectly against mine and I found myself moving against him once again, subconsciously this time. Seonghwa whined quietly and I pulled back, but he started kissing down my jaw towards my neck, making me suck in a sharp breath when he bit into my neck, probably cracking my skin. I could feel his body getting comfortable, forgetting what he was here for in the first place, but I didn’t. He’d take the compass whether things continued or not right now. So I did the right thing and allowed my hands to trace his shoulder before they settled around his neck, pretending I was just resting them there.

“Seonghwa.” I whispered in his ear when he started kissing my collarbones, making him look at me. His eyes were hooded and I kissed him again, slowly pushing him down against the bed, stroking his jaw with my finger. His hands held my thighs and he adjusted them before he gripped my bottom and harshly pressed me down against him. I moaned again, body begging for any sort of friction as he started grinding my hips against his, panting against my cheek when I pulled away. This was the perfect timing, I had to do it now or else we’d go further. Seonghwa’s fingers were already undoing my belt, lightly biting my cheek and jaw as I slowly started tightening my grip around his neck, hoping he wouldn’t notice. I kissed him again when his hand made it inside my pants, and suddenly he was caressing my clothed core, making me whine into his mouth. I pressed my forehead against his as he slowly started stroking through my undergarments, cursing in my head and wishing I could continue, but he’d still kill me after this. He’d still take the compass. So, without hesitating anymore, I squeezed my hands around his neck harshly, restricting his airway. Seonghwa’s eyes widened as he looked me in the eyes and quickly held onto my torso, trying to push me off him, but I made sure I was placing my weight in all the places where I knew I could pin him down, render him unable to move. Seonghwa’s eyes filled with hatred again and I bit my lower lip, hating that I was doing this to him, but he gave me no choice.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered, but his eyes conveyed the message that I was dead once he’d wake up. He realized I had overpowered him this time and stopped fighting back, accepting his fate making me almost let go of him out of pity, but I quickly reminded myself that I would be dead if I did so. And if I wasn’t alive, Nari would suffer. So I squeezed until I felt his body going limp and eyes closing, face red from the lack of air. I released him quickly and sat on top of him, checking for a pulse. He was alive, I didn’t have it in me to kill him. A part of me would be devastated if he were to die, and I didn’t know why. There was something different about him, I still remembered his aura the first time we met and perhaps if I hadn’t wronged him, we’d be in a different predicament right now. But I knew I had to leave right now and get as far away from Seonghwa as I could. If he was a part of Ateez, he'd find me no matter what and all I could do was brace myself for when the time comes. And of course, protect my sister from any danger. I got off of him and quickly fixed myself, taking my bag and daggers, and hurrying out the door. I entered Yoona’s room without knocking, she was already asleep and placed her payment on her little desk, taking off next towards the stable to get my horse with only one person in mind. Nari. I had to go back home right now and make sure she was alright, possibly hide her so that Seonghwa wouldn’t find her and threaten me with her ever again.

            I was lucky enough to get to the first boat going to my island in time. It was a man I happened to know, a baker who always traveled between the mainland and our island, bringing freshly baked goods for the people living in the town by the shore. He looked surprised to see me so breathless and tired, but asked no questions as he allowed me on his boat. I had to part from my horse, unfortunately, but I knew the stable boy here would take good care of her, I always left the horse with him when I came home. The poor baker tried to make conversation with me, but he realized I was in a sour mood, restless to get to see my sister so he stopped talking…that is until I asked him if he knew anything about Ateez. And the man knew. He knew a lot about them, in fact, and all the tales he told me about them made me feel sick to my stomach. They were ruthless people. They killed without a reason and they enjoyed taunting people. I couldn’t believe my stupidity. Once Seonghwa found me, I was finished, no doubt. I had heard of the menace Choi San was before, but I never knew he worked together with the pirates. I shuddered when the baker told me they killed his best friend too for refusing to help them out with a little food. They killed him, took all of his belongings and then placed his head on a stick for the whole village to see and know how to act when Ateez asked for something. The incident made the baker move to our island, hoping he’d be free from their terror, and so far, he had never seen them. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that they were closer than he thought, thankful that he gave me a ride. I handed him five pennies when we got off the board and I instantly took off, the walk to my town taking two hours by feet.

The sun was blazing by the time I made it home, well around noon, Nari wouldn’t be home and I couldn’t go to her school to check if she was alright, they didn’t accept visitors during teaching hours. I walked inside the house cautiously and took in the surroundings. Everything was in its place, showing no signs of anyone breaking in. I walked to Nari’s room and saw it was clean, bed made and papers full of poetry scattered around her desk. The house still smelled of omelet, so I knew she was home this morning. I walked to my room and made sure it was empty too, releasing a sigh of relief when everything seemed to be just alright. I unpacked my things and took the compass, walking back into the living room and placed it in a vase sitting on top of the fireplace. I started smelling, so after opening the windows to air out the house and eating some leftovers Nari left in the fridge, I walked outside and prepared some water for me to take a bath in. Our house was the furthest up the hill, nobody was close enough to see or hear us, so sometimes Nari and I would take a bath out in the open, behind the house where a few trees still concealed us. It was rather calming and comforting to take a moment to relax and enjoy that you were alive after tonight’s happenings. We still weren’t safe, but here, at home, I felt safe and protected. Seonghwa had no idea where we lived, so we were good for now. After washing up, I dressed in a white simple flowy dress, allowing my long hair to dry by itself, the wind and warm air drying it quickly up here. When I walked back inside the kitchen, I sat down at the table and noticed a note on the table, left for me. I always returned home the second to last week of the month, so Nari would start leaving notes for me a few days prior in case I returned earlier and she wasn’t home. The note said that she wouldn’t return home today as her and her friend planned a sleepover at her house, the mother inviting Nari over for dinner. I smiled and sighed, glad that Nari was living a simple life, filled with happiness and friends. I never wished for her to live the life I was. Constantly in danger and mostly unhappy. Don’t get me wrong, it was a life filled with adventures and treasures, but sometimes I wished I had someone who supported me and offered me comfort. A person whom I could return to and cuddle up to, rant about my day to and laugh about silly things with. Sometimes I just wished to be loved by someone. I sighed and started cleaning my daggers, pushing my wandering thoughts to the back of my mind, because I couldn’t help but picture Seonghwa as the man who would offer me all of these things. He probably hated me and wanted me dead at the moment, yet here I was fantasizing about us living a regular life.

Once my daggers were crystal clean and shiny, I stood from the table and twirled them around in my hands, gripping them firmly and pretending that I was stabbing someone. I rarely killed people. Only if the situation was dire and I truly had no other choice. So far I had only killed three people and I always felt awful. Sometimes I’d go and pray afterwards, but I knew it was fruitless as the sins I was committing wouldn’t allow me to have a happy afterlife. Shaking my head, I held the daggers and walked out of the kitchen with the intention to head inside my room and take a nap, but I froze once I reached the living room. Seonghwa was leaning against the wall in the doorway of our front door, arms crossed in front of his chest, face pulled up in an irritated expression. My heart started beating quickly and I felt at a loss at the sight of him, all feelings of security disappearing. He found me. It didn’t even take him a day, just merely some hours. The grip on my daggers tightened and I stood up straight, looking at him defiantly.

“Thought you’d never return from your daydreams.” He said mockingly as he pushed off the wall and walked further inside the room. I remained quiet and with my guard up, expecting him to attack at any given moment, “That was a nice little escape method you pulled a few hours go, Y/N, render me speechless.”

I gulped, averting my eyes from his as they burned into mine. My body felt hot all of a sudden and I was ashamed that I still wanted him despite of everything.

“I see you’re not wearing my compass anymore, what a shame…” He offered me a smile, menacing, “I wanted to cut off your head while you were wearing it.”

I tensed, shivering at his words, the scene playing out in my head. The whole living room covered in my blood, head separated from my body, Nari’s screams once she found me dead. I bit my lower lip to try and stop it from trembling and willed myself to try and looked fearless, but I was sure Seonghwa saw right through me as he sat on the sofa.

“So…where’s my compass?” He raised his eyebrows and groaned when I remained silent. His leg was bouncing up and down, he was getting restless. I was playing with fire, prolonging my anguish before my death, “Don’t tell me cat got your tongue all of a sudden, love?”

“I don’t have it, I told you already.” I spoke up, voice low and eyes glaring at him.

“Do you want to watch me destroy your house until I find it and kill you after or do you want to die first and for your sister to return while I search for it, only for me to offer her the same fate I offered you—”

“Leave my sister out of this!” I said menacingly, body shaking from anger as I walked closer to him, my grip turning painful on the daggers.

“It’s dangerous to have weaknesses in a world like ours, love.” I scoffed at his words, smirking at him and pointing a dagger at him.

“You should take your own advice, love.” I snapped back and Seonghwa’s jaw clenched as he stood up, slowly pulling his big knife out of its sheath. He came closer but I kept my distance, and soon we found ourselves walking in a circle.

“So…where is it then?” Seonghwa asked, glancing around the room.

“I don’t know,” I answered, pointing my dagger towards him, “Since you think I still have it, why don’t you go find it yourself?”

Seonghwa chuckled humorlessly, “I’m not in the mood for games, Y/N.”

“And I’m not in the mood to be tormented by you, but I guess we can’t have everything we want in life, Seonghwa.” That seemed to tick him off as he lunged forward, aiming his knife towards my abdomen, but I blocked it with my daggers. I pushed back and slashed towards him, narrowly missing cutting his hand. Seonghwa seemed unimpressed as he attacked again, aiming for the same spot, pissing me off. He was playing with me. He wanted to tire me out so that he’d gain the upper hand, but I wasn’t having none of it and charged towards him, fiercely attacking him with my daggers. He was quite good with his knife as he blocked all of my blows, fast on his feet and somehow always knowing my next move. He was pissing me off and I was starting to get frustrated as he managed to make a small gash on the skirt of the dress. He smirked when I huffed and as I jumped forward, his knife suddenly disappeared from his hands and he blocked my blows with his arms, managing to push me and take me off balance ,as I fell against the wall. I gave him a glare and jumped forward, attempting to strike him again, when suddenly the knife was in his hand and all I felt at first was the burn of my skin on my left lower arm, blood slowly oozing out. I gasped at the pain and looked down, blood dropping on the floor and even tainting my white dress. When I looked back at Seonghwa he was smirking and I jumped forward, only one dagger in hand as I dropped the other one due to the pain, and managed to slice Seonghwa’s cheek as he wasn’t fast enough when he tried to dodge my attack. He wasted no second jumping towards me and slamming me against the wall, making me groan loudly when my shoulder got hurt again. I swear to God, nobody even needs to kill me, at this point my injuries will do just that. But I reacted quickly and punched him in the jaw with my left hand, ignoring the pain, making Seonghwa hiss as his head turned in the opposite direction from the blow. He was breathing hard as he turned his head to look at me and he slapped me back, making me gasp.

“What? You can punch me but I can’t slap you?” He mocked and I clenched my jaw, ignoring the slight sting of my cheek, “I thought we were playing fair.”

I growled and kicked his hip, making him stumble backwards and almost fall, but he managed to catch himself in the wardrobe, pulling himself back up. I charged toward him and raised my dagger, but he blocked it with his knife, our faces close when he grabbed me by the hip and pulled me in, eyes falling onto my lips. I scoffed and pushed him off, but he grabbed my arm and squeezed hard as he flung me against the wall, my forehead crashing into it this time, making me hiss as I saw dark spots all around me. My concussion would beat Seonghwa to killing me. I was breathing hard as I tried to gain focus, having been thrown against the wall, again. It was starting to take a tool on me, the pointless tousling and teasing. I did not like fighting this way. I liked getting straight to the point, getting what I wanted. I never played around with my prey, but Seonghwa seemed to enjoy it as a wide smirk decorated his lips, his strides long and slow as he came closer, almost caging me against the wall. I huffed in irritation as he raised my chin with the tip of his very sharp knife, our eyes finding each other’s. Seonghwa was breathing hard too, lips parted and forehead sweaty as his long wavy black hair fell into his sharp eyes, his ponytail messy. His eyes held an intensity which was capable of making me surrender to him, but I stayed collected. Not this time, I wouldn’t give in. My lower left arm was burning from the huge gash Seonghwa’s knife made and I couldn’t ignore the blood dripping down his cheek where I had cut him just minutes ago.

“You could have made this so easy and quick for yourself, Y/N.” His voice dripped with venom and I gulped when his knife pressed harder against my skin, lightly grazing against my neck.

“I like to play around,” I muttered and forced out a chuckle, ignoring the quick pounding of my heart, “But you know that already.”

“Too well.” He snapped and I gasped when I felt blood trickling down the side of my neck, skin slightly burning. He really meant it this time that he’d kill me if I didn’t give back what was his. All of this fiasco for a damned compass. I glared at him and in a swift moment pressed my own dagger against his torso, ripping his shirt open and making it clear that if he were to slice my throat I wouldn’t hesitate in sticking my own weapon into him.

“How are you going to find the compass if you kill me, Seonghwa?” I taunted, mimicking his tone when he said my name. For a split second his eyes turned into slits and I was sure he would kill me right then and there, but the pressure of the knife from my neck disappeared and I felt the lump in my throat disappearing as well. It didn’t mean I was safe, it just meant I wasn’t getting my throat slit open. I lowered my dagger from his torso as well and tried to come up with an escape plan fast. The window was open, if I kicked him hard enough to get him to double over, I could run to the window and jump out. I knew where my sister’s friend lived, I would go there and take her with me. Going into hiding was a must right now.

“Where is it?!” Seonghwa’s voice slightly trembled from anger and I looked behind him, eyeing the window.

I shrugged before looking back at him, having decided what my next move would be, “I don’t know, want to play a game to find out?” And before he could answer, I punched him hard in the jaw, making him stumble backwards. He was flabbergasted as he looked back at me, wiping the blood from his lips, but before he could charge at me, I kneeled him in the stomach, hard. Seonghwa doubled over instantly and started wheezing, face contorted in pain. I didn’t necessarily liked hurting him and I found myself hesitating for a second before I snapped out of it and made a run for the window. The room wasn’t big, I could easily make it out and get away from Seonghwa. But I heard groaning from behind and as I latched onto the window sill, ready to jump over, a hand was suddenly in my long hair, fisting it. I was yanked back harshly and I yelped, eyebrows furrowing as Seonghwa held me flushed against his body, pulling on my hair so hard I thought he’d leave me with a bald spot. I went to fight back, but he grabbed my neck from behind with his left hand, but he didn’t squeeze. He secured me in a firm grip, warning me. I gulped and listened to our rapid breathing, Seonghwa’s chest rising and falling quickly against my back. His body hadn’t changed at all. He was still as sturdy as before, even felt like he had gotten stronger.

“Let me go.” I snapped and turned my head to the side, trying to look at him. Seonghwa watched my face for a second, taking it in, before he blinked and his gaze turned cold. I couldn’t pretend like the warmth of his body and the grip he had on me wasn’t affecting me, but my self-respect would never let me tell him. I had already admitted to thinking about him often back at the Inn.

“I prepared a little surprise for you,” Seonghwa whispered in my ear, my eyes fluttering for a second, before he harshly turned my head towards the window, making me watch what was happening outside. And my whole blood ran cold in me. I froze, almost unable to breathe. My little sister was walking outside, singing to herself as she played around with a pebble. The sight that terrified me wasn’t her being home despite her saying she’d spend the day at her friend, it was the man dressed in all black with a rag covering his lower face following her, knife held very obviously in one hand. Nari was oblivious to him and he was getting closer and closer to her.

“Stop!” My voice raised and I tried to wriggle myself free from Seonghwa’s grip. The man following my little sister, Nari, was Choi San, a ruthless mercenary. She stood no chance against him, I couldn’t stand here and watch as San kills my little sister, the only family I have left.

“Stop him,” I begged Seonghwa as I stopped trying to get away from him, “please tell him to stop. I will give you anything you want, Seonghwa, please don’t let him hurt Nari.” I knew now the two worked together. Seonghwa was the Quartermaster of a very infamous pirate crew whom had been terrorizing the four kingdoms and four seas for a decade now and everyone knew what they were capable of. Even I did now. I would’ve never thought Seonghwa was smart enough to find me as I barely came home, once a week every month, but seeing San trailing my sister woke me up to the reality of the predicament I found myself in. I was careless and dumb; I stole from someone whom I should’ve never messed with.

Seonghwa chuckled and I felt his hot breath on my cheek before he whispered in my ear again, “Never thought I’d hear you begging, love.” And without another word, he whistled loudly and I watched as San placed his knife up his sleeve and turned around, walking off, my sister oblivious to everything that could’ve happened to her due to my stupidity.

“Now, give me my compass.”

And I knew I had to do just that. No more games, no more taunting. Pride placed aside, I waited patiently for Seonghwa to release me and after a second of silence, he did just that. I sucked in a shaky breath and turned to face him, our eyes meeting. My heart was beating like crazy and I was terrified for my sister, but I still managed to give him a glare for even daring to threaten me by harming her. Seonghwa looked back with the same intensity, wanting his compass back right now as he watched me closely when I started walking towards the vase I had hidden it inside. I placed my dagger on the fireplace, not needing it anymore, before I reached inside the vase, fingers touching the golden treasure.

“Will you kill me once I hand you the compass back?” I found myself wondering out loud, hands slightly shaking. Seonghwa remained quiet but I could feel his gaze burning the back of my head, so I just gulped and spoke up again, “Whatever, I don’t care what you do to me as long as you leave my sister out of this. She doesn’t even know I’m a thief, she thinks I work for a wealthy family on the mainland.”

I gripped the compass and took it out of the vase with a sigh, turning around to hand it to Seonghwa, but he was already standing in front of me, making me jump. He looked down at my hand and gripped the compass, ripping it out of my hold. I gulped and watched his expression closely as his eyebrows furrowed, clutching the compass with both hands. He raised it up to his eyes and consulted it closely, hands slightly trembling as he opened it. A sense of relief seemed to wash over his face as he touched the inside of the compass and then suddenly looked at me. I tensed and averted my eyes from his.

“Why did you steal it if you didn’t sell it?” He asked in a whisper and my eyebrows furrowed, feeling uncomfortable by his question. I noticed how numb my lower arm started feeling from the big cut and that the back of my head was thumping violently again.

“I don’t know—” I muttered, wetting my lips as I looked back up in his eyes, “I just—I couldn’t. When I saw the name on the inside I just—I just had a feeling it was a very personal item. I guess…I didn’t have it in me to get rid of it.”

Seonghwa remained silent as he looked down at me and I felt even more guilty when his eyes filled with tears. Why was he the one on the verge of crying? He was about to kill me any minute.

“You have no idea how much this compass means to me, Y/N.” He muttered with a sigh, closing it and placing it around his neck. It looked beautiful. It complimented his complexion and I found myself mesmerized by the man standing in front of me. All the hatred and roughness was gone, the Seonghwa I met the first time was the one standing in front of me. Soft and kind.

“I’m—” I gulped, feeling weird for apologizing, “I’m sorry.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened slightly and his jaw clenched as his eyes traveled over my face, analyzing whether I meant it or not. And I did, I was genuine with my apology, I shouldn’t have taken it.

“You could’ve given it back the first time I asked for it, you know.” Seonghwa’s eyebrow raised and I looked away embarrassed.

“A thief getting caught and then forced to hand back the treasure is quite humiliating, Seonghwa.” I muttered, looking at him startled when he gripped my chin and turned my head to face his, “When I took it I had no idea who you were, so I thought I could get rid of you fast.”

Seonghwa chuckled and leaned down, eyes at the same level as mine, “I would’ve never thought you were this silly, love.”

“Are you going to kill me?” I whispered as I bit my lower lip, Seonghwa’s eyes falling on them. He shook his head wordlessly, looking back in my eyes when I gasped quietly, “Why not?”

“For the same reason you didn’t sell my compass.” He whispered back and my heart somersaulted when he pressed his soft lips against mine, holding the side of my neck firmly as I kissed him back feverlishly, holding his nape to pull him closer. I had no idea if he figured out that I had taken a fancy to him, but his kiss felt weirdly loving. I allowed this unknown warm feeling overtake my body as Seonghwa proceeded to pull me into himself, almost engulfing me in a hug as he pulled away only to press two more kisses against my lips, making me blush against my will. I refused to open my eyes, embarrassed and shy at the same time, when Seonghwa chuckled and stroked my lower lip with his thumb.

“Who’s Bu Seolhwa?” I whispered, making Seonghwa sigh.

“My mother.” I opened my eyes and looked at him surprised, the rumors said he was an orphan, “I found out five years ago where I come from and who she is. But that’s all I know.”

“Let me help you,” I blurted out before thinking more about it, making Seonghwa raise his eyebrows in surprise, “I mean—I know a lot of people from different circles and ranks. I could help you find her…if you want me to, of course.”

Seonghwa smiled and pulled away, making me yearn for his touch, it was so silly, “Alright, love, at least I’ll have an excuse to see you each month.”

I chuckled and looked away embarrassed, watching him collect his knife as he walked towards the front door, “I’ll see you second to last week of the next month here, love, don’t do anything crazy until then because I won’t be able to save you.”

My jaw dropped as I ran up to the door, watching him leave. He turned back with a cheeky smile and winked as Nari and him crossed paths, she was rather close to the house, good thing we stopped fighting. But how did Seonghwa know when was I home? For just how long has he been keeping an eye on me?

“Y/N?” I heard my sister’s excited voice call out, “You’re home early!”

And I allowed my eyes to fall on my little sister as she ran up to me, completely ignoring the state I was in as she hugged me. My body felt frail in her arms and I allowed myself to breathe in and breathe out, thankful that she was safe and in my arms. My eyes fell back on Seonghwa’s retreating form and I found myself smiling, curious of what the future held for us.

“Who was that man?” Nari asked as she pulled her head back and looked up at me, she was at least two heads shorter than me.

“Just a friend.” I answered her and ruffled her bangs, stepping out of her embrace, “The house is a mess because—”

“Don’t worry, you can clean that up yourself,” She grinned cheekily as she ran inside the house, “I’m only home because I forgot Joohyun’s bracelet at home, I’m still sleeping over at hers.”

“I see.” I muttered and shook my head, cursing the heavens for letting her forget such thing today of all days. But it was alright, because in the end I took care of it. Because in the end, I would do anything to keep her safe and myself alive.

And because maybe Seonghwa would kill anyone who dared harm us.

Next part (divider)

[roseofhybrids]

there's something I've been thinking about recently, and tonight seems like a good enough occasion to talk about it

back when I was in therapy, every session my therapist would ask the same question

"What is something you're looking forward to this week"

The first time she asked that, I just figured it was a part of getting to know me as a new patient. Building rapport and trust and such. But when she repeated it every time I spoke to her, it made me wonder why she'd ask that specific question every time

Well, after thinking it over for a while, I think the reason she asked that is because it's really important to have something to look forward to regularly in life. Even if it's something small, as long as it's something you can find a little joy in See, nearly every time she asked me that, my answer would be that I was looking forward to my weekly DND game. It wasn't something too grand, just me and a few others messing around for 2 hours on roll20. But I felt happy when DMing for them, it wasn't much, but it still something that brought a little bit of fun every week

I feel like that's a critical part about staying alive on the day to day. Your life doesn't have to be filled with every day excitement like you're living a wealthy influencer lifestyle in order for you to carve out a bit of happiness for yourself

Like I said, it can be something small. Maybe it's DND games, maybe it's seeing the new episode of a show you like air, maybe once a week you let yourself order a pizza or eat out, maybe you and some friends get together to a watch a movie. Could even be that you just set aside a few hours where you can do something you like, literally anything as long as it brings you some enjoyment. Just a bit of time when you don't have to be productive and working and worrying about everything

I know the idea of doing something just for yourself can feel selfish, like you're wasting precious time. Especially with everything that's going on in the world, it can make you feel guilty for letting yourself find joy when some many others are suffering and in danger

Take it from someone who spent the latter half of their schooling dealing with dysthymia, self harm, and constant panic and anxiety attacks. Feeling nothing but misery 24/7/365 will help nothing. Depriving yourself of any positive emotion day in and out will fix nothing. All it will do is land you in either the grave or a mental hospital, and you certainly won't be able to help anyone from either of those places

If you want to help others, you'll have to be able to support yourself first. And that means not letting the stress of being alive build up to the point of crushing you under its weight. Take an hour or two every few days to let yourself truly breathe and relax. Think of it as fortifying your self for what's to come. You'll need some way to maintain your strength through the storm if you ever want to see the other side of it I'm not saying to ignore the bad parts of life, just don't ignore the good parts either. Even if you have to make those good parts with your own hands Eventually, the world will get better. But that will take time, so you will need to work to ensure you are around long enough to see it

This week, I'm looking forward to the new Dandadan episode, and going to get my new dog his name tag This month, I'm looking forward to making Thanksgiving dinner and getting to have some turkey and pumpkin pie Next year, I'm looking forward to starting a project that I've been thinking about for months

What is something you are looking forward to?

you don't gotta tell me it if you don't want to, just make sure you have one

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

A/N ::: So I don't think I'm broken anymore. 1 week of a actually doing something didn't ruin me. I come back on the weekends.

C/W ::: Draken x F.reader, Make-up sex?, unprotected sex, P->V

WC ::: Kinda long, 3,035. Happy with every word.

You were going over to Draken's place to collect the rest of your stuff today. It's ok though, because he's out doing some stupid Toman shit and won't be there. Seeing him right now would be your absolute downfall. It would permanently wreck you. You're so fucking horny all the time. Yeah, so, you have toys. But your toys will never measure up to his cock. They'll never measure up to his hands or his mouth on you. He could get you wet by just looking at you for too long.

"Ohp, snap out of it, y/n. Stop. Now." You had to remind yourself on the way over there that not only would you not be seeing him, but you wouldn't be fucking him, either. And all the thoughts that penetrated your brain consisted of him. Pounding into you at such an unforgiving pace you thought you were actually going to die - but it was ok. There was no better way to go than being fucked to death by him. Him of all people.

The 2nd in command of Toman. Mikey's №1… in many aspects. Sitting at the red light you started thinking about how Draken was your №1, how you were his №1.5. Mikey always came first when it came to business. You always came first when he was done with that shit.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn't notice the light had turned green until the car behind you honked their horn. "Fuck!" You slammed on the gas and turned the wheel a little too hard, causing the car to jerk sideways and you almost lost control. "Perfect visual to my life right now. Goddamn it, Draken. Leave me alone." You were really starting to lose it.

After calming down and pulling over to catch your breath, you realized you were already at your destination. It wasn't like you needed to check the address or anything, you knew exactly where he lived. And so often, you were on auto-pilot. Whenever he called you, you floated out to the car and eased your way down into the driver's seat. Your pussy already sensitive. Reeling in the anticipation of what he was going to do to you. How he was going to make you feel.

"Fuck. Ok, y/n. Keep it together." You hopped out and made your way to the front door. No one was around, and the gate was unlocked. That's always a good sign. Draken must have forgotten to lock it before he left. He was expecting you to come by today, but you double - triple checked the date to make sure he wasn't going to be here. If he were, you know all to well that you'd end up fucking in his room before you left with the rest of your things.

As you unlocked the door with your spare key, you realized he probably left the gate open for you. "Thanks, Ken." you muttered to yourself as you walked into the living room. It was just as clean and organized as you remembered it. Nothing out of place. Everything had its spot. That's one of the things you loved about him.

You made your way to his bedroom, and as soon as you opened the door you were greeted by his scent. That fucking smell. It was so intoxicating. He smelled like a mixture of cologne and musk. Something you couldn't quite put your finger on, but it was so sexy. So damn irresistible. You wanted to rip off your clothes and roll around on his bed just to soak up his aroma. You had half a mind to find his cologne and spray it all over you and your stuff so you could have it permeate your senses one more time and last until the smell completely faded away. But you managed to resist the temptation to go down that path.

"Ok, focus." You had to snap out of it again. "This is the last time you'll be in here. Just grab your shit and go." You gathered your clothes and some other miscellaneous items you had scattered around the room. Some makeup, a few books you borrowed from him, and some other trinkets that you didn't even realize you had left behind.

As you were stuffing everything into your bag, you found one of your old bras. You actually weren't even sure if it was yours. "Damn, Draken." You laughed to yourself as you shoved it into your purse. You didn't know how it ended up in his drawer, but you assumed it was from one of his one night stands. They must have left it behind and he either didn't bother to throw it out or he didn't know what to do with it. You decided to take it and toss it when you got home. "It's not like he's gonna miss it anyway."

Once you were finished, you took one last look around the room. The memories flooded back into your mind. The nights you spent tangled in his sheets, him fucking you so good you almost passed out. The way he whispered in your ear how much he loved you. How he was addicted to your pussy. You remembered how you would sit on his face and grind against him until you came. How he would eat you out like you were the last meal on earth.

"Stop! Stopstopstop it!" You smacked yourself across the face, trying to snap yourself out of it again. You couldn't think about him anymore. It was too much. He was too much. You grabbed your bag and headed out the door, locking it behind you. As you walked out to your car, you saw the garage door was open and you noticed his bike sitting there. It was so shiny and well taken care of. You remember riding on the back of it with him, feeling the wind whip through your hair as he zoomed down the streets. You felt so free with him. So alive.

"Not the point, asshole." You said to yourself, making your way over to the open door. "Hello?" You asked. It wasn't like Draken to leave his door open like this. It wasn't like him to not have his bike. There was no answer so you walked in. "Anyone home?"

And there he was. Sitting on his stool, lowered all the way down so he could work on whatever the hell he was working on. You never knew what he was doing. But you knew that he looked amazing doing it. "Hiiii," you said, slowly dragging out the 'i'. He didn't turn around. Didn't even flinch when you said that.

"You're supposed to be gone, Ken." You said, annoyed. Still, he didn't move. "Did you hear me? I said you're supposed to be gone!" You started to get pissed off. This wasn't part of the plan. He was supposed to be out with Toman, not here. You didn't want to see him. "Hey!" You smacked him on the shoulder.

He jumped up and put his fists in front of him. "FUCK! Don't fucking sneak up on me, y/n! Jesus!" It was then you saw he had earbuds in. A smile spread across your face. You weren't sure if it was the satisfaction of knowing he didn't hear a single thing you said to him or that you scared the shit out of him. He was always so aware of his surroundings. Always knew what was happening. But not today. Today he was at your mercy.

"You fucking scared the shit out of me! What the hell are you doing here?!" He was fuming. You couldn't help but laugh. You hadn't seen him this pissed off since you two broke up. It was a sight to see.

"I came to pick up the rest of my stuff, you jackass. You said you wouldn't be here." You crossed your arms over your chest. He looked so good when he was mad. It made your pussy clench.

"Yeah, well, Mikey had some shit going on and needed me here." He started to calm down after the threat of the unknown smacking him on the shoulder passed. "I didn't think you were gonna stop by today." He leaned back on his stool, eyeing you up and down.

You knew what he was doing. He was checking you out. Trying to get a rise out of you. Make you squirm. "I … don't … look at me like that, Draken." You didn't know what else to say. You were so frustrated with him. "Don't fucking start."

He stood up and walked towards you. "Start what? I didn't start shit, y/n. You're the one who came in here and started hittin’ me and shit. You smacked me on the shoulder." He whispered in your ear. You could feel his breath on you. How hot it was. How sweet it smelled - and you could never get over that. How typically gross things that other people look or smell like, you had grown to love about him. It was infuriating. You were doing so good until today. (Good meaning you had only thought about him while touching yourself. You hadn't actually broke down to see him.)

"Fuck, Draken." You pushed him away from you, but he grabbed your hands and held them in front of you. He was so much stronger than you. It was pointless to try and fight him off. It was pointless, but it wouldn't be a lost effort. Something would come out of it. And you hoped it would go in your favor. "Don't do this to me."

He pulled you in and wrapped his arms around you. "Do what? Hold you? Is that what I'm doing, y/n?" He squeezed you tight. Your back against his chest. His head resting on your shoulder. You could feel his breath on your neck. His cock starting to harden against your ass. "You want me to let you go?"

You shook your head. Yes or no, you don’t have a single clue but you still did it. You didn't want him to let you go. You wanted him to hold you forever. You wanted him to fuck you until you couldn't see straight. You wanted him to make you feel like he used to. But you knew it was wrong. You were broken up. He didn't belong to you. "We can't, Draken. We have to stop."

He turned you around and looked you in the eye. "Stop what? This?" He rubbed his nose against yours. Teasing you. All you could think about was how it would feel to have his lips pressed to yours. It was like a fire had ignited inside you. A burning desire to have him. To feel him. To touch him. "Is this what you want me to stop, y/n? This?"

Before you could say anything, he had his mouth on yours. You tried to resist, but it was useless. Your body melted into him like it always did. The kiss was so slow. So deliberate. So well-planned. You're sure he knew you were coming over today. You both made plans to not have to see each other, that was what was agreed upon. And yet here you both are.

Right where you need to be but not where you want to be? Is that what's happening? Is that the right order? Or is it right where you want to be but not where you need to be. But all you can think about is his taste. His tongue. Tracing your bottom lip from side to side, top to bottom. The warmth of it familiar and all-encompassing. You never wanted to give it up.

He started to pull away, but you grabbed his face and kissed him back. Your hands on his cheeks, pulling him closer to you. He wrapped his arms around you and lifted you up, carrying you into the house. He set you down on the counter and started to pull off your shirt. "I missed this, y/n. I missed you."

He slid his hands down your body and undid your jeans, pulling them off of you. You couldn't believe you were doing this. That you were letting him do this. But you couldn't stop yourself. "I ... hoh ... fuck, Kennn-nuh."

He pulled you down and bent you over the counter. Your tits pressed against the cold marble. He slid his fingers into your panties and felt how wet you were. "So fucking wet, baby. You want my cock don't you? You want me to fuck you, y/n?"

You moaned as he rubbed your clit. "Yes. Fuck. I want you, Ken." He pulled your panties down and spread your ass apart. "Please fuck me, Ken." He spit on your pussy, getting it nice and wet. You heard him unzip his pants and felt the tip of his cock rub against your entrance.

"I'm gonna fuck you, y/n. I'm gonna fuck you so hard you'll forget why we ever broke up. You ready, baby?" He pressed his cock inside you, inch by inch. "Oh, fuck." You whimpered as he filled you up. "So fucking tight. You missed my cock, didn't you, y/n?"

He started to pump into you from behind. You couldn't believe how good he felt. How he stretched you out. The way he hit all the right spots. "I missed your cock, Ken. I missed it so much." He started to fuck you faster, his hips slapping against your ass. "Fuck, you're gonna make me cum already."

He pulled you up and started to play with your tits, his cock still buried deep inside you. "Cum for me, y/n. Cum all over my cock. Let me feel you, baby." He bit your earlobe and squeezed your tits. 

"Oh, fuck!" You started to cum, your pussy clenching around his cock. "Fuck, y/n. I'm gonna cum."

He pulled out and your head dropped at the sudden lack of him. He turned you around and lifted you up, guiding your legs around his waist, He carried you down the hallway to his room but halfway there you slipped down on his cock. "Oh, shit. Fuck!" He started to cum, his cock twitching inside you. "No! Fuck! Not - not here, not yet!"

"Oh, god!" You started to cum again, your juices dripping down his cock and onto his balls. He pressed you against the wall and fucked you harder, his cum spilling out of you and onto the floor. "Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He grunted, his cock still pulsing inside you. "Oh, fuck, y/n. I'm still … cumming."

He slowly slid out of you and set you down on the floor. You were both panting, trying to catch your breath. "That was ..." you couldn't even form a sentence. You couldn't believe what just happened. You were supposed to be getting the rest of your stuff. And then Draken wasn't supposed to be here. And now you're cumming on his cock. You didn't know what to think or do. "Ken ... I think ..."

He picked you up and carried you to his bed. "Shh, just shh, y/n." He pushed your legs apart and kicked his pants off the rest of the way, laying down on top of you. "Don't talk. Just feel me, y/n." He kissed you again, this time it was slow and passionate. He slid his cock back into you, pumping in and out of you at an even pace. "I love you."

You looked up at him. "Ken." You put your hands on his hips and stopped him from moving. "You can't. You can't say that to me while you're buried balls deep in my cunt. It doesn't count. It doesn't count right now."

"The fuck are you sayin'. It should count more now than any other time. Why the fuck you think I'm saying it righ' now, hah?" He started to move again, his cock hitting your g-spot with every thrust. "I love you, y/n. I always will. You can't change that."

You pulled him closer to you and kissed him again. You didn't want to argue anymore. You just wanted him. "I love you, Ken. I love you, too." He started to fuck you harder, his cock throbbing inside you. You eyes began to roll back into your head. "Fffuhcckk," you moaned as he fucked you deeper. "Oh, fuck. Oh … fuck."

He grabbed your hair and pulled your head back, exposing your neck. He started to bite and suck on it, leaving a trail of hickeys from your collarbone to your ear. "Cum with me, y/n. Cum with me."

You both started to cum together, his cock spurting inside you. He kept fucking you, his cum dripping out of your pussy and onto the bed. "Ken, stop. Stop, Jesus, mercy, uncle. White flag waving!" You laughed and pushed him away and he rolled over onto his back. He was so fucking hot. His chest covered in sweat, his cock still hard and twitching. "Fuck, you're something else."

He chuckled and grabbed your hand, pulling you on top of him. "Hmm … So are you." He pulled you down and kissed you again, his tongue exploring your mouth. You felt so happy. You forgot how good it was with him. How perfect it was. How in sync you were with each other. "I love you."

You laid on top of him, listening to his heart beating. "I love you. I love you, too."

"So." He said quietly.

"Mm?" It was all you could muster at this point.

"Unpack your shit and bring the rest of it over. You live here. You live with me now." You could feel him smiling against the top of your head.

You looked up at him. "Ken. You can't be serious. I can't ...""Yes, you can. You will. Not letting you go again." He kissed the top of your head and picked up the key you sat down on his nightstand, slipping it back into your hand.

@arlerts-angel @kazutora-kurokawa @southside-otaku @viburnt @katshimizuu @darkstarlight82

[pennyblossom-meta]

Gale/Karlach banter

Similar to my previous post: Gale/Wyll banter.

Warning: VERY long post.

Because the dialogue lines are so many, I won't add screenshots in some sections.

I'll add more items from Gale's side either here on a separate post.

Update: added some more dialogue lines

Act 01

Gale intervenes on Karlach's behalf (currently impossible to trigger)

Gale: Easy, Wyll. She's no devil. There's no fight to be had here.

Recruiting Gale

Karlach: Well done getting the wizard on board. He can zap from afar while I smack up close. But if he tries to get me to read any tomes, I will scream. devnote: Context, Karlach does not like to read

Recruiting Karlach

Gale: An ally fresh from the Hells themselves. Our company grows stranger by the minute - and all the better for it.

If Wyll is the avatar

Gale: Hunting one devil, allying yourself with another. Our journey gets more curious by the second.

First night at camp

Karlach: Gale's pretty lost in his thoughts, isn't he. Poor guy. Roughing it like this can't be his style. devnote: Genuine empathy

—

Taking a walk through the forest

Gale: Nothing like a brisk stroll through the forest to invigorate the spirit. devnote: Brisk, invigorated Karlach: I was just thinking the same thing, but less poetically. devnote: dreamily Gale: And without so much as a stirring from our tadpoles. Karlach: A girl could get used to this. devnote: relieved and happy

—

Blighted Village

Karlach: Looks like this town was ransacked - by soldiers, if my eyes don't deceive me. Gale: Quite cruelly, too. Karlach: Must've been an awful day for the people who lived here. Gale: If nothing else, I hope it was a mercifully short one.

—

At the Grymforge

Gale: The architects who built this must have been remarkable. A pity their vision didn't stand the test of time. devnote: Observing, not sure what to make of it Karlach: All's not lost. I mean, just look at this place. devnote: Impressed with what she sees Gale: You've quite the knack for finding the bright side of things, haven't you? Karlach: Hope keeps you going.

—

Underdark

Karlach: Just when I was getting used to the sky again... Gale: Fear not, Karlach. Sun, moon and stars will still be there waiting for us. devnote: Reassuring Karlach: Meanwhile, this place is pretty spectacular, isn't it? Gale: No book or painting could ever do its strange beauty justice. But perhaps our stories might, when we return to the surface. devnote: Agreeing with Karlach, enjoying the sense of wonder as you explore

—

Act 02

Plains, near the Temple of Lathlander (or is this in Act 01?)

Gale: I don't suppose you've any clue where we are in relation to Waterdeep? Karlach: From this distance between Elturel and Baldur's Gate, I'd say... a long way away. devnote: dreamily Gale: Ah. That will make getting word to my mother rather tricky. Gale: No matter - what she doesn't know can't hurt her. Not at this distance, anyway. devnote: Black humour/finding the bright side

—

Mountain Pass

Karlach: Man, adventuring is thirsty work. Gale: There used to be a monastery in this region known for producing a wonderful ale. Karlach: That sounds like heaven! Wait. Used to? Gale: Oh, yes - long ruined, I'm afraid. No chance of a frothing pitcher awaiting us there, but still - at least your thirst for knowledge is quenched. Karlach: Ugh. devnote: Groaning at Gale's cringe joke

—

On the road to the Shadow Cursed lands

Gale: Do you feel that? A darkness, pulling at the strands of the Weave. devnote: Alert, sensing something Karlach: You'll still be able to do your wizard thing, though, right? Gale: Of course, but that doesn't make the shadows less dangerous. devnote: Reassuring Karlach, whiloe remaning concerned about the wider dangers Karlach: Joy. devnote: sarcasm

—

Shadow Cursed lands

Karlach: Doing all right, Gale? Gale: Oh, you know... Still alive and kicking, despite being surrounded on all sides by an endless manifestation of darkness and decay... devnote: Almost with a sigh - that's just how things are. Grim humour to it Karlach: I feel it too. Here if you need a pick-me-up.

—

Last Light Inn, Shrine to Selûne

Gale: A hidden shrine, dedicated to the Moon Maiden herself. Even amidst this darkness, Selunites are stubborn enough to cling on. Karlach: Pretty beautiful, isn't it?

—

Tollhouse

Karlach: Whoa! Almost slipped there. Gale: You wouldn't be the first, I'd wager. It's been some time since these walkways felt the carpenter's hammer. Karlach: You gonna catch me if I eat a brick? Gale: With my reflexes? I'd catch you before you so much as stubbed a toe. devnote: Confident

—

Brewery

Karlach: Huh. A brewery. Why does Reithwin Ale ring a bell? Gale: It was known to be quite the tipple - a cask or two still exists, if you know the right alekeep... devnote: Enjoying being the expert on this. He definitely knows 'the right alekeep' Karlach: You must have good taste. Not me. Can't afford it. Gale: A common misconception. Even the simplest of flavours are elevated by the choice to appreciate them. Don't deny yourself such pleasures. devnote: Kind/encouraging

—

Moonrise approach

Karlach: Ready to enter the belly of the beast? Gale: It's the stairs I'm dreading. I shall close my eyes, and pretend I'm climbing my own, far superior tower in Waterdeep. devnote: Facing an obstancle with cheery determination Karlach: In that case, welcome home.

—

Moonrise Docks

Karlach: We're not taking a boat to Baldur's Gate, right? Gale: And give the Absolute free reign to use us as target practice from the banks? I think not. devnote: Yeahhh… no. Karlach: Phew. My mum always said the Chionthar was unlucky.

—

At the mind flayer colony, under Moonrise Towers

Gale: It strikes me that, for a mind flayer colony, there are remarkably few mind flayers about the place... devnote: Observing, not sure what to make of it Karlach: Squiddies have gone to war, is my guess. Gale: On the Absolute's behalf? Now there's an alliance I'd have been quite happy without.

Act 03

Blushing Mermaid

Karlach: Man, it's good to be home. First round on who? Gale: She who thirsts buys drinks the first. devnote: Like it's a well-known saying (first half) Karlach: You won't pin me down with a rhyme, wizard! devnote: Jockeying with Gale Gale: She who declines gets the worst of the wines. devnote: Like it's a well-known saying (second half)

—

Counting House

Gale: They say wealth offers a form of magic. Alas, it's one I've rarely dabbled in. Karlach: Nor I. Never had more than a few coppers in the city, and any soul coins in Avernus went straight to Zariel. Gale: Make no mistake. Souls are sold for coins up here as well. All too cheaply, in most cases.

—

Sorcerous Sundries

Gale: Look around you. Indulge your curiosity. Sorcerous Sundries is the finest purveyor of magical miscellany for miles around. devnote: Showing his friends around, trying to sound impressive Karlach: Where's the axes? devnote: looking for battle-axes to the dismay of bookworm Gale Gale: What they sell is far more precious than mere sword or shield. They sell knowledge, ingenuity, the wisdom of mages past. devnote: Showing his friends around, trying to sound impressive Karlach: Sounds like more your thing than mine.

Romance

Breakups and relationship status

Karlach's side

Player breaks up with Karlach over Gale

Karlach: Fuck off if you're here to talk about Gale. I already know. devnote: Wounded/ sadPlayer was partnered with Karlach, but ended up choosing Gale. Karlach found out on her own and is now reacting. This shouldn't be a mega aggro 'fuck off,' more like a 'go away'. Karlach: Couldn't tell me to my face, huh? Had to wait 'til I just... just figured it out. devnote: sad/bitter

Karlach: Whoa. What? You... want to be with Gale...? devnote: Copping on that the player is here to breakup with her Karlach: Since when?! devnote: angry and hurt

Karlach: I should've known Gale would weave his spell on you. Who could resist? devnote: Bittersweet. Player is dumping her for Gale. She's sad but still on good terms and trying to keep things light. Karlach: I know I had... well. You know I liked you. Like you. But I want you to be with someone who can make you happy. If that's Gale, that's Gale. devnote: Heartbroken but mature. (...) Karlach: Hope you don't regret throwing over all this fire for all that hot air. One'll get you through winter, the other'll recite you a lot of codices. But hey. To each their own. devnote: Heavy on the subtext. She's putting a lighthearted/ sarcastic spin on the fact that the player just friendzoned her for gale.

Karlach: When Gale's on page one hundred thirty six of a supremely boring recitation, and you look over and there I am throwing a lasso around a giant centipede and riding it to Chult, I'll have my comeuppance. devnote: Still keeping it a bit light/teasing

Karlach: Gale climbed out of the Weave long enough to waggle his eyebrow in your direction, huh? devnote: Still a little light. She does like Gale, despite his high-falutin-ness, so she doesn't mean this to hurt him.

Player chooses Karlach over Gale

Karlach: I thought you and Gale were... I don't know. Karlach: Gale will be all right, right? Of course he will. He's Gale. If he can take a hit from Mystra, he can take it from you.

Gale is the player and is in a relationship with Karlach

Player: My future's no more certain than your own. But when I dare to imagine having one, it's always you I see beside me. Karlach: I'm seeing you at a desk. Pile of books up to the ceiling. And me barging in with a brace of rabbits for supper. Karlach: You start chopping carrots. I stoke the fire. And every night is the best night we've ever had.

Date with Karlach, Gale is the player character

Karlach: You know, it does. There's always a bit of a veil about you - I guess it's the magic, but there's something else, too. Something I want to discover first-hand.

Q: Tell me a secret

Player: I once claimed to have read all six volumes of 'Lichen and Its Curative Properties' to impress a comely botanist. Alas, a falsehood. Karlach: You mean you haven't read all six volumes?! Gale Dekarios, I'll never look at you the same. devnote: Teasing

Player: I'm afraid I'm doomed to repeat past mistakes, no matter how I try to avoid them. Karlach: I know what you mean. Changing is hard. Every time I think I've figured it out, boom, there I am again, behaving like some version of me that never learned a damn thing.

—

Gale's side

Gale: And what of Karlach? Her heart can surely break, though it burns.

Breaking up with Gale for Karlach

Gale: Karlach, yes? You burn for each other in more ways than one. Gale: I... I thought you would show me the respect of telling me first, but no matter. You can tell me now - who is it to be? Me, or her? Player: I'm sorry, Gale. I want to be with Karlach. Gale: Don't be - she has a good heart. Poor phrasing - she has a terrible heart. But she's surprisingly caring, considering it.

At the tiefling party

Gale: You might be in for an adventure with Karlach. More than you bargained for - with a bit of luck. Gale: Or perhaps more than you bargained for - full stop.

Talking about Tara

Gale: You remind me of her somewhat. You share her fierceness, and her passion.

Be my God, boat scene

Gale: I'll always have you, Karlach.

Act 01

Gale had first stage of romance/attraction with player - not yet anything official. Gale: Karlach... a hypothetical question for you: devnote: Attempting nonchalance Gale: If someone - not me, of course - detected a hint of romantic interest in them from another, unnamed individual, what might that someone do about it? devnote: Attempting nonchalance Karlach: Whoever it is, just talk to them, Gale. And leave out the hypotheticals. Gale: Talking. Right. I'm good at that.

Gale: You know, Karlach, there are other ways to express love beyond run-of-the-mill physicality... devnote: Hint of flirtation, mostly just trying to be helpful Karlach: Ugh. Are you going to try and teach me about exceptional uses for a mage hand or what? Gale: Actually, I was thinking of poetry. Karlach: Oops, sorry. But... now that I think of it... is mage hand especially hard to learn?

—

Act 02

Gale: I've always felt flames to be a rather perfect expression of love, Karlach. devnote: Romantic, indulging in the poetry of the image Gale: Passionate, primal, capable of bestowing the most life-affirming comfort, or inflicting the profoundest damage. devnote: Listing the qualities of fire. Romantic, indulging in the poetry of the image Karlach: That's... pretty nice. Never thought about it like that. But now I will.

Karlach: So, Gale - got any book recommendations for me? devnote: With concern Gale: You can read?! devnote: Taking the piss - knows full well Karlach can read, and that she's always claimed not to enjoy it Karlach: Very funny. Yes - I can read. School put me off big boring tomes. Sometimes I wonder what I'm missing. devnote: Friendly rather than flirtatious Gale: Say no more - I'll find the perfect book for you. I might even lend it to you from my library in Waterdeep. devnote: Jumping on the opportunity to give a book recommendation (a favourite hobby) Karlach: Ooh! Something with magic, please. And no devils. devnote: i.e. 'anyone who would reject you, Wyll, just can't appreciate you.'

—

Act 03

Gale: Am I to understand that you are in love now, Karlach? Karlach: I sure am. If there's hope for me there's hope for anyone.

Karlach: How's the orb treating you, Gale? devnote: With concern Gale: Oh, quite well as a matter of fact. Since it was stabilised, it's been humming along nicely. devnote: Upbeat, things are looking up Gale: I have noticed one adverse side-effect. I seem to be losing hair in some, er, unexpected places. devnote: Upbeat mood wavering - this is a bit embarassing Karlach: I can only imagine. devnote: i.e. 'anyone who would reject you, Wyll, just can't appreciate you.'

—

Karlach dies at the end of the game, Gale is the player character

Player: Karlach, please... I'm not ready to go on without you. devnote: Distraught, lover is dying.

variant 01: Karlach is dying, Gale is a friend

Gale: No, Karlach. Stay with me, please. We've shared too much to part like this.

—

Game finale (not epilogue)

Karlach is the player character

Gale gave the Crown to Mystra

Gale is in a romance with Karlach

Option 01

Gale: It's curious. After all the wonders and monstrosities we've witnessed, waking beside you seems more unreal than any of it. devnote: Wistful/peaceful - spent a romantic night with the person he loves Gale: I'd forgotten what it felt like, to greet a sunrise without fear of it being my last. devnote: Wistful/peaceful Gale: Oh, hells. I'm sorry. Barely awake a moment and I've already put my foot in it. devnote: Kicking himself, he's accidentally rubbed salt in his partner's very sore wound Player: Don't be. At least one of us will get the cure we were hoping for.

Option 02

Player: Don't be. It's not your fault. Gale: Come now - resignation doesn't suit you half as well as optimism. We'll find some other means of fixing up that infernal engine of yours. devnote: Caring/Encouraging

Option 03

Player: Knowing you, I'd expect nothing less. Gale: You always find a smile where others would soak in their sorrows. And I promise - you'll have reason to smile soon enough. Gale: When we get to Waterdeep, we'll search in my library. It's bound to contain the odd scroll on hellish thermodynamics. Or a spell that might diffuse the heat in such a way that - Gale: Ah. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Do you... that is, would you consider returning to Waterdeep with me? devnote: A bit nervous to ask - this is Karlach, after all Player: I can't. My only hope of survival is to return to Avernus - and I'm not going back. Gale: What, then? You intend to die here? Now? devnote: Refuses to believe it - essentially been told his partner is submitting to her illness

Option 04

Player: I'd love to, Gale, but I can't. My engine is done. Fully cooked. Gale: I - I don't believe it. I won't believe it. Gale: If you go were to return to the hells - temporarily - it would buy us some time. I could put something together, a means of keeping you stable at least. Please, let me try. devnote: Trying to convince her, scared by what she's saying (that she's ready to die) Player: And hand myself to Zariel on a platter? No thanks.

Option 05

Player: Say nothing. Concentrate. You feel like you might explode any second. Gale: I know that look. It's your heart isn't it? Not to worry - you have one of the finest wizards in the Realms at your fingertips.

Gale suggests going to Avernus with Karlach

Player: I'm not going back, Gale. I can't. Gale: What if... what if I went with you? devnote: Scared by his own suggestion

Option 01

Player: I couldn't let you do that. You deserve better. Gale: I deserve the chance to live my life with the raging inferno I love. If that means relocating to the hells, so be it. I've heard Avernus is quite lovely this time of year. Gale: Besides, it would be quite something to study infernal magic in its natural environs. I say 'natural' in the loosest sense, of course.

Option 02

Player: If you were with me, I might be able to handle it. Gale: There's nothing we can't handle - I promise you that. devnote: Essentially his partner just refused treatment for a terminal illness. He's putting a brave face on it so they can enjoy the time they have left. Gale: It's taken me long enough to find you. I'll be damned if I'm letting you go.

Option 03

Player: No, Gale. Neither of us is going to that pit. It all ends here. Now. I just want to see the sky one last time. Gale: If this is the end, then we face it together. That, at least, I can promise you. devnote: Heartbroken - his lover is dying next to him, thanking her for loving him

—

Gale is the player character

Karlach is a mind flayer

Gale goes back to Waterdeep

Player: I think this is where we part ways, Karlach. Karlach: I accept your assessment. You would have been an excellent helpmate in my exploration of what it is to live. But perhaps we are both of us too... changed. Karlach: Where will you go now? Player: Back to Waterdeep. I've a warm fire and a long-neglected reading list to get through.

—

Epilogue

Karlach is dead, was partnered with Gale. Karlach: I can see Gale? Withers: Indeed. His story has marched on since thy great victory - as inevitable as time itself. Let us observe.

Note: will do the rest in a separate post.

Misc banter

Gale: I think your new form rather suits you. It has a certain... cephalopodic charm to it. A tentacular tingle. devnote: Karlach will live! Yay! But she is a mind flayer

Gale: I can imagine no finer ceremorph for the job.

Gale is the player character, hasn't shared his backstory Player: I've a... condition I need to manage. I'd still be looking for a cure. Karlach: We have more in common than I knew. I won't pry for details. Right now, at least. devnote: Karlach wants the goss but won't pry

Gale is the player character, shared backstory Player: Wandering the wilds of Faerûn searching for a cure to the orb. If I lived that long... Karlach: Living a normal lifespan is so yesterday. Believe me.

—

Gale: Revenge is a dish best served hot, it seems. At least when you're in charge of the menu. devnote: Dark humour - your friend achieved her goal, but you know she'll not live long enough to celebrate

—

Gale: Ceremorphosis is Karlach's only chance of survival. It must be her. devnote: Impressed, finding this all very interesting

Gale: No sense dawdling. Karlach has precious little time left to her - we'd do better than to waste

Gale: I've not seen infernal flames like that in quite some time. Why go to Avernus, when you can bring Avernus to us? devnote: Curious/pondering - a rhetorical question, no response from player

—

Gale: I know well the pain of seeing your life's hourglass running empty, grasping at any means of slowing the grains as they slip inexorably through your fingers. devnote: Sincere, a note of pity - Gale once thought he was fated to die because of the orb, so her truly understands what she's going through Gale: Your fate may be ordained, but your actions are not. Make each breath count, and what time you have with us will never be wasted.

Gale: Karlach's fate may be ordained, but her actions are not. She will make each breath count - we can be sure of that devnote: Finding solace in the thought

—

Ilithid transformation

Player: It's okay, Gale. Karlach wants to transform. She'll do it, for herself and for us. Gale: Then I will hold my peace. But if the time comes when even her sacrifice is not enough, call on me, and I will be ready.

Gale thinks that becoming a mind flayer is his best chance at getting the Crown

Gale: I know Karlach has the best intentions, but her kind heart is not going to help me get that crown. Let me do this.

About Gale, Mystra, Elminster, etc

The dialogue lines for this section can be found in the file /Dialogs 2/Companions/Karlach_InParty_Nested_TopicalGreetings.html

—

Karlach: I couldn't help overhearing what Elminster said to Gale. Not every day a god asks for a chat. Karlach: Hey! Maybe I'm invited too. I can be the muscle.

(variation)

Karlach: I couldn't help overhearing. So Mystra wants to talk, does she? Not every day a god asks for a chat. Karlach: ...can I come?

—

Karlach learns about Mystra's message

Karlach: Fuck me. There's devotion, and then there's stupidity. If the god of magic can't handle this without sacrificing Gale, she's no god at all.

Player: I don't think he'd do that to himself, even if Mystra commanded it. Karlach: Good. I'm one hundred percent sure there's another way to bring down this cult. No true god would ask such a thing from her faithful. That's for certain. Karlach: Poor Gale. He must be in bits after hearing that. I'll distract him. Tell him I haven't read a book since secondary school, watch his face melt off. devnote: Being cheeky

Player: I'm not sure. I think he's of several minds. Karlach: Well, tell him to pick the right one. Better yet, I'll do it. Fucking wizards, man! They always need help picking the simple, obvious option. Karlach: If Mystra can't think of another way to stop the Absolute than sacrificing Gale, she's no god worth worshipping. I'll say that to Gale - in, you know, gentle terms.

—

Meeting Elminster Karlach: Aw, was that Gale's granddad?

(variation, if the player is Gale)

Karlach: Aw, was that your granddad?

—

Gale is the Player, talks about Elminster's message from Mystra

Karlach: Aw, was that your granddad? Player: That was Elminster Aumar - the most famous wizard in the realms. Player: Yes it was. Good old Grandfather Dekarios, come to check in on his doting grandson. Karlach: Lovely! You should've introduced him around. Elders love me, and I love them. Player: I'm joking, Karlach. That was Elminster Aumar, the Sage of Shadowdale, one of the greatest wizards to ever live? Karlach: Huh. Doesn't ring a bell. But all right! Must've had something important to say, if he came all this way. Good news, I hope. Player: It relates to a 'condition' I have. I carry an orb of corrupted Weave within my chest. It seems Mystra wants me to detonate that orb and destroy the 'Heart of the Absolute.'

Player: He brought instructions from Mystra. I'm to find the Heart of the Absolute, and destroy it by detonating the orb in my chest. Karlach: The orb in your chest? Shit - I knew something was going on with you, but I didn't know the particulars. Karlach: Well. Turns out we have more in common than I knew. Except I'm trying not to blow up, and you've been instructed to do just that.

Karlach: Wow. That's... that's big, Gale. This is Mystra we're talking about. Goddess of magic - and she's asking you to sacrifice yourself. Karlach: What are you thinking? devnote: As in, 'What are your thoughts about this serious revelation?' Player: This could be my chance at redemption. I have to at least consider dong what she asked. Karlach: Only you can decide if that's really true. If you owe her your life. As for me, I'm positive we can stop the Absolute without losing you, Gale. Karlach: Keep that in mind, all right?

Player: I'm not quite sure yet. It's a big decision. Karlach: No kidding. What could be bigger? Look, I know what it's like to house something dangerous inside you. But I don't know what it's like for someone else - someone I trust - to ask me to use it against myself. Karlach: If you need a friend, you know where to find me. Right here. Right now.

Player: Now that I'm over the shock, I'll probably ignore her request entirely. Karlach: I'm glad to hear you say that. It is shocking. Imagine asking someone to - to end themselves like that. Karlach: Nothing's ever simple anymore, is it? Whatever you decide, I've got your back. But I think we can defeat the Absolute without losing you, Gale.

Player: That remains to be seen. Karlach: Oh? What did he say? Player: I'd rather not talk about it right now. It's a lot to process. Karlach: All right, soldier. But look, if you're in a fix that can be solved by fire or fists, just point me in the right direction. I mean it.

Player: Elminster's no ordinary elder. He's the most renowned wizard in the realms. Karlach: Your grandfather is the most famous wizard in the realms? Karlach: I should've guessed. I mean, you're pretty powerful. Makes sense that it's in your blood. Player: No, Karlach - I was joking before. Elminster isn't my grandfather. But he did tell me something quite serious. Karlach: I'm listening. What did he say?

Karlach: Wonder if he's (Elminster) a wizard too. He's certainly got the beardliness for it

Karlach: Karlach doesn't worry, she acts. So if Gale needs me, now's the time to tell me.

—

Karlach: Wow. 'Chosen of Mystra.' I guess I should congratulate Gale. Right? devnote: Karlach is happy for Gale. Suspicious of Mystra but trying to be supportive. Karlach: I trust him to know what he's doing. To know how far to go for Mystra. I just hope he knows he doesn't need her favour to be fucking fantastic.

(variation, if partnered with Karlach)

Karlach: Wow, Gale. 'Chosen of Mystra.' Congratulations, I think? Karlach: I trust you to know what you're doing. To know how far to go for Mystra. Just know that even without her - even without any of the gods - you're still pretty fantastic. Karlach: 'Chosen of Karlach' has a ring to it, right?

—

Karlach: Whoa. I've seen a lot, but never been threatened by a god. Karlach: It sounded like Gale really meant it. He really wants to take control of the Karsite Weave. Karlach: He really wants to be a god. devnote: She's not bought in. She's assessing Gale here. Measuring him.

(variation)

Karlach: Interesting. devnote: Suspicious

If Gale is the player character

Karlach: Interesting. I'll keep that in mind. devnote: She's starting to lack trust in Gale here

—

Gale is noncommital about returning the crown

Karlach: Wow, Gale. So you spoke to Mystra, right? Karlach: Pretty spectacular stuff. But I think you were right not to do her bidding, no questions asked. Karlach: I respect the gods, but they don't always understand what they're asking of us. Maybe immortality makes it hard to know what it's like to be one of us piggies. Karlach: Proud of you, though. It takes some man to hold his own in front of the divine.

Karlach: Wow. So Gale really talked to Mystra, huh? Karlach: Pretty spectacular stuff. But he's right not to do her bidding, no questions asked. Karlach: I respect the gods, but they don't always understand what they're asking of us. Maybe immortality makes it hard to know what it's like to be one of us piggies.

—

Gale is blessed by Mystra Karlach: You're glowing, Gale. Mystra must be very pleased with you indeed. Don't forget us little people when you're the Chosen of the God of Magic, hm?

Karlach: Gale looks chuffed as cheese. Mystra must be very pleased with him. Let's hope she's got his best interests in mind.

—

Gale agrees to return the Crown to Mystra

Karlach: Wow. Gale is the 'Chosen of Mystra'. Congrats to him, I think? Karlach: Hope he knows what he's doing. We haven't fared very well with other Chosens so far.

—

Gale uses Shadow Weave

Karlach: Hope you know what you're doing, Gale. I'm no paladin for Mystra, but she probably has good reasons for forbidding Shadow Weave.

Karlach: Gale's walking a thin line. Let's hope he doesn't fall headfirst over it - again.

—

Orin kidnaps Gale Karlach: That bloody freak won't get away with this. That's my wizard she took. And we're going to get him back. devnote: Seething

—

Gale is resurrected Karlach: This fella Gale has as many lives as a cat. Handy guy to have around, huh?

—

Karlach: You all right, Gale? Looking a little shadowy about the gills.

(variation)

Karlach: Is Gale all right? He's looking a little shadowy about the gills.

—

Items and Netherese orb comments

Karlach: Wide berth, buddy. I have some good equipment I don't want you swallowing.

Karlach: The people you meet, I swear... devnote: A little bemused

Karlach: Much as I commiserate with your, you know, thingie. devnote: 'tough ticks' is a karlachism

Karlach: I like Gale, but I'm keeping all my good gear well out of sight. Karlach: Everything fancy he touches meets a grisly end. Karlach: I commiserate with his situation, though. It's tough ticks housing something you can't control.

Gale is the player character

Karlach: Hey now, what happened to that fancy bit of gear? Player: It's a long story involving the Weave, an ancient tome, and a failed attempt to please Mystra, goddess of magic. Karlach: Hm. And now you have to consume gear Karlach really wants because... Player: Because I have an orb of corrupted Weave within my chest. If I don't keep feeding it with magic, I'll explode with enough force to destroy a city. Karlach: Well, shit. And I thought I had it bad. Karlach: That's a tough hand, Gale. But I'm glad you told me. A chest-bomb shared is a chest-bomb halved, or whatever. Karlach: If I spot anything that'll help, I'll hand it right over, pal. We're in this together.

Player: Because if I didn't, I'd be dangerous to all of us. Karlach: Are we talking some kind of were-wizard situation here, or...? Player: I have an orb of corrupted Weave within my chest. If I don't keep feeding it with magic, I'll explode with enough force to destroy a city.

Player: Just because. Karlach: Wizards and their secrets. Buddy, I could ruin that mind of yours with the stories I could tell. Nothing you say could scare me. When you're ready to talk, I'm ready to listen.

Player: I had to consume it. Sorry if that scuppered any plans you had for it. Karlach: I'd mind less if I knew the full story. Never seen a fellow suck the magic-marrow out of an item before.

[korinpie]

Hii, how you doing?

Could I request headcanons about Fade being jealous?

Thank you 🖤

♡fade and reyna jealousy headcanons♡

♡thank you for the request! since you didn't specify the gender, ill make the reader gender neutral. and since this is the first ever request, i threw in our favorite girlie reyna for fun. again, thank you sooo much! let me know if anyone would like a part two with other characters♡

♡cw: mentions of alcohol and one use of they/them pronouns in reyna's part♡

♡word count: 1350 in total♡

I begin by prefacing this: Fade is SO insecure

She is convinced that you're an actual angel sent down from heaven, one that's somehow taken interest in her and graced her with your love

Pretty much thinks you're way too good for her

I mean she has murdered countless people and resurfaced trauma in several agents thinking they killed her friend

So the fact that anyone especially you would like her makes her feel like she doesn't deserve it

You and her are at a street market when she leaves to go to the bathroom. But when she comes back, she finds someone else in her place- hooking an arm around yours

When someone is flirting with her beloved, she gets pretty damn uncomfortable

The response is either "wtf they're flirting with my partner!" or "im going to kill them"

Will probably shift from one foot to another wondering what to do

She's not very good at socializing, being more of a 'fight now, talk later' person

And the more the person comes closer to you and talks dirty, she genuinely considers sicing her prowler on whoever decided flirt with you

But no: it's not right to attack someone just like that

Also it's broad daylight, and she would get caught

But she can't just do nothing, considering your anxious expression

Instead, she walks up to whoever's bothering you, attempting to be as stoic as possible(she wants to die on the inside)

"Ahem- excuse me," Fade interrupts the stranger's tangent of pick up lines. Said stranger stops, looking nervous as Fade stands in between you and the random person.

"Hi there," The stranger smiles tightly. "Sorry, I was just talking to my- um- dear friend here. Nothing to worry about."

Fade looks at the stranger coldly, before glancing over at you. Her cat-like eyes soften upon seeing you, her lips involuntarily lifting into a smile. She rests a comforting hand on your shoulder. "Do you know this person?"

You shake your head no, leaning away from the stranger. That's all Fade needs to know as she turns back to the unknown person- glaring at them with an intensity that could bring a hundred men to their knees.

"Hey, hey now," The stranger grimaces, stepping back a bit. He sweats at Fade's not-so-happy expression. "I'm just shooting my shot, ok? Can't help it."

Fade scoffs, reaching up to pinch the skin between her eyebrows. This conversation has gone on far too long.

"Don't worry, I'll back off if you need me to! I get it, friends supporting friends, d-"

"This is my significant other."

The stranger pales and their eyes widen cartoonishly large. You gawk, shuffling over to Fade to whisper: "How did they not...?"

"Kingdom be damned if I know," Fade mutters. She looks at the stranger, blowing a strand of hair from her face. "Leave. And next time you see us, don't even look in my partner's direction. If you do, you'll regret it."

The stranger squeaks and scurries away, metaphorical tail between their legs. Fade sighs, her shoulders beginning to relax. She's relieved that she doesn't have to be such an uncomfortable conversation anymore. Then, she turns to you, her expression tense and focused.

"You ok?"

You pause, albeit a little hesitant. Fade notices the way you sort of shrink, making her frown. “Yeah. Can we go back home now?”

Fade places a comforting hand on your cheek, betraying her rough exterior. “Of course.”

Despite the fact that she already asked, Fade continues to check on you, making sure that you're doing alright physically and mentally

It's her own way of showing she cares, since she's not that great at just telling you

When both of you are safe, back at home, you notice her still tense demeanor

She’s still worried about the incident of course- thoughts swirling around in her mind

Fade can't imagine why you've chosen to stay with her all this time, in her mind

You're just so...bright and warm to her, like sunshine

She truly believes she doesn't deserve you

And what if you leave her for someone else? What if she's left alone again?

She's still at heart just a girl who really loves her partner

Fade needs a little bit of love and reassurance- something to show her that you won't just up and leave her

The two of you end up cuddled up on the couch, blankets covering both of you and your head laying on Fade's shoulder

You're watching a crappy movie from the 80s <3

Reyna doesn't exactly get jealous, per say

She knows that you love her and cherish her more than anything- so she doesn't feel like someone's going to sweep you away

Besides, what kind of person would choose someone else over Reyna?

Someone probably very dumb and stupid that's who

Rather than be jealous, Reyna just really doesn't like people touching her s/o

It feels wrong, sort of like a stranger in her territory, as possessive as it sounds(but she is pretty possessive honestly)

Especially if the stranger knows that you two are dating, it feels like a bratty jab against her

When in reality it's more or less a friendly gesture

The agents are having a celebration party, and Chamber with his ever-flowing money brought drinks for everyone

Thus a problem arises- a chaotic party with drunk agents and radiants

While you're partying away, Reyna sits in the corner relaxing on a couch. She chats with one or two agents and nurses a cup of tequila, because who is she to pass on free alcohol?

The entire time she steals glances at you, either to make sure you're ok or just stare shamelessly at your figure

Meanwhile, your friend Jett is flat-out wasted

When she's drunk, she tends to be pretty clingy- so while you offer to take her to her room, Jett slings an arm around your shoulders and holds on to your arm, laughs and giggles slipping out from her

Reyna is not very happy about that

On one hand, you can take care of yourself. On the other hand, someone is touching her partner and she will not stand for it

She downs the rest of her tequila and approaches the two of you

"Reyna," You say as Reyna comes over. "Hi- I'm just taking Jett to her room."

"I don't want to go!" Jett giggles, clinging to your arm tightly. She's clearly drunk, pink-cheeked and all.

Reyna scoffs. "And you couldn't let someone else do it?"

"I'm the only one who offered! I don't want her passed out on the ground."

Reyna proceeds to grab Jett, roughly pulling her away from you. Jett whines in response, looking up at Reyna. "Hey! That hurt!"

She rolls her eyes, glaring down at her drunk companion. "Don't touch my partner. They're mine."

Jett grins, clearly not getting the memo. You sigh- Reyna, possessive as always.

"Reyna," You say, tapping your lover's shoulder.

She looks over, lips curled in a smug smile. "Yes, cariño?"

"If you're not gonna let me touch her, at least bring Jett to her room. She needs the rest," You explain.

Reyna's deep purple eyes narrow, and she spits out: "You can call someone else. I'm not carrying her after what she did."

"And what did she do?"

"Touch what is mine," She replies, hmphing. Her gaze drifts to the side, not looking at you.

You laugh at her antics, taking a hold of her arm. "Reyna, she's drunk and likes hugs. I promise she wasn't trying to flirt with me."

Reyna looks down at Jett, who's drunkenly spaced out. "We'll see about that."

"Can you please take Jett to her room? For me?" You ask Reyna, eyelids fluttering. Your hand grips her arm tighter, and she relents.

"Fine," Reyna says, placing a swift kiss on your temple before roughly dragging Jett out of the room. "I expect something nice for this."

"More kisses?" You offer, tilting your head to the side.

"Whatever you decide, cariño."

After she not-so-gently puts Jett to bed, she sits in your room

It's sort of like a dog waiting for its owner, except the dog is a gun-wielding mexican fighting machine

Once you enter, Reyna grumbles something about being late and pulls you in, laying you both down on the mattress

She expects many kisses. Deliver if you will

[poppadom0912]

Her father's daughter

Warnings: Kidnapping, crying, canon-typical injuries, blood

Summary: When all is well, someone just has to barge in and ruin Will and Faith's lives.

A/N: Soo, I am back more than a month later. I didn't mean to disappear for so long... It will happen again i am sorry. This Ramadan has come with more work and I have exams in two weeks that i refuse to fail. I will most likely return at the end of april/beginning of May.

i've been thinking about writing this for a while because of how much I love Faith but I didn't want to hurt her but then I thought, no one can turn down some good old angst. Sorry again for being mia for nearly another month but randomly wrote this all in one sitting after doing some psychology and having an existential crisis soooo. This is going to be a little longer than usual, happy reading!!

Will was at work when it happened.

He was getting ready to assist Connor in a surgery when he got a call as they were scrubbing in.

The part-time nanny he hired was now basically considered family over the two years she'd been looking after Faith whenever she wasn't in school and Will was at work. So to have her calling him at work was odd but when he answered her call and was immediately met with tears and gasping and hyperventilating, Will felt his heart stop.

Will wasted no time. simply telling her he was on his way before hanging up.

Connor, without hesitation, encouraged Will to leave, saying he'd find Goodwin and tell her himself.

As soon as Will was in his car, the first person he called was a no brainer.

Whenever Will called, Jay would always come running, day or night for his older brother and niece, consequences be damned.

Will found himself struggling when Jay answered, grappling for words he couldn't muster.

"What's wrong Will?"

"Faith's gone Jay... Someone's taken her."

*****

The brothers met up at Faith's school, Will arriving before Jay.

The second Will got there, Allison, the nanny, found him instantly. She ran up to him in tears, hysterically crying as if it was her own child that was taken.

"Will I'm so sorry." She gasped, on the edge of a panic attack, eyes impossibly red as she hyperventilated, tears showing no sign of stopping any time soon.

"They- Reception said a woman picked her up in Maggie's name three hours ago-" She cut herself off with a sob. Poor women was a mess, seeing her so distraught made Will want to cry along with her.

"Allison, please listen." Will said sternly, holding her shoulder so she would pay attention to him. "None of this is your fault, okay? If it wasn't for you, it would've been another two hours before someone found out."

She exhaled shakily, nodding fervently when Will pressed her to stop apologising and accept she was at no fault, there was no reason for her to take any blame.

Before either could say anything more, the sound of sirens scared them, making both of them jump at the sudden loud sound.

At the sight of familiar cars, Will wasn't too sure if he felt relief or impending doom.

"Intelligence Will need to take a statement but after that you can go home." Will told Allison, squeezing her bicep with a timid smile for reassurance.

"As soon as they find Faith, you'll be the first to know, I promise."

*****

Jay was struggling to concentrate on the CCTV footage him and Adam were meant to be watching.

He could say with 100 percent confidence the he never thought he'd find himself in such a situation.

intelligence have been involved with numerous kidnappings. So many in fact that it was usually what they would be expecting to be called in for every day.

But, this was his niece's kidnapping. This wasn't the norm for him let alone the rest of them. A five year olds kidnapping was something they'd never want to deal with, especially someone who was family.

"Here it is." Adam said, clicking the mouse a few more times before settling on a frame, the scene being the reception of Faith's school.

Shaking any deprecating thoughts away, Jay pushed his chair forward, looking closely and minimising his blinks as to not miss a single second of valuable footage. Footage that would show the final moments of Faith being alive and safe.

The halls were empty for the most of it, bar the occasional janitor or teacher walking by. Two minutes passed when a woman in a black trench coat walked up to the desk. Her brown hair obscuring her face from the camera's view along with the thick scarf wrapped around her neck.

She spoke to the receptionist, signing a sheet of paper before a lady walked away, soon returning with a small familiar bundle.

Faith was in her little purple puffer jacket, bobble hat covering her ears and mitten on her little hands. She wore little winter boots, her my little pony backpack sat nicely on her shoulders and Will's old scarf held in her hands. Unconsciously, Jay thought about how she always complained about the itchiness of the scarf that Will would always wrap around her masterfully, his method luring out the most wonderful sound to mankind; Faith's laughter.

Faith looked perfect, just like her fathers carbon copy and even from the shitty camera footage, Jay could see the pep in her step and the twinkle that never extinguished from her eyes.

Jay's thoughts trailed back to earlier this morning when he was still fast asleep in bed but his brother had messaged him, sending him a picture of Faith in all her adorableness. Nothing had changed from that picture and it warmed his heart slightly.

Usually, whoever picked her up was met with the biggest hello, the widest smile and incessant talking and she retold the adventures of her day but this time, Faith's steps faltered at the sight of the stranger.

Jay struggled to watch the rest.

*****

All Will could hear was his baby girls cries echoing in his ears.

He'd heard her cry plentiful, he raised her since birth for goodness sakes but this cry was different. It was like he could hear just how scared she was and it felt like a literal stab in the heart.

Will forced Allison home twenty minutes ago after Hailey took her statement and was told everything. She was still very torn and upset, she refused to leave Will for several reasons but before she started blaming herself again, Will forced her to leave, promising once again to call her later.

Jay had shown Will the footage of the woman who never showed her face, maybe there was some chance Will could recognise the back of her. Somehow, she knew the exact school Faith went to as well as knowing the list of very few people that were allowed to pick her up. The list consisted of Will obviously, Jay, Allison and Maggie.

Somehow, whoever this person was, they knew who was on the emergency contact list, information that only the school and said people were privy to.

That small bit of information made Will want to be sick.

They had tried other means to try identify the woman but they were coming up with nothing. Another hour had passed, now being give hours since Faith had been taken and Will was slowly losing the plot.

"I've contacted a bunch on my CI's." Jay said, face set in stone as he finished presenting. "Still waiting to hear back."

"I have several CI's in that area." Antonio added, Kevin nodding to also confirm. "Waiting for a call any time now."

Voight hummed, giving no indication of what he was thinking or feeling. But not too long ago, he had taken Will aside and promised they would bring Faith back to him, no matter the cost.

No matter the cost. Ethically, Will wasn't too sure what to feel but emotionally, he felt relieved.

Will must've zoned out for a bit because the next thing he knew, only him, Jay and Antonio remained in the bullpen. Everyone else seemingly disappeared.

Wow, he really needed to fix up.

"Hey, how are you-"

Just as Jay opened his mouth, he was cut off by a phone ringing.

*****

Jay wasn't allowed to accompany Antonio to his CI, instead taking Kevin with him. The Latino was never once persuaded by Jay, even when he promised to stay in the car.

The sun was now starting to set and there was a clear shift in the atmosphere as the sky grew darker. To ease broth his own and his brothers fears, Jay sat with Will, sitting together in a silence neither could stand.

This was an uncommon occurrence since Will had returned from New York, the two brothers being alone together. Since coming back, it had always been the three of them. So to be in this moment, both Halstead's would rather die than to have to repeat this again.

"You want a coffee?" Jay asked, eyeing up the half empty coffee pot. At the rate this investigation was going, they'd be needing more than just coffee to help them stay up.

"Sure." Will hadn't meant for his answers to be monosyllabic, Jay had done nothing but right now, he had not much left in him to continue being so forth coming.

The silence enveloping their space, Will usually relished in any moments of silence he could get but this was just uncomfortable. Never did he ever want his little girl to be causing such a ruckus.

"Maggie called me back." Will said, watching Jays' back, following his actions as he made both their coffee's. "She doesn't recognise the woman nor has she told anyone outside the ED's staff about Faith - that's all people I know and none of them know that woman."

Jay hummed as he stirred the tiniest bit of sugar when his tasted a little too bitter for his liking. "That's good but it does mean we have even less of an idea as to who this is."

Will didn't reply, only mumbling a small thanks as he took the mug from Jay's outstretched hand and sipping the lukewarm drink.

"Have you butted heads with anyone at work recently?" Jay asked, knowing his brothers stubbornness very well.

"No." Will rolled his eyes. "I've been under Goodwin's strong scrutiny after the last stunt. Go ask anyone, I've been good."

And for a second, nothing felt as heavy but such a feeling didn't last.

"Antonio and Kevin are back." Trudy suddenly appeared in the doorway of the breakroom causing both of them to flinch. "Go see them downstairs."

*****

"My CI works in a restaurant. When I reached out, his story matched up with ours." Antonio started, standing tall besides the computer screen where Kevin was trying to connect it to the USB they were given.

"At the same time Will called us, a different woman came and ordered a takeaway with a kid he said looks a lot like Faith."

Will felt his heart rate picking up the more Antonio spoke. Hearing all of this felt like a fever dream, he didn't want to get his hopes up just in case they reached another dead end.

The camera footage started to play, Kevin skipping it when nothing was happening, only to abruptly replay it when someone walked in.

All they could see was the back of the woman, her black hair in a braid, scarf wrapped around her neck with a long jacket on. As Will's eyes studied the stranger, he followed her outstretched arm to-

Faith

Will's breath hitched at the sight of his little girl who hadn't seen since the early hours of the morning when he dropped her off to school. He held his breath, watching closely to see if a single hair was misplaced on her body or to try and see what she was feeling from either her scrunched up eyebrows or her quivering lips.

But he couldn't see anything.

The woman went to the counter, ordered her food and stood there for however long it took for the food to be made. Only when she was handed a carrier bag with several containers did she finally turn around and show her face.

Will's face paled in recognition instantly.

"What's wrong Will?" Jay noticed his change immediately, his question causing everyone in the room to turn and look at him. "Do you recognise her?"

Will swallowed harshly, blinking repeatedly to bring himself out of shock.

"Yeah, it's Faith's mum."

*****

With this newfound information, it didn't take Intelligence long to track her down.

Stephanie Brooks, 'Steph' was what she insisted everyone call her. For just over a year, she was Will's girlfriend and as of five years ago, she was Faiths absent mother.

Ever since that night five years ago, Will never thought he'd see his ex again but here he was, sitting in the back of his brothers truck as he waited for Intelligence to get his daughter back.

Once they had her name, they found the car she had under her name in Chicago and the place she was renting out as of three months ago. Three months of which she had been watching them under a microscope.

Will actually had to go be sick in the toilet when Kim turned around with all of Stephanie's activities since she arrived in Chicago, all of which suspiciously looked very familiar and aligned with everything he and Faith did recently.

That aside, all Will had to do now was wait.

Jay and Kevin stood in front, Kevin ready to kick the door down before Jay could go in first. All they were waiting for was for Voight's signal.

"Now!"

Within seconds, they were all entering the bungalow, guns out and pointed in any direction, covering all corners as they searched for Stephanie.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

They all went separate directions, covering every room in search of any life and soon enough, they found their culprit.

She screamed.

"Stephanie Brooks, your under arrest..." Adam went on, reciting the words they all had memorised for years now, his gun lowered slightly as Antonio went forward to handcuff her.

"What, no! You're crazy!" She shouted, struggling against Antonio's grip. Despite the cheap bungalow she rented, she was dressed as if ready for a night out. Her hair was curled, makeup perfect, heels and a tight fitted dress on.

"Kidnapping?" She scoffed, continuing to struggle as she was forced onto her feet. "She's my child, my daughter!"

"You can't take her from me." She told them, getting more riled up when she saw Adam rolling his eyes at her. "I want my lawyer, you have no right to take my daughter from me."

On the other side of the bungalow, Jay heard nothing but thundering in his ears as he frantically looked up and down for his niece. Nearly every room had been covered and they hadn't found her yet-

Jay felt his heart break the second Faith was in his sight.

He found her stuffed in the bathtub shivering. He had to kick down the door, finding her with zip ties around her wrists and ankles, sat in the bathtub with on her knickers and vest on.

Faith started crying.

Without another thought, Jay dropped his gun and rushed forward, kneeling at the edge of the bathtub before picking her up and dropping her into his lap.

"Oh Faith." Jay sighed, wrapping his arms around her as she curled into him. "It's okay, your safe, Jay Jay's got you now."

As sobs racked her little body, Jay took out his knife and carefully cut the zip ties off. As soon as the were chucked to the side, she wrapped her arms as far as they could around his torso.

Standing up, Jay took strides out the bathroom and made his way outside. Hailey found him on the way, taking her scarf off with Kim not too far behind taking her jacket off.

Both garments swaddled Faith, protecting her bare limbs from the torturous snow but she continued to shiver.

Jay felt himself breathing easier with her in his arms but Will was firmly on his mind.

Only a metre away from the premises did Jay find Will who was already bounding towards them.

"Faith, look." Jay gently poked her, watching her carefully pick her head up and turn in the direction Jay was pointing.

The cry she let out, it would forever haunt him.

"Faith."

Jay handed her over to his older brother who's arms encased her small body. Will dipped his face in her hair, inhaling the comforting smell that he never wanted to forget.

"Oh baby. It's okay, it's okay." Will repeated as she sobbed, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. "Daddy's got you."

Will pressed several kisses wherever he could: in her hair, her forehead, her ear poking out from her curls, her cheek anywhere. His arms tightened in their embrace and if it wasn't for Jay who was supporting him, he would fallen into the snow as soon as he lost all feeling in his legs.

Will could barely hear his own thoughts over Faith's gut wrenching cries. Somehow, her tears weren't running dry. To see her in such a state but to have her back and safe with him, Will finally let his emotions get the better of him.

He sniffled, hiding his face in her wild curls he always struggled to tame, his tears dropping like rain but his cries were muffled. Screwing his eyes shut, he tried to even out his breathing, Jay's hand on his back comfortingly rubbing circles kept him somewhat sane.

"We're driving to Med." Jay told him, directing the father-daughter duo towards his truck.

Sitting in the back, the outside world no longer existed, his entire universe was sat in his lap. Will had lost track of time, she had been continuously crying but Faith was silent now as she was knocked out, crying herself to sleep, that's how tired she was. All he could hear was the occasional soft snore, but he could feel everything from her rising chest against his own, her curls that needed to be brushed, her skin that was slowly warming up from both his own body heat and the garments wrapped around her and the tears that were drying on his shirt.

Will felt like he could finally start to relax.

*****

Faith remained in Will's arms at Med, even when he woke her up, neither of them made any move of letting go.

As soon as they got to the hospital, Will was surrounded by all his colleagues, all riddled with stress that was slowly disappearing when they saw Faith.

Currently, Natalie was doing the standard tests, letting Will do all the convincing which wasn't a lot. As soon as he asked, Faith complied.

"I'll go grab some heating blankets." Natalie said, stepping back as she finished off. "I'll make sure to put a rush on these."

"Thanks Nat." Will said, letting Faith curl back into his embrace.

"It's no problem." She smiled, her eyes looking down at the little girl, the sight of father and daughter making her think of Owen. "We're all just glad she's safe and mostly unharmed."

Will tried not to think of the scrapes and clotting up scabs that littered her body. He hadn't seen any of them till they got to Med, his chest restricting to know she had been hurt and he wasn't there to relieve her of the pain.

"Thank Ethan for me." Will added when Natalie was about to leave. "Faith loves the my little pony band aids."

And with that, they were left alone for the first time surrounded by the muffled sounds of the bustling department and the occasional beeps of machinery and the faint drips of the iv.

Despite being a doctor for years, Will found it difficult to see the iv needle in Faith. To have two worlds collide, Will would never wish this upon any parent.

Small pokes to his collarbone caught his attention, Faith poking it ever so gently as she stared up at him imploringly with the widest eyes that still glistened, their colour identical to the woman who was going behind bars.

"Missed you." She whispered, voice breaking towards the end. It was the first time she had spoken since she found her and the two words made his eyes water.

"I missed you too. Missed you so much baby." Will replied, tucking her hair behind her ears so he could see her whole face. "I'm so sorry baby. Daddy loves you so much."

A smile appeared on her cherry lips, her dimples not too far behind. Seeing them made it feel like nothing was wrong with the world and only the two of them mattered.

"Home?" She asked, her voice filled with so much innocence and hope that Will has to give himself some time before replying.

"Not yet, I'm sorry bubbles." He apologised, rubbing circles into her back. "Jay Jay still needs to come back and Maggie needs to bring you some medicine. She might even ask you to sleepover."

For once, Will was glad she was so eager to stay at his workplace. She had such wonderment surrounding his job, the thought of sleeping over at his work was almost a dream come true.

To finally see her mood pick up, her eyes glistening now with newfound happiness at the prospect of a sleepover, unaware of the connotations it had, Will allowed himself to feel good.

For now, all that mattered was that his daughter was rightfully back with her father and surrounded by family that would do anything for her.