#its like my body wants to stay up past midnight doing silly little tasks until i feel like im dying and THEN i go to sleep

[confetti-critter]

Man I WISH I had an off switch so I could just turn myself off when I wanted to sleep because there isn't an activity I can do before bed that doesn't GIVE me energy so I end up sitting on my bed doing NOTHING until I figure I might as well be lying down in bed, but I'm still wide awake. I'm an African grey parrot and I'm gunna destructively pluck my own feathers due to lack of meaningful enrichment

[chocolate-parfait]

Hello! Can I get a headcanon where MC(they/them) gets a little lonely so they climb a tree in the middle of the night to get to Comte/Mozart/Napoleon's room window. How would the boys react?

THIS TOOK SO LONG IM SO SORRY!!! +they're more scenarios than headcanons I hope you dont mind ;-; (I also hope you dont mind the amount of cheesiness i put into this lmao)

(+Trees shouldn't stay at a arm's length from houses because they can cause big problems in case of storms or things like that,, let's pretend for the sake of the story that they don't and that's why they're so near the windows)

Comte

Mama Comte was just chilling in his armchair, drinking a glass of red wine while letting his thoughts chase each other in endless circles, vivid images of past memories dancing behind his closed eyelids. More often than he liked to admit, he'd find himself in these exact circumstances, and that night was certainly no different. It was probably way past midnight when the still silence that hovered in the room was interrupted by a small whisper, followed by another and another one again. Attracted by the curious sound the pureblood got up from his sit and walked to the window, opening it with one swift gesture

"Comte, here!"

After his dark pupils focused on a silhouette that was undeniably yours, a rare look of shock and disbelief crept upon his features. Despite having risked falling to the ground like a sack of potatoes multiple times while climbing all the way to one of the highest branches of the tree, the man's expression made the effort more than worth the danger

Before he could ask you what in the world you were doing perched on a tree branch in front of his room at such a late hour, you eagerly told him why, words leaving your mouth in a single breath

"I-i couldn't fall asleep and thought of you and then I had this sudden urge to see you but I didn't know if you were awake so I climbed this tree to see if your light was on and then-"

As his caramel eyes softened and a warm smile appeared on his lips, Comte asked for you to stay still, and mere seconds after the last syllable reached your ears, you heard the fluttering of his coat that was now right in front of your widened eyes

Had he???just???jumped from his window????to land?????on a tree branch????next to you??? MC: why though? Comte: why not- MC: BUT why th- Comte: why not.

Giggling at your reaction while securing you against his chest, something was extremely clear in his eyes. Since you came all the way up there just to see him, it would have been a terrible waste to just send you away, right? And you knew he wouldn't have taken a no as an answer

"Hold on tight, ma chérie. We wouldn't want you falling down, now would we?"

Taking advantage of the position you were both in and with the excuse of possibly falling down, you contentedly snuggled in the crook of his neck; soft, expensive fabric caressing your cheek while his perfume rubbed on you, sure to remain there for at least a week

Comte on the other hand didn't complain nor move away, watching as your hair moved under the moonlight, softly swayed by the wind

Maybe spending a night in someone's company was a better alternative than staying alone, after all

Mozart

Mozart hadn't realized it had gotten that late until he finally closed the fall board of his piano, looking out of the window to see the stars and a full moon shining gently over the dim lit marble pavement of the music room

Almost one year ago on a night with the same moon, you walked out of Comte's door, looking as confused and scared as a little fawn. Since then you worked hard all over the mansion doing all kind of tasks, and though he'd have loathed the idea before, you two ended up getting incredibly close. Only lately he had started noticing many weird little behaviors that were slowly becoming a part of his routine; the way he had now stopped putting off having breakfast to play the piano in order to see you sooner, how his guts seemed to writhe whenever he saw you smiling at someone else, and as if it wasn't already enough, he found his thirst for blood more and more insatiable

Knowing what that meant but still fearing the answer, he tore himself away from the disheartening path his thoughts were taking, finally snapping back to reality. When he did so, a gleam coming from the tree near the window caught his attention. The closer he got, the more he seemed to distinguish your moonlit form standing in the foliage. Was he hallucinating now? Were his mind and heart so full of thoughts of you to the point of imagining your figure in the weirdest of places?

Before he could realize that you were in fact right outside his window, you called out to him, causing the poor man to flinch in surprise. Despite the harsh scolding that followed your appearance, just seeing his face was enough to ease the stingy feeling that was keeping your heart in a tight embrace. Seeing the bittersweet look in your eyes, Mozart couldn't stop his voice and gaze from softening considerably. But how could he not? Over the past months he had subconsciously started to consider you the one closest to his heart, and you were, more than he was ready to admit, his worst weakness

Sighing to himself as he reached past the parted glass panels to brush some leaves off your hair, he asked you "So, what are you doing here at this ungodly hour of the night?"

Amethyst spheres focusing on your expression, you told him the whole truth, not that you could easily make up a lie, seeing the position you were in. "I know you don't like it when people come into the music room, so this was the easiest way..." As if he had the strength and willpower to get angry at you, he thought. "A-anyways I-...I just wanted to see you, that's all."

Oh Gott, if only you could hear the way his blood pace sped up its tempo at the sound of those words, though you probably could see the way his usually pale cheeks were now flushed in a lovely shade of red. He, too, missed you, and now that the constant feeling of longing had met a correspondent in your gaze, it reached its bursting point

Not bothering to ask you permission to, he roughly grasped your wrist and pulled you away with superhuman strength from the offshoot you were sitting on. You were now on sill of the window, facing him and just inches from his doll-like face. Glancing up at him you found a pair of violet eyes staring back at you with the intensity and strength of a storm. Had he always been this bold? Had his irises always been this full of raw passion? Had his body always been this warm?

Your heart was thumping so loud in your ears that it was as if you were standing in the middle of an orchestra, senses all focused on him and only him. All the times were you hoped to be held like this by him came crashing onto your mind all at once, the fiercest blush born from the slow realization of how those fantasies were finally reality blooming on your cheeks

The tight grip he kept on your hips told you he had no intention to let go of you soon, but who would be so foolish to not take advantage of the situation?

That night, after months and months of anonymous, mutual feelings, you and the pianist were able to manifest the most breathtaking of emotions through the words that you'd have kept hearing for a lifetime, the touches and caresses that would have been the same for the years to come, moved by never changing feelings to express an everlasting love; but you were sure, you were oh so sure, that none of them would have ever been enough

Napoleon

Unlike any other day, Napoleon wasn't tired at all, rather, he felt quite restless instead. That morning you had accompanied him and Isaac in their usual "street lessons" to the children of the city, and ever since then, a whole storm of butterflies had been freely running around his stomach. Each time your laughter ringed in his ears, each time your eyes twinkled with amusement, each time a smile as bright as the sun graced your lips, his heart couldn't help but leap with one of the greatest joys known to man: love. He wasn't an innocent boy who couldn't tell an emotion from the other, and he knew that this was a love like no other

Twisting and retwisting his thoughts in the attempt of getting to know about all the facets and implications this new feeling brought him, Napoleon let his feet carry him around the garden, similar to a lovestruck hero from a Shakespearean play tormenting himself over his beloved

He was so immersed in the meanders of his mind, that he barely heard you exclaiming his name in surprise. Barely, that is. As his brain registered your presence, his eyes and heart danced in search of you until they landed on the lowest arm of the pine tree near his window.

He looked at you and you looked at him, the soft sound of crickets the only melody filling the background. You could clearly see the way le Monsieur de Wahaha's shoulders shook in an attempt to keep in the raging fits of laughter that would have been surely let out soon enough. The same way, despite tears of amusement fogging his vision, Napoleon was extremely aware of the embarrassment creeping up your features

"Nunuche" he managed to say in between his strangled fits, "what in- pftt- what are you doing there-"

"I just wanted to thank you for today so I had been searching for you- S-stop laughing at me, you moron! I'm trying to be serious here!!" How could he take someone who was perched on a tree in the middle of the night seriously? You truly were a silly one

With arms opened wide, he walked over the pine trunk and with a tender but still lightly shaking tone that was exclusive for your ears only, he said "Come! I'll definitely catch you, mon amour"

You just stared at him in silence with the widest eyes your head could muster without popping them out of their orbits. You were just a couple meters from the ground, sure, but was he truly this confident in catching you? And did he just call you "my love"?? There was a LOT to unpack for your brain, but the man had no intention of letting you idle by with your thoughts for long, challenging you with his vivid emerald eyes as if to say "what, you don't trust me?"

The fearless Napoleon had this habit of infusing in others a courage so strong, that even the most impossible action seemed achievable; and that, with a bit of adrenaline caused by how quick the silent night escalated when the Nightmare of Europe stepped into the scene, made you follow his command. And you jumped.

The rustling of leaves above your head, a strong pair of arms around your torso, a silent breathing interrupted by a low chuckle that could've melted all the glaciers in the world. His smell, his warmth, his voice, they were all so close and yet so distant, just like his heart. He wasn't yours and you had no right to claim him as so, but being with him was all you needed and wanted the most

"What are you thinking about?" He asked with a curious look, still holding you between his arms. As much as you wanted to answer him, no words were forming in your mind that was so full of him and so empty at the same time. All the boldness from the jump had dissipated in the air the same way one would puff out air from his lungs in the night sky

But when words fail us, actions find their way through our minds. Slipping a pair of arms behind his neck, you snuggled against his chest and whispered "Let's stay like this, just for a little longer, please"

He couldn't help but comply; your wish was his command and he, the Emperor of France, was your slave

[artificialqueens]

Taste Your Beating Heart (Taywhora) - Holtzmanns

word count: 3142 | read on ao3

What do you get when a vampire wrestling with a morality crisis or two bumps into a student protecting herself with a pocketknife in one hand and a Percy Pig bag in the other? Quite the late night encounter, that’s what.

AN: Thank you all so much for the love on my first two taywhora fics! This one is slightly insane and popped into my head fully formed somehow. Thank you Writ for betaing and always helping me bounce ideas around and thank you Pop for taking out anything too North American sounding. Enjoy! Title from Howl by Florence + the Machine.

Tayce deserves a little treat.

It’s been a few months, anyway, since her last one. A girl’s got cravings.

The vegan selection just doesn’t do it for her after a while. She doesn’t get how Bimini sustains themselves on only ethically sourced blood.

Being a vampire in the twenty-first century brings its own unique set of challenges, that’s for sure.

It had been easier in the 1800s, before fingerprinting and DNA evidence existed and Tayce could get her blood and dispose of the bodies without a care in the world. Now, though? She has to be careful. Murder is apparently now much more trackable in today’s society.

The audacity of it all, really.

But Tayce is careful. She’s adapted with the times, perfected her strategies of getting rid of bodies that she’s fed from without leaving nary a trace. She hasn’t had any fingers pointed in her direction yet, and it’s probably for the best, to stay under the radar.

Plus, she does feel a little bad once she’s done with a body and effectively offed someone. Just a little.

So really, every few months is perfectly reasonable.

She’ll look for someone pretty today. Someone who she can enjoy. No one too old for a human, not when the blood gets a little stale by the time they’re in their eighties. Someone who’s hopefully better than her last human snack, when she had to go for a bloke that was trying to catcall her. Then again, bearing her fangs had never felt so satisfying as it did right then.

Tonight, she’ll go for someone a bit more delicate. There’s a head of white blond curls farther down the street, ducking towards an alleyway a block or so down, and Tayce can feel the excitement run through her veins because she’s perfect. An easy, discrete target.

Tayce speeds up her pace until she can practically smell the girl’s blood as she gets closer, and the girl is still in the alleyway and Tayce can’t sense anyone else near her and really, she can’t ask for an easier catch. She flips her hair over her shoulder before turning the corner, her steps light enough not to make a sound before-

“Oh, hello! Didn’t see you there!”

Tayce freezes in her tracks when the girl’s suddenly turned around, a curious look on her face, and shit, Tayce usually gets close enough to bite their neck before being noticed just a second too late.

“Just trying to look for a snack for my walk. I’ve got half a bag of percies left somewhere in my bag. Food for the road, y’know?”

The girl’s rummaging around in her bag again and this is it, the perfect timing and Tayce can finally have a good meal for the first time in months, none of that vegan shit, but-

The girl looks up again, a triumphant grin on her face with an empty looking bag of Percy Pigs in hand.

“Success. There’s only one left in here, though. Sad. I’d give you one if I had more. You want half of this one? Not too fun to be out walking so late,” the girl shrugs as she opens the package.

Tayce manages to shake her head through her own disbelief, mostly at herself because this really is the perfect time to just strike , but the girl’s trying to pull the gummy in half and it really is a sight to see.

“I’m vegan,” Tayce mutters, because really, watching the girl try to break the gummy in two is a little ridiculous, when Tayce can’t even eat it.

She wants her own snack, which, for some godforsaken reason, she hasn’t even tried to go for yet.

“Suit yourself,” the girl shrugs before tossing the gummy candy into her mouth. “What did you say your name was again?”

Tayce pauses. “I didn’t.”

It’s starting to get truly silly at this point. On Tayce’s other hunts the human would be long departed, and Tayce’s cravings satisfied. But here she is now, standing in an alley with her human target munching on a bloody Percy Pig and looking adorable while doing it.

Unbelievable.

The girl, for her part, looks completely unfazed. “I’m Aurora. Not the princess. Though I would be in a jacket like yours, though, it’s absolutely beautiful. Where’d you get that from?”

“Huh?” Tayce blinks, before realizing Aurora (she never learns her targets’ names, Christ) is looking at her with an expectant look on her face. “Oh. A friend made it back in the day.”

Back in 1865. Not that the human needs to know that.

“The lace trim. My god. Stunning,” The girl is gushing, getting closer to her and reaching for the jacket, and really, Tayce should just go for it, have her snack with a bite to the neck but it’s strangely fascinating, the way the girl’s fingers graze against the jacket.

Maybe the girl can live for five more minutes or so. Tayce isn’t that hungry. But only because Tayce likes to watch humans in their natural habitats.

“She’s a good designer,” Tayce gets out, and there’s a voice in her brain yelling at her for wasting her time, conversing with a human, but really, as much as she hates to admit it, it’s a little fun.

In a strange, morbid sort of manner.

“She really is,” Aurora murmurs. “She got an insta or anything? She take any commissions? I’d love something like this.”

“Not sure. I’d look but my phone is dead, sorry.”

Christ. Tayce is really out here entertaining this woman’s interest. Coming up with a cover story for the fact that Ellie made this centuries ago.

But who knows, maybe Ellie does take requests. Not that she would from a human.

“Shame. I’ll definitely have to look around for something similar, because it’s to die for.”

“To die for, indeed,” Tayce murmurs, and she can almost hear the girl’s heart pumping and pumping and finally, she can have a worthy midnight snack, one who tastes as good as she looks.

She takes a step closer, but then the girl’s brushing past her out of the alleyway and waving at her cheerily with her bag slung over her shoulder. “I better get going. Lovely to meet you, though! Toodles!”

“Toodles?” Tayce mutters under her breath, because honestly, it sounds like something she’d say herself.

The girl’s walking away and Tayce is too caught up in the shine of her hair under the streetlights to go after her.

Besides, the girl says words like toodles. She deserves to live another night just for that.

Tayce sighs as she watches the girl walk away. It’s like catching and releasing a perfectly good fish, really. Rather stupid. But hey, she can find another target, it’s not an impossible task.

She doesn’t have to look very far, because there’s a man by the closest corner, and he’s watching Aurora on the other side of the street, and Tayce has to wrinkle her nose when she notices the look on the man’s face.

Leering. Hungry.

Yeah, it’s fine when Tayce does it, but for a man like this? Who certainly doesn’t have good intentions?

Well, Tayce will just have to take care of it.

His blood is tangy, not at all satisfying in the way that Tayce had hoped for when starting her hunt earlier tonight. But he will have to do.

Tayce will wait a few more months before another good snack, like she’s used to. In the meantime, it’s back to sipping through a straw from blood bank bags. Not her favourite type of beverage.

Tayce makes it to two months before she starts to get the itch for another hunt. It’s not that the bagged blood isn’t satisfying, because it is. It keeps her from being hungry. But bloody hell, does she need a drink that’s a little more fresh.

Cara snorts from her spot on the couch when Tayce ties her hair back, slips a jacket over her shoulders. “You always make it such an event, and for what? You could just do it every day like the rest of us.”

“Excuse me for trying to be a good person,” Tayce grumbles, bending down to tie the laces of her trainers. “I don’t want to hurt humans that much.”

“Only every couple months. How nice of you.”

“The bagged blood isn’t so bad, y’know,” Tayce starts, picking up her keys. “Perfectly reasonable for any vampire to sustain themselves on.”

Cara makes a face. “Yeah. Any depressed vampire who hates everything and everything.”

“Bimini does it all the time. We both could be more like them. Do some good in the world.”

“Some good in the world? Honey, I’m here for both a good time and a long time. Seeing the humans suffer provides some entertainment, at least,” Cara grins, and Tayce can’t help but snort.

“You’re an absolute beast. Both figuratively and literally.”

Cara waves when Tayce reaches for the door. “Get home safe! Don’t let the humans hit you with a morality crisis on your way home.”

Tayce wonders, as she heads out onto the street, how easy it would be to have Cara’s mentality. To not care about the chaos she creates, to eat however she wants.

A tiny, tiny little part in her brain does care, though. About how the families of her meals react to their loved one going missing. How they search and search for answers.

Can’t be very nice.

But then again, Tayce does have cravings. Indulging every few months can’t be that bad, can it? Not when it cancels out.

The city is really nice, late at night. Tayce doesn’t have much to fear, not when she can decimate any men that saunter her way with rather insidious agendas. She can enjoy the crisp air and focus, really focus, on the scents around her, perhaps something human that’ll lead to a nice meal that she can enjoy, and-

Oh, no. Tayce knows that smell.

“Hey, you! I know you!”

That voice. Tayce certainly knows that voice.

Aurora’s hair is dark brown now, but Tayce would recognize that grin anywhere, when it lights up her face like that. She’s got a messenger bag on her shoulder, and, oh, of course. A Percy Pig bag in hand.

Naturally.

“What you doing out, so late at night? There are monsters lurking out yer in the dark, you know,” Tayce purrs, and wants to kick herself for it when the girl’s eyes light up at her voice.

She needs to stop egging this on. Interacting with the girl the first time and letting her go was already dangerous enough as it is.

But still, it’s interesting to see her again. Someone who was almost prey.

“Oh, no. I’m prepared,” Aurora says while reaching into her pocket, her voice incredibly self assured for someone so scrawny. “See?”

The pocket knife between Aurora’s fingers is tiny, and one that Tayce would easily be able to bend in half in her palm. It’s cute in a way, if she’s being honest.

Tayce plasters on the best poker face that she can, never mind that Cara’s made fun of her lack of acting skills in the past. “Very fierce and intimidating. I’m terrified.”

Aurora shrugs. “Since pepper spray and tasers are banned, this is the best I’ve got. I did Google, just in case.”

“What you out so late for, anyway, missy?” Tayce can’t help the question slipping from her mouth, ignoring the voice in her head that’s shouting at her to stop talking, to not dig herself into a deeper hole with this girl.

But Tayce can’t help it, she’s curious. This is the second time she’s seen this girl out so late, entirely too cheery for one, two, in the morning. It does beg the question.

“I’m a fashion student, and I intern at Vivienne Westwood. With all the deadlines? Late nights at the studio are my best friend.” Aurora grins, and Tayce can see from the excitement on her features just how proud she is of herself.

Tayce should have known, really, from Aurora’s obsession with her jacket the last time they met.

“Well, well, well, baby, look at you. A girl on the job,” Tayce murmurs, and she’s not sure if she’s imagining the girl absolutely basking in the phrase.

Aurora does seem easily pleased.

“What about you? What you out so late for?” Aurora asks, genuine curiosity on her face.

Tayce pauses, pursing her lips together to keep her smile from spreading. “You could say I fancied a late night snack.”

She can almost hear her own stomach rumbling. She’s practically starving at this hour of the night.

“Yeah? I get you there girl, honestly. My favourite spot’s this kebab shop down the road from-” Aurora pauses, her eyes squinting as her head tilts slightly. “Huh.”

“What?” Tayce raises an eyebrow, because Aurora’s eyebrows are already high on her forehead and she looks a little too interested in examining Tayce’s face.

“You…nevermind,” Aurora mumbles, and Tayce can sense the way her heart is beating just a little bit faster in her chest.

She’s nervous. A first. But why?

“You notice something?”

The air feels just a little bit more charged once Tayce asks the question, because Aurora’s eyes are widening and her eyes keep flicking down towards Tayce’s mouth and oh, maybe it’s because Tayce has gone and smiled.

Fully smiled.

Fangs out.

Oops.

“Where’d you get those from?” Aurora breathes out the question, the heave in her chest visible, and fuck it.

Tayce has come out to roam the streets tonight for a singular purpose, anyway.

She takes a step towards Aurora, getting in her space and crowding her until the backs of her shoulders are up against the wall, and the blood pumping in her veins is almost tantalizing.

Getting to know her snacks before indulging seems to have been a great idea.

“Where do you think?”

The question hangs in the air, almost pausing time around them for a millisecond before Tayce reaches down, circling Aurora’s wrists with her grip before pulling them up overhead, against the wall. Keeping her in place. Not that Aurora would be able to outrun her, anyway.

“Oh,” Aurora gasps, and her pupils are blown and her lips slightly parted and she’s not scared, she’s…

For a lack of better wording, the girl looks rather turned on.

“Do you like that, baby?” Tayce shifts her position so that she’s holding Aurora’s wrists with one hand, bringing her other so that she can run her fingers through Aurora’s hair, before tilting her face up by her chin.

Aurora’s pliant, leaning into her touch, and it’s almost intoxicating, in a way. The way she’s got Aurora trapped, but also how Aurora’s letting her.

As if she has a choice.

Not that Aurora looks particularly worried, for her situation. “Are we about to kiss? Are you going to lean in, or is this more of a thing where we both initiate it, or…”

Bold. But it’s an invitation for Tayce to play with her food just a little more.

“You do know that I could kill you any second now? You’re on a very slippery slope, girl.”

“Kinky,” Aurora squeaks out, and Tayce can’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“Drain your blood, and all that. Suck you dry.”

“Hot. Take me out first though, yeah? Treat a girl nice before draining her life force?”

Aurora’s batting her eyes, a contrast from the bead of sweat at her temple, the speeding up of her heart. She’s a fight or flight response wrapped up in a false sense of bravado, making the game just a little more intoxicating.

So Tayce grins, stepping in just a little bit closer to Aurora, her lips near her ear so that she can whisper in a way that’ll make the hair on Aurora’s skin stand on end. “Oh, she’s negotiating. She has demands.”

“What, afraid you won’t be able to satisfy them?” Aurora’s response is immediate despite the way she’s squirming in Tayce’s grip, and Tayce doesn’t miss the way her thighs press together.

Tayce has experimented in a multitude of ways during her immortal lifespan, but this? A human pressed up against a wall, inches away from her fangs while pretending to be completely unfazed? Tayce is enjoying it more than she wants to admit.

The girl’s face takes on a simper, the corners of her lips curling upwards, despite remaining trapped in Tayce’s grip. “Y’know what? I think you’re scared to do it. You’ve been hesitating this entire time for a reason, haven’t you? You can’t bear to kill me. I’m too pretty, aren’t I?”

“Don’t play with fire, baby.”

“Prove it, then. Do it, yeah? If you’re going to. Don’t keep a girl waiting,” Aurora breathes out, her breath hitching in her throat and Tayce pauses, her eyes flicking from the girl’s eyes to her lips to her neck and-

She decides. Albeit a second too late.

Because Aurora’s leaning forward and kissing her before she can strike.

There’s no way in hell she can tell Cara about this, the fact that she’s kissing a fucking human while she can still smell her blood pumping, and Tayce is hungry, damn it, she can feel her stomach rumbling as she weaves a hand into Aurora’s hair.

Aurora licks into her mouth, her wrists straining against Tayce’s grip as she whines and Christ, it’s been too long since Tayce has done this. Any self respecting person would not feel as affected as she is, or find it as dizzying or want more. Because Tayce needs more, wants more, from this human whose hips are pushing forward to grind against hers.

Aurora bites at her bottom lip and Tayce can’t help but smirk as she pulls back from the kiss, because Aurora’s breaths are coming out in pants and she looks as dazed as Tayce feels. “Looks like I’m not the only one who likes to bite.”

“Enough incentive to keep me around, yeah?” Aurora murmurs, her bottom lip caught between her teeth and Tayce hates how much the sight of it is absolutely doing it for her. “You going to whisk me back to your Dracula castle, or not?”

“Your survival instincts are incredibly slutty,” Tayce snorts as she lets Aurora’s wrists go.

Aurora wastes no time, her fingers grabbing Tayce’s belt loops to pull her closer. “Not difficult when the creatures of the night turn out to be hot as you are.”

Tayce can’t help but ghost her lips over Aurora’s, grinning when Aurora lets out a small gasp. “Y'know, you’re the only human to successfully whore their way out of being killed. I’m impressed.”

“Now, you know they don’t call me A’whora for nothing.”

“Pardon? They call you what?”

[jungcity]

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥. | ii

word count: 7k

“Meet me at midnight

in the forest of

my dreams.

We’ll make a fire

and count the stars

that shimmer above

the trees.”

“How do I politely ask my boss that I want to slap him over the head with a chair?”

Those words were the first thing that came out of your mouth the moment you stepped inside the kitchen of your small apartment. You saw your sister propped comfortably on one of the chairs while munching her dinner. She ran down a scrutinizing look over you, her eyes painted with the words ‘I told you so’.

Rolling your eyes at her, you slumped too hard in one of the chairs, causing your butt to hurt from the contact. She chuckled loudly from the silent ‘ouch’ you exhaled before she gulped down a glass of water.

“What did he do this time?” Yuqi asked, wiping her mouth off the excess water.

Her question brought you back to the incident earlier. How Jaehyun gripped your arms trying to squeeze an answer from you. The pain left a numbing pain on your skin, reminding you to be extra cautious around him for your own sake. The man, just like what Soojin said, is not one to mess with. But you felt utterly coward reminiscing the way you cowered under him. He is your boss, yes, but he is still a man. He is just a man; flesh and blood just like you. “Earth to you, sis?” Yuqi snapped her fingers in front of your face, making you blink your way back to reality. You debated telling your sister of what happened. But you remember that behind her 5’0” height sleeps a volcano that you wouldn't want to wake.

“Nothing happened. He was just, you know, being extra jerk today.” You frowned.

“You don’t have to tolerate his attitude. You can always quit,” Yuqi commented, pulling a chair towards you and sitting on it, concern written on her face.

You slid off your three-inches high heels while laughing at her. Quitting after a week of work wasn’t in your list of priorities right now. You still have to endure your contract which lasts for a year, before you could quit or renew it— that is if he doesn’t get angry enough to let you stay in his company. And you still have tons of debts to pay and a future to secure; you wouldn’t want your sister to suffer just because you were being whiny.

“You know that’s not possible. We need money to stay alive,” you reminded her. She sighed in frustration, trying to open up the topic of her working so she could help provide for you both. You half listened to her sentiments while munching your dinner of ham and egg.

“I don’t understand why won’t you let me help,” Yuqi sighed.

You looked at her as she slumped further into her own seat. “I know you want to help. I couldn’t let you because of your condition. I wouldn’t stand idly as you risk your health doing jobs that I could do myself.”

“I am not as frail as you would like to paint me.” She sounded irritated, conviction clear in her voice. Of course you knew that. You are only refusing to test her strength when it’s clear that one simple job could harm her.

“And you’re not as strong as you believed to be,” you retaliated, challenging her to say something by looking at her intently. She sighed and let her hands fly above her head, defeat clear in her action.

“Alright. You win. I won’t talk about this again.”

“And I won’t let you even if you try to.” You chuckled, lifting the heavy atmosphere that’s coaxing from your discussion.

“You are annoying.” Your sister chuckled back. That was when you knew that you had won the argument again.

You stood up, gathering all the dirty utensils in the kitchen to wash in the sink. Yuqi offered to wash the plates, but you declined and told her to study instead.

“There’s something I wanna tell you, though,” she voiced behind you. You turned around to face her while wiping your hands with the apron wrapped around your waist. She nibbled on her bottom lip, the mannerism she always does whenever she feels uncomfortable to talk about something.

“I… I wanna try and join the archery team in our school,” she stated, refusing to look. Knowing Yuqi, she would always say tons of explanations to convince you about it, so you patiently waited while leaning onto the sink.

“I really wanna join… but I want to inform you first. Since, you know, my condition…”

Archery is the one sport she could do. It doesn’t really require heavy trainings and that could also help with her stamina.

“Just promise me that you’ll take care and discipline yourself,” you pointed out while raising your finger.

Her head snapped at you, eyes twinkling by the silent yes between your lines. You nodded at her, confirming that you indeed would let her join the sport. Her squeal pierced your ears as she jumped in happiness and hugged you.

“You’re the best!”

She peppered your face with little kisses, making you laugh and jokingly shrug her off of you. She kissed you one last time before dashing to her room with a stupid grin painted on her face. Going back to cleaning the dishes, you shook your head by your sister's silliness.

Teenagers are the hardest stones of the world, and you hope you were doing a great job taking care of one.

The day was beyond exhausting and you barely made it to your bed after washing your body and face in the bathroom. Your limbs felt heavy and your eyes were almost closing as you trudged the small distance from the bathroom to your mattress. The pain in your arm throbbing as you lay comfortable on the sheets. There wasn’t any bruises when you looked at it in the small mirror, but it was painful nonetheless. You wonder just how much strength Jaehyun emitted since you didn’t feel the pain earlier.

After you left the room, he didn’t call you back for anything again. Chaelin left not five minutes after you bolted out of the room. Regarding your boss, he departed his office earlier than the usual time. He was clearly pissed; with his narrowed brows almost crashing against each other paired with his usual scowl. As expected, he said absolutely nothing to you. Not even a sorry. Not even a glance.

Who are you kidding? Of course he was not apologetic. The heavens would open up and the angels would sing once a man like him admits his wrong. Men like him has a pride as fragile as a china vase. But deep in your heart, you expected him to at least say something to you, because you were hurt from his own doing.

Maybe it was bad idea to work for him, maybe it was a mistake that you didn’t listen to your best friend’s and sister’s warning. But what could you possibly do? What choices do you have left? Nothing. You have to endure him or else your sister would suffer. Besides, the company offers a great source of income, you really just have to live through the asshole CEO that comes with the package.

In spite of that, maybe you could exchange work to your co-workers on the lower floors. Surely, there is someone who would be willing to take the job. Jung Jaehyun is a pleasant view to look at, not until he talks and say something that would degrade and bury your confidence six feet under. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

You exhaled by the thought of talking to your boss about your plan of exchanging works with his other employees. You know it is unprofessional, but could he blame you when he literally went on and tried to crush your bones, scaring the wits out of you? He couldn’t be that heartless and emotionless not to feel your discomfort, right?

Assuring yourself that you could successfully execute the plan tomorrow, you drifted into oblivion mere seconds after closing your eyes.

The bad day seemed to stretch up to your dreams. Your mind is in a haze of blurry images; bodies and faces alike. But you feel your own limbs, standing in the crowd of people waltzing in a slow jazz music at the center of the hall.

You tried to look around; seeing different faces contorted like smudges of oil paint. It made your head hurt. The whole place made you dizzy. From its grand and shiny chandeliers to bodies full of iridescent jewels. It feels as if you were back in the past, but having no knowledge of where in history you were into. Eighteenth century? Nineteenth? You have no idea, yet it almost feels as though you were in the right place.

You stepped your foot forward, feeling the hard and slightly heavy shoes attached to your soles. That was when it occured to you that you were wearing the same elaborative gown as every woman in the festivity; with a corset wrapping your body, making it harder for you to breath. The feeling of your hair in a tight and fancy bun against your scalp and the dragging sensation of cosmetics on your face felt utterly real that you started to question yourself whether everything was only a dream, for you felt like living in the moment.

A servant halted in front of you, breaking your reverie. His one hand carried a tray of various drinks.

“Mademoiselle,” he greeted, slightly bowing his head. You reluctantly took a glass containing of red liquid. The servant smiled before continuing on his task.

The elders warned not to eat or drink anything in your dreams, for it is an offer by the devil and a sign that they could take your soul from your body. Looking down at the glass, you could almost perceive your own silhouette against the red surface— making everything more sinisterly eccentric.

“My lady.”

A voice rang from behind you. You turned on your heels to face the owner of the masculine voice, almost losing your balance as you saw that familiar eyes piercing on your own.

“Jaehyun?”

You were beyond certain that he was your boss. With his raven black hair standing bright against his pale skin, and the same cherry lips paired with his dark brown irises; there was no doubt he is Jung Jaehyun. The only difference is his hair, that is much longer than what you remember. But all about him— from his voice to his aura— is Jung Jaehyun.

Have you been thinking about him too much that his memory clung in your mind and into your dreams?

“Pardon me, my lady, but who is Je—?”

He was having difficulties pronouncing his own name. It was obvious by the way his brows were knitted together with his tongue stuck in his mouth. You realized that the name ‘Jaehyun’ was too modernized for a place like this; convincing you that the Jaehyun you know and the man in front of you might have the same face but they are not the same person.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

There was an unusual glint painted in his orbs as he looked at you; so different from his passionless eyes in real life. You tried to tell yourself that all of this is just a dream. But the first time your mind opened the door towards this fantasy, everything felt strangely veridical.

“It’s quite alright, my lady.” He smiled.

Jaehyun was a pleasant art to look at even with his scowl and narrowed brows. Yet his smiling face left no words in the dictionary to be used as a description to how dashing and comely he looked like with his pearly white teeth and luscious lips perfectly contrasting each other. And if only you could take a picture of it with your brain and print it out once you wake up just to taunt him tomorrow, you would. But the image would exist only in your mind and would solely be yours to keep.

“…can I finally have the pleasure to dance with you, ma chérie?”

You blinked. He offered you his hand, still too pale even in your dreams. Deep in your heart, Jaehyun feels too familiar that there was a slight pang of pain throbbing in the arteries of your heart as you stared at him. He whispered the last words like you share some kind of secret you didn’t want the world to know.

“What’s… your name again?” You asked.

His brows shot up to his hairline, clearly surprised by your question. “I see that you have consumed too much liquor tonight, my lady,” he chuckled.

He chuckled and you would lie if you would say that it wasn't the most pleasant sound you have heard in your whole life. It was deep, like it came from the depths of the ocean. You and Jaehyun were close to being strangers— but as you look at him with the eyes that you know were only a part of your imagination, you wished to bottle up the sound and replay it for the rest of your life.

He showed you his triumphant smile when you took his hand. Guiding you towards the throng of dancing bodies, he leaned closer, his lips so near you could feel his breath fanning your cheeks. “I am—”

“Y/N!”

You jolted awake, clutching your chest tightly as you stare at your younger sister with widened eyes.

“What on earth?” You breathed.

She smiled cheekily at you, “Breakfast’s ready.”

She hummed her way out of your room, giving you a look that tells you she knows you were dreaming about Jaehyun. You grabbed one of the pillows and attempted to throw it at her, sending her dashing to the kitchen with her laugh echoing through the whole house.

You stared at the window, noticing the rays of the sun slowly creeping in inside your room, leaving golden colors to everything that it touches. They say you would forget ninety-percent of your dream once you wake up, but that was not in your case. Your dream was so vivid you could draw Jaehyun’s smiling face if you wanted to.

The cold floors bit your soles as you stood up from the bed, washing away the last bit of sleep remaining in your system. You tied your hair into a messy bun and walked towards the bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face.

You debated telling Yuqi about the dream, but you shrugged the thoughts off the same moment it occured to you. There was no point telling her about it. She would certainly tease you once you tell her about Jaehyun’s occurrence in it.

“I’ll be late tonight,” Yuqi started as you both settled down on your chairs. You nod your head at her since you have been through the reason why she would come home late.

“Please, take care.” You eyed her intently.

You were still a bit reluctant to let her join the archery team. But your sister is on her last stage of being a teenager and you wouldn’t want her to miss the things she wants to enjoy. You wouldn’t wish to take away the life she wants to explore; the one you didn’t had the chance to experience when your mother died in the peak of your teenage life.

“I will, mom.” She snorted and rolled her eyes, but promising to take care of herself nonetheless.

—

“Sir, would you like to eat some breakfast?” You asked your boss.

It took you a lot of courage to walk in his office and pretend like nothing happened yesterday; because let us be real, he was still your boss and you were still his secretary.

He was sitting on his throne, rummaging through the files stacked up on his table with his usual scowl. Instead of answering you right away, he pretended not hearing you for two-minutes straight— making you stand there like a puppy waiting for his owner to give his orders. You soothed yourself despite the temper starting to boil inside you.

“Sir, would you like to eat some break… fast…?” Your last words barely came out of your mouth as he suddenly looked at you with his ice-cold gaze. It was so chilling that it locked you down on your spot like a zombie shot by the ice-peashooter in a game. Then there you were again, slowly cowering in his gaze like an animal trapped in a pen.

“Look at me, Y/N,” he commanded. And you wonder just how much power this man has that his words could literally pull you down on your knees, right there and there. With your heart on your throat, you slowly lifted your gaze to meet his.

Suddenly and without any warning, your mind went running back to the dream that you had; Jaehyun asking you for a dance while smiling at you. Today, his face was still beautiful, but there was nothing friendly in it as he looked at you— only danger and mischief.

“Does your arm hurt?”

Yes, fucker. It still does hurt, thank you. You would’ve said the words if it wasn’t for the fact that you still need a job and you couldn’t afford sleeping in the streets for the next month. So you lied instead. “No, Sir.”

He pushed his chair away from his table, silently stretching his shoulders and craning his neck as he stood up. He then, pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and laid it on the table. “Take this and get out.”

He didn’t give you a chance to say something for he walked straight to the meeting room— not bothering to glance at you. You blinked a few times before taking the small bottle and left the office.

You opened your hands. A small smile crept up on your lips as you stared at the bottle of ointment for body aches laid in your palms.

Maybe Jaehyun wasn’t that heartless after all.

—

Apparently, lunch is the only time you and Soojin could mingle together. Today, the lunch was surely meaty because of her stories and chitchats. You haven’t told her about the incident that occurred yesterday, for you didn’t want any drama attached to your name. Soojin is a reliable friend, but she’s the type of person who could drop a bomb in a group people, so you decided to be quiet about the matter.

“Oh! Before I forgot, Yuta sent me a message yesterday. He’s coming home to visit!” She cheered while scrolling through her phone.

The name brought you too many memories in an instant that you almost choke on your drinks. Soojin eyed you sheepishly before handing you a glass of water.

She laughed while patting your back and saying, “Relax, Y/N. It’s just Yuta!”

You nudged her ribs before quoting the air, “He’s not ‘just’ Yuta, y’know.”

You and Soojin were both friends with Yuta when you were in your freshman years. The three of you shared some memories that you wouldn’t trade for the world. You cried and laughed with each other— until you and Yuta became a ‘thing’.

It wasn’t hard to love Yuta; he was simply the best that you could ask for a guy. With his wise mind and smart mouth, gentleman antics and protectiveness, he captured you like a little dragonfly between his fingertips. Your relationship tied a rope so tight it couldn’t be loosened. Not until you saw her with a girl; him shoving his mouth down her throat you were certain he was trying to reach her liver.

He was your first love and your first heartbreak; your first in almost everything. And it had hurt you to think that you were just his another ‘first time’. But you have moved on, because you couldn’t love a boy who made you feel that your all wasn’t enough.

“It’s been years since we last saw him. I wonder what does he look like right now?” Soojin asked you. Her chin propped on her hand.

You shrugged, obviously ignoring her question since you didn’t feel comfortable talking about your cheater ex-boyfriend. Yuta went back to his home country when you finished college, pursuing whatever dreams he had in his mind. You have no idea what could possibly be the reason of his return. You severed all communications that you had with him. So he probably didn’t know about your mother unless Soojin told him. Nevertheless, you didn’t receive any consolation from him.

Going back to the 28th floor of Jung’s Fiscals, your mind couldn’t get off the possibility of seeing Yuta again— after so many years. Not that you were scared, but you know to yourself that he took a slice of your heart when it broke into millions of pieces because of him. But you were much capable to guard your feelings now than you did back in college. You just hoped that the bars you have put around your heart were well secured so no one would slip inside.

The rest of the day, you spent checking emails and schedules of your boss. He departed his office when he ate lunch (you have no idea where), returning an hour later and never came out again. It was past six p.m. when your mind tinged of an idea. Suddenly, you wanted to draw Jaehyun’s smiling face. You grabbed the sketchbook that you always carry along with your mechanical pencil. Uncomfortable as you were because of the dream, his face never left your mind— begging you to keep it in your memories. And there was only one way to do so: drawing.

You started with a circle, giving it a 3D interface to easily draw the parts of the face. The brightness of the image in your mind gave you goosebumps. His smile, his dimples, and his eyes were so detailed you could truly print it out if possible. After thirty-minutes of fast sketching his face, the canvas could no longer deny that it was Jung Jaehyun. The only missing details were his long hair and his clothes. You started to sketch his hair when Mother Nature called on you. So you left the sketchpad splayed on your table— which became your huge mistake of the day.

After you have relieved yourself, you went back to your table— to see Jung Jaehyun holding your sketchpad with his lips pressed in a tight line. Disappointment clear on his face.

You bit your lower lip— cursing the fact that both of you were the only person in the whole floor. It made every step of your heels echo against the silence. You calmed your raging heartbeat, convincing yourself that you didn’t do anything wrong; you drew him smiling and that was that. Nothing offensive or whatsoever. But you knew something about your sketch had vexed him.

“You drew this?” He asked, running his pointer finger along the rough surface of the paper.

“Yes, Sir.”

The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. You hated the silence, more than anything— because it amplified the sound of your boss ripping the page off your sketchbook. You have never expected him to praise your work, but you also didn’t think that he would ruin it. That made everything much worse. Yes, it was only a thirty-minute worth of sketch, but you made it nonetheless. Nobody has the right to rip it in front of you.

He crumpled the paper with one hand, letting it drop on his feet while looking at you with his stupid, emotionless gaze. You remembered the small ointment he gave you earlier, and the way you even allowed yourself to think that maybe he wasn’t that heartless as some other people might think. Yet here he was, shattering your hopes and proving you wrong.

“How could you be so hateful?”

You were certain you said it in muted tones, but it echoed off the whole floor— slapping you the fact that you indeed said it to your boss. Aloud. But the asshole didn’t even flinch. He only raised his brow, obviously saying that you have no right to ask him the question. You were too vexed to care about his feelings because he obviously did not care about yours when he ripped your work.

“You know what? I’m done! I couldn't work for someone like you anymore!” You trudged the distance between the both of you, closing your sketchbook and collecting your things. He didn’t stop you. You were certain he hated you as much as you hated him and that he also wanted to get rid of you.

“Does that mean you’re resigning?” He asked.

You would lose your mind, literally. You have no idea how could someone be so devoid of emotions as Jung Jaehyun. His voice doesn’t even have a sliver of feeling. You stopped bagging your things and looked at him— truly looked at him. The distance between you only one step away you could perfectly see the outline of his dark brown eyes— reflecting your face.

“Yes! I’m quitting this job!” You told him. Your pointer finger digging in on his chest by every word.

He caught your wrist and pinned you down with a glint of amusement dancing in his orbs— a warm smirk spreading across his lips. “So feisty.”

You blinked at him. His smirk spreading wider by your stoned reaction. In that moment, the only thing you wanted to do was smack his smug face off his head.

“You cannot resign,” he simply declared, not letting you go.

“And why not?” You tried to wiggle your wrist free from his grasp, but he only pulled you closer.

“I forbid it.”

You couldn’t believe him. Of course he was going to forbid it. He knows no one would beg to be his secretary once you quit and tell the whole world how awful Jung’s Fiscals’ CEO truly is.

“Listen—” You were interrupted by the loud vibration of your phone inside your bag. But your boss didn’t let go of your hand even if you tried to release yourself again. You were left with no choice but use your free hand to grab the phone inside.

“Hello?” you greeted.

Jaehyun made it clear that he wouldn’t give you the privacy that you deserved, so you glanced at him sideways while waiting for the other line to answer.

“Good evening. Is this Miss Y/N?”

“Yeah… how may I help you?”

“This is Sacred Heart’s Hospital. We are calling to inform you that your sister, Yuqi, is currently in the emergency room—”

You lost your balance, sending your phone crashing on the ground. Jaehyun was quick to catch you, his brows in its usual knitted state. Both of you didn’t say anything and you have no idea whether he heard the news or not. You regained yourself and tried to collect your stuff with shaking hands. The whole world seems to shrink, making your head dizzy and sending your heart to run a mile.

What happened? Your mind kept repeating the question. Sweat started to form in your forehead as you think about the worst answers. You wouldn’t forgive yourself if something terrible happened to you sister.

Quickly, you ran for the elevator— some of your belongings clattering on the floor. You picked them up as fast as you could, nearly tripping on your toes.

“I’ll give you a lift.” Your boss declared, stopping the elevator doors with his arm. It opened free, allowing Jung Jaehyun to step inside.

You couldn’t construct a word, not even a syllable to tell him to fuck off and that you don’t need his help would come out of your mouth. But you have guessed he saw the irritation in your face that he answered it with his same scowl.

“If you ride a bus from here to that hospital, it’d take you half an hour. The risk you wouldn’t want to make now that your sister could be dying.” So he really did hear the call.

The veracity of his opinion made the hairs on your skin crawl. He was not wrong, but you still hated him. You detested the possibility of your sister dying on a hospital bed right now and you didn’t need him to hit you with that on the face.

Riding a bus is a risk you don’t want to take, but you didn’t like the idea of Jaehyun helping you either. The matter at hand doesn’t require you to prioritize your pride— so even with a heavy heart, you let Jaehyun guide you towards the parking lot. All eyes were on you as you walked through the lounge. Soojin looked at you with concern printed on her face, you gave her a curt nod to tell her you wete fine. Even when you were sweating waterfall.

He parked right in front of you, waiting for you to hop in. You glanced around, suddenly reluctant to enter his car. Aston Martin— you have seen it in magazines. One of the most expensive cars existing today. The windshield went down, revealing Jaehyun with his one brow shot up to his hairline. Left with no choice but to give up and ride his car, you shrugged and hopped in.

The fifteen-minute ride to the hospital gave you a lot of anxiety. Sitting in his luxurious car made you irrelevant and small again. You were not one to envy the success of other people, but looking at him swerving the steering wheel and push buttons inside the vehicle made you realize that Jaehyun was indeed meant for the elite kind of life. He was sitting there, nonpareil. And that was a bit unfair to you. You were almost the same age, but your worlds were poles apart from each other— with him in the north, and you in the south. You wonder where did you go wrong that all you have experienced in this lifetime were hardships and misfortunes.

Tears pricked your eyes, the envy and the restlessness about your sister’s situation mixing together. But you refused to be weak in front of him. You would get through this, because that was what all you have ever known— getting through everything in life.

You gave Jaehyun no time to say anything for you dashed outside his car towards the emergency room once you reached the hospital. With your heart beating against your throat, you grabbed the nearest nurse by the arm to inquire about your sister.

“How is Yuqi? Yuqi L/N? I’m– I’m her sister! Y/N Y/L/N!” You thump your chest, wishing the nurse would understand your wobbling words.

Before he could answer, a doctor emerged from the emergency room. You quickly ran, frantically bombarding her questions.

“Yuqi L/N? She had a severe asthma attack earlier. The nurses from her university couldn’t risk the odds that’s why they sent her here. Her breathing has calmed down now. But we still need to monitor her situation for she looked like in so much pain earlier.”

You let your body lean on the white walls of the hospital, trying to refocus your mind and handle all your emotions. You were so close to breaking down, and you were surely on your wit’s end— a thread of the thinnest yarn barely keeping you intact. The doctor tapped your shoulders before she walked away.

Almost an hour had passed when they decided to transfer Yuqi into a private room. You quickly followed, helping the nurse make the bed and such. Yuqi’s already awake, looking at you apologetically. You nodded at her with tear stained cheeks. And only when the nurses left you alone you allowed yourself to seat on of the chairs, clasping your sister’s hand between yours.

“I’m sorry…” she croaked.

You silenced her, “Sssh. You shouldn’t cry. It’s not good for you.”

“How could I not cry? Here I am! Being the useless person again! I hate myself!” She pounded the sheets while crying. You continued to shushed her with comforting words.

“Don’t say that! It’s not your fault.” Your voice broke, and all the emotions swallowed you whole.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” she repeated, voice barely audible from all the crying.

“Sssh. It’s okay— I got this,” you reassured her.

Yuqi cried for five-minutes more, while you stroke her hair and tell her all the soothing words that she needed to hear. And then she fell asleep of exhaustion, tears leaving stain on her cheeks. You softly wiped it away with your handkerchief.

Looking around the room, you have taken notice of the empty bedside table. You have to go home and fetch some clothes, buy food and fruits for Yuqi and file a leave. But first, you resonated to calling Soojin. It was past eight p.m.. You were certain she was already on her way home.

“Hello? Y/N? Thank God you called! How are you? Are you okay? I saw you leaving with Mr. Jung. He didn’t hurt you, right? Tell me he didn’t!” she bombarded. You would have laughed if you weren’t in an unfortunate situation right now.

“I… I’m alright. I called to ask you a favor— I hope you won’t mind.” You sniffed.

“Of course I won’t! Tell me what is it? Do I need to call the police?”

“No, silly. I need you to come here, at Sacred Heart’s Hospital—”

She gasped, “What happened to you?!”

“Calm down. I’m quite alright. It’s Yuqi. I need you to look for her. I need to fetch some clothes and buy food. I’ll explain it once you get here.”

“Alright, Y/N. Wait for me!”

“Thanks, Soo. Take care.”

You tucked your phone in your pocket, running a hand through your hair while looking at Yuqi. She looks so peaceful yet weak, her lips barely having any tint on it. And you couldn’t help but blame yourself for what happened to her. I shouldn’t have let you join that team, you whispered— biting your lower lip to stop your tears from falling again.

You decided to rest your head on the sheets while waiting for your friend. Twenty-minutes later, the door creaked opened and you saw Soojin trying her best not to make a sound. She was early, maybe because she was already halfway when you called. You swiftly stood up. She boxed you with a tight hug as soon as she reached you.

“Is she okay?” She asked when you both pulled away.

You nodded at her while sniffing. “It’s my fault. I let her join the archery team.” You pitied yourself for being so careless.

But Soojin only shook her head at you, reaching for your hand. “None of it was your fault, Y/N. I’m sure you only wanted her to enjoy.”

“Still—”

She held up her hand, “Sssh. You have other things to worry about.”

You looked at her with knitted brows then she rolled her eyes at you.

“I saw Mr. Jung outside the hospital. Seems like he’s waiting for you.” Soojin wiggled her brows then.

Your palm automatically slapped on your forehead, remembering that you indeed went to the hospital with your boss. You completely forgot about him because of your anxiousness. Without a word, you departed Yuqi’s room and ran towards the exit— towards Jung Jaehyun.

Cool breeze greeted you outside, making you feel sticky from the sweat and tears your body excreted. The hospital provided cemented tables with chairs around them. You didn’t expect to see him waiting since it’s been almost an hour. But there he was— sitting on the farthest bench the lights could barely reach. A blunt was lit between his fingers, smoke coming out of his mouth while he scrolls through his phone.

You sat beside him, fanning the smoke away from you. There was silence but after a few minutes, he finally gazed at you. He didn’t say anything, just offered you the blunt.

“I don’t smoke. You shouldn't, too. It’s bad for the health.”

“Remind me that once I’ve had enough fucks to give.” He sipped on his blunt, blowing yet another eye-stinging smoke.

You ignored him. There was no point dwelling in the words that left his mouth.

“Why did you wait?” You asked instead.

“I thought you’d ask me about your salary.”

You didn’t say anything because he wasn't wrong. The idea, indeed, has already crossed your mind. But it seems embarrassing to ask about it. You were working on a prestigious company. Paperworks are needed for you to file any advanced salary and loans.

Jaehyun suddenly shifted on his seat, reaching for his wallet and pulling out a card. “Here. Use that for the bills.”

If you were not devastated beyond reckoning right now, you would have dropped dead to see a black card being offered to you.

“I don’t want your pity,” you snapped. Maybe it was your ego that was doing the talk, but you refused to receive any help from him.

Jaehyun deadpanned, “Hate to burst your bubble but your eyes tells me you absolutely do, chérie.”

Chérie.

You have heard of it, as clear as a crystal. Shivers ran down your spine, remembering your dream from earlier. It couldn't be possible. The accent and his voice sounded the same it creeped you out of your wits. You felt your heart somersaulting inside your chest, you were afraid you would lose your breath. But you tried to remain laid back, not letting Jaehyun witness that the monicker he called you rocked your world upside down.

“Is that… Is that your way to recompense?” You asked instead. Suddenly appreciating the grass underneath your feet. Noticing that your throat went dry, you gulped.

“You should know that I don't do that shit.”

You knew it. Jaehyun had no plan to acquit himself of what he did. There was silence again. You ran out of words to say to him. The dream and your reality slowly coaxing in your mind you thought you would go insane.

“Thank you, for going with me here.” You breathed at last.

He only nodded at you, placing his card back in his wallet before standing up and walking away— keys swirling on his finger. You let out a breath as you watched his back gets smaller and smaller.

Chérie. God, what is wrong with me?

—

Jaehyun absolutely has no idea what had got to him to offer you a ride to the hospital. Now that he thought about it, the idea was so unusual of him it made him slightly mad. Not only that, he even gave you a small body pain ointment. Chaelin gave him a lot of shit after the incident in the office, telling him he wasn’t being careful blah blah. And then she had forced the ointment into his hand, threatening him to give it to you.

He was sitting on his couch for twenty-minutes now— scolding himself because of showing a little decency towards a creature he vowed to hate with all the fibers in his being.

Humans. Weak and sinful humans. He breathed the words. Filling his glass of hard liquor and drinking all the contents in one gulp.

He reached for his pocket, digging the crumpled paper inside. Seeing your sketch enraged the living hell out of him, he was surprised he didn’t burn it with his own hands. It was so stupid of him to pick it up and pocket it as fast as he could when you were losing your shit because of your sister earlier.

Now as he stared at the paper again, he still couldn’t help but be furious. The edges of the sketch were rough, but the details were there— screaming at him. He couldn’t stop himself to remember the days when smiling was easy and laughing was effortless.

How many years has it been since he last felt his lips stretch into a genuine smile? Of course, a hundred fucking years ago— he whispered as an answer to his own question. He has no idea what came into your mind that you have decided to draw him smiling— but it infuriated him to the point that he almost fired you.

He reached for the locket on his other pocket again. It became a ritual; him staring at her face on a little locket every night since she died. She was still smiling— her hair flowing freely while a flower crown sit atop her head. Jaehyun clearly remembers the moment like a water on a fresh river.

They were both seated on the grass, with only the moon providing them the light. Then the girl offered his lap for Jaehyun to rest his head. The lake did its best to make everything more romantic by reflecting the moon onto its surface.

Beside her and onto her lap were the only places Jaehyun wanted to be forever. But he knew, in the hardest way, that forever only exist in him— not on the people around him, and especially not on her.

But he hopes— his stone-hard, ice-cold heart hopes that the saints could hear him every time he begged them to take care of her. Because yes, he was a sinner— but he still whispers her name like a prayer.

His world still revolved around her. His heart still beats for the same girl with eyes as blue as the ocean and hair as black as his own soul. The girl who loved painting so much she even gave colors into Jaehyun’s life with her delicate hands.

He ran a hand through his face, feeling that his world is collapsing again and again.

“Aurora, come back to me.”

—

You came back at the hospital after an hour and a half, the shame washing over you the moment you saw Soojin sprawled on the sofa while snoring. It was almost midnight yet she still needs to go home and wake up early tomorrow. You looked up at the ceiling while biting your lip, fighting the urge to cry again. You have no one but her. But only if you could split your body in half to do all things that needs to be done, you absolutely would. Just so you would never have to burden others with your own problems again.

You quietly walked towards her, leaning then shaking her lightly.

She stirred, quickly standing up when she realized it’s you and fixed her hair. “You’re back,” she groggily said.

You nodded at her. “I’m sorry if I had kept you waiting.”

“Oh no. It’s okay, Y/N.” She smiled at you. “The doctor arrived here twenty-minutes ago, checking on Yuqi. She said they still need to monitor her breathing. Hopefully, she could go home in two days.”

You nodded, glancing at you sister. Seeing her in a hospital bed made your heart hurt. It reminded you of the time when your mother was in the same situation, fighting for her life.

“Oh, I need to go home now. Just call me whenever you need me, Y/N.”

“Thank you, Soo. I owe you one.”

You hugged each other. But before you forgot, you grabbed your wallet inside your bag and handed a bill to Soojin. She looked at you, bewildered.

“For your fare, take it.”

“No! I couldn’t possibly take that, Y/N—”

You pushed the money on her palms, shaking your head at her with a thin-lipped smile. “Please, Soo. I won’t be able to sit still if you won’t take this.”

She sighed, finally taking the money. “Take care, okay? Don’t burden yourself too much. You couldn’t possibly control everything that’d happen, Y/N.”

You nodded at her, and then you shared one last hug before she departed the room.

Feeling that your bones couldn’t hold your body any longer, you decided to lay on the same sofa. It was still warm, giving you a little comfort in the cold room. You turned sideways, looking at your sister. Even though Soojin reminded you not to take everything as your fault, you still couldn’t help but blame yourself. No matter how you see the situation, your carelessness still stood as the main reason of why your sister is lying sick on the hospital bed right now.

You remember your mother when she was in the same situation— looking so frail and almost dead. And you, crying your heart out— begging the gods not to take your mother away but you already know that it was impossible. The sickness had spread in every cell of her body already, coating all of her strength and not making room for any improvements. Prayers couldn’t even help when the line had gone straight, the sound it made telling you that your mother had finally given up.

You felt warm tears slide down your nose and on your cheeks, making your eyes sting. Wiping the tears away, you shifted on the sofa and tried to close your eyes to sleep— the tears and the exhaustion delivering you into oblivion.

A lake. That was what you first noticed as you realized that you’re dreaming again.

The moon was on its full glory, white light reflecting in the silent waters of the lake. Unlike from your previous dream of noise and smudged faces, you couldn’t seem to hear the chatters of people or see any instruments tonight. You were completely alone.

But not until a voice spoke from nowhere.

“Aurora…”

You couldn’t name the voice. It sounded like it came from heaven, from the earth, from sundry places. Yet it fondled your heart with a familiar ache— like the name was your own. You tried to step your foot forward, your gown billowing because of the wind. The grass tickled your soles, making you realize that you were indeed barefoot.

The voices never halted as you sauntered up towards the lake. It proceeded with calling the same name. You kneeled on the grass, leaning forward to see your reflection in the water. Thanking the moonlight  for mirroring your face clear enough for you to see. But it wasn’t yours, the face, yet your body and soul belongs to you.

Your hair seemed too black, and your face smaller. And your eyes— the color thrilled you. They were blue, as the ocean itself. A flower crown sit atop your head. You were breathtakingly flawless.

“Aurora…”

You immediately looked around. The voice, no more coming from various people— but to only one. You saw no trace of any living bodies as you roamed your eyes around your surroundings. But the voice still lingered in the air, saying the same name over and over again.

“Aurora… come back to me.”

It was becoming too familiar now— with its deep and raspy tone. You closed your eyes. Jaehyun couldn’t really seem to leave you alone even in your dreams.

masterlist.

[anonplusultra-blog]

2. Faux innocence

"...uhm spaghetti is always a good choice. Unless its burned or raw. Is that the correct term for uncooked spaghetti?" Elsa was spacing out, she was looking through the window at nothing in particular. She is even ignoring my poor manners on the table. "Elsa, sweetie, are you listening?" time for a different approach. SNAP-SNAP "Earth calling Elsa, are you in there" I know I'm just rambling about pasta but she has never been like this before, at least not with me.

"Uh-err...maybe. I mean sorry its just, I did not slept well last night" she could've said that without yawning, now I' feeling a bit sleepy too! Her eyes are slightly bloodshot and her eyelids are half way closed. I'm getting worried now.

"Did you have that nightmare again, sis?

"Uhm, not-"

"Did you ate cheese past midnight? Did you know that nightmares in spanish are called 'pesadillas' because they are almost exclusively fueled by eating 'quesadillas' past bed time?"

"Wha- Anna! You are the silliest girl in the world" there the smile I wanted to see "There is absolutely no way that statement is true" no, no, no, why is she not smiling anymore "It's just that I'm not used to sleeping alone-but its not your fault it was a computer program. You can't argue with a over sized calculator" this is hitting her harder than I expected, even that attempt of a joke was overflowing with a sour sadness in her smile.

Ever since I can remember we have always shared bedroom, and even bed whenever we felt like doing so. I have Rory, my roommate, she is here when I can't sleep and need someone to talk to; she is there when I need a book recommendation. Elsa has no one with her. All she has in that room is gray walls, her violin, and a mirror. Elsa is alone. She is missing me but I know she is hiding something else. Her eyes are dodging mine and her fingers are at unease, rhythmically drumming against the table.

"Is there anything else bothering you sis?" Please open up to me Elsa, please!

"N-no, not at-at all, not really. I mean, its no big deal. Y-you shouldn't wo-worry about i-it" Oh no, she is stuttering. Whatever she is hiding is a biggie. Why, why would she hide something if its so bad? We have always trusted each other more than anyone else. Not even mom knows as many secrets about me as Elsa does.

"Hey, calm down. You can trust me Elsa, no matter how bad or wrong you think this little problem is-"

"I miss you Anna." Finally some honesty "I-I thought I was mature enough and pretended to be okay with this whole separate bedroom thing and seeing you after classes... b-b-but, its so hard." she was crying, she needed to cry.

"Come here you" I just couldn't take it anymore. I got up and went around the table to hug her as tight as I could. I can feel her tears dampening my shirt and my own running down my cheeks. I guess I needed this as well. I have missed her too, I missed this warmth spreading through my chest and our heartbeat synchronized. It took our tears and this embrace to bring my longing afloat. Maybe if I tell her my secret she'd be more open to me "Can I tell you a secret sis?" I felt her nodding against me "I've miss sleeping with you. And well, it's embarrassing but, I have an extra pillow on my bed to cuddle at night" the sobbing chuckle she made was like a ray of light in our present darkness.

Our hug lasted for a few minutes. And it was abruptly ended by Elsa tickle torturing me. I was begging her to stop as my face was red and burning, and breathing became a hard task for my body. She stopped once I was laying on the floor trying to protect my rib cage with my arms and laughing uncontrollably. I looked at her and her face was a dark shade of pink, even her ears were tinged with the blood rush; her hands on her lap. She was embarrassed. I realized that we are in a Cafe surrounded by the judging eyes of strangers, fixed my skirt and blouse as I stood back up and returned back to my chair across Elsa.

"Your mascara is-s." she signals to her own cheek mimicking the falling of a tear.

"And whom fault is it young lady" obviously her, she is the one that made me cry...twice. She looked back at her lap with a smile shyly unraveling in her face. "Hey how 'bout we make something about it. Let's go to the restroom".

ooo

My eyes fixed to the fluorescent tubes on the ceiling as Anna requested me to do, her left hand cupping my chin to hold me steady as she was applying the last touches of eyeliner.

"See that was not so hard. You have really nice skin and need just a sprinkle of foundation, concealer and eyeliner to exalt your naturally beautiful face" She turned my face to the mirror. And there we were, side by side. We looked beautiful and happy, why can't we be like this all the time? "Hey what's up? Anything wrong?"

"I uhm- so-sorry for asking you do my makeup. I shoul-dd-d had b-brought my own makeup and-"

"What are you talking about you silly head? I looove doing your makeup Elsa, its like adding color to a coloring book" her hand cupped my face again "bringing the beauty to the exterior and... I love how it makes your eyes pierce through steel and your li- Fuck! I forgot about your lips. I mean its kinda your fault for having those distracting eyes" she started searching in her purse passionately, every second more and more impatient "Wha-Where is it? I had a perfect lipstick for this natural look...It was here this morning. Oh god I'm so dumb I must have left it on my dorm. Well lip gloss it is then."

I assume the position and Anna applied the shine to my lower lip, it felt...ticklish. "The lipstick you wanted to use on me… got lost?"

"Yeah, I guess. I even retouched my lips back at my dorm before coming here. It sucks because if I had it we would look like those assembly line runway models." So we would look identical.

We went back to our table and I pretended I was gong to sit down and abruptly stood up "Oh, I almost forgot, I should be going back to my dorm, there's this uhm t-thing I have for a class early t-tomorrow, so y-yeah. Thank you for the makeup, An-Anna, and the lunch."

"Don't mind it, I have to go work today again, we are short on staff so I'm working like 4 days a week now. And they advertised it as a part-time job those meanies" I want to stay a little longer with you Anna...but my mind is yearning for something else. Something you-something we can't share.

I left in a hurry, ran so fast I had to stop to catch my breath a few times, it was just over a mile, I'm obviously not as athletic as my sister. Once in my dorm room and after double checking the door and window and making sure I was at my personal haven, I collapsed into my knees. Sweat running through my body, sure I was out of breath, but my sweat was cold. I was afraid. I did something I had never done before this afternoon...I stole from my own sister.

I could feel it in my shorts back pocket. The perfect lipstick my sister wanted to use on me. I'm glad I stole it before she applied onto my lips. I doubt I could resist the sight of us looking so...beautiful together. I put my hair up in a bun and caged it in a hair net before wiping the gloss of my lips, cleansing Elsa away and applying the guilt embalmed lipstick to my soft pink flesh. Now facing the mirror, I completed the transmutation and my hair was replaced again with the lovely coppery twin tails.

"Welcome back Elsa. I've been waiting for you all day. Did the other one tried to delay our date" Eyes filled with a feeling I have never seen on my...her face. "No, b-but you wer-r-re right-t she did miss me. She even has an Elsa pillow for bed time cuddles" "Aw, that is so cute. Maybe we could do that blondie?" "Huh, maybe. I guess its not as weird if Anna does it-" "I meant cuddles...or sleeping together" that look had a feeling even I could understand. Lust, filth, deviancy. "C'mon I didn't meant it like that sweetie, did I? I'm kidding. It just that you put me back in your suitcase so early last time, all we did was a little peck...which reminds me-" my lips colliding soft and tenderly against the cold looking glass, our eyes closed.

Mom used to love seen our affectionate hugs and kisses until, well we were no longer doll sized princesses but young teenagers in bloom. Anna always thought of the rule as shallow envy since mother did not have sibling let alone 'an Elsa as her sister'.

Our sleepovers would casually include a few pecks or not, it all depended on Anna, I'd let her initiate, perhaps because I was afraid our mother may come in and get angry at us for disobeying her.

The Anna in the mirror kisses me, but these ones are different. They taste, feel, and come from a strange place. But I can't-won't stop her. "Now, we should redecorate this room. First, move our bed over there by the window so I can be with you on it." I did as told and pushed my bed towards the window until it was stopped by the desk every dorm room had. I fell to the floor exhausted yet again. I look up and saw Anna on the mirror slowly climbing on my bed.

"And secondly...take off those sweated shorts and join me..."

[thelanternwielder]

Too Late - a Monsuno Fanfic

Author’s note:

Yes, you read the title correctly. I finally wrote fanfiction for Monsuno. This is the first time I ever attempted to write fanfiction. I tried to write it in a way that you could get the gist of the story even if you have never watched an episode of Monsuno.

CW for entire story: Abuse and character death (the chapters those elements appear in are tagged)

Edit 2018/01/02: Part Two can be found >>here<<.

Tell me what you think. Feedback is always appreciated.

Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap.

The sound of keys on keyboard being pressed faintly resonated throughout the aircraft, with an odd tap that had more of a metallic timbre to it.

Everyone on board had gone to bed, except for one.

The source of the tapping came from the ship’s control room. The room itself was large and empty. There were seats near the onboard computer, pushed aside.

The room was lit with the computer’s massive screen. On it were strange maps and satellite images.

Standing before the screen was an old butler. His grey, tired eyes darted to all parts of the screen. Despite it being so late, he was still in his uniform: his tuxedo with a purple bowtie and a backpack-like contraption that gave him two extra robotic arms. The metallic claws hung over his head as he typed away, occasionally moving to press a distant key.

“Where are you?” he mumbled, glancing at the time.

It was 12:04am.

Suddenly, the butler felt a pain in his head. A dull headache.

He stopped typing and rubbed his forehead.

“Blasted headache!” he hissed through gritted teeth.

The headaches had been coming and going for the past month. They were a nuisance, but he didn’t think too much of it.

There were far more pressing issues to worry about than a silly headache.

He went back to typing, slightly slowed. His eyes, again, darted around the screen, scanning all the images as quickly as possible. He looked down to find a key.

He looked to his right.

There was a hand leaning on the console.

The butler followed the black sleeve with his eyes.

There was a person leaning against the console, wearing a long black jacket with red epaulettes. He was bald and had a short beard. He was intensely analysing the screen.

The butler stepped back in start.

“Oh, hello Doctor,” he said, taking a breath, “I didn’t hear you come in”.

The Doctor looked at him and stood up tall.

The butler continued, “Really Sir, you’re becoming more and more like a phantom as time passes. And I have noticed, if you pardon the criticism,” the Doctor raised an eyebrow, “that you have become lax with the time.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Hargrave?” the Doctor asked with disgust. His voice seemed to fill the room with menacing grandeur whenever he spoke.

The butler cleared his throat.

“You said the last time you were here that you would come no later than midnight,” he saw that it was 12:08am, “Last time you came you were meant to arrive at ten to twelve at night but instead came at midnight. And this has been going on since your nocturnal visits began! What is going on?”

The Doctor was taken aback. He wasn’t used to being criticised, especially by his butler. Anger began to simmer inside him.

Hargrave wasn’t finished.

“Besides, why exactly are you even coming here at night? You can come during the day. I mean, the rest of the team miss you. Maybe if they saw – “

“Hargrave!” the Doctor boomed. He glared at the butler. He was breathing heavily, with every breath seething with indignation.

Hargrave seized up. His robot arms recoiled, as if they were part of his body. He knew that look and that rage all too well.

The Doctor approached him, their bodies now mere centimetres of each other. The height difference between the two men became apparent as the Doctor was breathing down on Hargrave. The butler knew that he wasn’t tall, but he felt even smaller than before.

The Doctor leaned in closer, right in Hargrave’s face.

“Do you dare to question me?” the Doctor spat at him.

The butler braced himself. He knew that if he said anything, things would only get worse. He stood there completely still.

“I asked you a question. ANSWER ME!”

Hargrave flinched. He was trying his hardest to not show any emotion, a task made even more difficult when his heart was racing.

He reluctantly and meekly replied, “Yes.”

He looked down at the ground as the Doctor leaned back. The Doctor regarded him with abhorrence.

“You’ve lost your faith in me.”

Hargrave looked up at him aghast, taking a few steps backwards.

“Lost faith? Absolutely not! Such a thing is inconceivable, sir!” he stammered, “I find your most recent actions, well, disturbing. I do not know of what you scheme, nor do I know where you go. As your butler, your safety is my top priority.”

“Enough!”

Hargrave tensed up again.

The Doctor said, “No one need to know what I am doing. Everything will become clear when the time is right. Now, I do not want to hear another question from you about this ever again. Understand?”

“Yes Sir,” the butler bowed obediently.

“Good.”

The Doctor walked back to the screen, looking at the images again. Hargrave sighed with relief. His robot arms seemed to relax with the rest of his body. He was expecting it to be worse than that. Sometimes, the Doctor becomes violent during his tirades. Every so often, he lashes out, mostly with words but he has been more physical in the past. The worst the butler had experienced was when he was locked in a room with the Doctor’s Monsuno.

Monsunos were giant monsters created from mixing a glowing alien essence (appropriately called Monsuno essence) with animal DNA and rocks. They rest within a small hourglass-shaped container made from a light metal and glass called a Monsuno core. When the core is thrown, the monster is released and can stay out until either eight minutes are up or when it is defeated.

Hargrave was just learning how to use the Monsuno the Doctor created for him when he was locked in that room. He wasn’t completely defenceless against the bear-like monstrosity. He was able to deflect some attacks with his robotic arms long enough to figure out how to launch his core.

He shuddered at the memory, blinking back to the present.

“So, Hargrave,” the Doctor began, leaning against the computer console.

“Yes, sir?” Hargrave walked to the screen.

The Doctor stepped back, crossing his arms.

“You haven’t found the perfect location yet, have you?”

“Er, not really,” Hargrave began to type again, “There are surprisingly few plateaus in Mandala, sir. And the only location that really fits what you are looking for is in the Lowlands.”

A top down satellite image of an orange desert with few plateaus was brought up onto the screen. Hargrave looked at his master for approval.

The Doctor grunted, “There’re not nearly high enough.”

“I was afraid you would say that.”

Hargrave began to move the map away from the plateaus to a small hole in the middle of the desert. The Doctor looked at him with a blank expression.

“In other news, I did find one of our old bases. A mere shell of its former self, of course,” Hargrave turned to the Doctor and smiled cautiously, “Do you remember those times? Before you decided to partner with the Forge Resistance. Before you investigated cloning. Before you considered hiring anyone else. When it was the two of us. Us against the world.”

The butler had a wistful expression. He remembered back to when they first founded their little team: Team Eklipse. It was just the Doctor, him and an armada of robots. The Doctor used to create Monsunos as part of his research. He would sell the unwanted ones in the black market. The money was used to continue his research into creating the ultimate weapon. Hargrave admired the Doctor’s intelligence and ambition. He also admired how utterly brutal his master could be to anyone who got in their way of world domination. He was the Doctor’s right-hand man and he never wanted that to change.

He missed those times, especially since they partnered with the Forge Resistance. They were a group of outlaws who were known for their steampunk aesthetic and cybernetic Monsunos. They wanted a world of anarchy and destruction. This seemed contrary to the Doctor’s desires to the butler. He couldn’t see how the two groups could possibly cooperate, but they were. Somehow, the Doctor and the leader of the Forge Resistance, Professor Tallis, found some common ground and were working closely together. There were now two leaders in the group. Hargrave felt like a third wheel as a result.

The Doctor’s expression was still blank.

“Times have changed, Hargrave.”

The butler turned back to the screen, crestfallen. His robot arms drooped slightly. The Doctor moved to his right.

“We needed help taking over the world,” the Doctor explained, “We were being outmatched at every confrontation by our enemies. Now, since we are allied with Forge, we can use their resources and manpower.”

Hargrave turned his head slightly towards the Doctor. He knew what his master meant. One of their enemies, S.T.O.R.M., was an elite government-supported army whose aim was to quash any unauthorised Monsuno activity. Being an army, they had more weapons, more Monsuno and more firepower than the two could ever dream of. They recently allied with another enemy: Team Core-Tech. Team Core-Tech consisted of five children armed with Monsunos. One of the children was the son of a colleague the Doctor previously worked with. He deemed the Doctor to be mad with power and attempted to dissuade future research. Consequently, fighting Team Core-Tech was a far more personal matter than fighting S.T.O.R.M. Ironically, the children were the bigger threat of the two, due to the sheen number of times they have stopped the Doctor’s plans.

Hargrave asked softly, “And what of your plan of becoming a Monsuno Sapien?”

A wicked grin spread across the Doctor’s face. He placed his hand on the butler’s shoulder. Hargrave barely could feel his hand. It was weightless.

The Doctor emitted a dark chuckle.

“That was never off the table,” he whispered, “Merely put on hold. But no more.”

A small twisted smile appeared on Hargrave face.

“And the plateau is part of your brilliant scheme?”

“Of course!”

Hargrave turned back to the screen with a wicked spark in his eyes. The Doctor took his hand off the butler’s shoulder, stepped back and began to watch. Hargrave’s heart fluttered at the possibility of a new insane evil plan, like the ones of the past.

“I shall find you the highest plateau in Mandala, Doctor!” he declared with gusto.

He hammered the keys faster than before. Dozens of images and maps flashed onto the screen.

The Doctor watched with content. Soon he could go back to researching how he could combine human DNA with Monsuno essence. He had seen it been done once before on one of his enemies after an explosion (a “happy accident”, in his words). The result was a teal, monkey-like goliath, smaller but stronger than any other Monsuno. He called it a Monsuno Sapien. He yearned for that kind of power to pump through him, to dominate anyone who dared to challenge him. And after his transformation, he would command an army of Monsunos to take over the world, starting with Mandala.

But he needed a high plateau first, for reasons only known to him.

Meanwhile, two of the crewmembers were up and wandering about in their pyjamas.

One was an extremely tall man with messy spiked black hair and a streak of madness in his eyes. He held a Monsuno core with a brick red glow in his hand, using it as a kind of lantern. The other was not as tall and disgruntled about being woken up at this hellish hour. He wore a thick orange headband to keep his long brown hair off his eyes. The tall one was leading the way in the dark.

“There better be a good reason as to why you’ve woken me up, Dom,” growled the guy with the headband.

The tall man giggled with his high-pitched voice, “Pretty tells me that he’s doing it again, Drezz.”

Dom always calls his Monsunos ‘Pretty’.

“Who’s doing what again?”

Dom paused and turned to Drezz with an unsettling smile.

“You’ll see. Just follow me and be quiet.”

He sped off again. Drezz continued to follow reluctantly. He was still adjusting to Dom’s odd idiosyncrasies. He had to. They were stuck together ever since his leader, Professor Tallis, decided to ally with Dom’s leader, Doctor Klipse. The two groups, Forge Resistance and Team Eklipse, haphazardly combined to become Eklipse Resistance. It was strange to have two leaders.

But nowhere near as strange as Dom Pyro. Drezz was thoroughly convinced that Dom was completely mental. Dom talks to his Monsuno and acts as if it responds. Aside from his eccentricity, he really could understand his Monsuno whenever it ‘spoke’ to him. And he was able to sense when other Monsunos were ‘speaking’.

Some individuals, like him, were born with this psychic ability and can sense a Monsuno’s aura. Unlike him, most who had this ability were completely unaware of it, and of Monsunos for that matter.

���Where are we going?” Drezz asked.

Dom hushed him and gestured to come closer. Drezz, still confused, obeyed. They were in the hallway leading to the airship’s control room. A tapping sound came from the room. Dom pointed to the room with subdued glee. He then used his hand to cover his core’s light. The men peered into the control room. They saw Hargrave was at the computer, with images rapidly appearing and disappearing on the large screen. Drezz shot Dom a puzzled look. He knew that, ever since Dr Klipse and Six (the fourth member of Team Eklipse) went missing a month ago, Hargrave had been staying up late to look for them using the main computer.

Dom whispered, “Wait for it.”

Drezz looked back at Hargrave, still in the dark.

Hargrave threw a picture of a cliff in a clear patch of a rainforest onto the screen. He looked at his master. His master had a neutral expression.

“I know it’s a cliff and not a plateau, sir, but hear me out.”

The butler paused, waiting for permission to continue. The Doctor nodded as a signal to keep going.

“Well, I was thinking,” Hargrave said measuredly, “since you want a high flat piece of land and all of the plateaus I’ve come across aren’t nearly tall enough, this cliff would be a viable alternative.”

“Is it flat?” the Doctor interrupted harshly.

Hargrave hesitated, “It has a gentle incline.”

The Doctor walked up to the screen to scrutinise the picture.

“There’s not nearly enough space.”

“Perhaps we could cut down some of the trees,” Hargrave suggested.

The Doctor glared at him. The butler sheepishly laughed.

“I’ll keep looking then,” he turned back to the computer.

He went back to typing. Tap tap tap.

Drezz turned to Dom again, looking concerned.

“How long has this been going on?” he whispered.

Dom looked at Drezz with a cheeky smirk. He had been trying to contain his laughter.

“Two weeks,” he mouthed, holding up two fingers.

He began to bend over, chortling. He was hissing as much as a boiler that was about to explode. He slid to the ground, caught in a fit of snickering.

“Look at how he prances about!” he wheezed through the laughing.

Drezz glanced back at the butler.

Hargrave was mostly transfixed on the screen, blissfully unaware of what was happening. The images that flashed onto the massive screen has an almost hypnotic effect.

The Doctor spoke in a low tone, “Hargrave.”

Still focused on the task, the butler turned his head so that his ear was facing the Doctor.

“We’re not alone.”

Hargrave froze. He could hear a wheezing, muffled laugh coming from behind him.

He was a deer caught in the headlights.

Drezz realised that Hargrave could hear the laughter.

“Dom,” he hissed, grabbing Dom and shaking him, “Dom! Stop laughing!”

“I can’t!”

Suddenly he erupted with laughter. His core slipped out of his hand. The guffawing echoed through the large control room.

Drezz stood up, somewhat panicked. He glanced back at the butler.

Hargrave turned around and saw the men in the doorway. One was looking back with a shocked expression. The other was on the floor in hysterics.

Drezz turned to Dom, “And you told me to be quiet! Hypocrite!”

Dom tried to control himself as he got up, picking his core up. Hargrave walked towards the men as they entered the room.

Hargrave spoke softly, disheartened by the laughter, “Drezz, Dom Pyro, what are you two doing here?”

Drezz answered with worry, “We were wondering what you were doing.”

Hargrave grunted with scorn and regarded Dom.

“And to mock me, by the sounds of it.”

Still grinning, Dom replied, “You’re always so fun to watch, Clockwork Man.”

He chuckled one last time. The butler was unimpressed.

“So,” Drezz said, “who were you talking to?”

Hargrave raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Yes, who were you talking to, Clockwork Man?” Dom parroted.

The butler looked at the men.

“You’re not serious, are you?” he gestured to where the Doctor was with grandeur, “Dr Klipse, of course.”

They looked to where the Doctor was. He was facing the three of them, eerily quiet.

Dom covered his mouth to prevent another giggling fit. Drezz looked back at Hargrave, now even more concerned.

The butler was puzzled by their reactions.

“Hargrave.”

He turned to Drezz.

“There’s no one there.”

He blinked a couple of times. He turned to where the Doctor was.

There was nothing but a vacant space.

Terror shot through the butler.

Still smiling, Dom put his hands on Hargrave’s shoulders. The butler shook as the hands landed heavily. He looked up at Dom who was even taller than the Doctor.

“You’re going mad, Clockwork Man!” Dom said with glee.

There was a mortified silence that hung in the room. Hargrave was completely expressionless.

“Please get off me.”

Dom took his hands off him. Hargrave walked back to the computer. Drezz and Dom exchanged looks. Hargrave leaned against the console with his hands, slumping over. He was staring at the keyboard, still attempting to process what he had done.

“Hargrave?” Drezz called to him.

“Please leave,” he responded politely.

“Maybe you should go to bed.”

Suddenly, Hargrave snapped.

“I said, LEAVE.”

This stunned both Drezz and Dom. Dom’s smile had even disappeared. They exchanged another look.

Hargrave was always so calm and collected, regardless of what was happening. He was steely under stress. He never faltered with his emotions.

The two men left quietly. The room became silent again. It has an air of anxiety to it.

Then Hargrave noticed something: his dull headache had disappeared. In fact, it had vanished when Drezz and Dom entered the room.

When he thought about it more, he noticed a pattern. Every time the Doctor appeared, he always had that dull headache.

But why? He thought.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his Monsuno.

“The things I do for you, Emmanuel,” he muttered while looking at the core; it lit his face with its brick red glow.

He looked up at the screen, now filled with disappointment. Half of Team Eklipse was still missing. His beloved master was still missing. He was back at square one. He put his core down on the edge of the console. He began to close all the windows that he opened in a flurry during his imagined conversation.

The core’s light seemed to pulsate gently. It was almost soothing.

Suddenly, the light became brighter and brighter with each pulse.

An awful pain shot through Hargrave’s head like a spear. He stopped, completely paralysed. He grasped his head and collapsed onto the console.

The excruciating pain radiated through his entire body. He was shaking, silently suffering. He could barely stand.

He heard a loud booming voice that was all too familiar.

“Find me, you fool!”

It was the Doctor.

Hargrave tried to fight against the pain, weakly lifting his arm. Slowly, he began to press the keys on the keyboard. He brought up the satellite map of Mandala.

He closed his eyes, mashed a bunch of key and pressed enter before fainting on top of the keyboard.

He opened his eyes. He was facing the roof, illuminated solely by the computer screen that was on.

He sat up, rubbing his head. The headache had disappeared. He was no longer in pain, no longer shaking.

Hargrave looked up at the screen. On it was a static satellite image of a giant airship. It was shaped like an aircraft carrier, with dozens of small black and yellow helicopters dotting it. Among the helicopters was a blue one. The people one the massive airship resembled ants.

The butler got up and narrowed his eyes.

His jaw dropped when he realised what he was looking at.

It was a S.T.O.R.M. Cloud Carrier, a base of operations in the sky for the army. A flying fortress.

He glanced at his core for a moment.

Could this be a sign? He wondered, an awful omen?

It had to be. There was no other feasible explanation.

Hargrave was filled with horror at the realisation.

“Oh, my lord! They’ve been captured!”

His body was flooded with guilt and shame. It was churning through his body. A horrible image appeared in his head of the Doctor being locked up deep within the armoured weaponised ship, key thrown away, heavily guarded by black and yellow soldiers, never to see the light of day again.

He felt powerless.

How could I let the Doctor get captured, he thought, by our enemies, no less?! I should’ve been there to save him!

He felt weak, sickened to the core. The butler grabbed one of the nearby chairs. He slumped onto it, head in hands. His robot arms drooped with the rest of his body.

It was my job to protect him, the thought repeated over and over in his head, it was my job to protect him.

The soft brick red light of Hargrave’s Monsuno core pulsated calmly. It seemed to slow its pulse, almost out of pity, as the man began to weep.