#ill get back to in trousers soon i promise i just need to a) take a quick break and

[heliophaestus]

🎵and they’re off!🎵

[chubbybuckydumpling]

Royally Screwed

words: 4.2k

pairing: chubby!stableboy!bucky x royal!female!reader

warnings: arguing, period (probably not) accurate problems, smut, fluff, oral (f and m receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, power dynamics

A/n: dear anon, I’m sorry it took me 2 months to write this, I hope you’re not too upset. I changed the original prompt a little, I hope you still like it! Dividers by @firefly-graphics

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The wind is blowing through your hair, a cool breeze that relieves you from the hot summer sun. Your horse is galloping under you, his strong legs taking you over the loose ground. The rays warm your face, a welcome sensation. You missed this, riding through the afternoon, taking time to just live, all troubles and worries forgotten.

Admiral has always been close to you, your first horse and best friend since you were twelve years old, merely a child. The Arabian Stallion slows down to a trot on your command, the high grass tickling his side. You let your hands roam over his dark mane, feeling the sturdy hair under your fingers.

A single bumblebee flies ahead of you, its loud buzz making you smile. The scene around you makes your heart feel lighter, a warm feeling that floats through your chest. You let Admiral come to a halt and slide down from your saddle.

You trail your hand over the horse’s muscles, the short hair caressing your palm. His strong snout nudges your arm and he neighs, causing you to giggle, “You did so well, boy” You wrap your arms around Admiral’s muscular throat.

His scent fills your nose, it’s familiarity never fails to bring you comfort. The animal scratches over the earthy ground as the sound of hooves hitting the floor ripples through the air. You whip around, parting yourself from your companion. A little further away, you see two of the guards coming your way. Their horses are quick and strong, but they have nothing on your Admiral.

“Lady Y/n”, they yell out and you can’t help but roll your eyes. The men reach you quickly, panic in their eyes, “Your highness, you must remain in close proximity for us to successfully protect you at any time”, one of them states, trying to deepen his voice.

“Of course”, you smile at them, “it wasn’t my intention” A lie. You purposely mislead them to have a moment of your own, some quiet minutes of peace. The guards exchange glances until one of them shrugs. “We see. Now, it is of utmost importance to immediately escort you home. We shall keep you as safe as possible, your highness”

You sigh internally, but follow the mens’ orders without argument. Admiral snorts stubbornly, but reluctantly follows your lead.

The sound of birds singing and insects chirping brings you great joy as you gently rock back and forth with the steady trot of your horse. Unknowingly, these were the last moments you would spend outside of the castle for quite some time.

The guards at the gate salute as you pass them. The warm sun has kept you comfortable in the open where the wind was stronger, but you quickly start to heat up inside the walls of your father’s estate. Admiral soon comes to a halt in front of your mother. The woman is fuming as she approaches you, her face twisted into an angry grimace.

“Your father and I need to talk to you, young lady! You are in serious trouble”, her malicious voice hisses as you jump off of Admiral’s back. Your mother’s fingers wrap around your arm to pull you towards her, but a warm smile is on her face. A muscle in her jaw twitches and exposes her true anger. She speaks to one of your guards, but you can’t be bothered to listen for something has caught your attention.

A man has walked up to your horse to pet his head. He is gentle with Admiral, careful and loving even. You let your eyes rake over the man. The typical stable boy clothes are obscuring your view, but you can make out the bulge of his tummy, his big arms and thick thighs. His long brown hair falls over his face, some strands are stuck to his forehead as the sweat glistens over his face. This man looks like an absolute dream and you can feel your lips twitching up.

You begin to walk towards him, a giddy feeling brewing up in your stomach, but your mother pulls you back, “Oh no, you are not getting out of this one. Follow me, now” She drags you behind her and you wish to struggle against her grasps, but won’t dare to resist her. Not at that time at least. You take one last glance in his direction, hoping to see his face, more of him. You find his gaze, stare into the warm blue of his eyes before your mother pulls you out of his view.

A sad sigh escapes your lips, but you promise yourself to go and find him as soon as possible. The way he looked at you, sweet and shy, is replaying in your head, his sweaty form a picture in your mind. Whoever that man is, he makes your insides throb with desire.

Your father’s yelling rips you out of your trance and you look up to meet his vicious glare. He takes a deep breath with closed eyes and when he meets your eyes again he looks calmer. His hand reaches out to your face, cupping your cheek.

“My daughter, what am I going to do with you?”, his voice suddenly sounds sad, “Y/n, you know that you need to enter a marriage soon. I need you to be on your best behaviour, this is about your future. I only want good things for you” You rest your palm over your father’s, “I know, father” He brushes his thumb over the apple of your cheek, “You’re so beautiful, my only daughter. I know this isn’t what you want, but at least let me make it as pleasant as possible for you”

You sigh and stare right past your father, “I already gave my word to marry whomever you choose, father” His hand falls from your face and wraps around your fingers, “I don’t want to hand you to anyone, don’t you understand? I want someone that cares about you” He squeezes your hand, “But you need to behave,Y/n. The men of higher status, they won’t accept an ill-mannered, rebellious women”

Enraged, you rip away from his touch, “I am not ill-mannered” Your mother gasps at your outburst, but your father smiles at you. He steps forward and grabs you by the shoulders, “I know that. Believe me, I do. But these other men don’t” A sigh escapes your lips, but you nod nevertheless, “Okay, father. I will do my best” He grins and it jumps right over to you.

Your father pulls you into a warm hug and whispers to you, barely audible, “I could not be prouder of you, my child” A warm, comforting feeling spreads through your chest and you feel like a little girl, no worries or problems, just love and happiness on your mind. You pull away from the hug and watch your father’s eyes crinkle.

Your mother forces a cough and directs a pointed glare at her husband. He sighs and turns to you, “However, your mother and I have decided to ground you for the next few days. We cannot let your temperament ruin your future. We ask you to stay on the estate’s grounds” This is obviously your mother’s doing. She always cared more about your standing and reputation, but you’ve learned to just accept her orders.

“Yes, father”, you nod at them, “Mother” A satisfied look settles on the woman’s face, hands clasped tightly. “You are excused”, your father rasps and you leave the room, a sour look sneaking onto your lips. Stupid marriages. All of your life, the fact that you will be married off as soon as someone worthy shows interest, has been hovering over you, a subconscious thought that drained your energy, leaving you exhausted and numb. You can’t believe that this dreaded day is moving closer so fast.

You enter your room and sit down on your bed. The mattress gives out under your weight and perfectly molds into a comfortable shape. You let yourself fall until you’re lying flat on your back and close your eyes. Slowly, the darkness and exhaustion consumes you ,hugging you like a warm blanket.

The shine of the moonlight dancing through the window rouses you from your sleep. The light has a slight pink tint and colours the dim room in a nice shimmer. A yawn escapes your mouth and you sit up. The cool air makes goosebumps appear on your skin, yet you feel drawn to it. Suddenly, an idea pops into your mind. Surely, nobody would notice if you left for a little to see Admiral.

A grin sneaks on your lips as you wipe the nasty crumbs from your eyes. Quickly, but careful to remain silent, you dress in your warmer riding clothes, the training ones, not the dresses. Thick, warm leggings and a nice, comfortable pullover. On your way out, you grab a wooly hat to cover your ears, smiling mischievously.

Skipping, you make your way through the halls. A giddy sensation rumbles in your belly, the excitement of knowing you’re about to go on a ride. The door knob feels cool under your skin as you turn it to open it. The freezing air seeps into the kitchen, swirling around your body. Adrenaline shoots through your veins and your legs begin to move on their own, moving faster and faster until you’re running, your feet carrying you over the well known path.

You come to an abrupt stop when you see a small light in the stables, most likely a lit candle. Nervously, you sneak closer to peek around the corner. In the dim shine you manage to make out the features of the beautiful stable boy from earlier that day. His hair is falling free, framing his chubby face so beautifully.

A long sleeved linen shirt layered with a dark vest and brown trousers clad his thick form in such a delicious way. For some reason, this man made you feel things. To your surprise however, he is standing next to Admiral, gently stroking the horse’s strong, defined face. Weird, you find yourself thinking, Admiral usually does not tolerate close proximity with anyone but yourself.

That fact is seriously arousing. This beautiful man being so gentle to your hot headed horse is insanely attractive. Your heart fills with warmth the longer you watch him. He whispers into his fur, smiling adoringly at him. The stable boy’s big hands look so soft against Admiral’s fur, his thick, long digits massaging the strong muscles. You bite down on your lower lip, a sly smirk forming. This beautiful sight almost made you forget about the cold.

Your lungs fill with air as you take a breath of encouragement before you move out of the hiding spot. Making sure to move your hips extra seductively, you wander closer to the man of your desire. It’s easy to pinpoint the moment he notices you by the way his eyes double in size and his entire body freezes. The look of fear in his eyes tugs at your heartstrings.

Gently, you take a step closer to him, but he shies away from you, like a baby deer, scared and vulnerable. “Lady Y/n, I beg your pardon. I didn't mean to intrude”, he stumbles through the words, clearly afraid he upset you. You smile in hope of looking safe and not angry. “You’re fine”, your voice is gentle, almost like you’re talking to a child, “It’s impressive. Admiral really seems to like you”

He shyly looks up to you to gauge your reaction, nervously playing with his fingers. “He’s very beautiful”, the man whispers and tucks some of his loose strands of hair behind his ear. You grin, taking another step forward, “He is”, you reach out to scratch Admiral’s neck, “So are you”

A deep blush rises on his cheeks, warming his skin. You continue talking, eyes trained on the stable boy’s chubby face, smiling warmly at him, “So, what’s your name, pretty boy?” Nerves cloud his eyes, his chest rising and falling quickly, “James, b- but people call me Bucky”

“That’s a real pretty name”, you purr, “Bucky”, testing out how the word feels rolling off your tongue. Lower lip between your teeth, you reach out to touch his biceps. His strong muscles flex under your touch, but it feels soft beneath your skin. Your fingertips squeeze around him as a surge of want ripples through your body.

“I saw you with Admiral this afternoon and I could not stop thinking about you. You’re so good with him, it’s very”, you smirk and lean closer to him, lips right next to his ear, “arousing”. The whispered word makes him gulp and he feels himself twitching in his loose pants. He can’t deny he feels attracted to you, especially in these casual clothes that you’re wearing right now.

He’s been eying you for months now, always hidden away in the shadows or behind corners. He heard so much gossip, so many rumours that intrigued him, but your bond with Admiral really did him in. To see how caring and tender you were with the horse made him crave the same attention from you. He wanted your affections and love, almost like he needed them, but he knew better than to approach you. His family depends on his earnings, he would not challenge that security he could provide. But now it seemed like maybe he could have both.

The close proximity makes his heart race, your breath tickling his sensitive skin. You feel his nerves, so you move even closer, pressing your body against his. He tenses up, but shyly reaches for your waist. “I really want you right now, Bucky”, you whimper, pushing your breasts forward and up against his chest. His breath catches in his throat, but he somehow finds the energy to tighten his grip on you.

The feeling of your body against his further arouses him, a shiver running down his spine. With all the courage he could muster, he looks up at you, “I really want you too” Your hands run over his chest and grip onto the edges of his vest, “Then take me”

Pulling on the leather, your mouths crash together. His rough, chapped lips fit right onto your own soft lips, a result of your maid’s tending. The smacking sound immediately helps you relax into Bucky’s frame, letting out a little sigh. With newfound confidence, he traces your lower lip with his warm tongue, leaving you yearning for a taste.

You open up for him, letting him explore your mouth. He moans at the feeling, licking into you greedily. Little glimmers of want spark in your belly, nipples hardening as the simmering pleasure begins to grow. Your saliva mixes with his, tongues dancing together in an aroused display of want.

Just as you were about to shrug off his leather vest, Admiral neighs right next to you. Bucky shrieks, jumping away from you. You stare at him, a slight fear of being caught running through you before a grin etches on your lips, laughter bubbling in your chest. Bucky mimics your giggling, his eyes crinkling adorably, lips swollen.

Grinning you pet your horse once, but turn to the chubby stable boy to pull him after you. The back of the stable is dark, only Bucky’s candle serving as a source of light. You turn around, coming face to face with the pretty boy. The golden glow makes him look so beautiful, the breath stuck in your throat. It’s completely silent, only the sounds of your breathing audible.

You gulp, stepping even closer to him. Carefully, you take his candle and place it on the floor, close to a pile of hay. “Bucky”, you whisper, “please” He takes a deep breath, but closes the distance between you two, once again connecting your mouths. Gently, he grabs you by your waist, both hands feeling warm and powerful on your body. Your own fingers wrap around his neck, playing with his beautiful hair.

With tongues intertwined, Bucky closes his arms around you to lead you towards the hay, supporting your weight. “Wait”, he mumbles against your lips, reluctantly pulling out of the embrace, “Let me just…” With care, he shrugs off his vest and places it over the hay. A soft smile spreads over your face, a funny feeling whirling in your belly. You take the chance to take off your hat.

“Well then, gentleman”, a purring sound fills the air, “I could use some help undressing” He gulps, eyes widening in arousal. Slowly his hands find your hips, fingers sliding under your shirt. The immediate warmth that seeps into your skin makes you gasp, moaning lightly at the feeling. His digits trace your skin, gently lifting up your shirt so you can take it off.

His hands roam your exposed skin, exploring your body to his full extinct, feeling every curve and uneven spot. You reach behind your back, unclasping your sturdy bra. Bucky gasps at the sight, eyes trained on your exposed breasts. Your nipples harden, once more, under his fiery gaze and you gently push his hands towards the, your body burning for his touch.

The moment his palm cups you, a needy moan escapes you which spurs Bucky on to massage your breasts with more enthusiasm, toying with your nipples. Greedily you let your hands wander under his linen shirt, reveling in the feeling of his soft skin. The chubby rolls feel delicious under your touch, gending to your wishes. You hastily free him from the offending clothing, pressing your body against his.

Arousal and need is flaming inside you and you desperately press your lips together into a hungry kiss, teeth crashing against each other. “Please, I need you so much” He nods, breathless, and gently lays you down on his vest. You catch a glimpse of his tented trousers, saliva running in your mouth, the sight so delicious, especially paired with his big thighs.

Bucky’s chubby fingers work your fuzzy leggins down your legs. The cold air causes goosebumps to raise on your skin. You hear him gasp when he looks at your exposed heat,dilated eyes transforming into a hungry stare. “You’re beautiful”, he groans, his hand cautiously travelling up your thighs. You nod as confirmation and Bucky runs two of his digits up your heat.

He traces your outer lips, your anticipation rising. You hold your breath, hands running through the hay that the vest doesn’t cover. Finally, he leans up and spits on your core, further lubricating you. He finds your clit and begins to rub gentle circles into it, a stuttered breath leaving your mouth.

Bucky trails down to your opening, carefully inserting two of his fingers into you. “Fuck”, he groans, pushing in further, “you’re so tight and wet” He starts to fuck you with them, slowly at first, then faster, his gaze set on you. The squelching noises fill the air, soon joined by your moans. Suddenly he hits a special spot and you arch your back, pressing into him as a loud, guttural groan leaves you.

Your gaze meets Bucky’s and you begin to move your hips on your own, “Please do it again, do it again” Your begging eggs him on and he adds another finger, his strong thrusts leaving you breathless. Your eyes roll into the back of your head, pleasure building up in your lower belly.

All of a sudden you feel something wet around you, followed by a suction right around your sensitive nub. You moan loudly, hands flying into his hair. His penetrating gaze meets your eyes and with an especially hard suck the coil in your tummy snaps and you cum around his fingers, your core grabbing him tightly. You feel him moan against you, but he keeps fucking you through your orgasm, prolonging the addictive high.

Finally, you regain your senses and push him away from you, too sensitive for any further stimulation. You look at him. He sits in front of you, his chin wet with your slick, chubby belly rolls folding into each other deliciously, his trousers tented with his obvious want. A smile plays over your lips, “You look so beautiful like this, James”

He perks up when you mention his name, a shy, but aroused glint in his eyes. “You really think so?”, he sounds so little your heart starts aching for him. “I’ve never seen someone as stunning as you”, you crawl up to him, hands on his cute little cheeks. You feel his breath graze your lips and lunge forward, mouth against his, tongues tangling.

One of your hands drops lower to cup him. He feels heavy in your palm and so nice. A craving awakes inside you and you squeeze him through his trousers, a lovely moan ringing in your ears. Your fingertips hook around the waistband and you pull all the bothersome clothing off of him. His cock jumps free. It looks delicious, hard and slightly curved to the side, thick veins running along the length of it. The bulbous head is covered with his foreskin, a trail of precum has made its way down some of it.

The sight of him is so beautiful, his thick thighs making you bite down on your lip. You bow down, one hand gripping his leg, the other slowly fisting his cock. You watch as the foreskin pulls back to show his wet, sensitive head. With one last look into his face, which is contorted in pleasure, you take him in your mouth, slowly sinking down on him.

He moans, hands cupping the back of your head. You suck on him, yearning for his cum, his taste .Fondling his balls, you become even more hungry for him. He smells so husky, so good, mouthwatering even. Slowly, you take him even deeper, your nose buried in the curly pubic hair. His hips stutter, pressing his length even further into your throat, a hearty groan leaving him. You splutter around him, your gag reflex kicking in.

Pulling off, you take deep breaths, spit running down your chin. “‘m sorry”, Bucky mutters, his own hand now wrapped around himself, fisting his wet cock, “It just feels so good” Your pussy clenches at his words and you lay back down, spreading your legs. “I bet this will feel even better”

Bucky groans at the sight and shuffles closer. He runs his thick head along your slit, coating it in your wetness. Managing to hit your sensitive clit with his cock, he groans, twitching in want. Gently, Bucky positions himself at your stretched hole and begins to push in. He moans, steadily spreading you over his cock until he bottoms out.

Sweat runs down Bucky’s face, pleasure and desperation filling him. He tries to refrain himself, but when you begin to whimper and grab onto his thick arms he crumbles. Bottoming out, his fat balls slap against your bum. Slowly he pulls out again, just to thrust right back into you. His cock is so hard and curved perfectly, he fits inside you so well.

The sounds of skin slapping and moaning is the only thing you can hear, sweaty bodies moving in unison, a play of mutual pleasure, need and adoration. Bucky’s chubby belly feels so good against you, especially paired with the delicious feeling of him hitting your spongy g-spot over and over again.

His hands are all over your body, grabbing handfuls of your breasts, playing with your nipples, holding your thighs and squeezing your waist. His moans and whimpers sound so delicate and sexy, almost serene and calming, but so arousing. The squelching of where your core envelopes him makes you arch into him, his chub so soft against you, yet his obvious strength makes you clench.

His length fills you so good, his hard, quick thrusts turning you on enormously. His fattened up cock makes you mewl, all the sensations adding up into one big coil of pleasure.

Bucky’s sounds grow louder, his hard thrusts faster, more irregular. His cock begins to pulse in you when he drops a hand to your sensitive nub, drawing quick, strong circles on it. Your body is on fire, spasming under the stable boy, your hips meeting his thrusts. You feel so close to the edge and when Bucky grunts, “You’re so good for me, you’re gonna make me cum” you fall over.

Your body shakes, yet you feel like you’re floating. A warm, fuzzy sensation enveloping you, like a soft blanket hugging you close. You feel Bucky’s naked skin against you, his fingers on your skin and his breathing against your neck, but you can’t open your eyes. He grunts loudly and pulls out, but you’re so blissed you don’t find the energy to do anything but whimper.

“Thank you”, he mumbles, his soft lips resting near your collarbone, some spare hairs tickling you nicely.

Slowly, you become more conscious and manage to blink, opening your eyes. Bucky is cuddled against your side, laying on the hay. His arm is wrapped over your waist. You spot his white cum on your tummy; It looks slightly dried and feels a little itchy.

You turn to look at him, a soft smile forming at his beautiful face. His long hair frames him so well, a delicate sight that makes your fingers itch to draw. Instead, you cuddle closer to him and close your eyes. You know you’ll have to get up soon, nobody can find out about this, but for now you want to enjoy this moment of peace and serenity for a little while longer.

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[realcube]

characters dealing with a deep sleeper! s/o  (_　_)。゜zｚＺ

characters: bokuto, oikawa & saiki k 

tw// swearing, fluff, mentions of death, illness, funerals, sexual references 

Kōtarō Bokuto

he literally thought you died 

this was your first time sleeping over at his home and last night, y’all were stuffing your faces with treats until your stomachs ached

you had mentioned several times how you were feeling sick - even after bokuto took you out for a late-night run - but he just told you to take a pain-killer and sleep it off

but now he was kinda regretting not calling someone to help 

like what if the sickness was a symptom to a deadly disease which took you overnight?

plus, he had tried everything he could think of to wake you up: he shook you, he blasted music from his phone, he opened the curtains to allow blinding light to shine on you, he flicked spits of cold water onto your face and he literally wafted cookies around the room in hopes you’d catch the scent 

but it was no use as even after all that, you didn’t move an inch

he tried to check your pulse which he believed to be on the wrist but he couldn’t think it 

so either he was too stupid to find the exact location or......you didn’t have a pulse

he’ll admit, it was an eerie thought that there could be a dead person in his bed rn but even he considered that a rather outlandish idea 

how could a person as healthy as you just die overnight? so he did what any reasonable person would do in that situation-- no, not call a doctor

he held a funeral for his beloved s/o 💀

he gathered all five of the plushies laying around his room (all of which were owls) and lined them up on the foot of the bed 

‘we are all gathered here today to celebrate the epic life of my partner, (y/n) (l/n).’ he sobbed into the sleeve of the black blazer he had pulled out of his closet, ‘gone too soon.’

silence. but in his mind he was met by a chorus of ‘aww’s and whimpers from the crowd

‘i loved them. (y/n) was my rock; they helped me through some of the hardest points in my life--’

his speech was cut off upon hearing one of the audience members pipe up, ‘bo, what are you doing?’

a wave of excitement washed over him as he scurried up to the line of guests, closely examining each one, ‘i didn’t know y’all could talk!’

you rolled your eyes before leaning forward and gently tapping the back of his head, ‘it’s me.’

upon laying his eyes on you, healthy and alive, his lips curled into a foolishly large grin as he immediately pulled you into a tight hug, ‘(Y/N), you’re alive!’ he cried

you gasped at his rather dramatic reaction before slowly melting into his embrace, ‘yes, i am.’

as your lips parted from the skin of his jaw and he slowly let his arms fall from your waist, you finally inquired, ‘did you hold a funeral for me?’

bokuto’s eyes-widened at your ‘crazy’ suggestion, ‘uhhhh, nooooo.’

if his elongating of each word wasn’t enough to show that he was lying, the dead giveaway would have to be the sheet of A4 paper with ‘(Y/N)’S FUNERAL 😭’ written on it that was stuck to the door with blu-tac

ignoring his completely false reply, you leaned back on the bed and picked up on the owl plushies, gently stroking it’s soft fur, ‘are these the guests? why are there only five?’

bokuto shrugged, picking up one himself and absentmindedly attempting to balance it on your head, ‘seven; if you count me and you.’

you giggled, about to make a inquire about the names of each guest until bokuto suddenly through his arms around you again 

‘why didn’t you tell me that you are such a deep-sleeper before?! i was so worried - i thought you died! please never die on me again, (y/n)?’

you smiled, pulling back to plant a sweet kiss on his cheek, ‘i promise.’

Tōru Oikawa

he would take advantage of this opportunity lol

the first time y’all slept over together as a couple, he had no idea that you were as deep of a sleeper as you actually are

like he thought you meant ‘i sometimes sleep through my alarms’ deep-sleeper

NOT ‘IT TAKES A WHOLE NATURAL DISASTER TO WAKE ME UP IN THE MORNING’ DEEP-SLEEPER (/h)

anyway, at first, he’d probably just freshen up while you sleep: take a shower, wash his face, brush his teeth, floss etc so he’s no longer effected by that ✨morning crust ✨

but when he pokes his head out of the bathroom and noticed that your sleep asleep, he tries to blow-dry his hair bc he knows how much you like it when it’s all fluffy

but his blow-dryer was quite loud so he put it on for a few seconds to see if it’s wake you up and just as he expected, you were still sound asleep

so he blew-dry his hair until it was that soft texture that you liked so much- all while you were still like (∪.∪ )...zzz even though the blow-dryer was making a racket 

you were still sleeping and upon looking at the time, he realised that it was completely fair considering it was currently half past 8 and he had just woken up extremely early for some unknown reason

he didn’t want to wake you so he was just doing to go out for a run or make breakfast until he caught a glimpse of himself in mirror

o.O

despite his  puffy hair and pearly-white smile, he still looked sloppy

but it was definitely bc of his stained, torn, washed-out pyjamas tbh

he was just wearing an old T-shirt that he’s had for god-knows how long and a pair of grey sweatpants; it wasn’t a look

he had no idea what possessed him to wear such casual nightwear while you were at his house - especially when you chose to wear something so relaxed yet titillating - but he knew that he needed to change

after a while of rummaging through his nightwear drawer, the best he could find was a pair of white, silk, loose-legged trousers which he had bought for a halloween costume many years ago

it was pretty classy though :)) he was sure that you’d like it 

however, he still couldn’t find anything to wear on his top half but there is no fashion problem oikawa can’t solve 

thus, he went shirtless ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

he also threw on some jewellery too, just for the lols

you weren’t awake yet thought, so after he set up some candles to create a ‘mood’, he just sat next to you on the bed, scrolling on his phone and anticipating your reaction once you woke up

for a moment, he thought that he might’ve went when too far but upon taking a look at himself in his front-facing camera, he realised that there was no harm in spicing things up

once he noticed one of your eyes slowly flutter open, he quickly tossed his phone to the side and turned his body to face you, shooting you a kind smile and he gently ran a hand through his fluffy hair, ‘morning, angel~’ he cooed

you grumbled your greeting in response, then proceeded to rub your eyes to make sure you were seeing him correctly, ‘what are you wearing, tōru?’

‘can a guy not dress up for his special someone anymore?’

you rolled your eyes, playfully slapping his chest and going to hop out of bed until he pulled you back down against the sheets

a faint gasp escaped your lips but you were quickly hushed by oikawa pushing his finger against your lips, ‘you’re not going anywhere, (y/n).’

Kusuo Saiki

this was the first time you ever slept over at his house or next to him yet y’all had been dating for year and a half

he was just scared that he might accidently do something crazy in his sleep (bc of his powers ofc) and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt you 🥺

you were patient with him though but bc y’all had never woken up together before, he had no idea how deep of a sleeper you are

he thought it was cute at first bc you were laying there like the beauty you are, lookin’ all serene and calm and stuff

but after a while, he got bored on his own  #•̀ ︿ •́

also, you promised to bake macarons with him for breakfast and he was hungry as hell, still he didn’t want to eat without you but if he didn’t wake you up rn to make macarons, he’d surely starve to death while they were in the fridge

on any other day, he’d just try do it himself but when you helped him make food- it just hit different 😍

‘(y/n), wake up.’  he spoke into your mind using his telepathy, while light nudging your arm, ‘i’m hungry.’

you didn’t reply, seeming completely knocked out

he tried the next best thing, holding his annoying alarm noise near (but not too close) to your ear

still nothing, though

his last human attempt was aggressively pulling your blanket away but even after that you showed no signs of waking up so he realised that he’d have to resort to using his physic abilities

he considered using his astral projection to possess your body but he felt as though taking over your body might cross a few boundaries 

but he did try duplicating himself so he could shake you from many different angles but it was still no use

he continued to use his telepathy to try wake you up but it didn’t seem to work either

after multiple different attempts of using his powers to try wake you up; here he was, standing in the middle of some dystopian, apocalyptic scene - alarms ringing in the distant along with sirens, screaming, honking and wails. everything around him seemed to be engulfed by flames which created thick, smoky air 

he wasn’t really sure how he got here but he was pretty sure it started around the time he tried to form an energy ball 

whatever 🤷‍♂️ it’s no biggie

he jumped back in time so he was standing next to your bed once again, exactly where he left off before he created the energy ball

he stared down at your sleeping figure and let out an exasperated sigh as he realised that he’d have to employ one of his most dangerous tactics

he really hoped it didn’t have to come to this

‘(y/n), if you get up right now.’ his voice rung through your head, ‘i speak with my voice.’

just like that, both of your eyes shot open as you hastily sat up on the bed

‘do it, saiki!’ you cheered, a foolishly large grin plastered on your features

and he couldn’t help but smile too 

curse you for being so cute

[dreamescapeswriting]

Only Yours ~ JHS [M] [Request]

WORD COUNT: 3K

GENRE: Fluffy, smut, possessive Hoseok, fluffy ending,

PAIRING: Hoseok X Fem!Reader

A.N: Don't read if you're under the age of 18/19 depending on the law in your country/state! Love ya'll Hope this is okay for you doll

You stared out of the small window in your living room as you debated about going to work or not, Hoseok chuckled when he walked in to see you standing there. Pouting at the rain that seemed to be hammering down outside, it had done nothing but rain for the last two days. Luckily the roads seemed to be clear enough for everyone to drive on, no flood warnings were issued either so you didn't have to worry about not getting home. Hoseok knew how much you loved staying at home on rainy days, you would curl up on the sofa beside him and read a book or just watch TV. You loved listening to the sound of the rain hitting the windows and the roof of the house.

"You have to go out there sooner or later," He laughed as he came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your body kissing your shoulder softly, you sighed to yourself knowing he was right but that didn't mean you were wanted to go. Work was dragging you in over overtime while Hoseok had the week off from work. The first time in months he finally had some time off and you couldn't even stay at home with him. The rainy season was the best season to curl up next to someone you loved and yet you were being pulled further and further away from your loved one.

"What if I call in sick? Tell them I have chickenpox or the measles or something." You whined your mind filling with a random illness you could tell them you had to stop you from going into work. The common cold was too easy so you had to go with something like the chickenpox, someone contagious to those around you. Hoseok just began shaking his head as he pulled you towards the front door or you would never leave. It was like trying to get a child ready for school who really didn't want to go or trying to get Jungkook up in the mornings.

"You're only there for six hours, it'll fly by." He laughed softly as he watched your face fall at the mention of how long your shift was. It wasn't like you hated your job because you didn't, you adored your job but the one thing you hated about it was being away from Hoseok all of the time. If he wasn't at work you seemed to be at work and if you weren't at work he was either on tour or at the studios all day until late. But that was your life together and you wouldn't change it for anything else in the world, Hoseok was the love of your life and you were his.

"Go, I'll be here when you come home. A nice home-cooked meal and hot chocolate waiting for you." He promised as he wrapped your scarf around your neck and tightened it up so you would be warm enough to walk to the car. The thought of Hoseok cooking on the brand new oven was alarming, he hadn't used it yet but the last time he tried to cook in the old apartment he almost burnt it down.

"Don't burn the house down? We only just moved in and the neighbours already hate us enough," You told him as you remembered your landlord telling you both about the complaints he'd received from the tenants next door. Whenever the boys came around to see you or Hoseok it always ended up with them being loud, the joys of being friends with seven crackheads. All of them hyped up from their days at work or from a concert. It wasn't your fault that the neighbours were all old and moody all of the time, 

"I'll give them something to complain about, we're not even loud." Hoseok chuckled as he bent down to give you a small kiss on the lips, you kissed him again...Then again trying to kiss him enough times so he would tell you to stay but it didn't work. He turned you around and pushed you out of the front door, standing in the door frame as he watched you pull out onto the road and head off.

As soon as you'd been gone long enough for Hoseok to know you wouldn't be coming back he went to make himself a hot drink and then head upstairs, he was going to be the nice boyfriend he always was and finish unpacking things for you. The two of you had been together for five years and this was your first big place together meaning there were boxes from the old apartment and your old home that needed unpacking. 

"Where to start?" He hummed as he walked into the spare bedroom where all of the boxes were being stored, he grabbed your clothes boxes and headed back to the main room unpacking everything for you. He thought it might have been a nice surprise for you to come home to since both of you had been too busy to do most of the unpacking after moving in a week ago. 

Hoseok had severely underestimated how much clothing you had as he finished unpacking the seventh and final box and took a couple of steps back away from the wardrobe. 90% of what was filling it was your clothes and he'd already unpacked all of his own.

"Damn babe how much-" Hoseok stopped speaking to himself when he found another box in the spare bedroom, it was duck taped tightly and had some love hearts drawn all over it. Smirking to himself he picked it up and carried it into the main bedroom to take a look at it. The two of you shared everything with one another so it wasn't as though he was doing something he shouldn't have been. He grabbed the pair of scissors from the bedside cabinet and slid the box open to reveal some folders and then more boxes.

"What have you been hiding Miss Y/l/n?" He chuckled to himself as he pulled one of the folders open to see a Yoongi poster inside of a plastic wallet, no big deal he knew you were a fan before you started dating but as he continued to flick through the folder it became more and more obvious that they were all pictures of Yoongi.

Next, he pulled out one of the smaller boxes to reveal every single Yoongi photo card that had been published with their albums, it must have taken you years and years to get every single one of only his cards. Then there was more items at the bottom of the box, every shooky item available in print. He knew he shouldn't have been growing jealous at the thought of someone other than him being your bias but he couldn't help it. Jealously was bubbling up inside of him at the thought of Yoongi being your bias, especially when he thought about how close you were to Hoseok as a friend. He knew that the two of you would never do anything to hurt him but the anger that was raging inside of him wouldn't let him see past the anger and the jealousy. The thought of you and Yoongi hanging out together and one day admitting to him that he was your bias hit Hoseok hard and he decided to pack the box up, leaving it on the box and waiting for you to come home from work.

"Hobi!" You cried out as you walked through the front door of your house, the warmth hitting you instantly as you shivered. The rain had started to turn to snow and you were freezing to the point where you could no longer feel your face. Hoseok had seen your car pull into the driveway so he headed up to the bedroom to wait for you, leaving the box in perfect view so you knew what was going to happen,

"Hobi?! I'm home..." You took off your layers of coats and scarfs and kicked off your shoes walking into the living room to expect to find Hoseok sitting there but he was nowhere to be seen, the lights were all off downstairs so you headed to the bedroom. 

"Hoseok are you taking a nap?" You giggled pushing the door open but stopped giggling the moment you saw the box sitting there, covered in hearts and drawings you'd done. 

"Hobi..." You whispered as you looked at the box but Hoseok wasn't in the room, at least not where you could see. He came up from behind you and pulled you back into his chest, arms wrapped around your waist.

"How was work?" He asked as he began to pull off the cardigan you were wearing, you looked at him out of the corner of your eye and bit down on your lip, you could sense that something was wrong with him. Normally you would come home to a nice conversation before he attacked you with kisses. 

"It was okay...W-Where did you find-" He cut you off with a rough kiss on the lips and you smirked against his lips, you knew how possessive Hoseok seemed to get in the bedroom but you'd never meant for him to find that box. It wasn't even supposed to come with you in the move, you were supposed to leave it at home.

"You're mine, you know that right?" He smirked as he began kissing down your neck, his voice muffled by your neck as he kissed and sucked on the exposed skin. You hissed at him while nodding your head in answer to his question. 

"I'm all yours Hobi," You confirmed as he continued to attack your neck in kisses, biting and sucking on every bit of skin he could sink his teeth into turning you into a whimpering mess. 

"You're not allowed to hang around with him anymore, you're mine." He growled turning you around to look at him, you whimpered, even more, when you stared into his eyes to see they were clouded over. Lust filled eyes as he stared down at you, biting his lip as he pushed you down onto the bed. You watched him from the bed as he looked down at you, biting on his lip as he waited for you to start talking to him.

"He's just a friend," You whispered but he didn't care, he ripped the trousers you were wearing as he tried to get them off you as soon as possible. He was going to do anything and everything he could to make sure everyone knew that you belonged to him, that you were his and his alone.

"Mmm look at you," He hummed as he looked at your exposed core, he ran his fingers up and down your folds as he chuckled to himself the small touches making you whimper. Whenever you and Hoseok had sex it was like he was an entirely new person and you loved it, no one could ever imagine the type of person he would become, 

"I'm the only one who makes you dripping wet like this, right angel?" He cooed as he continued to run his fingers through your folds, using his index finger to rub around your clit making you hiss out at the lack of contact he was giving to you. 

"Only you," You told him as you bucked up to keep the connection between you,

"So needy and I haven't done anything to you yet," Chuckling darkly he kissed your neck once again, moving his hands away from your heat and unbuttoning the blouse you were wearing. Ripping it open leaving your black bra exposed to him, 

"Take it all off, everything." He ordered as he sat down on the edge of the bed, it was now that you noticed he was dressed in nothing but his boxers. Palming himself through his trousers as he watched you get off the bed and slowly begin to strip out of the remaining clothes for him. Kicking them to the other side of the room as you got onto your knees and crawled towards him, running your hand up his thigh as you locked eyes with him.

"Nuh-uh, tonight is about you baby girl." He told you as he pulled you up from the floor and placed you back down onto the bed.

"Shall I bring Yoongi in? Make him watch you as I fuck you?" He smirked up at you as he kisses up your thighs, biting down on your skin softly, 

"Maybe I should call him right as your cumming around my fingers and you can let him know who you belong to." Your head was in a whirlwind at all the things he was saying but you shook your head at him, 

"Just fuck me," You begged him as you stared down into his eyes pleading with him with the look in your eyes, 

"Look at you, moaning and begging for me like the good girl you are," He chuckled coldly as he watched you bucking against his touch. You were desperate for him to touch you even if it was just a small one, 

"Please Hobi, need you." You knew how pathetic you probably sounded to him but you didn't care, all you wanted was his hands on your body. All over your body. He smirked looking at you as he used his thumb to circle your clit, pressing two fingers against your hole as he chuckled. 

"Are you sure you need me? Tell me what you want me to do, exactly what you want me to do." He stared at you, kissing softly on each thigh as he got dangerously close to your core but never giving you the contact that you desired the most. 

"E-Eat me out." You whimpered nervously as you locked eyes with him, you'd always been so nervous about receiving oral but tonight you were dying for it. You knew that when Hoseok was in a mood like this there was no holding back, he would be rough with you and within seconds of you asking his face was buried in your heat. Tongue gliding through your folds as he traced every curve he could delving into your entrance and moaning against you sending vibrations throughout your body. 

Moans and whimpers left your body as you cried out his name, he smirked against ou as he felt you clench around his tongue. 

"Hobi!" You whimpered running your hands into his hair as you pulled onto his hair pulling him closer to your core as you chased your high. Each lick of his tongue made you cry out louder and louder as our mouth fell open. 

"Close! So fucking close!" You hissed out as he continued to assault your core, eating you out roughly, 

"Cum for me baby," He mumbled into your core, pushing two fingers into you as he sucked and softly bit down on your clip. Your walls clenched around his fingers as your head rolled back against the bed. Legs shaking as you came around his fingers, 

"Y-Yes! Hoseok!" You cried out as you came around him, tears welling up in your eyes as your high faded away quickly from you. 

"Fucking love it when you tighten up like that princess...Do you want to do that around my cock? Huh?" He smirked as he kicked off his boxers, rubbing himself in front of you as your mouth watered at the thought of him being inside of you. 

"You want me to fuck you full? Stretch you around it?" You nodded desperately as you reached out to touch him but he just rubbed the tip of his cock around your clit. Hissing as he felt you buck against him for more than the small contact he was giving to you.

"Just fuck me already," You hissed at him and he slammed into you making you yelp out and wrap your legs around his waist, he smirked at you as he held himself in place, 

"You like that? Nice and rough?" He chuckled as he continued to thrust in and out of you roughly, hitting the right spot with every rough thrust. 

"Fuck!" You moaned out as your back arched away from the mattress and you rolled your hand down your body to rub your clit for him. Mind spinning as the orgasm built up once again, 

"H-Hobi-" You moans trailed off as you felt yourself getting closer and closer, the build-up getting more and more intense with each thrust of his cock. Your eyes widened as he continued to push into you, getting rougher each time. 

"I know princess, let go." He looked into your eyes as he smirked wider at you, watching the way your eyes rolled back as you tried to focus on nothing but the pleasure he was giving to you. 

"Fuck." You cried out as you rolled your hips up, 

"So fucking pretty stretching around my cock huh? Are you sure I can't show Yoongi?" He leant down as he continued to slam into you, replacing your hand on your clit with his own as he continued to rub you in large rough circles, 

"I want him to hear you cry out my name, 'cause you're fucking mine." He grunted as he continued to fuck into you, 

"Hoseok!" You screamed out as he hit into the one place that made your eyes water and made your world spin, you went over the edge cumming around him as you screamed out his name. Nails dragging down his arms leaving marks as you clenched around him over again but Hoseok didn't stop. His rough thrusts continued until he came into you, moaning out as he fell down into your neck. Kissing your skin softly as you both panted heavily together.

"You know I didn't mean it right?" Hoseok asked after you'd been laying together in silence for a couple of seconds, 

"Didn't mean what?" You mumbled turning to look up at him as you drew small invisible patterns into his skin, 

"When I said you couldn't see Yoongi, y-you can do what you want I just-" You kisses his lips as you tried to set his mind at ease a little, 

"I know baby, it's okay." You reassured him as you laid back down with your head on his chest just listening to his heart beating as he pulled you closer to him. 

Tagline: @lyoongx @mitzwinchester @fan-ati--c @kneel-begyourpardon @taestannie @rjsmochii @sw33tnight @bisexualmess007 @innersooya @sweeneyblue1​ @jin-from-the-block​

[lemonjoonah]

Blood Bounty - Part 2 (M)

Pairings: Yoongi x Reader, Taehyung x Reader, ft. Seokjin x Namjoon Word Count: 15.5K Rating: M Genre: Historical fantasy AU, Vampire AU, Thriller, Drama, Smut Warnings (contains spoilers): unprotected sex, fingering, oral (f. receiving), vampire feeding during intercourse, referenced non-consensual vampire feeding, attempted non-consensual vampire feeding, attempted vampire feeding on a minor, referenced captivity, referenced injury to animal, blood, violence, gore, threats, obsession, poisoning, murder, minor character death(s), illness, referenced death of brother, historical medical practices, self-inflicted injury (for the sake of vampire feeding), contemplation of action which might result in self-harm, discussion of drugging (with vampire blood)

| Series Masterlist |

Summary: He’s taken everything from you, your blood, your memories, your life, and after months spent as Taehyung’s own personal feast, you eagerly take your chance to flee. Unfortunately your escape doesn’t go as well as you had hoped, as you are soon caught by another blood thirsty beast. The vampire Yoongi claims to know you, and that he wishes to return you home. But when you can only remember the pain caused by his kind, you find it difficult to trust him, since he too could just be another monster waiting to feed.

A/N: Just a quick note, there will be a few flashbacks in part two, all of which should be italicized (as long as Tumblr doesn’t fail to format properly). Hope you all enjoy it, and please let me know what you think!

...

You wake before Yoongi at the start of dusk, after having fallen back asleep propped against his chest. The tension in your thighs from your two days of riding resurfaces as you stand. Restricted to a strained hobble, you grab the nearest supply sack. Heading outside to take a moment of privacy and address your bodily needs, while leaving Yoongi to continue his rest.

As you finish putting on the fresh clothes you acquired the day before, swapping out for a new tunic and the much needed smaller boots, Yoongi bursts out the door of the ramshackle house. His face fraught with worry. “Your Highness?!”

“Here,” you call over to him, stepping out from the cover of the trees. “I’m here.”

His chest heaves with a sigh as he relaxes. “You should have woken me.”

“So you could hover over me as I change?” You ask with a raised brow as you fit your cap back on your head.

“N-no... it’s just best if...” Yoongi’s reply is marked with stuttered speech and a tone of frustration. “H-how can I keep you safe if you wonder off in the night? You act as though you don’t have a bounty on your blood. There are sure to be hunters about and still looking for you.”

“I didn’t stray far, and there was still light out when I left you.”

“Even so, it worried me to wake, and not find you by my side.” He mutters, before returning inside to fetch the horse’s tackle and the rest of the bags.

“It won’t happen again.” You promise to his turned back, disarmed by his compassionate concern.

While he readies the horse for the day's journey, you keep to the front of the stead. Holding on to the bridal, you brush the dark mane as you make a request. “Are we able to stop at a river soon? The waterskin is running low.”

Yoongi nods, “We will cross one shortly before my ally’s post.”

“Your ally?” You ask, your heart starting to race as you panic over the suggestion. “You never said we would have to meet with more of your kind.”

“He has a residence he keeps for the clan between here and your castle. He will have a spare room and bed for us. I can promise you resting there will be far more comfortable than it has been the past two nights.”

“And it’ll be safe for me to be around such company?”

“He has no need for your blood. He resides there with his blood consort, a human-”

“A human! A captive-”

“No, no of course not.” Yoongi cuts in. “They are companions, Namjoon feeds Seokjin by choice, and in return Seokjin looks after him with his own blood, keeping Namjoon free from age and ailment.”

“But-”

“Seokjin will not approach you if I ask him not to. I trust him.” Yoongi comments as he straps the last bag in, the horse now equipped to depart.

Placing your foot in the stirrup before Yoongi can even offer to assist. Muttering your apprehension over the situation as you attempt to mount the stead. Though your endeavour to reach the saddle on your own fails miserably, resulting in your back colliding with Yoongi’s chest as you fall. His arms catch yours while your foot remains caught in the metal brace. “Careful now,” Yoongi warns you.  

“I know. I can do it on my own.” You urge back, frustration edging out into your voice over your apparent state of helplessness, as you struggle to right yourself.

“I’m sure you can.” He chuckles, while pushing you up and onto the horse, before joining you himself. “But it doesn’t mean you have to.”

You shrink down between his arms trying to avoid his touch, continuing to fume over the prospect of spending the day within reach of another vampire. Yoongi may have become less of a concern after the revelation last night, but the thought of being in such close proximity to someone of his clan puts you on edge.

As you shift in the saddle trying to find a comfortable position for your seat, one of his hands comes to clutch your waist. He presses you back against him, mercifully relieving some of the weight from your thighs.

“Better?” He asks.

You nod in reply. Despite your bitterness you lean into him further, the ache being a far more pressing issue at this moment, then the ally you meet later tonight. Soon finding comfort in his support, you turn your concern to the other vampires that neither you nor he can dismiss so easily. “Earlier you said that Taehyung’s hunters are still about, you don’t think they would make it out this far and this quickly do you?”

“For you? Most certainly. I’m sorry to say, I doubt they are far behind.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I was forced to work among them. The swiftest way for me to get to you on my own was to be granted an invitation inside, but to do that I needed to hunt. I gave them a false identity, calling myself Agust, and my services in an attempt to gain their favour.” You go rigid in the saddle. Yoongi must have sensed the change as he is quick to clarify his words. “I never gave them people, only blood I acquired in the same way that I obtained it for myself.”

“And how do you do that?”

“You know I can’t tell you,” Yoongi mutters. You’ve come to despise this answer, still huffing at his need to keep all a secret. “When you keep insisting on hiding it, I start to doubt more and more that I will like the answer.”

He hesitates before replying. “What if that is what I want?”

“I thought you said I shouldn’t judge so quickly? Now you wish for me to dislike you and your ways?” You blurt out in confusion. Why after attempting to build your trust would he want you to hate him so.

“Not necessarily, just to question and be critical once you have all of the information, to hold your own opinion and not my own view. If your memories come from me how can I know that they are unbiased.”

“But how is that a memory of mine if it’s your method of feeding?”

Yoongi doesn’t respond but merely clenches his jaw when you look back at him, refusing to speak anymore on the subject.  

The silence between you stretches on for most of the night, he checks in on occasion to ensure that you are well. But other than that you hardly exchange another word, right up to when Yoongi slows the horse at the sight of the moonlit river and bridge. He helps you dismount, and unhooks a pack from the saddle, giving you access to the provisions you require.

“Our stop is only a few more minutes away down road. We have several hours until day break.” He nods to the river, “Take all the time you need. I’ll give you some privacy and take the horse just around the bend.”

When Yoongi leaves your line of sight, you remove your boots, roll your trousers, and step into the chill waters. You take one stride in and another unit you are submerged almost to your knees. Filling up the waterskin you take a long daft, while also savouring the coolness of the river your skin and sores. The bandages on your heels are a ragged mess, in desperate need of being replaced. You reluctantly return to the banks, crouching to rummage through the pack to hunt for something that could be of use to protect the broken skin.

You have no such luck in locating any spare cloth, but find instead a heavy roll of leather at the bottom. Dragging it up to the surface of the pack, you are curious as to what it might be. While peeking up to ensure that Yoongi has not come back to check in, you loosen the string ties and unravel the well-worn wrap. There’s a small clang from whatever lies inside as it unfolds. Your heart races as you attempt to brace the objects within, slowing your motions to prevent the noise from happening again. Not wishing to draw attention to your invasion of the vampire’s belongings.

But your cautionary actions come to a swift halt when tucked inside you find sharp metal instruments, encompassing a variety of shapes, sizes, and serrations. Kept well enough to glare back at you as they reflected the moonlight. You immediately drop the leather carrier to the ground, and stumble away from the horrific implements. Though in your fear and hurry, you miscalculate the security of the ground on which you stand. Teetering on the rocks at the river’s edge, you fall back. Losing your hat to the current, while your hands plunge into shallow water. The sharp pebbles of the bank dig into your palms, skinning off the scab of Taehyung’s bitten wound.

You gasp in pain, pulling your hand out from the river to inspect the freshly opened break in your skin. Yoongi appears seconds later, reaching out for your hand from the edge of the water. “Are you hurt?”

You look from your palm up to Yoongi. The sting of the lesion and his presence triggering a memory of a darkened cobblestone street, a fanged monster hidden beneath a hood, reaching out for your hand, caked with dirt and blood. Then a gap, a break in your recollection, ending with a flash of Yoongi taking that same hand and passing his own blood over yours to close the cut. The brief glimpse ends, leaving you with a bleak look at your alleged friendship.

“You... you gave me your blood?!” You ask, delving further back into the river out of fear, the prospect of the freezing water is nothing compared to the demon who seems to have poisoned you long ago.

“What are you-”

“You gave me your blood. You used your sway to compel me into-into caring for a monster like you!”

His face falls at your accusation. “Is that how you truly view it then? You do in fact see me as a monster?”

“How else can I? Why else would someone like you carry those tools other than to harm? ”

Yoongi looks down, his lips tightening upon seeing your discovery. “Because you gave them to me!” He counters, to your shock and horror, allowing his forced confession to sink in for a moment before continuing in a more sombre tone. “If you feel that I influenced you poorly, for that I am deeply sorry. I thought, I hoped you might have seen it all differently. I had your blessing back then, but I can see that I was right to question my undue-influence on you.”  

“I’m not talking about your influence, but your blood, you used it to manipulate my thoughts and actions! If I gave you such things I was surely under your spell.”

“No, I would never intentionally force you to think a certain way! But your circumstances back then made you vulnerable, I fear they made you open to my persuasion, and to desire my good graces.” You stand there thigh deep in the river, frozen in place, as his words continue to challenge your perception and memory. “If you revoke your once good opinion of me I will not fault you for it. But I don’t know how else to remedy my mistakes other than to take you home. Can you please trust me long enough to do that?”

“I-” You begin, while trying to figure out where your answer will end, your head swimming with conflicting recollections of his blood, and kindness to you.

But your answer is halted by the sudden change in the vampire before you. Yoongi turns his head back to the line of trees his nose lifting before like it did when he caught the scent of the highwaymen. “Hunters, they’ve found us.”

A shiver passes over you, unrelated to the cold water. “You can smell them? Are they Taehyung’s?”

“No, not them per se, but the blood they are dressed in, and based on that...” He turns back to you, his expression fraught with worry as he points to the river. “Go in further and remain in there until it is safe to come out. They will not be able to fetch you if the river reaches past the leg of their mount. Promise me, whatever happens, whatever I say, whatever you hear, you will not leave until you are certain it is safe.”

You nod unable to verbalize your agreement. Your breath catches in your chest as you continue to lower yourself into the water's depths. The slow current comes to reach your waist, just before a mounted hunter and his much larger companion on foot break near the banks of the river.

“Agust,” the mounted hunter address Yoongi by his false persona, confirming your dread of who they serve. “Fancy meeting you here. We thought we smelled something sweet, but had not realized you would be attempting to collect it too. Since when do you capture live prey? I thought you dealt more in bottled goods.” He proceeds to laugh at his own words, while his fellow remains silent.

“This bounty is mine Thane.” Yoongi commands from the ground standing between you and them. His attention focused solely on the vampire with the stead, marking him as the superior of the two hunters in your eyes.

“Is it now?” He asks with an air of conceit. “It looks more like it’s just beyond your reach. Smart of her to use our weakness in such a way.”

“She’s just playing a game,” Yoongi mutters. “She won’t last long in there, the cold will send her out soon.”

You wish it wasn’t so, but there’s truth to his words, for you are unsure of how much longer you can bear the frigid temperatures. The chattering of your teeth brings further evidence to them that the chill has sunk deep into your skin.

“If she was so difficult to control why did you not give her your blood?” The larger of the two hunters asks.

“What, and taint the product with my own?” Yoongi spits back, looking offended that the hunter would suggest such practice. “I plan to take her back to Lord Taehyung, unspoiled, and alone.”

The lip of the leader, Thane, curls at Yoongi’s comment. “I do not think you will. She seems like more than you can handle.”

“Then you and your partner leave me to fetch a human who may breach the water’s banks.”

“No, you will come with me. Averill will stay and watch her.” Thane nods to the hulking vampire next to him.

“And leave my blood bounty with you? I think not.” Yoongi’s worry starts to cross into his voice, his wavering tone evident to even you. He stands down with a fake chuckle and proceeds to dismiss their presence by busying himself with the task of repacking the belongings you left out of the sack. “If you're not going to send for assistance leave me be, for I plan to wait as long as it takes to recollect her for his lordship.”

“And what will you do when the sun rises? You are not in a position to negotiate Agust. You should be glad that we are offering to even do you this favour. I hear the reward for this one is greater than any before. Lord Taehyung is offering an immediate position among his keepers to whomever can capture her.”

It becomes clear to you that they will not give in so easily, and Yoongi too pauses upon hearing this news. “Since you insist, I will go with you, but he does not make an attempt to touch her until we get back. If I find out you’ve tried to cross me-”

“He will stick to the shore of the river, until our return.” Thane looks to his companion who nods to confirm that he will abide to such terms.

Yoongi turns his back to them, the light of the moon granting a dim view of the concern on his face. He points one figure at the ground, what you can only only read as a supposed signal for you to stay, before mounting up and riding off with one of the hunters in the direction of his ally.

The vampire on the water's edge began to prowl back and forth, watching you with intrigue. “You look cold and tired my dear. You should come out, let’s not play this game any longer.”

“It’s not a game.” You mutter in response to the vampire.

A menacing grin takes hold of his face. “Of course it is, your kind consider hunting to be of sport, do they not?”

You turn your head and ignore his comment. Letting minutes pass with you in silence, until the vampire's pacing comes to a halt, and the smile has all but faded from his features.“Where the hell are they?”

Considering the torment his clan has brought you, you take great pleasure in seeing his frustration rise. “What’s wrong?” You tempt him, hoping that he might be foolish enough to try to reach you on his own. “Does the night wane too quickly for you? Is the vampire afraid of a little sunlight as well as running water? With so many weaknesses it’s a wonder you’ve survived.”

“There are still a few hours to go until sunrise human, I wouldn’t raise your hopes just yet. Because when I pull you from that river, I will show you just how well I survive. ” No sooner than the threat passes from his lips, a single horse rides back into view. Though to your terror it is not Yoongi’s stead, but Thane’s, with it’s rider wrapped his tattered and blood stained cloak. Your chest tightens and breathing stops, as you consider what might have happened to Yoongi. His absence brings grim thoughts to your mind regarding his fate, fearing what kind of situation he must be in to prevent his return.

Looking downriver with a choked sob, you contemplate your only escape with Yoongi now gone, ready to take the current to its end, or yours.

The imposing vampire that was left with you calls out to his ally. “What in the devil's name took you so long? I thought you were going to deal with Agust, and bring back someone who could assist? I see no humans!”

Thane doesn’t answer out loud. After dismounting he pulls his cloak tighter, and approaches his friend, leaning in to talk to him. It’s not until a stake pierces Averill’s chest that you see the true face of the rider. Painted with blood from, and contempt for, the being he just slaughtered.

A sense of déjà vu grips you once again, and refuses to let go. You’ve witnessed something like this before, so many years ago. Another memory starts to resurface, another vampire slaying much like this, both executed by the hand of... “Yoongi?!”

...

-10 years ago -

Just a few hours outside of the palace walls, that is all you desire. Dressed in your lady’s maid’s change of clothes you go in search of the sights outside. Hoping to find something unfamiliar and new. After hearing the very maid you ‘borrowed’ the clothes from, discuss the bakery, the public houses, the marketplace, and more. You could no longer hold back your curiosity. Your books and maps are not enough to quell your taste for adventure, your eyes seek to explore the areas that the tomes in your library fail to touch. And since it all resides on the crown's land, surely you have a duty to study it?

As much as you would have preferred to go out in the day, the cover of darkness is so much easier to slip out under. No one should look twice at a person your attire, and you yourself are not expected to be anywhere else other than bed.

Unfortunately that means the bakery is closed and the market packed up. The only place warmed with light and presence is the tavern, but you know it would be foolish to go in there. For you have no coin on hand for a meal, and are far too young to have any other sensible reason for entrance.

Despite your first expedition not being everything you wanted, it only makes you determined to plan better for your next. After two hours pacing the streets, looking for sites of interest, you consider heading back. You turn to face the direction you had just travelled and look for another route home, not wishing to view only the same roads as before. Travelling one side street and another, though you soon make an error and find a dead end greeting you on the third.

Turning about, you double back, but fail to notice the slick pile of refuse, which sends you falling forward. Your hands reach out to stop your face colliding into the cobblestones, while the rest of your body flattens painfully in your tumble.

Following the shock of your plummet you take a moment to inspect your well-being from the ground. You curse your foolish inattention when you find your palms coated in mud, and stinging with scrapes. Resulting in a small amount of blood, beading on the surface of your skin.

A man dressed in a long cloak and hood from the nearby road turns into the alley and encroaches upon your, no doubt pathetic looking form. You thought he might be there to offer his assistance after such a fall, but he only looks down upon you with a hunched posture.

“Well aren’t you a rare breed. Surely you are not from these parts, or I would have found you before.” His sinister words immediately put you on your guard, after giving you the impression that you are something to be collected rather than aided.  

“I’m sorry sir but you are mistaken.” You ascend from your knees and brush yourself off, seeking to flee his uncomfortable presence, but the stranger blocks your path. With an outstretched arm, his hand rests against the wall, taking up the entire width of the alley. The lower half of the man’s face peaks out from beneath his hood, only to show his tongue darting out to wet his lips. You clench your jaw and stand firm, attempting to give him reason to reconsider preying on one such as yourself. “I hail from here, and my family expects my return soon. Now let me pass.”

“I am not mistaken, I know a new and valued vintage when I smell it, and you are quite something...” He steps closer as you back away, continuing to cut off your escape by dragging his fingers along the stone wall. His stride resembles that of a predator, narrowing in on their presumed feast. You raise a hand in to signal for him to stop, but he merely gives it a keen stare.

“Did you hurt your hands my dear? Here let me take a look.” He reaches out with his own taloned hand, his long fingers ending with sharpened nails. “I can help heal them right up for you.”

“Thank you sir, but I would rather just go home and tend to them myself.” You give one last plea, one last appeal to his humanity. Fearing that his next action against you will be truly monstrous.

“It will take only a moment, and I promise,” the fabric of his hood falls back to reveal his feral face with pointed teeth, “You won’t remember a thing.”

He grabs your hand, pulling it to his mouth. You try to tug it back, but his grip is like none you’ve felt, so firm that even the strongest pull you can muster has no impact on him. Even a push to his chest from your other fist does not disturb him. You close your eyes waiting for the pain of his strike but there’s nothing of the sort. Only a soft grip on your wrist for a second and your hand is released. You open your eyes back up in hesitation, to find your attacker pinned against the wall by another.

“We do not feed on children! Have you forgotten our clan’s law?”

“Yoongi, I’m sorry sir you’re right. But you must understand, you must smell how sweet her blood is. Do you not find it as tempting as I?”

“We do not feed on children.” The newcomer reiterates his tone drawing into a low growl.

“Surely she is not so young that you cannot make an exception this once? No one else in the clan has to know sir, it’s just us here. I’ll even share her with you.”

There’s a swift flash of movement and the second has impaled the first through the chest with a wooden stake. The predator who cornered you looks on him with shock before slumping down the side of the wall, leaving a strip of blood in his wake.

You stare into the vial stranger’s blank eyes, unable to quell the worry that he might still launch an attack on you. “Is-is he, is it-” You manage to stutter out, as you battle your nerves, deeply shaken, but increasingly grateful for the intervention of the one before you.

“He’s dead.” The vanquisher tends to the cast-off on his coat and skin, brushing his hand over the crimson stains while he addresses you. “You should run along princess, it’s not safe for you to wander about at night.”

“You-you know who I am?”

“I’ve come across your scent before, it was just after one of your family’s gallant displays of authority.” You tilt your head confused by what he could mean. He takes in your bewilderment and explains further. “One of the royal processions, I spotted you just after dusk when you returned to the castle some years ago. Your aroma is not one my kind would forget.”

“Your kind, what do you mean your kind? What was he?”

“A weak willed monster who feeds on blood, and hunts by night. He is not alone out there, so you should stay very far away from the darkened streets.”

“But you are not like him.”

“I swear to you, he and I are the same.” The man comes towards you lowering himself on one knee and baring his fangs. “He is a vampire, and so am I.”

You don’t turn away but look at them with curiosity. His brow furrows as you move in closer. “And what of your name?” You ask, desperate to know more about him, for his appearance, his very existence, has certainly become the most intriguing part of your night .

“You don’t need-”

“But I would like it.”

“Yoongi. I go by Yoongi,” he mutters, looking taken aback once again. “May I?” He extends his hand for yours. You give it to him with little hesitation, wincing as his thumb brushes the mud away. He pauses upon noticing your discomfort and extends an offer to you. “If I take away this pain, will you promise to go straight home?”

You nod back, wondering how he could offer such a thing. He bites his hand before taking your own, rubbing the blood over the scrapes. And to you surprise, the cuts vanish before your eyes, the skin forming back together as though your fall never happened. Regardless if this being thinks he is a monster or otherwise, it’s apparent a miracle cure flows through his veins. Your brother's condition jumps to the forefront of your mind. “You can heal wounds? Cuts and contusions too?”

“I can.” His answers with a raised eyebrow.

“So you could help my brother?”

“Your brother, what of him?”

“He has an illness. My parents don’t want to spread word of his condition, but whenever he gets hurt, he bruises and bleeds without end. You can save him, right?”

“I cannot assist your brother.” He rises from his knee and proceeds to drag the body of the former vampire deeper into the shadows, all while continuing to answer your request. “Making myself even known to you goes against the wishes of my clan. I should wipe your memories, but if I do, I fear you’ll forget the danger and return here once again.”  

“Please! He needs your help.” You beg, hoping that he’d agree to be your salvation once again.

The self proclaimed monster looks at you, while tugging the stake from the chest of the corpse. Meeting your eyes when you refuse to look away from him or the gruesome sight. “If you swear to stay within the walls of your castle and tell not a soul... I will see what I can do.”

You lead him back to your home, the vampire following a few paces behind. Returning to the passage hidden in the roots of the hedge, the trap door beneath the flora, from which you ventured out earlier tonight. You open it stepping in first. Your companion stops as if being held back by some invisible force. “I need your permission to enter.”

“Why?”

“Consider it a courteous limitation of my race. Now do you want me to heal your brother or not?”

“Yes, you may come in.”

Lighting the lantern you left for yourself at the entrance, you lead him through the dark tunnel beneath the castle.

“What is this place used for? I can’t imagine anyone ventures down here much.” He remarks brushing away cobwebs that stretch across the path.

“It is an escape tunnel, to ensure the safety of the royal line. Only my immediate family knows of it. If there were to be danger we could flee down here and leave the grounds. And no, they do not visit here, only I come down myself when I wish to hide away.” The hidden offshoot of the cellar is ample space for you, and far less restrictive than the palace above ground.

You climb a set of stairs ending in a door which returns you to the halls of the castle, the entrance to the secret route concealed behind a painting of a king who came long before. Peeking out into the corridor you find it clear of guardsmen and servants, and doing the same again at your brother’s door.

The physicians and surgeons had left him for the night, which allows for Yoongi to slip in behind you. He checks over your sleeping brother, paying close attention to both the recent injury to his knee and the incision on the inside of his elbow. “Why was this made?” He points to the latter. “It’s too clean to be an accident.”

“Bloodletting, they bleed him regularly to dispose of the weakened blood.”

“Weakened Blood?” Yoongi shakes his head as he reopens the spot on his hand, spreading his blood over your brother's wounds. They close up with the skin returning to its normal state and hue. “I hadn’t realized that surgeons practiced such things. If you want to keep him alive don’t let them bleed him anymore. Come to think of it...” He examines the tools of their trade, and roles up the leather pouch in which they are contained. “May I borrow these? I might have a use for them.”

“Take them, please.” You urge, breathing a sigh of relief. It’s a shock to see your brother's condition, which has plagued your family since his birth, so easily remedied with Yoongi's help. But the worry over the uncertain future still holds. “What if it happens again? How will I find you if I shouldn’t leave the castle?”

“You said few know of the cavern below? I’m in need of somewhere safe to rest during the day when I come to town, that spot will do. If I have your consent to use it?”

...

It’s been a couple weeks since your first meeting. The vampire, Yoongi has grown more comfortable within the tunnel beneath, and far less hesitant around you. You’ve learned so much about him, and his shrouded kin, both the good and the bad.  

He lays back against the stonewall his eyes closed in satisfaction. Far different from the first few  times you met him. “You look... more relaxed.”

He keeps his eyes closed as he gives you his answer, “I had the ability to address some of my needs I’ve been neglecting. I’ve been able to feed on a far more frequent basis.”

“Oh...” You exclaim, not knowing how to comment further on the topic.

One of his eyes opens to peek at you while he remains at rest. “Does that scare you? Do you fear me now?” He chuckles darkly.

You respond with a quick and decisive, “No.” Catching the vampire by surprise judging from his tongue in cheek and open mouth.

“And why is that?”

“If you took no issue with human suffering you wouldn’t have saved me. You wouldn’t have saved my brother. Did you bring pain to the person you feed on?”

 Yoongi scoffs, his tongue still rolling in his cheek as he looks to the floor. “No, I did not. And I have you to thank for that.”

“How did I help?” You ask in utter bewilderment. The two of you have never discussed his own meals before.

“When a vampire feeds they don’t often care about the damage they cause, they can make their prey forget they ever saw them, becoming nothing more than a bad dream. I have been struggling with this way of life for a while now. But you, you gave me another method to feed, and for that I am eternally in your debt.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“I know,” he chuckles back. “I’ll show you one day. When I can be certain it is safe to do so.”

...

A month later, Yoongi sneaks into your room in the dead of night, waking you from your slumber.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” You ask with slurred words as you rub your eyes.

“Nothing, nothing, but I’m ready to show you. Dress in what you wore when we met. We can’t have anyone recognizing you.”

You bolt up out of bed and dash over to your desk. Yoongi watches as you tug out the false bottom you created in one of the drawers that hides the cotton-spun dress from sight.  

“You appear to be well versed in the art of hiding secrets princess,” Yoongi laughs, as he examines the panel.

“When every eye in the household seeks to critique you, you find ways to hide your less-than-amiable indulgences.”

“And is that what this is?” The vampire holds up a book of cartographic exploration also stored in the secret nook of the drawer. “An indulgence?”

You take the tome in question from his hand and return it to the drawer, replacing the panel to conceal it. “For a situation like my own it is.”

After changing into the plain garment Yoongi takes you from the castle, bringing only the leather roll of surgical instruments you had given him. He doesn’t take you far, a house, located only a five minute walk beyond the gates of your castle. “Are you sure you want to see this?” He asks as his fist hangs above the door.

You nod, curious as to how he’s been feeding himself.

“Very well, if anyone asks you are my assistant.”

“Assistant for what?”

He answers only with a wide grin as he knocks. The door opens a fraction, by the hands of a startled woman, whom Yoongi is quick to greet. “Sorry to intrude, and so late too. I heard you might be in need of a surgeon?”

“W-we can’t pay,” she croaks back, and attempts to close the door, but Yoongi stops it by placing the leather case in the gap.

“I require no monetary payment. My services have already been covered.”

“By who?” The woman is sceptical, and rightly so. Based on your experience with your brother’s past needs, you know a surgeon’s fee to be no small price.

“The daughter of the crown.”

“The crown? But why would she-”

“Because there are those in this kingdom in need of my assistance. I’m sure you’ve noticed the rapid recovery of your neighbour just a few doors down.”

Her eyes widen, lighting with hope. “The surgeon was you?”

“It was.” He answers with a closed lip smile.

The resident looks from Yoongi to you, her gaze lingers for a second on your appearance, before opening the door further. “You may come in.” She takes you to a small residence, her hands trembling as she escorts you into a nearby bedroom.

The stench of a sickly-sweet rot overpowers your nose the moment you step into the room. You cover your mouth in an attempt to keep down your rising dinner, while Yoongi goes to the aid of an unconscious man laying in bed. A deep and putrid gash extends from the inside of his thumb to his wrist.

“Another surgeon said he might need to take the hand... it’s not so bad is it?” Her voice quakes. “My husband won't be able to work if he loses it.”

“No, he’ll keep it.” Yoongi states, as he lifts a ceramic bowl, notched at the rim, from the bedside table and props the wounded man’s arm over it. Several small cuts already adorn the weak skin at the crease of his elbow joint. “I take it you've bled him regularly?”

The wife nods. “Yes, but we ran out of money. I couldn’t afford to have anyone else continue the bleeding. So I attempted it myself.” She looks down at the floor in shame, clearly upset that she had not been able to help her own husband.

“He will be well again. I promise I can heal this.” He assures her, before turning to you. “Can you hold these for me?” Passing you the same tools you gave him just months before. You unravel the leather pouch. Exposing the sharp tools for his selection, his slender fingers choose one of the smaller blades to make the incision. As the scarlet fluid drains, Yoongi calls for fresh linen and the wife leaves the room in search of his needs.  

The second she is out of sight, you start to question the vampire. “Bloodletting? But I thought you said-”

“It’s both a cover, and an exchange. He gives me his, and I’ll give him mine. I must thank you for the tools, they’ve been very helpful in keeping up the disguise. But do you think you can keep her out? I can’t let her see this next part, the improvement to his hand will be too drastic and too quick for her not to suspect a mystical source.” Yoongi requests as he breaks the seal on a bottle filled with thick crimson fluid. Pouring out a drop he rubs his blood onto the festering wound of his subject's hand.

You nod, watching the two sides of the laceration seal together, leaving only a clean scar. When the wife returns with a knock at the door, you take the material and ask her to wait there. Thankfully she obeys without much resistance, taking a seat just outside the room, her eyelids drooping from exhaustion, and her skin slick with the sweat of worry.

You hand over the linen to Yoongi who wraps it around the previously infected area. The man, much to your concern, remains unconscious. “Will he wake soon?”

“It might take some time, but yes. He still has a fever, but that should break in the next couple of hours with the infection gone.”

“And that?” You nod to the basin of blood.

“That, I will keep for myself.” Yoongi finishes wrapping the man’s hand before taking a wine skin from his coat, carefully pouring the viscous fluid into the flask, and taking every drop.

“It won’t affect you adversely even though he was ill when he gave it?”

“No, his ailment won’t harm me.” Taking a draft as if to prove his point, he wrinkles his nose as it goes down, and licks his lips clean to hide the evidence of his feast. “The taste isn’t always perfect, but it fills my needs, and it’s far better than the alternative.”

Yoongi passes off the patient’s care to his wife and warns her not to remove the bandages for several days. A continuation of his ploy to maintain that his methods have a more realistic recovery rate.

After returning you to the passage of the castle shortly before dawn, Yoongi looks to be apprehensive, wringing his hands as he bids you farewell for the day. “Seeing that... taking part in it wasn’t disturbing to you? You do not think it malicious for me to lie and profit in such a way?”

“No, not at all.” You shake your head, and beam at the vampire before you. “I was pleased that you showed me.”

“I owe my thanks to you,” he whispers, as a smile starts to cross his own features.

“But I did nothing.”

“You gave me the idea. I was not aware, nor did I think to benefit from such a human norm. I thought I was condemned to feed like a monster until the end. So as long as you approve, as long as you think it decent to conduct myself in this way, I will continue.”

“You’ve already helped us so much, how could I not? You are the reason my brother is well again, the reason that man will continue to live and work. You are more a saviour than any being I’ve met before.”

...

You thought him a hero in your past. Every action had a valid reason, every motive morally sound. His store of blood, the surgical knives, every memory of his history with you is beyond reproach.

“Yoongi?”

The friend of your past, falls to his knees beside the body of the hunter. He raises a hand to his face to contain a cough, but even from your distance you can see scarlet sputtering from his lips and spilling down between his fingers.  

“Yoongi!” You wade through the water as quickly as you can. Reaching his side while he continues to expel blood. “What happened?”

“Powdered silver.” He sputters again spraying your drenched trousers and ground with scarlet. “The bastard asked for some of my drink. I obliged to maintain my cover, but I didn’t notice he poisoned it in the process, and then took a sip myself.”  Despite his state he proceeds to hastily shove the body of the vampire into the river, where it starts to burn and disintegrate in the current. “Don’t worry, much like this one, he is far worse off than I.” Yoongi chuckles darkly before doubling over in another fit.

“We need to get you somewhere safe to heal.” You take his shoulder and help him on to the stolen horse.

“Seokjin, he's waiting for my return. I left everything with him. Down the road,” he whispers as another clot of blood leaves his mouth. “You’ll find a stone house.”

Once he is mounted you take the spot behind him this time, in an attempt to keep him in the saddle. “Yes, I remember it now...”

...

- 9 years ago -

You’ve fallen into a routine, where every morning an hour before sunrise you wait in the underground passage to see if Yoongi will show. It’s been over a week since he’s visited last. In the year you’ve known him he has never stuck to a schedule, his visits are random but frequent. You pass the time waiting with a travel log of a famous explorer, and an atlas for reference, studying the map and marking his trek as you pass through the pages. Cartography has long become a hobby of yours, much to the disappointment of your mother, she deemed such interests as unladylike forcing you to hide your activities. Though your hands stained with ink from your nightly studies, have betrayed you on more than one occasion.

The trap door to the outside opens, revealing your long awaited friend. “Yoongi!” You run and pull him into a hug. When you allowed him to rest here and tend to your brother as needed, you never thought that he would become your salvation too, your craved glimpse into the outside world which you have long since been denied. “You said you’d only be gone a few days!”

“I know forgive me princess, something came up. The travel back was slower than expected.”

“Were you able to do what I requested?”

“I was.” He pulls out several pages you had torn from your atlas marking them with details important to those of his kind. “Excuse my penmanship. It’s not as practiced as it once was.”

Dismissing his concerns with a wave of your hand you peer down at the sheets eager to see the world from his eyes, starting with the details closest to your own home. “Who is Seokjin?” You ask pointing to a dark spot labelled ‘Seokjin’s Post’ less than a day's ride away.

“I see you waste no time.” Yoongi smiles at your enthusiasm. “A member of my clan, a keeper, one who is stationed at a waypoint for ease of travel.”

“A keeper?” You ask unfamiliar with the vampiric title.

“One who has a claim to our land, and can give permission to other vampires to enter. It’s an honour to be trusted with such a responsibility.”

“Are you a keeper?”

“A form of keeper, yes, I share claim to the main stronghold with our clan’s lord. It took me near a quarter century as a clan hunter to be given permission to even enter, and three times as long to gain my current status. It is a prestigious role, but also a double edged sword, for it also is what keeps me away.”

“I should like to see it.”

“My clan’s fortress? No, I will never take you there, your scent could plunge the whole estate into chaos.”

You frown at the inability to visit his station, but continue to search the map. Finding another castle marked much like his own out to the west. “What of this one? ‘Lord Taehyung’s Fortress,’ you have never spoken of him.”

Yoongi goes rigid as he hovers over the mapped sheets with you. “I have not, for he is of a different clan, with far darker ambitions than our own. I choose to mark it as a warning and a place to avoid. If you should ever hear of or be near someone in his service, run. Run as far and fast as you can.”

You swallow any further questions regarding the rival clan, uneased by Yoongi’s words. Changing the subject again to learn more of your confidant and friend. “Where did you come from if you have not always resided with your clan.”

Yoongi forgoes the sheets you have given him of the surrounding area, taking the atlas out of your hands, he flips the pages to a wider view of the land. “I come from out here.” Pointing to an area not on the page, but to the right of the book, far more east than the last recorded city.

“Off map? Could we visit your old home instead?” You ask, your excitement bubbling to the surface.

“No it is far more than a night’s journey away, making it too long of a trek for you. It would take months on foot, and even if we were to make it, I doubt there would be much left, for the hearth kept by my family grew cold long ago.”

“I would like to see the area at the very least. We could get a horse. Money is no object, I have-”

“Princess, even still, your absence would be noticed. You cannot just disappear for weeks on end and return when you please. You would lose your home, your own station.”

“What if I told you that I don’t want to be a princess. That my dream is to leave this castle, and find an adventure with you.”

...

- 5 ½ years ago -

For years this disagreement raged between you both, with you desiring to leave, and him insisting you must stay. His return is always a bright moment, but your partings always cast a dark shadow when he once again embarks alone. Existence without him in the kingdom is so cold and rigid, to the point where you’ve come to rely on his visits to breathe life back into you, needing his company to live as much as your brother needs his blood. To your dismay the length between each of his appearances grows longer. Though his apologies still accompany him each time you must wait beyond his promised return.

“I told you, you should invest in a horse.” You mutter as you cling to him, greeting him with your usual hug the second he slips into the underground tunnel.

His hand draws across your back soothing you with his presence. “And I’ve told you I don’t need one for myself alone.”

“Then you will get one when we leave together?” You ask, pulling away looking up with hopeful eyes.

“Princess...” He growls as you once again bring up the dreaded topic.

“We need to talk about this Yoongi. We can’t go on like this forever.”

“No, but how is your brother? What would happen if you left?” Yoongi asks, setting up his bed roll for you both to sit on. He never leaves anything behind out of concern that someone in your family will find it while he’s away. Requiring him to get re-situated upon every return.

“He is well...” Your statement trails off unable to make a further valid argument regarding his situation.

“But that could change in an instant. And if you’re not here-”

“I might not be here much longer anyway!” Your statement hangs in the air between you both.

His face reads only of confusion, with his mouth hanging open as he attempts several false starts to respond. “Wh-What do you mean?”

You take your seat next to Yoongi determined to make him see it your way this time. There has been something weighing on you, feelings that you’ve found difficult to approach, but if you don’t say it now you worry you’ll never get to. “I am eighteen Yoongi, and well of age to marry. There have been suggestions of prospects and matches. I’ve tried delaying them but I know I will not stay in this castle much longer either way.”

His eyes darken and brows furrow. “I suppose congratulations are in order then.” His words in no way match his expression.

“No, they are not! I don’t want that life, I’ve told you this before. I have no wish to leave this castle only to become locked in another. You know that is what will happen! Any union made will be to benefit the kingdom in an alliance, they will have their own expectations, their own walls I cannot cross.”

“Maybe that is for the best though. You will live the life you were intended, saving you from a life with a monst-”

“You are not a monster Yoongi, I do not need saving from you!”

“If not from me, then at least from my kind. I cannot give you the life nor the safety which lies here, or in another castle with your own kind. A life alongside a vampire will not have a happy end.”

“And what of a life without living one’s dream? Without the one you’ve come to admire and befriend. Can that have a happy end? Would it not bother you to yield me to another who is not as kind, nor caring as you? Yoongi, I lo-”

Yoongi emits a low growl halting your argument and paramount confession. “I profess I would loathe to lose you too, but dreams and desires change. I do not wish for you to regret your path with me as I once regretted choosing this life too. If it weren’t for you... ” His voice trails off as he hangs his head in shame. “I could not bear to see you suffer knowing I brought you the pain which haunted me for years. The loss of a family, of a home, I do not wish for you to endure the same.”

“Then what would convince you? What will show you I am truly earnest in my desire?” You ask hoping to find the answer to not only show your determination to leave, but your true feelings for him too.

He pauses the discussion, getting up to pace the room. His fingers run through his hair as he ponders your query. “I don’t want you forced into this because of circumstances beyond your control...” He stops his stride mid thought, and glances to you.“I can still supply your brother with blood if you choose to marry, and leave my side. Now in having that safety I need to know that you’ve given this consideration more time. Without the weight of your brother's life hanging over you.”

“It has been all I’ve wanted these past few years, to leave this place with you.”

“But first I need you to give this life the honest chance without my presence. I will leave you with enough of my blood for the time I’m gone. Though we should discuss who you will entrust to take care of him if you are in another castle, or with me.”

“My lady’s maid.” You suggest, for you know she loves him as much as you, though she tries to keep it concealed. “I would trust his life to her, but how long do you plan to stay away?”

“My clan intends to launch a wave of hunters into rival territory, it’s the best chance we have to take down Taehyung’s stronghold.” Yoongi explains while returning to the seat next to you. “If we can do this before you wish to leave then I will be as far greater ease to take you from here, but knowing that they are out there now worries me when it comes to your safety.”

“How long Yoongi?” You reiterate, scared by his avoidance of your question.

“Six months.”

“But that’s such a long time!”

“If you want to leave with me you will have to endure it, but I wish for you to take this time and consider your options. Don’t close every door yet, simply because of how you feel now.”

You inch closer to him, “My answer will be the same half a year from now. I want you to take me will you.”

“Nevertheless, I would like to wait, and hear it again upon my return.”

“I will do as you ask, but after that wait, I expect you to be ready for me to leave alongside you. We’ll need a travel plan, supplies, and a decent horse too.”

“Whatever you require, I will have. I’ll even let you name the stead.” Yoongi promises with a smirk. Taking the glass vial of blood he uses on his patients from his coat, he gives it to you. Cupping your hands as you take it from him, he leans in, putting his lips enticingly close to your own. “I’ll be back for your final answer, just please think it over. I will bear you no ill will if you decide...” He pauses, a grimace weighing heavy on his expression. “If you decide, you would be better off if you forgot me entirely, and moved on with your life.”

“I would never wish to forget you.” You give another thought to confessing further, telling him how much you’ve grown to love him. How you crave more than just to leave with him. Wishing to close the gap between you and seal your deal with a kiss. But despite your determination to confess to him earlier, you hold your tongue and lips in place. Suspecting that he will dismiss those desires too. When he returns, you reason with yourself, putting it off for a little longer. Yes, then you will express it all to him.

...

Just as Yoongi said, further down the road and nestled between the trees, there resides a small stone house. Had you not been looking for it, you might have missed it entirely. You stop with a pull of the reins, sliding down from the saddle you tie the horse to an outdoor post, and proceed to help the increasingly catatonic vampire with his own dismount.  Propping one of his arms over your shoulder you approach the dwelling and hammer on the door.

A booming voice responds from the other side. “It damn well took you long enough!” It opens to reveal a tall man draped in a spattering of blood, extending from his broad shoulders to the small of his waist. He curses upon the sight of you and the barely conscious Yoongi on your shoulder. “I told him he wasn’t well enough to return to you alone.”

He looks human at first glance but a small chuckle reveals pointed teeth hidden by his set of full lips. “‘I must do this Seokjin,’” The vampire utters in his imitative tone of Yoongi. “‘Just look after this one’s body for me.’ That is the last time I do you a favour. I swear I’ve never seen a vampire’s corpse so saturated with blood.... even ruined my favourite shirt.”

Seokjin takes Yoongi from you and calls out to another. “Namjoon? Come help me with this determined fool and his human princess.”

You cringe from the unexpected use of your title, but the vampire pays you no mind. Looking to his human partner who descends the stairs. Namjoon ushers you into their residence, looking troubled by the state of your soggy clothes.

Just as with the abandoned house from the night the windows have heavy shutters that close from the inside, most of which are currently open, letting in the night air. But this dwelling is thankfully well lit, with several lanterns bolted to the walls, a fire roaring off to the side, and an iron candelabra at the centre of a massive wooden table.

The vampires take the lead up the narrow wooden stairs, with you and Namjoon trailing behind. Gliding through an open door in the upper hall, Seokjin places your now fully unconscious companion on the bed of a well furnished room. He takes Yoongi’s tunic and tears it open, exposing a trail of burns down his throat and chest.

“I’ve never witnessed a silver poisoning to this extent. It’s a miracle he was able to still retrieve you.” Seokjin mutters.

Namjoon grabs a blanket from the cupboard, and wraps it around your damp shoulders, before attempting to take you from the room. “Come let's get you some dry clothes.”

But you stand firm and refuse to be parted from Yoongi. Concern grows within you over Seokjin’s statement. “Will he- will he recover?”

“Yes, but it’ll take time. Though if he feeds soon, his injuries will heal far quicker.”

“Do you have any blood on hand?” You ask on his behalf. “With his supply poisoned he has nothing else to drink.”

Seokjin’s eyes bore into you expectantly, a smile coming to the corner of his lips. “Am I not looking at his blood consort now? Has he not fed from you?”

You shake your head, backing away from Yoongi’s supposed ally.

He takes in your reaction with a tilt to his head. “That must have been a struggle for him, considered I’m using all my power to not feed from you now.”

Namjoon steps in between. “Let her be Seokjin, you know who she is, and where she’s been kept. She’s clearly scared to do so, I can spare-”

The smirk on the vampire’s face dies with the offer of his human. “You will do no such thing! Your blood is mine, and mine is yours is it not?”

“It is, however-”

“Then that is the end of this discussion. If she wishes to help him then she must make that sacrifice, not you.” The vampire pushes his human out of the room before he turns back to you. “If I were in your position I would heal him, and do so quickly... for he has given up far more for you than a few drops of blood.” Seokjin then shuts the door behind him, leaving you alone with Yoongi.

You pace back and forth at the foot of the bed, hugging your blanket close in comfort. When you consider feeding him, your anxiety starts to rise to an undesirable peak, with the feeling of your heart rising to your throat and pounding in your ears. Your mind can’t help but draw on the memories of Taehyung's feeding, but this instance is different, with you in control, and the one who requires blood is not a monster but your past saviour, and love.

You empty his bags on the desk provided in the room. Making one last effort to look for any additional store of blood that might have remained unpolluted. Finding nothing but clothes, and basic supplies, until the roll of surgical instruments hits the wooden surface with a dull thud. Left with no other option but the tools before you, you grow more determined to push down the horrors of your past. Doing it for the sake of Yoongi, and the returning portion of you who adores him so adamantly.

Freeing one of the knives, you take a deep breath, and slice along the partially opened scar on your hand. The pain takes control for a moment, forcing your jaw to clench and your breath to seethe between your teeth, as the sight of scarlet turns your stomach. But seeing Yoongi suffering brings your mind back to focus as the blood wells to the surface, creating a thick pool in your palm. You go to him and straddle his form taking his chin in one hand to open his mouth. You clench your ruby drenched fist and tilt it over him. The first drip hits Yoongi’s lip, the second entering his mouth. His eyes fly open, and a snarl leaves his throat. Reaching out he grabs your hand, not to draw it closer but to push it back towards you.

“You’ve spilled enough of your blood for my kind.” He whispers, his ache evident in the hoarseness of his tone.

“Seokjin said you needed it. Will you just take it.”

“No! I have no wish to become the next monster who haunts your dreams.”

“You won’t, I remember now. From my first time meeting you, all the way up to our parting. You did so much for me and my family. You were right in saying those you feed off of were not your victims, I saw how they suffered from illness and injury.” Your voice starts to quake as you force it all out, confining his depth of importance to you to a few small statements is no easy task. “I understand why you feared your influence over me in the past. But please, know now, I do not consider myself a casualty of yours. I give you my blood of my own free will.”

You offer your hand once again but Yoongi doesn’t move his narrow gaze giving the impression that his decision is final. “Very well.” You counter, as you cup your hand with your own, pressing down on the wound as you consider the already escaped blood. “It seems a shame to waste it though. Maybe your friend Seokjin will take it, he appeared to be interested.” You play your bluff, hoping to gain a rise out of him the way Seokjin claimed Namjoon.

Shifting your weight, you ready to leave, but Yoongi moves faster, pulling you down to lay beneath him. “Why must you be so stubborn?” He mutters as he places one hand gently over your eyes obstructing your view of him. “Please, if I am to do this don’t look. I don’t want you to remember me by this act.” His other hand takes your blood soaked palm in his grip before he finally presses his lips to the dripping wound.

The tug of his mouth on your skin is gentle lasting only for a few seconds. His tongue then starts to drift down the scarlet trails that lead across your fingers, licking every inch of your skin clean. His touch is soft and attentive, you find yourself enjoying his caress, forgetting entirely the purpose of his actions. But it’s soon brought to an end when a soft scrape of his fangs crosses your knuckles, with your immediate instinct to flinch, it incites him to draw back and apologize.

He removes himself from your hand, and turns to draw his own blood. When he goes to press it to your laceration he hesitates and gives you his assurance. “This will only heal it. Do you trust me to do that?”

You nod with a deep breath and clenched teeth, dreading this part most, you look away until the tingling sensation of the skin's repair stops. When your gaze returns to the spot you find it without flaw, for his blood had also erased the scar of Taehyung. Tears begin to prick the corner of your eyes .  

Yoongi wipes at the edge of his mouth taking away the dark remnants of your blood. “I didn’t hurt you did I?”

“No, quite the opposite. Thank you for taking it away.”

“I’m sorry you had to bear his marks for so long.” His lips kiss the newly healed skin of your hand before he lays down on the bed next to you. As much as he tries to hide it you can see that he’s still weary from the silver. Your fingers trace down the slowly fading burn of his throat, a rumble of contentment flowing from it as his eyes close.

Embracing the softness of the bed you were promised earlier, and far too weary to change out of your damp clothes you join him in sleep.

...

You rest for only a few hours with the sun starting to break across the horizon, shocked but grateful that no appearance of Taehyung brought halt to your peaceful slumber. Rising to close the shutters to the light, you leave Yoongi to his sleep.

You open the door a slight amount, checking to see if anyone else is about, when you find a form of kindness you had not expected on the floor in front of your room. It would seem that Namjoon must have brought food while you slept, a small collection of bread, cured meat, and fruit awaits you along with the clothes he promised. Though your current outfit is now dry, you take the fresh garments inside for a later change before you depart in the evening. The food however, barely lasts a few minutes in your presence. For you indulge hastily on the wonderful meal as you sit at the rather cluttered desk.

Naturally, the mess you made earlier in the night still remains, the contents of Yoongi bags strewn over the desk and floor. Once finished with your plate, you start to pack the clothes and supplies all away again until there are only a few items left, including a piece of folded parchment lying in the corner. You flatten it out across the surface of the workspace, reuniting yourself with Yoongi’s map.

Of course, it wasn’t always his. No, this was the map that you had made from the fragments and pages he recorded. It was intended to be a gift for him upon his return after those long six months apart. Every stroke of the pen, every hour, and every drop of ink which bled into this creation brought you so much joy. But you also remember the sorrow that led to the error, the blotch left while trying to conceal the map before the ink had set.

...

-5 years ago-

It has been seven months since Yoongi’s departure, with no whisper or hint to his whereabouts. The blood supply he had given you was fully consumed in the past fortnight. You assure your lady’s maid, whom you imparted with the knowledge of the cure, that your friend will return soon. But still you wait for him, while putting the finishing touches to the map in the form of an ornate compass rose.

With the final mark of ink in place, your mother bursts into your room, consumed by a wealth of tears. You fold the map in haste, and tuck it under a book. Thankful that she is too distraught to realize that you should be in bed and not at your desk, but the news she shares gives grave reason to her oversight. Your brother had fallen from his own earlier in the night, causing a lesion to the back of his head. Without the aid of your vampire, you know it to be a likely death sentence.

Come near dawn, you wait in the hidden passage, praying for Yoongi to show. But when the sun comes to rise without his presence, you can only hope that your brother will survive this day without the medicine he’s grown so dependent on. However, as night falls, his health worsens, and the physicians resort to bleeding him again. You try to stop them, but that only results in you being banished from his room.

With no other options left, in the late hours of night, you don another of your maid’s old dresses, tugging it out from your hiding spot, and replacing it with the finished map which now bears an unfortunate scar. Taking your usual path you escape to the town of your kingdom. Your plan, to pace every street until you find him, or another who might know of his whereabouts.  

...

Your memory fails to pass the darkened cobblestone roads which frame your search. Leaving you to conclude that was when you were found by your capture of these past five years. Yoongi was right, the open night is dangerous for one such as yourself, even so he left you with little choice, he broke his promise first.

There’s a creak from the bed behind you, but you keep your focus forward on the map, still trying to piece it all together. Until two hands wrap around your waist and Yoongi’s chin comes to rest on your shoulder.

“You said you would come back.” You remain still in his arms, scolding the vampire with tears threatening to spill from your eyes. “Why didn’t you return to me as promised.”

Yoongi turns you around to face him, raising your chin with his finger. “You remember our arrangement?” You nod your response, refusing to meet his gaze, until he lowers his own head in disappointment. “There were... difficulties. I know it does not excuse my broken oath in full, but I was prevented from going to you.” He sits you back down in the desk chair and kneels before you, taking your hand in his. “Taehyung had found the hunters we were attempting to embed in his ranks. He dealt us a swift blow with their deaths, and then sent his men east, towards our fortress, and your kingdom. The keepers, such as myself, were ordered by our own lord to remain within the walls of our residences, out of concern that we might be captured and lured into giving Taehyung's clan access.”

“Then you should have sent word of your delay!” You cut in, had you known this you never would have left to find him.

“I did. I wrote a letter and sent it by raven, telling you to stay within the castle walls no matter what. That it was far too dangerous for you on the outside, and my return would be a longer wait. But I received no reply. I thought then that you did not want to hear from me, that you had chosen a different path. It was weeks before my raven returned badly injured. I feared then that my warning might have gone astray.” He sighs, as continues to recount  the dark narrative. “I couldn’t remain a willing captive of my own home when I know you might be in danger. So I renounced my title, I gave away my claim and access to the stronghold. Lowering myself to the status of clan hunter so I could leave and find you. But I was too late, you were already gone and well beyond my reach. I searched your room looking for any clues as to how you ended up in his hands. I found no dress, and only that in your drawer.” He nods over to the map.

“I have spent the past five years trying to correct my mistake of not going to you sooner, for not leaving with you when you asked. But when I found you again, without your memories, I had no way of knowing the choices you made or any feelings you had previous to your captivity. I kept our past from you so as to not impact your previous decisions with my own desires. If you thought me to be a monster who groomed you for my own needs, I would back away. If you were just catering to me to save the life of your brother, I wanted you to be free of that.”  His hand comes to the side of your face, with a finger dotting at a tear that had fallen from the corner of your eye. “I’m aware I don't deserve it, but please I must know. What was your decision before I let you down so horrifically, what was it that led you to be in his custody?”

“I never felt pushed to stay by you because of my brother's condition. I had no wish to marry nor leave with another, it was never simply about journeying outside the castle for an adventure. I wanted to be with you. Those six months we spent apart only confirmed what I did not wish to tell you out of worry you might dismiss those feelings too. I loved you, and still do.”

Yoongi chokes out a wavering sigh of relief, lowering your head by his hand, he presses his forehead to yours. “And I you, your highness. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I didn’t listen. I just didn’t want to unknowingly imprison you by my side with-without-”

“I know.” You whisper back. “You were right to be concerned, I was young and sheltered. I do not blame you for what happened. When the blood ran out, I could wait no longer. I had to find you. I went into the town but that is the last I remember.”

“And there you were taken.” Yoongi pulls back pausing as he bites his lip. “Now that you remember. Has your desire to return home changed?”

“I-I don’t think it can Yoongi. I still have so many gaps in my past. I hope that my return will mend that, as my time with you has brought light to our own history. Despite that, even if I was whole, the loss of my brother, it-it complicates things.”

“Your kingdom needs you to have an heir, a son to maintain the line of the crown.” He swallows glumly, as you reach out to clutch his hand. “Something that I cannot give you.”      

“When my duty was just for the sake of pleasantries between kingdoms I could find it within reason to leave, but now, the kingdom’s people, the ones you’ve helped to save are at stake.”

Yoongi gives you a solemn nod. “At least now you can be certain you will not be sent away.”

“Once I return home...” You pull back, folding your hands on your lap, fidgeting while you ask the next important question of him.  “Will you plan to stay nearby like before? You will not leave me alone again will you?”

“I must. With my lower position now, I will likely be sent back into Taehyung’s land again. Though I will be glad of it, for I can not stay still while he is still hunting, and risk you falling prey to him again. And for the sake of our attachment I feel that our parting would be easier on the both of us. Especially since it will not be long before you are asked to-”

“Marry?” You let out a deep breath of air in an attempt to dispel the building weight in your chest. Is he right to think that upon your return you’ll be bound to another so soon? You hope that there would be time to find yourself again, to re-educate your mind into what it was before. But how long will that take and how patient will your parents be without the line of succession secured. You can only hope any man who is chosen will be... will be, “Though I wish it to be you who remains by my side, if my future husband has half the character of you I should be so lucky.”

“Do not say that.” His voice cracks with his hushed plea.

“Why not?”

He stands up before you, pulling you from your seat, and tucking you into his chest. He holds you there while with one hand to your back, and the fingers of the other rooting amongst your hair. He breathes in deeply, whispering the challenges to his choice. “Because it’ll make leaving you so much harder. You made my cursed existence not only bearable, but desirable. When I consider the possibility of spending my life, with the one who gave me purpose, who saw me not as a monster but as a salvation, who I came to love more than I thought possible.” Yoongi lifts your head again, directing you to look up at him. “An eternity with you, is the greatest temptation of all.”

You reach up to take his face in your hands, delivering a solemn kiss to his lips before pulling away.“If we can not have eternity, what of one moment within it? One final memory together to help us through the time we must spend apart. Can you give me that? Can you give me yourself?”

Yoongi’s mouth comes down to you in search of another, the wave of passion in his approach is so much stronger and forceful than your own. His tongue, endeavouring to taste you in a far different manner than hours ago. “You already have me, my blood, my life, my love, it’s all yours.”

He picks you up and returns you to the bed with him, tugging off his oversized shirt, while you remove your own. His mouth seeks out your neck, your collarbone, and downward soon finding the peaks of your chest. He’s soft and careful not to leave a mark as his lips tug gently on your skin. With each graze of his tongue he insights an inadvertent reaction from you, in the form of a moan or twitch. As your fingers tangle in his locks, his eyes gazing up to look for your expression. “Are you sure you wish to continue?”

You lower your hand to his face, dragging your fingers across his cheek and lips. “Yes, I can’t tell you how much I desire a memory like this.”

He stands to remove your pants before lowering back down to hover over you on his hands and knees, straddling you as you lay on the feathered mattress. His fingers trail down the side of your chest, your waist, you hip, before moving inward to reach between your folds. You inhale with the first touch of his fingers to your slit. As his index starts to stroke from the inside, his thumb circles your clit. Forcing you to groan into his mouth which comes down again to cover yours.

Once he appears satisfied with the wetness pooling around his digits. He pulls out and takes his finger to his mouth with a hungry moan. Cursing as it slips out from his lips.

Your face heats up, embarrassed by his reaction. “Surely you are making too much fuss over it.”

“You think I don’t find you enjoyable? That I can’t see, feel or taste how divine you are?”

You grin, taking pleasure words despite their boastful nature. “Divine? No, you are just too kind to say otherwise.”

“Then allow me to prove you wrong.” Yoongi smirks, adjusting to take his place between your legs.

“What do you intend to-” He answers your question before you can finish, his mouth latching firmly onto your cunt. Your words lost as he takes in a long draft, his tongue playing along darts inside of you before shifting up to tease your most sensitive spot. When paired with his fingers, which once again come to stretch your inside, you do not stand more than a minute before biting the pillow to muffle your scream. Drenching his mouth and hands with your cum.

“As I said divine.” Yoongi grins as he looks up at you, his lips glistening with your fluids. After leaving  you with no energy to debate his notion you can only nod and accept his truth. He cleans his fingers once again with his tongue, before sending them to undo the laces of his trousers.

When his cock slips free he takes your hand, guiding it along to stroke his shaft. His head falls back in pleasure, giving you the confidence to grow bolder. You sit up to meet him pulling his length down to glide along the outside of your folds and become wet with your slick.

You find to his mouth again with a kiss as he throbs against the inside of your legs and mound. “You are sure of this then?” He asks one last time.

“I am.” You promise looking into his eyes as he leans you back and guides his cock past your folds. The air in your throat catches, and your eyes flutter as you adapt to the sensation of him inside you.

The back of his fingers brushing at your cheek before folding out to cup your face. “Still with me?”

You nod back, pushing your lips to his upper chest and shoulder as you adjust to him. Yoongi lowers you back down to the bed, cradling your form as you descend. Finally cocooning you in a close embrace, with his nose buried in the nape of your neck.

His cock swells, and you arch your back in response, meeting his chest with yours. With his arm tucked around, he keeps you in that position. Dragging his hips away and towards, his thrusts come slow as your arousal coats his shaft. Every push becomes easier for you to take, but it would seem it’s harder for him to hold on. His forehead comes to rest on your shoulder a rasping grunt, as he remains inside. He changes tactics and turns to tend to your neck instead, slowing his pace to a halt, as he kisses the marked spot.

You take note of a low growl emitting from him as he continues to lavish the spot. He must hate it as much as you, his failure to come to you in time on display before him. But you know no amount of simple affection will remove the spot from view.

“Yoongi?” You ask in concern as his disdainful rumbles grow louder. Adjusting your head to get a glimpse of his pained face, you find a dampness forming in the duct of his eye.  “Yoongi, is it-”

“I hate how he continues to mark you. It shouldn’t be here between us.”

“Then take it.” You suggest, for you like him are unable to tolerate it any longer.

He looks fearful of what you ask, his eyes wide as he explains, “I’ll need to break the skin.”

“Then do it. Please, help rid me of this too.” You tuck his head back down so his lips come to rest against your neck. No longer fearing such an act with him, not after the gentleness he showed you before.

His mouth opens with his teeth dragging across the scar. There’s a brief prick of pain before the spot is soothed by his lips. Yoongi’s groans of satisfaction start to encourage and blend with your own, his arms continuing to embrace you and coddle you.

With his still mouth fixed to your neck, you feel as his tongue turns beneath his teeth, and with a swift bite he laps his own blood on to the fresh wound. The lingering pain soon falls away as the skin heals. Your head swims in a state between dizziness and pleasure, a sense of euphoria takes over.

You place your hands on his hips wanting him to resume, craving more of his pleasure. And so the thrusts return with Yoongi’s hand pressed to the small of your back, ensuring that your clit grinds against him as he pushes deeper. He dives into you to the point where you can hear the dull thump of the bed frame against the wall.  You wish you could hold on longer, you wish you didn’t have to let go, you find yourself whispering Yoongi’s name repeatedly as if it might change that. Only to be left stuttering between breaths as you claim your last climax.

He pulls out after his own release, hovering as he smiles down on the sight of you, and your legs wrapped around his thighs. After taking a moment to collect himself he goes to grab the washing dish and jug of water, dipping the supplied towel he proceeds to take care of what he left behind. You attempt to claim the cloth from him, as he lingers between your thighs, but he insists on being though. With a grin tugging at his lip each time the towel passes over your sensitive flesh and causes you to twitch.

“I will not forget this, not ever.” Yoongi whispers once finished, as he takes to your side covering you over with the blanket.

You nod in agreement, brushing the hair from his face. “When it is all done, I want you to come back to me. I don’t care how long, I have to see you again.”

“I-I will try, but I cannot promise I will survive this task. If my demise will allow me to stand between you and him then I will gladly become that barrier.” You gasp ready to argue against such a sacrifice, but one tap of his finger to your lip stops your conflict in its place, allowing him to finish. “Rest now. Think not of what we can’t change.”  

You curl into Yoongi trying to do as he suggests. Though just as you get comfortable there’s an unexpected tap on the shutters of your room, a circumstance made even more surprising when you remember yourself to be on the second floor of the house. Your vampire rises, careful to open the window so no light shines on him. Allowing a raven to make its way inside.

Yoongi is quick to free it of a rolled letter attached to its foot before releasing the bird and blocking out the window behind it. As his eyes scan the paper, his brow furrows and his hand clenches the parchment to the point where it starts to crackle in his grip. He proceeds to throw back on his clothes, not even bothering to change out his torn shirt, while keeping the letter clutched in his hand.  

“Yoongi, is something-”

“I need to talk to Seokjin. Stay here.” He growls bursting out the door in a formidable rage, slamming it behind him. You give time for him to descend the steps before crawling from your bed wrapped in the sheet and leaning your ear to the solid wood that bars you from the hall, but nothing can be heard through the thick barrier.

You can not help but fear what might be wrong for Yoongi to react in such a way. Going against his command you throw the clothes Namjoon left you and ready to exit your room. Carefully pulling on the latch of the door so as to not make a sound. You ease through the smallest crack you can muster before settling at top of the stairs, hidden from the view of the floor below. The voice of the vampires trailing up from the main room.

“You have her smell all over you, lucky bastard,” Seokjin groans. “How did she taste?”

Yoongi doesn’t answer the question, posing his own instead, with a rustle of parchment and a loud thump on the table. “How long, how long have you known of this?”

“Yoongi-” Seokjin responds, the uncertainty of his tone is a jarring contrast from your own previous interaction with him.

“Answer me Seokjin!”

“I couldn’t tell you, you gave up your position, because of her. You know there is information we must keep from the hunters in case it falls into the wrong hands. I’ve known this to be the truth since you first went to recover her from Taehyung. We all knew it was your primary goal to retrieve her, but I wasn’t allowed to say anything that might cause a change in course from you. If you had known you would not have led her this way.”

“So you kept me in the dark? All these years?” Yoongi seethes. “I promised I would take her home! And you're just now sharing with me that I can’t? You didn’t care if I knew the whole truth, just as long as in the end I brought her closer to the clan’s reach?”

“We can keep her safe.”

“No, she deserves her life away from us. She has been tortured enough Seokjin. How am I supposed to tell her this? She was just starting to recover, to remember her past, and to trust me again, but this... it will break her. She won’t accept this new fate if this is your only solution.”

“Then don’t tell her, don’t give her a chance to refuse. She accepted your blood, did she not? Use it to send her off to sleep and don’t wake her again until she’s resting comfortably behind the clan’s walls. You can return to your old life, Hoseok will grant you your title back if you do this, I’m sure of it. You can be the high keeper again, with your princess safe by your side.”

There’s a loud clamour and groan, prompting you to peak just around the edge to witness the struggle. There on the table, Yoongi has pinned Seokjin, his fingers wrapped around the vampire's neck.

Seokjin doesn’t appear to be too put off despite his situation, choosing instead to give advice to the one who has him by the throat. “You’re immortal Yoongi, she is not, you need to remember that. Her sadness will be only temporary if she chooses to hold it against you, but if you go against us now you will be alone, without a clan for eternity.”

Yoongi stands there in silence, no more refusals, no more rebuttals. Instead of continuing to argue on your behalf, he nods and lets Seokjin up from the table. His fellow vampire claps him on the shoulder and mutters, “You’ve made the right choice old friend. Hoseok will be pleased to have you back in the clan’s coven.”

While they embrace every part of you is lit ablaze with pain and anger. You both had been played, but he... he acquiesced to his puppeteer, and plans to string you up too. There’s nothing that could willingly compel you to take shelter in a castle full of vampires again... with Yoongi by your side though? You consider the notion for a fraction of a second before a resounding ‘no’ takes hold. Your younger self might have gone, and willingly so, but now the cost to you and your people is far too great.

With the growing list of broken promises, how long before the vow of safety fractures for the sake of his clan too? What is there to stop the situation from evolving into your own past with Taehyung? You can not, you will not endure that kind of life again.

With your only option being to run, your head concocts a plan to flee. Creeping back to the bedroom you crack the window open, and glance over the edge, thankful to see that there are several crates stacked close enough for you to reach with your feet. If you’re lucky Yoongi will stay downstairs for some time and have no reason to believe you’ve flown from his side. Fitting a spare cloak you escape out the window taking the map with you. Climbing down you flee towards the stables out back.  

There you find the horse without a proper name, another painful reminder of Yoongi’s promises, and inability to return. Forcing you to recognize the constant pull between you and his clan. Your heart is left broken down the line of betrayal and understanding, for how can you entirely fault him when you yourself are determined to return to your own kingdom at the expense of his happiness. In the end the both of you are left to suffer the pain of duty over love.

Not wanting to journey with such a bitter token of the past, you choose the other smaller stead stolen from the hunters instead. Mounting the horse, you ride off into the noonday sun, eager to make it home before he or his kind have the ability to alter your course.

[pterodactylterrace]

Guys Like You ~ENDING~

Title: Guys Like You

Chapter: 20

Chapter Summary: My ill fated attempt to tie everything up nice and pretty and end on a positive note. In my head, this went a different way, but I decided to go the happy route for everyone

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Mentions of blood and childbirth 

“I feel like a blimp.” Faye groaned, giving up on trying to fasten her sandals herself and plopping down on the bed instead.

“I think you’re gorgeous.” Henry soothed, straightening out his tie in the mirror and crouching down to help her with her shoes.

“I can’t see my feet.”

“They’re still here.” Henry chuckled, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her swollen belly.

“What about my vagina?” Faye grouched, smoothing a hand along her bump.

“I plan on thoroughly investigating that later.” Henry purred, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Why not now?”

“Because we’ll be late if we do. Now come along, darling. We both know everyone is dying to see the bump.” Henry encouraged, standing and gently helping her to her feet. They had posted earlier that week to his Instagram about their newest addition. Just a picture of a Superman onesie, captioned “Baby Boy Cavill, coming early next spring.” To say it had blown up would be an understatement. This was going to be their first public outing since they had announced the pregnancy. Faye had gone back and forth several times on whether or not she had wanted to actually accompany him, ultimately deciding to spend the evening out with her fiancé.

“Carry me?” Faye whined, giving him a pouty look.

“I’ll carry you around all you like after the premiere. If we show up in wrinkled clothing, people may get the wrong idea.”

“Henry, I’m pretty sure they know we’ve been having sex.” Faye pointed out, gesturing vaguely toward her belly. “Plus, you’ve done a wonderful job of making sure I’m satisfied at all times.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Henry chuckled, placing a hand on her lower back to urge her to the door and quickly readjusting himself in his suddenly too tight trousers. This woman was going to be the death of him. All she had to do was allude to sex, and all the blood would rush straight to his groin. He was fairly certain she had trained his dick to get hard with just a look, not that he was complaining. He’d heard several men grumbling about how their partners didn’t want anything when they were expecting. He seemed to get lucky with the opposite. She’d been much friskier during her first trimester, but after she hit the halfway point, she was damn near insatiable.

“Now make sure you behave. Hands to yourself.” Henry murmured in her ear, the couple stopping just long enough to remind the babysitter that Briar had to be in bed by eight and to tell the little girl goodbye.

“You were joking about the hands to myself thing, right?” Faye questioned almost as soon as the driver had rolled up the partition.

“It’s been less than two hours.” Henry half laughed, tangling his fingers with her wandering digits.

“So? Are you really going to turn down getting busy?”

“Darling, we’ll make a mess right before we end up in front of a ton of cameras.” Henry pointed out, kissing the back of her hand lovingly. “Just try to contain yourself for a few more hours, then I’ll be yours all night.”

“All night?”

“All night.” Henry confirmed, kissing her temple adoringly and gently placing a hand on her swollen stomach. “You look beautiful.” Henry whispered, shamelessly staring at her cleavage.

“Don’t be a tease.” Faye pouted.

“My apologies, darling.” Henry chuckled, resting his cheek against her head.

~*~

“I’m not leaving this house again until this baby is born.” Faye declared dramatically as she flopped down on the couch.

“Does that mean you’ve decided on a home birth?” Henry asked, glancing up from the puzzle Briar was trying to put together.

“Yes.” Faye growled, glaring down at her extended belly. “Tell me, Mr. Cavill. Is there a particular reason you decided to put a gigantic baby in me? Hmm? Is this some sort of payback for something?”

“Darling, the doctor said he’s only slightly larger than average.”

“Baby brother is BIG!” Briar giggled.

“Yes, he is.” Faye agreed, pushing herself up from her slouched position. “He also likes to kick Mommy in the ribs.”

“I’m sorry, darling.” Henry cooed, pushing himself up from the floor to sit next to her on the couch.

“You should totally carry the next kid.” Faye grumbled, leaning against him.

“I would if I could, darling.” Henry assured, wrapping his arm around her and kissing the top of her head.

“My feet are swollen, my belly is huge, I’m pretty sure I just peed a little and all I can think about is oranges.” Faye grumpily listed off, wiggling her way to the edge of the couch and rocking herself to her feet.

“Oh…” Henry mumbled, his eyebrows pulling together as he watched the wet darkness rapidly spread across the back of her sweats and down her legs.

“Oh shit.” Faye gasped, staring in horror at the wetness soaking into her pants. “Oh fuck… Henry!” She yelled, trying to peer over her stomach to see her legs.

“Yes?” Henry asked unsurely as he stood himself up, intent on cleaning the mess before it soaked in anymore.

“I don’t think that was pee.”

“What?”

“That. Wasn’t. Piss.” Faye ground out, snapping her head around to look at him.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to get me to understand, darling.” Henry admitted, his brows pulling together as he studied her face. “Wait… you don’t mean?” Henry whispered, realization washing over his face. “But he’s not due for another couple of weeks!”

“Well, it looks like he was just as tired of waiting as I was!” Faye grumbled.

“Mommy, you had an accident.” Briar pointed out as she put the last piece in her puzzle, hopping to her feet and scampering off down the hall, assuring her mother she would find her something else to wear as she ran off.

“Ok… I’m not going to panic.” Henry promised, more to himself rather than to his fiancé. “I’m going to call the doula and the nanny. Do you need me to help you to the bathroom?”

“I’m not contracting, I can walk.” Faye pointed out.

“Just in case it starts, then.” Henry suggested, resting one hand on her lower back and taking her hand with the other, keeping pace beside his fiancé as she did an odd combination of a shuffle and a waddle to the bathroom.

“FUCK!” Henry shouted as soon as the door was closed, his heavy footsteps falling down the hallway as he ran back to the living room, frantically trying to locate his phone. “KAL!” Henry called, his wild eyes darting around the room. “Kal where’s my phone?!”

“KITCHEN!” Faye yelled from the bathroom, rolling her eyes to herself. “So much for not panicking.”

“Thank you, Kal!” Henry called back, his rapid steps sounding again as he crossed the house, snatching his phone from where it was peacefully charging on the counter, hitting the contact number for the doula and impatiently listening to it ring.

“He does know the dog can’t talk; I promise.” Faye sighed, shoving her wet clothes down and sitting on the toilet to kick herself free. “Papa’s just a little excited right now. He’s going crazy waiting to meet you.” She assured her swollen stomach.

“Faye?” Henry called softly from the other side of the door, slowly cracking it open and giving her an apologetic smile. “She’s asking questions I don’t know the answer to.”

“What does she want to know?” Faye asked, watching as he slowly slid his giant frame into the bathroom with her.

~*~

“You’re doing so good, darling.” Henry whispered, gently running his hands up and down his fiancé’s back. “Another one’s coming up, deep breath.” He instructed, his eyes flicking to his watch back to Faye. He gripped her hips firmly and dug his thumbs in right where she’d shown him so many contractions ago, rubbing in slow small circles to ease the pain in her back.

“I wanna get in the tub.” Faye groaned as the tightness in her belly began to ease.

“Alright, darling. I’m going to need you to stand up with me.” Strong arms wrapped around her and slowly helped to her feet; an adoring kiss being planted to the crown of her head. “Now I need you to walk with me, can you do that?”

“Yeah. It’s not bad between the contractions.”

“I’ll be right here if you need me.” Henry assured, taking her small delicate hand into his calloused paw, slowly leading her to the bathroom. He let her rest against the sink as he fiddled with the taps, plugging the drain once the water had warmed.

“Fuck… Hen…” Faye hissed, her jaw clenching along with her distended abdomen.

“I’m right here, I’m right here.” Henry quickly took her back in his arms, letting her lean against him as he tried to find the spot on her back from the new angle.

“For fucks’ sake, how long has it been?” Faye groaned, helping Henry pull her shirt off and toss it onto the growing pile of laundry she was creating during her labor.

“Just over three hours.” Henry informed, biting his lip at his fiancé’s hopeless groan.

“That’s it?!”

“You’re doing so good.” Henry repeated, expertly unclasping her bra with one hand and casting it aside to help her step into the warm waiting water. He settled in next to the tub, holding his phone up where she could see it and pulling up one of her favorite shows, hoping to distract her.

~*~

“I wanna push.” Faye gasped, her knuckles going white as she squeezed the side of the tub, her entire body tense with a contraction.

“That’s great, that’s your body telling you you’re ready to have your baby.” The midwife assured, gently wiping her face with a wash rag. “You’re in charge here, how do you want to do this? Do you want to stay in the tub, or do you want to move somewhere else?”

“I’m staying.” Faye groaned, maneuvering herself to her knees with Henry’s help.

“You’re so close, darling.” Henry whispered, kissing her forehead adoringly, wincing slightly when her next contraction came, and her nails dug into his arm. “You’re doing so good.”

“Henry, I need you.” Faye hissed, desperate hands attempting to drag him into the tub with her. “Come here, please.” She pleaded, throwing her arms around his shoulders when he carefully lowered himself into the tub with her.

“I’m right here, darling. I’m right here.” Henry assured, rubbing her back softly, letting her lean into him as much as she wished. He paid no attention to the blood tinging the water or her nails digging into his shoulders. Instinct took over when Faye said she could feel the head coming. He reached between himself and his fiancé, gently cradling his son as he was pushed into the world.

“He’s here. He’s here.” Henry gasped after a final push, bringing the baby to his chest, quickly wrapping an arm around Faye’s shoulders to ease her back against the side of the tub.

“He’s here.” Faye breathed, a tired smile spreading across her face as Henry gently laid their son on her chest, peppering her forehead with adoring kisses and pushing her wet hair from her face.

“You did it, Faye.” Henry whispered, smiling down at the baby in her arms, his heart swelling with pride. She did that. His fiancé just brought a new life into the world. In that moment, he was simply blown away at just how strong she could be. It took almost all the mental focus he had remaining not to propose to her again, still crouching in the blood and goo filled water with her.

Reluctantly, Henry removed himself from the tub, taking a second to appreciate Faye’s demand of the oversized bathtub when they had renovated the bathroom. He was quick to rinse himself off in the other shower, throwing on dry sweats and returning to the bathroom where Faye was still gushing over their newest addition. The baby was handed to him while the midwife attended to his fiancé, draining the tub and gently rinsing away the sweat and mess clinging to her skin with a cool stream.

“He’s so tiny.” Henry whispered in awe, staring down at his minutes-old son.

“The hell he is!” Faye groaned, shooting him a look fit to kill.

“I think he agrees with you.” Henry grunted, his son’s chubby fist finding his chest hair and gripping it tightly, squirming his newly freed limbs the best he could in his tight swaddle.

“He’s only small compared to you.” The midwife compromised, Henry helping Faye step out of the tub with one arm, the other tightly cradling their son to his chest, hovering close as the midwife helped her to redress. “You have another child already, right? So, you know the bleeding is going to continue for a few weeks. Make sure you rest as much as you can. Now isn’t the time to be a hero. You’ve just gone through a lot; you need time to heal.”

“Can I have our son back now?” Faye asked, raising an amused brow at her already doting fiancé, who reluctantly handed the infant back to his mother.

“Rest, darling.” Henry reminded her, securing one arm around her rapidly deflated waist and holding her tight to his side, walking her back to their waiting bed, their son’s bassinet already pulled up close to her side.

“I wanna hold him a little more.” Faye pouted when Henry took the baby back, holding her hand to help her into bed the best he could.

“Lay down first. You’re getting shaky.”

“Then can I hold him?”

“I suppose, since you did just birth him an all.” Henry playfully sighed, handing off their son again and seating himself on the edge of the bed, content to just watch mother and child for the time being.

~*~

“Papa?” Briar yawned, shuffling into their room with her stuffed bunny in tow.

“Yes, princess?” Henry mumbled, already half asleep after changing his son and passing him back to his mother for a midnight feeding.

“He too noisy. Can you tell baby brother to be quiet? I can’t sleep.”

“You heard her, Liam. No more screaming in the middle of the night. You need to use your inside crying after 9pm.” Henry informed his young son, the only reply being his son’s usual cooing grunt as he continued to nurse.

“Sorry, Briar. He’s still little, he needs a lot of attention right now.”

“I like attention too.” Briar pouted, stubbornly climbing into their bed and perching herself on Henry’s stomach as she watched her mother.

“I know, baby. I’m sorry.” Faye sighed, fighting the tears welling in her eyes.

“How about Mummy takes you to the park for a little bit tomorrow?” Henry suggested

“Liam is too little to be bringing out to a playground, Hen.” Faye pointed out, relatching the child when he stopped to stare at her nursing bra in confusion.

“So feed him right before you go, and again when you get home. You need a break from baby duty, babe.” Henry suggested, shifting Briar off his stomach to sit next to him instead.

“I wanna go, Mommy!” Briar whined, looking up at her mother hopefully.

“What if he gets hungry while I’m gone?”

“I know damn well you have extra in the fridge. It’s a bit of a surprise when you add some of that into your coffee in the morning by mistake, by the way.”

“So that’s why I was missing some.”

“I thought it was that ‘fancy’ cream you get from the farmer’s market. I was wrong.”

“It was in the same bottle, though.”

“You little…” Henry grumbled, pushing himself up on his elbows to glare at her properly. “Why would you refill a container with milk that looks startlingly similar to what was in it in the first place? You set me up for failure!”

“Mommy, I sleep with you tonight?” Briar asked hopefully, blissfully ignorant to her parent’s playful discussion.

“No, baby. You’re not going to get any sleep in here with us. Baby brother wakes up too much at night.” Faye explained, glancing hopefully at Henry. Understanding what she was trying to tell him, Henry snatched the little girl up and rolled out of bed, smiling at her excited squealing as he carried her down the hall under his arm surfboard style.

“Do you want me to turn on your Baby Shark music?” Henry asked once she had been replaced in bed, Kal lazily licking at her ear when she rejoined him. He didn’t bother even waiting for an answer before flipping through her tablet, pulling up the hour long loop they usually played for her at bedtime.

“Kal wants ice cream.” Briar informed him, batting her lashes up at her father figure hopefully.

“Kal knows he can’t have ice cream. It’s too hard on his stomach.” Henry yawned, looking suspiciously at the canine.

“No, he wants it for me, silly.” Briar giggled.

“You know the rules, princess.” Henry sighed, brushing her hair from her face softly. “Now get some rest. We all love you.”

~*~

“Did we wait long enough? Do I still look like a slob?” Faye fretted, turning this way and that, her eyes fixed on her lower stomach, trying to see if it still protruded further than she wanted.

“Faye, relax. You look amazing.” Her sister assured, turning her away from the mirror. Briar was happily running in circles with her little flower basket, all too excited to be involved in the affair. Her twin sister was in a beautiful, blue floor length bridesmaid dress, her younger sister in a matching shorter dress and her brother struggling with the matching tie.

“Are you ready to marry?” Her mother asked her giddily, squeezing her daughter’s hand softly.

“I am. I really hope he is too.” Faye replied, stealing a glance at the closed door.

“Oh please, he was ready to marry you the first time he saw you.” Her brother scoffed, finally taming his tie into something passable. “You’ve been killing the poor guy making him wait this long.”

“I didn’t want to get married while I was pregnant.”

“I really don’t think he would have cared.” Her youngest sister pointed out. “He seems pretty convinced the sun shines out of your ass.”

“Hear that, Delilah?” Her brother jumped in, setting his teasing eyes on his sister. “Get you a man that looks at you the way Henry looks at her.”

“It’s the same way you look at pizza.” Their sister added.

“I’ll find someone when I want to.” Delilah grumbled, shooting her younger siblings a glare out of the corner of her eye.

It took the effort of three people to hold Briar back once the music started, all desperately explaining that she was going to be almost last to go. Once the time came, she threw all her flower petals on the ground at the start of the runner and then sprinted down to the other end while laughing wildly. It was deemed that was close enough and it was finally Faye’s turn to walk the aisle.

Her father’s arm was a steady, comforting constant, something she desperately needed in that moment. She could swear she saw a small tear forming in the corner of her husband-to-be’s eye, but mostly his face was one of proud surprise.

Niki was elected to hold the ‘ring bearer’ the baby happily drooling all over the ring box he was allegedly in charge of. The photographer went nuts with pictures when Henry gently pried the box from his son’s chubby fist, removing the ring from inside and handing him the box back to chew on.

The couple stared into each other’s eyes, everything else melting away in that moment as they both closed a chapter in their lives, only to begin a brand new one they hoped would be filled with adventure with two simple words.

“I do.”

Tags:  @weallhaveadestiny @lunedelorient @summersong69 @mis-lil-red @lharrietg @amberangel112 @mansaaay @packerfan43

[spencers-renaissance]

dry me off and hold me close

Summary: Derek has finally relented and is bringing his boyfriend Spencer to meet the rest of the team. That means, though, he has to finally tell them about his boyfriend's disability. Terrified that they'll react badly, he puts it off until he can't anymore. Turns out he was worried for nothing.

Tags: so much fluff, protective derek, disabled spencer, caretaker derek, au: spencer is not in the bau, team as family, hurt/comfort, light angst, est. rel, day to day disabled life, physical disability/chronic illness

Pairing: Derek Morgan x Spencer Reid

Word Count: 5.7k

Masterlist // Read on AO3

Hello! I am nervous to share this one, I won't lie. It's incredibly personal. It was a pain in the arse to write but I love how it turned out and I hope you do, too. Just a note: this may be triggering for some people - there is description of nausea and severe chronic pain, as well as frequent references to ableism towards wheelchair users.

As soon as Rossi brings up the prospect of a fully-catered family dinner at his ‘mansion’ this weekend, Derek’s heart sinks. They’re on their way home from a pretty gruelling case and it’s well-deserved of course, but he knows what comes next, knows what question will be asked of him, and he’s dreading it. There’s only so long he can go on avoiding answering. 

“Please tell me you’ll finally let us meet Spencer, Derek,” JJ asks, levelling him with a look to rival one of Penelope’s. “At this point I’m starting to think you’ve made him up.” 

Spencer is very real. He’s a very real, very sexy, very intelligent man who Derek has no doubt would get on brilliantly with the team. But Spencer also happens to be disabled. And while his boyfriend has had decades to get to terms with broaching such a sensitive, taboo topic, Derek has not. He’s far from ashamed of Spencer — that’s not it at all — he’s just so protective of him, and the idea of others being touchy or patronising or outright rude around him is an idea he’s never been able to get used to, no matter how many times he’s witnessed it.

Derek’s laugh is strained as he rubs his face awkwardly, trying to find the words to politely decline, but the others are pouncing on him before he can speak. 

“You’ve put it off enough times now, Morgan,” Emily says, siding with JJ. “If he’s even half of what you say he is then we’ll love him. Just bring him along. Rossi doesn’t mind.”

“Oh no, I’m dying to meet the man who could finally tie Derek Morgan, ladies man extraordinaire, down,” Rossi chimes in.

“He definitely sounds like my kind of guy,” Alex agrees. “I’m impressed you managed to land such an educated man, Derek.”

He looks sort of desperately towards Hotch who raises his hands guiltily. “I would actually like to meet him, too, Morgan,” he says reluctantly, a rare smile playing across his face.

Derek groans and throws his head back against his plane seat. He can only be glad Penelope isn’t on the flight because she’d be absolutely relentless in such a conversation. 

As hesitant as he is to let his team in, maybe it is time to finally get over himself and bring Spencer to meet them. After all, none of them have ever given him actual cause to be so nervous, and he knows they’d all inevitably fall in love with him almost as quickly as Derek did, so really it’s his own fears and fierce protective instincts keeping Spencer away from his second family. 

“Fine,” he relents, anxious butterflies not easing. “He’s home this weekend, and apart from planning lectures I think he’s free, so I’ll ask him. But I can only promise to ask, I won’t promise he’ll agree.” It’s a pointless caveat; Spencer’s been bugging him to meet the team almost as long as they’ve been bugging him to meet Spencer, he’ll jump at the chance to go to dinner with them. 

“Finally,” JJ groans, pretending to collapse against Emily in relief, who giggles fondly at her antics.

“I’m sure we’ll love him, Derek,” Rossi says reassuringly, a proud fatherly look on his face that has his chest clenching painfully. 

As everyone settles down, his stomach churns anxiously as he stares back out of the jet window. He knows everyone will love Spencer; he just doesn’t know how to tell them what to expect. What if Spencer has a fainting episode or gets nauseous at dinner time? What if he can’t keep his energy up or is too photosensitive to have the lights on? What if meeting that many people at once overwhelms him? Spencer always tells him he worries too much, but he can’t help it — not when the love of his life is involved. 

He’s brought out of his nervous stewing by Hotch. “You know, Morgan, if you really don’t want to bring Spencer, you don’t have to,” he says softly, making him look up to see everyone staring at him guiltily. 

“We didn’t mean to pressure you,” JJ says hesitantly, and the others agree, all clearly having noticed his pensive expression.

He forces himself to take a calming breath and bite the damn bullet already. Spencer would be rolling his eyes at him. “Okay. There’s something I haven’t told you,” he starts carefully. He hasn’t had to introduce the concept of Spencer’s disability to anybody since he told his family. “Spencer is disabled. He has a chronic condition that impairs his mobility along with bringing a whole host of other symptoms, and while he’s had it for most of his adult life, I’m still not used to broaching the topic and I didn’t know how you would react. He already experienced enough difficulties in life, he doesn’t need my co-workers, hypothetically, being patronising or weird about it. So, I put it off.”

It feels like a weight off his chest once it’s out in the air, but the surprised looks on his team’s face make him briefly wonder whether telling them was a mistake after all. “Spencer will really look forward to coming though,” he rushes to continue. “He’s on his own a lot of the time and struggles to make it out of the house except for work if I’m not there, so he can feel quite isolated. It will be nice for him to spend time with other people, and finally meet you guys.”

By the time he’s finished speaking, everyone seems to have mostly recovered from their immediate shock, and look relaxed and intrigued again — far more appreciated expressions on Derek’s end. 

“Well,” Rossi starts, and he feels like holding his breath in anticipation, “will he need any accommodations?” Relief spreads warm and thick across Derek’s chest as he feels himself physically relax. Of course immediate support would be the response from his team; he was stupid to think otherwise. 

“His mobility fluctuates daily. Sometimes he can walk small distances okay, other times — and more frequently — he needs aids like forearm crutches or his wheelchair. Can I text you on the day and let you know?”

“Of course,” Rossi promises, a warm smile on his face, “whatever you and Spencer need.”

“There is one more thing, if Spencer’s coming it will need to be earlier in the evening… think more six rather than eight. He’ll be too exhausted later in the evening and he needs to be home early to get the amount of sleep he needs.”

“That’s fine,” Rossi agrees immediately, “six it is.”

“Sorry for pressuring you, Derek,” JJ says, tilting her head as she looks across the table at him. “But we’ll love Spencer, this won’t change anything.”

“Yeah, fuck you for thinking we’d be assholes about it,” Emily chuckles, punching him softly in the arm. 

Derek grins at her before shaking his head. “I’m just too protective of him,” he explains a little guiltily. “He thinks it’s ridiculous but I can’t help it. We’ve been together nearly five years now and I’ve seen the things he has to go through, professionally and in his day to day life. I just saw an area for potential harm, no matter how slim the chances, and immediately bricked it up in my mind. It’s hard to tear walls down like that.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Alex says in her signature gentle tone, smiling at him.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” Hotch agrees and Derek gives them all another quick smile before they settle in for the rest of the flight. 

It’s late by the time Derek unlocks the door to his and Spencer’s home and he knows his boyfriend will already be in bed. It had been a weird adjustment when they’d first started dating, Spencer having to be home by 10pm so Spencer could get at least nine hours of sleep, topped up by regular naps during the day. Now though, he’s completely used to operating around Spencer’s sleep schedule; it’s just routine. 

He makes his way through the house quietly, toeing his shoes off and shedding his coat before dumping his bag in the living room and padding up the stairs. The house is dark but their room is dimly lit by Spencer’s night lamps, there to ease him off to sleep and keep him company when bouts of painful insomnia torment him. There was a time Derek used to mind, but those days seem so long ago now. He climbs carefully onto the mattress, taking off his trousers and socks but not bothering to change into anything new.

As gentle as he is with his movement, Spencer still stirs beside him. “Derek?” He blinks sleepily over at him in the soft light of the bedroom and Derek immediately scoots over and wraps him in a hug. It might be gone midnight but he misses Spencer like crazy when he’s away and physical contact is very much essential business right now.

“Yeah, baby,” he whispers as he relishes the feeling of Spencer’s small frame against his own. “Sorry I woke you.”

“It’s okay. Just glad you’re home. Missed you.”

“I promise I missed you more,” Derek murmurs as the warmth of the room and comforting presence of his boyfriend wrapped around him finally break down the walls he’s been holding back the sleepiness working a 5 day case inevitably brings. 

“Make me pancakes in the morning?” 

Spencer doesn’t need to ask, it’s a tradition for Derek to make pancakes for breakfast the day he gets back from the case, but it makes him smile anyway. “Anything for you, baby boy,” he yawns. “Go back to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

⭐️

Derek waits until dinner the next evening to bring up the subject of the dinner party. It’s just a simple takeaway on the sofa of the house Derek had renovated for them, but even five years into their relationship, every moment shared with Spencer feels like a date. 

“How would you feel about going to a dinner party with the team?” Derek asks when there’s a lull in their conversation. Spencer’s just finished explaining a complicated debate he’s having with one of his colleagues about kinetic particle theory and Derek has no idea how to respond. Moments like these used to make him feel stupid and inadequete when they first got together, but now he just stares fondly at his genius boyfriend and wonders how on earth he got so lucky. 

Spencer lowers his fork. They’re eating chinese but he still hasn’t mastered chopsticks, and it never fails to make Derek smile. “Are you serious?” he says, an excited grin spreading across his face.

“I am.” He quirks an amused eyebrow as he takes in Spencer’s eager expression. God, he’s so fucking in love.

“Well obviously I want to go,” he giggles, “you know that. When is it?”

“Saturday.”

Spencer just launches himself into Derek’s lap in lieu of response, not that he has far to move on their cosy sofa, slotting himself against his body as they melt into one another. “Thank you for finally getting over yourself,” he says with his face buried in Derek’s neck.

Derek’s responding laugh jostles both of them as he wraps his arms around Spencer’s small frame, loving the way he fits in the palms of his hands. “I’m sorry it took me so long, baby,” he says, tone transitioning into sincerity. “But they can’t wait to meet you, and you’re going to love them.”

“I know,” Spencer says drily, pulling back to look him in his eyes. “Why do you think I’ve been pushing to meet them for the last five years?”

Derek answers with a squeeze to Spencer’s waist and a kiss to his shoulder. “Go on,” he says, lifting him off his lap to sit on the sofa next to him. “Finish your dinner.” 

“Mm, I think I’ve had enough,” Spencer hums nonchalantly, busying himself with putting the carton on the coffee table as if Derek doesn’t know him like the back of his hands. 

“This is your favourite dish from your favourite Chinese and you’re expecting me to believe you’ve just had enough,” he says, raising an eyebrow. “What’s wrong, pretty boy?”

“Nothing,” Spencer says, but he sounds winded and Derek isn’t stupid. He levels him with a look. “Okay… I just feel a bit sick is all.”

“Floor, sofa, or bed?” He’s aware of the nausea protocol, and he moves his own dinner aside as he springs into action. 

“Floor.” He’d been surprised the first time his boyfriend had crawled onto the floor and lay curled up until the nausea passed, but it was second-nature now. Apparently, the flat, firm surface was the most comfortable when such intense sickness consumed him.

“Okay, baby, let’s go.” He gently lifts Spencer off the sofa and down onto the floor, taking care not to jostle him too much. His eyes stay closed, face screwed up as he tries to weather the waves of nausea crashing over him. It never fails to make Derek’s heart twist in pain. “Are you actually going to be sick?” The majority of nausea spells usually pass on their own with no vomit to speak of, and Spencer’s usually very good at telling which kind it is.

“No,” he whispers, reaching his hand slowly towards Derek’s and gripping it tightly. He gets the message and lays down next to him, stroking his hair softly as they wait in silence for Spencer’s body to right itself. It only takes about twenty minutes to pass, and when it does, Derek carries him to bed, bringing him his toothbrush and a flannel as they follow another of their set routines that have been established over so many years of being together. 

“I love you so much, Spencer Reid,” Derek murmurs as they lay in bed together that night, the soft light of their bedroom catching on Spencer’s cheekbones.

“I love you more, Derek Morgan,” Spencer whispers back, voice slurred as he cuddles further into the arms of his boyfriend. 

“Not possible,” Derek insists, but Spencer’s already dropping off to sleep. 

⭐️

Spencer wakes up on the day of the dinner party in what Derek can clearly see is nothing short of agony. He doesn’t try to hide it, they’re mostly past that now — although he still sometimes convinces himself he can handle smaller symptoms by himself, no matter how many times Derek insists they’re a team — but he doesn’t say much either. The morning is spent on the sofa, using numerous heated blankets and painkiller combinations until he can at least think straight. 

“How do you feel about this evening?” Derek asks as lunchtime approaches, rubbing Spencer’s good arm gently as he leans against him, legs outstretched on the chaise. 

Spencer hums. “I’m gonna take a nap after lunch,” he decides after a moment of deliberation, “and then decide. I think with meds and the wheelchair, I’ll be okay.” He pauses for a moment as he nibbles nervously on his bottom lip. “Do you think they’ll be weird about the chair?”

“No, baby,” Derek says decisively. Really, he can’t believe he ever thought anything different, but he was scared and fear easily spirals into irrationality. “They won’t even blink. Especially since I warned them about the mobility aids. I think they’d be more surprised if you walked into the Rossi mansion.”

“You sure?”

It hurts Derek’s heart to hear him so anxious and uncertain, and it’s only more painful because he knows it's rooted in experience. He’s had to fight for most of his life to be seen as a competent adult, equal to his peers despite his disability, and people can be cruel. “I’m sure. And even if for some reason they were dicks about it, I’m there, okay? Nobody’s gonna get away with being anything other than an angel towards you when I’m around.”

Spencer giggles at that, turning his head into Derek’s chest. “You turn into the hulk when you’re protecting me.” 

“I do,” he agrees, chuckling at the sound of Spencer’s adorable laugh, “and for good reason. No-one hurts my baby. You know that, and everyone else knows it, too. We’re gonna be just fine, pretty boy.”

Spencer sighs, reassured by Derek’s words. “Love you,” he whispers, twisting a bit to press a kiss to the side of Derek’s neck. 

“I love you more,” Derek promises, lifting a hand to rest on Spencer’s cheek.

“Not possible.”

The rest of the day passes slowly as Spencer takes it easy, deciding that he’s definitely up to it after a decent nap curled up against a reading Derek. They get ready together, Derek helping him shower when his arms hurt too much to wash his hair and getting him dressed in his favourite outfit before dressing himself. 

By the time six thirty rolls around, Spencer’s feeling a little bit better, his meds are hitting the spot and they’ve mastered all the wheelchair adaptations to make his life as easy as possible over the years. His cushions and heated seats connected to the wheelchair’s motor, which he uses to help self-propell at work, ease the pain as much as they can and the built in phone charger always makes him popular whenever they go out with friends. Plus, his cane and crutches connect neatly to the back of the chair, giving him more options, which is especially helpful on nights like this. 

“Comfy?” Derek asks as he pushes him out of the apartment and into the hallway, locking the door behind them. 

Spencer hums in affirmation, wiggling a little as he settles into the warm support of the chair. They have a ground floor apartment for safety reasons: Spencer needs to be able to exit the building if the lifts stop working, but it’s also convenient. They get down to the garage quickly and Derek helps him into the passenger seat before packing the wheelchair in the boot.

He spends the journey in contemplative silence and Derek can’t keep himself from shooting worried looks his way. His hand makes its way onto Spencer’s knee and he rubs his thumb gently against the skin, before stilling the digit, all too conscious of how painful repetitive stimulus can be, especially on days like these. 

“Stop worrying, baby,” he says, ten minutes into the drive when Spencer still hasn’t said a word. His bottom lip is chapped from the worried chewing it has endured for most of the day. “They’re going to love you, I promise.” 

“You really think so?” 

Derek’s about to answer quickly but he looks over and sees how absolutely dead serious Spencer is. He sighs. “Let me tell you exactly why. Alex is a fellow academic with the softest streak of anyone in the BAU field team. Emily and JJ have the ability to befriend literally anyone, and Penelope already is in love with you, just from what I’ve said about you. She’s told me so multiple times. Rossi immediately accommodated you and wasn’t at all fazed when I mentioned your disability. Hotch is a gentle fatherly type when he’s talking to good people and the rest of the team, so he’ll just be interested in you as a person. There’s no-one I’m worried about, okay?”

“Okay,” Spencer whispers eventually, finally sounding like he actually believes him. 

“Besides, you’ve already got one member of this team whipped,” Derek smirks, glancing over at him again. 

He considers it a win when Spencer rolls his eyes, and his grin couldn’t be wider when he hears him mumble, “arrogant asshole” under his breath.

Derek’s grateful Rossi doesn’t have a gravel driveway as he gets Spencer out of the car and into his wheelchair, before pushing him the short way to the front door. They’d battled some tough terrain over the years, and gravel was absolutely his least favourite. As they approach the house, though, he notices that Spencer’s grip on his armrest is tight enough that his knuckles are white, and it hurts Derek’s heart that he’s only this nervous because real people and real experiences have given him genuine reason to be. 

Before he gets to knock, though, the door is thrown open by an uncontainably excited Penelope. “You’re here!” she shouts, and completely bypasses Derek to shake Spencer’s hand. He’s glad she doesn’t crouch, just leans down a little so he doesn't have to reach up so far. “You must be Spencer. I’m Penelope. It is a crime that Derek has kept us apart for so long, but none of that matters now. Would you like me to push you in through to meet the others?”

“Um, it’s nice to finally meet you, Penelope,” he says, smiling at her genuinely. “Would you mind if Derek keeps pushing me, though?”

“Oh, no, that’s fine!” Her smile doesn’t drop a bit. “Come through, everyone’s already in the living room. Oh, and hi Chocolate Thunder.” She sends him a quick wink. 

“Hi, Mama,” he says, rolling his eyes. He’s grinning, though. So far, so good. 

They follow Penelope further into the house after Derek closes the door behind them, and the girls get up first. “Spencer, oh it’s so good to meet you,” Emily says, coming up and shaking his hand. “I’m Emily, this is JJ.”

“Hi,” JJ says, shaking his hand too, giving him a conspiratorial look. “I’m glad we finally bullied Derek into bringing his oh-so-secret beau to meet us.” 

Derek just grins. “What can I say? I’m protective of my baby.” He reaches down and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. 

“Ignore this caveman,” Spencer laughs, and Derek is sure he rolls his eyes again. “I’ve been dying to meet you all, too.”

“Well, it’s our pleasure,” Alex says, coming up for her turn. “I’m Alex. Your paper ‘How Thinking Makes Us Write’ you published a couple of years ago is incredible; I used it in my Psychology of Writing class last year and only just realised it was written by Derek’s top-secret boyfriend! I’d love to talk to you more about that later.”

“That’s so cool, wow, yeah I’d love that.” He smiles at her, clearly feeling a little flattered by the immediate praise of his work. Derek thinks it’s the least he deserves.

“I’m Aaron, but everyone calls me Hotch,” Hotch says as he and Rossi step forward, a warm smile on his face. “Sorry to overwhelm you with all these introductions, but it’s lovely to meet you. It really is a shame Derek’s been so secretive.” 

Spencer smiles up at him. “Are we all going to dunk on Derek all night? Because if that’s the case, I’m glad I came,” he laughs, twisting around slightly to look at Derek. 

“Yeah, yeah, keep talking, pretty boy,” he says, raising a brow. “Two can play at that game.”

“You’re too whipped, I’m not worried,” Spencer dismisses him, before touching his hand lovingly, letting him know that he’s only teasing. 

“I don’t doubt it,” Rossi says. “I’m Dave, or Rossi, whichever you prefer. I actually own this house, despite being the last in line for a formal introduction. I’m sorry I didn’t greet you at the door, Penelope had been waiting on the stairs for half an hour so she could be the first to greet you.”

“That true, baby girl?” Derek chuckles, looking over at her. 

She doesn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed, but then Derek doesn’t know what else he expected. “This is on you,” she defends herself, “if you hadn’t waited so long to introduce me to baby genius here, I wouldn’t have been so desperate to meet him.” 

Spencer laughs at their interaction, turning his attention back to Rossi. “It’s nice to meet you,” he says. “Derek told me you were really accommodating, so thank you for that.”

He waves the thanks aside with a dismissive hand. “It’s nothing. Speaking of which, though, would you rather eat in your wheelchair or transfer to one of the dining chairs.”

Derek knows what’s about to happen even before he sees Spencer tense up. “Give us one second,” he says, wheeling him out into the hallway. Decisions are really hard for Spencer to make on bad days, especially those that pertain to his health or needs, and being under the eyes of so many people was not about to make that an easy interaction.

“Derek…” Spencer says anxiously, looking at him for help as he feels his mind spiral into fogginess at the question. 

“Okay, it’s okay, baby,” he says soothingly, crouching down in front of him to be at eye level. He takes his hand and kisses it gently. “Do your hips need a break from the chair or would it be more painful to transfer?” 

Phrasing questions like Rossi’s as directly applicable choices is always more digestible for Spencer and he sees him visibly relax at his words. “Hips need a break.”

“Great,” Derek says. “Do you want to go back in or do you need a minute to yourself?”

“No, I’m fine,” Spencer says, and he believes him. He instantly relaxed at having made a decision. “Let’s go back in.”

“As you wish, sweetheart.”

They walk back into a room full of vibrant conversation and laughter. “Oh, Spencer, Spencer,” Emily says, immediately roping him back into the conversation without making a big deal of him having to leave the room, “we’re debating whether Derek’s really the slob Alex insists he is. You need to help us settle it.”

“I shared a room with him once, okay,” she says, “it was a state!”

“I don’t doubt it,” Spencer agrees. “At home, he’s so anal about ‘everything in it’s place’ and won’t even let a mug sit on the counter without being washed up. But whenever we go away, he can’t keep the place clean, it’s the weirdest thing. It’s like his suitcase vomits its contents all over the room.”

“Hey, I didn’t know this dinner was gonna be all about airing my dirty laundry,” Derek laughs.

“Literally,” JJ points out.

“Right,” Rossi says, interrupting the laughter filling the room. “Dinner is ready, so we should eat. Did you come to a decision about seating, Spencer?” Derek’s impressed at how much he knows about accommodating disabilities. He probably has someone close to him who’s been through something similar to Spencer.

“I’ll transfer,” he confirms.

“Great, we can just move your wheelchair to the hall once you’re settled so it’s not in the way, if that’s okay?”

At Spencer’s nod, they all file into the kitchen/dining area and choose their places. Penelope bags the seat to Spencer’s left, Derek sitting to his right, as the other girls sit opposite them. Hotch and Rossi sit at Derek's end of the table. He holds hands with Spencer under the table all through the delicious pasta primavera, helping to ground him, reminding him he’s right there. 

Conversation and laughter flows with the wine Rossi serves, and Derek doesn’t even mind his embarrassing stories being shared with the team, because it’s Spencer, and he’s so far gone for this man that he could slice him open and with his dying breath, Derek would thank him. 

“I love you, really,” Spencer grins up at him, after he’s just revealed his Nina Simone shower concerts to everyone sitting around the table, everyone cracking up as the tough exterior Derek’s built up at work over the years slowly disintegrates, his own boyfriend fuelling the fire. 

“And I love you, baby,” he says, leaning over to kiss him briefly, before pulling back. “Even when you spill my deepest darkest secrets.”

“Well, aren’t you two just the cutest,” Alex says fondly. “You’re a lucky man, Derek.”

“No, I’m the lucky one,” Spencer insists. “Do you know what he said when we first met? We were at the supermarket, and I was reaching for some baby carrots. He said ‘whoa, pretty boy, don’t get those ones. They go off far too quickly. Someone as beautiful as you deserves better than that’. No mention of the wheelchair or bags under my eyes. He didn’t see Disabled Spencer, he just saw Spencer. Asked for my number then and there.”

“You were irresistible,” Derek says fondly, brushing a thumb against his cheek. “I knew right at that moment I would spend the rest of my life with you.” 

“Stop,” Penelope begs, “my heart is literally a puddle on the floor. This world needs more Derek Morgans.”

“I’ll toast to that,” JJ says, her face just as soft as Penelope’s. 

“A real toast,” Hotch says, raising his glass with a happy smile on his face. Derek very rarely sees such a relaxed expression on his face, and as much as they have their disagreements, it’s a nice thing to see. “A toast to Derek and Spencer. May your happiness live long and be as contagious as it is tonight.”

Everyone toasts to his words, and Spencer buries his face in Derek’s shoulder, a little embarrassed at the attention. They sit around the table a little longer, but Spencer slowly sags against his body, finding it painful to keep himself upright. 

Noticing this, Penelope claps her hands. “Shall we move back to the living room? I bought chocolate and Rossi has wine.”

“This is true,” Rossi says as they all get up. He grabs Spencer’s wheelchair from the hall and Derek helps him back into it as they head back to the sofas.

“It’s weird using my chair inside,” Spencer laughs as Derek pulls him into his chest so he doesn’t have to keep himself steady upright, everyone else settling themselves around the room.

“Do you not need it often?” Hotch asks. 

“No, I need it quite a lot. I just don’t usually have to. Derek’s usually fairly insistent on carrying me around our apartment.”

“We’ll never live in a big house,” Derek says, chuckling along with anyone else. “I couldn’t haul this big lug around a Rossi mansion, now could I?”

“Hey!” Spencer smacks his side lightly. 

“You’re 6 foot tall, baby,” Derek defends himself. “You might be tiny but there’s still a lot of you.”

“Fair enough,” Spencer acquiesces, laying his head just under Derek’s chin. 

“Right,” Rossi says, coming back into the room, “I have more of your non-alcoholic wine, Spencer, and more of the real stuff for everyone else. Hand out the chocolates, Penelope, and we’ll have ourselves some satisfied guests.”

“I don’t live here, old man,” Penelope says, raising an eyebrow but getting up from her seat cuddled against Emily and JJ anyway. 

“Hey, you answered the door to pretty much everyone today; you’re co-hosting.”

“Can’t argue with that, Penelope,” Emily says drily, looking on amusedly as she huffs but hands out the chocolates anyway.

Derek discreetly pops two painkillers out in his pocket and hands it to Spencer, who swallows them down with a sip of his non-alcoholic wine, relaxing as they start to take effect. They all chat leisurely for a while, enjoying each other’s company in a non-pressured environment where they’re not surrounded by high profile cases and serial killers. 

Eventually, though, Spencer starts to fall asleep on his chest, clearly feeling relaxed enough in the warm room, pressed up against his boyfriend and surrounded by the reassuring conversation of people he trusts. As soon as Derek notices, though, he knows it’s time to get him home and into bed before any true crisis of pain or fatigue takes place. 

“I think we’ll need to get going, guys,” he says quietly, drawing everyone’s attention to Spencer’s dozing form. He watches as their faces soften and conversation quietens, everyone clearly enamoured with his boyfriend. It occurs to him that he feels no jealousy, only pride that he gets to call this wonderful man his, that he’ll be going home with him tonight, tucking him into bed and cuddling him until he falls asleep. 

He shakes Spencer gently, and the others start to get up, tidying or just moving through to the kitchen so as not to embarrass him when he opens his eyes. “Sorry,” he murmurs sleepily, as he looks up at Derek. “I’m tired.”

“I know, baby,” he says softly, feeling so fond his heart could burst. “Let’s get you home, yeah?”

Everyone’s sad to see him go, gathering at the front door to say their goodbyes. 

“You are invited to every BAU event from hereon in,” Penelope asserts confidently as she leans down for a gentle hug. She whispers, “you’re better company than Derek, anyway.”

“I heard that, Mama,” he says, poking her in the side.

“You were meant to,” she says, sending him a pointed look, before dropping the act and wrapping him in a hug as the others say goodbye to Spencer. 

“It was so nice to finally meet you, Spencer,” Hotch says warmly. “Derek had better not keep us from seeing anymore of you.”

“I’m not sure I could possibly get away with that anymore,” he sighs. “Guess I’ll have to share my baby with you assholes.”

Spencer rolls his eyes at that, stifling a yawn. “Come on, caveman,” he says, rolling his eyes again. “I need to get home.”

“Anything for you, my highness,” he chuckles, before lifting his chin with his knuckle and bending down to kiss him briefly. 

“Bye, lovebirds,” Emily calls as they make their way to their car.

“Drive safely,” JJ shouts, which makes Derek laugh fondly. He does love his team.

“See you on Monday,” he calls back as he helps Spencer into the passenger seat. They drive home in the comforting darkness of night, illuminated by the car and street lights of the city, and satisfaction pools in his stomach as he reflects on such a perfect evening as Spencer falls asleep against the passenger window. It really couldn’t have gone any better, and the relief he feels is staggering: the two most important facets of his life finally integrated after far too long.

While his whole life feels like it’s finally falling into place, all that really matters is that the man who is his entire world is happy, a small smile on his sleeping face as the shadows of the city brush their way over his cheekbones. He has to force his eyes back to the road, but he can’t resist the hand he slips into Spencer’s, or the smile that lights up his face as even in his sleep, Spencer’s fingers curl themselves around his.

Spencer's symptoms in this fic could fit any number of neurological conditions, but his unnamed condition was modelled on my own experience with fibromyalgia. I have a rather severe case, as would Spencer if he was diagnosed with this illness. The symptoms could also fit these conditions in one way or another: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis or Axial Spondyloarthritis, as well as others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Everything about Spencer’s disability is true to the chronically ill/disabled experience as I know it, and to learn more please visit the end notes on AO3 where I explain in a little more detail some of the features of Spencer’s symptoms and condition.

<333

taglist: @criminalmindsvibez @hotchgans @suburban--gothic @strippersenseii @takeyourleap-of-faith

[the-last-kenobi]

AHHH YOU’RE TAKING REQUESTS 🚨🚨🚨 Okay okay uhhhhh I can’t decide between 13 or 18 so you choose! With hurt Obi-Wan and caretaker Anakin, please!

I AM INDEED TAKING PROMPTS

And because you’re amazing and I love all your writing I have decided to write both 13 and 18 into one story, we’ll see how this goes yikes.

From this various prompts list

_

Anakin moved quickly up the hallway, trying to keep his footsteps as soft as possible.

It was very late — or very early, depending on one’s point of view. The low-lights were on, and Anakin felt like he was intruding somehow, in this residential wing that was almost entirely deserted due to the war.

The damned war.

Anakin clenched his fists. I can’t afford to be angry right now, he told himself. I need to talk to Obi-Wan and I can’t start out by yelling at him.

It was tempting to lash out at Obi-Wan.

They hadn’t had a proper conversation in months, not since the Hardeen operation and everything that it had entailed, and then Obi-Wan up and vanished on some discreet mission, stopping only to ask Anakin for a ship to borrow.

Anakin had discovered Obi-Wan’s return only when Acquisitions had notified him that his ship would be late in returning to his care due to extensive damage. Flight logs indicated that his Master had returned a full five days before. Five days without so much as a comm message letting his lineage know he was back home. Nothing.

For a few hours Anakin had foundered, stewing in disbelief and anger, but as night crept in he had begun to feel something different.

Concern.

And something that might have been the Force, prompting him, pushing him.

And so here he was, silently keying in the manual code to Obi-Wan’s quarters — technically still his own, although he spent most nights at Padmé’s or in a private room.

The door swished open.

It was utterly dark.

That wasn’t unusual; when he had the chance, Obi-Wan preferred to sleep in complete darkness. He said it felt more natural. No distractions tugging at his brain.

What was unusual was the state of disarray.

There was a kettle sitting on the counter, so near the edge it made Anakin nervous. He walked over and moved it a few inches, his eyebrows flying up when he felt the weight. When he lifted the lid, it was obvious that this was days-old, and untouched to boot.

Was Obi-Wan sick? Was he in the Halls? Surely someone would have notified him. Surely.

Anakin looked around and took note of the robe discarded against the wall, the boots left in the middle of the walkway. There was an empty mug on the reading table, and a holo-still sitting beside it, as if Obi-Wan had stared at it for awhile and then set it down — the only item that looked carefully treated.

On closer inspection, it was a holo of Obi-Wan, far younger than Anakin had ever seen him, next to Qui-Gon and a dark-skinned woman he had never seen before.

Qui-Gon was in the center, facing a little to the left, his eyes on the woman, a full smile on his face. Anakin stared. The Jedi he remembered had been understated, his smiles always a little sad. This Qui-Gon looked about to throw his head back in laughter. The woman was looking down at Obi-Wan, who stood on Qui-Gon’s other side. She was nearly as tall as Qui-Gon, her hair was braided into several intricate sections; she was smirking conspiratorially at the young Padawan.

And Obi-Wan was smiling shyly back. Although his Master wasn’t looking at him, he had draped one arm around Obi-Wan, and the boy was leaning into the casual touch.

They all looked ridiculously young and ridiculously happy, and Anakin didn’t even know who one of them was. He had never heard of this woman, or why she wasn’t around any more, because she must not be, and he had certainly never heard stories of Obi-Wan’s apprenticeship. Not unless it was relevant to whatever they had been doing, or whatever lesson Obi-Wan had been trying to teach.

His Master was so damned secretive.

Angry again, Anakin replaced the holo-still and glanced around the room, thinking to check the Halls of Healing next.

Then he spotted something that made him instinctively recoil.

A Mandalorian helmet, sitting on the chair, painted in stark black and red and rendered in Death Watch’s style.

Heart hammering, Anakin picked it up and examined it, finding gouges and dents in the beskar alloy, signs of years of wear and tear.

Why was it here? Why was there a Death Watch helmet here, in their rooms? It didn’t make any sense!

His first wild thought was that the extremist group had somehow broken in, taken Obi-Wan, and left this behind. Then he mentally shook himself. That was beyond absurd.

So what then?

Anakin tucked the helmet under his arm and cautiously approached his former Master’s room, pressing the door aside slowly.

Obi-Wan was right there.

Sitting on his bed, dressed only in stained and scorched trousers and an undershirt, his head in his hands. His fingers were buried so deeply in his hair it looked as if he were trying to tear his skull open.

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin burst out without intending to, the last few hours of anger, confusion, and momentary panic getting the better of him.

Except the older man didn’t react at all.

“...Hey. Obi-Wan.”

After a pause, the man on the bed shifted slightly, and then sat up. His fingers hastily brushed his hair back into order as he did, and his face, though white as a sheet, was a perfectly blank mask.

Anakin didn’t buy a bit of it.

“Obi-Wan... tell me what’s going on.”

The man who was Obi-Wan but wasn’t acting at all like him gave a slight shrug. “There’s a lot going on, Anakin, we’re at war. What is it you needed at one in the morning?”

Well, at least he knows what time it is.

“You’ve been back for days. I haven’t seen you.”

“Ah. Your ship?”

“I’m not worried about the ship. I’m worried about you. I don’t even know where you were!” Anakin said, his voice rising again. He cut himself off quickly.

Obi-Wan frowned slightly. “I was... on leave.”

“On leave?” Obi-Wan didn’t go on leave. Obi-Wan never stopped working, hadn’t since Geonosis. “You said it was a mission.”

The older Jedi passed a hand over his mouth before speaking again. “I... it wasn’t an endorsed mission. I undertook it myself.”

A non-endorsed mission... “You mean you went off on your own?” Anakin demanded, shocked. “Tell me you weren’t chasing Maul!”

Obi-Wan went white to the lips. He opened his mouth to speak, and then he spotted the helmet under Anakin’s arm and choked on his words, falling dead silent.

Anakin considered for a moment. Then he studied the helmet again. Taking it in.

Death Watch.

Mandalore.

A personal, self-assigned mission.

Satine.

Red and black.

Maul.

“...Oh, Force, Obi-Wan.” Anakin said numbly. Thinking of Padmé. Thinking of Obi-Wan and the confession he’d made to Satine, one that Anakin had not been meant to overhear. “I’m so sorry.”

Obi-Wan said nothing.

He just stared at Anakin for a few moments before nodding his head in acknowledgement.

Anakin set the helmet down on the desk and edged closer to the bed, his eyes on his friend, wary as if he were approaching a traumatized animal. “Can I sit?”

A nod.

Anakin sat down.

“...Is it all right if I hug you?”

A very long pause. A small nod.

Anakin placed his palm on Obi-Wan’s back, then slowly moved so his arm was around the man’s shoulders. When Obi-Wan didn’t pull away, Anakin drew closer, tilting his head down to rest on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. Like he had when he was younger, and his Master was the best in the Temple, in the whole galaxy, and there was no war, just missions and too much meditation and time enough to just sit like this when they were tired and overwrought.

Obi-Wan shuddered in his hold. Not repulsed, but something else. Like he was cold.

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked.

His friend shook his head, but trembled harder, his breathing fluctuating.

“Obi-Wan.”

“Feel... nauseous,” the redhead mumbled, and then he doubled over, toppling head over heels towards the floor. Anakin cried out, lunged and caught him just in time, hauling his former Master into his arms and holding him, his heart pounding from the sudden shock.

“How long has it been since you’ve slept? Or eaten?” he demanded, thinking of the tea kettle.

“Mm... not since the night I got back. For eating. I don’t know about sleeping. I honestly... can’t remember...” Obi-Wan murmured. He was shivering now, his face pale and twisted with discomfort. He looked too weak to move, and he really must have been, because all he managed when Anakin cradled him closer and stood up with him in his arms was a low groan.

“We’re going to the Halls,” Anakin informed him curtly, striding out of the room with Obi-Wan in his arms, still trembling.

Obi-Wan made a noise of protest, but Anakin shook his head. “No. You need to see Healers.” He watched his friend’s eyes mist over vaguely, with grief or with illness it was hard to say. “I’ll stay with you the whole time,” Anakin vowed, meaning every word. “It’ll be fine. As soon as they’re ready to release you we’ll come right back here and you can sleep in your own bed.”

Obi-Wan mumbled something that seemed to include, ‘not a child.’

“Yeah, yeah, and I’m not your Padawan anymore. We still boss each other around. Just how it is,” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan huffed a laugh, tilting his head against Anakin’s shoulder. He took a deep breath. Then another. And then he was asleep.

“Damn,” Anakin whispered aloud. “Damn, damn, damn, you’re really not in good shape. You shouldn’t be this easy to carry, for one thing. Dammit, Obi-Wan. Why do you have to be so secretive?”

Is he secretive?

Or have I just never asked, and never listened?

Anakin honestly didn’t know, and that bothered him.

“Sleep, Master,” he murmured, adjusting his arms so that Obi-Wan was more comfortable. “We’ll talk when you’re ready. I promise. I’ve got you. We’re going to make it through this whole damn war, together.”

_

[sonnet009]

Wilder: Amir’s Story (Route Summary)

PROLOGUE:

MC decides to flee Ziya alone. A rotund wine merchant named Barlow offers her a timely rescue, smuggling her out in one of the wagons in his caravan. On their journey across the Shining Sands MC learns that Barlow is a wealthy and ambitious man who can afford not only a team of djinn guards but even a pleasure slave. It is this pleasure slave who warns MC that Barlow intends to ransom her back to Ziya and urges her to leave the caravan. Though MC suspects the surly Jamal just wants to no longer share his wagon, she takes his advice and flees from Barlow under cover of darkness.

CHAPTER I:

A sandstorm drives MC up into the Western Hills. There she is captured by a tribe of wild djinn and presented to the tribe's chief, Amir, who takes great interest in her and decides, instead of killing her, to keep her as some sort of prisoner. MC cannot understand the djinn tongue and Amir cannot speak hers, and so their interactions are fraught with misunderstandings, frustration, and mistrust.

As her time with the tribe passes MC is treated with contempt by most of them, attempts an unsuccessful escape, and continues to butt heads with Amir – an arrogant man-child with no manners as far as she can tell. She also meets Hani – an older ex-slave who is also an outcast among the tribe. Hani speaks both the human and djinn tongue and, being a kind woman, starts translating for MC and Amir. As MC and Amir start trying by themselves to learn parts of each other's language, their relationship begins to slowly improve.

Every night after dinner Amir will tell animated, theatrical tales for the enjoyment of his tribe, while Hani translates them for MC. Hani also teaches her things about the tribe, such as the fact that Amir went from orphan to the youngest and strongest rahki (chief) in the Hills, and how MC should watch out for Amir's closest friend, the hateful and vicious Kherga.

CHAPTER II:

Amir decrees that MC is no longer a captive but a guest of the tribe, allowing her freedom to move about the camp. This is an unpopular decision among his people, especially with Kherga. As the days and weeks pass, MC spends time with many of the tribe, pitching in with chores, and finds that not only is she growing stronger and hardier but that some of the tribe members seem to be warming to her – and she to them.

One morning a hunting party, led by Kherga, is about to head out. Amir impulsively invites MC to join, to Kherga's disgust. MC fails rather spectacularly at hunting a wild boar and cuts her legs on an undergrowth of thorns – the hunters find this uproariously funny. Amir takes MC to a nearby river where she can wash her injury while he leaps into the water and splashes around like a child. He tries to coax her in as well and is dismayed to learn that she cannot swim. In turn, MC learns that Amir is picking up the human tongue much quicker than she the djinn tongue. He acts the immature fool, but he is very intelligent and an enthusiastic learner.

After bonding, the two return to camp. The atmosphere turns dark. Kherga holds court and has been whipping the tribe into an angry frenzy. MC doesn't need to speak the language to know that her continued presence here is the main cause of contention. Kherga challenges Amir's leadership and the two fight. But when some of the djinn grab MC in the chaos, Amir immediately abandons the challenge to force them to release her. As the tribe surrounds the two of them it is clear that Amir has lost his place as chief. He throws MC over his shoulder and runs, pursued by his former brothers and sisters, until he reaches the mountains known as the Knives – a place where the tribe will not follow.

CHAPTER III:

As soon as they are clear of the tribe Amir just stops and sits on the ground, shattered by disbelief and grief. MC believes the coup to be her fault but Amir is quietly firm that it is his. They have nowhere to go but forward, so they journey on. Amir is despondent and distracted; entirely unlike the djinn that MC had been getting to know.

Suddenly Amir goes entirely still, alert in a way he hasn't been for days now. He has sensed Hamza and his men approaching from behind. A battle ensues in which Amir brutally takes down any man who dares attack him – and MC does her own share of violence, shocking herself. But when Hamza is at his mercy Amir refuses to kill a helpless foe and instead takes MC's hand and starts running. Newly alive and euphoric from battle Amir pulls MC into a kiss – then, once the adrenaline fades, collapses from his wounds.

MC and Amir shelter in a cave while she tends to his injuries. He requests more lessons in the human tongue while he recovers and in return she asks for more traditional djinn stories. They are soon on the move again and make it to the other side of the Knives. As they continue on their journey they share more stories and lessons – and learn that there is a particular insult that both their cultures share. “Ki bo ki,” Amir teaches MC. “Fuck yourself,” she teaches him in turn.

CHAPTER IV:

Amir follows MC even past the Knives, into the farmland on the other side. He has nowhere else to go and neither seem to want to part just yet. He is also as excited as a child to see so many new sights. The two run into a blind woman on the road and help lift her cart out of a ditch. In thanks, she offers them lunch.

Once they reach the lady's farm she offers them both some of her produce and some clothes for Amir – at MC's request. Amir hates the shirt and he doubly hates the trousers, but MC insists that he keep them on while they are in human lands.

On the road again it isn't too long before they are waylaid by bandits who demand all their money, possessions, and Amir himself. Amir doesn't understand what is happening until MC explains the situation to him, after which he confidently tells the bandits to fuck themselves. After easily defeating the men, Amir and MC go through their ill-gotten belongings and find some broken slave bands. Amir agrees to wear them in order to fool any humans they may meet in the town ahead, but both he and MC feel disgusted by the performance.

CHAPTER V:

Now in the port town of Dijarah, Amir is amazed by the place but simply does not blend in. A man who takes offence to Amir spits at his feet, shocking the former rahki who has never been so affronted or so lost. He and MC stop at an inn for dinner, sharing a table despite the taboo, and learn that they have come to town on the right night – the Fish Festival is tonight.

Neither MC or Amir have ever attended a festival and let their excitement and curiosity overpower their common sense. When night falls they walk the now colourful streets, enjoying the food stalls, the games, and... the alcohol. Another first. They sit together at the water's edge and share another kiss, this one not fuelled by adrenaline but their shared sorrow at the thought of parting. MC shares the whole story of her escape from Ziya and journey to Umar. Amir vows to see MC safely onto a ship but then he must return home to the Hills, to seek justice and redemption with his tribe.

The fall asleep there by the water and wake wrapped around each other and facing the bemusement of the dock worker who finds them. MC finds a ship heading for Umar but is reluctant to book passage and say goodbye to Amir right then and there. Amir feels the same, casually suggesting breakfast in an attempt to distract her. But things are soon thrown into chaos as Hamza appears, spotting them and giving chase. Amir helps MC hide in a crate being loaded onto the ship from before, gives her knuckles a kiss, then leads Hamza away through the crowd. As the crate is loaded onto the ship, MC waits in the dark. A stowaway. Alone.

CHAPTER VI:

MC hides in the cargo hold, the ship having left port. She is alone, hopelessly worried about Amir, and heartbroken to know that she will never see him again. Then he pops out of the crate next to hers exclaiming, “MC!” and clapping his hand over her mouth to muffle her startled scream. Turns out he lost Hamza and doubled back to join her, unable to leave things as they were. Their days as stowaways begin. They pass time with stories and Amir finally tells MC about the expectation his tribe had for him to take a mate, and how it was part fascination and part rebellion that led him to claim MC as his when she was brought before him.

The confinement soon takes its toll on Amir who hates being unable to see the sky. MC makes him promise to stay hidden but he soon breaks it, discovered by sailors who take him before the ship's captain. MC follows in a panic and offers all the money she has – but the captain is surprisingly friendly, saying Amir has told him of her plight and that he is happy to give them passage to freedom in Umar. He gives them a cabin and asks in return only that MC remembers him and mentions him to all of her highborn friends and family as the gracious captain that saved her life.

One night there is a terrible storm. MC finds Amir up on deck, naked, arms outstretched, face raised to the rain. As the thunder and lightning crack around them, MC and Amir embrace passionately. They spend the night together in their cabin, primal desperation eventually turning to gentle intimacy, and fall asleep as close as two people can be.

CHAPTER VII:

Upon arrival in Umar the captain directs MC and Amir to a safe place to stay called Minerva's. It soon becomes apparent that Minerva's is a pleasure house. They stay the night anyway, though Amir barricades their door with heavy furniture just to be safe from everyone's... rapt attention. In the morning a free djinn called Royo appears to escort them to her employer, the merchant-turned-lord Yasir. It seems the good captain tried to sell them out but, fortunately for them, Yasir has no interest in cooperating with Ziya.

At Yasir's estate there is one more surprise waiting – Uncle Makram. He and MC share a tearful reunion and he vows that he will keep her safe from now on. MC also makes him promise to ensure Amir is returned safely to his homeland. Bemused, Makram agrees. The arrival of a righteous and unstoppable Hamza breaks the peace of Yasir's estate. He demands that MC be turned over to his custody immediately.

Makram is the one to stand up to Hamza. He calls in the Heartseer who long ago proclaimed MC guilty of murder and has him confess to lying about what he saw – though he will answer none of Hamza's questions as to why. Makram, Hamza and Yasir go to another room and, when they return, Hamza seems cowed and ground under Makram's heel. Though still clearly disturbed, he apologises to MC and declares her innocent.

CHAPTER VIII:

MC, Amir, Makram, and Hamza are journeying back to Ziya together. They are currently passing through the Shining Sands in a carriage manned by a driver generously gifted by Yasir. When they pass close by to the Hills, the carriage stops to allow Amir to disembark.

Amir and MC stand in the starlight, sand under their feet, and know that this time they must say goodbye. MC asks for one last story and Amir tells her the tale of two legendary djinn lovers and the reysoko (blood bond) they shared by marking each other's flesh and drinking each other's blood, making them inseparable by even death. Unable to embrace under the scrutiny of the others MC and Amir must then simply say farewell and part ways. Amir heads off, up towards the Hills. MC returns to the carriage.

As the journey to Ziya continues through the night, MC suddenly realises that Hamza is no longer sitting out beside the driver. She forces Makram to admit what he, Yasir and Hamza discussed in that private room back in Umar – a plan to blame the shah's murder on a djinn plot, claiming that Ran was an assassin from Amir's tribe. As they speak, Hamza has met with a squad of his best men and they are following Amir's tracks to lead them to his people. MC slaps her uncle and leaps from the carriage, unhitching a horse and riding as fast as she can back towards the Hills to warn Amir and the tribe.

CHAPTER IX:

But by the time MC makes it to the camp there are already signs of a razing. Some djinn lie dead. Hani is leading many of the survivors in an attempt to avoid the soldiers by moving about the forest – as she knows the human tongue she alone is able to eavesdrop on their plans and work around them. MC leads a squad of Hamza's men away from them and into the undergrowth of thorns that she once blundered into, back when she briefly lived here.

She finds Hamza and Kherga, surrounded by dead djinn and humans alike, circling each other and both badly wounded. Hamza lands the killing blow on Kherga just as Amir comes running onto the scene, howling in grief and fury. Amir faces Hamza and they fight once more. This time, when Hamza is at his mercy, Amir does not hesitate to kill him.

When the last of the soldiers limp away in defeat, the tribe comes back together. Silently they build a giant pyre and burn their dead upon it. Amir watches Kherga's body burn, clasping MC's hand tightly in his. They stand there until the fire burns out and Amir's brothers' and sisters' souls have flown to the sky.

BITTER END:

The tribe reinstate Amir as their chief. After the ceremony Amir escorts MC to the edge of the Hills. Though she will miss him, she simply cannot leave behind civilisation. Whether she will stay in Ziya or begin a new life in some other city, she is not sure. But she has a choice, which is more than she has ever had before.

They share one final embrace, then MC turns and walks away. She feels Amir's eyes on her back until he is so far away that he is no longer even a blur on the horizon.

SWEET END:

With newfound respect and gratitude for Hani, and with Amir's blessing, the tribe choose her as their new chief. After the ceremony Amir escorts MC to the edge of the Hills to say a final farewell. MC makes it ten steps before turning and running back to Amir. She asks if she can stay with him. He is kissing her before she finishes the question.

Free from their old responsibilities, MC and Amir find a place to settle in the Hills just for themselves. Amir is teaching her to swim. Exhausted from the lessons (and perhaps more than that) they lie on the bank, lazily playing with each other's hair. Just like the legendary lovers that Amir once told her about, he marks MC's shoulder with a bite. She does the same to him, and their bond is forever sealed.

[ahatintimepieces]

Creeping Vines

A gift fic for the lovely @smieska-draws‘ sick au! Luka seeks out the help of Mari, the florist, as a mysterious illness plaguing him grows worse and worse.

Word Count: 1983. CW: illness

His fingers grasped the clasp of his cloak, pulling the hood tighter around his chestnut curls as he tried to block out the breeze. It was actually warm out, maybe? The brick wall that he ran his quaking fingers across to keep steady felt toasty as it bathed in sunlight, but he couldn’t stop shivering. He stumbled on the cobblestone for what felt like the millionth time. He caught himself, dropping against the wall and taking a moment to reorient himself.

Was it a good idea to leave the manor without his beloved when he could barely walk? No. Probably not. But while Vanessa would have been glad to investigate in his stead, she had been gone when he woke up and he had been too anxious to wait. Besides, she had already been doing so much for him. She practically made caring for him during his illness her one job. He wanted to try and at least manage a short visit with someone he thought could help on his own.

But he wasn’t sure he was going to make it at this rate.

His breathing was labored as he glanced around. Kids and villagers ambled by. They didn’t look his way long enough to recognize him. With his ragged, old cloak and dull brown trousers and a crooked shirt that had been easy to throw on before leaving the manor, he looked more like a disheveled wanderer than their prince. Which was good! He didn’t particularly want to be recognized in such a state.

“Ah—ah!” His nose scrunched up as a sharp gasp heralded an impending sneeze and he quickly ducked into his elbow. “Ah—choo!” The force of the sneeze nearly caused his legs to buckle beneath him as the pressure in his head swelled. He gripped the wall and moaned quietly as he tried to straighten.

A strand of purple snot pulled away with his nose. Wincing, he rubbed his nose with his sleeve and wiped the strand onto the brown cloth. As he sniffled, he eyed the violet goop that held spots of black ash. His heart sunk in his chest.

He was getting so much worse.

Tightening his grip around the clasp, he pushed himself forward. Soon, he came to a familiar alleyway and turned the corner, unsure if he wanted to cry from relief or distress as the carts full of vibrant flowers came into view. Marigold, the florist and his dear friend, had her back to him as she trimmed thorns from roses.

“M-Mari,” he wheezed as he came to the shop. His voice was strained and using it caused him to cough. The cough magnified, sending tremors through his chest and he slid against the wall. Everything shook and he held onto the brick, causing his knuckles to pale.

“Luka!” Her voice sounded so far away.

It wasn’t until several moments after his coughing flittered out that the world stopped shifting beneath his feet long enough for him to open his eyes again. Marigold stood in front of him, her features creased in horror as she held out her arms, ready to catch him if he fell.

“Luka, you look awful,” Mari scanned him. “What on earth are you doing here? You should be in bed!”

“I-I need help.” He had to fight to articulate each word. A familiar, uncomfortable heat bloomed across his forehead and he swallowed thickly. Walking all the way from the manor might have been too great a strain on his body, but Mari was the only one he could think might have the answers he needed.

“Okay,” she said softly, “Let’s get you a chair and you can tell me what’s going on.”

He felt a warm hand gingerly pry his death-grip from the brick wall and he stumbled as she led him over to the counter with a stool. He lowered onto the stool and as soon as the weight was off of his legs, he slumped over the counter, still clutching the clasp with his right hand as he tried to pull the cloak tighter around his endlessly shivering body.

“You’re burning up,” Mari muttered as something soft pressed against his forehead.

He closed his tired eyes. His muscles ached and he knew he was trembling uncontrollably, but he couldn’t stop no matter how tightly he curled in on himself. The pressure on his head pulled away and he blinked, watching in a daze as Mari stepped away.

He heard the distant sound of water splashing, but he didn’t register where it came from. Even after Mari turned around with a wet rag and small cup of water, he vaguely tried to remember if there was a stream nearby (there was not).

“Why didn’t you head straight to the doctor?” Mari asked as she pushed the cup into his hand and held the damp rag against his forehead. “Scratch that, I thought Vanessa has been having the doctor visit the manor.”

“She has,” Luka breathed out, leaning into the rag. Despite how he felt ready to collapse, he smiled at the thought of his princess. He wished that she was beside him, using her ice magic to help abate his fever. But his brows furrowed as he thought about all the doctor visits and check-ups. “The doctor just thinks it’s a nasty flu, but I—” his voice cracked, and he paused as he sniffed. After swallowing and feeling the gunk caught in his throat slide down, he winced. “But I think it’s something else.”

“Drink some water,” Mari encouraged.

He remembered the cup in his hand and lifted the cool drink to his lips. Oh! The water was sweet and refreshing and felt so soothing on his throat. The tea Vanessa had been giving him to keep his fluids up was wonderful, of course, but the fresh water did help him to perk up a bit, especially after he downed the whole cup in just a few seconds.

“Why do you think it’s something else?” Mari asked as she took the cup back.

His right hand around the clasp clenched painfully, but this was why he came in the first place. He slowly pulled his hand away from the clasp and held out his palm for Mari to examine. She gasped.

Blossoming across his palm, was the outline of a dark purple flower with ragged lines shooting out of the petals like lightning bolts. The outline was flush against his skin, as if it were no more than a tattoo, but it pulsed and shifted on his palm. Mari cupped his trembling hand, helping him to still while she watched the flower petals flutter.

“It was there when I woke up earlier.” Luka couldn’t help the whine that laced his voice. “And the center hadn’t been filled in when I last checked. It’s spreading.”

“It’s some kind of magic?” Mari quirked an eyebrow, leaning forward.

“It has to be,” Luka said helplessly.

A magical illness. He had no idea how he caught it, or what it meant, but he just knew he was getting worse and worse. Each new morning felt like his energy had been further zapped from him and dark purple bags seemed to permanently line his eyes. Underneath the hood, his hair was knotted and disheveled, matted with salty sweat from his constant oscillating between feeling feverishly warm or unbearably cold.

Part of him did feel a little vindicated after the doctor repeatedly dismissed the severity of his symptoms, but even knowing there was something else wrong with him, he still didn’t know what and that was what scared him most.

“Please tell me you know what this is,” he begged. “What flower is it? Do you recognize the shape?”

“Uh,” Mari grimaced, giving him an apologetic look. “I’m not sure, hold on.”

She stepped away and his hand dropped onto the counter. It stung a bit, but hardly mattered compared to the rest of his aching. He watched as Mari’s vibrant red braid bopped against her back with her movement.

“I’ll copy the image and start looking through my books,” she explained, returning with paper and a pen. He nodded, holding out his hand so that she could record the flower.

Purple slowly stretched across the bottom of the petals, staining them with splotchy pigment, and Luka’s fingers twitched while his fever spiked.

He groaned, slowly lowering his head onto his outstretched arm as his cheeks flushed. The world tilted. His ears began to ring like a dissonant bell was stuck clanging in his head. He hissed, nuzzling into his arm and biting his tongue. A metallic taste pooled in his mouth. He didn’t think he bit that hard. Was he truly losing his mind or were his teeth feeling sharper? The ringing grew worse. His heart pounded as he felt himself falling through nothing. A sharp pain registered in his head, but he couldn’t place what happened as his breathing became frantic.

“Luka!” Mari’s voice was muffled, like she was calling to him from dry land while he was submerged in viscous water. His eyes shot opened. The vibrant sunlight shone as Mari crouched over him. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he looked around in a daze.

When did he end up on the ground?

Fear spiked in his chest and he hurried to push himself up. The sudden movement caused his head to throb, and he lifted the hand with the flower to it but paused when he saw not only that the bottom parts of the petals had grown a deep violet, but the jagged vines shooting from the flower had crawled to the back of his hand, pulsing with sharp looking thorns that traced his veins. He took his other hand and brushed his fingers across the stained skin. He met Mari’s startled gaze with distress twisting his features.

“I need help,” his voice broke. “Please.”

“I’ll take you to the doctor,” Mari said, looping his arm around her shoulder. “And then he can call the Queen so she can take you home.”

“It hurts so much,” Luka mumbled weakly as she pulled him to his feet.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Mari promised, carrying his weight as she guided him on the short walk to the doctor. “I’ll keep researching and meet you at the manor, okay? Or the Queen can come to me. You really shouldn’t be walking around.”

He could only nod, holding back the whimpers that were lodged in his throat. Before he knew it, he was laying on a cot at the doctor’s clinic, shivering as he gripped his cloak and as the doctor took his vitals and noted the strange markings that continued shifting on his hand like shadows. By the time Vanessa burst in, demanding to know why he left the manor without asking her first, Mari had left the waiting room, presumably to research what ailment he was suffering.

He returned to the manor with Vanessa, clinging to her side and breathing sighs of relief as she ran cold fingers through his damp bangs. He mumbled apologies and thank-yous all the way back to bed, where he asked her to stay with him until he fell asleep.

She continued to stroke his hair and encourage him to drink warm tea that was supposed to help soothe his symptoms.

“Thank you,” he croaked, nuzzling against her chest as she held him.

“There, there,” Vanessa cooed, brushing his bangs from his eyes. Her soft features smiled down at him. “Don’t worry, my prince. I’ll give you all that you need. You don’t need anything else.” She pressed a kiss to his forehead, and he pressed deeper into her embrace.

“You’re too good to me,” he muttered as his eyelids began to feel too heavy to keep open. His breathing steadied as sleep overcame him. She grinned.

“I know.”

[alma37]

A[h]arrowing evening - chapter 2

I kind of promised another chapter if I reached 100 hits on AO3. I am a little behind schedule, but a promise is a promise.

So, here is the chapter 2.

Fandom : Dracula TV 2020

Relationship : Agatha x Dracula

Rating : this one tends to M but not quite

I still have not counted the words.

@hopipollahorror​ @lady-of-the-wolves​ @thebeautyofdisorder​ @festering-queen​ @feralstare​

[let me know if you don’t want to be tagged]

@vampyrsbride​ @khyruma​ no idea if you even read fanfiction

Anyone else who didn’t ask to be tagged but still read my shit,

everyone, I hope you’ll enjoy!

As Dracula was settling comfortably for the night, a knock resounded on his door. Curious, he went to open and was startled to find a swaying Agatha in front of him.

- Agatha! To what do I owe the pleasure? Or is it displeasure tonight?

The young vampire waved her hand and slurred :

- I came to aplo... to aloo... ap.., to say I'm sorry.

The older vampire frowned :

- Are you all right?!

- Nether bedder!" She was leaning dangerously sideways until she was supported by the doorframe.

- Did you take something?" Dracula asked, incredulous.

- Noooo!... " But after a short pause, she admitted : "I just drank a drunk!" And she sniggered. Agatha never sniggered.

- Oh my! Are you drunk?!

- Mabee a little bit. But he tasted sooo good!" Agatha mumbled, ecstatic.

- What did I tell you about drinking drunk people?!

- Pff!" The younger vampire scoffed. "I drrink whoeve' I want, Mr 'now-it-all.

Now she was listing dangerously towards Dracula who held her upright by the shoulders.

- Do you understand how much alcohol is needed to affect us?! How much blood did he have left in his alcohol stream?!" He asked drily.

The former nun, leaning on his chest now, snorted.

- Did you just make a joke?

- Perhaps.

- You shooould not do that.

- Why not?

- Because... it makesss you likeable. And I am not sh-supposed to like you. I am sh-supposed to.. to kill you! See? I still have my little arrow with me, just in case.

Agatha brandished in all directions the wooden weapon she got used to carry since Dracula turned her. Weary, the older vampire got hold of it before his younger kin could do some damage to either of them.

- Yes, I can see that. I'll keep it for now, if you don't mind.

Agatha made a gesture, that could either mean she didn't mind or its exact opposite. When she didn't try to take back her weapon, the Count concluded it was the former and returned to their previous conversation :

- Did you just said you liked me?

- Ov course not! Why would I do that?! You mush... must get deaf in your old age.

- I assure you my hearing is quite good. You just said you liked me." He persisted.

- Nooooooooo. No, no, nononono. No..." Another short silence, before :" Maybe. A little. But I am rrrreally d-drunk at the moment, so you'll have to ashk... aks... hashk me again tomorrow. When I sh-slept it off.

- When you slept it off, you are going to wish me to the devil. So...

- Zat's not... jat's... that... Yeah!... Maybe we should sleep it ohf togejer, zen.

- I beg your pardon?!

- Zat way, no dish... no dims... no w... no sc-scoffing at.

- I won't sleep with you when you are drunk, Agatha.

- Why not?! I am vewy ri... very vi... willing at the moment. When will you 'ave anozer chance, do you think?

- God, give me strength!

- Did you..." Agatha sniggered for the second time in the evening. " Did you just take God's name in vain?!" before she dissolved in laughter, at the utter dismay of her older kin, while actually slouching against him.

- That's exactly why." The only thing keeping her up was his arm around her waist. When she finally calmed down, he tried to lead her towards the bedchamber :

- Come now. I am putting you to bed.

But Agatha resisted his pull. Even drunk, she was still a vampire.

- Only if you're coming with me into it.

Dracula towered above her.

- Agatha, don't push me. You know I want you. But not like that.

Far from being cowed, the younger vampire slid along his chest until she was an air breath from his mouth before flashing him a brilliant smile :

- Draaackeyyyy... me loveyyyy. Don't be so meaneyyyyy.

The older vampire snapped :

- That's it. That's enough! I am putting you to bed now.

Lifting her like she was a bag of feather, he threw her on his shoulder. Sober Agatha would have been scandalised. Drunk Agatha, however, sniggered for the third time and purred :

- Ooooh! Me very own cave man!... Cave vampire!" Then, even upside down, she set about removing his shirt from his trousers. Dracula couldn't believe what was happening : a few weeks ago, she almost killed him and now, it appeared that she was intent on undressing him.

- Agatha, stop that!" He admonished her, to no avail.

The younger vampire, apparently, was determined to see him naked before they could reach the bedroom. She was really trying his self-control.

- Agatha, if you don't stop, I am going to do something I have wanted to for a long time and you will be left with only regret and self-loathing in the morning. Is it really what you want?

At last, this made her stop. Dracula couldn't help but release a relieved sigh.

Once they reached the bedroom, Dracula slid her down to the bed. He put a knee on the floor to remove her shoes. Agatha, surprisingly silent, was watching him. When he straightened up to help her lie down, she unexpectedly put her hand under his shirt flat against his abdomen. Dracula fought to keep what was left of his restraint.

-Show me your scar.

- It's gone. You know we don't scar." The older vampire answered while removing gently her hand from his skin. She was warm from the blood, which wasn't helping with his growing lust. Luckily, she didn't resist. But she looked disappointed :

- I wanted to kiss it better, as you asked me. As an apology.

- You did, don't you remember?

- Hum! Yes. But I wanted to do it more... Can I kiss you better somewhere else, then?

- Agatha..." But before truly realising it, he was leaning forward. His restraint was flying through the window.

The kiss started sweetly, a mere brush of the lips, but drunk Agatha was demanding and Dracula, unable to resist, gave her what she asked. Soon they were tangled with each other, the older vampire not sure anymore how many limbs his younger kin had, as she seemed to touch him everywhere at the same time. He finally stopped her hands from their roaming and threaded their fingers, while exploring her mouth with avidity. In all their 123 years of fighting, she had never let down her guard and never allowed him this close. Until tonight. She was exquisite, as always. Warm and soft and... softer?

Dracula raised his head to note, with a mix of dismay and amusement, that his nemesis had fallen asleep in his bed. Well, at least, she finally was where he wanted her. The vampire shook his head and laughed softly at the irony. As it was, she wouldn't be able to stake him come morning. Small mercies.

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

A few hours later, Agatha emerged slowly from her slumber. For a few instants, she couldn't remember but when memories flooded back, she put a pillow on her face and groaned. How could she do that?

- Oh! I see you are awake. Hum! And not suffering ill effects from your over-indulgence.

- Sweet Jesus! It really did happen, then?! I still hoped it was a nightmare.

- I am afraid not, Angel.

- I can't believe I did that. This is so embarrassing!

- Well, it could have been worse. I could have given in.

At those words, Agatha removed the pillow from her face - She couldn't smother herself anyway - and looked at her supposedly oldest enemy. He was watching her with a mix of fondness, resignation and longing. Or so it seemed to her guilty mind.

- I am so sorry, Vlad. I... Well, thank you for resisting. At least one of us didn't embarrass themselves last night.

- My pleasure, Angel. And don't thank me, I wasn't able to totally resist, if you remember well. If you hadn't fallen asleep, honestly..." He trailed before falling silent.

Agatha dropped her gaze on the sheets, a new wave of mortification washing over her.

- Yes, well, I provoked you. So, for once, I don't blame you. You actually showed remarkable restraint.

-  Did I hear you well? Did you just pay me a compliment?! You may suffer ill effects after all." Dracula teased her.

- Nevermind." Agatha mumbled, going out of bed. Dracula presented a helping hand, which, after only a slight hesitation, she took. Once upright, though, she had to grip it more tightly as she swayed on her feet.

- Hum. Not totally unscathed, then." The older vampire remarked, without mirth.

- I'm fine." She defended herself."I just feel a little numb.

- Yes, of course. My mistake." He answered, with a knowing smile this time.

- Oh do shut up, Dracula!" The younger vampire growled, as she tried to remove her hand from his. But Dracula didn't let her.

- Maybe you should stay the day. Sleep it off.

- Dracula...

- I promise you : no mischief, no ulterior motive. If I may say so, you don't look so good. You could rest here, I won't bother you.

- I don't think..." She hesitated.

- I can bring you some clean blood to clear your head and you can lie here as long as you want." Dracula added when he sensed her wavering.

Agatha was thinking about accepting his offer as she felt exhausted, but still she pondered.

- Where will you rest? It's daytime.

- Don't worry about me. My sofa is quite comfortable.

The former nun snorted :

- Your sofa is as comfortable as a marble coffin and at least a foot shorter than you!

Dracula shrugged.

- Well, I still have to put a bed in the guest bedroom, so it will have to make do.

Agatha looked at her nemesis' bed : it had been made for him, so it was probably a foot longer than her and at least, large enough to house a small village. She gulped then took a deep breath :

- Your bed is big enough for the both of us. And since, you were the gentleman and offered me its exclusive use, I would be a very sore guest if I'd let you sleep on this terrible furniture you dare call a sofa.

Despite his surprise at her unexpected proposition, Dracula chuckled :

- Well, if you get into the habit of coming to see me while drunk, I may need to invest into a second bed. Or...

Agatha raised a warning finger :

- Don't even think about finishing this sentence, Count.

The older vampire grinned but stopped talking. After an awkward silence, Agatha added :

- You should think about replacing that sofa, too.

- I will." At his tone, she looked at him. He was watching her back with that same expression again.

- Are you sure you don't mind?" Dracula broke the spell. "I must admit I got quite fond of my bed, since I don't need my coffin to sleep in.

- No. I mean : I don't mind." But she insisted, to be sure : "You promise me no mischief.

- You offered me to sleep with you." He countered, teasing her.

Agatha didn't catch the joke, if her scandalised look was any indication :

- I was drunk!

Dracula laughed at her outraged tone.

- I'm joking, Agatha. Relax.

he sat on one side of the bed and patted the place next to him.

- Come on. You look dead on you feet. I promised you no mischief. I'll keep my word.

Agatha sat carefully on the bed then lay down next to her old enemy. They didn't say anything for some time. Dracula rearranged his limbs then put his hands behind his head, settling in.

Agatha was lying next to him rigidly, debating with herself, until finally she sighed :

- Oh Hell!" And throwing caution to the wind, she rolled on her side to nestle against him. It was quite nice, actually.

The older vampire stayed still for a moment, unsure what to do. Then, slowly, he put down one arm to place it around her shoulders and bring her a little closer to him.

- No mischief." She mumbled into his shirt.

- No mischief." He confirmed with a smile in his voice. "Even if you make it hard for me to keep my promise."

- Not without a partner." His younger kin replied softly, already on the verge of sleep.

Dracula resisted laughing at her tart answer, so as not to disturb her. She was relaxing against him and very soon, he could sense she was fast asleep. No partner indeed.

He couldn't hold it any longer and laughed, barely disturbing his exhausted partner. She muttered in her sleep, then settled against him once more after throwing an arm across his chest.

Perhaps, she would heed his advice next time. But Dracula hoped she wouldn't. Drunk Agatha was almost as fun as angry Agatha and far more agreeable.

The older vampire looked down at the woman in his arms. Maybe he was the one high, in this instance : he still couldn't believe his nemesis was actually sleeping, sober and peaceful, in his embrace. If God had decided to be done with him and Agatha was His sword arm, Dracula decided then and there that it was a small price to pay for a few hours with her in his arms. And with that satisfying thought, he slipped in a comfortable slumber.

[clareisa]

Consequences -「Son Dongju」

♠ - exorcist!Xion X demon!Reader

♠ - genre: exorcist!au, angst, suggestive

♠ - words: 1,8K

♠ - A/N: I know my stories are not the best, but I still hope they are not terrible. I would need more words to do a good story but unfortunately I don’t have the time. Please, forgive me, everyone♥

♠ - 4th October -  ♠ creeptober ♠

♠ - warnings - mentions of religion, disrespect of sacred place, mentions of blood, exorcism, coercion

♠  - English is not my first language, so please, excuse my mistakes

 Dongju was a regular boy from the countryside. Hardworking, generous, kind, peaceful and devoted to his faith in God, the good and bad, and the afterlife. Since he was a little boy, he wanted to work for the church, and not because of money or prestige. He just wanted to help people and lead them to be better. Because he believed everyone is kind in their true nature.  His parents were intensely proud when he got accepted to the theology school as a common farmer child, but they said he has unique qualities and determination to be part of God's servants.

 Soon, he didn't know why, but Dongju started to find interest at the more of a dark spectrum of his faith. It didn't mean he wanted to become a sinner. He just became captured by all the dark myths surrounding him, and the fascination of the other side of the coin.  Exorcism fascinated him the moment he got to know about it, and even though it was hard, sometimes even sad or disgusting to look at what was happening, he didn't give up.

  Soon he became very good at his job of casting out demons off from bodies of innocent people. Until one time...

 The moon was in the first quarter that night when Dongju arrived in a small village on the Han River. He came on the request of the head of the village, who sent a letter asking for help for his supposedly possessed daughter. And it turned out it was the case.

 Dongju was next to her bed for the whole night, trying to get the stubborn evil spirit out of the young girl's body. The demon was talking throught her. First just making fun of him, but as time was passing by, the demon used the girl's body to start touching Dongju in places that weren't appropriate.  As this started, Dongju took her hand in his and started saying out loud prayers, begging higher powers to kick the evil spirit out while intensely looking into the girl's eyes, making sure the demon can hear and see him clearly throught the young girl.

 The screams of agony were echoing throught the house as the method was finally working, and the painful process of the stubborn demon leaving without its permission started.  The girl's hand where Dongju was holding the rosary started burning, causing the smell of scorching human flesh to fill the room. Her eyes went up, the iris not even seen anymore, mouth opened in suffocating scream and the body trembling in an inhuman manner.

 "Crux sancta sit mihi lux, not draco sit mihi dux..." that was the beginning of the prayer Dongju was repeating.  "Vade retro satana, Nunquam suade mihi vana..." he continued even throught the screams and the girl biting his arm, piercing his skin and little creek of blood were falling down the rosary and then to the floor.  "Sunt mala quae libas, Ipse venena bibas." he finished with the last part saying that what they are offering is not wanted and the entity should drink their own venom.

 As he looked the last time deep in girl's eyes, he fell into a vision.

 He suddenly saw the face of a woman. The woman had white eyes and a smirk playing on her red lips.  Her voice resonated in his mind like an echo, "You think you this ends here?" she chuckled, "We'll meet soon... Son Dongju." and that was the moment the illusion in his mind fell apart, and he came back to reality, kneeling next to the bed holding the burned girl's hand, bleeding himself.

 After that, everything went smooth like usually. Dongju was happy that the family gave him some little money and cooked dinner. Yes, he was starving, and yes, he was in need of money also.  He was one of the best exorcists, but the church distanced themselves from him a long ago when he didn't agree to scam people out of money even when the humans around them wasn't possessed, just ill.

 Since then he was travelling, trying to earn money and then sending them to his parents because their business wasn't going really well and they were both ill.

 He thanked the family, took his things and probably an hour before sunrise, he got on his journey back home. As he was passing a church that was in the same village, he decided to go in, pray for a while, and think about the vision he got.

 As he opened the heavy wooden door, the cold air and smell of myrrh hit his senses. It was familiar and felt safe. Nothing bad could happen in this saint place.  He got on his knees in front of the altar, connected his hands, closed his eyes and started praying, thanking the higher power that he could save the young girl this night.

 "Well, well, well... who we got here, huh? Isn't it the same punk who forced me out of that body and interrupted my fun time?" suddenly a smooth women voice echoed through the church.  Dongju's eyes immediately opened he stood up and quickly looked for the source of the dangerously seductive voice.

 He froze to the ground as he saw an actual demon for the first time in front of him. How did he know? Well, it was more than obvious.  Her eyes purely white, giving no clue of actual living being inside. Her raven black hair was falling to her thighs, and her ashy skin was looking too unhealthy for blood even pulsating underneath. Her sharp nails painted in same black colour as her plump lips.

 Dongju immediately squeezed his rosary, "How did you get here? This is a sacred place!" he shouted at her not exactly sure what he should do since he was never in such a situation before.  "Sacred? Here? Ha! Let me laugh. This place was never even consecrated, my dear. Why you think this place has the most possession cases, huh?" she chuckled and smirked, looking at his handsome being up and down.

 Dongju just gulped but didn't say anything. She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see, because of the white colour.  "Look, I don't want to hurt you," she started slowly walking 'down the aisle' to him, but he immediately showed the rosary up, trying to protect himself in panic.  "Woah, Woah... slow down, baby boy. I said I don't want to hurt you." she said stopping a couple of meter in front of him.

 "Then what do you want?" he asked.  "I wanna work with you. As simple as that." she smiled.  "W-what?" he was confused now.  "You know... I would possess someone's body, and you will easily get 'rid of me' and get the reward, which we would spread in half. Good plan, right?" she leaned her head to the side as if it was the most normal thing happening.

 Dongju was slowly going crazy. This wasn't real, right?  "No... this... you.." he pointed at the female demon, " you are not real. This is just a dream, or I'm too tired, and it is happening just in my head." he said taking a deep breath, trying to calm down.

 "Oh, it is very much real, baby boy." she walked to him, "Should I show you how much?" she whispered with a smirk.  Dongju at that moment put the rosary at the side of her neck, making the demon scream in pain and walk back two steps.  

 "Ouch! That hurt, you know?!" she held the place when he burned her ashy skin a bit.

 "No, you are not real. I'm just hallucinating. I saw you before when I was helping that girl, it is just my imagination." he was trying to lie to himself again because he was a little scared now.

 "It was me, you idiot!" she sighed in annoyance. "Ok, I'll help you to believe. And because you interrupted my fun in that human's body, you can see it as a punishment," she said with a smirk on her face.  In a matter of one second, she was standing behind Dongju and hilding him under the neck. That was the moment the young exorcist finally accepted that this is real, and a real demon is going to kill him.

 "Oh, no, no, no. I won't kill you," she said.  "Y-you know how to read my mind?" he gulped as her long nails scratched his neck slightly.  "And not just that... don't worry your punishment will be pleasant, I promise," she whispered the last two words.

 The beautiful but freaky demon girl suddenly connected their bodies as close as possible, "Just relax and enjoy..." she smirked as she slowly pushed herself into his body, becoming part of him, possessing him.

 Dongju suddenly just heard her voice in his head. "Mmm, your body is strong and healthy." she giggled, "What a pretty young man we have here?" she chuckled and moved with his hand without him approving.  "Leave me alone!" he shouted in his mind.  He could see and feel everything throught his eyes and body but just couldn't control any of his body parts.

 "Let's have some fun since you ruined my last entertainment." she chuckled in his mind and sat his body down on the bench, the one right in front of an altar.  "Now let's show your Lord how he created you in his image." she giggled.

 Dongju's hands moved under her power and started buttoning down his dress shirt and pulling down his trousers slowly.  "What? NO! Let me go, you insane demon!" he whined in his mind.  "No. I have a weak spot for handsome cute humans, I wanna you to enjoy yourself." she chuckled again.

 She took down finally his underwear and here he was. Completely under demons control, naked in front of an altar.

 "Please, let me go. I..." he didn't even finish the sentence as his hand under your power took his bare member and started stroking up and down in slow teasing motions.  Dongju whined in his mind. It felt so bad, so embarrassing, so degrading, but the actual physical pleasure as his hand was going faster under the demon woman control was undeniable and liked the feeling even though he was disgusted by himself.

 "Your mind can try to stop me, but your body wants it so bad. I'm a very polite demon but no one interrupts my fun without consequences," she smirked when he finally moaned as she made him grip his already hard cock tighter.  "Maybe I'll let you have your fun with me later because I saw how you were looking at me, baby boy." she was having so much fun torturing the young man.

 "But now your consequences are that I'll make you cum right here, on the altar of your lord so he can see you clearly..."

[sp00kworm]

Trouble (Eric Northman x Reader)

Pairing: Eric Northman x Female Reader

ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN LINK

---

Trouble tended to follow people that entered Fangtasia. The name alone was enough to make your skin crawl. Old fashioned puns. Before the vampires had crawled from their seclusion and secrecy, it would have been a wise-crack of a name, given to some cheesy goth bar on the strip, trying to make a profit off of young adults who were into the scene. That or it would be some silly feature in a movie. You thought it was too tacky for an A-list as you peered up at the sign over the top of the entrance. Red flashing neon, blood drops dripping from the ‘F’ in the name. Someone had said it was popular for the irony. You knew it was because of the rumours of what happened in the back and toilets. Most of the men and women here were looking for the thrill of being with a vampire. Getting bit. Getting high off their blood. Vampiric blood as a drug was illegal, but you were more than certain that it didn’t stop the backhanded deals going on in the back. Despite that, despite being annoyed with all the garish shit plastered over the front and the gothic tacky theme, you were for this ability to mingle. Seeing genuine vampires and their human counterparts move into the bar, and for once in their lives, be able to be together without fear.

 Fear was maybe the only thing in your mind as your friend dragged you to the door. A blond vampire was stood in stiletto heels, her sharp brow raised as a smirk crawled over her pretty face. She was sharp at every angle, even down to the points of her teeth as her red lips curled back.

“I’m gonna have to ask for some ID.” She drawled, perfectly painted nails uncurling to present her palm, “It’s been a long time. I can’t tell age very well anymore.” The vampire sneered teasingly as you pulled your ID free from your purse. She took both yours and your friend’s in hand, peering at the pictures and yourselves before she returned them politely and took one step to the left, “Please. Enjoy yourselves.” She drawled with a lick to her fang, “Any trouble, just ask for Pam.” Blond hair whipped as she shot you both a wink over her shoulder. The men in line behind you didn’t receive such a nice treatment. Pam’s sweet drawl turned sharp when she turfed them out and away.

“Don’t you come back here with those vials, sweethearts! I’ll make sure to stick ‘em so far you’ll never find them again!” She snapped her teeth and laughed as they ran. You tried to take a deep breath as you headed inside the cool club and towards the bar tucked away to the side.

 “You never said this place was full of strippers too.” You complained as you ordered drinks for the two of you. The vampire bartender was polite, smiling with white teeth as he mixed your drinks and slid them over the wood, snatching the ten-dollar bill before sliding you back your change on top of two stamped coasters.

“Come on. I know it looks seedy, but people really are nice.” She complained before hiding your eyes from two people exchanging spit in the back, “He…He’s been so kind to me. I needed you here. This is the only place we can be seen together. In this bar.” The drink in her hand shook as she raised it to her lips, taking a long drink of the bourbon mixer.

With a sigh you smiled over your straw and took her other hand, squeezing it tightly in your grasp, “And I’ll stay. I don’t want you getting screwed over by a human or a vampire.” You promised as she pulled her phone out and smiled, perking up and looking around as a young-looking man skulked into the door. Her smile only got brighter, and his own with it, and you nodded before bowing out, moving away enough to give them privacy, smiling over your drink as the two of them laughed in the corner, unseen and ignored where finally, they could be normal.

 A human on their own, however, was more than fair game within a bar full of vampires. You watched the male dancer move his way over a table, his ass pressed to the pole as his hyper fast movements paused for a long grind. His fangs glinted as you watched, dark hair stylized. With a huff you turned back to your drink and swirled the ice as the vampire laughed and turned his scary, graceful movements back towards the crowd that would pay, leather trousers rippling but never making a sound.

“You know its best not to be alone in here.” The bartender offered with a curious turn of his head, dark hair falling over his shoulder, “I just make the drinks. But it never ends well if you stay too long.” He offered darkly before nodding at your drink, “Better if you don’t have many more of those either.” Still, he mixed you another before moving down the bar, towel over his shoulder.

Another voice followed behind you, purring with delight, “Humans that are alone don’t last long here.” It was Pam, her red nails curling over your shoulder as she shuffled into the seat next to you, “But I know you’re here for…” She waved boredly, “Moral support for your little love bird friends. I’ve been keeping the vultures away, at least for now, but you’ll have to leave soon pretty thing. They get hungry quickly.” With a sharp smile she was gone again, blond updo flitting through grinding bodies. The bartender laughed a dark chuckle at your full glass and once more you were left alone with your thoughts, hoping that your friend would let you go home soon.

 It wasn’t going to happen. You gathered your purse and paid the bartender for the drinks before shooting a message to your friend. She peered up worriedly as you waved to the bartender and walked through the crowd, towards the door. The bodies seemed to glide effortlessly, much like the dancers, yet many humans danced between the gyrating vampires, drunk and indulging in the vampire’s hypnotising eyes. You kept your head down as you moved past the edge of the bar and towards the vampire bouncers guarding the peace at the door. They didn’t stop you however, a hand on your elbow did.

Pam’s red nails swirled around the crux of your elbow, pressing deep into the skin as she smiled at your side, “Now, now, no need to fright sweet thing.” She drawled, stroking a lock of blond hair behind her ear as she leaned over in her heels, the black leather of her dress brushing against you, “A different kind of vulture wants your attention.” Pam’s red lips popped against your ear, “But he’s a much nicer sort, that I can promise you…Well…” Her eyes looked you up and down as she steered you back around by the shoulders, “If you play nice that is.” Her lips spread in another smirk at the rumbling of your phone in your hand. You caught sight of your friend getting up from her seat worriedly, her vampire companion snapping her back down with a hushed word against her ear as you were steered through the crowd.

 How you hadn’t noticed the throne on a stage was a mystery. Bodies parted as you were coaxed to stand at the side of the platform, worriedly clutching your bag strap. Pam’s heels clicked as she ascended the stairs. Even more amazing was how you hadn’t noticed the oldest creature in the room looming on top of the throne, his legs thrown up on a velvet foot stool, eyes focused on a small phone in his hand as he ignored the crowds like they were worth nothing to him. Peasants to a Lord. Maybe that was the best analogy. He didn’t pay attention to you as Pam leaned over by his ear, fangs hidden as she whispered quiet enough to not be heard over the music by other vampires. Cold, old, blue eyes looked up from the flip phone in his hand, gaze fixed on your form as Pam leaned back away from his ear. She smirked to herself, like a cat proud of her little catch, and sauntered back down the stairs, heels snapping against the cold floor as she turned to find herself something entertaining for the evening. The blond vampire turned his eyes from her to you again, snapping the phone shut before he curled a single finger in your direction. Pam’s eyes were heavy on you from her corner as she watched you swallow, the nervousness of a human boiling violently under the surface as you looked at the stairs, clutched your bag tighter, and dared to take them.

 Your legs felt heavier and heavier as you took the stairs up to the platform stage, the old vampire’s eyes following your movements like a hawk. With another flick of his wrist, he dropped his phone onto the table next to him and crossed his ankles on top of his stool. Somehow, he looked a lot less threatening with his squeaky polished shoes. The shirt was open far too low to be considered proper, yet he wore the tight jeans and a dress jacket over the top, a chain dipping low into the cleavage of his sculpted chest. You stood by the stairs as he took you in, tight outfit, choker and all. Dressed to enter his bar, but something about you not quite fitting in with the rest of the vampire lackeys crowding the large room. A sharp smile cut his face before he curled a finger again, egging you to come closer, “I can’t speak to you all the way over there.” He didn’t drawl like other members of the bar, his accent foreign and unplaced among the Louisiana drawls. You swallowed, and he smirked wider, but you took the final steps towards his lounging place, “There. That’s better isn’t it?”

Finding your voice was difficult in the face of the smirking vampire but eventually you managed to get your vocal chords to work, “I’m sorry to ask, but why do you want to speak to me?”

 The blond smirked wider, running his fingers over the arms of his chair, “I don’t think I gave you permission to speak but I appreciate an air breather with manners. So few of you know where you stand.” He linked his fingers over his lap and smiled a smile of ill intention, “Pam thought you might be of interest, since you enjoy agitating the vultures around here so much.” He pointed at the choker around your neck, “Hiding silver underneath there. Very creative of you.” His teeth turned sharp with a movement of his jaw, fangs snapping, “But incredibly rude. None of my clientele are inclined to touch those who don’t want it.”

You swallowed your fear again, “I’m sorry. I’ve heard things about this place…” The fear settled in your gut and squirmed violently, prompting you to say stupid things, “What’s your name if you…”

The vampire laughed, give chest bobbing with the unnatural expulsion of air he didn’t need, “I’ve never been asked that like this. You really are odd.” His smile grew wider, “Eric. I own this bar.”

“Eric… Well its nice to meet you?” You felt sweat drip down your back.

Eric smiled with sharp fangs, “Nice?” He hummed, getting more comfortable in his chair, “I would not call this meeting ‘nice’.”

 A finger raised to point at the silver laced choker around your neck, “Take that off. Its insulting.” He commanded with a head rested on his fist, watching you fumble with the buckle, revealing the tight, thing silver chain wrapped underneath it, “Very creative. Take that off too.” Eric droned, snapping open his phone again to look at a message before he tossed it back to the side and admired the unmarked column of your throat. He tilted his head curiously, “So if you’re not here to get your rocks off, so to speak, why are you here at all?”

The burning question. That was why the leather clad creatures were all staring, and you knew it. Your eyes dared not to look at your friends huddled in the corner as you replied, “I came to support a friend. She met the vampire she’d been talking to for a while tonight.” The words felt a bit pathetic as you choked them out, “She didn’t want him to…be a fraud. She loves him I think. I didn’t want her to get…”

“Eaten for it?” Eric offered with a smirk, tapping his fingers together over his hips, “That is maybe what most of your kind comes here for, is it not? She was…brave for doing this. But that maybe makes you stupid for coming into the wolf den with her.”

“Is this an interrogation or are you just bored, Eric…Sir.” You could have shot yourself and been less scared in that moment.

 Wild eyes looked at you then, ready to snap you in half if you gave him much more of a reason, “What was that?” He asked before laughing quietly, teeth clenched in the most unfriendly smile you had ever laid eyes on, “Do I need a reason to ask why you’re in my bar?” He leaned forwards, taking his feet from the stool, the soles snapping against the stage before he pushed his hands against the arms, leaning forwards to get close enough to snap his teeth at your trousers, “I’m Sheriff of this area, little girl. My word is law. So, I’ll ask you again.” Eric drew back into his seat and watched you squirm with a little more delight than he would ever admit, “What are you doing in my bar?”

He could glamour you. You understood that. He could do it with a snap of his fingers and have you begging for anything he wished upon your magic infused brain.

“Its like I said, Sheriff,” He hummed happily at the proper use of his title, “I came here to support my friend. Nothing else. I don’t have any ill intentions towards anyone. I came here to make sure she didn’t get fucked over.” You spread your arms out and sighed, “And if you glamour me, you’re going to get the same response, Sir.”

 The vampire looked up at you, watching you squirm under his gaze with curiosity equivalent to a cat snatching a mouse back repeatedly with claws hooked into its tail, “If I do glamour you, you won’t remember standing in front of me, never mind the reason why you are here snarking in front of me.” Eric’s smile turned dangerous as he trailed his gaze up over your legs, admiring them before he turned his fingers in a dismissive gesture, “If that’s all you’re here for then you can scuttle away. I have no need of a plaything tonight.” He crossed his ankles on his footstool once more and picked up his phone from the table, flicking it open to set back to whatever it was he was doing before entertaining himself with you.

“Well, it was a pleasure, Sheriff.” You tried to sound sincere as he watched you over the top of his ancient phone, tapping away at the keys at lightning speed as he replied to whatever was urgently awaiting his attention. His icy eyes watched you, hiding his smirk behind his phone as you awkwardly made your way back down the stairs and towards the door. Your friend and her lover followed you quickly.

 Eric grinned at the young vampire, knowing there was very little he would be able to do if Eric decided to have his own way. He wasn’t up for that tonight. He had a lot more pressing matters to attend to over playing with a human.

Pam was quick to make her way over once more, “Oh, you are feeling generous tonight, Eric.” She purred as she sat on the arm of his chair, “I’m pretty sure you have a free night? Why lie to such a nice piece of ass?” She drawled, admiring her freshly painted nails as Eric snapped his phone shut and watched the edge of the stage with boredom.

“I don’t always want to eat whatever walks into my lap, Pamela.” He teased as he listened to the annoying ancient ring tone of his phone but ignoring it, “She’ll be back.” He promised with a smirk, “You don’t wear push-up bras if you don’t want some kind of attention.”

Pam scoffed over on his right, a sharp eyebrow quirked in irritation, “A girl don’t gotta wear anything to impress a man. She was here for herself, Eric, not everything is a vie for your attention.” She tucked a stray curl over her ear and moved to stand, “You might as well chase her. She won’t be back without that little friend of hers.” Pam took the stairs and slinked into the crowd leaving Eric to smirk at his phone.

 Avoiding Fangtasia was easy. Your friend and her newly turned lover were comfortable being seen after that. After the upheaval of the royalty and the turbulence that followed, vampires were much more well known. Out of the coffin for numerous years. They were more accepted than ever, despite their eating habits. The tacky lighting was no different, even a year on. Your friend and her lover cooed from beside you as you all entered, the bouncers waving you in instantly. Arm through Derrick’s you shuddered at the coldness of his skin until he released you with an awkward smile by the bar, looking to your friend with a look you could only describe as love.

“I’m sorry she dragged you here, sweet thang.” He drawled, tipping the hat he had on with He drawled, tipping the hat he had on with He drawled, tipping the hat he had on with his eyes hidden awkwardly, “I don’t think she’s used to this sort of stuff still.”

With a snort you laughed at the young vampire

With a snort, you laughed at the young vampire, “Don’t worry about it. Sometimes I just think she misses seeing people.” You patted the vampire’s arm before moving away to order a drink. It was a new bartender, yet he accepted your order and whipped it up in record time, sliding it along the bar before winking and turning to his other customers.

 You ignored the cold stare on your back as you sipped your drink quietly by the bar. It was quiet in the bar for a while and you listened to Derrick drawl in the corner before a cold hand slipped over your shoulder. Black nails curled into your blouse.

“Well hello again.” Pam purred behind you, leaning into the seat next to you with a smile, not entirely dangerous, “I didn’t think we would ever see you again.” She hummed as she leaned on the bar top, “I thought Eric had scared you off for good after his interrogation.”

You took a rather large gulp of your drink, “Well, I just can’t say no to my friend it seems.” You joked half-heartedly as Pam licked her top lip.

“Well, if you’re looking for something else…” She trailed her nails over the bar, “I’m sure I can help you out. Not all of us want brutish men. I understand that.” Sharp black nails tapped in front of your drink before she smiled and waved them by her side, “But, Eric wants to see you, despite leaving him high and dry for…hmmm…A year? He might have quite a few words for you.” The vampire leaned over and flashed fang at a collared girl, “He’s waiting, girlie. Don’t make him any more upset.”

 You turned to avoid having to look at Pam lick her lips anymore and stood with a scowl at the Sheriff leaned over in his chair. Bright, icy eyes looked at you intensely as you took your drink and walked through the crowd, the choker around your neck not laced with silver this time. As you approached the edge of the stage you watched Eric stand and fasten the button on his silver jacket before he descended the stairs and was instantly by your side, a rush of air following him before a cool hand pressed to the small of your back.

“Hello there, darling.” Eric whispered as he dragged you through the crowd, a firm hand pressed to your back after the rushing spin of him turning you around in the opposite direction. Eric made his presence at your side well known; head held high as he directed you towards a door labelled as ‘staff only'.

“Hello, Sheriff...What seems to be the occasion?” You asked as you stepped through the door. Eric held it open for you. It was his small office. The decor was old fashioned, minimal in a way that told you he didn’t care for it, “This better not be a booty call because I’m going to have to disappoint you.”

Fangs flashed near your ear as he shut the door, whisking past you towards his chair, “No. This isn’t a booty call.” He leaned back and perched back on his bottom to prop his feet up on the desk, “This is actually more of an interview.” A pleasant white smile met your eyes as he linked his fingers on his lap and watched you grow suspicious.

 “A job?” You gave him a scowl, “Why the fuck would I need a job from you? And for a matter of fact, why the fuck would I want a job as a hooker in your sleezy bar?” You spat the words at him, the smirk on his face making you even angrier.

“Now now, pumpkin. There’s no need for the language.” In a blur Eric had you by the arm, grappled in his grasp, mouth close to your neck as he threatened your pulse with a tight grip, “And that is no way to speak to me.” He hissed behind the words before letting you go with another snap of his pale hands, “It’s a bartending job.”

You felt relief flood through you before you looked at his desk, “You have a contract already drawn up? What is wrong with you, Sheriff Northman?” You snarked as you plonked yourself across from him.

The vampire rolled his shoulders as he paced back to his seat, “I’m getting what I want.” He mused before sighing, “No perfume, lack of cosmetics. Its all telling. I know you lost your job. This is a good way out, plus,” He leaned back in his seat, “Its better than minimum wage, sweetheart.”

 You looked at the paper and felt your stomach flipflop, looking at the devil with fangs sat in a designer suit before you glanced back at the paper, “Holy shit! That’s a lot more than minimum wage.” You peered at the figure before looking at the smug vampire perched behind his desk, “You promise this isn’t going to fuck me over?”

Eric tilted his head, “I wouldn’t mind fucking you over…”

“Don’t.” You held up your hand, “Don’t finish that sentence, Mister Northman.” You reached for the pen between his fingers and snatched at it.

Eric held it back, “Are you sure you’ve read the small print?”

With a grumble you held the paper up and read over the fine print, “Really? Only two weeks holiday? That’s gotta be against all kinds of regulations!” You hissed.

“It includes public holidays, those are just the days on top of that.” He smiled pleasantly as you snatched the pen and signed your name at the bottom.

“When do I start?” You asked as he took the paper between two fingers.

With a grumble he looked you over and smiled, “Right now. We’re short staffed.” In a blur of movement Eric moved. You squawked as a stinging slap landed over your ass cheeks, “Now get out there and show me I’m not wasting my money.”

[pixie88]

Making Amends

Chapter 18 - Always the Bridesmaid.

A/N: I’m going to try and start editing and publishing 2 chapters a week (Next will be out Thursday as we are away this weekend for my LO’s birthday) as I have 6 drafts in ATB and 3 drafts in Addicted to You (Series 2 of ATB) Obviously if you wish to stop reading after series 1 I completely understand just let me know if you like to be untagged. Now offence taken. I hope you like it.

Read previous chapters HERE!

Warnings: Fluff & Little Angst.

Word Count: 2608

Pairings: Laila x Harry

Enjoy!

Laila just sat and listened to Zeppy for over an hour "Do you want my honest opinion?" Laila stokes her hair, she nods "I think you need to put yourself first, not your Mum, Dad or even Jade....You! If that means cutting Vicky out of your life then so be it"

She sits up "But Mum...Jade says you should forgive people's mistakes!" Laila hands her a tissue from her dresser "But you can only give someone so many chance. I get she is your Mum, but sometimes we give family more chances than we do anyone else and they expect it" Zeppy sighs knowing Laila is right.

There's a light knock on the bedroom door, Nate pokes his head in "Everything OK?" he asks, Zeppy smiles then looks at Laila "Yeah, Auntie Leia gave me some advice" Laila gets up "Why do you tell your Dad about it? I'm going to head home. If you need me just give me a call" Zeppy nods as Nate walks further into the bedroom "Thanks!" Nate smiles at her.

She says her goodbyes and makes her way home.

~*~*~*~

A few days later Laila is at work, she has clients back to back. Daniel just sends each one through, she's cleaning her hair clippers when the next client comes over and takes a seat. "Hey, I'll be with you in a minute," she throws over her shoulder not even looking at her client "OK, take all the time you need" he says in a cheery tone.

She knew that voice, they hadn't spoken since the incident in his flat, she turned "Rem? What are you doing here?" he offers her a regretful smile, "I know I had an appointment tomorrow after you finished work, but I didn't think you would turn up, so I rang up the salon booked myself in for today. Plus, I wanted to apologies for how I acted the other day, I was out of line...way out of line! I hope you'll accept my apology and if you feel the need to you can take it out on my hair I will happily accept if it means you will forgive me!"

Laila laughs at him as she throws the gown over him and wrapping her arms around him "Look, I understand you were upset, so there's nothing to forgive!" he smiles up at her in the mirror "Thank god!! I've hated not having you to speak to...You know its hard to get advice when the person you always go to for advice is the one you need advice for! Alec put me in my place soon after you left!"

She laughs, "Rem!! I don't want to know what you get up to!" she jokes making him chuckle. She feels like a weight has been lifted, she has her best friend back. She curious to know what he's going to do about Melissa, but she's too scared to ask because she doesn't want to upset him. "I can see your mind ticking over, I've known you too long to know when your thinking about something"

"Rem...." he smiles, but rolls his eyes, "You want to know what I'm going to do about my mot..I mean Melissa!" he raises a brow at her "I'll meet her, but just once to see what she wants and that's it! Can I ask you something?" she nods at him "Do you think she's serious?" she lets out a breath "She said her friend suddenly died and it made her realise, if that was her...her kids wouldn't be at her funeral. I think she wants just wants a chance. She seemed upset she didn't know you had gotten married. It's weird after I left yours the other day I went to Nate's and while I was there I was trying to convince Zeppy to stop giving Vicky anymore chances"

"Oh? What's happened with Vicky?" Laila shook her head "What's always up with her!"

"Oh, poor Zeppy! Why won't Vicky learn?! She won't stick around if she's on the gear again!" Laila starts trimming his hair "I know, but they say addiction is an illness" Rem's shook her head "We can only hope Zeppy has taken your advice and it makes Vicky realise what she could lose" Laila nod "Hmm..can only hope"

Later that evening.

Laila is putting the finishing touches to her makeup when her buzzer rings. She knew it was Harry, so she buzzes him up and leaves the front door open and runs back to the bedroom to finish up. "Gorgeous?" he calls out "In the bedroom" she calls back.

He pokes his head through the doorway "Are you ready?" he smiles at her "I think so. Do I look OK?" she is wearing a khaki cut off sleeved shirt dress which wasn't long enough to wear without bottoms, so she picked a pair of black trousers and gold and black wedge sandals. "You look perfect," she was nervous he could tell especially considering the last time she had seen Colin and Rose she had called him a miserable old git.

They had made a mends after that, but she still felt incredibly nervous, but this belated birthday meal was Colin's idea. She looks over herself in the mirror one last time, Harry steps behind her, his arm wrapping around her waist and kisses her bare shoulder "No need to be nervous! He knows not to say anything out of line again, but if he does believe me...I won't stand for it" she smiles at his reflection in the mirror before turning in his arms.

"Oh, guess who came into the salon today?!" he knew who by her smile, but he wanted to tease her "Antony Joshua?" she laughs, "No! Rem!" she's beaming "I take it you two have made up then?"

"Yep, all made up!" he kisses the top of her head "Thank god for that," he chuckles "Ready to go?" he asks her "I think so!" he takes her hand and they make their way to the restaurant in Harry's car.

When they get to the restaurant Colin and Rose are already there as they approach the table Laila takes a deep breath "Laila, Harry" Rose gets up from her seat hugging them both "Hi Rose.." "Mum, little too tight!" Harry jokes as she lets go and they all take their seat "Dad" Harry nods at Colin "Colin, Hi!" she smiles "You alright?" he asks them both. "Yeah, thanks, you?" Laila asks her nerves are still going a hundred miles per hour.

"Great! Thanks! How was your birthday? Oh, and Happy belated Birthday!" he says. Laila's thrown he is completely different from the last time they saw him "Happy birthday!" Rose says as she passes over an envelope "Thanks, yeah it was great thanks! Better than I could've imagined" she's cut off by Rose "What did Harry get you?"

Laila's hand automatically goes to her locket, Rose leans over to take a closer look, "Can I open it?" she asks "Yeah, of course" Rose flips it open and coos at the picture "Aww, that is an adorable photo of you both!" Colin leans over to have a look "It's a good one" he comments.

They both sit down "Open your card!" Rose tells her. Opening the envelope and folded up bit of paper falls out, inside it reads:

To Lovely Laila,

Happy Birthday!

We hope you had a great day!

Love Rose & Colin x

P.S. We didn't know what to get you, so we thought this might be nice for you both to enjoy. x

Opening the folded paper its a photo of an old cottage, she looks up at Rose and Colin confused, Harry, take the paper from her to take a closer look, "What's this?" Harry asks his parents "So we didn't know what to get you, so we thought maybe you to might like a free week away in our little cottage in the Cotswold's. Obviously you two can chose any week you want just let us know a few weeks ahead! Harry, don't go telling your brothers or sister!"

"Why?" he chuckles "Because they will all want a week there and I don't trust they won't trash the place" Colin shook his head "I promise we won't trash the place and thank you that's so thoughtful!" the waiter comes over to take their drinks order, Harry leans in close enough so only she can hear "Can't say the same about the bed" he whispers making her blush.

After the starter Rose and Colin are telling them all about their time away in Rome "You have to take Laila there one day!" Rose tells her son. "It's beautiful! Laila, I keep meaning to ask do you cut men's hair?" Colin surprisingly asks her "Yeah, I do"

"She's my hairdresser now" Harry winks at her "Great, do you think you could fit me in?" Colin looks over to her "Erm..yeah, sure when are you free?" She's not sure if this is a joke or not but Colin has done a 360 since the last time. "Weekends probably work out better for me"

She smiles "I work every other Saturday in the salon, but I can come to you if it's easier?" She asks him nervously "3 weeks from now work? At our house?" Laila pulls out her phone that's Saturday is her weekend off "Perfect, any time preference?"

He checks his phone "Shall we say 11 AM then we'll do lunch?" Laila can't quite believe he's asking her to do his hair "Yeah, that would be great!" she's still taken aback by it. Maybe this is him trying to build bridges? She thought.

"Laila?" she hears someone call out from behind him as she looks up, it's Lou, she smiles and gets up to greet her "Lou, how are you?" she asks as she hugs her. Laila's happy that they're at this point.. 6 months ago, Laila could never imagine even looking in Lou's direction, let alone hugging her "Sorry, Louise, this is Rose and Colin, Rose and Colin this is Louise and obviously you've met Harry, they're his parents"

"Oh how lovely to meet you!" Louise smiles "And you!" Rose says as Colin just smiles at her "Laila, you wouldn't mind coming over to our table and saying hello to Steve would you? He'd love to see you!"

"Oh..erm OK!" she looks at Harry "I'll be 2 minutes!" he winks back at her. She felt a bit nervous she hadn't seen Steve in years because she thought it was best to stay away after everything happened considering she might have just let it slip to him out of anger, but now was different she understood why Lou did what she did it. Which was all thanks to Harry, in some ways she had changed for the better because of him, he had made her more forgiving.

Now, instead of blaming her, she gratefully Josh's last day's weren't his worst days. She had seen how cancer can change someone with her Grandad Carelli, he went from running every day with his granddaughter to being to weak too lift a fork.

As they approach the table Steve looks up noticing Laila his face lights up "Laila! Oh wow! It's so good to see you!!" he beams at her.

She smiles back at him.

Back at their table.

Colin looks to where Laila is "Who is this Louise to Laila?" Rose looks over to Harry. He knew what he could and couldn't say, "She's Laila's ex fiancé's Mum" Colin looks shocked "And she's gone over to see him?!" Harry could see his Dad disapproval "No! Steve is his Dad" Rose doesn't know what to say "You're OK with her being friendly with her ex's parents?" Colin almost hisses.

"Yes, I am! Because quite frankly, being jealous of a ghost is a bit ridiculous!" Harry could see the confusion on their face "Laila, ex fiancé died of cancer," he knew he couldn't say anymore than that "Oh god! That poor girl!" Rose is shocked, Colin is speechless "Now can you see why I'm more than happy for her to be friendly with her ex's parents? Even if he was a living ex I would be fine with it because I trust Laila!"

"I can see why...she is a lovely girl" Harry has never heard his Dad say anything like that about any of his girlfriends, but he just put that down to Laila being able to win anyone over because that was the kinda girl she is.

At Lou and Steve's table.

"You know we all missed you after the funeral. You just kinda disappeared" Steve's words make her drown in guilt "Hey! It was hard for all of us Steve, you have to remember she lost someone she was going to marry. We were probably a constant reminder of what she had lost" Louise tries to make excuses for Laila. She's thankful for this "I guess Lou is right! Sorry Laila!"

"You have nothing to be sorry for Steve....honestly, it's like Lou said and to be honest, I needed to grieve by myself," she smiles at him "How are you nowadays?"

"I'm good actually....I'm here with my boy....my boyfriend and his parents," she hated telling him this, but she was already keeping something from him plus surely he didn't expect her never to find anyone after Josh. "Aww, that's sweet! How long have you 2 been together?" he seemed happy for her which was a relief to her "I asked him to be my boyfriend over 2 months ago now" Steve howls "Why doesn't that surprise me! Josh always said if you wanted something you would go out and get it"

She laughs, "He is the first relationship I've had since Josh to be fair!" Lou coos "Does he make you happy?" Lou asks her "You know what he makes me incredibly happy actually," she looks over to Harry, his eyes catch hers and he throws her a wink making her blush. "I'm happy for you! You deserve to be happy...that's all Josh would have wanted for you!" Lou offers her a soft smile.

"Speaking of my boyfriend, I better get back to him! It was lovely seeing you both," she says as she gets up both Steve and Lou hug her.

She makes her way back to Harry and his parents, "Here she is!" Harry smiles and wraps an arm over her shoulder as she sits. The rest of the meal is relaxed and easy.

After they say their goodbyes to his parents, they make their way back to Laila's flat.

When they arrive the front door has been kicked in, worried someone might still be inside Harry tells Laila to call the police and he heads inside. Laila grabs his arm "Harry..."

"Laila, I'll be fine! I just want to check they're not still in there," he pushes the door open and makes his way inside.. he first checks the kitchen, when he hears someone behind him. He spins round, it's Laila holding her handbag like she's about to whack someone "Laila! Go and wait outside!" he whispers "What? and leave you to get attacked? No! Plus I have my bag! Never underestimate a women's handbag!"

"Fine! Just stay close!" he knew there was no point in arguing with her, so he continues to check all the rooms. Each have been ransacked, when they got to the living room on the wall in red spray paint were Cut her out of your life..

Continue reading this story here - Chapter 19.

@ridgy--didge​ @lem-20​ @secretaryunpaid​ @irisofpurple​ @khoicesbyk​ @txemrn​ @tea-me-kah​ @gloriousalmondvoiddreamer​ @casualpostqueen​ @beautifuluknownvoid​

[alicanta77]

Chapter 3: Elysium Burning

Pairing: y/n x Haechan

Themes: angst, fluff, suspense(?)

Warnings: swearing, zombies, blood, violence, death, virus, illness, anxiety, mentions of abusive family

Words: 11k

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Finale

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Inspiration from my friend @2-cute-4-school and her story called ‘Evanescent’. This girl is such a beautiful writer and honestly seems to be able to write anything, can't praise and recommend her work enough! Thank you to the ends of the earth for letting me use it as a starting point xx

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Three days. It had been three days since you had left the safety of Mark’s house. Three days until you had reached the army base. Three days since Jeno had died. And those three days had been the hardest since the apocalypse began. Learning to live without Jeno was something you never thought you would have to do, never thought you would know what it was like. You never wanted to know what it was like, but you did. It was your new normal.

Since Jeno died, a hole had been ripped out of your group dynamic. Renjun wore his necklace everyday, you often caught him holding onto the silver tab that read his name and birthday. Donghyuck went silent. He was still in mourning for his sister, and piling one of his best friend’s deaths on top of that seemed too cruel to be real. But it was. And you couldn't focus. Whenever someone started talking, you remembered Jeno. Whenever you keeping watch at night, you remembered Jeno. Whenever you were doing nothing, you remembered Jeno. He was such a huge part of your life that you didn't know how to function without him there.

Jaemin had been a massive help to you all. He had been patient, repeating anything you didn't focus on, kind, always staying with you to talk about him, and understanding, helping you when you broke down about him. That photograph you had of the four of you was your last memory of him. You held onto that every second you could, treasured it like you had never treasured anything before. Donghyuck cried every night, and every night you hugged him and sang ‘You are my sunshine’ to calm him down. He found it hard to let you go afterwards though. So you never left. It was getting to the point where you were needing Donghyuck by your side in order to get a good nights sleep.

After three of the most mentally exhausting days of your life, you reached the army base.

You watched as the high walls grew over the horizon, your supposed safe haven. You knew that a fight was awaiting you. There was a slim chance that the building would be empty of zombies, but you felt ready to take them on. You hadn't killed a zombie since the school and, after everything of the past few days, you thought you could do well with letting out some pent up anger and frustration.

Jaemin drove you, Jisung and Donghyuck in one car, Mark driving the others, and you approached the gates at a steady speed. Last night you had come to the decision that it would be best to drive around the base once, allowing you to check how many zombies you could see, before launching your attack. You also knew that you only really had one shot at this, so you decided to stick together and move as one, clean the base out one room at a time. 

Mark’s car was a bit further ahead of you, so you were surprised to see the brake lights flash up suddenly, signalling them stopping. Jaemin followed suit, shooting you a quick confused look as you all watched them exit the car and stare up at the base. You opened your door, Donghyuck meeting you as you climbed out of the backseat and walked up towards them.

‘What’s wrong?’ Jaemin asked.

Mark turned around to look at you all. 

‘It’s quiet.’

Chenle raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s quiet? Isn’t that a good thing?’

‘No as in it’s too quiet. Surely there must be zombies somewhere, but you can't hear a thing. It’s as if the entire area has been cleared of them.’ Mark tried to explain his paranoia.

‘This place should be crawling. The infection rates of HD were highest in the military due to the close contamination in their living quarters.’ Renjun spoke quietly. Neither you, Renjun or Donghyuck had spoken much since Jeno’s death, and even when you did it was mainly to each other.

Renjun moved closer towards you and Donghyuck, relaxing a bit as he was closer to you before continuing: ‘Statistically speaking, there should be something here.’

‘Exactly. What should we-’

Mark was cut off by a metallic groan that drew your attention to the walls in front of you. The gates began to creak open, causing all of you to grab your guns and pull them into position. Then you saw two figures begin to walk towards you, but, they didn't seem to move like zombies did, the was no limping or sharp twitches. There were also no trademark moans or groans that you usually heard from the undead. This did not, however, calm you down, instead fuelling your fear and you gripped your gun tighter. You could see the rest of your group still had their guns ready, everyone anticipating a fight.

But the fight never came. As the figures got closer you couldn't see any tell tale signs on their skin of them being infected, and you felt your grip on your gun being to loosen. Soon the figures had reached a few meters from you and put their hands up, as if in surrender or showing that they meant you no harm. Both figures were male, and as the shorter of the two males began to speak, you felt your nerves disappear slightly.

‘Hey, are you guys okay? I know you must be terrified right now but, I promise you’ll be safe here. Can you put the guns down?’

You looked at Mark for guidance and watched as he lowered his gun and nodded at the rest of you. You all followed suit, causing smiles to break out on the two male’s faces.

‘Now that’s more like it! Before we let you in, we have to ask and do a quick check for injuries and bites. Is that okay?’

Mark nodded, slightly in shock at the current situation. 

‘Yeah that's fine, no one is bitten, we can show you.’

You all rolled up your sleeves and trouser legs, showing your clean bodies. Instead of forcing you to stand in your underwear, the boys asked for you to do certain stretches. This originally confused you but, only once you did them did you realise that, if you had a bite anywhere on your stomach or back, these would have been excruciatingly painful.

Once you were all cleared, the two boys smiled and the taller one held out a hand for Mark to shake.

‘I’m Hyunjin, this is San. Nice to meet you.’ 

Mark shook his hand and turned to you all, pointing at you in turn and introducing you.

Hyunjin and San repeated each name after him in an attempt to learn them before nodding in confirmation.

‘Well if you want to get in your cars, and don’t mind giving us a lift too, we can get you in through the front gate.’ San informed you, all of you easily nodding in agreement. 

Hyunjin climbed into Mark’s car, while San followed you to yours. Donghyuck gave San the passenger seat and came around to sit in the back with you and Chenle. While driving up towards the army gates and through the army gates, you couldn't help but grab onto Donghyuck’s arm and think of Jeno and how much he would have loved to be here, how much he deserved to be here.

Donghyuck turned around and gave you a sad smile, showing that he was thinking the same. 

‘Sorry about those weird stretches we asked you to do back there.’ San turned around to you in the back. ‘It’s just an easy way of knowing if someone is injured without having to make them undress. The two leaders of this group we have, Chan and Hongjoon, came up with the idea. They didn't really want to make anyone uncomfortable before they had even got through the door.’

After that he turned back around. You were glad he didn't force you to talk and he seemed to realise that there was something that you didn't want to talk about. You hoped everyone in the army base would be as kind as he had been so far.

The cars pulled in through the gate and you saw a small group of people waiting. San opened the door and gestured for the rest of you to follow suit.

‘Someone will take your car to our makeshift garage.’ He explained before turning around to a brown haired boy and saying, ‘They're clean Seungmin.’

Seungmin nodded and greeted you with a kind smile. He approached you carefully, as if you were a frightened puppy, but somehow it comforted you that he gave you time to step back if you needed. 

‘Hi, I’m Seungmin.’ He held out a hand for you to shake.

‘Y/n.’ You replied, you voice weak.

‘I’m the head medic here, so if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. I know this may be a bit overwhelming, right?’

You smiled slightly, ‘Just a bit.’

‘Well, again, come and find me if you ever need anything okay?’

‘I will, thank you.’

Donghyuck approached you from behind and placed a hand on your shoulder, causing you to flinch.

‘Sorry.’ He mumbled. ‘Who was that?’

‘Uhhh, Seungmin. He’s the medic apparently.’ You replied, turning around to face him.

‘Oh right. Isn't this insane?’

‘It’s not what I expected, that's for sure.’ You agreed.

Suddenly San called you both over again.

‘So we’re gonna show you around and let you meet the people in charge of this joint. And also some other useful faces to know.’

He smiled at you again, an eye smile that reminded you of Jeno’s, somehow managing to fill you with warmth and simultaneously tear your heart out at the same time.

You all followed as he took you into the main complex building, guiding you down winding corridors until you finally reached a door marked ‘Commanding Officer’. San knocked three times before a voice replied ‘Come in.’ and he opened the door.

The room didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. There were two desks facing opposite each other, each equipped with a chair and covered in papers. There was a bookshelf and filing cabinet that seemed to be in good use and an overhead light. There was also two sofas and three arm chairs placed around a coffee table. Sat at each desk were two more men who both stood up to greet you as you entered.

‘You must be the cars we saw driving up!’ One of the men exclaimed, surprising you with how happy and trusting he was around people he had just met.

‘How are you all feeling? San gave us the nod to you being all clean so does anyone want any food, water or a shower?’

None of you replied, all in complete and utter shock at the sudden turn of events.

The two leaders shared a look before the first began to speak again, his voice much calmer and softer.

‘Sorry to throw all of this on you, you can’t have been expecting this so it must come as quite a bit of a shock. My name’s Chan and this is Hongjoon. If you guys want to take a seat, we can answer any questions you may have?’

You just about managed to nod before being guided by Renjun to a sofa. You sat down next to him and watched as the rest of your group followed suit and chose their seats. All of you sat onto the two sofas, leaving Hongjoon and Chan to take two of the chairs. Hongjoon quickly turned around to grab San’s attention.

‘Could you go and grab the heads so that we can introduce them?’

San nodded and left the room, leaving Hongjoon to turn around to you.

‘Well, I guess we should start at the beginning. Chan why don't you explain?’

‘Sure. I assume, like us, you guys had the idea that an army base would be the safest and more reliable place to live during the apocalypse. And you would be right. I was actually working here when HD began to spread. The military infection rates were steadily growing everyday, and we couldn't figure out why. When people started to fall and rise again, I suddenly clicked what was going on and I opened the main door. It may sound selfish, but, I knew that this would be the safest place to live permanently and there were too many soldiers infected for me to take them out by myself. They were also people I knew and worked with so it wasn't easy. I called a few of my friends who weren't in the army base, but were nearby, and told them of my plan. One of them, Changbin, knew another called Wooyoung.’

Then Hongjoon began to speak.

‘He is a good friend of mine, and that is how our groups became one. We figured that, the larger our group, the better our chances so we rushed out here to help. Thanks to Chan opening the doors, many of the infected and non-infected abandoned the base as soon as they possibly could, leaving a large but manageable amount for all of us to deal with. For the first few days we were on edge, clearing out the rooms and we even ventured into the surrounding forest as far as we dared. Once that was done, we knew that we would need to pull ourselves together as fast as we could. We created jobs for everyone, including medics, scientists, farmers, raiders and warriors. Each job having a head, decided by who was the most experienced in that field when we arrived. Chan and myself oversee everything so far, but we have also been working mainly on reinstating many of the defence systems.’

He turned back to Chan, as if silently asking him to carry on, while the door creaked open. Chan turned back to the door and gestured with his right hand for those that were waiting outside to come in. San led Seungmin and four boys you didn't know into the room while Chan began to speak again.

‘If you guys wish to stay here then we have three rules. Rule number one, do your part. Everyone here will have a job and we believe that this place will run smoothly as long as you put effort in to keep it that way. Rule number two, trust those around you. This place is built on trust and, in the current situation, it is the most important thing you can have. And rule number three, never leave the army base without letting us know first. We want to make sure that everyone here is protected, therefore, if you don’t return within a timeframe, we can send people out to find you. That being said, here are the heads of our department. Each of you will get a job under one of these boys. This is our head medic Seungmin, he will bandage you up if you ever get injured. We have our chef, Seonghwa, who also works on the farms. And there is our head scientist, Yeosang, he looks at possible cures and preventions for HD. Then there is our head farmer, Yunho, he takes care of our fields. Jongho, is our head warrior, he takes care of any zombies we see lurking around the walls or at the edge of the forest. And finally, San, he leads the raiders who will head into the town to raid local pharmacies and shops while we get this place up and running.’

You looked around the boys, each of them sending a small nod or a wave when Chan introduced them, allowing you to finally put some names to the faces.

‘So we’ll let you guys get settled in, show you around and, after a few days, we can give you a job or let you try some of them out and see where you best fit. How does that sound?’

Hongjoon looked around all of you. You weren't sure if he was expecting a verbal answer but at this point all you could do was nod. Seungmin and two boys that you now recognised as Yeosang and Jongho left, bringing in three new ones.

San quickly spoke up as the news boys entered, explaining their reasoning for being there.

‘This place is quite big so we also thought that you may want a guide here, so we’ve brought a few boys to show you around for the early days. Can you guys tell us your names?’

Hongjoon and Chan looked around again at you and Mark quickly pointed to each of you, informing the others of what you were called.

Chan nodded and looked to the boys who were standing.

‘Well, Mark do you want to go with Mingi, Jisung, you can pair off with Yunho, Chenle, Seonghwa can look after you, Renjun, our Jisung will show you around, Jaemin, you can go with Changbin, Donghyuck, you and Lee Know and finally, y/n why don't you pair with San? Does that sound okay?’

A chorus of yes and sure echoed throughout the room and then the two leaders smiled before standing up.

You took this as a clear sign that the meeting was over, the rest of the boys beginning to stand as well. You took Donghyuck’s outstretched hand and pulled yourself off the sofa.

San and Lee Know approached you two, San speaking first.

‘Donghyuck, this is Lee Know, Lee Know, Donghyuck.’

A short introduction, but both the boys nodded at each other before Lee Know offered to show Donghyuck to his room.

‘Yeah sure, just a sec.’ Donghyuck replied before turning to you, clearly wanting to say something but he seemed to be struggling to find the words.

‘I’ll see you later okay? It’s gonna be fine.’ You reassured him with a smile.

This seemed to calm Donghyuck down and he turned around and looked at Lee Know.

‘Let’s go.’

You watched as he walked towards the door, stopping for half a second to send a quick look back at you, before he disappeared from your sight.

You turned to look at San as he began to speak, leading you out of the door.

‘So, is there anything you want to do or any place you particularly want to see?’

You thought to yourself before you suddenly remembered something Hongjoon had said when you arrived.

‘Hongjoon mentioned that you guys have showers here?’ Your voice trailed off slightly at the end, but San turned around and gave you a comforting smile.

‘Oh they are amazing! Definitely the area where most of the military budget went. I’ll show you to them.’

---

You exited the changing room, freshly showered and wearing clean clothes for the first time in four days. You saw San waiting for you as you walked out.

‘Sorry for taking so long.’ You apologised quickly.

‘Oh don’t worry, and honestly, that was not long. When we first arrived, Mingi took a two and a half hour shower. You think I’m joking but I’m really not. The only way we could only tell he was still alive from his rather out of tune singing.’

You chuckled at this, remembering the tall boy who had greeted you all with a large smile.

‘You guys have done a lot with this in only a week.’ You commented, genuinely impressed with what had happened. ‘It’s very different to how it used to be.’

San looked at you, while you continued walking, a curious expression on his face. ‘You’ve been here before?’

You almost tripped over your own feet as you were suddenly smacked in the face with the memories of Jeno describing the place after his summer camp. He had been so excited, showing you countless photos and videos of the building, making you feel like you had learnt the layout of it.

San shot out a hand to steady you.

‘Sorry! I didn't mean to throw you off I just- you seem to sort of know your way around and then you said that. Sorry, are you okay?’

You stopped walking for a minute and looked into San’s kind, brown eyes.

‘Yeah, I’m okay. I just... I haven't been here before. A friend of mine did this summer camp and he showed me pictures. It was his idea to come here and he- he would have been amazed with everything you guys have done here.’

San said nothing, just watched as you blinked back tears that were threatening to fall. Then he began to walk away from you and turned to you and gestured after him.

‘Follow me.’

You followed San for only about a minute until you arrived at a room that Jeno had never shown you. The room was empty apart from a stone bench in the middle, the kind with no back so you could sit facing any direction you liked. There was an opening into a field at the back that was also empty apart from two rock piles and some wild flowers growing in random places around. The walls were bare, except for two names carved into the stone.

Jung Wooyoung

Yang Jeong-in

San took you by the hand and led you outside. He sat down in front of one of the rock piles, leaving space for you to sit next to him. As you sat down you watched as San closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, you could see tears forming on the waterline. He turned to look at you a smile sadly.

‘I didn’t know your friend.’ He turned away from you and looked at the rocks in front of him. ‘And you didn't know mine.’

You followed his gaze and suddenly you realised what you were looking at. You were looking at a grave.

‘But, to an extent, I think I understand how you are feeling. Getting this place to the point it is wasn't as easy as Chan and Hongjoon claimed it was. In the first three days we had been here, we’d lost two of our group of sixteen.’

San stood up and walked back inside, with you following closely behind. He sat down on the stone bench and continued to talk, staring at the names engraved on the walls.

‘Wooyoung died first, he died our first day here and then Jeong-in died two days later. We had just arrived at the base to help Chan, some of the others were already here so Wooyoung and I began to take out some of the zombies that were breaking out of the door. Before we knew it, more started to emerge from the woods. We were surrounded for a minute but, somehow, we cleared a path to the entrance and walked backwards towards it, but they didn’t seem to stop coming.’

San’s voice dropped to a whisper as the first tear rolled down his cheek.

‘There were so many of them. And we hadn't got any defences at the base set up either. At the last moment, he pushed me inside and ran off in another direction. He drew their attention away from us, away from here. We found him, but it was too late. They... they had ripped him apart. We carried him back here and buried him in the field.’

You placed a hand on his should as he took a shaky breath.

‘It was hard on all of us. Wooyoung was the bridge between our two groups and without him we wouldn't have ever made it here.’

You couldn't help but compare Wooyoung to Jeno. Jeno was the reason Jaemin had saved your group, he had been your bridge to the other boys and he had also sacrificed himself. Without Jeno you would never have made it as far as you did. Tears of your own began to fall as you listened to San tell Jeong-in’s story.

‘Jeong-in, we all called him I.N. Not really sure why to be honest. He was the sweetest thing... didn't deserve any of this. His death affected Chan the most, I.N. was like a little brother to him. He died three days after we arrived. We thought we had cleared out the entire base of zombies, having spent the previous two day scouring every corridor and every room looking for them. But, as I.N. was in his room one night, he discovered he wasn't alone. He didn't have any weapons on him and- he didn't stand a chance. We could hear his screams down the corridor and we ran to find him but, it was too late. We had to put a bullet in his head just to make sure before we buried him. You’ll never hear him admit this but, Chan blames himself. He thought he should have checked one last time before letting us walk around without a weapon. He never goes anywhere without a gun now.’

You looked down at your hands that were now placed in your lap. San’s words being the only thing you could hear.

‘I know that you guys are grieving, and I’m not going to make you talk about it or ask you to suddenly be okay. But, if it’s any consolation, you're not the only one. I’m grieving too. Chan’s grieving, Hyunjin’s grieving, Yeosang’s grieving. All of us here are. We all know what it’s like to lose someone in this messed up world, so, if you ever do want to talk to someone who didn't know him, there are countless of us that will happily listen to you.’

You pulled San in for a hug.

‘Thank you.’ You whispered.

Eventually the two of you pulled away from each other, wiping away your tears. San stood up and offered his hand for you to take.

‘Come on. I’ll show you to your room.’

You grabbed his outreached hand and pulled yourself up. When you reached the door, you turned back one final time and said a quiet ‘Thank You’ to the two boys who had lost their lives in order to build the sanctuary you had found a home in.

The walk to your room was a quieter one. San gently pointing out that they had decided to use the bedrooms of the higher ranking officers rather than the communal bunks. On the outside of the doors was your name written on a piece of paper. You also noticed that the boys had placed all of you on the same floor, making you thankful that you were kept close together.

‘Seonghwa will probably be making dinner now and when he’s ready, he makes an announcement through the intercom. Do you remember where the dining hall is?’

You nodded in response and San sent you a smile.

‘Brilliant. I’ll see you there then.’

He turned away and began to walk down the corridor. You stepped out fo your doorway and called after him.

‘San?’

He turned around and looked back, waiting for you to continue.

‘Thank you.’

‘Anytime.’

With that he turned around and you headed into your room. Your bag had been brought up from your car and been placed on your bed for you. You look around your room and you were blown away. A double bed was pressed against the wall to your left, on either side of it were two bedside tables, one with an alarm clock on and the other had a bottle of water. You had a wardrobe opposite with the door left open so you could see that the boys had filled it with clean clothes for you along with a note that read ‘Gave you a few sizes, just choose which fit best and put the rest outside your door for us to deal with. Smallest to largest - left to right’. You looked at the note in disbelief, the boys were so considerate it blew your mind. There was also a bookcase opposite the door, filled with books. Upon closer inspection you saw some fiction stories and some were more educational books on types of plants and medicines. Next to the bookcase was an ensuite bathroom with a shower, loo and sink. You wondered why you didn't shower there earlier until you vaguely remembered San mentioning that they were preparing your room when he took you to the communal showers by the gym.

Suddenly a voice came over the speakers, making you jump.

‘Dinner is ready! Meet in the dining hall.’

You stopped where you were, your body starting to shake slightly. The voice over the speakers, although you were very much aware that it was Seonghwa, reminded you so much of the moments before Jeno died. You remembered watching helplessly through a camera as he fought for you. You remembered all of you screaming through the speakers for him to wait for you, to stay safe, stay alive. You remembered the blast of the grenade and the sinking feeling you felt when you realised it was him. You shut your eyes and pulled at your hair when a voice called out your name.

‘Y/n?’

At first you didn't register it. It wasn't until they grabbed you gently by the arm did you open your eyes and see Jaemin’s worried face in front of you.

‘Are you okay?’ He asked, concern clear in his eyes.

You stuttered, trying to find the right words.

‘Yeah- yeah I- I just kept thinking and rem- remembering and I don’t-’

Jaemin cut you off, pulling you in for a tight hug. He whispered reassuring words in your ear and gently petted your hair. You took a deep breath.

‘Do you want to go to dinner? I can bring some back for you if you don’t.’

You shook your head, whispering that you wanted to go and he smiled back before opening the door for you.

---

You sat at dinner on a long table with all of the boys around you, making idle conversation. You were sat in-between Donghyuck and San with Jaemin opposite you and Hyunjin and a new boy, Yongbok, on either side of him. You found the boys surprisingly easy to talk to and, before you knew it, found yourself laughing and joking around a meal. You hadn't laughed like that since your last meal at school the day before HD became deadly. Even though that day was just under two weeks ago, it felt like a lifetime go. It was a weirdly nostalgic feeling, like you were remembering a life you used to live.

After dinner, the boys began to clear away but, despite your efforts, insisted that you didn't help. They claimed that, since it as your first night and you must be exhausted, that they do all of the work. Once they left the room, you turned around to the six boys around you.

‘I have an idea.’

---

You looked a the stone wall, the two names carved there being one of the only signs that those boys had ever been alive, and turned around to face your group.

‘It’s a graveyard.’ You explained. ‘These two boys, Wooyoung and Jeong-in, died soon after the group arrived here. The boys are using this as a place to bury and remember their dead and I thought that, maybe we could bury Jeno. We could carve his name here and make a grave stone and get to say some kind of goodbye.’

Renjun smiled at you.

‘I like that idea.’

‘Me too.’ Donghyuck agreed.

The other four boys all either nodded or vocalised their agreement, so you picked up the knife that was placed in a holder next to the names and turned around.

‘Renjun, can you do it?’

Renjun gently nodded and took the knife from your hands.

‘I’d be honoured.’

You all watched, breathless, as Renjun began to immortalise your lost friend. Then, after a short while, he stepped back, allowing you all to view his work.

‘It’s perfect.’ Donghyuck whispered, slipping his hand into yours.

You led the boys outside and showed them the gravestones for Wooyoung and I.N. The boys all grabbed a few stones from the path, with you also picking a small bunch of wildflowers, and met back, ready to place them in memory.

You watched as Mark and Jaemin strategically balanced each rock on top of the other, forming a small pyramid. You stepped forward and placed the flowers in front of the pile, a small ‘I miss you.’ leaving your lips.

And you stood there. Seven friends mourning the loss of another, standing in solidarity through the pain and heartache, saddened by the knowledge that you were probably the last seven people on the planet who knew who Lee Jeno was. Together, standing around the grave of the young boy, you all finally said the one thing you never got to.

‘Goodbye.’

---

You lay in bed that night, unable to go to sleep. Your body was screaming at you with exhaustion but you just couldn’t seem to get comfortable. After saying goodbye to Jeno, you felt as though a small weight had been lifted off your shoulders. Of course you still missed him more than anything, but being able to give him a grave had made you feel like he had at least been put to rest.

You were so lost in your memories of Jeno and the events of that day that you almost missed the timid knock at your door.

‘Come in?’ You said, rolling over to face the door so that you could see who it was.

The door opened slightly and Donghyuck’s head appeared from behind it. He saw you smile at the sight of him and came into your room fully. He shut the door behind him but didn't move from his position there.

‘Are you okay Hyuck?’ You asked, while you watched him fiddle with a loose strand on his t-shirt, a nervous habit he’d had since he was a kid.

‘I can’t sleep.’ He stated, still looking at the floor.

‘Nor can I.’ You replied quietly. 

Silence fell over the room for a few seconds, neither of you knowing how to say what you wanted. Eventually Hyuck gained the courage to ask you what he had wanted to for the past few hours.

‘Can I stay here? I haven't gone to sleep without at least being in the same room as you for two weeks and I've slept with you by my side for five days and, I don’t think I can sleep without you there.’

You were rendered speechless by his honesty, so you simply just nodded and moved over to make room for him. He climbed in next to you and lay on his side so that he could look at you.

‘Do you want me to sing?’ You asked quietly, but he shook his head.

‘I just want to be close to you.’ He whispered, not breaking eye contact for half a second. You could see that he was deadly serious and you lifted up a hand to softly move a piece of hair out oh his face. ‘Is that okay?’ He seemed almost nervous about your answer.

You nodded and he opened up his arms for you. You moved into his chest as far as you could and he wrapped his arms around your body. You moved one arm so that you were holding his waist and gently stroked his face with the other. He had one hand on your back and another petting your hair. After all of this, his eyes found yours again, his stare making you weak. You were sure that if you were standing right now, your knees would be wobbling. You wanted to look away out of embarrassment but you couldn't bring yourself to break his gaze. It was an expression that you had never seen on him before, some kind of mix between admiration, love and fear. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead closing his eyes as he did so. You couldn't help the burst of love that blossomed throughout your chest. And wrapped around each other like that, you both drifted off to sleep, whispering words so quiet that you almost missed them.

‘Please never leave me...’

‘I promise.’

---

You kept your breathing steady and in time with your fast paces as you ran alongside San through the woods. It had been a month since you had arrived at the base, and you were now fully settled in your new job as a raider. Your boys were nervous about letting you go out but, you and San had a good dynamic between the two of you and at least they knew he would protect you. And, at the end of the day, they knew it was your choice. The group was also in desperate need of a second raider after Hyunjin had sprained his ankle on his last run.

Mark was working closely with Chan and Hongjoon and together they were working on rewiring the security cameras and defence machinery. Mark’s experience with his home security and the time he spent interning for his father really came in useful here. Jaemin helped out with Seonghwa in the kitchen at times and also worked with Seungmin in the medical office. Chenle was immediately chosen by Jongho to join the warriors, due to his impeccable aim with a gun, and was also working on training Donghyuck. In the meantime Donghyuck also worked in the field alongside Jisung. Renjun and Yeosang worked together in the lab, studying HD and its properties and were looking into any possible cures or preventions. They were working hard but couldn't seem to get anywhere, the virus made no sense. 

You visited Jeno everyday, sometimes with the other boys, sometimes alone, but gradually, you were beginning to cry less and move on. You had learnt that moving on didn't mean forgetting, it just meant accepting what had happened. Jeno became the motivation for your group, the same way, you assumed, that Wooyoung and Jeong-in were the motivation for the other boys. Hyuck also still slept with you every night. You two would alternate who’s room you slept in and it had reached the point where the boys would be worried if you ever spent a night apart. Your feelings for the sunshine boy grew more and more everyday, and you were terrified at what you would do if something ever happened to him.

You loved your job as a raider. Of course you were terrified every time you left the safety of the compound, but, you loved the freedom that came with the quick run to the local town. You only ever came here if you needed a small amount of supplies, taking cars to a larger city further away for when you needed a larger amount of loot.

You had only needed to grab some more pain medicine for Hyunjin’s foot, a job that probably only needed one of you, but, for safety reasons, you never left the base alone. You were approaching the exit of the woods and you knew you would soon see the walls of the army base appear from beyond the trees.

Suddenly San skidded to a stop, putting out a hand to stop you as well. You quickly tried to stop yourself, holding on to his arm to keep your balance and looked in the direction he was pointing. 

In front of you were five zombies, all shot dead, you assumed thanks to Jongho and Chenle. But you couldn't tell why San was looking at them so strangely. His head was tilted slightly to the side, a habit of his that you had learnt means that there something he can’t quite figure out.

‘What’s wrong? Aren’t they Chenle’s and Jongho’s kills?’ You asked, breaking the silence that was only previously disrupted by your deep breaths.

‘Yeah they are, but something’s just confusing me about them.’ He replied, his eyes never leaving the bodies in front of him. 

‘What is it?’ You moved out from behind him slightly to get a better look at the figures on the ground.

‘Well, it’s just- the differences between them. Why do some have a greyer tint to their skin, and others have dark veins and some have both and look here!’ He pointed to two various wounds on the zombies corpses. ‘This one has red blood, and this one black. Something’s just a bit weird about it.’

You thought for a minute, realising San was right. Then suddenly, you remembered something that Donghyuck had said when you were escaping the school.

‘Donghyuck once mentioned that it could possibly be a sign of who was bitten and who was infected. Maybe it’s that?’

San nodded in agreement.

‘You’re probably right. But then what’s the third? There’s three different kinds here.’

You looked once again at the bodies and realised that he was right. You meant down to the zombie with black blood, something you had never seen before today, and gently went to roll up his sleeve. As you did, you exposed long, deep scratch wounds up his arms.

You stepped back in shock, San quickly coming around to be next to you. 

‘I guess you can get turned by scratch now.’ You mumbled. You couldn't help but quickly roll up your trouser leg and check your ankle. You let out a deep sigh of relief when you saw nothing wrong. The injury was so small that it hadn't even scarred.

San nodded, before turning to you in a slight panic.

‘We need to tell Renjun and Yeosang! They need to hear about this. They may even want to see the body.’

‘Oh god, you're right. Let’s go.’

You ran the final stretch back up to the base, quickly lifting up your right hand to signal to Chan through the cameras that you were unharmed. The signals were an idea of yours that you were quite proud of, allowing those inside to be aware if something was wrong without needing to open the gates and potentially put everyone in danger. If you lifted up your right hand, you were both unharmed, if you lifted up your left, one of you was injured but not because of a zombie, if you waved one hand then it signified that one of you had been bitten and, finally, if you waved both hands then one of you had been left behind.

The doors quickly opened and you both ran inside, San and you heading straight to Yeosang and Renjun’s lab. As San had predicted, they wanted to see the body so San, along with Jongho and Seungmin, took them back to it, while you headed to the medical wing to bring Jaemin some more medication for Hyunjin.

---

You knocked on the outside of the door, hearing a faint ‘Come in!’ shortly after. You poked your head around the door with a smile and saw Jaemin’s face light up at the sight of you. You and Jaemin had become increasingly closer over the past month, relying on each other more than you did before and turning to the other for advice more often than not. He was also the only one who you had told about your feelings for Donghyuck. He was calm and kind while listening and never judged you for being too scared to admit how you were really feeling.

‘Hey!’ You greeted, taking off your backpack.

‘Y/n! How was your run?’ He asked, quickly standing to get you a glass of water.

‘Good. It’s nice to be running somewhere other than the grounds. As crazy as it sounds, cause, you know, we’re in a literal zombie apocalypse, I really like being outside these walls.’ You took the glass with a grateful smile, taking three large gulps before putting the, now half empty, glass back down.

‘Nah, I think it makes sense. I mean, as safe as it is here, walls can get quite restricting so I guess it feels like bit of freedom. As terrifying as it may be.’ He laughed the last bit, making you giggle as well.

‘It does get rather tense.’ You opened your back and pulled out the pills. ‘Here you go, I hope this is what you were looking for.’

‘Perfect!’ Jaemin almost screamed, making you jump before laughing again. Your laughter soon died away however, leaving you to just look at the boy in front of you, suddenly remembering all that he had done for you.

Jaemin soon noticed your stare and asked a gentle:

‘Hey, is everything ok?’

‘Yeah, everything’s fine. I just..’ You trailed off, unsure how to begin.

‘What's wrong?’ He asked, stepping forward and placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. ‘You can tell me anything’

‘I know, I just... I realised I never thanked you.’ You confessed.

‘Huh?’ Jaemin raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused at what you had just admitted

‘I never thanked you. For everything you did. For me, for Haechan, for Renjun, for Jeno, you saved our lives. I know that no amount of words or actions can make up for everything you have done but-’

‘Y/n...’ He cut you off

‘Wait. Please just let me finish. I really need to say this’ He nodded and let you continue.

‘Thank you for getting us out of that gym. Thank you for calming me down after my panic attack. Thank you for not judging me when I killed that girl. Thank you for not losing faith in me after my scratch. Thank you for convincing Mark, Jisung and Chenle to trust me. Thank you for coming with me to see my parents. Thank you for saving me when I was there. Thank you for looking after us when we lost Jeno. Thank you for keeping everything together when we were falling apart. Thank you for getting us here. Thank you for everything.’

By this point, Jaemin had stepped even closer to you and you just hugged him. You hadn’t hugged him since the trip to your parents but, this time it was different. It wasn't you completely breaking down while he shook in sheer panic. It was everything over the past month and a half, all the emotion, all the loss, all the unsaid words exploded in this hug and you never wanted to let go.

You stayed like that for God knows how long before finally stepping away from each other slightly.

‘You don’t need to thank me for anything. Just stay alive. That’s thanks enough.’ He quietly murmured, making your hands around his waist tighten slightly at his words.

You stepped away from each other fully as you heard fast footsteps approaching the medical office and the door swung open to reveal San along with Chan and Hongjoon. 

‘Everything okay?’ You asked.

‘Sorry to do this to you, we know you two must be tired, but we are gonna need you to make one final trip for us today.’ Chan looked at you apologetically.

‘Where to?’ You asked, reaching for the rest of your water to hydrate yourself.

‘The medical store you were just at. Yeosang and Renjun are looking at the different bodies and thought that they may be able to conduct some tests, but they need some alcohol.’

San spoke up from behind the two leaders. 

‘I remember seeing some in a glass bottle when you were grabbing what we needed for Hyunjin. It was that clear liquid.’

You nodded as a look of realisation coming over your face as you remembered San pointing it out to you.

‘Yeah, I know exactly where you mean.’

Hongjoon nodded at your words before speaking up as well.

‘Again, we are so sorry to send you out again, but you guys know the area better than anyone and since you know where it is in the shop, it seems smartest to let you go.’

‘No, no, don’t worry about it. It’s our job.’ You reassured them. ‘Let’s go in ten?’ You directed at San who nodded in response.

You made a quick trip to the loo, having learnt the hard way on one of your first runs that, running when you are desperate is a really bad idea. You also refilled your water bottle, grabbed a cleaner pair of running shoes and emptied your backpack of things you wouldn't need. You were just leaving you room when Donghyuck appeared out of his.

‘Are you going out again?’ He asked, furrowing his brow at your outfit.

‘Yeah. We need to grab something else from the shop that San and I went to earlier to help Renjun and Yeosang. Shouldn't take that long.’ You explained.

‘Please be careful. I hate watching you go out there.’ He looked at you, fear evident on his face.

‘I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Have I ever not come back to you?’ You asked with a smile.

‘Yeah well, don’t start now. Just be careful.’ 

You stepped forwards and gave him a quick hug goodbye.

‘I will.’ You promised as you went to meet San.

---

You knelt down next to some of the shelves of the pharmacy, filling up San’s backpack. At the last moment you had decided to only take one, not really needing two for such a small trip. You grabbed a few bottles, just to make sure you had enough, and stood up and nodded at San. He nodded back and you two turned around to leave.

You had checked this entire place upon you arrival for zombies and had found nothing, so when you two heard the signature blood chilling groan that signified the presence of the undead, you both stopped in your tracks. You shared a quick frightened look before grabbing your weapons and moving closer together.

You listened carefully for any other sounds, hoping that you would be able to slip out of the shop unnoticed.

You had no such luck.

Shuffling footsteps and groans suddenly started multiplying and you could tell from the sheer volume of noise that you and San were vastly outnumbered. San grabbed your arm and pulled you behind one of the display cases.

‘Okay, here’s what we are going to do. We need to bust open that window at the back of the store and climb out of there. Once you are out, run for the base like you have never run before. We know from previous experience that we can outrun them so don’t turn around to shoot unless you have to. It will just slow you down.’ San’s voice was shaking as he explained his impromptu plan.

‘Okay, but what's wrong with the door? It gives us a clear path to the base and is closer than that window.’ You asked. San simply turned your head so that you caught the reflection of the door in a nearby mirror.

You counted at least twenty five zombies starting to flood the store, making your panic only increase when you thought of how many more must be on the street.

‘Since when did they start travelling in packs?’ You whisper-shouted at San who shrugged his shoulders in response. His eyes were wide and full of fear and you had never seen this expression on him before. ‘Hey, don't panic on me now. We got this.’

San nodded, a flicker of determination flashed across his face and he gripped his gun tightly.

‘You fire at the window and break it, I’ll fire in the opposite direction, hopefully mine will draw their attention long enough for us to get out.’

San nodded again at your addition to his plan. You counted down from three very quietly and pulled your triggers in sync.

You aimed for a glass display case that crashed down with an echoing smash, also breaking everything inside it. Without wasting anytime, San grabbed your hand and you were running. The store wasn’t by any means huge, but that short run to the window felt like a mile. San had cleverly fire two shots, meaning that a single hit from the but of his gun had caused the entire window to smash. This sound was luckily muffled by a zombie knocking over the neighbouring display case. He stepped over the ledge and held out a hand for you to grab. You hoisted yourself onto the broken window, just as you were noticed by the zombies.

Their groans increased in volume and you leaped down the other side. Without waiting a second, you two took off as fast as you could, slinging your guns onto your backs so that you could run faster. The only problem, however, with escaping out of the window was that the army base was in the opposite direction. That meant that, at some point, you had to pass through the wall of zombies waiting for you.

San was a naturally faster runner than you. He was a few paces ahead of you and was gaining distance, but you could tell he was tiring. So were you. You had ran this distance three times already today, and your legs were burning. Your lungs felt like they couldn't get enough air and even the wind seemed to push hard against you.

But still you didn't stop. You pushed forward as hard as you could, watching as San did the same. But, it still wasn't enough. The zombies were chasing you, running at full speed towards you. They could see you and knew that their food was only a short minute away. San had been right when he said that you could outrun them, but he hadn't taken your exhaustion into account.

‘Keep running!’ San shouted. ‘We can lose them.’

You couldn't. You knew that you couldn't, and you also knew that San knew you couldn't. So you pulled your gun off your back, turned around and began firing. You began to take out a few of the zombies chasing you, hitting head shot after head shot, but San easily heard your gun firing and turned around to see that you had stopped running.

‘Y/N!’ He screamed, preparing to run back and get you.

‘Go! Don’t be an idiot, just go! I’ll distract them and meet you back at the base.’ You yelled back, jogging backwards slightly and praying that he would just do as he was told. ‘San, that alcohol may change all of this, I am begging you, just go!’

So he did.

---

San turned on his heel and ran for his life towards the approaching walls. He spared one last look over his shoulder and saw you disappear into the woods, an entire army of the undead following you. The picture reminded him so much of Wooyoung that his adrenaline spiked and he ran faster than he ever had before. He approached the cameras, waving both arms above his head wildly, signally that one of you was in trouble, and, when the gates finally opened, he saw your friends there, asking where you were.

‘Attack- too many- she- distraction- help-’ San managed to get out through his gasps for air, but it was enough. It took a total of thirty seconds for all six boys to be geared up and running out of the door, screaming out your name.

San ran back with them. He had already lost one friend to a death like this, he would be damned if he lost another. San ran next to Donghyuck, hearing the boys panicked words fall out of his mouth:

‘Don’t start now. Please. Don’t stop coming back to me now.’

San led the boys to the last place where he had seen you and the boys all stopped and looked at him.

It was silent.

‘Where is she?’ Donghyuck turned to San, his face a picture of pure rage and fear. ‘Huh? Where is she!’ He stepped forward towards him and San instinctively stepped back out of fear. He had never been afraid of Donghyuck at all, the boy seemed like sunshine personified, but when it came to you, all his emotions were heightened and, at this moment, San was convinced that Donghyuck was about to hit him. Suddenly a timid voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a knife.

‘Hyuck?’

And stood there, holding nothing, their clothes torn at the shoulder to reveal a large bite mark, was you.

---

‘Hyuck?’ You whimpered, the pain in your shoulder being almost unbearable.

‘Y/n... no...’ Hyuck whispered, his body almost deflating at the sight of you.

You looked around at the boys in front of you, all of them staring at you with such disbelief and dread in their eyes.

‘They only bit me once, then- then they left. It’s like they know that’s all it takes, as if they want to turn not ki- kill.’ You voice started shaking slightly as the reality of the situation began to hit you. ‘I’m so sorry...’

San stared at you, his face full of guilt and pain, making you worried that he blamed himself, so you continued.

‘It’s my fault, I chose this, I’m so sorry... but I- I have to ask you guys to sho-’

‘No!’ Hyuck cut you off. ‘Absolutely not.’

The rest of the boys turned to look at him, Chenle being the one to speak.

‘Hyuck... we have to. I-’ He choked up on his last words, unable to say anymore and turning away from you all so that no one could see him cry.

Mark tried next, also struggling to get any words out.

‘Hyuck, she’ll turn, what would be do then?’

‘But we can’t kill her. We can’t?’

‘We have to-’

‘But it’s her!’ Hyuck shouted, whirling around to face Mark with pure panic in his eyes. ‘She can’t die.’

‘I’m so sorry but it’s the safest option we have.’ Mark was trying as hard as he could to explain to Hyuck why they had to do this, and you just watched. You wanted them to shoot you. You didn't want to become anything that would ever hurt the people you loved, but watching Hyuck panicking like this was making it impossible to ask.

‘I can’t watch her die.’ He whispered to Mark. ‘You know why.’

‘You have to kill me. Please. I don’t want to hurt you.’ Your voice was soft and calm. You knew that this was the right choice and what you wanted, making it easier for you to come to terms with it. On the inside you were terrified, but you couldn't let them see.

You lowered yourself to your knees, partly because it would be easier that way and partly because of the pain in your shoulder and exhaustion in your legs from how much you had run that day.

Renjun stepped forward and lowered himself to your height. You looked up at his tear stained cheeks and smiled slightly.

‘You know this is the right thing to do Junnie. Please...’

He whimpered at your words, leaning forwards and pressing his forehead to yours. You reached towards his leg and pulled out the gun that he strapped there. You held it out to him.

‘Please? One last favour for your best friend?’

Renjun looked at the gun for a minute before taking it out of your hand. Donghyuck threw himself forward to stop him, only to be caught by Mark and San, who held his struggling body back between the two of them.

‘Stop, please, no!’ Donghyuck pleaded as he watched Renjun raise the gun to your head.

You nodded at your longest friend, giving him permission to end your life, but Renjun almost didn't see it. He was crying so hard that his vision was almost entirely blurry. He heard the small voice of the friend that he had loved his entire life and it broke him.

‘Thank you for being my friend.’

He dropped the gun.

‘I can’t do it.’ He cried. ‘You can’t ask me to do it.’

He fell to his knees, Chenle gently moving him away from your kneeling form.

You lifted your eyes and looked around, seeing all the boys avoiding your gaze, refusing to come forwards. Your eyes settled on one in particular, the only one you thought would be able to pull that trigger if you asked him.

‘Jaemin...’ You whispered. ‘Please...’

Watching the scene in front of you was causing you almost more pain and guilt than you had ever felt in your entire life. Jisung and Chenle was sat on either side on Renjun, who was crying out for you, pleading for this to be a dream. Jaemin stepped forwards hesitantly, his hand shaking as he reached fo the pistol on the ground, and Donghyuck... your Donghyuck... The boy who you’ve loved for longer than you’ve known, was on his knees, pushing with all his might to get through the two stronger boys that were holding him back.

Jaemin lifted the gun into the same position that Renjun had held it before. You looked into his kind, brown eyes and whispered a small:

‘Thank you.’

You shut you eyes and waited.

Jaemin just look at you, completely silent, completely prepared. You and him were the only two people who were completely silent. You were at ease with your decision, Jaemin, given the worst task a human could possibly be given, watching with silent tears making their way down his cheeks.

He heard Renjun’s cries as the boy watched from the ground beside you. He heard Chenle and Jisung crying over you before you were gone. But worst of all, he heard Donghyuck. He heard him pleading for Jaemin to spare you, to save you, to do anything but take you away from him, the desperation in his voice clawing its way to Jaemin’s heart. He closed his eyes and blocked all of it out.

Jaemin pulled the trigger.

Your body hit the ground with a soft thud.

Silence.

Donghyuck screamed.

It was a scream of pure anguish and pain that erupted from the boy’s chest. Jaemin had never heard anything like it and the scream itself was enough to bring Jaemin sobbing to his knees. Renjun buried his head into his legs clawing at his hair as he pleaded with himself to wake up from what he hoped was just a bad dream.

Donghyuck finally burst out of Mark and San’s grip and ran towards you. He pulled your limp body into his arms and brushed some stray hair out of your face. He looked at your relaxed face and shut eyes.

‘Y/n?’ He whispered, sounding more broken than Jaemin knew was possible. ‘Y/n? Please, no please! You promised me! You promised!’

It was at this point that he lost it completely, burying his head in your shoulder and sobbing that he couldn’t lose you too.

‘No! Come on, you promised! You promised me- you promised. Please wake up. Wake up!’

His voice lowered to another whisper, the final sentence he uttered tearing out the hearts of every boy present.

‘Please don’t leave me.’

---

Donghyuck carried you all the way back. He stumbled every so often, but refused to put your body down. The gates opened quickly upon their return and, when the boys registered that it was your body in his arms, they rushed forward to help.

But Donghyuck refused. You were his y/n. He was going to carry you. He was going to take care of you. He was going to bury you.

He carried your body all the way to the mausoleum, and sat on the bench with you in his lap, with Renjun and Jaemin on either side of him as San carved your name into the wall. San had been taken aback when Donghyuck asked him to be the one to carve it, but, Hyuck knew that San and you had become good friends when you were here and, even in his mind numbing grief, he knew that San must be hurting.

He lifted you up and walked out towards the field, only accepting help from the others to lower you into your grave. He watched helplessly as the rock pile, marking your last resting place was made, Mark handing him the final rock. Donghyuck placed the stone on top, along with a small bunch of wildflowers. They were identical to the ones you had placed by Jeno’s grave the day before.

Donghyuck sat down, and cried. He let himself cry for everything he had lost, for every promise he had made to you that he had broken. He cried for all the missed opportunities, all the times he should have kissed you but didn't, all the times he should have told you how he felt, but didn't. Maybe if he did, you wouldn't have gone on that last raid. Maybe you would still be safe. Maybe you would still be alive. Maybe you would still be with him.

There were too many what ifs. Too many things he could have done differently that may have ended up with you still being alive. But he didn't do them. And you were dead. It was too late. Too late for Donghyuck to tell you how he felt, too late to kiss you, to late to tell you he loved you.

And that was how the boys eventually left him. All going inside one by one, until there was only Donghyuck left. Sitting alone at two graves. One of his best friend and one of the girl he loved.

---

You awoke with a start. Shooting straight up into a sitting position, your body still running partially on the adrenaline you had felt the moments before you died. Your thoughts were running at a mile a minute and you couldn't seem to figure anything out. Was this all just a dream? But it couldn't have been. You remember it too clearly. You remember the feeling of that zombie sinking its teeth into your shoulder. You remember pleading with the boys to shoot you. You remember Jaemin pulling the trigger.

You couldn't seem to sort your thoughts out, so you took a look around the room you were in. You took in the monochrome white walls all around you, the bed you were lying on and the machines that were monitoring various aspects of your body, including heart rate and blood pressure. You noticed a drip attached to your arms and suddenly panicked. What if this wasn't meant to help you? What if it was the virus? You went to pull it out of your arm when the door to your room burst open.

A figure shot in and ran towards you at full speed, wrapping their arms around your torso. They had moved so fast and you were starting to feel slightly woozy, having woken up with such a start, so you couldn’t see their face enough to recognise who it was. But the second they hugged you, and you took in their scent, you wrapped your arms around their neck and squeezed as tight as you could.

You had Jeno back.

You had no clue how Jeno had come back to you. Maybe you were dead? Maybe this was some kind of afterlife? You didn't care if this was reality or not, you had him back. And you just listened while he thanked every deity known to man for bringing you back to him. Due to your confused and slightly foggy state, most of what he said went completely over your head, but one sentence struck you right to your core. One sentence that would change life as you know it, forever.

‘You’re finally out of the simulation.’

[kaleidoscopeminds]

for the prompts! “All I do is drink coffee and say bad words.” with either malum or mashton? i'm not sure which one it fits better so you pick!

Maggie I’m sorry this took so long but I’m hoping that a bit of mashton fake dating will make up for it! This is supposed to be a prompt fic which rapidly turned into 2.5k written whilst I was at work and has almost nothing to do with the prompt, but I hope you enjoy, love you endlessly!

“I can’t believe I forgot,” Ashton groans, haphazardly pushing a hand through his hair and tapping furiously on his phone screen.

“You okay there Ash?” Michael puts Ashton’s coffee down in front of him before dropping into the seat opposite him.

“Shit. Shit. Fucking fuck. Fuck my life.” 

“Oh I’m Ashton Irwin and all I do is drink coffee and say bad words.” Michael puts on a pompous voice, laughing into his own coffee and watching Ashton stabbing his phone in frustration. 

“Oh my god no,” Ashton whines, dropping his phone onto the table and closing his eyes. 

“You want to share with the class?” Michael says amused, waiting for Ashton to finish his breakdown quietly.

“My boss is having a party which has been planned for ages and I promised I would go to, but I forgot it was tonight.” Ashton grimaces, taking a sip of his coffee.

“And you’re this upset because that means you can’t spend the evening with me eating pizza?” Michael says teasingly. “It’s not a big deal Ash.”

“No you don’t understand,” Ashton says, making a face. “I have to bring a plus one.”

“Why?” Michael asks. “Is it a requirement?”

“Because I told them I have a boyfriend,” Ashton mumbles into the rim of his mug.

Michael ignores the weird twist his stomach does at the thought of Ashton with a boyfriend and smiles wryly at Ashton.

“Wow who is the lucky man? He must be extremely extremely mysterious if I haven’t managed to catch a glimpse of him yet,” Michael says.

“Shut up, I only said that because my boss seemed dead set on setting me up with his daughter,” Ashton scowls. “Apparently ‘I’m gay’ isn’t a good enough reason to not want to date Lucy.”

Michael snorts, Ashton’s new boss seems like a decent enough guy but from what Ashton’s told him does sound unreasonably interested in Ashton’s personal life.

“So you’ve got, what, five hours to find a boyfriend?” Michael asks with a small laugh. “That’s going to be challenging even for you.”

“Shut up,” Ashton says, rolling his eyes and taking another drink from his mug. He pauses, then looks up at Michael with a contemplative look in his eye, and Michael knows him well enough to know he’s planning something. Michael feels his stomach drop and his heart rate increase when he realises just what Ashton’s planning, always able to read him like a book.

“No, absolutely not,” Michael says, shaking his head.

“But Michael,” Ashton says pleadingly. “You’d make the ideal fake-boyfriend.”

Michael knows this to be true, but mainly because he’s actually in love with his best friend, something he’s spent the last five years desperately trying to conceal. 

“Why can’t you just tell them you broke up with the aforementioned boyfriend?” Michael asks, wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans surreptitiously, trying to hide the panic in his voice.

“Because Lucy is going to be there and he’ll try to set us up again I know it,” Ashton looks at Michael with a beseeching look. “This is perfect, you already know everything about me, and I know you’re available later because you only had plans with me.”

Michael shakes his head again, this was such a bad idea. He was just about able to keep a cap on his feelings for Ashton whilst doing friendly things but spending a whole evening pretending to be his boyfriend? Holding hands? Touching? Michael’s honestly not sure he would survive it. But Ashton’s looking at him imploringly, and Michael is weak, so fucking weak when it comes to Ashton, and he feels himself nodding.

“Fine,” his voice cracks slightly and he clears his throat.

Ashton smiles at him, sunny and wide, like Michael has hung the moon, and Michael can’t help but grin back.

He is so fucked.

X

“So I reckon we won’t have to stay too long,” Ashton says, pulling his shoes on. “Just make the rounds a couple of times, schmooze the right people, then we can come back here and order pizza.”

Michael had come to Ashton’s apartment before the party as it was closer and so they could arrive together, and Michael wishes this was like any other day when they would spend the evening on the sofa, eating take-out and shouting at bad reality TV. Instead he’s dressed in a stupid suit, getting ready to go to an event he’d rather die than be at, and has to pretend to be Ashton’s boyfriend to boot. Michael wonders what he did in his past life for him to be tortured in this way.

“Okay so how did we get together,” Michael asks, fiddling with his collar as he looks at himself in the mirror. He frowns at himself, he never likes the way he looks in formal clothes, he just looks awkward and wrong in them, Ashton on the other hand looks ridiculously good in his black shirt and well fitting black suit trousers, hair slicked back from his face. But Ashton always looks ridiculously good, Michael thinks sourly.

“Why don’t we say we were friends and then we figured out we liked each other,” Ashton says, coming to stand behind Michael. “As close to the truth as possible, makes it easier to remember.”

Michael is honestly going to die, he’s sure of it. 

“Yeah, okay,” he manages to get out, shakily.

“Relax, Mikey,” Ashton says, reaching up to sort Michael’s collar out for him, brushing his fingers along the back of his neck and smoothing his hands over his shoulders. Michael represses a shiver under Ashton’s hands. “No one will suspect a thing, we make a great couple.”

And doesn’t Michael fucking know it, he thinks, looking at the two of them stood in the mirror.

“You look great,” Ashton says quietly, dropping his chin onto Michael’s shoulder for a second before sweeping his hand over Michael’s back and pulling away.

For about the fiftieth time that day Michael thinks what a bad idea this is. 

X

Okay so maybe it could be worse. Michael has to admit he kind of likes being at Ashton’s side, his hand slipping round Michael’s waist as he pulls them from group to group, Ashton murmuring in his ear who each person is as they approach, Ashton introducing Michael as his boyfriend and dropping a kiss on his cheek every now again. As long as Michael ignores the fact that knowing it's not real cracks a hole in his chest the size of Texas, it's actually sort of nice. Ashton keeps smiling at him encouragingly, and Michael thinks that occasionally he gets an especially fond look in his eyes, but that’s probably Michael's brain getting a little over-active.

“That’s Steve, my boss,” Ashton murmurs to Michael as they approach an older man and woman, standing with a younger woman who’s about Michael’s age, maybe a couple of years younger. “That’s Angela, the wife, and Lucy, the dreaded daughter.”

Michael pinches Ashton’s side. “Don’t be rude, she might be nice,” Michael reprimands quietly.

Ashton just rolls his eyes at Michael before putting his million dollar smile on as they walk up to the group. Michael is endlessly envious of the way Ashton can fit into any situation, effortlessly charming and genial, where Michael stutters and muddles his way through social situations.

“Ashton!” Steve, the boss, booms at the two of them. “There you are! And who’s this?”

“Hi Steve, great to see you,” Ashton says, a smile on his face. “This is my boyfriend, Michael. Michael, this is Steve, my wonderful boss.” 

“This is my wife Angela, and daughter Lucy,” Steve responds, gesturing fondly at his family. “So this is the famous boyfriend?” He looks at Michael with interest.

Michael smiles, a little uncomfortably, but Steve doesn’t seem to be showing any ill-feeling towards the two of them. He does notice however, Lucy, give Ashton a very deliberate look up and down. He moves slightly closer and moves a hand to rest on Ashton’s hip possessively, if he’s going to pretend to be the boyfriend, he’s going to fucking pretend to be the boyfriend.

“So how did the two of you meet?” Steve asks.

Ashton gives Michael a grin, slipping his fingers into the spaces between Michael’s on his hip before turning back to Steve and his family. “We met at college, we were roommates, and we were best friends almost immediately. I drove him mad by drumming on anything and everything without my kit and he wound me up by playing video games into the early hours of the morning, but even that couldn’t drive us apart.” Ashton laughs fondly at the memory before continuing. “After college we moved to LA at the same time and shared a shoebox apartment until we got grown up jobs and managed to afford to live separately, but I missed him as soon as he moved out. It was only recently we figured out we were meant to be together though.”

Michael’s heart is racing and he feels that crevice in his chest widen with every word Ashton speaks. Michael aches with the want of it, with the longing in him growing unmanageably large, fighting its way out of the chasm that's been split down the very centre of him. He needs Ashton to stop talking immediately but also he thinks he might die if he doesn’t hear every word of this, just once, real for just a second. 

“Oh how adorable,” Angela coos. “Michael lets hear your side, how did you know Ashton was the right one?”

Michael blinks and flexes his fingers in Ashton’s grip. He feels Ashton’s other hand come up underneath his jacket to rest on the small of his back, fingers stroking soothingly.

“I mean how could I not?” Michael starts quietly, then throws caution to the wind, the words tumbling out of him before he can stop them. “He’s the kindest, most passionate and strongest person I’ve ever met. Everything he does he does with so much purpose and love. He’s been endlessly supportive, the best friend I’ve ever had and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He takes a deep breath. “How could I not fall in love with Ashton Irwin? It was inevitable.”

There’s a tense pause as he feels Ashton turn his head to look at him, and Michael resolutely avoids his eyes, continuing to look at the smiling family in front of him. Michael vaguely hears Angela cooing some more at the two of them, but everything has faded to white noise as he feels Ashton’s eyes bore into the side of his face.

“Could you excuse us for a second?” Ashton says brusquely, not waiting for an answer, just grabbing Michael’s hand and dragging him out of the room and outside the back door. 

Michael takes a deep breath of fresh air as they stand next to a dumpster, nervously looking at Ashton who’s looking back at him intensely, raking his hands through his hair. 

“Ashton what‒” Michael starts.

“Did you mean it?” Ashton interrupts him, looking at him fiercely with something imperceptible in his eyes.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Michael says, heart racing and hands shaking.

“Michael please,” Ashton begs. “Did you actually mean it?” and Michael hears his voice trembling slightly. It’s that which does it for Michael, as if he’s ever been able to deny Ashton anything.

“Of course I meant it,” Michael says quietly. 

The next thing he knows, he’s pressed up against the wall and Ashton’s lips are on his. Michael inhales his own gasp, brings his arms up to wrap around Ashton’s neck, and kisses back with everything he’s got.

After a few seconds Ashton breaks away to rest his forehead on Michael’s. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He says breathlessly.

“Because we’re best friends. Because you don’t like me like that. Because it could ruin everything,” Michael whispers, closing his eyes so he doesn’t have to look at Ashton. “You don’t have to pretend for me, Ashton. Please don’t.”

“Michael, Michael,” Ashton breathes, and Michael feels his hand cradle the back of his head. “I love you.” Ashton laughs, like he’s startled himself by the fact.

Michael opens his eyes and is met with a burning look in Ashton’s that he’s never seen before. Ashton leans in to kiss him again but Michael pulls back.

“No, Ashton I can’t, you don’t actually mean that” Michael says shakily. “This means more to me than it does to you and I can’t, I can’t do it.”

Ashton moves with Michael and stays with his cheek pressed against Michael’s, breathing heavily in his ear. “You don’t know that Mikey. This means everything.”

“But I do, you can’t just decide now that you love me,” Michael says desperately. His brain is going a hundred miles an hour, everything he’s ever wanted has been laid out in front of him and he desperately wants to grasp it but it seems so unrealistic, that Ashton could love him back.

“I haven’t just decided now, I think I was all along I just didn’t know.” Ashton leans back and looks at him earnestly, eyes glittering. “But God, this whole evening having you here, pretending to be my boyfriend I realised how much I wanted it to be real, how much I wanted to have you there under my arm every damn day.” He pauses to brush his hand through Michael’s hair. “How long have you loved me for Michael? When did you know?”

“From that day in the library,” Michael says, looking down, not able to look at Ashton when he looks at him like that. “I text you complaining I was cold, and you turned up with my sweater and my favourite coffee.”

He hears Ashton inhale sharply. “That was the first month of freshman year, Michael. That was five years ago.”

“I know,” Michael whispers, still looking down.

He feels Ashton’s hand come up and pull his chin up to look at him, and then he’s pressing kisses to Michael’s face, his forehead, his cheeks, his nose. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I’m slow and stupid,” he murmurs, interspersed with kisses. “Will you let me love you now? Even though I’m dumb and oblivious and undeserving?” 

Michael is frozen, unable to process everything that’s happening, only able to blink at Ashton, hands still gripping his shoulders loosely. 

“You actually want to be with me?” He says slowly. “You… love me?”

Ashton laughs. “Yes I love you, I might have only realised ten minutes ago but I love you and I want to be with you, I promise. Be with me Michael, be my real boyfriend.”

“Okay,” Michael says simply, lips spreading slowly into a smile.

“Okay?” Ashton says, hazel eyes sparkling at Michael more than ever. 

Michael nods, smiling even wider. 

“Can I kiss you now please?” Ashton asks.

Michael nods and Ashton immediately presses their lips back together. Michael sighs into it, hands gripping Ashton’s shoulders and pulling him closer, and vaguely wonders whether he’ll ever be able to refuse anything Ashton asks him.