#i took some liberties with the type of journey

[ubejamjar]

day 9 - journey

despite all my studies, i never learned to do this sort of healing

auraugust promptos

[garbinge]

EVERYTHING (2/?)

Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x F!Reader // Word Count: 2.1k Summary: Part 2 to One in a Million. Your reminisce about your past while your brother walks you home from The Hard Deck, all while you figure out what your future holds. When you head to base the next day, you run into a new friend, a few times and you get familiar really quickly. Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Angst. Fluff. Mentions of parental death (both characters), mentions of reader being adopted, small mention of saying goodbye to a pet, no use of Y/N. Falling for someone, quickly. Insinuates at sexual situations between scenes. Reader is Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia's sister. Took some liberties like giving Rooster a tattoo lol. A/N: These two live in my brain rent free.

“How do you know Rooster?” Mickey was asking you as you strolled on the sidewalk. The sun had gone down, you were buzzed from the handful of beers you shared with Rooster, then Rooster and your brother, and then just your brother through the night. Your walk home was only minutes from the bar, but you both were taking your time walking. The sounds of the waves behind you, muffled by the bar patrons, by the cars driving by, tourists on bikes. It all felt like home and you wanted to soak in every second of it. 

“Apparently he’s my boyfriend.” With a chuckle you looked down and kicked a rock, passing it to your brother who stopped it with his foot as he also stopped in his steps. 

“Come again?” His eyebrows were raised, a mix of confusion and concern in his tone and also plastered on his face. 

“Relax. It’s a joke. I just met ‘em tonight. He saved me from some egotistical asshole.” 

“So you met Hangman.” A smile grew on his face and he tossed the rock back to you. It was something the two of you did growing up, finding something to do when there was nothing to do. 

“Man with a track record I see.” You tossed the rock a few more times yourself before passing it back to Mickey, all while you both kept walking home. “Bradley pretended to be my boyfriend, then when Hangman left, we just started talking.” You shrugged. 

Mickey nodded, he wasn’t the type to tell you what to do, not only because it wasn’t his style but also because he knew you wouldn’t listen. He just liked having the information, all the pieces to the puzzle, that’s how he always was. It was how he got the call sign Fanboy. He knew anything and everything about fighter pilots, about Top Gun, about F-18s and honestly any other plane in the naval aviation hangars. He learned from your father, but the interest to keep learning was all him. 

“How long you staying for?” Now he was kicking the rock back and forth with his feet before he bent down and picked it up, tossing up and down into his palm. 

“Not sure. I wrapped up my last article for The Post and now I’m focusing on the book.” 

“And home is where you can write the book.” Mickey understood, and if anything he would have done anything to help you out and support you, especially with this. “You still planning to write about Dad?” 

“Yea, but I don’t know. I might write more about my journey, you know? I’ve been thinking about a lot of it lately.” With a deep breath, you felt the alcohol starting to fade as the topic got a bit more serious between you two. 

“About being adopted?” He tossed the rock over so it was now your turn to catch it. 

“Yea, but also just all the resilience and love I’ve seen throughout my life.” You started to think through how you wanted to tell this story, was it fiction, was it a memoir, was it a mix of it all? “Our lives were so unique, you know?” 

“Oh trust me, I know.” He laughed as you both stepped in front of your house, turning to look at it as you stood in the driveway. 

Memories of you as kids in the front yard chasing each other with water guns, sitting in the driveway with two of your dogs standing guard over the three of you, your dad picking each one of you up and flying you through the yard. Images of your eldest brother climbing down the trellis as he snuck out to some party with some girl, your younger brother laying in his bed pretending to be him until he was back. One of your favorite memories was the block parties that were always held here, hundreds of military officers would show up, you’d get lost in the crowd but then found by a kicking rock from one of your brothers, or a dog guiding you through the crowds. They all weren’t good memories though, as you looked at the front door, you remember taking Shadow out for the last time, draping the blanket over him in the trunk wishing him to get better. The black town car pulling up on the street and the uniform men informing you of your father’s death. Leaving through that same door for the funeral, your brother in his own uniform, your youngest brother in a suit for probably the first and only time. Your mind flashed back to the first time you stood where you are now. A child services agent, helping you out of the car at 5 years old, your teddy bear in one hand and pretty empty backpack in the other as you stared at what was about to be your life, your father was the first one to come out and greet you. He had his uniform on and you remember being terrified, but he knelt down in front of you and smiled, offering you his hand to shake and it was like every fiber of fear vanished in seconds. 20 years later, you remember that same feeling of fear reentering your body when they said he had died.   

“Everytime I’m here it’s so…much.” 

Mickey let out a sigh, as he nodded in agreement. “It’s why I stay on base when I’m here. Only come here when I’m too lit to drive back.” 

“So every night?” You felt his hand reach up and push you slightly before you used his arm as a way to balance yourself and then brought yourself closer to him in a sideways hug. “I miss him.” 

“Me too.” He tossed his arm over your shoulder and rested his head over yours. 

____________

You should’ve seen if your brother could have brought you on base, now you were trying to search your bag for some credentials that could get you through the gates. You had plenty, being a writer and journalist you collected them like someone would stamps or coins. 

“Fuck.” You mumbled as you searched your bag coming up with event passes and useless press badges. “Really could’ve used that white house press pass right about now.” 

“Need help?” The familiar voice came up from behind you and startled you. 

“Was looking for my badge, trying to get on base.” 

“Badge?” Rooster was extending his hand to help bring you into a standing position, you had made the patch of grass right outside the gate your own bag search area. 

“Uhm, yea.” You were knocking grass off your clothes and grabbing the couple things on the ground before you looked up and realized who you were talking to. Part of you knew, even though you had only met him once but now you were really taking him in. He had on his flight suit, sunglasses perched on his nose and a large smile as he tried to understand what was going on. 

After tossing your bag over your shoulder, you exhaled and laughed. “I’m uh, journalist–a writer. I have press badges.” 

“What do you write?” His arms crossed curious to learn more about you. 

“A column in the post. It was called Life in Brief. It was sort of memoirs–briefings on people I’d meet traveling around the world.” 

“And now you’re going to write one about one of us.” Rooster was bending down and picking up your notebook which was still on the ground. 

As he handed it back to you, you smiled curtly to thank him before tossing it back in your bag, “I, uh, don’t write them anymore. My last one got printed a month ago, I’m working on something new.” 

“Something new, huh?” His arms were crossed and he separated his feet slightly as he questioned you. Moving his left hand up to push his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, he waited for your reply. 

“Yep. Something new. But I don’t think I’ll be getting on base today. I meant to ask Mickey last night but I forgot and I don’t have my white house badge to get me through.” 

“White house badge? Fancy!” He called out as he grabbed your bag from your shoulder and started walking past the gate with it. “Hey Lance, bring a friend for free day, alright?” He pointed back to you. With a light jog, you were trying to catch up to him, stopping at the gate where the guard just buzzed you in and waved his hand for you to enter. 

When you thanked him, you continued to catch up to Rooster. “Bag please?” He had it raised above his head and lowered it at your words. “Thank you.” 

“Who's on your list to talk to?” He asked as you were looking around at the hangars around you, the buildings, it had been years since you set foot on this base. 

“Don’t have a list.” You answered, distracted by it all. 

“Mission without a plan. That’s like the first rule: all missions have plans, multiple plans if anything.” 

“I’m not really a girl with a mission, Rooster. Never have been.” It was then that your head bounced off his chest, he had turned around and stopped walking while you were looking around, causing you to have run into him. 

“Maybe I can help with that?” 

“Plan to be my ghostwriter, Rooster?” You rubbed your head where you ran into him. 

“Could be one of the plans.” He teased you, it was then that you saw Hondo starting to walk on the concrete out of one of the hangars. 

“Let’s keep that on the back burner, Bradley.” You tapped his chest as you started to take a couple steps towards Hondo. “Hey, uh, thanks for getting me in, I owe you!” You were now yelling as you said it, your hand pointing at him but your mind focused on catching the man who was best friends with your father. 

_________

Before you knew it the day was over and the stars had filled the sky. Ending your day of research, if you could even call it that,  on the beach was your way of trying to gather your thoughts. You were still trying to figure out what you were going to write, how you were going to write it. Spending the day talking to people you grew up with, friends of your father, being back in a groove of things you haven’t been in so long was giving you a lot of ideas, but nothing felt right. You had spent the last few years of your career writing about other people, their stories, their grief, their happiness, their accomplishments, their regrets. Writing about your father’s, your brother’s, this life, should have been just like that. 

“Talk to me, Dad.” You whispered as your toes dug into the sand and your head looked up to the sky. Searching for any sign of what to do. It felt like you were in a new chapter of your life, and this was one that had no ties to your previous one, which bothered you. It was the first time you were doing something that your dad wasn’t involved in. He had been there when you graduated college with your degree in journalism, started your internship which led to your column, but now, this was new. You felt alone. 

There was commotion behind you, you were sitting on the beach in front of The Hard Deck so it wasn’t unusual. But this time, unbeknownst to you the commotion was Rooster with a few of his friends. “Hey, I’ll catch up with you guys later.” He was tapping his friends backs and he caught you sitting on the beach, a smile growing on his face. Before he even knew it, he was heading over to you and plopping down next to you in the sand. “So you gonna tell me about this project you’re working on?” 

“That would require me actually knowing what the project is myself.” Your hands were wrapped around your knees. 

Rooster mimicked your position, but his arms resting on his knees versus being wrapped around them. “That what you’re doing out here, figuring it out?” 

“Thinking about figuring it out.” You corrected him with a smirk. 

“Maybe if you don’t think it’ll come to you.” He offered a suggestion, his shoulders and arms raising slightly as he said it, his mustache moving downward as he frowned. 

“Don’t think. Brilliant advice, Bradley.” 

“Do I still have more questions?” 

“Why?” You were wondering what he wanted to know. 

“Just wanna know more about you.” Another shrug came from his shoulders. 

Your lips curved at his sentence and you looked over at him, resting your head on your knees and the tops of your arms. “It’s a book.” 

He was about to question you, the words what’s a book were about to come back from his mouth when it hit him. 

“So there is a plan.”

“That’s all I got. Don’t think I’d call it a plan yet.” 

“I read some of your columns.” It was blunt coming out of his mouth, like he almost wasn’t in control of saying it or planned of saying it himself.

That got your attention, your eyes were glued on his waiting for him to continue that thought with something more. 

“Before I knew they were yours, I’d read them back when I was in the Academy, when we weren’t allowed to have phones, a lot of us started reading the papers every morning.” 

“It got published digitally, too.” You weren’t living under a rock to know that the papers were a dying form of journalism.

You were not expecting the next thing he said. “Snippets on instagram, too.” When you looked at him with wide eyes, he laughed. “I enjoyed them, followed The Post to keep up with them when I got my phone back. “The one about the painter from Times Square, that’s the one that I read first and remember. Where the guy started painting the rocks in Central Park they were all covered in sunlight and by the time he was finishing up they were all shadowy.” 

“He had to decide how he wanted to remember them.” You knew exactly which memoir he was talking about. “Travis.” You kept your head on your knees and closed your eyes. 

“It was really powerful stuff, the idea that even with the things we can’t control– time passing, the sun setting, we still have the power of choice.” 

“Why don’t you tell me about you, Bradley?” Your eyes opened and you looked into his eyes. 

“What do you wanna know?” He dropped his head down similarly to yours but in a bit of a teasing way. 

“Everything.” It was insane that you had known this man for barely two days and your conversation yesterday of getting to know each other was flirtatious and now it was borderline pining. 

______

The pining didn’t last long. You were now naked in bed with him. His arm was around your shoulder and resting on your back as you head laid on his bare chest. 

“Is this how you get the scoop on all your features?” He joked and pulled you back in closer to him when you pushed him away teasingly. 

“You barely told me anything. I specifically asked for everything.” Your hand started to play with the tattoo on his chest, outlining it with your finger. 

“Tribute for my dad.” He was looking at the ceiling as he said it, feeling your light touch outline the goose silhouette that was next to the F-18 fighter jet silhouette. 

You nodded, having figured so much. “Tell me about him.” 

“I was young when he passed. Don’t remember much.” It was obvious he was lying, but you weren’t going to pry or try and pull it out of him. And you didn’t need to because he was closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Sorry, reflex.” 

“You don’t have to share. I know how hard it can be thinking about them.” 

“He was funny, always knew how to lighten the mood. He played piano, pretty fucking good too.” He laughed almost like he still was shocked at the thought. “He loved my mom fiercely. Loved me fiercely.” 

You knew that well, your dad was the same exact way. “When did you decide you were going to enlist?” 

“I couldn’t tell you, it just was something that I feel like I always knew.” His fingers were caressing your collar bone. 

“Mickey was the same way.” You let out a chuckle remembering no time where your eldest brother wasn’t obsessed with aviation. 

“They don’t call him Fanboy for nothing.” Rooster was laughing along with you. “This your room?” He was looking around but there was a lack of personality in the space. 

“Yea.” You agreed with him.

“Whole lot of nothing.” His eyes looked over the bare walls, just the old light yellow paint on the walls, there were nail holes, furniture scuffs, but nothing besides the bed, sheets, dresser and walls. 

“I took it all down when my dad died.” 

“Does it feel lighter?” He was staring at the ceiling as the question was asked. 

You frowned and looked over at him. Feeling the shift in your position he looked back down at you and gave you a seeing smile. “I know what it’s like to live with the weight of their memory.” 

“Doesn’t feel lighter.” You settled back into the crook of his shoulder. 

“Damn.” It was whispered just above your head. “Was hoping this might’ve been the secret.” 

You let out a little chuckle. “You hungry?” Rolling over you went to grab your clothes to put them back on, all while Rooster let out a groan in complaint as you moved away from him. “Come on,” you threw his jeans over at him, “kitchen.” 

As you both moved down the stairs together, he saw the frames of your family on the wall and stopped when he saw some of your columns framed. 

“This is the Travis column.” He was stopped on the landing and you were already on the ground level. His face was turning in a smile as he pointed to the frame. 

“It was one of my dad’s favorites.” You remembered when he called you to tell you he was framing it and putting it on the wall, your eyes smiling at the memory. “Come on, Rooster. Let me cook you breakfast.” 

“It’s 10:30?” He questioned as he skipped down the steps to catch up to you. 

______

Sitting on the island, you stared at Rooster who was using his fork as a knife to cut a piece of the pancake off. “Good, right?” Your eyebrows raised and you went back to picking off your plate. 

“Phenomenal.” He spoke with his mouth full. 

“So what haven’t you told me, Rooster?” You picked up a few scrambled egg pieces and plopped them in your mouth. 

“Hmm, I’m a Cancer, my favorite color’s yellow, I play piano, I own a lot of movies–bootlegs to be honest, I guess you could say I’ve collected them over the years, my favorite food is Pho, but I’m strongly considering changing that to these pancakes.” His mouth was full as he spoke so his words were muffled but you understood them perfectly. “Your turn.” 

You gave him your zodiac sign, a few interesting skills of yours and then looked at him and gave him a new fact. “I think these have been some of the best days I’ve had in a really long time.” 

At that sentence he looked up from his plate and into your eyes. He was across from you, probably 3 feet away, standing, but leaning against the counter his leg crossed over the other. Within an instant he was pushing off the counter and taking two steps towards you until your face was cupped in his hands and he was placing a kiss on your lips. 

“Glad you agree.” You whispered when he pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath. 

“What else?” He asked you, his forehead on yours as he asked the question. “Ask away.” His voice was so soft if he wasn’t this close to you, you never would have heard him. 

“I think it’s your turn.” Whispering it back, your hand started playing with his button up shirt. 

“Tell me something I don’t know.” 

“I love watching antique roadshows.” 

He let out a bellow of a laugh, and brought you closer to him at the statement, placing a haste kiss to the side of your head in between chuckles. “What are you doing tomorrow?” 

“Are you asking me on a date, Bradley?” Your eyes squinted as you looked up at him. 

He started fumbling on his words, wondering if he got the vibe mixed up. Maybe this was a one time thing for you. For him, he liked you. He knew it was quick but on base situations like this were always quick. Time went by differently on base. 

Interrupting his thoughts, you spoke. “If it’s a date, I want flowers.” 

Relief fell on his face and he nodded in agreement. “Roses or lilies? 

“Sunflowers, yellow’s my favorite color, too.”

Part 3 Dividers by: @mikeykuns 🛫Top Gun Maverick Taglist:  @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @kmc1989 (let me know if you’d like to be added! I'm using my all writing taglist right now!) CHAPTER INDEX <- where you can find previous chapters to this fic!

[olivescales3]

Legends of Chima Pride Flags (part 1)

I tried making them align with canon characterization and worldbuilding as much as possible. I took a little bit of liberties to speculate how they would behave in the future too, of course while taking into consideration the effects of canon events.

(do not remove the watermark; do not tag as furry)

Explanations:

Because we don't know if animals feel the same type of sexual/romantic attraction like humans do, the animals from Chima are *at least* on the aroace spectrum due to them literally being just evolved, highly intelligent versions of their predecessors. Chi was made by the Phoenixes, which do not reproduce sexually; Chima animals' behavior and anatomy is almost identical to those of the Phoenixes, since language, third pair of limbs, among other Phoenix traits were projected evolutionarily onto them; this thus leaves the conclusion that 'human' romance and sex is not a thing for Chima animals, since it's also non-existent for the Phoenixes.

Laval is shown, throughout the show, that he is a caring lion who was also willing to choose a mate in the last episode, which is why I chose the partnering aroace flag for him. He doesn't have a specific choice of the partner's sex per se, since there weren't any teenage lions for him to be paired with (and the show not being focused on romance; point being that all romance subplots were pretty forced), and him choosing Li'ella really felt like it was some kind of last resort, so I kept that up to interpretation.

Cragger being hurt by those close to him (his parents' death + Crooler using him), along with his overall discontent about his existence being possibly forsaken due to Crunket, his mother, having an affair with Laval's uncle, Lavertus, all at a young age makes me assign him the non-partnering aroace orientation. During the first season of the show, Cragger's mental state is extremely fuzzy and miserable for a tween; he willingly told Laval to kill him out of spite, then attempted to personally murder him by letting the lion prince drown alone— all of it while behaving and speaking in ways that showed his depressing anguish. However, even if the later seasons show Cragger as a childish youngling that barely has any care in the world, he's still pretty aware about other's wrongdoings; he explicitly called out Fluminox' selfishness— "you let your son escape because you were feeling sorry for yourself?"; and he made backhanded jokes against Lavertus. It's not like Cragger would consciously be non-partnering, but the lingering, instinctive trauma would make him not want to have a mate.

Worriz was an easy pick for non-partnering aroace. He's constantly described in canon as a cunning liar who is willing to hide his true intentions– that is, gaining tremendous advantage in power– beneath treaties and promises. Not only that, but in Legends of Chima: Laval's Journey, Worriz immediately turned against Cragger when he understood that he was not getting his hands on the 'Triple Chi'; in the same game, he was shown to not be afraid of threatening others with extreme violence, like when he straight up told Eris he would maul her after he got his hands on the Triple Chi. His horrible violence doesn't end with just words; he directed attacks against the Eagle Tribe TWICE: once by attempting to pull the entire Eagle Spire down, which would cause as many casualties as possible, and twice by setting the Eagle Library on fire and subsequently erasing the tribe's culture and discoveries from existence, an event that happened in Laval's Journey. Of course, he'd make an exception for Windra since they're both vicious and violent... Worriz' violence is not the 'cause' of him being non-partnering; he is, in general, a real and terrifying threat, and would take advantage of anyone if he could— he wouldn't see relationships as innocent and would twist it to gain some kind of power.

Crooler was a hard pick. It's not known much of her besides her using Cragger, but the reason behind those acts are shown explicitly in the show to be envy, and not personal like one would assume. She was capable of demonstrating remorse to a certain extent, and told Cragger a few times she loved him. The honesty of these emotions are not known, but the fact that she was able to show a less 'evil' side of her places her view of relationships into question. If she grows into a better person, then she might get into a healthy relationship, but if she continues to be cunning then she won't. This nuance made me choose demi-partnering for her.

[bnhxx]

I have GYAT to start writing about my best boy Carlos,,,,,members of the jury, it's time

SO MY MAN MY RESPECTFUL POOKIE 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

Personal

[Edit]: okay I took the liberty to actually organise this bc it was just verbal diarrhoea ksjsksj

Also this list is NOT exhaustive bc im always thinking up more shit about this man sksgdhdbd

- Man's got game but honestly I think if you did some cute n wholesome shit he would kagsishshw. Like he would have such a GOOFY smile on his face and eat that shit up. Gifts, handmade things, compliments, letters or little sticky notes you leave for him, it really bolsters his confidence. Not that he needs it, but it feels special and makes him warm and fuzzy inside.

-Whether you're always like that or it's a sometimes thing he's gonna tease you though.

"Aww, ya big softie,"

-like he's spent majority of his life in militias and such, he's not used to softness. Apart from the softness and protectiveness he showed his little brothers, and the softness that was shown to him by his mother-which was fleeting at best considering most memories of his childhood would be filled with the thievery he'd resort to to keep his family alive. Hes never really been encouraged to show it, either way-its seen as a weakness.

-and it's not to say Carlos is suffering from good old toxic masculinity, he holds sm respect for Jill and yes she leans into the more hardass fem cop role to protect herself and yes he also STILL flirts w her but tbh the fact that he's respectful and let's her brush him off without getting mad, that's still a big step imo

-bc he's literally been around those types of people for most to all his life. Raised by a militia, basically, and toxic masculinity is so rampant there simply because it's a good coping mechanism for having to fight and kill ppl all the time? Just, switch off those emotions. Don't feel bc you might go absolutely insane with the guilt if you do.

-so yeah, Carlos, though he certainly doesn't seem to be in the chokehold of toxic masculinity, he's still very much affected by it.

-But I think he'd lean on those around him in his journey to healing that sort of fight flight mode, all day, every day, macho man w a cigar hanging out of his mouth type persona.

- He's very much a, if I didn't have the people around me to support me, I wouldn't have gotten this far type of person. And he'll do the inner work if it means becoming a better version of himself.

-like my man's saw Umbrella and was like yeah nah fuck that

-and that takes GUTS. Tyrell really was right when he called Carlos a balsy such and such he has courage for days. So in conclusion he definitely would have the courage to go and heal for himself and others. 100%.

-Definitely takes me as the gym bro to make friends with everyone at the gym. He's there to shred and sometimes he's a little show off but hey, he worked for his gains why not show em off y'know?

- He'll also be the first to rope some asshole in if they're making someone uncomfortable. He likes going to the gym and he'd hate for it to become a place with a bad vibe, not on his watch!! So if he's in the gym is just chill vibes

-theres these dudes on tiktok that are gymbros but they're constantly playfully flirting or making dirty jokes w each other that's Carlos lol.

-I think Carlos would also like hiking. He wouldn't mind camping, so long as he's got a good group to go with-(that usually makes or breaks the camping trip imo) but he prefers to take a hike. The views are worth the pain, he says, trust me!

(You'll believe him when you get back to the picnic sites and he brings out the lunch he had prepped bc you wouldn't go without it jabsjshsjs)

"You're food is what's worth the pain, not the view, Carlos," (he would call you a gremlin for this but it's worth it to see his silly smile)

-Also, cooking!!! Carlos LOVES cooking it's canon. He prefers cooking for people because being able to see his friends or s.o's face when they try his food makes all the hard work worth it. He also gets to spend time with everyone which is a bonus! So if you're friends or dating, expect big dinner parties. As rowdy as they can be they're actually quite chill once everyone's had some of Carlos' special in their belly (we all rubbing our tummies like 🤰🤰🤰 after that food baby kahsisbsj)

Ideal type.

-ON that, he's very family oriented. Because of his upbringing and how he was raised to his personality, but yeah-man's had to fight for his family from day 1 p much. So big protective older brother vibes here. He'd definitely make a good dad!

-I can only see him as a military man bc of his upbringing 😭 but this man is DEF having a reflective moment at the end of RE:3 like while Jill's freaking out bc bye bye Racoon City and trauma he's like,,,okay idk if this life is the one I wanna LIVE so I think he dabbles his toes in a bunch of odd jobs here and there while he's in hiding, post RE:3.

-Like he learnt a LOT of employable skills from the military and he'd definitely go up the ranks but he??? Doesn't know what he really LOVES to do so??? He tries a lot of things tbh.

-In saying that his social circle is WILD. Like I'm talking he picks up a random person off the street, brings them to a party with some of his work colleagues and old workmates from his other job and everyone's Like WHAT do we all have in common 💀

-you know big silly man and you're all gonna love his cooking that's what!!

-he is a silly goofy guy he loves to joke around, but not at the expense of others!! So, he's actually got a lot of friends. They type of person that had loads of friends but only a couple of really close ones ngl.

- Also likes to make mundane things fun by inviting his friends. He's the type to call his friend up like, let's go grocery shopping together bc I hate doing this alone 💔

-and it's a two in one bc his friend is there!!

- I think his ideal type is someone whose not afraid to stand up for what's right. Assertive and forthright are bonuses, but at the end of the day he seeks someone whose moral compass aligned them with the good of people, or someone who cares about community, and others. Someone who, if they see something wrong, won't just look the other way.

-assertiveness and forthright is hot asf in a woman and he loves to see it!! (You and me both brother whew 🥴)

-I think also he comes from a background that's very community centered? So the whole individualistic culture of America and Western cultures would be a bit,,,strange. He'd at least want someone who is willing to have a community mindset bc he just wouldn't vibe too well w someone like that in the long run 🤧 Like it's not like he hates it but how??? Are you alive??? You live like this bro??? Y'all Western countries good????

- deal breakers for him are family, blatant assholes lmao, cheating, and gamblers.

-Hes pretty goofy too underneath it all so he'd want someone who he can be silly with. Someone who won't judge on that, who even plays along with him. He'd adore someone who he can just be silly with. My silly big guy.

-like PLEASE at least crack a smile at his jokes he would low-key take it personally if you didn't laugh or crack a smile when he's joking around or being silly (he would take it VERY personally but he'd stay chill on the outside lmao)

- he plays around a bit after RE:3 bc man's 21, like, what did you expect. But he's also upfront about what he expects from the relationship and expects them to be, too!

- I think he'd be the type to get jealous, if his s/o had a different life than his. Like, white picket fence, smart (this I'd big bc nowhere in Carlos' backstory does it say he had a formal education past military training 🥲), homebody type. Like, he feels almost out of place in their life. Like a stray they picked up off the road, and he needs reassurance that your not just there for his looks and his yummy beefy arms (but yes, he admits they're a plus)

-So someone who's in tune with their and others emotions would be great for him! An attentive s/o who isn't afraid to call out his jealousy (gently) and lovingly remind him that he's the only one they want. ESPECIALLY if it's looking like a long term relo!

-also he'd want someone who shares some hobbies bc he loves doing things w ppl he loves! So if you're not a nature person then honey, you got a big storm coming.

-also I think he'd give it a pass if you has opposite hobbies but you love learning about his ‼️‼️ like when he comes home from his camping trip his s/o is like, so, how was it? Or they're sharing him little camping tips and tricks online or cooking recipes, just show they're interested and talk about his hobbies even if they aren't into them. He'd love this just as much ‼️

-I actually think he'd do really well adopting kids too, because, if he can give a kid a better life?? Tbh just pitch it like that his whole 'for the blood of my family name' would go down p quick bc if he could save a kid from living a childhood he had to he would no light reaction ‼️

- family, because he wants to have a family of his own. He wants to have his own blood if he can which is strange my guy but I respect that. Sort of in a more traditional sense of like I survived and now my family will live a better life type mentality, keep the family tree going y'know?

- If his partner could not/does not want to have kids though I think he would try other forms like surrogacy or ivf or even adoption, because if he found someone he really loved at the end of the day a family isn't simply determined by blood. It might take him a while to get on board with tho but stand on business he'll wrap his head around it eventually.

-again, sort of going off the point earlier but just shitty or selfish people is a no go. Like not caring for others to the point of blatantly putting others at risk to get what you want, not feeling bad about it at all? that's a no no. Obvious reasons here, he fought against impossible odds to put the middle finger up to Umbrella for what they did soo what did you expect?

-cheating, because honesty is key. Cheating is pretty unanimous but like, Carlos is the type to not forgive that. Ever. How could you cheat on the baby boy like he's been through ENOUGH YOUR HONOUR 😭😭😭

-kind of unrelated but I have his dbd voice line of "You're gonna be okay, I promise," in my mind at all times of every day kahsjek

-gambling, because it's such a throw away of large amounts of money. It just doesn't seem right to Carlos. Addiction is hard to break, he gets it, but particularly in large amounts-gambling is just lowkey disturbing to him. He grew up poor so could not be him betting the chance to eat on huge amounts of money. Like he's desperate but he thinks gambling is a scam. Bc it is kshsidjd.

-ALSO there was this tiktok comment on how he paces infront of his s/o's house with flowers to hype himself up and ‼️ yes ‼️ he would so do this it makes me wanna cry thinking about it.

Misc.

-LIKE I could be in the clutches of the ENITITYS realm and still feel good bc Carlos is there, he may move like a turtle in dbd but my man's moving mountains keeping the team together give him a pass ‼️

-everyone saying bring Carlos back to re, capcom you left us in a cold, cruel, Carlos-less world, but, BUT....let's just imagine for a moment my man finally found peace after re3 and is just on a beach sipping mimosas. He deserves this he's spent his whole 21 years of his life fighting, give him peace I beg!

-let's live in the delulu that my man's finally got a break from all that shit 🤱

- I want him to just RelAx, take a load off, sit back and enjoy the sunshine after everything bc 😭😭😭

[puppy-phum]

Hello 🤗 Which were your top 5 moments when you just knew the person on screen was in love?

i'm very sorry i'm a bit late with this but you know, life :'D i thought about this already before but only had the time to make this into a post now!

-

My Top 5 BL WhippedTM Moments

(or where i knew they were in love/feeling something/some type of way about a situation – sorry i took some liberties here)

I. Mork fixing Day's hair in Last Twilight episode 3

i know this doesn't exactly fit (maybe?) bc i cannot say if mork is quite in love here yet but this scene is glorious in showing a character realize they have feelings. the way mork pauses and just keeps stroking day's hair and wondering his face, if he likes it, if he likes him, and then has to snap out of it bc he gets so into his head – it's amazing. i love this scene. and it shows that mork did fall first, argue with the wall.

II. Yai seeing Jom for the first time in I Feel You Linger in the Air episode 1 & 2

sorry i couldn't find the exact moment as a gif so this will have to do. i just love how in the first episode, when yai first sees jom drop into the water from the boat, you can already see he's in love. i never questioned that it wasn't love at first sight for him – bc it so obviously was. he was gone the moment his eyes landed on jom and i really gotta admire the actor (bright? is that his name?) for so perfectly showing that.

III. Jaewon watching Jihyun fall asleep on his shoulder in The Eights Sense episode 2

these two are less obvious about their feelings bc of, well, reasons, but you can see it all here. i know jaewon goes through a journey before really accepting himself and those feelings, but jihyun is so comfortable about his own. but in this moment, you can see jaewon's walls cracking right open. he's extremely fond. and he's happy to have this moment, to be close to jihyun like this. also, i am just weak for sleeping scenes.

IV. Tien watching over Lomfon when he's sick in La Pluie episode 10

this is a perfect scene combining a character being sick, them falling asleep, and another character pining for them. you can see how badly in love tien is with lomfon at this point and it's astounding considering where they started. tien used to hate lomfon's guts with a passion but was the first one to realize and accept his feelings for him. i think in this scene you can see how much it hurts him to feel this way while lomfon is still figuring it all out.

V. Joke digs his own grave with Zo in Hidden Agenda episode 3

it always amuses me to no end when a character who has a secret crush insists on putting themselves into Situations with their secret crush. bc in most occasions, that backfires when they cannot handle those situations. that's joke as a character. and i love this scene for how ridiculous it is bc joke knows what he's doing and then he's the one who runs away from it. he's so stupid. it's adorable.

Bonus: Gun Gawin with Boss Cher in Our Skyy 2 x A Boss and a Babe episode 1

idk i just adore the look gun gives cher any time he has a chance. this man is so gone. he is so content just watching his bf be silly and adorable. you can literally see the hearts in his eyes and the syrup dripping from his lips. what a sap.

-

thank you so much for this ask and happy new year to you!! ♥

[the-kp-of-nrc]

Everyone welcome, the Kupid of NRC

its happening guys oh my god its happening

Here he is at long long last, Kupid Myrar, my dearly beloved dumbfuck. Kupid is my Yuusona, and the current main focus of this blog! All appropriately tagged posts are from him^^

(More info about him will be under the cut to help preserve space)

Kamden (Kupid) Myrar

Kupid, the son of a lawyer and a high position state senator, was born the second child Kamden Myrar. With his mother working in the senate, his family (comprised of his parents, an older sister, himself, a younger brother, and an Irish Setter) moved around semi-frequently as he grew up. The summer before he started high school, the family finally settled in a suburb of their state capital. Kupid attended the local high school for a year, only managing to make a few friends, before he disappeared the night before his second year. Leaving not a trace behind, Kupid woke up that morning in a coffin and began his journey through the hellscape wonderfully generous world of Twisted Wonderland and NRC.

Personality

Kupid is a pretty standard kid. He wouldn't call himself "chronically online," but is definitly well versed in modern internet slang. Due to his dimension hopping tendencies, he picks up well on local idioms, customs, and behaviors. He's well adapted and can easily blend in, often becoming aquainted with people of his similar age wherever he ends up. While he's not a person people are naturally drawn to, he is rather likeable and is good at making conversation.

Overall, Kupid is rather laid back, but also takes no shit. His curious nature tends to get the better of him, at he often finds himself in situations that either require assistance of an ally, or his quick escape route (ie. a mirror). He's good at making friends, but can also hold a harsh grudge against someone who's wronged him or a close friend. While a little bit hard headed, Kupid is a great listener and a tough friend. He sticks up for those close to him, will fight until nearly dead, but also knows his limits

(this section can be found on the ref sheet featured in this post^^)

Appearance

Kupid in general is pretty simple. He's pretty average in terms of build and height. Despite his hair, he's the type to blend in rather than stand out. His clothing style is a general alternative style with no specific sub-culture inspirations. The most prominent parts of him that stick out are the red and black split dyed hair, and matching nostril piercings that are connected with a chain that spans across his nose.

His overall color theme consists of red and black for his hair, and blue and pink that shows up in his clothes. His usual outfit consists of a gray sleeveless turtleneck, beige jeans, split dark pink and blue converse, and a split light pink and blue windbreaker.

Trivia

This all was posted earlier on my account, and it will be added on to as I think of things^^

After arriving in TW, Kupid really couldn't have cared less about Grim, but after the Heartslabyul book he quickly came to see that little gremlin as his familiar for realsies

since the game isn't finished i took some liberties with what happens after Yuu gets sent home. They're able to keep communication between the worlds open so Kupid actually returns to NRC for a second year by Crowley's invitation

Grim is his baby. That's his cat, his familiar, his weasel, whatever you wanna call him. But you bet your ass Grim went with Kupid after he went back to his own world

During his second year Kupid learns he can actually use mirrors as a method of transport (like the ones used to go to the dorms) and eventually uses them to dimension hop

Before going to Twisted Wonderland, his hair was a lot shorter and brown, but after waking up in the coffin, he found it much longer and split down the middle. While in TW it grows naturally in that split color, but grown brown while in his world

Similar to his hair, when Kupid was asked his name after getting out of his coffin, Kupid couldn't think of his given name, Kamden, and could only think of "Kupid," and switches between which name he goes by based on what world he's in

His fursona would be a rabbit

He has a toyhou.se page with similar information and all the drawings I've done/received of him

Likewise, he also has an Art Fight profile, and an official Spotify playlist

Misc info

Eye color: green

Hair: split red and black

Height: 5'7''

Weight: 162

Positive trait: A thorough thinker

Neutral trait: Stupidly loyal

Negative trait: Quick to follow

Personality overview: While a little bit hard headed, Kupid is a great listener and a tough friend. He sticks up for those close to him, will fight until nearly dead, but also knows his limits

Mannerisms/dialogue examples: Uses slang from the many universes he's traveled through, even if it doesn't exist in his current one

Fears: The mirror dimension

Hopes: Keeping both of his worlds at an equal balance with each other, aka being able to consistently cross over between the two with no issues

Skills: Potionology :P, general support, quick to adapt, leadership

Powers (if any): Using mirrors idk

Not good at: Sports

Favorite food: yellow starburst

Favorite drinks: Dr pepper

General likes:

Food dislike: any kind of spice

Drink dislike: sparkling water

General dislikes: Tuesdays

Border credits to @/saradika-graphics <3

[hunty627]

Hunter’s Pokémon journey part 22.

After I mastered platinum, I set off to the Unova region in Pokémon black. When I arrived, Professor Juniper showed me the 3 starter Pokémon. They are Snivy, Oshawott and Tepig. I chose Snivy and I was given a Pokédex and some extra Poké balls and my Unova journey began. I caught some Pokémon such as Lillipup, Patrat and Purrloin. When I arrived at the Pokémon center at Accumula Town, I received a welcome to Unova gift. It was a liberty pass. Then I took on a suspicious group called Team Plasma. And I even met a boy known as N. After I managed to beat them, I was gifted a Panpour. Then I went to the Pokémon gym in Striaton City and I battled Cilan and his brothers, Chili and Cress. When I won, I earned the trio badge. After that, I set off to the next location and caught more such as Blitzle, Roggenrola, Woobat, Pidove and even Audino. I arrived at Nacrene City and I battled Nemona and her normal types. When I managed to win, I received the basic badge. Then I chased down Team Plasma in the Pinwheel Forest. After getting the dragon skull they stole from the museum, I caught Sewaddle, Venipede, Cottonee, Pansage & Pansear. When I gave the skull back, I went to catch Tympole and another Cottonee to trade for a Petilil. When I battled a bunch of trainers, my Snivy evolved into Servine. Some of my other Pokémon evolved too. Now I got Herdier, Watchog and Tranquill. Then I went over the Skyarrow bridge to Castelia City, where I used the liberty pass to catch a boat to Liberty island, where I stopped some Team Plasma goons and I battled and caught the mythical Pokémon Victini. Then we went back to the city where I battled gym leader Burgh and his bug types. I got the beetle badge and I set off to the route through the desert and even went to the desert resort and the relic castle to catch more Pokémon to add to my crew. I even got a Pokémon fossil called a plume fossil. Then we arrived at Nimbasa City. After I managed to beat Elesa & her electric types and earn the bolt badge, N and I rode on the Ferris wheel. And he told me something that made me gasp. He said he was the king of Team Plasma! I was shocked and after the Ferris wheel ride, we had a Pokémon battle and I won. After that, I went to take part in the battle subway and visit Anville Town. When I returned, I caught more Pokémon and did more training. Then I went over the drawbridge to Driftveil City, where I chased down Team Plasma to the cold storage. After taking them on, I battled gym leader Clay and his ground types. I managed to win and earn the quake badge. Then I set off to the next route to catch more Pokémon and I went through Chargestone Cave to find some cool Pokémon that’ll give any opponent a shock. Both figuratively and literally.

[zcrayas]

DRABBLE || FREEDOM HAS NO VALUE

"If you were sent by mother...!"

Quickly, Patches lifted up his hands. "Sent by Lady Tanith...? Well! Of course I was sent by Lady Tanith! Why such an attitude? Ah! I hope you are not doubting Patches the Untethered finishing his tasks? It can't be you are following me around, are ya? You know me! Doing a cracking good job may take some time to prepare! It's not like killing a Tarnished just happens! Besides, speaking of being sent by Lady Tanith I haven't seen you in the Manor for a while. For days, in fact! Is there something I should know? Rather unusual for someone who has always returned before sunset. Hmm?"

Her shoulders tensed, then relaxed. Seemingly, no one was sent for her, yet. Instead of Patches, it might be Bernahl she should look out for. The knight was the most trusted of the Recusants. And he would act without a question as his Lady wishd. With a small glance over her shoulder - she ensured they were alone.

"No... I do not doubt you. I left on a journey, and I do not intend to return anytime soon. I have my reasons, Patches", Rya stared back into his eyes - he seemed satisfied it wasn't about him but on the other hand, Patches was smart to pick up small details to his benefit. Thus, honesty was the best option. "Please, promise. You haven't seen me here. We have a deal, don't we? We help one another, as a family. Mother has her suspicions you trade tasks with the champions, and that your business might distract you. The countless times she has asked me about your whereabouts - my lips were sealed out of respect to you. "

Patches lifted a brow, curious, what may have happened. Then again, family issues were far too complex. A little laugh escaped as she mentioned the said deal. A little threat hidden between lines, wasn't it? Admirable!

As much ensuring safety of the only daughter to Lady Tanith and Praetor Rykard would favor him in the eyes of the proprietress, Rya indeed had enabled his ways, how many times she had ensured he was portrayed to her mother to his favor. He understood the game they both played. And now, for a reason or another, Rya took the liberties of her own. He if anyone understood.

" On a journey of your own, huh. Didn't take you as a type to take out on travels." He could only ponder how she made it, how she plans to make it. The Lands Between were brutal. The opportunists, monsters and the king's men lurked everywhere. And all he could see on her was a simple bag over her shoulders - what did a noble know about long distance traveling in a war torn country. He had never seen her to even hold a sword!

Then again, they had an agreement. "Deal is a deal, Lady Rya. Never saw you here. " He shrugged, leaning against his spear.

"Then, would you be kind, and let me have a look at your wares? I might need something." Rya hadn't got an idea what he sold, yet, she could have an use for little bit of extra. Of course, she also hoped few runes wouldn't change his mind any time soon.

Hearing the request, Patches grinned. Opening the drawstring of the bag and spreading the samples of his wares before her to see. As she knelt, before her were some weaponry - displaying only the smaller ones which she might be able to use. Along he placed down arrows, bolts, shards, books and variety of consumables... and the most curious, some kind of an old piece of an artefact

"...Oh, what's that?" she immediately pointed the strange object in his hand.

"This? Oh. You know the big brutes which wander these lands... with horns or stumps" Patches began, holding the object closer for her to see.

"...so, when you have huge rampant beings around, special made shackles, imbued with golden magic were commissioned to keep them in control. And this one... my friend... was made for the very Margit the Fell to keep him in bound, and still could! How many Tarnished have perished in his hands... only if they had this! for the few seconds he forcefully kisses the ground, they would have a moment to flee! But, also, don't ask me how I got it or know. True salesman never tells his sources. Yet, that is the truth! Else Lady Tanith may behead me!"

The name was enough to set her mind. "I will take it. How much...?"

No weapons, no arrows, not even severed fingers or pickled feet to assist her travel. It took him by surprise for why exactly this one had her interested. Then again, it was all about runes.

"Can't part with this one for cheap, you know... not even for an old friend."

"As much as you require... please", Rya crossed her hands, not even intending to try to bargain with him. Noticing such keen interest, Patches rolled the numbers in his mind.

"Since you are my first time customer, let's say... 5000."

"Deal." Rya opened her bag. Without hesitation, she was ready to part with the most of her runes she even carried. Foolish, yet, she acted out of heart.

As runes were exchanged, she felt the weight of the old shackle in her hands. The surface roughened over the ages it had existed.

"Pleased to do business, Lady Rya!" Patches waved, humming in a pleased manner upon the successful trade. Watching, as the noblewoman disappeared behind trees, with her new treasure.

Rya had no use for it, and never should anyone. Only one, should ever have a hold of it.

[kayla-broukhims-blog]

Bree Newsome's 'Wake' and the Essence of Black Horror"

Bree Newsome's "Wake" captivated me with the Black Horror genre, not because it focuses on exploring racism, but because it deconstructs morality, human agency, and the repercussions of our actions. The short film opens in a time of death and change, reflecting the female protagonist's conflicting feelings when her, what seems like overbearing, father passes due to his daughter's lack of assistance. Instead of expressing sorrow, she feels liberated, free to follow her life and interests including her newfound opportunity to marry. I believe that Newsome cleverly built a story about internal moral and psychological suffering rather than external racial evil. The protagonist's emotional journey, which was defined by a rich interplay of desire, fear, sorrow, and liberty, mirrors the common human experience of considering the consequences of our decisions.

For me, the discussion of Black Horror, especially in the context of "Wake," provided a fresh insight into the genre. After viewing this short film, I understood that Black Horror is not only about overt racial issues but the genre also adapts to go beyond conventional horror clichés and explores various experiences. In my opinion, the screenplay successfully employs the horror subgenre in a subtle way to reflect the darker aspects of decision-making and its consequences. For example, when the main character performed a seance to conjure her dream man to life, she soon realized that the man who resembled a typical human turned out to be some type of monster. After trying to murder him, she ends up with the repurcussions of being pregnant with the monster’s child; I assume that this is because of all her immoral actions that took place from the start of the story, making this a mortality tale. 

Although I haven't experienced circumstances as unsettling as those in "Wake," the movie spoke to me on a personal level, especially in the way it portrayed the lingering effects of remorse and the consequences of unbridled desire. In all honesty, I found this story to be quite interesting but also uncomfortable. As a young woman myself, I do think that it would be pretty ideal to conjure my dream man to life. However, simply thinking about seeing someone I conjured turn out to be an evil monster sounds pretty horrifying. In addition, the uncomfortablility I would personally feel while being at this monster's wake is unimaginable. “Wake” somewhat makes me reflect on my own life; to me, this story shows how having a moral character truly matters because of the karma that may come back to an individual. Even if something is not done with purely evil intentions, I feel as if the universe will find a way to bite back. "Wake" was a moving reminder of the delicate dance that exists between our desires and the reality we make - which to me is a concept that goes beyond the bounds of “typical” Black Horror.

[hopeminteruwriter]

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[sparrow-stunned]

hello!! I love your writing, it feels so believable and in character ^^ if you're comfy writing for yan scaramouche, how about 7. "You're weak. You need me." with a traveller!reader who he convinces to join him during his inazuma cutscene?

(optional: he manipulates her with dubcon type stuff due to him noticing she visibly was drawn to him upon meeting him at reconciled stars?)

star light, star bright | yan scaramouche x reader

Writing in character is one of my biggest concerns, so it's such a relief to hear your words! Also, what perfect timing for your prompt, anon! I’ve been wanting to write some yandere Scaramouche drabble but I didn’t really have any ideas. I took some liberties with your prompt (since I misread a little... oops), so I hope it’s still acceptable. I never played unreconciled stars, unfortunately…so I just watched the cutscenes.

Also, I'm not very familiar with Scaramouche as a character yet, especially since there's still so much we don't know about him. Let’s hope I don’t make any egregious mistakes in his portrayal...

notes: traveller!reader doesn’t have a twin or anything, but is still stuck in teyvat, looking for a way to recover their wings to go back to their world.

content warning: yandere behaviour, strangulation, slight electrocution. also scaramouche, because he is his own warning, the sadist.

word count: 1.2k

“See? I warned you to hold your temper,” Scaramouche sneers, leaning over your collapsed body on the factory floor. You try to push yourself up, nails digging into palms, but the miasma suppresses any energy you can muster. He clicks his tongue, as if scolding a child. “You should have listened. That pitiful friend of yours in the Resistance—is he truly worth all these emotions?”

The journey through Teyvat after being trapped in this strange world by the unknown god. The battles to restore peace, in hopes of answers from the seven Archons. All your efforts to get back your wings, for naught. All of it, only to end at the hands of this man.

Revenge. You have to stand up. Fight. For Teppei. But your body refuses. The angrier you become with your helplessness, with him, the more the world swirls into a cloud of indigo haze.

Never have you felt so sapped of strength—not even when you first awoke in this world after being sealed away. After your wings were stolen. You can’t move your arms or legs, but you can raise your head and glare. So you do. “You—!” Throat clogged with hatred, your voice is mere rasp. “If you’re going to kill me, be done with it.”

You brace yourself, but the Balladeer merely raises an eyebrow. “Kill you?” His jeering laughter echoes in your ears, a cycle of mockery that never ends. “Why would I do that, Traveller?”

You should have expected his cruelty. “Then what do you want from me, Harbinger?” you ask, defeated.

He kneels. Threads his hand in your hair. Violently pulls the strands back, dull pain pulsing on your scalp as hair threaten to tear from root, until you’re facing his sadistic smile. His touch is merciless. His words even more so.

“I find you rather interesting, Outlander. A visitor whose origin cannot be traced. On a journey from nowhere, to nowhere. All the secrets that must be hidden in your clever little mind…” With the other hand, he trails a finger down your neck. The edge of his nail presses ever so light, a knife in flesh. Lightness that could draw blood. “Why would I let such a fascinating little toy go to waste? I’m going to keep you.”

The back of your neck prickles from the hidden promise in his voice. You close your eyes, having no response for his unhinged words—

Only to immediately have your eyes fly open, an involuntary jolt as a lightning bolt sparks from his finger into the vulnerable skin of your throat. “I never said you can look away from me, Traveller,” you hear in the distance.

For a second, you see nothing but stars. So far yet so close. Home.

You would weep if you could.

He shakes his head as your shuddering finally passes, the world spinning back into indigo irises. “You have two choices,” he says mildly. As if anything about him was mild. “Either you walk out of this factory with me, willingly… Or.”

The second choice goes unsaid. Not that you needed to hear it. He clearly wasn’t entertaining any other option than the one he offered.

“Join you? Why would I ever join the Fatui?” you spit, vehemence laced in your words, if not your voice. “After all you did—”

"You're not going to the Fatui. You're coming with me." He leans into your ear, grip on your hair tightening. You try not to wince. “The stars, Traveller.” The puff of warm air against sensitive skin sends chills down your spine.  

“The stars?” Madness. He is madness incarnate. If only you had the strength to wield your sword. If only you could resist. The memories of your first meeting seem so far. You wonder how you could have ever mistaken him for what he truly is. How you could have been fooled into thinking he was harmless.

The Fatui. The Fools. But I am the fool instead.

“I’m surprised you forgot. Remember what I told you, the last time we met? You were oh so interested.” His voice lowers to a dulcet croon. “The stars are a lie, Traveller. Do you recall now? I wonder if you understand.”

Home. You stare at him, eyes wide. You had begged him for answers, but it had been too late. He disappeared without a trace, leaving you lost and alone. Deep inside, you had been hoping you would meet him again. The knowledge he had... you longed for it. Longed to take to the skies, on real wings. Not wind gliders. Not imitation feathers.

Teppei, you remind yourself. But the anger has already begun bleeding out of your body. He has found your weakness. Punctured your resolve with the promise of knowledge. Promise of home.

Your hesitance does not go unnoticed.

“How the hero has fallen,” Scaramouche murmurs. “You’re so weak now.” His hand tightens around your neck, squeezing a strangled sound from your crushed windpipe. You feebly claw at his hand, black spotting your vision as you gasp for air, but his hold remains unmoving. You are powerless to his whims. “Where would you be, without my guidance? Still so lost. Admit it, Traveller. You need me.”

Finally, just as you’re about to faint, he throws you to the ground, careless and brutal. And then he stands up. Looms over you, harsh shadows on his face as you gasp for breath. Stares at your trembling hand that’s massaging your bruised throat. “If you want to know more about the truth of the sky…” he says, a jeer returning to the delicate lines of his face. Soft yet menacing. Everything about him was like that. “My offer still stands.”

Without the overwhelming hatred, the miasma of the old gods has no hold over you. Movement has been returned to your limbs. Your eyes shift. Your sword is mere metres away. You could lunge for it. You could fight. Let the floor run red with blood in a battle to the death—his or yours.

His gaze sharpens, and for a second, you can still feel his touch. Phantom fingers curled around your throat. A blooming pain. A reminder.

You open your mouth to deny him. “I…” Refuse.

The word is at the tip of your tongue, waiting to be set free. For Teppei. For the resistance.

But you do not choose them.

For home.

You choose yourself instead.

“I… I understand,” you choke out. The words are bitter ash on your tongue.

It is not a yes. It is not a no. But it is enough, for the Sixth of the Fatui Harbingers smirks. “I thought you would,” the Balladeer taunts. When your fists clench in response, he snickers.

His mocking laughter is seared into your mind. It will haunt your dreams—a signal to the beginning of your waking nightmare.

(He’s laughing at your foolishness. He was never planning to tell you. Anything. At. All.)

[misschanadlerbong]

Chapter 1- First Day

A/N: This is my first book so please be generous with your comments and honest feedback will be welcomed. This story will include some instances from seasons 3 and 4 too but if you haven't seen them it will not be a problem because the book mainly focuses on the main characters featured in season 1. I hope you all enjoy this little journey, Happy reading y'll.

P.S. The characters of the story belong to the 13 Reasons Why Franchise, I do not own the characters except the OC of this book. 

Word Limit: 0.7k

Next Chapter >

Your father just got transferred to California and you somehow managed to convince your dad to let you complete your junior year in Washington DC where he was formerly posted. Being a child of a military parent was sure a struggle. This would be the fourth school in your lifetime of 17 years.

Changing schools sounds like exploring and a fun thing to do but it wasn't. It wasn't easy to say goodbye to your friends whom you thought you'll never leave your entire life. Yes, everyone promises to stay in touch but eventually we go far from them as soon as you realize.

It's no one's fault it's just how life is. You have to move on, meet new people, and trust them no matter how hard it is. If you don't move on, then you are held back by your past and it becomes difficult to grow in the future.

You were going to start your Senior Year and the Last Year of your high school at Liberty High, Crestmont, California; hoping that you'll get to complete the year in this school itself. Provided that it was your first day you were anxious and nervous though you were used to the first days. The school was not too far from your place, it would barely take 15 minutes to walk to reach there. But as it was your first day both your parents accompanied you to drop you off at school by car.

Embarrassing right? Well, they still you like a girl. Sometimes it's sweet but sometimes it gets awkward.

Both your parents got off the car, hugged you, and kissed you. "Have a great day honey" said your mom kissing your forehead. You waved at them saying "Thanks, Bye!" and proceeded towards the main entrance of the school.

It was a beautiful morning. The adrenaline rush of the first day was felt in the air. The blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. The sun was shining bright, but not too bright to be irritating. It felt like a soft and warm kiss against your cheeks.

You were filled with enthusiasm and positive energy as it was the start of your last schooling year. You were the type of person who always believed in the silver lining and was always excited to meet new people.

You chose 6 subjects AP Literature, AP History, AP Biology, Political Science, Mathematics, and French. Your first class was AP Literature and the counselor who gave you your timetable guided you to your class.

The corridor of the school was lined by blue lockers on each side. It was empty as the period had already started and everyone was in their classrooms. The teacher showed you your locker and told you that your class was the first one from the right. You put your things in the locker and took the important things for the class and walked towards the class.

As you opened the door drawing all the attention, you asked for permission to get into the class. You noticed that they were already going to start the class.

"Ah... Miss Y/N Y/Ln, we were going to start without you." The teacher invited you in and introduced you to the class.

"So, Class this is Y/N Y/Ln, she'll be starting her Senior Year today in this school. Y/N why don't you tell us something about yourself?"

"Hello! I am Y/N Y/Ln, I just got admitted to the school and I am looking forward to having a great year with you guys,"You said and a guy sitting on the last bench giving out fuckboy vibes cut you off and said, "New girl!" and a couple of boys wearing varsity jackets whooped for no reason and one of them even whistled.

You smiled and replied, "Okay, so I guess I have a nickname already, thank you for being so welcoming."

The whole class including your teacher enjoyed a good laugh at this.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same, introducing and stuff. But from the first day, you learned that this year was not going to be as easy as you thought it would be. Because people at Liberty High are kinda difficult to understand.

A/N: This was just an introduction to how the OC's life is gonna be at liberty high. Stay tuned to see how she will face the ups and downs in her life in new school. If you liked it then shower your love by liking this post.

[bebepac]

Sincerely, Lady Liberty

This is @choicesficwriterscreations week 2 Please be Prompt challenge for angst:  The quote for angst: Was it ever me?  will appear in bold.

This is also: @choicesmonthlychallenge​ july prompt for the 29th for mutual pining

The Series:  The Rotten Apple 🍎 The Book:  TRH & Beyond The Pairings:  Liam x Riley / Eleanor x Nico (Eleanor x M!OC) Ratings & Warnings:  Teen:  Mention of character death, mention of mental illness, profanity, anger, grief. Word Count:  4943 Summary: Nico loses Ana in the park, and  a veiled woman introduces herself to Ana.  Liberty intervenes in multiple lives in attempt to make them healthier.

Original post: 07/27/22 at 6:20PM EST

A/N:  You might not like or agree with where I plan to take this story from here on out to the end.  Heck I’ve had people tell me they didn’t like where it started. I told myself if this chapter went over 5000 words I would be splitting it into two chapters, and there would be two more chapters left of The Rotten Apple, and look where I landed.  I’ve had a lot of surprises along the way in this story and took it places I never intended, but overall, I am really content with this story.  I know that this storyline is not for everyone, but I am very happy with the story I have presented to this point.  And for the people who enjoy this storyline, thank you for going on this journey with me.  There is officially one more chapter left after this one, possibly two if I decide on an epilogue.  But here we go.  

"Papa look!!!"

Nico gazed up from his book to Ana as she stood at the top of the slide ready to go down, Ana smiled and waved at him.

Nico  waved back and proudly cheered for fearless Ana as she giggled as she went down the swirly slide at the park. She jumped up enthusiastically and she broke out into a little run heading for the ladder to climb up the playhouse again for round two.  

Nico returned to his book however, it was only for a moment,  just long enough for Ana to climb back up the slide’s ladder.  He glanced up again at the slide, expecting Ana to be at the top, but it wasn’t her, another child was in her place.

Ana must be next, he thought to himself, but instead another child emerged at the top of the playhouse.  

Nico abandoned his book, trotting over to the playhouse peering in. Ana  was not in the play-pen or on the ladder. The slow realization that something was not right, began to take hold. 

“Ana?”  

He did a quick scan of the playground not seeing her.  Nico tried to stay calm as he called out her name again.  

“Ana answer me!”   he yelled, the panic starting to creep into his voice. 

People were beginning to look at him; he was starting to get the attention of other parents in the park.

Relax, he reassured himself. She couldn’t have gone far. Ana wasn’t the type to wander away from him, but he briskly walked over to the restroom, a woman with a child was coming out.  Ana always knew to ask if she needed to go to the bathroom, but it was a lead worth checking.Nico quickly pulled out his phone, showing Ana's picture.  

“Did you see my daughter in there?  Please can you check and see if she's inside?”  

The woman paused to look at the picture of Ana. He knew what the woman was going to say before she even said it, her eyes looked sad and sympathetic, as before she even spoke she pulled her own daughter closer to her.

“No, she’s not.  We were the only ones in there, I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen her.”  

Nico completely lost his cool, as he began to frantically scream her name.  What if he lost her?  What if… something worse had happened, someone had taken her? Elle’s words from years ago rang in his ears.  

“Because of who she is, makes her a target, because of who they think I am.”

God! What if someone took her because she’s Elle’s daughter?!?!? He had done his best to shield her from the limelight, and he hadn’t noticed people lurking around them in quite some time.   Nico’s brain was running a mile a minute. His normally calm demeanor he had when he was a guard, completely disappeared and all he was in that moment was a frightened parent.  

“ANA!!!!!”

He sprinted the length of the park, fear gripping his heart, making it hard for him to breathe, his eyes expertly skimming the perimeter, looking for a child with Ana’s features,  when he finally caught sight of her standing  outside the gate talking to a woman who was kneeling in front of her.  Nico athletically traversed the fence with ease and barrelled toward Ana’s direction, at full speed.  The woman kneeling was wearing a veil that covered her face and was handing Ana ice cream.  

“Get the hell away from my daughter!”

 Nico screamed, snatching Ana away from the woman, violently pushing the woman backwards, holding Ana tight and protectively in his arms, the ice cream falling between them.

He realized his mistake as soon as it happened.

"Shit."

When the woman toppled backwards to the ground, he noticed the split second all of them mobilized at once. The Kingsguard descended on their position.  He immediately shielded Ana's eyes from the guard that had pulled a gun on him. He knew exactly who he had just hit.

"Hands off the Queen, commoner."

Queen Riley removed her veil.  

"Your Majesty, my apologies."

He immediately helped her up.  “Queen Riley I apologize, I didn’t realize it was you.  I was thinking the absolute worst.”  

“That happens when you’re a parent. I guess I could have handled things better.  I should have spoken to you first. I just wanted a few moments alone with her.”

“Ana, are you alright?”  

“Papa, I’m fine. She wasn’t going to hurt me. I know.  She showed me pictures of Mommy. Mommy was a real princess, like in your story?”

“Yes, she was.”  

“So the dragon is real?”

“We’ll talk about this later Ana…. Why are you here Queen Riley?”  

“You’re looking at me Nico… the way my daughter looked at me.  She hated me.”  

“I don’t think she wanted to Queen Riley, but that’s what she felt from you, so she gave it back.”

“And you?”

He embraced Ana tighter.  “Elle was very specific when it came to you, Queen Riley. She didn’t want Ana to be treated how she felt she was treated by you, and frankly neither do I. So I ask you again, why are you here?”

Tears filled Queen Riley's eyes.

“I don’t know…. I just wanted to see her, I guess.  All the pictures I've seen of Ana, that Liam showed me, reminded me of my Ellie.  She looks just like she did at that age. She has very happy eyes.”  

“Ana has her mother’s eyes, Queen Riley.”  

“I wanted to bring Ana a gift.  Most little girls want to be a princess.”

She opened the small box.  “It’s Ellie’s first tiara. I thought Ana might like to have it.”  

Ana wriggled out of Nico’s grasp, standing in front of Queen Riley.

“Is that really for me?”  

Riley smiled down at Ana.

“Yes, it’s for you. Do you like it?”

"I love it. Papa, I'm a princess too!"

“No, let me.”  Riley kneeled down, and placed the sparkling tiara onto Ana’s head, gently stroking the child’s locks carefully in place over her shoulders.  “Now you’ve been crowned by a real Queen."

Queen Riley was making it so difficult for Nico to refuse her.  

“Yes you are, but Queen Riley it’s too much, I can't let her keep that! Those are real stones.”  

“Let her have it? I’d rather her wear it, than just sit in a case in our jewelry room. You’ll take extra special care of it right Ana?”

“I will! I promise!!!  Papa? Can I keep it?”

He couldn’t say no to her, she had him wrapped around her finger.

“What do we say Ana?”  

“Thank you Queen Riley.”  Before he could stop her, Ana  threw her arms around Riley hugging her middle.

Riley’s body went rigid, her fists were clenched for a moment, her eyes closed.

“Ana….”  Nico started.

Riley unclinched her fists, and slowly returned Ana’s embrace.  

“Ana let her go.”  

Ana pulled away from Riley.  “Papa, it’s so pretty.”  

“You’re even more beautiful.”  

“You think I’m a terrible human being don’t you Nico?”  

“It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“I want you to tell me.”  

“I think…. you endured something horrible, and you’re still angry about it,  but your anger has been misdirected for all of these years.  Elle didn’t deserve it, and you ruined your relationship with her because of it, and you broke a part of her.  I saw Elle cry once because of it, insisting she didn't care about you, as tears streamed down her face. You did that to her. So yes, Queen Riley, I think you are a terrible human being, and I won't let you treat my daughter the way you treated your own flesh and blood because I promised Elle, I would protect our child. She deserves better from you, and so did Elle.”

Queen Riley nodded.

“You were brutally honest with me…. But I asked you for that. Ellie was fortunate to have you in her life then.  It appears you truly cared for her.”  

“I did, with all my heart, regardless of what people think of me.”  

"You mean do. You still do Nico. You wouldn't be so defensive over her still, if you felt nothing for my daughter."

That evening when Nico was helping Ana get ready for bed, he decided to bring up today’s events.  

“Ana, we need to talk about today.”

“The story is true, isn't it Papa?”  

“It is.”

“You were Mommy’s guard.”  

“Yes, I was for a little bit.” 

“And the dragon?”  

“Not an actual dragon.”  He thought for a moment to try to explain Elle’s condition in a way that Ana would understand.  “You know how you have a bad dream, and you wake up, and you’re afraid, but I’m here and I remind you that it was only a dream and what you thought happened didn’t?"

Ana nodded her head.

“Mommy can’t always tell what's real or not, and sometimes she sees people or hears voices that aren’t really there.”

“How do you get better?”  

“Sometimes you don’t. But Mommy’s trying really hard.   They give her medicine that helps.”  

“She can do it. I want her to come home.”  

“I know you do. But just know, I will  always be here for you.”  

Nico pulled Ana into a hug and  kissed her forehead, then  left the room, before his eyes filled with tears. Something about having a daughter had really changed him. He had become so much more sensitive over the years, caring for Ana.

 Ana still had a void in her heart, even though he felt he was a good parent to her, Ana still wanted her Mother, she still needed her mother. She needed Elle.

Elle

“You have a visitor.”  

“I only have visitors on my birthday. It’s not my birthday.”  

“Do you want me to turn her away?”  

“No… I’ll go.”  Eleanor wondered who it was, who she was that was coming to visit her.  Whomever it was provided a happy break from Ellie's usual routine.

She couldn’t contain her surprise when she walked into the room.

“Libby!”  She exclaimed.

“Hi Ellie."

“How did you get here?”  

“I drove.”  

“Wow! Look at you!!!!  You look so grown up.”  

“I kind of am.  It’s been  almost seven years.  How are you Ellie?”  

“I’m okay.  This place is kind of like the palace in a way,  people are always watching every move you make, and I can’t leave unattended.  The food’s better at the palace than here though.”  

Libby smiled.

“Yes, that was a horrible attempt at a joke.  I know.”

“How are you really Ellie?”  

Ellie's smile slowly faded.

“The truth….Do I still have the feelings and hear the voices that landed me here?”  Yes, but it’s dull.  They are constantly adjusting my medication so I keep them muted."

"What has it been like being here? Or is this something you don't feel comfortable answering?"

"I can answer.  It's been one of the hardest things I have ever done. There are times when I have been in complete war with myself and..  my inner demons. When I came back after Ana left with Nico it was a very tough time for me. I chose to be heavily medicated, because I couldn't deal with losing her. I thought being numb to the hurt was easier than facing it head on, and I couldn't face it. I walked around in a daze here for months. I don't know how, but somehow I just emotionally knew it was her first birthday."

Her eyes met Liberty's. "Do you want to know more?"

“Only if you feel comfortable.”  

"I almost forgot my baby's first birthday, I missed her so much, I thought it was easier to block the pain. 

She celebrated without me. Her mother, who loves her and wanted to be there for her. I should be there for her.  And I wasn't. After her first birthday, they wanted to try to wean me down off of some of the medications I was on, to see if I could handle it. At first it was so overwhelming because it felt like all the senses I had dulled by massive amounts of medication were immediately heightened.  Things got so difficult, almost manic. They thought it was best to increase my medication again, but not as high as it was, but then they brought me back down even slower again. When the emotional dust settled and the haziness cleared I tried to do little things for myself.  I read a lot,  and I continue to study Greek.  I don’t know why.”

“Did you get my letters?”  

“Yes, Libby I did.”

“Why didn’t you write me back?  Were you mad at me?  I never told, like I promised. I kept your secret.”  

“I did write you back, every letter I got, until they stopped.”

“They stopped, because I never heard from you, and thought you didn’t care about me.”

“I care about you Libby, even though I haven’t been the greatest at showing it.”  

Ellie reached across the table to touch her sister’s hand.

“It had to be Mother.  Father wouldn’t have kept my letters from you.  At least, I don’t think he would.  That doesn’t seem like him.”

“Father’s changed since you left. He doesn't say it but he looks so sad. He misses you so much.”  

“I messed up so many things, Libby.”

“Ana was not a mistake. She looks just like you Ellie.”

“She does?”  

“I wish I had a picture of her, so you could see.  Nico is a great father to her.”  

“I knew he would be.”

“I promise I will hug her for you the next time I get to see her. I asked Father to go to Greece with him the next time he goes to see her."

"Father is still a part of her life?" Ellie's eyes filled with tears.

“He never told you?”

"No.  I think when he visits he takes his cues from me.  Even though I want to know, I don’t ask, so he respects that and doesn’t share.  It hurts thinking about her on most days.  So I try not to.”

“Every several months he goes to Greece to see her. Nico's never brought her to the palace, but I understand why. He is trying to protect her, and you Ellie. So people don't ask questions."

“I wanted her. I wanted to be her mother, Libby. I wanted them both. I wanted to feel… something different.”

“I know. You wanted to feel love.  I could tell you loved him.  That you still love him.  

Nico is still single, I heard.”  

“He doesn’t love me anymore.

  The last time I saw him, Ana was a little over three months old. And he took her away, and he never looked back.  He just left me there alone.”

“I don’t think that’s completely true Ellie.  He loves your daughter so much, and she’s part of you; that means something. Have you tried to write to him?"

"And say what? I am sorry for what I did?"

"Is it the truth?"

"YES! I was wrong to hurt Nicolai. Nic was a good person."

"Then tell Nico that. Tell him you were sick and weren't thinking clearly. I think it would mean a lot to him if you told him you were genuinely sorry."

"Not after all these years."

"You should reach out to him."

"I can't Libby. He doesn't want to hear from me. He's made that painstakingly clear."

"I think you're wrong Ellie."

And now Liberty was going to prove it.

Nico, Ana and Liberty 

Libby knocked on the door.

She couldn’t believe she had done this. But she wanted to help  Ellie with something she didn't have the courage to do.

She heard giggles and then the front door opened.  She was staring face to face with Ellie’s daughter Ana.

“Hi Ana.”  

“Hi.”

Nico came running to the door.

“Ana!  I told you about just opening the door, and not checking who it is first.”  

“I’m sorry Papa.”  

He scooped Ana up into his arms.

“Liberty!  What are you doing here?”

Ana whispered something in his ear in Greek. Liberty only knew a little bit of Greek. To which he whispered back to her.

“Can I tell her,  it’s not polite for us whispering in another language in front of her.”  

Ana nodded.

“Ana wanted to know why you look like her mother. And I told her you were her mommy’s  sister.”  

Liberty smiled.  

“I am your mother’s younger sister.  The last time I saw you, you were very little. But I want to change that. May I come in?”

“Please come in.”  

“This is a nice home you have here Nico.”  

“Thank you.  I wanted to refuse, but your father gives us a stipend for Ana’s care, and to have a decent lifestyle.  Though, deep down, I feel like it’s partially for my silence because I never pressed charges against Elle."

Nicolai’s death to that day had still been ruled an accident.  The evidence simply just went away, maybe King Liam had something to do with that, maybe he didn’t.  Nico never heard from the detective again.  

“Can I ask you a question?”  

“Sure.”  

“How does she know about Ellie, and what she looks like?”

“Because I told her she has a mother, that her mother is sick. She’s seen pictures of her.”  

He walked over to the mantle  and brought the framed picture over to her.  

“That was the last Christmas I spent with Elle, when she came here to Greece with me for the holiday. I saw a side of Elle while she was here, that I don’t think many people saw of her.”

Ellie was wearing the pink dress that Nico had bought for her.  Nico next to her, in a nice navy suit, his arm draped around her, his fingertips resting comfortably on her hip. The two looked very happy together.  Ellie looked so content standing by his side.  Ellie’s smile in the picture was incandescent as she gazed towards the camera.

“I am in this picture too.”  Ana announced proudly.

“You are?” Libby inquired. "But I don't see you."

She pointed to the picture.  “I was in Mommy’s tummy.  She’s sick, but she’s coming home when she gets better.”  

Libby's eyes widened as she looked at Nico.

"From the mouths of babes." Nico responded. He gave her a little kiss on her cheek, “Ana, go play.”  

Once Ana was out of earshot Nico softened his voice.

“I don’t have the heart to tell her Elle’s never coming home.”

“Who’s to say she can’t?  I went to see Ellie at the hospital."

“You did? How is she?”  

“She looks like she’s aged so much being away.  She has streaks of gray in her hair.”

“Well she’s not the only one with some gray now.”  Nico softly laughed, running his fingers through his own hair.

“She tried to crack bad jokes too.  She still loves you Nico.  You know she loved you. The two of you meant everything to her.  I think that’s what caused her psychotic break, losing the two of you. Nico, she has given up.  And I think she would fight harder to get well, if she knew she had the two of you waiting for her.”  

“Liberty, she killed my son.”  

“And she regrets that, and she wasn’t well when she did it.  But you still love her.  If you didn’t love her, you wouldn’t have pictures of her around to show Ana. And you sure as hell wouldn’t tell Ana about her. You would have poisoned Ana against her mother, but you didn’t do that. You still love Ellie right?”  

Nico wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Go see her. Tell her. Get her out of that horrible place. So she can come home like Ana believes she will.

 That sweet little girl deserves her mother, who loves her. Ellie wants to be her mother.”  

"Elle doesn’t want me.”  

Liberty laughed.

“The two of you are so insistent that the other doesn’t feel the way they feel, and you’re not asking the one person that could really give you that answer. Stop wasting time Nico.  Go to her.”  

“Elle asked me for one thing the whole time we were together. Just one thing.”

"What was that?"

"A house. This is the house she wanted. I still built it for her."

"Because you love her. She still loves you too. Please go see her Nico, and bring her home."

"Did she say it Libby?" Nico inquired.

"She didn't have to. Her actions spoke louder than her words. Just like your actions.  I understand how the two of you fell in love. You are two halves of the same soul. Go see her Nico."

Liberty smiled to herself.  She hadn't planted the seeds in both their hearts,  she was simply the florist that gave the seeds a little water and fertilizer and sunshine hoping their love would rebloom.

Nico and Elle

Nico found the courage a little over a month later to make the trip to Portavira to see Elle face to face. He decided it was best not to take Ana with him as he did not know how Elle would react, and honestly, he didn't want Ana's first meeting with Elle in a place where Elle couldn't leave.

It had been years since Nico wore a suit but he decided to wear one that day.  He shaved  and had gotten a haircut.  

He waited for Elle to be brought into the room pacing nervously.  

“I thought I would never see you again.”  

His back was to her, she saw his whole body stiffen and turned around to face her.  

“Elle.. Eleanor.”  Nico cleared  his throat.

“You can still call me Elle if you want.  I didn’t know it was going to be you that was my visitor.”  

He watched her try to smooth down the flyaways of her hair.  Her hair was inches longer than he remembered it, and had streaks of gray throughout it, as Liberty had mentioned. Her hair was in one long thick grecian side braid, lazily slung over her left shoulder. Elle was not quite as thin as she used to be, but still had her hourglass figure. His eyes traveled slowly down her form. Elle was as beautiful as he remembered, even more so, casually dressed.  Elle tried to straighten out the tiny wrinkles of the simple pale azure dress she was wearing; She looked insecure.

“I must look…..”

Nico immediately shook his head.  

“No, you look fine.  You look well. You're beautiful Elle. You've always been beautiful."

A slight flush of pink blossomed on her cheeks.  

"Thank you.  You're wearing the suit from our Christmas trip."

"It's just a little tighter than I remember." Nico smiled as he patted his stomach; Elle returned the smile.

"It still looks nice on you. At least I think it does. You look handsome."

"Thank you."

Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire because his smile still made her weak. Six and a half years had passed since they barely said good bye and he whisked Ana away. No, she actually felt dizzy as he walked towards her.

Nico immediately sprang into action. He still had his cat-like reflexes from being a guard and had caught her in his arms. Her head fell into his shoulder, and she took a moment to just breathe him in.  He was wearing the same cologne she loved. Nico smelled exactly the same as she remembered.  She rested her head on his shoulder a moment.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, the medication makes me feel lightheaded sometimes."

He helped steady her on her feet, leading her to the seat, his grip tight around her supporting some of her weight.

Once he assisted her to sit, he sat across from her.

"Is that better?"

"Yes, thank you, Nico……Why are you here to see me?”  

"I don't know." Nico's voice was soft and he sounded unsure of himself.

"Not that I'm complaining.  I'm not. It's really good to see you."

“I am not being truthful, Liberty came to see me.”  

"She did? I’ve seen her recently too.  She told me she believes in us."

"She believes in us?"

"That we can fix ourselves and be happy together, that we still…. Have feelings for each other."

Elle's cheeks turned bright pink, recounting Liberty's words.

"When Ana saw her, she thought she looked like you."

"I didn't think you would tell her about me…. What did you say? How does she know what I look like?"

"I have that picture of us from Christmas up so she will know where her features come from, what her mother looks like, what you look like Elle. There is nothing about her that is me Elle, she's a miniature version of you. She's quiet at first, and when you crack her shell, she's kind, funny, and boisterous. She’s a little bit bossy, like you, but I don’t mind, and she's so intelligent that she makes me feel dumb sometimes."

"Is she good?"

Nico's face softened as he stared at her. He knew what she was really asking.

"She's good Elle."

"Are you sure?"

Elle's eyes filled with tears.

"Yes, I'm sure. I keep a very close watch over her."

One of Elle's prayers has been answered.

"Then she is like you, Nico, and she has your smile. I remember. Does she still have it?"

Nico took out his phone showing Elle pictures of Ana.

"She's so beautiful. Look at her. She's perfect. She still has your smile. What did you tell her about me?"

"I told her that Mommy was sick, and that's why she couldn't be with her. I didn't want her to think that you didn't love her. Because, I saw how you looked when you held her when she was born Elle, and how we took care of her together those months after.  It killed me taking her away from you the way I did. I know that you love her."

"I do, but you didn't look back, Nico."

"Because I couldn't, because it hurt so much."

"You broke my heart, Nico."

"You broke mine, when you killed my son."

"I'm sorry. I really am, I regret it every day."

Nico burst into tears. "I believe you."

Both were silent for a few moments. It was now or never in Nico's eyes. Liberty had brought the two together again, it was time for him to take a leap of faith.

"You need to get better, Elle.  Our daughter needs you. She wants you to come home."

"Home?"

"Yes home, to our home."

"But, do you want me there? You really want me there?"

Nico looked down at his feet for a moment.

"You know Liberty has wisdom beyond her years. She saw it when I talked about you. Fight for us Elle. Get better so you can come home to us. PLEASE! We need you."

She shook her head no.  

“This isn’t real, I’m dreaming. This isn’t happening right now. I’m going to wake up any moment now.”  

“Elle, I'm here right now.  With you.”  He touched her arm and she smacked it away, standing up laughing in his face.  

“You’re good. Showing up as him to say everything I have always wanted him to say to me. I can see right through you. You’re not going to fool me!!!!”

“Elle, it’s me.”   Nico insisted.

“You’re playing games with me thinking I’ll fall for it.  SHOW YOURSELF!!!  YOU’RE NOT HIM!!!!!  You’re not going to get me!!!!  You’re pathetic!  How dare you?!?!  I don’t love you!!!  I don’t want you!!!!  LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”

Her words seemed to physically push him back from her. There were tears in his eyes.  

“Was it ever me?”

“What?”  

“Was it ever me that you truly wanted Elle?”  

“Of course I wanted Nico.

But things like this don’t happen for people like me.”  

“Liberty was right about you Elle.  You gave up.  And you feel like you have to convince yourself that I’m not really here right now putting  it all out here on the line for you. Why don’t you believe me Elle?”  

“BECAUSE I DON’T DESERVE IT!!!! I’M A BAD PERSON!!!!!  The things I’ve done, the people I’ve hurt.  I don’t deserve to have what I want.”  

Elle burst into tears, Nico inched closer to her, pulling her into his arms.  Elle didn’t fight him.  

“What I see is a person, who made some really bad choices, and clearly has remorse for them, and is living in a place of guilt isolating herself from people that truly care about her.  I care for you Elle.  I never stopped, which is why I ran, because I was so conflicted. Those words you told me that last night we were together, that I said back to you, I meant every word."

“It’s really you Nico?”  

“Yes. It’s me!”

Her prayers had finally been answered.

"Fight for us Elle. We're waiting for you. We've always been waiting for you. Please come home to us."

"You really mean that? Are you sure?"

"Yes, your home is with me and our daughter Elle. We want you to come home.  We’re waiting patiently for you Elle."

Nico embraced her again.  “It’s alright Elle.  I’m here for you. I’ve always been.  And that’s sort of your fault.”  

“My fault?”  

He smiled at her, his fingers, gently lifting the necklace she was wearing  from under the neckline of the dress.  Elle was wearing the heart necklace Nico had given her that Christmas so many years ago.

“I told you that you had my heart, but you never gave it back to me.”  

After Nico left  Elle requested an emergency appointment with her therapist.  

“I’m ready Doctor Stanley.”  

Dr. Stanley smiled.  

“This is the Eleanor that I’ve been waiting for  to finally show up all this time. Let’s get to work.”  

Before Doctor Stanley could prompt Elle with a question, Elle began to speak.  

[valorkook]

The Story of Us | j.jk

pairings: jeon jungkook x fem!reader  (ft. kim taehyung near the ending)

type/warning: little fluff i guess, angst, requited to unrequited love, reincarnation AU, soulmates!AU, solo idol!AU, accidental death (overdose), mention of magic/witchcraft, incorrect depiction of history stuff

word count: 11.6k (my longest fic yet)

summary: If there was one thing you could learn from the existence of soulmates in the world is that it is dependent on the way you let your life unravel based upon the decisions you make: Whether you choose to fall once again into the scheme of destiny dictated by the heavens above or you learn from your past life and decide to let go. 

Year 18XX

Soulmates. Many children have been read by their parents or guardians the story of the first-recorded couple who told the rest of the world how we are predestined to be with someone not only in just one lifetime, but also in the next lifetime. The concept of soulmates was merely just a story people mockingly believed in until it happens to them; to your parents, and to you. 

Back when you were a child, being tucked at night by your mother you were excited to hear how she and your father met and knew they were bound for each other through every lifetimes they will have in the future, however she explained to you that though they are going to meet each other when they are reborn does not guarantee that you will be their child again. 

You remember that was your first heartbreak. Wanting to curse whoever started the soulmate connection but it will only render you to be spanked in the butt, and as an 8-year-old child you don’t want to experience that kind of pain before you sleep. The only way you can express your anger and sadness was to pout, tears from your eyes threatening to spill as your mother coddled you to sleep that night. 

Regardless, she assured you and your little mind that while they might be gone from your life when you reincarnated, your soulmate from the past will stand next to you. You and your significant other will retain the same name and the same memories once you encounter them again, and you will continue to save your memories with them throughout the next lifetime. That little knowledge you learned magically helped you sleep comfortably apart from being in the loving arms of your mother. 

It was essential to remember that night, within your dreams you walked a familiar path in Kang's manor and deep in their magnificent garden was where you found him; Doe eyes staring back at yours, and it appears that you nearly have the same height as him as both of you were still young. The most important thing you kept in your mind when you woke up from that dream was how he looked, and exactly the location of where to find him that day. 

The Kang’s estate is one of the largest houses you visited countlessly in the village, apart from your own house with your parents. The status of being the only daughter in the family made you become close with Kang Kyungmi, who has the same age as you. You two have partaken on multiple play dates and tea parties conducted by your parents as a scapegoat for them to mingle and gossip at the stone patio overlooking the Kang’s intricate hedge labyrinth and garden. There have been times where you lost your way out inside the high bushes parting into pathways and Kyungmi, bestowed with a sense of direction and intelligence at a young age, always knows where to find you before the night comes. You were deathly afraid of the dark back then.

You have another objective related to finding your soulmate as you begged your parents to visit Kyungmi the next day after the dream occured. And while the carriage being carried by the horses take their time to travel towards their manor, in the back of your mind you have already planned the pathways of the maze, hopefully be able to check its crevices and corners to find him. You can’t divulge the information to your parents that you have seen your soulmate’s face until you can prove it with your own two eyes.

Hurried greetings were given upon entry to the gates by you before you sped over at the back of their huge house, no more than two minutes and you found yourself standing at the entrance of the maze. You don’t care that your dress, albeit being immaculate white since it was purchased four days ago, gets dirtied with the soil once you entered their garden. What was once a clear sky before you left your home now turns out to be dimmed and cloudy, as if nature's provoking you to find him before the rain pours. Nevertheless you gladly took the challenge as you began to thread the high bushes and find a pathway connected to other areas of the maze. 

“Doe eyes,” was only what you could mutter as you turned every corner until you saw the same angle of the tree branches peeking just above the hedges in your dreams, except there was not a single person whose innocent eyes you memorized appeared at the same spot. 

“Have you lost your way out?” someone meekly asked you from behind. 

The moment you have your eyes on his, you are helpless. So to say. 

He was the most handsome boy you have ever seen in your life, and you feel your heart beating faster against your chest and your hands yearning to hold his. You were speechless when you saw his face, the exact eyes that have been stuck in your dreams were now real and in front of you. While your parents hoped for your soulmate to have the same social status as yours, you didn’t mind when his appearance said otherwise. He was no noble, you figured, but you were sure your parents cannot protest against the soulmate connection made by the heavens above for you and him. 

You never dare to forget his name when you make your journey back home once the night falls. Though you two didn’t spend enough time to talk and get to know each other, you were already planning to know all of him in this lifetime. 

His name is Jeon Jungkook, the youngest son of his family who has been loyal in their service to the Kang’s family for decades. More than that, they are residing in the same manor as Kyungmi so you would always know where to find him easily. No longer will you attempt to roam the whole country, looking for your soulmate since you are blessed by the heavens above that you already met him. Indeed there was no verbal indication that the two of you were destined for each other, but deep inside there is this mutual feeling that speaks for both of you. Some kind of divine intervention that cannot be proven by science. 

Your parents found it odd that they have been frequenting the Kang’s family in the coming years, and yet they never questioned it. It only made them happy to see your budding friendship with Kyungmi and the boy whose family works for Kyungmi’s parents. You three were inseparable since Kyungmi observed how you became close to Jungkook. Moreover, you have introduced him as your soulmate, to which she enthusiastically celebrated by requesting for his mother, Mrs. Jeon, to bake a cake instantly that day. Thus, her blabbering got the attention of nearly all the workers in the manor and her parents as well as yours, and his. 

Your parents were surprised when they were able to piece together the reason for visiting the Kang’s. Finding out that It was more than just you creating a long-lasting friendship with Kyungmi. Nonetheless, they support your happiness as much as Kyungmi’s parents support hers. Granted, they were far from other noble families who seek to elevate their status and advertising their own children in marriage as a way of merging businesses.

In the perspective of the Jeon family, with their youngest son whose soulmate is the daughter of an affluent family in the village, they sighed in relief from worrying about Jungkook’s future as a menial laborer. As much as their predecessors have been loyal to the Kang’s family, they hoped that their sons would find a way to grow outside of the manor and pursue their aspirations beyond the village. While Junghyun’s planning his future outside the service they provide to the Kang’s family, Jungkook however was focused to alleviate the workload of his parents during that time. With you as their son’s soulmate, they see a bright future for Jungkook to care and provide for you, transcending through every lifetime you will spend together. 

From that moment, while his parents continue to do the same chores within Kang's manor Jungkook was already given the liberty to choose whether to stay at Park’s manor, which is your family’s, or to stay. He was not required to be of service for the Kang’s anymore but due to his compassion towards his parents, he continues to do so. Not only that, his family is well-received by both powerful families and were gifted with various items; his favorite shirt which was dull in color was then replaced with a more vibrant cream color, and he was required to own a few suits whenever the families host dinner parties. It was typical for Jungkook to always escort you to every party, even if it’s held at Kyungmi’s house or yours, but he didn’t mind one bit as long as he has you close to him. 

You feel loved whenever you feel his eyes on you as the years go by. The talks you two shared were delightful, you admit. Though nothing compares to the lingering stares and the kisses you two have shared under the same moonlight when both of you reached the age of 13. His soft lips against yours always leave you defenseless, that only led him to give you more until your lipstick’s a mess. Even if it was a mere peck, an innocent kiss shared between the two of you, both you and Jungkook were still reprimanded by your respective parents. Though neither of you didn’t expressed any regrets after being caught, you two still kept to your parents’ word to wait for the right time, such as marriage. 

It was when you’re 14 years old that he planned to take you out into the townsquare, just the two of you as you roamed the festivities prepared and held by the townspeople annually. The two young couple, soulmates if you’d prefer, grabbed the attention of some villagers and made them coo at the demure young love you two emitted. Furthermore, he let you know that to make this date be affordable, he started working at the nearby bakery months ago in order to earn money to spend for tonight. Even when both of you knew that you can afford everything the market has to offer that night.

“Just let me spend my hard earned money for you, ______.” Jungkook whined adorably while you only pinched his cheeks in response. He never missed to treat you like a princess worthy of the world has to offer every time when you realize that he, too, deserves to be treated as a prince if you were to be his one and only princess. 

The summer when you were 15, and him approaching the age of 16, he agreed to your suggestion to stay with you and your family for the whole season. And while he is assured by your parents to treat it as a vacation with your family, he still insists on doing the chores he used to do before despite your protest. Although not for long, you learned to do the same tasks he performed and was able to independently bake cupcakes without burning them and leave your room clean every morning, which left your maids to scratch their heads on what to touch after considering that your trinkets are no longer littered on the floor anymore. 

The garden in your backyard was something that can’t be bragged about without being compared to Kyungmi’s, but Jungkook kissed your worries away when the open field offered the opportunity to teach you how to ride a horse, choosing Nora. The white horse had been spontaneously named by your mother as a present from your parents on your 3rd birthday. You feel his clothed chest on your back as he guided your hands in manipulating the rope in front of you. 

There are other days where you were calmly reading with him in the small library located in the east wing of the mansion, getting used to the domesticity of the quiet activity you two chose to spend the rest of the day with. Unfortunately for him, he picked the wrong book to read when his eyes stumbled upon hifalutin words that are rarely used in everyday conversations. 

He scooted over to the sofa you’re currently occupying, noticed how his right hand is free from clutching the book and found your left hand. Interlacing your fingers together before asking you the meaning of the difficult words. You gladly taught him the whole afternoon with new words, though it didn’t last long when he returned the book back to its proper shelf and insisted for you to read him the romantic fiction upon your hands until the sun goes down.

Summer comes and goes so fast when the night turns colder and he is on a carriage back to his family. You silently cried that night in your bed when he went away, never knowing Jungkook equally feels the same way during that ride. While you wiped your tears from the linens on the side of your bed you felt the crinkling of paper buried beneath the blanket, digging your left hand beneath as the smooth edges of a folded paper met your fingertips. 

Dear ______,

I know that by the time you read this, I am already on my way back to family. Though I wish to experience more seasons than just summer with you, we still have to wait for time to take its course. If there is one thing I regret while spending my summer days with you, it is only when I did not summon enough courage to say that I love you. 

I love you, ______, and I am sorry that I would have to leave you for now. But if you are willing to wait as I am, do expect the next time we meet that I will say those three words without any fear holding me back. Please do not be saddened by my absence as I’ll make an effort to become an educated man worthy to stand by your side. I will be eternally grateful for your parents and Kyungmi’s for giving me an opportunity to pursue my studies out of kindness; they say it is never too late for me to fulfill my education like any other noble children have the privilege to do. Even so, none of these would not happen if I never became your soulmate in the first place.

I thanked the heavens for leading me to you, you did not make me feel like a nuisance even before you knew I was the one for you. Perhaps it was fate that led me to follow you inside the garden when I overheard that you have the tendency to lose your way out of the labyrinth. Now, with how our story unravels I feel undeserving of having the privilege to be your soulmate, but I know you will say otherwise. 

It will be hard for us to be away from each other for awhile, but I hope that my love for you makes you grow fonder of my presence even if we are apart. My heart belongs to you and you only, no one else’s. I hope I have captured your heart by the end of this summer. I look forward to the next moment we will meet, and in the next years to come where I will be allowed to spend the rest of seasons in this lifetime as your loving husband. 

I will patiently wait for a letter if you ever have the chance to write to me at your earliest convenience. Again, I miss you and I love you ______.

Sincerely,

Jeon Jungkook

The tears continued to pour from your eyes though it never wetted the paper, you cherished the words he had written to you too much to even smudge the ink embedded in the fibers. The letter, while made you cry, also brought comfort that he has you in his mind even after he leaves the manor that housed him for the summer. Although it is unfair for you to be a mess after reading the letter, you were somewhat grateful that Jungkook was able to express that your love is reciprocated. This was better than him leaving without leaving these words of consolation at all. 

You securely folded the letter again and kept it safe from being touched by your maids as you put it inside a drawer on your nightstand, secured with a key hidden in a place you only know. From that night, you planned to write a letter back as soon as possible before the school starts again. 

Gone are the days when Jungkook sends you a letter along with a flower or two for when you feel like at your worst, it is only reduced to a piece of paper since floral shops are closed for the time being during winter season and he only has a few money remaining as he’s discouraged to work when school began. More than that, you received a letter also from Kyungmi who cannot wait to spend Thanksgiving hosted by your family real soon. She further explained that she has no one to talk to while being homeschooled except Jungkook whenever he had the chance to visit the manor on weekends, considering that he is currently attending a boarding school exclusively for male students. Whenever he was unable to mail you his letter every week, you have Kyungmi to write to and visit every now and then. 

Without Jungkook, you and Kyungmi were at an age where you confide in each other related to trivial things that might trouble your minds as you two approach the time where girls like you are expected to marry. There might be others who wanted to explore the world using their father’s money, perhaps learn a thing or two relating to the business established by their kin. But you have met your soulmate early and never desired to do these contrarian ways nor wish to live without him until you feel you are ready for marriage. Kyungmi, however, cannot relate to what you have right now.

“I found out that I am adopted,” she told you one day while the two of you are busy painting the canvases in front of you, “and they say that I should’ve found my soulmate three years ago. Lucky for you, you found Jungkook at an earlier age than expected.” 

You dropped the brush on your hand, losing interest in the current activity as you worriedly looked at her who seems to be in near tears, “Perhaps it is not too late, you know. There has been news outside the village that they found their soulmate even when they are 20 years or older.” 

“I’m not willing to wait that long, other girls at the same town as ours will speak ill of me.” Kyungmi expressed, “How I am unworthy to be the daughter of my parents or how I deserve to not have a soulmate--”

You tried to empathize with her, “Do not think of what they say, they are just jealous of how the heavens granted you your parents. Do not also lose hope about your soulmate,they will come to you someday. There’s nothing wrong with waiting.” you caressed her long hair in comfort before hugging her. 

“Is Kyungmi okay?” You gasped when you heard his voice from behind. Not long and you felt his arms around you and Kyungmi. It feels like you two were the same children who are inseparable for the longest time every time you visit their manor. 

“Just some mean kids, Jungkook.” You explained simply while you feel his chin against your head, it’s shocking that he started to outgrow your height as expected for him as a 15 years old. 

“Tell me their names and I’ll--” 

“You can’t beat up girls,” Kyungmi muttered.

He paused, “I’ll give them a word of warning then.”

You three made light of the situation by laughing, never knowing how it also affects the reputation of the Kang’s among their influential peers not only within the village but also outside of it. The Kang’s family let the fools criticize their family for a while, hoping for them to exhaust themselves and make their mouths dry from speaking but somehow it did not cease even after the Thanksgiving celebration. 

And Mr. Kang knew what he had to do, all in the sake of his daughter’s happiness.

“Your daughter’s the talk of the town if I’m not wrong, Daeshim.” the raspy voice of Miss Bonhwa interrupted his eyes from scanning the whole bungalow where she lives. To others, she is just a lowly villager who creates and supplies herbal medicine to nearby infirmaries, but to him she is more than just a simple lady living in solitude. If only the people have a clue about the medicines they intake are laced with a little bit of magic. 

She is a witch, eternal youth bestowed upon every inch of her melanin-rich skin as he observed that Bonhwa hadn’t aged at all; not a single wrinkle can be spotted at the corner of her eyes or her mouth. He knew of her long before he met his wife as an adventurous kid in the outskirts of the village back then. It is not that they have an affair or so, but she has something that bound them for the next lifetimes. Though it is important for him to note to himself to redo the same thing over again once he is reborn to a new life and found his soulmate again; his wife. 

She further prodded, “And you are not warranted to visit again, as I told you I will see you in the next lifetime.”

“I did not come here for myself, my wife and I are still happily married.” Kang Daeshim explained. Admittedly, he and his wife were surprisingly not soulmates. However, they are not bound to anyone else after years of attempting to search for their destined significant other. Soon enough at the age of 25, they found each other and were willing to build a special relationship that the village seemed to disapprove of as they are going against the very nature of the soulmate connection in the world.

Bonhwa hummed, “for Kyungmi, then. Who do you plan to bound her to? A rich noble named Kim Taehyung--”

“Rich, noble boys only care for themselves,” he scoffed, “my daughter deserves to be treated better, someone who will see her as a royalty rather than a property they can abuse to their heart’s content.” 

Her mind-reading capabilities did not fail her to see the ideal candidate for Kyungmi inside Mr. Kang’s head. “I expect that you’ll bring him here the next fortnight, as well as enough sacks of gold for this to happen exactly as you wish.” and with one blink, Mr. Kang found himself standing in front of his carriage ready to travel back to his manor with his wife and daughter, as well as her future in-laws residing with them for years.

It was at the age of 16 where you are about to finish your education, expected to learn the footsteps your parents made to establish the winery they wanted in the abundant field behind where your house stood. A few trees might be needed to be taken down from the forest at the far back of the property, to pave way for the seeds of grapes to be planted and fermented in the near future. 

Your father’s trip to Spain made no exception for him to not explore the wineries and the abundance of fragrant wine it has to offer. Thus it inspired him and his wife, your dear mother, to invest enough money to create their own until they retire. Soon, they saw you being born as their child and molding you ready to take over the new family business. Yes, you were still young but you presented a sense of maturity that other primadonnas in their noble family lacked. 

You received far much better education compared to other ladies of your own age, even Kang Kyungmi was only able to receive enough education proper for ladies to act based upon society’s expectation as they are assumed to be taken care of by their future husbands. Being privately taught by unconventional school subjects for girls gave you an opportunity in which you can stand equally next to your future husband and soulmate, Jeon Jungkook. 

Though strangely, the letters he wrote to you each week had begun to cease. It seemed to be much worse as compared to when he is busy in his studies, attempting to catch up at the lessons he lacked as a child and continues to prove his peers wrong by excelling much better than them. It was amazing to read of his adventures as he writes it in the past letters, but now you are longing for him and his words of comfort and full of love. How can he spend a week long without communicating with you? It was agonizing for you to be apart from him now that you have been expecting him to ask for your hand in marriage, yet he hadn’t tried to ask for your parent’s blessing before this year ends. 

Moreover, Kyungmi hasn’t been responding to the letters you sent a long ago. For sure they have been back from the vacation they announced a month ago, included in their plans to stay out of town for a short time was that the Jeon family comes along with them. Though you figured that it is not anticipated for them to ask permission from you, it might be just nice to be reminded by your soulmate that they are taking a vacation without you. . . as if they were just one family. Even so, not a single note arrived upon your doorstep when they left.

You admit to yourself, there’s a lingering jealousy whenever Kyungmi and Jungkook are together without you. In the past, you dismissed such feelings as they are childhood friends first before you came into the scene as his soulmate. Although this time, you grew worried that something’s not in the right place anymore. It feels as if you were drifting apart. 

Little did you know your parents already knew of what had transpired; manipulated by their very own close friend before they left for their trip out of town. They don’t know how to break the news to you when you are so helplessly in love with your soulmate even when they observed how less frequently the mailman dropped by their estate to deliver enveloped letters that were supposedly from Jungkook. 

It was also at the age of 16 where you received your second heartbreak. 

The reason you were able to curse the pouring sky on an evening night was when Kyungmi and Jungkook’s engagement was announced during a celebration held in their manor. Though your parents attempted to stop you from attending the party, you were too stubborn and managed to escape their grasp when you rode the same horse, Nora, that you learned to travel with in that summer with him.

Yet he was far from your sight when you entered their estate, your hair disheveled from the harsh winds that came along with the hurried gallops of Nora. You cannot contain your gasp when you see their hands interlaced, with hers adorned with a large diamond ring that you learned back then was a heirloom from Kyungmi’s grandfather. 

Only then did the nearby attendees take notice of your state, some of them who suspect that you and Jungkook were soulmates based on the times you roamed the street whenever the village held a holiday to celebrate by all. The murmurs widened like a ripple of water towards the grand staircase where the two families of the manor stood. It was not long until you captured his doe eyes, swimming with guilt as he moved his foot from where he stood.

“Don’t attempt to chase her, son,” Mr. Kang gritted, appearing to be embarrassed yet angry at how the nosey crowd got ahold of the real truth. “Remember your duty to this family, to Kyungmi, and most importantly for your parents and brother.” 

You were far too embarrassed to make a scene with the villagers as your audience, the only thing you could do was to run away from their sight. Much like the first time he cannot find the strength to confront you of his feelings for him, you did the same thing when you did not wait for the rain to stop to travel back to your parents’ manor with Nora. 

“______.” You heard your mother calling for your attention when you entered the gates, eyes laced with worry while yours were filled with tears that seemed to be covered by the raindrops currently pouring. 

Your chest was heaving and with a shaking voice did you ask, “How long have you known?” a thick blanket was then placed around your freezing body as she, with the help of your maids, led you towards the fireplace while the others were busy to fix a warm bath and retrieve a new dress for the daughter of the Park estate. 

Your father was the one who replied to your question, “It was only when they left out of town a month ago, though the Kang family sent a letter of apology for-- well--,”

“For stealing my soulmate, what a fucking delight.” you managed to scoff, your mother beside you was about to reprimand your language but was interrupted by the deep chuckle of her spouse. 

“Let her be, darling. She is entitled to feel angry about it.” Your father told your mother regarding your fuming behavior. 

Then realization dawned upon you before you were urged to take your bath, “Why did they take him away from me? Why did he not fight for me? Am I unworthy to be considered as his soulmate?” You sobbed, what would you become when a person who was supposedly destined to you did not choose to be with you. 

Your tears continue to pour as you feel your father’s hand on the side of your head, inviting you to lean on his shoulders as you cry your heart, longing for Jungkook that night. You deserve at least an explanation from him as to why he changed his mind, his plans to marry you and proceeded to choose someone else to spend his life with. 

“None of this is your fault, remember that ______. They are only selfish and cruel to take advantage of you and your soulmate.” Your mother stroked your hair, “For now, let’s clean you up before you fall ill from being in the rain for so long.” 

For days you remained silent and opting to be left alone most of the time, you barely did the activities that reminded you of him. To the point where you neglect to look after Nora, now she’s more than just a means of transporting materials for construction of the winery. You refused to touch the books you read to him, nor did you attempt to sit at the same couch where the two of you spent the majority of your time in each other’s presence. Your mother takes notice of your melancholic state as she always has a clue on what to manipulate in the very estate she designed before you were born.

With a flick of her fingers, the couch was out of your sight and was burned with smoke reaching the sky and can be seen from the windows in your bedroom. Albeit unusual to burn the furniture when it could’ve been donated in an orphanage in the village, you did not find enough care to make that remark as you lay in your unruly bed all day until the supper was made. It took a week for you to receive a letter you desire yet despise at the same time, you knew who the letter came from just from seeing the color of the parchment. 

After picking up the letter, you ran towards your room and locked yourself inside before finding the courage to open it. You cannot prevent the tears from spilling your eyes before you even try to read the contents.

Dear ______,

First and foremost, I sincerely wanted to ask for forgiveness. Though I cannot explain that much why I agree for this to happen, and all I could ever offer you is an apology for betraying you like this. It may seem that I did not care about you all this time, but that is far from the truth. 

Please believe me that I still love you, 

You quickly crumpled the paper as you read the same words that always left your heart defenseless, no matter how broken it is as of this moment. Yet an idea passed your mind as you were about to gather the letters he wrote for you from the drawer, which will add onto the fire currently consuming the couch outside. Your feet padded out of your room and towards the staircase when you heard the voices of your parents upon the door left ajar in your father’s study.

“You mean ______’s soulmate was coerced to sign the vow from Bonhwa?” Your mother’s hushed voice asked her spouse.

Your father nodded, “Who else could Kang go to when he did the same thing to his own wife, though she also had no soulmate when they met. Bonhwa’s herbal medicine is merely a curtain for her to practice witchcraft, she seems to be an expert on how to play the fate of soulmates whenever she’s given a chance.” 

“How is she not driven from the village, then?” Your shaky voice reached the ears of your parents when you made your presence known by the door. Their horrified faces knew how the truth would unfold for you, and they cannot foresee what you’re already planning inside your mind.

“She is a powerful witch, Bonhwa. And the people will not deny her prowess in creating potions that could cure, thus saving our village from deadly diseases that affected other towns nearby,” Your father explained simply. 

The question your parents dreaded to answer truthfully was the next thing that came out from your mouth, “What is the vow you’re speaking of?” 

Your parents turned to each other, planning on how to break the truth slowly, your mother started, “I don’t know exactly the name of the vow given by her, but it is powerful enough to make a person you choose to become your soulmate, even if they weren’t destined for you to begin with.” 

The letters you’re currently holding in your hands began to tighten, “Where to find her--”

“I forbid you to seek this witch, ______.” your father was quick to interrupt, standing up from his chair as he approached you, “We can find someone else for you,” 

“I just want my soulmate back, father.” You sobbed into your occupied hands, thoroughly wetting the letters and the ink of promises Jungkook has written. 

Your father sighed, holding your hands together, “Believe me when I tell you that Bonhwa cannot undo what she has casted, dear. As I heard from Kang Daeshim, it is permanent.”

Your thoughts loomed over your head as you burned the letters one by one, the casted fire illuminated the area as the sun went down deep from the forest. The area where the fire has been burning made it easy for some of the village people to question what was happening in the Park’s estate when they see smoke kissing the sky during the day. Especially the person you longed to love and hate at the same time was able to see you from afar as he sat upon the branch of the tree near the entrance of the property, finding you burning the letters he made for you. 

Jungkook, while having the freedom to act like a noble within Kang’s manor, is still willing to perform tasks that Mr. Kang wanted him to do. Instead of running errands, he was rather forced to spend his time with Kyungmi more. Unlike you, Kyungmi insists on doing activities that taught him how to act like a proper royalty who’s about to become an heir to a non-existent throne, but little did he know he was about to be given the chance to become an heir since Kyungmi established that she will not participate in their family business. 

Everything about the mining sector of the industry bored her so much, instead she wanted to act as a perfect housewife and dream of building a family when she found someone to marry. Mr. Kang could not detest his daughter’s wishes, and resumed to find the perfect candidate to be her significant other. Kang Daeshim never misses the stare his daughter gives to Jungkook every now and then, it was the same eyes his wife would give him. In addition to seeing Kyungmi secretly liking your soulmate, an epiphany came over him when a night spent with Jungkook showed that he has the same fascination about the industry and the family business in general.

It was like hitting two birds with one stone. 

Prior to being invited to join their vacation months ago, he was also invited to visit someone with Kyungmi’s father at a time close to midnight. The question Kang Daeshim dropped while they were on their way in the village made him ponder about his family, “How would you like to inherit the family business, perhaps bring your parents to comfort while no longer serving for us?” 

Mr. Kang added, “I heard that your older brother’s planning to establish a restaurant, you can help him instantly. It’s not like the Park’s could give you money just because you are their daughter’s soulmate when they are busy doing their winery. Remember your responsibility to your own family, Jungkook. Family comes first.”

The last three words Mr. Kang spoke struck his mind, it is expected for soulmates to devote most of their time once they are joined in matrimony. However, it is not fair for him to lavish in the wealth while his family continues on with what life the heavens gave them. He wanted them to live the same life he experienced once he met you as his soulmate: no longer will her mother tire her hands and instead she will find the time to read the books she wanted to at any time of the day, no longer will her father work hard under the heat of the sun, tending to the stables and taking care of the lavished garden when he can help with the business. 

The thought of becoming wealthy was a dream that became alive again, longing to build a big house made of stones and other materials to last for more than one generation of the Jeon family. He was eager to give his affirmation to be Kang Daeshim’s apprentice, but at what cost?

“Where are we going?” Jungkook softly interrogated the older man in front of him, his eyes looking for any answers in his stare. 

“I’m about to give you the will to decide what happens next.” was all Mr. Kang could answer as the carriage came to a halt, right in front of Bonhwa’s bungalow. 

When he returned that night, he couldn’t bear the guilt that he had done. More so when he has been persuaded strongly by the thought of his parents and his dear brother. He was enslaved to the fact that he could become the son his parents would’ve wished to have in this lifetime, in return he had to give up someone precious to his heart. You. 

But then you recalled what Mr. Kang said to him after signing the vow, “Do whatever you want in your next life, I just want my daughter to be happy for once during this lifetime. This is just a small sacrifice on your part, and I’m sorry that it has to be like this.” 

The only flaw that came with the vow was that it is only permanent in one lifetime, but not in the next. He just prayed to the heavens above to grant him a way back to you whenever he’s about to be reincarnated in the next lifetime. 

I’m sorry, ______. Jungkook kept replaying in his mind when he found you at the evening party regarding the engagement. The word of apology, while being simple, holds a lot of unspoken emotions he felt as he attempted to visit your estate the days after the celebration. However, he was denied entry but rather was given a chance to write everything he wants to say to you into a letter. Probably the last letter he would have written and read by you. He was mistaken with what he had thought you would do as he saw you burning the letters he probably wrote to you into ashes. 

You noticed that you and him were still the talk of the village a week after the incident where you found out that your soulmate was not yours anymore. But you didn’t come into the townsquare to ask them for their pity, you were there for your own personal reason. 

It was explained to you that there was nothing that can undo the vow. Even so, no one told you that the witch can help you in other ways. Thus, you resorted to speaking to shop owners who are supplied by the witch--Lady Bonhwa’s herbal medicines. You did not like suffering from heartache all this time, when the diversional activities provided to you by your parents and your family’s servants remained futile to uplift your mood for the past few days. And now, you are determined to seek more information about this Bonhwa who can help you forget your feelings for your soul-- for him. 

“All I have heard was that she lives on the outskirts, rarely goes into the village.” one person told you as he was busy wrapping up the vegetables he sold to his customers, “I think Mr. Ong might know where she lives as he is the one who delivers the bottles of medicine at the beginning of every month.” 

You sighed, stubbornly thinking that you cannot wait for two weeks more to resolve this hurt, “Then where does Mr. Ong lives? Can I visit him?” 

The person sighed before calling for his son inside his shop, “Please help Lady ______ towards Mr. Ong’s house--”

“Is a horse required to get to him as soon as possible?” You interrupted, eyes filled with determination. 

“Bring a horse,” he muttered to you and to his son. Not long and you and him, whose name is Kim Namjoon, are one step closer to knowing where Lady Bonhwa resided. 

Namjoon can’t help but prod a question, “Why are you desperate to see Lady Bonhwa?” followed by a noise made from his brown horse. Though his pet is no match to the height of the black horse you’re sitting on. It was your father’s. 

“I think she has something I need to cure what I’m feeling right now.” You explained, and then added, “I’m pretty sure you have heard of what transpired between the two powerful families in this town.” 

“I do,” Namjoon confirmed, “Have you acquired an unknown disease that Lady Bonhwa has the answer to resolve?” 

You breathe out, “Yes, she probably has the answer I need.” 

With his guidance, he informed you that you two have arrived to Mr. Ong’s abode. Vegetation surrounding his house as you see the familiar face of the man you saw in the newspaper years ago, it was now the man who delivers these herbal medicines from Bonhwa. 

“What are you kids doing here, the sun is about to go down and it is dangerous for a lady like you to be out at this time of the hour.” Mr. Ong was quick to reprimanded your presence, knowing that you are the daughter of the Park’s family. You and Namjoon were quick to go down your horses. 

“I’m here to ask directions to the wi--Lady Bonhwa’s house, I heard that you know where she resides.” You reasoned.

Mr. Ong looked scornful, “Why would you need Miss Bonhwa’s address? What’s your business with her?”

You stuttered, trying to find a clear reason for him to give you her address, but Namjoon was quick to answer for you, “She doesn’t feel so well, I think it is best for Bonhwa to see ______ herself for a proper inspection, and perhaps she’d be given a proper medicine for her condition.” 

“Yes, yes. That.” You nodded with Namjoon’s statement. 

The old man sighed, turning around and approaching the doorway to gather a piece of folded paper from inside his home, he indicated you to open your palms before placing the paper he had memorized from the countless times he delivered the same medicinal bottle he called a miracle. “This is the map to her house, though she is not expected to be back until tomorrow night. It is best to visit her the day after tomorrow so she can take a good look at you, Lady ______.”

You thank the old man, as well as Namjoon, while the two of you are on your way back to the populous area of the village before the sun fully sank into the horizon. Furthermore, Namjoon insisted to escort you back to the gates of your estate to ensure your safety as you’ve given him a little sack of gold for his service the whole afternoon. Though he wants to deny the gift, you insisted for him to keep it. “You can use the money however you’d like, it’s yours.” You told him before you entered your family’s property. 

Truthfully, you haven’t been sleeping well these past few days after gaining the map from Mr. Ong. Not even the calming drink of tea could ever put you to sleep without waking up crying terribly in the middle of the night. In your dreams, you have always recalled the first time you met Jungkook. But then your imagination will slowly unravel to him letting go of your hand and opting to interlace his hands with Kyungmi’s. The once doe eyes that made your heart flutter resorted to look cold and void of any emotions for you. Prior to waking up, the last thing you have seen was them sharing a kiss at the end of the church’s altar. Causing you to soak your pillows with tears and clutching the center of your chest from the pain the nightmare put you into.

You dearly wished for the winery to finish their first fermentation of wine so you could drink yourself to sleep instead. Though it will guarantee you a smack on your head from your mother in the early morning. 

Now, all you could do is to wait for the night to fall. Where you would sneak outside and begin making your way on the road to seek for the witch who can silent your heartache permanently, perhaps the magic she’ll be casting will stretch more than one lifetime of yours. The past nights where you can’t sleep were only utilized by you in memorizing every turn the horse would make when you are out there. Granted, you never know much about the roads, if the heightened bushes already rendered you brainless from knowing your way out of Kyungmi’s gar-- 

Wait. You should not even think about the damn garden next to their manor. You focused on yourself, trying to give enough talks to yourself that you can navigate the roads all by yourself with only the guidance of the map. Maybe your intuition and sense of direction, if you have any. 

You were sure that your parents were busy supervising the operations of their winery tonight, and so you took advantage to sneak a horse from the stables and leave the vicinity of your estate when darkness started to consume the sky and the streetlights were kindled for safe traveling in the dark. As instructed in the map, you need to find the narrow road just near the center of the village as it provided a much precise direction compared to other main roads taken by merchants and travelers. 

The clouds that simply loomed over the town began to rumble when you reached the populous area of the village, you kept your face hidden from the hooded cloak as you turned your horse towards the road less taken. Though at that moment the rain started to pour down, which leaves the people outside to find refuge in nearby shops leaving a few people who started to get soaked in the rain. 

And one of those people is someone you despise to look at right now, but his doe eyes were persistent to look at your hooded figure even if the rain should make it harder for him to recognize you. The fact that his eyes were trying to get a hold of you only pushed you to pressure the horse into galloping instantly and create distance from him, hoping that he will never attempt to follow you. But the distressed sound of another horse from behind foiled your plans. 

While the distance between you and him are currently rising, Jungkook was forced to make hurried steps to unlatch a horse from Kyungmi’s carriage. He turned deaf from the cries of his fiancé inside the vehicleas he tried to undo the straps, however it did not budge. So his next plan, albeit cruel, was to find another horse nearby. From where he stood, he sees Namjoon soaked in the rain and  clutching onto the ropes attached to his brown horse as he silently offers Jungkook to use his pet as a means to follow you. 

It took you thirty minutes to navigate the roads, even if the rain tried to obscure your vision. When you thought you could outrun him, he always seemed to catch up to your horse’s hurried pace. Of course, even after those years you spent to practice horseback riding, you could never beat your mentor who’s currently tailing your horse’s steps. Your best bet was to lose him through the thick trees beside the road, and so you directed your horse to enter the forest. It was further instructed in the map that Bonhwa’s bungalow was nestled into the forest rather than being out in the open at the side of the road. You only pray to the heavens that it was her place that you see kilometers away, or else you’ll be lost inside the woodland for the rest of the night.

You quickly hopped down from the saddle and hurriedly knocked at the door of the bungalow, and in just one blink you were standing in front of Miss Bonhwa, “What seems to be the hurry, Park ______?” 

Knowing that you were running out of time, you ignored the query in your mind as to how she was able to figure out your full name, “It may seemed foolish for me to pray that you can undo a vow when I know the answer for that, but now I only request for something that could help me forget my feelings for my soulmate. Please, before he comes.” 

She sighed, “Kind of tricky what you’ve wanted from me, but fear not that I have made something close to what you desire.” A pounding on her door stopped Bonhwa from approaching the cabinet full of bottles and jars filled with colorful concoction she made for the sake of gaining experience. “Shall I allow your former soulmate inside my humble abode?” she directly asked you. 

You shook your head, internally blocking his voice from calling your name multiple times. A bottle was put in front of you on the wooden counter and she was about to talk, you were quick to uncork the bottle and started to drink its contents out of desperation and without prior instruction from the witch herself.

In the hazy mind of yours did you recall how frantic Bonhwa became, to the point where all the doors and windows turned unlocked while she placed her hands on her head. The next time your eyes fluttered, you see his face for the last time. Doe eyes with tears pouring past his cheeks as he has his arms around your back, trying to not let you fall to the floor. 

“What did you do to her?!” You heard Jungkook shouted to Bonhwa as she was preoccupied to find whatever antidote that could save you from the overdose from the potion you drank. 

“I did not predict that she would drink it in one go, only half a cup was already an effective dose to make her for--” she stopped when an epiphany came over him,

“Forget about me, isn’t it.” he managed to choke as he continued to witness the life in you withers away. His hand caressed your head before pulling your figure close to his chest, “I’m so sorry, my love.” 

“Try putting this in her mouth,” A small flask was handed over to him while he laid you down on the floor, prying your mouth open before spilling the translucent green liquid. Praying that you were able to ingest it before it’s all too late. 

Bonhwa’s fingers were attempting to feel your pulse at the side of your neck, finding that supposedly throbbing artery became thready in every passing second. You were losing your life, but the last thing you remember before you succumb to sleep was how you felt nothing for Jungkook anymore as you gaze at his dreamlike face. 

Year 20XX

Jeon Jungkook woke up with a gasp escaping his tired throat, his sweat seeping through his thin shirt as he recalled every detail in the nightmare he just had. 

Or a dream, if he might even consider in his mind. Because you appeared in his visions, his real soulmate.

You were the most important thing he noted in his mind as he struggled to find his journal full of lyrics he wrote for his songs on his nightstand, trying to attempt to write your full name before he forgets it. But how could he ever think of forgetting your face when it has been you who inspired him to become a better man before he broke your heart and trust in his past life. 

Now, his heart can be free from the chains that have weighed him down since he first found Kyungmi; or Kyungmi who managed to find him first in this current lifetime. 

Finally, he has the answer to the questions his fans would ask him. Why didn’t he write any songs particularly about his soulmate when countless artists like him worldwide have done at least one or two songs, expressing their love for their soulmate? It is because he was never destined for her in the first place, the gods above last night already gave him a sign pertaining to his real soulmate. Yet it was his foolish decisions from his past lifetime that put him astray. Away from you.

Now, he suffers from the repercussions of the choices he made in the past life. He remembered you dying in his arms due to the heartbreak he had caused you. Stories say that a soulmate’s broken heart was the worst pain any person could ever experience in the world. 

Jungkook’s regret was not saving you from your doom if only he had explained it to you in the first place, or that he never gave in to the manipulation of Mr. Kang. It was all his fault. Now, when remembering your face, especially the night in that bungalow managed to broke his heart oh so easily. Causing him to sob at his very own bed that morning while ignoring the sounds emitting from his phone nearby. 

After pitying his past life’s decision yesterday morning, a sense of determination came over him as he created plans in an attempt to find you around the country. But how would he do that without including the nosey public media at his tail. Though it’s not likely for him to knock at every door available in Seoul when there is a possibility that you might be residing in another country. He cannot even develop a concrete plan of action when his mind is a mess, even so if he was already washed up and ready to go outside when he didn't even know where to begin with. 

So he got rid of the jacket he wore and threw it back inside his closet, and opted to reach out for a pencil and a paper to start sketching your face. While he was not blessed to have any artistic skills from his past life, perhaps the gods above took pity and gave him one in this current lifetime as a way to find you. His musicality is an additional thing for him to consider as his job right now, a popular solo artist who’s about to break into the music industry in the west. Admittedly, he grew jealous of the love songs sung by other artists since he cannot find any inspiration to write one. Kyungmi didn’t give him enough reason to write one, but you however already inspired him to create meaningful lyrics while he was sketching your face. 

Maybe he can post his drawing on his Instagram, letting his dedicated fans to work as FBI agents to seek for you. Wait. It didn’t cross his mind to search you in Naver and in other social media apps when he was about to delegate such a sensitive task to strangers. He was quick to toss the pencil on his desk as he reached for the phone left in his jean pocket. Noticing how Kyungmi has been trying to reach him since yesterday, he swiped clear of his notifications before pulling up Instagram and typing your name on the search bar. Park ______.

If he was still Jeon Jungkook, then you must still be named as Park ______. 

To his dismay, a lot of people have the same name as you. In addition to his searches from other social media apps, your face was never used as a profile picture to make his search much easier. Damn, you’re a soulmate that’s harder to find. Yet his heart never ceased to lose hope as the mere sound of your name can make his heart flutter, imagine if he heard his name from your lips for a thousand years to come. 

A knock on his front door interrupted him from being consumed on the device in his hands, his feet padding towards the entrance of his expensive apartment while he’s still preoccupied with searching your name. 

“Jungkook, I’ve been calling and texting you for an hour. Why can’t you even answer it? A simple sentence like you’re preparing food would have sufficed,” Kyungmi whined as she welcomed herself into his home, “And now look at you, who can’t even look at his own soulmate or even greet her a kiss--”

“______’s my soulmate, not you.” He muttered, interrupting Kyungmi from her daily ranting. Though she was typically a blabbermouth and would keep on speaking, he finds it odd that her mouth halted from his statement. It made him avert his eyes from his phone to her, his eyes searching for answers upon hers when she frozen, sitting on his couch. “How long have you known?” he suspiciously asked. 

Kyungmi only managed to stammer, “I-I didn’t know you would ever recall ______,” 

“Why did you lie to me when you insist that I’m your soulmate?” he prodded further, angry at the fact that he is still being controlled by her and her past father with the vow that was supposedly expiring in this lifetime. 

“Even if we weren’t originally soulmates, I fell for you,” Kyungmi fought back, with tears spilling from her eyes and ruining her mascara, “Is it bad to love someone like you, Jungkook? I thought we do not need that vow anymore since we are still bound to each other when we are reincarnated. And I didn’t know you would still remember ______.” 

“Not if you know that they are already happily taken, Kyungmi!” He shouted, before raising his hands on his hair and gripping on it. “You know I was happy with ______, since we were children. At least you could have explained that to me when we met years ago.”

He breathed, sitting on the adjacent seat, “I need to find her. I’m sorry to do this right now but I want you to know that I still love her, Kyungmi.” 

“More than you loved me?” She harmlessly asked a question both of them knew the answer to. She watched him stand up and disappear from his bedroom, only to appear back again looking like he’s ready to leave her alone in this apartment, the same place where she used to spend most of her free time bathing in the love Jungkook used to provide to her. Albeit, it never amounted to the way he used to love you before, but it was better than having nothing at all. 

After all, she loves him more than he ever loved her and so she tells him, “I’ll help you find her.” 

Jungkook paused from opening the door of his apartment, “Why would you do that when it will only hurt you?” 

“Because I love you too much to see you suffer on your own, trying to seek for ______. This is the least I could do for you.” Kyungmi then stood from her seat and approached him at the foyer, managing to unhook the bucket hat hanging near the door and a reusable face mask. A celebrity disguise, “You need these first before you step out of this apartment. Where do you start looking for her? Do you have any idea what place?”

“I’m planning to seek the witch that made this change possible in the past.” he mumbled, “I’m sure we’re in the same country as Bonhwa.” 

His instincts and vivid memory made Jungkook drive towards the outskirts of Seoul city . . . Call him crazy that he’s still expecting the same bungalow to appear even when they’re already in the 21st century, her name was enough for him to assume that the witch is a Korean citizen. Kyungmi, however, was clueless to the bungalow’s appearance and this so-called witch when in the past she had never visited her like her father does. To think that it was all her father’s scheme to lure Jungkook into becoming hers, when she’s already satisfied to see you and him together from afar. 

She wasn’t the type of person to steal someone and defy the destiny that has already been written for them, though she can justify that she went along due to the fact that Jungkook chose her instead of you. But in this lifetime, he now chooses you more than ever. Wanting to fulfill the destiny, the future he promised to you that he was never given the chance to complete before. 

A shabby bungalow then appeared right before her eyes, catching Jungkook’s attention. His foot immediately stepped on the brake to take a closer look. It’s not like there are cars behind him to take his time examining the house standing beside the road instead of being engulfed by the thick tree branches behind the property. 

It took him a minute to find a parking space beside before stepping out of his car with Kyungmi, he then proceeded to knock on the door and patiently waited for someone from the inside to open it. “This place looks like before, though I haven’t visited her when there’s still daylight long ago.” he talked to himself, and perhaps to Kyungmi standing behind him who’s currently busy ridiculing the anterior of the bungalow. Both of them started to hear voices nearing the front of the door before it opened from the inside. 

“______.” Kyungmi was the first one to call your name, but your eyes however focused upon the man blocking the doorway from the outside. Jungkook. He was surprised when he saw you right where he found you fighting for your life in the past. What were you doing here? 

He cannot decipher what you were feeling when you see him again in a new life. He thought you were ecstatic to see him again, expecting for you to have the mutual feeling of wanting to redeem the love you have for each other as soulmates. Were you trying to find him also? 

“What are you doing here, ______?” Jungkook managed to ask you, snapping you out from your thoughts as you never blinked since you saw his face today. 

The way his name slipped your mouth made his heart flutter, like the way you first looked at him when you were 8-years-old inside the hedge labyrinth. It was his turn to seek for you, and now he had found you. 

Yet your cold voice brought him back to reality, “None of your business.” It was easy for you to nudge his heart out to the side like it didn’t matter to you. Like he was not your soulmate to begin with, reminding him that it was too late for redemption. 

“Can we talk,” He reached for your hand, feeling the surge of spark travelling through his arm when his skin made contact with yours, “please?” 

“I spent many years waiting for you to find me and explain things, Jungkook. It seems that you’re here to redo the vows with Kyungmi, I have nothing to do in your life anymore.” You told him, yanking your arm from his grasp, “You can breathe easily now that I am no longer significant in your life.” 

“What do you mean?” 

You sighed, looking at the approaching vehicle from the road. “All I’m saying is, I am now allowing myself to move on from you. No longer will I allow the gods above to dictate who should I end up with when I can choose that person myself. Like you did.” 

“But I’m here to fix everything, ______.” He reached to cup your face, forcing you to look at him, “I am not here to redo the vow but to break it, I thought that Bonhwa would give me a clue where to find you today. Instead, fate led me instantly to who I am looking for. You.”

“Tell me what can I do to fix this.” Jungkook begged you, tears blurring his vision when he didn’t notice that there was already someone behind him who’s waiting for you to come home with them. 

“______.” Kim Taehyung called for your name, the person who you have chosen to love now. He might not be your soulmate, but he showed you the kind of love you missed from experiencing since you died early in your past life. Taehyung heard of who he is while he’s trying to mend your heart years ago, though he did not expect it was Jungkook you were talking about. 

“Maybe in another lifetime, Jungkook. For now, let me love who I choose to love.” Your eyes can’t help but also teared up, seeing his face again. You were sure that your heart does not yearn for him anymore, voided of any lingering feelings for him. However, he still has an effect on you . . . sadly, it was not strong enough for you to consider being with him again, thinking that there might be a time in the future where he would walk out of your life again. 

Jungkook was a fool, falling for a trick from the gods above. When they led him to you so easily, he never thought that they only led him to his heartbreak. If this is what you felt when you see him engaged to Kyungmi that particular night, then he must’ve deserved the pain and torment you have experienced while being apart from him after those events. “I want to fight for you, yet I don’t want to be a hindrance to you finding love in this lifetime. But I’m willing to wait for you, ______.” was all he could ever tell you before letting you go. 

Kyungmi took a step forward, “I’m sorry, ______. For not fighting against my father’s plans back then.” You only nodded, accepting the apology that came out of her mouth before being guided by Taehyung towards their waiting vehicle at the side of the road. 

Acting like his closest friend and not his soulmate, Kyungmi comforted Jungkook that day. Apart from that, they did not miss the opportunity while being in Bonhwa’s bungalow to break the vow and unleashed the chain that bound them together. 

While she was off to find a new person who can potentially become her new soulmate, he was busy singing songs about you in a different context. Hoping to reclaim himself and hoped that his soulmate decided him to be worthy as your soulmate in the next life, just like the way destiny has written his unending love for his one and only soulmate.

You. 

Thank you for reading! For more of my works: m.list

[miraculouswolf99]

Grand Festival Showdown

The Miraculous gang as Pokemon trainers. All of them are the same, but their dreams have all been modified to include pokemon. Kagami, Kim, Alix, and Ivan are all battlers. Marinette, Adrien, Luka, Nino, Chloe, Nathaniel, and Lila all do contests. Juleka, Rose, and Mylene all do showcases. This all takes place in the Sinnoh Region.

Includes my favorite Lila Salt as well as Alya Salt.

My original characters are included in this story as well. Lyon being a champion grand coordinator, Vallia being a pokemon nurse in training, Apollo is a contest contestant, Mason being a gym leader, and Lena is a friend to the twins.

This is a long one, about 6000 words, so buckle up people.

*****

If there was one thing that Adrien loved, it was competing in pokemon contests. Since his father usually forced him to model for his fashion company, he appreciated the beauty that he saw in the pokemon that his father made matching outfits of for the photoshoots. And from watching the Pokemon League on television, he definitely also knew that they had power. So contests were the perfect blend of how he saw pokemon as the beautiful and powerful creatures that they were.

Not that his father even knew that he participated in them. Gabriel Agreste wanted his son to be a proper heir to Gabriel Pokemon Fashion. And that did not include anything involving contests, battles, or even showcases. He forced him to do all kinds of photoshoots, had him model with humans and pokemon alike, not to mention the fact that he would not have gotten his starter pokemon had he not sneaked out of the house. But he did it anyway, and his adorable Turtwig had managed to evolve into a Torterra.

But if there was one mistake that Gabriel made, it was letting him have lots of privacy. There may be cameras outside his bedroom door, but none inside of his room. That certainly helped when he had to sneak out to meet his friends, capture more pokemon, train his pokemon, or compete in a contest that was nearby. Plus, he also was able to sneak away to contests that were in the same town as a photoshoot that he was doing. He just had to lie and say that he was staying in his hotel room for a few hours. His life may have been mostly controlled, but that did not mean he was not sneaky when he was getting what he wanted.

Since contests were televised, he did have to keep his father from finding out. So he donned a disguise. He became Cat Noir, a mysterious pokemon contest prodigy that no one knew the real name of.

Only three people knew about his second life as Cat Noir. His best friend Kagami, who shared the same type of sheltered life as he did but she preferred battles to contests, and his other two friends Lyon and Marinette. Lyon is one half of a set of twins, his sister currently working under a Nurse Joy in order to become a pokemon doctor, and he was already a top coordinator back in his home region of Kalos. Marinette is a coordinator like him and also came from the Kalos region like Lyon, but she is usually shy and also has desires to become a pokemon fashion designer.

He had met Kagami during one of the social events they were both forced to attend by their parents. They got along great and both had the same desire to be free. If they were in the same town, which happened more often than one would think, they would often use each other as an excuse to sneak away for a gym battle, contest, or training with their pokemon. He met Lyon by chance when he had been training and his Turtwig almost hit the Top Coordinator with a razor leaf gone wild. Lucky for him that Lyon was a lot more down-to-earth than one would expect from a person with as much success as him while he was so young. Marinette, being a fellow coordinator, had been at a contest which she had lost to him. She had seen him take off his Cat Noir mask and recognized him from his father's magazines. She had been a great friend to him and understood why he used the mask.

There were few things that could actually make him smile so carefree other than contests. His constant photoshoots, dealing with stuck-up models, and his seemingly careless father did not make him smile that way. He hated modeling and even though he loved being all the pokemon that he modeled with, he wanted to see pokemon just as free as he wanted to be. He wanted to be famous for working hard like legendary trainers Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak, and Steven Stone. Or coordinators like Fantina, Wallace, and Zoey.

But he was now was at the top pokemon contest of the Sinnoh region. The Grand Festival. He had earned his ribbons and now Cat Noir was at his first Grand Festival. What he looked forward to most of all was that he knew that Kagami was going to be in the audience, Lyon was a special guest, and that Marinette was also competing.

He did not like the idea that he might have to battle his friend at some point, but these things do tend to happen. Especially since he was also aware that other friends of his had also made it to the Grand Festival. They had all attended the same pokemon school before it was time for their journeys to begin. He knew his friends Luka, Nathaniel, and his childhood friend Chloe were also all competing.

So, he was just getting ready backstage before all of them would have their qualifying performances before the battle rounds started. He was in his Grand Festival outfit of a black suit with green details, a black and green coat with a cape-like back, shiny green dress shoes, "cat claw" gloves, his signature cat-eye mask, and fake black cat ears on his head.

"My, my, don't you look fancy," Adrien heard near him.

The model almost jumped out of his skin but calmed down when he saw that it was just Lyon. And from looking at him, he definitely saw why people called him the White Wolf.

Lyon was in an icy outfit that almost gave him the illusion of having his own ice powers. He had on a fancy white vest over a blue short-sleeve silk shirt. It matched the white pants that he wore with his shin-high blue boots. He also wore a white hooded cloak with snowflake designs all over it. On his lower arms were silver arm-band bracelets with snowflake and wolf designs on them. His midnight-black hair also had fake wolf ears in it.

"Oh, Lyon," Adrien let himself breathe again. "For a second, I thought my identity had been discovered."

"Well, you may need to get a little better at hiding when you change," Lyon chuckled. "If you win and become Top Coordinator, the press will be even more ruthless with trying to find out your identity."

"I deal with the press on a regular basis already, Lyon," Adrien reminded him.

"Yeah, but I can tell you from experience that when it comes to being a Top Coordinator, people pay more attention to us," Lyon said.

"Well, I can see why that would happen with you," Adrien not-so-subtly flirted with him.

"Careful, kitty," Lyon teased him. "Wouldn't want the wolf to eat the cat before his big performance."

Adrien chuckled, always having liked how they could always joke around with their chosen performer names of cat and wolf. There were so few people that he could act like himself around and he certainly enjoyed Lyon's company.

"So, you here as just a special guest or also as a surprise judge," Adrien asked him.

"My dear Cat Noir, now that would be telling," Lyon smirked as he teased the teen coordinator.

"Oh, thank Arceus that I found you," they both heard a female voice.

They both turned and saw Marinette running toward them. Lyon recognized her from pictures that Adrien had sent him and of course, Adrien would recognize his best friend even if she was decked out in her Grand Festival dress. Probably a dress of her own design as well.

She was in a beautiful dress that was in a ladybug design with a little pink mixed in. It was a knee-length dress that was mostly red with black spots all over it. Under it was a crinoline that was colored pink that helped her dress by more poofy. The sleeves of her dress were elegant bell sleeves that ended at her elbows and lower arms instead of her wrists. Her hair was also extended and placed into a long ponytail coming from the top of the back of her head with roses tied where the ponytail started. On her feet were red wedge-heel boots that went up to her knees.

"How you can run in those heels is beyond me," Lyon said.

"Especially given that one of the first things that you told me about yourself was that you are extremely clumsy," Adrien added.

"Well, I was running with a purpose," Marinette said.

"That purpose being to find one of us if what you had said means anything," Lyon says.

"It's about Adrien, or rather Cat Noir really," Marinette said.

"Oh, great," Adrien sighed, having expected the fame of his mysterious identity to cause some type of drama at the Grand Festival.

"Do you remember when I was telling you about that liar, Adrien," Marinette asked him.

"Yeah," Adrien nodded. "Lila is what you told me her name was. The girl that lies with every breath she takes and has an ego bigger than a Wailord."

"Well, she somehow got her five ribbons and is going around telling people that she knows who you are," Marinette tells her friend.

"What," Adrien's eyes widen.

"Not just that," Marinette continued. "She is also saying that she is dating you and you're apparently head over heels for her."

Adrien could not help but facepalm when he heard that.

"Here comes the headache that I did not know was going to happen," he groaned.

"Here's some aspirin," Marinette gave Adrien the medicine. "I thought that if the liar managed to get here, I would need some myself. I've already had three headaches because of her. And that is just today."

"Am I missing something," Lyon asked.

"Yes," Adrien said before popping the medicine into his mouth.

Marinette rolled her eyes as she took the liberty of explaining.

"Lila Rossi is a pathological liar that I ran into after I won my first two contests," she says. "At first, I had believed her tall tales until she said that she knew the designer for Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale."

"MDC," Lyon raised an eyebrow. "As such a private designer, I highly doubt that a random girl would know her. Especially if she is bragging about it to anyone that will listen to her."

Marinette nodded. "Exactly. So I then immediately knew that Lila was nothing but a liar. Especially since she said that MDC is a boy when anyone with common sense, and access to the internet, know that MDC's only given clue to who she is that she is a she."

"Yet, people actually believe her," Lyon put a hand on his hip.

"As I said, she is a pathological liar," Marinette says. "One that uses people's knowledge to make her lies sound realistic. Like how my friend Rose is friends with Prince Ali, and my boyfriend Luka is Jagged Stone's son, and even how Adrien is Cat Noir. Lila uses people's own experiences to give her lies credibility. Like a situation of 'if I can know celebrities then so can she."

"Weirdly enough, I can see how that makes sense," Adrien said.

"What can we do about her," Lyon asked. "Can we just have Adrien call her out as Cat Noir?"

"Since Adrien has to keep his identity a secret, she could just pull out another lie about him protecting her or that they got into a fight," Marinette said. "It's how she explained when MDC posted on social media that she had never met Lila before."

"This is gonna be a disaster, isn't it," Adrien guessed. "There is no way someone like how you describe Lila would go down without a fight."

"She may be lying, but won't she lie herself into a corner," Lyon asked. "Especially if 'Cat Noir' actually does enter a relationship."

"The problem is the damage that she can cause along the way," Marinette said.

"Trust me, I was on your train of thought as well until Marinette explained things more to me," Adrien said. "Lila is not just lying about herself, she is also lying about what she can do for others. Saying that she can put a good word in for people to get certain jobs, internships, or futures in careers that they want. When it actually comes time for them to her to fulfill those promises, a lot of people will be met with disappointment. Plus, with her promising these things, they will not apply to other jobs, colleges, or internships on their own. It would take a long time for them to recover from her lies."

"I see," Lyon understood what they meant. "Guess this just gives me more reasons to not come out in public more if I have to deal with people like her."

"She hasn't happened to make any lies about Lyon, has she," Adrien asked Marinette.

"Well, she apparently was trained in the art of contests by Lyon and was supposedly the muse that inspired him to chose his 'White Wolf' look," Marinette said.

"And... now I have a headache," Lyon pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Here you go," Marinette handed the top coordinator some aspirin.

"Thank you," he took it immediately.

Adrien had known Lyon for quite a while now. Lyon had come from a rich family just like he did. But while he had been almost forced to model, Lyon's parents let him choose his own path. He was known for being the youngest ever grand coordinator out there. But since he had met him, Adrien also knew that Lyon generally was very humble and kind, but was basically an ice prince to anyone that tries to use him for their own gain.

So if Lila was not in trouble before, she sure was going to be now that Lyon knew about her lying about him. And that was troubling enough without Lyon's twin sister, Vallia, hearing about this. She might have the nickname of the Flower Princess and might be trying to become a Pokemon doctor, but that did not mean she was not dangerous on the battlefield.

"If she is still telling lies, I am guessing that she still has her regular audience," Adrien looks at Marinette again.

She nodded sadly. "Alya is still her most loyal sheep and there are also a lot of other friends of ours that are under her spell as well."

Lyon looked at the two with a raised eyebrow, silently asking for more details.

"There are times where I can escape photoshoots even if I do not have a contest to sneak off to," Adrien explained. "I would meet up with Marinette as much as I could and she introduced me to a lot of her friends. I have especially gotten along well with Nino, Kim, Juleka, and Marinette's boyfriend Luka."

"And before Lila came along, my friend Alya was my best friend," Marinette said. "I went to our town pokémon school with them before we all started our journeys. But when Lila showed up with all of her tall tales and false promises, they follow her like sheep following their shepherd. Most of my old class is under her spell. Only Adrien, myself, Luka, Kim, Juleka, and our other friends Nathaniel, Marc, and Kagami know that she is nothing but a liar."

"Alya used to be a reporter hopeful," Adrien tells Lyon. "She ran a very popular blog about up-and-coming battlers and coordinators. But then Lila came along with her tales and now most of Alya's blog is about her. She basically takes Lila's words as gospel and attacks anyone that so much as even hints that they think that Lila is anything less than a perfect angel."

"Wow," Lyon gasped. "This girl sounds worse than an angry Darkrai, and you never want to run into one of those."

"Yeah, Lila is a piece of work," Adrien sighed. "She really needs to be silenced before her tales get someone into trouble."

"Yeah," Marinette said. "She has been saying how Jagged Stone wrote a song about her and that Clara Nightingale stole dance moves from her. Those types of lies can ruin their careers."

"Well, I have no secret identity," Lyon says. "She won't be able to lie her way out of me saying that I have no idea who she is."

"Just be careful how you explain how you heard about her lies," Adrien warned him. "Lila has been trying to turn people against Marinette because she knows about her lies. At a few past contests that I had won, I heard a few other coordinators insulting her all because of lies that Lila told about her."

Lyon looked disgusted by the behavior. Coordinators and battlers were both very large families. Yes, there were some bad seeds in each family, but this girl was something way beyond a bad seed. How can one person just be such a selfish liar that she is willing to ruin another person's life just because they did not believe their lies?

But before they could continue their conversation, an announcement was made over the backstage speakers. It was for the coordinators that were competing to get ready since the first round was going to be starting soon.

"Just do your best, you two," Lyon tells them. "And if that liar gives you any trouble, she won't be much of an issue for much longer."

With a "Whoosh" of his cloak, Lyon left to go down the hallway. He had his own business at the Grand Festival that he needed to take care of before he would be able to help his friends.

"He always did like to make dramatic exits," Adrien chuckled.

"I just hope we actually won't have to deal with Lila for much longer," Marinette says.

The two of them went the opposite way down the hall, to the locker room where the contestants have to stay when they are not on stage. Adrien went to the side and leaned against the wall to keep up his appearance of the mysterious and quiet Cat Noir. Looking around the room, he noticed some familiar faces. Like Marinette had gone to stand next to her boyfriend, and fellow coordinator, Luka. There was also her friend Nathaniel and his boyfriend Marc along with her former friend Nino, Alya's boyfriend. Adrien also noticed his childhood friend Chloe as well and, unfortunately, Lila.

Soon, on the screens, appeared Marian, the usual contest announcer for Sinnoh. And from the audience that was seen in the background, Adrien could make out Kagami in the crowd as well as Alya. He was surprised to see Kagami there, but it was a very welcome surprise.

"Welcome, everyone to the beautiful waterside town of Lake Valor for this year's Grand Festival," she announced into her mic, making the crowd cheer. "Sixty talented coordinators from all over the Sinnoh region have joined us here to perform and battle their way into becoming the newest Top Coordinator!"

"And that will be me," was muttered all around the locker room, from confident and cocky contestants.

"Over the next few days, these talents coordinators will perform and battle their way into being named the next Top Coordinator," Marian continued. "The first stage is the Performance Stage, where our contestants will show off the beauty of their pokémon and their moves in double performances. After this stage, we will boil down our contestants to the lucky thirty-two for the Battle Stage where they will fight in double battles to win the chance to be named Top Coordinator."

"We got this, Torterra," Adrien whispered to the Pokeball in his hand.

"And to help us, let me introduce our judges," Marian continued again. "First is the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee, our head judge, Mr.Contesta."

"I look forward to watching all these coordinators doing their very best," the judge said as the spotlight shined down on him.

"Next is the President of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr.Sukiza," Marian introduced.

"Remarkable," the next judge used his catchphrase.

"And, of course, Nurse Joy," Marian announced. "She is a very special guest all the way from the Kanto region."

The spotlight shined down on the pokemon nurse.

"It's an honor to be here and to help judge these amazing contestants, I called my sisters from Pewter City and Cerulean City."

Two more Nurse Joy seemed to materialize from behind her.

"We're very happy to be here," they all said at once.

"And last, but definitely not the least, our guest judge," Marian announces, making the crowd and contestants curious as to who it might be. "He is the youngest ever Top Coordinator of three regions and has graced us with his presence from all the way in Kalos. He's known as the White Wolf, it's Lyon Garden!"

A fourth spotlight shined down and Lyon was presented, making the crowd erupt into cheers.

Adrien was both shocked and not shocked at the same time. He figured that Lyon was here for a reason, but he suspected that it was for a guest performance, not as a judge. But he did smirk as he saw Lila pale a little at the sight of one of the people that she lied about.

"Ladies and gentlemen, coordinators of all ages," Lyon says. "I hope to see plenty of creativity, skill, passion, and most of all, I want to see good sportsmanship. I wish you all the luck in the world, but I will still tell you the cold hard truth about everything you and your pokemon do."

Adrien chuckled under his breath. Lyon would always be Lyon, and that meant that the Ice Prince, which all of their friends called him, would come out every now and again.

"The performance stage will be divided into three separate stages," Marian announced as all three male judges went to a separate stage with one of the Nurse Joy's. "Blue, green, and red. And the performances will be happening simultaneously. Let's get this first round started!"

The crowd cheered. In the locker room, the three first contestants were called out for each of the stages.

Adrien certainly got the meaning of the three stages. It was an extra challenge to be able to do a proper performance when there were two others happening at the same time. It was all about being able to focus on what you were doing and not get overwhelmed.

As the performances started and coordinators showed off their skills, Adrien definitely saw a few that would be his main competition. Such as when Luka took his turn on the blue stage, he did a very enchanting performance with his Sunflora and ghost-type Oricoro. As Marinette has told him, Luka loves music and almost always includes sound in his performances. And as he heard the sound and saw the glowing musical notes of Luka's performance, he knew that boy was going to be a challenging opponent.

There was also Nathaniel and Marc. They worked on a pokemon comic book together, so both of their creative and artistic skills showed in their performances. And it was also an amazing sight to see how Nathaniel had a rare Phione that he paired with his Piplup for his performance was stunning aquatic moves. And Marc was definitely no slouch as he gave an incredible display of nature with his Meganium and Cherubi.

But that was to say that there were not some fails as well.

Sadly, this list of fails included Nino. Adrien might have once called him a friend, but that certainly stopped when the guy started believing Lila's lies about Marinette. And by how badly he failed his performance, Adrien had to guess that Nino had probably taken some of Lila's "advice" about what he should do. It certainly was not a good look to the green stage judges when his Buizel went flying back from a Will-O-Wisp from his Drifblim was too powerful for the combo he was trying to do.

When Marinette got her turn on the red stage, Adrien was proven right when he had guessed that she would do a flawless performance. It was an amazing combination of her icy Amaura with her beautiful Vivillon. Especially when she had beautiful glowing snowflakes falling all over the stage with a combination of icy wind and silver wind followed by a morning sun.

Plus, it was certainly nice to see Lila so angry over Marinette having done nothing wrong in her performance one bit.

But even Adrien had to admit that even though he hated Lila as a person, she did pretty well during her own performance. Sure, her combo moves were a little predictable with the pokemon that she chose, but they still worked out in the end for her. But Adrien had a feeling that like the liar that she was, she was probably just using combo moves that she has seen in the past and using them herself but with different pokemon so that it is not obvious that she is just a copycat.

Then, Cat Noir was called for the blue stage. Adrien took a deep breath as he went out toward the stage. He passed Marinette on his way and she gave him an encouraging hug. He knew that Lyon was the judge for the blue stage along with the main Nurse Joy guest judge from Kanto. But he knew that Lyon would not judge him any easier just because they were friends. If anything, he'd be judged harder since Lyon knows how hard he had trained for this.

"And next on the blue stage is the talk of the Grand Festival," he heard Marian announce. "A masked coordinator that has been taking the contest world by storm. The pokemon contest prodigy himself, Cat Noir."

There was loud cheering as he ran out there and pulled out his pokeballs.

"Torterra, Togekiss, claws out," he threw their pokeballs into the air with his signature catchphrase.

With the star sticker on both the pokeballs, both of the pokemon came out in a swirl of stars. Most would doubt using a pokemon as big and tough-looking as Torterra for the Performance Stage, but Adrien was not most people.

Togekiss lands gracefully on the tree of Torterra's shell. There was a reason why Togekiss were known as some of the most graceful pokemon in the world.

"Togekiss, sky attack. Torterra, leaf storm," Adrien commanded.

Togekiss shined with a white aura as it slowly floated into the air. But at the same time, Torterra's tree let out its storm of leaves and green wind. Since Togekiss was right on the tree, as it flew into the air, the storm swirled around it and followed it. The leaves and window giving off an incredible light that was a result of the combo of the light of the sky attack with the flow of the leaf storm. Togekiss then flew higher into the air.

"Safeguard," Adrien commanded.

Togekiss then unleashed the blue and sea green force field that the protection move grants. It caused the sky attack and the leaf storm to disperse in a gorgeous flash of light.

Lyon and Nurse Joy both looked impressed by how he so effortlessly made a beautiful start to his performance.

"Torterra, sunny day. Togekiss, aerial ace," Adrien commanded.

Torterra's tree glowed with sunlight as it then threw a ball of light into the air. It headed right toward Togekiss as it was surrounded by streams of white energy as it flew around to use its move. The sunny day move was hit by Togekiss, resulting in a bright flash of light.

And the crowd and judges and fellow contestants gasped as Togekiss emerged from the light. The aerial ace and sunny day had merged together and had created a stunning rainbow trail that followed it as it flew around the stage. It was one of the most stunning things ever seen in a contest in ages.

Togekiss then did an aerial twirl before landing right back on Torterra's tree and causing the rainbow trail to burst into rainbow-colored sparkles that fell all over the stage.

Adrien took a bow as his performance ended. The crowd and judges were all on their feet as they gave him a giant round of applause. Lyon caught his eye and gave him a look filled with pride and congratulations.

"I don't think I have ever seen a performance like that," Lyon says, doing his judging. "A true mastery of both the power of a Torterra and the elegance of a Togekiss. Truly the best performance I have seen in a long time."

"It was indeed incredible," Nurse Joy added her judging. "To combine two pokemon so different from each other and making them work in such harmony really is a breathtaking piece of art."

Adrien could not be prouder of himself as he returned Torterra and Togekiss to their pokeballs and then started to walk back to the locker room. He was about halfway there when Marinette basically tackled him with a hug.

"I have never seen anything like that," she practically yelled in excitement. "You're Torterra was so well-trained and Togekiss was beautiful. I will never know where you get your time to train performances like that, but that was so awesome."

Adrien chuckled at the enthusiasm of his friend.

"Thanks, Marinette," he said. "I loved your performance as well. Those snowflakes were such works of art and they were almost like fairies floating around the stage."

Marinette blushed at the compliment.

"Thanks," she smiled. "I knew that ice moves and flying-type moves are usually a good mix, so when you add in the light from the silver wind, it creates the snowflakes."

"I just know that I will see you in the finals," Adrien grinned at her. "I may not want to beat you, but I'm going to."

"In your dreams, kitty," Marinette giggled as she knew that it would be one hell of a showdown.

"Get your hands off of Lila's man, Mari-brat," a female voice was heard.

"And, here we go again," Marinette groaned.

Marinette turned around as Adrien looked at who was yelling. It seems that Alya was as much of Lila's attack Growlith now as she always seems to be since the liar showed up in their lives. And it looked like Lila was fake crying behind her while Nino was trying to comfort her.

"Uh... who are you," Adrien asked.

Now, Adrien had done some voice acting for a few movies that his dad wanted him to do. So, he was a pretty good actor. Adrien might know who Alya is, but Cat Noir has never met her before.

Alya looked at Adrien, smiling at him. But he could still see the rage in her eyes over something that Lila probably lied about. This was probably about the lies about him dating Lila with the liar probably also throwing in some other lies to make Marinette look even worse.

"Oh, I guess Lila never mentioned me," Alya said. "I'm Alya, your girlfriend's best friend."

"Uh... And who is..." Adrien tried to reveal Lila as a liar.

"Oh, don't worry about lying to protect her," Alya interrupted him, proving that they were right about how Lila would lie her way out of Cat Noir saying that he did not know her. "But I should warn you that this girl that you're talking to is nothing but a giant bully."

"Excuse me," Adrien had to stop himself from snapping at Marinette's former best friend.

"She is nothing but a bully, liar, and cheat," Alya glared at Marinette. "She is always bullying Lila and trying to steal her pokemon. She always calls Lila a liar when she is no such thing. Plus, she drugs all her pokemon to make sure her performances are good. Plus, she steals Lila's contest ideas. So, get your hands off of Lila's boyfriend, Mari-brat."

"You know, Luka used to tell me that you're heart song screamed that you were a bad friend," Marinette crossed her arms. "I did not believe him, but I will never doubt him ever again since you have ditched me for a liar."

"SEE," Alya yelled as she looked at Adrien and pointed at Marinette as if she had just been proven right. "She just called Lila a liar. She is a total bully."

"Well, she obviously is..." Adrien was interrupted again but by a different person this time.

"Hello, kitty," Lyon says as he approached the group.

"Wolfie," Adrien was immediately back in a good mood as he saw his friend.

"I have a reward for you for such an incredible performance," Lyon said.

Before Adrien could ask, he was suddenly kissed by Lyon. But the shock soon wore off as he melted into the kiss.

Marinette looked ready to burst in excitement as her ship has finally sailed. But she did now owe Luka a batch of his favorite caramel and chocolate scones since he had bet her that the two would get together at the Grand Festival while she thought it would happen after it. But she did not care.

Alya looked ready to burst in anger. Lila looked like she wanted to either cry more fake tears or just throw a monster tantrum. Nino just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ARCEUS ARE YOU DOING," Alya screamed.

That made them break apart from the kiss. But Lyon just put his arm around Adrien's waist.

"I believe that I was kissing my boyfriend," Lyon said. "We've had to keep it secret because of the media, but we've been together a few months."

Adrien and Marinette both knew that he was lying, but they did not care. Besides, this was to both expose Lila and have an excuse to start dating.

"You've been cheating on your girlfriend for that long," Alya continued to scream.

Lila then chose to speak up, also choosing to fake cry.

"How could you do this to be, Noir," she cried to fake tears.

"Oh, so this is the girl that you were warning me about, Marinette," Adrien decided to join Lyon in his act. "The one that was going around and saying that I was dating her?"

"Yep, that's her," Marinette played along as well.

"Well, then," Adrien started, facing Alya. "As I was about to tell you, I do not have a girlfriend. I never have and I never will. As you can plainly see, I am gay and I have a wonderful boyfriend."

"Lila is not a liar," Alya continued to scream. "You're just a cheater that is trying to make her look bad."

"Wow, this girl is a piece of work," Lyon rolled his eyes.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Alya yelled at Lyon. "She was the one that gave you the inspiration to be the White Wolf and you trained her to be a coordinator. How could you betray her like this?!?"

"Her? Inspire me? As if," Lyon gave Alya an icy glare. "This is the first day that I have ever met this girl. I became the White Wolf because my sister used to call me a wolf because of how loyal I am to my friends and family. They also all call me the Ice Prince, so White Wolf was born out of my two childhood nicknames."

"You need better friends since Marinette is most definitely is right," Adrien said. "This Lila girl is, most definitely, nothing but a liar."

"Let's go before our IQ gets any lower from being around a liar and her loyal sheep," Lyon held Adrien's hand as the three of them left. "And if someone is accusing you of drugging your pokemon, Marinette, I will lend you my family lawyers to sue that liar for slander."

Marinette wanted to laugh so hard as she saw the look of horror on Lila's face as they passed. She did start laughing once they were out of earshot.

"This is turning into the best day of my life," Marinette looked so happy.

"You're welcome," Lyon smirked.

"Won't you now get accused of favoritism when Lila will probably spread that you two are 'together' as revenge," Marinette asked Lyon.

"Everyone saw Adrien's performance, so I doubt that will happen," Lyon was confident.

"Okay," Marinette accepted that. "Also, it is about time you two got together. Adrien's had a crush on you forever."

"MARINETTE," Adrien yelled as he blushed.

All Marinette did in response was smirk and giggle.

[narrators-journal]

Happy birthday to you

Asker: P4 protagonista x Margaret

Kinks: femdom, creampie, breeding, lingerie, stockings, body worship, and cullingus and acohol

After the events of persona 4 narukami is summoned by Margaret in the Velvet Room, confused he asks why he was summoned there since his journey was already ended.

Margaret says that IS true she believes they have some loose ends between their Bond more specifically her feelings towards him. And what better way to resolve that by indulging theirs desires to each other

I took a bit of creative liberty with the exact lead up, but I did my best to hit each of your requested kinks! I hope this is as fun to read as it was to write <3

CW: All the listed kinks above, except maybe alcohol. I could not quite write drunk Narukami to save my life.

Stumbling out of the bar, Yu Narukami gulped breaths of cool, vomit-free air. For a birthday, this night was up there with his eighth. Yet, with the burn and disgusting taste of the alcohol in his throat, he wasn't too sure if it would take the spot as his favorite.

         "I need to get water..." The silver-haired boy muttered. Taking a few more deep breaths and letting them out slowly so his stomach didn't rebel any further.

         "I have some if you'd like." A familiar female voice about purred. And when Narukami looked up he saw a glossy, polished limo idling in front of him, and a familiar golden-eyed woman leaning out of an open door with a warm smile. "All I ask in return is that you humor me."

For a moment, all Narukami could do was stare. It had been at least a year since the boy had seen Margaret. The last place he'd expected to run into her again was in a bar parking lot on his eighteenth birthday. Though, with her crush on me, maybe not. He thought, coming over to the door to lean down and look into the familiar velvet room.

           "I thought this thing was in my head." He stated. Coming over to look in at the velvet seats and shelves of expensive wines and champagnes lined up against the walls of the car.

           "It was. I got this one custom furnished to match." The woman admitted, pushing herself further down the seat and patting the open space beside her. "I thought you'd recognize me easier in a familiar setting. Now, will you please get in? If you want, I have a birthday gift for you."

That sure got the man to lift his eyebrows. Margaret went out of her way and through all this trouble to give him a birthday gift. That sure piqued his interest, so Yu went ahead and got into the limo.

Once Narukami had settled in beside the woman, the limo pulled away from the bar.  As they went, the boy shot Dojima a message to explain his disappearance. Meanwhile, Margaret poured some water into a sparkling, clear glass wine cup and offered it to him.

           "So, not to sound impatient, but what type of birthday gift does a velvet room attendant give their wild card?" He asked, looking over the fair-haired woman who no longer wore the not-quite-knee-length blue dress he had grown accustomed to seeing her in. Instead, she wore a tan trench coat that he might've seen on inspector gadget or a flasher and a coy smirk.

          "Oh we usually don't get gifts for our wild cards, we don't often make contact after their journeys finish. But, I was able to convince Igor to grant me this freedom since our bond was so...complex." Margaret hummed, making Yu snort a bit.

It was true. Of all the connections he made that tumultuous year, Margaret had been one full of hazard. Flirting, glances, and general vibes all muddied the tie, and never got clarified.

          "So, what? you want to confess your feelings to me now that I'm an adult and it's not weird?" That made her snort

         "To be fair, my feelings were never quite inappropriate." She explained, "When I met you I was still young, by attendant standards. By yours, I would have only been a year older than you. So, I hope you never thought me a creepy old woman."

Yu hummed at that, sipping his water,

             "I guess it depends on how attendants age compared to humans. I don't want to be the creepy one if you're 2-3 years old." He told her, making her eyebrows shoot up that time,

           "Oh, we are 'born' years before our wildcard comes around." She assured, "We spend time studying humans. Only when we complete our studies do we take on adult forms and get assigned our velvet rooms." At that, she got a bashful smile, looking away from Yu. "My elder sister says I took the longest time she'd seen. Even considering how velvet room time is so 'wonky' as you might say."

The boy nodded and busied himself with finishing off his cup of water. It seemed a little mean to snicker at his velvet room attendant essentially flunking a school grade.

            "What 'age' are you guys usually when you meet your wildcards?"                     "Well, Elizabeth was a little younger than hers, so we're often around our wild card's age." Narukami nodded at that, giving her a charming smile,

            "So me finding you hot when we met wasn't at all creepy."

That got the woman to give him a surprised look, her golden eyes wide and her cheeks turning pink. But, after a moment she cleared her throat, schooling her face into a confident smile instead,

                  "Right. Naturally, you found me attractive. I know...that I found you appealing as well." She hummed, Yu smiling at her being so flustered yet trying so hard to maintain control. Though, the boy wasn't about to stop her. This fanned his interest in this situation.

                "Right. So, with the obvious out of the way," He hummed, tugging at the belt of her trench coat, "Does that mean you're naked under this?"

Margaret laughed a bit, her cheeks flaring a noticeable pink as the car came to a halt. The velvet room attendant loosening her coat's belt so she could push it off of her shoulders. Revealing not bare skin, but a spaghetti strap lingerie set, a Bustier style if Narukami's knowledge sufficed, in the trademark shade of rich blue she was often seen in. With delicate lace, sheer panels showing a bit of her belly, and silky panties beneath the garters that held up sheer thigh highs.

             "Do you like it? I thought that, since it was such a special occasion, I'd wear something a little flashier than the average set." Margaret hummed, running her fingers over the lace that laid over her breast to rest at the bottom of where the bustier dipped into her cleavage. A move Narukami's eyes watched before he nodded. So, she moved closer and threw her leg over his lap. Positioning herself so she was straddling the boy's lap with her arms resting on his shoulders. Once she had settled, one of her hands moved along his jaw to redirect his gaze from her ample cleavage to her face once more. "Though, if you would humor me once more, I'd like to...try something I've read a bit about. Now that we have some solitude."

Once again, the silver-haired boy nodded. Giving her a charming smile while his hands drifted to rest on her hips.

             "I am, at your command." he promised, getting a warm smile in response before the woman leaned forward and kissed him.

The kiss started slow and tender, meant to be savored. But after a bit, Margaret grew more desperate. Pressing her body to his and moaning into the boy's mouth before she broke the kiss,

             "I want you to worship me, Yu." She breathed. Shuddering under his touch when the silver-haired male ran his palms up her sides to cup her breasts.

             "Yes ma'am."

Margaret about melted at that. Letting Narukami kiss a path from her mouth and down her throat, stopping when he got to her sternum. From there, he detoured to leave butterfly kisses along the curve of her left breast. His hands smoothing back down to glide down her thighs. Her hands, meanwhile, moved to tangle in his hair. Gripping it while he laid her down on the seat.

As she had demanded, Narukami did his best to take his time and spoil her. First, he undid the bustier part of her lingerie so he could run his palms up the warm, smooth skin of her stomach back to her ample chest. Once there, he had fun massaging the supple mounds of flesh. Tweaking her nipples and lowering his head to litter her skin with more light kisses.

As he worked, Yu made sure to keep an ear out for her responses. Listening for each little gasp, mewl, and whimper the fair-haired woman gave when he slipped a nipple into his mouth to earn more heated noises. The move made her thighs wrap around his waist in an iron grip.

When he got down to her hips, he slipped his fingers under the waistband of her panties and slowly pulled them off of her. Smiling down at the flushed, crimson-painted expression of bliss she wore with her hands thrown up to lay beside her head with her wavey hair splayed out beneath her. If that wasn't a clear green light for his next phase, Narukami didn't know what would be. So, he lowered his head between her legs and ran his tongue over her glistening folds to earn a breathy gasp.

              "Yes! Yes, do that!"

Narukami was happy to oblige, lapping at her lazily. Savoring the taste with a hum. Though, her powerful thighs wrapping around his head to lock him into a chokehold, and her moans of encouragement and praise made it a little difficult to keep his focus on pressing his tongue to her clit or slipping it between the folds to dip further into the moist heat that greeted him.

              "N-Narukami!" She gasped after only a moment of his slow ministrations, "Ohhh god, I can't take it anymore. I-I need you." She moaned, her golden eyes glowing with need.

              "My, I didn't expect to make you beg." He chuckled once he'd pulled free of her thighs. Holding himself up with one arm while ensuring the velvet room assistant didn't fall off of the limo seat when she repositioned herself.

             "I'm not begging, Narukami." She said, her voice hardening as she looked down at the bulge that had grown in his pants. "I'm ordering you to fucking breed me already."

That got Narukami's eyebrows to shoot up once more.

             "Can you even ge-"

             "No questions." She barked, spreading her legs more, "Do it. Now."

Her unwavering tone left no room for arguments, so the silver-haired boy didn't even try. Obediently, he undid his pants and kicked them off. Grinning when Margaret gave an impatient hum at the sight of his erection.

             "Any preference on pace, ma'am?" He hummed while he moved back between her thighs, smiling down at her lust-drunk expression and the way her panting made her breasts bounce ever so slightly.

             "I want to be filled. Right now. I-I don't wanna wait." She insisted, hooking her ankles behind his back as if he would back out.

  Dragging the head of his cock along her soaked entrance made her whine and pull him closer. So, Narukami took the hint. Without more delay, the silver-haired wild card pushed into her, hooking his arms under her thighs so he could hold her in place. Even when her back arched.

After that, Narukami began thrusting into her.

               "Yes! Yes, good boy!"

               "Ah fuck! F-faster!"

               "Right there! Harder!"  Each of her orders, the boy filled. He sped up when she wanted him to, got rougher on command, and made sure to target the spots that made her back arch and tore lustful yowls from her throat. Though, she wasn't the only one making noises.

Each time she called him a good boy, it sent a fresh bolt of pleasure through his blood. Making the wild card give his own moans while doing his best to maintain the fast pace at which he slammed into her. That, paired with the slick warmth that hugged his member so snugly, and the feeling of her stocking under his hands pushing him closer and closer to the edge. Each plunge into her eating away at his thoughts until, finally, he had to speak.

              "M-Margaret! I'm-I'm gonna-"

              "God, yes!" She gasped, her hand shooting down to his arm, "Fuck- Be a good boy and breed me! God, please, knock me up all you want!" She begged. all commanding facades dropped.God this might bite me in the ass...

As she demanded, Narukami didn't stop. He continued to thrust into her until she gave a final desperate whine and her body clamped down around him. That did it. The extra tightness around his already throbbing cock shoved him over the edge completely. So, not a moment after Margaret came, Narukami stuttered to a halt. Shooting his load deep into the gorgeous velvet room attendant while she dug her nails into his arm.

Though, when she came down from the euphoric high that shot through them both, she let his arm go and let him pull out of her.

             "I'm...so sorry, I lost my composure at the end there..." She panted. Trying to simultaneously catch her breath and readjust her headband to push her hair back out of her face.

             "Nah, no worries." He assured, "I didn't mind, it was cute."

At that, Margaret's face turned another shade of red and she busied herself with pulling her coat back on. Also letting him put his pants back on. After they were both dressed though, the limo moved once more. The drive being a silent one.

When they were back at Dojima's home, where Narukai was staying for the night, Margaret cleared her throat and finally broke that silence though.

              "Well, um...T-thank you for humoring me. H-happy birthday." She muttered, her golden eyes not meeting his as he got out. Though, he leaned down to give her a smile,

               "Any time, Margaret. Thanks for the birthday present."

She gave a shy nod at that and Narukami closed the limo's door again. Watching the vehicle drive away before grinning to himself. He took it back. This was his favorite birthday.