#i am still laughing..when i was like collecting and writing names together i stumbled upon the name vasili which i did not remember where

[bardicblast]

[gold3nfics]

Anachronism {Chapter One}

Author's Note: So this is my first written work on here, and I am really excited about this story! This chapter was really just to allow you guys to gain insight into what the story is about and who the boys are. I promise you that Y/N will make an appearance in the next chapter :)

Word Count: 3,814

Our story begins with one man, a man who went by the name Haneul.

Haneul was admired and sought out by many for not only his sharp attributes, but also his magical abilities. He came from a long line of sorcerers before him who had served and protected the realm he resided in.

While he was the one to keep everyone safe, many wondered why he refused to assume leadership, or even live in the nicer part of the land. Instead of living in luxury and riches, he chose to live in the forest away from the bustle of the town solely because he preferred the quiet lifestyle compared to one where many would invade his space and distract him.

One early morning, he woke to frantic knocking at the door of his small cottage.

“Hello?” he opened the door to find that it was one of the royal guards.

“Your presence is requested at the castle immediately.” the young guard says with urgency evident in his voice.

“What happened?” Haneul says now concerned,

“The queen, we believe it is time.”

He grabs his medical supplies and jumps into the carriage heading towards the castle. Once they arrive, Haneul is immediately taken to the royal chambers to begin his work.

Upon entering, his eyes immediately caught sight of the queen writhing in pain surrounded by many servants trying to relieve the pain she was feeling. He approaches the queen with a reassuring smile on his face,

“And how is this young beauty doing?”

“She is not at her best right now.” the queen responds with a weak smile. Haneul releases a sigh of amusement then asks her for permission to check her dilation, after she nods he checks and realizes it is time.

“You, my queen, are about to be a mother in a matter of minutes,” he looks to the servants “bring me warm towels and water.” The servants leave and he focuses on the queen, “I am going to need you to push, but not too hard alright?” She nods and begins to push.

After only seven pushes, the baby is out and the sorcerer carefully wraps the child in a blanket, “Would you like to hold your son my queen?” he says without looking away from the child. When there was no answer, he glances up only to see her going in and out of consciousness.

He immediately hands the baby off to one of the servants and examines her only to find that she has lost too much blood. He does everything he could to revive her, yet she has already passed. He bows his head in shame while holding her cold hand and apologizes, part of him hoping her soul is still lingering around to hear.

Now, there was indeed a ritual he could have done to revive her; however, it is forbidden being that it is far too dangerous to bring a soul back from the underworld.

He stands back with his head hung in sadness, “Alert the king at once.” Just as the servants were gathering to cover the queen's body and filtering out, he approached the servant holding the tiny prince, “May I take him? I need to examine him.” the servant nods and leaves the room.

As he seats himself in a chair behind a divider on the other side of the chambers, he gently looks over the child for any issues. Just as he was almost finished, the child stirs in his slumber raising his small hand to rub his eyes. As the child does this, Haneul catches sight of a white circle on the inside of the child’s hand, at first glance, it appeared as if it was glowing.

Haneul furrows his brows, gently tracing his fingers over the mark. “What is this little guy?”

As he moves to look closer, the servant comes back to collect the young prince to give to the king. He slowly gives away the child and he is soon left to himself to think about what that mark meant. He decides to shake the thought out of his head, and just travel home to rest.

As he rides home on the carriage, he mourns the passing of the young queen. He was quite fond of her, just as everyone else in the realm was. She was not only beautiful, but was also very caring. She would always make jokes and tease others just to have them feel entertained.

Her husband is bound to be heartbroken, he thought in his head. It was no secret the king had worshiped the ground she walked on; not that she didn’t deserve it. The number of times Haneul had overheard the young couple whispering childish jokes to each other, and them arguing over tedious matters were more than he could count. It will be hard to find a woman as kind and unique as she was. I hope her son takes after her. Haneul smiled sadly at this thought.

* * *

As the years passed, Haneul noticed that there have been more and more children who were born with the same white mark that the young prince had. There had been seven boys born throughout the past few years, all of which were born with the same mark and had lost their mothers during childbirth.

“Godammit!” Haneul yells in frustration as he slams his fist onto the table. The table was cluttered with scrolls, books, odd writings, and drawings that even Haneul didn’t even remember taking out. The stressed sorcerer moves over to his bed and faceplants directly onto his pillow.

Not only was he tasked with acting as a teacher to the young prince, keeping the people safe, and being one of the main healers; but he also took it upon himself to figure out what was going on with the seven boys who shared the same mark.

He may have been tired, stressed, and confused; but most importantly, he was worried.

Haneul was a man who believed that there was a reason for everything; death, births, happiness, sadness, there were reasons for all of it. Therefore, he knew that there was a great purpose that followed the seven young boys with the peculiar markings.

* * *

“He follows him as if he was a stray and he threw him a bone. I am surprised Namjoon hasn’t grown irritated.” the young woman says with a tired smile.

“Well Namjoon is quite patient, and I feel that he's the one to keep Jungkook out of trouble,” Haneul responds while packing up his things, “and Yuna, do not forget they both need to meet at my home before dawn.”

“The others will be there, right?” Yuna asks with a glimmer of concern in her eyes,

Haneul grabs her hand as a way to comfort her and stares into her eyes, “They will be there Yuna, they have no choice.” he turns his head to look at the two young men joking around and skipping stones across the foggy pond, “For now, just spend time with the two of them. Okay?”

Yuna’s eyes filled with tears, “Okay, thank you Haneul.”

“Of course” Haneul smiles and bows respectively before departing and starting his journey home.

Haneul has aged considerably throughout the last 20 years, his hair had become greyer and his eyes duller; but his mind and heart were still drawn towards helping people, and to the seven boys with the odd mark, and after many years, he found the answer.

A few months before now, Haneul had stumbled across an old poem.

The world is calm and crops are ripe

Yet underneath its surface lays a darkness waiting to strike

When the circles of seven come to light, so will come a long and frozen fight

A being will propose an idea that the seven circles will see as an answer to end the fight

It is up to the seven circles to decide what path they take, and which is for light and dark

The answer lays at the heart of the one who descends from pure light, for their heart and the seven circles must all reunite

After reading the poem he realized the importance of the young men The poem itself acknowledges a traumatic event that will happen in the time that they are alive, yet it had been months since he found the writing and nothing has happened. However, Haneul knew that something was coming and he came to realize what that was.

You see, two nights prior Haneul had a vision. The vision was not clear, yet it showed a figure whose presence exuded sadness and wisdom. All the figure did was deliver a message that was the following,

“In two days, a frozen death will fall upon your realm. Those seven under the protection of the circle will survive; while all the others will temporarily perish. They will be presented with information that involves seeking another being of pure light to end the frozen death. However, there are two paths they could take with this, but only one being the right one. Do not let them fall into trickery, for that will be their downfall and everything will cease to exist if the wrong path is taken.” and with that, the vision was no more.

Waking from his vision, Haneul knew that he must gather the boys and prepare them for what was to come.

* * *

As Haneul waited for the boys to arrive he put together all of his writings, they were not much but they gave small insight on what was to come. Just as he finished up sorting everything, he caught sight of lanterns and heard the sound of multiple footsteps outside his home.

“Jungkook, if you do not stop stepping on the back of my boots I swear I’m gon-” the voice was cut off by a loud laugh, “What are you going to do Jin? Send your one of the so-called guards after him?” a lazy voice replies.

“Oh that’s rich, coming from a farmer.” a cocky-toned voice chimed in.

“What is that supposed to mean Jimin?” a new deep voice says back, “Guys! Stop it, Haneul is probably hearing everything and I am pretty sure the last thing we want is to embarrass ourselves in front of him.”

Haneul had heard everything; and the last voice was right, they were embarrassing themselves. But the older sorcerer had been rather entertained by their interactions. Putting a sly smile on his face, he opened the front door coming face to face with seven men whose faces varied from shock, embarrassment, to dumbfounded.

“You boys have not changed much, have you?” he crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe. Namjoon forms a tight-lipped smile, “I am afraid not sir.”

Haneul gestures for them to come in, “Well, let’s not waste any more time.”

Once the boys were led in and settled into Haneul’s study, they began to ask questions. “So why are we here?” Jin asks while the others looked at Haneul.

Haneul looked at them and sighed before speaking,

“Have you ever wondered why you all have those marks on your hands?” Silence.

“Why all of your mothers passed away during your births?” Silence again.

Haneul notices the confused expressions and continues, “Well I did. I knew that there was a reason for those markings and,” he stands and gets a small book, “I found the reason why.”

Haneul gives the book to Namjoon and takes a seat in front of them.

“I spent years gathering, reading, and learning everything about what is just so special about you boys, and all of the knowledge that I have gained can be found in that journal. You boys are a part of what is known as the circle.” The boys look at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain more.

“There was a tale that spoke of seven men being born with the same markings that you boys have. They all possessed special abilities that varied with each one of them. These men used their powers to protect those of their realm and were the ones to keep balance within their realm. However, as time had passed tensions had risen between the seven and because of it, a big fight had happened. Their fight had destroyed not only their bonds, but also ended many people's lives. No one knew the true reason why the fight had happened, but many did not wish to know. Because many innocent people had died as a result of the fight, the people, who were the ones that the seven had sworn to protect, had seen the seven protectors as dangerous and a threat. So they decided to kill them.”

Jimin perks up and scoffs, “I doubt their attempts would have worked, you said they had powers right?”

“Jimin,” Namjoon said, “be quiet and let him continue.”

“Anyways, one of the seven had been informed about the people’s plan to assassinate them and told the other six. That night they had decided to willingly sacrifice themselves, and their lives, to no longer cause suffering and sadness among their people. Now, it seems that the gods have decided to pass on the tale by blessing you seven with the marks.”

“So, we are now the protectors of our realm?” Seokjin asks in a tone that gives the impression he is not thoroughly convinced.

The older man sighs, “Yes, and I know this sounds odd but-”

Yoongi cuts him off laughing, “Haneul, please. We are not people of importance, except for Jin and Jimin. Most of us have grown up struggling and some despising one another. Now you say that just because we have similar marks, and our mothers are dead, it makes us special?”

“Yoongi hear him out, you-”

“Oh Jungkook please, we are nothing and have been nothing for most of our lives.”

“Yoongi,” Haneul starts, “you do not have to believe me right now. None of you do, but something is about to happen and you need to understand what to do.” He gives Namjoon the poem that he had found, which related to the prophecy of the seven who all sat before him.

“After finding that poem, I had a vision where a figure appeared to me and spoke of a ‘frozen death’ that will fall upon our people.” the boys' faces grow concerned, “To end it and bring back the balance of our realm, you boys are to venture outside our realm, find a certain being, and bring them back here.” the boys erupt with multiple questions in response.

“Wait, how do you travel outside our realm?”

“How do we know it's them?”

“What do we do once we find them?”

“What about our families?”

It seems that after that last question, everyone grew silent. Taehyung’s eyes had begun to grow watery, “What about my dad? Will he be okay?”

Haneul grew somber, “Your families, as well as everyone here, will be okay with whatever happens while you are searching for the being. However, their lives depend on what path you take once you are all back here together. In the book that I gave you, it tells you how to get to and from the realm in which the being lives.”

Haneul gets up and notices that the sun is almost up. “I do not have much time, but there is one last thing.” he turns towards the boys, “My vision also said that you would be approached with an idea and to be awar-” Haneul’s breathing had grown rapid as he fell to the ground while clutching his heart.

“Haneul!” Junkook had yelled before getting up and running towards him along with the rest of the boys. “Can you hear me? Haneul?” Namjoon asks while kneeling beside him, feeling for a pulse.

His breathing starts to slow down and he reaches out to grasp Namjoon’s hand; the boys are shocked to see a layer of frost had begun to form around his hand slowly moving up his arm.

“B-be caref-ful, d-do not allow yourselves t-to be fooled. Trust your h-hearts and e-each other. Rememb-ber,” Haneul moves his gaze towards the book he had given now in the grasp of Jungkook, “everything is i-in that b-book.” and with that, the frost overcomes his body and his breathing stops.

The boys stood in shock as the man, who had been a role model for all of them and helped so many people, become absorbed by ice and had fallen into a death-like sleep.

Namjoon stands up and takes the book that was in Jungkook's hands, and he began to head out of the house. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Jin exclaims following after him.

“To do what we’re supposed to do. I am going to find a way out of this realm, find who I need to find, and do whatever I need to do to get everyone back.” Namjoon states without stopping.

Yoongi scoffs, “You? In case you don’t remember, Haneul said ALL of us have to work together to resolve this, not just you.” Namjoon stops and turns and furrows his brows, “Weren’t you just going on about how you don’t believe in any of this and how we couldn’t do anything?”

“Yes, but that was before I saw Haneul become a block of ice. I still don’t believe we have powers, that seems rather far-fetched.” Yoongi crosses his arms, “Are you saying that Haneul is a liar?” Jin challenges.

“Not entirely.” Yoongi replies in a cold tone, “I am more confused than anything, I mean how the hell are we supposed to know who this being is once we enter their realm?” Everyone is silent, and Namjoon sighs in defeat, “Does anyone have any idea?” Yoongi asks with frustration evident in his tone.

“I have an idea.”

The boys all turn towards the front of Haneul’s house and see a young woman leaning against the doorway. Jimin steps in front of all of them with a hand on his sword, “Who the hell are you?” the woman raises her hands in defense and smiles calmly,

“My name is Ara, I am a friend of Haneul. It would be best not to harm someone who is here to help you.” The boys grow suspicious and Hoesok speaks up, “Haneul didn’t mention you.”

Ara lowers her hands “He didn’t need to,” she tilts her head glancing at all of the boys, “did you really think that he was the only magical being?”

She snaps her fingers and Jimin’s sword appears in her hands making the boy move forward to retrieve it, “Look, I am not here to harm you, and you having a weapon against me will not solve anything.” She moves her wrist to make an invisible force push Jimin onto the ground. Some of the boys stifle a laugh upon seeing the young guard get huffy and brush off his clothes.

“Your marks.” Ara states, the boys look at her in confusion.

Namjoon looks at her, “What? What do you mean by our marks?”

“Your marks, they will help you find who you are looking for.” Ara leans back and looks at him lazily, “Your marks are similar to magnets, they will lead to one another due to their bonds. As for what you need to do with the being once you get them back here; you must bring you eight and your marks to me to restore the balance.”

Jungkook grows confused, “Why would we do that?”

Taehyung steps forward “Yeah, and what about the story?” Ara furrows her brows, “What story?”

“The one about the seven men who were marked and the protectors of their realm.” Taehyung pauses, “There were seven men in the story and now you're telling us that there are eight?”

Ara stills and sighs while her expression grows serious, “Do you know why your people have frozen into a deep sleep?” The boys shake their heads, “Because there were only supposed to be seven of you, seven protectors. But it appears that an eighth being has been born with the mark as well; however, they are not of this realm meaning that your bonds are not entirely connected. It was a mistake, so you boys and them must come back here and break the bond from them, and then peace and life will be restored.” Ara finishes.

The boys are silent for a moment as if to fully grasp the information they had just been given. “So we travel, find, and bring back the being, then you will break the bond?” Jin asks, “Yes.” Ara responds with a comforting smile.

“And everyone will come back perfectly fine?” Taehyung asks in a hopeful tone. “Yes, everything will go back to how things were before. Except for you now being the protectors of this realm.”

“Wait, what about our powers?” Ara turns her head towards Jungkook, “Aren’t we supposed to have powers?”

Ara grins mischievously, “You will need to figure that out on your own, your guy’s powers will come to you naturally.” She stands, “For now, you boys must travel and find the being.” Ara gives Jimin his sword back and begins to walk away towards the path that leads to their town.

“Where are you going?” Namjoon asks and Ara stops and turns. “Someone has to make sure things here remain okay until you get back.”

“Wait a second!” Hoseok yells out, “Why aren’t you frozen? I thought everyone in this realm would fall into a frozen sleep?” Upon hearing this the boys got curious and all stared at her. Ara’s face grew serious, “Because I am not of this realm.” and with that, she vanished into thin air.

The boys all stand there in silence. Namjoon turns his gaze to the book and opens it trying to find out how to transfer them out of their realm.

“I found it,” the boys look towards him, “the book says that we must join hands and visualize the portal into existence.”

“Yeah right, I’m not holding any of your hands.”

“Oh shut up and take my hand Jimin.” Jin says annoyed while grabbing both Jimin and Taehyung’s hands.

“Alright, everyone close your eyes,” Namjoon states and closes his own, “okay now focus on visualizing the portal.”

“How do you even visualize?”

“It’s like imagining, but more detailed.”

“That's confusing, and it also sounds hard”

“Shut up Jimin!” Everyone says while Jimin sighs dramatically.

After a few moments, the seven men felt their marks stinging slightly and a large gust of wind had blown in front of them. Once they all opened their eyes, they saw a large circle of light in the middle of all of them.

Namjoon steps forwards and looks to the rest of the boys, “Here goes nothing.” and with that, they all walk through the portal.

[hotdogct]

under the same sky ||| teaser

“An age where you feel like you could love anyone, where you put everything on the line for the smallest of things. Eighteen. Adults say that it’s an age where we laugh if a leaf tumbles by. But back then, we were more serious than any adult, more intense, and had our strength tested...That was how our eighteen was beginning.”

-Sung Shi-Won, 응답하라 1997.

Synopsis: 1999. Amongst the sea of white raincoats and balloons belonging to Club H.O.T. you befriend Kim Jungwoo - a boy with a secret - who immediately fills your world with vivid color. With the new millennium approaching almost as quickly as high school graduation, your heart belongs to one man only: Kangta. And as his own future looms in the distance, Jungwoo can’t decide if merely idolizes the man, or if he wants to be the next Kangta.

He is certain of one thing, however: he is absolutely smitten by you.

Pairing: Student!Jungwoo x (f) Student!Reader

Genre: late 90′s!au. fluff, slice of life. friends-to-lovers, angst-ish. painful ending, you’ve been warned. 💀 Word Count: 10k++++ (teaser: 1.5k) Release Date: ???

Snoopy0219: how am i going to find you tomorrow! Snoopy0219: should i sing out ‘baaa baaaaa’ like i’m looking for a sheep in a pasture?? Baabaakangta: hahahhahahahahhahahaaaa please Baabaakangta: would you actually?? Snoopy0219: ;) you underestimate me Snoopy0219: do you have a pager?? lets exchange numbers Snoopy0219: or you could dress up as a sheep hehe Snoopy0219: that would be one way to have kangta notice you!!! Baabaakangta: >:( not. funny. Baabaakangta: i’ll be wearing a cow print hat, i’ll have a snoopy related gift sitting outside my bag?? Snoopy0219: okay!! i’ll go up and down the line ‘baa baaaaaaa’ing until i find you!! ^__^ Snoopy0219: see you tomorrow, sheep!!!!!!

You nervously look around as you settle into your spot in line, in no immediate rush to sit down on the hard concrete. While there weren’t many others amongst the crowd, it dawns on you you aren’t the only one sporting a big, fluffy, cow print bucket hat. Thinking back to your conversation with Snoopy the night before, you pull the small dog plush you had bought as a gift for your new friend out of your drawstring bag, making sure it would be visible to anyone passing by. 

Time slowly passes once you sit. At first you’re eager to fidget with your pager - sending a quick ‘8282’ to Snoopy, checking nervously every few minutes for a reply. Eventually the device vibrates in your lap, notifying you that she was on her way. The atmosphere was getting livelier by the minute, with fan groups dispersed neatly all around the perimeter of the arena, identifiable immediately by the color of their balloons and raincoats. Fan club leaders equipped with bullhorns led their respective contingents in song and chants, a preview of the many performances to come later that evening. Club H.O.T. was no exception, with girls going up and down the ever-growing line handing out support goods and spare white balloons, while ‘Hope’ played on repeat through a boombox towards the front of the queue. When you first arrived, the unexpected fervor of fanchants made you flinch, but after a couple of minutes you found yourself joining in, mindlessly adding your voice to the collective. 

All of your senses were overwhelmed. There wasn’t much time for your mind to ruminate anxiously about finally meeting Snoopy face to face. Nothing about her had seemed dangerous - which is why you extended the invite in the first place. On the very slim chance that she turned out to be a creep, she’d be insane to harm you in such a crowded place. You weren’t really worried about getting along with Snoopy - you knew that wouldn’t be a problem from your extensive chat logs. Rather you were terrified of what she would think of you - if she would even want to be your friend after meeting you in person...

“Baa baa?”

Your pulse increases rapidly, hearing the agreed upon saying that you and Snoopy had laughed about last night. But when you stand up and turn around to get a good first look at your new friend, your jaw drops open.

Standing before you, scratch that - above you is a...boy? He towers over you, black hair with messy overgrown bangs that surely had to impact his field of vision, framed in contrast by the hood of his standard issue white raincoat. His features were round - expressive eyes, button nose, full cheeks and chapped lips, currently pressed together and curved upward in a smile. He blinks once, twice, tilts his head slightly to the side, much as a dog might. 

“Baa baa? It’s me, Snoopy.”

Unbelievable, you think to yourself. It takes you a moment to find your voice amidst the living nightmare you suddenly were inhabiting, but you knew you had to be assertive and stand your ground.

“Did she really send her brother to prank me?! Get lost.”

If the boy was insulted, he sure didn’t look it. He was unfazed - the same soft smile remained on his face despite your hostility, as if he was aware of something you weren’t.

“Sheep, it’s really me, honest.” 

“Prove it.”

You regret your words the moment they leave your mouth. Without hesitation or warning, the boy swiftly closes the gap between you two, his face too close for comfort as it grazes past your own; his hot breath tickling your forehead, cheek, and finally your ear, where he whispers:

“I know aaaaallllll about that dream you had the other day, the one where you ran into Kangta at the convenience store and then, you know...~~’ 

Stunned into silence, cheeks-practically-burning-off-of-your-face-they're-so-red, you resist your immediate urge to slap this guy across the face, the nerve of the pervert…! Instead you thrust your arms out, making contact with his chest and successfully managing to push him away. He stumbles two, three steps back, his hands up in defense.

“T-that was in confidence, you jerk!” you stutter out, looking down at the ground and praying your beet red cheeks would calm down sooner rather than later, covering them with your hands.

The boy laughs - rather loudly, melodically, and pulls a pager out of his back pocket. Seconds later, the telltale notification lands on your respective device. The sharp features of your face softened slightly at the realization. Snoopy, he really was...

Lifting your head back up, you scan the boy standing in front of you over once, twice - this time taking notice of his lanky frame, narrow shoulders, tiny waist. Certainly non-threatening, but you’re still skeptical.

“I’m really sorry, it was never my intention to mislead you. Let’s start this over.” the boy clears his throat, and then bows, softly. “It’s nice to meet you! I’m Snoopy, but since that hasn’t really worked out...you can call me by my actual name - it’s Jungwoo.”

“Uh-huh, Jungwoo. Is this how you pick up girls? Chat them up on Club H.O.T. and then-”

“I wasn’t lying about my love for H.O.T.!” He interrupts you, hands waving wildly in the air. “I think they’re the coolest!” 

At this he steps back and begins dancing the all too familiar choreography for “Candy”, singing out loud to the chorus timidly. You dimly recall Snoopy Jungwoo mentioning the hours he would spend learning each new dance routine, and the effort clearly showed - his movements bright and sharp throughout the chorus. You could’ve sworn he was defying gravity when he jumped - you had never seen someone so lightweight on their feet before.

And yet your expression was unreadable - mind a blur on account of the entire situation unfolding in front of you. Jungwoo notices this as he finishes, the smile dropping from his face as he catches his breath. Silence falls briefly between you both.

“...you really think I’d travel all the way here from Gimpo for a joke?”

There was now a tinge of sadness apparent in Jungwoo’s voice, and guilt washes over you in a sudden, cold wave. You can feel his eyes on you, the weight of your initial cruelty and skepticism like a hundred stones in each pocket.

“I love dancing, I love singing,” he continues. “I genuinely think H.O.T. are the best, are the coolest. I’m studying to be an engineer - I love school, I get good grades. Why can’t I enjoy both things?” When you fail to come up with any semblance of a retort, Jungwoo sighs, shifts his weight back and forth on his hips. 

“That's why I didn’t tell you the truth. It’s why I’m here now. If word got out back home that I was a card carrying Club H.O.T. member...” he fishes around for his wallet in his back pocket, fumbles through the card slots until finding his membership card, showing it to you with shaky hands, “I wouldn’t hear the end of it.”

There, printed in clean handwriting, was his name: 김정우.

You believed him by now - honestly you had the moment your pager went off while he was standing right in front of you. Snoopy, Jungwoo - whatever they wanted to call themselves - was your friend. What difference did his gender make, anyways? With a firm mental reminder to not share any of your dirty daydreams about Kangta going forward, you decided to finally drop your guard. It was time to have some fun.

“Some advice?” Jungwoo looks up at you upon hearing your voice, in the middle of putting his membership card back in his wallet. “If you don’t want your friends to find that card, maybe don’t carry it in your wallet.”

Jungwoo struggles for a moment before figuring out you were screwing with him. Once he puts two and two together, it doesn’t take long for his boisterous, musical laugh you heard minutes prior to fill the space between you and him, head thrown back to the late afternoon sky. It was now his turn to feel flustered - although his cheeks seemed to take on a much more flattering pink tone to them when embarrassed, a trait you were quickly envious of. An unspoken concession occurs between the two of you as you sit down.

To Jungwoo, however - it felt much more like falling.

authors note: my first ‘big’ fic!!! my baby!!! she’s very much still a work in progress, but after nearly 2 months of wanting to commit to writing something longer and then sitting on my bum lol. this is what i’ve got so far, but i do have a full outline and i’m chipping away at it day by day. any kind of feedback or general excitement for this would be so appreciated 🥺

[jubilexe]

Retail Therapy - Luke Patterson

Julie and the Phantoms

Request?: Nope.

Word Count: 4.8K+

Summary: Alive!Luke x Alive!Reader/ Alive!JATP x Reader. After a fight with your parents, you go out for a little retail therapy and meet a certain Rockstar. I think I will prolly do a part 2 or more let me know if you want one, btw this is not proofread or edited. Luke sings to you in this chapter and he sings ‘Can’t take my eyes off you’ by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, so you can listen to that if you want.

Warnings: I don’t think there’s any.

-

“Julie please, my parents and I just got into another huge fight about my art and I need moral support.”

“But my dad wants me to watch Carlos and I can’t bail again.”

“Please just get here! I need you, Jules,” Y/N radiated distress and it was clear to all the people in the Claire’s she was currently in.

“Fine, I can call my tía. I’ll be there in an hour, but you owe me an ice cream cone!” Julie said laughing, Julie had been Y/N’s best friend since they met in the seventh grade when they both accidentally wore the same shirt three days in a row and became friends, they often would laugh about it. Y/N told her where to meet and thanked her friend quickly hanging up the phone. She heaved all her shopping bags up and looked around.

“Why am I even in this store?!” She hmphed loudly drawing the attention of the other shoppers once again. She marched out of the store towards the food court where she was meeting Julie. A new store caught her eye and she stopped for a minute debating if she had enough room for more bags. She quickly made her mind up deciding that she could make room, after all, she had her dad’s Platinum Amex and she was not going to waste this opportunity. Y/N walked quickly to the entrance of the quaint book store. She turned into the book store slamming into something, it was just her luck to run into a wall today and I mean why not seeing as the rest of her life was falling to pieces around her. She fell onto her back looking at the ceiling her bags scattered around her. 

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” A boy came into her sight. He had shaggy brown hair and was wearing a light yellow apron with a name tag. Guess she didn’t run into a wall after all, but again that was just her luck. Her eyes began to water as all the emotion crashed upon her like a tsunami. She gritted her teeth pulling herself together.

“I’m fine,” Y/N looked at his name tag. “Luke.”

“Woah how’d you know my name?” Luke stepped back and Y/N let out a breath of laughter.

“Nametag,” She said as the tears began to pool in her eyes.

“What? Oh my god, why are you crying?” Luke looked at her panicked, he didn’t do the best around crying girls. She held up a thumbs up. 

“I said I’m- I’m,” She coughed lightly trying her best to get out the words. 

“Here let me help you up,” Luke stuck out his hand to her nervously. She grabbed it and using her other hand tried to wipe the onslaught of tears off her face. Luke kept a hold of her hand pulling her to the back section of the store. 

“Um you can stay back here as long as you’d like,” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and accidentally running into the desk behind him knocking a book off the desk he looked at it quickly.

“Here you can read this maybe it’ll make you feel better,” he picked the book up shoving the book into her arms. He ran out of the room quickly.

“Oh? I- Thank you!” Y/N called out into the store. Luke ran back into the room his arms heaving all the girl’s bags.

“How were you carrying this much?” He wheezed dropping the bags by her. She laughed wiping more tears away and smearing her mascara. Luke backed up again.

“I have to get back to work but just leave when you want and if you need anything I’ll be up at the front counter,” he nodded at the girl giving her a thumbs up, and walked out again. She sat at the back of the store composing herself. She picked up the book looking at the title. It was ‘The Outsiders’ and a pretty beaten up copy at that the book was filled up with loose pages, she flipped through it and set it down on the table next to her. She turned to grab her bags. She didn’t notice but the book slipped off the table into one of her bags. She also didn’t notice her journal/ sketchbook drop from her purse as she grabbed everything trying to flee as quickly as she could. She collected the rest going out into the main store and heading to the counter.

“Thanks again for the help,” She leaned on the counter gazing at the boy in front of her.

“No problem, um you can come back anytime, that is if you want to of course no pressure,” Luke stumbled over his words.

“Of course, yeah,” She nodded, but she was not going to come back, not after that humiliating experience. He smiled dopily at her.

“Can’t wait,” he leaned on the counter as well.

“Um yeah,” she felt a twinge of guilt at the totally sweet look he was giving her. Her phone chimed loudly and she pulled it out.

“That would be my cue to leave,” She turned quickly dashing out of the store making her great escape.

“Bye then,” he waved confused. Y/N pulled out her phone checking the text.

‘Where are you? I got here 10 minutes ago.’ - From Julie. Y/N sighed speeding up her strides to get to the food court quicker. She spied Julie sitting at a table in the middle of the court. She made her way through the throng of people and sat down at the table setting her bags down under it. 

“What happened?” Julie asked eyeing the girl.

“I had a bit of a break down in a store, but a nice employee helped me out so I’m good,” Y/N laughed quickly.

“Are you okay, your eyes are really puffy. Do you need eye drops?” Julie stuck her hand in her purse and Y/N stopped her laughing again.

“I don’t need anything I’m good I promise, I just want to spend time with my best friend,” Y/N laid her hands down on the table in front of her. Julie rested her hands on top of the girls.

“If it’s any consolation I am supportive of your art,” Julie smiled sweetly. Y/N’s heart melted at the girl’s words, it did mean a lot to her.

“Thanks, Julie, now if you could convince my parents to do the same then that would be a dream come true,” a weak smile crept its way onto Y/N’s face. Julie squeezed her hand.

“How about we go get that ice cream and we can talk a bit and walk around, I think we both need it,” Julie stood up interlocking her hand with Y/N’s and pulling her towards the creamy treat.

-

It’d been a few weeks since the mall incident and things were not getting any easier for Y/N. Fights seemed to be on the daily now and the yelling was beginning to drive the girl insane. So she spent as little time as possible at her house only going over to sleep and do school work, other than that she was at the park painting or reading through the book that had slipped into her bag. She had planned on returning it to the booking clerk after she had read it, but now it had been three weeks and she had yet to. She would have hung out with Julie, but she was busy with her new band and nonstop rehearsals, they were set to debut at a spirit rally at school next week and they needed to be perfect. She still hadn’t met the band, but she had permission from Julie to crash anytime she wanted and she was planning on taking full advantage of this pass soon.

Her favorite pass time though was reading the book though so she had kept it, she loved to just read and look at the little notes and doodles in the margins, it really gave her a view of what was going on in Luke’s head. Although sometimes it was hard to decipher the hieroglyphics that was Luke’s handwriting.

She had discovered that the writings of S.E. Hinton were not the only thing hidden away in the eggshell-colored pages, there were journal entries and songs. She didn’t feel comfortable reading through the entries but she sure did love reading the works of musical genius, Luke’s, songs. They were so well written and heartfelt it helped her understand this boy that she barely knew, this boy so full of passion, feeling, emotions, and kindness.

And that’s where she was now reading a song of loss and regret under the cloudy sky. One that she related to personally, it reminded her of her parents and that even if she was having a hard time with them she would always love them even if they weren’t in the picture.

“If you could only know I never let you go,” she hummed along to the words, and sure she didn’t know the tune the words were initially meant for but she could sure try and make her own melody. But her phone interrupted her startling her out of her own little world within the words. She hurriedly wiped at her tear-stained cheeks and took the device out. It was 4:30, Julie and the Phantoms were at rehearsals right now and this was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the jam session, so Y/N hopped on her bike and sped towards the Molina residence.

-

Y/N stopped on the cobblestone path leading to the studio loft and set her bike against the stone wall. She could already hear the music drifting from the open window of the studio. She crept to the porcelain white door and stood on her tiptoes looking through the long windows. Y/N could see Julie on the piano and three boys surrounding her. There was a tall lanky one wearing a pink shirt and had a fanny pack slung across his chest, he had blond hair and was on the drum, there was a raven-haired one clad in flannel and leather he was on bass guitar and another one that wasn’t facing Y/N, from what she could see he was a brunet and was wearing jeans and a blue sleeveless hoodie, and he was on a guitar she thought. Julie looked up and jumped a little but she just laughed it off stopping the music and gesturing for Y/N to come inside. Just as Y/N was about to move away from the door the brunet turned around her her heart stopped she could hear all the blood rushing and it was deafening.

It was Luke from the bookstore. Y/N felt herself pale and she quickly hid from view she slid down to sit against the door and the pavement, her eyes darted around looking for a place to hide, any place at all. But before she could move the door gave way and she fell onto her back. Julie had opened the door at the whole band formed a circle around the starfishes girl. Luke broke out into a fit of giggles.

“We have got to stop meeting like this,” he managed to get out through the laughter. Y/N deadpanned and scoffed.

“Tell me about it,” she sighed. Luke came to a stop and offered her a hand. She did not grab the hand though instead opting to roll onto her stomach and push herself up. Luke lowered his hand awkwardly and Alex snickered.

“You two know each other?” Julie asked looking between the pair.

“Kind of,” Y/N shrugged looking at the dopey grinned boy. “We met at the mall a few weeks ago, you remember Julie we had an ice cream cone that day.

Julie nodded and looked at Luke.

“Oh, so this is the guy you stole a book from!” Julie laughed at the panicked face you made. Luke sent Y/N a confused look.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry I’ve been meaning to return it,” Y/N dug through her backpack and pulled out the book victorious. She handed the book to Luke quickly and added a quick explanation and a sorry.

“Hey it’s okay, you kind of left something too, I had been wondering where it had disappeared to though,” he laughed and snatched Y/N’s journal from his bag handing it to her. Throughout their exchange Julie, Alex, and Reggie just stood awkwardly shuffling their feet.

“Oh! I thought my dad took this... Oh My god wait please tell me you didn’t look,” Y/N paled again. Luke and Y/N stared at each other for a minute silently.

“Um only a little,” Luke looked down to the ground guiltily. Julie coughed and clasped her hands together.

“Why don’t we play something for Y/N while she’s here!” She said sitting down at the piano. The rest of the boys picked up their instruments, Alex sitting at the drums, Reggie standing with his bass next to Alex and the door, and Luke standing next to the piano and the couch. Y/N took a seat on the couch farthest away from Luke, she was feeling a bit awkward.

“So this is Bright,” Julie said to Y/N as well as making the boys aware of what they’d be playing for her. Julie played the first notes on the piano taking a breath and smiling, she was really in her element right now and it showed.

“Sometimes I think I’m falling down. I wanna cry, I’m calling out,” Julie sang out hitting each note with perfection. Y/N got goosebumps on her arms while listening to Julie’s voice, it was really breathtaking.

“For one more try, to feel alive.” The boys still hadn’t played their instruments and Y/N looked at each of them confused. Luke sent her a wink and threw his guitar over his shoulder with finesse. Y/N smiled brightly and gave him thumbs up. She reached into her bag pulling out a paper and a pen. She wrote a 9.5 

“What?! I deserve a 10,” Luke frowned strumming a note as Julie sang, “Life is a risk but I will take it, close my eyes, and jump.”

“It’s because you’re a show-off,” Y/N held out the f sound. Luke laughed and threw his head back.

“I’ll you show you what showing off really looks like,” he grinned at her. Just ask he said that Julie sang, “Come on let’s run!”

And that's when the boys hopped into action the music hitting Y/N like a wave. Luke played the guitar his hands moving effortlessly on the frets, he had so much passion in his eyes and Y/N couldn’t tear hers away. Luke looked at her holding her gaze intently.

“Life is a risk but we will take it, close my eyes and jump,” Luke’s voice came out gravely and husky, giving Y/N goosebumps once again. Reggie sang along with him dancing around the middle of the loft. Y/N felt like the breath was knocked out of her, the band was, to put it simply, dazzling. She had so many thoughts for them but she knew she it’d be impossible to tell them how amazing they were in words. Luke walked closer to Y/N kneeling in front of her while still playing his instrument. 

“Come on let’s run!” Luke sang to her, the rest of the band along with him. He hit the high note with ease and Y/N breathed in deeply. Luke continued to sing, but he pulled her up quickly and they danced together, it was a mess of rocking together and lots of spinning on Y/N’s part while Luke jumped up and down still having to play. Reggie came in and joined them, and he and Alex shared a look. They all jumped around in a circle and Y/N jumped onto the couch singing along with the chorus.

“Shine together bright forever!” Y/N picked up her water bottle using it as a mic. Luke couldn’t keep his eyes off her, she was electric. 

“In times that I doubted myself, I feel like I needed some help,” Luke sang and the only instrument playing was coming from the piano. Luke walked up to the couch below Y/N and they stared at each other.

“Stuck in my head, with nothing left,” Luke sang to her. Julie shot Y/N a look telling her to sing with him.

“And when I feel lost and alone, I know that I can make it home,” Y/N sang nervously fearing she’d mess up the words, but Luke just smiled at her and Y/N instantly felt at ease. Y/N looked away from Luke for a minute nodding at Julie and they sang together.

“Fight through the dark, and find the spark!!” Julie raising her voice and held out the note. Luke still couldn’t pull his gaze away and he lifted Y/N off the couch spinning her and making her squeal, she was set on the ground and she started dancing again. 

“We will fight to shine together! Bright forever!” They all sang out and the song ended. Y/N laughed with glee and jumped up and down.

“You guys are amazing!” She smiled at Alex and hit Reggie’s shoulder, feeling at home with the guys already, even if they only met a few minutes ago. 

“I’m gonna run inside the house and grab some snacks and we can hang out!” Luke ran to the door and exited. Y/N laughed, he didn’t even ask if she was free, she was but still. She enveloped Julie in a hug and they laughed together. Y/N’s phone rang in her pocket and she pulled it out and looked at the screen, her mom was calling. A deep frown set into her face and she clutched the phone.

“I’m gonna take this,” She said and made her way out sitting against the stone wall and taking a deep breath trying to prepare herself. She hit the answer button and held the phone to her ear.

“Hello?” She whispered.

“Y/N Y/L/N, you need to get home right now, you have been gone long enough. Get over yourself, you will not become an artist and you will do what we say we are your parents,” Y/N’s mom and dad said, not even letting Y/N get a word in. She breathed in deeply and shut her eyes tight willing herself not to cry.

“Mom, Dad, I’m not coming home,” Y/N got out her voice faltering. Her dad scoffed.

“Don’t be ridiculous you will come home immediately,” Her mom sighed. Y/N shook her head even though her parents couldn’t see.

“I’m not coming home not again and not ever, not until you support me,” she almost lost herself there but she shut her eyes again keeping the tears at bay, she wouldn’t cry for something she needed to do.

“I’m gonna be staying somewhere else from now on, I’ve already got all the stuff that I need and you won’t see me again until I prove you wrong.”

“People will like my art and even if they don’t I like my art and it’s what I’m passionate about and I won’t stop, I won’t give up, I can’t,” Y/N hung up the phone not even giving them a chance to respond, she clicked into her settings turning off her location and stuck her phone next to her. She brought her knees to her chest and she breathed deeply, she heard someone taking a seat next to her, she didn’t look assuming it was Julie.

“I know what it’s like,” Luke laid his head against the wall and put his hands at his sides. Y/N’s head shoots towards Luke.

“It’s you! I thought you were Julie,” Y/N said. Luke started to get up.

“I’m so sorry I’ll go,” he stood up all the way. Y/N grabbed his hand and pull him back down they were now sitting shoulder to shoulder and looking at each other. Y/N breathed in deeply again the tears finally going away.

“Stay.”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop drop, by the way,” Luke laid his hand on top of her hesitantly. She laughed shaking her head.

“It’s okay, can you tell me about it?” She asked him referring to what he said earlier. He nodded slowly trying to articulate what he was thinking.

“Okay, but bear with me I’m gonna start at the beginning,” he stated and Y/N intertwined their finger hoping to make him more comfortable.

“My mom and dad bought me my first guitar when I was about 8,” he started squeezing her hand.

“When you said beginning I didn’t think it’d be beginning, beginning,” she laughed. He sent her an annoyed look and she giggled laying her head on his shoulder.

“They didn’t get me into lessons but my neighbor ended up teaching me, I knew immediately that music was what I wanted to do and my parents didn’t quite feel the same but they let me continue playing regardless, but then I started a band called Sunset Curve when I was fifteen, that’s when they tried to take my guitar away,” he deflated slightly and Y/N nestled into him a bit more.

“Of course I hid it where we were practicing and didn’t tell them where, but the fights got so bad that I ran away, on Christmas Eve.”

“Now I’m staying here, but I get how it feels to not be supported by the ones who matter most, so if you need someone who knows what you’re going through you can come to me if you want,” he said facing her as she took her head off his shoulder. They were centimeters apart at this point, they were practically breathing in each other’s air.

“You’re staying at Julie’s?” She asked their noses almost touching.

“Yeah in the loft with Alex, he’s not living at home either, his parents weren’t cool after he came out to them,” he said sadly his eyes fluttering shut. She studied his face, he had freckles that you could only see close up, and there was a small scar just on the bridge of his nose.

“It’s cool that you guys have each other,” Y/N interlocked both their hands.

“You could have us too,” he whispered. “If you want us.”

“I’d really like that I think,” she moved in closer, her lips ghosting over his as he whispered, “I’m glad you want me, us.” They knew each other better than anyone, sure they hadn’t been together long but they’d seen into each other's world through music and writing and art, they saw the most intimate parts of each other. A crash from the garage and Alex fell through the crack in the door and he shot up looking like a deer in headlights. Luke and Y/N jumped away from each other and Y/N hit her bike knocking it over and the contents of her other bag on it spilled out, a mess of clothes and tampons came out and Luke looked horrified. His eyes fell upon a single bra and he stumbled back covering his eyes. Alex ran back into the studio slamming the door behind him. Y/N quickly scooped up her stuff putting it back into her bag making sure to zip it up this time. Luke still was on the ground covering his eyes.

“You can look now,” Y/N let out an airy laugh. Luke shook his head.

“I’m too embarrassed,” he sat up still covering his eyes. Y/N scooted over to him so that she was sitting in front of him on her knees, she brought her hands up to his slowly moving them away. She and Luke looking into one another’s eyes for the millionth time that night. She slowly tore her gaze away and stood up.

“I should probably go find a hotel to stay at,” she whispered picking up her bike. Luke jumped up grabbing her wrist.

“You can stay here! I mean if it’s okay with Julie, we’ll have to ask,” he said holding onto her hands and grinning at her.

“It’s okay with me!” They heard Julie’s voice from inside the studio. Y/N laughed pulling Luke into a tender hug, he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her hips. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and whispered, “Thank you for everything Luke.”

“You’re welcome,” he kissed the top of her head lightly pulling her in tighter. Drops of rain began to dribble into them until it was a downpour. Luke tried to pull her inside but Y/N pulled him back and they spun together in the rain. Y/N let out a joyful and bubbly laugh that had Luke laughing along with her.

“Sing to me music man,” Y/N spun Luke around and dipped him. He grinned at her and began to sing.

“You’re just too good to be true,” they spun together again.

“Can’t take my eyes off of you, you’d be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much,” Luke spun Y/N in and they rocked together. Y/N slid her arms up around Luke’s shoulders and they smiled at each other.

“At long last has arrived and I thank God I’m alive,” he smiled to himself at the line. Y/N spun away and jumped in the rain and a puddle of water exploded under her baby blue converse.

“You’re just too good to be true, Can’t take my eyes off of you,” and the lyrics were true for Luke he could pull his gaze from the magnetic girl in front of him. She held out her hand and Luke grasped it as she spun in her back hitting Luke’s chest. Luke sang more to her and he was almost to the chorus now.

“There are no words left to speak. But if you feel what I feel, please let me know that it’s real.”

“You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off of you,” Luke hummed and Y/N got ready to sing the chorus with him.

“I love you, baby!” They both sang out at the top of their lungs.

“And if it’s quite alright, I need you baby! To warm a lonely night!” Y/N sang out Luke practically had heart eyes. This wasn’t like before in the studio during Bright, Y/N wasn’t hesitant at all she had the aura of a thousand burning stars and the confidence to show it.

“I love you, baby! Trust in me when I sayyy!” Y/N sang again and Luke continued this time.

“Oh, pretty baby! Don’t bring me down I pray,” Luke spun down onto his knees and held his hands out to Y/N.

“Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay! And let me love you, baby!” Luke sang pulling Y/N in they were once again close, chest to chest the rain streaming down their faces and their foreheads pressed together.

“Let me love you,” Luke sang in a whisper. Y/N hooked her arms around his neck and their lips were close, but not close enough to connect.

“You’re just too good to be true...” He closed in, their lips connecting for half a second but once again they were interrupted by a car beeping from in front of the house. Y/N pulled away quickly and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“That’s probably Julie’s dad with the pizza,” Luke said sadly knocking on the white door for the rest of the teens to come out.

“That was quite the show you two put on,” Reggie said as they came out. Y/N blushed which is something she didn’t normally didn't do so you knew she was very embarrassed.

“Shut up, dude,” Luke punched Reggie’s shoulder. They all began walking to the house, the rest of the teens holding umbrellas but Luke and Y/N were still exposed to the weather. They lagged behind a bit and Y/N took Luke’s hand into hers. They got to the door and they were the only ones out there. The rain pitter-pattered against the covering of the porch. Y/N and Luke faced each other and Y/N smiled at him.

“Thanks again for everything, Luke.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Luke stepped up to her.

“How did you know that was my favorite song?” She grinned at him.

“I have my ways, star,” he cooed and Y/N smiled at the nickname. She stood on her toes and pecked him on the cheek and she dashed inside. Luke stood there alone and touched his cheek softly and grinned, she’d be the death of him, but he was ready to do anything for her. He was falling, and falling hard for that matter.

-

Thank you for reading and let me know if you want a part two, and feel free to enter my taglist link in bio!

[jadedxrealityw]

-Evermore- Draco Malfoy x Female Reader

    ♡~🐍~♡

   Summary: The wizarding war is starting and your family fears for their safety. Even though they were purebloods, they were not death-eaters. They decide to flee to america, but you, unlike them have someone to lose by leaving.

   Kody: The song this image is based off of. Evermore by Dan Stevens (From the Beauty And The Beast 2017 Movie)

   Year: 7th

   House: Slytherin

   Possible Triggers/Warnings: some angst, cursing i think?

    ♡~🐍~♡

   when you were 13 you had the displeasure of meeting Draco Malfoy. Just transferring from America had been a big change for you, but you were ready to take on the challenge of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. That was until you bumped into him.

   you hit somebody’s chest with a harsh thud “Watch where your bloody going!” someone shouted at you. You step back and meet the cold grey eyes off a pale boy. “Excuse me?” you said, slightly taken aback by his loud shouting. The boy had an amused grin on his face.

   ‘I was the one who had it all. I was the master of my fate’

   “do i need to repeat myself? Watch where you're going? Who even are you? You sound american” he crosses his arms over his chest. You raise a brow ‘who does he think he is?’ you thought. “I’m Y/n L/n from ilvermorny. I just transferred here today so i am in fact American.” 

   his grin didn’t falter in the slightest “What’s your blood status?” he asked. You almost gasped. Why did he need to know that at all. You keep your composure this time putting on a grin of your own. “and why does that matter in the slightest?” you question. 

   “Because, i’m Draco Malfoy, pureblood and i shouldn’t be wasting my time with anyone less” he spoke with such smugness that you wanted to punch him right then and there. You put on a fake pout before answering “It’s to bad that i don’t care about blood status then huh?”

   with those words you pushed past him and his trio of friends, leaving him in your metaphorical dust. As you walked away Draco watched your every movement. He was captivated by the way you stood up for yourself. It was different. It was exciting. 

   “I remember now! She’s from the american pureblood family. The L/n’s!” Theo shouted with a proud smile at his memory. Draco looked at him with a surprised expression “Really? Why didn’t she just tell me that then?” he replied, slightly irritated.

   “because she was messing with you and you walked right into, Malfoy” Pansy rolls her eyes “I swear boys are so stupid” scoffing she began walking to class. Blaise and Theo following after her. Draco just sighed very loudly “Oh so now i’m the bad guy!”

    ♡~🐍~♡

    ‘I never needed anybody in my life. I learned the truth too late’

   the next week during potions class Draco was visibly struggling with a potion he had been working on all class and if he didn’t get it done before the end of the session he would fail. “That doesn’t look quite right” a voice said from beside him. He looks over to see you, standing behind him.

   “Shove off L/n and mind your own potion” he hissed, each word laced with venom. What a Slytherin am i right? “I’m already finished, i think you missed an ingredient” you say, leaning over to look at his potion. He uses his free hand to push your head away “I don’t need anything else, it has to be perfect.Now leave”

   he watches you place something next to his cauldron and walk away to your own desk. He gazes over at what you had left. Unicorn hair? hes hesitant, but picks it up then drops it in the cauldron. He watches the potion change to the right color and smiles to himself.

   he looks over at you and you give him a small wink before going back to your potion. Maybe you weren’t that bad, but he’d never say that out loud.

    ♡~🐍~♡

    ‘I'll never shake away the pain’

   fast forward to 4th year, yule ball is upon Draco and he came alone. Pansy was taking Ginny and Blaise was taking Theo. As he stood at the entrance of the ball he felt a presence to his left “Did Draco Malfoy come alone to the ball?” a teasing, familiar tone said.

    ‘I close my eyes but she's still there’

   he rolled his eyes and prepared a witty comeback, but all words left him once he saw you in a beautiful black dress. “Have i left you speechless?” you ask, stifling laughter. He regains his composure somehow and grins “Didn’t you come alone as well, why? Did no one ask you?” he teased.

   you shake your head “No actually three seperate boys asked me. I just said no” you say simply, catching Draco off guard. “Really? Why?” he questions, He watches as you sigh deeply “Because i was waiting for you to ask me of course. Now do you want to dance?”

  ‘I let her steal into my melancholy heart’

   Draco stood in shock before he felt you grab his hand, leading him to the middle of the dance floor. “Unless you don’t want to of course?” you tilt your head to the side. He shakes his head a bit before placing his hands on your waist. A strange feeling envelops his chest.   

   you wrap your arms around his neck, giving him a warm smile “You seem frightened by me?” you ask, unsure of your own question. He shakes his head quickly “No!- no i’m not, it’s just- thank you for saving me from the embarrassment of going alone. I don’t want people to think im-” he admits.

   "a loser?” you finish his sentence. He chuckles at your answer “Yeah, something like that” he responds, his tone sadder then before. You shrug your shoulders at his statement “I wouldn’t think your a loser. I’d still like you” you spoke confidently.

   his grey eyes widened as you said those three words to him.

    ‘It's more than I can bear’

   and he ran away...

    ���~🐍~♡

   weeks had past and students were now leaving the train to meet up with their parents for the summer. Draco hadn’t spoken to you at all. He was to scared to admit his own feelings to you. It was a coward move sure, but it was better than having to look at your bright E/c eyes and fall even more.

   Draco was holding his luggage in one hand when he bumped into someone “Oh my, i’m so sorry” and there was the familiar voice again. His eyes locked with yours “Hey Y/n” he said. You scoff and place your luggage down, turning your body towards his.

   “you leave me on the dance floor and reject me in the most rude way possible and all you say is ‘Hey Y/n’ if you were that disgusted by me Draco Malfoy, you could have just said so!” you shouted at him, he could see the tears brimming through the same E/c eyes he had seen so many times before. 

   he felt his world shatter a tiny bit at your outburst “No that’s not it at all. No one has ever liked me before okay?! It’s different. Especially when i like them back” it was your turn to be surprised this time. “Oh...you do?” you say, wondering if your ears had been playing tricks on you. 

   Draco nods slowly “Yes, i like you Y/n and i’m sorry for the way i acted at the yule ball” he says genuinely, no trace of mischief in his eyes. The corners of your mouth turn upward in a smile “Apology accepted” you nod once. He copies your smile.

   “so what does that make us?” he asked. You roll your eyes “It makes us boyfriend and girlfriend Draco. That means i am yours and you are mine, got it?” you state, pointing a finger at him. He grins lightly and nods “I wouldn’t dream of anything else.”

   ‘Now I know she'll never leave me’

   you smile up at him before your eyes looked at something behind him. “Oh that’s my parents! I have to go, but i’ll write you!” you force each word out quickly then stand on your tippy toes to kiss his cheek. You give him one last smile before picking up your luggage shouting mom and dad.

   ‘Even as she runs away’

   Draco turns behind him to watch as you walked away with your parents, his hand reaching up to touch the cheek you had left a kiss on. He felt his mind go fuzzy as the tingling feeling still lingered on his kiss. He let out a deep sigh “She’ll be the absolute death of me, that’s for sure”

   ‘She will still torment me’

    ♡~🐍~♡

   the month you two spent apart was one of the worst feelings Draco had ever felt. Now that you two were together, he had this nagging feeling of always wanting to hold you and just be by you in anyway. He didn’t know he could become so attached to someone. 

   after one night he had a fight with his father he stormed up to his room, slamming the door. He tried to calm himself down, but it was no use. The anger just wouldn’t subside. That was until a soft knock came to his door “Draco, honey. A letter came for you. From someone named Y/n L/n?”

   Draco quickly opened his door. Narcissa handed him the letter and turned on her heels to walk down the hall. He closed his door again and rushed over to his bed. He opens the letter, your handwriting was so unique. With each word he read, the angered feeling drained away and a comforting one replaced it.

    ‘Calm me,  hurt me’

   he did scowl at the small section of you berated him on how he should of sent a letter first, but he also found it quite cute. He collected each one of your letters after that. He kept them in a black wooden chest that he hid under his bed. They became his cherished memories. 

   ‘Move me, come what may. Wasting in my lonely tower’

   he wished that he could have spent that summer with you instead...

   ♡~🐍~♡

    ‘Waiting by an open door’

   his leg wouldn’t stop shaking, he was going to see you again and it was the start of his fifth year and whatever, but that wasn’t on his mind at the moment. He was sitting in the Slytherin cabin of the train, waiting for you to step on. His mind was racing in two different directions.

    ‘I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in’

   while waiting his mind had convinced myself that she was actually a figment of his screwed up imagination and he was a fool for waiting for her, but after realizing that even thinking that was the truth was mental he calmed down quite a bit. 

   “Draco?” that familiar voice spoke. He looks up to meet your E/c eyes once again. He jumps up from his seat and wraps his arms around you tightly. You stumble on your feet a bit, but hold onto him as well. “Happy to see you too?” you say with a small laugh.

   “please don’t ever go on vacation for the summer again, i couldn’t handle it”he breathed out into your ear. You smile and pat his back “Okay i won’t you big baby” he pulls away and pecks your lips quickly, your face flushing. He grins a bit at your reaction. “Your lucky i like you Draco Malfoy”

   ‘And be with me for evermore’

    ♡~🐍~♡

   ‘I rage against the trials of love. I curse the fading of the light’

   they were 16, it’s been a year since they started dating and Draco was, to put in simple terms. Losing. His. Shit. Not only did he have the dark lord’s orders to fulfill, you were coming over tonight and he was going to tell you those three terrifying words. 

   his thoughts could no longer race as a knock came to his bedroom door “Draco?” oh shit. You were here. He takes a deep breath before going over and opening the door. He instantly wraps his arms around your waist “hello darling” he says in a breathy tone before leaning down to kiss your lips.

   “hmm, hi” you say in between kisses. “I can’t believe your mom said yes to me sleeping over” Draco leads you into his room, shutting the door. He shrugs “Mother knows how much you mean to me so” he trails off at the end. You nod “Yeah i am your girlfriend, so it makes sense”

   ‘Though she's already flown so far beyond my reach’

   “yeah, but your so much more to me” he says, his tone becoming serious. You chuckle nervously at his change of demeanour “Okay..” he lets out a deep sigh “oh merlin, i’m trying to say i love you Y/n. i’m in love with you. Like stupidly in love with you and you say boys are stupid”

   a smile grows on your face before you wack his arm with your hand “Ow!” “Next time just say that you goof. I love you too Draco” you exclaim. He chuckles before scooping you back into his arms and both of you share a sweet kiss. 

    ♡~🐍~♡

   now. 7th year. With the wizardry war starting and people choosing sides. Things were getting chaotic and fast. “Y/n pack your things quickly, were leaving!” your mother shouted from the living room. You rush downstairs in a haste “What do you mean were leaving!?”

   your mother turns to you with a horrified expression “the sacred 28 are coming. There going to try and convert us to death eaters. Were leaving for America now!” she shouts. You shake you head rapidly “But Draco- i can’t leave him!”

   “He’s a death eater Y/n. I know you love him darling, but he chose his side” she spoke in a comforting tone, but you didn’t find it comforting at all. Pulling out your wand you apparate away. Leaving your mother in shock. Where had you gone.

   ♡~🐍~♡

    ‘She's never out of sight’

   a there you were. Standing in Draco’s room. He looked away from the window and to you “Y/n? You can’t be here. Love. you have to leave” he spoke in a hushed tone as he walked towards you, grasping your shoulders. “I know Draco, i know your a death eater”

   his grey eyes were filled with shame, looking away from you “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t my choice Y/n you have to believe me. It was my fathers idea i swear on everything” the way he spoke was enough to convince you. “I believe you Draco. I do” he lets out a sigh of relief “Thank merlin”

   “my family is fleeing to America. The sacred 28 are coming to my house right now to give me the mark” his eyes were no longer shameful, but terrified. “You have to go then” he said, cupping your face with his hands “I can’t-” “-Yes you can. Love, your not safe here”

   “I don’t care. I can’t leave you Draco. It would be too painful” you spoke, tears starting to water in your eyes. He nods slowly “I know, but as soon as this mess is over you can come find me again. I’ll be waiting at my front door for you. I promise”

   you look down, refusing to meet his gaze as tears began to stream down your cheeks “Promise me Y/n” he says more sternly. You hesitantly look up at him “I promise” you nod, putting your hands over his. “I love you Y/n L/n” he chokes out. “I love you too Draco Malfoy-”

   “-I had a feeling you’d be here” a voice came from the doorway. Narcissa Malfoy. Draco lets go of you and pushes you behind him “Mother please” he begged. Narcissa waved her hand “There’s no need for that Draco, come along Y/n so i can sneak you out. They’ll know if you apparate”

    ‘Now I know she'll never leave me’

   “Your not going to tell the dark lord?” you asked, holding onto Draco’s arm. Narcissa simply smiled and shook her head “I could never do that to you or my son, now we must leave at once” she held out her hand for you. You look at Draco before letting go of him.

    ‘Even as she fades from view’     

   “Make me a promise as well. In the end you’ll choose the right side in the end” you say/ He nods slowly “Anything for you” he spoke, giving you a smile that you return. Narissa grabs your hand and leads you out the room, closing the door. He waits a couple minutes before looking out his window.

   he saw his mother leading you out the Manor. She seemed to say something to you before placing something in your palm. She gives you a kiss on your head before you apparate away. At that moment, his whole world had shattered. You were gone. Really gone. 

       ♡~🐍~♡

    ‘She will still inspire me. Be a part of everything I do’

   and he kept his promise. At the day of the final battle when Harry Potter fell out of Hagrid’s arms. He ran towards him and threw his wand at him before leaving the scene completely. He hoped his mother wouldn’t worry to much about his whereabouts, but when Harry finally defeated the dark lord. He smiled.

   he couldn’t wait to see you again. After charges were being dealt to his parents Draco and his mother were pardoned of all crimes due to there help towards Harry and his friends. For once he thank Potter for speaking for him at his trial. He wasn’t such a bad guy.

    ‘Wasting in my lonely tower’

   it had been days since the war was over and there was still no word from you. It had been months without contact and you were no where to be found. He went by your old house. Empty. Not a single witch or wizard to be seen. Had you moved on?

    ‘Waiting by an open door. I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in’

   like he promised, every morning, afternoon, and night. He wait by his door for an hour. Waiting for you to walk down the Manor path so he could wrap you in his arms again and feel your familiar warmth again, but a week had gone by and nothing, but he wouldn’t lose hope. 

   ‘And as the long, long nights begin. I'll think of all that might have been’

   he started waiting longer at the door. One hour turned to three. Narcissa had became worried about her sons health. So she made sure that he ate and drank enough water. Even help him to bed when he passed out leaning on the doorframe. Which he did. A lot.

       ♡~🐍~♡

   three weeks. Nothing. The early morning shift that day he wore his night clothes as he sat on the concrete. He had his face in his hands, rubbing away any tired feeling he had. “Draco?” his whole body froze like ice. He prayed that it wasn’t the tiredness as he looked up.

   there you were. A small smile on your face as you stared down at him. He leaped off the ground and grabbed your face “What took you so bloody long?!” he shouts. “I had to wait until i turned 18 so i could leave. My mom tried to keep us apart, but it’s okay. I’m here now”

   he nods vigorously. “You are. Your here” he smashes his lips onto yours in a passionate kiss. It lasts a couple seconds before you pull away “Your mom gave me this by the way” you pull a silver ring out your pocket. It had a small black diamond on it. “My mother's engagement ring?” 

   you chuckle “That makes a lot of sense now. she told me to give this to you to give to me when we see each other again” his face flushes slightly as he takes it from your hand “After you leaving me for a month. I never want to lose you again. will you possibly, maybe, marry me?”

   he looked unsure of your answer. “Of course you goof. Gosh, boys are so stupid” you say and hold out your hand. He grabs it and slides the ring on your finger. he gives you the brightest smile “I love you Draco Malfoy”

   “I love you too Y/n Malfoy”

   ‘Waiting here for evermore’

    ♡~🐍~♡

   Kody- 4am, sleep now. scoliosis hurting. Anyways, peace. 

[tae-cup]

The Chief | Night Terrors (1)

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Summary: The prestigious department of police and investigations in Seoul, Korea, is called to the small town of Cape Springs in rural California. Nothing is quite what it seems here.

Warnings: Blood, violence, you know crime stuff? Fluffy stuff somehow

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Angst, a lil humor, sexual innuendos, BUT I DON’T WRITE SMUT OKAY

Word Count: 7.2k Words (Holy guacamole. This took forever to write.)

A/N: Let me know your thoughts! Any suspects? Just message me if you want to be tagged! I’m sorry there’s literally no Reader in here, but she’s coming in next chapter, I swear. No, you did not stumble upon an x OC fic, and no I did not tag this wrong, just bear with me XD. Please please read this one, it sets up some good background. 

 Thank you so much to @seokjinsultimatesimp / @kingbewwy for helping with my story planning and ideas!!

Beautiful header by the wonder @dee-ehn / @dnrequests

Other:

Series Masterlist

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       The flight was long. Long, tiring, and utterly boring. Jungkook knew he should have packed something to do on the plane. He had been dependent on the movies in first class and reclining chairs to pass the time. Well, now he was halfway through his fourth movie and sleep was nowhere in sight. Yoongi was quiet across the aisle from him and Taehyung was watching a movie next to him with some snacks he raided from the service cart. Not wanting to bother either of them for entertainment, especially Yoongi, he decided to sit in silence. The movie was getting boring so he turned it off and prayed sleep would arrive. 

It did not. 

He arrived, jet lagged and lacking 13 hours of sleep. 

“Did you sleep?” Taehyung tilted his head as they stood to collect their belongings from the baggage claim. The boy just tiredly shook his head. 

“Hah, guess we’ll have to be getting you coffee!” Seokjin chuckled, having slept most of the flight in peace. Yoongi, despite sleeping for the entire 13 hours, still looked exhausted.  The others just seemed focused on getting their luggage and leaving. They had a lot of suitcases to store their equipment. Jungkook rolled his eyes at his older counterpart.

“I’m fine.” But as he said it, a huge yawn ripped from his chest. Jin grinned, but didn’t mention it as Jungkook’s ears started turning red with embarrassment. 

“Guys, we have to get going.” Namjoon announced. 

“Aye aye, chief.” Jimin saluted cheekily. Namjoon just pressed his lips into a thin line, not amused. The younger male just sighed and nudged the police chief. “You really need to loosen up.”

“And you need to remember that we’re here to solve a murder.” 

“Even better! It’s several murders!” Taehyung chirped, earning a glare from his superior, Yoongi. 

“Aish, you kids.” Hoseok scratched his head. “You shouldn’t be excited that a bunch of people are dead.” He muttered. 

“Sorry, hyung, we just rarely get cases that Joonie agrees to investigate. How else am I supposed to keep up with Yoongi if I never get any experience?” Taehyung glared right back at Yoongi. The older man muttered something under his breath and dragged the younger away by his collar. 

“Where are they going?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow. He was still trying to get used to the group dynamics and while he wasn’t entirely innocent, he tried to fill up that role in the meantime. The other members looked at each other, sharing a knowing smile. 

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Kookie.” Jimin winked. “He’s probably...teaching Taehyung his place.” 

“Oh…” Jungkook tilted his head, trying to make the connections. “So like yelling? Hyung could’ve just done it here. I mean, he does that all the time!” 

Jimin exchanged a look with Jin. Jin shook his head, Jimin smiled. 

“Kookie, no, Yoongi’s going to-”

“Oh my god, he’s too innocent.” Jin cried, rushing to cover the maknae’s ears. 

“Too innocent for what?” A lazy drawl came across the group, making Jin and Jimin jump. Namjoon chuckled and Hoseok pretended to be distracted on his phone, only stealing a quick glance up. 

     Yoongi’s hair was messy, as if hands ran through them several times. His lips were swollen and he had a large dark spot on his neck, which he quickly covered with his shirt collar when he saw them staring. Taehyung trailed behind him, dazed. He looked relatively the same. Jungkook jumped into action, shoving Jin away. 

“Oi! Yoongi-hyung, I know you wanted to teach Tae a lesson, but isn’t that too rough?!” He shouted pointing at the other’s ‘bruise’. Hoseok began giggling and Yoongi turned impossibly red. 

“Oh yeah, he taught me a lesson for sure.” Taehyung chuckled. Jungkook gaped, eyes flicking between the two. 

“But he didn’t need to beat you up! Why are your lips swollen and there’s obviously a bruise on your neck!” 

      Yoongi began laughing softly and Taehyung’s ears went red. Namjoon sighed and dragged Jin over to help load the car. Hoseok was quick to follow, leaving Jimin to watch the scene unfold. 

“We didn’t beat each other up.” Yoongi explained with a grin. 

“So someone else did?!” Jungkook’s nostrils flared with anger. “Where?!” 

“Slow down, coffee boy.” Taehyung said, amused by his younger friend. “You wouldn’t be able to fight anyone off.” 

“Okay fine, but I could hold my own!” 

The two began to open their mouths to respond when Namjoon shouted at the remaining four. 

“Get over here! We’ve got a long ride.” 

Jungkook rubbed his temples, scrunching his eyebrows up in distress. “Fine, I’ll drop it, but you better tell me soon.” He said in a huff and stomped off to the van, leaving Jimin, Yoongi, and Taehyung to burst out laughing while the youngest pretended not to hear them.

       The town of Cape Springs was old. Old as in ‘stuck in a total time warp’ old. It looked like nothing had been updated since 1950. The van felt out of place, despite the various modern vehicles littering the road. Main street was all one story, one street. The boys looked peered curiously out the windows. The town could be considered charming if it weren’t for the murders happening every Saturday. 

        A stomach growled from somewhere in the van and it set everyone else off. 

“You know, I’m kinda hungry, Joonie.” Taehyung said. “I missed breakfast on the plane.” He complained. 

“Yeah, me too.” Yoongi agreed reluctantly. 

“You slept the entire time, you lazy ass. What are you even using all that energy for?” Hoseok snorted. 

“Thinking, you dumbass.” Yoongi retorted. “Unlike what you do all day, I actually use my brain.” 

“Sure thing, Mr. Head Investigator.” Hoseok said, clearly annoyed by his comments. 

“Yoongi and Taehyung aren’t the only ones.” Namjoon finally gave in, tired of listening to them bicker. It often felt like babysitting children and not a team of well trained detectives, investigators, and policemen.

       Then there was the actual child of the group, 24 year old Jungkook. He was far too innocent for someone of that age, to his hyungs, having grown up around the protective nature of the other boys. Jin pulled into an open spot and parked the car. Taehyung and Jimin threw open the door, rushing to get outside and tumbling out in a heap. The other men chuckled at their antics. 

“You clumsy idiots!” Yoongi reprimanded, climbing out and helping them up nonetheless. Taehyung rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Jimin just pouted. The townspeople passing by were quiet, eyes trying not to stare at the obvious newcomers. 

“Let’s go to this diner.” Namjoon said, pointing to a faded sign that read Betty’s Diner. Jin’s eyes surveyed the street. Despite their being people with modern clothing and devices, it still felt like they were transported back to the 1950s. 

“It’s not like there’s much of an option.” Jungkook pointed out, gesturing around the small mainstreet. It was either Betty’s Diner or Isabella’s Ice Cream Parlour and there was only one that held savory food. Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook, and Hoseok fought to get through the doorway at the same time, earning an annoyed look from the locals inside. 

“Great, we’re making such a nice first impression.” Yoongi mused, gazing at the four men arguing at the door. Namjoon tried to soothe the wrinkles between his brow as he nodded along. 

“You guys are going to give me wrinkles before I’m 40.” The police chief sighed. 

         When they could finally sit, they were put at a table in the back. The diner had to move several tables and chairs together in order to accommodate. As they ordered, they didn’t even notice the dirty looks they were getting. Seven new, rowdy, men have arrived in town. That could only mean trouble. 

“I do not snore.” Namjoon said, offended. 

“You do too!” Jin fired back. “I sat next to you for 13 hours and god knows how many nights I’ve spent in your-” 

“That’s enough!” He cried, exasperated. The poor man was always under scrutiny from his partners. He loved them all dearly, but dear god it could be a lot to handle. Jin frowned and huffed, looking away. 

“One order of french toast and orange juice.” A waiter interrupted, tone harsh. The group turned to him, surprised. The name tag read ‘Hak-kun’. 

“Here.” Taehyung raised his hand awkwardly after a brief silence. The waiter let out an annoyed sigh and practically threw the plate down with the glass. 

     Taehyung cautiously pulled the plate toward him and the other men eyed Hak-kun. The waiter stormed away without another word. The cook was watching him, everyone in the diner was watching him. There was muffled shouting and next thing they see is Hak-kun is when he’s leaving, throwing his uniform apron onto the ground in frustration. The locals stared before going into a muttering frenzy. Anger issues….always fired...psycho...etc etc.

“Should I have gotten pancakes instead?” Taehyung asked after a tense silence. Yoongi narrowed his eyes. 

“Obviously. Who eats french toast for lunch?” He scoffed. 

“Pancakes aren’t exactly a lunch food either.” Jin piped up. 

“But at least they fit into a category.” Yoongi started, ready to rant. “They know their place. They’re a breakfast food! French toast is like in mealtime limbo. Nobody ever wants french toast just for breakfast; they can also have it for lunch and dinner!” 

     Jimin was in a fit of laughter at the usually subdued man’s outburst. 

“Think they poisoned it?” Jungkook playfully nudged Taehyung who grumbled something under his breath. It sounded an awful lot like ‘They might’ve’. Lunch continued as normal. Yoongi sat in silence for the rest of the time while Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin made the group laugh with their antics. 

        The police station was dusty. Old and dusty, looking like a ghost town. Namjoon peered inside, glancing around to see a bored desk attendant. He waved, but the attendant even spare him a glance. Jin cleared his throat. The attendant jumped, looking up with dazed eyes. 

“Oh, hello? Has there been an emergency?” He asked with a questioning gaze. The seven men shifted awkwardly. 

“Uh, hello, we’re from the Bangtan police department. Were you not expecting us? We can come back at another time-” Namjoon began and the man quickly stood. 

“No! Not at all! Sorry, it’s been slow recently.” 

The men exchanged glances. 

“But...there have been a lot of murders recently, have there not?” Yoongi tilted his head. The man was sweating and they couldn’t tell if it was because it was hot or because he was guilty of something. Of course, Yoongi and Taehyung tended to intimidate people, it was part of their job, so that could also be the issue. 

“Yes! That’s why you’re here. Uh, I’ll grab the chief.” The man quickly left, rushing into the back. He opened a door into the backroom and loud talking could be heard before it was muffled once more by the door. 

      Namjoon looked lazily down at his watch, Jungkook tapped his foot nervously, Yoongi was whispering with Taehyung, Jimin was giggling about something with Hoseok, and Jin kept his eyes trained on the door. 

      A pudgy man walked through the door, a faded blue officer uniform on. He took in the men standing in his station, then looked uneasily back at the attendant. They exchanged looks and then the attendant scurried back to the desk, shrinking in his seat. The chief smiled at the men. 

“Hello boys!” He said cheerfully. “Welcome, welcome! When did you get in?” He ushered them into the back where there were empty desks lined up next to each other. Dust hung in the air, only seen in the thin streams of light coming through the slats in the windows. 

“We arrived a few hours ago, we ate at Betty’s Diner.” Namjoon said. The others nodded along with the statement. The police chief’s eyes sparkled. 

“Ah, great food yeah?” 

“Definitely!” Taehyung piped up, only to be nudged hard by Yoongi. Despite being part of Yoongi’s investigative team, he had trouble reading the room. The chief seemed cheerful but there was an odd cloud of tension. 

“What’s your name, sir?” Namjoon cut in. 

“Oh right, you can call me Officer Nam.” He held out his hand and Jin reached forward, shaking it. 

“Officer Kim Seokjin, but I go by Jin.” Jin introduced himself. 

“You can call me Namjoon.” The younger man smiled, taking Officer Nam’s hand after Jin and gave him a firm shake. Before the office could respond, the other men were taking his hand, shaking it and introducing themselves. 

“Officer Min, head of investigations.” 

“Oh don’t mind the grump, I’m Officer Kim, but just call me Taehyung. This dumbo is Yoongi.” The energetic man shook Officer Nam’s hand several times excitedly. 

“Hoseok.” The other officer was formally trained. He gave Nam a firm handshake, his grip like iron. 

“I’m Jimin, pleasure to meet you sir.” The smaller man smiled widely. Officer Nam returned the smile warily. “That’s Jungkook.” He nodded towards the younger boy who had fallen silent. “He’s training with us, he’s mostly here to observe the process.” 

“Sorry, we can be a bit much in the beginning.” Jin said. It didn’t take a detective to see that Officer Nam was overwhelmed. 

“Oh it’s quite alright. There hasn’t been much we’ve been able to figure out much information with these murders. People are on edge, ya know? They clam up, won’t talk much.” Officer Nam explained. “We often leave it to our intern to handle public affairs, she’s more versed in...talkin’ to people.” 

“Intern?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow, speaking for the first time. The officer seemed surprised to see him standing there, but nodded nonetheless. 

“She’s studyin’ to be an interrogation officer and needs some experience with a more experienced crew than us. The town is usually quiet.” 

“I see.” Namjoon murmured. 

“She won’t get in yer way!” Nam exclaimed, shaking his head. “She’s just a little shy.” 

“Where is she?” Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Well, she should be clocking in right about...now.” The office glanced at his watch. As if on cue, the door squeaked open. 

“Officer Nam? I’m here!” A soft voice called into the station. The men whirled around to see a small girl. She looked almost fragile with dark hair and a lithe frame. She looked startled to see the seven brooding men. “Sorry!” She squeaked, ready to flee the room. 

“Actually!” Officer Nam interrupted, halting her in her tracks. “Come here, I want to introduce you to Bangtan Police.” 

       She tentatively walked in. She looked like prey walking into a lion’s den; and she could’ve been with the way they were looking at her.

“Yes?” She shakily pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“This is Namjoon, Jin, Yoongi, Taehyung, Hoseok, Jimin, and Jungkook. They’re from The Bangtan Police Department and I’d like you to spend the remaining time in your work study with them to help solve this case.”

“W-why?” She turned, alarmed, to look at her superior. 

“Because they have much more experience and you haven’t gotten much experience with us here.” He explained, his gaze filled with something akin to fatherly love. “Now, introduce yourself.” He nudged her towards them. 

      The girl looked up hesitantly. Her gaze flickered away quickly, despite the encouraging smiles on their faces. 

“I’m Hae-won.” She murmured. “It’s a pleasure to meet you and I hope we can work well together.” 

     The boys were already swooning, hearts beating loudly. Once the chief left to discuss details with Namjoon, the boys split off to look around. Jungkook immediately took a place next to Hae-won. 

“Hey, Hae-won.” He grinned. She flushed and looked away. He was reminded of Y/N, but Hae-won was 10x shyer it seemed. “Wanna show me around?” 

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Her voice was barely a whisper. 

“Now come on, how are you going to be an interrogation officer if people can barely hear you? Speak up.” He teased. Hae-won looked up startled, eyes wide. 

“Oh right, yeah, that.” She murmured, more to herself than anything, but Jungkook heard it. 

“Do you not want to be an interrogation officer? That’s perfectly fine, y’know?” Jungkook paid no mind to her confused expression. “It’s not perfect for everyone.” 

“Hm.” She didn’t seem amused, just lost in thought. She seemed to notice the awkward pause, however, because she tugged on his arm. “Right, let me show you my favorite part of this station!” 

        As Jungkook was dragged away, Yoongi spoke with Jin. 

“The people here are...odd.” the paler man spoke. 

“It’s a small town, Yoongles.” Jin said.

“I guess...and don’t call me that.” 

“What?”

“Yoongles.” The man scoffed. Jin swatted his arm. 

“Now, is that anyway to talk to your hyung?” The older man teased. 

    In the corner, Taehyung and Jimin were looking around the empty station. 

“Where is everyone?” Taehyung scrunched his nose, trying not to sneeze as a plume of dust flew into his face. Jimin ran his finger along the edge of a desk, tilting his head as he looked at the fine layer of grime on his finger. 

“Not sure. Maybe it’s just an off day.” Jimin shrugged, wiping his finger off on his pants. 

“I mean, why have all these desks if you don’t use them?” 

“Hae-won suggested we get them.” Officer Nam said, arms crossed as he appeared in the doorway. Taehyung jumped, goosebumps running up his arms as Jimin tapped his foot nervously. 

“Why?” The detective asked. 

“She said ‘just in case’.” The officer mimicked the young girl. They surveyed the room. Eight desks. 

“Hm. Interesting.” 

Officer Nam just shrugged nonchalantly. “That girl can be a little weird sometimes. She’s too eager, too soft for this line of work.”

“I’m sure she’ll get the hang of it.” Taehyung suddenly felt the need to defend the poor girl. Officer Nam’s lips slid into a sleazy grin. 

“I see.” He said. 

“Let’s split up.” Namjoon announced upon arrival. The alleyway was in a rather shady part of the town. There was fresh blood on the stones, a smear on the pavement, an arc of blood across the wall. None of them even flinched, not even Hae-won. 

“I’ll take Yoongi, Taehyung, and Jimin.” Jin said. “Let’s look over the crime scene.” 

        Taehyung nodded, pulling out his camera to take pictures. Yoongi crouched near the blood smear on the pavement and Jimin wandered around, handing them gloves and then running his hands over every seam in the wall. 

        Namjoon took Hae-won, Hoseok, and Jungkook to interview witnesses and the surrounding townspeople. 

        Jimin knelt on the ground, hand running over a soft texture. Curious, he carefully picked up the object. In his hand was a soft tie, one that looked oddly familiar. He lifted it to the air, examining it in the fading sunlight. It looked new, not exactly a week old. It was possible that it was planted there, but he needed to bring it in nonetheless. The pink haired man took out a ziploc bag and placed the tie inside of it before sealing it up once more. 

“Who was the victim and how was she found?” Hoseok asked, holding a notepad and pen. Officer Nam scratched his head for a minute before walking over to the spot. 

“Right here.” He gestured to where a pool of blood was at the end of the blood streak. “She was leanin’ up against this wall, throat slit as y’know.” 

“Mhm.” There was the scratch of the cheap pen against the notepad as Hoseok wrote down his words. “What was her name?” 

“Mun-hee.” 

“Great. Thank you for your cooperation, if you have any further information, please do tell us.” Hoseok dipped his head. Hae-won observed from a distance, standing next to Namjoon as he explained the process to her. 

“So Hoseok here is going to ask the most important question first and then go on to specifics. Pleasantries aren’t too necessary until the end. He’ll close with a polite statement and leave.” The chief said as they watched the interaction. “In fact, here he comes now.” 

Hoseok waved at the two and winked at Hae-won. “Didya learn anything?” 

“Uh, yeah.” Hae-won smiled anxiously under his gaze and he laughed. Namjoon pulled at them to regroup with the others as night drew nearer. 

     The next day, they decided to have a formal meeting to discuss the situation. 

“So, we have Mun-hee, killed and placed in the exact same way as Jane Doe.” Jin laid out the facts. “She even looked a bit like Jane Doe. Were they relatives?” 

“No.” Hoseok shook his head. 

“I found a tie at the scene.” Jimin held up the plastic bag. Hae-won looked on curiously. Now Jimin had their attention. “It looks familiar, I just can’t put my finger on it.” 

“That’s from Betty’s Diner.” Hae-won interrupted. “I recognize it and I think it’s Hak-kun’s.” 

“Why?” Namjoon turned to look at the small girl. She pressed her lips into a thin line. 

“Well, he didn’t show up for work so I’m guessing he quit. He called me before that to say he lost his tie and broke down because his boss scolded him for forgetting to wear it.” She mused to herself before straightening again. “Those are just speculations.” 

       The chief of Bangtan smiled at her with a nod of approval. Even Yoongi quirked an eyebrow, Taehyung mimicked his expression. She was wary of the two of them. It always felt like they could see right through her. 

“Listen, it’s Friday. The killer strikes again tomorrow and if it’s Hak-kun, then we need to bring him into custody.” Yoongi said factually. 

“Are you seriously going to gamble people’s lives? What if it’s not him? Then we have no one watching out for the killer because we’re all trying to watch him.” Hoseok looked appalled at the suggestion. 

“Listen, I’m fine with that. We could see if there’s a pattern.” Yoongi shrugged. 

“There are people’s lives at risk here!” Hoseok shouted, slamming a fist onto the table. The other members jumped, surprised to see Hoseok so worked up.

“Jeez, you cops always get so worked up about people’s lives.” Yoongi said with a groan. 

“You’re technically a cop too, ya know?” The man sighed and slouched in his chair, defeated. 

“He has a point.” Taehyung piped up, earning a glare from his mentor. Instead of cowering back, as per usual, he jutted out his chin and continued. “Besides, don’t you think these murders are just too...delicate? Too well thought out for someone who’s doing this simply out of a moment of anger.” 

“We still can’t discount the fact that his tie was found at the crime scene. That’s damning evidence.” Jin jumped in. 

         There was a tense silence, Yoongi and Taehyung exchanging warring glares and Jin now staring intensely at Hoseok. A muscle in Taehyung’s jaw twitched uncontrollably. Namjoon’s gaze swept the room before he slowly stood, hands pressing to the table. 

“I say we bring him in for questioning. We don’t have to guard him if we just put him in a cell overnight.” He said, trying to reach a conclusion both sides would agree with. Jimin, who hadn’t spoken his opinion, just watched as the team was already divided. 

“Doesn’t it feel like the killer is toying with us?” He murmured, but with the silence in the room, everyone heard. 

“What do you mean by that, Jiminie?” Hoseok turned his attention away from Jin. His movement stirred the other members to look at him, Hae-won remained silent. 

“Mun-hee is found in the exact same situation as Jane Doe, as if the killer expected us and wanted to put on a show. A show of power. They’re saying ��look, I did it once, I can do it again, and stump you every time.’ A subtle fuck you.” Jimin’s eyes darkened. The other men visibly stiffened, looking around nervously. 

“But how would they know?” Namjoon asked. 

“Small town, word spreads fast.” Taehyung said dryly. 

“That doesn’t narrow anything down.” Jin sighed, running a hand down his face in exasperation. 

“Well, actually,” Jungkook piped up. The attention turned to him and he swallowed, suddenly nervous. “Eye witness accounts say they saw a ‘strange man’ walking around.” He spoke, tapping his pen against the notepad in front of him. They pondered over this discovery. 

“Hak-kun fits that.” Taehyung muttered, saying what was on the others’ minds. 

“Just because he’s a man?” Hae-won scoffed, a sudden hard tone to her voice that had Jungkook turning to look at her, surprised. She quickly cleared her throat, returning to the quiet voice she usually had. “I mean, I just, I don’t know if that’s enough information, but with his tie, I think it’s a good idea to investigate him.”

“Right.” Namjoon nodded, rubbing his chin with his fingers. “Well, we’ll bring him in, get a warrant for his arrest, there’s substantial evidence, and interview him. Any objections?” 

       The six men’s eyes scanned the room before they all nodded. They waited, staring expectantly at Hae-won. She flushed a bright red from being thrusted into the spotlight. 

“Y-yeah. That sounds great.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. They all smiled fondly at her.

“Saturday, the countdown begins.” Jin mused, picking up his watch from his bedside table. 

“You’re setting a bad example, joking about these murders.” Namjoon sighed, rolling over, throwing an arm around the older man. The tips of Jin’s ears went red, goosebumps rolling up and down his body. 

“Joonie, some people have a sense of humor.” He snorted, turning over to face the man next to him. He placed his hands on either side of Namjoon’s face and slowly leaned in. The chief met the distance, lips brushing Jin’s. Then the chief smiled, pulling away to look at his second in command. He loved this man. 

“I have a great sense of humor, I fell in love with you after all.” 

“I don’t know if I should be offended or touched by your proclamation of love.” Jin huffed, shifting to sit up, hotel blankets pooling around his waist. 

“You’re unfair, Jin.” Namjoon murmured. “So handsome and, fuck.” He sighed, obviously conflicted. 

“We already know I’m the handsomest, Joonie.” 

“But how did you end up with a mess like me? Sometimes you handle the children better than me, and I’m supposed to be the police chief!” 

“They just need a little mothering. And don’t underestimate yourself, I’m sure a person like Y/N would throw herself at you if she got the chance, if that’s what you’re concerned about.” Jin laughed, getting up and pulling on his suit. 

        It was sort of a uniform, black linen pants and a white button up. This was paired with a navy blue suit jacket that had his badge in the pocket. He went to the bathroom to comb his hair and brush his teeth, mumbling something about there being a lack of room service at this motel. Namjoon just chuckled at his grumbling and got dressed as well. He wore black pants, like Jin, and a white button up shirt, except his suit jacket was a faded brown. 

“You always bring up Y/N, it’s almost like you like her too.” Namjoon pointed an accusing finger at his partner. 

“And what if I did?” 

“Well it would be unfair because I met her first.” 

“You can’t just claim women, Joonie.” He rolled his eyes and opened the heavy hotel room door. 

“I’ll do what I want.”

“You say that now, but we all know she has you whipped.” 

“Who has who whipped?” Jungkook’s curious voice echoed through the hallway. Jin spun on his heel to face the maknae. 

“Now look what you’ve done.” Jin glared at Namjoon who just shrugged innocently. 

“I’m just kidding.” Jungkook sighed. “I’m not as innocent as you guys think I am.” He wandered down the stairs, finally getting tired of acting dumb, the Chief and Second in Command now following him. 

“Elaborate.” Namjoon demanded. 

“Oh please, you guys actually bought that I was that oblivious?” He sat down, ignoring the other men at the table whose conversation came to a halt at the sight of them. 

“Well, I-” Jin’s face was red. 

“Come on, I know Taehyung and Yoongi are practically eye fucking each other every minute and quite literally fucking each other every night. Please keep it down guys.” The youngest pointed a finger at the two men sitting next to each other. They looked away with a huff, but their faces were red. 

“And You two.” He turned to Namjoon and Jin. “You make me sick, really. You’re so cute and reliable. Then you go and flaunt your cuteness to everyone. We all see it! Hoseok and Jimin-guys, just ask each other out already!” 

      There was a long silence. Jungkook shrunk back in his seat, bravado gone, now worried he took it a little too far. 

“Kookie, you’re not aware of the full story here.” Namjoon chuckled after a tense moment, the noise echoed by the other men at the table.

“You really want to tell him?” Jin eyed Joon warily. 

“It’s time he knows.” Taehyung sighed. 

“What? Know what?” Jungkook felt the bubble of envy in his stomach. They kept so many things from him; little secret, jokes. One time they forgot to invite Jungkook to his own surprise party. 

“Well,” Jimin reached out and grabbed Namjoon’s hand. “We’re actually...all together already.” 

“Oh.” The younger’s voice was soft, trying not to betray the emotions flowing through him. They were all dating? And without him? Was he fucking seventh wheeling??? “Without me?” He furrowed his eyebrows. 

      Jin started laughing his windshield wiper laugh as Hoseok smiled. Taehyung and Yoongi exchanged glances. 

“That was an unexpected answer.” Yoongi muttered under his breath. 

“That’s what we wanted to talk about this morning.” Jimin said soothingly, touch relaxing Jungkook easily. “We want you to join us.” 

“R-really?” 

“Yes.” Taehyung nodded quickly. 

“Is that a yes?” Hoseok asked, watching Jungkook’s mouth open and close. The sounds of the guests around him went underwater. He couldn’t hear anything, emotions spiraling out of control. All six of them? It was insane. But then he couldn’t imagine himself anywhere else. 

“Yes.” He said quietly. “Yes!” He said again, louder. Namjoon smiled, cupping his chin with his slender fingers. 

“Then, may I?” He asked for permission softly. 

        Jungkook simply nodded and Namjoon tentatively placed his lips against his. It was quick, brief, one might even think it was an accident if it hadn’t been for Namjoon’s hand on his chin. 

“Did I do something wrong?” 

“No, baby, it’s just that...this is a small town. That’s why we’re trying not to be very open.” 

“Oh, I see.” Jungkook refused to pout. He wanted to have some big romantic story, but that would have to wait. They were trying to solve a series of murders, dammit. 

“We should get going.” Yoongi glanced at his watch and the others agreed, standing and taking their suit jackets off the backs of their chairs. 

    The morning breakfast rush had dissipated, now only the metal containers of bacon and eggs left. The place was just as dusty as the police station and it made Jungkook’s nose twitch with the urge to sneeze. 

“Why is everything so dusty here?” Jimin complained, rubbing his nose with his sleeve. 

“Yeah, it’s making me-” Taehyung was interrupted by the loud sneeze that escaped his mouth. 

“Bless you.” Yoongi responded immediately, rubbing Taehyung’s back caringly.

     It was the first sign of affection Yoongi had openly given Taehyung. They were alone, for one, and for two, Taehyung seemed a little down today, just a little sad. 

“Let’s get going, Hak-kun should be in his apartment still, according to the schedule Hae-won gave us.” Jin checked his phone to pull up the screenshot. 

“Why does she have his schedule?” Jimin asked innocently. 

“It’s a small town, who knows?” Yoongi pressed his lips into a thin line. 

Knock knock knock. Namjoon waited patiently, his partners waiting near the car so as to not scare Hak-kun off. There was the sound of footsteps and a loud groan. The door opened a crack, stopped by the chain inside. 

“Who are you?” The voice was gruff. 

“I’m Kim Namjoon from the Bangtan Police Department. I’d like to ask you a few questions regarding the murders of Jane Doe, Mun-hee, and others.” 

“Okay one second.” The voice was more awake this time as he shut the door. The chain rattled on the other side and then the door opened fully. A man stood in clothes that looked like he’d slept in them. Namjoon immediately recognized him as their rude waiter. 

“Had a rough night?” He tried to be pleasant. 

“Yeah, slept in the car again. The damn heater broke in my apartment.” The man grumbled, stepping aside to let him in. When Namjoon walked in, already tense, his eyes had to adjust to the darkness. 

      Despite the thin streams of light shining through the slats in his windows, the room was in utter darkness. As he adjusted, he could make out piles of clothing on the floor, dishes in the sink, unwashed, and cups littering the floor. There was also an odd assortment of broken items in the corner of the room, hidden in the darkness. 

      It looked like someone threw a rager in this house and then left. The brown haired police chief was surprised anyone could be this messy. Like, he was messy, yes, but he would never let himself degenerate to this state. 

“What do you need to know?” Hak-kun somehow found a place to sit on the couch, but it had a dent carved in it and Namjoon was sure that was the only place you could sit on that couch. 

“Actually, we have a warrant for your arrest due to substantial evidence implicating you in the murder of Mun-hee.” Namjoon dug around his pockets and took out the papers. 

“Oh, I see.” Hak-kun’s eyes didn’t quite meet Namjoon’s. He looked around, jaw clenching in signs of annoyance. 

“What’s that?” The chief asked, pointing to the broken objects in the corner of the room. The man’s nostrils flared in anger. 

“I just get mad sometimes and things happen, okay?” He snapped. “I’ll go with you willingly, I have nothing to hide.” Hak-kun stood and dusted off his pants, though they were already dirty with food stains. 

Namjoon grimaced and nodded, in a hurry to leave the dirty apartment. 

Audio recording #1:

MYG: Is it alright if we record this?

HK: Yeah, it’s fine. 

MYG: Great, okay, please tell us how you are connected to Mun-hee. 

HK: Mun-hee...ah, Mun-hee. We went to school together. Wait, can I get a glass of water or something? I have a splitting headache. 

MYG: Of course. 

KTH: So you knew her?

HK: Hah, well, we grew up together.  It was often just us, this stupid town, the old schools. A lot of kids come here because it’s the closest school around these parts, but only a couple actually live here. 

MYG: Who else lives here?

HK: Hm, there was me, Mun-hee, Joo-Eun, and another girl, her name is slipping my mind. 

KTH: You grew up with these people, though, how do you not know their names?

HK: She was always easily forgettable. She’s not much trouble though, I remember her being a nice girl...until, nevermind.

MYG: Until what?

HK: It’s not my place to say. 

KTH: Well it would do you good to say it.

MYG (muffled): Taehyung get it together. 

HK: I don’t want to talk about it. 

MYG: That’s alright, Hak-kun, I can call you that, right?

HK: Yeah. 

MYG: What do you remember about last saturday? 

HK: Not much. I remember I drank some weird shit at the party-

MYG: The same one Mun-hee went to?

HK: Yes. 

MYG: And why were you there, Hak-kun. 

HK: Mun-hee is, was, my friend, sir. I would never do anything to hurt her, if that’s what you’re wondering. Listen, I know you guys are trying your best, but just drop it. I have nothing to do with it. That tie went missing long before Mun-hee’s body was found. I’ve obviously been framed and you stupid ass-

MYG: Okay, I think that’s enough for today. Thank you for coming, Sir. Please calm down or we’ll be forced to detain you. 

HK: DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, ASSHO-

Beep. 

“Well that was certainly insightful.” Yoongi mumbled, glancing over to where Hak-kun sat, dejected, in his cell. Taehyung sighed and played the tape again, taking more notes of the important information along with his personal thoughts. 

“I thought you guys were supposed to be good at this.” Namjoon eyed the two with a raised eyebrow. 

“Joonie, he was a difficult person to interview. I could tell he was annoyed the entire time except when he spoke of Mun-hee.” Taehyung frowned, flipping through his notes. “Here, I wrote down ‘aggressively making eye contact and frowning.’”

“Are those seriously your notes?” Yoongi looked through his notes which were pages longer. “Do I need to train you in note taking as well?” 

“No! I just, I don’t notice as much as you, oh wise Yoongles.” Taehyung crossed his arms, pouting. Yoongi just softened his expression. 

“You can always tell me what’s wrong.” He placed a tentative hand on Taehyung’s arm. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Hae-won’s soft voice hovered in the air. She was closing the door of the security room behind her. 

     Jin often handled the security room, but he trusted her to watch Hak-kun while he went to the bathroom. Jin slipped back in as she stepped into the room with the others. 

      Yoongi immediately dropped his hand, to the disappointment of Taehyung, and straightened. A cold look once again cast over his face. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to let you know that I have to head back early to finish up some school work.” She explained with a gentle smile. 

“Okay, rest up and study well.” Namjoon nodded and she dipped her head, heading out the door. They all stared fondly at her retreating form. “The same goes for the rest of you.” 

       They had spent all day just interviewing and wrestling answers out of Hak-kun and yet they came up empty every time. Maybe he was truly innocent and they were trying to convict a good man. This was the kind of case where things could get really messy if they kept going on intuition instead of hard facts. 

“Let’s wrap it up and head back to the hotel. Jin, are you coming?” Namjoon called as the others filed out of the station. 

“Yeah, I’m just gonna check some things and then I’ll be back in no time.” 

Trusting his second in command, Namjoon left. 

      The first sunlight was filtering through the windows of an empty cell. A glass of water was on the ground next to the cot, tipped over, the ground wet beneath it. 

“How could he have escaped? Where did he go?” 

-

Hands reached out to the unsuspecting man. 

“Do you have a headache? You look in pain.” The voice said, hiding the glinting blade in the moonlight. 

“Who are you?”

“Just a nice person. I have something that could really help.” 

“What is it?”

“Oh, just some medication for headaches. It works wonders.” 

“Pass it here.” 

The man is passed out soon enough and the shadowy figure grabs the keys off one of the hooks in the back and unlocks his cell. Then the figure dragged him out, put him in his car, slit his throat, and placed his face down at the dashboard. They were back home in 10 minutes, bloodlust satisfied. 

-

“The feed is just looping. How did I not notice this before?” Jin mumbled, head in his hands. 

“Hey, it’s okay, the killer was...tricky.” Namjoon comforted his lover. 

“Boss.” Jungkook piped up, holding a phone in the air. “It’s for you.” 

     The chief of police stood and walked over with purposeful steps. It was easy to see why he was the chief. He was sure of himself, walked with purpose, passion, and he always looked like he had a mission. 

“Mhm?” He murmured. “This is he. What? How did it get there? Okay, okay, I’ll send my best men out to investigate. Please hang in there and don’t touch anything.” He hung up, rushing to throw on his suit jacket. “Hak-kun’s body was just found.”

“Where?” Jimin stood as well and the others followed suit. 

“In his car. No one disturbed him, claimed he slept in his car all the time and no one thought much of it. It’s just...so odd.” Namjoon sighed. 

“Why?” Yoongi tilted his head. Their fearless leader wasn’t usually thrown by anything, always keeping a cool facade. But here he seemed to be cracking. 

“His car was found across town.” He raced out the door, watching the others pile in and Jin took the driver’s seat. “I just feel like this case is getting away from us. We’re obviously missing something.” The chief stared out the window, thinking intensely. The other members knew not to make too much noise. 

“Do you think...it’s time to bring someone else in?” Taehyung asked quietly. 

“What do you mean by that?” Jungkook said defensively. 

“I mean,” Taehyung shot the younger boy a look that shut him up. “That we may need more of a specialist in here. There’s one thing we haven’t been able to look at.”

“And that is?” Yoongi closed his eyes lazily as he leaned back in his seat. 

“Blood. We haven’t been able to test the blood.” 

“Well, we only know one reliable person who can do that and she’s probably very busy.” Jin scolded the younger males. “But it’s a good idea.” 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s just take a look and then we can decide.” 

      The street they pulled up to was quiet, not a person in sight. The leaves shifted in the breeze, skittering across the ground. It made for an uneasy sight. They stepped out and Jin locked the car. 

     Jimin handed out gloves and then he went around, feeling over the creases of the blue car, completely ignoring the dead body inside. 

“Found anything interesting?” Jungkook called. 

“Nope.” Jimin responded flatly, concentrated. He peered inside, seeing the blood pooling on the dashboard and dripping into Hak-kun’s lap.

 “I think it’s definitely the same killer. He has the same neck slice.” He felt over the windows. Not a single scratch. “No signs of forced entry or struggle with the car.” He dictated as Hoseok took careful notes. 

“I see no bruising visible on the victim, wait.” He crawled onto the back of the car, peering through the back window. “I see some purple markings on the back of the victim.” 

    The shadowy figure dragged Hak-kun, his back bumping over every curve, spine taking the brunt of the blows. He moaned in pain, starting to stir. The figure panicked. They need to get this over with quickly. 

“Anything else?” Hoseok asked. 

“No, I’d have to see the inside.” Jimin sighed, brushing some hair out of his face. 

“We’ll see what we can do to get the keys.” Namjoon nodded at Hoseok to write that down. 

“This case has me stumped, Namjoon. Obviously, the killer must be drugging them, how else can they get away with all this with no struggle?” Jimin stretched his arms. 

“It’s confusing to me too, but I’m sure we’ll find out something soon enough.” 

“Namjoon, I think we all know who we need to call.” Yoongi set a firm hand on Namjoon’s shoulder and the police chief’s shoulders drooped. 

“But I don’t want to bother her, besides I think we can figure it out, right?” 

“This is her job, It’s time to man up and call Y/N.”

A/N p.2: Hey guys! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged!! Any predictions yet? I’m sorry this took so long, I was in a creative block

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[jemej3m]

HAVE U EVER THOUGHT OF A BAND!AU?? i love band au's and ur work!!! (not to mention but i think u would write an excellent drummer!andrew)

are you kidding me??? have i ever thought of a band au? bruh i breathe band au’s

also, i wanted this to be soft, so have some childhood friends starting a band out of their mum’s garage :DD

*

“Can I now?”

Neil ducked his head, trying not to show Andrew his grin. “No, ‘Drew.”

Andrew cocked his head. “How about now?”

Neil turned around and arched a singular eyebrow at the man. “You cannot shove your drum stick through Kevin’s brain, Andrew. Not now: not ever.”

“I hate you,” he muttered. Neil just grinned. 

“You say the sweetest things to me, ‘Drew.” With that, he turned and continued to tune his acoustic. Behind him, Andrew was going bright red. 

What started as a friendly, neighbourhood band had turned into something else entirely: Neil and Andrew were cramped backstage, tuning and warming up. Kevin was probably talking to his mom on the phone, whilst Nicky was most certainly trying to escape their security detail and go flirt with fans in the event centre’s foyer. He could charm a crowd. 

They’d started the band up when they were just kids: Neil remembered Kevin grabbing him by the sleeve and dragging him across the street, where he’d noticed the three Dobson boys setting up instruments in their garage: Nicky on bass, Aaron on keyboard and Andrew on his drumkit. 

Neil, having been only 11 whilst the others were 12 or 13, wasn’t as outspoken or enthusiastic about joining them as Kevin was. 

“Come on, Neil,” Kevin insisted, dragging him by the elbow. “I’ll sing and you play the guitar. Okay?”

“It might be fun, Neil,” his sister, Dan, insisted, giving him a gentle push out the door. “It’s just messing around in a garage band. Nothing serious.”

If little Neil knew where he’d be, nine years later, he probably would’ve spontaneously combusted out of paranoia and fear. 

Adult Neil still got anxious - he always wanted to perform his best - but it’d taken years of gigs and scouts and labels to work them up to where they were now. It was a gradual process, which definitely helped the whole stage-fright thing. 

“What are you thinking about?” Andrew inquired, sitting down behind Neil and hooking his chin over Neil’s shoulder. He smiled, leaning back against his best friend. 

“Just stuff,” he responded. “How we got here. Where we’ll go.”

“Next stop on the tour is D.C.”

“Funny.”

“Yes,” Andrew agreed, deadpan. “That’s what I’m known for.”

Neil just laughed, getting to his feet. “We’d better get ready before Kevin comes back.”

“Your brother is the worst,” Andrew grunted, following suit. 

“At least we’re not related,” Neil grinned, jostling Andrew’s shoulder. “You can’t talk: you’re Aaron’s twin.”

Andrew just pointed a stick at Neil in warning. 

*

The lights were flashing. Audience screaming. Neil opened his eyes out of his reverie and looked to his counterparts: Nicky was rushing up and down the front lines, giving out as many hugs as he could. Kevin was waving and blowing kisses. And Andrew - 

He stood behind his drumkit, shirtless and dripping with sweat. He still bore his armbands, brimming with blades and secrets, and in his hands he loosely held his favourite pair of drumsticks, a pair Betsy had bought him, one’s he’d been careful to not break. 

Neil’s mouth was dry as he walked over to where Andrew stood. A spotlight blazed from above, shrouding Andrew’s head and illuminating his hair like a golden halo. He looked angelic. He was angelic. 

“You were amazing,” Neil said, voice lost under the cacophony of the crowd. His hand was reached out, gently brushing the bare skin of Andrew’s bicep. He didn’t know what he was doing anymore: the post-show euphoria was driving him. 

Andrew didn’t need to hear him. He could read lips. Read intentions. 

They were ushered off the stage soon after, Neil’s ears still ringing, his fingertips still burning. Andrew tugged on a fresh shirt, a towel around his neck. He had the most laborious job out of all of them, save maybe Kevin. Neil looked away from the way his hair curled at the nape of his neck. 

“Good show,” Kevin panted, sweat sticking his hair to his forehead. Neil nodded, the exhaustion of playing for four hours settling in. His shoulders ached, fingertips raw with playing both his guitar and the keyboard (Neil filled Aaron’s vacancy when he’d fucked off to college) whilst his throat ached from countless harmonies and backups he sung for Kevin. 

Genuine praise from Kevin was rare and prized for their band, and was usually reserved to the few moments after a performance finished. Then he’d go back to his regularly scheduled criticisms and evaluations. 

“Wasn’t it?” Nicky grinned. “We are such hot shit sometimes! Anyway,” he slung his guitar off to the side, careless. Neil winced a little. “I’ve got a cutie waiting in my car, apparently.” He winked. “His name’s Erik and he’s built like a wall. I’ll see y’all tomorrow!” 

“Jesus Christ,” Kevin said, not unkindly. They were all used to Nicky’s antics by now. He looked back to Neil. “You gonna stay with Andrew or me?”

Neil narrowed his eyes. Was he going to stay with his brother or his best friend? The choice wasn’t exactly hard to make. 

Kevin put up his hands. “What? I thought you two’d had a lover’s spat or something, before the show.”

“Kevin,” Andrew warned, voice low. 

“You guys weren’t as synthesised as you usually are,” Kevin continued. “Did Neil say something, again? Neil, what did you do?”

“Kevin,” Andrew snapped. 

The man took his final warning with a grain of salt and rolled his eyes, peeling off to cool down and head back to the hotel. He left Neil standing in the middle of the corridor, baffled. What the fuck was he talking about? A lover’s spat?

“Don’t think too hard, junkie,” Andrew muttered, fingers hooked into the collar of Neil’s shirt. “He’s just sprouting his usual bullshit.” But Andrew couldn’t look him in the eyes. 

“Right,” Neil agreed, smiling weakly. “You’re right. Sorry.”

“Shut up,” Andrew tugged him down the corridor with a finger hooked through Neil’s belt loop. 

Neil went willingly. He always went willingly with Andrew. There was no one else in the world that he trusted more.

*

“What do you mean, you’re not a thing?”

Neil paused with his fingertips up to the door, ready to push it open. It seemed as though he had stumbled upon a conversation - perhaps not for Neil’s ears. 

“He’s not interested,” Andrew said, sounding exhausted. “And I’m not about to pressure him into something he doesn’t want.”

Huh. Maybe they were talking about a new guy. Andrew didn’t date that often - or very successfully - and he was usually not willing to talk to Neil about it whenever it did happen. Neil wasn’t quite sure why but respected his boundaries nevertheless. He just didn’t know that Andrew went to Kevin about it. 

Neil wondered who it was, this time. Roland? He’d been the most long-term thing Andrew had ever attempted. No, Andrew said he wasn’t interested in Roland. Unless he was lying. 

Andrew doesn’t lie to me, Neil reminded himself. 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kevin insisted. “He’s been in love with you ever since he first saw you. Don’t give me that look, Andrew. Put away your knives.”

“Do you think so?” Andrew asked, voice low. Gravelly. Tainted by disbelief.

Something in Neil’s chest tightened. He sounded…hopeful. Neil was arbitrarily jealous. Who was this guy? 

Wait, why was Neil jealous?

He pushed against the door, ignoring the way that the two of them shifted so that it didn’t look like they were engaged in conversation. 

“We’re loading up the bus,” he supplied. “Time to get moving.”

And if Neil noticed the way that Andrew walked around him, careful not to brush their knuckles, well. 

He didn’t say anything. 

*

By the end of the third week, Neil couldn’t handle it anymore. He wasn’t sure what he’d done, or why Andrew was so adamant in avoiding him, but he hated it. He hadn’t felt this isolated since his early years when his father would shut him in a wardrobe and his mother would scold him for eliciting his father’s ire, before both of his parents died and Wymack adopted him into his strange little family, brought him into the tiny cul de sac  where Betsy Dobson and Abby Winfield lived with their own collections of abandoned kids. 

“Andrew,” he mumbled as he watched Andrew tuck himself into his own bed. They were sleeping in the same hotel room but they were millions of miles away from each other. Neil felt stiff and confused. 

Resigned, he shut the light off. 

*

“Fix it,” Kevin demanded. 

“Fix what?”

“Just tell him already. It’s getting nauseating.” 

Neil narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Kevin threw Neil’s lyric notepad back at him. “‘Living limbless, lost, lonely, ever since you went and left me’? What do you mean, what am I talking about? I thought you two were already together - now he’s saying you were never interested? What the fuck, Neil. You’ve been practically married for years.” 

Neil blinked. “Me and -”

“Andrew, yes, who else?” Kevin continued, irritable as he scrawled down new ideas. “You’re so fucking dense sometimes - ow!” 

Neil stuck out his tongue, satisfied with the large black line his thrown pen had left behind. He fished out another pen from his bag and kept writing, letting Kevin’s banter distract him from how painful his chest felt. 

*

The tour was ending. They were looping back to South Carolina. Andrew hardly looked at him anymore, let alone spoke to him. Kevin looked at Neil with pity. Nicky tried to cheer everyone up with icecream. 

Neil couldn’t understand why they were falling apart. What had he done? What had he said? 

The screams irked him. They sounded less ecstatic and more afraid. Neil was falling apart onstage, overthinking. They’d just played for Charleston, one of their last stops on the tour. 

The curtains came down. Neil couldn’t move. The others were already off the stage. Neil couldn’t breathe. 

“Neil,” Andrew said. He couldn’t look Andrew in the eye. How was he to explain that Andrew’s estrangement had left him in such a miserable state that he could hardly perform without breaking down? 

“Neil, look at me.” 

Neil closed his eyes. “Whatever I did - I’m sorr -” 

“Abram,” Andrew whispered, before pressing a bruising kiss to Neil’s lips. His eyes flew open, though he didn’t move. It didn’t matter: Not a moment later, Andrew ricocheted back, hand over his own mouth. In his other hand, his favourite drumsticks snapped, falling to the floor in uneven halves. 

By the time Neil had opened his mouth, Andrew was gone. 

Neil spent the drive to the pub they’d chosen to ride out their performance high in silence. Andrew was stoic and unmoving, silent despite Nicky’s attempts at conversation. When they arrived, Neil felt like he wanted to throw up. 

It was bustling at the late hour, but dark enough to slip in unnoticed. Neil followed Andrew up to the bar: at one point, someone shoved into Andrew and Neil felt him press Neil against the marble top, warm from shoulder to shin. Neil wanted to lean back into him. He wanted Andrew to look at him, to talk to him. He wanted Andrew back. He wanted Andrew. 

Quickly, he turned around, ignoring the bar tender when he asked if he was sure he wanted a virgin martini. Andrew was right there, pupils blown, cheeks red. Angry. 

He was furious. 

“Andrew,” Neil insisted. “Why -” 

He grabbed the tray of drinks and disappeared before Neil could form a sentence. 

And - well. Neil wasn’t known for subordination. 

He waited patiently for the others to get drunk and disappear into the crowd, like they always did. Sometimes Nicky dragged Neil with him, if the night was right. Andrew usually just sat, patiently waiting for his family to return to him. His whiskey sips were cautious and slow. 

Tonight was different. As soon as they were alone, Andrew stood, knocked back the entire glass and strode towards the exit. Neil let his breath hitch and followed, almost jogging in order to keep up with Andrew’s stride. 

“Andrew, this is insane,” he said as they walked down the street, leaving the bar behind. “I’m losing my mind here. Why won’t you talk to me? Why won’t you even look at me? What did I do?” 

“Exist,” Andrew snarled, hands curled into fists and shoved into the pockets of his denim jacket. 

Neil ran ahead of him, almost tripping over the uneven sidewalk. They’d walked far enough that they seemed to have removed themselves from any remnants of the club, and instead were stood in front of a circular, patheon-esque church and its haphazard graveyard. 

Andrew stopped walking and stared. In the moonlight his skin was pale enough to be translucent. 

“Tell me,” Neil whispered. “Truth for truth. We promised, Andrew. To never lie, to never leave. Why did you kiss me?”

“You promised,” Andrew corrected him. “I swore I would have your back. Does that have to constitute being attached at the hip?” 

Neil crossed his arms, petulant. 

Andrew’s sigh was aggravated. “It was never meant to be a problem.”

“What was?”

“You.”

“Andrew -” 

Fingers curled in the collar of his shirt, then slipped across the warm skin at the nape of his neck, then tangled themselves into Neil’s hair. Andrew pulled their foreheads together, squeezing his eyes closed too tight. Neil wanted to iron out the crease between his brows. 

“‘Drew?”

“Shut up,” the man croaked. “Shut up. Shut up.”

“Andrew,” Neil said, weakly. “I wanted to kiss you.” 

Andrew’s nails dug into Neil’s scalp. “No you didn’t.”

“Yes,” his fingers carefully found their way onto Andrew’s jaw, forcing the man to look up at him. “I did.” 

Andrew just swallowed, red-cheeked. 

Neil pulled Andrew closer, head dropping to Andrew’s shoulder. His heart throbbed like a drumbeat, heavy and insistent and never, ever out of time. “Is that what this is about?”

“No,” Andrew lied. 

“I think I like you, ‘Drew,” Neil whispered into the skin of Andrew’s neck. “I think I really do.” 

“I hate you,” Andrew managed, sliding his hands around Neil’s waist and holding him close under the Charleston moonlight. “I hate you.” 

“I know,” Neil managed, closing his eyes. It made a lot more sense, now. 

Between their erratic breathing and racing pulses, a drumbeat formed. 

[the-magician-in-alice]

The camping trip

This story is part of Max’s Haunted Palace collab. 31 days of spooky writing collab! Enjoy

By nightfall, everyone had set up camp and were working on building the fire which was easy for Todoroki. As per usual Denki and Mineta were hitting on the girls from 3-B and failing miserably.

“Are you okay (Y/N)?” Uraraka placed a hand on your shoulder to get your attention; you flinched at her sudden appearance.

“Y-yeah, I am just in awe of how great things are going with everyone...like the bonfire is lit, drinks and food are there, just everything is coming together so nicely. I was hoping we could explore the forest some too.” you looked over at her and smiled softly. Something was pulling you towards the forest, you had to explore it, it was calling to you.

Entranced by the stillness of the night you started walking and left Uraraka standing there by the bonfire. You followed an overgrown path that weaved through the trees. You were so preoccupied with the path you didn’t realize people were following you. The path came to a clearing that led to a tiny rustic house almost at the edge of the cliff.

You walked over to the cliff and stood just at the edge. You were about to take another step when you were suddenly wrapped in something and pulled back. Your head and back collided with the floor in no time. You looked up to see Sero, Mina, Denki standing all around you. You tried to sit up but couldn’t place your hands anywhere.

“What’s going on guys? Where are we?” you looked over between all of them. You saw in the distance more of your friends but they all looked concerned.

“(Y/N) you don’t remember walking out here? You were just about to step off a cliff” Mina kneeled next to you helping you to sit up.

“I don’t remember getting here. All I remember is wanting to explore the forest. I was so drawn by it” you replied.

Bakugo, Midoriya, and Kirishima approached you all and asked what happened. Mina quickly filled them in on what she had seen and that you didn’t remember getting there. But now the question was “Why here?”. Once you were freed from your sticky restraints you stood up and looked over at the small cabin next to the cliff; maybe you could find your answers there.

Everyone moved together toward the abandoned cabin. The place looked old and long forgotten as if someone just left one day without taking their things. Pushing the door open you were met with complete darkness inside. Everyone started looking around for any lights but all you could find were candles; how old was this place?. Thankfully you always carried a lighter with you so turning on candles was no issue. Soon everyone had a candle nearby.

Rummaging through drawers and cabinets you couldn’t find much besides bottles with very odd labels. In the center of the room, there was a big wooden table with many books spread out but the language was one you couldn’t read.

“Hey, dumbasses I found something,” Bakugo called out rather loudly, breaking the eerie stillness in the cabin. You walked over to where everyone was huddled to see an old book that was hidden by the ones in a different language. You inched closer to the table pushing through the others to read the faded words.

“The forest isn’t just any forest for it hides trickster gods and sorcerers, do not let yourself be fooled by their words. Every harvest moon they prey on the pure of heart and body using the forest as a beacon to lead their victims to their death where they can collect your soul to rejuvenate their flesh and seduce virgins for sacrifice be warned of Reynard’s forest”

“So...legend says it only goes after virgins….so sucks for you (Y/N)” Bakugo looked over at you and laughed. Your eyes widened at the newly revealed information; it had never been your intention to reveal that intimate piece of information. But now everyone knew...it shouldn’t bother you but you felt everyone’s gaze shift to you. You backed away from your friends and turned to look out the window that faced the cliff, trying to avoid their gaze. You tried to go back to looking through the cabinets but you heard the hushed talking behind you.

If there is one thing you hated more than life was humiliation and you couldn’t stand a single moment more knowing they were talking behind you. Your legs started moving faster than your mind could process, ignoring the questions your friends asked you as you ran out of the cabin. It didn’t take you long to disappear under the forest shadows. The forest seemed endless and darker than before, you stopped to catch your breath and sit down.

“How did he know?” you thought to yourself, you groaned and covered your face. The stillness of the forest brought a chill down your spine. You weren't alone. You looked up to check your surroundings but you couldn’t see too much in this darkness.

“Are you okay there darling?” a voice broke the silence around you. You looked between the trees to see who was there, maybe someone followed you again? You spoke up as soon as you stood; no one answered.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” you spoke again. The overwhelming feeling of being watched didn’t go away and it couldn't have been your imagination that made you hear that.

“Fuck this” you thought to yourself as you started walking in some direction you hoped would get you back to the camp. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw movement in the same direction you were going. You were officially starting to freak out, you kept walking hoping to stumble upon the trail that pulled you into this haunted forest but to no avail. You pulled out your phone and turned on the flashlight setting.

The walk seemed endless and being alone did not help the fact that you were easy prey for anything living in the forest. Your light shined on the floor illuminating the variety of rocks, moss, and grass that inhabited the ground. It wasn’t until you saw a pair of brown boots that made you stop dead in your tracks. Slowly lifting the flashlight, you encountered a tall man with a long black coat, tan skin, and long reddish hair. He stood tall in front of you; his bright yellow eyes scanned your figure and his smirk grew.

“Who are you? Where did you come from?” you found your voice again.

“I live in this forest little one, you’re the one who’s trespassing in my yard. And why should I tell you my name when I don’t know yours?” He cocked his head to the side, his eyes never leaving yours.

“Ah! See how hard was that now? The name’s Reynard” he extended his hand to you while giving you a toothy grin. You could see how large and sharp his canines looked. You finally looked away from his face to stare at the stretched hand in front of you.

“Cmon (L/N) don’t be rude, shake my hand” Reynard insisted playfully. You shook his hand but he did not let you go. He pulled you closer to him and as he held you, he brought your hand up to his face kissing your knuckles softly. He inhaled rather loudly which made you recoil with disgust. With your hand free from his grasp you backed up more.

“This forest...is named after you, you are the trickster god, aren’t you?” You shined your phone’s light a little higher on his face. The tall man straightened and put his hands behind his back.

“I see you’ve heard of me...tell me was it those pesky gatekeepers? Or was it one of the villagers who live past the forest?” his voice turned serious and his eyes held no more amusement. You were onto him and he did not like it. You know his game but not how he played it, you decided to make a break for it and run in between the trees. You broke into a sprint in whatever direction and hoping to all the gods that you didn’t trip over anything. As soon as you thought you were far away enough you tried to slow down. You felt a hand wrap around your neck and the pain of being slammed against a tree.

“Ah, ah, ah my little darling, you aren’t going anywhere. You know who I am and I can't let you go now; I need your soul” Reynard’s face contorted into a terrifying extended grin almost like an animal-like face. The guttural growl that came out of him made you screw your eyes shut and scream loudly. His nails dug into your flesh as his face neared yours. Was this your end? It sure seemed like it. The sudden crackling of electricity reached your ears fast and you felt a shock but nothing else. The pain of Reynard’s nails suddenly disappeared and as you opened your eyes you saw him knocked out on the grass. You picked up your phone from the ground next to you.

“(Y/N)! Are you okay?!” you turned to see where the voice was coming from seeing something moving closer and closer to you. Denki appeared in your small lit vision field with a panicked look on his face, you ran over to him and hugged like there was no tomorrow.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Who-” you cut him off “there is no time for questions, he might wake up any minute now” you grabbed his hand and ran. You both ran for what seemed like hours until you saw the glow of a torch from afar, the glow of the fire grew and you were able to see who it was. Todoroki, Uraraka, and Tokoyami found you both. The lot tried to question you but you urged them to turn back and lead them to camp.

“Wait what about the others?” You turned to Uraraka who stopped to answer your question. She smiled at you and let you know that they had found the others earlier and they had come looking for Denki and you. Todoroki reminded you to keep going but the ground shook around you and created a rift between you and your friends.

“You are MINE, I need your soul!” Reynard moved towards you at an incredible speed, his voice remained guttural and his face contorted like a canine. You wanted so badly to use your quirk but your body refused to cooperate with you. “Is the forest taking my energy too?” you thought to yourself, Reynard was moving too fast for you to deter him. Both Todoroki and Denki jumped in front of you trying to protect you.

The combination of electricity and an ice wall sent him flying back, you had no doubt you were only making him angrier. “Is there even a way to kill a god?” you yelled at your friends. Tokoyami looked over at you and sighed.

“No, you can’t but usually they are confined to an area by the older gods. I am inclined to believe the forest is his area so if we manage to get you out of this forest before he gets ahold of you, we might be safe. The camp isn’t too far from here now about half a mile. We need to get going” Tokoyami called out Dark Shadow and asked that he located where Reynard was. There was a lot of movement around you and you knew he was trying to confuse you all.

“Start moving everyone! The faster we get out of here the quicker we can trap this asshole here” you called out to everyone. Todoroki and Denki moved behind you in case Reynard tried to attack again while Tokoyami and Uraraka were to your sides. You had practiced many times at UA group rescues and at this point, your mind focused on getting out with the least amount of people hurt.

“I’m baaaack!” Reynard appeared in front of you.

Todoroki attacked with ice but he dodged just in time, what he didn’t expect was a log pinning him to the ground courtesy of Uraraka.

“Keep going!” she yelled as she motioned more heavy items to fall on the trickster god.

Your hand was pulled by Dark Shadow who effortlessly picked you up and enveloped you in his figure. The camp was not too far ahead, you could see the light from the bonfire your classmates built earlier. You felt powerless having to be the one who needed to be rescued but there was no denying you felt grateful they came looking for you.

Reynard had freed himself from the restraint Uraraka created and was on your tail. The tree line was in sight and you were sure everyone felt relief in seeing that. The ear-shattering screech Reynard let out made your ears ring. The mighty god disappeared behind you and reappeared in front of the group making everyone jolt to a sudden stop. Dark Shadow dropped you and your body rolled a few feet in front of your friends. As you fell you felt something sharp cut your face, maybe a rock or a root, you couldn’t tell.

Reynard focused his attention on you again. “Your blood smells so sweet, maybe I will eat your flesh too” he cackled diabolically.

You tried your best to fight his grip but nothing made him budge. You couldn’t look at Reynard’s face any longer. You turned to your friends who seemed frozen in place. Your eyes locked with Denki who seemed scared shitless, but nevertheless spoke up.

“Discharge 2 million volts!” he pointed his hand at you and Reynard.

Time seemed to slow down in the seconds before the electric shock crashed down on you. The shock made the trickster god screech once more but this time in pain. Your friends recognized this as their chance to get you and Denki out of the forest. Uraraka made Denki float pushing him towards the clearance while Todoroki and Tokoyami ran over to you and Reynard. The electric shock stunned him once again making him fall back with an enormous thud. They tried to help you up but your muscles ached from the electric current that just went through your system and they struggled to lift you from either side.

Uraraka had managed to get to the clearing before you three and was cheering you on. The tree line was right there Todoroki went through first as you stood up on your own. The horrendous screeching came alive again and stood right behind you pushing Tokoyami forcefully out of the way and grabbing your arm in a last-ditch effort to pull you back in, but you could feel your body giving you enough strength to power up your quirk. Reynard held on to your arm digging his claws into your skin, you turned towards him and threw a metal shard towards his face. The shard cut his face, causing him to release your arm in pain.

“NOOO” Reynard slammed his fists against the invisible barrier that kept him captive in the forest.

You had defeated a trickster god at his game thanks to the help of your friends. Your face was bleeding but you were alive and that is all that mattered.

“Checkmate Reynard” you panted while you stared at him through this barrier.

You backed away while still looking at him then turned around to see your friends standing looking at you.

“No one is going to believe that we fought a god and won.” you spoke in a hushed voice. You saw them slowly start laughing as you joined them, this was a night you surely wouldn’t ever forget.

**Bonus**

You sat in a tent cleaning the blood from your face when you heard the zipper of the tent open up. You saw Denki’s face pop in with a bright smile, he looked like he had recovered from his short circuit.

“How are you feeling (Y/N)?” he asked, taking a seat next to you.

“I mean I’ve had better days but I did escape the jaws of a god who wanted to eat me so I would say good.” you laughed nervously. “Guess I should take you up on that offer now.” you continued.

He looked confused; his eyebrows furrowed as he asked “What offer?”

You bumped your shoulder against his and smiled, “The one you made me this morning...of letting me stay in the tent tonight.” your eyes finally locking with his. If you weren’t looking at his face you would assume he had short-circuited again.

“I will take that as a yes.” you laid your head against his shoulder and relaxed once more. Maybe after this trip, you would no longer be a worthy victim for Reynard.

[imtryingthisout]

Of Flames and Fire: Prologue

[If you hate me for writing this, just remember I hate myself more and that this began because of a joke.]

Warnings: Ask to Tag

Word Count: 3627

Fandom: Disney Descendants

*************************************************

Dirt clung to the fringes of Maleficent’s robes as she descended deeper into the cavernous warren. Once upon a time her presence would have struck such fear that not even the dust mites would have dared come near her, but such a time was over now, and now the endings of her black cloak grew more and more soiled with every step she took.

She held a twisted candelabra in one hand and her faithful staff in the other. The small flame burned a deep rouge color, more red than yellow, with how thick and low the air had become. Maleficent was surprised it still burned at all. She was thankful for the candle’s valiant effort. Gone were the days where she could summon a ball of hellfire to illuminate the room, and with all the dust and filth in the air she wasn't sure her darkvision would be of any use.

A drop of hot wax struck her fingers.

Maleficent continued onwards.

As she ventured closer and closer to her destination, the sound of barking began to ring in her ears. Viscous growls, the sound of teeth hitting teeth, shrieks and yelps and oh so much barking. Were she a lesser soul it might have frightened her, or at the very least given her a pause, but she knew that no dog (three headed or otherwise) lived down here, just a lonely master trying to cope with the sound of silence.

(Out of everything her new prison tormented her with, Maleficent never thought she would grow to loathe the quiet. The silence. Even on the Forbidden Mountain she would hear the rustling of wind, the roaring cacophony of her minion’s delight, the sound of Diablo’s deep cawing. But here, even with the tumult of the budding city of thieves and villains, her thoughts screamed louder than any noise. Here she felt more alone than she ever did atop her ruined castle.)

No door was mounted to the cave’s wall, it would be far too impractical to do so, so Maleficent raised a curved fist and knocked thrice on a wooden post instead. “Who is it?” a voice called out from lower in the room, it sounded irritated and gruff, good. Maleficent smiled “Just a passing visitor Lord Hades”.

Quicker than she thought possible, the exiled Monarch of the Underworld stood leaning against the doorframe, one arm draped over the rotten wood and his head tilted with a school boy smile (if a school boy had eyes of glowing brimstone and thorny rows of sharp teeth protruding from his gums). “Why Miss Maleficent, what brings you to my little.. home away from home?”

She took a moment to drink in his sight, he looked more or less the same as he did when they first met, a little more tired, maybe, a little less put together, thick silver-colored cuffs bound round his wrists to drain his godly might. Still something about him seemed different, she couldn't quite place her finger on it, then she met his gaze. “Kohl around the eyes, Lord Hades? I do hope you aren't going Egyptain on me”

He snorted and rolled his- yes, black lined- eyes “Nah those guys are great, but they sure as Me don’t need another Death God. Besides- Blue Hair? Blue Skin? It’s already confusing enough for mortals to get us mixed up at parties, and don't even get me started on the Ptolemaic Pantheon menagerie, cultural syncretism is fun and all but all that rewriting and re-rewriting and who’s who even got my head more turned around than the gordian knot!”

Here Hades stood taller than Maleficent, even with his slumped posture and hunched back. The slope of the floor was curved in his favor. Her horns were a brandished crown growing, twisting, above her head and barely scraping the stone above her.

She let the humor linger in the air for a breath before speaking. “I have a proposition for you, my lord” she said while dismissing the candle and setting it down on a rock ledge. The light from Hades’ hair and lair would suffice to brighten her vision. Maleficent raised a free arm “Shall we continue our conversation inside? I feel it would be awfully rude to lurk in doorways.” Hades’ smile grew wider, almost splitting his face in two.

“My dearest disgrace to all things dignified, it would be my pleasure” He said, taking her arm and leading her inside. Despite herself she snorted. “My lord I am always dignified, it is deferential which I am not”

Hades’s new domain lay deep underground in the heart of the Isle. Despite his many years of hatred of being saddled with the burden of the Underworld, the room appeared very similar to his old home. ‘Perhaps that is the point’, Maleficent thought, wondering if his new dwelling was really of Hades’ choosing, or did he simply wake up on the Isle in a room modeled after his old kingdom, swapping an old prison for a new one. She wasn’t sure if Zeus had it in him...but Zeus wasn't the only one hurt by Hades’ failed machinations, and she knew that Hera certainitly did, fondness for her older brother or not- the Queen of Gods would not have hesitated to rub salt in any wounds of her child’s stealer. Especially when such irony would have been involved.

In another life, perhaps it would have been Hera who Maleficent would be conversing with, she did always have a healthy respect for the Golden Throned Goddess,like draws to like afterall, and there is nothing more similar yet individual than women with power.

Then again, in another life she wouldn't need to bargain, in another life she would have crushed Prince Phillip’s sword between her teeth and swallowed him whole, in another life she would have blessed the infant Princess with a gift of her own, something clever and far more powerful than any of the Three Sisters trivial delights. In another life---

Hades leads her to a sitting area, long tatham benches set interlocking with one another, made of dark ebony wood. Maleficent gathers the excess of her robe in her grip and takes a seat, then slowly lets the fabric flow down and unfurl on the clean gray floor. The Lord of the Dead seats himself next to her, and after a moment’s pause, she allows him to wrap one of his hands around her waist.

“I have come to reclaim my debt, Your Majesty” she begins, he laughs and jokes “I’m not a accountant dollface, you’ll have to be more specific. I think I still got some styx-water sloshing around in my skull” but she can see the tightness around his eyes, the stiffness in his fingers as he cleans his ear and flicks a droplet of water over his shoulder, he knows exactly what she is referring to. He also knows that his newfound lack of power might have put him in a very precarious situation. Maleficent smiles sharply.

The grip on her waist tightens.

“Then let me help to restart your memory, years ago you needed an elixir that would turn anything, even a God, mortal. I concocted such a potion on the clause that you would… how did you say it? ‘Owe me one bigtime mama '’” she said drolling her words and making air quotations with her slender fingers. The God of The Dead had the decency to look sheepish, a bright blue blush blooming under his siltstone skin. “Okay yeah might’ve been a bit drunk on success when I said that…”

“Mmhmm” Maleficent hummed, raising a single eyebrow.

“....sorry”

“In any case, a deal is a deal, and now I see to collect my end of our bargain”

“It would be my pleasure my lovely lady of labilzation--” “that one was better” “Thank you I do try, --- however I’m sure it has not escaped your notice that, unlike before, I no longer have the Underworld and all its resources at my disposal to grant your dark heart’s deepest desire-- “Lord Hades are you implying I ever had a heart to begin with?” “ Ha ha no. But you do have desires that our current predicament might limit me from fulfilling”

“And you do hate to leave your women unfulfilled, don’t you Hades?”

“Yes I- HEY” Hades began with his usual smooth inflection, not even really looking at her, before cutting himself on and standing up in outrage. Face pinched and flushed. He started pacing back and forth in front of her while Maleficent looked on in cruel delight. He was yammering about something, going on about respect and proper dues and getting wonderfully worked up about himself. It almost made her nostalgic.

“I mean I know I’m no roving casanova like dear little Zeus-y, Persphone would gut me for even trying that and--”

Then his body stilled and he turned to face her, running his hands through his hair to gather his thoughts. Pity, she was enjoying she show. “Alright I get it, playtimes over. What do you want Maleficent? What under this damned barrier could be so important that you need to cash in on?”

“You and I both know Lord Hades that there are forces far older and far more powerful than this Godmother’s little trick. Deals, oaths, dept, magic sworn by magic will be repaid in turn. ” Maleficent raised herself slowly, taking small measured steps to where Hades stood shadowed by the cavern’s light. “As for what I want? That's simple, I want your name”

Name, she hissed out the word, the word that had churned and boiled somewhere deeper than her stomach and rose up her throat, that fell down her tongue and turned sharp and low against her teeth. The word that made her eyes flash with a power that no well intentioned Godmother or once cursed King could contain.

The word that made the Lord of the Dead, Hades himself, fall stumbling backwards to his knees. The shadow wrenched away from him in haste, revealing his wide eyes and- oh how she missed this- positively wreaked expression. If she was someone else she would say he was nervous, his face too numb to be fearful, but Maleficent knew better. He was terrified.

Pleas spilt from his lips like ambrosia in a clumsy hand. He was almost begging her now, with more fervor than he ever begged before--

( In times of old when the earth was freshly taken and the sky still red with titan’s blood, three brothers gathered to divide the cosmos between themselves. The youngest made his claim to the sky and took it’s child, the mighty thunderbolt, as his symbol. He gifted the sea to the middle brother who accepted it glady, but to the oldest he gave no pearl-rich land or magnificent heaven, but the burden of the damned and dead. The darkest corners of the world, where no light reached and the wild souls wandered aimlessly in the eternal darkness. His older brother objected, of course, and perhaps he even set aside his pride to grovel, but the youngest was unyielding. )

“Please Mali, don’t, not that I’ll do anything--”

( Once Ra fell sick from a clay snake bite, and called a council of every man and women and God to come and aid him, but they could do nothing. Then he called for Isis, for surely she would have the answers to his prayers. “What ever you need, I will provide” And so Isis said to the sun god Ra, ‘Great king of The Heavens and all we hold dear, the venom in your blood is much too strong, the only way I can heal you is with the knowledge of your Name’. So Ra listed off all of his titles and epithets, of which he had many, but Isis was not deterred. ‘My Lord and King, though those names are as grand and great as you are, they are not the one of which I refer to. If you wish to continue as yourself, ruler of the Gods, I will need your Rem to cure you’ said Isis and Ra knew she spoke the truth. Banishing the other medicine men and healers from the room he took Isis into his wings and bared to her the fifth of his soul, the name in which all his power sprang from. Isis took the name and healed Ra, feeling the universe realign with her at its helm, Goddess above Gods, of life and moon and medicine and magic. The fruits of her cunning rewarded hundredfold. And she smiled.)

“-- you don't want that old thing, I mean, what would you even do with my name anyway? It’s not like it would be of any use to you here”

“That, Your Majesty, is where you are wrong.” Maleficent slammed the end of her staff on top of the end of Hades’ robe, catching him in place as he tried to flinch backwards. She knelt before him, his back arched so completely he resembled more of a semicircle than a fallen God, his body so small here compared to hers. The long tendrils of her cloak sprawled themselves across the floor, their edges slithering like snakes, writhing and engulfing them, Hades was a cold star trapped amidst a sea of dark fabric.

“You asked me what could be so important to me that I would risk claiming my due of our agreement here, under this hell forsaken barrier. Why would I step into the limelight after years of isolation to rule an island of filth and trash” she pressed a single nail to his face tilting it up, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Because here is where my child will be born, and no blood of mine will be powerless while I still live to conquer and provide”

Her child, who was barely an weight in her arms, hungry for magic where there was none, hungry for food unrotten and drink unspoiled. If Maleficent was kinder she would crush it’s skull beneath her feet and spare it from a life full of pain and longing. Years of torment and clawing at it’s own skin spared in a moment’s decision.

(Her child, who could one day release their Mother from her prison, if they had will to do so.)

Maleficent had never been a kind person.

She did, however, on the seldom occlusion, know mercy and how to manipulate the unwilling. She could just rip his name from his chest, leave him broken and shivering on the cold stone floor. The thought was tempting, it really had been too long since she last had the chance to destroy someone so thoroughly, but she knew it would be better in the long run if she could get Hades to cooperate. Never let it be said she wasn’t a patient Mistress.

Leaning her weight forward she gingerly took one of Hades’ wrists in her hand, turning it over and carefully inspecting the thick band that now encircled it . This close she could feel the way it softly vibrated under her touch, the binding sigils carved so delicately and deep into the metal.

Her skin burned on contact, but you would never tell by her expression, eyes trained on the way Hades’ life force flowed. Faint traces of his magic traveling down his veins and funneling into the band, which would pulse slightly and constrict, the sigils would glow and hold, before loosening its too tight grip on its host. Then the cycle would continue anew.

It was one of the most brilliantly constructed and horrid devices Maleficent had ever laid her eyes on.

It was a work of art.

And as she read the runes she began to recognize what artist could have made such a beautiful thing.

“Do you know just how luck you are Lord Hades? While the rest of us villains must serve a penance that will span the rest of our days, you sit here with shackles holding only until you meet their requirements. I always wondered why Auradon would risk the order of the world just to fulfill their pallid sense of morality, and here my questions are answered. It seems the true nature of your punishment is far more poetic than a measly imprisonment, no, the true keys to your freedom lay in siring a child,”

A cold sense of realization dawned on Hades, “Hera” he whispered.

“How does the saying go again? An eye for an eye.” Maleficent pushed her nail deeper into the skin of his arm “A lost babe for a lost babe.”

Something inside Hades’ eyes broke at her words, and he begun laughing, freely, manic not maniacal, the laugh of a man who knew the entire cosmos was a joke and now he finally got the punchline. “Oh Hera!” He cried out, gathering the shattered pieces of himself and pulling them together.

He stood up from underneath her, fluid as smoke escaping from her grasp, as if his body was still atmos and ichor- not confined to rigid flesh and blood. ( A distant part of Maleficent imagines Hades, stumbling and impaling his head against a stalagmite as he has to relearn how to walk again, learn how to live in a body so forign yet familiar.) He did not offer to help her, and she made no move to rise, instead she remained sitting, her back ramrod straight and hands folded across her staff which rested on her lap.

Over the sounds of running water and the everpresent barking, Maleficent could hear the sounds of his brain work. Spinning gears within gears furiously trying to take in the new information and generate a more beneficial outcome for himself. “Alright, you want my name, you want power, you want little Maleficent Junior to grow up with magic, which I can’t blame you for. I want to get out of here and I want my wife not to kill me on my arrival, so I propose a solution that just might work for us both”

“Go on”

“ gift part of my name to the little tyke, giving them- and by extension you- power that not even this blasted barrier can suppress. That means that in the eyes of magic, I’m basically your baby’s daddy”

“And are you willing to uphold that responsibility? I have no need for a husband nor a housekeeper, but both dragons and fae are known for their possessiveness and of them I am both”

Hades didn't miss a blink, shark toothed smiled fixed back in place on his face “My magnificent Mistress of Misery from now until my chains are unfettered and I am called away to return to my Iron throne, I do swear to treat your little demonspawn as if they were born from the rotten fruit of my loins. Now, do we have an agreement?” Now he looked down at her, hand extended for her to shake. “Going once… going twice..”

Maleficent leapt forward, her hand digging deep into the weak flesh of his arm, she used to movementum to pull herself close to him, nose to nose, sharpened teeth to sharpened teeth, her horns haloing her head- two blackened crests protruding from her skull that reflected the dull blue light of the room. “Its a deal” she declared. Smiling viscously as she felt her eyes flare, not gold, but green, green as burning hellflame, fire in its purest form.

If this were anywhere else but The Isle of The Lost, thunder would crack at their declaration, a ring of light would maifest around their grip sealing their oath in color and magic. The air would ignite at their words. However, this was The Isle, and so the only illumination of fate’s rearrangement came from the flicker of light on Hades’ wrists as the runes surged, the taste of copper under Maleficent’s tongue, and the deep bone-seated feeling that something big will come. This was the stone whose ripple will cause the wave years down the line.

Maleficent hoped it would rise and drown the whole world.

She almost smiled at the thought.

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

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

“Huh”

“What?”

“You know when you said you had a baby, I kinda pictured- you know- a baby”

“I do hope you aren't talking bad about our child, it hasn't even hatched yet”

“Maleficent thats not a child, thats an egg”

“You think I would birth a infant mammal? Don’t be so crude, egg laying is a much more civilized method of reproduction”

“Wait does that make you a reptile? Oh sweet Zeus don’t tell me you are? What can you unhinge your jaw? Do you have a hemi--”

“Silence your tongue Lord Hades before I cut it out myself”

“Sorry sweetcheeks I couldn't resist”

“....”

“...sorry”

“Now traditionally Mother and Daughter would pass on a portion of their name until the time came where the Daughter earned to full title of Maleficent, usually by slaying their Mother and taking her name for herself. Until that day a middle name would serve as a placeholder to help differentiate them, a Mal Bertha or Mal Lamia or something of the sort. If you are giving up one of your titles, perhaps Mal Aidoneus would suffice?”

“Yeah, no”

“No?”

“Listen, Fairy G’s little parasite pocket is going to hone in on quote the name of the “The Mistress of All Evil” like a cyclopes at a half-off everything sunglass sale. You want this kid to have even a smidgen of a chance we gotta change it up a bit.”

“Well then Your Majesty I don’t suppose you have any better Ideas”

“........Malenthea”

“Hm?”

“Her name, it will be Malenthea”

“Then so mote it be”

“....”

“....”

“HOLY RHEA YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THE EGG WOULD EXPLODE--”

[artoodeeblue]

A Lady on Paper

Find the French version along with my other original writing on this blog!

I can barely remember my birth. My first one, anyway. The cornerstone. It is shrouded in mist, cloggy like the swamp of my cradle-town. Someone must have fathered me – towers and spires rarely sprout up unannounced, I have gathered. In the echoes of my nave, I still hear the scratching of quill over parchment, the heavy bangs of the hammer, the heaving of my creators’ breaths.

The little details give me real life. I take my first breath when Gaultier chisels his initials on one of my rib vaults. His upturned tongue sticks out, almost touching the freckles on his nose. The light bounces through his walnut hair and lands on my freshly-carved stones.

“Hello,” I whisper, gently caressing his mind.

“Hi.” He smiles. Wipes the sweat from his forehead. His voice is tentative. He doesn’t quite know what he’s doing, but his tender name glows, etched into the millennia.

“Pleased to meet you, Gaultier.”

With a professional hand, he scratches another layer of mortar on his stone. In the growing mass that will become my visitors, the sound is both grounding and appeasing. Painfully, heavily, I rise.

“Me too, my Lady.”

Someone must have sired me, but my loyalty has always been to my children.

 They give me jewellery and thorn crowns, which I accept like a mother concedes to her child’s present. I don’t need them, but if they reassure them – if they can feel less alone in this world – I can carpet my walls with a thousand tapestries.

Gaultier is long gone, but his laugh still echoes in the choir. It spins around, playfully blowing out candles and raising my children’s hair. His parting gift to the generations.

 They give me eyes. I count three, round and gleaming. They flash with pastel, sketched with a delicate mix of stone and glass. With them I see my cradle-town. I see the steaming chimneys, the palace, the paved dampness of the city. I finally see my children, immersed in pink and blue light. Kneeling, muttering, singing. Confessing. They come in processions, light candles most cannot afford, speak a language I do not understand. I pray as well – that they find the answers they ask of me.

They add more intricate buttresses, for fear that I fall. I chuckle. Of course I will fall. I will burn down and crumble and fade until I am nothing more than a lady on paper. But Raymond will have none of this. He gives out orders, holding his parchment, counting steps and scratching on his board.

His touch is firm and steady. He pats me like his pet, running his fingers in the tiny creases between the stones.

(He misses Gaultier’s carvings, which I hide covetously.)

“You will become the most beautiful temple ever to stand upon this earth,” he tells me. His pompous language never fails to pry a laugh. “You will be thin as a sheet of parchment, yet your towers will stand strong until Judgment Day.”

“My sisters have not,” I try again. “Can you not hear their screams, as they fall to pieces and flames in the East? Only their ruins will see the sun rise on Judgment Day.”

“Not you,” Raymond insists. “You are better. You are good. You are holy.”

“Holier than the entire civilisation your people slaughtered in the name of God?”

His blue eyes glint with stars and hubris. He jerks his chin upwards. “Yes.”

My children are strong, and proud, and will burn themselves for a touch of the sun.

  I wonder if this was how my sisters felt in the East.

They plunder my crypt, behead my kings and saints, but I never knew them anyway – they are all mere faces tattooed without my consent. Fake jewels. Kings never come to say hello; they just waltz in, kneel, smirk, and declare war over heretics.

Julien’s little kick is nonchalant, patronising.

The pavement is coated with a thick layer of blood. It swirls around me, inside me, churns my stomach and stares at me. They don’t do much to me – maybe, underneath the harsh gaze of the Raymond they so despised, they can hear Gaultier’s murmurs of hope. I never really understood hate, but I know it quickly dissolves under permanence.

“Not so powerful now, huh, girl?”

He wears a blue and red tricorn which awkwardly frames his childish face. He cannot be over twenty, yet his tongue sticks out as if he had finally brought a lion to its knees. Still, it has been decades since I have spoken. I nudge him back.

“Never,” I answer.

Julien smirks, and waves his little flag. “We control you now,” he gloats. “You’ll never hurt anyone else again. You’ll be forgotten, just like every other part of the Old Regime.”

“So will you.”

With a giant, heaving swing, the rod comes smashing towards St Thomas. His head explodes, and the fragments scatter through my bowels.

“I despise you,” he snarls. His breath is ragged, and his chiselled jaw twitches in its socket. “You’re everything that’s evil in this world.”

I am only rocks, I want to tell him. How can stone, oak, mortar and carved initials rival with the bloody smoke-trail of a musket?

But he is already gone, running on the pavement, carried by youth and homicidal optimism.

They change my name – it belongs sometimes to Reason, sometimes to the Supreme Being, sometimes to Liberty. My children are creative, and fickle. Anything to prove that they have changed.

But a few chopped off heads do not change the tell-tale glimmer in your eyes.

  A man with almond eyes and a high forehead like mine pushes through my heavy door. His steps break my trance-like slumber, and I stir. Shy sunlight cracks through my unused eye. I blink. Slowly.

Gaultier’s laugh is no more than a whisper now. It has lost its music – has grown as lethargic as mine. Raymond’s promise flies over me like the angel of Death.

The man blows, sending a streak of fresh air over the piers. Dust materialises in the diffused rays. He stumbles around the half-ruins littered on the floor.

Electricity courses through his fingertips as he brushes my stone. I shudder. I haven’t been touched like this in centuries.

There’s an aura around him. Not divine – not like the few priests who still roam my sleepy aisles. Something rich and brown, scented with paper, ink and starlight. His eyes seek, blink, and dart in rhythm with the turn of the earth. His feet are posed firmly on the checkered tiles, yet his posture is light and dream-like. Grounded, physical, yet full of wonder. Not broken – not yet.

He smells so intensely, decidedly human.

I take a breath, and guide his hand towards the tiny alcove I made. It hides in the joint between walls, covered by dust and inconsequence. His breath gets caught in his throat, Adam’s apple bopping up and down. He religiously traces around the tired G, the sloppy H. It stings up to my spire, but tickling nerves feel much less lonely than numb inattention.

“Six hundred and fifty years,” he murmurs. “We must look like insects to you.”

I brush his skin, watching his eyes light up with Muses. Deep in the bowels of my bells, a slow rumbling comes to greet him.

“I think you look like giants, Victor.”

 Out of everyone who said hello, he’s the only one who comes back broken.

“Look at you, all pampered,” he says. “You’re a proper lady on paper now. On your way to your old beauty.”

“It is your doing, my love. Your beautiful story set the spark.”

Victor smiles, a weary, tentative thing that contrasts with the navy bags under his eyes. His back is hunched, shoulders drawn tight under his jacket.

Sometimes, Victor reminds me so much of myself it sends sparks of pain down to my crypt.

“I am so very sorry, my dear.” I send him a tender sunray, but he recoils – flinches – away. He takes a shuddering inspiration.

The clangs and thrusts of the renovation scaffolding reverberate inside the nave. Victor’s knee fidgets back and forth, up and down, synchronised with my heartbeat. His breath comes in long, trembling sighs. He dips his head a little more, letting his brows cloud his gaunt expression with shadows too old for his age.

“She was…” Victor falters. “My Leopoldine, she was only nineteen.”

He whimpers, shoulders trembling. Never in his life could he withhold emotions from his features. My Victor has always felt everything so viscerally, so fiercely, that the force of a hundred hell fires could not possibly restrain him.

His hands are linked together and his eyelids close – a small, awkward attempt to connect to something far above my spire. I stay silent.

“You’re supposed to know everything.” His mouth moves, yet his voice comes from another realm. His brow twitches. “If you’re so omniscient, can’t you at least tell me… Tell me why?”

That is the one question I cannot answer, that I can never answer.

“Why can’t you bring her back?”

His broken sobs do not echo. Neither do Gaultier’s laugh, Raymond’s hopes, Julien’s fire. They are absorbed in the scaffolding above, in the heavy oak framework, in the centuries-old mortar.

 Sometimes I wish I could speak to God. After all, am I not named after his mother?

Perhaps I am condemned to share her fate, forced to watch my children break and die, suspended to the cruel post of Time.

Demain, dès l’aube, à l’heure où blanchit la cathédrale… Je partirai.

  It feels…strange, to say the least. I am smaller, lower. Reduced.

Smoke and ashes fly from my spire over my cradle-town, my beloved light-city. My children are cut from me, staring powerless behind murmuring firemen. They pray, they sing, mutter words of comfort that I barely catch over the screaming in my mind.

It aches. The intricate carpentry consumed, the flames licking up my roof, the crashing water relentlessly boring into my shoulders. The tireless wind ramming against my walls, whistling between my towers. It carries the bystanders’ collective gasp as they watch my spire crumble and impale my flank.

A young fire woman fixes her gaze on the brazier, a stoic jawline firmly maintaining her illusion of control. I can barely discern the tell-tale glimmer of her eyes through the smoke.

“You must be in so much pain.”

Maybe, but my pain is not unbearable. My children’s is.

“Don’t worry. We will protect you.” Her voice is wobbly, with a higher pitch than usual, yet her hand on the hose could not get any steadier.

 When the sun rises over my still smouldering body, I hear relief, and I hear grief. The city, my radiant, proud, boastful people, hang in exhausted silence. It drapes over me.

My close call to destruction caused thousands of individuals to turn their heads towards an old remnant of the Regime.

“We will rebuild,” they say. From my undamaged eye, I spot their leader, surrounded by a shifting mass of microphones and cameras. “We will restore Our Lady to her former glory, and make her even more beautiful. We will make these stones alive again.”

Raymond’s voice resonates through millions of television sets. His eyes bore straight through the country.

I think of Gaultier’s sweat-filled affection, of his cheery compassion.

Of Julien’s anger at the vices of the world, of the passionate curve of his eyebrows.

I think of Victor the writer, of his beautiful smile and his magnificent tears, of his unconditional love for humanity.

I think of the three or four billionaires I have never met, who will claim to adore me by bedecking me with fake jewels, by cajoling me with impersonal wood and long-dead cold stone.

I think of my other sisters in the ocean, in the forests, in the air. Cathedrals that will never be rebuilt nor remembered, in the small scheme of political power. Monuments older than my cradle-town disappearing with the snap of two fingers, never to be seen again. Killed by hubris, disdain and general disinterest.

 My stones do not make me alive. Just like you, they decay, wither, and burn.

No. I do not remember the placing of my cornerstone.

I took my first breath when a young, gap-toothed bricklayer chiselled his initials on the slabs of my rib vault.

[satonthelotuspier]

This is for Day 6 of Xichengclipse and there is a disclaimer or two. Firstly, this is angst, with Major Character Death (but eventual happy ending).

Secondly, this is a little different to anything I've written for MDZS before. In this story I've gone with calling the character name of the legend they're associated with for the fic.

Wen Qing is Chang'e the moon goddess,

Lan Xichen is Yu Tu (the moon/jade rabbit - more below)

Jiang Cheng is Jiu Wei Hu (the nine-tailed fox - more below)

I did a little reading for this prompt and ended up cherrypicking some parts of various legends and mythology surrounding the nine tailed foxes, and Chang'e, and Yue Tu, her rabbit companion, and mashing them all up together with a big dose of my headcanon.

I read that Yue Tu 月兔 (Moon Rabbit) is also referred to as 玉兔 Yu Tu (Jade Rabbit) so of course our first jade LXC became Yu Tu for this fic.

The nine tailed foxes, 九尾狐, Jiu Wei Hu became JC's name as a fox demon. The legend of them achieving immortality at 1000 years old, being able to cure poison by eating their flesh, and their location, are all lifted from various writings on these little scamps, but the flowers Chang'e sends Yu Tu after are pure headcanon.

Nine Petals On A Flower Signify Pearls

A city suffers plague, and Chang'e sends her trusted companion Yu Tu to find a fabled flower of legend that can cure the incurable.

Yu Tu leaves the moon to search for the cure, but stumbles upon a nine-tailed fox, wounded by mortals after an attempt to capture him. Might the fox know the answer to where the flowers are located?

For day 6 of Xichengclipse, featuring LXC as the fabled moon rabbit and JC as a nine-tailed fox.

Chang’e came to see him that morning, bringing with her a sense of purpose, and her ever present sadness. She was known better on the earth below them as the moon goddess who had stolen the potion of immortality from Hou Yi, the hero archer.

In reality she had seen what a burden immortality was, and rescued her brother from having to live an eternity of struggling on alone, at the cost of her own suffering.

Yu Tu, the jade rabbit who had ascended to the moon with her, known as her ever-present companion, was aware she would have a definite reason for visiting, so he shifted to human form and made tea.

They sat in companionable silence for a little while, before Chang’e brought up the reason for her visit.

“I worry about a city below, Yu Tu, it appears they are undergoing pestilence. The healers do not seem to have any medicines that counteract the poisons brought by the plague.”

Her tone suggested she knew of a cure, so he kept his counsel, allowing her to continue at her own pace.

“When I was mortal, I heard tell of a legend, that many li north of Tianwu, there was a land of verdant hills. There was one where nine-petalled flowers grew amidst scattered jade and cinnabar, and bore pearls of whitest sheen, instead of seeds. These pearls could cure what could not be cured.”

Yu Tu understood her intent immediately.

“I will prepare to depart immediately, My Lady.” he rose, and bowed low to her.

“You are willing to chase a rumour and a legend, brought up from my imperfect memory of a time long ago, when I was a human?”

“My Lady seeks to heal, as ever. I will not fail you.”

“Thank you”

***

Within a short time Yu Tu had descended and was searching for the land of legend, where the pearl Chang’e had referred to was to be discovered.

He travelled north of Tianwu, and discovered a land of many hills. It was verdant, with the soft feel of early spring, where the world was waking up from its winter sleep again. He searched the hills, but found none where jade and cinnabar were scattered far and wide, in beds of white flowers. He wandered even further north, until he eventually came across a mountainside that was wreathed in mist. Making his way into the misted foothills he began to pass strewn jade, and red staining cinnabar and his excitement grew. There were no white flowers to be seen, however.

Yu Tu continued to walk up the hillside, hoping that the flowers were merely higher up, hidden in the mist-covering.

He was surprised at the sudden report of an animal in pain, it cried out, intermingled with rage and a feral warning. He drew Shuoyue, the sword Chang’e had gifted him with for his quests on earth, and approached the direction the noise had come from cautiously.

He soon found the source. A group of mortal humans held ropes that jerked and pulled about this way and that, and Yu Tu followed the length of them, to identify that they were attached to a Nine-tailed fox, they cut into his flesh, and he howled and hissed and spat at the men as they tried to subdue him, but he refused to give in.

“Try not to damage him, we should get good coin for him alive.”

Yu Tu didn’t need to hear anything further, he shot forward and sliced at the ropes with Shuoyue.

He had the element of surprise, and an armed opponent seemed to send a quiver of fear through the humans, who scattered before his sword, running without putting up much of a battle.

When he was sure they had fled, he turned to the fox, who had ripped the bindings free of his body, and rose to his full height, now in human form, violet eyes blazing with his anger and pain.

His tails, snow-white except where they were limned with violet at their very tips, swirled around him in an understandable mixture of fear and excitement. He was confronted with what was essentially a rabbit with a sword, and the predator in him reacted almost as strongly as the reasoning side that saw the danger, and understood that Yu Tu had saved him.

Yu Tu didn’t pay it too much attention, or it might have had a stronger hold on him, but there was a part of himself that panicked at the sight of a fox, all sharp, vulpine features and sharper teeth.

Whatever might have happened, didn’t, however, as the fox fell into a dead faint at his feet.

Yu Tu moved over, tentatively at first, in case it was merely a ploy to take him off guard, but he soon realised it was genuine. He quickly rolled the fox onto his back, and began to check his wounds. There were several deep cuts, and he had lost quite a lot of blood. He bandaged up the worst, with pieces torn from his robes, then lifted the other into his arms. He had to take them to somewhere enclosed, safer for the fox.

Some searching further up the mountainside revealed a cave which seemed to be where the fox made his den.

He lay him out on the nest that had been built in one corner of the cave, away from the drafts, and went to collect water from the stream nearby.

He spent a little time cleaning and bandaging up the rest of the fox’s wounds, then tenderly cleaning his sharply handsome face.

Handsome? Yu Tu examined that thought. Objectively yes, he was. Should a rabbit find a fox handsome? Perhaps not.

He ran a thumb gently over the other’s finely arched eyebrow, then over the sharp jut of his cheekbone.

He pulled his hand away, then rose to his feet.

Yu Tu considered his next move. He had done what he could for the fox, and he should get on with looking for what he had come for. Although, he had kept look out on his way to the den, and had seen no white flowers with pearls instead of seed pods.

He went to stand by the cave mouth.

He really should move on. Even if the cure wasn’t here, there had to be other hillsides where the flowers could be found.

He trusted Chang’e hadn’t been wrong about this, and he would find the cure. People’s lives were depending on it.

But he still couldn’t bring himself to step foot out of the fox’s den just yet.

He moved back to sit next to his nest. He couldn’t keep calling him just the fox, so he decided he would be Jiu Wei Hu as a name, and not just a creature.

***

It was the next day before Jiu Wei Hu awoke from his sleep. He immediately scented the rabbit in his territory, and tried to sit up.

Yu Tu made a soothing noise, and pinned him down with a gentle hand at his shoulder.

“Be still, or you will pull open your wounds,” he advised calmly, and those violet, fox-eyes found his amber coloured ones.

“You saved me,” his voice was low, deep, and rough, as if it wasn’t used often.

“I did, and helped heal you, you still need to aid it with rest, though.”

The muscles beneath his hand relaxed.

“Why?”

“Why not? If I see humans planning to sell a creature for profit, should I not help? And I am a healer, how could I not heal your injuries?”

Jiu Wei Hu considered his words, and seemed to find them sensible; he nodded.

“Thank you.”

Silence.

Then; “What brings you here, immortal moon rabbit?”

Yu Tu watched him carefully. How had he known? Was he in danger?

“I am nearly a thousand years old, yet I know of only one rabbit healer who can become human and move around in the world of mortals.”

At his words Yu Tu tensed. He was nearly a thousand years old? Were the legends of what happened to a nine-tailed fox in his thousandth year true?

There was an amused laugh rumble in Jiu Wei Hu’s chest.

“You are quite easy to read, Yu Tu. To answer your question, I am the only nine tailed fox left here, so I cannot know for sure. But I shall soon find out, thanks to you. I shall enter my thousandth year in three days. Perhaps I will ascend and become a celestial fox. Perhaps I will stay here and be a very old fox demon.” There was a burning excitement in his eyes. Despite he words he genuinely did believe his destiny was to ascend the heavens as a celestial.

“Before I do, if I do, how would you have me help you, in return for saving my life?” Jiu Wei Hu asked.

Yu Tu should perhaps be cautious, a nine-tailed fox demon was a likely to bamboozle as help, their nature was cunning and sly and mercurial.

He wanted to believe the other was genuine, however.

“Chang’e talked of a white flower, with nine petals, that bloomed and bore pearls instead of seed pods. These gems are meant to cure the incurable. I came in search of them, to stop a plague. So far I’ve seen no sign of anything of the kind. Perhaps you know of what she speaks, living in this place?”

There was a sudden, barking laugh come from the other, and though it seems to aggravate his wounds he laughed for quite a while, as if unable to stop. Then he sat up, despite Yu Tu’s warnings, and changed back into his fox form.

He was pure white, and sleek, with nine fine, bushy tails weaving in the air behind him.

Yu Tu was a little confused at first, but realisation dawned, and his heart sank.

Jiu Wei Hu returned to his human form, with a rueful look on his face.

“I am the flower you are looking for, Yu Tu. A taste of my flesh is said to cure poison,” Jiu Wei Hu watched Yu Tu carefully then, consideringly. “Are you still willing to help and heal me knowing this?”

Although he was bitterly disappointed in his failure, of course he was. Jiu Wei Hu was a living thing, deserving of his healing skills too.

“Of course,” he answered, instantly and firmly.

Jiu Wei Hu watched him for a while longer, before seeming to accept his words. He settled back into his nest.

His patient woke frequently throughout the night, and Yu Tu stayed by his side. They talked when he did. The fox was quite thorny and kept much close to his chest, but listened carefully when Yu Tu spoke of his duties as a healer, his life with Chang’e, and the same before he had ascended to the moon with her.

He did speak briefly on his past, but never in detail; he was a proud, haughty fox, who had a wicked sense of humour, and a lightning fast temper, as Yu Tu discovered.

As the night progressed, Yu Tu began to think more and more on the subject of the other becoming a celestial fox, and secretly he began to hope the legend was true. Should the other ascend, there would be opportunity to spend time together, to get to know each other.

Even if the legend wasn’t true, he could prostrate himself and beg some of her elixir of immortality from Chang’e. Having the other as a companion to spend eternity with; well it wouldn’t be dull.

He would tell the other tomorrow, and they could return to Chang’e and let her know the pearls didn’t exist, and try to work on another cure.

He was drifting on the edge of sleep just before dawn, when the sudden sound at the mouth of the cave made him jerk awake. He reached for Shuoyue, but it was too late, and he felt the demon binding ropes the humans had used on Jiu Wei Hu tighten around his neck and wrists. Why had he not expected them not to track him to the fox’s den? He was likely about to pay for his stupidity with his freedom.

There was a sudden, explosive growl from the nest, as Jiu Wei Hu awoke, and slipped out of the ropes beginning to close around him. He leaped forward, claws and fangs flashing in the meagre light filtering in from outside.

“You will not touch him,” he snarled, and tore through the group of slavers. He was deadly and beautiful, vicious and unforgiving, and soon the cave was strewn with bodies and blood.

He turned to look at Yu Tu, “Are you hurt?” his chest heaved, and he started forward, then checked himself as he realised he was covered in gore and blood.

Yu Tu saw the movement too late to warn, and the sudden appearance of the end of a sword through the front of Jiu Wei Hu’s chest made him cry out in horror. Yu Tu ragged himself free of the ropes, and shot forward, beheading the leader, who had kept himself hidden, in a single sweep of Shuoyue.

He dropped his sword, then caught Jiu Wei Hu as he fell forward.

Yu Tu wrapped his arms around his shoulders, holding him in his lap.

He hated that he was a healer and he knew there was nothing he could do to save him against that wound.

Jiu Wei Hu looked up at him, a rueful expression in his violet eyes again, “I suppose we won’t find out if the legends of the nine-tailed foxes were true.”

“Please…” he didn’t know what he begged for, the other not to make light of it? Not to die? Not to leave him when he had only just found him? He cupped that sharply angled face in a hand, “I wanted you to stay with me. Why did you sacrifice yourself for me?”

A soft expression passed across the fox’s face. “Because Chang’e needs you, you told me so yourself. Maybe you’ll meet me again in my next life.” He coughed, and it was full of blood, “Use my essence to cure the city of plague, you may as well accomplish what you came here for.”

The words broke the dam and he felt a tear escape the corner of his eye and roll down his face. It dropped onto the other’s lashes and held there as they drifted close. They didn’t open again.

He wasn’t sure for how long he sat on the cave floor, numb, holding on to Jiu Wei Hu’s body, but he knew eventually he had to offer some form of funerary rites. No matter what the fox had offered, he couldn’t bear the thought of using his flesh for any reason.

He lowered Jiu Wei Hu’s head carefully to the cave floor, and went in search of something he might dig a grave with. When he returned, there was no sign of the fox’s body. There was half a minute when he was prepared to scream and rage his agony at someone daring to steal it, when he noticed the small, white pearl nestled on the ground.

The legend Chang’e had heard hadn’t been entirely wrong, after all, the nine-petalled flower had just been of a particularly thorny genus.

He lifted the pearl up, gently, reverently. He wasn’t sure whether he could bear to allow the use of this pearl anymore than he could have Jiu Wei Hu’s body. But perhaps he might reconcile himself to the fact as he made his way back to Chang’e’s side.

***

Present Day

Chang’e came to see him that morning. She carried a small vial of elixir and placed it on the table next to the tea cups.

“You felt his soul stirring, then?”

Yu Tu nodded. He intended to descend and search for his Jiu Wei Hu. He wasn’t entirely sure how he would find one mortal in a sea of them, but he would search forever, if he had to. He had already waited this long.

“Thank you, Chang’e,” he said as he picked the elixir up and tucked it into his sleeve.

“It’s the least I can offer as thanks for what your Jiu Wei Hu sacrificed,” she said simply, and they finished their tea in companionable silence.

***

Yu Tu didn’t expect to stumble upon Jiu Wei Hu instantly, not in a city of millions. He wasn’t too discouraged, therefore, after several hours of searching turned up nothing. He had a strong impression the fox’s soul was in the general area, so he would concentrate himself here. In the meantime he needed to take a break and study the map for large gathering areas where he might find the other.

He stopped at a tea house, and ordered tea and his favoured mooncakes, spreading his map on the table as he waited for his order, to study.

There was a museum nearby, and a university campus. They were good places to start, where people came and went.

He looked up as the waiter brought over a tray with his order, and jerked out a hand automatically, his heart stopping dead in his chest. His movement had accidentally knocked the tray out of the waiters hands, and everything went smashing to the floor, drawing the attention of the entire patronage of the teahouse.

“I’m so incredibly sorry.” Yu Tu said carefully, and the young man looked at him with his fiery brown eyes, a flash of irritation crossing his sharply fox-like face. He quickly tamped it down though and settled it into something closer to a rueful smile. Yu Tu’s stomach dropped in reaction. He had seen that expression on that face so many times that night in the cave.

“It’s fine. Please be careful while I clear this up, sir, or you might cut yourself.” The young man, Jiang Cheng according to the tag on his uniform shirt, said, and he bent to begin picking up the shards of pottery and smashed mooncakes, and placing them on the tray. Yu Tu got up and bent to help.

“You don’t need to, sir, leave it to me.” There was a slight touch of exasperation in his voice, and Yu Tu smiled widely, this reincarnation of Jiu Wei Hu’s soul kept all the other’s irritability.

Jiang Cheng looked at him like he was a lunatic, which, considering he had virtually knocked the tray out of his hands, and now grinned like a fool, wasn’t unexpected.

“Are you feeling alright, sir?” Jiang Cheng asked, doubt in his voice.

“I’m feeling wonderful, thank you.”

Honestly so-so about the execution. The idea probably deserved more words than I wrote it as.

[mockingjayne12]

Anchor: ...In Waves

(Jamie x Claire / Outlander Fic)

 (PART ONE)

PART TWO:

Claire can still feel the smile upon her face, the one in which real laughter had escaped, boisterously through the night, bouncing off the flames, landing squarely on the matching grin of her husband’s face.  She’d relinquished control, if only for a moment, unable to stifle the bubbling happiness, however briefly, from tumbling out as she had watched Jamie dance.  A marked dance of defiance, one in which he tempted fate, in not only believing that the worst wasn’t about to happen, but in the confidence of his dance skills (A sheepish grin for her suggesting otherwise). ��For as bulky as he was, Claire’s eyes had been filled with mirth at how light on his feet he appeared.

Jamie had perhaps had a bit too much to drink, stumbling through the trail of trees, enclosing them in their embrace, shielding their outside troubles from seeping into the first night in a long while that they could actually enjoy themselves.  The moonlight peeked through the branches, lighting their way, as she gripped Jamie’s arm.  The fear from before laying dormant, awaiting it’s opportunity to spring up again and steal the laughter away from her.

“Where are we going?” A soft giggle accompanies her question, attempting to quell the rising panic.

“Ye got somewhere else tae be?” He replies, a crooked grin smiling down at her.

“Hmm, maybe,” she cocks her head, causing him to raise his brow.

“Well, dinna let me keep ye, Rawlings,” he teases, causing her mouth to drop open, before she purposely pushes him, having him stumble ahead of her.

“Yer stronger than ye look, Sassenach,” his words louder than usual, coming out as he trips over a branch in the trail.

“Careful,” she laughs, her hand attempting to steady him, but he twirls her into him instead, his face burying in her hair, taking her in as if she were the very air he breathed.  This only further cementing in her mind that she’d not been wrong when she’d claimed to be the the one thing he loved the most in this world.

A contented sigh passes through him, his gaze moving over her, seemingly sobering him up immediately.  She can feel some of the tension from earlier making its way through him, causing her to stiffen.

“Can I ask ye a question, Sassenach?” He asks, the blue truth behind his question refusing to meet her eyes, instead lingering anywhere but her face.

“Of course,” she says, her once happy laughter replaced with one of nerves, her fingers wringing themselves as they settle against her belt.  She swears she can hear every rustle of the leaves around them, a soft breeze trailing over her, sending gooseflesh along her arms, straight up her spine.

He pauses, as if studying something in his mind, the wheels turning, and she’s reminded of the Jamie she’d just married, embarrassed and nervous, asking questions he truly didn’t have the answers to, wanting nothing more than to protect her.

“Out with it,” she says in a light tone, hoping to encourage him, but her words tremble from her mouth, caught by the breeze, swaying with the dizzying effect of the alcohol on his breath.

“Did ye want to keep wee Bonnie?” He blurts out, but the way he’s looking at her, his usually stoic face is filled with one of concern and confusion, and she swears, that’s not really the question he wanted to ask her.

Claire has to admit that her arms feel empty having given the baby to Lucinda, aching to be filled once again with the soft weight of an infant.

“It had been suggested that she stay here with Lucinda,” she tries, raising her brow at him, trying not to betray the feeling of relief with regret mixed into a combination of want welling in her that she couldn’t stifle.

“That wasna the question,” he smiles, knowing that she was dancing around the issue.

“She needs her,” Claire offers up quietly, a whisper like a dagger digging into a scar that though had long ago healed had still left its mark, a reminder every day of what had been lost, now freshly blooming with a stab right where it hurt.

“And yer alright with that?” He asks once again, stepping closer, his hand reaching for her, but never quite landing.

Her eyes well up with tears, a torrent tearing through the blue despair, looking up to find the same emotion reflected in the pools before her.

“She was never mine to keep,” she whispers, the first tear escaping, the drop in the bucket that has Jamie’s thumb making contact with the soft pocket underneath her eye, soaking up her sadness, literally, taking the weight of her world on his shoulders, prepared to weather the storm together.

“Claire,” he murmurs, his cheek resting against her’s collecting her tears and making them his own, the bristle of his scruff anchoring her in time, her hands gripping his shirt to hold onto not just something, but the one thing in life that was her’s to keep.  Of that she knew.

“Jamie,” she breathes, more familiar with his name than her own.

“’Tis a child of yer own ye want…” he begins, and she can feel her breath catch, the soft gasp whispering by his ear.

“Don’t you think our time has already passed for that?” She asks with a bit of a laugh that’s swallowed by a sniffle of tears that refuses to stop.  It’s not as if the idea hadn’t floated across her mind now and then, particularly when she’d first come back to him - wondering if the regret of having missed out on both of his daughters, that he’d want something of the two of them forever, one last chance to get it right.  But he’d seemed content to reacquaint himself with her, and establish a relationship with Bree.  An army of grandchildren that he spoils rotten soon to follow, and with that, the idea had dissipated.  “I am happy for every moment we have together, I—“

Her words are interrupted by his head pulling back, a gaze of what she can only guess as astonishment quickly turning to that of a worrying endearment wash over him as he stares at her.  His hand leaves her cheek, but never breaks contact with her.  Instead trailing down her neck, his short nails tickling their way to the wing of her collarbone until she feels the soft grip down her arm, the gentle yank of her belt closer to him, before resting comfortably on her stomach.  Her hands come to rest upon his, as if by reflex, her body seemingly screaming in recognition of what’s going on before her mind can catch up.

“I sure hope not, Sassenach,” he says, his throat constricting, her name coming out with a choked sound, like he couldn’t quite believe it himself.

Claire’s look of disbelief clouds over her, a grin appearing on his face, and she knows he’s telling the truth.

“How could you know?” she asks, no accusation, the feeling of truth washing over her.  He lets out a gruff noise that sounds something like a laugh.  “Of course you know,” she says with a near roll of her eyes.

Every moment we have together…

The words taking on a new meaning, marking another scar ripped open, the salt of her tears rubbing in the wound of a situation that she seemed to find herself again, war imminent and her safety in question.  Her last two pregnancies flashing through her mind, the grieving mother longingly staring at wee Bonnie, one she was all too familiar with.

“Tell me I didna just write your obituary sooner, mo ghràidh,” and the look of concern, the one he’d been wearing since he’d cradled wee Bonnie in his arms, the one she’d thought had been one of concern for the baby, now made sense, the whirling storm in his eyes, battling that of perhaps finally getting the charm of a third try, but feeling as if he’d needed to commit every part of her to memory, limiting her time more so than the original obituary that promised to take them in a fiery blaze.

Her fingers squeeze the now chilled hands of the man who had once told her he’d wanted them to have twelve children, one for each spoon, whose fingers had never once had one of their babies wrap their whole hand around him, but whose heart had been wrapped in love from the start for each one.

“I think we both wrote that one,” she tries to tease, but his face just scrunches even further in concern.

“i’ve no life but you, Claire,” his lips meet her forehead, needing her in that moment to feel that she was there, whole, a solid light in front of the dark unknown that was ahead.  She can feel it in the pressure of his lips, the grip of his fingers, the heavy breath causing a tendril of hair to brush against her face, the erratic beat of his heart beneath her fingertips, the pulse of the current running through them both.  “But seeing ye with Bonnie…it reminded me of when ye were with child with Faith,” his eyes closing at the mention, as if recalling an image of their tiny baby he’d never seen, and she does the same, the image still so clear even after all those years.  “The way ye would have looked with Bree, but…I dinna want ye to suffer.“

Her hands frame his anguished face, fingertips pricking on the scruff, and while he mirrors her movement with one hand, the other refuses to leave that of her stomach, as if letting go would then allow the wave that threatened to swallow them under in its darkness would take her, them, from him.

“I didn’t think it was possible to love you more, Jamie,” their hands holding on for dear life.  “I can’t promise you it will be alright, but any child of ours, a child born out of love, is worth the risk.”

She pulls his head down to her, their lips meeting in a kiss of need, a desperation to the movement of their lips, making every nip count, while the taste of hope floats to the surface.  Only when they’ve completely stolen each other’s breath do they separate, resting their foreheads against one other, holding the other up, their strength drawn from each other, steadying in its unwavering love.

“I meant it…before, I willna part from ye, not again,” his statement sealed with a kiss to her knuckles, settling on the promise of forever, her ring.

“Together,” she offers, faith and fear pouring over the precipice they walk so carefully alongside, the sea of sorrow below them, awaiting their fall, but his hand grips her with a fierce determination that this time would be different.  This time they would both get to parent their child, from the start.

Jamie looks down, his hand still firmly placed against the life they were fighting for.

“Together.”

[nad-zeta]

Hi! I don’t know if you’re still taking asks but I would like to request a matchup! I’m 5’6 with olive skin and ringletted ebony hair with maroon-brown eyes and 👓 Not to brag but I’m also thicc xD I’m a usually nice and kind hearted person, but am also a bit lazy and can be a bit passive aggressive when I don’t like someone xD I also have a dirty mind xD I like to draw (that includes NSFW ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)) and cook too! I also love animals, especially cats 🐱 I also value loyalty in relationships

Hi hi, love! Thanks so much for the request and sorry for taking soooo long with it! I hope you enjoy and I hope you have the best day! (✿◠‿◠)

So I match you with.............. Shingen

The first time you meet Shingen was when Yuki saved you from falling to your death, down a steep dark cliff. You had spotted Shingen and damn what a gorgeous man he was. However, all that was short-lived as soon Masamune had tracked you down and dragged you back to the castle, where you were named as the princess of the Oda forces. It took some time to adjust to the castle life, but soon you found yourself fitting right in with the mixed bunch of men. They had actually come to love and adore you so much that they dubbed you their dearest little sister.

You loved your new Oda friends, but gosh, they were all up in your business 24/7. Also, you loved to draw, often you would lock yourself in your room and just spend hours upon hours drawing. You couldn’t help it, when you felt inspired; you just felt the urge to draw. Although there is a slight downside, unfortunately for you, Masamune had discovered your talents. Thankfully he took your natural scenery sketchbook, cause heaven knows you would never have lived it down if he had stumbled upon your NSFW sketchbook. He and Mitsuhide would tease you for days, no years if he had discovered that.  

You had been working super hard and needed some time alone do to what you loved most, draw. You felt inspired to draw a certain somebody you had met the night of the fire. You collected up your sketchpad and pencils and set out to find a peaceful spot to sit and draw the day away. You had wandered a little far from the castle wall, but it was all worth it, as you had stumbled upon a vast flower field. You sat yourself down beneath a great big tree and started to draw, you had lost track of time, as when you looked up from your finished drawing, the sun was swiftly setting. It was getting darker and darker by the second and thanks to the lack of electricity soon you were surrounded by pitch-black darkness, and you didn’t know how to make your way home. Luck had not been on your side that night, as some bandits had started to circle you like a fresh piece of meat. You were really in trouble, it was dark, you were woman alone in a field, and you were now on the radar of some super dodgy men. You grabbed your bag and ran, to where, you did not know, as long as it was far away from those dirtbags. You ran and ran and ran but to no avail as soon the men had caught up to you and had now grabbed you. 

You screamed your lungs out, hoping someone would come to your aid, and as if the angels in heaven had heard and answered your prayers, a big bear of a man appeared. The big tall, handsome man wasted no time in drawing his sword and getting into stance. The bandit that had captured you, now threw you to the ground and pulled out his weapon. “I hope you scoundrels are ready to pay with your lives for mistreating such a beautiful goddess.” You tried to stand up and run while the men were distracted, but as you stood up, a sharp pain shot through your ankle. The sword fight was over before it even started, as the bandits were clearly no match for your handsome saviour, they scurried away, leaving you with the man. You looked up at Shingen and smiled as you thanked him. The man knelt down and offered you a hand up, “are you alright, my angel.” You narrowed your eyes at that cheezy comment and broke out into laughter, you were most definitely not okay. “No, I think I sprained my ankle, and my brothers are going to kill me for staying out so late.” Before you could even finish your sentence, he picked you up and cradled you in his arms, he then started carrying you back to the main road. The two of you chatted as he walked, and the second Shingen came into the light you realized who he was.

You insisted he leave you on the main road, as you knew your way back from there. He was honestly reluctant but relented after you gave him the puppy dog eyes. He then kissed your hand and bid you good night, although unbeknown to you, Shingen watched you make your way home from the shadows. Once you got to the main gate you were met with a very, very worried Hideyoshi, “And just where have you been young lady, do you….” Before he finished his sentence, he looked down and saw your ankle, his eyes widened, and he rushed to your side to help you walk. He then picked you up bridal style and took you to Ieyasu’s manor to patch you up. You had to write a full report of what had happened, and once you handed it in, the oda forces started hunting for those rotten bandits that dared lay a hand on their dearest sister.

A few weeks had passed, and your ankle finally felt better, you snuck out the castle and make your way back to the flower field to draw once more. You sat down and started to sketch when all of a sudden you heard the rustling of a nearby bush. On high alert, you swiftly stood up, when all of a sudden, you were knocked down by a small force. You opened your eyes to see two big brown eyes staring back at you. That is when you realized you had stumbled upon a little bear cub. You breathed a sigh of relief and started playing with the cute cub, soon the little creature was all played out and came to rest on your lap. You continued your sketch, a few moments later a loud smooth voice startled you. “That is quite some drawing you have there my angel.” Your eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, and you moved to close your sketchbook, but alas you were too slow, as two big hands had lifted the book out of your hands and held it up in the air to examine it. You covered your face in embarrassment, Shingen gave a sly smirk as he studied the NSFW picture you were busy sketching of him, you honestly couldn’t help it, he was an absolutely gorgeous man. He gave a chuckle and returned the book to you “I must say I am flattered that such a celestial being has taken an interest in a mere mortal like myself.” You couldn’t help but laugh and playfully hit him on the chest. He really was a charmer.

Since that day it seemed that every time you went to the flower field to sketch Shingen and the little bear would conveniently just appear out of thin air. Soon you started to anticipate meeting the mysterious man. You had come to really enjoy his company, the two of you would often play with the cub and sip on some tea, courtesy of Shingen. Soon both of you found yourselves falling head over heels for each other. Shingen loved your drawings, he loved to sit and watch you draw, the way your hands would gracefully bring the image in your mind to life. He also loves that dirty mind of yours and would often tease you relentlessly.

You knew the man’s birthday was coming up via your best ninja friend Sasuke and wanted to do something nice for Shingen. You decided to use your two greatest talent and make the man you loved, a homemade gift. You had met Shingen in your usual spot in the flower field and presented him with his gift. He unwrapped the bundle with the utmost care, and his eyes widened when he saw the contents inside. You had made him some sickly sweet confectionaries and a drawing of him playing with the lil bear cub in the flower field. He was honestly so touched, never in his life had anyone given him such a thoughtful gift. He took a bite of the sweets you had made for him and he melted, it was the best sweets he had ever eaten in his life. The only thing that could possibly make Shingen even happier was if you loved him as much as he loved you.

He moved to hug you, to thank you for the gift when the bear decided at that moment to jump up onto Shingen making him lose his balance, soon the two of you toppled over, with Shingen laying beneath you. Your hand were on either side of his head, and honestly, before you knew it, you had leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss. Things escalated rather quickly as not before long both of you were out of breath, smiling the biggest smiles.

Even though Shingen was a bit of a playboy in his past, he was now utterly and completely devoted to you and you to him. He loved you more than words could describe and he spent every day of his life showering you with kisses and affection. Of course, you being an Oda princess, with a group of overly protective brother made thing quite tricky for the two of you, but you were working towards getting their permission to go back home with Shingen.  

Shingen adored the fact that you were an honest, sweet, kind, caring woman, and he often wondered what he did right in life to deserve the love of such a celestial being. You were honestly the most kind-hearted person that he knows, helping every animal and person in need. In fact so kind-hearted that you were the first person in history to open an animal rescue for injured and homeless animals. A project that not only Shingen supported but all your oda brothers

Often the two of you cuties can be found walking in hand through the markets, just enjoying each others company. When you and Shingen aren’t together playing with the bear cub in the flower field, you are spending a quiet evening together in Shingen’s safe house. You would often be found nestled in Shingen’s arms as he showers you with endless love and sweet kisses

Other potential matches.............. Masamune 

I hope you enjoyed this love! (◕ᴗ◕✿)

[allieallie]

Lovely Life by allieallie

 A breeze of cold air puffed across a young woman standing on a balcony holding letter tightly she read:

Dearest Lovely, 

I am sorry to leave you this fine day, I am sorry I haven't told you about my condition earlier. I didn't want to see your sad face every time we saw each other. All I wanted was to live the rest of my days with you.

 I remember the day we first went up on stage together with our first-ever song. I played the guitar and you were singing, with the most angel-like voice, that is when I fell head over heels for you. Every time you called my name, I had a desire to hold you close and never let go. 

 All the memories we made, please cherish them. I shall say my last goodbye, 

Please let the other bandmates know I said goodbye.

With lots of love,

Ryan.

 A tear dropping with every word. Grief filled the clouds, turning them grey. As the light rain starts, masking the tears, the lady walks back into the house only to cry some more. 

After that, she wouldn’t leave the house, nor answer the door. Feeling depressed, she lied on her bed. She lit a cigarette, although she had never done so before. As the days went by, her health started declining. Her angelic voice had disappeared, now replaced with a raspy, hoarse one. She waited for her death to approach. 

***

An old lady jerks up from her sleep, taking deep uncontrollable breaths. Her heart ached from the nightmare. As she got out of the bed, she accidentally knocked the lamp off of the side table, making a loud thud. Moments later the elderly woman saw the door slowly creaking open, followed by a voice. Thinking no-one was home, she listened nervously.

-Miss Lovely! is everything okay?

Relieved that it was only her nurse, Nila, she replied:

-Oh sorry dear, I accidentally knocked off the lamp.

The girl walks over and picks up the object in question and she asks:

-Is everything alright? You seem a bit upset.

-Oh, don't worry, I just had another silly dream. Everything is alright- Miss Lovely smiled, attempting to avoid the subject.

- Is it? You can tell me, I know you aren’t telling the truth.

- Alright I suppose I should. I- - Miss Lovely sighed - I had an unpleasant dream about my past. Years ago, I was- - She gulped, but couldn’t bring herself to continue, tears already running down her face.

- Oh, I am so sorry miss Lovely - Nila replied feeling guilty for making the old lady reminisce such a thing.- I didn't know.

- It's not your fault, it's now in the past anyway. -The elderly woman said forcing a smile to lighten up the mood.

 They sat in silence before, a knock at the front door was heard. Nila left to check who it was and Lovely stood up to get changed. A few minutes later she entered the living room and saw someone familiar sitting on the couch. The stranger glimpsed at her, noticing someone walk in, and stood up excitedly after realizing who it was:

-Lovely! Long time no see! How you been!?

-Tylor is that you?- Lovely said, in surprise.

-Yes, indeed. Is something the matter?

-Well, you look older.- Lovely said with a mocking tone.

-I could say the same to you.

Tylor used to play the bass guitar in Lovely’s band, called Moon. His signature move was the slap and a killer smile. However, the band did not last long, and they split with everyone going their merry way. He later became a successful businessman by selling his bass solo.

-I have not seen the whole town yet, maybe you could show me around? - Tylor asked as he had only arrived the day before.

-Sorry, I cannot at the moment. I have duties to tackle. - Lovely said, already drained by the idea of working.

- Oh! I can help you out and in return, you could show me around. - Tylor suggested enthusiastically.

The duties involved collecting apples and mushrooms from the forest nearby. While they were on the way, Lovely pulled out her photo album, which she had brought along, and recalled the fun memories they had while the band hadn’t yet disbanded.

-Hey, I remember that! - Tylor exclaimed, pointing at a photograph - This was our first ever performance. I remember sliding to the front of the stage on my knees to look cool and fell off!- Tylor chuckled -You guys were so mad, and later we all laughed about it.

Lovely chuckled, flipping through more pages until they opened the page where a letter was. Lovely's eyes dropped as her bright smile disappeared. Only with a glimpse of the page, Tylor knew it was about Ryan. Ryan was a former bandmate and Lovely's significant other who passed 42 years ago. Ryan wrote the letter and placed it in her memory book before passing away from cancer. Lovely never knew he was sick so it was devastating news to her and even now she cries remembering him.

 The two former bandmates walk along a path, collecting mushrooms when Lovely sees a large patch of daisies not far from where they stood so she decides to explore it. She walks over with Tylor still following, telling her about recent events in his life when they stumble upon an old fountain, which was still running. There was a bench right next to it, so they sat down for a break. As lovely places, the open photo album next to her on the bench, Ryan’s letter gets carried away by the wind and into the fountain. Tylor noticing this exclaims:

-The letter! Lovely quick take it out!

Lovely instantly turns around and sees what he had been shouting about and reaches in. Tylor also trying to retrieve the letter, tries to grab it but they both fall in.

Lovely breaking the water surface takes a deep breath but the letter was nowhere to be found. She shouts at Tylor to see if he got it but instead sees a much younger version of him. He was getting out, his clothing all wet turns to her, and is in complete awe. She has long brown locks, clear pale skin, and much taller than she used to be. The same could be said for him. He has better posture, a skinnier face, and mid-length black hair. 

-What happened to you? -Lovely says in surprise.

-What? Are we young again? - Tylor cries, touching his clear and unwrinkled face.

-Is this a dream? -The brunette questions, looking at her friend.

-I don’t know but we have to head back - He replies.

They both walk the usual route, but upon seeing the town their jaws drop. All of the new shops, roads, and buildings aren’t there. They kept looking around the town when they see a young and a very much alive Ryan walking towards them. He still had his curly blond hair and mesmerizing green eyes. Lovely couldn’t keep her emotion to herself so she ran at him and hugged him to make sure.

-You’re here!? - She exclaimed, in happiness and confusion.

-Of course, I am. We were supposed to meet here. -Ryan says cluelessly while returning the hug.

-This can’t be real - Tylor says, rubbing his eyes. Ryan looking concerned at him.

- Why is it a surprise to you guys, was I supposed to be assassinated or something? - The blond jokes, but soon realized the others found it in poor taste so he laughed it off.

The bassist took Lovely by her arm and dragged her back to the fountain and Ryan followed in confusion. When they got to where the fountain was supposed to be they only saw the bench and Tylor noticed their clothes were no longer wet.

-What is this? Where’s the fountain? - He said in shock, looking over to the couple. Lovely had an ill face but didn’t let her boyfriend see it to avoid his concern.

-What do you mean? There was never a fountain here -Ryan explained still not understanding their weird behavior.

-We should get back. By the way, what day is it today?- The girl said breaking the silence.

-It’s October 2nd, why? 

- 1976? - Tylor continued

- Um, yes. Are you guys feeling okay?- The boyfriend asks and remembers - Oh also I haven’t told you this yesterday but I got us a gig at Jerico’s. And we’re performing tonight!

-That’s awesome! - Lovely says in an excited voice.

Later that night after the performance Ryan and Lovely shared an intimate moment backstage, where he told her just how much he loved her and how much he wanted to live long enough to get old together. At that moment she realized how he was hinting at his sickness and she never bothered to give his words too much thought.

*-Ryan, I love you, no matter what happens in the future. - Lovely said holding back her tears as they embrace in a hug.*

 The morning after she receives a call from Ryan’s mother telling her he passed away. She was so devastated at the news, even though she knew he would die that night. Her heart ached but she remembered the photo album and how he was supposed to slip the letter in. She rushed to her bookshelf and went through it, in hopes it was already there but she couldn’t find it. No matter how many times she checked, it wasn’t there. Out of the worry that she had done something different for history to go wrong she called Tylor and explained her frustration. He invited her over and they talked.

-It can’t be right! The letter must have been there - Lovely cried.

-Calm down, we’ll figure this out - Tylor said, reassuring her.

-The letter is real right? I had it for so many years it has to be. You saw it too right?-She exclaimed waiting for an answer, to make sure she wasn’t imagining all of this. 

-Yes, It did exist - The bassist said, not being able to push out another word

-Are we in an alternate universe where he decided not to write the letter?-She questioned, to a point where she was driving herself insane.

-Lovely stop - He paused- I wrote the letter

-What? No, but I was sure it was Ryan. - She said with a sour expression - Why would you do that to me, lie for all these years? I thought you cared about me!

-I do and that’s why I wrote it. When I found out how much and how hard you’ve been grieving over him. It broke my heart. I was sad that he couldn’t say goodbye to you. So I dropped it off in your photo album while I was visiting a few days after. I wrote it so you wouldn’t think he didn’t love you -He said desperately trying to explain myself. 

-He didn’t love me? - She whispered through the tears, with her lips trembling.

-What? That’s not what I said - He said, shaking his head.

-Yes it is! You said, “So you wouldn’t think he didn’t love you”!- She shouted, her face turning red.

-I didn’t mean it like that! You know he loved you. He said “I love you” to you every day, every chance he got! -He barked not being able to keep his temper.

Lovely stood up and left without a word and Tylor was left, regretting telling her about the letter. Now he had to prove to her that Ryan really did love her.

Two days later Ryan’s mother invites Tylor to their house for dinner because she knew he was one of Ryan’s best friends and that his death might have affected them in a bad way. After his arrival, he roams around the house looking for a bathroom and sees an office room. He walks in and sees a lone desk and chair.  He sits down on the office chair and looks around his table. He notices a drawer and opens it out of curiosity. It had a box inside it. Just as he does so Ryan’s mother walks in and Tylor jumps up from the chair.

-Oh, I knew you’d get lost - She says -The bathroom is actually that way -She points in a different direction.

-Thank you, I was just looking at this - Tylor says pulling the box out of the drawer

- I didn’t know Ryan was going to propose so soon. Did he tell you about the ring?- She asked, the smile never leaving her face.

-The ring?-He says in confusion but soon realizes she’s talking about an engagement one- Ah yes he did, he wanted to propose to Lovely, right? -He said in hopes that it was actually for Lovely and that he didn’t have a secret mistress who he loved more.

-Yes, what an amazing girl she is - She begins before she hears the kitchen timer ring- Ooh, sounds like dinner’s ready! Don’t forget to wash your hands- She continues and leaves.

Now that Tylor had sufficient evidence to prove to Lovely that Ryan truly loved her, he needed to get her to see it. He knew it was risky but he shoved the ring in his pocket anyway and went back to being a guest. After dinner, he came over to Lovely’s house and knocked on the door. She didn’t answer.

-Lovely, listen I know you can hear me. I have proof that he really loved you! - Tylor shouted loud enough for Lovely to hear him from her open window. She knew nothing could bring her mood back up but she decided to listen to him. She opened the door.

-What is it?- She said in a monotone voice.

-See this? It’s an engagement ring. He wanted to marry you - He said proudly.

-Why do you spend so much money on something you can’t fix! - She cried in disbelief, for him to go this far with a lie.

-I didn’t buy it. I found it at his house!- He exclaimed, trying to prove himself

-His mother is staying there, I visited her the other day. She would have told me! - She shouted.

-Fine just keep this, for me -He couldn’t do anything else so he gave up. 

He handed her the ring box and waited for her to open it when he realized he didn’t actually check if there was anything inside. Lovely looked at it and opened waiting to be disappointed. Much to her surprise, it was nothing she ever expected, it wasn’t even a ring. It was a small rose gold chain necklace, which she mentioned she liked when she and Ryan went window shopping once. Her face lost the heavy expression which she had been wearing during the whole ordeal. Tylor still couldn’t see what was in the box, so he assumed it was empty; he waited to be shouted at or have the door slam against his face, instead he felt Lovely hug him. She held onto him.

-I’m sorry -She whispered, as Tylor hugged her back, not saying a word. 

After letting go of each other, they walked back to the bench and sat down.

-I guess this is it -Lovely began- We relive our lives all over again.

-At least I know my Bass-solo is going to be a success -Tylor laughed and Lovely smiled to herself.

The sun was setting and they both sat in complete silence. Lovely looked down and noticed a small patch of daisies. She picked one up and rolled it’s stem with her fingers, inspecting it. “No matter how much I beat myself over him, he won’t come back. Learning to move on is part of growing. Instead of grieving over someone’s death, I shouldn't wait for mine. I should live my life to the fullest. That's what Ryan would have wanted for me. I should embrace and celebrate what others aren't fortunate enough to have for long ”.

[twistedcharismaaa]

The Red Door pt. 7 “Cracked”

Summary: You and Erik have a lot of shared history together but because of recent events you’re scared that you’re going to lose your best friend. Maybe he’s still there … behind that red door?

Author’s Note: Hi everyone. I know it’s been a minute since I’ve written for the Red Door. I apologize for the delay. I highly recommend re-reading chapter 6 before reading this chapter since it’s been so long. I just wanted to let you guys know that I tremendously struggled with this chapter. So I hope you guys enjoy it. This chapter will answer a lot of your questions and I know for a fact it will leave you with more. If you’re confused, let me know. This is another flashback. (I hope this helps.) Leave a comment for ya girl. I hopeeeee this is good. I’m nervous again y’all lol.

Marie was worn physically but her heart was full seeing the beauty in front of her. Every bone broken, every ounce of pain and every push was worth it to bring such a pure soul into this world. Her world. Her newborn son Erik who was sleeping soundly in her arms. She kissed him sweetly and admired the blessing that laid comfortably in her arms. 

“He looks like me. Doesn’t he?” John asked as he kissed Marie’s forehead.

Marie smiled and closed her eyes as John’s lips gently embraced her. 

“Mhm, he has your eyes and your lips,” she replied softly.

“You should get some rest. Let me take my son while Martha attends to you,” he suggested.

Marie nodded weakly and watched John lift Erik out of her arms tentatively. He kissed her once more and left the room quietly.

Martha walked over to Marie’s bed and grinned at her timidly. She dipped a white cloth in cool water and dabbed it across her glistening flesh. 

Martha worked as a certified midwife. She helped countless couples naturally deliver healthy babies. She met Marie at a spiritual shop where she was looking for properties that possessed healing. Nine months later, here she is at her bedside attending to her every need.

“I want to thank you, Martha, I couldn’t have done this without you,” Marie admitted.

“You should get some rest. I don’t know why you’re fighting your sleep.” Martha suggested.

“I guess I will close my-” 

“Liar! Liar!” John screamed as he swung open the bedroom door harshly. 

John stood in front of Marie’s bed breathing heavily with a knife in his hand. It was the same knife that she made specifically to protect herself from her enemies. The Sons of Feu (fire). Once the blade would pierce the skin, it would cause immediate agony followed by a promised death. 

“John, what’s wrong? Martha go get Erik please!” Marie yelled.

Martha stood frozen. Unable to move or speak. 

“Martha! Go get my baby!” she cried.

“Witch! Don’t speak another syllable or I will have your tongue!” he commanded.

John looked over at Martha with a smirk on his face. 

“Martha is under my power now. Isn’t that right Martha?” he replied.

Martha’s face was wet from streaming tears that flowed effortlessly down her cheeks. Her mind was telling her to scream, to run…..to do anything besides standing there helplessly.

“I just finished communing with the ancestors. I asked them to bless our child. I asked them to make him strong… and then I stumbled upon this,” he continued.

“John put the knife down.” Marie pleaded.

She was too weak from giving birth to defend herself, her child, and Martha. She tried to reason with John before using the last bit of her power.

“I can’t believe this...” he replied with a chuckle. 

“I slept with the mistress of deception herself.” he continued.

“I am no such thing!” she yelled while slamming her fist on the bed.

“You are no simple witch. You are a Laveau. You are a direct descendant from the Great Mother herself.” he spat.

“I am Marie Simmons!” she screamed.

She waved her hand quickly to free Martha from John’s hold. She waved her hand again to make the knife John was holding fly into the wall. Once Martha was set free, she quickly ran into the nursery to retrieve Erik.

“Why do you care about that knife? Hm?” she spat.

John approached Marie fully enraged. He grabbed her by the throat and threw her down onto the bed.

“You knew who I was from the moment you met me. Didn’t you? You had all of this planned huh?” he growled. 

Marie tried to reach for the knife but John’s grasp on her was too strong.

“I-I didn’t I thought you were a witch. Like me!” she murmured. 

John released his clutch on her and grabbed the knife out of the wall.

“I should end your life with this. But I have better plans for you Ms. Laveau. I am a man of style.” he said.

“You are no man! You’re a demon!” she screamed.

Martha quickly and carefully wrapped Erik into a warm blanket and placed him in her arms. Martha tried to ignore the horrifying screams that were coming out of the bedroom as she gathered Erik’s belongings. Once everything was collected, she ran towards the door.

John was pulling Marie by her hair while walking towards Martha menacingly.

“Martha. Where do you think you’re going with my son?” he quizzed.

Marie waved her hand weakly and the red door of the apartment opened.

“G-Go Martha.” Marie pleaded in a feeble tone.

John slammed Marie’s head into the ground and watched the blood ooze from her skull onto the wooden floor. He dipped two fingers into her blood and painted it in the middle of his forehead devilishly.

“The first witch to grace this earth was a woman. She was formed from the branches of the oldest oak tree who they call The Great Mother. Witches directly carved from The Great Mother possess endless power and they’re able to shift into any creature or living being. This might not even be Marie’s true face.”

John took a step towards Martha and kissed her cheek.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked while protectively clinging to Erik.

 “Because my sweet, you’re going to help me pluck the very living root from that tree,” he muttered.

“W-why?” Martha whispered.

“Because that’s what these witches deserve,” he answered.

Before Martha could answer he cupped her face gently.

“Martha Stevens you’re going to forget what you’ve seen here today. You’re going to teach my son the ways of a normal human life. But you will teach him to fear the Laveau name. He will view her as evil and me…”

John chuckled to himself and continued.

“And me, as a savior. The Sons of Feu will rise again.”

John sealed his spell with a kiss on Martha’s lips. Martha blinked multiple times and looked at John with utter confusion.

“I’m sorry. I must be lost.” she laughed awkwardly.

“I think you’re looking for the exit to the complex. It’s this way.” he pointed.

Cute kid. What’s his name?” he continued innocently.

“Erik. Erik Stevens.” 

That’s when he knew his spell worked.

------

Two hours later, Marie awakened and sat up slowly in a pool of her own blood. She stumbled slowly to her feet and closed her apartment door. 

“I am no simple witch,” she muttered to herself while staggering towards her bedroom.

She sat on her bed and began to laugh wickedly.

“That I am not.”

Suddenly there was a loud roar of thunder and the entire apartment complex was engulfed in darkness. Her darkness. Her sadness, her rage, and her grief. Her laughter grew louder and more sinister by each passing moment.

“Great Mother thank you for this strength and this vengeance.”

-----------

Part 6 Part 8

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[ashsblurbs]

Change is scary

*Well this was supposed to be a short and quick. No, this fic has now told me what to write. Hope you enjoy the baby shower. Part three* 

“Wait, Steve what are you telling me.” Natasha was busy putting the final touches on the cake she made for Steve’s baby shower slash gender reveal party. All of their friends were going to be there to celebrate baby Rogers. Steve still wouldn’t tell Natasha what the baby’s name was going to be so, baby Rogers was what they agree to call her. Steve was trying to blow up the last few balloons but was struggling when he had a baby growing into his chest. Natasha took the balloon away from him so as not to hurt himself. “I’m saying I bought a house in Maine and wonder if you would help me move there.” Steve prayed she would say yes. He really didn’t know what he would have done without her support for the last six months.

“Of course, I will and if you will have me, I will come with you. I will be there for her birth and till her first birthday. How does that sound?” Steve jumped up and wrapped his arms around her. Tears welling up in his eyes. These damn hormones he thought. “Natasha please come with me. I can’t do this without you.” She rubbed his back to reassure him she wasn’t going anywhere. “When were you thinking about moving. After she is born.” Steve backed up and put a nervous grin on his face. “Um, about in two weeks.” Natasha looked like she was about to panic. Steve took a step back and tried to “finish” something even though everything was done. “Rogers did you say two weeks.” Not meeting her eyes at all, “Yeah.”

Natasha started to pace around the room with a note pad in hand listing off everything that still needed to be down. “Okay, good thing you have bought nothing yet for the nursery. We can take care of all of that in Maine. What does this place look like? Will we need to remodel it at all or is it move-in ready.” Steve placed his hands on her shoulders to make her stop. She was making him anxious. “Would you like to see the house.” She nodded and he led her to the couch where he pulled up his laptop. The house was cute she thought. All white with a nice front yard. It was a nice start she thought. It would be a wonderful place to grow up in. “See it’s a small three-bedroom house. Nothing too crazy. Carpet guys are coming in next week and so are the paint people. I have set up a U-Haul truck and thought to ask the guys when they get here if they will help us.” Natasha took a deep breath. “That doesn’t mean we still don’t need to go shopping.” Steve just smiled and shook his head.

“Please tell me what I am looking at here.” Bucky held the ultrasound photo in his hands. “Dude, it’s upside down for one, and two it’s a baby.” Sam took the photo out of the confused man’s hands and turned it right side up. “See Buck, there is its head and legs. I think that might be a penis. Steve, you are having a boy right.” Steve chuckled knowing the truth. He brought over pizza for the crew to eat. “Sam, you will know when I cut the cake. Only me and Natasha know the gender.” Natasha stuck her tongue out loving the fact she knows something they don’t know. In the back of her mind she knew someone else knew the gender too and if Steve knew that he would be furious with her.

Tony walked along the beach talking in the scent of sea salt. Being here always brought him back to memories when he was just a child. Jarvis would take him out to collect seashells. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if he could have brought Steve here. He would have loved it. Steve would have first complained that it was too hot but once his feet touched the water, he would have begged Tony to move here.  The thought brought a smile to his face but then sadness fell upon him again. It had been six months since Tony walked out. He tried most days to not think about the man he loved but today was different. Maybe it was nostalgia, but the universe was trying to connect them together. He pulled out his phone knowing he shouldn’t do it, but he does it anyway. All he wanted to do was hear Steve’s voice one last time.

Steve and all of his friends stood around the nice-looking cake Natasha made for him. It was solid gray with white roses and on top said baby Rogers June 2014. “I still say it’s a boy-man did you see the photo.” “No way, Sam it’s a girl. I can see it in Steve’s eyes that it’s a girl. Right.” Natasha waved a hush over the boys to get them to be quiet. Steve cut the cake open to reveal pink M’M’s falling out of it. “I told you.” Sam huffed and rolled his eyes. He bent down to Steve’s now very large stomach, “Little lady, you made me lose a very important bet.” This just made Steve chuckled. It was nice finally being able to share the news with other people. This was to be a wonderful moment. He was just scared of ruining it once he told the guys he was moving.

“I have a favor to ask you two. Could you guys help me move?” Sam and Bucky looked at each other curiously. “Where are you moving too? You and Tony loved this apartment.” And right when Bucky said what he said he regretted it. Pain washed over Steve’s face. He was doing so well but once again the thought of not having the father of his child around hurt more than anything in the world. Steve sucked in a breath, so he didn’t cry. “Yeah, that’s why I am moving. This apartment. This city just doesn’t really feel like home anymore. I think it was time for a change that’s why I choose to move to Maine in two weeks.”

“Maine!” The two men shouted. They were so perplexed because Steve grew up not even three blocks over. New York was his town. At the same time, they understood. Natasha filled them in about what was going on right after Steve announced his pregnancy. Bucky was extremely close to going to Stark tower and giving Tony a piece of his mind for leaving his brother and their unborn child. Steve told him not too and even if wanted to, he couldn’t, Stark ran away to Malibu, like a coward. “Yeah, Steve we will help you move and get everything set up. Why don’t we stay there until she is born?” Steve was grateful for the offer, but he thought all four of them in a three-bedroom house would get pretty overwhelming. “Thanks, guys but Natasha was actually going to stay with me until she turns one. If you would like you could stay for a week. Help me set up the nursery. Even come back for her birth.” Sam said yes right away but Bucky just looked over at Natasha. “You are going to be gone for a whole year?” Natasha nibbled at her lip with guilt. She should have talked to him first about the situation, but she thought he wouldn’t mind because she was going to be with Steve and his niece. “We will talk about it later okay.” Bucky just nodded his head in agreement. Sam clapped his hands to lighten the mood. “Hey, why don’t we go onto the balcony and watch the stars and maybe even talk about something a little lighter.” The group agreed.

Steve went into his room to retrieve some blankets. Sam had the grand idea of wanting to go outside and look at the stars. Steve thought this was a wonderful idea. As he was in his closet grabbing them when all of the sudden his cellphone went off. Steve looked down but the number was blocked. Weird he thought. It most likely was just spam but he answered anyway. “Hello,” No answer all he heard was breathing. “Hello, who is this?” Still, no answer but he heard the ocean in the background. “Come on Steve. Where are the blankets?” Steve waved his hand for Sam to go away. “I will be right there in a second.” He focused back to the call, but the line was dead. He put the phone down. That couldn’t be Tony right. Or was it. Steve pushed the thought out of his head. He didn’t care, all he cared about was his little girl. He couldn’t waste anymore of his time on that selfish man. His life was better now.  He carried the blankets out to his friends feeling overwhelming happy for the first time in many months.

Tony hung up the phone quickly after he heard Steve’s voice. What had he done? He shouldn’t have left but Steve sound so happy. This was probably because Tony wasn’t there and whoever that man was in the background. It must have been Steve’s new boyfriend. Tony shouldn’t have been jealous. It was all his fought for the pain he was going through. He wasn’t a selfish man and was happy for Steve, he really was. Tony kicked the sand. What he would do for a martini, but he promised himself he wouldn’t. Then his phone ranged. “Did you send anything to Nat for her baby shower?” Tony sighed and pushed his hair back out of his face. He felt bad for not have spoken to her in a while.

He decided to send a snow globe of New York because Bucky grew up there and the baby most likely will too. Then he found one of his mother’s sterling hairbrushes and thought Natasha could use it more then he could. While he was searching through his house for one last thing he stumbled upon a small yellow blanket with a bear on top. For some reason it had the letters S.R.S on it. It thought of Steve. That would have been his initials if they got married or the initials of their future kids. Tony balled up the blanket and through it in with the other stuff. Nat could always just change the letters or put some words on it.

“Okay name idea Brooklyn since we grew up in Brooklyn.” Steve laughed. Honestly, it wasn’t a bad idea. “No, no what about Natasha.” Steve shook his head. “Guys, I have a name picked out but you all will know even you Natasha when she is born.” Natasha crossed her arms in a huff. She didn’t like not knowing a secret. Then the gang got quiet. All three of them wanted to ask a similar question but they feared upsetting Steve. “Go ahead ask your questions about Tony. I promise I won’t get upset. I know Sam and Bucky bound to have some questions they want to ask.”

The two men looked at each other and they only had one question they wanted to be answered. Bucky spoke up though. “I know Tony is an ass. You know my feeling towards him but are you ever going to tell him?” Steve brought the blanket closer to his chest. He knew this question was coming. Natasha often tried to sprinkle it into conversations, but Steve always dismissed. “No, I am not. He’s not here and he decided to leave like a coward so no. But his name will be on the birth certificate and she will have two last names Rogers-Stark. Once she gets older and starts to ask questions then I will tell her because I will have to admit he was a wonderful man. He was never mean to me or disrespect me until he left me one night without a proper goodbye but until that day comes, I will not speak about that man.” The three of them nodded their heads in understanding. They knew never to bring up Tony until Steve did. Steve felt a kick in his abdomen; it was a real surprise. This was his first kick. “Guys she just kicked come here feel.” They gathered around each one placing a hand on Steve’s very round belly. Then there was a kick again. “Oh my gosh. She’s kicking this is so cool. Hi, baby, can you do that again for your Auntie Nat.” Then a kick again. The little moments in life really were the best.

Sam and Bucky had left for the night while Natasha stayed to help him clean up. Steve sat in what was going to be his nursery unpacking all of the gifts. Natasha got him way too many clothes. He told her not to since she was going to grow out of them quickly. Bucky got him a couple boxes of diapers and five children books. A few both of them enjoyed reading as a kid and a few that were newer. Sam went above and beyond and got him a stroller, playpen, and several stuffed animals. He said a child never had too many stuff animals. Then he pulled out a mystery box that had come in the mail as well as some congratulation cards with some money from the people that couldn’t make it.

Steve carefully opened the box to find three items in it. The first one was a snow globe with the New York skyline. Steve thought this was odd but really sweet. At least his daughter would learn about where she was really from. The next thing was a silver hairbrush. This looked priceless. Now he wonders who was responsible for sending this; were they the same person with the teddy bear. He picked up the last thing and it was a yellow blanket with once again a teddy bear attached to it. Then he looked down and saw the initials S.R.S. He through the blanket across the room. How did this person know the initials of his unborn child? No one knew them except him. It had to be Tony.  That would be impossible Steve thought because Tony was in Malibu. Steve grabbed the box to look for an address, anything but there was nothing it was a blank box. It was like someone had dropped the package at his doorstep. Steve through the box against the wall in frustration which lead Natasha to be concern.

“Hey, you okay.” She through the towel she had in her hand over her shoulder and sat next to Steve. She saw the three things that weren’t there earlier, but she made no comment. “Yeah, I’m fine just really tired you know. A lot is changing. My life is changing. My body is changing. She is changing every day. She will be here is three months. When did that happen? It’s just a lot to handle. You know?” Steve laid down on his back and looked up at the ceiling. He was so exhausted. “I understand Steve, but none of us can ever go back to our old life. We just have to keep moving forward.” Steve knew she was right. They laid there together on the floor until both of them fell asleep. He didn’t know what he would ever do if Natasha wasn’t there right beside him.