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3pirouette · 3 years

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Fic: Say You’ll Remember Me (1/1)

Title: Say You’ll Remember Me By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette Disclaimer: They're not mine. Word Count: 3599 Distribution: AO3

Story Summary: The first time he heard it, it triggered a flash back just as bad as any he’d ever had before. Later, Natasha told him he stood stock still, a sweat broke out on his forehead and his left hand shook just enough that she was concerned there was something medically wrong with him.

Chapter A/N: I’m… sorry? I have ALWAYS thought this was a Steggy song, and this just seems… angsty. But… I needed it. About/inspired by Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams. Wildest Dreams came out in 2014, so this is set just before the events of Winter Soldier, in 1945 just prior to the train incident, and post End Game.

If you know of any other Wildest Dreams inspired fics, please tell me where I can find them. I NEED THEM.

I know that I am VERY vague in how I reference this song in the story. I don’t want the story to be about the song, but rather Steve’s reaction to it. Also, I wrote some HORRENDOUS song-fic back in the day- lyrics before sections, italicized in sections… crazy references throughout the story text. And not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that- but I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and I ain’t going back. So… this isn’t song fic- it’s just inspired by. However, if you haven’t ever heard Wildest Dreams, 1. How did you manage that? And 2. PLEASE go listen to it before/while reading because it will change this for you.

~*~

The first time he heard it, it triggered a flash back just as bad as any he’d ever had before. Later, Natasha told him he stood stock still, a sweat broke out on his forehead and his left hand shook just enough that she was concerned there was something medically wrong with him. He stood there with his eyes boring a hole into nothing for so long that she worried other people were going to start noticing.

He remembered Natasha’s voice pulling him out of it, the way she drifted into his consciousness, the way the vision faded from his reality to the world around him, the way her face stayed calm but her eyes were concerned.

“Where did you go?” she asked gently, just as acquainted as any of them with the traumatic effects of the lives they lived.

Steve had to clear his throat before he could speak, the memory left him choked up and just a little heartbroken. “A long time ago,” he managed to get out, low and hoarse.

“Want to talk about it?” Natasha asked, the mask of the ever-adaptable spy slipping, revealing the friend beneath.

He shook his head, squared his shoulders, and started moving forward on the street again, the sound of music coming from the store next to them fading away, the song now different and far less triggering. “No.”

“Offer stands,” she tossed out flippantly, the mask sliding back into place as she kept pace beside him.

He managed to make it through the day, and their mission, without opening the pandora’s box of emotion that one silly song had caused, but that night he dreamed, vividly.

~*~

It was rare, to get leave. Even more rare to get leave at the same time.

Bucky stole a jeep, and the Commandos piled in, heading to the only pub in driving distance that was remotely open after a bombing raid a few weeks ago.

He didn’t know she had leave, she hadn’t mentioned it, but Peggy knew he had leave, and it wasn’t a mistake that she just managed to be at the pub, waiting at the bar, manicured nails tapping the wood nervously as he walked through the door.

He knew it wasn’t a mistake when Bucky pushed him towards her, the guys laughing and raising their eyebrows good naturedly, Peggy smiling at them like she was in on it all along.

They had been, and she had been, and Steve thought it was the best surprise he could have asked for. “You look beautiful,” he started, still a little off balance. “Nice to get out of the uniform.”

Her smile lit up the room. “Well, it was the nicest dress I had for the occasion.” She reached out, letting her hand fall over his shirt. “You clean up nice, as well.”

Steve laughed nervously. “Best I could manage. Most of the clothes I have are uniforms or from before…”

“Probably a tight fit,” she joked, letting her hand ghost over the arm of his shirt. “Though this fits well.”

“Bucky’s.” He looked past her shoulder at the guys who were looking back at them. Dum Dum raised his glass and his eyebrows suggestively, and he shook his head at them, looking back at Peggy. “Why didn’t you tell me you had leave?”

She shrugged, her curls bouncing over her shoulder. “Quite frankly, I thought Phillips would pull it any minute, right up until I left.” She turned and took a long sip of her wine. “I’m surprised he let any of us go, really.”

He was entranced by her, seeing her away from the base, seeing her seem so much more relaxed, so much happier, gave him a sense of purpose. They’d stolen kisses behind tents and held hands when they thought no one could see them in the dark, but they were still dancing around one another in a way that was both frustrating and enticing. This seemed like the first real chance they had to be themselves, to be more than Captain and Agent, and solidify the stolen moments as something much more meaningful. It was, very nearly, a real date. “Maybe… maybe we should get out of here.”

She didn’t need convincing. “Alright.”

Steve knew he’d made the right choice as the sounds of catcalls and whistles came from the Commando’s table in the back. Outside, where the air was just a little fresher and a little cooler, and he felt safe twining his hand in hers away from prying eyes that would gossip the next day.

They walked slowly up the little road, not knowing exactly where they were or where they were going, they managed to come across a small bridge on the edge of a park, just the barest hint of water trickling over the rocks beneath it as the sun started to sink in the sky, bathing them in a bright golden light.

She pulled him to a stop, looking out over the edge of the bridge. “Seems untouched, don’t you think?”

He stopped, watching her come alive in the lushness of the space. She seemed so happy to be away from mud and ranks and tents, that it almost physically hurt to know he’d have to bring her back. He took in the little park, the first hints of spring starting to bloom in the grass and trees surrounding what he was sure would be a lovely little creek once the spring rain started. “Beautiful.” He smirked, “But not quite as lovely as you are.”

Peggy rolled her eyes, unable to take the compliment. “Cheeky.”

He didn’t let her spoil it, though. “I wish I could draw you, just like this.” He looked her over, surrounded by the bright greens of the new spring, her dress and hair bouncing in the light breeze, her red lips standing out and begging to be kissed, the light in her eyes seemingly untouched by the war. His heart thudded in his chest with how beautiful she looked, how bright and vibrant. “I want to remember you like this forever.”

His words surprised her, and her smile softened. “You’ll remember me. That photographic mind of yours won’t let you forget, I’m sure, and then one day you can paint me, just like this, and they’ll hang it in the Louvre.”

He chuckled, taking a moment to look over every inch of her, hoping it would really commit to his memory like she seemed to think. “If they ever hang anything of mine in the Louvre, it’ll be because I was Captain America, not because it’s any great work of art.” He leaned on his elbows on the rail next to her, changing the topic quickly before she could form a rebuttal. “Rare to find anyplace out here that looks like this,” he mused quietly.

She wound her arm around his, leaning her head on his shoulder as she gazed out at the slow sunset. “It will take years for some places to recover… decades, even.”

Steve nodded, the feeling of her warmth against him comforting. “People are resilient. We’ve seen that already.” He reached over, letting his hand cover hers, gently moving the pads of his fingers over her bright red nails for long, quiet moments. “After the war—”

“After the war,” she sighed, cutting him off. Peggy leaned away, turning and taking his hand in hers. “There will be an ‘after the war,’ Steve.”

“I know,” he nodded, a soft smile on his lips, though her change in demeanor from soft and happy to serious and concerned did catch him off guard.

She almost laughed, huffing a bit then squaring her shoulders just like she did when she had to tell Phillips something he didn’t want to hear. “No one’s ever accused me of being overly sentimental,” she started, fighting to keep her eyes on him.

Steve just smiled, giving her hand a soft squeeze. “I think I’ve come to appreciate your… Britishness.”

She did laugh at that, and he watched just a little of the anxiety fall from her shoulders. “What I’m trying to say, what I want to say…” Peggy laughed again, a bright burst of nervousness. She turned away, mumbling to herself, “Good lord, why is this so difficult?”

Steve gave just the barest tug to her hand, bringing her back to him, eyebrows knit in confusion. “Just say it, Peg.”

She took a deep breath, and it all tumbled out. “I haven’t seen futures with people before. I haven’t wanted to… or, or needed to. Even… even with Fred it was just… I just expected it was what I was supposed to do. And then with this war, it was harder and harder to see past what tomorrow might bring. But Steve…” Peggy smiled, like she finally knew exactly what she needed to say. “Steve, I see a future with you. I see tomorrow, and the day after, and next month, and next year. I want…” She took a deep, steadying breath. “I want there to be an ‘after the war’ with you, even though I know I don’t show it much. Even though I know I can be hard to read sometimes. Even though I don’t write you long love letters when you’re away and I don’t spritz my perfume on your pillow for when you get back. I know I don’t always show it, but I want that. I want an ‘after the war’ with you.”

He knew he was grinning ear to ear. He couldn’t help it. “I want that, too, Peg.”

Peggy took a deep breath, smiling. “Good. Good. Yes.” Though she fought to keep it inside, her relief showed in how her eyes sparkled. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

Steve looked down at their hands, then back up to her. “I want to grow old with you, Peg, if you’ll have me.”

The sun was setting, shading her pink and purple, more like a dream now than anything. She squeezed his hand tight. “Yes, I think that’s quite a good idea.”

He kissed her, soft and gentle at first, but they quickly found themselves carried away and breathless, with her pressed up against the rough rock of the bridge.

Steve pulled away, her red lipstick staining his mouth, branding him as he tried to catch his breath. “Sorry, I…”

“No,” she whispered, equally as breathless. Stolen moments always seemed to end like this, and she was having none of it tonight. “No, don’t be. In fact, I’ve rented a room not far from the bar.”

“Peg…” He still hadn’t caught his breath, one hand still caressing over her ass as the other untangled itself from her skirt. He wasn’t sure if he was declining her offer, or simply asking her to rethink it. So much of their restraint had been to keep her reputation safe, to protect what little credibility she had with some generals who felt she shouldn’t be where she was in the SSR. It was a reaction to say they needed to stop, to pause, to protect her.

“I’m not waiting until after the war to love you,” she retorted, taking his chin in her hands. “Not when I have you right here, right now.”

He kissed her again as the sun set behind them. “You’re right,” he whispered against her lips, taking her hand tight and pulling his handkerchief out to wipe the lipstick from his face. “Which way?”

~*~

When he woke up that next morning with the feeling of her lips still on his and her skin beneath his fingers, Steve hoped to never hear that song again.

It was popular, though, and it felt like everywhere he went he heard the lilting soprano: in grocery stores and walking on the street and on the radio. Most of the time when he heard it he was in public, and had no choice but to grit his teeth as the lyrics cut him to the quick, his mind supplying an image like a movie that looped over in slow motion, that distracted him and slowed his body down and made his heart beat quicker.

By somewhere around the twentieth time he heard it, he sat down and found the lyrics online and read them word by word, ignoring how his eyes welled up and how he felt an emptiness deep in his gut.

At least he knew the enemy now, knew the words that had snuck past his conscious mind and triggered what should have been a happy memory but was now only a signal of lost opportunities… lost time…

Lost love.

~*~

“I do wish you’d stop coming, Steve.”

Her words seemed at odds with the way she cradled his hand in both of hers. He lifted his other hand, setting it on top of hers gently, gripping her hands so, so softly. Sometimes, he was afraid she’d break under his touch she seemed so frail. “What do you mean?”

She laughed, and he saw the spirit that, no matter how her body failed her, was tough as nails. “I’m barely lucid these days.” The laughter was less frivolity and more self-pity, though, and he felt her fingers grasp at his as she kept their gazes locked, serious. “I don’t want you to remember me like this.

“Peggy,” he whispered, his words failing him.

There was no reassuring smile left for him. “I don’t want anyone to remember me like this.”

He looked away, hiding tears that had formed in his eyes. “I can’t just leave you here alone.”

Her whisper was soft and resigned. “I won’t know the difference.”

He left her, hours later, unsure if he should heed her request or hope she forgot it by the next time she showed up. He sat on his bike, trying to force himself to re-center, when a car stopped on the street a few feet away at a red light, windows down, the only song he didn’t want to hear at the moment blaring from its speakers.

He shoved his helmet on, knowing that at the very least, people wouldn’t be able to see his tears through the face shield.

~*~

Weeks later, the song had been replaced by some innocuous pop hit on replay on radio stations, and he started to breathe easier in public when there was ambient music playing. He thought maybe, just maybe, he could hear it and not think of her, of that day in 1945, of her lying in the bed at the nursing home, and be hit like a freight train with pain and loss.

Which is why, when the familiar heartbeat started to play one morning as he was cracking an egg into a frying pan for his breakfast, he was surprised to find the radio in pieces in his hands, the smoke of the burning egg breaking him out of the trance that had taken time, and the radio, from him.

He supposed it was safer if he stuck to his records. At least with those, he knew what kind of memories and melancholy he was in for with each mournful trumpet. He’d never imagined a song could cause physical pain before, but as he cleaned up the burnt egg and pulled the sparking end of the radio’s cord out of the wall socket, he couldn’t doubt that there was something about that song, something about the way this woman sang those words, that broke him just a little bit more each time he heard them.

~*~

He let his hand run over the cloth, just as soft as he remembered, though he didn’t remember the line of neat stitches at the hemline. He hadn’t known, until right this moment, she still had it.

“Steve?” Her voice floated through the hallway and back to him in the bedroom. He looked up just in time to find Peggy peeking around the door frame, smile on her bright red lips. “Find me something suitable to wear for this mystery date?”

A different him, a younger him, would have been embarrassed at being caught going through her dresses even though she’d asked, despite all that they shared now, but he was neither embarrassed nor bashful about it. “Sorry, got caught up.”

Peggy never seemed anxious about his little moments here and there, when a memory or loss hit him and he needed a minute to shake it. She was just as well acquainted with those moments, and those kinds of losses, herself.

Just like so many friends he’d lost, so many people he’d left both by circumstance and by choice too many times over now, everyone he seemed to know had lost something to the ravages of war.

She stopped, slipping into the room quiet as a mouse in her bare feet and robe, her voice calm and gentle. “No matter. I just need to get dressed. A preference?” She moved to him, the violet scent of her powder still hanging around her from just finishing her hair and make up for their dinner out. She took the dress from his hands and smiled fondly. “Oh, I remember this one. And our little… walk… that night.”

She held it up against her and shifted side to side, a vague model of it, as she smiled brightly.

The memory still punched him in the gut, even with her right there in front of him. He knew the singer wouldn’t be born for decades yet, and still he could have sworn he heard that damn song ringing in his ears.

She let the dress fall to her side, reaching out to take his hand. “Something wrong?”

He’d been back for months, and yet he still worried that she didn’t understand. “I remember,” he whispered, looking away. “I remember you on that bridge, smiling at me like we had our whole lives ahead of us.”

She held his hand tight, her voice low and serious, “We do.”

“But we didn’t,” he whispered fiercely, turning back to her. “Not when I was there- in that future or that timeline or whatever it was.” He shook his head and lifted the fabric of the skirt in his free hand, looking at the cloth as if it held the mysteries of the universe. “All I had left was this memory of you, standing on that bridge, with your hair waving in the wind and your bright red lips smiling at me like you didn’t have a care in the world. I had that memory so clear it felt like I could touch it, and it was everything I’d lost.”

She dropped the dress and it fell from his fingers between them as she moved closer, cradling his face in her hands. “I’m right here, right now, Steve.”

He couldn’t stop the heavy weight of his voice. “I’d lost you, and I’d lost my future when I woke up there.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “I lost my ‘after the war,’ because when I woke up there was just one fight after another and the war was never over.”

“It’s over now.” Her voice was thick with her own emotion as her thumb traced his cheek. “And you found your way back to me.”

“Peg,” he didn’t like the way his voice cracked when he said her name, but there was little he could do to stop it.

She pulled him close, kissing him fervently. “You’ll never have to remember me again, Steve.” She nuzzled her cheek close to his, pulling him even closer. “I’m right here. And God himself couldn’t tear me away from you again, do you understand?”

He clutched at her, holding her tight, as he nodded against her neck.

“We’ll stay in tonight, yeah?” She pressed her lips against his neck, and not or the first time he was struck with how thankful he was for this second chance.

~*~

He thought it was fitting that the first time he heard it again was right after her funeral, right after he was done shaking hands and consoling grandchildren and was still half dressed in his suit with no tears left to cry.

He hadn’t been avoiding it, truthfully hadn’t thought about it in years. But as soon as he heard that lilting soprano again, he stopped in his tracks.

This time, he sat and turned the radio louder.

This time, he could remember not only that moment of her on the bridge, telling him she wanted a future with him, but that night in her house, only months after he’d shown up on her doorstep.

He remembered the way she looked when they got married by the Justice of the peace.

The way cuddled next to him on the couch, scowling as soon as the Captain America Adventure Hour came on the radio.

The way she smiled at him when she told him she wasn’t deathly ill, but rather pregnant.

The way she looked with their daughter at her feet and their son on her hip, playing dolls as she talked with Phillips about national security over the phone.

He remembered all of these things and more: ever blinding smile, every tear, every laugh in their time “after the war” together.

He didn’t shake, didn’t freeze up, but rather felt a small, warm feeling in his chest: happiness tinged with just enough loss that the song still felt like an old, unwelcome friend.

He waited until the last, breathless notes were sung and snapped off the radio, done with music for the night.

If her were lucky, he’d see her in his dreams tonight, and that would be no bad thing.

#Steggy Fic #3P's Fic #ANGST #Tissue warning

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westershiresauce · 4 years

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Headcanon: Deus Ex Scuba Gear

Note: Spoilers for Bly Manor.

So, here is my Bly Manor/Supergirl crossover crackfic headcanon where Kara is Dani and her ex Mike gets killed by a truck when he walks into traffic after Kara comes out to him and breaks off their relationship.

“Mike, I think I’m gay,” the blonde whispers, too ashamed to speak any louder. The man next to her tenses slightly before a look of relief washes over him.

“Oh thank God,” he says, and smiles at a confused Kara.

“What? You’re okay with this?” Mike shrugs and shoots the woman his frustratingly disarming grin.

“I mean, am I glad I’m being dumped? No. Am I relieved that the reason is you aren’t into guys? Kind of.” Kara wrinkles her brows in confusion and he continues.

“I mean, I know I’m hot.” Mike grins again and winks at the blonde who purses her lips at his peacocking, “I thought maybe you were just frigid or something.”

“Mike!” Kara looks around to make sure no one is listening. Mike laughs and she shoots him a glare.

“Hey, you’re the one that decided to break my heart at the corner of a major intersection.”

He winks at her and she advances on the man, trying to shut him up. He skips away from her, ignoring the fact that he is now in the crosswalk of the intersection.

“Mike! Stop fooling around!” the blonde pleads but the man ignores her.

“Hey, were you checking out chicks while we were together?” He waggles his eyebrows and Kara balls her fists at her sides. She refuses to take the bait. The man just laughs at her silence. “Dude, you totally did. What’s your type?”

He goes quiet suddenly and his face lights up. Kara shakes her head. It is seldom a good thing when the man gets a light bulb moment.

“Hey Kara,” his face gets lecherous and Kara readies herself for some horrifying comment, “Would you let me watch?”

Kara’s face blooms red with embarrassment and anger. She steps closer to jab her finger against the man’s face and get her point across. However, Mike anticipates this and he takes another step back, grin still in place even as a truck barrels into his body. Kara stares in shock, midstep and with her finger still in the air as Mike is flung at least twenty feet down the street. The smell of burning rubber as the truck attempts to stop and the blaring sound of a horn being pressed much too late fill her senses.

Kara: “No, Mike, not gay as in happy. Good lord, dude!”

Kara is at the hospital when Mike is pronounced dead. Rhea never really liked her so she leaves for her apartment, still shaken but confused about how she feels about what happened. On the one hand she feels responsible for what happened, but on the other hand, she almost feels relieved. Until, that is, she goes to wash her hands in the bathroom and sees Mike standing behind her. She screams and when she turns around, he is gone. It isn’t until a few days later that she hears someone walking around her apartment that she realizes what happened. She grabs her trusty bat and walks out, expecting some coke addict rifling through her bookshelves but instead sees Mike, pawing at her bookcase. He grunts in frustration when his hand goes through a book but cheers when he manages to knock one onto the floor. Kara drops the bat in shock and Mike turns around, grins wide and puts a hand up in a peace sign, just like when he was alive.

Mike: “I’m still here, bro!”

Turns out Mike is tethered to Kara and it is a horrible, cruel curse. He is both the best and worst wingman and Kara is still not convinced he doesn’t try to peek when she is getting dressed or showering but he also helps her learn to be more confident. All his shameless arrogance makes him a great cheerleader, at least once they talk about some ground rules.

1. No creeping on Kara in the bathroom or when she is changing. Mike scoffs at this and mutters about being able to creep on hotter ladies.

2. No unsolicited advice or comments about women that Kara is not interested in pursuing a relationship with. This is added after a week of Mike making comments about women that had Kara blushing constantly, even at work.

3. No watching when Kara has a lady over. She wasn’t sure where Mike disappeared off to when she did manage to have a date come back to her place but he would always leave after shooting Kara another peace sign and telling her to “do the circle thing I showed you.”

It all hits the fan when Rhea gets wind of Kara dating women and she packs up and leaves. She does not want to deal with that fallout and she would rather get a fresh start somewhere else. Where is that where else? London, Bly Manor, American au pair, you know the rest.

Kara: “Yeah, I’m gonna take a one way and gtfo of here.”

Who are our players at Bly?

Our cook Owen Sharma is good old Jack Spheer because sometimes these things write themselves. And who is our beloved Hannah Grose? Why, Lucy Lane. Because she was too good and I always want to see more of her. Plus she can be a stern little spitfire with the kids and ghosties (The kids refer to her to as Major). She takes her fine self and daydreams about the moment that charming Jack came over to get the job as a cook, not dead, just as a useless hetero (is that a thing? It is now...) that can’t fathom for some reason that Jack is totally in love with her.

As for Rebecca Jessel and Peter Quint? Kelly Olsen (the only character with any brain cells half the time) and Andrea Rojas, our muy caliente Scotsman. Is that racist? No, but her horrendous accent might be a crime. This version has none of the controlling assholeroy of Peter and no secretly killing Rebecca. Just good old bad luck in a horror series. Andrea gets drunk and tries to dive into the lake to find the chest of loot she is convinced is down there so her and Kelly can run away to America.

Andrea: “This is a file on all the reasons you should run away from this haunted ass creepy mansion and come with me to America. Also, there is a map I drew of the lake with an X where the loot most definitely is.”

Kelly: “This is just a picture of you in lingerie and a sheet of paper you colored blue with a big red X in the middle.”

Kelly dies trying to save her when Andrea starts to get hypothermia and they both drown in the freezing lake. Because why bury your gays when you can drown them? Amiright? Who finds their bodies the next day? This leads to the following section: Next slide, please!

Who is standing in for Miles and Flora Wingrave? Why, Ruby and a tiny Nia, of course. Nia is a sweet baby angel and I want to meet her as a little sister, totally doted on by her big sister, Ruby. Nia sees Andrea and Kelly arguing like lesbians (so much hand waving and crying and angry whispering) on the far end of the lake while their blue popsicle bodies float around. Ruby and Lucy drag little Nia away from the scene.

Nia: “My giant scarf is perfectly splendid! Also, I am baby.”

Things get really spicy when Kara shows up, ghost!Mike and all. He complains about not being able to haunt the “hot chick from apartment 314” any more, but he perks up at the thought of “British broads.” Kara had hoped he was tethered to National City or something, but it appears he is linked to her. Mike is ecstatic when he finds out Bly is full of ghosts. He is always off somewhere exploring the mansion and only pops in to tell Kara snippets of Bly’s history and its many inhabitants.

Meanwhile, we get to the real star of this indulgent charade. Lena as the wonderfully fit Irish (let her have the accent!) gardener, Jaime. She is convinced Kara is a corn-fed straighty from America until Kara throws herself at her in the greenhouse because flowers turn on lesbians (see Imagine You and Me and Georgia O'Keeffe’s many works. This is sapphic lore, kids.) She opens up about Mike and Lena smooches her so she doesn’t have to listen to the hot blonde’s delusions.

Lena: “What do you mean it is too bright? What book? This is a watering can for my gardening activities. So is my fashionable, appropriately sized hat.”

Kara: *OMG she is so hot and cool, what do I do?* “Hey, do you guys do the circle thing in the UK?”

Meanwhile, things are getting interesting with Mike and the ghosts: Kelly and Andrea, newly minted Bly ghosts, explain that they are stuck on the grounds. Mike, who believes in having the freedom of “you do you,” vows to break the curse. He strikes a heroic pose that makes Andrea roll her eyes but Kelly agrees they need to find out more about the origins of the Bly Manor curse.

Flashback episode in a horrid b/w tone because I want to show this is old, okay. It’s not like we could figure it out by the clothes. Or the set dressing. Or the fact that the one of the characters died of “the lung.”

Anyway, we have our sisters, Viola and the other one. Their names don’t really matter because they are going to be the brunette one and the blonde one, played by the queen of period series: Katie McGrath.

Anger-y brunette Katie, getting her smacking hand ready.

And blonde, sad (but also evil? plot twist!) Katie, lusting after her brother in law.

And they fight over none other than Daddy Cullen, Maxwell Lorde, because look at that hair, look at all those buttons, look at that big hand! Who could resist?

The child is baby Lena being twirled by Anger-y Katie pre-“the lung” because let’s just have this turn into a black hole that destroys itself.

Baby Lena: “Swing me, mummy. Swing me with your good lungs!”

Anger-y Smack-You-Every-Time Katie: “I swung too close to the sky and now this is happening to me.”

So while Kara and Lena are christening all sorts of places at Bly (yes, even the master wing because, of course, the master wing), Mike, Andrea, and Kelly are incepting themselves into all sorts of memories and whatnot. Cue that montage!

404 ERROR. MONTAGE NOT FOUND.

Whoops, looks like we blew our budget on that black and white filter. Sorry about that.

Once the ghost trio realizes the chest in the lake doesn’t in fact hold some dragon’s hoard of gold, but the key to ending this madness, Mike pops in on Lena and Kara to bring them up to speed. Kara screams at him about the third rule while Lena tries to accept the fact that her girlfriend (yes, they are girlfriends by now, keep up) has a ghost for a best friend.

Kara makes Mike look away while her and Lena get dressed and after quite a bit of exposition, they decide to pull the chest up from the lake. Lucy and Jack have been off playing hide the croissant or whatever the straights do during their leisure time, but they quickly hop on the “break the Bly manor curse” train.

There is a fun B (C?) plot where Ruby and Nia steal Jack’s car and drive into town. No one in town cares because they are rich and all the adults at Bly are busy romancing each other and assume the girls are being odd rich kids playing somewhere in the manor.

The adults are planning how to get down to the chest without suffering Andrea and Kelly’s fate, when they find some scuba gear the kids bought on their last trip to town. It is wholly impractical but the adults shrug and accept the plot hole so they can hurry this along.

They draw straws and Kara has to dive down and tie some chains around the sunken chest. Lena jumps in front of limited edition Scuba Gear Kara to stop her but the American has to America so she dives into the freezing lake after a swoon inducing “I’ll be right back” kiss. Like, gifable on tumblr, twitter, and whatever new platform there is a hundred years from now.

Scuba Gear Kara: “Guys, I can’t see anything through this helmet. Guys?“

After a few tense moments where Anger-y Olden Time™ Katie tries to stop Kara, Mike, Andrea, and Kelly step in and use their ghost powers to keep her away from Kara. Jack uses his car to pull up the haunted chest and they pry it open with a crowbar and plenty of moxie. The screams of slap happy Katie of the past ring out around the heroes as the curse is broken. The ghosts cheer, everyone laughs nervously (they know the end is never the end in a horror story) and Kara shivers from the cold until she is next to the fire, dry and cuddled up with Lena.

As her final act of revenge, Anger-y Katie gives Kara the Lung(!) but thanks to the power of Science, our spunky American pulls through after properly completing the full course of treatment and antibiotics. This includes Lena taking sexy care of her girlfriend. *wink*

***** westershiresauce is not a medical professional and their thoughts regarding the health benefits/healing powers of a sexy nurse!Lena are not verified. Don’t take srsly. *****

Cut to, one more garden and I can retire, Lena, sitting next to an immaculate shrub, waiting for her wife Kara to bring out the tea and biscuits.

THE END!

Lena: “I swear to all that is holy, if that tea is shite, I am leaving her. It’s been like thirty years!”

28 notes · View notes

ohtheseboysilove · 5 years

Text

Out of luck. [ Ben Hardy x F!Reader]

Words : 6, 200 K +

Warnings : fluff, bit of angst

Summary : You have the most wonderful first date with Ben, wishing nothing more than seeing him again. The only problem is he never text you again after promised to.

Note : A little fluffy break in all these angsty writing on my tumblr ;))) Hope u like my cutie pies !!

🌼Requests are open🌼☀ Masterlist ☀

The butterflies in your belly were flapping there wings excitedly, bumping around each other due to your melting state. You were completely melting. That was the word. Ben was making you literally melt. He was so sweet, your heart beating so heavily against your chest, everything about him was practically perfect. Handsome, funny, smart and definitively a gentleman. It had been so long since a boy made a such good impression right away, it was exciting. And obviously a bit scary. You had the bad habit to get attached way too quickly before being brutally bring back to the reality. You really hoped this time this guy was serious because you did like him, a lot.

“Let me get that” The beautiful british immediately grabbed the bill from the waitress’s hands, smiling kindly at her.

“No, Ben, we can do half-half” You protested as you took your wallet from your hand bag but he was quicker, slamming notes on the table.

“My treat, love. Don’t fight me on this, I can be very stubborn” He winked at you and stood up as you did the same, he even helped you put your coat on !

You both exited the restaurant, sharing nervous but flustered glances to each other. It was the famous moment did he like the date like I did ? Or was he just polite ?

“Thanks for paying tonight” You smiled softly as you slowly walked on the pavement, hands bumping against each other, the two of you too timid to do the first step. “But I pay the next time” You blurbed out without thinking.

When a grinned broke on his face, your eyes widened as you processed your words, chewing nervously your bottom lip.

“So you want us to have a second date ?” His dimples were popping as he smiled, rather amused by your sudden red cheeks.

“Hum, I– I mean...if you want to–“ You ate half of your words, feeling incredibly dumb under his deep green eyes. “But...it’s alright– we don’t have to...hum see each other again...if you don’t want” You swallowed thickly when you managed to finally spit your answer, biting your nails as you were shitting yourself.

“I’m just teasing love. Of course I want to see you again” The blond stopped walking and grabbed your hand, squeezed it gently. His bright gaze looking sweetly at you. “I spent a really really good evening. I think you’re amazing. And pretty. Very pretty if I may had” Your heart fluttered strongly, drowning in these adorable compliments. He definitely know how to charm a lady.

“Oh, thank you Ben, you’re...really pretty too. I mean handsome!” You cleared your throat under the embarrassment you was creeping on you. How could be always so awkward ? “You’re really handsome too” You added and felt yourself blushed harder at Ben’s staring.

“You’re so bloody adorable” The blond almost giggled, shaking lightly his head. “Can I walk you home ? Don’t want to leave you right now” The british murmured, it was now his turn to have little patches of pink on his cheeks.

“I would love that” You swallowed back a girly giggle when he interlaced his fingers with yours, a wide smile painting on your features. God, you were already crushing too hard on this man.

The walk back to your flat was too short for your taste, a little fifteen minutes filled with laugh, awkward anecdotes and flirty glances. It was around eleven, the night had already coated London’s streets and you felt like these romantic, cheesy movies when you and Ben stopped at the stairs of you flat, looking nervously at each other.

Kiss me! Kiss me! Kiss me! Your mind was screaming silently to Ben, you were too shy to do it first. He was so perfect and you were so...you, it was a bit hard to believe he was really into you. The british probably read in your eyes how much you were hoping he would kiss you or maybe it was the way your gaze kept flicking between his lips to his eyes. It wasn’t your fault, there were incredibly inviting, plump and well-shaped with a light shade of pink. You were sure he was a good kisser, an amazing one, this was–

“Are you with me, love ?” You blinked confusedly at he chuckled gently, biting his bottom lip.

“Sorry I zone out for a second” You confessed with a crimson face. What a creep.

“What were you thinking about ?” Ben asked as he tilted his head to the right side, his thumb rubbing softly on the skin of your hand. His touch was smooth and warm. God you hoped he would kiss you.

“Hum, I– I was thinking about Frankie!” You panicked and blurbed the first thing which came in your mind, slapping mentally yourself.

“You were thinking about my dog ?” He repeated with an arched eyebrow, a confused smile hanging on his pretty face.

“Yeah, I mean she was so cute on the pictures you show me, I can’t wait to meet her” You giggled awkwardly, tucking hairs behind your ears and internally screaming idiot idiot idiot! “God, I’m sorry, I sound so weird! I...so sorry. I don’t know why I said that, I panicked” You added in a flustered tone, he was making too nervous for your own good.

At your total surprise, Ben didn’t looked strangely at you or awkwardly but instead he laughed, pushing you against his chest, his head falling on yours.

“God (Y/N), I swear you need to stop being so bloody cute” You could feel his chest vibrating with chuckles, your hands still interlocked. “You’re too adorable” He let go of your hands and before you could be disappointed from the loss of contact, his large palm went cradling your burning cheeks, making you shivered at the warm and intimate touch. “Bloody adorable. And so pretty. And I really want to kiss you right now, if it’s okay with you” The british whispered the last sentence as you eyes fluttered at the tenderness of the moment. Blood was rushing at your temples and heart beating so quickly.

“Kiss me please” You practically whined, feeling totally overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze. And these perfect lips teasing you.

The blond chuckled at your eagerness before brushing so softly his mouth over that you barely felt it. Bloody cute he murmured against you and dived back on your lips, and this time he gave a real kiss and you definitively felt like in a movie. If it was starting to rain in next minute, you would certainly pinched yourself to be sure you weren’t dreaming.

And there you were, melting again. Melting again his soft, delicious lips perfectly fitting with yours, kissing you over and over again. Your hands naturally found his waist as his own were still holding delicately your face. He stopped when you were both panting, eyes glistering with eagerness and happiness, your heart was bursting with love right now. Ben didn’t say anything and slid his fingers on your hips before bringing your closer, his pillowed lips finding yours in an electrifying way. Your hands travelled on his back, gently rubbed on his broad shoulders before terminating there exploration on his neck, linking behind it. His hot tongue gently grazed on your lower lips, asking for permission and – permission immediately granted – it was an amazing kisser. Not to much tongue or saliva but just the right mix between a hot, deep kiss and still keeping his softness, not throwing a show in the middle of the street.

“Woah” You couldn’t contain yourself when you broke the kiss, taking a step back to have complete look over the blond. “Hum, that was amazing” You murmured with a lovestruck gaze, head a bit dizzy from the overwhelming feeling of joy flooding on you.

He ran a tongue on his lips and you repressed a moan at the sight, this was incredibly hot.

“Agreed. Absolutely amazing” He nodded, his hands tightening around your waist, both of you lost into your gazes. “You’re amazing” He bumped his nose with yours. “Bloody amazing. I can’t wait to see you again” He gently nipped at your bottom lip.

“Me too Ben” you whispered back, your heart feeling heavy at the thought of him going back to his place. You wanted to stay in his arms forever. And once again, if you were in a movie, it was the perfect timing to invite him over for a last drink. Which would end up – ninety percent of chance – with the romantic interest sleeping with the main character. But here the thing, that not something you were comfortable with, usually you needed to know the person better before being intimately with this person. The trust, it was essential for you and invited a man you only saw two times in your life wasn’t in your habit, not at all. But when you looked at him, his sweet smile waiting for you to say these few words, your heart was beating so quickly but not with nervousness...just excitement. You wanted it, so much. So you did it. You pronounced these six words the blond was dying to hear from your mouth. “Would...hum, would you like to come in ?” You blurbed out, wishing he wouldn’t turn you back.

But of course he didn’t. His face litted up right away and shook his head, eagerness rushing through his blood.

“God yes” You both giggled, pink covering your cheeks and gazes sparkling with fondness and something else, much more powerful. Lust. He wanted you, it was all over his eyes, pupils slightly dilated as his large hands were still on your hips, fingers pushing into your exposed flesh. You wanted him as equally.

The two glasses of red wine were long forgotten on the coffee table, both of you too busy with each other, exploring bodies with soft, yet hungry touches. Ben was buried between your bare legs, lips alternating between kisses and nibbling on your sensitive flesh as his two of his fingers were inside you, stretching your walls deliciously.

“Oh! Oh! My god!” You squeaked in a horrendous high-pitched voice when Ben’s fingers hit that spot, the one which made your toes curled and your belly twisted in pleasure. Then his pillowed lips found your clit, sucking and twirling his tongue on it and you were done. You came in a strangle scream, against the blond’s thirsty mouth, lapping every drop of your juice until you fell flat on your sofa, your sweaty chest – only covered with this so innocent little white bra – panting as you slowly emerged back from our high. “Shit Ben, was so good” You breathed loudly, a giddy smile floating on your radiant face.

“You taste absolutely delicious, darling. Just like I know you would” His lips were on yours, kissing lazily each other, hands sneaking on your bare arse, pitching it cheekily. “I want you so bad (Y/N), so badly” His raspy voice, coated with need, was murmuring against your mouth, his hips slowly thrusting against your bare center as his hard covered cock was teasing you.

“I want you too, Ben. Want you to feel you inside me” You replied with a moan at the delicious friction was making the knot coming back in your lower belly. “You’re so beautiful” Your nails were gently grazing on his bare chest, your eyes roaming every inch of his magnificent muscles before ending on his perfect features, without a doubt you favourite part to admire.

He chuckled softly at your words, hand rubbing the globe of your ass. “Did you see yourself, love ? You’re gorgeous, fucking hot. Look at these thigh and this pretty pussy” He pressed a simple kiss on it, making you shivered. “So sexy”

So sexy. Ben called you fucking hot and so sexy. The bubbles of pleasure in your lower body were popping as the words sunk into your mind. Not bloody cute or too adorable like he was calling you earlier, which you had love for sure. But being called cute as being half-naked could have been a bit insulting. Depressing ever.

“Do you have a condom ?” He winked playfully and brushing his mouth on your jaw before standing up, only wearing his – now way too tight blue navy underwear. A beautiful sight. He shook the precious square protection and his eyes fell on your ass when you started walking away, motioning him to follow you. Which he did. Eagerly.

Ben wrapped his arms around your back, hands barely grazing on the inside of your thighs and his plump, warm lips found your neck, kissing and biting on the flesh. You let your head fell on his shoulder, your ass pressing strongly against his crotch, his dick poking on your lower back. When you couldn’t take anymore of this teasing, you turned around and grabbed his hand, bringing him with you on your bed. He fell on you, careful to not crushing you and your eager fingers immediately tugged on his waistband, freeing his painfully hard cock. You absent-mindedly bit your lips at the sight, red and leaking. All of this, just for you. And because of you.

“You sure you want that ?” His voice was soft, his eyes searching in your pupils any hesitation. But he didn’t find any. Only an inch of nervousness. “Don’t need to be nervous with me, love” He kissed you, not hungrily like previously but with an adorable sweetness, trying to calm your nerves.

“I want you, Ben. I’m just...nervous because it’s the first time I do something like that and, yeah, it’s making me excited and anxious at the same time” You rambled, fingers tracing the broad muscles of his right shoulder.

“You...you’re a virgin ?” The blond asked with a surprised voice, his green eyes rounds and confused.

You furrowed your brows and thought about what you just said. And yes indeed, it was pretty confusing. You giggled awkwardly.

“Oh my god, no ! That’s not what I meant, I’m not a virgin. Not at all !” You exclaimed, shaking your head with burning cheeks. Then you blushed even more, fuck, now he was probably thinking you were some kind of cheap whore, throwing yourself at every men you saw. “Shit, I’m not saying I sleep with all the country either ! God, I’m so awkward, I’m sorry”

You were crimson, feeling utterly stupid and a real cockblocker this moment. You should have kept your mouth shut instead of ruining the mood with your clumsiness.

“Love, relax, alright ? Don’t need to apologise for anything” Ben chuckled gently. “Tell me what bothering you”

“Nothing, it’s just the first time I’m sleeping with someone on a first date” You confessed and felt like a poor little girl, making a fuss of nothing. “I know it’s not a big deal but I usually wait longer and so I feel a bit nervous, I don’t want to regret it. If you don’t call me back after or something” You mumbled and rambled, eyes looking everywhere except in Ben’s direction. You were so embarrassed.

“Hey, look at me” His finger grabbed your chin and you said as he did, feeling vulnerable under his intense gaze. The fact you were naked only added more shyness on you. “I’m not forcing you into anything. If you want us to wait, we will. I’m not gonna sleep with you then disappeared, I’m not this kind of guy. I’m honest, if I want a one-night-stand, I would have tell you. But I don’t. I want to see you again, doesn’t matter if we have sex or not tonight”

You nodded timidly. Where did you found such a perfect gentleman ? You thought it was an extinct species.

“I really, really want you Ben” You replied before snapping the condom from his hands. You tear the wrapping and checked with Ben if he was okay with that before you rolled down the condom on his hard length, earning delicious little grunts from the gesture.

“Fuck, (Y/N), you driving me crazy” Ben groaned when you put your legs opened, inviting him closer to you. He grabbed his dick and slowly rubbed the tip against your wet folds, your breathing increasing at the sweet torture.

The blond moved his hips and gradually entered into you, both of you cursing and moaning at the feeling. God, it felt so good.

The next moments were spent with hungry and eager touches, your fingers lost into his blond locks, legs wrapped tightly around his waist.

His thumb circling on your throbbing clit, making you saw starts.

His hips snapping against yours, slowly then quickly, fastening the pace at your pleading cries.

His delicious, pillowed lips kissing every inch of your exposed breasts, nibbling at your tits, tongue swirling around, making your back arched.

You walls involuntarily clenching around him when he hit the sweet spots he touched earlier with his fingers, giving you even more pleasure with his length into you this time.

Your bodies were interlaced together, both of you shivering, the heavy atmosphere smelling sex and sweat. A mixing you never thought you could enjoy that much.

There were grunts and moans escaping your throats. Whines, cries and whimpers were too, especially when you were right on the edge. Pleading and begging echoing through the bedroom as Ben worshipped every part of your body.

You kissed. So many times. Hotly and messily. Sloppily and deeply. Tongues brushing around each other until your out of breath. Love-bits left on his strong jaw before licking at the pretty bruise.

When you both came, you were panting but smiling dizzily, still recovering from the high you both reached. You didn’t regret it at all.

“I have to go” Ben whispered as he pressed a soft kiss on your forehead, smiling at your sleepy face.

“Call me hum ?” You replied with a grin as he winked at you and left the room, murmuring a I will.

He had to go back at his place at an indecent early hours in the morning, to prepare himself for an important meeting during the same day. You were a bit frustrated to see him left so soon but you would see him another day, hopefully this week.

You were eating lunch in an old pub with one of your closest friend Tina, eager to tell her about your date night with the beautiful British. Okay you maybe kept under silence the fact that you slept with him. You loved your friend to death but she was a bit pessimistic and you didn’t need her to freak out and made you doubt too.

“Oh I swear Tina, he is such a sweetheart! And he was so funny and easy-going ya know ? I feel like I know him since forever” You gushed with dreamy eyes, chewing at a piece of bread.

“Well someone seems really into this guy” She gave you a warning look, taking a mouthful of her fish and chips.

You rolled your eyes at her reaction. "I know what you’re thinking but I swear he’s a good guy” You smiled softly at the thought of the cute face of Ben. "I’m not doing the same mistake twice okay ? I know he likes me too”

You had the bad habit to get yourself attached to quickly, friendly and romantically speaking and often ended disappointed. But this time you were sure Ben wasn’t taking advantage of you, you were a nice girl but not stupid.

“I’m happy for you (Y/N) but I’m also worried, I don’t want to see you hurt again” Tina smiled gently and took a sip of her tap water as you nodded, appreciating her protective behaviour over you. She saw you crying over men too many times. “Did he text you yet ?”

“Nop. But he told me he have some busy days coming so it’s alright” You replied with a shrug. “He will text me soon”

But he didn’t. Your date had been on the Sunday night and now it was Wednesday evening and still nothing. You were angry and nervous. And hugely disappointed. You knew he would be busy at work but a simple text wasn’t too much to ask.

You were mopping around in your flat, wondering if you should text him first. You did really like him.

“Why do you think Flynn ? Should I text him ?” Your black cat opened an eyes at the sound of his name — napping on the dinner table rather than in his bed — and let out of yawn before buried back his head under his paws, ignoring you royally. “Yeah you’re right. Let’s give him a last shot”

You pulled off your phone and searched for his contact name. Your fingers nervously drumming on the sofa, thinking about what you would say. You didn’t want to so sound to eager or bitter about the fact that he had been ghosting you for the past three days. But you didn’t want him to think you weren’t interested at all. You needed the perfect mix between that. You typed and deleted about twenty times before sending your text, heart beating awfully quickly about your ribs cage.

(Y/N) : Hey Ben, hope everything is okay at works. I was wondering if you were free Friday night for a drink ?

You were rather proud of your — casual but polite — text. Now you just needed to wait for his answer.

Which never came. You were livid. It was Friday night and you were at your place, cursing about Ben to your poor cat. You felt so fucking naive, he fucked you and now he was ignoring you, he already had what he wanted. How typical coming from a man. You were supposed to go out with your friends tonight, in your usual and favourite pub but that where you had your date with Ben…the thought of maybe seeing him chatting other girls made your stomach churned. What a fool you had been, once again.

“Nah, sorry I’m feeling a bit sick. Maybe next weekend ?” You lied to your friend on the phone and cancelled every plans for the weekend. You were just feeling dumb and incredibly naive. Not in a mood to go out.

On Wednesday lunch, you were meeting with Tina in the new salad bar. You joined her at her table and fell on the seat with a defeated face.

“You were right” You murmured, your eyes staring blankly at the menu. “Why I always go for the fuck boys and the assholes ?”

“He didn’t text you back ?” You shook your head and rested it in your head, elbow propped on the table. "What a wanker” She sighed and cursed under her breath.

“I was so sure this time Tina ! He was so nice and all” You grunted in your hands, cheeks reddening at the feeling of shame. Ben probably had a good laugh when you made him promise to call you back.

“I know hun, men are really in pretending. Everything to sleep with a girl they want to. They’re pathetic, selfish and stupid creature” You chuckled bitterly at her words.

“I…I slept with him after our date” You blurbed out, it was even worse to admit. You were that girl who childishly thought after sleeping with your date, he would really call you back.

“You what ?” Tina’s eyes were rounds and shocked. But she wasn’t judging you, she had a fair share to first-date-shag too. She was just really surprise because like you said to Ben, it wasn’t something you did, ever.

“Yeah, (Y/N) finally trust a man enough to fuck with him on the first night and he never called her back, I’m a joke” You sighed bitterly. "I hate men”

“Me too, hun, me too”

“That’s it (Y/N), you’re coming with me tonight” You were buried under your cover, the new season of Stranger Things playing on your laptop. “We’re going to our pub and if you see Ben, then you could tell him to go fuck himself” Tina threw the cover away, making you whined pathetically.

“I watching something, can’t go out” You contested with a pout.

The truth was, you were feeling a bit — a lot — insecure after Ben ghosting on you. The date went so well, the sex even better, great alchemy between the two of you, so why did he never called you back ? It made you feel awkward and ashamed, saying he liked you then dumbed you like a dirty sock. Naive little (Y/N).

“Come on, jump in the shower. You shouldn’t watch that show, these kids have a better love life than the both of us” You threw her a pillow and reluctantly walked to your bathroom.

You needed to get over it. Alright, a boy lied to you in order to have sex with you and you stupidly believed him, and what ? You weren’t the first to fall in the trap and certainly not the last one. You will go out for a drink with your friends and have fun. And Ben could go fuck himself.

You were wearing your pale pink dress, it was really nice to wear because of the thin garnishment and it was falling above the knees with simple shoulders straps. You felt cute, not hot or sexy but simply cute. And that was just what you wanted. Not an inch of flirting tonight, you were out with your girlfriends and were strongly decided to not speak to a word or gave a glance to any man inside this pub, they were all devilish. Okay, maybe an exception for the barman because you would definitely need alcohol tonight.

You entered the pub with your three other friends around six in the afternoon and it was already difficult to find a good spot. You managed to get a booth for the four of you and you immediately felt better to be outside. You already gave to much attention to Ben, mopping about him for way too long.

"I’m gonna order our drinks, girls ?” Stacy asked as she stood up, asking silently your orders.

Everyone answered beers expect you.

“Sex on the beach hum ? Feeling frisky tonight (Y/N) ?” She winked at you.

“Just need to relax and have some fun after an exhausting week of boring work” You replied, trying your best to sound casual. The last three weeks had been spent thinking about Ben and why he never called back but that was your ashamed little secret. Only Tina was aware of it.

You chatted for a good thirty minutes, sipping your cocktail and cackling at your friends’ stories before the need to pee was to urgent to just ignore it. After doing your business, you washed your hands and exited the bathroom, drying your hands on your dress. You stopped at the pub and ordered another cocktail, humming quietly at the song playing by the band.

“Hi (Y/N)” You turned your head quickly, feeling cheeks burning with anger. No fucking way. “Listen, I know what you’re thinking but–“

You didn’t let him finish and threw your drink at his face as soon the barman slid it in front of you. The blond gasped in surprise at the coldness of the drink then wiped away the alcohol from his eyes.

“Asshole” You spat before waving at the bar for another drink, doing your best to ignore the blond at your side.

“(Y/N), I’m sorry but I swear it’s not like its look like !” Ben grabbed some napkin some the counter and patted them on his soaking face and tee-shirt. “Let me explain, please !”

“You’re fucking funny. So you didn’t get in my pants and never called me after ? Telling me specifically that you would call me ?” You groaned without looking at him, you were angry and feeling humiliated. Why he was even talking to you.

“Yes but–“

“Save it Ben. You’re an asshole who can’t even have the balls to tell a girl he just want a one-night-stand, it’s so easier to lie and promise thing. It worked with me” You cut him bitterly.

You read somewhere that men regretted the girls they didn’t sleep with but woman regretted boys they slept with. It was feeling absolutely so relating right now.

“I wanted to call you ! I wanted so badly !” He replied with desperation, feeling you slipping between his fingers.

“Why didn’t you then ?” You asked with an angry tone, arms crossed and death stare on him. “Find someone else to fuck ?”

“Jesus, no ! I broke my phone, okay ?” He dug into his pocket and took at his phone, his sticky digits – from your cocktail – were leaving print of the black screen. “Here, see ? New phone !” You glance at the phone and humphed sarcastically, not really convinced by the trick. You didn’t remember which iPhone he had during your date so honestly it didn’t change anything to your pissed-off mood.

“Great for you” You shrugged as you slid a note to the barman, taking your drink in your hand, ready to go back to your table.

“(Y/N), I swear I’m not lying ! I really like you, really really like you !” He grabbed your forearm and made you puppy-eyes, making your heart cracked up for a quick second. “Let me explain, please. I felt horrible for the past three weeks, thinking about you and how mad you probably were about me. I didn’t plan to ghost you after sleeping with you, I’m not like that” These big greenish eyes were sweating with sincerity and it made you doubted for a moment.

“You got five minutes” You moved his hand away from your arm and lay against the counter, sipping your cocktail.

“Okay, when I left your flat monday morning, I went home and I dropped my phone in the fish tank of my little nephew” The blond quickly explained, his face flushed with pink. “I know, it sound like a fucking lie but it’s not ! My sister went on holiday and I pet-siting the family gold fish, I was feeding him and answering a work e-mail at the same time and it just...slid off my hands, right into the water” He chewed nervously his lips, his pretty eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks, desperate to make you believe him.

You shifted uncomfortably, he seemed sincere but how could you be sure of that ?

“And I couldn’t tell you because your number was on the phone ! I went to the phone shop but I couldn’t get back any numbers so I was screw. And I couldn’t remember where you lived, I felt so dumb but every building look the same and I didn’t know if yours was the 25A or 52A” Ben gave a timid smile, rubbing his neck in nervous gesture.

“It’s 140B” You commented with an amused grin, his face falling as he cursed loudly.

“Shit. I wasn’t close at all” His large palm found his forehead as he shook his head, murmuring about how stupid he was. “But I really wanted to see again ya know ? And the only thing I knew for sure that this pub was your favourite, so I came back here after work for the past three weeks, until I find you. Tonight.” You widened your eyes at his confession and his neck went crimson. “God, that sound a bit creepy, sorry” He added with awkward chuckle.

“You...you’re really did that ?” Now it was your cheeks which went pink. If that story was true, it was certainly flattering.

“Yes, I did ! You can ask the barman, he was worried to see me here every night. He even gave me a tract for Alcoholic Anonymous meeting” Ben replied eagerly, relief rolling on him as you weren’t not so defensive anymore. You hid a giggle behind your hand and looked at the barman, wondering if it was true or if you were just being naive. Ben caught your questioning gaze and called the barman. “Hey man, can you tell this pretty girl here, that I was there every night during the past three weeks ?”

“He is not lying, I found that a bit weird because I never saw him here and suddenly, he was there every nights the pub was opened. Then he told me it was about a girl and it wasn’t surprising anymore” The ginger man shrugged and went back to his work as Ben thanked him with a satisfied smile.

“See ? I was really hoping you would come back here” He said with a low voice, the atmosphere between the two of you had change at the revelation. Butterflies going crazy in your belly as you realised all of this story was just a big misunderstanding. “I am so sorry, I never planned to make you feel like I just used you for sex. I’m so glad you came here tonight and gave me a chance to explain” You curled your lips into a loving smile, he was so sweet. God, you were so relieved to hear that.

“I’m sorry for the drink” You said, your eyes looking at the big stain on his white tee-shirt. “And for the not really nice things I said to you earlier” Your cheeks flushed and Ben shook his head, bottom lip trapped between his pearly white teeth.

“Nah, it’s okay, I deserved it. I mean, that’s a normal reaction for what you thought I did to you” Both of your hands were on the counter, few millimetre away from each other, craving for some touches. His pads carefully brushed over your fingers, testing the water and you immediately interlaced them together, giving a little smile. “Can you give me another chance ?” The blond murmured with hope.

“Okay” You replied simply, heart bursting with joy. “I’m sorry I already bitched about you to my friends” You added with a giggle, both of you could feel the nasty glances from your friends.

“I guessed you did, yes. I’m gonna leave you with your friends before they bit my head off” He handed you his phone and you typed your number for the second time, hoping this time was the last one. “Can I see you tomorrow ?” His voice was nervous and hopeful, kicking the nest of butterflies in your stomach. “And no sex, I want to prove you that I’m not seeing you only for that. I mean, it’s definitively a bonus but if you want for us to wait six months before going back at it, I’m totally in, I don’t care”

You melted at his adorable face, flushed and stressed, his thumb rubbed on the flesh of your hand absent-mindedly. You chuckled and slid your free hand on his face, caressing his cheek softly. You bowed your head and gave him a kiss on the lips. He seemed surprise but didn’t think twice before kissing you back, his mouth smiling widely against yours, in a long but soft embrace.

“We don’t have to wait six months Ben” He breathed an oh thanks god, making you cackled. “What do you have in mind for tomorrow ?” You hand fell on his shoulder, rubbing it lazily.

“You could come with me and Frankie, we planned to have a little picnic in Richmond park, maybe a nap and some tanning. Oh, and of course, barking and running behind every ducks from the lake” You nodded with a grin. “If I remember correctly, you were pretty eager to meet my little girl, weren’t you ?” He teased you about the stupid comment you made when he was about to kiss you at your first date.

“Oh shut up” You slapped lightly his chest and your heart buzzed at his irresistible laugh. “If you drop the teasing about this awkward memory, I would to come with you and Frankie tomorrow”

“Everything you want, love” Love. The come back of the pet name made you pinched your lips harshly, keeping for yourself the giddy smile menacing to appear on your face.

“It’s a date then” You murmured and when he pressed his lips back on yours, a sweet sigh escaped your parted mouth, savouring his delicious taste. “Text me when do you want us to meet, okay ?” You squeezed his hands and walked back to your friends as he exited the pub, both of you sharing a last loving gaze.

“Girl, what was that ! Who is that hot guy ? Was it the one who didn’t call you back ? You kissed him ! Girl ! ” You friends harassed you at the very second you came back at the table but you didn’t mind, a woozy grin was floating on your features.

A little half and hour later, you felt your phone vibrated in your pocket. Ben. You bit your lower lip with excitement.

Ben : 11h30 tomorrow ? Would it work for you ?

Before you could type an answer, a second text appeared on your screen.

Ben : Ben sent you a picture.

It was a photo of his fridge and stuck with a magnet was a little post-it. On it was wrote (Y/N) : 07818******

Ben : Just in case something happened to my phone before tomorrow morning...don’t want to lose you again. Can’t wait to see you xx

You let an excited and girly scream of joy leaving your mouth, belly bubbling with delight and happiness, earning a surprise glance from your friends.

“God, he is such a sweetheart !”

#Ben Hardy x reader #Ben Hardy #Ben hardy x you

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rosy-night-sky · 5 years

Text

Of Treasure and Adventure

Genre: Treasure Hunter/Indiana Jones AU

Pairing: Ot7 x reader

Summary: Your grandmother gave you a gift that she won in a game, so naturally you are curious as to the origins of it. A decision was then made that you should seek the answers to your questions. However, you never expected your decision to lead you on a treasure hunting quest.

Tag List: @sevenincubistolemyheart @xxqueenwxtchxx @technicolor-blues @taevkimchi @youcantbesiriusremus @vannilacake

Chapter 5

As you walked along the forested path for what seemed to be ages, you noticed out of the corner of your eye how cheerful Namjoon was acting. He had a slight skip in his walk, a small smile graced his lips, and you were fairly sure that he was quietly humming to himself. Seeing the archeologist so happy made you feel warm inside. You also felt a lighthearted smile tug at the corner of your lips.

“Someone’s happy,” you commented, feeling the words fall from your lips unconsciously.

Namjoon snapped from his thoughts and turned to you, bewilderment flooding his features as if he was unsure if you were speaking to him. Once he realized that you, in fact, were, he cleared his throat and replied, “Well, who wouldn’t be? I’ve spent years researching the possible locations. And now to be actually so close to actually touching it?” He shook his head in disbelief. “It’s a dream come true.”

Your eyebrows shot up in shock. “Wait, you spent years racking your brain over this artifact?” you repeated aghast. Wow, if that wasn’t determination, then you didn’t know what was.

Namjoon nodded in confirmation, smiling at your surprised state. “Yep, Jin and I spent two years gathering as much information as we could. We were actually almost ready to give up, since we hit so many dead ends.” He then looked at you with a soft smile, as if you were a long lost friend who appeared to him after years. “And then you came along with the answers. Jin and I were ecstatic when you came into contact with me explaining about your tapestry.” His smile widened, looking off as if recalling a fond memory. “You were like an angel coming to answer our prayers.”

Your lips stretched out into a broad smile hearing Namjoon, but it soon fell apart when he called you an angel. Did he just say what you thought he just said? Your eyes widened in astonishment. His last sentence repeated over and over again in your mind, but you couldn’t seem to wrap your head around it. That was certainly a massive compliment from him. An angel? If you couldn’t remember the last time anyone called you ‘cute’, then you certainly couldn’t remember the last time anyone called you an angel.

You knew such a compliment would result in you getting flustered. Sure enough, butterflies fluttered around in your stomach, giving you the queasy feeling of anxiety. However, you decided to remain strong in this situation. No, you weren’t going to get muddled up. You already dealt with that far too many times already on this trip; you absolutely refused to allow it again.

“Awww! Namjoon just called y/n an angel!” Taehyung announced to the rest of the team, causing you to get even more embarrassed. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders playfully, making it extremely hard for you to continue hiking what with dragging him behind.

Your stoic willpower to remain strong began to slightly crumble when you saw all the eyes of the other members land on you. “Taehyung!” you cried out, already hearing the snickering from the others. “Don’t tell them that!” Oh no, this certainly wasn’t going to end well for you...

Jin, who was hiking in front of you, suddenly turned around to face you and Namjoon while walking backwards to keep up with everyone’s pace. “Wow, way to sound cheesy, Namjoon,” he commented, grinning cheekily.

Namjoon huffed in reply. “Cheesy? That’s rich coming from you. You would’ve said some lousy pun,” he snarked, arching an eyebrow.

Jin’s audacious grin slowly slipped from his lips, and a pouty frown replaced it. He folded his arms grumpily, reminding you of a sulking child. “Excuse you, don’t be rude. My jokes are hilarious...” he muttered, deep in thought. Suddenly, as if revelation dawned upon him, he turned his gaze back to you and Namjoon. “Here, I’ll prove it.” He brought back his brazen grin, ready to amaze you with the best joke he had in his utility. However, uneasiness fluttered around in your stomach, not prepared for what was to come. “Two men were talking about their wives. The first man says ‘My wife is an angel.’ The second man says “You’re lucky, mine’s still alive.’” He then burst into his famous seal-like laughter, wheezing and crying with a broad smile on his face. You laughed along, of course, if only to appease him. The others burst into laughter, each of each slapping each other on the shoulders while they cackled, but it was not because of Jin’s joke.

No, they laughed uncontrollably because of your expression. Your face held an expression of what any sane person would put on when someone told a rather horrendous joke. You laughed, but it was a nervous laugh that escaped your lips. Your eyebrows deeply creased with worry while you glanced around, wondering if anyone actually thought this was funny.

Luckily for you, Jin took everyone’s wheezing as a sign that his joke was indeed hilarious and beamed proudly for proving Namjoon wrong. It was definitely for the best that no one said anything about the truth, not unless you all wanted your ears to be ranted off by the mother hen himself.

However, you didn’t realize that one person didn’t join in the merrymaking. “Jin... that was a shitty joke,” Yoongi declared seething. You could’ve sworn you saw steam puffing out of Yoongi’s ears. Praying to the Lord that this wouldn’t result in Jin getting his ears boxed by the mechanic, you watched Jin cautiously, ready to alert Hoseok if it came to the worst.

“Yoongi... you wound me... how could you say that to me?”

“I just did.”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to be so blunt about it!”

“Hey, guys,” Jungkook announced to get everyone’s attention, “what’s that?” He lifted his finger and pointed straight ahead, eyes widened slightly with an expression washed over his faces as if he had seen a ghost.

You all turned ahead to see what had Jungkook so spooked. A few meters ahead of the group to see a rather wide river surrounded by a thick barrier of low hanging trees with vines wrapped firmly around its branches. The water was a murky brown, most likely due to the mud and dirt being mixed together. The waves moved rapidly downstream, taking anything swept in its currents down the river, forever trapped in the ever churning waves.

You glanced back at Jungkook, eyebrows arched in confusion. “Jungkook, sweetie,” you began almost exasperatedly, “I don’t know if you have these back in your homeland, but they’re called rivers.”

The young man sighed annoyedly, rolling his eyes so hard they almost rolled to the back of his skull. He threw his hands at his side irritatedly before throwing them out in a gesture toward the fast moving river. “Yeah, no shit, y/n!” he exclaimed. “Look harder!”

You rolled your eyes and turned your gaze back. Your eyes scanned over the raging waters over and over again, finding nothing out of the ordinary except for a few pieces of trash floating by every now and then. You quirked up your eyebrow at this realization. You squinted harder to heighten your vision. Those... those didn’t look like pieces of trash now that you’ve taken a closer look at it.

You took a few steps further, trying to get a better look at what exactly you were looking at. The pieces of trash would bob up and down the water and even move back up stream. That’s... odd... The trash swam around way in a lively manner, and it had... leathery skin...?

Your heart dropped to your stomach and all the air in your lungs instantly disappeared. Your eyes widened so large that they looked like they were bulging out of your sockets. Your jaw dropped like a sudden anchor was attached to it. You couldn’t believe what laid in front of you.

The waters weren’t raging because of the rapid current like you so thought. It was because of the extensive amount of wild crocodiles that were thrashing about. In fact, now that you put two and two together, you noticed how they were stacked on top of each other, each trying to get a comfortable spot in the river. Just how many were there?

“What the...” you mumbled, feeling your soul slowly slip from your mortal shell.

“Oh... my God...” Hoseok gasped with wide eyes, clinging to his medical bag as if his life depended on it.

“Crocodiles!” Jimin exclaimed ecstatically, bouncing in his spot like a little child on Christmas. You all jerked your heads toward the survivalist with shocked expressions, each of you silently wondering if Jimin finally lost it.

“Why the hell are you so excited?” Yoongi demanded, ready to just call it quits and abandon everyone. “Maybe we should throw you in first and see if you’re still excited then?”

Jimin sighed in an irked manner, eyes rolling as if he was so close to almost smacking the mechanic. He turned to Yoongi with crossed arms and a hip jutted out almost comically. “I know this isn’t good for us, but do you know how low the crocodile population has gotten ever since the British took over India? A lot! So I’m just glad to see so many of them here, because that means they’re making a comeback.”

“Wow, Jimin,” Jungkook began, edging away from the river slowly. “I didn’t know you were such an environmentalist.”

Jimin shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “It comes with the job. Learning survival techniques makes you appreciate the wildlife.” He then turned on his heel back toward the river, fingers tapping against his chin. He hummed to himself in deep thought. “Now then, I wonder if those branches are strong enough to support us...”

“You know...” Taehyung popped into the conversation with an innocent smile gracing his face. “I know of a way that can easily get rid of the crocodiles.” He then innocuously lifted up a grenade slowly into everyone’s view, wiggling his eyebrows to insinuate the plan he had in mind.

When Jimin’s eyes landed on the grenade, his jaw dropped offendedly as if Taehyung suggested something very inappropriate. “No! We’re not going to kill them!” He jerked his hand as if he was going to smack the explosive out of Taehyung’s hand but then remembered what exactly it was and quickly retracted his action. He then pointed up to the trees that hung over the river. “I bet we can just cross over by using the branches. They look strong enough to hold us.”

“Or maybe...” Namjoon suggested, his tone light as if he were a teacher ready to explain something to a child. “We could just swim over if we head upstream.”

Jimin looked upstream, taking in the rapid moving waves, and shook his head. “No, the current is too strong. If we somehow manage to avoid bashing our heads into the rocks, then we’ll just end up becoming crocodile food for them.” He readjusted his pack on his back. “Come on! It’ll be easy! I promise you.”

All the color drained from Jin’s face as he slowly backed away, his legs shaking as if they had suddenly become jelly. “Uh, I-I don’t know if I can do t-this,” he stammered nervously, hands pressed against his own chest in a frightened manner.

Hoseok looked as if he was ready to book it in the other direction, his face morphed into that of absolute terror. “Is there really no other way to cross?” He figetted his hands around his medical bag. “Couldn’t we just... go around?”

Jimin beamed as he began to move closer toward the river. He really looked giddy even though he was meters away from becoming someone’s lunch. “Nope! This river keeps going down this direction for another two kilometers, according to the map.”

Yoongi shook his head in disbelief, looking at Jimin as if the survivalist lost his mind. “You probably get off from being in dangerous situations, don’t you?” he asked, moving around as if he was unsure if he should follow Jimin or just leave. “You’re like one of those... what do you call them?”

“Daredevils? Thrill-seekers? Adrenaline junkies?” Namjoon suggested, following after Jimin.

Yoongi shrugged. “One of those.”

Jimin threw his large pack off his shoulders onto the ground, the containments inside rattling against one another. He opened his pack and began to rummage around in it, looking intensely for what the situation needed. “Okay, before we start crossing, we should probably make an order of who’s crossing over. Of course, I have to go last to make sure everyone crosses safely.” With a happy smile, he pulled out a thick corded, grappling rope. He then stood up with a bounce. “So, who wants to go first?”

Not a single noise came from the rest of the team. Each of the members, you included, awkwardly gave each other shared looks, hoping that someone would gladly volunteer to go first. You thought that it was for the best that Namjoon went first, seeing how he weighed the most out of the whole team. If he went first and the branches managed to hold him, then the rest of the group had nothing to fear.

You hoped.

After a few seconds of silence, Taehyung suggested that a game of rock, paper, scissors would be a fair way to decide what the order should be. You all agreed and stood around in a circle, sweat dripping down your foreheads and bodies shaking with fear of having to go first. This felt like you were choosing someone to die, which was kinda the case. You squeezed your eyes shut, not ready to face your possible end.

“One... two... three!”

Your slowly opened your eyes after a moment, looking down at your hand. You compared your hand to everyone else’s and sighed a big breath of relief. You were safe, you don’t have to go first. You could go down on your knees and thank the Lord for saving you from such a life-threatening situation. However, you realized that since you were safe, someone else was doomed.

Your eyes landed on the poor, unfortunate soul who lost the game, and your gaze connected with two, brown, round, innocent-looking eyes. Jungkook.

Your heart clenched seeing the poor boy having to accept his fate. He looked like someone who was forced to watch someone put down his puppy. His gaze jerked around frantically, seeking for anyone else’s hand to see if they had even worse luck than he but to no avail. “Oh... fuck...” he breathed out, his eyes widening.

The rest of the life deciding game went on, although some tears were shed. Jin had to go second, Hoseok third, Namjoon fourth, Yoongi fifth, Taehyung sixth, and you seventh, leaving Jimin, of course, last. You knew deep down that this wasn’t going to go well.

You all climbed up the tree after Jimin climbed up during the death game, Yoongi needing a boost from Taehyung in order to reach the first branch. This whole experience reminded you of climbing the trees in your grandmother’s backyard whenever you visited her in the countryside. You mentally thanked your childhood self for becoming so proficient at climbing trees, otherwise you’d be in Yoongi’s position.

Once you and the rest of the tree climbed onto the wide tree branch that Jimin stood on, scanning the area in front of him, you and the boys were lined up in the order you all agreed on. You saw that the branch you were on had a gap in between the next branch. Jimin was at the front, swinging the rope at his side in circles, searching for a higher tree branch to grapple to. Once he found an acceptable branch, he swung the rope high up, fastening it tightly to a strong looking branch. He pulled down the rope a few times, making sure the hooked end was securely embedded into the wood.

Seeing how secure it was, he smiled brightly to Jungkook, who looked like he was about to vomit, and handed him the rope. “Alright, Kookie, you first!”

Jungkook slowly took ahold of the rope, his knuckles tightening around it so hard they turned white. He inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, trying to quell his nerves. He quickly readjusted his pack so that it was fastened more firmly to his body. Then he grabbed ahold of the rope again and took a deep breath.

Closing his eyes, he gracefully leapt off the branch.

You and the other boys shrieked seeing the youngest jump off to his possible doom. The rope strained under the immense weight as you watched with a hand hovering over your mouth. You feared that the rope would snap, causing Jungkook to be mercilessly eaten by a horde of crocodiles. Time slowed around you as your eyes followed Jungkook’s form swing precariously above death.

And then, it was over. Jungkook landed perfectly on the next branch as if nothing happened. He took a few seconds to recompose himself and boldly flashed you and the other boys a wide grin. “That wasn’t so bad!” he commented, chuckling at how nervous he was minutes earlier.

You and the team, excluding Jimin, released a sigh of relief that was trapped inside each of you. You knew that could’ve ended a whole lot worse than it did. Your nerves slightly ebbed away seeing that you weren’t going to jump to your end in the near future. However, that small voice in the back of your mind whispered the possibility of you dying in the most painful manner. You shuddered visibly, trying your very best to cram that thought to the darkest recesses of your mind.

Everything seemed fine at the very moment, until you remembered who was next in the order the team established. Jin. Uncertainty fogged your mind as you tried to recall if Jin had ever experienced a journey quite like this before. If he hadn’t, well, there’s a first for everything, you supposed.

Jungkook confidently tossed the corded rope over the gap to Jimin, who handed it to a terror stricken Jin. Pity flooded over you as you noticed how hard he was shaking and how ragged his breathing was. He gripped the rope tightly into his fists, staring at it with anxious eyes. “Do I have to...?” he quietly murmured.

Jimin nodded. “How else are you going to get across?”

The millionaire shrugged, visibly looking sick. “I... don’t need to.”

“It’s not that bad, hyung!” Jungkook called from the other side, hands cupping around his mouth to direct his shouting. “It’ll be over before you know it!”

Jin released a shaky breath and nodded his head slowly. He raised his head up, trying to avoid looking downward, and took a step off the branch, letting the rope swing him over. You heard the rope strain precariously as it took Jin’s weight. You worried your lip, hoping that he would make it over. He let out a loud scream as the wind ruffled through his dark locks, clinging to the rope as if his life depended on it, eyes slammed shut in terror.

Jungkook leaned out and grabbed the rope and Jin, laughing at Jin’s frightened demeanor. “I got you, hyung.”

Once Jungkook helped Jin, who clung to his limbs like a monkey, he tossed the rope back to Jimin. You then realized, Hoseok was next. If anything looked more pale and sick than Jin, it was the doctor, ironically. Jimin tapped him on the shoulder to snap him from his daze, causing him to flinch in a frightened manner.

“Come on, doc,” Yoongi encouraged softly. “You got this.”

Hoseok slowly turned to the mechanic, a flash of panic in his eyes. “Do I?”

Yoongi nodded confidently, digging his hands in his pockets. “I have total and utter faith that you’ll make it over. Now hurry up before I push you off this branch.”

Hoseok nodded in reply before turning back to the gap, releasing a shaky sigh as he grabbed the rope. He mumbled a few reassuring words to himself as he secured his medical bag in his hand as he gripped the rope. Taking one final inhale, he lept off.

That had to be the loudest scream you have ever heard in your entire life.

Hoseok’s screech echoed throughout the Indian forest, and you saw a flock of birds take flight from their resting place in a tree a few meters away. If anyone, and you wouldn’t be surprised if they could, heard the scream that emitted from Hoseok’s throat, they would think he was in the process of being murdered.

He swung across the gap slowly, and Jungkook leaned out once more to grab ahold of the rope to secure the doctor...

...but he missed...

You watched in terror as Hoseok paused his screaming kid swing only to see Jungkook miss and dreadfully swing back toward the rest of the team. You noticed the look in the doctor’s eyes as if he had been betrayed when he saw that Jungkook couldn’t reach him. He resumed his loud screeching, now hanging onto the rope for dead life.

“Jump off! Just jump off when you swing back!” you and the other boys yelled, hoping that your shouts could be heard over his shrieking.

“I CAN’T!!!”

For a few more seconds, you watched with wide eyes as Hoseok continued to swing back and forth. Yoongi groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in ultimate agony as he looked at the disaster before him.

Jungkook in a panic told Jin to hold his arm in order to ground him as he leaned very dangerously over the edge of the branch to reach out to Hoseok. Jin protested loudly over the doctor’s screaming as he dug his heels into the bark, struggling to keep both him and Jungkook from tipping over and into the river.

Once Hoseok swung back to Jungkook, he grabbed onto the corded rope, causing Jin to slide forward a few centimeters. You gasped in horror, believing for a moment that you were about to see them tumble down to the crocodiles below. However, you and the others sighed in relief upon seeing Jungkook pull Hoseok to safety. You were going to get a cardiac arrest from this trip, you were certain about that.

Namjoon’s trip over went far more smoothly than Hoseok’s did, probably because he knew exactly what to avoid after watching the disaster previous to his. The only thing that happened that made your blood run cold was the fact that Namjoon slipped on the branch right before he jumped, causing him to spiral over in circles, twisting the rope a few times. Namjoon released a few sharp curses from his lips as he spun over, but Jungkook luckily grabbed him before anything worse could happen.

Besides Jungkook’s trip, you deemed Yoongi’s jump as the most easy going. You noticed the tired expression that wore down his soft features, probably from watching the catastrophes before him. You couldn’t blame him, exhaustion flooded your body from constantly worrying over the other boys.

Yoongi simply grabbed the rope and jumped off the branch, as if he couldn’t seem to give a single care about his possible death. Maybe he wanted to die? Maybe he just wanted to end his suffering? Again, you couldn’t blame him.

Although, your heart clenched tightly as you saw how Yoongi held onto the the rope in a fetal position, his legs wrapped around the rope tightly. It was rather adorable to see his face scrunch up as he slowly swung over.

“Y/n,” Taehyung suddenly spoke up, fear slightly enlaced in his tone. “Could you give me a hug?” He turned his head around and gave you the most adorable puppy eyes. Your breathing stifled as your heart clenched again. Damnit, why was he so cute?

“Why?” you asked, hoping your feelings wouldn’t affect your tone.

He paused for a few moments, as if contemplating his answer in his head. “I’m...” He paused, biting down on his lip nervously. “I’m scared of heights...”

You widened your eyes, not out of fear but rather surprise. Your eyebrows shot up. You certainly weren’t expecting that from him. “Really?”

He nodded slowly. “Y-yeah, can I please have a hug? It’ll calm me down a little bit,” he begged, ignoring the quiet urging of Jimin.

Of course, you knew you couldn’t possibly decline his wishes. You weren’t a heartless, cold bastard. You wrapped your arms around Taehyung’s shoulders as he tightly hugged your form, as if this was the last hug he was ever going to receive. You quickly noted how safe and warm you felt in his arms. You had to admit, he was an excellent hugger. “It’ll be fine,” you whispered gently. “Just... don’t look down.”

“Okay,” he breathed, finally releasing, although reluctantly you noticed, you from his arms.

“Hey!” Yoongi called out with an offended expression. “Why do you get a hug?” He folded his arms across his chest. You would say he was slightly pissed off, but you couldn’t get over the fact that he looked absolutely endearing despite the fact that he was annoyed.

“Because I’m scared, that’s why!” Taehyung yelled back in his defense, grabbing onto the rope with a determined force.

“Oh, and you thought I wasn’t!” Jin shouted back, swinging his head from side to side as he yelled.

Taehyung ignored his reply and jumped off with such a confidence you couldn’t believe that he was trembling just seconds prior. Was it everyone’s biting comments that gave him that sudden bravery, or did your soothing words and comforting hug actually calm him down? Either way, you watched in shock as he swung over without a hitch. He reminded you of those heroes in the books you’ve been reading lately with his strong-willed grandeur. Bloody hell, he didn’t even need Jungkook to reel him in!

You would have clapped and cheered for the demolition expert, but then you realized you were next. Dread washed over you as your heart sunk to your stomach. Oh dear Lord, why did that gaggy feeling suddenly appear in your throat? The tree branch slightly swayed from side to side, but you were uncertain if it was because of a breeze or that unexpected feeling of heaviness that invaded your head. You silently prayed that you weren’t about to keel over and vomit into the river. That would be embarrassing after everything that occurred.

Jimin noticed your nauseous expression and curled the corners of his lips into a smile. He held the rope out to you expectedly, and you hesitantly wrapped your fingers around the braided cord. You swallowed a rather large lump in your throat as sweat dropped down your neck and back, unsure if it was because of the humid weather or your nerves getting the better of you.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be over before you know it,” Jimin softly soothed, his murmurs only loud enough for you to hear.

“I know, I know,” you sighed, your eyes never wavering from the rope clutched in your hands. Your forehead slowly pressed against the corded material as another bout of nausea washed over you. “Bollocks, I just got really dizzy.”

You sensed that Jimin grew more concerned over your wellbeing. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “Do you need me to carry you over?” he questioned, moving his head so his eyes could meet yours.

You shook your head. You could do this. You just needed to follow your own advice you gave Taehyung and avoid looking down. “No, I got this.” You swallowed another lump that stung your throat.

You didn’t give yourself time to prepare yourself from the jump. You knew that if you tried to hype yourself up, you would stall yourself even longer. You knew you just had to do it. Your feet left the solid tree branch and leapt off into the air. The wind ran through you hair as you released a small, soft gasp. Your hands tightened their grip around the rope, hearing the tension in it grow under your weight. You breezed through the air with ease, and you almost thought for a moment that you were flying.

You saw yourself coming closer to the boys on the other side of the gap, each of them waiting on edge for you to arrive safely to them. Jungkook reached out to you and managed to grab ahold of you. Your nerves instantly quelled when you realized you made it over safely. Never again did you ever want to do something like that. You didn’t think that your poor heart and stomach could handle something as nerve-wracking as that.

The other members of the team instantly embraced you in their arms, extremely thankful that you managed to get through unscathed. The warmth that emitted from them comforted you after going through such a horrible experience. You cherished the feeling of being in their arms for a moment before you laughed, “For a moment, I thought I was going to puke.”

Hoseok’s eyebrows shot up in deep concern. “Oh, do you need some medicine?” He then brought his medical bag securely wrapped on one shoulder and resting at his hip, rummaging through it with the sounds of glass clicking against each other. “I’ve got ginger, peppermint-“

“I’m fine, Hobi,” you reassured him, pulling away from the others to pat him on the shoulder comfortingly. “Did you already take some? I thought you were going to pass out after your trip over.”

Hoseok shuffled awkwardly in his spot on the branch, his hands sheepishly closing his bag. “I already popped a piece of peppermint in my mouth to suck on,” he admitted, his cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment. “That was the worst thing I ever had to do.”

Jungkook scoffed as he tossed the rope back to Jimin. “It wasn’t that bad. If you just jumped like we all told you to do, then you wouldn’t have swung there for God knows how long,” he teased, a bold grin spreading on his lips.

Hoseok huffed, slightly annoyed. He tightened the strap on his medical bag unconsciously, as if it was a habit of his. “If you just grabbed the rope when I got over, then I wouldn’t need to jump!” he argued, folding his arms.

Jungkook merely shrugged his shoulders indifferently. His cheeky grin remained plastered on his smug face. “Don’t blame me. You didn’t swing far enough for me to grab you the first time. I risk my life big time just trying to grab you at the end!” he mentioned.

“You risked my life, too!” Jin shouted, wobbling around Namjoon on the narrow branch just to jab his finger against the younger man’s chest. “I almost slipped off the branch, for God’s sake! We both could’ve been crocodile food!”

Jungkook lifted a finger in front of Jin’s face. “But we didn’t. I have total and utmost faith that you would keep us alive, hyung, because that’s just how good you are.”

in bristled, anger emitting from him in waves. “Oh, don’t you try to smooth talk your way out of this! You barely gave me any time to get ready! Do you have any idea how close I was to the edge of the branch?! Any closer and-“

“Guys!” Jimin called over, interrupting Jin’s furious ranting. He leaned against the rope irritatedly, impatient with the argument that occurring in front of him. “I would like it if Jungkook wasn’t distracted so he can catch me when I swing over!”

Wanting everyone to get across as soon as possible, you agreed with Jimin’s statement. The most crucial member of the team currently needed to get across safely. The team couldn’t get snappy with each other at the moment. “Yeah, let’s talk about how horrible Hobi’s trip over was for all of us after we all get over the river of death.” You now scooted over so that you were sandwiched in between the oldest and youngest, giving some space between them.

Jungkook and Jin gave each other a final shared glance before the younger man turned back to Jimin, positioning himself so that he was ready to receive the survivalist. He held his arms out in a catching stance, waving his hands toward himself in a gesture meaning he was ready for Jimin to cross over.

Jimin wasted no time and lept from the branch with such a confident smile that it took you off guard for a mere moment. You supposed that since Jimin underwent immense training to earn the title “survivalist” he must be very confident in his skills in ordeals such as these.

He smiled the entire time he swung over and landed perfectly on the branch you stood on with the help of Jungkook grabbing his rope to secure him. His eyes locked with yours first and his smile curled up almost wickedly. He smirked and tap the underside of your chin upwards, surprising you in the meanwhile.

“Close your mouth, y/n. You might catch a fly. After all, India is most notorious for having some of the most poisonous insects in the world,” he informed, giving you a look as if he knew how starstruck you were because of him before moving around you.

You instantly clamped your mouth shut. You weren’t even aware that your mouth hung open. Were you that impressed with Jimin that you were left dumbfounded? As he brushed past, you noticed how close he pressed against you, so close, in fact, that his chest flushed against your own. You were fairly certain that he had enough room to move around without getting so close, but the words seemed to fail you as you stood frozen in your spot. During your flabbergasted state, you failed to spot the teasing glance Jimin gave you as he slid by.

Jungkook detached the rope from where Jimin fastened it and tossed it back to its owner. Jimin moved to the front of the group, calling out, “Alright everyone, let’s get moving!”

You all followed Jimin by climbing down the tree and, although you tried your very hardest, you failed to keep in your laughter when you saw Hoseok carefully and timidly climb down. He made various frightened noises whenever he accidentally misplaced his footing and almost slipped or if he looked down and noticed how large a distance it was to the ground.

“Geez, why did we even bring you along if you can’t even climb down a tree without screaming?” Yoongi commented at the bottom, watching the doctor take his final steps before reaching the ground. He then strode over to Hoseok and readjusted some of his clothing that had become disheveled during the climb, brushing off bark pieces and dirt that clung to him.

“Because you wanted me to come along,” Hoseok answered confidently, laughing when he noticed the mild frustrated look on Yoongi’s face when he realized he couldn’t refute that.

You helped Taehyung reach the bottom before you joined the others, who were gaining as much distance from the crocodile infested river as they possible could. After a few minutes of light jogging, you didn’t notice just how far away the team had gotten from the river until you looked back and couldn’t see it through the thick trees.

Once you Jimin assured the team that it was safe to resume walking, you all calmed down a bit and tramped through the long grass and plants. The path began to incline suddenly and soon you trudged up a rocky slope, your feet knocking various stones and pebbles down the hill.

You fanned yourself when sweat began to build on your brow. The temperature surely raised quite a few degrees since the team first embarked on the journey. The sticky air clung to your skin like tape would, and you felt suffocated by it. The wind died long ago, so that added to your sweltering agony.

What also didn’t help the situation was the amount of bugs that swarmed the team. Flies endlessly flew around your head and buzzed in your ear. No matter how hard you swatted and threw you hands around, the flies never left you. Poor Jin screamed a few times when a few insects dove at his head.

“Jin!” you cried out, feeling the heavy weight of exhaustion build upon your shoulders. “How long have we been bloody hiking?”

Jin, quite a ways ahead of you, turned his head to face you as he continued walking. “Since we’ve started? About...” His tired voice trailed off as he brought up his wrist to look at his wristwatch. “... Five and a half hours.”

You sputtered at this knowledge. Five and a half hours?! When was the last time you ate? You were so tired your body couldn’t even transcribe that you needed sustenance. Your heavy feet dragged along as you stumbled up the path.

You didn’t sign up for this, you repeated in your head. You didn’t sign up for this.

“Alright, everyone!” Jimin exclaimed, gathering everyone’s attention. “The path is getting narrower the farther we head up and the ground is more unstable! We need to tie our ropes to each other’s belts so we don’t accidentally lose a member!”

As you fumbled to get your rope unfastened from your belt, you looked around to see who you were going to have to attach yourself to. Your eyes quickly landed upon Jungkook and Yoongi, who were at your side and both as equally sweaty as you were.

“I hate this. I hate this so much,” Yoongi muttered to himself as he tied his rope into one of your belt loops, pausing for a few moments to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Your shoulders sagged in exhaustion. “You and me both, mate,” you breathed out, finally getting your rope unattached from your belt so you could connect it between Jungkook and you.

He double-knotted then triple-knotted his rope before he was satisfied. “I just want to go to bed and sleep to my heart’s content and then maybe eat a few lobsters before I go back into hibernation,” he complained, staggering back a few paces.

“Lobster...” Jin whined, closing his eyes as if he could imagine the delicious taste. “Don’t say that. You’re making me hungry.”

You nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I think I just drooled for a second,” you chuckled weakly as you tied your rope to your own belt loop then went over and tied yourself to Jungkook. “You’re probably loving all of this exercise, aren’t you?”

Jungkook panted for a few seconds, lifting his sweaty shirt so you had better access to his belt. Your eyes landed on the toned abs that peeked out from underneath his shirt. You quickly looked away, trying to stop yourself from staring and getting flustered.

“I enjoy a morning jog, of course, but this is a little ridiculous,” he admitted, looking up at the sky as sweat ran down his face. His eyes fluttered shut for a few moments. “It’s so hot...”

You quickly finished tying and stood at full height when he said that. The tone he used shot something through your veins, making you feel something you never felt before. “A cold bath sounds amazing right now,” you added, trying to cover up your awkward state.

Jungkook pulled down his shirt and smiled. “Yeah, maybe we could find a pool around here and take a quick swim,” he suggested.

You chuckled at his proposal. You wished there was a pond, but after seeing that river full of crocodiles, your mind started having second thoughts. “I didn’t pack a swimsuit,” you confessed jokingly, already resuming your trek along the thin trail.

Jungkook shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “Neither did I. We could always go naked,” he prompted, following after you.

You sputtered again, your eyes slightly widening. Naked? With him? He wasn’t serious, was he? As you stared at him for a few seconds, you soon understood that he was, indeed, one hundred percent serious. Your thoughts in a panic fumbled together with thousands of different ways to reply to what he said. However, your words unfortunately seemed to fail you as you continued to stammer and sputter before giving up altogether and turning your head back forward, biting the inside of your cheek in embarrassment.

Your eyes connected with Yoongi’s, who was grinning at you boldly. He didn’t hear the conversation you and Jungkook shared, did he? As his head turned back forward and you heard him inhale deeply as if he were about to say something to everyone, dread coursed throughout every fiber of your being.

He heard you...

“Guys! Jungkook got y/n embarrassed!” he announced cheekily. Everyone’s heads snapped to face you, each of them with a teasing grin painted on their lips. Oh no... not again.

You needed to defend yourself you soon realized where this was all going. “I am not!” you shrieked, willing yourself to be rid of your flustered state. “He just... caught me off guard is what.”

Yoongi tipped his head to the side in fake confusion, mischief twinkling in his eyes. “Really? So Jungkook suggesting that you two go swimming in the nude doesn’t get you all shy?” Oh how you wanted to strangle him at that moment.

A chorus of chuckles rang among the crowd as your cheeks flared with heat. You wanted to calm down and prove them wrong, but the mental image of seeing Jungkook swimming with nothing on only succeeded in making you cast your gaze down to the forest floor sheepishly. “No, it doesn’t!” you protested still, despite everything proving otherwise.

“Ah, maybe we should all going swimming together in the nude, y/n,” Taehyung encouraged provokingly. “Wouldn’t you like that?” His voice dropped a few octaves, making you shiver slightly.

You bit your lip, wondering to yourself how you could possibly dig out of this hole you seemed trapped in. “Or...” you brought up, cursing yourself internally for sounding so bothered. “We could just forget the whole idea of swimming in the nude and focus on the mission at hand?”

“That doesn’t sound nearly as fun,” Namjoon remarked, rolling back his shoulders in a way so you would obviously note the way his muscles tighten. “Besides, the Dragon of the Stars can wait for us while we... indulge ourselves.”

You ground your teeth in irritation. Your flared cheeks still remained as hot as ever from embarrassment. Namjoon was really starting to test you, wasn’t he? “Namjoon, I’m going to strangle you,” you declared, glaring daggers at his prideful smirk.

“My, y/n, I never knew you liked it rough,” Jin commented, wetting his bottom lip with a playful grin.

Your breath hitched in your throat at that remark. What the bloody hell was that? You jerked your wide eyes to meet his, eyes clouded with an emotion you couldn’t quite describe. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he gave you a flirtatious wink, sending electricity shooting down your spine.

“O-okay, stop it,” you stammered, fidgeting with your sleeve sheepishly as you tore your gaze from his. “You guys are acting like a bunch of immature schoolboys around a playboy magazine.”

Hoseok burst into laughter at your description. “You have to admit you set yourself up for that one. It was too perfect. Your face was too cute!” he cooed, jabbing a finger at your face.

You huffed and crossed your arms across your chest, hoping that way you could hide how perturbed you felt. “I’m glad my embarrassment is a good source of entertainment for you...” Your voice trailed off as you noticed Yoongi ahead of you take a step too close to the edge. The soft dirt began to crumble under his weight slightly and roll down the steep hill that hung off to the side. Your throat hitched realizing that the dirt would give way and Yoongi would slip. You lunged forward with a hand stretching out to the mechanic in a blind panic. “Yoongi, wait-!”

Your warning came too late as the dirt collapsed underneath him. Yoongi’s legs gave out from the unstable foundation he stood upon and tumbled down. His hands grabbed onto your shoulders hoping that you would provide a stable support, but your feet slipped on the soft dirt and you fell down with him. Yoongi let out a loud curse while a scream escaped your lungs.

Your tumble was interrupted due to the rope that connected you to Jungkook and the rope that connected Yoongi to Namjoon. Yoongi and you hung precariously on the steep hill as Jungkook and Namjoon were lurched in your direction. A string of cries and gasps rang throughout the team when they all realized the dangerous situation you both were in. Jungkook and Namjoon luckily dug their heels into the ground to prevent themselves from following you both down the hill.

However, that relief didn’t last long when the rope tying you to Jungkook unknotted from his belt loop. You mentally cursed yourself for your flimsy knotting skills before you shrieked as you slipped down the hill even further, taking Yoongi with you.

The wind was knocked out of you when the rope once more stopped your fall. You looked down the steep hill that went on for a few good meters, surely such a fall would be lethal. You swallowed a lump in your throat. “Oooooh, that’s high!” you cried, grabbing the rope between you and Yoongi and pulling yourself up.

Namjoon released a strain groan as he held the rope connecting him to Yoongi, holding the weight of you two all by himself. He silently prayed that he could pull you both to safety. Jimin rushed to his side and leaned over the edge, looking at you and Yoongi with panicked eyes. “You two okay?!” he demanded.

“Do I look fucking alright?!” Yoongi spat back, clinging to his rope with an iron fist.

“We’re fine!” you answered, ignoring Yoongi’s vulgar reply. “Just get us out of here, please!”

Jimin nodded frantically before turning back to the others, Namjoon most importantly. “Okay, everyone here needs to start walking backwards slowly and hold onto their ropes! Make sure they don’t loosen on your belts!” He then jerked his head back to Yoongi and you. “I’m gonna need you two to put your feet against the ground and start walking up as we pull you up!” He then flew to the back of the line and got himself into position once you and Yoongi did as he told you. “Okay, everyone start walking!”

You dug your heels against the steep hill and pushed yourself upward after Yoongi. Very slowly you both began to trudge up the hill with your hands clamped firmly on the rope that supported your combined weight. Sometimes the dirt gave out underneath your footing, and you slipped causing Yoongi to stumble back, but you luckily managed to resettle yourself before continuing on upward.

“I think we’re going to make it,” Yoongi muttered to you reassuringly.

You pulled yourself up a few more paces, hope filling your core. You could almost sigh to yourself in relief at how much progress you already made. However, your hope was soon short-lived. Yoongi was at the final stretch when a snapping sound caught his attention. His eyes wildly flashed to the source, where the rope between him and Namjoon began to snap and unravel under his weight. He jerked his gaze to Namjoon, who realized the same thing and met his eyes, flaming with shock and panic.

“Of course it starts to break because of you,” Yoongi sneered venomously as his eyes narrowed into a glare. “If I die, fuck you.”

Namjoon frantically pulled on the rope upward repeatedly, hoping he could drag you and Yoongi to safety before the rope snapped. Jimin noticed this quickly and anxiety shot in his core. “Namjoon! Don’t! You’re putting too much tension on the rope-!”

Snap!

The last strings of the rope that also kept your hopes up broke. A gasp left your throat as you felt your body slowly fall backwards, then your body collided against the hillside and everything went by in a flash. Your body tumbled and rolled down the slope, but your mind couldn’t seem to register what what was happening. Your eyes caught images of dirt and the sky repeatedly, but other than that you couldn’t tell where you were as you continue to plummet down the ridge.

Where was Yoongi? Was he by you? Your ears failed to pick up any noises that would reveal his presence over the sound of your body time after time slamming against the ground. Your hands blindly reached around to grab ahold of something, but everything seemed to slip out of your fingers. Cries and shouts escaped your lips every now and then. It seemed that your fall would never end.

Until it eventually did. Your body flopped around a few more times before it gradually stopped. You laid on the ground on your side, your eyes taking in your surroundings shakily. Your vision was blurry for a few moments before it returned to normal, revealing the dirt ground and hill that you rolled down just seconds ago.

You groaned tiredly and lifted your head, which felt like an anchor was attached to it. Rolling over so your back pressed against the earth, you stared at the blue sky for a few seconds, too dazed to even manifest a thought. The only thing your ears picked up was the sound of your ragged breathing escaping your mouth.

Suddenly you heard some disoriented footsteps and groaning before your eyes met the sight the Yoongi looming over you. Yoongi. A sigh of relief slipped from your bruised lips. He was alive along with you.

“Y/n...” he panted, snapping you from your frazzled thoughts. “Are you alright?” You noticed a trickle of blood drip down the side of his face from a cut located in the temporal area. Your hand reached out of its own accord and cupped his cheek.

“Yoongi...” you murmured softly, your action catching the mechanic by surprise. “You’re hurt...”

His face radiated heat and you noted the pink flush that tinged his soft cheeks. He looked away for a few seconds in a flustered panic before returning his gaze back to you. “I’m hurt?” he gently scoffed as he took your hand in his own and pulled it from us face, your fingertips dirtied with the blood that stained his beautiful face. “You’re the one with a nasty cut.”

Your eyes flickered over to your wrist that was held in Yoongi’s hand to see a long cut that stretched down the underside of your forearm. Blood seeped out of the wound in dribbles, a steady river dripping down your cut. You didn’t even know when you obtained the wound, since you never felt any immense amount of pain. Your body only cried out at the soreness that settled in your being. You knew that you would get some nasty bruises soon.

“Shit...” you mumbled, sitting upright once the dizziness that plagued your mind faded. “That looks bad.” Your other hand gently grazed against the tender skin along the cut, currently puffing up around the broken skin.

Yoongi nodded in agreement. “It’s better than bashing your head against a rock and dying,” he pointed out, letting go of your hand. “Damn... this isn’t what I agreed to. All I thought I’d be doing was fixing whatever Namjoon broke, not nearly falling to my death.”

“At least you did it of your own free will,” you mentioned, your eyes still focused on your wound. “I was practically forced into this.”

“Well, not entirely,” Yoongi admitted, rubbing the back of his neck to massage the sore spots. “I didn’t really want to do this. If it were totally up to me, I’d be back at home fixing cars and whatnot.”

You finally tore your gaze away from your arm to meet his own, eyebrows furrowing in weak confusion. “So why did you agree to this?” you prodded further.

He let out an extended sigh full of exhaustion, thinking over what he should say for a few moments. “Because my parents need the money,” he confessed, his eyes lowering to the ground. “The Japanese aren’t exactly kind to people who can’t work. They would have my parents starve in the streets because they barely have any money in their pockets.” His fists tightened at the many memories that ran through his mind. “When Jin offered me the job for this expedition, all I could think about was the money that could my parents. It was like he was hanging a bait hook in front of me. I didn’t want to go on this fool’s journey... but my mother and father...” His voice trailed off for a few seconds in deep thought before continuing, “I gave them all the money I’d been saving up so they could last a few months on their own. Then once this is all done with and I get paid, I’m going straight back home.”

You hung onto every word that he said, your heart clenching at how much he cared for his parents, so much so that he left his home to go into an unfamiliar country with no knowledge of what may happen. He just risked his life a few minutes ago just so his parents could have a roof over their heads. “So you don’t care about your country’s history?” you asked curiously.

He paused for a moment, eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Well, no, I do care. I mean, I love my country, and I don’t want its history to forever destroyed,” he answered, stretching out his cramped legs, “but you have to admit this is a fool’s journey. This Dragon of the Stars hasn’t been found in over two thousand years. What makes you think it’ll suddenly appear now?”

“Because everyone thought it was just a legend until Namjoon found my tapestry,” you responded. “No one has even tried to go looking for it.”

Yoongi sighed once more, shoulders weakly sagging at his sides. “Yeah, maybe, but I’m not getting my hopes up, and neither should you.”

Before you could even reply, a string of shouts and cries caught your attention. Yoongi and you jerked your heads to the source of the yells and saw Jimin arranging a safe path to come down with everyone close behind him. You waved them over with your uninjured hand while Yoongi shouted at them to gather their attention. All their heads snapped to where you and Yoongi sat at the bottom of the hill. They then quickly, although still safely, rushed down the hill and to your sides, all worried for your well-being.

“Oh my God! Are you two okay?!” Hoseok exclaimed as he fell to his knees right in between you two, grabbing his medical bag and rummaging through it.

Yoongi lightly brushed his fingers against the gash on his temple. “Well, we’re not dead. So I guess that’s good,” he mumbled, now looking at his reddened fingers. “You should start with y/n first though. She’s got a pretty bad cut on her arm.”

You held out your wounded arm for him to see your skin now completely smeared with blood. His eyes widened, and he immediately went to work. He took out a bottle and a clean rag and dabbled the rag with what assumed was alcohol. He applied the liquid to your cut, and you hissed at the stinging pain that ran up your arm. He wiped the wound clean of blood and leaned in slightly to get a better view of the cut.

“Good news is...” He paused to clean your arm a bit more. “... the cut isn’t deep enough for stitches. Neither is it over any joints. So the best I can do is clean it, then apply some yarrow salve to stop the bleeding, and then bandage it up.” He gave you a relieved smile as he searched through his bag for the salve. “You’re damn lucky you both didn’t break any bones or impale yourselves on any sticks.”

Yoongi scoffed humorlessly and rolled his eyes. “Oh, yes, so lucky,” he snarked sarcastically. “We just fell down a few hundred meters. Just a stroll in the park, if I do say so myself.”

“Don’t forget the part where we almost died,” you added as Hoseok spread the yarrow salve across the length of your wound. The cooling sensation over your hot, tender flesh sent a calming effect over you.

Yoongi pointed at you in agreement to even further his point. “Oh, yes, how could I possibly forget? Thank you so much, y/n. You’re such a doll,” he said in a sweet yet sour tone. His angelic smile turned bitter as his eyes narrowed into a glare. “We almost fucking died!”

Hoseok raised his hands in surrender. “Hey! I’m just saying it could’ve been a whole lot worse. A fall like that should’ve killed at least one of you,” he defended himself, returning to aiding you. His took out clean bandages from his bag and began to wrap your arm in a neat and professional manner. Then he tore the bandages once your arm was covered and clipped the end so it could hold everything in place.

You huffed, blowing up a few strands of your hair out of your face. “Thanks, Hobi. I love talking about my hypothetical death.”

“What you should be saying is ‘Thank you, Hobi, for treating my arm! If it weren’t for you, an infection would’ve settled in the wound and given me a painful, fatal disease! You’re the best!’” He then moved over to attend Yoongi’s injury. “Besides, if you should be angry with anyone, it should be Namjoon. He broke the rope.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Yoongi gritted his teeth in irritation. “I’ve got a bone to pick with him.”

“Where is he?” you inquired, craning your neck to search for the historian. “I’ve a right to box his ears.”

Hoseok dabbled a cotton ball soaked with alcohol to Yoongi’s temple, causing the latter to flinch and scrunch his face in pain. “Last time I saw him, he was wandering over in that direction.” He pointed off toward a rock mount a few meters from where you all sat.

You pulled yourself to your feet, the soreness stretching throughout your body. You groaned noisily at the dull pain, tautening your aching muscles and joints for a few moments. A heavy haze settled on your mind, sending your stumbling in your spot. Hoseok looked at you concernedly, pausing his treatment on Yoongi. “If you’re gonna head over, you should get someone to help you,” he suggested, brows furrowed in worry.

You shook your head. “No, it’s fine, Hobi. I-“

Hoseok interrupted you to call over to a person standing a few meters away from you, admiring the view in the distance. “Tae! Can you help y/n? She needs help getting over to Namjoon!”

You groaned exasperatedly as you lightly slapped your forehead with your good hand. “Hobi...” you whined. “I told you it’s-“

Before you could finish your sentence, Taehyung instantly ran to your side, giddy like a puppy wanting some attention. “Of course I’ll help! Do you need me to carry you over?” he asked, searching your well-being over.

You were at a loss for words at first. Taehyung’s readiness to come to your aid caught you off guard. In any other situation, you would find his intentions endearing, but currently you found it just surprising. “Um, no, I’m okay,” you babbled, still flabbergasted. “If I could just use you to steady myself, that’d be jolly good.”

He gave you a wide smile and offered you an arm for you to take. “No worries!”

Taking his arm in your own, the both of you slowly strode over to where Hoseok pointed to. Once in awhile you stumbled a few paces due to dizziness, but Taehyung luckily always caught you before you could fall flat on your face. He chuckled quietly to himself before saying, “You know, you and Yoongi really scared me at first. I thought for sure both of you were dead at the bottom.”

You brought your gaze to meet his, seeing his gleeful smile ebbed away to a worried frown. His eyes were clouded over with slight regret and concern. You attempted to smile to lift his mood. “It’s fine, really. Hobi said I’m really lucky to have at least just a cut,” you replied, looking for at least a hint of a smile on his face, but sadly you found none.

He sighed softly, full of regret. “I’m so stupid. I should’ve done something. I was at the end of the line. I should’ve grabbed you before you fell, but I couldn’t. All I could do was stand there,” he confessed, looking up at the pale blue sky with a soft mournful gleam in his eyes.

You chuckled quietly, tearing your gaze away to look ahead. “You don’t need to act like I’m actually dead or paralyzed. I feel light as rain. Besides, what could you have done? You could’ve put yourself in more danger than Yoongi and I were in.”

His lips curled up in a light smile. “Still, it would’ve been sad if the last thing I said to you was about all of us swimming in the nude together,” he commented, snickering to himself.

“Yeah, can’t argue with you there. That would’ve been sad.”

He then connected his eyes with yours, his cheerful attitude slowly returning. “I’m really glad you’re okay, y/n. We all are. You know we all have a soft spot for you,” he admitted.

Your lips curled into a slight pouty frown. “Really? I wouldn’t know what with all the teasing you guys give me,” you muttered, rolling your eyes at the familiar memory.

“Only because you’re too easy to get riled up,” Taehyung responded, reaching over to pinch your cheek and give it a playful tug. “You have the cutest faces sometimes~”

You shrugged his hand away, still pouting. “My embarrassment isn’t something for you to get off on,” you argued.

He grinned broadly. “Too late.”

Finally the two of you reached the rocky mount to find the rest of the team gathered around it. You cocked your head to the side in curiosity and confusion, wondering why this rock hill captured everyone’s attention. Jungkook and Jimin quickly saw you coming in arm with Taehyung and rushed to you.

“Oh, thank God, you’re fine,” Jungkook breathed, taking you from Taehyung’s arm and wrapping you in his own. He buried his face into the crook of your neck. “I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if you and Yoongi died.”

“Yoongi is fine,” you informed him. “I actually took the brunt of the fall.” You pulled away to show them your wrapped up arm. Both of the boys’ eyes flickered with worry before they softened, reminding themselves that you were well alive.

“I’ll admit, if we found you two dead down here, I was going to kill Namjoon,” Jimin confessed, then lifted a finger to his round lips. “Don’t tell him though. That would put a strain on our teamwork.”

“Speaking of Namjoon,” you began, craning your head around them to see the rock hill behind him, “what’s he doing?”

Jimin gestured to the rock structure behind him. “Joonie said that this caught his eye, and he wanted to check it out quick,” he explained concisely. “Don’t know why though. It’s just a hunk of rock.”

The historian in question came into view with Jin, both looking at the structure and exchanging soft murmurs to each other. You quirked an eyebrow at their peculiar behavior, a voice in the back of your mind wondering if they finally lost it due to the heat.

Finally Namjoon took a few steps forward toward a thick display of plants and brushed a few large leaves to the side. He poked his head past them and instantly retracted himself in shock, the soft murmurings became shouts of surprise and excitement. You watched in amusement with the others as Jin and Namjoon jumped around excitedly before hugging each other tightly. Taehyung and Jungkook decided to clown them and copy their actions, both jumping and exclaiming high-pitched shouts. You snorted in laughter while Jimin wheezed, bending over to regain his breath.

Despite this, Namjoon and Jin beamed over to where the rest of the team stood, their faces bright with enthusiasm and anticipation. “We found it!” Namjoon practically screamed.

“You found the Dragon?!” you exclaimed, your eyebrows shooting up in shock and disbelief.

Jin shook his head rapidly. “No! We found the cave where it’s hidden!” Namjoon and Jin squealed and hugged each other once more, bouncing up and down.

“A cave?” you heard Yoongi repeat, joining them team with stitches replacing his open gash wound. Hoseok walked at his side, closing his medical bag. “Shit, I was hoping that it wouldn’t be... you know... underground.”

You peered at the spot where Jin and Namjoon stood mere moments beforehand, confusion written across your face. You gestured to the planted area. “So behind that is a cave?” When Namjoon and Jin nodded quickly, you continued uncertainly, “So, what makes you two so sure this leads us to the Dragon?”

Namjoon grabbed your, luckily uninjuried, hand and eagerly led you over to the place in question. You stood curiously at his side while he lifted the large leaves up so you could see past them. Your eyes fell upon the mouth of a rather fairly sized cave and were surprised at how you couldn’t possibly see the entrance beforehand. The jagged stone surrounding the opening dripped with dew and saturated air, the walls radiating a cool mist.

Namjoon then lifted a finger pointing toward each side of the cave. Two smaller feminine statues wearing what seemed to be extravagant saris stood, as if guarding what was beyond the entrance. “They are tutelary deities,” Namjoon explained, gesturing to the statues once more. “I guess you could call them guardian deities sent to protect over villages, houses, or, in this case, a cave. Although these statues were obviously made in an Indian fashion, Korean shamanism also shares the idea of guardian deities assigned to protect places from demons.”

“Okay...” you murmured, your voice trailing off slightly. “... But what how do you know this is the cave? It could be a completely different cave for all we know.”

“Well, you see.” He paused to move passed you, going deeper into the opening of the cave. You noticed that the other team members had appeared around you, curiously watching Namjoon as if they also wondered how he and Jin were so certain about this. “Korean shamanism was the region’s religion before the Chinese came along and introduced Buddhism to them. So we can confirm that those who fled the Chinese two millennia ago were believers of said religion. Like I said before, Korean shamanism also has tutelary deities, which are called the sotdae. Essentially they look like birds on top of a pole, meant to scare away demons and the like.” He then wandered over to one of the statues earlier. “And we can find one of those... here.” He then with a wide grin pointed at the statue yet again, more specifically at what she was holding. Wrapped around her elegant fingers was a long pole, which you assumed earlier was a staff of sorts, and the very peak of it sat a ever-watching bird. “And there’s no other logical explanation for this since Hindus associate birds with the spiritual rather than the idea of guardianship! So it must be a sotdae!” He then turned his attention toward you, his excitement growing. “And on your tapestry, it wasn’t a mountain! It was... it was... this!” He wildly gestured to the rock structure surrounding him.

“It’s called an out-crop,” Jimin corrected, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Everyone seemingly ignored him, and you walked a few more paces with wide eyes, taking in your surroundings. “So... we found it?” you breathed out, disbelief still settling in your core.

Jin bounced into your view, wrapping his long arms around your waist and lifting you into the air, spinning you around and around in circles gleefully. “We found it!” he cried out happily, his loud voice echoing off the cave walls. “You are an angel from heaven! Look where you led us! You led us here!”

Yoongi bristled slightly, his lips pressed in a thin line. “Hey! I also led us here! We both landed by this cave,” he reminded, folding his arms tightly across his chest while Jin set you down gently.

Taehyung then wrapped his arms around the mechanic from behind, a cheerful grin plastered on his face. “Aw, is someone feeling a bit left out?” he giggled, resting his chin on top of Yoongi’s soft hair.

Yoongi grumbled but didn’t make any action to move from where he stood. He just remained there with a sour expression while Taehyung continued to smother him with hugs.

“This would’ve been so much easier if our ancestors just left a sign saying ‘Here lies the magnificent Dragon of the Stars! Please watch your heads as you enter’,” Jungkook remarked, glancing to where the sotdae sat. “Not ‘Oh, let’s just leave a bird here. I’m sure our descendants will know what that means’.”

“They might’ve,” Jimin acknowledged, peering further down into the cave, “but erosion and natural forces would’ve rubbed it away a long time ago. I’m surprised these statues haven’t corroded already after two millennia.”

“You know,” Jin began, also examining the statues curiously, “having Indian tutelary deities alongside ours suggests that the ancient Indians might’ve helped our ancestors in hiding the Dragon from the Chinese.”

Namjoon nodded with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “That would make sense considering that the Chinese invaded ancient India on multiple occasions. They might’ve been sympathetic to our cause.”

Remembering the heavy weight hanging from your shoulders, you hastily grabbed your camera, thankful and yet very surprised that it was still working despite the random scratch and dent here and there after your painful tumble minutes ago. You knelt down a small distance from the statue with the sotdae. Bringing your camera up to your eye so you could see through the scope, you took a picture with a bright flash illuminating the dim cave. You captured a few more pictures, all performed in a professional matter, until you were satisfied and stood back up.

“Well, that was awfully nice of them,” you commented with a smile, cleaning your camera of any dirt or grime. “We should get moving. I’d like to get the Dragon before nightfall.”

Jin nodded in agreement, lips still curled up into a grin. “Oh, don’t worry, my dear. I’ve waited far too long for this moment. I won’t waste another second.”

With that, you and the rest of the team moved out and took out your torches before clicking them on, shining the bright light down your path. Jimin, of course, moved to the head of the group seeing as the cave might be considered dangerous as no one had been down there for thousands of years.

You watched the dew slid down the various stalactites and drip off the very pointed end and fall down into the moist earth. The sound of dripping water echoed into your ears ominously as the scent of musk entered your nostrils, making you very slightly uncomfortable. You swore to God if any bat flew straight at you, you were gone. The thought of bats living in the caves made you rather paranoid.

Jungkook walked at your side, waving his torch at any little dark spot in the cave. You noticed how uneased he appeared, moving his torch shakily. “You... you don’t think they’re any traps down here, right?” he asked quietly.

You scoffed, trying to shove another paranoid thought of possibly dying because of traps to the farthest part of your mind. “When would your ancestors have time to make traps? They were too busy hiding from the Chinese,” you replied confidently.

“I guess...”

Yoongi snorted humorlessly. “Okay, even if they had time to make traps, they obviously wouldn’t be working after two millennia,” he reminded, using his expertise to help calm your worries. “That’s just plain impossible. Any wood they would’ve used would be rotten, rocks would be eroded, metals corroded, and rope would be unraveled by now.”

Hoseok then whipped his head to meet Yoongi, anxiety written all over his face. “But what if it’s cursed? I read an article that the British claim that King Tut’s tomb was cursed after-“

“For God’s sake, there wasn’t a curse,” Yoongi interrupted as he rolled his eyes annoyedly. “It’s Egypt, for crying out loud. There’s lots of things in the wild that can easily kill you. Just like how I can easily die from anything in here.”

Hoseok fidgeted uncomfortably, his nerves obviously not quelled by Yoongi’s explanation. “Please don’t die, Yoongi,” he begged softly.

The mechanic sighed tiredly. “I’m not going to die. I was just exasperating.”

You moved your torch around to shine onto the walls when you caught something out of the corner of your eye. The cave walls no longer looked jagged with rock protruding out at every angle but rather somewhat flat with intricate designs carved into it. “Hey, Namjoon,” you called out with uncertainty etched in your voice. “Do you have any idea what this is about?”

The historian brought his attention to where your light was shone and gasped in wonder. He rushed over to the wall and ran his fingers over the symbols, completely lost in his fascination. “This is incredible. These walls were made in both Indian and Korean design. Jin, your theory was right! The Indians did help us!”

Jin ran over to where Namjoon stood in a flash, eagerly looking over the carved symbols. “These images... do they...? They tell the story of the flight from the Chinese?” he wondered out loud.

“It seems so.” He lifted a finger pointing down the cave. “If we continue, we can learn more about what happened.” Namjoon then eagerly ran down the length of the tunnel, leaving the rest of the team behind in the dust.

Jimin instantly ran after Namjoon, with everyone jogging after him. He had on a panicked demeanor, not wanting the historian to get separated from the rest of the group. “Namjoon, wait!” Luckily, since Jimin excelled in athleticism from hours of working out, he caught up to Namjoon in mere seconds, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

Namjoon was extremely fortunate that he did, because the moment he did, he stepped on a tiled plate that sunk into the ground with a wet ‘thunk’. As this happened, Jimin yanked Namjoon back with the intention of bringing him to where everyone but instead ended up saving his life. Spears jutted out of the walls in a flash with such a powerful force that it made Jin and Hoseok jump and cry out in fear.

Namjoon flinched wildly away at what could’ve been his death, stumbling back a few paces into Jimin. Jimin held onto the historian with an iron grip that couldn’t be unclasped with anything short of a pry bar, a loud, shocked gasp leaving his lips. He then pressed his forehead into Namjoon’s back after a few stunned seconds of silence with a muffled groan. “You guys are really making me work,” he mumbled tiredly into Namjoon’s shirt. He lifted his head and dragged him back to the rest of the team. “You guys almost died three times in the span of an hour.”

Jungkook spun around to where Yoongi stood in shocked silence, round eyes blown with surprise. “I told you there were traps!” he yelled, voice almost cracking.

“They shouldn’t be working! The gears must be rusted as hell from all the moisture down here!” the mechanic argued, breaking his silence.

“Oh my God...” Hoseok breathed out softly, fear etched into every part of his face. His jaw hung open. “That means there are curses down here...”

“There’s no such thing as a curse!” Yoongi snapped, throwing his hands in the air. “But if you keep going on about it, I just might start screaming a lot of curses!”

“Everyone, calm down!” you shouted angrily. The boys stopped their bickering and looked at you, surprised and slightly afraid at how furious you sounded. You exhaled deeply to calm yourself down, before continuing in a more relaxed tone, “We need to figure out a way across.”

Jimin nodded in agreement, fingers curled around his chin in deep thought. He looked at the spears that slowly began to retract themselves into their holes in the walls with sounds of mechanical clunking and grinding. He brought his torch pointed at the ground in front of him. “The whole floor here is full of pressure plates,” he informed. “Maybe if we ran fast enough...”

“Oh, yeah, like grandpa here can run,” Jin cut in, gesturing to Yoongi.

The mechanic snorted in annoyance. “If anyone here is a grandpa, it’s you, hyung,” he retorted, placing much emphasis on the last word.

Before Jin could snap back at Yoongi, you mentioned to Jimin, “Did you see how fast those spears reacted to Namjoon? He barely pushed down on the plate and they came out. We’ll all be impaled if we try running across.”

Jimin hummed thoughtfully, realizing that you had a point. “How about if we try-? ...Tae, what are you doing?”

You turned your attention from Jimin and found Taehyung scouring along the dewy walls on his knees, his concentration deeply focused on the wall. “I’m looking for a button,” he mumbled in reply.

“A what?” you questioned, eyebrows furrowed deeply in confusion.

Taehyung pulled away from the wall and looked at you and Jimin. “Think of it this way. What if the Chinese invasion lasted a lot shorter than the Koreans thought it would, and it was safe to return back to their homeland? They would have to come back to Korea with the Dragon, right? Well, it’d be kinda stupid if they had they go through all these traps that they put up themselves, yeah? So they would have to put a button or some mechanism to stop the traps,” he explained himself.

Namjoon raised a finger as if ready to refute Taehyung’s theory but paused to think about it himself. “That’s... actually kinda smart.”

Taehyung curled his lips into a bright smile showing rows of pearly white teeth, sniggering softly to himself. “I know you guys act like I’m the team idiot, but I know a little more than what makes a good boom,” he boasted, returning back to scavenging among the walls. “Besides, I can never resist pressing a big button.” With that, he found an image of the wall of the Wheel of Dharma and pressed a finger against the axis, pushing it in with a satisfying ‘click’. The pressure plates groaned for a few seconds before dropping down with a ‘thud’. “Ta-dah! It’s safe now.”

“Good job, Tae!” you cheered, relieved that the team could move on.

Taehyung got up from his knelt down position and wrung his hands bashfully. “Aw, it was nothing, just a bit of common sense,” he continued to brag.

Jimin rolled his eyes and looped his arm through Taehyung’s. “Yeah, yeah, we get it. You’re sooo smart. Now let’s get moving,” he drawled, dragging him along the path. “The faster we get moving, the faster we can get home.”

The team set out once more further down the cave, this time more aware of various traps. You waved your torch down the path, looking for anything that may be considered suspicious. However, nothing jumped out to you that was fishy. The cave continued on and on for quite some time. Endless twists and turns came upon you.

“Watch it!” Hoseok suddenly pulled on you. You lurched back a few few steps, seeing that a few more paces and you would’ve gone careening off a ledge and into a pit full of spikes. Your heart nearly launched itself into your throat when you saw how close you were from dying. Hoseok pulled you into his chest, arms wrapped around you protectively. Instinctively, you responded by draping your own arms around his waist. Whether or not you did this to stabilize your balance or for other reasons you were unsure.

You rested your head on Hoseok’s shoulder, calming down your rapid beating heart from such a panicking ordeal. Your shoulders rose and fell in pattern with your heavy panting. “Thanks, Hobi,” you murmured gently in between breaths, feeling a small wave of exhaustion wash over you. You couldn’t help yourself. Hoseok’s arms felt so warm and comfortable.

“Yeah, just be careful next time,” Hoseok warned, slowly, though reluctantly, releasing you from his arms. “We can’t lose our lovely reporter, now can we?” He then grinned cheekily. “Should I hold your hand so you don’t get lost~?”

You rolled your eyes, all feelings of exhaustion wiped away. You pressed your lips into a thin, strained smile. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.” You moved away from the doctor, making sure to avoid the death pit from earlier.

After what seemed to be a half an hour of walking and avoiding numerous traps such as: snake pits, swinging blades, swinging logs, arrows, and even a gunpowder triggered trap, you and the team managed to get through all of them mostly unscathed. Jin got the short end of the stick and was nicked on the arm by a swinging blade. However, Hoseok quickly came to his aid and patched up the injured skin by cleaning it and wrapping some bandages around his upper arm.

You noticed that the cave began to lead upward rather downward like you assumed, and, for a moment, you worried that you would soon be reaching the surface. However, your fears were quelled quickly when you and the other came upon a spacious room, the walls, ceiling, and even floor covered in ornate designs.

Finding the room to be fascinating, you took out your camera and captured a few images of the intricate walls, the flash brightening the room for merely a second. When you pulled your camera down, you realized that there wasn’t no other exit other than the path that you all entered. “This isn’t where the Dragon is supposed to be, right?” you asked hesitantly, exploring the room with your torch.

Namjoon shook his head. “No, this isn’t it, but it’s definitely nearby. Perhaps in another room somewhere?” he wondered more to himself rather than the others.

Jungkook looked up, taking in the symbols carved into the stone. “And where would that room be? There were no other paths other than the one leading to here,” he recalled, bringing his attention back to the historian.

“There’s got to be a door then,” Namjoon declared, hurrying over to the nearby walls and examining them closely. “Maybe a secret passage of some sorts.” He raised his head back to the remaining group. “Hey, Tae! You’re good at finding buttons. Maybe you could find some mechanism that unlocks a secret door.”

Taehyung tilted his head in perturbed confusion, as if the historian just said something in a completely different language. “Why would I do that when I already know where the door is?” he questioned.

Namjoon sputtered for a moment and almost tripped himself rushing back to the demolition expert. “You do? Where?” he demanded, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Taehyung placed a long finger over the historian’s lips to silence him and raised his other one in the air, gesturing for everyone to listen for any sound. After a few seconds of silence, he asked rhetorically, “You hear that?”

Another few seconds went by as you listened intently for anything that popped out at you, but you couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. You were about to voice your findings when suddenly Jimin exclaimed, “Wind!”

The survivalist then rushed over to the source of the sound, located at the far end of the room. Jimin pressed his ear against a noticeable crack and held it there for a few seconds. His face broke out in a bright smile. “There’s air coming through here!”

Taehyung shrugged casually. “Geez, and you guys think I’m the dumb one.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes as he joined Jimin. “Excuse you, I have a PhD,” he reminded.

“And I have common sense,” Taehyung replied with a bold grin.

Jin happily clapped his hands together in anticipation, gathering everyone’s attention directly to him. “Great! Now how do we open it?” he inquired, eyes searching for anyone who had an idea.

“Well, there’s got to be a button, right? I mean, that’s the only possible solution,” you suggested, shrugging your shoulders.

“Or,” Yoongi cut in, raising a finger in thought, “we use Taehyung’s expertise in this situation.”

A gleam or excitement and euphoria flashed in Taehyung’s eyes at this proposal, and his face lit up in absolute elation. “Oooh, I like the way you think, Yoongi!” he exclaimed, hands already rummaging through his pack.

What Yoongi insinuated finally clicked in Namjoon’s mind, and his face fell into despair. “No! We are not blowing up thousands of years of history! Do you have any idea how much work these people put into making this cave, and you’re suggesting we just destroy it all?!”

Taehyung pouted, his lips pursing out like a child would. “Aw, come on! This was what I was hired for! I’m here to demolish things. That’s why I’m the demolition expert,” he whined. He whipped his head to face the team leader. “Jin, please let me blow it up. We could be down here for hours looking for this button or key or whatever it is. We could save so much time just by breaking down this wall.”

Jin pondered this dilemma for a few seconds, flickering his eyes between Namjoon’s pleading look and Taehyung’s begging. You could tell he was at conflict with himself, torn between the two sides. Finally, Jin sighed quietly. “Tae, do you even know if the rock here is stable? You could cause a possible cave-in.”

“A cave-in? Here?” Taehyung blew raspberries as if what Jin was suggesting was absolutely ridiculous. “No way. We’re nowhere close to any trench ends, and this cave is very well stable. If it wasn’t, then there would’ve been a cave-in a long time ago. I’m fairly certain that’ll we’ll be safe. Besides, the explosives I have in mind won’t produce enough shock to rupture anything.”

Jin rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, once more finding himself as a crossroad. “Namjoon... I’m sorry, but we need to get to the Dragon as soon as possible. Luckily, y/n took a few pictures of the walls. So they won’t be completely lost to history.”

Namjoon’s shoulders sagged in defeat, a somber sigh escaping his mouth. His eyes drifted toward the floor before he gave a weak shrug. “Fine, I guess.”

Jin then gave Taehyung a confirmed nod, and the demolition expert giddily went to work. He went over to the wall in question and took out a few small items that you couldn’t classify, placing them at the foot of the wall or any large crack that could fit them. Then he revealed a spool of wire and connected it to each of the small objects to it, making it look similar to a spider’s web. As Jungkook guided you to a safe area a few meters away from the wall, Taehyung unraveled the wire to where you all sat and connected it to a detonator.

As the demolition expert got into position with his eager hands wrapped around the detonator, he looked up to you and grinned rather wickedly, like how a playboy would when approaching a girl that caught his eye. “You might want to plug your ears, doll,” he warned in a whisper. “It’s gonna get very loud soon.”

Once you reluctantly did as he said, covering your ears uncertainly, he plunged down on the detonator, releasing a huge explosion from the room where you stood moments ago. Dust billowed out as chunks of rock floated past you, pelting you softly. Jin and Hoseok both yelped with a startle at the sudden explosion while the rest of you just flinched.

You coughed into your hand a few times when you felt the dust and dirt fill up your lungs. Your ears still slightly rang despite you covering them. Ugh, you hoped you never had to undergo something like that ever again. Too bad, you were, in fact, going to experience that many times over in the future.

Taehyung peered into the room once the dust and sand finally settled to see if was safe enough to venture out. Once he gave you a nod of approval, everyone else from their safe and hidden spots and returned to the spacious room. Large amounts of rock scattered around the room as if a tornado ran through there. You skipped and climbed over a few just to get past them. You noticed Namjoon’s sullen expression as he scanned the room, seeing the destruction of something he loved. You carefully went over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry about this,” you apologized, trying to lighten his spirits with a small smile. “This room was really beautiful.”

He nodded slowly, bringing his gaze to meet yours. “It was. I’m sure it was even more beautiful two millennia ago.” He sighed dejectedly once more. “But Jin and Tae were right. It would’ve taken us another two millennia to find whatever opened that door. We can’t afford to waste even another second, not with so much at stake.”

You furrowed your eyebrows at his last statement, wondering why he sounded so cryptic. Before you could ask him to clarify what he meant, he left your side and approached the large, gaping hole in the wall. You reluctantly followed, figuring that you could ask him after you obtain the Dragon of the Stars.

You climbed over another pile of rocks and entered the next room, and you couldn’t help but let out a gasp of wonder at the sight. Instead of the stone room like before, this room had its own forest. Trees and vines grew and covered the very edges of the even more spacious room. Moss cushioned the floor with pools of crystal blue water scattered across. You looked up to see a hole in the ceiling where a beam of golden sunlight shone through, illuminating a pedestal that stood erect in the center of the magical forest. You approached the vine and moss covered pedestal, expecting to see the magnificent Dragon of the Stars. However, you were surprised to see what laid there.

“Hey! Jin!” Yoongi called, throwing a hand toward the empty pedestal vexedly. “I thought you said the Dragon would be fucking here!”

All color drained from Jin’s face as bewilderment settled upon it. He stood a few paces away from the pedestal, looking down at the empty spot. All light that shone in his eyes faded away, and he appeared as lively as the statues guarding the entrance. He looked completely broken, lost, defeated, lifeless. All of his hopes and dreams shattered as easily as an antique vase. He softly mumbled to himself, too quiet for anyone to hear.

“Hyung?” Jungkook, seeing the leader so distraught, came up to him. His round eyes softened with concern. “Are you alright?”

Jin lumbered around to face the younger man with shining eyes. He stumbled toward Jungkook and gripped him by the shoulders of his shirt while Jungkook scrambled to steady him from collapsing. “It’s supposed to be here, Jungkook,” Jin continued to mumble, fists tightening into his shirt. “Why isn’t it here? It should be here. All my research... it should be here.”

“Hyung! Snap out of it!” Jungkook shook him slightly in an attempt to focus him. “It’s gonna be okay!”

“It’s not! It’s not okay!” Jin screamed, his cries echoing off of the walls. He peeled himself away from Jungkook, hands folded over his mouth as he tried to make sense of the situation. He looked at the pedestal for a few more moments before turning to Namjoon, eyes now the size of saucers. “Namjoon, you don’t think... you don’t think the Japanese got here before us?”

Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows as he sputtered for a few moments, completely baffled by Jin’s proposal. “What? No, that’s impossible! There’s no way the Japanese government got here before us. They don’t have y/n’s tapestry to guide them here!” he reminded, hands thrown wildly into the air.

A few moments went by before Jin added, “But we’re not the only ones who have seen the tapestry...” His eyes wandered over to you, still as empty as before. He stumbled toward you, hands now raking themselves through his hair. “Oh my God, y/n, who else did you show the tapestry to?”

Your mind was at a complete blank at first, confused by Jin’s erratic question. “I...” Your voice trailed off as you tried to remember anyone suspicious who you’ve shown the tapestry to. “Recently only British people who work at museums.”

“Could the Japanese hire some British spies?” Jin went off, mumbling to himself. You watched in deep concern, wondering if your friend was falling into madness. “Those spies could’ve taken a picture or something. Maybe all they needed was a glance. After all, the Japanese-British alliance was formed in 1902. The British could’ve easily-“

“No way,” Namjoon interrupted, shaking his head. “The alliance was discontinued in ‘23, remember?”

“Maybe there’s still sympathizers around. The Japanese could’ve contracted those still loyal to the alliance.” His eyes wandered to you again. However, you noticed the dark glint that flashed. A rush of fear coursed through your veins being under his dark gaze. For a mere moment, you were afraid that he would lash out at you.

Jimin then understood what Jin was insinuating. His head snapped to you in a panic. “Wait, you’re not suggesting that y/n...” His voice trailed off, leaving the room full of tension. After he and Jin stared at each other for a few seconds, confirming Jimin’s suspicions, he shook his head. “No! There’s no way y/n is a spy!”

Your throat began to sting painfully upon hearing those very words. Seeing Jin, the man who brought you into this expedition in the first place, glare at you with such contempt and suspicion hurt your very core. Time around you seemed to slow torturously, and, just like the man before you moments ago, you felt your whole world ending. How could he think so little of you? What if the others began to agree with him? What if they all began to distrust you as well? You don’t think your heart could handle such pain. You have grown fond of the boys around you, despite their constant teasing. Now, to imagine them abandoning you because of suspicion, your body trembled at the very thought.

Your eyes widened as you jerked your head to Jin, your breathing suddenly erratic. “What?! No! Why would you think I’m a spy?” you demanded frantically.

His whole body shook with a silent rage. “What other possible explanation is there?!” he exploded, throwing his hands in the air.

“Literally any other possibility!” Yoongi came to your defense, arms folded irritatedly. Your thoughts and fears of the others joining Jin’s side died with that. You never expected the aloof mechanic to be the first one to defend you. However, seeing him glance at you with soft concern before sharpening his gaze back to Jin tugged at your heartstrings. He really was something else…

“I always knew you agreed to help us a little too quickly,” Jin sneered, ignoring Yoongi’s comment as he took a few steps toward you. His gaze darkened even further. “What else did you tell them? Did you tell them who was involved, huh? Did you give them our locations from the past week?!”

Taehyung stepped in front of the leader, acting as a guard between you and Jin. His eyes turned cold as he stared down the other man. You had never seen him so serious, so scary. It made goosebumps travel up your arms and shiver down your spine. “Jin…” Taehyng began, his face not moving a muscle. “Step away from y/n and calm down. You’re angry, and you’ve a right to be so. But taking it out on y/n isn’t going to help anyone or bring the Dragon here.”

“Or what? You’ll attack me?” Jin goaded, folding his arms across his broad chest. He clicked his tongue while shaking his head in disappointment. “I knew you all really liked her, but really? Jumping to her side? She’s not even one of us!”

“Okay, Jin, calm down!” Jimin exclaimed, raising his hands in front of him. “Let’s not jump to any drastic conclusions. If the Japanese were here before us, then wouldn’t the traps already be deactivated? How would they have found what unlocked the door? This place looks like it hasn't been touched in centuries!” His face lit up with revelation as he continued, “Besides, if y/n was a spy, why would she still be here? She would’ve given the tapestry to the Japanese, wouldn’t she? Why bother sticking around with us? She nearly died, Jin! Why risk her life?”

You noticed the dark look in Jin’s eyes slowly dissipate with each question Jimin shot at him. His ragged breathing calmed into a normal pattern, and his bristled shoulders sagged. He cast his gaze to the ground, seemingly thinking things over once more. “Okay,” he acknowledged through gritted teeth. “Does anyone else have any possible explanations then?”

Jungkook spoke up, “Maybe this was a red herring? Something to throw the Chinese or thieves off their trail?”

“It’s plausible,” Namjoon agreed, eyes glazed over in deep thought, “but would the Indians and Koreans have time to make this and then another hiding place?”

You looked around the room, searching for any clues that explain what happened to the Dragon. The only things that jumped out at you were the trees and plants that were scattered around. The boys argued around you loudly, but you ignored them as you wandered around, looking at anything that could help you in your search. The moss, the trees, the plants, the hole in the ceiling, the pools of water, anything.

You wandered over to one of the walls, which was covered mostly by a large branch adorned with thick leaves. Thinking that there might be something behind it, you brushed past the leaves to see what could possibly be hidden from you. Once you caught sight of the wall, your eyes widened into round circles. Your mouth gaped open as you released a shocked gasp. Backing away from it, you turned back to the group. “Namjoon!” you called, your voice mixed with excitement and disbelief. “Come look at this!”

The historian pulled away from the arguing boys and joined you at you side, confused and curious as to what you found. You brushed past the leaves once more and revealed your findings to him. His expression suddenly matched yours from moments ago. He looked on with disbelief, as if he just couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Hanging from the wall was a large tapestry, design equal to the tapestry that you had in your possession. In fact, where the tapestry began hung loose fibers, as if it had been torn. The tapestry stretched out through the entirety of the wall, images woven into the strings.

“Your tapestry, y/n! Take it out!” Namjoon burst out, barely managing to contain his excitement.

You opened your bag and took out your tapestry, unfolding to reveal the image you were well acquainted with. Namjoon moved some more leaves so you could lift your tapestry next to where it was obviously torn. When you did so, you beamed excitedly. It was a perfect fit.

“Hold it! Hold it!” You practically pushed the tapestry into Namjoon’s arms as you readied your camera, eagerly waiting to take a picture of your findings. After the historian raised it next to the rest, you snapped a few photos.

Namjoon returned to your side, eyes scanning over the rest of the tapestry with deep interest. “This is incredible!” he gasped, moving closer. His fingers ran over the symbols and images that littered the woven fabric delicately, as if it would all unravel under the slightest touch. “This explains what happened!”

“To the Dragon?” you prompted, following where his fingers flicked.

“To the Dragon and the Koreans who fled!” he assured, running his hands through his hair. He then stepped outside the brush of leaves where the rest of the team awaited. “Hey! We found what happened!”

Everyone at this news bolted over, surrounding you and Namjoon. Their gazes swept over the hanging tapestry, wonder stretched along their faces. Hoseok tilted his head curiously as his gaze flickered to you. “Hey, this looks a lot like y/n’s tapestry,” he mentioned, finger lifted up to point at the tapestry in your hands.

“That’s because this is the source from where y/n’s tapestry was cut from. Maybe one of the Koreans took it to keep the memory of this place alive,” Namjoon theorized, then wandered over at pointed at one of the images.

Upon closer inspection you noticed the fleeing Korean people were sitting in a room surrounded by trees and with sunlight pouring in from the ceiling. Actually, now that you thought about it, the image looked very similar to the one you were currently standing in.

“This isn’t the place where they hid the Dragon. This is where they lived when hiding from the invading Chinese forces! The traps weren’t meant to protect the treasure. It was to protect them from any enemies finding them,” the historian explained. “The Dragon was still with them.”

“Apparently they didn’t stay long though,” Yoongi remarked, gesturing to the next image. You followed his gesture and saw a picture of Koreans being slaughtered gruesomely by Chinese forces while the rest of the group escaped, one person in particular with the Dragon in her arms. You swallowed a stinging lump in your throat that was suddenly lodged. The image depicted some Koreans getting decapitated while others were impales with swords, streaks of red painted across the fabric.

“Yes,” Namjoon agreed, his tone more somber. “According to the text, an Indian traitor informed the Chinese of our ancestors’ whereabouts and led them past the traps. Some, but few, managed to escape with the Dragon.”

“Does it say where they went?” Taehyung asked, bewilderment and sympathy etched on his face.

Namjoon searched over the next image which showed Koreans running away and a text above it. He mumbled to himself in words you couldn’t understand. His pointed finger skimmed along the text as he read it. Then he let out a defeated sigh. “It doesn’t give a direct explanation of where they went. It says ‘Our brothers fled toward the falling sun away from deadly foes. To the land of three pits and flowing rivers they went. They wished they were like the baaz, flying the endless skies freely’.”

Yoongi groaned exasperatedly and rubbed his cheeks tiredly, careful to avoid pulling at his stitches. “Oh, these people can never be straightforward,” he complained.

“It’s a clue, regardless,” Jin commented, face scrunched up in thought. “Falling sun... falling sun...” He paced the floor back and forth for a few seconds, mumbling the same phrase repeatedly. Revelation lit his face up, and he snapped his fingers. “Falling sun! The sun is setting, meaning they went West!” He then grinned proudly to himself. “I knew taking those literature classes would be useful.”

“Couldn’t they be a little more precise with the location?” you questioned, ignoring Jin and realizing that going West could mean absolutely anywhere.

“Hopefully the rest of the text will tell us,” Namjoon replied. “To lands of flowing rivers... Jimin, got any ideas? You’re our geography expert.”

Jimin huffed annoyedly, rolling his eyes in the process. “Learning survivalism doesn’t mean learning global geography,” he snapped, but then sighed, “but I’ll do what I can. Flowing rivers could mean anywhere from here to Egypt. The Tigris and Euphrates are famous rivers in the western regions. Perhaps they went there?” He then cupped his chin, humming to himself softly. Confusion weighed down his eyebrows. “But the part about the baaz and the three pits?”

Namjoon kept his gaze on the ancient text, tapping his chin deep in thought. His brow scrunched together in concentration. “Baaz means falcon in their tongue, if that means anything, but the three pits... You’re right, that’s confusing,” he informed, although seemed disappointed that he couldn’t provide any further information. He paused for a few moments before his lips slightly parted and his eyes widened. He then slapped a hand against his forehead in disbelief. “Of course! How could I be so stupid?”

“It happens to the best of us,” Hoseok happily chirped in.

“What? No, that’s not what I-” He cut himself off with an annoyed groan and turned back to face the group. Running a hand through his thick locks, he continued, “Trigarta. It’s an ancient name for a territory to the west of here. Scholars debate on whether or not the literal translation of the word means ‘three pits’ or ‘land between three rivers’, which makes sense since the text here also mentions rivers. Nowadays the term isn’t used anymore, but one of the regions that was included in Trigarta was...” His voice trailed off as he quickly rummaged through his hip bag and pulled out a map. Opening it up, he searched for the land in mind before turning the map to face the team. “Punjab.”

You grinned broadly when your eyes landed on the territory labeled Punjab. You straightened out your posture confidently and boasted, “And since Punjab is entirely controlled by the British, I can use my reporter license to get us into nearly anywhere we wish.”

Taehyung wrapped his long arms around your waist from behind and squeezed you affectionately, rubbing his cheek against the top of your head, “That’s our little reporter! Opening closed doors for us!”

“Exactly,” Namjoon commented as he folded up his map and tucked it into his bag, “so we can stop accusing each other of being spies.” He gave a pointed look at Jin.

The leader crossed his arms grumpily, as if he didn’t want to be seen as a bad person for pointing the finger at you. His eyes were still narrowed into a sharp glance before he cast his gaze to the mossy floor, guilt and regret now softening his eyes. For once, he kept his mouth shut and pulled away from the team, focused entirely on leaving the room and continuing on with the expedition.

However, you noticed the way his determined pacing toward the exit slow as confusion crawled its way into his face. Jin tilted his head to the side in bewilderment for a few seconds before the look of confusion was quickly replaced with fear. He flung himself back toward the group, but down before screaming, “Get down!”

Before you could ask why, a gunshot rang across the room and everything was thrown into chaos. Everything happened so quickly it was like a blur to you. Everyone shouted orders to each other, teammates rushed past to take cove. It wasn’t until moments later did you realize Jungkook grabbed you roughly by the hand and pulled you toward a fallen over tree that would provide you enough cover to hopefully avoid getting shot at.

Your head spun with confusion as you barely registered what was going on. There was a gunshot. A gunshot. That meant someone else was here, someone who wished to kill you all. Your mind swam with the disbelief at was currently happening. Who? Why? Where did they come from? How? Questions bubbles out in your thoughts from seemingly nowhere as you tried to piece together what was going on.

However, you were snapped out of your daze when a colt suddenly appeared in front of you. Your hands instantly grabbed it, although your face was wide with horror. You looked up at Jungkook and were about to protest but couldn’t get the words to tumble out of your mouth. You merely gazed into the calm and focused expression his face slipped on. It almost scared you how serious he appeared despite the circumstances. He brought up his arms which held a pump-action shotgun, causing your eyes to nearly bulge out of your sockets. Just where the bloody hell did he pull that from?

He pumped the shotgun aggressively before turning his cool gaze to you. “Time to get work.” He took aim and fired.

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