#flashing wind is a male suit and none of you can change my mind

[just-some-random-blogger]

Bootylicious

Stray Kids Bang Chan x Idol!Reader Summary: You're known as the gym rat in your group, and quite frankly, you only have two moods: shredding or chilling. This was why when you're not asleep in between schedules, you're spotted with a male idol you happened to meet in the gym you were at that day. It's a known fact though, that you and Bang Chan are gym buddies and each other's spotter. Word Count: 2k+ Warnings: Internet toxicity, sasaengs, vulgar language, sexism, misogyny, pining, fluff, mentions of Pentagon because why not <3, etc.

A/N: Girl, i shouldn't do this but I did. It's so funny to me someone requested this cause I have recently become an exercise junkie lol. Also, if you can't tell, there is a pov shift after the cut so yeah. I also wanted to keep the reader gender neutral but I want to write about how psychotically different people treat male and female idols because that stuff aint it. It's most definitely not what anon was expecting me to write but I hope they enjoy it nonetheless.

There's compilation in YT with growing parts centered around you flexing your physical fitness and prowess. It ranges from you affectionally touring your fans, which really meant the cameraman, through the gym, introducing your trainer, and doing your routine on camera, to your group (and others) both fawning and bragging about how strong and how hot you are.

CLIP #1: A scene from an interview of your group in Japan, struggling to talk about how you can do 40 straight push ups.

There was a male interviewer in a suit you could all faintly recognize was talking about your recent Instagram post of a gym mirror selfie.

One of your youngest members smirked and in broken Japanese, cutely said, "Wah, she does 100 push ups! Everyday, every night."

You snap your head to the maknae and raise your brows, "nani?" You begin to shake your hands in protest and begin to explain your truth, "absolutely not 100. Maybe around 40, but nooooo, not 100."

The interviewer and your group comically react in awe. The man in the suit urges, "can you show us?"

You give a face, "Excuse me, but I'm not getting paid to do that in this miniskirt."

Everyone, including the film crew, break into laughter.

CLIP #2: A scene from a variety show where you had to prove you were, in fact, yourself, by doing a shortened version of your exercise routine.

One of the hosts of the show asks, "Wait, do you honestly do all of this in your workout? Like you can do all of it?"

The list of your exercises were written on a colourful cardboard, held by the one who just spoke. It was a range of exercises in 10 sets, from jumping jacks to sit ups, to vague sounding exercises like crab pinches and robot arms.

You purse your lips at the last question asked of you, not really liking the tone in which it was asked. You answer quickly and nod proudly, "I actually do more, cause when I get in the zone and I'm already really sweaty, I feel like I should keep going until my whole body burns." You chuckle.

The older hosts, tilt their head and mutter lowly under their breath something along the lines of, "I'd rather die."

You finally do the routine, quickly, continuously, earning impressed reactions from everyone.

"That's hot," one of the hosts note.

"Ya, for some reason it looks easy to do."

The hosts begin to clamour at that statement, and force whoever said to do the exact thing you did. Clearly, they don't work out as much as you do and cannot even get halfway through it without stopping.

You break out into a breathless laugh in amusement of the comical attempt but then protest, explaining how bad it is to force yourself to do more than you can

CLIP #3: Pentagon, Hongseok especially, fawns over how fit you are

Trailing a conversation about how your group is close with Pentagon because your companies are situated closely to each other and you wind up eating together a lot, there is an anecdote about how there was a jar no one could open, no one but you, that is.

The interviewer asks no one in particular, "wah, none of you could open the jar? Really? Or did you all just pretend so she could open it?"

There is a chorus of answers concluding with, "no really, she was the only one that was able to open it."

The story is backed up by how the jar had a really small lid and some hands were too big. Then came an explanation how you were recently into the new rock climbing machine in your gym.

Hongseok speaks up, "I was invited to go to rock climbing in, like, an actual rock climbing place and I was honestly so surprised when she began to climb. She said she never actually tried rock climbing on a wall, but it seemed like she had been doing it for years."

Shinwon agrees, "Right, right. I was also really curious about what they did that day," he points to Hongseok, "that I joined them one time. I never felt so out of shape in my life. I just stayed back and filmed everything."

Pentagon laughs, and then agrees that you were exceptionally fast and just super fit in all honesty.

The interviewer catches Hongseok's expression then suddenly asks, "do you like a woman like that?"

"Yeah, I like my women strong."

Then came a lot of teasing remarks from Pentagon, and a plethora of complaints from delusional fans who did not want Hongseok to ever breathe in your direction again.

With all that's been said about that, in all the parts of this series floating around in the internet, one thing remained, there was a slightly larger population of impressed fans than the still large portion of antifans who wanted nothing to do with it and only came around to hate.

It's hard not to think about it, but even the slightest back handed compliment can sometimes linger in one's mind.

And right now, as much as I kept my mind on my counting as I finished my set high knees, I couldn't help but think of how much backlash I got from posting a post workout photo with my midriff exposed.

Apparently that was not only enough to merit hate for being both a whore and an attention whore, but people baselessly began to hate on my groupmates simply for being associated with me.

It's kind of sad really, how, say Wonho, can post a fairly exposed photo of himself and get so much praise for it, and yet I couldn't even do anything remotely close to that.

And I don't even mean to come at Wonho, we all know he's a beast at the gym and should be able to show as much of his hard work as he is comfortable in showing, but why can't I?

"Hey trooper. I thought you said you were only doing 80 counts?" a voice cracks me out of my train of thought.

I turn to whom spoke and chuckle at myself as I stop my leg raises, "ah yeah, I got lost in thought, and your really good song."

I pull on my earphones and give a lopside smile, "I love working out to God's Menu."

He gives a soft, "he he, thanks."

"No need for a thank you when I'm only giving my honest opinion, Chan."

"Yeah, well still, it makes my kokoro go doki-doki," he sniggers, crossing his arms and flashing a dimpled smile. I raise my upper lip and reel back, "EWWW!"

I playfully shove him. He acts hurt, "this is violence against children."

"Chan, you're literally older than me."

"That doesn't mean I'm not a child at heart."

"You mean, it doesn't mean you're not a drama queen."

"Hey, I have no interest in having a throne, my only interest is," he leans in and whispers, "you."

I feel my soul leave my body as he snorts to himself and runs away. I regurgitate in surprise, "YA!"

"You better do your next set properly," Chan says heading off to a cable row machine, "I'm always watching."

I try to ignore the blood rushing up your neck, "creep."

He shrugs, "rather that or have you get injured, sweet heart."

Yeah, Chan has saved me from a lot of injuries I could have had. It was a bad habit. It stemmed from the same thing that made me mess up my count a while ago, my overthinking.

Sometimes I thought of rather harmless things, but sometimes I began to fixate on the hate I received for simply being. I do a lot to get my mind to realize that they hated me simply because they could and because it was easy. Exercising helped tremendously, especially when I had someone fun to work out with, especially when I was with Chan. He just... made me feel safe, y'know.

But when the news of us being work out buddies surfaced, a lot of sasaengs came for me. Of course, a lot of Stays and my own fans were really kind about, speaking out that we were our own people and exercising together did not mean anything in particular really.

But some really went for it, and made it a hobby to comment on everything I was in that I was a slut for 'working out' with different men every day."

I let out a breath as I finish my routine. I catch my breath and go for a swig of my water. I take a moment then sit down by the mirror, which was near where Chan was currently working out.

"You're doing it again."

I turn from where I was blankly staring at turn to Chan who gave me a soft look, "you good?"

I release a sigh then purse my lips, "maybe."

He pouts, "what happened?"

I shrug and stand from where I sat, "you know, the usual."

Chan then comes up to me and takes my water bottle from me, "you know, no matter how much people say you don't need water to live, you can never change the fact that you are extremely dependent on water to live."

I look at him and half- heartedly point, "are you calling me thirsty?"

He begrudgingly groans and releases a chuckle. He calls my name out in a scolding tone. I feel myself relax, "I know what you're getting at Chan."

He nods, "good. I'll always be here to remind you of that."

I smile and feel an urge to hug him, "if you weren't so sweaty, I would totally hug you right now."

Chan then gives me a look then does not hesitate to crush me into his arms. I groan and whine in protest. He chuckles, "you literally just said you wanted a hug!"

"YOU'RE LITERALLY SO SWEATY. NO ONE WANTS THIS TORTURE."

Chan huffs and gives a wounded look, "hmp. You better spot me while I lift or else I'm unfriending you."

"Hmm... I think I'll be good without you as a friend."

I half expect Chan to whine about it, but he instead smirks, "ahhhh, you must want me to be your boyfriends so badly huh."

I- I mean...

CLIP #4: A crack edit of Chan when he gets asked about his gym relationship with me in Chan's Room.

He was looking through the questions and suddenly chuckles, his ears noticeably began to redden. Cue a zoom in of his face and his red ears. Cue a clip of Cardi B saying, "that's suspicious."

He says my name then continues, "am I close with her? Yeah. I would say I'm close with her-- and her whole group actually."

Captioned: Nice save, Chris.

"The kids and I are close with her group," he says, clearing his throat.

A clip of him clearing his throat is repeated about ten times.

Chan adjust the beanie he was wearing as he thinks of what he was going to say next, "we actually do work out together a lot because she's under a trainer that works with my trainer."

Captioned: Sure, Chan. That's the only reason, right?

Chan catches another question, "Is she a beast in the gym like Hongseok says?" He breaks into a laugh. He then rubs his cheek and grits his teeth.

A clip of someone saying, "Oh he's jealous," flashes on screen.

"Yeah," Chan finally says, "she's got a really high stamina."

Cue the clip, WHAT DID HE SAY?

Chan continues, "she can go between exercises without stopping. she doesn't even take that much time to catch her breath. In fact, she sings while exercising sometimes, which helps make her vocals stable."

Captioned: Queen Tingz.

The next thing that happens is Chan breaks into a laugh and begins to chuckle. He says, "Sorry I saw a funny comment."

Captioned: WHAT HE MEANS IS HE SAW A COMMENT SAYING 'SHUT UP CHRIS, YOU'RE WHIPPED."

Then came these comments:

LITERALLY LOOK AT HOW FLUFFY BANG CHAN GETS WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HER DONT FUCKING TOUCH ME MY SHIP IS ALIVE

They are dating period. prove me wrong. you cant

Chan literally blushes over anything, buT HE TURNED INTO A TOMATO WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT HER BYE

if you hate on your faves loving each other, you most definitely need Jesus (:

PLEASE CAN YOU SEE HOW WHIPPED THEY ARE FOR EACH OTHER

Yeah... it's not been confirmed to this day.

[juleswolverton-hyde]

Not by the Moon | 03

Genre: Smut, Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Drama, Tragedy, Werewolf AU, Supernatural AU, Bookshop AU

Pairing: Bookshop keeper!/Werewolf!JB x Reader

Warnings: Mild angst, a sprinkle of jealous werewolf!Jaebeom.

Summary: Every story has a purpose or goal it is dedicated to, their authors at times going to great lengths to see the project they once started to completion. Nevertheless, the things the writers swore on to see their latest art piece to completion are static.

Unchanging.

None of them swore by the Moon nor Love because they can solely genuinely swear on all that changes like themselves.

And yet, a wolf in love foolishly swore by the moon.

That is when Time truly started ticking.

Author’s Note: This chapter is from Jaebeom’s POV.

Previous Chapter / Next chapter

Masterlist

I like being with you.

The phrase vividly repeats itself as I blindly lead us to the park, my head in the clouds. So much so, in fact, she has to stop in her tracks and pull me back because we have walked past the entrance.

“Jaebeom,” she struggles to draw me in, firming her grip on my arm and weakly pulling on it, “we’re here already.”

It takes a second to register what Y/N says, but after a few haphazard glances around to see where we are, it does. “Ah, right.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Nobody’s ever told me that.’’ Like a lovesick puppy, I bite down on my bottom lip. ‘’That they like to be with me, I mean.”

“Surely I’m not the first.”

“I think Jinyoung, a friend, might have said it.” I shrug, resigned in the fact loneliness has been a steady companion.

The packs in the woods rejected me if I didn’t refuse to join them. Too savage, too beastly, too ambitious, too bloodthirsty. Those are the prime reasons I have been on my own, although one in particular resonates in the blurry mess of vague memories. 

I am too monstrous.

“But I,” halted in the middle of the gravel path, I turn to her and rest my forehead against hers, “like being with you too.”

Her heartbeat speeds up as her scent gains a floral, roseate undertone. A flush stains her cheeks, the temperature of her body heightened. In a moment’s notice, she has turned into a beautiful spring flower. No, not a flower. Y/N is more than that.

Like a she-wolf in spring. 

In season. 

That’s what she looks like.

So pretty. Mine.

I have to pull away before I sweep her off her feet and mate her against the first tree we come across. We don’t even need a tree, a simple bed of grass will suffice. After all, I still want her to be comfortable.

“Did... Did you dye your hair?” Flustered, looking like a lobster, the pretty lady pulls away. However, the growl that erupts from the throat as she moves away brings an interesting change to her scent.

A thick heady tone creeps into it, which definitely puts the girl in the other role the other ego wishes her to play.

A bitch in heat.

An image of her looking as she does now but on my bed flashes by. Tears are brimming on her lashes like crystalline raindrops as pearly teeth bite down on a finger in the futile attempt to mute meek high-pitched squeals of pleasure. She’s lying sideways, the soft skin of her leg on my shoulder while my hips lose control in her warmth.

“J- Jaebeom?”

I suck in a sharp breath, though it does not prevent a pleased growl from escaping. My sight grows hazy with the fantasies of instinct as the world falls away. “Yeah?”

“Your hair... Did you dye it? It was blonde before.”

“My... my hair?” The weird question pulls me out of my reverie, blinking in wonder as to where it comes from. Nevertheless, the senses quickly sharpen as I tighten my grip on the reality of my temporary humanity again. “Right, my hair. I did! I did dye it because... because I thought the blonde didn’t suit me.”

“For what it’s worth,” like a shy schoolgirl, Y/N fumbles with her fingers, “I like this better. This is going to sound weird, but it makes you look more like- I mean, it suits you better.”

“Thank you. But what does it make me look like?”

“Never mind.” A dismissive hand brushes the half-finished remark off as a mere mistake.

“What? What do I look like?” I lean forward, barely holding in the chuckle at her crumbling composure. Notwithstanding, apparently this is the most effective way to get her to talk. “Don’t be shy.”

“Like a- You know, a- You’ll think me stuck in some emo or late teenager phase.”

“Just say it, Y/N. I won’t stop pushing until you tell me. I won’t judge you either. So, tell me.”

The word takes my breath away.

“Wolf,” she finally answers. “It makes you look like a wolf.”

I can’t suppress a smile at the compliment, buzzing with excitement and tail swishing back and forth. Wait, it isn’t my tail that’s causing the low sweeping noises. 

It’s merely the wind.

Human. Gent... Gentleman. For her. Her gentleman.

“Please say something.” The pretty lady’s heart rate picks up, her scent growing alarmingly anxious like when we had our second meeting on the street.

No. No, don’t be like this!

“Good. I am.” 

“What do you mean?” Brows furrowed in confusion, she looks at me blankly. 

“What... oh, uhm, I- I think it’s a good ex- mirror. Likeness! It’s a good likeness. Me and a wolf.” I stick up a thumb in confirmation. Hopefully, it won’t come across as ridiculous as I feel I look.

Her eyes light up with the amber sunlight, her voice as bright when she answers with an adorable giggle. “I think you mean a good comparison.” 

“I do,” I mutter, ashamed at the faulty imitation of human behaviour and tired of the storm of words wreaking havoc in my head. “That’s what I meant.”

“Shall we go find somewhere to sit?’’ Her hair dances on the light breeze as she looks around. ‘’I’m kinda overdue for a cup of coffee.”

“And food. You have to eat, Y/N.”

“Jaebeom...”

‘’Let me take care of you.” I lean in, gaze focused on her lips as I run my tongue over them. The taste of honey and peaches is reminiscent of spring, when the bees in the forest get busy and the trees in the orchards on the outskirts of the town are ripe with blossom. 

If I’m still here by then, I’ll take you there.

Of course, the thought is translated horribly. “Taste nice.”

“I- I’m glad you like my lip balm.” Cheeks as ruby red as the leaves beneath our feet, she carefully traces her mouth, fingers shaking.

Then she clears her throat and tries to steady her composure, but I’ve evidently caught her off-guard. Which is also noticeable in the small tug on my sleeve. “Let’s go.”

“Are you upset?” I ask, keeping a close eye on her as we walk down the lane towards a big open field of grass.

“No, it’s just that... when you licked me earlier, it wasn’t on,” she lowers her voice to a barely audible and unintelligible murmur though my hearing allows me to still hear her as clear as day, “the lips. It’s almost as if, you know, you kiss... kissed me.”

Kiss?

Just then we pass a couple with their lips pressed against each other. The contact lingers for a brief second, as fast as lightning.

And just as fast the meaning of it for humans dawns on me, rising from the ever-diminishing pocket of humanity inside my brain.

“Would you mind if I did?”

Face pale, she rapidly turns to me. Y/N parts her lips to say something yet decides against it and settle for something else. “Let’s start slowly. Get to know each other first.”

I’d kiss you. You only have to ask.

But we barely know each other. Humans who don’t have a close bond don’t kiss. At least that piece of information has stuck.

We take a right onto the big field and settle down in the grass beneath a tall willow. I’d rather have we sit huddled together or that she sits on my lap so I can keep her warm, but Y/N sits next to me yet far enough away to not touch at all. The displeased whimper and whine get lost in the unpacking of the sandwiches, ignored under the ruckus of unfolding paper.

Notwithstanding, the dissatisfaction evaporates like snow before the sun when a small hand gives me the two venison sandwiches. Restraining myself to not give into the hunger pangs, I accept the food as if she were handing me a weapon. A long metal blade. A sword, I believe it’s called.

However,  the careful control doesn’t last long since the first taste of the spiced meat encourages the ravenous part of me to devour the sandwich in one gulp, if possible. And I would have tried had it not been for the breathless giggle at my side.

Nibbling on the straw, Y/N has a strangely tender look on her face as she watches me eat. A wonderful expression that colours a rosy shade of pink when she notices I’m staring right back at her. “Sorry. It’s just... just that I like seeing you eat. You literally wolf your food down with such a happy expression I can’t help but feel happy.”

Don’t talk with your mouth full. Jinyoung’s told you that more than once.

Like this morning, when he sighed in exasperation like a tired father during breakfast. Henceforth, I chew the food with my mouth closed, swallow and wipe my mouth on a napkin before answering. “I’m a messy eater, though. I don’t think it’s- What’s the word? Ap- Appetizing? It’s appetizing, right? Right, appetizing to watch.”

“I don’t mind.” Like a rabbit, she holds her vegetable sandwich between her tiny paws and takes a small bite out of it. “Just be careful. You don’t want meat juice and sauce on your clothes.”

Eats like a bunny. Cute. So cute.

“I won’t make a mess,” I murmur, taking care to actually keep my word while sneaking glances at the way she eats. It’s controlled, more nibbling than biting. All the same, relief and contentment mix in a calming way that’s visible in her relaxed composure. Even her scent loses more of the sourness of anxiety. But I’m just glad she’s eating.

We watch other humans as we eat, sitting in comfortable silence. A little ways away, two old people, a male and a female, sit on a bench and feed the pigeons together. Once there is no more bread left - multigrain, judging by the scent - their fingers entwine as they close their eyes to soak up the sunlight.

A soft whine unintentionally rises in my throat, longing after the dream of experiencing that very same moment myself together with Y/N someday.

‘’Are you-?’’ The question doesn’t register, hardly penetrating the dullness washing over me. Ears gloomily drooped down, I continue staring at the old couple.

Can that be us one day? How long is the road before we get there?

‘’JB?’’

‘’Hm?’’ Slowed down by the heaviness making a numb statue out of this body, I turn my head.

She holds the unfinished sandwich up I had in my hand a second ago. ‘’What’s on your mind?’’

‘’Nothing.’’ I take the food from her little paw. ‘’Thank you.’’

She doesn’t believe me, but resigns in the face of the unspoken message I don’t want to talk. Instead, she sighs and sips on the straw of her coffee.

“What do you do?” I ask by the time I’m finished with the first of the two sandwiches. Y/N knows what I do for a living and it’s the best question I can think of to try and get to know her better. Also, it might lift the heavy silence that fell over us until the elderly mates left. 

“I’m a journalist for Pack. It’s a travel magazine and a great way to see the world. It’s amazing how much is out there, how many cultures and perspectives exist. However,” hands tucked between her thighs, lashes avert to the ground, “as you may have noticed, I’m not the spontaneous sort, which is why I don’t like working alone.”

Pack? As in, a pack? Although, you said travel so it’s likely... pack stuff? Packing up! That’s it! Putting stuff in bags and going somewhere.

If only it was possible to travel with her someplace far away. Go see the world together so she doesn’t have to be alone. Then again, there is no way to run from myself nor guarantee any form of safety on strange grounds. 

I’ve become too unstable.

Despite trying to hide it, the jealousy I have for who she works with shows in the unintentionally venomous ring in my voice. “Who do you work with?”

“A colleague of mine named Kunpimook, but he prefers going by BamBam. He’s the social and truly adventurous one, so basically I just always happily tag along. Plus, his photos are superb. We’ll be leaving for Bruges the day after tomorrow to take a look at the local chocolate business.”

‘’Is there anything between you two? More than work?” There is no way I’m letting another male anywhere near her because he could take advantage of her. Especially after all this time, working together and thus winning her trust.

I don’t care if we barely know each other. I won’t have it.

I have to keep her safe.

As Y/N’s gentleman.

Her wolf. 

“There’s nothing between us. He’s more like a brother than anything else and he thinks the same about me.” Her breath quickens as she notices the blazing distrust in my gaze. “W- Why are you looking at me like that?”

Instead of giving an answer, I sniff her to make absolutely certain this other male doesn’t have or has tried already to create the bond with her that I want despite what she said. 

Nothing.

Nothing but summer citrus, autumnal blackberries and juicy peaches.

Good.

To calm her down, I lean in to nuzzle the scent glands in her neck while purring and manipulating my own scent to put her at ease. The tenseness in the palms on my shoulders relaxes, her breaths come at a more regular interval and the rigidity flows from her body.

You’re safe with me.

A gentle force pushes me back, growing stronger as I fight it by wrapping my arms around her waist. A low growl erupts as the resistance persists, though it dies down at the sound. I’m not letting her go.

Not now. 

Not yet.

Until a voice like a shy robin stammers in discomfort. “Jaebeom, can- can you let go?”

“Have you calmed down?” It’s an unnecessary question. 

There’s a better word for it. Sup... supper? No, that’s not it. Super... something with an ‘f’. 

Superfluous! 

It’s a superfluous question because the nervous shivers have stopped. All the same, I don’t want to let go.

I can’t.

I won’t.

Yet I do as something blurry flashes by in my peripheral vision. Almost bumping my head against her jaw, I jolt up and stare ahead in tender awe.

Free of the troubles of the world, a brightly smiling pup runs by with outstretched chubby paws. A bit ahead, there’s another giddy pup. The two must be chasing each other.

A child.

A child is chasing another child.

“What are you looking at?” She follows my gaze, which is fixated on the two children giggling and play-fighting with each other. They stop when hearing their mother call, rise to their little hind legs and run to her.

“One day, I want pups of my own.” The dreamy words roll off the tongue without a thought nor consideration for reality. What they see is what could be. 

A dream of someday. 

“Pups?” The word sounds like a puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit even though she struggles to make it fit regardless. 

“Yeah, pups. You know,” I nod in the direction of the two siblings, “like those over there.”

A frown mars her lovely face, but it fades into gentle correction. “Children, JB. They’re called children.”

I tilt my head to the side, struggling to understand and make my own puzzle piece fit. “I’m certain someone’s offspring are called pups.”

“Humans,” she gestures from me to her, “like us, call them children. Babies when they’re younger than those toddlers you were watching.”

“I still think pups sounds better.”

I let go of her. Nevertheless, sust to be sure Y/N stays warm, I hook my arm through hers and keep her against my side. Instinctively, she snuggles up to me like on the way here.  

The content sigh goes accompanied with an ironic remark. “Are you really a wolf or something?”

“Yes!” I exclaim, until I check my body and see no paws nor a tail. “No! I mean, no, I’m not. It sounds adorable, though, don’t you think?” I bite my lip, growing warm with another cheesy yet affectionate remark. “But you did say I look like one.”

“I stand by what I said, especially now.” She giggles, murmuring something under her breath I’ll only tolerate when she says it. “Weirdo.”

Yours. Your weirdo. Your wolf man.

“Have you ever thought about getting them?”

“I actually don’t want children. I’m not too keen on the idea of raising a child and I don’t think that will ever change.” Unaware of the gravity of her statement, she sits up a bit, takes a sip of coffee and finishes her half-eaten vegetable sandwich. 

Not... not even with me? Then again, you barely know me and I will likely forget you even though I don’t want to. Would you change your mind if the pup might be the only trace of me before I disappear?

“How about you?”

“I’d like to one day, but...” I trail off, choking on the truth. Her words have created a stone in my stomach which makes me nauseous and unable to think. 

“But what?” She places a bunny-like paw on my back, rubbing gently as she averts her gaze and speaks in a remorseful tone. “I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry.”

“I have this...” Fumbling with my fingers, I speak up despite the paralyzing speechlessness. No word seems to accurately describe what’s going on nor is it credible enough to describe the truth. Nevertheless, she has to know what’s going on. 

I want her to.

I trust her. 

So I try and tell her my story. “I have this condition. I have trouble remembering things and it’s been getting worse.”

“Is it something like dementia?” Out of a lack of a better explanation for this side-effect of lycanthropy, I merely nod in confirmation. A grim paleness colours her attitude, lips pulling into a straight line as she’s now suffocating with words too. “Do you have medication? Anything to help fight it?”

I fish the small bottle of pills Jinyoung gave me this morning out of my pocket. With a thumb over the ingredients, I show it to her. “My friend’s a doctor at the university. He’s put me on these, but I have a feeling they’re not as effective anymore as they once were.” I put the bottle back. “I do want them, though not with the way I am. They deserve better than a father who’d forget them eventually if he even remembers them at all in the first place. Moreover, my partner would have to take care of me as well as the pups. I just… I don’t want to be a burden.”

“I’m sure,” our gazes meet as our fingers entwine, naturally weaving together like beds of moss on the bark of a tree, “they would gladly care if they know about your condition.”

I rest my forehead against hers and lower my voice to a hopeful whimper. “You know about it.”

A mistake. 

“We’ve just met.”

“Right,” I murmur and withdraw though I hold on to her paw a little tighter. 

She’s right. We’ve just met.

I’m still a stranger. A stranger in a world strange to him.

“Yet,” Y/N takes in a shaky breath before she continues and transforms the burden of loneliness into a storm of butterflies, “I’d stay. For now, can I stay by your side like this?”

“Of course.” In an impulse, I pull her into my arms and on my lap. Her hair smells like argan oil, sweet yet pleasant like summer. “Never doubt that. Never think I don’t want you to.”

Despite the joy, tears sting in my eyes at the realization I’m no longer alone, surviving like a floating ship in unknown waters. Of course, there’s Jinyoung, but he can’t be there in ways the pretty lady can. 

Y/N is my anchor now. 

“Don’t go.” I can’t suppress an ugly sob, gripped by fear at the vision of ending up alone in spite of the promise. To go back to the way I was, on the brink of being lost forever. “Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t,” she murmurs into my hair, lovingly running her fingers through it to calm me down. “I’m here, Jaebeom. I’m here. Until I can’t anymore.”

For a little while, we sit like this beneath the willow. The world shrinks and fades into a blur of autumn shades in October, its sounds gradually becoming nothing more than indistinguishable white noise. 

They rise in volume again when I’ve stopped crying, the reality filtering in by sharpening the song of robins and nature dressed in warm tones of red and gold.

We exchange numbers. As she types hers into my phone, she promises to send me daily reminders to take my medicine and threatens to spam me with them until I send a confirmation. Guess I finally have something to look forward to aside from Jinyoung’s cooking.

Coming back was a good decision after all. I want to try for you. Until I can’t anymore.

“And you can call me whenever you like too,” she shyly remarks as we switch back our devices.

My ears perk up as a delighted buzz leaves me trembling. “Really?” I yelp, my tail quickly swishing back and forth. My nerves are on edge with delight, limbs ready to pounce on her. But I don’t.

Because I am human.

And I don’t want to give off the wrong impression.

But your body tells me something else. No! Not without your consent.

“Yes, because I... well, aside from being with you, I like... your... your voice.”

“I like yours.” I lean in and run my tongue over her lips like before. Does that count as a kiss? 

“And I like your scent,” I add, purring as I trace my fingers over her arm to her wrist. 

“Uhm, Jaebeom, what- what are you doing?”

I press it against my nose, drunkenly nuzzling it while trying to conceal my panting. “I’m scenting you so they’ll know you’re mine.” To strengthen the claim, I leave a stronger imprint of my own scent on her by giving it a firm lick. Even her skin tastes of spring. “You smell really nice.”

“I’m glad you, ah, like my perfume, but,” a strange panic creeps into her voice after a pained squeak when I sink my teeth into her flesh, “JB, I think you should stop. People are watching.”

“Let them.’’ The taste of iron floods the senses, raising the beast within further to the surface. Notwithstanding, I fight the urge to pin her to the ground for a proper mating. So all I do is help the healing by licking the ridged skin of the shallow wound. A wolf’s saliva works as a disinfectant and anti- ant- health advancer. ‘’I want them to know I’m your mate.”

Besides, how else am I supposed to mark you?

“Mate? What? JB, are you okay? You’re starting to make less and less sense.” A small warm palm cups my cheek, initiating a lock of gazes. Frantic with concern, she searches for a reason as to what I’m going through in my gaze though I doubt if she will. “You’re burning up.”

I weave my fingers through those on the side of my face, a wistful smile on my lips. “I’m forgetting myself again. You wouldn’t understand when I’d say I’m slowly fading and not just forgetting as I told you. And it’s gotten worse because of you.”

“Be- Because of me?”

“It’s not a bad thing.” To assure her it’s not as grave as she thinks, I close my eyes and hum in pure content. After all, I could lose my humanity a lot faster in a less pleasant way. At least it’ll be slower now that I have something to fight, to live for. “You don’t understand the significance of it and I don’t want you to.”

“You’re talking nonsense. You’re not going anywhere soon. Let’s go home before your fever gets any worse.”

Our fingers disentangle, mine gliding over the indentation I’ve left behind on her wrist before I wrap my arms around her waist. Her heart races in my ear when I rest my head on the softness of her breasts, her breath falling still in an instant when I place her hand on my head. Hopefully, Y/N will catch on to what I mean by it. “Yeah, it’s definitely getting worse, but I looked forward to this. This park outing. So can we please stay like this for a little longer? A nap might make me feel... bet... ter.”

The wish is granted, because she runs her hand through my hair. Hesitantly at first, but quickly setting a pace for herself that lets me rest tranquilly.  

In the sky above, the moon looks down on us. If I wasn’t sleepy, I would howl to it and sing a wolf song. Instead, I purr and bask in my mate’s presence until I lose conscience. “Hm, nice.”

I love you and always will. My love will never change. I swear so by the moon.

[mythologyfolklore]

Panoply of the stars

(A/N: Uriel feels blue and Astaroth cheers them up a little, makes veiled jabs at capitalism and racism and causes a blackout in all of NYC, just so they can watch the stars. Meanwhile Asmodeus gets unusually sentimental and nostalgic and Raphael tries to do damage control.)

.

Uriel had never liked being among people.

No matter how hard they tried, they could never help but be frustrated at how slow the minds of humans were in comparison to their own.

The Archangel didn't mean to be condescending and definitely didn't want to come across as a know-it-all. They loved sharing their knowledge and giving humans a bright idea or a little nudge towards the truth here and there. But trying to get down to a human level was just so hard!

The bits of wisdom and knowledge Uriel could feed humans with were microscopical and carefully considered. It was frustrating. However, the human mind was so limited and fragile, that showing them too much would damage them beyond repair, if the Archangel wasn't extremely careful (and Uriel had been reprimanded several times for accidentally driving humans mad).

It was just so tiring to interact with people (not just humans, people in general), that the Archangel just wanted to be left alone most of the time. So Uriel buried themselves in their study in their own Heavenly quarters most of the time, with writing, literature and art.

Every time they came to Earth, they usually tried to get their job done as quickly as possible

The Archangel of Healing would spend 90% of his time here, running his several pharmacies and helping people in need. Raphael was just too sweet and tender for this world, though that was just Uriel's humble opinion.

Then again, Uriel was also the Angel of Judgement, notorious for being as merciless as any demon – and they were judgemental. They were also the most radical and temperamental Archangel (even Gabriel had more chill and he had incinerated Sodom and Gomorrah without batting an eye).

Uriel felt like they didn't fit in.

Not that anyone other than the Almighty would understand.

.

Right now, it was night time and Uriel was sitting on the edge of the roof of a sky scraper, dangling their legs and enjoying the feeling of the chilly wind in their snow white hair.

They had come to visit Raphael in his surgery in the US, but found themselves unable to.

So they just leaned back and hoped that, if they looked hard enough, they would be able to spy a star.

No such luck.

Stupid fucking light pollution.

It made Uriel upset; they had always loved the stars.

To cheer themselves up a little, they began to hum “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”.

But as they came to the third verse, a quiet noise (which was definitely not the wind or the traffic below) made them tense up. Their face darkened; this low, voiceless laugh they would recognise anywhere.

As they turned around to glare at the newcomer, they found a tall woman with tan skin and black hair, smiling and waving hello.

“Did you have to sneak up on me like that?!”, Uriel hissed.

The woman just kept smiling.

Uriel glared harder. “Don't play coy with me, demon! You wanted to startle me into falling off the roof, so that I would have to spread my wings right above the buzzing road, if I didn't want to discorporate!”

The other person smirked and signed: “Guilty as charged. But won't you say hello? Really, you need to learn some manners. I am a Prince and an Archduchess, after all.”

“Go back to Hell!”, Uriel spat.

But when the other just wagged their finger, they gave in and huffed: “Fine. Good evening, Astaroth. What do you want?”

Astaroth changed her shape and a second later stood before Uriel as the blue-haired, pale-faced menace they knew so well. She tucked away her wings (safe for the head pair) and sat beside them.

“I was merely enjoying my vacation”, she signed.

The Archangel held back a snort; of course she was on vacation. The demonic Archduchess was the kind of demon, who would put a decent amount of effort into her work, but also milk every minute of free time she could get.

“That doesn't answer my question, though”, Uriel pointed out. “Again, what do you want from me? Do you have nothing to do? Like tempting people to sloth, making them doubt themselves or giving your summoners all the knowledge they could ever dream of, while robbing them of their place in Heaven, like the manipulative, vile seductress you are? Like in the old days, when you deluded humans into worshipping you as Inanna¹?”

Astaroth smiled lopsidedly and signed: “You flatter me. But I'm not Asmodeus.”

“Definitely”, the Archangel muttered. “At least that arsehole has a work ethic!”

Asmodeus was quite industrious and invested in zir temptation work, which was one of the things that made zir so dangerous. With the Prince of Lust, you could never catch a break; ze was brilliant, subtle and resourceful, but also extremely infuriating. It had taken Uriel almost three thousand years to figure out, how Raphael could stand being around zir for longer than five minutes.

“That aside, Ashtoreth”, Uriel continued, “I'm really in no mood to play your twisted mind games, so fuck off and leave me alone! You being an Archduchess of Hell doesn't give you the right to interrupt my moment of peace and quiet!”

“Watch your language, Archangel”, Astaroth signed with a frown. “It's unbecoming of a heavenly being to be so stroppy and you know it.”

The hoary Archangel just grunted in response.

They knew, that the demoness had a point: they swore way too much. Michael scolded them for it all the time. But they refused to give Astaroth the satisfaction of admitting that she was right.

“You're also quite patronising”, she kept signing, “You ought to treat your elders with more respect.”

“… Seriously?! Are we going there again? You think you being older than me automatically entitles you to my respect? Oh no, that's not how it works! If you want my respect, you have to earn it!”

The blue-haired Archdemon arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”, she mouthed. “That sounds suspiciously like those capitalist corporates, who keep drilling it into people's heads, that if they can't contribute anything to society, they're worthless and undeserving of basic respect and dignity. Then again, they also do the same to non-white people, no matter how hard they work.”

Uriel stared at the demon in utter horror.

Did she really perceive it like that?! They hadn't meant to- they weren't like- they didn't mean or even want to come across like that!

“What, no! You know that's not what I'm trying to say!”, they cried frantically, “What I mean is-”

She put a finger on their mouth and shushed them. “I get what you mean”, she responded, this time telepathically. “You're forgetting, that I know you.”

Yes, know them she did indeed – and Uriel hated her for it.

“How many times have we had this conversation now?”, she inquired. “56 098 times?”

“56 099”, Uriel corrected tiredly. “This one included.”

Suddenly the Archangel felt so exhausted, they wanted to just curl up on that roof and take a nap right then and there. But they weren't stupid enough to do that with Astaroth next to them.

The demon clicked her tongue to get their attention again.

“That aside”, she signed, “I simply chose to join you, because I saw you sitting here on the edge of the roof of a skyscraper, like you wanted to jump and discorporate yourself. I wanted to see what the matter is.”

The Archangel glared at her. “I did not want to discorporate myself by jumping off the roof! Not that it would matter, because my wings would open up reflexively before I hit the ground anyway.”

She tilted her head. “Have you tried it before?”

“Wh- no! Why would I-?” But when they saw her sceptical expression, they gave up. “Alright, fine. Yes, I have tried to kill my previous meat suits before. The last one was male and … and …”

“You couldn't stand having a gross meat roll and balls dangling between your thighs?”, Astaroth guessed.

Uriel bit their lip, but nodded.

Astaroth signed: “Sucks to have to deal with a body you don't want. But back to the matter at hand: why won't you tell me what has you so down in the dumps?”

She put on a winsome smile and Uriel looked away. They would not talk about their problems with her of all people. It was none of her business.

Gently the Archdemon cupped their pallid cheeks, forcing them to face her again.

Her smile said: Come on. Unburden your heart to me.

“You're the enemy”, the Archangel muttered. “Why would I tell you my problems? I have friends and siblings to talk to.”

Her smile became a tad amused: But you don't talk to them.

“I hate you”, Uriel grumbled.

The twin-sister of Lucifer just shrugged, like the smug bitch she was.

With a wave of her hand she encouraged them to speak.

“You wouldn't understand”, the Archangel tried to excuse themselves.

“Try me”, the fallen Evening Star challenged.

“You do not care about your siblings like I care about mine.”

Her black eyes flashed and they could tell she knew it was about Raphael.

There was no point in denying it.

“I know what happened”, the Princess of Hell signed. “Asmodeus told me.”

“Did ze now”, Uriel mumbled.

“Yes. I must admit, I didn't think the little healer had it in him. Pretty ballsy, opposing the Angel of Death, knowing that she could destroy him with just a swing of her scythe.”

Which made the fact, that Raphael had opposed Azrael even more insane.

He was lucky that she was the benevolent and patient Angel she was. Still, Uriel had never seen her so emotional, let alone upset. Ever.

The Angel of Knowledge groaned in despair and grabbed their head with both hands.

“Dammit, Raphael … why did you have to go and screw over Azrael of all Angels?!”

Astaroth clicked her tongue, making Uriel look up and glare at her.

“Now, now”, she signed, “You're talking as if he was fallen or dead. But Raphael is fine, isn't he? He has just been banished to Earth for a while. He has not been stripped of his powers, his immortality or even the Grace of God. On top of that, he spends most of his time on Earth anyway, doesn't he? So what difference does it make?”

Uriel just sighed. To them it made a huge difference.

“Is that what you came here for?”, the Archduchess inquired. “To visit Raphael?”

The Archangel wasn't sure, if the answer was yes or no, but they replied anyways. “Actually, I came here to do my job. I just wanted to give inspiration and little ideas to burned out college and university students. And then I thought … while I'm here, why not visit Raphael? At this hour he's working in the night pharmacy he has here, as you probably know.”

The blue-haired Princess of Hell nodded affirmatively.

“But … when I came near his pharmacy …” They didn't want to finish that sentence.

But they didn't have to, because as soon as their pale red eyes met with the black ones of Astaroth, she understood.

She gave them a pitying look and patted their left hand (Uriel felt their skin crawl at the demon's touch). And then all of the sudden – a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“What are you plotting?”, they queried with narrowed eyes.

Ashtaroth only smiled serenely, which made Uriel even more suspicious.

Then she snapped her finger … and all the lights in the city went out at once.

The only light sources were now the moon, the heavenly gleam emitting from the Archangel and the eerie red glow coming from the Princess of Hell.

.

In another part of the city, Archangel Raphael was trying to calm down his freaked out customers.

“Everybody settle down!”, he cried out. “It's just a blackout. There is no reason to panic!”

“Hold on!”, a female voice piped up, “I think I got this – wait a second!”

And a lamp in the pharmacy went back on.

The frightened people relaxed a little and went on to get their prescribed medication from Raphael (they always got it for free, no matter how expensive it was. The people had no idea how he could afford that, but they loved him for it. Little did they know that he was an Archangel in disguise, using too many miracles to get his hands on expensive meds, keep pharmaceutical giants off his back and pay his bills).

Through the commotion, Raphael turned to the person next to him and whispered: “What the heck is going on?!”

“Must have been a demonic miracle”, the other whispered back. “Certainly wasn't me, though.”

Raphael frowned, but went back to handing out the exact medication each of his customers needed.

Meanwhile the person limped over to the window to see, if the blackout affected the neighbourhood as well.

“Damn! Seems like the whole city has been affected – OH WOW! EVERYBODY, LOOK AT THE NIGHT SKY!”

The delighted outcry caused everyone to run out and see it for themselves.

There were oohs and aahs, like they had never seen a really dark sky before – and considering this was New York, they probably hadn't.

A small child in a wheelchair asked her parents: “Mommy, daddy! What are those things! Are they UFOs?”

“Holy shit! They are!”, an adult man cried.

But then someone started to cackle and everybody turned to a tall blonde woman with a walking cane.

“Silly man!”, Asmodeus snickered. “Those aren't UFOs! Those are the stars! And that white structure running across the sky, that's our galaxy, the Milky Way! Have you never seen a starry sky before?”

“… Nah”, the man admitted sheepishly. A few others admitted that neither had they.

The girl in the wheelchair tugged at Asmodeus' coat. “Ma'am, are you sure they're not aliens?”

Asmodeus nodded. “Absolutely. Now, don't look so disappointed!”, ze laughed at the child's pout. “Look at the stars! Don't you think they're pretty?”

The kid's pout morphed into a huge smile and she nodded enthusiastically.

Meanwhile Raphael had joined the crowd outside.

When he looked up, he too couldn't help but be in awe. It had been ages, since he had seen such a dark sky and it was just so …

“Raphael.”

The Archangel of Healing turned to his nemesis. To his shock, zir eyes were misty (of course it was too dark for the humans to notice, but he saw it nonetheless) and ze was visibly struggling to keep zir emotions in check.

“Look at the stars!”, ze whispered. “Look at them! When was the last time we saw a sky like this, you and I? I can see all of the constellations, big and small! I can see my constellation! I … I can see my star!”

When one thought about it, it was actually irrational to get so excited, as the Polaris, the star in question, was the brightest star of the constellation it belonged to (Ursa Minor) and one of the brightest in the night sky. And it didn't even belong to Asmodeus' constellation (Ursa Major)².

But that was a human's point of view.

The Prince of Lust – as a demon, who taught zir summoners astronomy, among other things – was wired differently. And so was Archangel Raphael.

He smiled: “Yes. They're spectacular. Just like you.”

Ze whirled around and stared at him in surprise. Then zir expression softened.

“Silly, little Archangel”, ze muttered.

But Raphael didn't fail to notice the faint blush on the Archdemon's face even in the darkness.

And the Archangel couldn't help but grin just a little.

Only a handful of people could get Asmodeus – the notorious Prince of Lust, King of Demons, spouse of Lilith, etc. – flustered and blushing like a teenager.

.

“Did … did you just cause a motherfucking blackout in the entire city of New York?!”, Uriel asked incredulously.

But ere they could do something to fix the chaos, Astaroth snickered.

“Don't worry”, she signed. “I made it so that hospitals aren't afflicted. After all, I wouldn't want Raphael the Demon-Slayer on my back, would I? But fear not, no one is going to die tonight. Well, apart from the mandatory crime victims that happen almost each and every other night.”

Uriel opened their mouth to protest, but she just put a finger onto their mouth and then pointed heavenwards.

Their eyes followed her hand in confusion, only to widen in surprise.

The blackout had neutralised the light pollution.

And there were the stars, decorating the sky and shining down onto the world in all their splendour. There was the Milky Way and Uriel could see the constellations they were responsible for.

“You wanted to see this, didn't you?”, Astaroth asked telepathically. “I saw the longing in your eyes, as you looked at the sky earlier. And …” she grinned, “… you were humming 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star' of all songs.”

“Shush”, Uriel grumbled, but couldn't really find it in their heart to be angry.

And judging by the coy smile on Astaroth's face, she was quite aware of it.

“Just lean back, look up to the stars and relax”, she signed. “Who cares about the chaos and the mass panic of those silly humans? Raphael can fix that for you.”

For once the Angel of Knowledge followed that advice, knowing that they could indeed count on the Healing Angel to handle this.

.

The two lay like that on the roof for a few hours, just enjoying the extremely rare view of a really dark and starry night sky over New York.

Then the Archduchess whistled lowly to catch the Archangel's attention.

Uriel gave her a questioning glance.

But the look they received in return made them sigh: an encouraging smile. And Uriel knew exactly what Astaroth wanted to encourage them to do.

Although, now that their mind was more at ease, they thought they could do it.

The hoary Archangel rose and the Archdemon followed.

“Can you come with me?”, Uriel asked. A childish request really, but just to be sure they would actually do it.

In response she took one of their hands and teleported both of them a few yards away from the pharmacy, where Raphael seemed to be seeing off a few customers.

Having brought the Archangel of Knowledge where they wanted to be, Astaroth gave them a slight nudge into the other Archangel's direction, before waving goodbye and teleporting herself elsewhere.

Uriel took a deep breath, told themselves to stop being a wuss and went over to say hello.

To Uriel's agitation (though not to their surprise), that smug arsehole Asmodeus was there too.

And sure enough, ze noticed them first: “Oh, Raphael! Look who has come to visit you!”

Raphael whirled around and his face lit up brighter than the sun.

“Uriel!”

At once the hoary Archangel was tackled by the small bespectacled brunet that was Archangel Raphael and he was beaming up at them.

“What a pleasant surprise!”, he exclaimed happily. “I didn't know you were in New York!”

Asmodeus cleared zir throat, reminding them that ze was there.

“I'm leaving you two to it”, ze told them. “I don't really appreciate being the third wheel, so I'll be on my merry way.”

Then ze addressed Uriel. “By the way, you don't happen to know, who caused the blackout?”

Uriel sighed: “Astaroth. She wanted to watch the stars with me. She also took me here.”

Asmodeus pouted: “Aww! Really, she could at least have said hello! Oh well. I suppose I'll have to thank her later, for this beautiful night sky.”

With a wink ze added: “Thank you for this night, Raphael! It was delightful! See you soon, my beloved nemesis! And I suppose you too, Uriel. Bye!” Then ze was gone.

Uriel scowled at the spot from which the Prince of Lust just had vanished.

“Fucking arsehole!”, they grumbled.

“I know”, Raphael chuckled. “But let's not dwell on that! Oh, it's so good to see you! It's so sweet of you to visit! I miss you all so much, you have no idea! You have to tell me everything! How have you been? How are our siblings? And the other Angels, are they okay?”

Uriel smiled: “Don't worry, everyone is fine.”

“Come inside with me!”, the smaller Archangel bubbled excitedly. “I will fix us both some coffee. I have to go back to London in a few hours, but until then we will have a lot to talk about!”

Then he pulled them inside.

.

---

.

1) Inanna: Mesopotamian goddess of love, sex, beauty, fertility, war, the planet Venus, justice and political power. Also known as Ishtar and eventually as Astarte/Ashtoreth, from whom Astaroth is derived. 2) In the Testament of Solomon, Asmodeus mentions to Solomon, that zir star (i.e. constellation) is the Big Dipper, which belongs to the constellation Ursa Major. My headcanon (and it's really just that, I swear) is that Asmodeus was formerly the Angel of the Polaris, among other things. The Polaris (which is currently the north star), however, is part of another constellation, the Ursa Minor.

[yn-dreamlife]

Omega

Alpha!Cas x Omega!reader 

Warnings: asshole cas (in begging), degreasing, angst, protective dean and Sam, ABO dynamics, fluff

Description: upon first meeting Cas thinks of you as nothing more than your presentation, he quickly learns you are much more than that and can only hope to one day gain your trust and friendship, maybe even more. 

Me, Sam, Dean and Dad where all in a wear house lined from top to bottom in every single sigil we could think of and yet the roof still shuddered and the wind still howled as the oncoming threat came closer. instinctively the three alphas stepped closer to me to protect me, yet still gave me my space. Even though I was an Omega they knew I could handle my own. 

Suddenly the doors burst open and in walked a man clearly an alpha. He had bright blue eyes and scraggly black hair that seemed perfect on top of his head, his face was hard and unreadable the tan trench coat flowing behind him slightly. He had on a suit which quickly became littered with holes as shot after shot was fierce into him, but nothing happened.  He walked up to Dean and grinned wickedly when dean stabbed him, again nothing. “What the fuck are you?” I gasped, never had any monster surpassed every sigil, every trap, and every fighting tool you guys had. 

“Nothing of your concern, Omega.” The way he growled my presentation out made me hate it even more. 

“Watch it asshole, that’s my daughter.” Dad growled at him. The dark haired man rolled his eyes. 

“She is of little importance to me, as she holds no real purpose, besides bringing alpha pups into the world.” Everyone growled around you, he wasn’t just shaming your presentation anymore he was shaming your exsistance. And these men weren’t gonna let that slide, but nether was I. I taught every omega urge in me to submit to the overpowering alpha in front of me.

I squared my shoulders growling lowly baring my teeth. “I don’t know who you think you are waltsing in here and insulting me but you’re talking to the wrong fucking girl if you think I’m gonna sit here and take it like a good little bitch. Because I’m no ones fucking bitch in heat, I’m certainly not going to gravel at your feet like you are some god.” I spit the words out like bile.

He had a look in his eye now I couldn’t place. Suddenly lighting flashed and giant black wings showed behind him. “I am Castiel angle of the lord.” He spoke on a low voice, I once again had to fight my inner omega.

“Well mr angle of the lord you can kiss my ass if you think I’m gonna sit here and take your bullshit. What the fuck do you want?”

Cas’ p.o.v

I stared at the omega girl with interest, she wasn’t like others. She didn’t automatically submit to me which slightly angered me but even more than that in enticed me, my natural curious nature making me want to learn more about her.

I liked that she didn’t take as she called it my ‘bullshit’ even though I in fact was not carrying any excrement from a bull. I explained why I was here and to no ones shock they weren’t very willing to help.

[i know this isn’t the first hunt Cas went on or why he came just go with it please]

Your p.o.v

I rolled my eyes as we headed to a wearhouse. The angle boy needed help with some demons so we decided to help. He handed us something I quickly dubbed as an angle blade cause well it was it had the ability to kill demons so I was pleased to have it knowing I could also kill any angle dicks.

Dad decided to go home since demons always upset him after mom died. We walked into the wearhouse and of course it was to quiet. Castiel said something about being able to sense them I call bullshit because the next thing I know were surrounded.

I don’t think before I move charging at two coming up behind the angle quickly taking them out. “Don’t just stand there move!” I yelled at him. I saw him move into another room and followed after him to protect him while he got out the people we needed to rescue. He was healing them and undoing there bounds while I killed demon after demon.

It hurt slightly because there where people inside them. But I pushed the thought down it was to late now. Suddenly Cas grabbed the people and disappeared.

“Freaking angles.” I muttered believing he left us for dead I came out and saw Sam and dean both where struggling so I went up and started helping not noticing the two demons behind me. Suddenly I heard two body’s collapse and I looked to see Castiel had killed them with his hands. I nodded my thanks and kept going.

“How many more?!” I yelled at Castiel.

“None other than the ones in here.” He said simply. Once we finished then off I rushed outside to find the people my omega instincts kicking in. I walked over to the two omegas and the small children calming them quickly. I then moved to the alpha who was clearly scarred. I let out my scent once I noticed he wasn’t repulsed by it and gently purred trying to calm him. Once he was calm and no longer shaking I looked around to see everyone else was standing around me all looking calm even the angle.

“What?” I asked not understanding, I had only helped the one alpha so who helped the other three.

“You-“ Sam was cut off by dean.

“You managed to calm four raging alphas at one time!” He said shocked pulling me into a tight hug. I heard a low growl looking for it I saw the alpha male behind me growling at dean. I didn’t notice he wasn’t the only one.

I smiled at him “don’t worry this is my pack.” I said softly he nodded realizing that there indeed was no danger to me.

We returned them all to there homes Castiel erasing there memories or at least hiding them. He looked as if he was going to speak to me but I held my hand up walking away, I was still mad at him for the way he treated me.

We go back to the motel and the angle comes in saying we all did very well and he was great full. I didn’t look up so I didn’t notice the intense stare he gave as he spoke, the boys noticed realizing he was trying to tell you mainly.

After a while the boys where taking there stuff to the car or well dean was I think Sam went to get food and I have no idea where Angle boy is. I was hoping to snag the front seat before Sam could.

“She’s an omega Dean, she shouldn’t be in this line of work!” I rolled my eyes at the sound of Castiels voice through the door. Was he still on that even after I saved his ass?!

“She’s tougher than most alpha hunters I know! You should know that from how she saved you!!” I heard dean protest I knew the angle was making him mad and I smirked it triumph.

“She should be protected!” I heard the gruff voice of the angle once again.

“She is, but she also protects!” This time it was Sam who spoke, I didn’t even know he was out there.

“You two don’t understand she-“ I decided I heard enough and opened the door.

“You heard them, and don’t think I won’t kill you or anyone else who doubts me myself if anyone ever doubts me again because of my presentation.” I gave him a cold glare holding my chin up high. Ignore the pang I felt when he fixed me with a cold look.

I hated how Part of me wanted nothing more for him to hold me, hated the part of me that was drawn to him.

Years later your p.o.v

I woke up to a silent bunker which was very odd indeed, the boys wouldn’t still be asleep at this hour and they would be causing some sort of commotion had they been here. I pulled out my phone deciding to call Sam.

“Where are you?!” I yelled into the phone.

“Geez y/n/n calm down me and dean just went for a small hunt figured you could use some time away from us for a while before your heat.” He stayed calmly

I grumbled about them at least leaving a note since we all knew I hated being woken up. I said my goodbyes and hung up the phone and as always the silence brought a certain pair of piercing blue eyes to my mind. I hated how I was drawn to him, how his scent was everything home was suppose to be. How I craved his touch and wanted nothing more than for him to claim me.

But he made it very clear where I stood in his mind even if he had changed. The first words he said still where seared into my mind. I knew he only saw me as my presentation. An omega, as one I was suppose to be weak, submissive, loving, but I wasn’t I was as hot headed as an alpha. “Oh Castiel if only you could see me for how I truly am.” Suddenly he was standing in front of me.

“Baby you know I do.” He stayed simply. I jumped up a hand covering my heart.

“Geez angle boy don’t do that and don’t call me baby!” I scolded ignoring the way my heart fluttered. I saw him tilt his head but I merely rolled my eyes and walked away asking what he was doing here over my shoulder.

“I heard you say my name I thought my beautiful omega needed me.” I rolled my eyes grabbing a glass from the kitchen and filling it with water.

“No even though I may be an omega I don’t need help thank you very much. And I’m not your anything. ” I stared him right in the eye. The omega in me cowered at the thought of my upsetting this alpha who I needed so desperately but I would not back down. No matter how much I wanted to please him and see that amazing smile.

“What are you talking abo-“ I cut him off in rage.

“really your gonna pretend you don’t know?! Cause I seem to remember you seeing me as nothing more than a- hm let me think oh right! An omega who holds little importance and has no purpose in my life besides bringing an alphas pups into the world! Do you remember that?! Because I do! There’s not a night that your words don’t echo in my mind! Even though I saved your ass that day you never once apologized yeah I know I didn’t give you the chance that day but to be fair you never really tried any other time.” He stared at me and his expression was unreadable he went to speak but I continued my mouth moving before I thought of what I was saying.

“And the worst part?! I still need you! I still want you to want me like I want you! I want you to crave my touch and attention the way I do yours! I want you to see me as more than my status I want you to just-“ I was cut off by lips being pressed against my own.

But as soon as it was there it was gone. “W-wha-“ I was cut off again this time with words.

“Listen.” Much to my distaste I obeyed the omega winning and listening to the commanding tone of the blue eyes alpha in front of me. “I was wrong. When I first met you I was wrong, you are so much more than an omega. You have a greater purpose that I was to blind to see. I have craved your touch and your scent the day after our first hunt. I wanted to apologize I wanted to do anything to at least get you to look at me the way you do Sam or dean. I mean for fathers sake I wanted you to look at me as more than you did them, I wanted you to be mine but not only that I wanted to be yours.” He cupped my cheeks “but I’ve already told you that, that’s why I have your claim mark and you mine.” He whispered pulling his shirt collar down to show me.

I shook my head this isn’t real I was dreaming. I wasn’t gonna waste this dream.

“Prove it.” I whispered he stared at me wide eyed but it seemed to dawn on him what I meant. He came over to me his one hand cupping my face the other moving to my waist. He pulled me flush against him and my skin felt on fire everywhere he touched and I didn’t want it to be put out. The next thing I know he catches my lips in a searing kiss. I purr delighted by what was occurring it was cut of into a moan when his tongue moved into my mouth.

His lips trailed down my jaw as he pulled away moving to my neck teeth scraping against my scent gland. “Always wanted to claim you here, leave my mark for everyone to see. Always wanted you. Always. And now you’re mine.

“when I first met you I was confused, my body hummed when your scent hit my nose and I hated it, it made me feel human, feel weak. But the longer I was with you the more I realized that it did the opisite. It didn’t make me weak it made me strong, the need to protect you surged through me any time we where on a hunt together. But outside of hunts I still wanted you safe.

“I never knew if you truly hated me, sure I could have read your thoughts but the idea of doing that to you made my heart ache at the idea of me ruining what little trust I may have or finding out you truly felt that way about me. So I never did.”

I stared at him “but you still treated me-“

“The way I treated you was wrong but it was the only way I could stop myself from accidentally calling you omega in a way that gave away my true feelings. I didn’t think I could stop myself if I was to close to you.”

I bowed my head staring at my feet and eventually at his own when he stepped towards me again. A gentle lift of my chin with two fingers made me look at him.

“I know you may never truly forgive me, but im trying.” I shook my head and he looked hurt and tried to step away before hi could I grabbed his hand leaving it on my face.

”I already do, as crazy as that is.... I can’t stay upset with you.... alpha.” I whispered the last word worry filling my veins he must have smelt it because soon I was pulled into a hug.

The gentle purr leaving Cas as well as his scent calming me slightly but I only truly calmed down at the purr of his words. “Omega~” I hummed happily.

If I thought back to all the times he had said it there was always a hint of love, and need behind it hidden by fake hatred or disgust.

Suddenly I was ripped from my dream. Before I could control if I whimpered as small chirps left my lips. It hurt me every time but this time it felt so much more real. And even now as I’m awake his scent filled the air. Suddenly the bed dipped and my eyes snapped open to see a very worried Castiel pulling me into him.

“You’re alright it’s okay...” he whispered purring softly as he released more of his relaxing scent.

“I wish this was really happening.” I whispered my brain now thinking I had to still be dreaming.

“It is.” He whispered softly and he pinched my arm gently but enough to make me realize it was. I pulled away.

“But why-“

I was cut off “because what I said in your dream was really me omega. I truly do feel that way.” I purred softly as he scrapped his nails gently in my back.

“You really meant it?” The omega in me was practically howling in delight when he nodded. Without thinking I pressed my lips to his own happily content as he kissed back.

———

Me and Cas laid in bed together and soon he stood up and I did too. Seeing my freshly marked neck and me standing bare he pinned me to the wall growling in a playful way.

Suddenly I heard a low growl as the door behind us slammed open. I quickly turned to find Sam and dean. Clearly they misread the situation to be one of a threatening manor. Even though Cas was like there brother I was the omega of our pack.

“No!” I said quickly standing in front of Cas as the two alpha brothers stepped forward there eyes glowing threatingly.

“Mine!” I heard Cas growl lowly I knew he had bared his teeth in a threat. A freshly mated alpha was dangerous, ex specially if you threaten his omega. There movements stopped instantly but not as Cas’ words but at mine. There eyes only moved from my face to my neck. Never straying lower.

Cas made to move around me but I placed a hand on his chest. “No alpha.” My words broke him out of his urge to protect his mate and he looked to me his features softening. He noticed our state and quickly snapped on clothing for us. The boys both relaxed there eyes turning normal as they took a step back.

“So you two finally stopped being stubborn idiots.” Dean said smirking. This time I growled low and warning. Despite me being an omega dean lifted his hand.

“He didn’t mean it like that y/n/n we just both knew it was bound to happen you two beings true mates and all.”

I stared at him shocked. “A) how did you know that?! And B) why are you home?!”

Dean shrugged “Hunt was a bust and PAlease the way you two secretly pinned after one another whining softly as the other left it was obvious.” Cas must not have liked the tone because his chest puffed and I could smell an increase in his scent.

“You two should leave we literally just mated.” I backed myself into Cas’ chest smiling when his nose went to my neck and his arms encircled my waist. Sam and dean both smiled as if this was a normal occurnace.

Dean nodded and walked out of the room with a wink in my direction. Sam grabbed the door handle and just before it was closed he whispered a congrats I’m happy for you.

Once the boys where gone I felt a Cas relax fully and pull me tighter to him. “I never thought you where one for physical affection alpha.” I purred.

“Do you not like it?” He quickly went to pull away but my whine stopped him.

“I love it.”

“Good I’m glad. I love you, y/n. My beautiful omega.”

“I love you too Cassie bear my strong alpha.”

[byeoltoyuki]

A light in the night - jhs

↳ Pairing: Hoseok x You

❧ Genre : Fluff / Smut / shapeshifter Hoseok

❧ Words : +11k

❧ Summary: As a witch, you have seen many things. Fairies, goblins, mermaids, demons. But a black panther in the middle of a forest? Now, that was new.

                                  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

You stared helplessly at the empty jars on your shelf.

How.

You were in trouble. You had to prepare a vial of potion for one of your grandmother’s client but without the essential ingredient it seemed compromised. Why is it always so damn complicated to get things right in this house?? It was a wonder how you managed to miss out that you were running out of ingredients when you checked the stock almost every day. You groaned and palmed your face in despair. Of course it had to happen tonight out of all nights. Tonight, when you looked through the window all you saw was an endless pit of darkness. Not only was it nighttime but the clouds were threatening, ready to engulf everything on their way. Rain was pouring, hitting with so much strength the roof of your house you actually worried for a moment it would make a hole. Thunder roared startling you while a powerful and red lightning flashed through the sky. A kind of weather that didn’t inspire you to go outside.

“Dammit.” You muttered to yourself. “Ma.” You called for your grandmother that was busying herself in the room beside yours. You have been living with your grandmother just at the edge of a forest for almost all your life. She was an outstanding witch, well known and respected among your peers. And despite time finally catching up with her, she was still as energetic (sometimes even more than you) and just as powerful as ever. Nobody should mess with her. You wouldn't dare.

“I need to get some angelica archangelica. It seemed I missed our stock.”

Your grandmother huffed and peeked through the door, her eyes darting back and forth between you and the window, squinting lightly before scrunching her nose as another powerful lightning cleared the sky. “That doesn’t sound like a very good idea, my dear. Have you seen the weather outside?”

“I did. But didn’t Mina said it was urgent?” Truth to be told, you weren’t very convinced with your idea. Of course, you being a witch meant you could protect yourself from almost all kind of danger including storms and you didn’t risk much but still you would rather avoid if possible (who liked to get wet anyway?).

"Right. But it's always urgent with her. Are you sure you want to go?"

"You don't like to be late, Ma."

Your grandmother sighed in defeat. You had a point. Your grandmother always hated being late whenever it was at an appointment or with her work while you were rather on the side of people who had a bad tendency on being late and short on deadlines.

“Be quick then. Never know what lurk in this forest.” She shrugged

“Wild animals but you have nothing to worry about. I know almost all inhabitant of the forest.” Which was true. You weren’t only a witch, (a quite clumsy one not to say unlucky) you were a healer and a rather decent one (you could even boast and say that you were better than your grandmother on this matter) which resulted in you healing many creatures and animals that lived in this forest.

“Still. Be careful.”

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On your way to the forest you grabbed your red cloak and a hamper for the plants. As you opened the main door, you were welcomed with a strong and cold wind, howling, biting, cutting, forcing you to conjure an invisible wall around you to protect yourself from both the rain and the wind. With a long and tired sigh you stepped outside.

"Come on feet."

Despite the lack of light, you easily moved around the forest. Most of normal people was scared of this forest and you truly couldn’t comprehend their fear. Yes, the forest looked gloomy and dangerous with all the ominous noises, shadows and sometimes even smells but overall it was just like any other forest. Except maybe for the magical creatures that would roam around from time to time. You, however, walked around peacefully, looking around just in case you would catch a glimpse of animals you knew.

But shortly after your arrival came a long and deep howl quickly followed by deep and threatening growls. A pack of wolves were near by. Instead of minding your own business and look for the plants, you deviated from the road and followed the growls.

You arrived quickly in the middle of a clearing; a pack of wolves had surrounding something, growling loudly, barking, ready to pounce at it. You tilted your head, curiosity taking over your body and you saw exactly what they were growling at. A huge black male (or at least you believed so) panther. Your eyes widened in shock. What the hell was a panther doing in a forest? You almost stumbled while trying to have a good view on the panther but regained your composure right away.

“Stop!” Your words left your mouth in a yell without you even realizing it. This clearing was wolves' territory, you knew it and it was understandable that they were mad as another predator had crossed their lands.

But they listened.

The alpha turned his head to grunt at you thinking you were an intruder but hid his teeth once he got a glimpse of you. You looked past him and noticed that the panther was actually hurt, his paw was bleeding and he looked in bad shape. A normal panther would have growl back at those wolves but he didn’t and it worried you. Without hesitation you got closer, walking past the wolves (some growled, some moved from your way) and you halted right before the panther.

“Poor you. Who did that to you?” You talked to yourself, glancing back at the wolves, the alpha almost huffed at you and looked to the other side instead of you. You clicked your tongue annoyingly but averted your attention back to the panther. You crouched to his level and observed his reaction, his wounds.

“I won’t hurt you. And they won't hurt you either, will you boys?"  You didn't need to look at them to know that they were annoyed at you but then you heard their soft steps, leaving you alone with the panther.

"Will you let me touch you?”

The panther didn’t react to your words at all but you took it also as a sign that he wouldn’t try to bite you or worse. You stretched out you hand, halting midair to let him scent you before moving closer but he growled, showing his pointy teeth.

“Okay, don’t bite me!” You almost withdrew your hand to protect yourself from his bite but his eyes turned gold and it stopped your right in the spot. Golden eyes? Never heard of panther with those eyes. And not knowing bothered you but you decided for yourself that this panther wasn’t normal.

“Let me touch you, please.” You asked, your voice soft and gentle. Usually, there was a natural bond between you and the animals from the forest and yet with this panther it seemed more complicated. Different. But you couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was different. “I can help you.”

And it let you. You put your hand on his head and gathered your magic in your hands. A very light and soft green glow enveloped your hands spreading its warmth over his body and slowly the wounds disappeared.

“Better, right?” You patted his paw and straightened up, brushing your clothes to get rid of the dirt. “Now, I know you don’t bleed anymore but I’m sure you’re still weak. Follow me?”

The panther tilted his head curiously, gawking at you. You waved your hand and showed him the way. You expected him to protest but he didn’t and instead followed your lead.

                                                    ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

When you got home, the panther hesitated, at the door, sniffing around, sensing if there was any danger which made you smile softly at him. “Come here, you’re safe.”

“Oh Y/N you’re back!” You heard your grandmother before you could see her. “Did you find the plants?” She kept blabbering without paying you any attention or for the panther in the room for that matter.

"I was worried!" But then her eyes fell on the panther and she stopped abruptly talking, staring intensely at the panther. For a moment you wondered if she saw something else. Something you couldn’t see. “Oh. We have a guest? Nice boy.” And just like that she went back to her business, forgetting completely about the plants you were supposed to bring back with you (and which you didn’t).

A wet nudge startled you. While you were so busy pondering over your grandmother’s definitely odd reaction, you didn’t notice how the panther slowly joined your side. You looked at him, his golden eyes shining brightly at you and for a second something changed in them. You didn’t understand his nature and were too tired to ponder on the matter. Instead, you patted his head and smiled. “Come on, follow me. For tonight I’ll let you sleep in my room.”

He growled in acknowledge and followed you upstairs.

In the corner of your room, you put a fluffy blanket and a pillow, not like you actually knew what would suit a huge panther but you wanted it to be as comfortable as possible for your new friend. The panther sat at the door, watching your every move with interest.

“Here. You can sleep here.” You pointed proudly at the little nest you had prepared for him. Maybe you shouldn’t have expected a some kind of reaction from him because you got none except for a very intense golden staring that made you feel small and unease. There is something wrong with this panther.

But the panther had a mind of its own and instead of sleeping where he was supposed to he chose to sit at your door and wait patiently for your next move. You quirked a brow at him, surprised but at the same time you were too tired to discuss with a supposed animal.

“Fine. Do as you want.”

And he did.

When two hours later, after helping your grandmother to clean, you jumped on your bed, letting a long satisfied sigh, you were ready to fall asleep if it wasn’t for the sudden movement on the edge of your bed. You straightened up in your bed only to see the panther lying at your feet, staring back at you and wiggling his tail.

“That’s creepy.” You told him as if he could understand (a part of you knew he could). “You can’t sleep on my bed.” He moved his tail one more time before looking away without leaving your bed. “Hey!”

But he ignored you completely, leaving you no other choice but sleep with a huge panther right at your feet.

                                                    ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

The next morning you woke to the birds’ singing at your opened window (that you didn’t remember opening up before going to bed) and to the first rays of sun that hit your face. You groaned and hid your face under your blanket, refusing to wake up so easily. It didn’t last. The moment your tired brain remembered that you were supposed to wake up with a panther on your bed, you jolted in your bed. Your bed was empty. Odd.

Unwillingly you left your bed and started looking for the panther around your house which didn’t take you long. You barely made it downstairs that you heard your grandmother talking to someone.

“She’s young and naïve but a lovely soul.” She said and you guessed she was talking about you. But with who is she talking?

“Can you bring the hamper to the garden please, Hobi?”

You blinked when you saw your grandmother by the door leading to the garden with the panther by her side opening his mouth to take the hamper. You were completely incredulous, taken aback by how obedient he was compare to his behavior from last night. And here you thought you were good at bonding with animals and magical creatures, clearly you had underestimated your grandmother’s power.

“Good morning.” You decided to announce your presence.

“Oh, good morning dear.” Your grandmother smiled lovingly at you while someone else had completely ignored your presence and greetings.

“Rude.” You muttered to yourself and which made your grandmother laugh.

“He’s not sure how to behave around you.”

“You’re talking like he’s a person.”

“Well, who knows?” You do. You wanted to say. “Oh right. I’m supposed to prepare a potion for the Kims.”

Then it hit you. “Wait! Did you call him Hobi?”

                                                     ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

Through the whole day you felt eyes following your every move. Whenever you would go outside, soft noises followed you. Whenever you concentrated on making a potion or try a spell he would observe you from a corner while pretending being completely disinterested in you. It was confusing and a tiny bit annoying and on many occasions you almost messed up your potions but you decided to be an adult and just ignore him.

“Shit shit shit.” You panicked as you had added a wrong ingredient in your potion and suddenly what was supposed to be an easy and harmless potion became a venomous, green-ish potion that stink rotten flesh. It tried to escape the bowl only adding to your initial panic. The next thing you knew, you felt teeth and were pulled back from the table with a strong move. You fell on your butt and the liquid fell on the spot where you previously stood tearing apart the material of the floor.

“Well. I fucked up.” You turned your head to Hobi and stared blankly at him. Despite being weird around you, he had avoided you a nasty wound and you were thankful. “Thank you.”  

He turned his back on you and went back to his own mindless business, leaving you even more confused. But for the first time ever since you saved him from the wolves, you realized that maybe your grandmother was right. He wasn't just a panther, he was something more and by the way he acted you started doubting his real nature.

                                                     ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

When the night fell and the moon took its rightful place in the sky, you decided that you had done enough (mess) for the day and you should relax by the fire. Hobi was already half asleep by the fire, his head resting comfortably on his paws but as you got closer his ears twitched and he opened one eye just to peek at you. You halted for a second, waiting for his reaction  (almost expecting him to growl at you and tell you to leave)- none came and he went back pretending to sleep.

"You really don't like me huh." You commented but mainly to yourself.

You grabbed a chunk of wood and threw it on the fire before sitting on the fluffy carpet just next to the fire, stretching your hands out to warm them up. After a long and messy day it felt absolutely amazing to finally have a moment for yourself.

Your grandmother was humming a song from the kitchen, lulling you. You let yourself fall on your back and close your eyes for a moment to enjoy the warmness that spread through your body. You turned to your side only to meet a soft fur. Hobi while you were so busy relaxing had moved from its spot to get closer to you and let you use him as a cushion. You snapped your eyes open in surprise and raised your head to look at him, confused at his gesture. Hobi still had his eyes closed but he moved his tail from one side to another clearly waiting for you to snuggle against him. Which you did almost instantly, all too happy to have another source of warmness.

"God, that feels so nice."

                                                     ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

"Ma! I'm going to the forest!" You warned her before closing the door behind you.

Luckily for you, the weather was nice, not too hot and not too cold, just enough for you to wear a dress and enjoy the cool breeze that stroke your face.  You had made a whole list of ingredients you were supposed to get in the forest: plants, flowers, mushrooms, roots of trees and plats. After making the list you came to conclusion that you needed to refill the whole stock. At least this time the weather was on your side.

It took you thirty minutes of walking around to get to your favorite spot to collect ingredients. The forest looked more alive, more welcoming compare to the other night. The trees looked more green, more alive and less dangerous. You halted at a huge oak and put your hand on its massive trunk. You closed your eyes and let your magic touch it, feeling its energy. The oak was old but radiated with amazing good and healthy aura. A little bird broke your concentration with its chirping and quickly was followed by others.

"Oh hello lovelies." You smiled and stretched out your hand. One of the bird landed on your hand. The bird tilted its head and looked at you. "Aren't you cute." It chirped in reply and joined back his little friends in the air.

They were one of many reasons why you loved strolling in this forest, you had made many friends in there and sometimes you would spend hours talking to them.

But then something changed in the air. Birds panicked, flapping their wings around, trying to warn you about something. You frowned and quickly concentrated on your surroundings and then you felt it way before you could see it. A magical creatures was near by, spreading its anger, its dark energy all around the place.

The wind got suddenly strong and you had to close your eyes for a second to avoid any dirt in your eyes but then you heard it. A loud scream that sent shivers down your spine and you got goosebumps. You saw it. Huge wings, big body, angry eyes. Never in your life had you seen such creature, only in books. And yet, here just before you were a very angry Griffin. To say you were in awe would be an understatement. You had read much about those beautiful and rare creatures. Many thought they had long vanished from the world but you had a living proof before your eyes. The books were wrong.

The Griffin landed on the ground and he looked right at you, his eyes expressing all his anger for this world.

"Beautiful." You whispered. Your eyes were shining brightly as you admired the creature before you. You wanted to get closer, to appease his mind and maybe have a chance to bound with him.

But the Griffin didn't share your wish. You barely took a step towards it that it shrieked at you, spreading his wings and flapping them strongly at you, creating another strong wave of wind that pushed you backwards. You stumbled, unprepared to his attack, you almost fell on the ground if it wasn't for a strong pair of arms that wrapped protectively around your body, crashing you right against a strong chest.

"What-" You started confused at the sudden warmness and presence behind your back but you stopped yourself in the middle of your question as the presence's energy seemed all too familiar to you. You frowned and turned your head only to come face to face with probably the most gorgeous creature you had ever met. Why does he look familiar though? But before you could ask him another scream and another strong attack came towards you. Despite the strength of the attack and you being unprepared, neither your savior or you moved. His grip around your body tightened but he didn't budge and only stared angrily at the Griffin.  

It felt odd. There was definitely an unspoken conversation between the man and the Griffin, you could feel it but you just didn't understand how it worked.  You stared at both of them, looking back and forth before the Griffin screamed once more, disagreeing with something you didn't hear.

"Don't even think about it." The man behind you growled. And what a growl. Your whole body shook in fear and you felt your magic come to life under your skin, begging for release and to protect yourself and the man and yet your brain told you to stay still.

"Go." He ordered.

And the Griffin obeyed, leaving you both alone in the middle of the forest.

Still amazed and shook at the same time, you stared at the sky, almost expecting to see the Griffin flying over your heads, without realizing that your savior had finally let go of your body. He cleared his throat to get your attention and once you had a proper look at him, he didn't see as angry anymore.

You let out a 'who are you?' Without even realizing it.

"Not important."

"I beg to differ. You saved my life. Thank you." You tried to get closer to him but he was faster and put some distance between you, almost as if he was the one scared of you. You quirked a brow at him, silently questioning his behavior.

"Can I at least know your name?"

"You should go home. This forest is dangerous."

"Dangerous? I've spent years wandering around this forest and I can tell you it's one of the safest place in the world."

"Do you know how many dangerous creatures lurk around this place? Just because you got lucky for all this time, doesn't mean you won't get yourself killed. I won't always be around to save you." He sounded annoyed and ready to bounce at you if it meant he could snap some sense into your thick head. If only he knew you could be just as stubborn.

"Ridiculous. I can protect myself just fine."

"I saw that."

"He took me off guard! I've met many magical creatures before and I became friends with them!"

"You're impossible." He groaned. "Go home."

"Not gonna happen. I have work to do so if you excuse me." And just like that you turned your back on him, ready to go your way. Except he didn't take it so lightly your stubbornness. Before you could go any further, he appeared before you and the next thing you knew he lifted you off the ground and threw you on his shoulder. "Put me down! How dare you!" But no matter how much you protested, how much you hit him, he didn't budge and didn't feel the pain.

"Why can't you just be a nice girl?" He snarled at you

"Put me down or I'm going to curse you!"

He snorted at your threat and started walking, unfazed with your attempt to free yourself. You were desperate and mad. You should have used your magic to free yourself, to get rid of him and yet your magic got suddenly so calm and unwilling to cooperate with your wishes. Too calm. It wasn't almost as if your magic understood the man, his intents and didn't want you to fight him. It was confusing and a tiny bit upsetting.

Oddly enough, with a blink of an eye you found yourself at your doorstep. He put you back on the floor once inside the house, but his hands lingered a little more than necessary on your hips. You stared at each other, all too aware of the thick tension between you too. At least it was the case until your grandmother came in sight.

"Oh Hobi, you're back!" Your grandmother said happily. "And with Y/N!"

"Yeah. She got in trouble with a Griffin." He ruffled his hair and approached your grandmother  without looking back at you.

"A griffin? Haven't seen one around for a decade!"

"They migrated to Ural. I don't know what this one was doing here."

They kept chatting as if you weren't in the same room as them. You were bewildered at how familiar this man was with your grandmother, almost as if he was a long lost friend that you had never met before.  

"Hobi?" You repeated to yourself and your eyes fell right on the man beside your grandmother. The sound of your voice reminded them that you were still here, listening to their every words. Hobi's attention was now back on you. His eyes were glowing. Golden bright eyes that were staring back at you with so much intensity you actually shivered and cowered. Those familiar eyes, you knew them. They had been looking at you for the past few days. And then it finally dawned on you. The man who had saved you was none of other than Hobi, the black panther. You hiccuped in surprised before pointing at him. "You little bugger! What the hell?!"

"Oh I sense trouble." Your grandmother seemed way too amused to your liking but luckily for you, your anger was mainly directed to the man and not her. She left without another word to let you time to settle things.

"Why were you pretending to be a panther?" You couldn't believe your own senses, your own magic had betrayed you like that. You should have known, have seen that the panther wasn't just a panther but actually a man. A man you let sleep in your bed. Realizing this fact your face heat up, embarrassed and bothered at the same time. You wanted to kick his ass to hide your embarrassment.

"I wasn't pretending." He groaned. "My name is Hoseok and I'm a shapeshifter."

You halted for a second, holding back another snarky remark. "A shapeshifter?" He nodded. "Oh."

"When you healed me, I was still too weak to use my own magic and turn back into human. I wasn't playing with you or anything."

"My grandmother knew about you, that's why she called you Hobi?"

"I've met her once before through a mutual friend so yes, she had recognized me."

"I see."

"Y/N?"

You didn't answer. You looked at him, the man, the very handsome man before you. You didn't like how your heart skipped a beat at his change of behavior. He, the panther, had been rude and ignored you (not all the time, you had to admit it to yourself) and yet, now that he was looking at you with the same golden eyes, you felt his worry. Was he scared that you would suddenly hate him? You were upset, yes but not with him. With yourself. You didn't know how to feel about him but there was two things you were damn sure. One, you seriously needed to get stronger (how could you not see his real nature bothered you). And two, Hoseok was a very dangerous man. Especially for your heart. With this on mind, you chose to leave him alone and go to the safety of your room where you could ponder more on the matter.

"Well. It wasn't that bad, was it?" Your grandmother appeared by Hoseok's side, surprising him as he didn't sense her presence at all and she patted his back affectionately.

"Depends. Is she going to curse me?" Despite talking to your grandmother, Hoseok had his eyes on the stairs that you had just left to get to your room.

"I doubt that. Don't worry. She'll come around."

Except you didn't. Or at least not as soon as your grandmother expected you to. You didn't mind having Hoseok around but you just couldn't face him that easily or stay in the same room for more than five minutes because you would feel his longing and burning gaze on you. Hoseok unsettled you completely and confused you more.

Hoseok was probably one of the most amazing guys you had ever crossed path. Not only was he good looking but he was fun, nice, caring and always willing to help your grandmother wether it was for work or to carry around heavy things. She was fond of him, you saw it. You expected it. And you couldn't help but appreciate him a little more than you should.

On many occasions you wondered why Hoseok stayed at your place, after all his magic was fully restored and he had no reason to stay. Maybe he had a deal with your grandmother and you weren't aware of it or maybe (and a tiny part of you hoped it was the case) he just liked your company. Hoseok, after all, was a nice addition to your life, to your family.

You let out a long and desperate sigh. He was making impossible for you not to like him. What a nuisance! And you went back on cutting your vegetables more vigorously than ever.

But then, barely five minutes later a loud noise from the hall interrupted your cooking. The noise wasn't however what broke your concentration. Far from it. Your magic was. You felt him, your magic trying to reach for him, pushing you towards him. You closed and took a deep breath to calm down but when you opened them again, you regretted it instantly. Hoseok carried heavy boxes, sleeveless arms, messy hairs, drops of sweat running down his face. You gulped hard and averted your eyes as fast as you could for the sake of your own sanity.

"Are you planning on ignoring him forever?" Your grandma started and you clenched your hand over your chest (the knife fell right off your hands), your heart pounding hard and fast.

"Dammit Ma! Are you trying to kill me after all?"

"If I did, I'd be more creative, darling."

That, you had absolutely no doubt and you wouldn't want to find it out.

Hoseok walked by one more time and both of you tilted your head to check him out.

"He has a nice butt."

"Ma!"

"What? I'm old but I can appreciate a nice view too! You should too." She nudged you playfully. "You should talk to him. I'm sure you would get along."

Yeah and I can fall for him. You thought bitterly. Because honestly? You had absolutely no reasons to dislike this man, quite the opposite.

"Would it be a bad thing?"

"Did you just read my mind?"

"No." She smiled mysteriously at you that didn't make you feel better and instead you were only more suspicious of what else your grandmother could actually do. "But it's written all over your face."

                                                   ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

It was on a nice and sunny Friday afternoon that you felt a very familiar presence at the edge of the forest. You halted in your work which consisted on displaying the different plants on your terrace to dry them. You scrunched your nose as your magic came to life under your skin, trying to reach for this familiar presence. You closed your eyes and let your magic spread around the place, flying over the forest and looking for the intruder. Oddly enough, even if you could feel his of her magic, you couldn't see the person which was quite disturbing. You frowned and leaned over the fence, tightening your grip unconsciously till your knuckles turned white.

"Where are you." You wondered out loud.

But then, something particularly strange happened. Everything stopped around. Wind, howling from afar, birds chirping. All the natural noises just froze. But not only the noises. You saw the leafs freezing in the air; something or someone had stopped the time. Time? A perfect image formed in your head. A memory from your childhood that you thought you had long forgotten. There was someone who could slip through your radar. Someone who could control time and space. Someone powerful beyond your comprehension. Namjoon. When you were a child, you were just in pure amazement with only his presence but now that you were older you understood just how strong, how different from you he was.

You forgot to breath when your eyes landed on the person who was hiding in the shadow. You recognized him straight away. It had been more than ten years and he hadn't changed a bit. Always the same blank expression, deep eyes that held the whole universe in them (it always confused you but you felt this way whenever you looked him in the eyes, you saw it).

Namjoon stared back at you, his eyes examining you from head to toe. You looked familiar, especially your eyes but he couldn't really pinpoint who you were and where he had met you before.

"Who are you?" Namjoon finally asked, his voice sounded way more deeper than you remembered.

"Hello Namjoonie." You waved your hand almost cutely and he frowned at your boldness. Namjoon looked confused and a tiny bit annoyed but it didn't worry you that much, instead you winked at him.

"What." He muttered to himself before something in his brain snapped. Those playful warm eyes should have gave you away instantly and he scolded himself for being so slow. Namjoon's whole demeanor changed; a huge smile spread on his face as he got closer.

"You changed." He stated the obvious which made you chuckle.

"Well, considering I was seven the last time I saw you, I'm glad I changed." You forgot all about your work and approached him. He was just as tall as you remembered and still as inhumanely handsome which made sense since he wasn't human either.

"Was it that long?" He smiled sheepishly at you and rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "Time flies differently for me."

"I bet it does."

"You grew into a beautiful woman."

"Flattery won't get you nowhere."

Namjoon laughed heartily in response.

"Why are you here, Namjoon?" You asked curious

"I was looking for Seolhee since I felt my friend around your house.

"Your friend?"

"I believe he's talking about me." You should have felt Hoseok but you didn't which resulted in you jumping and holding your hand over your chest.

"The hell Hoseok!"

He only grinned at you, proud of how he managed to hide his presence from you and always surprise you, before averting his eyes to Namjoon. "Hi there. Fancy seeing you here."

"Are you seriously staying here?" Namjoon glanced at the house behind you before looking back at both of you. Namjoon knew Hoseok well enough to know that he was a loner and didn't stay long with people or at the same place for long and yet Namjoon felt his magic all around the place.

"It's fun in there." Hoseok only answered with a shrug. Which was true. He grew very fond of you (no matter how hard you tried to avoid him) and your grandmother's presence. It made him want to stay longer, to learn more about you.

"Fun?" Your question was ignored as both men were to busy having a staring contest. "Fine ignore me."

Hoseok actually smiled at that but didn't comment.

"Did you find him?" Namjoon got terribly serious taking you by surprise with how fast he switched from serious to happy to scary.

"I did." Hoseok paused and winced as it brought back a rather painful memory. "He's in Busan."

"Great."

"Not really. The hunters are the one guarding him. They hunted me down."

Namjoon's frown deepened into a scowl. He wasn't fully surprise with Hoseok's statement but he certainly didn't expect the hunters to be the one guarding him. He didn't like it. And he liked even less the fact that Hoseok ended up being in danger because of his request.

"I'm sorry for putting you in danger."

You didn't realize you were holding your breath until you let out a silent gasp. The tension had been so thick you could cut it with a knife. But then, you heard Hoseok's chuckle and your whole body instantly relaxed.

"Don't worry. I knew it would be dangerous. After all you were the one who asked."

"Are you saying I always get you in trouble?"

"Your words, not mine."

And Namjoon laughed at that. "Right."

"You should have been the god of calamity or something like that."

"Fine. Fine." Namjoon held out his arms in defeat. "I'm sorry and thank you." Then he looked at you and his features softened. "It was nice seeing you again."

"Can't you stay for dinner? I'm sure Ma would be happy to see you." You tried to persuade him.

"It's nice of you but sadly I have things to do. Places to go."

"And mess around." Hoseok whispered to you but of course Namjoon heard all of it and he rolled his eyes in response.

"See you around."

Namjoon disappeared just like that.

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After the encounter with Namjoon, without even realizing it (at least not immediately) your behavior with Hoseok changed. Slowly you stopped avoiding him which in all honestly made your life a tiny bit easier. You started spending more time with him especially after long days of work.

"Ok but how does your magic work?" You asked him one night while he laid on the fluffy carpet (instead of the couch, pretexting it was more comfortable) by the fire and you were on the couch reading a book about shapeshifter.

Hoseok raised his head to glance at you before fully turning around to have a better sight of you. "What do you mean?"

"Can you change into another human?"

"I can."

"Even a woman?" You blurted out too fast without even thinking. You put your book away, deciding that why would you read it when instead you could just ask a real shapeshifter. You leaned closer to the edge of the couch and gawk at him, excited to learn more about his species.

Hoseok laughed at your question, hiding for a second his face in the carpet before changing his position into sitting one.  A wicked smile spread across his face (you frowned at that). Hoseok could simply answer by a 'yes' or 'no' but he had a better idea. His eyes glowed, a bright gold that took your breath away. Just before your eyes Hoseok shifted. It happened so fast, a mere blink of an eye and when you exhaled, you couldn't believe what was before your eyes. You were face to face with yourself. A twin. You blinked, rubbed your eyes, only to blink again.

"Okay, this is weird." You admitted. It was one thing to see Hoseok in his panther form but now he looked exactly like you. You tilted your head, observing him closely and he copied the move, mirroring your confused look. "What about my-"

"I can sound like you too."

"Damn. Amazing." You clapped your hands like a kid who just saw a nice trick. "But kind of creepy too."

"Creepy? Creepy is when I turn into a snake to sneak into someone's bed." Hoseok dared to wink at you with your face which gave you the creeps.

You cleared your throat awkwardly. "Please tell me you never did it."

Hoseok turned back and quirked a brow. "Are you sure you want to know?"

You thought about it for a moment, weighting your options. "No."

"Thought so."

"What about a dragon?"

"I'm not doing it." Hoseok rushed to answer. "I'll destroy the place."

"This is so cool though!"

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"I wouldn't add this plant in your potion. Unless of course you want to blow up the room." Hoseok commented from behind you.

You were supposedly concentrated on making the new potion that you didn't pay attention to your surroundings which resulted one more time in Hoseok sneaking behind you and startling you.

"What the hell, Hoseok!" You shrieked and jumped only for your back to crash against Hoseok's firm chest. He slid instantly his arms around your waist to steady you. He chuckled at your reaction while your face heat up at his touch. Oh oh. I'm in trouble. Your heart, for once, seemed to agree with your mind as it skipped a beat.

"Now. Did I scare you?" His warm breath hit your ear and you shivered. In excitement? In apprehension? You weren't quite sure yourself. Quickly, your face wasn't the only thing that heat up. You, however, quickly regained your composure. Or at least you tried.

"No shit Sherlock!" You forced yourself to put some space between your two bodies and you refused to look at him. You didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing you so affected by him. Instead you looked at the plant you were about to add.

Shit. Hoseok was right. Instead of making a potion to improve someone's stamina and health, you almost turned it into a deadly and explosive potion.

Your initial irritation turned into despair at your lack of concentration. And here you thought you were concentrated enough.  

"Stop frowning. You're going to get wrinkles." Hoseok moved so he could see your face.

"I'm a witch. I won't get any." You protested despite knowing that yes, you witches had long lives and yet one day you would start aging again.

"You will." Hoseok took a step closer to you, a happy smile plastered on his face as he looked fondly at you. His hand reached for your face (and you froze and stopped breathing) and touched the spot between your brows. "Just there."

What was it again? Oh yeah. You weren't supposed to fall in love.

                                                   ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

"Atchou"

You sneezed for probably the tenth time this morning. How in the world how managed to get sick was beyond your comprehension. That was a lie. You knew exactly how you ended up being sick. Being a witch meant your body was naturally stronger than human's one and yet from time to time you got sick and especially when you overused your magic. Like last night. You should have known that casting a spell that required two witches was a bad idea. You regretted it. So bad.  

There was no worse feeling in the world than having your whole body sore, feeling dizzy and ready to collapse whenever you tried to move. It sucked and you could only regret even more your poor choice of judgement.

"For fuck's sake." You groaned

It took you a lot of strength to get out of your bed (you brought your blanket with you) and it took you even more strength to go downstairs. Everything hurt and you wanted to hide from the world.

"Wow. You look like shit." Hoseok glanced at you, averting his eyes from a spell book.

Wait what. You rubbed your eyes to make sure you weren't hallucinating.

You weren't.

Hoseok was really reading a spell book which didn't make sense. But then you remembered his comment and you snarled at him.

"Well excuse you." You plumped on the couch, readjusting your blanket around you.

"That's new. I didn't know witches can get sick."

"We don't. Most of the time."

"You look sick to me."

"I overused my magic." You admitted and snuggled your face into your soft and fresh blanket that provided some comfort to your face.

"You seem to be quite clumsy for a witch."

No matter how much you wanted to fight back, to deny his statement, you couldn't. It was a fact. You were clumsy and especially when it came to spells and making potions. You stopped counting how many times you had messed up a spell or failed to make a potion. Your grandmother was a good teacher but it seemed that despite all her efforts to teach you, a sort of bad luck followed you every time you tried resulting in your failures. It was depressing, frustrating, discouraging and made you self-conscious. The only thing that by the end of the day comforted you was your natural ability to heal. Witches were naturally skilled in healing but you were on a whole different level.

To Hoseok's words you growled and sent daggers. You wanted him to cower before your murderous intention but he only chuckled, eyes twinkling adorably. You mentally slapped yourself and blamed your fever for even thinking he was adorable instead of annoying.

"Oh come on, Y/N, don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you want me dead."

You huffed in annoyance and refused to look at him, not because you were really mad, you knew he was right, but you wanted to resist and pretend being angry for a little longer. But Hoseok seemed to have read through you and instead of worrying, he just smiled and stood right before you, hands resting on his hips as he stared at you. "Look at you." He kneeled before you and grabbed your hands between his. You shivered, blaming once again the fever, but that would be a lie. His hands were warm (warmer than they should), smooth and so comforting, your whole body seemed to relax at his touch and heal. "You're freezing." Hoseok rubbed your hands with his.

It feels way too nice. You wanted to say but bit on your lips just on time before something embarrassing could slip out.

Without a word, Hoseok let go of your hands but only for a short moment. He joined you on the couch and before you could even ask him what he was doing, he lifted your blanket to readjust it around you and him before wrapping his arms around your body. He pressed you against him, holding you tightly against him and instantly his warmth expanding to you, engulfing you.

Your heart leaped with a mix of embarrassment and hidden joy. Yes, you felt embarrassed by the sudden touch, but yes you reveled in the feeling of his warm body. You felt yourself melting slowly as you closed your eyes and inhaled his scent.

"You're good?" He whispered, his head now resting on top of yours and for a moment you swore you felt his lips brush your head (which only added to your euphoric state).

"Ye-yeah."

"Good."

Two days later, Hoseok was sick.

                                                   ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

After almost one month of living with you and your grandmother, Hoseok started disappearing. Sometimes it would be for a few hours, sometimes few days. You didn't ask, it wasn't your business and not even your grandmother bothered to ask (you suspected her being the origin of his disappearance on the first place). It shouldn't worry you, it was bound to happen. Hoseok would eventually leave your place. You tried to ignore the sadness creeping inside you. You tried to ignore how your heart would clench painfully at the idea of him leaving. It would have been so much easier if you were brave enough to tell him about your tiny (massive) crush on him and maybe he would have agreed to stay with you.

But now Hoseok was gone for a week and you couldn't help but worry. He had never left for so long and even if you knew he was a strong man, you worried. What if the same person who had previously hurt him found him again? What if the hunters he talked about was after him? What if he was hurt? You hoped he wasn't.

"Stop overthinking." Your grandmother commented as you sighed for probably the tenth time tonight. "He's going to come back soon." But her words didn't even reach you. You kept cleaning your working space, rubbing with so much strength the counter that you didn't realize your hands turned red.

"Y/N." Your grandmother called for you again and once more got ignored. Then, she grabbed your hands, forcing you to stop from destroying the counter. "Come back to me please?"

"What?" You blinked confused at her before looking at the counter and then at your shaky hands realizing all too late what you had done. "I'm-I'm sorry. I got carried away."

"He's coming back. Stop worrying."

"How can you be so sure? Maybe he got hurt. Or maybe he decided that it was time for him to leave us." You blabbered too fast, finally letting out your thoughts that had been bothering you for the past few days. "You can't be sure."

"His friend needed his help."

"It doesn't change that he will leave." You whispered those last words.

Your grandmother stayed silent for a moment, studying your face. Of course, like a good grandmother she was more than aware of your little crush on Hoseok but maybe she underestimated your feelings. She smiled fondly at you, stroking your hands before pulling into a warm embrace. "Look at you." She kissed your cheek and rocked you in her arms. "If you want him to stay, all you have to do is ask."

                                                    ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

After your small mental breakdown, your grandmother made you camomile tea to sooth your nerves and help you to sleep. But it didn't work as she hoped. You stayed in your bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, your mind restless making it impossible for you to sleep. You glanced at your watch; it was past two in the morning and you still couldn't sleep. You closed your eyes, pondering on what were your options for the night. You could stay in your bed, unable to find any sleep or you could busy your mind in hope to tire yourself.

You jumped out of your bed, grabbed your cloak and decided to go for a walk in the forest. Maybe some fresh air would ease your mind and hopefully help you to get some sleep later.

The forest was calm as ever, its magic doing its work almost instantly, soothing you. You inhaled, letting the magic invade you. You closed your eyes as you walked, touching the trees, feeling them. A small smile stetted on your lips as you felt the whole forest through one touch. But then, when you opened your eyes, a massive black wolf stood before you. You looked straight into his eyes, your mind going blank for a second.

One month ago you wouldn't have recognized him but now. Those warm eyes were just too familiar. Eyes that you loved too much.

"Hi." You finally broke the silence. You wanted to be mad at him. Mad for leaving for so long. Mad for leaving without a word. Mad for worrying you. And yet, your heart jumped in pure bliss, coming back to life, making it impossible for you to stay upset.

Hoseok growled in response and trotted towards you, halting just before you. You got to his level, wondering why he stayed in this form. You outstretched your hand, ready to pet him but before you could so he bit at your hand. Not strong enough to actually hurt you but strong enough to make you yelp and fall on your butt.

"What the hell? What was that for?!"

A deep growl echoed in response, looking threatening as ever. You crawled back to put some space between you two (not like you believed he could hurt you, but you were wary).

"Hobi?"

No answer came from him except for his eyes that glowed. And then, his posture changed. He was ready to pounce on you with his big and heavy body. You shrieked, closing your eyes, you were ready for the impact. Except it didn't feel like you expected it to. A very familiar scent hit your senses followed by a warm body, arms trapping you.

"And what do you think you're doing outside alone at this time of the night?"

"Walking?" You answered, your voice weak and shaky. You had to admit that the situation made it hard for you to think properly. Laying on the ground under Hoseok was definitely not a part of your plan for the night and yet the warmness emanating from his body comforted you.

"Walking." He repeated rather unconvinced with your answer.

"Ye-yeah?" For fuck's sake, Y/N! Stop being such a mess.

You thought his body was already too close to yours but Hoseok leaned even closer, his breath tickling your face and his lips were just inches from yours. You blessed the night for hiding how red your face actually was (and yet in the back of your mind you believed he could still see it).

"Why do you always get in trouble hm?"

"I didn't. I found you instead of troubles."

"What if I'm the one you should fear?"

"Should I?"

"Maybe."

                                                      ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

"Ma?" You stumbled in the stairs as you looked for your grandmother. You had woken up from your nap feeling dizzy, sweaty, shivering. Your body was on fire and there was this tingling sensation right between your legs that didn't make sense.

You put your hand against the wall to steady yourself; your vision going blurry for a second. Something was off. You were perfectly fine before your nap and yet now a passionate fire was eating you from inside.

"The hell." You let a painful groan. Nothing made sense. Not your body, not your mind. Everything felt foreign, even your own body.

"Y/N?" Hoseok's worried voice made you raise your head. Another time it would have made you soft, melt at his concern, instead your core throbbed at his sight. He looked just so good. His perfect nose, beautiful eyes and those lips that were begging to be kissed. You couldn't stop yourself from staring at his lips, wanting to crash your own against his. The reasonable side of you tried to persuade you not to jump on him, so you whimpered as you tried to resist.

"Are you ok?" He took a step toward you. Hoseok could tell that you were acting different, not yourself. Your eyes were completely blown, face flushed and your scent was different but he couldn't find out what exactly was different. You were a mess and so was your magic, escaping your body in strong waves.

"Don't come any closer!" You half-yelled and put your hands before you to stop him from getting closer. His presence alone made you feel worse. You knew by how badly your body wanted him that one more step from him and you couldn't be able to hold back.

Hoseok paused midway, surprised at how eager to stop him you were. He quirked his brow, waiting for your next move, observing you from every angles.

"I need you to leave." You managed to say, whimpering at how painful staying in his presence was getting. You were so close to lose your self-control and you couldn't let it happen.

"Leave?" Hoseok repeated mindlessly before scoffing. "This is definitely something I didn't expect hearing from you."

"Hobi. Please."

But he didn't listen. Instead, he took another step closer to you and you inhaled sharply as his scent hit your nose, setting your body completely on fire. You choked while trying to suppress another wave of urge to jump on him.

"Why don't you tell me what's going on?" You shivered and took a step back, your back hitting the wall as he got closer to you. It was probably the first time ever since the incident with the griffin that you heard Hoseok speaking so coldly. You never expected him to use this ton on you. You didn't like it a bit but the prospect of telling him the truth was just too embarrassing for your liking.

"Come on, Y/N." He had you completely trapped, his body just mere inches from yours. "Try saying it again to my face that you want me to leave." His brown eyes started glowing dangerously at you. You had never realized just how expressive they could get.

"Say it." He barked at you making you shut your eyes and lower your head but Hoseok had other plans for you. He grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him. "Look at me." You shook your head, refusing until his grip got tighter and you heard him click his tongue in annoyance at you. The next thing you knew, his face was too close, his lips almost brushing your cheek. "Y/N."

"Stop." You begged

"Then look at me."

You wanted so badly to get away from him before it was too late but the moment you opened your eyes to meet his golden eyes, you knew it was game over. Your desire took control over your body and with a loud groan you grabbed him by his collar and smashed your lips against his, relishing in the feeling of his amazingly soft lips against yours.

At first, Hoseok didn't react, too stunned by the kiss but then, you mewled and bit on his lower lips and it was the only sign he needed for growling and putting one hand behind your head to bring you even closer to him and deepening the kiss.  

"Hobi." You moaned against his lips and raked your fingers throughs his hair. It felt absolutely divine to have him finally so close, his lips on yours.

"Hobi, Hobi." You kept moaning his name, begging him to give you more. It was one thing to give in, to let your desire win but it didn't mean it calmed you down. You wanted him to touch you all over your body. You wanted his hands, his lips. You wanted his head between your legs. If you were in your normal state, you wouldn't have been able to act on your desires but luckily for you, you were a mess and not yourself. "Hobi, I want you to touch me."

"Oh so now you want me huh." He whispered against your skin as his lips travelled down and bit on your jaw. "You hurt me, love." His grip on your hairs tightened, he pulled, making you arch your back and moan, giving him a better access to your neck that he ravished hungrily. He bruised your skin, making sure that you would remember for days how angry you got him.

"Do you know, Y/N, how hurt I am right now?"

You came to realize that an upset Hoseok was probably the hottest Hoseok ever. Not only his words made you squirm under his touch but it had your body combusting on the spot. You didn't know how much longer you could take all the teasing.

"You wanted me to leave so badly." He put his knee right between your legs to support you and yet it had a different effect on you as you started grinding on his thigh to seek any kind of relief.

"Just look at you. Begging for me." Hoseok stopped to look at you. At the mess you were. Your lips were swollen, hair messy, intoxicated. An animalistic growl vibrated through his whole body. It took him all effort in the world not to just jump at you and devour you right here right now against the wall.

"Shit, love, you look so hot right now." But instead of letting you do your thing, Hoseok slid his hands to your hips and gripped the tightly and took a step back which learnt another whimper from you.

"Hobi!"

"Hmm?"

"Please."

"Please what?"

"Stop teasing me."

"You're lucky I want you too." Hoseok smiled and hastily lifted you from the floor. You wrapped your legs tightly around his waist, your arms around his neck, you latched your lips on his. He carried you to your room, kissing you back with just as much eagerness, wanting nothing more but have all of you and under him.  

Hoseok put you back on the floor just beside your bed. "Hands up." And you obeyed all too excited for what he wanted to do to you. He took off your oversized shirt and tossed it aside. A loud growl escaped his lips when he realized that you weren't wearing any bra. He forgot all about what he wanted to do initially and instead his hand reached for your right breast, cupping it, enjoying the feeling of your skin against his hand. You were perfect and he didn't have enough words to convey just how amazing, how beautiful you were.

You closed your eyes, biting on your lips, you tried to suppress another pitiful whimper as you melted on the spot with just a simple touch. You opened your eyes and took a step towards him, cupping his face you forced him to avert his attention from your breasts to your face. Despite the situation you were both in, you smiled fondly at him before getting on your tiptoes and planting a soft and encouraging kiss on his lips. "I'm all yours, Hobi."

"Damn right." He growled and went back kissing you, more hungrily than ever, devouring your lips in a passionate kiss that made you melt in his arms.

Hoseok's hands were everywhere, on your butt, hips, belly, arms, not letting a single moment for you to recover. You mewled into the kiss and Hoseok bit playfully your lower lips before finally pushing you right on the bed, watching you bounce on it and gawking back at him.

The sight before him just turned him even more on and by now he was painfully hard as he admired you spread on the bed almost entirely naked and ready for him to ravish you.

"Tell me what you want, Y/N."

"I want you." You purred "All of you."

Hoseok chuckled at your reply, grabbing his shirt he got rid of it in a blink of an eye before getting rid of the rest of his clothes. "I need you to be more precise darling or I won't touch you." It was an empty threat, both of you knew it but Hoseok went for it anyway.

You leaned on your elbows and watched him. You knew you liked him a lot, but now that he stood before you, naked, you wanted him in a way you never wanted someone.

You bit your lips, a huge part of you wanted to be a brat and just snap at him, but your desire to feel him won. "I want your hands on me. Your lips, your dick. Everything you can give me."

"Aren't you a greedy little thing." But he smiled. Hoseok put one knee on the bed, right between your legs and leaned over, planting a soft kiss right on the side of your knee before planting another one on your inner thigh and you inhaled sharply at the feeling of his lips on your skin, every kiss setting your body on fire.

"But I'd gladly accept your request." He said against your skin, his lips so close to your covered (and drenched) pussy and yet he never touched it, his lips barely hovering.

"Hobi!" You scolded him playfully, getting impatient which only resulted in Hoseok biting on your thigh hard enough to bruise and to make you shriek. And then you felt his tongue, flattening, licking the bruised skin, soothing the pain. "Shit."

"Mmmh? What did you say?"

Of course he would play coy, you should have bet on it. You had another complain on the tip of your tongue but an unexpected kiss on your covered clit made you throw your head back into the mattress and arch your back while a sob of relief escaped your lips.

"Oh fuck."  

Your reaction made Hoseok only smile. He straightened up only to get rid finally on the last piece of clothes that prevented him from eating you alive before crawling on the bed, hovering over you, his hands back caressing your skin. His fingers ghosted over your thighs, making their ways to your hips, to your navel, circling it with his fingertips before resuming their trip. Hoseok watched your every move, watched how you closed your eyes to enjoy the sensation, how your lips would part to let a silent sigh of delight escape.

Hoseok leaned closer, grabbing your chin, he just couldn't stop himself from kissing you again, soft pecks on your lips, on your jaw, whispering against your skin just how beautiful you were.

"Hobi, I need you inside, now." You half ordered half begged. Another time, you would have wanted to take all your sweet time, to discover more of him and his body but right now all you cared was about your need of release.

"But can you take me?" He hummed while his lips latched onto your neck, sucking on your flesh, marking for the whole world to know that you belonged to him and only him.

"I can."

"Hmm." His lips travelled down, making sure to bite on your collarbone, working on another pretty mark while his hand slid right between your legs. His finger slipped in with so much ease he added a second one immediately.

"Shit, yes." You arched your hips, wanting to feel him deeper. Your walls clenched around his fingers as he started pumping them inside. "Oh my god." He just knew where to press, how to curl his fingers to have you shaking, gasping under him. You grabbed for the sheets tightly, holding for your dear life as much as you could but the mix of his lips on your body and his fingers inside you had you completely lost and before you could even warn him, he had you cum undone on his fingers.

"Oh baby. Look at you." He cooed and pecked your lips before straightening up, spreading your legs wider for him to settle in between.

With one swift move of his hips, he was buried inside you, stretching you, filling you in a way nobody else did. A loud moan escaped your lips as you threw your head back into the pillow and enjoyed how full, how whole you felt. Hoseok withdrew halfway before slamming back making you cry out his name. He repeated the move a few more time, enjoying all too much your sweet moans before he actually set a pace.

Each of his thrust had your toes curling, pleasure spreading inside you as his cock hit all the right places, going deeper. And yet you still wanted more.

"Hobi, more."

And he complied without a word, his pace getting faster, stronger, his grip on your thighs got stronger too, nails digging into your skin.

"Oh god, this is so good. Please don't stop."

"Fuck." Hoseok groaned. "You better never again say you want me to leave." And with that he gave another strong thrust that forced you to grab  his arms for support.

All the pleasure he gave you was almost too much and you felt on the edge, ready to explode but just when you thought you were ready for your release, Hoseok slowed down.

"Look at me, Y/N." His voice was filled with so much darkness and lust, it had you clenching around him but you couldn't force yourself to look at him, the pleasure too intense. He couldn't ask it of you when he was pounding inside you.

"Y/N." Hoseok leaned closer, his body fully covering you as he grabbed tightly your chin and you had no other choice but look at him. Just for a microsecond you saw pure fondness in his eyes before it got quickly replace with nothing more but lust and his eyes shined brightly. "Good girl." He crashed his lips into another passionate kiss that got quickly sloppy, tongue battling as he thrusted back inside you.

"I'm close." You warned him, tears prickling at the corner of your eyes as your whole body became even more sensitive than before.

"Me too."

"I like you." You mewled in between his thrusts, your hands slid on his back, pushing him closer against you, you wanted to feel his body against yours, closer to you than ever.

"Fuck, Y/N" He growled at your words. You couldn't know just how much your words affected him but it did.

With one particularly deep thrust, your vision faded to black, your body froze as you cried out his name and your orgasm rippled through your body. Hoseok's pace got slower to help you through your release.

He kept pushing inside you, seeking for his own release, grunting before finally releasing inside you. He fell over you, resting his head against your breast. You slid your fingers through his damp locks, brushing them gently as both of you panted, recovering from your orgasms.  

Hoseok moved his head so he could look back at you, smiling happily. "I like you too by the way."  

You laughed heartily at his confession, feeling better now that whatever had got you so bothered passed and lighter now that your feelings were out.

Hoseok rolled to the side and rested his head on his hand instead. "What got you though? Not like I'm complaining but."

"No idea. I took a potion before sleeping and when I woke up I just felt on fire."

"A potion? That you made?" He cocked an amused brow at you and you know beforehand what he was thinking about. You slapped his arm and pouted. "What, I'm just asking!"

"Sure."

His hand reached for your face and he gently stroked your cheek. "I can't complain. Now I know how you feel about me."

How exactly were you supposed not to melt into puddle when he was looking so lovingly, so fondly at you? How were you supposed to calm your crazy heart from jumping out of your chest. You pressed your cheek harder against his hand and relished in the feeling. It was so gentle, so soft, so intimate.

"Don't leave me." You finally managed to whisper what you have been wanting to say for a while.

"Wasn't planning to."

"Guess I was right to mess up your potion." You both jolted in the bed at the sound of your grandmother's voice right behind your door.

How could you have forgotten about her?

"Wait what." You sat too quickly, your head spinning for a short moment while Hoseok burst into laughter as realization hit him.

"Thank you!" He said loud enough for her to hear.

You turned to look at him, offended for a second but then his arms circled your body and brought you back against him.

"Now I can have you all for myself."

[tiredfandomtrash]

Something a little bit different for today, since it’s the lover’s days and all, me and @paraisles I can’t at them tumblr please did a writing collab for a nice and sweet Valentine’s story  Haha posting my writing for the first time here, oof  Anyyways, without further ado, enjoy! (I wrote the beginning, Jackie and Marvin’s parts)  ---------- Valentine’s day. Such a special day for some. It’s all about the love, hugs, little kisses and sweet gifts.. Right? Well.. Not for everyone. Chase woke up, opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for good 10 minutes before even considering getting up. It’s not that he even knew what day it was. He lost track of time a long time ago. And maybe it would’ve been for the best if it stayed this way. But it seemed his friends had a different plan. After eventually dragging himself out of bed, the man did his morning routine, went downstairs and to his surprise, there was a knock on his front door. With slight confusion, since he doesn’t get visitors often, he opened the door. It was the postman. “Mr. Brody?” “Um.. Y-yeah.” “A letter for you. With a special message from the person. Since she gave it to me herself.” The man cleared his throat, then started reciting said message. “My love for you is bigger than the whole universe and you’re the best dad ever, mommy said we can see you on the weekend but we wanted to give you this card earlier so you can remember how much we love you.” Chase was listening in some sort of disbelief. But a soft smile curled up his lips. “Did she really tell you all of that?” “Word to word, sir. She really insisted that I tell you that. Sweet girl.” He handed Chase the letter. “Yeah. Yeah she is. Thank you.” He said with a nod. “Have a good day, sir!” “Yeah.. You too, man.” He turned around, closing the door with a small kick, since he was too focused on looking at the letter. He went to the living room, flopping down on the couch. After opening the letter his heart skipped a beat. He forgot it’s the day. The one that reminds him of good memories, that hurt more than anything right now. He bit his lip, staring at his daughter’s handwriting. They just wanted to make the day better for him. Inside was a nice, very glittery drawing of Chase, Lily and Tommy. His two little angels. He chuckled, smiling sadly at it. With a small sigh, he got up and hung it up on the fridge. Besides the drawing, a small sweet letter was inside. He read it and couldn’t help but tear up. He misses his kids so, so much. But knowing that they still love him so much makes it hurt a bit less. Since he wasn’t sure what to do, now that he knew what day it was, he sort of sat on the couch, thinking back to everything. When did he start crying? He’s not sure. Thankfully, another knock to the door helped him snap out of it. He quickly wiped his tears away then went to open the door. Who is it this time?? “Morning, Chaser!” A familiar voice greeted him, beaming with positivity as always. “Hey, Jackie..” The father responded, with obviously not as much enthusiasm. He let the hero inside, closing the door behind him. “You’re looking a lil gloom. Bad thoughts?” He questioned, worry growing inside of him. Chase waved his hand, shaking his head. “Don’t worry.” He murmured, looking up at him. “Whaddya want?” “Well, first of all, I always worry about you. And second, I just thought I’d drop by before going to work to check up on you and all that.” He shrugged a little, smiling. “And also might’ve brought you a gift-” “Jackie-” “I know, I know, you don’t like when we spend money on you. Listen, I don’t care and I'll say it as many times as I have to for you to understand.” He reached to his hood, and pulled a small teddy bear that was holding a heart out. He grinned and handed it to the other. “Happy Valentine’s day, bro.” “….You kept it in your hoodie-” He took the bear from him, squeezing it a little. “Listen I ain’t gonna carry a cute red bag with hearts or something around when I'm in my suit, that’d just. Look odd-” The hero explained, a little pink spreading on his cheeks. “So you kept it in your hoodie.” “Yes.” Chase let out a small laugh then hugged the other. “You’re such a dumbass sometimes, but I still love you.” He muttered against his chest. Jackie happily hugged back, ruffling the younger's hair. “Love ya too, Chaser.” They stayed like that for a moment. He knew that Chase needs the comfort. But he has to go whether he likes it or not. “Alright buddy, I'll catch ya later, alright?” He said, pulling away. He put his hands on the other's shoulders, squeezing them gently. “It’ll be alright, Chase. Don’t think of it too much.” “I'll try.. Thanks, Jackie. I owe you one.” “You don’t owe me anything, bro. Just try having a good day, kay? I love ya.” He gave his friend one more smile before exiting through the window. Extra as always. He shot his grapple hook up and was gone in a flash. Chase sighed, squishing the plushie tightly. As much as he appreciated that small gesture, his thoughts were eating him up too much. He set the bear aside, noting to take it back to his bedroom later, then decided that if he wants to clear his head, he’d have to go for a walk. But first, he opened the fridge. He didn’t feel hungry. Even thought he probably should eat something. With another louder sigh, Chase grabbed a bottle of beer, closed the door, then went to the cupboards. He took out a protein bar. “Better than nothing.” And so he left his apartment, trying his best to not think about all the things that this day always brings back. Some time later, he sat at a bench in a nearby park, using his remaining motivation to take a sip from his bottle of alcohol. This day wasn’t looking too well so far, and he wasn’t very excited about it since he was alone again. In a few minutes, a young fellow started to approach him, wanting to lift the depressed male’s spirits. “JJ? How are you here?” He spoke in a low, sluggish tone to the cheerful fellow. “Marvin told me that he sensed your sadness, and he sent me to go cheer you up. Now, I’m here! What’s wrong?” JJ signed, showing a smile in return. “I’m okay, bud. Don’t worry.” The male lied, trying to cover up the alcohol that was clearly being able to control his voice’s tone. “Don’t give me that excuse. I know something’s wrong!” JJ’s facial expression became worrisome, and he started to worry. Chase knew that he couldn’t get past the ol’ chap, no matter how hard he tried. He set down his bottle and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Alright, you caught me. Something is wrong. In fact, everything’s wrong. Stacy left me and took my kids. They don’t have a father to teach them what they need for survival in this world. I recently got evicted from my home, so now I had to get a new place to stay at. That’s what’s wrong.” Chase let out a heavy sigh once again, noticing tears stain his gray shirt, but he attempted to hide them under his hat. “Come with me, please.” JJ signed once more before he helped Chase up and walked with a hand on the capped male’s shoulder with a big ol’ smile. “Where are we going?” Chase questioned the ol’ chap, and JJ stopped walking. “Somewhere where you’ll be happy.” That was JJ’s final sign to his fellow friend before they continued walking on the bright street. After the long walk he and JJ took, the dapper man had to leave. As a goodbye, Chase gave him a long hug and some "Thank you's" then they were on their own way. The father stood there for a while. "Look at you two. So cute." A familiar, soothing voice called. Chase jumped where he stood, whipping around to look at the magician he knew far too well. His expression went from surprised, to angry, to just a little shocked. "You're going to give me a heart attack one day." Marvin chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sorry, sorry. I know I shouldn't just teleport behind people randomly." Chase rolled his eyes and sighed. "Don't give me that look, hon, you know that I only ever want the best for you." "You're not wrong there. What is it this time, though?" He questioned, tilting his head. "Well." The magician put his hand on the other's shoulder. "It's my turn to put a smile on your face, hm?" Without further questioning, he hooked their arms together and started walking. "I'm taking you out to lunch, so there's something other than alcohol in your body." "you're acting like my mom, Marv-" "Well someone has to!" The magician objected, putting his other hand in his pocket. "And if it means I'm going to mother you, then so be it." He hummed, nudging Chase's side lightly. The other chuckled softly, looking up at him. "We're gonna have some nice hours, okay? No sad thoughts, no overthinking things. Just you, me and some nice food." "That does sound appealing.. I'll give it a shot, ha." Chase always knew that Marvin was really caring. Deep down, he was the softest and kindest soul out there. He just puts on a tough face, because he knows how unkind the world is. But in all honesty, he always felt like he and the magician had a special connection. He just seemed to always know what he needed most at a certain time. And he always appreciated it more than anything. After maybe 10 minutes of walking, they got to the place Marvin wanted to take him to. "Looks cozy." "Just like you like it. Simple but cozy." He led him to one of the tables. Seems like it was reserved for them. "So, sweetheart, got any upcoming plans?" He questioned, smiling at his friend warmly. "Oh.. Um.. N-not really? At least none that I can remember." He shrugged, responding with a smile as well. "I guess I'm just kind of.. Going with the wind, y'know? Whatever comes my way, I'll take it on." He rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling. "But things aren't that bad. So.. I guess that's a nice change." Chase didn't go out all that much, so it felt a bit weird.. Being surrounded by other people. People that minded their business and didn't care about him. They didn't even see him, nor did he see them. All that really mattered right then and there was talking with Marvin. And.. It helped. It really did. He talked about surprisingly a lot. And the magician listened, gave him some advice and reassuring words. It was nice. He really did feel.. Happy. Yeah. Yeah, he felt happy. For the first time in a long time, he just let loose, forgetting about his worries. Cracking jokes every now and then, smiling, laughing. He even ate something. It was the nicest feeling of all. Carelessness, but the good type. You stop worrying just for a moment, not bothering to think of the things troubling you. Because you should live in the moment, right? And god, did he miss that. It felt like taking a breath for the first time in a long time. And that's something Chase needed. He's more than happy that he has the others in his life. He'd be so lost without them. And once they were done with their food, and talking for now, it was time to go. "You know, I really enjoyed all this." He said, smiling at the magician. “And.. Just, thanks, Marv. For helping." Before he could even say more the other crushed him in a hug. A nice, warm hug. He wrapped his arms around Marvin and hid his face in his shoulder. "Thanks for all this. Really.." "You know that it's no problem for me, sweetheart." He responded, rocking them to the sides lightly. "I love you, Chase. Don't forget about that, okay?" "How could I? You remind me about that at least twice a day." He joked, looking up at him. Marvin chuckled, kissed his forehead, then smiled. And Chase smiled back. "I love ya too. I really do." "I'll see you later, hm? Just like every other week?" "I don't have lots of plans so you know it." One more squeeze and they pulled away. "Cya around, Marv." "Have a lovely rest of the day. You deserve it." "You too, buddy. You too." And so, they both went their own way. And once Chase was back home, he didn't get lost in thought as usual. Actually, he was just thinking to all the things that happened today and how much they lifted his spirit. How nice it was to feel alive again. Henrik knew very well what this day was. It was Valentine’s Day, and he was battling some things of his own, but he shoved them all aside just for this day. A certain someone needed a check-up. “Time to visit one of my recent patients...to check on how he’s doing.” Henrik seemed a little sluggish, but that was a normal trait for him. After all, he was the best doctor in all of town. “Geez…” A thick German accent came out of his mouth, yet he walked casually down Chase’s street and quietly knocked on the door. Henrik didn’t want to disrupt his patient, so he would always be patient and knock quietly. “Henrik, what brings you here? Sure, I visit you weekly, but that doesn’t really require you to visit my house, ya know.” The capped male smiled sadly with a pity laugh. Henrik didn’t say much, but he returned the smile out of pity and entered the home. “I have come in favor of myself to ask you one thing. How are you doing? I know things have been hard with your wife and kids, but I promise that things will be better. We’re here for you. I’ve been informed that JJ, Jackie, and Marvin all cheered you up a good bit.” Henrik chuckled while sitting on the sofa with his patient beside him. “I’ve been doing fine, Henrik. they helped me with the pain a lot, actually. Their time with me helped me forget it for a while. I’m glad you visited, actually. I know that Jack’s anniversary for the channel is coming up, so if possible, could you extend the waiting hours for longer? I was wanting to visit him by myself.” Chase asked, hoping and praying that Henrik would approve of the request. “I’ll see what I can do, Chase. I promise that you’ll be able to visit him.” Henrik smiled and was given a genuine hug by Chase and returned it before he left. Chase let out a heavy sigh as he entered his littered car with one thought in mind. He only wanted to visit an old friend of his. He was able to get Henrik to extend the visiting hours for everyone, so he was able to stay longer than usual. Once he entered the hospital, he tried his best to keep his heart rate down while he asked for Jack’s real name, and arrived at the room. “Hey, buddy.” He spoke in a quiet tone with a sad smile, but all Chase wanted was for Jack to wake up. He just wanted him back, but he knew that would be a rarity of events. “Listen, if you hear me right now, just know that we’re here for you. We’ll be here for you when you wake up.” Next thing Chase knew, his hand inched over to grab Jack’s. “You know, I remember the first Valentines after Stace left. And how you spent the whole day with me and wouldn't let me even think about her for a second. I miss you buddy. I really do.. But I would lie if I said that things aren't a bit better now." Chase smiled with a sad look on his face. He missed his best friend. If anything, the others missed their best friend as well. “I’ll be back to visit you later, alright? Please...don’t forget about us and everything you’ve created. We love you and always will.” Chase placed a kiss on the limp hand before quietly leaving his seat and the dark room. He only wanted Jack to get better.

[dreadhaus-literature]

{Story} Cruel

A continuation of Gentle.

This is more than I can stand.

Casa Al Mare was teeming with life, which to some might be a little ironic considering some of the occupants of the illustrious, infamous estate lived without a beating pulse beneath their flesh. The night air was filled with the sound of laughter and music, the scent of rich, exotic foods and as the stars twinkled merrily overhead in the indigo sky death seemed like the furthest thing from any of the attending guests’ minds.

Securing an invitation to a Frenzy event was cause for celebration whether the guest of honor were celebrity, government official, or simply another affluent member of the vampire clan’s golden circle. This event was to welcome the changing seasons, the shortening of days and the lengthening of brisk autumn evenings that promised shadows and the cover of night in which to do...whatever one might be so inclined to get up to. It was no secret, whether citizen or police official, that the Syndicate was not just a criminal organization but the criminal organization but they were also untouchable. Any foolish hand attempting to skim from their deep pockets found itself missing fingers and any nose stupid enough to stick itself in their business was suddenly absent a face. The Frenzy brood were thusly free to do as they pleased and what Monica, Head of the Family, pleased to do was entertain and spend her vast amount of riches on showing the rest of the population how the good life was meant to be lived. Did she enjoy socializing? Not particularly, but she enjoyed the envy and she enjoyed the clamor of the general population constantly attempting to find footing on one of her ultra-exclusive guest lists. Just recently she’d denied a certain blonde celebrity access to a party just to do it and the resulting singer’s decline in the affluent community had left Monica laughing so hard her sides ached. The power she wielded was nothing to scoff at, be it the might of her Syndicate or simply the flash of those fiery emerald eyes, able to stamp out another’s social life like a bug beneath her stunning silver heel.

“Another absolutely beautiful affair you’ve thrown, Miss Frenzy.”

Monica turned and offered a distracted but no less dazzling smile to someone whose name she didn’t care to remember but knew he frequented their guest list as often as was permitted--because this was not the first time he’d all but purred that sentence at her. Beautifully full lashes lifted to allow her to take in his appearance; passable, but she was not interested in decently good-looking. She wasn’t even looking to begin with, but that didn’t stop Mr. What’s-His-Name from trying his luck. Mistaking her eye contact with interest, the dark-haired male donned what Monica assumed he thought was a heart-stopping smile but it simply looked a little drunk, to her--crooked as the line that came spilling out next.

“And just where is your date tonight?” He glanced around as if for dramatic effect, reassuring himself that she was, in fact, alone. He turned back to her, smile still in place; just a little too pleased with his good fortune. “Don’t tell me that it’s my honor to escort the lovely Miss Frenzy around her own party.”

“It isn’t.” Monica punctuated her statement with a smile that knocked the wind out of her annoying party guest. “I can escort myself just fine.”

“Oh but you shouldn’t!” He stepped a little to the side to follow when she would have stepped around and left him standing there gaping like a fish on dry land. “The lady of the house needs a proper escort.”

“I have a proper escort.” Monica bit out curtly.

Another glance around the packed hall didn’t convince her persistent pursuer of anything and he turned back to her, puzzled. “Then where is he?"

None of your goddamn business would have been a decent enough answer, but his question gave Monica enough pause not to snap it between agitated fangs. Her escort was in her suite of rooms, sleeping, resting his love-bitten body because she was developing quite a taste for his candy apple sweet blood. Osamu Furuya had been her Consort a few months previous but now, now they were so much more. Monica had purchased his Consort contract outright and now he served her and her alone--and relished every moment of his ownership. He wore her Family crest, along with a picture of her, in a locket around his neck and he rarely, if ever, left the estate without her. Monica wouldn’t necessarily call him a pet--though she had once during sex and he’d seemed all too eager to latch onto the affectionate nickname--simply because what they shared seemed deeper than just physical intimacy. Osamu was her shadow; he was at her beck and call for more than just to satisfy the ache in her fangs and as time progressed, the older gentleman became more and more in need of her--her touch, her voice, her affections, anything she was willing to give him. He took from her just as greedily as she did from his veins and she was finding she didn’t mind; in fact, she was beginning to suspect he loved her and she...knew if he said it, she would say it back without hesitation. This had not been her intent when she procured him as her Consort but she didn’t mind what it had blossomed into and she knew Osamu had not a single objection.

“Perhaps you’ll meet him later.” Monica finally answered, this time stalking around this insignificant gnat of a guest with the air of finality and grace one would expect from a vampire of such standing.

The little man knew better than to push his luck and could only stare, openly pining, after the object of so many’s desire as she stalked deeper into her gilded party hall.

Up the beautiful, winding staircase and beyond two sets of locked doors, Monica’s pet stirred, relishing in the delicious lethargy that came from her feeding. Osamu was littered with bites and had never felt more contented and happy in his life. Blond lashes swept up, drinking in the dim light and the faintest din of party guests having the time of their lives. It helped clear the cotton candy cobwebs of sleep from his mind as he turned over onto his broad back, the lush sheets drawing slowly down his porcelain torso to expose sinewy muscle and more of Monica’s bruising bites. He specifically asked her never to heal her bites, only close them (after all, his blood was for her to enjoy and he was determined not to waste a single drop) and she obliged, leaving him to enjoy her possessive claim and he flaunted every single bite he had. The collars of his shirts were never buttoned, exposing raw, passionate bites along his throat and his sleeves were often times rolled up to expose his love-bitten wrists. He relished every title that came with her claim; if he was her plaything, her boy-toy (truthfully at his age that made him laugh, but he still didn’t object), her pet--he might be fondest of that one the most. It implied a certain amount of...wanton neediness on his behalf, and that was something he was fine, even proud, to display. If she wanted to collar him and lead him around on a leash he’d go obediently and with his head held high. Monica was a goddess, his Empress, and he was wrapped around her little finger in much the same way she wrapped her petite legs around his waist every night.

“Your party clothes, Mr. Furuya.”

The blond turned his head, dark eyes landing on a servant gesturing to the standing bureau, where a crisp white suit with blue accents was hanging with the utmost care.

“Is my Beloved already there?” Osamu’s deep voice was husky from sleep, but even with the quiet rumble there was a wealth of affection in his nickname for Monica and given it was used so often, the servant didn’t miss a beat.

“Yes, sir.” The servant folded his hands against his middle. “Would you like any assistance dressing?”

“No,” Osamu slowly lifted to a sitting position, the sheets falling to bunch against his lap, giving a shake of his blond head. “I’ll be fine, thank you.”

The servant bowed respectfully and showed himself out, closing the double doors quietly as Osamu rose from the bed he shared with his Beloved. A momentary question swirled around like a lazy fly and he gave it passing thought; why hadn’t Monica woken him for the party? But the moment he questioned, he knew what her answer would be. It was the same every time she fed deeply, leaving him lethargic and with a lovesick smile on his face--

“You need to rest, baby, or I can’t feed again anytime soon.”

The very idea of not feeling her fangs pierce his pale flesh was enough to wipe the satisfied smile right off Osamu’s handsome face and he dismissed the buzzing thought with a slight shake of his head.

Given Osamu was already bare, dressing was blissfully quick; the more he woke up, the more he found himself missing Monica and desiring to be at her side. His suit was perfectly tailored, a specialty order from Monica to her twin no doubt, and Osamu’s smile was almost coy with affection as he straightened the collar of his sapphire button-up. Monica remarked often how much she liked him in white; given how light his features were it played up his angelic appearance but Osamu was always quick to argue Monica was the angel. There was no way she could possibly be real but if she was, then she had to have been crafted by loving, heavenly hands. Monica often tried to laugh off such affectionate words but he meant every single one he said. Even now, as he was admiring himself in the full-length mirror, the only thing he could focus on was what Monica would be wearing. The couple often wore complimentary clothes and if his accents were blue then her outfit must be in the same shade of sapphire and he lost himself to fantasizing, imagining swathes of expensive fabric hugging curves he worshiped day and night.

Long fingers deftly buttoned his sleeves as his eyes stared glassily, relishing the pull of lovebites that would take days to heal--unless Monica bit them back open and he desperately wanted her to. Who would have ever thought he would meet the love of his life Consorting? He certainly didn’t, but here she was, taking over every second of his every day and he had no desire to stop her.

If anything he somehow desired more.

The bedroom doors were opened for him as he approached on long legs and polished dress shoes, and Osamu gave a polite, grateful smile to the servant s he passed. This was the life of luxury, with an Empress on his arm, but Osamu would have lived anywhere with Monica, and he would have done anything necessary to keep her in the life she deserved--it was simply fortune that she was already eating with a silver spoon engraved in her name. His vampire had the world at her beck and call but selfishly he wanted her to think of him first, always. Already he was taking over many of the duties servants had provided for her, doing things like washing and pressing her expensive clothes, polishing her jewelry, brushing her hair--he wanted to be the one to provide for her, to give the world to her as she had done for him. Love does things to a man, changes them but what Osamu hadn’t been prepared for was the devoted way he followed her like he’d had no purpose in life before knowing her name. He was tall, broad shouldered and though lean was graced with muscle that kept him from being lanky; more jaguar than cheetah in his build he knew he could command attention if he wanted it but he never had, before. Consorting hadn’t meant a thing to him because there was no intimacy to it, for him; it was a job, something he was good at but the moment he’d laid eyes on Monica it was as if someone had thrown open the curtains and let the moonlight in. She sucked the air out of his lungs when she looked at him, eyes glittering like precious gemstones, ready to feed from his veins and the exchange of his life for hers was one he made as often as she desired it. She could bleed him dry and he would thank her with his dying breath.

Osamu’s thoughts were so often on Monica it didn’t surprise him that she was still at the forefront when he started to encounter party guests littering the outer halls. Now that he’d left his and Monica’s private suite of rooms there were well-dressed elites sprinkled around like accent pieces, discussing anything from the latest gossip to upcoming movies. Some gave him a passing glance or two as he went by, eyes drifting to the silver locket on display, resting against his chest. With the buttons of his dress shirt undone, the locket was resting against bare flesh and right beside a biting mark. There could be little doubt who Osamu was or who he was here for and the whispers were of awe and jealousy.

“That’s him? The lucky bastard Monica’s interested in?”

“No fucking way, do you have any idea how hard I’ve tried to get her to notice me?! I’ve been to every party she’s thrown the past two years!”

“...I’m so jealous, look at those bites. She’s got beautiful fangs, you can tell.”

“I can tell I’m going to be thinking about her fangs even more than I already was.”

Osamu’s smile lifted a little higher as he rounded the corner, pride straightening his spine all the more. Let them envy him, at least then they’d know to keep a respectful distance--

Osamu’s breath slammed from his lungs the instant he lifted his gaze, his heart turning to ice just to drop to the pit of his stomach. Across the packed hall, looking every inch the vision he knew her to be, was his Beloved--and someone who was entirely too close for comfort. She was in the middle of laughing, the melodious sound reaching him over the din of the party simply because he was always listening for her. Her fangs caught the room light, beckoned and enticed and the man standing next to her was staring so intently at her upturned face Osamu felt his fingers ball into fists. He didn’t consider himself a violent man and before Monica had never been jealous a day in his life but he was finding it was an ugly emotion; rage black as the night outside was welling up like a storm and where there had been ice in his veins now there was only heat, flames licking along his skin like bolts of lightning. He felt the color flood his cheeks, his angled jaw tightening as if on a screw hinge and it was a wonder his teeth didn’t crack from the pressure.

...Who...the hell...was that?

Monica’s laughter quieted, and without taking his eyes off her he knew others around her were straining to chase the beautiful sound as it vanished. Monica was in a group, enchanting creature that she was of course she’d drawn a small crowd of her enamored guests and while that might not necessarily have bothered Osamu (at least, he would have simply walked over and greeted her, establishing his claim on her effortlessly) it was the way that man, that bastard was trying to monopolize her attention. Whether it was because he was a man or because Osamu knew how hard he always worked to keep Monica’s attention he recognized the moves for what they were; the bastard kept slight hold of her elbow to keep her at his side rather than drifting amongst the group, and his body language was open to her, facing her at all times as if to present his full attention.Osamu’s dark brown eyes were murky as the ocean moments before the tsunami lays waste to the beach and as he watched, the would-be suitor leaned in closer just to try and speak to Monica rather than engage the rest of the group. Osamu was a mere human man, he didn’t possess the abilities of his vampire and so the words were lost on him, but what wasn’t was the mere inches between her and him.

Monica could not, would not ever be blamed for who she was--a stunning vision, beauty incarnate, she was an angel among the unworthy and Osamu would never dream of placing blame upon her petite shoulders. No, his jealous rage had a target and that target was narrowing to a finely sharpened knife’s tip the longer this dragged on.

This had to stop.

He would put a stop to this.

She was his, same as he had been hers from the moment she’d laid those breath-taking eyes on him. He couldn’t lose her, not now.

“Unfair, huh?”

Osamu’s head snapped down, gaze landing on an obviously drunk brunette, whose flushed cheeks were more red than pink at this point. The glass in his hand sloshed as the shorter male gestured, obviously in Monica’s direction.

“She’s...fucking perfect, but what are we?” The male brought his hand to his chest, spilling the caramel colored liquid onto his shirt. “Human, that’s what we are. That’s why she wouldn’t give me the time of day earlier. Human. Not like Mr. Fangtastic Fucker over there.”

Osamu’s stormy gaze was riveted to the bastard in question and there they were, plain as day. Two gleaming fangs, a compliment to Monica’s even as the idea roiled Osamu’s stomach. The bastard was smiling as if showing them off, and Osamu wondered for a moment if he’d been foolish to smile at Monica without them. Was this what she wanted? It was what she deserved. She deserved someone powerful and strong, someone to compliment the tall, dark, and handsome that so often accompanied her species and Osamu looked like a ray of sunlight standing beside her. She was everything the night had to offer; her skin held the most delicious kiss of color that enraptured him every time he saw her laid bare. Her hair was dark enough to hold the stars from the sky and the secretive way her lips tilted in a smile when she kissed him reminded him of the same thrill he used to feel as a little boy, running down the darkened hallway for a sneaky midnight treat. She made him feel young and in love, and she made him feel powerful in his own way, that he could tempt her fangs to pierce deep and drink what he freely gave. He didn’t want to lose that, couldn’t lose her.

The very idea sent one single tear spilling over scarcely blinking eyes, splashing unnoticed on the front of Osamu’s sapphire shirt.

This was more than he could stand.

“Kennet, that’s just dumb.” Monica’s incredulous laughter masked the sharp sting of her very truthful statement. She meant every word, but this dim-witted guest just wasn’t getting it.

“Oh I’m very serious, Miss Frenzy.” Kennet replied easily, in a way he thought was incredibly charming. After all, the tone worked on all the other women he used it on.

“Oh I’m sure you are.” Was Monica’s effortlessly sarcastic tone, again sailing over the man’s head as she raised her crystal flute to her lips. The liqueur inside would do, but it just made her fangs ache for--”Osamu?”

The blond materialized as if out of thin air, standing tall and imposing in a way Monica had never seen before. His broad shoulders were squared and as he stepped forward he openly moved Kennet away from her--something she was immediately, immensely grateful for. The vampire made a somewhat startled, almost disgruntled noise but Osamu was not backing down and made no move to concede even politely. Monica knew her man, she knew he was a gentleman who was always extremely mindful of how he presented himself when she was on his arm but he was uncharacteristically stoic and intimidating. There was a hard line to his jaw, his eyes sharp enough to cut as he stared Kennet down. Osamu was taller, impressive for a human over a supernatural, and as Kennet stared back Osamu tilted his head up and stared down his nose at the vampire. There was no denying something was very wrong with Osamu and as he slid his arm around Monica’s waist, his grip was surprisingly tight, his fingers cinching around her hip to pull her beneath the hollow of his shoulder. Slowly, he dragged his gaze from Kennet to lower to her, his lips finding her forehead with affection that was a direct contrast to the anger radiating off his body in waves.

“Hello, Beloved. I’m so very sorry I’m so late.”

Monica cleared her throat, more affected by the rough, husky depth to Osamu’s voice than she wanted to be in front of others, but she leaned into his kiss all the same. “T-That’s all right, you’re here now.”

Osamu straightened up, eyes slashing back to Kennet as he spoke. “Yes. I am.”

Kennet looked between the lovers with a somewhat ill-masked look of disbelief. He’d heard Monica had a human lover but had simply assumed he could take her off the feeble mortal’s arm without much fuss. The way she fit beneath the man’s shoulder, the possessive grip he had on her--Kennet had been elbowed out the door into the cold without realizing he’d never been invited inside.

“...I don’t believe we’ve met.” Kennet’s tone was tight, no longer the easy-going charmer he thought he was. He extended his hand with a cock of his lips, not bothering to hide his disdain. “Kennet.”

Osamu, rather than shake Kennet’s hand, brought Monica’s hand up to the warmth of his mouth, but his eyes were on Kennet all the same. “Thank you for keeping my Beloved company while I was away, Kennet.”

Kennet lowered his hand, bristled but unable to do anything about it. He knew better than to attack the human; anyone causing a disruption at a Frenzy affair was made an example out of and by attacking Monica’s lover? He’d be strung up like tinsel on a Christmas tree. “...Not a problem.”

Monica looked up at Osamu, noting that his jaw was still tense and his posture was rigid. Her brow furrowed in concern and she turned, giving the group a dismissive but polite smile.

“Would you all excuse us?”

There were politely murmured replies but when Monica moved to step away from Osamu, to lead him to the hall, he made a noise deep in his chest and refused to release her. Instead, he took the lead and escorted her through the throngs of guests with his grip still ironclad around her waist.

Only once out in a side hall, quickly cleared of guests, did Osamu allow Monica out of his grasp--and that was only because she insisted, so she could face him and ask--

“What’s wrong?”

Osamu’s gaze was to the side, his posture still tense, poised, and Monica watched his marked throat work to swallow--but he failed to in the end.

“Osamu, what happened? Are you mad at me?”

“No!” Osamu turned to her so quickly it nearly startled her. The honesty on his face put her at ease almost immediately. “No,” he answered again, quieter and more like himself. “Never.”

“Then was it Kennet?” She was on the right path, she could see a vein pulse slightly in his throat at the mention of the other man. “What is it, what did he do?”

“Touch you.”

The quiet admission was not lost on her exceptional hearing but she asked him to repeat it all the same.

“He...touched you.” Osamu reached for her bare elbow, his calloused fingertips soft against the flesh. “He touched you and I...hate him for it.”

Confusion brought Monica’s brow together even as Osamu continued to lightly feather his touch over her skin, his eyes on her arm first, then trailing up to her shoulder, her throat, to her face and then he was moving down the beautiful curves of her body, his face such a mix of emotion she couldn’t read all of them at once.

“You look so beautiful. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that first.”

“That’s not...” Monica floundered, shaking her head. “Thank you, but what are you talking about, with Kennet? It was just a stupid conversation, I barely remember what he said.”

“It isn’t that.” Osamu’s fingers slid up, following the natural, breath-taking lines of her body to curve around her shoulder and then up to cup her throat, his thumb moving to her soft cheek. “I know you. Or, I like to think I do. It isn’t you who needs to apologize to me.”

“You...want Kennet to apologize to you?”

“Yes.” Osamu gripped Monica’s chin in a move so fluid he scarcely seemed the human he was. “I want him to apologize for touching you, when you belong to me.”

Monica, had she a pulse, would have felt her heart stammer at the heavy weight of truth in Osamu’s low tone.

“I won’t stand for him or anyone else putting their hands on you.” Osamu’s grip wasn’t bruising but it was as insistent as his words. “It is my blood that flows in your veins and that makes it my right to touch you. No one else.”

This was a side of Osamu Monica had never seen before. He was always so gentle and soft-spoken, he often reminded her of a house cat. He liked to cuddle, he all but purred under her attention, and she never once saw his teeth bared in aggression. But the man staring at her now was a tiger, all sharp teeth and with horrible, promising intent in his eyes. Monica knew the look in his eyes wasn’t for her, his touch was too gentle, his voice too soft. The look of malice, of raw hatred in his eyes was for Kennet. Osamu meant every word he’d said, and Monica knew then what she was feeling radiating off of him right alongside his rage.

Jealousy.

Monica didn’t trust herself to speak, her body was responding way too much to his actions and words, but the trembling tips of her fingers reached for him and when she cupped his face he let out an almost pained noise, some of the tension seeping out of him almost immediately. It gave her a little more nerve.

“You don’t...need to be jealous of him or anyone else.” Monica watched Osamu turn, pressing kisses to her palm that she felt clear down to her toes.

“I’m yours. Every fiber of my being, every drop of blood in my veins, every beat of this mortal heart belongs to you. I’m yours,” Osamu spoke against her satin skin, his dark eyes on her. “Are you mine?”

Monica nodded, unable to look away from the desperation forming in those glassy eyes.

Osamu ducked his head, brought his forehead to hers as he was quickly losing the battle of how much space he could tolerate between them. “Say it for me, please, Monica. Tell me you’re mine.”

“I-I’m y-yours,” Monica was helpless to do anything else, whether responding to the hitch in his voice, the tremble in his body, or the small, teardrop stain on his shirt right next to her picture in his locket.

Osamu closed the distance between them in an instant, his lips searing in a claiming kiss that sealed her words to him like a promise. It soothed across his frantically beating heart like a balm even as his large hands fell to her hips, curving around the small of her back to lift her petite frame into his. She fit perfectly, as he knew her to do, and he knew this was how it should always be.

Jealousy was a cruel teacher, but Osamu knew the hard lesson learned was that he would not, could not, lose her.

[cordonianchoicesqueen]

Rewritten: The Royal Romance: Hello Cordonia (Part Four)

A/N: We are in Cordonia! Drake and Riley have their first fight and finally Hana, the true unsung talented queen of the TRR series makes an entrance. Also, on second reading of TRR, there’s a lot of really sexist chatter by the male characters about how awful all the women are to each other/ gold digging... They make you so worried about the women in court but they are all fabulous in their own ways... Definitely will have to come back to that at some point!

Summary: Riley drops her life in NYC and boards a plane to Cordonia with Drake and Maxwell. Arriving at the palace she feels very overwhelmed but manages to make a new friend in the process.

Choices Chapter: Book One, Chapter Two, First Half

Disclaimer: Characters and main storyline from Pixelberry’s Choices.

Word Count: 2570

Warnings: none

Hello Cordonia

The next hour or so was a whirlwind. I walked into Elliot’s with my head high. My manager turned around to shout at me for coming in the wrong entrance and being a couple minutes late but when he saw my carefree expression, he paled. I told him exactly what he could do with his sexist rants and disregard for his employees and then rushed home. I had no idea what to pack but I didn’t have time to worry about it, throwing random outfits into my bag. I grabbed anything sparkly or fancy I could find… I mean I was going to a Palace! My wardrobe nor I was truly prepared for this major life change. Just before the car sent for me pulled up outside, I left my key to my apartment on the table and texted my landlord, glad that I had decided to take out periodic tenancy. With that, I felt my ties to New York fall away and I felt free… if not just a bit petrified. 

When I got to the airport, my bags were taken for me and I was escorted through the airport. I skipped line after line and before I knew it I was standing on the runway beside a magnificent private jet. As I walked up the stairs, I let my hand run across the cold railing trying to take in everything. Yesterday, all I had to look forward to was a day off from a job I hated so I could sleep and do nothing. Today, I was boarding a private jet to travel into the unknown. It was terrifying. Yet, my overly anxious self finally let the excitement take over instead of fear. The cabin was stylish and like no airplane I had ever been on before. The chairs were the size of three economy style seats and large tables so clean you could see yourself in them were dotted around. Maxwell and Drake sat across from each other, sipping glasses of champagne. “Wow,” I said, not managing to contain my inner monologue. Maxwell jumped up, handing me a glass, “say goodbye to New York and helloooo to Cordonia!” I took the glass, feeling underdressed even for an airplane journey, “I can’t believe this is happening.” “Believe it,” Drake chimed in, downing his glass, “we’ll be there before you know it, ready or not. And if you’re not ready, those ladies at court are going to eat you alive.” “Don’t scare her Drake!” Maxwell scolding, gesturing for me to sit down with them. “You okay, Riley?” “Honestly… I’m terrified,” I said exhaling. “I knew it. She’s not gonna last a week. It’s a waste of time bringing her,” Drake bristled. Drake had obviously taken a strange dislike to me from the get go. He wasn’t happy that I was out with them the night before and he definitely wasn’t happy I was there with them now. I tried to brush aside his feelings about me… but for some reason I really wanted this grumpy, asshole to like me. He was obviously close with Liam. It wasn’t just the women I would need to win over in court. “I don’t get why you’re being so grim about this…” I said neutrally. “Look, no offense,” he said, his words dripping with offense, “but I’ve seen girls like you come and go. It never ends well. Not for you, not for Liam, not for the royal family.” “Riley’s not some crown-chaser, Drake” Maxwell fired back. I’d yet to see Maxwell look upset or angry about anything. He, so far, had always seemed so bubbly. It was nice to have him in my corner. It was time to fight my own battles and it seemed the only way to fight Drake was with a fire of my own. “Drake, to be fair you’re more my usual type. Down and out bad boy who have a strange superiority complex and like making other people feel bad,” I chided him. “Hah,” Drake rolled his eyes sarcastically. “I’m serious. I don’t usually mess around with rich boys, much less royalty. So you can keep your opinions to yourself until you actually know me,” I said never breaking his stare. Maxwell let out a low whistle, “well I think that’s enough for our pre-flight entertainment. How about we get this plane in the air and play some card games to pass the time!”

A while later, the pilot announced the plane’s descent. “Look,” Maxwell said to me pointing out the window. “You can see Cordonia out the window. You won’t want to miss this, Riley.” I peered out the window and saw one of the most beautiful costal cities I had ever seen. Small buildings scattered the landscape down to docks where extravagant yachts and ships were moored. The sea was a fantastic blue, so clear I felt like I could see all the way to the depths into the sand where the fish hide. So used to cities with unapologetic concrete structures stealing as much of the landscape as they could and the New York grids, I instead could make out the winding roads of this city leading to so many unexpected parks, plazas and market stalls. A maze I couldn’t wait to be inside. The lights of the city were soft and seemed to be united into one pattern instead of different obtrusive flashes fighting one another demanding my attention On the top of a hill overlooking the whole city was a gleaming palace with a garden so splendid in colour I could almost smell the flowers from my seat on the plane. “This is Cordonia?” I smiled despite myself. “It’s like something out of a fairy tale… The sparking ocean, the swaying trees…” “If you burst into song, I’m jumping out the plane,” Drake said behind me but I felt like I could hear an almost smile in his voice. “I’m just saying it’s beautiful,” I shook my head not being able to believe my luck. “It is, isn’t it… Are you ready?” Maxwell gave me a reassuring smile. “Ready as I will ever be!” I exclaimed.

We rode in a black car with tinted windows up the long pathway through the grounds of the palace. Fountains sprayed water high into the clear blue sky and flowers of all colours burst from ground to meet us. “Welcome to your home for the next few months, Riley,” Maxwell said. The castle itself was extravagant with gold trims and ancient carvings built into the exterior. “This is where I’m staying? I didn’t realise I’d be living in the palace,” I said, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed. My apartment was probably half the size of a singular room in this spectacular building. I had done nothing to deserve this type of, literally, royal treatment. “Most of the nobility live here while the social season is underway, including all the ladies vying for Liam’s hand,” Maxwell explained. “Yeah, living under one roof just makes it easier to attend the rose ceremony later,” Drake joked, giving away a little too much about his reality TV watching habits. Maxwell rolled his eyes as the car stopped outside the grand doors, “Drake’s just kidding… at least about the roses. Anyway, I’ll show you to your room!” Maxwell hopped out the car and held the door for me. Palace staff appeared out of nowhere to take my bags and bowed to me before heading inside. “This is my cue to take off,” Drake said getting out of the car and looking at me once more. “See you around… if you’re lucky.” I watched him as he walked away. I scrunched up my nose as I tried to figure out what his game was. I was so convinced he just had a natural dislike for me but as the plane journey had gone on, it seemed that he was almost testing me, trying to see how far he could push me before I snapped. I wondered if I was only a social experiment to him, a play thing that I was sure he would get bored of quickly. Through the doors to the castle, I was immediately greeted by more splendour and a staircase with a blushing red carpet that would rival any images of castles or mansions I had seen. The baluster was a dark wood elegantly carved. The walls were covered in portraits of the royal family and landscapes of the Cordonian countryside. I followed Maxwell slowly up the stairs. “So what’s the deal with Drake,” I asked Maxwell, wanting to enjoy my incredible surroundings but not being able to get Drake’s behaviour out of my head. “Why is he so… angry?” “Oh don’t mind him. Drake’s never really… fit in,” Maxwell said carefully. “Not used to courtly life?” I asked. “Definitely not,” he said in a matter of fact tone. “He’s a commoner. He’s always been an outsider here. Even if he is Liam’s best friend…” I wanted to know more but knew better than to pry. I let the conversation drop as Maxwell led me down corridor after corridor. There was no way I was ever going to find my way around this place with it’s suit of armour lined, high ceilinged halls. “Your room is here in the west wing. In case you need anything from me or my brother, our rooms are just a couple doors away,” he said reassuring me yet again. “I didn’t know you had a brother?” “Yeah, an older brother. His official title is Duke Bertrand Beaumont. As the eldest son, he’s the heir and I’m the spare. You’ll see him tonight. He’ll be excited to meet you,” Maxwell smiled elbowing me. I couldn’t imagine another Maxwell! So bubbly and supportive even with people he barely knew. This was a case of two had to be even better than just the one! “I’m really looking forward to meet him,” I said with full honesty. Maxwell stops short in front of an ornate door, “this is it! Here’s your room!” As we entered, I realised I needed to learn to stop my jaw automatically dropping open when I saw the splendour that was presented before me. The lavish guest room had one of the largest beds I’d ever seen, with huge detailed throws and filled with fluffy pillows. There were full length paintings, gilded ceilings and mirrors that made me feel like Alice lived here and could fall into the looking glasses. “Wow.” “As a guest, you are spared no luxury,” Maxwell smiled looking at my face. I must have looked like a young child in their first candy shop, “so there’s nothing stopping me from jumping on the bed? From raiding the mini bar?” “There’s no mini bar, but the staff here,” Maxwell gestured to the man placing my very small suitcase in the room, “will get you anything you’d like.” “Sweeeet!” I yelled, letting myself go and throwing myself backwards onto the bed. I felt my body sink into the sheets. They were soft as silk and I immediately felt like I could have drifted off into the best sleep I had ever had. Maxwell laughed, “I’ll let you settle in before your big debut tonight…” I sat up abruptly, “my what?” “I’m sorry, I keep forgetting that you’re not used to this. The first event of the social season is tonight, The Masquerade,” Maxwell made jazz hands. “It’s the ball where all the suitors will be presented to the Prince, as well as to the King. Not everyone dresses in costume… but you might need to have a think about it…” Maxwell glances doubtfully at my modest suitcase. “I’m guessing it’s unlikely you’ve got a costume or a fancy ball gown in there.” I gulped, “nope not gonna have that.” “There’s a seamstress who frequents the palace before social events to aid the ladies with any last-minute fixes to dresses. She’ll be downstairs, you should find her and ask if she has any spare dresses in your size,” Maxwell said. “Thank you, Maxwell. This is all very overwhelming but you are being so helpful,” I half smiled. “Remember. Tonight is very important. It’s your chance to make a first impression on all the influential people at court and to stand apart from everyone else!” he stated. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this,” I said more confidently, standing up and straightening my posture.

It took me a while, but I finally managed to follow Maxwell’s directions down through the castle to the room that was temporarily being used as the women’s make-up and wardrobe space for the social season. As I stepped inside I heard a gasp. The gasp came from a gorgeous woman in the back corner of the room, dressed only in her bra and knickers. I immediately went beetroot as she moved the dress she was holding to cover herself. “Sorry! So sorry,” I said. Damn it, Riley! What did Maxwell just say about making a good impression?! “I didn’t realise someone was already here…” I continued rambling. The woman laughed, her laughter was the type that was infectious and I felt a cool relief wash over my embarrassment, “No problem. I should have put up a sign or something!” Still holding the dress to her near-naked body, she approached me, each step as dainty as the next, extending her hand, “I’m Hana. I suppose you’re also here to prepare for the Masquerade.” I shook her hand. “You’re just like me… searching desperately at last minute for something to wear!” I had been warned of vicious women who took no prisoners. Hana seemed competent and caring, rather than someone who would shiv me with a stiletto. “More or less,” I replied, not wanting to give away too much in case I was reading her wrong. “Just let me slip my dress on and I can show you around. The seamstress has already left for the day,” Hana said. I turned around so that she could dress. I could hear her struggling with the zipper. “Do you need a hand?” I asked, still staring at the door. “That would be amazing,” she giggled. I helped slide the zipper up her dress, that suited her petit and slim body shape perfectly. She picked up a matching mask, securing it in pace and then tossed herself a daring look in the mirror. She turned to me, grinning, “Thank you. Not many people in court are like you...” “Helpful?” I asked. “Nice,” she said, a steady smile on her face. “Ah this dress is perfect!” Hana spins, showing off her skirt in full twirl for me. “Now, what about you? Let’s find you a dress!” It only took Hana a moment to find me a stunning, long, white ball gown with cold shoulder sleeves and sexy slit up the side of my leg. It was everything I needed to look at myself and feel transformed into the princess I wanted to be. It covered all those bumps I did not like, was the perfect length and showed off all the parts of my body I loved. Hana secured a stunning silver masquerade mask to my face and I truly looked the part of pauper become princess. “You look wonderful,” she smiled admiring her handy work. “You did a wonderful job!” I responded, glad I had somehow already made a friend in this strange place.