#in a monster hunter mood cause so close to getting rise!

[winters-dream]

A pair of feet crunched down on dead leaves as I trudged through the forest, the earth silent save for my walking. It was typical of me to stray away from my clan and walk around the border of the territory. The Clan Elders didn’t mind, they actually encouraged my outings as I served as an extra “guard” at preventing trespassers—especially werewolves. 

The demons that created vampires and werewolves thousands of years ago held a deep hatred for one another, a hatred that ran so deep it became part of the monsters’ biology. Their hatred for one another was pure monstrous instinct. This instinct was so strong, the mere mention of a werewolf could quiet a whole room of vampires in anger. And I had no doubt werewolves felt no different about us.

Footsteps that weren’t my own distracted me from my thoughts and I quickly jumped up the closest tree near me. I quietly landed on one of the thick branches of the tree, my senses more alert to quickly track down who was there. I made sure I was well hidden with the surrounding branches as I saw someone wandering around, slowly stepping closer to the tree.

Human. What was a human doing all the way out here? And so close to the border of my territory? Whatever they were doing, they were about to be in for a rude awakening. Vampires didn’t take much of a liking towards humans either, they were like annoying little pests. Vampires tell them to leave and they come back with more of them to show us off like we’re zoo exhibits.

It had boiled down to making examples out of a few of them and killing some to keep them away. It caused a rise in vampire hunters, but it made humans keep their distance for the most part, which the vampires liked.

The human wandered around aimlessly for ten minutes, I had secretly hoped they’d just go away on their own. I wasn’t exactly in the mood for draining an innocent person of their blood, but after a few minutes they were still there and getting too close to the edge of my territory. A strong wind rushed about the air and the human’s scent hit me like a train. This person wasn’t human at all. They were something else. Something foul and evil. My natural worst enemy.

A werewolf. 

A hiss left my mouth as I jumped from my spot in the tree, my feet hitting the ground without a sound. The werewolf turned to face me, a growl sounding deep from their chest.

“Who do you think you are, prancing around the edge of my clan?”

The werewolf snarled, their piercing amber eyes filled with the same hate and disgust I felt in my own chest. I tensed, ready to fend this intruder off when something about the werewolf changed.

Their gaze softened. Their eyes still held that same disgust, but less. There was also some confusion and shock mixed in as well. And they’d dropped their stance, now standing with their arms limp at their side and their body leaning forward. Like they were being pulled to me with an invisible string. And what shocked me the most was the single word that fell from their lips.

“Mate.”

I looked at them in bewilderment. What was this person on about? How could two species destined to hate each other be mates?

“What?” I asked, hoping for a bit of clarification.

“We’re mates,” they said. “Can’t you feel it?” They took a few steps towards me, stopping when I hissed at them.

“Don’t come near me,” I said. “I don’t know what trick you’re trying to play here, but I feel nothing. It’s impossible anyway, why would the universe fate a vampire with a werewolf? We’re bound by nature to hate each other.”

The werewolf took another hesitant step towards me, ignoring the hateful stare I sent them. “But I know what I feel, look at me.”

They grabbed a hold of my shoulders, forcing me to make eye contact with them, the one way to find who your soulmate is. Their first time soulmates meet eyes, something in their brain just unlocks. The world seems to stop, everything falls into place. A sense of completion washes over them, a wonderful feeling that many have failed to put into words.

And I felt it. I wanted to throw up.

The werewolf must have noticed, their head nodded and a small hopeful smile slowly spread over their face. “You feel it.”

I shook my head, violently. I backed away, a horrible feeling twisting in my gut. My mind and heart were at war with each other, my instincts telling me to kill the creature in front of me. My heart longing to wrap my arms around them and wipe the hurt look off their face. I didn't know what to do.

“I can’t—I don’t—” I didn’t know what to say. “I have to go.”

I was gone in a flash, racing through the woods. Not stopping until I slammed the door shut to my home. I slid down the door and landed in a crouching position. My chest ached from the distance I put between us. 

I wanted to go back. Find my soulmate, wrap my arms around them, hold them close. Suffocate my natural instincts screaming at me to kill them. Shove them down and push past the deep rooted hate and rejoice in finding the one the universe fated me to be with. 

I was restless for the rest of the night, my thoughts clouded with my soulmate. I couldn’t wait until morning, I had to see them again. I didn’t even know if they’d be there still, but I had to go. Had to see them again. 

I ran out into the forest, headed back to the same spot I’d found them. To no surprise they weren’t there. I ventured further, searched for hours. I found them trudging alongside a stream, a sigh of relief falling from my chest at the sight of them. So stunning. So beautiful.

They turned around, probably sensing my presence. They smiled and I swear my heart did a backflip.

“Are you ready to accept me?” they asked. I couldn’t say no if my life depended on it.

[sphinxsmuses-archived]

Starter Call for Sonafuwa!

A Monster Hunter OC! A Paolumu girl aka a fluffy bat girl by the name  of Sonafuwa. She is curious, not minding humans unless they attack her.  When she gets upset, her hair and the fur of her coat poofs up. She can  kind of speak though has trouble sometimes. Friendly to those who are  friendly to her.

Like or reblog to be tagged in a started with Sonafuwa! Roleplay blogs only please! Crossovers accepted!

[jessiebanethedragon]

White Sands Warm the Cold Sea

Star Wars, The Bad Batch Pirate!au (Hunter x Reader

Summary: the reader, betrothed to a disgusting Coruscanti Lord flees her home world and lands herself in a plethora of trouble, a ship of clones, and one pirate captain whose cold exterior needs much more than the tropical seaside sun.

Warnings: Swearing, takes place in time periods where women have dowery's and suchlike. The readers dad and bothered are asses.

chapter one

Chapter two: The Stowaway

It is a disgusting day on Coruscant. Hot, humid and you can’t help but feel something sinister in the air. You feel hollow, and it is only partly due to the tightness of your dress. The yellow and green material wraps around you in layers. Your face is blank but your mind is racing, if you cannot convince your father to call off the marriage, how else can you put a stop to this?

Very few people talk about the war, and so how Lord Nython made his fortune is a mystery to you. What you have gathered from whispers of those in your household it was through a lengthy siege that devastated republic and seperatist forces alike.

“And the weather today is perfect for sailing, I bet those ships at the docks will be itching to set off.” Your handmaiden Seil says to you, and you frown, since when did she have an interest in the docks. But she continues playing with your hair.

“I'll get you the most expensive jewelry in the house,” She says with a smile you’ve grown up with. Perhaps carer was a more accurate term, considering she seemed to be the only person in the world that wanted the best for you. She returns with a pouch of all kinds of gold, silver and gems.

“There is a way to the docks, it is so lovely for a stroll. Away from the busy streets and such like.” You frown at her obsession with an area crawling with pirates.

“Seil what in the name-” You start saying, turning around to slip your flats on. And you stop, in her hands are your boots, made for riding as you had done so many times before.

“I thought these would be fitting, as they are your favourite.” She’s talking about all the times you told her how much you love how sturdy they feel around your feet. And how when you would run the fields, how powerful they made your legs feel.

And then it clicks. The docks, the boots. The tears in her eyes. While you were planning on an escape from this marriage, Seil had been planning an escape from every marriage your father would force on you. She ties the boots tightly, and places a hand on your cheek as you both take shaking breaths to compose yourselves.

And with your father still passed out in bed, and the sun barely rising, you slip into the streets and into the areas less traveled, sprinting off towards the ocean.

The docks are infused with the smell of fish, and the workers barely turn a glance your way as you shift through the swarms of people. You come to a halt at a clearing in the crowd, and your brain catches up with itself. What are you going to do now? With no money, skills, or plan, you begin to second guess yourself. You have time to make it back to the household with no one being the wiser. But you remember meeting Lord Nython for the first time.

His hand latched to yours like a monster squid to its prey, you notice that unlike some men he doesn’t ask ‘may I’ before touching you, and you briefly wonder what about you invites his hand onto your own. But your fake smile remains plastered on as he looks you up and down like a farmer regards the sale of livestock.

Your gut had told you then that all he could bring you was bad news, confirmed by rumors and stories of his wartime expeditions, and when he told you about the war, and the pathetic Grand Army of the Republic he spared no detail in his murder of an entire army.

Of course it's not the same as killing someone like you or me, those kaminoans are devils, and those freaks are just the same. Like hunting the same dumb peigion over and over again. We surely must have downed hundreds of them that day, but they are rats you see, you have to kill every last one in order to rid yourself of the infestation.

Education had not taught you about the Kamino Clones, but experience had, every sepratist man who held power despised them. ‘Scum of the earth’ your father had said when you asked about them. Telling you they had their emotions removed, and blindly followed orders given by the highest bidder. And when the G.A.R had fallen, they scuttled into exile.

And now you stand on the docks of Coruscant, two paths in front of you. Surely if you left Nyhon would send someone after you, he never seemed to back away from a fight, and given his reputation for always getting what he wanted, you doubted he’d take to your absence kindly. So that left you with leaving the only home you’d ever known, and given that you cannot sail, nor pay for passage, stowing away was your only option.

You briefly wonder about the procedure of stowing away, does one pick a certain ship or choose at random?

“Can I help you miss?” A Togruta man asks you, only his blue face visible from underneath his hood and cloak, but the markings give him away, as well as the point in the fabric over his head.

“I...I…” you pause to gather yourself. “I’m fine, thank you.” and you quickly turn away from him, walking down the docks at a purposeful pace. There are so many ships all looking to either load or unload supplies, but none of them seem to be leaving shortly. You need escape now, and not later. The longer you dwell the more the bad feeling in your stomach grows. You must lose yourself again because before you know it a man is rushing past you and shouting

“Sorry miss!” as he goes, you catch the clanking of metal and a glimpse of eyeglasses as he disappears up the ramp of a large dark oak ship, the name Havoc Marauder painted in red at the back.

Perhaps you have found your escape after all.

You very quickly decide the ocean is terrifying. After having snuck up the ramp and into the depths of the ship, you found yourself in your current spot. Huddled behind stacks of crates sitting on the wooden floor and being violently rocked around as the water crashes into the side from all sides. More than once you’ve had to close your eyes in panic when something particularly bad happens, but you refuse to appear weak - even if you’re the only person to witness it.

And the footsteps, even though the men seldom come below decks but you can hear them step ferociously above you. They sound like an army and considering you didn’t get a good look at any of them, you had no idea how many people you were hiding from. They’re loud, and kept busy by the Sea, you have no idea where you’re headed, but as long as it’s far, far away from Coruscant you couldn’t care less. And there are no windows here, so you have no idea how long you’ve been traveling for.

Footsteps start to make their way to the set of stairs leading down into your hiding spot, the small nook of the ship that resides in the belly of the beast. The steps you hear aren't as heavy as others, but they seem to keep most of their weight on their toes, you never quite hear their heel make contact against the wood. And you press yourself tighter to the wall, a tall frame passes you by, lean and with ashen hair the man halls a crate away from the other end of the room, and turns to leave. Your panicked eyes can do nothing but stare back at him through the gaps in the boxes, and they watch him squint for a moment, before he turns and heads back up the stairs. Crate in hand, and your heart in your chest. He cannot have seen you, if he had, why turn away? Panic consumes you.

☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠

“Sarge,” Crosshair says, thumping the crate of bread and dried meat down in front of him. Hunter simply raises an eyebrow at his vod, and it confirms Crosshair's hypothesis. The captain is in one of his moods again, when shaking off the nightmares is impossible and the hate inside him grows and simmers at fantastical measures.

“There’s a woman on board.” He tells him, casually popping a pick into his mouth. And watching as Tech’s and Wrecker’s heads snap up.

“A woman?” Tech asks with judgement. Crosshair rolls his eyes.

“Yes a woman, you know, the things that look almost like you except for their b-”

“I know what a woman is!” Tech cuts him off before things get graphic. His brother never having the politeness nor the decency to hold his tongue.

“There’s a woman aboard the Murader?” Wrecker tries to confirm, and underneath his wide captains hat, Hunter’s eyes darken.

“Listen very carefully.” He growls, the midday sun shining its way onto an unforgiving face. “If there is a stowaway. I do not care if you have to drag her to me with her intestines hanging out. Get. Her. Off. My. Ship.”

“But…” Wrecker starts, taken aback by the aggressive imagery.

“But what?” Hunter snaps, standing up and seeming small compared to his brother, but nonetheless intimidating. “I want her found and I want her off my kriffing ship.” He demands one last time before stalking back to the captains quarters.

Below deck you hear the slamming of a heavy wooden door, the sound makes your skin jump crawl with dread. Something has gone very wrong indeed, and it is not long before you see boots standing at the top of the steps down into the hold where you thought you were hidden. It is difficult to tell how many, two for certain, the change in foot size tells you that much. None of them talk, making it even harder for you to mask your panicked breaths. But just as one foot begins to descend the stairs, a voice from afar distracts it.

“Ship off the starboard bow!” it’s enough to get the men turning away from your concealment, and towards the voice.

“What does she fly?” Another voice shouts, much closer to you.

“Looks Weequay to me!” comes the response, which causes someone else to grumble something about eyesight and crowsnest. Frankly it’s all gibberish to you, starboard could be another hyper-ocean speedway let alone a part of the ship, and while you are sure you’ve heard the term Weequay before, you can’t place where or in what context you heard it. Laughter breaks you from your thoughts.

“That’ll be Hondo’s ship then!” A loud shout settles in your bones. Not one in anger but perhaps more so simple loudness. And whoever or whatever a Hondo is, it is enough to carry the shoes away from you and rush to another, more pressing task. Which makes you think you just may owe this Hondo your life.

Taglist: @the-mandalorian-clone-lover @peacefulwizardfox @rex-meshla @s1st37 @and-claudia @kamino-mermaid @thelambandthewolffe @starwarsmeninhelmets

@bronvin @myeternalsin @sweetsunflowerkisses

comment to be added!

[sams-sass]

Bait

Hello! I thought of this and wanted to share! Hope you like it! Thanks for all the love and support.

Summary: You are used as bait on a case and it sparks something in Sam.

Warnings: Language, jealousy, smutish, fluff

Pairings: Jealous!Sam x Reader

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“I’m sorry, you want me to what?” You asked, your arms out to your sides.  

“Come on, Y/N! It’s the only way we are going to catch him.” Dean rubbed his forehead with his hand, frustration written on his face.  

“Uh no, it’s the easiest way we are going to catch him.” You stood your ground.  

“It will be easy, yeah. Sam and I will be there the whole time!” Dean pleaded with you.  

“In case you haven't noticed, I’m not the guys type.” You crossed your arms across your chest and shrugged your shoulders.  

“What are you talking about? All the vics were beautiful girls, fits you nicely.” Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest and mimicking your stance. Before you could respond the door to the motel opened and Sam walked in. The sunlight pooled around him, creating a glow that seemed to make him even taller. He placed the coffee cups down on the table and flicked his hair out of his eyes, letting them find yours.  

“Hey.” He greeted you and his brother with a smile. You licked your lips and sent him a smile as well, feeling your heart flutter in your chest.  

“Hey, Sam.” You felt your mood instantly lighten.  

“What’s up?” Sam asked you and his brother as he handed Dean the coffee cup.

“Dean is trying to use me as bait.” You tilted your head to the side and blew on your cup of coffee, raising an eyebrow at Dean. Sam’s head instantly shot up; his face hard while Dean shot you an epic bitch face.  

“What?” Sam asked, his eyes narrowing. Sam did things every single day that gave you butterflies and made you feel dizzy, but there was something about the way he protected you. It wasn’t like he was codling you and making you feel small, it was that he was on your side. You both knew you didn’t need protection; you were perfectly capable of handling yourself. It was the way he never wanted you to get hurt and how sent chills down your spine.

“Just a little bit. Come on, Sammy! She’s perfect and we can catch this bastard!” Dean’s voice was low. Sam stood to his full height, towering over his brother. You saw his jaw twitch and his chest rise and fall, then he turned and looked at you. His eyes softened and he turned back to his brother.  

“It’s not up to me or you, it’s Y/N’s decision.” He let his shoulders drop slightly as he backed away, allowing you to take charge. Your eyes lingered on him for longer than necessary. You were taken aback by Sam and how he had respected you enough to realize this was your decision to make. The left side of your mouth turned up into a smile and you licked your lips.  

“Thanks, Sam. I appreciate that.” You said, he looked at you and all the tension fell away from his body. You chewed your bottom lip slightly, weighing your options. “Is this really the only way we can catch him?” You asked Dean.  

“I mean, it’s the only way I can think of that will almost definitely work.” He said, his voice a little quieter than before. You looked down and narrowed your eyes in thought. Five girls had already been killed; you couldn’t let anyone else get hurt. Dean was right, this was something that could easily flush out the monster.  

“Ok, I’ll do it.” Dean gave you a side smile and patted your shoulder. Sam let out a breath and looked away from you, then he nodded and walked over to you. His fingers traced your arm and you swore your heart stopped beating. He gave you a crooked smile before he walked away and back over to the books on his bed.  

“Thanks, Y/N.” Dean said.  

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t thank me yet, I still need an outfit.” You let yourself smile, watching Dean’s face as realization hit.  

“We have to go-” He started.  

“Shopping.” You cocked an eyebrow and nodded your head.  

“Awesome.” Dean answered, rolling his eyes. “Sammy, make sure we have everything else we need and I’ll take her into town.” He grabbed his jacket and your arm and the two of you climbed into the impala. Dean drove into town with the windows down. The crisp September air leaving goosebumps across your skin.  

“Why didn’t Sam come?” You asked him over the music.  

“Miss your boyfriend already?” He asked you, his eyes sliding over to yours. You felt the heat rise to your cheeks and rolled your eyes.  

“Shut up.” You mumbled causing him to chuckle.  

“No, I just want to be prepared for this.” He gave you a look out of the corner of his eye.  

“I get it, Rugarus can be dangerous. This one seems to be starving.” You nodded your head and looked out the window. The bodies were something you knew you could never unsee. Their torn and mangled flesh. The bite marks. The blood. It was overwhelming. When you had seen them, you thought you might faint. They were all around your age. All women who were just trying to find someone to spend the night with. Trying to find company and companionship. They had walked right into the arms of a monster. You knew you had to do this, but the thought of not killing this guy on sight was making your skin crawl.  

Dean pulled up to the shop and you walked together. You picked out a few dresses that you liked and held them up for Dean. He shook his head at each one. You were getting annoyed; you knew you should have just done this on your own. Finally, you found one that Dean agreed to and you tried it on. When you slipped it on over your skin you had to do a double take in the mirror. It was a soft and buttery silk that draped across your body, hugging you in all the right places. You smoothed it down and allowed yourself to smile in the mirror. You opened the curtains with your eyes still looking down at the dress. Your feet were still stuffed into your favorite socks and you had forgotten to shave. You looked up hopefully at Dean. His face fell slightly, but he quickly gathered his composure.  

“Yep. That will do it.” He said still staring at you with wide eyes. You rubbed your hand over your bicep nervously and gave him a shy smile. You paid for the dress and made your way back to the motel. You were nervous in the seat, your fingers playing with the hem of your shirt. You frequently looked at Dean from the side of your eyes and silently begged him to come up with a better plan. You weren't scared about being bait. You weren't even scared about outrunning a Rugaru in heels. You were scared to put yourself in such a vulnerable situation in front of Sam. You would never want him to think of you as someone who couldn’t handle herself, but that’s what you had to act like. You had to act like you didn’t know the first thing about monsters and how to kill them. When in reality the boys had been relying on your expertise for years now. You pulled up to the motel and walked in to find Sam hunched over a book.  

“Hey.” He greeted you with a smile. “Did you find something?” He placed the book he was reading in his lap.  

“Yeah she did.” Dean said behind you, a wide and obnoxious grin on his face. You rolled your eyes at him and looked back over to Sam, smiling at his confused expression.  

The rest of the day passed with detailed notes, lunch, and building nerves. The time finally came for you to get ready and you slipped into the bathroom. You got into the shower and tried to let the warm water wash away some of your worries. You kept telling yourself it would be fine, that everything would work out just the way you had planned, but that seemed farfetched. Then there was Sam. You knew that you were nervous to flirt with someone else in front of him, but it was more than that. You were holding in a secret. A deep desire to be with him. You were madly in love with him and by getting all dressed up and acting flirtatious, it could lead to him pulling away. There was no one you had ever wanted as much as you wanted Sam. His long fingers dancing across your skin. His pink tongue tasting every inch of you. His perfect mouth molding against yours. You found yourself whispering his name against the pitch black of night. Your eyes automatically looked for him when you walked into a room. Your breath only said his name in times of hurt or distress. You desperately wanted things to remain the same, sending up a prayer to anyone who was listening. You dried yourself off and got ready for your night. You did your hair and makeup the way you liked it before slipping on your dress. You looked at yourself in the mirror and took in a calming and cleansing breath. You opened the door and faced the night head on.  

--------------------

Sam was sitting on the bed, he felt uneasy and not sure what to do with his hands. He had them in his lap, that felt weird. He crossed them, that felt even worse. Finally, he hunched forward and let his elbows rest on his thighs. He was nervous, there was no denying that. This felt different. Sure, there had been hunts before when the three of you had put yourself in a dangerous situation, but this was new. Dressing you up and making you flirt with a monster so he could try and take you home. It all just felt wrong. He ran his hands over his face and closed his eyes. How was he going to do this? How was he going to watch you flirt with this monster that had already killed five women? Not just killed them, torn them apart and eaten them. He knew this was going to be hard. He knew he was going to get pissed, but he also knew that you could handle it. He knew you didn’t need backup and that he and Dean were only going in case things got really out of hand. You were one of the best hunters he had ever seen. The way you charged into every fight with everything you had was something Sam didn’t think he could ever get used to. You were the first thing he thought about every morning and some nights he would close his eyes and just picture you to help calm him. When the world around him was crazy and the walls seemed to be closing in, that’s when he looked at you. He found his peace within you. His solace was wrapped in your arms, your skin against his. There were times when he would look at you and forget any bad thing that had ever happened to him. He was in love with you. No other way to say it.  

His thoughts were interrupted when the bathroom door opened and you stepped into the room. Your head was turned away from him and your hands were fumbling with the zipper. Sam's heart immediately dropped and his chest tightened. The way the dress formed to your body suddenly made him feel dizzy and thank god he was sitting, because the way you looked would have brought him to his knees. He swallowed hard, feeling the moisture leave his mouth. Heat filled his entire body and he let out a shaky breath.  

“Can one of you help me with this?” You asked, looking up and finding only Sam staring straight at you. Your breath caught in your throat and you licked your lips, suddenly feeling tipsy. Sam’s eyes shot to yours and he quickly nodded. He stood up from the bed and moved over to you. You turned around so he could zip the dress and you could feel his hot breath against your exposed skin. His fingers easily slid the zipper up and he stepped away from you.  

“Thank you.” You said, trying to ignore the buzz forming along your skin. Sam nodded his head, and sent you a small smile. You turned and slid your feet into your black heels, bending one leg slightly as you put your earrings in your ears. Sam had to sit down again before he ripped the dress off your body. His hands were itching to touch you. His skin felt like there was an electrical current running through it, that could only be sated by you.  

“Hey, can I ask you something?” He said, placing his hands onto his thighs.

“Of course.” You looked over at him.  

“You seem to not want to get dressed up. Is there a reason?” He seemed nervous to ask you. You smiled and looked down at your feet, moving your shoes against the carpet.

“I like getting dressed up as much as the next girl, but when I put a dress on, I feel like everyone sees me different. Like, I am no longer this badass hunter, I’m a girl who can’t do anything. People view me as something that I am not. They create this romanticized version of me, and then when I am not that thing...they get upset. I feel like people see me for who I really am when I am in jeans and a t-shirt, just hanging out.” Your fingers were twisting together and your eyes had looked off into the distance as you spoke.  

“I think you look beautiful no matter what you are wearing and I know you could kick anyone's ass any day. Y/N, I have always seen you as the smart, funny, and intelligent person that I greatly admire and respect.” The words left Sam’s mouth before he could fully edit them. Had he said too much? Did he just ruin your friendship? He looked up to your eyes to see you just staring at him.  

“I feel the same way about you.” Your perfect lips said and it took everything inside Sam not to grab you to him. He could almost feel your skin under him. Hear your beating heart against his. His hands twitched and he felt the sweat pooling in the notch below his throat.

Thankfully the tension in the room was cut when Dean walked in, holding a fresh can of gasoline.  

“Holy shit, Y/N, you look...” His voice trailed off looking at you and cleared his throat.  

“See?” You pointed to Dean with your thumb and looked at Sam. Sam smiled at you, chuckling under his breath.

“You guys ready?” Dean asked.  

“As I’ll ever be.” You said, grabbing your purse and heading for the car. You instructed Dean to pull over on the road away from the bar.  

“Why?” He asked.  

“Because what monster man is gonna think I’m lonely and in need of company when I’m getting out of a car with two men?” You climbed out of the car and fixed your dress. Then you placed your hands on the passenger side of the car and leaned down. Sam was so close you could smell his cologne. “I’ll see you guys in there.” They both nodded at you. Dean sent you a wink and Sam just looked at you with a strange expression. You made your way to the bar and opened the door, feeling the warmth from inside fan across your cold skin. You felt eyes on you as you walked over to the bar. Your skin was crawling with the weight of all their stares. You sat down and tried to act calm, cool, and collected. You ordered a drink and waited. It was almost time.  

-------------------

Sam and Dean walked into the bar and immediately made their way to the back, finding a table. Dean went to the bar and ordered two beers while Sam scanned the room. He was trying not to look at you, but he was failing miserably. This was nothing new, Sam could never keep his eyes off you. So many times, he caught himself staring longingly at you while you went about your day. Whenever he walked into a room, his eyes went directly to you. Anytime he needed a reminder of the good in the world he found himself looking to you. You looked stunning in that dress, the way it folded into the curves of your body was driving Sam crazy. He felt a tap on his chest and looked over at Dean who was staring at a guy across the room. The way he was looking at you made Sam’s entire body go into red alert. His mouth was curled up almost into a snarl as his eyes scanned every inch of you. This had to be him, this had to be their guy. Everything in Sam was screaming at him to run to you. To warn you in some way, but they had to let this play out just a little longer. He walked over to you with quick strides, and slid into the seat next to you. You turned towards him and gave him a warm smile. Sam loved your smile, the way it lit up your entire face. He couldn’t help but feel the jealousy and anger brewing deep in his gut. The man reached forward and let his finger trail down your arm, leaning in closer to you. Sam's body stiffened under his jacket, his heart rate skyrocketing. His fingers were curled so tightly around his glass, he thought it might break. The man then moved his hand up your thigh and under your dress slightly. If Sam thought he was angry and jealous before, watching his thumb slide under the hem of your dress, brought out something deep within him. His lip twitched and the fingers of his other hand curled into a fist. He let out a harsh breath through his nose and felt all his nerve endings go into overdrive. Dean had to physically hit him to get him to snap out of it. When he looked back over at you, this guy’s fucking face was in the crook of your neck. You made eye contact with Sam and sent him a small smile, letting your eyes linger on his for a moment. Sam felt his muscles relax slightly and he sent you a smile back. You pushed on his chest to get him to look at you and flicked your head towards the door, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. You and him moved from the bar and out into the night. Sam slammed the rest of his beer down and walked after you two, Dean on his heels. When Sam walked out the door his eyes immediately found you getting into this guy's car. His eyes widened and he all but sprinted to the impala, climbing in and turning the ignition. Dean barely made it into the car before Sam sped off after the two of you.  

“Sam, calm down. Y/N can take care of herself.” Dean tried to reason with his brother.  

“You think I don’t know that? She’s one of the toughest people I have ever met.” Sam gripped the steering wheel tighter, his voice growing in volume as he spoke.  

“Then why are you driving my car like a jackass?” Dean yelled back.  

“Because I love her!” Sam said, hitting the steering wheel with his hand. He took a long breath into his lungs and looked over at Dean, “Because I love her and even though I know she can handle it, I have to be there for her.” His voice was softer this time. There was a moment of silence between the two brothers.  

“Left.” Dean said, pointing at the car turning onto a side street. Sam parked the car on the road near the house. Him and Dean got out and quickly made their way up the driveway with flamethrowers and guns in hand.  

---------------------

The rugaru pushed you against the wall as soon as you walked into the house. His breath felt disgusting against your skin. You kicked him hard in the shin, sending him down to the floor. He reached up, grabbing a fistful of your dress and throwing you to the ground next to him. You heard the fabric tear from the force, but you didn’t care. You both stood back up and faced each other. He had an animalistic smile on his face, his eyes wide and crazed. He swung at you, hitting you in the jaw. You weren't going down, not today. You hit him hard in the gut, then grabbed the back of his head and slammed him into the wall. The front door slammed open and Sam charged in with his flamethrower ready. He lit up the rugaru and the three of you watched him burn. Sam looked you over when it was clear the monster was dead. Your cheek and jaw were red and swollen, your dress was torn, and your breathing was labored. He was still so angry at the rugaru and that they had to use you as bait, but he was so happy that you were ok. He felt everything in him relax and take a moment to appreciate a happy time in life.  

You all went back to the motel and you rented your own room for the night, wanting a bed of your own. Well, at least that’s what you told them, really it was just hard to be in the same room with Sam at night. There was something about the darkness that made you want him even more. You walked into your room and got in the shower. You felt the water warm your skin and calm your aching muscles from your fight with the monster. The warmth of the water didn’t do anything for your heart though. That was one ache that never quite went away. You sighed and climbed out of the shower, getting in your pajamas. You got into bed and pulled the covers up tight around you, closing your eyes and waiting for sleep. It never came. The scratchy motel sheets were a reminder of the minutes ticking by with no rest. You rolled onto your back and stared at the water stained ceiling. A knock on the door startled you. Your brow furrowed as you went over to the door, opening it hesitantly. Sam stood on the other side of it, his t-shirt tight around his muscular arms, sweatpants hanging low on his hips.  

“Sam, wha-.” You didn’t get to finish your question. Sam grabbed your face between his large hands and pressed his lips to yours. You made a surprised squeal, but quickly melted against him. It was better than you thought it would be. Your mouths opened together and his tongue licked your bottom lip, pulling you even closer. His hands moved down your body and hooked under your thighs, lifting you against him. He moved and pushed your back against the wall, rolling his hips against you. You moaned into his mouth and pulled on his hair slightly. His fingers wrote full symphonies against your skin. He was so warm. His heart beating in time with yours. His lips roaming and tasting every inch of you. You broke apart to breathe. He rested his forehead against yours, his breath was coming in fast and heavy. His massive hand came up to rest on your chest. His thumb running up and down your throat.  

“I love you.” He whispered into the space between you. You twisted your fingers into his hair and nuzzled your nose against his.  

“I love you too, Sam.” You said back. It was happening. Everything you had ever wanted was here in front of you. His lips were back on yours; you could feel his smile on your lips. His strong arms lifted you once again and laid you down on the bed. His hands slid under your pajama shirt and you could feel the ache in your heart mending itself. He grabbed at your soft flesh, loving the way you felt underneath him. He took both your hands in his and lifted them over your head. He was so close. His skin sliding over yours. The two of you were perfectly intertwined in each other. He was ideal in every way. You had never experienced this much pleasure before. It was spreading throughout you like wildfire, hot and fast.  

When it was over and you both came down from your highs, he wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his head against your chest. You listened to his steadying breathing and felt your heart slowing in your chest. He crawled back up again, his face level with yours.  

“Say it again.” He asked you. You blinked your eyes open and twisted a strand of his hair in between your fingers, placing it gently behind his ear.

“I love you.” You looked directly into his eyes. He smiled and looked away, a small laugh leaving his lips.  

“You have no idea how long I have waited to hear you say that.” He kissed your forehead, then your eyes, your cheeks, and finally your lips.  

“Probably as long as I have.” You laughed.  

“I’m sorry I waited for you to be used as bait.” His fingers brushed across your temple.  

“I’m sorry I waited for me to be used as bait.” You smiled and ran your fingertips over his back.  

“I’ll never let you go.” He promised you.  

“Never.” You agreed.

Tags: @watermelonlipstick​ @hecatemacbeth7​ @mila-dans​

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

Klaus x Powered Reader

Summary: Reader is part of the umbrella academy but came when they were 12 due to parents needing help for them, ya know controlling powers and whatnot. They can shapeshift into any animal and their senses are heightened n such.

Warnings: bloody, fighting bad guys, bit of Klaus fluff

You know that moment in a movie where they freeze frame and then the character says something like “you’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation.”

Yeah with Klaus you have those moments more times then you could count. In fact, if you had a dollar for every time Klaus has gotten you into a freeze frame moment. (And you’ve thought about this often.)

You could probably afford a real nice apartment with actual food in its fridge. Instead of living at the Academy with some apples and Klaus’ latest alcoholic beverage.

But alas, here you are in a back alley as Klaus’ bodyguard waiting for some Italian mafia members to come get their money that he owes them. Well that’s what you’re assuming but Klaus insists they’re just some moody tough guys. Okay sure.

You watch Klaus as he paces back and forth in front of you counting his cash for about the 50th time in the past 10 minutes.

Klaus stops abruptly and turns to you with a smile, “You know what I love about you, Y/N, every time I think things could get worse I look at your pretty face and I know you got me.”

Sighing in knowing annoyance you look up at him, “Are you short.”

Klaus snorts, “No actually I’m pretty long.” He says with wink.

You look up to the sky trying not to crack, you couldn’t give him the satisfaction even if it was funny, not the time or place. Especially considering his dumbass is short some cash he definitely owes very soon.

You look over to Klaus again and raise an eyebrow.

“Alright how much?”

He twiddles is fingers while avoiding your curious gaze. “Oh you know...a couple hundred or so.”

“So that’s why I’m here, emotional support my ass”, You say rolling your eyes a bit amused nonetheless.

Klaus may be an idiot but he’s funny and kind and you love him. Also you do enjoy beating up gangsters or whoever these thugs of the hour are.

Folding your arms while giving Klaus a smirk you tell him, “Well your friends better get their asses here cause when they do. I’m gonna knock their teeth in for making us wait in this shit ally. I’ve been suppressing the urge to vomit for 10 minutes.”

He nods in agreement, glad you’re not about to rip him a new one for his latest antics.

“Wait, does it really smell that bad, I mean the dumpster is at the other end of the ally.” He says in confusion.

You put your hands on your hips glancing at the dumpster and then focusing on Klaus.

“I’ve got the whole animal kingdom inside me Klaus, I know you can kinda smell that dumpster from here, but listen. For me it’s 1000x worse and let me tell you it doesn’t smell like a bath and body works around here.”

Klaus laughs scratching the back of his head, “Right, right, sorry.”

Suddenly a sketchy looking black car rolls into the ally, coming to a halt as three angry looking men walk out. Clearly hiding something within their coats, the “leader” it seems steps up and speaks.

“You betta have that 1,000 you owe us right fucking now you little theif, I don’t appreciate you takin’ my mother’s gold necklace, rest her soul.” He growls.

Klaus raises his hands up, “Listen buddy, you stole that from your own mother at her funeral...and let me tell you she’s not to happy about it.” He says looking to his left where you assume this guys dead mother is standing.

The bald guy behind him shakes his head and says, “So fuckin what? We needed that shit for other important purposes raccoon eyes.”

Klaus now lost as to where this situation is about to turn looks over at you clearly needing assistance. While mouthing “help me”.

Walking past him you hold your hands up showing you have nothing to hide, “Now that’s not very nice, a real shit personality, your mother would be very disappointed in how you’ve turned out. Cause let’s be honest it’s not like your looks are doing anything for you either.” You say snickering trying to see how they’ll react.

The first guy smirks reaching into his coat to pull out a nasty looking knife. “See this right here, I’m a good old fashioned man, I don’t believe in guns.”

You raise your eyebrows at him, “Oh well in that case we should all be quite relieved then.”

Looking behind him you notice as his two friends pull their own weapons out, which consists of a hammer and some type of meat hook.

“Klaus couldn’t have picked an easier bunch of idiots to fuck up then these psychos.” You thought.

The bald one begins to move brushing past the first guy looking like he’s seeing red.

“Jesus, man I didn’t mean to offend, I’m just making friendly conversation.” You muse.

Baldy begins to charge holding up his hammer ready to strike. “Come here you bitch, that’s my husband you’re talking to.”

He swings as you side step him, tripping him as he falls directly onto the concrete. Conveniently dropping the hammer in the process. Klaus being the ever troublesomely fantastic sidekick, picks up the hammer and throws it at you.

Gripping the hammer tightly, baldy rises from the ground faster then you’d expected mouth bloody and boiling with rage.

But in a hot second his bearded buddy in crime sprints towards you with his meat hook seemingly out of nowhere.

Klaus yells for you to watch out but you didn’t even need to look, this guys heart beat is louder then a firework and you’re faster then a viper, your senses on overload. As you turn around in record time to grab the guys right arm with the meat hook.

With your left hand tight around this guys beefy one you hold on and push his assault giving him more power. Effectively fulfilling your plan and leading the hook right into baldys chest. Who was fortunately running towards you.

A split second later with the hammer in your right hand you swing it forcefully into the guys shins. Hearing a sweet sickly crunch sound and the wild howls protruding from your assailants throat.

“Sorry I didn’t know you were married.”

“Fuck you!” He screams.

You look up hearing the sting of metal being swung in the wind, to see a knife heading straight for your throat.

With lighting reflexes you grab his wrist, the knife inches from your vulnerable skin.

Klaus gasps in the background terrified and relieved at not getting your throat slit.

You turn your fingernails to sharp cat-like claws that dig dangerously into his flesh, causing hot blood to drip out. The man drops the knife and grimaces in pain.

“I don’t know about you but I don’t think my boyfriend owes you three motherfuckers shit.” You growl, eyes beginning to glow an electric blue while the whites of your eyes shift to black, something that happens when you start to use your power.

“Fuck you, and fuck that thieving piece of junky shit crying in the corner.”

Your mood darkens, “Wrong answer.”

Letting go of his bloody wrist you grip his throat with your left hand lifting him off the ground. He begins to choke and struggles against your tight grasp.

“I know you’ve heard of me from other friends of yours, so listen very closely. If you touch Klaus again or anyone else around here who’s just trying to survive in this city. I won’t be so generous next time. Or maybe I should rip your fucking face off right now.” You squeeze tighter drawing blood.

“Y/N.”  Klaus says softly.

“Let’s go home.” He asks with pleading eyes and you snap back to reality smelling the iron scent of blood on your hands.

Sometimes you can get carried away feeling the rush of the hunt, a taxing side affect of your power, one you’ve always struggled to control.

Letting the man go he slumps to the ground coughing and sucking in straggled breaths.

“ Alright, me..me and the boys...won’t do nothing....you have my...my word....no bullshit nothing....I swear.”

“Good cause your friends are gonna need more then some stitches.”

You quickly leave the ally and start walking down the street towards the Academy.

Breathing heavily, you look up at Klaus who’s at your side as you start to feel a bit embarrassed that he saw you lose it a little.

He holds onto your arms stopping you, “Don’t worry, we’ll have a bath and watch some movies...hey you like that Museum one?”

“The Night at the Museum.” You say smiling still feeling off.

Klaus’ face lights up, “Yeah that one, with the big T-Rex skeleton and President Roosevelt on a horse.”

He links your arms together and you both begin walking again.

“Y/N, I’m not afraid of you, you know. I never have been, I actually find it pretty sexy of you to beat up bad guys for me and keep the neighborhood safe-er. Ben thinks so too, minus the sexy part of course. Only I get to enjoy that.”

You relax more into his side and once again start to feel a bit more at ease with yourself.

“Oh wait a second, here put these sunglasses on, your eyes are still playing mood rings with us. Don’t wanna freak out the civilians” He laughs.

“Thanks, I did wonder why that kid back there looked like he just saw a ghost.”

Klaus winks, “Maybe he did, cough cough..Ben...cough cough.”

“You’re an ass.” You say while rolling your eyes

“Yes indeed my love but remember I deal with the supernatural of all sorts, from ghosts to monsters, nothing phases me.” Klaus states proudly.

You laugh, “ Okay Van Helsing, this monster wants a bath with her hunter then.”

Klaus kisses your cheek, “That can be arranged my dear.”

Smiling up at him you hold him tighter and think to yourself how weird your life is, but you wouldn’t change it for anything.

- okay wow alright, first story ever I hope it’s good or at least some people like it. It was honestly fun to write ngl.

[walker-journal]

Bellyflop into the Abyss (Dave, Mina, Adam- POTW)

Characters: Adam Walker (Hunter-Tapir), Wilhelmina Fitzroy (Nix-Virginia), David Herring (Selkie-Immo)

Summary: Seeking ways to combat the rifts opening across White Crest, Adam and Mina meet with Dave and dive into the sea of a Demon Dimension in search of answers

Content Warnings: Head Trauma, Parental Death mention, Gun Use 

Adam’s shoes sloshed on the partially flooded floor of the empty convention center, beckoning for Mina to follow. Deluges of water expelled from the dimensional rift in the Common had begun to create pools of standing water around White Crest’s greenspace, gradually rising and spreading to the ground floors of nearby buildings. 

“So I’ve set up a meeting with another hunter who's been fighting underwater monsters for a long tide,” Adam explained as he waded through the strangely colored waters from another world towards a staircase. “Before the portal opens we’ll probably want any advice we can get y’know?”

The water was high enough that Mina had simply taken off her shoes and left them in her car before she and Adam had made it to the common. It wasn’t like there was anything in the water that could hurt her before the water itself healed her. She couldn’t afford to ruin or lose another pair of shoes, seeing as how she… kept ruining and losing her shoes. She’d been sleeping (in the loosest sense of the word) in the woods more and more, and that was more detrimental to her footwear than she’d imagined. 

“That works for me,” Mina said, nodding as she looked around in the water, watching out for creatures that might pop out. Mina agreed to this because she couldn’t not. She wanted to help people. She wanted to protect people. She wanted to feel useful. “What, exactly, are we looking for in the portal? Just a way to close it, right?”

Of course all hell had broken loose while Dave had been locked up in Rio’s scribary. If he hadn’t already been in a piss poor mood thanks to the lancing pain where his arm was healing, one of the hell dimensions looked like it might even be fun. But with a firm warning from the doctor that he could lose the rest of the functionality in his arm if he didn’t let it heal, Dave knew better than seeking out new hunts in new waters while under the weather. When Adam had approached him with ideas for a frogman mission, the best he could offer was the equipment to keep anyone else from drowning. 

Dave had set up his gear on the roof, considering the rumours of how high the tide would come in, and it kept him out of sight of wandering eyes. His pelt was carefully folded to the side, constantly in sight. Just in case it was needed, considering how much faster. It was a sign of trust that might well go right over the young hunter’s head, but Dave didn’t mind that so much. 

At the vibrations of footsteps heading up the water-soaked stairs, Dave turned to the emergency exit door he’d wedged open. He raised his less injured arm to greet Adam, but his features dropped into a frown as a second figure followed him through. Fuck. Mina. The last time he’d seen her, he’d nearly crushed the life out of her. Dave took a step away from the gear behind him, hoping that having one arm in a loose wrist sling would make him look less threatening. “Hey.” He said gruffly, his tone contrite. “Not gonna hurt you again. I was sick. I’m sorry.” Better to get that out of the way before she freaked out. 

“Yeah some clue to what caused it to open, maybe what’ll close it,” Adam continued as they walked into the room, the Hunter’s shoe’s squelching from the trip through the sudden bottom floor. 

“Yo! Professor Porpoise! This is Mina and she…” 

Adam paused midsentence, brown eyes flicking between Mina and an apparently contrition-struck Dave. 

Aw shit, bad blood with the Scuba Hunters. Adam swallowed and looked over his shoulder at Mina, wondering if he just walked her into a meeting with her mom’s sealy exboyfriend who ruined the Atlantis family through bad self-care or something. 

“Alright, good,” Mina said, structuring everything into mission objectives in her head as she followed Adam up to the roof. “Find out what’s happening, make it stop, keep the Commons from becoming the next Dark Score Lake. Sounds--” She stopped in her tracks when she saw Dave, though.

Mina’s first thought was to make sure that Adam knew the danger and then get them both out of there, as against the idea as the other hunter might be. But Dave… wasn’t attempting to hurt either of them. She let her eyes scan over the selkie, taking in his posture, his facial expressions, his arm in a sling. And his words were confirmation of what she’d thought, that something had been wrong. (She still remembered his words, how he’d thought she was a monster, how he’d broken her like it was nothing.) 

“Hi,” Mina said, her tone cautious, but there was relief there, too. She’d been right when she thought that something was wrong. And, besides, there was no one to stop her for forgiving him. He’d been sick. Something in him had seen her as a threat, as prey. Something had been wrong. She couldn’t fault him for that. He’d been kind to her, before, and she could see proof of that man standing before her. “I thought-- I thought something was wrong with you, then.” She cleared her throat. “So, ah, Professor Porpoise, was it?” She felt strange joking, still a little on edge, but she was trying. “I take it you’re our equipment expert, then?”

The air saturated with a pregnant pause as Mina weighed him up. Dave waited, quietly, for her reaction. He nodded in confirmation, gesturing to the slowly healing bite on his injured arm. Too slowly. Every bad incident was taking too long, and even with the infection cleaned out of his system and the rest he was careful to give it now, the joint of his elbow wouldn’t be the same. And then the moment passed as she repeated Walker’s newest nickname for him.

“Not sure if that’s better or worse than what I was being called before,” Dave eventually settled on gruffly, without a lick of heat to it, there was even a twitch of a smile. It was a good nickname, all things considered. He did love word play, even if he was considering finding some land mammal comparisons for the two of them.

“Something like that.” He looked over Adam and Mina’s gear with a critical eye. Mina wouldn’t need scuba gear, so her wet suit would have to do, and Adam’s scuba gear was recognisably combat oriented, with a rebreather, but limited. “Looks like you won’t be needing any knives between the pair of you. Take your pick of the rest of this. We’ll start with these,” Dave said, with small boards that could be clipped onto wetsuits, each featuring a clock, underwater compass, diver’s white board and small computer with depth sensors and tracking devices. “At the very least it should help the pair of you find each other if you get seperated, and if the portal plays nice with the comms, should help you get back here too. This,” Dave gestured to a streamlined black propellor with handles, “will let you,” Dave pointed to Adam, “keep up with you,” this to Mina, “and get away from some of the gnarly things in there. Pretty damn quiet, never had anyone have an issue with it that they wouldn’t have had without it.”

“As for what weapons you’ll need,” Dave gestured at a few options of underwater pistols, rifles, bangsticks and explosives, “it’s really gonna depend on how much time you want to spend killing things while in there. Firearms and bangsticks are a good call for merms, grindys and dievalves, but a bootstrap worm washed up here this last night. If you catch a hint of those, the better call is to swim away.” Dave rubbed his jaw. “The deeper you go, the weirder shit gets. Don’t go too deep.”

Adam knelt besides the black propeller and squinted at it. “This’ll be interesting.” It really hadn’t occurred to him yet that down in the depths he’d be the slow one. It was a weird feeling being the liability here. “Aww sweet bangsticks,” the Hunter looked at the explosives with affectionate reassurance, as if being able to blow things up made the prospect of diving into a alien world less unsure. 

“How deep are you comfortable with going Mina?” 

Taking one of the small boards Dave offered, Mina clipped it to her suit, checking to make sure that all of the components were working. Everything appeared to be in working order, though it wasn’t like she knew how to work half of the devices on it. She probably wouldn’t need to. Before, she might have been interested, might have wanted to know how all of the different parts worked so that she could explain them to Bex in a way that made this seem less like a life or death situation and more interesting, like a learning experience. Now, she just wanted to do her duty and exhaust herself and try to sleep.

Grabbing a few bangsticks, Mina looked at the firearms and decided against them. She was a terrible shot. She could only imagine that it’d be worse underwater. She looked at Adam. She was so tired but determined. “However deep it takes. We’re looking for something, right? We stay down until we find it.” She looked at his equipment.” Or until you run out of air.”

“Just keep factoring in decompression time the deeper you go. Hunter healing only accounts for so much,” Dave replied grimly. “Tide washes in through the portal for three hours and thirteen minutes each day, try not to miss getting back.” He had no doubt Adam knew the limits of the equipment he used like the back of his hand, but he also knew how hunters could get around their own bodies. He’d learned that first hand. There were a dozen more likely ways either of them could die, but the bends was a shitty way to go. 

“If you’re within three to four hundred feet of the portal, I might be able to help if something goes wrong.” Dave held out a small ziplock bag with a slime covered mother of Pearl, handing it to Adam. Best not to ask what the slime was. “Spellcaster magic. You swallow it and it’ll put a few minutes oxygen in your blood. Hurts like hell and I only have the one.” A payment for the kind of job that had left Dave feeling like it’d be better if he could peel off his human skin too. If they were deep enough, that Pearl wouldn’t matter if some monster punctured Adam’s gear. If they were far enough, his pelt wouldn’t either. He looked from one to the other, determined, young faces, and hated what had bitten him just a little more. 

“Three hours huh,” Adam repeated. It wasn't exactly a big window considering how broad their objective was here. They’d both have to economize their time in the portal, but Adam doubted splitting up would be a good idea in a Hell Dimension. The Hunter frowned at the puzzle, trying process what Mina and Dave were saying while trying to get a firm vision of what needed to be done. 

The sheer impossibility of his calling, of holding back entire universes from encroaching on Earth, was crushing in its weight. The inevitability of everything being swallowed up in the Hells,  how frail and tiny we all were in the grand scheme of things, yawned in the back of Adam’s mind. Not for the first time, Adam Walker secretly wished he’d never been shown the truth, that he could just be playing ball, blissfully unaware of how precariously Earth teetered to a vast uncaring abyss. 

So Adam did what he always did when the cosmic insignificance got a little too real: He grinned and played the fool. It felt good, comfortable. It was the only way he could stay sane sometimes. 

“Aw sweet! Sea witch jizz!” Adam guffawed and poked the bag experimentally. The fraternity boy  let his mind drift away from the fact that he was about to plunge into an alien universe full of hazards humanity had never evolved to face, away from the inevitability that he’d keep doing this again and again until one day he didn’t come back. No one would ever know how, or where he died, or that it’d been for their sakes. Just like Dad. 

It felt good to be funny, everything was fine if he made it funny. 

“We’re looking for like...something to close the rift,” Adam replied to Mina with a confident nod and smile. When others were struggling you needed to be strong for them. A lifetime of athletics, drills, and just generally being an extrovert had acquainted Adam with the self-fulfilling nature of confidence, that lie you wore outwardly until it became real inwardly. “Like I dunno ..an off switch?” He shrugged nonchalantly. “We’ll figure it out y’know? But yeah def’ no going till we run outta air, I want to make it to date night with Nell.”

It was a cheerful lie of course. Adam never scheduled anything after Hunts. Surviving was a privilege not an assumption. 

Mina couldn’t help but snort a little bit at Adam’s comment before she turned back to the task at hand. It was good. It was funny. It was nice to laugh. But they had work to do. She just wanted to do something good. Maybe this was her proving herself to herself. She wanted to prove that she could protect people. She wanted to prove that so much that it ached like a bruise. And maybe no one else would know but the three of them, but she didn’t care. She needed this.

“Okay, then we go only long enough to where we can make it back before the portal closes from no matter where we are with… at least ten minutes to spare. In case something goes wrong.” Mina set a timer on her board that she’d start as soon as she went in. She shot Adam a warning look, one laced with fondness. “And you, don’t pull out any short of heroics if things start falling apart within the last minute, alright? Of the two of us, I can survive if I get stuck in there.” Probably. “So you’re getting out first.”

She almost made him promise, but she didn’t want him to get hurt worse if he did try and pull something.

Looking back at Dave, Mina added, “Please get him out first if something goes wrong.” She shot Adam a smile. It was almost genuine. “Nell would have my head if you missed date night, after all.” But she went over the objectives: go in, find an off switch, whatever that meant, and get out. Whatever destruction was caused along the way would be dealt with as it came. 

Even Dave’s lips quirked as he rolled his eyes at Adam’s antics, good-naturedly grumpy at the way his gift was being treated. In the face of… extraordinarily fucked bullshit, what else was there other than to laugh in the face of it. Adam had done this on the catfish hunt too. Even if his confidence in finding a magical off switch was a little too much even for Dave. Learning anything from the portal would be a win, even if it was somewhere to rig explosive or steel guards to stop some of the monsters coming through. But Dave knew he was too cynical and too old, and dampening that hope was a dick move. Hell, it wasn’t even his mission. The more the two of them got ready to go, the more Dave itched to ditch the sling and the constricting human clothes, fit in his better skin and be more fucking useful than playing a discount Q in this Mission Impossible. 

The information that Adam was dating the dimension breaking spellcaster barely had a second to set in before Mina was giving Dave instructions on who to save. Enhanced healing or not, Adam was the fragile one here. And the one Dave knew better. But it wasn’t a promise he could keep. In the dark, deep water, it wasn’t a question of choosing, it was a question of who he reached first. He couldn’t distinguish between two swimming human sized forms until he was too close to change his mind. He nodded curtly. “Let’s not let it get that close,” was all he said. 

He looked out to the portal, a icy chill spilling down his spine. That was the creeping dread of being somewhere he’d been before. Dave always got older, but no hunter aged with him for long. It still felt wrong to send folks who had barely touched adulthood into those unknown depths. What he wouldn’t give right now to be diving with them rather than sending them off without him. The first splash of water bubbled over the edge, spilling a clump of algae onto the ground. “It’s time. Try not to get eaten this time around,” Dave teased wryly.

Adam hadn’t been raised with any notions of male disposability, where the loss of a woman was somehow more emotionally significant then that of a man, thus obligating him to assume Mina’s life had more gendered importance then his own. Like most Hunter families, the Walkers didn’t see the gender of their children as relevant when training humanity’s protectors, and Adam fought alongside his sisters, aunts, and fem-cousins without any assumptions that he’d need to do a square-jawed Hollywood leading man sacrifice for their sake. 

Nevertheless Mina’s insistence that he go out first and not try any heroics still bit at Adam in a way that had nothing to do with chivalry. It gnawed at him even as he smiled and nodded noncommittally at her good-natured implorement.  

Why? Did he feel inadequate being the weak one here? Maybe? How’d that make sense though? He’d asked Mina to accompany him for exactly this reason. This was her speciality and everything she’d just said made logical sense. The tactical part of Adam’s brain had accepted that and already moved on. 

Then...why had it tilted him so much? 

Dave’s gentle ribbing and announcement of the portal opening came as a relief of sorts from the unwelcome thoughts sneaking their way into Adam’s head. Adam drew in a deep breath and let out a long exhale, broad shoulders rising and falling as the athlete put himself in the zone. This was the good part, that high you got right before the game started where everything started to make a simple violent sense. Adrenaline began to transmute anxiety in a peaked awareness of his own body and surroundings, climbing in euphoric intensity as Adam looked out the window to see a churning whirlpool pour open into thin air above the Common greens. 

Adrenaline and Adam were old friends. It was the only drug he’d ever needed. 

“Fuck yeah!” The Hunter grinned. “Nah don’t worry Professor Porpoise being swallowed is actually like...way more horrible than it looks in the movies, easy one outta ten won’t repeat. C’mon Mina! Let’s get flushed by the universe!” 

Adam had begun the boot camp hustle down the stairs, laden with equipment, when he turned back to look up at his pelagic benefactor. 

“Hey Dave,  thanks man, like seriously,  I owe you man this wouldn't be possible with you.”  

“Flushed by the universe,” Mina said quietly as she followed after Adam, webbing already forming itself between her fingers. Scales formed on her arms, on her legs where the wetsuit ended on her calves. Her gills opened on her neck, ready to take in water. “Might as well be flushed by the universe, I suppose.” At this point, why not?

She followed at a more controlled pace than Adam, but Mina was practically buzzing with adrenaline, with energy. She was ready. She was so tired, but she was ready. Her body may have not been made for hunting, but it had been trained for it, and there was nothing she was more prepared for than this. For once, she would be the one with the speed, the healing, the capabilities. She was ready.

Looking back at Dave, Mina gave him a wary smile and said, “Who knows? This could go quicker than we think. We could be in and out of this within fifteen minutes.” Nevermind that neither of them knew how to close the portal, nor did they know what would happen when it closed. She was just hoping they didn’t get stuck in there. 

Don’t thank me, Dave wanted to say. The weight of their debts, in Dave’s mind, was stacked in Adam’s favour. His life had hinged on Adam’s decisions plenty of times already. But he knew it might be the last time Adam got to say. The last time Mina would stand on firm soil, maybe. His heart twinged, and Dave quieted it. “I expect anything that doesn’t get used up back at the end of this,” he said instead, his voice so hard it could have been mistaken for brittle. 

“Wouldn’t that be something,” Dave replied to Mina with a raised eyebrow, then shrugged. “I’ll be here, waiting for as long as it takes. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” The third wave spilled over the portal into  the common, and a young, small karkinoid lay in the grass on its back, wriggling as it tried to right itself again. A few days of this had left everyone evacuated from outside the flood zone with cordons keeping people away, but denial was a powerful drug, and a couple people were straying a little close. Dave sat on the roof, peering into the portal. He started his timer. Don’t die, was what he’d wanted to say.

Adam looked up at the portal churning a few feet above the green, trying to hold his ground as strangely water burst out of thin air as if reality were a dike that’d busted a whole. Doubts snuck their way into the Hunter’s brain as another water nearly knocked him off his feet. 

So Adam decided to spit in fear’s face and defdefiantlyinately turned his back on the portal and gave Mina a thumbs up.  

“See you in Atlantis Fitzroy,” he assured before jumping into the spatial tear backwards like it was a water park slide. 

Then Adam’s body was being torn apart, for hours and just moments he was shredded down to the molecules in a space between spaces. He was completely conscious yet also obliterated. 

So it took Adam a bit too realize he was now screaming and flailing like a dumbass in the deep. 

There was no up or down, no sky, shore, or trench bottom. Adam squinted through the beam of his diving lantern light at an ecosystem that was entirely marine, a universe of endless water where his own branch of evolution had never taken place. He was just thankful that whatever otherworldly rules of water pressure existed here hadn’t crushed him immediately. 

Stars didn’t exist here, but there was no shortage of light. Immense islands of bioluminescent coral drifted in the deep. Rainbows of biological light permeated through water from three-dimensional reefs ranging from glowing boulders to entire archipelagos of riotously colored polyps and anemones on the aqueous horizon. Adam glimpsed drifting forests of alien kelp, their slimy shadows hiding arboreal ecosystems of flowering growth and predation the naturalists of Earth could scarcely imagine. Currents of cold rippled through the water occasionally from submerged icebergs that had been hollowed out with caverns by the locals. Warmer currents were thick with shining heavenly cloudscapes that turned out to be bizarre forms of jellyfish on closer inspection. Some of the extraterrestrial Medusozoa shimmered with their own electrical charge, lighting arching within the colossal jellyfish flows like tentacled storm-clouds. 

At first Adam thought he was in some kind of underwater aurora from all the waves of color shimmering around him. But as the Hunter’s eyes adjusted he realized there were actually tiny plankton-like creatures all around him, their bodies fluctuating together through spectrums of bioluminescent color as if it were some kind of eusocial communication. 

“Hey...Mina,” Adam tried the coms as he looked around. “Can you hear me?” 

Unlike Adam, Mina wanted to see exactly what it was that they were flinging themselves into. Even after Adam jumped in, she stayed back and stared, her heart beating rapidly. But she steeled her resolve and gave a nod to Dave before she dove in, hoping to have some sort of control over her descent.

No such thing. The moment Mina hit the water, she was in a current that even she couldn’t fight off. She tumbled through the water, moving so fast that it took the oxygen from her lungs even when it was supposed to be filtered in. She was disoriented and confused, but she adjusted. She was back in the headspace she’d held for twenty-something years, and that meant to be prepared for less than ideal situations. That meant being able to adjust to a world that was only water, and light came in a multitude of colors that took even her eyes a bit to adjust too, and that meant an immediate catalogue of her surroundings and person.

She hadn’t lost any of her gear, though it wasn’t like she had much in the first place. Adam was nearby, looking disoriented as he adjusted himself to wherever it was that the portal spit them out. Looking around, Mina couldn’t help but be slightly in awe of how beautiful it was. A world of endless water, no sign of the surface. She wondered if this was what the bottom of the ocean looked like. She wondered if it was better. But those weren’t the kind of thoughts she needed to have. She needed to focus. They had a mission.

Hearing Adam’s voice in her ear, Mina looked over to the other hunter. There wasn’t really anyway for her to talk back to him since she wasn’t wearing a mouthpiece, and it was likely that the sound of her voice would get lost underwater, but she gave him a thumbs up. Yes, she could hear them. Hopefully, they would have no trouble communicating back and forth with gestures. 

Adam looked over the expanse of luminous plankton aurora, reef islands, and kelp forests. It was an entire universe of monster-infested haystack to search for a needle that might not even exist. 

Adam felt the constriction of despairing panic at this impossible task grip his gut. But the Hunter took deep breaths that sounded thunderous in the diving mask. 

Focus. The town is in danger. No second thoughts. Focus. 

Ironically, the gift that made Adam valuable, the ability to sense any kind of supernatural creature was useless here. Every lifeform here was supernatural and the water was absolutely saturated with alien varieties of kelp and plankton. It was just dull static in the back of his head from so many Hunter vibes.

Kay, so the lead wouldn’t come from him. That meant…

“Hey Mina,” Adam began swimming down to her, leaving a small stream of bubbles in his wave. “We are looking for something that like...vibrates or gives off vibes similar to the portal.” Adam jerked a thumb back at the churning whirlpool in the distance that’d flung them into this universe. “Any chance you might feel a pull or like some vibrations in the water,” he asked, wishing they’d had time for Dave to give a course refresher on that particular bit of Aquaman wisdom. “It doesn’t matter how small it is,” he answered, “anything that tugs at your instincts.” 

Mina’s eyes were designed to see in water, even without the aid of the luminous sea life around them. She could see the look on Adam’s face as he got closer, the look of being impossibly overwhelmed. She recognized it. She saw it in a mirror almost every time she looked. But they didn’t have time to be overwhelmed. Every minute that they were in the portal counted and had to be utilized to finding what it was that they were looking for. 

She could feel vibrations, certainly, but Mina wondered if it was vibrations that she needed to be sensing at all. This was a supernatural artifact, something similar to the portal. A portal that opened up and let monsters loose. There had to be something about it that drew creatures to it, which meant, at least to her, that the key, whatever it might be, was something similar. It drew supernaturals to it. She would prefer if it was some sort of deterrent, but she couldn’t see that being the case. So she wasn’t trying to listen, to sense the key itself. She was headed towards something big. Something major.

There was a lot going on in one direction. She looked at the compass on her board. West. There was a lot of activity to the west. She pointed in that direction, hoping that she was right. If nothing else, they were in for an interesting time. There was something big down there.

Adam nodded and twisted the knob on the black water scooter that Dave had provided. The propeller churned to life and Adam felt a kinetic lurch as he surged forward through the water. Damn this thing had kick. 

Silver light illuminated the deep growing brighter and brighter as they drew closer. Passing through another kelp forest, the Hunter pushed fronds out the way to see an incandescent sphere on the horizon. At first Adam had the crazy thought that it might be a submerged moon or even a star. Demon dimensions didn’t play by the same rules of physics as Earth after all. 

But as they drew closer that ‘moon’ turned out to be an enormous pearl the width of a football stadium. It was nestled within an even larger clam, whose open ridged shell towered higher than most Earthen skyscrapers. The great pearl shone with its own inner light, casting the surrounding seas in a brilliant argent hues as if Mina and Adam were swimming through molten silver. 

“Damn, got any vibes what we are looking for here,” Adam asked before seeing some scaffolding at the bottom of the pearl. Altars and tents made of seaweed formed a camp on the fleshy surface of the giant oyster’s interior. “Looks like the pearl has...uh ..worshippers?”

Keeping up with Adam’s water scooter was surprisingly easy; Mina never really knew how fast she swam. There was no one for her to race against, and she’d never utilized what she was for a hunt before. Being a nix and being a hunter had never correlated before. She was kind of glad to be useful for what she was, for this aspect of her life. 

The Pearl was mesmerizing. Mina almost couldn’t look away from it. She looked at her hands, at the way the silver of her scales reflected in the silver of the pearl’s light, and she thought that she probably belonged in a place like this more than she did somewhere like White Crest. She could just… stay, make sure Adam got out with the key and closed the portal for good. Wouldn’t that be better for her? Wouldn’t she belong here? 

Mina shook those thoughts away. Mission. They had a mission. And she still had a home and a life and people, even if she was distancing herself from people. More than that, she was there to do her job. That was what mattered. The job. 

The pearl was definitely an epicenter of sorts for activity. Clearly, whatever intelligent life forms loved in this world had made the surrounding areas into some sort of temple. But there was no one around them, and that worried Mina they needed to be looking for a lot of life, and this place almost seemed abandoned. 

Mina pointed again. Further. They needed to keep swimming. 

“Careful,” murmured Adam as pressure suddenly began to build in the back of the Hunter’s head. “I’m getting like ...huge vibes here.” 

The shape that first emerged from the murk appeared to be a tampa drill shell the size of an aircraft carrier, it’s ridged spire bearing spiraling designs that evoked a language Adam didn't understand. However its contours were a bit too smooth, with walkways and portholes grown into the structure of itself that no snail or oyster would ever need. It was then that Adam realized that this wasn’t the cast-off shell of a marine animal, but rather a submarine vessel that’d been grown by intelligent beings. 

More of these massive organic submarines of calcium carbonate and chiten became visible as the divers pressed forward. Some types of shells were recognizable, while other ships were crafted from strange nautiloids and even submarines that appeared to be immense plants or a few titanic demonic fish that seemed perfectly alive despite the crew of lesser demons working inside their hollowed flesh. All the marvels of demonic biotechnology were connected together by enormous pyrosome colonies that formed long luminous tubes, perhaps to allow easy passage between ships. 

“It’s like...a dockyard,” observed Adam, “for these demon shell ships.” 

Mina was also picking up vibes, but they weren’t Fae vibes, hunter vibes. She felt ill at ease, like she had back when that creature had been loose in the lake. The two of them were small and insignificant in this vast, fathomless world with life that was possibly just as intelligent as life was in the place that they came from. 

It felt like Mina’s stomach was trying to sink to the bottom of this bottomless place. Maybe Adam was onto something about Hellmouths ripping themselves open. She gave Adam a nod as he pointed out that this was some kind of dockyard. This was a horrifying place.

There was still a part of her that was aware that she could disappear here and stay.

They needed to steer clear of this area, but��� the more Mina looked around, the more she felt like this was where they needed to go. Something was drawing her towards this area, something primal that she’d rather avoid. In a place like this, she believed, rather unfortunately, that places that she wanted to avoid were the very ones that they should head into. They needed to be quick about this. They needed to be careful about this. 

Adam noticed a slight thinness in his breath as they passed under one of the behemoth shell vessels. His air supply was probably at the halfway point, but Adam felt like bringing that up would be counterproductive when they had a lead. 

The each horned prong of the shell above them could’ve skewered earthly ships on its glossy spiral. Occasionally there were windows in the bio-vessel’s sides, not of glass, but made from translucent filmy slime stressed across the opening. Adam pressed a hand against one of the portholes and found the slime substance yielding and permeable. 

“I think we can get in from here.” 

Mina’s two main worries about this whole situation, as she looked at the strange ship, were knowing how much time they had left to do this and making sure she remembered the right direction to get back to the portal. That was what mattered. She needed to remember how to get them back to the portal. Or maybe Adam had some sort of gps machinery on his diving board. She wasn’t bothering with hers too much, trying instead to mesh hunter thoughts with nix thoughts in order to navigate this strange land. Find some sort of key. Get back. Insure they both survive. Close the portal. That was what mattered.

Wrinkling her nose a bit at the weird slimy material, Mina put her hand against it and pushed through. It wasn’t the weirdest thing she’d touched by far, but it still wasn’t pleasant. She was most worried about whatever sort of creatures they were going to run into. It’d been ominously quiet since they jumped in. 

Adam wiped slime off his goggles as they drifted through the portal into the demon vessel. In some superficial ways the interior resembled that of an Earthly sea shell. A central columbell pillar ran through the shell from aft to its spiked stern.  Whorls and sweeping structures expanded outward from the central columbella axis, forming great sloping charmpers with slickly smooth walls that were all linked by spiraling curvatures and twists rather than doors. 

What furniture existed was grown out straight from the central coiling axis, though Adam couldn’t really guess what ergonomic purpose most of these chitin groves and indentations served. 

Two creatures that appeared to be human sized moray eels covered in glowing pustules glided out from along a curving wall. Long sinuous strands extended eel demons’ pustules like seaweed wart hairs. These hairs caressed strange pearls and mussel clusters inset into the shell vessel’s walls, as if they were operating equipment of some kind. 

Multiple sets of yellow eyes with large black pupils swiveled in their rows of sockets down the eel demons’ body to regard Adam and Mina. Both the head and apparent tails of the eel demons opened to reveal rows of glass-like teeth as they zipped through the water towards the intruders. 

Mina would have been lying if she said that she wasn’t a little disappointed that the first creatures that they came into contact with weren’t mermaids. She really wanted to rip into a mermaid. It might be nice. It might get a lot of frustration out. But eels were fine, too. 

Ducking out of the way as the creatures headed towards them, Mina considered the best course of action in dealing with them. She didn’t want to touch anything on them that glowed, fearing some sort of electrical backlash, and she didn’t want to touch those strange hairs, either. But she didn’t have any sort of ranged weapons, nothing that would help in a situation like this. As one of the creatures approached, she moved to the side and raked her claws against its smooth hide, causing the bulbous head with its mouthful of sharp teeth to turn back in her. 

Mina jabbed the bangstick into the eel’s face and fired. Even creatures from whatever sort of Black Lagoon horror dimension this was didn’t enjoy a bullet to the face. There was the bang, and dark blood exited where the bullet went in, the creature’s body still floating even in death. Mina turned to Adam, hoping he was faring well. They needed to get moving. They had work to do.

Adam slid a still twitching demon off a long silver-tipped spear that had jutted out from what’d looked like a small baton. The human was less graceful in the water than his fey counterpart and red electrical burn marks stood out from long slices the demonic spine-hairs had seared through his diving suit. However Adam had apparently jutted the telescopic spear’s baton up against the thing grappling him and released a pressured seal that sent the silver spear straight through the demon’s innards. 

Adam tried to keep focus as they swam through the smooth twisting gyres of the shell-ship. He would occasionally warn of presences beyond the next curve or loop, holding back as school of eel-demons, Vodnik, and even stranger creatures went about doing whatever inscrutable processes maintained a bio-tech vessel like this. It was tense business, ducking patrols and trying not to lose ones’ way in dizzying chambers of chitinous spirals that didn’t resemble any human norm of architecture or even up and down. The burning lashes across his chest throbbed and the air in his tank became ever thinner, but Adam kept his head on the mission.  Surrendering to nervousness would likely be a death sentence here.  

It was on reaching a porthole leading out into one of the Pyrosomes tubes that Adam discerned something resembling a central meeting point. 

Pyrosomes were actually colony structures made from tiny organisms about a few millimeters in size. They often looked like cylindrical tubes of a gauzy texture that glowed with bioluminescence. But while Pyrosomes could get to about eighteen meters long on Earth, whatever extraterrestrial zooids these things were made of allowed the Water-Hell Pyrosomes to grow to far larger. Adam guessed they might even intentionally cultivated that way using whatever weird sciences the demons had at their disposal. 

Glowing pyrosome tubes, some many hundreds of feet in length and wide enough to drive semi-trucks through, extended from each of the behemoth shell-submarines. Many of the pyrosomes linked the ships together in pulsating networks, perhaps to exchange crew and cargo. However, Adam saw a great many pyrosome tunnels extended towards a central point, a great helical axis of coral that this vast hell armada seemed tethered around. 

“See that coral island that looks like a helix? I think whatever’s on there drew the demons here,” Adam theorized. “It might be what we’re looking for.” 

They needed to hurry. That was all Mina could think about as they moved through these strange ships, this strange world. Adam was looking worse for wear, thick marks in his suit showing burned skin, and she knew they were running out of time. His tank wouldn’t last that long. Mina needed to get him out of there. She should have just come alone. She wouldn’t have had to worry about air supply or another person. Adam was one of the few hunters in the entire world that tolerated her, liked her, too. She didn’t want to lose that, especially not here in this underwater hell. 

Eyes following where Adam pointed, Mina looked towards the helix. Even she could feel… something. A draw, a pull, a desire to head in that direction. She had no doubt that every creature near them felt that pull, too. That was the most dangerous area. That was, she was sure, where they needed to go. She hated that. She really, really hated that. 

Mina nodded to Adam and pointed towards the glowing tube that would take them down to the helix. That’s what they needed to do, right? They needed to go down there, take whatever they found, and hoped that it helped the Common stop flooding with monsters every day. Taking a bit of initiative, she headed to the tube and, before she could think twice about it, got in it and hoped for the best.

It wasn’t like Mina meant to let out the slight scream as she was rocketed down the tube. She hadn’t. She was usually more composed. But she hadn’t been prepared for the speed, and she hadn’t been prepared for the tumble she took as she came out on the other end, and she hadn’t been prepared for the glowing sight that awaited them. This was where they were supposed to be.

And it was filled with monsters.

Adam caught his bearings and took in their surroundings. The stony spirals rotated parallel to one another. One was comprised of scarlet Precious coral and the other of aquamarine Octocoral. Though separate, these colony structures orbited each other in the pattern of a helix by some quirk of gravitation Adam couldn’t comprehend. But the source became clear as Adam perceived two glowing coral keys of the same respective coral types nestled on the spiraling ridges. They filled the water with conflicting hues of red and blue, blending into livid purples in some places at the helix's’ center. Light seemed to warp around them, twisting into strange flares and halos around the keys.  Adam had a gut instinct that it was their power that was causing this helical gravity and had drawn the demonic armada here. 

Unfortunately, the stares from an aquatic school of luminous eyes, antennas, and blind tentacle feelers extended their direction gave Adam the feeling that sheer surprise was the only reason and Mina weren’t already dead. 

“Mine, grab the blue key!” Adam shot up towards the scarlet key, stabbing the silver spear through a giant brain covered in spines that’d tried to impale him against the reef. 

There were the mermaids. Mina had been wondering when she’d see them. While Adam was dealing with something that looked like a creature out of some sort of science fiction movie, Mina had something a little more understandable to deal with, and, as one of the mermaids came at her, she went straight for the lure before aiming low, ripping into the creature’s head with her knives. And another one. And another one. She could feel their teeth tearing at her wetsuit, tearing holes in it and her skin. She wasn’t safe there just because she was a water dweller as well. Food was food.

Mina wasn’t food. She was claws and blades and so much pent up aggression. She wanted to fight. She just wanted to fight. So she did, against mermaids and Vodniks and creatures that she didn’t even have names for. All the way to the blue key that Adam mentioned.

It was so bright. It’s glow filled the whole space, blending with the other key’s shades of red. It was so nice to look at, so pretty. Mina was drawn into the soft blue colors, wanting to bask in them for as long as possible. No. Focus. She needed to focus. She had to focus. She snatched up the key, washed in a blue glow. The key’s glow dimmed, and it was warm in hand. So warm. She wrapped her hand around it tighter and and started swimming to Adam. They needed to go. They needed to go soon. The creatures were turning to look at her, drawn to the glow in her hand. They needed to go.

Adam skewered an eel demon to the coral with the spear in one hand while reached towards the scarlet key with the other. He squinted past the ruby halos and flaring star-like lights in the water, hand straining towards the key resting on the opalescent curves of a hollow shell, like on idol on an altar.

Adam’s hand closed around the key, and the world exploded in pain and blood. 

A spine projectile punched through Adam’s back and out the front of his chest like a surgical bullet. The brain urchin creature had drifted dying in the water from Adam’s spear, but had sent a departing gift after its slayer in the moment of victory. 

Everything was agony as Adam’s vision was rimmed as darkness as he fumbled at the controls of the water scooter. “C’mon,” he gasped, rapidly losing blood and air as hungry demons closed in. 

Adam flicked the water scooter up to its threshold speed and held on as they tore into the deep towards the whirlpool between worlds. 

Mina screamed as she watched Adam get skewered by one of those creatures. No. No. He had to get out. He was supposed to get out. He couldn’t die here. She started swimming after him as fast as she could, easily keeping up with the water scooter as she guarded their backs. 

With each creature that got too close, Mina slashed out at them, baring sharp teeth and wielding sharper knives. Go go go. They had to go. They had to get to the portal and get out. She finally looked up at it, watching with horror as it got smaller even though they were getting closer. 

The journey to the keys had taken too long, but the journey back to the portal was an ascent. Mina knew they were going to get there before Adam ran out of air. At least, she hoped. She just didn’t know if they were going to make it before blood loss became a problem. The blood spilling into the water like an ink trail was attracting all the monsters, making them swarm.

The portal was close. In her head, Mina said, Fuck it, as she turned to Adam and grabbed him before swimming them both as fast as she could through the portal. The exit was as rough as the entry, spitting them back in White Crest. Mina was gasping as she breathed straight air instead of water, as she dragged Adam with her towards where they’d left Dave. “Still with me, Walker? Come on, come on, come on. You’ve got things to do, you know.”

Somewhere they tore past the sun-like radiance of the giant pearl temple, Adam had slipped into darkness. He drifted down into himself, everything was so peaceful and numb. Soon even the hiss of the air tank became muted in some inner distance. There was no duty. No pain. Nobody to save and suffer for. It was just Adam in the undemanding dark. 

How long he drifted like that Adam couldn’t really say. 

An exhausted part him wanted to stay, but Adam knew that other people were gave everything meaning, and they weren’t in here. 

So Adam forced his eyes open, shuddering and coughing and he coughed up blood and hell water on the Commons grass. The agony and color came rushing back like a punch to the solar plexus. He just lay there for a bit, the Earth’s grass reassuringly familiar. 

The rough coal edges of the key bit into the skin of Adam’s palm, reminded himself that it all hadn’t just been a nightmare.  

“So Mina,” Adam rasped grinning blearily up at his hunting partner. “How’d ya like Atlantis?” 

The longer Dave watched the portal, the longer he itched to jump in it. For them, and for the simple siren call of water he wasn’t acquainted with yet.Each tide brought the swirling vibrations of their bodies moving through the water until one wave he couldn’t feel them at all. Instead the waves brought monsters, some which could be deterred by firing backsticks into their heads and some that Dave couldn’t hunt so easily with one arm in a sling. He kept people away instead, all the while making sure he had skin in the water, as the minutes went by and threatened to become hours, until the tide began to ebb. 

Dave’s heart stayed in his throat until he felt the vibrations of the pair returning, racing through the water and a little closer with each wave. He turned as the next wave rushed through the portal, and spat out the pair of them with it. Alive, gasping for air. Dave couldn’t help his relieved grin. They filled the air with the stench of quickly spilling blood, freshwater algae and eel slick. His smile slid off his face as he saw the injuries that were becoming a staple of hunts with Walker, and hurried over to meet them. The first aid kit in his bag wasn’t going to cut it.

[magicrowiswritingstuff]

“Not so good News” - Gabriel x female!reader (1/3)

Part 1 (you’re here!) | Part 2 | Part 3

Summary: After a successful solo hunt you are driving back to the bunker though you have to make a stop at a gas station. Everything seems normal until some men arrive with the intend to kill you.

(It’s a pre-established relationship and (L/N) means “last name”)

Warning: blood/injuries, panic attacks, heavy angst and violence

Category: 100% angst

Words: about 7000

Note: I only started season 13 a while ago so I know the timelines don't really match but I wanted the Winchesters to already be in the bunker with Gabriel present. Also, I added a living room in the library area again. Also please no spoilers, thanks!

Note 2: I have another fic about Gabriel. Click here if you want to read it. That one is more fluffy.

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"Not so good News" - Gabriel x fem!reader

With a sigh you rubbed your eyes hastily before clutching the wheel of your car again in a tight grip, bringing it back in the lain you were supposed to be driving in. It was pretty late already, well after midnight and you were just returning from a solo hunt you had finished successfully only hours ago that had left you pretty exhausted.

On paper it had sounded like an easy one so you had decided to go alone. You enjoyed hunting with the Winchesters ever since you joined their little team but you had missed being independent and you felt like your skills had gotten a little rusty over time. You just didn't want to depend on someone intervening when you were unable to handle yourself, you wanted to challenge and improve your own skills again. And since the hunt seemed fairly simple, you found out that it was only a ghost, you had decided it was the perfect one to try on your own. Of course, Sam and Dean and especially Gabriel weren't all too pleased by it so you had to promise them that you would call them immediately if something was wrong. Only that you didn't do that even after the job had quickly turned out to be a little more complicated than you had initially thought. It wasn't a huge deal, really. You only had a problem finding the corpse of the ghost. But after teaming up with one of the locals who also had been the best friend of the ghost you were able to put the pieces together and find the corpse in the forest in which they had buried him in after an accident.

At least that was what you had told the boys over the phone after you had finished the hunt. You purposefully didn't tell them about the man -not ghost- trying to kill you and the local to hinder you from finding out the truth. The truth was him being the cause of the ghost's death. Anyway, after dealing with him the ghost was able to move on without the need of the corpse being burned. Maybe you would tell Gabriel the real story sometimes since the hunt was fairly interesting otherwise. But for that to happen you had to arrive at the bunker first which meant another good hour of driving. You yawned again. It was pretty late at night and you were still driving down the empty road with your eyes growing heavier by the second. The small inconveniences during the hunt only added up to your inability to sleep currently which was why your body was so exhausted now. Normally you would have searched for a motel now and slept there for the night but you really wanted to return to the bunker as fast as possible and since you were almost there you tried to force your body to carry on. Not that you could have slept if you had found a motel anyway. You just wanted to return to Gabriel and snuggle with him. Maybe then you would be able to sleep again. The archangel always had a soothing effect on you even though he was so full of energy himself. But whenever you needed a distraction or were just too stressed one hug from him was the only thing you needed to cheer you up.

Right now the mere thought of him improved your mindset and made you smile softly though it got interrupted by another yawn. Damn, you were really tired and your body ached and hurt. You cursed the psychotic man who had tried to kill you and you even cursed yourself under your breath. You just had to tackle him to the ground in a forest in which the ground was uneven. You could still feel every stone and branch stabbing in your back. Gripping your jaw you massaged the black bruise there. At least the man's punch had only left a bruise and not completely dislocated your jaw. Nevertheless it still hurt.

Groaning you blinked rapidly to avoid falling asleep while driving when you noticed a gas station coming up. Maybe they would have some coffee to go for you so your eyes wouldn't fall close all the time. You just needed to drive for one more hour but you feared your body would just collapse if you wouldn't get something to keep you awake.

 You stepped out of your car after you had parked it in one of the lots and put your keys in a pocket of your jacket. With a sigh you breathed in the fresh night air and looked around. The road you had followed up until now was surrounded by trees which now creaked once in a while as they were moved by the harsh wind. It was dark, long shadows stretched from the woods towards you with the only light source being the lights from the gas station to shoo them away. They illuminated the front row of the trees, making them appear not as frightening or unpredictable as the darkness behind them. But all in all it was a beautiful, quiet night and for a few more moments you just stood there, leaning against the car door and enjoying the silence and harmony. Looking up you admired the night sky and the stars dancing above you. There weren't any clouds covering them up tonight so you could see every single one, sparkling brightly so full of life. However, they were only small lights in the dark, not illuminating anything near you but still brightening up your mind. Though you were used to the darkness of the night, used by it through many hunts that had dragged on till the sun would rise up again so the blackness of the sky and nature around you seemed comforting now. But that hasn't always been the case because when you had been little you had feared the darkness and the monsters lurking in it. Like every child you had feared the monster in your closet or under your bed but not like every child you had to experience the painful truth. You had to learn that those monsters were real and you had to learn how to survive them. And to be honest you had feared the darkness up until adulthood, even after becoming a hunter. There were times in which you hadn't been able to sleep because you had feared another monster would try to attack you. You never continued with a hunt when it got dark which was very limiting because many only appeared in the night. You only got better at handling your fear after meeting and teaming up with the Winchesters. And after a while you learned to work with the darkness and not fight against it. So even though there were shadows all around you, stretching towards you, you didn't care. Your heart didn't even skip a beat anymore, you were completely calm. So why were you unable to sleep properly currently?

 Another sigh left your lips as you stretched your limps and broke away from your car. Rubbing your eyes and yawning loudly you walked to the shop which seemed like a little sun in the sea of darkness. Like a moth to a flame you got drawn towards it, or rather by the thought of a hot cup of coffee. But you continued to wonder about your nightly problems. You had never really been an insomniac before except for the time when you had been terrified by the dark so you really couldn't tell what your problem was all of the sudden. It seemed like you grew tired fairly easily but then when you would lie down you were unable to fall asleep and rest. It got very irritating and even caused some unpleasant outburst and mood swings which were often directed to Gabriel, Sam and Dean and sometimes even to Cas. You didn't want to get in their face and yell or growl at them all the time but without your much needed sleep you snapped very quickly. If another outburst had occurred you always made sure to apologize afterwards when your temper had cooled down but you felt awful about it nevertheless. However, you had noticed then when on a hunt you would snap more often which was also a hidden reason why you wanted to do one on your own.

 You had reached the shop while lost in your thoughts so you shook your head to clear it and then entered the small building. Looking around you noticed that the cashier was nowhere to be found. You figured that they would be in the backroom for a quick nap and since you didn't want to impose right away you decided to look at the aisles first. You immediately found different types of chips and snacks though your eyes got stuck by the chocolate bars. You normally loved chocolate and would have bought some immediately without question, maybe even to share with Gabriel later on, but when you looked at them a nauseous wave struck you. Gulping you turned your gaze away from the sweets as you felt rather ill all of the sudden. This was another thing you experienced more frequently since a couple of days and again you had no clue as of why. You hadn't caught the flu or any other stomach bug so you had to continue wondering what was up with your body currently. Turning away from the aisles completely you wanted to walk up to the counter and ring for the cashier to ask for some coffee when you saw four men approaching the shop. There wouldn't be anything unusual about that if you hadn't noticed that there was no car parked in the parking lot except for yours. Immediately your body and mind froze. The only way to reach this station was by car since the last and next city were about two hours away. So how did they get here?

Your heart beat quickened as they reached the door. Your sleep-deprived mind screamed at you to move as your hunter instincts took over but your body wouldn't obey. The men had entered the shop and now stood directly in front of you. Your trained senses from being a hunter rang in alarm; they screamed at you that something wasn't right, that their intentions weren't good. An uneasy feeling washed down your back as you glanced between the four men, trying to find out what they had planned but you couldn't focus your mind on them. You crossed your arms before your chest in a defensive manner and stared at them, taking one step back. All of the four men were dressed in black suits with matching ties. Did you end up in the men in black? If it weren't so late at night and the air so full of tension you probably would have laughed at the silliness of their entrance and appearance. Maybe you even would have thought that this could be one of Gabriel's many pranks but by the way these men looked at you with so much disgust in their eyes you knew that this was not a game. The man closest to you took another step forward which made you back away against one of the shelves. You had walked into a trap without realizing it.

 "(Y/N) (L/N)" the man spoke and looked down at you like you were only an insect to him. Taken aback you furrowed your brows and bit your tongue. Who were those men and why did they know you? They didn't seem familiar to you at all. Your breath hitched and you grabbed the shelf in a tight grip, trying to maintain a level head and not lose yourself in panic. You were a skilled hunter, no doubt in that but in your sleep-deprived state you definitely wouldn't be able to take on four men on your own. And this realization scared you more than you would like to admit. You knew that if this would escalate into a fight you wouldn't stand a chance especially cornered like that. Reluctantly you had to acknowledge that you weren't only very scared right now but also in a seemingly hopeless situation. Gulping you opened your mouth to speak: "What do you want?"

The men didn't answer you with words but by drawing their blades. However, they weren't normal blades. Your eyes widen in fear as you realized that they were angel blades. These men were angels.

You opened your mouth again but before a single word could escape over your lips the man closest to you swung the blade towards your chest. Immediately your adrenaline kicked in and all traces of sleepiness were gone as sheer terror took over your mind and body. You managed to dodge the attack and kick the man's arm away from your chest only barely. The tip still grazed your shoulder, making you hiss as you spun around and tried to run to the exit only to see that the three other men had blocked the door. Your body froze again as your mind spun in panic. You stood there like a deer caught in the headlights with no idea how to escape. The three men came towards you which made you even more anxious. How should you fight three people in front of you while also watching out for the one behind you … wait. You spun around to face the fourth man just as he rammed the blade into your side. You looked down, you knew that something had hit you but you didn't feel it yet. But luckily it only slashed your side. If you hadn't turned around he probably would have stabbed you right through the middle of your back. Your eyes snapped back up to meet his in the same moment as he grabbed your hurt shoulder with his free arm and rammed you against another shelf. He had pinned you against it with his arm presses against your throat. He let you struggle for breath. Instinctively you dug your fingernails in his arm and tore at the flesh, trying to pry him off. But he wouldn't butch. So you decided to kick him against both shins instead. His vessel moved a bit, allowing you enough wriggle room to push the arm away. Now able to breathe again you instantly clawed at the other arm which was holding the blade that was still scraping your side. Before even your mind could catch up you had already brought it down against your knee. Since they were angels you knew you couldn't hurt them much, however his vessel still reacted to the blow and his fingers let go of the blade. You caught it before it could hit the ground and then pushed the man away from you. Catching your breath you held the blade out towards the four men in a threatening manner.

 "What-" you huffed. The adrenaline in your veins made your heart beat uncontrollably fast and your breath choppy. "What do you want from me?"

Again you didn't get a verbal answer. Instead they began to walk towards you again. Struck with fear you ran. You pushed the man without a blade out of your way and ran towards the door. You had to get to your car, had to get away. Your breathing was livid as you ran but you didn't seem to be able to get any air inside your lungs. Your mind screamed at you. You couldn't believe angels wanted to kill you. Angels were out to kill you. Why? What had you done? Your grip around the blade tightened as you tried to ground yourself in reality. It didn't matter. You just had to get away. You could continue thinking about the reason later. But you saw it. You saw their duty to kill you in their eyes. And they were willing to.

You had almost reached the car when a fifth man walked out from behind it, his blade already drawn and angled towards you. Unable to stop you just duck under his blow and continued running. You ran into the woods. It got very dark pretty quickly but your mind screamed at you to not stop. So you ran further until you were unable to see any light from the gas station anymore. Then you took a sharp turn to the right and hid behind a tree. You clutched the blade against your shaking chest; you grabbed it tightly like it was a lifeline. Your breath stuttered over your lips, the air left you faster than the blood flowing out of your wound. The wound. Only then you remembered your bleeding side. And only then the pain finally hit you, it crushed brutally over you like a wave. Gasping for air you patted down your left side and hissed when you touched the open wound. You couldn't see any blood in the darkness but you felt the substance coating your fingers. You saw the bright red color through your inner eye.

You pressed the hand against the wound and bit your lip, drawing more blood as you tried to not scream out in pain. The angels would be searching for you so you had to stay quiet, no matter how difficult that was right now because you could already hear their footsteps, the crunching noise of leaves breaking under their feet. And it was coming closer. You attached the blade on your belt to push yourself up with your now free hand pressed against the tree, your right hand still pressed against the wound. A low groan left your lips before you were able to suppress it. Cursing under your breath you began to walk away from the crunching noises. You had to make a loop around them to get back to your car. You had to keep going. Another sound left your lips that resemble a high-pitched yelp more than a low groan. "I can't" you wheezed and collapsed to the ground as another wave of pain hit you. Your breathing was shallow; you didn't even seem to get any air inside your lungs anymore. They burned as much as the stab wound on your side. What should you do? What were you supposed to do? Oh God you couldn't fight five angels normally on your own let alone in your current condition. You felt tears streaming down your face before the first sob cut through your body. Clutching your chest you bend over, heaving though nothing came out apart from shallow breathing. But the nauseous feeling stayed. You couldn't stop gaging.

"Gabe" you stammered out between irregular breaths while crying even harder. "Gabe, oh God please help me." You wished he would appear in front of you, safe you, get you out of there. But he didn't show up. And through your in panic scattered mind you were able to grab one clear thought. You wondered if the angels had blocked you from reaching any other angel.

 You had to find a way out of here on your own. You had to fight. You had to get away. So you pulled yourself up again.

"Don't think about the pain. The blood on my hand. My blood."

You cried out as another wave of pain burned through you. But you carried on, you had to, you had to continue walking back towards the car. You clenched your teeth and pulled through, pushed forward. After a while you noticed that you couldn't hear any footsteps anymore. But that revelation didn't calm you down. The silence of the forest, the silence of the darkness freaked you out even more. You felt like a kid again, you felt how you had when you had feared the dark and the monsters in it as a hunter. You saw shadows move around you, stretching towards you, trying to grab you. You saw your bedroom in front of your inner eye, your closet encased in the darkness and the shadows dancing in front of your window. You grabbed your blanket from your bed; put it over your head in a desperate attempt to hide from the monsters. You whimpered, not believing that this was real. It wasn't real. You weren't a kid anymore. Shaking your head you tried to escape from the pictures in your mind. And as your vision cleared your breathing hitched and you broke out in a cold sweat. You were surrounded by trees. You had run into the forest, remember. Long shadows. Was there someone behind you? You jumped as you heard something break. Just a branch. Who was there? Fearful your eyes darted around, trying to catch a glimpse of the monsters that were after you. But they weren't monsters, they were angels. Groaning in pain you shook your head and began to walk again.

"Don't think about it. It's only shadows, only the darkness of the night. It's comforting not frightening" you whispered, trying to convince yourself. "You work in the dark. It's comforting not frightening."

 You yelped as you stepped into a tiny hole, stretching your injured side painfully. Holding yourself upright by leaning on a tree you tried to catch your breath. By now your whole side seemed to be engulfed in flames. You felt like you were burning alive. Cursing under your heavy breathing you dug your nails over the flesh of your wound. It hurt but this pain distracted you from the greater pain which pulsed through you like fire.

Gritting your teeth again you pushed yourself forward. You could already see the lights from the gas station again. You almost made it. Only a couple more steps. The hope to get away filled you with determination. You could do it. You groaned.

"I can do it."

Huffing you stopped behind another tree to observe the parking lot of the gas station. You didn't see anything suspicious at first but just when you decided to leave the protective shadows you saw the fifth man circling your car. Your heart beat painfully fast as you stopped your movement and stepped back into the darkness. What were you supposed to do now? What to do? You clutched the wound on your side as panic was flooding over you, pushed you down like a wave in the ocean. Your breathing hitched even though you seemed to not get any air in your lungs. You couldn't breathe, you felt like you were trapped underwater. Your head spun in dizziness.

Shaking your head you looked down at your wound. For the first time you could make it out in the dim light of the gas station. Taking off your jacket, which had a hole ripped in by the blade, you checked the injury. It was a deep gash you knew so much but by all the blood covering your shirt and body your side could as well be ripped open completely. As you palpated the wound you hissed. Definitely deep. You looked at your freshly blood covered fingers. And still bleeding. You needed to stop the bleeding even if it was only for a short while. So you removed your shirt and ripped it apart to wrap it around your torso like a bandage. It wouldn't do much, you knew that, but maybe it would slow down the bleeding so you wouldn't pass out because of blood loss. After you had secured it tightly you put on your jacket again, zipping it up to the very top. You had to focus.

"Focus! You can handle one angel."

You grabbed the angel blade and detached it from your belt, weighting it in your blood covered hand.

"My blood."

Shaking your head you turned to the gas station, looking at your car which was still circled by the man. He had his blade drawn, too and watchful eyes that scanned the whole ground. You would have to sneak up on him. Looking down at your blood covered side you nodded to yourself. You wouldn't be able to win a frontal confrontation with him in your state. So you began to move forward, still engulfed by the shadows of the trees. He was watching the part of the woods you had escaped into earlier the most, the part which was closest to your car. You had to move to the side and sneak up on the angel from further away, hoping he wouldn't turn to you. It wasn't much of a plan but you had no other option. Your pulse was racing, making your body shiver and your skin tingle.

 "Concentration" you reminded yourself. You waited for the angel to finish his round to look at the specific part of the woods again. The man stopped and turned to the trees. Now was your chance. So you began to speed-walk towards him as silently as you could muster, blade drawn. You were only a few steps away from the man when he turned around, his eyes widening in realization. Without thinking you jumped forward and tackled him to the ground, pinning his hand which held the blade down with your knee. Raising the blade above your head you hesitated to bring it down into the angel's chest. They wanted to kill you and you didn't even know why but you still hesitated. And of course the man saw his chance and exploited your weakness. With his free hand he punched you in the face. With disoriented view and mind your grip on him loosened which led to him kneeing into your already injured side. Screaming out in pain you felt the blade leave your hands as you clutched your wound instead. Your eyesight got hazy, black dots dancing in front of you, laughing at you. What was happening? Before your sight could clear again or before you knew it the angel had knocked you down and was now the one leaning above you. Groaning you blinked rapidly until your sight got better. Just to face the man grabbing his blade and bringing it down towards you. With your eyes wide in horror you put your hands protectively out in front of you. You grabbed his arms as the blade only barely hovered over your throat, desperately trying to push him further away. But you were in a poor position with your strength leaving your body quickly. The blade hovered dangerously close over your throat, taunting you. Your arms were shaking, your breathing irregular and heart stuttering. Grunting you channeled the last drops of your strength and pushed his hands to the side with a cry. The blade pierced through your shoulder that had been nicked by the blade earlier which was now lying on the ground beside you. A high-pitched scream left your trembling lips as tears exploded from your eyes, streaming down your dirt covered face. You searched for your blade blindly, scanning the ground with your hands until the tips of your fingers touched its cold, smooth handle. With a loud battle cry you grabbed the blade as the angel pulled his out of your shoulder. Sitting up you rammed the blade inside the angel's chest and watched as he screamed and got illuminated by a bright light which made you squint your eyes. Then the man's body went limp and fell to the ground beside you. Groaning and wheezing you pushed yourself up only to fall back to the ground. With shaking hands you reached out towards your right shoulder, stretching your injured side in the progress which made you hiss. As you touched the wound you immediately gasped for air, trying to hold back the tears that already filled your eyes again. This was bad. Turning around you pushed yourself up on your knees and looked at your hands. Your hands were red, deep red. A red sea, blood sea. Blood. You were losing too much blood. Your body ached. It hurt so badly. You gaged. God, you felt so nauseous. And so tired. You felt the adrenaline slowly leave your body, leaving you exhausted. You wouldn't survive very long in your state with four more angels on the hunt for you and without any help.

"Gabriel" you tried again. "Gabe, please help me. I need you here, please."

But he didn't show up. You were still blocked, unable to reach him. You had to get away from the other angels. You had to get into your car.

 Panting you grabbed the keys from your pocket and heaved yourself up right. You stumbled to your car, unlocked it and fell onto the driver's seat with a suppressed scream. Get away. Flee now. You closed the door and started the motor with a grunt. As you put the car into reverse, moving your injured shoulder to do so, you cried out again. Grabbing the wheel you saw the blood now sticking on the leathery material. Blood everywhere. Your body screamed and ached. It hurt so badly. Your eyes darted around in the inside of the car. Blood was flowing out of your shoulder and side, seeping through the temporary bandage and covering your car, painting it red. You shook your head.

"Concentration!" you hissed. You pulled out of the parking spot just as one angel left the forest. You saw the hatred in his eyes, the fury and disgust glistening in the inhuman eyes. You had to get away. Now! You stepped on the gas immediately. You wouldn't hesitate anymore. Get away! Your mind was blank. The only thought on your mind was to escape. You wanted to see Gabriel again. You had to. You had to get away.

 You didn't see back, didn't turn around or look if they were following you. They weren't. Your fingers were wrapped around the steering wheel so tightly that your knuckles stood out white and prominent and your nails dug into your palms. Nevertheless you weren't able to suppress the shaking of your body, no matter how much you tensed up. You heaved again, felt like throwing up again but like before nothing came out as your body continued to tremble. You didn't even see the road anymore; it was hidden behind a curtain of tears. Were you even still driving or standing still? You sharply sucked in the air. Focus. You need to focus. But the control was slipping away from you like the surface when thrown underwater. The wave was pressing you down again and you sunk deeper and deeper. The pressure of the water above you pinned you down; it sat on your chest and made you unable to breathe. Gasping and groaning you tried to claw at the surface, tried to reach it but you couldn't. You were sinking. You were drowning.

And then you opened your eyes and you were back in your childhood bedroom. It was dark. The only light illuminating some of the room was creeping from under the door. It made the button eyes of your stuffed animals which had always protected you before glister viciously. It made them scary. They terrified you. You wanted to call for your parents but your mouth was too dry and your tongue seemed to be tied into a knot. So you turned away instead only to see thin arms scratching on the glass of your window, begging you to let them in. The darkness was suffocating, it was cold and hot and scary and you were helpless. You were only a child. What were you supposed to do? You couldn't fight. You couldn't fight the darkness, the fear and panic. Hot tears were streaming down you face as you tried to fill your lungs with air. The shadows were looming over you, eating away the light and leaving you behind in complete empty darkness.

 Another scream left your lips as the pain in your shoulder seemed to explode. Brought back into reality you step on the breaks so suddenly that your body was almost thrown forward. You howled, clutched your shoulder and threw your head back. There were still tears clouding your eyes and hazy thoughts clouding your mind but you knew where you were again. You were in your car. Gasping. You could only gasp. But breathing was hard. Really hard. Another cry left your lips. Air. You clawed at your throat. You needed air. What was only happened? Why- angels wanted to kill you. What was happening here? You head pounded painfully. Your breathing hitched again and your thoughts got mushy. It was as if you could only see them through a thick fog, as if they were obscured from yourself. Angels wanted to kill you. You felt so sick. You were losing blood quickly. But what... what were you supposed to do? Bandage. You had none. A scream spilled over your lips and then another one. It hurt so badly and you were so weak. Weak and getting even weaker by the second. Shaking your head you tried to sort your thoughts. You had to concentrate. But there was nothing that could hold you in reality. Until your phone rang. Grabbing it with shaking fingers you saw that it was Gabriel calling you. Gabriel. Your Gabriel. You accepted the call. You wanted to say something but nothing came out. It was like your throat was laced up tight. You were still gasping for air. You felt like fish on dry land, surrounded by air, by oxygen but unable to breathe it in.

 "(Y/N)?" Gabriel asked with worry in his voice after you hadn't said anything for many seconds. You immediately sobbed, not able to suppress it and the screech of pain afterwards.

"(Y/N)!" the archangel yelled. You sucked in the air, preparing yourself to answer him. But your body shook so much you feared your voice would too.

"Gabe" you finally hiccupped while wailing in pain. Clutching your side you hissed. "Gabe, help me."

You sounded pathetic. You were a hunter you should have been used to dangerous situations like this one. But the revelation that angels were after you shook you more than you would like to admit. So you sounded like a desperate child and you felt like a helpless child. You were injured. Baldy injured. And you needed help.

"Where are you? What happened?" he asked but you didn't even seem to register it. Your mind was so cloudy. You felt like you were spacing out and in constantly. You felt like throwing up again. But you managed to push one clear thought through as you prayed to him: "I'm here, Gabriel." You hoped that he would find you this time; that you could reach him this time. You groaned and let your phone fall onto the floor of the car. Your arm was too weak to hold it to your ear any longer. Your breath stuttered over your lips as a tingling sensation took control over your shaking body. You only faintly noticed your car door opening and the voice yelling your name. Only when he touched you, you looked to your left and saw Gabriel standing on the street. His eyes were filled with worry and shock as he saw the state you were in. He grabbed you, picked you up onto his arms and before you knew it you suddenly were in the bunker.

 "(Y/N)?" you could hear Sam's cry of worry but we're unable to answer him.

"Gabriel, what happened?" Dean asked the archangel who still held you in his arms. You were probably bleeding all over him. Bleeding. Your wounds. You groaned again, gasping for air and clutched at Gabriel's shirt. You couldn't tell if your disoriented vision was sat on his face or if you were staring at the ceiling.

"Why is she still in pain? Haven't you healed her?" Dean accused the archangel with his voice filled with distrust.

"Of course, I healed her" Gabriel snapped back and began walking to the couch on the side of the library. "But she has lost a lot of blood so she will still feel tired and in pain for some time." the archangel laid you down on the cushions which made you groan again.

"Gabe" you gasped and reached out to him even though you still weren't really able to see clearly. But Gabriel grabbed your hand and sat down beside you. He held your hand close to him in both of his hands and waited for your breathing to calm down, whispering soothing words you weren't even able to really understand. Blinking away the tears you finally were able to make out his face.

"Ga-" you started but clenched your teeth as another wave of pain, phantom pain burned through you.

"Angels" you panted. Sam and Dean joined the two of you, standing behind Gabriel and looking down at you, worried. "They tried..." you gasped, your body tensed up again. "..to kill me."

To your surprise the three men standing over you didn't seem surprised.

"We know" Gabriel said and the Winchesters nodded. Confused you furrowed your brows and tried to sit up with your back pressed against the arm rest. Slowly the pain seemed to wash away, though your body was still sore and tired.

"What? Wh-why?" you asked and freed your hand from Gabriel's grasp. You pressed that one against your skull. The headache was still pounding against it but at least your breathing seemed to regulate itself again. You saw up to them, waited for an answer, an explanation. But they stayed silent, looked at each other before turning their focus back to you.

"Gabe?" you addressed him directly.

"It's because..." he started but you could see the conflict in his eyes, the fear and worry dulling his usually bright honey eyes. You braced yourself, or at least tried to because what he said next ... you would have never expected that.

 "It's because you're pregnant."

 You blinked rapidly and opened your mouth but no sound stepped over your lips. Suddenly you felt very nauseous again and clutched your stomach out of instinct.

"Wha-what?" Was that a joke? Another one of his pranks?

"You're joking..." you stammered and shook your head. This couldn't be real. You glanced at Sam and Dean but they seemed very serious. You looked back at Gabriel. "This can't be real. Is this a joke?"

"I'm serious" the archangel said and reached out to you but you flinched back instinctively. Hurt flashed over his face. But you couldn't react to it as another wave of panic threatened to crash over you again. You were pregnant. You were pregnant with Gabriel's child. A Nephilim. You began to gag and heave again, bending over as new tears spilled out of your eyes. Grasping your throat instinctively you tried to pry the invisible hands off. You were shivering and shaking like a leave again. This couldn't be real. Your body heated up only to cool down immediately afterwards. Or maybe you just imagined it. Or you were just going crazy. You gaged again as dizziness closed its claws around you: The darkness closed its claws around you again. You felt as helpless as a kid. You felt as helpless as you were when you had been only a kid. You felt so sick. So weak. So overwhelmed. Your breathing hitched, got more rapid. Pregnant. Not a joke. You were...

 "Pregnant." Was that a question, an observation? The reflex to gag stopped and suddenly you felt very tired as the adrenaline left your system.

Nephilim. They were forbidden. You would be killed because you were pregnant with one.

"How do you...?" you asked and straightened up again. Your gaze was flickering around as panic slowly closed its claws around you again.

"Angel radio" Gabriel replied. "Every angel knows."

You stayed silent. You didn't know what to say.

"Did you know?" the archangel asked. You only shook your head, unable to reply with words. You felt so nauseous.

"What am I supposed to do now?" you asked not directed to anyone specifically.

"We will protect you" Dean said. "And the baby."

Sam agreed as well as Gabriel. They began to talk but you didn't even hear them.

You were pregnant. This was the only thought spinning in your mind. Pregnant. What were you supposed to do now? What should you do? This can't be happening. Your breathing got shallow again. This wasn't real. You were still in that small town, occupied with that ghost hunt. You were, only dreaming. This had to be a dream. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. This wasn't happening. Your wounds began to burn again. But they were healed. They couldn't burn. You only imagined the pain. This wasn't real. All of this couldn't be real.

 "Hey." You snapped back into reality. Looking up you met Gabriel's soft eyes. He tried to appear calm and collected, tried to sooth you but you knew that behind his honey colored eyes a storm like the one inside of you was raging. He was panicking as well but he managed to look at you with so much love you almost forgot all those worrying thoughts that were screaming inside your mind.

"Everything will be alright" Gabriel said and squeezed your hand before continuing to draw circles on the back of it. You nodded and smiled at him. Or at least you tried because you knew that only one of you would survive this pregnancy: You or the child. And you wouldn't let you be the one to end up alive.

  To be continued: Part 2 is here

_________________________________

I purposefully didn’t state that the reader is pregnant in the beginning so it would be as surprising as it is in the story. Did I succeed?🤔

[justasparkwritings]

Peace: In Secret

Previous: Your Brothers As My Brothers

Pairing: Jungkook X Reader

Genre: Angst / Slice of Life

Rating: PG17

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: Swearing, Bar Fight, Defending Honor, Relationship Turmoil, Racism and Xenophobia, Everyone Cries 

Summary: A fateful night pushes insecurities to the forefront as you and Jungkook reckon with what your future will look like. 

Listening: peace by Taylor Swift 

Peace Master List

          The fight had escalated in a matter of minutes. A set of knuckles had collided, blood was spilled, security had rushed you out the back door and into the waiting van. As they tended to JK, you sat staring, fire stoking with every rotation of tires. He tried to speak to you, to ask if you were okay, to see if you were in shock or hurt in anyway. His free hand rested on your knee, drawing slow circles in an attempt to slowly exercise the adrenaline out of him.

         As you arrived back at their Los Angeles Airbnb, security gave Jungkook direct orders to put it in a bowl of cold water with plenty of ice cubes. They needed the swelling to be minimal so they could further assess the damage his punch had created.

         You shuffled in after him, absentmindedly finding your way to a stool in the kitchen. Your eyes were glossed over, the smoke in your body causing tears to form.

         The other members rushed in, huddling around you both, asking what had happened. Jungkook related the story in rushed Korean, and from what you could make out, it sounded more exaggerated than it was.

Here’s what you knew to be true:

JK had gone to the bathroom to fix his hair

In his absence, another man had flirted with you

You’d rejected him kindly, saying you were waiting for your boyfriend to return 

In typical fashion, he was persistent, saying some misogynistic line about leaving a girl like you alone at the bar

You laughed, bruising his ego

You turned to walk away when he tried to grab your wrist

JK must’ve caught this part of interaction

Through rage filled eyes he watched as another man made a pass on you

Jungkook could see your disgust and irritation

He could see the unwillingness the other man had to let you go

Jungkook had approached swiftly, telling the man to back off

The man had looked from Jungkook to you, a look of recognition passing over his face

The man laughed, then spit on the floor

There was name calling, and he looked back at you

He barked that he would never fuck a bitch with yellow fever

Jungkook punched him, knocking him on the ground instantly

You dropped your glass, shattering on impact

BTS security was on you in a matter of seconds, whisking you to the car

         Tae and Ho-Seok were on you instantly, they wrapped arms around you, holding you close, whispering comforting phrases into your hair. You didn’t hear any of it, you didn’t feel any of it. All you saw was the smattering of flashing lights.

         Jimin grabbed you a glass of water and turned you away from Taehyung and Ho-Seok. Squaring his shoulders with yours, he looked you in the eyes.

         “Babe, say something,” Jimin whispered. You hadn’t noticed him in front of you, your gaze lost as you recounted the events of the evening. As you blinked you realized you were eye to eye with Jimin, and you gasped.

         “Fuck! I didn’t realize you were so close,” You said.

         “Are you sure you’re okay?” Namjoon asked, moving to stand next to Jimin. Taehyung was still at your side, arm draped over your shoulder, holding you close to him.

         You looked at him, expression blank. It was confirmation enough for Namjoon, and he informed the other members that they needed to give you and Jungkook a minute alone.

         “Noona, are you okay? You haven’t said anything,” JK moved the bowl towards you, coming to sit on the stool next to you. His left hand reached for yours. You pulled it back, blinking the tears down your cheeks.

         “I’m not fucking okay,” you whispered.

         Jungkook hadn’t seen this wrath in you before. He didn’t recognize the shift in your tone. He couldn’t distinguish the look that swept across your face. He thought he knew every expression, every mood you had. He thought he’d seen every iteration of you, every hurt that he could imagine you experiencing. But as he stared at you, eyes searching for any sort of familiarity, he realized there was a side to you he’d never seen: blind rage.

         “I know, it’s bad, it was a bad situation that-

         “That you made worse.” You stood up, shoving the stool under the counter. It clattered against the cabinets below, the force you’d exerted unnecessary.

         “What?” Jungkook’s doe eyes swelled, made it worse?

         “You punched him,” You snapped.

         “He was going to attack you!” He countered.

         “I was walking away.” You placed your hands on the counter, fingers wrapping around the edges.

         “He didn’t care!” Jungkook stood too, trying to find the higher ground.

         “There were enough people around. The bodyguards were coming. You reacted recklessly!” You snapped, voice rising.

         “Did you hear what he said to me? What he called me? What he said about you?! I was trying to -

         “Were you? We’re you trying to protect me, or trying to defend yourself?” You yelled.

         “Yes! I was trying to defend-

         “Do you understand what you’ve done Jungkook?” Your voice broke, the yelling and tears taking its toll.

         “What? I protected-

         “You made a fucking scene. You irresponsibly, recklessly, made a scene and now you have put me and our relationship in jeopardy.” Your eyes were wild, your throat ached, venom dripped from your words, the threat of poison seeping into Jungkook’s eyes.

         “I was taking you away from danger!” He knocked the bowl of water into the sink. The glass against the metal of the sink clanged, alerting everyone in the house to how far your fight had escalated.

         “Everyone saw. Did you notice the phones out? The paparazzi waiting with bated breath outside the club? Did you see how they ogled me, the second we walked in? Did you fucking notice any of it?”

         “I- “

         “They all got it. I guarantee it’s already posted. K-pop idol Jeon Jungkook TKO. Defending some woman’s honor! It’s fucking everywhere,” Your voice was small, every syllable punctuated like the tattoo needles that adorned yours and your lovers’ skin.

         “I was trying to protect you! He was a monster!” Jungkook yelled, wincing as the sound reverberated in the foreign kitchen.

         “Monster or not, you kissed my cheek and sent me to the slaughter!” You blinked the tears down your cheeks, their warmth mixing with the heat that had arisen on your cheeks.

         Jungkook didn’t often understand your religious imagery, and often turned to RM to relay a story or parable that you’d mentioned. This one he got. He was Judas. Giving up the savior to the zealots and Pharisees. He looked at you, you, his brilliant, compassionate, feisty girlfriend. You held his future in your hands, and as he stared at you, he recognized what was guiding your fight. It wasn’t anger or rage, it was fear.

         “You put a fucking target on my back.” Your sob crashed through you, bringing your hands to your mouth as you tried to muffle the sound.

         “I didn’t,” His tone softened.

         “You didn’t think, Kook. I’ve already started popping up in articles and on Twitter. Strangers are tagging me in things. Now you’ve sealed my fate. They are the hunters, Jungkook. There’s nothing you or Management can do to stop it. They’ve got me. Game. Over.” You tried to steady your breathing, your cries coming out more as whimpers than the devastating sobs you’d let course through you.

         “It’s not game over! We will protect you; I will protect you!” He said, indignantly.

         “Why don’t you understand? They will kill me!” You yelled in return. Why was he so stubborn, so clueless?

         “No, they won’t. No, they won’t.” Jungkook shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the dark places your words were taking him to.

         “What can you do to stop it?” You asked, daring him to answer.

         “I’ll take the bullet for you!” His voice was exasperated.

         “Please, punching that guy was you cocking the gun.”

         It hangs in the air, an unrecognizable cloud of disdain and hurt. You were beginning to choke on it.

         “I would die for you,” he pleads, hand reaching out to try and grab yours again.

         “In secret,” you mumbled pulling it away.

         “What?” He asked, the anger returning to his voice.

         “That’s the catch with you, Jungkook. you’d die for me, in secret. You’ll hold my hand, in secret, tell me you love me, in secret. Go out with me as a friend. Never take photos in case your phone is hacked. Why, in two years, do I only have one printed photo of us? You’ll take a bullet for me? Sure. But you’ll bleed in secret.”

         “I, I’m trying to protect you.”

         “Look where that’s gotten us.”

         “What?”

         “You can’t save me from this. I am the fucking storm, Jungkook.”

         “No, you’re not,” Jungkook was trying to find something to hang on to, some way to make his way back to you, but he was coming up empty.

         “It lives in me, and it always will. This wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t there. If we weren’t together. Don’t you get it? This is the beginning; your life will never be peaceful. Ever. I can’t give that to you.” You laid out the points, why couldn’t he understand?

         “My life hasn’t been peaceful in seven year,” Jungkook spoke with bitterness.

         “I’m making it worse,” You responded.

         “It’s not you! It’s ARMY! It’s fans! It’s everyone fucking else!” Jungkook hated to swear when he spoke to you, he hated becoming unraveled, unhinged as he stared at you.

         “They’re screaming at us not to be together. They will do whatever they can to ensure you and I don’t make it.”

         “Fuck them,” Jungkook said.

         “Why?” You asked, exasperated.

         “What do you mean why?” He snapped.

         “Why protect me? Why care at all Jungkook, why screw over your fans for me?”

         “I love you,” His heart was breaking, you could see it in his eyes. The love he had for you tried to tether you to each other, but it wasn’t the lifeline, it was the anchor.

         “All I do is sit and talk shit; I’m fucking wasting your honor. Jeon Jungkook, stoic, in touch with his emotions, loving, caring, always looking out for others. Perfectionist in his craft. Working himself to the bone day after day. Jungkook, the empath. The Golden Maknae. The most adored and admired. Wasting two years with me so what, the minute another guy tries something you punch him and it’s all over the news? So, I can be harassed and sought out? So BTS will be in jeopardy of ever being able to have a spouse or partner? Offering us, our love, up for slaughter because what, it’s for show? All so you can, fucking love me in secret?”

         Jungkook was knocked back by your words. The two years of your relationship, of your insecurities, of his, came tumbling out of you, shattering like your glass as they crashed around him. Hadn’t you worked through this? Hadn’t you made strides in your relationship? Weren’t his brothers yours, your lives dedicated to one another’s? Hadn’t you vowed to love each other through the cascading blue waves of stress, anxiety and depression that came with a long distance, Idol relationship?

         “I am doing what is right,” Jungkook was gritting just teeth. The tension causing a headache to build.

         “Sometimes what’s good for people isn’t what’s right.” You said turning your back to him.

         “Where are you going? We need to talk-

         “I don’t want to talk to you, Jungkook.” You said, your voice weary.

         “We have to figure this-

         “No, we don’t. You know why?” You questioned, turning to stare him down.

         He already knew why.

         “Because tomorrow we’ll be awoken with Management and it’ll be time to reassess our relationship, and the terms to which I have agreed to.”

         “The devils in the details,” He muttered.

         “Their verdict will be final. And the two years we’ve spent will go down the fucking drain as Big Hit decides to do everything in their power to keep us apart and to inhibit the rest of their K-Pop super team from ever falling in love.” The truth hurt; it was written across both of your faces as you stood staring. The damage of your fight echoed across the hall and into the kitchen.

         “We’ve fought this fight, they won’t-

         “You don’t know that, Jungkook. You don’t know that they aren’t meeting right now, pulling out papers and lists from years ago, weighing the options.”

         “Can’t we just, try to-

         “I don’t want to talk to you. I’m fucking exhausted. I’m devastated. And I can’t fucking look at you for another minute or I’ll never be able to recover.” The tears were pouring again, and you tried to stifle them until you were at least in a car home.

         “Please just, tell me where you’re going, please, Noona.” He pleaded.

         “I’m going home. Don’t call me.”

         You grabbed your bag from the counter and walked towards the door, BTS bodyguards close behind you. They’d take you home and if Jungkook was worried enough, they’d stay the night, perched in their car, eyes trained on your front door.

         You didn’t want to talk anymore. You wanted to shower and cry and sleep alone in your bed. There was nothing else to be said to Jungkook, nothing else to be done. Management had wanted your relationship to stay secret indefinitely, any breach of that could result in them terminating your security passes, removing every evidence of you from their systems. You’d become the blemish on their perfectly manicured boyband. You, the biracial American they had tried to dissuade Jungkook from dating. You, the woman who had stolen the hearts of every BTS member, becoming an integral part of their stories and lives. You, the woman Jungkook was going to marry… And he’d tossed it away.

         The team came through to check out JK’s hand. It was fine, superficial scrapes. Nothing that ice and rest wouldn’t heel. Make up would cover the rest, like they had done with his tattoos. They could always wipe away any signs of his rebellion.

         The bigger problem was the scene he’d made, and the team had been called and would spend the next week scouring the internet for evidence. Did the guy he hit know who he was? If he did, would he want money? Did the lawyers need to draft an NDA for him? Would they have to buy off website after website, fan sites and reddit threads from posting any evidence of what Jungkook did? Would the urban legend live on, that Jeon Jungkook, the Golden Maknae, was dating an American and had punched a man in her honor?

         After the team finished with his hand, Jungkook made his way to the living room, slumping onto the couch, tears stinging as he tried to blink them away. The members trickled into the living room, sitting around him.

         “Do you want to talk about it?” Taehyung asked.

         “We always talk when we fight,” Jin added.

         “I’m sorry if I’ve endangered you, or your futures,” Jungkook said, staring straight ahead. He couldn’t face them. He couldn’t let them know that pride had bested him. Pride, the most insidious of all emotions, had wormed its way into his being.

         “It was so stupid,” Yoongi replied.

         “You didn’t hear what he said.” Jungkook whispered.

         “What did he say?” Yoongi challenged.  

         “First, he spit at me, and called me a China man, said that they should’ve dropped an A-bomb over all of Asian, rid us all from the planet…”

         Yoongi regretted challenging him.

         “Then, he looked at her, he,” Jungkook took a deep breath, “He looked at her and he said that he would never fuck a bitch with yellow fever.” His tears fell freely, the weight of the racism breaking him down. His hyungs sat silently, staring at one another. They’d never been the subject of a violent, xenophobic tirade before. They’d heard comments, they weren’t idiots, they knew it existed. But to Jungkook? To you?

         Jungkook had punched the man because he insulted him, he used the most derogatory names he could think of, and he wasn’t sorry. Attacking Jungkook was par for the course, what the man had really been disgusted by was you. How could you, caramel skin and curvaceous figure be dating Jungkook? How could you, with that earth-shattering smile, be willingly dating a man who came from the Orient? Jungkook had defended himself, and he wasn’t sorry he had. He wasn’t sorry that he’d defended your honor. He wouldn’t apologize for it.

         Jin, Taehyung, Yoongi, Jimin, Namjoon and Ho-Seok sat with him until his tears had dried. They held him close, their silence wrapping around him, offering him the comfort he desperately wanted from you. When his breathing had settled, Namjoon suggested he shower and get to sleep, they’d make sure you got home safely.

         Jungkook let the water scaled his skin, turning the pale white to pink. He shortened his skin care routine and fell into bed, where the tears came again, and he clung to the space you should’ve been in. 

Next: Would It Be Enough? 

[vyri]

Matt/Mail Jeevas x Gorillaz

thank you @jeepersjeevas for all the ideas and the patience! i owe you forever.

here it is on Spotify:

Intro

Machine bitez #11

Yeah, man, you got such an accent, bruh, wack, bruh. Super deep, deep, London accent. Like, "I don't even have a passport" London accent. Like you never left your block in London accent, it sounds super, super strong.

Noodle said to us when you heard the track, you could hear psychedelics. Yeah, man, as soon as I heard it, you know, like. You can taste the colours, but I just taste like sherbet ice cream, on moms.

Wammy's House

Kids with guns

Now they're turning us into monsters

Turning us into fire

Turning us into monsters

It's all desire

Andromeda

Caught in your eyes

Stacks of lights

Come streaming back

Make it for the best times

Growing pains, good times

DARE

Jump with them all and move it

Jump back and forth

It feels like you were there yourself, work it out

Mello's departure

Don't get lost in heaven

Put me in a cab to suburbia

I just took a line but I wasn't with you

There was more of it there, when I got back home

But you had left me, you don't know my soul

You're a whole bad mistake, yeah, you're a whole one

Matt's departure

19-2000

The world is spinning too fast

I'm buying lead nike shoes

To keep myself tethered

To the days I've tried to lose

My mama said to slow down

You must make your own shoes

Out there

Humility

I'm the lonely twin, the left hand

Reset myself and get back on track

I don't want this isolation

See the state I'm in now?

Callin' the hunter with a rifle

'Cause right now that's the ball where we be chained

Shoot it true

I want you in the picture

That's why I'm calling you

Pac-man

I’m a mad pac-man

Livin' in a levelled world

Everywhere I go I don't know where I am

You can call me crack, you can call me mad and cyborg

You can load my head, and sell me into bathing light

Everybody knows, when I was sad, I fell for you

Everywhere I go, no stressin' out, no stressin' out

Feel good inc.

City's breaking down on a camel's back

They just have to go 'cause they don't know whack

So while you fill the streets, it's appealing to see

You won't get undercounted 'cause you're damned and free

You got a new horizon, it's ephemeral style

A melancholy town where we never smile

And all I wanna hear is the message beep

My dreams, they got her kissing, 'cause I don't get sleep, no

Momentary bliss

The truth, the bills, they must be paid

And what is left, is salt and cake, typical

All you need to change your face

You're gettin' sold, it's such a waste

You know, we could do so much better than this

Swimmin' in pools of momentary bliss

Where you gotta find a family 'cause everybody taken

They worry you keep on adding

I think you gotta crawl

Dirty harry

I need a gun to keep myself among

The poor people are burning in the sun

No, they ain't got a chance

They ain't got a chance

I need a gun

'Cause all I do is dance

'Cause all I do is dance

Working for an old friend

Interlude: new world

She gave me a call

That brought me back

Back, back, back

The elevator

The new world

I just wanted to be close to you

The new world

I'm tired

Seems like I was alright again

That brought me back

I just wanted to be close to you

Strobelite

Slide the light off you

You may find some peace

All will come to you

If you come with me

Are we just too far to be as one again?

Are we obsidian?

Is this how it ends?

She's my collar

I'm yellow, he was blue

It's nothing that he could hide

We made agreement though

Whenever we were so alive

I died a thousand times

I did what I had to do

Hey, that's just how it goes

I'm still coming back to you

Sex murder party

You always said

I was out of control

Teach me hatred

Then let me go

You didn't care, no truth and no dare

In the bathroom, blow everywhere

Now you're so high, kiss all the guys

Making me jealous, I wonder why

Every planet we reach is dead

Dreams aren't bad, I had turned back

I love the girl

But God only knows it's

Getting hard to see the sun coming through

I love you

But what are we going to do?

Rock bottom (or something similar)

Sleeping powder

I get dropped from where I belong

I take my pills and I get in the mood and I

Take five to get it to load in

Even in the place

And I get my jeans on right

And sit in the rows and

Inside I live in a cage and I

Peek out and summon the code and I

Enter the lake to face what I'm cagin'

Souk eye

Why you rolling waves over me now, that's all I need, dreaming

Waiting on a lady, come find me, be forgiven

I'll be a regular guy for you, I never said I'd do that

Why you looking so beautiful to me now when you're so sad?

Broken

It's by the light

Of the plasma screens

We keep switched on

All through the night while we sleep

There's nothing you can do for them

They are the force between

When the sunlight is arising

El mañana

I saw that day

Lost my mind

Lord, I'll find

Maybe in time

You'll want to be mine

Busted and blue

Where do they come from?

The wires that connect to us

Weightless and fall on your body

'Till we're invisible

I'm with you throughout it, choose

Busted and blue

Climbing up (or something like that)

Melancholy hill

Well you can't get what you want

But you can get me

So let's set out to sea

'Cause you are my medicine

When you're close to me

When you're close to me

Empire ants

Oh joy's arise

The sun has come again to hold you

Sailing out the doldrums of the whole week

The polyphonic prairies here, it's all around you

It's all around you, out here

And if the whole world is crashing down

Fall through space out of mind again

Where the emptiness we leave behind on warm air rising

Blows all the shadows far away

Demon days

Well these demon days are so cold inside

It's so hard to live, and so to survive

You can't even trust the air you breathe

'Cause Mother Earth has a soul to leave

When lies become reality

You love yourself because it's easy

Pick yourself up it's a brand new day

So turn yourself round

Don't burn yourself, turn yourself

Turn yourself around to the soul

Hallelujah money

Don't worry, my friend

If this be the end, then so shall it be

Until we say so, nothing will move

Ah, don't worry

It's not against our morals

It's legally tender

Touch my friend

While the whole world

And whole beasts of nations desire

Power

When the morning comes

We are still human

How will we know?

How will we dream?

How will we love?

How will we know?

[falseroar]

Dog Days Part 2: A Warning for Later

((Abe returns to the city to regroup after his latest lead hits a dead end, and runs into a stranger with a voice that’s hard to resist who has a warning for the hunter.

Warning for a very brief mention of blood. I guess I should also mention that there will be the occasional OC in the story. None of them play an especially big role or will be in more than a part or two, but just a head’s up in case that bothers anyone.

Part of a Monster Hunter/Werewolf!AU of WKM called Traces of Silver. Here’s a link to Part 1 if you missed it.))

There were few people out this early in the morning, leaving the city quiet and oddly still. The chill in the air may have had something to do with it, but if the hunter striding down the sidewalk had been in the mood to notice he might have enjoyed the first hints of fall. Instead, he pulled his oversize coat a little closer, the eyes below his furrowed brow too lost in his own thoughts to pay much attention to anything else. Good thing he had old habits to rely on, because he definitely wasn’t thinking about where he was going.

He certainly wasn’t paying enough attention to notice the figure seated on the bench outside of the coffee shop or care about the low murmur coming from said person, and he was close to walking right by the place entirely when his foot caught on something and he went sprawling.

“Whoa!” An outstretched arm broke his fall, the voice suddenly in his ear and not a murmur anymore. “The Host is so sorry about that, normally he is much more careful with his staff.”

“I’m sure you say that to everyone,” Abe said without thinking, too caught off guard by how that last sentence managed to sound both sarcastic and utterly sincere at the same time.

Abe looked to his left to find that the face of the man who had just both tripped and caught him was next to his own, the bandages wrapped around his head covering his eyes but not quite hiding the faint scent of blood. The hunter tried to move, but the arms supporting him stiffened, holding him in place as the stranger whispered urgently, “There is a shadow following you.”

“What?” Abe felt a chill run down his spine, cutting through his sleep-deprived thoughts and sobering him up far faster than any amount of coffee ever could. “What the hell are you—”

The stranger interrupted him before he could raise his voice, still speaking in a low whisper. “Forget the Host said anything until you need to remember it and act as though he just asked you to pick up his staff.”

Abe blinked, the Host’s warning already fading from his mind as quickly as the tension leaving his face and shoulders. Almost as quickly as it came, the fear and suspicion the stranger’s words caused were gone, like they had never even happened.

“Wh…Oh, yeah of course,” the hunter said, looking down to spot the staff in question, which was so rough and uneven that it seemed more like a piece of driftwood than a cane when Abe bent down and picked it up.

“No harm done,” he added as he handed the staff back to the other man.

The blind man eased back into his seat on the bench, the staff resting against his shoulder, and Abe swore he could feel the man looking him up and down despite knowing he could do no such thing before he said, “That is a relief. Perhaps the Host and the hunter should both be more careful of their surroundings.”

Abe frowned, but supposed he deserved that. “Right.”

Shrugging it off, he walked into the door he had been aiming for and stepped into a coffee shop full of that familiar warm scent that was as close to comforting as he could get these days.

“Look who’s back,” the woman behind the counter said with a smile that quickly turned to concern. “Abe, you look terrible.”

“Some things never change,” Abe said as he walked up to the counter. “I just got back into the city, haven’t had time to clean up.”

“And this is the first place you go?” the barista asked.

“Well, the liquor shop doesn’t open until noon, so…”

She sighed with a slight shake of her head. “You’ve got to take better care of yourself, hunter. You’d be our best customer, if you didn’t have a habit of disappearing for months at a time. Still want your usual?”

“It was only three months this time, and yeah, of course.” Abe paused and added with a sigh, “And something for that guy on the bench out there, too.”

The barista leaned on the counter to get a better look at the man huddled on the bench with his tan jacket that didn’t seem to fit him quite right and the driftwood staff. “Oh, the Host? He didn’t tell you what he wanted?”

“What?”

She shrugged. “Most days when he’s out there, someone will come in and order him something to eat or drink. Everyone else just drops him some money for his songs.”

“He didn’t sing me a song,” Abe said with a roll of his eyes. “Just get him whatever he normally drinks around this time.”

She shrugged again and dropped a cup of black coffee in front of Abe before starting a cup of tea.

“He comes here often?” Abe asked, glancing again toward the window. The man was sitting forward, shoulders hunched, looking as uncomfortable as he possibly could. “How come I’ve never seen him?”

“The Host just started showing up a month or two ago,” the barista answered. “Came in on one of those ships in the harbor, as far as we’ve gathered.”

“The Host?” Abe asked, taking a sip of his coffee and giving a satisfied wince when it burned his tongue.

“That’s what he calls himself,” the barista answered as she leaned up against the counter.

“Yeah, I noticed. That whole talking in the third person thing, isn’t that a bit of a red flag?”

“I don’t know,” she said, biting her bottom lip before she admitted, “I don’t think English is his first language. He doesn’t have an accent, but the way he talks sometimes, it doesn’t sound normal. But when he sings…”

She sighed heavily before catching Abe’s raised eyebrow and quickly turning back to the cup of tea she was supposed to be making. Now that he thought about it, there had been something strange about the man’s voice, and not in a swooning for Frank Sinatra kind of way, but for some reason he couldn’t put his finger on just what had been off about it.

“That’s about all I can tell you about him, though. Some of us in the shop have tried to talk to him, figure out what his deal is, but he always seems more interested in hearing other people’s stories than sharing his own. Bet you could give him a few.”

“Pass,” Abe muttered, looking away to avoid the barista’s eyes. He had more than a few stories, and none of them worth the pain of revisiting these days. “What do I owe you?”

“Three dollars, for the coffee and tea,” she answered as she swirled a tablespoon of honey into the tea and placed the cup in front of him. She pulled a muffin out of the display case and dropped it in a bag before shoving it toward him. “And this is on the house.”

“I can’t—”

“You look like you haven’t eaten in days. Take the muffin,” she said, with a tone that suggested she would shove it in Abe’s jacket pocket for him if he didn’t do it himself. Again.

Abe sighed and took the bag, along with the two cups, only to pause at her next question.

“How long are you planning on staying in the city, hunter?”

“Last lead hit a dead end, so long enough to see where to go from there,” he said.

And long enough to maybe earn enough money to fund his next wild goose chase, a bitter thought added. Speaking of…

“Feel free to point people my way, if they need…”

“A warm and welcoming shoulder to cry on?” Despite the sarcasm and a long-suffering sigh, she added, “I might know a couple of people.”

He smiled and winked as he backed out of the coffee shop with both cups in hand, just in time to hear the Host murmuring to himself before bracing his hands against the bench as though about to stand.

“Hey,” Abe said, and the blind man froze. “Same guy from before, the barista inside…asked me to give you this. Some kind of tea, I think.”

The Host hesitated before reaching out to take the warm cup, unable to stop a brief smile at the scent of steam rising from it. “…The Host appreciates it.”

“Sure he does,” Abe said. He waited a second and, unable to resist, asked, “And now would the Host be willing to explain how he knew I was a hunter?”

The Host paused, just a slight hesitation, before he answered, “In the Host’s experience, only hunters tend to have that particular aroma of herbs, garlic, and gunpowder. Although most of the Institute’s hunters don’t usually smell like…”

Abe surreptitiously took a whiff of his coat and sighed. “Like old cigarettes and alcohol?”

The Host’s silence was already more of an answer than he wanted.

“Yeah, well, I don’t work for them, so that’s two points for you,” Abe said. Not that there hadn’t been offers, but he had his own priorities that didn’t exactly mesh with answering to someone else. Still, he felt like he had about as much fun from this conversation as he could handle with only a few sips of coffee in the tank and started to turn away. “Enjoy the tea.”

“Wait.”

Abe’s legs locked before he even thought about it. There it was again, something off in his voice, the single word both a command and a plea at the same time that clashed and blended together, almost like more than one person had spoken.

But there was only the Host, his head still tilted down toward the cup of tea held too tight between his hands.

“Take care, hunter,” the Host said slowly, as though choosing his words carefully. “Someone is expecting much of you.”

“…Right,” Abe said, rolling his eyes. “Thanks for the words of wisdom there, buddy.”

A few minutes after he left, the Host heard the bell over the coffee shop door before the barista let him know she was there.

“How’s the tea?” she asked.

“As wonderful as ever,” he said, his words almost as honeyed as the tea. “Thank you, Carla.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. He heard the slight creak of wood and felt the shift of the bench as she sat down next to him. “What did you think of Abe?”

“Is that his name?” the Host asked softly. She caught the frown he gave his cup, the way his forehead wrinkled above those ever-constant bandages before he shook himself. “The Host thinks he will not be seeing him again for some time, if he can help it.”

“Hm? Oh, he’s like that with everyone, hon.” Carla patted the Host’s free hand and said, “He’s been through a lot, I think. Don’t take anything he said personally.”

The Host started to correct her before thinking better of it. She wasn’t entirely wrong after all. After she returned to her work, he sat alone on the bench, considering his drink and his brief encounter with the hunter and his tangled, knotted mess of a story connected to so very, very many endings. A story that was swiftly moving toward an end of its own, if things continued on as they were.

The Host took another sip of his tea and savored the taste before saying aloud, in case anyone was listening, “The Host has no interest in the games of others. He has no intention of interfering.”

The lingering sense of being watched passed eventually, long after the remains of the Host’s tea had grown cold and lost its flavor, leaving the Host free to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Maybe that meant at least one of them believed his words.

((End of Part 2. Thanks for reading! And for the record, this is the same version of the Host as seen in To Know How the Story Ends. After spending enough time with Captain Magnum and his crew, he’s had some time to adjust to his new life and reduced abilities. At least enough to make life in the city work in his favor and to satisfy the occasional...interest.

Link to Part 3: Slow Recovery.

Tagging: @silver-owl413 @skyewardlight @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @weirdfoxalley @95fangirl @lilalovesinternet-l @thepoolofthedead @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @geekymushroom @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-anxiety-blog @shyinspiredartist @avispate @missksketch ))

[murdersexual]

Part III? To that LeoPika fic~?!

🚨WARNING!🚨

-Rated MA.

-Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, Gambling and Gun Violence.

-Cussing.

-NOT PROOFREAD.

-I wrote this at 3am and absolutely love this one.

-Edit was done by me... Pic was found on Google somewhere lmao.

-Nicknames: Birthday Koi/Koi Fish/Fishie: Leorio (cause he’s a Pisces) and Smol Ram/Blondie and whatever I used is obviously Kurapika.

✨Ship/Pairing✨

-LeoPika (Leorio x Kurapika)

Part III: All In Or Fold:

Bridge To World Resorts Hotel - 10:34pm:

“Where are you taking me...?”

An annoyed sigh left Kurapika. He knew he was gonna ask that fucking question.

“You’re doing the very thing I told you that agitates me...”

Leorio turns up his lip and rolls his eyes. A heavy sigh leaves him. As they walk across the tubular glass bridge, Leorio takes in the sights of the night skyline. The bright lights were always a sight to look at, besides a bodacious beauty of course.

“Oh good evening, Fine Sir and Madame Fatale~”

Greeted a pair of rich women dressed in mini dresses. They looked high if not drunk. Nonetheless, their killer curves caught Leorio’s eyes and he instantly returned their greeting...

“Good Evening Ladies~ Hope to see you around the casino~”

That suave voice of his was enough to make their lower halves quiver with excitement. While he was too busy watching them, an unimpressed Kurapika stopped in his tracks just to feel Leorio run into him.

“Agh! Seriously?!”

“Unbelievable...”

And with that, he kept walking. Leorio gave him a glare before huffing. His semi exposed chest quickly expanded only to drop. His hands were in his pocket but every time there was a silky greeting from any of the women who bypassed, he’d take out his left hand and wave. His bright 1000-watt smile was enough to charm them every time. Giving a wave only to those who didn’t really assume his gender is the little ram. The closer they were getting to their destination, the more anxiety started to lowkey rise.

‘What to expect? Probably for him to be not surprised but on the inside, he’d be flattered... Then he’d leave... Maybe he’ll be flustered? Or actually surprised and flustered? But... he’d still leave...’

The thought bothered him, his grey orbs gave a casual swish to each of his sides. As unnerving it could be, he realised that the outcome will never change. Once Leorio’s mind is made up, he’ll never go back on his words. To play a game such as Russian Roulette, one needn’t to fear the outcome but only hope for the best...

However, in these circumstances?

The mighty fatal bullet was shot and caught.

Finally, the two made their destination. The jingle of keys chimed in the emptied hallways. Finding a card key and tapping it, the reader gave a soft beep and with a gentle twist? The door came open. Stepping in, the light from the hallways illuminated their backs, their shadows on the ground appeared outstretched. With his left hand feeling the side of the wall, Kurapika finds a circular knob and twists it to where the lights are dimly lit. Taking that jet black blazer off and hanging it up, a soft sigh of relief emits from the little ram. Spotting an ice bucket with a fancy bottle of the finest of Hennessy, he didn’t hesitate to head over to it.

“Huh, bougie... Now what are you showing me?”

Popping the top and sliding a glass over, he takes a few ice cubes and places them in it. Staring at the second one, he hesitantly slides it over and does the same.

“Patience is still a weakness for you, I see.”

Staring intensely at him, he roams over and ‘kindly’ snatches the glass up. Taking some of it down, he leans lightly against the table and once their eyes meet?

“And prolonging the inevitable is still your favourite coping method, I see.”

They never left. It’s moments like these where they were would never stop looking for any weaknesses.

“Since when…?”

Finally the incomplete question comes rolling off the blondie’s tongue.

“...Have you’ve known me to ever do such...?”

Sipping down some of that drink, he could feel how it burns the back of his throat, however, he plays it off rather coolly. Dealing with Leorio and his aggression will always be a hassle—forever plucking at his nerves. What’s the best way not to engage him in combat?

By having a pretty levelled drink of course.

As their eyes finally left one another with Kurapika leaving from the wonderful shot table, Leorio’s never truly left. His eyes saw how calmly unnerved he is and it actually pleased him. Who knew he still could rattle the blondie?

“Well... I mean, since now and we don’t wanna even get into the times that—“

Before the fishie could finish?

He was cut off.

“There were no such times, but nice try though.”

He saw him glancing over his shoulder, the look in his eye showed he was defensive and it just made him smirk. His patience started to dwindle, that pride of the little ram’s wasn’t going to allow him to pluck at his strings.

“Hmph, whatever you say~ I remember everything despite I may not look it~”

He sang, now taking one of the cubes and popping it into his mouth. He gave a singsong like chuckle. The sound of that always gave Kura the wrong type of chills up his spine. He stopped in his bedroom’s doorway, his eyes immediately taking time to adjust to the thick dark. They slowly swished to the right then to the left.

“Hmm...”

While he was momentarily lost in thought, his feet carried him to his destination. A cherrywood gothic styled two door wardrobe with the fresh wooden polish was always a nostalgic reminder... Turning a few lock combinations that’s been cleverly installed, it clicks open and he’s able to pull the handles apart.

“Ah... Here it is...”

Taking up a jet black chest in his arms, he roams back to the main room, just to find the birthday boy, chilling at his desk and turning on music.

“Go ahead and play...”

Leorio’s eyes widened! The song of choice is very mellow, something that’s very contradictory yet relatively random. ‘Love Calls’ by Kem. Many questions went through Leorio’s mind, but now it’s not only him. Instantly pouring another shot, he clears his throat, finding it ever so awkward.

“Okay then... I suppose, ahem... What the fuck is that?!”

It took a moment for the smol ram to adjust to the sight of this tall fucker sitting at his desk like it’s his own. His feet being kicked up, jacket around the chair, shot glass in his hand and of course toying with his damn music station. His eye wanted to twitch but at all costs he’s refrained from showing how slightly triggered he is. After regaining his composure, he shuffles on over and drops the chest on his lap. Now leaning against the right side of the desk, one arm folds under the other.

“Hmm, I don’t know, you tell me.”

Feeling mighty suspicious, the koi fish takes it and undoes the latch, his hazel eyes were rather shocked to see...

A picture just before the whole Yorknew incident.

“Oh no way...”

Their eyes met for a moment with a soft smirk on Kura’s face and a genuinely shocked expression remains on Leorio’s. Setting that picture aside, his hand reaches in and pulls out what appears to be a mood board with blue flowers and aesthetic blue letters with glitter that says ‘Sleep Well’. There are screenshots of a infamous text argument between the two of them.

“Are you kiddin’ me?!?! This is when I threatened to suplex your ass into oblivion.”

Sentiment softened his eyes at such a board, a smile curved its way onto his handsome face.

“Exactly, it’s still such a disappointment you didn’t come and do it too.”

The side eye that was sharply given indicated that he’s here now and won’t hesitate to do it. Kurapika remains unbothered, that smirk on his face now hinting at a bit of mischief.

“There’s another one... Oh hell nah! Is this our conversation as we split before Yorknew?”

It’s another aesthetic text mood board with stickers of airplanes and clouds that has the bedazzled letters for the words ‘Fly High’ and ‘Stay Together’. It’s little things like this that warms the fishie’s heart. He sips his shot casually as his gaze scans through.

“I... am in disbelief... YOU actually made these? With what fucking time?!”

Kura rolls his eyes dismissively.

“The time I managed to find...”

Setting that aside, he finds another mood board, this time with pictures from Yorknew. From how they all met up at the park, had a picnic and the way everyone was so relaxed, even how they all sat at the end of the slide, just like how they slid down together during the hunter exam. There was a surrounding innocence around each of those photos. This one had a flower that matched every personality and the bedazzled letters were also coloured for the word that was used is...

Family.

That one right there was enough to melt the iceberg around Leorio’s heart.

“I... This... Mmmm this is so fuckin’ adorable... For you especially!”

“Hmph, leave your flattery for the last one... I do apologise in advance for its unfinished...”

The confidence that surrounded those words excited the koi fish. He sets that board aside and pulls out one that is most definitely unfinished, it’s black and white themed, with the halfway bedazzled words ‘Man or a Monster’. It’s screenshots of the many missed calls and texts. But there’s a screenshot of a text that was never sent...

‘Whilst this apology may fall upon blind eyes and a closed heart, I’m humbly sorry that I have to ask that you please remain patient with me. There’s so much I’d like to express but specific circumstances will not allow me the time... I promise you that I’m not ignoring you, if anything, your calls and texts are a constant reminder for how blessed I am. I’m not entirely sorry for the path I’ve chosen, but I’m sorry for hurting you.’

After reading that text that has a not delivered icon by it, Leorio found himself slowly looking at the blondie. No words really left him. He stared at him, taking in this so-called horrible best friend of his. Those hazel eyes had lost all sense of anger and were replaced with a gentle twinkle. A soft chuckle emits as he now downs his shot.

“So...”

“You’re about to ask why I never sent it? Well... something told me that had I done it would only further complicate things and so I... didn’t.”

Finally looking out the large windows made of the finest of bulletproof glass, the little bit of a shot he has left is downed. The little ram hated how his answer came out. It gave him way more anxiety than it should’ve.

“You can never look me in the eyes whenever you tell such a harsh truth...”

Putting his glass down and reaching for the bottle that Leorio actually passes over he couldn’t help but wonder what else could lay heavy on his chest.

“Because I don’t like seeing those flashes of pain, I feel ultimately guilty and it’s just haunting.”

In the back of his sharp mind, he had to stop himself from saying...

‘Just like I would hate the way you’d look at me if you saw me in such a state of vulnerability...’

After nearly pouring a full glass, he takes that glass back up and casually sips on it. Those pale grey orbs finally finding Leorio’s again. There was a brief moment of silence and it didn’t help that ‘Take a Message’ by Remy Shand played in the background. It added to the dimmed and heartfelt ambience that’s currently going on right now. With a smirk gracing the koi fish’s face, he raises an eyebrow...

“You? Being sensitive? Having a side that’s softer than the finest of plush? Trust me, I love seeing this but there’s no more priceless feeling of knowing how you truly feel... I mean tch, yeah, still fuck you, but you really pull through when needed.”

Poor Kurapika nearly choked on his drink. His gaze instantly swishing around in a startled motion before turning away to hide his now pinkish tinted cheeks.

“You love seeing it if it’s a way to poke at it... Like you’re doing now.”

He wondered if he’d actually stick around now...

“I mean yeah, but I don’t think I’d stick a goddamn knife and twist it in ya... I ain’t that cruel.”

Although he knew what he meant, the idea of him leaving was taken as a stab and twist. Of course, he’d never come to say it. Leorio reaches and hooks a finger around his belt loop and with the slightest of tugs, a tiny bit of stumbling comes from the little ram. In reflex, his hand grabbed his hand and there was a threatening glare.

“I was just trying to see what you were hiding from me~”

The way those words came rolling off of Leorio’s tongue sounded way too melodic... In the most playfully teasing tone. The rosy cheeked blondie huffed! His mind was a bit frenzied... What the fuck did he really mean by those words? His heart felt like a rabbit’s for it rapidly raged against his chest.

“I’m not hiding any—!”

“You’re ever so flustered! Look at how pink you are! Haha!”

That wavy brown hair mocked his movements as he tossed his head back to laugh. There’s a look of disapproval now forming on Kurapika’s pretty little face. With a soft bite of his bottom lip he uses his nails to scratch his hand.

“OW!”

Now turning his lip up with a low growl, the hazel eyed koi fish slips his hand from him only to use his leg to shove him away before replacing it. A victorious laugh emits as he sees him stumble and nearly drop his glass.

“Can never stand it, can you?! Ahahaha~”

With a slow turn to face him, all he sees is that devilishly handsome smirk on his face as he holds his glass up.

“Seeing you flustered like a high school girl who’s just seen her crush is the most spectacular gift I could ever ask for~ Haha, now I’ll drink to that~”

In that moment, Kurapika froze, his gaze taking in this koi fish that’s dressed in all black. Despite his ignorance, he would never admit that at times Leorio can serve some looks. Those words did fall on partially deaf ears though. What mattered in that moment was how different Leorio seemed. Hell, in a two year span, there are quite a few changes a person can go through. Whether it’s physical, mental, emotional and or spiritual. That’s what the little ram is seeing right now... How far he’s come as a person.

“Look, I know I’m fine and all but you lookin’ kinda sus...!”

It wasn’t until then he snapped out of his mental appreciation for him. With a smirk and a quiet chuckle, that grey gaze had softened.

“Is it a crime to admire how much you’ve grown within the last two years~?”

Swinging his long toned legs off the desk, he casually packs up the jet black chest, totally trying to come up with a witty answer to that obvious rhetorical question. Once he closes it, he nods slowly while calmly getting up from the chair. Holding close to his heart is that chest and he can’t help but turn pink at such a sentimental craft.

“Everything you do is a damn crime nowadays! But I thank you for the gift, it means so much to—!”

“Wait, n-no... The gift was you looking AT it NOT taking it!”

Now frowning at such ridiculousness, the birthday koi steps back like somebody just slapped him! The little ram slowly readied to chase him for it. Kicking his shoes off to reveal those jet black socks.

“What the fuck do you mean?! I do believe I have all right to keep this!”

“No you don’t!”

“I do!”

And the back and forth has begun! Suddenly, it was like that wonderful moment never existed. There’s Kurapika now walking over to snatch that chest only for those quick reflexes of Leorio’s to hold it high in the air. He wasn’t even gonna reach no more... But with the intense and competitive glares they’re giving each other?

Determination grew tenfold.

Reaching for that chest once more is a soft growling Kurapika! He even stood on his toes, much like a balanced ballerina would. Just for the trickster koi to smile victoriously.

“There’s something else that I want for my birthday...”

Raising an eyebrow—being completely suspicious, the blondie slowly drops his arm.

“Humour me....”

Stepping closer to him while still holding that chest protectively, he takes his free hand and covers his eyes.

“Le—!”

Their lips met, both soft and alcohol tinged. The city lights twinkled behind the two, making them appear like silhouettes. Softly nipping the ram’s bottom lip, he suavely says...

“They say stolen kisses are the sweetest and I’m sure yours is the equivalent to Candyland~”

[fluideli123]

A Story

So, I’ve recently been inspired to write a story for Ninjago and I’ve only written the prologue since I wanna write it for everyone, people even not in the Ninjago fandom and all that. I’ve also been editing the hell out of it and listening to it from text-to-speech stuff because I just all of a sudden got really passionate about this story. I even have my co-editors editing it in their free time I’m so invested in this story. Anyway, I wanted to post the first chapter (Still being edited) here before I actually post it, because, well, why not? I havn’t posted in awhile and I’ve been working on this story nonstop for maybe, a week? I don’t know, it started out as a prompt and practice and than ended as a whole story with twists and stuff. So, I’m just going to leave below the line on what I have so far,  I hope you enjoy it?

The link if you just want to see this story is here: X

Cole's head softly nodded to the beat of the music playing loudly in his ears from a newly bought headset, continuously humming the lyrics from the songs by heart. The earth ninja had his back against his pillows with a notebook and pen placed on his lap doodling mindlessly. His mind was alive with thoughts and memories for an unknown amount of time.

Some days he would be with his team with no need to fight, saving people, and with no missions to complete. Other days where he had either enough time on his hands to sit down and lose himself in more than just additional training or had too much time than he knew how to deal with. He didn't know which was worse sometimes.

However, Lloyd had it the worst out of the whole team, he spent most of his life, if not all of it, fighting and training. Lloyd even lost his entire childhood to become the destined Green Ninja. Cole still felt sympathy over the day that Lloyd lost his childhood. Cole and his teammates, Kai, Jay, and Zane, met Lloyd when he was only nine years old. But one day, the whole team was turned into kids. An extinct Grundle was brought back to life to hunt them all down, leaving Lloyd to help them get back to normal since he was unaffected. Cole still remembered how he and his team members were in fear as the once extinct ninja hunter towered over them. It was a hideous creature with thin sharp teeth and razor-sharp talons, its scales were blood red, its body was littered in spikes, and long catfish-like whiskers on either side of its lips. They were all quivering in fear until Sensi Wu appeared with Nya, they were carrying a tea that they tossed over to the ninjas. This tea would reverse all the effects that caused them to turn into kids. But as Sensi Wu forewarned, the tea would also affect Lloyd, turning him older with the rest of them. Lloyd had heard this, yet, he still grabbed the brew and threw it at the monster, it turned to bones while the rest of them spontaneously aged older. He selflessly sacrificed his own childhood to save them, adding more weight to the things he already bared at such a young age. The kid could use a break just as much as everyone else.

Sadly, Cole doubted that would ever happen for any of them.

Cole frowned, his thoughts now souring his peaceful mood. He closed the notebook and placed it back in its proper spot, a drawer within his nightstand. Tidying up his pens, he sets them by the journal, closing the drawer before also pausing his music, taking off his headphones, and setting the two items on the nightstand.

Cole let out a sigh, closing his eyes and running a hand through his messy black hair. He was overthinking again, a byproduct of the peace in the world, as unfortunate as that was. The earth ninja stood up, stretching his arms above his head to work out the kinks in his back before making his way through the hall, trying to clear his mind before heading into the kitchen. As Cole stepped into the kitchen, he smelt the scent of strawberries and honey, noticing that the temperature was also mellow. What the earth ninja saw, though, was a sheen on a metallic body and the white of a gi with quick hands slicing something on the counter.

Only one name appeared in Cole's mind, one that was accompanied by a warm feeling in his chest and a small soft smile on his lips.

Zane.

The Nindroid faced Cole, his once focused icy blue eyes turning into their usual warmth as he beamed, realizing Cole had entered the room. Cole's own smile grew from the sight of Zane's smile, a swell in his heart forming, making the feeling in his chest rise. Even though Zane was the master of ice and a Nindroid, he had the most sunshiny smiles and had tender eyes, softening you from the inside out.

"Cole," Zane said, his words calm and witty with only a slightly robotic tone. "I see you've finally decided to leave your room. I was beginning to wonder whether you'd be trapped in there forever."

The earth ninja rolled his eyes as he made his way over to the ice ninja, becoming enthralled with the remark. Cole had recently been in his room more often than he was training, the team, for some reason, found that as something to make quips about. Cole would be lying if he didn't enjoy some of the banterings that would sometimes ensue, especially with Zane. He wasn't too good at understanding humor or joking, but when he did, it always made Cole chuckle, even if it wasn't something exceedingly funny.

"Oh, me being stuck in my room?" Cole answered, placing a hand on his chest dramatically, his words dripping in a little bit of playful sarcasm. "I could never! How could I ever stay in there without the most delicious thing ever made to keep me company? I, of course, need a cake to keep me thriving if I were to be trapped."

Zane shook his head a bit as Cole chuckled at his own comment, still smiling as he looked back at the strawberries he was cutting. Remembering the smell in the air and seeing Zane slicing the fruit, Cole looked over to the oven out of curiosity, seeing the light on.

"So, what are you making there, frosty?" Cole asked, looking back to the Nindroid and leaning to the side to peak over Zane's tall form.

"Strawberry Bread," Zane affirms as he places the knife down, lifting the cutting board to pour the fruits in a green plastic bowl. Setting the board down he quietly, says excuse me to Cole, who moves out of the way. Zane bends down, grabbing pink oven mitts in the process, and opens the oven pulling out a pink and golden brown bread. He stands up and places it on cooling racks on the counter, the opposite side of the stove where he was slicing the berries. The smell was sweet and had Cole's mouth-watering as Zane continued to speak. "Jay had spoken about how I cook so well that I should try making some more desserts instead of dinner foods. He suggested I start on something with fruit, so I did."

Cole nodded, sitting down at the table. Zane had always been the one to cook for the whole team after they realized how much everyone else's cooking sucked, and how the ice ninja's cookery was remarkably good. Zane could cook anything you wanted after he researched as much as he could on it, whether that be from books from the libraries in Ninjago City or from any digital device hooked to the internet. He liked to be informed and probably knew facts that no one else knew about, just because he enjoys learning things.

Zane has always been strange to everyone, even when Zane himself didn't know he was a Nindroid. It was just a feeling that Zane had given off. Of course, the team loved him like a brother, yet that didn't stop everyone from recognizing how different Zane was. When Cole, Kai, Jay, and Zane lived in Wu's Monastery, everyone would notice how Zane lived in his own world, while training. He would possibly bow at a wooden training dummy, or be utterly confused with expressions. Zane couldn't understand humor at all either, but Cole still found it often endearing, even back then when they annoyed him sometimes. 

Nevertheless, one time the whole team, including Sensei Wu and Nya, got in a food fight during supper. Zane had stood there watching them throw his food around, unable to understand why everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. Cleaning up after the ninja's ruinous fight, Zane had left outside with all the wasted food and tossed it in the trash. Zane had told the team that while doing so, he had met a falcon sitting on a branch above him, the bird following his exact movements as the ice ninja felt an ease with the bird. Unable to explain it, the bird had appeared another day, guiding Zane to Lloyd's secret hideout when he was with the Serpentine, which were snakes that wanted to get revenge on Ninjago for sealing them underground. Zane had gone back to the Monastery after finding Lloyd's lair in the trees to notify the team.

Cole has known for a long time that he has feelings towards Zane, even if it just began as a physical attraction. But that didn't prevent Cole's emotions growing over the years, his attempts to try and repress his feelings and only focus on viewing Zane as a brother like he did everyone else, had backfired on him. He often caught himself daydreaming about Zane without meaning to. There were just so many things about Zane that Cole couldn't help but to like about the ice ninja.

One of the first things that Cole liked about Zane was his eyes, whether that was sappy or not, it was true. When Cole first met Zane, his eyes were more human-like, a dull icy blue, still soft and kind when he looked at his teammates and friends but also appeared to be inquisitive or searching as if trying to understand something or learn something when he looked at you. Cole enjoyed the color more than when Zane looked at people back then, especially when it was dark, and his eyes would look too bright to be human. Nowadays, Cole just liked everything about Zane's eyes, like how they were robotically inhuman. Cole adored how they always seemed to be vivid and definite than a typical human's eyes, no matter how intense the light was, they would be slightly brighter.

The second thing Cole liked about Zane was his hands. He remembered how perplexed Zane was when he inquired why Cole had been gazing at his hands strangely. Cole had stated that he had never felt hands so cold before, even though it was the truth too, it wasn't the real reason why he sat there blatantly staring like a fool. Cole just liked that even after all the labor of training and fighting, that the ninja's hands weren't rough and hard like you'd expect them to be. In fact, they were soft and smooth like delicate fallen snow that doesn't cling together and as smooth as a thick formed icicle hovering from the roof. Now, the only thing that has changed is that his hands are sleek instead of soft from not having his albino synthetic skin, more gentle when they touched things now too. It's something Cole constantly daydreams about more often than anything else, as much as that irritates him. He regularly tries to push away the intruding thoughts, but the skin on his hands and face always tingle, even after he snaps out of his thoughts and into reality. Like if Zane was the ghost instead, and he couldn't truly touch Cole.

Cole could go on and on, describing every little detail about how beautiful Zane was from the inside out. But, out of everything he can explain, there is one thing he cherishes about Zane over everything else he could ever try to describe. It's something even Cole can't always name sometimes, and it's just how Zane is, well, Zane. The Nindroid will invariably do something outlandish like randomly stop moving and sit there for a while doing something in his head, or till someone questions what the hell he's doing. It's the same thing when he'll spend hours talking about how absurd people's theories are on multiple topics or randomly start talking about a fact no one else asked to hear. Even if Cole couldn't understand what Zane was prattling about or thinking, Cole would listen anyway.

Cole shakes his thoughts out of his head before he looks at Zane as he takes off one pink oven mitt and grabs a spatula, stabbing at the sides of the bread pan, the tip of his tongue sticking out in concentration. As the earth ninja took notice to the sight of no honey on the kitchen counter, he opened his mouth to ask why it smelt like it too if it was strawberry bread that Zane was making. That was, however, cut short when Jay walked into the room, answering his question before it even left his mouth. The lightning ninja held a white platter in his hands that held crumbs, strawberries and what could, and hopefully be, smeared honey on it. He placed the plate down in the sink before turning to the ice ninja with a toothy smile on his face.

"You are so good at cooking, I swear!" Jay exclaimed before he looked to Cole and made his way over, almost bouncing in place. "Have you tried it yet, Cole? Because you should! Zane made a hell of a new dessert, and oh my gosh, it's so good! You have to try it!" Jay whipped his head back to Zane, who was smiling proudly from the comments Jay was shouting left and right, no doubt. "Did he already? Oh, come on, he had to at least have stolen some when you weren't looking!"

Zane shook his head in negative, triggering a dramatic gasp from the lightning ninja, who quickly turned his head back to Cole. He looked determined, and before Cole could add his two cents to the conversation, Jay took him by the arm and drew him to the counter where he had formerly been standing with Zane, and grabbed a slice of bread and shoved it in his hands. Jay let go of his arm and looked at him expectantly, a look that gave off a false superiority sometimes, as it did now. Cole just raised an eyebrow at Jay, who pursed his lips and placed his own hands on his hips. It reminded Cole of those Ninjago City mom's who was about to say "excuse me?" bitterly because someone cut in line or did something offensive to them. Cole snorted at the thought, giving in and taking a large bite out of the bread only to cover his mouth when his eyes widened, and a muffled surprise escaped his throat. 

The damn bread wasn't chewy or crumbled apart too effortlessly, and it wasn't bland either, it was right in the middle and tasted like the berry it was made with without being too sweet. If Cole was incapable of loving cake as much as he did, he would probably just go off and marry this dish instead. Actually, no, Cole should go off and marry Zane, who is capable of making not only this bread but also cake, which would make a triple-win scenario.

That thought knocked him back into the present, his cheeks slightly gaining color.

Jay laughed and patted Cole's shoulder as he swallowed down the piece of bread. Apparently, he was amused by his reaction to Zane's baking skills. This shouldn't be a surprise, he was a badass in the kitchen like in the battlefield, as stated before.

"What I tell you," The lightning ninja beamed at Cole as he continued. "It's good, isn't it?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah, duh, Zane made it, of course, it's going to be good." He looked over to the ice ninja, who was patiently slicing the now cooled batch, Cole witnessed Zane pull out of the oven before. "You really outdid yourself again, Zane." "Why thank you, I was honestly about to think that Jay was overreacting to not hurt my feelings on possibly not making the bread well." Zane replies as he places all the pieces of bread in a clear plastic container. "However, I believe I should put these away till after dinner. I can already tell you two might try to grab for more, even though Jay has already eaten quite a few."

A loud, “awe man, no fair” came from Cole as Jay crossed his arms and seemed to now be sulking. Zane chuckled as he closed the lid and placed the container on top of the fridge, out of reach from anyone who didn’t grab a chair, climb the counters or who were tall enough to grab it by themselves. Sadly, no one was as tall enough to reach Zane’s height completely without putting something under their feet to gain a few more inches. It seemed the bread was held captive for the time being. That reminds him.

"Wait, how many did you eat, Jay?" Cole inquired as he looked over to the ninja in question. Jay looked over at Cole with wide eyes, as if caught in a terrible act that shouldn't be spoken about.

"Uh," Jay looked around the room as if it was supposed to help him answer the question. "Would you believe me if I said two slices was all I had?"

"No."

Jay frowned before he crossed his arms and pouted like a young child, a quiet "damn it" being muttered under his breath before he lifted a hand with five fingers up.  Cole stared at the ninja's fingers. Why was he holding up-

Oh.

He burst out laughing as he high fived Jay's hand. "Oh my god, you couldn't have beaten my record! I can't believe you actually ate five!" Cole joked, Jay huffed again and stuck his tongue out at Cole, causing him to laugh harder.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up dirt boy," Jay poked Cole's chest. "I only did it because Zane's cooking is awesome, and it was just a warm-up to when I beat you at your own food game."

The food game Jay was speaking of was a competition between him and Cole about whoever beats the other's score on eating the most in one day, wins. Every month, there was a day that the person surpasses last month's score, or tries to and fails. If you retain or beat the score, the loser must do the other’s chores or buy them something out of their own pocket when asked. So far, the high score was held by Cole, with three plates of two giant full-sized flour tortilla cheese and bean burritos. The whole team, Cole, Zane, Jay, Nya, Kai, and Lloyd, all went out last month to Kai and Nya's favorite restaurant, Taco Loco Pequeño César's. It was there that he not only won that month for his game but also won a sombrero and cool black sunglasses from the restaurant to congratulate him on winning their eating competition. It was the best day to see Jay's face go red in anger and brood for the rest of the day, Cole just rubbed it in his face by walking around wearing the sunglasses and sombrero he won. Kai even taught him some Spanish words, specifically "gané" and "perdedor" to further torture, Jay. Plus, the only reason Jay wanted Cole to believe he only ate two slices of the bread Zane made today was that he has to be ashamed of only eating five pieces and thinking that could beat the burritos.

"Say whatever you want sparky," Cole said, poking Jay back. "You can't beat the master."

Jay scoffed, looking to Zane, who was silently cleaning up after himself. "Zane, come on, Cole isn't the master of eating, right? I mean, I've eaten just as much as him, right?"

Zane looked up from pulling on his household gloves, staring at Jay for a moment before answering.  "According to what I've witnessed, and from other information about both your eating habits. There is a twenty percent chance that you have eaten anything slightly near the amount Cole has consumed. Ten percent being-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Zane, you don't have to hurt my pride more." Jay insisted, cutting off Zane with a wave of his hand in the Nindroids direction. Zane frowned before he turned away from the two, and moved towards the sink where he collected all the dishes. 

"I don't understand why you two believe the consumption of the most nutrients, is something to be made into a competition," Zane commented, his words less chipper than they had been moments ago. "You could harm yourselves by consuming too much that you get yourselves sick, or consume too much of a substance and damage yourselves."

"Well, then we'll have to be careful," Jay said, shrugging, walking towards a chair and sitting down on it, folding his arms on one of the legs placed against his chest.

"Yeah, plus, if we get hurt, it'll be our fault anyway," Cole chimed in, sitting on the table with his feet swinging below him as he watched Zane. "We're just a couple of competitive dumbasses."

Zane continued to wash dishes, silent. Cole sat there for a moment, wondering if Jay had interrupted the ice ninja a bit too harshly, that being the cause of the Nindroid’s silence. That was debunked, however, when Zane's shoulders fell as he let out a sigh of defeat. 

"I know," Zane replied, turning around and leaning on the side of the kitchen sink, a sponge in hand scrubbing a big white mixing bowl. "I'm just concerned for your well being, especially after Cole's appetite last month." He gave Cole a pointed look. "You could have gotten ill after devouring all of those burritos." 

Cole let out an airy chuckle as he brushed a hand through his hair, looking away from the look he was being given. Ah, yes, he almost forgot the lecture the ice ninja had given him afterward.

"You made a point there, I doubt Jay could eat that much without getting a major stomach ache," Cole noted, laughing at Jay's insulted face as he quickly looked back to Cole. Zane laughed too, a smile on his lips again as he turned away and placed the white bowl down on the other side of the divided sink with other soapy dishes.

Time flew after that, Cole had stayed in the kitchen with Zane and Jay since they had nothing better to do than talk, jabbing jokes at each other. Zane had spent most of his day cooking and reading a new book he'd gotten, named Sunrays of Serenity. It was a poem book that someone had recommended to him at the library one day, saying it was something Zane should read. It seemed to be something that the ice ninja could try and think about. Zane said it had plenty of hidden meanings and was chock-full of phrases, giving Zane material to analyze and ponder about, unlike the science and machine books he'd usually borrow. 

 Jay, on the other hand, had spent his day with his girlfriend Nya, building and brainstorming new ideas that they could work on together, or by themselves. The two were in love with constructing and understanding machines, and most of the time, worked well with each other, taking turns fixing things around the place and talking things out. The two were the perfect match in Cole's opinion, for more than one reason, of course, even if he did place a wedge in between them at one point. Cole's anger had gotten the best of him, creating one of his least proud moments, but one that he regrets every day.

It's also something Cole had recognized over the years when being with his team, actually, since Nya is stubborn and her brother Kai is short-tempered, Jay being the embodiment of an unpredictable explosion. Cole, however, he was just angry. That's all it was for him. The earth ninja wasn't headstrong unless it was necessary, he wasn't gruff, having things irritate him quickly and he wasn't inconstant. He felt angry from time to time, like an itch under his skin that wouldn't go away. It was often bothersome and only made him more upset when he realized the feeling. 

He wished it would go away.

The notebook he had been doodling in before, holds pieces of what he lets out of his anger, at least the ones captured on paper, that is. Drawing himself engulfed by green and black, or standing in a battlefield of fallen enemies, him standing above them all. Cole even once drew a picture of himself standing in front of a mirror, his reflection showing something dark and fiery on the other side, like a melted creature representing how Cole viewed his rage. The journal wasn't even for merely his anger. He had pictures of his family lying dead upon the ground, his team being a part of his family, while he kneeled with them, the only one alive out of everyone he ever cared for. His slightly better pictures, like when he drew himself treading on lily pads, the pastel colors, conflicting with his dark gi and skin, revealing his misplacement in tranquil environments. His happier pictures, which were always sweet, were drawings of his friends happy or doing activities. 

Ones where he drew Lloyd sitting in a field of flowers seeming serene, his shoulders no longer tense, his jaw no longer clenching and eyes showing no sign of the constant sorrow they hold. He had sketches too, like ones of Jay sitting over his workshop, tools scattered every which way. Kai and Nya asleep on the couch, her head on Kai's shoulder.

One of Cole's favorites by far, though, were the drawings of the landscapes of the places he's been to as a ninja. They always seemed to come out steady and how Cole had meant them to look, which is hard to do because there is something that comes out wrong each time. There would be times where Cole had paintings of his team where they're poses were wonky, their eyes different from the left, or he accidentally colored with the wrong color. But, the landscapes and places never had the same problems.

What was strange to Cole, was that he would have never guessed that when Sensi Wu had handed him the large red covered journal, when the group split up, that he would confide in it to express himself, when he didn't feel like training. Cole had usually just trained to let out all his emotions, not finding another outlet for them to flow. He was thankful to Wu for giving him another place to let everything go. It often helped him when he woke up from his constant nightmares. 

"Hey, ya'll," A familiar voice said, breaking Cole from his thoughts as he was listening to Jay think out loud about making a mechanical dog for him and Nya, instead of going out and buying a dog, and Zane informing him of what that choice would intel. The earth ninja looked to the doorway along with Jay, seeing white blonde hair and emerald green eyes, accompanied by a green gi. "The others were wondering if you guys started dinner yet, or not."

Cole didn't have an answer for Lloyd, he had been trying to avoid looking at Zane in fear of staring like a crush infused creep. But when Cole looked over to Zane, who was wearing a pink apron now, he was about to answer their leader without even looking up from the pot he was stirring, reading the poem book. When did he even start cooking again? Did Cole really get that wrapped up in Jay's talk on robo-dogs, and his own thoughts? Well then, at least he gets to eat soon.

"Dinner is not quite finished, but it should be in a few more moments," Zane stated, raising the scoop from the pot, where Cole sat, he could see baby shrimp, noodles, and various spices before Zane took a sip, tasting his soup. The ice ninja placed the spoon back in the large pot, he continued to stir as he picked up a salt shaker and added some salt. "I would recommend rounding everyone up and having them sit at the table. It should be done when everyone has a bowel ready and is seated properly."

Lloyd nodded his head in acknowledgment, gesturing for Cole and Jay to follow him. The two did instantly, joining him in the hall, Lloyd asked for Jay to go get Nya, and Cole to go get Kai, while Lloyd went to see if Sensi Wu and his mother, Misako, wanted to join them. Cole split from the small group, and after Kai, the fire ninja was likely blacksmithing locally at Herald's Shop, a place just down from where the whole crew stayed. Cole summoned his earth elemental dragon, Heath, and quickly made his way to the small shop, jumping off his dragon and into the shop without knocking, knowing Kai was most likely expecting someone to come in. 

"Hey there," Kai greeted, sticking a long metal thing into a barrel of water, steaming rising quickly, loud sizzling in the air around them. Kai had more long metal poles on one of his tables, each one having some sort of difference engraved on them that Cole didn't care to examine right now, but, even from afar, Kai's work was still beautiful. "Is it that time already?"

Cole cocked a crooked smile at the fire ninja. "Apparently so," Cole went over closer to Kai, who was taking off his blacksmithing wear, a pair of gloves, a dark apron, and a face protection mask. "Ready to leave your things here and get some food?"

Kai chuckled, picking up all the engraved poles and setting them to the side safely, including the one he had witnessed get placed in the barrel. After Kai cleaned up his place in the shop, he thanked the owner and said he'd come back tomorrow, the man just waving him off as he continued to read a magazine. 

The two made their way back to their home swiftly, talking about how they enjoyed being able to do their hobbies or favorite activities a lot more, but how much of a hassle it was to handle all that time given to them. As they walked into the hallway, Kai said that he had finished at least three of the poles the earth ninja had seen, telling him that they were going to be put up somewhere on or in their home. Cole found that impressive, Kai had been a terrible blacksmith before, his forges were, as Nya once stated, a wet spaghetti noodle. After regularly practicing in his free time, he rose up to the title of a blacksmith.

The rest of the day was spent with the whole team, Sensi Wu, and Misako after Kai and Cole arrived in the kitchen. All of them chatted together, the table crowded, loud, and noisy every which way. To Cole though it, was just one big family get together at the end of the day, talking their head off while enjoying food. It was comforting, to say the least, Cole was used to large group dinners, his father's job as a famous dancer meant big parties of all types.

Soon as the conversations died down and people were getting full, Zane took the job of picking up the dishes along with Misako, who helped him. People started leaving one by one, saying their goodnights, each one headed off for bed, soon Cole did too. Everything in Cole's life seemed perfect to other people's eyes, as it should have been, nothing but training, drawing, and family times. Sadly, that wasn't at all the case.

Not one bit.

[f-117-nighthawk]

(Bernie Meme) I am Once Again in a Playlist Mood

except THIS TIME it’s because of the ENTIRE NEW PLAYLIST I created for Dark Matter (and there’s some changes to the other ones shhhhh)

Dark Matter

Okay, just the additions/moves:

Waking Dream slots in between You Keep What You Kill and Seven Sisters to talk about what it’s like to be a sleeping god for ten thousand decaphoebs. 

(Centuries like flowing streams as years go rushing by/Waiting in the dark for afterlife)

Soulbound is now by itself. Still Krolia’s perspective, still a... revealing fic.

(Soulbound, endlessly forever/Locked between the darkness and the light/Don’t drown in the swarming, blackened rising/Hold on to humanity and fight)

After Faster Than Light is Trophy Hunter, Ember, and Redemption. I’ve been thinking of them as akin to the suicide mission in mass effect 2, if that gives you an idea of what the hell they run into. These are related to Faster Than Light since the “matriarch is close behind”. They also lead almost directly into The Reckoning and its accompaniment.

(You, you won't escape me, I'll rise from the deep/In this final moment, no words left to say/I can't let you be when a life fades away/You, you won't escape me 'cause I'll set you free)

(Dark matter falling from the sky/Dancing flames reflecting in your eyes as you watch them burn/Watching all your riches witches burn)

(And now the black sun rising/Fall, material God/Opus magnum, seize redemption)

Dystopian Fiction

I ended up adding World on Fire right before The Reckoning, partially because of naming things and partially because, well, it does have the lines that say what happens in the very last part directly before The Reckoning.

(Sent by forces beyond salvation/There can be not one sensation)

Filaments doesn’t have anything new, but.....

Endless War

Endless War is about the Blade! It’s a little more generealized, less specific events than the main playlist is, but I’ve only had it for like a month so I’m sure it’ll coalesce. The last few songs are VERY specific though.

It takes place in the immediate aftermath of Apocalypse 1992/Through Apocalypse Skies, and sort of in conjunction with You Keep What You Kill. Foremost among our heroes we have someone known only as The Last Blade of Marmora, or alternatively The Fifth General, allegedly the sole survivor of the Marmorait forces that split off from the rest of the Empire to defend Altea.

Five guesses who she actually is (which...might be easier once I post other things)

Dark Matter is here as usual, twining through everything else

(Don't stop, don't think, don't look back/You're a bolt of lightning in the sky now/Don't stop, don't think, don't look back/I've pulled you in, nowhere to hide now)

Eater of Worlds is here in both its meanings, as the general relation to [REDACTED] and the specific “looking for someone to feed me”

(We are gods, we are monsters/We create to devour/Not for love but for power/What's a life worth in the end?)

Apocalypse 1992 is here for, well, everything, but the bit about the ancient hermit is especially important, and very-top-level connects to...

(From the caves beneath Dundee/Ancient hermit arrives/A messenger to the war in the stars/Korviliath is nigh!)

The Truth Beneath the Rose is from the perspective of our last (and first) Blade in the aftermath of Through Apocalypse skies

(Blinded to see the cruelty of the beast/It is the darker side of me/The veil of my dreams deceived that I have seen/Forgive me for what I have been, forgive me my sins!)

Raise Your Banner is The Fifth General’s newfound resolve as she starts collecting allies against Zarkon’s empire.

(Wake up/I'm defying you, seeing right through you, once I believed in you/Wake up/Feel what's coming deep within we all know)

The Art of War is not something I ever thought I’d put on one of these playlists. Most of Sabaton’s discography is very much historical, so as cool as many of their songs sound, they just wouldn’t fit (Although, the Dark Whispers are semi-based on Night Witches, and named after a few of them). This one, though, is pretty much what the early days of the Blade did. From the Genius annotations for the song: “Keeping an enemy off balance, unable to execute on their battle plans and forcing them to expend their energy before the battle even begins, war can be fought and won quickly.” Sounds a lot like our super spies.

(I will run - they will hunt me in vain/I will hide - they'll be searching/I'll regroup - feign retreat they'll pursue/Coup de grâce/I will win but never fight)

Silver Moonlight is cracks forming in The Fifth General’s new set of alliances and her desperate and occasionally rash attempts to get them to believe in her goal. Not just the main one to take down the empire, but the one that will allow them to do that.

(I'm impatient, but it's colors that I need/Too many shades of grey, I cannot breathe/The dreams I have ain't tainted, I need you to believe/The only way to make them real, oh)

Endless War is the title track, connected to Holy Ground as a specific event but also sort of encompassing the Fifth General’s motivations throughout the series. She’s “hunting a miracle” that is also those colors from Silver Moonlight, and then the end of Endless War kicks in with Holy Ground

('Cause you're fighting an endless war/Hunting a miracle/And when you reach out for the stars/They just cut you down/.../Is it worth dying for?/Or are you blinded by, blinded by it all?)

(You got inside my head, I want you out/'Cause I've been betrayed on holy ground)

I’d Rather Burn I actually just added today. It’s almost the immediate aftermath of Holy Ground, the Fifth General separated from the rest of the Blade of Marmora and desperately running from [REDACTED]

(Won't let you take my soul away/I'd rather go to the stake/I'd rather burn)

There’s actually one more song, but it’s an old WT B-side, so Spotify doesn’t seem to have it. I had to fight apple music to get it to stay on my phone despite the fact that I, ya know, own it and have for years.

Empty Eyes is [long spoiler beep]

(I don't know where I'm going/In search for answers/I don't know who I'm fighting/I stand with empty eyes/You're like a ghost within me/Who's draining my life/It's like my soul is see through/Right through my empty eyes)

[sams-sass]

Bait

Hello! I thought of this and wanted to share! Hope you like it! Thanks for all the love and support.

Summary: You are used as bait on a case and it sparks something in Sam.

Warnings: Language, jealousy, smutish, fluff

Pairings: Jealous!Sam x Reader

----------------------

“I’m sorry, you want me to what?” You asked, your arms out to your sides.  

“Come on, Y/N! It’s the only way we are going to catch him.” Dean rubbed his forehead with his hand, frustration written on his face.  

“Uh no, it’s the easiest way we are going to catch him.” You stood your ground.  

“It will be easy, yeah. Sam and I will be there the whole time!” Dean pleaded with you.  

“In case you haven't noticed, I’m not the guys type.” You crossed your arms across your chest and shrugged your shoulders.  

“What are you talking about? All the vics were beautiful girls, fits you nicely.” Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest and mimicking your stance. Before you could respond the door to the motel opened and Sam walked in. The sunlight pooled around him, creating a glow that seemed to make him even taller. He placed the coffee cups down on the table and flicked his hair out of his eyes, letting them find yours.  

“Hey.” He greeted you and his brother with a smile. You licked your lips and sent him a smile as well, feeling your heart flutter in your chest.  

“Hey, Sam.” You felt your mood instantly lighten.  

“What’s up?” Sam asked you and his brother as he handed Dean the coffee cup. 

“Dean is trying to use me as bait.” You tilted your head to the side and blew on your cup of coffee, raising an eyebrow at Dean. Sam’s head instantly shot up; his face hard while Dean shot you an epic bitch face.  

“What?” Sam asked, his eyes narrowing. Sam did things every single day that gave you butterflies and made you feel dizzy, but there was something about the way he protected you. It wasn’t like he was codling you and making you feel small, it was that he was on your side. You both knew you didn’t need protection; you were perfectly capable of handling yourself. It was the way he never wanted you to get hurt and how sent chills down your spine.

“Just a little bit. Come on, Sammy! She’s perfect and we can catch this bastard!” Dean’s voice was low. Sam stood to his full height, towering over his brother. You saw his jaw twitch and his chest rise and fall, then he turned and looked at you. His eyes softened and he turned back to his brother.  

“It’s not up to me or you, it’s Y/N’s decision.” He let his shoulders drop slightly as he backed away, allowing you to take charge. Your eyes lingered on him for longer than necessary. You were taken aback by Sam and how he had respected you enough to realize this was your decision to make. The left side of your mouth turned up into a smile and you licked your lips.  

“Thanks, Sam. I appreciate that.” You said, he looked at you and all the tension fell away from his body. You chewed your bottom lip slightly, weighing your options. “Is this really the only way we can catch him?” You asked Dean.  

“I mean, it’s the only way I can think of that will almost definitely work.” He said, his voice a little quieter than before. You looked down and narrowed your eyes in thought. Five girls had already been killed; you couldn’t let anyone else get hurt. Dean was right, this was something that could easily flush out the monster.  

“Ok, I’ll do it.” Dean gave you a side smile and patted your shoulder. Sam let out a breath and looked away from you, then he nodded and walked over to you. His fingers traced your arm and you swore your heart stopped beating. He gave you a crooked smile before he walked away and back over to the books on his bed.  

“Thanks, Y/N.” Dean said.  

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t thank me yet, I still need an outfit.” You let yourself smile, watching Dean’s face as realization hit.  

“We have to go-” He started.  

“Shopping.” You cocked an eyebrow and nodded your head.  

“Awesome.” Dean answered, rolling his eyes. “Sammy, make sure we have everything else we need and I’ll take her into town.” He grabbed his jacket and your arm and the two of you climbed into the impala. Dean drove into town with the windows down. The crisp September air leaving goosebumps across your skin.  

“Why didn’t Sam come?” You asked him over the music.  

“Miss your boyfriend already?” He asked you, his eyes sliding over to yours. You felt the heat rise to your cheeks and rolled your eyes.  

“Shut up.” You mumbled causing him to chuckle.  

“No, I just want to be prepared for this.” He gave you a look out of the corner of his eye.  

“I get it, Rugarus can be dangerous. This one seems to be starving.” You nodded your head and looked out the window. The bodies were something you knew you could never unsee. Their torn and mangled flesh. The bite marks. The blood. It was overwhelming. When you had seen them, you thought you might faint. They were all around your age. All women who were just trying to find someone to spend the night with. Trying to find company and companionship. They had walked right into the arms of a monster. You knew you had to do this, but the thought of not killing this guy on sight was making your skin crawl.  

Dean pulled up to the shop and you walked together. You picked out a few dresses that you liked and held them up for Dean. He shook his head at each one. You were getting annoyed; you knew you should have just done this on your own. Finally, you found one that Dean agreed to and you tried it on. When you slipped it on over your skin you had to do a double take in the mirror. It was a soft and buttery silk that draped across your body, hugging you in all the right places. You smoothed it down and allowed yourself to smile in the mirror. You opened the curtains with your eyes still looking down at the dress. Your feet were still stuffed into your favorite socks and you had forgotten to shave. You looked up hopefully at Dean. His face fell slightly, but he quickly gathered his composure.  

“Yep. That will do it.” He said still staring at you with wide eyes. You rubbed your hand over your bicep nervously and gave him a shy smile. You paid for the dress and made your way back to the motel. You were nervous in the seat, your fingers playing with the hem of your shirt. You frequently looked at Dean from the side of your eyes and silently begged him to come up with a better plan. You weren't scared about being bait. You weren't even scared about outrunning a Rugaru in heels. You were scared to put yourself in such a vulnerable situation in front of Sam. You would never want him to think of you as someone who couldn’t handle herself, but that’s what you had to act like. You had to act like you didn’t know the first thing about monsters and how to kill them. When in reality the boys had been relying on your expertise for years now. You pulled up to the motel and walked in to find Sam hunched over a book.  

“Hey.” He greeted you with a smile. “Did you find something?” He placed the book he was reading in his lap.  

“Yeah she did.” Dean said behind you, a wide and obnoxious grin on his face. You rolled your eyes at him and looked back over to Sam, smiling at his confused expression.  

The rest of the day passed with detailed notes, lunch, and building nerves. The time finally came for you to get ready and you slipped into the bathroom. You got into the shower and tried to let the warm water wash away some of your worries. You kept telling yourself it would be fine, that everything would work out just the way you had planned, but that seemed farfetched. Then there was Sam. You knew that you were nervous to flirt with someone else in front of him, but it was more than that. You were holding in a secret. A deep desire to be with him. You were madly in love with him and by getting all dressed up and acting flirtatious, it could lead to him pulling away. There was no one you had ever wanted as much as you wanted Sam. His long fingers dancing across your skin. His pink tongue tasting every inch of you. His perfect mouth molding against yours. You found yourself whispering his name against the pitch black of night. Your eyes automatically looked for him when you walked into a room. Your breath only said his name in times of hurt or distress. You desperately wanted things to remain the same, sending up a prayer to anyone who was listening. You dried yourself off and got ready for your night. You did your hair and makeup the way you liked it before slipping on your dress. You looked at yourself in the mirror and took in a calming and cleansing breath. You opened the door and faced the night head on.  

Sam was sitting on the bed, he felt uneasy and not sure what to do with his hands. He had them in his lap, that felt weird. He crossed them, that felt even worse. Finally, he hunched forward and let his elbows rest on his thighs. He was nervous, there was no denying that. This felt different. Sure, there had been hunts before when the three of you had put yourself in a dangerous situation, but this was new. Dressing you up and making you flirt with a monster so he could try and take you home. It all just felt wrong. He ran his hands over his face and closed his eyes. How was he going to do this? How was he going to watch you flirt with this monster that had already killed five women? Not just killed them, torn them apart and eaten them. He knew this was going to be hard. He knew he was going to get pissed, but he also knew that you could handle it. He knew you didn’t need backup and that he and Dean were only going in case things got really out of hand. You were one of the best hunters he had ever seen. The way you charged into every fight with everything you had was something Sam didn’t think he could ever get used to. You were the first thing he thought about every morning and some nights he would close his eyes and just picture you to help calm him. When the world around him was crazy and the walls seemed to be closing in, that’s when he looked at you. He found his peace within you. His solace was wrapped in your arms, your skin against his. There were times when he would look at you and forget any bad thing that had ever happened to him. He was in love with you. No other way to say it.  

His thoughts were interrupted when the bathroom door opened and you stepped into the room. Your head was turned away from him and your hands were fumbling with the zipper. Sam's heart immediately dropped and his chest tightened. The way the dress formed to your body suddenly made him feel dizzy and thank god he was sitting, because the way you looked would have brought him to his knees. He swallowed hard, feeling the moisture leave his mouth. Heat filled his entire body and he let out a shaky breath.  

“Can one of you help me with this?” You asked, looking up and finding only Sam staring straight at you. Your breath caught in your throat and you licked your lips, suddenly feeling tipsy. Sam’s eyes shot to yours and he quickly nodded. He stood up from the bed and moved over to you. You turned around so he could zip the dress and you could feel his hot breath against your exposed skin. His fingers easily slid the zipper up and he stepped away from you.  

“Thank you.” You said, trying to ignore the buzz forming along your skin. Sam nodded his head, and sent you a small smile. You turned and slid your feet into your black heels, bending one leg slightly as you put your earrings in your ears. Sam had to sit down again before he ripped the dress off your body. His hands were itching to touch you. His skin felt like there was an electrical current running through it, that could only be sated by you.  

“Hey, can I ask you something?” He said, placing his hands onto his thighs.

“Of course.” You looked over at him.  

“You seem to not want to get dressed up. Is there a reason?” He seemed nervous to ask you. You smiled and looked down at your feet, moving your shoes against the carpet.

“I like getting dressed up as much as the next girl, but when I put a dress on, I feel like everyone sees me different. Like, I am no longer this badass hunter, I’m a girl who can’t do anything. People view me as something that I am not. They create this romanticized version of me, and then when I am not that thing...they get upset. I feel like people see me for who I really am when I am in jeans and a t-shirt, just hanging out.” Your fingers were twisting together and your eyes had looked off into the distance as you spoke.  

“I think you look beautiful no matter what you are wearing and I know you could kick anyone's ass any day. Y/N, I have always seen you as the smart, funny, and intelligent person that I greatly admire and respect.” The words left Sam’s mouth before he could fully edit them. Had he said too much? Did he just ruin your friendship? He looked up to your eyes to see you just staring at him.  

“I feel the same way about you.” Your perfect lips said and it took everything inside Sam not to grab you to him. He could almost feel your skin under him. Hear your beating heart against his. His hands twitched and he felt the sweat pooling in the notch below his throat.

Thankfully the tension in the room was cut when Dean walked in, holding a fresh can of gasoline.  

“Holy shit, Y/N, you look...” His voice trailed off looking at you and cleared his throat.  

“See?” You pointed to Dean with your thumb and looked at Sam. Sam smiled at you, chuckling under his breath.

“You guys ready?” Dean asked.  

“As I’ll ever be.” You said, grabbing your purse and heading for the car. You instructed Dean to pull over on the road away from the bar.  

“Why?” He asked.  

“Because what monster man is gonna think I’m lonely and in need of company when I’m getting out of a car with two men?” You climbed out of the car and fixed your dress. Then you placed your hands on the passenger side of the car and leaned down. Sam was so close you could smell his cologne. “I’ll see you guys in there.” They both nodded at you. Dean sent you a wink and Sam just looked at you with a strange expression. You made your way to the bar and opened the door, feeling the warmth from inside fan across your cold skin. You felt eyes on you as you walked over to the bar. Your skin was crawling with the weight of all their stares. You sat down and tried to act calm, cool, and collected. You ordered a drink and waited. It was almost time. 

-----------------

Sam and Dean walked into the bar and immediately made their way to the back, finding a table. Dean went to the bar and ordered two beers while Sam scanned the room. He was trying not to look at you, but he was failing miserably. This was nothing new, Sam could never keep his eyes off you. So many times, he caught himself staring longingly at you while you went about your day. Whenever he walked into a room, his eyes went directly to you. Anytime he needed a reminder of the good in the world he found himself looking to you. You looked stunning in that dress, the way it folded into the curves of your body was driving Sam crazy. He felt a tap on his chest and looked over at Dean who was staring at a guy across the room. The way he was looking at you made Sam’s entire body go into red alert. His mouth was curled up almost into a snarl as his eyes scanned every inch of you. This had to be him, this had to be their guy. Everything in Sam was screaming at him to run to you. To warn you in some way, but they had to let this play out just a little longer. He walked over to you with quick strides, and slid into the seat next to you. You turned towards him and gave him a warm smile. Sam loved your smile, the way it lit up your entire face. He couldn’t help but feel the jealousy and anger brewing deep in his gut. The man reached forward and let his finger trail down your arm, leaning in closer to you. Sam's body stiffened under his jacket, his heart rate skyrocketing. His fingers were curled so tightly around his glass, he thought it might break. The man then moved his hand up your thigh and under your dress slightly. If Sam thought he was angry and jealous before, watching his thumb slide under the hem of your dress, brought out something deep within him. His lip twitched and the fingers of his other hand curled into a fist. He let out a harsh breath through his nose and felt all his nerve endings go into overdrive. Dean had to physically hit him to get him to snap out of it. When he looked back over at you, this guy’s fucking face was in the crook of your neck. You made eye contact with Sam and sent him a small smile, letting your eyes linger on his for a moment. Sam felt his muscles relax slightly and he sent you a smile back. You pushed on his chest to get him to look at you and flicked your head towards the door, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. You and him moved from the bar and out into the night. Sam slammed the rest of his beer down and walked after you two, Dean on his heels. When Sam walked out the door his eyes immediately found you getting into this guy's car. His eyes widened and he all but sprinted to the impala, climbing in and turning the ignition. Dean barely made it into the car before Sam sped off after the two of you.  

“Sam, calm down. Y/N can take care of herself.” Dean tried to reason with his brother.  

“You think I don’t know that? She’s one of the toughest people I have ever met.” Sam gripped the steering wheel tighter, his voice growing in volume as he spoke.  

“Then why are you driving my car like a jackass?” Dean yelled back.  

“Because I love her!” Sam said, hitting the steering wheel with his hand. He took a long breath into his lungs and looked over at Dean, “Because I love her and even though I know she can handle it, I have to be there for her.” His voice was softer this time. There was a moment of silence between the two brothers.  

“Left.” Dean said, pointing at the car turning onto a side street. Sam parked the car on the road near the house. Him and Dean got out and quickly made their way up the driveway with flamethrowers and guns in hand.  

-------------------

The rugaru pushed you against the wall as soon as you walked into the house. His breath felt disgusting against your skin. You kicked him hard in the shin, sending him down to the floor. He reached up, grabbing a fistful of your dress and throwing you to the ground next to him. You heard the fabric tear from the force, but you didn’t care. You both stood back up and faced each other. He had an animalistic smile on his face, his eyes wide and crazed. He swung at you, hitting you in the jaw. You weren't going down, not today. You hit him hard in the gut, then grabbed the back of his head and slammed him into the wall. The front door slammed open and Sam charged in with his flamethrower ready. He lit up the rugaru and the three of you watched him burn. Sam looked you over when it was clear the monster was dead. Your cheek and jaw were red and swollen, your dress was torn, and your breathing was labored. He was still so angry at the rugaru and that they had to use you as bait, but he was so happy that you were ok. He felt everything in him relax and take a moment to appreciate a happy time in life.  

You all went back to the motel and you rented your own room for the night, wanting a bed of your own. Well, at least that’s what you told them, really it was just hard to be in the same room with Sam at night. There was something about the darkness that made you want him even more. You walked into your room and got in the shower. You felt the water warm your skin and calm your aching muscles from your fight with the monster. The warmth of the water didn’t do anything for your heart though. That was one ache that never quite went away. You sighed and climbed out of the shower, getting in your pajamas. You got into bed and pulled the covers up tight around you, closing your eyes and waiting for sleep. It never came. The scratchy motel sheets were a reminder of the minutes ticking by with no rest. You rolled onto your back and stared at the water stained ceiling. A knock on the door startled you. Your brow furrowed as you went over to the door, opening it hesitantly. Sam stood on the other side of it, his t-shirt tight around his muscular arms, sweatpants hanging low on his hips.  

“Sam, wha-.” You didn’t get to finish your question. Sam grabbed your face between his large hands and pressed his lips to yours. You made a surprised squeal, but quickly melted against him. It was better than you thought it would be. Your mouths opened together and his tongue licked your bottom lip, pulling you even closer. His hands moved down your body and hooked under your thighs, lifting you against him. He moved and pushed your back against the wall, rolling his hips against you. You moaned into his mouth and pulled on his hair slightly. His fingers wrote full symphonies against your skin. He was so warm. His heart beating in time with yours. His lips roaming and tasting every inch of you. You broke apart to breathe. He rested his forehead against yours, his breath was coming in fast and heavy. His massive hand came up to rest on your chest. His thumb running up and down your throat.  

“I love you.” He whispered into the space between you. You twisted your fingers into his hair and nuzzled your nose against his.  

“I love you too, Sam.” You said back. It was happening. Everything you had ever wanted was here in front of you. His lips were back on yours; you could feel his smile on your lips. His strong arms lifted you once again and laid you down on the bed. His hands slid under your pajama shirt and you could feel the ache in your heart mending itself. He grabbed at your soft flesh, loving the way you felt underneath him. He took both your hands in his and lifted them over your head. He was so close. His skin sliding over yours. The two of you were perfectly intertwined in each other. He was perfect in every way. You had never experienced this much pleasure before. It was spreading throughout you like wildfire, hot and fast.  

When it was over and you both came down from your highs, he wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his head against your chest. You listened to his steadying breathing and felt your heart slowing in your chest. He crawled back up again, his face level with yours.  

“Say it again.” He asked you. You blinked your eyes open and twisted a strand of his hair in between your fingers, placing it gently behind his ear.

“I love you.” You looked directly into his eyes. He smiled and looked away, a small laugh leaving his lips.  

“You have no idea I have waited to hear you say that.” He kissed your forehead, then your eyes, your cheeks, and finally your cheeks.  

“Probably as long as I have.” You laughed.  

“I’m sorry I waited for you to be used as bait.” His fingers brushed across your temple.  

“I’m sorry I waited for me to be used as bait.” You smiled and ran your fingertips over his back.  

“I’ll never let you go.” He promised you.  

“Never.” You agreed.

Tags: @watermelonlipstick​ @hecatemacbeth7​ @mila-dans​

[midnight-writ3r]

You, Me and the Monsters

Kang Yeosang x Genderneutral reader

Summary: You and Yeosang have been hunters since you were children. It had always been the both of you vs. the world of the supernatural.

And no one does it like the two of you.

Genre: Supernatural! AU, action, fantasy, fluff

Warnings: Mentions of blood, cursing

A/N: I started re-watching supernatural, cause I have to catch up with the final and I remember nothing from the previous seasons :´D So, I really got into the mood and the spirit! I also wanted to write something for Ateez for a while now, so yay! Hope you like it!

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The world is filled with monsters.

They hide under your bed, in your closet, sometimes even yourself. As a hunter, you had to learn that the hard way and you had to learn it as a child. On the day, you understood that all the stories were real, all the myths and legends were born from truth, you lost your mother and sister. Your father had slain the vampire, responsible for their death. However, both of you knew, it wouldn´t be enough to bring them back.

Furious in your mourning, you and him had sworn to rid the world from those creatures. Not just vampires, no. Everything that caused pain, suffering and death. You never cared that, in the progress, you left quite a trail of blood yourself. It was everything you could do not to loose your sanity. Everything, you could focus on, to not fall apart. A task. A duty. A family business.

Your father and you had always been a team and, soon enough, you were a big part of the hunter community. Connections in every city, aquaintances in every village. Your eyes and ears extended to every corner of the continent.

Which is how you met Yeosang. A talented hunter, despite being two years younger than you. From the first moment, the two of you clicked and soon enough, instead of joining your dad on his missions, you reached out to Yeosang instead.

He always had your back and you trusted him without hesitation.

Like right now.

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio!” Your voice rang out loud in the shabby apartment and the woman in Yeosang´s grip screamed at an inhuman pitch.

As she thrashes, her nails dig into the boy´s arm, drawing bloody, red lines across his dirty skin. Her head knocks back against his jaw and he groans. She even elbows him in the ribs several times. But he doesn´t let up, because that would mean your certain death.

That demon had gotten to you when he wasn´t around. Apparently the news of the demon nest you, your father and Yeosang excorcised two weeks ago had gone around and now, the leftovers have decided to take revenge. She had taken you off guard, kidnapping you and waiting for your father and Yeosang to look for you. You´re tied to a chair, defenseless and, until Yeosang had removed the gag from you a few seconds ago, also muted.

If he were to let go, one hit from the demon would be enough to kill you.

You scream over your raw throat: “infernalis adversarii, omnis legio!“

The woman screeches again and your heart jumps, when you see familiar, black smoke emerge from her lips and eyes. It slowly rises into the air, like smoke from an extinguished campfire. Yeosang´s grip tightens and he scrunches his face up with the effort. It causes the cut on his lip to rip open wider, but he doesn´t even wince.

“omnis congregatio et secta diabolica!” You spit at the demon´s knees, pleased with her frightened eyes, as she realizes the situation, “Take that, you son of a bitch!”

The cloud of dark smoke breaks out of the woman like a fire and as you blink the sharpness of it out of your eyes, it disappears through the ceiling.

Then: Silence.

You release a breath, you didn´t notice you had been holding. Yeosang, with the now unconscious woman in his arms, sighs and falls back on his butt. You examine him quickly, taking in the wounds he sports on his torso and face; Apart from the cuts on his lip and arm, there is also a big slash on his ribs, the shirt around it torn. As you look closer at his low shirt-neckline, you even find something that looks like a bloodied bitemark. You´ve got a fair share of your own wounds, but in comparison, he seems to have gotten the short end of the stick.

Finally, Yeosang moves the woman off him and gently places her on the ground. Like the gentleman, he likes to say he is, he takes off his leather jacket and huddles it into a ball, to place it under her head. Then, he is by your side.

With a knife, that had been tossed out of his grasp throughout the fight, he cuts your restrains open quickly. When your wrists are free, you rub the blood back into them. There´s a burning sensation against your cheek, where the demon had repeatedly hit you and you carefully rub it.

“Don´t.” Yeosang catches your wrist, “It´s going to get infected. Wouldn´t wanna have that turn into a scar.”

You nod, getting to your feet. Cracking your neck, you stretch the stiffness out of your limbs.

“You okay?” he asks you, holding your neck and fixing you with a worried gaze.

You nod, “Better than ever. Seeing that fucker go down was more satisfying than a box of ice cream.”

He grins at your reply and together, you start to clean up. Yeosang calls two of your hunter friends, to take the woman to a hospital, while the two of you can go home and rest. As soon as you arrive at the motel, you´re currently staying at, you fall into your bed with a groan. You´ve never felt this tired in your life.

No, that´s a lie. You felt that tired, when you ran after that skinwalker for two hours last month. Unfair stamina advantage. You felt even more tired when you were haunted by a nightmare three months ago, and weren´t allowed to go to sleep for a good five days. You do feel very tired right now though and you think you have every right to.

Yeosang has different plans though. He walks over to you and taps your leg, “You´re going to get your bed all dirty. I doubt you´d be pleased to wake up tomorrow and smell like literal death.”

You just groan into your pillow, “Leave me here, the stench of death matches how I feel.”

He chuckles and suddenly, you´re lifted into the air. Squealing, you feel how Yeosang adjusts you in his arms and carries you to the bathroom.

“Let me down! You´ll hurt yourself!” You demand.

He does drop you onto the edge of the sink then, but only because he had reached his goal anyways. With a warm smile and a beaten face, he looks at you. You know that look of course, since it´s one of your favourites: It´s that pure sort of adoration, so innocent that you momentarily forget about your dark lifestyle. It´s relieving and addicting. Because, truth be told, you doubt that it´s a feeling you´ll ever be able to experience full-time. You´ve accepted that a long time ago, but to say that you don´t enjoy it, would be a lie.

“Good hunt.” Yeosang murmurs, his hands placed on either side of your hips, leaning against the sink, “I´ll give your exorcism a solid… eight.”

“Eight?” You mock-gasp, “How dare you, it was at least a nine.”

Yeosang shrugs, his face forming a thoughtful expression, “Nuh, you kinda slurred the omnis immundus spiritus part and your voice-technique could have had more projecting.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you, too.”

You roll your eyes and take his face in your hands, placing a peck on his lips. He smiles, happily, and dives right back in for another. And then another and another. Kissing Yeosang has the same effect as that certain look: It makes you forget everything you don´t want to think about, even if it´s just for a short moment. The shitty bathroom light glows on his cheeks and nosebridge and even with his hair dishevelled and blood-stained, he still looks as beautiful as you had always expected angels to look.

His hand sneaks up to your waist, but you stop him just in time, “Nu-uh. Wounds first.”

With a pout, he lets you shuffle the two of you, until your positions are reversed. Without asking him, he takes off his shirt, tossing it right into the trash. There is no way you could have washed the blood out of that, and even if you could, there are more holes than fabric at this point. Giving an appreciative hum, you treat each of his wounds with disinfectant and bandages, also making sure to check on the older wounds from the last days.

Once you´re satisfied, you let him pull off your own shirt and give the same treatment to you. It´s a comfortable silence that envelopes the two of you and you allow your eyes to close with a smile.

After a good ten minutes, Yeosang´s arms snake around your neck and he pulls you against his chest. His skin is warm and the touch gives you more comfort than anything else could ever have. You hug him back, nose buried in his neck and inhaling his familiar, unique scent, to the point that you wouldn´t want to breathe in anything else. His hand goes through your hair, soothing motions and steady pressure.

“I´m so glad you´re okay.” he whispers.

You smile to yourself, “Me too. Thank you for coming for me.”

“Of course”, his grip tightens just a little, growing almost desperate, “I´ll always come for you Y/N. You´re the only thing that makes facing this world, filled with monsters, worth it.”

Your heart jumps against his chest, trying to escape and join his instead, “Likewise.” then, with a happy little smile, you add: “Guess that means we´ll just have to keep each other alive, until we grow old.”

“I might sound naive, but I think we can do it.” he says.

You nod, “Yes, I think we can do it.”

It is naive, certainly. But if you don´t, then this world would bring you down tomorrow. Yeosang is everything you can hold onto. The silver lining on the horizon.

And you are his. 

-*- FIN -*-

[vindvin]

օƒ ցօӀժ ąղժ çɾìʍʂօղ.

𝖜𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝖈𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖕𝖝𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖋𝖗𝖚𝖎𝖙.

two months worth of writing, this thread encompasses most.

pxssionfruit/thegildedone ; Chailee's hands were bunched into fists of rage at her sides as she refrained herself from lashing out at the commotion that had overtaken the townsquare. A shoe flew past her head, falling miserably when it didn't hit it's supposed target of her father who stood in the midst of it all, his arms raised as he preached on. A snort slipped past her mouth and it only earned her a glare from the man in front of her. And soon enough, the poker face was back, her ears perking up at the mention of the catastrophe that caused the whole town to gather. Oh, how she'd love for it to be for a feast instead of the issue at hand. "It must be done! A virgin girl or the whole town will perish! We have no choice!" her father, Robert exclaimed in an exasperated tone which did nothing to reassure the frenzied town since he only got shouts and yells and another surge of shoe hits. Chailee remembered the story and lore about how a girl would be dolled pompously and be sent off amidst a flutter of flowers and tears to the mansion that sat atop the hill to the monster that lived there, never to be seen again. It was the tale that got children to scamper to bed every evening, the kind to even make grown men shiver in their worn boots and the old women to whisper and add more than necessary spices to the story. The antagonists of the stories differed all the time; some said he was just a cruel man who wanted a harem of young girls, some imagined a fearsome diety who was always famished and liked feasting on the souls of virgins and so on. She'd never believed in any of it... until now, that is. Even then, it was just a speck of doubt that had nestled itself in her mind. "We can't let our daughters be sacrificed to such evil anymore!" a woman screeched, causing Chailee to snap out of her reverie. Dark gaze followed the span of the crowd to land of the stout woman who had called out. From her spot, Chailee could notice the tear streaks that had stained Mrs. Lee's plump and red face, the woman a haphazard mess as she pushed forward so she could stand face to face with Robert. The girl who was no older than 16 summers thought back to the time when the town had such meeting again; it was 10 years ago and she was just a tiny little creature, clinging onto her father's leg in fear as the crowded kept shouting again. Back then, it was Mrs. Lee's daughter who was sacrificed. Bone chilling horror was quick to settle in Chailee's body when she realized that Bethany had been the same age as she was now. She was quick to gauge the situation; there were several other girls of the same age and they were all considered at the ripest time to live their lives, marriage ensuing soon for most. The ongoing argument would soon dwindle down to select the lamb and it was only a matter of time before the girl was gone and life would resume again for everyone else. Sure, the occasional prayer of remembrance would take place but really, no one would care for another ten years or so. It had to stop. For the sake of all of their futures. Chailee's feet moved on their own accord, small yet lithe frame pushing past the people in front to get to the front, her face composed in relaxed resilience. Or maybe, defiance was the more appropriate term. "I volunteer." She spoke, tone loud and calm as if waiting for the impending loom of the storm. The crowd quieted down in shock, her father staring back absolutely flabbergasted. It was strange how she found the way his mouth fell open and closed like a fish as he tried to find the words to take sense into her funny. But there was no talking the girl back. "Do not stop me, father. I should be no different than any other girl here. Please." There was no argument after that. Instead, the crowd dissipated to get the preparations of the farewell done. She knew what would follow; prayers to bid her goodbye and a safe journey (though she didn't know whether it was to the mansion or to the afterlife), feasts to fatten her up, bathes and pampering to make sure she looked the part of a pretty lamb. She had always been sure it was an act and never one for fanfare, she'd made up her mind. In two days, she would be sent off on the lonely path to the haunted mansion but Chailee had other plans. She left that very night, quiet and clad in the simplest of outfit of trousers and a shirt. They were the clothes of a man, much less one of a young woman but she didn't care. She'd filled her burlap bag with her favorite books and armed herself with her father's sickle just in case and off she was, on her way to her doom with the tune of the local lullaby on her lips.

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venitempus/vindvin ;

all good stories begin with ‘once upon a time’ and end with ‘happily ever after’. his once upon a time started in 1401, when a silly little boy decided to play with a witty old hag. still a teenager back then, he believed his charm, his promise of love, and his adoring gaze would be enough to make her bless him forever. he loved living, and wanted to live forever – she loved him, so she granted his wish. but, when she was preparing her potion, she saw – he was holding another. enraged, and betrayed she made sure his ‘forever after’ would be filled with pain, and suffering. so much pain that he would wish he was dead, but he would never be able to die. a bitter heart brings about a bitter life – and with the taste of iron on his lips, he succumbed to his deepest, narcissistic desires. centuries melted in a pot – all that hatred, that rage, that unfathomable hunger. he has lived through it all, over and over again. it was his curse to fall, and rise with the tide, it was his demeanour that made him a monster, that made him impossible to look at. his fangs so sharp, they would tear anything apart – and they did. when he stepped out of the shadows people would quiver, their pale bodies would crumble – in an unexplainable worship, infatuation, admiration. beauty was his curse. and blood was a cure he could not afford – the price of life for his immortality, he paid it even when he did not want to. he tore everyone apart – their hearts meant nothing to him, his own was stone cold. his ‘happily ever after’ ended when the first drip of blood coated his sinful tongue. his handsome features did not wilt over eons of suffering, and his oh-so-sweet smile never perished in front of a challenge – the witch did not take away the one thing she fell for. he must admit, after centuries of fun, being stuck in a castle was quite boring, to the point that he would do anything for a little entertainment. this era was disobedient, they casted him out like a stranger – even though he owned them, he was their rightful ruler. he was forced to inflict pain and fear from afar, he was obliged to hide his face from them – and what a pity it was, for his eyes were truly mesmerising. he could not hide for long, though. so he invented the cursed terms – he wanted his fun, so he asked for a new companion every year. a young girl would be sent off to visit the mysterious dark castle, and she almost always arrived on a stormy night. seeking warmth, quivering in fear – she would step inside never to be seen again. he did create the myth of it all quite well, his servants mingled with the public and spread rumours, rumours turned into a cry for help. but he was not really interested in stripping these maidens, or taking them forcefully. that was rather disgusting to him – although, they always ended up begging to be taken. his purpose was another, he wanted to have someone that could challenge him intellectually, that could put up with his moods, his wit, his temperament – someone he could make his companion for life. he was rather lonely, and as mentioned, very bored. but all girls who ended up in his company were either too scared, or too promiscuous. so what can a poor vampire do when his prey does not behave? of course he had to kill them, one by one. *** “sire,” a man entered, quivering from head to foot, covered in water. it was a stormy night, and aloysius was stuck inside yet again, obliged to watch the drops of water wash his immense windows, draping his legs over his throne’s armrests. with a bored expression, and a frown that would tell anyone to ‘cut their story short’, aloysius addresses his subject. “what is the matter now, latrell?” his gaze drifted, as a small object caught his interest. it was shining in the old man’s hands, and he put an effort into hiding it. aloysius’ smirk grew, and in a swift movement, he was in front of the old man, startling him with his speed. “s-sire, I-“ aloysius pressed a finger over his lips to keep him quiet. the man’s face turned red, and he wanted to scurry away quickly. he grabbed the silver dagger from the man’s hands with a twisted smile, playing with it like it was a toy. “are you trying to kill me? how exciting, latrell! but you have to do better than this, really,” his smirk grew wider, he leaned in to whisper in his ear. his voice deeper, and emotionless. “silver does not kill me, but it sure kills a silly human,” aloysius pressed the dagger against the man’s chest, watching him gasp for air with a smile. he pushed the dagger in, the man stopped breathing. after he dropped dead, aloysius stepped over his body and walked away, still bored out of his mind. “thank you for trying, marley. but that was rather anticlimactic. make sure his blood is collected, just in case,” he glanced at is humble servant, a young boy with mousy features. he was head over heels in love with aloysius, and obeyed his every wish. nobody inside the castle liked it when their master was bored, he tended to lash out. so sending ‘hunters’ in was one way to entertain him – and usually they would send more experienced hunters, some that put up a fight. now, those were exciting to kill. *** the big day has arrived, and aloyisus was up early. he hated the sun, and because of his curse, he could not really touch it – it would burn him, but not kill him, so what was the point? he dressed up elegantly, and debated whether he should wear the golden mask, or the black one – he decided gold. he enjoyed hiding his face at the first encounter, he was well-aware that his good looks could charm anyone into submission – and he liked a challenge, he enjoyed it when they squirmed and screamed. when the night fell, he was ready to welcome his new victim. he waited, his servants were around him looking elegant, and put together. aloyisus was towering over all of them, he was rather tall – it made him look more intimidating. when the knock on the door came, aloyisus smirked. he let his servants answer, waiting at the top of the stairs, like a lion awaits its doe. he looked like a masterpiece – the inside of the castle embracing his flawless appearance. it was paradise – and it was hell. the perfect in-between, the home of lost innocence.

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pxssionfruit/thegildedone ;

Chailee had no idea how long she was walking for; all she knew was that the biting cold of the night had started settling over her bones, causing her to shiver despite the line of sweat that had started to appear over her flesh. Goosebumps rose on her skin, her breath slipping out of her mouth in a mist that just melted and disappeared into the fog. The moon had rose into the sky, the wide silver saucer illuminating her path to the haunted castle. There was no speck of stars, nor was there a trace of cloud. It felt ominous, as if the impending loom was not enough to scare her wits off. No, she wouldn't be scared. She snorted another burst of warm cloud and paused her steps, head tilted back to watch the moon for a moment. It was an ugly thing, scarred and imperfect yet it always looked down on the world in what she thought was a dauntingly mocking smile. Her eyes narrowed into little slits as she gazed at it; there were thousands of folklore that surrounded the moon just like how the monster who lived atop the hill was in the middle of others and she had never been one to believe in them. To Chailee, it was always just one moon. That familiar, yellow, solitary moon. The same moon that silently floated over fields of pampas grass, the moon that rose -a gleaming, round saucer- over the calm surface of lakes, that tranquilly beamed down on the rooftops of fast-asleep houses. The same moon that brought the high tide to shore, that softly shone on the fur of animals and enveloped and protected travelers at night. The moon that, as a crescent, shaved slivers from the soul- or, as a new moon, silently bathed the earth in its own loneliness. And she wondered if just like the moon, the monster was lonely. Just as hideous, sinister and mischief filled yet so protective. Sucking on her inner cheek, she resumed her journey, fingers finding the strap of her burlap bag to keep close.The trek to the foot of the hill was a short one, given how the village was small but the moment she'd reached, she was intimidated by how it towered over her, feeling as small as ever. Swallowing her fear, she went on. And as the time passed, the fog grew thicker. So did the stench that rose from the ground. It was mostly the fecal remains of the stray animals, trash that had been disposed carelessly into piles but underlining everything else was something more potent and the cold only made the stench stronger. Chailee could taste it on her tongue and she forced herself to bite back the bile that rose in her throat, eyebrows furrowed with focus. It was a perilous walk, her breath labored as she stumbled on rocky ground that had been littered with several things she had no heart or mind to find out about. She'd fallen to her knees several times, dirt among other things crusting her boots and trousers and when she raised her hand to wipe the sweat off her face, she smeared murky liquid on her caramel skin. At that point, she was sure she was stinking as bad as the hill itself, knowing she looked like a mess. She was regretting not waiting further so that the rest of the villagers would help her up but it was too late; she was on her own. She didn't know what time it was, nor did she have an inclination of how long it took her to reach the top, her destination barely a couple of feet away. From up close, it looked like a castle instead of a manor or a house so many people had called it. It felt like a fortress too, with arcs that disappeared way over her head and poles that seemed to disappear into the sky. Chailee felt insignificant standing at the foot of the steps that led to the porch and discarding the stick she'd picked up earlier to help herself, she climbed up, almost flinching at the way the wood groaned under her weight. She couldn't flee now, nor was she going to allow herself to be scared. Swallowing thickly, she raised her fist to rap thrice on the wooden door which caused it to creak open under one particular knock. As it heavily swung open, her steps slowed down as she took her first step in. "H-hello?" she hadn't expected her tone to come out in such a mousy squeak so squaring her shoulders and stepping further into the foyer. "Hello? Anybody home?" This time her voice echoed off the walls of the castle, bouncing off the corners and into the dark hallways. It was fascinating to say the least, how her normally huskier tone could sound so hollow and as the echo increased, it got deeper as if it were a monstrous groan who gave her a reply. They came in like some sort of pageantry formation, aligned and barely making a noise. Her breath hitched in her throat and she involuntarily took a step back but halted, figuring from their decent clothes, they were simply servants. They couldn't hurt her, right? The brief thought of taking out the sickle in her bag passed through her mind until one of them spoke, the man in the middle who bowed his head to her as if she was some sort of reality. "Welcome, Miss. My name is Marley and please, you have no reason to fear being here." Chailee wasn't sure if she heard him correctly, his words earning an arched brow. Sure, she had no fear. But figuring that a snarky quip would do her more harm than good, she nodded and composed her face into what she hoped to be a serene smile. It just came off as awkward and toothy. Marley nodded, gesturing the other servants to make way before he motioned for her to follow him. And she did, eyes wide as she took in the sight of the somewhat grandiose castle. Despite it's dark and morose decor, it was calming and aloof. Definitely a juxtaposition from the colorful ways of the village she was from. Her visage had contorted into one of awe as she took everything in, not having realized that they had stopped only coming to a standstill the moment dark gaze fell onto the man who stood at the top of the grande staircase. He exuded power, even from where she stood. The kind who preyed on the weaker ones. Yet somehow, the light of the moon that burst through the windows behind him enveloped the man in some sort of ethereal glow. She remembered a phrase from that one particular book of preaches her father read about one particular being so beautiful that he was cast from the skies. Or something along the lines. She hadn't been keen on reading that one honestly. But supposedly if this man was what she had read about in her father's book, why was he wearing such a grotesque thing over his face? Couldn't be. Her breath came out in a mild scoff as she took a step forward, shoulder brushing against Marley's who just cowered in fear in front of the man. Chailee's face was serene even if her eyes were hard, the tilt of her jaw defiant and stubborn. "Hello. My name is Chai," she spoke, tone loud and clear as she came to a stand at the foot of the stairs he stood on. Her tongue snuck out to swipe across her bottom tier, realising she was parched but went on whatsoever. "Would you mind if you took your mask off? I might as well see the face of the one who is going to eat me, right?"

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venitempus/vindvin ;

❝ And all with pearl and ruby glowing Was the fair palace door, Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing And sparkling evermore, A troop of Echoes, whose sweet duty Was but to sing, In voices of surpassing beauty, The wit and wisdom of their king.* it was once a castle filled with laughter, and bright light – the rooms would embraced splendour, they would bathe all eyes in crystals, and gold. and with every step, every spin, one could get drunk in its glory – people praised it for days to no end. it was once lively, it was once paradise. it still was incredibly charming --- within the massive walls of the gothic castle, there was beauty contained only but in its colour – richly decorated, a masterpiece for everyone who was lucky enough to see it. the interior was vast, and tall – it almost got lost in the moonlight, the eye could not grasp just how much it entailed. the drapes were scarlet, made of velvet – they did not cover the intriguing windows, lavishly ornamented with delicate orchids. the rose wood was a staple piece in the hallway – the stairs, the balustrade, the occasional wood figurines. the floor squeaked – it was old, history ate at it, the scent of old wood was wrapping the entire room. pillars carved with love, uniquely disproportioned – all gothic art found its beauty in inaccuracy, in immense and pompous decorations. there were renaissance-style paintings framed in gold hanging, of men and women who looked like they have been around for a while. the brush strokes mimicked those of masterful artists like michaelangelo. they were forced to stare at the doorway – and from the ceiling hung a marvellous golden chandelier. the consistent orchid-pattern held in the golden swirls, the light was dim and pleasant, enough to support the room’s glory. old books were arranged on small shelves – their spines colour-coded, fading from a pale red, to a deep red. ❝ But evil things, in robes of sorrow, Assailed the monarch’s high estate; (Ah, let us mourn!—for never morrow Shall dawn upon him, desolate!) And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.* --- but death clung on its drapes, death crept in, death reached its claws, death was craved in its wood. they stopped coming – guests hated death’s breath. and the once glorious castle stood solitary on a hill, it told the story of the rise and fall, the tide of life – and its towers reached the sky, its inside was hollow. it collapse in its breath-taking excellence, embraced the shadows of evil, absorbed the blood, filled the void with nothingness. it was empty, and broken. just like his heart. ⚜⚜⚜ when he stepped down the stairs, he looked as though he was floating – so flawlessly did his steps embrace the crimson carpet, and the wooden floor. his hands were behind his back, the golden mask obscured his smirk – it was creepily staring at everything around. he was elegant – perhaps not the first thing one expects from a supposed ‘monster’. he looked more like a prince than an evil beast, his white shirt and dark pants made him stand out in the sea of burgundy. his clothes were perfectly fitted for him – no doubt a personal tailor fashioned them for him, and only for him. his servants bowed in obedience, they did not like to keep their heads up when he passed by – his musky scent made them painfully loyal, and terribly scared. there was something off about the way he moved his hands, his pale fingers extending to fold gracefully, falling on his chest as he bowed to welcome his guest. aloysius took his time observing the girl, he did not move from his spot – he was closer now, yet not close enough. there was distance between them, his cold eyes analysed every single muscle in her body. it was impossible for any detail to escape his keen eye – the way she clenched her hands, her neck, her attire, her young face, her neck. yes, she did have a pretty neck – young, firm, pale. he resisted his beastly thirst, and thankfully she could not see his fangs peeking through. other than that, she looked awfully normal, almost boringly so. aloysius struggled to keep his attention on her, she did not promise anything different – it took him a moment to spot the object peeking out of her bag. now, that was interesting. girls hated weapons – he knew that much, especially young ones like her. they adored the ornate dresses, the beautiful stockings their parents forced them to wear. but she had none of the astonishing decorations victorians praised themselves for – she almost looked like a man. he wanted to dissect her, dig deep into her mind and find out just why she choose to look like this on her funeral. it was bugging him, so much so that he decided he shall let her live for now. even if she was carrying a weapon. “sire, I’m sorry, w-we didn’t-“ a servant, who just noticed the weapon, stuttered and tried to approach aloysius. his master cut him off, raising a hand to stop him from walking. it was a sudden movement, and it made the servant step back, almost stumbling over his own feet. two female servants came to his aid. the movement behind did not bother aloysius, as if he could see everything despite not looking. “that would be enough,” he said, his voice pleasantly melodious. there was an undistinguishable accent coating every word, and it did made the servant gulp. aloysius did not tolerate mistakes, his generosity made marley look at the girl in a last dying hope. but he looked away quickly, not wanting to be discovered. aloysius stepped closer, allowing his presence to crash into her like a wave – he got close enough to be indecent. he looked at her for a while, before speaking. “I do not think chai wishes to be hostile,” his voice almost sounded commanding. he did not care for her wishes, it was his will she shall obey. he made it seem lighter by taking a step back, and by letting out a short chuckle. “silly of me, I should have known you are not an admirer of art,” he did not mean to sound superior – well, perhaps he did. his ego was as big as his --- personality. and he felt at an advantage as a species. he slowly removed the mask, revealing his handsome features. his face was immediately caressed by the soft light, and his lips curled into a sweet smile, almost too blissful and alluring. “I have no clue what stories you heard in the village, but I surely do not eat my guests. my name is aloysius, and whilst you are here, you may make yourself at home. of course, there will be rules. I am sure I can count on you to be as pleasant a guest as I will be a host,” and with that he stepped away, walking towards the living room. he uttered a last command before disappearing from view. “give her some decent clothes, will you?” it was a signal for his servants to approach the girl. an older lady bowed respectfully, and offered to carry her bag. marley seemed quite excited. “madame, I think our lord likes you. he is not usually like this,” he said hopefully, as if he was not quite sure about what he was saying. he knew aloysius’ hearing was sharper than any human’s, so he tried not to insult, or give away too much. the servants followed his steps, and marley made sure to stick as close as possible. they led her upstairs – supposedly her room was there. -- *notes // fragments from e. a. poe’s poem the haunted palace: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52370/the-haunted-palace mask inspiration: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/43/38/e7/4338e77728edfae8350869d39a8ab6c6.jpg aloysius’ outfit inspiration: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWYRy1tU8AwjaRq?format=jpg&;name=large interior inspiration: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1b/9f/93/1b9f9355cdd17cacb85d0e1080663ed1.jpg

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pxssionfruit/thegildedone ;

The castle was a morose place in it’s beauty- grim and underlying of darkness in the way the shadows seemed to be dancing in a whimsical rhythm in the moonlight and how every corner seemed to be hide beasts that willed their preys into their arms. Chai was quick to take everything in; how the servants easily fell to his will and command and how their eyes had a glazed look in them, unfocused yet still at their own will. It was fascinating but she was more intrigued by the man. He moved with stealthy grace. It looked like he was floating above the ground, his body barely contorting in the way a human would move as if a single motion would disrupt the perfection and elegance he carried himself with. She didn’t realize she’d kept a breathe pent in her throat until he spoke and she released it in a huff of warm air, gaze flitting to the servant who cowered in fear. It was funny how the mundane stumbled over his own feet, such a stark contrast to the man who stood atop the staircase. A chuckle slipped past Chai before she even realized it and she would have laughed at the sight had it not been for the mocking tone that resounded next. Thick eyebrows furrowed together trying to decipher whether the man was serious, the mocking tone that underlaid the otherwise generous words that spilled out of him taking her aback. He spoke with charm and grace but there was a hint of taunt in there, as if he was superior than the rest of them. Then again, he probably was, given how his monstrous beauty wasn't mundane in the least bit. She'd never taken commands well, even back in the village but realizing that a quip dripping with snark here and there wouldn't fair her well at all, she pressed her lips together, gaze falling to her dirty boots in an attempt to hold herself back but when another pair of shoes, one that seemed like a mirror with how polished it was stepped into her line of vision, her head lifted, raking the length of the man who stood in front of her with a condescending smile on what was rather a handsome face. Doe eyes that was as dark as pools of obsidian stared back at her, authority etched onto the proud nose and the high plains of his face even if his mouth curved into the sweetest of smiles ever, meant to disarm her. It was alluring and captivating, a haze of wonder and awe engulfing her entire being. How could a person be this beautiful? He couldn't be real, he was a monster. The haze was gone as soon as it came, her own stare sharp and focused despite the politeness she spoke with. Thank you, Mrs. Ruth for the little lady lessons. "Thank you for opening your home for me, Aloysius." Chai murmured, nodding once in a bow. She wanted to continue, prying further into the stories she'd heard out of sheer curiosity but he moved before she could carry on, the command he'd uttered the last of what she heard and saw of him before he disappeared into the shadows. The grip on her arms wrenched her out of her thoughts, the weight of her burlap sack taken off her shoulders and it's comfort was gone as was the man of the house. Casting a look of dismay towards the direction he'd taken off to, Chailee allowed the servants to lead her further into the castle, past dim hallways and corridors that were lit with oil lamps and onto a brighter lit extension of the castle after countless of twists and turns of paths. "M'lady, this is your suite. Master had it arranged to what a lady would like,"Marley spoke, pushing open a set of doors so she could walk in. "Should you require or like it to be changed, please let me know." Whatever he said did not register in her brain, the beauty of the room inside leaving her speechless. The first thing she noticed was that even in the moonlight that shone from the wide windows and the several candles someone had painstakingly lit to brighten the room, it was fit for a lady. Marley had been right in that sense but it was not gaudy, so unlike the frilly and girlish decor she knew girls her age were fond of. It was elegant and discreet enough for her to call it home for once. Her eyes trailed over the enormous room, from the carpeted floor to the massive bed that could probably fit her family of five comfortably and to the three women who stood in the middle of the room, their heads bowed as they approached. "These are your ladies in waiting, m'lady. Mariah, Jeannette and Agnes will always be by your side, should you need anything."Marley spoke again, his hand resting on his chest as he bowed again. The ladies followed suit, dipping their bodies close to the ground in a curtsy and Chailee only took a step back, unsure how to process the courtesy they treated her with. Such pleasantries were uncommon where she was from. Clearing her throat so she was loud enough, she carefully arranged her visage into a cordial beam. "Please, you can call me Chai. And I don't need anything, thank you very much. No bowing too please." The woman in the middle approached, her elderly face composed into one of utter obedience as she bowed again. Protests bubbled in the young girl's throat, close to spilling when the woman spoke. "My name is Mariah, miss. We are at your service, per the Master's orders. Now if you will, your bath awaits." It didn't go unnoticed that they refused to call her by her name and her request of no bowing met deaf ears; this needed to change. But she would leave it for now, making mental note of it being one of the issues she needed to take with Aloysius later. For now, a bath sounded and seemed like a very good idea. She smelled of dirt and other unpleasant odors and if she dared to sniff herself, the stench would cause her to faint. Nodding, she let Mariah lead her to the little door that opened to reveal a marble-carved bathroom, the tub that sat in the middle steaming with warm water and scented with something rather mouthwatering and reminiscent of lemon and flowers. Her jaw dropped at it all, unable to believe the rather generous and subdued fanfare they'd welcome her with; Aloysius didn't have the air to be kind or welcoming from what she had felt earlier, but surely he wasn't too bad. The bath did her immense good, the tight muscles that formed everywhere on her body loosening under the heat of the water and steam. She was prodded, scrubbed, brushed and washed, her handmaidens refusing to let her to anything by herself, even when she was getting dressed. Chai had started making a point to fend them off anyhow she could but to no avail, their hands and fingers were always on her, preparing her for what Mariah had said dinner. The thought of food caused a rumble of hunger to erupt from her belly and she thanked Heavens that no one was around to hear such embarrassing sound. The women in waiting had left to clean the bathroom, leaving Chai alone in front of her vanity desk to scrutinize what was there. She was decent-looking now that she was clean and rid of dirt, clad in a proper outfit for a young girl instead of her brother's and father's old clothes. It was a suffocating dress, the corset tight around her torso and she wiggled, trying to loosen it a tad until she was satisfied. Exhaling, she then reached to her hair which they'd tied into a neat updo of braids and fiddled around, pulling out the pins her locks were held with, dark waves tumbling free over her shoulder and down her back. There, much better. She grinned a self-satisfied smirk at her reflection, the image of the village girl back only for it to fade when Marley walked back in. "If it pleases you, my lady, the Master awaits you in the dining area." Chailee nodded, lifting herself from the little cushioned chaise and sauntered to Marley, fingers bunched in her skirt to keep her from falling. She was led the way she had come, the way already ingrained in her brain for future use. The dining area was another grandiose part of the castle, as morose and grim as the hall she'd first met him in. Yet unlike then, there was no man in sight nor any sign of another being, whether it be a monster or human. Marley was long gone, leaving her alone in the midst of the room. "Aloysius?"she called out, taking a few steps further into the room so she could stand in the middle of it, head turning left and right in search for him. ----- her bedroom: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e4/6d/e7/e46de721864fdbf9705dcecddce3b903.jpg the bathroom/hammam: https://pin.it/1yENyPG chai's outfit inspiration: https://pin.it/7l2unhV

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venitempus/vindvin ; 

the beauty of the castle was transported in the dining area, the large room was richly decorated, but hollow – his steps were loud, and the floor squeaked occasionally. he paced in an unusual manner, other servants were waiting for his orders, looking quite terrified at their master’s change of temperament. they did not know if they should expect a feast or a bloodbath, it was never certain with aloysius. he finally sat down, two of the women approached and bowed down respectfully, waiting for their orders. aloysius ignored them, he was lost in thought. “what makes you so morose, sire?” a soft voice spoke from one of the portraits hanging on the wall. it was the image of a beautiful boy immortalised to look young forever – a dorian gray, if you will. aloysius eyes fell on the image unimpressed, two of his servants stepped back shocked by the painting’s ability to speak. but they have learnt nothing in the castle was normal, and aloysius’ magic was certainly not only contained in his sharp fangs, and unusual taste for blood. “mind your own business, will you?” aloysius dismissed the portrait and got up, making his servants get up as well. he finally noticed the synchronised movements, and the doe eyes – he gave them a glare. “you too, partir,” the way he moved told them enough, they left as quickly as they could. aloysius approached the portrait, who looked down at him with a satisfied grin. “any reason you choose to torment me today, roderick?” he locked eyes with the painted ones – and he could tell pink paint bloomed on the boy’s cheeks. “uhm, well – I thought she reminded you of someone,” the portrait said boldly, and aloysius’ eyes darkened, they were dangerous. if he could slash the canvas open – he would. if he could drain the portrait of blood – he would. the words affected him – and he knew exactly why. he will not be able to kill this one, and it was not because her brave nature amused him, no. it was because she looked like her – the witch who cursed him, who made him live forever, miserable and thirsty. part of him would have killed her on the spot – but that face still held power over him. it could be that the girl was her descendant, it would not be unheard of. if there was even the slightest chance they were related, killing her would only make his fate worse – the witch will certainly not like having her daughter, or whatever she was, killed. he did not know how the portrait knew of his thoughts, it seemed to know a lot – and he had no doubt his ‘knowledge’ was a gift from his old enemy. “what do you know, roderick? you are just an old, painted buffoon,” aloysius turned away, and just as he did, he heard a sharp laughter, and a screech that almost made him go deaf. his heightened senses were a curse – especially when a mental portrait starts screaming for no reason. he turned around and saw the image melting – aloysius’ face was impossible to be read. his feelings were also difficult to decipher – he thought he has been poisoned for a moment, the sudden reaction took him slightly off guard, for about a second. roderick’s skin melted off, revealing his skeleton, jaw clattering in a continuous laughter. aloysius rolled his eyes, and sighed. “boring. now stop the theatrics, we have guests,” roderick almost pouted at him – yes, with skeleton face and all. aloysius watched the paint get absorbed back in the painting, roderick’s face appearing again. “do that again, and I will sell you at an auction,” aloyisus said as serious as ever – he was not amused by the portrait’s intrusion and game. “listen, listen, listen, sire,” he started calling when he saw aloysius walk away again. “what I meant is that she looks like a man,” he continued, more desperate now, trying to get aloysius’ attention. “you have fun with men, right?” but aloysius was already gone. “insolent fool,” a portrait of a woman whispered, rolling her eyes, before scoffing. roderick pouted again, then stopped moving. aloysius felt the need to get away from people – from servants and annoying portraits. the living room at the end of the hall was empty now, and the portraits there never bothered him. there was a big piano in the room, and if aloysius ever looked peaceful it was when he was playing it. the portraits there loved his presence – especially if he played something for them. the moonlight was shining on the keys, and aloysius was compelled to approach. he touched the delicate surface, and sat down. he did not need any music sheet – he knew the notes by heart, he has played this composition many times. and light as a feather were his fingers on the keys, they spun and twirled and created the sweet sound of beethoven’s moonlight sonata. and the portraits closed their eyes, and listened mesmerised, the sound was loud in the sullen castle – adagio sostenuto. it almost sounded like hope, like an entrance to heaven – and aloysius looked so peaceful and beautiful. such man could not be a blood-thirsty killer, could he? – the girls who watched him play always asked that, until he managed to prove them wrong. the notes start to weigh on him, lower, and lower. the entire room vibrated with his music, and the moon was splendid – his body swayed slightly as his fingers skilfully embraced the light notes, almost dancing on the keys – allegretto. the lights were switched on, and the entire atmosphere was jolly, matching the sudden turn in his concert. some maids caught themselves dancing around, swirling to the music – and some servants joined them. it was as if the entire castle transformed into a ball, and everyone was happy. the speedy notes made them all spin around, aloysius’ fingers moving faster, his face in a serene concentration – presto agitato. the small crowd started to cheer in their dance, and even the portraits joined in – one of them mimicking a conductor. meanwhile, the music reached the dining area and roderick smirked. “you should join, missy,” roderick spoke to chai out of a sudden, looking at her with his painted eyes – his youthful, yet malicious face, he would have told her more, but he thought convincing her to go away for now would benefit him somehow. “you certainly do not want to miss such a spectacle.” the party only got louder, and more enjoyable with every new section, it even felt as though the entire castle was moving along to the music – the curtains dropping, unfolding and folding. some feathers floating, writing words in the air – and the fireplace was roaring furiously, flames moving to the beat. marley was the only one who looked distressed, he did not like how everyone chimed in – if their master sees them like that, it will not be good. he tried to stop them – but even he was captured by the music. it was as if the piano was enchanted – and perhaps it was. their hearts almost burst with every note, fascinated, excited, and absolutely in love with their little show. they did not stop dancing until the last notes hit the piano, in a graceful ending. aloysius stood up, and they all cheered so loudly the entire town might have heard them. to marley’s surprise, aloysius’ good mood was still present, so he bowed to accept the cheers with the grace of a prince. “marvellous” “breath-taking” “it was beautiful, sire” – the praise never ended. and aloysius stepped in the middle of the room, and the entire castle was once again silent. -- living room inspiration: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/76/1a/8c/761a8c08193f27732185766dc52bddef--piano-living-rooms-piano-room.jpg the song (it has the sections in the description, that should help along!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tr0otuiQuU

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pxssionfruit/thegildedone ;

No matter how hard she looked, he was no where to be found. Chai stood in the middle of the dining room long enough for her eyes to get adjusted to the darkness, somewhat finding it welcoming in it's eeriness and gloom. The palace and the glory of the hall she'd met Aloysius in was the exact opposite of the colorful town she hailed from and she found it a breath of fresh air, even through the earthy stench of the palace. She sucked in a breath, gnawing on the inner flesh of her cheek as her fingers wrung each other in nervousness. Was this the moment she would die at his hands? Her heart skipped a beat before picking up in her chest, deafening in the middle of the room. Maybe he was just late, the little mousy voice tried speaking bravely but to no avail, the million and one thoughts all had bloody and gory endings. "Stop stressing that pretty head of yours, will you?"a voice spoke, wrenching Chai out of her miserable reverie. Her head whipped around to find the voice who spoke yet stared at the empty room once again. Had she imagined the voice? "Non, non! You are not imagining things, I assure you! Here! On your right! Psst, look here!" With baited breath, she slowly turned the direction of the voice, gaze widening in surprise (maybe fear?) and hands flying to her mouth to hold back the little shriek that threatened to bubble out of her throat. A boy, surely no older than her, stared back at her with a grin so toothy, she could see the mischief on his visage. He wore his hair in an unruly fashion, the mop of ginger locks a stark contrast against the dark background he stood against. He looked like one of the boys who would be caught stealing cookies from the patisserie back in the village, deserving a smack on the bum from Mr. Grosventre. But despite his face, his clothes told another story, in the way the fine fabric of his shirt even shone from the painting- wait, what? Painting? Her steps were cautious but the glint in her eyes were curious as she approached the portrait on the wall, unable to hold her hand back from reaching out in the want to touch the canvas. "Tch, do not touch me, young miss! Should you want to come in too." The boy cackled as he watched her hand drop back to her side as fast as it had reached up. "Y-you speak,"she murmured, breath coming out in a shaky huff. It wasn't a question nor was it a statement; she just needed to wrap her head around this fascinating magic. The boy in the portrait watched her with impatience, mouth down-turned in pout of distaste. "You know, I did want you to be different from the other ladies who'd walked in before you. Alas, you seem to be as a floundering goat as all of them!" He exclaimed, sarcasm dripping off his tongue as he rolled his eyes before feigning a bore glance as he inspected his fingernails. Chai's eyes narrowed just a fraction, grin as toothy as his initially was, blinking once in innocence. It was a look that had come in handy often back home to get herself out of trouble and there was no doubt she would use it around here to get her way. "Do you often speak to your guests like this? Well, I would be an old grumpy cat too if I were stuck in a portrait. Pray tell, what happens when the canvas is torn or ripped? I remember seeing a knife somewhere around here..." She trailed off as if deep in thought, making sure he caught the way her eyes roamed the little space from her left to right in search of said knife. She wouldn't hurt him, not at all. But she would find entertainment in bothering him all the time. "Gah! Such a brat! You remind me awfully of someone!"he scoffed at her, in turn only him just a coquettish shrug and a bat of her eyelashes. "But you're funny. You may call me Roderick and I hope you stick around here for long, Miss Brat. It's been a long time since we've had entertainment in this ramshackle of a decaying pla-" His words were cut short by the melodious note of a piano ringing from somewhere, Chai's head turning to the side to find the source of the noise. It was euphony, the gracious and elegant kind that began sad but quickly morphed into a joyous one. Roderick and her stood in silence, appreciating the piece of music that played, transcending the space of the castle and engulfing the two in what was jolly ecstasy. Her lips curved slightly at the corners at the way the notes picked up, the sounds of cheerful laughter and shouts adding to the solo orchestra. Roderick took one glance at her face and snickered at the way her eyes had glazed over with awe, expression one of pure intrigue. “You should join, missy. You certainly do not want to miss such a spectacle." His tone and words were tempting, her feet moving on their own accord as she trudged the way the voices and music came from. There had been a little corridor right beside the grande hall that she had missed earlier on her inspection, the path lit with little oil lamps. For once, even the shadows seemed like they were cheery instead of their grim selves. Perhaps they were truly enjoying themselves, who knew? Chai stood by the door, hand resting on the wooden panel to push it wide enough so she could peek in. And the sight inside was enough to have her breath hitch in her throat. It was a ruckus but she felt the happiness that the room burst with, enticing the small frame of the girl who peeped in. Everything moved, from the tapestries and the curtains to the candle holders and feather dusters; they were all fluid in their dance, gone into the euphoria of such a masterpiece. But her gaze flitted to the man who had started such fete. Aloysius sat in the middle of the room, on the bench in front of the grande piano and had lost himself into the music, oblivious to the celebration around him until the very last notes. His fingers were lithe and expert as they came to a dwindling stop from the furious tapping on top of the ivory keys and Chai did not miss the satisfied smile he smiled as he lifted himself from the cushioned bench, graceful and royal as ever as he bowed. At that moment, she thought of it impossible that he was such a monster, especially when all of his servants and friends(?) cheered on him so loudly for. She envied him -them- for it; she'd never had a chance at experiencing such joy back in her village. Once the applause died down, she pushed the door open and walked in, hands placed politely in front of her as she cleared her throat, trying to get his attention. It was not only his that she got, but the whole palace's. It was dead again, every single sight of life gone and it broke her heart to see it. The once warm atmosphere was cold once again despite the fire that burned brighter than ever in the fireplace. But she knew she couldn't take it too heart- she was not mistress of the house after all for them to welcome her with such fuss. "You play wonderfully,"she began, voice coming out timid which was so unlike her. Chai cleared her throat again, taking a few steps closer so she stood in front of him. Her foot were awfully loud even if muffled by the carpet and she held herself from grimacing. "As if for your own celebration. Why didn't you join them in dancing? Do you dance? Would you like to?" The questions erupted past her mouth before she even knew it, her hand held out in an invite. It sure was a feeble attempt at decent cordiality and even friendship; he said he wouldn't eat her if she misbehaved after all. A if on cue, a note from the piano resonated against the castle walls, once again bringing life to the place. Her head tilted slightly so she could look over his shoulder to the massive instrument that stood majestically behind him and grinned, noticing how the keys moving on their own. Of course, it was enchanted too. With her grin still in place, she beamed up at Aloysius, barely a foot away from where he stood towering over her. "I think even it wants you to dance." She chuckled, nodding towards the direction of the piano. [ living room inspiration (as I had it in my head): https://i.pinimg.com/564x/cd/0c/df/cd0cdf34c8d3731c54260b9fd0f2948a.jpg roderick: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e5/61/c4/e561c419b7e7cfa2db3c4d71d00a602c.jpg piano piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdduPpnqre4 ]

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venitempus/vindvin ;

in the fit of laughter and joy, aloysius has forgotten about his guest – kind of. he did not show any surprise to see her walking inside the beautifully decorated room, and the room’s noise died with her arrival. he regarded her – she looked more presentable. he could get used to the emerald flow she was wearing, it suited her. however, it looked old-fashioned. perhaps it was a practical joke at his expense, something along the lines of ‘aha, you are old, so let us entice you with something close to home’. surely, it was not her fault. and he wanted to glance at the maidens who were already giggling behind their palms. such childish behaviour should be punished, he would have punished it. but his mind was at peace, he was satisfied with the theatrics – he did not want to lose his peace. it will not last long anyways – and the hunger, the thirst, the murderous fever will return, and capture his entire being. it was his curse, and he accepted it. her praised made him smirk, he enjoyed hearing about himself – his arrogance trapped him in this convoluted story to begin with. her bluntness did not seem to move him, but he was impressed. she was truly different – which girl would invite a grown man to dance? it was not a custom, of course, he did not mind tradition much. it was most unlikely, and peculiar. he knew victorian girls were straightforward when showing their undergarments, but none would have dared to step forward and ask for something as innocent as a dance. they lived in a fairy tale with a prince they expected to do everything for them – lay with them, invite them to a dance, shower them with riches. and they liked it – the entire scenario has gotten too predictable for someone like him. for centuries he has met the same shy girls with a different accent, a different colour, a different smile. suddenly, the pages were blank. and chai was writing her own story – with him, without him. the piano married his heart – he gave it away. and so it tuned whatever fitted, old and new. it was a piece aloysius was only partly familiar with, it still did not make its way to england, not yet. but it was exceptional, he had a lot of praise for the russian composer. it was not the first thought in mind when selecting a tune for a traditional dance – the piano read her as accurately as it read him. the servants were holding their breaths, and for fair reason. for a brief moment he looked like a predator – his expression hardened, and his off-putting darkness was surrounding him with every movement. two girls covered their eyes – they were sure chai’s life was about to come to an end. nobody defeated him, spoke to him like that, not without consequences. she approached him in spite of it – her bravery knew no limits. it would be easy to rip her apart, to drain her pretty neck, to do anything to keep her away. he did not do any of it, he let her come close. he allowed her to disturb his personal space, to be at arm’s length. when he reached his hand out, a servant squeaked – imaging how easily aloysius could strangle her. he grabbed her hand instead, his lips curling in a dangerously charming smile – or was it charmingly dangerous? the piano taunted. aloysius pulled her closer – the song was not made for a duet, but he had to make it work. he started with steps that mimicked the pace of the piece, his arm around her waist, his hand holding hers in a waltz-like pose. but it was a quick waltz, one that made them pace all over the room frantically – the fire flickered, the servants watched bewildered. the entire piece was like a chase, it made the furniture quiver. the piano mocked them – aloysius knew. he looked at it with a smirk, it was almost as if he was scolding an old friend. when the last notes flew like a river he spun her, once, twice, and let her be taken by the rhythm. their bodies were far away, he spun her again and left her under the chandelier’s light as the last note hit. the servants were not sure if they should clap or not, so they stood in silence. “very well, friend. now if you have finished your taunt, why do you not simply play something that would allow a proper dance?” he looked at the piano, it played some notes in contemplation. “chopin should do,” aloysius helped, and the entire room changed. it was not only the light that dimmed, or the flame that flickered slower – but the curtains darkened, there was rain pouring over the windows. and white petals started to fall seemingly out of nowhere, filling the entire room with the scent of spring. aloysius approached her again, this time in a proper waltz – pulling her closer at his chest. his body was cold, and his heart was barely beating – he moved so gently, so lost. they covered the entire room – the atmosphere was enchanting. the servants watched in awe, the portraits closed their eyes in contemplation. aloysius closed his eyes too, he felt the music under his feet – he was fluid, and he pulled her along, like a gentle breeze. the petals turned burgundy as the music reached its darker notes, and the shower of little flowers covered them like the rain did the windows. he spun her, and let her go. all lights were on her, all the flowers surrounded her, moved with her, spun with her – she looked like a gracious swan on a lake of waterlilies. aloysius was at the bottom of the lake, his face was covered by the depth’s darkness, and the reflection of the rain, the moon was only gently brushing his lips. the piece ended, and the room brightened again. the cold blue lights faded to yellow, the room felt warmer. servants clapped, and filled it again with joy. aloysius walked towards the door in their applause. “dinner shall be served shortly,” he announced, and left peacefully. he did not wait for chai, he gave her the chance to refuse to follow – he thought choice suited her best. “sire,” a servant ran towards him, soaking wet. he just entered the castle, and he was panting like a wild dog. aloysius gave him a displeased look, and he fell at his feet. “I tried sire, I did. but they didn’t want to listen,” he heaved. aloysius frowned, and gestured him to get up. “that is quite alright, francis,” he said kindly? it was rather hard to tell where his tone was at right now. “they will not dare disturb me. now if you will, I should have my dinner,” and he walked away. francis was confused, and he got up, running to one of the maids to ask what happened. “she happened, dearie,” the maid said with a chuckle, pointing at chai subtly. “I haven’t seen our lord dance in a long time.” aloysius was in the dining room, roderick gave him a weird look. he choose to ignore the portrait, and it knew better than to disturb the feast. the long table was filled with all kind of food, it looked delightful. aloysius took a seat at the end of it, taking all of it in. he was in contemplation – the servants were already in the room. they usually stuck around during meals, just to make sure aloysius does not suddenly change the menu. he had a beautiful crystal glass in front of him – it was filled with dark red liquid. it could have passed as wine, but nearly everyone knew that it was not alcohol. no matter how drunk aloysius got on it. -- piano piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E6b3swbnWg

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pxssionfruit/thegildedone ;

She waited with baited breath at his reaction; somehow she was prepared for the rejection that would come. In his eyes, she was probably just a silly little girl who attempted to befriend a monster. Surely, he wouldn't- surprise rushed through her body, eyes wide when her hand was taken. Chai felt small in his hold, her hand fragile into his strong one. Was he really willing to dance with her? Wasn't she meant to be discarded and treated as if her little wishes and desires were meaningless? Wasn't she just the lamb that had would be soon roasted in the pit for the wolf's dinner? It was clear that she hadn't expected it in the way she gawked, eyes widening enough so the light caught her irises, a flash of gold and green sparkling in otherwise dark orbs. her body stiffened for a moment before it relaxed, the music somehow soothing, crashing against his body. from this close, she could finally take a good look at the man. from the minutest imperfections that were almost invisible to the harsh lines and shadows in his face that seemed as if he had a permanent scowl, he exuded grace and regality. chai didn't understand how someone could be so beautiful could exist, but here he was; cold yet warm in her hold as they moved about the grandiose room in effortless steps, surprisingly able to match his waltz despite how her full skirt billowed at their feet. she had never had the chance to dance such back in the village; her family's finances were such that minor luxuries and hobbies were considered a waste. and right now that she was indulging in it, the worry she had back then seemed so far away. her thoughts were still running rampant in her head, her steps matching his rhythm accompanied by the sway of her body to the music so much that she hadn't noticed she was left alone under the chandelier until she sensed his warmth leaving her side. her face was inquisitive, intrigued by what was to come next when he spoke, his command oozing confidence and majesty. then the world changed, her breath taken by what transpired next. everything was in motion, the room itself coming to life as the music changed. the world darkened significantly outside, the pellets of rain hitting the windows harshly. yet somehow, it was spring's comfort and warmth that began seeping through. the chandelier twinkled in the moonlight and what was remaining of the candlelights as they dimmed, engulfing the room into a whimsical glow. something grazed her cheek with the weight of a feather, falling into her open palm and when she looked at it, in her hand laid a white petal, as soft as a baby's bum or the first of snowflakes she'd caught as a child. it was gone soon, joining the rest of its friends onto the carpeted floor when aloysius took her hand, leading her into a dreamy waltz. how their steps matched was a wondrous feat in itself, chai as fluid as he was when he moved her about the room. it was a beautiful rhythm, one that made her lose awareness of her surroundings, completely throwing herself into the music and the touch that tethered her to the ground. his hand left hers with a force that left her spinning into the middle of the room, her full skirts swarming elegantly at her feet. her eyes had closed, cheeks flushed out of both shyness and joy, her lips curved into the most timid grin she'd ever muster in her sixteen years of life and her hair was a fluid cascade of dark locks that caught the petals. the music dwindled down, the applause that overtook the room a roar that would shame the thunder and lightning that had started picking up outside. slowly, chai's eyes opened, cheeks flushing the same color of the petals that were at her feet and in her hair, searching for the man. aloysius had left her there, in the middle of the room with a crowd of onlookers. her face contorted into one of disbelief as she picked up her skirts and rushed back out the same way she came in after the man. she was too slow- hey, he was just too agile!, she thought to herself as she barged into the dining room, unconsciously leaving a trail of little flowers onto the floor. she glanced at the drenched man who had begun disappearing off somewhere, but her attention was caught once again by the man she had just danced with- she refused to admit that it was a sweet moment. "I'd have thought you were a gentleman!"she exclaimed, tone a bit too loud. she noticed roderick grimacing from his spot on the wall out of her peripheral vision but that did not stop the myriad of words that came out of her mouth as she stepped closer to aloysius, coming to a stand to where he was. "The least you can do is wait for me! My legs are not as long as yours! And you don't have to wear a skirt either and- oh!" the rant stopped as fast as it came, her gaze falling onto the feast-ladden table that sat in the middle of the room. it was filled with everything she could imagine, from a roasted suckling pig to an assortment of quince and cheese, fruit platters to a variety of desserts. she'd never seen so much food in her life; it was enough to feed the whole village back home! she spotted a seat that was readied for her at the other end of the long table- it was too distant, too aloof... just like the man who sat at the head of the table. swallowing thickly, she moved the chair that she was standing by which happened to be on his right and sat down, able to pick up the sounds of the servants running around to fix her new seat for her. "Thank you," she murmured kindly to one of the servants who placed a pristine plate and utensils in front of her. chai's hand hesitantly reached for her fork, the cold metal foreign in her hands. she was hungry and the whole castle was made aware of it when her stomach rumbled, rivaling that of the thunder outside. roderick snickered from his place on the wall in front of her and she was quick to raise her fist that was still gripping the fork, shaking it in warning at the boy in the painting. "Shut up, you wretched fopdoodle!" she glared at him but the boy only snickered harder, his face contorting into a grimace that was sure meant to poke fun at the girl who only stuck her tongue out at him, fist dropping down so she could stab a grape. she was far too hungry to shoot a clever quip so deciding she would deal with roderick later, she started to eat, the grape-tipped fork freezing about halfway to her mouth. she took a glance at the man beside her and hesitantly held the fruit to him in an attempt at being friendly. they did just dance, so maybe he wouldn't be too closed now, right? "Would you like one? I'm sure they are delicious,"she began, mouth upturning into what she hoped was a toothy grin but really was an awkward one. Roderick yodeled a bout of robust and obnoxious laughter, his exclamation causing her eyebrows to thread together into a scowl. "Oh, naive little girl! She wants to give our lord a grape! A grape! Haha!"

TO BE CONTINUED.

( @thegildedone​ )