#justice for beomgyu omg

[wolfytae-exe]

okay hear me OUT. beomgyu teaching an inexperienced reader how to give head and like.. reader is a natural omg 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Lawd- Stop I just got a whole plot from this alone🤭 Ima try my best to do this justice.

Genre: smut , Fluff

Pairings: Boyfriend!Beomgyu, CelibateAfab!Reader

Warnings: Oral (bg receiving), praise heavy, reader gets a little cock hungry, First time, dry humping, Handjob

Note: unedited like always 💀, the readers celibacy only umbrellas sexual intercourse and sexual acts like oral or handjobs.

Summary: in which you surprise your boyfriend with news about your abstinence.

Beomgyu is the best boyfriend you could ever ask for. You’ve been dating Beomgyu for 2 years now and not once has he begged you for anything sexual. You told him the moment you guys had your first kiss that you were completely abstinence and he gave you a warm smile and told you he was perfectly fine with it.

You were scared the lack of sex would ruin your relationship but Beomgyu showed you how patient and how loving he could be without it. You knew deep down he wanted you more than what you allowed him but he never complained, never even made a sly comment or asked for any help when he would get horny.

Beomgyu was the sweetest boy you could have ever ended up loving and you had decided months prior to March 13th, that you were going to reward him with the gift of your abstinence.

It was currently the end of Beomgyu’s birthday party, not much people had attended besides his 4 friends, and his parents who took a 3 hour subway ride from Daegu for the special day. The now 22 year olds parents had left first, wanting to get home at a reasonable time, his 4 friends, however, had decided to stay a bit longer, wanting nothing more than to tease your boyfriend about becoming old.

You were in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess you had created when you made Beomgyu his birthday dinner while the boys hung out in the living area, opening up presents they had gotten the birthday boy.

“OH MY GOD!” You heard your amazing boyfriend squeal from the open area. “Honey I have a new guitar!” Beomgyu continued over the smacks of his socked feet on the hard wood as he sped walked his way got the kitchen.

You were currently wiping down the counter but paused as he lifted the blue and white acoustic guitar up above his head with sparkling doe eyes. You eyed Beomgyu with adoration, a smile stretching onto your face as he set the guitar down to give you a small kiss on the cheek. He always avoided your lips after finding out about your celibacy, not wanting to push your boundaries.

“Thank you for this special day, Y/N.” He whispered softly before pulling you into a hug, truly happy with the day. “Of course, Gyu.” You uttered back as you ran your fingers through the hairs on the nape of his neck softly, earning a small loving hum on his end.

Soft things like this was what let you both know how strong your guys’ love was for each other. He pulled off after a bit with sparkly eyes as he went back to the other side of the counter where his newly bought guitar laid, and picked it up. You watched as he made his way back over to his 4 friends who went and teased him for being so soft.

You went back to your dishes and listened to them as Beomgyu began to strum the guitar while Taehyun sung lyrics to the sound. It was peaceful and calm for the rest of the night.

It’s was about an hour or so later now and Beomgyu’s friend had left about 30 minutes ago. Your head rested on Beomgyus lap while he played with your hair and watched TV. You both decided to rewatch ‘Strong Girl Do Bong Soon’ since it was one of the things that brought you both together, but from how late it was you were beginning to get restless with how close it was reaching midnight.

“Hey.. Beomgyu?” You spoke over the TV and peered up at him. “Yes, Honey?” Beomgyu gave you his attention almost immediately, pausing the K-drama so he could hear you better. Your heart was beating hard, you were ready but of so nervous.

Your boyfriend must have noticed your tenseness because he stopped working his fingers over your hair. “Is everything okay?”, You could hear his voice laced with concern as he lifted his hand from you, letting you sit yourself up. You gave him a firm nod before placing a shaky hand on his thigh.

Your boyfriend seemed more shocked and concerned the moment you moved your hand. “What are you doing?” He muttered as you tried to fight the shy blush that threatened to spread over your cheeks.

“I’m ready now.” You whispered softly, too shy to say it any louder.

Beomgyu heard you, however, a gasp coming out almost comically loud. “Are you sure? I know how much your celibacy means to you.” He made it known, not wanting you to regret your decision. “I’m sure, I want you to break my celibacy.” You said a bit louder, a normal speaking voice as you eyed him through your eyelashes.

Beomgyu’s breath was caught in this throat, the thought of you finally letting him love on you more than he ever has had his heart racing and a smile spreading on his face.

“Then let’s go to the bedroom.” He spoke softly before standing up and pulling you up with him.

You were excited, finally you knew you found the love of your life and you knew you were never going to regret this decision.

Was this supposed to be this awkward? You and your boyfriend were now sitting next to each other on your shared bed in silence. Beomgyu seemed too nervous to make a move on you, not wanting you to regret giving the opportunity to him. You were nervous you were pushing him to do something he was no longer comfortable doing with you.

“Gyu, dear.” You spoke, breaking the long silence and his focus on the carpet by your bedroom door. “Hm?” He hummed, lifting his attention to you. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can stay abstinent if you aren’t comfortable with this.” You turned your body towards him. That was enough to make Beomgyus eyes widen.

“No of course not, I want this too! I just never really thought I’d have this moment with you.” He mutters the last part before scooting closer to you. Slowly he leaned his face to yours. “Y/N, can I kiss you?” He asked softly against you lips. Your face was hot, the feeling of his lips right over yours giving you butterflies like all those years ago.

With a hand placed on your heart to keep it from completely beating out your chest you muttered your words of consent. “yes.” And with that Beomgyu was caressing your cheek before cupping your jaw and pulling you in. The kiss was soft, slow, and sensual, Beomgyu was taking his time with you as you tried to follow his rhythm, your lips melded together, moving as one as he let a tongue dart over your bottom lip.

You let a small hun escape before opening your mouth a bit, he followed, the now open mouthed kiss started to make your stomach turn, the anxiety causing you to tremble as his tongue moved into your mouth. Your hands moved to his shoulder, trying to keep yourself grounded while he licked and sucked at your tongue.

Eventually he pulled away with a pant, catching his breath as he eyed your swollen wet lips. “Was that okay?” He panted as he resisted the urge to go back in. You could only nod before you were making a move back, planting a kiss onto his lips a couple times before starting the make out session again.

Your hands slowly relaxed, pulling him in for more. You were beginning to get lost in him, the kiss grew messy and heated fast as climbed onto his lap to get a better angle into the kiss. You could feel his hands begin to roam, finally growing comfortable with the acts he was committing with you.

His hands found purchase on your hips, keeping you still on his lap before rutting you down on him, the feeling left you startled, you clit which never gotten disturbed unless you heard Beomgyu having his fill on pleasure before bed, throbbed at the feeling of his surprisingly hard cock rubbing so foreignly against it.

You pulled off, gasping a moan as you chased for him to do it again. Beomgyu simply smiled as he dragged you against him once again. “Gyu-“ You panted as you practically pushed against his hands, dry humping against him embarrassingly. “Baby if you make yourself cum, I won’t be able to show you how much I love you.” Beomgyu chuckled before placing open mouth kisses on your neck, sucking hickeys as he let you rut against him the a bitch in heat.

Your underwear stuck to you under your shorts as the throbbing in your clit intensified, at some point it was too much and you stopped, whimpering at the uncontrollable angry pulses coming from your heat. “Honey you should take it slow.” Beomgyu hummed, he didn’t really feel anything in your rutting due to his jeans blocking your self-indulging activities.

You let out a small “okay..” before climbing off his lap. Beomgyu smiled at your fucked out expression before grabbing a pillow and throwing it at your feet. “I’ll show you how to give me some pleasure okay?” He asked and unzipped his jeans once you nodded, getting onto your knees when you realized where this was going.

Beomgyu pulled his jeans off and tossed it onto the floor without a second thought. He scooted himself off the bed a bit and you sat yourself up, your face level with his crotch now. “Wanna make me feel good baby?” he asked with a whisker smile as he pet you on the top of your head. You let out a whine, watching his hard cock through his boxers, wanting nothing more than to make him feel good.

��Go ahead.” Beomgyu spoke before resting a hand behind him to keep him steady as he leaned back. He wanted to see what your first move would be. Your hands fell straight to his boxers, looking up to see if it was okay as you palmed his balls lightly. When he let out a hum, fighting the want to buck into your hand you took it as a sign to keep going.

Slowly your hands were replaced with small kisses, you fought the thought of pushing your face into him and just sniffing him until it made your nose bleed, he smelt so good. Beomgyu’s underwear was wet by time you pulled away spots of saliva staining the outline of his cock has he held his lips in between his teeth.

More impatient than him, you pulled his boxers off, flinching when he cock sprung from the fabric and almost smacked you in the face. Beomgyu could help but snicker, finding you nothing but cute. You pouted, embarrassed, but Beomgyu simply leaned in. “I’ll help you.” He muttered before grabbing your hand. You let him direct you. Watching as he made you fist his cock, holding him at the base.

Beomgyu then wrapped his hand against yours. “Look at our hands, Honey.” He spoke louder before dragging both your hands up to his wet tip and back down, coating your hand and his cock in pre-cum. “fuck”, You heard him gasp before moving a bit faster, you were flustered, He was fucking himself with your hand, driving himself mad with the way your fingers closed in on his tip.

“T-The tip-“ He panted to you before letting go, wanting you to explore his body on your own. You allowed your hands to move, staying on his tip as you rotated your wrist a bit. You were unsure of your movements until you heard your boyfriend let out a guttural moan, the sound going straight to your cunt.

Your hands quickened and slowed, moving in a pattern. Beomgyu was honestly pretty shocked with how good you were making him feel. He couldn’t help but sink his teeth into his bottom lip to reduce his moans to whimpers, unable to keep fully quiet, especially when you stopped all movements and leaned into his hard cock, planting a small kiss on his red leaking tip.

Without a second thought Beomgyus hand moved to your head, running his fingers through your hair gently. “Please…” He begged under his breath at the feeling of your face so close to him.

You peeked up at him through your eyelashes. Was he always this beautiful? “Dunno how.” You muttered softly before moving back into his hand, face moving farther from his cock reluctantly.

“I can show you.” He panted, leaning back now. “You can start slow, a few licks. You think you can lick my cock, doll?” He asked, attempting to not buck in your hand that never left his cock. You gave a feverish nod before leaning back in, licking hesitantly at his tip. The salty taste had you go back in, more sure of your actions now.

“Fuck, just like that Honey, you’re so good to me.” Beomgyu panted as you warmed up to sucking on his cock, keeping him in between your lips away from you teeth. Beomgyu was astonished, he’s had blowjobs before but, this was so much more overwhelming than the ones he’s had, granted that was in college and late highschool but that’s besides the point.

Beomgyu could help but buck into your mouth as your tongue pressed flat over his shaft, causing you to gag over him. Your throat closed over him before allowing him to slip back out for you to cough. Tears sprung into your eyes as you tried to catch your breath.

“I’m sorry-“ Beomgyu panted before leaning closer and checking on you. “I didn’t hurt you right?” He asked, nerves racking him silently. “I’m okay.” You whispered, throat clenching if you spoke a bit louder. With a clear of your throat you pushed your hand against his abdomen and pushed him to lean back onto his hands before going back down on him.

Beomgyu couldn’t help but let out a moan at the feeling of your tongue digging into his slit before you took him deep into your mouth. Almost like brushing your tongue in the morning you paused half way and focused on breathing through your nose.

The moment your breathing felt normal you moved, pushing down with your tongue flattened around his cock until you felt him nearing the back of your throat. You peeked up at him as he grabbed your hair, fighting the urge to pulling your head up and down his cock.

His eyes were half open, mouth opened with his teeth clenched as he sucked in shallow breaths. You let out a hum, pleased with yourself for making him this way. Beomgyus mouth fell completely open as he cussed. “Fuck- do that again- please Honey, feels good.” He begged, fingers burrowed into your scalp.

You obliged, humming as you bobbed your head up and down. Quickly you got a reaction. Moans and groans reaching your ears as you kept your hand on his abdomen, keeping him in his spot while you pulled his arousal out of him. His cock twitched as he noticed the spit running over your cheek and chin.

You pulled off with a gasp, using your hand to keep the pleasure going over his tip. “So good- Y/N oh- oh god.” Your boyfriend rambled, racked with pleasure. You were happy you could give him the pleasure he longed from you for so long. Your patient, loving boyfriend, even in this situation he’s praising you.

You began to plant kisses on his inner thigh, still jerking him off. Your kisses melted into his skin as you dragged up to his cock again, licking a long stripe from his balls to the tip before taking him whole again.

“Please- close- Im close Y/N” beomgyu panted with a whimper to your name. You happily kept going, hollowing your cheeks and sucking until you felt his abdomen constrict and his cock twitch. Beomgyu was quick to pull you off before cumming with a raspy groan. Cum spurting out in long creamy white strings before coating his lower abdomen and thighs.

You watched in awe as his arousal shook through him, leaving him whimpering and gasping. You rubbed you thighs together in need, wanting nothing more than to feel the same pleasure he did. With a small whine you crawled up onto the bed, planting a kiss to his lips.

Beomgyu chased you lips slightly, getting another peck out of you before a breathy “I love you” Left his lips. You were soaking wet, your heat begging for him. “I love you too” You uttered back as you’re stripped off your shorts and underwear. Slowly you crawled onto his lap, rutting down on his thighs. You were too scared to put his dick in you so humping would have to work for now.

Baby steps, you told yourself as you humped against him with your wet cunt. His cum mixed with your arousal which caused a nice slick feeling over your cunt, letting you feel nothing but pleasure the whole time until you eventually shook with it. You were going to stop again, overwhelmed with the feeling like before but Beomgyus hands snapped to your waste. “Chase it, Honey. You can’t stop you got to catch it.” He spoke softly to you.

You let out a whine, feeling too sensitive to keep going. “Gotta stop- too much-“ You panted, trying to hold through either way. “Look at me.” He whispered, grinding you down harder. Your eyes peered open to his, your eyes glistening at the overstimulation. “You’re okay, I got you.” He reassured before tensing his leg under you.

Your face fell into his shoulder, nodding into it before practically screaming in pleasure, the build up of your orgasm ripping through you hard. Your thighs squeezed around his as he continued to ride you through the pleasure. The slickness double with the mixture of your juices and cum.

Once the pleasure subsided you whimpered, feeling tired and over sensitive. “Good girl, you did it.” Your boyfriend whispered praise into your ear before laying you down onto the bed. “I’ll be right back, don’t fall asleep just yet.” He spoke before planting a kiss on your forehead and walking off to the bathroom.

You were dizzy, your ears still ringing and your limbs tingled. You felt happy. With your celibacy broken you just knew your sex life was in good hands with the one you loved, maybe you both would take it to the next level and try vaginal.

“Okay, Im here Honey. I’m going to clean you off” Beomgyu spoke a bit loud, now clean and in a change of clothes. You just hummed as he began to wipe you down, cleaning the mixed cum from your folds and the spit from your hands and face.

“My beautiful girl” He muttered, watching as you drifted to sleep. “I love you” He continued before tucking you under the sheets. With one last kiss to the cheek he walked off to clean the living room and washcloth.

“I love you too” Came from the covers.

[silvergyus]

JUSTICE FOR BEOMGYU LIKING OLDER WOMEN😩

I just think he loves to be dom’ed by an older girl likeee probably has the cockiest smirk on his face when you tell him to sit still while you fuck yourself on his cock UGHHHHH

(beomgyu im only 1 year older than you but PLEASEEEE)

WAIT I FORGOT TO LEAVE AN OPTION FOR ME TO SEE AAAAHHHH

is beomie losing? 🥺🥲

no but you're so right omg your brain he so would he'd be so smug but then sooo whiny when you start to punish him for moving his hips. like, just give him a stern glance when he's being cocky and it'll do nothing but gently place your hand at the base of his throat- not even applying pressure, just resting it there- and watch him fold. whining as he stays as still as he can while you bounce on his lap

[wildernessuntothemselves]

AHHHHHHH! ITS FINALLY HERE!! I was checking ur account everyday to see if chap 6 was up, but then when it was finally out I was busy with my duty. I had to read it bit by bit and reread it better after my shift 😭 Im sorry in advance because this is long.. hehe

I was happy? that finally beomgyu (suffered jk) shows affection to oc, may it be just for possessiveness or he actually likes her because for the past few chapters he has been really confusing ��� Beomgyu was an asshole from the previous chapters that it made me root for yeonjun, but this chapter made me see a new perspective to him. (baby im sorry pls take me back hahahahaha)

Anyways, i was really waiting for oc and yeonjun's smut (basically begging for it). The scene was so good 😭 At first i was like omg it was so hotttttttt and detailed he really gave oc's first time a justice, he was very considerate and always makes sure that oc feels good. But then I got sad at the part where after the sex, oc immediately felt insecure and the first thing she asked was if yeonjun enjoyed it. Idk if others would agree but i feel like the smut scene practically describes what a first time really feels like? And how bad it is to do just because u want to forget someone.

If your goal was to confuse us on what gyu is really feeling towards oc, you are really good at it hahahah. Whoever oc is going to end up i know it'll hurt so bad 😭 But lets just be real here, either yeonjun and beomgyu deserves oc, and oc deserves love coming from either of them.

One last thing, it's nice that oc character was given more depth? for this chapter. it made her personality and relationship with beomgyu more reasonable.

I feel like i can predict the ending but ur so unpredictable so i will not assume things ahahhahahaha thanks for this wonderful series author 🫶

Haha yeah people really wanted to see gyu suffer because they felt hurt by him and now that he's suffering it's like 🥺🥺🥺 baby don't cry 🥺🥺🥺

I think you’re the only one who liked the smut scene but I'm glad to hear it because it was difficult for me to write 😂 i don't think it necessarily describes first times but more like one version of first times, especially when you're with someone you don't feel completely comfortable with. Oc still doesn't really feel secure with yeonjun despite how sweet he is. She worries what he thinks of her and if he compares her with others etc

Aww that's a nice sentiment. A lot of readers express how this character or that character don't deserve happiness but you think they all deserve love and I agree. Though gyu and oc can be assholes, they're very hurt and they are good people at heart and deserve happiness.

Ohhhh I'd love to hear predictions! I love knowing if people can predict the endings. Some people really get it right with scary accuracy!

[choiyeonjuns]

justice for beomgyu omg im pretty sure he's said before that he used to braid his mom's hair which is just so dang cute T^T

that’s so cute

now I’m wondering why he’s loosing the first poll I made

[biteyoubiteme]

HIIIIII JJAE im here and im ready and ugh i love the allure that the call has to reader and how most of this fic is rooted in forbidden fruit core-  Perhaps not vocally, - How could something so beautiful be so condemned

You glanced up to the water's surface, the sunset refracting through the gentle waves and bathing you in the gentle warmth of the last light of day. Your eyes slid shut for a moment, basking in the peace. All the times you talk about the water i just love the vibes im soaking in them

 The decision to banish all Cecaelia from the kingdom was immediate and unanimous. The Dark Cecaelia himself was brought before his kin and his hair was cut in a ceremonial message of disgrace before he, too, was banished to the deep water beyond the drop-off point for the rest of time. THE LORE PLS THE LORE

It rolled over you like too-warm water, okay but i love how its all connected to water like every little word just makes me feel so giddy to keep reading more. 

“You were here before,” The voice continued, unperturbed by your fearful silence. You felt your blood run cold, like polar water had been dunked over your unsuspecting head. “..You saw me.” It shouldn’t be surprising. Of course he saw you. Why wouldn’t he? If this is where he was banished to, why wouldn’t he see you lounging prettily at his doorstep? The idea that this faceless evil had been watching you from afar, while you sat unsuspecting, made you suddenly want to cry. The vibes are just so good here like its so ominous and haunting a bit like i love it- 

Gods, all the rumors were right, yet simultaneously did not do him justice. He was stunning, captivating in every possible way. He was so beautiful it was disarming, enough to distract you from just how sharp those teeth really were. BEOMGYU SHARP TEETH RRRRAAWWWRRRR

Hazy eyes met sharp ones, and you felt thoroughly scrutinized under his gaze. Like a flayed fish before him, stripped bare and vulnerable. You shuddered at the thought. Why? You had no idea. All sensible thought flew out of your mind the second you laid eyes on him. It was much easier to surrender to the feeling rather than fight it. Jjae i love this sm i love it i love how you wrote this uuuuugggghhhh

“You will go home, but you will return to me.” anything you say bb- 

you stopped short. Ink. You were surrounded by ink. You couldn't see out, and the chilling realisation settled in your body that it also meant no one could see you. Even if you managed to cry out for help loudly enough to catch someone's attention, cecaelia ink alone would dissuade them from coming to your aid. I love how interesting this is why did i not think about ink lmao and i love the imagery in my head of the water being washing in ink like i love that sm- 

White-hot pain seared up your arm. A scream bubbled from your lips, unbidden and guttural in its anguish. You didn’t need to see the damage to know that your forearm was broken. Omg i was not expecting this but i love the way its written like i know its a broken arm but i can feel it like ugh i love this bit- 

You just kept stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing– “Little one.” UGH BEOMGYU SHOWING UP NOW EATS HIM I LOVE THIS MOMENT THE LIKE FREEZE IN TIME I FEEL IT IN MY BONES it was a broken up moment that felt to good to read ugh- 

you will never bare your guppy teeth at me. Am I understood? Stop why do i love this sm- 

“Beomgyu.” You echoed it again, feeling the weight of it on your tongue, wrapping your lips around the vowels. You liked the way it felt to do so, to say his name and hear him hum in response. UUUUUUUUUGGGGHHH THE POWER IN A NAME I LVOE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT 

“I gained you.” i died dead rip to me- 

Dark Water.

pairing; cecaelia!beomgyu × merman!reader

genre; horror/thriller (??? I think??? theres a lot of tension.) Suggestive, no explicit smut. Hint of fluff.

warnings; lots of tension, implied/referenced sexual content, light petting, this is basically 90% foreplay and tension, mentions of cannibalism, blood and injury, reader gets attacked yk the vibes, character death (but not main!!!), older gyu/younger reader vibes, merman/kingdom au.

synopsis; The rules were easy to follow, really. Simple, concise. Don't swim through bubble circles, keep a spare bag of shells in case of emergency, and stay far away from the drop off point. ― The Pearl of the Sea, you were called. A pretty little prince, beloved by all within the city. You followed the rules. Plans had been made for your whole life, all you had to do was stick to it.

Beomgyu was never part of those plans.

wc; 10,847 (oof... longest fic to date.)

jjaes comments; *slaps roof of fic* this bad boy can fit so much unnecessary lore in it. sorry theres no smut in this one. I want to eventually circle back and turn this into a full blown chaptered fic. in the words of serene, kills myself.

[m.list] [event m.list]

The rules were easy to follow, really. Simple, concise. Don't swim through bubble rings, keep a spare bag of shells in case of emergency, and stay far away from the drop-off point. 

The drop-off point which was, funnily enough, immediately before you. You lounged on a soft bed of seagrass, your short platinum hair floating along to the whims of the warm current around you. You were decently tucked away from view, having found a small alcove just off the main seagrass plains. You leaned back on your elbows, pearlescent tail absently flicking ahead of you being the only thing that could give away your position. The long, gossamer-like fins tapered into pretty, elegant points. Delicate. That was a good way to describe you. Though, you supposed your given title was a bit more apt than you'd like to admit.

The Pearl of the Sea, you were called. A pretty little prince, beloved by all within the city’s gleaming mother-of-pearl walls. You were a treasure among treasures, the only son of the Iron King sat upon the gleaming throne of the sea. Your father had a commanding presence, far more than your own, but you didn't seem to mind that. No, a pretty little thing like yourself was occupied with little else than keeping your head down and getting your work done perfectly. You held perfect grades, you were the shining smile present at every charity event, a giver to the people who fawned over you. That favour seemed to compound when you remained oblivious to it, a humble, delicate thing. 

Who was currently breaking one of the most serious rules you had ever been given. It wasn’t even your idea, something had called you here. Perhaps not vocally, but there was a siren song around this forbidden area. How could something so beautiful be so condemned? So after a particularly stressful day of studying and volunteer work, you finally gave in to the sweet temptation. 

The sight wasn't as captivating as you expected it to be. Sure, the overlook to the deeper waters, far more dangerous than the shallows you've spent your life in, were fascinating. You witnessed aquatic life, both plant and animal, in a way you had never taken the time to do before. Just observing, watching the way natural life unfolds when it is too far from your fathers influence to be contained. 

Though, after the sun's rays began to turn the surrounding water to honey hues, you had begun to grow bored with just observing. Part of you longed to know what it felt like, even for a moment, to be away. To be your own thing, your own merman, free from your peoples watchful eye, from your father’s. 

Oh, gods. What would he think if he knew you were here, now? He would surely be angry, surely would demand an answer that you didn’t have. Why did you come out here, anyway? You weren’t entirely sure yourself. You glanced up to the water's surface, the sunset refracting through the gentle waves and bathing you in the gentle warmth of the last light of day. Your eyes slid shut for a moment, basking in the peace. You had to savour moments like these, stolen seconds that you kept close to your heart when the stress of your structured life got too rough to handle. 

With a sigh, a pretty trail of bubbles spilling past your lips, you pushed off of the seagrass, the blades tickling your fingers as they dug into the silt below for leverage. 

You left a gentle cloud of disturbed sand in your wake as you made to leave, casting one longing glance over your shoulder to the group of young flounders playing beyond the drop-off point. You’ll have to return soon, if not to be sure they remained unharmed. That was a noble enough cause for return, right? Something your father would be slightly more hesitant to deny you if you brought it up as defence, surely. 

Content with the newfound addition to your schedule, a strong flick of your tail helped carry you closer and closer to home. 

–

The scroll room was a quiet place, compared to the hustle and bustle of the city just outside its walls. Shelves upon shelves, chests on chests were overflowing with information ripe for the picking, and you were a near permanent fixture here. Small and eager, tucked between shelving units as you delved into another scroll. This was a more recent historical account, it seemed, from the first years after your birth. You could hardly be expected to remember much from that time, your memories being mostly of your mother and the gentle tingle of your favourite shell toy.

You had no idea those years were so.. Dangerous. 

Your brow creased as you read further on, eager for the context behind the title, The Banishment of the Dark Cecaelia. 

Cecaelia? That rang a bell. Octopus mermaids, you recalled. Fearsome chimera not too unlike your own people in appearance, but worlds apart in behaviour. You recall bedtime stories about the drop-off point, lessons hidden in rhyme of the dangers that awaited those who ventured too far into the deep water. But what dangers were you warned of? You struggled to remember. 

The cecaeliae were once a proud people, fearsome in both behaviour and sheer number. They populated every inch of our kingdom, they ran shops, held office not unlike the rest of us do. But there was always something different, something darker in nature about these chimera, that we civilized mermaids simply could not abide by.

The issues came to a head during the Great Famine. Food was scarce, resources were far scarcer. Mermen, women and children alike were floundering in hunger, and the kingdom fell into despair. Our great King was working tirelessly, attempting to solve our issue. Our top scientists blamed the issue upon overpopulation and the rising water temperatures, both of which we could do little about.

But the Dark Cecaelia had a plan. He held high office, the King's right hand in both peace and wartime, and he claimed to have devised a solution to our problem. Something he claimed would reduce our numbers in a controlled way, and would solve our hunger problems simultaneously. 

Your eyes widened upon the sight of the next word. 

Cannibalism. 

No, that couldn’t be. Sure, mermen were omnivorous, capable of eating a wide variety of foods, but.. turning to cannibalism seemed too barbaric. Too uncivilized. Apparently, this Dark Cecaelia held no such opinions. Now that you think about it, were cecaeliae omnivorous like other chimeras? Octopi were carnivores… So did that imply that cecaeliae followed by the same rules? You shuddered at the thought of sharp teeth and venom.

He sought an audience with the King, and brought before him a properly devised plan. Down to the smallest detail, the way they would select the expendable and feast on their flesh, using cecaelia venom to minimize the agony of the selected. “Humane” methods, he claimed. The court was horrified at the extent to which this plan had been drawn to. In a fit of righteous rage, the King demanded how the Dark Cecaelia could have drawn up this horrific solution on such short notice, to which he shrugged, claiming it was the most logical and obvious solution to our societies' issues.  

The senate convened, terrified that if they denied the Dark Cecaelia his plan, that it would come to fruition in the form of a coup. The decision to banish all Cecaelia from the kingdom was immediate and unanimous. The Dark Cecaelia himself was brought before his kin and his hair was cut in a ceremonial message of disgrace before he, too, was banished to the deep water beyond the drop-off point for the rest of time. 

You snapped the scroll shut with shaking hands, eyes wild with fear. The drop-off point. The place you were lounging by with ease, the tips of your fin teasing over the edge of the cliff… The thought made you sick to your stomach. You could have been seen by your father, sure, but the thought of being seen by the Dark Cecaelia himself brought shivers down your delicate spine. How could you have relaxed there so flippantly, ignorant of the dangers lurking just below you, just out of sight? You could never return. That much, you were sure of.

–

“Did you hear?” 

“...Another sighting…”

You sighed loudly, bubbles tickling your cheek as they dissipated around you. News traveled fast, it seemed. There were more rumors now than ever before, though you paid no mind to it, preferring to stay in the comfort of your study material. 

“I heard the tentacles were blacker than any squid ink…”

“I heard they are as big as your forearm..! How terrifying…”

You’ve been reading the same line over and over for the past 5 minutes, the words failing to leave any lasting impression on your brain. It had been well over a full moon-cycle since you found yourself at the drop-off point, and apparently there had shortly thereafter been a poor merman who supposedly saw tentacles retreating into the inky blackness of the deep water. You had heard all the salacious (hyperbolic, too, no doubt) details, causing you to heave a bubbled sigh and continue with your work. You had more important things to do than to entertain such stories. You still feared the Dark Cecaelia, that much was true, but you began to grow apprehensive of the public’s view of him. They spoke of him as a legend, as a fable, treating him like he was merely a story instead of a recent blight within the kingdom. It had been 19 years since his removal from society, why were your people so confident about his absence to speak of him so freely? 

“Oh! And I heard–” 

You snapped your scroll shut, hands pressing palm-down onto the driftwood table before you. Your eyebrows pinched together in frustration, eyes squeezed shut to drown out the passerby’s comments. 

“I heard he’s hot. Devastatingly so.” 

Oh? That gave you pause. This was the first time you had heard someone speak of the Dark Cecaelia in such a manner. Was that… thirst you detected in that woman's tone? How peculiar. 

You shook the thoughts from your head. No, that was a most improper train of thought. You needed to focus, and this scroll room seemed to have no peace left to give you. With a delicate huff, you gathered your things and fled the room.

–

It seemed nowhere was safe from the mumbles about the Dark Cecaelia. The whole city– the whole Kingdom, it seemed– had heard of the recent supposed sighting. The comments within the city walls ranged from abject horror to… other topics. You don’t think you could stomach hearing another theory about what those tentacles could do. 

You had fled the Kingdom’s walls with no destination in mind. You only knew you needed to get out of there, to finally find some peace to continue your studies. If you were going to rule one day, you had to be perfect– there was simply no room for error. 

Though, perhaps you spoke too soon. You, in your panicked fleeing, had managed to get lost. Horrifically so. You were still in the shallows, it seemed, but night was approaching fast and you had no idea which direction home was in. Your heartbeat quickened to a dangerous pattering, fast and dangerous like the sound of a storm cloud emptying over the sea. Your head spun. How were you going to get home?

You pressed your shaking hands into fists, attempting to use the pressure to ground yourself. It seemed to work… Perhaps your studies about keeping your head under pressure like your father was paying off. You had half a mind to thank your tutor when you got home. When, yes. Not if. You’d make sure of it. What was it your father said to do when you got lost as a guppy? Breathe. Take stock of your surroundings.

You closed your eyes for a moment, the fading light of day still reaching beyond your closed eyelids. You sucked in a cool lungful of saltwater, letting the feeling wash over you before you opened your eyes slowly. 

Adjusting to the light, you slowly began focusing on the open shallows around you. The seagrass was sparse here, but you dont think youve ever seen such a large grouping of coral before in your life. There was all matter of aquatic life surrounding the reef, anemones and small schools of fish swimming about, playing together. The sight reminded you of the flounders at the drop-off point. You wondered if they were still safe, still playing just beyond your reach. 

Your eyes turned to the sections of kelp, swaying in the sea current and stretching up to the water’s surface. The current was moving west, you noted. Might be helpful to remember should you choose to follow it to see where it leads. Hopefully home.

When you glanced up to the water's surface, you could just barely make out the beginnings of stars in the dark expanse above it. What was it the scrolled called it? The sky? That sounded about right. A place where water floated in light groupings called “clouds” and sprayed their weight back into the sea where it belonged. You felt quite like the water in those clouds now, actually, far from where you belonged. That was when you heard it. 

You could almost convince yourself that it was a trick of the ears, but the deep gurgling behind you made the repetitive motion of your tail still. Something was behind you, something big. You didn’t want to turn around. Here you were, all alone, so far from home that you didn’t even know where you were, but–

The gurgling changed. It sounded repetitive, mirthful. A laugh? So it wasn’t a something but rather a someone. You weren't sure which was worse, really. A rogue sea creature or a sentient being. But the area around you appeared barren save for the small sealife. Who would even live out here? Who could?

“Little one.”

You bristled at the tone. The voice was deep. It rolled over you like too-warm water, thick and heady. You didn’t dare turn towards it.

“Lost?” 

The words seemed stunted, like they were coming from lips that were unsure of their form. This stranger couldn’t have been from the kingdom. Or, if they were– your brain supplied– they hadn’t been there in a very long time. 

“No,” Was your eloquent reply. You were hoping you sounded sure of yourself, like a future king. Like your father. The words fell flat, shaky and hesitant, betraying your nerves. The gurgling laughter began again with gusto.

“No? You seem lost. Frightened?” The voice sounded amused, like an angler toying with its food. The comparison made you uneasy. You were top of the food-chain, here. You should act like it.

With your shoulders squared, face set in a carefully blank expression, you finally turned.

Only to be met with nothing. Were you imagining the voice? Were you hallucinating? You had to be. You turned around, looking left and right–

Oh. To your right, just far enough away that it wasn't noticeable at first glance, was the drop-off point. The jagged cliff edge was unmistakable now that you saw it. Your shoulders did not lose any tension upon the new knowledge, though you were glad to be in a familiar place. Home wasn’t that far away.

But then the situation clicked in your head. The unfamiliar cadence of a voice unused to speaking in the common tongue, the location, the laughter.

“Are you the Dark Cecaelia?” You were unable to stop the words from tumbling from your lips in a rush of bubbles. You had half a mind to slap your hand over your mouth to prevent yourself from endangering yourself further. What were you doing?

The laughter came again, deep, guttural, twisted. You swallowed thickly, flicking your tail to back away slightly. You couldn't see over the edge, you were too far away. But even that distance seemed too little. Too close.

“You could say that.” Fuck. Right. Of course. Who else were you expecting it to be? Perhaps you were hoping for it to be a younger merman, playing pranks on passerbys. How unfortunately wrong you were.

“You were here before,” The voice continued, unperturbed by your fearful silence. You felt your blood run cold, like polar water had been dunked over your unsuspecting head.

“..You saw me.” It shouldn’t be surprising. Of course he saw you. Why wouldn’t he? If this is where he was banished to, why wouldn’t he see you lounging prettily at his doorstep? The idea that this faceless evil had been watching you from afar, while you sat unsuspecting, made you suddenly want to cry. 

“I saw you.” The cecaelia confirmed. He sounded much too amused for your taste, causing your brows to crease in frustration, lips drawing into a pretty pout.

“Why can’t I see you?” The unknown was too scary. It left your imagination to run wild, piecing together all the little rumors you tried to ignore upon first listen. They all came to you now. Ink-black, large tentacles, sharp teeth, venom, deep voice. You couldn't even begin to picture his face, what the rest of him looked like. Perhaps knowing, having concrete evidence of his appearance would vanquish the worst of your fear. You were skilled enough in combat, could probably flee with relative ease should this turn sour, but something was rooting you to the spot. Something deeper than fear, something stronger. 

Curiosity. The need for knowledge, the desire to know everything. It held you fast in your spot, unable to hide behind anything. You were in the open, with nowhere to run but away, as fast as your fins could take you. 

“Why do you want to?” That was a fair question. Why did you ask that of him? Why couldn’t you keep your curiosity to yourself? Why couldn’t you be stronger, fearless– …Like your father. Why couldn’t you be like him? What would he do now? You paused for a moment, considering your options. Running like a coward was lower on your list than ever, unwilling to experience the shame of such an act, lest your father find out. That only left confidence, something that was failing you presently. You cleared your throat, hoping it would find you now.

“Because it is impolite to not look one in the eyes when speaking. We are speaking, no? Why do you hide?” Fuck. Now you’ve done it. Directly confronting the Dark Cecaelia himself, taunting him to reveal himself when he was already being kind enough to spare you the terror of beholding him. Why did you want that confidence, again? It seeped from your body like blood from a wound. Could he smell blood? …Could he smell fear?

“Politeness is useless out here.” His voice still held the air of amusement you detected previously. That was good. You hadn’t made him angry just yet. However, his reply only brought about more questions. If the customs of your home were null and void out here, just beyond the kingdom’s reach, what did matter? How should you conduct yourself? You were used to rules, your whole life was planned before you. How should one behave in a vacuum of that security, without that safety net to fall back on? Your confusion must have been clear as day upon your face.

“Power is what matters. Survival. Base instincts.” He sounded closer, yet you still couldn't see him. He must be lingering somewhere nearby, taunting you. You felt the weight of his gaze, the intensity burning your scales like scalding seawater from a thermal vent. Where was he?

“Power, of which you have none.” His words cut you deep, a painful laceration to remind you of your place, here. You had nothing. You were at his mercy, and apparently he thought it imperative to remind you of it, to let the knowledge of your own helplessness seep into your body like venom.

“Power? I–” You hesitated. He was right, you were essentially powerless. This was, in fact, his home, his domain. You were the stranger here. Even more worrisome was the fact that while you were skilled in combat, you had never fought a cecaelia. All of those extra, powerful limbs.. Realistically, what could you do in the face of that? He was entirely correct. That gurgling laughter bubbled up again. It didn’t matter what direction you turned in, it felt like he was surrounding you. He was close, and it was making your heart race to know that you wouldn’t even see him coming should he attack.

“Name.” It wasn’t a request. He did warn you, you supposed. There were no formalities out here. No societal niceties where there was no society to begin with. Your hands trembled at your side as you clenched them into fists. Somehow, you could feel his gaze dip to watch the movement. 

The second your name fell from your lips, you could sense a shift. Something darker, much more dangerous swirled in the water around you. You had the gnawing feeling that you had just made a critical error. The laughter reached a fever pitch, near hysterical in its glee. 

“The King’s son.”

You nodded in affirmation, the movement jerky and hesitant. Your tail twitched with the desire to flee, but the weight of that gaze kept you pinned. 

“Come to the cliff edge.” Another command. From his reaction to your name, you knew better than to try anything. He seemed on edge, now. Like a predator rearing back slowly, preparing to strike. You’ve never felt more like prey in your life, shivers licking up and down your spine and making your tail tremble as a result. That same shaking tail that carried you closer to what you could only assume was an attack. 

But no attack came. You peered over the edge slowly, big eyes wide so as to not miss a single movement in the water below. What your gaze caught on, however, was that same school of flounders you had seen before. They were playing again, tumbling around each other happily. Your eyes caught on something else floating around them, something you slowly began to recognise as fish food. You had a shell-full of it at home to feed your own pets–

Pets. 

These flounders were pets. His pets.

“You like them. You watched them play.” He was definitely watching you the entire time you were here last. But if he was right there watching you, why…?

“Why didn’t you come out last time?” You had to know. None of it made sense. Why wasn’t he attacking? Why did he not attack last time, either? Why was he so content to just sit and watch?

“Pretty,” was his simple reply. As if it was obvious, as if you were stupid for not figuring it out. Pretty..? Sure, you were familiar with the term, were used to it being used to refer to you. But like this? From his mouth, the word coated in that thick accent– it felt different. 

It felt good.

“That doesn’t–” You stumbled over your words, pink heat kissing the apples of your cheeks. “That doesn’t answer my question. Why didn’t you come out?” You felt a bit like a child right now. Petulant. Demanding. You normally never acted like this, like a whiny brat seeking attention, but the very idea that he was right here and chose to stay hidden and watch just rubbed you the wrong way. He should face you. He should watch you where you could s–

Oh. That’s a new thought. You wanted him to watch you, you didn’t want him to stop. What’s worse is you seemed to want to watch him watch you. Gods, what was happening to you? 

“I do not owe you an answer, little one. Do you need to be reminded again?” Heat continued to flush your cheeks, spreading down your chest and up to the tips of your ears. You burned with embarrassment, yet you still had half a mind to smack your tail against the silt out of childish frustration. Tears pricked your eyes, becoming one with the water around you.

“But, I–”

“But nothing. If there is something you want, you must say it with confidence. Anything less will get you killed out here.” He didn’t sound angry. On the contrary, he almost sounded amused, as if he was gently scolding a confused guppy. The feeling made your stomach turn in a way you were unfamiliar with. “The others are not nearly as kind as I am.”

Others. You had entirely forgotten that there was a whole group of cecaeliae out here, waiting to exact their revenge on the child of the King directly responsible for their exile. But that begs the question…

“Why are you so kind? The scrolls paint you as a heartless monster…” You trailed off, belatedly realising what you had just admitted. You had actively sought out information on him, you just admitted to wanting to know more. That knowledge was dangerous. 

“Why am I not what the scrolls say I am?” He finished for you, no doubt watching you closely when you nodded in affirmation. He paused for a moment, the contemplative silence stretching between the two of you. You ached to see him, to see what he looked like when he was so deep in thought, mulling over his next words with careful consideration. “Why are you not like your father?” 

Answering a question with another question? Classic deflection. The bratty guppy within you reared its ugly head again, this time you did not act quickly enough to tamp down the urge to show your frustration. An irritated groan spilled from you before you could stop it.

“Reveal yourself! I grow tired of this. Let me see you.” You whined, high and needy. You couldn’t control it. Everything this cecaelia said and did pulled these impulses up to the surface, coaxing your worst behaviours out of you with ease. He seemed to have greater control of you than you expected. 

“Hm.” He said nothing more. Silence stretched once again, but there was no contemplation, only stillness. As the seconds swam leisurely by, your anxiety only grew. How badly you wished to eat your words, to fix it, to hide those bitter impulses and bury them where they belonged. 

A hint of movement. Your eyes snapped to it immediately, catching the barest wisp of something in the depths. A tentacle, large and terrifying, slipped just out of view. Your breath hitched in your throat. 

There was another. Then another. You watched them as they squirmed and shifted in the dark water below the cliff, eyes following their lengths to where you hoped he would be. Up, up, up, your eyes followed until–

Eyes. Sharp, piercing, beautiful. Pretty lips and sharp teeth below a sculpted nose, stretched into a carnal grin.

“Thank you, pearl.” Oh, watching his mouth form the words, watching them fall from his lips like a bubble fountain. Gods, all the rumors were right, yet simultaneously did not do him justice. He was stunning, captivating in every possible way. He was so beautiful it was disarming, enough to distract you from just how sharp those teeth really were. No, you were too focused on the pink tongue that darted out to slide along their jagged points. 

Thank you..? Fuck. You said that out loud? You hadn’t been keeping track of yourself since you locked eyes with the Dark Cecaelia. You were much too entranced.

By the time you snapped out of it, you were far away from the cliff edge. You turned around in a flash of panic. How had you moved so far without feeling it? You had to squint your eyes to see the drop-off point, now. You–

Warm. Something warm and big was wrapping around your waist, circling around you entirely and holding you firmly. You looked down at it, stupefied. You should be scared. You should be fighting. You should do something– 

But why would you? It would be futile to fight, and instead of following your mind, you allowed yourself to fall into instinct. You went lax in the grip, allowing the cecaelia to turn you around to face him again. 

Hazy eyes met sharp ones, and you felt thoroughly scrutinized under his gaze. Like a flayed fish before him, stripped bare and vulnerable. You shuddered at the thought. Why? You had no idea. All sensible thought flew out of your mind the second you laid eyes on him. It was much easier to surrender to the feeling rather than fight it. 

He seemed to see something he liked within you, because he drew back with a cocky smirk stretching his lips. Your eyes followed the movement, enraptured. You took him in fully, seeing every detail up close. Shaggy hair fell around his shoulders, looking as if it were shorn by the dullest of blades. His skin was soft, almost begging you to touch. You wanted to touch, so you reached–

A tentacle grabbed you by the wrist, steadfast and secure. You tugged against it experimentally, once again going limp once you were sure the hold wouldn’t budge. By the time your eyes lazily made their way back up to meet his own, his face was much closer again.

“What spell is this..?” You croaked, voice thick and heavy. You couldn’t even begin to explain why you were so affected, only that you were. 

“You are lucky that I was the one who found you.” He easily ignored your question, and you watched in open fascination as his eyebrows creased in worry. You yearned to touch again, to smooth it out for him. Where were these urges coming from?

“Lucky..?” You echoed, cocking your head to the side. Something flashed in his eyes at the movement, and you swore you could feel the tentacle around your waist grip you just a little tighter. You squirmed. “Do that again.” You felt breathless, sounded breathless. You needed to feel that again. You needed to understand that feeling. Before you could clarify any further, a bell sounded in the distance.

A Bell. The belltower from home, signalling the turn of another hour. Home, where your father was no doubt waiting for you to return from the studies you abandoned. If the Dark Cecaelia noticed the way your entire body tensed at the sound and subsequent realisation, he didn’t mention it aloud. Instead, he just watched. His eyes trailed over every inch of your body as it remained stiff as coral under his touch. 

“Home…” You whispered. Your eyes were glazed over, clearly lost in a terrifying spiral of thoughts about what your father would do to you if he ever found out about this, about where you were, about who you were with– Shit. You had to get out of here, you had to–

“Easy, pretty. Easy.” A hand gripped your chin gently, much more gently than you could have ever expected, and guided you to look into his eyes. Gods those eyes, you could get lost in them forever, fall and fall and fall and never escape their depths. Your body immediately relaxed upon the eye contact, turning as soft as kelp in his hold.

“That’s it, pearl…” He soothed, voice deep and smooth, easing over your every worry like a healing salve. What were you so worried about, again…?

“You're going to go home in a moment, pearl– no, do not look at me with such fearful eyes. You will go home, but you will return to me. I expect you here by the second low-tide cycle every day, am I understood?” It was the most you had ever heard him speak in one go, and you were helpless to do anything but nod along. You’d agree to anything he said, it was far too great a temptation to give your assent when you were being held so firmly and spoken to so gently. He clicked his tongue behind razor-sharp teeth. He followed the sound with another command, “Words.”

“Yes…” You trailed, unsure of how long your voice would remain available to you. It felt like everything about you was fading in the face of such comfortable power. He cocked an eyebrow, expectant. You didn’t even have to think before the correct sentence bubbled past your lips, ticking both of your faces upon their exit from your pretty lips. 

“Yes, sir.”

–

“Where the hell were you? Do you have any idea how many guards I had scouring the Kingdom for you? Have you any clue the uproar your little vanishing stunt is going to cause?” Your father boomed, his voice slicing through the usually peaceful water within the pristine walls of the throne room. You kneeled before him, an acceptable distance away, head bowed in humility. Your hands were clenched together in fists in your lap, and you willed yourself to remain as perfectly poised as you had spent your whole life training to be.

“Father–”

“Save it. I do not wish to hear whatever feeble excuse you have to offer. My opinion remains the same. I have been far too gentle with you, allowing you to study in spaces of your choosing and on your own time. No more. You will adhere to a stricter schedule, and you are not permitted to leave your chambers until I deem you fit enough to be seen by the public once again.” Your father pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, and the hot shame of humiliation seeped into your bones slowly. What were you supposed to do? You could never raise a word against your father. While your subjects regarded you highly, they had no idea the power imbalance that occurred behind closed doors. They had no idea the treatment you truly faced within these gleaming walls, which, to you, seemed more akin to a prison. 

A gilded cage. 

“You will disappoint me no longer. You will become King someday, and I will be damned if I let childish rebellion be the end of our powerful kingdom. Leave me.” Your father waved his wrist, not even sparing you a glance. You sucked in a slow gulp of seawater, trying to steady your shaking limbs as you pushed yourself up from your place on the floor. You were used to this, but the humiliation never ceased. No matter how much you disliked your father, part of you continued to yearn for his approval, to be told you were enough, that you did well, that you were loved. But you knew your place. You may be related by blood, but the weight of the crown overshadowed any allegiance. 

So you accepted your fate with your head bowed, and made your way silently to your chambers under the watchful eye of a guard you had never bothered getting to know the name of.

–

Once the doors had been closed and locked behind you with a resounding finality, you allowed yourself to sink pathetically onto your bed. The soft sponge gave way under you, cradling your body as you tried to burrow deeper into its comfort. Maybe if you tried hard enough, you’d be able to hide from it all. 

You groaned. It was fruitless, of course. Running was never an option for you. You had a kingdom to take over one day, to rule over your subjects with an iron fist like your father and his father before him. Was that really you, though? The Pearl of the Sea, ruling like your father, the Iron King? It was unlikely. You knew you weren’t cut out for the same method of ruling, but he refused to hear it. What he wanted, he got, and that included you. You’d become whatever he wanted you to be, and you had no choice over the matter. When you lifted your head, your gaze caught on the closed shutters of your windows. 

If you were trapped here, you might as well be productive, right? Perhaps even enjoy the view? With limbs that felt like the lead on a fishing line, you eased yourself up and swam closer to your windows. You eased the shutters open, watching the waves far above you dance and refract the light of the sun above. You remember from your studies and first-hand sightings that creatures lived up there, whole civilizations thrived above water. Though part of that couldn’t quite make sense in your brain, especially when you were younger. How could one swim above water? How could one breathe? You knew better, by now, but it still seemed funny to you. You rested your head upon your hand, leaning against the windowsill as you continued observing and contemplating the world around you. Far off to the east, you could barely make out the looming shadow of the mainland, the grey rocks forming the cliffside were unmistakable. You remember seeing creatures with long appendages instead of tails, even recently hearing a group of merpeople set upon bullying a poor humanoid while you sunbathed on a nearby rock. You wouldn’t call them friends, not really. Friends aren’t as cruel or power-hungry as those merpeople were. You considered their behaviour to be much more in line with sirens than mermaids. In that case, the bullying wouldn't have surprised you. Sirens were tricky, fickle creatures. A darker variety of chimera like the cecaeliae.

Upon the thought of him, your eyes darted immediately to where the drop-off point was. You could just barely see the grass plains that lay before it. Sometimes, when the water currents were at ease and the water pollution was low, you could clearly see the outcrops of shale and volcanic rock that made up the drop-off point. To your knowledge, the area itself was set on the edge of a vast crater, deep and dangerous. No civilized merman would venture down there, not voluntarily. You had to be truly cruel to survive in such an environment, where most places within the crater not even the light dares to touch. 

Anything less will get you killed out here…

You shuddered at the memory of deep-voiced warnings, of warmth and the security and strength that came with being held fast and still by something bigger than yourself. The second low-tide cycle was usually around the few hours surrounding midnight, when the sky and sea were as dark as void. You were trapped up here, unable to leave the rooms that comprised your chambers. How were you supposed to honour your promise? Leaving the Dark Cecaelia waiting was simply not an option. You were not stupid enough to make an enemy of him.

This left you in quite the dilemma. You were at a crossroads, knowing either way could spell your ruin. Just what chances were you willing to take?

You shifted your gaze to the kingdom below you– or, more accurately, the ground far below your window. The sun would be setting soon, and with it, the tides would change. You sent one glance behind you to the doors, which remained untouched as they were when you first were locked inside. Your father had never loved you. No amount of following his commands would change that. But his enemy..? 

You would need to wait for the cover of night to find out.

– 

The eerie quiet of the seagrass plains were unsettling to say the least. You shifted the bag on your shoulder, your minimal items clinking together quietly. It was a good thing you had the foresight to wrap them in cloth first before absconding out your open window. Of course, you stuffed pillows under your sheets to make it appear you were there should someone open your door to check on you, but it was merely a precaution. You knew no one would. 

You didn’t have much, just a few essentials. Your pouch was filled with seashells, emergency rations and a few select weapons. You came out of your room with a goal in mind, and you were going to see to it that it was accomplished. 

Everything looked different under the glaring lack of illumination breaking through the waves overhead. The churning of them made you uneasy. There must be a storm kicking up. You frowned, finding it harder to swim toward your destination when the currents picked up more and more, the further you swam along. Your arm came up to shield your eyes from the silt that mixed in with the more aggressive currents, trying and failing to aid your view of the area surrounding you. Just a bit further, you could almost see the cliffs edge–

Warm. Something warm and big slithered around your waist, and you immediately wanted to relax into the touch but… Something about it. Something about the weight of it, the warmth, the feeling–

Wrong. It was all wrong. Immediately you began to thrash, to shake off the hold on your waist, but it was already too late. You were being dragged, harshly, through the churning water. You tried opening your eyes, willing to brave the onslaught of sand in order to free yourself, but you stopped short. Ink. You were surrounded by ink. You couldn't see out, and the chilling realisation settled in your body that it also meant no one could see you. Even if you managed to cry out for help loudly enough to catch someone's attention, cecaelia ink alone would dissuade them from coming to your aid. You were on your own, here. 

Suckers pulled at your skin, leaving angry red blooms across your soft skin, and it fucking burned. Gone were the sure, strong touches you were yearning for, all was replaced by the way this cecaelia seemed to want to rip you to shreds. 

“Evil thing,” The voice mocked you, unfamiliar and scary. “You will pay for your fathers crimes with your blood.” You couldn’t afford to be rendered still by fear, you had to move. You swung your arm out, reaching blindly for the bag you were carrying. If you could reach your weapons, if you could reach anything, you could better your chances of survival. You felt the brush of the familiar material against your fingertips, and you slammed your hand down on it, hoping it would give you enough leverage to grip the knife inside without leaving yourself too open to attack–

Crunch. 

White-hot pain seared up your arm. A scream bubbled from your lips, unbidden and guttural in its anguish. You didn’t need to see the damage to know that your forearm was broken. Quite badly, if the feeling was anything to go by. You had bigger issues to worry about. Snickers seeped into the inked water around you, amused by your pained cries. The grip on your waist loosened just enough for you to seize your chance. Swallowing the bile rising in your throat due to the pain, you reached again with purpose. Your fingers found purchase around the cold hilt of your knife. You were infinitely glad that the damaged arm was not your dominant one as you fixed your grip on your weapon. What was it your instructor always said?

Find an opening, strike.

You needed that opening. An opening you did not currently have, not with the way this cecaelia was ripping at your waist and tail. Sharp teeth and nails found your skin, tugging with the intent to tear you apart. It was working, clearly. The tangy smell of your blood mixing in with the disgusting smell of ink in the water. You were surely going to attract other predators if you didnt get out of here fast– assuming you lived long enough to do so.

Luckily, the bloodied wounds marring your skin proved to be just the opening you needed. The substance made the cecaelia’s grip slip off of your torso, leaving him unsteady and open for attack. Your previous combat practices rung in your ears. 

Strike.

You swung your good arm, striking the cecaelia and burying the knife deep into the side of his ribs. Clearly not anticipating the return of violence, he fell back just enough that his tentacles released you. You stood your own ground, now, falling into a much more familiar fighting stance. Your body was weary, coated in blood and your arm hurt, but the adrenaline settled into something worse than instinct. You were a predator, after all. 

Act like it.

You didn’t give the cecaelia time to recuperate. You took your opening and lashed with furious precision, a sick satisfaction blooming in you as you watched his blood seep into the water and mix with his own ink every time you drove the knife into him. Tentacles tried to grasp at you, but a harsh slash of your knife through the gummy flesh of the appendage, severing it from its host, took care of that problem. You couldn’t hear his screaming anymore, couldn’t hear him pleading for you to let him go.

Your previous fears about attracting predators in the nearby water were all but forgotten. You were the one with the scent of blood in your nose, and you wanted more. 

Slash, slash, slash– 

You didn’t stop. You couldn’t stop. You didn’t even know if he was still trying to attack you anymore, but you didn’t take the chance to find out. You just kept stabbing, and stabbing, and stabbing–

“Little one.”

You whirled around, a crazed look in your eyes. You must have been quite the sight to behold; blood seeping from your wounds and into the water in delicate whisps, arm broken and turned in a way that looked wrong, bloodied knife clutched in a white-knuckled grip that you immediately raised upon instinct. 

“...How long were you floating there?” Your tone was flat, not truly asking a question. It was a demand– like your father would make. The Dark Cecaelia made no move to reply, instead studying your body as if taking inventory of your injuries. The action only stirred up the dark depths of your fury.

“I said…” You approached, chest heaving with the effort it took to keep yourself upright and battle-ready, “How long have you been fucking floating there!?” You were nearly on top of him now, face to face with the cecaelia you came here for, the one you just risked your life to meet at his behest. Your mind flew to wild places, accusatory voices in your head spewing volatile words towards him, ones that you were powerless in your current state to stop. 

“Where the fuck were you!?” You seethed, fist clenching around the hilt of the knife harder, preparing for a strike you had no control over. You were mad with rage, head clouded with bloodlust and self-preservation. Anyone around you was a threat, especially someone who sat there and watched you get attacked and did nothing. Watching. Was that all he ever did? It seemed that way, now. All he had ever done with you was observe, and it never failed to make your skin crawl. The weight of his gaze was too much, too overwhelming, too disarming. Go for the eyes–

A sting erupted in your wrist, forcing you to drop the knife. You were unable to do much else than watch it slowly sink to the sea floor. Your breathing remained uneven, body poised to strike even without the weapon in your hands. You raised the only good one left– Or, you tried to. It didn't move. You strained harder, staring down at the unresponsive limb. You grew frustrated, a growl rumbling in your chest at the mark on your wrist. At first glance, it might seem like a remnant of your earlier fight for your life, but you knew it was much too small to have come from one of your attacker's suckers. No, this was smaller, pointed, like a pinprick.

“Did you just sting me…? What fucking right do you have to do that–” 

“Little one.” He sounded insistent, now, imploring. The tone immediately doused the fire within you like a cool rain, snuffing out the embers of your rage with gentleness. You swallowed, jaw snapping shut.

“You did well. You defended yourself. You took a life in exchange for your own.” He paused, weighing the words in his mouth until he seemed to find the ones he was searching for. His eyes trailed from you to the heap of cecaelia meat behind you. To call it a body would be too kind. He met your eyes again, the moment stretching between you uncomfortably. You didn’t dare speak. He stung you already. It wouldn’t take much else to snuff your life out entirely right now. 

“You are not like your father.” He spoke with finality, like he was unsure of the truth of the statement before, like you had just proved him wrong. Perhaps you had. Perhaps he saw you differently, now. The thought should make you preen, but it only served to make you glower, anger slowly simmering back to life. 

Your arms dangled uselessly at your sides, one from your injury and the other due to his potent venom, but you ached with the need to attack. You were still too high-strung, too deep in your panic for survival. Without your arms, you felt far too vulnerable. You bared your teeth, nose scrunching when he made to approach you further. You snapped at his hand when it approached your face. Too fast, your mind panicked. Threat.

But the touch was soft. Reverent, gentle in a way that sent your fight-or-flight ridden brain into a tailspin. Just as you began to ease into the touch, his grip turned colder, tightening around your chin to force you to look at him. Your eyes snapped open. When had you closed them?

“Not at me. Never at me. If you are to learn to hold your ground properly against a cecaelia and escape unscathed, you will never bare your guppy teeth at me. Am I understood?” His tone was icy, commanding in a way that sunk into your skin like oil. Your heart was beating wildly in your chest still, yet his presence seemed to help even out your breathing anyway. You nodded shakily. His grip softened again, gathering your shaking form up and cradling you close in his arms.

“Close your eyes.” You didn’t really need the instruction, eyes closed as soon as you pressed your face into the crook of his neck. You barely knew this creature, but the grip he held you in felt suddenly like safety, a welcome respite for your battered and stressed body. You felt water rush around you, the movement reminding you that you were being taken elsewhere with neither your knowledge nor permission, but you ignored it in favour of nosing against the column on his throat to seek out more of his body heat. 

A chuckle bubbling from his chest should have made you nervous, perhaps even shy, but you were too overwhelmed to react accordingly, to behave as proper as you should be. Customs were left at the Kingdoms gate as far as you were concerned. In his arms, traveling who knows where with this cecaelia… No longer were you a prince, and he your kingdom’s mortal enemy. Instead, you were just you, and he was just… God, you didn’t even know his name. 

“Your name..” You prompted, voice sluggish with exhaustion as it settled deep in your bones, “You never told me.” 

The laughter you had grown familiar with now rang out again, like what you had said was truly amusing. You lifted your head from its comfortable resting place with great effort, and he outright cooed at your bewildered expression. You pouted.

“You know mine, can I not know yours? It’s much too formal to call you by the title my father gave you. It feels insulting…” You confessed, eyebrows pulling together in a furrow. His thumb rubbed gentle patterns into your still-numb arm. 

“Once we are home, I will tell you,” He soothed, like he was speaking to a fussy infant. The implication of his tone made your ears warm. Home? He must have seen your expression at the word, and your subsequent confusion over it, but he made no move to clarify. As far as he was concerned, it seemed his home was now yours. Maybe that was enough for now, your thoughts grew too muddled to properly sort them, so you succumbed to the urge to return to the safety of his neck.

–

When you finally blinked your eyes open, you found yourself in a cave of some sort. The first thing you noticed was that the walls were smoothed out purposefully, little shelves carved into them to hold little bottles of glowing fluids and other interesting trinkets. Magic, your brain sluggishly supplied, cecaeliae can wield magic. 

The second thing you noticed was that you couldn't move. It wasn’t a frightening realisation, somehow your body knew before you looked down at yourself that you were still safe in the Dark Cecaelia’s hold. You took stock of yourself, your body felt… much better. Gone was the bone peeking through your non-dominant arm, it was just as it was before the attack, blemishless and supple skin returned to its former glory. You marveled at it for a second longer before your gaze trailed to the mass of tentacles wrapping around every part of your body. You followed them up, eyes lazily trailing up to meet the eyes of the Dark Cecaelia himself, who was already watching you with an unreadable look in his eyes. In the back of your mind, you registered that he was still rubbing soothingly over your no-longer-numb arm. 

“Beomgyu,” He spoke, voice deep and thick and settling over you as beautifully as his tentacles did. You blanked for a second, blinking at him with sleep still clinging to your lashes. What?

“Beomgyu?” You repeated, head lolling to rest against his shoulder. You were now eye level with his jaw, which you sleepily trailed your finger along the line of, feeling the stubble. It helped remind you that this was real, that he was here and holding you so safely. He smiled.

“My name.” He stated it simply, the hint of a shrug jostling your head ever-so-slightly. You frowned at the movement, which he somehow must have picked up on because he laughed. You wiggled in his grip in retaliation, testing how much you could move and– 

Oh. That felt nice. You felt his grip tighten on you when you struggled, though he knew your struggle was only for show and testing limits. The added pressure made your stomach flip in a way you were beginning to become familiar with. It only ever happened with him. With Beomgyu.

“Beomgyu.” You echoed it again, feeling the weight of it on your tongue, wrapping your lips around the vowels. You liked the way it felt to do so, to say his name and hear him hum in response. You didn’t have the brain power quite yet to notice that you sounded a little too breathless, a little too whiny.

“What is it, pretty?” He prompted, though you could tell by the way he spoke that he wasn’t quite looking for an answer. Your hand was splayed against his chest, and now that you noticed it, you simply couldn’t look away. Your fingers twitched against his skin, nails just barely biting into the flesh. He hummed again, the sound deep and stirring something within you again. 

“Do it again,” you breathed, echoing a request you remember uttering a day prior. Was it only a day ago that you felt this inexplicable pull, a dangerous desire for more? It was hard to wrap your mind around. Surely you were under some sort of spell, but by this point you didn’t care. You needed more. Needed more of Beomgyu.

He tilted his head, as if confused for a moment before realization dawned on him. Ah, yes, he remembered the last time you begged for him so sweetly like that, with not a clue in the world what you were truly asking for. It was adorable, truly. His grip tightened around you once again, pressing against your body from torso to tail. You choked on a gasp.

“Little one.” You couldn’t bring yourself to reply, head too fuzzy from the affect his actions had on you. All you could manage was a distant-sounding hum, and little else. He seemed pleased with that, if the rumble in his chest was anything to go by. You wiggled in his grip again, needy. Needy for what, you didn't quite know. 

“Little one,” He tried again. You hummed again, a bit faster this time. Why wasn't he doing it again? What was taking so long? “Do you even know what you want, right now?”

You shook your head. No, you didn’t. But you didn’t really care to, as long as he continued. 

The tentacles removed themselves from your body, and you keened high in your throat, indignant at being denied. Warm hands shifted your weight, making you sit up. You slowly met his eyes, and the intensity in them froze you in your place. His gaze trailed down, and the image of him staring at something near your lap, slack-jawed and wanting left you feeling like a red-hot iron. Hot, searing the water around you to a boiling point. You squirmed under the weight of it, and found yourself slowly following his gaze. What your eyes finally landed made you freeze.

A slit. Something you knew was there, realistically. You knew biology, of course, but the normally closed opening was open and dripping something thick. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment. You were aroused this whole time? God, if that's what it felt like, you no longer judged those who spent their lives seeking this pleasure. You found yourself gnawing at your lower lip upon the realisation. You hesitantly looked back up at him, hands moving to cover yourself. 

“I– I’m sorry if I made you uncom–” He cut you off, snatching your wrists and pulling them away from your lap. 

“Do not hide yourself from me. Tell me what it is that you want.” His words left no room for debate. They never did. He took command over you like it was as easy as breathing, and with how frequently he did so, it might as well be. You swallowed, trying to combat the lump settling in your throat. You let your hands settle by your side obediently. You wracked your brain, trying to figure out how to answer him. What did you want? Everything, you knew. You wanted everything from him. You wanted to leave your fathers image behind. You wanted to be held again. You wanted to be wrapped up in his tentacles again, unable to escape. You wanted to learn to fight back. You wanted to make Beomgyu proud.

A cheshire grin spread on Beomgyu’s face. Shit. You said that aloud, didnt you? You seemed to do that around him without intending to. His power over you was truly astounding.

“Flattery, my pearl, will get you everywhere you wish to be.” The smile remained, unwavering. It seemed to grow sharper, predatory, and it sent heat licking at the base of your spine. 

“You want to make me proud, want to learn to fight like a real cecaelia? Your father always was hesitant to follow my suggestions, brilliant as they were... But it seems I’ve gained something far greater after my exile.” He trailed a finger along your arm, watching in thinly-veiled amusement as gooseflesh erupted in the wake of his touch. He followed an invisible line, tracing up your shoulder, collarbone, neck, jaw. At last, he held your chin between his thumb and forefinger, eyes locked hungrily on your lips. 

“I gained you.”

The words stole the breath from your lips. He.. thought you alone were worth all the torment he went through at the hands of your father? You struggled to wrap your mind around it. Surely this was all just sweet words designed to ensnare, to trap you, keep you pliant against his every whim. If it was, it was working. You were doomed.

“You gained me,” You echoed, unable to look away. He had bewitched you, mind, body and soul, and you were powerless to say no. It was useless to deny it, to pretend he did not possess you wholly. “I am yours.”

A groan tumbled from his mouth, and he leaned forward just a fraction more. You could feel the warm water of his breath rushing over your face, and you suddenly ached for him to be closer, yet his grip held you right where he wanted you. Just a breath away. 

“You have no idea what you do to me.” He whispered it like a secret, like reverent devotion meant only for you to hear. Your heart swooped dangerously in your chest at the words, squirming slightly. You needed to be closer, needed to feel how true his words were. You needed him to prove it.

“So show me.” Your words were simple, perhaps too simple. You couldn’t stop them if you tried, far too breathless and high-strung to deny the desire any further. You were tired of the tension, of the gaze on you from afar. You needed him up close, needed him to do more than just watch. You needed him to touch.

And touch, he did.

He surged forward with no warning, pressing his lips to yours in a searing, claiming kiss. You immediately yielded to it, allowing him to take what he needed, and give you everything. You thrilled at the contact, the way his lips pressed to yours before he grew too greedy for anything remotely chaste. Sharp teeth nibbled at your bottom lip, creating tiny cuts that made you hiss into the contact, yet you didn’t dare pull away. You couldn’t now, even if you tried. He held you fast against him, a crushing grip against your arms to keep you in place. His tongue traced along the duller edges of your teeth, pressed over the roof of your mouth, tangled with your own tongue, and you were helpless. You wined, high and desperate in your throat. You had never even been kissed before, much less did you imagine your first kiss would be such an intense claiming. You reveled in it, the electric feeling dancing through your body and settling hot and heavy at the base of your stomach. That thick liquid continued to make a mess of your lap, and you outright sobbed when a finger trailed gingerly over the edges, spreading the fluid. 

You felt positively dizzy, pliant and vulnerable to his every whim.

“Beomgyu…” You cried against his lips, though you weren’t exactly sure what you were calling for. You needed less, you needed more, you needed everything. He was somehow able to understand you, smiling against you before finally pulling away. You rocked forward, attempting to chase him. He laughed.

“My pearl,” He replied in kind, delicately cupping your cheek, rubbing his thumb over your cheekbone. He had that soft, awed look on his face again that made you feel wholly wanted, wholly desired. You sighed against his palm, leaning into it to press a kiss to the skin closest to your lips. “If you do this, you can never go back. You know this, right?”

Never going back. To the castle, you assumed. The idea of never returning to your father should scare you, but it didn't. You were safe out here, tucked up close to Beomgyu, far from your father’s influence. His power stopped at the drop-off point, the same place where Beomgyu’s began. You would be safe as long as you had him to keep you that way, and there was no doubt he would teach you what he knew, turn you into a fearsome fighting machine. Someone he would be proud to show off to the others. You preened at the idea, nodding your head vigorously.

“I never needed him. I only need you.”

–

If someone had told you just weeks ago that you'd be the lover of the Dark Cecaelia, that you had given up your crown for dark water and uncertainty, you would have laughed them out of the room. There was no way you wouldn’t follow in your fathers footsteps, becoming just like him atop the throne. There was no way you'd give up your whole life for this stranger, for this danger made so obvious by the texts you grew up reading. But Beomgyu was nothing like the scrolls, and you were nothing like your father.

You were happy, and perhaps that was all you ever needed. 

[koqabear]

EDCUSE ME WANNA PLAY A GAME ??? HELLO WHAT ??? NAH WHEN YEONJU KNOCKED HER OUT I KNEW HE WASNT THE KILLER CUZ THINGS WERENT ADDING UP. HE WAS THERE ALL THE FREAKING TIME, MY SUSPECT'S WERE BEOMGYU AND TAEHYUN BUT AT ONE POINT I WAS LIKE STOP ITS HIM ITS FUCKING HIM. THAT WAS SO GOOD I ENJOYED IT AND IS IT BAD I WANT MORE ? THO I WANNA KNOE HOW HE KILLED WOOYOUNG AND RYUJIN THO ? MAYBE I DO WANT A TIMELINE HOW HE MANAGED THAT. my theories i feel like HE GOT STABBED IN THE FIRST PART WAS KILLING THEM BOTH AND ALSO I FEEL LIKE IF YN DIDNT WALK IN HE MIGHTVHAVE KILLED BEOMGYU ? HE WOULD BE THE FIRST VICTIM IDK THOUGHTS. I havent watched scream iv yet maybe i shoulf now after this... also i was THINKING THE BOTH OF THEM (as in yeonjun and beomgyu) JUST WITNESSED YN AND TAEHYUN DO IT, WHILE THEY FIGHT TO SURVIVE BUT WHEN IT SAID THEY WERE KONCKED OUT I WAS RELIEVED. I WANNA KNOW IF YN LIVES OR NOT. jk no pressure i loved the ending it was GOOD AND I BELIEVE ITS GOOD CONSIDERING ITS HORROR/THRILLER . AS SOMEONE WHO LIKE THRILLER / HORROR ALOT THE ENDING SURELY DOES THE FIC JUSTICE BUT THO YN PLS I HOPE YOU SURVIVE. I HAVE RWAD IT LIKE THIRCE CUZ IM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HE KILLED THEM OR STAB them ++ this fic game me major cant you see me mv vibes

HELLO AKLVAHDGFKLGJH i kid you not this ask got buried beneath all the chaos BAD. because i remember seeing this and being like ??? WHEN did this get sent in ?!?! you’d think it’d be impossible to miss a paragraph like this but,, its me we’re talking about unfortunately.

(full response under the cut!)

🤭🤭🤭 i will say that i was indeed trying to mess with the readers a bit when i threw that yeonjun scene in… like i knew it didn’t make sense given how the timeline went but idk. i like sneaking in a silly plot twist ! (i think it’d be insane if i did make yeonjun the killer. like how tf would that have worked)

im sure you’ve probably seen them already, (😭) but i’ve provided things in other asks like a timeline and insight on certain aspects of the story (huening and yeji, the reveal scene) and even a small ramble on what i think happened after the story ended :3 

NOW THE BEOMGYU THING… ooooh…. while beomgyu wasn’t a target (which is discussed in the ask where i talk about what happens after the fic ends) i think it definitely would’ve added an interesting new aspect to taehyun and mc’s relationship… it really make me think and wonder haha

im gonna be honest, scream iv was…. not for me…! not bc it was too gory or scary or whatever (the sfx was actually kinda cool to see aklaghd) but idk… the story was just kinda on the eh side for me. but this is also coming from a bitch who had never seen any of the scream franchise movies so,,, take that as you will. (i literally watched videos about the scream timeline to get a better understanding of the franchise and the tropes LMAO) 

i willlllll say that ive gotten requests about wpag for my 2k event (good and bad endings) so you’ll definitely be seeing more of them in the future!! but im so happy to hear that you think i did the thriller/horror genre justice omg, i always get a bit nervous when writing fics like these 😭😭but thank you again for your feedback ! <3333

[enluv]

Justice for beomgyu because he lost your poll ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

omg i haven’t checked the results 🫣

[my313]

holy shit this .. was so good oh my god ive been thinking abt wizard beomgyu since his long hair pics dropped and u did it so much justice 😭 your writing is so beautiful ???? you’re so good omg it acc felt like being in an alternate magical world in the fields gjkdjfg i love toto being the familiar its so cute :( my fave was when beomgyu talked about wizard beomgyu and the apprentice who stole his heart and describing her jfkflaoroodjd u_u my heart </3

⟢ to swallow a star | c.bg

pairing: wizard!beomgyu x apprentice!f!reader. genres: fluff, romcom, fantasy. wc: 1,7k. warnings: this is so silly and unedited 💀. an: i was trying to make a point with the last paragraph but my brain isn’t working, but i am a howl girlie so just pretend u get it 🤣 found the last photo on pinterest with no credits, so credit to the original artist 🫶🏻

it is late afternoon down by lilac lane. the spring sunlight douses the cottage in gold, lighting up the grassy hills and fields, glittering off a nearby rushing creek. it allows warmth to seep in through the windows.

normally, on a cozy sunday such as this, you would be curled up on the soft upholstery armchair in the sitting room, with tabby purring in your lap and a volume of the Wizard Howl’s Why One should Not Swallow Stars series between your fingers. But today you were not, and it vexes you greatly to think of it. rather, you are standing on the tips on your toes, leaning over the sink, to squint through the kitchen window.

a great deal of time had passed since you saw the Wizard Beomgyu, under whom you were serving an apprenticeship. he had disappeared into the fields behind the cottage earlier that very afternoon, promising to teach you a new charm once he had returned. and this promise had pleased you.

for the first few weeks in his care, you and beomgyu had gotten along remarkably well. he would teach you spells and enchantments, you would prepare meals and you would share chores and tending to the cottage equally. in your free time you would tag along on his jobs in town, or you would read and he would paint.

but in the next few weeks that took you up to the current third month at the cottage, his behavior had changed drastically. the good-natured, occasional prankster of a man had reverted to a sulking, misbehaving teenager who had not taught you a thing in days.

so the thought of his unhappiness being cured and him now having the time to teach you, enlivened the witch in the exasperated nurse you had become. but that excitement had long since met its end. and as the clock struck five o’clock, your blood boiled.

a flash of green sweeps through the open window and you drop onto your heels. tabby lifts her head from where she had sat napping between the potted plants near you on the sink, one eye opening slowly to follow the squawking bird.

“toto,” you say, relieved to see the wizard’s familiar. you follow him into the sitting room, where he glides around once more before taking his perch. “where have you been? where is your master?”

he squawks. “miss (y/n), master requests your presence at poppy hill.”

“poppy hill?” you say in surprise, “i thought he was in the fields. is something the matter?” then your eyes shine, “is it time for my lesson at last?”

toto lets out a nervous squawk. “you should take your leave before last light, miss.”

“will you guide me to him, toto?” you ask politely. the parrot nods his head before hopping from his perch and sailing through the kitchen window once more.

you tighten your boots quickly, pausing only to check on tabby. “are you coming, girl?”

her countenance was such that, if she were a person, you’d imagine she would sigh unenthusiastically. but she nevertheless hopped off and ran after you at your heels.

you follow toto deep into the fields and up onto poppy hill where the Witch Karina grew and nurtured her genus of wild flowers. it pales you to imagine he had spent the entirety of his afternoon here, but you perk up when toto leads you down the windward side of the hill.

you come to a stop as you find the Wizard Beomgyu seated amongst red common poppies, the last light catching his features and making them glow. the gentle breeze brushes through his long, golden brown hair as he soaks it up. when the light disappears behind the mountains at last, toto settles atop his head and his eyes flutter open. he greets toto with a smile, then turns to you and his eyes light up. you gulp.

“(y/n)!” he says, climbing to his feet. as his hands clear the grass and dirt from his trousers, he starts toward you and continues, “i’m glad you could make it. i was just talking to karina and—”

you fix your hands on your hips and a severe expression on your face. he stops, fear in his eyes. you march toward him and he shrieks. “where have you been! you promised you would teach me today, beomgyu! what is the meaning of this!” you say, poking a finger into his chest.

“i was—”

“i have been patient! so patient with you these weeks and you go and leave me at noon until evening! what have you to say for yourself, sir!”

his frown morphs into a smile and you are simply flabbergasted. but before you can berate him further, he takes your hand into his gently. he presses his lips to your knuckles and then rubs his thumb over them gently.

“i have left you? why, i could never do such a thing my dear,” he says and your face burns red.

“wha– wai– i beg your pardon!” you exclaim. but he maintains his hold on your hand and leads you further down the hill until you reach the middle of the slope. “do you think you can treat me like those swooning ladies in town!”

the sky is now dark and the stars are twinkling above, the moonlight shimmering silver against the blades of grass beneath your feet. you try and use the fragrance of the flowers and the earth to distract you from how warm and soft his hand feels, but then he takes your other hand and pulls you toward him.

“there is going to be a meteor shower tonight.” he says excitedly, as if it explains anything. but you are much too distracted by his closeness and his touch and his prettiness to argue. “i have planned it all with Karina. she will—“

you finally manage to yank your hands from his. “i do not care to be in your presence now, sir. you refuse to explain your behavior! i am your apprentice, you are supposed to teach me. if our arrangement— if my company is not to your liking anymore simply say so and I will take my leave.”

you start your walk back up the hill, which, being now by your full senses, proved to be a lot more taxing than the journey down it. it only aggravates you more. but you gather your dress in your hands and push on. he rushes after you.

“i will swallow a star!”

you stop in your tracks. you turn to him. “what?”

“i will swallow a star,” he repeats, folding his arms across his chest with a resolved expression on his face. “so that i may compete with that pretty boy you like so much.”

you blink. “compete? with that pretty boy? who– The Wizard Howl? Pendragon?”

he does not answer, but turns his face up to the night sky with a pout. your jaw drops in absolute bafflement. then you burst out laughing. his cheeks turn pink.

“oh, beomgyu,” you sigh, taking his face into your hands and turning it to you. “howl’s books are about why we should not contract deals with demons for power; his own autobiography. and you are a powerful wizard of your own accord, why should you need to be like him?”

toto squawks. “that is what i told him, Miss.”

“you shut up,” he snaps, swatting his familiar away. when your hands drop from his face, he returns them to their place and he leans into your touch, still pouting. “but you like him so much. you’re always reading those things and talking to tabby and mrs rochester from the bakery about him.”

you grin, a blush glowing in your cheeks. “beomgyu, the wizard howl is a happily married man with a sweet two-year old son. the story of his life is remarkable to me, so I read about him.”

he stills. “really?”

you drop your head and giggle. when you look up again, he is watching you with a look in his eyes that makes your chest flutter.

“and what about you?” you say, fixing your hands on your hips again. “what were you doing all day with Miss Karina?”

he perks up. “oh! i spent the afternoon trying to convince her to let us borrow her field for the evening. she agreed on the condition that i promenade with her in town tomorrow.”

you glare at him and smack his shoulder. “And you said yes? i cannot believe you! courting couples promenade together! i—“

he hooks an arm around your waist and pulls you flush against his chest. “i am a cunning wizard, darling. i may have pulled one on her,” he shrugs, “besides. how could i dream of courting anyone else when you are right here.”

then his eyes flit to your lips, asking, and when you nod, he takes them between his own in a sweet kiss.

when you break apart your breath is shaky and you think that if he should remove his arm from your waist you would fall straight to the ground. he smirks, as if he reads your mind.

“sh- she’s going to curse you once she figures it out. d-do you not know of howl and the witch of the waste?”

at that moment the meteor shower begins, like glittering diamonds shooting across the heavens. you stare up in awe. tabby meows and rubs her head against your legs, while toto perches on beomgyu’s shoulder.

he gently takes your chin between his fingers and draws your attention back to him.

“do you know of the wizard beomgyu and the apprentice who stole his heart?” he says softly, bringing your face closer and closer and closer. “they say she was was vivacious,” he kisses one corner of your mouth, “unyielding,” then the other, “a powerful witch in the making who was not wise of what she was doing before it was far too late.”

your breathing is heavy and your eyes hooded, “w-what happened to them? the wizard and the apprentice?”

his lips curl into a soft smile. “the apprentice and her wizard’s fates became inseparable, and they were destined to love one another in this and every lifetime.”

he pulls you in once more, this kiss much different from the first. he holds you impossibly close, a hand buried in your hair and the other lifting you up to his lips. it is enrapturing and toe-curling and your insides melt.

you decided then and there that the Wizard Howl Jenkins Pendragon was a charlatan. for if this is what it felt like to swallow a star, to give your heart to another and share a life, you would choose it with beomgyu, every single day.

scintillasofbeomgyu © all rights reserved. do not copy, translate, alter, or repost in any way.

[wildernessuntothemselves]

you did it again queen constantly raising the bar for us all.. honeslty chapter 5 was the best chapter so far literally 12/10 nothing can beat it. it was so well written you could actually see how the rape affected oc and how her behaviour after it tore at gyu. i didn’t disagree with a single thing she did.. in my eyes she did no wrong she was not a weak bitch in this chapter.. even the semi smut scene wasn’t that bad =bc listen gyu talking about a family heirloom and the beach day and knowing she’ll never see him again. i completely understand how it ate her up on the inside and she felt the need to kiss him. . moving on i genuinely love how u write wonyoung as being kind bc so many ppl hate her for being pretty and just assume she’s a bitch (which idk the girl but she probs isn’t) and her kindness continues to outshine everyone in that castle (even if her loyalty lies with her brother which it would for me tbh) (especially in those days- family = life).

beomgyu grovelling>>>>> his quotes were heartbreaking like how can he say “i love you more than anyone has loved ever” or “my power is yours” my heart was breaking and breaking x2773 and yh finally taehyun.. he’s interesting but so fine idc. i’m a lil scared for oc bc end of the day that’s my girl. even if she’s a lil dumb at times it’s okay she’s been through a lot. spoiler about smut scene are we gonna get sub taehyun and sub gyu?? like what are u thinking they’re gonna be???

🫣anon

it so good to hear that my hard work paid off 😭 i was so worried about giving oc's mental state justice because rape is such a serious topic but at the same time i wanted to highlight just how affected she is by the people and culture around her that try diminish the weight of it and also how her own lingering feelings for gyu make her feel guilty and conflicted. i'm also glad that the smut scene was understandable as i did feel it was. he's very good at being persuasive and she loves him so much despite everything, and especially with her knowing she'll leave him, she wanted that last piece of him. also it lays the groundwork for future scenes

and yeah i really dislike painting other female characters in a bitchy light because i feel like it we've been taught to hate each other too much. ofc sometimes characters are just assholes, whether male or female, but i do try to avoid it when it makes sense. that's why i made the princess's character not outright bitchy either.

as for real life wonyoung, omg i feel so sorry for her. i gotta admit that at first I didn't like her either and felt like she was a try hard and didn't get the appeal but she really shines in i've and imagine being in the spotlight and under intense scrutiny ever since you were 13. the abuse this girl had to go through is insane and you can see that she reads the hate comments because she always modulates her actions quickly (like her lazy hair bullshit thing) so i really worry for her. sorry for the tangent but she's just so young and she gets so much hate over trivial things.

"i’m a lil scared for oc bc end of the day that’s my girl. even if she’s a lil dumb at times it’s okay" this was actually really sweet to hear. oc definitely isn't perfect and i get that she can be frustrating (and will continue being frustrating) but i feel like it's reasonable all thing considered and she's trying her best lmao

for the smut scenes it will be dom!gyu and sub!tyun but not in the same chapter

[goldennika]

ok ok a little more serious now haha first off, you can clearly hear that their mics were on bc their accessories would be clinking against it in the background!!!!

not the biggest fan of their CTF outfits -- the silhouette doesn't really flatter any of them (except maybe taehyun). same goes for the color/print. when they took the jackets off for tinnitus though, it seemed a little better

i kinda liked their original dance break choreo better tbh. i think the orig choreo captured the energy of the song better and showcases their versatility in dance styles but center kai with his jaw caressing moves is also a killing point so i can respect that decision lol

the transition to tinnitus though????? they really said fuck it and just started stripping and body rolling onstage !!!! 😭 what a way to debut a tinnitus stage to the general public !!! ICONIC BEHAVIOR

loved how the other dancers joined in for this stage too! idk how to describe it but them mimicking tubatu's choreo to enter the stage was satisfying to see 😌

beomgyu started off the dance break with everything he's got omg it was so powerful!!!! i thought it was interesting to see how they referenced some of their earlier choreo for each member during the dance break (i think it was mostly from sugar rush ride?) 🤔

and then you got taehyun flashing his "secret weapon" and i say congratulations to taehyun's abs for making their debut on south korean national television

i gotta say though.... i wasn't feeling this remix of tinnitus too much. the dance break mix felt like an entirely different song until they got the vocals coming in the latter half. it kinda took away from the performance for me as it felt... almost clunky to listen to? (felt similarly about their CTF dance break too)

BUT when the vocals kicked in, i thought the choreo with their hats on felt very in sync!! now i need the dance practice vid to drop to better appreciate how they all moved bc the camerawork wasn't doing it justice!! 😩

me after watching the ctf x tinnitus dance break ver stage: 👁️👄👁️