#i always try to take cues from whatever dreadful thing they grow up in

[moocha-muses]

Say hello to this year’s freshman class!

[seokmthw]

take a break | kim gyuvin

⇢ pairing: gyuvin x reader

⇢ warnings: fluff

⇢ word count: 676

⇢ note: sorry for being a little ia as of late, i promise i'm trying my best to get some stuff written! i started my full time job last week and have been super tired, so please bear with me!

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you huffed in annoyance, tugging at the roots of your own hair at the dreaded powerpoint that was displayed in front of you on your all too bright laptop screen, your mind reeling with all the possible things that could go wrong while you were presenting it in class the next day.

you’d been working tirelessly at it for hours, the only thing keeping you going being a coffee and chinese takeout your boyfriend had brought you for dinner hours earlier.

said boyfriend wouldn’t stop trying to get you to call it quits for the night, either.

“y/n~” gyuvin whined, his voice slightly muffled from the comforter he was currently burying his face in, “come on, love, you’ve been working yourself to death. at least take a ten minute break.”

“i can’t, i need to make sure everything is included in this so i can minimize the chances of me screwing everything up tomorrow,” you passively dismissed, waving your hand lazily at him while you were reaching for your coffee, which by now was watered down, but you didn’t care.

after a few more minutes of typing and reviewing your notecards, gyuvin was talking again, “if you don’t stop for the night, i’m gonna start crying. is that something you really want?”

you couldn’t help but chuckle, “whatever you say, gyu.”

“babe,” gyuvin defeatedly sighed, “i know this is something yourself stressed out over, but i seriously think you’ll do just fine. besides, if you keep cramming stuff in for hours on end, it doesn’t really help you retain much anyway.”

you stopped reading your notecard halfway through, absorbing every word he just spoke and realized that maybe, just maybe, he was right. and as if on cue, he was speaking again.

“also, i really, really wanna cuddle with you right now. i’ve been waiting for hours and i feel like i’m gonna die.”

you chuckled, swiveling in your chair to face the boy who sprawled out on your bed. his hair was in messy tufts in top of his head, his t-shirt was bunched up enough to reveal a small sliver of his tummy and his sweatpants were sloppily tied up. the comforter was barely covering him as well, just enough to give him the warmth and safety he needed.

you had to admit, his arms looked beyond welcoming.

you sighed, taking one last look at your powerpoint before finally closing your laptop and putting your notes away in your bag, finally admitting, “i guess you’re right.”

“oh sweetheart, come here,” you rose from your chair and crawled into bed, where gyuvin was laying with his arms wide open, and melted into his embrace like your life depended on it.

you could feel a soft laugh rumble in his chest, his voice quiet as he spoke now, “i can tell you’re tired.”

“i really am,” you agreed sleepily, your eyes growing heavy after only moments of being wrapped up with him, “thank you, gyu. i mean it. i don’t know what i would do without you.”

he pressed a gentle kiss against your forehead, pulling the comforter over your bodies and somehow managing to bring you even closer to him. within mere minutes, he could hear your breath even out and small sounds erupting from your lungs to let him know that you were sound asleep.

the boy smiled to himself, somehow managing to shut the lamp off behind him without waking you. while it was almost a chore for him to get you to take even a five minute break, he wouldn’t trade it for the world. there was always something about the way you would laugh at his corny jokes and whining that always made him want to keep pestering you.

he brushed the loose strands of hair from your face and kissed your forehead once more, mumbling, “i love you, stubborn ass. you’re gonna knock that presentation out of the park tomorrow.”

slowly but surely, he fell asleep too, content by the mere fact that he had you by his side.

[dateamonster]

trying to imagine how a platonic alternate ending for sonny and dawn could have gone and the conclusion i keep coming to is that theres just no way there was enough room in this b-plot for things to be resolved in a satisfying way. for me a good ending to the sunny/dawn storyline would have to require at least a few things:

more time spent exploring their friendship dynamic. how did they meet? when did sonny develop feelings for dawn and why? was it just superficial attraction or something more based on their growing closeness as friends? did sonny ever worry about how his feelings might affect their friendship?

more time spent exploring the differences between fairies and elves, specifically from sunnys perspective. its pretty apparent just from visual cues that the elves are supposed to represent a sort of peasant class to juxtapose against the fairy royalty, but as ive talked about probably an annoying amount at this point, this is never addressed or even really necessary to the plot. theres no way it didnt affect their dynamic though. id love to see an interpretation of sonnys unrequited love that plays with this a little. maybe he sees dawns obsession with romancing young fairy men and fears what he sees as an inevitable future in which he is no longer an important part of her life. maybe his attachment to dawn alienates him from his fellow elves and he finds himself feeling caught between worlds.

explicit confirmation that the true love necessary to break the love potions doesnt need to be romantic in nature. since the movie steadfastly refuses to reveal more than the bare minimum on how the magic here works, heres how i think it should go. true love can be platonic but must be equal/requited between both parties to break the spell. dawn realizing she loves sonny doesnt break the spell. shes always loved sonny, as her best friend. in this version, its sonny realizing that his love for dawn as a friend is more important to him than his fear of rejection.

basically my ideal sunny/dawn platonic storyline (very briefly) would be like. sunny meets dawn when theyre both young and shes immediately very open and loving with him, not old enough yet to be bogged down by class/species distinctions, but while sonny cares for her as well hes much more aware of the imbalance and constantly worries about her losing interest in him. over time, and as his feelings for her develop, that fear only grows and he takes on his bombastic personality, playing the role of friend, confidant, wingman, personal jester, and whatever else is required just to keep her in his life. when she starts taking a (very intense) interest in dating, he realizes he cant put off confessing his feelings much longer, but dreads what he feels like will be a guaranteed rejection, marking the end of their friendship. from there the plot continues as normal until, in the final confrontation, the love potion influenced dawn takes a blow meant for bk and sonny realizes that the actions he took to try and keep her in his life could be the reason he ends up losing her forever. he tearfully confesses that he doesnt care any more if she returns his feelings, he just doesnt want to lose his best friend, and thats what ultimately snaps her out of it.

i think the arc should end sorta semi-ambiguously but hopefully, with dawn being naturally upset about the whole love potion thing but also understanding, realizing shes been ignorant to his worries and insecurities as well and grateful that theyre now finally back on the same page.

anyway thats my vision! i also think its p crucial to this arc for this version of strange magic to be ya know better about the racist coding involved in certain character designs but otherwise this is the gist.

[harrypotter-imaginess]

Part 1 Here!

Commission Info for letters from your favorite comfort character here! 

A/N: If you want to be added to the tag list for this, The draco muggle series, or the Fred and George Weasley best friends Series let me know!

- “What’s the hurry boss? Where are you heading off to?” One of your co -workers asks as you rush around the store double checking all the locks on the entrances and giving your plants one final spritz

- “Hot date?” The other asks with a suggestive raised eyebrow

- “Yes.” You say simply,

- They both sputter at that

- “What? Seriously?!”

- “With who??” The other shrieks

- And right on cue there’s a light tap on the door

- Cue your employees squealing again

- “Him?!?”

- “The hottie with a dye job?”

- George offers you a smile and a wave and you smile back

- “Ainsley I trust you can lock up?” You ask, pushing the key into their hand

- They only nod

- Henry’s looking at you with his his mouth open as he watches you leave, George and you smiling at each other like a couple of lovestruck fools

- “I told you he had a crush on them” Ainsley says with a grin and Henry has a blush blooming on his cheeks as he pulls a five pound note from his wallet

- “I mean I did too- I just didn’t think he would work up the nerve to actually ask them out.”

- A moment of silence fills the air

- “I bet Ten pounds they find out if that’s their natural hair color tonight” Ainsley says with a grin, and Henry looks at her with a slightly mortified expression

- I mean, the implication of how you would find that out is just-

- “Yeah alright, our boss is a prude there’s no way” he says shaking Ainsley’s hand.

- So when George meant dinner- he meant dinner

- You’re at the tower restaurant in downtown London

- It’s on the fiftieth floor at a skyscraper at the heart of London.

- He reserved a table specifically next to a window with a view of the canal and the London eye

- It’s quite spectacular

- “Have you been here before?” He asks

- You’re glad you dressed a little nicer than you were originally thinking

- “A few times, once for a birthday and once-“

- You’re interrupted by your server bringing a bottle of champagne

- George gets a puzzled expression, he hasn’t even ordered yet

- “Compliments of the Owner, we’re still grateful you were able to fulfill that order last minute when our other florist backed out.”

- “Not a problem Charles, it was my pleasure”

- When he’s gone George flashes you a smile

- “I feel like everyone knows you” he says, lifting up a champagne flute as you toast.

- “That was just one person” you say with a smile and a giggle

- “You should have been at the store last week, my brother wouldn’t shut up about you” he says with a grin

- “Who’s your brother?”

- George describes Ron, but it doesn’t spark anything in you until he mentions the red hair

- “Oh yes, Ronnie! He comes by every month to get flowers for his girlfriend, I didn’t know he was your brother”

- What a small world

- You should have seen the similarity from the start, the hair was a dead give away really

- How come no one else at the shop had noticed either?

- “Well one of them” George shrugs

- “How many brothers do you have”

- George grins

- “That’s enough for a volleyball team!”

- “We have a sister too, the running joke is our parents wanted a girl, just one”

- By the time the appetizers are being brought out George has got the family picture from when they visited Bill in Egypt out (charmed so it doesn’t move of course)

- “You have a twin?”

- You know the second you’ve asked it that you said something wrong

- It’s not that George looks upset, or that his expression has darkened-

- He just looks so sad

- The kind of sadness that’s as deep as the Mariana Trench, hidden behind a kind smile and the gentle warmth of longing

- “I did have a twin-“ George knew this would come up sooner or later, he just didn’t want to ruin the nice mood you had going so soon

- “He passed away a few years ago”

- George is waiting for the look-

- The wide eyes, and the slight pout. That overly sympathetic look he’s gotten so often, it’s only natural. It happens to everyone, he won’t hold it against you. 

- And it forms on your face a little, because you can’t imagine what it’s like to lose someone like that. But the next thing that comes out of your mouth is original

- “What was he like?”

- “What?” George is taken aback, he was expecting words of condolence, as is typical for this situation

- “You told me all about Bill, and Charlie, and Percy, and Ron, and Ginny-“

- Now he’s surprised that you’ve remembered all of his siblings names, and correctly at that

- “Now tell me about your twin”

- Your eyes are twinkling when they look to him. All of London stretches out behind you, like something from a painting. Your face is illuminated by the small candle in the middle of your table.

- It feels like something out of a movie, and George is afraid he might cry from the sheer beauty of it

- He never thought he would feel this way again

- “His name was Fred, and he was my best friend”

- He’s talked about Fred before, to his family, to his therapist and old classmates

- But he’s never had an experience quite like this

- “Umbridge? Oh she was the worst, like the bitter old nun who slaps your wrists with a ruler”

- Only worse

- “Anyway Fred and I- we planned this entire thing when we decided to leave school-“

- He tells you about the fireworks in the main hall of their boarding school, and the way they raced through the door and never came back

- “I think I would have liked Fred” you say, a warm look in your eyes

- He would have liked you too, George wants to say

- But that’s a little forward for the first date, he feels like he’s already unloaded enough with his broken family and their loss

- Lucky for him, dessert has just arrived

- “Compliments of the owner, we hope to see you both here again” Charles tells you, setting down two impressive plates of Tiramisu

- “Why do I get the feeling that whatever you did was more than just a last minute order fulfillment?”

- You shrug

- “Well after the whole thing- they started contracting me to do their regular day to day flowers” you shrug, it’s not that big of a deal, fancy places like this use a few different vendors, they probably have a different one for each day

- Which is for the best since your shop can only handle a few days at most.

- It’s not that you can’t produce enough flowers or anything, it’s just you wouldn’t be able to give Ainsley and Henry the leisurely work hours you do now, not while maintaining quality for your existing customers

- And that’s a big no for you

- “I take it business was always this good?”

- With how successful you seem, he honestly can’t imagine you struggling

- You scoff

- “It was tough at first, when I was by myself.” You still remember your family telling you that it wasn’t to late to declare bankruptcy and get a real job. “Things got better when Ainsley showed up- holidays are still tough though.”

- “Ron’s told me all about the hour long line at Valentine’s Day” George says with a grin and you bury your face in your hands with a muffled groan

- “Oh it’s going to be terrible this year.” Valentine’s Day is still a few months away, but you can already feel the dread

- “We started doing appointments only last year- because the amount of people that just show up and ransack the place is just-“

- “Oh I know,” George says. “My store doesn’t even sell anything all that romantic, but the amount of people who show up last minute to buy anything- one time a bloke even bought the decorations I had up.”

- “Have you noticed-“ you voice lowers as you lean forward. “That’s it’s never people looking for things for their significant other, it’s always-“

- “For the mistresses?”

- You nod enthusiastically

- “I thought maybe it was just my store-“ George leans forward as well now, talking very quickly

- “No the same person who ordered flowers two months in advance for their husband, will spend thirty minutes begging for me to put a bouquet together for their special friend”

- George leans back and shakes his head

- “It’s crazy isn’t it? How many people cheat?”

- You sigh, leaning back into your chair shrugging

- “It’s not our place to judge.”

- Especially not when the person in question is shoving fifty quid in your face for a god d*mn cactus and a card

- George knows that, and he knows there have been times that the only reason he was able to keep his shop afloat after Fred left is because of Valentine’s Day

- But still- cheating just irks him

- It’s the most unforgivable thing a person can do, to betray the person they love the most like that

- George knows every relationship is different- and that things aren’t clear cut-

- But he can’t ever imagine doing that to someone

- “I don’t get it though, I can’t even get one lover, let alone two or more” you laugh, and George swears it looks like you’re glowing

- He feels a smile twitch at the corner of his lips, the mischievous streak in him rolling awake after what feels like years of slumber

- “What if I told you I was trying to change that?”

- His arm is on the table, the tips of his fingers brushing against yours slightly

- You feel your face grow hot as his words sink in one by one

- A smile spreading across you face

- “I would say, I’m looking forward to it.”

BONUS:

- “So did you find out if Hottie’s color is natural?” Ainsley asks, a mischievous smile curled onto their lips. 

- “Ainsley, his name is George, he owns a hobby store a few lanes over.” You say as you finish tying the bow on an arrangement. 

- There’s a second of silence in which Henry and Ainsley exchange a look. Henry’s feeling pretty confident right now, Ainsley might have worked here longer than him, but he feels like he knows you pretty well, and he-

- “And yes it is, so you should both stop calling him Dye Job.” You say with a smile twitching on your lips. 

- Henry.exe is broken.

- Ainsley has to hide their joy, internally cheering and wondering how to spend the money. 

- “H-how do you know that?” Henry asks, maybe you’re just saying it so he and Ainsley will stop teasing your new love interest. 

- You stop, looking up from your arrangement in slight wonder.

- Ah, he was right! It looks like you’re trying to come up with an excuse.

- “Well his brothers all seem to have that hair color, I think they get it from their Dad.”

- Ainsley and Henry.exe have stopped working. 

- “YoU mEt HiS fAmIlY??” Ainsley shrieks. 

[ushiwakaout]

parings: Kenma x reader, Oikawa x reader

warning: Fluff, bad grammar. nsfw under black line. fem reader. TIME SKIP HAIKYUU

a/n: request are open! please don’t be afraid to do so!

Kozume Kenma

Match made in heaven

Both of you are at home workers, other than the fact that kenma is a CEO of his own company

You work for him, you’re his editor and you work pretty fast since you obviously do nothing in your day but edit and binge watch anime

you guys could probably go days without talking and just communicate physically and understand everything.

If you go to the store, and he’s gaming that’s when you’ll talk

Always knock before you go into his little studio room

You never come behind him anymore because one time he was filming a scary gameplay with a heart monitor and everyone thought you gave him a heart attack 

but no, kenma is just baby and you wanted a good laugh- you felt really bad about it tho bc it was live and you where crying your ass off and he was yelling at you 

fake breakup video like the next day for trolling

Okaya anywho

if you want his attention and he’s live, you remove one side of his headset and kiss his cheek (theres a several compilation videos of you doing that all over youtube) “I’m going to the store, you want anything?” 

you always wait like 30 seconds and caress him a little to let him know you’re physically there and not just standing there.

“Uh- yeah... yeah. Hold on.” (there is also a compilation of kenma just ignoring you and you just standing there until he answers) 

you always end up naming his favorite snacks, drinks and food and he either agrees or denies. 

everyone thinks its weird how your relationship works

SOME MANY VIDEOS OF “kenma and y/n communicating without any words” 

you go many places by yourself since kenma does very long streams or just long videos

you both stay up really late together

if hes not making videos hes looking at paperwork and if hes not doing that he’s helping you edit

somehow kenma is the more productive one

you have channel yourself that slowly grows thanks to kenma

you only do lives and leave up the whole streams bc you dread editing but you’ll do anything for kenma

just to make extra cash you have and OF

most of the videos consist of watching you play video game while kenma eats you out under the desk

a lot of audios because kenma doesn’t like being his face filmed while having sex

theres a video in your own OF when you do a tik tok trend where you surprise him while he’s filming 

“Kenma can you help me for a second.”

“Hmm, what is it kitten?” 

He paused his game and while his chair turned you undid your robe

Luckly he’s not live and kept the camera on

He just smiles and spreads his legs for you

(gdiewgsfiuchsiufviusdghvypofgsivhrwshb my brain is malfunctioning ugh im so in love with kenma its not even funny)

He makes you sit on his lap, as he suckles your nipple in his mouth. 

His hand firmed tightly around your rips as he kisses every inch of your chest

“You’re so pretty... So fucking pretty.” He mumbles. He’s kissing down your chest all the way to your tummy before picking you up and making you stand 

He makes you stand in front of the camera while stands behind you and kisses the crook of your neck. 

“I want you to look in the camera for me kitten, can you do that?” He kisses her jaw “Can you be a good girl for me?”

(wow if i write any more smut for kenma i think i might go crazy jskwbvbdei)

sex is very much a frequent thing, most of the time it starts as cock warming while watching a movie and two second later your begging to milk kenmas cock again

he loves when you beg for his cock, makes him feel wanted

he loves feeling your tight pussy clench around him when hes about to cum and you’re cumming for the third time, panting, begging, crying to having him fill you up with his hot cum.

Blow jobs under his desk or while hes on an important call are a must.

you love watching his cock slowly twitch with pre cum when you lick his shaft

mmm i need to stop- i love him so much ugh

Oikawa Tooru 

Being lazy in argentina was a dream but a little lonely

Tooru was always away at practive but lcukly the apartment he had been renting had a pool, and you spend most of your days at the pool, reading or playing some game he just bought you

you hate how early he freaking wakes up

hes making breakfast and blending shakes at like 5 in the morning 

there’s days he doesn’t really mean to wake you, you know the difference bc if he wants to wake you he’ll leave the blender run for a while and if h doesn’t he does it in seperate pulses so it’s not so damn loud

if he does it on purpose, he has breakfast ready for you before his own

doesn’t expect you to stick around after you eat 

when he wakes you on accident he’s like “Oh my baby i’m so sorry honey.” 

cue kiss attacks, warm hugs and him making you a cup of coffee/tea, whatever you prefer that morning

he’s so sweet

he knows you work hard too (even tho it doesn’t seem like it bc people think youtubers and streamers have an easy job when it clearly is mentally very stressful)

He knows that when he wakes you up, you had legit just gone to bed like two hours ago. 

sometimes you sleep though the noise and before he leaves he wakes you up just a little so he can kiss you goodbye.

its always something like *shake* *shake* “Baby.... honey”  *caressing of the head/cheek/hair* “I gotta go to practice now, give me a kiss princess.” you always wake up to the sound of that and give his a really sweet and tender kiss. Oikawa really just wants to fall back asleep with you and hold you, especially today since it was a cold morning

after you give him the kiss, you caress his cheek and then shove him away- a little jumpy that he need to go. “Love you.” you mutter before covering yourself with the blankets 

he always slaps your ass over the blankets, it never huts but it’s just a sign of his actually leaving to practice 

You wear his stuff when he leaves

low key have attachment issues since you moved with him to Argentina

other than pool side reading, or doing a few laps before breakfast- you really don’t do anything but work.

Work for you consisted you of just playing video games or streaming

You’re popular on the female side of gamers 

sometimes you have streams where you ask your fans to play and write down their handles and you’d add them to a game or sum

Everyone knows your dating a professional volleyball player an they think it’s an interesting duo

You cry when Tooru brought Hinata over, he smelt like home

you def. helped him adjust to the life in argentina bc it’s nothing like home.

hinata comes over for dinner ever weekend

if you’re not working or at the pool, you’re in a white hoddie and some shorts, just watching Hinata play some beach volleyball while playing some game

You very much remind him of kenma- it helped a lot when he got some sick- you didn’t really ‘help’ you just cried with him about how much you miss home

although your schedule isnt the best, youre always awake when tooru gets home, always there to greet him with kisses 

hes lucky you like cooking, bc he always comes home to an empty stomach 

you’re probably the slowest cooker he knows but you take your sweet time bc you know that it always comes out w the best result and he doesnt complain anymore

baths w oikawa are frequent

muscles sores are a usual so seconds before he gets home theres a hot bath being  pampered with your love for him

you work so slow on everything hes surprised you actually get stuff done

a little offended that he doesn’t believe in your slow work ethic bc it worked since highschool.

there had been times where he just ask if you’re not ever sick of being at home locked in all day and it stated a very month long fight.

sleeping in different rooms

(LIL ANGST AHEAD)

Tooru can hear you cry from the other room

he didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, he really didn’t. he just doesn’t want you to regret anything- especially moving here with him

you hate it when he questions your life ethics. it makes you feel like a failure and unworthy.

your life is simple and you like it that way but the second he questions it you think that you aren’t doing enough

will 100% sleep outside your door because he can’t sleep alone anymore. he’s gotten used to you being right next to him

you realize that it seems he’s given up so now it’s time to go to the kitchen and get water

but to your surprise tooru is very asleep on the doorframe when you open the door. it’s makes your heart ache just a little bit. he looks tired, his eyes are puffy but he looks so at peace.

you wake him up to go to bed but he has other plans.

he’s kissing you so sweetly, every piece of skin he can find he will kiss

will carry you to bed and kiss your tummy as your shirt ran a little too high

will start to kiss your inner thigh and pull down your underwear and slowly make his way up to your pussy

you’re clearly trying to shove him off (not hard enough) because you keep closing your legs and trying to push him with your foot

will spread your legs and keep his hands there to he can start eating you out

this is his apology. this his how oikawa tooru says im sorry without saying it. soft pleasuring, orgasmic sex.

his fingers are so deep in your pussy while he’s sucking on your clit. he doesn’t look at you when you cum because he feels like he doesn’t deserve to see it.

you’re begging him to look at you after he’s done fingering you so you can kiss him with your taste this lingering oh his tongue

fucks you in a matting press because when it’s slow and he’s thrusting it all in.... i don’t think he’s seen you twitch and drool so much

tooru is there to pleasure you and when he sees you cry out of the pleasure you know he’ll be forgiven when it’s over

aftercare is even better

he doesn’t make you do anything

he presses you, gives you kisses and over all will apologize verbally when you’re slowly falling asleep in his arms

[biaswreckingfics]

No Limits: Part 13

Author: biaswreckingfics

Genre: Mafia AU - Warnings? Everything that goes on in a mafia au

Word Count: 5.1k

Previous Chapter

Chanyeol's POV

Sehun was alive.

Logically, he knew that Sehun was alive after talking to you but, it wasn't until he saw him with his own eyes that he actually believed it. The stoic expression, the slightly narrowed eyes, and the tall, lean frame... it was definitely his cousin. When he heard Sehun speak, it was like music to his ears. He had never wanted to hear the younger man's voice more than he did at that moment. In fact, Chanyeol had told Sehun to shut up more times than he could count, but once he heard his voice again, he never wanted him to ever quit speaking.

However, the magical moment was ruined when Sehun had met his eyes. They were the eyes of a complete stranger. Sehun had looked Chanyeol over like he was just another person on the street, and Chanyeol felt like he had lost him all over again.

It was different from when he lost his brother. When Jiho was gone, he was gone. He could properly mourn and grieve for his brother, and he was eventually able to accept his death. With Sehun, he was able to mourn and grieve the loss, but he wasn't able to move on. There was no possible way he could continue on, knowing his cousin was alive and well somewhere out there in the world without a hint of knowing who he was.

To hear Sehun confirm it all when he asked him if they were close was what broke Chanyeol, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Nor was he afraid to drop down to his knees and share his pain with the world because it was too much for him to bear silently.

Although, another thought struck him as he silently sat in the back of the SUV during the ride home. How could he expect Sehun to remember who he was when he couldn't even remember it himself? He was just as much of a stranger as Sehun was at this point. He could barely remember who he was before he lost Sehun. Now, he was just an asshole with a bad attitude who used his friends like they were nothing to him.

He treated his best friend horribly and disrespected the shit out of his leader. Junmyeon had been there for him when he lost Jiho. He was one of his rocks during that time, and this time around, Chanyeol had thrown nasty comment after nasty comment without caring how it'd affect him. Actually, he wanted Junmyeon to feel the pain he felt. He wanted all of them to, and it disgusted him now.

It wasn't going to sit right with him until he fixed all of the relationships he ruined. Then, he could move on from this chapter of his life... and there was nothing he wanted more.

The bump of the gravel drive to their home broke him out of his thoughts, and Chanyeol knew it was now or never. He wanted to make things right before they ended the Baem because after wasn't an option. After wasn't guaranteed. He wasn't going to live the rest of his life regretting his final words to anyone or leave them behind with unforgiving memories of himself.

The second Jongdae shuts off the vehicle, and everyone reaches to undo their seatbelts, Chanyeol speaks.

"Junmyeon... Can we talk?"

All movement in the SUV ceases, and he can see from his peripheral that you and Jongdae were staring at each other with wide eyes. However, Chanyeol's gaze remains fixed on the leader.

Junmyeon searches Chanyeol's face, undeniably trying to hide the pity and sadness he felt erupting onto his own, before nodding his head. You and Jongdae quickly take that as your cue to leave and hop out of the vehicle, leaving the pair there in silence.

Chanyeol didn't know how to begin the conversation or what his thoughts even were, and Junmyeon certainly wasn't going to be the first to speak. He had already tried to reach out to Chanyeol for months.

"An apology will never be enough for the things I've said or for my actions, but I'll start there anyway. Junmyeon... I'm so incredibly sorry... I disrespected your authority. I've broken your rules... My actions would've easily gotten me killed by other bosses, but you always let me slide. I'm sad to say that I don't know if I were in your position I'd do the same, so thank you for being patient with me and attempting to understand me."

Junmyeon gives a small nod. "Thank you... Thank you for finally saying those words to me, because I admit, I was terrified I'd never hear them from you. Not because I didn't think you'd ever say them to me, but because I was beginning to think I'd never get the chance to hear you say them at all..." Junmyeon admits, swallowing down the sudden emotions he was feeling. "I really thought we were going to lose you, Chanyeol, and after Kyungsoo and Sehun, I couldn't go through that again so soon. I don't care about the stupid shit you said or did any more. It doesn't mean anything to me. All I care about is you being okay."

Chanyeol looks away at his words, knowing he doesn't deserve them but expecting them from Junmyeon anyway. That's the type of leader he was, and he was a damn good one.

"There is one thing that you said a while ago, though, and I need you to know my feelings on it."

Chanyeol looks at him curiously, wondering what the one thing was that stuck with Junmyeon.

"You and Sehun are more important to me than I can express, and just because my sister is here doesn't change that. Finding out what happened to Sehun was always the top priority for me. I never wanted to gain one and lose the other"

Chanyeol remembers the harsh words he threw at Junmyeon when he claimed Junmyeon no longer cared about Sehun because he had gotten you back. He had regretted them at the time, but the anger he was feeling was so intense, he was happy to speak them. Now, the regret was tenfold, especially knowing how hard Junmyeon worked to try to find Sehun. He wanted those words to disappear from both of their memories.

"I know... I knew then, but I didn't care... I wanted you to feel what I was feeling, and that wasn't fair of me... I hate that I ever said that to you. I hate that those words were ever able to leave my mouth... I need you to know that I couldn't be happier we got Y/N back. We all knew what we were risking, and I know we all would do the same damn thing as before, even knowing the consequences."

Junmyeon turns in the passenger seat and faces the windshield. They both needed a minute to collect themselves and let the pain and hurt they felt leave them. They had to accept the words spoken in the SUV, process them, and let the relief flow through them at the fact that they could finally move on from this.

Once that was done, Junmyeon turns back around and faces Chanyeol with a grin. "Ready to destroy the Baem and finally get payback for everything they've done to us?"

Chanyeol felt a matching smirk grow on his. "I couldn't be more ready."

Sehun's POV

The second he got back to the Baem compound, he knew something was up. People ran around everywhere, and the joking attitude that some of the members usually held was replaced with severe expressions and discussions. When Jaesuk called Sehun and told him he needed to come back, he didn't know what he had been expecting, but it wasn't this.

"Make yourself useful, maggot." One of the Baem members says as he shoulder checks him while walking by.

Sehun slowly looks over at the shorter man whose face held a growing sneer. On the inside, Sehun froze, but on the outside, he remained impassive. Were they even bothering to pretend he was one of them anymore? They had always been rude to him, but never this full of contempt... Sehun tries to calm his suddenly racing heart. Had they found out about his meeting with EXO?

"Get fucking lost, Choi." Jaesuk comes up behind him, saving him like he always does.

The man turned his sneer on Jaesuk, which just caused him to snort quietly beside Sehun.

"Why can't your little bitch speak for himself?" The man smugly says, like he actually thought he did something with his comment.

Jaesuk tongues the inside of his cheek as he glares at the other man. "Don't think I won't stab you in the eye with your own knife, Choi. Actually, they're in there fighting right now. Why don't we go over there and have a turn?"

Choi visibly pales a shade at Jaesuk's words before he brings back the cocky smirk and tries to hide whatever fear he momentarily felt. He lets out a scoff and quickly begins walking away, ignoring Jaesuk's words behind him.

"Awe, you're running away from a fight? Who's the little bitch now?"

Sehun turns to face Jaesuk, already moving on from the encounter that was just had. "What the hell is going on?"

Jae gives him a dreadful look before saying, "The leaders are here. Something is about to go down."

Sehun instantly perked up at his words. The freaking Baem leaders that he was just about to search for had just fallen into his lap? He thought it'd be way harder to find them. He certainly wasn't expecting them to randomly show up to the compound.

"They're testing everybody to see where their skill sets are. You're up next for sparring."

Sehun's eyes widen, and he blinks a couple of times, trying to remember when the last time he fought was. He hadn't been made to fight since the Baem brought him here, which means it's been at least a couple of months. He was about to get his ass handed to him in front of everyone.

"Wait. What do you mean something's about to go down?"

Jaesuk quickly looks around to make sure nobody was within hearing distance. When he's satisfied there's no one close enough, he says, "I haven't been able to find out yet, but I'm pretty sure they're planning an attack on EXO, so whatever EXO's plan is, I hope they do it soon."

Sehun didn't have time to process this information because two seconds later, the doors to the gym they were standing outside of open up, and a burly man walks out.

"Oh Sehun, you're next. Let's go."

Sehun tries to swallow, but his throat became so dry that it just proved to be painful. He takes a deep breath and starts walking towards the man.

"Good luck?" Jae shouts at his back.

Sehun flips him the finger before following the gruff man into the gym. There weren't many people in the room with him, just Minho and two of his men, who Sehun had grown used to seeing, and two other men Sehun had never seen before.

He knew with a single look that they were the leaders just by the way they held themselves. They had an air of superiority and had a cold demeanor like you should bow down at their feet, and if you don't, they'll break your arm. They eyed Sehun, not even bothering to hide their disgust but, Sehun quickly looks past them toward the mats where his opponent was waiting.

The guy easily had 30 kg on Sehun, and the odds of Sehun walking away from this unscathed plummetted. He internally groans, dreading the beating coming his way.

"What's your specialty?" He hears one of the leaders ask him.

Sehun turns toward him with a blank stare. "Weapons."

"Have you ever fought a day in your life?"

Sehun knew they were baiting him, testing to see if he had any memories back. He wasn't stupid. "Not in the past couple of months."

"And before that?"

Every eye in the room carefully watches him to see if he'll slip up about remembering his old life. The joke was on them, though, because he still didn't have his memories back.

He shrugs carelessly before saying, "You'll have to tell me. I'm sure Minho has told you about what happened."

"Right. The one who lost his memories... Well, let's see if your body remembers." He smirks, gesturing towards the mats.

Sehun walks onto the mats trying to hide his nervousness. He bounces on his toes and rolls his shoulders back as his opponent watches him with a grin and raised brow. They both meet at the center of the mat, and Sehun pauses, not knowing what to expect. He had never watched the Baem members spar, so he had no idea what they usually did. Did someone tell them to start? Did they just go? Well, he found out two seconds later, when the dude's fist came right at Sehun's face.

He managed to duck out of the way and get behind the other guy, but his opponent was quick to turn around and follow him. Sehun brought his arms up to protect his face, but his torso was long enough that his opponent found an opening resulting in a strong punch to the gut.

Sehun doubled over in pain and tried to breathe. Fuck, maybe he did suck at fighting. Sehun stood back up and got back into a defensive stance. He didn't even get the chance to throw a fist because his opponent consistently threw jabs and hooks at him that he kept having to dodge.

"This kid sucks at fighting."

Sehun lost his precious defensive stance as he focused on the leader's words and the laugh that follows, and that was his fatal mistake. The other guy threw a hook, catching Sehun in the side of the head and throwing off his balance. He quickly landed on the mat with a grunt, his head already throbbing like he had spent the entire night drinking.

"Alright, that's enough. We've seen what we needed to see."

Something in Minho's words made Sehun want to get up and prove himself, and it bothered him that he didn't know why. He found himself pushing on the mat and trying to stand up, but his opponent also noticed his movements.

He faces Sehun and draws back his leg before kicking Sehun in the head. Hard. "Stay down."

That was the last thing Sehun remembered.

When he came to a little while later, he found himself in his bunk. Jaesuk was sitting on the bunk across from him, waiting for him to come to.

"Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty," he says with a small laugh.

"Fuck you," Sehun mumbles out.

Jaesuk lets out a loud laugh before handing him a glass of water and some pain medication. Sehun gratefully accepts them and sits up, letting out a curse at the pounding that seemed to surround his entire head as he takes the pills.

"Good news is, they don't think you got your memories back. The great news is, after that kick you took to the face, they don't think you'll ever get them back."

Sehun chugs the rest of the water in his glass and then sets it on the nightstand in between the two beds. He lays back with another groan, and at least this time, Jae tries to stifle his laugh.

"How did you get the shit kicked out of you so badly?"

"I haven't fought anyone since that night at the warehouse. I'll have to spar with Jongin more often - "

He cuts himself off as he realized what he was saying. He shoots up from his bed and meets Jaesuk's wide eyes with his own.

Jae's mouth drops open. "Did you - "

"I remember everything!" Sehun excitedly says.

Jaesuk smacks Sehun's leg as he looks around the, thankfully, empty room. "Let the whole damn compound know for god's sake, and here I thought you got some sense knocked into you."

His voice was stern, but a smile quickly grew on his face, and Sehun matched it with one of his own.

He remembered everything. His home. His family. Chanyeol. Chanyeol's brokeness at the beach... and whatever was going on between him and Junmyeon... He shakes his head. He can't worry about that right now. He needed to focus on taking the Baem down.

"I need you to do something for me." He waits until Jaesuk nods before saying anything else. "Can you get me all the information you can on the leaders? Addresses, phone numbers, family members, everything."

Jaesuk thinks about it for a second before he nods his head. "I've got a contact higher up that can get some of that information."

"Whatever you get will be helpful. Jongdae will figure out the rest."

Y/N'S POV

Another day. Another meeting. It felt like every time you turned around, the guys wanted to have a gathering for something. At least this time, it felt like things were moving forward. It wasn't a meeting where everyone was continually trying to theorize where Sehun was or what could've happened to him. No. You knew exactly where Sehun was.

This time, Junmyeon called a meeting because he wanted everyone to be prepared for what was to come. You originally thought you were ready enough and that you would be informed of the plan when the guys figured it out themselves. When your brother called a meeting and said, "all hell is about to break loose", you realized they had already set the plan in motion, and you had no idea what it even was.

To say you were irritated that you were kept out of the loop was an understatement.

Junmyeon had made sure to tell you enough to keep you satisfied, but he clearly hadn't told you everything.

He had shared that a couple of days ago, Sehun had gotten them information from some contact he had in the Baem. He was able to figure out where the Baem leader's safe houses were located and the routes they had taken to get there. Jongdae checked the accuracy of the information against the information EXO already had and reached out to some of his own contacts as well.

Apparently, it had all checked out, and the information Sehun was able to get was accurate. That was the last thing you had been told about.

Needless to say, when the meeting was well underway, and Junmyeon informs you all that "the message had been sent", you were very confused.

"What message?"

Minseok looks over at you in confusion before looking back at Junmyeon. "You didn't tell her?"

At least your brother had the decency to look guilty as he looks from you to Minseok. "It wasn't something she needed to know at the moment."

You try to check the irritation that was simmering under the surface and repeat, "What. Message."

Your brother sighs before answering you. "The night we confirmed the information Sehun sent was accurate, we sent unit members to check out the leader's safe houses. We had them wait until they were able to take multiple pictures of their families. Then, we sent those pictures to the Baem this morning to make them realize their families aren't actually safe."

He had just thrown a lot of information at you at once, and you didn't know how to process it. "You... threatened their families?"

"Yes. This way, they'll get spooked and hopefully react irrationally and carelessly. They'll be reckless, and they'll make a mistake, which will be good for us."

Confliction rises in you as you try to truly understand what this means. EXO had just threatened the Baem leader's families, their wives, and children, and you weren't entirely thrilled with the idea of kids being involved in all of this.

The entire situation hit way too close to home, and that's why Junmyeon hid it from you. He just put their leaders in the same position they originally put your parents in. While the idea of the Baem leader's freaking out in fear of what will happen to their families pleases the sadistic side of you, the fear those children will have once they realize the enemy is coming for them, sent you right back into that closet you hid in as a child.

You remember the terror you felt when your mother hid you in there and when the Baem burst into the room before killing your parents. It wasn't something you wished on another child. You definitely wished that terror on their parents because you wanted revenge, but not them.

That's where you and Junmyeon differed because he wasn't hidden in that closet with you. He wasn't even home when it all took place, so he could never truly understand, but you knew having someone hurt a child was the last thing Junmyeon would do, so you choose to let it go, for now.

"Y/N." Your brother calls your name.

You snap your head up, realizing you zoned out. You didn't even notice that Baekhyun had grabbed your hand and was gently rubbing it. You give his hand a quick squeeze before looking back over at your brother.

"Go get ready to go into the city. You and Minseok are going to meet up with Sehun and tell him what's going on. He needs to be prepared on his end."

You absentmindedly nod your head and ignore the annoyance you feel at being told what to do instead of being in on whatever plan they have. You had other things on your mind at the moment. ------------------------------------------------------ The entire drive to the park you were supposedly meeting Sehun at flew by because you were still lost in your thoughts. You had mostly come to terms with the action your brother had taken, considering it was just pictures that were taken. Minseok had assured you that, as of right now, there were no plans to actually hurt the families. However, you knew things could switch with the snap of a finger, so you tried to mentally prepare yourself for literally anything to happen.

Other than Minseok assuring you they weren't going to hurt the kids, he stayed pretty quiet and allowed you to take everything in, which you were thankful for. The only other time he spoke up was to let you know you were getting close to the park.

"Is it really safe to be meeting out in the open?"

"No, but there's a secluded area in the corner of the park where most people don't go, so we should be fine. Besides, we won't have to keep hiding much longer. The Baem won't be much of an issue soon."

The park was like every other park you've seen: there was a large, grassy area where you could lay down blankets and have a picnic, trees scattered throughout the grounds to give shade from the sun, and twisted walking paths, sporadically placed with benches every so often. There were a decent amount of people enjoying the sunny day, either playing with their dogs or jogging around on the paths. That's when it hits you that you couldn't even remember the last time you had gone to a park.

You quietly follow Minseok along one of the broad paths, walking only for a few minutes before you come toward the edge of the park. You noticed the secluded area he mentioned right away because it was one you would usually steer clear of any other time.

Giant bushes overgrew in this area, like whoever took care of the park didn't even want to be over here. Massive trees grew in the corner, providing plenty of unneeded shade for the little bench tucked away here. Alarm bells rang in your head because this was 1000% a place where someone would get attacked, especially at night, but you knew you were safe with Minseok.

The two of you sat on the bench while waiting for Sehun, and luckily you didn't have to wait long. Maybe five minutes later, you spotted Sehun casually walking toward you. He appeared normal at first, but the closer he got, the more you could see a lot of bruising on his face. Once he came to a stop in front of you, you and Minseok look at him with open mouths.

"I wish I could say 'you should see the other guy' but he definitely just kicked my ass, so..."

This was the first time Minseok was seeing Sehun in person, and all he could get out was, "What the hell happened?"

"The Baem wanted me to spar, and since I haven't done that in months, it didn't go to great," he shrugs before smiling, "or maybe it did, depending on how you look at it."

You and Minseok continue to stare at the taller man in confusion and, when he started pointing at his head, the confusion only grew.

"Apparently getting kicked in the head slid something into place up there..."

Your eyes grew at least double the size, if not triple when you finally understood what he was saying. "Your memories are back?!"

He grins and nods, causing you to bounce up from the bench and wrap him in a hug. His arms tightly close around you, and you can hear Minseok sputtering in shock behind you. You pull away from Sehun and look back at him. His eyes were just as wide as yours were, and his mouth had fallen back open before he quickly shut it.

He narrows his eyes at the taller man before asking, "When's my birthday?"

Sehun rolls his eyes. "You think I knew your birthday before?"

Minseok gapes at him, and you could've sworn a pout was starting to grow on his face, but you knew Minseok would deny that in a heartbeat.

His reaction causes Sehun to let out a laugh. "It's March 26th, calm down."

"You little shit," Minseok swears, pulling him into a tight hug.

With this revelation came new worries, though, and you had to ask, "Now that you have your memories back, are you okay with going back to the Baem?"

Sehun shrugs as he pulls away from Minseok and straightens up. "I got them back a few days ago, and no one's noticed. That'll be part of their downfall. They're so arrogant and cocky. They think they're three steps ahead of everyone else... So, what's the plan?"

You turn to Minseok and wait to hear it as well, considering nobody bothered to tell you either.

"We kept your part of the plan pretty light since you didn't have your memories," Minseok responds before tilting his head, "and you're working with a Baem member."

Sehun slowly nods at his words. "That... would make sense, I guess... but you should know that I trust Jae. He's been helping me out ever since I got with them, and he's the one who got me the information on the leader's."

Minseok pauses at that little tidbit. "Okay... and I'm very pleased he has done all that, but he's still a Baem member."

Sehun shakes his head, but before he can respond, you interrupt them. "Let's just talk about the plan and get out of here before someone spots us. We can talk about Sehun's friend choices later."

Thankfully, they both listen to you and move on from the clearly touchy subject.

"The plan has already been set in motion. We sent the leader's pictures of their families at their safe houses."

A light goes on behind Sehun's eyes, and he lets out a quiet, "Ah, so, that's why the higher-ups have been freaking out all day."

Minseok smirks at Sehun. "Then they got the message loud and clear. Good... You're staying at the main compound, right?" Sehun nods his head, and Minseok continues. "Okay, all I need you to do is find a way to barricade all of the exits tomorrow. Make sure no one can get in or out. Then, get the hell out of there."

Sehun looks between the two of you in disbelief, and you had to agree because what the hell kind of plan was that? "That's it?"

"I told you we kept your part of the plan pretty light."

"Use me," Sehun angrily says, "I can do more than just barricade some fucking doors."

"Sehun, we - "

Minseok is interrupted by the sound of Sehun's phone ringing. You raise your eyebrows at the familiar situation and wonder who the hell is always calling him when he's with you.

Sehun pulls out his phone and checks the caller ID. He looks between you and Minseok before pressing the speaker button. "What's up, Jae?"

"Our covers been blown, Sehun. Whatever your plan is, you need to do it now."

All three of you stiffen as you listen to the man's deep voice come through the speaker, his voice holding a slight tremor in it. You hold your breath as you listen to what he says next, your heart beating loudly in your ears.

"They know we're the ones who betrayed them. They already tortured the little information they could get from my contact before killing him, and now they're looking for us, so don't fucking come back here."

Minseok is the first to break out of the shock you all felt as he quickly dials Junmyeon's number to tell him what's going on. As he steps away to talk to Junmyeon, you search Sehun's face and take note of the shock and fear on it. Clearly, he thought he had more time. They all did.

"How did they find out?"

"I wish I could freaking tell you... They definitely think you have your memories back, and we're always together, so they connected the dots," Jaesuk quietly responds. You notice how he sounds desolate and worry that this man that you don't even know has already given up.

Sehun must've sensed the same thing as you because he hurriedly asks, "What about you? What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about me... Go back with EXO. Help them do whatever it is they're going to do and finish these bastards... and Sehun... I hope like hell to see you on the other side of this."

Tagging: @knjkitten​​ @kpopserene​​ @multifandombxxch​​ @tashaxvamp​​ @kpop---scenarios​​ @bhyunni​​ @chanyeolismybaby​​ @flaming-laboob​​ @taetaeeyong​​ @lilbitoflyssa​​ @misstressporkchoppp​​ @hoseok-wang​​ @spiltkpop​​ @isha454 @depuis2mille​​ @marovekian1​​ @ladylynae​ @abby8451 @lynniev​​ @insta1010​​ @sawadabegum @avxngxrrogxrs​​ @equesasprokishi @imstuckinafictionaluniverse​​ @layisanangel​​ @mongryong-the-corgi​ @overthelamebowz​​ @lizbether01​ @thatanonymousgirl-as14​​ @nothingbutadeadesceane​​ @kim-ji-hyeons-world​​ @suhappysuho​​ @futuremrspcy​​ @lovebuginlove​​ @skylions-den​​ @precious-seungwooya​ @softysuho​ @kuppyjiminie​ @blushinyouth​ @bat-shark-repellant​ @vickylamore​ @heartshapedenchiladas​ @cardtak​ @tanithrea​ @wooya1224​ @multifanstuff​ @hyuniebaby​ @sehunnies-hunnie96​ @endzii23​ @kkpoptrashhh​ @mayzerofour @ries-universe

[rickybowensfever]

Sicktember - Zach has a headache

Another @sicktember post! Today’s story is with my oc’s Kylie and Zach. 

Prompts: 

Blankets

Medicine

Missing Out 

Headache 

Fever

 Zach and Kylie are in the last week of summer before their senior year of high school and want to make every minute count. So, when Zach arrives at Kylie’s family’s End of the Summer BBQ looking flushed and develops a headache, Kylie drops everything to take care of him. 

Zach swings by the kitchen where his sister, Emily is garnishing her avocado toast — a sprinkle of paprika, an egg over easy — before taking the right Instagram photo to share with her friends.

“‘Morning!” Zach croaks, startled by the sound of his voice. Must just be my morning voice he tries to convince himself. 

He grabs a glass from the wooden cabinet nearest to the refrigerator and pours a glass of orange juice for himself before finding a quick breakfast. 

His eyes grow wide when he sees a white plate with four pieces of bacon lying on it. He quickly takes piece by piece until only one remains on the plate. 

 “Zach!!” Emily exclaimed, her eyes raised and face scrunched in annoyance. 

“Those were for Mom!” she explains, holding a hand on her hip. 

“Sorry…” he mutters, “That would’ve been nice to know before, you know” he gestures his hands to the plate of bacon, pouting his lip. 

“Ugh, it’s fine. I can just make more” 

“Sorry, I have to be at Kylie’s soon for their barbeque and I totally woke up late,” he says trying to justify his actions. 

 “Oh, nice! I’m going to try and stop by later with Kara”  she half-smiles. Emily has been seeing a girl named Kara for over a month now since they met at her summer job as a school nurse at a summer day camp. Emily’s first job since she graduated from Med School. 

 Zach touched his Home screen button to reveal the time, 12:48 PM with five unread messages from Kylie probably asking him where he was. 

 “Fuck. I better go” Zach said, panicked. He had been up late watching Netflix aimlessly and his throat was sore. He had tried everything: tea and honey, gargling with salt water, and honey-flavored cough drops. Nothing was curing the aching in his throat. 

Finally, around 2 am, he was able to fall asleep thanks to some NyQuil. 

But, he was deeply regretting his decisions when he woke up at 11:45 am after Kylie told him to get to her house at 12. 

Luckily, the pain in his throat had hindered. Please, don’t do this to me again, he said into his mirror as he pulled on a blue t-shirt and khaki shorts. 

 Zach pulled into the Daniels’ driveway which was beginning to pack up with cars. As he parked his car, Kylie’s brother, Blake ran over to him waving his arms around in excitement. 

Blake was a year younger than Kylie and Zach, playing in a band with some of his high school friends. 

“Yo! You playing tonight?” Zach asked as he got out of the car to greet him with a handshake. 

Blake laughed, “Nah. I got out of that tonight. One of my bandmates is taking their brother to college,” he said. 

Blake escorted Zach to the back gate where their ingrown pool was fenced in and the party was brewing. Kylie waved to her boyfriend the minute she saw him. She wore an ombre purple bikini top with denim shorts and flip-flops, pulling out pool noodles for the kids to play with. 

Zach smiled, walking over to her, greeting her younger cousins. He pulled her in for a kiss on the cheek.

“Do you have any water?” he asked feeling dehydrated. 

Kylie perked up, turning her head toward him. 

“Yeah! Right in the blue cooler”, she mentioned, throwing a couple of pool noodles into the pool at the kids. The kids screamed with excitement, one laying on their stomach and the others blowing water out the trunk of the noodle. Kylie giggled. 

Zach pulled a cold water bottle out of the cooler and sighed out of relief. Suddenly, he felt light-headed and super thirsty. He chugged the water bottle until only drops of water remained. 

“Let’s go inside. My mom still needs help getting everything set up” she mentioned. 

Zach nodded, following her lead. 

Kylie closed the gate over and started heading into the house. 

When they walked into the Daniels’ home, Zach was immediately greeted by her family members. 

“Zach! Nice to see ya,” Uncle Tim said. Zach nodded waving at him. “I’ll be right back, you chat” Kylie whispered in his ear. 

Zach shrugged. “Ready for senior year? Do you have any colleges picked out?” Aunt Michelle (Tim’s wife) asked. 

Zach dreaded this question. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. 

“Uh, I’m going to community college, actually,” he said, confidently. 

“Oh,” they said in unison. Zach was so used to hearing the disappointment in their voices when he told any adult he wasn’t going the “traditional” route for college. 

Why was it so bad that he’d rather save money and figure out what he actually wanted to do instead of contributing to being in crippling debt from student loans? His sister had done the same thing and now, she landed a job as a school nurse. When he figured out whatever the hell he wanted to do in life, he would be successful, too. 

“Yeah! Trying to save money” he said smiling at them. This was his cue to walk away. He walked over to the sectional in the living room across from the kitchen where the TV was playing a re-run of a Food Network competition. 

Once the winner was revealed and another episode started, Zach looked around for his girlfriend. The chatter of Kylie’s loud relatives made his head start to hurt and fatigue set in. 

His eyes lit up when he saw a hint of purple and his girlfriend bringing in a folded chair for an elderly woman to sit in. He ran over to Kylie as soon as he saw her. 

 “Hey. Can I go lay down in your room? I have a headache” he said, talking low so no one could hear him. 

“Sure. Do you want some Advil?” she asked, pouting her lip with concern, “You look a little flushed” she mentioned. 

Zach nodded, “Yeah, that’d be great” and jogged up the stairs turning a corner in the hallway to enter her room. 

The noise died down as he closed the door. Now only hints of loud voices were in the distance. Zach grabbed a fuzzy blanket from a wicker basket and lied on top of her dark purple comforter, closing his eyes as his head pounded. 

Then, the door opened. 

Kylie rubbed his back saying, “Hey, I brought some water and Advil” 

Zach opened his eyes and grabbed the two pink tablets from her hand, chasing them with the water. 

“A nap might help? You look exhausted” she said brushing her hand through his soft brown hair. 

He nodded, “Thanks” and curled back into his position. A shiver went through his body. Making Kylie now more concerned. 

“Do you feel okay? Besides the headache?” she asked quietly. 

“Mhmm” Zach mumbled. “Alright, I’ll check in later, or come and get me if you’re feeling better,” she said, closing her door over. 

 Zach woke up an hour later, feeling cold, his throat burning, and his head pounding more than earlier. He groaned. He could just go home and rest, but driving felt impossible. 

He laid in the bed trying to muster up some strength to send Kylie a text. He waited, counted to five in his head, and slowly picked his body up. 

Z: come here pls i need u 

K: coming! 

He threw his phone down and curled back up in his position. Shivering under the one blanket from earlier. 

The door opened and Kylie quietly walked. 

“Hey, everything okay?” she asked, calmly. 

Zach opened his eyes seeing she changed into a Lakewood University shirt - the college she was most eager to attend. 

“Need to go home. Can’t drive” he muttered. 

“Aw, what’s wrong?” she asked, worried.

“Everything,” he said, his voice raspy. “I just need to go” 

Zach groaned. “Babe, you can stay here. I don’t mind. I know you don’t feel well” she offered. 

He was silent. 

Kylie held in a laugh, resting the back of her hand on his forehead. “I think you have a fever,” she said frowning. 

“Why don’t you stay here until you’re feeling a little better? Then, I’ll drive you home” she suggested. “Your sister and your mom are already here, so I don’t think anyone would even be at your house”

“Okay,” he mumbled.

 “Let me get you some medicine and see if you have a fever,” she said, running out to the hallway closet where the Daniel’s stored their medicine. 

Kylie returned to the room with a bottle of Tylenol and a digital thermometer. 

“I’m sorry, but I need you to get up. Please” 

Zach slowly, painfully got up and looked at his girlfriend. 

Kylie frowned at his glassy eyes and pink cheeks. 

“This should help relieve your symptoms for a bit,” she said gesturing to the pink bottle.

Zach just looked at her. He looked exhausted, she thought. 

She poured the liquid into a plastic measuring cup and handed it over to him. Zach took a big gulp of the medicine, wincing from the taste. 

“It’ll make you feel so much better. I promise” she said smiling softly, then grabbing the digital thermometer. 

“Next,” she said holding the thermometer in the air. Zach opened his mouth, letting the instrument rest under his tongue. 

“I’ll get some more blankets while we wait,” she said softly. 

Even though he felt like utter shit, Zach was so grateful for Kylie. She would drop anything for him, even their family’s annual barbeque. Even before they made things official, as just friends, she was still always there for him. 

Beep. Finally, the thermometer beeped as she held two blankets in her arms. 

She placed the blankets on the bed as Zach lied on his back with the blanket she gave him earlier. 

Kylie took the instrument out of her boyfriend’s mouth and read it. “Okay, you probably just have a bad cold. Nothing we can’t fix! And, you have a little fever, but the medicine should help with that ” she explained. 

Zach grabbed the blankets at the end of the bed, ignoring whatever she was saying. 

“Zach? Are you listening to me?” she asked noticing her boyfriend’s extra blanket. 

He placed the blanket on top of the other and sighed out of relief. 

“Sorry, what did you say?” he asked. 

Kylie sighed. “I said, you have a little fever. But I think you just have a bad cold. Nothing we can’t fix” 

Zach nodded, feeling warmth under the blankets. “Sorry. I really was looking forward to today” he muttered. 

“Oh, don’t even worry! We had a great summer, anyway. Now, let’s get you better” she said kissing him on the forehead. 

See more of Zach and Kylie! 

LOVE SICK 

[basicjetsetter]

Part IV

♡ Pairing: Peter Parker x Black!FemaleReader

▹ Warnings: Little angst, Lot of anxiety, Fluff if you squint

▹ Words: 2.8k

▹ A/N: This chapter’s a bit on the short side, but it establishes a lot. Happy reading!

You’re not exactly sure how you pull it off, but you somehow manage to elude Peter for five straight days.

Playing the impromptu game of hide-and-not-be-seen was touch and go for the first two days, mainly because you weren’t sure what time you’d see Peter in the diner’s entrance. All you knew was that he’d show up early, whatever that meant. Almost every chiming bell sent your heart into overdrive, and whenever you thought you saw him, your stomach performed painful somersaults as you mapped out all likely escape routes.

No place in the diner was safe. Hal’s has a pretty simple layout: front entrance, booths to the immediate right, and bar with barstools to the immediate left, all in a shotgun fashion. If one were to try looking for someone, especially from the front entrance, all they’d have to do is marginally widen their field of vision, which is why the first two days were tricky.

The next day after the first run-in, about three hours earlier than his initial arrival, Peter came in through the front door, buddying up with Chris and asking for you.

You were clearing off an unoccupied table, piling dirty plates, when Chris called out, “Hey! How’s it hanging, Peter?” With the stack of dishes still clenched in your hands, you dropped down and crawled under the booth, coming face to face with an unsavory assortment of chewed-up gum underneath the table, holding your breath for dear life. Peter stayed for about ten agonizingly treacherous minutes as Chris failed to locate you.

On the second day, a sluggish Tuesday morning with only four regular patrons at the bar and no one in the booths, Peter had just walked through the entrance as you were coming out of the back, hand-carrying three of Hal’s famous Thin Mint Milkshakes. Without a thought, you spun right around and dashed in the opposite direction, busting through the employee door and colliding straight into Wendy. You’d never seen someone throw such a fit, but then again, you’d be pretty pissed too if someone coated you head-to-toe in milkshake.

That day was… eventful, to say the least, but it gifted you with the best estimate for Peter’s arrivals. Early meant 11:30 a.m. on the dot. Lunch. You tested out the time the next day, waiting behind the employee door and peering out the medium-sized port window. At 11:30 a.m., right on cue, was Peter, dapping Chris and ordering a slice of Banana Cream Pie to-go while also asking for your whereabouts, staying for only half an hour.

He left you a note each time he departed.

Can’t seem to catch you. I’ll try again tomorrow :) – Peter

Is this not a good time for you? I’ll stop by later if you want – Peter

Is everything alright? Text or call anytime you need me. I’ll be there – Peter

From the second note on, you found yourself captivated by his neat little scrawl and the way he always signed his name at the end, as if you’d forget it was him. You’d read them on your way home and right before falling asleep, trying and failing not to picture him smiling at you while you absent-mindedly smiled at his words.

Your friendly boy-next-door is so easy to fall for, but you just can’t do it. You can’t allow yourself to fall. Nobody would be there to pick you back up.

Some nights, you lied awake drafting a message that would effectively convince Peter that things wouldn’t work between you, that you’re a lost cause, and he should probably find some other connection if such a thing exists. But then, unfailingly, you’d think about his concerned little notes and sadly acknowledge that he deserves more than a measly text. After showing up to Hal’s for almost a whole week just to get to know you, Peter deserves the truth.

Your heart is not ready for a Soulmate, and it might not ever be.

By the fifth day, you spend a good chunk of time pondering over the right words to say to Peter while simultaneously hiding in the kitchen, pretending to prepare more fries. You never looked forward to hiding from him, but what other option did you have? Going out there and letting your coworkers and boss know he’s your Soulmate? They wouldn’t shut up about it, especially not Chris, the open romantic.

When your shift ended that day, and you walked up to Chris so he could hand you Peter’s fifth note, he emphatically shook his head.

“On behalf of my new friend, Peter, I can’t in good faith give this to you,” he stated, tucking the folded paper into his back pocket and crossing his arms. “Not until you tell me why you’re dodging him.”

You frowned, crossing your arms too. “It’s really none of your business, Chris.”

“True, but it’s his.” The little dig got to you, making you wince. Chris continued softly, “Look, he won’t tell me what’s up with you two, either. And, trust me, I've asked. It's just... I’m kinda involved now, being the messenger and all, so shouldn’t I know some of the situation?”

“No…?” you hedged.

Chris didn’t budge.

You couldn’t think of a lie on the spot, and a half-truth would only further complicate things. Treading the fine line of what’s too much information and what’s not enough left you frustratingly tongue-tied. What’s specific enough to still be vague? Chris stared at you expectantly with a petulant little lift in his brow, ignoring a customer’s disgruntled calls for a refill in the napkin dispenser. 

In the end, you huffed out a resigned breath and hesitantly admitted, “Peter's someone I knew from high school—a really nice guy.” For Chris’s benefit, you added, “He just likes to check up on me every now and then. You know how I don’t get out that much…”

And in a heartbeat, Chris morphed from a tough enquirer to a softened pile of dough, sagely nodding his head as if he knew all too well how reserved you are and how much of a losing battle it is persuading you to venture out. Or maybe it was because he understood how difficult it is to reconnect with people you unwilfully lost touch with for five years.

How everything and everyone fell right back into step with everyday life, like five years was just five minutes, continues to boggle your mind. It’s not normal. You won’t ever pretend that it is.

The disgruntled man shouted, “Can I get any damn service around here?”

Chris immediately broke from the conversation and left you behind the bar, off to go charm the customer’s socks off and earn a nice $10 tip even though he clocked out ten minutes ago.

You went on your way home, the ever-present anxiety of confronting Peter growing by the second.

Hours later, dressed down to your pajamas and reading his words over again, you’re still thinking about it, dread now gnawing on your insides.

You couldn’t even enjoy your newfound peace of mind. Ever since the voice stopped, Peter twined into all of your thoughts: his notes, his visits, his smile, your connection to him. There had to be a reason why destiny paired you. Besides being your Soulmate, what is he to you? What are you to him?

Unrest barred you from sleep for most of the night, and when you woke up the next morning, showered and ready to tackle another day, it hit you. 

It’s Saturday—your day off this week—and you’re not scheduled to go back to work until Monday.

You could put off telling him… but what would be the point? It’d only prolong the inevitable. You needed to come clean today.

Picking up your phone, you steadily tap in his memorized cell number, then type:

-Hey Peter, it’s Y/N. Can you come by my place? We need to talk.

Three minutes later, he texts back.

-On my way.

✦ ✧✦ ✧

A nice, early summer breeze billows around you, doing its best to calm down your erratic nerves as you wait for Peter on the roof.

Are you doing the right thing?

Will Peter be okay with this?

What if he isn’t?

You jump out of your skin at the muffled Thwip and sudden appearance of Peter standing a few feet away.

His chestnut hair is windswept, and he’s wearing regular clothes, a faded blue Midtown High hoodie and denim jeans. You weren’t sure why you expected him to come dressed in his suit. It could be because you heard the sound of his web-slinger first and immediately thought of Spider-Man, but it’s more likely that your brain hasn’t connected that they are one and the same. You don’t see Spider-Man when you see him. All you see is Peter.

He’s tense, not moving an inch closer and keeping his shoulders pinched up like he’s on the defense. You can’t guess why he would be.

Gulping down a hard lump lodged in your throat, you stutter, “H-hi.”

He gives you a polite smile that doesn’t reach his sullen eyes. “Hey”

You both begin at the same time.

“Peter, I—”

“Look, Y/N—”

Ice floods your stomach, freezing your veins and squeezing your pounding heart. He has something to say to you? About what? You subtly jerk your head up, signaling for him to speak first.

Peter clears his throat, looks down at his shoes, then back up at you. “I know you’ve been hiding from me.”

“You do?” you squeak, eyes wide.

“Yeah, and it’s okay.”

Your voice hikes an octave. “It is?”

He nods. “Yeah. It’s fine. I get it.” He stops to scratch the back of his neck and dejectedly rambles on, “I’m not the safest person to be around, and it’s all super weird and a lot to take in. Like, a lot. My Aunt May freaked out too when she found out. Anyway, I… I get it if you don’t, y’know, don’t want me.”

“Wait, hold on,” you interrupt, trying to wrap your head around what he said. “You think… you think I don’t want you because you’re Spider-Man?”

“Well, yeah.” He says it like there couldn’t be any other possible reason.

You lower your gaze to the ground, unable to meet his curious gaze. “No, Peter, that’s not it.” Tears prick your eyes, but you fight like hell to keep them from falling. Steeling yourself, you quietly confess, “It’s me. I can’t be your Soulmate because…” A rebellious tear rolls down your cheek. “Because I’m not ready.”

As soon as you spoke the truth out loud, laying yourself and your broken soul bare, you dimly sense the previously severed string quiver deep down inside your chest. It’s the first time you felt it in five years, and it’s not how you remember it. It’s not severed, but it’s not whole either. Its presence only reminds you of what you can’t have, what you aren’t ready for.

In the ensuing quiet, you swipe the tear off your cheek and look at everything except Peter. Yellow tulips are blooming on someone’s balcony in the neighboring apartment building. A handful of fluffy clouds float in the piercing blue sky. An orange tabby cat is sun-bathing in a window.

It’s such a beautiful day. Yet, here you are, struggling not to cry on a roof.

Peter breaks through the silence, murmuring, “To be honest, I’m not ready either.”

“Really?” You ask, a little too hopeful, bringing your eyes back to his. They look so weary yet resolute.

“Yeah. I was actually freaking out that night we met.” He timidly grins, and your heart flips. “I didn’t know what to say, then I screwed up and forgot to ask if you were okay after I had literally just saved you from falling. Not really a glowing first impression.”

Astonishing yourself, you laugh. You couldn’t help it. There was absolutely nothing remotely hilarious about that night, but the way Peter described it, as if it were a blunder solely on his part, was so ridiculous that it was funny. Peter joins in, too, his laugh coming out airy and wondrously addictive. That smile you couldn’t stop thinking about for a whole week brightens his face.

When the laughs fade, Peter soberly says, “Even if we aren’t ready, maybe we can try being friends, just to see where things go? I mean, we were meant to be together for a reason, right? This could be it.”

You unconsciously nibble on your lower lip, considering his proposal. It hadn’t occurred to you that he might want to be friends. Would you want to do that? These days, you aren’t really open to platonic relationships, and Soulmate or not, being in a friendship would require some sort of connection. You don’t like those much.

Be that as it may, Peter seems like the type to respect your many boundaries, and that’s exactly what you would prefer in a friend at the moment. Someone who doesn’t pry. Someone who doesn’t uphold generic expectations. You could go for a diner talk every once in a while.

Besides, it’s just a little friendship. Most are surface level, and some don’t even last a year. What’s the worst that could happen?

You sincerely smile at Peter, wondering about the last time your smiles were sincere, and say, “Okay. Let’s be friends.”

His face radiates joy. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, I think we can do that. But I have a few terms.”

Peter eagerly nods, waiting.

You try not to focus on how his happiness thrills you. “One, don’t tell anyone we’re Soulmates. I don’t really want any of my coworkers to know.”

His smile drops into a sheepish wince. “I kinda already told Ned. But he won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

“That’s okay. It’s mostly my coworkers I’m worried about,” you reassure. You weren’t going to berate him for telling his best friend. If things were different, you’d have done the same. “Two, don’t ask me to hang out with your other friends. I don’t do big friend circles.”

“Got it,” he militantly nods again. “It’s mostly just Ned and me anyway.”

“And three,” your grin broadens. “If Chris asks you what’s going on between us, be super vague.”

“Done.” He smirks back at you, then extends his hand. “Friends?”

When your hand touches his, and you shake on it, the warmth of his palm thaws out all your remaining anxiety. “Friends.”

✦ ✧✦ ✧

When Monday rolls around, a tiny ball of doubt weighs you down.

It’s not that you were afraid of talking to Peter. You were actually looking forward to getting to know him now that you officially became friends. It’s the future you’re stuck on. What happens if you get too attached to this friendship and want more? What if friendship is all he wants? What if it’s the other way around?

If you were honest with yourself, you’d know which way the gage is leaning, and it’s not in your favor.

You’re cleaning off the bar top when Peter comes in, doing his usual greeting with Chris before settling down on a barstool in front of you. He’s a little high strung, leaning his chin on his hand, then thinking against it, only to do it again. It was oddly comforting to know that he was overthinking too.

The corners of your lips tug up in a soft smile. “Hi, Peter.”

Your face warms as he smiles back. “Hey, Y/N.”

Chris barges in, leaning his elbows on the bar top and gaping incredulously at you and Peter. “Woah, woah, woah! Did I miss something? Since when are you two speaking in public?”

Peter checks his watch. “About thirty-seven seconds ago.”

“Oh, come on, dude. At least tell me what happened.”

You and Peter share a knowing look like two conniving co-conspirators sharing an inside joke, and you giggle as Chris huffs in annoyance. He glumly storms off when you two stay hushed, muttering, “Fine, next time you need a middle-man, count me out.”

“Does he hold grudges?” Peter asks after Chris walks out of earshot.

You’re still shaking with giggles. “Not at all. He’ll be back to his happy self in less than an hour.”

Peter only stays at Hal’s for twenty-five minutes, but they were the funniest and most intriguing twenty-five minutes you ever worked.

The conversation began slowly at first, but each question loosened the formalities. Peter asked about easy things: when did you get into art, when did you start working at Hal’s, and when was your birthday, all while digging into his slice of pie. He caught on fast enough to know the topic of parents was off-limits, and he thankfully chose to stay away from any talk of the blip.

When you asked him questions, he was open and responsive, jumping at the chance to talk about his passion for bio-sciences and Star Wars, sometimes covertly mentioning some of the duties he has a Spider-Man. Not a minute was wasted. You talked while serving customers and cleaning tables, keeping up the joke of staying quiet when Chris tried to meddle.

It all turned out smoother than you expected. Almost too smooth, and you’re not sure if that’s good or bad.

You are sure about one thing, though. You like having Peter as a friend.

...

Part V

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

Being Human - Chapter 20

<= Chapter 19

Summary : The search for the rest of the group continues... But things don't go as planned. Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826561/chapters/71985015

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

New chapter, heeeeeey

So uh I may have overcome my writer and artist block, I don't know, but... In any case, as an apology for the recent lack of content, you get this chapter the day after it was finished !

I hope you'll like it, just like I hope you'll like the drawing coming with it ! (I feel like I've improved a lot)

The “Oh The Humanity” AU belongs to @doodledrawsthings​​ !

Happy reading !

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Chapter 20 - “Show yourself!”  

Snatcher was running, running through the snow as fast as he could, as fast as his cold limbs allowed him to. Ever since he had become human again, the former spirit had had trouble keeping himself up on his two legs. However… At the moment, it was like it didn’t matter anymore, as if his body instinctively knew exactly how to run without falling, without stumbling into the deep and thick snow.

“Please,” he thought to himself, despair engulfing him whole: “please, let them be safe,” he prayed to whatever deity would be ready to listen to him despite his kill count. The thought of what could have happened to Moonjumper and… No, he couldn’t think about it, he didn’t want to think about it.

His lungs were hurting, stinging like never before, the cold air not helping in the least. It felt like thousands of needles were piercing his lungs, his heart pounding in his chest, his stomach tied in knots… It was an awful feeling, but it was nothing compared to what the other two might be experiencing.

He had to find them, he had to! If he was too late… No, he simply couldn’t be, he couldn't allow himself to be!

-“W-wait for me! Snatcher!” the bow-wearing child was trying to follow him, but he supposed having an adult body fueled by pure adrenaline made him run faster than her. Still, lost in his dreadful thoughts, the young man barely heard her. He was too focused on running to the direction of the beacon, of that laser beam that had such a terrible meaning attached to it.

The closer they were getting, the lower the temperatures were, making it harder and harder to run- But Snatcher didn’t care. He couldn’t.

Flakes were falling into his eyes and he couldn’t help but fall down as he had to close his eyes. His foot got tangled in a barely visible root. A muffled cry left his blue lips as his face hit the thick snow on the ground, forcing the air out of his lungs from the shock. No, he couldn’t stop, every second was important!

The child managed to join him while he was trying to get up, his limbs hurting from the cold and the efforts. Her breath was quick and heavy: she was, just like him, exhausted. Still, she frowned as she helped him to get back to his feet:

-“Don’t run off like this, we need to stay together!” she told him, and he knew she was right. If he had crossed Vanessa’s way alone… She would have easily killed him. But he couldn’t be slow when they had to-

-“Wait,” the bow-wearing kid squinted as she tried to see something a dozen feet away : “What’s that?” she continued, pointing to a silhouette that was almost invisible in this blizzard, which had worsened the closer they got to their friends. The falling snow prevented them from perceiving what surrounded them, both hiding them and making them extremely vulnerable, should Vanessa find them.

The former ghost narrowed his eyes but shook his head. This didn’t move, so it… Probably wasn’t Vanessa. But it wasn’t a tree nor a rock, it didn’t have that kind of shape. Still, this was definitely a form he had never seen before in his forest. This had to be a clue leading them to Vanessa or to the rest of the group.

-“I don’t know,” he murmured, his voice getting lower. If Vanessa was near them, he didn’t want her to hear them and find exactly where they were. Then again… Where was the rest of the group? Snatcher and the kid had gone in the direction of the laser beam… Yet, they couldn’t hear anything but the sound of the wind, of the snow falling around them…But no trace of a fight, no voices, no sounds of people defending themselves… This terrible silence was giving him a terrible feeling and, deep down… He couldn’t help but fear for the worst.

-“Let’s get closer,” added the young man, stepping closer to the foreign shape, the snow crackling under his trembling feet. He was hugging himself now, both because of the cold and the fear of seeing something terrifying. He still kept walking, but the closer he got, the harder it became. Not because of the low temperatures… But because, little by little, he was starting to figure out what this strange shape was. And now, around six feet away from it… He stopped, his heart missing a beat, and his breath getting stuck in his throat. It was like he had just received a bucket of cold, no, icy water on his shoulders.

No. No. No, no, no, no! This couldn’t be possible, this couldn’t be happening! This had to be a dream, a nightmare!

The bow-wearing child stopped next to him, her face paling up at the sight, this terrifying and horrifying sight, one that none of them would ever be able to forget.

-“H… Hat…?” she murmured, her eyes watering despite the surrounding blizzard. She didn’t want to believe it, she didn’t want to accept what she had in front of her. Expressions full of despair, fear and horror crossed her features as she let go of the Time Piece, too shocked to care. The magical hourglass fell into the snow, not breaking as its fall was softened by the thick, white layer covering the ground.

The little girl made a few steps forward, slowly, trembling on her legs as she started crying. Snatcher… Was no better. Sorrow could be seen on his face as his eyes couldn’t look away.

Right in front of them… Was the hat-wearing child, completely turned to ice, an expression of horror visible on her frozen features. Not far away from the small statue, another one was laying on the ground, almost hidden by the snow that had fallen after the other’s terrible fate. Moonjumper’s face showed a mix of terror and fear, now carved forever on his face. He had probably been floating before he got frozen, as his arm had been broken, most likely from the fall. A few red strings could be seen next to him, flying through the blizzard, only held by a frozen hand.

Snatcher fell to his knees, white noise ringing into his head, his eyes lost into space. No. This couldn’t be. He was dreaming, he was having a nightmare, a terrifying nightmare, just like he had when he had dreamt about his death. So now, he was dreaming about the brat and Moonjumper’s deaths! Because his brain was a jerk! What other explanation could there be…?

After a few seconds, the former shade realized he had stopped breathing. When he tried to, the air got stuck in his throat and he coughed.He almost threw up, a horrible nausea challenging the limits of his body and his emotions. Said body contorted and soon, he was all curled up on the ground. His cheeks hurt, stinging like cuts in his skin. He pressed his cold hand to his cheek… Only to notice he was crying, and the reason it hurt was because his tears were turning into ice.

-“No… No!” Not far away, he could hear the bow-wearing child crying, screaming as she hugged the statue of her friend, as if she were refusing to let her go. Her voice full of despair was echoing all around despite the wind muffling the sounds.

He… Had been too late.

The former Prince looked at his hands, shaking. He should have been there for them… And now here he was, next to two frozen corpses, new ones adding up to the pile of dead people that Subcon had welcomed into its midst.

This place was cursed. Nothing he had ever done and nothing he will ever do would change anything. Those who stepped into his forest never did leave in one piece indeed… And not always because of him, like this all proved.

-“Hat… Hat, stop…! This is not funny…!” sobbed the other child, as she was trying to take her friend’s signature top hat away. Perhaps she was thinking the hatted brat had voluntarily turned herself into a statue thanks to her ice hat… But Snatcher knew better. This was not a joke, this…

This was all Vanessa’s fault.

That single thought brought him back to reality, and only then he realized he couldn’t feel most of his muscles. Curled up in the snow, like this… He would die if he didn’t movenow. With a newfound vigor, Snatcher forced himself up, anger, no, fury engulfing him. He was going to kill Her, he would make sure this never, ever happened-

-“Who’s there?!”

Snatcher’s entire body froze as he heard those words, this voice… The bow-wearing brat seemed to have the same reaction and their eyes met instantly, both of them with the same thought echoing in their mind.

Here was the murderer of their friends.

The young man’s fury intensified, a warmth spreading in his chest and around him. Soon, his body started to glow, casting around him a yellowish light, making the snow surrounding him melt as heat radiated from him. His clenched fists were becoming hotter and hotter and, as if on cue, flames started to grow out of his fingers. Fueled by anger like fire was by coal, his flames were getting so hot that, after a few seconds… They changed colors.

His yellow fire had been replaced by warmer, more dangerous blue flames. He didn’t pick up the baseball bat, knowing he would surely burn it just by touching it in his state. In any case… Snatcher would not make the same error twice.

Letting her go was not an option anymore.

Not too far away from him, the bow-wearing child adopted a defensive pose, holding her umbrella like one would hold a sword. She was looking everywhere around them, looking for any threat, any sign of Vanessa’s presence. He was, too. Unfortunately… The blizzard just seemed to grow worse and worse as seconds passed. Did that mean Vanessa was getting closer…?

-“Stop hiding, you coward!!” he shouted, turning his head as he tried to perceive a form, a silhouette, anything, but to no avail. This only made him more furious than he already was. He opened his mouth, and he felt like fire was escaping from his throat: “Show yourself!”

He had to do what hehad been too afraid to do when he had fled left: kill her, once and for all.

But silence was his only answer. Had… Had she left? Did she really have the nerve to pull that up, after she had killed their friends?! Was she really going to do that?!

No. No, she had heard them… And Snatcher had yelled at her, so there was no way she would have left. Still… Still, a good minute had passed and Vanessa was nowhere in sight. The little girl seemed to be confused just like he was as she turned to him, trying to understand what was going on. A trail of white lines could be seen on her face: frozen tears. Snatcher was sure the same was visible on his cheeks.

Suddenly, a look of realization crossed her features and she seemed to look around them, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. What was she-

-“The Time Piece!” she urged him : “Where is it?!”

The gears in the former ghost’s mind clicked and he understood why she was asking for it. She was probably intending on using it to go back in time, back to when Moonjumper and the hatted brat were still alive! Of course, how could they have forgotten something so obvious…! Snatcher looked around him, his eyes searching near the last place he had seen the Time Piece… However, his face paled when he realized the blizzard had added a new layer of snow, covering everything up.

The Time Piece was there, surely… But there was no way of finding it.

He turned back to answer her- but the moment he looked in her direction, the ground started to shake. The young man’s heart missed a beat, but before he was able to do or say anything, four high walls of thick ice emerged from the ground, surrounding the little girl and trapping her into an ice prison.

The Time Piece now completely forgotten, the former Prince dashed to her sides, the adrenaline making him forget the numbness of his muscles. His powers died down from the surprise, leaving him cold again.

No, no, not this…!

-“Kiddo!!” He stopped in front of one of the walls, pounding onto it with as much strength he could gather in such condition. Panic replaced his fury and was making him shake. He couldn’t lose her, he couldn’t lose anyone else!

-“Answer me!!” he yelled at her through the ice, his nails scratching at the frozen surface painfully. His body was hurting so much from the cold…!

-“I… I’m alright!” he heard from the other side, and he could perceive some sort of silhouette through the thick wall of ice. The other’s voice was trembling, though it was probably more out of surprise than anything else. Or so he hoped… But soon, her words brought him back to reality: “The Time Piece, find it, we ne-”

However, the little girl didn’t have the time to finish her sentence as a new voice echoed around them:

-“My Prince~…!” it sang, gleefully: “I’ve finally found you…” In a single instant, Snatcher’s blood turned to ice and he instinctively turned his head to the source of the voice. Horror crossed his features as, finally, his eyes caught afamiliarform a dozen feet away, slowly approaching him. His limbs were frozen, fear paralyzing him, and he couldn’t help but remain completely still, unable to move as he saw his worst nightmare getting closer and closer.

This was happening, this was actually happening- and he was not ready, no, he wasn’t-

-“Snatcher, run!!” Poundings from inside of the ice prison broke him out of his trance and the former ghost came back to his senses. He couldn’t stay here! The life and survival of his group was entirely in his hands now.

Inhabited by a new determination, Snatcher started to search into the snow, looking for a sign, any sign, indicating the location of the Time Piece. Giggling could be heard behind him as the Queen approached him, only reminding him of the danger he and the child were in. He had to find it, he had to be fast…! His lungs hurt, and the only thing preventing him from collapsing from the cold and exhaustion was the adrenaline, pumping fast into his veins. He knew it wouldn’t last, and this was exactly why he needed to find it now.

This was a matter of life and death.

-“There you are~…!”

The young man took a second to look behind his back, his blue hands still into the snow, looking for any object he might encounter. The silhouette was now dangerously close and he could see her red, glowing eyes now. He had to find that hourglass, he had to find it, he had to-

Suddenly, his fingers bumped into something solid and his heart missed a bit. Could it be…? With a feeling of hope swelling inside of him, the former Prince grabbed the object and lifted it up, pulling it out of the snow. Instantly, a blue, glowing light emanated from what he was holding. A wave of relief suddenly hit him: the Time Piece! He had found it!

But this was not over yet.

Snatcher got up as fast as he could, almost stumbling back into the thick snow, and started to run…Feeling claws brushing his hair…

He knew very well who those claws belonged to. Dread and horror settled on him as he realized he had almost been caught. A single second too late, and it would have all been over… A chill ran down his spine, but he forced himself to ignore it, just like he was trying to ignore the pain, the exhaustion, the fear-

All he knew was that he was running, running fast, doing his best to get the Queen away from his group. It would be too risky to rewind time if Vanessa was around them- she could easily kill them all again for all he knew.

He needed to lead her somewhere else, where the others would be safe from her. But then, it hit him: how would he alert the rest of his group about his position…? He didn’t have a projectile badge! And no one would be able to hear him scream if he got too far away…!

-“Come back! Hehehehe~,” sing-sang a terribly familiar voice, right behind him. Vanessa was maybe quite hunchbacked… But she was immune to exhaustion. Snatcher, on the other hand, was not. And he could feel her claws lightly touching the scalp of his hair, and who knew when she would decide to use his powers to stop him…! Who knew when she would stop seeing this as a game…? He felt even more furious at that particular thought: she had murdered his friends and she was thinking of this as some twisted game! How dares she!

If he had to do something… It was now or never. And so, with that in mind…

Snatcher suddenly changed direction, confusing his pursuer momentarily. He took a deep breath and, with determination, charged a nearby tree. He held the Time Piece next to him, his arm out straight and ready to hit the frozen trunk of that three. He wouldn’t be able to stop to break the hourglass… So he might as well use his current speed to his advantage. The former shade narrowed his eyes, a single thought echoing his mind as he got closer and closer from the tree, a wish for the Time Piece to grant.

“Please let them be safe. Please, anything, as long as they’re alive and well, please, please…!”

A few seconds later, Snatcher’s arm hit the tree violently. He screamed from the pain, the latter intensified from how cold he was- but he didn’t have time to linger on it any longer. The shock made him lose his balance and he fell forward into the snow, forcing the air out of his lungs again. But before he could do anything…

A white, blinding flash made him shut his eyes hard.

-“What is-” Vanessa’s voice echoed behind him, but at least the light had made her stop.

He had managed to do it, he had done it, he had saved his team, this-

However, his train of thoughts was cut short as he felt his conscience blacking out for a short moment- perhaps an effect of the Time Piece? In any case, his mind seemed to have shut off for a few seconds, perhaps a few minutes, he couldn’t quite tell. Yet, when he came back to his senses, something felt… Different. Different just like when he had woken up in that body, different as if he were in a carnal envelope that wasn’t his, one that was both familiar and unfamiliar. But this wasn’t the time for this, no! He was still in danger, he-!

Snatcher turned back, quickly changing side to face the source of the danger- And immediately, his eyes fell on the Queen, who had been covering his eyes, her red glowing eyes… Just like him, the violent flash had blinded her, forcing her to shut her eyes. Her black, disheveled hair was flying with the wind, her black dress following that same dance. Groans left her mouth as she finally lowered her clawed hands…

And their eyes met.

“This is it,” realized the young man internally with horror: “this is how I’m gonna die.”

But Vanessa merely stared at him, as if her mind was processing something, as if she was trying to make sense of something she was seeing. What… What was going on? Why wasn’t she killing him now? She was having the perfect chance to! She looked away, her eyes scanning their surroundings, searching for something that wasn’t there anymore. Confusion spread on her face, and when she glanced back at him, she seemed even more perplexed.

Snatcher was completely paralyzed in fear, his eyes fixed on her, terror visible on his features. His body was trembling- but he wasn’t as cold as before. Actually, he was feeling much better, strangely! His lungs didn’t hurt anymore, he wasn’t feeling as tired as before… He felt pretty good actually, and he was not as much out of breath as he had first thought.

He frowned, confused and afraid, not daring to move. What was…

But his thoughts died down when Vanessa’s voice brought him back to reality:

-“Oh…” She let out a surprised and yet mother like sound, tilting her head on the side, a smile appearing on her face.

What… What was happening, whydid she- Snatcher’s thoughts became completely silent as his eyes fell onto his hands. They were… Much smaller than before, weren’t they…? And these clothes… He wasn’t wearing this, he was wearing something else before…! Why did those clothes seem so familiar? Why did this body looked so small, so frai-

Oh no.

-“My, what are you doing here…?” wondered the Queen with a coo, as she crouched to his level. Her expression had softened and she looked nothing like the monster who had been chasing him down: “Do I know you…?” she asked, waiting for an answer, her confusion having visibly calmed her down.

Oh no.

Snatcher crawled away : this couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be possible, this-

His eyes moved to the shiny object next to them, to the hourglass that had been sitting in the snow after he had broke it. It was back to its previous state, unbroken. The little girls’ words immediately came back to his mind as his eyes couldn’t look away from the glowing artefact.

“But… It wouldn’t work in your case,” they had told him: “Because if you broke it again, you would just… Get younger. You wouldn’t go back to being dead.”

Snatcher hadn’t saved the others. No, on the contrary…

He had gotten younger instead.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- 

...... heheheheHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS FORESHADOWING COMING !! HA !

Hm. Anyway. I hope you liked this chapter !! Thank you for following my work and for being patient with me, it means a lot.

=> Chapter 21

[corpse--diem]

Making Adult Friends | Chloe & Erin

TIMING: Early-mid January at Erin’s previous apartment PARTIES: @chloeinbetween​ & @corpse–diem SUMMARY: Chloe and Erin meet up to watch Sharknado. It’s a very normal and not awkward time at all.  CONTENT WARNINGS: none

It was fine. It was cool. It was definitely not Chloe staring at her reflection in a storefront, trembling in nerves. The last time she’d gone over to someone’s house who she barely knew, well…. That hadn’t ended well. This time, Chloe was prepared, a heavy iron pendant in her hand. They were meeting outside to chat a little before they went into the nearby apartment block that Erin had said were hers. Leaning on a nearby post, she breathed hot

into her winter gloves, her fingers growing cold in the wind. “Oh, um, hey, are you Erin?” Chloe asked when she noticed a woman also looking around for someone. “I’m Chloe.”

Erin hadn’t known what had possessed her to reach out and see if this stranger online wanted to just… hang out. Maybe it was the need to socialize, or to talk to someone, anyone, about absolutely anything but the supernatural for five goddamn minutes. It was like the moment she’d been dropped into this world nearly a year ago, she hadn’t been able to get above the surface for even a breath. When Chloe agreed to watch some stupid movie with her, she wondered if the other woman simply wanted the same thing--some company and some laughs. She eyed the blonde who had approached, standing there like she’d been waiting for a bus outside of the apartment building. At first glance she looked as normal as she’d sounded. As normal as anyone who wanted to watch a movie called Sharknado with her. “Yep, that’s me,” Erin chirped, perking up with a bright smile. “Nice to meet you, Chloe.” She pulled a glove hand out of her pocket where it’d been hiding from the bite of the winter air and offered it to the other woman. “Not to rush things but what do you say we get out of this cold and at least get to the apartment lobby? My bones can’t take the cold quite like they used to.”

Chloe smiled, but it was watered down by the nervous wideness of her eyes. Erin looked, as much as possible anyway, like a normal human being. Chloe wasn't sure what she was looking for but she was looking all the same. When Erin breezed there was a cloud of condensation. She wore thick clothes to match the winter air. She wasn't standing strangely, nor was there was anything unusual about her way of speaking like Lydia had sometimes had. Nothing about Erin set off alarm bells. Chloe just wasn't convinced that meant anything. There was some part of her that knew that looking was as pointless as trying to avoid everyone. "That would be great," Chloe said, looking down at Erin's hand ever, taking it in a shake. She was about to be rude, she knew, but it was the only thing that made the idea of going inside Erin's house bearable. "Just one thing," Chloe said, holding out the iron round pendant in her hand. "This is iron, can you touch this for me please? It sounds so silly, I know, I feel absurd asking, but it's really important to me."

This is why you didn’t invite strangers to your house, Erin, she thought to herself as Chloe held out the iron pendant in front of her. There was a sincerity in her voice and eyes that was hard to dismiss but it didn’t instill much confidence in Erin. “You want me to… touch it?” She repeated the question, shifting where she stood, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like maybe this was some weird joke she wasn’t privy to. Her gloved hand reached out, an unsure smile wavering on her lips. “This isn’t one of those buzzer things that’ll give me a shock if I touch it right?” She’d dealt with weirder things than someone with bad jokes. Her hand hovered above it, hesitant, before tapping the top of it quickly--once, twice, flinching like it would do something. “Is that good enough?”

Chloe might have lost every social skill she’d ever had these last few years, but even she felt the immediate concern and discomfort from Erin. “No, no! It’s not a prank.” Her cheeks went a little red, and Chloe hoped she could just blame that on the cold. In hindsight, she should have asked Erin to take off her glove, and while she was sure Lydia wouldn’t have been so casual about touching iron ever, the leather really made the whole test moot. Chloe wasn’t sure she was brave enough to ask her to do it again without the glove. “Um yep! It’s just a safety thing, but it’s all good. I know it’s weird.” Maybe Erin would even tell her not to come in now.

A safety thing? Not surprisingly, Chloe’s affirmation did little to soften the eyebrow raised in her direction. “That’s--yeah. Of course. You’re coming to a stranger’s home. You want to be safe. I get it.” Erin doubled back, pointing back to the pendant in her hand. “I don’t know how that screams safety but if it makes you feel better… who am I to judge, I guess? I feel like I should probably have more precautions for you, honestly.” But there was real distress there Erin couldn’t ignore and it softened some of the harsher criticisms she would usually sling at someone giving such uncertain vibes. She’d never admit it but she did feel a little safer knowing there was a hunter right next door if shit ever hit the fan. “A little weird. But that’s okay. Maybe you can explain it when we go inside? Unless you’ve got any other questions for me or things you need me to touch.” She offered a smile, wrapping her arms back around herself, the cold collecting in wisps in front of her lips.

“Trust me, it makes all the difference in the world.” Chloe looked up at the building that Erin was standing by for the first time properly, and breathe a small sigh of relief. “If it makes you feel better, I actually know one of your neighbours, funnily enough.” Chloe had been about to expand on that when she realised that discussing how she'd been rescued from her prison by Kaden Langley was not the kind of thing that you used to open a casual conversation. Today was about fun and friendship possibly hopefully, not about digging into something that she didn't want to think about right now this second. “Oh!” Chloe exclaimed, laughing a little too high and a little too nervously, “No, no! Nothing else to touch, not that I can think of. Unless… there’s anything you want to ask me or to have me touch?”

A lingering hesitation followed Chloe’s confession about knowing one of her neighbors, casting a long glance her way. Please don’t be Kaden, please don’t be Kaden, was all Erin could think. “I think I’m good on the touching thing. People usually take me to dinner before I get asked that question, just for future reference,” she teased, trying to edge out some of the growing awkwardness, still very aware that they hadn’t even stepped foot into the building yet. She started walking back towards the building, stuffing her hands back into her jacket pocket. “So… wait, you know one of my neighbors?” She tried to add in casually despite the growing dread building in her stomach. She opened the door for Chloe and led her down the damn striped hallway the man in question was woefully responsible for. “Wouldn’t happen to be some french guy? Kinda rude? Name rhymes with maiden?”

Chloe did a double take, before flushing with real embarrassment. She didn’t know what to say to that, unable to shake the anxious discomfort that Erin hadn’t touched the iron with her bare hands. It was probably fine. What was the probability of any random person being fae? They were so secret for a reason.

“Right,” she tried to chuckle awkwardly. “What can I say, I’m a very forward person.” It sounded as awkward out loud as it had in her head. Chloe ran her hand against the wall, just in case she needed the balance help as the warm air of the hall wrapped around herm, but quickly withdrew her hand as the wall striped. It wasn’t a change in wallpaper, nor, when Chloe squinted, did it look like paint, it was just… printed on there, as if it was always meant to be there.

“Did you have a mime neighbor?” Chloe asked, before realising Erin had also asked her a question, she raised her eyebrow with a smile. “He, uh, hasn’t been rude to me, but yeah, I know Kaden Langley.”

There was a noticeable uncertainty in Chloe that seemed like it’d been there for sometime, and likely there before agreeing to watch a stupid movie with a stranger online. It wasn’t Erin’s place to push and instead smiled back at her, trying to assure her this was fine despite whatever unease she currently felt. “Obviously,” she laughed softly, digging her keys out. Nearly dropped them at the door when the word mime actually came out of Chloe’s mouth. She chuckled nervously, raising a brow. “You know, I’m not entirely sure about that. But I think I do,” she smirked to herself before leading Chloe into the apartment. Even if it was still generally bare, it was warm. “I’m glad he wasn’t then. He’s right next door, actually. He’s…” Erin sighed, a hint of reluctance in her voice, trying to save face in front of someone who could possibly be a friend or friendly acquaintance of his. “He’s not the worst neighbor. Even if he bakes constantly and doesn’t share. Ever.” She smiled over at her, shrugging off her coat and hanging it on a hook beside the door. Narrowed her eyes, suddenly straightening. “Oh shoot--you don’t have any allergies to animals or anything, do you?” As if on cue, the small, fluffy cat hopped up on the table nearest to Chloe, greeting the other woman with a friendly chirping meow.

“Doesn’t he?” Chloe repeated with a smile, sure that wasn’t the only reason for the rivalry between the two. Not that it was her business, but she couldn’t even imagine Kaden being a jerk. A little snippy, maybe, a little quick to temper, but that was the worst of what she could imagine. “It’s really cruel, to make someone smell how good your baking is without sharing it.” All the same, as she looked around Erin’s apartment, she couldn’t help but compare it to Kaden’s next door. Chloe jumped, bumping into the back of the doorframe and grabbing it wildly before regaining her balance. Just a cat. Just a cat! Chloe didn’t even realise how she’d clutched the chest of her jumper until she breathed out shakily. “No!” She replied, “Not allergic at all. Just- just a bit easy to startle. Sorry. Um, are, are they friendly? Do they like to be pet?” Chloe asked, her voice creaking.

“Could certainly be worse,” Erin replied, trying to brush off the edge in her voice she might have let slip through about her neighbor. All things considered, it truly could have been worse. Wasn’t great knowing you shared a wall with someone who would have preferred to see you behind bars. Easy enough to forget as she watched Chloe nearly jump out of her skin when Betty popped out to say hello. “I’ll remember that,” she nodded, another assuring, if not awkwardly unsure smile crossing her lips. Erin only knew a few things about Chloe so far, and two of those were: easy to startle and made people touch a pendant when they met. Strong start. “Oh, no, pet away. She’s the sweetest thing you’ll ever meet, I promise,” she added, crossing over to pet the top of her head. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable and help yourself to anything out there.” There were already a few plates of snacks on plates waiting on the coffee table in front of the television. Maybe a slight overcompensation for two people but it was hard to remember a time she had someone over for a completel supernatural free evening, even if it involved shark infested natural disasters. “Can I get you coffee or tea or something to drink?”

“Don’t say that,” Chloe replied tightly, swallowing, her skin growing pale as she looked around for extra trouble. Or maybe Erin was the extra trouble. Or maybe she needed to chill, but the feeling that Erin was about to get herself trapped was… unshakeable. “I mean, I’m sure she’s amazing, but you know, you never know with absolutes, you don’t want to say anything that’s…. You know, you never know.” Chloe offered her hand towards the cat to sniff, then gently pet her head, only a tiny bit of tension melting from the shoulders as she was greeted with the cat pressing into her hand. Chloe swallowed, suppressing the moment’s panic at being asked to make a choice. “Coffee would be great,” She said after a moment. “Just black is good. I appreciate it.” Her skin crawled from how painfully awkward this already was. “So, funeral director, right? That’s a really interesting job, especially in a town like this.” She couldn’t shake the memory of how Erin had introduced herself, like she was supposed to just know who the funeral director was, because there were so many deaths.

Erin eyed Chloe warily as she fumbled through the explanation of an apparently very real fear that didn’t quite match up with its source. Not to Erin, anyway, and not right away. The more she thought about it though, a creeping, nearly long-forgotten dread started to climb its way back up insides. “Right,” she drawled slowly, as if trying to still understand but not wanting to be rude by sitting in the brief silence that followed it. She started the coffee anyway, thankful to have something to at least busy her hands with. “That’s pretty fair actually.  Do you have a problem with promises as a whole, then? Or just absolutes?” She asked, maybe not so subtly alluding to what Chloe’s words had instantly brought to mind. A flash of Regan, a glass of water and Dr. Rickers’ beard hair flashed behind her eyes. If Chloe had any experience with those kinds of promises, her fear made a mountain of sense. “You mean a town like this with a death rate like this?” She tacked on, glancing over as she poured the coffee, a knowing smirk on her lips. “It keeps me busy, that’s for sure.” It did, anyway, and hopefully would continue to after things were sorted. She didn’t want to think about that right now though. “What did you say you did?” She asked, placing the cup of coffee in front Chloe before taking up a spot on the couch.

If Chloe could be any redder, she should just start a career as a traffic light. Her skin was flushed beetroot red as Erin drawled her skepticism. Which was better than what came next, as the blood drained from her face as quickly as it had appeared. Was it a trap? Erin had touched the iron with her gloves, after all, and Chloe was really regretting not insisting now. Then again, she wasn’t sure anyone who was a fae or hung out with fae in any significant way would have used the phrase I promise that quickly. “Promises are the most intense absolutes, more than most people realise, I think.” She tried to cover for herself, managing to answer the question even less subtly than Erin had asked it.

Safe to say, a conversation about jobs was much easier.  “Well, uh,  yes, considering the deathrate and all.” Chloe said quietly, matching Erin’s smile much more nervously. “Um, not much at the moment, if I’m honest? Kind of… looking for a job at the moment. I haven’t really been….. Employed for a few years now, but I used to teach music at an elementary school.” Because talking about the past was something Chloe could definitely, certainly do without coming across weird. It wasn’t even that the Lydia stuff was secret, or that she felt like it was a good idea to keep it secret, but in the closest thing she’d had to normalcy in… years, she was kind of reticent to ruin that.

Chloe might have answered her question but it didn’t leave Erin with any more answers or assurances than before she’d asked it. There was no missing the literal uncomfortable physical reaction Chloe had to her words. Her curiosity skyrocketed. “Oh, I agree,” she nodded whole-heartedly, wondering how long she could toe this line without asking what she actually wanted to know. The woman had already asked her to touch a pendant before she’d come into her home and they were about to watch a movie about a fictional shark-filled natural disaster. What did she really have to lose? “You make a promise and then suddenly you’re bound to it.” She pointedly paused, lifting the cup of coffee to her lips as she peered over at Chloe over the top of it. “Been there before and it’s not a good feeling. I don’t make promises I can’t keep anymore. Or at all, if I can help it.”

There was more ease in this part of the conversation, but not by much. If Erin ever thought she was wound tightly, she had absolutely nothing on the spring coil energy her new acquaintance had. “A music teacher? Really?” A softer, more genuine smile crossed Erin’s lips. “And there’s nothing at the schools right now? That’s surprising.” That high death rate touched every aspect of this town. No one was excluded. Her eyes narrowed gently in her direction. “Assuming teaching is something you want to get back to. Parents are always looking for private music instructors for their kids too. I was saddled with one until I was sixteen when mine decided I was learning how to play the organ.”

“Then you’re smart,” Chloe said softly, and itched to ask more, but they’d never watch the movie at all if she kept asking and… she wanted the quiet. She wanted to not spend every situation talking about fae, or being trapped, or anything. But her body did loosen up, relaxing, just to know that Erin knew something.

“Well, I don’t really know that I want to go back to music. Too much baggage, and my voice is kind of… wrecked.” Like she’d been swallowing gravel on a weekly basis. “I’m due a career change anyway, right? Something quiet and easy.” That didn’t even involve thinking about music. “Damn. The organ is an impressive instrument to learn, though, especially as a kid. Guessing it comes in handy at work too.”

Chloe’s conciseness didn’t have an edge to it but there was enough there for Erin to take the hint. There was more there, and as desperately as she wanted to dig further, chasing off the person she was trying to befriend with her nosiness wasn’t the goal for today. “Just experienced,” she tacked on with a raised brow, reaching for some of the snacks she’d prepared and left it at that.

Too much baggage? Wasn’t what she was expecting there either but she nodded as if she understood anyway. That was Chloe’s prerogative, after all. “Oh, absolutely. They loved being able to throw me out there in front of a grieving family and make the whole room sob with some Ave Maria or Amazing Grace.” She smirked, reaching for the remote, sorting through the available movies until the movie poster with the flying sharks filled the screen. “Something quiet and easy sounds fair though. Do you have your eyes on anything in particular?” She tilted her head at Chloe, a teasing smile on her lips. “You know, it’s very quiet in a funeral home. I’ll be opening up again soon, and positions are open, so…”

Experienced. Erin knew. Erin knew something about Fae, but the tone told her it wasn’t that she was fae. For the first time all night, Chloe relaxed more comfortably in her seat. She didn’t have to explain everything or talk about everything. They could just both… know, and not address it, not tonight. “Oh, I bet. Those melodies are heart stoppers.”

“The job offerings in this town are pretty… eclectic. I applied for a reception job at a ghost tour operator, but apparently competition for that kind of job is fierce,” Chloe said with an amused smile, not realising that not believing in ghosts had been the only reason she hadn’t gotten it. She smiled back at Erin, not quite sure how sincere the offer was. “Maybe you’ll see my application at some point,” Chloe said quietly, and although she expected to cringe away from the thought of working in such a macabre field, she found herself oddly… at ease with the idea. She’d seen more than enough terrible death to be afraid of the mundane kind.

Erin smiled sincerely in Chloe’s direction. Whatever she’d said seemed to add an air of calmness to the room, for the first time since she’d met her outside and was asked to touch an iron pendant. She couldn’t say she wasn’t thankful for it. “Well, I’d be happy to read over it, if that’s the case.” She wasn’t sure how applicable Chloe’s skills as a music teacher were going to translate to the funeral home but she supposed if she could wrangle a group of kids with loud instruments, she could handle some phone calls, surely. They’d cross that bridge when or if they got there.

“Oh!” She interjected, finishing a quick sip of her coffee and set it down on the table. “The movie.” Tucking her legs under her, she let a goofier smile pull at her lips and clicked the remote until the film was up and ready to play. “Are you ready to experience the thrill of a lifetime? Or do you need more time to prepare?”

“I don’t think anyone’s ever truly ready for Sharknado,” Chloe replied with a grin, settling into the couch. “How can anyone prepare for that level of artistry?” She turned her eyes to the screen as the opening sequence began, the corners of her lips turned up. Her body thrummed with a quiet kind of contentment. It was easy to be scared, but it was just as easy to be grateful. There was, on this couch with a new acquaintance and a delightfully terrible movie playing, so much to still be grateful for.

[infinite-xerath]

Runeterra Retcons: Ruination Episode (Ionia)

Ionia Part I

After discussing it heavily with your comrades, you all agree that your next destination should be Ionia. The light of the Wayfinder encompasses you all as it carries you across the sea to the Ionian Sentinel outpost, where you are surprised to find that nothing seems amiss on the shores.

“Looks like the Black Mist hasn’t gotten here yet.”

“Wow, so this is Ionia? It’s beautiful!”

Riven response 1: “I can’t say I’m surprised. Ionia’s always been resistant to invaders…”

Riven response 2: “Yeah… But it wasn’t always like this…”

Gwen: “Oh what an absolutely splendid place! I’ve never been anywhere this majestic before!”

Senna: “They call Ionia the First Lands, and some say it’s the birthplace of magic itself. I guess it’s no surprise that this place is a sort of safe haven against the Harrowing.”

Olaf: “Wait! Look there!”

Olaf points further inland, where you see a great cloud of Black Mist descending onto a vibrant forest.

Vayne: “So much for a safe haven…”

Senna: “No time to stand around and gawk! Let’s move, Sentinels!”

Senna takes the lead as you all charge ahead, ascending the winding mountain path. All around you, wild animals scatter and flee as the Black Mist pours through the forest. The once-vibrant flora withers and distorts around you while the very air seems to linger with malice.

Suddenly, you feel a gnarled tree root spring to life and wrap around your leg, pulling you down. A shrill scream fills the air as you hit the ground and feel yourself being dragged back down the path. Before you vanish completely into the brush, however, Lucian frees your leg with a well-timed shot.

Lucian: “You alright, rookie? That was, uh, quite a scream just now.”

“Thanks, I owe you.”

“That, uh, wasn’t me.”

Lucian response 1: “Don’t mention it. Now let’s keep moving.”

Lucian response 2: “Heh, sure it wasn’t...”

Before you can say anything more, another identical scream cuts through the air. You all turn to see a peculiar figure bounding through the forest. Her upper half resembles that of a young woman, but her lower body is that of a fawn. She holds in her possession a branch with a peculiar bloom attached to it.

???: “Oh dear, oh dear!”

“Is that a person?”

“Is that an animal?”

Vayne: “Whatever it is, it’s heading right for us.”

Sure enough, the strange figure is bounding toward you at an alarming rate, looking back over her shoulder. She turns her head just in time to see the Sentinels and comes skidding to a stop.

???: “Eep!”

“Eep!”

“Woah, that was close!”

“She… Is… Adorable!”

Lillia: “W-Who are you!? Ah, wait, no! Just… Pretend you can’t see them, Lillia! If you can’t see them, they can’t see you.”

Vayne: “Sorry to lay this on you, but that’s not how it works.”

Riven: “Hang on, something else is coming!”

You look up to see the Black Mist descending toward you, carrying with it a swarm of wraiths.

Lillia: “Oh no! They’ve followed me!”

Gwen: “Please, stand behind us, funny fawn person! We will make short work of these fiends!”

Ionia Part II

The Sentinels charge into the fray, cutting and blasting their way through the swarm of wraiths. As they fight, however, you notice more of the local wildlife succumbing to the Black Mist, warping the surrounding forests beyond recognition.

Lillia: “No… Stop! Please stop!”

“Are you OK?”

“Hey, everything’s going to be alright.”

Lillia: “No… Can’t you feel it? The dreams of the trees, the animals… It’s like… One very bad dream is blocking out all the others!”

Lucian: “Rookie, what’s she talking about?”

Senna: “Nevermind, just stay focused! We need push deeper into this forest and find that fetter!”

The Sentinels quickly resume their fight, though Lillia’s ears perk up when she hears Senna’s words.

Lillia: “What? You’re… Going DEEPER into the forest? B-But it’s dangerous!”

Vayne: “Exactly! Where monsters go, so do we!”

Riven: “If the Black Mist is here, that must mean another one of these fetters is too, right? Then we have to find it and get it out of here, or all of Ionia will be in danger! That’s… Not something I want to see again!”

Gwen: “Quite right! Fear not, funny fawn girl! We shan’t let a few wraiths impede us!”

Lillia: “But… Why?”

“We’re Sentinels. Fighting ghosts is what we do!”

“We’re here to save Ionia, and the world, from the Black Mist!”

Lillia: “You… You aren’t afraid?”

“Not in the slightest!”

“Quite a bit, actually, but I can’t turn back now!”

Lillia: “That’s… That’s quite brave of you. …Alright. Everyone, please follow me! I think I know what the ghouls are after!”

Lillia suddenly darts off into the forest, waving her branch to clean a path through the Mist.

Riven: “Should we follow her?”

Senna: “Well… If she can lead us to the fetter, it’s a risk I’m willing to take! Move out, Sentinels!”

Ionia Part III

Lillia guides you through the forest, using the branch in her hands to keep the hostile wildlife at bay. You follow her into a cave, where your only source of light comes from Lillia’s bloom. Though it’s dark and damp, you’re surprised to find that the Black Mist seems to linger about the entrance, refusing to step inside.

Vayne: “Are we sure about this isn’t a trap?”

“We’ve already come all this way…”

“Hey, she’s cute! How can you say no to those big eyes?”

Olaf: “Hmph. If this is a trap, there had better be a worth foe at this tunnel’s end!”

Lillia: “...”

Lucian: “Hey, fawn girl!”

Lillia: “Eep! O-Oh, you mean me?”

Lucian: “Yeah. Are you sure there’s a fetter in here?”

Lillia: “Uh, well… I’m not sure what sort of ‘fetter’ you mean, but I think… I know that the ghouls want what’s up ahead.”

Vayne: “And just how do you know that?”

“Come on guys, have some faith in her.”

“The Mist didn’t want to come in here, so there’s gotta be something special about this place.”

Riven: “Wait, do you see that?”

Up ahead, the path widens out into a grotto illuminated by giant crystals in the cave wall.

“What is this place?”

“It’s breathtaking…”

Riven: “Yeah, Ionia really is beautiful. It’s a shame that some people would destroy that beauty just to take it for themselves…”

Up ahead, you see that the cave floor turns from stone to grass. Somehow, a small meadow has bloomed in the heart of the mountain, illuminated by the glow of the crystals.

Gwen: “Goodness, these gems would make for a marvelous addition to a dress! Oh, but I suppose that would ruin their natural beauty. A shame.”

Lucian: “It’s pretty, alright, but where’s the fetter?”

As if on cue, the light in Senna’s chest starts to glow, as does Gwen’s. Nearby, you see a single flower near the heart of the grotto begin to glow with the same calming light.

Senna: “There it is! That’s the fetter!”

“A rose? How can a rose be a fetter?”

“So Isolde’s soul has been hiding in a flower for centuries?”

Lillia: “This flower is very old. It was brought here long ago from a far-away land. I can see its dreams too, you know. Dreams so pure, full of love and light… Happy memories. It dreams of man and woman who cherished each other more than anything. Isn’t that… Such… A lovely dream?”

You watch in horror as a ghastly crown forms around Lillia’s head. Suddenly, Black Mist fills the cave, engulfing Lillia and transforming her in an instant.

Lillia: “Such a lovely dream, and you all are trying to ruin it! How… How could you!?”

“Lillia, wait! Let’s talk this out!”

“Aw man! Why is it always the cute ones!?”

Vayne: “I knew we couldn’t trust her!”

Vayne takes aim with her crossbow, but before she can fire a single shot, Lillia waves her branch in a wide arc. A mysterious, glittering dust washes over you and the other Sentinels, as does a strange sense of drowsiness.

Olaf: “Argh! What… Is this…?”

Gwen: “Oh my. Suddenly… So… Tired…”

“So… Sleepy.”

“Can’t… Stay… Awake.”

Despite your best efforts, you soon succumb to the effects of Lillia’s dream dust. Soon, you and the other Sentinels fall onto the floor of the cave and descend into a deep slumber…

Ionia Part IV

You find yourself wandering the streets of your hometown, alone. Wherever you go, the people have locked their doors and refuse to open up. You are cold and scared, and those feelings only grow as you notice the ominous Black Mist coursing toward you.

You try to run, but the Mist is faster. You hear inhuman screams behind you, and look back to see vaguely humanoid figures emerging from the haze. You force your legs into overdrive, only to wind up tripping and following on a loose stone. Your cry out in pain as you hit the ground, but your scream is drowned out by the wails of the undead behind you.

Dread hangs over you a like a pall. Death seems inevitable, though you know that death is not the end if these creatures take you. You will become one of them, hunting other poor souls to join the ranks of the undead. You close your eyes and wait, only for the sound of gunfire to fill your ears.

You open your eyes and look up. The wraiths cry out in pain as bolts of light pierce them, driving them back. You find yourself surrounded by figures in strange uniforms, carrying weapons unlike any you’ve every seen.

“W-Who are you?”

“Where did you come from?”

Though their face is hazy, you see one of the figures turn to look at you.

???: “We’re the Sentinels of Light. Don’t worry, we’ll handle the undead. You just find a safe place to hide and wake up.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?”

???: “Wake up. Come on, Rookie, nap time is over!”

Your eyes slowly open as you regain consciousness. You see Lucian and Senna standing over you.

Senna: “Good to see you’re still with us.”

“How long was I out?”

“What happened?”

Lucian response 1: “Too damn long. That deer girl made off with fetter while we are all dozin’ off.”

Lucian response 2: “That deer girl put us all to sleep then nabbed the fetter, that’s what.”

Gwen: “And she seemed so nice! What an awful turn things have taken.”

???: “Indeed. The future of the realms hangs in the balance.”

“Uh, who is this?”

“Is that a freaking ninja!?”

Shen: “Apologies if I have startled you, child. I am the Eye of Twilight, but you may call me Shen.”

Vayne: “After Deer Girl put us all to sleep, this ninja’s the one who came to wake us up. I don’t like being in debt, but I guess we owe you now.”

Shen: “You owe me nothing. I acted as needed to maintain balance, nothing more.”

Riven: “Apparently, he’s part of the Kinkou. I’ve heard of them. They’re a group devoted to maintaining order in Ionia, though from what I understand, they didn’t do much when Noxus invaded these shores.”

Shen: “The Kinkou protect the balance between the material and immaterial realms. Mortal wars are not our concern… But this Harrowing threatens to consume Ionia itself.”

Shen gestures outside and, to your horror, you see that the Black Mist has nearly complete covered the forest. The once-vibrant colors of the trees are now faded and lifeless and the sounds of nature are replaced by the cries of wraiths.

“It’s awful…”

“How did this happen so fast?”

Shen: “The spirit of Ionia is tainted, and the land is a reflection of that spirit. What’s more, azakana will feed on the negativity brought forth by this, granting demons more power than ever.”

Senna: “This is what’ll happen to the entire world if we don’t stop Viego. That’s why we need to find that fetter, and quickly!”

Gwen: “But… That Not-so-Funny Faun took it! How are we supposed to find her amidst all of that?”

Vayne: “Hate to say it, but she’s right. If we have to fight through all of that, then Deer Girl will be long-gone by the time we catch her trail.”

Shen: “Fear not, for the Eye of Twilight sees all, even through the darkest shadows. The Dream Faun makes for the coast, though I sense an even greater darkness approaching. You, who are sword to defend the light, will you accompany me to confront this darkness?”

Gwen: “A greater darkness? You couldn’t possibly mean...”

Lucian: “Viego! We gotta get the beach, now!”

Riven: “But how are we going to get there through all this Mist?”

Shen: “Fret not, for I walk the space between world. Gather close to me.”

Though uncertain of his meaning, you and the other Sentinels do as asked, stepping close to Shen as he makes unusual gestures with his hands. Suddenly, you are all engulfed in violet light as Shen whisks you through the spirit realm.

Ionia Part V

You feel formless. Weightless. All around you are sights and colors your mind can scarcely comprehend. Some set your mind at ease, while others terrify you. This sensation lasts for only a moment before you reemerge in the physical realm, surrounded once more by your comrades.

“Hey, long-distance teleporting is my thing!”

“That… Was awesome!”

“That was… Bizarre!”

Riven: “Ugh… I think I’ll stick to the Wayfinder from now on, thanks.”

Shen: “Gather yourselves! The Dream Fawn is just ahead!”

Sure enough, you see Lillia standing on the beach, staring out at the ocean. She clutches the fetter tightly in one hand and her branch in the other.

Lucian: “She doesn’t know we’re here. I say we take her by surprise and-”

Olaf: “RETRIBUTION AWAITS!”

Suddenly, Olaf rushes ahead, screaming at the top of his lungs. Lillia leaps in surprise and turns around to see the berserker rushing at her. Instinctively, she launches a seed from her branch that rolls along the sand, growing large in size as it travels.

“Olaf, look out!”

“Don’t let it hit you!”

Olaf utterly ignores your warning and runs into the seed head-on. To your amazement, he just keeps running even as the seed explodes into dream dust.

Lillia: “W-What!? T-That’s not possible!”

Lucian: “That’s a berserker for ya. Once they get riled up, nobody can stop them.”

Olaf is just about to reach Lillia when, suddenly, the tide behind her swells to life and comes ashore. Olaf is swept back in a massive wave of darkened away, though Lillia somehow remains completely dry.

Lucian: “The ocean, on the other hand…”

Shen: “The Spirit of Ionia is tainted. The trees, the air, the waters… They now bend to HIS will.”

You look ahead to see a familiar figure emerging from the Black Mist, the sea itself parting to make way for him.

“Viego!”

“The Ruined King!”

Olaf: “Pfft! Pah! So, he’s the one who bested the Barbarian King? I thought he would be… Bigger.”

Viego: “Ah, what a pleasant surprise! I travel all this way to find that my prize is already waiting for me.”

Lillia: “Y-Yes, sir. I am here to help your dream bloom.”

Shen: “Stop! You have desecrated the balance, and now you shall pay for your transgressions!”

Viego: “Balance? Fool. Without her, there is no balance. She is the light to my darkness, the joy to my anguish. If you would stand against me, then YOU are the one who shall pay the price!”

Shen and Viego dash across the beach toward each other, their blades ringing out as they clash.

Senna: “Let’s back him up, Sentinels!”

You and the other Sentinels quickly rush to aid Shen, but find yourself impeded by the corrupted Spirit of Ionia. Fierce bursts of wind repeatedly knock you off your feat while rocks along the beach form together into twisted constructs.

Riven: “Ngh…”

“Are you alright?”

“Riven, what’s wrong?”

Riven: “Fighting on the beaches of Ionia, pushing back against the will of the land itself… This whole scenario is bringing back a lot of unhappy memories.”

Senna: “Shake it off, Riven! We need to push past this!”

The Sentinels continue to struggle against the will of the land, but only Shen seems undeterred by it. The Eye of Twlight engages the Ruined King in a fierce battle, both of them vanishing and reappearing all over the beach.

“I can barely keep track of them!”

“This isn’t working!”

Viego: “See how your homeland bends to my will, Ionian! Your allies can lend you no aid. Mine, on the other hand…”

Lillia leaps into the air behind Shen, slamming her branch down on the beach. Shen staggers as Lillia’s dream dust washes over him, falling to one knee as he struggles to stay awake. Meanwhile, Viego turns his attention to your group, his gaze fixing itself upon Senna and Gwen. They fail to notice, too busy fending off the endlessly-regenerating stone constructs on the beach.

“Gwen, look out!”

“Senna, look out!”

Option 1: Viego rushes toward Gwen, but thanks to your warning, she manages to parry the blow and push Viego back her Hallowed Mist.

Option 2: Viego rushes toward Senna, but thanks to your warning, she manages to evade his strike and fire a back in retaliation.

Viego grunts in annoyance and vanishes into the Black Mist once more. To your surprise, he reappears before you, lifting you up by the throat.

Viego: “Such a peculiar child. Your little band is strange enough, but you… You do not even carry a weapon. Still, you seek to defy me, all the same.”

Vayne: “Put the kid down, creep!”

The Sentinels all rush to your aid, but soon find themselves impeded by a wall of sand rising up around you.

Viego: “Many choose to stand against me and my noble quest. Some do it to ‘save’ this cruel world. Others merely resent me, though their hearts are as dark as my own. So tell me, child: why do you oppose me? Justice? Righteousness? Contempt?”

“…”

“What you’re doing is wrong!”

Viego: “Hmph. A predictable response. No matter. Whatever your reasons, you will serve as an example!”

Viego raises his sword to impale you, but another blade suddenly manifests above your head: an ephemeral weapon that lingers in the air. A pulse of spirit magic frees you from Viego’s grasp and destroys the sand barrier. Viego vanishes into the Mist once more, and in his place stands Shen, grasping the shimmering blade.

Shen: “Stand up. Your role is far from over.”

The other Sentinels quickly reconvene around you as you climb to your feet.

Gwen: “Rookie! Goodness, are you alright?”

“I’m alright, thanks to Shen.”

“Still shaking, but otherwise fine.”

Viego: “You think you are safe? None of you shall escape my grasp!”

Suddenly, you notice several giant crabs erupting the sand around you, their eyes flickering with the ghastly light of Ruination.

Senna: “This isn’t working! Sentinels, I’m calling a tactical retreat! We can’t fight Viego AND the damn beach at the same time! Rookie, get us out of here!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, you raise the Wayfinder and let its light wash over you just as the crabs begin to close in. In an instant, you and your allies vanish, leaving Viego alone with Lillia on the harrowed beach.

Lillia: “Oh dear. They got away, sir…”

Viego takes the flower from her grasp and sniffs it longingly.

Viego: “No matter. I am one step closer to realizing my dream, little fawn. Come, let us resume our search elsewhere.”

Viego turns and walks away into the Black Mist with Lillia behind him, leaving a Ruined Ionia in his wake.

Back as Sentinel headquarters, you breath a sigh of relief to have narrowly escaped the Ruined King.

Senna and Olaf: “DAMN IT!”

Senna: “We almost had him!”

Olaf: “I almost had my glorious death!”

Riven: So that was the Ruined King… I can’t believe he has that much power.”

Vayne: “He didn’t the last time we faced him. Somehow, that monster’s gotten even stronger.”

Gwen: “Goodness, are you alright, Rookie? That was quite fright!”

“Honestly, I’m still shaking a little.”

“Y-yeah, I’m t-totally fine!”

Shen: “Overcoming fear is the first step to attaining inner balance.”

Everyone: “…”

Senna: “Hang on, how do you get here?”

Shen: “The same way you all did, naturally.”

Shen gestures to the Wayfinder.

“Oh, guess he got caught in the light too. My bad.”

“Huh. I, uh, totally meant to bring you back with us too.”

Shen: “I am here because Balance wills it.”

Riven: “Hang on, are you saying that…”

Shen: “I… Was not strong enough to defeat this imbalance on my own. Ionia has been consumed by darkness, but its spirit has not yet been wholly subsumed. I will do all that I must to preserve it, even allying with your order.”

Vayne: “You want to be a Sentinel? I guess we could do worse, though I don’t know if one ninja will make that much of a difference.”

Gwen: “Oh, another new addition to the team! How wonderful! Please, come with me, and we’ll get you fitted right away!”

You all watch as Shen departs with Gwen, emerging moments later with his new Sentinel attire.

Gwen: “Tadaa! I present to you: Sentinel Shen!”

You can’t help but note that her display lacks the same level of enthusiasm as usual, but opt not to comment on it.

Shen: “It is an honor to fight alongside you.”

Lucian: “Right… Well, let’s get you sworn in, I guess.” (But after that, we’re all gonna need to rethink our plan.)

[cafedanslanuit]

Sweet Creature || Jumin x MC  -Oneshot

sweet creature, wherever I go, you bring me home

genre; fluff. so much fluff.

summary; Jumin gets stuck in another country away from his wife. He’s been having trouble falling asleep, so MC decides to tell him a bedtime story. A simple request ends up making Jumin open up about a small insecurity he had over is wife and his best friend.

notes; I said Jumin is in Peru because the law is very strict here: flights are not allowed and we’re under mandatory quarantine. Also because the time difference was a nice touch for this lol. Oh! This idea came up while listening to this song, hence the title~

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

“Isn't it dangerous to travel these days? :(“

Jumin read that text over and over, as if, somehow, he could go back to the moment where he read it for the first time. He should have postponed his business travel, but due to his father giving him more responsibilities at C&R and himself thinking nothing wrong could happen, he was now trapped in Peru, kilometers away from his wife.

He turned around on his hotel bed, dreading the soft aroma of whatever detergent they used for the sheets. It wasn't unpleasant itself, but it wasn't the smell of your shampoo that always lingered on the pillowcases. 

It had been more than fifty days already. All he wanted was to return home, but flights were prohibited and he had no way to return home to you. Jumin checked his dual clock on his phone and decided it was okay to call you. It should be 5pm in Korea. It went unanswered, making him furrow his eyebrows. Surely nothing bad had happened, since you were under lockdown as well. 

He was letting his mind go to dangerous places when he received a call from you. He picked up, your face appearing on the screen with a smile.

"Sorry! I was at the bathroom. I thought you were already asleep, isn't it... like, 3 am there?" you asked, putting a strand of your hair behind your ear.

"Couldn't sleep" Jumin replied. He put his phone against a pillow, just where you would be lying if you were actually by his side. Picking the cue, you did the same, laying on the bed and looking at your husband through the screen.

"What's on your mind?" you asked.

"How long am I supposed to wait to be able to embrace my wife" he sighed.

"Probably a while more. When you come here, I think you'll have to go under quarantine yourself. Just in case" you answered, with a small pout. "I know it’s been already fifty-six days apart, and that those other forty when you get back aren't ideal for our first year as a married couple, but... we'll survive".

"You sound so collected. I thought I was supposed to be the businessman and you were the dedicated piano teacher" he teased. His smile grew as he watched you laugh.

"I may have learnt a thing or two from you. But honestly..." you let out a big sigh "I miss you too. Whenever anyone from the RFA checks on me I'm always sulking about how I can't see my husband".

Jumin's smile faded a little, watching you lose focus a little, your eyes lost somewhere in your bedroom.

"I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, I-- I thought it would be safe. Sorry for not being there for you".

"But you are" you assured him, your eyes on him again. "You are here for me. I'm in one of the safest buildings in town, there's plenty of food and I don't need to go outside for anything since you set up a delivery for me and Elizabeth be 3rd. You are still protecting me from so far away".

"We're missing so many celebrations. I was planning to take you out each month on our anniversary date for our first year as a married couple".

"I know, but you'll definitely be here for our anniversary! And we'll get to celebrate together, have a nice and romantic dinner at home and then fall asleep next to each other". 

Jumin smiled at your promise of a future where he wouldn't sleep on a empty bed anymore. He had got used to sleeping next to you so quickly, he didn't understand how was he able to sleep alone for so long.

"I am worried about something, though" you admitted. Jumin immediately scrunched his face, concerned.

"What is it?"

"I'm worried it's 3 am there and you can't seem to fall asleep" you said, concerned.

"I miss you"

"I miss you too. How about I tell you a story?"

"A story?"

"You know, a bedtime story. Maybe it can help?" you offered, shifting on the bed.

"I've never listened to a bedtime story. Wouldn't it be rude to fall asleep while you're talking?"

"No" you chuckled "That's the point. Let me try, okay? I'm going to tell you the story about... Mia. Mia was a girl who loved playing the piano. She loved it so much, sometimes she would cancel plans with her friends to stay home and play. She studied at a Music School to be a teacher and got pretty good grades".

"The piano?" Jumin asked, with a small smile. He then closed his eyes.

"Yes, this new and exciting character loved the piano. Anyway, one day she decided to download an app she didn't know, thinking it was a game she could play while on the bus. There she met these incredible people who ended up being a big part in her life. Even if things got… complicated surrounding lost brothers and surprisingly, cults, everything worked out in the end. She ended up falling for one of them, you know?”

“I always thought you would fall for Jihyun” Jumin commented, his eyes still closed.

“What?” you shifted on the bed, supporting yourself on your elbow.

“Mia. I always thought she would fall for Jihyun because they're so alike” he opened his eyes and put a hand through his hair. “They are very emotionally intelligent and always want the best for everyone around them. Natural caretakers. And also inclined to an artistic career”

You stayed in silence for a minute, not knowing if your husband was trying to make a joke you couldn’t understand or if he was being serious. You took a deep breath before talking.

“Hmmm, she liked him, yes. Jihyun was kind but she saw him the same way she saw Hyun or any of the others. He was a friend she could trust and a friend who would easily understand her when she was having a problem”.

“But if he could understand what she was feeling with a glance why did she…”

“She felt protected” you interrupted him “and loved by everyone at the RFA. But there was this man, the oldest of them all, who at first seemed cold and detached, but soon revealed his true self. You won't believe this, but he would send tons of photos of his cat to Mia!" Jumin chuckled. "But it was a beautiful cat and he was a beautiful man, so Mia liked it. He was fun, even if it was in an unconventional way. He went through a rough time when his cat got lost, but thankfully Mis was there for him. She got to know him a lot more on those days. For example, she found out he had trouble dealing with his feelings”.

“Not like Jihyun”

You sighed. “You think he was jealous of Jihyun?”

“I think so, yes. At least because of how easy it was for him to show emotion to his old girlfriend. How it was easy for him to express himself”

“Mmmm... Well, Mia didn't think the same. See, some people say music is a language itself. So she learnt from a young age words are not only the only way to express oneself. And there are a lot of ways for that. Some people say they love you, some people bring you presents, others spend quality time with you… there are a lot of ways, seriously. So when this young, cat-loving man asked Mia to stay for longer at his apartment, she understood he meant he wasn't feeling okay and that her presence, somehow, was helping her deal with everything. So she stayed. And... if you insist on Jihyun, I don't think he and Mia would have made a good couple" you say, tapping your chin with your index finger. "I think whenever one of those would have had a discrepancy, the other one would have made a drama out of it. I think they were so alike they wouldn't have let the other one grow. But whenever Mia talked with this guy I’ve been telling you about, she would always learn a thing or two. She would see a problem from another perspective and actually understand it better. Also, let's face it: she was melting whenever those dark eyes landed on her. Boy, did she feel like a teenager whenever he said something kind to her! It was embarrassing honestly” you laughed, hiding your face with your hands.

“Like a teenager?” Jumin asked with a soft smile, raising his eyebrow.

“Yes! One of those days she stayed at his place, he asked her to dine together, so she went to ‘refresh herself’ to the bathroom, okay? Actually, she was having a meltdown, fixing her makeup the best she could and thinking about interesting topics she could talk about with him”.

“Really?”

“I'm not joking. Jumin, she would get up earlier than him, brush her teeth, comb her hair and lay on her bed again so she would look somewhat good when he came to see her in the morning. It was pathetic. That's how smitten she was with him. Thank God I've never acted that way" you scoffed. Both you and Jumin looked at each other and smiled. “Not a long time went by before she ended up marrying him, can you believe it?” you asked, feigning surprise. Jumin chuckled.

“Sounds unreal” he admitted.

“I know, right?” you asked, laughing softly. “But she did, she actually married this guy in a beautiful church surrounded by the people she loved. It was a wonderful day. She couldn’t believe she could love someone that much”.

You stayed silent for a while, just looking at each other's face, remembering just how much in love they had been from the moment they saw each other.

“I'm sorry my story didn't help you sleep” you apologized in a soft voice.

“I do feel more relaxed now. I'm going to try and get some sleep now” Jumin said, stretching his neck.

“Please call if you can't. I'm always here for you, Mr. Han.” you teased him with a grin.

“Thank you, Mrs. Han. Have a nice evening. Please remember how deeply grateful I am that you chose me” he said in a soft voice. You smiled and blew out a kiss for him.

“As I am. Goodnight, my love”

[jafndaegur]

Noise of Rain | Chapter 1

Sesskag

Endless Forlorness Made me Numb

A/N: so @fandomplethora and I were talking about Mo Dao Zu Shi AUs. And I was like "nooo, I'm not gonna work on my Sesskag version. I have too many WIPs already". You know, like a liar. So here's my MDZS au for Sesskag🤣 it happens during the course of the canon-timeline, I guess before Final Act. Sooo yeah. I hope you enjoy whatever the hell this is🤣🤣🤣

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Kagome watched with pursed lips as the last of the sun set over the horizon. Gilded rays fluttered over the earth, streaming across the trees and grass like rivers of fire. Warm. Beautifully and utterly warm. The dying sunlight drenched her skin, and she tilted her head back—trying to drink in it's comfort. 

Trying to ignore the pressing cold digging its way into the edges of her senses.

Sunset's birth left a wake open for the creatures she'd come to dislike and maybe even hate. Soon she knew the faint pale wisps of the Soul Stealers would come into view. They would approach but never broach, as if taunting the unspoken agreement of distance. Time and time again, they teased the limits, dancing along the edge of her sights until she spun around. In the back of her mind she wondered if it would be worth it to just fork her spirit over to Kikyo. The undead priestess deserved a life, free from trickery or deceit. Something pure—

Only caught by the ascended.

After all, before her egregious turn to...what Kagome liked to think of as the emo rebellious phase, Kikyo had been rather fair and just. The death dealt to her an unfair blow by fate into the hands of a psycho spider demon.

But as the thought began to teeter close to the cusp of action, Sango's voice called her from their campsite and the idea dissipated.

Still. 

That darkened patch in the back of her mind, the one that hid behind bright smiles and dazzling sapphire eyes, pulsed. It reached out and brushed against her reiki, causing the edges to crumble to dust, unreplenished. Not that Kagome knew.

It wasn't as if anyone were helping her cultivate her priestess powers. So if she felt a bit more fatigued or a little more drained, she blamed it on the fact that Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen in the camp. Although she hadn't expected to see him. With the Soul Stealers in close proximity, they always chimed his cue to leave.

The passing scenery is going to collapse—

Cold wrapped her mind and complete midnight gripped her reiki. She cried out for help but no one could hear. 

They didn't need her. Just a jewel-shard detector.  They didn't want her. Just a lesser reincarnation.

—along the obsequious side.

"Oi, Kagome," Inuyasha's voice drew her from her sleep-deprived autopilot. "Can't you pick up the pace?"

Her brow twitched and she tried to find a good reason to not "Sit" him then and there. But her chest heaved and the exhaustion washed over her, and she acquiesced. Today was neither the time nor the place. As their group moved forward in the direction of the next Shikon jewel piece when the hanyou had picked up scents of Sesshomaru traveling their direction. In a bout of stubbornness, he refused to change course. Insistent that if his half-brother wanted to fight, then he wouldn't shy away.

Kagome's brow rose as Sesshomaru’s own little group met up with theirs. 

Rin perched happily on Ah-Un's back, Jaken in tow, and the proud daiyoukai at the front—the little quartet brushed passed them as if they weren't there. Other than the pleasant wave and hello Rin shouted in their direction, it was almost like they didn't exist.

Almost.

As they continued on, Kagome shivered as the sensation of Sesshomaru’s youki swept over them. It probed with an innocent inquisition that was disarming. She wondered why he was searching to change the hidden. But in the moment that she detected his power, it eased away and left them.

"What an asshole, he probably just came around to show-off," Inuyasha huffed.

Kagome wondered if that was the case. The full youkai had been searching for something. But what? 

She felt herself going to the dark spot in her mind, wondering if she took hold of it and reached out—would Sesshomaru’s presence return? Was this darkness, this strange thing, was this what he looked for? Kagome felt half inclined to try. She wanted him to turn around.

To notice that she felt…

Miroku called out that he noticed a dark aura from the north, something suspicious and chilling.

Kagome sighed and supposed that it didn't matter how she felt. Hitching her backpack onto her shoulders, she closed her eyes and sifted for that familiar feeling of the sacred jewel. While she wasn't sure, something stirred her heart in the direction the monk had pointed to. 

With a triumph smile, she hopped up to the front next to the half-demon. "I'm not 100% sure, but I think there's a shard in that direction."

That pleased Inuyasha enough. "Alright! Let's get a move on then."

They made camp a couple miles out from wherever they were headed next. A heavy dread had covered the little campsite, the nearby evil seeping close enough to have everyone on edge. Inuyasha and Miroku both kept a vigilant watch neither one comfortable to rest. Sango helped keep Shippo and Kirara calm enough to doze into a restless sleep. Kagome stared off into the distance. The Soul Stealers were in the opposite direction of the unholy aura; wandering, looking.

But unlike the previous night where they had toyed with the notion of trying to take her spirit again, their movements differed. Unorganized and haphazard—the ghostly creatures meandered in confusion.

Heart pounding against her chest, Kagome couldn't help the small smile wiggling its way onto her face. In her mind's eye, she cupped the darkness more. After all, it had swallowed her reiki whole, hiding it from even Miroku's detection.

It protected the treasure by throwing away the guidance everyone depended on.

The middle of the night sung out to her and she awoke on a cold sweat. Someone was crying. But everyone had fallen asleep. Miroku and Inuyasha seemed fitfully sleeping at best, while Sango and Shippo curled in for warmth against Kirara's warm side. The fire-cat however, glanced at her with worried large eyes. 

Kagome hoisted the holy bow and arrows onto her shoulder. She gave an appeasing pet the demon's nose.

"Don't worry, I'm just going to investigate," she murmured gently. "Something's off. And I want to make sure we don't walk into a trap later."

Kirara gave a low growl but she did not move otherwise.

Kagome smiled and snuck forward. The morning had yet to start, so the air felt frigid and moist. Dew just barely started to accumulate on dark forest and heavy grass. Pushing her way through the underbrush, the inner compass in her chest pointed the direction she needed. Not to mention the voice she'd heard began to cry louder. Words still weren't quite comprehensible but the sentiment was there.

The forest started to scar away, replaced by shale and growing rigid crags. Heavy mist permeated the area more. Kagome drew her bow and crouched low, still persisting. The crying started to take on a form.

 Noise of rain. It wept. Noise of rain your footsteps cry.

And suddenly just like that, Kagome spun around, arrow ready to shoot. Naturally,  Naraku stood behind her—his arms behind his back, his face pensive.

"Kagome," he greeted, voice heavy and hesitate.

Her brow cocked. "Naraku. What do you want?"

Noise of rain—

"What are you doing here so far from your watchdog?" He asked, still nothing but curiosity and even perplexity radiating off of him. 

—your footsteps cry.

"Something called me," she whispered.

The spider hanyou's crimson eyes narrowed and he walked away. "Follow me."

As they trekked, the mist began to seep with a type of miasma, but for some reason... It didn't hurt her. Shady, inky tendrils looped slow through the air as they trudged upwards, following the rise of the mountains.

"I found this place, yet it confounds even me." Naraku drawled, dark hair wavering. "There is some type of life. But it refuses to interact."

"Can you blame it?" Kagome bit back.

He chuckled darkly.

They reached the peak. 

Below them an infinite spiral of darkness. Except this time not one voice cried out to her. They all whispered and unfurled. They all heard her. 

They reached for her.

"What's down there?" She murmured. 

"As far as I can tell, these are burial mounds." Naraku hummed. "Any one place you dig, there are bound to be bones."

The darkness over her reiki swelled. Kagome trembled.

"The miasma here is not my doing," Naraku continued. "It's not poisonous. Just resentful. It's quite the odd place."

She reached out her hand and the voices smiled. "You are wanted here. Please help us here. This is the end of all lies."

"I don't think it's resentful," she whispered. 

"Interesting theory," Naraku's voice curved and drawled. "Would you like to test that?"

Before she could ask what he meant, his foot collided into her back. She screamed as her body tottered over the edge. Loafers slipped, hands grasped air, and her body tumbled into the abyss' embrace.

Weak and limp she couldn't move her limbs. Every fiber, every bone, everything must have shattered at the impact's drop. Her lungs heaved painfully. The voices giggled and suddenly they were no longer begging but controlling. They grabbed at her, trying to tear her apart and reach for the reiki within her soul.

Yet that darkness from earlier, the darkness that had appeared one day and started to grow the next…

She imagined Inuyasha looking mournfully around his surroundings, wondering where she abandoned him—just like his first lover...

Her mother and brother called out for her endlessly. Their worried tones climbing and climbing but never finding the ears they wanted…

Sesshomaru’s youki poked and prodded, searching, searching, searching for her…

Her darkness consumed every part of her reiki, like a wildfire over a bonfire, it ignited a flash that had her toes digging into the ground and her will sending her to stand.

Her aura spread and she clenched her jaw, commanding the voices to quiet.

[sdv-lostatsea]

Tracks- SDV Sebastian

Uh well this is the first thing I’ve written in a while so I’m pretty rusty, but I liked how this turned out so I’m gonna throw it to the internet anyway. Of course it’s angsty as hell because what’s new with me.

Sebastian & Farmer/Reader: You meet him at the train tracks during an unforgiving night.

It was almost ridiculous how visible the stars were, but then again light pollution wasn't really a problem in Pelican Town. However, it was cold enough for your breath to be visible, small clouds obstructing the nearly flawless view above. 

You don't know why you agreed to come out here. The night made the cool air sink into your bones and it was going to be a long hike back to the farm. And yet here you were lying on your back with your head cradled by steel rods made to carry trains and not human heads full of overwhelming thoughts. 

To your right he takes a deep breath, face illuminated by the glow of the cigarette, then exhales. Smoke mixes with the cool air in a slow moving dance, extending it's fingers outward until the night swallows it inch by inch. Nothing remains but the smell. 

All of this you see from your periphery as you still have not looked over at him. Not fully. You know that at some point you will probably have to, drawn in by his voice as he asks what's up with you tonight. But he hasn't yet and he probably won't until he has discarded the cigarette. 

For now it is quiet. 

Through the hood of your winter jacket you can feel the hard metal and resist the urge to shift into a new position. String in the pocket of your jacket keeps your fingers occupied and you long for this moment to be over, to be able to go home and crawl into bed and rethink every little encounter you've had with him until your mind shuts down. But you're stuck here with him in a silence that you wish wasn't so damn awkward because they never used to be. Silence had always been welcome, it showed trust. Now though, now it was twitchy movements and spiralling thoughts and-

"Stop thinking so loud."

It's the first thing he's said since you laid down beside him. You shut your eyes tightly and try to overcome the embarrassment that has heated your face. After a moment of internal debate, you turn your head slightly so that his face is mostly in view. He's not done with his cigarette.

He's not looking at you, eyes focused on the moon as he lazily takes a drag. If you hadn't known him for almost a year now you would think he looked almost serene, but there were emotions roiling under the surface of his resting face. He flicks the ashes off to his right, away from you, and then takes one last drag before discarding it. 

Now comes the moment you've dreaded.

He turns to face you, fully shifting to lay on his side. He uses an arm to cushion his head from the steel and he huffs slightly in attempt to move the fringe from his face. And then silence settles again. 

You want to look away but his dark eyes bore into yours, a steady gaze that holds you captive. If it wasn't so cold out you're sure you'd be sweating but instead you're trying to transfer some of the numbness of your fingers to your emotions. If you couldn't feel the sting maybe it would all just go away and you could walk home with blissful apathy and a mostly intact friendship.

"What's wrong?" 

You're not even sure he spoke but the question lingers in the frozen air between you. 

You're about to sputter out an undeniably horrible excuse when the truth rushes forward in the worst form of bile you've ever tasted. 

"I saw you and Sam earlier." 

His eyes only widen a fraction before returning to normal and he looks at you with a gaze more scalding than you've ever seen on him. He's defensive, you realize.

"I-it's not… it's that…"

A lump forms in your throat and you struggle to breathe in the cold air for a while. He won't stop staring at you.

The few minutes it takes for you to compose yourself are deafening and it's like he's solidified into all the fears you had going into tonight.

"I just thought… I hoped it could be me." Your voice is meek and shaky but his face softens a touch. The hard facade melts into a soft frown and worrying eyes. 

"(Y/n)..."

"It's fine Sebastian." You turn away as pity starts to form in his eyes, yours burning with the threat of tears.

He sits up, movements sluggish, and he reaches into his pockets for another cigarette. He puts the stick between his lips and fumbles with the lighter, clicking it once, twice, and a third time with no success before muttering sharply under his breath and putting it away. The cigarette dangles from his lips while his hands remain in his pockets. He won't look at you. 

You knew this was a bad idea but some part of you was hoping you had misinterpreted the scene, that maybe Sam had laid his hand sweetly on Sebastian's cheek after the kiss as some platonic gesture of gratitude. But you weren't that naive. It didn't take more than a glance to see the emotion in Sam's eyes or the burning of Sebastian's ears. 

And you will him to look at you, to say something, anything. He doesn’t. Instead he pulls a hand out of his pocket, fingers trembling, as he takes the cigarette from his mouth. He doesn’t put it away, choosing to hold it tightly between his thumb and forefinger. His face is turned away from you and you wrap your arms around your chest to try and retain any semblance of warmth. 

“I don’t know what to say.” His voice is quiet, strained. 

“I don’t know what I want to hear.”

He shakes his head gently, as if the notion is absurd. 

“I know what I would want to hear if I were you… but I can’t say it. It wouldn’t be the truth.”

You knew, had known since you walked away from where Sam and Sebastian had been in the back of the saloon, that he wasn’t going to love you back, but hearing him voice it feels like cracks in already thin ice. The cold air hurts your lungs but you try to focus on pulling air in, visualize the tissue there freezing outward in the pattern of snowflakes until your whole body becomes like one of Robin’s ice sculptures. At least then Sebastian might look at you. 

Through the hood of your jacket you can feel the hum of the rails. For a moment you close your eyes and will everything to disappear, but then the vibrations grow stronger and you force yourself up. You stand, forcing your gaze to him as he rises as well. He doesn’t look at you and you take this as your cue to leave. 

You make it a few steps before he calls out to you. When you stop you don’t look at him, but you can hear his footsteps crunch in the light frost. 

Finally you’re looking at each other again. His eyes are solemn, jaw clenched, looking like he wishes he had all the answers to every question he’s ever asked because maybe then he could resolve this. But that’s the funny thing about the situation: there is nothing to resolve. There’s no conflict, no issue, no pent up anger to dissipate. Just the splintering of a dream you had clung to at night. And while it hurts, there is nothing to apologize for. 

You want to tell him this but he opens his mouth first. 

Whatever he was going to say is drowned out by the sound of the train’s horn as it comes howling down the track. A strong gust of wind accompanies the noise and you have to focus on not losing your balance. His hair whips around wildly but his gaze is steady, never leaving yours. It’s so cold and windy and the night has been an exceptional disaster, but for a moment there is no one here but you and Sebastian, eyes locked as if letting go means losing every last trace of your fragile friendship. And, as the train carries past on squealing wheels and rattling cars, you can feel your heart beating in your throat, a rhythm so steady for the most disquieting night you’ve had since moving to the valley. 

It’s over too soon. The train continues onward and your moment ends.

He’s still looking at you but the atmosphere isn’t the same. What could have been mended is lost, sinking below a sheet of ice into a frozen lake. You could try to resurface it but it would be changed, maybe even unrecognizable. And you know that whatever emotions he’s feeling are too destructive to heal you right now. 

So you say goodbye. Not with words since the time for talk has long passed. Instead you take a step forward and place a kiss on his cheek, but rather than waiting to see his expression as you would have just yesterday, you turn on your heel without so much as a glance his way.

Maybe with time the waters will thaw and you will be able to go back to late night track talks, but for now you just want to curl up in bed and sleep the rest of the abysmal night away.

[ladyinfierno]

2 and 52!

Since you didn't specify a ship of course I'll go with my OTP ;D

Royal AU + Marriage of Convenience AU - PrUK

Oh boy, I love royal aus with a passion so this might be long, thanks for asking!

- Okay so we have Prince Arthur, who is the second youngest of the Kirkland royal family and as such has never bothered to think about marriage. Not only because he's far from becoming king, but also because he couldn't care less about the diplomatic nightmare that is a royal wedding.

- And then we have Gilbert Beilschmidt, who spent all his childhood wanting to be a knight to go fight wars, and instead is put on babysitting duty as the personal guard of Prince Arthur in his late teens.

- They of course have a rough beginning, with Gilbert blaming the young prince for his crushed knightly dream and Arthur just dreading the need of a guard 24/7 who is a constant reminder that he's not really free to do what he wants.

- Gilbert is always complaining about how hard Arthur is making his job, having to run behind him all the time trying to keep him alive and in one piece, if one of the Royal sons were to return to the palace without all the fingers in his hand he was pretty sure he'd lose some part of himself a bit more important. Say, his head.

- Still, 90% of the time he ends up helping in whatever scheme the other is involved this time and enjoying it. This is always brought up as evidence of how Arthur ingrained the troublemaker mindset into Gilbert and not the other way around.

- An uncommon but hardly unexpected friendship is formed, and they practically grow up together into adulthood.

- SPARRING TOGETHER. While Arthur had a different teacher for his sword and bow classes, they're both competitive assholes and don't need an excuse for a friendly match every now and then. Gilbert always wins, and aside from bragging about it he always points that "The day you defeat me in combat, you should probably find a better skilled guard for you."

- Everything is happiness until one day the King and Queen announce they're holding a ball for their still-single-son's birthday, to try and find him a good suitor to give his hand in marriage.

- Arthur is livid. How dare they! But he can't really refuse, since they're the Kings, so of course he tries to find a loophole. The ball is taking place and he can't help it, but if he were to already have chosen a suitor then he can avoid that part of the event, right?

- Did I mention Francis is the Royal pastry chef™ and one of Arthur's BFF? Well, he is. And together with Gilbert they try to find a way to get Arthur out of this problem. Cue Gilbert having those "I don't like the idea of him marrying someone but I don't know why" thoughts.

- AND THEN the revelation: The Beilschmidts aren't a family of knights, no sir, they're a higher status family.

- "Isn't he kind of a noble then?" "What?" "Ohh yes, the Beilschmidt family owns a little state, his father is a lord!" "Wait, what-?" "Then he qualifies" "What do you-?" "Congratulations my friend! You are to marry Prince Arthur Kirkland of Britannia!" "WHAT"

- And after a bit of complaining he accepts, because they don't really have a better idea, and there's the promise to just keep this up until his parents realise they'd rather his son being single than married to his own guard.

- Plot twist: That doesn't happen. They're not the happiest about Gilbert's background but both rulers agree that "they had seen something like this coming" and both Arthur and Gilbert are left speechless, and can't even complain about that assumption because, well, they're supposed to be in love.

- Gilbert's friends from the Royal guard are now a bit afraid to talk and joke with him like always, he's not only Prince Arthur's guard now, but his betrothed. Everyone is a bit confused now on how to address him, they even wonder why he's still assigned to be a guard in the first place. (It's because Arthur managed to convince his mother with a tale about feeling safer with him.)

- They're both freaking out. Francis thinks it's hilarious.

- Ludwig feels really hurt that his own brother didn't inform him about the engagement and Gilbert wants to scream once he discloses the whole ordeal because "Oh... but you do love him, right?" "WhAT- why would you say that?" "It's kind of obvious...?" So Gil has to smack him in the head.

- ARTHUR'S BROTHERS. Just. Arthur's brothers going for a hunt together for the first time in years and hunting down an albino deer or boar, and then cooking it themselves in a fire pit in the middle of the castle. Warnings should not be subtle, after all.

- Things get awkward between them, since they still have to spend practically all day together, and every now and then a counsellor or teacher or even the cooks and maids would congratulate them on their engagement, so they smile (or try to) and thank them.

- Of course there's a lot of denial and desperate attempts to come up with a new plan that doesn't involve marrying but preparations are already being made for the event so the desperate part is very, very real.

- Not really sure how I want them to finally accept they are in love after all, probably this part right here is the slow burn I always struggle with :v

- BUT I do know there needs to be a scene where Gilbert walks Arthur to his room, like all nights since he became his guard, and they just linger in the dim light of the corridor. "...Well, good night, your highness." "...Good night, Gil." But neither attempt to move away, lost in each other's gaze. Gilbert leans forward slowly, Arthur's breath hitches while anticipation blooms in his chest, he closes his eyes... And feels a soft kiss on the cheek, with a whispered "Night, Art." And the soldier turns on his heel and goes away, for the first time not waiting for the Prince to enter his room before leaving.

- Also asexual or demisexual Gilbert and nobody questions him about it? Yes, thanks.

- Aaaand I'm not sure how this would end, I like the idea of them marrying, getting to know their own feelings of course, but nothing... really changing. They both never thought about romance or anything of the sort because, for them, staying together forever was just a fact. Gilbert had pledged his soul to protect Arthur with his life and that was that.

- Maybe just pointing out how now, at the end of the day, Gilbert still walks Arthur to his room and when he says good night and kisses him goodbye, Arthur shoves his face half-heartedly and drags him inside with him.

[c-c-cherry]

Missing You Dearly

Jotaro is really bad at feelings. He also really needs a hug.Can be read as either shippy or platonic, depends on how you see it.

I wanted to write something with Star Platinum being protective of Joot because I just find Star and Jotaro’s friendship super adorable

Word Count: 2620

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The night sky was beautiful. Jotaro never thought he’d see such beautiful sights, especially at his age. The stars shone brightly over them like a comforting blanket piercing the sky. A beautiful and lulling gaze came over the desert wastelands, and Jotaro never thought that the desert could be any more beautiful than it was now. He wanted so much to take the scenery in as the rest of his companions slept, but he couldn’t.

It was hard to enjoy it with all the pressure they were under.

It was tense. They were all tense. The looming threat that was constantly held over their heads was getting more and more difficult to bear, although they all got up each morning and acted like it was nothing.

Avdol and Polnareff still bickered over some stupid thing Polnareff had done and Joseph still cracked jokes even though his daughter was less than 30 days away from taking her last breath. Kakyoin tried his best to lighten the mood, but his efforts were fruitless when it came to Jotaro.

They all brushed it off as him being too stiff or angsty--as most teenagers were. But Jotaro just didn’t get it. How could everyone act like everything is fine? His mother was dying. DIO could destroy everything with the flick of his wrist and they were all playing games and telling stories in the back of Joseph’s jeep instead of planning their plot against him?

And now everyone was asleep. Well, everyone except for Jotaro, it seemed. The night sky was beautiful but the growing worry he felt dulled the stars in the sky. He lit a cigarette and stuck it between his lips.

The sky didn’t feel so much as a comfort anymore. It wasn’t a blanket; it was too big, too vast. He wondered what was going on up there. What could be out there? If he stared long enough at it, he felt like he was being sucked in. Would it feel good to be sucked in? Maybe he wanted to disappear more than anything.

He bit his lip as an overwhelming sense of dread filled him. He felt like an idiot. They were going to defeat DIO. His mother would be fine. Everyone was sure of it, even Avdol, even Joseph.

So why wasn’t he?

He sighed shakily. He felt too sweaty. Taking off his hat, Jotaro ran a trembling hand through his hair.

She’s gonna be fine, he told himself.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he really was worried. Jotaro was worried about his mother. And not just that--he missed her, too.

He missed the way she would kiss him on the forehead before school every morning. The way she would always make him breakfast by the time he trudged downstairs, never batting an eye when Jotaro would push it away, insisting that she stop babying him, but always getting him to eat it somehow.

He missed the way she would make him soup when he was sick and always made sure he got enough water. He never quite figured out how she could tell that he was under the weather from just a look or just from tenderly touching his forehead. He remembered the way he would weakly swat her away, only to find himself in his bed with a glass of water and a painkiller on his bedside table.

He- god- he missed the way she could always tell when he was upset no matter how hard he tried to hide it. She would never make him tell her anything, just wrap her arms around him and gently push his head into her shoulder. The smell of her perfume and the feeling of her clothes always reminded him of his childhood.

“Deep breath, Jotaro…” she would always say gently into his ear, “It's hard right now, but it’ll get easier and easier with each breath.”

She would say it every time, every goddamn time he needed it. Jotaro would always make fun of her for it. How could she say that, not knowing what he’s going through? Hell, it could be a test, a bad day at school, a fight he had gotten into…

...Yet, even though he would call her a bitch, call her clingy and stupid and annoying, he would always let out a breath in her arms. And he would feel just a bit better.

Though he would die before he told her that.

He wondered what she would do if she was sitting next to him right now. No, he knew exactly what she would do, and it only made him angrier. A wave of guilt washed over him. How many times had he called her a bitch, told her to die? What was the last thing he said to her before she got sick?

He could feel Star Platinum’s aura emerge around him. The stand, for once slow-moving, wrapped him up in a hug. He didn’t know if the stand was trying to replicate what his mother would do, but the warm embrace only made him feel worse.

“Get off of me,” he found himself snapping quietly. He didn’t want comfort. He didn’t need it. He didn’t deserve it.

“Ora,” the stand whispered. His words were meaningless, but his tone sounded concerned, almost sad. Maybe Star felt sad, too. His stand was a part of him, right? Could Star feel sad? Jotaro could see the worry in his stand’s eyes as he tried to take Jotaro’s hands in his.

“Ora ora.”

“Shut up,” he snarled, “You’re going to wake everyone up.”

As if on cue, he shot up from where he was sitting as his stand quickly dispersed and settled beneath his skin again. A figure rummaged around through the darkness until a flashlight clicked on.

“Good, you’re already awake.”

Joseph.

“What do you want, old man?” he grumbled. His skin still felt prickly and the dread he was feeling refused to go away. Joseph didn’t need to know that.

“It's better if we travel before the sun comes up,” he answered, “I’m setting up the Jeep. Go and wake up the others.”

Jotaro scoffed, but did so anyway, the uneasy feeling still hiding under his skin.

Once everything was set up, they crowded into the car. Avdol drove with Joseph sitting shotgun. Kakyoin and Polnareff occupied the middle seats and Jotaro had the seats in the very back to himself. The vehicle had enough leg-room for them to feel comfortable, but Jotaro felt like he was suffocating. It didn’t help that he was also 6’5”. He would normally take a seat in the middle section and let Polnareff take the back, but he would rather die than be surrounded by everyone.

Especially Kakyoin. He always asked too many questions.

Joseph was telling Avdol some story about his past adventures and Kakyoin listened intently. Polnareff chuckled every so often from in front of him. Whatever was so funny, Jotaro wasn’t listening. When was the last time he told his mom he loved him? When was the last time he had told her anything at all? What were the last words he said to her before he left?

He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t fucking remember.

“How’s Holly doing, Mr. Joestar?” Kakyoin asked. Apparently, he had tuned back in at the wrong time.

He heard Joseph sigh. “Not well. The doctors are saying her fever is becoming worse by the day. They tried her on a new medication, but…” Joseph paused, rethinking things, “Oh, talking about it is just dampening the mood. We’re doing all that we can. Anyway, these Pillarmen came out giant mounds of rock and-”

Jotaro froze.

It all hit him at once that he could never see his mother again. No more soup, no more breakfast, no more sweet remarks, no more hugs that he always took for granted, no more-

Who was he kidding? He was just 17. He wasn’t ready to lose his mom. He couldn’t lose his mom. He wanted her with him to hold him and hug him and worry about him and-

“-Don’t you think, Jotaro?...Jotaro?”

Polnareff’s voice sounded from the seat in front of him as he blinked in and out of his thoughts. Kakyoin turned around to face Jotaro, only for Star Platinum to appear, shielding Jotaro from their sights.

“Jota-”

“-ORAA!”

Star Platinum’s voice boomed loudly as he raised his fists in defense. The car swerved.

“Shit!” Avdol cursed, swerving the car back onto the road.

Joseph whipped his head backwards. “What the hell is going on?” Alarm turned to confusion as Star remained there, glaring at his allies. Joseph frowned.

“Uhm..Jotaro? What the hell is your stand doing?”

Jotaro bit his lip as tears formed in his eyes. For once, he was thankful that his stand decided to act on its protective nature.

“Ora.” Star Platinum said, now crossing his arms as if to say, ‘I’m not moving’. Jotaro felt a lump form in his throat. No matter what Star did, it wouldn’t bring his mother here. It wouldn’t save him from whoever he had to confront later. He couldn’t sit there forever.

“Is everything okay back there?” Avdol yelled tensely. Joseph didn’t answer and Polnareff seemed to be in a staring contest with Jotaro’s stand.

“We’re alright, Avdol,” Kakyoin answered. He didn’t elaborate. Telling him that Jotaro’s stand was acting weird would just make him unnecessarily stressed.

Polnareff and Kakyoin locked eyes in concern. Star wasn’t going to move. Joseph gave up on trying to talk to Jotaro and turned to Avdol to resume his story about some Italian adventure.

“You think he’s good back there?” Polnareff whispered, careful not to say the wrong thing under Star’s watch. Kakyoin frowned.

“Let me talk to him. Just...talk to Joseph or something,” he whispered back, leaving Polnareff to turn his attention to the front. Once he was sure that Polnareff was laughing hysterically again at some things Joseph was saying, he turned his attention back to Star Platinum.

“Hey, Star,” he said, “Wanna let me in? I need to talk to Jotaro.” he said, smiling innocently at the purple stand. Star shook his head, keeping his arms firmly crossed.

“Please, Star?”

“Ora.”

I guess that’s a no, then, Kakyoin deciphered, sighing.

“Look,” he reasoned, “I know you’re just trying to do what’s best for Jotaro, but if you’re this worried about him right now, I think he needs to talk to someone.”

Kakyoin thought he saw a glimmer of doubt in Star’s eyes, so he pressed on.

“I know the only reason you’re doing this is because you can’t get through to him. Just let me talk to him, just for a bit.”

Kakyoin waited, ready to accept loss, but he heard Star Platinum snort in defeat and silently moved himself a bit to the side, letting Kakyoin slip through before the stand resumed its position, blocking everything else out. Kakyoin could still hear the muffled conversation from the protected back of the vehicle, but tuned it out as he sat in one of the three seats, leaving his friend a bit of room.

Jotaro had his arms crossed and his hat pulled in front of his eyes, staring at the ground in silence. Hostility was coming off him in waves, but Kakyoin knew the man would never hurt him on purpose.

“What the hell do you want?” Jotaro snapped quietly, turning his body away from his red-haired friend. Kakyoin shrugged.

“Nothing, really. Just wanted to see if you were okay.”

“Well you can go then because I’m fine,” he growled in reply.

Kakyoin never really had many friends before meeting Jotaro, but he did get good at reading people. He knew when someone was upset, no matter how much they tried to deny it or brush it off.

“Wanna talk about it?” he opted for instead of asking him what was wrong again. Jotaro felt his face heat up and the lump in his throat grow bigger. Why can’t he just fuck off?

“There’s nothing to talk about, so no,” Jotaro snapped back. Kakyoin could hear just a shred of doubt in his voice as he spoke.

Jotaro wasn’t exactly a talkative man. He usually kept to himself and always seemed to be in a pretty grumpy mood. Polnareff often remarked on how Jotaro needed to ‘lighten up’ a bit, let loose more. They had even cracked Avdol’s stuffy personality, but not Jotaro. Never Jotaro. He thought back to when Star popped up and shielded Jotaro from the rest of them. He wondered why the stand had done that in the first place, it only seemed to draw more attention to him. He only acted after-

-After they talked about Holly. Kakyoin wanted to kick himself.

Of course.

“You have a right,” Kakyoin started, causing Jotaro to lift his head up in confusion, “To feel like this, I mean.”

“What are you talking about?” Jotaro snarled. Kakyoin could feel the man building up his walls of anger again.

“Dio is putting your mother’s life in jeopardy. You have every right to be angry...or sad. You’re allowed to worry about her. You’re allowed to miss her. You know that, right?”

He saw Jotaro’s expression soften with surprise, as if he were caught doing something he shouldn’t. Kakyoin waited for the man to say something, but he quickly realized that Jotaro definitely wasn’t going to.

“I never told my parents I was going on this trip, but I wish that I did. I know they’re worried about me, but I really don’t have the courage to tell them. Maybe I’ll tell them when we all come back from this.” he said, filling the air between them.

“I guess I just didn’t want them to freak out if I really told them the truth. But...maybe it would be better if I-”

That seemed to break Jotaro.

“Everyone’s acting like this is normal,” Jotaro snapped. Kakyoin stopped talking, letting his friend finally express himself.

“The old man’s fucking daughter is dying right now and he doesn’t seem to care, does he?” he scoffed, feeling his eyes water “And no one seems to care that we’re on a fucking suicide mission.”

Kakyoin felt himself soften, “Jotaro-”

“-I didn’t even-” he paused, feeling his voice crack, “-I didn’t even tell her that I loved her. I just-- fucking left. I had the chance and I didn’t fucking do it. And now she’s-”

Jotaro growled in irritation as he pulled his hat further over his eyes. Kakyoin expected the man to tell him to fuck off again. He didn’t expect Jotaro to pull towards him and rest his head on his shoulder.

Legs crossed and arms folded over his waist, Jotaro kept his head down and pressed into Kakyoin’s side.

“Jo-”

“-Shut up,” Jotaro breathed out, not trusting his voice to do the talking. Kakyoin just nodded and wrapped an arm around his friend. He could feel Jotaro digging his face further into his shoulder, as if he were too ashamed to show his face to his friend.

"It'll be alright," he said, letting them shift their bodies for Kakyoin to wrap him up in a proper hug. Jotaro buried his face into Kakyoin's chest, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly.

"Just- shut up," Jotaro repeated, his voice cracking this time. Kakyoin sighed and just pulled him closer. As long as Star Platinum was blocking them from everyone else's sights, he knew they weren't going anywhere. The pair sat there in silence, letting the voices of their teammates in the distance drown out the tension between them.

If he heard Jotaro sniffling every so often, he didn’t comment.