#hongbin mythology au

[cherryeol04]

Looking for RP Partner

💖Intro💖

 Hello wonderful people! 👋

I'm looking for some roleplay partners. I don't really have a limit on how many I want to take in or anything, so if you're interested, then let me know in the dms! But before you message me, please kindly read the following notes about me and what I'm looking for. Even if you don't meet all the criteria, I'm more than willing to give you a chance! Though age is a hard requirement that has to be met! Anything with a * next to it is a requirement I’m looking for in a partner.

Most, if not all roleplays will be NSFW

Yes, it'll have some spicy times in it, but it's mostly deemed NSFW because of the themes I like to write.

Dark themes, triggering situations, adult content - everything, of course, will be preplanned with long discussions of triggering topics, hard limits and such.

🔞 Partners must be at least 19+!🔞*

My style is 3rd pov, past tense.

I’m looking for someone who also does 3rd pov, past tense, but I will also accept present tense as well!

Semi to Literate*

I love long replies and I do enjoy giving them as well. However, I understand that sometimes you can't always give long responses, and that's okay too. I just ask no one-liners

Currently looking for MxM pairings and plots!*

I do not stick to one plot!

This just means I'm open to having more than one plot going with many different face claims. So if you would like to plot a pirate au with Hongjoong from Ateez and a wolf au with Chanyeol from EXO, I'm the person for you!

Currently there is no limit for the amount of plots I will do with one person.

I control more than one character

This is different from god-modding

This just means that in our plot, I can (and prefer) to control more than one character. So while my main face claim may be Chan from Stray Kids, I may also play Felix and Seungmin to add a little more substance and character development to the plot. 

While I would like for you to also have more than one character, I don’t expect it of you if you’re not comfortable with it. 

With regards to NPCs (the barista working at the café they visit, or the random people they meet along the way), either one of us can control them at any time as long as it’s to move the plot along.

Preferred platforms:

Line

Discord

As of right now, I think that's everything. Again, if you're interested, pm me! If you have any questions, also pm me!!

⚜ OC Information ⚜

Age: 25+

Time zone: -5 EST

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 8-5

Replies may be sporadic throughout the week, with the majority of replies coming in the evening time.

Weekends will bring more replies, unless I have plans with friends/family or I’m on call for work

My face claims are never set. So if you're looking for a specific person, please review the list of face claims I rp and let me know. Otherwise I'll base my face claims on what the plot is.

❣ Preferred Plots, Themes & Genres ❣

Fantasy Au

Omegaverse AU / Wolf Au / ABO Au

Fluff, Romance, Humor

Horror

Dystopian AU

Post-Apocalyptic AU

Academy Au

Boss/Employee AU

College/University AU

Disney Movie AU

Mafia/Gang Au

Magic AU

Pirates AU

Royalty AU

Soulmate AU

Mythology

Tropes:

Arranged Marriage

Class Difference

Exes to Lovers

Fake/Pretend Relationships

First’s (date, kiss, ect.)

Forbidden Love

Male Pregnancy

Polyamory

String of Fate

💫 Face Claims 💫

*There is no specific faceclaim I want at the moment. Most of my face claims will be male. Looking for more Stray Kids plots!!!*** The 🌸 next to the name indicates my preferred face claim from that group.**

EXO

Chanyeol

Baekhyun🌸

Cen

Suho

Sehun

GOT7

Mark🌸

Yugyeom

Nu’est

Minhyun

Ren🌸

Stray Kids

Chan

Hyunjin

Jisung🌸

Seungmin

Minho

Vixx

N🌸

Hongbin

Hyuk

🖋 Writing Samples 🖋

OC Character - Kayden Park

Kayden was overjoyed. He hadn’t thought tulips would grow at this time of the year, but entering the garden he found a wide variety of them, pristine and in full bloom. They were the one flower that Kayden had really hoped would grow because after he read what their meanings were, he knew almost instantly who he wanted to give them to.

Specifically the red tulips.

Some might say he falls too easily and others might say he loves too hard. But in reality, Kayden couldn’t control who he was or how he felt about people. When he found someone he liked, he became attached to them, trying to be as close as possible while nurturing their growing relationship - whatever it might be. Even if that person got on his nerves all the time, or they ended up doing things that very honestly scared him, ending a relationship just wasn’t in Kayden’s vocabulary.

Red tulips symbolize true love, or a soulmate. Kayden had a specific person in mind and while he wouldn’t say it was true love - hell Atreyu could barely stand him in a good - he did think the other was his soulmate. Despite their ups and downs and the multitude of times he was locked out of the dorm and left to fend for himself for the night, Kayden knew that what he had with Atreyu was special - indescribable even.

And while he couldn’t find the words, he knew the flowers would do the best job. So after carefully plucking five of the tulips, he handed back inside and to his room where he had left his roommate. Atreyu had been in one of his moods again, refusing to speak to Kayden, so hopefully the flowers would double as something to cheer him up.

“Atreyu~!” he sang happily as he opened the door, hoping he hadn’t disturbed the other but knowing he probably did. He braced himself to be hit with a pillow or something, even a “go away” in his harsh and icy tone. But when he got no greeting in return, Kayden took a moment to actually look around the room.

It was empty.

And not just in a way that said Atreyu left to go mope somewhere. It was truly empty. The smile on his face slowly fell as he stepped into the room. His bed was made, but it lacked a lived-in feel - as if a maid had come in and just fixed the bed to make it look presentable. The nightstand next to the bed was barren, everything Atreyu had kept there gone.

Kayden didn’t want to jump to conclusions but his mind was already racing. He crossed the space quickly and yanked open the drawers. Barren. Turning, he moved to the closet next and opened it. Nothing. Everything that had belonged to Atreyu was gone.

He was gone.

As Kayden stood there, reality slowly came crashing down as he realized he was alone. No note. No text. No goodbye. He clenched the tulips tightly in his hand before releasing them and letting them drop to the floor.

Stupid.

He had been so stupid and this is what he got.

Silently, Kayden walked over to his bed and sat down on it gingerly, eyes staring blankly ahead.

Alone.

No matter what he did, he was always going to be alone.

-----------------

ABO AU - Chan, Jisung, Seungmin, Changbin

Jisung laughed and nodded, pulling back some from the other. “Tonight…supposedly.” He said and shrugged. “But my body has been weird lately, so it may hold off another day. I hope it does cause I wanna be able to spend time with you. It’s been so long.”

Jisung had honestly missed the omega. He hadn’t seen Hyunjin since the night of the attack. The last thing Jisung could recall was rolling on top of Hyunjin to protect him from the blade before calling for help. Chan had told him already that if it weren’t for him, Hyunjin probably would have ended up dying. 

So if that meant Jisung suffered from nightmares and a sore side (with a near death experience of his own), then so be it. It was worth it. 

He grunted when Felix suddenly tackled them both, hugging them tightly. “Yeah! What Lixie said.” He said and whined. “Felix, my side.” He hissed softly. 

Chan watched the three, smiling fondly. He walked over and patted Felix’s head gently. “Come in Lix, be careful with them.” He said gently. “They’re both still healing.” 

Seungmin peeked his head out of the kitchen before hiding once more, afraid to face Hyunjin. He felt so guilty still for turning his back on the omega so fast. Things from that had been hectic, chaotic. Feelings were hurt, people were hurt and Seungmin may have chosen the wrong side. 

He still fully believed how things were handled was inexcusable and that was mostly on Chan’s part but knowing the other was Hyunjin’s soulmate and seeing first hand what a soulmate bond looked like through Jisung and Minho, Seungmin sort of understood where everyone was coming from. It couldn’t be helped, the attraction.

He wanted to apologize for being such an ass but he was afraid Hyunjin wouldn’t accept it. He didn’t want to cause discourse in the pack because the others seemed so hellbent on getting Hyunjin in the pack and they were happy. He would be happy too, he just wasn’t sure if Hyunjin would be happy around him. 

Meanwhile, Changbin made his exit from the kitchen and smiled. “We’ll looky here.” He called. “Chan really did bring us a present.” He teased. 

If you have made this far down, thank you so much!!! If you're interested at all in rping, please send me a dm or an ask! I'm looking for long term partners to create beautiful worlds together! 💖

[restlessmaknae]

Out of this world

As a part of my Birthday Prompt Party, Out of this world is dedicated to @dat-town who has requested #31 “You know, no one bothered me this much when I was dead.” in a mythological setting with a VIXX member. Hope you like it, dear! <3

Words: 2934

Genre: fluff, angst, drama, tragedy

Main Characters: Lee Hongbin x Kim Yuna (OC); Lee Taekwoon

Setting: Greek mythology AU

Warning: death

“Does that mean that I’m fired?” the young man gasped with a slightly offended expression, signs of confusion clearly written all over his face. It was as if he didn’t want to believe what he had just heard or assumed that it was all part of a big joke.

“Just look at you! You already talk like those humans!” the older man snickered with obvious pity in his voice. “I’m sure there won’t be a problem. As soon as you earn back my trust, you can come back and claim back your immortality,” the bearded man announced, his voice firm and confident. He made it very clear that he was the only one who had a say in the matter.

After all, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. He was Zeus, the god above all while the young man was only at the bottom, if not the last one. No one thought that he had a difficult job but who were they to belittle something that they had never truly experienced – to be precise, they may have experienced but not whole-heartedly. Who were they to make fun of the most complicated and twisted part of a human’s life that he tried to protect as much as possible?

He may be the face of the most cringe-worthy day of the year but he wasn’t completely useless. He was Eros (more commonly called as Cupid, although it was only his Latin name) and if he didn’t exist, the world would turn into a constant battlefield because of hatred and rage.

However, after what Zeus had said, he wasn’t Cupid anymore, only hypothetically. He was forced to leave the Olympus and live as a human as a punishment for his crime – neglecting his duties for the sake of his appearance. It was funny enough how he always tried his best to help the heart-broken and now he was one of them and no one could be there to mend his heart. He was alone and helpless just like a forsaken ex-god should be.

 How can an ex-god earn back Zeus’ trust without all his powers – seduction, manipulation and the ability of creating little things such as flowers and bouquets of chocolate? That was a bloody good question.

Eros had no idea in the beginning, so instead of coming up with one, he moped and cried for an entire week, using up more than 15 boxes of super soft tissues. All he got from his superior was a well-furnished flat, some money and a list of reminders about what he should and shouldn’t do as a suspended god living in human form. He was partly glad because he finally had the opportunity to breathe, feel his heart beating, smell the fragrance of sweet dandelions, taste the creamy caramel in a piece of cake, in other words he was now able to touch, feel and live. There was only one thing that he forgot: gods were invisible to the human eye.

Small wonder why he was so dumbfounded when he first moved out of his flat and one of his neighbours came up to him to say hi. He needed to remind himself that he was no longer a god, therefore he could be seen by everyone.

“So what’s your name, sweetheart?” the elderly woman asked with a genuine smile, her eyes filled with curiosity.

“I’m E−“ he started casually and almost facepalmed when he realised that he wasn’t allowed to use his real name. It was one of the beloved reminders of Zeus. He said that if he exposed himself and his name was mentioned more than 3 times in his presence, he would be fired for real. He wouldn’t even have the chance to go back. Eros was quite taken aback at first but when he realised that he had other names too, he wasn’t so terrified anymore. People would most likely call him Amor or Cupid, right? No one knew about Eros nowadays, only that so-called Cupid from commercials and toe-curling couple product names.

“I’m−“ his eyes frantically searched for a proper name and when he caught sight of the newspaper in the woman’s hand, he read out the first name that he happened to lay his eyes on. “I’m Lee Hongbin?” he averted his eyes back to the granny, plastering a friendly smile on his face. “Yeah, I’m Lee Hongbin. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Kim! You have such a lovely haircut,” he complimented right away, his generous comments not leaving him even as a human being.

From that day on, he was Lee Hongbin who turned his flat into an office since he found the perfect way to regain his position – he became a dating coach. He helped wandering souls who were constantly thinking about that sought-after love of their life yet they didn’t have any luck in love.

He was there to help them with his generous tips and thanks to his long years of playing the matchmaker, his business was quite fruitful. Even worried parents and friends came to him who wanted to put an end to the lonely days of their loved ones and their request usually led to a beautifully blooming relationship involving that said acquaintance.

Truth to be told, Hongbin was enjoying his job to the fullest. He could still do what he used to do as a god but he was closer to the humans, so he had the chance to see what the couples became after their first confessions. As Eros, he did nothing but be present at the time when they fell in love but as a dating couch, his clients sometimes came back to say thank you. Frankly, he couldn’t have been happier. He loved the smile on their faces, the way they gazed at each other and the little sparkles that accompanied them.

He was doing so well but as expected, his job didn’t come without obstacles. There was only one female whom he couldn’t help, no matter how hard he tried. He did everything he could, even though she wasn’t his client.

Kim Yuna was working at the café where he always bought his morning vanilla latte and there was a frequent customer who couldn’t look away when the pretty barista was around. It was obvious to Hongbin that the guy had a crush on her but she seemed ignorant to his obvious stares and nervous half-smiles. After several failed attempts and a conversation with the said guy – Jung Taekwoon −, Hongbin finally blurted out that Taekwoon was in love with her but he was also too shy to admit his feelings.

Yuna’s jaw dropped upon hearing his words but her bewilderment soon turned into something totally different – guilt.

“I’m sorry about your friend, Hongbin, but I don’t like him. We had talked a couple of times before but I don’t feel anything when I’m with him,” she admitted as she ran a hand through her obsidian-black curls.

Hongbin didn’t want to tell her that he didn’t even know Taekwoon, let alone being friends with him, because there was no use of correcting her. Instead, he wanted to convince her because there was nothing more heart-breaking than an unrequired love.

“Just give him a chance! He needs time to open up but I can guarantee that he’s a kind-hearted, gentle and caring human being,” he pleaded almost frantically, giving her the puppy eyes look. Yuna furrowed her eyebrows for a moment but her features softened a bit after that.

“Fine,” she let out a sigh, her eyes already searching for the tall guy at the table beside the window.

“Believe me! You won’t regret that you gave him a chance,” Hongbin clapped his hands enthusiastically while a sudden pang invaded his heart. He was so taken aback by the subtle pain that was suddenly rushing through him that he didn’t even see when Yuna sat down at Taekwoon’s table.

 It turned out that Yuna and Taekwoon were a wrong pair from the start. She was bold, sassy, cheeky and playful while the guy was introverted, quiet, sensitive and easily hurt by jokes. Hongbin couldn’t mind her behaviour, he was actually attracted to her in a way that he had never experienced before.

On the other hand, for her and her biggest fan, things didn’t seem to work out well despite all the tricks and gifts that Hongbin gave them, showering them with date ideas and couple activities. The fact that Yuna wanted to give up from the very start pissed him off and he couldn’t help but reprimand her when he couldn’t take it anymore.

“You know, no one bothered me this much when I was dead,” he remarked not so gently and not until Yuna’s eyes widened, did he realise what he had just said.

“What?”

“Oh nothing, nothing! It was just a joke,” he tried to shrug it off and scamper away as soon as possible but she didn’t seem to be convinced. She took a step closer to him, squinting at him with suspicion-filled orbs.

“You were always acting particularly weird. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a god or something,” Yuna stared at him for long seconds that seemed like hours for him.

He was always sure that he would be exposed in the future because he had blurted out something that he shouldn’t have. He was always blabbing after all. That’s also something that he could use to convince humans to believe him. He talked a lot and talked fast, so instead of trying to puzzle up his words, they gave in.

But what if he said something this time that could indicate that he was a god? What if she found out who he was? Would she think of him differently? Would it even matter?

Yuna gave him a final stare and took a step back, giving him some personal space. As soon as she turned around to head back to the counter, Hongbin let out a weary sigh.

“I always knew that she was smart,” he muttered under his breath as he wiped some sweat off his face. She was so close, he was almost caught. Almost.

“What?” Yuna turned around immediately, her head tilted in confusion. “So you are really a god?” she exclaimed not caring about the astonished and judging gazes she earned from the customers around her.

Hongbin was trying to find the right words to say but he froze on the spot, not knowing what to do. He had only a little experience with humans, so he never had to lie to anyone.

As a forsaken god, he couldn’t know that his silence was a bigger indication of his identity than any lie could ever be.

“Gosh! I can’t believe it! I’ve been hanging out with a god,” she giggled whole-heartedly without a hint of fear or judgement in her eyes. She shook her head in disbelief as she walked towards a customer who wanted to order, an amused smile never leaving her attractive lips.

Hongbin stood there like a statue, except the fact that he awkwardly blinked like he didn’t want to believe that the scene in front of his eyes was actually happening and it wasn’t just a part of his dream. Kim Yuna had really figured out who he was and didn’t make fun of him? Laugh at him, take pictures of him and tell silly god-related jokes? Did she really just… smile? Show that gorgeous smile of hers that was as rare as snow in August?

He couldn’t help but feel proud. There was an oddly unfamiliar sensation pumping in his veins, motioning his heart to beat faster and his lips to raise higher and higher until he was also smiling. He showed a smile of his that neither of them knew existed – the loving one filled with childish excitement and innocence.

He loved people in general, he really did. Otherwise, how could he be so eager to help them to find their other half? But this kind of affection was different because he received it and not just gave it away. It was different because he experienced it with her. With his other half.

 Yuna was pretty cool about the god thing. She really believed him, stating that she was suspicious from the moment Hongbin read the menu upside-down or when he had no idea about how a vanilla latte tasted. Not to mention the time when he started laughing when her hand accidentally brushed his when she placed his order on the table. He had even blurted out once that he never touched a human before. It was a sentence that he didn’t even remember. Maybe he was too pumped up to care about the words he said out loud.

After he managed to stop her from calling him by his real name, he was no longer in danger. He knew she would keep his secret, and the fact that they both shared this knowledge actually brought them closer.

They were both sassy, so there was no way either of them got furious since they knew their words didn’t carry an air of seriousness. They teased each other a lot – almost like young lovers −, played various silly games and hang out a lot. Yuna was always amused when he tried something for the first time, let it be karaoke, going by train or trying sushi. As he was falling in love with the world around him, finding beauty in everything new and special, he was slowly falling in love with her, too.

He could never imagine that being in love was such a magical feeling. It was as if love was something out of this world. His whole body was reacting to the way she smiled, to the sound of her airy laugh and to the touch of her roughish skin. Getting to know her was like peeling an onion (new favourite food of his!).Whenever he thought there was nothing else left, there was always a new layer underneath.

She was sometimes as fragile as a glass sculpture while other times she stood still like a mountain. She could get emotional too easily or not feel any sympathy at all. She could play the little kid who wanted to have popcorn at the cinema or the responsible adult who showed Hongbin where to stand to not get hit by the train. She could lazily lay on the couch, whining about the fact that boys could never understand the pain of a cramp or jump up and down in excitement when she got a pay rise. She was a mixture of everything and he loved all of her colours.

Truth to be told, he didn’t neglect his job but he spent less time with his clients than with Yuna. They haven’t confessed yet and he wasn’t sure they would. He wasn’t even sure that it was how love was meant to feel or if Yuna felt it too because she didn’t say anything obvious.

Meanwhile, the fact that Zeus hadn’t even contacted him bothered Hongbin a lot, he didn’t even know what he was doing wrong. Because he was doing something wrong if his superior didn’t want to see him, right? On the other hand, he wasn’t even sure that he wanted to go back. At least, not until it was the matter of life and death.

 It started as a usual day for him – counselling in the morning and spending time with Yuna in the afternoon. However, as he was about to get to the café where she was working, he was so immersed into smelling the rose bouquet that he had bought her that he didn’t care about anything else around him. That was a fatal mistake on his part.

Everything happened so fast. It was now only a blur to him. The stretching tyres of the bus, the pain in his chest, the warmth of his blood, the sirens of the ambulance and Zeus’ words.

“Choose, Eros! You’ve proved that you are still worthy of your title, so you can come back to the Olympus to fulfil your duties as the god of Love. Or you can choose to die as a human. You have no other choice. You can’t go back to her, no matter how much you would like to.”

Hongbin was selfish. He wanted to beg Zeus to let him live as a human because he didn’t want to die. He wanted to see her, to tell her how she made him feel, to tell her that he loved her, even though he had no idea if that was how love was supposed to feel. He wanted to caress her cheeks for one last time, he wanted to hear her laugh and gosh, how much he wanted to kiss her!

Hongbin was selfish. It may destroy him to see her again while she can’t see him but he wanted to do it. No matter the pain, he wanted to be around her. Even if he was invisible to her, the time they had spent together was not enough for him. He wanted more.

“I’ll go back to the Olympus,” he whispered with his last breathe as his heart stopped beating forever.

Now he knew. Eros, the god of love, finally knew why humans loved the feeling of being loved. Now he knew that love was something precious, something inexplicable and something out of this world.

Love was something to die for.

[kyaappucino]

Love Me like You Do

Pairing: Hongbin/Wonshik

Words: 4,651

Rating: G

Summary: The last time Hongbin had been up onstage was nearly three years ago, when he was thirteen. The very idea of being able to prove that he was worth more than his face was immense; it seemed like wherever he went that was all people saw. And quite frankly, he was sick of it.

Notes: I joined the chapters to form one big fic. Title is from Ellie Goulding’s song of the same name.

Warnings: classic songfic from the days of ff.net

The Aphrodite cabin was known as the Paris of Camp Halfblood—always fashionable and sweet-smelling. It was enough to drive Lee Hongbin mad with boredom. Not that was the only thing that happened in the Aphrodite cabin, but it was a large part of their culture. At first, Hongbin had found it cool when he could suddenly speak fluent French ever since his mother claimed him—especially since he hadn’t lived anywhere else besides Seoul. Before Hakyeon had arrived at Camp Halfblood it was Hongbin who was constantly hounded with love calls and who hid himself away in Jaehwan’s cabin when things got particularly bad.

It was a sunny afternoon when Hongbin decided to leave his cabin for a while, not having any quests to go on. His training session with his mentor was finished and he’d been praised for a job well done—he had a real knack for his chosen weapon. He’d given fashion advice to Gongchan before he left however; he loved that boy but he really didn’t seem to understand that plaid on plaid just wasn’t happening. When not in chaos, Camp Halfblood was one of the prettiest places he’d ever seen. Somehow, while walking in the afternoon sunshine he found his way towards Dionysus’s strawberry gardens.

“You need anything, Bean?” He looked around and smiled when he saw the Greek god himself, can of diet coke in hand. “Not really, Mr. D. Just looking around.” While Mr. D was usually cold towards demigods, he also appreciated Hongbin helping out with the strawberry gardens and for spending a bit of time with Pollux, Dionysus’s remaining child.

“Well, if you aren’t doing anything—could you tell that boy to stop pinching my strawberries? We need to keep camp afloat, you know.” The curly-haired god pointed with one of his chubby fingers towards a boy with white hair and droopy, sleepy eyes lined with kohl. Perched on his head was a snapback, shielding him from the sun. He was holding a basket and was picking strawberries—and every so often popped a few into his mouth. “It’d be great if he didn’t try to eat his weight in strawberries.”

Hongbin leaps over the fence and nods, trying not to clip the strawberry hedges and he approaches the sleepy-eyed boy, who tucks the strawberry basket under his arm and grins. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. Mr. D just wants you to quit picking so many strawberries; you’ll bankrupt camp, the way you’re going.”

“Ah, really? Sorry—it’s just that, Mr. D grows the best strawberries I’ve ever tasted. Better than the ones you can buy in the market.” He turns to where the Greek god of wine is standing, drinking from a can of diet coke. “Sorry Mr. D! Dad just suggested I sample the strawberries—great for inspiration!”

“Inspiration?” Hongbin asks, falling into step with the boy as they walk out of the strawberry gardens. “Yeah—I was having a hard time writing a song so I asked my dad what to do, and he said that Dionysus grew strawberries so delicious, I’d write odes and spin rhymes to ‘em!” Apologetically, the white-haired boy hands Dionysus the basket of strawberries, and when Dionysus takes the basket, it completely disappears.

“Tell your dad flattery gets you nowhere, Ravi. Beans, get him out of here before I stuff you both in a bottle of Merlot!” Despite his words, both boys see Mr. D hiding a grin behind his pink cheeks.

“Beans?” the white-haired boy asked, a smile playing on his lips. “Ravi?” Hongbin shot back, giggling. They stopped at a fork in the road, with signs labelled with all the different cabins.

“Gonna go back to my cabin now,” the white-haired boy said, grinning. “I can definitely think of a few things to write.” Hongbin nods, his heart fluttering in his chest. All the signs if he ever knew them—and being a son of Aphrodite, he definitely did. As the boy with the snapback starts to walk away, Hongbin shouts, “What’s your name?”

The boy in the snapback looks back at him, and Hongbin swears he’d never seen a smile brighter than the sun. “You heard Mr. D, Beans! I’m Ravi!”

Hongbin spends the day taking photos with his cellphone’s camera, careful to keep the shutter sounds off. When he looks at his camera roll, they were full of flowers and scenery, but the focal point was always a bit of white in the background. Whether it was daisies, clouds, or even just photos of the various cabins—his thoughts kept straying back to Ravi.

He had to find out what that boy’s real name was.

❣

“Fading in, fading out, on the edge of paradise…” Hongbin had been lying down on a patch of green grass, letting the warm rays of the sun dry his cotton-candy pink hair, his eyes closed. It had been a week after the strawberry incident and one of his favorite things to do was to listen to the Apollo children compose songs and music.

“Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I’ve got to find…only you can set my heart on fire, on fire…“

The music cut off there, and there was a deep voice that said, “Ah, it does sound great like that—thanks a lot. I definitely know where to go from here.” He recognized that voice. Hongbin sat up and turned his head and there he was—Ravi. This time however, the boy was wearing a mustard-yellow sweater with a studded black-leather jacket on top. His legs were in black skinny jeans, but his hair was still white. It stuck out like a sore thumb and before he knew what he was doing, Hongbin was walking over towards him.

Ravi’s back was towards him, and he seemed to be talking to two girls; one of them was holding up a sheet of paper and the other leaned her arm on an electric guitar that was strapped onto her body. “Anytime, Shikkie!” the girl with the guitar said. “Glad to hear you finally found your muse!” There was an embarrassed laugh that came from Ravi, throaty and deep—a genuine belly laugh. “Does it really sound like that?”

Their conversation was cut short, however when they spotted Hongbin and waved to him. “Hongbin-oppa!”

Ravi turned around and there he was, white hair, mustard-yellow sweater and black jacket. What stunned Hongbin though were his eyes—when makeup was properly applied, he looked handsome, especially with…smoky eye shadow? The brown-eyed boy peered closer at Ravi. Yep, softly applied smoky eye shadow, tightlined with black eyeliner.

Hongbin grinned at them. “Good morning, girls. Great practice. I couldn’t resist coming closer to hear it.”

The girl with the sheet of paper nodded, her black hair swishing slightly. “Wonshik-oppa makes the best songs at Apollo Cabin.”

“Ravi? Wonshik-oppa?” Hongbin asked, and he grinned. “Yeah…Mr. D calls me that, but my real name’s Wonshik. Hey. Uh…how much did you hear?” he seemed a little nervous, suddenly.

“Something about paradise and fire. It’s really sweet.” At his words, Wonshik relaxed and placed a hand behind his neck. “Glad you liked it. It isn’t done yet, but I’m really making good progress.”

“There’s just…one thing.” Hongbin said seriously, and Wonshik’s face shifted from relieved to worried. “Y-yeah? Is there something wrong with the music?”

“No. But—girls, can I borrow Wonshik for a second? I just…just can’t stand it anymore.” High-pitched noises left the girls’ lips and they squealed, “You can take him!” with Hongbin shouting back, “Thanks!” as he grabbed Wonshik by the wrist and led him towards the Aphrodite cabin and knocked furiously. The door was opened a crack and a blonde-haired boy asked, “Who’s the—Hongbin-hyung! And who’s…oh. My. God. Get him inside, stat!”

Wonshik felt confused, dizzy and was soon swallowed up in the scent of perfume.

❣

The Aphrodite Cabin was bigger on the inside, and its décor changed depending on the day and mood of the cabin. Right now, it had changed into a stylish salon, and there were half a dozen boys and girls attending to Wonshik, with Hongbin approving or disapproving the changes to be made.

“No, no—have you seen his dress style, Minah? That color just won’t do.” Hongbin rejected a tube of purple hair dye and Minah added it to the growing pile behind her. “Hmm. Well, if all of the radical colors won’t do, then…let’s just dye it black.”

This earned a smile from Hongbin, and Minah nodded. “You heard him—let’s get to work!”

There were few times in his life where Wonshik had felt truly overwhelmed, and this was one of them. The opportunity to change someone’s hairstyle had the entire Aphrodite cabin twittering in excitement. Wonshik received tips on how to make his hair softer, skin brighter and whenever he tried to protest, a sweet was pushed into his mouth. If it wasn’t for the fact that this entire makeover was orchestrated by his muse, he would have squirmed away and bolted.

❣

Muse.

That was what his father had called Hongbin, the moment Wonshik had seen the son of Aphrodite. Wonshik had approached Woozi, another one of Apollo’s children about it. “What’s a muse?”

“Well, hyung,” Woozi said calmly, looking up from his notebook. “That’s the person who you get inspiration from. Especially when we’re making songs to give to dad.” The kids of the Apollo cabin knew what he was talking about. Apollo’s children were the ones in charge of writing and composing music, and it always made their father happiest when their children composed songs that could inspire others.

“To inspire,” Woozi continued, “The artist has to be inspired…don’t you think so, hyung? This is where the ‘Muse’ comes in.”

Wonshik thoughtfully nodded and said, “How do you know who it’s going to be?”

The shorter boy smiled politely. “That…I am not sure of, hyung. I haven’t met my Muse yet. But…I guess you’ll know when you can’t stop writing about them? That kind of feeling…”

He had thanked the younger boy and left him to his work, but felt a little confused about the whole thing. That was when he got a message from his father, and suddenly everything had been clear as day.

❣

Until now, he still can’t believe he met his Muse in the middle of a garden of strawberries. The other boys and girls had said that Wonshik’s hair needed time to set properly, because it was being dyed from white to black. In the time that it had taken to properly relax and get his hair ready for re-dying, Wonshik had almost drifted off, closing his eyes.

“You all right?” Hongbin’s gentle voice was near Wonshik’s ear, and he could feel his heart drumming noisily in his chest. “Yeah…but boy. You guys really know how to treat a guy.” Despite the intoxicating mixture of perfume and hair products in the room, he did feel more relaxed than before.

“Sorry…it’s just that…I think you look better this way. Ah…could you look and see?”

When Wonshik’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze was directed to a full-length mirror in front of him. He stood up and looked at himself, completely surprised.

His hair was sleek and as black as a raven’s wing, combed up and parted to one side. It suited him better than the white, with his clothes. His yellow sweater was brighter, and the studs on his black jacket were shinier than before. His makeup was well-done as well, with a smooth cat-eye complimenting his clothes and overall style.

“I hope you don’t mind. I mean…I know it’s just clothes but if you’re trying to win someone over, it helps.” Hongbin said, chuckling.

Wonshik glanced at his Muse, and replied, “Ah…I really hope so. Thanks. I should…get going now. I need to finish up my song.”

Hongbin tried not to look disappointed when Wonshik seemed a little too eager to leave—but he supposed that was what being in the ‘Pink House’ does to you. “Sure, I’ll show you out.”

It was Hongbin who saw Wonshik out, and at this moment all of the other Aphrodite kids had gone, sensing the overall mood. They weren’t called the kids of love for nothing. Before turning to leave, Wonshik turned to Hongbin and asked, “Ah…you meant what you said earlier? About the song?”

The son of Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. What, you think I’m not sincere or something?”

Wonshik shook his head and flushed a deep red. “….no, no. It’s just that…uh, I heard you had really high standards. So if you say it’s good then…”

Hongbin’s grip on the door tightened and he stomped his foot on the ground. “Yah! D-don’t mention it, really—you’re really good, you know. Whoever you’re writing that for must be very happy.”

It’s for you, Wonshik thought. I wrote it thinking about you.

But his mouth wouldn’t cooperate with his brain. Instead, what he said was, “I hope so too. Would…would you mind if I asked for your opinion with songs next time?”

A surprised Hongbin ends up nodding before he realizes what he’s doing. Damn Apollo’s son.

“Sure…see you.”

❣

Since it wasn’t a glamour spell, Wonshik’s hair and makeup stayed firmly on him for the rest of the day. He was the center of attention wherever he went—and it was a moment he soon came to feel proud of, instead of feeling embarrassed by the attention.

Funny what the right hair color could do for one’s overall look.

As he walked further and further away from the Aphrodite cabin, Wonshik looked up to the sky and chuckled. “Dad, you the real MVP.”

“Don’t mention it, son.” He jumped in surprise and whirled around. There was his father, looking ethereal as ever—only this time, he was riding on a sleek, golden motorcycle with a wicked grin on his face.

“Told you—if you hang around the strawberry gardens long enough, your hot muse would show up.”

Wonshik laughed. “Yeah, and it only took him…two weeks. I thought Mr. D really was going to stuff me in a barrel.”

The sun god’s grin got bigger and he affectionately patted his son on the head. Wonshik felt warmth like never before flood through his entire body, and prayed that his hair would hold up to the heat. When his father’s palms came back clean, he mentally thanked his lucky stars. Or, more accurately, he thanked Lady Luck.

“I’d like to see him try. Anyway—I’ll be expecting some really good songs from you soon, son.”

Wonshik took a deep breath before his father disappeared, leaving a cloud of golden smoke in his wake, and the blinding light of the sun was back in the sky where it belonged.

Talk about pressure. He had to impress his father and his Muse, all in one go.

Surely there were quests tougher than this.

❣

For a son of Aphrodite, Lee Hongbin was entirely unwilling to participate in decorating the stage for the Apollo cabin.

“Binnie-ah,” Minah said softly, as respectful as she could. While she had two beads on her camp necklace and Hongbin had one, she couldn’t forget about the time when Hongbin had been truly annoyed. He had uttered quietly, “You’re not getting back together with your boyfriend,” towards one camper, when he was badgered over and over about his cotton candy pink hair.

And to Minah’s surprise, they hadn’t. Lee Hongbin, the newcomer at camp had broken up a couple just by using charmspeak. Immediately afterwards, Aphrodite herself had approached Hongbin and said fondly, “My sweet autumn baby, this is not what your gift is to be used for.” Hongbin had looked at his mother and smiled, flashing those dimples of his. “But it was good, wasn’t it?”

The goddess of love couldn’t help smiling back and stroking her son’s cheek. “Yes, it was very good. But not what your powers are used for.” In the end though, Aphrodite had cancelled his charm-speak and the couple was reunited once more. But the message that had been sent was very clear:

Kids who pissed him off were sure to feel his wrath.

At that moment, Hongbin was curled up on his favorite window seat by the large bay window, staring outside with glass of iced tea cupped in his hands. He glanced up at Minah and smiled warmly. “Yes, Minah? What’s up?”

“Just wanted to ask for your opinion on the stage decorations…” she said softly, unsure whether to give Hongbin the blueprints that one of the other kids had drawn up.

“Let me see.” The look on Hongbin’s face was hard to identify, but he was smiling brightly, showing off his white teeth. Minah handed the blueprints over and Hongbin took a sip of iced tea and shook his head.

“I think it would be better if gold was the accent, not the main color.” When it came to planning out stages, he had a clear aesthetic vision that most of the Aphrodite kids could agree on–but a slightly golden stage for the sun god’s son? Was she being serious?

Hongbin had placed his iced tea on the window seat and had grabbed one of the pink pens that were strewn all over their cabin. He marked the places where the gold should be and had written a note on top: make it white.

When Minah received the new draft of the stage decorations, her lips curled into a full frown. “Did anything happen with Wonshik-oppa?”

Hongbin’s hands fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt. “What makes you think that?”

“Well…maybe because you requested blinding white for the stage lights? Nobody will be able to see him like that, Binnie-ah…”

Hongbin looked away from Minah. “He keeps bringing me songs to look over. When is he gonna get it? I don’t want to keep reading those stupid love songs…”

Minah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Hongbin-ah, for an Aphrodite kid…you can be kinda dense, you know?”

The only answer to that was a well-aimed throw pillow flying in Minah’s face. “If you understand, quit asking stupid questions and just talk to him.”

“Talk to him? Minah, these songs…they’re so…they’re practically dripping in love.” he spat out the last word as if it was too bitter to remain in his mouth. “He should just compile all of them and hand it over to whoever’s gotten into his head.”

“Maybe you should come and help us decorate.” Minah said while gently flicking Hongbin’s arm, then laughing when Hongbin gave her the finger and an upgraded version of his stink face.

“I’d rather get piss-drunk on diet coke!”

❣

For all intents and purposes, Wonshik was a pretty easy-going guy when it wasn’t about composing songs, or finding the perfect instrumental track for his siblings’ songs. But this time, he was slumped over at his desk, half-buried in papers full of lyrics with edits in red pen.

He’d been bringing over snippets of different songs to his Muse, hoping that he would be as decisive with the songs as he’d been when giving Wonshik’s hair a brand-new dye job.

Unfortunately, all that happened was Hongbin praising him and then sighing, as if nothing would ever be good enough. Their next festival was closing in quickly, and so far nothing had taken his Muse’s breath away, none of his works had Hongbin in tears. (Of course, it never helped that Wonshik’s way of delivering these notes had been through other people.)

“What’s wrong with me?” Wonshik wondered aloud into his stack of papers, breathing a weary sigh. “Maybe you should try…you know…not being a wuss?” The son of Apollo lifted his head and came face-to-face with Hyuk, who motioned for Wonshik to move as the son of Hermes entered the premises through the window.

Hyuk tapped the floor twice with his left foot and the wings on his shoes disappeared. “Shut up,” Wonshik muttered. “have you asked Ken out yet?” The younger boy’s cheeks turned a crispy pink and he replied, “I’m working on it. I just…haven’t found the perfect moment.”

“You’ve known him your whole life, Hyukkie.” Wonshik deadpanned as he walked into the kitchen and gave his visitor a glass full of water. “Thanks, hyung. And yeah, but I only got this crush like…three weeks ago.”

Wonshik leaned against the marble counter and laughed. “Fair enough. All right, tell me what happened.”

❣

While he didn’t want anything to do with actually decorating the stage, he had to admit that it was beautiful. His fellow Aphrodite campers had argued about the final look numerous times, but in the end they went with something different: after getting word from Grover about the change of time, the background for the stage would be a backdrop of stars, forming different constellations.

“So it’ll be from midnight til dawn?” Grover nodded, one of his hooves pawing the ground nervously. “Since we changed the time, there’s an empty slot…” He checked his clipboard for the order of the festival’s performers. “Would you happen to know anyone who could fill in for the 5:00am slot?”

Hongbin stared at the satyr. “I think the Apollo kids would know more than–” he thought back to all the moments when Hyuk had passed him letters from Wonshik, containing song lyrics. “…what time is Wonshik performing?”

The satyr checked his schedule again. “Kim Wonshik? He’s number 17, so possibly…around five thirty? Why?”

“I think I know someone who’d love to perform at the festival.” Before he’d met his godly parent, Hongbin had wanted to be part of the Apollo cabin–especially when he heard the deep voice of a camper who had a penchant for rap.

“There’s certainly no room for cowardice in love, mother.” Hongbin had said one evening, completely forlorn at the thought of Wonshik working so hard to write the perfect song for a nameless person.

Aphrodite had taken her son’s face into her perfumed hands and said softly, “Ah, but isn’t love all about conquering your fears? My sweet child, you know who they’re really for. Just take the plunge. Who knows…you may even like the fall.”

It was one of the few times Hongbin had truly understood why his father had fallen in love with the goddess, and this, he did not mind.

❣

“What do you mean, they changed the time?!” It was breakfast time in the Apollo Cabin and a very surprised Woozi looked up from his bowl of cereal. “I thought you got the memo, hyung–the whole camp’s gonna be partying until sunrise.” He looked as tired as Wonshik, with his dark-brown hair sticking out in awkward angles.

“Jihoon-hyung,” one of the newer campers, DK passed him a towel, smiling brightly. It reminded Wonshik of Hongbin, except his Muse had dimples. “the milk’s going to dry on your chin.” Woozi took the warm towel and rubbed his face, yawning all the while. “Thanks, DK. A-anyway…yeah Wonshik-hyung. Our deadlines have been bumped up.”

Wonshik grabbed a bowl of rice and started eating. It was going to be a really long day, but he was determined to present the best song for his father and his muse at the festival.

Nothing like a deadline to help kick his inspiration into overdrive.

❣

The last time Hongbin had been up onstage was nearly three years ago, when he was thirteen. The very idea of being able to prove that he was worth more than his face was immense; it seemed like wherever he went that was all people saw. And quite frankly, he was sick of it.

So far, the music festival had gone smoothly, with each Apollo kid playing their best songs and instruments. There was even one Apollo camper who’d set up an entire DJ mixing table for his turn, which was a pleasant surprise–Hongbin had assumed that nearly all of them were just trained in classical music.

“Before we go on,” the emcee says into the microphone, “we have an intermission number from one of the other cabins.”

From behind his spot onstage, Hongbin adjusts his hat one last time, gripping his acoustic guitar. Somewhere in the audience, Wonshik was sitting on the grass and waiting. Waiting for some nameless face in the crowd (or so he keeps telling himself. There’s just no way all of those snippets, words praising the pink cherry sunrise and a voice smoother than dark chocolate–those couldn’t have been for him) and well, Hongbin wasn’t the kind of boy to give up without a good fight.

He just prayed that it was good enough for the son of Apollo.

“Lee Hongbin, from the Aphrodite cabin.”

There was a hush amongst the crowd as Hongbin stepped up onto the stage, where a stool had been set up. He checked his guitar, not looking at anyone in particular, determined to push out a good performance. Sitting down on the stool, he smiled at his audience and said softly into the microphone, “Kim Wonshik?”

The audience squealed in delight and there was a slight yelp in the audience before various people surrounding Wonshik made him stand up. There was a chuckle from Hongbin, his dulcet voice amused and clear. Wonshik was glad that the sky was still relatively dark and that the lights chosen were bluish in color–his face was already warm.

In a slightly huskier tone of voice, Hongbin said in French, “I hope you like it.”

He strummed the guitar once and when the instrumental track started, he began to sing.

“I don’t know you But I want you All the more for that Words fall through me…”

There was a resounding “Awwww” from the audience, and still Hongbin went on, undisturbed. There were parts in the song where his voice simply couldn’t take the high notes, so he’d decided to pitch it to fit his vocal range.

He locked eyes with Wonshik, standing there staring at him like he was the only person that mattered.

And in that moment, Hongbin willingly offered the other boy his heart.

❣

Wonshik couldn’t breathe. Up there, on stage was his Muse–breathtaking, even in a long sweater and perfectly distressed jeans. He almost dropped the bottle of water he was holding.

When his Muse started to sing, it was unbelievable. There were parts where his voice couldn’t go any higher, but it didn’t matter. Hongbin was deep in the moment, the only way a lover of music could be.

It felt like Hongbin was singing for him, and him alone. The thought alone was enough to make his heart race, but to see it onstage, performed in front of dozens of campers?

“You have suffered enough

And warred with yourself

It’s time that you won…”

When their eyes met, it was electric. There was nothing Wonshik could do but smile, honestly. He’d only been a camper for a few months, but he hadn’t heard of anyone dedicating a song to one of Apollo’s children. Hongbin’s doe eyes pulled in the audience, and along with it, Wonshik’s heart.

After his intermission number, Hongbin asked, “Did you like it?”

There was a microphone shoved into his hands and without missing a beat, Wonshik said softly, in front of every camper present,

“Yes, Lee Hongbin. Yes.”

The next thing he knew, he was already running towards the stage.

[butimaginevixx]

Imagine Hongbin is Eros, whose fate changes when he is overcome with desire for Taekwoon, better known as Psyche.

[darknytemare]

Into the Twisted Depths [A VIXX Parallel Colloboration]

Pairing: Hongbin (Lee Hongbin) [VIXX] x Female OC

VoodooDoll!AU 

Word Count: 2.4k

Genre: fantasy, mythology, horror, dirty-ish/implied/maybe smut

Warnings: Blood, voodoo ritual mentions, gore mentions, pain/sensation ‘play’ mentions

Summary: At a time where the number of Voodoo Dolls is representative of one's power. Hongbin is the 6th Voodoo Doll conjured by a young priestess. He was sent by a powerful deity to keep watch over her. That’s fine until he decides he wants her power.. and her whole existence for himself.    

Note: loa/lwa - the name for the patron spirits/deities of voodoo

Baron Samedi- The loa of the dead [think similar to Hades]

Ayan LaRoche - Voodoo Priestess OC

Ayan was born and raised in the bayou of Louisiana. The dialogue will reflect some 'twang' and spatterings of Creole dialect.

Even though this is for the VIXX Parallel Collaboration, I may continue this as a series. 

What rotten luck was this?!

Hongbin grunted as life, or something like it, suffused into his body. He could feel the ligaments moving as his fingers wiggled in the air. The disdain on his face at the sight of himself was hard to hide. He wobbled like a puppet on a string dangling from a great height.

The substance that ran through his veins slowed as he heard the echo of footsteps. His lip stayed lifted in a half snarl. The guttural sound vibrated against his vocal cords. The push of tension caused his biceps to flex, almost violently, against his shirt.

That was until he saw who was walking toward him.

The shadow of a tophat, the scent of a cigar, and the pasty white painted skull over a brown-skinned face.

He wanted to disappear; to become so small and insignificant that he could forget the sight in front of him.

Every every poppet knew for whom and what purpose they had been created. It was rare that one of the loa bothered. Let alone the Lord of the Dead himself.

"Ah, I see you awake now." The loa smirked at Hongbin's sudden shrink in attitude and demeanor. "Dat's good, dat's good. Nah, I know you might be havin' a question or two 'bout why you here." There was a thick cloud of smoke that lifted from the deity's nostrils.

The smile on Baron Samedi's face gave Hongbin a cold chill. "I need you do sumthin' fah me." The taller man tugged at the bindings holding the voodoo doll aloft.

"I need you to keep an eye on someone fa' me. You see, dis girl? She special. I like her. She gotta lot of learnin' for she can be a power to be reckoned with." Baron Samedi stopped to level a dark umber gaze on Hongbin.

"You need'ta keep the unsavory 'way from her, ya'hear?" The sudden baritone of the deity's voice caused Hongbin's knees to buckle. The overwhelming power filled the room, leaving him only able to nod with wide eyes.

"Good, good. No one gets near her, Hongbin. Do we understand each otha'?" Hongbin nodded vigorously as he swallowed the lump in his throat. The loa smirked while picking an object from a nearby table. He turned toward the dangling puppet with a particular glee dancing in his eyes.

He knew what was coming before Baron Samedi reached him. He could see the sharply jagged edge on the ice pick. His lips flattened into a straight line as he steeled himself for the onslaught.

The pain never bothered him at first. The first initial puncture, scratch, or gouge was nothing at this point. It was the speed of delivery that always killed him. Some of the priests or priestesses were quick with their work. It prevented the pain from building in the doll.

It always made it easier to cause the maximum amount of pain to their intended victim.

But some caused pain to the doll and the victim. They said it was probably as close to watching the deed from far away. It wasn't that way with the loa, unfortunately.

They gave pain, relished in the suffering, and needed the experimentation to learn about humanity.

Samedi was twisted, perverted, and sadistic. This was nothing more than entertainment for him. This was also an early lesson. That he wanted what he wanted.

.....and that he wouldn't accept failure.

Others.

There were never others.

At least not in his time in service, had he seen others. Hongbin heard about those that had been able to conjure more than one doll. There was a time, long ago, when someone had three. That woman was descended from a strong line - the first line. She was a descendant of the one who started everything that would be Voodoo. That woman had children but then moved to Haiti.

Removing herself and her kin from Louisiana due to the state that the art had devolved. It was considered hoodoo, entertainment, and a child's play. That woman returned sometime later with her children in tow.

She had risen in her craft to take on the title of Mambo. The highest and most important places a person can reach. Her children were exceptional, as well. A son, musically gifted, and in tune with nature. A daughter with a wicked streak and a penchant for darker dealings.

He only knew of the woman by one name - The Black Mamba. To the public, though, she was Mambo LaRoche. A formidable woman of high power who understood the balance between the light and dark elements of the craft.

The community was devastated when Hurricane Katrina stole her away from them.

It stole all but one. 

“Wake up.” A lilting purr slithered across the shell of his ear. Hongbin stirred with the sensation of cold metal against his back. The air was thick with incense, blood, and magic. An echo of laughter, drums, and the rush of power caused his heart to beat fast. 

“Come on now. You can do it.” There was the scent of lilies in the air, causing his head to sway in its direction. A delicate finger trailed down the center of his bare chest. He twitched as the finger trailed a muscle at the dip in his groin.

His lips parted on a soft moan. Samedi beat him until he lost consciousness, only for him to wake up to this? He could feel lips soft along his jaw. She spoke to him in a language once thought long dead. It was so beautiful, it seemed to dance across his skin. 

The scent of blood filled his nostrils, his mouth watered, his body reacted violently. His eyes snapped open as a shadow hovered over him. "Blue." He murmured absently. Her eyes were so blue. Crystalline. Icy. The adjective to classify them was out of his reach. He just realized as the moon spilled light upon them both - he'd never seen a blue like it.

"Well, well. Look who decided to finally wake up." Her lips curved into a smile as she tucked her fingers under her chin. "Th'names Ayan. Ayan LaRoche, enchanté ." 

The blue-eyed Creole stood, as regal as queen, with her hands clasped in front of her. The heavy pressure seemed to evaporate at that moment. Hongbin could feel beads of sweat sliding down the sides of his face.

A thick swallow as she crouched above him. The whisper of thin linen against his skin caused him to moan. He could see the moonlit silhouette of her body through the gauzy material. The uptick of her breast and the prominent push of her nipples. She brought his hands to the wide expanse of her hips. 

Arousal. 

Instant. Obvious. Painful.

He could feel the power radiating off her skin. The surge of it pulsed under his fingertips. The warm slide of her fingers against the throb of his erection caused him to moan. His fingers dug deep into her flesh as she settled over him. Every vein in his body seemed prominent as she swiveled her hips. 

Bloodied hands pressed against his chest as she moved, chanting. The moonlight seemed to spotlight the sealing ritual. Her feet dug into the ground as her voice crescendoed. Hongbin remembered, suddenly, a warning. He remembered the threat beaten into his flesh. 

But as her body tugged and molded around him? He forgot about it. He forgot all of it. She connected to a wealth of power long left untouched within him. He could feel her peel back the layers of his spiritual reserves. Their bodies and spirits thumped against each other, seemingly to no end. 

Before he knew it? He had rolled them, anchoring her upper half to the ground. She let out a shrill sound that made his stomach knot. He didn’t care about the gore covering her fingers. He kept chasing the link, the thing that sealed Doll to Practitioner.  “R-right...there.” She gasped. The warm honey of her voice vibrated in the air as he held her hips upward. Her eyes rolled back into her skull as she dissolved into orgasm. He tilted his head as he met the pure white, then suddenly golden tone in her eyes. 

His brow furrowed as her body seemed to pull all of him inside of her. He lurched as his own orgasm gave chase. 

Hongbin felt it at that moment - there was no bottom. She had reached all the way inside of him, farther than anyone before. Yet, he couldn’t find her. Like there was no end to her.

"Welcome to the family, sug'." Her voice was like warm honey. Rich, silky, and sweet - strangely no different from her singing to her speaking. Ayan's gaze lifted toward the face of her newest doll.

Six.

There were never others.

The most that there had ever been was three.

He was now one of six.

Samedi, what have you gotten me into? Who is this woman?

Everything seemed to get warmer, fuzzy - the air was so sweet? He wavered as he looked down at the woman smiling up at him. But it was a different voice that he heard. 

"You need to wake up, little brother." A soothing, melodic voice chided. The night seemed to fizzle away as the voice continued, beckoned him to wake up. 

Wait a minute?

Wake up?

Didn't he do that already?

"Time to wake up, little brother." Hakyeon's voice was so damned soothing.

"What happened? I - I was up already?" The confusion was thick in his voice. His mouth was so dry as if he hadn't spoken more than a few days.

"Shhh." Hakyeon placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You'll get sick if you're not careful." Hongbin shrugged him off with a growl.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine! There's no way that I could get -" He was too panicked to notice it at first. He had been so busy trying to find the wounds that plagued him not too long ago. The burning sensation crept along the surface of his skin.

From the feet to his knees, he thought it was just from movement. From his knees to his hips, he felt it was his body finally moving. The sensation crept up his torso, to his neck, and then it was behind his eyes.

Then it filled his head as the sound of a scream filled his ears. Oh, it was his scream. It had been a while since he had made a sound like this. The power overwhelmed him as he clawed at his skull.

The connection. The link. The establishment of the thread that binds the voodoo doll to its owner. It washed over him like a tidal wave. He saw visions, clipped projections of memories from the other five. Hakyeon sighed slowly, waiting for Hongbin to calm himself down.

It took him five minutes to regain his composure - it never took that long. He turned to the side and was violently sick when it was over.

"Good, she's ready for you now." The older doll smiled, pleased even, as he turned to depart. "There are fresh clothes in the bathroom. Make yourself presentable and then take the path to the house. Don't keep her waiting."

He moved from the bed in a rush to the bathroom. They may have been 'dolls' in a sense, but their forms still required the typical maintenance. Bathing was essential and enjoyable - a luxury even.

The hot water over his skin eased the tension from his muscles. He rotated his joints under the hot spray. He would have to ask how long he was asleep. He grits his teeth as he hurriedly washed and dressed.

He had already kept her waiting. "Tsk." Hongbin was dressed in a sweater, slacks, and shoes too shiny to have ever seen a speck of dirt. He admired his reflection in the mirror before leaving their space.

There was a path of carefully laid gravel. The crunch of his shoes on the ground was the only noise in the area. The moon was full, bright, and beautiful in the Louisiana sky. He spotted a set of double French doors open wide toward a parlor decorated in ornate Victorian style.

His steps were quiet as he entered the parlor. His fingers were a whisper over the costly, ornate wooden backs of couches and chairs. He heard the sound of singing? Or was it humming? It was close.

He felt his heart quicken as he entered the open space of the dining room. His brow furrowed as he followed the song through the house. The click of his heels against an old hardwood floor almost tapped in time with the voice. He was panting and didn't understand why.

This home was ridiculously large for no reason! Where was that sound?! By the time he realized he was on the other side of the house. Another set of french doors opened toward the courtyard that dazzled with white roses. He stood in the doorway; his eyes pinned to the back of an ornate wingback chair.

The voice stopped, suddenly, as his footsteps announced his presence.

Laughter. A throaty, warm, laugh that sent prickles across his skin. He saw the delicate shine of polish on her fingers. He was almost afraid to get a full look at her.

"Come closer, suga'." He did as he was instructed. He moved in front of the shadowed space. The clouds began to break as he noticed an odd gleam coming from her face.

"Blue." He murmured absently. Her eyes were so blue. Crystalline. Icy. The adjective to classify them was out of his reach. He just realized as the moon spilled light upon them both - he'd never seen a blue like it.

A long, massive, moment of silence stretched for what seemed an eternity between them. Hongbin still had her hand in his own, the delicate knuckle adorned with crystal-studded rings.

His grip tightened, a reflex, as he couldn't keep himself quiet. "You're the most powerful witch in all of Louisiana."

She tilted her head with an amused smile as his lips brushed against her knuckles. There was a sudden pull in her lower half that caused breath to slither from her mouth. 

Hongbin’s gaze rose to hers as the corner of his mouth lifted. 

And she would be his, easily.

[vixxscifiwritings]

sun to sunflowers

Characters - Jaehwan, Hakyeon, Hongbin (minor)

AU - Yoruba Mythology x Hanahaki

Genre - Angst

Summary - To Jaehwan, Hakyeon is all beautiful things in full bloom with a smile brighter than the sun. But the sun doesn't belong to a single sunflower.

Parts

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Complete

[jjungiee]

Bargained For | 2

Pairing: VIXX Ravi x Reader x VIXX Hongbin

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/God! AU

Summary:  When it comes to a blossoming, new family and an old rival, the King of the Underworld has to handle more than he bargained for.

Author’s Note: Another kind of all over the place/filler chapter. It’ll be better later once this is out of the way. Sorry~ ^-^ 

Read Strike A Deal here | Bargained For Part 1 

For the days that had passed since Yina’s birth, you were left to rest and gain your strength. Sometimes you caught up on rest, at other times you simply cuddled into your husband’s side as you watched your husband coo and hum to his baby girl. The constant smile on his face as he held her, made your heart swell with happiness. He rarely left, the Underworld left in a standstill. He couldn’t stand to be away from his family, not now when he was finally truly happy and he didn't want to miss a moment. He loved being able to stroke your hair softly as you slept, he loved to watch his daughter as she began to discover her existence in the world. In the days since her birth Yina barely left her father’s arms.

You both agreed that your daughter was the most beautiful baby you’d ever laid your eyes on. You couldn’t have asked the gods for a more perfect child. Her little chubby cheeks that flushed a perfect rose color, her newly opened eyes that resembled your husbands, her adorable little nose, her tiny fingers that clung around the finger of whoever was holding her. Your little family was now completely perfect. You couldn’t think of a better way to spend the past few days. You loved your little bubble, but you knew it would have to be announced sooner or later that your precious Yina had entered the world.

A bolt of lightning cracked near your bedside, breaking the silence of the room and inevitably cracking your little bubble a lot sooner than anticipated.

“Just how long did you think you would be able to hide my niece from me?” Hakyeon chuckled.

You watched as your husband visibly stiffened. He knew how affectionate Hakyeon could be at times. Ever since you’d announced that you were having a baby, Hakyeon was always around getting ready for the arrival. The nursery was already packed full of toys and other necessities and Yina hadn’t even been born. Hakyeon approached his brother, looking down at your daughter. He gasped, a smile breaking onto his gorgeous features.

“She’s beautiful Ravi, truly she is.” He patted his brother affectionately on the back.

“She looks like her mother,” Ravi smiled proudly, stroking Yina’s chubby cheek with a single finger.

“I see you in her too, brother. But, yes she has inherited her Mother’s beauty. Have you given her a name yet?” Hakyeon chuckled.You couldn’t help but noticed the slight rise of your husband’s shoulders as he smiled proudly at your daughter.

“Yina,” you replied.“Yina?” Hakyeon repeated. “Is it a family name?”You shook your head,

“Ravi chose the name, it just seemed to suit her.”

Hakyeon smiled brightly, “That it does. A beautiful name for a beautiful child. May I?” He gestured towards Yina. You tried to bite back a chuckle at your husband’s childish pout as he held your daughter closer to his chest.

“Husband, he won’t harm her. She’ll be alright if you let her out of your embrace for a minute”, you assured lightly. It took a few moments, but he reluctantly surrendered Yina into Hakyeon’s arms. You watched happily as Hakyeon gleamed down at your child.

“Are you going to tell your Mother and Father?” Hakyeon asked. “I’m sure they’ll be overjoyed to meet their perfect little grandchild.”

You hadn’t discussed it yet, but you knew sooner or later your family would be barraging the little cottage in the village where you stayed on the days Ravi could stay in the human world.  

“We haven’t really spo-” you began, only for your husband to interrupt.

“We have not discussed it yet, but Yina will be staying here. She’s safe in our home above the Underworld.”

“Husband, shouldn’t we at least discuss this? I mean, Yina is part human after all. My family knows of my pregnancy. What shall they believe if they never see their grandchild?”

Ravi processed your words but refused them.  “No. Yina isn’t leaving the Underworld.” He grunted. You gasped, your mind reeling back to the same bluntness and possessiveness of your husband that once terrified you. You thought he was beyond this.

“But Ra-Husband. They’re her family too. You cannot keep her away from them forever.”

“I am her father, and I say she’s staying here! That’s final.” His voice echoed throughout the Underworld, anger bubbling through his words. You stood shakily, taking Yina gently out of Hakyeon’s arms.

“Thank you for visiting Hakyeon. If you’ll excuse me.” You turned heading out of your shared bedroom and into the nursery, kicking the marble door closed behind you.

Ravi sighed, hands raking through his hair.

Hakyeon huffed, heading beside his brother and placing a hand on his shoulder.  

“Brother. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have,” Hakyeon paused, looking toward his brother with guilty eyes.

“It was bound to happen sooner or later. I just didn’t want to let go, not yet.”

“Don’t be unreasonable, you don’t want to lose her again.”

“That’s the problem, Hakyeon. I do not wish to lose either of them. Here I have Cerberus and an army of the dead at my disposal to protect them. In the Underworld it is far more difficult for anyone; man, god, or thing to harm them. Out there, I do not have control.”

“Tell her.  If you keep lashing out in anger you will lose them both. You have changed from what you once were, you are not the man who uses anger and despair anymore. You have found your heart, and I know it’s terrifying to be so vulnerable. But, she is your wife. She needs to know that you care for her and that you love her, that you’re afraid to lose her. Don’t let your old-self push away your happiness, brother.”

“Why are you always right? Even when I wish you weren’t.”

“I’m not all-powerful for no reason, brother. Now go.” Hakyeon shooed his brother out with a flick of his hand.

-

“My love,” Ravi called out finding you softly humming as you lulled Yina to sleep.

“I’m so very sorry. I just don’t want to lose you both. Not yet. We have only been married a few months and my baby girl just arrived in this world. I cannot be alone again, not when everything is so perfect.”

“I understand, but you cannot keep doing this.”

“I know. I just want to always protect you both. I’ve never loved anything so dearly before and it terrifies me.” He admitted, his deep voice trembling slightly.

You exhaled shakily, wiping the tears that brimmed your eyes before facing him. You made your way towards him, wrapping your arms around his waist. You nuzzled your face against his muscled chest, letting out a sigh.  

“You can’t always be there, Ravi. But, she is your daughter, she will be brave and strong just like her father. You mustn’t worry too much. We are your family and we will always find a way to come back to each other and be together.”

“I’m so sorry, my love. I promise I’ll find a way to make everyone happy.”

You nodded against his chest, “We’ll figure this out together, we’ll learn together. You don’t have to do everything alone anymore.”

-

A week had passed since. You had finally managed to convince Ravi to let you out of the Underworld for a few hours. Business in the Underworld was growing far too rapidly and he really needed to take care of it. He had compromised a visit to the human world, it was short, but you’d take it in baby steps. He was trying to be better and that was all that mattered.

“You promised me.”

A sigh left his lips bitterly. “I know. Make another deal with me. We can make your family live here.”

You turned towards Ravi, slapping his arm lightly. “You are not killing my family just so I won’t leave you for a few measly hours.”

He huffed childishly, his lower lip sticking out into a pout. His strong hands quickly grabbing your hips back, pulling you into his embrace. His face nuzzled your neck affectionately.

You could feel his warm breath fanning against your neck as he spoke, “I can’t let you go. I’ll miss you far too terribly, you and Yina both. How will I survive without my beautiful daughter babbling at me so happily? How will I survive without my goddess of a wife?”

You spun in his embrace, turning to face him your arms snaking around his neck. “My love, we will be back before sundown. I promise. Yina deserves to know her grandparents. They need to see her too.”

“I know. I just wish I could leave with you. I wish I could protect you both always, be with you both always.”

“Soon, husband. I promise we will go together. We will be fine, the village is not far. My family will be there. We have nothing to fear anymore. Please, we must hurry. If we leave now we’ll be back much sooner.”

He nodded, although he made no movements to let you go, instead you felt his arms clench around you tighter. His nose nuzzled against your neck once more as he let out a deep sigh.

“Why do I feel like I’m saying goodbye?”

You pressed a gentle kiss to his lips in reassurance. “We won’t be long,  love. I love you. We will return before sundown.”

He pressed his lips against yours once more, finally releasing you from his embrace.

“I love you more.” He whispered, watching in silence as you picked up your child from the crib and took off into the portal.

-

Stepping out from the portal, sunlight greeted your skin in warm touches. It had been months since you had visited the human world. You wouldn’t tell Ravi, but you did miss it. You missed the warmth of the sunlight, the soft fragrance of the oncoming spring, you missed the days you could spend in the peacefulness of a meadow, with a nearby river’s trickle or birds tweeting their sweet song as the only thing to be heard for miles. You tried your best to capture the sensations of the human world as you ventured farther, who knew when you’d be back.

The gentle forest breeze twirled around you and your child as you wondered out further into the forest that bordered your village. Abnormal rustling echoed through the trees, far too quick and odd to be the wind. You tried to ignore it, clutching Yina close to your chest as you ventured further toward the forest's edge. It was probably an animal or one of your husband's servants sent to keep an eye on your travels. You calmed your heartbeat, you’d have a word with your husband when you returned about his over-protectiveness, you were a grown woman you could hold your own in your own hometown. Besides, now you were a mother, a beast or animal of any form would have to rip every limb from you before they got to Yina. 

A beast would have been a far better rival to face, the sickening grin that stopped you in your tracks was far too familiar.

“Leaving so soon?”

Your heart clenched.  

“That is none of your business, Hongbin,” You stated sharply.

Hongbin dark chuckle echoed in the now silent forest,  “Such a shame, really.  I had offered myself originally, pity you chose the wrong man” he paused. “Although it seems as if your choice has kept you… busy. What? Can't stand to be with Hades anymore? Trying to rid yourself of the evidence?” He gestured to Yina with a tilt of his head, his dark locks falling perfectly just above his darkening pupils.

You could feel the heat rising through your body as your blood began to boil. He had no right to talk about your family. “Leave Hongbin. My family has nothing to do with you. Leave while you still can walk.”

Hongbin let out a cackle, amusement creasing his eyes as he circled you. “Precious one, you are adorable. But, don’t you worry. I’m leaving… Just not alone.” He taunted, one of his slender fingers tracing your cheek. “Let’s see if the Hades is still one for making deals.”

“You think you’ll get away with any of your plans? You know what he’s capable of. He would never make a deal with you, he’d destroy you.” You tried very hard to control your breathing, to keep your voice steady and your threats as menacingly as possible.

“Sweet girl, you really are a joy. I wasn’t a God when I killed him, Do you really think he’ll have a chance now? One way or another, I’ll get what I want and you and your pathetic excuse of a husband won’t stop me.”

Hongbin stepped closer and you knew if he got a hold of you or Yina it was over. Thinking of nothing but protecting your baby girl and your lover; you ran. You knew it was unlikely to outrun a god, but your family was at stake and you wouldn’t let him or anyone else harm them.

You could hear Hongbin’s menacing chuckle as if he was right beside you. Following you behind almost as if he was trying to scare you, taunt you, torture you. Branches crunched underfoot as you ran, sprinting as fast as your legs could psychically take you. Your lungs burned and your body was slowing. But, you couldn’t stop. You desperately tried to keep Yina as stable and as protected as possible against your chest as you pushed ahead.

Hongbin suddenly landed a few paces ahead of you, blocking the portal entry. His hands clenched into fists, as he began to close the narrow space between you, striding forward purposefully.

In a moment of quick thinking, you had to do something. You knew this was not to end well, gods had feuds that lasted centuries and Hongbin was still obviously peeved at you and your husbands escape from his plot. It broke your heart as you slid the violet ring off your finger and secretly dropped it to the floor, using Yina’s blanket as a shield to hide your secret message for your husband. You just hoped he wouldn’t think the worst and that he would try to find you both... or at the very least... save your child.

Hongbin chuckled once more, “I hope for your sake that Hades still has an obsession with making deals.” He smirked. “I have one deal he won’t refuse.”

Your world instantly clouded, darkness filling your vision as you held tightly onto Yina. Hongbin would not get away with his plans and he definitely wouldn’t hurt your child. At least not while you were still alive.

-

The eerie silence seemed to follow him, not even the repetitious thump of his pacing boots against the Underworld’s floor could break it.He understood now how your parents must have felt all those months ago when he had taken you. The emptiness. The sheer panic. Only his pain was doubled. Not only was he anxiously waiting for the return of his child, he was waiting for you. He had waited so desperately for you for so long and any long separation from your side slowly tore him apart.

What was taking so long? What if you’d run away from him? It couldn’t be. You wouldn’t have left him, not with his child, and not like this. Thousands of thoughts whirred around his frantic mind. He feared the worse, knowing how hated he was by mortals and gods alike.

He couldn’t take the waiting game any longer. He quickly dispersed into smoke and arrived quickly at the entrance of the Underworld, just behind the very barrier of the two worlds. It was there he saw the very last of the day’s light protruding behind the distant mountains. The last sunrays illuminating an object just outside the Underworld’s entrance, its dim violet glimmer catching his eye.

His heart stopped almost completely when his eyes focused on the object, realising exactly what the item was.

Your wedding ring.

His heart stopped, his hands shook and he couldn’t stop the anguished screams that left him as he clutched your abandoned ring his hand. All of his worst fears were bursting into reality.

It felt as if part of his non-existent soul was torn from his very being. You were gone. Taken from his grasp once more. His beloved and his only child… gone. He couldn’t stop the numbness that overwhelmed him. He was paralysed in a concoction of panic, anger and sorrow.

What if you had been killed? He had enemies. A lot of enemies. Enemies that would do anything to hurt him and those he cared for. He couldn’t bear the thought of a life without you and his child. His little family.

He would do whatever it took to find you both and keep you safe.

Whoever or whatever had taken his family would surely pay. If they had harmed a single hair on either of you he would make them beg for death. If they wanted to play with fire, they would surely burn. He would burn the entire world if it meant finding you.

His body convulsed with sickening laughter, his anguish consuming him like wildfire.

If it was a battle they wanted… he’d give them war.

[renquise]

Fic recs??

Oh boy, so I finally got around to pulling together a fic recs post for the first time in forever. \o/ (Included: EXID, VIXX, BTS, Yuri on Ice, The Adventure Zone)

EXID

Pulled a Pearl Out of the Mess – Quettaser (Hyojin/Heeyeon)

Okay so: this is a canon AU where Hyojin is a mermaid, and Heeyeon finds out. AMAZING?? AMAZING. God, I can’t get over how great Hyojin and Heeyeon’s voices are in this—this totally manages to capture their particular brand of ridiculousness and the way they’re such dweebs with each other, all underlaid with this core of fondness and loyalty and trust.  And man, I love how Hyojin being a mermaid is something that interacts with the context of their idol lives, and the way that her mermaid heritage is connected to Korean mythology—there’s just so many details about this that make the idea of her being a mermaid so wonderfully concrete. And just. This lovely sense of intimacy and trust and also the two of them joking about mythical dragon dicks. SO IDEAL. (Full disclosure: this was written for me for Yuletide, because I am somehow continuing to receive the absolute BEST Yuletide fic?? I am so spoiled and I am going to roll around in my hoard of amazing yuletide kpop femslash forever.)

 VIXX

lighthouse – amaelamin (Hakyeon/Taekwoon)

The one where Taekwoon keeps stealing Hakyeon’s sofa. Man, I think my favourite part of this is how firmly it’s rooted in Hakyeon and Taekwoon’s present-day dynamic, with the both of them a little older and a little more settled, and this sense of history to their relationship, and how their relation has been shaped by being the eldest in the group. But also. I love that this is a quiet, romantic story about the way that people grow into each other, but also about Brazen Sofa Theft Stupidity. Amaaaaazing.

 Adrift, or the Warship’s Brother – alunsina (gen, Taekwoon)

The AU where VIXX is a space trash collector crew. First of all: HELLO YES STORIES INVOLVING SENTIENT SPACESHIPS, MY FAVOURITE. But also: this is about family, and losing family, and finding family once again, and that is also one of favourites. There’s a lot I love about this, but the friendship between Taekwoon and Hakyeon stands out, especially, with this understated understanding and history between them. And there’s some really cool worldbuilding, and the ghosts of vast, galaxy-shaking events against the mundane background of usual VIXX chaos, and it all works so well.

 With Us In Spirit – fluffsik (Hongbin/Taekwoon/Wonshik)

The one with spirit medium Hongbin being benevolently haunted by Taekwoon and Wonshik. Man, I love, love, love the quiet, eerie sadness of this. I love how understated and restrained this is, with all these touches of almost-normalcy and spot-on characterization that make it all the more affecting, like ghost Wonshik still being cuddly, and ghost Taekwoon playing with cats. Achy and lovely and leaves you with a shiver up the spine like a cold autumn day.

 Never Let You Down – doivent (gen, Sanghyuk and Taekwoon)

This is a high school baseball AU, and gosh, it reminds me of Ookiku Furikabutte in the best way. This story is so specifically about the Mydol-era dynamics of the group, with Hyuk trying to fit into the group, and Taekwoon being a little intimidating and hard to approach. It’s so interesting to have this dynamic in a different setting—compared to the hyper-saturated intensity of the kpop industry, this baseball setting is quieter, more muted, but there’s still a real sense of stakes. And just. All of my emotions about tiny Hyuk and how much he’s grown, whoops.

 VIXX/BTS/B1A4

 Meat on Meat – buddenbrooks (Seokjin/Jaehwan/Junghwan)

Seokjin, Jaehwan and Junghwan go on their skiing vacation and also have a threesome. Okay, so I’ve always secretly wanted a story about these three, and this somehow manages to be filthy but also so lush and fun and enthusiastic? Just great fun and makeouts and shoving snow down each other’s pants. Niiiiice.

 BTS

Hivemind – popliar (gen, Yoongi/Hoseok)

So: a cyberpunky canon AU where idols have implants to communicate with each other and their fans. Holy SHIT, I still can’t get over how interesting this idea is and how thoughtfully it’s deployed?? Like, wow, the idea of a sense-sharing mind-link is such a plausible extension of the total experience that the kpop industry tries to deliver to their audience, and this fic manages to capture both the serious implications of it and the reasons why it would be so compelling to both idols and audiences. Like, the idea of the members sharing sensations through vapp! And the characterization is great and the through-line of Yoongi and Hoseok’s relationship is super, super lovely, and just. A REALLY cool fic.

 just a little, oh, just a little bit – alexisfairos (Hoseok/everyone)

Hoseok gives everyone massages. I love the way each of these sections is tailored to each member, and there’s just this really lovely sense of intimacy and closeness to the entire thing? Really really nice.

 Yuri on Ice

one cat at least in the bag – dirtybinary

If you’ve spent two seconds following this blog, you’ll probably notice that I love people being stupid and endearing about their pets. And so: Yuri’s cat is named after Victor, and so are all the other pets in the skating community, and it’s amazing.

 The Adventure Zone

Lunar Interlude: Something New – wildgoosery

The lunar interlude where Killian and Carey get married. So, holy shit, this is done in the style of a complete TAZ episode, with all the interstitial McElroy goofing, and it’s SPOT-ON. It’s exactly as sweet and goofy and sincere as the show, and there are wedding reception disaster shenanigans, and it’s pretty much perfect.

Angus McDonald and the Case of the Mysterious Butter Wyvern – yassan (gen, Ango and the gang)

Listen. Look at that title. Perfection. Angus and the gang go to a fair to go get a gift for the Director and disaster ensues, and I cry laughing.

thin skin, bruises, and a cup of tea – GayFrankensteinsMonster (Taako/Magnus)

Just a really soft, lovely bit of post-adventures fwb sex? Really fun character voices and banter, and this comfortable easiness between the two of them, with Magnus straightforward and affectionate and Taako with his guard down.

[vixxscifiwritings]

moon child

Characters - Sanghyuk + VIXX

AU - Greek mythology

Length - 4200+ words

Summary -  Jaehwan finds Sanghyuk, Wonshik and Hakyeon back in his court and sighs. Hongbin is visibly amused at how Sanghyuk’s doings always land them up here even when the Fates do not plan it.

Sequel to excuses for the heart’s attachment

“Come away Kero” Sanghyuk coos to Cerberus.

The three headed beast is reluctant to leave its master when he senses his distress. Sanghyuk smiles. Cerberus is fiercely protective of any god it decides to like. And it often decides to like any it meets.

Yet tonight Wonshik’s distress is not his own. He is only worried about the state of the one he loves.

Sanghyuk frowns. Hades is a walking contradiction. He sulks and fumes and yet loves fiercely. What is the point of love, if not to admit it to your lover? Gods live forever and yet eternity is meaningless if you are not living in the moments as they happen.

The child in his arms gurgles. Sanghyuk wipes the drool away from its mouth. Her mouth? His mouth?

The child laughs as it senses his confusion. It stretches its hand out and grasps for the flower diadem on Sanghyuk’s head. It falls short and pouts, two steps away from wailing.

“There there, little one” Sanghyuk consoles. He fashions bright red and white carnations out of thin air and hands the flowers over to the child. He sits by the balcony so that he may place the child and the flowers in his lap.

The toddler claps in glee as Sanghyuk makes carnation petals rain. Cerberus runs around it, different heads snapping in different directions trying to catch all the petals. The baby smiles and Sanghyuk must hold it firmly lest it fall over from the sheer joy it is experiencing.

“A pity there are not many flowers in the underworld for you to play with” Sanghyuk sighs.

The toddler looks at him curiously because it senses it is being addressed but Sanghyuk only ruffles its hair and so it looks away. It yawns and puts its head down on Sanghyuk’s chest. Little things tire easily, Sanghyuk will soon learn. For now he fails at comprehending anything apart from the fact that its tiny fist rests next to its head on his chest which is frankly ready to burst with joy, warmth and fierce protectiveness.

Cerberus whines in a low voice and nudges Sanghyuk’s thigh before resting his heads on it and looking at the sleeping baby curiously. It doesn’t take more than one second for Sanghyuk to make up his mind.

-

Jaehwan finds Sanghyuk, Wonshik and Hakyeon back in his court and sighs. Hongbin is visibly amused at how Sanghyuk’s doings always land them up here even when the Fates do not plan it. Taekwoon is present but confused.

“So you have decided to raise this human child as your own” Jaehwan summarizes, putting his head on his hands thoughtfully.

“The underworld is not a place for children!” Wonshik insists, his voice scathing and filled with distaste.

“The child’s soul has nowhere to go” Sanghyuk starts.

“It does. All souls belong to the underworld’s halls and the rivers of death” Wonshik cuts.

“I agree. The realm of the dead should be the last place to raise a living thing” Hakyeon puts in.

“Cerberus and I are doing just fine Mother” Sanghyuk reminds him.

“You are a god. Cerberus was birthed to guard the gates of hell. This is a human soul” Hakyeon argues.

“Enough” Jaehwan orders and the argument pauses. Hakyeon glares at Jaehwan and so does Sanghyuk and it is in that moment he can really tell that latter is the true child of the former.

Wonshik is glaring at Taekwoon for a change with Death attempting to soothe his lover. Hongbin maintains a neutral expression, watching what Jaehwan will do next. He must already know the outcome of this discussion.

“As I understand, the child is not yours to decide for” Jaehwan starts, gesturing to Death.

“The child is not mine Zeus. I merely ferried the soul to the underworld” Taekwoon clarifies.

“The child is rightfully mine” Wonshik claims. Any and every dead soul belongs to Hades. This shouldn’t even be debated at this point.

“Then I can raise the child as my brother or sister” Sanghyuk chirps.

“No you can’t” Wonshik shoots down the suggestion.

“Watch me” Sanghyuk replies defiantly.

“What do the Fates say? What will come of Persephone keeping the child?” Jaehwan asks Hongbin.

“Do you want to depend on the Fate’s foresight for this? Persephone has been known to defy our predictions” Hongbin grins. Sanghyuk blushes, recognizing the rebuke hidden behind the casual comment.

“But if you must insist, then Persephone claiming the child has no harmful implications as far as I can see.”

“It is settled then. Persephone is a ward of the underworld to which the child also belongs. With Hades’s permission he may raise the child as his own” Jaehwan decides.

“That settles it then. Sanghyuk does not have my permission” Wonshik seethes before storming off. Taekwoon follows and both Hakyeon and Hongbin watch him go. Hakyeon looks at Sanghyuk before leaving himself and only Hongbin is left, who is still waiting to finish his audience with Zeus that was interrupted by the three gods barging in.

Sanghyuk holds the child protectively, refusing to meet eyes with anyone else. He doesn’t need permission or help. He can do this himself.

“A girl” Jaehwan says, breaking the moment of awkward silence. “The child is a girl.”

“Mihee then. I’m going to name her Mihee.”

“A fitting name. May she grow to be the most beautiful in the land” Jaehwan blesses the soul.

The soul which has been a vague resemblance of a human body gains a corporeal shape. Her limbs are shirt and stomach pudgy. Her cheeks puff out with baby fat and her eyes are big and shiny brown. Jaehwan shares a soft smile with Sanghyuk. The child is immortal now.

Sanghyuk returns the smile but his is full of uncertainty. Now that the child is his, what comes next?

-

What comes next is a lot of crying, screaming and temper tantrums.

As a soul, Mihee was more calm and collected. Her needs and wants were limited to playing with Cerberus and Sanghyuk.

As a child, Mihee needs food and water and other basic necessities. Mihee also demands a lot of attention. If Sanghyuk disappears for more than a minute and she realizes it, she screams at a note high enough to make sirens tremble.

It gets worse when Mihee's godly powers develop. With zero control and a moody temperament, Mihee turns the entire realm upside down by causing storms, floods and fire if she doesn't have her way.

Everytime Mihee causes a disruption that Wonshik must step in to correct, his disdain for the child increases and Sanghyuk's fear that she will be taken away from him grows.

Sanghyuk takes Mihee out of Wonshik's castle. He keeps her with him as he tends to his gardens, watching as the stargazer lilies grow. Mihee likes it when he sings and this time it lulls her to fall asleep. Her sleeping visage is deceptively innocent, Sanghyuk thinks bitterly.

“Mihee has grown since I last saw her” Hakyeon says, taking Sanghyuk by surprise.

“Mother” Sanghyuk starts. He isn't expecting him here.

“It is winter's end. Snow has begun to thaw on Earth” Hakyeon tells him by the way of an explanation for his presence.

“I hadn't noticed” Sanghyuk admits truthfully.

Hakyeon says nothing and chooses to focus on his sleeping grandchild. The conversation makes her stir but she doesn't wake up and that feels oddly endearing.

“I'll take her. You can gather your things and inform Hades before you leave” Hakyeon tells him.

“Mihee tends to scream if I am not around” Sanghyuk tells him. He finds himself embarrassed on behalf of Mihee and knows Hakyeon will blame his bad parenting for it.

“Just like you then” Hakyeon says quietly. That surprises Sanghyuk because he doesn't remember being a fussy child. But it also makes him happy to share a trait with his daughter.

Hakyeon takes the child and gestures to Sanghyuk to go. He tells him to make haste before she wakes up. Sanghyuk follows his orders.

Collecting his possessions are easy for he is used to travelling every half year. But Mihee's things are spread all across the halls and he doesn't really know what he might require when so he decides to take everything.

Cerberus follows him around, whining because he recognizes what this entails. Sanghyuk tasks him with finding Mihee's toys. She has a penchant for hiding them and three heads will be better than one at finding them.

Cerberus trots off on its task. The halls of hell might not have many souls today Sanghyuk thinks. He finishes gathering most of his things and decides to find Cerberus. Mihee can survive with lesser toys. Or he will come back to find them if she so insists.

He runs into Wonshik in his search for Cerberus. Hades stands tall and proud, in a balcony overlooking the gardens and the river Styx. He surveys his realm while ruffling one of Cerberus's three heads.

“Hades” Sanghyuk starts, not wanting to interrupt the moment. Cerberus yips in response and Wonshik simply nods, refusing to look at him. But he invites him on to the balcony and that is a small victory.

Together they watch over the gardens and see Hakyeon sitting down and playing with Mihee on his lap. So Wonshik already knows that his mother is here and has surely guessed what time of the year it is. It isn't too hard to put two and two together now.

“I will take your leave. Mother is here to escort me to her realm” Sanghyuk tells him.

“Are you taking Mihee?” Wonshik asks.

“Yes”

“Don’t bring her back when you return.”

“I can't just leave my child behind” Sanghyuk cries.

“The underworld is no place for children. I could expressly forbid it.”

“Would you separate a mother from his child?”

“It was a decision forced upon me once. I won't hesitate from doing it again.”

-

That year, winter doesn't come to the humans.

-

“You are hiding” Hakyeon says.

The statement comes as a surprise to Sanghyuk. Hakyeon doesn't normally spend time with him. Ever since Jaehwan's judgement, Hakyeon merely acknowledges his existence but doesn't fuss over him like he used to.

For Hakyeon to judge his intentions so accurately despite a perceived indifference throws Sanghyuk off balance and leaves him embarrassed.

“I decided that it wasn’t wise to push Wonshik’s patience” Sanghyuk confesses. He watches Hakyeon nods before ruffling Mihee’s hair.

Mihee takes to Hakyeon the quickest. Jaehwan checks in every now and then to monitor the new god. Mihee can tell that he is a figure of authority and doesn't appreciate having to listen to any other good.

Hongbin brings gifts he finds useful and Mihee plays with them. They excite her curiosity and Sanghyuk finds himself wondering if the Fate has a purpose for them. Wonshik refuses to acknowledge her existence but Taekwoon visits almost every day like clockwork, staying mere minutes at times.

Hakyeon showers Mihee with praise and brings her fruits from his own gardens and harvest offerings. He takes her on long walks and teaches her about the world all around them. He teaches her about humans and the workings of their realm and the realm of the Gods and fates. Their history which made them who they are today and their future, which is uncertain but inevitable.

Sanghyuk hopes Mihee doesn’t start throwing tantrums when they have to return to the underworld. The divine contract is binding and he can't put it off much longer. Hakyeon never visits the underworld except to ferry him as seasons pass. Mihee will surely miss him once they leave.

“I never took you as the type to be afraid” Hakyeon comments casually.

Sanghyuk wonders how to reply to that. Silence remains his only recourse.

“Motherhood is like that” Hakyeon continues. “Even if you are the type to live without regrets. When you have a child you can't help but worry about their well being. You start putting their needs and priorities first.”

“I am sorry” Sanghyuk says finally. “When I ran away, I didn't realize that it would affect you so much.”

“I was worried. Hades is right when he says that the underworld is no place for little children. You were only a child god. Still are.”

“You must have been terrified.”

“I was ready to move Olympus and overturn Jaehwan's authority if he refused to give me back my child.”

“I really am sorry” Sanghyuk apologizes. It's years too late but the feelings are genuine and the lessons learnt the hard way.

“You don't have to be. You were born a god. Mihee was unfortunately born human first. In the eyes of many, she won't be taken as a legitimate goddess. And it will be your word against that of the pantheon when it comes down to that. You can't be weak when it comes to fighting for her.”

Sanghyuk nods. These are thoughts he already has in his head. He has seen the way the divine entities of Zeus's court look at Mihee. They won't accept her here on Olympus.

“When winter comes again, take Mihee to the underworld” Hakyeon advises.

“I have faith you will do well in raising her.”

-

“You have returned” Taekwoon smiles when Sanghyuk returns to the underworld. Death greets him as he steps off the boat, from river to land. Mihee waves to the souls who move just below the surface and Sanghyuk's hold on her tightens lest she fall in.

“Winter has begun” Sanghyuk says solemnly.

“They call it the coldest winter in the really of humans” Taekwoon tells him as they walk to Wonshik's castle.

“It must be a cause of concern. A cold winter means more disease and death” Sanghyuk concludes. Humans have no strength in their frail bodies and are susceptible to such extreme changes in the weather.

“True. But I don't think they are quite concerned about that. They hope to see snow early this winter” Taekwoon says, smiling softly.

“You've never seen snow, have you Mihee?” he asks, bending over to Mihee who is resting her head on Sanghyuk's shoulder.

“It's white and pretty when it falls. I think you'll like it” he continues. “When you grow up, I will take you to Earth to witness how humans celebrate winter.”

“I think Mihee would like that” Sanghyuk replies for his daughter who has dozed off now. Taekwoon smiles at him.

Death smiles more now and Persephone wonders if it is an effect of love. He is no longer lonely. Hades is a dedicated and righteous man, clearly very generous with his heart.

So why doesn't Wonshik like Mihee?

-

“You should have dinner with us tonight” Sanghyuk proposes.

Hongbin is babysitting Mihee and Sanghyuk takes the moment to tend to his lily garden. The stargazers are droopy from the lack of proper care and haven't wilted completely. Sanghyuk suspects that Wonshik has been taking care of them for him but knows better than to expect a confirmation of his suspicions.

Wonshik shakes his head and merely watches Sanghyuk take care of the lillies.

“Lillies need constant care. And periodic additions of fertilizers. Especially when spring comes so that the plant blooms in summer” Sanghyuk explains. “Particularly stargazers. They also need to be kept away from pests.”

“You won't find pests in the underworld. Not the living kind that eat your flowers” Wonshik replies.

“Gardens don't grow in isolation. It's an ecosystem” Sanghyuk explains. “The plants take nutrients from the soil and recycle the air. They provide food and shelter for rodents and pests who ultimately die and return to the soil and begin the cycle again.”

“There are bugs in my castle gardens?” Wonshik asks, tensing up.

“Is the mighty Hades afraid of bugs?” Sanghyuk teases. Wonshik glares at him but it is ineffective in stifling his mirth. Sanghyuk laughs out loud and Wonshik frowns, throwing blades of grass to stop him.

“I am afraid you have quite strained my hospitality. First you bring yourself into my realm and then you insist on raising pests” Wonshik huffs.

“I insist on raising a child too.”

“And there is no way to dissuade you?”

“Why do you wish to be rid of Mihee this desperately?”

“The underworld is no place for children. It was never meant to be home to the goddess of spring himself and most certainly not for their children.”

“You thought that Death had no place in the underworld too. You love Taekwoon the most.”

“There are things in this realm Sanghyuk. Dangerous places. Sinners are met with divine punishment and not in the nicest ways.”

“We will have to make sure Mihee never strays there.”

“I had forgotten how stubborn you were” Wonshik says. There is no way of winning this argument.

“I could say the same of you” Sanghyuk says, putting his gardening tools away. With a little love and care, the stargazers look healthier already. Sanghyuk wonders if he should plant some more at his mother's home. He will most certainly send a bouquet mid winter so that Hakyeon doesn't miss Mihee and him too much.

“Tomorrow, the empires will declare war on each other. The halls will be filled with deformed cruel souls again” Wonshik tells him.

“I will take care that Mihee doesn't run into them” Sanghyuk promises.

“You really should join us for dinner. Hongbin says Mihee might speak her first word soon. You might be around to witness it.”

-

The rivers to the underworld fill up with the souls of the dead. War is a gory business and the soul of the wicked and the maimed reflect their karma and despicable acts in the shapes it takes.

Once Sanghyuk would think nothing of it but Wonshik's concern is rightly placed. Hades opens the gates of the castle by Cocytus so that mother and daughter may stay there in peace while the war progresses. Sanghyuk misses his gardens and Mihee misses Cerberus but both resign themselves to their fate.

Their peace is interrupted when the Erinyes arrive. Sanghyuk is not intimately acquainted with the deities but he has seen them petition to Wonshik on occasion to claim souls of sinners.

His worry increases on their arrival but he tries not to show it. Custom dictates that he invite his guests in and so the deities come to meet his daughter. They coo over Mihee (under his watchful eye) and do not say anything more.

“We have business with the gods” is the only response he gets to his polite inquiry.

His confusion grows when Wonshik and Jaehwan arrive. Wonshik looks grave but when does he not? Jaehwan is serious too, devoid of his usual flirtatious ways.

“My dearest” he says, kissing Sanghyuk's hand. Wonshik's disapproval is clear but he doesn't interfere. Jaehwan doesn't have the straightest reputation when it comes to romance.

Sanghyuk isn't even thinking about it. Why are the gods assembling here? And who has called them? Jaehwan seems to know as much as he does and the Erinyes refuse to enlighten them.

Taekwoon arrives last and brings the answer to his questions.

The Erinyes sense him and their restlessness grows. Wonshik gestures to indicate that Sanghyuk should take Mihee away.

“She must stay” one of the deities scowls.

“She is a child. She isn't needed” Jaehwan speaks.

“She must stay. Only she can give us permission to exact divine vengeance” the deity screeches.

“Stay behind me at all times” Wonshik says, standing protectively in front of his wards. Sanghyuk knows it is a bad time but he can't help how his heart swells with pride.

After what feels like forever, Taekwoon drags a soul into the castle halls. Its jarring screams can be heard from a mile away.

“Who have you brought before us?” Zeus asks, looking at the soul in pity.

“A war general but also the man who tortured and killed Mihee when she was in her human form” Taekwoon replies. The Erinyes hiss and the tension in the room is palpable.

“Why have you brought him here?” Wonshik asks angrily. Mihee looks to be on the verge of crying. Her base human soul recognizes the criminal soul in front of her.

“Crimes of this order mean that the decision of the soul's fate is out of my hands. I petition to hand him over to the Erinyes so he may be taken to the inner circle of hell and punished for all eternity” Taekwoon demands. Sanghyuk is reminded of his fury on the day he brought Mihee's soul to the underworld and his vow of revenge.

“The decision to do that is not yours” Wonshik says, looking over to Jaehwan.

“It's not his either. It must be the goddess who decides” the Erinyes decides. “Only she can tell us what to do.”

Mihee senses everyone turn to her. She clings on to Sanghyuk and has tears in her eyes.

“Mihee, dearest. Won't you listen to your uncle?” Taekwoon says, trying to sway her to his point of view. Mihee only tears up and buries her head in Sanghyuk's chest.

“She is only a child. How can she decide?”

“She must choose. And if she doesn't willingly then we will make her” the deities chant together and they move. Wonshik glares and the temperature in the room drops.

“As the child of my ward, I will make this decision for her” Wonshik pleads.

“I accept the suggestion” Jaehwan says, attempting to wrap this up as smoothly as possible.

“We do not!” the oldest of deities yells. She moves and her form is trapped in vines that erupt from the earth.

“You will not dare to lay a hand on my child!” Sanghyuk yells in anger. He traps all the deities in their places with thick vines, the thorns protruding and ready to hurt anyone who attempts to come near Mihee.

“Mamma”

Mihee's voice silences everyone. These are her first words and in normal circumstances, this is a cause for joy. Sanghyuk is too angry to let this go.

“Mamma” Mihee repeats firmly, clutching onto his robes.

“This is a bad man who did very bad things to you Mihee, once upon a lifetime” Sanghyuk explains. “Uncle Taekwoon is right to punish him.”

Mihee looks at him and then to Taekwoon who nods at her. She looks down at the writhing soul and shakes her head. She turns back to her mother and refuses to look further.

“Wonshik, she doesn't understand what she is saying” Taekwoon pleads. Wonshik stands unsure. He can't interfere with Mihee's divine right when he hasn't officially claimed her and Sanghyuk won't overturn her decision either.

“How long will this wretched soul live in hell?” Jaehwan asks, looking at the offender. Years of crimes and corruption have eroded all good things from it.

“Not very” Wonshik concedes.

“For his crimes against the goddess, he is acquitted” Jaehwan starts. He hushes everyone with a raise of his hand. “However his crimes against the rest of humanity stand and for that I pass judgement. The Erinyes may choose an appropriate punishment for that.”

On his signal, Sanghyuk releases the Erinyes. But he glares at them all the while they free themselves and collect the human soul and leave. Wonshik is instantly by Taekwoon's side. Both of them are not happy with the way the events have played out but Jaehwan's decision is just and has to be followed.

Jaehwan puts a hand on Sanghyuk's shoulder. Mihee and Sanghyuk both turn to look to him.

“Mihee displayed great sensibility tonight” he says. “She will be a benevolent god. One we may need.”

“She is a child Zeus” Sanghyuk says warily. Whatever he intends to do with his child, Sanghyuk will simply not allow it.

“She is a god, Persephone. She was created by my hand, so she is my child too” Jaehwan reminds her with an angry glare.

“I designate her the goddess of mental wellbeing and prosperity and the harbinger of insanity as a punishment to the evil. When she grows, she will have her own realm in the skies as a minor goddess of the moon” Jaehwan concludes.

Sanghyuk gulps. A place in the pantheon will secure Mihee's future among the gods and no one shall dare question her legitimacy. This blessing truly holds more worth than anyone had expected.

“Will you give her the mantle of Hecate?” Taekwoon asks. The god in question is old and maybe Mihee will make a fine successor.

“A new mantle. Melinoe” Jaehwan says. Though the mantle is an epithet of the old goddess, her role in the divine workings are separate and clear. “To bless the deserving with prosperity and to punish the evil with insanity. Both shall be her powers to grant on maturity.”

“Thank you” Sanghyuk says, on the verge of tears himself.

“Mamma” Mihee calls out, concerned at her mother's distress and he hugs her. Jaehwan smiles at the pair before leaving the pair. He must inform the Fates and have the nymphs on Olympus record this in their history.

“Till she is old enough to manage her own realm, she will stay in the underworld. It will always be her home” Wonshik says. Sanghyuk almost hugs the god himself.

One by one, everyone leaves and Sanghyuk takes a seat. He is surprised that his knees haven't given out earlier. He looks at his daughter who plays with his robes.

“Won't you say Mamma again Mihee?” he asks, free to indulge his daughter now.

Mihee smiles mischievously and doesn't say a word. Sanghyuk laughs.

-

-

-

Ending notes 

1. One debate about Melinoe's birth/origin is that she is a child of Persephone with Zeus or of Persephone with Hades. In this, Mihee is represented as a child of both. 2. Melinoe is a goddess who predates the concept of Hecate/Erinyes chronologically. In this fic, I switched it around.

[vixxscifiwritings]

VIXX Story Series

Date - 22 July 2018

Note - All links below link to individual series master posts that are then accordingly tagged with triggers. Please read the trigger warnings before reading!

all pretty things about seasons and you

Summary - In which Taekwoon falls in love with Hongbin the way they describe it in books, Sanghyuk and Hakyeon's love blooms like late flowers and Jaehwan and Wonshik fall in love slowly but as passionately as embers turn to fire.

small towns, faded dreams

Summary -  Hakyeon doesn’t know what will kill him faster, the slowly burning cigarette hanging off his lips or the way Jaehwan’s roguish smile makes his heartbeat erratic.

these deep blue waters

Summary -  Jung Taekwoon resides both on the surface world and in the seas, but he calls Hakyeon’s heart his home.

Catharsis

Summary -  Eunho heals slowly. Deep wounds take time and scarring may remain forever. But every step forward is catharsis.

Satellite Heart

Summary -  Wonshik, Taekwoon and Hakyeon weave in and out of each other’s lives. It resembles the way the third star orbits the binary stars in a triple star system and Wonshik wonders what would happen to him if his satellite heart should fall out of the field of gravity.

Phoenix

Summary -  Cha Hakyeon is the leader of Excelsis Unit, the decorated war hero who saved the world from destruction in the Great War five years ago. The world believes that the entire Excelsis Unit was declared dead in the final battle. And then there are those who wish to make this a reality.

Greed Of Gods 

Summary -  A collection of tragedies, featuring VIXX as gods whose greed/ pride/ ego ultimately ends up causing the downfall of those around them. All of these works are adapted from existing mythological/ folklore stories. Each myth or version thereof is linked with the work.

Glowsticks And Music Notes 

Summary - In which Hakyeon is a fansite master, Taekwoon is the silent admirer but intense fanboy all the same, Jaehwan causes mayhem intentionally and unintentionally, Wonshik kills the fandom with sad fanfiction, Hongbin makes the best posters and Sanghyuk doesn’t know if he wants to join or run away from the crazy. Except he makes crack videos so he is indirectly a contributor to it.

In short, VIXX as fanboys. The AU no one asked for.

Wordsmith For The Heart 

Summary - A drabble series revolving around words picked from  Dictionary Of Obscure Sorrows

[M] Roses And Whips 

Summary -  VIXX smut drabble series based on poetry/quotes I’ve found on the net.

Temple Of Glass 

Summary - Stuck in a small dessert planet on the Outer Rim of the galaxy, Han Sanghyuk dreams of freedom. In the very heart of Coruscant, Jung Taekwoon dreams of days where he can be free of the consequences of the choices he made.Both would never dream of being connected by the Force. Yet here they are, forging ahead on paths that are circles leading them back to one another

Your Weight In Gold 

Summary -  Sanghyuk the Great Golden Dragon of the East has decided that he quite likes Princess Hana. So much so, that he deems her worthy of being his most precious treasure. Things get complicated.

[kyaappucino]

Let Go of Me

Pairing: Hakyeon/Taekwoon

Words: 820

Rating: G

Summary: Zelos Cabin was a strange one–for one, it was connected to the Hades Cabin.

Notes: Characterization piece for mythology AU.

Warnings: a mixed bag of feelings

Zelos Cabin was a strange one–for one, it was connected to the Hades cabin. When he asked the camp counselor about the construction design, she’d shrugged and said “Zelos insisted that you weren’t separated from Taekwoon, Hakyeon. And quite frankly, from your performance at camp so far, I’m inclined to agree with him.”

Hakyeon blushed furiously–it wasn’t his fault that Hades’s son had a way of getting him to do better at combat training. The way Taekwoon’s cat-like eyes glittered with mischief whenever Hakyeon was losing had the son of Zelos seeing red–or in this case, green. Everyone had been expecting Hakyeon to lose to Taekwoon, especially since the son of Zelos was fighting with a whip, against the fencing sword of the long-limbed son of Hades.

He’d be damned if he let himself lose to those eyes, to that tiny confident smirk playing across Taekwoon’s lips. When Hakyeon spotted Taekwoon’s tiny pink tongue wet those lips, he knew he just had to win.

So when the battle ended with Hakyeon straddling Taekwoon, his whip wrapped around those long legs, the surprise skittered across Taekwoon’s face. “All right, you win,” Taekwoon said grumpily. “get off of me.”

Hakyeon did so with extreme difficulty–it seemed like his very core wanted to say no, and just wanted to stay like this, with Taekwoon forever.

He’d have to talk to his father about this possessive thing. When they said house of jealousy, they really weren’t kidding. It was taking nearly all of Hakyeon’s energy not to just pounce on Taekwoon, or to pounce on every boy and girl who thought about confessing to the blue-eyed, silent resident of the Hades Cabin.

—-

“Let go of me! Hakyeon!” It had been a daughter of Aphrodite. She’d asked Taekwoon to meet her outside of his cabin, after hours. Before she could even use her charmspeak to coax a kiss out of the serious boy, Hakyeon clapped a hand to her mouth and stared her down with his eyes.

In the bright moonlight, his eyes were cold and mismatched, but the message was clear:

If you don’t stay away from him, I will fuck you up.

“I think you really are hurting her, Hakyeon…” Taekwoon said quietly, and that had caused him to let her go, watching her run off to find Hongbin. Hakyeon scowled. “You really shouldn’t just accept every invite you get, Woonie-ah.”

“So I can’t, but you can?” There was a dark edge in Taekwoon’s voice that caused a shiver to go up Hakyeon’s spine. “I don’t know what you’re talking ab–”

“Bullshit. Don’t lie to me, Cha Hakyeon. You left your cabin in the middle of the night.” Hakyeon’s heart jumped into his throat–Taekwoon had seen him?

“That…that was…” he had no real excuse for that; he’d snuck off to meet Minhyuk, from the Hephaestus cabin.

“Just because I’m…your person–whatever that means–doesn’t mean you own me, Hakyeon! Let. me. go.” Taekwoon’s feline eyes had turned into slits and he was crossing his arms, displeased.

Hakyeon felt like screaming. He wished he could, he really did–but the pull towards protecting and hiding Taekwoon away was too strong. It was like he wasn’t complete without Taekwoon by his side, and the chance that someone would take that away just terrified him.

He looked away from Taekwoon and muttered, “Minhyuk’s…childhood friend.”

“What?” Taekwoon asked, still annoyed at the Zelos child. “Minhyuk’s one of my oldest friends. I never thought I’d see him here!” Hakyeon spat, his voice rising a little bit from emotion.

Taekwoon shoved Hakyeon inside the Hades Cabin and said softly, “Do you want us to get into trouble?” Hakyeon shook his head. “Sorry. Just frustrated…do you even understand what you do to me, Woonie?”

The Hades child blinked owlishly. “…no?”

Hakyeon sighed. “I thought so. Anyway…it’s getting late. Can…can we just forget this ever happened? And…you’re right. I don’t own you. Next time I’ll just…leave you alone. Sorry. I really am. She was really pretty.”

Taekwoon nodded, but looked even more annoyed than ever. “She is pretty but that isn’t the point, Hakyeon. She…she was…” he trailed off and sighed again. “…nothing. Just…when you see her next time don’t touch her, okay? She’s got something I need.”

Somehow that made Hakyeon feel even more miserable, but he nodded.

Why’d he have to fall in love with Taekwoon? Taekwoon, who spoke to girls and as few boys as humanly possible? Taekwoon, who hung around Wonshik and Hongbin during the times when Hakyeon was busy with camp duties?

Dad...Hakyeon thought desperately, is there any way I can get rid of…of wanting to completely own this boy?

He turned on his bed and covered his head with a pillow to muffle his frustrated groan, wondering what Taekwoon was doing on the other side of the door.

[jjungiee]

Bargained For (Strike A Deal Sequel) | 1

Pairing: VIXX Ravi x Reader x VIXX Hongbin

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/God! AU

Summary:  When it comes to a blossoming, new family and an old rival, the King of the Underworld has to handle more than he bargained for. 

Author’s Note: As requested by quite a few of my lovely followers, shoutouts in particular to @kawaii-hedgehog and @heart-baek-bleed. Here is the sequel to Strike A Deal. This is a filler part, the good stuff is coming. If you haven’t read Strike A Deal yet you can read it here. I’d recommend reading it first otherwise this won’t make a whole heap of sense. Anyway enjoy~!

(part 2 will be up tomorrow/later tonight) 

Never in his entire existence did he truly believe happiness existed. Yet as each day passed he found a joy that reached the darkest parts of his soul and filled them with warmth and light. His beautiful child that would be due any day now. His perfect little world had finally become a reality. His true love was his, and his child was due any day now. 

His dismal and cold Underworld had transformed into the world suitable for his wife and his child to live. Gardens now filled with fruits and flowers both of the above world and underworld. Harsh and dreary settings were brightened in the King’s home, thanks to his wife and some of his brothers' helpers. The lower levels of the Underworld would be kept away from his wife and his family. He could keep his business separate. The once cruel  King of the Underworld had now found himself not torturing for sport or killing out of pure whim. He had a purpose now. He had a family. He had finally found happiness. Never once in all his years of existence did he ever believe that he could feel like this. Never once did he believe the word perfection would describe his life. But, here he was. Hades, King of the Underworld,  perfectly content and perfectly happy in his own perfect world with his perfect little family.

Your hand rubbed your growing stomach as you hummed softly. How beautiful you are and without even knowing it, he mused. Maybe even more so now that you were carrying his child. For the months that had passed he watched your stomach swell with his anxiety for your well-being. There was half a god inside of you, after all. He had no idea what kind of effect that would have on a mortal.  His darkest fears always spurred to life as your stomach grew, he could control himself, but your child was a different story. The unknown was haunting him and no matter how excited he was to have an heir to his kingdom and living proof of his love for you, he worried. How could he ever love anything that had harmed you?

“Your Excellency, the fates have arrived.” One of his minions announced.

A nod and a wave of his hand given in acknowledgement.  His thumb stroked against your cheek. His eyes staring longingly, he hated leaving you alone. He especially hated leaving you when you were so close to birthing his child. He worried that in his absence some unforeseen event would take you away from him. But this meeting was of vital importance, this meeting was about you.

“Business awaits, my love. Please go rest,” he urged.

“You mustn’t worry so much, husband. We’ll be fine. Go take care of business and then we can rest if it really bothers you so,” you smiled reassuringly, kissing his cheek gently.

A stubborn huff left him, but he agreed. The fates were waiting.

He grimaced, coming face to face with three distorted figures after being graced with your beauty. It was said that each wrinkle on their haggard bodies was another part of wisdom. The ever so wise fates had been graced with his presence.  Bumbling along and muttering to each other, he wondered how long this urgent deal would take. For women so wise, they seemed foolish to be wasting his time.

A slam of a dimly lit vile on the table in the centre of the room seemed to focus the three.

“As discussed, my part of the bargain... souls ripe for your whims”

“Patience...”

“I’ve given my side of the bargain, now speak.” He barked. “Tell me. What does the future hold for my wife and I. Our family.”  

One of the three hags gasped, unfurling string from her finger. “Immortality runs through her veins. Survival of psychical battles she can conquer, if she is determined.”

The next fate took the string from her, stroking it between her bony fingers. “Beware. There is danger ahead. Her past brings too much peril to her future.”

He stared confused. What past did his wife have? Did she lead some sort of dangerous life before he had met his sweet lover? No. It did not sound true. Nothing would harm her.

“You haven’t much time left. Your destinies are intertwined. Another. Another is coming. Be wary, Hades. Your choices now determine the chaos that will be unleashed.”

Chaos. Another. Danger. Could they possibly be speaking of his child? The fates albeit were often correct in their predictions; their realities, once set in motion, could not be changed. Not even by his brother Zeus himself.

The doors to his meeting chambers slammed open. A minion panted in its opening, “Sire. The baby.”

A distant groan of his beloved was all that echoed in his ears as he ran to you. Yelling to his minions to call the nymphs and his brother for help. He thought of nothing else but you as he ran to your side, lifting you into his arms and helping you to your chamber.

The baby was coming.

-

He wanted nothing more than to barge through the door and end the screaming that echoed throughout his kingdom. He couldn’t seem to get his usual joy out of a person’s screams. Not now. Not when it was his wife who was in so much pain. He would’ve killed anything that made his wife pained, except this was his child, his heir, his precious reminder of his love with his wife. A perfect little flower that was equal parts you and equal parts him. Secretly, he hoped that your child would resemble you, your kindness, your beauty, everything he loved about you.

Various nymphs were keeping you well tended to and yet, he worried. It was dangerous, it was rare, humans were not meant to hold a child that was part god, who knew if the child would inherit some kind of twisted power. What if his child was full of evil gifts that killed his wife during the labor? His heart lurched and he truly had to hold himself back from ripping the door off its hinges.

His wait was soon cut short, a crying breaking his rhythmically paced footsteps. A nymph shortly appearing through the newly opened door.

“How is she? How’s the baby?”

The nymph said nothing, simply gesturing inside.

His heart thudded rapidly against his ribcage. It was his first time seeing his child. It didn’t matter to him if the baby looked more like you or him, if his godly genes somehow cursed the child, or even what gender the child was... all he wanted was for the child to be healthy.

Ravi’s breath caught in his throat, his body froze, and his eyes teared over. There you were, very exhausted and covered in sweat, but glowing with happiness. Cradled in your arms was the most beautiful child he had ever seen, even if he did say so himself. His little princess. What a breathtaking sight, his Queen and his little Princess. He was truly bewildered, how could he who was once a sad, cold-hearted and cruel being be blessed with such a beautiful family? He stepped closer, sitting by your side. He pressed a kiss to your temple, pushing a few sweat filled strands of hair from your face. You had just given birth and yet you still looked ethereal in his eyes. All the breath was knocked out of his body as he looked down at his perfect child. Tiny little hands clung to nothing as they balled into fists experimentally. An adorably small nose that crinkled as she wriggled about in your arms. She truly looked like you, your perfect lips and your cute nose that he loved so much. His daughters’ eyes had yet to open but he hoped they were as beautiful as yours.

“Thank you for bringing her into the world, my love. She’s beautiful... just like her mother.”

“C-Can I hold her?”

“Of course you can, she’s your daughter after all.”

“What if I hurt her? Or-”

You hushed him tiredly, gently passing your baby into his arms. She looked so tiny in his arms, she seemed so content there, snuggled up into her father’s arms. He pressed a feather-light kiss on her forehead. His arms tensed and he kept her embraced in his arms as if she were the most delicate thing in the world. The sight would make anyone’s heart melt.

For minutes on end, he just stared in complete awe. How had you both made someone so perfect? He was in love all over again. He had never felt this kind of love before, the love a father had for his child. A love so strong that he would destroy the entire world if anything hurt his daughter.

His daughter. He just couldn’t believe it.

“Husband” you croaked out, the exhaustion getting the better of you. “What shall we name her?”

For months you had discussed baby names, never quite agreeing or settling on a name for your child. He scoured his brain for names that he had been particularly fond of during the centuries but only one came to mind, a name he had never heard before but yet it was screaming to be chosen as he looked upon her.

“Yina,” he breathed out.

You looked at him curiously, repeating the name yourself. Truly there wasn’t anything like it, yet it seemed to fit her perfectly.

“It’s unique and beautiful, like our daughter…Just saying the name brings joy.”

A smile made its way through your tired features. 

“Our precious Yina.”

[jjungiee]

Strike A Deal | Part 14

Pairing: VIXX Ravi x Reader

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/Hades! AU

Summary:  When he catches you in his trap, what else can you do but make a deal with the King of the Underworld? 

Author’s Note: Finally found it! Also, Chloris is a goddess of Nature. There's still a bit more of Strike A Deal after this chapter, so hang tight! Enjoy! ^^ 

Read more: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 (Last)

“All you have to do is look me in the eyes and tell me you never want to see me again and I will never return to your sight again.”

You watched as he turned away, shoulders slumped in assumed defeat. Maybe you’d listen to your heart that was yearning to give in…

"Ravi…“ you called his name softly.

He turned toward you, his expression blank not wanting to let his hopes get too high only to have them torn to shreds.

You picked up the ends of your dress once again, your sandal covered feet pounding against the soft grass as you ran to him. You dropped your grip on your dress, wrapping your arms firmly around his neck.

Your lips sealing to his in a kiss.

It took him a split second to realise what happened. You had the desire to kiss him, you actually wanted him close to you. As if a switch flipped, you were wrapped in his arms and he was kissing you back. His soft lips pressed against yours with such gentle passion, you could feel yourself melting into him. He pulled away looking deeply into your eyes, he was in utter disbelief that you, his goddess, wanted him too.

“Is this what you want?” He paused, “Are you absolutely certain... that I am what you want? A man that can only offer you his heart and a kingdom of darkness.”

You nodded, “I’ve never felt anything like I have for you before. Nearly losing you and then all of a sudden having you back in my life, and as a changed man made me realised this is what I want. But, you can never go back to that overcontrolling t-”

He pressed a soft kiss on the top of your head. “You hold the control, my love.”

You smiled, how often could a mortal say that they held control over a god?

“Think very hard about this. I would not be able to handle having you again only to have you slip from my grasp.”

You nodded and Ravi let out a breath of relief.

He pulled away, a deep colored smoke circled his hand as he conjured something from the Underworld. He handed you a new pomegranate, the other long gone from the heat of the moment.

“Eating fruit of the Underworld is the only way you can return, Hakyeon sealed off all other mortal access after Taekwoon and Hongbin’s visit.”

You looked at the fruit in your hand,flickers of doubt from the past ran through your mind, but the rush and the adrenaline of a passionate life with him overtook them quickly. You knew now, he was not the same and you truly felt something that you hoped would blossom into something beautiful.

“Before you take a bite and decide completely. I wish to show you something, will you come with me?”  You agreed. He took your hand that was not holding the fruit in his as he strode forward. The hand that was not holding yours was pushing past thick branches that blocked his path, until you finally made it to a clearing.

“After you, beautiful,” you stepped into the clearing into a familiar meadow. You hadn’t been here for months and months. Well before your trip to the underworld. The meadow was different. What once was a meadow with the odd flower or fruit from the surrounding trees, was now littered with hundreds of wildflowers that bloomed in vibrant colors. It was beautiful, the sun was setting in the distance and fireflies were beginning to glow in the shadows of the trees.

You were in awe, you looked around simply shocked at its beautiful transformation.

“I had Hakyeon ask for some help from the forest nymphs and Chloris, I wanted to give you something you would enjoy... or at least something I hoped you would. I do not wish you to feel pressured to accept because of this, I just-”

“It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“This meadow means a lot to me.” He paused, taking your free hand in his again. “I was watching the human world long ago from the Underworld, and this was where I first saw you. I had never believed I would fall in love until you walked right into my life that day, more beautiful than any of the wildflowers you had picked.”

You could feel the pink hue flaring on your cheeks at his words. Your heart beating uncontrollably.

“A god of the dead and from a place so cold I knew you’d never be mine, but this dull thudding felt like a weight in my chest. I had to bring you to me, I realise that it was wrong now... but you do crazy things when you’re in love.”

“Ravi...”

“If you accept this, I will love you every day until you are completely ready. So,” he took in a deep breath, lowering onto one knee. A purple puff of smoke rising from his right hand. A beautiful silver ring, a crystal, deep violet flower on top appearing in his fingers as he offered it to you.

“This is a promise that when you are willing I will give you the wedding you deserve. That I will love you as you want to be loved, that I will be the go-man that you’ve always dreamed of. I can’t change where I live as I am bound to it, but perhaps you could bring light to such a dismal place and be my Queen. Will you marry me?”

"Yes, I will marry you Ravi,"  you held out your hand allowing him to slip the beautiful ring onto your finger. He stood to his full height, spinning you in his arms in happiness. You were his and he was yours. Your lips found each others, in such a way that it felt like it had been centuries since your lips had touched. Something about kissing someone you truly want a future with in the dimming light of a sunset surrounded by beautiful flowers just seemed right.

You pulled away, both of you looking intently at the fruit in your palm.

                                                         -

                             Pomegranate had never tasted so sweet.

- 

* ring inspiration: 

[jjungiee]

Strike A Deal | Part 13

Pairing: VIXX Ravi x Reader

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/Hades! AU

Summary:  When he catches you in his trap, what else can you do but make a deal with the King of the Underworld?

Author’s Note: New part, sorry it took so long. Anyway, enjoy~

Read more: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 (Last) 

-

His eyes fluttered open for the first time in a long while. He had not woken since she had left him.

 His life for the past few weeks had been haze filled dreams in his constant state of unconsciousness. He relived the moments he had spent with her, it was the only thing keeping him from giving into the doom-filled depths of a god’s afterlife without her. He often dreamed of their future together, some dreams ending with little heirs running around his Kingdom, his beloved by his side. 

On days where his injuries took more of a toll on his system, he dreamed of his life without her. Eros visited him in these dreams, with wise warnings of love and how his beloved would never return to his side unless he changed his possessive and unfair ways. He hated these days the most. He wanted to destroy Eros for ever saying such things. 

It was then that he’d see how you looked at him, with eyes so saddened his heart felt like it was shattering. He couldn’t bare it. Then you’d leave him, following behind the God of love and into the arms of another. You were happy and free. Eros may have been a fool in most situations, but in love maybe he could be truly wise. Perhaps, he was right. The more he saw you vanish, the more he believed it. Nothing had truly worked on you so far. He’d do anything to be with you. He longed for you even if it was just a version of you he could only see in his mind. He hated when you went away, he needed to be with you again. 

His mind often echoed whispers into his dreamlike state. He could recognise them easier this time, more clearly than usual. His last dream had sent waves throughout his body, awakening the weakened god slowly from his slumber. He had lost you again, but this was the very last time. He would not be without you unless you truly wished it this time. 

His mind was dizzy and his senses weren’t fully in tact but his brothers next words rang crystal clear. 

“Brother, I know you’re healing right now but I find talking to you helps for both my sanity and for your recovery.” Hakyeon sighed. “I’ve been watching your mortal, it seems her beauty has attracted another. She is to be married, brother. The time is coming you’ll be able to walk freely in the human world. But, she’ll be married if you don’t-” 

“W-Where is she?” 

- 

He knew what he had to do, but he had to see you first. With Hakyeon’s help he had found you, in a small home not far from the forest. He climbed into your window, the cool breeze flowed past your skin sending shivers up your sleeping form. He withheld a smile, shuffling in silently. He pulled your blanket up around your shoulders pressing a kiss to your forehead. His heart felt truly at ease, you were safe. Hongbin hadn’t tried to harm you again, and although he was weakened he wasn’t too late to save you from anything or anyone that tried to stand between your love with him. 

As much as he wanted to he couldn’t stay, he had to leave you. He’d be back for you soon enough. There were only a few hours until morning and he had to return to his Kingdom if you were ever to be his again. 

-

(your POV) 

-

Bright sparks irrupted from the ground, a smoke covering the centre of the alter. The ground below the smoke crumbled, a deep violet haze oozing from its very core, rising a few feet in the air. Sanghyuk stumbled from his spot, finding his balance against one of the temples walls. You stopped in your tracks as the smoke fully dispersed. A new figure emerging in the centre of the isle.

A smirk toyed on his lips when his dark eyes rested upon your shocked form.

“Did you miss me, my love?” He chuckled.

Oh, how you had missed him.

You could feel the weight of the guilt and built up feelings roll off of your shoulders, shattering into pieces upon the floor.

He was alive.

Hongbin hadn’t killed him.

He was here before you and you couldn’t believe it. You wanted to run to him, make sure he was truly here and that this wasn’t a dream but you were frozen. You watched the way his chest rose and the corners of his mouth tilted as he chuckled at your reaction.

He strode towards you, he looked different from before. His hair was lighter and he looked thinner. But he was here. Alive. This wasn’t another dream.

You picked up your dress and ran towards him, to meet him half way. You ran to him, his arms finding your waist before you could even touch him. He spun you around in his arms, your hands wrapping around his neck. He lowered you so your feet touched the ground.

“H-How?”

“That’s not important right now. What is important is that you, my love, are about to marry another.”

“You-” his voice was deadly, arm pointed toward your husband to be. You held your breath you knew how incredibly jealous and possessive the god of the Underworld was of you, and now Sanghyuk was going to pay the price. 

“Cannot marry her.” he finished, sounding less venomous than before. You looked up in shock. “I am already wed to this beautiful goddess and I cannot let her go...” He paused, closing his eyes and sighing. “Unless she wishes it.”

You gasped, this was so unlike your husband. He was giving you a choice. Not an ultimatum, but an actual choice. You froze in his arms, staring into his dark eyes confused by the situation. 

“T-This man... is your husband?” Your father choked out. 

You nodded. Questions started flying from all directions and with the loudness of it all and the sudden eyes that stared into you in curiosity, you found it hard to breathe. 

“Perhaps we should have some privacy?” Ravi whispered, whisking you up into his arms and into a cloud of violet smoke.

The smoke faded and you recognised the forest surrounding you. The sunshine peaking through the dense trees and shining down on you and your husband. 

Your mind raced with a thousand questions. You had dreamt of his return so often you had trouble deciphering if this too was a dream. “Yo-You’re alive. You’re here. I can’t believe it. You’re so different than before... am I still dreaming?” 

He let out a laugh, before ensuring he could explain everything. He had told you of how his brother had saved him that day. Sending Hongbin and Taekwoon off after they thought he was dead. How Hakyeon had saved him and healed him over the past few weeks. He then spoke of you, how he had missed you and how he was here in front of you. 

“I was almost too late, but I am here now. I wish for your forgiveness, my love.” 

“Forgiveness? What for?” You asked looking at him curiously? This was all new to you. 

“Hakyeon provided a scolding about the way I treated you. He even dragged Eros into it. I realise now that I cannot treat the woman I love like a prisoner, no matter how much I’d love to keep you by my side by any means necessary. I am here before you to give you my heart completely, if you will accept it. I will let you leave as often as it is able if you will return to me and be my wife, in return I promise to love you like you should be loved and not mistreated like you belong to me unwillingly. Eros may be a fool in most ways of the world, but he is wise in love. He was right. The tighter I held on the more you simply slipped through the cracks.” He looked deeply into your eyes, grabbing onto your hands softly. 

His thumb trailing the back of your hand as he continued.  “I swear if you give me your heart in return I will love you like no man ever could. I will never let you feel sad or upset or afraid again. But, to be with me my love there is a catch. To return to the Underworld, you will have to eat this. Hakyeon created it, it will only let you return if you truly wish to be with me.” 

He held out what looked like a pomegranate. 

“Even the smallest seed will do. It will ensure your everlasting survival in the Underworld and safe passage shall you wish to flee between worlds.” 

“But, if you wish to be free of our marriage… I will break our deal and my heart to give you what you desire. All you have to do is look me in the eyes and tell me you never want to see me again and I will never return to your sight again.”

He handed you the fruit, eyeing you for a reaction. You just gaped at him trying to absorb all of the information he had given you. 

You watched as he turned away, shoulders slumped in assumed defeat. Why would you go back to him? He had given you his heart but he had lacked in giving you liberty and respect. However he had come to you a changed man, he had saved your life and he had saved you again from a marriage you didn't wish to go through with. 

There was something about the softness in his dark eyes. How he was so sincere in his words for you, maybe just maybe time could give you something you'd always hoped for. Maybe you could give it a chance if he had truly changed his ways. Maybe you'd listen to your heart that was yearning to give in... 

 "Ravi..." you called his name softly. 

He turned toward you, his expression blank not wanting to let his hopes get too high only to have them torn to shreds. 

 You picked up the ends of your dress once again, your sandal covered feet pounding against the soft grass as you ran to him. You dropped your grip on your dress, wrapping your arms firmly around his neck. 

Your lips sealing to his in a kiss.