#inspired by blue lagoon

[unreadablehandle]

Upon a pearl

“...You know, it’s a special pearl. If you keep it, it will bring you luck. You will always catch the fish, not one of your coconuts will ever be mouldy. No spiders will ever fall into your hair again, no snakes will ever slither into your bed at night and you will never step on sharp stones or venomous urchins,” Louis smirked, and Harry felt a tear pushing into his eye. “...But if you throw it back into the sea, it will make one wish of yours come true.” ... It was the way he suddenly regretted letting the waves swallow it when Louis wasn’t looking, the way he couldn’t bear the heaviness of his wish ever being fullfilled.

x

[summerglowinglight]

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

el tejano - habbey oneshot

(this is inspired by the song el tejano by lauv and sofia reyes. you don't really need to know the song/lyrics to read it, but it would probably give context for certain details)

The grating sound of a creaky window being opened filled the dorm room, replacing the sound of Deuce aggressively typing up an essay that was due later that week. He didn’t look up, as he knew it was his closest companion, sneaking through the window. Was there even a curfew on weekends? No, but what Heath didn’t know wouldn’t hurt. 

Heath climbed into the room and threw himself down on his roommate’s bed, sighing dramatically. Deuce kept his eyes on his laptop and paid him no mind. Heath sat up and sighed even louder, which sounded more like a strangled scream.

Deuce chuckled to himself and rolled his desk chair towards the bed. He reached out to stop the chair from hitting the footboard and smiled at his best friend.

“Well, someone sure wants my attention,” Deuce said smugly.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Ask me how my day was!” Heath kicked off his shoes and brought his legs up to sit cross-legged. 

“And you can’t just tell me, because…?”

“Because…suspense,” Deuce rolled his eyes, “and because no one else asked how my day was going the entire time I was out,” Heath said with a slight pout.

“Fine,” Deuce turned around to sit backward in his chair and crossed his arms over the back, “How was your day, Heath?”

Heath flailed his hands in excitement, “Great question!” Deuce held back a laugh, “I went to the park, made friends with some zombie dogs, and saw a flyer for this new nightclub place for teens. I went because, duh, and it was decorated to have this beachy vibe and I love the beach.”

Deuce nodded along, “Mhm…”

“And I stayed there for the rest of the night. but, there’s more!” Heath clapped his hands together. 

“How can there be more if you stayed there all night?” 

“I met a girl! I, Heath Burns, met a girl!” 

“Huh, good for you, man,” Deuce pushed himself off the bed and attempted to keep writing his paper.

“Wait, wait, I gotta tell you all about it,” Heath climbed off the bed and headed towards his side of the room, just barely saving himself from tripping over his sneakers. 

“Fine, but I gotta finish this,” Deuce gestured to his open document, “I promise I’m listening, go ahead.”

Heath plopped down into his own desk chair, “So you know Nirvana right? That human band?” Deuce hummed and nodded. “Apparently, there are Spanish covers of their songs, which is a sentence I never thought I’d say, but they were, like, the majority of the playlist.”

Deuce furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Heath, “Nirvana of all bands has multiple covers in Spanish?” 

“Yuh, and me and the girl just danced to them and talked all night. What did we talk about?” Heath didn’t wait for Deuce to answer, “Great question”.

Deuce chuckled to himself as he finished a paragraph. 

“I learned a lot about her, like, she’s from the Himalayas, and she actually knows some of the same people we do. She knows Cleo and Lagoona and even Clawdeen, isn’t that so interesting?” Deuce nodded absentmindedly. “She even asked me if I watched that human show, um…” Heath searched his brain for the title, “Friends! That’s it!” 

“Oh, that show about the six friends in the coffee shop or whatever?” Deuce leaned back in his chair looking over his last couple of paragraphs. 

“Yeah! I told her that Phoebe was probably my favorite character so far.”

“The blonde one?” Deuce asked.

“Mhm, and she actually agreed with me and we laughed and laughed.”

“How did you of all people, no offense, get a girl to talk to you and dance with you? For such a long period of time?” Deuce started a new paragraph and slightly laughed at the idea of Heath fumbling over his words trying to ask a girl to dance.

“Well actually, you jerk, she came up to me. I had just ordered some salsa for my chips, I had chips, I didn’t think it was important to mention, and she walked up to me. She asked if she could sit with me and try some of my food.”

“And you let her, because only you would share your food with an absolute stranger,” Deuce said, saying the last part under his breath.

“I heard that, and yes, I did. She sat down and asked me if the salsa was mild. I stupidly said that it was hotter than mild because I thought it would impress her but turns out she has problems with hot food. Deuce, I almost scared her away!”

Deuce couldn’t keep his laughs quiet anymore and let a loud guffaw leave his mouth, “See, this is why I didn’t believe that you were able to keep her interested enough to dance with you.” 

“Rude, but I quickly took it back and said it was a joke. She stayed, thank gods, and then one of the Nirvana covers came on, she pulled me to the dance floor, I, of course, had to keep my fire under control, and the rest is the greatest love story to ever take place.”

“Sounds like an amazing night, Heath. What was her name?” Deuce finished up his final paragraph and hit save. Should he have proofread it? Sure, but he might as well give the end of Heath’s story his full attention.

“Yeah...about that, once the club got closer to closing time, she left pretty quickly, and I never…actually caught her name…” 

Deuce stopped moving. He did not hear that right, he couldn't have, “You don't,” Deuce closed his eyes in preparation for disappointment, “know her name?” 

“No, I do not,” Deuce could practically hear the sheepish look Heath had on his face as he spoke. 

Deuce did a sharp inhale and pinched the bridge of his nose, “I mean this in the nicest way possible, dude, you're hopeless.” 

“Yeah, I know. But what matters is that she seemed to be having fun and I know I had fun,” Heath got out of his chair and started to change into his pajamas. “That’s a win in my book.” 

“A win is a win,” Deuce reluctantly said. 

Heath finished getting dressed and sprawled out on his bed, “I wonder if she’s thinking about me right now.”

“Maybe, Heath, maybe.”

In a dorm room, on the other side of the school was a blue-skinned girl and her friends gathered in a circle. Giggles left the friends’ mouths as the girl spoke.

“He assured me that the salsa wasn’t actually that hot and so I tried it, it was really good, and we just hit it off right away,” it was hard for Abbey to keep her excitement in check as she recounted the story of the boy she had met that night. 

“And then what happened?” Lagoona chirped.

“Then the music changed and I dragged him to the dance floor,” Abbey took a second to chuckle to herself, “He was such a bad dancer,” another chuckle fell from her lips.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Ghoulia reached a hand to Abbey’s knee in comfort.

“No, no, it was endearing. I loved how bad he was at dancing because he knew he was bad but he was so confident about it. It made me laugh.”

Ghoulia hummed and took her hand away. 

“Ya know, orange skin, red hair, I think I know the guy you’re talking about,” Cleo, who had been trying to act like she didn’t think Abbey’s story was absolutely adorable, finally chimed in to the conversation, “What was his name again?”

“Oh, I never actually asked for it. I didn’t tell him mine either. Guess that wasn’t my smartest move,” Abbey said, giggling to herself. 

“You utter fool,” Cleo reprimanded her but couldn’t stay mad at her very happy friend. 

“Yeah, I know. But I had so much fun, guys, and I think he did too. I swear I saw his hair become fire for a second when we were dancing.” 

Cleo definitely knew who the guy was by now but she held her words. Why ruin the moment by letting everyone know that Abbey was dancing with Cleo’s ex’s best friend? Besides, it was bound to be funny when the two would inevitably run into each other when classes started in a couple days.

[olorielmoonshadow]

Consequence of Myth - Quadrille

Consequence of myth Never argue with trees;the wisdom of their rootswears the pissed-out eighteen year old whiskeylike a busker’s cloak,so wet it cannot burn.Dark char.Best I could do is Blue Lagoon.Best I could do is what if rainwater tasted sweet. *written in response to the Quadrille prompt at dVerse; where we were tasked with writing a poem of exactly 44 words. Without the title, I am spot…

[distuff]

Floating in The Blue Lagoon

. . .

. . .

Summary: Another day stuck in this world, another shady job from Crowley to Yuu, this time surrounding the aware, eerie Octavinelle. What can possibly go wrong?

Inspiration: The new tweels cards- Come on nOw

Side note: Between me and u, I was first going w the faceless first POV Yuu so everyone could imagine whatever. But then I saw M Yuu fanarts and I was like fck... another fandom where I imply gay rel!! 🤧

...

"Thank you soo much dear!" The familiar nasal voice spoke behind Yuu as the tall man nudged him toward his office door. "You're such a treasure for doing this, truly!"

"M-Matte-" Yuu began to protest, but before he could say more, Crowley pushed him out, Grim swaying in his arms with the mysterious box Crowley had trusted into his paws moments ago.

He spun around, hoping to be fast enough to stop the door from closing - even considering sacrificing Grim by throwing him like a Pokémon at the madman in the crow mask.

Yet before Yuu could do just that, Crowley was already giving them a wide grin, bidding them, Au revoir~ , and, Good luck, with a little wave before shutting the door in their stunned faces.

The sound of the door closing echoed through the empty hallway in the upper tower, leaving Yuu and Grim blankly staring at the bold golden letters spelling 'The Greatest Headmaster' on the dark wood.

They both blinked, bewilderedly, as the reality of their newly assigned 'homework' fully sunk in, making them soon grimace in annoyance.

'Maybe if I wish hard enough the chicken will combust into crispy KFC.' Yuu thought, glancing briefly at Grim in his arms once he spoke up.

"Soo..." Grim trailed off, his piercing blues peered up at Yuu, who kept glaring at the door. "Are we doing this or-"

Before he could finish, Yuu cut him off with a flat voice, "You think we can pass the RWA entrance exam?"

Silenced followed his 'question' until Grim spoke again, his voice resigned. "We are doing this."

Not a question, but a statement that simply stated the fact of the matter. Feeling there was no need to verbally confirm and make the situation that much more annoying, Yuu simply nodded with a blank face.

Choosing not to comment on Grim's swishing tail or how the Hades flames raised just so from his ears as he huffed and grumbled, the soft noise of sharp claws damaging a tough surface sounded through the halls right after.

Seeing no sense in standing around and prolonging the inevitable, Yuu let out a long sigh. Turning to leave, he fully accepted that instead of proper sleep, they'd return to their dorm around one AM.

'If luck enables us that is.' He grumbled internally, 'Should probably avoid Vil for two days…' Even the mental image of Pomefiore's house warden seeing his panda eyes brought chills down his spine.

And don't let him start on Riddle. Ugh...

Yuu trailed off with his thoughts to the potential scenarios they could experience if not careful in avoiding certain house wardens, not minding the feeling of Grim's tail encircling his hand as the grey furball continued throwing foreign words under his breath.

A slightly twisted thought crossed Yuu's mind - how bad would it be to let Grim unleash his irritation on the headmaster? But before the bitter seed could flourish into a poisons flower, Yuu quickly shook his head.

'This world is getting to me the longer I stay.' He mused. Part of hin started to feel comfortable in this magical world they were thrown into, and yet...the other part still longed to return to the warmth of his home.

Truly...Yuu truly didn't know what was the thought process when he oh so optimistically thought that, hey! I have friends, right? Me and Grim don't need to share this 'experience' alone.

Attempt NO 1,

6-Happy brain cells

- Heey guys!! Ik its late but do u wanna go w me and grim to Mostro lounge?? (10:45 PM 1)

Doll: Sure when?? (10:50 PM 1)

Doll: Who TF changed my fcking name again!? (10:50 PM 1)

Deunce: It suits you... (10:53 PM 1)

Aceless: "Sure when" Are u 4-real?? Like hell I'm goin back to that hell hole (10:53 PM 1)

Doll: aight' (10:54 PM 1)

Doll: It's a date then @ Yo-Yo (10:54 PM 1)

Aceless: Objection???? (10:54 PM 1)

Deunce: I second that (10:55 PM 1)

Doll: State the time pls (10:55 PM 1)

Aceless: Dont ignore me u lil purple haired troll! (10:57 PM 1)

Aceless: U forgot that we are a group?? If one doesn't go neither does others capiche?? (10:57 PM 1)

Doll: Aight' (10:57 PM 1)

Aceless: Aight' tf u mean 'aight' (10:57 PM 1)

- Doll removed Aceless from 6-Happy brain cells -

Doll: Deuce? (10:58 PM 1)

Doll: Do you agree with the exiled dud philosophy? (10:58 PM 1)

Deunce: ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ (10:59 PM 1)

Doll: Good 🍵 (10:59 PM 1)

Doll: @ Yo-Yo ?? (10:59 PM 1)

- Ah yes! Gomme gomme (シ_ _)シ (11:01 PM 1)

- Was getting the wooden boat out of the shed (11:01 PM 1)

Doll: Why? (11:01 PM 1)

Deunce: Why... (11:01 PM 1)

- ...why did u remove Ace?? (11:02 PM 1)

Doll: Why are U gettin a boat at 11 PM?? (11:02 PM 1)

- I asked whether u wanted to go to Mostro lounge (11:02 PM 1)

- Me and grim have to deliver a strange box to Azul and the Octavinelle's members in the lounge said he already gone back to the dorms so boat it is! (11:03 PM 1)

- Guys?? (11:05 PM 1)

- @ Doll?? (11:07 PM 1)

Attempt NO 2,

24/6 at Ruggies

- Is anyone free?? (11:09 PM 1)

Trey: And what are you doing up at this hour? (11:15 PM 1)

- Shouldn't I be asking you that with the whole rule number who knows which and ur bedtime? (11:15 PM 1)

Trey: Touché. (11:15 PM 1)

Trey: It's Sunday btw. (11:15 PM 1)

- Sht- I forgot (11:16 PM 1)

Idia: Ortho is asking why are u snooping behind the lounge @ Yuu (11:17 PM 1)

- Tell Ortho to mind his own business (11:17 PM 1)

Trey: Uuh...snappy 🍿(11:17 PM 1)

- 🚿🚿🚿 (11:17 PM 1)

Idia: Ortho is saying "You became our business the millisecond you prove yourself to be a valuable component in the system" (11:18 PM 1)

Before Yuu could follow up with a replay that would ask the Ignihyde brothers to come down and help them, the bold letter spelling 'Chat restricted until 10 AM, tomorrow' flashed over the screen.

'Fair.' Yuu thought.

Attempt NO3, aka the last resort, shows just how desperate he was at this point and regretted the second after sending the message to them.

Die Schönheit und die Süßen

- So... (11:20 PM 1)

- Anyone up? (11:20 PM 1)

For a hot second, Yuu thought no one would thankfully respond, but alas, that ping made his heart stop, and the message made his body tensed up.

Vil S.: What in the seven are YOU doing up at 11PM!? (11:21 PM 1)

- What are YOU doin up at 11PM?! (11:21 PM 1)

The three dots were far more threatening than they should have been, and Rook with Epel sending gravestones emoji did not help one bit. Yuu saw only one way out.

Without a second thought, Yuu left the group chat. There was no need to try to ask the group for the house warden only; Yuu wasted no time in leaving his phone on the shore with his blazer, putting his focus on helping Grim push the boat into the calm waters before jumping in.

"We are indebted to you they said. We'll support you when needed, they said," Yuu grumbled, rowing in sync with Grim, who stood on shaking paws before him. "Bullshit!" He threw his hands up in frustration - unaware his sharp movement made Grim wobble a bit before he glared at him.

With just the two of them, they started paddling across the lake nestled behind the lounge, the cursed box safely placed on the seat between them.

.

The oars fell with a heavy thud on the side of the boat, thankfully secured by the iron rod. His attention was more on the wildlife startled by his outburst. Frogs jumped into the water, and wings flapping filled the air, drawing Yuu and Grim to turn in the direction.

Familiar pink and blue flamingos were taking off and landing further away from the rowdy noise.

"Aren't those..." Grim began, pointing at the grooming flamingos in the distance. "Aren't those the ones Riddle is lookin' for?"

Yuu's eyes widened; knowing the implications of finding the lost Heartslabyul pigeons, he whirled his head towards Grim. "We didn't see anything, got it?"

Grim nodded vigorously, grabbing their individual oars they resumed rowing towards the lagoon that was getting closer much faster than before.

Once the flamingos were covered by the lake flora, they started to slow down, muscles starting to strain from the unplanned evening exercise.

"What do ya think is in it?" Grim asked, nodding at the box. His paddling may have slowed down, but by the strained expression, he refused to stop trying to help.

Unable to help it, Yuu gave his friend a small smile, knowing if he were to voice his appreciation, Grim would grumble and stop altogether, 'Stupid tsundere.' He thought, shrugging at his friend's question.

"Don't. know." Yuu grunted out each word, having to put more strength into his paddling, "Documents, money, dismembered body-"

"What?"

"What?" Yuu repeated, meeting Grim's wide-eyed stare. They both paused, silently eyeing each other for two different reasons.

Grim looked him up and down, his eyes settling on Yuu's gaze, narrowing suspiciously into slits. "You had a tea party with that old geezer," he growled, showing his small pointy teeth.

If this was past Yuu, he would have backed away and maybe fallen into the deadly yet enchanting water, but the present Yuu knew the reason behind Grim's irritation.

So, to spare some of his friend's feelings, Yuu discreetly turned his gaze to the side, mumbling, Maybe...

That, however, had the opposite effect. "And what did I say about that?!" Grim cried out, throwing his little paws up into the air with the oars dropping by his side.

Yuu hung his head, sighing at the familiar dance. "Not to go?" He replied in an even voice.

"And what did you do?" Grim asked back with an annoyed voice.

Prompting Yuu to look up, noting how his friend was now standing in the middle seat, closer to him. "Hey, now!" He shot back with furrowed brows, "I'm not going to limit myself just cause you're jealous!"

Grim gasped theatrically, a paw over his heart with wide blues gazing at him in horror before they narrowed in anger. "Am not!" His screech sent the remaining wildlife scattering with the sound of splashing and ruffling feathers.

Ignoring the commotion, Yuu playfully smirked, leaning on his palm, gazing mockingly at Grim's priceless reaction. "Oh, you so are." He moved his head left and right, leaning close with a sharp smile.

Their expressions mirrored each other, both showing their own set of teeth in a laughable display of dominance. However, it was just a matter of time before Grim would- Heh.

Yuu watched fondly as Grim averted his large eyes, huffing and crossing his paws. "I thought we were a team!" Grim said, bordering on whining, "A duo!"

He won't lie; his heart almost melted when Grim turned, his blues shining with feigned hurt that still made his eyes glitter. 'Stupid cat charm.' Yuu thought, biting his bottom lip to resist falling for Grim's antics as he continued dramatically,

"Where I go, you go, and where you go, you take me with you!"

Alright, the charm was broken, freeing Yuu to groan into his hands, his whining muffled. "But Lilia's teacakes are soo tempting~"

Something shifted in the air, making Yuu raise his head, only to meet Grim's disgusted expression as he tried leaning as far away as possible.

"We can't be that poor..." Grim muttered, making Yuu wince at his friend, offering him a wobbly smile.

"It's not so bad..." He said, trying to ignore the judgmental look he was getting, adding almost desperately, "It's just...he has a bitter taste.

Yuu kept up his awkward smile, partly focusing on the lulling rocking of their boat before Grim's sour expression caught his attention. "You're disgusting."

Blowing strands of hair from his eyes, Yuu was quick to retort back. "And you're just salty."

In a blink of an eye Grim was nose-to-nose with him, growling, Am not.

Yuu pressed back, eyes blazing. " You. Are." He emphasised. " It annoys you that Lilia doesn't invite you because you're hairy!"

The response was immediate as Grim recoiled back with an offended gasp. "How dare you! It's not my fault that geezer's allergic to my greatness!"

Feeling a surge of fondness, Yuu was unable to help but reach forward to boop Grim's nose, which scrunched up in response. "More like your-!"

Yuu felt his eyes widen together with Grim's, neither expecting the music that suddenly started filling the air. Both he and Grim turned cautiously to the side, trying to pinpoint how music could be playing in a middle of a fucking lake.

With their cheeks pressed together, they instinctually reached to embrace the other, watching in reality shuttering disbelief as five frogs appeared at the edge of their boat, jerking back when the frogs began singing along to the melody.

You and Grim exchanged a glance, but before they could voice the question of their sanity or check the lake's toxicity level, something started pushing their boat towards the lagoon hidden within the willow trees.

Shocked by the unfolding events, neither of them had the time to process as two seagulls pulled back the long branches, letting them into the lagoon - too entrance to notice the subtle harsh nudge to their boat.

They could only gape more at the number of animals joining in, with the music intensifying and the boat getting gently turned in the water.

The singing grew louder with the music while fireflies started to illuminate the space inside, making the water seem like a starry night outside.

"Sha-la-la-la, let the music play, do what the music says. You gotta kiss the- gwak! "

The sharp noise of something shooting from the water cut through the un-natural concert, snatching one of the seagulls mid-flight. The bird let out a distress cry before being dragged into the depths, all in the span of a second.

Frozen in shock, silence fell over the lagoon, everyone staring at the spot where the seagull had disappeared. Yuu barely had time to blink before the chaos erupted.

Water splashed, feathers ruffled, and leaves rustled. Yuu and Grim stood rigid as the previous silence returned, thick with tension.

Without hesitation, they embraced each other, holding on tightly. When no sound entered their space beside their breathing, Yuu thought in passing how the lagoon would seem enchanting if they hadn't just witnessed a murder.

He restrained himself from glancing at the spot, which Yuu could only assume would be a red mixed with rich blue by now. Instead, Yuu willed his wide eyes to move around, searching for any sign of danger as their boat slowly rocked in place.

"We are not getting paid enough for this!" Grim cried out, his twitching whiskers tickling Yuu's cheek as the cat spoke, his words echoing in the quiet space.

Tightening his hold on Grim, Yuu cried out next. "I can't go down for a shitty box!"

As a response, both of them stilled when they felt something heavy bump into their boat, rocking it harder. Yuu swiftly covered Grim's mouth as the cat prepared to screech in fear, hoping to avoid drawing attention from whatever lurked beneath the surface any further.

With bated breaths, Yuu bit his bottom lip as Grim's claws dug into his skin. 'I just clipped them!' Was his last train of thought before his mind went blank.

Yuu's heartbeat thundered in his ears, the rapid rhythm a stark contrast to the ominous silence that filled the lagoon. The boat hadd ceased its unsettling rotations, coming to an eerie stop.

His breath, shallow and rapid, stirred Grim's fur, the soft rumble of the feline's growls offering the only semblance of comfort.

Grim unconsciously leaned further into his chest, large blues sharpening into slits with his fur rising in alert as his forked-tail swished back and forth.

Splash. Two sets of eyes snapped to the rippling water, both braced for what was to come when-

"Heya!"

Yuu screamed, a high-pitched, girlish sound that echoed through the still air. The familiar boyish voice behind him and the cold, clammy hand on his shoulder sent a jolt of terror though his body.

In his panic, Yuu jerked away, inadvertently tossing Grim into the air right as he was yanked back into a slimy, wet chest, his shirt absorbing the icy droplets that clung to the perpetrator's skin.

"Grim!" Yuu shouted, his voice thick with horror as he watched his yowling friend tumble through the air.

For a fleeting moment, he twistedly hoped that a hungry seagull would snatch Grim, mistaking the cat for a sardine. Anything was better than what- who was lurking in the lake's depths.

But such hope was snapped the instant Grim hit the water with a resounding splash, plunging the lagoon back into an uneasy silence.

Yuu's mind raced as he stared at the spot where Grim had vanished. He was too distracted to notice the two webbed cyan hands creeping over his chest - the now see-through shirt thoroughly drenched.

Only when he wanted to instinctually move towards the edge of the boat to check the surface did Yuu quickly realise he couldn't move a muscle.

The grip was firm yet deceptively gentle, with cold fingers pressing against his skin, sending a chill down his spine as they began to squeeze just so. The sharp nails dug in just enough to threaten without breaking the skin.

Yuu tensed when hot breath tickled his ear, sharp teeth grazing his earlobe, making him shudder involuntarily as blood flowed to his ears - no doubt taunting the predator with the promise of live prey.

His breath hitched as the grip on his chest tightened, a possessive hold that made it hard to breathe as he spoke in a low voice, making his heartbeat quickened.

"Shrimpy~"

The nickname was unmistakable, uttered with a boyish tone laced with a dangerous edge. There was no questioning which Leech twin had ensnared him.

"F-Floyd." Yuu stammered, his voice trembling as he forced out the name, a shaky smile plastered on his face.

His pulse pounded underneath his skin as Floyd's grip tightened, pulling him closer against the merfolk's cold, smooth chest. The wet fabric of his button-up clung to his skin uncomfortably, but he knew better than to squirm or complain by now.

Any sign of resistance would only aggravate the eel that had meticulously twisted around its prey. Not yet intending to harm only to play.

Floyd's chest vibrated against Yuu's back, a low rumble that sent a shiver down his spine. "You should know by now ya can't just come here uninvited," Floyd murmured, his voice carrying a subtle threat that made Yuu's breath hitch.

He opened his mouth, fully indenting to explain their nightly visit, but the words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed down as Floyd's nose brushed against the side of his neck.

Familiar tingly of electricity travelled from his neck down to his fingertips. The merfolk's breath was hot against his skin, and Yuu had to fight the urge not to flinch away. Any movement, any sign of weakness, would only provoke Floyd further.

Instead, he tried putting the focus on more pressing matters as the merfolk started to move Yuu backwards little by little, where he had to dig his hands into the wood underneath him to prevent Floyd from pulling him into the cold waters.

"Could you- I don't know, could you maybe go down and...you know," Yuu's voice faltered as Floyd paused to study him, his heterochromatic eyes unredable with his right faintly glowing within the dimmed lagoon.

Yuu forced a nervous chuckle, his eyes darting around as he tried to avoid Floyd's gaze. "Go down and get him?" Yuu suggested weakly, quickly adding, for a price of course! with a strained smile when he saw Floyd's unchanged expression, webbed ears twitching in clear irritation with his hold tightening just so.

Their eyes locked in a silent exchange, an unspoken conversation that sent a shiver down Yuu's spine. He watched, heart pounding, as Floyd's hands slowly slid down his arms to the edge of the boat.

The eel merfolk used it to lift himself up until he was looming over him. Sharp fins flaring in a clear challenge with dual eyes locked with his flittering gaze.

Droplets of water landed on Yuu's face, cold and startling, but instead of listening to the alarms in his head to look away and accept defeat, he squared his shoulders, his gaze hardening with determination.

Floyd leaned closer, a soft growl escaping his throat, revealing a razor-sharp canine poking from his lips. A gesture meant to threaten, to send fear through the body, freezing it in place. And yet...

Yuu knew all too well that if Floyd wanted to, he could easily flip the boat and trap him in the dark, cold depths of his domain, where he was rendered useless more than he already was on land.

But Yuu had spent enough time with the moody twin to understand his twisted sense of 'fun'. He didn't flinch as he watched the golden eye seemingly gleam even more. He didn't let his heart's frantic rhythm distract him when Floyd's longer strand of hair tickled his cheek.

He held his ground, calmly staring into Floyd's golden eye, not paying much attention to how the eel's body slid into the boat, inch by inch.

In that tense moment, Yuu could only prey that Grim's lazy brain had paid some attention during Mr Vargas's lessons on holding one's breath underwater.

Either that, or Yuu would have to find a way to win in Floyd's game without losing a limb, or-

A sharp splash of water and a loud gasp shattered whatever bubble Yuu was willingly drowning in. Both he and Floyd snapped their attention forward just as his vision was suddenly obscured by a ball of grey fur.

Grim, shaking more from fear than cold, clung to Yuu's face, his little heart pounding against his forehead. Yuu groaned, prying the terrified creature off his face, all while ignoring the irritated tut behind him.

He was about to ask Grim whether they would have to sneak into the collages infirmary again when his attention was stolen by the second twin, who Yuu notated was already half way in their boat.

Jade's smile feigned charm, which was nothing if not sadistic, with heterochromatic eyes glinting with amusement as he moved closer, using the middle plank which Yuu was sitting on to prop himself up.

Grim, still shivering, clung to Yuu's now drenched shirt, the fabric clinging to his ski nearly see-through, with the realisation settling in that they were now trapped between the two merfolk.

Yuu could do nothing but wait for either of them to speak as he was the one intruding on their territory with his heart hammering against his chest. 'If only the ghosts in Ramshackle were this territorial.' Yuu thought, desperately trying to keep his wits about him.

Jade tilted his head to the left, his eyes scanning them as they were once more clutching the other, the left eye glowing eerily, deepening the melted gold.

"Well, if it isn't the little Prefect..." Jade's voice was smooth, almost calming to the situation, served as a further threat by the way his sharp teeth peeked through his empty smile. "May I inquire as to your reason for being here?"

Yuu was more than aware of the strict policy every dorm oblige to. Every having their own set of rules and habits with only one being shared between them. The Entry policy.

Unless a member of said dorm or invited by the housewarden personally a student could only get in if send by the principle. Which Yuu was, naively thinking would be taken care of by said chicken!

Feeling his brows furrow, Yuu was quickly reminded of his current predicament when he felt Floyd move behind him, a large hand reaching over to grab Grim, who immediately started squirming and protesting about, how dare you treat the great Grim like a rat!

Yuu's mind provided an image of a trashing Grim facing a grumpy-looking Floyd who dangled him in the air like a wet socks.

He bit his tongue, knowing all too well what would follow if he were to turn around in a fruitless attempt to help. Instead, Yuu stayed still, his eyes never trailing away from Jade's inquisitive ones.

Taking a deep breath, Yuu nodded towards the box that was now underneath Jade. "Sir Crowley tasked me- us. Tasked us with delivering this to Azul," he explained, trying to stay calm despite the snickers and hisses behind him and the feeling of another body sliding closer to his right

The way Jade looked down and Floyd stopped tormenting Grim to peer over his shoulder in almost puppy-like curiosity helped Yuu ease up some of his nerves. Yet it never fully lost its guard, which heightened once more when the silence that followed was heavy.

Even Grim seemed to sense the unease in the air when he stopped trashing in Floyd's hold. Not being able to stay silent no more, Yuu quickly added in a dire attempt to smooth over the tension.

Not noticing how both eels' spins flared, eyes narrowed, and their webbed ears flattened or ruffled, he started spouting elaboration.

"I would have left it at the lounge, but he said Azul asked for it to be delivered immediately! I thought he sent notice to you guys before I-"

But before he could finish, the boat suddenly flipped over. The realisation of what had happened came too late, and Yuu found himself plunged into the cold water with a mouthful of it before he could have a chance to react accordingly.

With blurry vision and pounding hear, Yuu's other senses heightened almost immediately where he jerked away from the feeling of the familiar smooth muscles gliding over his back.

The sensation had prompted Yuu to shook off the shock and quiclky swam upwards, partly noting the smooth muscle of one of the twins tails ssliding under his feet.

Being in no position to think whether it was meant to help or strain him more, his sole focus was on the faster approaching surface.

Gasping for air as he broke the surface, Yuu pushed his wet hair out of his eyes, only to feel a cold present settle behind him with tail coiled around his feet, immobilising him and forcing him to sit on the powerful muscle.

"Our apologies, we didn't account for the heaviness of this form. I hope you can forgive us, Mr Prefect." Jade's smooth voice sounded behind him, his hands easily sliding over Yuu's arms, settling under his palms with a deceptive gentleness.

Blaming the cold water for his tremble, Yuu fight to ignore the soft electric feeling under his palm, opting to glance over his shoulder and narrowing his eyes at Jade's insincere smile.

"Oh, I'm sure you both feel so guilty," Yuu glowered, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why did you push it over?"

Jade blinked at him 'innocently', but before Yuu could press for an answer, the sound of cackle behind him followed by something slimy brushing against his exposed arm, drew his attention to Floyd, who was now lazily circling them in the water, with shivering Grim on his chest as the twin leisurely yet roughly patted him.

Yuu winced in sympathy at the ministration, his eyes widening when Floyd's hand emerged from the water, the silver box in his hand as the twin rattled it with a mischievous grin.

"Lookie, Jade!" Floyd called out to his brother, who in turn smiled knowingly at his twin. "It's that."

Floyd stopped before them, ignoring how Grim cringed in his hold with his body partly submerged under the water. 'At least I won't have to bathe your stinky arse.' Yuu thought, refocusing on the question he and Grim wondered about before.

"What's in that box?" Yuu asked, nodding at the silver box in Floyd's possession. Yet, instead of answering, the twins exchanged a glance before focusing all their attention on him.

Yuu instinctively retreaded a bit, unintentionally pressing closer to Jade, who tightened his tail around Yuu's legs in response.

A gesture that could be either threatening or comforting settled at the back of his mind when he fought the shiver induced by Jade's low voice near his reddening ear.

"If you're so curious..." He began smoothly as Floyd swam closer with Grim tightly pressed against his chest, rendering the creature speechless as Floyd mimicked his twin's looming presence.

"Why not come down with us?" Floyd finished with a boyish voice. Both brothers peered down at Yuu who felt the tip of Floyd's tail effortlessly take off his shoes with both the twins working down the buttons of his blouse to-

"N-No, we good! But thanks for the offer, truly!" Yuu stammered, his smaller human hands pushing theirs away, no doubt letting him to; otherwise, Yuu was hundred percent sure he and Grim would already be dragged into the water half way on their way to the Octavinelle dorm.

The twins exchanged another look, Jade had his usual calm expression while Floyd was clearly dissatisfied with his rejection of their proposal.

What followed next was a bunch of chatter sounds where mostly Floyd was showing his annoyance through soft glowers with his sharp spine fin occasionally flexing.

But whatever they were discussing in their own language that Yuu couldn't even phantom to decipher, it was clearly affecting Jade as well as his tail tightened more than once around his legs where Yuu started to stop feeling his feet.

Thankfully, the brothers cleared their disagreement pretty fast, with Jade turning to him with a tight smile and Floyd huffing, letting go of Grim as he crossed his arms with the box in his left hand, enabling Grim to quickly try paddling to Yuu only to be caught by the ever smiling Jade.

"Very well then," Jade said, his golden eye glowing briefly as he began to unwarp his long tail from around Yuu's legs. Thinking he was being let go, he got ready to start kicking his stocking feet that would otherwise make him grimace if all his clothes were not wet as well.

You could only internally groan at the prospect of laundry once he and Grim returned to their dorm, which sounded heavenly right now.

But instead of the freedom he hoped he was granted, Yuu found himself being pulled into a suffocating embrace. Floyd grinned in satisfaction with one glance at Jade telling him this was planned.

With a stretched smile, Jade continued. "It wouldn't do you good to swim all the way to shore. Please, let us escort you Mr Prefect." A command that was poorly disguised as a question.

'It wouldn't do me good to swim with you two either!' He wanted to say out loud, but instead, he let his eyes fall on something behind the ever-patient Jade.

Yuu paid no mind to Floyd's hands slipping around him, the eel nuzzling into his neck once more, sending waves of soft electricity down his arms and leaving iron taste in his mouth.

Glancing between the flipped boat and Jade with large, hopeful eyes, Yuu pointed at it with a wobbly smile. "Eh..You could just turn it around-!"

He should have expected it Jade's respond, truly, it was his fault.

Before Yuu could finish his suggestion, Jade, without turning around, brought his powerful tail down, smashing the boat into pieces with a single blow. THe sharp sound echoed in the quiet lagoon, the silence only broken by Jade's silver voice.

"You were saying?" He asked 'innocently' with a tilted head.

Making a quick eye contact with Grim who froze in Jade's hold, thankfully unharmed from the flying pieces of wood. Yuu knew it was either yes and a gentle ride home with a clingy leech or no and a forced ride back to shore with water entering his nose-

"I was saying that I'd be grateful for your assistance." Yuu replied with a strained smile, which Jade returned with a much more charming one while Floyd let out a short huff.

As if all the patience Floyd had to stay silent through their back and forth was finally all used up, the merfolk submerged underwater before Yuu had the chance to see his expression.

His tail slid under Yuu's legs before disappearing entirely. Unsure of what Floyd was planning, Yuu looked to Jade for answers, but the other twin only smiled back, moving forward and smoothly sliding into the water as he let Grim walk over his shoulder onto his back, continuing onwards.

Yuu didn't know what to say or do as he watched the Leech brother getting farther away, sharing a confused look with Grim Yuu sighed. Seeing no other reason for Floyd's disappearance other than boredom, he was not surprised by the eel's whimsical nature.

With no other choice left, Yuu started to follow Jade who was already a good distance away from him, his drenched clothes not making the swimming any easier.

"Stupid chicken with his stupid tasks and his stingy-!" Grumbling under his breath without choking on the water, he was suddenly pushed upwards by a strong and refine muscle which moved him faster forward.

With legs on both sides of what was moving under him, Yuu blinked away his short-lived surprise. It didn't take a genius to understand that he was sitting on Floyd's waist who flashed him a crooked grin, with hands behind his head, as his powerful tail pushed them forward.

"Were ya thinkin' of swimming away from me, Shrimpy?" Floyd teased, his voice playful, clearly waiting for his response.

Yuu let out a tired sigh, his expression softening into a reluctant smile. "How could I when you would clearly catch me no matter what." Yuu replied, hand curiously spreading on Floyd's smooth, cyan-white skin, which shimmered under the moon's light.

The merfolk rumbled in response, the vibration travelling through Yuu's fingertips as Floyd's annoyed tut finally drew his attention back to his face. Yuu only saw Floyd's furrowed brows just as webbed hands grasped his and pulled him closer.

Sprawled over Floyd, his nose barely brushing against Yuu's forehead. "Ya wouldn't make the chase boring though, right Shrimpy?" Floyd asked in a low voice, his other hand brushing Yuu's hair behind his ear, claws lightly grazing his sensitive skin, sending shivers down Yuu's spine. "I know you wouldn't, right?"

Yuu swallowed nervously, his wide eyes meeting Floyd's duals. The golden eye seemed to glow brighter under the open starry night. Knowing one wrong move or word could trigger a different mood with a different response where Yuu would either end up safely on the shore or drowned in the peaceful lake.

He couldn't help the relieved sighed when Jade's stern voice interrupted the charged air between them. "Floyd."

Floyd's gaze dropped, lazily meeting his twin's disapproving stare. "I thought you wanted him to enjoy the ride back in peace." Jade reminded him.

Yuu and Grim exchanged wary glanced, their eyes darting between the two Leech brothers, settling on Floyd's sharp grin which grew as he locked eyes with Jade.

Without another word, Floyd lowered his head on the water's surface, his teal hair fanning out as he swam just a little faster, ahead of his brother.

"Ya never asked for my definition of peace, now did ya." Floyd quipped cheekily. Jade easily let his twin have the last word, recognising that his brother's appetite for chaos was, for the moment, satiated.

Knowing what the other Leech brother did, Yuu waved his hand to gain Jade's attention, which the more composed twin immediately gave.

A brief but genuine smile crossed his lips as Yuu mouthed a silent, thank you. Jade nod in respond, redirecting his focus to the path ahead.

Determined to maintain the fragile peace, Yuu subtly motioned for Grim to stay quiet. The little feline rolled his eyes with a huff as he crossed his paws, but wordlessly complied. Not daring to challenge the Leech twins' unpredictable nature.

Satisfied, Yuu turned his attention forward, observing Floyd's unexpectedly peaceful expression. Here he was, sitting on a merfolk, a being capable of tearing him to pieces, snapping his bones as if made of porcelain.

Yet instead, Floyd had chosen to help with his brother. To protect, in their own twisted way.

'Even if you may be seen as morally grey, selfish, animalistic and twisted. I...' Yuu thought, his fingers absently tracing the smooth skin, barely feeling the hidden scales. 'I can't help but admire the authenticity of your actions.'

Be it the Leech twins, Azul or other students he met in NRC Yuu never felt he was being lied to. Tested or even secretly deceived. Hell! The trio never hid their scheming nature when they tried luring students into making deals.

'This place truly lives up to its name.' Heh. A bitter smile tugged at Yuu's lips when, instead of the expected fear, disgust or resentment, all he could feel was...peace.

Throughout their serene ride, Yuu couldn't help but return to the same old thought. Was this world changing him, or was he letting it change him?

How long until he would fully forget about returning back to his home, to his family and life? How long until he would stop fighting the pull and let himself drown in the murky waters.

Yuu felt his eyes dim with each question, hands fisting before he willed them to relax. He truly needed sleep.

.

The journey back to shore was much quicker with the twins' assistance than when he and Grim rowed on their own.

The moment they reached the dark-sandy beach encircling the lake, both Floyd and Jade swam as close as possible allowed them to, their massive forms gliding effortlessly though the water.

As soon as they hit the shallows, the brothers settled on the sand, allowing Yuu and Grim to slide down.

Wasting no time in staying longer than needed, Grim leapt from Jade's back, muttering a quick, Thanks! Just as Yuu drilled into him, scurrying to the safety of the shore, far from the water's edge.

Yet when it was his turn, he didn't get far. Choking on his thanks, Yuu stumbled forward with a jolt of fear travelling through him when a webbed hand clasped around his ankle, causing him to crash to the sand.

Heart pounding, Yuu instinctively braced himself for the fall, intending to turn and yell at Floyd. But before he could, the merfolk was already flipping him over with ease, his golden eye glinting with playful malice.

"Floyd, what the hell-" Yuu's words died in his throat as he saw the sharp, glinting teeth inching closer to his foot. His breath quickened, and a primal fear gripped him. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the painful feeling of teeth tearing into flesh.

But instead of pain, he felt a strange, tickling sensation. Confused, Yuu slowly opened his eyes to find Floyd nibbling on his ankle, his sharp teeth grazing the skin without breaking it.

A familiar heavy feeling of guilt settled on his heart as he watched Floyd finish his ministration that was probably meant as a goodbye for him, tail softly thumbing behind the brother as he gave him a large grin, oblivious to what Yuu thought he would do.

'And right after I thought you shouldn't be seen as mindless monsters.' Guess old habits do die hard, Yuu thought solemnly. He is still not used to some of the 'cultural' differences between his world and theirs it seemed.

"Let's play like this again soon, alright?" Floyd's question interrupted Yuu's self-demeaning thoughts, his voice unusually soft, but with an undeniable edge to it.

His tail flicked water playfully onto the shore with Jade next to his twin, silently regarding Yuu with an unsettling intensity, his duals gleaming with an eagerness that could be seen as a predatory curiosity from a different angle.

"Please take care and get home safe, Mr Prefect." Jade said, his expression already washed down by his empty smile as he respectfully bowed his head while his twin nodded vigorously, his expression equally unreadable.

"Hai, hai! The land is far more dangerous than water anyways." Floyd followed, his usual playful demeanor fading into something more serious. "If ya get into trouble, don't hesitate to jump here."

"I'm sure we could make an...expectation for you if you're in dire danger." Jade added, slowly moving closer. Yuu's eyes shifted between the two twins, whichever spoke, noting that both were now looming over him on each side.

Yuu took into account their uncaring nature, reasoning no matter how long they lived ashore, they wouldn't care for something obvious like personal space.

"Azul might even allow you to stay in Octavinelle for a while too..." Floyd said next, bending so his duals with his gleaming gold would easily lock with Yuu's hesitant gaze that slowly melted into a more interested look.

"Indeed..."Jade followed next, mirroring his twin's posture as well as expression, "For a price, of course. But don't fret, it won't be too hefty, I promise you that our little Prefect."

Yuu felt the weight of their gazes, the two pools of melted gold gleamed with a mix of amusement and something more possessive.

He barely registred the feeling of their webbed hands - one gentle, the other more forceful - clasping his own, nor did he hear Grim's muffled panicked cries.

All Yuu could focus on was the two glowing golds and the subtle pressure of being pulled back towards the water when an arrow suddenly whizzed through the air, landing inched from Yuu's groin, easily pushing the two eels from him.

The shared shock between them broke whatever chain was encircling Yuu's neck, making all three turn their heads sharply in the direction the arrow that nearly castrated him had come from.

Yuu's breath hitched, the low sound of growls ignored as his brain settled on far greater danger than those two merfolks' that retreated further into the waters.

There in the distance, a familiar figure marched towards them with a scowling expression and scary speed, considering the heels that seemed sharper than usual.

The peaceful night was shattered. Without a second thought, Yuu scrambled to his feet, the adrenaline surging through his veins as his eyes locked with blazing amethysts; Grim's loud voice going ignored as he shouted, Rook!?

Yuu couldn't decipher whether it was from excitement or fear as his friend pointed up at the trees with heavy foliage, his attention solely on,

"V-Vil! What are you doing here at this fine hour?" Yuu stammered, his voice trembling slightly as the blond bore down on him. Vil seemed like a man on a mission, his dress robe adorned by fur fluttering behind him like a royal robe.

Seeing movement in his peripheral vision, Yuu quickly glanced to the side, seeing the two twins slowly sliding away from him before his focus was turned back due to the familiar scent of caramel apple engulfing his senses.

"Fine? Fine, you say," Vil's voice was low, dangerously calm, with an edge that sent chills down Yuu's spine that was not from the wind brushing against his drenched state.

Suddenly, the taller teen grabbed Yuu by the collar, yanking him closer, their faces mere inches apart. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Vil demanded, his amethysts burning with a fury that Yuu felt only he was privileged to see from the 'perfect' male standing before him.

Yuu forced an awkward smile at his senior, raising his hands in surrender. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuu caught sight of Epel, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath.

The lavender-haired boy who was bent over still found the strength to furiously shake his head with a paled expression, motioning with his thumb a cutting gesture over his neck.

But Yuu, despite knowing better, couldn't stop himself from speaking. "Somewhere around eleven-"

"Twelve. Thirty. AM." Vil's voice cut through the night like a blade, dripping with venom from the usually composed 'Queen' of Pomefiore.

Feeling the unusual statick in the air, Yuu willed himself to take a deep breath in, scanning Vil's flawless face that was adorned with faint lines of stress.

His heart sank at the thought that he was the cause of the blond's distress. Eyes softening, Yuu opened his mouth in an attempt to soothe the blond, but before he could say anything, Vil huffed a shaky smirk, speaking of Yuu's inevitable doom.

Too slow to react, Vil turned on his heel, tugging Yuu forward with surpsiing force. Tumbling over his stocking feet, Yuu tried to regain his balance, but Vil didn't give him the chance.

With a firm grip on the back of Yuu's drenched shirt, Vil marched forward, dragging him along the ground like a beat-up plushy that was about to get thoroughly washed.

The pompous 'Queen' whistled a short tune as they passed Epel, who had just caught his breath only to realise he had to go through all that again.

However, before he could ask his friend why he was even out here, his head snapped to familiar yowl of Grim. Scanning his around where he heard him, Yuu didn't had much time to pin point where he was as Vil's voice dragged his attention back to him.

"Going on some evening endeavour this late at night, leaving the chat and then daring not to answer any of the calls. I hope you know I expect you to sit obediently once we get back to Pomefiore and not make a peep while I try to save this disaster."

Vil looked over his shoulder, peering down at Yuu with amethysts that gleamed with the promise of punishment if defiance were to be noticed.

Feeling wronged for nothing, Yuu stupidly tried to explain his and Grim situation before Vil's tense voice easily cut through his voice. "Do you understand?"

Wide eyes searched the hardened violet gems before he let out a long sigh. Slumping his shoulders, Yuu replied with a short, aye, sir.

Clearly satisfied with his respond, Vil humped as he continued listing all that they would have to go through to ensure neither of them would get dark circles or dry skin once they woke up.

Hearing the torture they would have to go through, his eyes swiftly locked with Epel's wide ones, I expect full compensation the boy's gaze said which made Yuu promptly snap his attention at his only salvation.

Yet when his fearful eyes met two pairs of duals shining with sadistic mischiefs in the moonlit night, he found no solace - only the eerie, synchronised wave of the two merfolk, making Yuu rethink his previous thought before all this.

'I take it all back. All of you are sadistic bastards!'

---

Thank you all for reading! I hope ya enjoyed yourself. Pls don't be shy to comment any of Ur thoughs or leave a like. It was fun to write!

[greeninkredletters]

I wasn't feeling well yesterday, and binged a few newly completed fanfics. Sharing the Dramione ones with you ❤️

🌊 THE BLUE LAGOON by Lucigurl

Draco and Hermione are stranded on a deserted island. “Take your eyes off me,” she whispered, affronted. He did not. He continued to read her like a well-worn book, filled with familiar words and phrases that bewitched. “Stop looking at me like that,” she desperately licked her lips. “Like what?” Draco murmured. “Like you’ve suddenly just met me,” she explained. “Like we don’t have a past.”

💃 Idiots In Love, Am I Right? by VanillaSage

After spending three weeks moping over her breakup with Draco Malfoy - for real this time, she's sure of it! - all Hermione Granger wants is a fun night out at a new magical nightclub in London. Unfortunately, Draco seems to have had the same idea. What could possibly go wrong?

📖 Guilty as Sin by forawhile

Hermione worked in Diagon Alley, she owned a bookstore and had never been happier in her career. Except for the fact that a certain blonde-haired male also worked in Diagon Alley, Draco Malfoy, and his existence plagued her. Torturously so... she was in love with him. And he had no idea. This is a short story for Dramione fans, and was inspired by the song "Guilty as Sin?" by Taylor Swift from The Tortured Poets Department.

💔 An Abundance of Words That Start With D by VanillaSage

After years spent telling herself that her marriage was worth saving and that everything would work out in the end, Hermione finally has to admit to herself that she was wrong. Of course, the man she's been sleeping with behind her husband's back probably could have told her that months ago. But maybe admitting you were wrong isn't so bad sometimes...

[tailschannel]

New zones, customization options, and Emerald Powers: a recap of the Sonic Superstars cover story

Issue 358 of the Gameinformer magazine was published this Tuesday, and its 12-page column on the upcoming Sonic Superstars revealed a new look into its development, and previewed a number of in-game features and zones.

Here's everything you need to know.

Major takeaways

New zone names: Sky Temple, Pinball Carnival, Lagoon City, Sand Sanctuary, Press Factory, and unannounced Golden Capital.

New Emerald Powers: Avatar, Bullet, Water, Ivy, Vision, Slow, Extra, Super.

Expect vast character customization options in the brand new Items shop.

Select stages in a Generations-style World Map.

New zones

Characters have the choice of going through a normal act or a character-specific act. For example, finishing Act 1 of Speed Jungle Zone as Sonic allows you to choose between either playing the second act of Speed Jungle or an "Act Sonic," an alternate act of Speed Jungle where you zoom as Sonic, running away from a terrorizing Fang the Sniper.

There is reportedly a World Map similar to Generations where you run in a 2D-plane to select a stage.

There is also an items shop where you can trade medals in for customizable parts. Apparent, you can customize your "head, body, arms, legs, accessories color, and something called prototype."

The third zone of the game is reportedly called Sky Temple Zone.

In the zone, there is a mini-game similar to the game "Breakout," where you turn into a ball and aim to break bricks.

The climax or the ending of the zone is a massive storm.

The fourth zone is called Pinball Carnival Zone.

As the name suggests, "a giant pinball arena and fast sequences with fireworks setting off."

The fifth zone is called Lagoon City, which is filled with submerged city ruins and water slides.

Act 1 is mostly above water whereas Act 2 has several underwater sequences.

Amy's character-specific act of Lagoon City is fruit-based, with several gimmicks like a fruit based robots and such.

Sand Sanctuary Zone is the sixth zone of Sonic Superstars and a seventh zone reportedly called Press Factory Zone.

Filenames in the newly released screenshots also disclosed the officially unannounced Golden Capital Zone.

Emerald Powers

Emerald Powers were inspired by the Wisps mechanic from Sonic Colors.

Every stage has a giant gold ring and a giant blue ring. Completing the giant gold rings rewards you a Chaos Emerald and the the blue ring rewards you a medal.

Both special stages have the same central gameplay mechanic: swing from floating bubbles toward the moving objective.

Emerald Powers can be used by using the right stick and operate on a cooldown, with each star post checkpoint replenishing your cooldown meter.

Avatar (Blue Emerald)

Allows you to create clones of yourself.

Useful for defeating any enemy that lies on you path.

Bullet (Red Emerald)

Allows you to direct and shoot your character at a specified direction.

"It's an extremely useful action; it's probably the most useful action for this kind of game," Iizuka said.

Water (Cyan Emerald)

Allows you to interact with any body of water, like swimming freely underwater or climbing up waterfalls.

Ivy (Green Emerald)

Allows you to grow upward vines.

Helpful in reaching higher areas.

Can also be utilized to help your teammates in co-op mode.

Vision (Purple Emerald)

Allows you to see hidden objects like platforms, rings, or items found in the level.

Slow (Yellow Emerald)

Allows the player to slow down everything on screen.

Helpful in tighter platforming sequences or boss encounters.

Extra (White Emerald)

Unlocks character-specific actions.

Sonic – Homing Attack: Unlocks the Homing Attack from the modern titles.

Tails – Tornado Spin: Unlocks a devastating tornado attack that can destroy enemies in front of you

Amy – Hammer Throw: Unlocks the ability for Amy to throw hammers instead of the usual Hammer Swing.

Knuckles – Punch: Unlocks the ability to punch for Knuckles.

Super Form (All 7 Emeralds)

Characters can turn into their Super form after collecting all 7 Chaos Emeralds.

Characters won't have any specific abilities outside of being invincible and becoming faster.

Emerald Powers can still be used in Super form.

Development

The concept of Superstars came from a Zoom call by Naoto Ohshima during the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Ohshima and Iizuka held producer roles for Sonic Superstars.

Despite hinting at a short development time than expected, Ohshima was impressed by Sonic Team and Iizuka.

"Though Arzest and Ohshima led development efforts on Sonic Superstars, Sonic Team collaborated frequently, with Iizuka and Ohshima constantly sharing ideas of and production duties."

There were talks between Iizuka and Whitehead's team following the release of Mania where concepts were considered, but the project fell through; however, Iizuka does states that he is "pleased that the next generation of Classic Sonic that we talked about with them has been achieved with Superstars."

Iizuka said that the programming for Superstars "is completely unique and done from scratch by Arzest."

(Story contributed by Spectre and Scarlett from the Tails' Channel Newsfeed)

[wardenofthecoast]

Re-imagining Western Tamriel

A while back, I made a map of biome map of Tamriel, based on A) Tamriel being as tall and twice wide as India B) a normal earth size C) wind coming from east heading west. @elbiotipo has also made a post, covering Cyrodiil, Skyrim and parts of the rest of the continent. I'm working on a little something, so I wanted to discuss western Tamriel, High Rock, Hammerfell, and the Summerset Isles. It won't be as in depth (because my environmental knowledge is more broad/shallow) but it will also include some possible cultural influence changes.

Summset Isles.

Let's start this one with a fun fact: High Elves were black. Or at least had a much darker skin coloration than we know them today.

Now that that's out of the way, my biggest inspiration for what the Summerset Isles would look like is: the Philippines. Much like the country, Summerset's mountainous eastern regions and the fact that monsoons would be westerly means a much wetter environment, while the west would remain (relatively) dryer. However, being a much more uniform landmass, Summerset would likely see harsher arid environs in its interior than the Philippines. I'd see monsoon tropical forests, savannas, montagne forest and scrubland to be the dominant environments. Auridon, being the "barrier" island would face much harsher storms but would also be much more lush,

Boat in blue Lagoon in Coron island, Palawan, Philippines. Close to Kayangan Lake. Maks Ershov

Another feature surrounding Summerset would be its corals, which are constantly mentioned in the canon and would make sense given it is an island in the tropics. Barrier and fringing reefs would surround the isles, and many Altmer sailors have learned how to avoid the atolls that surround their home. The coral would also create a unique architectural style similar to Coral Rag in our world, which is limestone made of coral found commonly in the Caribbean, United States and east Africa.

The west wing of the Parliament of Barbados (1872) is constructed of local coral rag.

Alinor would definitely have a pink hue to its buildings. As for the description of glass and insect wings, while not have any premodern historical basis that I know of, it wouldn't be insane to consider the high elves figured out the use of glass bottles/glass bricks in their architecture, and found a way

Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew, built by monks

Of course while major cities and areas of the upper class would have the stone and glass look, the lower caste areas would likely rely on wooden architecture, similar to the found in islands nations, reliable, cheaper and useful when your home is constantly battered by storms.

Being separated from Tamriel, it would be interesting to see what offshoots and unique species exist on the island. Lemurs, mouse deer, koakas, kiwis, I could see the Altmer having an extremely strict invasive species program, preferring their wildlife to be human friendly and without natural predators. Birds already are highly important in Summerset, and the Philippine eagle and other tropical birds are mighty majestic. Plus, I could see feather cloaks being a huge status symbol.

Rice is the food dejour of Summerset, with a mixture of pisciculture and wild caught fish (which one is seen as for the lower castes changes per the century). However fruit forests and farms are widespread, and in the interior the conditions are just right for grape wine production, and indeed most large scale fertilization products from fish sauce to fruit wine occurs far away from the upper castes, due to it being seen as beneath them to oversee food. However the highly stratified society is also highly organized, farmers live and die by their terraces assigned to them across the mountainous eastern landscapes, which are then brought to the western shores of Alinor and other cities. As for nonfish animal farming, I think its relatively rare, mainly chickens and waterfowl, not due to a lack of ability but due to viewing cows/pigs as dirty or foreign animals, on the same level as dogs, cats, and rats. Again this is less out of preserving a "unchanged" state of nature as wood elves would want, and more about preserving a "pure" aka ALTMER state of nature. Though I'm sure a few pigs and cows exist on the isles due to the Empire's presence.

Hammerfell

Now this might seem simple - it's very much inspired and would make sense for essentially a North African-esque environ and cultural influence to be ascribed to the entirety of the province, but I think there are three specific regions and I'll dissect them, the NW coast, the Southern Coast, and Eastern Interior. Overall I'd say the big difference is the coasts being controlled by the more secular/liberal forebears while the interior/eastern regions being more controlled by the conservative crowns faction, similar to how Oman was once split into two, a sultanate and an imamate.

The southern coast is most likely facing a similar monsoon season as the rest of southern tamriel, but these "cold" monsoons are less frequent, leaving longer and more intense periods of drought, until the cooler summer months brings fog and rain. A giant transformation of the coast happens as greenery springs across it. How far this effect occurs would be up for debate and how mountainous the regions area, but one can assume it wouldn't go too far.

Salalah during Khareef Season (June to September)

The south's population would primarily be on the coast, relying on the monsoon, fishing and trade to survive. Expect there to be Redguards but also Imperials, High Elves, and other immigrant populations tied heavily into the shipping industry. Overall, the south of Hammerfell would be similar to the Arabian Peninsula, famed for being a trade hub between cultures and having a proud sailing tradition.

The northwest region of Hammerfell has similar geography to North Africa. Sentinel itself is most likely in an oasis, where water from the rare rains or whatever condenses in the Dragontail Mountains collects in an aquifer underneath. To meet growing needs, engineering feats of irrigation either dig deeper or collect rainfall itself, or even an extremely early version desalinization. On the coast, the presence of the ocean helps moderate extreme temperatures, while the high altitude of the mountains provides an escape from extreme heat. Fishing, pastoralism (primarily horses, goats, donkeys and camels) and falaj irrigation systems in the mountains are the primary source of agriculture, especially for villages to self sustain, while larger cities like Sentinel rely on trade to meet its needs. Near Dragonstar, the vegetation/geography becomes similar with tangier, as the mountains and proximity to Skyrim/High Rock create a secluded mixed culture that I wouldn't be surprised if had more ties with itself than any overarching government. I'd look at Afghanistan's mountains for inspiration.

The eastern regions, especially those without a coast, would be drier but due to high elevations causing cooler temperatures, so you get some greener pastures, with a bit of terracing for agriculture. I've already covered this, but very much afghanistan/iran in geography. Again, not much different than whats already in game, just much more fertile than expected.

High Rock

High Rock is going to be little different, similar to Hammerfell I'll seperate into three regions, the Lilac Bay (and related islands), the northern coast and the eastern interior). To be honest, I'm running out of steam and High Rock might be the least interesting overall.

The Lilac Bay would most likely be similar to the northern Mediterranean states, I'd say likely Greece, Spain and Italy, with hot summers and mild winters, instead of the heavy inspirations it takes from France and the UK, in fact the temperate climate would only be found on the slopes of the mountains facing towards the bay. This is where a key feature of High Rock's lore, its fractious nature, comes into play. A rocky landscape makes it difficult to traverse, and easy for individual cities to rise into prominence without a unifying power, with some exception (with enough will and socioeconomic conditions, there's a way). As High Rock progresses, you'd see more like Italy with kingdoms/republics surrounding cities, like Venice or the Papal States.

Meanwhile, its northern side I think would be similar to the Pacific edge of the Americas, such as Chile and the US. Cool oceans lead to a lack of rain, and the mountains means less storms coming from the south (barring the gaps between mountain ranges, such as north of Wayrest). Here, fishing and ranching are the most common food sources, and I'd suspect there would be a strong independent streak compared to the more metropolitan south. For water, it would be interesting if they relied heavily on groundwater and more specifically - springs. Just to make things more interesting and provide a bit more flavor (beyond the non-existant or just: its spooky theme northern High Rock has now).

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. Did I include this because I think it matches High Rock's climate or because its pretty? Both.

High Rock's eastern region is more forested in the south, closer to the Lilac Bay, but soon becomes much more mountainous, this is where we'd get three unique cultures - the Reachman, the Orcs and a hybrid of Redguard, Breton and Nordic culture. Defined by relative autonomy and constantly shifting borders, one would consider them sort of unique/demi-province.

Now I do think there are ways to spice up Bretons in general, making them more than just bland europe 2, especially when the Imperials have the same thing.

1 - Taking inspiration from Baltic nations. A group of nations famously close to islamic cultures (in our case the Redguards), also with a famous water body, feels like an appropriate source of inspiration, and would allow a European flair that isn't sanded down or done a thousand times.

2 - Mexico - I alluded to this before, but I feel like its not a far reach (ha) to take inspiration from Mexico/SW UZ, in geography but also in cultures both indigenous and colonial, which makes some sense since a key part of High Rock is their mixed ancestry and being subject to colonial rule. Its just a personal tasts tho in the end.

3 - Make them dress slutty again. Healer of akatosh needs his tiddies out for the magic to work.

[coconutcows]

Something that really bothers me with Clawdeen redesigns, second to the racist implications of making the black character overly animalistic, is like, I get wanting to go further with the design, but Clawdeens Monster inspiration while listed as generic “werewolf”, her actual monster parent is very clearly “The Wolfman”.

All the G1 ghouls monster parents are “Legendary Monsters” ie the Univeral Monsters, save for Ghoulia who is the daughter of Zombies since there isn’t a specific zombie character. Frankie to Frankenstein, Cleo to The Mummy, Draculaura to Dracula. Despite their parent monster being listed differently, Lagoonas parent is The Creature, and Clawdeens is The Wolfman.

(The proof of Lagoona Blue to The Creature from the Black Lagoon. The highlight is not mine, I grabbed this screenshot off Reddit to keep on hand)

So Clawdeen is the daughter of The Wolfman, a type of werewolf that’s more humanoid with minor wolf features. This is why the werewolves don’t have tails in Monster High, why they aren’t beastial or overly wolf-ish, they’re based on wolfman type werewolves

So that’s why they don’t have tails, paws, or wolf anatomy. The addition of the noses in G3 actually bring them closer to their inspiration.

So like yeah anyone can draw whatever they want, I just feel like the humanoid wolfman style werewolf is underutilized when redesigning or interpreting Clawdeen so I just wanted to bring this up.

[istumpysk]

OPERATION ICEBERG: THE TIER LIST

THEORY:

Lemongate

TIER:

People's Choice! I swear to god, if you guys screw this up...

Under Consideration: These theories haven't garnered strong or extensive evidence, but they're worthy of discussion.

vs.

50/50: These theories are complete toss-ups.

vs.

Low Probability: While not impossible, these theories are unlikely based on the current evidence.

vs.

Long Shot: These theories are largely speculative, based more on wishful thinking or obscure hints than on solid evidence.

vs.

Debunked: These theories have been directly contradicted by the text, George R. R. Martin, or other authoritative sources.

[Tier list overview]

EVIDENCE:

What is Lemongate?

That was when they lived in Braavos, in the big house with the red door. Dany had her own room there, with a lemon tree outside her window. - Daenerys I, AGOT

The theory argues that lemons can't grow in Braavos, therefore something about Daenerys' childhood has yet to be revealed.

What could it be?

It depends on who you ask. The problem with this theory is that it serves as the foundation for many other theories, making it extremely difficult to cover.

The possibility that Daenerys never actually lived in Braavos has led to various speculations, including but not limited to the following:

The big house with the red door was in Dorne.

Daenerys Targaryen isn't really Daenerys Targaryen, and has false memories of her childhood with Viserys Targaryen.

Daenerys is the daughter of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

Daenerys is the daughter of Ned Stark and Ashara Dayne.

And that's just scratching the surface.

For the sake of my sanity, we won't delve into all that nonsense. Instead, we'll focus solely on the question of whether lemons can grow in Braavos and, if not, what the hell is going on.

Okay, do lemons grow in Braavos?

Maybe? Daenerys seems to think so.

That was when they lived in Braavos, in the big house with the red door. Dany had her own room there, with a lemon tree outside her window. - Daenerys I, AGOT

But there's some issues.

For starters, trees don't really grow in Braavos.

Beyond the harbor she glimpsed streets of grey stone houses, built so close they leaned one upon the other. To Arya's eyes they were queer-looking, four and five stories tall and very skinny, with sharp-peaked tile roofs like pointed hats. She saw no thatch, and only a few timbered houses of the sort she knew in Westeros. They have no trees, she realized. Braavos is all stone, a grey city in a green sea. - Arya I, AFFC

x

The stony maze of islands and canals that was Braavos, devoid of grass and trees and teeming with strangers who spoke to her in words she could not understand, frightened her so badly that she lost the map and soon herself. - Samwell III, AFFC

Braavos is built on a lagoon at the northwestern end of Essos.

(map!)

It is often described as foggy, with a damp, cool, maritime climate. It draws significant inspiration from the city of Venice, Italy.

The day looked to be a rare one, crisp and clear and bright. Braavos only had three kinds of weather; fog was bad, rain was worse, and freezing rain was worst. But every so often would come a morning when the dawn broke pink and blue and the air was sharp and salty. Those were the days that Cat loved best. - Cat of the Canals, AFFC

x

"Winter is nigh upon us. The day I left Braavos, there was ice on the canals." - Jon IX, ADWD

It's not an ideal climate for growing lemons, as the text humorously notes.

"Seven hells, this place is damp," she heard her guard complain. "I'm chilled to the bones. Where are the bloody orange trees? I always heard there were orange trees in the Free Cities. Lemons and limes. Pomegranates. Hot peppers, warm nights, girls with bare bellies. Where are the bare-bellied girls, I ask you?" "Down in Lys, and Myr, and Old Volantis," the other guard replied. He was an older man, big-bellied and grizzled. "I went to Lys with Lord Tywin once, when he was Hand to Aerys. Braavos is north of King's Landing, fool. Can't you read a bloody map?" - Mercy, TWOW

It's nothing like Dorne, a more suitable place for a lemon tree.

Anguy shuffled his feet. "We were thinking we might eat it, Sharna. With lemons. If you had some." "Lemons. And where would we get lemons? Does this look like Dorne to you, you freckled fool? Why don't you hop out back to the lemon trees and pick us a bushel, and some nice olives and pomegranates too." - Arya II, ASOS

x

There children frolicked naked in the sun, music played in tiled courtyards, and the air was sharp with the smell of lemons and blood oranges. - The Captain of the Guards, AFFC

And to the author's credit, he appears to fully understand the conditions under which lemon trees can and cannot thrive.

Sweetrobin loved lemon cakes too, but only after she told him that they were her favorites. The cake had required every lemon in the Vale, but Petyr had promised that he would send to Dorne for more. - Alayne I, TWOW

So you can see why it's a bit puzzling.

Has anyone ever thought to simply ask George about it?

Of course. If you had the opportunity to ask George R. R. Martin anything, why wouldn't you waste your moment on something as stupid as this?

George was asked about the discrepancy, and surprisingly, he was uncharacteristically forthcoming. He acknowledged that it's very perceptive to pick up on a detail like that and playfully hinted that it points to something else.

Dany remembers a lemon tree outside the house with the red door in Braavos, but citrus trees shouldn't really grow in Braavos's cold, foggy climate. Is this discrepency significant? Does it point to future revelations about Dany's past? Thank you so much. Very perceptive of you. Yes, it does point to . . . well, that would be telling. - George R. R. Martin

In that case, is Lemongate confirmed to be real?

No, not exactly.

Despite what he said, there's really no hints in the text concerning any secrecy around Daenerys' upbringing.

Ser Willem Darry was in Braavos, a fact that could be confirmed by several people.

"It is a secret pact," Dany said, "made in Braavos when I was just a little girl. Ser Willem Darry signed for us, the man who spirited my brother and myself away from Dragonstone before the Usurper's men could take us. Prince Oberyn Martell signed for Dorne, with the Sealord of Braavos as witness." She handed the parchment to Ser Barristan, so he might read it for himself. - Daenerys VII, ADWD

And while trees are rare in Braavos, they do grow in the gardens of the wealthy, where you'd expect Daenerys to be. It's not out of the question that a lemon tree could grow there. Lemon trees can also grow in Venice, Italy.

Trees did not grow on Braavos, save in the courts and gardens of the mighty. - Samwell III, AFFC

Compare one questionable lemon tree to how the author handles Jon Snow's parentage, and you can see why the theory has some issues.

Then what the hell is going on?

I believe one of three possibilities exists.

POSSIBILITY #1

Daenerys lived in a nice big house in Braavos with Ser Willem Darry, and there was a lemon tree outside her window. Nothing weird is happening.

POSSIBILITY #2

We have another instance of an unreliable narrator, who is rewriting a past event that never existed.

Daenerys is chasing a red door and a lemon tree that were never truly there, and she'll never reach her destination. It's a commentary on the futility of her entire objective.

POSSIBILITY #3*

(*also known as the real reason)

At the last minute, George changed the location of the big house with the red door from Tyrosh to Braavos, resulting in a humorous inconsistency in the story.

Yes, it's really that simple.

Blood of the Dragon was a novella published in the July 1996 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. It is based on the Daenerys chapters from A Game of Thrones and was released before the book itself.

Here's an excerpt:

That was when they had lived in Tyrosh, in the big house with the red door. Dany had slept in her own room there, with a lemon tree outside her window. After Ser Willem had died, the servants had stolen what little money they had left, and soon after they had been put out of the big house. Dany had cried when the red door closed behind them forever. They had wandered since then, from Tyrosh to Myr, from Myr to Braavos, and on to Qohor and Volantis and Lys, never staying long in any one place.

Whoops! Something's different.

The big house with the red door originally being in Tyrosh isn't surprising, given that ✨ we know ✨ Daenerys speaks with a Tyroshi accent.

The merchant must have taken her for Dothraki, with her clothes and her oiled hair and sun-browned skin. When she spoke, he gaped at her in astonishment. "My lady, you are … Tyroshi? Can it be so?" "My speech may be Tyroshi, and my garb Dothraki, but I am of Westeros, of the Sunset Kingdoms," Dany told him. - Daenerys VI, AGOT

You'd have to spend many of your formative younger years in Tyrosh for that to be the case.

As Irri and Jhiqui helped her from her litter, she sniffed, and recognized the sharp odors of garlic and pepper, scents that reminded Dany of days long gone in the alleys of Tyrosh and Myr and brought a fond smile to her face. - Daenerys VI, AGOT

Amusingly, this now-deleted part of her history was somewhat alluded to when her mirrored image twin from Tyrosh was introduced to the story.

The Tyroshi sellsword was not a good man, no one needed to tell her that. - Daenerys V, ASOS

x

"Is it Daario? What's happened?" In her dream they had been man and wife, simple folk who lived a simple life in a tall stone house with a red door. - Daenerys II, ADWD

Many inconsistencies and discrepancies are present throughout the series, but they are especially noticeable in A Game of Thrones.

Lemons grow in Tyrosh, but they don't typically grow in Braavos. It's a detail the author overlooked when making the simple change, and I guarantee you this is him poking fun at himself (and the Lemongaters) for the error:

"Seven hells, this place is damp," she heard her guard complain. "I'm chilled to the bones. Where are the bloody orange trees? I always heard there were orange trees in the Free Cities. Lemons and limes. Pomegranates. Hot peppers, warm nights, girls with bare bellies. Where are the bare-bellied girls, I ask you?" "Down in Lys, and Myr, and Old Volantis," the other guard replied. He was an older man, big-bellied and grizzled. "I went to Lys with Lord Tywin once, when he was Hand to Aerys. Braavos is north of King's Landing, fool. Can't you read a bloody map?" - Mercy, TWOW

So, we can probably put it to rest.

But George himself said it was pointing to something??

Aww, adorable.

If you've been paying attention to George R. R. Martin for any amount of time, you should realize that if there were something truly significant about lemon trees not growing in Braavos as part of a secret plot yet to be revealed, there's no way in hell he would ever answer that question in that manner on LiveJournal.

Allow me to finish his sentence for him,

Dany remembers a lemon tree outside the house with the red door in Braavos, but citrus trees shouldn't really grow in Braavos's cold, foggy climate. Is this discrepency significant? Does it point to future revelations about Dany's past? Thank you so much. Very perceptive of you. Yes, it does point to . . . [my changing the story and overlooking a minor detail, like an idiot.]

Fine, but why did he switch it from Tyrosh to Braavos?

I don't know why, but you should stop overthinking this, and we should move on.

(because of arya.)

STUMPY'S THOUGHTS:

I'd like to think Lemongate has been debunked, but I'll leave it to the people to render their verdict.

Does Lemongate amount to nothing? Absolutely. Do lemons grow in Braavos? Not really. Is the house with the red door a symbol of an idealized past she'll never be able to replicate in her future? I don't doubt it.

Many things can be true here, but one thing that's not is that she lived in Dorne, and Lyanna Stark is her mother.

VOTE:

NEXT THEORY:

Oberyn poisoned Tywin

[Main menu]

[astrolocherry]

The Aquarius aesthetic is youthful pleasure, salt water, sparkling ocean hues, turquoise and flamingoes, blue lagoons, and cool, refreshing, musical vibes. She is the dance at the shoreline, midsummer dreams, and mysteries at twilight. The feeling of Aquarius flows both ways; universal devotion, diplomacy, inspiration, and extraterrestrial vibrations

[allthingssteddie]

Steve and Eddie get stuck in the woods.

Both drunk Steve and Tommy and Carol (mostly Steve) thinks it’s a good idea to take Steve’s fathers yacht out . A thing Steve would never do sober. When they get on it Eddie happens to be there which pisses Steve off because of their earlier encounter at school. But Tommy tells him it’s cool he invited him there to sell to them. But as the night goes on and Carol and Tommy go down stairs. Steve and Eddie are arguing leading to Eddie shoving Steve and Steve shoving Eddie which leads Eddie to fall off and Steve going after him they both land into the ocean then both waking up stuck on land that they don’t know how to get off.

Also it takes place right on the beginning of summer vacation.

Inspired by Blue Lagoon 1980 but instead of an island they are in woods.

[zenkindoflove]

15 for Satharion please ❤️❤️❤️

15...passionately.

Note: Okay, I was inspired by elizianna.the.one 's fanart of Satharion. Also "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid, of course.

“I can’t believe I’m naked… outside!”

Tharion grinned at his wife. He hugged her closer to his chest, floating in a blue lagoon, as he leaned into her ear, “What do you mean? I’m basically naked all the time.”

Sathia rolled her eyes as she continued to giggle, “I’m aware. I can barely convince you to wear clothes in our apartment.”

“I think you secretly like it.” He tried his best not to stare over her shoulder, down at her breasts pressed together by her forearms covering her chest. Compared to him, Sathia was surprisingly modest. It took a lot of coaxing and downright goading to convince her to skinny dip with him.

He brought her here with one goal in mind… to kiss his wife. They had been dancing around it for weeks. He had never been so shy around a female before, but Sathia wasn’t like anyone he had ever been with. She was sharp, graceful, loyal, and if he were honest, a little scary. But mostly, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Her smile made his heart race faster than diving leagues under the sea.

He wasn’t sure that Sathia wanted to kiss him too. It was possible, but she had always been hard to read. He wasn’t used to having to work for it so much. Usually, he could flash a cheeky smile, run his hand up someone’s waist, and they would practically pull him down for a kiss first. But Sathia… Sathia was coyer. She was a refined, well-bred lady. She didn’t kiss first, and he knew she would never ask him for one.

So, he had to push his fear away and go for it. She turned her head to look back at him, a playful scowl pulling down her groomed brows. Now was his moment.

He slid his hand along her neck and gently shifted her to turn in his lap. She complied, and Tharion could swear he felt her heart rate quicken, sensing the vibrations in the water. He leaned forward, hesitating for a breath as his lips grazed hers. When he didn’t feel any resistance, he dove forward, kissing her as he had imagined thousands of times since they wed.

Sathia ran her fingers through his slick hair, gripping the back of his head as she was the first one to deepen the kiss, licking his teeth to signal she wanted him to open wider. He listened, dancing his tongue against hers as he fully flipped her around so that she straddled his hips. He kept them afloat with his tail, placing his hands firmly on her hips. Sathia tugged at the roots of his hair at the base of his neck, and he groaned into her mouth. Gods damn. If Tharion knew kissing his wife would be this good, he would have done it much sooner.

Kiss prompts.

[0funsite0]

Island Paradise

Summary: You and your friend get stuck on a remote island after a tragic ship accident and have to figure everything out on your own.

Remote island AU - reader insert

Warnings: pregnancy (and all the thing that come with it), very detailed childbirth! small age gap (6 years), vomiting, argument, breastfeeding

Word count: 15.5K

Inspired by the movie Blue Lagoon (1980) and Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991)

- Tae?

- Yes?

- Can I eat this? - tiny little hands reach up to show the older boy the berries.

- No, Y/n! You can't eat anything we aren't entirely sure about! - the boy scolds the little girl.

A pout takes over the girl's lips, as she throws the berries to the ground.

- Can you help me put these branches in my arms?

The little girl squeals in happiness and picks up the branches one by one.

- Will we build a big, big house? - she asks with wide eyes.

- I'm not sure how bit, or steady it will be, but I promise to try my best!

Y/n claps his hands at his answer. Usually, anything Taehyung promises will happen, so the girl is sure that in just a few days they will own the house of her dreams on this small island that is just theirs, no one else's.

~

The ocean was swaying behind the two kids in the rising sun. Tae hasn't slept almost the entire night, too busy making the finishing touches on the little house they built.

- It's done! It's done, Tae! I'm so happy! - a little girl squealed as the last little details were done as well.

- It is, Y/n! - the boy smiled sleepily. - Have you seen your room yet?

- My woom? I have my own woom?!

- You sure do! - the boy grabbed Y/n's tiny hands and lead her in front of one of the rooms in the wooden house.

There were beautiful shells stuck to the door and formed letters and words. The y read: Y/n's room.

- Happy Birthday, Y/n!

- It's my biwthday? - the girl asked wide-eyed.

- It is, silly. - he chuckled. - It's the 3rd of July.

- How do you know?

- I've been keeping track on the wall of the cave.

- Wow!

- So, do you want to see your room? It's your present from me.

Without another word, the girl pushed the bamboo door open with tiny, clumsy hands. The sight in front of her left Y/n speechless.

The room wasn't large but it was extremely cosy. There was everything the little girl needed. A bed-like creation to sleep on, a small wardrobe she could fill with the clothes that were saved from the ship or washed to shore, and even a window, giving a fantastic view of the infinite water, covered by curtains. Adorable decorations made out of shells and leaves were hung on the sealing.

- Tae... It's so beautiful! Thank you! - she wrapped her short arms around the boy's thighs and hid her face in his stomach.

- Of course, Y/n. You deserve it. - he picked up the girl and held her securely on his waist. - But only if you show me how old you turned!

Little Y/n slowly held up her fingers while counting each one until she stopped.

- Five! - she laughed.

- That's right! You're a big girl now! - he kissed her cheek and gently lowered her light body to the ground. - Today is all about you, Sweetheart! We'll celebrate!

- A pawty?

- Yes, a party.

- Will mama and dada be thewe?

The boy's eyes darkened, sadness washing over his figure.

- No, Y/n... T-they won't be there, unfortunately... - he brushed a hand over the girl's soft cheeks as a pout spread across her lips.

- Then youw mama and youw dada?

The boy only sighed and shook his head, holding back tears that were so eager to spill onto his cheeks.

- Why?

- Remember the fire on the ship? - she nodded. - Well... you and I are very lucky, you know? Mama and dada couldn't get out as we did... I... t-they got stuck in the fire...

- But we awe they now?

- Y/n... they are at a better place... I guess... - a tear managed to slip out. - But that place is very far away from us.

- It doesn't, matter how far away they are, Tae. I want to go there.

- Oh, Y/n, no! That place... that place is for people who don't live anymore.

The little girl started to realize what her friend was trying to tell her. There was no coming back for her mama and papa... They were gone.

Tears started welling up in the girl's eyes and looked up at the boy almost as if she was asking for help of some sort.

- A-are they d-dead?

All the boy did was nod slightly, his own heart breaking at the sight of the little girl's tear-streamed face. The girl once again buried her face into the boy's stomach, painful sobs erupting from her lips.

5 year later

Y/n took careful steps as she climbed the little hill which had turned into her safe place over the years. Whenever she was feeling down, or times were rough, she would come out there and pray. She believed this was the place where she could talk to her parents. even though they never answered through words, Y/n knew they were listening.

The delicately carved piece of rock was placed on the top of the hill, with the beautiful ocean behind it.

Y/n placed the blossoming bouquet next to the headstone and a small tear escaped her eyes.

- Mama? Papa? - she began. - I hope you can hear me. I'm sure you can. - she smiled. - I turned 10 a couple of days ago. I'm a big girl now... Tae is 16 now. He's so, so, so smart. He built a whole house, and I even have my own room! He also taught me many, many things, so I could be smart just like him. Although, I still have a long way to go. He truly is amazing. He's the sibling I never had. My wise, big brother. He hunts and catches fish for us to eat, and I collect fruits and veggies around the island. I even made my own little garden where I can grow all the delicious plants. But Tae is the one who does most of the things. I always try to help him as much as I can...

It started raining. Y/n would have had so much more to tell her parents, but the worried boy's voice stopped her.

- Y/n, come inside! - his voice echoed from a distance.

- Bye, mama! Bye, dada! - she blew a kiss above her head.

Taehyung told her they must be up there, far, far away above the clouds.

~

What is happening to me?

Taehyung thought to himself as he stood in front of the small mirror that got washed up to shore a few days after the accident.

He didn't things were happening to his body. He was overly confused. He was inspecting his bare chest. It had gotten much... bigger? More muscular! His arms weren't as thin as they used to be.

And what is that thing coming out of my...

Nevermind.

This was puberty... he knew it. But he thought his voice is going to get deeper, or a little facial hair and that's it. But oh boy, no...

He just wished his dad would be there to explain it all... His big sister, Tiana, explained some girly stuff to him, but she never told him about the things boys experienced.

He had a lot to figure out on his own.

~

- Careful around the fire, Y/n!

- Sorry... - she apologized and stopped getting closer to the intriguing flames. - Can I have the coconut, please?

- Of course.

- But you love coconut too and we only have one. We could always share.

- Thank you, Y/n! You are very sweet, but we don't have to. We only found a small coconut this time, so I want you to eat as much of it as possible.

- But why? - the girl asked with curious eyes.

Tae could see she wasn't developing as she should. She was still extremely thin and shorter than an average 10-year-old should be. He was on a mission to fix this issue. He went hunting every day for hours, coming home with different animals and fruits, hoping they would help the girl. She was fragile.

But he didn't want to worry Y/n or make her think she was weak.

- I don't even like them that much, so you can have it.

- Really? - she gasped. - I thought you loved coconuts...

- I changed my mind. - he smiled.

- Okay... More for me then! - she giggled cheekily.

- Eat up sweetheart. - he chuckled, happy to see his sunshine eat.

Because it was true. Y/n was his sunshine. His everything since getting stuck on this island. He lost his whole family in the ship catastrophe. His parents, all 4 of his little sisters, and his big sister, who he looked up to very much. He missed them incredibly. He missed braiding their hair, their laughs and just having them in general. He wished he cherished those moments more before it all came to an end.

And for Y/n's parents, Y/n was their only child, and he swore he would protect her with all he had.

2 years later

- TAE! TAE!!! - the 12-year-old girl shouted from the edge of the forest.

- Y/N? Y/N WHERE ARE YOU?! - his worried voice called out.

Y/n's frightened form emerged from under the trees. She was running and chased by a little fluff ball.

- What is this, Tae?! Oh my God! It's gonna kill me!

The boy burst into laughter.

- Y/n! - he was laughing so hard. - H-have you e-ever seen a dog?

- Yes, but Tae! This isn't a dog. It's much smaller and its barks are ear-piercing.

- Y/n, this is a dog, just a different kind. Maybe you haven't seen one of them before. Look.

He caught the girl, who jumped onto him, seeking a place to hide. A place where she could be safe. And it was always her protector, her big brother. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, burying her face into its crock.

The tiny, fluffy dog stopped at the boy's legs at last and started jumping to reach the little girl, but it was too small and couldn't jump that high.

The boy slowly sat the girl down on her legs and the puppy immediately sniffed her, memorizing her fragrance. Taehyung wiped away the tears that rolled down the girl's cheeks.

- See? He's friendly.

- He? It's a boy? - she smiled, finally calming down.

- Yes.

- How do you know?

- Uhm... well... see that thing there? - he pointed between the dog's legs at the back.

The girl nodded.

- Well... that means he is a boy.

- Oh! Okay.

- Do you want to pet him?

- No! - she buried her face into his chest once more.

- But he's friendly! Look, he's so small.

The little girl opened her eyes and looked at the tiny creature, crouching down finally and carefully lowering her hand to pet the fluff ball's head.

- See?

A soft giggle erupted from Y/n.

- Give him a name, Tae!

- Me? Don't you have any pretty names?

She shook her head. Taehyung thought for a second. he always wanted a dog, but there was already so much hectic in their house at home, that adding a dog to 6 kids would have been a disaster.

But there was one name he liked, despite not being able to give it to any animal.

- How about Yeontan? - he said.

- Yeontan?

- Do you not like it?

- I do! Yeontan... That's such a unique name. Tannie!

- Tannie? What is that?

- His nickname! Yeontan and Tannie! Is it okay?

- Of course! I love it.

With that, he pressed a kiss onto her cheeks. Their little family had 3 members now. They weren't alone. They had each other. And that's what matters the most.

2 years later

Oh, God...

Oh, please, no!

- No! Tannie, go away! - she scolded the dog, who was curiously smelling the red stain on the white fabric.

The blood on her bed was the first thing Y/n noticed after she woke up. And the throbbing pain in her tummy didn't go away either... She thought it was from accidentally swallowing a lot of salt water while swimming the day before. It had happened before but didn't usually last this long.

This was different.

And where was the blood coming from? - she figured that one out pretty quickly... Panic rose in her. What was she supposed to do now? Tell Tae? But this is so embarrassing... There was no way she was going to keep this to herself. She shared everything with him.

So she shyly got off of her bed and yanked the stained material it was covered with.

- Tae? - she called out for him as she stepped out of the house.

The boy was just returning from collecting useful things around one part of the island.

- Yes, sweetheart?

- I... - she swallowed hard. - I'm really sorry, Tae... I don't know what happened.

She unraveled the fabric to reveal the bloodstain. However, she didn't receive the reaction she was nervous about. The boy inspected the red spot and a soft smile appeared on his face.

- Y/n, there's nothing to worry about, okay? This is completely normal for girls. It's called menstruation or a period when big and mature girls like you bleed from down there once a month or so. It's totally natural.

Y/n processed his words. She had so many questions and she wasn't afraid to ask him. Turns out, he knew a lot of things about periods.

- If only girls get this, then... how do you know so much about it?

- From my big sister. She taught me many things. Stuff about girls, what changes their bodies go through, and everything else that comes with it.

And so he shared all his knowledge about menstruation cycles with her, starting from cramps and bleeding, to mood swings and cravings. She looked up to him so much.

- Come, let's get you cleaned up and prepare the stuff we need, sweetheart.

He noticed her flushed cheeks and her hesitation to go with him.

- Y/n, this is pure nature. There is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Please, let me take care of you! - he enveloped her in a big hug.

- Thank you, Tae!

~

- Here. - Taehyung put the small cloth full of hot rocks from the beach on Y/n's tummy. He made sure it wasn't too heavy for her stomach. - Tell me when it runs cold and I'll collect more from the sand.

- How is this supposed to help?

- Hot temperatures usually help with cramps like such.

- Oh! Okay, thanks. - she smiled through her tears.

The boy pressed a soft kiss onto her temple.

- Woof! - a high-pitched bark came from the door.

- Hi Tannie! Come here.

The puppy paddled his legs with his tongue hanging from its mouth and jumped into Taehyung's huge hands. The boy placed him next to the girl's cramping stomach. The Yeontan sniffed along her tummy and let out whimpering noises.

- Shh... It's okay, Tannie. - the boy called. - Mamma's okay. Just some cramps that will go away soon.

But for Yeontan it didn't look like his Mamma is okay.

The sight of the girl he has become so protective of in tears worried him. Turns out, those stupid cramps were bothering her, and even though Taehyung told her about these pains during periods, she still got a little scared.

Being in pain was never a good sign, she learned that pretty early on. They had no doctors, medicines, or gauze to wrap their wounds. They could only rely on each other.

There was one time when Taehyung got badly hurt while climbing on a tree to reach those huge coconuts for Y/n. He knew they were her favorite. A branch broke underneath his weight and while gravity pulled him harshly to the ground, another branch cut his right thigh. It was a nasty cut. In a couple of days, the wound got infected. It got to the point where he couldn't even feel his toes. He thought he was losing his leg.

The little girl was terrified at that time. She was still very young and had no idea how to help her best friend.

From then on they swore to tell each other if they experienced any sort of pain, no matter how small it was.

- Is it working? - he asked after a while.

- Mhm... It doesn't hurt as much anymore.

- Thank God! - he smiled. - Sleep, sweetheart. It will be even better after you wake up. And guess what...

- What? - the girl perked up at his excited voice.

- Maybe a little surprise will be waiting for you when you wake up.

- What surprise? Coconut?!

- If I told you it won't be a surprise anymore, silly.

Y/n pouted.

- Okay... I'll sleep quickly then!

- Take your time, Y/n. - and there goes another kiss on the cheeks. - Yeontan, guard Mamma's dreams, okay?

- Woof!

- Good boy! - he scratched behind his ears.

And with a cute chuckle, the girl closed her eyes and drifted off into a shallow slumber.

~

- I'm up!

- This was barely 20 minutes, sweetheart...

- But I was so excited... I couldn't sleep any longer.

- Alright, come outside then.

Taehyung could hear quick feel paddle on the bamboo stairs. Soon enough she appeared with the tiny puppy following close behind.

- What's the surprise?

Taehyung laughed at her nosiness.

- Patience, Y/n!

- Okay... - she pouted.

- Come with me.

With that, he took her hand and lead her to the mountainside where thousands of white stripes showed the number of days they'd been calling this island home.

But there was so much more room on the huge rock.

In front of the empty surface, half coconut shells were sitting in the sand. Y/n curiously stepped closer to them.

- Colours? - she asked confused.

- They are paints. Look! - he crouched down next to the girl. Green, red, purple, and this blueish color. I tried to make yellow as well but... it didn't turn out quite that well.

A huge smile crept onto her face.

- But it turned into a beautiful cream color! - she clapped her hands in excitement.

- Do you like them? - he asked. - Here's a brush you can use to put them on the wall.

He picked up the paintbrush-like creation and handed it to her.

- I love them!!! - she jumped onto the boy who fell into the sand with a soft thud, with one hand tight around Y/n's body and the other pressed her head into the crook of his neck. - Thank you, Tae!

- Thank me by showing what you can create with them.

Her cheeks flushed red.

- Well... I've never really painted before. I'm not very good.

- That's okay! Do something simple. Like... the ocean during sunset!

- Okay.

The boy set aside. He watched as Y/n sipped the brush in each color. She was so concentrated on her art, her tongue stuck out.

In a few minutes, the picture started to come together, even though the colors didn't show up quite vibrant on the dark rock. The wavy blue line was obviously the water, the red half circle above it the setting sun. She even managed to paint pretty clouds with the cream color.

- It's beautiful, Y/n!

- Thanks! - she showed a shy smile.

~

3 years later

From then on, whenever Tae was away, this large canvas became her safe place. She painted away and eventually with a lot of practice, her skills became better and better. She even experimented with the whole paint-making process and improved the quality of her paints each time.

Y/n was a grown woman now. Her curves have gotten more prominent and they were beautiful nonetheless.

It didn't miss Taehyung's eyes either. The way her chest pushed out the otherwise loose-fitting cloth around her body, how the fabric hugged the soft curve of her hip... As he watched her work on another masterpiece on the canvas given by nature with their dog by her feet, who hasn't grown much, all he could think about was how he would-

No!

Stop that!

He couldn't think like that. She was his little sister. he has been taking care of her, raising her ever since she turned 5...

Well... he wasn't actually his sister-

STOP! - he scolded himself.

He couldn't take watching her anymore...

- Y/n, I'm going hunting! - he called.

- Okay. Do you want me to come with you?

- No, you just paint.

Y/n pouted a little. His oh-so-loved big brother has been so distant lately... It made her sad. So, so sad.

She didn't understand... They used to be best buddies. Telling each other everything and anything. Now he didn't even cuddle her to sleep anymore. He started wearing clothing while swimming, which was something neither of them did before. So Y/n decided to do the same. She made her own hand-made swimwear.

That gave her the idea to spend the remainder of the day swimming a little. She finished her painting of Tannie, packed up her pieces of equipment, and made the short walk to their house with the small dog trailing behind her.

At this point, Yeontan had his own corner with a little swing and a half coconut shell as a food bowl. He quickly nestled himself in his swing and dosed off right away.

The cool water felt refreshing on her skin after such a hot day. She could tell the sun still had about 45 minutes before starting to set. She would be back before it was completely under the horizon.

This was the time to let out all the frustration, confusion, and hurt. It came in the form of tears. They blended perfectly with the salty ocean water.

She just swam and swam, letting all the droplets exit her eyes.

She didn't realize how far she has gone. She wasn't far from shore. In fact, the island was almost at arm's reach, however, she no longer recognized which part of the island she was facing. She must be on the other side... But that was so far! And-

Oh no!

The sky had gotten dark. There was no way she could find her way back in pitch black.

She started to panic. She couldn't swim to shore because of the sudden cramp in her limbs. The anxiety of not knowing her surroundings pulled her under the surface. She wanted to shout, but not even a broken sound came out of his throat.

All she could do was splash the water around in hopes of getting Taehyung's attention. But he was so far from her right now. There was no way it will reach his ears.

She couldn't keep fighting anymore... The harsh waves pushed her to the bottom.

~

Where is she?!

The boy was freaking out. He checked their entire house, only to be met with their peacefully sleeping dog. But he awoke because of his owner's distressed shuffles around the room.

- Tannie! Where is Mamma? - his voice was panicked, which caused Yeontan to worry as well.

- Woof! - he jumped off his swing and ran outside.

Taehyung followed right behind, but the dog was only barking at the water.

- Did Mamma go swimming?

- Woof!

But she should be back already!

It was their rule that if they ever went swimming alone, they would be back before sunset. It was night now...

- Y/N!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!

He ran along the waves, but there was no sight or sound of Y/n. He was starting to lose his mind.

I swear if anything happens to her I-

- Y/N!!!

He ran straight through the forest behind their house, still screaming her name, not caring if he draws the attention of predators to himself.

What was that?

There was something in the water nearby. Something was violently splashing. Before it stopped. Taehyung went to check on the source of the noise, only to find familiar strands of hair sinking under the water.

- Y/N!!! Oh my God!

He jumped into the cool water and swam towards the girl like his life depended on it. And it did. But mostly hers.

As soon as he managed to drag her body to stable grounds he checked for a pulse.

There wasn't any.

He immediately began pushing down on her chest at a fast pace. He was terrified. He didn't know what he was doing. He remembered something about having to blow air into the person's mouth. So he did that. He opened her mouth and blew into it just like how a small child would blow out the candles on a birthday cake.

- Y/n, please wake up! - he began sobbing.

The blowing didn't work, so he continued pushing on her chest.

Eventually, Y/n coughed up water. A lot of it. But she was alive and awake.

- Y/n! Y/n, sweetheart!

Water continued flowing out of her mouth. He just sat there with her head on his lap and stroked her hair until every bit of water left her lungs. Even after that, she was left breathing heavily and weak.

- Tae... - she panted.

- It's okay, I'm here.

- Tae, I-

- Shhh... just sleep, I'll carry you back.

The girl didn't have enough strength to say another word, so she obeyed and shut her eyes.

~

Taehyung quietly watched as she slept peacefully, with Yeontan right by her side. She was okay, and that meant everything to him.

He was, however, angry at her for wandering off so far from their house and not coming back by sunset. It was their rule and she had broken it. Taehyung had never felt such fear before.

- Tae... - her soft, sleepy voice was heard.

She slowly sat up.

- Why? - the boy said.

- I'm sorry, Tae, I-

- I told you! I told you not to go that far or be back in time! - he rose his voice.

- I know and I-

- Do you know how scared I was?

- Tae, I-

- NO YOU DON'T! - he shouted.

The girl flinched and scooted as far away from him on the bed as possible. She knew she made a mistake, but she never could have imagined the effect it had on Taehyung. The boy, who was always so gentle and soft around her. The boy she felt safe with.

- I WAS FUCKING TERRIFIED, OKAY! - this was the first time he used a curse word in front of her.

He wasn't even sure she knew what it meant, but he didn't care at the moment.

Y/n had tears running down her cheeks, but gathered enough strength.

- WHO ARE YOU TO SET RULES, HUH?! - she shouted. - YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER! HE'S DEAD AND SO IS YOURS!

Taehyung was taken aback by her behavior. He's never heard her raise her voice like that before.

- I'm almost 18 years old!!! I can do whatever I want, and you are NOT the one to control me!

- I am! I fucking am! I've raised you since you were 5! I was only 11 at the time, but I still made sure YOU never felt alone and had everything you needed! And after everything I've done for you over these twelve years, you still have the AUDACITY to be an ungrateful bitc-

He stopped just in time and didn't finish the last word.

- If I'm that much of a burden to you, then why did you even bother with me?!

- I NEVER said you were a burden! Stop twisting my words!

- Well, regardless, you won't have to bother anymore!

With that, she stood up and barged into her room to grab some of her belongings. She reemerged with a huge pile of her stuff covering her face and marched out of the house... their home.

- Where are you going? - he asked in a calmer tone.

- I'm leaving, if you couldn't tell... I don't want to bother you any further. - her voice could be heard, but he didn't see her anymore.

He hurriedly stood up and ran after her.

- Y/n, stop right now!

- Just leave it, Taehyung!

- Come back, now!

- DON'T CONTROL ME!

- I'M NOT CONTROLLING YOU! YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!

- See? You ARE controlling me!

- Okay then! LEAVE! And we'll see how you manage out there alone!

- We damn well will!

~

And she did manage pretty well. When you are trapped on an island, you don't have a choice, but to adapt to the changes in life and learn to survive.

She found shelter in a spacious cave and she settled there. She set up her little sleeping area, organized her painting supplies, and so on.

But she missed him. And it was different from before. She no longer missed him as a sister would her brother she hadn't seen in a long time. She couldn't quite put a hand on what she was feeling. One thing was for sure: she couldn't sleep without his touch on her waist or his kisses on her cheeks.

She felt so alone. Something that she hasn't felt in 12 years.

She would sometimes see him when she went out fishing, but emotionless glances were all they sent each other.

~

He was in absolute agony. He was upset with her, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push away the worry he felt when she didn't show up for days at her usual fishing spot.

And now it has been a whole month since she left. The 5th of July. Her 18th birthday passed without him giving her happy birthday kisses or surprising her with something, just like he did every year.

He went looking for her before, but gave up, thinking she needed space. If he was sure she wanted him to find him, he would've found her already. The island isn't that big after all...

But he respected her decision of wanting to be alone. No matter how much that hurt him.

~

He hasn't seen her in a week now. This was strange since she showed up every other day close to their home. He was very worried.

He didn't care anymore. He went looking for her.

It didn't take him long to find her.

He entered the cave with a little bit of trouble. The entrance was too tight for him, but she didn't have any problem getting in with her tiny frame. It was dark inside, only a little bit of sunlight slipped through the small entrance.

The moment he spotted her laying in the corner, he knew something wasn't right. She was breathing heavily and as he felt her forehead, it was obvious she was burning up.

- Sweetheart? - he whispered.

- Tae? - her voice was nearly non-existent.

Then a broken sob escaped her lips.

- Shh... It's okay. You're okay, sweet girl! - he kept his voice low, knowing how sensitive her hearing must be right now.

He lifted her gently but soon realized, there was no way he could squeeze the both of them through that tiny hole. So he slowly lowered her back to where she has been laying and covered her from head to toe with her blankets, so she wouldn't get hurt. He then launched himself at the rocks around the entrance and gave it a harsh kick, which sent chunks of debris flying everywhere.

This was he was able to get her back to where she belonged to. Their home, with him.

He layed her wack and tended to her needs. Starting with making her drink a lot of water, then feeding her small bits of food.

The fever was still there after a few days, but she looked so much better. Her face was no longer that pale, and her eyes regained that shine she always had in them.

He was so relieved.

- Tae?

- Yes?

- I love you.

- Love you two, Sweetheart.

- I'm sorry for everything. - she was so guilty.

- I'm sorry too. For the yelling, you know. You didn't deserve that.

- I kind of did...

- Yeah... maybe. - they chuckled. - I'm just happy we made up. So we're good now, right?

- We always were, Tae!

He looked down at her lips and felt the urge to press his onto them. He tried stopping himself, but at the same time, she leaned in and finished what he started.

~

Y/n was confused. She had no idea what they did that day, what it was called. He saw her mother and father do that a lot. That much she remembered.

It was a gesture of love. She knew that.

She loved Taehyung, of course. That wasn't a question. But it was different now, for sure.

She had to figure out what was going on.

~

She turned 18. Taehyung explained how this was a special age and that she was an adult now. An adult, just like him.

- Y/n, I love you but can you please get off my lap?

- Am I too heavy? - she pouted.

- No! Or course not! But I just need you to get off for a little...

- Okay...

She reluctantly got off of the boy's lap and he immediately covered the area where she'd been with his arms.

Luckily she didn't realize.

- I'm going for a quick walk, okay? Will you be okay on your own for a while? - he asked.

- Can't I come with you?

- Uhm... I'm afraid not, Sweetheart.

- But why?

- I just need some time alone.

- I don't like this, Tae... - she sighed. - You've been acting weird since a long time ago. And after that day when... o-our l-lips touched...

- Things haven't been the same? - he finished for her.

She just nodded. He desperately tried to think of something that will help with his... situation down there, and eventually succeeded.

- I'm sorry, Y/n. There are things that my sister never explained to me and I'm confused.

- I'm confused too! We can be confused together. - she smiled.

He giggled at her cuteness.

- I know.

Y/n was looking at the waves that were crashing against the solid wall of rocks on the other end of the coast, clearly submerged in thoughts. The boy, who was much rather a grown man now, just stared at her side profile in the soft light of the setting sun.

- Y/n?

She turned her head towards him.

- I love you, Y/n. - he whispered.

- I love you too, Tae. - she turned her head back.

- I'm in love with you.

She looked back at him. In love? She'd never heard that before. What does it mean?

- Not like a brother would love her sister, or not how we love Yeontan.

- Then?

- Like your dad loved your mom, or like your mom loved your dad.

- Like lovers? In love? - she finally understood.

- Yes. - he sent her a soft smile.

Was that what she felt all along. Were the feelings mutual?

The answer was simply yes. She could finally label it and get rid of the mess taking over her thoughts.

She was in love. they were in love.

Whit that, their lips crashed against each other for the second time, but this time none of them broke it for a long, long time.

~

3 years later

- Love, I'm home! - Taehyung called.

- Finally! - she laughed. - I couldn't imagine where you have gone off to.

Taehyung walked up to her where she was hanging up their clean fabrics and clothes. He laced his arm around her waist and kissed her temple.

- I was just on a quick hunt. I noticed you developed a pretty good appetite lately. - he chuckled.

- Hey! - she smacked his chest lightly. - You eat twice as much as me!

- Yeah yeah... I'm just saying that you've been eating a bit more compared to the amount you used to. I'm not saying that's bad-

- Well you sure make it seem like it is. - Y/n cut him off, this time with a sharper tone.

- No, no! Don't think like that. What I meant is that since we consume more food now I went hunting a bit so we wouldn't run out! - he was becoming a little annoyed this time around. - But you know what? Forget I said anything.

- Fuck you, Taehyung!

With that, she threw the remaining clothes at the stunned boy next to her and angrily stormed off.

~

Taehyung finished hanging the laundry on the string tied between two palm trees and returned to the house.

- Y/n-ie... - he called out in a gentle, apologetic voice.

Y/n was lying in her bed, which wasn't in her room anymore, much rather pressed as close to Taehyung's as possible. She was turned towards the wall and had the blanket draped over her face. She clearly heard him, but intentionally ignored him.

God... Why is she like this?

Maybe she'll get her period soon...

But she's never behaved like this before. Not even during that time of the month...

He assumed giving in and apologizing was the best option. Even if he felt like he wasn't guilty...

- Y/n, I'm sorry! - he sat down next to her head.

He attempted to pull the fabric off of her head, but she had a strong grip on the material, so in the end, he settled for stroking her hair.

- You aren't eating too much. I was wrong about it all!

- No you weren't... - she sobbed. - I do eat more and I'm getting fat!

- Now that's just ridiculous-

- I'm serious, Tae! I think I'm sick. I'm eating more and haven't bled this month...

What?

- I thought I miscounted the days but I didn't... - she continued. - I mean, I'm not sad about it. Periods are horrible, but this could mean I'm sick. And that's even worse.

- Hold up! Y-you... You haven't had your period?

- No?

It was all making sense. Her appetite, missed period...

- Baby, I-... I think you are pregnant. - he announced in shock.

- Pregnant?

- Yeah... Like a baby. I mean... We're having a baby.

- How? Where? - she was confused.

With shaky hands, the boy reached for the girl's middle and layed a protective hand on the flat surface.

- Here. You have a baby in your belly.

- B-but... How? - her eyes widened.

- Uhm... Well, you know how we... how we...

- Yeah. - she understood and a naughty smile spread across her face.

- That's how it must have happened. I-I'm not s-so sure though... Nobody really told me much about that.

There was a moment when nothing outside them mattered. It was just him, her, and the little being within the body of the girl, now the woman he loved so dearly. Their precious creation.

His hand remained over the spot his baby was settled in. Not wanting to leave. Ever.

- We're having a child. - tears streamed down both of their faces.

- We are!

His lips captured hers in a deep, emotional kiss.

~

Y/n woke up to an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She ran outside and launched forward to vomit in the sand.

Oh, God...

This has never happened to me before.

She was beyond scared. Every sickness they ever experienced on this island was scary.

- Y/n?! - Taehyung came jogging on the coast.

She couldn't answer. Her stomach continuously emptied itself. There was no break.

- It's okay, Love! It's totally normal. - he rubbed her back and held her hair with his free hand.

Once she finished the girl looked up at him with pleading eyes. That's when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

- Oh my darling.

He cradled her head close to his chest, not caring if she just threw up.

- W-what was t-this Tae?

- Calm down. It's normal, okay? This is what comes with pregnancy, unfortunately.

- So I'll have to deal with this for a year?! - she worried.

Y/n knew nothing about pregnancy. Not how long it lasted, not the symptoms, stages... Nothing.

And then came the lesson about pregnancy and all of those details that Taehyung knew.

- A pregnancy lasts for about 9 months, 40 weeks. The baby continues to grow bigger as it develops. This period is divided into 3 trimesters. You're in the first one right now. As your body adapts to the changes of accommodating a human being inside, you may experience some of the first-trimester symptoms, like nausea, or backaches. There might be more, but I'm not that educated on it...

Y/n stood there in an ave.

-How do you know so many things? - she wondered.

- My mom was pregnant many times and I was present for all of the home births. Except for my older sister's, of course.

The girl hugged her love dearly.

- What would I do without you?

- What would I do, angel? - he kissed her head. - Let's get something into your tummy, okay?

- Mhmm... I'm quite hungry.

- Let's go then.

Taehyung made her sit comfortably on the bed-like creation, with her back against the cushioned frame and her legs crossed together.

He prepared some of the things he remembered her mom ate while expecting. However, there wasn't much he could put together. They didn't have all those resources. He remembered something about having to be careful with fish. But what was it?

In the end, he cooked the fish really good to make sure he got rid of the bacteria on it.

- Here, eat up!

Y/n didn't know what was going on. Her stomach turned at the smell, but there was nothing it could rid itself of.

- Tae, I... I don't think I can eat right now. It smells weird.

- Oh, my love. That's okay! I think it's one of the symptoms I think.

- This sucks...

- I know, I'm sorry... But it will go away eventually.

~

During the next few weeks, Taehyung's favorite way to spend time became cuddling her either in their bed or in the sand close to the crashing waves.

Y/n developed a small bump that kept growing and growing. It fascinated them both. One because she has never seen, let alone experience such a thing, and the other wasn't used to seeing someone carrying a baby outside of his mother. And when it was his baby that person, the love of his life was carrying, it was a whole new story.

They were walking hand in hand in the forest. Taehyung remembered his mother taking small walks during her pregnancy with her younger sisters. She said it was healthy for both the baby and her. So that's what he made Y/n do.

- Your bump is adorable, love.

- It's still weird to me... - she answered with a hand on her lower tummy.

- You'll get used to it as it gets bigger.

They continued to walk under the trees, which provided shade from the shining sun, in complete silence.

- Tae... I'm scared.

He stopped and turned her so they were looking into each other's eyes.

- I know, baby. It's totally normal, but don't worry. I'm gonna be here for all of it. And the little I know, I'm going to teach you.

~

- Yeontan! Come here! - Y/n yelled, calling the dog for his feed. - Hi, Tannie. You were close to the house, huh? You usually wander far away from home.

The dog, who was still the size of a small puppy, jumped around the girl's leg as she squatted down next to his bowl. She did that with minor difficulties since the protruding extension of her bump got in the way of many activities she would usually do with ease. That was one of the reasons Taehyung was the one on a hunt at the moment. He wouldn't allow Y/n to do that. Not right now.

- Tannie! - she chuckled in surprise.

The puppy was rubbing against her tummy with such care, it seemed like the pet knew about her state. The pup wouldn't touch his food. He was so caught up in admiring the girl's middle. He could feel something was going on. Something very important indeed.

- Woof, woof!

- Tannie... You're scaring baby. - she giggled.

- What's going on in there? - a deep voice sounded from outside.

- Tae!!! - she jumped up as her love appeared at the door.

- Y/n! - he breathed as she practically launched herself at him. - Easy there, my love.

- How did your hunt go?

- Got some goodies...

- Let me see!!!

- Here... - he led her out of the house. - Coconuts, bananas, and even the mangos had ripened! I'll still have to go fishing since I didn't come across any animals that are worth hunting down.

- Mangoes?!

- Yeah!

- Oh my goodness! I love them! Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em!!!

- You're silly! - he giggled at her cuteness.

The girl giggled while excitedly emptying the makeshift sack Taehyung put the fruits in. He just stood there, staring in admiration.

This was his life on the island. It started out as a tragedy, but now it's a complete paradise. Living in peace with his love and baby on the way. He lost his family, just to welcome a special someone in his life. He had to mature and leave his childhood behind too early, but he believes it was all worth it. He did all of it for his little girl.

That little girl, who knew very little about the world, was now in front of him, carrying his child with such grace, he couldn't imagine loving someone more than he loves his Y/n.

~

Why does this thing not fit me anymore? - she wondered.

No matter how hard she pulled on the soft material of her top, it wouldn't loosen. It was suffocating her.

She tried to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest and went on with her daily activities. She did some laundry, made herself a little snack out of coconuts and mangoes while Taehyung was away, and played with Yeontan.

Taehyung was still away when she noticed the two wet patches on the front of her top.

Where did these come from?

She took it off quickly and put another one on after cleaning herself up.

- Good evening, love! - she was greeted by the sweetest voice she knew on this planet. - How was your day?

She thought about that for a second. She felt embarrassed because of what happened earlier that day. Should she tell him about the patches on her top? Was it something to worry about? She was in a precious state, after all. Taehyung explained to her all the possible complications a woman can experience during their pregnancy. She was scared, frightened even. She didn't want her baby to live through that. She loved her baby.

So it was obvious she should tell her partner about what happened, to make sure it was nothing to worry about and her baby was okay.

- Taehyung… - she coughed in an attempt to disguise her embarrassment. – So… today my top felt really… tight around my chest and then there were two wet patches on the material. I-Is our baby alright?

The boy standing in front of her smiled and immediately understood what was going on.

- My love, - he stepped closer setting one hand on top of her growing bump and the other around her waist to pull her closer. - I forgot to tell you about this, but around this time women start producing milk for their babies. There are some different stages to this and I'm not even sure myself but that's a beautiful thing and I'm so happy we got to this point.

- So… I'm making milk in my... - he asked with a small voice.

- Mhmm… - he smiled. - But cheer up, my darling! - he stroked her cheek as he saw mixed emotions in her eyes. - This is good and it's only natural! Isn't it amazing how your body is doing that for our child? It's preparing itself for when he or she is born.

The girl smiled.

- Yes, it's amazing!

~

Deep sound of drums, rocks being thrown, sticks smacked together. The deep voices of strange humans.

Rain was pouring, but it was clear...

The island has new visitors. And they weren't up to anything good.

A loud scream, a heavy object falling to the floor with a muffled thud and rolling away.

Then there was silence, which was only crushed by the continuous sound of flesh being ripped apart and the faint noise of fire.

~

- Oh my God!

- Are you okay?! - Taehyung sat up in bed with urgency.

When he didn't hear a response, he reached for her in the dark in an attempt to calm her.

- I… I felt something! - her voice was laced with worry.

- Tell me…

- I'm not sure… I-I felt like... Like a push against my skin from the inside. It's scary, Tae!

- Does it hurt?

- No, but… what is this Tae? I don't like it…

The boy placed his big palms on either side of the girl’s tummy. He left it there for a while until he felt it too…  A soft little push against his hands, one on each side. Must have been a foot, a knee, an elbow, or a tiny little hand but it didn't matter. It was beautiful either way and the best feeling in the world.

- Love... I think… our baby! That's our baby! – he exclaimed happily.

- Our baby?

- Yes, our baby is kicking! Isn't it beautiful? – he sighed in ave.

- Wow! This… this is amazing!

It wasn’t scary or unpleasant anymore. She felt ecstatic.

They sat there, in a room filled with joyful giggles, as the precious creature within the girl sent its first signs of communication to the outside world. If only time can stop! They wished to be frozen in that moment then and there.

~

- Wow... This feels amazing! - she sighed as she submerged her body further in the water. - It takes so much pressure off my back.

- I'm glad, my love! - he smiled and kissed the crown of her head. - There it is, hold onto me, sweetheart.

He slowly lowered her into the ocean, but left his arm around her body. Taehyung has become extremely protective over Y/n ever since she had trouble breathing, rubbed her back with a deep groan and randomly placed a hand onto the bottom of the protruding bump even after the simplest activities she did throughout the day. Of course, he noticed these small signs or the girl's disconfort without her having to tell him anything, and now he was determined to make it all better.

- Is the water okay? Isn't it too cold?

- Tae... - she giggled. - Calm down, its perfect. Feels amazing.

- Alright then.

They shared a passionate kiss, surrounded by the waves and singing birds. The whole scene was more then idyllic. Anyone judging from outside would envy their lives. It was a real paradise there.

Taehyung's mind was never at ease though.

Ever since those strange men came to the island and ate that girl, he didn't even dare to leave Y/n alone. He barely slept, always had both ears focused on their surroundings.

He kept it all to himself and it was slowly eating him up from the inside. But there was no way he could tell Y/n about there concerns. He remembered his father tell him not to make mama mad when she had her sisters in her belly. She needed to stay away from stress. So that's why he swore to keep his girl calm.

- What's on your mind, love? - her sweet voice ripped him away from his trans.

- Nothing serious, don't worry. - he smiled.

- I can see there's something up.

The girls felt something was wrong and instantly became concerned. She slipped away from the boy's arms so she could look into his eyes from across.

- Tell me.

It was simple amd a bit demanding. Taehyung new he had to think of something. He wasn't going to worry you with this.

- I was just wondering when I should go for a hunt. We are running out of food but you're too far along for me to leave you on your own.

- Was this the thing bothering you? - she chuckled. - You are babying me too much! I'll be okay for a few hours.

- I know but just want to make sure. You now, one of my aunts lost their baby because she fell and lost her consciousness, and because nobody was at home she was left there bleeding for long hours. They couldn't save the baby.

That's when he caught a single tear roll down the girl's cheek.

- Baby? Are you okay? Hurt?

- I don't want to lose my baby! - she sniffles.

- You won't, love, you won't. It was and accident many years ago. They had a long flight of stairs. We don't have stairs to fall off of.

- We have ladders though.

- Well I already forbade you to go on those... Even moved our bed to the first floor.

That's right.

- And I'm not leaving you anyway.

- And who is going to hunt?

- We can go fishing together. - he suggested. - Or collect some berries and fruits. - he paused. - We won't go too far into the woods though.

- Why?

Because of the men.

- I don't want you to walk that much.

- W-would that... kill the b-baby? - she hesitated.

- No, it's just that... Well, mom went into labor early with the twins because she wasn't well rested. I don't want that to happen to you too.

- Oh... Okay! - she smiled after thinking about what she'd just heard. - I'll rest a lot then.

Taehyung smiled back and kissed her head.

- When will I give birth? - she asked after a while.

- I don't know. Honestly. Mom had appointments with the doctor. I went to a few too. It was so cool, Y/n!

The girl listened with adoration. The boy was recalling these old memories with so much joy, it made her happy too. He surely misses his family. She does too.

- Imagine! We could see my sisters while they were in the belly!

- Wow! - she gasped. - Can we do that too?

- Oh... Unfortunately not, because at the doctor's they had all sorts of modern machines. I think the one he used on mom was called an ultrasong? I'm not sure though.

- That's fine. We'll just see them when they're born.

- That's right, love!

~

- Are you okay?

- Yes, Tae! Why wouldn't I be?

- We've been walking for so long...

She chuckled.

- Calm down! I'm perfectly fine. I just want to show you that pretty place where there are many fish.

- Okay, just... make sure to tell me if you get tired.

It would have been clear to anybody that she had trouble walking. Her large belly was beginning to hang lower than it had been in the last 2 months. The baby had dropped, and Taehyung knew exactly what that meant. The baby was coming soon.

But at the same time he didn't want to make her nervous. He had tried to explain a few things he knew about childbirth from when her mother had home births. She seemed worried whenever he talked about contractions or dilation. And he didn't want to scare her with the idea of having to go through that soon.

And besides... this was different. Her mother had the help of either doctors, midwife or a doula. Y/n, on the other hand, had no one else rather than him. And even though he witnessed most of his sister's birth, he new very little about the whole thing.

He too was scared.

- Here. Isn't it beautiful? - she stopped to lean against the boy's body, clearly exhausted.

- It truly is, baby. - he peccked her head. - But its time for you to sit down a bit, okay?

- Alright.

He helped her down on a sturdy-looking rock on the beach. As she sat she felt great pressure on her lap, between her thighs.

- Baby is getting quite heavy, not gonna lie. - she giggled through her shaky breaths.

- Oh, sweetheart! Here.

With that he stepped over the rock with one leg to sit behind her. As he lowered himself, he slipped both hands under her bump, so it wasn't in contact with her thighs, and gently lifted it, so the weight of his baby, the amniotic fluid it was in and, and thier placenta was all on him.

It is very heavy. - he noted.

If it was even possible, he started to appreciate everything Y/n has been enduring while growing their child even more. And she walked all the way here, carrying thins massive cargo?! His hands were already getting tired even from just holding it for a minute.

- Oh my...! T-thank you! This f-feels amazing! - she panted.

- Anything for you, my love! Anything.

They were sitting like that for quite a while. Taehyung's hands were nearly killing him. His muscles were begging for a break. But at the same time he knew this was the least he could do. And the sight of his love rested against his chest with a satisfied smile on her face made it all worth it.

- Thank you Tae! - she sat up a bit. - You can put it down now.

- No, I've got you, don't worry!

- I can tell you are tired. Your hands are shaking.

- Baby, you carry all this around all day, and have been for months now. You're not allowed breaks. This is the least I can do.

- Seriously, it's okay. I'm used to it. - she laughed with a slight bitterness in her voice. - Let's go fishing! - she added.

In about two hours they were satisfied with the amount of fish they captured, so the man packed up their things and took everything out of the girl's hand.

- Hey! - she whined. - I can carry that.

- You just carry our baby, okay?

Y/n huffed, but new she couldn't object.

That's how they made their way home, where Taehyung immediately got to cooking the fish they got. He made sure it was well cooked. That's what he remembered from his mother after all.

-Love, ... - Y/n began in a muffled voice.

- Yes?

- I... uhm... I d-don't really feel like eating this right now. I'm so sorry.

- Oh, you don't have to be sorry, lovely. It's okay if you don't want it.

- It's just that I don't want it to go to waste.

- Don't worry about it, it won't. I'll eat it, or give some to Yeontan.

- Are you sure? - she asked. - I-

- What do you feel like eating?

- Maybe... coconut or bananas.

- That's all?

- Yeah... I'm not very hungry.

The boy got up in a second and brought exactly what Y/n told him about from their little storage. He opened up the coconut for her and even peeled the banana.

- Here, baby.

- Thank you! - she shined a wonderful smile to him. - I love you.

Taehyung was a bit worried about her not eating much. Didn't she need more food now that she was so close to giving birth?

Truth to be told, the baby was getting a bit too big in there for her to be comfortable. The space in her stomach was taken up by the precious creature in her womb, so there was not much left fot the food. But it's okay. Taehyung was worried about the pregnancy. He saw his mother go through it with all that medical help, the babies were regularly monitored and his mother was often checked over. Here, though, they were on their own and had no idea what was going on behind the skin of the girl's stomach.

- Let's go inside, it's getting late. - he offered after both of them finished their meal.

- It's not that late and I'm not very tired yet. - she looked at his stiff posture. - Are you? You can go ahead, I'd like to stay out here a bit.

- No! - his tone was terrifyingly demanding. - You are not staying out here.

- Stop that! I already told you I am not a child you could boss around.

- But you are carrying mine! That's my child in your stomach, or did you forget? - he

- Taehyung! I'm pregnant, not made out of glass!

- I get that, but don't you understand, I want this baby healthy, and the delivery to be smooth. And you-

- Just because I'm sitting at the beach it doesn't mean the delivery won't be smooth.

- You need to rest!

Luckily he calmed down enough to think rational, and his voice calmed down too. He didn't want to tell her about those people that have been coming to their island every few weeks, and haven't been up to any good, obviously. It was a miracle Y/n slept through all the noise.

He couldn't risk having his love all alone and being kidnapped and killed by those strangers.

- What's going on, Taetae?

- I'm just worried, you know... I want you to be okay.

Y/n crawled to the boy, clearly with major difficulties because of her bump. She sat in his lap so that she was facing him. The cracking bonfire lit half of their faces and some of the palm trees behind the house. Furthermore, the calming sound of waves crashing and the gentle kicks of their baby, coming from her rounded tummy against his flat one, made the moment idyllic.

- Taetae... I'm okay, I promise. I know you're worried. I am too... I want our baby to be healthy too. But you have to stop treating me like a dependent child, okay? I'm so grateful for all you've been doing for me. Your love, patience and unselfishness.

- I'll try, I promise.

Their baby made another movement and it casted loving smiles on both of the olders' faces.

- Thank you, love you.

- Love you more!

- Impossible...

~

The sun was barely up on the morning sky, Taehyung was already woken by the tiny dog. Its loud barks were impossible to ignore.

The man groaned.

- Tannie? What is it little one?

- Woof, woof! - the barks wouldn't stop.

Taehyung looked to his right where the precious pregnant girl should've been sleeping.

- Y/n? - he jumped up. - Y/n?!?!

Pure panic flooded his mind and body. Where was she?

- Y/N?!?

He urgently ran around the house, the beach and the front of the forest.

After a few minutes of searching, he realized that Yeontan was trying to tell him something and lead him the right way.

- Woofff!!

And he ran off into the woods, looking behind him once in a while to make sure his human was following him.

After some time of running in the woods he was led to a dark cave. The pup stopped at the entrance. He didn't dare to enter. Taehyung, however, had no hesitation.

- Y/n? - he whisper shouted. He was terrified too.

- Tae... - the girl's faint voice sounded.

- Y/n! I'm here, love! Almost there.

A horrified looked spread across his face as she came into his view. She was tied down by all of her limbs, her skin irritated and bloody where the ropes touched. Her hair dishevelled from all the tossing and turning.

But the most terrifying detail was the wet patch under her bum.

- Tae, help! - she cried.

- I-I've got you.

He struggled to undo the knots, but as soon as he did he gently lifted the girl into the air and headed towards the exit with her pressed firmly but softly against his chest. It seemed to him as if her body could break any second with how fragile it was. He could feel her bump against his stomach. There was something different about it... it was soft before, now it's rock hard.

Just as he realized this, a whimper came from the girl's mouth.

- It hurts...

- I k-know, I'm sorry... - he mumbled. - We'll be home in a few minutes, I promise.

Outside he was met with a worried-looking puppy.

- It's okay, Tannie! Mamma's here, she's going to be okay.

- Wooof!

He was desperately trying to warn them about something.

And that something happened to stand right next to the cave, observing the pair with wide eves.

What could that big bulge be on the woman's stomach? - it wondered. - It was soft, but then hard when I pressed it...

It wasn't done with it's little experiment just yet.

He was going to have to figure out more next time...

~

- Deep breaths, love. Right there! You're doing so, so good!

- Why was I there?! - she whispered after the contraction subsided.

- I don't know...

- I was tied down! Tae? Was it you?!

- No! No, why would've I done that?

- Why was I tied down like that? I... Are there others living on the island?

The boy thought back to that night with all that shouting and screaming. He was petrified that something like this would happen. He tried to prevent it as best as he could, he made sure Y/n was never out of his sight, but his attempts seemed useless.

And now the girl was horrified and in labor. The worst combination...

What have they done to her?! Was it their fault she went into labor? True, she was already really far into her pregnancy, but still. There must have been something that has triggered it. Live with his mother. Once she went on a long walk with his father and she went into labor a few hour later... Of course he wasn't an expert, so he was full of questions.

Just like that, the girl was hit with another tightening in her abdomen. She curled in a ball around her stomach. Taehyung tried remembering all the thing his father did to his mother while laboring. He rubbed her back, thighs, arms... So he did just that.

But he felt utterly useless. Something he didn't expect, as he was sure he was going to be of at least some help when the time came, because of all the knowledge and experience he gathered during his sister's births.

- Tell me what I can do... - he whisper in desperation.

- Ugh... I... I d-don't know.

- Some water maybe? - he tried.

- Okay.

He reluctantly left her for a few seconds to bring her water from thier cans. He used a little homemade cup for that. He knew it was her favorite, because she has been using it all the time, ever since she got it from him as a gift for her 16th birthday. The little painting of the two of them and their sweet puppy became a bit shabby, but she loved it anyway.

- Thank you. - she said as he handed it to her.

- Slow sips, lovely.

She listened and finished the cup rather slowly, as requested.

- How are you feeling? - he asked while taking the cup away.

- Uhm... I... I'm so scared, Tae.

- I know, Y/n, but think about how we are going to have our little baby with us in a few hours! Isn't that just magical?

- A few hours?! I can't, Tae... This is too much already.

The boy was devastated. One of his worst nightmares was seeing his love in pain. And not being able to do anything against it made it even worse.

What should I do?

Luckily Y/n's instincts kicked in pretty quickly. She got into positions that helped momentarily with the pain, or enabled easier breathing. She was on all fours most of the time.

They didn't have a great sense of time on the island, however, it was clear that the contractions were getting closer and closer together. Her abdomen tightened around her struggling womb, which was filled with a due baby.

At one point, the girl had a sudden gush of blood squeezed out of her, which scared her, but Taehyung remembered this bit from the past. It was her bloody show, but the exact name didn't come to his mind.

What was important was that all of these changes lead them closer to their baby's arrival.

- Make it stop! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOOOP!!!

At her ear-piercing scream he could only envelope her deeper into his embrace. He caressed her tummy with loving hands, but frowned at the feeling of his baby being so wrestles inside its mother.

So he leaned closer to the bump.

- Baby, calm down please, okay? You're hurting mamma more than necessary.

At that the wrestles little creature calmed down significantly, and Y/n was left only with soft wiggles here and there. That, however, didn't change the fact that her contractions were unbearable. Only thi final birth of the child would bring that to an end.

- Should I check the water now? - he asked referring to the huge jug of water he placed on the hot rockt on the burning sun, in hopes of heating it up and ending up with warm water to be used for some kind of pain relief.

- Okay...

He was quick to bring the jug inside.

- It's nice and warm. - he announced.

He grabbed a cloth and soaked it in the water. He spread the warm material across Y/n's belly, which calmed the baby down even more

- How does that feel, sweetheart?

- Oh my God, Tae! It's so amazing. You're a genius!

- No, you are a warrior. The strongest woman on this island.

They chuckled.

- Hey! I'm the only woman on this island... - she slapped his hand jokingly.

Well maybe you aren't...

- I know! I was kidding.

More then an hour passed with them chatting away, breathing through contractions, and Taehyung redipping the washcloth in the warm water to reapply it on the belly. It meant great comfort to her, so the boy, for the first time since she started laboring, felt proud of himself. He felt useful, because he managed to relief a tiny bit of her pain with one of his ideas.

He wished it could stay that way.

But once her stomach sized with the roughest contraction yet, all hell broke loose again. The skin of her bump turned angry red and was so tight Taehyung could almost see the outline of their baby's body through all the layers it was tucked under.

Suddenly she leaned over the edge of the bed and threw up the contest of her stomach, which wasn't much to begin with, seeing as she had barely eaten anything that day. She was mostly dry heaving, which, for her, was even more unpleasant.

- It's okay, I've got you! Let it all out! There it is, good job!

He rubbed her back, not caring that some of the vomit landed on his leg.

- Oh my... Tae, I'm so sorry! - she apologized embarrassed, once she finished and realized what had happened.

- No, no, love. There's nothing to apologize for! - he handed her some more water to rehydrate her. - Here, drink this, then lay back. I'll clean this up while you do that, okay?

Y/n rinsed the bad taste from her mouth, and laid back just as another contraction crept up.

- Ugh, God...

She had a death grip on the sheets, her knuckles were turning white.

- I'm here, I'm here! - Taehyung was quickly back on her side.

He changed the hot cloth on her stomach and pulled out another one, this time ice cold, to dab it on her sweaty forehead.

- My back, my back, my back! - she shouted in pure agony.

The boy didn't waist a second. He positioned himself behind her on the bed so he could rub soothing circles into her lower back.

- Is this helping, Y/n?

- Mhm... yeah... - she sighed. - Wow, this is so good! Thank you!

- This is the least I can do.

Taehyung felt useless, Y/n, on the other hand, found great comfort in his presence and all the little things he did. She felt supported, and that helped her calm a little.

They had thousands of conversations about what to expect towards the end of the pregnancy, the boy explained the stages of labor, at least the ones he could remember, but nothing could quite prepare Y/n for what she was feeling at that moment. Both physically and mentally. She had a faint idea about the pain, but this was much, much worse than what she had imagined.

- Oh... - she huffed. - I need to get up.

- Okay, here, hold onto me.

He wrapped her arms around his neck and made sure she held onto him securely before lifting her up into a standing position.

Suddenly, a restless dog appeared in the doorway. He was worried about his momma. He could tell hiw much she was struggling.

- Can we go for a walk? - she asked.

- You sure?

- Yeah... I don't know, it just sounds good right now.

- Of course, I get it. - he kissed her pouty lips. - Come on. Slow steps!

- Woof!

- Tannie! Are you coming with us for a walk too? - she laughed lightheartedly.

- Woof!!

- I take that as a yes!

They walked on the beach, letting the waves wash against their feet. The puppy was running back and forth, avoiding getting wet, but wanting to stay close to the pregnant girl. Taehyung had a strong, supportive arm around the girl's waist. He actually tried to lift some of her and the baby's weight off of her, so she didn't have a hard time walking.

While on their walk, Taehyung counted seven contractions. They were really close... One every few steps.

- Should we head back? - he began.

- Okay.

Despite Taehyung's calming presence, Y/n was still terrified, and the boy could clearly tell that by the stern face she kept in-between the pains.

Suddenly, she collapsed into his side. Luckily he caught her, but she wasn't able to get back on her feet.

- Y/n?! - he worried while gathering her tired body into his arms.

- Woof!

- I'm okay... - she tried to be reassuring, but failed as her face went pale.

- Y/n don't close your eyes, please!

- Wooof! - the pup ran infront of them.

He quickened his steps, but was still making sure he didn't shake her too much. They hadn't gone very far from their hous, it was still visible from where he stood with her against his chest.

His quickened heartbeat calmed her, almost lulled her to sleep.

- No, no, Y/n! Keep them open!

- Okay... - she breathed. - Tae... I can't. I-

- Yes you can! Just keep breathing's okay? Everything's going to be alright.

Once home, he laid her exhausted form back on the bed. Yeontan, horrified, hid in the corner. The boy didn't know what to do. Her state scared him. When her mother was in labor with his twin sisters, she had to have an emergency C-section after she went this pale and Taehyung with her big sister was taken away from his mother into the waitingroom. But she was under the supervision of experienced doctors and nurses, who knew exactly what to do.

They were alone...

- Tae... What's happening?

- You're okay. - that was all he could say.

Perhaps he was trying to convince himself. He wasn't so sure anymore.

- Theres so much pressure! Tae! TAE!!!

A big force urged her muscles around her uterus to clench, to which she bore down with all her strength.

- There you go, Y/n! Perfect! You are pushing.

- Grrrrr..... Uhh. I need to... I nee-

She gave another big push against her will. It was her body's reflex. Like the sudden urge tu change positions and get into a low squat. She did exactly that. Her belly was now hanging low between her open legs, the boy could clearly see how red the underside of it was even from behind.

- Okay, love, I am going to try and feel if the baby's close. Are you okay with that? - he asked, just to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable with the idea.

He didn't want to scare her with his sudden action.

- D-do what y-you have to, T-Tae... - she panted in response.

- Alright, here we go.

He slowly reached to her opening and sure enough he felt a slimy, teardrop shaped something against his finders. He assumed it was the baby's head.

From his position behind her, he reached over her left thigh with his other hand to caress the top of the bump. It was rock hard.

- Can you give me another push, sweetheart?

- Ugh... I'll try.

With that, she bore down once again, this time her actions were in her control.

Taehyung could feel the head emerge ever further than before.

- It burns! I can't!

- I'm so sorry, Y/n, so sorry, love! But try to push through the burn, for the baby, for me.

- Baby...

- That's right, our baby is almost here. You just need to help them come out, okay? I know you can!

After two more big pushes the head was out, it straight out popped in the boy's palm. He leaned down to take a look. He was met with his baby's scrunched up face which was slimy and covered in gunk, but it was his never the less. His and the love of his life's.

- Our baby is almost here! Come on, lovely, just a bit more!

- TAE! OW... I CAN'T, I CAN'T!!! - she screamed.

- That's it! The shoulders are almost out, it's smooth sailing after that!

And with one last push and a heart-wrenching scream, the beautiful, crying baby slipped into its father's hands.

- A girl!

- Girl?

Y/n panted and turned around in her position on the floor. Taehyung held his daughter securely in one arm and lifted the girl onto the bed, so she wasn't sitting on the dirty floor just after giving birth.

- Let me hold her. - she requested with tears in her eyes.

But these tears were no longer the result of pain or agony. They were out of pure joy.

- Oh yeah, sorry. - he sobbed too. - Here.

The tiny body was gently placed on her chest. The boy was quick to cover their bodies with the blanket, which was now stained with a bit of blood and other fluids, but that didn't matter. It could get quite windy on shore and the bamboo walls let through most of it.

- Tae! Our little girl! So tiny...

- Our little girl! I think she's perfect. The rigth weight and size.

- I know, she just felt so much heavier when she was inside my tummy...

- Well it wasn't just her in there. There was the p-pla... plac-something too. A-and the water... And a few more things, or I don't know...

- Oh, okay. But she's perfect, and healthy. That's what's important!

- Exactly!

They sat together and admired their small creation. Her delicate hands, which flew around between her parents, even slapping the boy in the face on accident. It made them both laugh, and coo at their daughter.

She is so precious.

Taehyung thought back to when his sisters were born. He was so happy then, but now he was ecstatic!

- Tae... I-I feel... - Y/n suddenly groaned.

- What's wrong? - he looked at her with worry.

- I have to-

She quickly but carefully handed the little bundle over to the boy who was taken aback by her sudden actions. She crawled out of bed and got into the squatting position she was in before.

- What is happening?

She couldn't answer. She gave a.few small pushed and a slimy tud was heard. She looked down. The sight disgusted her and because of that a gasp left her lips.

- Ew!

The boy looked at it too. He thought for a second.

- Wow! - he didn't feel disgusted about it. - I think this is that plac-thing. This used to protect and nourish our little girl.

It couldn't have been disgusting for him... How could it be when this was something that kept his girl well fed all the time. The thing that was the baby's blood and oxygen supply.

- Oh... Uhm... Well what do we do with it?

- I take care of that, don't worry. Get back to bed.

- I want to wash myself. Can I?

- Of course, you can! I think the water cooled down to a great temperature.

He picked up the washcloth he used on her belly earlier and threw it over his shoulder. That's how they went outside, with their lovely baby girl in Taehyung's right arm and his left around Y/n's waist to support her as they walked.

After Y/n cleaned herself with the warm freshwater, both of their attention shifted to the baby, who had calmed down and was suckling on her father's finger.

- Oh, baby! I think she's hungry. - he stated.

- Yeah... And how do I take the milk out of my breasts?

- I-I'll explain once we bathed her.

Y/n took the cloth from Taehyung's shoulder and dipped it into the water. She cleaned off all the gunk from birth with cautious wipes.

- Can I hand her to you for a second? I'll be right back. - he asked suddenly.

- Of course!

She was filled with so much love towards her girl, she couldn't help but place tiny kisses on her tiny forehead as she finished cleaning her off.

The boy, who was busy with cleaning up the birth scene and burying the plac-thing in the woods, returned to them.

- My girls! - he beamed while smiling.

He helped them dry off and lead them back to their house.

- Lay down, love. And you'll feed our girl, okay?

- How do I do that?

- So... You just put her on your chest. Like this.

He showed her just how, and guided the baby's head to her nipple.

- Can you... Squeeze it a bit?

- My... my nipple?

Her face burned red with embarrassment.

- Yeah... But gently!

She did so, but winced at the stabbing sensation that shot through her breast.

- Careful!

- Ow... What was that.

- It's expected to be a bit sore, I think. But see that?

He asked pointing to the light yellow drop that rolled down the curve of her breast.

- That is your milk, sweetheart! And the baby will smell it...

Just on que, the tiny girl turned her head and latched onto her mother's nipple. She began suckling the delicious liquid out of it.

- See! - Taehyung smiled proudly.

- But it hurts... - she pouted.

- Oh, my love... I'm sorry. I don't know how to make it stop... Maybe you'll get used to it.

- Ugh... I hope.

But it was okay, because her girl was getting the nutritions she needed and she would endure every pain for her. Hell, she would even go through labor again fer their baby!

- We should name her, no? - she said.

- What do you have in mind?

- Umm... I don't really know. You?

- How about Emma?

- Woof!

The puppy, who was scrunched up in the corner for the past hour and something, got closer to the trio. He couldn't see over the bedframe, though.

-Woof?

- Aww, Tannie!

With that Taehyung lifted the pup's tiny body up and rested him against his chest.

- See, that's your sissy. - he began. - Baby... Emma? Do you like it, Y/n?

- It sounds beautiful! I love it! - she looked back down at their daughter.

- Emma it is then!

- Hello, little Emma! - she giggled at her feeding girl.

All tree pairs of eyes were on the suckling little body. They couldn't get enough of the sight.

- Hi, my precious baby! Baby Emma. Sounds magical.

- Mhm... It does.

- Are you tired, love?

- A bit, yeah... - she yawned. - Can I take a nap after she's done?

- Of course! A very long, long nap indeed. You deserve it, lovely.

- Thank you Tae. For everything.

- I did nothing, Y/n...

- You did so much! You are the reason I could get through with it. I felt like giving up.

- You are the strongest woman on this island. - he said, wanting to shift the mood, as he wasn't good at taking the compliment.

- Don't start! - she laughed.

- Kidding! - he chuckled too. - You are the strongest woman on this planet.

And with a kiss to the crown of her head, she fell into a deep slumber.

Taehyung smiled at the sight. He put the puppy down on the bed, who immediately padded over to the sleeping girl and curled up by her side. The dog sniffed her stomach and neck. He could tell something was different about her. Not just the fact that there wasn't a bump anymore, but her smell changed too. It changed back to the sweet sent she had so many months ago. He loved it.

Meanwhile, Taehyung took Emma out of her momma's arms. He covered her exposed chest with the blanked and walked to the other side of the small room with the baby in his hand.

- My little baby! - he whispered. - I know you have a name, Emma, but I still need to get used to it, so bare with me, please!

He chuckled.

The boy placed his tiny child in the small baby bassinet he made while she was still in Y/n's stomach. He grabbed a brand new cloth from their drawer. He attemped to make a diaper on her little bum. It wasn't perfect, but will do...

- You can sleep now too, if you want. Let's give mamma some time to rest. She workd to hard and long to get you here.

Emma let out an adorable babble at that.

- I know. - the boy giggled quietly. - You worked hard too.

He leaned down to kiss her head and as he straighten back up she was already fast asleep. He smiled at that.

Perfect! - he thought as he looked around the quiet room.

His daughter in her makeshift bassinet, his love on the bed, with the puppy at her tummy. All sound asleep. Was there anything better than that?

He couldn't be one hundred percent calm, though... Not until those men were on their island.

~

2 years later

There's no bulge anymore...

The man remembered the time she was in his cave all those years ago. With that big, rigid belly.

He remembered how when he pressed down on it that watery liquid poured from her legs.

I want to try that again!

But the beautiful woman's stomach was completely flat now... Would it still work?

What the...?

- Mamma! - a high-pitched voice could be heard from afar. - Look, look! A shell on a tuwtuw!

- A turtle! Good job Emma!

The man inspected the little creature from behind the trees.

It would cook qiukly...

I'm getting hungry anyway.

~

- Let's check on Dadda! What do you say? - Y/n asked her daughter.

- Owkay!

- Put back the turtle where you found it, Emma!

- I want to keep him, Ma!

- You have to put him back, or he won't live long.

- Oh... mkay... - the little girl pouted, but obeyed.

Her brunette locks bounced up and down as she padded in the shallow water.

- C'mon! - Y/n held her hand out for the little girl.

She grabbed it and ran with her mother towards their home.

As they neared the house, Taehyung jumped out from behind it with a dagger-like weapon in his hand ready to use. He was also in an attacking position.

- Oh my God, Tae? What's wrong with you?

- Oh, sorry... I...

- What's all this, Dadda? - the girl asked pointing to the strange ropes around their place.

- It's just to keep bad people away.

- Bad people? But we are the only ones here...

- Then whoever comes to the island.

- But won't that mean we have a chance to get back to civilization?

Taehyung looked from Y/n to his daughter with wondering eyes.

- Tae? Don't you want to get back one day?

- I-I... I'm not sure anymore.

- Why's that?

Emma let go of her mother's hand. She was getting bored of her parents' conversation, she was much more interested in the sleeping puppy in the hot sand.

- We have such a great life here. I don't want to change that. All that worry about working, finaces, housing... We don't need it!

- But isn't that how life is supposed to work? Emma could go to school, make friends-

- She can get another sibling here...

- Yeah... She could. - she smiled.

The boy retured the smile and walked over to his love. He gathered her into his embrace and kissed her passionately.

- Don't we have a wonderful life as it is? - he murmured softly against her forehead.

- We do. I love you.

- I love you more. You and Emma.

- You, Emma and Tannie.

- That's right! You, Emma and Tannie.

~

He got up quietly and grabbed his dagger. He went back to their bed and leaned close to the pup's head.

It was late at night. Taehyung couldn't sleep. He watched his little family's peaceful form in the moonlight that was coming though the thin walls. It was full moon, but he didn't hear those strange people this time, as he does every month around this time. But he still had a weird feeling roaming inside his body.

- Yeontan, protect our girls, okay? Daddy's gonna come back, but you have to promise me they are safe with you!

His palm squeezed tightly against the handle of the dagger as he ran through the woods. He had flames in his eyes. Nobody can harm his family!

The puppy didn't budge, remained fast asleep on the bed, between the two girls. Taehyung exited the house, but didn't leave until he made sure the door was securely locked. Only he can know how to get inside! His whole world was in there.

His legs led him to that mysterious cave he found his pregnant Y/n in all those years ago. It was muscle memory. He felt danger there. He had to get rid of it for the sake of his family. For the safety of his girls!

He dragged the bloody body through the woods, to the opposite side of the island as where their house was. He reached the shore and threw the body in the water. He got inside himself, a bit disgusted by the blood pooling around him, but started swimming deep inside the ocean, all while pushing the body infront of him.

He slowed his steps as he neared the place. And sure enough, there he was. He was hit with strong deja vu as he stood infront of the entrance. He took quiet steps once inside. He felt the presence of someone unwanted in there. He was going to end this once and for all. And there is was. The dark skinned man was laying on the floor, asleep. Taehyung didn't hesitate. He raised his dagger and stapped it right through the man's chest, and with a loud and ugly groan, the life left his body.

Was he a bad person for this? He was just protecting his family... This man attacked his love, who knows what else he was up to?

Once he was satisfied with the distance, he gave the body one last push and swam back. In the shallow water he made sure his body was free of blood, which it was but it left a stain on his skin. Not on his skin, but in his whole being. It read: murderer.

~

He got home fairly quick and unlocked the door. The sun was beginning to peack from the horizon, but the girls and Yeontan were still asleep. Let them stay in their dreamland as long as needed. God, let them be guilt free their whole life!

3 years later

- And you just hang them up like this! See? Very easy.

- Wow! Thanks mommy! I can finally help with the dirty clothes too!

- Yes, my lovely girl, you can! - she kissed her head.

- Lets so and check what Dadda and Noah are up to, okay?

- Noey!!!

The girl cheered and ran in her brother's direction, forgetting her mother with the heavy basked the clothes were in.

- Silly. - the woman chuckled.

- Dadda! What is Noey doing?

- I'm teaching him how to swim, baby.

- Me too, me too!

With that she stripped herself from her clothes and ran through the waves to her father and brother.

- Mamma! Come too! - the little boy squealed.

- Comin'!

The woman threw her clothes in the sand too and joined the trio.

- Tannie too? - Emma asked.

- Tannie hates the water, Emma.

- Besides, he is a bit old now. - Taehyung continued.

It was right. The puppy, who was only a puppy in size, has aged enough for him to take great effort when running after the two lively kids. He wasn't like before... He was perfectly happy with laying in the cool shades and watching them go through their day. It was all he could do now.

The little boy and the slightly taller girl paddled together around their parents. Emma has become an excellent swimmer, and his brother, Noah was on the straight path to reach her level too.

- You look beautiful, my darling. - the man told Y/n while attaching her body to his.

- You don't look bad yourself, my love...

They giggled.

- I have some news for you. - she continued.

- You do?

- Mhmm...

She grabbed his large hand and placed it on her stomach under the water.

His eyes widened in realisation. He smoothed his palm over the slight, but definitely noticeable bump.

How could he have missed it?!

- Oh my... Baby! You have a baby in there?! - he grinned.

- I'm pretty sure.

- Love! That is magical! I can't believe it! I can't! Thank you.

He captured her lips between his and didn't pull away for long, long minutes.

His life was truely perfect. There was nothing more he could wish for. He had everything. His lovely Emma, Noah, his beautiful Y/n, and now...

...his precious little baby on the way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The end... Woow I had this in my drafts for months!!! But I finally finished and I'm so happy. Of course, I didn't check it, as usual... 😅 so I'm sorry for the mistakes... And it is looong. Oh my God... The longest oneshot I've ever written. But anyway... I hope you enjoy it. If you do, leave a comment or write me, because it always makes my day! ♥️♥️

[anemoiawithatouchofobsession]

(TW : I'm in my hater era. Don't click if you like new generation Kpop)

People come to me all the damn time and tell me "omg you like oldschool music??? Do you know newjeans? They had this comeba-" yes. I know newjeans. I not only know newjeans, I actively avoid them. I despise their CEO and producer already, no need to try and turn me into a fan of them. They have enough fans already.

Legitimately everything they release or ever cover is a rehash of something from the 90s, and I know where every single move that they dance, every single sample they use, every single reference they make comes from. And it never excites me or make me interested, because every time they manage to make it look so extremely cheap. Their makeup artists and stylists manage to mess up all the aesthetics so bad I physically cringe.

And I would much rather watch the original than the copy. I would rather watch H.O.T. and Deux bust it down on Gayo Top Ten and Music Camp than watch Newjeans' "90s hip hop inspired" comeback in front of a weird as hell screen with clothes that look like theyre from Temu trying to emulate half the raw energy that the two groups brought to stage.

I would rather listen to Matsuda Seiko's "Blue Lagoon" over and over again than listen to the energy-less cover that one of the girls made in Japan.

I would rather listen to S.E.S. and Fin.K.L. belting it out on their compilation album b-sides than hear another Drum and Bass whisper vocal song that minimally has New Jack Swing sounds to it just for their fans to run with it and parade it all over social media as the one and only herold of RnB in Kpop.

If it were anyone else at least I would grace it with a listen but I'm just so scared that one day they will start doing "80s concepts" the same way they do 90s stuff and they will just bastardise everything that was so special about the 80s in Korean Pop... but let them milk the 1st gen aesthetic till the end and I'm fine with that tbh 2nd gen is up for thr revival now which means the 80s are out of contention. Yes.

Now im exaggerating ok thanks and BYE

[mischiefmaker615]

Tears of a Mermaid (Loki Love Story)Ch.1

Summary:  Loki had followed the sweet sound of a voice one day among the many paths throughout Asgard's forest. He discovers the voice came from a mermaid named Mara and the two get curious of each other quickly, being from two different worlds practically. He finds himself getting attached to her every day and one night is presented with the knowledge of a mermaid's tear, granting a great deal of power. Not wanting to hurt her, he must make the decision of what's more important to him; her or the thrown.

Rating: PG14

Note: welcome to one of my favorite projects i have worked on! major Fluff+

Song Inspiration: Underwater by MIKA

Loki walked away in a huff, ignoring Thor's calls to come back after they had both returned to the palace. yet again another idiotic mess caused by his brother during a battle and again, he never listened to him. 'honestly, he'll be getting himself killed one day'. shaking his head, he mounted his horse and rode off down the paths into the forest. he found himself doing this more often, mainly to get away from everything running his brain wild like his brother or his father that didn't seem to pay a minute of attention to him because of his brother. letting out a frustrated yell, he didn't realize how fast his horse had been going and it had taken him down a different path he didn't recognize;  though all matters of that came to a halt when he hit a lowered branch and fell right off his horse, the beast coming to a stop and stood right next to a near by lake.

'damn..' Loki thought as he got up, brushing himself off and glad no one was around to notice his embarrassing incident.

Loki froze upon hearing a voice...a sweet alluring voice he had never heard before, coming from afar and yet sounded so close at the same time. his horse seemed to be stomping his hoof in response and his ears twitched. ''steady'' he calmed, holding his hand out with a gentle gesture as his eyes roamed the area.

it had to be coming from the west direction, and upon looking at his horse's state that seemed to be growing in slight anxiousness, decided to venture off alone. the voice seemed to grow louder as he quickened his pace, having to push branches and bush out of his way as he followed along the full water's edge of the lake that seemed to lead him towards the high rocks of the mountains. his pace slowed once the voice seemed definitely closer, almost as if it was coming from above the rocks that towered above him. it didn't seem wish to be venturing like this alone, with all of Asgard's various creatures they knew of but his hand instinctively brushed up against his dagger at his side just encase.

he quickly made his way up the side of the rocks as he listened to the voice that sounded so controlled, so beautiful, he wanted, no- he needed to find its source. he rounded the curved edge that brought him to a flatter surface and crouched in the bushes, now trying to stay hidden as he took step by step toward and parted the leaves in order to see in front of him towards the edge of the semi cliff that hung above the water beyond. but what he saw wasn't just the edge, for what was sitting close to it made him catch his breath instantly and his eyes to widen. before him was a woman, where she mindlessly ran her fingers through her long hair that held the color of almost a blonde and a red head. her back was to him and he remained hidden amongst the bush as he tried to run things through his mind of what he was looking at and his eyes ran down her back that had a bra like garment wrapped around her mid chest and down to her lower half that he still couldn't process into believing, regardless of everything he had witnessed among his years.

''a....'' '-..mermaid...'

Loki couldn't even say it out loud as he watched her in awe. The mermaid before him possessed the tail that held lagoon blue scales and seemed to rest just as still as someone sitting down with legs. his only regret though was leaning to much forward to where a branch slipped from his grip and swooshed to its original position, smacking into its neighbor leafs and leaving a loud enough rustle to have the Mermaid end her song with a sudden stop. this made him completely hid himself with the rest of the bush and his heart pumped when he got a slight look at her face when she turned to see who was there. her eyes were the purest shade of light brown that almost seemed to glow with a hint of gold. her face was innocent, sweet and structured that would have defined her no more than a goddess. and her voice when she spoke was just as enchanting as her singing. ''who's there?'' Loki bit his lip and spoke gently, staying in his hidden position ''so you speak English?'' ''i speak many and mainly when i hear on these lands. now i ask again, who's there?'' Loki took a deep breath and closed his eyes, praying to the gods she wouldn't wish to disappear as he stood up properly and stepped out of the bush ''it is I, prince of Asgard and God of mischief'' he told her, almost proudly but humbly as he bowed ''Loki?'' she asked with a head tilt, saying it more of a statement than a question. ''you know of me?'' ''i..I've seen you before when you've ventured along the waters'' she told him, almost sounding shy as if not meaning to have looked at him. ''how did you get up here?'' he asked, hoping to sway to a different subject once she started looking shy, giving off the cutest blush on her cheeks. her hand gestured to the side of the cliff in which he climbed ''same as you had, i assume my prince- i shouldn't be here-'' she shifted a little, making a movement that would have looked like someone uncrossing their legs but Loki held a hand out to stop her, instantly freezing in his tracks once she made a startled movement by his quick one ''wait- ..might i have you're name?'' the mermaid seemed to bite her lip, hesitating as if it were forbidden and glanced up at his piecing blue eyes ''..Mara..'' ''Mara..'' he echoed, loving how the sound left his lips and he slowly moved to a sitting position, seeing how she instantly relaxed a little as if she were a young shying creature. ''my father has told us of the creatures that live among st the realms, but i hadn't quite heard of your kind to exist outside the believed fairy tails the Midgardian's had entertained themselves with.'' this seemed to have brought a slight smile to her lips and his heart fluttered upon seeing it until it turned a sorrow. ''i am but the only existing one i'm aware of..'' ''you are of no family?'' he asked, risking on touching a sensitive subject and held his breath. ''i do not remember much of the past, just of these waters and what i could see upon land. my childhood and beyond that are lost to me.'' she said with a shake of her head. Loki raised his brow ''you've ventured close to the surface?'' he asked, quite surprised..he always thought of himself as a vigilant person, how had he not caught a glimpse of her before? ''usually close to when the sun sets, it helps for me to stay hidden a bit more and allows me to watch at the same time'' she smiled, almost readying his thought prior. ''why do you wish to hide?'' he asked, leaning forward as if like a child waiting for the next part of the story, his eyes obviously slipping a few times from her own to admire her differences of perfection. Mara quickly left his eyes and looked back to the water ''i..i just do..but it is merely mid sunset, you should go before then..'' Loki sensed a hint of her lying to him, which raised his curiosity levels that much more as he gazed at her. ''i am in no rush-'' ''it is if you wish to heal the injury on your forehead'' she told him gently, guesting to his head with her hand that revealed small webs between her fingers. Loki raised a brow at what she meant and raised a hand to his forehead, feeling a bruise and retracted ''no matter, Asgardian's have a pretty high healing rate'' he laughed but she bit her lip, motioning forward. ''but it would still take awhile, come here..'' Loki's heart jumped a little, always being so careful with his movement as to not frighten her but now she was asking him to her, and why? but being close to her was all he ever wanted and slowly got up and went to her, kneeling down where she placed a smooth hand on his forehead. her eyes seemed to flash a color of gold and a slight electric feeling came to her finger tips before she pulled away, giving a shy smile to realize just how close she was to the handsome prince ''a-all better..'' Loki's hand went to his head to feel that the injury was instantly removed and he returned her with a grateful look ''thank you my lady'' he smiled and with a bold move, took her hand with a gentle motion and kissed her knuckles, earning a blush to her cheeks all over again that made him want to do it again. ''..will i see you again?..'' ''i shall be here upon the same time tomorrow if you wish it my prince...'' she said shyly, her brown eyes meeting his with a look that was just as curious as his as they looked down at each other, admiring their differences before he slowly stood up, regretting it all ready as his hand left hers ''until then, Mara'' he bowed and she tapped her tail once with a head bow of her own ''until then,'' and with that, she did the unexpected and pushed herself off the edge and dove into the water's below ''....Mara..''

•okay i suck at openings usually but i swear it gets better from here Lol chapter’s can be found/kept track on my masterlist ♥ i know i know using Frozen’s song might be cheesy but it was mainly my inspiration to do this book in the first place Lol