#i love fae aus did you notice

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC Fae!Danny But Make It Fantasy

I've already made a whole Changeling AU with fae!Danny, but guess what, I have decided not to achieve any level of chill with fae ideas.

We all know Danny is Ghost Kind. Now, what if he is a Fae Prince? A Prince of Winter, to be exact. Imagine all the ice castles (Elsa, I'm looking at you), the snowy lands, northern lights in his crown, a cape made of tiny ornate snowflakes. Crystalline ice swords, skin so white he doesn't even look alive, eyes clear and blue like a frozen lake. Formal gowns, ballrooms, duels and carriages pulled by horses made of snowstorms.

He used to be a changeling, put in place of Dan. Grew up in a village with his parents being witch hunters, or maybe just hunters in general. Meanwhile Dan, a human child whose place he took, grew up in a fae realm, surrounded by magic creatures and miracles.

But Danny couldn't hide he was a fae his whole life. He used to look human when he was a baby, but as the time went by, he started to look more and more fae-like. Jazz was the first to notice it, of course, but this was Danny, a child she practically raised, so she dealt with it. Their parents, though, did not.

Sam and Tucker are in the know, for sure. Sam used this opportunity to learn witchcraft - who is better to learn from than an actual fae? Tucker is a blacksmith, as is his family. The first thing he asked Danny when he discovered he is a fae, was "how in the seven kingdoms are you a fae, and you decided a blacksmith is your best friend?" because, honestly, not even Fentons have so much iron around them as Tucker does.

Now, you may be thinking of where the DC part comes in here.

Well, the Waynes are actually the royal family. Bruce is the King of Gotham, and his children are princes, princesses, and heirs. They are also protecting the country not only by the word of the law, but also from the other, more shady side. I think they should go by Shadows, not Bats, though, since I doubt a name like 'Batman' would fly in the fantasy world.

Constantine is a mage, the strongest one alive, and yet he couldn't care less for his uniqueness if he tried for a week. Diana is the Queen of Themyskira, of course. I think Krypton should be its own country or a continent, ruled by the family of El. Although Jon is the first heir to a throne, due to Kon being, well, a bastard in terms of medieval customs.

After Danny's race is found out by his parents, he leaves for the fae realm, and he offers his friends and his sister to join him. Tucker refuses, Sam and Jazz take him up on that, but Sam leaves shortly after - she mostly used it to get away from her overbearing parents. She is now a witch who lives in the woods all alone, and no one can find her. She keeps contact with Danny, though. Jazz is traveling both the fae and the human realms, just having fun with it.

Jason is part-fae. After he died, a cult has abducted his body - the cult leader being Ra's, of course - and used it for an experiment. They used some fae magic to bring him back, or, maybe, they have tried to merge a fae and a human, creating a chimera. This was the first option of Ra's trying to get closer to Bruce in order to take power. It was not a very successful option since both Jason and whatever was left of the fae inside him decided not to obey the madman.

Damian was... slightly more successful. He was not merged with anything, but his development was magically enhanced.

And now, while Danny is back in the fae realm and he is a crowned Prince of Winter, Clockwork has a problem. He knows humans are afraid of fae, but this is not a very productive way to go. And there is a timeline somewhere there that can fix it.

Of course, Danny is right in the middle of that timeline. Now, Clockwork just needs to find a way to help Danny make an alliance with humans.

[corkinavoid]

I'm sorry in advance if you happen to not like the dpxdc fandom, but I really could not hold myself, so here we go.

So we take the 'Danny is a fae lord', add it to the 'Damian abides by the fae rules', mix with the 'Al Ghul twins!AU' and a pinch of fae lore and what do we get? That's right, a

DPxDC Changeling AU

Now, you will have to pardon my uneducated insolence since all my DC knowledge comes from the fanon, so all this may be inaccurate.

There was some kind of promise struck between either Ra's and fae or between Talia and fae. If it was for Ra's, he would have probably bargained for immortality or some other shit in exchange for a newborn, and this would have to happen when Talia was already an adult, otherwise the fae would have taken her instead (although that's also a possibility, I'll touch on that later). It's unclear if Talia knew about it, but in any case, she had a baby, and then the fae took him and exchanged him for a changeling.

So the little fae child was left in Damian's place while Damian got to stay with the fae. Now, Talia is a skilled assassin for a reason, so of course she knew this was not her baby. No matter how good are the fae changelings and their abilities to act as humans, she's seen the difference. So she tried to get Damian back.

And the fae presented her with a choice.

Here lies two children, one of them of your blood and bones, the other of the roots of the ancient forests and unseen worlds. Choose carefully, for you will not be given a second chance.

Talia knows which one is which. Talia has seen Damian's pout and the changeling's puffy cheeks. She knows them both by touch, by smell, by a mere look.

She knows who to choose.

But she doesn't.

She takes both children because the rules of the fae did not specify her to only choose one. She takes them both because while Damian was gone, she fed and took care of the other one like he was her own and maybe she planned to do this all along.

She takes both Damian and the changeling, and she names the other one Danyal.

The other possibility is that the fae did, actually, take Talia back when she was a baby, so Talia as we know her now is actually a changeling and she had given birth to twins who are both equally half-fae half-human now. Which is also a good way to go since Talia would definitely teach them both fae customs, and also maybe Danny becomes full-on fae after he dies? Kind of like a butterfly, you know, the human form was a caterpillar, and then his death basically let him be reborn due to his fae blood.

For the last part, it could also be not Ra's, but Talia who had struck the deal with the fae in the first place. Although I didn't think this one through, so maybe she bargained for her baby to be healthy and safe and the fae were like okay sure let's just give you a completely different yet very healthy and definitely safe baby instead of the one you actually bore. Cue Talia being not satisfied with the outcome and managing to get Damian back but also keeping Danny because who in their right mind is going to refuse a free baby? Especially when said baby is quite literally a potentially almighty being.

There's a thousand ways this could go, and I have yet to figure out how Danny ended up with Fentons and where the ghosts fit in here. Maybe they were not ghosts but just fae all along. I bet it was Clockwork who orchestrated the whole deal, actually. Is Clockwork going to be soleil or unsoleil kind of fae? Did I even write this correctly, I need some fae lore, where do I get it send help.

| next-> |

Damian, introduces self as "son of the bat" and "the blood son", expresses remorse but offers no apologies, speaks in convoluted manner, verbally acknowledges any debts he feels he owes and tries to pay them back asap, etc

My autism brain: aha, fey rules

[portalhan]

⠀ꔫ˚　༝　◌ ⌒⌒ three strikes !

↳ jeongin swears on his life that he's seen something odd between you and felix... exactly three times, in fact, but he needs more concrete proof...

PAIRING: felix lee x gn!reader

FORMAT: one shot

GENRE: college au, friends to lovers, fluff, jeongin third wheeling...

WARNINGS: brief mentions of food and being sick (just the flu bug nothing huge)

WORD COUNT: 2.8k

FAE'S NOTES: this is just a little bit half-assed... idk if i have much faith in this and i believe i can do better than this but i'm gonna post it anyway for you guys! please let me know if you have any feedback, my writing muscles have basically atrophied and i need to find my rhythm again TT

jeongin doesn't usually second-guess his closest friends like this, but something has changed. he knows you and felix well enough to know at least that.

you have always been hard to read. you're an independent, reliable sort of person, not outwardly emotional nor needlessly arrogant either—you tend to show your love for your friends through small, quiet gestures. felix, on the other hand, is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve—almost to a fault. always baking extra brownies to gift people, always going the extra mile, always looking on the bright side, even in the darkest of situations. he is as fragile as he is affectionate.

yes, affectionate. that's the word he's been looking for to describe the changes in your friendship with felix. you've been more affectionate. jeongin has always chalked it up to felix's own proclivities rubbing off on you given the sheer amount of time you spend together, but now... he's not so sure it's that simple. there have been three strikes jeongin has kept score of so far.

STRIKE #1

jeongin remembers it was a tuesday, because that's the only day of the week where all three of you shared classes. you would always sit in a row near the back of the class. he has made it a point to memorise both yours and felix's timetables this semester—as do the both of you with him—so he knows you don't usually have prior arrangements before coming to campus. you've always had a tradition of meeting in the lobby before walking to class together as a result.

so, when his phone pings with a message from you saying 'sorry innie, we're gonna be a bit late! pls go to class first, just save us seats', he is immediately struck with confusion. what did you mean, "we"? felix, uncharacteristically, hasn't said a word and it's already 5 minutes shy from when class starts. he always arrives at least 10 minutes before. how strange, jeongin thinks to himself as he trudges up the stairs to class, incredibly unfamiliar with the circumstance of having to do so on his own for the first time. he just brushes the nagging suspicion off, telling himself it was probably because of some public transport situation that's delayed you both—not something entirely uncommon.

it's about 15 minutes into the class before he sees you. the second he spots felix and you stumbling through the doors, profusely apologising to the professor for your tardiness, though, is when the same sensation of suspicion comes back. as you and felix shuffle to make their way to the seats jeongin saved for you, he can't help but notice your attire. you're wearing an oversized black shirt with some graphic of an anime printed on. jeongin's eyes squint as he stares at it, assuming it must have been a new purchase of yours. but he swears he's seen it before.

when you and felix take your seats and the professors picks up where she left off, felix turns to jeongin and apologises for being late. "we're really sorry jeongin, we owe you one," he quips, before he fishes his laptop out of his bag. the younger boy just shrugs it off as no big deal. plus, he had something else on his mind to worry about than harp on the two of you being late to class.

the dots quickly connect a few moments later in jeongin's head. felix has a shirt just like the one you're wearing. he swears he's seen him wearing it before, just last week when the three of you had gone out for dinner. it's been a shirt of his for years now, so worn down by so many uses that it has bleach stains on the sleeves, despite how much care felix puts into his clothing.

jeongin leans back in his chair and slowly, subtly pushes it back. he steals a glance at your side profile, thankfully without either you or felix noticing. there they were: bleach stains on the sleeves. upon further inspection, the shirt you were wearing looks way too worn out to be a new shirt—he concludes it must be felix's. but why would you wear felix's dank shirt to begin with? it would be weird to ask if that's his shirt you were wearing, so he decides to keep his silence for now.

STRIKE #2

this time, it was jeongin's turn to be late. the three of you had planned a picnic to celebrate the end of the gruelling semester—an idea felix suggested. he wanted it to be a potluck, so the each of you planned to bring something of your own making along.

jeongin wanted to go all out with his: he wanted to bake cupcakes, something felix had recently taught him how to. he wanted to show you his latest endeavours, baked fresh, but he didn't expect it to go sideways so last minute. he ended up showing up almost half an hour late, hair sticking to his forehead from all the sweat and cupcake frosting smeared all over the tupperware he placed them in out of haste.

when he finally spots the two of you amid the grass field at the park, he notices something... odd. he stops in his tracks to catch his breath and squints his eyes to get a better look. if he didn't know any better, he'd have thought you two were... holding hands? the sun was glaring directly in his face, obscuring his vision, so jeongin couldn't be 100% sure. but what he does know is that your figures were so close to each other they were practically shoulder-to-shoulder. this isn't exactly beyond felix, who is notorious for his habits of physical affection. but it is most certainly out of character for you, as someone who prefers to keep most people at an arm's length.

jeongin shrugs it off. he guesses felix nor he would be considered "most people". perhaps it was a trick of the light. he also doesn't have good enough reason to find it entirely strange—perhaps felix had gotten through to you in that regard. he had bigger things to worry about: your dinner getting cold.

STRIKE #3

the legitimacy of the third time is still up for debate, jeongin surmises. this time it wasn't your behaviour around each other, instead more so about how felix in particular reacted.

this happened over summer break. he remembers the sun being more unrelenting than ever—40 degrees celsius to be exact, he saw on the news—so you three had just decided to hang out in your bedroom, where the air conditioning is the coolest and crispiest (according to you). jeongin vividly recalls you lying on your stomach atop your bed, while the two boys were sprawled on the floor. that is, the carpet that laid over the spot where they would usually sprawl on the floor.

it was one of those 'parallel play' days, as you liked to call them. not necessarily doing things together, but doing separate things in the presence of each other, you said one time. felix was busy on his switch playing some pokemon game, you were scrolling on your phone and jeongin was just seconds away from drifting off to sleep on felix's lap.

it's been silent for, what, almost two hours now? but you end up breaking it first. "woah," you suddenly exclaimed, brows furrowing as you read something on your screen. "do you guys remember seungmin? from calculus?"

jeongin does not move an inch aside from nodding his head, and felix just lets out a little "yeah?" though his eyes were never once peeled from the console screen.

"i think he just asked me out," you tell them, bewildered.

this, of course, elicits reactions of surprise from jeongin and felix. the former lifts himself and sits up to ask details, while the other just turns the switch off—did he even save his progress on the game?—and sits there in silence as he silently watches you and jeongin discuss your classmate's... proposition. jeongin makes a playful jab at how you could have given him the wrong idea by flirting with him, which you immediately shut down. "i've never done anything suggestive to him, i swear!" you exclaimed in full defense.

seungmin has only ever made conversation with you once or twice in class, jeongin recalls. you also never really put in the effort to get to know your other classmates if jeongin and felix were in the same classes. jeongin makes a passing comment about how seungmin could pass as your type (if you squint hard enough), but it falls on deaf ears when you and felix meet each other's gazes.

"you're gonna tell him no, right?" felix suddenly chimes in after moments of prolonged silence, raspy voice cracking just a little. jeongin snaps his head to turn and look at his friend, head tilted and brow lifted. you give felix a look jeongin cannot quite describe, and chuckle with a soft smile as you nod. "of course i'm gonna say no," you assure him. he lets out a very heavy sigh of relief, but none of this goes unnoticed by jeongin.

this is very weird, jeongin remembers thinking. you have always been receptive to potential love interests, even if they weren't necessarily people you'd normally be into. so why are you so sure now that you'd reject seungmin without even giving him a chance?

on that note, what's it to felix who asks you out? why does he have a say? plus, he could've sworn he detected some semblance of... jealousy in his question. but he supposes that could be normal considering all three of you are so used to spending time with each other. jeongin does admit to himself that he'd feel lonely if you were to be whisked away by some stranger out of nowhere. it wouldn't be the same.

jeongin has theories, maybe even concepts of a theory, but no concrete enough proof for confrontation—so far. it looks like he has to wait till he does before he can address the massive elephant in the room.

FINAL STRIKE

it finally happens when he decides to stop by your apartment with take-out. you had told your friends about falling sick the night before—alas, you have caught the flu bug. they were just textbook symptoms like a low-grade fever, sore throat and a runny nose, nothing to worry about in particular, you told them. but jeongin just so happens to pass by your neighbourhood on his usual route home from work, so he decides to drop in with some chicken soup for you as a small surprise. you had already been texting the group chat the entire day about how exhausted you were to make yourself a half-decent dinner, so jeongin thought this would be a nice way to take care of his friend.

he knocks on your door multiple times to no response. maybe you're sleeping? he looks around the potted plants sitting outside your door and lifts the snake plant up, grabbing the rusted spare key tucked away from prying eyes just underneath. he quickly and quietly unlocks the front door and lets himself in. i'll just go in, check on y/n and put this soup on the table, he tells himself as he enters. maybe text you to let you know he got you dinner.

that is, until a warm aroma of what he believes to be fresh bolognese wafts to where he is at the front door. he hears the distant clanging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen, and—strangest of all—he hears... conversation? he can definitely hear you talking and even giggling, but he can't quite make out who the other person was. he's about 99% sure there was someone else in here, but could it be just a phone call? he sneaks down the hallway to the kitchen, the noises getting clearer as he inches closer. when he sticks his head out from a blind corner to peek into the kitchen, he sees it: felix plating a fresh bowl of spaghetti while you're sitting on the dining table engaged in idle chatter. a lump catches in his throat—what is felix doing here? and most importantly, why didn't he know of this? he felt momentarily betrayed.

jeongin just stands there in silence, unsure of how to confront you, while you and felix continue chatting. it's only when felix sets down two plates of pasta and goes in to plant a peck on your cheek does jeongin yelp in shock, which frightens all three of you.

felix squints his eyes, which widen in utter disbelief when he recognises the familiar facade lurking by the corridor. "jeong...in?" he asks, voice trembling a little from disbelief. when he says jeongin's name, you shoot him a similar look, but this one is more panicked and afraid. jeongin awkwardly steps out within view, but he puts a hand up to cover his mouth to prevent himself from screaming. he raises the other arm to point an accusatory finger at the both of you. you swear you just heard felix gulp next to you.

"i..." jeongin sputters. "i knew it! i knew something was going on between you two idiots!"

the verbalisation of his revelation is what completely opens the floodgates, causing the entire place to erupt in complete and utter chaos. jeongin paces back and forth with the chicken soup still dangling from his fingers as he rants about how he's caught you doing "weird stuff" a couple of times but couldn't have known, about how he's been feeling a little left out recently, how you have been looking at felix funny sometimes. meanwhile, felix just begins to talk over him with near-equal (if not more) amounts of sheer panic and distress, reaching out to him to get him to calm down while explaining that this wasn't how they had intended for him to find out.

you, crippled by the shock from jeongin's unexpected appearance, just sit there, unable to do much of anything what with your flu, just silently watching felix and jeongin form a panic attack circle jerk in your own house.

"enough!" jeongin raises his voice, which immediately shuts felix up. jeong has never raised his voice. you shoot felix a nervous look.

"i thought we were best friends," jeongin utters, the slightest hint of melancholy lacing his voice. he looks offended. you've never seen him look this offended, not even when he was accused of academic misconduct that one time. "i'm happy for you, ecstatic even! i swear i am, but really? why would you keep this for me for so long?"

you decide you should talk to him—felix is very clearly out of his depth when it comes to handling intense situations like this and he's only making jeongin feel worse with all the jabbering. you stand up from your seat on the table and walk over to him, taking your hands in his.

"i'm sorry, jeongin. we... we weren't entirely sure of how we were gonna do this," you tell him, almost in a whisper.

felix scratches the back of his neck, avoiding any and all eye contact with either of you. "we wanted to keep it quiet," he admits. "at first, at least."

you nod in agreement, and turn back to look at jeongin. "you were going to be the first person we would break the news to. not even our own parents, i swear," you divulge, while you spot felix in the corner of your eye making a silent crossed hearts gesture to double down on his sincerity. jeongin's once-tense features start to ease up a bit, but not entirely. "you are our best friend. we never want you to feel like this. we're sorry," you assure him, before pulling him into a bear hug. you feel felix join from behind you to make it a group hug.

"i don't care what you guys have going on, but don't keep any more secrets from me. got it?" your friend huffs after you all pull back, feigning some sort of authority. felix chuckles at how ridiculous he sounds—being the youngest of the three, the tone just sounds alien when it comes from him. "we would never," felix tells him, reaching out to give jeongin a firm pat on the back. "i think y/n might like you more than me anyway, they're always going, 'we should call jeongin! we should send him a photo! we should—"

your palm slaps against the lower half of your boyfriend's face in protest. "we might be dating but you're on thin ice," you glare at him, before he raises both hands to surrender.

jeongin jovially chimes in to break the tension: "can i just say, i've always felt like you'd get along. aren't you glad i introduced you to each other? you wouldn't be a thing if it weren't for me, ya know." felix and you just huff in response—he can have this.

[the-east-art]

My dude (gender neutral) I would love to learn more about your gravity falls shifter au!! I'm not that deep in the fandom, but shifter style aus are a jam. I humbly request however much a ramble you have on the subject please!!

Hell yeah! I want to do some doodles eventually but some rambling before I go to bed: Stan isn’t Actually sure what he is. Once the twins find out Dipper and Mabel theorize, and after things with Ford get resolved he has his pet theories too, but no one actually knows for sure.

He isn’t the same species as the Shapeshifter that Ford raised, they’re relatively sure of that (unless somehow he imprinted on a human form so early it erased his original form?). He could be a fae changeling, a baby slipped into the cradle that copied Ford, but wouldn’t their parents have noticed that? And why wouldn’t he have copied the fingers too? Not to mention that Stan misses some key fae attributes - he has no aversion to iron for instance.

It’s especially strange that he has this ability and not Ford, as they are twins. If it was an ability that was always in him, why did it take so long to manifest? And why did it manifest in such a gentle way, rather than being spurred on by adrenaline as many comic books seem to indicate a superpower would present itself?

To be honest, Stan doesn’t really care. His acceptance of his brother already made him disinclined to think less of someone for being ‘different’ (his self esteem issue stem from plenty of places but NOT his shifting abilities). The ability serves him well, and that’s all he really cares about. Dipper and Ford try to insist that he should feel some kind of a desire to ‘find his kind’, but I mean… he’s got his family, his found family beyond that, what more could he need?

[dclovesdanny]

DcxDp prompt

An idea I just thought of

I have read a few prompts in different places where Danny is a Fae or is assumed to be Fae and I was just thinking of this story I learned when I was little about how the Fae would lure children who felt unwanted by their families and whisk them away into their realm.

So now I want someone more talented than me to write something about Danny befriending either Damien or Tim, and it being focused on how inadequate the bat family member in question feels, or their feelings about not being a part of the family, and the family thinks that they are being lured in by the Fae. So, naturally, they start trying to show their love to the person, hoping to avoid losing them, while also realizing that this would only happen if the person felt unloved and oh my God, did we push them away to the point where they don’t think we see them as family?

The thing is, the bat family is all somewhat emotionally constipated. They also don’t talk to each other about things, so I don’t think this would go very well. Maybe one of them even overhears the family member in question talking to Danny about going with them somewhere, and immediately assumes that Danny is going to kidnap said family member.

I’m trying not to be very overt about which member of the family it is, because honestly, I feel like it could go whichever way you want to. I’m personally picturing Tim or Damian, but I could also see it happening with Jason post resurrection after he and the bat family are sort of uneasily friendly or even Dick or Duke(I don’t think Cass would be the one being ‘lured’, she would more be on the sidelines just watching this unfold.)

Maybe they even think Danny was originally human that was turned into Fae due to being taken away from his family, and one of them sees clockwork or something and assumes that clockwork has sort of set up a system where Danny lures away people for him, while Danny is under the delusion that he is saving these people. This would further work if it’s a bad Fentons au, because the bat family would look into it and notice how Danny has not physically changed in all of this time since he went ‘missing’(in reality, it was a reveal gone wrong and Danny is just staying with clockwork now.)

Meanwhile, Danny is making friends with the cute boy who he finds very interesting, even if the person’s family keeps being weird. She might have a little bit of a grudge against some of the family members from what his friend has told him, so he might make a few comments about things, but he doesn’t understand why they’re acting so hostile..

The angst! The misunderstandings! The total difference in point of views from the bat family to Danny! The absolute chaos! The bat family being forced to communicate emotions!

Someone please write more for this and let me know if you want me to elaborate on my ideas for the different routes it could take.

[moonlightcycle571]

My Take On Evil Captain Marvel / Shazam / Shazamily

In an AU where all the heroes are villains, and all the villains are heroes, I like to think Captain Marvel is like the Poison Ivy but for the Magical Community.

So we all know Captain Marvel is the Champion of Magic, and as such he has duties, be it a hero or a villain. Now picture this:

Homeless Billy Batson, fresh out of being struck by a Magic Lighting, gets taken in by the magical community (be it the fae, a witches coven, magical creatures, or smt). He develops a love for the mystic realm and is thus more active as Champion. They have shown more love and kindness than any human ever has, and eventually sees himself as a magical being / well of magic more than he sees himself as human.

But then, tragedy, and he sees people hunting down members of his beloved community for the sole reason that they have magic. They see creatures under HIS domaine being captured and sold in the black market. He sees butchered remains and fur of his friends being hung as trophies.

So seeing as that there are NO magical protection laws, and knows deep down that Adults Cannot Be Trusted (if his time on the streets taught him anything, it’s that), he takes matters into his own hands.

He hunts the hunters for fun. He rips apart ANYONE who DARES hurt those under his protection. He destroys countries who normalises the destruction of the mystic. He sends plagues and lighting. Those so called ‘Heroes’ who try to stop him aren’t any better, for they stop him from doing his Duty as The Champion.

He gets noticed by a group of individuals who wish to recruit him (evil JL). He joins, not because he actually cares about their goals, but they promised to leave anything magic alone, and even help him take down his adversaries. Morality is something he has long given up on.

The Gods don’t care either. From their point of view, humanity has long forsaken them, and makes a point to destroy what they have created. Hecate is especially supportive, she created most of the magical creatures, of course she has a fondness for them.

Mary, Freddy, Tawny (who in this au might be a creature that Captain saved) and the rest of the Shazamily join in, as they too much prefer magic over humans. Maybe in this au, they were put into more abusive environments.

Fawcette becomes the center of the magical world, and is known as the most protected place if you are of the mystic.

It’s a shame that cursed Black Adam did not join them, his time trapped made him soft, and developed a fondness for people (it’s what his son would have wanted). And really, he ought to get over Kahndaq. Sure, they destroyed the country, but they had it coming! They were trapping a bunch of Gods!

Anyways, this is just me rambling. I might make a part 2 if the inspiration comes to me.

[writingforatwistedworld]

Hii, I'm glad you're back . Even if it was for a few days you really left a place in tumblr not just for your work but for your presence itself.

I had a question for a while and I'm sorry if you answered it before and I seemed to not notice , if that's the case then forgive my ignorance but I was wondering , since sebek seems to respect his grandfather alot and has inherited the hate for humans from him and it's a known fact in self-aware au that the faes 'love' the overseer alot I must say.. does that mean that sebek also inherited his 'love' for the overseer from his granpa? If so how did green grandpa see the overseer, what made him 'love' them and how does he show it .

If you don't want to write this then feel free to ignore it , hope you have a great day and don't forget to drink water and eat well<33

Hi there Anon. It's so sweet of you to say that. I didn't think I would have made such an impression on anyone. But I completely forgot to write about Sebeks grandfather -_-

Well, better late than never.

Self-aware au

WARNINGS: Jp-version spoiler (like, the whole thing!!!), (Platonic!) yandere themes, war, religion, unhealthy mindset, isolation, unhealthy family dynamic

(Platonic!) Yandere headcanons

Ah yes, our local way too loud and loyal member of the reptilian family. No need to to worry about him. I mean, what could go wrong? (Hehe…)

Baul was not from the Valley of Thorns. Growing up in Sunset Savannah he did not grow up with the beliefs of the Faes (in other words, he was not part of a religious cult)

So imagine the huge shock he felt when he finally became a solider under the Draconia banner and started to become more and more like the other Faes

Well, for starters, yes, he wasn't indoctrinated into the whole church thing since birth but also wasn't raised to see you as an equal like the beastmen of the Savannah

You could say that he was a healthy mixture of both

Emphasis on the “was”

You see, isolation and being the only one sticking out (if we discount the humans invading the valley) does leave you open for a lot of things

If we count two (being the surroundings he was in) and two (his more or less unnoticed loneliness) together, we can see pretty fast where that led

Never mind his superior (and friend I mean come on they might as well be brothers) Lilia constantly rambling about the Overseer, savior of all, and how you accepted everyone in your kind embrace

Ok. Nice. Neat. Great. In the beginning, Baul wasn't very interested in joining any kind of religion

But the longer the war held on, the more he wished there was someone he could ask for help in his task of protecting those he deemed close to himself (you see the generational pattern?)

At some point, even the proudest of all can't hold on for forever

So he turned to you, the supposed God that was on so gentle

And goddamn that religious gaslighting and placebo effect worked damn well

Not only did he feel like there was someone there who supported him from somewhere in the universe (even though that was just him believing too much but let have him have some hope, ok?) but also he finally had a community

Whenever he would leave one of the many churches in the valley a Fae would approach, thanking him for protecting their home

Sooner than later did the former non-believer think of himself as your chosen shield of the valley

The war came and went away

If only the same thing could be said about Bauls new religious beliefs

And when he saw that grandson of his, cute little chubby hands that gripped a wooden toy sword tightly, he knew that his position as the valleys shield would not cease

Yes, even Baul would die one day. Fae or not, he was at the end of the day mortal

But that talent of his grandson would surely be of use to you, right?

If his younger self would see him like this, would it run away? Would it feel disgust at the thought that his future self would use his own grandson for selfish, religious reasons?

If only Baul knew that “God” didn't even know they were living beings that existed in a different world…

[the-dark-parade]

Dear marshal,

Could I have... REINCARNATION AU!!!

Let's say that reader (female) used to be a soldier under lilia

AND while working under him, she fell in love

So she confessed to him. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. (annoying.)

But one day, it looks like he's going to get hurt fatally, and she takes the but instead. (how stupid.)

And she dies. But she doesn't regret it. And gets reincarnated!

(I wanna see him pining for her the same way she does for him!!!!)

WARNINGS! THIS STORY CONTAINS... angst + fluff + lilia×fem reader

A/N: Thank you for your request, @something1032727 I hope my work pleases you. This is my first work after all. If you are not comfortable with this, feel free to leave. If you would like a version with male reader instead, please request it. Likes, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated.

Now, the parade starts with it's first destination...

Fate's Redemption: A Love Reborn

(part 1)

In the symphony of life, love echoes and reverberates endlessly, intertwining souls across time. Every gesture, every sacrifice, echoes through eternity, shaping destinies. And in the cycle of rebirth, love's refrain returns, reminding us that its melody endures, transcending even lifetimes. Truly, eternal echoes of love.

"Please go out with me!" You say as always, with such vigour, with such annoyingness, as always. Love-struck eyes stare into mine, seemingly going into my soul, hoping for a chance. It's like her eyes turn into hearts whenever I'm here.

How stupid. One of my best soldiers in the army, and she's so head-over-heels for me. Save her clumsy ass a few times, and she magically falls in love with you.

How naive.

I reject you once again, for what seems like the 1000th time or more, but you still don't give up. Your stubbornness is one of your worst yet best trait about you.

You eat my food with a smile even though my other soldiers avoid it like the plague. I suppose you do have good taste after all.

You cook for me, feed my ego, help me with my work, and so much more.

I wonder if you're just in it for fun. Perhaps you just want my title if we actually win the war. But I brush the thoughts off when I see your sincerity.

You ask again, and again, and again.

Why are you so insistent?

Why do you even bother?

Why do you like me so much?

This little crush of yours should be over by now. I have not treated you very nicely. I have not treated you any different from the rest. There is nothing between us. Why can't you understand that I'm just not interested?!

At least that was what I would like to say. If my heart didn't stop beating so hard around you. If your smile, your stupid, stupid confessions, that used to not bother me at all, now haunts me in my sleep every night!

What's wrong with me..?

Am I truly... falling in love..?

.

.

.

Well, that's what I wanted to ask.

How stupid. How fucking fucking fucking stupid!

How irritable can you be?

How much do you want me to cry over you?!

Is it too late to say I regret not accepting your confession all those years ago, if now you're dead..?

--

"General, watch out..!" You say, as you use your body to shield me from an arrow that I never even noticed was coming after me. Pushing me to the side.

"...you're dying. How stupid. Why did you take that arrow for me?" I pick you up, just running to base. Stupid human devices..! I can't cast my teleportation magic! There's no time, there's no time! You stupid fae...

"cause... *cough*, I love you." You say weakly, softly, coughing out blood in my arms. You even wink! You infuriate me so bad!

"Shut up! Don't you dare die on me!" I ran as fast as I could. Don't die. Don't die. Don't die! You made my life brighter, and now you want me to go back to how it was?!

You made me fall in love with you!

.

Fuck. Before we even reached, I could feel your heart stop beating. Your body is becoming cold. No, no, no! It can't end like this. It can't!

Is this what it feels to have your whole world crash upon you?

My heart feels heavy. My cheek feels wet. I feel like causing a massacre. My chest feels tight. It's a bit hard to breathe. I feel a chill go up my back.

But why..?

Death is normal in war. Death is a daily occurrence in war. Death happens in every fight, in every week.

So why?

Why does death, which was so normal for soldiers on the battlefield like me, make me feel this way?

Amidst my thoughts, I managed to bring you back to base. But it wasn't really you. Just a cold, soulless empty vessel of you.

This is just too cruel.

You should not have ended up this way, you still had so much to live for, and just when I was actually going to accept your confession you go and die on me?!

We... Could have been happy together.

If only... If only I wasn't so stubborn, denying my feelings for you.

If only you weren't so insistent on going out with me.

If only...

If only...

If only you didn't take that hit in my stead, could that have happened..?

Ah, but it's too late to regret it now, huh?

.

That night, it was said that wailings could be heard from inside the General's tent.

--

Years have passed, and the numbers signalling each year are not the only changes that happened in my life.

I have gotten wiser and older. Now I know what I felt for you in those days.

Love is the word for my overwhelming feelings for you.

I visit your grave from time to time. It mostly ends up in tears, despite how many years have passed.

I used to call you pathetic for being so love-driven. I guess now I'm the pathetic one. How my past words bite me in the gyatt, just like the youngsters say!

I entered school. I can't believe I still have that invitation letter from NRC from all those years ago!

I have gotten over you.

At least that would be what I would like to say, but when I saw you again, it was like my old heart started beating again.

"(y/n),"

The dark mirror said, and my eyes shot to the person in question. Could it truly be..?

Those eyes. Those mannerisms. Everything about you... I could never mistake you for anyone else. It's you.

"Thou shall be sorted into..."

Diasomnia. I hope she'll be sorted in the same dorm as me. But even so, I'll win her heart again even if she's not.

"Savannahclaw!"

I feel like sighing... We could have been dormmates! But, oh well!

Khehehe. This general makes a mission to himself, to make you fall in love with him as deeply and as hopelessly as you did all those years ago. And this general isn't one to fail a mission.

Get ready, my love.

A/N: dear souls, stay tuned for part 2! Thank you for reading if you read.

[dat1angel]

May I Have Your Name?

DP x DC au where ghosts are basically the fae. Danny being half ghost gives him access to the fun bits like the fae magic, trickster abilities, and being able to eat/drink fae food with little to no side effects while he is less affected by the not so fun bits like being incapable of lying(he can but he feels really weird when he does) and being burned by iron(it'll give him a rash if in prolonged contact). Due to fae having extremely long life spans, he has outlived all his loved ones and moved into the infinite realms permanently after their deaths. This has caused him to lean a lot more into the fae traits as the years pass. He occasionally takes trips into different dimensions to cause mischief.

One such trip brings him to Gotham. He's in a park and due to his fae-ness the local fauna are extremely trusting and drawn to him so he has a small collection of birds, squirrels, and maybe even a stray cat or two following him around. This catches the attention of Damian who just so happened to be at that park. Damian walks over to this strange boy who has such an affinity with animals, and starts a conversation with him.

"How do you get them to follow you?" Damian asks as he slowly approaches, voice low to avoid scaring off any of the creatures. Danny glances over at Damian, a smile flitting across his lips, before turning to the gathered animals.

"Patience," he replies, lowering a hand for a young squirrel to climb on, lifting his hand, and cradling it near his chest, "and kindness". He turns back towards Damian and reaches for his hands, which Damian let's him take, and gently deposits the squirrel in his gentle hold. The squirrel looks up at Damian curiously, looks back to Danny who gives an encouraging nod, and then climbs up Damians arm and settling upon his shoulder. "It takes a truly gentle soul to gain an animals trust," Danny says, "Something that I have a feeling you possess. You are intriguing."

If it were anyone else, they may have clocked the way Danny spoke as strange, but Damian was too in awe of both Danny and the squirrel who was currently snuggling against his neck to notice. Even if he wasn't, however, he wouldn't have noticed as he himself was often told he spoke strangely, though he never thought so.

"This is incredible," Damian said, ever so gently bringing a hand up to stroke the squirrels fur. Danny smiled as he watched Damian interact with the squirrel, so kind and gentle, his curiosity and interest in the human growing by the second.

"May I have your name?"

Damian, who takes great pride in his name and would never consider hiding his identity, proudly proclaims, "Damian al Ghul-Wayne".

Danny's eyes sparkle with mischief and his smile grows into something a little too wide and suddenly all his features look just this side of odd. His ears a little too pointed and his teeth and nails a little too sharp and his eyes a little too bright, did they always look like that?

"Well Damian," and when he says his name something shifts in him, like he has no choice but to listen, and... what was his name again? This boy just said it, why in the world can't he remember what it is? "I think you'll be coming with me."

Damian can't stop himself from allowing Danny to take his hand and lead him further into the trees. What was supposed to be a small patch of trees in a park seem to thicken before his eyes, fog rolls in and licks at his heels and they emerge into a clearing that definitely wasn't there before. When he looks around, he can't see any of the park through the tree line. The air in front of them seems to ripple and waver until it divides itself and creates a gateway of sorts to a place Damian doesn't recognize as anywhere in Gotham.

"Come along Damian," Danny says and once again, he has no choice but to comply, allowing this stranger to take him away.

~~~~~~~~

So basically Danny is a fae and meets Damian and decides, hey I like this one, I'm gonna keep it and steals his name and takes him home. I picture it as Dead Serious but it doesn't have to be taken that way.

Other things I envision for this au include:

Danny showing Damian off to his friends in the realms(Kitty, Johnny, Ember, Skulker)

they congratulate him on his "first catch" and coo over Damian as if he was a new puppy and not a whole human person

Damian being very distraught over his inability to remember his name

Danny tells him that it doesn't matter and his name(and by extension Damian himself) belongs to him now

But if he really wants something to call himself he may go by Dove

Damian always keeps a communicator on him which he uses to contact his family and tell them what happened

They try to track his location but as he is in another realm they cannot

They reach out to Constantine because they need a magic user's help

Constantine hears that Damian got taken by the fae and nearly shits himself

He gives the batfam a run down on fae etiquette and then takes them on a field trip to the fae realm to try to convince Danny to give Damian back

Danny does not want to give Damian back

Anytime Danny gives Damian an order in which he says his name Damian has no choice but to comply

Danny doesn't intentionally abuse this but after centuries without normal human interaction he's lost touch with what is and isn't considered cruel

As if stealing someones' name and kidnapping them is in any way not cruel

So sometimes he ends up being a little mean

Forcing Damian to shut up if he starts being rude

Forcing him to sit or stand or go here or don't move

Once, in an attempt at defiance, Damian refuses to eat and Danny gets this cold expression and his features once again take on that just-this-side-of-odd look and he says "Damian, eat"

Danny goes out of his way to get food from Damians universe because he doesn't want him to have any side effects from eating the fae food

He wants to keep him and doesn't want to risk anything potentially harming him

Time across dimensions is kinda fucky

Idk if I'll continue this cuz I don't really know the DC universe well enough to write it. Everything I know I learned through fanfics. If anyone wants to try their hand at writing it you have my full permission just please tag me because I'd love to see what you do with it. It's up to author interpretation if Danny ever gives Damian back or not. Maybe he makes the batfam do some tasks to prove themselves to convince him to give him back or not. Maybe if you take the Dead Serious route then as they come to truly care for each other Damian is able to convince Danny that he wouldn't be happy living the rest of his life in the fae realm, unable to leave or see his family, and that is what eventually gets Danny to release him. But at that point they really care for each other(maybe already dating) so they keep in touch and Danny visits often and starts getting accustomed to socially interacting with humans again. He is very embarrassed about some of the things he did while Damian was under his possession after relearning human social norms.

[mint-yooxgi]

{4} - Fight or Flight - Yandere!Redcap!Mingi X Tall!Chubby!Reader

Fae!AU & Yandere!AU - Part of the CoDN Thrill of the Hunt Collab

Genre: Fantasy, Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Smut

Pairing: Mingi X Reader

Words: 8,188

Rating: Mature - 18+ MDNI

Warnings: Please read the warnings carefully, as this is a very heavy story dealing with many dark topics. This is also all of the warnings for this fic as it is one long one shot that I had to split into multiple parts, and I'm too tired right now to individually categorize all of these warnings to their respective parts. 8 ft tall Mingi. Slow burn. Violence: depiction of a massacre, a deer being slaughtered, as well as physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional, both alluded to and not. Blood and gore. Abuse: physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual, both alluded to and implied. Assault: physical, and sexual, both alluded to, implied, and attempted. OC has a really rough past, really this isn't for the faint of heart. Whipping, both alluded to, and done. Mentions of branding. Heavy themes of possession and ownership. Deception. Arson. Really, there's a lot of dark subject matter. Mingi falls hard and fast, thus, he simps a lot for the OC, but it's not a story written by me if Mingi doesn't simp for the OC. The reader is mentioned to be both tall and chubby, but it is not mentioned often, so it shouldn't disrupt the flow of the story when ready if you are not tall and/or chubby. I think that's everything, but if I missed something, please let me know! Smut: Biting/marking, outdoor sex, fingering (fem. rec), oral (fem. rec), hand job (male rec), come eating, overstimulation, Mingi has a dig bick, sex in a spring, really, it's very soft in comparison to the subject matter. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

P.S. If there are any spelling or grammatical errors, please ignore them. I did my best through many rounds of editing, but some are liable to still slip through.

A/n: I am SO sorry this took me LITERALLY forever to complete. I meant to have this out so much earlier, and actually posted on time, but it turned out much, much longer than I ever anticipated it being. I'm really proud of how this story turned out, and I didn't want to split it into multiple parts because I felt it would take away from the story as a whole. I'm super excited for you all to read this one, as I had a tremendous amount of fun writing it, and I really hope you all love Mingi's and OC's journey as much as I do. Huge shoutout and thanks to @anyamaris and @kwanisms for listening to me ramble and rave about this story both before and during the writing process, and for always encouraging me while writing! Also, huge thank you to @sanjoongie for being so patient and understanding with me as I write this all out in full. I hope you all enjoy! As always feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!~

Summary: Out of one horrible situation and into another, the cycle of abuse never stops. You've lived with monsters your whole life. So, what's one more?

P.P.S. Please don't let this flop guys. If you enjoyed it, please reblog!!!

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three

For the whole night, Mingi holds you in his arms. You manage to pass out sometime within the same hour it took for you to finally calm down, and Mingi cannot help but hold you tighter.

His gaze lingers on your features, taking note of every dip and curve of your face as you rest in his arms. He studies the slope of your nose, the softness of your cheek as your eyes dance behind your eyelids throughout the night. He keeps his one hand resting over your own over your stomach, noticing how your body relaxes the longer he soothes you.

Not once does Mingi dare move. He doesn’t want to disturb you, and besides, you’ve been through a lot this evening. Letting you rest is his top priority. Getting to feel your body wrapped around his own is simply a bonus. One that he never knew he wanted until the very first touch.

It’s odd to him, how one so different from him can open up a whole new world he never knew possible. There is something deep within him that revels at having you near, a feeling that settles deep within his bones and tells him that being with you like this is right. A side within him arguing against everything he once knew and felt towards your kind, urging him to accept his basic instincts and always protect you.

He’s starting to care, and he doesn’t know whether that fact thrills, or terrifies him. All he does know is that he will keep you safe, no matter the cost.

Gently, Mingi lifts the hand he had resting over your stomach to your face. Tentatively, his fingers trace over the skin of your cheek, shifting to caress you softly in the palm of his hand.

Almost instantly, you lean into his touch.

His breath hitches, and his heart begins to pound within his chest. He’s never felt this way before. About anyone, or anything. You make something within him come alive, and he actively enjoys spending time with you. Seeing you scared, knowing you’re in pain, only serves to make his instincts go into overdrive.

You are as delicate as that flower you clutch so dearly in your hand. A blossom which Mingi will help flourish, nourishing you until he can see you fully bloom into the person you are meant to be. 

He will keep you safe. He will see you smile, and make you laugh. He will do all these things and more, and he will do them to ensure your happiness. 

Mingi may know nothing about your past, but he guarantees your future will be a bright one. He will make it so, even if it’s the last thing that he ever does.

***

Morning comes. The light of the sun creeps through the window, and casts a warm glow throughout the room. Faintly, birds can be heard chirping in the distance, and their tender song is what begins to rouse you from your slumber.

Groggily, you blink your eyes open. You can tell your face is a bit swollen from all the crying you did last night, and as you lift your hands to your cheek, you realize two things.

One: you fell asleep while held in that redcap’s arms last night. You currently do not know where he is, for he doesn’t occupy the bed beside yours, nor is he in your immediate line of sight. You also do not know how long he decided to comfort you, but from the way your heart feels, you do not care. 

You actually got a decent rest last night, slumbering straight through until morning without a single night terror. For that, you are grateful, albeit surprised.

Two: you are currently laying down. A soft blanket is wrapped over your figure, and your body no longer aches. You seem to be resting on your side, facing the bedside table, a pillow tucked carefully beneath your head.

Resting upon the top of the table beside you is a fresh glass of water. You can see the condensation forming on the glass, informing you that the water is cool, and hasn’t been there for long. Though, that’s not what shocks you the most.

A single stem of red spider lilies lays beside the glass of water. The flower is in full bloom; vibrant and healthy. From the faint scent you can smell drifting through the air, you can tell that this plant has just been picked, too.

Your heart warms, and you cannot help the way you immediately reach for that flower. Very carefully, and with that stem held in your hand, you sit up in bed, noticing how your stomach doesn’t seem to ache anymore in the spot where that fae had been digging his knee into you. 

Leaning against the headboard, you stare down at that flower held in your hand. Softly, you begin twirling the stem between your fingers, the faintest of smiles causing the corner of your lips to tug upwards. It’s been a long time since you felt this rested, this at peace.

Maybe you are dead, after all.

A figure out of the corner of your eyes startles you, and you drop the flower in surprise. It lands softly on your lap, a bright red to contrast the light brown sheets.

Standing near the end of your bed with a neutral expression on his face is that redcap, his eyes locked on your figure. You swear you imagine it, but for a brief second, you thought you saw the corners of his lips quirked upwards softly while looking at you.

“Good morning.” The low timbre of his voice fills the room. For some reason unknown to you, it wraps itself like a blanket around your figure, warming you from the inside out.

Your eyes dart from his face to the flower in your lap, then back again. Words get caught in your throat, and you find yourself unable to speak for the moment, opting to incline your head slightly.

Why is it that you suddenly feel shy around him? Did he actually do something for you, or are you simply imagining things while in a state of delirium?

“You should eat something.” He keeps his tone soft, motioning to the bedside table with his chin.

Turning your head, you notice a small tray of food resting just behind the glass of water. From the angle you had while you had been laying down, it made it difficult to see.

You nod, fingers fiddling with that stem in your lap as you avert your gaze downwards. It is then that you realize that your wrists are also no longer hurting, nor are they swollen. The fae must have healed you overnight, just as he’s always been doing.

A small silence passes between the both of you, and you notice how he doesn’t move a single inch from his spot. Although he keeps his gaze fixed on you, it’s not uncomfortable in the slightest. In fact, it’s probably the softest look you’ve ever felt him give you since you’ve met. A look you have never experienced before, but the longer he stares at you, the longer you wish to bathe in the warmth this new feeling provides. 

You don’t know why, but you want him to keep looking at you like that. To always look at you like that.

You swallow lightly, lips parting as you take a small breath in. The dryness in your throat prevents you from speaking the words you wish to say.

“Here,” Slowly, he crosses the short distance to the bedside table, grabbing the glass of water in his hand. “Drink this.”

Every movement he makes is careful, so as not to frighten you. A fact which you appreciate more than even you realize at the moment.

Reaching your hand out, you take the glass from him. Lightly, your fingers brush over his own, and neither of you can prevent the way you both react to the other’s touch.

His breath hitches ever so slightly, but it’s so faint that you swear you imagine it.

You, on the other hand, swallow once more, a light shiver caressing your spine.

Neither of you comment on the other’s reaction, and for that, you’re both grateful. You’re not ready to acknowledge the sudden shift between you, certain that this is really only a temporary thing. The rug has been pulled out from under your feet too many times before, and you’d rather be prepared for the sudden shift in gravity than fall flat on your face again.

Bringing the glass to your lips, you take a sip of water. You don’t realize just how dehydrated you are until the first drop hits your tongue, downing the glass almost instantly. Once empty, you go to place the glass back onto the table, only for a gentle hand to reach out and prevent you from doing so.

Blinking your gaze upwards, you see the fae leaning forward lightly. A pitcher of water is in his one hand as he uses the other to steady your own. Without a word, or waiting for a response, he fills your glass once more.

Gently, he pulls away from you. Intently, you watch him place the pitcher onto the bedside table, shifting backwards soon after to sit on the bed across from your own.

You take another sip of water, letting a comfortable silence fill the room. Your back still rests against the headboard as you sit upon the mattress, gaze falling to your lap. In one hand, that glass rests, fingers curled around it as the crisp coolness of the water seeps into your palm. In your other hand, you hold that stem of red spider lilies, twirling the bloom softly between your fingers.

Your expression is the most relaxed it’s been in a long time, and for once your body doesn’t ache in pain. Breathing is the easiest it’s ever been for the moment, and filling your lungs feels refreshing for a change, rather than a chore. Your lips part slightly, and your tongue darts out to wet them.

You hesitate, before taking a deep breath in to steady your nerves.

“Thank you.” The admission is barely above a whisper, but from the way the fae seems to stop breathing across from you, you know that he’s heard you loud and clear. “General-“

“Mingi.” His tone is firm, but more so in an eager way than demanding.

Your gaze darts up in surprise to meet his own, and you notice him clear his throat. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, the faintest hue of pink dusting his cheeks as he averts his gaze to the side.

You didn’t realize fae could feel something as trivial as embarrassment.

Not even a moment later, his once sharp eyes are drifting back to your own with the softest look resting on his features. You’ve never experienced anyone look at you in such a way before, and to say it makes your heart race would be a complete understatement.

Please, don’t let it be a dream. Don’t let it be a cruel trick you have become so used to. This feeling may be foreign, and terrifying in it’s own right, but the possibilities the outcome holds has you looking towards the future with hope for once.

“I wish for you to call me Mingi.” He breathes, his hands gripping lightly at the edge of the mattress he sits on.

It’s faint, but you cannot help the way your breath catches in your throat. Your gaze softens as you stare at the fae before you, heart swelling inside of your chest. You doubt this is his true name, but the fact that he trusts you enough to share such a part of himself with you has you feeling a certain type of way. A certain type of happy way.

A soft incline of your head is the first response he gets. The second is a slight upturn of your lips, and you’re certain he can hear the way your heart is thundering away erratically inside of your chest.

“Alright.” Your reply is gentle as you hum. “Thank you, Mingi.”

Such a tender, almost giddy smile, pulls at his lips. Even the corners of his eyes crinkle slightly, and you are suddenly taken by the beauty of this creature in front of you. Gone is the brute of a fae you met only a short while ago, and instead, in his place, is an oversized kitten parading around as a lion. Yet, you know that that beast still lingers just beneath the surface, ready and willing to strike at a moment’s notice.

Slowly, tentatively, you tell him your own name. A name no one has called you in years.

If you thought his smile was vibrant before, the second your name slips passed your lips his smile becomes downright blinding. 

There’s something about the way he repeats your name slowly, as if testing the weight of it on his tongue to ensure he gets it right ever time, that has another warmth blooming in your chest. There is no malice in the way he grins at you once he’s perfected the way your name falls from his lips, and you find you can only smile faintly at him in response. A fact of which that only serves to make him more giddy.

“You should eat.” He repeats his words from earlier as he stands back to his feet. “Regain your strength for when we set out once more.”

You nod in response, reaching over to place the glass of water back onto the bedside table. Once your hand is free, you carefully slide the tray of food towards you, lifting it onto your lap to begin eating.

“Take your time,” he says casually over his shoulder. “We leave once you’re ready.”

Again, you simply nod in response. 

There’s a sense of calm that hasn’t left you since you woke up, and the longer the morning lasts, the more you settle into this new feeling. You know you probably shouldn’t let yourself get too comfortable. The wool’s been pulled over your eyes too many times to count. However, there’s something about this fae - Mingi - that urges you to trust him.

After all, no one else has ever come to your rescue like he did last night.

Glancing down at that stem of spider lilies resting in your one hand, you cannot help the small smile that graces your features once more. It surprises you, because for a time, you thought that you may have forgotten just how to do such a simple thing. Yet, with this redcap, you seem to be relearning how to live again.

A girl that you haven’t seen in years, that you could no longer recognize in the mirror, is finally becoming the woman she has always been meant to be.

***

An hour or so later, and you begin to make your way back down to the main area of the tavern. Mingi said he would meet you downstairs to let you finish getting ready for the day. He told you not to rush, but you know not to keep him waiting. Besides, it’s not like you want to, anyways.

The tavern is much quieter than last night, with far less patrons. Only a few fae can be seen sitting around the space as you walk out onto the main floor, but that doesn’t mean their eyes still aren’t locked on you as soon as you appear.

More whispers about a supposed missing claim mark reach your ears, but you ignore them for now. You purse your lips slightly, saying nothing. Not when you see Mingi seemingly arguing with the owner of the tavern off to your left.

“Then, where the fuck did they get the ward key in the first place?” The redcap’s sharp tone is kept low, yet deadly all the same.

“I didn’t give them the key, if that’s what you’re implying.” The owner frowns, standing his ground. “If you’re that concerned about a human, don’t bring them into a den full of unknown fae. You, of all creatures, should understand.”

Mingi scowls, nearly reaching across the counter to scruff the fae’s shirt. His eyes glance over to you briefly, and you notice the way he stops himself, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

“You have to activate the wards before a key can be used, do you not?” He hisses, irritation marring his brow.

“I must have forgotten to deactivate it when it was returned the last time.” The tavern owner replies without missing a beat. “If it’s taken from the return counter, I cannot prevent that.”

“You let them take the key off the counter?” Mingi’s voice booms across the tavern, and all heads turn to look at the both of you.

“Watch your tone.” The owner snaps, eyes suddenly sharp. “Don’t forget, you’re a guest here.”

“Fine.” Mingi lets out a sharp, exasperated huff. 

Without another word, Mingi turns around to face you. Your eyes go wide as he places a hand onto your shoulder, turning you towards the exit. Though his body is tense, his touch is surprisingly gentle as he leads you out of the tavern and towards the edge of the forest, muttering under his breath.

“Stupid fucking creature left the key on the counter for them to take,” his voice is but a growl upon his lips, the stomping of his feet drawing attention from the few townsfolk outside enjoying the early morning air.

Your eyes dart every which way, glad that none of the other fae seem to be following after such an annoyed redcap. Of course, given the circumstances, you’re grateful. However, a chill still caresses your spine.

No one would have come to your aid should Mingi choose to take his annoyance out on you. Nor do they seem concerned that you do not belong with him, being a human and all. You’re in above your head, or at least, you would be, if you were in any immediate danger.

Walking through the woods, you remain silent for the time being. Given the morning you’ve had, you do not wish to upset the balance and make Mingi actually turn his anger towards you. You know he cannot lie, so his statement to protect you should hold true. However, you do not know how long that truth will last, or what might accidentally set him off.

This is completely new territory for you, and it both excites and terrifies you to no end. Someone felt that your life was worth saving, and not out of necessity.

It shouldn’t, but that means something to you. It means everything to you.

Passing by the stream you took that fateful bath in with Windfel as your ‘guard’ takes no time at all. In fact, you barely notice when you do, too caught up in your own mind for the moment. Still, there’s that familiar call from the water, beckoning you back towards its crisp coolness. A call which you rightfully ignore, just like the first time it sung to you.

You don’t have time for that, nor is bathing an option right now. Thus, you resist the streams’ call for another day.

Soon, hours pass with you traversing through the woods. No longer are you forced to follow after the redcap general. Instead, Mingi makes sure to walk right beside you. The only time he seems to speak is to alert you of a sudden root or rock in your path, or to let you know the direction you’ll be headed in.

Sometime later, and after he’s completely calmed down, you notice his arm starting to brush against your own. It’s gentle, and it could easily be passed off as his walking pattern, but after the third time he does it, you realize that maybe, just maybe, he wants to touch you.

His eyes are slightly out of focus, and you believe him to be walking purely on muscle memory alone. He must know the path to this keep of his like the back of his hand, for he doesn’t even blink when he steps over a few large roots you don’t even think he noticed.

“You’re lucky to be alive.” Mingi’s voice cutting through the silence of the woods has your eyes immediately darting over to him.

“So, you’ve said.” You reply lightly, cautiously.

This must be what’s on his mind. Hopefully, he’s not about to turn him saving you into a lecture about being in his debt. You’ve heard that one too many times to count.

“The stream you bathed in,” he begins, sparing a glance at you out of the corner of his vision as you walk beside him. “It should have killed you the minute you entered its waters.”

You breath catches in your throat, and you nearly trip over your own two feet.

“Well, that’s reassuring,” you exhale a long breath through your nose, frowning slightly.

Is that why Windfel…? No. It can’t be…

“I don’t know what drove you to dive into its waters, but the wild stream is enchanted so that once you enter, you can never leave.” He explains, keeping his head forward, gaze fixed on the path before your feet. “Or, well, it’s supposed to be."

“Windfel told me to bathe.” Comes your reply, staring down at the ground nervously. “He said I stunk.”

“Ah, so he pulled you out.” Mingi hums, as if the answer has suddenly been revealed to him.

“No, I got in and out myself.”

“That’s impossible.” Mingi frowns, turning to glance at you walking beside him. “The stream coaxes you into a sense of bliss, and the waters pull you deeper into its current the moment you set foot in it.”

“Well, I did hear a small voice encouraging me to stay.” You tilt your head slightly, almost in recollection.

“Yet, you still managed to pull yourself out?” Mingi asks, slight disbelief clinging to the edge of his words.

“We had to get back to camp,” you shrug, shoulders suddenly curling in on yourself. “There were things to be done.”

Almost immediately, Mingi stops walking. When he notices you get a few paces ahead, his hand reaches out to halt you in your tracks. Turning you to face him, you notice worry lining his brow.

“You escaped the waters of the wild stream because you felt a sense of duty?”

You purse your lips, eyes flitting everywhere around the area except to Mingi’s own.

“It’s not like that…”

“Then, how did you manage to escape Windfel?” He questions, both his hands resting on top of your shoulders now.

“I didn’t.” Comes your blunt reply, blinking up at the redcap before you.

You can feel your heart rate accelerate at the look in his eyes, fingers picking nervously at the end of your shirt. You know you should meet his gaze, it’s been drilled into since who knows when, but you fear the monster you’ll see looking back at you if you do.

“What do you mean you didn’t escape Windfel?” Mingi’s fingers tighten ever so slightly over your shoulders, frown marring his features. “It’s not like he would have just let you go.”

You say nothing, opting to purse your lips in response. You can feel your heart pounding inside of your chest as you continue to avert your gaze to the side. Given the way he’s currently reacting, you doubt he’d believe you anyways. Even if you tried.

Softly, he calls you name. His one hand gently cups you beneath your chin, turning your head to meet his gaze as he searches your own.

“If you believe I will get upset with you for telling me what happened, I will not.” His words are calm, yet firm, and there’s a certain look residing in his sharp eyes that makes you believe him.

So, you take a deep breath in.

“He told me to go survive on my own. That’s all.” Your body is tense beneath his hold as you tentatively brush his hands off of your shoulders.

He lets you.

Mingi purses his lips, clearly not satisfied with your answer. Only, despite the way you can visibly see his jaw twitch, he doesn’t push you.

“Come on,” he sighs, turning back to face the direction in which you’re travelling in. “There’s still a long ways to go.”

***

Two more days pass by like this, with you walking side by side with Mingi as you make the long trek back to his home. He’s a little more talkative than you’re used to, but not by much. He seems to be respecting your boundaries, for the most part. He doesn’t push you to answer him, nor is he as forceful with you as he was during the first few days you spent together.

Ever since that incident in the tavern, he’s been… nice. Well, as nice as a fae can be, all things considered.

In the evenings, when the sun begins to set and he notices your limp becoming more prominent, he purposely makes you stop to rest. He brings you food, and water, and if you get cold, he always makes sure to build a fire. He even goes so far as to sit near you, or against the tree beside your own, always making sure he’s close by in case you should need him.

The odd time, you even catch him glancing your way. Usually, he wears an unreadable expression on his features, but every so often, you catch that same soft look residing in his eyes as you did the morning you woke up in that tavern. It’s happened too often for you to just be imagining it anymore, and given the sudden way he’s been treating you, you find yourself relaxing more and more around him every day.

It’s beginning to look less and less like a false sense of security, and more and more like a genuine connection. Something which, now that you think about, you’ve never experienced before in your life.

The third day passes with no major events, but during the morning of the fourth, Mingi wakes you just before the sun rises.

“Come with me,” he says gently, keeping his voice low so as not to startle you from slumber. “There’s something I wish to show you.”

Mingi leads you up and around a small nearby hill, a beautiful pond stretching out before you. The water is as still as glass, and just as clear. You can see some wildlife faintly grazing around the edges, fish swimming beneath the surface of the pond. It makes you smile.

A few mountains can be seen rising in the distance, and the first rays of the morning sun begin to peek through their valleys. The tops of the surrounding trees begin to glow, the mist from the mountains rolling over the hills. Faintly, you can even hear birds beginning to sing their morning songs.

A small gasp of wonder escapes you as you see vibrant shades of pink, red, orange, and yellow light up the sky before you. The sun crests between the centre of the mountains, and you cannot help but to stare in awe at the beautiful sunrise spread out before your very eyes.

Blinking a few times, you can feel the familiar sting of tears beginning to line your vision. No one has ever done something like this for you, let alone shared in such a wonderful sight.

Standing here, you feel as if the whole world is spread out before you. A feeling you have never gotten to experience. Right now, you could be anything, do anything, or maybe even go anywhere.

For the first time in your life, you know what it feels like to be free.

Turning your head, you glance upwards to see Mingi already staring down at you. The same soft look rests on his features, his lips tugging upwards tenderly in a faint smile. His eyes shine with something you do not quite understand, but at the way the sunlight bathes his features in gold, you cannot help but feel that you do.

The hand you feel him place onto your back, right between your shoulder blades, is hesitant. Almost as if he expects you to pull away from him at any given moment. The fact that his touch is always so gentle now only makes your skin tingle pleasantly. For some reason, you just know that he’s also giving you the opportunity to pull away if need be.

Always, now, it is your choice. A choice you’ve never had in the past, nor ever been given the opportunity to take, even if you wanted to.

You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat, the tears that have welled in your eyes finally spilling over onto your cheeks. Though, for the first time in a long time, they aren’t out of pain or sadness. 

No, grief does not cling to your lashes this time. This time, only a seed of joy can be felt, feeling it cultivate within your chest and beginning to grow outwards until it reaches the very tips of your fingers. A seed of which is beginning to bloom, and all because of him.

Movement catches your attention, and you look down to see a fresh stem of red spider lilies held between the tips of his fingers. The old stem had started to wilt, the flowers dying as their petals fell from the once vibrant flowers given to you that morning at the tavern.

It is then that you realize that he was the one who gifted you that fresh stem all those mornings ago.

You cannot help it. Your heart skips a beat inside of your chest.

“Is this-“ you swallow the emotions building within your throat. “Is this for me?”

Mingi smiles softly, inclining his head gently as he holds the flower out to you.

Carefully, you reach out and take that brilliant flower from his hand. Your fingers curl around the stem, more tears falling over your cheeks as you hold it tightly against your chest, pressing it directly over your heart.

Pursing your lips to keep your chin from wobbling, you squeeze your eyes shut.

It’s real. This is real. You are choosing to believe that what is happening right now is all real. What’s even better is that it is for you. It’s all for you.

At the soft touch you feel caress your cheek, you know that you’ve made the right decision. The decision to believe, even if you’re still terrified of what it means to take that leap.

Blinking your eyes open, you glance upwards to see Mingi already staring down at you with the most tender look you’ve ever received from anybody resting on his features. You can feel his thumb gently stroking over the skin of your cheek, wiping at the trail of your tears in the process.

Slowly, and ever so gently, he pulls you in closer.

“I want to see you thrive,” his voice is barely above a whisper, but you still hear him loud and clear within the silence that the morning brings.

It’s as if the whole world has gone still around you, and all you can see in this moment is him.

“I want to nurture you, and make you the happiest you’ve ever been.” His gaze never leaves your own as he tilts your head upwards slightly. “You have the most captivating smile, and I wish to see it more often.”

Your lips part in a silent gasp, heart pounding erratically inside of your chest.

“I wish to be the cause of it, of your laughter, your joy,” he leans in closer, his eyes hooding over as he darts his gaze down to your lips. “For you, there is nothing I wouldn’t do.”

There’s a slight hitch to your breath as your free hand comes up to rest against his chest. You swear you feel a slight rumble beneath your fingertips in contentment, too.

Again, his gaze flits down to your lips, and your hand tightens over his shirt. You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat, clinging to him as he continues to hold you so tenderly in the palm of his hand.

“More than all of that, though,” he breathes, and you can feel the warmth of his body against your own, “I wish to see you bloom.”

The second those words escape him, he’s pressing his lips to your own. His one hand cups your face so gingerly, pulling you in even closer as his opposite arm wraps fully around your waist. You can feel his chest rumble beneath your fingers once more, and this time, there’s no denying the pleased growl that escapes him.

Your eyes flutter closed in bliss, breath catching as you hear his growl of content surround you. The kiss is sudden, but welcome, nonetheless, and you cannot help but lean into him slightly.

All too soon, he pulls away, resting his forehead against your own. The light of the morning sun surrounds you both, and only serves to make the other glow beneath the golden hue of the surrounding hills. A warmth that covers you both as you stare into each other’s eyes.

“I have grown to care for you, My Blossom,” his gaze holds nothing but tender fondness as he says this, his thumb gently stroking over the skin of your cheek. “I only hope you will grow to care for me, too.”

The hand you have resting on his chest slides upwards, carefully cupping the side of his face in your palm. You notice his eyes flutter shut almost immediately, leaning into your tentative touch.

“I know it won’t be easy,” he keeps his voice low as he revels in your touch, “but I will always keep you safe. Nothing will hurt you while I am here to protect you.”

Mingi blinks his eyes open, shifting the hand he had splayed over your back to rest over your own over his cheek. His dark eyes glint in the light of the morning sun, full of promise and hope. 

A look you’ve only ever dreamed of being on the receiving end of one day.

“Mingi,” the way you breathe out his name has his eyes fluttering closed in bliss once more. “I- I-“ you swallow the lump in your throat, “I think I’m starting to care for you, too.”

Your words have a brilliant smile tugging at his features. His eyes crinkle at the sides, and he stands back to his full height. Softly, he squeezes your hand in his own, intertwining your fingers together as he begins to lead you through the woods for the day.

“That’s good enough for me,” he hums, lightly swinging your hands back and forth between you. “The fact that you can come to care for a monster like me makes me the happiest creature in the world.”

Suddenly, you stop in your tracks, and Mingi turns to look at you with a furrowed brow.

“You are not a monster, Mingi.” Your voice is firm, albeit a little pained.

The furrow in his brow deepens, and he begins to speak, only for you to cut him off.

“I have lived with monsters my whole life, and you are the furthest thing from being one of them.”

The air around you goes still with tension, and you notice how dark the sudden look in Mingi’s eyes is. Not even the birds dare to speak as the sun dulls behind the canopy of trees.

“Who hurt you?” The words are but a low growl on his lips, his hand tightening subconsciously over your own.

You go to pull away, but Mingi tugs you back to him in an instant.

“Who. Hurt. You?” This time, he emphasizes each word carefully. 

His gaze is sharp, and he can barely control his breathing. Lips are pulled back over sharp teeth, and his claws threaten to unsheathe any second at the anger building within. Again, his hand tightens over your own and you end up crying out in pain, pulling yourself out of his grip as he recoils from the sound.

Remorse paints his features, but there is no hiding how dark his eyes still are. He attempts to step towards you, wanting to make sure that you’re okay, but you take a step back. The smell of fear fills the air, but not just any fear.

Your fear.

Mingi’s expression falls. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

You say nothing in response, cradling your hand protectively to your chest. That sprig of flowers acts like a beacon, and Mingi is suddenly hit with the memory of how he first found you leaning against that tree all those days ago.

He inhales sharply.

“Please,” his dark eyes are pained, and he reaches for you once more. “Forgive me. I do not know what came over me.”

You blink rapidly, reaching your hands up to rub at your eyes.

Lightly, you shake your head, taking a deep breath to calm your nerves. “That you could get angry for me, not even knowing what’s happened…”

“Much as I would like to know, I will not pry.” He replies, suddenly appearing much more calm than he was mere moments ago. “Know that I will always get upset at the thought of someone hurting you. It is in my nature to want to protect the things I care about. It will… take some getting used to to remind myself to control my strength around you, as well.”

Averting your gaze to the ground, a small warmth begins to bloom in your chest. The fact that he seems so earnest in his explanation has a tension releasing from your shoulders that you didn’t realize you had been holding onto. He is fae, after all. You know he is much stronger than you, and from what you’ve gathered, hasn’t been around humans all that often.

As terrifying as it is to admit, you trust him. He’s done nothing to deceive you from the start, and if his words are anything to go by, he never will.

Tentatively, he offers you his hand. “Shall we?”

Your eyes flit from his face to his open palm, taking a cautious step towards him. Not even a moment later, you place your hand softly in his own, and he laces your fingers together without a second thought. Though, this time, it feels as if he’s holding onto you even more carefully than before. A fact which both surprises and elates you at the same time.

“I didn’t know you could be this gentle.” The corners of your lips twitch upwards, admiring the warmth that radiates from his palm to yours.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” he hums, a slight grin tugging onto his features.

“As there are many things you do not know about me.” You agree lightly, trying, and failing, to hide your smile as he begins swinging your hands between the both of you again.

“And yet, I grow more curious about My Blossom every day,” he responds, his thumb beginning to rub softly over the back of your palm.

The heat that rises to your cheeks is involuntary, and you avert your gaze to the side shyly. Subconsciously, you squeeze his hand, and you hear him chuckle lowly in response.

“Well, then, General,” your voice is light, teasing. A tone you haven’t used with anyone in a long, long time. “What would you like to know?”

His grin widens, and he turns his head towards you. 

“Tell me everything.”

For the entirety of the day, the two of you talk. Conversation flows easily, and you get to know each other better. He tells you more about the keep, and why he chose that place to live. In return, you tell him a little bit about your hometown. However, as you talk about the field of red spider lilies that used to reside about two miles away from your house, you cannot prevent the sad smile that pulls onto your lips.

“It burned.” You recall with an expression akin to longing on your features.

“Then, I shall plant you a new one when we get home.”

His reply shocks you, and you cannot prevent the way your eyes go wide in response. The way that he says this so casually, too, has your heart swelling inside of your chest.

Mingi then goes on to tell you a little bit about his childhood. It’s gruesome, and wild. Everything you would expect for a redcap raised in this realm. Though, what surprises you the most is when he goes into detail about his moral code.

No wonder he is the way he is, and if you’re being honest with yourself, you wouldn’t want him any other way. It’s unexpected, but if you had to get stuck with any type of fae in this realm, you’re glad you got stuck with him.

It’s about an hour before the sun is supposed to set that your limp starts to become prominent again. You notice the way Mingi’s brow furrows in discontent, his gaze fixated on your right foot as he helps you sit down against a tree.

“Blossom, why is it that you have a limp?” His question is soft, his hands holding yours gently in his as he kneels beside you on the ground.

You stiffen, breath catching in your throat. Memories which you haven’t thought about since they happened flood your mind, and your chest tightens. Your lungs begin to ache as filling them with air suddenly becomes difficult, nearly beginning to hyperventilate.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see that same monster covered in blood. Only this time, he’s holding a shovel.

Taking a deep breath in to ground yourself, you remind yourself that you are safe. Mingi will protect you from the monsters hidden in plain sight. He promised. 

You turn your gaze to meet his own, speaking softly, “That’s a story for another evening. Okay, Min?”

His eyebrows raise slightly, but he doesn’t press the matter. In fact, you believe he’s far too distracted by the name you’ve just called him, for you hear him let out a low giggle, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiles giddily.

“Wait right here,” he tells you as he stands back to his feet. “I’ll be back with some supplies in a little bit.”

“I can help, too,” you go to push yourself off of the ground and back to your feet.

“No.” Instantly, he’s crouched before you once more, hands placed gently on your shoulders to keep you seated in your spot. “You stay here and rest. Let me handle everything. I want to take care of you.”

“Okay,” you breathe out, looking up at him through your lashes.

You’ve never experienced this before. Always, it’s been you fending for yourself whenever you can. First came others, then if you had a rare moment to yourself, you would treat her to something. Though, as more and more time passed, those moments came few and far in-between, until even so much as thinking of doing something for yourself caused you to recoil back in horror.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Mingi smiles in response, leaning in to press his lips to your forehead before standing back to his feet. “I promise.”

True to his word, Mingi isn’t gone for more than an hour. He brings back with him some food and fresh water, along with the materials to build a small fire. One which he sets up quickly after handing you the food he found.

Once the fire is lit, Mingi shifts to sit beside you against the trunk of the tree you’re resting on.

“I thought I told you to eat,” his voice is low, his arm brushing against your own as he settles deeper against the wood at your back.

“I wanted to wait for you.” Comes your soft reply, holding out some berries he had picked for the both of you in the palm of your hand.

Carefully, he plucks up a fruit in his fingers. Only, instead of bringing it to his lips, he holds it to your own. You meet his gaze, and he only smiles at you, pressing the berry a little firmer against your mouth.

“Eat.” His voice is firm in his command, yet still tender all the same. “I will not until you do."

Parting your lips, you allow him to feed you the berry. He places it ever so gently onto your tongue, his thumb tracing over your bottom lip as the dark juice smears against your skin.

The sweetness of the fruit explodes onto your tastebuds as you bite down, chewing softly. You swallow, maintaining eye contact with him the whole time. You can hear your heartbeat ringing in your ears, and an actual thrill of excitement shoots through you. Quite a new feeling that you wish to feel again, and again, and again. With him.

One that gives you the courage to dart your tongue out, swiping at the tip of his thumb.

Mingi’s lips part, his eyes hooding over as he stares down at the way your tongue darts out to brush against his thumb a second time. He nearly moans at the feeling, chest rumbling deeply in contentment as he reluctantly pulls his hand away from your mouth.

The last thing he wants is to not be able to control himself around you, and scare you aware. He’s already tasted your fear, and he never wants to experience that bitter, repulsive scent ever again. He’s had enough of it to last a lifetime already.

A small smile begins to pull at his features as he watches you take a berry into your free hand. He cannot prevent the way his heart swells as you bring the fruit up to his lips, which eagerly part for the offering you provide for him. His eyes shine with that familiar tenderness, gazing upon you as if you are the brightest star lighting up his night sky.

To him, you are.

Slowly, carefully, Mingi wraps an arm around your shoulders. He shifts the slightest bit closer to you, but even if he senses the mildest form of discomfort from you, he will move away. Luckily, he doesn’t have to worry for too long, for you shuffle closer to him, tucking yourself against his side as you lean your head onto his chest.

“Is this okay?” He asks softly, his hand settling against the side of your waist.

Gently, you nod your head.

“More than okay.” The words are but a low hum as they fall from your lips. “I don’t-“ You take a small breath in. “I don’t think I’ve ever been held like this before.”

A pleased rumble shakes his chest, and Mingi pulls you in slightly closer into his side.

“How happy I am, then, that we get to experience this together.” 

The rest of the night is spent curled up in Mingi’s arms, of which he is more than happy to hold you in. You take turns feeding each other berries, along with the other fruit he’s gathered, and by the time the moon has risen high in the sky, you are fast asleep against his side.

Like that fateful night not quite yet a week ago, Mingi absolutely revels in the feeling of you in his arms. There is no greater feeling for him than your body pressed against his own, and the fact that he gets to take this time to admire you while you sleep causes his heart to swell inside of his chest.

You are so peaceful like this. So calm. You fit perfectly with him, and just like the first night he got to hold you while you slept, he traces each and every contour of your features. Everything he sees, he commits to memory, letting his gaze linger almost longingly on your lips as he recalls the feeling of them pressed against his own.

Mingi smiles, tracing a knuckle softly against your cheek. The way you still seem to lean into his touch, curling deeper against his side subconsciously, only makes his heart race. A pleasant tingle erupts beneath his skin wherever he feels you pressed against him, and all he wants is more.

There is nothing he wouldn’t do for you, and as Mingi rests with you beneath the light of the stars, he vows to himself to figure out who these monsters are that you spoke of earlier that day. Anybody who brings you pain, who makes or has made you suffer, does not deserve to live any longer. Not if he has anything to say about it.

He’ll show these monsters what a true beast looks like, all while proving that a real monster fights for you.

[erenspussy420]

Oh well like for crewel and Crowley (seperately )x Latina reader

Rivals to lovers

Soulmate au

Fluff plz

Sorry this took too long to finish but hopefully you like it!

1.8K words

Fem Reader

SFW (However my blog isn't so you have been warned.)

......

......

Soulmates, a rather direct term for something so vital in the lives of Twisted Wonderland. There is a reason for the plural, instead of the singular term. For one does not have one soulmate but rather two, so to speak, a rival or an enemy many say in your life. And the other as many would garner the true soulmate, the true love.

A touching sentiment, knowing somewhere out there is the other part of you waiting to reunite in the vast sea of life. Those who will understand the depth of who you are and you in turn peek into their heart of hearts. Even the most bitter of men and women, crave that companionship.

At least it would be should you actually know which side is which. The citizens of the world tried to figure it out, taking guesses but to the dismay of many it seems that it is not as direct at times. It made a rather interesting story about how one meets their true soulmate, and their hated sworn enemy.

In some cases, they were the same person!

Some lament at such the idea of having their arms confuse them, some don’t mind and seem to relish having an enemy, some finding the way to find true love a challenge, but all agree they rather have both names than none—-

Unlike these poor souls whose arms will stay bare.

.

.

Dire Crowley: 

‘It doesn’t bother him, not one bit!’ He proclaims, as he tugs over his sleeves. A big fat fucking lieeeee. Anyone can see or rather pityingly watch the rather pathetic display when it's the annual staff parties, and Crowley drinking himself into the bottle.

Woe is poor Dire! Arms care to the world, no name on either one. Not even a smidge! He always keeps his arms covered in long sleeves, as he could anyway. Summer’s are a challenge for him, he tends to overheat quite easily regardless of his ice magic. He looks longingly at those bright hideous Pleasure Island shirts.

When he’s alone, he rolls up his sleeves and looks at them forlorn. He is a fae raven, and for so many years it's been lonely. It's not uncommon that sometimes a fae and a human or beastman will be soulmates, usually they appear as they are born, but Crowley has yet to see any ink paint his smooth skin after a decade of waiting…and waiting….

He has been practicing making a nest, so leave the man alone when he steals your shit.

Until one day, the day he yearns for came true. It was during the opening ceremony, did he feel a hot sensation climb up his arm. It was so strong, he practically kneeled over, grabbing onto it as it glowed bright like copper, and once it died, it left a singular name in cursive letters. He couldn’t believe it! You were here! You were finally here! 

Crowley is laughing, crowing up a storm that the housewardens and newcomers felt wary and a bit scared as Crowley hugs his students, twirling them around. He would kiss their cheeks if it wasn’t for the fact that can be counted as harassment and most of these ruffians have claws.

Happy day! Happy day! He had noticed it's the same name for both sides. Oh dear, but it didn’t matter because as of this day, he wasn’t alone! ….Oh…Oh dear, there was quite the commotion, quite the ruckus! Nothing can damper his mood! Not even a cat setting everything on fire and a magicless human!

Then he catches your name, and oh dear….the headmaster had frozen stiff…until your gaze is now covered in feathers and a man sobbing into your arms crying "how beautiful you are!" And "thank the Sevens! I waited for so long! So long to bask in your gaze!”---while you’re yelling in spanish about the crazy bird man, smacking him with his own shoe.

Truly a beautiful sight you have finally arrived! So much so that Trein had to take over since Crowley hasn’t stopped trying to preen your hair and crying into hair.

Once he finally gets himself in control, does his actual duties as a headmaster and deal with the fact you are not of Twisted Wonderland and from another world completely. He’s totally working on a way home— just let him get to know you as he does.

He catches himself staring too long at you. He can’t help it, he’s waited for you for so long! Every curve, every angle of your face makes his breath hitch. You have a bold look to you, confident and with a loud laugh that adds more to your charm.

Oh when he pisses you off, he can tell the second the house is filled with the scent of roasted dried chilies. Cue Crowley wheezing.

He does try to learn the Spanish you speak, wanting to learn more about you and the culture you hail from. Its rather sweet, even if you were teaching him swear words at first.

You have a big sense of community, his soulmate is so generous! Which does make him pout as he watches you, mother hen some of his troublemakers by putting the fear of God into them. 

Though he does like how you bring him into a dance in the kitchens, teaching him the simple steps of dances that have him being twirled around in your arms.

Adding into the second role of being a soulmate, you have pushed Crowley into being more active with his students, something most of his staff has thanked you for. As you were working on your master’s before being run down by the horses in the middle of Los Angeles. 

Even working harder than before, Crowley is utterly in love with his soulmate.

Crewel Divus:

“Hm? I see your eyes seem to find my arms rather fascinating, little pup?” The corner’s of his lips quirk in amusement, but the sharpness of his gray blue eyes made his students squeak. It was one of those rare times, Divus had his sleeves rolled over his arms, letting his unruly pups finally take a gander at who their professor soul mate could be. Most, however, made bets if Crowley was his enemy.

But it was bare and pale, the gawking student had found their mouth shut by the aid of a familiar whip pushing up their chin. “Hm, since you seem so fond of being idle, I can keep you busy,” a loud thwap of his whip smacking his gloved hand,” Detention, cauldron duty.”

As a young youth he was rebellious and scrappy in all the ways that come with being a teenager. Always in fashion regardless of how he looks, however it is noted his arms are bare to the world and Divus doesn't care what the world thinks of his unfortunate status.

Frankly, Divus pushes on the importance of it, he hates what it brings on him with expecting eyes and unlike Crowley who hides it— Divus will make you see he doesn't care about what the world thinks. As far as he is concerned, Crewel is standing here with or without a soulmate to his name. With or without you, Divus Crewel is not to be pitied.

Though, it cannot be said he hasn’t beaten a loud mouth punk twice or thrice when entering NRC.

Growing up however, after getting through his angst and anger, Divus accepts it. Maybe he traces over where the name of the person who can push him to capabilities, caresses the bare arm that was supposed to be his soul companion ... .and it takes his dogs covering him to bring him out of that stupor. 

He’s obsessive in a way that isn’t easily noticeable, something that reflects in his own outfits, his black and white outfits having a missing half in cufflinks, buttons, or belts. There is a way he walks, still poise and confident that seems to make space for someone who is supposed to be there. One has made the mistake of taking the second glass he has set aside—purposefully or not.

The day you finally had come into his life with a bang, literally as he can describe the sudden burning sensation in his arms that evening, Crewel had finally set up his room. The burst of such power had him kneel over, gripping the sides of his vanity so harshly he broke a chunk of it in his bare hands. It was as if something was being carved into him, not his skin he didn’t notice that but his own soul has been molded.  In a hurry, he rips up his sleeve, his cufflinks flying to the corners of his room but that didn’t matter.

His soulmate is here.

Oh when he first meets you, he takes you in. All of you, from the shade of your hair, to the curve of your eyes, the features of what makes you–you. Each note, his mind is already building up the things he can create for you.

You are nothing he expected but that is what thrills him. 

What his eyes picked up was your clothes. Well made, and tailored, stylish with personal flares. A fellow fashionista!

The second he brings you to his workshop, he knows—he knows now that all those cliche romance novels he reads when he’s fully alone means it clicks. 

He loves the embroidery of your culture that is prevalent in every outfit you make. Bright colors of – pinks, greens, yellows and reds. Everything you make has this brightness to it, eye-catching and so utterly full of pride.

There is a way you speak that is also so different from the Spanish variant he is used to, its more playful, relaxed and a bit cocky.

He’s careful in making sure you settle in Twisted Wonderland, while trying so hard not to prod you for too many questions. Though he does admit, he lingers nearby when he hears you sing in Spanish, the grin you have as you sing something he knows is pretty dirty as it seems the Shaftlands share the latin roots as you call it with French in your world. So don’t think he doesn’t know when you're cursing under your breath!

But he does admire the arsenal of insults you seem to throw on the fly when angered. He saved a video of you perfectly tearing off your sandals to throw it at Crowley for ditching his duties on you both. Three seconds is impressive.

Your fashion taste and his tend to clash, but he loves the way you make your canvas come alive during fashion shows he got you to join in. But the second you and him collaborate on a fashion line together, he sees that drive in you that makes him want to chase.

[yuri-is-online]

I guess I can call myself a returner of interest in Fyuuture kid au to the masses, and I'm proud of it🏅 the part with other four dorms was absolutely amazing! Thank you! And your reply to my previous message was so heartwarming. My baby boy🥹 Yuu really should beat the magical marshall with a slipper when they meet again, no one touches THE bestest boy😤

It seems like I'll have to write down my questions, cause I tend to forget them in two minutes 😔 but there's the one I remember:

It was discussed in one of the posts (Riddle!Yutu), how does Yutu look like?🤔 I thought he would bear more resemblance with Yuu, so everyone wouldn't quickly (or immediately with some fathers) make conclusions. Does he have beastmen characteristics if his dad's from Savannaclaw? Does he inherit Idia's hair? Can he transform into octopus/eel/dragon form? (In twisted wonderland, I mean, not in Yuu's homeworld. I've read that post💅🏻) Is he as tall as the twins? 🤔 imagine 190 sm or 6ft 3, duckling following you

Have a nice day/evening, take care of yourself!

You should be very proud of yourself annon I am having a lot of fun with this! The Magical Marshall's are a government organization so the image of Yuu charging a fed with a slipper gave me a laugh, but yes they should. How dare they hurt Yutu ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭

imagine 190 sm or 6ft 3, duckling following you

Hand slipped. Anyway Yutu wears a pretty big sweatshirt sweater dress type thing that obscures a lot of his facial features though I did briefly play with the idea of him wearing a sort of mask similar to an FFXIV ash mask:

The justification was that the air in the future timeline! Twisted Wonderland was so polluted by blot and Yutu was so used to breathing it he needed some magical assistance... I think I also wrote some bullshit about the mask applying a glamour to Yutu so he didn't need to wear the big sweatshirt, but I feel like the mask would be more suspicious than just some guy who wants to keep his hood up.

As for those unique features, yes. With the exception of Malleus! Yutu, all of the non human Yutus found themselves transforming into an entirely different species when they came through the mirror into Twisted Wonderland. It was an extremely painful experience, imagine having your parent basically die in your arms and the next thing you know you are turning into a giant pacific octopus on the floor of a castle in front of a bunch of people. Yutu should be rewarded for not losing his shit then and there. The beastmen Yutus needed some time to adjust to having stronger hearing and senses of smell, the merfolk Yutus basically missed the first few months of magic education getting used to their merfolk forms, and Yutu Shroud had his hair instantly set itself on fire and had a massive panic attack. The beastmen Yutus have to keep their extra features tucked underneath their hoodie, which is very frustrating for Jack! Yutu who has a lot of floof that suddenly has nowhere to go. Lilia! and Sebek! Yutu don't have any noticeable appearance differences (unless you like the thought of him having Sebek's hair color), but I do like the idea of their teeth getting sharper. I prefer to leave a lot of Yutu's appearance up to the reader, but I had a super clear picture of Riddle! and Epel! Yutu as being short, and the more I think about the merfolk... I see Floyd! Yutu as being a sort of middle ground between his parents's height and Jade! Yutu as being about as tall as his dad. Oh and Azul! Yutu is taller than his dad, he is a bulky boy.

Now. Malleus! Yutu. So dragon fae hatch from eggs that can only be created out of love and constantly need to receive magic from their loving parent. That clearly didn't happen with Yutu, so I don't think he can transform into a dragon. He is still clearly inhuman, he has Malleus's eyes and ages much more slowly than other humans, even in your world he looked really young for his age. Think of Malleus! Yutu as sort of playing by half-elf rules, he's going to be living for hundreds of years and as he gets older he will grow tiny horns and some scales around them. He is also the strongest of the Yutus magically speaking, he did get some love from his father after all.

I did have a thought of sorts about the whole egg thing... I mentioned before that I had played with the idea of giving certain Yutu's siblings, and while I am still uncertain of the others I can see Malleus! Yutu having a twin of sorts who did hatch out of an egg, who can transform into a dragon, and who would have been left behind in Twisted Wonderland. I have so many ideas I wrote a lot of them down but this au is already so complicated I don't know if I want to add her. I do really like it though...

[anarchiii]

It’s not what it looks like. —ACOTAR AU

Oneshot | Warnings: angst, innuendo. | Azriel x Y/N

Summary; Azriel & y/n used to be best friends until she finds him kissing someone. He tries to explain but she doesn’t listen, she moves away to the dawn court to pursue her dream, five years later and she’s back in the night court. Azriel won’t let her get away from him again, he needs to explain to her that he loves her and no one else.

Note: this is an AU it’s not in the books.

Masterlist

It had been five years since she’d been living in Velaris and working with the inner circle. She’d been studying in dawn all these years but now she was back. Y/n was back at Velaris and now working for the night court again. She had left because of an incident that had happened.

You were at Rita’s, it was a humid night. The lights blinding and the music blaring. You had gone here with Mor, Nesta, Cassian and Azriel. You all had been here for around three hours now, your legs were sore from dancing and your head was buzzing from the alcohol you and your friends had consumed. In your drunken stupor you had wandered around Rita’s looking for Azriel, you possessed a lot of bravery from the drinks and were now looking for Azriel so you could confess your attraction to him, but you couldn’t find him, you had asked your friends multiple times if they had seen him and they had all given y/n the same answer: I haven’t seen him since he went into the bathroom. You thought that was odd of him. You had checked the bathroom multiple times and had started asking the people nearby, most hadn’t known where he was but one shaggy haired fae apparently did. “Yeah I saw the guy you described and a chick walk through the back door and into the ally” “thanks” you replied. Azriel was with a girl? Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it sounded, he could be having a conversation with the female and needed to hear properly, you breezed through the back door and stalked your way to said alley. She turned the corner to the alley to find the said woman had grabbed Azriel by the collar and had her lips against his. She was about to turn away when she met eyes with Azriel, he abruptly pulled his lips away and pushed the lady away, “it’s not what it looks like, I promise” He started, “I thought we had something going” y/n said tears springing in her eyes. “I swear we do, it’s not what it looks like I swear, she just came onto me” he said panic rising in his voice. “I don’t want to hear it Az.”

He walked towards y/n and attempted to grab her arm but she shoved him back. “Leave it Azriel. I saw what I saw.” She saw tears appear in his eyes, he tried to explain once more but she ran off back into the club, her friends to drunk to notice the mascara running down her face, she breezed past the and out into the street, she made her way back home, she faintly remembered voices calling after her but she ignored them.

The next day she had her bags packed and a rental place secured in dawn. She left later that day, she had said goodbye to her friends but they were all to hungover to care or notice. Azriel had tried to reach out to her but she had ignored him, winnowing to dawn without another word.

“Y/n, lovely to see you!” Rhysand’s voice pulling her from her memories. “Rhysie! I heard from a birdie that you’ve found yourself a mate and child, I’m so happy for you!” Y/n exclaimed, And she couldn’t wait to meet his mate and his little boy. “Rhys!” A female called, was that his mate? Turning around the corner to where they were, a stunning woman appeared, she had no doubt it was Rhysand’s mate. Indeed, as behind the said mate was a little boy, no more than five. The boy had one hand practically in his mouth and the other holding onto his mother’s paint-covered pants, his wings slightly dragging on the floor as he waddled this way. A smile y/n had never seen before landed on Rhys face, his purple eyes shining with affection. She tried not to feel too envious. She was happy for Rhys but she couldn’t help feeling a little jealous that she didn’t have that. “Before we discuss what we’re doing I’d like to say hello to everyone else” “Of course” Rhys replied.

Y/n walked from the balcony to the main dining room to find the whole inner circle there and two people she didn’t recognise. She immediately met the hazel eyes she had—still—always adored, she looked to everyone else, before y/n was able to open her mouth to speak, Cassian came hurtling at her, wrapping his huge arms around her body. When he finally let go Mor game crashing onto her as well, once Mor pulled away she turned to the two females y/n didn’t recognise and said “Nesta, Elain. I’d like for you two to meet our dear old friend y/n” with a smile. Nesta nodded her head at y/n and she nodded back, Elain gave her a sugar sweet smile. Y/n turned to Azriel, he met her eyes instantly. There was a deep sadness that appeared in Azriel’s eyes, y/n’s conveyed the same. “Well, I’m sure you’re totally exhausted, Azriel. Can you show y/n to a vacant room please?” Mor requested, Azriel started walking down one of the corridors and y/n followed, when they were right outside a room, Azriel turned to her. “Can you just…” Azriel started “listen to me please, let me try to explain” she nodded her head, “I went out into that alley to talk with the female you saw, she was a jeweller. I met her at Rita’s and wanted to inquire about a custom piece of jewellery, while I was talking to the female I noticed she was become increasingly flirtatious, I was about to leave when she grabbed me by the collar and put her lips to mine. I didn’t get a chance to stop it as you came around the corner just as she had kissed me. I’m sorry y/n” He finished, but she still had a question she wanted answers to. “Did you love me” y/n breathed. “I never stopped loving you” Azriel says, and before he could react, she kissed him. Y/n was about to pull away when he kissed her back. They stood like that for a few minutes just kissing until someone cleared their throat behind Az. They pulled apart and Azriel whipped around to where the sound had came from to come face to face with Rhys. All he did was grin and wink at y/n before walking off down the hall, hands in his pockets whistling a melodic tune.

Azriel wrapped his hands around y/n’s waist and whispered in her ear “shall we continue this in the bedroom?” “Of course” She replied with a smirk, Az kept one hand on her waist and moved the other to behind her knees, he picked her up bridle style before opening the door and shutting it behind them.

The End.

-Taglist

@illyrianbitch

@azrielslittleslut

@cynthiesjmxazrielslover

[aerkame]

In the finfolk au, what if y/n knew not to give Wally their real name (or at least was weary of him and didn’t trust him enough to tell) and tried to give a nickname instead? Would he know instantly they were lying? And how would he try to get them to say their real name? Also, how would he and everyone else react if y/n upon transforming into a mermaid was terrified and tried to escape?

If Wally doesn't take notice of something Home is there to help... Side note: Normal puppets are just the equivalent of humans in this AU to prevent confusion.

EDIT: ACK, just remembered the last part of the ask. I shall make a part 2 to this ask then. Hopefully the anon will be able to see it when it gets posted!

You were always warned about the finfolk. Luckily you weren't exactly a normal puppet so you doubt that any of the residents here would try to trap you on the island with them. But that small bit of paranoia kept you on your toes...well crutches. Your leg was still healing and as far as you could tell you'd be staying at 'Home' until the injury healed.

"My name is..." You thought of something quick, giving Wally a fake name. You don't know what exactly will happen if you give him your true name, but you've heard plenty of times now to never ever give it out to the fae, demons, angels, or the finfolk.

The tall puppet clicked his felt tongue before placing his hands behind his back. "What a lovely name."

---

Wally is well aware that you have been lying to him, but who is he to try and pry information out of you? He shook his head at the thought. While the finman really wanted to just force the name out of you, it would be better to get you comfortable here first, and then they could begin their goal on making you a permanent resident. Just like they did with Frank.

Speaking of which...he turned around to look at the puppet in question, humming in delight upon seeing you two get along, sipping tea and sharing stories.

Frank was the perfect tool to get you to open up really. He had no issues with the island, he understood selkies and their current dwindling numbers, he was level-headed, and most importantly, he was a normal puppet before. He could relate to you in a sense. The grey puppet even helped you lean towards staying or at least consider the possibility of staying here, having brought up the issue that poachers and criminals alike will do nothing but continue stealing selkie coats for profit.

"Quite frankly, you might be better off staying here. You and I both know there is not much out there for selkies and it's only going to get worse with the constant poaching and coat thieves, your kind are on the brink of extinction for stars sake."

Frank sighed after his mini-rant, having worked himself up. The topic of poaching and hunting exotic or near-extinct species was an upsetting topic and it was easy to tell. You didn't speak much for a while after that, continuing to listen to Frank while sipping at the hot beverage. "Hey...Frank, if I did decide to stay would the others even be alright with that?" Your voice cracked a bit. You don't know why, but it felt like eyes were pinning you to the plush seat, demanding that you stay put.

His eyebrows quirked and he gave you a questioning look. "I have no doubt that the neighbors wouldn't mind you staying." He crossed his arms looking more stern now. "If anything I'd say that you would be safer here with us."

You gave Frank a small smile. The eyes followed you.

---

"So, neighbor. I heard that you've been getting quite comfortable yes?" Wally swished his wine in small circles before taking a sip, not once taking his eyes off you.

"oh, uhm, yes! It's very nice here, there are so many smaller islands and lots of places to explore. And the colorsss..." Your words slurred slightly "so many colors evenn in the plantss. I've never seen any place like thiss! I mean even the insects and fish are unique here, Frankyy showed me his whole collection which he says isn't done ye-" Your face was beet red and the finman could tell he had you drunk enough once you couldn't stop talking yourself into a mess.

Carefully leaning over, Wally placed a hand on yours as he rubbed circles into your palm. Time to butter you up.

"You know, you could always stay with us here, forever. You'll never not be bored, you'll have friends, and you'd be safe." He inhaled, the small but hidden slits behind his cheeks opening, smelling the scent that lingered on your form remembering it was the perfume he gave you. He sighed, content.

Wally looked down at your small body. You had stopped rambling and now you were avoiding eye contact, preferring to look down into your lap or looking off to the side.

"Ah...you know, I could never get your name out of my mind. It's just so wonderful...If you did stay I could call you by it all I want." He leaned in closer, softly grabbing hold of your chin to lift it up, making sure he could see your eyes.

A thumb brushed over your mouth "I just wished there was more I could do to help you..." He breathed out your false name and watched you struggle internally...good.

"Uhm, actually, Wally, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Oh? I'm all ears." His plan was going along flawlessly.

Wally softly let go of your face, but remained close, fixing you in a position of feeling pinned. "I-I lied. About my name. I lied aboutt a lot of things." Some of your letters still slurred but it was obvious you were trying your hardest to think clearly.

"That's alright dear, I knew the whole time, but I figured you had a reason." Wally was grinning ear to ear.

"My real name is..." Your named slipped your mouth.

Yellow hands flew up to cup your cheeks. Wally held a mixed face that was of bliss and excitement. "Oh my darling I am so sorry I've called you by another name this entire time! Please allow me to make up for it with another dinner? Same time tomorrow."

Your head felt fuzzy as you nodded along to whatever he said. "It's- alriight." You felt numbed. Wait...

A part of you panicked for a second, having snapped into the the realm of reality, but you calmed down shortly after. You trusted him. Wally would never harm you or trap you right? He and the others have been all too kind and welcoming and if they really wanted to trap you they'd have figured out a way by now. Your thoughts were so rapid, everything is fast, too fast.

Wally was so caught up in his own thoughts he didn't pay attention to your swaying body until he heard a loud 'thud' and looked down at your sleeping form.

Oh dear, maybe that beverage was too strong for you to handle.

TL;DR

Don't get drunk around Wally. He's a finman and won't get drunk as easily... and he'll probably take advantage of that to get info out of you. Or he'll just make you a blushing mess.

[frenchkisstheabyss]

✧*̥˚ Under the Sky *̥˚✧

✧ Mature Content. Minors DNI. Warnings below the break ✧

✧ Pairing: fairy king!yeosang x chubby!fairy queen!reader

✧ Summary: The night of your wedding you disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Regaining your senses, you set out to return to your true love.

✧ Genre: ateez fairy au, romance, adventure {smutty at the end}

✧ Word Count: 1.9k-ish

✧ Warnings: Mentions of death. Reader has some injuries. Unprotected fairy sex. I'd say "wrap it up" but darling, you're a fairy. Have a ball.

✧ A/N: This is for @anyamaris and her absolute love for fairy Yeosang. Thank you for trusting me to write this. Love you forever, sis!

The fae believe that each soul, upon its entry into the realm of the living, is split in two. It’s said that to find your other half is to find a love so deeply rooted in the land of the fae that, should you ever part, the Fates themselves would shift to reunite you…

Hours have passed since you awakened in a graveyard of sorts. Found in the darkest reaches of the forest, it's desolate. No singing blue birds or fields of which to frolic. Only shallow graves dug in packed dirt and a thick smog that carries the nauseating stench of death. Nothing survives there. You aren’t sure how you did or how you even got there. What you do know is that your wedding dress, spun from the silk of a dozen spiders, clings to you now in tattered strips. A dozen scrapes and bruises adorn your body. None of which you notice in the presence of the sharp pain shooting through your back. Your wings, once grand and glittering, have been stripped from your back. An evil, depraved act that not even the fearsome creatures who you crept past to escape death's valley could bring themselves to do.

Night descends swiftly as you push on, at last reaching a point where the air is crisp and the forest is lush. You stop along the way to drink from sparkling ponds, nibbling on foraged berries for strength. Purple means poisonous but the blue ones are safe. Or was it the other way around? You shake it off. Your thoughts drifting to your husband Yeosang. Please don't think I abandoned you. I'd never. I couldn't. A girl like you from such a humble background marrying the king of the fae had been the talk of the town. People spoke of the riches you’d inherit. The luxury you’d live in. For you, none of that mattered. You'd call home a dry rotted tree stump if it meant having him by your side. You were only wed a few hours before your disappearance. Why? How? You shake yourself for answers only to come up empty-handed.

A firefly zips past your face, snapping your attention back to the world around you. The energy here, it’s different, familiar. In the distance, you hear music blended with the laughter of mothers and their children. The baritone voices of men sing a song that brings you back to your childhood. Back to…“Home!” you cry, adrenaline coursing through your veins. You race towards the sounds, dodging weeping willows and woodland creatures busy carrying on their own business. Bursting out into a clearing you find yourself at the center of your village. It’s the annual May fair and the streets are so packed that you’re swallowed by the crowd. Your lip quivers, tears flowing, as your attention shifts beyond the extravagant celebration to the castle sitting at the summit of the trees. Through a stained glass window, a single light shines.

“Yeosang!” you shout, shoving your way through the crowd to find a way to him. The villagers begin to notice you. The music gradually dies down to reveal exchanges of “The queen. The queen? Can’t be. It is!” “Yeosang! I’m here!” you’re shouting in every direction, intent on continuing until your throat’s raw. “I’m here, my love! I'm...aah!” What little breath you have left is knocked out of you when you’re swept up into the air. You look down to find the villagers growing smaller and smaller. You’re flying but how? “My queen. My treasure. You’ve returned” Yeosang beams, holding you close. The mere sight of him makes your head spin. The face of your love, heavy with hope and sadness, is the last thing you see before everything around you goes black.

“If anyone steps foot through these doors without my approval kill them!” Yeosang commands the soldiers lined up before him in the throne room. “If I have to do it myself I’ll send you into the afterlife with them!” In all his years as king Yeosang had never so much as raised his voice at his people. Admired for his gentle strength, the loss of you had filled him with a rage that burned wildly enough to destroy everything in his reach. And he'd done so, regrettably. In search of his love. In search of you. Word spread quickly that, in your absence, Yeosang had embarked on a rampage soaked with the blood of his enemies. “The Mad King” they came to call him, not to his face of course but he heard their whispers. “Gone, she is. He needs to accept it. Probably nothing but bone by now.” Yeosang never listened, he refused to. You would be together again. He'd accept nothing else.

The pitter-patter of a maid’s feet against the pearlescent castle floors provides some relief to the soldiers. “My king! My king!” she squeaks, nearly out of breath. Yeosang motions for his men to disperse, “What is it, Fern? The spiders again? I’ve told you, they work here. You must stop being so frightened of them.” “No, it’s the queen. I took her to the bath and she…” She carries on explaining but he’s already whipping through the halls in search of you. Bursting through the doors of the washroom he finds everything as it should be. The only peculiar thing is you, dripping wet before a mirror carved in cherrywood. Bubbles from your bath still gliding down your generous curves. Your back’s turned to the mirror, your attention fixed on the bruised, raised skin where your beautiful wings once were.

“They’ll never come back? Will they?” you say with enough despair to break him. Yeosang plucks a towel from a nearby hook, proceeding to dry you off. “In time” he sighs, working his way up from your feet to your calves, “Until then I’ll carry you wherever your heart desires.” Wrapping his arms around you, he releases the towel to lay his hands upon your wounds. His wings pulse, radiating a soft blue, as he massages the tension from the damaged muscle. “But you are as fierce, as exquisite a woman, as you were with them” he whispers, “And I swear that whoever has done this will feel your pain tenfold.” “When did you become so vengeful? Such a beast you've become” you coo, placing your hands on either side of his cheeks. Yeosang draws you in closer, resting his head on your shoulder.

He breathes you in as you pet wings and you can’t help but giggle at the way they shiver when you touch them. “What’s so funny?” he asks, his head popping up. You do your best to stifle your amusement, “Uhm, nothing. Nothing at all” A seriousness creeps across his handsome face, his lips suddenly meeting yours. “Do it again...” Never one to back down from a dare, you drape both arms over his shoulder, fingers lightly stroking his wings. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?” he asks between passionate kisses. You shake your head, heat rushing down between your legs as he presses his hardening arousal against you. “Show me…” Too entranced by his kiss to watch what you’re doing, you blindly tear at his clothes until not a single shred of garment separates you.

Cradling the back of your neck, he pulls away from your lips, kissing along your collarbone. “As you wish, my love” he hums against your chest, nibbling at your pillowy breasts. Bringing your legs around his waist, he brushes the tip of his cock against your tender bud and it’s your turn to shiver now. To rock back and forth along his length, the slick from your aching pussy soaking him from base to tip. “Yeo…Yeosang…so good” you moan, the friction setting off sparks in your system. Yeosang feverishly laps at your heaving breasts, tasting them as your chest rises and falls, your breaths growing shorter the more you grind down against him. “That’s it, darling. Use me to make yourself…mmm…feel good” he urges, tilting his hips so that his swollen head teases your entrance.

You catch yourself biting down on your own tongue, dragging your clit along his shaft, your walls already pulsing, desperate to be filled. “Inside of me. Please” you whine, hips stuttering, “Need you, Yeo…” He peaks up at you, your eyes glazed over, so needy. How could he refuse you? He raises his hips, fingers reaching between your legs to spread you wide for him, feeding you his cock painfully slow. He has to take his time with you. Feel the way your thighs tremble. The way your core contracts each time he goes the slightest bit deeper. Your low, soft moans in his ear are sweeter to him than his own pleasure. With every stroke your sounds grow fractured, those sparks having grown into full blown fireworks, setting off within your very essence. Yeosang grabs you by the hair, thrusting into you with such force that all thoughts of anything else leave your mind.

Any words you say are incoherent, your limbs moving as they wish. You are in heaven. The pressure builds. Unbearably strong. Dominating your senses. “Fall apart with me” he whispers, lovingly palming your scars, “I will carry you always. I promise.” “Aah…I…I…” Whatever you meant to say escapes you, your high crashing against you like the roaring tides of some vast ocean. The waves are unforgiving, taking more and more of you each time. Steadying your weakened body against his, he buries himself into your depths, your walls clenching around him, hitting just the right spot to trigger his own release. His seed gushes into your womb, warm and sticky, marking you as his own for the first time since your wedding night.

Struggling to catch your breath, you collapse onto his chest, suddenly aware that you’re no longer vertical. You tilt your head to the side to find that the floor might as well be worlds away. You’re…on the ceiling. “You…have to…warn…me…” You attempt to scold him but can’t focus with him still grinding into you the slightest bit, filling you to the point of overflow. “But it’s so much fun not to” he teases, kissing you all over your face. “Cut it out” you giggle, not meaning a single word. “My king! Did you…” Fern starts, fluttering into the bathroom. She scans the washroom for a moment before looking up. “Oh my gods and goddesses!” she screams, startling Yeosang enough that you both fall from the air, his wings stopping you a mere inch from the ground. 

Throwing her hands over her eyes, she flees into the hallway shouting “I’ve seen nothing! Carry on!” You move to climb off of him but he won’t let you go, his arms still locked around your waist. “Do you mean to chase her in this state?” “I don’t know! I just…we’ve traumatized the poor thing.” you sigh, burying your face in his chest out of embarrassment. It’s been so long…too long…since he felt you curled up against him this way. “I love you so dearly, Y/N” he sighs, kissing the top of your head. You return the kiss to his shoulder, “And I, you, my king.” You curl up there, floating in the arms of your love. A nightmare behind you and a dream before you. After a long, perilous journey you are, at last, home.

[rosanna-writer]

Love at First Sight's for Suckers (1/5)

Summary: [A Feysand Newsies AU] Rhysand had a reputation. A big reputation. But fortunately for Feyre, a newsie selling papers on the streets of Velaris, tabloid gossip about the handsome, charismatic, hard-partying war-hero of a High Lord's heir means business is booming. That is, until the city's newspaper magnates get greedy, Feyre finds herself an unwitting labor leader at the center of a strike, and Rhys becomes an unexpected ally... Warnings: None

A gift for @the-lonelybarricade, for @acotargiftexchange! @lbs-secret-santa is me!

LB, creating this for you has been such a blast, and I am definitely the luckiest secret santa in the world to have such a gem of a giftee. It's rare for someone to have both a talent AND a heart as big as yours—you're truly the High Lady of Feysand, not just because your fics are incredible, but because of the way you make new writers (including me earlier this year) feel immediately welcome and how you handle fandom nonsense with such grace and tact. I'm so glad to call you a friend <3

And sorry for an author's note that reads like an annoying award show speech, but there are SO MANY people I want to thank. The event organizers did such a thoughtful job creating an event that brought so many people together across the fandom; not just secret santa/giftee pairs, but people reaching out to new betas, roping new friends into secrecy shenanigans, and getting hyped about other gifts! @iambutmortal, @thesistersarcheron, @itsthedoodle, @wilde-knight, and @ablogofsapphicpanic have been the best betas/saucy Rhys pun brainstormers/secret keepers/DM screaming session partners, and the daily headlines would not have happened without their beautiful brains. I had SO MUCH FUN watching the excitement and creative energy grow and grow in the lead up to this reveal. And also @reverie-tales, thanks for being my unwitting cover to throw LB off my trail!

Anyway, you can find the first chapter Here on AO3 or under the readmore. Happy Holidays!

One Heir to Share? Rhysand's Rita's Threesome

Baring it All at Starfall! Rhysand Stuns in Daring Deep-V Shirt

Rhysand's Baby Blues: Heir's Latest Fling Spotted Shopping for Baby Clothes

Future High Lord’s High: Witchberries, Fae Wine, and Wild Starfall Benders in the House of Wind?

Lady of the Night or FUTURE Lady of Night? Rhysand's Girlfriend Shocks Royal Family at Nynsar

Un-Rhys-onable: Night's Heir Refuses to Kneel to High Lord

Heir Head! Rhysand Forgets Alphabet During Library Community Service

Rhysand had a reputation.

A big reputation.

Perhaps that was why after selling him the newspaper every day for the better part of a year, Feyre Archeron had long since decided that he was far too full of himself to be ashamed of anything.

As he did every Saturday morning, Rhys appeared on her corner like clockwork, wearing last night's clothes and his trademark smirk. If Feyre wanted to know what lucky male or female had gone home on his arm, she'd only have to check tomorrow's society pages, which were always breathlessly detailing the exploits of the Night Court's handsome, charismatic, hard-partying war-hero of a High Lord's heir.

Not that Feyre cared. There were more important things to worry about than Rhysand's love life, like where her next meal was coming from. She only kept up with it because his scandals sold papers like nothing else.

And she definitely didn't feel a stab of envy every time she read about his latest fling. That would be pointless—a lesser fae shadow-wraith like Feyre would never be Lady of the Night Court. The stir Rhys's Illyrian mother had caused made that obvious enough, even if she was the High Lord's mate.

"Good morning, Feyre darling," Rhysand drawled, the way he always greeted her.

"It's noon, Rhys," Feyre said. The nickname might have been overly familiar, but Feyre had noticed his eyes glittered like stars whenever she used it with him. And besides, after being up since dawn, she wasn't inclined to fall over herself currying favor with someone who'd just rolled out of bed.

"Then let me be the first to tell you that you look delicious this afternoon."

Feyre rolled her eyes, positive she looked the farthest thing from delicious in her threadbare leggings and sweater. If it were anyone but Rhys, she would have been sure they were being cruel. But he had enough of her goodwill that he could pay her teasing compliments and not end up with his teeth bashed in for his trouble.

"Did you give them anything interesting to write about last night?" she said, leaning back against a streetlight and crossing her arms over her chest.

Rhys picked at an invisible piece of lint on his tunic, which almost had Feyre rolling her eyes a second time. Despite being in last night's clothes, he didn't look the least bit disheveled—probably some spell he'd cast to ensure he looked irritatingly perfect as always.

"Mor needed a wingman again," he said.

Feyre relaxed, relieved at his answer. Rhys's equally beautiful cousin was the subject of plenty of headlines of her own, and the two were frequently seen together. The people of Velaris were fascinated by the pretty blonde former Hewn City princess–when the Herald ran a story about her, Feyre just had to shout "Morrigan" to turn heads and make sales. If the lead story was about her, Feyre could probably afford to eat tomorrow.

It had been a while, though, since Rhys had been spotted with someone new on his arm. Or with anyone other than Morrigan, his sister, or the two Illyrians he called his brothers actually. Feyre had rolled her eyes at the rumors of a secret relationship or a hidden love child—if you asked her, the most likely explanation was that there were only so many attractive people in Velaris with a weakness for violet eyes. Rhys was bound to run out of people to fuck eventually.

"Is that the truth?" Feyre said, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Or did you actually find someone to settle down with?"

She'd meant it as a joke, but Rhys didn't smile. There was something hungry, almost predatory, in the way his gaze slid over her. Feyre found herself flushing, even as she stared right back. "Would you care if I did?" he said.

It felt like a challenge; Feyre lifted her chin. "Of course I'd care if you stopped causing scandals. I'm a newsie, and gossip sells papers."

"Of course," Rhys said, something in his expression seeming to shutter. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a gold coin, handing it to her. The value was far more than a single paper was worth, but he'd always insisted she keep the change.

Feyre pulled a paper from the bag slung over her shoulder and handed it to him, longways so there was no chance their fingers would touch. She'd let that happen once, and his fingertips brushing hers had sent a crackle of electricity along her skin that she'd been thinking about ever since. Her mind replayed it almost daily—and frankly, Feyre found that embarrassing.

She pocketed the coin. "Pleasure doing business with you."

When Rhys spoke again, he dropped his voice to a low, sensual purr that sent shivers skittering down Feyre's spine, heat washing over her despite the autumn chill that cut through her tattered clothes. " Everything is a pleasure when it comes to you, Feyre."

He flashed her one last feline smile, and Feyre tipped her cap as he winnowed away, trying not to blush. With her other hand, she fingered the coin in her pocket. It would go under the floorboard with the rest of the ones she'd stashed away. Only a few more until she could afford the one-way ticket to the Continent that she'd been dreaming of.

Velaris was wonderful— if you could afford a big, strong door to lock out the hustle and bustle. Feyre certainly couldn't, and she was dying to get away.

A flash of auburn hair and a shout of "High Lady!" across the street pulled Feyre from her thoughts. Lucien was striding towards her, a half-empty satchel of newspapers slung over one shoulder and carrying another paper bag in his hand. She raised a hand in greeting—she'd stopped cringing at the nickname a long time ago.

"Is the new spot over by the docks working out for you?" she said when he got closer, even though she knew the answer. Lucien could sell papers anywhere; he didn't even need the eyepatch and the sob story about being an Autumn Court orphan who'd found his way to Night—just his brilliant smile was enough.

Lucien shrugged, the gesture far too elegant for someone who'd spent his morning selling newspapers to sailors and fishmongers. "I can make anything work."

"Then why did you come looking for me?" Feyre said. With unsold papers still in his bag, there had to be a reason. The newsies bought the papers from the distributor each morning, starting each day operating at a loss until they'd sold enough papers to recoup the cost. Lucien still had work to do if he wanted to turn a profit.

He pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. "Isn't gazing upon your beautiful face reason enough?"

"You sound like Rhysand."

"And you're saying that like it's a bad thing. Trouble in paradise?"

Feyre resisted the urge to roll up one of the papers in her own bag and smack him with it. Lucien had overheard her speaking to Rhysand once and apparently decided the prince was in love with her. Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

"Rhysand isn't—"

" By the Cauldron, he'd follow you around like a lost puppy if you'd let him."

"He's just a flirt," Feyre said, the edge to her voice making it clear she didn't want to talk about this anymore. "What did you need me for?"

"Someone needs to finish my pickles," Lucien said, pulling a sandwich out of the paper bag. He handed Feyre half, along with the entire side of pickles it had come with, then sat down on the curb to eat, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

Feyre nibbled on the pickle, the first thing she'd eaten all day, and thanked the Cauldron for a best friend who hated them and shared them with her. Putting her papers aside, she sat down next to him. "Thanks, Lucien," she said, unwrapping her half of the sandwich. Lunch would be on her next—that had been their unspoken agreement for years, even when meals were sporadic and infrequent.

They lapsed into silence, more intent on eating than talking. It was comfortable, a much needed rest after a morning spent shouting headlines at passersby. Feyre's feet already ached from standing all morning.

After a few minutes, Lucien balled up the now-empty wax paper. "Now that you're fed, I think it's safe to mention that you're needed over by the Rainbow."

"Again?" Feyre said with a sigh.

"Bron and Hart are fighting over the same spot. The High Lady should step in."

Feyre wasn't sure when exactly it had happened, but at some point, she'd found herself the unofficial leader of the newsies of Velaris. She'd always kept an eye out for newcomers and lended them a hand—advice on selling papers and navigating the city was all she had, but Feyre shared freely. When there was a problem, she was usually the one to resolve it.

At some point, "High Lady" had gone from an ironic nickname for a poor girl on the streets to a mark of respect for a young woman who took care of her own.

"I'll talk to them," Feyre said, finishing her food and standing up.

Lucien started to thank her, but Feyre had already called on her magic, her body becoming nothing but shadow. Incorporeal like this, she could slip through walls and travel unseen—and crucially, it was faster than walking. As a lesser fae, it was the only magic she had at her disposal.

Even in the brightest sun, Velaris was full of shadows. And for better or worse, Feyre had made them her home.

***

Rhysand had planned to give himself time to read the news before he was due for a meeting at the House of Wind. Yesterday, he'd told himself he'd be up early enough to look over the agenda ahead of time. He'd wanted to be prepared, and his father would have his head if Rhys was late for official court business again.

But somehow, the High Lord's ire seemed incredibly far away last night, when the Cauldron only knew how many drinks he'd had and Mor was dragging him back to the dance floor at Rita's again, and dawn had nearly broken when he'd finally stumbled home.

Late or not, though, he still had to see Feyre.

The most important part of his day had become buying the paper from her. It wasn't about the news and never had been—every day, Rhys hoped that would be the day she finally took an interest in him that went beyond trading a few teasing remarks and rolling her eyes. He'd never flirted so much, so painfully obviously before, just to have it all go ignored like water off a duck's back.

And that had already been going on for a few months before the mating bond snapped.

Their fingers had brushed as she'd handed him the paper. Perhaps that brief touch skin-to-skin had been all it had taken for the urge to claim and taste and scent his mate to hit him with all the force of a brick to the head. Before he'd done something stupid, Rhys had winnowed away without an explanation or a goodbye.

After that, Rhys had resolved not to tell her, at least not until she showed some sort of interest back. But in the months since, he hadn't gotten her to even blush. And even if by some miracle, she did want him that way and accepted the bond, there was no guarantee she wouldn't resent him after a few decades as future Lady of Night. Her indifference was painful enough—Rhys wasn't sure he could withstand her hating him.

For the short flight to the House of Wind, Rhys let the chill in the air clear his head of thoughts of Feyre. He was supposed to focus today. Some of the city's most powerful merchants had asked for a meeting with his father, and as the High Lord's heir, Rhys was expected to be in attendance too.

The meeting room was already full when Rhys walked in, brushing his windswept hair back into place. From the head of the table, his father glared daggers at him.

Rhys ignored it, dropping into the empty seat that had been left for him. "I hope I didn't miss anything interesting."

He kept the smirk plastered on his face, even as his father pushed past his shields to speak mind-to-mind. We'll discuss this later. For now, get through this meeting without embarrassing me further. That's an order.

Rhys made a mental note to let Mor know he'd likely have to cancel their plans to go to the theater that night.

One of the merchants—Rhys had met him before but had forgotten his name—gave him a cold smile and said, "We were just discussing economic policy."

"Carry on, then," Rhys said.

As the meeting droned on, Rhys forced himself to focus, even if the subject matter was painfully dry. One day, he'd be High Lord, and if he wanted to be the sort of ruler the Night Court deserved, one who made things better, he needed to be knowledgeable and willing to listen.

But even then, he wasn't immune to letting his mind wander. At some point, he'd found himself thinking about how the sunlight had brought out the gold in Feyre's hair, when the sound of his name brought him crashing back down to reality.

"…but you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Rhysand?" one of the merchants was saying, the sneer in his voice obvious.

Rhys felt his father's eyes boring into him, and it was clear this was some sort of test. He was supposed to be handling something, and Rhys didn't want to think about what sort of punishment might be in store for him if he made it obvious he'd stopped paying attention.

"Would I?" Rhys said, arching a brow in a way that he hoped looked imperious.

"With how many headlines you've been the subject of? I think by now you'd know a thing or two about what sells papers. If it weren't for you, we'd have gone under after the War."

Rhys's hands curled into fists under the table as he recalled exactly who this merchant was—Pulitzer, a newspaper magnate, the one who'd been complaining that circulation was down since the Treaty had been signed. Peace, apparently, was boring.

Peace that Rhys had bled for, had nearly died for when he'd been captured by Amarantha's army. Not that any of that mattered when profits were down.

"Then a bit more gratitude is in order," Rhys said, his voice low and deadly and all command, sounding every inch the future High Lord he was. It was so brief that Rhys nearly missed it, but his father's lips quirked up in approval. "If you have a request, I suggest you word it carefully."

It quickly became clear that Pulitzer and the rest of the owners of Velaris's major newspapers had come to grovel. Even if Rhys couldn't bring himself to care, it was true that the Night Court's newspaper industry was bringing in less money since the end of the war. They'd come to petition his father for assistance.

And to Rhys's relief, the High Lord's answer had been a quick and resounding no.

Of course, Rhys knew his father's answer had been more about safeguarding the Night Court's wealth more than anything else. That much was obvious when so many of their citizens were struggling, even in Velaris. It was something that Rhys vowed to change one day.

But Rhys's relief didn't last much longer. His father had told the newspaper moguls to figure it out themselves, and they'd quickly agreed that to fix their bottom line, they'd raise the price for the newsies who bought the papers to distribute each morning.

Newsies who were barely getting by as it was. Newsies who were already going hungry and sleeping outdoors even as the weather got colder. Newsies who'd been orphaned or disabled after the war and couldn't find decent work.

Newsies like his mate, and Rhysand certainly wouldn't stand for that.