#han jisung camp au | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

astralis-is-typing · 1 year ago

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"... and they were camp-mates." (더 가까이~)

⚝fic type: romance, young love

⚝genre/contains: han jisung x fem reader, summer camp!au, fluff, comfort, childhood friends to lovers, mutual pinning, both reader and jisung are over 18

⚝warnings: slightly suggestive

⚝word count: 5.8k

⚝inspo: mixtape:oh by stray kids

⚝A/N: this is my entry for the may/june blossoming love event (⁠✿⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠) happy pride month & an even happier 2 year anniversary of mixtape oh!! (the korean title is from han's verse in the song's bridge)

“너와 두 눈을 맞추고서, 한 걸음 더 네게로...

계획을 세워봐도, 여전히 네 앞에 서면 나는 애야”

The great oak doors opened with a familiar creak as you stepped into the reception of your long-time summer camp. Nothing had changed. Nothing really ever changed here. Year in, year out and this lodge remained tried and true. You had attended this camp almost every summer for the past six years. Both your parents had incredibly demanding jobs. Since they couldn’t keep you entertained for your entire holiday themselves, they had figured camp was a good alternative to leaving you at home to your own devices all day. You hadn’t liked the idea at first, but this place gradually grew on you… its carefree and youthful aura was something you’d always reminisce on. It was out of the city, away from all the noise and rush. The camp was bordered by a forest on one side and a lake on the other; the fresh air was always so soothing to your lungs, particularly on the first week back here. Whether a kid liked being outdoors or not, this place had a way of expanding one’s perspective on what fun could look like.

You ran a finger along the smooth brown reception desk as you took in your surroundings. The familiarity of the place made you sigh; the tension you didn’t know you were holding slowly easing off your shoulders. Cheesy motivational quotes and colourful posters about camp activities were tacked onto the notice board beside the desk.

On the counter, a jar of sweets glinted invitingly in the soft sunlight seeping through the room’s large open windows. They came in handy especially in the first few weeks of camp, when the receptionist needed to calm down the kids who ran in demanding to phone their parents and have them pick them up. It was a regular occurrence with the younger campers, you had behaved that way too on your first summer. Some of the best– and worst– moments of your childhood had happened at this camp. You’d broken limbs, learned how to swim, cycle and bake here… As well as more unconventional feats, such as learning how to pick a lock with a hair pin.

The reception had received a fresh coat of paint since you were last here, the beige tint no longer chipping to reveal the dulling white beneath it. You dinged the tiny bell on the table top and took a seat at the orange couch beside the door as you waited for the receptionist to come in. You came back this summer as a junior Counsellor to earn a little extra cash before you joined college. Familiar as the place was, you were sure this summer would be a relatively different experience considering your new position and the fact that you wouldn’t be spending it with the friends you had made here. It would be rather boring without them all, you thought, as you knew most of the other junior Counsellors would be unfamiliar faces.

The receptionist walked in through a side door after a few minutes and beckoned you forward with a warm greeting so you could register your name in the counter book and receive your pass. You can’t help but smile as you take in the photographs still stuck to the wall behind the desk. They were from three years ago, when your camp’s rowing team had competed in a tournament and won. Under the generic congratulatory banner, you could see your own toothy grin (and pimpled forehead) staring back at you. Right next to it was one particular chubby cheeked boy who was smiling triumphantly as he held his hand up in a peace sign. You let out a small laugh at the memory of the cheesecake-loving boy who’d simultaneously annoyed the hell out of you and elevated your stays here to astronomical levels of fun.

“Hey baby!” Came his unmistakable voice from behind you. It made you spin around in shock. The Han Jisung was leaning against the door frame, a crossbody bag slung across his broad chest and a large box cradled in his arms.

The nickname 'baby' had always fallen so easily from his lips, in the same manner one would casually use ‘bro’ or ‘mate’. He hadn’t changed all that much… still had those insanely chubby cheeks and annoyingly perfect waist. His sense of fashion had improved tremendously, yet still looked very Jisung-esque; comfort had always been the most important element to his dressing.

“Jisung? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” he countered with a wink, walking in and setting the box down on the counter. “Can’t deny I’m not happy to see you, though.”

He turned to the receptionist then. “These are books I’d, uhm, borrowed from the camp’s library… over the years… and forgotten to return.” He explained with his signature grin, hoping to charm the older man into letting him off the hook. Soon enough he'd check the 'return by' dates and realize that some of the box’s contents had been under Han Jisung's bed at home for about four years now. If it wasn’t for his pestering mother they’d still be there, honestly.

You scoffed, trying to ignore the swell of his bicep as he leaned an arm on the counter. “You read?”

Jisung stuck his tongue out at you. You rolled your eyes when the receptionist opened the box to reveal dozens of comics. “These don’t count as books, Jisung.”

“They do, too.” He challenged back indignantly.

“You don’t read.” You stated with finality as the receptionist went back through the side door he came in from.

“Yes I do.” Jisung countered adamantly as he leaned towards you and tapped your nose with his finger. You groaned and leaned back, stifling the laugh that was climbing up your throat.

“So what’s your deal?” he asked, changing the subject with a teasing pout of his lips as he poked your side. “Missed this place that much?”

“I’m here as a Counsellor.” You explained shortly, paying no mind to his antics. Jisung had a habit of trying to rile you up for no apparent reason. He seemed to find great fun in it.

“Well look at that, baby!” He said with exaggerated glee, showing you his pearly white teeth as he smiled wide. You narrowed your eyes at him, fighting back the smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

“We’ll be spending one last summer together,” he gushed, emphasizing each word with an affectionate pat on your shoulder.

—

You watched Jisung scribble his name just below yours in the worn out counter book. You couldn’t believe your luck, this had to be some kind of joke.

The two of you had a history.

You remember the summer Han Jisung had serenaded you by the campfire, all in the name of having you lend an ear for his new song. The dark haired boy had sung his heart out while dutifully strumming his guitar. You recall the way he hadn't broken eye contact for a second, the crackling fire illuminating his determined face. The performance had ended with him shyly confessing that you had inspired the ballad.

That had also been the summer you’d had to untangle him from his mosquito net. Yeah, not Jisung’s finest moment.

None of his roommates had managed to free him and you had for some reason been deemed an expert in such cabin room catastrophes. He’d snuck a kiss to your cheek as you finally freed his fragile legs from the net. (A kiss you’d immediately wiped off as the other campers began to holler and croon sickly sweet love songs.)

—

When he’d walked in, Jisung’s stomach had done a funny flip at the sight of you. After all this time…

The effect you had on him was as strong as when he’d last seen you. He started teasing you out of habit, the urge near instinctual after all these years. What else was he supposed to do? That was his only way of masking the true nature of his feelings. You absolutely captivated Han Jisung, in just about every way possible. Unknown to you, he had been under your spell for years now. Sure, you’d probably caught on at one point or another that he had a crush on you, but it ran deeper than that. Jisung was enthralled by the way your brain worked, and the unique solutions you found to problems. Though a bit of a genius in his own right– especially musically– Jisung was rather scatter-brained and your efficiency and structure was something he’d always admire. In addition to that you had the prettiest eyes he’d ever had the pleasure of looking into.

As you walked side by side, Jisung grappled with how he was going to keep things light and friendly between you two. Internally, he knew that he was fighting a losing battle.

—

The two of you made your way to the centre of the camp where the senior Counsellors were dividing duties. Nayeon, your favourite Counsellor from your time at camp, handed you your own schedule. It turns out you would be working with the younger kids. Not a bad deal considering you’d been on babysitting duty for most of your life, being the oldest sibling and all.

Jisung, who was seated next to you on the sturdy log, grinned as he read his own sheet and nudged you with his elbow when he reached the end of the slip.

“Looks like we’ll be cabin-mates, baby.” He declared. Your eyes widened at that, scanning through your own paper to confirm his statement. Indeed, you would be holed up with Han Jisung for a whole month.

You sputtered, blaming the sudden heat creeping up your face on the sun overhead, and looked up at Nayeon with your mouth slightly agape.

“You’re the same age,” she pointed out, shrugging. “And you know each other. I figured it would be more comfortable than rooming you with strangers.”

Your heart was beating wildly in your chest as your mind ran a mile a minute, providing you with scenarios of how this could possibly turn out. You struggled not to give any outward indication of the thoughts clouding your brain.

“Unless you want me to change it…” Nayeon offered kindly, noticing the panic dancing in your eyes despite your efforts to conceal it.

You looked over at Jisung, who’s heart-shaped mouth had formed a slight pout at Nayeon’s suggestion. He quickly dropped it when he noticed your gaze.

“Uh… no, no. This will be fine.”

“Are you sure, sweetie?” She double-checked.

“Yeah, sure. Positive.” You cleared your throat that suddenly felt very dry. You quickly racked your brain for a reason to excuse how flustered you were. “I was just- Jisung’s really messy so I was a little-”

“Am not.” He countered childishly, looking slightly offended. Unfortunately for him, the slight upwards quirk of his mouth betrayed the charade.

“I’ve heard the horror stories.” You teased with a raised brow, referring to the tales you’d heard from his previous cabin-mates.

“Well,” Nayeon cut in, shaking her head in amusement. “If the arrangement is alright with the both of you then I’ll leave you to it.”

She smiled good-naturedly before moving on to her other colleagues who had queries.

—

Rooming with Jisung wasn’t all that bad. Both of you were shy at first and kept to your respective sides of the small cabin. The room had two bunk beds and Jisung kept his mess to his top bunk. Sleep had evaded you on the first night and he’d actually offered to sing you to sleep. It had worked wonders and over the next two weeks it became somewhat of a routine.

The only time you got in each other’s way was rushed mornings when you needed the bathroom at the same time. You didn’t spend much time in there anyways, already swept up in the flurry of activities that camp provided. In truth, you just wanted to avoid the blush that graced your cheeks whenever he walked in all sleepy to brush his teeth, muttering a ‘hey, baby’ with his gravely morning voice. The domesticity of going about your morning routines together got to your head faster than you expected it to. Perhaps what made it worse was when he had to lean over or behind you to grab something on your end of the sink.

One morning he’d full-on wrapped an arm around your waist as he reached over and snagged your scented lotion. Jisung thought he was being all slick but the proximity ended up flustering him even more than it did you. You’d feigned annoyance at his seemingly endless antics, scolding him and trying to pry the bottle from his hand. Jisung, stubborn as ever, wasn’t giving it up that easily and cheekily brought his face closer to yours with puckered lips. You’d recoiled immediately with wide eyes and he laughed in delight, savouring his victory as you narrowed your eyes at him and stormed out of the bathroom before he got to see the smile you couldn’t seem to fight off.

—

It felt like the kids wanted to try out everything at once. On days you seriously needed some down time, you’d get one of them to start up a game of hide and seek. That kept them busy for a good hour, sometimes more depending on the number of participants.

Hide and seek had always been a popular game at camp. The game’s rules were different here– and a seeker finding you didn’t automatically mean you had lost. Once found, you and the seeker had to race to where they’d been counting; whoever got there first won. If you lost, you had to join the seeker in their quest to find the rest of the campers.

Three summers ago, you’d hidden in one of the camp’s two treehouses with Jisung during a game. When it began you had quickly dashed up there, expecting to find the space empty. You had nearly tripped over Jisung who was crouched near the door. He’d managed to steady you and put a finger to his lips conspiratorially. You wanted to whine and tell him to find another spot but at that moment the seeker announced they were done counting.

Jisung had clamped a hand over your mouth and pulled you in before you could protest… adrenaline running high as you both pressed against the wooden inner wall. He was closer to the door, so you curled around him– placing your hands on his shoulders to steady yourself as you peeped at the scene below you two. The sky was quickly darkening outside, darker shades of blue streaked with hues of violet creating a beautiful background to complement the moon's faint glow that cast tall shadows behind the scurrying campers. The moonlight slipped past half-drawn blinds through the window above you, a sliver of light dancing across Jisung’s soft cheeks. He had them puffed out as he held his breath, looking over the door’s landing. You could make out half his face, the other half silhouetted in the dark tree house. He looked rather beautiful this way, the sharp line of his nose against the light and soft curve of his round eyes making him look like a painting. The realization momentarily stole your breath away.

When he turned around suddenly, your noses almost bumped together. It occurred to you with a start how close you were to him. He didn’t move away though, eyes gleaming with mischief in typical Jisung fashion as he took note of the proximity. You didn’t pull back either, transfixed and still a little dazed by everything. It took you way too long to notice you were staring at his lips. It wasn’t until he let out a soft chuckle that you slightly moved back, the breath of it fanning against your own lips. Your heart had fluttered annoyingly when you returned your gaze to his brown eyes.

“Have you ever kissed someone?” You asked quietly. The dark of the evening was working like liquid courage and brazenness uncharacteristically came easily to you. Jisung looked taken aback by your question, eyes widened as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip nervously and picked at his dark blue nail polish. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, hoping against hope that you were suggesting what he thought you were. He nodded his head, adding as he looked away, “Never a girl, though.”

“Oh,” was the only reply you could come up with, unsure of how to continue the conversation.

He faced you again, now grinning. You knew that look and groaned, already being able to tell the boy was about to say something stupid.

“You could change that.” He suggested with a smirk.

You rolled your eyes, mumbling something under your breath about how you ‘didn’t mean it that way’– yet you still brought his face closer to yours with slightly shaky hands.

“Your insufferable.” You said as menacingly as you could, but the twinkle on your eyes betrayed you.

Jisung’s breath caught in his throat when you held his face in both your palms, cold from the air outside. He hesitantly brought one of his own hands to your cheek before closing the space between you two.

The kiss was soft, just a slow brush of your lips– neither of you confident enough go beyond that. In any case, you didn’t have the time to, hearing someone– undoubtedly the seeker– climbing up to the treehouse. You quickly broke apart and stood up, preparing yourselves for the impending race.

Your lips still tingled faintly as he looked at you and sharply nodded his head once. You nodded back, mouthing, “On three…”

—

As the days stretched on, hanging out with Jisung in between your duties proved to be a fun past time. Sure, he still teased you a lot, but more than made up for it by making you laugh hysterically. He’d been the mood maker during your time as a camper. Jisung always managed to rally the other kids’ spirits and always had a great story for the nights spent around the campfire.

On your second Saturday back at camp, you two were seated outside your cabin as you usually did when you were both off duty. It was the onset of summer the small room felt too stuffy at times. You’d helped him make sure the older campers he was in charge of weren’t getting into any trouble before retiring for the night. For those rascals, truth or dare had become riskier and ‘7 minutes in heaven’ was now the go-to game for a night spent indoors.

You and Jisung recalled one such occasion during your own teen years when he had lied you were his girlfriend to get out of kissing Felix in a game of spin the bottle. You didn’t understand why he’d done it; Jisung had kissed virtually all his friends at least once– and Felix was no exception. You’d now found yourself in the middle of the drama, your other campmates still demanding a kiss between you two to keep the game going.

Felix had eyed you sceptically as you fumbled for a way to back out. That boy had been Jisung’s bunkmate that summer and the previous one as well. Felix would surely have known if the two of you had something going on; the campers had a habit of sneaking into each other’s cabins when they dated.

The freckled boy’s voice was so low in the morning that it had scared the shit out of Jisung every day for the first two weeks spent as his bunkmate. The two of you burst out laughing at the memory of him spraining his ankle on the first week of that summer, having fallen out of bed at the sound of Felix’s rumbling morning voice. It had resulted in Jisung having to trade in the much coveted top bunk to prevent any chance of breaking a limb in his spooked frenzy.

“Hey! You wouldn’t have fared any better!” he managed between laughs, trying to save some face. “It’s hard to convince your brain at six in the morning that no, there isn’t any demon under you plotting to drag you into the underworld.”

The conversation then shifted to your future plans. Every new thing Jisung discovered about you left him yearning to know you at a greater depth. Jisung was going to study music and producing, naturally. He was still nervous about it, stomach churning from the thought of the calibre of classmates he’d have at the college he was accepted to.

“You’ve got the talent and the drive for it,” you reassured him with an earnest smile. You leaned your hand on your palm as you gave him your full attention, genuinely interested in his aspirations. You knew Jisung didn’t open up to many people about these things, afraid that they’d find his ranting tiresome. You wanted to make sure he knew you enjoyed listening.

Jisung couldn’t hold eye contact for long- eyes straying from yours every now and then. You were sat there looking at him with that look you had cast on him so many times before; one that made his stomach do backflips. It was a look of trust… of belief that his thoughts were not only valid but mattered. There weren’t that many people out there who took their time to just listen in the way you did. Not only to him; Jisung admired the caring nature you extended to everyone around you. It’s one of the things that made you a great Counsellor; the kids felt not only safe, but also heard when with you.

“Don’t look at me like that!” He whined, subconsciously hiding his flushed face behind his hand.

“Like what?” You chuckled. You fought back the flustered panic rising in your chest. Had your eyes let on too much? You were usually good at schooling your smitten expression in front of Jisung (or so you thought) but it seems the comfort of the moment had made you drop your guard.

“Like that,” He explained unhelpfully, wiggling his fingers in your direction. It really wasn’t like Jisung at all… the way he talked to you, treated you and behaved towards you made him seem so immature. Everything he said ended up sounding childish. It was rapidly getting worse the closer you two grew.

“Anyways,” he said, shaking his head and trying to regain his wits. “I’ve been working on something. Would you like to hear it?”

“If you’re going to try serenading me I swear-”

“No, no,” he laughed, getting shy again at the memory of that night so many years ago. “It’s…”

He trailed off, not wanting to give too much away. “I don’t want to give any spoilers!” He stood up and gestured for you to do the same. “Just come inside.”

Jisung turned on his laptop– his only possession separated from the heap of clothes and his other belongings sprawled on his top bunk– and pulled up a file labelled ‘Close’. He kept his eyes trained on the floor as he played you a snippet. The song had an upbeat and floaty vibe to it, the kind you loved. It eased the weight of the lyrics that carried such unaffected depth, typical of Jisung’s song-writing. He blushed as you praised him when the track-in-progress came to an end, attempting to downplay how good the song really was, but you didn’t let him. He cleared his throat, struggling to explain the meaning behind the song when yet again faced with your undivided attention. Around you all the bright ideas in his head came out messy and uncoordinated, even when he’d thought about what he wanted to say beforehand.

You held out your hand as you hit the replay button on his laptop and pulled him up.

“Dance with me?” you asked simply. It wasn’t really optional, considering you’d already brought him to his feet, but Jisung wouldn’t have declined anyways. You put your hands on his shoulders as you danced in the small space between your two beds. He tentatively brought his hands up to your waist with a small grin.

“Better not crush my toes with your great big feet,” he teased, taking one step closer to you and laughing as you swatted his chest with a grumble. Holding you in this way shouldn’t be having the effect that it is on him. But what did he expect? Every time he so much as looked at you for too long his breath caught in his throat. As always, the only distraction Jisung could find from the feelings blossoming within was to poke fun at you.

The song came to an end as the two of you were swaying silently, simply enjoying the moment. In any case, you both lacked the courage to do much else. Without realizing it, you had gotten closer– way closer then when you’d begun… but neither of you could find the will to pull away.

He should honestly just go for it.

Jisung was honestly one of the suavest guys he knew. It shouldn’t be this difficult. Why was it, anyways? He was a grown man, he reasoned to himself. Kissing his crush didn’t have to be like pulling teeth. Jisung shook his fears away as he held your chin in between his fingers, eyes imploring your own. You slipped your arms around his neck and he shut his eyes, letting you close the gap between you two.

The kiss felt different from anything he’d experienced previously. Your lips pressed against his with so much care, conveying everything you couldn’t put into words. When you pulled away your pretty eyes remained focused on his lips in a way that made him want to dip back in for more. Everything about you did.

He held you close to him by the waist, loosely enough in case you wanted to step back. You placed a hand over his chest, eyes telling him all he needed to know as you felt his heartbeat pick up under your palm.

“Hey…” he chanced, rocking you slowly to a rhythm no one else but the two of you could seem to hear. You appeared to be waltzing… lost in each other’s gazes as you both slowly shed the layers of pretence keeping you apart.

“Hmm?” You replied softly, careful not to break the comfortable silence.

“Be my girl,” he pleaded. Jisung drew you into a hug and leaned his cheek against yours, sighing at his lack of tact. You pulled back and smiled coyly at him before you playfully danced out of his reach. You plopped down on your bed, not anticipating the way he followed you and kneeled at your side so you were somewhat at eye level.

“Why should I?” You asked with your eyebrow raised and hands crossed over your chest. You’d expected a clever quip in return but he merely pouted at your answer.

“Haven’t I proven myself enough?” he whined. In spite of yourself, you reached out a hand and threaded your fingers through his hair. It had grown longer in the time he’d been here, brown strands tickling his neck. He sighed at the feeling, weighing his next words before he spoke again.

“Have you ever had sex before?”

The question stumbled out ungracefully. Its randomness made you raise your eyebrows and laugh. If it were anyone else, he’d have probably been able to say that smoother, maybe slip a warm palm up your thigh. But no, around you Han Jisung was an idiot.

You nodded your head, then– as if you’d suddenly recalled something funny– grinned and added, “Never with a boy, though.”

The reference had him chuckling in spite of his nerves, helping him relax a little. Of course, this peace was disrupted by what you said next.

“You could change that…” You suggested, trailing off in your slight uncertainty. You cleared your throat when Jisung looked at you blankly, examining your hands like they were suddenly the most interesting thing in earth as you tried to look anywhere in the room but him. He laughed quietly and brought your face back round to face him.

“You’re insufferable,” he said softly, teasing glint still dancing in his eyes. Jisung brought up his hand to your face and leaned in for the second time that night. The kiss was firmer this time round. His lips moved against yours with a newfound determination, tongue sliding against your lips and seeking entrance beyond them. His other hand trailed up you your arm to gently tug at your elbow, moving you closer to him.

You pulled him up onto the bed and he hit his head on the top bunk in the process. He groaned as he sunk down and you couldn’t help but break the kiss to laugh at him.

“See what I go through for you?” he joked, rubbing his forehead with a grimace.

“Okay,” you conceded. “I’ll give you a shot.”

“Really?” He exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement and reddening forehead forgotten.

“Just for the summer…” You negotiated. “You’re on probation.”

“Well, that’s better than nothing,” he shrugged before laying down on your bed and pulling you on top of him. You straddled him as your head lowered to his once again, closing your eyes as the feeling of his lips against your own and hands roaming your body engulfed you.

—

You woke up to the soft morning light slipping under your curtains and the feeling of Jisung’s breath against your neck. He’d nuzzled himself there and was borderline laying on top of you. He looked so peaceful like this, his toned back rising and falling with each breath he took. His leg was thrown over your own and you gently pried him off so you could go to the bathroom.

You gazed at your reflection in the sink’s mirror, noticing a very conspicuous mark on your neck that you’d have to cover up later. You ran your fingertips over it, smiling like an idiot. Why was it so hard for you to admit your feelings for this guy? Everyone could see there was something deeper between you two. Even one of the kids had pryingly asked if he was your boyfriend.

Every summer, all the relationships the two of you might have had over the school year dissipated into thin air the second camp began. Jisung seemed to forget the relevance of them all when you were in question. On your end, you struggled to mask your smile when someone brought his name up. Both his goofy and serious side were so special to you. His serious expression as he jotted down lyrics used to make your stomach flutter– you realized it still did when he was talking about his song to you last night.

You gazed at your reflection again, searching your own eyes for an answer you already held within you… could you be falling in love?

—

The weeks flew by and before you knew it, your final time at this camp was coming to an end. You and Jisung had been… busy, in between your Counselling duties. There were several times over the course of the past few weeks when you’d woken up in his bed instead of yours.

Nevertheless, you’d surprisingly enjoyed your duties. The kids this summer where a nice lot, especially considering you hadn’t been assigned to deal with the older ones. It was harder for them to take your instructions as they could see you weren’t much older than them. You didn’t know how Jisung managed.

On the last week you and Jisung were yet again sat outside your cabin, sharing a pack of gummy bears.

“So… am I off probation now?” he asked teasingly.

“Still thinking about it.” You deadpanned, resolutely staring ahead into the darkness.

“C’mon don’t be difficult,” He whined. “Admit it, I’m the best boyfriend you’ve ever had.”

“Nope,” you said, giggling. “You’re the only boyfriend I’ve ever had.”

“So that automatically makes me the best!” He argued with a grin. “No competition… you’d just be comparing me to me.”

“I said you’re my first boyfriend, not first relationship,” you corrected him. “Don’t get to cocky,” you said throwing him a wink.

It was comical, really, the way he pouted at your answer. His eyes suddenly lit up as he dragged you up from your seat.

“Where are we going?”

“Just follow me.” He said with faux exhaustion, mumbling about how stubborn you were.

The stars twinkled above you and you could hear that distant hooting of owls from the nearby forest. The moon proudly lit your path as you recognized it as the route to the camp’s old well. It had no use really, and hadn’t in about 15 years.

You remember your third summer at camp when Jisung had jumped into it after you’d rejected him.

He’d stayed down that well until a Counsellor had to grudgingly get him out. Jisung had been a menace at the time. The only Counsellor who’d managed to tame him was a junior named Minho. Jisung didn’t seem to care about how much grief he caused them during activities- always stirring up some kind of mischief. You’d frequently catch him looking your way, as if he was specifically waiting for your reaction to his antics. Jisung liked to see you laugh at his jokes, beyond giddy to know he’d contributed to that beautiful smile of yours. He always strived to make his mark, he didn’t want to just hang or linger around you… a brief distraction that you’d forget by the end of the day. For reasons unknown to him, Jisung had wanted to be more than that to you.

Just like back then, he sat on the well’s edge.

“Be my baby,” he asked, already struggling to bite back a laugh. He threw in a ‘please’ for good measure. “I swear I’ll jump in if you say no again.”

The well’s depth wasn’t as deep or intimidating now considering you were both full adults, but the thought of having to haul him out in the dead of night did not sound appealing, so you agreed immediately. You chuckled as he stood up and made his way to you with a visible spring in his step.

“You’re so stubborn.” You scolded him as he gallantly took your hands in his.

“Annoying, childish, a thorough idiot...” He confirmed, taking another step closer to you. “Who's low-key in love with you.”

“Completely insufferable...” was the last thing you managed to stutter out before he crashed his lips into yours, cradling your face in both his hands. He titled his head and deepened the kiss after a short while, nearly tumbling you both over in the process. You snorted into the kiss and the two of you broke apart in peals of laughter.

It seemed that no matter how many times he did this, he was still messy, still uncoordinated and not much unlike the young campers you watched over.

In front of you, his love, Han Jisung was still a kid.

⚝A/N: Thank you for reading (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆ This concept has been in my mind since May aah I'm happy to finally have it completed. If you enjoyed the story kindly reblog!

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beautifulchris · 1 year ago

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take care

wc: 0,8k

pairing: demigod!jisung x gn demigod!reader

summary: a pair of adhd kids ended up in the same school and got brought to camp together

genres: fluff, little angst, demigod!au, camp half-blood!au, classmates to friends!au, mutual pining!au, son of apollo!jisung, child of hephaestus!reader

tw: physical injury, infirmary

notes: idk why but i’m kinda obsessed with apollo x hephaestus children; anyway enjoy ! i'm reposting the works i posted while shadowbanned, please don't mind me

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @whipped-kpop-creators

permanent tag list: @badwithten send ask/dm/comment to be added!

Publié à l'origine par han-jisung

It all started in school. You were the hyperactive kid, couldn’t stay still for more than a couple minutes, and Jisung was the comical one, always cracking jokes, playing music and dancing in the hallways.

He was usually fun to watch until he destroyed your science project a mere week before the due date. Sure it was accidental, and he apologized, but it had been so much work, so much sweat and tears poured into that project for months.

You were fairly pissed off.

He proposed to help you rebuild it, but you had dismissed him with a wave, feeling humiliated enough. Plus, it would’ve felt like cheating.

Let’s just say twelve hours of sleep in seven days are not nearly enough but you ended up with the best grade.

You were so exhausted in your next class, free of all the anxiety surrounding your science project, that you fell asleep.

Jisung, the guy responsible for your drastic lack of sleep, that you avoided all week—which turned out to be a not so difficult feat after all—took advantage of your sleeping state. He wrote an apology letter and asked your classmate to slide it under your arm.

At the end of class, after mutturing a few curses about how stupid you were for not being able to stay awake—you need to be more gentle with yourself!—you spotted the letter.

It was surprisingly neat, compared to all the times Jisung wrote on the board. It wasn’t the usual sloppy I-do-not-care writing, it was more of a I-make-efforts-please-forgive-me type. You could tell he was trying, and since your project was a success… You decided to forgive him.

At eleven years old, it was easier to forgive and forget.

A few weeks later that same year, four classmates tried to attack Jisung and you while you were in a classroom alone—nothing weird, you were just the last ones to leave—until your science teacher stopped them.

It was ugly, your classmates disintegrated and turned out your favorite teacher had goat legs. Definitely a normal day in your chaotic life.

Your goat teacher brought both of you into camp half-blood, where you got claimed by Hephaestus while Jisung got claimed by Apollo.

You only saw each other occasionally, being in the forge with your siblings most of the time, and him tending to the injured campers in the infirmary. Not that you became friends of course.

Although, more and more often over the years, you ended up in the infirmary because of some stuff exploding, fire erupting—no, you weren’t immune—, pieces of metal flying and knocking you out.

Yeah, the infirmary was the third place where you spent the most time in, beside the forge and cabin nine.

Wait. No, actually, Jisung deplorably said you were spending more time in the infirmary bed than your own. You had your appointed bed at this point.

Jisung always took care of you, not without complaining, though. Not about having to stitch you up or change your bandages and stuff, no. About how you had to be more careful.

He’d be nag about how some injuries can never fully heal. You’d argue that it wasn’t intentional.

He’d joke and say that you don’t need a reason to come see him. You especially do not need to hurt yourself. Which was essentially right.

You talked a lot when you weren’t passed out, and you had learned lately that he was dreaming of owning a lyre.

After doing some research (read: asking Kevin from the Athena cabin), you had everything you needed to make one. You thought you could repay him this way, even if it felt like not enough.

This time he didn’t see you there for weeks.

After mustering up your courage, you entered the infirmary. Jisung was here as usual, humming while tending to a Nemesis kid’s wound. When he finished and saw you, he rushed to your side.

“Hey, what is it?” he asked as he examined your body for any damage but it was all old scars. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, this time,” you sheepishly smiled.

You took the package that you previously put against an unused bed. Jisung hadn’t even noticed, his attention solely on you. Realizing that, his ears turned a shade of pink.

“It’s for you.”

He stared at the package in your hands. “For me?”

You nodded. “Open it.”

You resisted the urge to bolt away when he took the gift from you. As he opened it, you tugged nervously at your overalls’ suspenders.

“I usually forge weapons but I, uh, made you—”

He beamed. “A lyre! Oh Gods, Y/N, you’re amazing! This is the best gift ever!”

He started playing right away, making everyone stop and stare. The melody was smooth and pretty.

“It’s even tuned! Thank you so much Y/N, how can I ever repay you?”

“Ah no, see, this is me repaying you. But if you want to thank me so badly, you can play for me from time to time.”

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, here’s the masterlist <3

#kflixnet #k labels #wkcnet #stray kids demigod au #han jisung #kpop demigod au #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids fluff #stray kids #gender neutral reader #stray kids x reader #han jisung x reader #stray kids jisung #stray kids han #stray kids drabbles #pjo #percy jackson au #hoo

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therhythmafterthesummer · 2 years ago

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Rhythm’s Simplified Masterlist

Please be aware that if you interact with my works and you don’t have any indication of being an adult in your profile you’ll be blocked. If you’ve added your age indicator in your profile and want to be unblocked you can reach out to me on @therhythmafterthesun. For more info you can read this post.

Important: all my stories are intended for an 18+ audience only. by reading and interacting with them you acknowledge this fact. if you’re a minor, i can’t control what you do or don’t do online, but i request that you please don’t interact with my blog.

don’t hesitate to leave an ask or reblog my work with your comments, i appreciate every and any feedback :)

this is a simplified version of my masterlist (essentially, the summaries have been removed and the stories have been organised differently. if you want to have more details before reading a story, check the full masterlist).

Bang Chan | Chris

[23:26]: 1k · Drabble [Roommate!Chan | Roomies to ???? | Fluff].

[02:11]: 1k · Drabble [Boyfriend!Chan | Established Relationship | Smut | Fluff].

The Room: 3k · One Shot [Alternative Universe | Smut | Established Relationship | Angsty].

Herbie · Two Shot: 01: 10k & 02: 5k [Mechanic!Chan | Smut | Fluff | Strangers to Friends to Lovers].

Five-Point Star · Two Shot: 01: 6k & 02: 17k [Bodyguard/Assassin!Chan | Smut | bit of Fluff | Angst | Strangers to lovers to enemies but lovers?].

A Mutually Beneficial Agreement · MiniSeries: Chapter 1: 3k, Chapter 2: 14k & Chapter 3 [Demon!Chan | Supernatural AU | Angst | Smut | Some fluff].

Lee know | Minho

Alone Together: 8k · One Shot [SpacePirate!Lino | Sci-Fi AU | Smut | Established Relationship (kind of) | Lovers (idiots) to Even More Lovers (affectionate)].

The Taste of Love: 3k · One Shot [Vampire!Lino | Supernatural/Fantasy AU | Smut | Some Fluff | Mediaeval Setting].

Cherry eyes, cherry lips: 1k · Drabble [Vampire!Lino | Supernatural/Fantasy AU | Fluff].

Backseat: 1k · Drabble [BestFriend!Lino | Smut | Best Friends to Lovers].

Changbin

Get Used to It: 3k · One Shot [non-Idol!AU | Slice of Life | Fluff | Mild Smut].

In the Labyrinth: 14k · One Shot [Minotaur!Changbin | Mythical/Fantasy AU | Angst | Smut | Fluff].

Hyunjin

Blessed: 4k · One Shot [Incubus!Hyunjin | Supernatural/Fantasy AU | Suggestive | Mild Smut].

Han Jisung

[00:08]: 1k · Drabble [Suggestive | Fluff | Best Friends to Lovers].

Felix

Seungmin

A Helping Hand: 4k · One Shot [LabHybrid!Seungmin | Smut | Fluff | Best Friends to Lovers | Roommates to Lovers].

I.N | Jeongin

Odd Eyes: 5k · One Shot [Demon!Jeongin | Period setting | Mild Angst | Fluff if you squint?].

#non-rebloggable for now #masterlist #don't mind me i just wanted to have a list in a different format #but this has made me realise my works don't accurately reflect my bias line at all LMAO

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thru-the-grapevine · 2 years ago

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Admin Ellie’s Masterlist

(m) = suggestive/sexual content; minors DNI

ATEEZ

Seonghwa — 9:17 AM

Hongjoong — 6:32 AM

San — Under the Stars - 1.6k, summer camp AU

Wooyoung — 1:51 PM

Jongho — 10:24 PM

The Boyz

Sunwoo (ft. Chanhee) — Tangled-Up Knots - 2.4k, college au

NCT

Johnny — 6:05 PM

Yuta — 11:21 PM

Mark — 2:43 PM / 6:57 PM

Oneus

Seoho — 11:46 AM / 7:34 PM / 9:13 PM

Geonhak — Irish Breakfast - 4.6k, mafia AU

Hwanwoong — We Might Be Stupid - 1.8k, idiots to lovers

Dongju — 5:14 PM

Former:

Youngjo — 2:33 AM

Pentagon

Hongseok — 4:52 PM

Seventeen

Joshua — Lucky Shot - ~1k, single parent AU

Junhui — 8:41 PM

Soonyoung — 8:06 AM

Jihoon — Half-Baked - 1.2k, bakery AU / 11:04 AM

Mingyu — Holiday Rush - 2.4k, Coffee Shop AU / 4:41 PM

Minghao — 3:27 PM

Vernon — Like Breathing - 1.8k, Valentine’s Day oneshot

Chan — 7:21 PM

SHINee

Jinki — Cones & Kisses - 1.1k, first date AU

Stray Kids

Christopher — 8:25 PM / 3:12 AM

Jisung — 10:11 PM

Jeongin — Splash - 1.7k, mermaid AU

TXT

Soobin — Deep End (m) - 5.7k, city rooftop pwfwp (porn with feelings without plot)

Other

Cho Seungyoun/Woodz — Movie Night - 1.1k, idiots to lovers / Something New (m) - 3.3k, pwfwp (porn with feelings without plot); mirror sex ask (m)

Han Seungwoo — The Dock of the Bay (m) - 3k, skinny-dipping pwp

#ateez fic #nct fic #oneus fic #Pentagon fic #Seventeen fic #shinee fic #Stray Kids fic #admin ellie #ellie writes #Ellie’s masterlist #under construction

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wooahaes · 1 year ago

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han enemies to lovers ??

ok so i was talking abt this w isa a lot and ive been thinking abt this idea for hours now. camp au where you and han are both camp counselors at a camp you once went to during middle school... and absolutely hated each other then. no one knows what started it, all they know is that u and han are Enemies (who put up w one another for the kids) also i know nothing abt summer camp. play in this sandbox w me-

like. any time ur actually doing ur job? you and jisung get along great... maybe with some slight bickering, but nothing serious. you two play it off well enough that the kids dont catch on and think ur just rly good friends who make playful jabs at each other. theres definitely at least once instance where the two of you are getting heated and chris comes by and both of you are like nope! no problems here! jisung puts an arm around you like haha we are best friends :))) and then you immediately shove him away once chris is gone.

chris has a system in place where the two top counselors of the week get something special for their cabin (and get to take the truck into town for said special thing--sometimes its pizza, sometimes its ice cream, other times its like... special arts n crafts, etc) and literally all of the counselors kinda compete for it so they can get their own shit while they're in town. its usually felix or minho with someone else, and chris eventually sits reader and han down to be like "ok. ur both great w the kids. but i cant give you either of guys top counselor because you fight w each other so often."

which leads to them being on dishwashing duty again and bickering about it bc theyre blaming the other for it. and then you get the idea of "... what if... we just... pretend? i want my snacks and to get my kids origami paper. you want... whatever weird shit you want. chris would just assume we worked through shit." so they end up like. combining group activities for their cabins. switching around so they can be together again.

chris absolutely knows this is a ruse but if it gets them to get along, he'll just watch.

isa mentioned a boat scene where han and reader are in the same boat, watching their campers until they start bickering. it gets heated enough and the boat ends up capsizing, which. apparently han cant really swim? so just imagine reader immediately going to help him calm down since ykno. theyre all wearing life jackets. and the two of you are soaking wet and you get him back to the docks, wrapping a towel around him since the others are out on the lake. idk maybe a lil heart to heart while the two of you are waiting for ur fellow counselors to corral the kids back in.

chris lets u guys win at the end of the week and u both figure out what you wanna do for ur cabins. u settle on having a big ice cream party with all ur kids and teaching them how to make friendship bracelets sometime next week. chris hands the keys to you after he's like "dont. dont crash the car." and its just the two of u getting closer.

maybe... u make each other friendship bracelet? and oh no ur kinda starting to crush on each other.

also full credit to isa but she mentioned something where the kids write each other letters and i think thts cute and its the end of camp when they're writing their final letter to one another. and one of han's kids comes up to hand him one and hes like oh, for me? aw :D and then it turns out that its from reader and the two dont rly talk about it. he just shoves his own letter at them in the dining hall that night before leaving bc dont. dont say anything to him.

and idk. y'all see your kids off before heading back in to pack your own bags and get ready to leave, since ur probs getting a ride from someone else (maybe chris?), and jisung shows up and theres another like. convo abt how they literally hated each other. for like. way too long. and now things have changed between them and jisung asks if maybe they want to go on a date sometime... only for the two of them to kiss as reader says they'd love to.

(in the background someone is paying up bc the moment they overheard 'reader and jisung are going to feign friendship to get counselor of the week', someone else went 'they're gonna be together by the end of summer just u watch' and it became a bet)

#wooahaes.ask #asks.anon #ngl this one got long bc i talked abt it w isa so i thought about it a lot sdkfhsdf

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chaotic-rxses-zee-01 · 1 year ago

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my biases if they went to nevermore academy (pt. 1: boy groups) ❦

warning: spoilers for wednesday the series

☆ han jisung - stray kids

clique: fangs

- he'd hang around yoko and her vampire friends a lot. at the end of season 1, he'd go to a summer camp for vampires (kind of like a lycanoligist thingie yk) so he can get more vampire abilities, since he's the last in his family to show signs of being a dormant vampire (having the fangs and the ears but not being able to drink blood and get hurt by high sunlight exposure, etc.)

☆ mark lee - nct 127, nct dream, nct u

clique: furs

- in this au i have him as Enid's cousin. he'd be rooming in the other building beside ophelia hall so he sometimes would sneak in through her window to see her. they were really close as kids even though they weren't in the same pack at all. he was the last one to wolf out on his side so when both of them wolfed out it was really confusing for the both of them. but they both felt normal at the end of it.

☆ huening kai - txt

clique: scales

- with this boy's voice he'd fit right in with the sirens. in this au he's not related to Bianca Barclay but they are sort-of close. he met Wednesday and Enid after the Poe Cup and have been close ever since. he was roommates with Xavier for a little while too, but doesn’t feel any particular way about him. that was until he started getting interrogations by Willa and that made him a little nervous. when he wasn’t the hyde though, that’s when he was like, "okay. that's fine." he just didn't know how to take Wednesday's theories. at all.

☆ hongjoong - ateez

clique: fangs

- not much was known about the Kin family before their son hongjoong arrived at Nevermore school for outcasts, yet when he got there it was like this vamp was a celebrity. well he was until he bit a kid in his old school which forced him out. many have suspected it was his urged or who he bit was a lover, no one knows. in the last episode in my au we figured out that his girlfriend was dying from a snake bite, and biting her saved her, but at what cost?

#hongjoong #hueningkai #han jisung #mark lee #nct 127 #stray kids #txt post #ateez au #kpop #tiyawnzeewritesofficialtag

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hanniiesuckle17 · 4 years ago

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Summer Crushes

A/n: so.....this gif screams camp counselor so I had too. It aint gonna be long but I had to do it (not thoroughly edited sryyyy) (should I start a general tag list? for like all my posts?)

Tagging: @hyunsunq @blueismacolour

Warnings: FREAKING FLUFFLY JISUNg with kids, like one or two curse words

Word Count: 3.2k

Summary: Y/n and Jisung are stuck in the middle of a problem, as well as about twenty rambunctious children. They both like each other but are kept apart by the strict rules of their summer jobs as camp counselors. How do they go about making sure their feelings are not overlooked?

Genre: non-idol au, romance, pure fluff, camp!au, camp counselor!au, college!au

☼

Summer. Arguably the best season. The sun beat down on my shoulders as I ushered my little girls from the mess hall. This was the third summer I had worked as a camp counselor. It was a great way for me to earn money while my classes were out for the summer.

“Ara, Hyejin, get your backpacks girls!” I said corralling the two eight year olds back into the group. My walkie talkie went off notifying me the bus was pulling into the front of the campgrounds.

“Hey! Y/n!” A voice called out to me from across the clearing.

I turned with a smile, immediately recognizing the deep, smooth sound. “Jisung!” He smiled and jogged over to me, leaving his campers with our friend Chan. My heart skipped a beat seeing his bright smile and messy dusty blonde hair bouncing towards me. “Hi,”

He looked me up and down before giving a quick wave to my campers. “Are you excited about the trip today?” He stood a step below me, his hands on his hips. We were taking the campers to an amusement part and then staying the night up in the mountains.

“Yeah, I am!”

Jisung smiled as a little girl pulled on my sleeve. He watched with happy eyes as I helped her tighten the straps of her backpack. “Did you get the seating chart for the bus?” He nodded and pulled a sheet out of his jeans pocket.

His fingers brushed against mine as the paper traded hands. Jisung smirked seeing the blush on my cheeks when I quickly pulled away. It was no secret that we both liked each other. Jisung was a great guy. He was intelligent (most of the time), funny, and the best with kids. Jisung and I even attended the same college, we had discovered.

The problem was, there was a strict rule against counselor fraternization. The camp was very serious about relationships between counselors. Jisung didn’t exactly make this the easiest rule to follow.

My eyes scanned over the chart and I felt Jisung’s stare on me, making my little girls whisper and giggle. “Why is my name scratched out in the front of the bus?” I asked. Did the office kick me off the trip? Jisung came up onto my step, leaning over my shoulder to read the paper. I tried to still my beating heart.

“Oh- I think you were just moved. I’ll ask, Mr. Park.” He said in a happy voice, taking the roster back. “Buses are loading in twenty minutes!” He called over his shoulder. I watched Jisung’s form jog over to the front office.

“Y/n, do you have a crush on Jisung?” One of the little girls asked, crossing her arms very sassily. I turned to find a militia of about nine eight year olds behind her. All of them waiting to hear a story about Jisung sweeping me off my feet, like a prince wielding a marshmallow stick sword. “One of the boys told me that Jisung likes you.” The girl said cocking her hip out.

Doing my best to stifle a laugh I crouched down to their level. In interest, they all leaned as if drawn to a magnet. “Promise not to tell anyone?” They all nodded, resembling little bobble-head toys. I nodded my head ‘yes’ and gave them a wink. The little girls squealed and cheered.

“Come on, girls. Let’s head to the bus.”

My feet pounded against the rocky uneven pavement as I did my best to keep up with the girls. When we finally reached the other end of camp we found some of the boys helping Chan load up the bus.

“Hey, girls! Why don’t you give us your bags and get on the bus?” They squealed and handed off their things. Chan smiled at me and held his hand up for a high five. “Lia is already on the bus. Apparently, she’s taking the front station.” He said as my hand clapped against his.

“Thanks, Chris!” With a smile, I managed to get the girls onto the bus with no bickering about seats. “Remember girls in the front and boys will be in the back!” I called. Lia reached up for a high five as I passed her seat behind the driver.

“I’ll take attendance when the boys get on.” She said, setting up her pillow against the window.

After thanking her I shuffled through the tiny aisle to the middle of the bus. My hips bumping up against the sides of the seat, my body becoming a pinball. When I got to the middle of the bus I threw my bag and pillow into the two seats and looked across the row. A black bag and pillow with Doraemon on it lay in the window seat. A guitar case was tucked under the cushions of the bus seat as well.

“So that’s why my name was crossed out from the front,” I whispered to myself.

After a few minutes, a loud clunk shook the bus and little boys started stampeding past me. “Hey! Don’t run! I swear to god, Dongmin, if I have to put another freaking bandaid on you, there are gonna be no snack privileges for the rest of the day!” A familiar voice called out into the long vehicle.

His familiar long fingers found a place on the seat in front in front of me. “Hey, cutie,” Jisung whistled down to me with a wink. He swung himself into the seat across from me. His legs being too long for the seat propped themselves onto mine across the aisle.

“You sneaky bastard.”

“Y//n there are children present,” Jisung said with a cheeky smile. We both ignored the sound of Lia calling roll as we stared at each other across the row. I brought my legs up onto the seat to sit cross legged, flinching as my bare leg brushed against the metal buckle of the seat. Smirking, my hands reached for his shoes and started untying his laces. “Yah- hey! Stop!” He said with a laugh trying to pull away.

When he finally managed to pull his feet back over, he sighed knowing he would have to untie a very difficult knot that joined his shoes together. I almost died laughing when the bus started moving and his head banged against the seat in front of him.

“Jisung, how long is the ride going to be?” A little boy asked peeking over my seat.

“About two hours,” I said, Jisung shooting me a playful glare. The little boy thanked me and I watched Jisung sit back up in his seat, putting his backpack between his legs. His hand placed itself on the empty seat beside him and his fingers drummed against the cushion. I laughed turning to the scenery flying past us. “Is that a hint or something?”

“Just come sit with me already.” He whined.

Jisung’s frown was replaced with a grin as I stood up, grabbing my pillow and started moving towards the aisle. Chan shot me a look from the back of the bus and then rolled his eyes with a smile. He couldn’t say anything without being a hypocrite. He was totally sneaking out after hours to see the cute girl who worked in Arts and Crafts.

The second my butt touched the seat Jisung’s arm wrapped around me pulling me into his side. “Could you be more obvious?” I asked quietly, looking up at him and hugging my pillow. An impish smile crept onto his lips and he shrugged before taking my hand and lacing his fingers with mine. In a feeble attempt to hide it, he just tucked them under my pillow and pulled my legs over onto his lap. “Jisung this doesn’t help at all.”

“It helps me.” He whispered in my ear, goosebumps crawling up my arms and legs. His thumb brushed over my knuckle sending a smile onto my face. The bus eventually quieted down. Nothing like a long drive that could knock out a few kids for an hour or two. “Did you sign up for classes yet?” Jisung asked, adjusting so his head rested against the window and I was leaning almost on his chest.

I nodded, enjoying the way it felt to be with him. “I’m going to be doing full time next semester. Did you get the schedule you wanted?” He nodded and I could feel the rumble of a laugh in his chest. We kept our voices low so as not to wake the sleeping kids around us.

“I finally got all my core done last year so I can focus on stuff for my major and I have more time set aside for the studio.”

It felt so easy to talk to Jisung. Like I had known him for years and not just a month or two. We talked about anything and everything. From our lives outside of the camp to the worst pizza place we had ever been too. Eventually, Jisung’s radiating warmth and his soft voice lulled me to sleep. He didn’t complain when I snuggled further into his chest. Soon, he followed me and rested his head against the window arm still around me and hand still tangled with my fingers.

☼

Laughter filled the air as our group of twenty kids burst through the gates of an amusement park like cattle on a stampede. Chan raced to a bench the kids surrounding him. “Okay! We are going to split up into two groups! Lia and I will take half of you and Y/n and Jisung will take the other! Have fun guys and stay with your counselors!” Chan shouted through a microphone.

Jisung smiled at me from across the sea of eight year olds before making his way over. Our group of ten kids (five girls and five boys) surrounded us waiting for instructions.

“Okay, everybody! Who’s ready to have fun?” Jisung cheered his eyes sparkling. A loud cheer erupted from our group and we headed off into the park. A little boy, whose name was Jihyun I believe, held onto my hand as we walked through the park. “Y/n,” Jisung called out. My heart skipped a beat at the sight in front of me.

One of the little girls from my group, Ara, clung to Jisung’s back, her arms around his neck. His hands securely held onto her legs as he carried her a bright smile on his face. “Y/n, should we go do games first or rides?” Stilling my heart, I pulled out the map I had gotten near the front.

“Let’s do games and then we can eat lunch.” He nodded before gleefully running with the kids towards the games. Jihyun and I ran to catch up. For the next hour, we watched the kids play all the carnival games and helped if we were needed.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Wanna play a game with me?” Jisung asked holding out his hand. His eyes lit up when I took it. “Come on,” The boy said, blonde hair bouncing as he tugged me across the walkway to a game booth.

“How many?” The attendant asked. Jisung pulled out his wallet and handed the man enough for six throws.

His hand brushed mine, intentionally of course, when he handed me the balls. I could see it in his eyes when our fingers touched. He motioned for me to go first. My first throw at the five stacked bottles was terrible. Jisung did his best not to laugh when I almost hit the attendant. The second throw knocked away two bottles.

I huffed in frustration. “You want help?” Jisung asked, already coming over behind me. His hand came over mine, the other on my waist. I turned my head, leaving only a few inches between his face and mine. “Y/n, I know I’m very attractive but you have to look at the bottles.” He teases. I was very tempted to elbow him in the stomach, but I like the feeling of Jisung holding onto me.

Jisung whispered in my ear how to best aim for my last shot. The ball left my hand and hit the center of the stack sending another two bottles flying. However, there was still one left standing. “Oh well,” I said with a shrug. Jisung’s hands slid away from my waist.

“Don’t worry, babe,” Jisung said sending a wink my way. He took three of the balls from the attendant and waited for him to reset the bottles. Jihyun ran over and held onto the back of my shirt. I smiled and patted his head before turning back to Jisung. He made a big show of rolling up his sleeves and blowing a kiss to me. His first shot powerfully flew through the center of the stack sending all but two bottles onto the floor.

Jihyun and I cheered as Jisung readied his second throw. The muscles in his arm flexed as his hand let loose the ball. The bottles were sent crashing to the floor. Jisung did a little happy dance before he looked at the prizes. “Uhh...Give me that one up there, please.” He asked politely.

The man got down the toy and Jisung turned to me with a cheeky smile. A blush spread across my cheeks when he handed me the teddy bear with a red bow tie. “For me?” I asked. He nodded his ears turning a little red when I took the prize with a happy smile.

“Can I get a little kiss in return?” He asked puckering his lips and closing his eyes. Jihyun laughed and covered his eyes. I turned around to see Ara and her friend giggling at the scene.

“Sure.”

His eyes shot open when I said ‘yes’. “Wait- what?” He stuttered, watching me step forward and place a kiss on his cheek.

“Hey, kids! It’s time for lunch!” I called leaving Jisung standing by himself a blushing mess.

☼

The rest of the day was spent taking the kids on rides. Much to Jisung’s displeasure. I had no idea how afraid of rollercoasters he was until he clung onto me screaming for his life on the first ride. It was the swinging boat. I found it very cute though.

With exhausted kids, we all boarded back on the bus to drive up into the mountains. Thankfully, it wasn’t a long trip. Jisung and Chan stayed behind to set up camp while Lia and I took the kids to watch the sunset.

When we returned the boys had fully set up not only the kids and counselor tents but they had gotten a fire started as well. After a quick dinner, the kids sat around the fire while Jisung played his guitar.

Our voices lifted up into the sky mingling with the stars as we sang along. Jisung looked over to me, sitting against a log with a sleepy Jihyun leaning on my shoulder. He smiled and continued to play more songs for the kids.

Before it got too late and the bugs came out, Lia and I put all the kids in the tents and to sleep. Lia stayed with the kids, her eyes starting to close as she read them a story. Instead of remaining in the tent, I chose to go outside and clean up the campsite.

My ears picked up on laughter coming from the boys' tent. I turned to see shadows dancing against the canvas and Jisung’s unmistakable voice floating into the mountain air. He was telling some dramatic story about a super kangaroo and a heroic squirrel saving the world from giant man-eating squid.

When the lights in both tents had been turned out I started to extinguish the campfire. The sound of a tent unzipping joined the symphony of crickets and wind.

“Hey, don’t put it out just yet.”

Jisung stepped out of the tent, almost tripping with his foot caught on the fabric. “Be careful,” I said between laughs. He carefully closed the tent and shuffled over to the campfire. He lowered himself onto the ground, resting his back against a log. “That was a cute story,” I said packing up some of the dinner supplies.

“What story?” He asked, looking up at me with cute eyes.

“The one you just told the boys.”

Jisung blushed, and lowered his head, his arms draping over his knees. “You heard that?” With a nod and a laugh, I sat next to him, our shoulders touching. After a moment Jisung pushed the heat away from his full cheeks. It took all my will power not to roll my eyes when he yawned and draped an arm over the back of the log, his hand brushing the other side of my shoulder.

“Oh...very smooth, Han.”

“Can't go wrong with a classic.” He joked, stretching out one of his legs.

I turned to find him already looking at me, the fire dancing in his eyes creating a new kind of glow. “You’re really good at playing the guitar,” I whispered, looking into his eyes.

“You have really beautiful eyes.” He said tilting his head, blonde hair falling in front of his dark brown stare. Goosebumps were crawling up my arms.

“You are really good with kids...” My voice trailed off at the end. I was unable to keep my gaze from drifting to Jisung’s plump lips, which were just barely lifted up into a smile.

“Your smile drives me crazy,” Jisung whispered, leaning closer to me.

My teeth dragged over my lip, bringing his focus fully down to my mouth. “Jisung there is a rule about counselors dating.” He smiled knowing I was more trying to convince myself than him.

“Who said anything about dating right now? I was just going to kiss you.”

My heart hammered against my chest. “You are such an idiot,” I said keeping our little staring game going. Jisung let out a breathy laugh leaning even closer.

“After camp ends can I be your idiot?”

“Can you possibly keep your hands to yourself for that long?”

He looked up at the sky, pretending to think. “You know what...I don’t actually know.” I laughed and tried to ignore the feeling of my heart jumping when his hand brushed over my shoulder. “Even if I couldn’t, I don’t think it would change your answer.” An impish smirk slid onto his lips.

The same smirk from when we met at the beginning of the summer after he dumped an entire bucket of water balloons on me. The little mischievous smile sent butterflies flying in crazy patterns in my stomach.

“Fuck it. Just kiss me already.”

Impatiently I took his face in my hands and slammed my lips against his. The skin on his cheeks was soft, and I could feel the sharp line of his jaw under my hand as his lips danced over mine. Though I had made the first move, Jisung quickly took the lead.

My fingers played with the ends of his blonde hair when leaned and deepened the kiss. His lips dragged over mine at a painstakingly slow pace, sending my senses into overdrive.

Jisung pulled away, his eyes fluttering open along with mine. He grinned keeping himself as close to me as possible. My hands slid back down to rest on his jaw.

“Yeah...I don’t think I can go all summer without that again.” Jisung leaned back in smiling against my lips through the kiss.

☼

Requests are open my lovelies! Just send an ask!

Masterlist

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astarlightmonbebe · 6 years ago

Text

~Stray Kids at Camp Half Blood~

Bang Chan

Son of Poseidon (God of the sea; Olympian, big three)

Claimed when he was a kid, has been at Camp Half Blood the longest (more than a decade now)

Abilities include hurricanes, water control, breathing underwater, talking to sea creatures, and causing such havoc with water.

His weapon of choice is a sword, an old fashioned and long one that comes back to him when lost.

He had his first quest when he was 13, it involved hunting down a rogue ghost and ended in an almost disaster. (It’s a long story)

Is one of the most popular campers, and is a well known peacemaker and leader (you want him on your team for capture the flag)

Kim Woojin

Son of Hephestaus (God of blacksmiths and fire; Olympian)

Though he’s quite clumsy, he’s handy at making weapons and is working on mastering his fire skills-firstly, he needs to learn how not to burn himself

Still a newer camper and only comes in the summer, most of the year he spends with his mom (occasionally fending off monsters, but not often)

An absolute disaster at most things, but excells at eating his weight in food and tripping in front of Chan

Shy ;_;, so he doesn’t do many team activities and gets really nervous having to lead missions-wants people to like him

Lee Minho

Son of Hermes (God of roadways, travelers, merchants, and thieves; Olympian)

He’s the camp trickster and playboy, a bundle of trouble and mischief

Literally everyone falls in love with him, but quickly fall out of it when they realize they will never be more than a phase

Clever and fast, his powers include, well, being clever and fast and very dextire (dexterity?)-can do anything (and do well) if he puts his mind to it

When doing a mission when he was 15 (the second year after arriving at camp) he injured his shoulder and can’t go on missions as often, so he occupies himself causing trouble

Since his mom died when he was little, he lives at camp

Seo Changbin

Son of Ares (God of War, Olympian)

Everyone is scared of him, but we all know he’s a cinnamon roll

When he gets mad, he gets. mad.

Really good at fighting and knows all the weapons, though he usually uses a set of daggers his father gave him

The only person who makes him soft is Hyunjin, despite all their differences

He’s been at camp since he was twelve, and used to spend the school year at public school, but he graduated

Has no plans for college yet, but is wondering if he can convince Hyunjin to go to New Rome with him and study there

Hwang Hyunjin

Son of Aphrodite (Goddess of love and beautiry; Olympian)

Naturally beautiful, and can compell people to do things or fall in love with him (charmspeaking), but only uses it on the bad guys

Looking your worst in the morning? Hyunjin looks his best every second

He’s not just soft beauty though, can throw a mean punch and spar well with a lance/spear

Of course, he and Changbin lowkey have a thing (it’s not star crossed, don’t worry)

He’s a relatively new camper, living a low enough life surrounded by more magic so that he was hard to track, but after an incident he was sent to camp year round

Illegally owns a cell phone, but is careful about how he uses it

Lee Felix

Son of Apollo (God of archery, music, poetry, the sun, prophecy, and medicine; Olympian)

Everyone’s favorite idiot

His own powers include occasional prophectic visions and a skill at medicine and rythmn

When it comes to archery or playing an instrument, that’s a different story

Definitely a team leader type, easily likeable and friendly, but can be cold in battle

Chan’s unofficial child (well one of them)-the Australian accents kill ladies, men, and monsters alike

He stays year round at camp, but goes for a trip each season to visit his family in Australia

Han Jisung

Son of Hecate (Goddess of magic, crossroads, and ghosts; minor)

Though his powers are still developing, he can do some spells and see ghosts if he concentrates

He’s a long term camper as well, having been here since he was a kid and his mom dropped him off-has no idea who his father is

Since he’s an older camper, he’s gone on more missions and has a lot of experience

Has great skill in manipulating the Mist, which also makes him dangerous to be going against in a battle or something less life or death, like Capture the Flag

He’s also secretly been checking out Felix from the beginning of his stay, but he’s too shy to do anything about it

Kim Seungmin

Son of Athena (Goddess of wisdom, war, and useful arts; Olympian)

Well respected and renowned for his strategic ability and intelligence

Since children of Athena don’t have many powers except some extra wisdom and battle stuff, he’s taught himself to use many weapons to be able to defend himself properly in battle

Good at planning ahead and making sure people don’t get killed doing stupid things (ahem Felix)

He spends the holidays with his father and older brother, but otherwise stays at camp where he’s more needed

Though he’s so soft and fluffy, he can also be scary when needed

Usually uses a dagger to fight, but is good at martial arts and hand to hand combat as well

Yang Jeongin

Son of Tyche (Goddess of good luck and fortune; minor)

He’s such a sweet kid, a literal ball of sunshine and good fortune/luck

Bad things have happened to him, but they’ve all had happy endings

He came to camp last summer, so he’s still not used to how things work exactly, but is more than willing to learn

His powers are small, but he does have unusual good luck and can grant it upon occasion, though it’s usually when he’s not trying to

Can bless people as well for certain, small things-the more he grows and the stronger his magic becomes, the bigger they will be with longer time periods

Usually does this before battle, sometimes just for fun

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neo-shitty · 2 years ago

Text

karaoke blues — h.js

description. when in doubt, have a karaoke night out. or in which the first real hurdle of your seemingly flawless relationship is finals week (and miscommunication and a tad bit of overreaction).

pairings. han jisung x female reader

genre. fluff, slight comedy, camping!au, established relationship!au

word count. 2.1k

notes. inspired by the jisung’s bit from skzful days in jeju #3 (min. 20:53 onwards). the one and only karaoke prince i will acknowledge.

You can hear him singing from half-way down the path. No, not really singing, wailing.

An exchange of glances with your friends assures you that you weren’t hearing things and by the way they turned your way and not at each other meant they recognized the voice too. So you trudge on, making it to the end of the path and into the clearing—a grass field supposedly for camping bordered by a ring of trees. Lights hang on wirelines over the head of figures moving around a long table. The voices are clearer now; two distinct ones amplified by microphones and a cacophony of laughter echoing in the background. The night was young but they’ve been out here for a while now, half-empty beer bottles and sauce-slicked chopsticks littering the tabletop from the hours they’ve spent in the open. Han Jisung stands over everyone else, gripping a microphone with one hand while the other conveyed what his voice couldn’t. The MR boomed through the speakers, his cries along with it, into the open air of the night as the others howled in laughter beside him.

“Oh boy,” Taehee says beside you, heaving a sigh just before you could.

It takes a while before anyone notices your arrival and even then it barely takes their attention away from the karaoke machine. Changbin is the first to acknowledge your presence, raising eyebrows when his eyes brush over to where you and your friends were. Setting his meal aside, he walks over to greet you, helping you with your things before heading to Saeyeon’s side.

“What’s up with him?” Saeyeon asks.

Changbin only blinks, a story for later. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“We kept sending texts but i don’t think any of them went through with the reception here.” You say. The phone in your hand shows no bars, a notification that your message failed to send plastered on your lockscreen. In your inbox, your messages remained either unsent or unread.

Out of nowhere, the boy bursts out laughing, shaking his head as he leads you to another table behind theirs. The other boys wave over as you pass, playing in on keeping the oblivious Jisung in the dark as Changbin instructed. You think it’s cruel, but nothing beyond the silly pranks they played against each other. He’s preoccupied with singing anyway.

Chan approaches with a plate full of what they’ve been grilling, “Glad you guys made it on time. They would’ve chowed this down in the next hour.”

He sits across you, bright-eyed and waiting on all of you to take your first bites after the long journey. But you know he’s here for something else, you can feel him straining himself from the noise the younger boys were causing. Maybe some kind of explanation, or better yet a way to make it stop.

He opens his mouth to speak, abruptly cut off as Jisung hits a high note, screaming from behind him. You stiffle a laugh, harder to do with everyone else on the table failing to stop themselves.

“Ah, I’m so sorry for that. He’s been like that since the ride here. Played nothing but sappy sad songs in the car I nearly fell asleep.”

The conversation stirs another way as Chan asks about your own trip here but you’re no longer listening, your mind wandering over to the karaoke jock singing one song after the other. Somehow you find yourself smiling at his antics, amused and curious how he ended up that distraught over something you had no idea about. The both of you were fine, right?

Right?

Until you realize that you can’t remember the last time you had any form of correspondence. The utensils slip out of your fingers, dully clattering on the wooden table when you set them down to scramble for your phone. You open your messages with Jisung, the last few being yours all dated today—either failed to send or unread. But before that, during the days leading up to the outing, there was nothing but his messages, your replies too few and too far between.

The whole scroll up are bubbles from his side, streams of messages from varying points of his day. On the other side, all your responses were nothing but reactions to his messages themselves and the occasional readily available emoticons. No proper exchange in over a week, maybe even more, and the length of your replies dwindling as the days passed.

Oh, poor guy.

“_____, is it true?”

The call reels you out of your own thoughts, your head snapping up from your phone. Hyunjin slipped into the space beside you on the bench, his hands clasped. “You broke up with Han?”

The reaction it draws from you is immediate, your eyebrows knitting together in concern and confusion. “No, who said that?”

The boy blinks, disbelieving. “It’s all he’s been on since we met up today.”

The rundown of the day is repeated to you with a few more additions. From Chan’s story about the car ride to Hyunjin’s account on the past few days with Jisung. He tells you that it’s easy to notice the air shifting when it comes to Jisung. Everything turns eerily quiet—too quiet even for their own liking, and that’s how everyone noticed and concluded that something was wrong. But no one has ever had the courage to ask him what was up. Except Hyunjin though, your local gossip boy with an undying curiosity for business not his own.

According to the information he gathered, the past few days were a downcast for the boy. He spent his days trying to understand that you’re busy while simultaneously not understanding why his phone was dead quiet. He tried to stay preoccupied, distracted, But there were only so many options to cycle through. It’s funny because Jisung was never one to take interest in anyone else’s hobbies but he’s been hyperactive the last week. He tries to keep up with Changbin’s workout routine even if it (nearly) kills him, staying after hours in Chan’s studio even when he isn’t asked to. At home he’s cooking with Minho or baking with Felix or developing a sudden interest in photography and painting. Heck, he even tries reading books. Anything to have company.

But the long days end regardless, boiling down into the quiet of his room where he has no one. Sometimes Hyunjin would catch him on the couch in the living room in the early hours of day, watching Netflix on the tv with a dead stare without acknowledging anyone else who enters the room. “He lived his days dead,” Hyunjin finishes.

The table is quiet, all intent on listening but confused on how to react.

Across you, a bubble of laughter escapes out of your friend’s lips. She turns to you, “You’re on finals for a week and this is what happens?”

A resounding smack echoes through the air between you, followed by a hiss from the injured party. “Be quiet!” Saeyeon sneers and Taehee falls quiet.

The retort falls dead on the other girl’s tongue when you glance at her, resorting to rubbing the freshly slapped skin of her arm instead.

“And then what else, Hyunjin?”

“Aigoo, uri Hannie!” The voice belongs to Changbin and heads turn to the direction it’s coming from. Beside you, Hyunjin picks the bucket hat off his head to put it on yours, still in on the prank they were playing.

Still, from beneath the hat you catch sight of him. Jisung walks with one arm draped over Changbin’s shoulders, hair disheveled like an open book on the top of his head. The gloss-eyed boy approaches you with red puffy cheeks that matched the color of his eyes, face obscured every now and then by the arm he uses to wipe the tears he’s been crying.

“Can you tell them why are you crying?” Changbin asks when they’re both standing by the end of the table.

You don’t think that he sees you nor makes out that it isn’t just the boys sitting around the table. Jisung shys away from the others, from you, mumbling something you couldn’t make out into the other boy’s shoulder. And before you know it, he’s a crying mess again, bear-hugging the other boy who couldn’t bring himself to shake him off. Then you hear it first hand, his endless list of thoughts he’d been keeping to himself. It’s the only voice you’re listening to, drowning out the laughter that had begun to erupt from the mouths of everyone else on the table.

Jisung lets the other boy eventually, sinking into a tucked ball on the floor. He sat there like a child who just got their toy stolen, knees tucked in his arms with his head hung low. And it's the last straw for you, their prank be damned.

You excuse yourself from the table, crossing over the bench to walk over to where he’s crumpled by Changbin’s legs. The latter was still muttering words of consolation to dead ears, the crying barely lulling.

“I think she’s going to break up with me. She doesn’t like me anymore. Where did I go wrong again? I tried my best this time.” He says through sniffles and hiccups.

“Who doesn’t like you anymore?”

“_____.”

“Me?” you ask him, “I don’t like you anymore?”

He buffers, the sobbing stopping as he takes in the voice and your answer. Slowly, he raises his head, his arms leaving temporary marks crisscrossing over his forehead. You notice the moment it finally registers, his eyes readjusting as he studies your face. He blinks once, twice for good measure.

He brings a finger out of his closed fit, supposedly to poke you, But you mirror it, forefingers touching by their tips.

“I thought you weren’t coming.” His voice is quiet when he speaks, hiccups butchering his words.

“I kept texting you that we’ll catch up,” you show him your phone where the messages you sent, or at least tried to, remained undelivered. “I even sent you updates, but now I know they never reached you.”

You both end up sitting on the grass, the leaves tickling the skin of your thighs ever so slightly. You hand him a bottle of water you’ve carried over from the table, which he downs in seconds—parched from singing and crying.

“What was it that you were saying, About me no longer liking you? Is that why you’re crying?” you ask him, ducking to try and meet his eye.

He shakes his head. “It’s just,” he starts, “the past few weeks, we barely talked anymore and I think you’re losing interest in me. I don’t want that but I can’t do anything about it either.”

His out of the blue confessions coaxes a laugh out of you, one you’ve been holding back on fear of being mistaken as insensitive of your own boyfriend’s feelings. But it’s a silly thing, a spillage of emotions brought about by the alcohol. “Hannie,” his fingers find their way to yours, intertwining in an odd way but at the very least in contact, “did I forget to mention it was finals week?”

He hides away, head ducked with his hair blocking your view of his eyes. “Yeah, you did mention,” he pauses. “now that I think of it, I think I just let my head get the better of me.”

You leave his hands to hold his face, soft palms on soft cheeks as you raise his head to meet your gaze. His eyes are shining, glinting back the light from the bulbs above like a lens. Carefully, you brush his cheeks, traces of his tears absorbed by the pad of your thumb. “I’m sorry I’m absolute shit at managing my time.”

He breathes out a chuckle, the vibrations jolting down your hands and through you. It’s then when you realize that it’s been a while since you heard him laugh a hearty one. The last few weeks were nothing but a monotonous podcast listening session of lecture after lecture, each one harder to absorb than the last. You didn’t want to fail, maybe that’s why you sacrificed what sliver of stress-relief you had left. But the exams are finally over, your schedule has opened up and you have nothing left to do but to make up for lost time.

Everything has lulled into a quiet that suited the Jeju atmosphere you pictured in your head. Without Jisung on the mic, they’ve moved on to calmer songs—the type that winded down everything until the karaoke machine is forgotten. The others on the table have moved to other things, others leaving to take a walk while some stayed behind to talk over spare grills. You marvel at how easy things could fall back into place in such familiar space, it’s something you never got to have away in university.

“So, there’s no other guy?”

You pat Jisung’s face lightly, a faint reality slap that’s more endearing less a wake up call. “If I don’t have time for you, what makes you think I still have time for others?”

#jisung fluff #han fluff #skz fluff #districtninewriters #kwritersworldnet #skz scenarios #jisung x reader #han x reader #skz x reader #jisung imagines #han imagines #skz imagines #jisung timestamps #han jisung #stray kids #skz japan #skz han #toff.writes #in this sea of kinktober entries let me just put some fluff out

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sunnyseungup · 2 years ago

Text

Han Jisung fic recs

stray kids | han jisung

masterlist

[ updated 240227 ]

#1618147951612. NO MORE DOOMSDAY! | HAN JISUNG. { f2l; a, s, f} 8k @onlixie

like rabbits (M) { fwb! au; a, s } 1,8k @bearseungmin

in denial about making too much noise with the new headboard on his bed, Jisung invites you over for a dorm room quickie.

the happiest. { soulmate au; a, f } 14,4k

utterly lovesick ( for you ) {bfs2l, a, c, f } 3,1k @hwangsify

jisung has an infatuation with kisses; you refuse to humor him. or, the five times jisung attempts and fails to get you to kiss him, and the one (1) time he finally succeeds.

dakimakura { s } 2,4k @binniesthighs

Tattoo Artist!Jisung @slytherinbangchan

the vapors { stoner au; s } 2k @planetdream

totally, completely, utterly in love with you { fwb2l; s, f, a }

nsfw a-z @hwajin

Sorry, I Love You { bfs2l; f } 2k @hanqu0kka

Jisung knew that being in love with his best friend was a bad idea. It was cliché, but he'd rather suffer in silence than risk losing what you both had. However, everything suddenly changes thanks to one date that went wrong.

5 +1. { f, s } @seospicybin

Han was avoiding his ex-girlfriend when he met you, a girl that changed his mind and turned his life around in a span of a night.

late night bite { vampire au, f2l; f, s } 3,2k @fizzydrink698

You sigh, and tilt your head a little more to the side. Slowly, you bring one hand up to curl a finger around your collar, tugging it down to reveal the smooth, bare skin of your neck. “Come on, Count Dorkula. Snack time.”

Jisung gulps – like, visibly gulps – as his eyes follow your movements. He’s utterly transfixed by your neck, lips parting at the sight.

the blacksmith { royal au, e2l; a, f } 3,9k @luvknow

lights, camera, action ! { camgirl au, bfs2l; s, f } 13,1k @formidxble

why is the room of han jisung’s best friend in a cam girl site and why is his hand making its way down his boxers?

[10.50] { greaser au, f2l; f, s } 3,7k @/lettersfromaphrodite

[00.00] { vampire au, royal; f, s } 5,8k @lettersfromaphrodite

close { f, s } 4,4k @straymusings

Floored { f } 4,5k @shadowofahope

When the overly flustered Jisung has a crush on you. Do you ignore it or fall with him?

bottles of love { drunk ji, f } 0,65k @channiechwn

drunk and clingy jisung comes home to you after a formal dinner. afterall, drunk words are sober thoughts.

squirrel cuddles { f } @moonlit-han

soft { f } @rachalixie

chaotic camping { bfs2l; a, f }

I just want you to be happy { f2l; a, f } 1,2k @athenathesharkwrites

karaoke blues { f, c } 2,1k @neo-shitty

when in doubt, have a karaoke night out. or in which the first real hurdle of your seemingly flawless relationship is finals week (and miscommunication and a tad bit of overreaction).

sitting on his face { s } @gimmeurtmi

[6:17pm] { f } @softstraykidshours

promise ? { f } 0,6k @bbyquokka

you make jisung promise you to start writing those lyrics changbin needs, all with the touch of your lips

sleepover { f, s } 1,2k @/bbyquokka

you and Jisung have a sleepover

wrapped in red { bestfriend ji; f } 1,2k @fairyyeo

HAPPIEST SEASON. { bfs2l; s, f } 19,4k @/seospicybin

It's the first time you take your best friend Han to spend Christmas holiday with your family and to also announce a great news but the more he knows the more he's doubting himself

TikTok challenges pt 3 { hybrids, sick hannie; f }

kissing hannie { f } @/bbyquokka

HOST REQUESTED: Han Jisung { s } 4,7k @cb97percent

just a kiss { f2l; s } 3,7k @writerracha

amusement park { f } @yxngbxkkie

Nerd!jisung { s } @comet-falls

Bad At Love { a, f, s }

you were notoriously bad at love. but somehow, han jisung weaseled his way into your heart and that was terrifying.

05 sharing a bed series { a, f, s } @skzdarlings

[00:08] { bsf2l; f, s } ~1k @therhythmafterthesummer

When you agreed to come to this party, you would’ve never imagined you’d end up making out with your best friend, but you were certainly not going to complain. Not when you’d wanted this for the longest time.

Before We Go To Bed { f } 0,373k @chachachannah

Did My Heart Love Till Now? { f2l, college au; a, f } 10,8k @amor1st03

in which: your university puts on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and you're excited to be playing alongside your long time crush Hyunjin. Things get a bit complicated when Jisung is thrown in the mix

Strawberry Chapstick { bff2l, 90s romcom; a, f } 10,6k @mintquokka

He's got you tripping for him, metaphorically and physically, but does he even realize the effect he has on you?

liquid courage { f2l; f, s } 1,5k @straylightdream

↳ a late drunken night with friends leads to drunken confessions.

I have a secret to tell you { bsf2l, roommates, college; f } 2,3k @dearestaussiechannie

Even if things were different { arranged marriage; a, f } 8,6k @skzsauce01

You and Jisung get into an arranged marriage, but he hasn’t given up on love quite just yet.

Hideaway { bsf2l; f } @yeahspider

Sign Here For { one night stand; c, s, f } 4k @outofconcheol

Feeling frustrated and reeling from your recent breakup, you put in a special order on your favorite delivery app. However, with the goods, comes Jisung, who's a lot more than you'd ever bargained for.

Bold +lee know { s } @hyunsvngs

you’re not too experienced in the world of dating, parties and talking to people, but these two american footballers that you cheer for just seem to get it.

Haid dye { f } 2k @zerothreetwentyfive

Shotgun kisses { s } 8,1k @seo--changbin

sick with your prim and proper image, you decided that it was about time to step out of your comfort zone and just enjoy life and be a lil bit reckless, and what better way to do that than to get high with your best friend Jisung and possibly lose your virginity at the same time.

SWEATER WEATHER { f2l; f, s } @cinhomi

there's a thunderstorm outside and you don't have an umbrella. luck wants that you're near you best friend's apartment complex and you decide to wait for the rain to stop and your clothes to dry while watching a movie with him... but things escalate after the tension between you two finally snaps.

Simp(ly in love) { f } @/blue-jisungs

why we work { f } 0,7k @wooahaes

Late night convenience store runs { f } 0,6k @hanstarred

han dragging you for a late night convenience store run

TOO HOT TO HANDLE { s } @/seospicybin

You and Han become contestants in a reality dating show, Too Hot To Handle.

PART 1 12,9k

PART 2 12,7k

PART 3 14,1k

I WAS TRYING TO SEDUCE YOU { f } @hanjisunglover

y/n and jisung are living together after years of being a couple, y/n still admire him every time that she see him.

Day 23| hold both your hands { f } @starlostastronaut

"you are my new pillow"

Princess { s } 1,3k @/hyunsvngs

Cute jisung thought @rachalixie

Texts

Boyfriend texts { f } @like-a-diamondinthesky

Bf texts @binnieswrld

Daily texts { f, c } @channie-143

Note: please let me know if the links are not working ! I’ll try to fix them as soon as possible ^^

#han jisung #han jisung smut #han jisung fluff #han jisung angst #stray kids #stray kids recs

187 notes · View notes

beautifulchris · 2 years ago

Text

of darkness and rainbows

pairing: demigod!lee felix x fem demigod!reader

featuring: han jisung, hwang hyunjin, sf9's dawon, golden child's bomin, nct's doyoung

summary: a demigod au in which you enter the camp after losing your mom, and you swear to yourself you'll avenge her no matter what

genres: demigod!au, s2f2l!au, mutual pining, slowburn, action, fantasy, adventure, greek mythology, romance, mild fluff, angst

tw: monsters, parental abandonment, death of a mother and a brother, murder, blood, physical injuries, use of weapons (swords, knives, bow and arrow), VIOLENCE, nightmares, grief and loss depiction, battle scenes, monster and creature slaying, mild language, fainting, magic, ghost

rating: +16

wc: 12,7k

notes: wow. this is my longest work yet and i'm proud of it, please let me know what you think!!

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @whipped-kpop-creators

permanent tag list: @badwithten send an ask/dm/comment to be added!

one.

It was the end of June, and your mom said a trip to Long Island —you’d never heard of that place before— would be the greatest gift she could offer you for your twelfth birthday. You didn’t believe her after she gifted you an agate necklace, your favorite stone.

Unfortunately, it had nothing to do with the trip you’d imagined.

After getting to Montauk, and spending a few hours on the beach, she drove north. You then walked up what you thought was a random hill. When you were almost on top, you turned towards your mom to tell her you wanted to go back, that you’d rather go home and watch a movie. She was sobbing. It took you aback and broke your heart to see her that way. You wanted to hug her so badly.

She grabbed the backpack she had over her shoulders and put the handle in your hands.

“You must go further north, alright? You’ll find someone who can help you,” she instructed as she kneeled in front of you, stroking your face affectionately.

“What are you talking about, mom? I don’t want to go anywhere without you.”

“It’s going to be alright, sweetheart. You have to trust me. You’re so special, you don’t realize how much. You must go on your own path now. It’s time.” Her voice cracked a little. “Go, you’ll be safe there.”

“This doesn’t make any sense…” you mumbled and stood your ground.

“Maybe because your mommy failed to mention why you’re here,” an icy voice said, making you flinch. Your mom quickly got up and put a protective hand on your shoulder, “and why you’re both going to die today.”

“You’re too late. My daughter will live.”

A light yet threatening laugh left the woman’s throat. She was extremely beautiful, but there was something wrong with her. Not physically, it was more of a feeling.

“We’ll see about that.”

As the woman charged, your mom pushed you out of the way.

“Run!” she yelled as she shielded you with her whole body, turning her back on the woman. You didn’t want to leave her but what could you do? You ran as fast as you could to the top of the hill, still being able to hear what was happening behind you.

“I’m Keahi,” the woman said as she grasped your mom’s arm and forced her to spin so that they faced each other. “Might as well know my name, since I’m the last person you’ll ever see, mortal. You’re going to die knowing it was for nothing.”

You only turned around when you heard a sharp gasp.

You watched helplessly as your mom’s limp body fell to the ground with a loud thud. The woman had blood dripping from her hand— no, her claws. It dawned on you that she had murdered your mom and you were next. You turned around and resumed your sprint. Due to your fear and teary eyes, you realized too late that now that you were at the top, you’ll be going down.

You braced yourself as you could for the fall. Your body got scratches from a few low branches and brambles. When you arrived at the bottom of the hill, you looked up to see if the woman had followed.

It wasn’t the beautiful woman you saw earlier anymore, she had flaming hair, white skin and glowing red eyes. You could only see her head, but it was enough to get nightmares. She bared her fangs and turned around, like she couldn’t get to you anymore.

You tried to breathe but it came out ragged, hands shaking and lips trembling. The sun was heating up your skin. The birds were chirping happily while the despair you were feeling was starting to become unbearable as you clutched at your sides. Tears were streaming down your face, blurring your vision. Not that you had much to look at, anyway, except trees.

You closed your eyes and before you could register what was going on, a paradise appeared before them. There was grass, trees, farm animals, a waterfall and sky in different rainbow colors, plus a rainbow in the background. It obviously wasn’t real, but for some reason the colors perfectly matched. It made you feel at ease. A drastic change from the state you were in mere seconds ago. It momentarily made you forget about it, the sight filling you up with warmth and peace. It only lasted a couple minutes, although by now you breathed normally again, tears dried up.

When you opened your eyes and turned around, you could see a huge amphitheater in the distance, a volleyball court and… were these strawberry fields? Off the corner of your eye, you caught sight of a boy smiling sheepishly, seated a few meters away from you. Blinking a few times, you let out a long sigh.

“Are you okay?” the boy asked in a raspy voice.

It doesn’t match his angelic face, you thought.

He had freckles, a fair and soft skin, short blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing an orange t-shirt, shorts and sneakers.

You nodded, getting up painfully. Your limbs felt sore, the cuts on your face and arms started to ache.

“I can bring you to the infirmary if you want.”

Maybe you shouldn’t have trusted him right away. Maybe he was with the monster. But he didn’t look evil. He didn’t feel evil, either. So, you followed.

“I hope my illusion helped you feel a tad better.”

“What I saw when I closed my eyes, you did this?”

“Yeah. I’ve been practicing.”

He had a peaceful aura that calmed you down instantly. He was so sweet with you, but all you could think of was: what did you do to deserve this kindness? You had just abandoned your mom to her death.

“Why?” You were trembling, and your voice was just above a whisper.

“Why what?”

“Why did you create this illusion?”

“Oh. You looked like you needed a cheer up.”

A surge of gratefulness engulfed you and you smiled.

“Thank you.”

“I heard voices over the hill and when I came, I saw you falling down. There was a monster at the top.”

Your smile disappeared. “I— she killed my mom.”

Eyes widening, the blond boy internally slapped himself for making you sad all over again after all his efforts to make you feel better. “I’m sorry.”

You arrived at the infirmary after a few minutes of awkward silence, and quiet amazement on your part at the amphitheater you could see more clearly, the pavilion full of white tables, more than twenty houses differently decorated and a hearth in the center, even an arena, with kids and teens from different ages all around.

A brown haired guy was tending to a sleeping kid around your age, bruises, cuts and burns all around their face and arms. They were wearing jean overalls with an orange t-shirt, all covered in soot from head to toe.

“Jisung!” the boy next to you called as soon as he spotted him.

“One sec,” he replied without looking up. He brought the teen’s head up with one hand and poured some amber liquid down their throat with the other. He rested their head back delicately on the mattress, got up and turned around to greet the newcomers.

“Hi F— Wow, hey there! Sit here,” he motioned toward an empty bed, “I’ll be right back.” He left through a door made of white sheets.

“Do I really look that bad?”

The blond boy chuckled, slowly shaking his head. “By the way, I didn’t give you my name. I’m Felix.”

You looked up at him, managing a side smile. “I’m Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

You didn’t have time to answer that Jisung was back with medicine. He cautiously cleaned your wounds with the same yellowish liquid he used to treat the other kid. It felt like he was treating you like porcelain.

Then, he brought a golden cube up to your mouth.

“What is this?”

“A bit of ambrosia. It heals demigods, but too much can have bad side effects.”

Demigods??

“Eat it, you’ll feel better.”

Whatever.

With newfound trust in strangers, you chewed on the sweet food. It tasted like the mac’n’cheese your mom would make on rainy days. The memory comforted you, but also induced some pain within. Your wounds started to fade until they were completely healed.

“Thank you,” you murmured, in awe at the product. You definitely needed this stuff.

“Of course, it’s my job,” he beamed. “So, Felix,” he turned to his friend, “where did you find this stray kid? Tell me you didn’t go on a little quest on your own—”

“I found Y/N near the border, she’s new,” he interrupted him.

You were thankful he let out the details of your encounter.

“Oh, my bad! I guess you have to take her to the Big House, then.”

He nodded, extending his hand your way. You stared at it, then at the freckled boy, then back at it. Taking it slowly, he walked you to the Big House, which lived up to its name. You choked when you saw a centaur —an actual centaur?!— walking out of the front door.

“Greetings, Chiron!”

Chiron? From the legends??

“Felix. Welcome to the camp half-blood, young lady. I’m Chiron, activities director. Have you been claimed already?”

“Huh…”

“I didn’t see anything,” Felix answered. “I see. Perhaps we’ll know tonight at the campfire. Can you show our new recruit around? I’m off to archery class.”

“Sure.”

He thanked Felix, sent a smile your way and galloped away to the west. The realization you were still holding the boy’s hand made you blush, but before you could retract it, he pulled you with him to different places.

He explained the purpose of the strawberry fields and the society name —Delphi Strawberry Service— covering the camp. He showed you the climbing wall with lava, the dining pavilion, the forge full of Hephaestus kids, the armory —he tried to make you choose a weapon but you refused—, the Pegasus stables —with actual pegasi!—, the arena where demigods trained, the archery field where Chiron was teaching, the camp store —you could buy an orange t-shirt there later—, the arts & crafts center —you saw a beautiful black-haired boy painting there among other kids—, the canoe lake, the forest— you weren’t keen on entering after Felix told you what was in it. You finished the tour next to the hearth in the center of the houses you saw earlier. You could swear you saw a woman in the fire, but when you looked more closely, she was gone.

He explained everything except the reason why you were here in the first place. “This is all charming and interesting, but why am I here?”

“I was getting to that. These are the cabins of the major Greek gods and some of the minor ones. Here,” he gestured to the most colorful cabin out of the bunch, “is my mom’s, Iris, goddess of rainbows.”

It explained the illusion. The cabin looked like a huge trailer with a platform on the front and a little rainbow as antenna. It looked chill and welcoming.

Felix gave you the names of all the gods and goddesses’ cabins present on this camp, making hypotheses on who your dad might be.

“Do you like mechanics? Are you good at poetry or archery? Or swords? Do you enjoy grape juice? Maybe you’re a trickster? Do you enjoy sleeping? I mean, do you spend most of your time sleeping? Can you control light? If none of those… Maybe you’re a child of one of the Big Three.”

“Who are the Big Three?”

“Zeus —god of the sky—, Poseidon —god of the sea— and Hades —god of the dead and king of the Underworld.”

You pondered. “This is a dream. I’m gonna wake up.”

He chuckled —an endearing sound— and shook his head. “I think I’d know if it was one. No, you’re a demigod, Y/N. For real.”

When you didn’t respond, he glanced at you. You were lost in thought, wondering who your father could be, why you’ve never seen him before and why he never came to see you.

“Come on, there’s one more thing I’d like you to see.” He tugged at your hand and dragged you towards the beach.

The sun was setting. You sat on the sand, looking at the horizon. It was really pretty. But you couldn’t avoid reality for too long. A tear fell down your face thinking about how your mom would’ve loved coming here, looking at this scenery with an arm around your frame.

She was gone.

From this moment, you swore to yourself that, when you were ready, you would find the monster and avenge your mom, no matter what. Felix saw your determined eyes staring in the distance. It gave him an idea on who your father might be.

At the campfire, you realized a lot more campers than you initially thought were here. You’ve seen a bunch during the tour, but right now, when the whole camp was gathered around the fire, it felt like you were a couple hundred.

Some had musical instruments and were preparing for what you guessed was a concert. A dozen, more or less, were looking all dressed up and pretty, a few were playing with balls of energy —magic?—, others were dozing off wherever, from another kid’s shoulder to the floor. The rest looked somewhat normal, apart from the kids with hands partially tainted with soot. Might be tough to get rid of it when they spend so much time in the forges.

Some kids greeted Felix and welcomed you into the camp, which felt nice. Although you couldn’t remember every name, you were grateful for their kind words.

It seemed that the Apollo cabin was actually preparing for a singalong. Everyone sang, cheered and overall had a good time. Felix nudged you from time to time to check up on you and offer you bright smiles. So bright, in fact, that they were almost blinding. But you didn’t mind. His sole presence was enough to give you peace of mind. Maybe because looking at him reminded you of the illusion he created for you.

The campers were asking for an encore, when silence abruptly fell and every pair of eyes were on you. Or above you, to be precise, but it felt the same to you.

Exposed, vulnerable and embarrassed.

You glanced at Felix, who was looking up too. He lowered his gaze, locked eyes with you and motioned for you to look up as well. It was a glowing golden helm hologram suspended above your head.

“The bloodline is determined. Hades, king of the Underworld. Hail Y/N L/N, daughter of the dead and riches.”

Every camper kneeled, including Chiron and Felix, and you wanted to disappear from the Earth. Was it just because you ended up being a child of the Big Three? Or did every camper have the privilege of experiencing such a stressful moment?

At last, they all got up and resumed the singalong for a well-deserved encore.

An older guy walked to you from a corner. He was tall, had dark eyes and a harsh resting face. You recoiled in your seat, scared of what he might do. But then he showed a toothy smile with dimples and extended his hand for you to shake.

When you did, he said: “Welcome home, sis.”

Once alone in your bunk —you had slipped away before the end of the campfire— you sobbed, hugging the backpack your mom put in your hands earlier that day.

It smelled like her.

Calming down a bit, curiosity took over and you opened it. There was a pocket knife, pepper spray, a pack of matches, a flashlight, tissues, a sleeping bag, a water bottle and food.

It struck you. She knew what you were long before you did.

two.

Felix shouldn’t have laughed.

The whole scene was just so ridiculously funny, he had to.

You were training at the climbing wall like every other day, except today, someone had the good idea to change the mode from normal to full lava-and-earthquake while you were on it. Needless to say it took you by surprise. You fell to the bottom, earning smoking holes in your t-shirt and singed arms' hair.

Felix helped you get out of the lava floor, miserably trying to suppress his giggles. “Are you okay?”

“Who turned the climbing wall into a frenzy? I just wanna talk!”

Your eyes showed you were being serious, although a little smile appeared after looking at your best friend’s face.

Turns out it was a Hermes kid, obviously.

To get back at him, you created a hole under his feet. He screamed as he sank up to his ankles. He lost balance and fell on his butt. A few kids that fell off the climbing wall with you clapped their hands and laughed.

Oh yeah, my bad. I forgot to tell you you could do that, among other things.

Being at Camp Half-Blood year round was actually a great thing. Undeniably, between that and being with your mom, the choice was clear, but since she was gone… All you could do was train to be able to protect mortals like you should’ve protected your mom and avenge her as well.

I know what some may think. It wasn’t your fault (and it wasn’t. really.) but you couldn’t make peace with it just yet. Guilt still ate you up at night.

After understanding what it meant to be a kid of Hades, you tried to find and talk to your mom. A ghost appeared instead of her. It looked like a staff member, with greek armor and a formal look. He told you your mom was in Elysium, that ‘she wanted you to follow your own path’ and that ‘she didn’t want to see you until you were old and had a full life’. It felt so unfair. You tried to argue but the ghost didn’t stay to hear your complaints, leaving you in your grief.

You ended up entering the armory. Even if you were against violence, you came to terms with the fact that you couldn’t protect others by solely making holes on the ground. Felix showed you all the best pieces of celestial bronze weapons. He made you try on several, making you swing swords, throw knives, shoot arrows… It was unsure what would suit you best.

At last, your eyes caught sight of a dusty black metal in a corner, behind javelins. Dusting off the sword a bit, you felt like it belonged in your hand. It wasn’t too heavy, nor too light. It just felt right.

“It’s stygian iron,” Felix explained, “Hades’ own sword is made of it.”

Did you resent him? Probably… yeah. If he had been there, two years ago, he could’ve saved your mom. But you never saw him, ever. You often wondered if you were even worthy of his presence.

“Y/N?”

Your head shot up, “yeah?”

“You looked out of it. Are you okay? We can stop looking for weapons if you want.”

“No, I’m good. I’ll take this one.” It hasn’t left your side ever since.

Felix proposed to train together. It was fun, both of you ending up at the infirmary more often than not. Jisung was always there to treat your wounds while cracking jokes.

Dawon, the Hades’ cabin’s head counselor that scared you on your first night, was actually really cool. He showed you around the cabin, welcomed you like a true sibling. You enjoyed eating with your siblings at the dining pavilion, talking strategies and kicking ass during capture-the-flag and chariot races, chatting before bed and getting ready together in the mornings.

Other than that, you didn’t spend a lot of time with them. No, Felix was practically attached to your hip at this point. He has been a huge pillar to your recovery. If it wasn’t for him and his bright aura, you would’ve been morose and sad. He probably knew that too.

When you passed by the arts & crafts building, you often saw the pretty boy. The sun would often reflect on his face, making his skin glow. His stance was elegant, his features soft and flawless. He had sunlight in his shoulder-length black hair and his long fingers seemed to be working effortlessly against the canvas. In a way, watching him paint for a while was relaxing. Curiosity always got the best of you as you wanted to see his next art piece.

All you knew about him was that he was a child of Aphrodite and an amazing painter.

three.

“I did not sign up for this!” you grunted, slashing your sword across monsters left and right.

“You didn’t sign anything,” Jisung recalled, twirling to avoid a clawed hand and slaying the monster with an arrow in its chest.

“It feels like, no matter how much we kill, there’s always more,” Felix puffed.

Hopefully he was pretty good with a sword, because he couldn’t rely on his mom’s powers in the darkness. After what felt like an eternity, the last monster was slayed by your sword.

“Alright, enough practice. Let’s head back before more monsters arrive,” you offered. They didn’t protest.

You were all worn out, sweating and breathing hard. The trip in the forest left very few monsters left to slay. Whoever took care of that would have some work to do.

“We managed pretty well, didn’t we?” Jisung grinned, eyes half closed. You nodded while Felix agreed.

It was practically nightfall. At seventeen, you were more trained than ever and felt ready to face the world.

The next day, there was an emergency meeting with Chiron and the head counselors. Everyone saw them hastily leave the dining pavilion during breakfast after Argus came running to them.

A few dozen minutes later, you were summoned to the Big House. You entered the meeting room and sat next to Dawon around the ping-pong table. Chiron didn’t waste any time and recited the unprompted prophecy they had heard by the current Oracle.

Child of Underworld must retrieve their father’s accessory

Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath

The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy

The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death

Vampire. It was about an empousa. It was enough for you to want to come, even if the last sentence worried you a bit. You were about to speak up when Chiron raised his hand.

“The sole reason you’re here is because we think it’s about you.”

“Indeed, you’re the only one I know that has an empousa as an enemy,” added Dawon as he nudged you with a smile.

Yeah, the details of your arrival ended up being known around camp. It was apparently common to arrive while chased by a monster, but not every parent died at the same time.

“Oh.”

“If you need anything for the quest, we’re here to help,” proposed Bomin, head counselor of Poseidon’s cabin.

“To make sense of the prophecy, for example,” said Doyoung, the Athena cabin’s head.

“Do you know who you’re going to ask to join you?” Chiron asked.

The only thing you knew for sure was that you were going to get your revenge. And you only needed two friends for this.

“Yeah. All I need to know now is where to begin.”

Doyoung coughed and rearranged the glasses on his nose. “Well, my friend Johnny is from Chicago and last time we spoke about his hometown, he mentioned the Magnificent Mile. He said it was the most famous avenue. Now, I don’t know if the prophecy refers to the city globally or this place precisely… But, either way, I think you need to go there.”

“Thank you for your insight. Do I have a deadline?” you inquired, turning to Chiron.

“You have until the end of the month.”

It sounded like a lot of time, then you remembered the date. “We’re the 29th.”

“Indeed. You have three days, starting now.”

four.

And so began your journey. You had a backpack each, filled with medicine, spare clothes, food, water and money —drachmas and dollars.

Argus was driving you to New York on board the Delphi Strawberry Service van. Jisung kept fidgeting with the beads on his necklace.

“You’re thinking about them, aren’t you?” He squirmed uneasily. “You’ll get back alive, I promise you.”

A promise he knew you couldn’t keep, but it did reassure him a bit. He knew you were going to do everything you could so that you’ll all get back to camp alive.

Felix took your hand in his, squeezing it gently. The sudden contact brought warmth to both yours and Felix’s face and ears. Jisung chuckled at the exchange until he realized he was going to third wheel the whole trip. Then, his face dropped, a groan leaving his lips.

Before Felix could ask what was wrong, Argus pulled up in the train station’s parking. You thanked the camp’s chauffeur and entered the Pennsylvania station.

“I found a direct train,” you told them after talking with an employee, “it’ll take around nineteen hours and thirty minutes. Shall we?”

When you talked to them about the prophecy, they didn’t waste any time and said they’ll come with you. Trying to talk them out of it was useless.

As comfortably installed as possible, Felix and you in the direction of travel, Jisung in the opposite direction, the brown haired boy thought the prophecy over, again.

“Child of Underworld —that’s you, Y/N— must retrieve their father’s —Hades, obviously— accessory. What can it be? What are the known accessories he owns?”

You shrugged while the freckled boy answered his friend’s question.

“There is his bident, or staff, his sword, his helm of darkness, Cerberus, which we cannot call an accessory per say and his golden keys.”

“Is there anything more?”

“Yes, but those are the main attributes he possesses.”

“It can’t be Cerberus or the golden keys, because it’s specifically an accessory, singular,” you commented.

Felix nodded. Jisung continued, “so it’s either the staff, the sword or the helm. OK. Next line is ‘Magnificent Mile holds a piece of the way back in its last breath’. The only thing we know is that Magnificent Mile is an avenue in Chicago. I don’t like the sound of anyone’s last breath, honestly.”

“It’s probably a beast,” you proposed. “It says ‘its’.”

“That’s the most logical option we got,” Felix agreed.

“It better be. ‘The King’s circle’s won by defeating an old vampire enemy’.”

“‘Vampire’ means empousa. I guess we need whatever the King’s circle is for the rest of the quest,” you noted, “do you guys have any idea?”

They shook their heads in unison. “No, but we’ll get back to it. ‘The last challenge in Yellowstone ends in half-blood death’. Not gonna lie, I hate this one the most.”

“Yellowstone… If it’s a place, I don’t know it,” Felix said, thinking about it.

“There’s a Yellowstone national park in Wyoming, but I can’t tell for sure if it’s gonna be there,” you shared.

“It might be,” Jisung voiced and bit his lips, “but it’ll also be the last challenge, and, in case any of you forgot, it’ll end in death. Possibly one of ours.”

He was right. However, dwelling on it so soon would not help anyone.

“Let’s think about that part later, OK? Let’s focus on getting to Chicago safely.”

After four stops, the train passed over the Broadway bridge in Albany. The train weirdly shook.

“Of course,” you muttered, “this couldn’t be a nice, eventless trip.”

People started walking in our direction from the end of the train. They didn’t look particularly alarmed, like it was natural to change wagons while the train was in motion.

Felix looked up through the window and frowned. “I don’t see any—”

The train’s wheels shrieked against the rails, abruptly stopping it. Felix and you fell forward on Jisung, who grunted, obviously not enjoying the voyage so far. Then the sound of metal being crushed like a soda can filled the air. The brown haired boy looked at his friends and gulped loudly.

“Remind me why I was so eager to come?”

You tried to open the doors but they wouldn’t budge. You got closer to a window and unsheathed your sword.

“Get back.” The boys did as told, stepping back to the empty opposite seats.

You hit the glass with the pommel of your sword. It shattered, but before you could step over the wall, a glowing orange eye appeared, surrounded by glistening dark green flesh and a gigantic triangular red maw.

“What’s that smell?” Jisung gagged, closely followed by Felix.

You held your breath and stabbed the monster in the eye. It screeched in pain as it released the hold it had on the train, although not completely. Despite that, you all knew you had a few seconds before the beast would attack.

“I think I know what it is,” Felix said, “help me get on the train.”

“You already are,” Jisung retorted.

“I meant on the roof.”

“It’s too dangerous,” you cut in.

“Y/N, you were about to do it.”

“Yes, but—”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course, b—”

“We don’t have time.”

True enough, the serpent’s mouth flew inside the wagon, missing Felix’s head by a centimeter. You used this opportunity to pierce its other eye. It flew out of the train’s window in a cry. If it wasn’t trying to kill everyone, you would’ve felt bad for it. Although now it was blind and very, very angry.

Felix finally got to the roof with Jisung’s help while you covered them. The snake was so long —around thirty six meters— it wrapped itself around the train at least four times. It had flatten it with its strong hold. Felix wondered how the bridge hadn’t fallen into the river by now.

He silently prayed to his mom and concentrated on creating a rainbow. The sunny afternoon and the river’s reverberation helped greatly. When the serpent’s head was in front of him, he generated multicolored flames from the rainbow to destroy the monster. He felt dumb when he realized it didn’t do anything, its skin extinguishing the flames on contact.

How could he expect to kill a sea snake with fire?

Scolding himself could wait. He rolled over when the monster tried to swallow him up. He unleashed blasts of multicolored energy, penetrating and burning the monster’s skin in the process. Jisung was shooting arrows from the open window, while you were slashing at the monster’s body everywhere you had access to it through the broken windows.

Finally, with one last blast of energy on the serpent’s head, it disintegrated, leaving a damaged train and exhausted demigods. Felix was wondering if the train could get powered up again and carry them all the way to Chicago, but before he could finish his thought, he collapsed on the roof.

five.

Obviously it wouldn’t be a dreamless sleep.

Felix was at a train station. A sign read “Chicago”. He felt relieved. It probably meant they’d make it there.

His consolation was short-lived, however, as he saw a huge lion a few meters away. It seemed to be patiently waiting for them, laying down on the nearest park. The worst part was the 2,50 meters tall giants behind him. They were playing rock paper scissors and one of them didn’t like to lose. He stamped his foot on the ground so hard it felt like an earthquake.

The dream changed. He was outside in the dark, perhaps on a mountain. He could tell by the chilling breeze and the glowing stars. Felix saw a woman not too far, chanting in a language he wasn’t familiar with in front of a large cauldron. He found her beautiful and delicate until he caught a glimpse of the rest of her body. From her waist down was a serpentine body, which oddly resembled the Carthaginian serpent he killed earlier.

He shuddered. When she finished chanting, she turned to Felix, boring her glowing green eyes into his.

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean for you to see me like this,” she said in a seductive way.

She snapped her fingers and the snake part of her body disappeared, replaced by a regular woman's body, wearing a thin black dress.

“There. Better, isn’t it?”

Mist, he thought.

“If you survive your little journey, I’ll be glad to feed on your flesh, even if you’re not quite a child anymore.”

If Felix wasn’t terrified before, he surely was now. He tried to speak, but no sound would come out.

She walked over to him, whispering in his ear, “I’ll drink the Apollo’s kid’s blood and eat his flesh. Once I’m done with him, I’ll deal with you. I’ll take my sweet time. And then, precious Y/N will finally feel my wrath, and eventually die.”

His blood boiled, anger and fear filling his body to the brim. He couldn’t let that happen. Before the woman could sink her crocodile teeth into his neck, Felix woke up in a cold sweat, a few minutes before the Cleveland stop.

It was night, Jisung and you were munching on homemade sandwiches. You had retrieved Felix from the roof together and laid him on two seats in an empty wagon with windows intact. Jisung had fed Felix some nectar and let him sleep for about eight hours.

No matter what the mortals saw, they succeeded in making the train move again and the passengers were seated at the front of the convoy. There was a constant shrill metallic sound coming from the bottom of the train. It was low, but definitely annoying.

“Felix,” you called, “how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve drained myself to the point of collapsing,” he groaned, sitting up.

“Do you need more nectar?” Jisung asked.

“No, thanks. Besides, we should keep our supplies for as long as possible.”

“Take that sandwich, then.” The brown haired boy tossed him a sandwich and they ate in silence, until Felix told both of you about his dream.

“So, the good news is we’re gonna make it to Chicago,” you said.

Jisung continued, “the bad news is, we’re gonna die in Chicago.”

“I have a few hours to think about a plan while you two sleep.”

You tried to protest but Jisung’s loud yawn put an end to the debate before it even started.

Your dreams were filled with nightmares, like every demigod ever.

It started like every other night. Your mom smiling down at you, her hand stroking your hair, then her being stabbed to death by Keahi. This time the woman smirked and whispered, “I’ll enjoy killing you more than I did your mother.” You were about to curse her when the dream changed.

It was night and in the open space, although a bonfire brightened Felix’s liveless body lying on the ground and Jisung’s limp corpse against a rock a few meters away. You wanted to scream, tears running down your cheeks. A triumphant laugh came from everywhere around you, cutting through the dead of night.

The next dream was so different, it shocked you. You were back on Half Blood Hill, except there was no sign of your mom or the empousa. Instead, there was a tall, shoulder length black haired man with fairly white skin and intense black eyes standing around ten meters away from you. What surprised you the most was the black flowing robes he was wearing, filled with evil souls threaded into it.

Despite his morbid appearance, he was looking at you with unexpected tenderness. You were wondering who this man might be when he spoke up.

“Y/N,” he called, “I’m sorry it took me so long to appear.”

Then it clicked. Of course. This intimidating man was Hades, your dad. A surge of hatred ran through your body beyond your control.

“Where were you? All this time, when I got kicked out of school every other year, when I was made fun of, when mom died? Where were you? Did you even love her?”

His eyes flared with purple fire for a second, his face hardening, but you were too furious to be afraid of the consequences. Just as fast, he calmed himself.

“I did love her, yes. But I couldn’t do anything, to protect you and because I can’t meddle with my children’s lives. You had to forge your own path for it to mean anything. You still do.”

You scoffed. “Bet you say that to all your kids.” The uneasy look he gave you proved you were right. “Gods, you do have a healthy way with kids, huh?”

“I understand your rage. But right now, you must focus on your quest.”

“Easy for you to say,” you muttered.

“You must not fall into a blind rage when you see her. You must control your thirst for revenge.”

“You sure love to tell me what to do for someone I just met.”

“Y/N… If you don’t control your powers, bad things could happen. Your friends might pay the price.”

“Oh so now you’re threatening my friends!”

He sighed, visibly tired. His form began to fade. “I have to go. Remember my words when you face the empousa.”

Before you could make a snarky remark, he vanished. You woke up feeling so angry your friends could practically see it.

“Usually we wake up confused, terrified, or determined, but as angry as you are, I’m afraid to ask about what you saw,” Jisung started joking, but then recoiled in his seat in front of you.

Felix gave you a worried look.

“I’m okay.” You were still fuming but they knew better than to push it.

When you sat up, the blond boy sat next to you and took your hand in his. It calmed you down more efficiently than you’d care to admit.

“We’re almost there. And I have a plan.”

six.

The Great Hall was majestic, with columns all around and a barrel-vaulted skylight bathing the room in soft light. It was giving Greek revival vibes, which comforted you if only for a moment.

You were firmly holding the grip of your sword, mentally preparing for the fight ahead. The lion was waiting for you three outside the station, but there was no giant in sight.

The fact that Felix had a plan didn’t ease your nerves that much, because plans rarely unfolded as expected. But he knew stuff about monsters and Greek mythology as a whole, so it was helping.

“He’s not that big,” Jisung shrugged, “just the size of a pick-up truck. We can totally get him.”

He nocked his arrow as the Iris kid and you unsheathed your swords.

Not two minutes into the fight, you realized that Felix was right. The lion’s pelt was deflecting all your weapons. It was pointless to attack from behind and by surprise. You tried to keep him occupied until Felix could find an opening.

“Guys, I’m no Hercules, so don’t expect me to asphyxiate him with my bare hands!” Jisung shouted. He tried to shoot an arrow into the lion’s eye, but he somehow saw it coming and protected himself.

“It would’ve been easier with a cornucopia but…” Felix threw his backpack into the lion’s maw. As he bellowed in disgust, your friend shouted, “now!”

Jisung fired arrows into his open mouth. He dissolved except for his pelt. “Great. I’ve always wanted to resemble a caveman.” The Apollo kid’s wry comment made you smile.

He somehow succeeded in putting it away in his bag, at the same moment the three giants decided to show up. They were coming from the park, their iron clubs laying low.

“Where is the lion? There was a lion, right?” one of them asked.

“Already defeated, useless scamp! And guess what? You’re next!” Jisung raised his arms wide, like he was waiting for a group hug. Then, he gestured to the giants with one hand. “What kind of ogres are you, anyway?”

Felix nudged him. “They’re Laistrygonian giants, dude. Muscular tattooed man eaters.”

“You look awfully smug for our next lunch, half-blood,” the tallest of the giants said.

“In your dreams, you witless gollumpus!” He didn’t waste any more time and shot arrows at them. They deflected the projectiles with ease except for the smallest giant, who apparently wasn’t paying much attention. He crumbled into dust.

The other two roared in outrage and sprinted your way, brandishing their clubs high above their heads. Felix sidestepped when the giant swung his arm, rolled between his legs and stabbed him in the back.

Two down, one to go.

“You’ll pay for that, demigods!” the tallest giant bellowed before laying his arm down on Jisung.

You cut off his arm with a swirl of your sword. He yelled, turned and tried to crush your throat with his remaining hand. He was circling your neck with his huge fingers, but Felix thrusted his celestial bronze sword into his side. He disintegrated.

“Thank you,” you breathed with difficulty, locking eyes with Felix.

He dropped his blade and enveloped you in a comforting hug that lasted more than the average.

“Are you okay?” he inquired, cupping your face with his hands. He searched your face for any sign of hurt, sadness, fear… But there was only relief and tiredness. You nodded.

“You fought bravely.”

You turned, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a beautiful woman with black eyes and blond hair. She was wearing a black gown and carrying two old-fashioned reed torches. She was surrounded by green light and Mist was everywhere around her.

Felix let go of your face and unconsciously grabbed your hand instead. He studied the goddess, picking up on the details that showed who she might be. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure you could trust her.

“Why, thank you mysterious woman! So, which one are you?” Jisung questioned, a bit wary.

“Hecate,” Felix murmured.

“Well done, Iris kid. Before you ask, I’m here to offer guidance. You’re about to—”

“Sorry, but, um… You’re the goddess of magic, you created empousai. Why would you help us?” you asked. It didn’t make sense to you, knowing the prophecy, which you were sure she knew about too.

“As I was saying, daughter of Hades,” she continued with a neutral voice, “you’re about to face great danger.”

“What, more than the usual death threats? What a bummer,” Jisung snorted, crossing his arms.

“Your insolence isn’t helping your case, Apollo kid. My children —or creations, whatever— don’t always follow my orders. We’re not obliged to share the same faith. They’re free. Like my children back at camp half-blood.” You waited for her to continue.

“Jisung, joking around helps you hide your scars, but you need to embrace them to properly move forward. Sharing your burden might do the trick. You’re also worth more than you think.”

She then turned to your freckled friend. “Felix, you need to stop putting everyone before yourself. You cannot control everyone’s happiness. You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.”

Finally, she set her eyes on you. “Y/N, I know you think you’re not worth being here, going on this journey. You feel helpless, because you haven’t slayed any monster yet. But do not worry, your time will come soon enough, and with that, your greatest challenge. You have so much more power within than you might believe. This power needs to be used wisely.”

A wave of uneasiness washed over the three of you, Hecate’s words touching some nerves. Her words echoed your father’s. You regretted your outburst in your latest dream because you could have used this opportunity to ask which one of his attributes was missing. That would have made one less question unanswered.

“Well.” She clapped her hands. “I should probably tell you, now that there’s no more ground means of transport to Wyoming —I mean, you’re not going to steal a car, are you?— you’ll need to use aerial transportation.”

“But how—” Felix started, but got cut off.

“Off I go. Remember, you have two days left to get back to camp safely. Good luck on your quest, demigods. I hope Tyche can lend you some.”

She disappeared in a cloud of Mist.

“If I didn’t feel good then, I definitely do now!” Jisung sarcastically smiled.

For the first time since you’ve known him, you realized Hecate was right about the guy. Behind all the jokes and smiles, he had a sadness in him that was hard to decipher. But you were aware now. Felix was visibly concentrating, eyes closed and face facing the sky.

“Do you want to talk about what Hecate said?” you suggested. “About sharing your—”

“Well, I’d love to, trust me, but I’m fine. But hey, it seems you were right. Yellowstone is a national park.”

Deciding prying wasn’t gonna help, you nodded and turned your head towards the sky. You noticed a faint dark form in the horizon. Squinting your eyes in an attempt to identify what was coming for you this time, Felix left out a relieved sigh, then a chuckle. You spotted the sweat on his forehead. A few seconds later, you recognized winged horses.

Three of them.

“Did you summon them?” you questioned Felix, who was grinning.

“One of my mom’s powers. I’m glad it worked.”

Two of them were white and one was brown. They came to a stop in front of you, the brown pegasus neighing, gently nuzzling Felix.

“Thank you for coming, guys,” he said as he scratched the horse’s head. He turned to Jisung and you. “Are you ready for a ride?”

After a few hours flying high in the sky, you could finally make out the mountain you had to go to. You were about fifty kilometers away from the destination when you heard screeching from behind.

Jisung whined. “Come on!”

“Dozens of Gryphons! We’ll have to fight!” Felix yelled.

He brandished his sword, turned around and lashed out at them. You followed, while Jisung kept his distance, shooting arrows at the dozens of enemies. Dusk was only a few minutes away. The sky’s colors —blue, purple, red, orange, yellow— looked peaceful and pretty compared to the fight that was breaking out under it.

Four monsters succumbed to your blade before another one planted its talons in your pegasus’ thigh as you slashed its right wing. You cursed under your breath when the winged horse squealed, pitching up while flapping his wings frantically. He was bleeding.

You almost fell, but managed to hang on his mane and kill the gryphon. Unfortunately, another one immediately took its place and pecked your mounting’s neck with its sharp beak. He was losing too much blood, the liquid staining his beautiful white coat.

As he was dropping altitude, you were slowly and painfully losing your grip on his mane. You were falling to your death together. But not without taking the monster with you.

You squeezed the pegasus’ flanks to keep balance and brought down your sword on the gryphon’s neck. It disintegrated. You thanked and apologized to your companion for a few hours, hugging his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding and preparing yourself for the impact. However, he crumbled into dust a few hundred meters above the ground, leaving you free falling on your own.

Felix swooped your way on his brown pegasus and caught your waist. Your arms immediately wrapped around his torso. Jisung took down the last gryphon in your peripheral view. You started to smile, but the brown haired boy’s eyes widened. He shouted: “Look out!”

The actual last monster seized the pegasus’ gaskins with its claws and pulled them, making him go upside down. Felix and you fell face first off the winged horse, holding each other tightly. You couldn’t even see the gryphon butchering its prey. Jisung slayed the monster with a well-aimed arrow and sped up to catch you both.

He wasn’t quick enough. You were swallowed by the shadows, leaving the Apollo kid behind with a pegasus as confused and worried as he was.

seven.

Felix woke up in a cave with low light coming from torches dispersed on the walls. You were passed out on the floor but didn’t look injured, which was good.

He scanned his surroundings. It was a rectangular room with a door on the far left. It seemed like there was no one else with you. He sat on his legs, put down his sword and brought your head on his lap. He poured a little amount of nectar into your parted lips.

He felt a presence behind him, but was too late to act. The invisible form dragged him away from you, your head hitting the ground with a soft thud. He tried to fight back but got tossed head first in the dirt. With a grunt, he got on his knees and looked around, but there was no one. As he got up, he felt claws scratch his chest, ripping his orange shirt in the process. He yelped, took a knife out of his belt and aimlessly sliced through the air all around him.

He saw your body move. Thinking you were waking up, he let down his guard and ran to you. He tripped on something metallic and fell down. Looking behind him, there was just the muddy floor.

“Get on your knees,” a feminine voice ordered, her words resonating dangerously across the room. “Don’t move.”

He was now on his knees, facing you with a blank expression as if he wasn’t in control of his body anymore.

The first punch he received in the gut hurt like hell, but his face and body remained motionless like a doll. Then, he received blows on his ribs, his cheeks, his jawline. It was enough for him to faint. The pain was blinding him but he kept his eyes open. He watched, helpless, as you slowly stood up, glaring his way. No, you were looking somewhere above him.

“Show yourself, blood sucker, so I can make you pay,” your voice was calm yet threatening.

Keahi laughed, moving Felix’s face so you could see all the bruises she gave him. It was a bad idea on her part because you were now fully pissed. Seeing him like this… After what she did to your mom, you wanted to end her life so badly.

The ground blackened around you and the air dropped to freezing. A black flood of anger, pain, guilt and grief poured out of you in waves, hitting the monster and Felix. The latter experienced your worst memories. The pain, guilt and grief from the death of your mom, your hardships, the anger —no, hatred— you felt towards the empousa that made your life miserable.

“Stop this!” she taunted.

It seemed to get Felix out of his trance.

“Y/N…” he murmured and hit the floor.

All the pain he received in the last minutes knocked him out. This scene made you more furious, if that was even possible at this point. The waves became thicker and stronger, making Keahi loudly hit the nearest wall.

“You’re just a kid! You might be powerful, but not powerful enough to destroy me and my sister.” Desperation was evident in her voice. “If you keep going, you’ll kill the boy too.”

You went at it for several more seconds. It was hard to stop, you wanted her dead and your emotions took over your judgment. Although, one look at Felix’s limp body was enough for you to snap out of it.

You reached for your sword and threw it in her direction like a javelin. It planted itself in the wall. The empousa disintegrated and a golden ring fell on the floor. The waves stopped and the flood slowly dissipated. Before you could take a step towards Felix, you passed out again.

Jisung was patrolling from the air, alert for any movement on the mountain, without being certain you were even there. Several minutes later, he saw black smoke coming from a strange rectangle on the ground. Getting closer, he realized it was a hatch.

The pegasus landed on the floor next to it. Jisung dismounted and opened the hatch to a dark corridor. He waited for the dark Underworld stuff —meaning you were probably there— to disappear completely before venturing inside, his bow ready.

At the end of the damp corridor was a single door. He entered and found his friends’ bodies on the floor, a hand extended to each other’s direction. He flew to Felix’s side, poured nectar into his mouth, winced when he caught sight of his bruises and chest, then gave you the same treatment, relieved to see there weren't many physical injuries.

He didn’t want to leave any of you alone and he couldn’t move both of you at the same time. He was about to sit down when he spotted your sword in the wall. He grabbed the hilt and pulled it out with much effort. Something golden was on the floor so he picked it up. It was a golden ring.

Spoil of War? It didn’t seem like it, but how could he know? He wasn’t there. He put it in his pocket anyway. Felix opened his eyes and immediately went to your side. He reached for his backpack.

“I already gave her nectar.”

Felix’s head turned so fast his neck cracked. “You scared me!”

“Sorry.” Jisung walked over. “Let’s go, this place is creepy.”

The Iris kid was sending worried looks your way the whole time they spent carrying you outside. He related his version of the facts. How he was manipulated and hit by an invisible woman, experienced your pain, and passed out once the charmspeak wore off.

“It’s been a hell of a couple days, huh?”

“Tell me about it.” Fresh air and sunlight did Felix some good.

“Let’s sleep a bit before facing death again, shall we?” Jisung offered.

They took sleeping bags out of their backpack, Jisung with a bit more difficulty due to the lion’s pelt taking up most space. Both enveloped you in yours, then they argued on who should take first watch.

The brown haired boy won. He wasn’t injured and Felix visibly needed rest. He changed into a new t-shirt and insisted on being woken up a few hours later, though.

He dreamed he was in the same dark place again. The fire was cackling, lightening up the monster’s face and body. He was definitely terrified of her.

It felt like she was waiting for him. “Tomorrow we meet, demigod. Tomorrow, you die.”

He wanted to yell: “We’ll defeat you, like we did all our enemies until now.” but no sound could leave his lips.

“Oh, but they’re nothing compared to me,” she exclaimed like she heard his thoughts somehow. “Fighting me will make everything you endured so far feel like a walk in the park.”

That didn’t make him feel any better about the whole quest and their chance of survival. He was scared for his friends, for himself.

Hecate’s words replayed in his mind. “You’ll soon have to prove you can keep your distance, for your own sake.” Even if he thought his encounter with the empousa was a proof in itself, he felt dread. Something even worse was about to happen, he could feel it.

Felix woke up alert, but it was night.

“Jisung!” he complained, but he found him fast asleep next to him.

You, on the other hand, were awake, preparing a snack and humming an old song. You were so pretty with the sun lighting your hair and skin.

“Hello, Rainbow Boy. Here, eat this.”

You handed him toasts of cheese and an apple cut into quarters, but he just stared at you instead of taking them.

“Y/N,” he murmured like a whisper, a relieved sigh.

He engulfed you in a bone crushing hug, his nose buried in your neck. You hugged him back like you could, the food still in your hands.

“Are you okay? I was so scared.”

“I would be better if I could breathe,” you joked.

He apologized and let you go but stayed close, thanking you for the food.

“What happened back there? Do you know what monster it was?”

Your smile turned into a hard look. “None other than my mom’s murderer, Keahi.”

He reached for your hand, drawing smoothing circles on the knuckles with his thumb.

“I wonder how she made herself invisible. It’s not an empousa power,” he wondered.

“There was a ring.”

“A ring that makes its wearer invisible… Sounds familiar.”

“I have no clue where it is, though. Perhaps still in that cave.”

“Wait. King’s circle? Gyges was a king who found a golden ring in a cave. ‘Circle’ could mean the ring. Was it golden?” You nodded. “Then we need to get it back. It could help us on our next step.”

“No need,” Jisung yawned as he stretched, “I have it right here. Call me Bilbo Baggins.” He took the ring out of his pocket and gave it to you.

“You’re a lifesaver, I hope you know that,” you thanked him.

He smirked, “I do know, but being acknowledged is always appreciated.”

“So… If, hypothetically, I put this on…” you said, doing so. “I’ll become invisible.”

“You literally are, right now.” Felix tried to touch your shoulder but you weren’t there anymore.

You sneaked behind them and pressed a finger on their sides, watching them squirm and whine.

“OK, OK, sorry.” You took out the ring and threw it in Felix’s direction. “You should keep it.”

He had great reflexes, so he caught it easily. “Why me?”

“I already got the lion’s pelt and it’s taking way too much space, so a ring would be too much,” Jisung answered, shrugging innocently.

Rolling your eyes, you elbowed him. “You’re the best choice. You’re the most selfless out of us. I trust you.”

He wanted to argue but decided against it.

He trusted you too.

eight.

Jisung took a few minutes to say goodbye to his pegasus. He thanked him, stroked his mane and gave him a treat. Felix apologized for his companions, for which the winged horse nudged him and bowed before flying away.

“Before we go, I think I need to tell you guys something,” the brown haired boy mumbled.

Felix and you exchanged glances and offered him sympathetic smiles.

“Let’s sit,” he continued. Once you were, he took a deep breath and got into it right away.

He talked about his past. How, when he was seven, he lost his half brother in a car accident. How he ran away to the park near his house after an argument with his step dad, how his little brother went to look for him then. How he was busy pitying himself when he heard the crash. How he blamed himself for the whole thing. How he swore to never run off again because he didn’t want his mom to end up this way too. How he decided to bury his feelings and never speak of this, ever.

“Jisung… None of it was your fault,” you assured. “You were so young… I’m so sorry.”

“Ji, thank you for sharing this with us. We’re here for you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thanks guys… I had to tell someone before we went to our ultimate death.”

“No way you’re dying today, I won’t allow it. You’ll get back to your crush.”

“OK, chill Y/N, I don’t have a crush.”

“The redness on your face says otherwise, buddy,” Felix laughed softly.

Jisung had lessened his burden like Hecate had suggested, and it worked. He felt better, ready to move forward.

The sun was rising. You had to get to the mountain next to the one you were currently on. The only way now was by foot. And you had to be back by the end of the day.

Easy enough. No, it was definitely not easy.

But you had to try.

On your way to the monster, you explained the plan you fashioned to the boys while they were asleep. After a lot of complaining and no’s, they finally accepted it (mostly because they didn’t have better ideas). Although Felix refused to use the ring.

Three hours later, the boys and you finally set foot in the clearing. All around were old trees and, in the center, was a large cauldron on top of a bonfire. Next to it was a block of stone with a bronze helmet on top of it. So it was the helm. The monster was there, chanting in a language that resembled latin.

“Lamia,” Felix whispered, swallowing loudly.

“Ah! Children, at last,” Lamia exclaimed with a charming yet dark smile.

“We came for my father’s helm.”

“The same dad that abandoned you?”

It was true, you still resented him, but bringing everyone back safely was a priority.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s that one I presume?” you asked as you pointed to it.

“Busted,” Lamia laughed falsely before putting it on her head.

She became invisible and the fear emanating from the helm paralyzed the three of you.

It was unsure what exactly happened. Was it your survival instinct or were you more powerful than the helm itself? Whatever it was, you were able to parry the attack with your sword. There was no time wondering how you could manage that.

Without being able to see or hear where she was, you warded off every attack she threw. You were about to get the upper hand when she grabbed Felix’s mortified body. You could see it in his eyes.

“Your sister tried that and regretted it,” you spat.

Lamia reappeared when she took off the helmet, keeping it under her unused arm.

“She’s weak. I’ll make sure to let her know when she’s back.”

Of course monsters will always be back, no matter how much we slay them.

“You know,” she resumed, “your dad thinks he’s all mighty and powerful because he rules the Underworld. Yet his precious helm was too easy to steal. And he sends his beloved daughter to death for this?”

Her claws enveloping Felix’s neck and Jisung’s shattered breath gave you a hard time thinking about your next move. You couldn’t be reckless again.

You had to save them.

“Leave them alone. Let’s do this one on one.”

“Why would I accept your proposition when I have the upperhand, sweetie?”

You scoffed. “Come on now. Are you scared to face a kid? You’re acting all-powerful and invincible, but fighting me is too much?”

Her expression hardened. Pride touched.

Bingo.

Lamia shoved Felix on the floor, a vicious glare throwing daggers at you. You had to restrain yourself from jumping her right this instant.

Distancing her from your friends was vital. She put the helmet back on as you were moving around to cause her back to face them. Not wasting any time attacking, you slashed your sword here and there, not letting her ripost. However, you were getting tired. She took advantage and ripped your arm with her claws. You stumbled and closed your eyes, groaning.

“Already down? You’re making this too easy,” she mused after taking the helm off again.

Felix and Jisung regained their senses away from her. They were ready to fight. Jisung was bow ready and Felix was summoning light.

When you opened your eyes and got to your feet, you realized they were waiting for a sign. From you.

The pressure of leading was growing but you tried to bury it inside. You couldn’t deal with more anxiety at the moment. You focused on Lamia, who was grinning from a false feeling of victory, and shouted, “NOW!”

The three of you gave your all and hit her at the same time. As Felix struck her with blinding light, Jisung shot her in the back and you pierced her heart. You enjoyed her look of surprise when she disintegrated in a shrill scream. All that was left was the helm of darkness falling to the ground with a clang.

Clenching your arm, you fell on your knees. Felix engulfed you into a tight hug.

“This is gonna sound controversial, but I think that went well,” Jisung said as he picked up the helm.

“You must all be fools if you think you can take me down that easily,” a feminine voice taunted.

She was at the other side of the open space, Mist slowly dispersing around her. How did she do that? The marks on your arm were real, so when did she create the Mist? How could you not have seen it coming?

Realizing he actually didn’t have anything in his hands, Jisung quickly shot arrows her way but she managed to dodge them and put on the helmet. Felix couldn’t get up, fear keeping him grounded.

You witnessed, helpless, Jisung’s body being thrown across the clearing. Anger building up inside you, you got to your feet and charged.

Certainly you couldn’t hear or see her, but you could feel her. Probably due to your connection to the underground. But despite your best efforts, you couldn’t seem to have enough to wound her. It was almost as if she didn’t need the helm at all, like she could end you all with or without it. Like she only used it for extra fun.

Your limbs started to ache. Panting, you planted your sword on the ground. You could feel Lamia laugh triumphally.

Concentrating, you opened a crevasse that allowed skeletons to rise and surround the monster. They closed in on her, and eventually started attacking all at once. She effortlessly took them down one by one in an elegant dance.

There was only one thing left to do but your friends were here and the least thing you wanted was to hurt them.

“I have a question. Does your mom know what you’re doing? Aren’t you scared of retaliation?”

It was interesting enough for her to take the helmet off. “What are you talking about, mortal? Hecate does not care about whether you live or die today.”

Felix joined Jisung at the far end of the open space. It was now or never.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. She came to see us yesterday, you know. She might punish you later when I’m done with you.”

“I do not care about Hecate!” Her voice was trembling, though. “You’re irritating. I’ll deal with you first.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” you whispered to yourself.

As she put the helmet back on for the nth time, the floor blackened. You let the flood of black smoke leave your body while the temperature dropped. It wasn’t as strong as when you faced Keahi, but anger and pain were still present. It affected her, but not enough to end her.

Felix analyzed the situation and summoned light, except he didn’t know where to hit. You tried your best to show him by sinking Lamia into the floor to her calves. The movement caught his eye. Rainbow sparks shot from the sky into her skin. You felt her scream in pain.

It still wasn’t sufficient. She was getting restless and you were getting desperate. What more could you do? It seemed to have worked the first time but it wasn’t real, how could you be sure it would work this time?

The flood was getting thicker, your hand tightening around the tilt of your sword. Of course, you could just try it again and if it didn’t work… then you would have tried until the end.

Breathing heavily, you walked up to her. Raising your sword, you whispered a “good bye” before slowly but surely pressing the blade into her heart.

Lamia didn’t just sit back. She yelled, sinking her claws into your chest and arms at the same time. You endured the pain but gasped when an arrow pierced through her neck and passed you by a few centimeters to finish its course in the nearest tree. Multicolored flames burned her too, until the helm of darkness fell to the ground in front of you.

“Y/N!” Felix ran to you. “No, no, no…”

Blood was dripping from the multiple claw marks. He caught you when your knees gave out, helping you down and maintaining your head on his hand.

“Jisung,” he desperately called, “you need to do something.”

“Already on it…”

Felix pressured on your shoulder wound with his free hand while the brown haired boy roamed through his backpack. Blood ran through his fingers.

“Stay with me, Y/N, please.”

You smiled faintly. “We won this time, right? That’s— that’s good.”

He brought you closer to him. “Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Move, loverboy,” Jisung ordered.

The Iris kid did as told but kept pressuring your wound. “You’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

These were the last words you heard before fainting.

nine.

You woke up to a moving vehicle, your chest and arms tingling with every bump it rolled over. Jisung was talking to someone you couldn’t see, and Felix’s hand was intertwined with yours. More than that, you were seated next to each other, your head comfortably laid on his shoulder.

Jisung looked behind him and gave you a gummy smile. “Sleeping beauty’s awake at last!”

“Are you okay?” the boy next to you asked as you sat up straight.

You nodded and realized you were in a minibus. Unless you were mistaken, there was no vehicle whatsoever on the mountain last time you checked.

“Indeed! You needed a drive home. That’s where I came in,” a man said joyfully.

You blinked when you saw Apollo driving and waving you hello through the rear-view mirror.

“I had the brilliant idea to offer the lion’s pelt and the ring of Gyges to my dad and hoped he would grant us a little help to get back to Olympus safely and quickly,” he explained with a satisfied face.

It was exceptionally brilliant that he accepted.

During the rest of the road trip, Apollo was relating some of his adventures to whoever listened. The return was smoother than the outward, allowing you to rest a bit. The blonde boy had a worried face whenever he laid his eyes on you.

On Mount Olympus, Hades was here with the Olympian Gods, on his seldom used throne. His proud stare was weird to witness, especially when it was directed towards you. You gave him back his helm under Apollo’s loud praise for his ‘son and his companions’ bravery on this perilous odyssey’. The Gods thanked the three of you and got on with their immortal lives.

Iris winked at her kid, mouthing “I’m proud of you.” and they all left the palace.

You did the same, the boys walking to the elevator while Hades, who was following you, asked for a chat. You agreed, staying back to hear what he had to say.

“I know that blessing you with this much power made you a target. Honestly, I can’t take them back. But I know you’ll use them well. You proved during your journey that you were mature and strong enough. You’ve made me proud.”

Hearing these words filled you with a warm feeling, which you despised. It was too soon for you to warm up to him.

“I didn’t do it for you. I did it for mom.”

He nodded in understanding. “She’s in Elysium you know? She wants you to live a long, fulfilled life before seeing her again.''

You were about to tell him you’ve known for years, but he turned around and left.

You thought about your mom, and how at peace she was right now. At that moment, you decided to let go of the negative thoughts obscuring your judgment and decisions. Your mom was waiting for you, and you intended to make her proud of you.

Jogging to your friends, you smiled, happy that was finally over. Obviously you knew more danger was coming, but you’d be okay as long as your friends were there with you.

ten.

Back at camp, the three of you were acclaimed, the respective head counselors of your cabins personally greeting each of you. They looked particularly proud. The fervor of the return having dissipated, you sat in the Big House with Chiron before dinner time, to relate your journey.

“So yeah, it turned out we had to get the helm of darkness back from Lamia,” you said.

“The piece of the way back was the lion’s pelt and the last challenge was in the Yellowstone national park in Wyoming,” added Jisung.

“The King’s circle was Gyges’ invisible ring,” Felix divulged.

“I’m glad you’re all back safely,” Chiron smiled.

“I have a question, though,” Jisung raised his hand. “Half-blood death. Did it not come through?”

“It did. Lamia was a demigod, daughter of Hecate and Queen of Libya,” Chiron explained, “she was turned into a monster by Hera.”

“Explains a lot,” you muttered.

Jisung returned to his crush friend from the Hephaestus cabin while Felix and you walked together to your cabins. During your little walk, the Aphrodite kid, AKA the pretty painter, came to see you. It shocked you to see him in front of you, and it shocked you even further to see the two greet each other like old friends.

“I’m glad you’re back, Felix,” he said, a genuine smile on his face.

“Thanks Hyunjin. I’m happy to be back.”

“Hello Y/N.”

He knows my name!! How does he know my name??

“Huh, hi…”

“Felix talks about you a—”

“That’s great,” the blond boy cut him off, ears reddening, “but we have stuff to do before dinner. Bye Hyunjin, see you around!”

“Lix,” you called as he rushed you to the cabins, “how do you know him?”

“We came to camp together. Why?”

Realizing he was ‘just’ a pretty painter for you and that you were more interested in Felix than him, you smiled sheepishly.

“Nothing, I never asked how or when you came to camp.”

“Oh, well, we were seven kids on the run after monsters attacked our school, and satyrs finally found us and brought us here. We were between six and ten.”

He stopped in his tracks when he realized you weren’t following anymore. When he turned around to face you, you hugged him, burying your face in his neck. He stroked your back affectionately.

“It must’ve been hard. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay, we made it without too many problems.”

After a good dinner and a wholehearted singalong, you ended up on the beach, eyes fixed on the stars. Hearing footsteps approaching, you only looked over when he sat next to you.

“Pretty cloudless sky, huh?”

“Yeah,” you agreed, “but the stars are prettier on your face.”

It was unknown which one of you was blushing more.

“Sorry—”

“Y/N—”

“You first,” you offered, hiding your face into your cold hands. Or was it your face that was hot?

“I came to a conclusion while on that awful quest,” Felix announced, folding his arms on top of his knees. He looked at the horizon. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Seeing you hurting tears me apart, and I think what Hecate meant by ‘my own sake’ wasn’t my safety, but rather my heart after seeing you suffer.” He sighed. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that… I love you, Y/N,” he finished, daring to turn your way.

He was met with you facing him and staring at him intently, tears forming in your eyes. “Felix… There are not enough words to express how much you mean to me. I literally cannot live without you. I love you so much.”

The embrace you two shared was worth a thousand words.

As you let go of each other, his eyes trailed on your collarbone, where a mark was visible above your orange t-shirt. You followed his gaze and touched your bruised skin. You locked eyes with him and smiled softly.

“These will make badass scars.”

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know and here's the masterlist<3

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winter-dayz · 3 years ago

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Be with Me

Pairing: Han Jisung x Reader Non-Idol AU; Exes-to-Lovers Genre: Angst; Fluff Words: 1539 Warnings: strong language, mentions of underage alcohol and drug usage

Five years. That’s how long she’d been away. After graduation, Y/N moved away and didn’t look back.

Okay. Well that’s a fucking lie.

She looked back all the time. She remembered her friends and their stupid shenanigans; the ones that got them kicked out of one of the diners and banned from entering the park after dark. She reminisced on the homecoming competitions and football games and after parties; the ones where she got black out drunk and tried pot for the first time. She thought back to her late night drives to nowhere; the ones where she dreamed about a future with him. Oh yeah, and him. She thought about him all the fucking time.

He was what she missed most about that town. He was the reason she was scared to be back now.

She’s at a close friend’s wedding reception. Because, while she had left without saying goodbye to him, she had mostly kept in touch with their friends from school. And Hyunjin had told her if she wasn’t there to celebrate his marriage, she would need to plan her own funeral.

So now she stands off to the side, having spotted several of her old friends dancing and joking around. But she remains in the shadows, looking over the photos that had been strung with fairy lights. Photos of Hyunjin and his friends throughout the years. She is in a lot of them. So is he.

One photo in particular catches her eye and makes her heart twinge. It was the night that they all went camping the summer before senior year. He’s looking up at her, a guitar in hand and the pick in his mouth. There’s love in his eyes and a smile on her face.

Y/N touches the polaroid gently. Tears are definitely not gathering in the corner of her eyes. Her heart is definitely not speeding up. She misses him so much. Leaving him was her biggest regret. Maybe her only one.

“Aww, he’s always been so cute!” A feminine voice sounds from Y/N’s left. She jolts in shock, retracting her hand from the photo. “Oh! Is that you with Han? Were you two close?”

Y/N turns to the other woman, she seems friendly. A bright smile on her face as she gazes at the same photo. There’s a twinkle in her eye. One Y/N recognizes. This woman has feelings for him. Y/N clears her throat, turning away to look back at the photo. “Um… Yeah, we were.”

“Hmm… Could I ask you for some advice then?” Her voice is lilted and soft; there’s no malice in it, no suspicion or jealousy or spite. “When you knew him, was he always so guarded? I just… I’ve been seeing him for a couple months, and I really like him. I think he likes me too, but every time I try to get a little closer, I feel like he shuts me out… I just don’t know what to do anymore. And, this is the first time I’ve really met any of his friends so I haven’t gotten their insight… I thought maybe, woman-to-woman, you could help me out?”

Y/N’s gaze drops to the floor with a sad chuckle and smile. “Yeah… Um, he’s like that sometimes. Sungie– Jisung, he’s soft-hearted and when he loves, he loves with his whole being, so he doesn’t like to put himself in a position where someone can hurt him… He’s not trying to hurt you or anything, but he probably doesn’t realize you’re confused. Just… be real with him. Tell him–”

“Y/N?” A whisper cuts through the air.

The two women turn, spotting the topic of conversation. While one smiles, the other’s eyes burn. “Hey Sung…”

Jisung’s eyebrows furrow. “Don’t ‘hey Sung’ me…” He grabs Y/N’s wrist, dragging her away from his date without even an acknowledgement. When they are outside the venue, the summer breeze blowing through their hair, he finally turns to face her. “What were you talking about with Emmy?”

Y/N’s eyes widen, and he catches sight of the tears there. He softens. He was always soft for her, even when he was angry. Even when he was heartbroken. Even five years later.

“Nothing, Jisung. I swear.” Y/N shakes her head. She turns her face away for a second, trying to be discreet as she wipes the gathering tears. Why did she think coming here would be a good idea? Why did she want to see him and put herself through this pain? Pain she brought on herself. On both of them. “She really likes you. But, she doesn’t feel like you reciprocate so she wanted advice.”

Jisung groans, “Why would you do that?”

“Because she has that twinkle in her eye, Sungie.” The one I used to, Y/N doesn’t say. “She cares about you, and you deserve to have someone who does.” Deserve someone who doesn’t leave you, she doesn’t add.

“So you didn’t?”

“I didn’t what?”

He scoffs, “You didn’t care about me? I guess that’s true since you left without even a goodbye.” Since you left at all, he spits in his mind.

Y/N’s eyes water again, and Jisung feels his heart clench. He doesn’t want to be cruel. He wants to hold her and tell her he still loves her and that they’ll work everything out. But he doesn’t know if he’s allowed to. She left him. She might’ve moved on. He certainly did… Or, at least he tried… Trying… Failing.

“I did care, Jisung. I do.” The second half of her confession slips without much thought. “I never stopped…” She finally whispers; the summer breeze carries it to him with warmth.

“Did you love me?”

Y/N nods.

“Was it real for you?”

She nods again.

“Why did you leave then?”

“I–” Y/N sighs; her shoulder slump with defeat. “I don’t have a good reason.”

Jisung steps closer. “Then give me a bad one. Give me anything.”

She doesn’t move away when he tentatively reaches to wipe her tears. Y/N lets out an exhale, one she’d been holding for half a decade. He steps closer, close enough that he can tell she never stopped using the perfume he told her was his favorite.

“You would’ve stopped me.”

Jisung gives a mirthless laugh, “How would I have done that? You are, and always were, the most stubborn woman in my life.”

Y/N’s lips quirk into a small smile. It’s so close to the one Jisung craves to see again. “You would’ve just asked me to stay. And I would have. Because I loved you; I wanted to be with you.”

“Past tense…” Jisung whispers. When her gaze flickers up to his, she sees his crestfallenness. There’s no anger in his eyes, just the same heartbrokenness that’s been there all this time. “You said ‘loved.’ Past tense. You don’t anymore?”

Y/N stays silent for too long, and he starts to move away. He got his answer; she had moved on. But she stops him, hooking a finger through one of his dress pants’ belt loops and pulling him in close. She buries her head in the crook of his shoulder. He feels the same: warm and safe. Like home.

“I shouldn’t have left home.” Y/N whispers; her lips brush his neck, and he shivers.

“You were going to pursue your dreams. We both know you couldn’t do that here…” He finally concedes as his arms come to wrap around her.

“I shouldn't have left you.” She admits.

Jisung nods in agreement. What else can he say? He didn’t want her to leave either, but he knew she had to. Back then and now, he knew. That doesn’t mean he liked it. Especially when she wasn’t even the one to tell him; especially when she didn’t say goodbye. “I would’ve come with you.” He finally says, face nuzzling into her hair.

“I know you would’ve, but your family–”

“You’re my family too.”

She sighs, relaxing further into his tightening hold. Jisung doesn’t want to let go. He never wants to let go again. If he does, he’s afraid she’ll run away again.

When she doesn’t respond, Jisung turns his lips to her ear and asks with a small, vulnerable whisper, “Are you going to leave?”

“E– Eventually.” She can’t lie to him. “I have to go back home. To my apartment and my job.”

“Will you say goodbye this time?”

She nods, “Yes… But I don’t want to. It’ll hurt too much.”

Jisung pulls away to look into her eyes again. The tears she’s been holding inside for five years have fallen, staining her cheeks. But that twinkle in her eyes is still there. The one they always had for each other. The one she thinks he has with Emmy. And while Emmy might, he doesn’t. He never held that twinkle for anyone but Y/N. He never would.

He rests his forehead against hers, their noses brushing and lips barely touching. “Will you take me with you this time?”

Y/N gasps, “You want to–”

“I want to be with you. I’ve always wanted to be with you.”

“Then be with me.”

#stray kids #skz #han jisung #reader #han jisung x reader #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #fluff #non-idol au #exes-to-lovers #oneshot #fluffshots

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gyuluster · 4 years ago

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the prince and the jackal | {f}

collab oneshot | fantasy! au | 11.8k words

“Because the prince of the earth can make you fall not only for nature, but the boy who rules over it.”

s u m m a r y : in the Kingdom of Terrae, you, a metalbender, believe in the deforestation to modernise the land. As a member of the Lumberjackals, you thrive on cutting down trees and stealing resources until you get caught by the Crown Prince, Choi Beomgyu, a lover and embodiment of the nature you wish to destroy. However, instead of imprisoning you for your crimes, Beomgyu decides to show you the beauty and wonders of nature, leaving you to doubt your beliefs, your identity, and your very feelings for the certain boy determined to change you for the better.

w a r n i n g s : prince! beomgyu, woodcutter! metalbender! reader, reader hates wildlife and all things nature, beomgyu is sunshine and flowers and everything good, shit ton of wildlife and fantasy stuff, bts kim line are part of the lumberjackals so are evil in this story i am so sorry y’all, beomgyu has a pet squirrel called jisung yes han jisung, kind of enemies to lovers not really but im pretending it is

p l a y l i s t : fairy of shampoo by txt | colours of the wind by judy kuhn | willow by taylor swift

a u t h o r ‘ s n o t e : yes i am back from the dead to bring this fic hello!! this is a collab with @soobmint @juunnies @bffsoobin @honeyju pls do read their parts too they’re so sexc <3 do lemme know what you all think and thank you for reading!!

back to collab masterlist

back to my masterlist

“And this prayer I make, Knowing that Nature never did betray The heart that loved her.” — William Wordsworth, Tintern Abbey, 1798.

“ONE MORE BLOODY TREE, AND I’LL SCREAM THIS FOREST DOWN!”

You ignored the complaints of your comrades, trekking deeper into the forest.

The sun was nearly drowned out by the towering shade of the surrounding trees, and there remained a constant buzz of the animals, either scurrying away or chirping in the skies. The cut up logs strapped on your back was a huge burden, and slowed your steps as you trudged onto the muddied pathways, staining your boots.

“_____, how much longer until we go to the markets?” one of the men asked, exhaustion clear in his voice.

“Just a few more logs, Tae,” one of the woodcutters, Seokjin, answered, casting a side-ways glance at you.

“But we’ve already got so many!” the former whined, pointing to the goods over their shoulders. “We can make decent money today!”

Unsheathing your sword, you cut away at the vines in your path, masking your sight ahead. It must be here somewhere, you thought, eyes darting sharply to every flower and bush. It has to be.

“Haven’t you fools understood already?” a snarl resonated from the group. Your horse trotted past you as Namjoon, sat on top, brought out his machete, brutally slicing the branches of the towering trees. “The wood we’ve got won’t last us all year!”

His eyes blazed with a certain greed as he looked over you all. “We must find the Tree of Life,” he declared, strolling past you, cutting down the path. “One strip of its bark could bring us a fortune.”

You listened to his statements with raised brows, following in his steps. In truth, none of you had ever seen the Tree of Life. No one in the kingdom had for centuries — it had become something of a myth, a legend passed down from every earthbender to child of its origins, and its significance. You didn’t know the great specifics, but the whole group knew that if they were to obtain even a twig from the great tree, it could grant them millions worth of gold.

And that was something the Lumberjackals desired more than the wellbeing of an omnipotent tree.

Soon, the search progressed, your group cutting down a few Ebonies for its useful properties, but there was no heavenly legend welcoming you in all its finery. The sun was descending on the horizon, and although Spring was present, you were situated in the part of the forest where the gusts of the Ice Kingdom blew consistently in your direction. The cold was about to descend, and you were far from your home in the Metallum villages.

Taehyung, the youngest of the Kim brothers, held onto a nearby oak, all strength leaving him. “I don’t know about you, but I am not travelling any further.” He glared daggers at Namjoon, who showed no signs of stopping. “I’m setting camp here, and you can do nothing to stop me.”

Seokjin joined his youngest sibling, collapsing on the patch of grass beside the gathering of flowers as he shrugged off his work of the logs. “I vote a little rest, even if Joon does not understand its meaning.”

The said-man let out a scoff at those words. “You both are just bloody lazy!” He turned to you, eyes pinning you where you stood. “You’ll keep searching with me, right?”

You agreed, but when you saw the fatigue in your leader’s gaze you grabbed the reins from his horse, stepping beside him. “You need sleep, Joon,” you said, concern in your eyes. “I’ll do another search. You three stay here.”

Namjoon held your stare for a moment before swiping his leg over the back of the horse, jumping off. He handed you the reins fully. “Come back after dawn. Us three will take over from you.”

You had a right mind to challenge the amount of time he was making you explore, but you kept your mouth shut, heaving onto the animal. Dumping your logs of wood upon the ground, you dipped your head in farewell to the Kim brothers. “I will see you in the morning, boys.”

Taehyung waving excitedly as he set up camp, Seokjin going straight to bed upon his blankets, and Namjoon’s stare cold yet understanding, you cracked the reins as the horse began to gallop away from the oaklands, and deeper into the forest.

The moon barely lit the way as you delved deeper into the trees, the sounds of nature turning sinister as the owls began to hauntingly hoot, and the wildcats began to purr. You kept your sword close, in your hand as the other steadied your horse.

You let out a hard sigh as you commenced your searching. Sometimes, only when you were alone, you wished that Namjoon would snap out of his delusions. There was no Tree of Life, no invaluable source of fortune which would challenge the earthbenders and start their industrialisation. In truth, you only wished for a life more than just cutting down wood, but your leader’s promises could be much too enticing.

Perhaps he was right. Maybe with the metalisation of Regna Terrae the metalbenders would be able to progress. It was not like the Kingdom cared for the likes of you, nor the nature which brought you to existence.

Stupid, damned forest. What good had it ever done you?

Suddenly, you heard the harsh snapping of the twigs which wasn’t from your horse. In an instant you halted, pulling the reins as your eyes darted to every corner of the dark forest.

Silence.

You furrowed your brows.

The forest cannot be trusted. Even its silences were sinister and misleading.

Slowly, you got off your horse, tying the reins to a nearby tree. “Keep still, Aurum,” you whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

Patting the mane, you turned and followed in the direction of where the sound was heard, every step quiet and cautious. There was little light, you having to rely on your ears alone, and the hands which touched trunk from trunk. In moments like these, you wished you possessed a more useful power than mere metal manipulation — firebending would have been nice, but you supposed that luck had never been in your favour.

Seething, you held onto your sword tighter, sending a little rush of power from your fingers as it sharpened the steel. No one tailing you would survive in your hands.

You then heard a little sigh, and whipped your head to the direction. Gritting your teeth, you rushed to the place of the origins, anger rising. Swiping away the branches in your path, your boots were the only sound among the quiet hush of the forest, along with the slicing of your weapon. Whoever was toying with you will not leave your wrath.

Swiping away the plants, you finally found an opening of grass among the trees. Squinting, your anger surged to find a distant figure standing before you, all masked in shadows from the lack of light within your surroundings. It stood statue-still, matching your deathly quietness.

But the figure did not seem like it offered death. Nor anything so dangerous as you promised.

“Come out!” you shouted, taking a step forward. “I know you were following me!”

No response.

“Scared, are you?!” Another hesitant step. “As you should be!”

Still, only silence answered, and the soft crunch of the leaves underneath your boots. You took a deep breath, shining your sword from the moonlight. A scoff emitted from you, nerves disappearing. This should be easy.

With an aggravated roar, swinging your weapon, you thundered towards the figure.

You rushed into the moonlight pooling onto the grass, eyes intent with damage as you willed iron-like power from your veins, and into your hands, swirling around the fuller of your sword until it reached its tip, ready to burst onto the figure.

It was then the shadows moved.

A flick of his hand. A soft glow within the darkness.

And all of nature followed suit.

You were taken aback as the thousands of vines circulating the surrounding trees unwrapped themselves from their trunks, and snapped towards you in thundering speed. You had no time to take in their stems swirling around your feet, cutting off your run towards this certain figure. A gasp escaping, you were pulled back by the impact, and let out a further scream as you began to fall flat on your face. Then, even more shock reverberated through you as your feet were pulled upwards, shooting your body up until you were suspended from a tree branch, your one foot wrapped tightly in the vines.

Your world all upside down, you shook your head vigorously, feeling the strain of your one leg under complete control of the tree. The thrum of powerful magic of nature resonated through your body, ceasing you from moving your free leg and kicking any potential passerbys.

Craning your head backwards, you saw with horror that your sword was clattered upon the ground, too far away to reach from the air. Straining your hand towards the grass, you willed your magnetic force, trying to lure your weapon into your hand.

The sword would have ended up in your grasp if another surge of the same natural magic did not break its path, sending it back on the earth.

Enraged, you looked out to the dark, sight distorted. “Gods, just come out already!” you screamed, swinging slightly by your sheer force. “Stop hiding in the damned shadows!”

There was a flutter of little animals coming out from the shadows. “Ha!” you spat, reaching for the dark. “Only sending a few creatures to scare me? You’re going to have to work harder than that!”

When there was another round of silence, you laughed harshly to yourself. “That’s what I thought.”

This time, however, you were not greeted by their usual, quiet answer.

More vines slithered down your frame, pushing your hands together. You gritted your teeth as the gnarly weeds tightened around your wrists, stopping yourself from using your hands.

Glaring daggers at the darkness ahead, you spat at the ground. “Show yourself!” you roared.

Your threats were answered.

Responded in an unimaginable way as the figure stepped into the moonlight.

You could not suppress your reaction.

The most enchanting boy you had ever seen revealed himself from the shadows. You could clearly see him from the light, the soft, child-like features amplified by his undoubted beauty — his mahogany locks curled around his face, cascading over his forehead. His gentle eyes promised great amusement, more so when they landed upon you, a ghost of a smile lingering on his lips. He was adorned in a fine green gown, few assortments strapped on his belt as leather boots, etched in ink, covered his feet. A crown of flowers and leaves settled in his curls, emitting its own, fantastical glow among the darkness.

The smile curved wider at your widened eyes. “Why so speechless now, my lady?”

By all the gods. Even his voice sounded like the sweetest honey in all the hives.

“I have come before you, now,” he continued, deeply amused by your bewilderment. “I have stopped hiding in those damned shadows, as you said.

“Where is your anger?”

Well, that seemed to bring your rage all back.

“It’s still here, you bastard!” you hissed, struggling in the rope-like vines as you tried to swipe your hand across his face. He merely took a step back, completely out of your range.

“Even without a weapon you are a force to be reckoned with,” the mysterious boy voiced out, raising his fingers as magic sparked from the tips. Instantly the vines encircled your arms, pinning them to your sides as the weeds wrapped around you completely. You were like a human-sized caterpillar, cocooned in vines except you would not turn into a butterfly and rush away into the forest.

This nuisance before you would make sure of that.

A satisfied hum escaped him. “There we go,” he said. “Now you won’t be of any danger.”

“Who even are you?” you demanded, glaring daggers at the sight before you. Terrible shame that the sight was something you wouldn’t mind witnessing for the rest of your life. Even if it was upside down.

A hint of surprise exposed upon his features. “Oh, this is amusing, indeed.”

He took a step towards you, you catching the faint scent of...flowers and trees and fruit and honey. You couldn’t really figure out a perfect essence — if nature had a scent, then this boy embodied it. “I am surprised you know not of me when you wish to destroy what I own.”

You raised a brow, at eye level with him, despite the loopy image.

Then, the gears in your head turned, and you were struck hard with the realisation.

When you wish to destroy what I own.

“Oh gods,” you slipped out.

The boy smiled.

No, not just the boy.

The Prince of Regna Terrae — the heir to the Earth Kingdom.

Choi Beomgyu.

Maybe this explained his otherworldly beauty. Crown princes of the earth kingdoms were known to be blessed by nature, so adorned the finest features known to man. Standing before you now, you cursed yourself for not seeing it before.

And cursed yourself again for cursing at him. Multiple times.

Beomgyu saw your eyes moving a mile a second and spluttered out a soft laugh, raising a finger so you focused on him. “I am glad you have figured out my identity. Now we both know what we are.”

His next words did not possess much hilarity. “I, a prince, and you, a Lumberjackal.”

The declaration had you gulping. There’s no escaping this.

He was not wrong in the slightest — you were a part of the Lumberjackals — a group dedicated to industrialising the Earth Kingdom, and giving it a head start from the other kingdoms who did not possess the natural resources that this land contained. You prided on deforestation, the cutting of wood and, even to a certain extent, the consumption of animals. Although you never participated in the last activity out of pure shame, you knew the Kim brothers certainly did, and enjoyed it to great extent.

“Do you deny it?”

You tried to look away, but his gaze was a little too intense. Even if it was reversed. “I do not.”

“And what do you have to say for yourself?” he got out, and you could hear the pain in his voice. Could you even blame him? You destroyed what he held so dear.

Still. You were a metalbender. The desire for modernisation is in your very blood.

“I do what I must do, your Highness,” you grit out, struggling in your weedy cocoon. “It is the only way we survive.

“And I will not stop.”

The boy’s eyes widened a fraction, in pure disbelief. He could not comprehend this — how could one be so against the idea of nature? How could anyone be so resolute in the decimation of what they survived on?

Prince Beomgyu cocked his head, pursing his lips.

How could one hate a deity he considered so beautiful?

He said so himself.

“How?”

You blinked.

The boy continued. “How can you hate nature?”

His question took you by surprise — you did not really know the answer yourself.

It was not like you despised the earth in all its natural form. Sure, it brought you the air you breathed, the food you ate, and the water you drank. But what else had nature given you?

You soured upon seeing the Prince’s face. You did not possess the powers other Terrae citizens were gifted with. Your branch of magic was hard, unforgiving. Simply a practicality, only useful for finding resources and making weapons.

Where were your subservient vines? Where was your natural greatness?

With this in mind, you mustered up the most brutal expression you could offer to the boy before you.

“Because nature was not kind to the likes of me. So I shall not be kind to it either.”

This time, the Prince’s eyes widened even further, afraid they would pop right out of their sockets.

Once again, his mind was in a twist — how had his dearest accomplice, his most cherished friend, been unforgiving to his subjects? He would never consider himself sheltered, but this was something quite unheard of in his kingdom.

“I know you do not believe me, but this is the only explanation I can offer.” You paused, accepting your fate. “Untie me already so you can send me to prison.”

You felt something swirl beneath the boy’s brown eyes, irises sparkling with wonderment. His voice was soft, if not lost within his own thoughts.

“I believe you, jackal,” he said. With a final step towards you, he left little distance between the two of you, eyes at level with yours as you hung from the tree. “But I cannot be satisfied with it.”

Another blink, taken aback by his declaration. “Well...well, what am I supposed to do about it?”

Shocking you further, he curled a little smile upon his lips. “Well,” he started, and as the smile began to widen further, he knew just what to do.

No, he was certainly not satisfied with her accepted hatred.

“We can start by changing that.”

It was your turn for your pupils to dilate. Gods above. This boy seems one chop away from a stump.

“What do you mean?” you demanded, but the boy was already turning on his heel, looking to the surroundings. He fell to his knees, feeling the ground beneath him with his hands. “Your Highness, what are you doing?!”

He did not deem to answer your question, only counter it with his own. “Do you have a horse nearby?”

You looked at him, surprised he figured it out by merely touching the grass. “Yes, but…”

It seemed that he did not need to hear any more, as he brought a hand out, fingers stretching. A tendril of green power burst from his palm, snaking through the dark air beyond your peripheral vision. The Prince was focused on his conjury, and you wondered what in Terrae he was trying to do.

Then, you heard a distant neighing, and found Aurum following the green trail of his magic, eyes glowing slightly.

You tried to escape the tight cage of the vines. “Gods, what are you doing with my horse?!” you exclaimed. “She hates strangers!”

The magic disappeared, along with the glow in her eyes. You could tell she was confused at her surroundings, about to raise her hind legs at the boy who spelled her. “She’ll kill you!” you warned, bracing yourself to witness the death of a prince.

It was then Beomgyu stepped towards the horse, gaze sparkling with kindness.

His hand touched Aurum’s face.

With no small amount of shock, you watched as the boy whispered to your horse, stroking her muzzle. You had never seen her be so friendly to any human she’s made contact with — by Terrae, she even deigned to show attitude to you, who had fed and groomed her since she was a mere pony. How was she sweetening up to someone she had just seen?

Maybe she’s still under a spell, you thought with malice, but then a more honest thought came to mind, and it only made you angrier.

Or perhaps animals can be just as enchanted with him as humans can.

“What are you talking to her for?” you interrupted them, letting out an aggravated groan as the cocoon engulfed you tighter. “You’re sharing words with her as if she’d spread them!”

Beomgyu slid his eyes upward to you. “I was just asking Aurum if she’d like to have an apple.”

“No, I’ll give her one myself—” you tried to say, but then stopped short. “Wait. How do you know her name?”

He looked at you as if you had asked the most ridiculous question. “Because she just told me.”

You stopped struggling in the cocoon. “What did you just say? Aurum told you?”

Hands never ceasing his comforting upon the horse, he raised a quizzical brow. “Pardon me, jackal, but do you mean to tell me that you...you cannot talk to animals?”

Maybe you were not wrong to think the heir of the Earth Kingdom absolutely crazy.

He gestured to the world around you both. “Can you not sense each and every creature nearby? Can you not hear their heartbeats, in sync to their purrs and murmurs?

“Can you not hear the very trees breathe around you?”

You did not know what to say. Perhaps you did not understand his words, what he really meant by a tree breathing. Was that even possible? You thought it unimaginable.

So you offered him the only thing that remained in your mind.

“I have never felt these things.”

The hand upon Aurum’s nuzzle paused, unable to accept the statement which you offered him.

His suspicions were confirmed. Your hatred of nature and all the beings which it birthed had rid you of your powers.

He had seen this before — lost souls who had done grave wrongdoings to the earth, and as a consequence, their very instincts were snatched, right down to the basics. There was no shortage of Lumberjackals in the palace dungeons, and upon closer inspection, he saw that these woodcutters felt no connection to their surroundings. It broke his heart seeing the lack of attachment, the lack of desire for exploration and yearning for their powers, but he knew it could not be helped.

Whoever crosses nature would not be forgiven.

Still, when he inspected the confused, tired gaze of yours, searching him for any suspected lunacy, he just knew that he could not toss you in another old cell. This plan he had in mind could not occur through rotting in one place for the rest of your life.

“Worry not then, jackal.” He raised his hand, magic blooming from his palm. “I am going to change that.”

Whispering to your horse, he listened for a soft neigh before heaving atop her back, hissing at the reins and other controls tying her down. You watched with slight fear. “W-wait a minute,” you started, trying to squeeze out of the vines, but with no luck. “You’re not going to just leave me here, are you?”

Patting Aurum’s mane, he voiced out calmly, “I wish with my whole heart, but then my plan will not work.”

You pursed your lips, watching his eyes sparkle with mischief. “If you were not a prince, I would have cursed you.”

With a flick of his hand, a rush of magic travelled to your cocoon; you felt yourself turning on your front, hovering you upright as the power gravitated you back on the ground, loosening the vines.

“Not like that has stopped you before,” he merely countered as he observed you shrug off weeds in slight humiliation. “Now get on. We have somewhere to be.”

He waited a moment, sighing when you would not oblige. “Is something the matter?”

You wanted to say yes — gods, you wanted to scream at him to get off Aurum, leave you alone and let you cut trees in peace, but of course, that would be an impossible route to take. You still had no inkling of why the Prince of your kingdom was having mercy on you, and you would be quite the fool to exploit it foolishly.

With gritted teeth, you kept your complaints behind your tongue as you brought your foot on the stirrup, heaving upwards as you brought your leg to the other side, settling upon the horse. “Now,” Beomgyu began, looking over his shoulder. “There is no need to be shy. You may put your hands around me as the horse goes fast—”

“I shall be completely fine, thank you,” you interrupted him, brows furrowed. What was this prince even doing? You wondered whether he was a fraud. With that power you witnessed, though, you highly doubted it.

And his features. There is no way a commoner could possess such enchanting beauty.

Flustered, you soured even further.

“Are you ready, jackal?”

You grunted out a yes, which was enough for the boy to command Aurum to start.

The horse, against your expectation, began galloping much faster, and with a yelp you were nearly sent flying out of the seat. Your hands, on instinct, wrapped around Beomgyu’s waist, and when you realised what you had done you cursed yourself for obliging him.

You could almost hear his grin. “I told you!” he exclaimed over the noise of hooves clattering against the rocky mud.

If only you could slap the heirs of kingdoms. “Just take me where you have in mind!” you barked back. “I need to be back to Metallum at dawn.”

“That will be just enough!”

The horse swept past more trees, animals scurrying from your path as the moon lit the dim forest path. You held onto the prince for dear life, refusing to acknowledge the hard surface beneath his silk, his ethereal warmth radiating onto you.

“Hey, jackal?”

A sigh. “Yes?”

“Your horse’s name.” A pause. “Aurum.”

You looked to the trees whooshing past your vision. “What of it?”

Beomgyu whispered for the animal to slow down, scanning his surroundings for his destination. “’Gold’. A very ingenious name.”

He glanced at your irritated face, and smiled. “My mare is called Argenti.”

Your mouth parted at the little revelation.

Argenti. Silver.

Before you could say more on the matter, the boy stopped the horse, cooing at her and praising her for helping him. Swinging his leg over, he jumped off the horse gracefully. He fixed his flower crown before turning to face you, falling rather awkwardly on the grass.

A small laugh escaping him, you daggered him with your gaze as you stepped beside him, a hand on Aurum. Your stare lingered as he took a circle turn of the surroundings, moon almost winking at him as it journeyed in the blanket of night. After a while, Beomgyu pointed to the tree nearby you, stepping past you to palm its trunk. “Here we go.”

Fingers stretching, magic spluttered as it swirled into the thick expanse of the leaves, nearly covering the sky with their excess. The matter squeezed through, and brought out the hidden vines, tumbling down till they reached the roots. Grabbing onto the plants, the prince turned his head towards you, an offer in his eyes.

You hated how you understood exactly what he meant. “I am not going up with you,” you retorted.

“It’s my arms or the dungeon.”

Gulping, you swallowed down your irritation for him. Taking a step towards him, you maintained a safe distance as you made sure he was aware of your distaste. “Just get us up already.” Damn the gods for making him so aggravatingly beautiful, you thought shamelessly as you looked at him. “Your Highness.”

Perhaps he knew, for the little smile was back, wrapping his arm around your waist, and pulling you close. “That’s more like it,” he murmured out before willing his magic into motion.

Your breathing hitched as you were pulled rapidly upward by the vines, breaking through the surface of the leaves. You closed your eyes, feeling the scraping of the branches against your clothes until you felt yourself still, listening only to the deep breaths of the prince beside you. His hand was still snaked at your side.

“Open your eyes, jackal.”

Somehow, on instinct, you obliged.

And widened them further.

You were in another world entirely — the branches expanded beyond your vision, intertwining with the others from different trees, so intricately interlinked beneath your feet that they created a floor. Upon this branching surface there was a little room, decorated with every unusual object that one could identify. Beside the bed, interwoven by these branches, you saw an abundance of flowers and leaves, an lamp of glowing fireflies resting in the corner, and a thousand other items which needed further explanation.

Judging by the awe on your face, the boy answered you, heading to the small cabinet where everything was placed. “A collection of gadgets,” he began, using his magic to separate every object. “That I’ve bought or been gifted since my princedom.” He took out a few unrecognisable things and strolled to the wardrobe, made from the same intertwining branches, and opened the doors, rummaging through.

“What are you even looking for?” you asked, but were dutifully ignored as he kept searching. You admired the intricate scenery, the plush excess of leaves beneath your shoes, shielding you and the prince nearby.

You heard him let out a satisfied ah! as he closed the doors shut. He walked over to you, showing you the rather odd object — it was an unusually large ice cube, miniscule snowflakes etched onto its every side as it orbited slowly in Beomgyu’s hand.

Your curious gaze upon the gadget had him into explanation. “A present from the Ice Prince,” he said, admiring the cold gift in his palms. “It provides an infinite water supply, so is incredibly useful for long journeys.”

“Taehyun, is he not called?” You shivered at the thought. “I am shocked to think he is capable of such small kindnesses.”

Beomgyu slid his eyes to yours. “Taehyun is not the man that his subjects have painted him to be.” His irises swirled in an indecipherable emotion. “Sometimes, one cannot judge the character of another simply based on rumour alone. Only with having conversation can one truly have an honest opinion.”

A small part of you wondered if he truly meant that for Taehyun, or to you, another villain in the Earth Kingdom’s millennia-old tale. Whatever it may be, you looked away, wondering when you’d be able to leave the prince’s presence.

“Right,” you heard him say, pocketing the other unknown object in his breast pocket of his gown. “Let us go on ground once more.”

The boy was about to tug on the vines again when he was interrupted by a most unusual sound.

Well, not unusual, considering you were situated in a tree house, but the noise was so shrill you instantly looked down to its origin.

Before you was a little squirrel, cheeks puffed as its little hands perched on its sides. Its soft tail moved rapidly behind its body, indicating irritation.

Its small, black eyes were fixated upon the boy beside you. Letting out yet another squeak, you saw Beomgyu sigh out in exasperation, as if he had just remembered an important matter.

“Oh gods, I do apologise!” He exclaimed, falling to his knees as he held his free hand out, the other holding the hovering ice cube still. “I’m afraid I cannot feed you now, but would you be able to wait?”

The squirrel let out another squeak, and this time the prince flinched. You gawked at the scene — so not only can he command the trees, but he could talk to animals?

What can this boy not do?

“Ji, I am sorry!” Fishing out an acorn from his breast pocket, he offered it before him. “I have one, if it helps! I promise to feed you properly after I am done with a certain task.”

Even so, the animal seemed much unimpressed. It then turned its little head to you, and you could have sworn that its eyes judged your very soul.

It squeaked some more, and this time Beomgyu widened his eyes, cheeks flushing. “By Mother Nature, no!” He bellowed out, panicked eyes fleeting towards you. “No, I just met her today.”

“Are you talking about me?” You asked, raising a brow. The squirrel then made another sound, one you could not decipher but, judging from the boy’s reaction, could definitely take a wild guess. “By gods, is this creature mocking me?”

You were rewarded with further squeaking, but was instantly silenced by Beomgyu. “Ji, no! I cannot have you being sarcastic tonight. Save your grievances for tomorrow morning!”

And as the prince scooped the squirrel in his hand, he walked over to the bed, settling it on the sheets. “Stay here. I will be back.”

There was sure to be complaints, but the boy kept sending looks of apology as he stepped back to the edge of the exit, tugging on the vines. “Deeply sorry for Jisung’s behaviour,” he said, swirling the cube slowly. “He is grumpier tonight as I have not fed him this evening.”

“A pet squirrel, huh?” You interrogated, looking down to the grass below. “And one you can talk to? Is that how you could communicate with Aurum?”

Nodding, the prince held his arm out. “Are we ready?”

You hurrying my shook your head. “Not again!” You crossed your arms. “I’ll slide down myself. Without your help.”

Shrugging, the boy held on tighter to the vine. “Your wish, jackal,” he said, and jumped down. Perking up, you squatted down to see him descend smoothly down the tree, landing perfectly on the grass.

Grabbing onto the plant, you looked back to the grumpy pet, stuffing the acorn in his mouth.

He then stuck his tongue out, and you gasped at the audacity. “Rude!” You shouted, but we’re only answered with shrill squeaking. Ignoring the creature, you took the vine by both hands, and followed suit.

Your descent was much less graceful, landing instead on your backside. You were met with the huffed laughter of the prince, and you forced down the urge to beat him with his stupid flower crown. Or perhaps tie these vines around his neck and strangle him.

No, that would only result in him using his silly magic. Awful, attractive bastard.

“What are we doing now, Highness?” You wondered out loud, rubbing your sore backside. “Do tell me there is some use of your rather odd ice cube.”

Beomgyu, after strolling further into the woods, slowed himself for you to catch up. “There is some use, unfortunately for you.” He waved you over, stepping past the wild bushes in his path. “Follow me, jackal!” he called out to you.

Grudgingly, you did as he asked, hugging yourself from the cold breeze of the midnight, wondering where in Terrae he was trying to take you. The trees towered over you like intimidating strangers — if the prince spoke true, then you wouldtuly be unwelcome.

You were surrounded by this coercion until the forest opened up to an open grassland, encircled by the nature which looked down at you. Beomgyu turned to you, bringing out a few seeds from his trouser pockets and standing right in the middle of the circle.

“There you are,” he said as you stepped beside him. He glanced at the moon, measuring the amount of time he had left.

“What are you going to do?” you asked him, still clueless regarding the whole situation. Why has he not sent you to the dungeons already?

His eyes travelled to your face. With a half-soft scoff, he held out his hand, the seeds now in perfect view. “It is not what I’m going to do,” he began. “It is what you are going to do.”

The confusion grew within you. “What do you mean?” you tried to clarify. “What am I to do with these seeds?”

Beomgyu’s eyes promised answers. “Bring out your hand, jackal.”

You did as you were told, holding out your hand as he put the seeds in your palm, fingers barely brushing against your skin. He then descended, knees upon the grass as he patted to the space beside you. “Come, sit.”

Pursing your lips in thought, you knelt before the grass, seeds in your enclosed fist as your gaze never strayed from the boy. “Your Highness—”

Magic oozing from his fingers interrupted your demand, slipping into the earth. Slowly, but surely, a small hole was separated by the green matter, dirt being shovelled to create a dip in the grassland.

Once he ceased his conjuring, he jerked his head towards the new opening. “Place the seeds in the hole,” he instructed. “Gently now! Treat them with the utmost care.”

Grumbling in response, you leaned forward as you gingerly put each seed at the corners of the muddy dip, noticing a small spark with each placement of the grain. It was a bizarre feeling, but assumed it normal in the ways of gardening as you inserted the dirt over them, covering them fully.

You peered at the prince then, who brought out the large ice cube. Turning it rapidly, treacle of water dripped down to the ground, moistening the earth and feeding the seeds of its necessities. Putting the gadget back in his storage belt, he then returned his hand upon the damp mound, closing his eyes in a fixated peace. More magic swirled from his hands, but this time it encircled not only the place where you had placed the seeds, but you, all of you, engulfing you in its otherworldly warmth.

“Your Highness?” You whispered out, but he was murmuring, murmuring words you could not comprehend, words which felt like you were not meant to hear. His curls were being lifted slightly with the tendrils of his power, but he stayed rooted to his spot, carrying on with what you feared was a grotesque ritual.

You, too, became still when you felt fingers curl around your hand.

On instinct you looked at him, eyes widening — you should have expected his hand to radiate some form of heat, considering this boy had such an unusual glow about him, but this…

Despite the soft chaos around the two of you, the touch was oddly comforting.

His hand, dragging you out of your thoughts, led yours to the place you sowed the little grains of life, and spread apart your fingers till they covered nearly the entire, dug up earth. More matter escaped from his fingers, shooting further warmth upon the back of your hand, and travelling up to your heart.

“Close your eyes, jackal,” you heard him chant from his cocoon of magic. “I need you to see from within.”

“See what?!” You beseeched, but his fingers held onto you a little tighter, and, as if he commanded your very body, had your eyelids descend shut, cornering you into the chambers of your mind.

See from within.

What could you see?

Darkness. Eternal darkness, and rusted iron, spilled mercury, and all the grim faces of the people who wanted to decimate the very place you knelt in.

I cannot see! You screamed in your mind, because in the whirlwind of his power you felt alone, trapped in your own mind, trying to join in on a ritual which would cursed the likes of you.

But in reality, you were not alone.

No, not when you felt something foreign in your body.

You swore you stopped breathing.

Your fingers felt squeezed by another, but was ignored because you could see a whole other heartbeat which was not your own.

A familiar voice entered your mind.

“Do you see it?”

The prince’s voice; the soft, almost desperate inquiry, which you could not help but answer.

“Yes...yes, by Terrae, I do see it.”

And perhaps he said some more, but you were not listening to his words. His speech seemed a little insignificant to the little heartbeat — it was as faint as the scent of departure, delicate as a snowflake, and as real as yourself, the prince, and the neverending forest.

When you tried to lift your hand, Beomgyu’s fingers halted you still. You could not believe that you did not mind it. “Whose...whose is it, your Highness?”

You were positive that he did not hear you with the lack of volume you let slide from your tongue. However, he answered your question, almost feeling the joy radiating from his response.

“The seeds.”

Shocked, you opened your eyes, and found the Prince of Earth staring at you with an elevated joy. He gestured to observe your creation, and when your eyes fell upon the sliver of a stem which broke through the earth, between the spaces of your fingers, you wondered whether this was all a dream.

You could not help the curse which escaped you. The boy beside you spluttered into laughter, and you turned to see his face radiating with elation. The heartbeat, the one which you thought was under your control, proved you wrong as it skipped its beat along to his laughs.

“Wh-what are you laughing at?” You demanded, but you were unable to execute it with the anger you wish you held for him. He offered you a honeypot of smiles.

“You’ve brought life to the forest, sweet jackal.”

The little plant shivered in response, along with your own hairs at the back of your neck, which stood at his announcement. Its faint heartbeat grew louder, as well as your own in your ears.

“Do you feel it now?” he whispered, leaning ever so close as he looked to the forest around you. “Do you feel the trees breathing in your presence?”

Unfortunately, although you could sense your plant’s essence, the heartbeats of every tree in the forest were still unheard. You shook your head no, but that did not wipe the grin off his face.

“We have time,” he reassured you. “Just know that Mother Nature has hope for you still.”

He took your hand, putting another upon the back as he brought you a different kind of warmth. “I have hope for you.”

You parted your mouth, unaccustomed to the contact, the kindness...to all that he represented.

His eyes locked with yours, and although he had spared you the wrath of his palace dungeons, you feared whether you could escape the imprisonment of his gaze.

There was no doubt in your mind as you let yourself be arrested into his stare — the Prince of the Earth was not going to haunt just a single night.

FRATERNISING WITH THE HEIR OF REGNA TERRAE WOULD BE THE DEATH OF YOU.

Of course, that was not the last time you saw him — you had become something of a personal project to him, a sin which must be reversed. Almost every night after the fateful encounter, you snuck out from the fences of the Metallum villages, barely evading the suspicious eyes of the Kim brothers, and met with him under his treehouse.

You did not know why you endeavoured so ardently in seeing him. It was not like he had become any less irritable with his amused grins and unmatched power, but there was something about him which you could not fend off.

In a way, he made you believe you were worth more than simple woodcutting, selling oaks in the market, the empty promises of revenge against the Natural Kingdom.

Somehow, he made you realise that, maybe, you truly were deserving of a more memorable path.

These very thoughts accompanied you as the sun began to set, pulling your hood over your head as you swept past the familiar trees, reining in the urge to greet every woodland creature which scurried past you. The past few weeks, after many misunderstood arguments with the Prince’s pet squirrel, you learned the slight quirks which the animal possessed, his every movement and what it would signify. You had Beomgyu to thank once again, but each time you wished to do so, he would say the same, hair-rising reassurance.

“Fret not, sweet jackal. It is a pleasure to show you the wonders of nature.”

Sweet jackal. The endearment made you so flustered, and that aggravated you to the greatest extent. You had already shared your name with the boy, but he insisted on calling you this name, as if the two of you had already established an intimacy from decades before.

The very thought had your actual heartbeat racing.

You made sure to completely dismiss this foolery as you found the special opening of the grassland in sight, the glowing figure waving you over. A small smile involuntarily curled at your lips, hurrying closer till you fully saw Prince Beomgyu’s face clearly in the setting sun.

“You have arrived much earlier this evening,” he said in a way of greeting, fixing his flower crown as his squirrel played with the petals. “I would not say I’m displeased.”

On your part, you certainly were not either — he bore more finery than usual, his normal green gown threaded with gold swirls at the hems, small vines tied around his ears as natural jewellery. His hair was sprinkled with petals, a trait Jisung adored as he settled in the nest of his locks. His hands, too, were intertwined with dark vines, swirls wrapped around his fingers like extended rings.

By the gods, he truly was an exquisite being.

He noticed your silence, raising a groomed brow. “Is something the matter?” he asked, but when he saw your eyes dart to anywhere but his own, he immediately understood. You just managed to catch a satisfied quirk of his lips before he turned his attention to your plant.

Following his trail, you brightened up to see your creation in full bloom — bright red poppies, stark against the pool of grass, stood as they swayed to the evening breeze. You knelt down to observe them closer, and felt a peculiar sense of pride at sensing their clear heartbeat harmonising with yours.

“They’re my favourite flower,” the boy said behind you. “I have always adored how they stand out amongst all the others.”

Watching the poppies almost dance in the cool air, you stood upwards once again. “Then why do you not wear them?” you asked out of curiosity.

“Because my parents do not like me wearing them.” He gestured to the flower crown, at risk of being torn up by Jisung. “They say the colour is too harsh.”

He clicked his tongue in irritation. “At least they could have spared me on my birthday.”

You were about to comment on his parents when those words escaped his mouth. Your own mouth parted in surprise. “Your birthday is today?”

The prince mocked being stabbed in the chest, nearly sending the squirrel to the trees. Taking Jisung from his hair, he propped him on his shoulder. “You have truly wounded me, ____!” he whined. “All this time together, and you had no inkling?”

Although he was only jesting, it only embarrassed you further. “I truly am sorry, your Highness!” you apologised, clasping your hands together. “If I had known, I would have made you a present.”

“Oh?” He took a step towards you. His eyes danced in mirth. “And what would you have made me?”

That seemed to rob you of your speech. “Well, um…” you trailed off, searching your now useless mind of any decent idea for a gift, but he waved off your fluster, chuckling.

“It is no problem, dear jackal,” he said, looking at the red flowers once more. “Seeing your poppies in full growth is a gift to me anyway.”

You wished he had not said that; glancing at them now, you could only hear his fascination within the petals.

There he was again — staining your every entity of his remnants. How much more till he stains your very soul?

Jisung’s irritated squeak brought you back to the forest. You tried not to murder the damned creature as you muttered out, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Beomgyu groaned out. “I shan’t have you calling me that hideous title all the time.” He put a hand to his chest. “Have we not reached first name basis?”

Despite your surprise, you offered him a scoff. “Jackal is not my first name,” you jeered. “And please. You’re the prince of our land. Anyone who catches me being informal with you will surely have my head.”

“I would never let them,” he merely said. “Not before I show you one last part of the forest.”

You quirked a quizzical brow. “I think you’ve shown me half your kingdom by now.”

“But this is...quite different.”

The boy stepped closer to you, reaching out his hand. You found yourself warming up as he enveloped it with yours, a gesture so small yet so triggering to your nerves.

“Follow me, ____.”

With the tug of his fingers, you were led out of the grasslands and back into the jungles of Regna Terrae, catching familiar sights of ancient mahoganies and birches, different variations of trees all grouped together.

As the moon began to ascend, your anxiety increased. His hand worked wonders for your skin, but at the back of your mind, you could not shake off the image of the Kim brothers wondering where you had gone so long.

Especially Namjoon. Seokjin and Taehyung may have been much simpler in the brain, but the leader of the trio bore his suspicions of your whereabouts. He always knew you were never enthusiastic of your occupation as a Lumberjackal, so your sudden interest to roam the woodlands for hours into the night certainly had his ears perking. Of course, you always made sure to know that you were going without being followed, but in the end, the three brothers were quite unpredictable.

You just hoped that whatever the prince had to show you, it would be seen quick enough to leave.

The density of the forest began to increase, and you soon began to doubt whether you had been to this part of the Kingdom before. It was then Beomgyu’s hands flowed with magic, and completely changed the scenery. The ancient trees, trunks as wide and thick as horses began to move apart to make way for him and you, the squirrel holding onto his shoulder tightly as it too squeaked in surprise. Your own eyes widened as each element of nature bent to his will, creating an easier path for his boots to step onto.

It was clearly a sight for admiration. These few weeks you had begun to realise the power of the earth, and how rich and true its roots lay. You felt the faint hum of their essences as you rushed past them, hand still clasped with his, and you dipped your head in thanks to the trees, hoping that one day you would hear them sing welcomes to you.

Slowing down, the group was barred by the curtain of thick vines, hiding you from the world behind. “I have never seen this before,” you wondered out loud, but when Beomgyu let go of your hand, and stepped forward, hands stretched out, your curiosity reigned further.

Jisung quickly scurried from his shoulder, ending up on the muddied path as he watched with black eyes of the phenomenon about to occur. You made to make fun of the squirrel when the prince let out an aggravated moan, hurling your head to his direction.

His heavenly voice chanted in a millennia old language, huge power emitting from his finger tips and swirling to the tumbling vines of the entrance. You could see the sweat beading down his forehead at the sheer effort it took, but he stayed rooted, sending surges of green matter to the cold nature.

Slowly, the curtain began to withdraw. Blinding light cut through, and when the boy let out a roar, pushing the whole family of vines apart you hid your head from the white bursting through.

There was a deathly silence for a singular moment.

You heard his ragged breathing, lasting for ten seconds before it turned into relieved, panted chuckling.

Bringing your hand away from your face, you looked to see beyond the curtain.

Your very breath was snatched from your lungs.

Before you was the most enchanting deity of nature you had ever seen in your existence — it was a glowing white tree, trunk as wide as the two of you twice over, etched with milky-coloured wrinkles that contained sparkles of ancient magic. The leaves, much like finely cut diamonds, protruded from every branch which stretched towards every corner the eye could see. The diamonds were infinite, shining from the gentle light of the moon.

Even though you had never seen it before, you knew exactly what it was.

“The Tree of Life.”

Your gaze dared to break away to see the prince for a second, whose own breathing seemed to have halted. Sensing your stare, he looked back at you, his face half glowing from the deity’s light.

“I...I thought it did not—” you tried to say, but of course you could not when it was right there before you, as if it had been waiting to be found all its life.

“Exist?” He took a step forward. “Every myth is borne from truth after all.”

Indeed it was — you had learned of the Tree of Life when you were a mere girl, listening to fairy tales before being told to sleep. This Tree could not be seen by the common man, and legend foretold that there lived an otherworldly creature inside its trunk. Evidently, no one could prove this theory, but its mystery had what inspired so many people, metal and earthbenders alike, to find it, for opposing reasons.

You knew why Namjoon wanted to find it — for the amount of gold a singular leaf could bring him. Now, having accused him of believing in fantasies, you almost felt ashamed for having ridiculed his searches.

“Come.”

You perked up at the Prince’s voice.

“You must get a closer look.”

Picking up the pace of your feet, you fell into step beside him as the two of you started towards the legend come to life. The closer you approached the more enchanting it looked — the leaves glistened further, as if greeting you with their shine.

Jisung scurried between you both, his little head never straying from the Tree. It let out an awed squeak, and Beomgyu hummed in agreement.

“Have you ever seen anything like it?”

You shook your head, transfixed. “Never,” you responded, feeling the very earth shift beneath your feet.

If nothing else convinced you of the power of nature, then the existence of this deity certainly did.

You stepped past the boy, the grass hushed beneath your feet as you stretched out your hand. When your fingers touched the milky bark your breath shuddered out of you. It was simply unreal. The touch was surprisingly soft, so unlike the normal trees, and with each crack of the bark there was ancient writing inscripted within. With further shock you felt a very distant heartbeat as the fingers ran along the words, faint yet powerful.

By the gods.

“Where have you been hiding all this time?” you whispered to the Tree, tracing the aged trunk. “Your Highness, is everything about the legend true?”

There was no response — you figured he was still star-struck, and you continued to admire the most beautiful force you had ever seen.

It was not until you heard Jisung’s shrill squeak that you turned around.

You felt your soul leave your body.

Because there he was, the one man you dreaded to see. The one man who held Beomgyu’s unconscious body in his hands as he dropped him upon the grass. You noticed the little dart on the side of his neck, and all the blood in your body was drained.

Kim Namjoon.

His answering smirk was more a flash of teeth. “Do you believe me now, ____?”

You backed up against the Tree, eyes darting to the prince. “What did you do to him?” you asked instead, voice void of any emotion.

“That does not matter,” he dismissed. “But of course, it would matter to you now that you’ve attached yourself to him.”

He took a step forward, his ebony machete glinting in the light of the phenomenon behind you. “Stand aside, girl. It is time to make our fortunes.”

On instinct, you stretched a hand out. “I cannot.”

The man was taken aback by your hesitance. “Whatever the gods do you mean?”

Gulping, you tried to steel your will, inhaling slowly. “I cannot let you do it, Namjoon.” Your eyes glanced at the still prince before glaring at the perpetrator. “You won’t get a single branch of the Tree.”

A harsh laugh escaped him, taking a step forward. “Oh, and you’re going to stop me?”

You brought out your own sword — the one which you promised to use on Beomgyu — and raised it toward him. “Do not come any further,” you warned.

It seemed the man was not not going to compromise.

Not when he swung his machete, well on his way to hack you to pieces.

You quickly brought your weapon upon you to deflect his aim, sending him forward, and away from the Tree.

He can try and hurt the Tree of Life.

Easily gaining step, Namjoon mustered his power, ebony sharpening from his fingers as he clashed against you, lightening-fast strikes of his machete having you strained. You never doubted the bastard’s swordsmanship — he was skilled enough to be a general in the King’s royal army.

A shame he chose his fighting for a darker purpose.

You tried to slice the free space of his abdomen, but the man was sharp, quickly dodging as he swerved to the side, another clash of weapons ringing around the forest.

“You cannot beat me, ____!” He roared, one hit after the other, sending you further back.

Taking every hit, you stumbled, gaining your step yet staggering once again with his sword. After all, you could not outsmart the master; he was the man who taught you to fight.

Even so, you refused to give up. “I can die trying!” You seethed as he brought his strength down. His weapon, screeching against your own, slowly descended, closer and closer to your neck.

A harsh groan escaping, you mustered all your strength into sending his machete aside, barely a spare second in your name before you whirled to your left, missing the power blow.

“All this for a bloody tree!” He screeched, thundering towards you. “We would have been rich, you fool!”

Another mighty hit, and you were sent back, averting his strikes with your sword. Because you were so exhausted, your magic would not burst from your hands, adding more power to your weapon. It was your melee strength, nearly all gone, and your nimble feet.

“What is all this for?!” He demanded, slicing at your cloak, cutting through the fabric of your trousers. The clash of weapons continued, faster and faster. “What is worth more than all the riches of the Kingdom?!”

Amidst the brawl, your eyes slipped to the figure before you. Distant, yet instantly recognisable with his eyes closed, and mouth parted, flower crown scattered around his head. Jisung, too, laid injured beside him, watching your fight with fear in his little eyes.

What is all this for?

You only had one person in mind.

But that was not enough.

No, not when that sliver of a second gave Namjoon enough time to strike you, sending his machete straight into your stomach.

A shuddered gasp escaped you as the machete entered through — a burst of pain shot through your entire body, echoing the fatality of your situation. Tears stung your eyes as you dropped your sword, looking at your opponent in the eyes.

The Leader of the Lumberjackals showed no mercy as he yanked out his weapon.

A moan rushed past your lips as you fell to your knees, gripping your blood-gushing stomach. Namjoon gazed down at you with no remorse at all. “Perhaps he was not enough,” he said, cold as metal.

He stepped past you, focusing on the glistening Tree of Life, its white treasures still exalted in the moonlight. Your body, completely spent, could not hold you upright, falling straight into the grass. Straining, you cried out as you stretched your hand out in vain efforts to stop him, but it was simply no use.

You had been defeated.

And now, after witnessing the most perfect element of nature you had ever seen, you were to watch it be decimated.

This is how it ended. You, fumbling for your last breath, your prince nearby and probably dead.

Namjoon raked his eyes over the Tree, grinning wildly. “Oh, you are going to make me the richest man in the Kingdom,” he declared, raising his machete till it hovered just before the bottom of the trunk.

He elevated his voice so you could hear. “Enjoy watching me destroy what you sacrificed yourself for!”

Closing your eyes, you were about to let oblivion take over.

You awaited the sound of his weapon against the bark.

What you heard was something completely different.

An explosion filled your ears as white light, even more blinding than the one before, had you squeezing your eyes further shut. You made out the screams of your once leader as it was drowned out by the eruption, and you tried to see what had so suddenly occurred, only to be greeted with more brazen lights.

What...what was going on?

When the deafening noise quietened, you picked up on the soft crunch of grass, edging closer and closer to you. A compelling force was felt against your dying soul, and you wondered if the Reaper had finally come to take you.

When you felt air-light hands on your abdomen, you did not expect death to be so warm.

Slowly, dragging open your eyes, you prepared yourself to be taken to the afterlife.

What you saw instead was something else entirely.

Something which made even the Tree of Life as a mediocre enchantment.

Looking over you was not human — not with the glowing, shimmering skin, sparkles and shine radiating off its golden, liquid body. Her eyes were white with the same light you had seen twice this evening, fluid locks of hair flowing all around her. Her lips offered a radiant smile, already bringing some life back into you, and her whole body, although similar to yours, was free of attire, exuding the light of a star.

Perhaps you truly were dead.

The being, however, proved you wrong with her words.

“Brave human,” she began, and her velvet voice had you clutching your stomach. “I saw what you did to defend me.”

You tried to open your mouth to tell her that you defended the Tree, but then your eyes dilated at the revelation.

The legend foretold that there lived an otherworldly creature inside its trunk.

But this...this god-like creature was not just a mere girl.

“You sacrificed yourself for my Tree,” she stated, voice echoing across the woodlands. “For my forest, my every creation, despite being an enemy of mine in the past.

“You deserve a token of my gratitude.”

Her voice nearly put you to sleep with the way it lulled in the midnight air. You wondered in your tired mind what she could offer you now that you were breathing your last breath.

Then, you felt her hands upon your stomach.

A loud groan escaped your lips as the torn flesh began to stitch on its own accord, courtesy of the magic which poured from the sublime being. Your whole body worked to heal you, reversing the damage done by your once leader, whose whereabouts you had no inkling of.

The pain, which once tore at every nerve within you, began to fade away, and you opened your eyes further after gaining the strength, fully taking in the earthly spirit which had restored you.

You parted your mouth, voice parched as you rasped out, “I...Beomgyu…”

A heavenly smile curled at her lips. “The prince is fine, soldier. It would take more than a dart to eliminate the heir of the Earth.”

A relieved breath left your lips. You then looked to the being, putting your hands above hers. “I am not who I was,” you whispered.

Mother Nature smiled down at you, and you knew then and there that perhaps the world is not so cruel after all.

“I know, brave human.”

The luminous creature ascended to her feet, letting go of your hands. She dipped her head in acknowledgment, and turned on her heel. Struggling to your side, you watched as the otherworldly figure stepped up to the Tree of Life, looking at you one last time.

Raising a hand to her chin, she blew some magic towards your way, bathing you in sparkles. With a final beam, she slipped into the tree, enlivening the whole structure till it stood straight once again.

You truly could not believe what you saw.

Feeling the glimmer dancing on your skin, however, you knew this was not a figment of your imagination.

Mother Nature saved you from death.

Truly, utterly, ethereal.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard soft coughing nearby, and you heaved upward at the sound, your strength all present.

Beomgyu.

Upon your feet, you rushed to where he lay, stumbling from the hurrying as you fell to your knees, hands clinging onto his face. Jisung, his injuries healed from the celestial visit, scurried upon his owner’s chest, waiting for him to awaken.

“Beomgyu?” You murmured out, fingers stroking the soft planes of his cheeks. “Beomgyu, damn you, open your eyes!”

Tilting his face till it faced you, you watched as the prince’s eyes fluttered open, tired and wide and absolutely beautiful.

A trembling breath gasped out of you. “What…” he grated out, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. “What just...happened?”

You willed the tears in as you caressed his face. “The legend was true.”

His confused gaze had you continuing. “Beomgyu, I saw the celestial creature when I was dying, and she saved me. It was true, Beomgyu, she healed me with her hands and—”

Your rambling ceased when the boy brought his fingers to your face. Warmth flooded your cheeks, and not because of how hot his hands were.

His smile could have easily beaten Mother Nature’s.

“You called me Beomgyu.”

He did not let you respond as he brought your face down to his, tilting it slightly as he pressed his lips against yours, enveloping you in a sweet kiss.

His mouth was warm, just like him, soft and plush, rendering you helpless over him. Your shock was quite prevalent, but you let the affection take over as you kissed him back, hands carding in his curls. He moved against your lips as his fingers stroked down to your jaw, savouring every feathered touch.

When he broke away, his breathing was ragged, cheeks flushed. He saw your own dishevelled gaze and chuckled to himself.

“I think this might be the best birthday present I have ever received.”

The Prince of Regna Terrae laughed some more when you refused to meet his eyes.

You were about to counter him when you heard another, completely new voice.

“You both could have done that without me being here.”

Your stare dove to his chest, to the direction of the sound.

Jisung the squirrel glared at you with the entire irritation of the Kingdom. “Oh what? So now you can hear me?!”

A yelp resounded from you. “How are you talking?!” You screeched. “You’re a bloody animal!”

“Oh, thank you so very much for stating the blatantly obvious!” He drawled, and you could not comprehend the sarcasm that just came from a bloody woodland creature.

You peered at Beomgyu, who was just as surprised as you were, despite his entertained features. “____,” he started, sitting up straighter. “Does this mean—”

Getting to your feet, you looked around the forest, the Tree of Life standing proudly.

It was then you sensed the heartbeat.

Not just your own, or the poppies — but of the entirety of the Kingdom.

Faraway, yet still present, it thumped against your chest like an echo of your own heart, a harmonisation of all the trees, bushes, flowers and animals. It was almost enchanting how it slowly thudded within you, and with such welcome.

Like greeting a friend you had not seen for a long time.

When you caught the Prince’s gaze, his entire face lit up.

Before you could say anymore, you were swept into the boy’s arms, engulfing you with a hug of eternal warmth. His voice rang along your soul as he declared to the whole word.

“Nature has accepted you, ____!”

You heard the clicked tongue of Jisung beneath you, and Beomgyu brought you at arm’s length before sticking out his tongue at his pet.

He looked to you once more, and saw the very emotions you dared not let yourself believe in.

“I knew you were capable of change, sweet jackal.”

The tears, this time, refused to be held back any longer.

The boy melted as he swept away each tumbling drop with his fingers, clutching your face.

As you leaned in this time, kissing him breathlessly, you tasted the smile which flourished upon his lips, drinking in your every essence.

You wondered, thinking away as your heart beat faster, whether this was still a dream, a vision which would end the moment you woke up, back in the cold village you once called your home.

When you felt the presence of the celestial being again, looking down from the branches of the Tree of Life, you knew that this was no delusion.

Pulling away, you turned Beomgyu to the glistening, living structure, both of you catching sight of her.

Mother Nature smiled at her heirs.

The both of you knew it in your hearts, simultaneously beating.

The heirs of Regna Terrae would not let her down.

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