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wishesunderthestars · 4 years ago

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Eunoia // Ch. 14

eunoia (noun): beautiful thinking, the possession of a well-balanced mind, which exhibits goodwill and kindness

Pairings: Hybrid! BTS x reader

Summary: You are a world famous director and you have dedicated your life to your job.You have everything you could ever dream of; wealth, recognition, talent, your friends and family. But loneliness ins’t cured by success. So what happens when you somehow rescue seven hybrids? Can they fill the void?

Genre: Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, eventual smut

Word Count: 15k+

Warnings: Abuse and violence, past sexual abuse, derogetory language, sexual harassment

Masterlist

Chapter 1, Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13

It has been a long time, I know. Thanks for being patient with me. This was supposed to be the last chapter of Yoongi and Hoseok’s part but I just couldn’t fit everything that needed to happen inside or it would turn into a 30k chapter and be even more late, so I divided it into two.

The taglist is now closed.

Four days felt like a much smaller amount of time than when you had first been informed of your break. When you heard the alarm the morning you had to go back to work, you were tempted to ignore it and cover your head with the sheets. This was strange for two reasons. You always woke up before your alarm and it was impossible for you to fall asleep again after waking up, even when you were exhausted. But your eyes were heavy and sleep was clinging to your bones.

You reached for your phone and turned off the alarm. The hybrids were waiting for you in the kitchen, breakfast already served. You thanked Seokjin, who looked the most awake. Jimin and Jungkook were leaning against each other with their eyes half closed, small yawns escaping them every few minutes. It was a little earlier than the time you usually left but you had to do some work in the company building before you could go to the studios. Hoseok's injuries were much better, you didn't need to check on them twice a day anymore so you avoided going to their room and waking them up.

The fox hybrid had been opening up more and he looked more at ease with his surroundings. After eating dinner with you on the first night of your break, he had timidly asked if they could join you again. His whole face lit up when you told him they would always be welcome. Dinners had turned into lunches too, claiming that way you didn't have to carry the trays to their room every day.

You weren't surprised at how well he got along with Jimin. His heart-shaped smile had even charmed Namjoon. He was fascinated with every little thing and you made use of your break to show him around the house. It could be a little overwhelming, so you stuck to the basics at first. The kitchen, the upstairs living room, the library (where at least one of you could be found most times) and the cinema room. He looked at everything in wonder, his red tail wagging behind him. Yoongi trailed after you, the bored expression on his face slipping at how happy and excited Hoseok was.

The second day of your break Jimin announced that you would all be watching a movie. He would accept no complaints, not that there were any. You made enough popcorn for a whole movie theater while Seokjin and Jungkook made pizza. You strictly forbade them from putting on one of your movies. You were so deeply involved and connected with them you had trouble watching them without overthinking every scene, line and camera angle. Jimin pouted, joined by Jungkook and a more subtle Hoseok. But you didn’t budge. Jimin huffed and selected a comedy with an actor Seokjin liked.

It was the third day of your break and Jimin had dragged you with him to the guest suite, saying he needed his daily cuddles. You were laying together in his bed as you played with his blond strands. His hair was growing longer and he was complaining that it was falling in his eyes but you loved running your hands through it, your fingers getting lost inside. Jimin snuggled into your side, his tail wrapped around your waist.

“You are very affectionate today,” you said. Jimin let out an unsatisfied noise when you stopped massaging his scalp, so you moved your hand upwards, scratching behind his cat ears, eliciting a small moan from him.

“I am always affectionate,” he said, nuzzling against your collarbones. “You’re just not here and you’re tired when you come back.”

You placed a kiss on the crown of his head. “Sorry.” It was your job. You shouldn’t feel guilty. And yet…

Jimin raised his head, your hand falling from his hair to rest on his cheek. “Don’t be. I just wish you were here more. With us. But your job is important.”

“I guess,” you said caressing his cheek, the cat hybrid leaning into your touch. “I’ll try to get some more time off when I go back to work.” It would be difficult but not impossible. There were often breaks for a couple of days in the filming schedule but you usually spent those revising scripts or reviewing the work of the various departments or attending meetings. Many of those things weren’t actually your responsibilities, they weren’t in your contract, you did them because you wanted everything to be perfect. You could take a step back for once and make up for it later.

Jimin leaned against you, purring happily at the prospect of spending more time with you. He had been clinging to you in the past days after your week-long absence. The first night after making up with Jungkook he had slept with him in their room and you’d thought he would sleep there from now on. But the next night you had come out of the shower to find him laying in your bed.

A talk show was playing on the TV, filling the comfortable silence of the room. Jimin whispering your name had you looking away from the screen. “Hoseok is doing better, right?”

“He is. He’s recovering fast. Why are you asking?” you asked, worried that he had noticed something you hadn’t. Hybrids had much more developed senses than humans that could have detected something you had missed.

“He’s nice,” he said, playing with the fake buttons of your shirt. “He looks so happy all the time and he’s so energetic.”

“He is. See? He’s really getting better.” That didn’t seem to satisfy Jimin.

“What if they want to leave now that he’s better?”

You cooed at him, pulling him closer. “Is that what’s brought this on? If they want to leave we can’t stop them. The door is always open if they don’t want to be here anymore. They only came here because Hoseok was injured and he couldn’t go to the hospital.”

“But can they stay?” His eyes were shining as he looked up at you. “Please.”

“They can stay for as long as they want. But I can’t force them to stay.”

Jimin didn’t say anything more, hiding into your side. Last night at dinner, Jimin had been quiet and withdrawn, glancing at Yoongi every few minutes. There was history between them, one that ran deep and cut just as hard. From little clues and pieces and what Jimin himself had told you, you had pieced together an image of Jimin’s past but you had trouble finding where exactly Yoongi fit.

You hadn’t forgotten Jimin’s words in your office the day you had invited the two hybrids in your house. Yoongi once belonged to the same man Jimin did. They had done something to him and Jimin had been left to the adoption center he had escaped from. Yoongi had been left somewhere else, you guessed a less savory place. But you couldn’t figure out what they could have done to be kicked out. Something Jimin still felt guilty about. Betrayal was a strong and sticky word and it was hard to associate it with sweet Jimin, even when that man deserved that and more.

Yoongi was a mystery surrounded by several brick walls. Only a wrecking ball could break them down. You were the kind of person to knock on a wall and wait for it to crumble by itself when it came to people. At work, if the only way to get through an obstacle was a wrecking ball, you would bring a wrecking ball.

Surprises weren’t uncommon for you (see: Virginia earthquake), you had learnt to face them head on and control the consequences. But that hadn’t prepared you for the string of surprises during your break and the days after that.

The first surprise came with how well Hoseok was getting along with the other hybrids. His endearing excitement about anything and everything didn’t fail to amuse them. He would curl up on the grass, bathing in sunlight, often joined by Jimin who had developed the same habit when spring first arrived. He was curious about everything, asking question after question with his red fluffy tail wagging behind him like an overexcited puppy. All of you couldn’t help but humor him and try to answer his questions to the best of your abilities.

The second surprise shocked you more than the first. It was the third night the two hybrids were eating dinner with you in the backyard. Yoongi usually didn’t talk, opting to focus on his food while observing the progression of the meal. Thus when he spoke, everyone fell silent. He didn’t say much, it only took him a couple of seconds to compliment Jin’s cooking then become quiet again. Jin stuttered through his thanks, flustered at the unexpected compliment. The panther hybrid didn’t talk again for the rest of the meal.

The third surprise was seeing Yoongi and Jimin sitting next to each other, sometimes in silence and sometimes talking. Being pulled to each other like a moth to the flame. It made Hoseok all too happy to spend time with both of them.

The fourth surprise came in the form of a text from a contact you hadn’t interacted with since Christmas. You laid back on your bed, staring at the paragraphs-long text and forgetting about anything else. You stared and stared as if the letters would rearrange themselves, or better yet disappear if you stared long enough.

You didn’t notice how much time you had spent there unmoving until there was a knock on the door.

“Open,” you called.

The door was pushed open and Namjoon walked into the room, his gray hair falling in his face. In the mornings he looked younger. “Breakfast is ready.”

“Yeah,” you said, not moving. They never had to call you for breakfast. Your schedules had become so in sync you arrived for breakfast the moment it was ready or a few minutes early.

“What happened?” Namjoon asked. He approached, sitting down next to you on the bed.

“Nothing happened, I guess. It’s an invitation.” The text had been sent late last night but you had missed it, leaving your phone to charge upon coming back home and not looking at it again. “It’s from my parents. For a gala.”

“Your parents?” The surprise was evident in his face. You didn’t talk much about your parents, those were conversations you didn’t tend to enjoy. Your parents were a topic you weren’t well-versed in and your lack of confidence was irritating.

You looked at the text again, black letters surrounded by gray. “They invited me to a fashion gala. They would really appreciate it if I could attend.” Reading the text again, you wondered if your mother had asked someone else to write it before deeming it persuasive enough to send. “It’s held in Beverly Hills.”

“When?” Namjoon asked.

“Saturday. In less than a week.” It was Tuesday.

Namjoon glanced at your phone. “Do you want to go?”

The answer was more complicated than you would have liked. You didn’t feel like buying a new gown (god forbid if you wore a dress you had worn before at such an event), having your makeup and hair done and plastering a smile on your face while exchanging pleasantries with people you didn’t know for the whole night. But it wasn’t that easy. You hadn’t attended the Christmas event your mother had organized, using work as an excuse, not feeling like showing up at an event in the mindset you had fallen into. Although she didn’t show it, your mother had been offended.

You couldn’t skip another event.

You threw an arm over your eyes, groaning. “I can’t not go. My mother organized the gala, it will look bad if I’m not there.”

“I could come with you,” Namjoon offered.

It would be nice having someone there with you. Namjoon had a way of calming you down and settling your worries but actually remembering those galas made you change your mind. The rich and mighty loved showing off their wealth and power and hybrids were part of that allure. You wouldn’t subject Namjoon to that. You weren’t sure how he would react. You didn’t want to subject him to your parents’ scrutiny either.

“It would be better if I went alone,” you said. Namjoon threaded his fingers with yours in understanding. He pulled on your hand until you were sitting up on the bed, facing him.

“If you don’t want to go, you shouldn’t.”

Only that it wasn’t so simple. Or it was just your human nature making this overcomplicated.

“My mother will be really disappointed if I don’t go. I didn’t go to her last event, either. It will look bad if I don’t go to this one too.” Namjoon squeezed your hand, urging you to continue. “I’m just tired of them. Galas, events, they are all the same and not in a good way. Sure, there are some people worth talking too. I’ve had some great conversations there, but those are far and few in between. Most people are just trying to outshine the one next to them. And my mother only wants me there to complete the picture.”

The powerful and influential couple with their successful daughter. It was an image that haunted you. Most times you tried to ignore it because it wasn’t fair of you to judge your parents like that. They never made you attend those events, they didn’t get angry when you couldn’t make it. But it left a sour taste in your mouth when those events were the only times you saw them anymore.

“You don’t have to be alone there.” Namjoon brought your hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss in the middle of your palm. “I’m always here if you change your mind. It would feel better if you weren’t alone.”

“It isn’t that I don’t want you there. I do,” you said. “But that isn’t a world you want to be a part of, it isn’t really my world either. There, hybrids are just expensive accessories and I don’t want people to look at you like that. Like you are something to be had.”

Namjoon’s eyes were soft on you as he cupped your cheek with the hand that wasn’t holding yours. “That’s how most people look at us. It isn’t something new. You don’t have to worry about me, I’m used to it.”

“But it isn’t right.” You sounded like a five-year-old complaining that the world wasn’t fair because her parents didn’t buy her ice cream but you couldn’t help it. “And it isn’t just the other people, the guests. I’m not sure about my parents either. They don’t know I’ve adopted you. Actually, they don’t know about anything that has happened in my life this year.”

“I understand if you don’t want them to know about us.”

“It isn’t that,” you said. “Not exactly. I don’t want them involved in my business and judging my choices. They- They are my parents and I guess they care about me in their own way but I won’t be able to stay calm if they look at you like they are estimating your price tag.”

Namjoon leaned closer, bringing your foreheads together. You closed your eyes, surrounded by his warmth. “All I care about is for you to feel comfortable and if my presence there will make things worse then I won’t come with you. But if you change your mind, I’ll be right here. Whatever you want, I’m here.”

You tilted your head, waiting for his lips to touch yours. You shared a sweet kiss before there was another knock at the door.

“Namjoon! Did you wake her up?” Seokjin shouted from the other side of the door. “The breakfast is getting cold! I woke up at the crack of dawn to make it!”

You giggled as you separated.

“Let’s go before he decides we don’t deserve food,” Namjoon said.

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You had to readjust your schedule for the gala. There were many things you had to do in the five days leading up to it. Your mother was so pleased you accepted the invitation she called you the very next day to tell you how happy she was you would be attending. She hadn’t organized a fashion gala in years and it meant a lot that you would be there to support her. The gala was all about the importance of fashion and the unique interpretations of old and new big names in the industry. It would be one of the grandest events of the year, even if your mother was as clueless about fashion as she was about your life. She enjoyed watching the glorious parts and giving compliments, but rarely got more involved than that.

She had arranged for you to meet with one of the designers featured at the event. You could choose a dress from his collection that would be showcased at the gala. Your mother reassured you that they would do everything so your dress would be fitted to your exact measurements and ready for you to wear on time. You didn’t complain. It would be otherwise impossible to find a dress of the caliber your mother expected in such a short time.

The designer came to your house himself with his assistants. He was a nice young man with a tilted accent revealing that he wasn’t originally from the United States. You made small talk about the different kinds of art characterizing your jobs. They took your measurements and presented you with a few options the designer had selected for you. Some were more eccentric than others but all of them were beautiful.

After discussing with him and listening to his opinions, you selected a piece with gold and red embroidery and a flowy skirt. He was very pleased with your choice, going on and on about how good it would look on you. You felt fluttered at how excited he was for you to wear his design.

You had to meet him again a few days later for the first fitting. He offered to come to your house again but it would be easier for the alterations to be at his studio, where all of his tools were.

Jimin had seen the opportunity to spend more time with you and put on his most convincing puppy eyes asking you to take him with you to the fashion studio. You had no reason to refuse, you wanted to spend more time with him too. Somehow Jimin roped Seokjin into coming with you as well. They waited for you outside until the alterations were done. You couldn’t resist spoiling them while you were out so you took them for waffles. From Seokjin’s stuffed face it was safe to say he enjoyed them.

You had to go back to work after the fitting but Jimin was clinging to you not letting you go, which was how you ended up with the two of them at the final table-reading for the first episode of the Raven Cycle. They both quietly watched the actors delivering their lines. Jimin leaned forward in his seat as he got more and more invested in the scenes, snapping out of it whenever one scene ended and you discussed corrections and suggestions.

The atmosphere was light and friendly. You were professionals and you believed in maintaining a healthy environment of communication and mutual respect that left space for jokes and friendships to develop. The chemistry between the actors was important and you found that when they were friends and had a bond in real life too, it showed.

“Okay, that was great. I liked Ronan’s extra lines, we should keep that in.” The writer next to you wrote it down. “It’s getting late so let’s take a small break for a few minutes and move on to scene fifteen and sixteen and we’re completely done with episode one.” Everyone agreed with you and soon chatter was filling the room. You stretched your arms behind you, your body was complaining after sitting for too many hours.

The snacks and refreshments on the table against the wall were dwindling as the table-reading went on. All the important people in the project were there; the executive producers, the writers, the heads of the various departments and of course all the main actors of the first episode. The room with the large table and the many couches and chairs was large enough for everyone.

Three more days of table reading, which was mainly for revisions, and you would be done, leaving around a week before filming was scheduled to start. Just on time. Despite unfortunate surprises and earthquakes, you were on time. Next week you would be back in the studios standing behind the cameras watching years of work and planning coming to life. The first moments of filming in every movie or TV show whispered to you in silver and gold lines that you couldn’t describe as anything else than magic.

You picked up a bottle of water and a sandwich from the snack table, getting caught up in a short conversation with one of the producers. Your scalp was beginning to hurt from the tight ponytail your hair was trapped in. With a pat on your shoulder, the producer left to find the head of the costume department.

Jimin and Jin were sitting on the smallest couch, away from the table in the middle of the room. Jimin’s ears twitched as you settled on the armrest. You handed him the sandwich.

“For me?”

“You have been looking at it as much as you have been looking at the actors.”

Jimin still didn’t take a bite. “I already ate two.”

“And now you will eat one more.” You nudged the sandwich closer to his face. “They are quite small. I think Will has eaten seven since we started.” You glanced at your assistant, he was talking with two of the actors.

Jimin smiled at you like you were sharing a secret before diving into his sandwich. You opened your water bottle and gulped down half of it in seconds.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go? It’s past eight and it will take at least one more hour to finish the last two scenes and wrap everything up.” You had asked them if they wanted to leave three times since you’d arrived and the answer had been the same each time.

“It’s eight?” Jin asked, pulling out his phone from his pocket. You leaned over Jimin to peek at the screen seeing a few texts from Namjoon and Jungkook and notifications from the various apps Jin used. You had texted Namjoon earlier so he wouldn’t worry that Jin and Jimin hadn’t returned home.

“And it will be at least nine by the time I’m done,” you said.

“We’ve been here for three hours. We can wait for you one more.” Jin opened the messages app reading the texts, a smile appearing on his face.

Jimin had eaten more than half of the sandwich, crumbs sticking at the sides of his mouth. “I want to see what happens at the end. Pretty please?”

“We will wait for you,” Jin said. “We don’t have anything better to do,” he added, to which Jimin agreed enthusiastically. You scratched the cat hybrid's ears while he devoured the rest of the sandwich.

What you hadn’t considered before taking them with you was that the table reading would give away many spoilers for the show. Spoilers were the bane of your existence. Not everyone minded them but you disliked them with passion. You had almost strangled Zayn when he had told you a spoiler he had seen on Twitter for the ending of Avengers: Infinity War, minutes before the movie started. Zayn had been very lucky the lights hadn’t gone out yet. The suspense was one of your favorite parts and that was ruined for you when you knew what would happen.

At least it was the first episode but there was a lot of discussion on how certain parts or pieces of dialogue would connect with later episodes. The fact that it was an adaptation also changed things. You had been adamant about staying true to the original story and keeping in as many scenes from the book as you could. Your additions revolved around character development, the relationships between the characters, and some conflicts that hadn’t been in the book but you had discussed in length with Maggie. In this case, you didn’t know exactly how to define spoilers.

As expected, you finished the table reading twenty minutes past nine. Gathering all your folders from the table, the scripts, and various notes from the writers and producers, you hid them all away in your backpack. Henrietta and the magical forest were coming to life from their voices alone. You could already imagine how captivating it would be on screen.

Jimin was laying his head on Jin’s shoulder with his arm wrapped around the older’s waist. It had taken some time for them to relax in the room full of strangers, some of who hadn’t been subtle about staring. One look from you and their gazes had darted away. It still wasn’t common to have a hybrid, much less three, but you didn’t care how curious they were if they were making Jimin and Jin uncomfortable.

During the first break, early at the table reading, you had been roped into a debate about a possible change in one of the scenes. The two hybrids had kept to themselves, staying quiet and watching. The actress playing Blue had walked up to them with a wide smile and introduced herself. The remaining tension in them was released when she struck up a conversation with them.

“Time to get going,” you said. Jimin looked up at you, blinking drowsily. “Should I tell John to carry you to the car?”

“We’re leaving?” he asked, rubbing at his eyes.

“Thankfully yes so you need to get up.” You had wrapped everything up, saying goodbye to everyone and you were ready to go.

Jin kissed Jimin’s blond curls. “Let’s go and get you into an actual bed.” He got up and pulled Jimin with him, the younger hybrid was clinging to his back like a koala from the hallway where you met up with John to the parking lot.

In the car, you looked at them through the rear-view mirror. Jimin’s eyes were closed, laying his head on Jin’s shoulder.

“Hard day?” John asked, moving the gear shift to the left and then up.

“I’m a little afraid that my scenario might be a little boring,” you said glancing behind you. “It’s too early for him to be falling asleep.”

The car started moving, leaving the dimly lit parking lot behind. “He’s not used to being out for that long,” Jin said smoothing down Jimin’s hair with care. Jin cared for you with everything he had, you tried to do the same but it was close to impossible with how busy you were.

“If it’s my scenario though, I need to rewrite that thing from beginning to end.”

John chuckled. “Good luck telling that to the writers and the producers. They’ll love it.”

They’d love it as much as cats loved swimming.

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You took the day of the gala off. If you went to the gala tired after work, you wouldn’t be able to put a smile on your face and keep it there. It wasn’t so much that the galas were awful but that you felt out of place in them. Your mother had many connections and she would invite the “best” of her world. Some faces had become familiar, a steady fixture in your mother’s guest lists. Some faces you should be able to recognize but you didn’t, resulting in interactions based on pretending.

At the after-parties of award shows and premieres, you were more at ease. The designer dresses and suits were the same, worn by rich and influential people, but it was people you knew and respected. Your skin wasn’t prickling at the tension, lost somewhere between remembering a name or a company and ignoring the jabs at other guests or the rumors spreading like vines.

The last event you had attended was in New York last September, it had been the event of the year according to your mother. Jacob had accompanied you, hugging your mother and shaking hands with your father. He had stayed next to you from the moment you stepped into the place to the moment you got into the car to leave. You had to somewhat agree with your mother. A lot of interesting people were in attendance, famous writers and journalists, and you succeeded in ignoring the less favorable situations.

Your parents had changed a lot, or maybe it was just the circumstances that had changed and the different perspective you had as an adult. You used to cast them as the absentee parents, an overused trope you didn't find much merit in. It was too simple, too straightforward. They didn't disappear from one day to the next, cutting all contact with you. It was more like the times they were there grew fewer and fewer until they had moved permanently to New York by the time you were eight. Your father had been offered a position he couldn't refuse and your mother loved him too much to leave him alone there. She tried, she tried to stay for you but she had been trying to find a reason to leave your hometown since she was a teenager. The penthouses and neat offices fit her far better than the beaches and town squares ever did.

It started as a few weeks at first. Your father would be staying in the city for some meetings and your mother wanted to join him. His job involved a lot of traveling and in most of your memories, he was holding a suitcase. A few weeks turned into a month the next time, then into a few months you had to stay with your aunt and your cousins. After you turned eight, they were coming back only for a few weeks every year.

When you were ten you stopped answering their calls and refused to talk to them. Your mother still tried, even traveled back to be with you. Instead of staying at your house with her, you stayed with your aunt. Your mother left defeated. It took a year for you to speak to them again. Childish, but you couldn't blame your past self. The cracks in your relationship with your parents were still there. As an attempt to prevent them from widening and growing, you at least tried to attend the events your mother invited you to.

Another one to add to the list.

"Does the duck look ready to you?" you asked Jin. Roasted duck wasn't a dish you had experience with but that wasn't the only reason you called for Jin. Being home for the day you had offered to help Jin cook lunch. Cooking helped take your mind off, focusing on the recipe and chatting with Jin.

Jin left the lettuce he was washing in the bowl and dried his hands in a towel. His steps were careful and measured, one of his hands holding on the counter.

"It looks good," he said. "You can take it out."

You opened the oven, pulling back last minute so the heat wouldn't burn your face. "It smells incredible! I think I got ten times hungrier just smelling this."

Jin chuckled but it was strained. "I'm too good at this." He was still holding onto the counter.

"You won't catch me complaining."

He went back to the lettuce in the sink, his bangs falling into his face and covering his eyes. You wrapped the chicken breasts in foil and let them rest for a few minutes. The figs were caramelized and the potatoes fried until golden. That was about it for the main dish.

Jin was cutting the lettuce so you occupied yourself with making the salad dressing. You worked in silence. It wasn't for the lack of anything to say but a flinch from Jin earlier, while you had been talking, had you lowering your voice and then closing your mouth when you were finished with that sentence. It was only for a moment before he turned away, but it was enough for you to notice. You had asked him if he was alright twice and both times the answer had been the same. After that, it was clear he wouldn't tell you anything else regardless of how many times you asked.

A thud echoed in the room followed, not a second after, by the sound of metal clattering on wood. The spoon you used to mix the ingredients of the salad dressing stilled in your hand. Jin had fallen to his knees on the floor, holding the counted with one hand and his head with the other. The knife laid abandoned on the cutting board next to the lettuce.

For a moment your surroundings blurred from the surprise before coming into crystal clear focus. You rushed to Jin's side, who was trying to pull himself back up to his feet.

"I'm alright. I slipped," he said.

"You slipped? Seriously?" You had one arm around his waist and it stayed there as he leaned back against the counter. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just a little dizzy," Jin muttered. That close to him, only a breath away, you could see how pale he was, the dark circles under his eyes standing out against the white of his skin.

"You haven't been alright since we started cooking. You aren't just a little dizzy, that's not how someone is when they're a little dizzy."

Jin turned his head to the side, avoiding your gaze. "Let it go, please. Only the salad is left. I'll rest after we eat."

"Jin, that's not..." Clueless about how to continue, you pressed your palm to his forehead. In winter your hands were always freezing cold, it didn't matter if the temperature wasn't that low they would turn into popsicles mere seconds after going outside. Only that it wasn’t winter but spring and your hands were as warm as they could be, that’s why it was that much more concerning that his forehead was warmer than it should be under your touch. “You’re burning up. How are you still standing?”

“It isn’t that bad,” Jin said. He wasn’t looking at you.

“It isn’t that bad?” you repeated in disbelief. “Forget about the salad, I’m taking you to your room.”

You were about to turn around when Jin gripped your elbow weakly. “You don’t need to, really, I can finish up here, it isn’t the first time. I can do it.” The sweat that was gathering on his forehead and his tired eyes told a different story.

“You have been cooking while feeling sick?” you asked. Being out of the house almost all day it wouldn’t have been hard to miss and when you came back at night you weren’t that aware of your surroundings, but the other hybrids would have been able to see past Jin’s pretenses.

“Not here,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

That’s something you should have expected. You had never met his previous owners but you couldn’t stop yourself from hating them for what they had done to him. Hate was too strong of a word but you didn’t have any other name for the burning in your chest whenever you witnessed how insecure and self-conscious Jin had become of them.

You cupped his cheek in your palm turning his head to face you and you rested your forehead against his, your noses bumping. At the touch his shoulders slumped, his back muscles unraveling under your hand. Jin joked that it was weird that his scent glands weren’t in the same places as other hybrids’ but in strange places like his forehead. You couldn’t agree with him because standing there with your foreheads touching it was just as intimate.

The walk to his room was silent. You opened the door for him and watched him hide under the covers, between the countless pillows and stuffed animals. Before leaving, you placed a kiss on his forehead your lips warming up because of his fever. You wanted to stay there with him and with the way he was holding your hand he wanted the same but the lettuce was waiting for you back in the kitchen and there were five hybrids you had to feed.

Finishing up the meal was a matter of minutes. The dressing for the salad had been made and you only had to finish cutting the lettuce and a few fresh tomatoes before mixing everything in a large bowl. You unwrapped the foil from around the duck breasts and arranged them in plates, adding the figs with the pan juices and the fried potatoes. It looked like something you would order at a five-star restaurant, most of Jin’s cooking did.

The mouth-watering aroma must have drifted downstairs because as you were putting the last touches on the plates two sets of feet were running up the staircase. Jimin looked like he had been lured into the kitchen by some magical force, transfixed on the plates on the counter. He sniffed, making tiny happy noises.

“This smells so good. I’m hungry!” he whined.

Jungkook followed behind, taking a look at the plates and turning to you with pleading eyes. “When are we eating?”

You shook your head at their antics. “I just finished up, you can take them down if you want so stop looking at me like that.”

Jimin pouted, his shoulders raising. “Looking at you like what?”

“Stop that, I know what you’re doing.”

Jimin continued on, batting his eyelashes at you. “What am I doing? Am I not doing good?”

You pinched his cheek, making him giggle. “I thought you were hungry but apparently you aren’t hungry enough if you’re still here instead of taking the food down.” At that Jungkook was quick to take out the large trays and fill them with the plates and bowls.

Jimin went to help before pausing. “Where is Jinnie?”

Jin was always in the kitchen before meals, helping the two youngest carry the trays to the backyard. You didn’t want to worry Jimin, he was very sensitive to how others were feeling. His emotional walls were so thin that your blues and grays bled into his yellow. “He’s in his room resting, he’s feeling a little under the weather today.”

“But…How didn’t we notice anything?” Jimin asked.

You patted his shoulder. “I didn’t either until we were cooking lunch. He just needs to rest and he will be better in no time.” Jimin gazed at the food like it could give him the answers he was looking for, you continued. “The duck is his recipe, he only went to his room after the food was ready.” You didn’t mention how he had collapsed while cutting the lettuce, a knife in his hand and way too many grievous possibilities.

Jungkook picked up the nicest plate, you had made it last and having used the previous six ones as practice it had come out looking the best. “Can I take it to him?” It was well-known that he had a soft spot for Jin, sneaking into his room the nights he was running away chased by guilt. Jin had been the only one he had let in then. But again, they all had a soft spot for each other, it may translate differently into actions but it was the same at the core.

You pulled out a smaller bowl from the cupboard. Let me put some salad in this first.” This was one of the only salads everyone liked, even Jimin who was firmly against eating most greens (Namjoon didn’t like them much either but at least he was trying). You filled a glass with water as well and placed it on the smaller tray Jungkook had prepared. “Don’t wake him up if he’s sleeping, he looked really tired.”

“I’ll be quiet,” Jungkook promised picking up the tray and leaving for Jin’s room.

Jimin went back to arranging the plates on the trays. “He’ll be alright soon, right?”

“Of course he will,” you reassured him. “In no time he will be shouting at Jungkook for eating his ingredients and having fights with any insects that find their way to the garden. Now, let’s take these down because having the food right in front of me and not eating it is killing me.”

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Jin had a terrible headache, that’s where everything had started. He had woken up and instantly wanted to roll to his other side and fall asleep again covering his head with the blanket. His eyes refused to stay open and everything around him was like he was in a fog. His body wasn’t his own, it was like watching someone else execute each move he commanded, like he had lost parts of his senses. Everything was duller.

Powering through, he got up and made his bed, throwing the blankets over it with less precision than usual and arranging his stuffed animals against the pillows. It was your day off because of the gala and he had to make breakfast for you and the other hybrids.

It was enough that he got a few more hours of sleep as a result of the lack of your morning schedule. He could deal with the world being a little blurry at the edges and his body not cooperating every few minutes.

He made an easy breakfast for the day, which was a little disappointing when you were able to sit and enjoy it for once, but he was physically unable to do anything more. Sitting down would help. After breakfast, he would lay down on the couch and he would be better in no time.

Breakfast came and went and in a few hours, he had to start making lunch. Your offer to help was a godsend with his feet feeling like jelly. He thought he had it under control, that he could get through lunch then go to his room and hide under the covers where no one could see him. Until his legs gave up on him.

The knife slipped out of his hand and he watched its slow descent to the cutting board. In a blink he was on his knees, he blinked again and you were next to him helping him up. Hybrids weren’t supposed to get sick, scientists had engineered their whole being down to the color of their hair and eyes, they could strengthen their immune system as well. His past owners used to say that it was in his head because he was living with humans, that if he got sick the center must have given them a problematic hybrid and that couldn’t be true. He had paid a lot for Jin.

The door opened just enough for you to poke your head in. “Jin?” you whispered, quiet enough to not wake him up if he had been sleeping but loud enough for his hearing to pick up while awake. He lowered the blankets from his face. “Hey, did you finish with your food?”

“Yeah, it’s…” He pointed to the tray on the nightstand, he didn’t have enough strength to take it to the desk. You didn’t comment on the food that was left on the plates.

“Are you feeling any better?” you asked. His head still hurt and the heaviness of his body didn’t subside, but it was much better than when he had been standing so he nodded. “Do you need anything else? I brought some medicine if you want, I read that it’s alright for hybrids to take.” Despite the pain and the weariness of his body, he smiled at you and your research. The way you cared about them was endearing. You pulled out a packet from your back pocket.

“I think I’ll take one.” The constant drumming behind his temples and the back of his head was getting too much. It was so bad it wouldn’t let him sleep.

“I’ll go get some water for you.” You left the packet on the nightstand and picked up the tray with the leftovers.

Jin rolled to his back staring at the ceiling. He didn’t get sick often and he hated how his body was betraying him. You returned with a glass filled with water in one hand and a jug in the other.

“There you go,” you said handing him the glass. You opened the medicine packet and pressed a white tablet out. It was light in his palm, almost as if it wasn’t there. He put it in his mouth and washed it down with water. “You’ll feel better in no time.” You stroked his hair and he had to hold himself back from purring. Being sick he craved affection more than ever before.

“Don’t come too close, you’ll get sick too.”

You didn’t pull back. “Then I’ll have a reason to stay at home. It doesn’t sound so bad.” You tugged at the blanket. “Fancy some company?” Jin scooted to the side, letting you slip in next to him. Something inside him rejoiced at having you in his nest with him. It was ridiculous, having the need to nest was ridiculous, but he couldn’t suppress it. You turned around to face him, your head on a light blue pillow you had picked up from the pile. “Do you mind if I stay here for a bit?”

In the absence of words, he nodded his head. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. You weren’t wearing makeup today in anticipation of the heavy makeup you would have to wear for the gala. The shadows under your eyes, concealed any other day, were threatening to spill over the rest of your face. The late nights had been many in the past few days, making up for the breaks you were taking. More and more he came to realize that work was your life and you were like a fish escaping water pushing it back.

You didn’t speak, basking in the silent company of each other. Jin let his worries go and, thanks to the medicine, his headache got duller until he couldn’t feel it. He didn’t notice when he fell asleep, waking up to voices.

“…feeling better, the medicine must have kicked in. His temperature has gone back to normal too,” you whispered.

“Okay, that’s good. Our Jinnie is strong,” the other voice said and heat traveled up to the top of Jin’s ears. The voice was unmistakably Namjoon’s and it was so warm Jin wanted to wrap it around himself and never let go. “I think we woke him up.”

“Oh no,” you complained, still whispering. “Jin?”

He opened his eyes, abandoning the comfort of the familiar darkness. You leaning on your forearm peering at him. His heart was beating faster.

“We woke you up, didn’t we?” you asked, looking guilty.

“It’s alright.” He could hear how rough his voice was from sleep. “What time is it?”

“Five,” you said.

He had been sleeping for more than three hours.

Namjoon took a step forward from the door. “I brought you some tea and biscuits,” he said, placing the tray on the now-empty nightstand.

Jin sat up on the bed with his back against the headboard. “Thank you. Can you…?” You picked up the steaming mug and handed it to him, holding it carefully so he wouldn’t burn himself. The plate of biscuits was placed on his lap over the blankets. It was a warm day but the air-conditioning was on in Jin’s room, the weight of the blankets over him promised safety and he didn’t want to be sweating from the heat.

“I’ll be going then,” Namjoon said with a small smile, the two of you exchanging a look.

“Wait.” Namjoon stopped in his tracks. Jin blamed his impulsiveness on the part of him that was controlled by the sugar-glider’s nature. Namjoon shouldn’t be leaving. Namjoon was pack and he should be with him when he wasn’t well, he should be taking care of Jin. One followed the other and it didn’t listen to logic. But he was tired and although the headache was gone, his head was still hazy, so he gave in. “Can you stay?”

The soft smile on Namjoon’s face was enough to wipe away any of his lingering doubts. “Of course I can.” Jin pulled up the blankets inviting him in. Namjoon pulled him closer bringing his forehead to his. The mug shook in Jin’s hold, you covered his hand with yours steading it. Jin realized it wasn’t only his hands shaking as Namjoon scented him tenderly. He felt so weak between the two of you.

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The makeup artist asked you to close your eyes again to finish your eyeliner. Your makeup had to compliment your dress, like you were a model on the runway and your purpose was to sell the design. You had to admit that it looked beautiful so far, the gold eyeshadow and the dramatic eyeliner. She completed the look with a matte red lipstick while the hairstylist was releasing the last loose curl from the curling wand. You looked like someone out of a movie and tonight you would have to own that.

They helped you put on the dress like you were incapable of doing it on your own. In these cases, everything had to be perfect, including the most mundane of things. The jewelry was modest as not to take the attention away from the dress but enhance the look. A golden necklace with a ruby surrounded by tiny diamonds to decorate the skin the plunging neckline left bare, small diamond earrings, and golden bracelets.

Half an hour left before the gala and you were ready. The charm was arriving a little late so you had to wait before leaving. The stylists took their leave but you stayed at the fitting room/styling section of the closet, which was right under the actual master closet.

The dress fit you like a glove, bringing attention to all the right areas and burying any imperfections. It was the kind of Cinderella transformation the protagonists in older movies used to go through before getting the guy, but it happened all the time to you. A spy in an action movie, a confident heroine knowing how to use her looks, a girl going to a party to have fun and get drunk, that’s more along the lines of the characters you liked to imagine yourself as. You were far from being any of those characters but it was fun to daydream sometimes.

One last look in the mirror and you climbed up the spiral staircase to your closet, turning off the lights behind you. The designer you had met had been pleasant and your conversations hadn’t been awkward. If the rest of the guests, or at least the majority, were like him then the night could be fun.

The hybrids were all in the living room, even Hoseok and Yoongi. Yoongi wasn’t sitting far from them, in a separate sphere, but next to Jimin who was pointing at something in a book. They all looked at you when you came in, the back of the dress sweeping the floor behind you.

“How does it look?” you asked, doing a twirl. The response was delayed by a few moments.

Namjoon snapped out of it first, coming closer to you and taking your hand. “You look beautiful.” He leaned in for your neck before his face scrunched up in displeasure.

“What?” you asked.

He sniffed at the air. “You…”

“Oh, oh,” you said in realization. “It’s the perfume, it’s quite strong, isn’t it? It’s a Christmas gift from my mother, she said she really liked it so I thought I would wear it for her.”

Namjoon tamed his expression but the frown didn’t disappear. “It’s a little overwhelming. It overpowers everything else.” The perfume was too much for you too, it wasn’t surprising that it was too much for the keen noses of the hybrids. The perfume you wore day to day in spring was a lot lighter and you didn’t put on a lot. You had never stopped to think about how perfumes would affect the hybrids.

“I’ll be sure to not wear it again then,” you said, giving his hand a squeeze.

“That isn’t what I meant.” Namjoon scratched the back of his neck. “You can wear it if you like it. It’s just a little much.”

“Well,” you looked at him and the other hybrids conspiratorially, “it isn’t my favorite, either, and if it affects you like that why would I keep wearing it?” Namjoon’s face smoothed out and you noticed Hoseok looking at you with amazement.

You opened the leather clutch and put in your phone and your keys. Your lipstick and powder were already inside along with a pack of tissues. It didn’t fit any more things.

“I’ll be going now. I’m fashionably late enough.” Before going, Jungkook and Jimin kissed you on each cheek careful not to ruin your makeup. Jin had fallen asleep again and none of you were willing to wake him up.

The night could become difficult so you ignored Yoongi’s eyes on you. You didn’t need any more people judging you.

A limousine was waiting for you outside, limousines were practically part of the dress code in these events. John wasn’t with you this time, you had given him the night off. These kinds of events starred in his nightmares, standing in the corner all night not saying a word. That’s how they kept up the illusion. Regardless of how many times you told him you didn’t care about it, he would follow what was expected of him.

The bright lights blinded you when you arrived. Everyone seemed to want to take a look at you. Your heels sunk into the red carpet at the entrance hall, large paintings in golden frames hanging from the walls. You were led up a grand staircase to the hall the gala was taking place. And so the night began…

You listened through speeches about fashion and the vision of the fashion industry and each individual designer. A few parts were quite interesting, but most of them failed to do anything more than repeat the same old ideas again and again. However, the champagne did make everything a little more tolerable. Your mother had been very happy to see you there and she had told you at least three times how beautiful you were. Your father smiled at you, a smile that looked way too political to be for his daughter, the same smile he would put on when greeting the president.

After the speeches were finished, your mother linked your elbows. It was time for the introductions. You put on your camera smile and shook more hands than you ever did at work. The compliments on your work were many, which ones were genuine was a mystery. But it did feel good when the daughter of one of your father’s associates told you how much she loved the finale of season 4 of Paper Hearts and asked you about Six of Crows.

You said goodbye to an older couple and your mother led you to the buffet. A sculpture of a man pinning fabrics on a mannequin stood proudly in the middle, surrounded by plates of food so perfect that it looked more fake than the decorative food pieces you used on set.

Your mother took another flute of champagne from a waiter. “Mr. Jones will be retiring soon but his son doesn’t want to take over the company. It causes a lot of family drama. I heard they only exchange a few words when they meet but Mr. Jones isn’t backing down.” You had no idea what company they had or who their son was but you nodded. “Ah, I wanted to ask you. You didn’t say anything about adopting hybrids.”

Your hand stilled before you could taste the hors d' oeuvres that looked like a sandwich but was too fancy to call it that. “Hybrids?” you repeated.

“I didn’t know you were interested in them,” your mother continued, unaware of how tense you had become. “Certainly not interested enough to adopt four. Are you making a collection?” She laughed at her joke but you only felt ill.

“No, I wouldn’t say that.” You took a bite of the food, trying to swallow it down. You had lost your appetite.

Your mother sipped on her champagne. “That would be a unique one, it could be showcased.” The churning in your stomach got worse. You left the piece that looked like a sandwich aside.

“How did you learn of it?”

“Don’t you read any magazines? It was front-page news.” You had expected that the information would be published sooner or later, you hadn’t been exactly hiding it, but sooner or later was in the future not now. “You should have told me, I would have looked for some high-quality places to buy them from. There are some very beautiful exotic pieces I have seen. Mrs. Anderson, do you remember her? She couldn’t make it this time but she was at the charity event last September.” You didn’t remember her but you nodded again. “She has such a cute chinchilla hybrid and he’s so well-trained too. I hope yours were trained well, I heard it’s difficult to train them yourself. Where did you adopt them from?”

You swallowed down the lump in your throat. “An adoption center in Los Angeles,” you lied easily. Spending hours and hours every day with actors, instructing them about how each scene would seem more natural, you had picked up a few tricks. “I just really liked them and they were already a pack, I didn’t want to break them up.”

Your mother arched a single perfectly-drawn eyebrow, a skill you had sadly not inherited. “A pack? Does that actually exist? Dear, the center must have been trying to give you four hybrids instead of one. Pack,” she tried out the word and she didn’t particularly like the results. “That certainly sounds like some kind of con. What are they? Are all of them wolves?”

“No, they aren’t all wolves. And it was three hybrids, I adopted the other one later from Tennessee with Taylor.”

Taylor’s name brought a spark to your mother. “Oh, how is Taylor? Such a sweet girl, I should have invited her. I will next time.” Your mother had met Taylor exactly once during one of the few of your movie premieres she had actually attended. “Which one did you adopt from there?”

You gritted your teeth, debating how much information was wise to give your mother. “Jin, he’s a sugar glider hybrid.”

That seemed to please her. “Sugar glider? That sounds fancy. I would like to see him up close.” Like you would ever allow that to happen. “He must be a rare breed.”

“He is.”

“Of course, I should have expected that my daughter would decide on a rare breed,” she said as if she was congratulating herself. “I insist you bring him to the next event. I was never that interested in hybrids, too much work, but one would look good in photos.”

“Yeah, I guess he would.” You took a deep breath, it wasn’t the time to throw a tantrum like you were five years old again or puke all over your expensive dress and shoes.

The expression on your mother’s face grew somber. “But four hybrids are a lot, I don’t think I know anyone who owns that many.” She twirled the flute in her hand, waves of the golden liquor hitting the glass and bubbles rising to the surface. “After what happened with Jacob I understand you have been feeling lonely, but hybrids aren’t good substitutes for human company, dear. You can’t rely on them as you relied on him or another man.”

A waiter offered you a glass of champagne from a golden tray. You couldn’t drink too much and risk your tongue loosening but you could allow yourself one more glass to get through this. “I’m not trying to replace him. They aren’t some kind of rebound.”

By her pinched expression, she didn’t believe you. “It’s alright to look for company somewhere else when you feel lonely. I don’t want you to think I’m judging your choices, you are an adult and free to make your own decisions but I’m your mother and I’m worried. You and Jacob were together for so long, we were sure he was the one for you. He was so nice and he took care of you. Your father and I were so happy for you.”

“Not all good relationships last. People change, they grow apart.”

“That’s true. It’s difficult getting out of a relationship after being together for so many years and getting back to your feet. That’s why I understand. I understand that you don’t want to be alone right now but don’t put all of your energy into hybrids. It just isn’t the same. Whatever some people like to say, hybrids are hybrids. They are different from us, they are on a different level. You can’t have the same connection with someone you own.”

Her words continued ringing in your mind for the rest of the night. Your father soon called you to introduce you to one of his colleagues, a successful businessman and politician you had never heard of. The glass of champagne was replaced by another one. You promised yourself it was the last. The owner of a luxurious brand talked with your mother about his plan to expand to more countries and the rehearsed and repeated vision to connect the world through fashion.

You peered at the other guests, all mingling, talking, and laughing. A man only a few feet away from you slapped a girl’s ass. You couldn’t believe your eyes, stuff like that didn’t happen at an event like this. You expected a scene, shouting and screaming and everything in between. Nothing happened. The man that had his arm around her waist only laughed. That’s when you noticed the black fluffy ears on top of her head, they were the same color as her hair and easy to miss. She didn’t have a tail. A silver collar with blue stones the same shade as her dress was secured around her neck. Her shoulders were tense and her head lowered.

In any other situation, any other time, you would have done something. You would have walked up to them and said something, anything you could think of on the spot, even talked to her, made a few minutes more tolerable. You did none of those things. Your parents were there and you had avoided embarrassing them all your life.

The guilt was eating you up, wrapping around all your organs and squeezing, hissing, and calling for your attention, not letting you forget. You had done nothing. If someone had touched your hybrids like that you would have cut their hands off. But that hadn’t been your hybrid, it hadn’t been your place. It hadn’t been your place like it hadn’t been your place to adopt Jin and go against his owner, like it hadn’t been your place to get involved with Namjoon’s pack or Yoongi and Hoseok for that matter. Maybe you had been tricking yourself all along, hiding your selfishness and fear behind the pretense of “not my place”.

Your mother was wrong, you hadn’t been looking for company when you and Jacob broke up. On the contrary, you disregarded everything except work, distancing yourself from all of your friends. It was easy with how busy you were at the time. You would have continued hiding in the Castle and spent your break alone if you hadn’t asked John to stop the car that night. They were what you didn’t know you needed. You had to stop being alone first to realize how lonely you had been.

You couldn’t go back to living like that, waking up and returning to an empty house, having no warm meal and warmer hugs waiting for you. That’s what your life had been like for the longest time and you wondered how you used to live like that. The hybrids were so tangled up in your life you couldn’t find where each thread ended or started. They merged and divided, connecting you all in ways you couldn’t describe.

Taylor had asked you about any crushes when you had been in Virginia, everyone was expecting you to find a new boyfriend after six months or at least start dating but you couldn’t bring yourself to do that. No one had piqued your interest and it wasn’t for lack of meeting new people. It would feel wrong going on a date with someone when the hybrids were waiting for you back home. And that’s where the problem was; it shouldn’t feel wrong. Many people who had hybrids went on dates, couples adopted hybrids together and it should be like that for you. But it wasn’t.

Overthinking was one of your talents and you had avoided like you were being chased by wild dogs. You weren’t one to simply go with the flow but Namjoon’s lips on your own had changed your mind. You were too afraid of losing that that you hadn’t allowed yourself to analyze what you were doing, what that meant for you. Namjoon was your hybrid, you may not act like it or think of him like that but you were his owner in the papers. And it wasn’t only Namjoon, the way you cared about the hybrids was different from the way you felt about anyone else. It was all-consuming and too bright. You felt more for them than you had ever felt about Jacob and that was dangerous.

You excused yourself from the event as soon as it was proper for you to do so. Tomorrow morning you had to wake up early for work and you couldn’t stay late into the night. It was true but not the reason you left. Your mother hugged you and thanked you for coming, inviting you once again to their house in New York. She had been inviting you every time you met and you hadn’t once been to their house.

The window of the limousine was cold against your cheek, your foundation staining the glass. Maybe your mother wasn’t that wrong. You didn’t dare put a name to your feelings but you couldn’t deny that they were there. Were you really that lonely that your mind was playing tricks on you? Groaning, you knocked your head against the glass, hard enough to hear a small thud. You shouldn’t be thinking of them like that, it was wrong, so wrong.

Was it the way the world viewed hybrids messing with you, bleeding into your subconscious? They were presented as the answer to any and all desires, transformed into wet dreams. The media had the power to influence behaviors and thoughts little by little without the person noticing. You had thought you were too clever to fall victim to their molded reality. You knocked your head against the glass again, the driver must have been thinking you were crazy.

The limousine parked in front of the Castle. On other nights the lights would have been turned off by now but tonight they were all shinning, welcoming you home. You fished your keys out of your bag and unlocked the door. The lights were on in the living room in the lowest setting.

“Welcome.” You jumped, almost tumbling to the floor at being startled while taking off your heels.

“Every. Single. Time.” Namjoon laughed quietly. “How do you do this every single time?”

“I was already here, I couldn’t make any more noise.” He got up from the couch, extending a hand to you. You took it and he guided you to the couch. “Did you have a good time?”

The dress wrinkled as you pulled one foot under you but you couldn’t care less. “It was… bearable. I didn’t-” You let your head fall on the back of the couch. Seeing Namjoon up close after the night you had, looking at you with soft eyes like you held the sky in the palm of your hand, everything was coming back. What were you doing here? Your heart shouldn’t be racing like that when you were thinking about the wolf hybrid, your hands shouldn’t be itching to touch him.

“You’re here now, you can relax,” he said trailing his hand from your arm to your shoulder and up your neck. Goosebumps raised on your bare skin. “You’re home.” His breath tickled your face, his lips were so close and you wanted, you wanted… You pushed him back.

“I should go take off my makeup. I’m exhausted.”

Namjoon frowned but he didn’t question you. “Okay,” he said softly. “Your bed must be calling your name.”

“It is,” you said slipping away from him. The absence of his touch left a void inside you. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

You went to your room with a heavy heart, leaving Namjoon alone in the living room.

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You found the offending magazine in a store close to the studios. Copies of it filled a whole stand. The cover was a photo of you with Jin and Jimin in front of the waffle place the day you had taken them with you to the table-reading. It really was front-page news.

In A Stunning Display of Power And Wealth Y/N Y/L/N Adopts Four Hybrids

Straight to the point, every word chosen precisely to attract attention. A display of power and wealth. Of course, that’s what sold copies. That’s what people wanted to read; how one of the richest and most famous directors of your generation was showing off their wealth and power. Hybrids continued to be a sign of money. To adopt four hybrids meant you were crazy rich, but people already knew that when similar headlines had swept all tabloids just a year ago, brought on by the outrageous purchase of the Castle.

Four pages were dedicated to you and your hybrids, completed with more photos of the same day and quotes from “insider sources”. You closed the magazine and went to the counter. The cashier scanned it without glancing at your face, which saved you some trouble. You almost thought you would have to re-enact the comedic scene of the cashier looking at the magazine, then at you, then back at the magazine, then back at you like a robot that had stopped working. You shoved the magazine in your bag, self-conscious of anyone seeing it on you, and went back to the studios.

Filming would begin very soon, which meant you were swamped with work. Everything had to be perfect because that’s the kind of director you were. A perfectionist. If it also gave you an excuse not to think about the hybrids and all of the implications of the flutter of your heart when you were with them, you weren’t complaining. And if you were a little more distant, that could easily be attributed to your work too.

Sleepless nights became too common, your head was too loud and Jimin laying next to you only made it louder.

Filming started and your schedule changed. Most days you still woke up early and returned late at night, but because each scene required a specific time of the day there were nights you came back hours after midnight. You had promised the hybrids you would take them with you on set but every morning you got in the car alone.

Fourth day of filming and unexpected rain forced you to cancel the outside shooting. You only had outside filming that day. You rushed to make adjustments and switch to scenes that could be filmed inside the studios. The crew would need time to prepare everything for the filming so you had been left with the morning off.

You unlocked the door, hiding inside the house from the rain. It hadn’t rained like that in a long time. The heavens had opened up and the rain refused to stop coming down like it was determined to turn Los Angeles into a gigantic lake. Your shoes left puddles wherever you stepped, you would have to mop the floors later. You took them off and placed them by the door. They had suffered the most, the rest of yourself was relatively dry with the exception of the lower part of your pants.

No one was attacking you with hugs as you closed the umbrella someone from the staff had handed you, the hybrids mustn’t have heard you coming in. If they had heard you, you would have had an armful of Jimin and Jungkook by now.

“Oh, hey Yoongi,” you greeted the panther hybrid coming out of the kitchen. Your tactic with Yoongi was to act like you were talking to someone who didn’t strongly dislike you. The scowls and the sneers had decreased turning into a plastic sort of indifference and that’s what made you pause. His scowl could cut you like a knife. “Are you alright?”

Yoongi stalked past you. “What are doing back?” he asked harshly.

You were taken aback for a moment. He hadn’t spoken like that to you since before you had left for Virginia. “I have the morning off because of the rain. Did something happen here?”

“Why do you care?” Yoongi stood by the staircase, his black tail unmoving behind him.

“Why would I not care?” you shot back. The rain had already ruined your plans for the day and caused you enough stress to last you for a few more, you didn’t have enough energy to deal with Yoongi. “Seriously, what happened? Is Hoseok alright?”

A low growl vibrated through the room, you almost took a step back at the threatening sound. “Don’t you speak his name. Was caring for him another way to make you feel powerful? Is this some kind of sick way for you to gain power over someone?”

You were too tired to handle this delicately as you should, you recognized that and proceeded to ignore it. “What the hell is this about? I just came back from work.”

Yoongi scoffed, it was an ugly sound. “Because you have brainwashed everyone else, don’t think I don’t see you for who you are. Have you sold our story yet? About how you saved Hoseok and nursed him back to health? I am sure that will sell many magazines. Show them all how all-powerful you are.”

Through the haze of the day, the words started to click. “You found the magazine.”

“You didn’t try to hide it.” You couldn’t remember where you had left it, it had probably ended up in the stack of magazines under the living room table. “I knew no one would take four hybrids in out of the goodness of their hearts. Did it work? Was it worth it or are you already getting bored? Maybe you should adopt a couple more. Make more headlines.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” you gritted out.

“That’s what you’d like to think,” Yoongi sneered. “All of you are the same. Hiding in your mansions and looking for the next chance to brandish your name. It’s a constant chase of power and standing, isn’t it? And you’ll use anyone you’ll find in your way to climb higher. I know how it is. You can’t fool me. I’ve been dealing with people like you for years!”

Your pants and your wet socks were sticking uncomfortably to your skin. Your head was buzzing. It hurt because that’s everything you had been trying to avoid. Everything you had promised yourself not to become. Everything you had criticized your parents and their circle for. You weren’t like them. You had never been like them.

“You don’t know me, don’t pretend you do,” you said forcefully. “Do you really think that’s how magazines work? I just call them and tell them I want them to write about me? Put me on the front cover? That’s not it. Even if it was, why would I do that? I couldn’t care less about the power-plays you’re talking about. I’m a director and my work speaks for itself. I don’t need magazines to brandish my name because my movies and my shows are more than enough. The paparazzi saw the chance and they took it. Their goal is to sell and their headlines showcase exactly that; what people would buy. I never hid the fact that I adopted hybrids but I wasn’t flaunting it to the media either.”

“Why should I believe you?” Yoongi growled.

You sighed, a sound full of frustration. “Frankly, I don’t see what else I could do to make you believe me! I tended to Hoseok. I didn’t ask any questions. I tried hard not to cross any boundaries and to make you feel welcome. What more do you want me to do?”

“Nothing,” Yoongi said simply. “Nothing you do can change my mind.”

It was like a stone dropped in the pit of your stomach. You shouldn’t have expected anything else. Yoongi had been through a lot, that much was clear, but it was unfair that he was taking out everything on you. You were paying for the scars other humans had inflicted on him.

“I’m not who you think I am.”

“You don’t know what I think.”

“It’s pretty clear,” you muttered. “Alright, I can’t change your mind, I won’t even try. I know how to pick my battles. But if you really despise me so much then why bother? Nothing you say will change anything. Are you trying to uncover some hidden truth about me and how evil I am? Then what?”

The fur on Yoongi’s tail and ears stood on end. “I don’t care. I don’t care about you, about what you have done and what you will do as long as we’re gone from here. I don’t care for your charity or your pity. Did it ever occur to you that I never wanted to be here in the first place?”

You swallowed, willing your heart rate to calm down. “Then tell Hoseok and Jimin yourself. The keys are by the door.”

You didn’t wait for Yoongi to say anything else, turning around and locking yourself in your room. You laid down on your bed, your hands gripping your hair. The exhaustion this time was beyond physical, beyond mental. Your hands retreated from your hair, sliding down your cheeks. Your fingers were wet.

Later when Jimin and Jungkook knocked on the door, you had to open the door or risk worrying them. They jumped on the bed and snuggled close to you. You held your phone waiting for the call to go to the studios.

You didn’t face any new problems with filming. The actors were all incredible, seemingly one with their characters. You did a lot of filming at 300 Fox Way, the psychic’s house with its mystic aura and weirdly compelling assortment of objects. You instructed the actors, talked with the crew, and analyzed the script down to each comma. Focusing on anything other than Yoongi’s words and your hybrids had turned into an art form.

The sleepless nights didn’t cease, you and the moonlight had become good friends. Jimin’s visits to your room thinned out. He had noticed you pulling away. You didn’t hug him anymore or kissed his forehead before falling asleep, you couldn’t come to terms with doing that after everything that had happened. You had thought that maybe you would sleep better alone but that had been proved false soon after.

You got out of bed for the fourth night in a row. Every position was uncomfortable. Keeping your steps light you left the room. The large house was eerie at night, the living room area with its glass walls looked endless, combining the actual living room, the dining room, and what the real estate agents had called the family room that was really just another living room.

You couldn’t stay in your room on nights like these, it was too contained. The night air on your skin sent shivers down your frame as you walked out on the balcony. It was two days before the full moon and its glow illuminated the world.

What had you gotten yourself into? You wished you could go back to that morning and decline your mother’s invitation to the gala. Maybe, just maybe, then you would be able to sleep, your head wouldn’t be fighting you at every turn, at every chance.

Little pieces of moonlight shimmered and danced on the lake. The calmness of the world was a stark contrast to the mess in your head. You remembered how Jungkook had looked at the lake in awe that very first night, you had noticed then that he looked at Jimin the same way. You wondered how you looked at them and if anyone had noticed.

The moon had no answers for you.

Two golden eyes were looking up at you from the garden, they shone like the fires that had been extinguished earlier. Namjoon tilted his head, inviting you down. A weird sense of deja vu took over. You had lived something very similar before, a night that had changed so much.

You shouldn’t go. You should stay where you were, alone and safe, away from fluttering heartbeats and dangerous warmth. But the night had its way of calling out the risky nature of people. The thrill was so much more enticing when darkness ruled.

Climbing down the stairs, you kept your steps quiet. You never knew which sound would wake up the hybrids. Namjoon was standing by the flower bushes close to the curtain of vines that lead into the forest. He was wearing a dark blue pair of pajama pants and a simple black T-shirt.

“What are you doing awake so late?” you whispered, like everything around you had ears.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

You shook your head. “I have trouble sleeping, remember?”

Namjoon had caught you a few times wandering the house at night, he was the only one who knew that a lot of nights sleep didn’t come to you willingly. His own nightly adventures were more complicated.

“Why are you awake?” you asked him again. “Please don’t tell me you smelled distress or something again or I’ll freak.”

Namjoon chuckled, you had missed it. Keeping your distance meant you only saw them for barely two hours every day. They all tried to not make too much noise with you in the constant mood of ‘tired and gloomy’.

“No, that’s not it.” He looked up, over the trees. “It’s the full moon.”

“You have to be kidding me. Do you turn into a wolf too?”

Namjoon raised his hands in surrender, his dimples on full display. “I’m joking, I’m joking. I couldn’t sleep either and I like being outside at night like this. It’s peaceful.”

You couldn’t disagree with that. There was something alluring about the quiet of the night. You would describe yourself more as a morning person than a night owl but both of them were true, waking up early for work then staying up late for it too.

“Are you alright?” The smile had fallen from his lips.

You squirmed under the intensity of his gaze. “I’m just tired, that’s all. Filming takes a lot out of me.”

Namjoon sighed. “Are you sure that’s all there is? You have been acting differently, did you think we wouldn’t notice?”

You knew they would notice but you had hoped they would think it was because of your work. Work did take a lot out of you but it also used to be the reason you were so much happier returning home.

“It has been going on for too long. You don’t spend any time outside your room or your office if it isn’t to eat. You are avoiding us. Jimin and Jungkook stopped scenting you because they think they’re making you uncomfortable.”

“It isn’t- They aren’t making me uncomfortable. I’m just tired from work and I don’t-” you tried to deny it but you fell short of excuses.

“You were working before too, but it wasn’t like this,” he pointed out. “You were tired then too. Some nights you came back and I could smell the exhaustion around you like a disease. But you smiled when Jimin and Jungkook ran up to you and didn’t let you go, you laughed at Jin laughing at his own jokes. You came to me when it got too loud here.” He pointed to your head.

“We weren’t filming then.” It was a weak attempt but you had to make it.

Namjoon regarded you carefully. Beams of moonlight got tangled in his gray hair turning it silver. He looked at home right there at that moment, close to the trees with the moon shining on him. He was every bit of magic you had ever witnessed.

“This started before filming did. I knew there was something wrong when you came back from the gala. Something happened there,” Namjoon concluded. “I should have come with you.”

You shook your head vigorously. Imagining him next to you while your mother spoke about hybrids like that was torture. “No, you shouldn’t. You shouldn’t have been with me.” You paused to compose yourself. “It wasn’t good, it was really bad actually. It wasn’t the gala itself, there some interesting people and… My mother…” You took a deep breath. “I don’t think I like my parents very much,” you admitted.

It was hard to say after years of half-hearted attempts at mending your relationship with them. All those years apart you had become very different people. You had trouble remembering what they were like before they left you in your aunt’s care. You couldn’t see any traces of them in yourself, you didn’t enjoy what they enjoyed, your interests and priorities, the way you viewed the world were very different.

In the past few days, you had grown to hate your mother’s voice in your head but you had a feeling that it had been much longer than that. The only difference was that before, you had been able to ignore it.

Namjoon came closer, his hand touching your palm waiting for you to make the first move. You took his hand in yours, laying your head on his chest. “That’s alright. You don’t have to like them, no one is forcing you to.”

“But they are my parents.”

He stroked your back gently. “It doesn’t matter, that isn’t enough of a reason.”

“They aren’t bad people.”

“They don’t need to be bad people for you to dislike them.”

You stayed like that for a few moments, taking in his presence. You had missed being in his arms so much, like an ache that couldn’t go away.

He stopped stroking your back, cupping your cheek and pulling back so you were facing each other. “I’m always here for you. I don’t care about anything else but seeing you happy. I’m here.”

“I missed you,” you admitted like it was a secret.

Namjoon smiled softly. “I missed you too.” His thumb caressed your lower lip. There was a tingling sensation all over your skin. “Can I?” he asked just like the very first time.

You let out a shuddering breath. “Should we be doing this?”

“Do you want to?” he asked carefully.

You bit your lip before nodding. He leaned down connecting your lips. It was soft and careful, all the longing and hurt of the past days poured into the kiss. You pulled him closer and he came willingly. You could hear your heartbeat in your ears.

An awful laugh cut through the night. You pulled away from Namjoon like you had been burnt. Yoongi was one with the night, dark like a shadow.

“So this is it? Is this why you adopted them all? So you can have your pick when you’re in the mood?” The expression on his face was cruel, twisted up in disgust.

Namjoon growled, his sharp canines shinning in the moonlight. In that moment, Namjoon looked more dangerous than ever before. “Shut your mouth.”

“I see she has turned you into her dog. How long did it take to tame you?”

You held Namjoon back before he could lunge at the panther. You were afraid that if you let him go, there would blood on their clothes. “Don’t.”

Yoongi took a tense step forward. “That’s right, listen to your owner. Is that what she has turned all of you into? Her toys? Just for a roof over your head and food?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Namjoon growled. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that. You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.”

Yoongi clenched his fists. There was anger and something else you couldn’t see in the night amidst your panic. “I knew it. I knew no one did what you did without any kind of agenda. Seems like the magazine was right, at least in part. You can’t fool me, even if you managed to fool everyone else.”

With that he was gone, like he was never there.

You couldn’t breathe. Your hand was still wrapped around Namjoon’s wrist and you couldn’t breathe. You counted in your head. One, two, three…

When Namjoon tried to touch your shoulder, you pulled away. “I’m going back to my room,” you said. Your voice sounded shaky to your own ears. Namjoon called out to you but you didn’t stop. He didn’t try to touch you again.

Please comment and reblog it motivates me to keep writing

#btscreatorscorner #castlebangtan #bts #bts hybrid au #bts x reader #jungkook x reader #jimin x reader #namjoon x reader #seokjin x reader #yoongi x reader #hoseok x reader #taehyung x reader #poly!bts #poly!bts x reader #bts poly au #bts fanfic #bts scenarios #bts angst #bts hurt/comfort

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ghost-ghost-baby · 4 years ago

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We're Just Friends! (Omega!bakugo x alpha!reader x omega!Izuku) pt. 2/?

Pt. 1 / pt. 3

Lore: Once an Alpha reaches 21 they get their first rut, they’d either already have their mates or the rut will act as a push for them to get together and bond.

Summary: Reader and Katsuki have been friends for years, and everyone expects them to get together, until reader rescues an omega that lives in their building, and things get a touch more... complicated

Warnings: omegaverse, obviously, yandere themes, Izuku b showin that stalker side more and more, reader is still dense asf, Bakugo b MAD, hella swearing-

“Katsuki, can you let me go? I have class-“ Your words were met with a grunt, Katsuki only tightening his grip on you.

“C’mon, it’s just one class and I can come back right after and we can nap?” You sighed when he still didn’t respond, you didn’t want to hurt him, but you were already late. (You’d hit snooze on your alarm a few too many times, but you couldn’t bring yourself to push Katsuki off until you absolutely had to.)

“I’m sorry-“ you kissed his forehead, smiling at the faint purr he let out. Then you pinched his scent gland, and the omega was springing out of bed and snarling like a cat when you stepped on its tail.

“I know! I know! I’m so sorry, I promise I’ll run back!” You rushed to throw on a pair of jeans, stumbling around as you pulled them up. Katsuki only growled at you from the bed, watching you struggle with dark amusement, sleep still heavy on his mind.

“Text me if you need me to pick anything up on the way home!” You pressed a kiss to his forehead before you left, feeling slightly less guilty as his scent returned to its usual content aroma.

“Hey! L/n, wait up!” You were getting into the elevator when a familiar voice made you turn around, and you waved as Izuku ran down the hall, clutching his backpack like a lifeline.

“Midoriya! Hey! Where ya headed this early?” You pressed the ground button once he was finally in the elevator, biting the inside of your cheek when the elevator closed and you remembered just how potent his scent really was. It was fine, you could handle this, just a minute or two-

“Oh! I just got accepted into UA university! I’m doing forensic science!” Midoriya chirped, and you felt your jaw drop.

“No way! That’s my degree, what’re the odds!” You grinned, missing the way he relaxed when you didn’t suspect anything. “I can show you around if you want?” The elevator dinged and Midoriya beamed as the two of you stepped out.

“Oh really? Are you sure it’s not a bother?” His scent took on a slightly worried turn, and you were reassuring him without a second thought.

“Yeah it’s no bother at all! It’ll be nice to have someone in my classes, my friends and my roommate are doing music degrees so we don’t really have classes together!” The two of you fell into step perfectly, and you couldn’t help but flush when Midoriya walked so close your sides brushed together.

The walk to university had never seemed this short before, and the two of you were getting to class in what felt like record time. The two of you took a seat up the back, barely having time to get your books out before Mr. Aizawa entered, a thermos of coffee bigger than your head slammed down in the desk and the class shut up, the lecture beginning immediately.

“How did you find Mr. Aizawa?” You asked as soon as the two of you were outside, Midoriya had been totally engrossed in the lesson, filling five pages compared to your two. Hey, school had never been your strong point, and you wouldn’t have even made it through high school without Katsuki helping you study, even if he did yell at you for being stupid like, a lot.

“Oh the lesson was great! He seems kinda grumpy for a teacher, but he covers a lot of details and-“

“Hey, Y/n! Who’s the fresh meat! And why’s Bakugo in such a foul mood, what’d you do dude?” A familiar voice interrupted Midoriya, and you waved as Mina and Denki came into view, Denki’s arm slung around Mina’s shoulder.

“I didn’t know Katsuki had class today, why isn’t he with you guys?” You couldn’t help but frown, it wasn’t like Katsuki to not mention having a class, especially when it was in the morning like yours.

“Oh, Kiri and him had something to take care of!” Mina chirped, and a flash of something went through your heart… maybe Katsuki just didn’t want you as an alpha, and Kiri was all sorts of charming-

“L/n, don’t be rude, introduce us!” Mina was staring right at Midoriya, who had moved to stand slightly behind you.

“Oh right! Sorry! This is Izuku Midoriya, we ran into each other yesterday and then realised he lived right opposite Katsuki and I!” You ruffled the back of your hair nervously, and Midoriya couldn’t help but glance at your scent gland, your unmarked scent gland. So you and Kacchan hadn’t sealed the deal, huh? Perfect-

“Oh, he’s so cute! I’m Mina Ashido and this is my mate Denki Kaminari! What are you studying?” Midoriya seemed to relax next to you and you couldn’t help but smile, Mina was always so good at making people feel included.

“You know… you can call me by my first name, if you wanted.”

“Huh-?” Those words had you stumbling over your feet and almost face planting onto the pavement. That was a courting invitation- plain and simple, and your brain short circuited as you turned to face the omega. He couldn’t mean that, right, you’d only known him a day and you’d been far from charming and- was Midoriya holding a blanket?

“I know it’s kinda soon but being with you just feels right- and you’re such a good alpha I’m sure you have dozens of omegas you could choose from and I don’t even know when your birthday is but I couldn’t not say anything so maybe if you wanted to scent this blanket I could put it in my nest and we could start the courting process...“ Midoriya trailed off when you were still silent, eyes darting between him and the blanket and your mouth wide open in disbelief, and your happy scent pumping out in waves was the only thing stopping him from crying.

“M-Me? You want… me… to be your alpha-?” Your face went bright red as you finally processed what was happening, a warmth quickly spreading out from your chest. Katsuki briefly crossed your mind, but then you remembered he didn’t want you- and you’d be a liar if you said you didn’t want Midoriya.

“Mid- Izuku, sorry, I’d be honoured!”

“Bakubro- what do you think of f/ns new friend, have you met him yet?” Denki called when he and Mina finally found Katsuki and Kirishima outside one of the cafes next to the university, and the blonde almos dropped the bag of food he was holding.

“Ha- What the fuck do you mean new friend! They didn’t mention anything to me-!” Katsuki was already yelling, and Kirishima sighed as the omegas scent took on a burned tinge, waving in apology to the passer bys that frowned.

“Yeah, apparently he just moved into your building, too!” Mina continued, the two of them far from surprised by this reaction.

“What’s his fucking dynamic- if he’s the same asshole from last night I swear to god-“

“Oh… so you haven’t met him yet, he’s an omega and I’m sure you’ll like him!” Mina waved her hands as she tried to diffuse the situation. It almost did, until Katsuki remembered that scent from last night.

“What does… what does he look like?”

“Oh he’s short! Green hair that was kinda a mess but he had the cutest freckles-“ Mina started, giving Denki a light shove when he interrupted.

“And his eyes man! Biggest puppy dog eyes and they were the brightest green colour!” Katsukis blood went cold with each word, dread and rage quickly settling on his chest, and he could barely ask the next question.

“What’s his name?”

“Um I’m not sure- what do you reckon babe?” Denki turned to Mina and she frowned as she tried to remember.

“I think it was Izuku Midoriya!”

That was the nail in the coffin, an involuntary growl bubbling up in Katsuki’s chest as his vision went red. Why the fuck was Deku back?

You slowly opened the door to your apartment, frowning slightly when Katsukis scent was fainter than usual. He mustn’t have gotten home yet. You’d invited Izuku over to study, (you could really use the help, and he’d taken so many notes-)

“There’s the couch with the TV, or we could go to my room but it’s kinda small and-“

“Wow, Y/n, I thought you just invited me over to study-!” Your face went red at what Izuku was implying, and you were falling over yourself to insist you did just want to study and there weren’t any ulterior motives. Izuku was… slightly disappointed, but there’d be time for that later, so he merely took a seat on the couch and got his books out while you got the two of you a drink and some snacks. The lounge was smaller than his, but it was cozy, and the couch was far more comfortable than his. Plus, the whole place reeked like you and Kacchan, and it took everything Izuku had to stop himself purring, nothing had ever felt so right.

“I didnt know what you wanted so I just grabbed a variety, and I hope jasmine tea is okay? It’s my favourite and I’m kinda out of anything else- Katsukis meant to be doing a grocery run soon anyway-“ you set the tray down next to Izuku’s notebooks, plopping down on the couch with a sigh and taking a second before you grabbed your own books.

“Let’s get down to it then, huh?”

Taglist (v sorry if any of em r wrong)

@pasteldaze@hopeless-ro-simptic@ntngann@somerandominternetgirl@ianem005@lalaluvzen@antisocial-minnie@rogueofbullshit@hakunamatatayqueen@so-uncute@therealwalmartjesus@unlightedfool@

#omegaverse #we’re just friends #bnha x reader #yandere x reader #yandere bnha x reader #omegaverse bnha #yandere izuku x reader #izuku x reader #omega Izuku #katsuki x reader #omega Katsuki #alpha reader #x reader #x you #poly #poly imagine

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kirishibi · 5 years ago

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A Change of Plans

Summary: Every year before your anniversary, you and Kirishima go a week without seeing each other before enjoying a nice dinner on the night of your anniversary. This year, Kirishima has something else planned.

Pairing: Ejirou Kirishima x Reader

Warnings: One brief mention of alcohol, anxious!reader

Word Count: 1.9k

a/n: Angst is coming I stg, I just got caught up in the fluff train and baby there are no breaks. Enjoy lovey dovey, stupid, monologuing Kirishima. He’s a king.

You and your boyfriend, Kirishima, had been dancing around one another for the past week, playing cat-and-mouse as your anniversary quickly approached. You hadn’t seen him at all in the last seven days, though that was to be expected.

The two of you had been together for three years, and each year during the week leading up to your anniversary you would avoid one another like the plague. It wasn’t personal, you loved Kirishima dearly and knew he felt the same. In fact, you were an open book when it came to your boyfriend, but that was the problem. You discovered quite quickly that neither of you could keep a secret from the other. While a great dynamic for a relationship, this led to many ruined surprises and spoiled presents in your first year of dating. So, in your second year, you came to the agreement that once your gifts had been picked out, you wouldn’t see one another until the day of your anniversary.

Leading up to the big day, Kirishima would send you a good morning text when he woke up, a text letting you know he was safe when he arrived home from work, and a good night message before bed. You would do the exact same for him, nothing more and nothing less. You had an agreement that if one of you missed a text, or desperately needed the other for whatever reason, the game was over with no questions asked. However, this had never been an issue and thus your tradition was continued. On the morning of your anniversary, Kirishima would send you the address of a restaurant he’d picked out along with the time of your reservations, and you would show up five minutes early. He’d always be waiting in the lobby with that big smile on his face and your present in his lap, fidgeting excitedly with the wrapping paper he’d chosen.

You awoke that morning with similar expectations, ready for the name of an absurdly nice restaurant to be displayed on your phone screen along with a meeting time, followed by a paragraph of heart emojis and a three word profession of love. That was just how Kirishima did things, after all.

What you found, however, made your brow furrow in confusion:

My place. 6pm.

That was it. No restaurant, no emojis, no ‘I love you’s. Even the time was unusual, seeming fairly early for a date on Friday night. You took a deep breath, sent him a thumbs up, set your phone back onto your bedside table, and willed yourself not to fret.

Regardless, you spent almost an hour in the comfort of your bed, tossing and turning, a million little worries bouncing around your brain like flies. Eventually, you shoved aside your blankets and crawled out of bed, accepting defeat and beginning your daily routine.

----------

Despite your nerves, you made sure to look your best for your loving boyfriend as you prepared for the date. In fact, doing your hair and trying to perfect your eyeliner was a welcome distraction. Time flew by as you busied yourself, and your nerves had almost entirely subsided by the time you pulled on the red, form-fitting dress that always drove Kirishima crazy. He had seen you at your worst: sick with the flu, in the middle of a breakdown, incredibly hungover after one of Kaminari’s parties... but he loved each and every version of you, and while you knew that he would find you just as beautiful in sweatpants as you were all dressed up, you wanted that night to feel special.

Your fears were long forgotten, excitement taking their place. You grinned to yourself as you began the short walk to Ejirou’s apartment, your expression turning into a full-blown smile as you swung open the building’s glass doors. Your stomach filled with butterflies, the rhythmic clack of your heels against tiled flooring drowned out only by chatter of people around you. You stepped into a vacant elevator and pressed a button for the top floor. You were still skeptical at Kirishima’s demeanor from that morning, but your excitement to see him was undeniable. The way you felt, your fingers just a bit shaky and knees turning to jelly, it reminded you of when you first started dating. You still felt the spark you did in your honeymoon phase, even years later.

“Ejirouuu!” You called out in a sing-songy voice as the elevator dinged and the door slid open. Your heavy footsteps continued on the hardwood floor of his apartment, but at a much slower pace. The room was… empty. You tossed your purse onto his couch as you passed it, glancing around the lavish space, searching for an explanation as to what the hell was going on, but finding none.

Your phone chimed in your purse, pulling you from your thoughts. You made your way back to the sofa and rifled through your bag, too stressed and confused to find the device at first. After a few moments of digging, though, you grabbed it.

The screen awoke with a text from Kirishima:

There’s a key on the kitchen counter and a car waiting for you outside.

You groaned and tossed your phone onto a cushion before heading to the kitchen where, just like he has said, a metal key was waiting. Below it was a small white sheet of paper that read:

Just a little longer. Trust me, baby.

Followed by three scribbled hearts. You could tell your boyfriend had tried to write as neatly as possible, though the words were still barely legible. A grin pulled at your lips and you gathered the note, key, and your phone, quickly stuffing all three into your bag and stepping back onto the elevator.

The car ride took longer than you had expected. As towering office buildings and neon-lit restaurant signs tapered off in favor of a more naturesque view, those butterflies in your stomach returned with the same ferocity as before. You chewed your bottom lip, one thumb toying with the edge of Ejirou’s note while that unmistakable lovesick electricity filled your chest. You lost track of time reminiscing on that feeling, gazing out of the car window and watching the brightly lit city skyline get smaller.

The night when you first felt that electricity was a little over three years ago, right after graduation. You were at a small celebration for a friend’s birthday, but your attention was taken entirely by someone else. A charming, spiky-haired redhead had completely swept you off your feet, and while everyone else was drinking and partying like the world was about to end, you sat alone, stone-cold sober on the balcony of your friend’s luxury cabin, just chatting. Unlike so many guys in your school days, Kirishima didn’t care about getting wasted or undressing you as soon as possible. He listened to you when you spoke, made eye contact instead of letting his gaze wander, and made you laugh like no one else could. He showed genuine interest even when you began rambling about how ‘fairy lights are gorgeous! This balcony would look so much prettier if we had some!’. He didn’t try to hush you or change the topic, instead nodding along with a soft smile, as if agreeing. He cared, even when he barely knew you. That’s when you first felt it, that floaty feeling in your chest, the bloom of something beautiful and indescribable.

That’s when you first fell for him.

The car rolled to a stop, and you slipped the driver a generous tip before exiting. You stared up in complete awe at the sight before you as the sound of rubber tires on gravel grew increasingly more distant.

It was a cabin.

You straightened your dress, pulling at the hem and flattening the wrinkles caused by your ride, before bounding up a staircase that led to the front door. “Eji!” You called out as you entered the living room. You pushed the heavy wooden front door back into its frame, and just as the lock clicked into place your phone chimed once again:

Balcony.

You were exhausted by that point, but decided to humor your boyfriend one more time. Across the room, white curtains undulated with the flow of a breeze passing through. You set your purse down, made your way over, and pushed the fabric aside.

There Kirishima knelt, sporting the widest smile you’d ever seen.

Fairy lights were strung along the railing behind him as well as surrounding him in the shape of a heart. He wore a dark suit with a red tie, something you could never tire of seeing him in. He beckoned you toward him, and when you stepped onto the balcony in front of him, he began. “Sorry about that running around, I was trying to be mysterious.” He chuckled nervously, his gaze falling to the floor as he took a deep breath to steady himself. He paused for a second to calm his nerves before locking eyes with you again and continuing.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a few years now, so I’m sorry about all of the talking I’m about to do, but there’s a lot to say. (Y/n), I fell for you in a place very similar to this. I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s the truth. I have this vivid memory of watching the sparkle in your eyes as you rambled about string lights and how beautiful they are, and I remember thinking that thats exactly how I would describe you. Never in my life have I met someone so charming, brilliant, and absolutely stunning. I don't know what I did to make you fall for me, but I would do it all over again in an instant. I’ve loved you since the night we met, I loved you when we took that trip to meet your parents, and I loved you when you gave me the flu last winter. I’ve loved you every moment I’ve been away from you and every second I’ve had you beside me. That feeling has never stopped, and I know I’m saying ‘love’ a lot but fuck...”

Kirishima raised a sleeve to wipe away the tear tracks on his cheeks. He sniffled, pulling himself together enough to finish. He popped open the velvet box in his hands, revealing a diamond ring.

“I love you so, so much. Nothing in this world could make me happier than I am when I’m with you, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you if you’re willing… (Y/n) (L/n), will you marry me?”

By the time Kirishima had popped the question, both of you were openly crying.

You nodded, “Yes, Ejirou! Yes, I’ll marry you, are you kidding?!” You slipped the ring onto your finger, dropped to your knees, and pulled him into a kiss. You had missed his touch, his smell, his voice, but you didn’t realize how much you had craved his kisses as well until his lips were locked with yours and his arms were wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer. He pulled away from the kiss, earning a whine from you though you complied.

“You will, though? Really? You mean it?” Kirishima looked almost like a puppy. He practically vibrated in excitement, struggling to contain all of his energy and sit still, all with that same big smile on his face.

“I mean it! I can’t imagine the rest of my life with anyone else.” You smiled and he wrapped his arms around you once again.

#kirishima #kirishima x reader #ejirou kirishima x reader #kirishima fluff #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha fluff #kiri writes

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noonaduck · 6 years ago

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Fangs pt.1

Pairing: little bit Jimin x reader, but main pairing will be Hoseok x reader, brother Yoongi Words: 2494 Genre: Vampire AU, Supernatural AU. Smut, Angst, Fluff(?) Summary: Vampire population was getting smaller with passing time and presence of hunters was turning to even bigger threat than it has ever been for your kind. One fateful night you expose your nature for a hunter by mistake and a cat and a mouse game begins. What you weren’t excepting was your growing feelings towards your predator. Are you prisoners of your natures or are you able to break free and find love?

A/N: I wasn’t able to stop myself from writing when idea about this AU came to me. I’m still going to continue writing my other works as well.

1. > 2.

[Gifs belongs to their rightful owners]

You were spread on living room couches with your brother Yoongi and friend Jin. The room was covered with spider webs and you could see the dust dancing in the air. The house where you had taken refugee was a old cottage in middle of woods. Sun was risen earlier that you had thought and interrupted your hunt. It was quite risky to hunt for a prey when there was only few of your kind and so many hunters. What was your prey? Humans of course, and more specifically their blood. There was one rule that you three followed, never take enough blood to kill your victim. It had taken some centuries for you to be able to pull your fangs on time and you haven't been able to avoid few lost lives along the way. Now as a older vampires you were capable to stop on time, well at least most of the time. One thing that made hunters truly dangerous was that they couldn't be charmed. Charming was vampires ability, which helped you to erase your victims memory. If hunter was able to figure your identity all was lost. There was no other choice than keep moving, because usually vampires were so outnumbered compared to their kind. That was the main reason for your vagrant lifestyle, usually vampires lived in nests like they liked to call their hideouts. One fatal mistake from your side has forced you to leave your home and you had to keep moving forward. Both Yoongi's and Jin's clothes were wrinkled and yours weren't in that good shape either. Yoongi's black hair was messy and his jacket had teared from its hem. Jin's chocolate brown hair was still flawless despite his clothes condition. You had ear length H/C which was messy as your older brother's. ''I can't take this anymore. Next time we have to find place to shower and change clothes instead of a old cabin without running water or electricity.'' Jin complains and stand's up from his seat. He starts to space around in the small room. ''I agree.'' Yoongi grumbles. ''I would be happy even with a decent meal.'' You mumble quietly. You haven't fed in few nights and hunger was getting toll of you. ''well, its your fault that we had to leave our home behind.'' Jin says annoyed. You sift in your seat and Yoongi glares older man angrily. ''It's not her fault.'' He answers angrily and his dark eyes flashes red. ''I know, I'm sorry Y/N. I'm just hungry as you are.'' Jin apologizes. His stops his spacing in front of small window and peers out trough ripped curtains. The sun hurts his eyes and he blinks rapidly. You can see hunger clearly from his features and quilt eats your insides. Jin's skin is even paler than usually and you can see clearly his veins under his skin. His usually deep brown eyes are now closer to red than actual brown. Usually Jin is the most calm and rational of you three, but hunger can make even the most restrained vampire into irrational beast. Yoongi doesn't look so good either, his features mirroring Jin's. Yoongi is pale even among the vampires, but when he hasn't fed he seems more like a ghost than one of his kinds. Your skin feels tight and your fangs throbs from lack of human blood. Vampires are able to drink each other's blood but its useful as drinking a soda for humans. You get pleasure from it, but it wont calm your thirst like a water does for humans and a blood for vampires. Jin turns back towards the couches but stays still, now you are able to see more than his side profile. ''It's okay, I understand.'' You accept his words. ''No it's not. I was too harsh.'' Jin says and in one blink he is hugging you. Jin feels quilt in smallest things if he believe that he has hurt his friends. You answer for his hug and just for a while you keep hugging each other searching for comfort. When you finally part Jin sits next to you and you put your head on his shoulder. Your mind starts to wander to back that day when you had done your mistake which had leaded into your current situation.

*** You were on the hunt looking for your next meal. The club was full of people who either were drinking their worries away or dancing along the music. You were wearing tight black dress that kissed your curves and ended right above your knees. You had loose curls on your hair and you had painted your lips deep red. Your E/C eyes had smoky black lining . Despite Yoongi's and Jin's pleas you had left alone. Sometimes girl needed her own time. You were hanging by the bar and measuring the mass of people for your next prey. You had gone trough few people with your eyes until you finally saw someone who gained your interest. The man was sitting on nearby booth with his group of friends. He had bubblegum pink hair and beautiful face with chubby cheeks that you wanted to squeeze. He was wearing button up shirt with vertical blue stripes and black leather pants with zippers on both sides. When he laughed for something that his friend had said his eyes turned into half moons. You kept observing the table and tried to figure out which of mouth watering scents was his. ''Jimin, some one is staring at you.'' A Guy with dark brown hair nuzzled his friends shoulder. The brunet is wearing white t-shirt with ripped jeans. His muscles are clearly on sight for anyone to see. You can hear his words, you had accurate vampire hearing after all. The Jimin guy turned his head towards the direction where his friend was nudging and his eyes met yours. You flashed him a beautiful smile. ''Wow, she is hot.'' Another of his friends with blonde hair agreed. He was wearing dark blue suit jacket with black shirt under it. His legs were covered in grey denim. ''Go ahead and talk to her.'' He egged his friend. ''Tae, I think she is too good looking for me.'' Jimin said and you wanted to roll your eyes for his thoughts, but you suppress your urges. You stood up from your chair and walk towards their table while swaying your hips. ''Hi.'' You say and smile sweetly for the male, who's name you learned was Jimin. ''Hi.'' Jimin stuttered and you felt urge to smirk for his cute awkwardness. ''Hello, Im Taehyung. Would you like to join us?'' Blonde asked and flashed toothy smile. ''I would love to.'' You agreed and the boys made space in the booth so you were able to sit next to Jimin. ''I'm Jungkook.'' The brunet peeped in. You smiled kindly at him. As good looking Jimin's friends were you are more interested in your bubblegum boy. Jimin's scent was mix of vanilla and peaches. You couldn't wait to sink your teeth into his neck. ''I'm Y/N.'' You introduced yourself. ''So what pretty woman like you does here alone?'' Taehyung asked, he surely seems to be on lead or at least the most confident here. ''You know, sometimes a girl need her time alone away from her family.'' You said and shrugged. ''Would you like to have anything to drink?'' Jimin blurred when he sees your empty hands. All three of men were already drinking something and their glasses were already over the half way empty. ''No thanks, I prefer quite different drink than this place has offer.'' You put your hand on his shoulder and leaned closer. ''Perhaps you can help me with my thirst later.'' You whispered huskily to his ear. Jimin's neck hair stood up when your lips touched his ear lope. His face turned instantly red and his friends smirked on his misery. ''Sorry that I'm late. I wasn't able to leave my work as early as I hoped.'' A new man said while slipping in the booth. The newcomer has tall lean figure with well formed muscles. His hair was colored like honey and his nose was tall and straight. He also had sharp cheekbones and little bit crooked dark brown eyes which fitted his features. He was maybe even more good looking than your target, but you had made your choice for the night. Top of his head was a white cap and silver earring tangled from his left ear. He was wearing red long sleeved shirt with v- neckline and pants which was ripped from his knees. ''Hoseok, this is Y/N. Y/N this is Hoseok.'' Jimin hurried to introduce you. ''Its nice to meet you Y/N.'' Hoseok said and by your surprise offered his hand. You gave him yours and that was your first mistake of the night. ''Likewise.'' You agreed. Hoseok froze for a moment, but then lets go quickly of your hand. ''Your hand seemed to be little bit cold, are you okay?'' He asked and tilted his head with wonder. ''Ah, I have usually really cold hands.'' You told awkwardly. The fact that you weren't quite alive might explain the cold skin. ''I see.'' Hoseok mumbled to himself. ''Well Y/N, What do you do for a living? Are you perhaps a student or do you have a job?'' Jungkook tried to break the awkward mood. ''I'm part of my family business. My brother runs a medical company that supplies hospitals with blood and medical supplies.'' You told. Lies or maybe not entirely, you were indeed interacting with blood. ''Sounds interesting. I work as a photographer and Tae is a painter.'' Jungkook told. ''Jimin here is a dancer. You should see his moves sometime.'' He grinned and winked at you. You let small giggle and Jimin sifted awkwardly on his seat. ''I would love to. Hoseok was it? What do you do for a living?'' You asked and turned your curious eyes towards him. ''Nothing interesting, just some office work.'' He shrugged. You kept chatting with the guys about everything and nothing. They all seemed easy to get along. All except Hoseok who was lost on his own thoughts. He excused himself and headed to the bar. You have been teasing Jimin for all night. Sometimes you leaned closer to him showing more from your cleavage than necessary and sometimes your fingers kept sliding along his thighs. His friends were oblivious to your ministrations, but Jimin's heart kept beating faster and faint scent of arousal, that only a person with sensitive nose could smell, was leaping in the air. Taehyung and Jungkook were getting tipsy and bickered over meaningless stuff. Jimin wasn't exactly sober either. ''Do you want to dance? I would like to see some moves of yours?'' You asked ans squeezed his thigh. Jimin nodded fast for agreement and you headed towards the dance floor right when Hoseok returns to the table. You danced along few songs and indeed you can see that Jimin was a experienced dancer. His hips swayed along the beat naturally. Fast paced song turned into slow one and you put your hands around his neck and pulled him closer. He hesitantly took grip of your hips and swayed slowly with you. You grinned his crotch and you could clearly feel when he was turning hard in his pants. How about we go somewhere more private?'' You suggested and Jimin was instantly open for the idea. You navigated along the mass of people towards the bathrooms and went straight to empty bathroom past the line of people who were waiting for their turn. You heard some complains but you gave them so scary look that the line went quiet instantly. You push Jimin to bathroom door and lock the door with another hand. Jimin is at your mercy when you begin to suck his neck. You leave wet hickey on the spot and Jimin's arousal was turning more visible by the minute. You wasn't going to lie, you felt little damp spot forming in your underwear. Jimin pulled you closer from your butt and squeezed it gently. ''I'm rarely this bold.'' Jimin admitted panting. ''It's okay. I got you.'' You said and lean for a kiss. You bit his plumb lower lip and his mouth opened with small whimper. You slipped your tongue in and explored his mouth. You part panting for air. Air wasn't absolutely necessary for you but breathing was a habit that was hard to give up. A little bit of saliva was connecting your mouths together and you both grinned for it. Jimin swept it away and you returned kissing his neck. This time you were ready to draw blood. You bit gently his arched neck and small moan left Jimin's lips. You felt your fangs to grow longer and fast like a snake you pierced his pulsing neck. His blood poured into you mouth and it was your time to moan. ''What are you doing? Let me go!'' Jimin tried move away with panic. You tightened your grip when Jimin tried to thrash away. Even if he didn't want to the pain turned soon into pleasure and he moaned against his own will. In vampires spit was ingredients which caused pleasure for the victim when it entered into their blood steam. You were turning more energized when the blood poured into your mouth. The hot liquid calmed burning of your throat. You heard loud banging behind the door but decided ignore it in your foggy state. That was your second and last mistake. You pulled your tooth gently out and licked Jimin's wound closed. The door burst open and you and Jimin were pushed backwards. Worried looking Hoseok steps in and froze on the spot when he saw what was waiting for him. Your fangs were still long and pointed out, you had blood on your lips and scared Jimin with wide eyes were shaking on the floor. Hoseok's face turns into mask of anger and disgust. ''So I was right after all. You were a vampire.'' He growled and stepped towards you. His eyes were flaming and his hands were in tight fists. You felt fear crawling up to your sides. Even if you were a vampire his demeanor scared you. Usually people were afraid when they discovered one of your kind and Hoseok's reaction was far form normal. ''Ho-hobi.'' Jimin says weakly on the floor where he has fallen from impact that was caused by doors opening. Hoseok sifted his gaze quickly to his friend and you saw you chance. You sprinted out of the bathroom fast as you could without caring who could see you. You didn't stop until you reached safety of your home. You slammed your front door open which cases both Yoongi and Jin to hurry to you alarmed by the door slamming on the wall. ''Whats wrong?'' Yoongi asked and measured you worriedly. He was afraid that you were hurt is someway when he looks your upset form. ''I think, I think that I was discovered by a hunter.'' You said shakily. Jin's and Yoongi's faces turned into masks of horror.

#bts fanfic #bts supernatural au #bts vampire au #kpop fanfic #kpop fanfiction #kpop smut #kpop angst #BTS jimin #BTS jin #BTS jungkook #BTS suga #bts rm #bts jhope #BTS v #fanfiction #bts #bts smut #bts au #bts angst

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goddamnwritersblock · 5 years ago

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Edda, Elizabeth, and Jade

Chapter 2

847, December 359

That woman. Edda. She was with the church and let me tell her what they were actually doing. She believed me. She told me that she had some thinking to do and left before she could even eat the meal I had made. What a gullible girl. It’s almost charming. I’ve only talked to her once and it was a sensitive topic for both of us and yet she never leaves my mind. I don’t know if that’s a bad thing yet or not.

847, December 360

I want to see her so desperately and I don’t know why. What reason do I have to be so infatuated with her? She’s just another woman! And yet… there’s something different about her that has me in its hands. Maybe if I see her again this feeling will go away.

847, December 363

Well, I finally saw Edda again. But now the feeling is stronger than ever! Why did it have to be me Freyja? Why with her? I suppose I shouldn’t question you.

848, January 002

She came to me in a panic today. She said she had converted to my religion and announced her leave and that she had nowhere else to go so she came to me. She’s in the spare room sleeping. Freyja I don’t know how much more I can take of this. I think I know what this is but I’m still unsure. Please give me strength.

With that being said and done I leave the book where it lays to clean up the mess from tonight’s meal, feeding the scraps of meat to Bjorn, and setting the bones out to dry for later use. My mind keeps wandering to her. Checking on her won’t hurt right? I nudge the door open seeing her sleeping form. I’ve never seen her without that headdress on. Now it’s strewn about across the pillow and the bed eventually falling off the edge. It was quite long actually. It’s beautiful. Long, straight and snow-white, I’ve never seen anything like it before. She stirs a bit in her sleep so I decide to leave the room. Perhaps I’ll visit the shrine.

With my warmest furs on I write a quick note to Edda which reads:

“Edda, I have left to go visit a shrine two towns over.

Perhaps you should have come with me to learn more about the gods but I am in dire need of answers to a personal issue.

I’ve left some basic recipes on the back and the locations of where to find utensils and ingredients. If I’m not back by the day after tomorrow and you have food leftover feed the meat to Bjorn and set the bones out to dry. I like to use them for many things.

Just don’t burn down the home! I mean that in a joking way, sorry.”

I pet Bjorn goodbye and walk out into the cold of winter dawn and begin my journey. I’ve only just reached the end of the small dirt path when I hear the sound of feet hitting the ground getting closer and closer. Turning around I see Edda quickly approaching trying to fasten the buttons on the fur cloak I’d gifted her.

“I saw your letter! Do you think I could come with you? I want to see what it’s like.” I do really want her to come with me and she could give a prayer if she wants to and it’ll be educational.

“Alright. When we get there please stay close. I don’t want any accidents.” As the words left my lips a big grin appeared on her face. It was a kind of joy I’ve never seen on her before. Surely it can’t actually mean that much to her, right? “Well, let’s go. It’ll be a bit of a walk.” With that, we begin walking side by side, Edda admiring the bare trees and talking about this and that. I’ve learned that she likes sweet things and she likes the different shades of green and brown. She learned I like storm clouds and stars. She told me she likes living with me more because I’m kinder than they were both in my actions and words. I’ve noticed that she flinches away whenever I raise my hand and I don’t think I want to know.

We walk a few hours more in silence, the only noise coming from animals and the freezing wind that blows occasionally. Every now and then I think I catch her looking at me with a certain look on her face. It reminds me of the looks my father would give my mother after a long day working in the fields. He would come home, give her that very same look, and hold her as close as he could until she pushed him away to share the expression. I doubt Edda would actually be looking at me the way they looked at each other no matter how badly I want her to. Wishful thinking I suppose. I must admit that I’ve been looking at her too whether I’m supposed to or not.

We finally decided to stop once the sun started going down over the mountains. Wanting to help she took it upon herself to gather wood for a fire while I hunt for a rabbit or a bird to eat. I only have five arrows in the quiver I brought so the shots need to count. After catching two smaller rabbits and returning to the camp we set up, I start preparing everything to eat later on. Edda sits next to me happily drawing pictures in the dirt with a stick. They aren’t very good. I’ve taken to whittling a small figure, I don’t know who or what it’ll be yet I’m just carving as I go. Soon after I hear a startled gasp come from the red-eyed woman next to me and when I look over her face held an expression of excitement and fear looking into bushes across from us.

“Mjoll, look!” She points at a pair of glowing yellow eyes staring back at us. With slow movements I leave my dagger and wood laying on the ground, reaching for my bow. Knocking it I take my aim. “Hey! What are you doing?” She exclaimed in a hushed voice.

“I’m going to shoot it, what does it look like?!” I match her volume as to not make whatever is in the bushes run away. It could be useful to us later on.

“You can’t do that! It’s just a fox, he's done nothing to you!” She seems to really care about it. Despite my gut telling me to shoot the damn thing I put the weapon down and watch as the fox slowly and carefully makes its way towards the two of us. Edda reaches out, letting the fox cautiously sniff and lick her open hand. She starts petting it with gentle touches, it flinches away but soon melts into the touch.

“Mjoll you have to pet him he’s so soft!”

“No.”

“You’re no fun.”

“And here we will have our first lesson on the gods. Loki is the god known for mischief and putting others in danger due to his own recklessness and personal pleasures. He’s not to be trusted and one of the forms he likes is a red fox.” She stares blankly, simply pointing to the fox that has curled up and fallen asleep. “Yes. For all you know that could be him trying to gain trust for some ridiculous scheme of his.”

“Well… If it is him then I guess I’ll just have to suffer the consequences.” Why would she think this is a good idea? I just told her it could be dangerous!

“Okay, you do that. I’m going to eat and go to sleep.” All she does is give a hum in response and let me eat alone, paying more attention to the fox. Eventually, I lay down with the last thing being heard is Edda cooing at the animal as if it were a human child.

Another day and night pass before we reach the shrine. There are not many people here which I suppose is a good thing. I whisper to Edda letting her know that I’d be praying at one of the singular shrines within the building. She simply smiled and nodded. I sit and finally start my prayer while she looks around. I mumble through my prayers for a few minutes seeking some sort of answer to why I feel like this. Why do I want to spend almost every waking moment with her, why I want to be so close to her, why do I want her to hold me in her arms and never let go? Why do I catch myself looking at her the way my father did with mother? Why is she one of the most beautiful people I’ve seen? The feelings are amazing but I hate that I can’t make sense of them. My heart always speeds up and I get almost anxious when she’s around. My face heats up as well, I always feel like I look like a red rose but one that’s starting to wilt. I feel like a very soft clay or maybe mud. I hate it. I get pulled away from my concentration by the sound of something falling. When I turn to look at what the noise was I see a statue of Freyja rolling away on the floor and Edda scrambling to catch it and put it back on the pedestal. She finally catches it and I go back to my prayers without another thought. She comes over and sits next to me simply watching as I continue my work.

”So, Mjoll. What exactly are you doing?” She asks with seemingly all the curiosity in the world.

”I’m praying to Freyja.”

”Is it for forgiveness? Like what we had to do in church?”

”No, it's a… A personal matter.” She lets out a soft ‘oh’ and looks at the floor for a bit. ”Well I’m finished. Are you ready to go?”

”I want to make prayer too. I don't know who Freyja is though.”

”She’s a goddess of things like love, fertility, beauty, gold, and cats. Women often come and ask her for help with fertility and love. They leave her offerings. I actually have some I need to put by the altar.”

”Were you asking for love? I think that's what I'll do.” My face goes red at her question and I quickly deny it. Even if she had someone she liked it definitely was not me. I walked over to the altar and opened the bag I brought with me and pulled out a honey nut cake wrapped gently in cloth and a small jar of honey cream both of which I made the day before we left the hut. The tie on the cake has a golden pendant that I have no use for anymore attached to it. I place them gently among all the other offerings of food, fine wine, mead, gold, and figures of cats in various metals and materials. I was very lucky to get everything to make them.

”Mjoll? I’ve finished.” I jump slightly in surprise, it's like she appeared behind me out of thin air. I turn and nod and with that, we start walking back home. Hopefully this time without a fox to distract her.

We return home and Edda goes straight for Bjorn to start petting him, which he thoroughly enjoys. Meanwhile, I begin making dinner which, honestly, isn't much. Just some fish and herbs which will be fried on a pan over the fire with some vegetables. I prepare the fish, herbs and the other greens before lighting the fire and cooking everything together. It takes longer than I expected it to but, eventually, it’s finished and I’m able to serve everything at the table. Before we start eating I cut off a small portion of my fish and give it to Bjorn on his own separate little wooden plate. The meal was silent for the first few minutes before I broke the silence.

“So… Remind me, what did you pray about?” Her answer came out very casually as if it weren’t actually that big a deal.

“Love.” That was it. Nothing else came out.

“What does that mean?”

“I mean the romantic kind. The kind you see between all the newlyweds. Only I’d like it to last.”

“Do you already have someone you like?” She choked a bit at the question and turned very red in the face. Perhaps it’s just because of how pale she is or maybe it really was that personal or embarrassing.

“I mean um… Maybe I do, maybe I don't, who really knows?”

“You should know Edda. After all, it’s your own feelings.” Her eyes darted around to anywhere except me. She looked at her cup, the fire, the cat, the tapestry on the wall, everything but me.

“Is there anyone you like, Mjoll?” I sat silently debating whether I should tell the whole truth or not. I decided on a partial truth, after all, it seems like she already has her eyes on someone else.

“Yes. But I doubt they’d like me back. I haven’t even known them for that long and I’m already head over heels for her- THEM! Head over heels for them!” I give a nervous chuckle and take a long drink from my cup and keep my eyes averted, hoping she didn’t hear my obvious mistake.

“You like girls too?” When I looked up at her she had a very hopeful look on her face.

“Well I like men but I’ve found myself looking at the women too. I guess I like both but I feel like I shouldn’t. It feels wrong but at the same time it feels so natural.”

“I understand how you feel.” She reaches across the table to take my hands in her own. They’re soft and delicate. Like they’ve never had to work a day in their life, yet they are riddled with small thin scars. “When I was with the church I revealed my thoughts to one of the sisters and she told me that I was being sinful, that God was sure to send me to hell if I didn’t set my mind straight. That Lucifer had taken hold of my heart and was twisting my thoughts. She told Father Williams and… Well, he did a few things that I don’t want to talk about. They all made me feel like I was an abomination but the romance I feel for women feels right.” Her voice started trembling when she mentioned Father Williams. I try and comfort her the best I can and we continue eating once she’s calmed down.

The table has been cleaned along with the dishes. It would’ve been much easier if Bjorn would stop tugging at my skirt and pawing at my legs. Once everything was put away I decided to follow him only to end up right in front of Edda. I would walk away to get more of the housework done but he kept dragging me to her. This went on for a good week. He just wouldn’t leave me alone. When he did finally give up he did the same with her for, again, a week straight but she enjoyed the attention he was giving her. And that’s when it hit me. He was acting as a messenger. Both of us had prayed for love related things. I wanted to make sense of them and to know if there was any chance of her liking me back in that way and she said that she asked for a good and true kind of love. Over the two weeks, we’d become more comfortable and got to know each other even more.

I think today is the day where I’ll tell her. I asked her if she wanted to come with me into the forest to hunt for mushrooms and other things of interest. She immediately perked up at the question and agreed quickly. In the meantime, I had been teaching her how to weave a basket which she was actually quite good at. I wish I could say I was a fast learner like she is, it took me until last summer to get the hang of it. Edda had finished it early this morning so she was ready to go. We both get ready in our own rooms, getting our boots on, our heavy dresses, our hoods, and whatnot. Bag and quiver at my sides and bow and basket in hand I walk out to the main room where she was already waiting for me. When she noticed my presence she got this big smile and a sort of softness in her eyes before she came over and brought me into a firm hug. It’s been so long since I’ve had physical contact like this that it took me a bit to react and hug her back. The height difference made it slightly awkward, with my face having nowhere else to go but her chest. My short arms also couldn’t quite reach all the way around her body. We stood like this for maybe a minute before separating.

“Well, I really liked that.” She has her hands on her hips and looked very pleased with herself. With all that said and done we leave and wander into the forest.

It didn’t take long to start finding the things we were after. We found some berries that were safe, mushrooms, some bones, things like that. The entire time we made small talk about the flora and fauna and which ones were safe and which were not. Somewhere along the lines of words, we started talking about our feelings on various things, for the most part we agree. I was thinking of when I should pop up with the things nagging me. But so far there hasn’t been enough silence between topics to actually say anything. It wasn’t until noon that the silence I was waiting for appeared.

“Edda?”

“Hm?” The noise was cheerful, the mood Mjoll was trying to get her in.

“I think I have something I want to tell you.”

“Oh dear, is it serious?”

“Yes but not in a bad way! I um…”

“Yes?”

“I think… We should pick up some oysters from the market before we go home.”

“Oh yes, that sounds great!”

She’s now talking about how we should have them what should go with it. I’m angry at myself, I don’t understand why I couldn’t do it. Perhaps it’s the fear of rejection that’s holding me back.

#my work #my writing #my original writing #3k words #EE&J #chapter 2 #I hope this is okay #it took forever

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keelywolfe · 6 years ago

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FIC: Beneath an Aurora Sky (Ch. 4)

Summary: The South Pole Station is equipped for research and Edge has always made sure things run smoothly for the inhabitants. His charges are meant to follow his rules and regulations, and in turn, he makes sure they survive in the arctic temperatures. It takes plenty of hard work and determination and Edge, along with his crew, can handle both.

He wasn’t counting on one of the newest researchers. He wasn’t expecting Rus.

Tags: Spicyhoney, First Time, Arctic AU, Hurt/Comfort

Notes: So, @cheapbourbon came up with an amazing AU and did some lovely art for it: please look at it and love it.

Honestly, I know I am busting pages on this but I am having a lot of fun researching and writing it. ^_^

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Newest: Chapter Four

Read it on AO3

Read it here!

~~*~~

The morning’s work was satisfying. The two researchers Edge assisted would be conducting studies on the weddell seal population, and today they’d only wanted a basic overall picture of the local population. Better still, one of them had already done a rotation in Antarctica at one of the other facilities and quickly demonstrated that she only needed a refresher on handling the vehicles.

They were both reasonably friendly but mostly absorbed in their work. Edge took no offense to that and while they were out gathering their data, he sat in the Cat, keeping a close eye on them and adding to his daily report. He also took the time to file their request to be allowed to stay at the research campsite for a few days next week, once their less experienced member passed all the survivalist requirements.

He’d already approved the request, but a paper trail was vital. They needed to have a vehicle properly signed out and supplies readied for them, along with running communications tests and confirmation on the expected weather for the days they were on location.

Their focus was on their research, as it should be, and his was on their safety. No one had ever been lost on his watch and Edge wasn’t about to start losing anyone now, certainly not on account of mishandling the basics.

The drive there and back was over an hour both ways, and by the time they returned, they’d missed the group lunch. There were sandwiches wrapped for them all in the refrigerator. Edge took one for himself, leaving them to their meal and excited discussion while he headed back towards his own quarters to contemplate what he’d managed to successfully avoid thinking about all morning; his evening session with Rus.

Civil twilight, the first darkening of the sky before nightfall, began in an hour’s time and if Rus wanted any daylight for his excursion today, they should leave soon.

But there was a niggling problem that was bothering him, and he decided it would be best to address it now; he only needed to retrieve something first.

~~*~~

Undyne wouldn’t be leading their little clan of researchers to the recreation area until after dinner tonight, so it was a reasonably safe guess to assume Rus was in his quarters. A guess that was confirmed when Edge knocked on his door.

It opened a crack and then wider, Rus peering out warily. He opened the door fully, blinking down at Edge in confusion. It was still passing strange for Edge to be forced to look up at anyone.

"hey, uh, i thought i still had half an hour…" Rus started hesitantly. Behind him, his bed was an unmade rumple of blankets, a match to his rumpled layers of clothing. Which left the question of whether he’d been sleeping or simply never made it in the first place. Either possibility seemed highly likely.

"You do,” Edge said and held out the stack of clothing in his hands. “I brought you these to wear on our outing.”

It wasn’t a surprise really to see his expression tightened, eye lights going narrow as he ignored the offering. "thanks, but i'm full up on pity right now, i don’t need any of yours."

“Good because I’m not offering any,” Edge said crisply. “We provide gear for everyone, as stated on the provisions sheet you received when you signed up. So, if you’re finished worrying about special treatment…?”

He held it out again, watching as a blotchy flush rose in Rus’s cheekbones in a charming shade of soft orange, finally revealing the color of his magic. Idly, Edge noted that it suited him, cheerfully vibrant. He looked as if he was entertaining the thought of arguing more, but finally took the bundle away from Edge with a muttered, “thanks.”

Edge thought it wise not to tell him the thermals were a set of his own. The gear they normally provided was excellent but his own was better and while the sheet didn’t state it, they usually only provided outdoor gear, not whatever was layered beneath it.

No reason to tell him all that.

“If you get dressed and we can get going now,” Edge said. Rus only stood there, holding the bundle uncertainly. “You requested the closest checkpoint, so it's not far.”

“yeah, okay,” he still seemed oddly uncertain, blinking too much, and Edge almost asked if he was all right when he added, “i’ll meet you in the vestibule.”

“Good.” Edge left him to change and went to start on his own outdoor gear again, for the third time that day. Despite Undyne’s gleefully meddling, there was no reason for this to take long. A little vehicle training, whatever time Rus needed to set up for his research, and soon enough he’d be back at the station with the greater bulk of his duties done for the day.

There and back to the closest outpost. It wouldn’t take much time at all.

Edge looked up from tying his boots when the door opened a few minutes later and stilled.

The clothing fit well enough, a little short in the ankle but not ridiculously so. It was actually rather unfortunate how not-ridiculous it was. In the form-fitting thermals and pants, Rus was much smaller than he'd appeared beneath all those layers; tall, yes, but the faintly visible outline of his bones was slender, almost elegant, and Edge had to tear his gaze away from it, focusing on his own outdoor gear.

Damn Undyne to all the fiery hells she deserved.

“all right, boss, getting dressed for you,” Rus called, and when Edge glanced at him reluctantly, he got a sassy wink for his efforts. “better time me, make sure i can get dressed fast enough.”

“I’m counting,” Edge said, dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. He did watch while Rus scrambled into his outdoor gear and he was tightening the last lace on his boots when five minutes ticked away.

“do i get an ‘ice job’ sticker, teach?” Rus grinned. His goggles were pushed up, tilted rakishly on his skull.

Edge tugged them down over his sockets with a firm snap and Rus yelped. “You’ll earn a re-take if you don’t take this seriously. I’m sure you’ll love another opportunity to take our version of the bucket test.”

“nope, nope, anything but that,” Rus sounded like he was only mostly kidding, “i’ll behave, boss, promise.”

“Then come on.”

Rus trailed after him outside where the sun was already low in the sky, casting off reds and orange to fill the horizon.

He was carrying a backpack along with that long, cylindrical case that Edge remembered from the boat, and despite his long legs, he kept having to trot to keep up with Edge, distracted by the sunset, the buildings, anything that seemed to catch his gaze.

“so, i was scheduled with undyne before. why are you taking me out?” Rus called, almost tripping as he tried to walk backwards, the better to watch colorful sky.

“Because some people think they are funny,” Edge said beneath his breath, then louder. “She had to take on another group and I was free. Come on.”

He led the way to the vehicle shed, showing Rus the hanging board for the keys and the sign out sheet that were inside the door.

“After you pass your vehicle testing, you can sign out a vehicle on your own.” Edge gestured to the collection of vehicles behind him. There were Sno-Cats, snowmobiles, a few quads, all dependent on where the researchers needed to travel. “If you don’t sign up for an allotted time, it’s first come, first serve, so plan ahead. I’d encourage you to make use of a guide whenever you can. Most of our researchers work in pairs or groups. Solo researchers aren’t strictly prohibited but until you prove to me you’ve learn how to handle the vehicles on this terrain, you’ll need a ride along. Standard protocol.”

He waited until Rus nodded, then went on, “You’ll also need a ride along if you’re traveling past the first perimeter. Storms can blow up very quickly and you don’t want to be caught in one without me or Undyne.”

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the key fob to Rus. Which he promptly fumbled, barely managing to keep from dropping it. “Everything is numbered. We’re taking Sno-Cat #2 today.”

Normally for a trip like this, Edge would use snowmobiles, but he wouldn't be able to offer instruction over the sound of the motor. They were usually easy enough to test out on once the hopeful driver was more accustomed to the terrain.

"i should tell you, i'm not a very good driver." He sounded resigned and something in that made concern twitch. Not because he was admitting to being a poor driver, but that he seemed so fatalistic over it.

Edge wasn’t particularly skilled at reassurance, but this seemed a good time for an attempt. "Luckily, there isn't much to run over out here. Just follow the flags, stay on the road, and you'll be fine. This is a smaller snow track, you won't even need to change gears."

After they climbed inside, Edge waited patiently while Rus adjusted the seat and the mirrors, fussed with his seatbelt, and only hit the button for the powered overhead door when Rus turned the key. The door rolled upward and the continent lay before them.

“here we go!” Rus said with false cheer. He tapped the gas and they lurched forward hard enough for the seatbelts to lock. Rus let off immediately with a wince, "sorry, sorry."

"You're doing fine,” Edge assured him. “There’s a bit of a learning curve, don’t worry so much. You aren’t going to hurt anything. Try again, press down easy on the gas and don't let up this time."

Another lurch, not quite so rough, and they were moving forward.

"Left at the flag,” Edge directed, and they crept into the turn, heading in the direction of the checkpoint. “You never want to go too fast, particularly after dark," he cautioned. "You don't usually have to worry about obstacles, but fresh snowfall can send you into a skid."

Not that he thought he needed to worry about that with Rus. They were crawling along at such a slow pace that Edge thought getting out to jog might get him to the outpost faster. He didn't say so and Rus only nodded tightly at his advice, his eye lights on the road with laser focus.

At least he didn't have to worry about Rus hot-dogging out amongst the glaciers.

The first checkpoint was approximately three kilometers from the station. It took close to fifteen minutes to get there, but Edge wasn’t complaining. Not when Rus turned the vehicle off with a shaky sigh, not when he turned to him with obvious glee, his eye lights bright with elation and for once, his smile was real and not that smirking one he usually shared, “how’s that, boss? am i road worthy?”

Well…he supposed slow was safe, “On a Sno-Cat, yes. We’ll test on the snowmobiles later.”

Rus grimaced, grabbing his bag and case before climbing out. Edge followed him, boots crunching on the snow as they went over to the outpost. There wasn’t much to see, only some permanent environmental monitoring equipment along with a shelter meant for emergencies. Inside were enough supplies to hold a group through a snowstorm for several days. It would keep them alive if not strictly comfortable.

After checking over the equipment for any warnings or issues, Edge glanced back at Rus, who was rummaging through his pack. He pulled out a tape measure of some sort, securing it to the ground and he used it to mark off a radius of about four meters. Then he opened the long case and drew something out.

Edge kept back, watching with no little curiosity. He'd seen plenty of research equipment in the past two years and this was nothing like he'd ever seen. A long, thin pole that extended even longer, and Rus didn't seem to have any difficulty pushing it into the frozen ground. He did something with the little device that sat on top, correcting the angle and then switch it on. Red and green lights flashed, then settled into a steady glow.

"and, gyftmas achieved. awesome." Directly across from it on the line of the circle he'd drawn, he started setting up another.

“Any equipment you put out here needs to go back with you when you leave,” Edge called out in warning.

“like i'd leave anything?” Rus snorted loudly, the sound carrying in the quiet. “this shit was expensive. i carted it in, i’ll be carting it out.”

He set up two more, each an equal distance away, taking them in with a satisfied nod before he picked up his empty case. "done. now all i need is to wait on the data."

"What are you researching?" Edge looked at the device curiously, but none of it seemed even vaguely familiar. And while Red and Undyne might enjoy sneaking around, Edge preferred direct questions.

It was into the better part of twilight now and Rus pushed up his goggles, his pale eye lights gleaming through the darkness. "ah, ah, i'd have to check with my sugar mamma before i told you that."

Edge blinked, startled. "You've been talking about your research to Undyne?"

That earned him a surprised bark of laughter. "nah, my real sugar mamma, my sponsor. i'm not as lucky as some of these other guys, i don't have a collection of grants to keep me running. but i’ve got one person willing to help out, at least a little."

"So, you have a sponsor." That was information Red would appreciate and despite his implications, Edge hadn’t needed to be anywhere near anyone’s sheets to learn it.

"yeah, but you'll have to earn a talk about her. old lady is nice, though." Rus winked at him. “i’m finished, we can head back.”

“I’ll drive,” Edge said, and Rus only tossed him the keys. “Normally I’d let you, but I think you’ll be safe enough driving one of the Sno-Cats when you need to.”

And with the way Rus drove, they wouldn’t be home until midnight.

The trip was much shorter this time around, the scenery around them passing briskly, but they were only halfway through it when Rus sat up abruptly, looking out the window.

"stop," Rus said suddenly. "please. please, stop."

Edge stepped on the brake, easing them to a halt, and before he could ask what was wrong, the door was open and Rus was gone.

“For fuck’s sake,” Edge grunted, exasperated, and undid his seat belt to follow him.

He hadn’t gone far, only a few steps from the vehicle, and he was standing still, staring upward. It was only as Edge got closer that he could see the soft gleam of dampness on Rus’s cheek bones, a faint shimmer in the faint light.

"What wrong?" Edge asked. Perhaps a little gruffly but he wasn’t especially talented with comforting an upset person. This one was certainly giving his social skills a hell of a workout.

Rus only shook his head. "it’s beautiful,” he whispered, awed, “i've never seen it before."

It was only then that Edge realized the aurora was swirling above them. It was beautiful, the hectic colors writhing together in the sky were a sea of shimmering greens and yellows, like an ocean from another world, beckoning. Edge had seen them before, of course he had, a hundred times. He'd been working at the station for over two years now and the Aurora Australis was a common sight for him.

Rus stood next to him, staring up in wonder with the soft tears on his face reflecting those colors, and Edge wondered when he stopped bothering to look up.

He let Rus stare up at the sky, at the auroras, until he was shivered visibly. Even then, Edge waited until he turned on his own and climbed back into the Cat.

Edge followed him and started it back up, turning the heat on high. They rode in silence until Edge pulled up in front of the door to the main building.

“Go on in,” Edge told him, “Dinner will be starting soon. I’ll get the Sno-Cat sorted this time.”

Rus didn’t move at first, only sat with his gloved hands in his lap. Then he said, quietly, “thank you, for letting me watch for so long.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to say it was his job; he was a guide, and if Rus wanted to waste his precious, expensive time here staring at the auroras, it wasn’t up to Edge to make that choice for him. The words felt wrong, hovering unspoken and instead he said, equally soft. "You don't need to thank me for that."

"no?” Rus ducked his head and smiled, the faint, real one of before. “maybe this would be better.”

Before Edge interpret that, he leaned in. The softest touch brushed Edge’s cheek bone, less a kiss and more the spirit of one.

He closed his sockets and inhaled sharply. He could smell his own laundry detergent and something else, the sweet tang of unfamiliar magic. Then that light pressure was gone and so was Rus.

The door closed behind him with a clang and Edge sat a minute longer, gripping the steering wheel tight enough to set his fingers aching. Then he drove the Sno-Cat over to the shed to put it up for the night.

Before he went in, he tugged off a glove and touched his cheek bone with bare fingertips, smoothing over the rough, scarred bone. He shook his head and his tangled thoughts away and went inside.

Dinner was soon and he wasn’t about to miss it.

~~*~~

Read Chapter Five

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #arctic AU

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a-heist-of-words · 6 years ago

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Secret Septic!

So, yes, I am your Secret Septic. I'm also not an artist, so the sending you your present via DM wasn't going to happen. Have a short fic about the Egos instead! Happy New Year!

Marvin’s room was dark. Curtains shut, lights off, only a few candles on his desk gave any illumination. They barely reflected off the spines of his spell tomes or various pieces of equipment, but he didn’t need them for that.

Currently his hands were steepled over a map of a city, elbows resting on the table and head ducked down to look below his hands. From his fingers a pale pink crystal hung from a leather cord, swinging lazily. The crystal itself was long and thin, tapering into a sharp point.

It had taken him months to get to this moment, to have it narrowed down to a single city. He was so close to finding Schneep he almost couldn’t stand it.

That kind of thinking wouldn’t help him find the good doctor.

He took long deep breaths, ignoring how the candles flickered and cast shadows on his deep blue walls. His eyes zeroed in on the crystal, which was still spinning lazily, and he held Schneep’s face as best as he could in his head. Marvin hadn’t seen him in nearly nine months, but it wasn’t hard.

It shouldn’t be, the doctor’s face was similar enough to his own and his brothers, but there was this sharp professionalism to him that everyone else lacked. Everything about Schneep was crisp and neat and so done with everyone’s bullshit.

His eyes flicked to the picture on his desk, for when he felt sentimental or needed to remind himself. A group photo with them all, Schneep looking irritably amused (if that was possible) as Jackie and Chase pulled stupid faces, Jack was laughing his ass off and Marvin had given them all finger bunny ears.

Marvin felt a twinge of unease at Jack’s face, before focusing on Schneep’s and going back to the crystal. Jack was a problem to be solved after they got Schneep back.

Mental image crystal clear, the magician stared at the crystal as it continued to move, swinging back and forth.

Time blurred and extended into nothing as the crystal continued to swing. Back and forth, back and forth. Almost hypnotic.

The swinging slowly transitioned to circling. Large circles, covering the entire city, but slowly, agonisingly, getting smaller.

There was no clock on Marvin’s room, but hours must have passed by the time the circles were so small it had almost pinpointed an exact location.

Marvin’s breathe caught in his throat in anticipation. Almost there, almost there...

The crystal stopped moving, pointing to a point at the back of the map, to the north and on the outskirts of the city. Marvin gingerly stood up, not daring to move a single muscle in his hands. He read the address, then carefully he put his weight on one foot and lifted his other leg up, his socked toe pushing record on a nearby tape recorder. He read the address out loud to make sure he got it before stopping the tape recorder and finally relaxing.

He leaned back in his chair, cord still tangled around the fingers of one hand. An address, he had an address. Schneep was almost home free.

Almost.

Marvin breathed out hard through his nose and stood up in a fluid motion, pushing his chair away from the desk. His mask and cloak were already on so he pulled open the door and looked outside, blinking rapidly in the sudden bright light.

The hallway in front of him was lined with three doors, mirroring the three doors on his side of the hallway. Two of those rooms were currently empty and that fact now gnawed at Marvin like a wild animal.

Without waiting for his eyes to adjust properly he left his room and jogged downstairs, popping his head around the door of the living area. Chase was playing video games, sat on the floor while JJ read in his recliner, feet propped up on a foot stool and toes occasionally wiggling within his socks.

Sadly, neither of them was who he was looking for.

“Have either or you seen Jackie?” he asked.

“Nope,” Chase didn’t look away from the screen, his fingers a blur of button mashes as he reached a difficult section. JJ looked up from his book, and seeing that Chase wasn’t going to elaborate, put his book down and began to sign.

“Jackie went out on patrol about an hour ago. May I ask what you need him for?”

Marvin gritted his teeth, Jackie was the best person for a rescue mission, but this couldn’t wait!

“Wanted his opinion on something. I’ll ask him when he gets back.”

JJ furrowed his brow and scrunched up his moustache. “Are you sure? You seem aggravated my friend.”

“A little annoyed,” Marvin allowed. “Probably just need caffeine. Thanks JJ,” he left the room before he saw JJ’s reply, rushing back up the stairs.

No Jackieboyman. Not great, but Marvin was powerful, he could handle this. He just, couldn’t sit on this information. He knew where Schneep was! Finally! After months and months of nothing he knew where Henrik von Schneeplestien was, and he was not going to wait!

He flicked on the light properly in the room, revealing the organised chaos of his spell casting equipment. Paper runes, chalk, lumps of wood and their carving knives, and piles upon piles of books.

In a whirlwind of movement, cape billowing, but miraculously not knocking anything over, Marvin got his equipment ready. His wand, stereotypically black with white tips, was tucked into his belt within easy reach. A bag of rune stones was tucked into a pocket in his cloak, since magicians had to have a lot of pockets. In another pocket in his cloak went some defensive charms; shields, smoke bombs that sort of thing, for a quick escape. Finally he collected damn near every protective talisman he had, and there were a lot. He’d made a habit of carving new ones whenever he hit a dead end.

Some of them he hung around his neck, there was one in every pocket he had and make extra sure he found some ink and began to daub markings on his arms and under his mask.

This was Anti he was dealing with, you couldn’t be too careful.

Each marking glowed green and went dark when it was done, as they were all separate charms. He could make a big, complicated charm that would take hours to break, but trying to get through a hundred simpler ones would probably take longer. He hoped.

Adjusting his jumper he finally paused, and took a deep breath. This was it. He played the tape again to make sure he had the address right, adjusted his mask and sleeves to make sure the marks were suitably covered, and went downstairs.

He paused outside the living room, where the sound of Chase’s video game was blaring, was he playing Spyro again? Marvin cast that question from his mind and focused on a better one. Should he tell Chase and JJ what he was doing?

...No. No he shouldn’t. They would only worry, and get their hopes up. And JJ, JJ had never met Schneep, the man wouldn’t know what to expect. No, best they didn’t know.

He leaned his head around again, getting JJ’s attention.

“I’m heading out,” he informed, and JJ raised his eyebrows. “If Jackie comes back, tell him to look in my room.”

“Whatever for?” JJ asked.

“The thing I wanted his opinion on.”

“And, that is?”

“He’ll know when he sees it,” Marvin assured. “I’ll see you later!”

Once again, he left too quickly for JJ to respond. The gentleman actually got up and made to follow him, but Marvin had already left the house, slamming the front door behind him.

He held the address in his mind before thrusting his hand out in front of him and making a motion like turning a door handle. There was a click only he heard and a rush of warmth only he felt, and he pulled open the door into space and stepped through.

There was a few seconds where he felt weightless, like if he failed to concentrate he would float off into space, never to return. He kept the address clear in his mind, ignoring the whispers to let go, to leave.

Schneep needs me.

Another door opened, and Marvin stepped through.

It was dark on the other side, late evening perhaps. Marvin stepped out into a street lit by the sunset and turned to face the lair of the beast.

A house.

That was it. A house, two stories, a garage, driveway and well tended to garden.

Marvin did a double take and doubted whether he’d remembered correctly. Or, maybe there was an issue with the divination; that discipline tended to fail if you weren’t completely focused.

Frowning and irritated about his wasted preparation Marvin placed his hand on the gate. Then snatched it back as if he had been burned.

That buzzing under his fingers, either a colony of bees lived in the wooden gate, or that was the buzz of static.

A second try to touch the gate gave him a static shock. Which shouldn’t have been possible on a wooden gate.

This was the right place, but when Marvin looked up at the building, he still felt a disconnect. This was not what he had been expecting. A decrepit house perhaps, abandoned warehouse, heck, even the added cruelty of an abandoned hospital or surgery was what Marvin was expecting. A normal house? That was, actually unnerving in its normality.

Wincing at the uncomfortable buzz under his fingers, Marvin pushed open the gate. Nothing happened.

Cautiously he stepped through and closed the gate behind him with a soft clunk. He padded up the path with the grace of a cat until he was at the front door. It was painted black, and Marvin tried to take a cursory look through the peep hole. Seeing nothing but darkness he crouched down and poked at the letter box. It didn’t move, so Marvin stood up, reflexively straightened his jumper, and gave the door a gentle push.

It opened without a sound, revealing solid darkness behind.

A voice in the back of Marvin’s head told to wait for Jackie. For any kind of backup. It was ignored, and Marvin pulled out his wand, holding it aloft as he stepped inside.

The door slammed shut behind him of its own accord and he could feel reality shift around him. The darkness flickered and split into lines of red blue and green, revealing a long hallway that would never have fit in the house.

There was a light burning sensation on his arm and Marvin gasped lightly, rolling up his sleeve to take a look. The ink on his left forearm was pulsing green and disintegrating.

Marvin shoved the sleeve back down and started to walk. The hallway was lined with doors, and when he came to first one he shoved it open.

Inside was a kitchen scene of people he didn’t recognise. A woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun, an equally dark haired child with Schneep’s piercing blue eyes, and a tall red haired man.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Marvin stepped inside the room.

The people didn’t move, eyes glassy and faces frozen in smiles. Marvin stepped in front of the man and his hand in front of his face. No reaction.

“What the hell?” he muttered, before shaking his head and leaving, going on to the next room.

This was a hospital scene, nurses and a doctor operating in fact. Marvin entered this one as well, but got the shock of his life when he saw who the frozen doctor was.

“Schneep!” he cried, leaning his head in front of the German’s, the doctor’s arms over the operating table and preventing Marvin from standing in front of him. “Schneep! It’s me!”

Schneep didn’t respond, still eyes fixed on the person on the table.

“C’mon!” Marvin tried shaking his shoulders, but Schneep barely moved. With a huff Marvin observed the rest of the scene. The nurses looked panicked, and the EKG was spiking badly. No one’s pulse was supposed to be that fast.

Realisation began to dawn on Marvin. This wasn’t the real Schneep, this was, a memory, a vision of sorts. Of one of the times where Schneep had failed to save someone. And the last one? His ex wife perhaps?

The things that would torture Schneep the most, which meant he had to be here!

The magician speed walked out of the room, wincing at the light burning moved to another of his protection marks. Pushing it to the back of his mind he power walked down the hall, pushing open doors to glance in them before moving on.

Now that he knew what they were he didn’t want to look too closely. If these were to specifically torture Schneep, then there was a severe personal element to them, which he didn’t feel comfortable looking into.

He only paused at the door where the interior was a replica of their kitchen.

He swallowed hard when he saw that it was a frozen happy scene of him, JJ, Chase and Jackie. All getting along fine without Schneep. Or at least, that’s what Schneep would probably think. Heck he didn’t know about JJ, he must have thought he’d been replaced!

Steeling himself, Marvin moved on.

The markings on his skin had disappeared and he could feel light heat from his pockets as his physical talismans began to crumble away. He still had time, but he didn’t want to think about what would happen if he ran out. However, he had reached the end of the hallway.

This had to be it. It was the only door that didn’t look like a normal door. It was metal, with a slit in the top for looking through.

Marvin quickly looked around him before looking through the slit in the door. He couldn’t see much; he seemed to be blocking out most of the light. As he looked he saw movement, what looked like a head looking up wearily before dropping down again.

Swallowing hard Marvin stepped back a little. Just in case he grabbed the handle and tried to open it, but as he expected, it was locked.

Taking another step back he pointed his wand at the lock and muttered the spell under his breath, wand tip moving back to move the latch back into the door. There was a soft click and Marvin rushed forward to open the door.

Schneep flinched as the door was flung open, and made an achingly pathetic attempt to crawl away in the cupboard sized room. He wasn’t restrained in anyway, but he looked so skinny and weak that it seemed like it would be pointless.

His clothes were ragged and torn, with his once white doctor’s coat grey and stained brown in places. His wrists were thin and bony, and his face, his face looked like a damn skull wearing cracked glasses.

“Schneep?” Marvin asked quietly, trying to keep his impatience at bay. “Schneep? It’s me.”

Schneep whimpered and put his hands over his ears, muttering in German.

“Du bist nicht echt,” he murmured, voice rough and husky. “Du bist nicht echt.”

“Scheep? C’mon, we have to go!”

“Nein, nein! Du bist nicht echt!”

“I have no idea what you’re saying man,” Marvin took a step forward, one hand holding the door open, and Schneep pressed himself against the wall, hands in front to ward off an attack.

“Es tut mir Leid, es tut mir Leid! Bitte!” he screamed, and Marvin had had enough.

“Schneep, Henrik! It’s me!”

The doctor looked at him and Marvin’s heart nearly broke. His eyes, behind his cracked lenses, his eyes looked broken, like shattered glass.

Getting an idea, Marvin grabbed a few of the charms from around his neck, which thankfully hadn’t started eroding yet, and pulled them off over his head.

“Hold still,” he told Schneep, who fearfully obeyed. The magician lowered them over Schneep’s head and let the wooden charms thud onto the doctor’s chest.

Schneep’s breathing instantly wasn’t so harsh, and he looked up at Marvin, then around him, seemingly surprised about where he was.

“...Marvin?”

“Yeah,” the magician smiled, relived that had worked. “I’m here man.”

Scheep stood up properly, wincing as he put weight on his left leg. “You’re real?”

“Pretty sure I am.”

Schneep cautiously shuffled over, and poked Marvin in the shoulder. He relaxed when he realised Marvin was solid.

“Mien Gott,” he breathed. “Oh mien Gott Marvin...”

“I know, I know,” Marvin wasn’t really sure how to deal with the fact Schneep looked like he was about to cry. “Let’s get out of here, okay?”

Schneep’s already pale face somehow got paler, but he nodded. “Okay, okay mein freund.”

He seemed to have trouble walking on his left leg, so Marvin draped Schneep’s arm over his shoulder, trying not to wince at how skinny his arm felt. He could feel the German’s bones.

They began to make their slow trek up the RBG corridor, Schneep pressing himself closer to Marvin at every door they passed. Schneep’s injured leg made it take three times as long, and the charms were still eroding.

Marvin had to replace Schneep’s halfway down, getting rid of all of the charms around his neck. He could still feel the charms in his pockets, over half of them were gone now.

“We need to go faster,” he muttered, looking around. So far no sign of Anti, and it didn’t seem like him. For all he knew, the glitch could be watching them, giggling to himself before yanking escape from them at the last second.

That really wasn’t helpful thinking.

“I know Marvin, I know, I’m sorry,” Schneep was oblivious to Marvin’s thoughts and tried to move faster, but only tired himself out.

“Nevermind,” Marvin quickly rectified, “I’ll be slower carrying you, I’m no Jackie.”

“There is not much to me now,” Schneep chuckled weakly, and Marvin felt some relief that he could tell a joke in this condition.

“True, but let’s not find out my physical strength now,” was it Marvin’s imagination, or was static creeping in on the red blue and green colouring?

Schneep didn’t seem to notice so Marvin kept walking. The door was getting closer.

“Is it true?” Schneep asked quietly, clearly not sure if he wanted Marvin to hear. Sadly, other than the sounds of their shoes and breathing, the hallway was dead silent.

“Is what true?” Marvin sighed, not too fond of the vague question.

“Have you replaced me?”

“What? No!” Marvin shook his head. “Of course not! JJ just kinda showed up, like we all did. You’ll like him, I promise.”

Schneep didn’t respond to that, and Marvin let it drop.

They continued to walk, and Marvin tried to ignore the buzzing of static on the edge of hearing. He still hand charms, he could make it. It would be tight, he would make it.

Mores charms eroded burned on their slow trek. Almost there, almost there.

Almost within touching distance of the door Marvin glanced at Schneep. He had one whole charm left. Meanwhile, Marvin could feel his last one crumbling. Turns out, he wasn’t going to make it.

He had to get Schneep out. That was the whole point. Jackie should be back by now, he’d know where to look.

“Hey, Schneep, reckon you can walk on your own for a bit?” he asked, smiling sheepishly. “My shoulders ache.”

Schneep slid his arm off Marvin’s shoulders wordlessly and hobbled towards the door, both of them were in reaching distance. Static buzzed and flared in between the red blue and green, and Marvin was certain he could hear high pitched giggling, but he kept his eyes on Schneep.

“Sorry about this,” Marvin said, and before Schneep could respond, Marvin shoved him hard, making the door fling open and Schneep flew through it, his mouth open in shock.

“Marvin!” he started to yell, a flash of red appearing behind him. Marvin’s last charm disappeared, the door slammed shut, and reality warped into a spaceless mess, static shrieking and colours blinding.

“MARVIN!”

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unholyhelbiglinked · 7 years ago

Text

Dimensions | Chapter Three

CHECK OUT THE STORY FROM THE START

THE AIR at Noonan’s was always filled with a slight hint of cinnamon. It was a bakery, and Beca Mitchell didn’t doubt the warm feeling that hit the core of her stomach every single time the bell above the door chimed in welcoming.

She had been coming here since she was younger- it was on the corner of the street Barden resided in. Half of the time it was filled to the brink with employees trying to kickstart their days- or students from the local high school that wanted to kill some time and some free wi-fi.

Today was a Monday, Beca’s face still aching in an ugly yellowed bruise, her lip no longer tasting like a coppery mix of blood and mint. It had only been two days and her body was slowly recovering from her little run in. It still ached- still burned and chided each time she did decide to push herself past the loft this weekend.

She needed this coffee. Beca wasn’t the sugar and creamer type of girl, she could take the black tarry liquid right off the burner and chug it until her throat burned and stomach grumbled in protest. But right now- that very scent of caffeine was so enticing that her mouth was instantly filled with saliva.

Beca’s phone buzzed haphazardly in her pocket as she leaned heavily against the side of the wall- waiting for the sound of her name being called throughout the café. She wanted to press ignore, not wanting to deal with whatever text lay on the other end.

Dr. Conrad[8:17AM]

Hey Short Stack, Amy is out tonight so the two of us are going to take to the town.

Beca[8:18AM]

Oh, God. It’s Thursday, can’t I nap on a perfectly good Thursday night?

Dr. Conrad[8:20AM]

Not a chance. See you tonight.

She let out a groan as her name was called out, causing her to shove her phone into her pocket as she smiled at the young barista behind the counter. Despite being around all that coffee, the woman looked dead inside. The brunette felt her pain and gave her a sympathetic look before thanking her and turning towards the door.

Beca froze, her heart in her throat as she pressed the edge of the plastic lid to her lips. She was mid-sip when she caught a glance at a certain Red Head by the windows. She was busy shoving half of a cinnamon bun into her mouth. Even with the morning just peaking through the horizon she wore a smile. Her deep blue eyes catching Beca’s as she parted her lips slightly, lifting an eyebrow towards Beca.

Her feet felt like cement. It would be rude to walk out of Noonan’s without saying hi, or at least share a bit of conversation with the excitable woman who was beaming at her from across the room. Beca eventually swallowed her resolve, along with the bitter taste her coffee let behind.

“Callie, right?” She asked, giving the girl a playful glimmer. The girl scoffed loudly and shook her head, wiping the edge of her lip with her thumb, getting the bit of icing and cinnamon away from the corner of her lip.

“That woman hates me,” She said, running a hand through her hair as she gestured for Beca to sit down. The smaller girl eyed her, but eventually pulled the other chair out, lowering herself into it with caution. Chloe seemed to respond well to the action, pushing the rest of the sticky cinnamon bun to the side with a gracious grin at the sudden company.

“That woman hates everyone,” Beca said. It wasn’t necessarily untrue. Gail Abernathy was interested in proving herself. She didn’t just give manners and respect to anyone that flashed their expression at her. You had to prove yourself to gain some type of kindness from the blonde woman who built an empire out of nothing.

“She doesn’t seem to hate you,” Chloe said with a bit of spark as she pointed the edge of her fork Beca’s way, waving it around a bit.

“Oh, trust me, she does.” She brunette leaned back in her seat, taking a cautious drink of her coffee. It burned against her throat and filled her lungs with a thick heat. “Gail just realized that it was easier to have me on her side than against her.”

Beca made an odd face as another wave of sweet icing and spices hit her senses. She was the one that was so used to drinking black coffee that was way too bitter for her own good. She had a feeling that Chloe would dump whole cups of sugar into the hot beverage until they formed rough ropes at the bottom of the mug.

“How do you eat that this early in the morning?” She asked, scrunching up her nose.

“Easy,” Chloe shrugged her shoulders with a toothy grin as she popped the last bit of pastry into her mouth “I’m an alien.”

THE YOUNG woman leaned back heavily in her chair, letting the springs creak and groan against her added weight as her eyelids began to grow heavy. It didn’t matter how many cups of coffee she had downed- the day was still dragging along.

Her main focus was on the string that was laced around her fingers. It was a large strand that she had pulled from the hem of her regular black t-shirt. She wasn’t worried about the two pieces of fabric falling apart- not when she had a million other shirts like it. Instead- she practiced a game she remembered learning as a child. Cat’s cradle.

Beca’s stare was desolate as she glanced at the intricate weaving of a tiny thread against pale skin. It reminded her of an obstacle course created by supervillains before the main hero could get to that precious artifact- the one to stop world hunger, or finally shut off a desolate machine that could destroy the world.

Jessica yawned beside her, a little whimper escaping the girls pink drawn lips as she leaned her head against the side of her hand- eyes drooping themselves. It was a boring day- one filled with watching security camera’s and making sure everyone who walked through the front door had their badges.

Usually, Beca wouldn’t bother herself with this kind of thing- but with Flo taking a leave of absence for the next few weeks to handle some family matters, and Ashley not bothering to get her flu shot this year, she was shit out of luck. Of course, she had more than a couple of people on her team- but none willing enough to actually sit through this torture.

“Stick your hand through here,” Beca mumbled, shifting in the leather chair before she was at the very end, she had scooted close enough that she could smell the lavender coming off of her counterpart.

“What?” Jessica finally shot a deep hazel stare towards her boss- the very boss that had her tongue sticking slightly past her lips in an attempt to focus more clearly. She did that sometimes- the badass who could somehow look like a lost puppy in a matter of moments. Still, the taller blonde cocked her head to the side.

“Stick your hand in the middle of this thing,” Beca said without breaking concentration, she used to do this type of thing all the time as a kid. If she had strung her cards right then she could untangle the thread in one swift movement, even with Jess’s wrist in the middle of it.

The blonde took her bottom lip between her teeth to stifle a laugh at her boss’s slack expression. She stuck her hand out, slowly working her fingers through the middle of the little obstacle course before staring at the woman with curiosity.

“Don’t cut off my circulation, Mitchell.” She mumbled with a bit of malice, but mostly bewilderment. The brunette gave a curt nod as she made one shift yank- a light grunt moving through Beca as her fingers became tangled in the very thread she had pulled.

Jessica drew in a breath as she deadpanned next to her counterpart- utterly annoyed at the woman for playing cat’s cradle in the middle of a work day- especially if she didn’t exactly know how to execute the maneuver.

“Am I interrupting something?” A deep voice filled the air, a stranger at that. Beca’s breath caught in her throat as she pulled back completely, struggling to untangle herself from Jessica as the woman struggled to stifle a laugh. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and rubbed her stinging hands on her knees.

Beca’s gaze flashed up to the man who was standing on the other edge of the counter- a goofy grin on his face as he adjusted the black leather strap of his over the shoulder bag. He wore a pale blue button-down that clashed with chocolate brown eyes and an edging grin.

“No um, not at all-“Beca stood, “And you are?”

This man didn’t dawn a badge. Beca didn’t care if he looked charming and harmless- he was still a stranger that had walked past the double paned glass doors and into the base floor of Barden’s offices. That made her walls spring up almost instantly- a sharp chill moving through her.

“Jesse Swanson,” He smirked, sticking out a hand with confidence. “I was told to come see a Beca Mitchell about a badge and an office.”

He was beaming, if not struggling to stay upright. Even though she had just met this man, she knew he was clumsy- clumsy enough to mess with the dark camera strung around his neck and the prints tucked under his arm.

“Oh, you’re that photographer guy!” Jessica said excitedly, her lips parting as Beca turned her head and gave the girl a curved eyebrow. She sunk into her seat nervously but still turned her attention back to Jesse. “Is it true, you know Superman?”

He blew a puff of breath out of his nose as he gave her a charming smirk. Something told Beca that he was always this playful with his words. “I’ve taken his picture a few times. He’s posed for a few of them.”

“Whoa, that is so cool” Jessica gasped, mouth agape. Beca wrapped her touch around the plastic badge that showed a chiseled jaw of Jesse himself. She cleared her throat, lifting the picture ID up.

She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’ll show you to your office, Mr. Swanson.”

He faltered at the serious tone she took, stepping from behind the desk as she didn’t wait for him to catch his thoughts. Instead, she kept walking, shoes echoing against the quiet lobby as Jessica leaned back in her chair once more and started to pay attention to the monitors again.

They walked past a silver set of elevators until they reached the other end of the lobby, two more elevators were carved into stone as she turned and shoved her hands into her pockets. “These are the staff elevators. You can use these, and the stairs, but never that front elevator up there. That is reserved for Gail, and Gail only.”

“Gail?” Jesse pushed the button to the lift, letting a blue light reflecting off the floor.

“Gail Abernathy,” Beca lifted her eyebrows with a slight smirk. “The woman who hired you?”

“Oh, she didn’t hire me,” He said, “I don’t know who did… all I know is that I was asked to show up at Barden. I don’t even live in National City, but I traded it all for an office with a view.”

“Daring,” She said as the elevator dinged, opening up to its silver interior as she let Jesse press his back against the side wall, staring Beca down. She wasn’t dressed like a normal security guard- instead, she dawned dark jeans and a black V-neck. Her own badge was clipped to a belt loop as she stood with slack. “What about your old job?”

“I was freelancing,” he explained carefully “Not a PI or anything like that but being Superman’s right-hand guy is okay when you don’t actually live in Metropolis. He kind of pushed me to take the job.”

“Right,” Beca deadpanned, still with an amused expression on her face as she stared at the slowly climbing numbers.

“That’s the second time you’ve done that.”

“Done what?”

“Haven’t reacted.”

She stared his way, knitting her eyebrows together as she parted her lips. She didn’t exactly know how to respond to his words, not when he stared at her expectantly. He had a wonderment in golden eyes that could only be described as childish but innocent.

“Do people usually swoon when you talk about the man in red and blue spandex?”

Instead of waiting for an answer Beca exited the elevator, turning around to see if Jesse was following her. He was. She walked past most of the employees sitting at those obnoxious glass desks, not looking up at the sound of the doors opening and closing. This place, the pit, was always fuming with reporters and editors trying to do the best that they could to please Gail. To keep the news flowing.

Chloe glanced up from her own desk, meeting midnight blue eyes with a small smile as Beca returned it- knowing that the girl had memos to send, a lot of work to get through. She bit the edge of her pen between her lips. She was chewing on it, eyebrows creasing.

Beca pulled open a glass door to one of the offices- it was empty but was different from the other ones. There was a large table, and places to hand new prints- and in fact, a very good view from the windows that pressed against the far wall.

“Holy shit,” Jesse said, leaning his prints up against the wall as he looked around in awe.

Beca stood back, smiling at the aloof expression on Jesse’s face. “An office with a view.”

#Beca Mitchell #Chloe Beale #Bechloe #fanfiction #bechloe fic rec

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i-growl-growl-growl · 8 years ago

Text

The Beast within the Dark Forest

Genre [Rating] : vampire au, angst

Length: 3539 words

Pairing: Minhyuk x Reader

Summary: After you’ve grown up hearing tales that have been told for a century of a dreadful creature lurking in the dark forest just beyond the outskirts of your town your curiosity gets the better of you and you go in search of the beast despite all the warnings told in the tales.

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For a thousand years there have been tales of a creature that roams the dark woods alone, a creature so dangerous and terrifying that not even the bravest of our countrymen dare to go near the edge of the mystical forest that was sprouted and grown from the deepest sorcery of black magic. Everyone tells the tales of the evilest being known to mankind keeping a watchful eye on our small town that resides just a mile away, waiting for any unlucky soul to enter whether it be man, woman, child, or animal and those of whom have dared to enter the inhospitably cursed woodland in the past have vanished without a trace, never to return, be heard from, or seen again for they had entered the territory of the most dreadful being to ever walk this earth which only goes to prove that the tales are true and that everyone shall stay away if they value their life.

I grew up hearing these tales just as anyone who has lived since the beastly year of 2017 has. 2017 was when it all happened, the year that the forest was born and, along with it, the beast. “It was the year of utterly untamed chaos!” as the elders whom had lived to witness it would say “From start to finish, a year well rounded for the doom and destruction of life as anyone had known it before!” Those chants have since been passed down through generations upon generations as part of the tales, not a word of it forgotten or fiddled with. August 27th, 2017, that was the day that the world as we know it now was born.

If ever my family found out that those tales so commonly told had ignited a curiosity and desire within me to enter the woods and find the creature, even if only to see it with my own eyes moments before I’d perish like the rest under its merciless, malevolent whims, they’d surly call for the matrons to come and whisk me away until sense has been brought back to my mind. For that very reason I have kept my thoughts and desires to myself, never have I shared any of this information with anyone not even my closest friend Hyungwon not even before he had gone missing days ago. Maybe he had ventured into the dark woods, I nor anyone else would be surprised in the slightest if that revelation were to be true, maybe he had wanted to see the creature for himself like I had, there’s only so little time before people, even the most cautious ones like myself, get a bit curious about it, or very.

I know that my curiosity cannot hold out any longer, it can no longer be contained therefore I shall leave for the forest tonight. Without a word, without a sound, without a trace, I shall let my curiosity drive me into the abysmal depths of hell that lie beyond the sanctuary of my home within the small town that resides just within reach of the accursed realms of the creature’s domain. Tonight I shall go and I shall not return until I’ve seen the beast, if I am to ever even have the chance to return at all that is.

The sun is setting, my small hometown becoming smaller from behind me as I trek through the fields that lead to the forest. I have nothing but a backpack filled with water bottles and food and several flash lights, the clothes on my back, and the shoes on my feet as my possessions now. No one shall notice I’m gone until the sun has gone down, I was summoned to run an errand to inform old lady MonMon that my family is out of radishes and would pay handsomely for a batch of hers come tomorrow morning. By the time anyone has become suspicious of my disappearance I shall be far from sight or reach for I shall be beyond the rows of the dark forest that call to me evermore as I come nearer to them.

Upon my arrival at the entrance of the forest I stop in my tracks but only to spare a final glance of the town behind me. Even from this place afar I can still spot the roof of my house, its chimney releasing fading streams of black smoke into the air. This is the last I will see of my home, this is the last time I can say an unheard good-bye for I will not step down, I shall not back away and chain my curiosity any longer, this is the last time I will head the warnings of those who tell the tales, I will go into the dark forest and I won’t come out, dead or alive, until I’ve seen the beast!

I know not the reasons for everyone’s worry. The tales have been lies as of yet. Surly I would’ve been dead by now if the beast were real, I’ve trekked through the dark forest for hours and not a living soul or sound has been seen or heard. If this so called beast were so dreadful and was the cause for the vanishings of those who’ve entered before myself then why has it not come to rid me from this world like it supposedly had with the others? A fraud, a scam, a true tale of tales, nothing but dark humor preached in such a way to make that it seems believable, a true master of pranks is what it is. For a thousand years everyone has been told lies! This dark forest is nothing but an abnormal forest that just so happens to appear as if it was cursed well I tell you what! I shall return home with the truth, this is just another forest, with nothing to fear other than, possibly, the same predators that reside in this sort of habitat- bears, wolves, rabid squirrels and such!- There is no curse, those who have vanished have vanished not from being sighted by the beast, they have vanished in other natural ways- probably dying of thirst or from losing they’re way but not from being offed by a beast! HA! To think everyone has been so gullible enough to believe such nonsense! There is no creature! There is no Bea…….

A twig snapping off in the distance grabs my attention, bringing me out of my infuriated quarrel. The sound is not too close but not far. I stop in my tracks to listen, if an animal is close then I will hear another snap of a twig somewhere before it is upon me if I am its target. I dare not move, for if I do I could draw attention to myself and might not hear the animal approach closer. I must stay still, I must find the whereabouts of the following creature with only my ears as my aid. My senses fail me however for there is no following sound to be heard. All is Silent. All is sound. I let a few moments pass, speedily giving my scarcely lit watch a quick glance to check the passing time. Three minutes, I let three terribly long minutes pass before I straighten myself out, feeling vacuous for believing that anything would happen to me. Once I’ve shaken my limbs from their stiffened state I resume my travels, turning around to head home to bring awareness to the dim-witted fools before the light of my flashlight lands on something before me stopping me in my place.

The sight of my eyes lands on the torso of a male counterpart, particularly his clothed chest. He wears a burgundy button up shirt with a black jacket covering most of it. A studded belt wraps around his waist where the pants are tucked over the remainder of his shirt, it matches the rest of his clothes perfectly despite the offset of the grey studs against the otherwise red and black toned outfit. Remembering to be polite, I refrain from shining my light directly in the man’s face as my eyesight aims upwards but I do have the urge to look up and see who it is that has followed me therefore I shall.

A gasp escapes me as the profile of the male’s face comes within view. He is stunning! Gorgeous! an ethereal sight for eyes that have only ever seen men with dirt dusted beards and mud stained faces. Surly his clothing should’ve given me a hint that this man was like no other that I’ve ever seen before, he must be a partisan of a higher family to afford walking about in such an a’ la mode manner, especially this deep within the oh so cursed woods. I feel doltish for not thinking of it beforehand. My eyes want to avoid him for the poor act that my mind had played but his sharp gaze enchants me, captivating me to continue gazing at him. He has high set cheeks with a mildly sharp jawline, his nose is properly set- not the sort you grow accustom to seeing when you live in a place such as I had where men’s noses are often crooked, sporting a broken look,- his eyebrows are thick, his eyes are a cat-like narrow with just a slight touch of roundness to them, and his lips are nearly full with a deep pink tint. He doesn’t seem overly muscular or emaciated like the men back in town. There is a word for people with structures like his that I’ve heard from overhearing conversations when I’d run errands in town, what is it?, ah yes, lean, this man is perfectly lean- well, at least in the sense that I’ve come to know that it means. All in all I am impressed, charmed solely on his looks alone.

When I look back up to his face again, I see a smirk played across his lips, his eyes narrowing with a gleam of mischievous intent. That’s when I notice the color of his irises, they’re an unnatural candy apple red with a gold traced ring around them.

“Who are you?” He asks with the same smirk, his head tilting from side to side slowly as his eyes seem to devour me. His voice is like smooth silk that could churn any woman’s heart to butter when he speaks, “What’s a beauty like you doing in so deep in these woods?”

“I’m …….” I reply, remembering to be kind but becoming cautious as he continues to stare me down, my nerves sending an edgy shiver through my spine, “I came here in search for the beast from the fairy tales but I’ve been made a fool just as all the others. I shall make my return to town to inform every one of their silly, nonsensical beliefs. Good day to you sir, or, if you’d like, you can follow me back. I see you have no flash light with you, it’d be a shame for you to lose your way if I left you behind. I’m sure your family will be looking for you at this point in time. Join me if you’d like.”

“Ah but it’s you who shall be joining me. Not the other way around” he derides briskly with a chuckle. His eyes becoming daggers as they scrutinize me.

“Pardon me?”

“I said, it’s you who shall be joining me” he reinstates with a stern tone in his voice, the smirk fading as he lifts a foot to approach me slowly, menacingly, like a predator sneaking up to its prey except I am facing him and can see every move his body makes.

With every step that he takes towards me I take a step back. “I don’t know what your intentions are mister but I’m not here to cause any trouble and I don’t intend to be made a fool again by falling for someone’s cruel pranks so you can stop what you’re doing and go back to town with me or I can leave you here to fend for yourself, I won’t let myself be a victim to anything any longer and I won’t deal with anyone threatening me.”

The man halts but the gleam in his death staring eyes continue to stay locked on me. “I thought you were looking for the beast” he deadpans with a miniscule quirk of his head to the side, the smirk returning as he sees the surprise and unnerved nature that he has put me in, my body ready for a fight or flight show down.

“I am.”

“Well, you found him or rather I found you” he replies with a sinister smile creeping onto his face. Only then do I notice the anomalous stretch of his mouth where elongated canine teeth have stretched the skin as they nearly protrude from his mouth. His nails are long and pointed at the ends like claws and his skin had seemed to be inexplicably pale when I first noticed him but now everything was putting itself together and the more I thought about it the more this man presented the exact profile of a creature they define and talk about in those terrifying tales to the older children in the town, “Vampires.” No, No, No, this is all a prank, vampires aren’t real! Even if they were what would be the odds that this man is one of them? Surly this is a prank as I expect it to be.

“So you’re not going to run huh?” he asks in a quizzically amused fashion as he begins approaching me once more “from the look on your face you’ve already figured out what I am. Most people would’ve begun running for their lives at this point.”

“Ha!” I snicker “you’re only pretending to be a vampire!” I spit out “vampires aren’t real! You’re just using the surroundings and the fact that I’m alone as an advantage to pull of whatever prank it is that you’re trying to pull. I may run but it won’t be because I believe you’re going to suck my blood or any of that rubbish!”

He laughs whimsically at my outburst, it is a long throaty laugh that sends chills down to my core, a laugh with evilness laced within it that reeks of doom. “Ah, my sweet darling, you really are such a fool.” He shakes his head at me, his lips pursed in a fine line that clearly states his disapproval at my brazen temper and denial of the occult that he claims to be a part of, his feet still carrying him towards me while mine stagger backwards to ensure that a distance is kept between him and I. “I wonder if you will think the same as I do actually suck the blood out of you.”

When my feet have failed to keep a significant distance between me and the menacing stranger my flight mode triumphs and I find myself running in an unknown direction. All that’s known as my feet carry me away from the stranger is that I’m racing away from a threat of ultimate danger and death as I blindly jump over fallen logs that I see moments before being upon them and scratch myself with the thorns of wild bushes and low hanging tree branches as I run past them. The more I seem to run the more dense the forest becomes around me, it’s like it is growing and attempting to swallow me alive as I run through it, trying to get a sense of which way I should go to get home. Before long my clothing is caught by a branch of a tree but as I jerk away and tear at my clothes to be released the situation only becomes worse, my clothes become tangled in the branch and I’m left with the choice of risking being killed by the psychotic stranger or stripping out of my shirt and light jacket to escape.

As I begin to pull my trapped hand through the sleeve of my jacket, a branch from another tree strikes at me as if guided by magic to prevent my escape. The strike manages to catch the back of my free hand before the limb wraps itself around my wrist and pulls it until it is spread at an angle above my head that hinders it useless. I then attempt to tug my other hand out of the caught clothing on its own since there is no other way for me to release myself from the branches grasps before the man will be upon me since I assume he isn’t far behind. I can feel branches slithering up my legs like snakes wrapping themselves around their preys and I try to shake them off but they to, just as the branch binding my hand above my head, have a firm grasp on me then tug at my legs until they are spread as far open as they’ll go.

Once I’ve become completely trapped I have no other way to escape other than to risk someone, like the man, hearing me and coming to my rescue. I scream as loudly as I can for help and struggle against the holds of the branches keeping me in place but all is silent and the limbs won’t let me budge all that much.

Fear and defeat begin to settle in when the same silence that I was met with when I entered the forest welcomes me as I catch my breath. As I continue wheezing for air, I hear a noise from in front of me. When I look up hopefully I’m only met with dread as the man from before steadily makes his way towards me. I struggle in my binds as I meekly beg to be let go but he only sends me the same sinister smile as he had when he had threatened me.

“Now Now darling, there’s not much for you to fear. I promise to go easy on you if you do something for me in return” he offers in a cheery tone with a dash of slyness intermixed.

“Oh yeah, and what would that be? You want me to be your slave or something?!” I hiss, trying to seem unperturbed by my impending doom, once again struggling against the holds of the branches as he comes nearer and near to me.

“MM, something like that” he affirms “be good and stay still while I take my fill from you and if you do I will let you live but as my blood slave, I can smell you better than any of the others I’ve had in the past, your scent is so delicate and delectable, I can only imagine how you truly taste as my mouth waters for you. You shall live with me here in the forest within my mansion until it is time for me to track down others who have entered the forest then you shall help me capture them and bring them to their doom as they had so willing signed their lives away once they entered my domain. You shall live a lavish life with top of the line clothing and you shall dine like a queen but you must be with me as my slave. What say you to my offer?”

As he now stands before me, mere inches separating us from each other, I glare up at him. The vile words on my tongue, as sharp and harmful as the strongest poison of which I wish to spit out at him are stuck in my throat. With a deep gulp I only let out a daring “NO.” I would rather his suck me dry, fill me back up with my blood and bring me back to life only to suck me dry again before letting me really die than be his slave and let him touch me and help him murder others.

The man doesn’t look surprised at my turn down of his deal. “I expected as much” he shrugs nonchalantly before that irking smile appears again, the smile I so badly want to wipe off of his face “but in the end I’m the one who seals the deal. Sorry sweetheart, but you’re mine now.”

Before I can protest the man sinks his teeth into the flesh of the nape of my neck. The elongated teeth descending deeper into my flesh until they’ve nearly stabbed through my external jugular vein. The pain blinds me, my screams silent from shock. I can feel the rush of my blood being forcefully sucked into his fangs as he laps at the areas where extra blood spill into his mouth with his tongue. When I feel myself becoming weak, fading away from consciousness, I feel a tug from the holes where the vampire’s fangs had bitten into me before the lapping of his tongue intensifies over my neck. Before I complete succumb to the darkness washing over my body as I faint ever so slowly I hear a voice speaking to me.

“My name is Minhyuk.” The voice say with impassiveness “I am your master now.”

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