#its awful seeing a man who smiles with his whole face look so desolate and that’s just speaking as a fan

[thatgoddamngingerundercut]

For a while, if you googled Yoongi you’d see that fucking awful press pic from the scooter incident right up front as one of the first pics. Now it’s this and y’all… 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

[herstarburststories]

He didn’t make it to 42

Pairing: Dean Winchester x reader

Summary: it’s Dean’s birthday, you go to visit him with some news and things that need to be said.

A/N: Happy bday, De.

Warnings: so much angst, mentions of sex, hopeful/happy ending (?)

Dean’s dead. It’s Dean’s birthday and he’s dead. You can’t argue much.

Sam denied the demon blood inside him, and that didn’t stop its evil nature from growing and gasping for his fresh air to the point he was almost shocked alive. Dean denied his dad’s destructive methods’ results for the longest time, and that didn’t stop the cicatrixes in every emotion he had ever shown. You denied the absence of Dean and that didn’t stop the bricks cracking in your soul. There’s only so far you can go with your eyes closed.

So here you are. Standing in front of an empty grave. You are bigger than the dull tombstone, yet you can’t help but not to feel tall, at all. How can you even start to talk? Talking to Dean used to be easy even when it got hard and now you’re feeling like a lost kid in a supermarket. Your snide thinking spells out his name with venom, saying it isn’t easy for you to open your barmy mouth and spill out contrarian shit because this isn’t Dean, just another meaningless symbolism that Sam promises that will help. The real Dean died almost a year ago, he was burned in a hunter’s funeral, the flames dancing over his body as the smell of burnt meat invaded your nostrils. Whenever you try to remember his fragrance, that manly aroma which you loved to scent each morning, all your brain can come up with is the odor of his skin and guts burning. The smell lingers like bad perfume, it doesn’t matter how many times you wash yourself with his soap-- that only broke your heart worse.

But today is Dean’s birthday. He deserves a visit, even if it’s not him. Then you go and attempt to deal with the desolation, push it away just a little, and pick up something from the enormous pile of things you wish to tell Dean. You glance at the cold tombstone: Dean Winchester. 1979 - 2020. Beloved son, big brother, and husband. Hunter. A hero. Simple definitions that can never make it up for who he was and what he meant. You purse your lips and cough a little, a gentle wind touches your cheek so tenderly. If you were still a believer, you’d think this is some sort of sign, Dean’s presence or some other pious hoax. All you do now is to remain in quietude, a deep breath. Ultimately, your voice comes:

‘’You didn’t make it to forty two, huh?’’ You scoff humorless, reminiscing to the multiple days that Dean said he wouldn’t go past 35. He did live each year like it was the last--- you aren’t sure if it's such a good thing. If you carry on like your days are outnumbered, you are silently entertaining yourself until death's knock on your door. ‘’I always hated when you were right. Let’s be honest, you had the words of a pessimist and the wants of an optimist. Still, if you were to be right about something, it would be about a bad situation. A nest with too many vampires, how crappy the motel’s bedroom would be, or how that third glass of wine would make me tipsy. So yeah, I always hated when you were right. And look at you now! You aren’t right, you aren’t wrong. You are dead! And I’m the crazy girl screaming at an empty tombstone.’’

You let out a laugh empty of joy. That’s how a hunter’s life is: you die and people stop talking about you because it’s too sad or too long gone to hold any pity, meanwhile the ones who recall about you go loud with all the spirits in their heads. You put your hand in the pockets of the heavy leather jacket that once belonged to a green eyed man who would be turning 42 today, some strange force causing you to speak again.

‘’Wow.’’ You shake your head to the blue way you paint the scene until you notice that you never greeted him. ‘’Hey.’’ The simple word adds a comical insult to injury. ‘’Guess the dead don’t care about manners, huh?’’ You arch your eyebrows with a grin that demonstrates anything but happiness. ‘’Miracle died. Sam digged a hole next to the bunker and buried him there. He isn’t the same since you died, you know? Not the deceased dog-- Well, he wasn’t the same either. Always whining and scratching your door like a fucking cat, and sniffing your old boots. He made me company in your bed and I whined as much as he did when you didn’t come back home that day. He stood by the door most days, waiting for you to appear. I can’t judge him, I did the same.’’ You shrug, not caring about how risible that confession may look. It's true. You became as irrational as a loyal dog at some point in this sorrow. ‘’And Sam, your baby brother… I think he died with you right there, Dean. He didn’t try to bring you back as he promised, but I shouted and screamed so much. I said I would burn the bunker and throw Baby over a cliff if he didn’t-- if he didn’t let me try. I lived up to the mad woman title.’’

You are crestfallen, pacing on top of where the eldest Winchester - Sam’s brand new nomination -  supposedly was buried. You know your boots barely touch an infected land, there's no deceased man under your steps. The dead thing is in you.

‘’I spent days dragging your body everywhere and nowhere, anywhere I could catch a crumb of relief in hope to bring you back. But I couldn’t. Jack could, but that ungrateful idiot doesn’t wanna follow his grandpa steps and get too attached to mere humans, the creation or whatever. As if we are just some skin and bone to him, as if you are just another human.’’

You sit down on the tombstone, some tender solace in being close to a thing that's supposed to represent him, like sleeping hugged to a pillow or waking up to a photograph of his. Your nails sink against the gelid concrete at the thought of screaming into the sky for the new God that seemed as deaf as the last one. His calm answer to your burning pain. How he dared to tell you he knew what he was doing— as if he was the original lord and not a three years old. You can't make him do it, so you hold on the fury of some overthrown nation.

‘’Anyway, I couldn’t bring you back. Your body, well, you know how human anatomy works. Your body started to smell like death. We tried to stop with human and magic ways, and it wouldn’t work because you were dead. You should’ve seen the doctor’s face when we got you in that fancy hospital tha night. I think we traumatized the doctor with so much violence and trauma. She didn’t even give us a false hope or anything, you know? She just asked about organ donation of what was left. She just wanted to take every little thing out of you, as if you were just another accident on a Tuesday night.’’ Your shake your head as the memories and your points start to mix, it's hard to discern things and keep a straight line when you have an open wound in your insides. ‘’Well, they couldn’t bring you back to life, and neither could Rowena or whatever I looked for. Don’t be mad because I tried, Winchester. You know I’m too stubborn for my own good. I had to try.’’ you refuse to apologize, yet adds the playful words in his eulogy. ‘’But then your body started to stink and God, how could I continue to be so violent to your corpse? That was when I decided to listen to you for the first time and to Sam, so I let you go. I hate you for asking that.’’ What an ambiguous, contradictory truth to bare. You are glimpses of a person for months because of Dean Winchester, still have the energy to argue his selfless logic, just to love him even more. He's got your devotion, but man you can hate him sometimes. ‘’I hate you for going on that stupid hunt. I hate you for being dead, you giant idiot that I love so much.’’ You can't bring your mouth to say loved. "I was always telling you to let the past go and now I’m in love with a dead thing. What a comic way to end our history. I told you that Miracle died, right? I don’t know if dogs go to heaven, but I hope he’s in there with you. I wonder what your heaven is like. I bet it has Whiskey.''

Your dry chuckle makes your notice the tears in your eyes, glistening your orbs as they go like a waterfall to be absorbed by the thirsty land after leaving your cheeks.

"Sam and I-- We tried to make some sense out of this cruelty, but we can’t. You are dead and I can’t seem to put it past me. I still sleep in your bed, and I can still taste your body burning on the roof of my mouth in the quiet nights. I cried this morning because someone asked for a burger, can you believe that? It was so stupid since I used to shake my head and argue with you about cholesterol. Suddenly I was crying at lunch in a restaurant because some stupid kid asked for a burger with extra bacon. They sang Happy birthday to this dumbass child, and I interrupted with my awful crying, and wished that you were celebrating your birthday and not that kid. I guess you could say I wish death upon an innocent child with a problematic eating routine.’’ That was a whole new level of low, as if you are the one wrapped with the sentiment of laying six feet under.

‘’Everyone tells you about how grief is singular and particular with similar emotions that bring people who went through this together. They even have that crap stages thing and all that. You know what they don’t tell you?’’ Your mouth shuts for a moment, like you are waiting some response. You nod as if whatever you were expecting is handed to you. ‘’Grief can be fucking ridiculous. Who cries because of a burger full of oil and cardiac diseases? Who cries because they found a grocery store recipe under her dead boyfriend’s bed? Who falls on the ground screaming in the middle of the mall because they saw a flannel? Who? Those things are so stupid.’’ You smile like there's no tomorrow and the laugh leaving your lips is a treacherous tone. Perhaps you just aren't build up to express joy anymore. ‘’You see it in the movies and in the books and you think, you know, you think to yourself that grieving is being sad on special dates and randomly remembering the loved ones because of some screaming memory, like a flannel or their perfume. Thing is, it’s not just that. All your body seems so small, so tight for all the ache and agony inside it. Your senses go wild, you are not just one person in one place. You’re just the pain everywhere, like being pulled apart and you beg to jump in the fucking grave with them. At least you would be together, at least you would feel like one person and not suffering edges of a broken earthy thing. And--And you start remembering things you didn’t even know you had mesmerized. I look at the ceiling and remember you saying you’d paint it someday. I look at the kitchen and remember me screaming at you for giving Miracle the rest of the food. I smell Sam’s clothes and started crying because hey, they don’t smell like alcohol. You don’t iron them while drinking anymore, so of course they don’t smell like cheap beer.’’ You are chuckling through the tears and it only makes it more monstrous. ‘’Everything is you now that you are gone. Every man has something similar to you, every garden is green as your eyes, and each step sounds like you are coming home. They didn’t prepare me, not for this.’’ You said breathless. A soft single follows. The knife cuts both ways; the empty breeze and the words hurt. Where's the middle term? Where's the limbo? Where's the only safe place for you to rest your weary head?

Out of nowhere, you blurt out, ‘’I can’t masturbate,’’ I know it’s something stupid and even selfish to say, but I think you’d like to know. I can’t masturbate. That’s a part of the whole losing someone process that people are too ashamed to discuss, or maybe they don’t have the urge to be touched anymore because after someone you love dies, after someone-- the hands who touched are dead and cold, you become a haunted object. That’s how I feel most days, like I’m a haunted house because you touched me and now you’re dead and some days I believe I am too.’’ You look around the places. It's beautiful. It's lonely. It has trees and flowers and green. Not as green as Dean's eyes, but it doesn't matter anymore. He doesn't even have eyes at this point. ‘’Well, I can’t masturbate. I can’t touch myself. And I can’t ask someone else either. I tried and ended up punching the guy, Dean. I swear. I panicked when he was between my legs and just punched his nose. You’d have liked it, you were always the jealous kind. I won’t admit that, but I thought it was kinda hot. Especially when you got possessive in sex.’’ A dirty grin appeared on your lips, the echoes of luxury lasting in your eyes for a brief moment. ‘’I don’t think I can be cared for anymore, honestly. Sam tried to hug me when Miracle died and I… It was like I wasn't there. I got frozen in time, and I live in my sleep. In my nightmares you are alive. I  dream about the day you died every week and I used to wake up screaming, but now those nightmares are the only proof you were alive now that you’re as dead as the police report says this time. It was the most painful, calamitous moment for you and I swear it was a nightmare for me, but then I realized that at least I had you there, egoistical or not, I made my nightmare into a dream.’’ You aren't sure which opinion Dean would have on that. Would he understand? Would he shake his head? You wish you can ask him just this one more thing, just beg him to write it down for you on how to be without him here.

You raise on your feet, glaring at the name craved in the concrete. The tears go by still, although they're as usual as the blood in glir veins at this point. ‘’Death is so silly. What it takes, anyway?" Each word conquers more inches of pure wrath. ''People die because they stumbled on their own feet and hit their head somewhere, or they drove their car too close and too fast to the cliff, or because they were giving birth, or because they dated the wrong person, or because they were hunting a fucking vampire and got impaled. What are the chances? How stupid, and idiotic is death? Always creeping and waiting to bite and chew a piece of you-- Taking every scrap of you from me like that’s its right.’’ You are screaming, starting to kick and punch the tombstone with any piece of straight you have. Your limbs hurt and the blood is visible, but you keep going. ‘’YOUR STUPID DOG DIED, DEAN! AND YOU DIED! AND I DIED! SAMMY DIED! YEAH, IS SAID SAMMY! GO AHEAD, TELL ME ONLY YOU CAN CALL HIM THAT.’’ Another punch, your knuckles are ripped. Another kick, your boot as a hole. ‘’DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.’’ Kick. ‘’SAMMY, SAMMY, SAMMY!’’ A punch to each name. Anything to get a reaction, to get comfort. Anything. ‘’YOU CAN’T BECAUSE YOU ARE DEAD.’’ Gasping for something you don't need anymore, sweet oxygen, your eyes are on the tombstone again. And the definitions. And the trees. Your body is sore and aching. It is the kind and coercion no person wants which you needed; the freedom of feeling outside the exact pain that was inside. ‘’You can’t because you are dead. I’ve been playing some sick games in my mind, you know? Sam stopped hunting and had his closure. He was always better at letting go than you and I, but he’s still hurting. I never saw him hurting so much. I think he knows you won’t come back this time, how could you make us promise something like that?  Well, my twisted game is a bunch of misleading what ifs. What if you hadn’t gone after John? What if you hadn’t gone on that last hunt? What if you had stayed with Lisa? At first I didn’t like her much. Jealous, I admit that. But she grew on me. She gave you something I couldn’t back then and I’ll always be thankful for that. And even though it would rip me apart, I’d rather you to die at sixth after living your suburban dream with her. Have another kid besides Ben, maybe a girl this time, and just have that apple pie life. You and Sam would live close and your kids would always play. They’d be as close as brothers. Maybe I’d get a guy and bring my own kids and we could’ve a barbecue and everyone would be happy. But we don’t get soft epilogues here. It ends how it starts, right? Bloody and desperate. I thought maybe, maybe Lisa could understand what’s going through my head now. I drove to her new address and parked close to her house. I must have spent hours there, thinking if I should come in or not, If she somehow remembered after Castiel died or if I could make her brain work again if I told her the truth. But then I just drove back home and fell asleep wrapped in that stupid lumberjack flannel of yours. The one I always mocked, yeah? She may understand me, but I know you wouldn’t want that. You want her, you want me and Sam to be happy. I don’t know if I can do that, Dean. It’s like myt brittle soul shrewd and my body is just waiting to collapse.’’ You signed, overwhelmed by the battle without an anthem. The victory with no triumph. Is it still a win when you don't have someone to come home too? ‘’Your dog died, it’s the first birthday you didn’t live to see, and I bought all the things you told Mrs Butters you wanted for your birthday because it’s your birthday. I just don’t know how to celebrate it with you dead. People stop counting after they die, right? They just say he’d have been 42 or he died at 41. They give melancholy smiles when they wake up and check the day on their phones and a woe atmosphere swallows them for the rest of the day. Then they get better the next day. I think everyday is your birthday.’’ You attempt to wipe away your tears, which only causes your pulsating hand to stain your face red. ‘’Dean, for the first time, what died stayed dead! Congrats.’’ Once again, a hysterical laugh. ‘’I wish but no. What died didn’t stay dead, you are alive, so alive in my head. I swear you are there some days. I wake and watch the door, so sure you’ll come back. Sam says I’m living in delusion and I have to wake up and keep going since that's what you would want. That's enough to make him keep going, but it only makes me angry. Everyone we know and some strangers looks at me like I'm a house on fire and no longer a warm home, like I'm a car accident. They think I don't notice but I do.’’ You look at your boots, the whole is rolling out blood like your hands. You feel closer to Dean. How sick.

‘’Help, I’m still right where you left me." You plea, his love lingering like a bruise. ''I think gravity is overwhelming and it keeps me here. Sometimes it’s like I’m one of those dusted books Sam used to read. Or those Bukowski ones that you hid, so we wouldn’t see how smart you’re. You tried so hard to hide your intelligence because you didn’t think you were entitled to it. You saw yourself as the protector and never the valuable one for protection. You, the man who made an EMF out of an old radio, who rebuilt the Impala from the ground multiple times, and who knew patterns better than any detective. The man who showed me I could rely on someone other than myself. The dude with a lopsided grin, tough hands and a heart of gold. I miss you so much. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were singing all those classic rock songs and Taylor Swift pop hits, while I drove here. I would think you were home, smelling like guts because you wanted to eat before taking a shower after a hunt. I would think that you are in the Deancave, waiting for me to curl up on your lap to watch Scooby Doo or Doctor Sexy MD until we aren’t watching anymore. If I didn’t know better I would think no death could take you from me. There would be no tear us apart in our vows.’’ The only thing that keeps your organism working is that Dean died knowing how much you loved him. You never let this talk for later or never. No tomorrow is promised. That's a nice comfort, maybe that's what will help you to let go in the future. ‘’But yesterday your stupid, skink dog died and I lost the last living thing that I had from you. You know what’s more angerting? I cried and Sam cried and I noticed we were the living things you left behind and all we have is each other. All your closets of backlogged dreams were left for us-- so yeah. Sam is done hunting and he’s met a lovely girl, and they are moving in like in your domestic dreams. I’m taking care of the family business like your other contradictory dream and making sure Sam is safe enough to be normal. Because I have to, we have too. Stupidly enough, I still wait for the day you’ll burst out the door and tell us to hit the road again. I still watch every episode of your dumb tv shows to make sure I’ll know everything that happened when you ask. I still drive around in your car and close my eyes when the street is calm, only picturing you driving as Baby’s engineers go wild but those are my hands on the steering wheel. If I didn't know better, I’d think you are still around. But I know better. I still feel you all around. I love you.’’

Your monologuing ends as astutely as it stated. You get up, press a kiss to your ruined for the next weeks hands and place it on the rock with writings. You turn around and walk back to the car that you parked near, only in case of Dean wanting to see Baby. How knows? You and your clandestine faith. You lick your lip and get in the car.

You swear you the AC/DC cassette wasn't there before, but when you turn on the car and the radio it starts playing. It's the first true smile that comes to your mouth, it's bloodstained and you look like a shameless woman. With that you can deal.

It hurts a bearable hurt for now. You didn't think it was possible. Maybe someday.

The end.

(she takes a little longer to arive in heaven than sammy. his baby brother says that women are most likely to live around six years more than men. it doesn't ease him up, though. dean waited sam for too long, his platonic soulmate. and now he has to wait his romantic one too? the eldest Winchester considers it the best earthly present when the he sense you around, that smell of orange and apples. it's you, he knows before even turning around. he can't wait to love you again. your name rolls off your tongue so naturally, as if you had seen each other just yesterday: ‘’hey, y/n.’’)

But then again, nothing ever really ends, does it?

REBLOG AND COMMENT. Feedback is magic and helps me!

Starburst's footnote: It just didn't feel right to make an author's note on the top. I wanted it all only to be an arrow to the story. So, this is my side note: it's six am and I'm up writing this after inspiration kissed me with a bruise in the middle of the night. Or more like grabbed my throat. Anyway, I had to write and finish this one to post today, even pushing sleep aside. Hey, we are writers, that's what we do! I've been watching the show since I was eleven and I cried like a baby with the finale. This series was just so important and crucial to molde aspects of relationships for me. The song marjorie by Taylor Swift was used here, and so was the line "you got my devotion/ but man, I can hate you sometimes" by Harry Styles. I told you guys I would use it somewhere! A special thanks to @msmarvelouswinchester​ who helped me with her encouraging and opinon. You are the best! And with all of this I wanna say: Happy bday, Dean Winchester!

REBLOG AND COMMENT! Feedback is magic! Especially about this fic, I’d like to know your opinion. Tags in the reblog! Send an ask or dm to get in the taglist.

[scotianostra]

On 21st July 1796 Robert Burns died in Dumfries.

Rather than write up an account from several sources and my own knowledge as I normally do I will leave it to the poet and neighbour of the Ploughman Poet, Alan Cunninham, to describe the fateful day……

“It was soon spread through Dumfries that Burns had returned from the *Brow much worse than when he went away, and it was added that he was dying. The anxiety of the people, high and low, was very great. I was present and saw it. Wherever two or three were together their talk was of Burns, and of him alone. They spoke of his history, of his person, and of his works - of his witty sayings and sarcastic replies, and of his too early fate with much enthusiasm, and sometimes with deep feeling. All that he had done, and all that he had hoped he would accomplish, were talked of: half-a-dozen of them stopped Dr. Maxwell in the street, and said, "How is Burns sir?” He shook his head, saying, “he cannot be worse, ” and passed on to be subjected to similar inquiries farther up the way. I heard one of a group inquire, with much simplicity, “Who do you think will be our poet now?”

Though Burns now knew he was dying, his good humour was unruffled, and his wit never forsook him. When he looked up and saw Dr. Maxwell at his bed-side, - “Alas!” he said, “what has brought you here? I am but a poor crow and not worth plucking.” He pointed to his pistols, those already mentioned the gift of their maker, Blair of Birmingham, and desired that Maxwell would accept of them, saying they could not be in worthier keeping, and he should have no more need of them. This relieved his proud heart from a sense of obligation. Soon afterwards he saw Gibson, one of his brother-volunteers by the bed-side with tears in his eyes. He smiled and said, - “John, don’t let the awkward squad fire over me!”

His household presented a melancholy spectacle: the Poet dying; his wife in hourly expectation of being confined: four helpless children wandering from room to room, gazing on their miserable parents and but too little of food or cordial kind to pacify the whole or soothe the sick. To Jessie Lewars, all who are charmed with the poet’s works are much indebted: she acted with the prudence of a sister and the tenderness of a daughter, and kept desolation away, though she could not keep disease. - “A tremor,” says Maxwell, “pervaded his frame; his tongue, though often refreshed, became parched; and his mind, when not roused by conversation, sunk into delirium. On the second and third day after his return from the Brow, the fever increased and his strength diminished. On the fourth day, when his attendant, James Maclure held a cordial to his lips, he swallowed it eagerly - rose almost wholly up - spread out his hands - sprang forward nigh the whole length of the bed - fell on his face and expired. He was thirty seven years and seven months old, and of a form and strength which promised long life; but the great and inspired are often cut down in youth while "Villains ripen gray with time”.

I can’t really add to what Cunningham has written, what I will add is the remarkable story about the  night almost 40 years after his death the poet’s skull was taken on  a wee walk  by a group of Dumfries locals with a strange interest.

The men, led by newspaper editor John McDiarmid, were keen advocates of phrenology - a now discredited pseudo-science that believed you could read deep truths about someone's personality from plotting the bumps on their head.

McDiarmid and others were keen to study the skull of the ploughman poet - a man who was thought of as a natural genius and whose personality was well-known throughout the world.

The phrenologists were interested in Burns because he was such an important character in the public imagination and therefore they wanted to see if the bumps on his skull would match up to his public persona.

However, the Bard's widow Jean Armour was not thought to be keen to allow the phrenologists to disturb her husband's resting place because his remains had already been moved once before.

When Burns died in Dumfries  he was not buried in the imposing mausoleum that currently stands in the town's St Michael's kirkyard. The bright, white, rock star tomb, with its pillars and domes and its marble figure of Burns at the plough, was erected 19 years after his death, following a long fundraising effort. His widow was disgusted by the gruesome exhumation of the poet's body, and the remains of two of his sons, to the relocate them to the new monument.

Dumfries Courier editor McDiarmid wrote an account of removing Burns from his original resting place.

He told how when the workmen tried to lift the original wooden coffin "the head separated from the trunk, and the whole body, with the exception of the bones, crumbled into dust".

The newspaper editor may have been accurately describing the scene but he was not there at the time, he arrived in town two years after the event and must have cursed his luck at missing out on getting his hands on Burns' skull for a phrenological study.

It was not until Jean Armour died in 1834 that another opportunity arose to get a plaster of Paris cast of the skull. McDiarmid realised the crypt of the mausoleum was going to be opened and he appears to have obtained permission from Jean's brother to take a cast of the skull.  The group carrying out the plan comprised of six men plus their assistants, and by the end of the night the Provost, the Dean of Guild and rector of Dumfries academy as well.

They don't want to be seen and they didn't want a mob to assemble and say 'here they are violating the poet's grave, we are going to stop them. They make their first attempt at 7pm but there are too many people about. At 10pm in come our boys again over the walls, sneak up to the mausoleum with the keys, they go down into the vault with a ladder and a muffled lantern so people didn't see the light. 

According to Burns' experts who reconstructed the process, McDiarmid had thought he would be able to take a plaster cast of the skull in the vault but he realised he couldn't. So he popped it into a linen bag and walked it up the high street to Queensberry Street where the plasterer James Fraser worked. They made a mould and from that they took a cast of the skull.

There are several persons involved, one of which is the surgeon Archibald Blacklock and according to the published accounts he, very scientifically, handles this skull.

He also apparently tried his hat on it out of awe, because the skull is so large he wants to know if his hat can fit on it or not. The workmen around him then all apparently try their hats on the skull as well. The freshly-cast skull was rushed to Edinburgh, to George Combe, the master of phrenology, who prepared a report on Burns' personality.

Phrenologists believed the brain was made up of 27 individual "organs" that determined personality and these could be measured by studying the shape of the skull. Combe's report rated Burns for a number of character traits based on the size of the "organs".

One of Burns' organs that was very large was his organ of “philoprogenitiveness,”  his ability to produce and care for children!   Along with a high score for benevolence, the phrenologists said this explained his love for weak and helpless creatures displayed in poems such as To a Mouse and On Seeing a Wounded Hare.   A lot of it was just talking about the poetry and the life and trying to make sense of this scientific analysis in relation to Burns' well-known public character and his written work. 

This was a "risky" strategy,  because Burns was so well-known that if their findings had been at odds with his public persona it would have made phrenology look like a fraud. So they worked very hard to make sense of these materials.  Instead of the scientific philosophy of trying to prove your hypothesis wrong, the phrenologists wanted to confirm their prior beliefs. 

The anatomical museum of the University of Edinburgh has a cast of Burns' skull which is likely to be one of the original copies made that night in 1834, there is also a copy in The Burns Museum at Alloway. 

Pics include a drawing of the poets “death room” and the skull in the museum.

[moodymidnightkitten]

Fangs and Flowers 1

Pairing: AU Garou x Fem! Reader

W/C: 1.6K+

Genre: Fluff (mostly building the setting)

Warnings!: slight swearing but not all that much

A/N: After 3+ months after my car accident I can confidently say I'm ready to get back into the game and I'm so happy that even over these months I'm blessed with Tumblr users who come to my dash and liked and reblog things, y'all have really kept me going and I love you for that, thank you. And if anyone needs any emotional help in regards to traumatic experiences please give me a shout, I know things can get scary sometimes but I will be here always, to listen whenever you need me.

psst heres my masterlist

Why is it that when you finally have everything figured out life just switches up on you. Landing yourself in a world you’re not too familiar with. You try not even thinking about how your father is going to feel when he’s learned that you seriously couldn’t control your powers this time. How were you even going to get back?

You’re a combination of powers from your mother and father, healing and universe traveling. A mix that made no sense but blended quite well together. Or so you and everyone you thought.

You looked around, the signs on buildings decorated with flowing symbols, those must be words. You looked at them longer, waiting for them to make sense to you, as it usually happens. A little backstory, your people are considered the be all kinds of people, the people who, in combination could do anything and everything but not one person was capable of doing everything themselves, most people, like yourself in your clan had a max of three, and that really depended on your lineage. Lucky enough for you, your parents and ancestors were the strongest in the clan, every first born naturally developing three abilities. And here you were, the first born waiting on your grandfather's power to radiate to and through you.

It took what felt like forever but it finally came to you, the sign slowly making sense in your mind.

“...C-ci-ty Z?” you squinted a bit. “City Z, interesting, it’s blocked off.” ignoring the other signs littering the way claiming it wasn’t safe, not possibly feeling as though where you are could threaten you, you walked through the gates, your long black cloak swaying as you walk through the quiet streets. You came to the conclusion after walking for five minutes that where you were in a desolate area, abandoned even, whatever happened here must’ve been serious.

“Absolutely wonderful, I should assume I won’t be home for awhile so this will probably be the best place for me to be for the time being, I can settle down here,” you said talking to yourself, pondering over all of your living possibilities, you kept your thoughts to yourself for now, finally coming to a stop in front of a tall grey building. You walk in and settle for the open apartment on the fourth floor, with two bedrooms and a spacious communal area, not that you needed all of the space, it was still nice.

You rummaged through the apartment, it was almost empty of food but the electricity and running water was working, odd but okay you thought to yourself. You came to the decision that you would need to go out and grab more things, get used to your new home for now. Luckily whoever was living here before was also a female of the same size, stature and taste. You pulled out a light beige dress with black lace trimming, it hugged your hips perfectly, you twirled in the mirror and loved how it blew out around you, a bit above the knees, airy but not too short. You also found a cute pair of beige flats that had a glossy overlay to them. No you looked like you really belonged.

You waltzed out of the apartment and back outside, where it was luckily still quiet out. Looking back to make sure to remember the building. You dangled the empty bag you grabbed before leaving by your side before coming up to the least damaged grocery building and restaurants. Everything fresh was still good thanks to the power that was maintained in the area. But you still grabbed as much as you could just in case, it was certainly more weight than you should carry but it wasn’t killing you. Grabbing food and basic first aid supplies as a generic thing, just in case, you didn’t know what kind of diseases or harm this place could do but it seems as though this first aide was something universal. Even though you could heal yourself, it has its limits, like everything does.

You easily got lost in thinking within yourself, taking in your new surroundings and enjoying everything you’re seeing, until you come up to a peculiar building, one intact except one thing, a body shaped hole in the side, weirded out but so highly intrigued you walked up to the building and placed the bags you were carrying by the building. Peering into it you could see the front of the building wasn’t doing as well as the back, You averted your eyes from the tops and to the sides of the building finally looking down to notice there in front of you was a man. Naturally you were startled but grew some confidence to finally submerge yourself into the building to get a closer look. You bent down, laying a hand on his back, he was breathing. That was good you thought, at least he is alive but not conscious, his heartbeat was still going too slow for comfort though.

As you started to channel your healing ability to the palm of your hand your eyes grazed over his body, beaten badly, he was decorated in cuts, scrapes, bruises and what lies beneath you’re more than sure is a couple of broken bones and an illness, everything was more than you could handle healing in one setting. So you took your time, you’re going to wait it out until he’s healed enough to awaken again. After a few minutes more of assessing the person beneath your hands you began to notice his odd features, from his spiked up white hair to the strained and tired but well built muscular figure, he seemed as though a man not to be reckoned with.

And there it was, after sitting with him for ten minutes you felt his heart rate pick up and a small cough, it startled you, causing you to fall back from your knees, your butt now on the ground. The man took a deep breath and pulled himself up onto his elbows, rolling himself over, face up to the ceiling now. You watched in awe, finally seeing the rest of him, the jawline and color of his eyes, how much worse he looked when you saw his face. He put a hand on his chest and fell into another coughing fit. You were just sitting still, unmoving, breathing quietly, waiting for him to notice another presence within the same space as him. He began to sit himself up, legs criss crossed underneath him, taking a deep breath. You noticed how his muscles tugged at the shirt that was tattered, how they flexed so beautifully you could mistake it for water flowing in a stream.

“What are you staring at?” he said quietly, with a tinge of annoyance dancing on every vowel.

“My apologies...I noticed you were hurt badly, where I come from I heal those in need…” You were nervous in the presence of this man, a man with such delicately beautiful looks it could put all the men from your clan in shame. You could hear the man click his tongue against his teeth, trying to stand up he just grunted loudly and sat back down.

“Then heal me dammit instead of just sitting there,” he hissed to you. Your mind racing a mile a minute, even when he’s hurt he’s still as venomous and powerful, his aura eating away at the beautifully crumbled atmosphere.

“I...I can only do so much in a certain period of time, I used up everything I had to even get you awake...but I can help you over to my living establishment and I can continue to help you there, I know I’m rambling but there is a lot wrong with your current state and would also like to heal you to the point of resolving all internal and external injuries.” He sat there in silence peering at you through the corner of his eyes, concentrating on your proposal. A small grin also spreading across his face, your heart jumped, this man was more than a singular force, he was the whole beast, a predator, a blush crept along your face, as new to this world as you are this was about to become an amazing ride and you couldn’t wait.

“Help me up,” his tone shifted from annoyed to less annoyed but welcoming. You scrambled to your feet, crouching alongside him as he lightly draped his arm on your shoulders, using your right arm and put it flat against his back to offer as much support as you could, a blush lacing across your cheekbones. As you two began to stand up you noticed his build in all its glory, he towered over your small and frail frame, putting weight on you, grunting with most motions to get himself onto his feet. He also understood the size difference between you both, he’s either feeling better standing or is holding in the pain in consideration of how much of him and his weight you can handle.

“My name is Garou by the way,” he muttered out softly and in between huffs of air.

“Mine is y/n, nice to meet you Garou...even under these circumstances..” You looked to the ground smiling, even without looking at him it was as if the feeling of him grinning with just boring into you. You two have made it out of the building and you grabbed your bags and threw them over the other shoulder that was free of the damaged and in pain predator Garou and started walking to your new home, the feeling of giddiness feeling like twinkling stars against your skin.

[starryknight09]

Unforeseen dangers ch 9

Summary:  As Peter recovers from his capture by Ross, a photo of him with Tony and the Avengers leaks and is splashed all across the media. Luckily, no one can figure out who he is and everyone thinks the buzz will die down. However, the public’s interest has been ignited. While Tony worries it’s only a matter of time before Peter’s identity is exposed, Peter isn’t as concerned. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen anyway?

Read on AO3.

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“How you holding up?” Tony asked Peter as the car pulled into the Tower’s private garage.  

Peter shrugged in answer.

His kid had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the entirety of the car ride, but Tony didn’t know what else he’d expected.  Tony had been raised in the spotlight.  It was all he’d ever known, so he found it oddly difficult to put himself in Peter’s shoes and figure out what he was feeling.  Instead of prying like he wanted to, he squeezed Peter against his side in a half hug.

“We’re here.” Happy announced unnecessarily as he put the car in park.  As much as his current Forehead of Security liked to grump, Tony knew the man hated tense silences just as much, if not more, than he did.

Tony wasted no time opening the car door and stepping out, but he had to duck his head back in when Peter didn’t automatically follow behind him.

“Come on kid.  Time to go.  As comfy as my car is, you can’t sit in it all day.” He said to Peter who was staring straight ahead, spaced out.  Peter blinked and slowly turned his head to take in Tony standing outside the car.  Only then did he seem to notice that he was the sole person still left in the car.

“Oh.” Peter said and blinked again before finally climbing out.  All his movements seemed slower than usual.

Tony didn’t call him on it.  He rested a hand loosely on Peter’s shoulder as they walked over to the elevator together where Bruce, Nat, Happy, and Steve were already inside waiting.

“Penthouse FRIDAY.” He ordered as they stepped in.

“Thanks guys.” Peter finally spoke, although he kept his gaze firmly fixed on the ground.

“You don’t need to thank anyone.” Tony said before they had a chance to respond.

“You’re dad’s right.” Steve agreed.  “We were happy to do it.”

“I needed to get out and get some air anyway.” Bruce added in a transparent attempt to lighten the mood.

Natasha just gave Peter a small smile while Happy let out a noncommittal grunt.

“Where’s everyone else?” Peter asked after another few seconds of silence had passed.

“Meeting us back here.  Actually, they probably beat us.” Tony answered.

“Seems like an awful lot of trouble just to pick me up from school.” Peter frowned.

“Nope.  No trouble.  Everyone missed you and wanted to take their turn to come and get you.  We tried rock paper scissors but since everyone on the team’s a sore loser I decided to let them all tag along.” Tony knew he was rambling and so obviously lying, but he didn’t want Peter to know the real reason everyone had shown up to get him, or the way his heart had started racing the moment he found out Peter’s identity had been discovered.

He’d been down in his workshop when Rhodey had come running in yelling his name.  “Tony!  Tony!”

When he’d heard the fear in Rhodey’s voice, he’d sat up so fast he’d smacked his head on the armor he’d been working on.  Rhodey was one of the most unshakable people Tony knew.  He could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen the man truly panic.  He didn’t even want to imagine what had happened to add this moment to one of those times.

“What?  What happened?” Fear swirled in his gut, visions of someone seriously hurt or dead flashed through his mind.  Someone who could make Rhodey look like that.  Peter.  Pepper.

“Have you seen the news?” Rhodey asked as he held out a hand to help him stand from the floor.

“No.”

“It’s Peter.” Rhodey came right out and said it.  He was never one to beat around the bush.

Tony’s eyes widened.  “Peter?  What about Peter?  Is he ok?” His greatest fear brought to life.  None of it made sense.  Peter should be in school and completely fine.  And he didn’t understand how Peter connected to seeing the news.  His brain felt like it was trying to reboot, to sort out the information coming at him through his sudden panic.

“He’s fine, but it’s all over the news.”

“What is?”

“He is.  Peter.  They figured out his identity.”

His first instinct was to panic, but he knew he couldn’t.  He had to stay clear headed and figure out what to do.  For his kid.

He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and forced himself to think.  When he opened them again, he caught Rhodey staring at him, waiting for his decision on what to do.

“What exactly do they know?” Tony asked.  He needed more information in order to work through the problem and figure out what to do next.  “That he’s the kid from all the pictures with me?”

“Yes.  That…” Rhodey said, but Tony could sense there was something else.

“And?  What else?” He prodded, letting his impatience through.

“That he’s your son.  That you adopted him.” Rhodey winced as he said it.

That was when the panic returned.

“Fuck.” He sprinted toward the elevator, Rhodey hot on his heels.

“Ok, now just for some perspective, don’t forget he’s Spiderman.  He’s not some helpless kid.” Rhodey said as the elevator doors closed behind them.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” He spat and pushed the button for the garage three times in succession to make the elevator drop at its fasted velocity.

“Yes.” Rhodey said as if it were obvious.

“Well it doesn’t.  My kid’s still in danger, because of his connection to me.” He growled, glaring at his friend.  He knew he was displacing all his anger and frustration on Rhodey who didn’t deserve any of it, but he didn’t have the mental capacity to reel himself in at the moment.  Besides, as his oldest friend, Rhodey was definitely more than used to taking the undeserved brunt of his mood swings.  

“What are you doing?” Rhodey asked as the doors opened and he jogged toward his fastest car.

“What do you think I’m doing?  I’m going to go get my kid!” He yelled, anger starting to override his fear.  He was angry at the world for doing this to his son.  Angry at himself for not doing a better job of preventing it.  He called himself a futurist, and yet, he hadn’t been able to see this coming soon enough to stop it.  

“Wait!” Rhodey called out from right behind him.

Tony ignored him.

“Just wait a minute!” Rhodey grabbed his shoulder.  

Tony spun around, fury written on every line of his face.  “What?”

“Stop and think Tony.  What?  You think you’re just going to march in there, grab him and come home?  Like it’ll be that easy?  The entire world knows he’s your son.  They dug into everything they could about him before breaking the story ten minutes ago.  They know his parents died and then his aunt and uncle.  They know he’s a straight A student.  They know he’s on the decathlon team.  They know where he goes to school.”

Ice ran down his spine.

“They’re going to be camped out just waiting for you to show up.  Waiting for him.  For the spectacle of it.  You know it. And god forbid, what if more than just the media is waiting?  I know you like to joke about it, but you have a lot of enemies and as far as the world knows, your kid’s just a normal kid, completely unguarded at school right now.  I know it’s a terrible thing to say, but if I wanted to hurt you, this would be the perfect opportunity.”

The hell of it was, he knew Rhodey was right, and not only that, but he couldn’t believe he hadn’t considered it before.  This whole thing had shaken him more than he’d realized.

“All it would take is a sniper rifle and a good vantage point, and it’d be all too easy to tag the kid as soon as he stepped outside the school.  Just like that.” Rhodey snapped his fingers.

Tony clenched his jaw at the image the words conjured.  The logical side of his brain told him that Peter had that sixth sense that would keep him safe from something like that, but the dad side of his brain worried about it not working or worried that even with the warning Peter still might not react fast enough to get out of the way.

“With enough money it wouldn’t be too hard to get a hired hand in place in such a short time frame.” Rhodey continued but his voice had softened.  “It’s what I would do.”

Tony closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over them.  “Ok.  So what do suggest we do then?  Not get my kid?  Leave him alone and unprotected at school?” He channeled all his fear and anger into sarcasm.

“Of course not.” Rhodey gave him a scathing look.

“What then?”

“We bring the team.” Rhodey said as if the answer were obvious.

So they had.

Within thirty minutes of the news breaking, Clint had positioned himself as a lookout on a nearby roof near the school and Sam and Rhodey had taken to the sky, flying around the area to ensure that all the other rooftops remained clear while Tony made his way to the school entrance along with Bruce and Steve, two of the most invincible Avengers, given Rhodey’s imagined threat of a sniper.  

While Happy and Natasha waited in the car, the trio forced their way through the hoard of press already waiting like vultures outside the school.  Tony cursed the fact that there was no other entrance near a street because it was going to make getting his kid out a nightmare.

Tony was honestly surprised Peter hadn’t called or texted him yet, but he remembered him mentioning something before about the teachers being strict about cell phone use during class, so maybe he just didn’t know yet.  

Inside, the hallways remained quiet and desolate.  Kids weren’t running around, excitedly talking, and getting ready to mob Peter at any moment, so class must’ve just started when the news broke.  He figured that was the one lucky break in all of this.

The sound of his own phone ringing cut through the heavy silence.  He gave the screen a cursory glance, intending to ignore it until he saw the caller ID.  Pepper.  One of the few people he’d answer a phone call from at a time like this.

“Hey Pep.” He said as he pressed the phone to his ear, trying to keep his voice down.  The last thing he needed was some errant student recognizing him.

“Tony?  Have you seen the news?” His heart warmed a little at the panic in her voice.  She obviously cared about Peter too, which shouldn’t surprise him.  The kid was like a puppy.  Everyone he met seemed to fall in love with him, and Tony knew the two of them had grown closer over the holidays when she’d helped Peter file the adoption papers for his surprise Christmas present.

“I have.”

“Oh my god.  Where are you?”

“I’m at his school.  I’m picking him up.”

“By yourself?” He marveled at the way Pepper could make her voice shrill without actually reaching a high pitched decibel.

“No.  Of course not.” He decided she didn’t need to know that was what he’d almost done until Rhodey had intervened.  “I brought the team.”

“Oh thank god.  Just get him back here and then we need to figure out what we’re going to do.”

“Your wish is my command.”

“Stay safe.” She ordered, stern but worried, a tone with which Tony was all too familiar.

“I will.” He said, the corner of his mouth turning up as he hung up.  It was times like these when he remembered what he and Pepper used to have, and he missed it.

He didn’t know what kind of expression was painted on his face, but whatever it was, it was enough for Steve to remind him, “Focus Tony.”

“Trust me Cap,” he said as he pocked his phone, “I’m as focused as anyone could possibly be right now.”

Steve nodded and within another ten steps they were standing in front of the office door.

Tony turned back to Bruce and Steve as he grabbed the handle.  “Let’s go get my kid.”

He swung the door open like he owned the place and did exactly that.

Tony almost couldn’t believe that had all happened within the last hour.  He still felt like he was doing catch up with trying to process everything.  He couldn’t even imagine how Peter felt.

The elevator finally reached the penthouse and the doors opened, revealing a scene Tony hadn’t been expecting, although in retrospect, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.  Pepper had kind of warned him with her phone call earlier, but he hadn’t been thinking about it.  He’d only been thinking about getting his kid to safety.  Which he’d accomplished.  

But now he needed to figure out how to approach this entire mess of a situation because it wasn’t going to fix itself.  Thus, the reason for why the penthouse was currently filled with his PR employees.

They stepped out of the elevator and into a maelstrom of chaos.  It was a scene reminiscent of the time he’d told the world he was Ironman and the resulting backlash.  Or the time he’d supposedly asked some Russian model to marry him.  He hadn’t.  Or the time he’d been quoted as saying he was anti-gun, which hadn’t been true.  At the time.  Or the time he’d gotten plastered in Vegas and apparently forgotten to clothe his bottom half before stepping out onto his balcony.  But all of those things had happened years ago.  It’d been quite awhile since he’d been at the center of this kind of media shitstorm.

Pepper noticed him the moment he stepped into the room.  She gave him a small smile as she walked over, but she stopped in front of Peter instead of him.

“Oh sweetie I’m so glad you’re ok.” She said as she pulled him into a tight hug.

He seemed a little surprised but didn’t hesitate to hug her back.  “I’m fine.”

“I know.” She said as she released him and grasped his shoulders, looking him square in the eyes.  “And don’t worry.  We’re going to figure this out.  We have people whose entire job is dealing with stuff like this.”

“What?  A secret son?” Peter joked but it fell flat.

Pepper graced him with a wry smile.  “Well, no.  This is definitely a first, but you’d be surprised by what we’ve had to deal with when it comes to Tony.”

“Hey.” Tony acted affronted even though he knew she only spoke the truth.

Pepper arched an eyebrow at him.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject.  “Anyway, what’s the plan?”

“Now that you’re here, we can do a sit down and plan out our immediate next steps.” Pepper said, all business again.

“Uh-huh.” He said, distracted by the shell shocked look on Peter’s face as he took in the room and the dozen or so strangers bustling about.

“But I really think the first thing we need to do is hold an emergency press conference, so we should put together a statement for that as soon as possible.” Pepper continued.

“Yeah.” He frowned and then held up a hand when Pepper started to speak again.  “We will definitely do all of that, but first I need a few minutes with my kid.”

Pepper blinked and looked over at Peter, her eyes softening at the obvious distress she saw there even as Peter did his best to try to hide it.  “Of course.  How about I get everyone together and we meet in the conference room at,” she checked her watch, “3:30PM.  That’ll give you fifteen minutes.  Is that enough time?”

“Should be.” He nodded and then gripped Peter’s shoulders.  “Come on Underoos.  Let’s go sit down for a minute.”

Peter let Tony guide him through all the pandemonium to the hallway and into his bedroom.  Tony pressed him down to sit at the end of the bed before grabbing the desk chair for himself.   He flipped it around and sat, letting his forearms rest on the chair back, going for nonchalant even though he felt anything but.

“So.” Tony said, not quite sure how to start the conversation.

“So…” Peter echoed back, not making it any easier.

“I know this is a lot, so I thought we should just take a little time out.  A little breather.  And you can tell me you’re thinking.”

“What I’m thinking?” Peter’s eyebrows pulled together like he didn’t understand what Tony meant.

“Yeah.  What’s going on in that noggin of yours?”

“I-I don’t know.  This is all…  This is crazy.”

“It is.” Tony agreed.

“I…I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“There’s nothing I want you to say.  I just want you to talk to me.  Tell me what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling about this.”

“Um I don’t know.  It’s a lot.” Peter shrugged.

“Care to expound on that a little?” Tony asked lightheartedly.

“I guess it’s kind of overwhelming, but it doesn’t really feel like it’s real at the same time?  Does that make sense?”

Tony nodded, staying silent to encourage Peter to keep talking.

“And now there are all these people here and there were all those people waiting outside my school and I know everything’s going to change forever and…I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” Peter trailed off and met his eyes, and Tony hated the fear and desperation he saw there.  “It’s just…a lot.”  He repeated.  “And I guess I didn’t really think this was going to happen.  Or if it did, I didn’t think it would be this soon.  And I didn’t think it would be like this.”

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  He didn’t know what to say to make it better, because there really wasn’t anything he could say, or do, to fix it.  The horse was out of the barn.  It was done.  Over with.  Now all they could do was deal with the fallout, and he knew it wasn’t going to be particularly pleasant for him or Peter.

“I’m sorry.” He settled on those two words even though they didn’t have the power to fix anything.

“It’s not your fault.” Peter shrugged.

“Still.  I never wanted any of this for you.”

Peter hung his head and picked at the fraying hem on one his sleeves.  The kid had a closet full of expensive, brand new, clothing but for some reason it seemed like he always chose to wear whatever he had that was tattered or fraying.

“What’s going to happen now?” Peter asked, looking up at him again.

“Now I’m going to go meet with all those people out there and try to come up with a game plan.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means first I’m going to find out how all this got out and how much everyone actually knows.”

“Ok.”

“And then I’m going to draft a statement to read at a press conference I’m guessing Pepper has already scheduled, probably to start within the next hour.”

“Really?” Peter seemed surprised.

Tony nodded.

“What are you going to say?”

“Depends on what the media has already spilled the beans on and how good their sources are.  If they don’t have any proof you’re my son, and it’s just conjecture, then there might be some wiggle room and I may be able to spin this a different way, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up.  I’m guessing they have some solid sources if it’s already out there like this, since everyone knows how much I like to sue for slander.”

Peter snorted.

“So, how about this?  You sit tight in here and I’ll go deal with all of this, and as soon as I know more about the plan, I’ll let you know, ok?”

“Ok.” Peter agreed softly.

Tony hummed and drummed his fingers along the chair back as he studied his son.  He hated the idea of leaving him alone right now, but he knew he didn’t have any other choice.  He had to go deal with all of this, and he didn’t want to bring Peter along and subject him to everything that entailed.  That would only make it worse.  

It was a no win situation.  As soon as he left, his kid was going to be on his computer or his phone googling himself, and he’d start falling down the proverbial rabbit hole.  As a media veteran, Tony knew self google was never a good idea, but he could only guess at what was being said and written about his kid.  He hadn’t had any time to check yet, so he couldn’t even prepare Peter for it.  He definitely wasn’t winning any parenting awards today.

“Listen, I’m going to do something, and you’re not going to like it, but you have to trust me that it’s in your own best interest right now, all right?”

Peter’s eyes narrowed.  Yeah, this wasn’t going to go over well.

“FRIDAY be a dear and restrict Peter’s TV, phone, and internet access until further notice.”

“What?  No!”

“Just,” Tony said as he held up a hand, “let me deal with this stuff first, and then we’ll deal with the rest of it together.  Ok?” He tried for calm even as a storm cloud passed over Peter’s face.  At least it was better than the sick, pinched look he’d had ever since all this went down.  Silver lining.

“You’re not being fair.” Peter protested.

“I know.” He agreed and Peter didn’t seem to know what to do with that easy admission.  

“So I’m just supposed to stay locked in my room alone with nothing to do until you come back?” Peter asked skeptically.

“No.  Of course not.  You have plenty to do.” He gestured to the partially finished Y-wing Lego set, the stacks of DVDs, and the video game consoles.

“You just said I couldn’t use the TV.” Peter huffed.

Tony sighed.  “FRIDAY, Peter can use the TV for watching movies and playing video games, but nothing else, capiche?”

“Yes Boss.”

“There.  All good.  And you’re not going to be alone.  I’ll send you some company.”

Peter screwed up his face like he wasn’t quite sure whether that was a good or a bad thing.

“And I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He said as he stood and ruffled Peter’s hair, smirking as Peter tried in vain to straighten it back into place.

On his way out, Tony paused at the door to turn and look at his kid.  Peter had a desolate expression pasted across his face as he stared straight ahead at nothing.

“Hey.” Tony said to get his attention.   As soon as Peter made eye contact with him, he said solemnly, “It’s going to be ok.”

“I know.” Peter mumbled and gave him a ghost of a smile, but Tony could see the truth in his eyes.  His son didn’t believe him.  Tony always knew he was too smart for his own good.  Just like his old man.

“I love you.” Tony said with a soft intensity.  Maybe he couldn’t keep the world from crashing down around them, but he could love his son.  Always.  It was one of the easiest things he’d ever done.

“I love you too.” Peter said back and that finally got a real smile out of him.  It gave him some hope that maybe this would all turn out ok.

The door closed behind him with a click, and he made his way back out to the living room.  Pepper, along with the rest of his SI team, had left and were probably waiting for him in the conference room, but the room was far from empty.  Apparently none of the Avengers had wanted to go back to their quarters.  The show of concern both irked and warmed him at the same time.  Regardless, he didn’t have time to chit chat.  Except for the one thing he had to do.

“Hey birdbrain.” He said as he spotted Clint sitting in one of the oversized chairs in the corner of the room.  “Do you mind hanging with Peter?  I told him I’d send someone in to keep him company.”

“Sure.” Clint agreed easily.

Tony gave him a nod of thanks and made his way toward the elevator.

“Tony.” Steve said from where he and Natasha were standing in the direct path to the elevator, obviously waiting for him.

Tony stopped in front of him and raised his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for Steve to spit out whatever it was he wanted to say.

“How’s Peter doing?” Steve asked, concern crinkling in the corners of his eyes.

Tony sighed.  He had no idea how to answer that question.  “He’s…dealing.”

Steve nodded as if he understood everything Tony wasn’t saying.

“Well, if that’s it, I have to go figure out how to deal with this disaster.” Tony said after a few seconds had passed and it didn’t seem like Steve was going to say anything else.

He took a step away but Steve reached out to grab his arm.  “Wait.  We want to come with you.”

Tony turned and frowned.  “You want to come with me where?”

“To the conference room.”

Tony just blinked.  “Why?”

“Maybe we can help.”

His face must’ve shown his skepticism because Natasha added, “We care about Peter too.”  As if Tony had ever doubted that fact.

“Fine.” He must’ve acquiesced too easily given the looks of surprise on Steve and Natasha’s faces.  But he had neither the time nor the energy to argue, and if they wanted to spend their time being tortured in a meeting, then that was their prerogative.  “Let’s go.”

Steve and Natasha followed silently as he continued on his way toward the conference room.  The truth was, he didn’t even know what kind of shitstorm awaited him, but the look on Pepper’s face when he’d stepped into the penthouse had clued him in to the fact that it was bad, along with the dozen or so PR employees milling about with their cellphones attached to their ears and their faces buried in their laptops.  Thinking about it made his heart thrum a rapid staccato in his chest.  Usually he didn’t care about his image, or whatever the media said, but this was different.  This time it was his kid.  He couldn’t help but care.

As he approached the glass walled conference room, he could see everyone waiting for him.  He’d never gone into a meeting so wholly unprepared.  After he’d gotten the news, he’d gone straight to his kid.  He hadn’t taken the time to check any media outlets to see what was being said, so besides what he’d already been told, he honestly had no clue what he was dealing with yet.  He gripped the handle of the conference room door and took a bolstering breath.  It was time to go find out.  

[danganronpa-21]

Naegiri Week Day 3 - Sunset

Happy third day of Naegiri Week! In my personal opinion, this is probably my favourite piece that I’ve written this year. It’s a sweet one with just a twinge of angst. As with the past two pieces, I have no warnings to issue aside from a little bit of graphically violent metaphor. It’s a blink and you’ll miss it kind of thing though, so there’s no need to worry too much. I hope you enjoy the piece, and that I have done our beautiful couple some justice.

________________________

A boy and a girl stood on top of the school building; their gazes turned towards the sky. The day was in the process of dying slowly, the natural cerulean fading away, melting into colours the likes of which they almost never got to see. Life so often dragged them away from something as simple as watching the sky’s transitions. Before, when the times would begin to change, they would spend their time preparing for cram school or going out to do extra work. They nearly never took notice of the refashioning. Maybe, if they were lucky, they’d stop for a second and remark to themselves about its beauty. Their eyes would catch just a hint of the rosy pinks and fruity oranges, and they could smile to themselves about what a nice view they would have during their journeys. Then, just as they always did, they would move along with their day. Never taking notice of the sky again, and missing it turn to something much more beautiful than what they had previously seen.

 Getting to ignore a sunset, they quickly realized, was a privilege. A privilege that they could no longer have. When the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Despair-Inducing Incident in human history came to fruition, there was no time for trivial things like watching a sunset. Every day melted into a flurry of rioting, fighting, and danger that could eat them alive if they weren’t careful. The students of Hope’s Peak Academy got the worst of it, and Makoto and Kyoko were no exception to this rule. Walking onto campus every morning was gambling for one’s life as the Parade clamoured for justice at the gates. Makoto’s own parents had been so terrified of him getting assaulted on his way from their house to the school that they’d begged the headmaster to set him up in a dorm for the time being. And since Jin Kirigiri was a slightly foolish, but not entirely unreasonable man, he obliged. In the end, however, it only made things a little better. He and Kyoko still promised to walk every day to and from class together every day, just to be sure that the other would arrive safely.

 It was no real life that the two of them were living, but then again, they wondered if anybody’s life was much of anything at this point. This wave of anger that consumed more than just Tokyo. It reigned across the entirety of Japan, and bled even further. Neighbouring countries began to get caught up in the tide, and then their neighbours came in, and then their allies, and then their enemies. Before anyone could so much as breathe a word of soothing nature, the world had sliced itself open and soaked its people with its bloody rage. Now, all anyone could do was attempt to rinse themselves off and stitch up the wounds. There was nothing anyone could do about the fact that some were determined to keep opening new ones. Especially not at Hope’s Peak – as far as everyone was concerned, Jin offered the students as much protection as he could give.

 Makoto just wished there was more. Not just on his side of things, but on the side of the Reserve Course students as well. He could have been in their shoes, had he not been so lucky. Hell, he probably would have been one of the students even further on the outside, who couldn’t even breathe the same air as a Hope’s Peak student. If they wanted to send him there on money alone, one of them would have had to fork over a kidney to the black market just to get enough. His family was not financially stable enough for that, and he felt certain that many of the Reserve Course kids were not that financially stable either. Yet there they were, clamouring even as the sun began to drift off to sleep. He wished they would, too. At the very least, he took comfort in the fact that their numbers were dwindling for the day.

 “They look so small down there.”

 Kyoko’s voice was flatter than soda in the sun. If he didn’t know her as well as he did, he might have thought her uninvested in the situation.

 “They do.” He muttered; his gaze fixed on a pair of boys picking a fight with the head of security. The sight of their shouting and waving their fists made him cringe. Juzo Sakakura was an alumnus of Hope’s Peak; the Super High School Level Boxer to be more specific. Not exactly the kind of man that anyone should want to mess with, especially on account of his hot temper. Pity stirred within him when he thought about how this would end. “Sakakura-san will crush them like small bugs, too.”

 She nodded curtly. “They should know better than to mess with him. He and the others have beaten up more than their fair share of Reserve Course students already.”

 Makoto bit his lip, wishing he had it within himself to do something. He was a small fish in a big pond. What could he possibly do? There was no control to be had over this situation, and yet he craved it.

 “I don’t know what they think that’s going to accomplish.”

 “Well, my understanding is that they think this will earn them some sort of equality or change, but so far their attempts haven’t born fruit-”

 “No,” he cut in, surprised even by his own interruption, “That’s not what I meant.”

 She blinked at him; her expression unchanging. Not even a twitch of the eyebrow or the lip to tell him what she was thinking. The girl was somewhere beyond neutral at this point, but she didn’t seem keen on showing it. “What did you mean, then?”

 “I don’t understand why the school hasn’t given in or tried to fix things. I’m surprised the police haven’t gotten involved,” heart thundering in his head, he continued, “Do you know if the school’s paying them hush money, or something?”

 Ah. A frown etched itself into her face within a matter of seconds, clearly the product of dredged up memories. So there was a little bit of emotion hiding behind that iron mask. Her father had had a case for her a few weeks back, after all. Though she refused to share many details, what she did tell him was that he suspended the case rather abruptly. He even went as far as saying that he “wasn’t satisfied with her work”. Her eyes had been glassy when she told him that. Keeping himself from pulling her into his arms had been more difficult than one might have expected.

 “I haven’t spoken to my father since the case.” Her eyebrows knitted themselves together as she glared at the students below. “Nor do I have any desire to speak to him again about much of anything.”

 Makoto could think to do nothing else but nod. “I don’t blame you. You were pretty upset after the whole thing.”

 “Should I not have been?” Her arms folded across her chest. “It was as if he gave me the case just to humiliate me by taking it away later. Not that it matters anyway. He doesn’t really care about the investigation. The one thing I know for certain is that he doesn’t care as much about the Steering Committee as he pretends he does.”

 Why would he not do something if that were the case? Was he honestly just sitting around twiddling his thumbs? He definitely tried not to make his impressions on people he didn’t know based on what others told him, but this seemed a little too suspicious to swallow.

 “What do you mean?” He dared to ask, shuffling slightly closer to her. Her refusal to meet his gaze remained rather blatant, but her face relaxed slowly.

 “He has little impact on the school overall,” she sighed, tucking a strand of hair back into place, “Jin Kirigiri is Hope’s Peak headmaster in title more than anything. They attempt to take his ideas into account, but he is a figurehead first and foremost.”

 “So he can’t do anything about the protests?”

 Kyoko shrugged. “He probably has been trying to, but the committee will not allow him that privilege.”

 His fingers gripped at his hoodie sleeves, as if to beg him to ground them in some way. If it weren’t for the cool air brushing delicately against his face, he might have thought himself to be in a movie scene. If Kyoko’s father really was doing all that he could, what chance did they have against the world? Things were already so close to falling off the edge into a chasm of desolation, and now nobody could do anything? The phantom sensation of a fist squeezed his throat. Part of him ached to reach his hand out to take hold of Kyoko’s own, feeling the smooth leather of her gloves against the palms of his hands. Would it be appropriate? She did still look pretty mad, but… god, he wanted to feel like everything around him was real for once. Throughout all of this chaos, she was one of a few things that reminded him that things were not as bad as he thought them to be.

 Shutting his eyes, he turned away from the scene. A few steps away from the rooftop’s chained fence managed to soothe his nerves within mere seconds. It somehow caught Kyoko’s attention, too.

 “I… I can’t watch them anymore.” He answered to the question she didn’t ask. Watching the Reserve Course students scream at shout like that is what they did all day in class and all day after. God, they needed a break from it. Regret stirred within him any time he drew himself back to the simpler days, when he took things like getting boba tea with Sayaka or rough housing with Mondo and Taka for granted. He’d give anything to go home and sit with his mom, and listen to those incredibly annoying women blather through their talk show. He missed the brief period of time in which his dad had begun to teach him how to drive, and the two would squabble over the controls and road safety. He even missed fighting with Komaru over who would get the TV on a Friday night, inducing many groans of frustrations from their parents. When all of these people were suffering, he knew was wrong to want it back, but… How could he not? Makoto’s heart was much too soft to comfortably look on as others suffered.

 The clacking of Kyoko’s high-heeled boots against the stone tiles of the roof signalled to him that she, too, had found it easier to turn away. “I can understand that. I don’t fancy watching them either.”

 “Kirigiri-san, could we…” To this surprise, his voice sounded like it was breaking. “Could we talk about something else? Something other than… whatever this is?”

 The clacking echoed closer as she moved to stand at his side; her hand found a soothing spot on his shoulder. One simple movement, and relief crashed over him in a waterfall. Warmth spread through his chest and for one moment, he felt completely safe. After so many weeks of fear and struggling, he finally remembered the sensation. His grandmother used to say that that was how you knew you loved someone. If you could find comfort in their touch during your darkest times. He definitely had it bad for Kyoko Kirigiri. The lovesickness, as his grandfather might say.

 “Is there something you want to talk about?” She spoke in a voice that felt like he was running his hand along a fleece blanket, taking in all of its softness. She tilted her body forward to try and get a good look at his face.

 A small smile tugged at his lips as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t stop himself from turning to meet her. “Anything, really. Preferably something happy.”

 “Happy, hmm?” She tapped her chin, pursing her lips slightly. It was rare that one actually got to see the cogs turning in Kyoko’s mind, but it was always a sight to behold. “Umm… Sweden has a rabbit show all about jumping? I heard about it when my grandfather and I were there on a case when I was a girl. I think it might have been called Kaninhoppning?”

 Makoto laughed, shaking his head. “That’s adorable.”

 “It really is. Come to think of it, I have many happy memories from that trip… Although I never did get to see Kaninhoppning, I did manage to slip out onto our hotel room balcony for a half an hour to catch the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen.”

 Having the chance to slip away from her grandfather on those trips was a rare occurrence, that he knew well. Though Makoto had never met Kyoko’s grandfather, he couldn’t say that he felt like he would particularly like the man. The manner in which he treated Kyoko as she grew felt strange to him, in the least. She even confessed to being connected to him more by blood than by love, much to Makoto’s shock.

 “What did it look like?”

 It became Kyoko’s turn to smile as she turned her head to the sky, extending a gloved hand to point at the atmosphere spread above them. “A lot like this one, I found. A smattering of colours.”

 He followed suit, breathing in a calming breath as his eyes found a familiar sky. Puffs of pink and oranges sailed across the surface of blue like mystical ships in a vast ocean; sunlight breaking through like the heavens smiling down on them. Almost like proof that someone was still sitting up there, waiting to give this sign.

 “It’s really something, isn’t it?”

 She nodded, stepping closer to him and sliding her hand to his other shoulder. Oh god, she put her arm around him?! That made his heartbeat skip. He prayed his face hadn’t turned fire truck red. She would most definitely resort to teasing him if she caught wind of his embarrassment. Apart of him wonder if she could sense it, for only a few seconds later she tilted her head as if to rest on his shoulder. Rather than leave her there by herself, he moved his own to meet it.

 “It is rather special, I agree,” she answered him with a smile, “Dare I say it, this is perhaps even more special than the one during my travels.”

 God. That skin of his had definitely flushed red by now. It was a battle to avoid stuttering while he spoke, and a fight he lost easily. “R-Really? What m-makes this so special?”

 Kyoko shrugged her shoulders; her voice pouring from her mouth like smooth molasses. “I’m here with you.”

 Butterflies began to beat around his stomach the moment the words fell from her lips. Ack! Don’t think about her lips, he commanded himself internally. The last thing he needed was thinking about kissing those soft, full lips… a pair so perfectly rose in colour and that probably would feel so sweet against his own… Aah! No kissing, no kissing! She wanted to try and be his friend, and he was worrying about kissing. He should have been worried about thinking what to say. Could she tell that he was thinking about that?

 A quick glance at her out of the corner of his eye told him no; Kyoko Kirigiri was not a mind reader. Very adept at reading body language, but she could not telepathically tell that someone was thinking about kissing her. However, he had to admit that she could definitely tell that he was nervous. So much so that she started to apologize.

 “Sorry,” she muttered, darting her gaze to the floor, “I hadn’t mean to embarrass you.”

 He waved his hands around frantically. “No, no! I’m not embarrassed, you just… caught me off-guard, that’s all. I like hearing you say stuff like that. You’re a lot more sentimental than you let on.”

 The detective bit her lip awkwardly, doing her best to act like her face was not slowly growing poppy-red. The sight of her made him have to fight to suppress a few giggles. She has no right to be this cute, he thought with amusement. Even stereotypically cute girls like Sayaka couldn’t rival the sheer adorability of his Kyoko.

 “I’ve never really thought about myself like that… Would you consider it a good thing?”

 Makoto laughed and nuzzled her shoulder affectionately. “It’s a great thing. In fact, it’s something I like about you.”

 “I like that about you too,” she murmured, her voice cracking as she continued, “Your sentimentality, I mean. Not mine, that would be… that would be strange, wouldn’t it?”

 Oh, how the tables had turned. Now Kyoko was the one standing there, totally embarrassed. Though it had been him only for a moment earlier, he wondered if it were wrong to relish it. Seeing Kyoko flustered was as rare as Shikoku’s glowing mushroom forests; one could barely help wanting to take in all of the charm.

 “It would be, yeah,” he laughed, “I’m glad you like that about me, though. In fact, I’d like to ask you something about it.”

 Kyoko nodded ever so slightly, careful not to hurt either of their heads with the movement. “Of course.”

 “Kirigiri-san, would you promise me something?”

 “As long as it’s not to help you cover up a murder, most certainly.”

 He laughed. Ever blunt, as always. “No, nothing like that. I just… I want you to promise me that no matter what happens next, that you and I will always be there to support each other. Could you do that for me?”

 Though he expected a moment of hesitation, he was met with none. Only a smile greeted him alongside her words. “I’m surprised that you felt as if you had to ask. I would do that for you in a heart beat.”

 Makoto pressed his cheek further into her shoulder. “I never doubted you.”

[bangtan-dreamland]

Golden Crowns, Silver Lockets

Pairing: kth x reader

Word Count: 18.3K

Genre: e2l, medieval!au, modern!au, reincarnation!au, genie/fae!Taehyung, some angst but mostly fluffy!

Warnings: none I can think of?

Summary: This is the story of the princess who held the crown and carried its weight at an age too young, and the genie who made her into an excellent queen… 

or

You are only twelve years old when you mourn your parent’s death, and, in an attempt to become a worthy queen, you call upon the genie trapped in your locket, V.

A/N: This is part of @ficswithluv​‘s ‘The Luv Library’ project, one of which I had a lot of fun being a part of- I finally had that push to finish an actual fic! Though admittedly this isn’t really that good to be included in the list lol but I spent a month working on it and I’m mostly content with how it turned out. Now I’m off to actually make the first chapter of another series that popped into my head the other day...

Masterlist

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

In the daytime, the castle ruins are bathed in a solemn atmosphere. The sunlight gently streams in through the cracks that serves as their roof- flowers here and there add a touch of peace and calm to the scenery, making the place feel otherworldly. There is a word for the feelings you get from these type of places, you think to yourself. Desolate is not quite the right word- wistful, perhaps? Hiraeth seems to be a good word to sum it up as well.

The camera on your neck swings a little from side to side as you walk around, and you admire the engravings on the walls. So far you’ve been content with just walking around, not having particularly planned out a route. The castle grounds, big as though they may be are still easy to navigate through… somewhat. And besides, it isn’t as though you plan to follow any staircases leading up and/or down, so, really, you should be fine.

Your eyes light up with awe when you step foot inside the last room.

It is- huge, the first word that comes to your mind. Second is beautiful, its charm and the pull it has on you even greater than the previous rooms. Here you find yourself standing still, awestruck at the leftover parts of what must have been once a grand ballroom.

There are the broken down remains of chairs and tables scattered around, as well as pieces of torn fabric, faded and ripped.  Scorch marks litter the room, from the floor to the walls, and grass in random places where dirt must have gotten blown in the wind. You walk around slowly, mesmerized, before you stop at hearing a slight rustle.

You’re alone. You have to be. You haven’t seen anyone, since you stepped into the ruins, and you think you would know if someone has been here before you, but you don’t see anything and-

Oh. It must be an animal. Right? You are near the woods, so it would make sense, if an animal was in the ruins. Right?

You hear the rustling again and look around, now curious to find out what it is making the sound, before you finally pin it down to a small clearing a dozen or so feet away from you. You ready yourself, clutching the bag by your side should you need to swing it, before approaching. When you’re only a feet or so away, you take a deep breath, and go.

You take a step closer and- oh.

Oh.

There is not a wild animal as you thought, but instead a man seemingly around your age, sleeping peacefully on the grass. Even though he’s wearing a turtleneck and pants, you aren’t even sure if he’s a human- there is something very much ethereal about him, his beauty transcendental and you feel as if you are intruding on something sacred.

You take in his features- dark, curly hair that ends just above his eyes, unblemished skin, lips softer than anyone you’ve ever seen… his features that seem to be sculpted by the gods (how else could he be so beautiful?)

A part of you is itching to take a photograph of him- surely one wouldn’t hurt, right? How could you pass up such a beautiful subject? More than that- there is something about this stranger that draws you in…

You catch yourself just before you turn on your camera. Beautiful as he may be, you couldn’t just take someone’s photo without their permission. And waking them up for that- if you were shameless, maybe you could do that. Even now the words seem to burn against your tongue, painting your cheeks red. You turn around, willing yourself to walk away no matter how much every part of you seems to be begging you to stay with him.

“Are you lost?”

The baritone voice that suddenly echoes through the small field makes you stop short. Surprise runs through your veins at not only how deep they are, but how familiar they seem to be. You look back- the strangely familiar-but-not-familiar stranger seems to be looking at you, a small, inquisitive smile playing at their lips. You’d say it’s one of excitement, but it can’t be. Why would he be excited to meet you? And you know you’ve never met him before.

He raises an eyebrow at you- you realize that you haven’t replied to him or anything.

“Uh-“ you stammer the words out, flustered to be caught watching him sleep. “Well, no? Maybe- um.”

You pause, gathering your words. “… I was just wandering around… I’m sorry. Did I disturb your rest?”

At your reply, the stranger (you really should get his name, it doesn’t do to keep calling him stranger in your head. You could call him Mr. Handsome, but… yeah, no, you don’t want to call him that and then accidentally call him that out loud to his face later on) smiles even more, softer this time. “No, not really. It’s fine,” he stretches his arms, sitting upright afterwards and you can’t help staring at the minute flex of his muscles. When he speaks again, you flush at the knowing look in his eyes and the smirk that has overtaken his smile. He cocks his head at you. “You seem much more interesting compared to taking a nap, so I don’t mind.”

“And you seemed otherworldly when you were resting, so I didn’t want to wake you up, lest I incur your wrath,” you jokingly reply. You copy his action and tilt your head at him, smiling at him in a teasing way. “Though I guess you must hear that a lot- the otherwordly part, I mean.”

“I do, but coming from you it’s different,” he chuckles. “My name is Kim Taehyung. It’s nice to meet you- and you?”

You tell him your name, and you know it’s not just your imagination this time when he looks at you, even for just a split second, with eyes full of love and longing. It’s over like a flash though, and then there remains the friendly smile on his face.

“If you’re not in a hurry, stay and chat with me? You’re the first person I’ve seen here at the ruins. Just take it as a small break if you like.”

You tilt your head, considering his words, breaking out into a smile of your own. “Alright, I guess I can take a break.”

It should alarm you, you think. But this man- Taehyung, for whatever reason he seems to be reacting to you as though you are an old friend, it doesn’t raise any suspicion or fear within you. Instead there is the blooming of warmth and a lighthearted sort of giddiness. So when he pats the space beside him, you sit down- he leans back on the grass and you notice with a degree of amusement that his hand has ‘magically’ appeared close to yours. Note the quotation marks.

“So… a tourist, huh?” He casually brings up. You nod your head, then remember he can’t see you.

“Well, I guess you could call me that. This was where my family used to live, from our ancestors- until my mom and dad moved to a new city and began a new life away from here,” you tell him. He looks up at you, the interest in his eyes more visible than before as is his silent urging for you to speak.

“And you came back here to…”

“To look at the town I would have grown up in another life, I guess,” you finish for him.

“What difference do you think you’d have with the other you?” He asks. You chuckle at the odd question.

“Well, I’d probably be more into photography instead of the course I’m taking right now. Have you seen this town? It’s gorgeous,” you say, grinning.

“It is beautiful,” he agrees, before nudging you softly with his foot. “Are you staying here then?”

“For the summer, I guess,” you reveal. “I’m staying over at our old family house- the one near the woods, with-“

“-the big gate?” He finishes, before grinning. “We’re neighbors then. I live in the next house over- the one with the huge garden.”

You gasp- you’d seen that garden on the way to the ruins, and it had been as huge as it was gorgeous, no doubt well taken-care of. “You’re the one who owns that garden? It’s the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen!”

A pleased smile appears on Taehyung’s face, cheeks pinkening a little. “It’s just a little something I picked up for someone. Though she was more keen on enjoying the flowers than taking care of them.”

You feel disappointment wash over you- of course he’s already taken. Kind, sweet, gorgeous and attentive… although he never stated it outright, you had a feeling he was talking about a lover.

“Wouldn’t she be jealous then?” The words leave your lips before your mind processes them, and you backtrack on your words hastily. “Uh- not that I mean anything by what we’re doing, it’s just- um.” You freeze- Taehyung lets out a laugh.

“Nah, it’s okay, she wouldn’t mind it at all,” he says, shuffling closer to you, until there is less than a feet between the two of you. “I’m pretty sure she’d be happy if she knew, actually.” Red blooms across your cheeks again, and not for once since starting to talk to him that you find yourself wishing the ground would open up and swallow you whole.

“That- someone, I mean, she must be lovely.”

“She is,” he hums, eyes softening at the very mention of his beloved. “I’m lucky I got to be with her before...”

“Before?”

“We got separated,” he reveals, sorrow and loneliness entering his eyes, before he closes them. When he opens them moments later, the darkness is gone, and he shrugs and says in a much more lighthearted tone, “but I know we’ll be together again, eventually. I just have to wait for her.”

“Oh…” You look at him with confusion. What does that even mean? What was she to him? But before you fumble for words- the previous topic having unexpectedly gone down a dark path, Taehyung speaks again.

“But that’s enough about me- since we’re going to be neighbors, why don’t tell me about yourself.”

“If you ask me that, then I wouldn’t know where to start,” you mumble, before adding with a self-depreciating laugh, “besides, I don’t know if there’s anything intriguing about me.” He hums again, making you feel at ease, oddly enough.

“That’s alright. You can tell me anything- even what you’re thinking right now, I’d still find it interesting.”

You don’t know if it’s the way with which he utters the request- soft, pleading, or the way he looks at you- captivated, as if he could drink in your attention, or the way it feels as though you could weave out the minute fabrics of your life and he would find it as the most intricate tapestry that has you spilling words, but you find you don’t mind.

It’s strange. It’s really strange, and if Taehyung was another person you would never believe you could be like this- careless, some might say. But Taehyung is different, which is perhaps why you speak.

You tell him about what made you decide to come- the sense of wonder and curiosity you’ve always held for this place when you were young, but the fact that your parents never had the time to come back to this town held you back. You talk about finishing your semester, finally getting a break for a few months without schoolwork to keep you occupied. How you decided to come here, the journey, arriving here and arranging your stay. Hearing about the castle and making an impulse decision to explore. When you finish speaking, he is silent, attention still solely focused on you, and you quirk up a smile for him.

“… And then I encountered you and the rest is history, you could say.” You take a small drink of water before continuing, the hours of talking having made you thirsty. Even then Taehyung watches you, though you don’t feel anything but subtle contentment from being under his full attention.. “I’m glad I came here. This place… it has this feel to it- like I’ve stepped back in time. The good kind.”

You take another look around the ruins, at the way it seems to have stayed through countless decades with little to no human interference, remaining tranquil and unbothered. It isn’t long before Taehyung speaks again.

“This castle is always a huge point of interest to new people,” he agrees, before adding, “Though no one from the town really comes around these parts of the castle ruins.”

“I noticed that, but, do you know why?” You blink, eyes wide before you ask curiously. “I mean, this seems like a beautiful place, even if you argue that’s all that’s left are ruins.”

“It’s rumored to be haunted,” he shrugs, and you raise an eyebrow in response. There’s nothing that indicates the castle is haunted- when you think ‘haunted’ you picture a heavy sense of gloom, a sense of uneasiness and fear and you find none of those staying at the ruins.

“Haunted?”

“There’s a story behind the fall of this castle- it’s an old folktale around these parts at this point,” he explains.

“An old folktale, huh? I’d like to hear it myself… No one would tell me anything about this place,” you admit, remembering the way the residents had looked uncomfortable with a mention of the old palace ruins.

“… If you want, I still remember the story, somewhat,” Taehyung offers, chuckling at the way your eyes light up at his words. “Though, it’s a long one. It’d probably take me a few hours to tell you the whole story. Considering it’s early afternoon by now, I could probably tell you the story on the way home- hm, have you eaten anything yet today?”

“Not if you count a milkshake for lunch.”

“I have food with me- I can tell you the whole story, we can have a snack, and then I’ll walk you back home in the evening?” There’s a hopeful look in his eyes that makes you smile shyly- the next words slips from you so easily.

“That’s fine by me.”

“… Aren’t you wary being alone with essentially a stranger?” Taehyung’s next words are laced with amusement and disbelief, and you avert your eyes before replying.

“I would,” you fumble with the bag you’re carrying as you speak to him, the way your cheeks redden at the implications behind his words making it impossible to look straight at him. “But… for some reason, you’re the exception.”

“I’m the exception,” he echoes, voice softer, and you refrain from looking up, too embarrassed to look at his reaction.

For a few moments, you hear nothing but the chirping of birds far off in the distance, but then the grass rustles beside you and you see a hand offered to you. You take it- Taehyung tugs you down into lying on the grass with him, and, smoothly intertwining his hand with yours (and pretty much making your heart beat triple fast at the same time), he starts talking, his voice hypnotic.

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Centuries ago, when kings and queens still ruled the land, there lived a girl. She was crowned heir to be at the young age of twelve, as her parents fell under their untimely deaths. Her uncle, the king's brother, took over as regent, trying to shelter her from a truth she knew all to well- too young to truly be a ruler, and under heavy grief as well, the kingdom held little expectations for her.

Truly she would have, too, had she not had her mother’s locket, one rumored to grant wishes. One night she opened it- and out came a genie.

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His first thought of you, his new master is of not much worth- only that this time, he is under the beck and call of a human younger than anyone he has had before. There is nothing about that you that he finds special and he knows not why or how you were able to become his master when your predecessors have tried and failed. Still, it matters not to him in the end. This, he thinks, will be like every other encounter he has had.

You are the one and only child of the late royal couple, and it shows in every way. Decked out in nothing but the finest silks and jewelry that he remembers is from a queen who married into the throne centuries ago, you were, he suspects, one heavily doted upon by your parents. A pearl in the palm of their hands, so to say.

It would explain the heartbroken look you wear as you sit on your bed. The exhaustion evident in your movements, as well as your wan appearance. Beautiful eyes offset by the dullness of your gaze, pallor skin that reveals your lack of sleep, and the tear tracks on your face that are barely visible in the dim light of the candle…

And then you raise your head, and though surprise flits upon your face, it is soon replaced by a touch of hope, and then hesitation. You recognize him, what he is. You speak- he prepares himself for work.

The princess first asked for her parents back.

"No," refused the genie. "Death is irreversible."

“The myths are true, so it would seem, as there stands a genie right before me.” There is no fear or hesitation in your voice. It sparks a small amount of intrigue from him, as there is the lack of greed or lust for power as well.

“They are.” The gaze he sets upon you is with little emotion. He watches you slowly take in the fact that there stands a magical being in your room, a captured fae, able to grant your wishes.

“And you-“ here you pause, wariness and desperation warring against each other as you look at the supposedly magical being in your room. “You are to turn my wishes into reality?”

His lips curl in distaste and he prepares himself for whatever whims you force him to grant. “Only three.”

You look at him carefully, and then decide to throw caution to the wind- there is a fragile hope in your tone when you speak. “Then I would like my parents brought back to life, as they were days before.”

“I cannot grant you that wish.”

You chuckle bitterly, tears threatening to make a reappearance on your face. “Of course. And why not?”

The bite in your tone is thick at the instant answer he gives, the way you phrase your words a demand. It sparks an age old indignation in him, but the way your small frame curls up in disappointment makes him bite back the harsher words he would have said. Instead, he sighs and looks upon you with a little pity.

Death is never kind. Humans may be egotistical, selfish beings, but grief is special yet in the way it brings out the worst in anyone- a fact that he should know.

“Princess,” he starts. “Magic may be powerful, however, even magic in all its glory cannot bring back the dead. Were you to ask any other genie in regards to your wish- all that they will be able to give you is an illusion that they are still alive. And even then, it would only be for a short while. … I advise you to pick another wish instead.”

The princess cried out angrily. "Then what use are you, if you cannot do your job?"

The genie laughed angrily. "I, who have been and under rulers greater and grander than you, do you think I would choose to serve the likes of you?"

“I do not desire for anything else. All I want is my family back,” your voice wobbles, bitterness and frustration thick in your tone. You glare at him over your tears. “Are you truly a genie, if you cannot even grant my wishes?”

He sneers at you, sympathy for your situation vanishing like mist.

“And you are of the belief that I want to grant your wishes? That I chose to serve some selfish brat who believes them free to use magic without repercussions, out of my own volition?” His gaze darkens as he remembers the humans that set out to capture and enslave his kind, burning down forests and using sacrifices and rituals, all just to use them as inexhaustible tools of power. Hunted and secreted like shiny jewels- made to kneel in front of selfish, greedy, filthy mortals. It sickens him, even to this day, to think what has become of his brothers. Genies, they called them, merely another term for the fair folk captured and bound to human possessions- turned into human possessions. “Believe me, princess, I do not want to be in your presence as much as you do mine.”

You falter at his sudden change of attitude, before going on. “What does that have to do with anything?”

He purses his lips. “… Nothing. Is that really all that you wish for, is there nothing else? Toys, perhaps, or jewelry? The ability to read minds? Though it seems the latter is of little use considering you barely use your own.”

“Is that any way to talk to your master?” You scoff at him, and, in an attempt to get back at his comment you find yourself grabbing at a small detail. “If you cannot remember, then I will remind you- the moment you came out of that locket, you were bound to me as my servant.”

He hisses at the words, rage burning bright and true for a moment at the stark reminder of what he has become- the resolve with which he maintained to be civil with you disappearing. He comes close to you instead, the glare on his face glacial.

“Take heed of this, princess,” he growls, taking vindictive pleasure in the way you flinch back from him, fear crossing your face before you try to hide it by tamping it down. “I have been a fae longer than you have been a human, longer than this kingdom even existed. I have ruled and I have been with rulers for as long as time has been immemorial, and I will even after you die. Believe all you like that your position offers you protection, but I will not tolerate your disrespect towards me.”

A sudden sense of pressure bearing down on the room robs you of your breath- making it feel as though there is something pressing down on your whole body. Your genie’s voice softens as he continues, though there is no denying the amount of anger hidden in it. “My power may not reverse the laws of nature, but a twist of my fingers is all it would take to make you suffer. Do not test me.”

“You would never hurt me.” You barely get the words out with the way your voice shakes. He chuckles at the way you so obviously try to seem brave.

“Is that so, princess?”

“No, you would not,” you confirm, your voice becoming steadier as you continue, determined not to give in to his intimidation. “For the reason that if you did, you would be hurting yourself. Or have you forgotten about our contract?”

Silence follows your words, though the way he bristles is enough of a reply. The unnatural pressure vanishes so quickly, the air you greedily take in seems like heaven as you right yourself on your bed. Still when you regain your composure, you find him staring at you with equal amounts of disdain and hatred. Fair enough. You steel your gaze, look him in the eye, and click close the locket that lies on your neck.

“Leave. I have no wishes that need granting right now.”

At once he disappears, and you are left alone with your thoughts.

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Animosity instantly festered between the two of them- the princess, sunk in grief and the heavy weight of responsibility that came so suddenly, and the genie, in a permanent state of apathy and hatred. But as the princess realized the impossibility of her wish, she sent him back. All would have returned to normal, were her parents to come back to life, but the present was set in stone and instead she was to be the heir to a throneless kingdom.

Oh, her uncle tried to help her, but the princess was wise and clever, and she knew her situation. With little to no support from power hungry nobles, she struggled under their scrutiny. The crown was surrounded by enemies, ones that sought to use the death of the king and queen as a way to do whatever they wished, never minding how the smallfolk suffered, letting criminals and corruption fester in the kingdom.

But the princess’ most defining trait was how she cared. Family. Duty. Honor. She strove to become an excellent queen, instead of collapsing underneath the pressure. She set her mind to preventing the kingdom from falling into chaos, and instead create an era of peace and stability for everyone.

So out came the genie once more, and this time, she made her first wish.

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You find yourself opening the locket only a month after your disastrous first meeting.

“I am in need of your help.” You hope the words come out as you intend them to- calm, confident, even if the words speak otherwise. The genie- your genie, floats in front of you with a neutral look on his face, no ill feelings flashing across his face that might remain from your first meeting. You continue. “That is to say- I request you to teach me about my country.”

And isn’t it frustrating, to have to ask a genie, a captured, bounded fae, of all… beings, to ask for help? What would he know? Yet even so you are aware of how close you are to the edge, how much you need his help.

With the death of your parents, you understand that the kingdom has fallen into chaos- nobles of all ranks vying for power, and the citizens under their rules left to suffer. Oh, it may not be obvious now, you acknowledge with a grim look, but already plans have been set in motion to sabotage and replace certain people working under the crown.

Including you.

The moment the bells tolled, you knew you lost most, if not all of the people you could trust. And how could you not? The way your parents died… were murdered, it could only have been by being betrayed by someone they fully trusted. The lack of evidence all but proved that.

So here you are, hoping for the protection and knowledge of a genie (a fae, your mind corrects, a fae trapped by your kind, that hates your kind, and is it not ironic how you are asking them, in a way, to save your people?)

“Is that your wish? For me to give you knowledge on your country?” He raises an eyebrow at your wish- there is a gleam of surprise that flashes across his face all too quickly. To wish for knowledge is not unusual- that the knowledge will not serve you directly in power is the difference. Spells, weapons, servants- to those who wish for them, he is familiar. To history, however, he is not. Living as long as he has does not mean that he knows nor remembers what happens around him- he has never held a desire to stay and see the destruction wrought by his masters, regardless of his involvement. No matter though, his magic will see to it that the wish is fulfilled anyway.

“Make me into an excellent queen,” she asked of him. Under their bond of master and owner the genie complied, and though unwilling he taught her everyday what her tutors could not, in place of the king and queen who could no longer impart their knowledge to her.

You tilt your head and refute him without a second thought. “No, I do not believe that will suffice for a wish… if you must take it as so, then I ask you to teach me all you know in managing a kingdom.”

He looks at you in surprise, for once showing something other than indifference or displeasure. “And here I thought the princess had the sense to not act on our mutual hatred,” he drawls.

“Whatever gave the impression that it was mutual?” You counter back easily. The cold stare he gives you in turn, as if asking ‘is that so?’ makes you shiver, but you hold your ground. You swallow back your fear and go on. “Besides… as much as it pains me to admit it, you are the only one I can trust and are knowledgeable enough. Do you acknowledge my wish or not?”

He cocks his head to the side, amused and yet confused as well. Who asks a genie whether they will comply to their wish or not? There is steel behind your words that declare you will be heard one way or the other, but all the same, it is not a demand, but a request. Something seems to have changed since your first meeting, but a master he can at least tolerate is not something he will question.

“Two years,” he states, but you shake your head firmly. Two years is not enough- then again, how many years must pass before you are? However, you know you need all the time you can bargain for. You have been given the opportunity to ask for a mentor greater, if not at least on par with your (parents, you miss them, but they’re gonegonegone and you would be lying if you denied spending every night curled up in your bed, shivering from the lack of a warmth so familiar to you) would-be mentors.

“Ten years.”

“Four years.”

“Until my coronation in six years, then you are allowed to go,” you negotiate, fixing him with an unimpressed look. “Or am I asking too much of your abilities? So much for your ‘having accompanied many rulers’.”

He scoffs at your blatant attempt to bait him into accepting, even if all the same he agrees. “Deal.”

He snaps his fingers- there is no visible indication that your first wish has been placed into effect, however, you can feel magic heavy and warm settling around you like a cloak. A part of you knows that it is what binds you to him- you cannot quite see it, but you can feel it. How wonderful. Note both sarcasm and relief.

“Now where do we begin…?” He muses, for the first time a smirk breaking out on his features. Snapping his fingers again finds you suddenly sitting on your chair, a perfect distance from your desk. Another and several stacks of books appear to the side, a heavy thud indicating their presence. You feel a part of you quiver in fear at the sight, but you steel yourself.  Your genie, it seems, senses your apprehension anyway, because he chuckles low and long, the smugness evident.

“The first step to becoming a capable ruler, is discipline,” he says, smirking, before he tilts his head to the side. “Ah- before we start, little princess, you may call me as V.”

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"Do you not wish for anything for yourself?" He once asked her. The queen declined the genie's offers for riches grander than any other, for power so great that it was untold.

The princess smiled wryly. "I am to be queen- I live and die for those who serve underneath me."

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“You’re still studying, I see.”

It is late- you do not know exactly what time it is, though you wager it to be somewhere in the middle of the night. The moon rising overhead offers you little light, but the candle on your desk provides an ample amount that you are thankful for.

The warm glow of the flame illuminates your genie at the corner of your eyes- V, floating alongside your desk. There is the mask of indifference on his face as always. Though it sometimes slips, and you see him visibly smile or frown sometimes. Tonight though, it seems as if he has donned it tighter, closer, until you cannot tell where his mask begins and ends.

“Yes, I suppose I am. One cannot simply learn the trades of a market without seeing how it works,” you state, attention half on him, the other half remaining on the book you are reading. You do not see him study you with open puzzlement on his face, that underneath the ever present hatred for humanity he feels, there is something else making itself known. “Though the fact that every book I’ve gotten so far gives only examples and never explanations on how the barter system works in detail is a point of frustration.”

You turn your full attention back on the book as silence greets your answer, a confused frown coming on your lips at the complications listed in the book.

“Studying so much- what is the use of it?” Just as you wonder if he’s back in the locket, you hear his voice next to your ear. “In the end, all your position will ever amount to is a figure of power. Human men have hardly changed since the beginning of time- believing that the world runs around them, that a woman’s power will never equal theirs. Your advisors and generals… given your word, they would run the country on your behalf.”

“I would have to trust them first to give them even a fraction of power,” you scoff. V it seems takes your words as they are, falling silent for a while before speaking again.

“Wish on me then, princess, and I will give you the utmost loyal of servants. What would you desire for them to have?”

“V-“ you sigh out his name, a serious look in your eyes that compel him to hold his tongue. “Everything that I can accomplish by myself, I will. Am I not already under your guidance? Your wishes, on the other hand, I would rather keep them safe until I truly need it. For one, if a plague beset my people, I would use a wish to ensure their safety.”

Although you cannot see him, you can sense the magic in the air wavering, thick and heavy. The book on the table is forgotten, at this point, your attention fully diverted to the genie by your side. There is a look of frustration on his face, as well as confusion. “For your people? What do they matter in comparison to you?”

You consider your next words carefully, wanting to tell him nothing but the barest truth for some unknown reason. It has been half a year since your first meeting, and during this period you have grown to know more about V, as well as the limits placed on both of you through your contract. He is bound to you in every way, he cannot harm you, he is to give you three wishes, of which afterwards the locket will never open again until a new master has received it. It is these three facts that have allowed you to loosen and relax, knowing you are under no threat from V.

With that, lessons with him has allowed you to see more than the bitter fae bound to the locket you hold near to your heart, instead seeing him as a respectable figure. From what you have heard and guessed, it is not a surprise to learn of the hatred he holds for humans… you have accepted it. People with power often go mad, as they say.

Furthermore V grants you your wish without fail- and when he teaches you, it is riveting. He teaches you not by telling you what or what not to do, but by giving you examples, small pieces of history lost to everyone but him, of kings and queens past that have ruled over kingdoms far bigger than yours. Although they have all fallen now, their lessons still remain, and you find yourself with a growing amount of respect for V. Perhaps, that is why a part of you desire his respect as well.

You close the book gently, and speak slowly. “Someday, I will be queen. But even before that, I am a princess. A royal. I do not live for myself- I live for the people I rule over, and when the time comes I will die for them too.”

V looks at you with an indescribable emotion in his eyes, before he says a small ‘I see’. You do not know if your words reach him, the underlying meaning in your answer evident enough for him, but if it is, he shows not any sign of seeing it.

He asked less, after that. But what once was sharp, cutting words grew softer, and he stopped giving her undue grief from his mischief.

The next day, when you wake up you find a book lying by the table on your bed. There is no title that gives a clue of the content inside, though flipping it open reveals statements and stories of alleged merchants, on trading and travelling and bartering. You grin.

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As she grew up, her love for her kingdom and her subjects only grew even more. From the little that she could experience under her uncle's strict care, she made the most that she could, taking in every moment that she could see her subjects.

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Today is a good day, you think to yourself happily. The sun is shining, the clouds plenty, and the wind just right- even the weather decrees it so to be perfect. The people around you currently yelling, squealing, happily dancing in the full view of everyone around- the music drifting across the street and enticing people of all ages to dance… yes, it was a good decision to sneak out of the palace and wander around the festival. You always were interested in the kingdom’s festivities, though two years ago you would have been cooped up in the palace, playing, separated from the merrymaking. And although the past year has been filled with grief and suffering, life moves on, and so eventually when the festival’s date drew closer, you found yourself contemplating options previously locked to you before.

And although you would have liked to attend the festival with your parents… you look to your right, finding V with the usual mask of indifference on his face, as though he thinks little of the merrymaking. You smile widely anyway, moreso when he catches you smiling.

“Remind me again why I was persuaded to accompany you on this dreaded activity of you humans,” he grumbles. You beam at him, the bubbly joy of the people around you infecting you.

“Would you not agree it necessary for a ruler to know their subjects? More than that, today is a day of celebrations!”

“What is there that you do not know about this festival,” he rebuts. “Or shall I remind you of how the meetings for this festival planning occurred?”

“Perhaps I merely want to see for myself what it’s like up close,” you shrug. He raises an eyebrow at you, ignoring the slight flush to your cheeks.

“Why is it so hard for you to admit that you want to join the festival?” He mutters, fixing you with a dry look. “Even more, having me come along as your ‘bodyguard’ when I could protect you from inside the locket.”

You find yourself momentarily struck speechless at his words. “You say that as though it is a crime to ask you to accompany me,” you huff, a frown forming at your lips. “But if you really disdain it that much-“

“No need to be so aggravated,” he interrupts you, waving a hand in the air as a smirk forms on his face. “Human you may be, but you’re not that bad for company. That aside, so this is what you wanted to see so badly you asked me for help in escaping the palace today.”

You roll your eyes at him- would anyone from the palace see you, they would scold you at how unrefined you are right now, but the thought only spurs you to let yourself loosen up even more. Today, you are not the princess, the queen-to-be, you are merely a commoner girl wandering around the festival, followed by your good friend, an older brother of sorts.

Or so it would seem to other people, not being able to see underneath the magic that V has woven around the two of you to appear normal to other civilians.

It never fails to amaze you, how V’s magic is wonderfully intricate. It seems there is no end to the uses magic provides, from the smallest tasks such as straightening your clothes, untangling your hair or rearranging your books, to big ones such as teleportation and invisibility. It took you a long time of bartering- you never wanted to use up a wish for something so menial such as this, but all the same you wanted to roam around and experience the festival for yourself. It was only when you baited V again that he finally relented.

A child passing by with their mother brings your attention back to the festival, and your eyes widen- the two of you have walked straight into the main street of the festivities while you were unaware. The people milling around everywhere, coupled with the activities and the decorations turning even the drabbest house colorful- it is a mess of sensations that makes you quickly look around, trying to get every detail in.

“Awestruck, are we?” V chuckles even as he shields you from the crowd, a teasing note in his voice. Another thing that has changed recently- V, it seems, has taken to lightly teasing you, though you let it slide as there is no malice or ill will to be found in his tone. It seems as if he has taken you as someone he can look upon favorably- or at least with some degree of comfort, to joke around with you.

“Of course not,” you deny. “Just- so many people surround us…”

V tilts his head in contemplation, before nodding. “Ah, yes. You’ve never left the palace, now have you?”

It seems as though today brings you another surprise, when you feel the warmth of another hand envelop your own. You cannot help tensing up, eyes wide as you look at him. He raises an eyebrow at you, as if the thought of him initiating contact with you is not something that should be made a big deal of, before speaking. “Don’t misunderstand. If you get hurt because your attention is all over the place, that will reflect back on me through our contract.”

“Uh-“ you stammer. “Right. I… I suppose that makes sense.”

He nods and assumes his mask again, though his hold on your hand tightens. “In any case, since the little princess has brought me out for protection, then perhaps you should use what remaining time you have to fully immerse yourself in and learn about the culture of your own people firsthand,” he offhandedly suggests. You feel your lips curl into a grin at the way he plays along with you and excitedly nod your head.

This time, when you look around, you let yourself fully take in the joy of the people, the activities that surround the two of you.

There are stalls on the side, offering various kinds of food, and music from bards and singers all around. There is no end to the list of new things you are only seeing today.

You stop at a particular stall- the flowers bright and colorful, yet blending into the scenery as well. You scan the display, brightening when you find a certain flower.

V only raises an eyebrow when you talk to the merchant, several coins leaving your pocket as you exchange it for what a few stalks of small, blue flowers.

“Thank you!” You call out- there is a skip in your step as you bring the flowers close, inhaling the sweet scent they emit. You then place them in your pocket, careful not to press them or destroy  them.

A brief glance at V reveals him looking at you with interest in his eyes- you smile shyly. “Forget-me-nots are my favorite flower, just from the name and its meaning. Besides that… I thought it would be a good token to remember today by,” you admit.

“Should you not get more then, rather than a few?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to place them anywhere- forget-me-nots are rare here, and would anyone see they would probably spread rumours of all kinds,” you say, laughing at the thought.

V furrows his eyebrows slightly. “Still, the flowers will be in a poor state from this crowd.”

“I guess so, but… any later and there might not remain any more to buy… if it truly is in pieces when we return, then I suppose I will just have to let it be,” you shrug.

The two of you resume walking, and you find yourself falling in love all over again with the kingdom you live in. What truly takes your breath away though, is the presentation currently happening in the middle of the plaza. There, in the midst of the crowd, is a group of young men and women, seemingly dancing to the beat of a tune louder and heavier than the others. There synchronization in their movements amazes you, the grace with which they execute their actions a thing of beauty itself, not to mention the aura they seem to exude. 

You take a step closer, just to get a better look at them, but find yourself rooted to the spot as V’s attention seem to be elsewhere. You huff, waving a hand in front of him, but he does not react at all and you finally resort to pulling him close to the crowd of onlookers with you. Once you are as close as you can be- and with a clear view of the performance, you find yourself even more excited by their brilliance.

“V, look!” You tug on his sleeve repeatedly with your free hand, immediately pointing at the dance with your head when he turns to look at you, attention back from wherever he has previously been. The furrow in his eyebrows tells you your efforts were successful, though he seems to be irked. His next words come out in a grumble.

“I may have asked you to hold onto my hand as protection, but that doesn’t mean you can just drag me around-“

“Your mind seemed to be off elsewhere,” you chide him. “Besides, won’t you come watch- woah!”

You see for yourself with wide eyes the sudden, beautiful way the group seems to throw themselves up into the air, before landing with practiced movements, the easy cooperation with which they move spellbinding.

“Beautiful…” you breathe out, mesmerized. V rolls his eyes, though you cannot see it at the moment.

“You truly consider that stunning? I have seen casual street performances held by elves that hold more flair,” he dryly states.

You turn to him, a spark of exasperation and annoyance evident in your posture before you admonish him. “Can you not just appreciate it for what it is? You-”

The sudden fierce mumbling of the crowd grabs your attention and you look back at the group.

The problem is evident as soon as you look. One of the members performing seem to be struggling- though they push on the performance, and, throwing the other in the air, they prepare to catch them, but they trip-

You gasp, as do the people around you, before somehow, by some miracle, the catcher finds themselves with renewed strength as they correct themselves and catch their fellow performer. The crowd breathes out sighs of relief in unison, but your breath is still taken away, and you turn to V-

“You just-“ He scrunches his face in annoyance, scoffing as he interrupts your sentence.

“If they got hurt, it would only ruin the performance. No need to let something lackluster become even worse,” he huffs.

You tilt your head with a smile, biting back the giggle building in your throat. “Alright, whatever you say.”

The rest of the day proves to be less exciting, though still as enjoyable, and when the two of you return to the castle, it feels as though it is over all too soon. That the flowers you bought at the start of your excursion has been bruised so, well, you try not to let it dampen your mood too much. You leave it by your bed, unwilling to throw it away.

You find yourself smiling at the pressed flowers, forget-me-nots preserved and yet somehow the color still so bright, the aroma strong, lying by your bed the next day.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Her heart, though it was tempered by steel, remained kind as ever- never turning away those who needed help, and holding a compassionate and fair mind when dealing with any problems that arose.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“How is it that you still have paperwork?”

You release a heavy sigh as you look over the documents in your hand, a weary look on your face.

“A drought recently struck the western province. One of the barons near the border has volunteered to provide relief goods, but it’s still necessary we check over the supplies to know if it will be possible or not…”

‘You could leave it to your retainers to organize this problem’, he wants to say, though he knows it would be useless. He already knows what you would reply. Something so important- a drought, delivering supplies to those unfortunate to have been living there- left in the hands of incompetent, scheming, corrupted fools? There would be no way you’d agree to that.

“I do not live for myself- I live for the people I rule over, and when the time comes, I will die for them too.”

It is exactly that phrase that forced him to acknowledge you are different. It was that moment that he thought, ah, you recognize sacrifice, the kind that consumes your very being, the kind that goes hand in hand with love and determination, the kind that you should never know fully of, because it means that you have understood the suffering that begets it. At so young an age, at only fourteen years old you already understand and accept the heaviness of the crown, a ghost upon your head as it may be for now.

Not for once he curses the fact that you are in such a precarious position, loathes the circumstances that led you to where you are, and maybe even hates you a bit too- why do you have to care, so much? Here you are, running on fumes and still you insist on performing duties that should be underneath you.

You care too much, and even he cannot deny that he’s come to care for you too, too much as well. He had long resigned himself to hating humanity, to burying deep inside any remnant of the fae he once was, before everything changed. But you bring out all the parts he has done his best to forget.

Your head droops a little as a lapse of exhaustion washes over you, but you pinch your leg- there is only a few days before the paperwork is due, and you cannot waste a single moment.

Although your head aches terribly- you struggle to remember which line you were reading, before you feel magic envelop you, and in a moment the fatigue in your body eases. You shoot a look at V, who only utters a, “move over.”

You scoot over to the side and give him an inquisitive look that he ignores. V slides into the seat next to you, half a foot of distance remaining between the two of you, and you feel yourself relax from being in a closer proximity. Not for the first time you wonder if it’s because of the bond between the two of you, but your sleep deprived mind urges you to return to the issue at hand. Snapping out of your thoughts, you turn back to your paperwork, ready to review the next piece-

The mountain of paperwork on your desk stands a little more securely halved. The other rests on V’s side of the table, with the genie himself reading over the reports. You raise an eyebrow at him, surprised, but V only says in a matter of fact tone, “Leave the logistics to me, while you handle the situation reports. If all this is left up to you, you’ll get not a single wink of sleep tonight.”

“I do not believe I would take that long,” you hum, although there is no denying the smile on your face.

“You place as one of the most meticulous masters I have ever served under,” he drawls. “Dawn will break before you finish- and you would be in a poor condition come morning.”

“Then you would not be in any state to learn from me, and what would your wish have been for?” He finishes with a scoff, even as your smile grows wider. It’s ridiculous, how happy you suddenly seem to be. All the more so that his own mood improves with your own.

“Alright, alright, I concede your point,” you chuckle, before playfully leaning your head on his shoulder. In a soft voice you whisper a thank you to him, and try as he might, he cannot deny how his heart (and oh, he thought it was already dead, buried away forever, but like everything else you bring it to life) skips a beat.

Too much, indeed.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

"I could make them disappear," the genie told her. "With one word from you, a flick of my finger could turn them into willing servants."

The queen laughed. "No, thank you. What would come after then? I do not wish to rely on your magic."

"You are unlike any other master I have ever had," the genie said, the tone in which he said it conveying how odd and fascinating he found her. Yet still there was respect in his tone as well.

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“If you wished it of me,” V’s voice is low, barely a murmur- indistinguishable to everyone but you in the room. “I could erase all traces of corruption. I could turn them into people devoted to the future of their queen and country.”

You keep up a docile façade as the people in front of you- dukes and marquis speak over each other in chaos, insults and barbs laid throughout their speech as though somehow putting down the others will prove them better than the other. As usual, the yearly councils lead nowhere, nothing but bickering achieved. Truly petty, and more than that, your time wasted when there could be better use for it- for one, reviewing documents. Instead here you are, with a dull throbbing in your head from the noise and what would you not give for some peace right now?

When I am queen, truly queen, I will do something about this, you promise to yourself. A heavy exhale leaves your lips as the men seem to forget your presence, voices becoming closer to shouting, no matter that you are the highest ranking in the room.

“No, thank you,” you instead respond to V, deeming it safe enough to at least whisper to him- no one is paying attention to you after all. “Besides, let us say I allowed that. What then of the next generation? Or should I wish for that too? Will your magic be strong enough to account for every future noble then?”

“Of course not,” he says, a raised eyebrow in place. “I doubt even magic can hold back human greed.”

“Then there you have it,” you tilt your head to the side to look at him better, a wry smile on your lips. “I do not wish to use your magic on something that needs to be solved by us humans.”

“It was merely a suggestion,” V shrugs, and you close your eyes in relief as you feel magic sweep over your body and your headache, disappear. As the ringing in your head disappears, you realize as well that your surroundings seem to have been muted a little, the voices on a level easier to handle.

When you open your eyes, you find V looking at you with a soft smile, one that you wonder if he knows he’s making right now.

“You are the strangest master I have ever had,” he murmurs. “Perhaps even the strangest human I have met as well.”

You feel a smile bloom on your face, the first one you hold all day. “Is that a compliment?”

V raises an eyebrow. “Does it matter if I say yes? You seem to take it as one anyway.”

You stifle back the laughter bubbling in your throat, and turn back to the meeting- it would not do to seem absentminded, after all, in case someone would glance at you.

If you feel V’s presence though, unseen but felt solidly next to yours, a warmth around your body and whispers in your ear that makes the meeting bearable, well, that’s for no one but you two to know.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

With the genie, too, the years eventually brought them close together, as comrades. What once was hatred and prejudice turned into grudging respect.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“Do you think- if they saw me right now, would they be proud?”

On the third anniversary of your parent’s death, you find yourself reminiscing over old portraits of the three of you, looking over old possessions that you found hard to even touch- the grief too strong then.

And although the grief is still there, a heavy weight on your soul, you find it easier to deal with- the raw edges smoothened, even if the hole in your heart remains so.

In their room, untouched by anyone (you’d forbidden it so, and who would deny the wishes of an orphaned child, to leave their deceased parents’ rooms so?), it feels as though nothing has happened- everything is the same as it was years ago. The only detail that would say so otherwise would be the thick dust that has settled over the room- though one snap of V’s fingers had seen to that.

“Yes, you have grown to be a fine princess under my tutelage after all.” That V is sitting so close to you is perhaps the only reason you are not currently weeping, his presence offering comfort, a reminder that not everyone you love, you have lost. After all, he still remains, and the feel of his hand on yours- an anchor, it keeps you grounded.

“I miss them,” you whisper. V holds your hand tighter, and, throwing caution to the wind, you lean on his shoulder. The warmth that he emanates helps you keep your tears at bay, especially when you hear his voice a gentle murmur.

“I know.”

And with respect came tentative trust,

“Have you ever had family before?” The fact that fae apparently have cool bodies is a hidden blessing you always make sure to take advantage of, pressing close to V in order to escape the dreaded summer heat that has currently befallen the kingdom, worse than the previous ones. You close the book shut- the forget-me-not in your hand having long been a wonderful bookmark.

Rarely do you ever take a break from your duties- but this is an exception, the heat too much for you to focus on anything. Therefore here you two are, sitting in a pavilion situated somewhere far off from the castle (V had rolled his eyes as he magicked the two of you here, and scoffed that it would be easy to do the same when you declare it time to return, why use the castle rooms where there was still a chance of people overhearing you?), for once you turn the topic of conversation to V, curious about him. Three years and then some- it had been surprising to realize how little you know of him.

“I once had six brothers,” V reveals, after some time of deliberation, an eyebrow raised at your sudden question. “I was the second youngest.”

“Six? You had a big family then,” you muse, trying to imagine it. You tilt your head at V- focusing on him. Would his brothers have looked a lot like him, you wonder, with features that were too beautiful to pass as human? “How are genies even born, I wonder?”

“How should I know?” V replies, a bemused look on his face. “Besides, it isn’t as though we were bound by blood as humans are. Fae simply come into existence- the brothers I mention of ones I’ve been with my whole life.”

“Childhood friends in a sense, then,” you murmur, before you ask him again, softly. “If it’s okay with you- what were they like?”

V looks away from you with an indescribable emotion of his face- for once, after years of being by his side you find you cannot read him. But then he takes a deep breath and turns back to you- there is nothing but a soft nostalgia on his face, and the tender way with which he speaks his next words makes your heart ache for him.

He tells you about his brothers- Jin, their eldest, always there with a smile and a laugh, who always looked after them, who came up with the worst jokes and was like what a mother would be to them. Suga, their second eldest, stoic and seemingly grumpy, but always ready to help them, soft inside even as he talked and acted otherwise. J-Hope, their third eldest, who radiated happiness and warmth like the sun, who was always there to cheer them up when they needed it. RM, fourth eldest, always a source of calmness and tranquility, ready to offer impartial advice and obscure knowledge when asked. JM, third youngest, their angel and fairy, who never failed to be there for them, love spoken through the many little actions he did for them, renowned as the best gift giver among them- JK, their youngest, mischievous but so so loving, always starry-eyed and a source of laughter from the endless amount of times he’d do the strangest thing just to get them to laugh and be happy, his adoration of them all so clear and plain to see.

And him- V, second youngest. He stalls a little, words petering out as if confused, and there is a blank, bordering on dazed, look on his face that makes you wonder if he has simply forgotten what he used to be like before he became a prisoner trapped in your locket. After a few moments he simply regales you instead with the other small details that he can remember, the few that remain.

And you listen. You listen as he tells you about the years they grew up together in a community of only supernatural creatures, how they found each other and created a bond so close that was unheard of even with other fae, the days they spent laughing and having fun, before they realized their own dreams, their goals, what they would dedicate their whole lives to.

V trails off when he reaches the end of their hundredth birthday, but it takes little to figure out the reason why, and the far-away look in his eyes makes you long to pull him into an embrace, comfort him like he has done for you. Instead you squeeze his hand- I’m here, you see, I’m not leaving, and hope that it comes through to him.

All too soon you notice the sky darkening into shades of pink and violet, dusk well on its way, and reluctant as you may be, you know you have to go soon. But when you look at V- at the wistfulness that can be openly read on his face, you find another set of words dying on your tongue.

“Speak up,” V says, “One look at you and I know there is something you want to say.”

“I’m sorry for what happened to you and your family,” you softly say. Perhaps you do not, and will not ever know what it feels like to have your kind be hunted and used, but losing your family, feeling as though you are trapped and surrounded by enemies… that you can relate with. It hits you for the first time, seeing V stare off into with a distant look in his eyes, that he has lost much more than you have, and it makes your heart ache to think of all that he has gone through.

When he speaks next, it is as if you can feel the emotions rolling under his voice, thinly masked by a layer of restraint and forced disconnect.

“Humans have always been power hungry, them coming for us was only a matter of time.” He closes his eyes, as if doing so will make whatever image in his head disappear, and you press closer to him, almost pulling him into a hug, I’m here, I’m right here. V leans his head against yours, and when he opens his eyes again you see the vulnerability thick in his gaze, though he still doesn’t look at you. “However, it isn’t as though you’re part of those who wish to harm and use us… so don’t be sorry.”

Dusk blends into night well before the two of you retreat back to the castle, the stack of paperwork sitting on your desk a perfect distraction, and if the morning after finds you with your bodies laid haphazardly across the bed (collapsing on the soft mattress after working on so much seemed absolutely tempting and V was not immune to it either), well, it only elicits laughter from you, moreso when you notice the (not the first time, but to this extent, perhaps) messy state your genie is in.

- and a steady friendship-

“You need a break.”

“You say that as though it is anything new,” you idly remark, a part of you wishing you had something sweet to drink right now- a cup of milk appears near you, steam wafting off the surface. You raise it and take a sip- the drink exactly how you prefer it to be. “Thank you.”

You feel V’s presence near you- he leans over your shoulder, and you need not turn to the side to know that he’s raising an eyebrow at the papers in front of you. “No need to mention it- what are these, anyway?”

“My suitors,” you explain, before amending it. “Or, well, people I might be betrothed to in the future.”

V nods understandingly. “Ah, the human intricacies. That a woman cannot be in power without a man to guide her.”

“Rightfully so,” you let out a chuckle at his words, though a part of you remains frustrated at the situation. “It is what it is, though,” you shrug, before a thought comes alive in your head.

“Tell me- do genies marry?”

“Marry,” V’s words are tinged by bemusement, making you chuckle again. “A human tradition.”

“Do the fae not hold concepts of romance?”

“We do,” he says, “Though not like you humans do. When we decide to mate, we swear our hearts to each other, and thereafter hold a ceremony by magic to keep our souls together. Much more meaningful than swearing on nothing but rings and to an audience of loyalty and faith.”

“Far better than the ones we hold, then,” you agree. V smiles at your response, before continuing.

“Quite so. Grand affairs too, with merrymaking that lasted for days on end and laughter everywhere.”

The thought brews in your mind. What would it look like, you wonder? Thinking of everything that magic has shown you over the years, and the little things that V tells you about his time as a fae, it does nothing but heighten your curiosity.

“I would have loved to see one,” the words spill from your lips easily, a sigh accompanying it. More than beautiful- you don’t doubt it would have been one of a kind, besting any wedding by humans. Still, it isn’t as though you can ask anyone to show you one, now can you? The thought pulls you back into reality, and you sigh as you turn back to the papers on the table, the task seeming even more uninteresting now.

It’s only when you pick them up that you find yourself surprised as your surroundings seem to melt away into nothing, being replaced by a sudden wave of colors that settle and-

Oh, you find your breath taken away at the dazzling display of magic and wonder- looking around shows that you are (somehow) in a clearing, surrounded by trees that are decorated with lights and tables and chairs and oh, (how? It must be by magic, you conclude, but it doesn’t take away the curiosity and awe in your reaction) the fae (they have to be, you have been talking about nothing else) fluttering around with laughter in their smiles and happiness in their eyes. It’s easy to get swept away, lost in the moment- a warm hand covers your own and you look at V with dazed eyes.

“Come on,” he hums, a smile spread across his face as your reaction is open for the world to see. “My magic can only hold up for so long, and all this is is a memory, but still- I hope it suffices.”

“Suffices?” You echo, flabbergasted. “More than that, this is beautiful though, what is this? V, did you-“

“This is far better than reviewing the profiles of men whose worth will never measure up anywhere near yours, I assure you.” V’s smirks, one that you cannot help returning with a chuckle as one fae in particular breaks into dance.

“Alright,” you concede, letting thoughts of other men disappear from your mind, determined to enjoy this present as much as you could. It’s the right decision, the best decision, you think, as you witness V beam radiantly at you. “Thank you.”

The two of you spend the evening dancing, laughing, singing and your dreams that night are filled with magic and wonder. When daybreak comes, you awaken to find yourself holding the locket in your hand, a smile on your face- not even the babbling of the nobles who have come to see you for some trivial matter can make the bubbly feeling in your chest disappear.

- lastly came solid affection.

It’s currently early morning- too early, some might say. There is not even a hint of the sun’s warmth or light, the only hints that it would be coming soon the twittering of the birds outside. The coldness of the night has not left yet, and so you feel the blanket covering the two of you is more than heavenly- it feels right, somehow.

V is warm against your skin- a detail that had made you giggle notoriously as he denied using magic to change his body temperature so, after you remarked that it would be nice to have a fireplace in the room- something you could not have as there were simply no space in your room for any, nor were there any fireplace built there in the first place.

When had the two of you gotten to this point, you wonder? Lying in bed with each other, your bodies pressed close to each other- V holding you tightly (he always does, though he denies it in the morning) to his chest, arms wrapped around you and a leg thrown over you as well (it will never fail to amuse you remembering the journey he took in knowing how to use legs and feet again, it may have been the one and only time he’d needed your help as a helpless babe did, as being a genie he only floated on air). The tips of his hair (of which you can still scent the rose oil he’d washed your hair with, and then you for him- V’s hair is luxuriously, puzzlingly, infuriatingly soft and you really should order more oil) tickle your shoulder from where he is nuzzling your shoulder, and surrounded by this, surrounded by him, you find that you cannot care at all, for once, what others might think.

V makes you feel like yourself, and the thought that this- blessed normalcy, that it might disappear soon fogs your head with dark thoughts. You find yourself shifting until you turn around, and, reciprocating V’s embrace with your own, you softly speak against his chest.

“There are still two years before my coronation.”

“I know.” V’s voice is a deep rumble, especially first thing in the morning, the raspness of his voice evident as well. His hands don’t pull you closer, but they stay where they are, a solid imprint of warmth on your back against the cold of the morning.

“And even after that, I still have my two wishes,” you continue, voice still a faint murmur.

“I know,” he repeats, and you curl deeper into the hug, hoping that actions will send your message across where your words may fail.

“Even when I am crowned queen, I would still need you, even if my wishes should remain as for reserve. Meaning- you cannot leave me then, even after I have become queen.”

V sighs, and you are struck with a sudden fear that you’ve overstepped some sort of boundary, although you know not what it could be. However, he only rubs circles against your back, making you instantly hum softly at how relaxing it feels. “Obviously, now go to sleep.”

You don’t answer, but the way your hand, curled against the shirt he is wearing, loosens is an answer in and of itself and he himself falls back asleep soon after.

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Still, as she grew, so did the corruption escalate, and whispers of crimes committed in secret grew worse. The princess tried, she did, but the result of her investigations only proved a horrible truth she did not want to know- the root of the corruption was from her very own uncle. From her parent’s death, to the suffering of her citizens, it was a bid in ploy to control her kingdom and remain a ruler in the shadows. It broke the princess, torn as she was between family and duty.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

The glass falls to the ground, the sound of it shattering echoing loudly in the room. You stare dully at the scattered pieces, your mind repeating the information you found out on a loop.

He never held any remorse, any remnant of guilt, and perhaps that was what made it worse.

“What happened-“ You look at V blankly as he materializes from your locket- previously still asleep from the heavy amount of magic he consumed the day before, hair mussed and clothes wrinkled, but his eyes alert and looking over you for any sign of a problem.

“I should’ve known,” you croak out instead, remembering the meticulous way your… their murderer (oh, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts and it feels like your body is shaking from the force of the tears you’re holding back and you just want it to stop) had discussed their deaths, the plans he made for them, for you.

“You couldn’t have.” The only thing keeping you grounded in reality is V’s hold on you, his embrace warm, and were it any other time you would find yourself embarrassed, but, now, all you do is lean into his embrace, your tears soaking his shirt.

The realization that V knows not what happened makes a part of you want to laugh, despite the situation. A larger part of you, numb, explains calmly that you should tell him, V must be confused, even if he doesn’t seem to be so should you not speak up already.

“All the evidence was there- my-“ you pause, a heavy shudder runs through you from the weight of the tears, “regent, my uncle, I heard him, he was the one who planned it, why was I too blind-“

“You couldn’t have known,” he says firmly, holding you tighter, as if doing so will make you tears stop flowing. You hiccup and grip him just as tight, the thoughts in your head never letting up.

“Why did I let myself be fooled for so long? All the clues were there, but whenever the thought would appear in my head, I pushed it down… because I was afraid of what would happen if it turned out to be true.”

“And it is,” you bitterly laugh. “You know what the worst part is too?”

“I still love him.” V remains silent as you choke the words out, his presence your anchor to reality. “I hate him so for what he’s done, but I still love him. I’m a horrible person, am I not? To still consider a killer family.”

“He is your uncle,” he finally says. “Someone you have known your whole life. Someone you have loved your whole life. Whatever it is that you are feeling right now… it is alright. You can love someone and hate them too. It is what makes you human after all.”

“I wish I did not feel so anyway,” you whisper. V smiles wryly in response, though you cannot see it.

“Perhaps not, but I do not think feelings work that way, princess.”

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In the end, though, she chose duty.  She chose justice. And as her day of coronation grew nearer, she planned for a rebellion- one that would fully clean the roots of corruption in her kingdom.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“You chose him?”

V levels a dry look on Sanha- your lips twitch into a smile at his unimpressed look.

“Yes- do you not approve?”

“Would you not want someone more suited to ruling a kingdom?” He bluntly states as Sanha almost trips over his own feet, the packages he’s carrying falling from his hands, but thankfully enough being caught before it hits the ground. Sanha lets out a sigh of relief- another man, one he has never seen before but presumes might be Cha Eunwoo rights him back up, and, laughing, helps him deliver the packages in his hand.

A servant. You found a servant of one of the prominent noble families serving under you to be the leader and your successor- there is no more surprise to be found from him at this point, he thinks.

“All that is needed is someone to guide him,” you explain, giggling at the deadpan look on V’s face, before you smile a little softer. “Besides, what I find most important to me is how they see the kingdom and how they treat the people. Sanha sees them as family, and he treats them as one too. He will be a wonderful king with training.”

V remains silent for a while, watching as the two men are happily greeted by almost everyone they come across, and the enthusiastic way the duo reply. “Not as wonderful as you though,” he eventually grumbles. “After all, you were taught by me.”

“No, I guess not,” you laugh.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Her second wish was thus for her kingdom once more- to secure that the rebellion would happen without a hitch.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“My second wish,” you murmur into the wind, though you are still sure that V can hear you, his chin propped on your head. Down below you can see the soldiers dragging Park Jin Woo’s family out, the yelling of the people you serve reaching even where you are, on a balcony several stories high. Your gaze lands on Jin Woo, and as you see his expression turn stony and hateful, you close your eyes. It begins, you think. “I want for you to fake their deaths- give them anonymity to everyone but Sanha.”

“Understood.” And with a flick of his finger you feel the world around you shift, the air stilling and everything, for a brief moment, blurs, before it becomes clear again. Below you, the scene has changed- although it seems to be the same for everyone, you can clearly see the faint shimmer around Jin Woo and his family, the only sign that they are constructs of magic. Jin Woo will wake up in Sanha’s bedroom, incorporeal, unseen and unheard to everyone but Sanha, who you have also already put plans in motion for, to guide him into being the leader of the rebellion.

You mourn for them, for the innocent boys you will be taking away and replacing with soldiers and tacticians. But duty demands it so, the rebellion is a necessity and you cannot let the responsibility fall to any other. Sanha- the highest ranking servant of the Yoon family, a charismatic and determined individual, trusted intimately by almost everyone. Even in the family he serves he is adored (to the point that he holds their surname, a highly irregular thing for a commoner) and you do not doubt that were he to lead, the Yoon family would follow. A person from both worlds, uniting the nobles and commoners- you can only hope it to be enough.

“You will be unanimously hated by your people after this.” V’s voice brings you back to the present, as the two of you watch the crowd of men and women all but fight the guards who do not hesitate to fight back, leaving injured civilians bleeding. Thankfully no one is dead- you have forbidden them to kill.

The screaming crowd is a testament to the influence that Park Jin Woo holds, as a peasant scholar famed in the kingdom. Having served many years as a sort of middle person for both nobles and commoners, if there is anyone who knows about the corruption and schemes in this kingdom, it is Jin Woo. Not only that, he is tenacious, and his loyalty fierce. You could not have picked anyone better, really.

“I know,” you affirm. “I accepted all those when I decided this.”

“You really will be all alone, at least until after it’s done,” his sigh is faint, but still you hear it. You smile a little, turn around and press your forehead to his- silly V, really, shouldn’t he know-

“Not true. I have you, do I not? You would not leave me alone, would you, V?” V smiling, slight as it may be will never fail to make you feel warm inside, moreso when he nuzzles his nose against yours and your smile grows wider, sadness and guilt alleviated for the moment.

“No, I suppose not.”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

The night of her 18th birthday, there was a festival held by the kingdom. The princess, soon-to-be-queen, looked over her kingdom then- the weight of responsibility settled over her like a shroud she gladly bore, one she was fiercely proud of. As queen, she would do her best by her kingdom, over the people she ruled.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“Envious, are we?”

You bat away V’s hands as they prod against your cheek, presumably to pinch them. His resounding chuckle is something you hear over the noise of the festival below- but only barely, and you feel his arms rest around your waist, you roll your eyes.

“Not really,” you clarify. “Just- it reminded me of the festival we went to years ago.”

V raises his eyebrows. “You still remember that, do you?”

“Of course I do! You were still so cold back then,” you protest, before grinning back up at him as you remember fondly the past. “I never knew then, what to make of you. I mean, of course, you looked and talked as if you didn’t care all the time, however, your actions always said otherwise.”

“What care would I have for humans, before and even now,” he scoffs.

“And yet I remember you helping that little girl,” you point out cheekily.

“I’m pretty sure I already told you that was for the performance.”

“Oh, whatever you say,” you laugh. “I would be lying if I were to say that I am not mad at myself right now. I should have thrown caution to the wind then, taken their offer to dance back then.”

“You speak of it so- what, pray tell, is so interesting about dancing anyway?”

“What?” You raise an eyebrow at V, who sports a bemused look on his face. “Is dancing truly unfamiliar to you? Have you never danced before?”

“Genies have no need to dance,” he says with a huff. “But if you must know, I’ve partaken in activities that included dancing a few times in the past, though mostly for celebrations.”

“Huh.” You scrunch your nose, trying to imagine V dancing. “Do you miss it?”

“No. And certainly not dancing like that.” He grumbles. You pout at his swift refusal, casting an envious gaze at the people down below.

Joining them is impossible- even if you were to use V’s magic to disguise yourselves so, you find it hard to relax among people anymore, especially in places so crowded. More than that, you find it hard to relate to them- the festivities and celebrations tempt you to join so, but you know that were you to step into the streets, you would only find yourself feeling out of place, suffocated.

Still, it does not diminish the feelings of wistfulness, the idea of joining- of being, of belonging, and you wonder, not for the first time, what you would have been like, were you not to be queen.

But that was a dangerous road to travel.

You shake your head to get the thoughts of your head, and then you are surprised as you hear someone loudly clear their throat- you turn around to find V, bowing, with a hand outstretched to yours, eyebrows raised.

“Well?”

You stared at him in surprise. “Are you… asking me to dance? But… I thought you considered dancing beneath you.”

“I do,” he drawls. “But further thinking led me to realize that this is not entirely a bad idea, if only because otherwise it would be a waste of your having dancing lessons.”

“You were not even the one who gave them to me,” you point out quietly, a smile growing once more on your lips.

“Does it matter?” He raises an eyebrow at you, his eyes flickering from your face to his hand as if to say ‘come on.’ “Well, what are you waiting for, princess? Dance with me.”

You let out a laugh as you take his hand- he smiles, raises his hand, brings your knuckles to his lips and gently pulls you into a dance.

What seemed to be a good idea at the moment turns out to be not so good though, when you step on V’s feet a few times. There is nothing on his face that gives away how irritated he must be- you wince and say a few words of apology anyway. “Apologies… I find it hard without music,” you admit.

V sighs- you flush, embarrassed, but then a soft melody surrounds the two of you, fireflies seemingly coming out of nowhere and providing a dreamy glow to the balcony. Your eyes widen as you look around in awe- V grins and whispers in your ear.

“Satisfied?”

“Very much so,” you grin.

“Don’t be arrogant,” he says, flicking your nose, ignoring the squawk of indignance you let out. He holds out forget-me-nots to you afterwards though, making you smirk as he waves his hand, and the flowers settle on your hair like stars crowning the night sky. “Tonight is merely because I was feeling generous for once.”

You stifle back the laughter building in your throat- would it kill him to admit he cared for you so? Instead, you lean your head against his chest, the dance taking a more intimate, vulnerable turn.

This is nice, you think. Under the endless expanse of stars in the sky, dancing with V (your closest, most important friend, no matter if he’s not human), it feels as if for once, you are being given a brief respite from the duties that bind you so.

Tomorrow, you will have to return to reality- return to the fact that you are trying to save a dying kingdom by setting it alight with the flames of a revolution. To the reality that tells you you are surrounded by no allies from either nobles or civilians, all of them hateful of you (because you hold the power, for the nobles who wish to obtain it, and to the civilians who want for nothing but a secure life but have to deal with the greed of nobles, who think that perhaps it is because of the princess that they run rampant so.) The thought of returning to such a thing is disheartening, and you cannot help wishing, even if only to yourself, that the night would never end.

“When I opened the locket- I find myself being thankful everyday for that moment. Meeting you is a blessing- thank you for staying,” you mumble into his chest. A pause descends on the two of you- he sighs and pulls you in closer, his reply so faint you almost miss it.

“You say that as if I would leave any moment- where else would I go, if not by your side?”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

"Have you ever wished to be anything else?" The genie asked.

"This again," the queen sighed, though she remained silent. After a while, she spoke.

"To be normal- perhaps, once or twice, I desired to be without responsibilities and care," the queen wistfully replied, but then she smiled. "Though it matters not in the end. As a commoner, I would not have had the chance to meet you, and I love my kingdom so. Those are what is most important to me in the end."

The genie laughed. "So you admit you need me."

"Perhaps," the queen replied.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“A question I asked you countless times.” V’s voice is like honey to the ears, you think absentmindedly to yourself. Sweet, velvety, deep and the way his fingers run through your hair makes you feel melting into his lap, though if the way he looks at you is any indication then it must be pretty obvious. He pinches your cheeks, as if to say ‘pay attention’, and you scowl at him- but you try and force yourself not to fall asleep anyway. “Though not once have you ever given me an answer.”

“Is there truly nothing you have wanted in your life for yourself?”

“You say that as though I want for nothing,” you say, sighing.

“You seem close to it, though, that sometimes I wonder if you do,” he grumbles. “You never seem to have any that you would be willing to wish for, anyway, and those that you do I cannot accomplish.”

“Have you ever thought that maybe I am, perhaps, already content with what I have?”

He scrunches up his nose at your response. “Alright then, let me amend my question. The confines of the crown- is there truly not a single time you wished to be free of it?”

“You- are truly insistent,” you grouse, but you take in a deep breath and try to sort out the words in your head. When you speak, your voice is low, but firm.

“Countless times I have wished to be anyone but the person I am right now. To be a commoner, with less responsibilities and cares, to live how I want to,” you admit, before you place your hand on V’s cheek and pull him closer. “But in the end I’d always choose this life, even if I were given a chance to change it.”

You look straight into his eyes, and think, yes, I choose this life, I choose you, though you would never admit so out loud. “After all, I have you, do I not? And though I loathe the days my duties tire me so, I still love the people I serve.”

“After all, I have you,” V repeats, smirk growing wider on his lips, though the distance between the two of you remains so. “So you finally admit my magnanimity, how fond you are of me?”

“Perhaps,” you laugh.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Finally, the day came for her coronation. It was the day she planned for the rebellion to happen, as most if not all of the nobles that were corrupt in her kingdom were in attendance. The procession was grand- the following celebration even grander. It hurt her to know that she had planned for the deaths of people who she once thought were family, but she chose duty and duty demanded justice, retribution for all the crimes they committed.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“You will do no less than amazing.”

As you stand in front of the mirror, you find yourself running a critical eye at the woman reflected back at you. Clad in a pristine blue gown, the intricacies and design of which makes you look like a figure of power, you wonder if the woman in the mirror is true. Are you a queen deserving of this kingdom?

V comes to stand beside you- the hand around your waist a comfort you greedily take advantage of, leaning close and surrounding yourself in his scent.

“You believe so?” Your voice, when it comes out, is small and quiet. V interlaces his fingers with yours, aware that this is the first time in months, perhaps years, since the vulnerability in you is as clear as day.

“I know so. There exists no finer queen than you in the world.”

“I know, I know. Because you taught me,” you huff, a slight smile appearing on your lips, but V only turns you around, and, looking into your eyes, he cups your cheek and says solemnly.

“All the magic in the world could never change a person’s true personality. You were always made to be a ruler.”

And with that, he presses a kiss on your forehead, a small wreath of forget-me-nots placed on your head. “I will be by your side the whole time.”

In the midst of the party, the nobles were surrounded by the servants. The nobles, suspicious from the unrest, sought to leave early- and so, the plan was set into motion far earlier than intended.

Fighting broke out in what once was the elegantly decorated ballroom, turning it into an arena. The citizens, greater in number and no less trained in the art of fighting than the nobles, began to win.

“V!”  You cry out his name, a whimper leaving you as you cradle his body in your arms. “No no no no…”

All around you, the fighting is no less intense that it had been when it broke out- though, you know, now surrounded by V’s magic, dwindling as it was, no harm would come to you.

“Must you really cry? You know I never know how to comfort you when you cry…” You ignore his words, your tears falling like rain on his face, and you hurriedly pull out the locket in your hands.

The queen, though, was left in the middle of the celebration, surrounded by swords and knives and spears. In an area too thick with the highest seated nobles, she found herself at grave danger. Though she tried to escape, she found herself in the direct path of an arrow- she awaited her death, but then...

Instead, magic, raw and wild lashed out around her and she found her dearest friend, the first one she made, closest to her heart and the one she trusted most out of anyone, lying over her.

In front of them, lay a cracked locket that she immediately tried to fix, but to no avail.

“It’s impossible-“ V hisses the words out, pain (oh god, never have you heard him be in pain before, no no no no), “once broken, it will remain broken.”

“What do you mean, ‘impossible’!?” You burst out, fear (for him, for you, for the two of you) hate (for the people who came after you, for yourself, maybe even for him) and deep-seated panic (because V cannot leave you, he cannot die because if he does, so will your heart) raging inside you “I wish- I wish- for you to heal, be okay, don’t die, please, V.”

“My apologies,” V’s voice is a faint murmur now. “My magic is too weak for so big a wish.”

The queen wept. She had come so far, planned for almost everything, but none that foresaw her without her the one closest to her heart.

It was then that the forces of rebellion noticed the flaw in their plan too. For all that they had foreseen every detail, they failed to notice that their enemy had a failsafe, one that they used immediately in the time of distress.

At once, the grand castle was set on fire.

“Should you really stay,” his voice a faint whisper now, strained. “Nothing but death awaits you if you do not leave.”

“And go on living without you?” You say, furious that he would even suggest doing so, before the heat leaves you and you brokenly ask him. “Do not suggest that, please.”

The crowd around you is long gone- having left in a stampede to leave the fiery inferno that the ballroom has turned into. All around you there is fire, but even then you know without a doubt that should you choose to do so, V’s magic will protect you as you leave.

But, sitting on the base of the throne that for so many years cast a shadow on you, V’s dying body in your arms, even if you are given a choice, you would always choose to stay. Pressing a kiss to V’s forehead, you grip his hands.

V levels a soft smile on you, nothing but warmth and love in his eyes, and you blink back the tears that never seem to stop. “Really now princess, was it not you who begged me to teach you how to be a queen all those years ago? What of the rebellion? What will happen to your kingdom if you are not there to lead them?”

“I made those plans because I assumed you would be with me the whole time!” You yell at him, your blurred vision offering nothing but his gentle smile. You hate it- why does he have to look so accepting of what is to come? You sob. “I cannot do this without you.”

“I love you in all the ways my heart will let me,” he says instead, an apology and a goodbye in one. The admission of love, put into words, even after both of you have declared it so in so many little ways, in a situation where you are forced to realize saying it back will lead to no future between the two of you anyway- it breaks you.

The queen was forced to watch her love wither away- and as the locket in her hand crumbled, so did her heart.

Servants and nobles alike scattered, the remaining forces of the rebellion swept up the ones that tried to escape.

But no one saw the queen.

The forces of the rebellion surrounded the castle instead, and as morning dawned, the ruins of what once was a glorious palace offered nothing but ashes and rubble. But nobody knew what happened to the queen. Some say that she died in the fire, while others say that she escaped with the help of her genie.

In the middle of what was the ballroom, they found the remains of a metal locket and a wreath of forget-me-nots, side by side.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“Are you alright?”

It’s only when Taehyung asks that you feel the tears dripping down your face, and you hastily brush them off, unsure of when you even started crying.

“What? Oh, no, I mean…” you trail off, eyebrows furrowed as you try to gather your thoughts. “It’s just, it’s sad, I think. She did all she could to save her country, but she died before she could see it happen.”

“You think so?” Taehyung’s lips quirk up into a secretive smile. “She did have her third wish though, she could have wished for her to escape.”

You frown at his suggestion. “And leave V alone? That doesn’t seem like what the queen in the story would do, in either version.”

“True,” he nods, before falling silent. You wipe discreetly at your tears in the meantime, stewing over the ending in your head. Is that really what happened in the story? No wonder the townspeople left the castle alone. Knowing that such a beautiful site holds such a sad history, you would’ve… well, it still wouldn’t have kept you away, you would have come anyway in the end, but… you would’ve been more respectful, you think. More appreciative, knowing now the history, the stories that envelop the castle.

You don’t know how long the two of lie there by the ruins, watching the night sky turn brilliant, decorated by the endless stars above. The silence between the two of you- it leaves you sorting out our thoughts, the chaotic mess that the day had turned out to be.

“I should probably go home,” you say regretfully, your heart still heavy after hearing the ending.

“You should,” he agrees, though he makes no move to get up as well for a while. It’s only when the two of you hear an owl hooting in the distance that he tugs you to your feet as well- you startle when you realize the two of you have been holding hands the whole time. “Come on, I said I’d walk you home, didn’t I?”

“Alright then,” you mumble. “Thank you.”

Taehyung’s eyes crinkle as he smiles, one that you can’t help returning easily- is it really so surprising to say that today has been one of the best days you’ve had? You can’t remember feeling so- so content, for a lack of a better word. Just his touch makes you feel calm and happy, as though all is right with the world. As if you’ve regained a missing part that you didn’t even know you had been missing.

“You know, there’s another version of the ending that I know,” Taehyung suddenly says as the two of you walk along, the moon bright enough that you can see the road clearly. Your hands stay connected anyway.

“Is it better?” You ask, tilting your head, and Taehyung’s smiles turns softer.

“I hope so.”

“Well, go on then, tell me about it.”

“She had her third wish, of course. But she couldn’t bear to leave him behind, and he was on the verge of dying- and in the first time of her life, she wished for something that was wholly for her and her only.”

“She wished for him to marry her.”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“You promised to stay with me no matter what, did you not, V?” You grip him tight, unwilling to let go- your next words ringing out sure and determined. “If your promise still counts, then… marry me.”

“What?”

“Marry me. Only a few more minutes remain until this place collapses, and so I would prefer it if we get onto it,” you say, staring into V’s eyes- wanting him to see that you are nothing if not serious. “The kingdom will be fine. They have Sanha as the next king, and Jin Woo will be there to help him if needed. They will be okay without me… but I would not be okay in any sense of the word without you.”

“I.. I’m not in any state to hold a marriage,” he says, stunned. You grin, widely, even as the world around the two of you rages, fire burning high and bright.

“Then,” you declare. “I wish- to marry you. Let magic bind us together. You are the only one I wish to be with, even in my next life, and the next.”

“You have-“ he laughs. “ You have the strangest wishes.”

“Perhaps, but this one is the best yet, isn’t it?” You say, winking at him, before you squeeze his hand playfully. “A marriage in human and fae traditions- with magic binding us… if only I remembered to bring my parent’s rings.”

For a few seconds he does nothing but look at you, as though to make sure that you are certain about this- you look straight back at him. A smile as wide as yours breaks out on his face, and you feel magic, faint but true and solid, wrap around the two of you. The wreath of forget-me-nots on your head are quickly taken off, repurposed into rings and the symbolism makes you blink back tears.

“A fae’s true name is known only to the fae themselves… you already know the stories of how much power a name holds,” he murmurs, before he intertwines his fingers with yours. “Too much time has passed- I barely remember my own true name.”

“Still I swear to you, not as V, but as Taehyung, to love and cherish you even into our next lives. Whatever burden you carry, I will carry alongside you- and even in our darkest moments I will never abandon you. As a friend, as lover, as the only one that makes me feel alive, with just your existence. There will never be another after you, should we be separated- no matter how many lifetimes come and go, I promise to love you still.”

Taehyung slides the ring onto your finger and you feel your heart swell with his declaration, before you repeat the vows. When you finish, you put the ring on his finger as well- you press your forehead to his and eagerly press a kiss to him. The barrier disappears, the flames instantly drawing close, loud and angry. You do not mind the blaze anymore, and if the look on Taehyung’s face is anything to go by, neither does he.

“I will see you soon- in our next life, and the ones that follow.”

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

“That seems wonderful,” you sigh in awe.

“Isn’t it? A wedding by magic that bound them together.” You don’t see the way Taehyung looks at you- asking, pleading, for what you might ask if you knew, the grip he has on your hand tighter, though his voice remains even. “They say their souls were intertwined so, that even after death and beyond, the queen and her genie are still together.”

Together… Taehyung’s words reminds you about the person he grew flowers for- the thought that he’s already taken makes you feel hollow. You can’t even get angry at yourself for hoping that this someone is only a friend, family, and not a wife or a lover like you first thought. It’s only been a few hours since you met him, that’s true… but there’s a pull to Taehyung that you find yourself gravitating to.

You feel guilty for holding hands, but the larger part of you is wholly satisfied by the way his grip on you is tight, as if he doesn’t want to let go. Neither do you, admittedly. You can’t help the sigh that leaves you when you see your house- only a minute or so before the two of you have to part.

“I like that version better,” you say, as you finally take the last few steps to your gate.

Taehyung hums. “I hoped so. I do too,” he admits. You smile at that, the two of you standing still in front of your house, neither of you making the first move to separate. When the moment lasts too long, though, you finally, reluctantly, let go of his hand, turning around to open the gate- before you gasp and turn around.

“Wait! I… will I see you around?” You ask him, cheeks red but the words sincere.

“I’ll always be here,” he promises, grin wide. “But if you want, I’ll come over in the morning with coffee.”

“Okay,” you say happily, finally stepping into the gate. “Tomorrow then. … Goodnight, Taehyung.”

He raises a hand to wave goodbye- when you enter your door, you turn around and see him finally moving from his spot, making you giggle, and in turn you watch Taehyung walk away until you can’t see him anymore.

It’s only when you get ready for bed that night that you discover a wreath of flowers on your head, beautifully crafted and intertwined together. You look at the flowers in surprise- bright blue, and the strong, sweet scent they emit makes you wonder if these are made from labs, not to mention you never even noticed them on your head.

Maybe Taehyung placed them there. Your mind jumps to the story of the queen, of her genie, of the ruins that lie as proof- you wonder if that makes you his queen, and Taehyung, the genie. You laugh at the thought, even as it makes you feel warm and you shake it off- placing the wreath near your pillow, you eventually drift off to sleep.

When you dream that night you see desks and parchments, a never ending sea of faces, and a locket on your neck- and when the flames swallow you whole, you wake up with a gasp.

[sherlockfanficwriting]

Mycroft “Save her” (x reader)

Summary - You’re spending a casual day with Mycroft until danger strikes. A powerful member of a secret service out for blood. He messes with your mind, twists his words into your actions. Nobody would think it was for you. Nobody knew. Will Mycroft be there in time? 

Warnings - violence, angst

A/N - I have been writing pretty angsty stories lately with lots of violence haha that makes me feel weird, but i know you guys like them and I do like them too! I am incorporating more fluff as well. As you can tell from my story of Sherlock “Save her” this is basically the same point, but with Mycroft. I hope you guys like it and send me more requests! Will you know the ending of this story, or will you be fooled? @fanfictionsilove​ @bakerstreethound​ @redheaded-hobbit​ - starting a tag list i think this is how you do it? dm if you want to be in it :)

“I know, I know. He’s come back.” 

Mycroft’s voice was cold on the phone. It sent chills up your spine. You didn’t know who he was talking about, but you knew it was someone bad. Someone with who he had a history with. He hung up the phone after a minute and sighed. 

“What’s the matter?” You asked him, getting up from the couch in his office. You had known Mycroft for a year, but in all that time it was like you knew him better than yourself. You had also spent a lot of time with it. He mentioned how much he liked it, and you discovered he had feelings for you. 

“Someone dangerous. Someone who just wants to hurt me.” You walked over to him, wrapping your arms around him. He brought you in closer, hugging you. 

“Why? Who would want to hurt you?” Your eyes sparkled in his stare. 

“Oh, (Y/N), lots of people. Don’t worry. I’m having it taken care of.” He smiled reassuringly as did you, but you know he didn’t. It was something deeper than that. You didn’t feel as if Mycroft was safe. That was all you wanted for him especially in his job. 

He saw how sad you looked and lifted up your chin. “You need to stop worrying about me. I should be worried about you. I have to keep you safe.” 

You tried smiling again, but couldn't. Although you loved Mycroft and had been in extremely safe conditions ever since you met him, you couldn’t find yourself liking it, but you knew why he did it. He couldn't bear if anything happened to you. 

You squeezed his hand, walking away. All you wanted now was to breathe. You were stressed out, but more of you just wanted to be alone, walking. You grabbed your coat on the couch, putting it on. 

Mycroft looked confused. “Where are you going?” 

You had to lie. Say something different. “I’m meeting with my friend.” 

“Oh, you didn’t tell me. Just text me if you need anything.” Surprisingly he said this with confidence. You could count on one hand how many times he did this. You smiled and gave a little wave to him, walking out. 

The building where he worked at felt almost ancient. It was like the castle and king area of England inside with old people everywhere. Not that you had anything against them, but you, a beam of youthful rays succumbed to a medieval woman. The other half where Mycroft was was filled with modern appliances with a pure London view. You preferred there better. You walked across the lobby area and out into the world. You loved Mycroft, but nothing beats being with yourself sometimes when you need it. You walked down the desolate road. The wind lightly kissed your face, blowing the fresh air from the sky and the river nearby. You smiled. It felt nice. 

You walked along for some time, your hands in your pocket, hair fluttering in the wind. It was an ideal temperature for winter. Just warm, but with a revitalizing cold to keep you sharp. You were near the river now and could see a few boats on the water. Maybe you would go on one. You neared the bridge and stayed to a nook on the street, watching the water. Your arms propped on the platform. You focused on your breathing. It was sad not letting yourself just be alone. Reflecting on your life. You enjoyed it. It was like you were a teenager again, just living, but that didn’t mean you didn’t love Mycroft, in fact you found yourself feeling compulsive just thinking about him. He meant a lot to you, he loved you and couldn’t bear to see you sad or hurt. 

“Excuse me?” A fresh American voice said. You whipped your back around, startled. A tall man with cloud blonde hair stood dressed in a dark suit. He had his hands in his pocket and his face was covered with a polite smile. He was in his mid-thirties you assumed. 

You gave him a pleasant smile and said, “Is there something you need?” 

He took a slow walk next to you and leaned against the platform, staring into the water. His hair flew with the wind. You were patient. 

“Well, I’ll be blunt. I’m lost. As you can tell I’m not from this area.” 

“I can tell,” you chuckled. “Is there anywhere you want to go?” 

The man stood up and looked at you, becoming lost in your eyes. “Show me a few places?” He said with a smile. You honestly wanted to. You felt like you were making a new friend. Why not? 

“I don’t even know you,” you remarked cheekily. 

The man gave a slight groan. “Chris.” He held out his hand, which you shook. 

“That’s it?” You laughed. 

“Aw, come on,” he said teasingly. “I know nobody here and only have cash with me.”

“Well I guess I can show you around, but you have to tell me more about yourself as we go.” 

He smiled happily. “Agreed.” You started walking up the side of the bridge with him slowly. There was nobody around. 

“What are you in the mood for?” You asked him. 

“Whatever you really like. Food. Malls. Museums. Anything.” 

You scoffed. “Oh, so you’re that guy.” 

He scoffed back, pushing you playfully. “Am not! Just trying to be friendly.” 

Just by having an interaction with this person, especially a man, reminding you of how you never really interacted with other men except for Mycroft. Were you missing out? Perhaps. It was fun. No boundaries. 

“You from here?” He asked you as you approached the upward slope of the bridge. 

“I am, but I travel a lot.” You looked at him. He seemed captivated. You looked at his far wrist and let out a small gasp. His wrist was covered with something dark. Dark reddish-brown. 

Blood. 

He noticed your reaction and a look of panic swept across his face. 

“What happened?” You asked him, but he didn’t answer. In a split second, your arms were behind your back and his hand over your mouth. Your head faced up into the endless dark sky, too shocked to know what just happened. In a moment’s time, your sense of reality blackened into a peaceful state of bliss.

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

You awoke as if you had been sleeping forever, enjoying every moment of it. You blinked your eyes slowly, adjusting to the light. You were sitting on a hard cold floor. In a few seconds, your vision adjusted to its regular strength and you noticed you were in a rather large room. It was bright and only had a few tables. You couldn’t quite figure out the purpose of the room. The temperature was cool and your body felt light. How did you get here? 

Suddenly your memories came flooding back. You looked at your limbs. Nothing was restrained. You were free, but why were you here? Why did Chris, if that was even his name take you here? Why did he do this to you? You panicked just thinking about Mycroft. You had no sense of the time, for all you’ve known it could have been the next day. You slowly stood up, regaining your precious balance. 

“Chris?” You called out. Your voice was tired, confused, and weak. 

No answer. 

You looked around the room. One door. You slowly walked to it, regaining your composure. You tried the handle, but it was locked. You groaned. You couldn’t figure this out. 

“Chris?” You called out again, walking around the room. You shuffled in your pockets for your phone, but it wasn’t there. 

Suddenly you heard doors opening. You whipped around and saw Chris emerging from the shadows. He looked different from before, angrier, more serious. Sadistic. 

“Hello, (Y/N).” His voice was blank and emotionless. 

“Why did you take me here? I don’t even know you. What did I do?” 

Chris walked slowly, his hands behind his back. “I’m not Chris.” 

What? 

“Who are you?” 

“That’s not important. You are. I know Mycroft. He won’t be happy when we’re finished.” 

Your heart dropped to your toes. You knew who he was now. He was Mycroft’s enemy, who he had been after back and forth and now he had you. You didn’t even know what to do. Stay calm?

“Whatever that is has nothing to do with me,” you stated. He simply looked at you like you were a fool. 

“It does.” He pulled out something from his pocket. A knife. Your eyes widened and you froze. You simply couldn’t move. He walked faster to you, but you were stuck. He pushed his way into you to the wall and pointed the knife into your neck, causing you to wince. 

“Let’s test your pain today, and as you should know, I always win.” 

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

“I don’t know where she is, Sherlock, it’s been hours!” Mycroft screamed into the phone. He was pacing around his office ever since you left. He immediately regretted it and didn’t know why he let you do it. You weren’t answering your phone and he had a bad feeling. 

“I know! I’ll call you later. Track what you can.” He hung up and sat on his chair, burying his face into his hands. He was worried. He couldn't live like this. The whole time he knew you, he spent all his time making sure you were loved and safe. It was his job, and he liked it. 

Mycroft stood up and grabbed his coat. He sped out of his office, angry and worried. He walked out the doors and into the parking lot, stepping into his car. He turned it on and just drove. 

He drove to your house. Your favorite store. Your favorite cafe. Nothing. As he continued this, growing more anxious by the minute, he received a phone call. What he heard turned on all his instincts of a man. 

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

You shook at the bottom of the wall. Your neck bleeding from his forceful pinch. He made a half-circle around you, clutching the knife, staring ahead. You couldn’t move. You were terrified. 

“I should have killed him the chance I got. He’ll be here. I can’t wait to see the look on your face.” 

Tears fled your eyes as he said this. “You’re the one who’s going to die. You’re a horrible person!” 

He crouched down to your level and looked unamused. “Do you have the slightest idea who I am?” With these words said, he quickly slid the knife against your neck, pouring immense amounts of blood out and onto your white top. You moaned in pain and began crying. 

“You’re pathetic. How could he choose someone like you?” 

Your neck hurt you, but that hurt you even deeper. “I’m...smart.” He scoffed at you. It was true. Mycroft was always impressed by you, but you were a different smart. 

“Why are you doing this to me? What happened with you and Mycroft?” 

The man stared you down like you were trash. He put his hand in his other pocket, shifting around. You held your breath, hoping Mycroft would find you soon. The man pulled out a minigun as a sadistic smile was painted across his face. Your stomach moved around out of nervousness.

“He betrayed me.” His voice was full of powerful anger. 

“How?” You asked, trying to dig deeper. 

He ignored your question and continued looking at you. All of a sudden he rushed close to you, holding the shotgun tight in his hand. All he did was stare you down. He quickly picked you up by the arm, dragging you to the center of the room and threw you on the ground. You couldn’t do anything. You had no weapons. You weren’t strong. 

“Please,” you cried. 

He laughed evilly, raising the gun up at you. 

“You don’t know betrayal. Mycroft doesn’t know betrayal. You don’t know pain.” 

You stared back at him, your body shaking nervously. Your life was flashing before your eyes. 

“I do.” 

He clenched the gun tighter in his hand when suddenly a loud boom was heard. You both directed your gaze to the door. Your heart lifted when you saw who was there. Mycroft with his men. His mouth slightly opened when he saw you and the situation and you could see his knees weakening, but he regained himself. You looked at Chris. He still had the gun pointed at you but kept his eyes on Mycroft. 

“You don’t have to do this Chris,” Mycroft said. 

Chris stretched his neck around. “Actually I do.” 

You saw Mycroft’s men emerge behind him. They were carrying guns and directed them to Chris who didn’t show any fear. He looked as if he was alive. You looked at Mycroft, but he couldn’t bear to look at you. 

“Chris. You don’t. I know wh-.” 

The sound of a gun being fired erupted through the whole building, following a second shot. You looked at your shirt. You saw a pool of redness expanding by the second. 

“(Y/N)!” Mycroft came rushing to you. You felt no pain. You were shocked. Across from you lied Chris’s body. Lifeless. Mycroft came to you, wrapping his arms around you. You tried to stand up, surprising him and yourself. You weren’t sure why you did it. You managed to stand up, but the pain immediately took over your body, causing you to fall, but Mycroft caught you. Tears filled through the outer corners of your eyes. 

Mycroft lifted you up effortlessly, carrying you somewhere. “Where is my ambulance?” He shouted, demanding an answer. Your head bobbed as he ran to and fro. 

“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.” His voice was shaky and full of sadness. You felt bad as if this was your fault. Maybe it was. 

“Don’t worry.” You squeezed his arm lovingly. Whatever you did or said caused him to groan in agony. Your pain was immense. It took over your movements, but not your thoughts. 

Suddenly you saw a bright sky as Mycroft stepped outside and up a step. You saw white ceilings and heard men talking. 

An ambulance. 

“Can you drive any faster?” Mycroft screamed, raging inside. He came to your side, holding your hand tightly and leaning his forehead into your neck. You smiled, offering him comfort. Mycroft explained to you everything and how much he loved you, causing you to shed a tear. All you can do was listen and hope it wasn’t the end of it all. 

“Mycroft.” 

He leaned in close and looked into your eyes. “What is it?” 

“I think this is it.” 

He clenched your hand tighter and wrapped his arm around you. 

“No. No, don’t say that. You’re doing fine. We’re almost there. You - you can’t leave me. Don’t leave me.” He started crying harder. You felt terrible, but you knew it was near. Blackness encompassed your vision. You squeezed his hand and soon released it when all your energy diminished. The last thing you heard was the most horrible scream let out by anyone you ever knew. Your heart shook. 

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

You awoke to the unfamiliar sound of a steady beep. Your eyes were light. You opened them effortlessly and were welcomed by a pure white hospital room. You looked down at your body. You were wearing a gown and felt something on your stomach. Probably was a bandage. You felt pain but tried to remember everything. You heard someone.....breathing. You turned your head away to the side of the room. 

Mycroft was sitting on a chair close to your bed with his head leaning on one of his hands, sleeping. You could see increased worry wrinkles on his face as well as dark circles under his eyes. You hesitated whether to wake him up or let him be. 

“Psst,” you quietly said, doubting he would hear this, but as soon as the words left your mouth, he opened his eyes and darted up. He looked at you and his eyes widened. Quicker than lightning, he rushed to your side, burying his face in your chest, wrapping his arms around you. He was hurting you, but you didn’t care. 

“I thought I lost you,” he said, looking at you.  “I’m sorry.” You sadly said. 

He took your soft face in his hands, gazing into your eyes. 

“Don’t be. You’re my priority and will always be. I couldn’t live without you.” 

You held his arms lovingly and both looked into each other’s eyes admiring one another, but enjoying the miracle. 

[edencantstopfallininlove]

To Douse

Content Warnings: night terrors, major character death (but not really), hurt/comfort, Dhar rejects toxic masculinity, tears, A BIG DAMN HUG, WAFFs galore

A/N: Sometimes you just want to comfort your faves, y’know? Set two days after the endgame.

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His eyes open slowly as he tries to make sense of where he is.

A dark room. A menacing droning. A circle of deep purple flames surrounding his body, trapping him in the void, forming a single ring of heat amidst the biting cold against exposed skin. They bite and whip at his flesh, taunting him as they go; each mark a reminder that he is expendable. Worthless. A tool. Their cruel, shrill voices grow louder, louder still. He wants to cover his ears and scream, but before he gets the chance-

A flash, and he leaps into the blue sky like a falcon, leaving the room far behind. He draws his sword and aims for the angrier of the two duelling creatures. He's barely breathing, and yet he finds words. He doesn't hear himself speak. He doesn't need to. All that matters is stopping this beast he barely recognises as his leader, his reluctant friend. And yet, from the furthest reaches, on the howling wind, he is rattled for a moment by a desolate scream. A lament, he assumes, for a future that will never be.

Through the wall of stone he constructs bursts an ungodly light, brighter than anything he had ever seen before.

His eyes widen.

Everything burns.

White.

Noise.

....

Dhar awakens with a jolt. His mind races to make sense of everything he had just seen. The contact between his back and the bed is grounding, but does little to ease his shaky breaths and pounding heart. He looks around the bedroom; it's dark, but he can somehow tell it's just as he left it. And yet, his entire body starts to quiver... No. He shouldn't be feeling like this. The best thing he can do is try to ignore it and go back to-

“Dhar?”

His train of thought is derailed by a whisper of his name. He glances left to identify the speaker. In the dark, he can just about make out garnet red hair and kind blueish-grey eyes.

Oh, Heather. She shouldn't be seeing him like this.

“My love, is something the matter?” She asks, voice deepened by the need for rest, but still soft and full of concern.

“I'm fine," Dhar lies. “Go back to sleep, will you?”

“No,” replies Heather, shaking her head. “You can't fool me that easily. I haven't seen you tremble like this before; something must be up. Please, know that you can tell me anything.”

Dhar's body tenses up at the piercing of his defenses. With a sigh, he tries to recollect the ordeal.

“It was a bad dream. I was by myself in a room, pitch black, and then there was this droning noise. I couldn't work out where it was coming from. Then there was, like, purple fire everywhere and the flames were actually lashing at me... I don't know why, but it reminded me of when Ravannavar had cast me away in our final battle. His words were just echoing around me; they were screaming at me at one point.

“Next thing I knew, I was back to when I almost died. My body was just... moving on its own - I knew what was going to happen to me, but no matter how hard I tried to stop, there was a voice in my head that kept drowning myself out. 'All you'll ever be good for,' it said. It trapped me within myself. Then I heard you screaming...” He winces at the thought. “But by that point, it was too late for me to do any more. Everything turned white and it felt like my whole body was on fire.”

Once the last detail has been described, Dhar shifts himself to face Heather fully. “I don't know, it just rattled me so much...”

Heather nods, processing the awful dream her lover had. Before he can apologize, he feels a soft hand cupping his face. He remains tense, desperate to stay in control lest he scare her away.

“Gods,” says Heather, now stroking Dhar's face, “I'm so sorry about that. That I couldn't do anything to save you... But it's over now. None of what you just saw, or heard, or felt, was real. You're safe. I'm with you. And I promise, no matter what may happen from here on out, I'll protect you. You deserve that. I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to the man I love.”

She retracts her hand, placing both in the empty space on the mattress between the two, then leans back a little. “Do you need a hug?”

Dhar freezes again. A hug. In twenty years, in spite of past lovers and the man he once called a father, those have been hard to come by. The notion was almost taboo. They hardly came around, Dhar reasoned, because the culture of the army led him to believe that so much as needing one made him less of a man.

But that's none of his concern anymore. The army is no longer his home. He belongs by Heather's side and, while her offer came as a shock, it touched him in a way he didn't think possible.

He finally lowers his guard.

His trembling body softens and the tears that long pricked his eyes finally fall, wet and hot against his face. He stays like that for mere seconds before he pulls Heather suddenly and desperately to his chest like his life depends on it, resting his head on her shoulder as his entire being is racked by his sobs. Though taken aback at first, Heather tenderly links her own arms around his torso, tracing slow, deliberate circles into his back. Nothing in this world would harm her favourite person if she could help it.

“Shhh... You’re okay.”

Heather feels Dhar's sobs slowly, but surely, quieten and his breath deepen as she does everything in her power to calm him down, but she doesn't rush him; he needs to know that it's okay to experience these feelings and release them. Eventually, he mutters his thanks as he tentatively releases his grip on her, prompting her to do the same to him in turn.

“Come to think of it,” she says as she does, “That's the first time you've cried in front of me.”

Dhar sniffles and considers turning away. “I'm sorry, should I-”

“No, no. Don't ever apologize for that. I want you to know that it doesn't make you weak. If anything, I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough around me to let that happen. You've come a long way to let yourself be as vulnerable as you just were.” She shuffles upwards to give him a kiss on the forehead. “I'm proud of you.”

The next thing Heather knows, Dhar rockets forwards again, this time so that his mouth can meet hers. His face is still a touch damp from needed tears, but he smiles against his love's lips and his heart flutters blissfully within his bare chest. No other person makes him feel this secure and happy...

“Thank you,” he says in-between deep kisses. “You're so good to me... But promise me you'll be safe, too.”

“If it's you, then I swear it on my own life. Let’s always keep each other well.”

Satisfied that his kiss quota has more than been met, Dhar settles his head onto Heather’s chest, cuddling her from the side. He gingerly shuts his eyes and sighs in contentment.

“You don’t have to try to go back to sleep if you don’t feel up to it, you know,” says Heather, who had shifted onto her back to accommodate him.

“Well,” mutters Dhar, “I want to. I think I’ll feel a lot better if I can hold onto you like this, baby.”

Another first. Heather gives a smile crinkled with tiredness.

“Good. I’ll be here if you need me.” She places a hand in his short chalky white locks, savouring how surprisingly soft it feels to touch. Her heartbeat slows as she continues to sleepily stroke it. “Rest well, Dhar. I love you.”

“I love you too, Heather. I hope you know that. Good night.”

Perfectly at ease, Dhar feels himself sink down onto the bed and his beloved’s body. He is grounded further by the sounds of Heather’s faint breathing. His mind quietens, the memory of his nightmare fading as he slowly succumbs to sleep.

How lucky he is to love, and be loved by, a woman like her.

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@ode-to-joie @tuff-and-fluff @polaris-ships @f-orever-and-ever @gorillazgirlfriend @dazailovemail @abigailsfictionalothers @angelfairy-ships @nougatships (BTW, glad I got this done before the end of the Selfship Con!)

[ddaengyoonmin]

Neptune

Pairing: Mermaid!Taehyung x Space explorer/Scientist!Reader

Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff

A/N: I really have nothing to say other than I took this way too far lol I hope you all enjoy it! The ending might be confusing lol send asks if you want to know anything and id love to hear what you thought! 

Word count: 16k (yeah that happened)

Warnings: Oral male and female receiving, descriptions of fainting, drowning and death, guns, swearing, (I think thats it, let me know if i missed anything)

Tagging a few of you who seemed excited for this! :) @mischiefmakerliesmith5 @yeontanismypresident @oh-worm-yee-haw @kpopgirlbtssvt @zombiewerewolfqueen

Summary:

No one with legs lived on the surface of Neptune, walkers such as yourself lived on the moons.  The spacecrafts that you traveled in constantly moved to and from all of the different moons, but  no one ever went down to the surface.  That's where the swimmers lived.  You’d heard tales of the fishtailed people that swam in the great sea below the moons, some called them mermaids.  But no one had ever actually seen one before, well, until now.  You and the scientific research team that you had gathered together had built the first spaceship in your people’s history that could go into the waters below.  You’d figured you’d snap a few pictures and return within the month, but things didn’t go as planned.  Your ship was captured by the swimmers and they seemed just as in awe at you and your team as you were with them.   They decided to let you go but only on the condition that you to bring their leading scientist back up to the moons with you, so you could learn from each other.  You learn quite a bit from Taehyung, in particular, your anatomy seemed to be his favorite subject…

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

Triton was a gloomy and desolate place, but the moons of Neptune were all your people had known.  There were a few large cities on each moon, each looking identical to the others, all of the buildings were tall and gray and matched the one sitting next to it.  Each neighborhood’s houses looked no different from the one on either side.  Original thought and creativity seemed to be scarce in your society. 

Even the clothes sold in stores seemed to fall into a range of plain styles and blacks and grays.  

Ships flew back and forth between the moon’s daily exchanging supplies.  Some citizens worked on other moons during the week and would return to their home moon for the weekends.  You were lucky to not have to travel far for your work, in fact, you lived right on the same plot of land in dorms with all the other scientists at your facility. 

You were the lead researcher and developer on a new type of shuttle that could fly through space, and also dive into water.  You didn’t know too much about the engineering of it all, your studies had all mostly leaned to biology and astronomy and you had dabbled in geology and physics.  But, your team had been from all different sciences and studies, so, together you had found many ways to overcome the struggles of its creation.

It was a particularly difficult task, considering Triton didn’t have many places for you to test out the ship you were developing.   There were no lakes or big bodies of water. 

Your life’s goal, from when you were a small child had always been the same.  You’d stare out your window at the giant blue planet that hung in the sky, and you’d dream of what life would be like down there.  

You’d heard stories, but everyone said they were nothing but fairy tales.  Your science driven brain couldn’t quite escape the idea that you wanted to prove that they were real, and figure out the mysteries of the swimmers from the stories yourself.  

You knew that it could possibly all be fake, maybe the planet wasn’t even made of water and just looked like it.  

Those were the types of unanswered questions that motivated you to wake up every morning and continue your work.

You had been working on the ship with your team for about 3 years, and the day had finally come to put together the finishing touches and head out on your exploration. 

You weren’t surprised that it had made the news, headlines read ‘Hopeful Scientist and Her Team will Attempt to Uncover the Mysteries Bellow.’ and unfortunately prompted some like

‘Chasing Fairy Tales?  The Scientist who believes in Mermaids’   that one you weren’t quite fond of.  The majority of people thought it was a ridiculous idea, but you never let it crush your spirits and excitement. 

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

It was going to take about 2 days to get down to Neptune, nothing compared to a lifetime of curiosity, work and waiting.  

A large crowd of excited citizens and media came to see you and your team off.  You smiled and waved out one of the windows before strapping yourself into your seat.  You had traveled by shuttle many times before, though the design of your shuttle was different than most of the other looked, you were used to this part of space travel. 

Yet, you still felt your stomach turning into knots. 

There were so many things that could go wrong once you got down to the surface of neptune.  One tiny leak could risk the safety of your whole group.  Or a mistake in the system that was supposed to balance the pressure within your ship when you’d dive down into the depths could cause you all to perish almost instantly.  

The team that was coming with you consisted of four others besides yourself. 

A photographer named Jungkook that you insisted must be included to capture all of your findings. 

The aerospace engineer that did most of the designing and tests on the shuttle, Namjoon, also joined your team.  Most of those who actually had worked with you up until now had been too terrified to see this through all the way, but Namjoon had been so excited to see for himself, what he considered his greatest creation, put into action.

The government who had funded your project through the grants that you had basically had to sell your soul for, insisted on your bringing a military general with your team for protection.  You had argued that you couldn’t imagine what kind of help he would be underwater in a small ship.  Yet Jin was forced onto your team.  You didn’t quite like him, or any of the vibes he gave off, but he had actually volunteered for this.  Part of you thinks there must’ve been some good pay in it for him.  

The final member was the pilot/mechanic named Hoseok, he would fly the ship and be tasked with quick fixes and repairs of the ship if anything were to go wrong. 

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

Everything had gone smoothly on the take off.  Next was just time to wait and prepare yourselves for what you may discover. 

You and Jin had gotten off to a rocky start when it came time for dinner the first day.

He’d mostly been silent and kept to himself but when you handed him his packaged space meal, he had scoffed and waved his hand away at it. 

“This is literally what you’ll be eating for the next month we are here, I’d get used to it if I were you.”  You snapped at him.

He grumbled something under his breath as he caved in and took it.

“I’m sorry what was that?” You raised your eyebrows.

“I said what idiot decided to go for the bland vitamin protein packs.  You know they had ones with actual food right?” 

You glared down at the black haired man.  He was wearing the same uniform as the rest of your team, silver sweatpants, and a black t-shirt with a silver jacket with a blue stripe up the side.  His nametag on his jacket read, General of Space Military Kim Seokjin. 

“Well Mr. Kim Seokjin.  I’m the one who purchased it.  It saved us money, we didn’t have a big budget for food here.  Probably so we could pay your enormous salary for your unnecessary presence here.” you growled back. 

Namjoon had stepped in as he saw Jin’s face growing red.  

“It’s only the first day guys, let's keep things civil okay?” he said putting his arms up between the two of you. 

You sighed and nodded.  “Sorry for being unprofessional.  I’m on edge today.”  

Jin sulked away to eat his meal in his room. 

You stayed in the small dining area with Namjoon. 

“I’m just so nervous this was all for nothing.  What if we get there and It's literally just empty water.” You frowned. 

Namjoon put a hand on your shoulder and gave you a comforting look. 

“I know, but we’ve come this far.  We should stay positive, I want this to go well too” 

You nodded and wrapped him into hug, “Thanks Joon” 

That was the other thing about Namjoon.  He was your best friend. You had met in college and realized that he shared your curiosity for the life that may be on Neptune.  He’s the one who encouraged you to go for it and offered his help in constructing the ship that would take you to your dream. 

You’d hooked up with him once or twice, he was actually the man you’d lose your virginity to.  But, it's always remained unromantic, purely a friends with benefits deal.  You never wanted a relationship to get in the way of your dream research project.  

The photographer Jungkook entered the room for a moment, noticing the two of you embraced.  

“Oh sorry-” he stuttered thinking he walked in on a personal moment. 

“No it’s fine,” you pulled away from Namjoon and smiled.  “How’s it going?” 

Jungkook settler down into a chair on the other side of the small chrome dining table. 

“I’m pretty excited” Jungkook spoke “Tired of black and white.  Ready for some blue” he chuckled. 

The reason that you had picked Jungkook’s portfolio out of the many submissions of photographers to join the expedition was for that exact reason. 

Everything on Triton and the other moons were so plain and colorless.  Everyone’s submissions contained basically the same types of photographs.  A grey building, the grey empty landscape of Triton or Neso.  Even the wildlife back on the moons were colorless.  Being adapted to blend into their environment, most every animal was some shade of pale gray.  One person even just had an entire portfolio of the same photographed rock.  They were well done, and artistic, but nothing stood out to you. 

Jungkook on the other hand, when you were presented with his portfolio, your eyes lit up, it was a series of beautiful shots of objects sitting in front of the big blue planet of neptune in the sky.  It was extremely creative, and you could tell his love for the blue glow of your destination planet. 

Hoseok slept in the pilot's seat with the shuttle on the autopilot course most of the next two days, only coming out of the room for meal times and to do a routine check of all of the parts of the ship he was in charge of maintaining. 

You passed the time double checking the inventory of equipment you’d brought, and playing cards with Namjoon and Jungkook. 

The blue planet now took up almost the entire view from the windows of your shuttle.  It was magnificent and you felt every part of your body tingling with excitement.  

You were set to land in a few hours, your dream was coming true. 

Everyone was rushing around getting prepared.  Namjoon had come up with a suggestion a few months ago to design an underwater suit, similar to what the astronauts used to be able to breathe in space, but for underwater.  Though none of you planned on leaving the ship, you all would wear them while the ship was first  underwater just encase something malfunctioned.  

You were getting changed and geared up in your room, when your door swung open on you still half naked. 

Namjoon walked in chuckling at the way you scurried to cover yourself up. 

“Just me” he spoke

“Fuck that scared me” you laughed. 

He walked over to you and rubbed your shoulder up and down. “You ready? I can’t believe it's finally happening. I feel like I’m going crazy with anticipation.”

“Same here.  We’ve waited for this moment for longer than I can even remember.”  

Hoseok’s voice rang out from over the speakers “Landing in 30 minutes.  Everyone gets in their seats and buckle up” 

Namjoon gave you a quick smile and a thumbs up and left you to finish getting ready. 

You shakily got the rest of your suit ready, lastly putting on the helmet and making sure it was secured to the oxygen source. 

As you walked out to the seats, you noticed Jin was now equipped with a gun on his hip. 

“And how the fuck do you plan on using that? I will literally kill you if you shoot any holes in my ship.” You hissed at him as you sat and started to buckle up. 

He rolled his eyes.  “Its for if we have to go outside of the ship obviously.  Its made for underwater use” 

“Well here’s to hoping nothing comes to that.” you sighed.  

None of you knew what you were entering into.  If there were any creatures living in the water, how large were they?  How dangerous were they? 

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

The ship shook and rattled as it entered Neptune’s atmosphere, the deep blue water below looked so close that you could just reach your hand out and touch it. 

You have to force yourself to keep your eyes open, not wanting to miss a moment of it.  

With a giant thud that jolted all of you hard into the back of your chairs, the shuttle hit the surface of the water.  

It was the smoothest landing that you could have hoped for, the ship was built for the impact.  

Your shuttle now floated on top of the surface of the waters.  You let out a sigh of relief, though the mission had only began, this was one of the moments you were most worried about.  It was over and had been a success.  

Your team cheered and clapped their hands for Hoseok and his successful piloting as you all un buckled and got out of your seats. 

Hoseok turned around and smiled bowing like a performer on a stage. 

Then looked to you, 

“Alright boss.  What now?”  He asked. 

You thought for a moment, you’d had a set schedule and plan, but you couldn’t help but want to take a moment to just let this sight set in. 

The blue water was making your ship sway to and fro in soothing movements.  

“Lets have Jungkook take some pictures” you decided.  That would give all of you some time to adjust and observe as well. 

Jungkook nodded excitedly and went to his trunk that stored his camera equipment, rifling through to find the best lense. 

Your group now took off their helmets, feeling comfortable that nothing was going to go wrong at this point, but keeping them close on your hips just in case.

You walked over to the giant glass window that took up almost the entirety of one of the room’s walls, staring out in awe. 

The sun made the water sparkle and glisten, it was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen.  You heart was jumping for joy, you felt it might just jump all the way out of your chest and dive right into the water. 

Namjoon walked up and stood beside you.  He opened his mouth to speak but then shook his head and just looked out the window with you. 

You were speechless as well.  You were the first people to have ever observed this sight, it was an honor and was almost a spiritual experience.  

Jungkook now stood on the other side of you, snapping pictures with a giant grin on his face.  He paused and turned to you. 

“Oh my god, I never want to go back” He chuckled.  

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

After about a couple hours and all of you eating your lunch in front of the window, you decided it was time to begin your descent. 

Hoseok got back in the pilot's seat, you could see him growing slightly nervous, so you walked to his side with a curious expression on your face. 

“Everything okay?” 

He sighed and nodded, fidgeting with some of the controls, “Yeah, I’ve done this in the simulator so many times.  But, that was just a guess.  I’m about to be the first pilot to shuttle underwater...Just...taking it all in” 

“You’ll be famous for this” you smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. 

He grinned widely “Yeah, We all will be huh? Thanks y/n.” 

“Do we have to buckle up for this?” Jungkook asked 

You shake your head “No it should be smooth and slow as we dive.” 

“Awesome” he clapped his hands together “I’m gonna sit by the window and take a video of us diving then” 

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

Slowly your shuttle dove down until you were surrounded by water.  So far there were no signs of life anywhere, you were starting to get a little discouraged until you heard Jungkook squeal loudly. 

“Hoseok stall the descent!” you shouted. Hoseok listened and the ship stilled.  Your group ran over to the window where Jungkook sat with his face pressed against the window. 

A small creature no bigger than your hand was slowly moving along the window.  It was yellow and round, and had a large fin that wiggled back and forth as it moved. 

“Jungkook pictures!” you spoke quickly.  He scurried to capture the creature. 

It was so strange and new.  

“Hoseok how many meters down are we?” you asked

Hoseok checked a screen near his pilot’s seat. “About 30”  

“Hoseok I’m a scientist...can we not do ‘about’…” you chuckled

“29.8” he replied

You quickly jotted it down into your log of events that you’d been keeping. 

When you lifted your head up from your writing you let out a large gasp. 

A larger creature now swam past.  It seemed to be a meter long and was snake like, it was bright red with black stripes around it.  

Your team pouted slightly when the creatures disappeared from view.  But you were still completely giddy over the excitement of having discovered new life. 

“Let's go down further” you told Hoseok and he nodded and returned to his seat. 

For the next few hours you ventured further down into Neptunes depths.  Your team had discovered at least 30 unique creatures that Jungkook had been able to take pictures of.  You documented the depth and time at which you’d seen each of them with a quick summary of their behaviors.  

“I think we should go back to the surface for a while” Hoseok suggested.  “It’ll be getting dark soon and we should surface for the night” 

You were slightly disappointed about that “Are you sure? Can’t we just go a little deeper?”

“Honestly, pressure wise, this is as deep as we are going to be able to go.  The pressure room that the ship was tested in wasn’t capable of testing pressures any more than what we are currently at.  The ship might still handle it, but we don’t know for sure.  For our safety I’m going to advise against it…” 

“10 more meters?” You pleaded batting your eyelashes. 

“Y/n.  If he says it's not safe I’m not going to allow it.” Jin hissed. 

“Allow it?” you spun to face him with your jaw dropping.  “I’m sorry, I thought I was in charge not you?” 

“I’d think that the guy with the gun in really in charge” he smirked, putting his hand to his hip. 

So that's really why he wanted the gun on him.  It wasn’t just for safety from the creatures of the waters.  It was to make sure that he remained in a position of authority over the rest of the crew. 

You shake your head.  

“You wouldn’t do that in here. Hoseok. 10 more meters” you ordered sternly. 

Jin slowly stepped so that his body was almost touching your own, he stared down at you angrily. 

“I said no.  I’m not dying over this stupid mission” 

You gulped.  

“I think if we do 10 more meters I can ascend fast enough that it wouldn’t be a problem.  Any malfunctions would be solvable.” Hoseok spoke calmly, wanting to relieve some of the tension and calm down the man with the gun. 

Jin’s eyes narrowed “Fine.  But if anything happens. I’m calling this mission and we return immediately” 

“You don’t have that authority!” you yelled out. 

“Actually I do.” he pulled out a government note from his pocket and shoved it in front of your face.  

“You really think the government was going to just let something like this happen without being in control of it?” 

The sheet read that Jin was capable of overriding any decisions you’d make.  Shit.  

You groaned and hit the paper away from your face. 

“Fine.  But I don't think anything will go wrong” 

Almost like you had jinxed it, the ship lunged to the side, rolling onto an angle that caused everything not secured to slide to one side of the room and your whole team to fall over. 

“Fuck!” you heard Hoseok yell out as he tried to maintain balance while messing with the controls “I can’t do anything.  Our systems aren’t working” 

You felt your heart rate quicken, you tried to pull yourself back up as you stared wide eyed at Namjoon who had the same look of fear and surprise on his face. 

Almost as soon as your team had regained their footing, it happened a second time.  

This was not good…

“What the fuck is happening!” you screeched, pulling yourself over to the windows and looking around, not seeing anything but the darkening waters.  

Your ship seemed to be...moving?

“Y/n...we have a big problem here” Hoseok’s voice trembled “We’re descending...fast…” 

You felt yourself growing faint, had you just doomed every soul on this shuttle with your grand dreams and ideas?  

Your eyes were fluttering shut as you fell to the side, you could hear Jungkook crying.  And you swore you heard Namjoon throw up right before your consciousness slipped away from you.  

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

When your eyes started to open, you expected nothingness.  Maybe you were still dreaming, because everything was bright.  A warm yellow glow touched everything in the room.  The room was a mess, Jungkook’s camera equipment scattered across the floor along with all of the notebooks and papers you’d been writing in.  A coffee cup had spilled over and a giant puddle was surrounding the floor next to Hoseok who was lying unconscious. 

Jungkook who was lying flat on his back had also not yet come to.  Namjoon who was next to you seemed to be just waking up same as you.  And Jin was nowhere in sight. 

Your gaze followed the light up to the windows, it seemed you were still underwater, yet this looked like...a city? It was colorful and magnificent with sea life floating around everywhere.  Your ship appeared to be landed on the steps of a very tall and heavily decorated stone building that had large colorful shells all around it.

What the hell? 

You gasped and stood too quickly almost falling back over.  

Have you found them? 

You almost screamed out when a figure appeared in front of the window.  

It looked like an adult man, in your human years he’d probably be in his 20’s, he was shirtless so you could see how muscular he was.  He was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen in your life.  His skin seemed to have an iridescent glow glossed over every inch of himself.  

Your eyes trailed down and you now noticed that his lower half, was definitely not human.  Just below his waist, his skin stopped, and a navy blue scaling that you’d seen on some of the sea creatures you’d observed was on him.  It bound his legs together into one long form, and where feet would usually be on a person was a translucent, large, tail that also had similarities to some of the smaller sea creatures you’d seen.  

He had long flowing blue hair that floated in the water as he moved along the glass, peering in at you. 

You really had found them, they were real. 

As terrified as you were, you couldn’t help but feel a little excited too. 

You’d been laughed at for wanting to install an underwater speaker system to your ship, but you now thanked yourself for that. 

You shakily made your way to the control panel and picked up the corded microphone, holding down the button and pausing a moment to debate on what your first words should be? 

‘We come in peace?’ ‘Hi?’  Shit.  You’d always thought about what you’d say to a mermaid if you’d ever met one, but all of that seemed to have been lost to the nervousness that you felt. 

The fish man saw that you had noticed him and was now floating right in your line of view, cocking his head to the side while he looked you over. 

You cleared your throat and spoke into the microphone

“We are friends.  Explorers”  You spoke slowly, pointing to the others on your ship.  Not even knowing if he’d understand you.  He mouthed something back, you realize that he must be speaking. Shit, you’d forgotten to turn the receiving microphone on. 

Your fingers fumbled over the control panel and you found the red button, pressing it so it now glowed ‘on’ 

“Sorry, what did you say?” you spoke into your mic, still not sure whether anything you were saying was getting across. 

“I spoke, we are no friends.  Your warrior injure one citizens.  We have now” 

You gasped.  He spoke your language!  Not perfectly but it was more than enough to have a conversation with him.  How that was possible was a discussion for another time.  As you realize now, that he was referring to the missing Jin.  He must’ve left the ship to investigate and shot at one of them. 

“I apologize for our…” you thought over if you should just use the word he used and decided that was best, “For our warrior.  I’m sure he was just scared.  Is your citizen going to be okay?” 

The merman pressed his forehead to the glass looking around the room you were in. 

“Will be okay.  Getting medical care now they are.  You have more weapon?”  The merman suddenly seemed to get spooked and quickly turned around and swam a few feet from the ship, still looking in at you but hovering further back. 

You realized Namjoon had just walked over to your side.  

“W-what…” Namjoon gasped out “They are real? Oh my god they are real!” he grinned. 

“They are real, and Jin shot one of them” you whispered in a hiss “They captured him.  And us.” 

Namjoon looked around the room realizing Jin was indeed missing. 

“That idiot” he shook his head. 

“Another friend” you spoke into the mic at the merman “No weapons.  Our warrior had the only weapon” 

The merman swam back over to the glass and looked unconvinced.  “Don’t trust…” he muttered. 

“Why here?” he spoke louder now

“We came to see you.  To learn.  Not to hurt.  I’m very sorry about that.  He isn’t a friend” you decided to just throw Jin under the bus with that, in hopes that the man would trust you better. 

“Not friend?” he thought a moment.  “Learn…” 

“Yes, we came from the moons” you pointed up “We came to learn about this planet” 

“We learn too” the man nodded “We like learn.  We want learn”  

“Awesome, well maybe we can learn some things from each other for a while before we leave” you threw in “We do need our warrior back, or we will be in trouble with our government” 

“You said not friend?” He looked confused.  

“Right, but we still can’t return without him” You told him. 

“You don’t return” the merman crossed his muscular tan arms over his chest.  “We don’t let return” he sternly spoke. 

“Woah” a voice came from behind you.  You realized Jungkook was now awake and approaching the glass with his camera in hand held up towards the merman

“Jungkook wait” you spoke to late. 

“Weapon!” the merman yelled and hissed, pulling himself back from the glass, his hair now stood straight up as he bared his teeth growling animalistically at Jungkook. You noticed he had pointed teeth, every one of them sharp. 

“Wait wait!” you waved your hands “It’s not a weapon, see” 

You stood in front of Jungkook’s camera.  “Take a picture of me Kook” you whispered.  

Jungkook was now shaky after the behavior of the merman, but he nodded and held up his camera.  

The merman got close to the glass again pressing his face against it with wide eyes as Jungkook took a picture of you.  

“Can I?” you held your hand out to Jungkook asking for the camera.  He shrugged and handed it over to you. 

You pulled up the picture that was taken and brought the camera to the glass to show the merman. 

“Picture” you told him “See.  That's what he was doing.”  you smiled, trying to show the merman you were being friendly. 

He nodded slowly and repeated “Picture..” 

Suddenly he was pulling himself away from the glass and swimming away quickly.  He was gone. 

Hoseok was now standing up and holding his head that had a slight bump on it.  

“What the hell is going on” he groaned.  

You filled him in on everything that had occurred. 

“For real?” he gasped out. “But, they won’t let us leave...What are we going to do? We will definitely run out of breathable air if we don't recharge at the surface in about a day and a half…” he said looking at some of the gauges on the control panel. 

You sighed. “Yeah, we need to figure out how to convince them to let us leave.  Is there any contact to Triton available right now?” you asked. 

Hoseok tried the radio then shook his head.  

A knocking noise against the glass made you jump.  You turned to see the merman was back, his mouth turned up in a smile.  

“Hello” he spoke 

“Welcome back” you chuckled, growing quite fond of his cute smile. 

“Make deal.”

“You want to make a deal? To let us leave?” 

“Yes.  Deal.” he nodded.   

“Okay…” you looked to Namjoon who shrugged “What’s the deal?” 

“We keep warrior. For learn” the merman spoke

You shake your head “You can’t keep him...He’ll die soon if you don’t let him come with us.  He can’t breathe down here, there isn’t enough air in his tank to last him.  You won't be able to learn much from him dead.”  You informed him. 

The merman looked upset.  “No deal?” he seemed to be pouting, which you shouldn’t be finding so cute considering it seemed this was the creature that held your fate in his hands currently. 

“I make new deal.  Must ask first.” he then turned and swam away like he did before. 

“I say just leave the asshole.” Namjoon laughed. 

“This isn’t funny!” Hoseok snapped.  “But, yeah, why didn’t we just leave him” 

“First of all, I don’t want that on my conscience for the rest of my life.  And secondly, do you really think we won’t be in huge trouble if we return without him.  He works for the governent” 

“True” Namjoon sighed, “But if it comes to all of us dying...don’t you think that…” 

The merman was now knocking at the glass again, snapping the attention of the four of you back to the window. 

“New deal” The merman looked even more excited.  “We give back.  You take”  

You didn’t quite understand what he was saying, he seemed to notice your confused expression. 

“You take” he repeated pointing to himself. 

“Take you with us?” you gasped.  He wanted to come back to Triton with you?  

“For learn.  Want learn.  You take.  Me learn, you learn.  Deal?” 

“Deal!” you exclaimed instantly, realizing you should probably discuss it with your teammates but the idea of being able to take this merman back to Triton with you, and being able to learn everything about him and his kind seemed even more like a dream come true than anything that had happened so far. 

“Right?” you turned to the rest of your crew

They all shrugged and nodded

“I don’t see why not” Namjoon spoke, but there was a hint of something uneasy in his voice. 

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

A few more mer-people swam over to your ship after the merman you’d been speaking with went and told them that the deal was on.  Two of them had Jin in their arms who seemed to be squirming around and resisting until he realized he was being brought back to his ship. 

There was a small metal room in the back of the ship meant for coming and going that drained the water once Jin was inside.  

Hoseok went to grab him and brought him to his room.  Yelling at him for being stupid the whole way there.  

The merman you’d spoken to was now in front of the glass again.  

“Gave back.  You take now?” he pointed to himself. 

“Yes.  But, how are you going to breathe?  We don’t have anything water here for you.” 

He thought for a moment, putting his hand to his chin. 

“One night.  I return” he swam away, and the other mer-people followed. 

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

 You spent the rest of the night discussing with the rest of your crew how you’d handle bringing the merman back with you to triton.

You’d all settled on keeping it a secret.

You knew Jin would have a hard time not telling his boss’s in the government so you’d brought him out to have a little talk.

He was still quite shaken up from the days events when hoseok dragged him from his room to the main room where you all had gathered.

“The merman is coming with us back home.  I want to learn from him, but I don’t think it’s best if the media knows he’s there.  everyone would want pictures and interviews and it’d all get in the way of our research.  Can you keep it a secret?” You asked Jin 

“And why would I protect any of them? Do you even know what they did to me in there?” He growled

“You did shoot one of their people…” Jungkook spoke hesitantly 

“Well she snuck up on me.  And what was I supposed to do?” Jin scowled down towards the floor.

“Please Jin.  I’m begging you.  You can report it to your supervisors only or whatever after we’ve taken him back here” you begged.  You knew that if it was found out your team had brought a real mermaid back with them the media would swarm.  You also were scared of what the government would ask to be done with him, they could easily take him from your team and give him to a different scientist for who knows what…

“I don’t want to lie about this…” Jin grumbled. 

“We could’ve just left you there with them man.  That was the original deal, and she turned it down.” Namjoon snapped at Jin, narrowing his eyes and clenching his fists at the man’s stubbornness to get on board with your plan. 

Jin sighed and rubbed his temples.  

“Fine.” he whispered “I won’t tell…” 

You hoped that he was telling the truth. 

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

The next morning you were awakened to a tapping on the window.  You had slept in the control room where you had seen the merman before so that you wouldn’t miss his return. 

You lifted your head sleepily and looked to the noise, smiling widely upon seeing that the merman had his face pressed to the glass looking in at you. 

You quickly stood and fumbled around to grab the microphone and turn on the receiving one for the outside. 

“Hey, welcome back!” you chimed excitedly. 

You noticed the merman seemed just as excited as yourself.  His long blue hair floating just as beautifully in the water as you had remembered it.  His skin was shimmering in the light, with that shiny iridescent glow covering his gorgeous caramel skin.  

Your breathing quickened at the sight of him, it was almost like looking at a statue of an ancient god.  You felt slightly unworthy in his presence, yet he looked more excited to see you than anyone ever had in your whole life. 

“I come back.  Go with you now.  Made way to travel with.” he spoke.  And as he said that, a group of four other merpeople swam up carrying a large glass tank that looked plenty big enough for the merman to comfortably fit into. 

“That's perfect!” you clapped your hands together.  “So what you’ll want to do is be in the tank when you get into the room.  The room will drain out the rest of the water, but the water in your tank will stay and we can carry you in” 

He nodded.  You saw an older couple, a merman and merwoman approach him and hugged him tightly.  

“Careful you” The woman said kissing him on the forehead. 

You assumed those must be his parents.  Their family dynamics seemed to be similar to your people.  Those were the types of things you couldn’t wait to learn about, you had so many questions. 

You pressed the button to open the door to the chamber Taehyung would enter from.  He swam into his tank and you watched the merpeople swim it over and place it inside.  

“All good?” you said over the microphone to the outside of the ship. 

“Good.  Ready”  A voice called back to you

You took a deep breath.  Nervously you pressed the button to close the doors and drain the water from the room.  

You then called over the announcement speaker system, realizing you should’ve probably done this first,

“Everyone, I’m gonna need your help carrying him in.  He’s here” 

You made your way to the room, Namjoon had joined up with you and you saw a sleepy Hoseok and Jungkook following close behind.  

“Jin’s not up?” you raised an eyebrow to Namjoon. 

He shrugged and you sighed.  Oh well, the four of you could probably do this on your own.  

You felt your skin tingling with the excitement of what lay behind the door you now stood in front of.  

Your childhood dreams and fantasies within your reach. 

You shakily placed your hand on the door and turned the handle to open it. 

When you entered the room the merman was sitting with his head, arms and shoulders all out of the tank.  His head resting cutely on his hands at the edge of his tank. 

“Hello” he spoke.  His voice sounded a bit different when not distorted by the water.  It was deep and soothing and made you just want to melt on the spot. 

“Hello” you returned. “This is Namjoon, Jungkook, and Hoseok. And I’m y/n” you pointed to them respectively. 

“Taehyung” he pointed to himself.  

“Nice to meet you Taehyung” you approached him holding your hand out to shake his hand.  He looked curiously at you and you realized that was probably not a gesture that he understood. 

“Oh.  Sorry.  It’s what humans do to greet each other.  We shake hands” 

“Shake hands to greet.” He nodded like he was making a mental note of it. 

“So we’re going to carry you out of here now, I’ve made space in my room to put your tank and secure it so it doesn’t slide around the ship when we take off.”  You did now notice that the tank didn’t have a lid, you hoped that the trip back to Triton wouldn’t make the water spill out, you’d have to come up with something for that…

The four of you picked up the tank, noticing that it had handles to carry it, you were extremely thankful for that convenience.  It was quite heavy, about four feet high, and six feet in length.  You wondered if he’d start to miss swimming in the open waters.  You’d have to build a bigger tank for him back at your lab. 

“We make last night” Taehyung proudly tapped the glass on his tank as you carried him. 

“You made this in a night? It’s nice, the handles helped”  You complimented him sweetly.  

So they have the means to make things like this.  And very quickly.  You were going to have to ask more about that. 

Once he was set down and secured in your room, you let out a small chuckle at the way he looked around wide eyed at all of your things. 

Hoseok and Jungkook had decided to go get something to eat.  

“Want me to stay?” Namjoon asked “For safety?” he whispered the last part in your ear.  Not being able to tear his eyes from the sharp teeth showing as Taehyung smiled. 

“He seems gentle, you can go eat.  I want to just take some notes and talk with him for a while” 

Namjoon nodded and left the two of you alone in the room. 

You sat down on your bed, which was only a few feet from where his tank sat.  

He rested his chin on his arms at the top of the glass, looking at you with a cute and curious stare. 

“I have so many questions I don’t even know where to start” you chuckled, feeling slightly shy now that you were alone with him.  

“I have question too.  Many” he laughed lightly, he didn’t seem to be nervous about this at all.  If he was he was doing a good job not showing it. 

Your mind raced through all of your questions, wondering what to ask first as you pulled out a pen and your research notebook.  Writing at the top

‘Taehyung, Mermaid Research Notes’ 

“So, did you know that we existed?” You asked him 

Taehyung thought for a moment.  “Little know.” he answered “See your ships move in sky?  Not know what look like.  Or why ships” 

You wrote down his answer in your notes.  So they could see your ships going from moon to moon.  

“So you go to the surface of the water, you can breath like we do it seems.  Like right now you’re out of the water and seem to be fine?” 

He nodded “Breath is both.  Tail need water or maybe die.  Have question? You say two, not fair, take turn” he winked at you in what almost seemed like a flirtatious gesture, your cheeks grew hot and you wanted to cover your face in embarrassment. 

“Sorry.  We’ll take turns” you smiled nervously at him. 

“Good.  I ask, You say warrior would die under water.  Not breath underwater?” He furrowed his brow as he asked. 

“No, we have to hold our breath if we go underwater, and that can only last for like a minute or two.” 

“Oh.  Interesting” Taehyung’s eyes widened as he nodded again. “I ask again?” he cocked his head to the side. 

You chuckled at his gesture “Yeah, I got two so you should get two” 

“We speak same. You know Why?”  

“Actually I was wondering that too!” You put a hand to your face as you thought “ I really have no idea though.  It seems you speak our language, just in a more…” you didn’t want to offend him so you tried to think of a way to phrase your thoughts. “With less words?” 

“Less words.  Yes. You speak extra words” 

Extra words, you found that an amusing way to put it. 

“Maybe at one point in life, a long time ago our people lived together somehow.” you guessed “I don’t know for sure, but we had heard of you.  It was all supposed to be just a story that you’d tell children, and no one really believed it.  But I actually had hoped it was true, and that’s the main reason that we came to your planet.  I wanted to find out if you were real” you told him. 

“Maybe.” he nodded as he agreed with your guess, yet something strange flickered over his dark eyes.  He suddenly dunked his head under the water and surfaced again.  It seemed random, you wondered if he was just missing the feeling.

“Don’t like dry hair.  Feeling weird” he told you, as if he knew what you were thinking. 

“Oh okay” you nodded.  “Um...so my turn?” you still were feeling shy and awkward around him.  His beauty was enough to make you nervous alone, let alone the fact that he was the embodiment of a life long dream achieved.  You wanted to make every second with him count. 

The door to your room swung open, causing Taehyung to jump slightly and splash a bit in the water. 

“Hey.  Just brought you some food and wanted to check in” Namjoon spoke, handing you one of the protein packs and looking Taehyung over skeptically.  

“Thanks Joon.  We’re doing well.  Just talking” you smiled at him

“Okay, just radio me if you need anything.” his eyes not leaving the merman in the room “Hoseok is going to start the ascent to the surface soon”  he let you know. 

You gave him a quick smile and a wave as he left the room.  You had expected him to be far more excited about all of this, it was his dream as well, yet something seemed to be bothering him. 

“Not like me” Taehyung said after Namjoon had shut the door.  He said it as if it was a fact and not a question. 

“I’m sure that's not true.  He’s wanted to meet your people too.  He might just be nervous” 

You were almost trying to convince yourself that was the case. 

You felt the ship jolt forward a little bit, a small creaking sound rang out as the ship complained from having been still for so long.  Taehyung's water shook slightly in his tank and he looked scared. 

“It’s just the ship moving up to the surface” You told him “Its safe” 

He smiled slightly “Okay. Safe” he nodded “Trust” 

The two of you exchanged questions back and forth the whole way to the surface.  You found out that he was also a scientist, that they seemed to have most of the same careers that your society had.  Doctors, teachers, store owners, construction.  Even one job that was basically a veterinarian, they liked to keep some types of fish and aquatic animals as pets. 

Once you reached the surface of the water and it was time to take back off into space, you had to say goodbye to Taehyung and go sit buckled into your seat.  You had made a makeshift lid, hoping it was enough to keep him safe and his water in the tank.

Right before you put it on, he could see your worried expression and he reached out his hand to you, taking your hand in his own.  He brushed his thumb along your palm, sending a shudder throughout your body. 

“Safe.  Trust” He spoke, his dark eyes sparkling as they met yours.  

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

When your shuttle arived back to Triton, your crew was met with cheers and camera crews everywhere.  The large crowd gathered at the station were excited that you had all returned safely, and you were sure they were dying to hear all about it.  

Your team went out to the steps where you could address the crowd.  You told them that your team would be releasing the pictures and notes that you’d taken on your trip within the week.  That seemed to satisfy their hunger for curiosity.  

Really all you could think about though, was getting Taehyung safely into your lab without him being seen. 

You had discussed with Hoseok plans to dock the ship in the back entrance after waving away the crowd, so now it was time to do just that. 

Jin had left to go update his higher ups on what had happened on the trip.  You nervously hoped he’d keep his word about what had really happened down on neptune. 

Hoseok, Namjoon and Jungkook helped you carry Taeyhung’s tank from where the ship was now discreetly docked in the lab.  

You were happy to see that he was already from the landing. 

“Nice see you again y/n” he purred out as he saw you.  Namjoon rolled his eyes and sighed, you still didn’t quite understand what had him so upset about this whole thing. 

Once Taehyung was brought to one of the rooms in the lab that only you and Namjoon had access to you thanked Hoseok and Jungkook and told them they could go. 

“That was a hell of a trip boss” Jungkook grinned at you “These pictures we took really are going to make me the top photographer on all of the moons.”

“Just remember not to publish any of the ones of Taehyung or the other merpeople.  Also the ones I selected to be exclusively for my research papers I will be posting” 

“Right” he nodded giving you a small wave as he left the room.

Hoseok then stepped forward towards you.

“Hey let me know when you need me for the return alright? You have my number” he put a hand on your shoulder.

“Will do, seriously thank you for everything. I couldn’t have done this without you”

“I know” he winked and gave you finger guns as he walked backwards out of the room.

Taehyung had been watching you say your goodbyes silently under water, tiny bubbles ascending to the surface of the tank.  He seemed to be anxious to get your attention back over to him again. 

You gave him a small smile and put your finger up to say ‘just wait one second’

You still had to say goodbye to Namjoon, who stood scowling at Taehyung. 

You realized you needed to have this conversation in private and motioned for Namjoon to join you right outside the door to Taehyung's room.

“So what’s going on with you? I thought you’d be excited that we finally found merpeople? This was our dream remember?” You narrowed your eyes at him, biting on your lower lip.

Namjoon crossed his arms across his broad chest.

“Yeah, this was our dream. Our, dream.  But you seem to want to do this all on your own.” He glared at you 

“On my own?  I’m sorry but you were right there with me? You came on this trip too, I didn’t leave you out of anything” you hissed in a whisper 

“Yeah. Okay.  Well have fun with your new best friend.  And your research papers.  Don’t bother putting my name on them.  If you even planned on it” he growled and stomped away from you.

“Namjoon wait!” You yelled after him. “What the hell” you mutter to yourself shaking your head angrily as you walked back into the room where Taehyung was waiting for you.

He had an expression of confusion laid on his features.

He was poking only the top of his head out of the water, just his eyes peeking above. 

“Sorry about that.  I really don’t know why he thinks-“ you stopped yourself, not wanting to rant about your problems to this man you’d just met. “Never mind” you sighed.

Taehyung cocked his head to the side.  “Okay?” he pointed to you. 

“Yeah I’m okay” you faked a smile. 

“Lie” he shook his head, “Alright, don’t tell.” he seemed to pout slightly. 

“It’s nothing really.  Namjoon is upset, but he’ll get over it” 

Taheyung pulled himself up to rest his arms on the top of the tank.  “Hope.” he nodded slowly “Don’t like you sad” he frowned and reached a hand out to you. 

You purse your lips, debating whether to step into his touch.  Deciding that it couldn’t hurt. 

You reached your hand out to him as you walked forward.  He took your hand gently in both of his and turned it over, brushing fingers lightly over your palm and staring at it inquisitively, his gaze flickering from your hand to your confused face every once in a while.   His hands were cold, and seemed to glitter in the light, they were so beautiful, wet and soft as they touched you.  You shuddered slightly.

After what felt like hours of him doing this he gave you your hand back.  

His eyes were locked on to yours and you awkwardly wiped your hand on your pants.  

“So I still have so much more I want to know about you” You spoke

“Same” he nodded “Many question” 

“I’ll start?” you chuckled as you pulled up a chrome metal chair to the side of his tank, taking out your notebook.  

“So,” you cleared your throat “What are relationships like there?” 

“Relationship?” Taehyung furrowed his brow. 

“Yeah, like do you get married?” 

“Not married” He spoke slowly pointing to himself “But, yes married happens.”

“Oh, okay so you aren’t, but that's a normal thing”

He nodded.  “You?”

You chuckled “No, I’m not, but we do here too” 

He seemed relieved at your answer. 

“Turn?” he pointed to himself.

“Yeah, go ahead”

“How do…” he smirked slightly, his tail flicking some water up in the air that fell right back down into the tank. “How do you, create new people”

You choked on air at his question.  As a scientist you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable talking about these things, but for some reason discussing sex with him seemed more intimate than it should.

“Oh, I-” you shook your head, trying to shake away the embarassement, “Sex is, um.  Men have an…” you wanted to try and say this like a mature professional as best you could “an appendage, their genitalia, and they enter the woman’s, entrance...that fits the man’s appendage inside and releases sperm that combines with an egg to create a baby” you coughed, still feeling uncomfortable and shy. 

He nodded understandingly.  “Us different.  Not enter.  Female release, then male release, combines outside in water to an egg where young grows”

“Oh!” you found that interesting and quickly jotted it down in your notes. 

You talked back and forth a bit more with him explaining further and asking more questions as well. 

“I did have one more question before I turn in for the night…”

Taehyung smiled at you, nodding for you to go ahead.

“You said that you can’t leave the water or you’ll dry up.  Has that happened before?”

Taheyung thought hard for a moment “Only told.  Only a story.  No dry to test theory.  Only water at home.  Wanted to create raft to test theory, no one willing.  Much risk.”  he seemed to be thinking hard on this thought.  “Always wondered…”

You wrote down a few more notes on your paper, then flipped your notebook shut. 

“I think that’ll be it for the night” You smiled at him “I’m going to look into getting you a bigger tank, will you be fine sleeping here for the night?” you asked

“Yes, fine.  Sleep good” he smiled, holding his hand out again to you.  You put your hand into his and he gave you a quick squeeze “Will miss…” he murmured almost inaudibly. 

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

The rest of the night you tossed and turned in the sheets.  Taehyung was on your mind the whole time.  

When you finally drifted off to sleep, the world you were sent to was familiar but not your own. 

You felt yourself falling down slowly through dark water, a small light in the distance was getting closer and closer as you sank.  

You didn’t feel like you were drowning, you felt serene and weightless.  The light was now almost to you, nothing else was visible in the pitch black water, and you were starting to make out the object giving off the warm yellow glow. 

It was a lamp, somehow still lit underwater, and a hand was holding tightly to it. 

Soon you recognized the face that owned that hand.  It was Taehyung.  His tanned skin glowing against 

You smiled and opened your mouth to greet him, when suddenly his face was mere inches from your own. 

His razor sharp teeth were bared and your blood froze.  You felt your entire body start to clench up with fear, a shock running down your spine at the monstrous sight of this man.   

His hand shot out and gripped you around your throat.  He screamed something but for some reason you couldn’t make out the words, maybe it was a different language?

Your eyes shot open and you were sitting straight up in bed, gasping and sweating.  What the hell was that dream about? 

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

After eating breakfast, showering and getting dressed for the day, you made your way over to your lab.  Excited to see Taehyung again despite the dream still slightly haunting your mind.  

As you opened the door, starting to step into his room, you called out for him in a singsong voice “I’m baaaack” 

Only to drop everything you are holding in your hands in shock.  Your heart seemed to sink all the way to your feet and fall to the floor with your notebook and coffee that now was spilling across the tile on the ground. 

He was...gone.  He just wasn’t there.

No, this isn’t possible! Who got to him? Did Jin lie? Did he tell his supervisors and they came and took him to a different lab so they could steal away your credit and research?

Catching you completely off guard and making you almost jump straight out of your skin, a hand touched your shoulder from behind. 

You almost turned around to punch the attached person in the face, when he spoke. 

“No! Sorry.  Accident scare” 

You knew that voice. 

You whipped yourself around to see that standing behind you was a completely naked Taehyung.  Standing.  Behind you.  On LEGS. 

Your eyes scanned over him, his tail gone and his lower half of his body now matching the humanness of his upper half.  You also took note of the fact that the iridescent glow that usually blanketed over every inch of his skin was also gone.  He looked completely human. 

“W-what…” you stammered out, your eyes flickering up and down his body. 

“Y/n.  Experiment, success!” He clapped his hands together and motioned to himself up and down, as if you weren’t already looking him over obsessively. 

“Tried out of water.  Thought you save if went wrong” he shrugged “Look! Like you now.  Strange.”  he grinned excitedly. 

“Taehyung.  I don’t understand...I thought you were sure you’d die out of the water” 

“Scientist?” he pointed to himself “Never sure without facts.  Want see for self. Much surprise” he chuckled.  You now noticed he was absentmindedly playing with the new body part he had discovered between his legs.  

Your breath caught in your throat and you quickly pulled your eyes away from what he was doing.  Your eyes had lingered a bit too long already.  Enough that you’d realized how impressive his cock was.

“I-I, need to get you some clothes” you muttered, now facing away from him. 

“Oh” he spoke quietly “Yes, you people clothes here” he laughed lightly. 

You hurried out of the room and grabbed a spare lab coat, then went to Namjoon’s locker in the breakroom to find that he thankfully had some spare basketball shorts left there. 

You brought them back to Taehyung and turned your back to him while he dressed. 

“Feel weird” Taehyung muttered.  “Don’t like dry” 

You spun back around to face him.  It wasn’t the most stylish attire but at least he was covered now and you could speak to him without feeling a warmth building between your legs at the mouth watering sight of his naked form. 

“I don’t understand how this happened” you whispered. 

“Same” he took a seat in one of the metal chairs in the room, lifting his legs up and down and kicking them around, rolling his ankles while he stared at his feet.

“Toes?” he asked cocking his head to the side as he wiggled his newfound appengages. 

“Yeah” you giggled “How’d you know what they were called?”

Taehyung stood up and walked over to the desk in the corner of the room where you now saw a bunch of opened books laying out.  One being an anatomy book. 

“Oh, woah you’ve had a long night huh?” 

Taehyung smiled and nodded. 

“I learned much” 

Suddenly he was walking over to you, you felt your breathing break it’s steady pace as he reached his hand out to rest on your shoulder. 

“Haven’t learned enough...explain? Something wrong happening” his expressed was shifting into one of confusion and worry. 

“I-I don’t quite understand what you mean?” you stammered out, hoping that he doesn’t realize how much his closeness was making you nervous.  The way his eyes trailed over you was sinful and you were trying to convince yourself that it wasn’t what you thought it was.  But, his eyes seemed to be hungrily taking you in, and now his hand was sliding down from your shoulder, fingers trailing lightly down your arm as he did.  It slightly tickled and made you shudder, which he definitely noticed.  Yet he still seemed concerned about something. 

Once his hand reached your own he took it and slowly guided you forward.  He placed your hand over his crotch, which you felt harden even more than it most likely already was under your touch.  It was his turn to shudder. 

“Why is this?” he muttered. 

“Um…” you tried to speak but your mind was taken over by the fact that he was holding your hand to his dick currently.  You didn’t want to feel as turned on as you did, you wanted to keep this professional.  But you felt yourself growing warm and wet between your legs. 

“It's what happens when men are turned on” you murmured 

“What turned on?” he was still confused. 

“It’s nothing bad.  It means…” you wanted to find the right words to communicate this.  He seemed to understand most things you said even if he didn’t know the words, why couldn’t he get this one, you groaned silently in your mind. 

“It means you want to mate?” you tried. 

“Mate?” He suddenly smiled, “Ah yes.  Understand now.  Yes want that.” he nodded, your heart skipping a beat as his lustful gaze was now admitted to be something real and not an idea you were creating just to flatter yourself.  

“Taehyung you know we shouldn’t right? We are just here to learn-” 

Taehyung cut you off with his other hand bringing a finger to your lips.  He brushed over your bottom lip delicately, his eyes staring into your own so intensely that you swore he was staring into your soul.  

“Want to learn human body, help?” his voice was innocent but his expression and body language was anything but.  He was still holding your hand to his clothed cock over Namjoon’s basketball shorts and he was starting to move your hand slightly up and down his shaft that you could feel so distinctly through the loose fabric. 

“Mmmm” he moaned out lowly, his deep voice so erotic and inticing. 

“For learning?” you whispered, hesitantly moving your face towards his. 

He broke into a boxy smile that made you want to melt. 

“Show me” he spoke softly, his hand now tugging at the button on your jeans.

He pressed his forehead against your own, biting down on his lower lip. 

 “Please” he breathed out. 

At this point you were too far gone to think clearly.  He was begging, and he was too tempting to deny.  

You nodded your head slightly, closing your eyes as you felt him now undoing your button and unzipping your jeans.  So slowly it was almost as if he was teasing you. 

He dropped to his knees as he pulled down your pants and panties all in one swift motion.  His tongue darted out and he wet his lips quickly as his eyes widened at the sight of your lower half naked in front of him. 

“Never...Never done...never seen” he muttered, his eyes flicked up to meet yours. 

“I’ll teach you” 

“Please” he groaned, bringing his attention back to your pussy that was eye level with him. 

His forefinger trailed across your outer folds ever so lightly.  You felt a chill of pleasure and want run over your skin, giving you goosebumps all over. 

“Show me” he repeated his request from earlier. 

You decided to step back from him to go lay on the desk, so you could spread your legs and give him a better view.  He pouted until he realized what you were doing.  Now he was walking towards you and dropping to his knees again, returning to face your dripping center at eye level. 

“Wow” he whispered, he was so close that you could feel his breath against you.  

“You...can touch me.  Explore around I guess” you chuckled nervously, not sure if you were excited or scared to be in this position with him.  You felt like if any of your crew found out what you were doing they’d be upset, especially Namjoon.  

You closed your eyes tightly, breathing quickly anticipating the likely touch that was soon to come. 

Taehyung stared into your center in awe, he didn’t quite know why he was so attracted to this part of you that he’d never seen on anyone before.  Mermaids didn’t actually have sex.  It wasn’t about pleasure or getting off, it was purely for creating children, you never even had to touch the other during the act.  It wasn’t intimate, it wasn’t this…

The urges that he was having were so foriegn to him, he knew it was coming from the new body part he’d found dangling between his legs that seemed to somehow be growing even harder as he stared at your nakedness laid out in front of him. 

You were becoming wet, Taehyung liked the wet, it was so inviting, he wanted to feel it on his fingers.  

You shuddered as he started to feel around, brushing against your clit every so often, never entering you.  

You realized he might not understand that he could.  One of your hands crept down to join his, he almost jumped back in surprise, he had been so entranced in touching you he’d almost forgotten anything else in the world existed.  When your hand reached down he snapped back to reality a bit.  You started to press a finger into your dripping hole. Moaning as you brought the finger in and out.  Taehyung felt his cock twitch at the sound of your pleasure, he realized he wanted to do whatever he could to be the one making you create those beautiful noises. He didn’t understand why, but the thought of pleasuring you made him more excited than he’d ever been in his life. 

“You can do this to me” you told him, “Try” 

Taehyung nodded and brought his finger to replace yours that had just retracted itself from your hole.  

Without even realizing why he did this, his other hand snapped up and grabbed your wrist before you could pull your hand away.  He brought his lips to the finger you’d had inside of you and pulled it into his mouth, carefully avoiding touching you to his sharp teeth, sucking and licking, growling in satisfaction at how unexpectedly pleasent the taste was.  

“Wow” he whispered as he released your hand from his grip. 

He then returned his focus to his other hand. 

“Another?” he asked as he started to tease your entrance with two fingers. 

“Yes.  I can probably only take two though” you moaned, 

Taehyung chuckled, and decided he was going to try a third after he played around with two fingers.  The scientist in him needed to test that theory that you could only take two.  

The louder your moans got, the more Taehyung felt this urge for you to be touching him back.  When your hand was on him over his clothes earlier it was all he could think about, and he needed you to touch him again.  

He started to push into you with a third finger.  

“Fuck, Taehyung,  Thats too” you gasped out in high pitched moans. 

Taehyung smirked as he continued, “Shh, Will be okay” he muttered.  You were so tight but adjusting to him.  He started to move his fingers around, and then remembered that you had shuddered and moaned every time that he had brushed against the nub that rested right above where his fingers were going in and out of you.  And the way you had tasted when he licked your wetness off of your fingers still lingered on his tongue, he needed another taste,  Maybe he should be giving some attention there too…

He brought his mouth to your clit and started to give small licks, you responded more than he’d anticipated, bucking your hips up into his mouth, it makes Taehyung swell with pride that he’d figured out how to make you feel even better.  

“Taehyung I’m g-gonna cum soon, I’m getting so close” you gasped out. 

Suddenly his head snapped away from you, you whimpered at the loss of him. 

“Cum?” he looked up at you in confusion. 

“Um yeah, like have an orgasm” You explained. 

“Hmmm” he hadn’t fully realized he was working towards a finish here, he had just been having fun.  But now that he knew there was an end purpose to his actions it only motivated him to work harder.  His tongue dove back into you, flicking and licking faster than before.  He had to hold your squirming hips down with his free hand so he could keep his pace.

“Fuck!” you screamed out loudly “Taehyung don't stop! I’m cumming” 

Taehyung smiled widely against you as he continued his surprisingly skilled tongue work, lapping up every bit of the wetness that you were giving to him as you came.  He felt the walls around his fingers pulsing and tightening around him as you rode out your high.  

He didn’t stop for a moment after you had came.  You were giggling as you tried to wiggle away from him.  

“Ah, Taehyung, Ahh, Stop.  It’s too sensitive now!” you squealed. 

He chuckled and continued for a few seconds more before pulling himself away from you.  Wiping your juices from the corner of his mouth. 

“That was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.” You put an arm over your forehead, your chest heaving up and down heavily.  “Are you sure you’ve never done that before?” 

Taehyung felt so proud of himself.  “No never...Really good?” 

“So good” you smiled at him, sitting up now.  “Want me to return the favor?” 

Taehyung nodded slowly, “Meaning...Touch me?” he asked, his hand now palming his hard and aching cock over his short. 

“Yes, I want to touch you” you smiled sliding yourself off the table and getting down on your knees in front of him.  He cocked an eyebrow up, curious at what you are doing now.  Your fingers hooked around the hem of the shorts and pulled them down to his ankles.  His cock sprung free now, so hard and needy, a small bead of precum already forming on his tip.  You licked your lips and brought a hand up to grip the base of his cock. 

“Oh” he whimpered as he threw his head back and shut his eyes tightly.  

You then brought your lips to wrap around him, not fully taking him in, but enough that he could now feel your tongue laying flat against the underside of his tip.  His hand reflexively snapped to the back of your head, wanting to push himself into you all the way, but not wanting to hurt you.  You started to bob your head as your lips moved up and down his shaft.  Taehyung's other hand now held the back of your head as well, gently moving with you as you moved on him. 

Your tongue flicked over him in a way that felt like heaven, and he, without meaning to jerked his hips forward, causing you to take him in all the way.  You quickly pulled away from him coughing and giggling. 

“Sorry” Taehyung gasped, “Hurt?” he felt awful for his unintentional action that seemed to have caused you discomfort.  Here you were making him feel so good and he was getting overly greedy. 

“No, you’re fine.  I get it” you chuckled “Let me adjust and you can do that more if you want” 

Taehyung’s eyes widened dramatically as you  now started to take him in fully, your lips now all the way at the base of his cock, your nose brushing against his abdomen. 

“Do your thing now,  I’ll tap your thigh hard three times if it’s too much for me okay? Then you have to stop, but unless I do that you can use my mouth however you want” you smirked up at him.  

Taehyung nodded, and for a brief second a thought floated through the front of his mind.  He was in love…

Taehyung’s hands returned to the back of your head, he started out slowly, moving his hips forward into your mouth as he gripped you tightly, pushing himself into your mouth all the way, and back out again.  A loud grunt that surprised even him escaped his lips as he sped up.  

Your eyes were watering as you choked a bit around him, but you didn’t want it to stop, you wanted him to cum.  This beautiful godlike man was using your mouth so perfectly. 

Taehyung felt himself tightening as the pleasure was building, was this his orgasm?  He was slightly nervous for the feeling, when you came it seemed to be quite an intense thing.  He didn’t quite know what to expect but if it felt anything like what he did right now he didn’t want to stop chasing it. 

Suddenly you hummed around him, a low moan that sent vibrations through his cock.  The feeling was overwhelmingly pleasurable.  It was happening.  

“Cumming” he whispered, his eyes rolling back as he shakily fucked himself into your mouth.  The sensation that flooded over him as he poured his hot cum into your mouth couldn’t even be compared to anything he’d ever felt in his  life.  His cock twitched wildy inside your mouth and you moaned around him a few more times, swallowing every drop that he gave you. 

He pulled away once it became too sensitive for him to continue. 

It was your turn to wipe the corners of your mouth.  

Taehyung cocked his head to the side as he stared down at you with a fucked outlook.  

“Good.” he whispered through deep breaths, extending out his hand and brushing a thumb over your cheek and then your lower lip.  You gently grabbed his wrist and kissed the palm of his hand. 

“Very good” 

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

The next few weeks you and Taehyung continued to learn from each other, in every way possible.  Learning about each other's societies and cultures.  And continuing extensive first hand anatomy lessons.  

Taehyung had been falling more and more in love with you.  

Now that he had legs you were able to take him out into the towns, showing him all of your favorite spots and places to go.  

Everytime you grabbed his hand and pulled him over to something that excites you, that warm feeling of love and joy filled him up to the point that he felt he might explode. 

Your happiness was irresistible, all of you was irresistible to him. 

You were feeling similar, yet that dream you had weeks ago hasn't stopped appearing.  Almost every night you dreamed of Taehyung’s hand around your throat as he dragged you down into the dark water, the dream had actually continued even longer than the first time.  In the most recent dream everything was the same, expect that you could feel the water filling your lungs, you could feel yourself drowning.  You woke up choking and grabbing at your throat.  You hated yourself for somehow having this subconscious fear of Taehyung due to these dreams.  Yet you’d still flinch away from in the morning’s where the dream had visited you during the night.  You’d shudder slightly when you caught a glimpse of his teeth.  

Namjoon had avoided you ever since your fight.  He had turned in a resignation notice and that was the last you’d heard of him.  It hurt that he felt like you were trying to steal all of the credit, you really weren’t.  You would’ve put his name right next to yours on every research paper.  You had cried when you saw Namjoon’s notice that he was leaving,  Taehyung held you and kissed you on the cheek, telling you everything would be okay.  You did feel some comfort in that, you’d lost your best friend...but gained a new one. 

Then many things happened.  All too fast and none of them good.  About a week ago your office was broken into and you found all of your research had been stolen.  You hated that you suspected Namjoon, but who else could it have been.  Who else had access? 

You suspected that he was going to publish the papers with just his name on them, same as he thought you were going to do to him.  

You had tried calling him only to find that your number had been blocked.  

--------

You and Taehyung were cuddling in your bed, enjoying a day off from work and just hanging around your house. 

Your head was on his chest and your arms wrapped tightly around him.  You felt him sigh heavily.  

“Hey what's wrong” you wondered.

He simply sighed again.  

“Tell me or I’ll tickle you” you chuckled. 

Taehyung avoided meeting your eyes as he spoke, a small frown on his lips.  “Miss home” 

“Oh” you frowned

“Love here with you.  But, Miss home.  Miss water.” he sighed again. 

You didn’t know what to say, and simply nuzzled your head against him.  He brought an arm around your shoulders pulling you in tightly and kissing you on the top of your head. 

Suddenly your phone was beeping wildey.  You groaned and rolled over to your nightstand table picking it up. 

Text from Jungkook: Call me. 

Text from Jungkook: Y/n????

Test from Jungkook: Y/N CALL NOW

You were completely confused at what might be so urgent.  You clicked the button to return his many calls that he’d also tried. 

“Y/n oh my god” Jungkook was frantically gasping.

“What the hell Kook are you okay?” 

“Have you seen the news?” 

Your body froze and you got extremely nervous.  What news? What could possibly have happened. 

“Y/n everyone been lying to us.  Jin lied to us, The government lied to us.  Taehyung has been lying to you” Jungkook was shakily gasping out. 

You spun around to Taehyung who was glaring at your phone, he seemed to have overheard that last part and his jaw was clenched tightly.  

“W-what do you mean?” You stammered.  

“Y/n, Off phone now.” Taehyung growled. “Please” 

Your eyes widened at how aggressive Taehyung seemed to be getting.  

“Jungkook just tell me what happened!” 

Taehyung lunged forward and grabbed your phone out of your hand, breaking it in half with ease and tossing it across the room. 

“No.” he spoke with a grim quietness. 

You scrambled out of bed running to the other side of the room away from Taehyung, your heart beating fast and your stomach filling with a sickening feeling. 

“Taehyung what the hell!” you yelled “What did Jungkook mean?” 

Taehyung was shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair. 

“Y/n.  Not what it seems.  Please.  Didn’t want wrong idea.  Please” he was starting to tear up.  “Hear from me not from him” his voice shook as he spoke. 

“Hear what from you!” you spoke through gritted teeth. 

“y/n…” he whispered, 

Suddenly there was a loud crash, and you heard the door to your house being opened and footsteps running towards your room.  The door flung open wide and a frantic Namjoon stood in the entrance now. 

“Y/n! Thank god you’re okay.  I thought maybe he’d already taken you to the ship.” he was gasping. 

“What the actual fuck is happening?” you screamed.  

Taehyung was now standing and walking towards Namjoon, his body shaking with rage. 

“Step back!” Namjoon screamed holding an arm out to Taehyung, your stomach dropped when you saw what was clutched in his hand.  A gun, just like the one that Jin had on the ship. 

Taehyung snarled and hissed animalistically at Namjoon, but backed up a few steps.  His eyes flicking over to you. 

“Y/n please.  Love you y/n.  Promise” Taehyung was whimpering.  “Trust.” 

“We have to go y/n” Namjoon spoke urgently pulling on your arm, still holding the gun out in warning at Taehyung.  

You didn’t want to leave him though, you wanted to hear Taehyung explain himself.  You wanted him to make this awful sinking feeling go away.  You needed the man you loved…

Yet Namjoon was pulling you away from him and out of the house, then into his car.  Speeding away from your house,  you could see Taehyung running out of your home, his gaze following the car as you drove away, your eyes meeting.  You could see him screaming something out at you.

The sight outside was shocking, you now realize why Jungkook was asking you if you’d seen the news. 

The sky was scattered with ships that looked so familiar...they all looked identical to your one of a kind shuttle you’d taken to Neptune! 

“Namjoon, what is happening?” 

Namjoon didn’t tear his eyes away from the road, but he answered you in a very serious tone. 

“Taehyung. This whole time he’s been playing you.  His people wanted the plans on how you’d built the ship they’d seen and that's why they sent him with us.  I’m assuming, once he’d tested out his theory that he could become just like us out of water he radioed that down to all of them too.  Now they are here.  And they aren’t being friendly.” 

Your jaw dropped, you didn’t understand.  Taehyung had been stealing your plans for the ship the whole time? And how did Namjoon know all of this? Was it Taehyung that had broken into your lab?

“And Taehyung isn’t the only one that’s been playing you.  Our own fucking government was.  They knew that they existed.  It was never a question.  They just hid it from the rest of society.  It turns out each of our ruling powers had a similar idea.  Neptune has been wanting to colonize on our moons, take them over.  And our government wanted you to go down there and scope it out because they were thinking the same thing.  Thats why Jin was there.  And that's probably why he left the ship right away when we had arrived at their city.  That's how my suspicions started, why would the government send a man with a gun like that unless they already had an idea.  And the way Taehyung was so willing to be handed over and didn’t even seem to be worried.  I just couldn’t get it off my mind that something was up.”  He shook his head. 

“B-but...Taehyung loves me” you stuttered

“Y/n I’m sorry, but he doesn’t love you.  Hes been faking everything just to steal your research. They are literally here to wipe us all out and we need to get the fuck off of this planet before that happens” His hands shook on the steering wheel. 

“I can’t...I don’t want to leave him.  He may not love me.  But...I love him” You started to sob uncontrollably. 

“You’ll get over it” Namjoon scoffed, pulling into the hanger where your ship that you had taken to Neptune still sat. 

“I got Hoseok and Jungkook here since they are familiar with this ship, and I made the government promise to get our families on the evacuation ships”

This was all happening so fast.  Did Triton really not stand a chance against Taehyung’s people?  Your mind flashed to the dream you’d been having and you felt that you might throw up.  Your mind had been trying to tell you something was off this whole time.  You were too infatuated with the hypnotizingly handsome merman you’d now fallen in love with to see the truth, you’d fed him enough information to destroy your entire civilization. 

You quickly boarded your ship.  Hoseok and Jungkook were already inside as Namjoon had mentioned.  

You sat in silence, still in shock over everything that was happening as the ship took off. 

“So where are we going” you muttered, turning to Namjoon. 

“I know this sounds bad, but we are actually going down to Neptune...It’s big enough that we can hide out in this ship for now until the president issues out a notice that our people have found another planet or place to live... all the ships going out are scattering.” He sighed

“I-I’m so sorry Namjoon.  Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you thought something was up.  I could’ve stopped telling him things.  Been more careful around him” you frowned “Not fallen in love with him” you spoke in a whisper. 

“I’m sorry y/n.  It wasn’t the right call.  I just felt like it was safer if I didn’t say anything.  But I was wrong” he shook his head.  

In a few days your ship was nearing Neptune,  the four of you had mostly slept the entire trip, trying to  not look out and back on your moons.  You’d caught a glimpse of what was happening and you couldn’t help but scream out as you saw the once gray surface of your home lit up red with explosions and flames.  You hoped and prayed that your family and everyone else who had lived there had been fast enough to the evacuation ships.

“Landing! Get buckled” Hoseok yelled out over the intercom.  You did as you were told shakily buckling yourself into your seat. 

Once you hit the water, you just stayed still for a while. You all did.  Probably sharing the same silent thought.  What now?

Your questions were answered when suddenly a door that led to a storage room creaked open. 

“Put your fucking hands in the air and don’t come any closer!” Namjoon shouted out.  His gun he had brought with him now raised for a second time. 

Your breath caught in your throat.  And you knew you shouldn’t feel any happiness at the sight of this stow away.  But you couldn’t help it.  

“Tae-Taehyung” you whimpered.  

Taehyung looked like he hadn’t slept in days, his blue hair messy and bags under his eyes.  

“Please.  Want explain” He choked out, stepping forward towards you. 

“I said don’t move!” Namjoon boomed narrowing in on Taehyung with his gun.

“No! Please!” you ran directly in front of the gun with your hands out. 

Namjoon let out a frustrated growl “Y/n…” 

“I want to hear what he has to say…” you cried. 

The room fell silent, and all eyes locked on to Taehyung.  Namjoon nodded reluctantly for Taehyung to explain himself, lowering his gun, but staying on alert. 

“Your people.  Government.  The date was set.  Destroy date.  I Hacked files and saw.  You came and took pictures.  The last pictures of my people.  Government wanted kill us all.  Date was set” he muttered looking down at the floor. “I wanted...save my people….I wanted also save you” he looked to you with sad eyes “Wouldn’t have let you hurt.  Would’ve got you away!” 

You wanted to believe him so badly.  You wanted to hug him and kiss him, and share more cuddles on your bed at home like you had gotten so used to.  But now you had no home, and it was because of him.  Yet, if what he said was true, his people were only returning the favor in advance for what was about to happen on their planet.  

“Y/n.  Something about four…” He pointed to you, then to Namjoon, Hoseok and Jungkook, “You dream of water all your life.  Want to see Neptune.  Want to explore.” Taehyung turned to Jungkook “Pictures of Neptune so beautiful. And You” he pointed to Hoseok, “Knew the water well, fly ship in water, no one has ever done yes?” 

Hoseok nodded, none of you understanding where he was going with this. Taehyung turned to Namjoon. 

“Why Neptune?  Why here now?  Whole galaxy.  Yet here.” he asked as if he already knew the answer.  Then Taehyung turned to you.  

“Trust?” he muttered, holding out his arms wide.  

You had no idea why, but you did trust him.  His dark eyes had done nothing but lie to you, yet all you wanted to do was keep believing in them. 

You nodded and ran to his arms.  He embraced you in a giant bear hug, twirling you around. 

You smiled as he kissed you on your head. 

“Go water now” He whispered in your ear. 

“You’re leaving?” 

“No.  Two” he pointed to you and then to him. 

“I can’t, remember, we can’t breath under water” 

“Theory.” he stated. 

“Fact?” you raised an eyebrow.  “Humans die  underwater if they don’t get enough air.” 

Taehyung groaned  “Trust,” he grumbled. 

Despite the rest of your crew pleading for you to stop, you followed Taehyung out a hatch that led to the roof of the ship.  You now stood on top, sunlight shining down on Taehyung’s glowing skin.  He grinned at you as the two of you looked over the vast un ending water laid out in front of you. 

“Jump?” Taehyung asked, holding out his hand to you. 

You sighed, feeling slightly uneasy about whatever this was.  But, still, you put your hand in his and let him hold on tight to you. 

“Trust…” you muttered under your breath, taking a deep breath in as the two of you did a running jump off of the top of your ship and into the water. 

Taehyung instantly changed back into his iridescent mermaid form, his tail flowing elegantly in the water.  You pointed for him to swim with you back up to the surface, you already felt yourself craving a breath. 

He smirked and shook his head.  You did not like where this was going. 

Instantly after you had a thought of swimming back to the surface even though he’d said no, he was holding you tightly, and dragging you down, down, down. 

Everything was so dark, and your lungs felt like they might explode.  Your dream came into your mind again.  Though this time his hands weren’t on your throat they were holding you around your waist, holding you under.  You beat him with your fists hoping to free yourself from him.  But you knew, even if you were to be released, he’d dragged you too far down for you to make it up in time. 

This was it.  

It was over.  

Your fight or flight instinct failing, as there was no way to save yourself anymore.  You gave up.  

Taehyung pulled back from you as you started to go dizzy and limp.  He spoke something you couldn’t hear...as if it were another language...Like in your dream.  

He planted a soft kiss on your lips.  Far too loving and delicate for someone that was murdering you.  

Yet somehow, you were glad.  

You had loved him so much.  

You were only sad that now you’d never see him again. 

As everything faded away and your eyes closed, you felt your body try to take in a breath.  Only to have your lungs fill with water.  

Then complete darkness, complete nothingness. 

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

Namjoon, Hoseok and Jungkook ran to the top of the ship.  Looking down into the water. 

“She hasn’t come back up yet...it’s been 10 minutes” Jungkook cried out. 

Namjoon shook his head, tears burning his eyes as he clenched his fists. 

“I shouldn’t have let her go with him.  I can’t believe I let him…” his voice cracked. 

Suddenly the water broke.  A wet mess of blue hair was popping up from the water. 

Taehyung….

As soon as he was within earshot Namjoon screamed out. 

“Where is she!?” 

“Come see” Taehyung grinned with a sing song voice. “Take you to her...Follow?” he said cutely. 

“Fuck.” Hoseok whispered.  “This is bad.  She's not with him.  He killed her” he growled. 

Jungkook shook his head “No, no NO! This can’t be happening. Y/n…” he cried. 

Namjoon glared down at the man who was at the edge of the ship now, smiling up at the three of them, his blue tail peaking out ever so slightly from the water. 

“Why shouldn’t I just shoot you right now” he  pulled the gun up and aimed it directly to the forehead of the blue haired merman who seemed unphased by the threat. 

“Want see her yes?” he asked cheerfully.  “Trust” he smiled mischievously, motioning for Namjoon to come into the water with him.  Namjoon was sure it was a lie, it was a trick.  But, he even if it was in death, he wanted to see y/n again. 

“I’m sorry guys.” Namjoon whispered, tossing the gun aside on the top of the ship and diving down into the water next to the grinning merman.  

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

Your eyes fluttered open, there was a weird feeling of weightlessness around you.  Everything surrounding you was colorful,  you definitely weren’t back on Triton.  Which means there's no way all of this had just been a dream.  

You were laying on a stone bed in an odd room, the walls were decorated with shimmering shells and glass. 

In your confusion you went to stand up and go investigate your surroundings.  Yet something stopped you. 

You couldn’t move your feet.  

Well, something moved.  But it wasn’t feet.  You looked down and screamed out loudly. 

Where legs used to be was now a glittering silver scaled tail, resembling the one that Taehyung had, only differing in color. 

At your screams Taehyung quickly swam into the room. 

“Y/n.  Awake!” his eyes widened. 

You jumped and backed away from him, closer to the wall. 

“Taehyung what the fuck is happening.  I-I thought…” you thought he had killed you.  It was the last thing that you can remember. 

“Never.” he shook his head. “Y/n.  Never hurt you” he held out his hand to you.  “Learn? Swim?” 

You nervously swam towards him, it wasn’t elegant and graceful like how he always swam, but you got to him. 

He pulled you into a loving embrace, petting the top of your head as he held you to his soft and warm chest. 

“y/n is awake?” A voice rang out.  

You broke yourself away from Taehyung's arms to find where that familiar voice was coming from.  

Namjoon swam over to you.  Like you, he was missing legs, and his were replaced by a long green tail.  

“This is crazy isn’t it?” his eyes widened.  “I still can’t quite believe it.  But I’m loving it” he swam up and did a backwards flip.  “It’s kinda like flying.  Hoseok And Jungkook are somewhere around here ” he looked around searching for your other companions.

Taehyung chuckled putting an arm around your shoulders. 

“What is going on here?” 

Namjoon swam to face you and Taehyung. 

“Y/n.  The reason Mermaids speak our language.  The reason both our people knew about each other” he paused collecting his excitement.  “They all just explained this to me, so Taehyung, let me know if I’m leaving anything out.  Everyone up on the moons was originally from here on Neptune.  A long long time ago, the mer people learned that they could walk on dry land, but there was no dry land, so they set out to see if there was any where that they could.  They had made it to the moons but a cruel leader at the time destroyed all of the ships and all records of how to get back home.  The knowledge of the merpeople was passed down through stories, until a journal was found not too long ago of a scientist that had built the ships that could go back and forth between the worlds. It was turned into the government and that’s when they started plotting to wipe them out, and figure out a way to colonize.   I had no idea but It was actually one of the books that were given to me by the government for research help while I was building the ship.  They were going to use us and our research to kill everyone here” he finally stopped for a moment after his long speech “did I get everything?” He turned to Taehyung, who nodded.

“Not all moon people can turn back.  But, More than realize though.  Can tell” he pointed to himself “always drawn to water.  Always need learn, explore, color, need more…” he informed you.

So he knew,  he knew the whole time what all of you were.  

“And we can stay here with you?” You whispered, it all still felt like a dream.

Taehyung smiles and kissed your cheek. 

“Yes” he whispered “please stay” 

[owlsbride]

Chapter II

The nightshift was almost coming to an end. Gwenhwyfar looked at her watch, and still, there were at least three more hours to scape the hospital for a while. The shifts were no longer as they used to. Lately, since January, all the doctors available in London were working an incredible amount of extra hours to fulfil the medical needs in this war that they were battling against an invisible villain. The pandemic was at its peak, and there was nothing more than desolation, illness and death around. Even the smell in the air had changed in the last few months. It was the smell of despair, tiredness and loneliness.

Gwenhwyfar was breaking down. In all the years that she had been an intensive care physician, she had never imagined that things would turn out this way—whole days of work without rest in the service of others. Of course, she loved her job, and if she had to choose it, she would do it over and over again without hesitation. Still, disappointment and anguish were ahead of her. Just a few hours ago, she had lost not one, but five patients and those had only been a few of those in her care. Her co-workers weren't doing much better: they all had lost someone that night, and none had time even to mourn them, and that was simply heartbreaking. Genwheyfar, or Genna as she called herself, in all her years of study and practice, had learned that she did not have to get involved or grew fond of her patients. However, for her, that was a daunting task. She knew that many of her patients would die; it was inevitable. But, who was she to deny them the last goodbye, the final caress, or the last hug to the relatives? Even if it was dangerous to her emotional well-being, she couldn't help it. She had chosen to save lives but also to accompany them in their last breath, it was not her role, but from the depths of her being, she knew that she had no choice. And this was precisely what ailed her the most. It was not the endless hours of work, nor the personal protective equipment that she had to wear to protect herself from the virus that plagued the world, that she had to change after each patient with meticulous care to not contaminate anything around her. No. Her greatest sorrow was not being able to touch her patients, being unable to comfort them, see them die alone and without even their closest relatives.

The virus was relentless, and what began as just a flu that very little was known about it ended up being one of the toughest pandemics in history. Genna had read and studied others; she knew the symptoms, the consequences, and the causes, she never believed that in her time, she would witness such devastation. She looked at her watch again, there were still two hours left before her shift ended, she would be worth a short break since the staff was not enough. She knew she would have to return to the cold corridors of the hospital as soon as possible. She could barely catch her breath back lost in the twenty hours she had been working non-stop. Many of her colleagues had already been victims of the infamous COVID-19. Many were in intensive care, and many others had also lost their lives as loyal health soldiers on the battlefront.

It was too much, Genna sighed while walking through the corridors, she had signed up one more patient among hundreds: male, 25 years old, pneumonia, infected with COVID just three days ago, the respirator was inevitable. She had heard that in other places, ventilators for patients were insufficient, that doctors had to choose who to attend and who not. She was glad that this was not the case: at least in St. Barts, for the moment the technical resources were not insufficient. Genna stood in front of the stretcher. The young man was breathing only thanks to the artificial respirator; her colleagues had done a good job there. The boy was only a little younger than her and yet there he was, lying on a bed, mechanically assisted and in a coma. What would that guy's life be if all this wasn't happening? So young and so helpless at the same time. She read the medical chart and was glad that at least the young man was healthy and had no pre-existing diseases; hopefully, he would have a chance. She watched him a moment longer and walked to another stretcher. In front of her, her colleague watched with resignation.

"She is not gonna make it, right?" Genna asked almost whispering.

"Genna, is that you?" An older woman asked.

"Yeah, under all this equipment, at least" Genna responded, pointing at her medical suit.

"No, she is not going to make it; it's a matter of time." The other doctor said tiredly.

"Hmm," Gwenheyfar nod, "Does she has anybody?" she finished.

"It doesn't make any difference". The older stated.

"It's just too much" Genna spoke almost silently.

"Suppress your tears pet. There is nothing we can do, we have just to go on".

"I guess... How do you do it anyway?" The young doctor asked.

"Look Genna, you look awful, why don't you take a break? The shift is almost over; nobody is going anywhere nor notice your short absence." The older woman suggested while checking the low vitals of the lady on the bed. Genna nodded and slowly walked away from intensive care.

After taking off all the protective equipment, Genna went up to the hospital terrace, the cold wind hit her cheeks briefly shooing her. Once she had made sure that nobody was there, she removed the chinstrap that she now wore almost 24 hours a day and absentmindedly stroked the marks that it had left on her face. She lit a cigarette and smiled wryly to herself: if any of her patients could saw her now. Curiously she walked to the edge of the terrace to stand on the railing that separated the roof from the total void. She took a drag on his cigarette and blew out the smoke slightly. It was too much, exhaustion and madness surrounded her, she looked down and closed her eyes for a moment. How easy it would be to jump.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, dear~ You very much need it right now~." And a soft giggle got lost in the winter night.

——————————————————————————

I would love to know what you think. This is also posted in others platforms, so in doubts don't be shy and talk to me.

[shotsbyshae]

Eyes Closed (Part 3)

Warnings: Fluff, Angst

Words: 2.7k

Pairing: Steve x Witch!Reader, Bucky x Witch!Reader

Summary: Steve’s just trying to keep a promise he made to his best friend.

Song: Eyes Closed by Halsey

Would've gave it all for you, cared for you.

6 Years Ago

Ally was innocent in all of this; Hydra had wanted you, but you weren’t home when they broke into the apartment the two of you had shared, so they took her instead – collateral. They’d heard the rumors from your previous handlers of the power lurking just below the surface, a power you had refused to unleash.

By the time you and the four-member team (Stark, Wilson, Barnes, and Romanoff) had found the Hydra base it was too late. You had walked in to find Ally tied to a chair in the center of the room, trails of blood down the front of her blouse from the gaping wound across her neck. All the life drained from her young, beautiful face. Bucky had tried to keep you from seeing her, but it was too late, he could see the change in your demeanor – the rage in your eyes. No one else on the team was sure why the building began to shake ever so slightly as you ran outside, but Tony had his theories as he watched the dark-haired soldier follow after you. That was the day your life changed, something broke inside you seeing Ally’s lifeless body, but looking back that was also the day you gained something else.

*

“Don’t,” you warn from the edge of the tree line, watching as the man moves cautiously towards you. You’d tried to run as far from the building – as far away from the team – as possible. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Barnes doesn’t stop his advance, “I guess that’s a chance we’re going to have to take.”

“Please,” your veins are burning white hot and every muscle in your body is electrified. Your voice is weak and frantic. “I can’t control it – not when it’s like this – it’s too much.”

He slowly takes your hands in his, one at a time, the cool metal from the prosthetic arm is a welcomed relief to your burning skin. “Well I’m not leaving you out here alone, this is what they want, to push you over the edge.”

Angry, hot tears well up at the thought of Ally and you close your eyes tightly.

“Don’t be who they want you to become,” his words are surprisingly soft as his hands gently squeeze yours. “You’re more than that – just breathe.”

You do as he instructs, the fire still raging just beneath the surface. It takes a moment for the anger to subside and grief to take its place, chilling you to the bone as tears begin to fall silently. The heartache diminishes the uncontrollable feeling you had. The two coincide – grief and anger – only one unleashes that power within you. You drop your head as you let the sadness consume you, sobbing at the thought of your friend and her innocence. Bucky pulls you closer to him, releasing your hands as he envelopes you in his arms.

After that day it became a ritual, much like Natasha with Bruce, anytime you were too close to the edge, Bucky was the one sent in to bring you back down. He was never afraid of you and supported your powers because they were a part of you, no matter how much you hated them.

5 Years Ago

“Barnes,” Stark’s voice comes across the earpiece frantically. “You got eyes on her? I have a feeling that’s not an earthquake.”

The soldier is already on his way up the stairs to you, knowing that dealing with Hydra is always a little more intense for you than any other missions. Intense scenarios don’t mix well with your power, although he’s trying to help you work on controlling that too.

“Hey,” he says calmly entering the room, taking note of the three Hydra agents lying on the floor around you. “You good?” He can see the look in your eyes as you glance up at him, sweat beading up on your forehead, and it’s a look he’s grown fond of. It’s not pride or enjoyment he gets from it, but rather an honor – a privilege – to be the one person you turn to.

“I need – a minute,” you say breathlessly. You can hear the rattle, clings, and clangs of everything in the room as the whole building trembles underneath you. “This was a lot.”

Barnes lays his weapon down on the desk as he moves closer to you, “Come here.” He reaches for you and you turn to him, pressing your forehead against the front of his suit as your hands cling to his arms.  

“Talk to me,” you say, closing your eyes tightly. The sound of glass cracking and wood splintering is only making matters worse. “I need to take my mind off it.”

Bucky glances around, knowing he needs to do something quickly before the whole building collapses around you and he begins, his voice a bit off-key, “Somebody said you had a new friend, does she love you better than I can?” He tries to get the rhythm right as he continues, “There’s a big black sky over my town, I know where you’re at, I bet she’s around.”

You tilt your head back to look at him in utter disbelief, “Are you singing Robyn?”

“Yea I know it’s stupid,” he smirks at you, noticing that the building is beginning to settle as you continue to look at him in complete awe. “I just gotta see it for myself.”

“I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her,” you slowly being to sing along with him. “Oohh.” The pain is subsiding as your body temperature slowly returns to normal. “I’m right over here, why can’t you see me? Oohh.” A smirk crosses your lips as you shove his shoulder playfully, “You have been listening to my playlist, jerk.”

“Least it wasn’t Jonas Brothers,” Stark’s voice comes across both their coms.

“Can we make this mandatory for every mission?” Sam’s voice states through their earpieces. “Maybe next time a little Beyoncé.”

“Or next time I’ll just let her bring the building down,” Barnes winks at you, his blue eyes contrasting brightly against the dirt and grime on his face.

Present Day

The next morning you’re leaning against counter in the kitchen, sipping carefully from a cup of coffee, trying to not think about having slept with Steve last night. Sex you could handle. It was physical – a release – something complete strangers do. Maybe you’re overthinking things, but actually sleeping together, your body curled into his was more intimate.

The pop of the toaster jerks you out for your thoughts as Steve eases his way into the kitchen, “Morning.”

“Hey,” you respond, pointing across to the with freshly toasted bread sitting peacefully between the two slots of the toaster.  “I made breakfast.”

“I’m impressed,” he smirks.

“You should be,” you remark as he moves to make him a cup of coffee.

“Once you finish, call Tony about last night and then get ready,” Steve instructs with a half-smile. “I have an idea for today.”

You cock an eyebrow at him curiously as you take another sip of your coffee.

***

“What are we doing here?” You question Steve as the two of you make your way along the river walkway toward a carousel. It’s been years since you’ve been here, it used to be one of your favorite places back when the world was right. However, now the carousel looks deserted – desolate – nowhere near the brightly lit, colorful attraction it once was.

“You used to love this place,” Rogers states knowingly and you furrow your brow in confusion. You watch as Steve makes his way around the outside of the merry-go-round searching for something. After a moment, the lights and music suddenly come to life and you take a step back in surprise as Steve walks back around with his arms held out in triumph.

“Hop on,” he orders with a smile and you do as he says, watching as he fiddles with the controls at the small operator’s booth. You pick a beautifully painted white horse with red and gold details, then pull yourself up to straddle the fiberglass creature as the carousel begins to spin slowly, creaking and popping as it comes back to life. As it makes a complete turn, you realize Steve’s no longer at the operator’s booth and you begin to look around for him. “Hey.” His words startle you, he’s so close you can feel the warmth of his body near your thigh as your horse slowly rises and falls in rhythm with the other horses.

“How did you know about this place?” You wrap your hands around the steel pole in front of you, before leaning your temple against it.

“How do you think?”

You roll your eyes, “Was there anything about me he didn’t tell you?”

“Probably not.”

“Okay, so why bring me here?”

The look in his eyes sincere, “When’s the last time you took a moment to breathe?”

You stare at him without answering, knowing you’ve kept yourself busy in one form or another so much since that day that breathing hasn’t been an option.

“How long has it been out of control?” Steve questions, gripping the pole of the horse beside you.

“I’ve felt it,” you begin quietly, “coming for a couple months. Knowing it’s been two years since that day.”

“Was it like this a year ago?”

You give a shake of your head, not wanting to tell him that a year ago you were still crying yourself to sleep every night. Grief had a much stronger hold on you then, you had only tried to hide it with anger.

“Well, I’m sure Tony can figure something out,” he comments reassuringly. “Until then – let’s try breathing.”

You give him a small smile and turn to watch the world spin by ever so slowly, remembering the last time you were here, watching the scene play out before you as if from a movie. You toss your head back laughing as Bucky leans his face into your shoulder, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh. Your arm is stretching away from the two of you with your cell phone clutched awkwardly in your hand as you try to get both of you in frame for a photo. The black horse you’re sitting on slowly rises then falls, bringing you back face to face with the man, allowing you to snap the photo. Barnes tears a piece of cotton candy from the bag in his hand as you inspect the photo and he offers it to you. Without looking away from the device you open your mouth and he slides the sugary concoction past your lips just like he’s done hundreds of times before. You show him the photo with a warm smile which he reciprocates. Being with him was easy and to anyone watching, they would have assumed the two of you were more than friends, because just friends don’t look at each other that way.

A hand on your shoulder brings you back to the present and you realize the carousel has stopped spinning. You look over to find what’s becoming a familiar look of concern on Steve’s face, “You good?”

“Yea,” you respond, moving to slide off the white horse. The man beside you keeps a steady hand on you until you manage to get both feet on the wooden floor. You glance up at him, seeing the flash in his eye like before he kissed you last time. Your heart stops for a moment in anticipation, but he takes a step back and you sigh with slight disappointment. “Will this fieldtrip of yours involve food?”

He shoves his hands in his pockets with a smirk, “It can.”

***

You open the door to Steve’s apartment for him, because you have one plastic grocery bag full of items on your wrist, where as he has two bags dangling from one arm, a six pack of beer gripped in one hand, and a large pizza box held steady in the other. He’s laughing as he enters the apartment and you’re defending your excessive grocery run.

“You’ve never experienced a movie night then,” you say defiantly. “Popcorn is merely an appetizer. You need some form of chocolate, gummy worms, both sweet and sour, cotton candy –”

“Gummy worms?” Steve interrupts your list as he places the beer in the fridge. “Like gummy bears?”

“Seriously?” You stare at him blankly for a moment, before you move to find the box of sour worms. Tearing into it like a small child, you pull out a bright pink and blue gummy candy shaped like its namesake and shove it toward his mouth. “Try it.” He opens his mouth cautiously, allowing you to slip the candy inside, your finger and thumb brushing against his bottom lip as you pull your hand back.

You’re unsure if he did that on purpose, but you can see a playful glint in his eye as he chews the candy. “Not bad huh?”

“Not bad,” he comments, removing some other contents from one of the bags. “I still prefer popcorn.”

Halfway through whatever action thriller is playing on the TV, you lean forward from the sofa to the assortment of snacks spread out on the coffee table. You grab the last handful of gummy worms and lean back against the cushions, your legs are crossed underneath you and one of the plain throw pillows, which obviously came standard with the sofa, is lying in your lap. Steve stretches towards you on the sofa, closing the distance, “Can I?” He’s looking at the candy in your palm and you close your hand quickly, tucking it against your chest.

“Oh no, you have popcorn – remember?”

“Is that how it is?”

“Yep.”

His brows knit together as he frowns – almost pouting – watching you pull an orange and green worm from your palm. You bite the worm in half for dramatic effect and offer him the green piece. He takes it from you, this time with his teeth, and you smirk proudly. “Told you my movie nights are better. I’m pretty awesome, didn’t he tell you that?”

The blue-eyed man in front of you leans back as he chews the candy slowly, a look of slight confusion crossing his features. “No, I figured that out on my own.” You watch him, the playful glint from earlier is replaced with a look of sad remorse. “The moment he told me you were who he’d been spending time with. You brought back a part of him I’d almost forgotten about, that kid who would spend every last dollar we had trying to win a stuffed bear for a girl at the fair.” He glances over at you achingly, and suddenly all his apologies make sense. It’s never really been an apology to you, but to the man he feels like he’s betraying. “You were the best thing to happen to him.”

You swallow the lump that forms in your throat as Steve stands up abruptly and walks into the kitchen. Your heart aches for something you never had the chance to have with Bucky and you quickly stand to follow behind the blue-eyed man, finding him leaning over his sink, his head hanging between his shoulders. He glances in your direction as you lean against the counter, “I’m –”

“If you say sorry Rogers, I swear, I’ll fling another stool at your head,” you place one hand on your hip. “Don’t make do that, because you have really nice stools.” He smiles tiredly as he drops his head again. “You said,” you begin quietly, gaining his attention, “he told you to watch out for me. Why do you think that is?” He holds your gaze as you move closer, gently placing your hand on top of his. “Maybe he didn’t want either of us to be alone. I feel closest to him when I’m with you, maybe because you’re the only other person who knew him better than I did.” Steve glances down as you continue. “I feel something around you that I haven’t felt since him. I don’t know what this is,” the words are hesitant as you squeeze slightly on his hand which is gripping the edge of countertop. “We can ignore it if you want to – pretend it doesn’t exist – but I think we’ve both lost when it comes to playing that game before.” Steve flicks his eyes over to you. “I’ve accepted the fact that he’s not coming back Steve – when will you?” The words hang in the air heavily as you pull your hand away before turning and walking out of the kitchen.

Part 4

[ashitpos-t]

Bones

Chapter 5 of my Reaper x Fem!Reader on Wattpad! (First post on this account has the link)

CW: suggestive themes and alcohol

Thrashing this way and that had been become painfully usual to you in the recent weeks.  Reaper hadn't returned like he said he would, making this his longest leave of absence, one that was over three months long.

You'd be a fool to say you weren't worried for him, hell, how could you not be? The last time you saw him he had been vomiting something foul, something you couldn't define.

Your thoughts had been keeping you up, turning you into a mini insomniac, even though you barely knew the guy, your heart ached for his well being, for him.  You groaned as you finally decided to get out of bed, work was in just a few hours and you'd be going without a wink of sleep, just peachy.

You lazily made your way out of bed, deciding to get a little fancy with your makeup this time around, you had an extra hour to spare after all.  You ended up going with a light Smokey eye with a few red accents at the corners of your look.  You went with a slightly red highlighter and lip in attempt to tie the whole thing together, somehow you managed.

Satisfied with your makeup you did your hair and threw on your clothes, breakfast would have to be quick, due to your makeup extravaganza.  Not checking the time would nearly make you tardy this time around, just what you get for moping in your room.

Grabbing an apple and sinking your teeth into the fruit, you headed out of your apartment, the bar being just around the corner meant you could walk there. That didn't mean it was a fun walk, you managed to live in the worst part of town, only reason you did was because it was the only place you could afford.

The streets were old and caked with dirt, the sidewalk had too many cracks to count, and the street lights flickered constantly, not something nice to see at night. What was even better was that you had the night shift at the bar, meaning you slept during the day and your shift started at nine at night, which meant you had to walk alone, in the dark. Super comforting.

You fidgeted with your hands as you made your way to your job, stress whining down as you got closer and closer to your goal. You'd never had anything odd happen to you on these streets, and tonight wasn't an exception, you sighed as you entered the bar, glad to see some usuals already on their drinks.

You quickly made your way behind the bar counter, eager to start your job in attempts to distract yourself from the empty hole that plagued your stomach, you'd never admit it, but the stress was eating at you.

Forcing on a fake smile you took people's orders, pretending like you didn't hear their condescending comments or remarks on your appearance, you just didn't have the stomach to respond.

The small hole in the wall bar quickly went from desolate to packed in under an hour, it almost seemed like the bar was trying to make you loose your shit.  The people weren't letting up and neither were their comments, going from light hearted and flirty to dominant and slightly scary.

Had it always been like this in the bar?  People being flat out rude and awful, or had you managed to block it out all this time?  Whatever the answer was didn't matter, this was your job and you sure as hell weren't about to crumble from the awful remarks.

"Hey sweetie, how bout you get me another drink,"  an inebriated bar goer asked, he was at least a little polite, his eyes seemed to linger on your breasts, but at least he didn't attempt to touch them.

You flashed him a fake smile as you began to make him another beer, this was around his seventh one, the alcohol percentage wasn't very high, but you made a mental note to cut him off after he asked for another.

Sliding the drink over to him you made sure to lean just a bit, a tease like that was fairly popular with the guys, you were sure to squeeze a few extra bucks out of the guy.

With a light smile you began to walk over to another drunk, when the shops bell rung, alerting you that someone had entered.

You snapped your head to the door, standing there was none other then the man who you'd been yearning to see for months.

You stopped dead in your tracks as the customers seemed to not notice him, this surprised you as his demanding presence seemed to override you. Maybe that was because his gaze seemed locked on you, even if you couldn't see his face.

He took long strides towards you, his boots making themselves heard, somehow his mask never left your face, it nearly seemed trained on you.

For the first time in months you were terrified of him, terrified of what he could to do you, of what he might say to you.  A sharp shiver made its way down your spine as he started to slow his pace.  He spun the empty bar stool in his

direction so he could take a seat, the mask that lay on his face never leaving your form.

His demeanor had changed from laid back and warm to cold and brash, similar to the first time you saw him, but this version was more intimidating by ten fold.  His deep, worn out voice seemed horse and dry, he sounded as if he'd been through something, something bad.

"You know what I want."

You responded with a sharp nod, eyes quickly planting on the glass in front of you.  Your grip was shaky and unreliable as bullets of panic rang in your ears.  You spilled the drink a bit but gave it to him no less, if there was even one more person in the bar you wouldn't of heard his small laugh at your expense.

"Nervous, are we?"

He subtly said, a tinge of confidence lingering in his voice.  He took the drink up to his lips as he finally tore his gaze away from you, instead he focused on his drink.

A wave of relief washed over you, allowing your fists to unclench and your features to soften.  You relaxed into the counter top behind you, it was getting a bit a late, maybe one or so and people started to head out, but plenty stayed behind, especially the masked man that had taken such a liking to you.

His eyes started to linger over your form once more, if you weren't mistaken you could've sworn he looked you up and down, judging by the slight nod of his head.

"Need something," you muttered, eyes now glued onto his, a surge of confidence somehow rising up.

He chuckled at your change of personality, responding by chugging his drink and sliding the empty glass over to you, his head leaning slightly forward as a signal to refill his glass.

You gave him a sly smile, not exactly intent on letting him catch a peak of anything, but intrigued on the dance of gestures the two of you were entranced in.

It seemed as though the two of you were having a conversation even though words were barely spoken, that didn't mean fear completely left you, jut meant you had calmed a bit.

You looked into his eyes with an emotion neither of you could quite place, all you knew was that he seemed compelled by your intentions.

The smooth liquor poured into the glass, inducing a warm sound emerging from the cup.  It seemed as though your senses were amplified in the strange air that lingered between the two of you.  All of your fear was gone while his rough demeanor had washed away. 

You hummed into a gentle slide of the drink in his general direction, a soft sentence left your lips while you went through the motions.

"This one is on the house," you said with a light tap on his shoulder, the tips of your fingers lingered a bit, playing with the material of his hoodie.

Truthfully, you'd never been one to tease, flirt, or start anything like this, but your senses seemed to be on fire in his presence, and from what you could tell, it was the same for him.

He seemed to shudder under your touch, his entire body was leaning into yours, yet he used his other hand to take yours off his shoulder.

"Why don't you buy me dinner first, carino" he teased back, a smirk obvious in his words.

A bit surprised at his counter, you went a bit deeper, truthfully curious on the matter.

"How bout I get a name first, reaper," a smirk was clear as day on your face, while he seemed a bit taken aback by your question, he clearly didn't have much of an intention to give it to you.

"I don't exactly give out my name," he chuckled, laughs going between each word, "let's just say I'm trying to, hide, from certain people," he muttered out the last part, obviously trying to make this whole thing look a bit better for him, "but you can call me Reyes," he finished, seeming a bit caught off guard by the whole encounter.

You were a bit surprised that he gave you his name, whether it was because he was a bit inebriated or that there was an undeniable sense of flirtatious smell in the air didn't matter to you, you were flattered nonetheless.

Putting a hand on his, left him confused, but what you said next really knocked his socks off.

"I'm honored you trust me enough, Reyes," a small smile was left on your face after the last part, his hesitation telling you exactly what your words and movements did to him.  His lingering hesitation also allowed you to realize that a bit of your top was showing, leaving you partially exposed.

A fierce blush took over your features as you quickly buttoned up your loose shirt, how two buttons managed to come undone was beyond you. 

His eyes lingered over your form as you attempted to regain some modesty, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you became comfortable again.

"S-sorry bout tha-that," you stuttered out, obviously flustered over your lack of care in your upper half.

He only nodded as he tried to distract himself with a large gulp of his liquor, obviously not over the treat to his eyes.

After the two of you cooled down a bit, he spoke up, a bit of sorrow burrowing it's way into his words.

"About all those months ago, sorry, I should've known something would come up," he spoke, slight strain in his voice from talking so much.

You were caught off guard by this, he'd never been one to apologize for something, or even bring up your limited history.

Your features melted at this, your eyes becoming a bit glassy as you felt that you had been selfish, not even thinking about why he hadn't been present in the past months.

Tears pricked in your eyes due to the overwhelming feeling that you were a nuisance, and there was no way he could even reach you, hell, you didn't even give him your number.

"Hey hey hey," he started, standing up from his seat as an arm snaked over the counter to rest on your shoulder, "What's wrong, did I do something?"

His worry only made you feel worse, "no," a sniffle interrupted your response, "no, you didn't do anything, I'm just being stupid."

You muttered out, sniffles often interrupting you as his hand ran circles on your back, the few people that were still present a bit alarmed by your water works.

His hand cupped your cheek as he made his way behind the bar counter top, affectively getting closer to you, still allowing space between the two of you.

"Do you mind," he said with open arms, gesturing for a hug.  You quickly melted into him, knocking him off his feet a bit at your sudden movement, too eager to sob on the man that was currently your only source of comfort.

He hummed into the act of affection, a small melody played off his lips as he began to stroke your hair, giving most of the onlookers a cold hearted stare, a stare that made them turn the other way.

Your arms grasped at his sides before gently pushing off of him as you wiped your tears away, intent on continuing your job, or at least closing up.

"Thanks," you muttered out, sniffles surrounding your response to the embrace.

He merely nodded before diving his free hand into his pocket, holding out a generous wad of cash.

"Oh Reyes, I couldn't possibly," he cut you off, "no no no, I owe you, especially after tonight," he referenced a bit earlier when you were much less then modest, "and I tend to be a jerk."  He finished, a smile audible in his voice.

You reluctantly took the money, a smile evident on your face.  Before he could say his goodbye, you quickly got on the tips of your toes, planting a kiss on the side of his mask, just where his cheek would be.

He completely froze in his place, hesitating greatly before scratching the back of his head while averting his eyes.  He laughed a bit at his own embarrassment, causing you to take on a light blush, fidgeting with your hands as you waited for his response.

His hand cupped your cheek, his hesitation made it clear that he wanted to return your gesture, but he held himself back for a reason you didn't know.

"Thanks," he squeaked out, enticing a laugh from you at the sheer embarrassment of the man.

"Of course!" You giggled out, the full force of your emotions evident in your response.

He started to leave with a wave, walking backwards out of the bar while he slipped his hands into his hoodie, clearly happy with how the night played out.

You gave him a light wave back, also in total awe of your own forwardness.  Looking around you noticed that practically everyone had left the bar, all of your coworkers clocked out and you were left to close the bar, like usual.

Glancing down at the money Reyes gave you, you noticed some numbers written with permanent marker on one of the bills. 

It took you a second to realize that this was his number, meaning he must've planned to give you this, he couldn't of written it while you were on shift.

A maddening blush took over your face as you danced around in place, squealing at the magnificent night you had.

A/N hey bros!! Sorry about not writing oheshots for tumblr, I’ve been in the process of writing two of them but I sorta hate them both?? I’m in a spot where I don’t exactly know what to do with either of them. Hopefully they’ll be out soon, but until then, I hope you enjoy my favorite chapters from my ongoing long fics! (Side side note, I may have not spell checked this, sorry for typos!)

[storytellerofuntoldlegends]

Curiosity and Consequence: Chapter One

A/N: Soooo ages ago (like around Halloween) my friend @of-treble-and-dragons and I came up with a thing. And we wrote the thing. Then we both got busy and forgot about it. But now I’m here to post this angsty collab! Also one of the characters may be familiar to you if you’re a longtime fan of Treble’s work... it was quite fun writing them. I’d say enjoy... but uhhhh, angst >:)

Warnings: talk of ghosts/supernatural creatures, paralysis, head injury, anxious thoughts, near suffocation, broken bones, threats of violence/torture (lmk if anything should be added!)

How Roman had managed to convince them all to do this, Virgil wasn’t sure. “This”, referring to an overnight stay at some mysterious castle on the outskirts of town. Heck, how on earth this whole “paranormal investigators” thing had started was a bit of a mystery to Virgil too. He didn’t entirely believe in the paranormal and supernatural, but he was still plenty wary on the off chance that they did exist. So as a general rule, Virgil preferred to avoid haunted places and areas known for cryptids or other unsavory creatures. Yet here he was, loading up their camera equipment and the questionable investigation tools into their car.

Just then, the reason Virgil agreed to any of these shenanigans at all walked out of their house. Logan. One of the hosts of their internet paranormal investigator show, and Virgil’s longtime kinda boyfriend. They never really made it official, but they danced around each other enough, and had plenty of interactions that weren’t exactly platonic, to suggest otherwise. Virgil was just too nervous to talk to Logan about the matter, and besides, what if he was misreading Logan’s feelings?

“Is everything ready to go?” Logan asked, grimacing at the investigation equipment Virgil had yet to load into the car. Logan was a firm disbeliever in the supernatural, and made his disapproval of the “scientific” (Roman’s words, not his) tools they used for their investigations very clear. However, despite his skepticism, the man had a somewhat unhealthy curiosity for the unknown. So Virgil took it upon himself to make sure that his idiot friends didn’t get hurt while trying to prove whether the paranormal was real or fake.

“Just about. Patton’s taking care of the sleeping bags and stuff, right?” Virgil asked.

“Yes. He also mentioned something about packing snacks for the ‘ghosts’ as well,” Logan muttered. Virgil let out a low chuckle, smirking at Logan’s disgruntled expression. Patton was the fourth and final member of their little group, and arguably had the most innocent stance on the supernatural. He believed that ghosts, cryptids, and the like were real, and was determined to become friends with one, much to the chagrin of his boyfriend, Roman. Roman believed that the paranormal was dangerous, and that the various creatures needed to be hunted down.

“Greetings, my fellow investigators! Are we ready to hunt some ghosts?” a loud voice proclaimed from behind Logan and Virgil. The two of them turned to see Roman walking up to them, Patton following with several bags on him, looking more like a pack mule than a person.

“If by ‘hunt ghosts’, you mean sleep in a frigid and desolate castle to prove they aren’t real, then yes,” Logan replied. Roman decided to ignore Logan’s comment, and instead turned to Virgil.

“So, you gonna show your face on camera tonight? The fans are dying to see you…” Roman sang. Virgil rolled his eyes, putting the last of the equipment in the car trunk.

“No. I don’t need my face all over the internet,” Virgil huffed.

“Aw, you’re no fun!” Roman whined, crossing his arms and looking more like an indignant five-year-old than a grown man. Virgil resisted the urge to roll his eyes again.

“Says the guy making us stay at a spooky castle,” he muttered.

“Hey, you all agreed to it!” Roman protested, arms flailing to the side and nearly smacking Patton in the face.

“Woah there, kiddo!” Patton flinched backwards away from the arm that just barely missed his nose. “I have enough trouble keeping these glasses on as is without a broken nose making it worse.” He chuckled, clearly amused with his own comment.

“My deepest apologies, Patton! Are you alright?” Roman asked, turning to Patton and taking his hand, squeezing it comfortingly. Patton flushed slightly at the action, and he gazed up at Roman with a soft smile.

“Okay we get it, you guys are cute. Can we leave now?” Virgil huffed in mock annoyance, smirking slightly.

“Eager, Edgar Allan Woe?” Roman teased, grabbing his keys out of his jacket pocket and walking to the driver’s side of the car.

“More like eager to get this over with,” Virgil retorted, climbing into the backseat with Patton, while Logan went to the front seat.

After arriving at the castle, the four investigators picked an open space to settle in for the night. Roman and Patton had taken to setting up their sleeping bags and readying their investigation equipment, while Logan and Virgil got their camera equipment ready. Virgil was getting a camera set up on a rolling tripod, while Logan made sure their handheld cameras had sufficient battery charge.

“I think I’m gonna go down the hallways and get some shots of the castle and stuff. That way we’ll have footage for the exposition voiceover,” Virgil said once the camera and all of its accessories were ready to go. Logan looked up from the cameras he was checking, raising an eyebrow at Virgil.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Logan asked.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Besides, someone’s gotta keep an eye on the chickens,” Virgil said, gesturing over at Roman and Patton.

“Fair enough. Don’t go too far, this castle is old and there could be areas that are structurally unsound,” Logan warned.

“I’ll be careful. See ya in a bit,” Virgil replied, and headed off towards where they came in, rolling the camera along with him. Once he made it out of the main room they were staying in, Virgil hit record on the camera, and slowly made his way down the hallway. The castle was quite old and decrepit, sections of the stone wall crumbling and a thick layer of dust coating nearly every surface. Cobwebs were scattered everywhere, strung around like bizarre garlands. Water leaked through cracks in the ceiling, causing a loud resounding echo of droplets bouncing off stone foundations. Virgil made a mental note to not let Patton down this hallway.

A sudden feeling like ice trailing down his spine made Virgil halt in his tracks. His head whipped around, but no one was there. He gulped nervously, shaking his head.

“It’s a drafty old castle, you’re gonna feel cold,” he muttered to himself, continuing down the hall. His footsteps echoed as he walked, and for a split second, Virgil thought he heard two sets of footsteps, instead of just one. He stopped, glancing around once more.

“Logan?” he called out. Silence. Virgil sighed, turning back to the camera and guiding it down the hall.

Suddenly, something dashed past Virgil, brushing against his arm and causing a strangled shout to escape his lips. He stumbled to one side, his shoulder slamming into the wall as he lost his balance. He groaned in pain, and tried to bring his arm up to massage the sore spot. Virgil’s stomach twisted into knots when he realized a strange stiffness had come over his right arm, making him unable to move it.

“What the fuck?” Virgil murmured, fingers of his working hand brushing over his stiff arm. Childlike laughter echoed down the hall in response to Virgil’s soft utterance. His head whipped up, glancing around frantically, but no one was there.

“So either ghosts cause paralysis, or one of those nerds is messing with me,” Virgil scoffed, but there was a slight tremor in his voice.

“Oh, you’re going to wish I was a ghost, darling,” a voice crooned. Virgil took a sharp intake of breath and he bolted back towards Logan and the others. He didn’t know where this voice was coming from, or even who it belonged to, but frankly he didn’t cared. All he knew was that he had to get out fast.

Something latched around his ankle, causing Virgil to fall flat on his face, head smacking harshly against the floor. He groaned, pushing himself up with his good arm. He could feel blood trickling down the side of his head, and a stiff numbness crawling up his leg. Then, with dawning horror, Virgil realized that whatever had grabbed him was still holding on. He twisted around the best he could, and locked eyes with the “man” behind him.

The man was incredibly pale, and wore all white, his appearance contrasting greatly with the dreary castle. He was dressed rather simply, in a white button up and white slacks. Everything about this man seemed to be pure and pristine, despite the fact that they were in a dusty, dank hallway. Even the man’s hair was pure white, and tousled in what could have been considered a fashionable style, but the man’s face ruined the picture of perfection he seemed so desperate to portray. His eyes were swirling black pits, with only a white pinprick of light in the center. Sharp and jagged black teeth were crowded into his mouth, and Virgil vaguely wondered how he could talk with them.

“Who- what-” Virgil gasped out, voice trembling. The man threw his head back and laughed. It was that same childlike laugh from before, and it sent fear crawling up Virgil’s spine.

“The name’s Apathy, and it’s so wonderful to have someone to play with again,” he said, letting go of Virgil’s leg and bowing with a flourish. Virgil took this chance to scramble away from Apathy, but didn’t get far with only two working limbs.

“Oh, it’s so much fun to watch you struggle, but-” Apathy began, and faster than Virgil could process, he pounced on Virgil and grabbed the back of his neck firmly. “My friend can be very… particular, and I’d rather not keep them waiting.” He finished, squeezing Virgil’s neck for emphasis, causing him to choke.

“What do you- why-” Virgil croaked, and Apathy’s childlike laughter rang out.

“It gets so boring in this castle, dearheart. And I can’t wait to begin playing with you,” he crooned into Virgil’s ear. Virgil tried to jerk away from the feeling of Apathy’s hot breath on his ear, but the longer Apathy kept him pinned down, the more he couldn’t move. Soon, Virgil couldn’t move at all, and was helpless as Apathy dragged him down the hall, away from his friends.

Roman made a triumphant sound of success as his investigation equipment finally whirred to life. He turned the device over in his hands, inspecting it to make sure all the parts were in working order. It was supposed to detect if any ghosts or other paranormal creatures were in the vicinity. To date, the device hadn’t entirely proven its worth. There was one occasion when it started to beep frantically while the four of them were investigating a different location, but then it ended up being a raccoon, much to Roman’s disappointment and Logan’s smug satisfaction. To this day, Roman insisted that the raccoon must have been possessed.

“Any ghosts?” a voice piped up. Roman glanced over to see Patton, peering out at him from a mound of blankets.

“Have enough blankets, my heart?” Roman teased, chuckling slightly.

“I’m cold!” Patton pouted, stubbornly burrowing himself further into his blanket nest. Roman smirked, leaning closer to Patton, the action causing the other man to blush slightly.

“I bet I could keep you warm,” Roman murmured.

“Roman!” Patton squealed, breaking off into giggles. Roman opened his mouth to say something else, but hesitated. Something wasn’t right. He glanced around frantically, eyes widening when his suspicions were confirmed.

“Where’s Virgil? Usually he’s made some snarky comment about Patton and I by now…” Roman said, his teasing remark falling flat and the real concern for his friend slipping through.

“He went to record footage for the voiceover. However… he has been gone for quite some time,” Logan said, glancing warily at the doorway.

“I knew it! The paranormal is real, and Virgil’s disappearance proves it!” Roman cried valiantly, springing to his feet. Logan and Patton stared at him with slight horror and concern, causing Roman’s confident stance to melt.

“Roman, a number of very real things could have happened to Virgil. He could have gotten lost, ended up in an unstable area of the castle, or perhaps he is being diligent and making sure we have plenty of footage. Ghosts are most certainly not the cause of this,” Logan snapped. Roman raised an eyebrow at Logan’s sudden ferocity, but didn’t comment on it.

“Then it could have been a demon! Or some other dastardly creature that has tried to snatch our beloved compatriot from us, but fear not! I shall rescue our ever gloomy stormcloud!” Roman declared, and boldly strode over to Logan, then bent down and picked up one of the handheld cameras. “And, I will bring back proof!”

“Roman-” Logan started, but he had already marched out of the room, the camera and his investigation device in hand.

The castle was rather gloomy and quite dark, and Roman found himself wishing that he had thought to grab a flashlight before leaving. Not that he would have any way to hold it, as one hand was holding the camera, while the other held his investigation device. The grid on its screen was clear of any blips, and the device had yet to make any sounds. He glanced over to his camera, and after a bit of awkward maneuvering, managed to press record.

“Hello, dear viewers. Roman here, and I’m afraid this may not be the most cheerful of episodes. We have barely begun our investigation, and our ever mysterious cameraman, Virgil, has gone missing,” Roman paused, looking down at his device once more, which still remained silent. “I know many of you are desperate for his face reveal, but I never quite pictured it this way, with me gallantly-”

A shrill beep from the device in Roman’s hand cut him off. His gaze shot to the device’s screen, and Roman’s brow furrowed in confusion. The grid seemed to be glitching in and out, and a blip would appear, then disappear almost instantly before popping up somewhere else. He looked up, his gaze slowly travelling up and down the hallway. It seemed completely empty, except…

“Oh no,” Roman gasped. He jogged down to the end of the hall, reaching the overturned rolling tripod with its camera. Something had definitely happened to Virgil.

Suddenly, the hall dropped in temperature, making Roman far colder than he already was. He shivered, and was shocked to discover that he could see his breath fogging out in the cold air. The device in Roman’s hand began to slowly beep, and the screen seemed to have permanently frozen on a glitch. He shook the device as it continued to beep, the sounds beginning to pick up in speed and pitch. The screen remained the same, and Roman looked up and glanced around. Nothing was there… but the shadows seemed to be creeping closer.

“Hello? Is someone there?” Roman called out nervously. There was nothing but the sound of the beeps coming from the device growing louder.

Suddenly, the shadows seemed to leap out at Roman, an inky tendril snaking around his middle and pinning his arms to his sides. Both the device and the camera were lost from his grip, and a startled yelp escaped his mouth. He struggled against his shadowy bonds, his mouth opening to cry out for his friends. But before he could do so, a cold hand clamped over his mouth and he was tugged backwards, now pressed against someone’s body. Roman desperately tried to squirm away, but only got haunting laughter and cold breath against his ear.

“I must say, you are one of the more interesting humans that my associate and I have come across,” a voice said, the sound giving Roman the sensation of ice crawling down his spine. Roman heard the figure snap their fingers, and the tendrils cinched tighter around him, causing him to let out a muffled yelp. The figure removed their hand for a brief moment, but before Roman even thought about shouting for help, another tendril shot out and closed over his mouth.

The figure stepped around Roman, finally giving him a view of his captor. They wore an oversized suit and had skin that was deathly pale. Their dark hair hung in their gray eyes, and a haunting and cruel grin was spread across their face. They crouched down and picked up the device that Roman had dropped, the beeps now shrill and distorted. The figure straightened up, turning over the device in their hands and regarding it with a raised eyebrow. The device suddenly sparked and the sound droned out.

“Shame. It really was an interesting little thing,” the figure said, tossing the broken device over their shoulder and focusing their attention back on Roman. He tried to demand answers from the figure in front of him, but only muffled cries escaped past the inky tendril. The figure laughed, and stepped closer to Roman.

“What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you,” they taunted, reaching out and trailing their fingers down Roman’s cheek in a mock tender gesture. Roman growled low in his throat, glaring at the figure.

“Such fire in you! We’ll change that soon enough,” the figure said, smirking. They made a clenching motion with their hand, and the tendrils squeezed tighter around Roman, causing him to desperately try and gasp in air. The tendrils showed no sign of loosening, in fact they seemed to be growing tighter still.

A sudden sickening snap was heard, and Roman let out a muffled scream of pain. He slumped in the tendrils’ grip, his vision growing fuzzy with pain. The figure leaned down, cruelly grasping Roman’s chin and forcing him to look them in the eyes.

“Have no fear, we are far from done playing together. I’m certain there are plenty of other ways I can break you,” they said with a lilt to their voice. A cruel grin spread across their face, and with that, Roman slipped into unconsciousness.

After some time had passed Patton was growing more worried about Roman and Virgil not being back yet. He tore his gaze away from the door and glanced over at Logan who was nose deep in a book.

“Logan?” Patton called out softly so as not to startle him from his book.

Logan peered over his glasses at Patton. “Hmm? What is it?”

“Roman and Virgil still aren't back yet and it's been almost an hour since they left. Maybe we should go try to find them. They could have gotten lost… or worse…” A tinge of fear came through in Patton’s voice. “I mean, aren't you the least bit concerned about Virgil?”

The question made Logan frown slightly. “Of course I care about Virgil but…” He cut himself off. It was clear that he wasn't showing the proper emotional response to this situation; so instead of arguing he simply let out a long sigh. “Come on, let us go find our lost adventurers.”

Patton’s eyes lit up and he leapt from his chair. He gathered up a warm jacket and flashlight before heading out the door.

Logan shook his head in exasperation. He then snapped the book closed and placed it gently on the ground. After grabbing his own coat and flashlight he went to catch up with Patton.

Tag List: @adorably-angsty @alix-the-skeleton @allthemetalsoftherainbow @armageddonhascome @backatthebein @bangthekobrakid @bloodropsblog @cefinitely-rolo @coffeestudylive @cosmic-chu @cyndaquil17 @dani-jeanso @didsomeonesayprince @emphoenixcat @every-day-insomniac @fandomsandanythingelse @freekiphotography @freepaperie081 @hanramz-the-fander @i-need-a-social-life-2710 @i-really-dig-the-purple @ironwoman359 @justanotherpurplebutterfly @kanejandkruge @kitsuneprideleader @kittycake574 @le2712 @littlemiracle05 @loganpatton @lollingtothemax @look-its-meme @loverofpizzaandallthingssweet @lynlinked @mewsicalmiss @midnightcandy @moonstonefox @musicsavedmefromdeath @mystrangedarkson @nightmarejasmine @not-as-smart @punsterterry @purplepatton @quoth-the-sparrow @radioactivehelena @royallyanxious @ruuworld @sanders-trash-4ever @save-me-oh-dream-of-mine @shadowsfromthesun @shygirl4991 @sleepyssnail @softbludemon @softnic @sombraplayslazertag @sweetinsomniac @the-fandoms-are-takin-over @theresneverenoughfandoms @thisrandomperson102 @thuriweaver @vigilantvirgil

[austinonymous]

Coping, Now that You’re Gone

Title: Coping, Now that You’re Gone

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV - A Realm Reborn

Ship: Haurchefant Greystone x Male Warrior of Light

Characters: Artoirel de Fortemps, Emmanellain de Fortemps, Miqo’te Warrior of Light (Ahleh’li)

Rating: T (because I’m paranoid)

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19191988

Summary: The events of the Vault... he'd had barely any time to think about what he had just lost when he'd rushed after the Archbishop. Now, the drinking habits he'd picked up in his adopted home of Limsa Lominsa were coming in handy.

_________________________________________________________

        Ishgard was a singularly cold city; he doubted Ser Aymeric would deny him that.

         It was both fascinating and ridiculous to think about- a combination of brilliance and frustration. Those who built the city saw fit to place it on a lonely outcropping of rock, with shear cliffs on all sides that subjected the entire city with near constant freezing winds that whistled by with blistering ferocity. It was one of the few reasons that the dragons had yet to approach from any direction besides the sole connection to the rest of Coerthas that was the bridge; doing so was exhausting for any beast and would leave the weakened creature a sitting duck for Ishgard’s mighty cannons.

         The citizens of the city were lucky in that the winds had maintained consistent patterns, allowing the Holy See to map them over the years to find the few ways their chocobos and flying ships could ferry people to and from the city.

         Of course, that did little to help with the swirling frost that circled the city, constantly seeking any purchase in its walls and towers. The snow tried to claw its way inside, and the only reason the city wasn’t buried under several inches of snow was the updrafts drove the snow away mostly. The sky fought itself every second, miraculously leaving the noble and poor alike safe from the worst of the weather’s attempts to encase them in an ever-deepening layer of ice.

         Despite that safety net, when one gazed on it, the city looked desolately cold. While the towering architecture of his home city was grand and its cathedrals and halls still filled him with awe, the endless stonework made living here when in a foul mood near insufferable. He didn’t have the glistening sea at his doorstep like back in Limnsa Lominsa, nor the pure white stone mixed in with the more traditional grey stone quarried from the cliffsides nearby. It was startling how refreshing a simple breeze felt while standing on the terraces of his adopted home, brushing up against him and caressing his cheek like a fisherman coming in from a long night’s work. The salt of the bustling harbor did not cling to his arms and mix into the fur of his tail or ears here, and the boisterous sounds of drunken song from a dozen barely controlled pirate crews could not be heard.

         If he was there, across the continent, Ahleh’li would bury his sorrows in booze and drunkenly dance on table-tops with the sailors of the city. Merry step-dances and improvised line-dances as a random sailor played a beat out on the well-worn skin of a drum as the wicks of the candles burned away. His old guild-master from the Arcanists guild would likely chastise him for not spending time on his incantations and spellwork surely, but Jacke would cheer him on before finding a secluded balcony for his other Rouges to share a pint and try and cheer him up.

         It was funny- Ishgard was where he was raised, but in this moment of great sorrow it did not feel like home.

         His companion shifted a bit to his right, a bit uneasy. Ahleh’li smirked a bit at the young elezen- though to be fair Emmanellain was actually a little older than himself, “Hn- Ya ‘een a wee s’bit antsy there Mister,” he tried to tease the man before frowning as his speech came out in the more slurred accent he’d gained while with the Rouges and the sailors of the port city. He coughed, forcing his brain to focus a bit more so that he wouldn’t appear quite so inebriated.

         Really, he hadn’t had that much liquor. Over his time getting into drinking contests with the large and broad-chested Roegadyn, Ahleh’li had learned to stomach enough to topple the seven-foot-tall race. It must have been quite some time since his last drinking contest to be getting this affected already.

         Oh yes. His last had been with… with…

         Ahleh’li took another swig of his ale, savoring the taste as it burned down his throat, Emmanellain sighing as he did so, “My dear Warrior of Light, I know how you must be feeling- gods, I mean I didn’t know him well, but he was my half-brother still,” He said depressingly as he took a small sip of the Forgotten Knight’s ale. “Is this truly the best way to deal with this? I know the docks of Limsa Lominsa are much different than here but… this seems… ineffective.”

         Ishgardian nobility and their weak stomachs- what Ahleh’li wouldn’t give to have Captain Jacke here, or Towering Stone, maybe Thancred too. It was too bad his fellow Scion was out scouting the Garlean’s movements.

         “Well, see here Emmanellain, s’not supposed to be effective. That’s the whole point; you drink till your dancing on the rafters and forgetting about whatever it was that got you into the tavern to begin with,” Ahleh’li said pointing a finger at the young noble elezen.

         “That does not sound healthy in the slightest,” Came the calm yet dour tones of the older Fortemps brother. The Miqo’te looked back with a raised eyebrow, tail swishing behind him as he gazed up at Artoirel.

         He took a moment before humming, “Perhaps not, yet here we all are. Your city is being forcibly changed from a theocracy, discontent and distrust bubbles under its surface, and everyone has dead to count.” Ahleh’li sighed, gazing into the mug in front of him, “What I wouldn’t give to be fighting the Garleans again in Mor Dhona. No secret revelations that complicated your feelings besides how truly massive assholes they all were.”

         Artoirel sighed and pushed a black bang out of his face, “Ser Aymeric sent me to find you; he’s quite worried for you, as is young Alphinaud.”

         That earned the noble a finger-wagging, as Ahleh’li’s ears perked up at the mention of Alphinaud, “Now now, that young man is only a couple years younger than me, so be careful what comments you make about his age Mister Heir Apparent.”

         Scoffing, the noble shook his head and smirked, “Unlike yourself I doubt Alphinaud can down a half dozen of the inn’s strongest ales without vomiting up his guts in the corner. I think I can call him young at least in that respect.”

         Ahleh’li nodded solemnly, before snickering. Alphinaud was really just too cute for his own good- not that it was an unattractive quality. It was endearing, and he treasured the other arcanist’s friendship dearly. Especially after everything the both of them had been through ever since escaping Ul’dah.

         The mood had lightened for a moment, but Artoirel soon sent it crashing back down again as he raised the issue once again, “I have to agree with Ser Aymeric and Alphinaud however; this is not what you should be doing to cope with the sacrifice of our dear brother.”

         His fingers clenched around the handle of his mug, but Ahleh’li managed to hold his fury in, “What should I be doing? Shall I go get revenge and bring those who hurt him to justice? Well, did that already and it did jack shit for me. “

         Emmanellain sighed as he set down his own mug and looked at the younger man, “We don’t need to drown our sorrows like this at least. You have many friends around you to take solace in. You’re even slowly finding members of the Scions you lost, aren’t you? Even if Haurchefant is gone, you need not suffer alone.”

         Ahleh’li’s breath hitched at the utterance of Haurchefant’s name, his alcohol-addled mind immediately conjuring his cheerful face to mind. Steaming mugs of cocoa in hand as he offered them refuge after being forced to run. A wide smile on his face as he playfully teased the smaller Miqo’te before they both downed another glass of ale. The wisps of frost puffing from his mouth, swirling past a face framed by disheveled hair and shirt hanging dangerously low on his shoulder as he lay over Ahleh’li. The red on his cheeks as Ser Aymeric gave them both knowing smiles as they shuffled in to plan for the combat operations to come. The gentleness of hands calloused from battle, carefully holding his own as they lay in front of a fireplace together in his quarters.

         It had been dream-like, despite all the trials they were going through. And like most of Ahleh’li’s dreams, it had ended by turning into a nightmare.

         A hand was suddenly placed on his shoulder and Ahleh’li looked up at the sympathetic face of Artoirel, startled. The noble sighed, looking away before speaking, “I know that this is all quite unwanted, and you likely wish to grieve without the rest of us. The Fury knows that Father has been secluded in his study ever since he received the news. This still, still it is not healthy. You, Alphinaud, Haurchefant, Ser Aymeric, and Estinien, have supported each other throughout this ordeal- throwing away their companionship now amid grieving is a mistake I wish to not see you make.”

         His tongue darted out and licked his lips to wet them; Ahleh’li did not enjoy this conversation in the least bit. He blinked, suddenly realizing what Artoirel was talking about, “I… I take it Alphinaud is not handling the disappearance of Estinien well?”

         The older noble shook his head, grim, “As someone with a younger brother, I know the sort of admiration he had for Estinien. Even if the Dragoon’s absence is not exactly abnormal, the lack of communication from him is. And with the Dragonsong War still going until peace negotiations start, his absence bodes ill.”

         That did not sound good. Ahleh’li had grown to respect the Dragoon over their time together traveling Dravania and Albathia’s Spire, and for him to be missing after all this mess with the Holy See went down…

         Still, that wasn’t the worst of it. Really, after everything they’d been through, here Ahleh’li was drowning his sorrows in booze while he left his elezen friend and people like Ser Aymeric who had been nothing but supportive to mourn Haurchefant and fret over Estinien’s disappearance alone.

         After Haurchefant had passed, only wishing to see a smile on Ahleh’li’s face as his eyes closed forever.

         Ahleh’li groaned, staggering to his feet as he dragged his sleeve across his mouth to wipe away any of the froth left there by his ale. The two brothers looked at him curiously and the Miqo’te gave them his best smile, raising his mug in one last gulp of ale, “To the greatest knight this realm has seen, and to a future where his death won’t have been fruitless.”

         Perhaps it wasn’t a convincing toast, or smile. But that didn’t matter. If he was to move on, he needed to do so with a smile. Getting through this grief intact would be his personal monument to a man who’d saved his life.

[atlaslain]

@backwaterheroics          /          in response to: x.

          zack fair has grown acclimatised to relying exclusively on himself. the treacherous pits of deepground have wrung the faith from him and assimilated him into their methods of survival: their lifestyle of anticipating the knife in one’s back before an opponent ever decides to place it there. three years of sleeping with one eye open, of waiting on the razor-edge between rage and fear for the next round of experimentation, or drowning in self-hatred whenever they make him fight and he catches sight of the blood crusted under his nails --- three years has taught him pain and solitude like nothing he has ever known. and he has clung to survival anyway, tucking away the decaying glimmer of hope in his chest that this might one day get better. that his friends are still out there.       some of them. not all. not many. angeal, gone. genesis, who knows. sephiroth, gone. cloud, aerith. they’re still somewhere, aren’t they? there is light and life and warmth beyond deepground. he may have forgotten the precise airy smell of the flowers and the exact curve of cloud’s smile but they exist. zack gathers up the tatters of who he is and wraps them tight around that hope, like clinging to an anchor in a storm. 

          salvation comes in the form of weiss the immaculate. indirectly, anyway. his death. he rots under hojo’s influence and together they begin their reign over the world above, lighting the path out of the darkness and tarring it in blood. it is zack’s opportunity. the instant he crawls into the light he turns on his squadron, squashing what flares of guilt twist his stomach as his blade slides between ribs. ( his deepground-issue katana is lighter than the buster sword, not as hefty but far more adept at neatly cleaving skin. it feels strange in his hands, a desolate hunk of metal that isn’t his. ) sustained injuries are disregarded for now, blood wiped briskly from his face as he removes his helmet and tosses it aside. the streets are a mess; gunshots shatter the night and beasts prowl, dragging innocents into the shadows. and then, as fate would have it:                   a man in a ragged red cloak, faintly familiar. and a young woman --- older now, far older than zack remembers her being, an air of confidence and control about her now. yuffie kisaragi and vincent valentine. it is yuffie who stares at zack as if she’s seen a ghost, yuffie who grabs him as the force of his relief has him swaying on his feet. the first friendly face in years and she’s smacking at his arms, chiding him for vanishing, insisting he prove it’s really him and not some phantom deepground’s summoned up. ( zack reminds her of their treasure-hunting adventures and she gentles, and the world slows. ) he tells them all he knows, and then he succumbs to the loss of consciousness with the fragile hope that vincent will take care of it all. zack fair is exhausted and wounded and finally free.       the slow return of reality is painful: he awakens in an unfamiliar bed, in a room he’s never seen before. his heart slams violently against his ribs. throat tight, he casts about for a weapon. he grasps a heavy book from a shelf and decides at least he can brain someone with it if need be. his legs shake beneath him as he ventures to the doorway, pausing to take in the smell of alcohol and food from somewhere below the staircase beyond. a bar?                 seventh heaven, tifa tells him later, after he’s done hyperventilating and lashing out at her. she avoids his initial smack with the book, hands gentle yet firm on his wrists as she encourages him to look at her, to understand she is not here to hurt him. he is in seventh heaven, in edge. deepground is gone. ( vincent took care of it all. ) zack is safe. it takes him a whole week to entertain the idea. in that time, he rapid-fires questions at tifa: what happened, how long has it been, where is cloud. she answers each carefully --- it’s a long story, three years, away on deliveries right now. you can speak to cloud when he gets back.           the dim hope in zack’s chest grows, warily. perhaps this won’t be taken away from him.                 he doesn’t get to see cloud.         he has so much to say, so much it’s whipped up into a frenzy in his head. does cloud not feel the same urgency? he returned, apparently, and left again. “did you... did you tell him i was here?” zack asks tifa, voice cracking.            “yes,” she says, and the look in her eyes speaks volumes. she hands zack a rag, urges him to help her clean down her bar. she’s been giving him little tasks, as if she knows he needs to stay busy. “you have to understand, he... he isn’t the same as you probably remember. a lot has happened to him.”           and so zack resolves to understand. he pushes his own impatience down, and nurtures the hope that cloud will see him in his own time. ( far more difficult to ignore is the hurt. weren’t they good friends? after everything they went through --- after everything. how can cloud not want to see him? )               two months crawl by. zack works in seventh heaven at first, until the guilt of imposing himself on tifa is too much. he falls into mercenary work then, with a sense of resigned amusement. fighting really is all he’ll ever do. he shops for a new sword, and then another new one when that doesn’t feel right. tifa insists he continue living above the bar, citing the children as reasons he should; they like him, she says. they don’t want him to go. he reads them stories at night and patrols the bar’s vicinity into the early hours. during the day, he spends time with yuffie or works on his new bike or undertakes increasingly dangerous jobs. the fractured feeling in his mind never quite goes away, but he thinks it might ease one day.     when cloud returns again, drifting home like a wayward wind, tifa grabs him and makes him see zack. it’s a quick visit. it’s the sensation of something important slipping between one’s fingers: cloud stiff and unresponsive in his arms, eyes dull, as if zack were less than a stranger. like a static shock, it has zack flinching back, numbness tingling at his fingertips. he stands there, as unacknowledged as a specter, while cloud leaves again.               he doesn’t think you’re really here, tifa explains. we all thought you were dead.        oh.            well then.               that explains it. that barbed-wire feeling cinched round his heart. it’s the cold understanding that life has moved on without him and he is no longer a part of it. the zack fair everyone knew and remembered died riddled with bullets. but i’m alive, i never left! he wants to scream. the sense of being left behind is dizzying. cloud had moved on and now here zack is, tearing old wounds open. guilt batters him, sudden and strange.        he goes to aerith’s church. the flowers are there, yellow as sunshine and pearly-white, suffusing the air with sweetness and life. but aerith is not. she has not been for a long time. the buster sword lays at the head of the pews like a memorial and suddenly it’s all too much. he falls to his knees and chokes on sobs. he stays there for days, murmuring to the flowers as if they might carry his apologies to aerith. eventually, little marlene wallace takes his hand and leads him back to seventh heaven. he follows in a daze and doesn’t notice when he’s led to cloud’s room and told to rest. ( he rests, his heart slowing its frenzied pulse. this feels like safety. )                         he is not ready for cloud to return again. he thought he always would be, but the pain of coming to terms with aerith’s death is too fresh and sleep-deprivation has drained him. he is not prepared for more pain; it might shatter him. and yet here cloud is, slipping shadow-quiet into the room and staring with horror-struck eyes.         “cloud, please,” zack finds himself whispering, praying. he is not aware of reaching out, but he registers how brittle cloud feels: like his violent shaking might rip him apart. nausea rises in zack’s throat. he is doing this. he is hurting cloud with every touch, poisoning him. “look at me,” he sobs anyway, selfish and unable to relinquish the certainty of cloud’s place in his life.            in the end, it’s only more hurt. cloud, pale as a wraith, stumbles away and wails. the sound drives nails into zack’s heart. he gets tifa, because who else would they both rely on to fix their broken souls? the storm breaks, cloud sobs, and zack turns to leave. “i’m sorry, i’m so sorry,” he is vaguely aware of repeating, frantic. “cloud, i’m so sorry.”             he should have died on that cliff. he should’ve died before deepground could ruin him, before he could walk back into a life that didn’t want him anymore.                 “are you giving up that easily?” tifa demands the next morning, as zack shoulders his bag full of meager belongings and tries to give her a hug goodbye. she stares him dead in the eye as he squirms. “you’ve barely tried yet.”         zack doesn’t mean to raise his voice but it comes out in a burst: “yes! yes, i am. me being here only hurts him, i’m taking up space in your bar, there’s no place here for me!” it tastes like a lie. there has been a place, carved out just for him. the beginnings of home here with these people. but not if he’s only spreading hurt. “i can’t watch him scream and cry every time he sees me, tifa. i won’t. i’ll --- i’ll come visit. okay?”           it’s not okay.     he debates saying his farewells to cloud, but recognises it as an awful plan. he leaves his old shinra phone instead, the one he kept as a soldier. it’s fuzzy and barely in working condition these days, but he squirreled it away all these years just for the old pictures in its memory.            “give that to him when he feels... better. okay? you have my new number if you need me.”     he tells nobody where he’s going because he just doesn’t know anymore. it’s a good thing he’s already accustomed to relying only on himself.