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amoristt · 3 years

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Grazing the Fire | IV

well hello. here i am, four years later, once again enamored with nathan enough to finally dust this baby off and pick up where i left it. im a little rusty so bear with me this chapter! much more to come <3

reblogs + tags and replies will make my entire day as i put a lot of effort into this :)! it also helps motivate me!

story continues beneath the read more. let me know if you can’t access it!

Warning: language, very vague s/a mentions

want to support me? heres my kofi!

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“Alright class, who can tell me,” A board stick clacks against the chalkboard. “Who can answer problem four?”

A few hands raise in the corners of your eye, but yours remains atop your desk. Eyes far away, mind in a murky haze and almost completely unaware. All you could focus on were the memories playing on repeat within the confines of your tired, tired brain. Hours ago, you were warm, you were comfortable. Safe.

Cheeks heated to a dusting blush when you remind yourself just how you had awoken that morning. At some point in the night, an angel had blessed you. Allowed you to wake up wrapped around none other than big, bad, Nathan Prescott. Your face nuzzled into his chest, broad but wiry hands pressed firmly over your shoulder and his arm slung over your waist to keep you against him. Thankfully you had been the first to wake up, blinking away the morning sun blazing through his blinds and painting the room stripes of gold. At that moment, before your headache came crashing down onto your skull, you were astounded by him.

Eye lashes brushing the top of his cheeks, his lips parted ever so slightly, chest rising and falling rhythmically. In that moment, there was no anger, no bitterness. Just a soft and peaceful slumber. It was like being the sole viewer of a magnificent painting- each stroke and detail placed just there just for you to pick out, to remember the curves and sharp edges down to the very foundation. From his unkempt hair down to the way his hand flattened onto the mattress where your indent still lived. Nathan was so beautiful like this.

For a long time you stayed there. It was as though you were afraid to move- you couldn’t bear to disturb him. You had wondered, if he was always like this, so at peace, what would he be like? Likely soft voiced, mild mannered. He’d do his school assignments without hassle and donate to the charity board. He would wander the town with his friends and listen to music in a beat up truck flying down the stretch of highway overlooking the bold, blue, and beautiful ocean. An entirely different version of himself- carefree, and a fair blue as opposed to a burning flame of red.

But, if that were the case, you’d never have gotten here. You’d never been both the outsider, and the only seeing eye. A lucky, albeit firstly unwilling witness to the display of depth before you.

It never hit you like it had quite in that moment how lucky you were.

But- just then- an alarm disturbed what serendipity existed. You nearly leapt out of your skin, clutched your hands to your chest at the sudden sound. A headache wove its way into your once untouched temples. Nathan groaned, mumbled, ‘god damn it’, under his breath, and thus his body was reanimated into life. He rubbed his eyes and he stretched, that familiar scowl coming over his eyes and lips as he took in the sunlight damn near blinding him. A polar opposite to the being you’d appreciated just moments earlier.

“Ugh, fuck, how the fuck is it seven already.” He groaned. “I feel like shit.”

“Well good morning to you too,” You started, welcoming Nathan into the world. “‘I’m feeling pretty shitty as well.”

You said that, but really… You were more than alright. Your head had hurt, slight nausea crept into the wells of your stomach, but other than that you’re sure you were phenomenally better than you’d have been waking up whereverTate would have left your ass.

“You need to get outta here, before everyone gets up.” Nathan drawled, but he didn’t sound as urgent as you expected him to be. You’d expected him to be angry that you were still in his room, but instead he just… accepted it.

You snickered, climbing out of his throne of a bed. “Wow, you’re giving me the morning after treatment?”

“Sure am. Get outta here, whore.”

“Oh fuck you.”

You located your heels from last night, resting upright near his dorm room door. Heels didn’t sound like the most practical to sneak out of a dorm with, so you instead opted to grappling them by the straps and carrying them at your side. Hair a mess, outfit riddled with wrinkles and makeup smudged under your eyes, you stood before Nathan in all your glory. He stared at you for a long, odd moment- and you for some reason felt exposed, or even, shy.

“What?” You ask expectantly, placing a hand on your hip.

His eyes trail to your line of vision. He shakes his head. “Just thinking about how now you really do look like my morning after.”

“Yeah?” You hummed. “Find it hard to believe you get a lot of those.”

Nathan shoots you a suggestive glance. “You’d be surprised. Everyone wants a piece of Prescott.”

Surely, he was joking, or maybe he wasn’t, but you… Didn’t like hearing that. It made your stomach feel odd, uncomfortably heavy. As he stood up, reminding you how many inches he had over your size, you swallowed and cleared your throat to flush out that crappy feeling. “Well,” you started, mood having dropped. “I’m gonna go, then.”

“What got your panties in a twist all the sudden?” He asked, raising a brow and pulling some clothes from his closet, tossing them onto the bed.

The bed you two had shared.

You hated the idea of his morning afters- whoever they may be.

“Not feeling great. Probably a side effect of the roofies.” You mumbled.

Nathan breathed a laugh. “Probably.”

He seemed so calm, right now. Perhaps due to it being so early, before the outside world had a chance to remind him just why he was so uptight all the tight. Before he needed to be so uptight all the time. He really did have so many versions of himself- all of whom you were slowly becoming familiar with. Compared to the person you’d believed him to be before your run ins, you’d never have assumed someone so dangerous could be so soft as last night, as this morning. In the beginning, you’d feared him. Avoided him like a plague, or a wild animal. Even when you were enraptured in the existence of him, you still wanted to keep away. You’d never have believed someone like you could wake up clutched to his chest, as though he were afraid if he released you, you’d be gone long before he woke.

Then, a sudden thought struck your mind.

He’d held you so tight. He’d welcomed you in the morning. No anger, no annoyance. His soft laugh at your banter and taunts. How your heels were standing upright instead of tossed haphazardly into some random corner, where he’d watch your struggle to find.

How he’d stayed awake to ensure your sleep.

“So are you just gonna stand there?” Nathan called you back to reality, hands gripping the hems of his shirt. “I gotta get ready and you need to wash up so you don’t look like a five dollar stripper.” Cruel words, but with absolutely no bite. You rolled your eyes.

“Yeah. But, hey,” You started. “Thank you for last night.”

“Yeah, yeah. You gotta start learning to watch your own back.” He says. “There’s gonna be times I won’t be there to drag your ass out of the fire.”

If you’d been charged, if you’d been stricken with a strange defensiveness, you’d have retorted, ‘than stop helping me’, but… Instead you allowed yourself the comfort of protection. You allowed Nathan Prescott to watch you.

“I know,” You reached for the door. “Thank you.”

With that, you bounded out of the dorm silent as a mouse.

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In hindsight, you should have left earlier. Class was merely 15 minutes away when you slipped out of Nathan's room and bounded towards the women's dorm. Albeit not exactly a long walk, by the time you discreetly snuck back into your own dorm, you had roughly twenty minutes to somehow pick an outfit from your countless unopened boxes and make yourself even slightly presentable.

Wiping off whatever make-up you could get and reapplying it, brushing out the tangles of your hair and nearly tearing off your scalp in the process, scattering your nightclothes over your floor and managing to scrounge out a semi-decent outfit for the day… You still looked a mess. If the mirror could laugh, it would have. Black mascara smudges under your eyes and frizzy untreated hair. What a lovely look.

You’d made it to class just five minutes late, but those five minutes were all it took for all eyes to be on you as you tried to slide into the classroom unnoticed. A couple classmates whispered to their table mates as you passed by, smelling of oversaturated cherry blossom perfume to hopefully cover the scent of alcohol. You sauntered to your seat and sank down with all your weight, suddenly exhausted. You’d made it with just five minutes tainting your record of attendance. The teacher greeted you with a disappointed sigh, and thus, the day began.

But, it was so hard to focus. All you could think about was Nathan.

“Alright class, who can tell me,” A board stick clacks against the chalkboard. “Who can answer problem four?”

You lowered your head.

“Ah, how about, ___?”

You snaked back into reality, blinking up at the chalk board that was somehow already riddled with math equations. Since you hadn’t been paying attention even in the slightest, your mouth gaped wide open, eyes scanning for something you understood even slightly so you didn’t look like a total idiot.

Sadly, you were out of luck. The teacher shook his head. “I’m shocked,” He said. “You're normally so on top of things. Oh well.”

“Oh, I’m sure she was on top of things,” A female voice sniggered behind you “Last night.”

Your face flushed a red, hot, ruby. What the hell was she talking about? How had they found out you were with Nathan? You were so sure of being sneaky, there was no way-

“Her and Tate totally got it on last night.”

You whipped around in your seat, facing girls who looked to be clones of some sort. Both with the same dark eyes, short brown hair, and freckles. “What?”

“Alright-” Your teacher blurted. “That's enough. April, May, enough. Let’s not discuss things outside of the classroom.”

The two girls batted their eyes. “Sorry sir.” One spoke, twirling a hand through her hair. Her sister's wide toothy grin never fumbled.

“Back to it then. Kate, can you help out __ with number four?”

The small, blonde girl nodded quickly, brushing a lock of hair behind her eyes and offering an empathic nod.

As you turned around in your seat, her answer fell on deaf ears. Your heart was racing in your chest, hands balled into fists while you stared ahead blankly.

They couldn’t seriously think that you chose to leave with Tate, could they? Surely someone must have seen the state you were in. Someone other than Nathan.

The clock ticks forward but time feels like it's passing almost unnaturally slow. With just 10 minutes left, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket.

‘Nathan: consider ur favor officially returned

Your tongue poked from your lips, the tiniest of smiles taking over your once sullen features. Terrible thoughts and worries flew out the window while you type back, ‘damn. here i was gonna to ask you to do a backflip off the roof with me. there goes my plans.’

Nathan types for a moment. Typing, stopping, typing again.

‘Nathan: soundz like a blast. where and when?’

A small blush heats your cheeks. ‘very funny. thanks to last night i have an entire 24 hour session of studying to catch up with.’

His response is almost instant. ‘Nathan: boringgg. txt me when ur fun.’

Rolling your eyes, you shove your phone back into your pocket. It seems you’ve been able to secure enough of a friendship with him for some mindless banter even outside your little visits. You smile. He’s… Fun to talk to. Surprisingly.

Class comes to an end and you start to pack up the books and papers you’d hardly even glanced at the whole period. Whatever had been upsetting you before is lost in your mind while you think of the morning, the night before. All the things in-between. But, your happiness doesn’t last long. As you get up, you’re almost forced right back into your seat as a weight shoves into your shoulder. Your books scatter to the floor. April, the one who’d remarked about you earlier, glares at you in what looks to be disgust.

“Careful April,” Her sister hums as she saunters past you, keeping distance and raising her already shrill tone of voice. “Might wanna watch where you’re walking- I’d hate for you to catch something from this slut.”

You absolutely gawk at her. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

April scoffs. “Oh come on, like everyone doesn’t know what you were up to last night.”

“Sleeping around isn’t a good color on you.” May hikes her bag over her shoulder and snickers at you. They both leave the class together, sickeningly in sync. You’re left stunned where you stand, unsure how the hell your life came to this so quickly. How you’ve stooped so low that the daughters of the world's most uncreative parents are able to bully you based on something that didn’t even happen.

Next class goes no better. The person to your right, a jockey looking brunette guy, asks, ‘have you ever heard of a Tate?’. You say no, that that’s the dumbest name you’ve ever heard. The idiot grins and goes back to marking down likely wrong answers on his test sheet and you debate kicking the leg of his chair out- but you don’t to avoid even more eyes on you. It makes you sick to your stomach- even more than recovering from the roofies does. How can everyone believe it? You barely even knew the guy and you were clearly uncomfortable with his advances. No one saw that?

After everything you’d worked for to build a reputation, trying so hard to not call out peoples shit for the sake of seeming friendly, tainted over something that didn’t even happen? And the kicker was that it hadn’t even been your fault! He’d drugged you, he’d have taken advantage of you! Yet you were the bad person?

Class came and went in the blink of an eye this time. Your mind wrapped up in the situation, your stomach churning. You wanted the day to be over with but you still had 4 more classes to suffer through. Why was this happening to you? Was Tate being treated just as horribly, or was he getting pats on the backs of his unaware friends?

Wandering down the halls to your locker, you noticed Lance and Kaz hanging around one of the drinking fountains. Your nerves quelled- your friends would surely make you feel much better. Especially since they had witnessed how awful you were feeling as you left. You approach with a relieved smile, ready to say your truth and finally have someone on your side.

“Hey guys.” You smile, but Lance looks down at his feet while Kaz places her hands to his hips. Your smile fades.

“You could have told us you were gonna spend the night with Tate,” Kaz snaps. “You didn’t need to lie like that just to leave. We were all worried about you and it was for nothing.”

“What?” You feel like you could cry. “No, Kaz, I really did try to leave. Tate tried to drug me and take me home, and-”

“He wouldn’t do that.” Lance interrupts, with a frown. He looks back down at the floor with knitted brows. “I’ve known Tate since before time. He wouldn't do something like that, especially not to one of my best friends. Plus he told me he was really into you. Why would he even try?”

“Are you serious?” You sputter. “You think I’d lie about something like that?”

“You’ve been lying about all sorts of things!” Kaz huffs. “What’s going on with you lately? You’ve been so distant, and secretive. What are you hiding that’s making you lie like this? We’re supposed to be your friends and then you lie to our faces just to go and fuck the first guy that shows you attention.”

“What…?” It was like acid. It was like the rug had been pulled from your feet sending you spiraling down the unending cliff. Kaz, your best friend, all that venom. How could they turn against you like this? What the hell is going on? You felt your throat tighten. “Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been distant, but I’m not lying to you, I-”

“We gotta go.” Lance isn’t in the mood to hear it. “We’ll catch up to you.. Some other time.”

Kaz says nothing as she pushes past you. Lance, at least, spares a short glance over his shoulder. You stood there alone in the hallway, your bag falling off your shoulder and clattering onto the floor with a thud echoing off the walls. Everything you had, all gone at once.

No one believed you.

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With nowhere to go where you felt like you could truly allow yourself to process the day's events, you went to the only place you knew.

Just outside of campus, where rocks lined the edge of the boundary, overlooking the outskirts of the town and the ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. You settled yourself there, staring at the vast waters and wondering how this had all happened. Unlucky didn’t even begin to cover how it felt. Not only did you feel violated with Tate attempting to do unthinkable things with your unconscious body, but you also felt alone, and walked on. Your best friends hadn’t believed you. While Lance seemed saddened, Kaz was so… Angry. Her words cut like knives into your skin.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. You didn’t deserve this.

You want to talk to Nathan, but knowing him, he’d see your state and bounce instantly. After all, this isn’t exactly very fun of you.

As the sun began to fall, splaying orange and blues over the wide open sky, behind you, you could hear voices. A group of them, some male, some female. Memories of when your notebook had gotten snatched by those two horsed face assholes came flooding back and with all your alertness, you stood up, and decided that this sitting place was no longer safe. Nothing was.

Before you even made it ten feet away, the group had found their way to your spot and gotten comfortable, one of the girls cheering, ‘this’ll be our hangout! look at how pretty the view is!’

You took a short drive down the stretches of road and decided that if you were going to lament in your own sadness, you were at least going to do so in a place that had something to cover the sound of your tears. Plus a nice view.

The beach, littered with its picnic tables and the sounds of crashing waves would suffice just fine. So, you pulled in the desolate parking lot and wandered down the sandy shores until you stumbled upon a picnic table shaded by a large willow cascading lushious branches to block out the sun- a perfect canopy for you to wallow under.

You had nothing at that moment. No friends, no reputation, no one to believe your tragic tale. And now, you’d just lost the one spot that made you feel comfortable when stress was building into your body like concrete. Tears pricked into the corners of your eyes and you bit your lip, dreading that feeling of a lump in your throat. Why you? Everything had been going so well. How could not even a single person believe that Tate had tried to hurt you?

Well, actually, there was one person.

Of course Nathan believed you. He’d been the one to rescue you, after all. Time and time again it seemed. How was it that even the ones closest to you would turn their back so fast, yet Nathan seemed to be there even when you didn’t want him to be? Even when you yelled at him, and he yelled right back, fire and sparks falling into embers around the two of you.

In that moment, you almost felt like you could finally relate to him. A reputation based on lies and things out of your control, paired with a hardheaded attitude to try and combat all the assumptions.

No wonder he was so angry.

“Hey bitch,” A voice suddenly called, and you had a split second moment where you were terrified of once again being the victim of a cruel prank or some classmates boredom. “How about next time you have a pity party you don’t fucking call me in the middle of it.”

You blinked away your tears and through the blurriness saw a figure coming towards you. All that sass, the tone...

“Nathan?” You breathed. It only takes moments before he’s in front of you, holding his phone in view, seeing that the call that had been running for nearly ten minute. You flush in embarrassment, pulling your phone from your back pocket. “How did that happen?”

“Well, can your ass dial numbers?” He taunts, ending the call.

“Damn it, dumb phone must have butt-dialed you. I knew I should’ve gotten a different one.” You mentally kick yourself. “It must have unlocked in my pocket.”

“You don’t have a password on your phone?” He taunts. When you shake your head, he whistles. “You are just begging for a robbery. I’ll keep that in mind when I’m in the mood to send random messages to all your buddies.”

“Fuck off.” You scowl, and he grins, hopping up on the picnic table next to you. The sun flatters his skin. He’s almost glowing.

“Speaking of buddies, how the hell did it pick my number out of your sea of friends?”

You shrug. “Probably cuz’ it’s a priority contact.”

“Oh lala, I’ve been upgraded to priority huh? Does it display a superman logo whenever you give it a ring?”

“Nope. When I press call it rings the nearest asshole in my vicinity. The fact that it’s you is your own problem.”

“Haha, fucking ha.” He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. He stares out at the water, watching waves pull and crash onto the beach. It’s almost beautiful, until he ruins it. “Yknow, you’re a really ugly crier.”

“Wow, thanks.” You shake your head. “That's exactly what I needed to hear right now. Why did you even stay on the line?.” Wiping your eyes, you start to forget your tears. “Couldn’t have been that wild of a conversation.”

Nathan shrugs. “Between the crying and the sound of the waves it was pretty nice.” He grins. “Very educational.”

“Awesome. Glad I was able to make your day.” It doesn’t feel like your usual bitey remarks. You’re tired, you’re still a little hurt and you can’t stop thinking about how such an amazing morning had turned into such a horrible day.

“So what’s got you all fucked up? Never seen you act like this big of a baby before.”

“Nothing. You already paid off your debt to me per this morning, so feel free to resume our regularly scheduled mutual hatred.” You say, lying through your teeth. You know you’re both past the point of hatred, but you’re feeling jaded, you can’t help it.

“Oh shut the fuck up,” He groans. “I didn’t drag my ass all the fucking way out to this shit hole of a beach just for you to give me that bullshit. What, did you fail a test? No one matched you on tinder?”

“Everyone thinks me and Tate slept together last night.” You blurt. “I think he’s telling people me and him had sex.”

Nathan tenses his shoulders and grimaces. “Fucking werido.”

“I told my best friends that he tried to take advantage of me and they don’t believe me. One of em’ even said he wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Fuck em’. Who needs best friends.”

“And to make everything so much better, these two bitches that I share four of my classes with harassed me all goddamn day. I mean, fucks sake, how the hell are girls named April and May of all things able to get to me. It’s bullshit. And to make matters worse, Tate is just… Getting away with it.”

“Yeah well, something tells me that Tate’s gonna get a real nice fucking taste of medicine eventually. I just gotta find him first. He’s got a lot of nerve spreading shit around given I knocked his ass onto the pavement.” Nathan brows knit at the memory.

You test the waters. “Why would you do that for me?”

He seems caught off guard, or maybe, surprised that you’d ask. Maybe he thinks you’re both beyond that point. He grumbles, “Why does it matter.”

“I’m just curious. We don’t owe each other anything, remember?”

“Yeah, well,” He huffs. “Don’t ask me questions to shit I don’t know the answer to.”

“You say that an awful lot.” You tease.

“Yeah well you ask dumbass questions an awful lot. Not everything I do has to have some weird ass motives behind it, ___. Maybe I’ve got beef with Tate that’s outside of you.”

“Uhuh. Sure.” You’re about to say something else, when your phone lights up with a text. The display makes your heart fall all over again.

Unknown Number: you should just pack up and go somewhere else. no one wants std’s from breathing your air xoxo

You don’t even know who that is. Now absolute strangers are on your case. You want to throw your phone into the ocean and leave.

Nathan scoffs. “Don’t even bat a fucking eye for that bitch, whoever the hell they are. Half the hoes you’ve mentioned have slept with half the football team,” he pinches his jacket, “and I would know.”

“Ew, Nathan,” You grimace, that same feeling from the morning returning. It feels, oddly, like jealousy. He nudges your arm with his elbow and grins playfully. It’s cute.

“Chill, I’m just fucking with you. You gotta know even I wouldn’t fuck girls that desperate. I’m a man of class.”

That last comment actually forces a laugh from you. It’s soft, but it’s real. The first laugh you’ve genuinely had all day. “That’s horrible.” You remark, giggling again.

It's almost like the slight restoration of your mood puts him at ease as well. He leans back on his hands and stares off into the ocean, those sparkling waters under the setting, orange sun. “I’m for real though. Those hoes aren’t worth your time. One day when we blow this shithole of a town they’re not even gonna matter.”

Your brows knit, eyes blinking up at him. Had you heard that right?

“We?” You ask, perplexed, albeit a little… Hopeful.

Nathan sputters. “Well- Like, when everyone’s older and-”

“You know what, it's fine.” You interrupt. “Fuck it. You’re right. We’re gonna blow this town and they’re just gonna be some shitty memories.”

He sucks in a shaky breath. You’ve never heard him scramble like that, like he’s been unmasked. The look he casts you when you agree, when you don’t tease or patronize and finally hop on the idea that yeah, what if the two of you really didn’t have to deal with it anymore.

What if the two of you could just exist, without the anger.

You look up at him. “Would you actually do that though?” You start. “With me, of all people?”

He swallows. His expression is tense, but he’s not upset. He appears nervous, caught off guard. Nathan tries, “I-”

Your phone rings. Shrill, piercing. Mood destroying.

“Jesus Christ, it’s my mom.” You grab your phone and Nathan looks forward, stone faced and silent as you hop off the table and answer. It’s your mother, who all but shouts into the phone that her and your father are taking a surprising visit to Arcadia Bay while they’re traveling by on their vacation. She insists that you be ready in about an hour for dinner, and likely there will be family photos.

Which means if you still look as wrecked as you did this morning, you’re gonna have a lot of washing up to do. With a quick goodbye, a short and sweet, ‘love you’, you hang up and sigh.

“You still tell your mom you love her?” He teases. “What are you, five?”

You frown. “You don’t tell your parents you love them?”

Nathan side eyes you, and just shrugs. It is all the answer you need, really, and for his sake you decide it wouldn’t be best to press the issue. Not now. But- it still makes your heart hurt just a little. You wished that he’d had it better growing up.

“Right… Do you want a ride home?”

“Fuck no, what am I,” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “a fucking girl scout?”

“I was just offering, weirdo.” When he doesn't get up, you feel like you’re missing out. Like if you stayed, maybe, just maybe, you’d get to know him a little better. “Hey, if you want, I can stay for a bit longer.”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re needed elsewhere. But,” he shrugs. “I don’t know. Fuckin’... Text me or something. Or not, I don’t care either way.”

There’s a small warmth in your chest that rises to your cheeks. He wants you to text him. “Yeah,” You say. “If I’m feeling fun.”

And with that, you bid him farewell, beginning your descent to the parking lot.

“Hey,” He calls, and you turn just in time to catch a small item he’s tossed right at you. A tiny key resides in the palm of your hand. “Spare. If shit hits the fan again-...” He shrugs, and actually looks away. “Just don’t be too fucking loud of I’ll kick your ass out myself. No Madison needed.”

The widest grin plays over your lips. “I’m gonna re-decorate your room while you’re gone.”

“Ah, you fucking better not.” He shouts. “Actually- you know what, give it back.”

“No, no! I’m sorry.” You play with the key between your fingers. “Thanks for this.”

“Yeah, whatever. Don’t lose it and remember- emergencies only. I don’t need you watching me sleep like fucking freak. We’re past that stage.”

“How many times will I have to say I was never watching you. Christ… But, alright. See ya, then.” The key is heavy in your palm.

You place it into your pocket and give him one last glance before you take off, leaving him to enjoy the sound of waves, birds, and the absence of your tears.

#nathan prescott #nathan prescott x reader #life is strange #grazing the fire #scenario #fanfic #fluff

176 notes · View notes

junowritings · 3 years

Note

Hello there mighty one!

May I request the bois reacting to fem!reader carrying tyem 'princess' style?

Reader looks week, skinny she looks like they don't have that much muscles. (Ironically they radiate big_D energy). She carries them like they don't weight that much. (+ Bonus points if reader acts like it's a normal thing!)

Be it a bet or one of the boys got injured or something else but reader ends up carrying them. That's literally it lol

Thank you ahead! ❤️💓

OH MAN THIS TOOK SO LONG IM SORRY! I had so much fun with this and I really hope that it was well worth the wait thank you so much for requesting!

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Riddle

♡ Honestly, you get a serious kick out of surprising people with your strength. Everyone always underestimates you, thinking that you’re too scrawny to pick up a chair much less even try picking up a person. You always protest about it, but unless someone actually wants you to show off just how strong you are you rarely get the chance to show off just how strong you are. Your fellow students would lose it if they found out just how easy it was to get swept off of their feet - you yanked Ace up into your arms once when he made the mistake of teasing you about it, giving him a little hoist into the air for good measure and cracking up at the shocked wheeze he let out at how easily you lifted him. Needless to say you’re pretty strong even if you don’t look it.

♡ You’d been lying if you said you hadn’t at least been a tiny bit tempted to carry Riddle around if only to see how he reacts - just thinking about the priceless look on his face was an amusing thought, but it remained as thoughts because as funny as it would be you value the life of yourself and your fellow classmates over the idea. It just so happens that thanks to a certain series of events, you actually get the chance to see the scenario play out in real life, surprisingly through no fault of your own.

♡ There’s certain times of the day where the crowds of students around Night Raven College swell and dissipate depending on where you are. In the middle of the day the rush is arguably the worst to anyone hoping not to get lost within a swarm of students bustling from their classrooms. It’s the period right before lunch actually starts, and whilst you should technically be in class right now, you’d all gotten enough done that you were allowed out a few minutes earlier than usual. Frankly you were more than happy for the extra minutes - it meant a few precious moments where you could tear through the hallways and get to the cafeteria to nab a snack before the main crowds started clogging up the exits as they did everytime the lunch period rolls in.

♡ You’re humming around a mouthful of the sweet treat you’d snagged from the days menu when you cross paths with Riddle, and though he doesn’t look too chuffed about you eating food outside of the appropriate dining hall he doesn’t call you out on it. You two fall into stride retreating down the hallway from where you’d first entered; it seems that you’re both heading towards the same area and you don’t mind the company so it suits you just fine to spend a little time with the dorm leader before going your respective ways for the next class. The peace doesn’t last for very long - soon enough the rest of the classes are being let out, and you’re suddenly reminded of why you were rushing to get away from the dining hall in the first place.

♡ All you see is the dinner rush crowd making a mad dash to the cafeteria and you act without thinking. You just know that Riddle would step in to enforce at least some kind of order to the pandemonium, but even if he could scare the crowd into stopping they’re still going to barge right over the two of you at this rate, and you’d rather avoid having the ghosts scraping either one of you off of the hallway floor. You’d much rather suffer through getting reamed out by Riddle for the stunt you’re about to pull than getting trampled by a stampede of students with no sense of personal space. When you mutter a quick “sorry!” Riddle gives you a confused look, which turns baffled when you toss your snack for him to catch in order to free up your hands (he catches it, thankfully - you don’t wanna make the journey back to buy a new one.)

♡ It’s a swift motion - all Riddle feels is your hands grabbing hold of him and suddenly the world is spinning and he finds himself pulled right up into your arms as you race back the way you’d come. His shout falls deaf on your ears in favor of the curses you’re chanting under your breath as you run, shifting the dorm leader around in your arms till you find a good enough position that he’s not going to fall out of your hold as you pick up your pace.

♡ You’re fast, and strong enough that carrying Riddle is no chore at all - you could probably do this under normal circumstances with no problem, not that you’d probably get the chance to after this. That little fact can be stewed over later, you decide, instead focusing on finding a place to get out of the way of the crowds. It isn’t long before you find an open classroom, and no sooner have you skidded through the doorway do you watch the student horde race past, completely oblivious to the pair of you. You let out a breathy laugh, more than a little relieved as you lean up against the doorframe and finally cast your gaze down to the boy in your arms.

♡ Yep, you were right about the priceless expression.

♡ Okay, so maybe the sudden grab and dash had left the dorm leader looking a little more...disheveled than usual, if the popped collar and skewed strands of hair from where his head had been pressed against your chest are any indication. You’re guessing that he’s still reeling from the fact that you’ve hoisted him up and carried him away like a princess as though he weighs nothing, because he doesn’t immediately start chewing you out about your little escape. His face is beginning to flush though, reaching the midpoint between pink and that signature red that’s close enough to match his hair; you certainly don’t make things any better when you move him around in your arms again, lifting him up a little more as your head ducks down.

♡ Riddle bristles, stuttering whatever planned retort he’d had only to freeze when he realizes you’re leaning towards the snack he’s managed to hold onto as you’d run. Your teeth snag its corner and you let out a triumphant “ha!” that’s muffled as you ease back up to finish off your self-proclaimed reward. It’s at that moment a soft cough turns both of your attention to the rest of the classroom, where several loitering students give the pair of you curious looks at the display. That finally kicks things back into gear, and you narrowly avoid dropping Riddle with how hard he wriggles out of your grip, working quickly to act as though the whole thing never happened which earns him an amused snort as you resolve to finish off your snack whilst he fixes his collar.

Leona

♡ Food has become a very effective bargaining chip when it comes to bets with your fellow students. You’re pretty sure placing monetary bets would get you in trouble if you were caught by one of the staff (especially Crewel, you don’t think anyone can handle his punishments more than once), and with all the maintenance going into your dorm betting money just isn’t an option you’re interested in. Food on the other hand is always in the ballpark, and with the limited edition dishes that pop onto the cafeteria menu throughout the year, alongside some of the phenomenal cooks amongst the student body, there’s no shortage of food bribes to use as a motive to get things done.

♡ Your strength has come into play on more than one occasion, because it either leads to people trying to call a bluff and wanting you to prove yourself, or they wanna see just how strong you are. You certainly don’t mind thanks to the little rewards your feats manage to net you, plus it makes for an interesting point of conversation when you’re bored. It’s boredom that leads to the following conversation with Cater during break - being outside the only real entertainment is walking around, talking to other students that cross your path, or just lounging around till the break’s over.

♡ You’d been walking around with Cater for a while before the appeal of watching the scenery faded and you elected to find some place to sit. You’re leaning against his shoulder watching him text and swipe through his pictures to pass the time; soon enough an image of you shows up and you snort at the picture of you holding up Deuce by his legs. It was taken a while ago, and the telltale shit eating grin on your face is a testament of how amusing the whole situation had been; seeing it now sparks up the same conversation you’d had at the time - can you really pick up anyone with no problem?

♡ Eager to jump at the opportunity for entertainment, the two of you turn your eyes across the field, where Cater takes to pointing people out. Epel? Easy, but wouldn’t be too happy about it. Kalim? You’ve done it before and it went pretty well minus the fact that his enthusiasm made him damn near slip out of your arms. You answer yes to most of the people he points out to you, until his gaze lands on someone lounging under the treeline and he points them out to you. Following his line of sight, you catch sight of Leona and the two of you share a look as you huff and say that yeah, of course you could pick that big lug up!

♡ Cater asking you to actually prove it wasn’t what you expected, and you give him a doubtful glance trying to gauge if he’s joking or not. Turns out he’s not, and at your hesitation he offers a bribe to convince you, and at the mention of one of Trey’s signature tarts you visibly perk up. He doesn’t even have to pull out the treat from his bag before you’re up onto your feet and jogging right over to the treeline, shooting him a confident grin over your shoulder as you approach the sleeping lion.

♡ To be honest, you probably would have tried this at some point anyway, but Trey’s tarts are a hell of an incentive to do it right now, and it’s the driving force that steels your resolve as you approach him. You know that he notices you - you’re not exactly quiet, and while he doesn’t open his eyes or turn to look at you his ears twitch in your direction at the sound of your footfalls coming towards him. It’s only when you squat down beside him that he cracks an eye open and lets out an inquisitive grumble asking you what you’re doing.

♡ You only tell him not to worry, but that just makes him more wary given that every time you’ve said that before it’s definitely cause for concern. You end up proving him right to be wary when you shuffle close enough to actually touch him and slot your hands under his back, promptly hefting him up from his once comfortable spot beneath the shade and into your arms.

♡ Leona jolts in response and you narrowly avoid an elbow to the ribs at how he squirms about at the sudden position change; his ears are pressed flat against his head and he squares you with a scathing look as he orders you to put him back down, calling you a brat for good measure. You only huff at the dorm leader and strengthen your hold on him, making sure to keep one hand safely cradling his back as you spin around to show Cater your latest catch. There’s no missing the amusement in Cater’s face as he makes a poor attempt to hide his snicker with one hand as he holds up his phone to snap a picture commemorating the moment.

♡ Seeing the camera you flash a smile and a thumbs up with some careful maneuvering of the man in your arms, quickly returning your hands back to him when he hisses and shifts again. It’s probably not the wisest idea to hold onto him for very long, and you can tell Leona’s none too pleased by suddenly being picked up from the spot he was comfortable in, so you don’t keep him up for very long before you amble back over to the trees, setting him down as gently as you can without accidentally pulling in his tail as you pull away. This time his elbow makes a solid hit against your hip on the way down and you end up dropping him the rest of the way, keeling over with a pained wheeze as the pair of you topple none too gracefully to the ground, devolving into complaints and groans at the turn of events.

Azul

♡ It’s not entirely unheard of for Azul to stay behind in some of the classrooms once classes have concluded. Whilst the Monstro lounge is the ideal location to get things done, sometimes the patrons get too rambunctious for his liking and he prefers a little bit of peace and quiet while he works on the day’s schoolwork. The classrooms are perfect for this as most students are all too eager to filter out and go about their own business, leaving the rooms empty for people to mill in and out of as they please.

♡ He works uninterrupted for the most part, only pulling his attention away from the papers spread out across his desk to look towards the door, hearing the chatter of passing students outside though they only last a brief moment before their voices filter off and disappear as they move away from the classroom. These momentary distractions come and go so the school work is almost completely finished by the time any notable interruptions actually come this way. Unfortunately when they do it almost immediately stops him in his tracks; there’s a slam on the wall leading out to the hallway, and Azul jolts in his seat as he hears something slide up the wall getting higher and higher before it’s finally revealed.

♡ Azul watches Floyd’s head poke up from one of the overhead windows, and that’s enough to get him to pause mid writing as the pair lock eyes. Now, the Leech twins are tall, taller than most of the students in Octavinelle, but there’s no way that he should be visible so it's reasonable to assume that he couldn’t manage the height without the help of a step-ladder. That step-ladder theory goes out of the window when Floyd’s head drifts over to the far side of the window, and the Leech twin flashes his dorm leader a toothy grin and a wave for good measure as he drifts backwards and forwards in a way that looks...off.

♡ It’s bizarre, but not the weirdest thing that Azul’s seen Floyd do so whilst he does marvel at the sight for a moment or two he tries to return back to his work - tries being the key word here. Floyd makes an effort to peer through the glass, calling down to someone as he leans closer towards the window. That leads to the twin nearly slamming his head into the glass and a hand flies up to stop the would-be injury as he looks down out of the window's line of sight.

♡Floyd’s stance totters and momentarily his head ducks out of view as though he’s dropped. That’s enough to get the dorm leader to his feet to finally investigate, and he rises from his desk and works his way over to the door, letting out a sigh as he slides open the door and prepares himself for whatever trouble is going to be on the other side. Sure enough Floyd’s leaning up against the wall, greeting Azul when he steps out into the doorway. Floyd’s not the only one there though - there’s a few miscellaneous students milling around the Octavinelle students, but the main point of interest is the person standing right below Floyd, arms wrapped around his knees and keeping him up in the air as they twirl around to face Azul without even a tremble in their grip.

♡ The grin you offer him is similar to Floyds, brimming with amusement as you move your grip to offer a wave, shifting your weight around so as to not drop the boy in your arms as you do so. The raised brow and inquisitive look only makes you grin wider before a tap on your shoulder brings your attention back to the person you’re holding. Azul watches Floyd motion for you to lower him which you do without issue, and once you do the younger Leech twin leans down to whisper something in your ear. He doesn’t catch what he’s saying, but when two pairs of eyes suddenly square him with a scheming look he knows all too well he takes a cautionary step backwards, folding his arms across his chest.

♡ You drop Floyd the rest of the way and turn your sights on Azul, beginning to approach him with open arms and a deceptively warm smile as you call out his name. Now he knows that you’re up to something, and moves to take another step away when you suddenly dart to close the distance and pull him towards you. There’s no hesitation in the way that you quite literally sweep the dorm leader off of his feet, tucking him close to your chest as your arms move to rest along his back and the crook of his knees - you’re carrying him like a princess, and from the wide grin on your face this was clearly the impromptu plan you’d been given by that mischievous twin.

♡ Azul splutters, completely speechless at how effortlessly you’re able to sweep him off of the floor and into your arms, and he becomes acutely aware of just how many eyes are on him as you cradle him to your body making sure that he doesn’t fall. Your strength is no joke, and you make a small show of it by twirling around, catching his hat in the process when the action causes it to topple off of his head and placing it neatly back on his head by the time you come to a stop. For a second you could almost say he looks pleasantly amused beyond the initial surprise, which only makes it all the more entertaining for you.

♡ But then Floyd steps forward and goes to take him from your arms and Azul’s desperately patting you until you finally relent your grip and allow him to stand back onto his feet. You and Floyd share a conspiratory giggle as you watch Azul straighten his outfit back out and step out of the reach of the both of you, giving the pair of you a wide berth in case you decide to try sweeping him off of his feet again.

Kalim

♡ Your strength makes you perfect for doing heavy lifting tasks when the time calls for it. Moving things from one place to another has been the jobs left for the more physically strong students, so despite your otherwise unassuming appearance you’re usually the first person people come to when there’s any kind of heavy lifting to be done. You’ve been a huge help at events as a result, and more often than not the other students leave the cleanup to you, confident in your abilities to get things back to where they need to go.

♡ This particular cleanup task had taken quite a while, but with some diligent work and a couple snack breaks you and your friends had narrowed down the leftover mess, packing what could fit into the boxes provided so that they’d be easier to transport. When the inevitable question of which people were going to take what came up you were quick to step in, offering that it’d be no problem at all for you to handle this yourself - it was late anyways, so you’re sure everyone was eager to get back to their rooms for the night. It took a little convincing, but soon enough you’re left alone with the necessary keys and wishes for good luck with the work.

♡ You’d planned to take care of this task by yourself, reasoning that two or three trips should get the job done. You’d actually finished the first trip and was making your way out with the last couple of boxes when you cross paths with Kalim, who upon recognizing your face peeking out from behind the impromptu cardboard tower all but jumps in to help. Any protests fall on deaf ears, as once Kalim’s decided on something like helping you out he’s not gonna stop until it’s done.

♡ Before long he’s taken about a third of the boxes off of your hands (he tried to bargain for more but you were set on carrying the heavier stuff) and the pair of you are off to get them off to the right destination. Kalim fills the silence with conversation as he leads the way, which given the fact you’re the one who actually knows where storage is, ends up with you having to tug him in the right direction more than once before he charges down a wrong corridor. Despite that though the two of you make good progress, and you end up getting there faster than the initial first trip, and within a few minutes you’re nearing the storage room, albeit from a different direction than last time.

♡ You’re shifting about the boxes in your arms to fish through your pocket for the storage room keys with your free hand when you realize you’re getting close. Kalim skips ahead of you as you rummage for the keys, giving you an easygoing smile over his shoulder urging you to catch up. You feign a sigh of exasperation but move to pick up your pace which only prompts Kalim to charge on ahead aiming to get to the door first, still with that easy-going smile.

♡ That smile disappears in an instant however, as when you next blink, Kalim disappears from your field of vision and your heart drops at the sound of something scattering across the floor. Ditching your effort to find the keys, you race to catch up, stopping just short at the top of the stairs and looking down to where Kalim’s sat at the bottom, shaking off the dizziness from the fall. It’s fortunately only a few steps but you still rush to close the distance, hastily placing your bags onto the floor as you kneel down beside the dorm leader to check if he’s alright.

♡ Upon seeing your concern Kalim grins and makes a point to tell you that he’s fine, hoping to ease your worries. This time the sigh you let out is one of relief and you rise back to your feet, offering out your hand to pull him up with a playful jab to watch where he’s going next time. Kalim laughs and takes your hand, but the moment he gets to his feet he yelps and leans to one side, easing up off of one foot. He must have hurt it in the fall and your expression drops watching his smile falter, brows creasing in clear discomfort.

♡ Kalim’s still reassuring you he’s fine despite the fact that he’s visibly doing his best to put as little weight on his one foot as possible. You aren’t convinced in the slightest, and after a few seconds of him talking you’ve had enough; he doesn’t notice you nodding to yourself as you roll up your sleeves, but he does catch your mutter of “Don’t worry - I’ve got this.” as you step forward and place a hand on his back.

♡ You move carefully so as to not agitate the leg more than you have to, tucking your free hand under his knees and easing him off of his feet until you’re carrying his full weight, keeping him upright like it’s nothing at all. Kalim, for what it’s worth, is captivated by the strength, but he’s more focused on asking if you’re really okay with carrying him - he’s fine, he swears! (he’s not). Paying no heed to that, you nudge the boxes over to the side of the hallway with your legs, leaving them in a messy but contained pile to avoid anyone tripping on them while you’re gone. They can be sorted later, is your excuse as you start walking - he’s going straight to the infirmary, and then back to his dorm, the boxes can wait a little longer.

♡ He squirms a bit, but that’s only so that he can wrap his arms around your neck, bringing his head close to your shoulder. Kalim knows that he’s not gonna convince you otherwise, so why not enjoy the ride while it lasts? Besides, it’s nice to feel weightless sometimes! And he’s so sincere when he gushes about how strong you are that you can’t help but preen under the compliments, boasting a little about how you’ll have to properly show off just how strong you are. Some other time though, because as nice as pleasant as it is carrying the dorm leader around, you can do that just as easily once he’s been seen by the school nurse.

Vil

♡ You may not look like you’re that strong but looks can be deceiving. You’re more built than a lot of people realize - sure, it may not look like that to others, but these uniforms do a damn better job of hiding your strength than one might think. Friends and those who have seen it for themselves know that you’re strong, and Vil is one of them; you make no show of hiding that fact, because why would you? It’s something you’re proud of, and you use it to your advantage whenever the chance calls for it, and Vil’s not one to stop you from doing so.

♡ You also don’t shy away from challenges either, if anything they’re one of your weaknesses. Confident in your strength, any time someone questions it you’re eager to jump right in and prove them otherwise. Usually they’re arguments you’ve heard a hundred times before, the same old story as far as you’re concerned, that doesn’t mean the comments don’t tick you off though. Scrawny scrapper this, all bark and no bite that, it gets on your nerves that just because you don’t look that strong they immediately assume that you’re just weak.

♡ It’s a sore topic, and as such Vil can usually pinpoint the trouble that brews as a result of such challenges because of the way you react to such jeers. He’s attempted to ease your anger about it in the past, or at least told you to go easy on said challengers lest you get sent to Crewel’s office again, and for what it’s worth you’ve made fair progress in brushing off most comments.

♡ This time it appears that brushing them off isn’t quite so easy. Your voice can be heard even before you storm into the main hall accompanied by another student, and your planned curse filters off into a hiss to just leave it when you catch sight of Vil out of the corner of your eye. The student however doesn’t let up, and the dorm head soon catches wind of what this is about when he hears “Strong? Seriously? Pff, do you even have any muscles?” Vil can see the way your lip curls back into a snarl, and he turns his full attention to the scene just waiting for the inevitable show of strength you’re about to pull off. You do this every time without fail, and it’s only proven when you snap.

♡ “Oh yeah? Well, do you think someone without muscles can do this?” Vil’s halfway through taking stock of all of the items not bolted to the floor when you spin around and stride over to him, the confident shout of “Vil!” being one of the few warnings that he gets before you’re standing before him and wrapping your arms around him. It’s quick and smoother than he thought it’d be, and were this not the first time you’ve attempted this trick on him Vil could swear you’ve practised this before. Granted, you stumble a little near the end, but that’s more so because you overestimated the swoop of pulling him up into your arms and knocked your hip into a table in the process. Besides that it’s an otherwise practised landing, and suddenly Vil finds himself swept up into a bridal carry by a pair of surprisingly firm arms.

♡ You spin back around, triumphant grin on your face as you heft Vil up even higher, like a child proudly showing off their prize to anyone watching. True, you’re strong, and there’s not a moment that Vil feels like he’s going to fall out of your arms when you’re holding him, but the lack of warning and the abruptness of being hoisted up as though he weighs nothing more than a bag of feathers makes for a jarring situation. Your shout of “Ha! Believe me now?” doesn’t make the situation much better, and Vil has to rub his temples to stop the incoming stress lines at the amount of eyes you’ve drawn to your little display in the process of your shouting.

♡ Whatever challenge had been posed seems to have been sated by your show of strength, as the student throws up their hands in a mock-surrender as they concede, shrugging off the surprise that Vil can see clear as day on their faces. Clearly, they weren’t expecting you to be so brazen about showing off, but you’ve never been one to clam up when there’s a point to be made.

♡ Satisfied, you let out a huff and drop down onto one of the nearby chairs, shaking your head as you grumble “Can you believe that guy? Teach him not to doubt me next time.” It seems you’ve neglected to remember exactly who you picked up, and Vil’s swift to remind you with a soft cough to direct your attention back towards him. You look down at the dorm leader still firmly settled in your arms, lips pursing as you exhale a breath to mask your obvious realization upon meeting eyes with him.

♡ Muttering an apology, you gradually release your grip, giving him ample time to rise back to his feet and you let out a nervous chuckle when he folds his arms across his chest and gives you a stern gaze. Thankfully you’re let off with a chide of giving someone a warning the next time you decide to pick them up, but he doesn’t miss your grin as you parrot back “Next time?”

Idia

♡ Idia had gotten hurt. Those are the only words you needed to hear before you dropped everything and raced over to his bedroom, already thinking of the worst case scenarios. I mean, for a guy who spends the majority of time in his room there’s only so many ways he can get hurt, and none of them are a pleasing thought so you do your best to quash the thoughts till you actually get there to see him for yourself.

♡ When you first step inside his room nothing’s out of the ordinary, as far as you’re aware nothing’s been destroyed and besides the usual controlled chaos everything seems to have been moved out of place. Idia’s even sat at his computer chair which isn’t an unusual sight, though as you get closer you realize he’s got one of his legs pulled up against his chest, hands cradling his foot with a sour expression that morphs into discomfort each time he makes a move to roll the appendage to one side. That sour look doesn’t dissipate when he notices you, but he does jump a bit when you announce your presence by rounding the chair and leaning onto the one arm, leaning down as you ask what happened.

♡ You’ve gathered that he’s hurt his foot, you just don’t know how and as he hunches over even more in his chair you perk up, noting his reluctance. He doesn’t tell you, not at first, but with a bit of prodding he eventually caves that maybe he kind of accidentally got his feet tangled up in the wires under his gaming desk and got yanked right out of his chair when he’d finally pushed himself away from his computer. He hadn’t thought anything of it (besides the obvious embarrassment of getting tripped up in the first place) but the moment he’d tried to stand up it was clear that something had rolled the wrong way, which is precisely what led to him huddled up in his chair glaring daggers at the injured foot as though that’s going to magically fix the injury sustained.

♡ Admittedly, the image of the whole scenario would have made you laugh, but for the sake of your friend (and the fact that he glowers at you when your lip trembles trying to fight back a chuckle) you don’t, instead giving the simmering dorm leader a comforting pat on the shoulder reassuring him that he’ll be fine. Chances are it’s just sore from landing the wrong way - you’ll know for sure once he gets seen by the nurse.

♡ However, when you tell him that he hunkers down, insisting that he’s not budging; it’ll be fine if he just sleeps it off, is his argument, adding that it’s not like he can go anywhere since he’d rather stay put - what’s he gonna do, hop the whole way to the infirmary? Obviously not.

♡ You frown at his stubbornness, but give a determined huff as you hop off of the arm of the chair with a “fine.”. Idia’s surprised that you’re not fighting his decision more, but that surprise lasts but a moment until you lean down and promptly pluck the dorm leader right out of his seat. He just about chokes on his words and twists about in your arms, but you don’t even bat an eye at it as you shift him around until you’re cradling him close to your chest, eventually just settling on a princess carry for the sake of simplicity.

♡ When Idia cries out, asking what you’re doing, you merely shrug and offer “Since you can’t walk, I’ll carry you.” as your explanation. He balks at the notion, but doesn’t really have a leg to stand on when you pull him even closer to you, holding firm to make sure he doesn’t fall.

♡ His hair tickles your nose each time he shifts about in your arms, which you promptly pat back down as gently as you can as you move towards the door, nudging it open with your hip until you can slide the pair of you through the gap. You make a point of ignoring his protest of staying put until he finally relents and settles into you, arms folded across his chest as he leans back. His hair frames his face like he’s trying to hide in the thick blue flames, but even you don’t miss the fact that his expression, once twisted in discomfort, eases up into something more comfortable now that the pressure’s off of his injured foot.

Malleus

♡ You’d like to think that you’re pretty strong, stronger than people give you credit for at least. And you also like to think that your strength is appreciated by the people who know about your carefully honed skill. Lilia is one such person, as he seems to be particularly amused by just how easily you’re able to heft and move things about, be it both objects and people. He’s especially entertained when it’s people, and it’s because of your penchant for carrying people around to show off that you end up with the third-year student bundled up in your arms as you travel through the Diasomnia dorm.

♡ The only indication the others have of the event is when you promptly come striding into the room, arms wrapped around Lilia's waist and hoisting him effortlessly up into the air as you enter. Malleus looks up from what he’s doing to watch the curious display, and upon spotting the fae you shift Lilia's weight to release one hand and wave, grinning as you swivel around and begin moving towards his direction. You’re keeping the Diasomnia student upright with ease, showing no signs of fatigue or strain as you carry him around, coming to stand behind the sofa that Malleus is sitting on and leaning over with a nonchalant question about what he’s doing.

♡ Malleus raises a brow, unsure whether to answer you or ask what exactly you’re doing with Lilia first. Before he can decide however Lilia gives you a gentle nudge to be let down and you take the hint, proceeding to lean over the sofa and drop him none-too-gently onto the seat beside Malleus. The cushions bounce when he lands on them, and though disheveled from all the carrying and the drop, Lilia looks thoroughly entertained by the whole ordeal,

♡ You catch Malleus glancing between you and Lilia, and though you couldn’t hazard a guess as to what he’s thinking you lean forward and chuckle, jokingly asking “Want me to try you next?” as you rest your arms on the back of the sofa. The smile on your face falters a little when you don’t immediately get a response, locking eyes with him for a few seconds too long. When he nods you have to fight every muscle in your face not to look surprised, and you don’t trust your voice to get the words out in response, instead returning the gesture with a blank nod of your own.

♡ The last thing you expected was for him to agree, but you’re never one to back down from a challenge and soon enough you’re standing face to face with the dragon prince once he stands up and rounds the sofa so that you’re standing in front of each other. You’re doing the mental maths in your head as you size up the dorm head. It’s not picking him up that’s gonna be a problem - you’re pretty sure the Leech twins weigh more than him and you’ve been able to carry both at the same time once before (when Floyd wasn’t intentionally wriggling around in your arms that is.) It’s figuring out the best way to carry him that’s the problem; you’re not sure a fireman carry would be the most dignified look for the dorm head, and just giving him a piggyback probably wouldn’t be too effective if you want to avoid knocking his head against something while you’re running around.

♡ It takes a moment but you don’t leave Malleus standing there for very long before you take a step forward, moving to place a hand on his back while reiterating if it’s okay for you to still do this. The noise of confirmation steels your resolve and in the next moment you quite literally sweep Malleus off of his feet and into the air, landing safely in your arms; he lets out a sharp inhale at the sudden action, but is more surprised at the fact that you’re able to carry him with such ease, even flashing him a confident grin as you begin to sidle around the room, making sure that he remains firmly tucked in your arms as you do so.

♡ The experience is interesting, to say the least - Malleus isn’t uncomfortable, if anything it’s actually rather nice to feel so weightless in someone’s arms. Not to mention it’s not something Malleus has been able to recently experience, so . You on the other hand are having a great time with it; you get used to carrying him quickly, and despite the initial worry of getting stabbed in the face with his horns you realize there’s nothing to worry about - it’s going pretty well.

♡ That is until Sebek enters the room and spots you cradling the young lord in your arms, and he shouts loud enough that you all whip around to face him. You’re undeterred by the shout, if anything you just assume that the first year wants a turn so you gently place Malleus back onto his feet, giving his uniform a cursory once over to make sure he’s okay before you back away. Malleus gives you an inquisitive look, watching you as you skip away, racing over to where Sebek’s standing with arms outstretched ready to scoop him into your arms, laughing when the student all but dives out of your reach the moment you approach him.

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mellowyandere · 4 years

Text

SCP Academia Eraserhead Part 3

Reader: F

Characters: Aizawa Shouta

Summary: You’ve been stuck in the stuffy cabin with no one but “Shouta” to keep you company. He won’t even tell you what day it is. November is quickly approaching...

Length: 3K

Warning: non-con, yandere themes, size kink, bondage, vaginal fingering, oral sex, vaginal sex, praise kink, breeding kink

When you first woke up you were completely thrown off by your new environment. You had been in the bowls of the SCP foundation for years, only occasionally venturing outside to gather intel on potential new SCP’s. Your new home was a small cabin of sorts. One bedroom and one bathroom, with just enough space left over for the kitchen and living room. The house was run by a generator outside, which your oh so gracious host made sure you never got to see.

He had insisted you call him by his “human” name Shouta. As to why he never mentioned it before? “No one but you deserved to know it,” he had huffed out, as if it was obvious.

Shouta was incredibly stingy with information, no matter how much you questioned him. What happened to the foundation? Where did he bring you? Why did he bring you here, better yet how? Each question was met with a shrug of his shoulders or a mumbled “that doesn’t matter now.”

You had given up a couple weeks ago, the man had no intention of letting you get a solid grasp of anything. Especially the date. The foundation breach had occurred sometime in mid September, leaving only a month and a half before November. He was purposefully hiding the information from you like the stingy bastard he was.

Stingy bastard wasn't exactly fair though. He had been nothing but polite, trying his best to give you things he’d think you’d enjoy and providing for you in ways that surprised you. For example, the man was a phenomenal cook, which looking back explains his utter disdain for any food he had been served at the foundation.

The main issue was his need to touch you. Pulling you into his lap to engulf you in his long muscular limbs and tendrils, or coming up behind you and placing his large hands on your hips. You were not accustomed to the contact and not very keen on it either. You threw an absolute shit fit when he tried to bathe you, and he, to his credit, let you be. He might have sat on the couch pouting for a couple hours, but eventually got over himself.

The longer you were stuck with him, the touchier he seemed to get. You dodged him the best you could but finally he had had enough. You normally opted to sleep on the couch, not wanting to share the only bed with him. It was one of many small acts of defiance at your limited disposal. As night fell you crawled onto your makeshift bed, only to be pulled up over the back of the couch by two strong arms.

“Hey! What gives!”

“I tried to ease you into this but you’re being rather stubborn. From now on you sleep with me.” Shouta didn’t want to push his affection on you too much, hoping you’d come around and open up to him. But time was running out and he needed to make sure he didn’t snap when November finally came.

“Maybe if you’d answer my questions I’d humor you more!” You felt like you were going insane stuck in here. Was this what he used to feel like trapped in the foundation? No. He had had it one hundred times worse than you, but hardly ever complained.

You squirmed and wriggled in his grip. He growled lowly in his throat, the vibrations rumbling through his chest. You stilled in his arms. With long strides it only took a few steps before he plopped you down on the large sturdy bed.

“Stay.” You rolled your eyes. He was a man of few words. But you remained, he’d just drag you in here again if you got up. Even though he had been nothing but patient, you felt as if you were reaching the end of his limits.

-----------

The days spent with Shouta were rather boring. You’d read books to pass the time, or stare longingly out the window. He was never much of a conversationist, but now only seemed willing to talk if you’d make physical contact with him. All in all, the house was too damn quiet.

Thankfully nights spent in his bed were relatively uneventful. He’d try to slowly pull you closer to him but you’d snap and he’d begrudgingly relent. Though that didn’t change the fact that you’d wake up smothered in his embrace, but you’d just wriggle out again.

As days continue to pass his fuse was getting shorter and shorter, you could feel the shift in his demeanor. Low growls at your attempts to distance yourself. Sharps eyes never leaving you. He was always one step behind you, personal space no longer an option.

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

You woke up groggy. Why was it so hot? You tried to move but found yourself immobile. You... you couldn't open you eyes?! No wait... yes you could. But a blindfold of sorts kept you from seeing anything. It was warm, just like the bindings on your body. Tendrils. He had you completely wrapped up in his tendrils. You were laying flat on your back, arms bound above your head.

Then you heard him. Low deep pants. His hot breath fanned against your neck, his nose brushed under your chin.

“Sho-Shouta?” At the sound of his name he groaned into the soft flesh of your neck. He tried so hard to resist touching you, he really had. But with the month of November upon him he had run out of control.

His large body was on top of you, though he supported himself as to not crush you. “My sweet little stubborn human” he cooed into your neck. “I'm going to take such good care of you...” he almost sounded a bit delirious?

His tongue darted out, hot and wet against your flesh.

“Wait! Hold on, stop! Shouta pl-please cut it out!” You began to struggle, his tendrils gently sliding over your exposed form. When did he take your clothes off?

“Y/N..” he growled out.

“Please.. let me at least see.” You needed to try and gain some control back. This situation wasn't looking good. Shouta was deadly when November came. You weren’t sure what this was right now, but you needed to get some control over him before he tried to kill you.

The creature obliged your request. Blood red predatory eyes pierced your own as soon as you had adjusted to the dark. His long black hair lazily defied gravity. He seemed larger, if that was even possible. His deathly pale torso had tendrils jutting out in all different directions, some aimlessly whipping through the air, but most were wrapped snuggly around your body.

Looking further down you realized you weren’t the only person completely naked. His bare hips were pressed flat to the bed between your own as he slowly rutted against the sheets. Due to your restraints you couldn’t really see much else.

Leaning down he placed his lips on your neck, softly sucking and nipping at your flesh.

“So beautiful.. so perfect” he whispered. He began to move down your body, soft lips leaving your skin with goosebumps. He paused at your breasts, one of his large hands coming up to play with your right breast while his mouth claimed your left nipple. His tongue made quick work of hardening your sensitive bud. His teeth came out and gently bit down, causing you to whimper.

You couldn’t give into his ministrations, it would only encourage him. “Shouta please, you have to stop! What if you hurt me?” His mouth released from your breast, his lust filled eyes lazily looking up at you as his tongue continued to circle your nipple. With a sigh he pulled away.

“I would never hurt you my precious little human.”

His free hand drew slow circles onto the outside of your thigh. Continuing his journey downwards he licked and nipped your skin until finally settling between your trembling thighs. He wasn't paying your worry any mind as he took his time drinking your body in. He had been such a good mate, had been so patient. Surely you’d understand...

His tongue darted out experimentally, gently lapping at your folds. You bit back a groan as he hummed in satisfaction, face nestling further into your legs for better access as he used his tendrils to move your legs over his shoulder. His stubble was coarse against your inner thighs. More tendrils came out to ensure your breasts were not forgotten. You bit back a moan as they continued where his hand and mouth had left off.

He greedily began to devour you, inhumanly long tongue delving deep inside you as he groaned, sending vibrations through your cunt. Pulling his tongue out he moved up a bit to gently wrap his lips around your clit. With his tendrils covering your body he could feel your every twitch in response to his ministrations. He wanted to make you fall apart beneath him.

“Sho-ah-Shouta please! Don’t do th-” you were cut off mid sentence. One of his tendrils found their way to your mouth, pushing its way inside your wet cavern and essentially gagging you. You clamped down hard, which only caused the creature on top of you to shudder in ecstasy. He could make them quite sensitive after all.

You tried to relax, nothing you did seemed to deter him. Maybe not responding would cause him to lose interest? You tried to remain still, until you felt his finger gently prodding at your entrance. You began to squirm with renewed vigor, your pleas muffled by his tendrils.

“Such an impatient little human. I know what you want but I need to get you ready first or else I might hurt you.”

Slowly he began to pump his finger into your tight hole. His saliva acted as a good starting lubricant, your own juices beginning to aid when that wasn’t enough. Shit, why did he have to be so fucking good at this?! He worked his digit in further and further, your walls clenching down eagerly, until finally he was knuckle deep.

Continuing to work your sensitive clit with his expert mouth, he pulled his finger out and gently began to add another. Two fingers pushed in, just as excruciatingly slow as the first time. Gentle pumps of his hand worked to allow your small human body to compensate for his larger form.

You couldn't help but rut your hips forward as your mind began to fog with pleasure. It shouldn't feel this good, he wasn't even doing that much! You needed to stop him, needed to stop reacting to him.

And yet you found your walls desperately clamping down on his fingers as he slowly drug them out. His methodical pattern continued for awhile until he changed his approach. Expert fingers began to probe with a purpose as he hunted for just the right spot. It didn’t take him long.

You moaned into his tendrils, back arching as he finally found what he had been looking for. With renewed vigor he used his fingers to attack, while his mouth continued its assault on your bundle of nerves.

If he continued at this pace you wouldn't last much longer. Your legs trembled, thighs tightening against his head. Your walls began to flutter around his fingers, your mewls and moans were still muffled, but they sent delicious tingles running down his spine.

No you couldn't you had to stop! But you had no choice. The combination of his devilish mouth and pinpoint accurate fingers were too much. You closed your eyes as your orgasm washed over you. He continued to pump his fingers in and out, but pulled back to watch the bliss wash over your face.

“Such a good girl, so beautiful,” he cooed as you came undone. Just as he had planned. He pulled his tendril from your mouth and watched as you panted, still trying to gain control of yourself. Unfortunately for you, he wasn't about to let that happen.

After wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand he leaned up and captured your mouth in his own. You could still taste yourself on his tongue. You had come down from your high after your orgasm and resumed your pathetic struggling, surely he had had his fill?

His hands planted firmly on your hips as he pulled away from you, lips leaving a small trail of saliva as he loomed over you. He pulled your body up off the bed with his tendrils, maneuvering you so your legs were wrapped around his waist.

“Be a good girl for me and relax, I don’t want this to be painful for you.”

With that he slowly began to move you down until finally you felt the tip of his cock pressing against your outer folds. He had you oddly suspended in his embrace, leaving you no where to retreat to as he rubbed the large head against your wet core.

All of his focus right now was staring down at where his cock was teasing you. He was inhumanly large, and just dipping the tip in made it obvious enough. This was going to be a tight fit.

“Shouta please, it won’t fit you’re too big.” His eyes looked up into your own, the fear in them registered somewhere deep within his brain, but the need to stuff you full of his seed overpowered his ability to stop himself.

He began to push his length inside, even more slowly than his fingers. He owed you this bare minimum level of self control, the idea of hurting you keeping him in check.

You whimpered as he continued, there was no reaching him. You’d be better following his advice and trying to relax to accommodate his sheer girth. But fuck did it sting. The methodical pumping of his hips pushing his monstrous cock deeper and deeper.

One of his hands opted to leave your hip in order to begin softly circling your puffy clit. It helped to soothe the burn of your stretching walls, slick beginning to build as your body attempted to help you. After what felt like an eternity he finally bottomed out inside you.

“Shit you’re so fucking tight, you feel so good.”

He remained there for a moment, sweat rolling down his body as he tried to control himself. Just then your tight little cunt experimentally squeezed against him and his restraint shattered.

He began to pull out, groaning above your head. He got about halfway out before pushing back in. This continued, each outward drag was met with a faster and more desperate thrust back in. At first it had stung, tears pricking your eyes as your bit your lip to keep from whining. You had never felt so full before.

But as you grew accustomed to his size something hot began to stir in your abdomen. You were enjoying it. The more you relaxed into him the more pleasure you began to feel. Until finally, you were back to where you had been when he had worked you into your first orgasm.

Your brain was too clouded with pleasure to bother holding back noises of satisfaction, and the heat in your gut only grew when Shouta moaned and huffed in your ear. His deep rumbles poured over you and soon he had abandoned his slow pace in favor of a much faster one.

His long cock would pull all the way out before slamming back in, a rogue tendril had replaced his hand to work on your clit while his newly freed hands greedily grabbed at you.

Finally one hand decided on grasping your hair, pulling your head back so he could slam his mouth against yours in a sloppy kiss. His tendrils allowed for your body to bounce against his as he pistoned his hips into you.

His tongue was in your mouth as he swallowed your moans. His appendage fought with yours for dominance before exploring everything it could reach. This was all too much, you were getting close again.

You could feel your walls beginning to flutter at your impending climax, and Shouta could feel it too. He increased his pace, hips stuttering as he began to try and reach his own release. He pulled away from your kiss and removed you from his tendrils, firmly planting you back on the mattress. His free hands intertwining his fingers with your own above your head as he continued to rock into you.

He kept his tendrils on your legs in order to keep them wrapped around his waist, groaning as he felt you reach for orgasm first. You head was thrown back, mouth open in a silent o as you finished for the second time that night. The feeling of cumming on his cock was beyond imaginable and your body shuddered beneath him.

You were perfect, overwhelming all of his senses in ecstasy as your tight cunt clamped down on him. He couldn't hold out any longer. His hips stilled as you began to milk his cock, hot thick ropes of cum painting your insides. You were too tired to protest, your small body slumped below him as you took his seed like the good little mate you were.

A wave of exhaustion began to cloud his mind as he came down from his high. Slowly he began to pull out, heart clenching as you whimpered. You were too damn cute.

Before any of his seed could spill out he used a tendril to plug your hole. Rolling over to your side he maneuvered you so your head was tucked under his own, his arm pressing you into his chest.

“You did such a good job, if we keep this up you could take my seed before the month is up.” He planted a kiss against your forehead. You grumbled incoherently in response, too exhausted to process the implications of what he had just said.

November, the month when he went feral, was the month he was feral for his mate. Desperate to fuck his seed into his one and only. All others were obstacles in his way that didn't deserve to live. November 1st had only just begun. You were in for a long month.

#yandere shouta aizawa #yandere aizawa #aizawa x reader #aizawa x you #scp academia #yandere x reader #aizawa shouta x reader #bnha aizawa

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sparklingchan · 3 years

Text

Phenomenal you are || Choi Jongho(Ateez)

Pairing : Reader(fem.) X Jongho

Word count : 2.1k+

Warnings : cuss words.

Genre : Fluff, angst if you look with a microscope, romance, rock band au.

Description: In which, a band practice for the Annual Winter Festival brings Jongho to finally face his true feelings for you.

A/N : I wrote for ateez after soooo long. I’ve been pre occupied kinda but I’ve written a few drabbles to post from time to time.

Enjoy!

In the quiet summer afternoon , while the sun is at its most cruel forms and the rest of the world is enjoying their holiday at the pool, the only sound that can be heard from Hongjoong's old car garage is the soft strumming of Jongho's acoustic guitar. Lazy and unmotivated.

"We need a singer." Hongjoong says with a sigh louder than Wooyoung's laugh as all the boys stare at him.

How dare he!

The tension in the air is so thick someone could cut it with a knife and though no one breaks the silence, they know what is to come next.

Jongho stares at Hongjoong, eyes big with curiosity and mouth gaping, half expecting Hongjoong to suddenly start laughing and declare it all a prank.

"We really need a singer." Hongjoong stresses on every word yet again. That's a combination of words he never thought he'd hear the older boy say yet here they were.

"Man, come on, we already have Wooyoung and Jongho. We don't need another singer." Mingi groans, absent-mindedly playing with his drum sticks. His foot is slightly tapping against the bass drum pedal.

Jongho and Wooyoung shake their heads in agreement but Hongjoong looks unconvinced. Like always.

"But the rules for The Winter Music festival are clear. They said that a band needs to have a separate singer along with the instrument players. Or else they won't be allowed to participate!" Hongjoong argues.

Jongho sighs with frustration. He loves singing as much as he loves playing the guitar, but if he had to choose between one, he'd always choose the former. He can't let someone new take his place as the voice of the band.

It hurt his ego more than he'd like to admit to his friends.

"I'll stop playing the guitar. I'll just sing." He suggests, although he's immediately met with Hongjoong's disapproval.

"Don't be fucking ridiculous. Who will play the guitar then? I play the keyboard and Wooyoung is on the bass. We can't play the guitar!"

There he is, leader Hongjoong, who's always right.

"Fine. Fine. So does anyone have any singers in mind? Should we hold a small audition or..?" Mingi says.

Wooyoung smirks at Jongho's direction, leaning in to whisper into his ear, "Dude, its your chance to shine. Come on. Tell them."

Except Wooyoung can't whisper. He can only yell.

"What? Tell us what?" Hongjoong questions.

"Oh, you know y/n right? She sings really well. She has a YouTube channel too." Wooyoung exclaims, walking as far away from Jongho as possible.

Jongho elbows the older boy right in his stomach.

"Y/n? As in Jongho's y/n?" Mingi asks with a mischievous grin.

Jongho hides his face in his hands, cheeks burning red as an unknown combination of happiness and embarrassment wash over.

The sound of your name always makes him feel vulnerable yet he cannot bring himself to hate this new found side of his personality.

Were you truly Jongho's? He didn't know. But did he want you to be his? Obviously, yes.

"So who's going to talk to her?" Hongjoong asks, actually considering it.

Jongho is beyond exasperated at this point, "Hey! We can hold a small audition or something. I'm sure there are other singers who'd want to try out?"

"Do you really want that ?" Wooyoung teases.

No, he doesn't. He doesn't think there's any better singer out there than you. Your honey like voice with the most beautiful texture ever gifted to a human and the way your eyes close in concentration when you feel the music right in your bones always makes him feel weak in the knees. He wants to be able to watch it all live and not from behind a laptop screen.

"Fine. I'll talk to y/n."

No one reacts because they already know Jongho could never say no to anything that involves you.

"I'm not very confident, Jongho, I'm telling you!" You cry out loud as you walk down the unfamiliar road with Jongho close by your side, not paying heed to any of your protests.

When Jongho first asked you to join his infamous band as the lead singer, you were sure he was joking. But he insisted that he wasn't and the serious expression plastered on his face showed nothing but honesty so you let yourself believe him.

Of course, you did throw around your own set of tantrums which you were sure irritated him, even so he somehow manages to take you to the boys' practicing session in Kim Hongjoong 's garage.

"Y/n, please, you and I both know you're the best choice. Mind you, Hongjoong personally discarded the idea of an audition just to save this position for you!"

Lies. It was him that had said no to the prospect of holding an open and fair audition for all the students of their school. Because he only ever wanted you.

"Why do I feel like you're buttering me." You mutter to yourself but Jongho obviously hears you, and a smile crawls its way onto his lips.

The garage is old and a little small, you notice the moment you enter the place, but that place also has everything you ever dreamed of - instruments, good mics, a band who wanted you to be their lead singer, and Jongho.

"Hey, y/n! I'm so glad you actually came. You know Jongho's never been the most convincing man on earth, right?" Wooyoung greets you, his fingers busy fiddling with the tuning keys of his bass guitar.

You smile, "I think he convinced me well enough though. "

You shoot Jongho a shy glance, only to find him staring right back at you, his eyes reflecting the same yearning as yours do. The sides of his mouth are slowly curving into a grin, and the thumping in your chest increases as you watch him blush under the warm, afternoon sunlight.

Ethereal is what he looks like to you.

Mingi clears his throat, breaking the unexpectedly long eye contact, "Guys, come on. We have to practice."

And with that begins your musical journey with the boys.

There were really nice and welcoming and made you feel very comfortable. It almost felt like you were...home.

Within weeks, you had gotten so close to the guys, one would almost confuse you of having known each other for a long time when in reality you guys barely talk to each other at school. And nothing would have changed if you hadn't joined the band.

And on the other hand, we have Choi Jongho. Nice and sweet and talented and has heart eyes for you and only you, yet with your new found friendship with the other boys, he finds a foreign feeling of insecurity settling down in his heart, like foreign sediments in fresh water.

Until a few days ago, you were his little secret, his only friend out of his normal social circle at school, he had you all to himself. But now that his other friends have started showing equal interest in you, he feels neglected, jealous even. Though he would die rather than mention it you or the boys.

"We're going for ice cream. Come on." Wooyoung unlocks the door to Mingi's car, and slides is as if it were his own, "I'm driving."

Hongjoon mutters a warning under his breath before sitting in the front passenger's seat while Mingi follows suit, and sits behind them.

"When was this decided?" Jongho leans against the car's door , an irritated expression etched onto his face. His forehead is creased, his eyes alert and his hands are stuffed in his pocket - he looks displeased .

"When you were in the toilet. What's the big deal." Wooyoung says impatiently.

Jongho looks at you, his forehead crease deepening, "Why didn't you tell me?"

You are taken aback; in all honesty, you hadn't thought it was such a great deal to him. The five of you were just going for ice cream. Its not a life or death situation.

"I-I didn't think it was that important. " you reply.

Jongho scoffs, a sarcastic smile on his lips, "You didn't think it was important to tell me we were going somewhere? I see, I wasn't wrong to think you'd finally sidelined me. "

"Jongho, what are you even saying?" You say, exasperated.

Jongho has never been a man of too many words, or too many gestures. He doesn't have the habit of beating around the bush. Which is why is words are often too honest, too harsh.

You knew this, yet you couldn't help but feel a sting when Jongho accuses you of sidelining him. It feels like your chest is on fire.

"Dude, just get in the car. What's gotten into you?" Hongjoong says.

You are utterly confused - you couldn't believe Choi Jongho is throwing tantrums over something so trivial - the man who is known for his high tolerance and abundant patience.

"Nah, I'm good." Jongho pulls away from the door and turns on his heels , "See you guys tomorrow!"

And with that, he walks in the opposite direction, toward his house. And needless to say, he doesn't even bother sparing a single glance at you.

"Should I go after him?" You ask out of impulse, but you do mean it.

What's the point of going with the guys when your mind would anyway be preoccupied with Jongho?

"Not to play cupid, y/n, but yeah, I think you should." Hongjoong sighs, rubbing the crease between his eyebrows .

You nod, closing the door, "I'll see you guys later then."

"Give him a smack in the head while you're at it ,y/n." Mingi chuckles, shaking his head.

"Oh, I will."

Jongho had not walked far enough yet, making it easier for you to run up behind him.

"Oi! Jongho! Wait."

Now, Jongho is sure he's making up things in his head because he genuinely believes you’d not have left the boys behind just to chase him. Well, prove him wrong now, y/n, will you?

"Jongho! " you yell again and this time he stops in his tracks, not having the guts to turn around yet curious enough to wait for you.

"What?" He demands without sparing you a glance still his eyes somehow manage to stare at your shadow on the concrete of the street, "Why didn't you go?"

You quickly catch up to him, though the run exhausts you badly but you convince yourself it's worth it.

If it's for Jongho, everything is worth it.

"Because its no fun without you. "

Jongho had built up this weak wall around him, a wall meant to protect his fragile heart from being broken but there has never been anything as fragile and delicate as this wall - and the words that leave your mouth does exactly that.

"Y/n, I-" he begins but you cut him off.

"Uh, no. Firstly, you owe me an apology for all that you said before, and secondly, you owe me a whole tub of ice cream because I chose my crush over ice cream and that is not done."

You'd never been the best at confessions, really, and before today You'd never felt the need for it either. Yet here you are. Confessing to Jongho as if it were the most natural thing to do.

"You - what?" He asks in disbelief, his body growing warm under your intimidating gaze.

Y/n just confessed to you, dumb ass, wake up!

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get too ahead of yourself." You roll your eyes, wrapping a shaky arm around his.

"Do you really mean it, y/n?" He asks in the most sincere voice, the tremble in his voice giving him away completely.

Jongho doesn't deny your touch but he does look away from you, his face scrunching in a peculiar way.

You don't know if he's crying or laughing or about to combust, but whatever it is , the slight blush on his cheeks and the softness of his eyes makes you feel all mushy inside.

"Of course! " you whine, "Why don't you believe me?"

Jongho pulls you closer and then wraps his arms around you - like how he'd seen people do in those stupid rom com movies. And when you hug him back , placing the softest kiss on his cheek, he realises how relieved he is.

“I believe you.” He sighs, “And I like you, too.”

And he realises how much more special this feels than the scenarios he’d often make up in his head. He realises how terribly sweet you smell, how radiant your laughter is and how phenomenal you are.

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words-writ-in-starlight · 4 years

Note

White Collar ot3 number 14, 18 and/or 29 for the ship asks because you just reminded me how much I adore them today. Thank you and happy birthday!!

I cut this bad boy for length because I sure can go on about these three. That first one is basically a whole fic. Thank you, my birthday was great!

14) When one has a cold, what does the other do?

This feels like a great opportunity to talk about one of my favorite things to think about with this OT3, which is The First Time Neal Gets Sick, AKA The Time Peter And Elizabeth Almost Had A Heart Attack.

The thing is, they expect dramatics. Neal is someone who leans on dramatics as 70% of his social charms, and if you'd held a hot brand to Peter's skin while he was chasing Neal over half the godforsaken country, back in the day, he'd have said that Neal would be the type to wring every minor illness for all it was worth. Not, like, out of any particular irritation for that particular behavior--Elizabeth is the kind of person who gets dramatically sick even if all she has is a cold, and if he's being perfectly honest Peter kind of enjoys babying his wife for a few days--but just because. Well. All Neal ever does is make sure all eyes are on him, seeing exactly what he wants, doing exactly what he needs. It's the con he's best at, Neal's favorite magic trick: sweep everyone up in the delirium of those blue eyes and that shattering smile and take everything they've got in their distraction.

So anyway, then Neal doesn't show up to work. He's an hour late. Two hours late. By the third hour, Peter is silently doing the math for how far Neal could get on his anklet without setting it off, and then for any loopholes he might have missed--faking the signal somehow? Neal's passable but not phenomenal with computers, but could he have hired someone? Peter's never heard of someone pulling that off, but Neal's got an aura about him, that makes the impossible seem merely improbable.

It is very important that this be an issue of Neal trying to run, because if it's not, then something might have happened to him. Neal hasn't exactly been endearing himself to the criminal underworld lately.

At three hours and forty-nine minutes past Neal's appointed arrival time, Peter takes an early lunch break and goes to June's. He knocks on Neal's door for a few minutes, and then goes and politely 'acquires' the spare key from the staff and lets himself in.

Neal is asleep on the couch, buried in every blanket he could find in his apartment, and he blinks hazily at Peter for a second when Peter shakes him and then bolts upright so fast that Peter has to move or get concussed.

"Peter," Neal says in a good approximation of his usual good humor. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't show up to work," Peter says, reaching out toward Neal's forehead automatically. Neal dodges him and Peter sees the dizzy wave cross his face. "Are you sick?"

"I'm fine," Neal says, and then immediately starts coughing, a wet sharp cough that hurts to listen to. "Sorry I'm late, I--fuck, is it past noon? Okay, just--give me a second, I can get ready to go--"

"How long have you been sick, Neal?"

It takes Peter the better part of fifty minutes to wring the facts out of Neal, and he does not like the facts, thanks. He more or less forces Neal back into the blanket nest on the couch and calls El, apologizes for interrupting one of her rare days off and asks her to bring Neal literally anything, and shuts down Neal's fourth attempt to convince Peter that he's fine.

Neal seems...really bothered by the idea that Peter knows he's sick, let alone Elizabeth, and Peter doesn't like what that implies. About anything. At least it doesn't seem personal--Neal doesn't seem to want anyone to know that he's sick, so much so that he's been taking double doses of DayQuil and drinking straight espresso in order to smother all his symptoms at work for the past three days. Peter does some quick math in his head about the number of DayQuil that would require and says "You're lucky you're not in the ER," and Neal says, "I know what I'm doing, Peter," in that voice that means he's thinking about getting offended.

"You're going to give yourself liver failure, is what you're doing. Why didn't you just call out sick, Neal, Jesus Christ." It's blunter than he meant to be--actually, Peter meant to let El work on Neal for a few hours before he came back to play Blunt Cop--but Neal looks awful and he has a fever and he's been taking ten DayQuil in a ten hour work day and Peter does actually read labels and Peter made him stay late at work two days ago because Peter didn't know he was sick.

And maybe it's because Neal's sick, maybe it's because the fever is blurring his reaction time, maybe Peter just knows him really well by this point, but he sees the second that Neal's face closes up and he goes from "defensive" to "ready to do whatever he needs to do in order to get Peter to back down".

And then Neal smiles, all guileless blue eyes and blithe schoolboy innocence, and he says, "Come on, Peter, you'd have thought I was trying to run."

It stings inordinately. Peter did think that, this morning, but only because Neal fucking vanished, didn't come in, didn't answer his phone, didn't even leave a message with someone when Peter showed up. If Neal had said he was sick, Peter might have come by to check on him--and sure, seeing that he was really sick would have put those concerns to bed, but--

"Besides," Neal is continuing, and his voice is starting to show the effect of the coughing now, and he's trying to get up again, wavering on his feet a little before he blinks twice and visibly forces himself to steady. "I'm fine. And even if I wasn't, it's what, seven hundred dollars a month? That's not covering a doctor, and it's not like I have pneumonia. It's just a cold, Uncle Sam, I can still go to work."

And then Neal gives Peter the slip while Peter's still sitting there, stinging.

And the thing is, he doesn't even know if Neal really thinks that of him, or if Neal just knew it would make him shut up long enough for Neal to walk into his bathroom and take more fucking DayQuil.

Well, fine, then. Peter can fight dirty too, and to prove it, he walks the ten feet to the door and leans back against it, just out of an excess of caution, as he pulls out his phone. First he texts his wife, because she's a very smart woman and deserves to have all the information. Second, he calls his boss, because he's already well outside his lunch break and he might as well do the thing properly. Neal comes out of the bathroom, wearing fresh slacks and an unbuttoned white shirt, just as Peter says, "Yes, sir, I'll keep an eye on him."

Then Peter hangs up and points his phone at Neal and says, "Lie the hell back down before I taze you. You're off until next week, and I'm taking the day off to make sure you don't go into organ failure. Don't you dare," he adds when Neal takes a purposeful step toward the kitchenette and its coffee maker. "El is going to be here with actual cold medicine in thirty minutes. Take those slacks off and lie down in your actual bed."

"I'm fine," Neal says again, as if he's not struggling with a shirt button for the first time since Peter's met him, including multiple occasions of being handcuffed.

"You're really not," Peter says, and then he pauses for a moment, and looks at the way Neal's fingers pause on the button, and then he says, a little cautiously, "And that's fine. Everyone gets sick, Neal."

"I don't need you to babysit me," Neal mutters.

"I'm only babysitting you because, apparently, you take life-ending doses of caffeine and cold medicine when you're left alone. Come on, Neal, this won't be the end of the world, El will bring you some food that won't hurt your throat and I'll let you make me watch one of your boring foreign films."

"I know your secrets," Neal says, and then pauses to cough up what's probably part of his failing liver, not that Peter is feeling any doom and gloom about this whole thing. "You watch romcoms with Elizabeth, she told me you enjoy things other than football and you'll never fool me again."

"Yeah, you got me," Peter says with a faint grin. He walks away from the door like he's approaching a feral dog, and closes his hands gently but inexorably around Neal's wrists, and then steers him firmly back onto the couch. Neal's skin is hot even through his shirt, and he trips twice, and he lets Peter push him down into the blankets like he's too tired to do anything else. "I'm going to go get you pajamas. Where do you keep them?"

"Second drawer," Neal says dismally.

"Okay," Peter says, and doesn't give into his impulse to maybe, like, brush Neal's rumpled curls out of his face or something. Half the reason that Peter caught him in the first place is because Peter knows when to press his advantage. He takes the win and gets Neal some pajamas.

18) When they fight, how do they make up?

Elizabeth is the best at this, because she works with vendors all the time and that makes her a literal professional at conflict resolution. She has a temper and she’ll lose her cool with the best of them, but she knows how to say “I need a minute” and then she’ll leave and come back when she can be reasonable. She’ll lay out what she’s upset about, hear the other person out, and then either apologize or expect an apology. Then she’s the physical touch kind of person after a fight--she’ll take Peter’s hands and link their fingers together, or wrap her arms around Neal from behind with her cheek between his shoulder blades, and just kind of...rest against them until everyone’s tension starts to bleed out of them.

Peter isn’t an innately high-empathy person and he knows this, so it’s sometimes hard for him to figure out when a fight even started, let alone how to fix it. He gets frustrated with himself for not knowing what to do, and then it’s easy for Elizabeth or Neal to feel like he’s mad at them for being mad at him, and then everyone gets madder and it’s just stressful. So Peter’s the type to ask explicitly “wait, are we fighting” because, first of all, he would like to know so he can figure out how to resolve it, and, second of all, he’s discovered that being clear about it will sometimes shock everyone involved into taking a step back and figuring out if they’re arguing at all or if they’re both just frustrated. After they’ve managed to figure out what’s wrong and talked it out, Peter’s an acts of service kind of person after a fight--his specific brand is to make someone’s favorite meal, regardless of who was doing the apologizing.

Neal is...not good at conflict. For obvious reasons, he’s inclined toward avoiding conflict when he can, and bailing immediately afterward when he can’t. The first time he actually fought with Elizabeth, she had to come to his apartment and hammer on his door until he let her in. Neal’s never really been able to argue with someone and then have them still be there except for maybe Mozzie, and it’s an extremely rough adjustment for everyone. It requires a lot of patience from Elizabeth and Peter, and a lot of anxiety from Neal, for them to find a balance about it. But Neal is a gifts person after an argument, once he learns to be anything after an argument, and not just extravagant things. He brings flowers or Elizabeth’s favorite mixers or one of the boring patterned ties that Peter loves, he brings a paperweight or a mug, a hair pin, a new set of dress shoe laces, a pair of beautiful earrings, a six-pack of beer, whatever hoves into his field of vision and he can afford to acquire.

29) Why do they fall a little bit more in love?

One time when he got home from work, Peter caught Neal and Elizabeth waltzing in the kitchen while the radio played the Top 40 Hits station, and they were giggling while they tried to keep time to Umbrella, and Neal was complaining about El not letting him play classical while she was cooking, and Neal dipped El so that she could wink at Peter upside down, and they burned dinner because they left the stove on and the three of them got takeout ramen instead.

Peter thinks about that evening sometimes when he’s stuck in traffic.

#white collar #neal caffrey #peter burke #elizabeth burke #ot3 #starlight writes stuff #headcanon meme #ask meme #I WAS GONNA COMPILE THIS WITH THE OTHER ASK ABOUT WHITE COLLAR BUT #THAT FIRST ONE REALLY IS THE FIRST COUPLE HUNDRED WORDS OF A FIC THAT LIVES IN MY HEAD RENT FREE #[sits the entire fandom down] neal transparently grew up with no one in his life who let him rest when he was sick #let's talk about that more #because i think about that all the time #anyway peter and elizabeth basically Install Themselves at neal's for the next couple days #why do i think neal watches foreign films? idk i just Feel It. he would watch all the cdramas and kdramas on netflix.#also sometimes he watches crime shows and critiques the criminals to elizabeth but they don't do that in front of peter #i think peter is the kind of guy who actually really likes romcoms but has trouble admitting it and el doesn't mind that much #elizabeth likes media generally i have Decided This. she just likes stories. anything good OR fun OR interesting will do it for her.#point is that she sets up on Neal's couch and pretends that she's just there to enjoy his movie collection #and if he falls asleep and she winds up with his head in her lap so that she can pet his hair and keep him that way it is Completely An Acc #peter Hovers when people are sick but in like a benevolent 'you always have fresh tea' kind of way #anyway kids don't take too much dayquil because acetaminophen is dangerous thank you for coming to my ted talk #anonymous #asked and answered

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imaloserbbyxoxo · 3 years

Text

“Good boy..”

Hello everyone! Just a few things before you keep reading....

💙🧡 THIS IS -100%- NSFW AND IS 18+ Please, don’t read on if you are a minor. <3 💙🧡 This is a one shot of Dabi x Hawks!! In this, Dabi is a SOFT DOM. He praises Keigo and treats him to a good time instead of the other way around. 💙🧡WORD COUNT: 3,073 words! 💙🧡 TW: Praise kink, ass play, blowjob ( let me know if there is another kink/trigger I need to post! ) Please keep in mind that I am not that great at writing. I’m trying to get better though. This is the first ever NSFW story that I have ever written, so I’m sorry if it’s terrible. But, if you like it, yay!! <3 I’m glad you do. Have a good day! <3

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☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

The light of the morning shown through the window of the bedroom, casting a bright light across Dabi’s eyes. He groaned in irritation and pulled the blanket over his head, rolling over to face where his boyfriend would sleep, only to find that the spot was empty. He pulled the blanket just below his eyes. Yep, empty. He groaned again, dreading to get up and find him. This bed was so fucking comfortable compared to the one that Dabi was used to sleeping on at the leagues’ base. His bed there wasn’t even really a bed. It was a flimsy, foldable cot that barely had any cushion to it, along with the pillow and blanket he used and he had been using it for so long, his body was sore almost all the time. The staples pushing into his scars didn’t help that. This bed, however? Holy shit. It was a California king pillow top. It felt like you were sleeping on a cloud and had so much room. For Dabi it was heaven. His scars didn’t ache, and the staples didn’t protrude into his skin irritating the scars even more. Also, it was so nice to have room to stretch and sprawl out to find ultimate comfort. The mattress was covered in a silky, candy red sheet, topped with the same as a lose sheet. On top of that was a thick, maroon reversible comforter. The top was silky just like the sheets with a faint design, but the underneath was a soft suede that made everything that much warmer. It was phenomenal. Dabi did not want to get up, but nature called. He had to pee. He lazily got up, throwing the blankets to the bottom of the bed as he rose. The bedroom was very roomy and attached was a bathroom that was almost too big for a one-person apartment. But however, it was the master bathroom. It included a whole shower with a bath option, a dual sink, and of course a toilet. Towering over the sink was a huge, incredibly detailed, gold mirror. It almost looked hand crafted it was so meticulous. The bath was one that had jets built in and sat very deep. Dabi and Keigo could both easily fit in it, with room to spare. Pure luxury according to Dabi. He had never been in a house so fancy, besides his family home. But that was so long ago, he couldn’t remember the details. Just that it was big. What else would you expect from the number two hero’s home? Number two at the time anyway. Dabi groggily walked his way to the bathroom. The closer he got, the more he could hear water running from one of the sinks. Opening the door, he was met with big red feathers, and a blonde brushing his teeth. Keigo Takami. Dabi’s new fling. Usually, Dabi would just sleep around with whoever, but for some reason unknown to him, Keigo had a hold on him that he could not shake off. There was just something about the bird fuck that hit Dabi as beautiful. Whatever it was, he loved it and didn’t want it to change. Ever. Keigo smiled around his toothbrush as the door opened, and he spit the toothpaste into the sink. “Morning~!” he chimed. “Sleep well?” The brunette made a small ‘mm’ in response and walked straight to the toilet. Keigo looked away to give him what little privacy he could and continued the last little bit of brushing he needed to do on his teeth. He spit out the paste again and grabbed a cup of water he had set up earlier. After he was done, Dabi flushed and walked behind Keigo, moving his wings out of the way. Since Dabi was a bit taller than Keigo, he could easily rest his chin on the man’s shoulders, right into the crease of his neck. He wrapped his arms around him and reached for the sink to wash his hands. As he washed, he was slightly pressing Keigo against the sink. The cold marble of the counter nipped against the blonde’s stomach. He made a small gasp as Dabi leaned against him. Not because of the cold countertop, but because of something else. Dabi had a morning erection, and he was not being shy about it. It was if he were intentionally rubbing it against Keigo’s cheeks. The winged man blushed. Even though they had been secretly going out, the size was always a shock to Keigo. He just could never get over the fact how big it was. He decided to break the flustering that was building inside of him. “Well, did you sleep well?” “Always. That bed is phenomenal, Pigeon.” Keigo blushed at the nickname. It was just so sweet to him and never failed to give him butterflies. “Well, I hope so. It wasn’t exactly cheap.” He put the toothbrush in its designated spot beside the rinse cup. He had a small little shelf to place it all on. Dabi had long since dried his hands by now and was now cuddling his boyfriend from behind. His arms were idly wrapped around his waist, thumb unconsciously tracing the elastic of Keigo’s boxers. Keigo returned the affection by placing his hands on top of Dabi’s and leaning his head against him, as it was still in the crook of his neck. However, the situation Dabi had was still around. Keigo blushed and looked at his lover through the mirror, slightly grinding his hips backwards to accentuate what he was talking about. “Feeling good this morning, are we?” Dabi smirked. He pushed his hips against Keigo, pushing his erection against his ass even more. “I guess so.” He moved his head so his lips were pressed against the blondes neck, peppering small, gentle kisses against his skin. Keigo lovingly sighed but tried to break the grip. “Dabi, please, we just woke up and-“ he was quickly interrupted by Dabi’s teeth slowly biting down. He let out a small gasp. As he bit down, Dabi tugged at the boxers he was teasing before, lowering them just enough to show the blondes v-line and hair trail. He dropped his hand to the buldge that was forming in the other’s boxers. “Fuck…” Dabi hissed. “You are just so easily aroused.” “S-Shut up.” Keigo ripped Dabi’s hands away and turned around to face him. He was met by ice blue eyes. They always stopped him dead in his tracks. How could a human have such beautiful eyes? It almost wasn’t fair. The look in Dabi’s eyes was full of desire and fascination, along with a small look of domination. Keigo gulped. “You’re the one starting this.” Dabi took Keigo’s and pinned them against the counter by his wrists. He leaned closer to him; lips almost touching. “So? You seem to be enjoying it.” He released one of Keigo’s wrists and caressed the others dick with the palm of his hand, causing a lustful sigh to escape from Keigo’s lips, making his eyes close. “Damn, baby.” Dabi moved his hand up and down slowly and tediously causing Keigo to tilt his head back slightly from the stimulation. “So fucking hard already.” He smirked his signature smile. “H-How are you not worn out from last night?” Keigo asked, meeting his gold eyes with the blue ones. “I’m always ready to go. You know that.” Apparently, that was enough chit chat. Dabi kissed Keigo passionately. He parted his own lips and forced his tongue in the others mouth. Keigo returned the favor, instinctively draping his arms around Dabi’s neck, allowing him to kiss deeper. Dabi did just that. His hands were removed from their teasing and were now placed palms down on top of the counter, pressing Keigo yet again on to the countertop with his body. Small moans and pants were now filling the room. It was so invigorating for the two. Usually, Dabi being the dom that he was, didn’t really like the foreplay and teasing beforehand. He was usually way to horny and would just jump straight into the act, throwing Keigo down and taking him as he wanted.

Every once in a while though, he would show this soft dom side, and Keigo undeniably ate it up. He

loved

this side of Dabi. Maybe it was the fact that the man was still tired and groggy from sleep why he was acting like this today. Whatever it was, the blonde did not want it to end. This shit got him going more than anything.

Keigo’s moans were getting louder. He was getting so turned on, that he was almost whimpering at this point. Dabi took note of that and grabbed at some feathers, rubbing the ones in his grasp between his fingers.

“A-ah! D-Don’t do that…” Keigo’s face was beat red from over stimulation. He was huffing and panting more than Dabi was. He was so hard now, that the elastic of his boxers was coming off from his body. Not a lot, but just enough to notice.

“Shut up.” Dabi kissed him just a bit more before returning to the teasing. He trailed his fingers down his partners torso, caressing him. As he reached his cock, he grabbed at it through the fabric, making the blonde suck in air through his teeth. Almost a hiss. Dabi deeply chuckled. “Did you like that?”

“D-Dabi please…I-“

Dabi ignored the other’s plea, and removed the dick from the boxers. A small little bit of precum was at the head of Keigo’s dick. Dabi teased, tracing the tip with the pad of his thumb, smearing the pre over the head. “How about I take care of this for you, hm?”

Keigo was blushing so hard at this point. He was trying to avoid eye contact with Dabi as he teased his cock. He was loving it so much though. “Y-You don’t have to, Dabs.”

“I want to.” Dabi started sucking Keigo’s skin, starting at his neck and moving down his chest. “I want to show you…” He left a trail of hickey’s as he moved, licking the sensitive spots before making another one just a bit lower. “…how much you mean to me.” The bruises weren’t to big though. Just enough to get the wings ruffled on the other.

And it did just that. Keigo was a breathless mess. His head had fallen back all the way. His hands were tangled in Dabi’s hair, slightly gripping and pulling at the black strands with each kiss and lick his partner left on him. His feathers were basically quivering.

“A-ah! Fuck…” Dabi had latched on to one of Keigo’s nipples. He licked and lightly sucked at it, feeling it raise and watching the winged man lose his mind.

After doing that for what seemed forever to Keigo, Dabi stopped jerking the erection, and dropped to his knees. Keigo moaned at the loss of touch. He was stimulated like crazy right now, but he wanted more.

Dabi took Keigo’s boxers off on his way down, exposing everything the blonde had to offer. He could tell his boyfriend was a bit nervous. This wasn’t exactly in Dabi’s nature, but he wanted to show his appreciation. He wanted to show Keigo how much he truly loved him. He wanted to take care of him, like he had always taken care of Dabi. It was his turn to be cared for.

He started kissing at his lovers inner thigh, causing him to melt to the touch. “

Well, that worked,”

thought Dabi to himself.

He didn’t want Keigo to be tense or nervous. “No need to be embarrassed, Pigeon. Just let me take care of you.” He looked up to Keigo who was looking down at him, face red and rapid breathing escaping from him. “O-Okay.”

Dabi chuckled and slowly took in his dick into his mouth. He twirled his tongue around the tip, pressing it against it ever so carefully all while taking in the full length. He was quite talented in this department. Keigo was shocked.

They hadn’t been dating for very long. It was a very short amount of time to be honest. Only a few months. Keigo was already kind of nervous around Dabi anyways, with his charming demeanor and dominating attitude and he was usually the one taking care of Dabi in this way, so this was completely new. What was going on with him? Deep down, Keigo loved this.

Now, Dabi did usually have a soft side with Keigo. Even though he would be dominating, he would usually ask if Keigo was okay, or would help him afterwards, showing care that way. Helping him clean up, giving him small kisses on his cheek, whatever the case may be. But this? Whole new level.

A few minutes had past and Dabi was showing his skill. “F-Fuck! Aaah, fuck…” Keigo was starting to let out his voice. He was moaning deeply, but loud. This was feeling

way

to good. As he looked down, he was met with hooded, ice blue ones looking back up at him. This made him lose his mind yet again. He was spewing out all kinds of curse words and whines. “D-Dabi, please I-“

Dabi released the blondes cock from his mouth with a

pop!

and caught his breath. He spoke deep and lustfully. “What, Pigeon?” His voice was very breathy. He was getting turned on himself. “Speak up. Tell me what you want.”

Keigo didn’t say a word. Instead, he grabbed a fist full of Dabi’s hair and forced him back toward his dick. “K-Keep going, j-just like you were. Don’t change what you were doing.”

Dabi grinned. “Good boy. Let out your dom side.”

The brunette opened his mouth and let Keigo force him back on it. He took his whole length in his mouth, moaning and huffing around his dick. It was hard for him to get air at some points, but he never gagged.

Keigo slowly rocked his hips back and forth, keeping the brunettes head in place with his hand. “Right there, right there – mmm suck that cock – suck that cock~”

His dick twitched. He was getting close and Dabi knew it, so he used this to his advantage. He cupped his partners testicles and lightly played with them.

“Aaah yes! Yes fuck!”

A chuckled came from Dabi’s throat around Keigo’s cock. He started to moan louder and deeper, sending vibrations all over the erection. It was almost to much stimulation for Keigo, but that’s exactly what Dabi wanted. He had one more trick up his sleeve to make the winged finish hard.

He released the dick again, replacing his mouth with his other hand. Before he executed this idea he had, he wanted to ask permission first. It had to deal with the ass and he figured his partner wouldn’t mind, but he thought to make sure anyways.

“I’m gonna do something new. Okay?”

“Y-Yes oh my god please just make me cum, Dabi. I wanna come so fucking bad.” Keigo’s words were slurred. He was so overstimulated he couldn’t hardly speak.

“Okay. You’re being such a good boy, Keigo. Such a good boy.”

Removing the hand he had placed on the others testicles, Dabi moved further back. He teased Keigo’s hole with one finger all while still pumping his dick. It was so wet from spit and precum and Dabi’s hand glided over it with ease. He would bring his hand up to the head of it and rub his palm against it. The staples at the base of his palm teased with every movement. All the wetness made it a whole new sensation for the blonde.

“A-Ah! Right there! Aaah fuck! Fuck!” Keigo’s legs were trembling. He could barely stand. It was all just so much for him to handle. He had propped himself against the marble countertop with his hands, still rocking his hips. He needed more friction. He craved it. “M-My ass…please…ahh~”

Dabi looked up at him and smirked lustfully. “You’re doing good, Dove. Keep going. Be good for me.” His finger quit teasing and entered Keigo’s ass, relentless and quick. Keigo whined noisily. “Ah shit! Ah ah, ah!”

Dabi pumped his finger inside at the same pace of the pumping act he was giving the dick. He was so hard himself. Seeing Keigo like this was enough to make him feral. He was getting off to it so much. Small, deep groans were escaping his throat and he started moving his hips just to get some stimulation on his own cock. He wanted to pump his own, but he wanted to keep making his partner feel good. A small wet spot of precum had formed on his gray boxer briefs from this whole act he was performing. They were so tight from the growing of his erection, so the friction was intoxicating.

“Fuck, Keigo. Come for me, come on you can do it. Show me how good you feel. Come on. Come on~”

Those words. Those words set Keigo over the edge every damn time. His cock and ass twitched. The rocking of his hips was starting to falter and his legs weakened. “D-Dabi please I-I’m gonna cum – Ah! Gonna cum! Hah, ah fuck! Fuck!!”

“Such a good boy, oh my god.”

Dabi quickened his pace with each hand. He moaned louder and deeper, just to over stimulate Keigo. He knew the blonde got off on his moans. He spiced them up this time, praising and verbally teasing him, calling him Pigeon, baby bird, all of Keigo’s favorites. The blonde loved to be praised.

“Cuming, cuming! Aaaah, fuck!!!”

And with that, white liquid sprayed on Dabi’s chest. He pumped it a few more times along with Keigo fucking the others hand. Each pump made Keigo grunt. Once he was done, he collapsed on to the tile floor of the bathroom. Dabi removed his hands as he fell in front of him. He just smiled and leaned in to kiss the man deeply. Keigo was a panting and huffing mess, but he tried his best to kiss back, breathing through his nose and making small moans as Dabi’s tongue entered.

Dabi released from the kiss, still just a lips distance away. “Good boy.”

Keigo, still breathless, tilted his head back and rested it again the cabinets that were underneath the sink. “I-I love you, Dabs.”

“Love you too, Pigeon.”

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years

Text

Humans are Space Orcs, “From Heaven or from Hell.”

Ok so I had a ton of trouble writing today for some reason. IDK why but here you go :) as expected.

The Kree popped the last socket from the wall, pulling the device down for a closer examination. Admiral Vir stayed back in shock. He thought all of the kree were dead, but this one , it looked more than alive enough to him, though it did occur to him that this kree was neither voiced or voiceless. He had only ever seen something like it on a battlefield over two years ago, and they hadn’t gotten close enough to examine them in a medical capacity.

Was it possible that Dr. Krill and the others had been fooled.

If that was the case, these guys had done a phenomenal job at playing dead. Nothing was supposed to get past Dr. Krill, but he supposed there was a first for everything.

He knelt in the darkness wondering what he was going to do.

He could leap out and capture this creature, in one on one combat the Kree were no match for a human, the only reason they had been such a problem was because they were armed and could fly the last time he met with them.

But this one, it was just a skinny bird creature with twig legs, and no wings, but if he followed it, he might be able to find the others.

He melted a little further back into the shadows, as much as he could with skin and hair that might as well have glowed in the ambient light. Too bad he had forgotten his ninja costume, that would have really helped right about now.

The kree turned and with a small chirp to itself, it began moving up the hallway.

He followed after at a distance feeling for once like the hunter instead of the hunted.

He bared his teeth in half pleasure.

The feeling was sort of exhilarating.

He was the monster in the dark, the dangerous creature lurking in the shadows. He was the one stalking in the darkness just out of sight. Human’s hand had to hunt things in close proximity like this for thousands of years, and most creatures on their home planet were way to fast, strong, or agile for him to be able to do anything.

But in comparison to this Kree, he was a wolf, or a mountain lion. He would have radioed for assistance, but he was worried that his voice or the light from his implant would alert the creature, and he wouldn’t want that, so instead he kept very silent and well back as he followed the creature though the ship watching as it plucked equipment form the walls and stowed it in a bag. On one or two occasions, they came across one of the engineers working to fix the problem, but when that happened, they quickly slipped in another direction.

They were heading down, towards the docking bay forced to dodge more and more people as they moved, but they managed to make it. And once they reached the docking bay, he was more than surprised to be led back behind the alien ship, to where someone had cut a near invisible vertical slit in the plastic which surrounded it.

The little creature slipped through and vanished inside the ship.

He stayed outside, crouched low. This would probably be a good time let someone know where he was, but when he went to do so, he was surprised to find that bridge communications had been shut down.

The little bastards must have done something to it.

Oh well, than he was going to have to think up something else.

IT was best to know what he had to work with before actually making a move. So he inched forward quietly scooting through the plastic barrier and up towards the ship. He kept in a low crouch as he slipped up the open ramp and into the darkness. His infrared eye helped to pick up anything that might give him away as he moved through the darkness.

The ship was small, so it didn’t take him long to make it back to the bay where the bodies had been found, and when he did, he was both surprised, and not particularly surprised to see what he saw.

A gathering of Kree sat in a circle in the middle of the floor. Together they were comparing parts they had looted rom the ship, warbling i their strange kree language, and with laughter about what they had done.

Listening to them talk, he felt his lips pull tight in annoyance his hands balling into fists.

Pirates.

They thought they had duped the humans,

Turned them into chumps as they robbed them blind right out from under their noses.

It was a smart enough plan, but there was one thing that none of them had accounted for.

The fact that a human might be listening in.

Anger welled up inside his chest.

These creatures were trying to make him and his crew look like fools, but he wasn’t going to let that happen. He was going to stop this, but….. Before he did that, he was also going to give them a piece of their own medicine.

And with that thought, he slunk back into the darkness.

***

The Kree sat around in a circle laughing to themselves. The humans were so stupid.

Even their doctors hadn’t managed to catch the kree, with their ability to shut down their bodies into a mild state of coma, which approached death in appearance. In this state their internal organs barely functioned, and their cortical zones almost completely shut off.

It used to be something they could only do under certain circumstances, but after one of their scientists had done a little experimenting, he had discovered the place in the brain that was responsible for the shut off, and managed to implant manual switches for the ability.

Originally no one had thought that would be useful in any sort of way but they were quickly proven wrong, or at least the pirates had proven it wrong.

“This doesn't explain how we are going to get out of this place when we are finally done.”

Their leader scoffed, “We have full control of their ship, I am sure we can find a way to open the airlock.”

“And what if we are found out?”

“By who.” he retorted, “The have no reason to suspect us. It is more likely they will turn to one of their own crew members being a sabotage than suspecting us. I mean, what is the logical conclusion, that one of their own is doing it or the creatures in the cold room have risen from the dead to steal their things.” He looked around at the others, “See, it makes sense doesn't it.”

They were just about to begin nodding their agreement to him, when a sound reaches them from down the dark hallway.

The sound of claws being pulled over metal.

They all grew very still staring at the entrance to the dark.

“What was that?” Someone whispered.

“I am sure it was nothing.”

There was silence for a few moments as they went back to their conversation.

They were cut off as a rattling noise broke out behind them in the darkness on the other side.

Together they turned in fear, eyes wide as they stared into the abyss.

The scraping sound continued almost melodic in nature.

Silence.

“Go check it out.” Their leader ordered pointing towards the most junior member of the party, They tried to argue but there was n ouse in trying, and they were shoved into the darkness. Arms held protectively before it’s body knees weak, it ventured into the darkness and towards the scraping sound.

It was close, probably around the corner from it when the sound stopped very suddenly filling the little ship with an oppressive silence.

It turned its head this way and that unable to see in the near darkness.

It scrambled around in it’s toolkit trying to find the light.

Finally it found it, the cold metal reassuring against it’s hand as it flipped on the little beam of light.

Directly into a pair of milky eyes and glistening sharp teeth.

The others heard nothing.

“Find anything!” They called after it, but there was no answer

“Not funny!”

Still no answer.

The scratching sound started up again on their other side.

THey turned in fear, huddling together in the middle of the room. W-what is that.

A sudden rush of movement to the darkness at their right. They spun, but it was already gone.

Staring into the darkness, it seemed as if something they couldn’t see was just right outside their vision

Someone flicked on a light into the darkness and caught the flash of two white orbs before the movement scuttled back into darkness.

“We have to get out.” Their leader ordered huddling them together and then backing away into the darkness of the opposite hall If the creature was over there, than they were going to be plenty safe here, together in a group with their flashlights turned on waving about in all directions.

One of their number began to scream, and they turned just in time to see the flailing counterpart pulled violently into the darkness, a pale white hand gripped about their leg.

They weren't trying to be quiet anymore, simply screaming as they fled, picked off one by one.

Their leader was the last left, nearly making it outside before his flashlight came upon a figure blocking him. In the eerie light of the darkness, its skin was washed out and pale, its clothing pale as well, when the flashlight beam moved up it passed over pale hair.

The face grinned as the flashlight passed over its eyes.

A flash of blue, and it was over.

***

The crew heard the screaming almost as soon as it had started, but it took them a few minutes to gather their gear before running in. By the time they made it everything had gone silent. A group of marines stepped through the plastic just in time to see admiral Vir walking down from the ramp dusting his hands off and looking quite pleased with himself.

“Sir…. what’s going on.”

“Oh just fixing a little problem, nothing to worry about.”

“And what was the problem.”

The man grinned one of his green eyes flashing, “Pirates.”

When no one understood where he was going with this, the man simply grinned again, “Pirates. Turns out that the Kree were just playing dead to get aboard our ship and steal our shit.”

They stared at him incredulously, “What.”

“You heard me.”

They shook their head sin surprise, but followed him as he motioned them onward, “here, come take a look.”

Not that they doubted their Admiral, but they still found it shocking when they discovered the Kree hogtied and incapacitated around their own ship. The Admiral had a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

“That should be all of them-”

That is until they came upon another group of Kree

He paused in his tracks staring down at the unconscious bodies, “What the-”

“Good work, Admiral.”

THe man scratched his head, “I…. I didn’t do this….”

“It was dark, you probably did and it just doesn't look familiar.”

He went very quiet for a moment before nodding his head. “I uh, sure I guess.”

He handed off the stolen parts to he engineering crew uncharacteristically quiet

“Admiral, is your arm alright.”

“Yeay, yeah…. Just a…. misunderstanding .”

They looked after him in confusion as he walked away.

A misunderstanding.

***

Maverick was sitting in the half darkness of the ship chapel. A single light was on above the lectern, and she read by the dim lighting eyes scanning over passages of familiar words.

She wasn’t alone of course.

The Burg sat across the room, his wings folded easily behind his back as he perused through her collection of religious books. At first she thought that she wouldn’t like having a burg aboard, and had tried very hard not to show her unease around him, but he had proven himself to be affable, intelligent, kind, and very very helpful.

A lot of the crew didn’t understand that about him just yet, and so she had made it her mission to be his friend even if no one else would.

She hoped that he would appreciate the effort, and it seemed to be paying off.

It was just then that the door at the end of the room opened.

She lifted her head expecting one of the night shift crew to come in for a visit, but instead watched as Adam stepped inside and let the door hiss shut softly behind him. He had a thoughtful, and almost concerned look on his face as he approached, and she stood marking her page and setting her book aside as he walked up.

She was about to open her mouth to ask him if there was anything she could do, but he cut her off and spoke first.

Blurting out, “Do you believe in guardian angels.”

She paused in her tracks surprised at the question. Across the room, the burg lifted his head and also closed the book very slowly.

She was too stunned to speak for a moment as the burg scuttled over wings whispering lightly as they were tugged by air.

“Guardian angels.” She repeated, still not entirely sure what to make of it.

The Burg stopped beside them, “Guardian angel?” He wondered

Maverick turned to look at him, “A divine being sent down from heaven in order to protect one of the living. Some say they are angels, others think they are dead family members, some have even gone as far as to assume dead pets, but generally an entity sent down from heaven to help someone whose work is not yet done.”

The man shuffled his feet, ‘And in that same vein, do you believe people can be…. haunted .”

That caught her off guard again as well.

The Burg looked at them for explanation, and the Admiral explained this time, “Like an angel accept an unholy being sent from hell maybe?”

She crossed her arms over her chest as he stood watching her, “Why the sudden interest.”

He looked at her and then sighed before sitting down, “If I tell you, promise you won’t call me crazy?”\

The expression on his face told her that he wasn’t joking, and she walked over to sit next to him, “Go on.”

“You remember the civilian transport.”

She shivered, “how could I forget. Never in my life have I entered a place that was corrupt and tainted in my life.” She shivered, ‘And I have been into some pretty dark places in my time.”

He nodded his head, “And you remember captain Everett?”

“The cannibal… the guy you had to kill? “

He nodded his head

“Ok?”

“Well, ever since then, I have been…. Seeing him around. There have been times where he has been so real, it was like he could touch me. I would see him in mirrors and as a chill breeze….” He shivered again, “So I sort of assumed… based on the fact that I seem to have been followed from a tainted ship, that he manifests in the cold, and that I see him in mirrors that it was… well that it was a bad thing. At first I thought I was crazy, and then I thought it was a ghost.”

“But-”She ventured

“But then today I saw him again, and he seems to be helping me. Leading me in the right direction, assisting me, but in really really creepy ways.” He lifted his eyes, “What am I dealing with here? Am I crazy, is it a ghost, is it something more. I don’t know what to think.”

Maverick looked at him with a critical expression before slowly resting a hand on his shoulder, “Do you know why I joined the marines.”

He shook his head.

She sighed, “I don’t tell this to many people. I think Ramirez knows but other than that I don’t like to share, but on earth isn’t safe for me.”

He looked at her confused.

“I have had too many experiences with what you describe, and not all of them are good.” She looked around at the room, “I don’t claim to be an expert by all means, and I cannot be certain, but I think if it was bad you would know quite definitely…. Has it ever tried to harm you, to convince you to do things that you think are wrong?”

He paused and shook his head, “No… i, I guess not.”

“Than I don’t think you have to worry, but if you are still concerned, I would talk to Dr. Adric. Maybe he can help you.”

***

I don’t know what you are or what you want, but as long as you don’t hurt me, I won’t get rid of you.

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love-a-little-less-archived · 4 years

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So I decided that for my day nine, I’d do a list of some of my favorite fics to give the fandom authors some recognition. Of course, all of our fanfic authors are amazing and I’m so grateful that they do what they do, but these are just a few of my favorites.

I tried to tag any authors that had a tumblr account, but it’s entirely possible I missed some, so if I did, sorry

This post isn’t super long but it’s pretty damn long so all below the cut

(also do note that my interest in bellarke is only a few months old so I have a lot more clexa fics than I do bellarke sorry)

Bellarke

Canon AU

Set The Dark On Fire by @talistheintrovert (complete)

Okay okay so this is a pretty dark fic, but god is it beautiful. After waking up from Cryo, Clarke and Spacekru try to figure out what to do about this new planet situation, but Clarke isn’t handling it very well and attempts a suicide. Like I said, pretty dark and serious, so if that isn’t your thing don’t read, but it’s amazing

Three Lives, Three Loves, One Face by @these-dreams-go-on (complete)

This fic has a ton of my favorite themes all mashed together and it’s amazing. Basically it’s similar to the Josephine!Clarke situation of s6, but Wanheda is an actual manifestation also inhabiting Clarke’s body so when Josie gets put into Clarke, Wanheda takes over and goes mass murder on Sanctum. Phenomenal fic, I’ve read it so many times and I adore it

Into The Anomaly by @fuckitup-in-style (WIP)

Time Travel AU!!! Starts after s6, but resets back to s1 canon divergence. The hundred all wake up on dropships and they all remember up until their deaths, and then it’s this thing where the mains all take charge and start herding up their crew. Just- if you like time travel fix-its, this is p e r f e c t please read it

And Now You’re Home by @asroarke (complete)

I just read this one recently and g o d is it amazing. After being left alone during Praimfaya, Clarke finds herself becoming desperate after being alone for so long. Until she finds out there’s been a grounder watching her the whole time. Grounder!Bellamy AU, with some accidental pregnancy that just makes it even cuter

Modern AU

I Found Peace in Your Violence by @eyessharpweaponshot (WIP)

I just found this fic a few days ago and holy shit is it a piece of art. I finally went through and read the entire 80k fic last night, it’s absolutely enthralling. Basically, there’s this gene called HTS and Clarke ends up having it, and so does Bellamy, and it’s just a beautiful story from both a romance and a plot standpoint. Such an interesting concept

our stars came in a packet of two by @millipop (WIP)

This isn’t a super long fic, it’s 20k right now and hasn’t been updated in a few months but what’s there is amazing. So the delinquent group is desperately trying to get Bellamy and Clarke together since they’re constantly denying their chemistry, but what the delinquents don’t know is that Clarke and Bell have actually already been together in secret and it’s such a fun fic, highly recommend

Don’t Wake Me, I’m Not Dreaming by grumpybell (complete) (I can’t find their tumblr sorry)

A very interesting AU where Clarke can see into other people’s dreams. She’s been meeting Bellamy in his dreams for years, him being the only person who could actually see her. Guess what happens when they meet in person? Probably not what you expect. Read the fic to find out, you’ll love it

reelin’ through the midnight streets by @detectivebellamyblake (WIP)

I haven’t finished this fic yet, but what I’ve read so far is wonderful. Basically Clarke, Bell and Octavia all grew up in a trailer park together, and eventually Clarke has had enough of her mom’s bullshit and decides to get out. Bellamy and Octavia go with her

Clexa

Canon AU

Broken Body, Broken Spirit by @vmplvr1977 (complete)

I love love love this fic!! It basically mashes together the worlds of The 100 and Deus-ex, and if you don’t know what the latter is don’t worry too much, the fic gives all the backstory you’ll need!! Basically Clarke gets severly injured and ends up with augmented limbs, and Lexa, thinking Clarke dead, has some pretty severe reactions to it all. Kind of an enemies-to-lovers, but it’s set after the s2 finale

Clarke Kom Azgeda by FMLClexa (WIP)

This fic combines so many of my favorite ideas it’s amazing. Coming back after a long hiatus, basically Clarke gets sent down to Earth alone and ends up in Azgeda territory. She’s tortured and trained into Nia’s top assassin for years, and eventually gets the order to infiltrate Polis and kill the commander. You can guess how that goes

A Riffle and the Sea by Follower_Of_Mania (complete)

I will say it’s been a while since I read this fic but it’s amazing. Another Clarke gets sent to Earth alone AU, but she gets adopted by Floukru and trained to be a seriously badass killer grounder, like even Lexa is pretty put off by her. Clarke and Lexa develop this really interesting relationship where half the time you can’t tell if they love or hate each other and it’s amazing

Ascendants by whiteleopard1124 (WIP)

So this isn’t entirely clexa, it’s also clarke x luna but it’s clexa enough. Basically Clarke and the hundred get injected with this solution before being sent to the ground, and it causes certain people to develop supernatural powers. But Clarke gets injected with a special serum that causes her to be extra-OP but like in a very very good way

doing the impossible (with you) by snowandwolves (WIP)

Another Time Travel AU where Clarke kills herself and, after having a discussion with the goddess of death herself, wakes up back in time. She (and her accomplices) work out how to rewrite their story and make everything go better than it did last time. One of the best time travel fics, in my opinion

Healer on the Ground by Owlmemaybe (WIP)

This has long been one of my favorite fics, I love AUs where Clarke turns grounder, and that’s exactly what this is. Basically Clarke has a healing talent, so she can heal herself and others on command, and during s1 gets separated from the 100 and ends up with Heda. Another fic that isn’t likely to get updated, but it’s 100k of goodness that you h a v e to read

Whispers In The Dark (Lead Us To The Light) by JadelynDeath (WIP)

This one also hasn’t been updated very recently, but it’s still 50k good words to enjoy. Wanheda!Clarke AU where Death is a real being and takes a liking to Clarke before she even touches the ground, and once on Earth Clarke is an absolute badass in leading the delinquents.

(my) Destruction Within Your Mouth by @entirelytookeen (WIP)

It took me so long to actually finish this fic once I started reading because oh my god the angst, it was actually too much for me. This is a beautifully written story, so many emotions, can’t recommend it enough. Basically, Clarke gets separated from the 100 and ends up temporarily mute while she’s taken in by Heda

She’s a maniac by ChocDog (complete)

Another big-time favorite, this has badass commanders Heda and Wanheda. The grounder culture is different in this fic, but in such a good way. They’re much more tribal than is portrayed in the show, preferring not much clothing, bloodthirstiness, but it’s amazing. Also Bellamy comes in and makes a fuss of things

Through the Looking Glass by RhinoMouse (WIP)

Role Reversal AU where Lexa comes down with the 100 and Clarke is a BAMF Commander of the grounders. It’s been a really long time since I’ve read this one but I remember loving every second of it. Faintly follows the s2 plot, but it’s different enough that not a second of it is boring

Can you See Me? by clexawarrior (complicated)

Okay so basically this story was discontinued, but the author left a summary of how it would’ve played out at the end, so it’s... complicated. But this is another one of my favorites!! Lexa was at the explosion on the bridge and got injured, Clarke brings her back to the dropship to care for her. A lot of sexual tension ensues

From The Ashes by ArchonsVoice (complete)

I love love love this fic!!! So basically the dropship landed in the sea rather than on land, the ship explodes, leaving Clarke stranded alone in the middle of the ocean. She’s rescued by a clan called Tseekru and after years of living with them, has a run-in with our one and only Heda and sets this whole thing going. Amazing fic, so many twists

Returning to Hell by ElseworldKara, littleraider99 (complete)

If you haven’t read this fic what have you even been doing honestly. Set two years after the s2 finale, Clarke leads the coalition beside Heda, and she’s returned to Arkadia to finally tell them to get their shit together or suffer the consequences. Very dark, a lot of character bashing on Abby, Bellamy, and others. An inspiration for many of my own fics

Then There Were Two by TheWorldNeedsMoreOctaven (WIP)

I haven’t read the most recent chapters of this, but it’s phenomenal. ABO universe where Clarke is the only omega sent down in the hundred (later followed by Raven), and they have to deal with the grounders and nature. It’s a lot more interesting than I make it sound, promise. Also very octavia/raven based too

Doctor on the Ground by @underneaththecovers-au (WIP)

Very angsty, very smutty fic. Clarke finds an injured Lexa while out of camp and takes her to the bunker to help her heal. Lexa pretends she can’t understand English, but even with the barrier, things get heated very quickly. You can imagine the chaos when Lexa’s secret gets out. Must-read

Modern AU

Vantage Point by thatoneloser_kid (complete)

This is pretty short, only 16k words, but god is it good. If you like dark!clarke, this is the story for you. Clarke, Lexa, Octavia, and Raven are all a bunch of criminals who run around- saving people?? That makes it sound like a superhero story but no, they’re all badass. Clarke is literally a psychopathic ex-assassin. It’s just an amazing fic

Are You A Kidnapper? (Because You Abducted My Heart) by 707 (complete)

This isn’t normally the type of fic that I like to read but I’m so glad I picked it up. So Clarke and Lexa have this hatred going on between them that’s actually just hidden attraction, and they’re finally forced to address it when they get kidnapped and locked in a room together. This fic has it all, fluff, smut, angst, an amazing plot, it’s just all around wonderful

Make Two Halves Whole by awkwardrainbow, Lexawoodz (WIP)

This one I also don’t remember all that much about other than that it was amazing. It’s been years since it was updated, though, so I doubt we’ll get any more, but what’s there is 80k worth of goodness. Clarke and Lexa meet online through Twitter, living on opposite sides of the US, but still manage to fall in love with each other

breathe into my lips the life i do not have by @ur-the-puppy (complete)

So this is another long-time favorite of mine!! It’s a 36k oneshot where Clarke moves into a house that ghost Lexa haunts but instead of being creeped out Clarke just starts chatting up the ghost and they become roommate buddies. Such a good fic, I highly highly recommend this one

You See the Smile That's On My Mouth (it's hiding the words that don't come out) by heartshapedcandy (complete)

Another fic I need to go back and reread, but I remember being absolutely absorbed in this fic!! Childhood friends to lovers AU, with a fuck ton of angst and confusion and oblivious pining dorks that you can’t help but love it to death. Also a lot of ‘’’’platonic’’’’ kissing

Other AU

Storm of the Heart by @cruellanita-bby (WIP)

Mermaid AU!! Clarke lives on an island where they grow up hating the mermaids that attack their fishing ships, and she hates them too until she finds Lexa the mermaid washed up on the shore, injured, and starts taking care of her. They fall in love and try to mend the relationship between their people. I’ve been keeping up with this one for a while, it’s so good, please read it

Hold Me Till The Stars Dim by @ur-the-puppy (complete)

I’m putting this one down here rather than in modern AU just because of how different it is from most modern AUs. Lexa goes camping with her friends out in the woods, some shit happens, and she meets what’s basically grounder Clarke, with a twist. This fic is so captivating, I loved it

You’re safe with me by I_am_clexa (WIP)

ABO modern AU where omegas are sold as slaves to alphas. Clarke is an omega who is bought by Lexa’s father as a gift to her, but Lexa doesn’t like the way omegas are treated and goes out of her way to give Clarke the best life she could possibly have

Other Pairings

Canon AU

Three Loves (Pieces Of Us) by @kendrene , @bae-in-maine (WIP)

Clarke/Lexa/Anya fic where Anya takes Clarke back to Lexa as a kind of prize, Clarke ends up making an alliance with the Trikru and maybe also falling in love with the commander and her general along the way. I’ve read this fic so many times, but it hasn’t been updated in years. It’s still 150k worth of amazing fic though

Twisted Steel by Steelehart (complete)

A clarke/raven fic where an explosion on the Ark leaves Clarke with two prosthetic arms. Follows fairly closely to the s1 plot once you get into it, but deviates in the later chapters. It’s an amazing fic I promise, please read it

Modern AU

and four makes home by @dreamsheartstory (complete)

This is over 300k worth of Clarke/Lexa/Octavia/Raven, which seems like a lot but I promise you it’s perfect. It’s been a bit since I read this, but from what I remember it’s your typical fall-in-love modern fic, just with the added angst of figuring out a four-way poly relationship

#fic rec #the 100 #takebackthe100 #bellarke fic rec #clexa fic rec #the 100 fic rec #t100 #t100 fic rec #favorite fics #favorite fanfics #the 100 fanfiction #clexa fanfiction #bellarke fanfiction #fandom #fandom appreciation #fanfiction appreciation #love.hundred

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theuniversitychallengereview · 3 years

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UC 51.13 - Wolfson, Ox vs Bristol

I am allergic to dairy. Or at least I believe I am. This is different to lactose intolerance in that it has symptoms more in line with your typical bout of hayfever, rather than those of a more gastrointestinal bent that you get with intolerance. In other words - cheese makes me sneeze.

I first discovered this about a year ago when I had something containing milk after a month of testing out various vegan cheeses (having previously been a cheese sandwich on the daily kind of guy). I was completely wiped out with a runny nose, runny eyes, achy joints, heavy head kind of illness for about a day or so. Now, this is a kind of illness that had been plaguing me for years, but I’d never stopped long enough to think about what the cause could be. I just sort of assumed that I was a person who would always suffer a base level of ‘having a cold’ and would occasionally and seemingly randomly get taken out by an extreme instance of it every once in a while.

After this first incident last year I conducted an experiment on myself whereby I swore off all dairy products for a month and then consumed in as little time as is physically possible, a large takeaway pizza with extra cheese and a large portion of cheesy chips. The next day I was struck down by the same severe sniffles and was forced into a life sans-cheese sandwiches for the first time in living memory. I called the GP to see if they’d be able to do some tests or something to try and find more out about it, but they basically told me that they thought I’d solved the mystery already - so why would I need anything from them.

Nearly a year goes by with no further cheese-based indispositions, until last Thursday when, on a work trip, and having not eaten since breakfast, having skipped lunch in anticipation of a larger window for the consumption of a full meal which did not materialise, I bought a superfood wrap, the ingredients of which I had read and believed to be safe. However, it turned out that it contained copious amounts of feta. Realising this only once I had taken the first bite, I resolved to finish it. In any case I was absolutely starving and this was the only food I was likely going to see for the next few hours. How bad could it be, anyway?

Very bad, as it turns out. To the extent, indeed, that most of Friday, Saturday and Sunday were complete right-offs (other than the fact that I was able to binge without guilt the entirety of Squid Game). To the extent also, that I spent a not-insignificant amount of time trying to research exactly what it is that's wrong with me (i think it could be something to do with the fact there is a lot of histamine in cheese, and this messes about with the way my immune system deals with threats… If anyone has any insights on this subject they would be greatly appreciated), in the hope of potentially being able to mitigate the issue in the future.

Usually when I delve this deep into a subject there is the prospective chance that said research will serve me well in future quizzes. With this in mind, and with the hope that it acts as sufficient justification for this self-centred ramble about cheese, I am really hoping for a three part bonus set on the role of histamine in the immune response tonight.

Anyway, (any usually when I make an apology for my rambling I’m being flippant, but in this case it really is genuine, because there isn’t really any excuse for this level of frippery in the introduction to any blog post), sorry for the gigantic diversion from the scheduled programming; here’s your starter for ten.

Bristol have made seven University Challenge quarter-finals, without ever making it to the semis, which is quite impressive in more ways than one. Wolfson have never made the semis either, but they only have a sole quarter to their name, meaning they have a ways to go to match their West Country rivals.

Wolfson’s Williams introduces himself with one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on a contestant, and its pretty infectious. By the time Paxman gets round to asking the questions I’m positively grinning. The jolly fellow himself is the first to get some points on the board, recognising various revolutions before anyone else. They take two bonuses on the words of the acronym TARDIS.

Bristol’s Woodcock negs the next starter, coming in very early with India, and then rapping his hand on the desk when he’s told he’s wrong. Wolfson aren’t able to pick up the points, and returned the neg with one of their own next time out. Williams takes his second of the night with Shackleton and beams his head off again. They take two bonuses, including one which is a very obvious description of an electron - the kind of question that has no business appearing on the Challenge.

Nowakowski is first to recognise Granada for the first picture round and he bloody well dabs. He pauses for a brief moment and then literally, and energetically, dabs. I don’t know what else to say about this. It is beyond description almost. Brilliant, mind, but beyond description. A third starter for Williams increases Wolfson’s lead, but they can’t capitalise on the bonuses. The next ten pointer goes to Nowakowski too and… this time he raises his glass of water like he’s cheers-ing the crowd in celebration. I really hope this dude has a full set of different celebrations for each time he gets a question right. We shall see…

Following an amusing discussion between the Wolfson team in which Nowakowski says of Chopin, ‘Well, as a Polish man I wouldn’t call him French, but you’re the captain’, Woodcock makes up for his earlier neg and gets Bristol back on the move. They keep going courtesy of Brian on the music starter, as she gets The Shangri-Las so quickly as to elicit some murmurs of appreciation from Paxman. They then take the lead with a bonus set on film titles made of international country codes and pretty quickly they are thirty points clear.

Aggarwal hits back for Wolfson with an early buzz of Ramanujan, but they don’t make many inroads on the bonuses, and Bristol seize back control with a pair of consecutive starters. They take two bonuses on events happening in years in which the second two digits are three times as large as the first two digits - a lovely UC contrivance which initially seems to make the question more difficult but actually makes it a multiple choice guessing game.

I hadn’t realised it, but Bristol are now ninety points clear. I don’t quite know how they’ve done it, because Wolfson seemed like they were doing okay, but fair play to them, they’ve been excellent after a shaky start. The game is over at this point, but Williams gets in a little joke with a guess of Dr Gilssando on a question featuring the word glissando. Good lad.

Hang on, if Wolfson can get a few more points they might be in with a shot of the play-offs, and Nowakowski is still pretty pumped when they he gets a bonus question right, yelling Uzbekistan, baby. It isn’t enough to get them the 140 points they need to come back for the repechage, but Paxman comments on his enthusiasm at the end of the match, in one of the most surreal exchanges I’ve ever seen on the Challenge.

He asks Nowakowski why he was so psyched about his Uzbekistan answer, and Nowakowski says ‘Phenomenal country, great people’, to which Paxo says ‘That’s enough from the Uzbekistan tourist board’. Nowakowski then points a finger at the camera and says ‘Poland approved’. This description doesn’t do it any justice, so if you haven’t seen it already do go and watch it (and if you have then watch it again, its really quite something)

Final Score: Wolfson, Ox 110 - 165 Bristol

I’m going to miss Wolfson, and in particular Nowakowski, so, so much. But full congratulations to Bristol, who dealt with the boundless charisma of their opponents most admirably. See you next week for the last first round match!

#university challenge #bbc2 #wolfson #oxford #bristol #jeremy paxman #quizzy mondays

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cuculine-nelipot · 4 years

Text

ON LUTE STRINGS

{a/n I posted this on ao3 a while ago but I finally got around to sorting out the last of spelling errors and what-nots today I think. So here we are.}

The first time in happens, he doesn’t notice.

They’ve made camp for the night, in a clearing in the woods. He’s had some bread, and even a little meat when the witcher caught him staring longingly at his roast hare.

A fire burns warm, and light enough to for Jaskier to check the angry red welt on his abdomen, already purple in places. He inhales sharply when he prods at it with a tentative finger, and vaguely wonders how long it’ll last.

Half dressed, lazing on his bedroll with his back braced against bark, he fiddles with his new lute. Getting a proper feel for the instrument, he plucks a charming, tripping little tune he can play without too much thought — an Elven composition he stumbled upon as a lad in temple school that seems appropriate to the occasion. He marvels at how buttery the strings feel under his fingertips, how clear the notes ring through the trees. A shiver of pure satisfaction shoots through him, from his hands right down to his gut.

“Shut up boy.” The growl comes from the man — mutant — whatever, on the other side of the fire. Jaskier heaves a pointed sigh.

“Goodnight Geralt.”

He gets naught but a half-hum-half-grunt in response as he puts his lute aside and settles into his bedroll.

In the morning he doesn’t notice that his torso is completely unmarred.

The second instance occurs not much later, but is similarly shrouded by unremarkable circumstance.

It had been a damp few days on the road, and there is not enough herbal tea on the continent to stave off the cold building uncomfortably behind his face.

He watches Geralt fiddle with his various vials and blades and what-nots from his bed on the other side of the room. He shouldn’t — he knows he shouldn’t — but he feels a sort of ache in his chest, knowing that come morning he will likely be too sick to travel. Knowing that he will be left behind. The witcher had said as much, after all.

For now at least, there is a warm room, and food enough, and his music, and he is not alone yet. He picks up his lute and plays that same, well-worn tune, the one that feels like the home he always wanted, the one that sounds like the lullabies he’s never heard. He lets the music wash through him, a stream of sound trickling in his veins, cresting in his skull. He plays until he feels tired, and calm enough to sleep.

Sure enough, he wakes up to a high sun, and the room is much, much emptier than it was the night before.

But he feels better. His nose is clear, the pressure behind his eyes in gone. It’s curious, he thinks, but he never was one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He sets out soon after, not wanting to lose daylight. If he just so happens to run into a certain witcher, well, there’s only one road out of town isn’t there? Somethings just can't be helped.

He does run into him, that night, making camp not too far off the road.

“You’re sick,” comes the other man’s effusive, albeit confused, greeting.

“I was sick. Feeling much better now, thanks for asking.”

“Hm.”

“And thanks for walking so slow, honestly I can’t believe I caught up with you. Aren’t witchers supposed to have phenomenal stamina or something? Maybe you’re getting old — how old are you anyway?”

“Too old for this. Here.” Without looking, Geralt holds out a steaming mug of something.

“What’s this?” Jaskier asked, only slightly suspicious.

“Tea. You still sound hoarse.”

Jaskier can’t say for sure, but he thinks he sees red creeping up Geralt’s neck when he turns his back to Jaskier.

So many such incidences scattered through so many years, and with the ignorance of youth Jaskier notices none of them. Just like he fails to notice how at 26 his face looks identical to what it was at 18, or that he still has the same boundless energy. He doesn’t take into consideration paper cuts that are there one minute and gone the next. He doesn’t find the fact that he can’t remember the last time he was properly sick or bruised peculiar at all, despite the frequent bar fights and rambles in the rain.

Until, that is, another night spent under the stars in the woods somewhere.

“Pass me that?” Geralt makes no indication of what he’s after, but Jaskier knows him well enough by now to know he’s means his dagger. He moves to give it to him but it slips out of his hand almost as soon as he picks it up; its point slices though his breeches and a few layers of skin on the way down.

“Ow. Ow. Fucking shit ow.” He peppers the air with curses as he sinks to the ground. The edges of the slit silk begin to turn red with his blood, and he quickly but carefully divests himself of the garment before any more damage can be done. With a sigh that’s more annoyed than anything, Geralt turns around to give him a cursory glance.

“Stay there,” he huffs.

“Solid advice once again there, Geralt. And here I was thinking I’d get a head start on tomorrow’s travels.” It might have sounded scathing if his voice and his breathing weren’t so obviously strained with pain.

“Trust you to split your leg open trying to pass someone a knife.” Geralt finally approaches with his first-aid kit. Calloused fingers tenderly come to rest on Jaskier’s thigh, just barely pulling at his skin, shifting his leg, trying to ascertain the extant of the damage. “Needs stitches,” he says as he applies a salve. “This will keep it from getting infected, and it’ll numb the pain a bit, but not a lot.”

The burning pain in his leg does in fact morph into something cold, and almost soothing, but he had no delusions about how much that will do under the attention of a needle and thread.

“Come on.” Geralt pulls one of Jaskier’s arms up, draping it around his shoulder and pulling him to a standing position. Though the bard has a slighter build, he's not much shorter, so Geralt half drags the bard to sit fireside, setting him down with a gentleness not lost on the injured man.

As Geralt prepares to sew him up, Jaskier grabs his lute from where it lays nearby, and starts playing that old melody to calm himself down. After all these years, the sound has come to resemble home to Geralt almost as much as it does to Jaskier, and he feels tension he didn’t know he carried slough away from his shoulders. There’s an ever so slight shivering where his medallion touches his chest, so slight that Geralt’s conscious mind fails to register it, just like every other time.

But when he returns to Jaskier side the hum of his silver seems suddenly to fill the arena of his chest and skull.

“Jaskier.”

“Hm?”

“Your leg.”

“I’m actually trying rather hard to not think about my leg at present, so if you could just finish up there as quickly as possible I would be very appreciative.”

“Jaskier, look.”

Geralt speaks with such urgency Jaskier does look, his finger’s stilling over his lute when he sees that the gash has been greatly diminished.

“Keep playing.”

Jaskier does, and they both watch as the laceration smooths over, first pink, and then gone, as if nothing had ever happened.

“Well shit.”

“Hm.”

They’re silent for awhile, all eyes fixed on Jaskier’s leg.

“Did you know you could do that?”

“I… no,” Jaskier decides eventually. For once his babbling brook of words is dry, replaced instead by pebble-small memories being flung at him at high speed. “I never bruised.”

“Hm?”

“When you punched me in the stomach. When we met. I never bruised. I don’t remember — the last time I got hurt, or really sick, was… years ago. Years and years.”

“I guess… it explains… things.”

They look at each other then, equal parts worried and concerned and excited, so many questions swirling in the air between them.

Jaskier doesn’t exactly want anyone knowing that he has a magic lute, so their research into the matter relies almost exclusively on experimentation.

They learn that it works best when Jaskier plays something Elven, and much slower when he plays anything else.

They learn that while he can’t heal Geralt, he can numb the pain if he’s injured. and even — as he discovered completely by accident — induce a short coma.

They learn that Jaskier can’t use this magic to hurt anyone, even certain other ‘bards’ who definitely have it coming.

They learn, after many, many strenuous hours of Jaskier’s instructing Geralt, that it only works when Jaskier plays.

“It’s protecting you,” Geralt proffers. “The lute was Filavendrel’s gift to you, after all.”

“Protecting me from what though?”

Geralt shrugs at that. “Everything. Life.”

Jaskier doesn’t know why things change between them exactly — he just knows that Geralt doesn’t seem to hold him at such a distance anymore; he lets Jaskier stay closer on hunts, and he’s not so quick to leave him behind. Gone are the days where he seems determined to find any excuse to lose the bard.

And more than that — on cold nights spent under the open sky, Geralt doesn’t just meditate stoically next to Jaskier to keep the younger man warm -- he actually sleeps, holding Jaskier near. And on those occasions when an an inn can only offer one bed, Geralt doesn’t seem to mind so much anymore when Jaskier sleepily snuggles closer, or drapes himself over the Witcher’s chest. There are even times when Jaskier thinks he can feel the thrill of a nose pressed into his hair, or a broad hand stroking his stomach, or fingers lazily scratching his back.

Jaskier doesn’t really know why things change, but he never was one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and he's definitely not complaining.

“Jaskier? Jaskier stay awake, I need you to stay awake okay?” He should have known better than to let the bard get so close to a wyvern but they’re the stuff of legends Geralt, think of the music Geralt, the poetry. Geralt tried to tell him that wyverns were ugly bastards — absolutely nothing legendary or poetical about them. But Jaskier had his heart set, and Geralt, well, Geralt gave in.

Guilt helps no one however, so he just presses Roach onward, faster.

“’M’tired.” It’s clear that Jaskier is in no condition to play — the gash at his shoulder is bone deep, and it was all Geralt could do to keep it from spurting blood and stay attached before getting him on Roach — so Geralt takes him straight to the town’s healer.

“Just a little longer. I promise.” Leaning forward, he presses a kiss into Jaskier’s sweat-soaked hair. Stay awake, please stay awake.

By the time they get to the healer Jaskier’s skin is on fire, and he’s coughing strangled, wet coughs, and there are cuts and bruises covering his entire body that have no reason to be there. It’s only when he sees a familiar gash on the bard’s right thigh that he figures out what’s happening.

The last thing Jaskier remembers is a gigantic angry lizard screaming at him and lunging. Then a searing pain turned his vision white, then more pain ripped through his body as he was thrown, weightless into absolute dark.

Something pulled him cruelly from the vortex of nothingness, arranged his mangled body into what he thinks was an upright position. Then more pain as he was jostled about, more pain as he was surely dismembered, more pain as tendrils of hot summer air whipped at his exposed flesh. There was more jostling, and he tried to throw up but he didn’t know where his stomach was, and liquid fire was flung over whatever pieces were left of him, and there was an awful lot of screaming but it couldn’t have been him because he didn’t know where his lungs or throat were either.

And throughout he thought there was a voice telling him to stay awake, or go to sleep, or telling him he was okay (which seems like at odd thing to say to someone who was just ripped apart limb from limb) and he thinks the voice was Geralt’s but that can’t be right because now every time he opens his eyes to see him he’s not there, and — well, that’s it’s own kind of pain isn’t it?

He’s not sure how much time has passed between the lizard, the fire, and him waking up to find himself in one piece. One piece, but battered and bandaged, and too hot and very congested. He does not think he's being dramatic when he concludes that he's more miserable than he’s ever been.

The room he finds himself in is bare, but pleasant enough. Where ever he is is made of a warm, gold-honey sort of wood. Sunlight streams in through wide, open windows, gauzy curtains float listlessly in a gentle breeze. He’s sure the mattress and sheets he’s on would be more than comfortable if he wasn’t quite so sore. There’s a glass, and a pitcher of water on a small table to his side. He’s working up the courage to prop himself up and drink some when a strange man walks in.

“Ah, you’re awake!” The smile he gives reaches his soft grey eyes, and it warms Jaskier to see someone seemingly so happy to see him alive.

He tries to ask where he is, but his throat feels like sand paper, and all he manages is a hoarse sort of scraping sound.

“It’s probably best you don’t talk for now,” the strange man says as he moves to perch himself on the edge of the bed. “Here let me help you with that.” He fills the glass, lifts Jaskier’s head with practiced care and brings the water to his chapped lips. Jaskier manages to down half of it, and while swallowing is painful, the cool water feels heavenly going down.

“First,” the man offers, his countenance shifting into something more authoritative, “you must be wondering where you are. If you remember the last village you were in, this cabin is a little outside of that. I am a healer — you can call me Varden — and your friend brought you here about five days ago. He said you were attacked by a wyvern, but you had a multitude of other injuries on top of that and a rather nasty illness to boot. Your friend also informed me that you have a magic lute.”

He pauses then, giving Jaskier time to throw him a questioning, mildly suspicious look.

“I’ve had a look at it, and I concluded that you and your friend were right. Its magic does protect you, so long as you play it. When you were attacked the shock your body went through temporarily severed your connection to its magic, and all the injuries and illnesses it protected you from came back with a vengeance. I know it must be tempting now to make all this pain go away, but I really think you better let yourself heal properly to avoid this happening again, and much worse.”

After a moment of contemplation, Jaskier nods in agreement. His stomach knots, but surely that’s just a symptom of his ailments.

“Good!” He claps his hands together, the exuberance he first displayed returning in full force. “Now that you’re properly awake I’ll make you some soup. You just rest, alright? You’ve made remarkable progress the last few days but there’s still quite a ways for you to go.”

He leaves then, and Jaskier can hear the clinking of pots and pans as he moves around the kitchen. Tired, but no longer able to sleep, restless, but unable to move, a dull ache throbbing through his whole body, he fixes his eyes on the ceiling, trying to find patterns and shapes and in the woodgrain.

“You’re awake.”

He doesn’t need to turn to see who it is, so he doesn’t.

“I had to complete a couple of contracts. To pay the healer.”

There’s nothing to say to that, and even if there were, he can’t speak, so he keeps his eyes fixed firmly upward.

“Jaskier—” Geralt takes a few steps closer, thinks better of it, and leaves.

The ceiling blurs, and Jaskier can’t make sense of it anymore.

They stay another three weeks — or Jaskier does, and Geralt scrounges up some more coin, coming and going as he pleases.

On days he does stay; he curls up on the floor next to Jaskier’s bed, where Jaskier slides in and out of fitful, fevered dreams. When the sick man hears a gravelly voices cooing comfort, or he feels a rough hand push the hair from his brow, or wipes the sweat from his face, he wants to believe it’s Geralt. Lucid, Varden’s is the only face he sees.

Finally the fever breaks, and Jaskier’s wounds have healed well enough for travel. Geralt returns and pays Varden more than was asked. He runs his hand through Jaskier’s hair, peers at him closely, much like he’s checking on a dog who’d just run headfirst into a door.

“Ready to go?”

Jaskier, his voice still worn, and slightly put off by the gesture, only nods in response.

Without another word, Geralt takes Jaskier’s pack, puts him on Roach, takes Roach’s lead, and guides them away from the cottage, and back on the Path.

The thing is, despite his tepid countenance, Jaskier is sure that Geralt’s angry at him. Or he’s angry about something at any rate.

Perhaps it’s the frustration at having been tied too long to one place — ridiculous really. It’s not like anyone asked him to stay. It can’t be about the coin, seeing as he willingly over-paid.

So maybe it’s just that the sudden and violent reminder of Jaskier’s mortality pierced the both of them, and tore to ribbons the fragile intimacy they had spent so long weaving.

“You can’t play off every cut and flu from now on.” He says as they enter the woods.

“I know.”

“It’s dangerous.”

"I know." Jaskier supposes that he’ll just have to reacquaint himself with a life of being left behind.

Neither of them speak for the rest of the day. But then that night Jaskier can't fall asleep, his still-frail body shivering, too sensitive to the open air. He hears a resigned sigh, which is soon followed by the warmth of Geralt’s chest pressed behind him. Geralt’s hand cards his hair back, away from his eyes, Geralt’s nose brushes his scalp, Geralt inhales deeply, and holds him close with an arm firmly pressed against the length of his torso, and Jaskier thinks that maybe things will be okay. When he feels a chaste kiss at the back of his neck, he’s almost sure they will be, but then he wonders if it was a goodbye.

“I’m fine.”

“Jask—”

“It’s fine, I’ll be right as rain by morning.”

“Jaskier, you can’t. You promised.”

“I never promised, and I’m coming with you.”

“You’ll stay here. I’ll pick up a contract or two and I’ll come back for you in a few days.”

“No you won’t.” He doesn’t know whether it sounded more a directive, or the wounded that’s-what you-always-say it really was. In the stunned silence that follows he feels more and more like he’s confessed to something, so he adds “I’m not letting you leave me Geralt,” — which is infinitely worse.

And now he can’t look at the other man, and now his face is burning and his eyes are watering in a way that has nothing to do with the illness preparing to wrack through his body.

“Okay.” Whatever Jaskier was expecting to hear, it wasn’t that. It startles him enough to make eye contact. Geralt holds his gaze, and takes a few, cautious steps closer. “I’ll stay.”

“You don’t have to.” Jaskier offers in a weak attempt to maintain some level of dignity.

“No, I want to.” Geralt places his hands on Jaskier’s shoulders, then slowly grazes them down his arms as his continues. “I’ll stay. With you.” The words are nearly a whisper as he presses his lips to Jaskier’s too-warm brow. “Just please go to bed. You need rest.”

Without out waiting for a response, Geralt manoeuvres the sick man to the bed, tucking him in. When he straightens, Jaskier looks like he wants to protest, but Geralt slips in beside him before he has the chance. Propping himself himself up on his elbow, he glides his hand over the still smooth skin of Jaskier’s stomach.

“This okay?”

Jaskier nods once, not trusting himself to speak, and promptly falls asleep to keep himself from thinking more than anything else.

It’s dark when he wakes up, the sky outside a flat, moonless black. The bed feels much colder and emptier. He feels much colder, and there’s a sticky film of dried sweat clinging to his skin. Flinging off the blanket sends a violent shiver though his body, bare except for his small clothes. The room is too dark for him to see.

“Jaskier.” He hears a voice, soft and deep from the corner. A candle flickers to life, and in its small glow he sees the vague shadow of a familiar form. “I’m right here.”

“I’m cold.”

“I’ve sent for some firewood. Come eat.”

Uneasy, not quite trusting his senses, Jaskier approaches the small round table in the corner of the room, and sits down. He hears the scrape of a plate being pushed towards him and when his eyes adjust to the low light he makes out bread and butter, some fruit — filling stuff that his presently delicate stomach can handle. He mumbles a thanks and sets about feeding himself.

He can see, in his peripheral vision, the other man leaning down, but he doesn’t understand the movement until he feels a large hand grasp his ankle. Geralt straightens, and with him brings Jaskier's foot to rest on his lap. Holding it in both hands, he slowly massages his thumbs into the arch. Jaskier realises then that he’s being watched. Closely.

He says nothing — can say nothing, and senses some smugness coming from the Witcher at having finally rendered him speechless. There is definitely an excess of smugness when Geralt raises his leg, and kisses the balls of his foot, all the while studying Jaskier, who keeps his eyes fixed on his plate. The blush that blooms over his face is near violent (surely the fever isn’t helping, but still) and he’s grateful that Geralt’s colour vision isn’t its best in the dark.

It’s harder than it should be to suppress the needy, plaintive sound that scratches at his throat when Geralt stands, answering a knock at the door. But then a bowl of hot stew is pushed in front of him, and a small fire is lit in the hearth, and Geralt sits down again, and takes Jaskier’s other foot in his hands. This time he keeps his eyes on his task, and lets Jaskier eat untroubled.

Now that the room’s a bit brighter, he casts his eyes around and is relieved to notice that Geralt’s packs are no longer waiting by the door. He does however, feel a twist in his stomach when he notices he can’t see his lute. He wants to say something about it, but he has the irrational fear that Geralt will stop massaging him, won’t sleep next to him later, won’t stick around til morning. So he says nothing, and Geralt’s hands work up his calves, and his body keeps Jaskier’s warm all night, and in the morning he rubs Jaskier’s back while he throws up bile, and keeps Jaskier's hair from sticking to his forehead.

In the afternoon Jaskier gets squirrelly, and he’s hot and tired and he needs to do something with his hands.

His lute makes a reappearance, but he can feel the heat of Geralt watching him from the corners of his amber eyes. So he settles on the bed and plays something distinctly non-magical, and feels much better anyway.

He hadn’t been serious, of course, when he’d wondered if his small brand of magic could mend his broken heart. But the tune had always provided him comfort, so he plucks away in the corner of a tavern, nursing an ale and his bruised ego.

So he’s not actually that far from the mountain, so perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised when a certain silver haired Witcher makes an appearance, but he’s had quite enough of bonds forged by magic against peoples’ wills thank you very much, so he promptly determines to book it to his room.

He only just manages to get a leg on the bottom stair when he feels a grab at his elbow.

“Jaskier —“ It sounds more exasperated that anything.

The bard turns sharply around, throwing as much vitriol into his still-boyish countenance as he can manage. It must work, because he’s never seen Geralt look quite so taken aback.

“I — I didn’t mean it.”

Of course he didn’t mean it. Jaskier knows he didn’t. But is was too much everything he’d always feared, and he still hasn’t heard an apology — hasn’t once, for anything since they’ve met — and he knows how Geralt feels about bonds forged by magic.

“Fuck off.” He wrests his elbow from the other man’s grip, and he doesn’t play himself to sleep that night, or any night after that.

It was much easier than it should have been — swearing off music. Music-less days turn into music-less months into a music-less almost two years, and twenty-two years of not-ageing catches up to him both gradually and all at once.

His jawline sharpens, the lines of his body harden, a significant amount of grey comes to salt his hair. He grows a beard — a proper one — and that’s almost all grey. And he likes it; studying himself in the bathroom mirror, in his lodgings in Oxenfert, he once again appreciates the air of authority his new look lends him and, well, he does look rather dashing.

He’d returned to Oxenfurt almost immediately after the mountain. One cannot be a travelling bard if one does not play music, and it took nearly all his coin just to get to the city. It was nearing winter when he arrived, his old classroom and lodgings were already prepared and waiting for him. Her threw himself into teaching with new verve, and was quickly offered a more permanent position.

People wonder why he stopped his travels — most assume he just got tired. They wonder too why he no longer plays music, but they have the good sense not to ask. Until, one night, fireside in a cozy tavern, surrounded by other faculty members and a few students staying in the city over Yule.

“Come on Professor, just one song,” a rather eager young man implores.

“Yeah professor,” goads one of his colleagues. He rolls his eyes at her — as if you don’t have your fair share of fawning students Celine.

“I’d be happy to oblige,” he lies, “but as it happens I do not have my lute,” and that’s true enough.

“I’ve got one!” Another over-eager student proffers the instrument and well, he’s in it now isn’t he?

He takes the instrument and a shock goes through him at how good it feels just to hold it in his hands. He takes his time, running a hand along the varnished wood, tuning it just so. He won’t play anything Elven, and his own repertoire is entirely out of the question. He settles for something traditional to the season; something cheery, that has people singing and stomping and clapping along in an instant.

He feels that thing like magic coursing through him as he starts swooping around the tavern in graceful-as-ever strides. His voice is out of practice but really only he can tell, and only just. It’s deeper than he remembers, and it reverberates easily over the crowd. He flits and flirts, and everyone is smiling and cheering, everyone is happy. And of course, no one notices how his skin begins to smooth out, just a little.

That night he retrieves his old friend where he’d stowed it out of sight, at the very top of his wardrobes. Where the other lute felt good, this feels right. The strings are buttery under his fingertips, and the notes ring true and clear without his having tuned them.

He doesn’t play anything Elven, and he doesn’t so much as think in the direction of a certain Witcher, but it feels like home anyway. After an unthinkable stretch of time, Jaskier finally feels himself returning home.

Campus is blissfully empty over Spring vacation, and Jaskier takes the opportunity to compose in the open air.

Compose. Just the word itself thrills him. What he’s working on is nothing like before, naturally. That well of inspiration was drained and sealed shut. Never again will he risk diving into its pitch depths. Now his head has been turned by a volume of old poetry he smuggled out of some long-forgotten corner of a university library.

There’s a courtyard — framed by elegant arches and cherry trees with especially deep, richly coloured blossoms — that he’s particularly fond of. He sits there now, on a marble bench in the shade, his book open in front of him as he thinks of how best to transmute the spirit of the verses into music.

He plucks idly at lute strings — so long out of practice he hardly knows where to start. With a long suffering sigh he lies down, and the idle plucking transforms thoughtlessly into a song that sounds familiar, homely, and he’s thinking of the hero in the epic, with his wicked grin and long white hair and his amber eyes like a — no. The hero’s eyes are green, and nothing like a cat’s, and he doesn’t know why he would think they were because he definitely wasn’t thinking of the man who is now standing over him, looking down with a vaguely bemused expression.

“Geralt?” He scrambles to a standing position, unsure whether to run or attempt a punch, or if he’s even awake. “What — how — why are you here? You know what no,” he decides and begins gathering his things. “Just, fuck off alright? I don’t — I can’t — I won’t do this again.” As composed as he’ll ever be, considering the circumstances, he turns his back on the man he once thought was his and walks away. But there are so many things he needs to say.

“I loved you,” he spits, wheeling around, unable to keep the hurt out of it. “I loved you more than I loved myself and you —“ he breaks off, a sort of desperation plain in his voice and on his face. “I never knew where I stood with you.”

Geralt pauses. Words were never his strong suit, and he considers his very carefully. “I loved you too.”

“Oh fuck off with that.”

“I was self-centred, and I was cruel —“ He approaches slowly, carefully, as if hoping the other man won’t notice.

“No fucking shit.”

“— but I loved you. I still do.”

“Fuck you.”

“I miss you.”

“I gave up on you a long time ago.”

“It’s hell without you.”

“I hate you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I still don’t know where I stand with you.”

“Let me show you.” He’d come to a pause in front of the other man, so close he can feel his breath on his skin. With one hand on the nape of Jaskier’s neck, and the other flat against his stomach, Geralt pulls him in for a kiss — and emphatic, I-will-always-love-you, kiss.

And maybe Jaskier goes more willingly than he’d like, or is expressly good for his ego, but he’s waited so long for this. Eventually he manages to pull himself away just enough to press their foreheads together.

“You’re not off the hook you know.”

“I know.” But Geralt only smiles, and kisses him again. “I know.”

#The Witcher #Geraskier #the witcher fanfiction #geraskier fanfiction #Geralt #Jaskier #Geralt x Jaskier #my writing

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gingerpeachtae · 5 years

Text

Concentric [22]

masterlist

Words: 18k

Genres: fantasy!AU, angst, fluff, enemies to lovers, eventual smut

Warnings: graphic depictions of violence and death

Summary: You had been ready for the end of the semester. You had been ready to spend time away from your best friend, Jimin, and finally move on from the feelings you harbored. Yet, after your friend was forced to reveal a secret, you found yourself in a new world that was chock full of magic, war, and wonder. So, here you were, basically thrown into your own fantasy novel, with your best friend on one side, and six male warriors on the other.

A/N: thank you everyone for being so kind and patient with me! i hope this extra long chapter helps make up for the wait 💙

*2 weeks later*

The burning orange glow of the afternoon sunlight filtered through the bunches of leaves above your head. Rays of the golden light cut through the patches of shade all around you, creating beams and pockets of warmth that you and Tae relished in as you both quietly jogged through the trees. Weaving around shrubs, bounding over logs, avoiding sharp thorns.

Making your way further into the forest, you winced every time your feet hit the ground just a little too hard or your weight snapped a slight, skinny twig. The rune on the back of your neck might’ve give you some enhanced senses and reflexes, but it couldn’t override the fact you were human, and humans had a tendency to make noise.

Which was exactly what you didn’t need at the moment; not when you were doing recon on the enemy.

You and the grey-haired Saeni at your side were in charge of monitoring the northwest faction of the draikensu forces today. Taking note of their patrol routes, where they were positioned, how they received orders from higher ups, what weapons they carried, and any other intel that may be deemed useful. It was tricky business, though. You had to stealthily avoid the approximate fifteen-thousand dark Saeni that wouldn’t hesitate to slice your guts open, but you still had to get close enough to actually get the information needed. Not to mention also being extremely cautious of any traps or alarms that could be set by draikensu magic users.

Truly a phenomenal way to get your blood pumping chock full of adrenaline, to be honest.

Not having a glamour to hide your body from sight and voice from ears did nothing to ease the hard, erratic thumping going on in your chest either. Yoongi had wanted to place the concealing magic over your bodies, but you and the rest of the group heavily protested. He needed to save the energy in his grumpy ass body for whenever the clash with the draikensu finally came to fruition. The only magic Namjoon was “allowing” him to conjure was a shield to cover camp and maintaining communication with the palace magic users. Neither were very tasking for him physically. It was simple, easy magic.

Though you would see Yoongi roll his petal pink eyes every day when a new leaf fluttered in on the morning wind, holding the same message as always.

Where are you located? Any updates or intel? We are __ days away.

Grumbling, he would mutter something along the lines of “No, you fucking acorn, we haven’t changed our location because, as I have said every day for the past six days, we wouldn’t until you arrived,” before plucking a leaf from a nearby tree and whispering an incantation that “etched” a message containing your ever-the-same whereabouts as well as any new information you’d discovered onto the green fiber. Then, he let the wind gently lift the leaf from his palm and carry it away to its receiver.

It was fascinating to watch, but also made you wonder why the mint-haired Saeni hadn’t used the nifty technique to alert his brothers they were about to walk into a trap while he was injured all that time ago. You know, instead of panicking and having you run around yelling in English. When you voiced the question, Yoongi just huffed and informed you that it only worked if the recipient was also a magic user.

That had made you feel a little bit better at your decision to scream and run around the forest as your alternative form of communication with the boys. Not great, but better.

Speaking of communication, you thought as you ducked below a broken tree limb, I still can’t believe that was the way Illai chose to guide Jimin…

You leapt over a small ditch, lightly landing on the balls on your feet, as the memory washed over you.

It was still dark outside, the sun not yet peeking over the horizon and saying good morning to the world. But it didn’t matter. All of you were awake, packed, and ready to go.

Taehyung sat on the ground across from you as you taught him how to play the classic hand clapping game ‘Slide’ while Jimin and Jiae finished their teary goodbyes to each other. Originally, you had been playing with Jungkook, but he kept messing up and was smacking your hands so hard in retaliation that you decided to kick him out. Now he was pouting a few feet away, sending you tiny glares while leaning against a sycamore tree and kicking at the dirt.

A few trees down, Yoongi was curled into a ball where the roots dived into the earth and Hobi quietly sat next to him with his arms wrapped around knees. Beside them, the last two members of the kiela were double-checking their things as they carried a hushed conversation with one another. Mingi and Chungha stood off the side, speaking lowly in the dark and gesturing toward the lilac-haired princess as she let out a sob and hugged your best friend tightly.

Eventually, Jimin pulled back from Jiae and gently wiped at her tears with the pads of his thumbs while murmuring sweet nothings. You smiled at the duo, causing yourself to falter and lose the rhythm you and Tae set with your hands. The blue-eyed Saeni let out a whine but you didn’t pay it any mind, too caught up watching the cute couple. You felt nothing but happiness as you watched Jimin give the young female a soft kiss on her forehead.

After another minute, the two finally separated and Jiae hugged herself as tears continue to trail down her cheeks. Jimin ran a hand through his hair and took several steps back, almost as if he needed the physical distance to keep himself from latching on to her again. As he moved away, a strong breeze picked up and disturbed the leaves and near quietness of the early morning. The greenery shook all around you, and Chungha reached out to clasp Mingi’s forearm briefly before she pivoted and strode over to Jiae. The female guard placed a gentle hand on Jiae’s shaking shoulder, which caused your eyebrows to raise slightly since it was an act of kindness you hadn’t seen from her before.

After taking a deep breath, the princess squared her shoulders and addressed everyone in a strong tone. “I will get you help. I promise. Just… be careful. Please.”

You all nodded, well, everyone except for Yoongi since he was still resting and oblivious to the conversation.

Jimin flashed Jiae a big grin, but you could tell he was forcing it. His eyes didn’t squish.

“Don’t you worry about us. You just focus on getting back to the palace safely.”

The princess’ chin trembled but she narrowed her pale blue eyes at the half Saeni before pointing a finger at his chest. “And you better be careful when closing that rift or I swear to-”

“He’ll be fine, princess.” Mingi draped an arm around Jimin’s shoulders and warmly smiled. “I gave you my word I would watch over him so that’s what I intend to do.”

Jiae dipped her head slightly in appreciation then looked down at the ground, taking deep breaths. Taking that as their cue to leave, Chungha nudged Jiae to pick up her things, and the rest of you watched silently as she did so.

It was weird having them leave. While you weren’t particularly close to either, they were still a part of the journey and you had grown used to seeing them every day. You didn’t want them to go… but you knew they had to.

As they stood before the group, you saw Jiae’s chin quiver again and you sent her what you hoped was a reassuring look.

“Goodbye everyone,” she called out lightly while squeezing her eyes shut for a few heartbeats before focusing her somber gaze on Jimin. “…Bye Chim.”

Then, she abruptly swiveled around and walked into the expanse of the forest, her lilac hair fluttering in the wind behind her. Chungha stayed for only a half-second longer, just to give you all a curt nod, before she too disappeared into the darkness of the trees.

Once they were gone, Hobi began to gently rouse Yoongi from his sleep, and you heaved yourself to your feet. Quickly shuffling over to your best friend, you heard him sniffle as he stared at the spot Jiae had just stood. Mingi patted his shoulder twice understandingly then turned to give your hair a ruffle as you arrived, making you roll your eyes in false annoyance. While the guard left to grab his stuff, you carefully wrapped your arms around Jimin’s torso and murmured a “come on” while guiding him to his kiela.

“Chungha is with her and you know how seriously she takes her job,” you whispered.

“I know. I know. Fuck, it just kinda sucks that I might die, and she won’t know I think I love her.”

Your feet tripped over themselves as you whipped your eyes to Jimin’s face. His brown orbs bugged out and met yours in shock while his mouth opened and closed several times. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he stammered and stumbled over his words while trying to explain himself.

Giggling, you gave his tummy a pat. “I’m really, really, happy for you, Slim Jim.”

“You’re not… you’re not hurt, right?” Although he was still blushing, he looked at you with apprehension and worry clouding his features.

You bit your lip and quickly glanced toward the burgundy head still leaning against the tree before shaking your head and smiling to yourself. “No. I’m not.”

Then you frowned and jabbed a finger into his stomach. “And shut up, you’re not going to die.”

While Jimin groaned and rubbed the spot you had aggressively poked, Tae skipped over to you. Looking at the male, you noticed the playful and excited glimmer in his blue eyes and hastily detached yourself from your best friend just moments before Tae tackled him into a hug.

“Congrats Chim! You’re in love!” The grey-haired Saeni pinched Jimin’s cheek lovingly before letting him go.

Jimin flushed once more as the rest of the kiela chuckled and offered their congratulations as well, but they were fast to also tell him to hurry up and get moving so you could all leave. As the apricot head ducked his head and did just that, you sent Tae a flying kiss and made you way over to your boyfriend.

“Still pouting?”

“…No.”

“So that’s a yes.” You released a stream of laughter and gave his arm a teasing pat. “I don’t blame you, TaeTae did much better than you.”

Jungkook crossed his arms over his chest and let out a strong puff of air while looking away, making you laugh even harder.

“What, why should we go south?” You heard Jimin call out, but you figured it was addressed to Namjoon, so you didn’t bother replying.

It was odd, though, because you thought Namjoon had said you were going to travel west.

“Y/N? Why south?”

Your brows furrowed and Jungkook met your confused stare before you both slowly turned your heads toward Jimin. As did everyone else.

It was silent save for the rustling trees, chirping birds, and clicking bugs.

“Uh… I didn’t say anything Slim Jim.”

At your statement, his face copied your own bewilderment. The kiela and Mingi looked back and forth between you two, trying to understand what was going on.

“But you… you said we needed to go south…”

“No?” Tilting your head to the side, you pursed your lips. “I said TaeTae did better at Slide than Kookie.”

“Literally nobody said ‘south,’” Yoongi piped up from the side.

“Oh… I could have sworn…”

Jin offered that he could have just misheard someone speaking or maybe it had been the wind in his ears, and the others voiced their agreement. Jimin peered at his older brother unconvinced, but he let out a defeated sigh and hung his head. Shifting the strap of his bag, he went to take a step forward when his head suddenly lifted so fast you thought his neck would snap. His brown eyes focused on your once more and you were shocked at how wide they were.

“Y/N, you just said it again!”

Um, I what now? Your mouth dropped open, unsure how to respond when you clearly had not said anything.

“Chim, you’re just hearing things,” Hobi said while shaking his head and checking over the blades attached to his body.

“No, I’m not!” Jimin ran a hand through his hair stressfully. “A feminine voice said we need to go south and, Y/N, you’re the only girl here now!”

Your best friend gripped his hair as you all looked on, not sure what to do or say.

“You’re positive you heard that Chim?” Tae hesitantly asked in a soft tone.

“Yes!”

Tae nodded but didn’t say anything else, just as lost and dumbfounded as the rest of you.

Letting his hands fall from his head, Jimin let out a strangled sound and began breathing erratically as he whispered that he just heard it again. In response, Yoongi narrowed his pink eyes and studied his younger brother. Nobody moved, nobody made a sound.

Then, Yoongi started laughing. Bracing himself on his knees, the magic user let himself go and almost no sound came out because of how hard the laughter racked his body. Confusion now doubled, you shifted your attention to him, wondering what in Exia’s name was happening.

Did they get bit by a lillaf? Are they high?

Finally, after what seemed like a solid minute of everyone awkwardly glancing at each other, the mint-haired male quieted down and caught his breath. The magic user wiped at his eyes, gummy smile not fading away, and explained what he found oh so funny,

Apparently, your best friend once again found himself as a fleshy GPS, but this time it came with sound navigation in the form of the mother goddess herself… speaking directly into Jimin’s head.

Lost in the memory, you weren’t paying as much attention to your surroundings as you should have been, meaning you weren’t as focused on what was in front of you. Meaning you didn’t see the large rock in your path. Meaning you tripped right over that fucker and stumbled forward several steps with a gasping curse.

As you managed to catch yourself from face planting, Tae skidded to a stop and looked back at you with a slight wince.

You grimaced as you took in his expression. Shit, that was probably loud…

Letting out a small, shaky breath, you straightened and went to start moving again but stopped as Tae’s bright blue eyes expanded in alarm. You froze and he went still, the only movements coming from either of you being the sway of his feather earring and your hair in the breeze.

Then you heard them.

“I’m telling you, I heard something over here.”

“It was probably just a fucking animal.”

Your eyes instantly mirrored Tae’s and you darted your gaze over the mass of pine and maple trees around you to try to figure out what you to do. There was no doubt in your mind that you and Tae could take on a few driakensu, but it could go wrong too easily. It was too risky. You didn’t know how many draikensu there actually were or if there was a magic user with them or if there was another patrol nearby. There were simply too many factors that were unknown, and that could get you killed.

But… you didn’t know what else to do. They were too close to run. They would hear your human footfalls and know it was indeed not an animal they had heard. Biting your lip, you clenched your hands into fists before reaching for your bow. Just as you touched it, Tae’s hand covered yours and hurriedly began pulling you over to a small bundle of pine trees with low needled branches that were close to the ground.

Quickly and quietly, he shoved you beneath the sharp, green needles and you had to set your jaw to keep from yelping at the scratches. Tae soon followed you under the cover of the pines and you both crawled through the dirt and brown needles to the trunk. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest and you did your best to breath slowly and calm down as you laid flat on your tummy and made yourself as small as physically possible.

The blue-eyed Saeni shifted to grasp your hand in his just before the shoes of a patrol of two draikensu came into view, one pair black and the other brown.

“Sounded like it came from around here.”

You held your breath as they tread over the earth, their faces obscured from view. All you could do was wait and pray they couldn’t hear your pounding heartbeat or smell you in the air. You watched their boots walk around the area for a while, then one of the draikensu turned their feet in your direction, making your heart drop. Footsteps approached and stopped not even ten feet away, so close you could count the number of eyelets they had laced on their boots. Tightly squeezing Tae’s hand as the black boots stared into your soul, you waited… and waited… and waited…

Until they finally stepped away. Black Boots marched over to the other pair and you heard some rustling before Brown Boots faltered back a few steps, most likely being pushed by their partner.

“See? Nothing here you dipshit.”

You didn’t dare move.

“But I-”

You didn’t dare breathe.

“But nothing. It was probably a kwaulta or a damn deer.” Black Boots swiveled on their heels and began strolling back the way they came. “Let’s go.”

Tae gave your hand a slight pump as the other draikensu lingered for just a moment before dragging his feet after their partner. You dropped your forehead to the dry needles on the ground, feeling your tense muscles deflate in relief at their exit. You heard Tae let out a long exhale beside you and he also sagged against the forest floor. The two of you stayed that way for several minutes, giving the draikensu ample time to put some distance between you.

Finally, once Tae was certain it was clear, you both crawled out from the pine cover and back into the open. After wiping the dirt from your palms off on your thighs, you checked to make sure none of your arrows had gotten loose as Tae let out a noise of reprieve.

“Come on, we need to finish this sweep,” he whispered, “Let’s get this over with so we can get back to camp.”

Nodding, you cracked your neck and took a deep breath, then the two of you began jogging through the trees again.

The sun was beginning to dip in the horizon as you sat with your back against a tree watching Jin stir the soup over the fire. Jimin was laying down on you, his head resting on your shins, and playing with a leaf in his hands. Mingi and Tae sat close by, playing Slide and giggling amongst themselves, while Namjoon and Yoongi contemplated the location of the rift on the other side of the fire.

Curtesy of Illai speaking to Jimin, you knew the general vicinity it was in, but since the area was currently swarming with draikensu, you didn’t know the exact location. All you knew was that it was smack dab in the middle of Uzjuk’s forces, hence one of the reasons why you had been doing recon; to see if there was any weak spot in their defenses where you could slip in.

Not that any had been found.

A soft tickle to your wrist made your arm jerk and you lightly glared at Jimin who was grinning innocently up at you as he pulled the leaf away from your skin. Snorting and shaking your head at his squished eyes, you turned your attention to the forest that was growing darker by the minute.

Watching. Waiting.

“They’ll be back any minute now, stop worrying.”

You reached over to poke Jimin’s cheek and scoffed. “I’m not worried, I’m just… just…”

“Worried.”

“Alright fine but hush, I’m allowed to be a tiny wee bit worried about my boyfriend, thank you very much.”

“Wow, not even concerned about Hobi? That’s heartless.” Jin butted into the conversation as he threw some herb into the pot.

“Wha-No!”

“Illai said she agrees with hyung. Heartless,” Jimin sang while splitting his leaf down the middle.

“Oh shut up, no she did not.”

Your best friend just shrugged and giggled into your legs, making you roll your eyes while the bugs clicked and chattered loudly all around you.

“Has the mother goddess actually said anything today?” Mingi called over while still deeply immersed in the hand clap game.

You swear you even saw a sheen of sweat coating the male’s forehead.

Jimin just let out a light groan, saying she had but it was just the usual spiel about needing to hurry and close the rift before the world fell into chaos and slowly withered away.

Geez, she sure knows how to give a quality pep talk.

You blew out a raspberry and picked up a twig by your side. “It’s almost like she doesn’t realize it’s eight against thousands at the moment.”

Yoongi barked out a laugh. “You better watch the sarcasm there, little scorja. Wouldn’t want her taking offense.”

“I’m not trying to be rude, just freaking realistic.” You held your hands up in surrender then leveled the twig at Jimin. “But just to be safe, tell the lovely mother goddess not to smite your best friend, yeah?”

“My girl is going to get smote? Before she can show me what that ‘Ablatar’ thing is? Damn.” A familiar voice came from the trees.

Your head shot up just as the burgundy head strolled into camp, Hobi and his glistening blades only a step behind him.

“Kookie!” You shoved Jimin’s head off you, making him release a complaint, and pushed yourself to your feet.

As the rest of the kiela and Mingi welcomed the duo back, you ran over to your smiling boyfriend and launched yourself at him, hooking your legs around his waist and burying your face into the crook of his neck.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Jungkook let out a airy chuckle and wrapped his arms around you, holding you close. “Miss me?”

Yes.

“Of course not. Who would miss you?” You hid your grin in his shoulder, breathing in his scent of steel and florets as you tapped your fingertips against the handles of his short swords.

Jungkook carried you over to the fire, being sure to avoid the plume of smoke caused by the steady wind, and plopped down on the ground with you in his lap. “Mhmm. Sure.”

You pulled away from his neck as he brushed some of your hair out of your face and gave you a quick peck on the lips, making your body go warm and tingly.

“Ew,” Yoongi muttered but his look of mock disgust was soon replaced with something much brighter as Hobi enveloped his frame in a backwards hug.

Giving Jungkook’s firm chest a pat, you climbed off his lap and sat beside him, your thighs still touching, as he and Hobi started recapping what they saw while scouting the west side of the enemy’s forces. Overall, nothing had really changed since your dear asshat and Tae had checked that area a couple days ago. The same patrol rotations, same camp locations, same array of weapons.

While Jin began to ladle out soup for everyone, Tae seated himself next to you and rested his grey head on your shoulder, asking how much longer it would be until the palace troops arrived. The remainder of the group gathered around the fire and settled down to eat together, and Yoongi grumbled out that Jooheon, the magic user he was corresponding with, said by tomorrow evening or the following morning.

Almost here… which means there’s a high chance I might die soon… and not get to see the upcoming season of Stranger Things. Great. You sighed and took your cup from Jin’s outstretched hand, thanking the male quietly.

But I really don’t want to die. You trailed your gaze over the Saeni with you. And there’s no way I could bear it if any of them died.

“Everything okay, little scorja?” Tae whispered just as Jungkook put a hand on your knee and asked the same question silently with his peridot eyes.

“Yeah, just thinking,” you replied and flashed them both tiny smiles as the sky grew even darker and the sounds of the crackling fire filled your ears.

As long as I’m with you both and the others, we’ll be okay. We have to be.

Repositioning your body for the umpteenth time, you let out a sigh and threw an arm over your eyes to block the blinding brightness of the moon through the treetops. You couldn’t sleep. Your mind simply refused to turn off no matter how many times you mentally scolded it. Releasing another defeated sigh, you pushed yourself up to a sitting position while being careful not to disturb a snoozing Tae beside you. Holding your head in your hands for a few seconds, you cursed your dumb brain for not being able to stop thinking before sliding your blanket off your legs and looking around.

Trees. Darkness. Trees. Darkness. Trees. Jungkook. Darkn-wait.

Backtracking your eyes, you saw Jungkook watching you with an amused expression as he leaned against a tree. Sending him a pout, you shivered as the breeze made you feel the full coolness of the night before standing up and tiptoeing around the jumble of sleeping Saeni.

“It was kind of funny to watch you huff and flop around,” Jungkook whispered as you made your way over.

You gave him a light shove as you settled your shoulder on the trunk beside him. “It’s kinda creepy to watch someone sleep.”

“Try to sleep,” he corrected you with a teasing smirk, eyes glittering in the moonlight.

“Same difference. Still creepy.” You rested your head on the bark and let your eyes graze over his face, noticing that despite how utterly handsome he looked, the bags under his eyes revealed how tired he was. “How are you? How long until you can say your watch has ended?”

“I’ve been fine,” Jungkook shifted closer and reached out to grab your hand and toy with your fingers. “Better now that you’re here with me.”

Letting out a fake gag, you couldn’t help but giggle. “Oof, that was… wow. That was cheesy.”

His nose scrunched as he laughed, agreeing with you, and then he suddenly dropped to the ground and sat with his back to the tree. With the grip he still had on your hand, he tugged you down on top of him, so you were straddling his thighs. The burgundy-haired male placed his other hand on your nape, guiding you toward his lips for a long kiss. Slipping his hand to the front of your neck, he lightly trailed his fingers over the silver chain at your throat, making you whimper into his mouth. You went to pull him even closer to you, craving more, but he pushed you back slightly instead. With a lazy grin on his face, he whispered that it wasn’t the time for making out. He had a duty to be on watch and you were simply too loud and would wake up Yoongi if you continued.

Says the guy who started it. You rolled your eyes, determined not to give him the satisfaction of being whiny.

Meanwhile, he moved both hands to your waist and held you tenderly.

“Come on, you can lean into me and try to sleep.” His peridot eyes were soft as he murmured. “I know my scent calms you so just focus on that.”

Your eyes bulged and you felt heat rise to your face. A bit flustered, you shifted on top of his thighs and asked him how he knew that.

Chuckling, he gave your hips a gentle squeeze. “You always nuzzle into my neck and breathe deeply. Nothing to be embarrassed about sweetheart, just c’mere and get some rest.”

Although you could still feel your face flushing, you nodded in tiny and laid against him.

“If it makes you feel any better,” he whispered into your ear, “I’m just as addicted to your scent. So damn sweet and spicy… just like you and it drives me fucking crazy.”

Oh.

Settling his strong arms around you, he inhaled and placed a kiss to the top of your head, making you smile and feel fuzzy.

And he was right, you did feel more relaxed than you had been on your sleeping mat. This was definitely a softer, warmer, comfier, and all-around better way to sleep. You could finally feel your brain start to wind down.

“You know,” you mumbled into his chest, “this position isn’t very ideal if a draikensu shows up out of the blue.”

Jungkook snorted. “Sure it is. You’re my shield.”

“Hey!” You pinched his torso in retaliation, causing him to flinch and yelp.

Snickering, you could feel your eyes begin to grow heavy and you murmured out a goodnight and thank you to the male holding you. Yet, right as you were about to finally doze off, Jungkook abruptly stiffened.

Cracking your eyes open again, you listened to the forest, but only heard the usual bugs and wind through leaves. Jungkook, though, whispered for you to get up and get behind him.

“Huh?” You leaned back to peer at him, but his eyes were focused on the trees to the left. “What happened to being your shield?”

His peridot gaze flickered back to you briefly, his body alert. “I’m serious, get behind me. Now.”

When you didn’t move, he gripped your waist and stood up, pulling you both to your feet. Once you were balanced on the ground, he reached over his shoulders and wrapped his hands around the hilts of his swords.

You cocked a brow as he yanked the blades from their sheaths. “I’m not going to cower behind you like some stupid damsel, so tell me what’s going on.”

The other Saeni began to stir and you heard one of them sleepily call out the same demand.

“Someone’s coming,” he said through gritted teeth, his jaw set as he stared into the dark forest.

“Alright, cool. Let’s kick their ass.”

Jungkook released a strangled, frustrated groan. “You don’t have your bow, dumbass, and no time to get it. Just get behind me, will you?”

“And you have two swords Coco! Gimme one!”

“For Exia’s sake, could you just lis-”

He cut off his own words as his head jerked to the side. While the kiela and Mingi stumbled to their feet and brandished their own weapons, Jungkook stepped in front of you. His body was on full defense mode as he blocked you from view and lifted his swords. Sighing loudly to announce your annoyance, you were barely able to see around his sturdy frame. Lightly touching his shoulder, you peeked past him and waited for whomever it was to appear. But all you saw was trees and darkness.

Trees and darkness. Trees and darkness. Trees and darkness. Trees and there.

A silhouette formed between the trunks as they jogged through the forest. Though once the person saw Jungkook and his threatening demeanor, as well as the rest of the Saeni ready to fight, they instantly came to a halt and held their hands up in peace.

“Whoa, settle down guys. It’s just me.”

Who?

The male in front of you cocked his head to the side and lowered his arms while taking in the newcomer, as did the rest of the kiela.

“Yugyeom?” Jungkook asked in an incredulous tone.

Again, WHO?

The Saeni, apparently named Yugyeom, waved one of his hands that were still held high, a smile breaking out on his face. “The one and only. How’s it going Kook?”

A funky looking creature that seemed to be a mix between a spider and a scorpion crawled its way across the dirt in front of your knee, though instead of a stinger at the tip of the scorpion-esque appendage, a bright orange feather fluttered in the breeze. Truthfully, you would have been utterly freaked out by the little guy if not for how funny the vibrant feather made him look.

“Viilko,” Tae said beside you.

“Hmm?”

The grey-haired Saeni pointed at the feathered creature with his bow as it scurried beneath some low-hanging shrub leaves. “Viilko.”

You hummed again in acknowledgment before cursing under your breath. The damn viilko made you lose what number you were on. Again.

Sighing, you set about counting your arrows once more, making Tae snort as he sharpened the blades at the end of his bow.

A deep grunt made you glance up from your task and you saw Jungkook with his back to you, his shoulders heaving as he stood over a groaning Yugyeom on the ground.

Yugyeom, as it had been explained to you shortly after he’d arrived last night, had trained with the kiela and they considered him a good friend. He was also one of the few people Jungkook trusted outside of his brothers. The male had been sent ahead of the palace troops with a message that the general wanted to attempt a negotiation with the draikensu and they would be there by nightfall today.

Like that crazy psycho of a god would agree to any terms. You shook your head.

You hadn’t had much of an opportunity to talk to the new male besides a brief introduction last night before he essentially passed out from exhaustion. You had finally fallen asleep not long after him, once again wrapped up in your boyfriend’s arms, and by the time you woke up in the morning, both Yugyeom and Jungkook were gone, having left on one last recon mission that lasted most of the day. As they ran around the forest, you filled the hours by practicing with your bow, doing some light sparring with Yoongi and Hobi, and lounging around in some sun patches with Tae and Jimin. You had been about to doze off in the warmth of the sunlight when Tae jostled you awake and advised you to organize your arrows and tighten your bowstring.

And then these yahoos had to come and interrupt our peace and quiet. You tilted your head as you refocused on the view before you.

Both males were sans shirt for their sparring match, showcasing their sweaty, muscular bodies, and as Jungkook helped his friend to his feet, you found yourself admiring the draeva mark between your boyfriend’s shoulder blades.

Your mouth went dry and a finger twitched, wanting to trace the circles.

Tae cleared his throat, not even looking up from his task but just knowing you were distracted yet again.

You ignored him, though. Too engrossed in the sight of tanned skin and bulging muscles.

As the male with red hair so dark it reminded you of merlot rotated his wrist with a slight grimace, you smiled and cupped your hands in front of your mouth to yell, “Yeah, Coco! Kick his ass!”

Jungkook peered over his shoulder, sending you a cocky smirk and a wink that made you grasp the arrow in your hand just a little harder.

“Ya! Would you stop distracting your girl, Kook!?” Tae leveled the sharpening stone at his brother threateningly.

“Distracting? Distracting?” Your boyfriend asked with a fake scoff while turning around to face you, placing his glistening pecs and abs in full view. “How in Exia’s name am I being distracting?”

Oh Sweet Neptune… You trailed your eyes down his body, drinking in the specimen that was Jeon Jungkook in all his sexy, sweaty glory.

Blatantly ogling him, you felt your body grow warm as you raised your gaze and met his eyes that seemed to darken. His jaw ticked as he stared you down and you swear you felt your core pathetically clench around nothing.

Fuck, please pin me against a tree. Biting your lip, you dropped your eyes to roam over his sinful body one more time before returning to his face. Please please please.

So caught up in the overwhelming sight of him, you didn’t even see Yugyeom’s leg flying toward Jungkook’s side until it was almost too late. But Jungkook just winked at you again then quickly pivoted and danced out of the way before it made contact. Just in the nick of time. The burgundy head laughed as his friend whined and they began to spar once more.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Tae stood up and positioned himself behind you before picking up your still-sitting form and rotating you so the two fighting Saeni were out of your immediate line of sight. “You need to finish this, little scorja. The troops will be here in a few hours and I know your ass won’t do it once they get here.”

Sending a small glare to the blue-eyed male, you huffed and did your best to filter out the sounds of grunting and fists hitting flesh as you began counting once more since he was completely correct. There was no way you would do this later. But you told yourself if you finished fast enough, you could return to a patch of yellow-orange warmth before the sun set and if you were lucky, Jungkook would join you… and if you were even luckier, he would still be shirtless.

Alright, Y/N, let’s get your counting on. Sun patches and hot, shirtless boyfriend await! Chop Chop!

…

Shit… that made me lose count again.

You sighed and vowed it would be the last time.

Okay, NOW it’s time to get my counting on. Let’s do this.

Sitting out of the way with your back against a wide oak tree, you watched the palace troops bustle around as they yelled, enacted more tents, started more fires, and threw up additional magic shields. They’d arrived right around nightfall, just as Yugyeom had said they would, marching in and waking you and Jungkook up from your nap, and it was… a lot.

Suddenly being around so many people was not doing much to settle your nerves about the impending battle. Not being able to speak with Jimin, Jungkook or Tae, or any of the kiela, or even Mingi wasn’t helping either. Within mere minutes of the troops’ arrival, General Son Seungdeuk had called for a meeting with Mingi and the kiela, and your non-Saeni ass was not invited to join. Namjoon had tried though, saying you had collected intel too, but General Son wouldn’t have it since you weren’t a BTS Saeni. He knew you had shared the information with the others, so you didn’t need to be included. So you weren’t. The boys felt bad, but you’d assured them it was fine. Giving them a salute and a smile, you urged them to hurry up and go then watched them follow the general into his freshly set up tent.

That had been over two hours ago.

Whatever, it’s probably a boring and stuffy meeting anyway. Crossing your arms, you peered into a nearby fire.

The flames spat and flickered, burning away at the wood. One of the logs collapsed, sending a puff of smoke and a collection of sparks into the air.

As you watched the smoke lazily rise, you heard your name being called and turned to see Yugyeom strutting through the mass of trees and troops, his merlot hair glowing almost purple in the firelight.

Lifting your hand to wiggle your fingers a bit, you greeted the male and tilted your head curiously as he sat down next to you.

Noticing your perplexed look, Yugyeom quickly asked, “Oh, it’s okay if I sit with you, right?”

“Yeah… I’m just sort of surprised you want to, I guess,” you replied honestly with a shrug.

“I would have come to keep you company sooner, but I had to report to my officer and drop off some maps at the meeting and-wait. Why are you surprised?”

Pursing your lips, you looked back to the fire as you explained how although he was the kiela’s friend, you hadn’t even known him for more than a day. You’d figured that meant he wouldn’t want to talk to you after the palace forces arrived. Plus, you weren’t blind to the stares you got from the Saeni troops. Specifically at your ears. They would point and whisper among themselves as they walked past, making you roll their eyes at their adolescent gossip. But it also made you consider that nobody except for Mingi and the kiela would want to be around you since you were different.

Sheepishly, you glanced at the male after you finished to gauge his reaction, but he only flicked your arm.

“Sure, we barely know each other, but you seem cool. Saeni or not.” Yugyeom smiled before gently nudging you with his forearm. “And I want to get to know you better because you’re obviously vey important to my friends… especially Kook.”

His smile turned sly and he sent you a wink.

You felt your cheeks heat up and you gave the male a tiny shove, causing him to burst out into laughter.

Yugyeom tipped his head back and rested it against the oak tree as he quieted back down. “It was a little shocking, not going to lie. He doesn’t let many people in, but, fuck, wouldn’t shut up about you when we went scouting this morning.”

Not letting yourself linger on the fact Jungkook talked about you to his friend, you snorted as you recalled how rocky your relationship started out with the peridot-eyed male. “Trust me, he couldn’t stand me for a hot minute. He had a few issues with me, and I didn’t like his attitude. We bickered a lot. Like a lot.”

“You didn’t take his shit even when you first met? Damn…” The male whistled approvingly. “You’ve got some gojcha girl.”

“So I’ve been told.” You gave him a crooked grin. “Hobi said the same thing after I called Kook out for choking me and not doing it, uh… properly, if you know what I mean.”

The merlot head clapped his hands together while erupting into more boisterous laughter, making some Saeni turn their heads. “Shit, I wish I could have witnessed that! The poor sprout probably didn’t know whether he wanted to stab you or fuck you after that.”

You couldn’t help but giggle too, feeling much more at ease now that you had someone to converse with. For the first time since the Saeni troops had come, you weren’t dwelling on the draikensu or what the boys were talking about or how you were going to reach the rift. You felt relaxed and somewhat normal.

Thank you Yugyeom… You looked at him gratefully.

“Wai-Wait…” The male struggled to get the words out while turning to face you and clutching at your arm for attention. “Why was he choking you!?”

“Ah, yeah, that probably needs some context.” You chuckled while picking up a stick by your side and twirling it in your fingers.

After a thoughtful moment, you began telling the story of how you met the kiela.

“Alright, so Jimin’s punk ass lied to me….”

“And-And this one time-” Yugyeom slapped his thigh repeatedly while throwing his head back. “Kook disarmed the instructor during a lesson and proceeded to give him advice!”

“I remember that!” Taehyung chimed in, giggling at the memory. “Instructor Hyun was practically spitting and threw him out of the lesson!”

“Not my fault he didn’t know what he was doing,” Jungkook grumbled beside you, causing everyone to erupt into more laughter around the crackling fire.

As your shoulders shook, you gave the male a sympathetic pat on the arm. “I know, Coco, I know. How dare such peasants be in your vicinity?”

Peridot eyes glared at you, and you responded by sticking your tongue out at him.

The boys were released from their meeting with General Son about two and a half hours ago and had found you and Yugyeom soon after. Joining you on the ground, they told you the general dispatched a messenger to the draikensu lines to see if they would be willing to meet for negotiations despite them warning the general no good would come of it. The only thing Uzjuk would accept would be Jimin’s head on a spike… and that was not happening. Besides, even if he wasn’t someone you all cared for, killing Jimin would bring absolutely no benefit to your side. Literally all it would do is destroy the only thing capable of stopping the dark god. Yet, regardless of the boys repeating that fact over and over, the general still wanted to attempt a deal.

Dumbass.

After they explained the General Son’s decision, Yoongi and Tae had begun complaining about being cold under the night sky, so you all had scooted over to the closest fire and claimed it as yours. While waiting for the messenger to return, you and the males passed the time by telling stories. You started by sharing the tale of an adolescent Jimin pissing himself in the airport the first time he had to take a flight to a dance competition. To retort, he detailed the instance where your leggings had a hole in the crotch during an entire performance, giving the judges and audience full view of your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panties. Jin followed by describing how Yoongi once fucked up the glamour spell and changed all their armor to a shining neon purple. Hobi then told of the time Namjoon accidentally called a high-ranking officer ‘motherfucker’ instead of ‘ma’am’ because of his nerves.

Basically, you were all trying to embarrass the fuck out of each other.

Shifting closer to Jungkook, you moved the hand on his arm to his thigh to steady yourself as you leaned in to whisper in his ear. “It’s actually pretty hot you were showing up the instructors.”

He looked down at you and sent a wolfish grin. “Is it now?”

“Mhmm…” You trailed your hand just a little higher on his strong thigh, making the male stiffen and narrow his eyes.

“Careful sweetheart.”

“Ugh, there they go again. Nasty.” You heard Yoongi say under his breath, which made you turn to address the magic user.

Peering over the flames, you pointedly stared at how close he and the kiela’s spy were sitting, their hands just a hair away from touching, as you raised a brow. “What was that? Is there something you would like to share with the class?”

His pink eyes widened in alarm and he quickly looked away while mumbling that there wasn’t. Hobi’s face downturned into a concerned frown as he gently rubbed the mint-haired Saeni’s back and asked what was wrong, but that only caused the tips of Yoongi’s ears to burn red.

For fuck’s sake, can they please just get together already?

Sighing at the duo, you leaned into Jungkook’s side and gazed upwards for a moment to look at the swaying treetops through the moonlight and smoke. It reminded you of that one night a couple years back, when you and Jimin were bright-eyed freshmen drinking on your dorm’s rooftop.

“Yo, Slim Jim, remember that time whe-”

A loud curse succeeded by yelling cut you off.

Furrowing your eyebrows, you exchanged confused glances with the males before rising from the ground and following after the sounds. The boys trailed behind you as you jogged and weaved through the gathering Saeni, curious as to what was going on. You hopped over a series of tree roots and slipped past a collection of shoulders, then you stopped in your tracks as you caught sight of what caused the outbursts.

A female covered in blood, barely holding herself up on her hands and knees. Slashes and cuts on her torso, bite marks on her forearms, and bruises blooming all across her skin. Her body shook as she coughed up blood, painting the ground a dark red beneath her. Whimpers and groans escaped past her lips as she trembled.

You could sense the boys arrive at your back.

“Oh my goddess, she was the messenger,” Jimin whispered in shock.

Covering your mouth, you watched as she clutched at the pebbles and twigs and tried to crawl forward.

“H-He said we l-leave by morning…” The crimson-coated female struggled to raise her head. “Or we…”

She hacked up more blood.

“Or we all die.”

Then, she fully collapsed to the ground.

You swallowed hard as Yoongi and a few other Saeni swore and pushed through the mass of people, some hands flaring up with magic as they rushed toward the female.

Jimin shakily reached for your hand.

You met Jungkook’s hardened gaze.

And panic broke out around you.

You were silent yet alert as Namjoon went over General Son’s new plan. It had been a little over an hour since the messenger came back nearly on her deathbed - bloody, beaten, and bitten. Thankfully, she would be fine. The magic users had healed her, not completely to reserve their energy, but enough that she was stable for now.

In the wake of her return, while Yugyeom left to meet with his commanding officer, you could almost see the fear begin to ripple through some of the troops. Most had only heard stories of draikensu savagery, but not many had seen it with their own eyes. Now that they had, they were appalled. Horrified. Scared.

You couldn’t blame them. But you also knew there was nothing else you could do except face them. You had to.

Because Jimin had to close the rift. And you and everyone else were going to be the distraction that allowed him to slip behind enemy lines and do just that.

General Son had pinpointed an area about two miles northeast that dropped to open field but had high ground overlooking the south and eastern sides, which would provide you with a major advantage for archers. Hence why he decided that would be the place where you would engage the draikensu.

“Archers leave in twenty to secure the cliffs,” The yellow-eyed Saeni turned his attention to you and paused for a moment before saying, “That includes you, little scorja.”

Your eyes widened even though you shouldn’t have been surprised. You were an archer, after all. It made sense. But the sudden knowledge of being separated from the boys you had grown so attached to had you breathing faster.

Twenty minutes… twenty minutes is all I might have left with them. With the kiela… with Jimin… TaeTae… Kookie…

Tears began to well up in your eyes, but you blinked rapidly, deeply inhaled, and nodded in understanding to the leader of the kiela, who gave you a weak half-smile before continuing.

“The ground forces will head out in a few hours, right before sunrise. Remember our mission is to keep the draikensu busy to allow Chim and Mingi to get to the rift undetected. If we fail, everything fails.”

No one spoke as Namjoon finished, but millions of thoughts sprinted through your mind. It was so loud… but silent. The only actual noises coming from the snapping of burning wood, the rustling of leaves, and other hushed conversations occurring throughout the forest.

In a quiet voice, Namjoon urged you to get your things together.

Sniffling, you forced yourself to raise your chin and nod again.

This won’t be goodbye. This won’t be goodbye. This won’t be goodbye.

Mingi, Namjoon, Jin, Yoongi, and Tae all looked at you somberly, as if they knew what was going on in your head. Hobi grinned and threw up what you supposed was meant to be a reassuring thumbs up. You couldn’t get yourself to muster an enthusiastic response, but it did make you crack a tiny smile. Though when you shifted your gaze to Jungkook, the smile vanished and you felt your stomach drop. He wasn’t even looking at you. Just staring at the orange flames with a clenched jaw and fisted hands. You started to breathe laboriously again. You needed him to just look at you. Send you a cocky smirk and tell you everything would be fine.

But he didn’t.

So, you made yourself tear your eyes away to focus on your best friend… but the sight of his chin trembling and tears glistening in his amber eyes made a lump lodge itself in your throat.

This won’t be goodbye. This won’t be goodbye. This won’t be goodbye!

Sucking in a shaky inhale, you looked up at the night sky and tried to get a grip on yourself.

This won’t be goodbye. This can’t be goodbye.

As if sensing you were about to lose it, Tae quickly made his way over and gently took your hand. “Let’s get your things.”

You allowed him to lead you away, face blank and empty as you did your best to hold yourself together. But, once the rest of the boys were out of sight, you let out a choked sob and finally let your tears roll down your face.

“It’s okay, little scorja, let it out. Let it all out so you can be strong.” Tae rubbed his thumb soothingly across the back of your hand as he guided you past the fires, Saeni, and trees.

Your chest shuddered as you tried to suck in air. You knew the Saeni around you were staring, but you couldn’t bring yourself to give a damn. All you could think of was that you had to leave, and you were terrified.

Holding a thin branch so it didn’t whip back into your face, Tae’s pained eyes met yours and you whimpered. Neither of you said anything, though. Just let the sadness float over you both as you made it to the partially hidden spot behind a shrub where you had left your backpack, quiver, and bow. Not letting go of Tae’s hand, you bent to grab a backpack strap.

But as soon as you reached for it, another sob raked your body and you folded over. “I don’t wanna-”

You fell to your knees and wrapped an arm around your stomach.

“I don’t wanna lose you. Any of you. I don’t want to be alone.”

Dropping to his own knees, Tae pulled you into him and squeezed you tight while letting you cry into his shoulder. You clutched at him, needing something to anchor you as emotions poured out of your eyes and past your lips. After a minute of his comfort and your tears, you pulled back, wiped at your cheeks, and whispered a thank you. He gave you small smile and asked if you were ready. Taking a deep breath, you shivered at the breeze and grabbed your backpack while standing back up. After slinging a strap over your shoulder, you did the same with your quiver, then bent once last time to pick up your bow. Finally, you squared your shoulders, which made Tae’s blue eyes brighten, and marched back to the boys with your head held high.

This WON’T be goodbye.

You power walked through the milling Saeni, many of them embracing or clasping the arms of their fellow troops. Others were settling down to get what little sleep they could.

You walked past the fires, feeling their heat come and go.

You walked around fully-grown trees and tiny saplings.

You walked beneath the moonlight and leaves.

You walked over sticks and twigs and rocks.

You walked, determined to be strong and to believe that this wouldn’t be the last time you saw them.

You walked until you made it made it back to the boys.

Letting your backpack fall from your shoulder with a thump, which caused most of their eyes to swivel to you, you then eased your quiver and bow down on top of it.

There was no doubt they could smell the saltiness of your dried tears, see the puffiness of your red eyes. But you didn’t care.

As you stared at the males scattered around the fire, Jungkook only spared you a quick glance before returning his gaze to the blazing flames.

It caused a twinge in your heart but you chose to ignore it for now.

Instead, you strode over to Namjoon and wrapped your arms around him, hugging him close and telling him to be safe and watch his back. And if he forgot, then you would do it for him.

“Thank you. Make sure you take care of yourself, yeah?” He smiled and his dimples seemed even deeper in the glowing light of the fire.

You both stepped away, and you moved on to Jin, murmuring a fond ‘Papa’ as you wound your arms around his torso.

“I’m looking forward to trying more of your cooking after this… and hearing more of your dumb jokes.”

“Ya, you tyrant! They’re not dumb! They’re impeccable jokes, thank you very much.” He shook you in his arms playfully before turning more serious. “But, of course, little scorja. I’ll make you anything you want. Be safe.”

The raven-haired male flicked a finger under your chin once then wandered over to stand with Namjoon.

Next was Mingi, who’s hazel eyes were round and glossy as he embraced you. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe. I’ll protect him. I promise.”

You patted his back while tightly shutting your eyes. “I know you will, but I want you to promise you’ll protect yourself too.”

The guard leaned away and rested both his hands on your shoulders, making you open your eyes to meet his gaze. “I promise.”

Satisfied, you slid your hands to rest on his arms for a heartbeat before removing yourself and walking to Hobi, feeling both warm and cold at the same time.

As soon as you were close enough, the white-haired male yanked you into a hug and hummed while rocking you back and forth. You felt the multitudes of straps crisscrossing his body and the coolness of his blades under your fingers as you let out a sad laugh.

“I don’t know for sure if everything will be okay, but… everything will be okay, little scorja,” he whispered into your ear, “Just have faith in yourself and in us and be brave.”

“I’ll try my best. Don’t run out of knives.” You smiled softly while giving him one last squeeze and letting go.

Shuffling to Yoongi, he surprised you by grabbing your wrist and tugging you against his chest.

He held you lightly and murmured, “I may act indifferent most of the time, but I really care about you. Remember what I’ve taught you and kick some fucking ass, alright?”

You pressed your lips together and slowly inhaled as he smoothed a hand over your hair.

“I’ll remember,” you whispered back, “and I’ll be on the lookout for your blue sparkles so I can watch you destroy some draikensu fuckers in style.”

“I’ll try to make it entertaining, just for you.”

You both pulled away and sent each other easy grins, and yours grew when you saw his endearing gumline make an appearance.

You went to turn and was suddenly tackled by a body with apricot hair. His breathing was heavy and uneven, and you felt droplets hit your shoulder as he clung to you.

“No no no no no. Don’t cry, please don’t cry because you’re gonna make me cry again.” Your voice went higher in pitch as you placed your arms around your best friend’s neck and rested your face on his front.

“You don’t have to go.” His words were slightly muffled from talking against your skin. “You can stay here and be safe. You don’t have to go.”

You took a long, deep breath and willed yourself to keep it together and not give in to the rising urge to join your best friend’s tears.

Gently detaching yourself from him, you reached up to cradle his cheek and used your thumb to clear some of his tears. “I’m gonna go. I can’t just sit around here and wait.”

Jimin’s lower lip wavered and he tried to say something, but no sound came out.

You gave him the best smile you could, but it faltered a bit. “I’m your best friend, Slim Jim. You can’t get rid of me easily. We’ll see each other again.”

Leaning his face into your palm, he closed his amber eyes and covered your hand with his. “I love you, Y/N. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do, you big doofus. I love you too.”

You pulled him in for one, last hug, then stepped away before you could change your mind. With a sniffle, Jimin hastily moved around you and into Hobi’s arms, who held him as more tears cascaded down his face.

You looked down at the ground and fisted your hands on your thighs as you felt a lone tear make its way down your cheek. As it dripped off your chin, you made yourself pivot and start walking toward Tae. Though as you did, he shook his head and gestured to his younger brother, who was still staring into the fire as if it was his lilfeline.

You paused, taking in the male.

“Kookie…?” You gingerly called out to him.

There was no response beyond a tick in his jaw which made your chest tighten painfully.

Hearing the others move back a little to give you two some sense of privacy, you hesitated for just a moment before treading over to Jungkook.

You stopped right beside him and placed a hand on his bicep, trying to coax him into looking, saying, doing something. “Jungkook?”

No response.

“Kookie, please… please… I-I need you right now.”

Your resolve started to break again as the person you cared for so much refused to acknowledge you.

“I really really fucking need you. Please, just… something. Anything. I…” You trailed off as a gasping sob came from your lips and you dug your fingers into his arm.

As if a switch had been turned, Jungkook whined and yanked you close so he could hug you desperately. Strong arms surrounded you and he buried his face into your neck.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he repeated over and over like a mantra, his voice strained. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart, I’m just- I’m scared.”

“Me too,” you admitted quietly, hands starting to shake.

“I don’t… I can’t lose you.”

You breathed in the familiar scent of steel and florets, trying to calm down. For once, it actually made things worse. All you wanted to do was stay by his side, but you couldn’t. Being with him would only slow him down, make him lose focus. You would distract him. You would get him hurt.

You shook your head at the thought and nuzzled further into him. “I’ll be okay, I won’t be in the mess of things. I’m more worried about you.”

“I’m the best, sweetheart, nothing will happen to me.” He traced a light fingertip against the rune on your nape, making you tremble even more. “No need to worry.”

You let out a pathetic snort as the wind picked up and made the trees groan. “Cocky as always.”

“Just the truth.” He smirked against your skin.

In your peripherals, you could see Saeni holding bows start to gather a little ways away.

Closing your eyes, you allowed yourself just a few more seconds of Jungkook before unwinding your arms from his middle. Though before you could move away entirely, he used the hand behind your neck to hold you still while crashing his mouth against yours. He kissed you with all he had, searing the feeling of his lips against yours into memory.

Then he released you and placed a final, tender kiss to your forehead. “Time for you to go sweetheart. Hyung will take you to the archers.”

You flickered your gaze to the side to see Tae waiting for you, blue eyes swimming with emotion. Biting your lip, you removed yourself from Jungkook’s arms but stared into the beautiful peridot eyes that always captivated you.

“I… um, I think I…” You struggled, trying to find a way to say what you wanted.

I think I love you.

Jungkook just softly smiled and tucked some of your hair behind an ear. “You can tell me later, go on.” He gave you a tiny nudge toward his brother.

This isn’t goodbye. You reminded yourself, and let your body be pushed away. I can tell him later.

Not looking back at Jungkook or the other boys, you jogged away from the warmth of Jungkook and the fire and over to your things.

“Ready, little scorja?” Tae asked in a small voice.

You picked up your backpack, quiver, and bow. “As I’ll ever be.”

Taking your hand, he tugged you toward the other archers. Past the fires, around fully-grown trees and tiny saplings, beneath the moonlight and leaves, over sticks and twigs and rocks. Away from your new family.

Slowing down when you reached the group, he gave your hand a pump and went to say something but was interrupted by a voice shouting for you.

Looking over your shoulder, you saw Jungkook running over. Skidding to a stop a few feet away, he thrust something at you. It took you a couple seconds to register what it was, and your eyes bugged out when you did.

“Are… are you sure?” You looked up at his face, uncertainty coursing through you as the ruby gemstone of Jungkook’s dagger winked at you in the low light. “It’s so important to you.”

“You’re more important.” He placed the weapon and its belt into your hand then enclosed your fingers around it. “If you drop or lose your bow, use this okay?”

“Okay,” you whispered.

“Okay.” Jungkook smiled. “I lo-… I’ll see you soon sweetheart.”

With that, he turned and ran back to his brothers. Tightening your hold on the ruby-hilted dagger, you held it against your chest and watched him disappear into the dark. Once he was gone, Tae muttered something under his breath that you couldn’t quite catch, making you tilt your head at him curiously. Waving you off, he pulled you into a hug.

“I wish I could go with you bu-”

“I know, you’re a special, one of a kind, kickass archer who fights better in close proximity.”

“Your words, not mine.”

You chuckled and gave his but a tiny poke as someone gave the order to start heading out.

Tae pressed a kiss to your cheek. “Bye, little scorja. Be safe. Love you.”

“Love you too, TaeTae.” You returned with a cheek smooch of your own. “You better come back safe and sound or else I’m gonna whoop your ass.”

“Well, I have to come back safe and sound now. I don’t wanna get my butt whooped.” He laughed and showcased his boxy smile before taking a step back.

And another.

You felt yourself growing colder with each one.

His smile fell slightly as he waved. Then he pivoted and left.

Leaving you alone.

This isn’t goodbye.

You copied his actions, turning on your heel and joining the departing Saeni while you tightly gripped your bow and Jungkook’s dagger.

This isn’t goodbye.

Crouching at the edge of the cliff, you felt the dirt and rocks dig into your knee. One hand grasped the bow at your side as you peered over into the dark expanse below. The field was mostly barren, only a few lone trees scattered throughout the grass. It was an eerie open blankness that seemed emptier under the moonlight.

But in several hours, it would be different.

It would be stained red with blood. Littered with bodies. Filled with the screams of the dying and yells of the defiant. Soon, this peaceful, quiet land would turn into a battlefield.

You wouldn’t be down in the chaos, but you would be taking your part in it. Sending arrow after arrow into unexpecting bodies. Making them fall and bleed out onto the earth.

And you would do it without a second thought.

Because people you cared for, people you loved would be down there fighting for there lives and you would do everything you could to protect them. To give them one less enemy to go up against. So you wouldn’t hesitate to draw your bowstring and shoot an arrowhead into draikensu flesh.

Anything to help your family.

You released a long exhale, admiring the field for another minute as you traced a finger against the gemstone on the dagger now strapped to your side. After a final glance to the glowing moon, you crept back to your sleeping mat and threw your blanket over your legs.

If you wanted to protect them, you needed to get as much rest as you could before sunrise, even if it was only a couple hours. Most of the other archers were doing the same. There were some Saeni who were too restless for sleep, though, and had volunteered to stay up and keep watch. You could see a few of them leaning back against trees nearby, softly talking among themselves.

With a sigh, you laid back and curled onto your side while folding an arm behind your head. You forced yourself to ignore the emptiness beside you. The lack of warmth. It was the first time you were sleeping alone in weeks and it felt so foreign, so… wrong.

Don’t think about it, Y/N. You slept alone all the time before this whole thing, you can do it again.

Tugging your blanket higher, you made yourself concentrate on the darkness behind your closed eyes and counting your long breaths backwards from five hundred.

Five hundred ninety-five… five hundred ninety-four… five hundred ninety-three…

…

You finally fell asleep somewhere around thirteen.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as the Saeni troops stood in formation on the field below. You were positioned far down the eastern side, close to where the rocky ground finally ended and dropped off, and you had near perfect view of the field and soldiers below. Your fingers anxiously tapped against your thigh as you knelt at the cliff’s edge and continuously looked between them and the trees on the other side of the clearing. The draikensu hadn’t yet revealed themselves, but you knew they had to be coming.

It was sunrise.

It was only a matter of time.

Shifting on the rock, you squinted and tried to search through the hazy dawn to find a shimmer of burgundy hair, a flash of blue light, or a glinting metallic body, but everything muddled together. You couldn’t see them.

Maybe it’s for the best.

The archer to your left, the one with the long pastel pink hair, fidgeted and mumbled to himself again. He had been doing that for the past forty minutes or so.

Flexing your fingers, you observed the thousands of Saeni standing together. You weren’t sure how they were segmented, if at all. If kielas stuck together or if they were grouped by weapon or some other factor. You didn’t even know how battles worked for Exia’s sake. Would they stand across from each other and slowly march forward while letting the magic users exchange blows like some 17th century battle reenactment? Would both sides immediately sprint toward each other and begin fighting like they so often do on Vikings? Would the draikensu use guerilla tactics and have traps planted throughout the forest? Or would the enemy resort to a defensive strategy and stay back to protect the rift with all their forces?

You prayed to the gods it wasn’t the last one, because then General Son’s plan would instantly fall to shit, and the battle would be over before it ever started.

You didn’t think it would be the last one, though. If there was one thing you’d learned about Uzjuk and his posse of dark Saeni, it was that they never passed over a chance to kill and destroy.

And this was a very large opportunity for them to do just that.

Rays of morning light began to shine across the sky, making everything a bit brighter and coloring the world a radiant gold. Though, for now, most of the field was still covered in shade.

You made yourself breath slowly as you lightly touched the feather charm on your choker and listened to the forest. To the birds and the bugs, the creaking of trees, and the scuttling of small creatures in the underbrush.

To the sound of thousands of feet hitting the ground.

Your eyes widened and the pastel-haired Saeni interrupted his muttering to yelp out a curse.

“They’re coming,” someone down the line warned in a low voice.

Okay… okay okay okay. Here we go. Everything is going to be fine. You’re a scorja, you’re strong, you can do this.

You pulled an arrow out of your quiver and loosely notched it while the troops below drew their weapons, the ringing of metal reverberating in your ears.

On the field, one Saeni strode out before them all, holding his spear high in the air. General Son.

“On this day, with the sun shining down upon us, we will look darkness in its face. We may tremble, our bodies may bleed, and our swords may break… but we will not let the darkness prevail any longer!

“As one, we will stand together! As one, we will fight together and die together!”

General Son slammed the butt of his spear into the earth and roared.

The soldiers echoed, pounding their weapons against the ground or their chests.

“Do not fear death, my brothers and sisters… for our mother goddess will embrace you with open arms and Exia shall raise her cup in salute to your bravery!”

He brought his spear down again as he tilted his head back and yelled into the morning sky.

You and the other soldiers followed, screaming with all you had as the draikensu drew closer.

“STAND TALL SOLDIERS OF ILLAIN! STAND TALL AND FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILIES, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR KING, YOUR GODDESS. STAND TALL WITH ME, WITH EACH OTHER! STAND TALL IN THE MORNING LIGHT OF ILLAI!”

General Son let his voice sing across the clearing as he turned to face the opposite side of the field while you and the Saeni shouted into the open air once more.

Your heart beat wildly, and you breathed heavily. The sun was warm on your back, but you shivered from the adrenaline now rampaging through your veins.

The draikensu answered your screams with their own, whooping and hollering tauntingly as they ran through the trees.

Your hands began to shake, and you squeezed your eyes shut. Alright, death registration. You know the drill. Let’s do this one last time.

Releasing an unstable exhale, you reopened your eyes and stared into the trees. Waiting.

“Remember, if they move to attack right away, we go loose,” the female beside you reminded the archers close by.

You didn’t forget, but you nodded to yourself.

If they attack, we go loose. If they attack, we go loose. If they attack, we go loose.

The crazed shrieks of the draikensu were so loud now, they had to almost be upon you. The sounds echoed off the trees, filled your ears. Their footsteps seemed to vibrate the earth.

And then they broke through the tree line.

Scourges of draikensu sprinted out of the forest. So many it seemed like they were overflowing and spilling out. And they gave no signs of stopping. They were heading straight toward the Saeni front line.

In the distance, an archer called out the order to take aim while General Son yelled for shields.

It took a second for the order to register because you were so taken back by the draikensu pouring out of the trees, but then you quickly inhaled, raised your bow, and drew back. As you searched for your first target, glowing light began to flare up throughout the Saeni ranks.

You hurriedly shifted your eyes over the multitudes of colors, picking out several areas that lit up blue, but only one stood out as Yoongi’s magic. It was far away, toward the other side of the field, but the mint hue was unmistakable.

All of the sudden, a semi-translucent rainbow wall flashed to life in the middle of the field between the Saeni and the charging draikensu. The enemy slammed into the barrier; most being stopped in their tracks but some managing to slip through.

It was just like the shield Yoongi had enacted around Juufa’s temple. Only much bigger.

The few who were able to push through were immediately downed by archers from the south side of the cliffs.

“Loose!” A Saeni screamed somewhere down the line to the left.

Shit, right.

You narrowed your eyes and peered down your arrow, picking out a draikensu and slowly exhaling. Then, as the mass of archers around you let of their bowstrings and sent a round of arrows into the enemy, you did the same.

You couldn’t tell if it was your arrow or someone else’s, but the person you had been targeting was hit in the chest and the impact caused them to clutch at the shaft now embedded in their body before falling to their knees.

You hastily snatched another arrow from your quiver, aimed, and sent it flying.

You did it again and again and again.

Yells of pain soared into the air, but you didn’t stop.

Volley after volley of arrows were sent into the enemy line where they were held up by the magical shield, and any that were able to get through the colorful barrier made it no more than thirty feet before they were shot down.

The bodies piled up. But more continued to emerge from the forest.

You reached a hand over your shoulder for a new arrow as a gust of wind disturbed your hair and conjured goosebumps along your skin, but all your actions stilled as a mix of maroon, purple, and yellow light erupted from the trees.

With your heart pounding in your chest, you watched three draikensu stroll out from the greenery, their hands pulsating with the glow of magic.

Oh, shit. Oh, FUCK.

“Take them down!” And archer yelled as the dark magic users raised their hands. “Take them down now!”

You grabbed an arrow, notched, and aimed while shadows gathered at a singular spot on the shield’s surface, causing it to ripple.

Their magic.

“Alright, you fuckers, let’s stop right there,” you hissed.

As if she heard you over the distance, wind, and wails, the magic user closest to you lowered her amethyst-glowing hand and peered at the cliff. Your eyes went wide and you cursed under your breath as she seemed to stare directly at you.

You released the bowstring, sending your arrow screaming toward her chest, as did the other archers.

Not a single one thumped into their bodies, though. They all bounced off a dark purple shield fabricated by the magic user just moments before the arrows landed home. It encased both her and her two buddies, making it impossible for you to hit them.

The other two were still attacking the barrier in the middle of the field, the shadows they created causing that spot to warp and distort even more. Whatever their magical counter was, it allowed more draikensu to slip through the increasingly darkening spot. Not all at once, but enough that the southern archers weren’t able to kill them all. Some were reaching the Saeni front line.

Your breath caught in your throat as they engaged with each other, the ringing of clashing metal resonating across the sky.

Returning your eyes to the middle of the field, you saw the shield’s colors were growing muddy. It was growing darker and darker as the shadows penetrated its surface. It almost looked like veins of darkness were spreading out from where the shadows drilled into the magic.

The shield cracked.

And a moment later part of it shattered, leaving a large, gaping hole that caused the draikensu forces to shriek in delight and rush through.

The rest of the shield held itself together for one… two… three… four… five more seconds.

Then it flickered and disappeared entirely.

Slashing diagonally, Jungkook cut into a male’s chest. Blood spattered onto his upper leg as the draikensu fell. Before his previous target even hit the ground, the burgundy head spun and thrust one of his blades deep into the belly of a female while parrying the strike of a curved sword with the other.

Grunts and screams were all around him. The clanging of metal against metal filled his ears. Crimson coated his fingers and the smell of iron permeated his nostrils.

Yanking his blade from the female’s gut, he kicked her away before stabbing his now freed short sword into the thigh of the draikensu who’s attack he blocked. As the male’s leg gave out underneath him, Jungkook dislodged the blade, adjusted his grip on the handle, and quickly cut the male’s throat. The action caused the draikensu to drop his sword and clutch at his neck. Blood poured over his hands and he gargled while collapsing into the dirt, the life in his eyes dissipating as the blood from his body spilled onto the earth.

Breathing hard, the Saeni caught movement out of the corner of his eye and sidestepped the swing of an axe. The blade so close he could feel the disturbance it caused to the air. Blood and sweat dripped down Jungkook’s face as he leveled his gaze on the new opponent. The draikensu sneered, peeling her lip back from her teeth while pointing her axe in his direction.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Jungkook rushed the female. Ducking below her next attack, he continued forward and dragged the edge of sword along her calf, which caused her knee to buckle. At the same time, he rotated his torso and brought his other blade upwards to slice at the flesh on her side. She gasped and faltered a step while Jungkook dug his heel into the ground and narrowed his eyes. Hissing in pain, the female swung her axe wide, but the burgundy head jumped backwards to avoid the weapon.

Placing a hand over her bleeding side, the draikensu bared her teeth and snarled, “I’m going to cut off that pretty head of yours.”

Jungkook tightened his fingers around his short swords but didn’t bother replying. With a growl, the draikensu brought her hand back to the axe’s shaft and heaved the weapon toward him. Dodging the axe bit, Jungkook swiftly pivoted and dashed forward, carving into the female’s torso. Using the momentum of his movements, he then slipped behind her and thrust both swords into the junctions of her neck and shoulders. Wrenching the blades out, she toppled to the ground.

Blood dripped off the tips of his swords as Jungkook allowed himself a second to glance up at the eastern cliff again, desperately searching for a glimpse of you.

There, still in the same spot as last time. Relief flooded his heart as he caught sight of you still raining down arrows into enemy lines while surrounded by soft, golden sunlight.

Knowing you were alright gave him the resolve to refocus on the chaos around him. On the male that was running toward him, longsword brandished and ready to be swung.

Gritting his teeth, the peridot-eyed male charged and met him head on.

Letting out a loud yell, Namjoon rammed his shoulder into the draikensu, knocking his opponent back a step and giving the yellow-eyed male space to clobber her with his hammer. The blunt, heavy head of his weapon hit the draikensu’s chest, shattering her sternum and sending her now broken body backwards.

Straight into Jin’s side.

The impact of an unexpected body flung into him caused the eldest member of the kiela to stumble and slip on the dewy, blood-slicked grass and trip over the dirt clods. With a curse, the raven-haired male lost his footing entirely and fell, the limp body of the female pinning down his sword arm. A nearby draiknesu noticed him struggling to get his arm out from under the body, his sword caught on a strap or something. With a gleeful squeal, the draikensu bounded over the corpses strewn on the ground and raised his spear. Ready to impale the partially immobilized raven-haired male.

Jin tried to yank his sword out, to no avail. “Fuck. Shit. Fuckin-fuck it.”

In a last second decision, Jin let go of the sword’s handle and tugged his arm out from underneath the heavy, limp body. Heart pounding in his chest, he rolled to the side just as the spearhead was thrust into the earth right where his head had been. The draikensu yelled and went to retract his weapon but Jin braced his hands against the ground and kicked the male’s legs out from underneath him. The action caused the draikensu to land hard on his back, which forced the air out of his lungs. Before the male could regain his wits, Jin pushed himself up to his knees and crawled on top of the draikensu so he could deliver a punch to the male’s temple. The hit left the male in a daze, allowing Jin to wrap his hands around his opponent’s head. One palm at the chin and the other at the back of the head. Then, the raven-haired Saeni grunted and abruptly pulled the male’s head up and to the side, snapping the neck with a loud pop.

Releasing the draikensu with a sigh, Jin let the male lifelessly flop back to the earth while moving off the body. Focusing his attention on the dead female still on top of his sword, he went to shove her over when a crunching sound came from just behind him. Spinning on his knees, he saw Namjoon following through on a swing that had crumpled a draikensu Jin hadn’t noticed sneaking up on him.

The older Saeni blinked as his leader wiped sweat from his brow.

“Shit, thanks Joon.”

“Sure thing hyung. And sorry about that.” The yellow-eyed Saeni gestured to the dead female.

Shrugging, Jin finally rolled over her body and began started to detangle the hilt of his sword from where it was caught in the straps and loops of her armor. Meanwhile Namjoon covered his back, demolishing any draikensu that dared to come near with precise swings of his destructive hammer.

The seven Saeni could hear the battle as they weaved through the trees, the sick melody of cries and wails piercing their ears. None of them commented on it, though. They had their own job to focus on and entertaining the possibilities of how their comrades were faring would only serve as a distraction.

So, they remained mostly silent as they continued moving in formation, listening to the distant screams and staying alert for potential threats.

Jimin was in the middle of the small pack, escorted by Mingi and a tall, golden-haired female named Ipsa at the front. To his right was a short male who had introduced himself as ‘Geodin,’ and to his left was the archer who requested to be called ‘Stem.’ Bringing up the rear was the whip wielding Koliifa and his sister, Opikal, who had eyes so dark they appeared obsidian.

As the seven looped around the draiknesu’s forces, a light, beautiful voice occasionally floated into Jimin’s head, making tweaks and adjustments to their route. The apricot head would quickly relay the message to the others, but the Saeni didn’t talk much beyond that.

There was too much at stake for casual banter.

They had been moving for about forty-five minutes, heading out just before the sun began to rise, and so far, the plan to go around the enemy was working. Not a single dark Saeni had crossed their path. But that could easily change at any moment, so the group never relaxed.

After they each vaulted over a fallen tree, Ipsa briefly glanced over her shoulder and interrupted their silence. “By any chance, does the mother goddess know if this rift will be out in the open or…?”

“Or if there will be any draikensu guarding it?” Stem added while dipping his head to avoid a branch to the face.

Jimin winced and dug his nails into his palms while his legs rustled the leaves of several plump shrubs. “No and… no.”

One of the Saeni breathed out a curse and the apricot head held back a frustrated groan at how much of a disadvantage they truly had before explaining that Illai could only see the world through his eyes while she was leasing out space in his head. However, she was able to feel the dark energy pulsating from the rift like a beacon, and that was how she was guiding them.

As the terrain started to grow more inclined, Mingi gruffed out, “Each of you were selected for this mission for a reason. Whatever is waiting for us, we can handle it.”

“You know, General Son said we’d be going in with little information,” Opikal piped up from the back in an incredulous tone, “but I didn’t think it would be this little.”

Koliifa snorted beside her while skirting around a thin tree. “Aw, cheer up, sis! It’ll be fun.”

“It’ll be something, alright,” Geodin muttered in response.

Using a collection of tree roots as steps to climb further up the steady slope, Mingi offered how even if there were indeed draikensu guarding the rift, they were probably so pissed they weren’t allowed to join the battle that they won’t be as attentive to their surroundings as they should be.

“And that makes for easy pickings,” Koliifa said as he sent his dark-eyed sister an easy grin.

Opikal just grumbled in return, skepticism swimming in her eyes.

Then, the conversation faded, and the faraway screams once again filled the void of their voices.

His feather earring swung heavily in the air, weighed down by the blood soaked into the fluff. It continuously hit the blue-eyed Saeni’s neck as he fought, which stained the delicate skin a dark crimson.

Tae released his bowstring, sending an arrow flying into the middle of a male’s chest, then lunged to the side while tilting his bow to gouge the razor edge of his weapon into the lower belly of a draikensu. As the male dropped his axe, clutched at his gutted abdomen, and bellowed in pain, Tae retrieved a new arrow from his quiver as his body came to a stop. Quickly scanning over the people fighting around him, he picked a target and embedded the arrow just below their clavicle before he turned and quieted the screaming draikensu by efficiently slicing his throat open.

Following the momentum of his bow, he pivoted on his heel while pulling out another arrow. Tae spotted a female running in his direction and nocked the arrow, but as he went to draw, he caught a flash of metal in his peripheral vision. Diving, he evaded the arcing blade and rolled to a crouch on the dirtied grass. Re-notching the arrow, he allowed the silky fletching to sift through his fingers for just a moment as he hastily relocated the draikensu female.

As soon as he let the arrow fly, Tae found himself dodging another strike of a sword by lurching forward into another roll. The sword wielding female growled at her second miss and geared up for another attack while the grey-haired Saeni rose to his feet. With an aggravated yell, she heaved her large blade toward Tae’s body, but he ducked and spun behind her in one, fluid motion. The sun glared in his eyes and Tae dragged the sharpened edge of his bow up the female’s entire spine, making her stiffen then collapse.

Sucking oxygen into his lungs, Tae slumped for just a moment to catch his breath. Long gone was the natural scent of the forest, rather the stench of iron and death was rich in the air. The once smooth, undisturbed grass of the field was torn up and ravaged. Blood slowly trailed along the curves of the weapon, covering more of it in liquid red until it collected and dripped off toward the ruined earth.

It was a messy, brutal battle.

And it was far from over.

Pressing his lips together, Tae lifted his chin, narrowed his bright blue eyes, and found his next target.

Dropping to the ground, the arrow barely missed your head.

Not many draikensu carried bows since most of them wanted weapons that allowed them to directly carve into flesh, but the handful that did had begun shooting at you and the other archers not too long ago. Which was just great. Fantastic. Splendid.

Your cheek pressed into the sun-heated rock as you contemplated if you should lay low for a minute or get right back up. You blew out a puff of air, disturbing some of the dust beside your face, before pulling your body forward a bit so you could peek over the cliff’s edge.

You raised your head just a smidge and CLINK!

An arrow hit and bounced off the rock just a few feet from your face, making you immediately duck back down to safety.

You breathed in through your nose. Alright, well… this fucking sucks.

As you exhaled, you glanced up just in time to see a Saeni further down the line get hit in the shoulder, blood immediately blossoming around the shaft now buried in her body. A tiny whine escaped past your lips and you squeezed your eyes shut… but all your saw were the corpses littering the field behind your eyelids. Their broken and mangled bodies.

Please don’t be one of them. You sent out a silent prayer to the boys below as your chest rose and fell heavily. Please.

The sound of another arrow sinking into flesh made you clench your fingers around your bow, and you shifted to better lay against the ground and make yourself smaller. But the movement caused the dagger now strapped to your waist to dig into your side and the sensation made you go still with a jolt.

Jungkook…

Fuck, if Jungkook saw you right now… he’d be so disappointed. You were cowering, you were hiding. This wasn’t you.

What am I doing?

You shook your head against the ground, feeling some pebbles grind into your skin, before muttering, “Fuck. This. I need to woman the fuck up.”

Adjusting your body, you bent one leg up toward your head and winced as a decently sized stone scraped against your ankle. Okay, so what if I get shot with an arrow? You forced yourself to scoff while sliding your hands upward along the rock. That’s nothing. That’s just a slightly more painful bee sting.

“I’m a scorja, dammit. I fucking got this.”

One… two… three!

You pushed yourself back up to your knee and snatched an arrow from your quiver. Picking out a draikensu, you aimed. The breeze danced across your face and the sun warmed your back as you squinted and sent the arrow loose. It thumped into the draikensu’s thigh, making you smirk, but as you went to finish her off you heard commotion coming from your right. Furrowing your brows, you spared a glance over but immediately had to double take and stare as your mouth dropped.

Draikensu were pulling themselves up and over the edge of the cliff. The bloody bastards had actually climbed up the vertical rock face.

“For fucks sake…”

They engaged with the archers, working their way down the line. Coming closer and closer to you as more of them crawled into view. They were maybe only forty yards away. Shifting, you repositioned yourself to face north, and as a male began to sprint toward you, you raised your bow.

He was thirty yards out.

You shot, but he managed to evade it.

Twenty yards.

Cursing under your breath, you reached for another arrow.

Ten yards.

Your eyes widened and you tried to move out of the way, but the male rammed straight into you and tackled you to the ground.

You let out a pained grunt as you were slammed down, bow flying out of your grasp, and your heart pounded as the male straddled your torso and held one of your shoulders down with a large hand. His other raised a knife that shined in the sunlight. He aimed it at your chest, and with a wicked smile, plunged the blade down. Throwing your arm up beneath his, you blocked his arm’s descent and stilled the tip of the knife just mere inches from your body. Your trembled as the male sneered and pressed down harder, trying to force the metal into your flesh.

His thighs fully encased your waist, making it impossible to grab the ruby-hilted dagger at your side. Slowly, the knife lowered closer to your heart as his superior strength began to overtake you which made you release a gasping whimper. Desperately, you stretched out your other arm and blindly felt around the ground.

“Why struggle when you’ll just die like the bitch you are anyway?” The male mused, eyes flashing with cruel amusement as you wrapped your hand around what you hand been searching for. “Just let it happe-”

You smashed the fist-sized rock into his skull with a powerful yell.

The strike caused the male’s body to slacken and you used that moment to flip your positions. The movement of the switch, paired with his limpness, made him involuntarily drop the knife. As you righted yourself on top of his thighs, you snatched it from the rocky ground and thrust it hilt deep into his side.

The male wheezed as you wrenched the blade from his flesh, eyes struggling to stay open as he stared up at the sky. His blood began to gush from the wound and pool beneath him while you adjusted your grip on the handle and brought it down again, this time right underneath his sternum.

You were breathing heavily as the male’s gasps turned raspy and more blood leaked from his body.

Then the draikensu released a strangely contented sigh. “My sacrifice is worth it. The key will die while you pathetically fight. The key will die and Uzjuk will reign.”

Your hands tightened around the handle of the blade while the rest of your body froze. “What did you just say?”

A final, rough exhale came from the male’s lips, then his eyes became completely empty and unfocused. You didn’t bother trying to get him to say more. He was dead.

Shit. Okay, he said ‘the key will die,’ but they couldn’t possibly know where Jimin is, unless… fuck, what if they do have people waiting for him at the rift?

Your hands began to tremble as you considered the possibilities. The one that rang loudest in your head was that Jimin was about to blindly run into a death trap. Your best friend was going to die. You pressed the back of your hand to your mouth as you tried to calm yourself, but the thought kept pounding through your mind like a migraine.

Jimin is going to die.

I don’t even know where he is and he’s going to die.

You darted your eyes around in panic, noting the other draikensu who had climbed up the cliff face were also death… though they had unfortunately taken some of the Saeni along with them. The remaining archers were back to sniping down at the enemy, not having a slightest clue as to the hysteric dread rampaging in your mind. Pressing both hands to your head, you held back a scream.

I don’t know where he is, but I have to try. I have to try to help him.

Taking deep breaths, you crawled off the dead male and over to your bow. With it secured in your grasp, you pushed yourself to your feet. Then you ran into the trees without looking back.

I don’t know where the fuck you are, Slim Jim, but I’m coming.

The coolness of the shaded forest slid over your skin and you mentally planned your route around the draikensu.

I’m coming.

An angry growl vibrated in Yoongi’s throat as he flung his magic out toward the female, creating a rope of mint blue energy that fastened around your neck. He yanked, forcing her body to fly over the bodies and blood-soaked grass to be impaled on the dagger held in his other hand. The draikensu let out a choked sob before her head lolled due to him dragging the blade up and to the side, spilling more crimson over his hand and killing her with precision. A blur of movement to his left made Yoongi fling the now dead female in that direction, right into the draikensu that was brandishing a short sword.

The draikensu was pummeled by the body, causing him to hit the ground with a cry. He struggled to drag himself out from the weight now laying on top of him, but after about five seconds he too was laying limp on the dirt and grass.

A tiny throwing knife buried between his neck and shoulder.

Hobi pivoted after his throw and slid beneath the large hammer swinging for his gut.

“You were pretty slow on that one!” Yoongi called over to the spy, who was still dancing around the draikensu’s heavy weapon.

Hobi’s chest heaved and he shouted back without looking. “Give me a break hyung! I’m running low on blades so I’m making sure every throw counts!”

The mint-haired Saeni grit his teeth and raised both hands toward a draikensu that had made the mistake of setting his sights on the Saeni’s partner. Blue light encased the draikensu’s head and Yoongi harshly grunted before ripping one of his hands to the side.

The draikensu’s head followed, separated from its body in a spray of blood.

“Why didn’t you say something earlier, idiot? Get over here,” Yoongi ordered as the headless body slumped first to its knees then crumpled to the ground, the neck pumping out red.

The disturbing image distracted Hobi’s opponent for a split second, giving him the opening to dart forward and sink both of his knives into either side of her neck. He pulled the blood-covered blades out and punched the female in the jaw, forcing her to fall and bleed out onto the earth. Then the white-haired male trekked backwards to Yoongi’s side, his eyes alert and aware of his surroundings.

When he was near enough, Yoongi reached out and grasped one of Hobi’s straps to tug the Saeni fully against him. Shutting his petal pink eyes, Yoongi held Hobi close while inhaling deeply. The magic emitting from his hands flared even brighter and suddenly a circle of mint-colored energy pulsed outward, throwing every draikensu around them roughly fifty feet back.

Now that he had time and space, tendrils of blue light crept out from Yoongi’s hands and Hobi watched in amazement as they leeched onto the dead Saeni on the ground. The light searched the corpses, locating and withdrawing the blades Hobi had flung into them. With a low murmur from Yoongi, the light came zipping back toward the male beside him and they softly returned the blades to their sheaths across Hobi’s body. Then the light retreated to Yoongi’s glowing hands, leaving the kiela’s spy astonished.

“I… hyung… that was-I didn’t know you could do that!”

Even though the draikensu were starting to regroup from his buffer attack, Yoongi felt pride well up inside him and he smiled. “It’s just something I’ve been working on for you. Finally worked out the kinks a few days ago.”

Tilting his head to softly take in Hobi’s flushed cheeks while he stammered out a shocked thanks, Yoongi noticed the draikensu were now charging the duo and he reluctantly pushed the Saeni away. Instantly, Hobi realized as well and hardened his gaze before throwing one of the blades in his hands. It sunk into its mark’s flesh and Hobi ran to meet a new opponent.

Gripping his dagger, Yoongi was about to follow but paused and narrowed his eyes as bursts of maroon, amethyst, and yellow light flashed in the air close by.

The seven Saeni were breathing hard from their nonstop running as they suddenly came to a halt because of Mingi’s order.

The hazel-eyed guard slowly lowered his fist from where it had been raised beside his head and the Saeni all listened intently to the world around them, trying to pinpoint the noise that had caused the guard to stop them.

“I don’t hear anything,” Geodin whispered, and the others agreed.

Mingi swore and shook his head. “I swear I heard something running in our dire-”

A singular, loud howl echoed through the forest… then the sound of large paws running over the earth.

Coming straight toward them.

The male panted as he blocked the draikensu’s attack with one of his blades and cleaved into the male’s collarbone with the other. More blood splattered across Jungkook’s face and chest, the warm liquid causing him to flinch slightly, and the male fell with a gargled scream.

Pivoting, Jungkook sharply inhaled and quickly leaned back to dodge the point of a spear that was jabbed toward his head. The female growled and lunged again, this time aiming for his chest, but the burgundy head jumped aside before surging forward to get beyond the reach of the long weapon. His sudden switch to the offensive made the draikensu stumble back in surprise, and her heel tripped on the arm of a fallen Saeni. She gasped as her body lost balance and Jungkook aided her descent by sending his foot into her stomach. As she fell, Jungkook followed, plunging both of his swords deep into her chest just as she hit the ground. The draikensu weakly coughed and blood bubbled up past her lips. Then Jungkook yanked the blades out, causing the light in her eyes to wither away.

Hanging his head for a couple heartbeats, still panting as exhaustion settled over him, Jungkook gulped in air and looked over to the eastern cliff.

And felt his heart stop when he didn’t see you.

He shook his head and rescanned the archers. You had to be there. You had to be. But he felt dread bloom inside him as he realized there were fewer Saeni kneeling on the edge than before and you weren’t there.

You weren’t there.

His chest tightened painfully as his exertive breaths shifted to panicked ones.

“Fuck, where are you, sweetheart?” Jungkook whispered in a scared voice.

Gripping the hilts of his swords so hard his knuckles turned white, his body grew cold and he began to shake as he raked his eyes over the archers again and again and again. Desperate for any sign of you.

But there were none.

The world seemed to blur around him and all he could see was the empty spot where you. Should. Have. Been. He couldn’t even hear the screams or clashing of metal around him anymore. It all just collected and faded until it was a high-pitched ringing in his ears.

His peridot eyes glistened, and a lump formed in his throat as he choked out a small, fragile “no…”

And he was so focused on the absence of you… so distracted from the battle around him… that he didn’t notice the blade being thrust toward his exposed side.

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