#like. i am the youngest person here and very creature i suppose but .??

[pawbeanies]

sometimes i dont realize how much Stupid Little Dog energy i have (apparently) but today a coworker was like "by the way i always have snacks at my cubicle feel free to help yourself :)" ..?? i have gotten snacks from so many people. what does this mean. anm i pupy

[larissa-the-scribe]

Terrarium Lights

Part 1 of 3 for @inklings-challenge

An older lady befriends and adopts a ghost she found in her garden

Next part >>here

Michael Goffrey bid his wife farewell as he left for his next shipping job, and Gail Goffrey was once again faced with the fact that her house was cavernously empty.

She had expected the house to feel empty after her children grew up and moved on with their lives; that was the sort of thing one always heard about from the mothers and wives left behind. However, everyone seemed to stress the loneliness—not the rather more intense boredom.

Gail had always preferred quiet and alone time, so she did not take issue with the solitude. However, though she still had to cook and mend and clean and tidy and all the other tasks, it was one thing to do so for six people and quite another, shorter thing to do so for two. It was even less of a thing to do so for one, since Michael had been promoted to first mate and now had to accompany the airships personally, no longer simply loading and unloading at the cloudends as he once did.

Empty and meaningless. That’s what it felt like. With her family, she had people to help and care for. With just herself, she felt as though she were wasting time walking in circles for no other purpose than to exist.

She made it to the second day without any significant issue.

She was out tending to the herb garden when it happened—a bug wandered in front of her. That shouldn’t have been a problem. Bugs were some of her favorite creatures. But after the first smile, it hit her that she hadn't seen a new kind of one in months—this one already had three sketches in her notebook.

She’d run out of garden bugs to document.

Bugs, of all things. Bugs were everywhere, bugs had never-ending variations, bugs were constant. And she’d run out of them.

Stabbing the trowel into the earth perilously close to the offending bug, she sat back on her heels and looked up at the sky.

"Well, Lord, I reckon you put me on your good Earth for a reason. And I don't think it was just to sketch bugs." She smoothed her apron out, flicking bits of dirt off of it. "I also doubt I'm done with what I'm supposed to do down here, otherwise I wouldn't be here. But if you don't mind me saying, I'm awfully bored of where I am, though I do love my house and my husband and my town quite fierce. But I have all the time in the world, and I'd like to do good with it, if I could. So if you could show me what to do where I can—give me eyes to see as who I can do good towards—then I would appreciate it mightily."

Gail had prayed similar prayers before, with varying regularity. She knew the good Lord had heard her, as he always did. And if he answered with more solitude and time and boredom, then she supposed that was where she was meant to be for the moment. But she dearly hoped there might be something new this time.

So, really, she shouldn't have been surprised to see someone under the loquat tree. But then again, it had been raining since before dawn, so no one in their right mind would have been outdoors. She should know, since she herself had been out gathering moss for terrariums and hadn't heard a breath from anyone all day, even near the city.

Her first impression was that the lad was quite young. Younger than her youngest, in fact, who had not too long ago started her career as a professor at the nearby university. Looked perhaps like he could be one of her students. Very slight of build, as though he needed to eat more, and small looking as he sat hunched in the rain and letting the wet drip down his messy hair, full of loose ends that had gotten free from his ponytail.

Gail stood at the edge of her garden for a moment, resting her pail of moss against the stone border as she observed him.

He didn't move, just sat there with his face turned towards the soil, and didn't seem to see her. Part of his shoulder seemed stained, perhaps with mud. With the house not a few feet to the left, she wondered if he'd tried to knock and not gotten an answer, what with her out and about.

Well, unexpected or not, there was really only one thing to do.

Gripping her pail handle resolutely, Gail marched her way through the garden paths and stood in front of him. He shifted at the sound of her approach, turning his face up towards her—his eyes were pale, as if someone had sketched them on and not bothered with paint. What's more, up closer, the brownish stain on his shoulder looked rather like dried blood.

He tilted his head, as if trying to tell where the sound had come from.

"Well then," she said after a long moment of trying to figure out what to say, "who might you be?"

"Oh." He looked more directly at her, and somehow the eyes looked a bit more colored in, like they remembered they could be brown. "Dreadfully sorry, ma'am. I seem to have gotten lost in the rain. I hope you don't mind me taking a few moments here under your tree?"

He hadn't answered the question, but he seemed more surprised than shifty. "Not at all. Unpleasant weather to be lost in, for sure. If you'd like, you can wait it out under a roof."

"Oh," he said again, and looked to his left; this time it seemed like he understood what he was seeing. "I suppose that would be nicer."

"Well, you're welcome to my roof, if you’d like," she said. She wondered how long he would take her up on that.

He awkwardly stumbled to his feet before she could offer her hand. "That's very kind of you, ma'am."

"Would you like anything to eat?" She went ahead and led the way to the kitchen door.

He hummed thoughtfully. "Thank you ma’am, but I don't think I'm hungry."

She didn't think he would be, but, well, it wasn't like she had experience with this. Which concerned her—she had no idea what she was supposed to be doing. At least he didn't seem to be wicked. She supposed he must need a helping hand and, while she needed to figure out what that help was, he was still just a boy; she would do him the courtesy of treating him accordingly.

The porch and floors, old and creaky since long before she and her husband and infant son had moved in decades ago, greeted them with typical fanfare as they trudged over the threshold. She dripped her way over to the stove, where she put the kettle on; it was unlikely that her visitor would want any, but she most certainly did. Setting her pail of moss by the stove to deal with later, she glanced back to see the lad standing in the middle of the space, staring up at the roof.

Gail wondered if he noticed that he wasn't wet.

"Say," she said, carefully pulling teacups out of the cupboard, "what did you say your name was?"

He looked at her sharply. "I… I don't think I did."

"Hmmmm. Well, how should I call you, then?"

He stared at her.

In the background, the rain continued on.

"Should I just call you ma'am, then?" He said, smiling faintly.

Gail squinted at him. "Now then, young man, are you dodging the question deliberately, or do you just not have an answer?"

"Oh." He glanced around the kitchen, then back to her, and blanked. "Sorry, what was the question?"

Gail rested back against the counter. She picked up her glasses from where she'd left them this morning, and stuck them on, pushing the temples through her sodden mess of hair. "I was just asking what your name was."

His eyes widened. "I… don't… Didn't I answer that?"

"Not as I can recall."

"That… that was rude of me, then, wasn't it?" His eyes were still wide, and the brown was fading.

Maybe it was rude of her to keep pressing the matter. He seemed not to know. Gail pressed her glasses firmer on her nose, trying to reach some kind of decision—but whatever was going on with her guest had been set in motion.

"What is my name?" He asked, his voice rising. "I can't remember my name."

"That's alright, dear," she said, trying to distract him, calm him down. "Do you remember where you were before my garden?"

It had the opposite effect.

He stepped back, towards the door, and glanced around with eyes that no longer understood where he was. "No… I-I can't remember… where am I? Do you know my name?"

"I'm afraid I—"

The kettle shrieked into the space between them with a rush of steam.

The lad cast a wild glance in its direction, stepped backwards. Gail, startled into motion, scrambled to shut the thing off.

When she turned back, the space where he had stood was dry and empty. She and the rain and her pail of terrarium moss had been left alone again.

Next

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Please rank the Astrid Lindgren stories

I'll only do a top 10 because this woman has written so many stories and is the closest we have to a secluded religion over here. So if I don't mention some, now you know.

1. Madicken

Mischievous badass little girl? I know we got Pippi but Madicken's life is tbh more appealing to me. She comes from a wealthy home, but their closest neighbours are poor, the husband is drunk and the wife is ready to sell her body to science to get some money. Their son is 14 but he's so big and cool (until he dresses up as a ghost and scares the shit out of you). Madicken's dad also refuses to be a normal upper class man, inviting their maid to the ball for example. The local mean girl who Madicken has a beef with turns out is very poor, and when she gives Madicken lice, Madicken's mom invites the girl and her sister, and cleans ALL of their hairs. They're anti child spanking in a story set in a time when hitting and spanking children was common. THEY HAVE THIS SCENE OF MADICKEN'S FAMILY TRYING TO HAVE A PICNIC AND END UP RUNNING FROM BULLS AND HAVING TO CLIMB UP TREES AND IT ALWAYS MAKES ME LAUGH. Madicken jumps from a roof with an umbrella just to see if she can fly. She's completely unhinged, yet so loveable. I also love her and her sister's relationship so much. Lisabet is also really funny.

2. The Children of Noisy Village

Just a slice of life story about children living in the countryside in early 1900s Sweden. Honestly great for a lot of historical fiction, showing how they lived back then, but also it's so cozy?? Just the kids, going through their everyday life, and causing chaos. It's april 1st, THE ENTIRE CLASS comes to the school at 6 AM to change the time, then go wake up the teacher (who DOES live in the school because this is Sweden in the countryside), and prank her. The same day, one of the boys tricks the other to go give a salesman a bunch of rocks, creating the most memeable quote "Sa du sten?!" that sweblr uses as a meme tag now. One of the kids is afraid to loose his baby teeth, so his neighbours SNEAK INTO HIS ROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND DRAGS IT OUT WHILE HE SLEEPS. They have the coziest christmas where all the kids lie in a row on the floor and sleep. One of the kids accidentally fall into the water as they're ice skating, and it teaches kids what to do if this ever happens to someone! At one point everyone goes out in the forest to look for a mythical creature and one of the kids strips his clothes off and sits naked on a rock with a harmonica pretending to be him. The stuff these kids get up to, you wish you lived there with them! You wish you had the childhood they had!

Also the 1987 movie adaptation has every kid have a totally different accent and it's hilarious.

3. Pippi Longstocking

Was gonna put her lower but then I remembered how many times I watched "Pippi on the run" as a kid and changed my mind. But my sister was more obsessed with the actual show adaptation, I was more into the movies. Pippi is cool! However I remember sometimes getting second hand embarrassment when she didn't act the way you're supposed to in social situations. Especially when she got invited to the reception and dipped her head in the cake and kept messing everything up. Literally not the point about Pippi, like the point is that she breaks the rules and I am happy she's just herself and doesn't care for any norms, and yet I feel second hand embarrassment during those moments she's in other people's houses (or when she broke off a mannequin arm at the store). I don't know why! I do however appreciate that she's randomly magic, like making the most scary impressions (the dark man-voice in the tree still haunts me) and in the "on the run" movie she just goes biking without wheels and ends up FLYING ON A BROOMSTICK at the end (Pippi has been a witch all along!!!!!!!!!!)

4. Lotta on troublemaker street

Lotta is every single youngest sibling combined into one person. She's that one kid in the family that everyone has a story about. Although the thing I remember the most was when her brother decided to climb a cliff and ended up falling into the water. I was for some reason also obsessed with the fact that her sister's full name was Mia-Maria. Her dad is also one of the best dads in all of Astrid Lindgren tbh. Lotta I think is just how it feels being the youngest of the family and not really being allowed the same things as your siblings because you're too young, and it's not fair! And so you revolt, and runaway to the neighbour lady who is more than happy to play with you. You wanna ride a bike like your siblings so you STEAL AN ADULT BIKE and ride down the street. It feels like the whole world is against you, but you're also literally five years old. And because of your 5 year old willpower, you also manage to save christmas and get a christmas tree for your family.

5. Ronja the Robber's Daughter

I honestly didn't find this as appealing as a kid, I remember thinking the movie adaptation was WAY TOO LONG (and it was, it was over 2 hours), but I've grown to appreciate it way more. Especially since the new adaptation they released on Netflix. Also it has one of the catchiest themes, like I hum that robber's song every day. I love just seeing her play in the forest, I love her and Birk's banters... the creatures in the forest will forever scare me but goddamn those butt gnomes... everyone quotes them and we immediately know. Although tbh I've never been a fantasy kid, it could be why I wasn't as into this.

6. Seacrow island

Honestly?? I found it quite boring before Skrållan was born. Weird, huh? Thought it got better because they added a baby. It could however have to do with the final movie being one I watched a lot. I do appreciate the full series a lot more now than when I was a kid. I love the islands, I love the children's shenanigans. Still is so messed up how Westerman just gaslit Stina into thinking she sold Skrållan to him, when in reality he just made her get a cocoa ball as he returned Skrållan to her mom. I felt so bad for Stina??? SHE'S LIKE 7 YEARS OLD SHE JUST WANTED A COCOA BALL, AND SHE JUST WANTED TO BABYSIT THE ONLY BABY ON THE ISLAND SO SHE COULD FEEL BIG FOR ONCE. Also always got me so nervous when they snuck into Westerman's house to retrieve his gun so that he wouldn't shoot a fox. I also wish Teddy and Freddy were more developed, it felt like they just stopped caring about them, but they were interesting.

7. Karlsson on the roof

This is ONLY because of the cartoon version. I hated the live action version as a kid and I felt SO BAD for Svante because Karlsson kept messing his life up ALL THE TIME. And then everyone blamed him because no one believed Karlsson existed. But it was slightly better in the cartoon, I think. I also remember quite liking the books, and I remember distinctly how I watched a play in Stockholm where BENJAMIN INGROSSO played Svante. Yeah, I've seen Benjamin Ingrosso when he was a literal CHILD playing on stage and that's how I'll remember him.

8. Emil in Lönneberga

It's mostly for the songs from the adaptation? Because I could never enjoy anything properly due to being so scared of Emil's dad. But the songs are such bangers. Also I have appreciated it so much more now when I'm grown than when I was a kid.

9. Mio my Mio

I remember my parents insisting on reading this to me when I was a kid and I didn't want them to, so I pretended to dislike the story. But tbh, I was kinda into it. I hate his foster parents so much, though?? Like imagine adopting a kid and being like "yeah we dislike you because you're not a girl like we wanted to adopt". Also, the theme song for the adaptation slaps, even though the adaptation is kind of... meh.

10. Brother's Lionheart

I remember as a kid not getting why everyone loved this, because I was like "I don't get it, I find it boring idk" (kid me really didn't pay attention when I watched the movie adaptation), but as I'm older... woah. Astrid Lindgren said "the two main characters, both minors, DIE in the first chapter. You're welcome". I really understand why this book caused such a controversy, ESPECIALLY due to the way it ends????? Also it got the iconic quote "All makt åt Tengil vår befriare".

[voidmadisonrecs]

chris evans recs

these are more for me then anyone else but here are my fav chris evans (and co.) fics, blurbs, headcanons, etc.

feel free to message or comment with suggestions that i should read and make sure to check out these writers other works because they are all amazing <3

Chris Evans

butterflies - @chanelfaerie

chris has got butterflies for you—do you feel the same?

pop the questions - @angelkurenai

you are costars and in a relationship with Chris and while on the set of ‘Gifted’, you are very clingy. when Chris sees you interact with your youngest costar, he realizes you would make a great mother

white - @agentofbarnes

chris can’t seem to function while seeing you in a white dress

ask me properly - @twittytelly

while spending time with his family, chris realizes that it's the perfect time to put his 'plan' into action

red carpet w/ chris - @avenging-fandoms

your chris’s costar with Chris and you’re both tipsy in a red carpet interview and giggling together, making no sense but just being all happy and sparking dating rumours

happy goddamn new year - @fluffymisha97

the morning after your new year with the evans’ which doesn’t go all that smooth

sweet creature - @buckyhoney

domestic shit

ass man headcanon - @agentofbarnes

chris evans sure does love ass

and then he came along - @teebarnes

you haven't had the best record when it comes to relationships, you thought you couldn't be loved. until one day as you sat on the beach shivering, everything changed when chris came along

granola bar and lots of love - @planetofawe

with the kids away, you and chris have more than enough time to practice some aftercare (smut)

claim - @cloudystevie

your husband puts a baby in you (smut)

beer gut - @violetlilysunshine

chris gets self conscious after gaining a little bit of weight and not working out as hard as he used to during his Marvel days (smut)

dumb - @agentofbarnes

chris evans makes you dumb and you are a little touchstarved (smut)

red, white, blue’s in the sky, summer’s in the air, baby heaven’s in your eyes - @cloudystevie

sunday’s are for football games and attention (smut)

the big 4-0 - @rocketrhap3000

chris being insecure for his 40th bday but reader makes sure he knows just how much she loves him (smut)

my girl - @punani

chris loves calling you his girl (smut)

the fluffer (masterlist) - @punani

it’s the 70′s and the erotic videos industry is experiencing another boom after the risen popularity in the previous decade. the studio’s are hot, gemini flanagan is a brand, and you’re a newly hired assistant at shaggin’ studios. chris takes a liking to you, altering your job description so that you get to work more closely with him. is this all just physical, or is there something more? (smut)

wedding shenanigans - @flowerbouquet

in which you and chris have a sneaky fuck in the bathroom during your best friends wedding (smut)

grocery run - @bucksfucks

innocently wearing chris’ shirt leads to you finding out just how much he can’t resist you (smut)

chain - @bucksfucks

chris tells you to bite down on his chain (smut)

home late (part 2) - @violetlilysunshine

smuttttttt

severance - @punani

the divorce process with chris is messy, seemingly never ending, and ultimately: heartbreaking. you had to be strong for your son, yourself, and eventually you wanted someone else to be strong for you, so, it seemed only natural that you would venture into the arms of another. however, sometimes the line between something officially ending or simply taking a break blurs when you’ve known someone for longer than you can remember (smut/baby fever/ex!reader)

so beautiful to me - @uprootbasic

despite being broken up and coparenting, chris still want to show you how much he loves you (smut/baby fever)

sundress season - @jurassicbarnes

in which all it takes is a pretty little dress to break his resolve (ex!reader/smut/baby fever)

mwah - @iguessweallcrazyithinktho

ur little bubba is obsessed with kissys and keeps leaning in to kiss you (baby fever)

long hair lover - @iguessweallcrazyithinktho

chris comes back from filming red sea diving resort and his baby daughter is crazy in love with his long hair (baby fever)

slobbery kisses - @iguessweallcrazyithinktho 

chris wakes up to sloppy kisses by his baby (baby fever)

baby rose - @fluffymisha97

reader and chris had a little baby girl. but not everything is going that well, you're both trying to navigate life as new parents (baby fever)

eve - @kiwisomething

you drop your son off with his father and he invites you in (baby fever/ex!chris)

parenting is hard blurb - @lokiscu

chris and the reader have just had a baby and the lack of sleep mixed with lack of physical affection and time they have with one another gets to both of them and they end up fighting because of the stress (baby fever)

isla - @uprootbasic

the reader is a famous singer and always sings to her little girl. one night, chris and the reader decides to have this little jamming session with their baby. chris plays the piano while the reader sings I wanna hold your hand by the Beatles (baby fever)

the neighbours lights - @lokiscu

it’s your first Christmas with a baby (baby fever)

paparazzi - @ozarkthedog

chris evans and reader are both famous and one day they are out with their daughter when paparazzi start to follow them (baby fever)

thunder - @worksby-d

your daughter is scared of the thunder (baby fever)

she’s the one - @worksby-d

chris x singlemom!reader masterlist (baby fever)

protective stepdad chris x single!reader - @worksby-d

masterlist (baby fever)

truth be told - @kthynes

chris finds out he has a 6 month old baby because his partner didn’t have the chance to tell him that she is pregnant because they broke up (angsty??/baby fever)

not her - @agentofbarnes

chris wants a family and you just aren’t ready yet, but that doesn’t mean he wants you any less (angsty?)

the love we have - @kthynes

the reader is chris's ex wife and she's about to be married again to a guy she doesn't really love. so in the night of her bachelorette party she's really drunk and she ended up going to his apartment and tell him that she still loves him and that she wants to hate him because he was the one who file for divorce but she can't, then she leaves. on the day of the ceremony their 10 year old kid tells Chris that he should go after her before is too late (angsty??)

Frank Adler

i ruined our sweet tune - @rodrikstark

the last person you’d expect to see in florida is the hot professor from your undergrad philosophy class 

buttons - @rodrikstark

buttoning franks shirt headcanon 

waffles - @amylillian22

the morning after their usual saturday date night, y/n runs into mary unexpectedly. frank wakes up to find them making waffles

remember - @sweater-daddiesdumbdork

frank wakes you up at the ungodly hour of 3:30 am and will not even tell you why

breeding kink - @stargazingfangirl18

as the hot single dad everyone wants to get with, frank turns a few heads at back to school night, and well, you may get a little possessive (smut) 

magic demeanor - @bloodiedskirtts

after moving back to Florida in the middle of a heat wave, things seem to be getting worse and worse. the only thing to make her days any better is her neighbour, Frank. with neither of them willing to admit that they can’t get enough of each other, a pesky shower malfunction may be the only way for them to tell each other how they feel (smut)  

Ransom Drysdale

2:27 am - @cloudystevie

it’s 2:27 in the morning when ransom shows up at your doorstep, and he wishes he could tell you why 

cold (third part of his return) - @kiwisomething

hugh is cold sleeping on the couch by himself 

new man - @worksby-d

ransom loves to pretend he’s not whipped for you, but here he is letting you do your skin care routine on him

morning dew - @agentofbarnes

it was only supposed to be one night, but ransom can’t seem to get you out of his head (smut) 

Andy Barber

the proposal - @fairyevans

andy takes the reader on a gorgeous vacation but everything goes wrong except the proposal 

consequences - @stargazingfangirl18

life after your breakup with ransom (smut)

yes, mrs barber - @jurassicbarnes

in which you’re down on your knees, about to suck his dick within an inch of his life because it was the only way to shut him up (smut) 

[yourdeepestfathoms]

tooth and nail

ask and you shall receive ;) @denpine14 @strawberrygem21

in which the Dimitrescu daughters exhibit cat-like traits

---------

“Dear Mother Miranda,

The girls have grown well, though there are some complications. Bela seems to have some form of anxiety and very low self-esteem, Cassandra has anger issues, and Daniela, I believe, has some type of hyperactivity disorder. Despite all of this, I love all of them dearly.

However…more strangely…they have…feline-like habits. I expected the hissing and growling, but the other things… Well, I’m not too sure how this has happened, as they were born from insects, but they weirdly act like little kittens in the most absurd ways. These mannerisms include, but are not limited to…”

“…headbutting…”

“Oof--” Alcina blinked in surprise and looked down as Bela headbutted her leg. “Yes, my darling?”

Bela giggled and headbutted her again. Alcina rubbed her head, which triggered a strange sound to fill the air.

“…and purring…”

Purring. Her daughter seemed to be purring.

Alcina’s heart swelled with love. She couldn’t help the smile that came to her lips.

Later that day, Cassandra and Daniela did the headbutting thing, too, both of them bonking her in the legs while giggling adorably. When she scratched along their scalps, they purred, just like their big sister had.

--- --- ---

“…staring when they want something…”

“Yes?” Alcina asked, raising an eyebrow at the trio of girls staring at her. If it weren’t for their different hair colors, it would have been difficult to discern them from each other with their matching black gowns and hoods. She made the mental note to give something to them to help make them out better.

Her daughters continued to stare.

“Is everything alright?”

Still nothing.

“Darlings?”

Cassandra reached out, swatted at her dress, and then they all took off running in different directions, their sock-clad feet making them run in place for a few seconds before they gained traction and streaked away in blurs of black.

--- --- ---

“…and also staring at nothing at all, as though they are seeing ghosts…”

Alcina blinked. Her daughters were staring intently at the wall, their eyes wide and shiny, like they had just witnessed the secrets of the universe. She tried to see what they were looking at but could spot nothing at all.

“What in the…?”

--- --- ---

“…pushing random things off of surfaces for seemingly no reason other than the fact that they like to…”

A loud clatter echoed down the hallway, and Alcina was quick to hurry to the source of the noise: the parlor, where Daniela was perched on one of the tables inside, staring down at a fallen candelabra. Luckily, none of the wax sticks were lit, as they would have sent the red-and-gold carpet over the floor up in flames. Daniela looked up at her, her eyes awestruck and shiny.

“Did you knock that over?” Alcina asked.

Daniela stared back. Then, slowly, reached out her hand and swatted over a cup.

--- --- ---

“…causing utter destruction…”

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Alcina snapped, shooing Cassandra away from the blinds. Her daughter leaped back, her claws ripping out of the fabric she had been sharpening her talons on. “No. Do not scratch things up, Cassandra.”

Cassandra inspected her claws. “Then what am I supposed to sharpen them on? Look at how blunt they are!” They showed them to Alcina.

They were sharp enough to gut a human in one swipe.

In amusement, Alcina said, “How about tree bark? It’s rough enough to hone them.”

Cassandra considered it, then nodded. “Alright!” She bounded away to go destroy one of the trees in the garden.

That same day, Alcina found Daniela chewing on a branch in her bedroom, creating a small pile of woodchips beneath her jaw. She seemed to be doing the same thing as her older sister: sharpening her natural weapons. Alcina left her be.

--- --- ---

“…sudden hyperactivity…”

The loud sound of footsteps suddenly burst throughout the hallways, rebounding like thunder. They would stop at random, then begin again, seemingly in a sporadic pattern. When Alcina finally stepped out of her bedroom to investigate, she barely caught a blur of black as one of her daughters, she couldn’t tell who, whizzed past her like lightning. She spun around, blinking.

“What--”

At the same moment, one of the others came from a different direction and skidded to a stop in front of her. She whirled to them and saw that it was Bela.

“What are you three doing?” Alcina asked.

“Playing,” Bela answered blithely. She stepped forward, headbutted Alcina lovingly, then zoomed off again, slipping on her socks as she went.

--- --- ---

“…getting startled at the most mundane things…”

The parlor had been peaceful at one moment; Alcina was drinking her tea, while Cassandra and Daniela played chess and Bela multitasked reading and watching the game. It was then that Bela’s thread bookmark fell out and she swiped at it to pick it up. However, when the string seemed to catch on her claws, she got frightened, leaping at least five feet up into the air. Seeing their older sister so unsettled, Cassandra and Daniela did the same, nearly jumping out of their skin and scattering the game of chess as they scampered away in terror. Alcina laughed loudly as her daughters huddled against her sides, shaking.

--- --- ---

“…bringing me dead animals as gifts…”

Alcina was cleaning up for bed when there was a knock that filled her bedroom. She walked to the door and opened it, only to see no one. When she turned around, she saw Daniela clinging to her window sill, a mass of fur caught between her teeth.

“Daniela!”

Alcina quickly opened the window, and Daniela hopped inside. She presented the thing in her mouth to her with great pride: a rat.

“For you, Mother.”

“Ah-- thank you, my dove.”

Daniela purred as her head was rubbed affectionately.

The next day, Cassandra padded up to her, her chest puffed in pride, a large snake pierced by her fangs.

“A gift, Mother.”

“Thank you, my sweet.”

And then, that evening, Bela came to her door with a bird in her mouth.

“Here, Mother.”

“Thank you, my darling.”

And then the bird jerked away when Bela set it down and flew off down the hall in terror. They both watched it go.

“It was too pretty to kill.”

Alcina chuckled. “I see.”

--- --- ---

“…laying on my things when I need them…”

Alcina stared tiredly at the stack of girls laying on the folded clothes on her bed. All that space on her giant mattress that was made specifically for her size and they chose that exact spot. On her clothes.

Well. They were much too cute to wake up.

--- --- ---

“…laying on me and keeping me from getting up…”

“Maiden,” Alcina whispered.

The maid passing by stopped and turned to her instantly.

“Get me a glass of blood. I can’t get up and I am thirsty.”

The maid eyed the form of her youngest daughter stretched out on her lap, asleep, and then nodded, whisking away.

She hadn’t moved for three hours.

--- --- ---

“…they have no concept of personal space…”

Alcina was awake that night, her girls piled on top of her to the point where they were practically smothering her, Daniela and Cassandra under arms and Bela on her chest. Every time she twitched, they would move closer, snuggling in deeper to her heat. She wouldn’t be sleeping very comfortably, but at least her daughters were warm.

--- --- ---

“…sitting in strange places…”

“Are you comfortable?” Alcina asked, laughing.

Bela looked up from where she was reading and wedged inside a basket that was meant for quilts. Despite her small, wiry frame, it technically wasn’t her size, but she managed to curl herself inside, piled by the blankets and indulging herself in a good book.

“Yes,” Bela said, smiling.

Alcina would also go on to find Cassandra napping haphazardly on the banister of the upper hallway balcony, which she picked her up from and placed her back into her bed in fear of her falling off, and Daniela hiding in one of the cupboards in the kitchen.

However, none of these things beat when she found all three of her daughters crammed in a box, murmuring and giggling to each other over something.

--- --- ---

“…did I mention the purring? Because the purring is absolutely endearing. I do believe it has healing properties…”

Alcina wasn’t quite sure what she had come down with that day, but she woke up feeling exhausted and achy all over. She didn’t even think to get up and alert her girls to her condition, choosing to rather wallow in her bed, so it wasn’t a surprise when her room was soon filled by three worried bug-spawn creatures.

“Mother?” Daniela’s small hands were set on her shoulders.

Alcina stirred.

“Mother?” That was Bela, now.

She rolled over and blinked tired eyes at the worried-looking faces of her daughters.

“Hello, my darlings,” she croaked.

“Mother,” Bela said again, her voice thick with concern. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes,” Alcina nodded, though her mind was wavering, shrouded in a heavy fog. “I am fine. Just a little unwell.”

“Can we help you?” Cassandra asked, her hands twitching.

“Don’t worry,” Alcina answered. “I’ll be fine.”

Her daughters exchanged looks. A moment later, they were climbing onto the bed, curling up around her.

“We’re helping,” Daniela said.

Alcina had no idea how cuddling was supposed to help her, but then she heard the soft churring that filled the air. The purring in itself did little to actually heal her sickness, but something about the soft sound and the presence of her precious daughters soothed her. Bela, with her head on her chest, filled her heart with a gentle rumbling. Daniela, curled up right next to her, chirred gingerly in her ear. Cassandra, stretched out over her stomach, resonated a soothing burr throughout her body.

She chuckled tiredly. “Thank you, my loves…”

--- --- ---

“…and, at least when they were newly reborn, absolutely hating when I go into a room without them…”

She was just taking a shower. That was all. And yet, she could hear her young, one-week-old daughters on the other side of the door, yowling and screaming and scratching their claws into the wood.

“I’m just bathing!” she snapped.

They wailed louder.

--- --- ---

“…to wrap the letter up, it is certainly a strange phenomenon to the experiment, but I am not complaining at all. They are much more entertaining and endearing this way. I wouldn’t have them any other way. I would like to thank you again, Mother Miranda, for letting me have such sweet daughters.

That will be all for now. I will follow up in another letter if anything new comes up.

-Alcina Dimitrescu”

[robininthelabyrinth]

Wen Ruohan/Wei Wuxian?🍉

Forked Path - ao3

“You did me a favor, and I intend to repay that,” Wen Ruohan said, adjusting one of his gauntlets in irritation – more at the fact that he was sinking back into that old nervous tic, a tell that he’d thought he’d eliminated years ago than at the actual request, ridiculous as it was. “But to confirm, you’re certain that this is what you want? It’s not in my nature to stop midway, so if you have any hesitations, exercise them now or not at all.”

The two rogue cultivators looked at each other and after a few moments of clear silent communication and struggle, they looked back at him and nodded. The man did so reluctantly - Wen Ruohan looked at his wife, the immortal mountain’s disciple, and her nod was far more firm.

“Very well,” he said, lips twisting in distaste. He hated owing people favors, especially when they rejected his preferred counter-offer to graciously allow them to work for his sect, but he wasn’t yet so ungracious that he wouldn’t live up to something he had to do. “We are therefore agreed: in the event both of you die prematurely, I will take your son into my sect to be raised therein, rather than allow him to be raised alone outside or in the Jiang sect."

He paused, frowning. "To be clear, however, I am not going to raise him myself! He’ll be brought up among one of the branch families.”

Dafan Wen had some kids around the same age, didn’t they? That was pretty out of the way. With luck, he could avoid having to see the brat at all…and that was all assuming that these two died, of course. Still, based on their level of certainty and the association of the immortal mountain with divination, Wen Ruohan was going to assume a worst-case scenario was likely to occur.

“That’s fine,” the man said, his voice oddly sarcastic. “We don’t expect you to do more for us than you do for your own children.”

That pricked at Wen Ruohan’s pride, since he didn’t have a conscience to be affected.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with a frown. He had two sons of his own, and they were being raised perfectly well by his wives, as far as he knew. It wasn’t really his concern until they were old enough to actually start getting started in cultivation, swordsmanship, or even the scholarly arts, at which point he would naturally take over their education with the assistance of many able tutors – he was far too busy to waste time with them, squalling brats that they undoubtedly were, until then.

“Nothing,” the woman said, and she looked amused – he almost suspected she was amused at his expense. “After all, with hard work, even the sharpest sword can be ground down into a needle.”

That wasn’t how that idiom went at all, but Wen Ruohan was too lazy to correct her.

Later, though, after they’d left, her words kept pricking at him in the same matter as idiomatic needle – it occurred to him that he didn’t much like his wives, even though the connections they’d brought to his sect were exceedingly beneficial. It was said that where there was a father, there was a son, the two invariably resembling each other, and he’d assumed that that would be the case here…but on the other hand, if he left all the initial raising of his sons to those wives he didn’t like, wasn’t he risking them raising the children to be just like theminstead of him? Grinding down his sons’ edges, so to speak?

That would be utterly unacceptable.

He was so busy, though. Beyond his own cultivation, his sect now controlled over a third of the cultivation world, and he was ambitious to raise that to half, and then perhaps even further. How could he waste time on something as pointless as taking care of small children?

On the other hand, he supposed that in the long run he’d actually be saving time if he at least made sure they were raised up right. After all, he’d always assumed that his two sons would be his right and left hands, his able aides capable of enacting his will, and obviously it would be a disaster to find out later on that they’d been spoiled rotten or rendered stupid....

No, he was sure his arrangement was fine. How much damage could his wives do in just a few years?

…perhaps it wouldn’t be that bad an idea to check in on them.

Just to make sure.

He definitely wasn’t going to raise that stupid Wei boy, though. Favors had limits!

-

“Your accomplishments do you credit,” Wen Ruohan said to Wen Qing, and even meant it the way he didn’t mean most of the things he was forced to say at these stupid discussion conferences.

After all, Wen Qing was of his bloodline, if distantly – Dafan Wen was a branch family – but at any rate, they shared a surname, and it was sheer pleasure watching her put all those other ‘promising’ young masters in their place. Anything that added a sheen of glory to his sect was a good thing.

She saluted deeply, trying to hide the way she was beaming, and Wen Ruohan wondered once again if it was time to bring her back to the Nightless City as his ward instead of leaving her out in the wilderness with the rest of Dafan Wen. To get the sort of medical skills she had at her age showed promise and talent, and he needed people of promise and talent, especially ones with his surname, if he were going to make good on his intention to conquer the cultivation world.

He would’ve brought her back years ago, in fact, except that Sect Leader Nie said that children were fidgety, flighty creatures that were bad at dealing with change and that he’d be better off sending medical texts and tutors to Dafan Wen rather than bring Wen Qing back to the Nightless City over her father’s protests. Normally, Wen Ruohan would have disregarded advice he didn’t like and proceed with his own intentions regardless, but Sect Leader Nie had been helping him deal with his own sons ever since he’d reclaimed them from his wives, who he’d discovered had been ruining them, and it seemed unwise to dispute with him regarding matters of child-rearing at that point. After all, if he wanted Wen Xu to end up as even half the son that it looked like that Nie Mingjue was going to be, he needed the man’s expertise, and that meant making compromises, irritating as it was.

Compromises like not just killing Wen Qing’s father for refusing to hand over his children, despite it being easier to accomplish. Or not killing Sect Leader Nie himself, no matter how irritating the man was, because now his sons loved that old bastard.

(Wen Ruohan had spitefully decided to get back at Sect Leader Nie by spoiling his youngest son, who seemed at first glance to be more like the lazy scholarly type, beyond belief. It seemed to be working very well so far, including in causing Sect Leader Nie no end of frustration at his extremely clever-when-it-came-to-evading-work second son; Wen Ruohan, satisfied, viewed this result as being wholly due to his own efforts.)

“How did you find that talisman you mentioned in your last paper?” he asked Wen Qing lazily. “I hadn’t seen it before. Was it in one of the books I sent, or somewhere else?”

In truth, that had been the most interesting aspect of the presentation from his perspective – he didn’t have either talent or interest in medical cultivation, but he could recognize firepower when he saw it. Just because the talisman worked on disrupting things at a very small level for medical reasons didn’t mean it couldn’t be repurposed for larger things…

“Oh, no, Wei Wuxian invented it,” Wen Qing said. “He used it to blow stuff up until I convinced him to make a smaller version for me.”

“Wei Wuxian?” Wen Ruohan asked, frowning, and then recalled – ah, yes, the Wei boy. His parents had died some five or eight years back, if he recalled correctly, and he’d had to go fetch him pursuant to that old agreement; it had been extremely annoying at the time. He’d been in the middle of a very nasty argument with Sect Leader Nie at the time, the one that had led him to think his most serious thoughts to date of eliminating the man entirely, and then, just as he’d been on the cusp of making a decision, he’d received word of the deaths of Cangse Sanren and her husband Wei Changze.

Naturally, he needed to find and recover their son as he’d promised long ago, which given how unreliable reports of the location of rogue cultivators was naturally became a colossal waste of time, but on the bright side it had at least given him a chance to vent his spleen and get out some of his rage on something other than wringing Sect Leader Nie’s neck. It turned out that Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze had died in some obscure night hunt in Yiling, but figuring that out had all but taken a full-scale canvass of six different territories – and then Sect Leader Jiang, who hadn’t bothered to do anything near the same level of search and had opted to search the various towns individually on his own, as if that would ever work, had tried to leapfrog off the back of his hard work, thinking he could just thank him and take the boy away just like that.

Wen Ruohan had refused, of course – he had the parents’ personal request, and that outweighed Wei Changze having been a former servant of the Jiang sect or Cangse Sanren being possibly a former lover of their sect leader – and it had turned into something of a political mess for a while.

That had been where he’d gotten most of the venting out, actually.

Sect Leader Nie had sided with him in that fight, though, rather viciously, and by the end of it all Wen Ruohan was reminded of why exactly it was that the man was a useful ally to have around. He’d also forgotten what exactly they’d been fighting about, but he wasn’t going to admit that, so he just magnanimously forgave him. It had all turned out rather all right, and Wen Ruohan had put the boy out of his mind shortly thereafter.

Why would he come up now, all of a sudden?

No, wait, he’d sent him to Dafan Wen, just as he’d planned. And of course Wen Qing was from the main branch of Dafan Wen as well – she would’ve been raised with Wei Wuxian as a little brother.

“How is he doing?” he asked, more out of etiquette than actual interest, but Wen Qing lit up and started talking about how her little shidi was a verifiable genius, and so good with her actual younger brother, and whatnot. Wen Ruohan nodded, pretending he was listening, and cast his eyes around the rest of the discussion conference, looking for a distraction – there was Sect Leader Nie, who was generally good for a laugh, but he was scolding that second son of his for failing one of Lan Qiren’s classes and having to be sent a second time over. Jiang Fengmian was comforting him, telling him that he was sending his son as well this year, and of course Jin Guangshan’s heir was of age as well, and would undoubtedly be going, too…

Hmm.

“If he’s such a genius, he should interact more with his peers,” Wen Ruohan announced. “I’ll recommend him – and that brother of yours, I suppose – for the lecture series at the Cloud Recesses this summer.”

It wouldn’t do to be left, after all.

“You…you will? Really? That’s wonderful! Thank you for the opportunity, Sect Leader Wen! They’ll treasure it! How can we ever repay your kindness –”

“As long as they impress me with their talents,” Wen Ruohan said, already imagining Jiang Fengmian’s constipated expression at seeing his lover’s son that was stolen from his grasp wearing Wen sect colors and, in an ideal world, smearing his own son into the ground with his superlative skill. “That will be repayment enough.”

-

“You need to get laid,” Sect Leader Nie said, and Wen Ruohan was reminded again of why he despised the man and should have killed him years ago. Why hadn’t he done that again? “As a matter of cultivation.”

“You’re joking,” Wen Ruohan said, putting down his bowl of wine and staring at him in disbelief. He hadn’t expected the man to actually be serious. It was rare enough an event, but in fairness to him, he never joked about matters of cultivation. “How does one help the other?”

“It’ll help balance you out.” Sect Leader Nie thought about it. “Or at least let you get out some of that nervous energy that makes you a paranoid megalomaniacal little bitch about eighty percent of the time.”

That sounded a bit more in character.

“If dual cultivation could fix personality problems, Lao Nie, you’d be immortal.”

“Who says I’m not?” Sect Leader Nie asked, teeth bared in a smile. “Only time will tell. Haven’t I already outlived my father?”

Wen Ruohan rolled his eyes. Sect Leader Nie had outlived his father because when he’d started in on a qi deviation like every other member of his blasted family, he, Wen Ruohan, had personally dived into the irritating bastard’s spiritual consciousness and dragged him back out again. It was very much not something that people were supposed to do, being more likely to cause qi deviations in the person doing the rescuing than resulting in an actual rescue, but he’d never cared what people were supposed to do and, really, it would be extremely annoying to have to do without him now that he’d invested all that time and effort and figured out how to get some real use out of him. Anyway, they both seemed to be fine and possibly they were also soul-bonded now - he wasn’t actually sure, Wen Qing always got a weird expression on her face whenever she talked about it, and he usually stopped listening at that point.

He didn’t really care. As long as it didn’t interfere with his plans, what did it mtter?

“Who exactly am I supposed to be dual cultivating with, exactly?” he asked dryly, deciding to address the matter head-on because that was the only way Sect Leader Nie understood things. “Don’t volunteer yourself again. I already told you that I refuse to indulge your ridiculous kink for dangerous people.”

Anymore, anyway.

Sect Leader Nie made a face at him, but Wen Ruohan ignored him. He might’ve fallen for that before the whole spiritual consciousness-soulbond business, but now he knew for sure that it was a kink, so – no.

Nothappening.

“You have a kink for things that increase your power, I don’t know why you’re being so judgy about my kink,” the other man grumbled. “And I don’t know, find someone – not another wife, you hate your wives, and anyway they’re much happier with their other lovers.”

“I didn’t pick them because I liked them,” Wen Ruohan pointed out. “I picked them because I wanted to absorb their sects and all the aligned sects associated with them. Which I did.”

“See, this is your problem! You married for power, rather than power, if you get my meaning –”

This was true. If any of his wives could cultivate worth a damn, maybe he’d care more about them. As it was, getting a son on each of them had been an exercise in willpower.

“ – and now you’re too busy pursuing power to fuck anyone else. You really need to get it out of your system. Find someone who can kill you.”

“No one can kill me,” Wen Ruohan said. “I’m the closest thing the cultivation world has to a god. Everyone should bow down and worship me.”

Sect Leader Nie started muttering something about megalomania again, but Wen Ruohan ignored him. It wasn’t a qi deviation talking if it was true.

“I bet we could find someone who could kill you if we tried,” Sect Leader Nie finally said. “And if they’re powerful enough to kill you, they’re probably powerful enough for the dual cultivation to improve your own cultivation, which is all you care about…we should start a war, maybe.”

“A war? Against who? And why?”

Sect Leader Nie frowned thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “The Jin sect?” he suggested, probably because he’d never liked Jin Guangshan. “Or the Jiang sect? Or both, I guess, since they’re allied. They’re next on your take-over list, aren’t they?”

“You’re next on my take-over list,” Wen Ruohan said threateningly, except Sect Leader Nie only laughed at him. Which was fair, he supposed, that whole soul-bond thing made the whole conquering business somewhat unnecessary – Qishan Wen and Qinghe Nie were bound together now as thoroughly as if he’d married the man.

Which he hadn’t. And wouldn’t. No matter what stupid snarky comments Sect Leader Nie said about Wen Ruohan treating him as a de facto consort on account of not having devouring his sect whole.

(Which he wasn’t going to do either - his sons still loved the man, and by now they were as thick as thieves with the Nie boys. What was he supposed to do, disappoint them? It’d be the same as disappointing himself, and he wasn’t about to do that.)

“I suppose we could start a war against the Jin and Jiang,” he allowed. His plan had always called for battle eventually, since he knew there was a limit to how many sects he could absorb through political, marital, economic or other means. As long as the other Great Sects stood against him, he’d never be able to achieve total domination – plus, he’d have to continue to suffer through those awful discussion conferences with the boring lectures and the petty politics of it all. Why couldn’t they see that they’d allbe better off under his dominion? “I could send Wen Zhuliu –“

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s not how you fight wars honorably, and also because I hate that man’s guts. I can’t believe you gave him your surname.”

Wen Ruohan rolled his eyes yet again. Such petty concerns were beneath him. “If we launch a surprise attack using him assassinate the Jiang sect leaders, thereby bringing down the Lotus Pier, the war will be over sooner,” he pointed out.

“Makes it harder to assimilate them into the Wen sect afterwards, though,” Sect Leader Nie pointed out, and damnit, he had a point. “Not to mention you’re going to want some experienced people policing your waterways when you finally take over…”

Damnit.

“Fine,” Wen Ruohan said. “We’ll declare war the old-fashioned way. Maybe we’ll find someone on the opposite side that can impress me, and then I’ll marry her – or him – and be done with the whole business. Happy now?”

Sect Leader Nie made a maybe-so gesture with his hand. “Anyone who can match you in power can probably kill me,” he said regretfully. “Would you consider sharing –“

“Paws off my hypothetical future consort, you beast. Anyway, aren’t you already pursuing Lan Qiren because he nearly slit your throat with a guqin string once?”

“A man can look!”

-

“Say,” Sect Leader Nie said, staring at the army of fierce corpses currently shambling along to the tune of Wei Wuxian’s flute, advancing inexorably towards their enemies – an entirely new cultivation style that the boy had recently invented. In an effort to impress his benefactor Wen Ruohan, apparently. “Are you sure about the no sharing rule?”

Wen Ruohan stared at the grown man perched on a tree like a demon, wrapped in shadow and crackling with power, eyes glowing as red as the sun-patterns on his clothing, who seemed to want nothing more from the world than to serve it up to Wen Ruohan on a platter.

“Yes,” he said, voice only a little strangled. Maybe Sect Leader Nie had a point about power being a kink for him. “I’m very sure.”

[nanaminokanojo]

Play the Game | Nanami Kento X You | Part 8/8 [COMPLETED]

CHARACTERS: Nanami Kento X You (fem!reader | PLEASE READ THE NOTES BELOW*) | Gojo Satoru | Geto Suguru | Shoko Ieiri | Utahime Iori | other JJK Characters CHAPTER COUNT: 8/8 WORD COUNT: 4, 800+ GENRE: romance | fluff | slight angst | smut | ooc depictions | female reader with described appearance* | modern au | rich people au | aged up characters CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING: profanity | age gap | cigarette smoking | strong/mature/suggestive language | alcohol use SPOILERS: n/a STATUS: COMPLETED

collection masterlist

one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight (final)

"Play the Game" Masterlist

You stood by the door, watching the chaos in your brother’s bedroom as he prepared for his wedding at sunset, waiting for everyone to leave so you can finally speak to him in private. He was, after all, the only one in the family you cared for enough to inform him of your decisions.

People always say you and Gojo were similar. However, those very things that made you alike also set you apart. Besides the platinum white hair and remarkable blue eyes you shared – unique even within the clan – being the absolute obvious, the similarities stopped there.

You siblings were supposed to be akin to one another, but the same things they loved about your brother were the same things people abhorred about you. You and your brother were both prodigies. He was richer than the whole clan, all assets combined being the successful businessman he was ever since he was in his teens. It was as freakish as it was awe-inspiring. You were an artist of great renown with your multi-million dollar pieces and the youngest to have been dubbed as a national artist when you were the same age as him.

But where he basked in fame and acclaim, your prominence was fueled by infamy. Gojo built an empire that served as one of the pillars of the local economy. You produced artistic pieces that inspired execration and controversy. Undeniably brilliant, yes, but absolutely contentious.

Your brother was kind. In fact, he was the best older brother one could ever ask for, and that was not lip service nor was it because of your biases towards him. You can never discount how caring he is to you, how hard he tries to make you happy and how he would go through lengths as to be the idiot just to satisfy your whims. He was just genuinely good-natured although he appeared somewhat insouciant. He had his evil streak, too, which is established in the clan, but his goodness radiated like a light that followed him wherever he went.

However, you have long accepted that your side which reflected Gojo in every way when you were younger had long died. Altruism wasn’t one of your strongest suits and you were only ever affectionate to people you had deep, deep fondness for. And that wasn’t even something common. Even your parents had always been the receiving end of your lackadaisical attitude.

He attracted people, you repelled them. Being surrounded by the good people he called friends was a testament to that no matter how vexing his personality was, and more people want to be near him. Apart from your three friends, you didn't make any more and your school life sucked because majority of your classmates hated you. For what, you didn't know. You don’t think you will ever understand.

It was your seven-year gap that made all the difference, you liked to think. It was much easier to swallow than the concept of the whole cosmos conspiring to create two creatures to be equals but of the opposite nature. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be that way, but you will always be the one looking up to him regardless if you did not choose the same path as his; regardless of whether there were no comparisons with what either of you endeavored to do.

And above everything else, you loved Satoru very much.

“Got a minute?” You began, standing before him in front of the mirror. It was rather annoying watching him struggle with the cufflinks, and you didn’t think he would manage to fix the bowtie still hanging loosely on his neck. Thus, you thought of taking charge. “Give it here.”

Gojo was surprised, but he was nonetheless happy. He wore his heart on his sleeve after all, and you could only guess it was that vulnerability he risked showing that attracted people to him. You have only learned the intricacies of such a matter recently, something you had to agree with since it all made perfect sense.

“Thank you,” he said, tilting his head to the side, watching you work on his cuffs.

“You’re really getting married, huh?” you began, feeling yourself start to falter, but you have decided. You may not have gotten him the best wedding gift materially speaking, but you swore to let him in on what was going on with you, to be honest with him like you hadn’t been for the longest time. “Who would have known?”

“Am I finally getting that emotional pre-wedding sibling talk?” he asked, walking towards the seats by the window and looking out into the garden.

“You’re getting married, not being sent away to prison. I don’t even understand why this happens during weddings,” you quipped, sighing. “But I guess you could call it that.”

He smiled at you, patting the space beside him. You did as you were told, assuming the spot, but also looking out the window, watching as the organizers made finishing touches to the garden below. No expense was spared to make the occasion as perfect as it could get. You couldn’t argue with it. Gojo deserved the best, and to him, Utahime did, too.

“I’m waiting,” he said, breaking the silence that had befallen the room. “You’ve been pacing before the door for god knows how long when you should have been getting ready.”

“I got ready much faster than you did.”

“And you look beautiful.” He tilted his head to the side, eyeing you appreciatively. “Sometimes, I can’t believe you’re all grown up. And what a beautiful woman you’ve become.”

You smirked. “You’re looking at your mirror image after all.”

“Well, there’s that, of course.” He laughed slightly. “But I’m not just saying that because we’re basically the same person. You really are beautiful, baby sis.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear, opting for it instead of his usual choice of mussing your hair since it has already been styled for the wedding.

You just shook your head. “Thank you, Satoru.”

“So, what did you want to talk about exactly?”

“The other day…” Your voice trailed off, thinking about what to say. It wasn’t that way before between you and your brother. He was always the easiest person to talk to, always open minded and optimistic about matters. But now that you were going to discuss something that he had vocally opposed, you were a bit scared of saying anything. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t do Nanami justice if you decided to hold back now, considering that he was more than ready to speak to your brother.

You’ve both initially decided to sit Gojo down and tell him about your decisions together, but you informed Nanami earlier in the day that you needed to have a proper conversation with him first. It wasn’t just your choice to be with Nanami that was the matter, and you wanted to get things straightened out with Gojo before he gets married.

“Yes?” he prompted.

“You said I don’t talk enough to you; that I don’t tell you things anymore.”

Gojo slowly nodded.

You breathed out. “Things changed. We can’t deny that. I grew up and you…well, you’ve decided you want to spend your life with Iori and build your own family.” Your lips curled up awkwardly as you tried to keep your emotions at bay. It was new territory having such talks with him when you’re used to your easy-going dynamic with him. “I’m scared, too. I mean, I can’t just bother you anytime anymore cause you’ll have your wife and eventually children to pay attention to and prioritize.”

He was taken aback by what you said, immediately drawing closer. “What are you saying, Y/N? You’re my sister. Nothing will change –”

“Our bond will not change, dude, but you have to admit that what I’m saying is true.” You took his hand in yours, squeezing it gently. You beamed at the fact that your fingers were structured in the same tapered manner as his. Even the shape of your fingernails were the same, just that his hands were bigger than your delicate ones. “What I’m saying is that even if you need to do that, I will be fine.”

“Of course, you will be. You’re my sister, and above that, you are your own person, and you’re stronger than you think. You’ve been handling things on your own for as long as I can remember.” He pouted, trying to act cute with you. “It’s disappointing, to be honest, because you’ve never really given me the chance to play my role in your life because you’re always the mature one.”

You were confused now. “What are you on about? You’re my only brother, but I can’t imagine anyone else holding that position in my life. You’re the best I could have asked for. I’ve always looked up to you. You’re my role model.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. The fuck are you so surprised for?” You snickered. “That aside, if you felt like I’ve been leaving you out, that’s not the intention at all. I always want you to be the first one to know what’s going on with my life…”

He clucked his tongue. “I understand you’re not doing it on purpose, kid. I’m just worried that you didn’t think I’m worth telling anything because, well, I’m not exactly a proper adult, am I?”

“You’re realizing that now that you’re about to get married?” you taunted him, jabbing your thumb towards the direction of the garden. “Should I tell Iori to call this whole thing off?”

He waved you aside. “Hey, don’t say that!”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Anyway, there’s something I wanted to tell you for a while now.”

“How long is a while, exactly?”

“Years and years.” You flashed him a rueful smile. “I just couldn’t figure out how to tell you because I am not exactly sure how you feel about it although you’ve told me many times you were opposed to it. What I’m saying it that, I know that fact, but it’s the motivation behind it that is beyond my knowledge.”

Gojo’s eyes rounded, realizing what you were saying. “Are you…”

You nodded. “Yes, I am talking about Kento.”

He just blinked and stood up, pacing around in front of you for a while that you had to stop him from doing it. He had such a bad habit of doing that when he is in deep thought, and always in front of you, too. He was making you dizzy.

You seized him by the wrist. “Please say something.”

“I…”

“Why are you opposed to it?”

He stopped pacing and faced you, taking you by the shoulders, his eyes starting to water. “Y/N…”

“Oh no, are you gonna cry?”

He furiously blinked his tears back, the action almost comical if it weren’t for the serious look on his face. “Because you are my little sister. You think it will be easy for me to just hand you over to anyone? My friends aren’t exceptions to that although I trust them with everything that I have. I will always, always worry about you when it comes to that matter because I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want you to be taken advantage of, and I don’t want to have to break either Suguru or Kento’s bones when the time comes.”

“I can manage the latter on my own.” You sighed, finding your resolve strengthening. “But like you said, I’m this old now. I want you to understand that I know what I am doing and I am confident about my decisions. Honestly, I didn’t want to talk about this as if I am asking for your permission. This is what I meant when I said I will be fine. I am not saying you don’t have a say in my life, but I am telling you this time because I want you to know before anyone else does.”

“Suguru doesn’t know?” he asked, eyes sparkling.

“Don’t be petty. I tell him things I can’t tell you just like you tell him things you can’t tell me,” but you nodded anyway. “He doesn’t know yet…I think.”

“So…you and Kento…”

You nodded again. “I’m in love with him, Satoru. And he feels the same way.”

“You are?” His expressions softened, hugging you to him. “You’ve grown. Really grown.”

You returned the gesture, holding onto him tight. “Please don’t ever think that I am leaving you out of my life because I always want to tell you everything.”

Just then, he pulled back, his brows furrowing while his eyes narrowed at you. “So, why isn’t he the one telling me this? Where is that bastard?”

You shrugged. “He wants to be here. Trust me. I just asked him if I could talk to you first because I have issues to resolve with you apart from my relationship with him.”

Gojo exhaled, nodding in understanding. “I understand, Y/N. But are you certain?”

“Yes. I’m scared of hurting him, but I’ll do my best, I guess.”

“Hmm, yeah. Maybe you should tone down on your mischief, too. I don’t want him dying of stress because of you. He’s still precious to me.”

At that, you laughed. “I know.”

He poked you on the cheek. “Alright then. If that’s what makes you happy, I won’t stand in your way. You have my blessing.” His teeth clenched then. “But I’m still going to have to talk to him man to man in case he thinks he’s off the hook.”

“Worry about your wedding first,” you jibed.

“I almost forgot about that.”

“I’m telling Iori.”

He shook his head, feigning panic. “Don’t.”

You both ended up laughing, joking about the guests who were arriving at the garden, poking fun at the relatives you both detested but had no choice but to invite. Just like that, you were back to how it used to be, easily conversing and sharing the same sentiments about things and same penchant for devilry.

Soon, the organizer came to his room, informing him that he needed to go to the garden to prepare. You reached up and fixed his tie and jacket for him, holding him at arm’s length to appreciate your handiwork. “You’re all set.”

“Thank you.” He smiled wide but you saw the nervousness in his eyes. “I’m getting married!”

“You are.”

“I’m more anxious about seeing Kento after what you told me,” he stated dramatically.

You eyed him witheringly. “Shut up and pull yourself together.”

He snickered then. “Kidding. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

The two of you walk to the garden, your arm around his. He stood at the spot just by the last row of seats with you, grinning at you when he saw you looking at Nanami who was already dutifully standing on his spot, speaking to Geto.

“Concentrate on your vows, yeah?” you told your brother.

“I’m off.”

“In case we don’t get to talk before you leave for your honeymoon,” you began, “Just know that I am waiting for the speedy arrival of my nieces and nephews.”

Gojo laughed at that, but nodded anyway and said, “I’ll do a good job, I promise.”

“And Satoru?”

“Yeah?”

“Love you.”

“I know, kid. I know.” He turned on his heels and walked towards his place at the front pews while you watched, his steps leading you towards the very man you would want to see standing there when the time comes, his halo of golden locks bright under the setting sun but you knew your future with him would be even more brilliant.

**

The familiar bars of Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon” began to play in a modified, slowed-down wedding version made especially for Gojo and Utahime’s wedding, played on the harp, piano and violin, cueing the beginning to the entrance of the bridal entourage. It began with the entrance of the flower girls who scattered petals of different flowers on the white carpet that lined the long aisle.

Arches and bouquets of flowers festooned the garden, with gossamer cloth hanging about, interlaced with live wisteria that hung down from the canopy along with fairy lights that progressively turned on as the sky grew darker. White and pink dominated the color palette as Utahime had wished and the same goes for the reception area. It was probably one of the most beautiful wedding setups Nanami has ever seen.

But his eyes weren’t on the ornaments. They were trained on the end of the walled garden, waiting for your ascent on the marble steps where the white carpet extended, the march made more dramatic by the organizers by opting for a meandering aisle instead of the traditional, straight walkway for the bride. And it did achieve the desired effect when you finally emerged from the steps and into view.

He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips upon finally seeing you clad in that familiar faded rose gown he had first seen being fitted on you to perfection. He kissed you while you wore that very article of clothing not long ago at the couturier’s shop, and though he thought back then that he has never seen anything more beautiful, he was amazed at the fact that you looked even more gorgeous in it as you glided towards the front.

He loved you so much it hurts, and although you’ve both professed your deep affections for one another and decided to take things head on together, he still felt like he was in the middle of a dream he didn’t want to wake up from. You came closer, and once more, he was back at the semi-outdoor ballroom the first day he came that week, beholding the goddess that was you but seemingly in a different light – brighter this time, overwhelming him to the point that he had to remind himself how to breathe when you finally looked his way and beamed unabashedly, your affections towards him unmasked, real and not under the guise of a game.

“Kento,” he heard Gojo say softly just then, the man’s blue eyes furtively glancing at him.

“Yes?” he answered in hushed tones.

“Hurt my baby sister and I’ll have your severed head hung by the gates of the estate,” he said. “Are we clear about that?”

Geto snickered, concealing it by facing the other way.

“Understood,” Nanami said seriously. “I’m counting on it.”

When you were near enough, you smiled at your brother and Geto before turning your attention to Nanami. You winked at him as you passed by before turning towards your spot opposite them across the aisle, your attention trained towards the point where you came from.

He couldn’t stop looking at you, not even when he felt Gojo hold onto his arm, squeezing tight as Utahime came into view. He didn’t mean to be insulting to his friends. She was beautiful in her wedding gown and he couldn’t help but be moved by the loving look that your brother had on his face as he watched his wife-to-be come closer, guided by her father who will give her away as the sun set. It was poetic. A new beginning after a beautiful end. He probably looked the same whenever his eyes would find you.

The ceremony carried on as everyone sat down, waiting for the couple to exchange their ‘I do’s.’ their vows, rings and the much-awaited kiss. It was making him emotional, thinking of the time when he himself would draw your veil and get to claim you as his for life in front of everyone you both loved and cared about. He couldn’t wait for it, and he may be getting ahead of himself, but he wanted what Gojo and Utahime had with you.

As the minister announced the pair man and wife, everyone applauded and cheered for them. He did so, too, chuckling when Geto whistled loudly, being his cheeky self. Just then, he nudged Nanami on the side, grinning impudently.

“Is it safe to assume you’re next?” he queried in the same manner.

Nanami rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Who knows? Someone might actually steal your heart in the next months and we’ll be seeing you crying as you watch your bride walk towards you by next year.”

Geto snickered at that. “Yeah, right. You looked like you wanted to jump Y/N and replace Satoru and Iori at the altar all this time.”

“Who wants to replace my brother and sister-in-law at the altar?” they heard you say, appearing out of nowhere, your head tilted to the side as you shifted your blue orbs between the two males, but before either of them could answer, you linked your arm with Nanami who smiled down at you blissfully. You returned the gesture, your cheeks blushing prettily under the twinkling lights overhead.

“I see you’ve figured things out.” Geto smirked, patting Nanami on the back just as Shoko came into view, taking the former by the arm, claiming she needed a smoke. She pulled him away, leaving you and Nanami to yourselves, winking as they walked away.

“So, you told him?” you asked, cocking your head towards the wide lawn where the pergolas were, built on three sides of the square and closed by an elevated area for the band, all surrounding a dance floor under a huge, white tent above, also adorned with thousands of lights. It was your design, solely for the wedding reception and a form of gift to the newlyweds.

“Satoru did indirectly when he said he’ll have my head hung at the gates of Gojo Manor if I hurt you.” He shook his head, laughing slightly. “Bastard had the gall to laugh at me, too.”

“He nearly cried when I told him earlier,” you said, regaling him with how your conversation with Gojo went. “He trusts you and is actually afraid I’ll hurt you, too.”

He shook his head. “It’s all part of the process, isn’t it?”

“Mhmm.”

“We’ll take it head on.” He held your hand, twining your fingers together.

You nodded, squeezing his larger hand. “We will.”

Just then, your friends emerged from the reception area with Noabara taking the lead, mischief drawn all over her face as she approached you. “I took care of the sitting arrangement,” she said to you then turned to Nanami. “Take care of Y/N. Make her cry and –”

“You’ll have my head?” Nanami supplemented but Nobara shook her head. “I’ll tan your hide. Satoru gets your head apparently.”

At that, Nanami laughed, nodding nonetheless. But to your surprise, she also turned her attention to you, holding you by the shoulders. “Are you still playing?”

“Nope.” You pressed your lips together, shaking your head slowly.

She smiled then. “Good.” She glanced at Nanami. “You’ve got you a good one here.”

“I know.”

They left you alone after that much to his relief, but then you said, “Wanna play a game?”

His eyes rounded and he felt tension again once he heard you say those familiar words, always the preamble to every single mischievous stunt you’ve ever pulled on everyone including him. He paused and looked at you. “I thought no more games?”

You smirked at him. “One more won’t hurt.”

He sighed, giving in. “You’re going to be the death of me, I swear to god.”

“So, are you in?”

“When did I ever say no to you?”

You giggled. “Great.”

“What is it about this time?” he asked, indulging you.

“Whoever gets a rise out of Satoru first wins.”

“The stakes?”

You just winked suggestively at him.

**

You forfeited. For the first time, you lost in your own game. It counted – albeit momentary – because you initiated the game…said the very words that began everything that paved the way to the result you’ve always wanted. But you did not really consider it a loss when for the long run, you’ve gained the very person you’d always gladly lose to at any given time.

After you father offered a toast for the newlyweds, the speeches began, starting with Utahime’s parents then yours, eventually moving on to you, then the bride and groom’s shared close friends. Geto had been rather irreverent as usual, pointing out the things that both Gojo and Utahime supposedly disliked from one another yet brought them closer, making everyone laugh when Shoko came up the stage and began her speech, saying, “Opposites do attract.”

You sat on your table with Nanami, both of you waiting for your turns. He was next in line after Shoko, smirking at you as he stood up and walked towards the platform and began his piece by congratulating Gojo, “for landing a very gracious woman who has the most enduring patience I have ever known in all mankind, given the grief that Ieiri, Suguru and I had to endure before Iori came to his life.”

He continued on with his witty address, pretty much reflecting what Suguru said and entertaining the crowd enough when he started to express his gratitude. “While I know that this changes nothing between us as the best of friends – including your nature that tested one’s forbearance – I would like to say thank you for many things. Thank you because you are, well, you…” He did a dramatic eye roll.

The guests laughed.

“Thank you because you are a real person who offered friendship to quiet, boring old me,” he said, droning on about the things he appreciated about the couple before saying the things he was thankful to Gojo about. “And thank you, because without you, without our friendship, I wouldn’t have met the very person I also want to walk this earth with for the rest of my life.”

You would have fallen off your seat when Megumi playfully nudged you if it weren’t for Yuuji who also held onto your shoulders from behind your seat, shaking you excitedly.

“If it weren’t for one Gojo Satoru, I wouldn’t have met Y/N.”

You felt all eyes turn towards you, including your parents and your brother, heat suffusing your cheeks as you tried hard to keep yourself from smiling like an idiot for everyone to see. Nanami has outdone you this time, and you knew you didn’t have a chance to go against that when he had so publicly expressed how he felt about you.

“I love her with everything that I am,” he continued, “and I will continue to do so even without your threat to behead me.” He raised his glass. “To Iori and Satoru. May you have the happiest, most prosperous married life from today and for always.”

Geto whistled loudly while the guests applauded. You also stood up, clapping your hands slowly as you shook your head. You’ve lost big time, backed by the fact that your brother stood up raising his glass as he said, “I couldn’t have wished for a better future brother-in-law.” He then looked at you, smiling fondly.

Nanami got Gojo to state his approval for everyone to hear. You can’t win against that even if you nearly made the latter cry.

And now, you were just happy to be in Nanami’s arms as he swayed you both to the tune the jazz band was playing, your arms hanging around his shoulders and your fingers playing with the hair at the base of his head while he held you against him by the waist.

“So?” Nanami began. “How’s that for a final game?”

“Not bad,” you acceded, smirking at him. “I’ll admit defeat.”

“Damn right, you are.” He smiled down at you, his dark eyes reflecting the muted, xanthic lights that surrounded you. “I have a couple of things I’d want you to do for me, by the way.”

You nodded slowly, keeping a straight face at the mention of his prize. “Rules are rules.”

His brows furrowed slightly. “Then again, you haven’t told me what you wanted when you won a week ago.”

You grinned, burying your face on his chest, listening to the faint sound of his heart. “But I did get what I want.”

“And that is?”

You met his gaze from under your lashes. “You,” you stated in full confidence.

Nanami nodded, suppressing a smile. “If you say so.”

“I wouldn’t wish for anything else.” You pulled him towards you so you could peck him on the mouth. “Thank you.”

“I don’t know what for, but as always, anything for you.”

You chuckled at that. Knowing him, he’ll make good on his words for sure, so much so that you didn’t feel the least bit of worry where your future with him was concerned. “You have to learn how to say no to me.”

“I guess, but since I won, have I finally made it to the list of people you don’t mess with?” he asked.

“As promised, yes.”

“No more games?”

“No more games,” you repeated. “Although I have to say it keeps things interesting between us. Don’t you think so?”

You both dissolved in laughter, the merry mingling of your voices coming to a standstill when he bent down and cupped your cheeks, running his thumb over your cheek before staking his claim on your lips while you returned the gesture in kind, locked in each other’s arms, glad you both played the game. And won.

-THE END-

I would like to say thank you to everyone who read this and kept up with my erratic updating. It's been a good 6 weeks. Thanks!

*I used “you” here, but since my character is Gojo’s little sister who is established to be his female clone for reasons essential to the plot, she possesses the same blue eyes and white hair. I did not exactly want to create an OC (although technically, I did by describing Y/N), but I opted for the best of both worlds in this fic, leaning more towards the literary aspect of it as opposed to it just being reader/you-oriented. I hope this isn’t iffy to anyone, and yeah, i’m not being exclusive or whatever.

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S “JUJUTSU KAISEN.” [20210814]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[wreckofawriter]

Best Not To Cry Over Spilled Milk

Pairing: James Potter x Sirius' twin!reader

Warnings: A shit ton of angst, a little swearing

Word Count: 3,779

Request: @rini-scallison: May I request something? If I may I would like to request something like not so perfect sister but instead it’s with Sirius as the brother (a twin if you may) and the reader is like the perfect daughter and Sirius hates her but she tries really hard for him to have a happy life and there’s a bunch of angst and stuff ! You can add a romance in there if you would like too ! Thank you!

A/n: Okay sooo I'm not sure if this is exscatly what the request was but it's how I interpreted it, I really like it at least, I hope you guys do to. I'm hoping to bang out my last few requests, I'm quarantined till April 12th sooo... (stay safe everyone, love you all <3)

Sirius liked to believe he was a pleasant person. At least for the most part, and considering his background, he thought he did pretty good. He may not have been an angel but he had good friends, he helped those around him and unless your name was Severus, he was usually kind. Usually. Unfortunatly there were two people in this world that could break his carefully crafted exterior in a matter of seconds. They both shared his name.

The first was his mother, someone who in all honesty he saw as less of a human and more of a grotesque creature from a child’s nightmare. In his mind, her black heels were replaced by sharp talons. Her long fingernails were claws of obsidian and her dark eyes had the ability to turn you to stone. She had spent her time in Sirius’ life diminishing him to nothing more than a clone of her terror as he tried to make himself anything but. 

The second was a success story. The clone of his mother’s terror. His beloved twin, y/n Black or as many had taken to calling her recently; the Slytherin Queen. And boy was she. She followed every order dispatched to her, obeyed every demand, bowed before the monster that had raised her. She had kept on her blindfold her mother had placed on her the minute she had entered the world. Maybe it only took the twelve minutes which y/n had emerged before Sirius for her to fall under a spell which even the youngest black had started to break from. 

    Sirius was never sure what happened to you. You always sat with your back straight at the dinner table. You never complained about the corset which was always sinched too tight, you would just let your vision go dark from the lack of oxygen. And it completely infuriated him. 

    Sirius really wished he hadn’t cared when he had gotten the letter. He really wished he had thrown a party and done something stupid like set off fireworks in the common room. But he hadn’t. He had instead demolished an entire bottle of fire whiskey crying because, fuck it hurt to be tossed aside by the people who were supposed to love you most.  The next morning he dragged you into an empty classroom hungover and still smelling of liquor and asked you what he fuck had happened. 

    You had told him you begged your mother not to, you told a sob story about a sad little argument in which you- the obvious victim -had fought for his place on the banner in your living room. 

The truth had been very different, his mother had exposed the fact that it was indeed your idea to kick him from the family, that you were convinced he was a disgrace, nothing more than a bug to squash under your boot. He wished he could believe you not his monster. But he knew you. He knew you so goddamn well. You were his twin. His other half. He saw the way your eyes darted away from his own, you shifted on your feet, how you bit the inside of your cheek. You had lied. You had lied to him and he would never forgive you for it. 

    “And what is the M.O.M classification of the Phoenix?” Merrythought asked. Your hand shot in the air. “Ms. Black?” 

    “An XXXX professor, although it did not earn this rating from its aggression but only because so few wizards have been able to domesticate it.” You explained and Sirius rolled his eyes. 

    “Correct Ms. Black, five points to Slytherin.” The teacher praised, you beamed still sitting straight as a board.  

    Sirius let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like the words ‘Kiss ass’ earning a few giggles from the surrounding students. 

    You pretended you didn’t hear him, hand tightening around your quill. 

    James watched as your knuckles went white, How did your brother still bother you? He wondered. 

    Sirius leaned back in the chair next to him mumbling something unnecessarily rude. James fought the urge to roll his eyes. When class was dismissed Sirius made a point to pass you as you packed up. 

    “You’ll make an excellent death eater sis.” He taunted and you paused for a moment but refused to comment. 

    Sirius left the classroom James followed risking a glance over this shoulder to see you being joined by a blonde boy and the Lestrange sisters. Sirius caught him looking and sneered, “A bunch of future murders. Fuckin’ assholes.” 

“You know you could give her a rest, you haven’t even spoken in like a year,” James suggested. 

Sirius scoffed, “And who’s fault is that?” 

James shrugged, knowing the awnser. 

“You know she’s ghosting Reg too?” Sirius glowered, “He always looked up to her too, I have no clue why, but he did. And now she won’t even talk to him.” 

Remus and Peter joined the pair as they made their way into the Grand Hall. 

“Talking about y/n?” Remus inferred.

“Hard not to when she’s such a bitch.” 

James cringed at his friend’s choice of words.  “I’m hungry, let's get some food.” He spoke attempting to change the topic. 

“Why else would be in here?” Remus laughed. 

James cracked a smile opening his mouth to speak but was cut off. 

“Oh shit.” Sirius cussed. 

“What did you do?” Remus sighed, rolling his eyes. 

“I didn’t do anything but can you get me food and meet me in the common room, I may or may not be avoiding Marleen,” Sirius spoke ducking behind James.  

“Sure, just get out of here, I really don’t want to hear her voice right now.” Peter cringed at the memory of being yelled at by the sharp toned girl. 

“I’ll get food, you guys ditch,” James suggested. The other three agreed to leave the hall as the fourth grabbed four plates filling each and flicking his wand causing them to float in the air surrounding him.

James then made his way from the hall. As he turned out of the door he ran straight into someone, stumbling backward a bit he straightened his gaze to see you, your group of what he supposed were friends sneered at him. 

“You guys go on, I’ll catch up.” You spoke, voice monotone. 

They silently agreed, leaving you with the curly-haired boy who now pushed his glasses nervously up his nose. 

“Hey Potter, I need to talk to you.”  James would never admit he was scared of you but he did feel his heart leap to his throat at your words. 

“What’s up?” He asked hoping you didn’t catch as the sentence wavered slightly. 

You bit your lip glancing down at your feet before looking up to meet his gaze. “I wanted to thank you.” 

That is not what he expected you to ask. 

“I can’t even begin to say how relieved I am that you took Sirius in. Please thank your parents for me as well.” You seemed almost nervous, “I actually have something for you.” 

James could not believe that the words you were saying were actually coming out of your mouth. He had expected you to cuss at him, call him a blood traitor amongst other names and then follow your friends into the hall. But you were thanking him instead. 

You rummaged in your bag before removing a red box about the size of a wide bookmark. You held it out to the boy. 

James stared at you half expecting you to break out laughing and reveal the joke. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” You mumbled shoving the gift at his chest. 

“Sorry.” James murmured opening the box eyes widening. Inside was a watch, a damn nice one. It looked to be at least plated with gold, if not solid. Its inside was a scarlet red with three different faces, one of which instead of showing roman numerals around the edge showed the phases of the moon. The strap was a reddish leather, clasp gold as well. 

“Here, watch this.” You spoke stepping closer and carefully removing the watch from its velvet cushion. You held it delicately, pressing an almost invisible button on the side. In a flash two delicate golden wings erupted from the sides of the device and James realized in fascination that the watch now appeared to look like a snitch, you paid no mind flipping it over to reveal a small square gap on the back. “It’s enchanted with an undetectable extension charm so you can put just about anything in it.” You explained clicking the small button again. 

James watched in marvel as the wings fluttered closed closing the gap seamlessly.  “This is amazing y/n,” He whispered looking up at you only to realize you were centimeters away. He could feel your breath fan over his cheeks. It was cold and minty.  

“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me.” You reasoned sliding the watch back into its case and stepping backward. “And before you say you can’t accept it remember that I have plenty of money.” 

Those were going to be the next words out of his mouth. 

“I have one more thing to ask you, James.” You seemed really nervous now, you hoisted the strap of your bag back up over your shoulder. “How’s Sirius? Is he okay?” 

You had baffled him once again. 

“I know I should be asking him that but ever since last year he would sooner light me on fire than have a civil conversation with me.” You sighed.

The Chaser stared at you, this is not how he thought your conversation would go.

“So is he okay?” You asked again, almost urgently. 

“Yeah, he’s fine.” James assured you, “He’s a little moody but overall he’s good.” 

“Have his panic attacks stopped?” You questioned.  

James who had no clue he even got those nodded, “I think so.” 

“Mental breakdowns?” 

James ran his hands through his hair, “He gets them every once and awhile, Moony and I help him through though.” 

You gave a weak smile and stepped forward wrapping your arms around his neck, placing your forehead on his chest. James froze, slowly letting his arms hold your waist, “I honestly can’t thank you enough. You’re a godsend Potter.” You mumbled. You stepped away a few seconds later crimson kissing your cheeks. “Don’t tell Siri we talked. He’ll be pissed.” And with that, you left. 

James felt his heart hammer as he sucked in the air he didn’t realize he had stopped breathing. What just happened?

James had had a crush on you the second you locked eyes centuries ago on platform 9 and ¾. You were the main reason he had looked so long for a certain compartment. A compartment that contained a set of twins, one of which would become his best friend. You had always been very pretty, your strong attitude had aided in that conclusion as well. He thought you were going to be very good friends with him. That was until you were sorted into Slytherin and Sirius soon revealed his rivalry with you.  

He had still harbored feelings for you, small ones he chose to ignore most of the time. He never told a soul, passing his feelings from girl to girl. He proved to be quite good at burying them. You also showed just how good you were at unearthing his secrets with a laugh, a wide smile or the save of a quaffle. The feeling of you in his arms rested in his mind for a long time. He dreamt of you, yearned to hold you again. You had smelt like caramel and cinnamon, you fit into his chest as a puzzle piece did to its neighbor. He really wished you hadn’t hugged him. 

As your sixteenth birthday approached both twins appeared to be more and more on edge. James was dead set on throwing a massive party but Sirius didn’t seem into it. As the day loomed closer he got jumpy, almost paranoid; as if someone was going to lean out from behind him and throw a bag over his head before dragging him away. 

James also began to notice your absences from classes. More and more often you were simply gone, not being anywhere for days before appearing out of nowhere. You always looked so pale when you got back from wherever you had gone, the circle under your eyes always looked darker. He had asked Sirius what was up but got nowhere, he would just lick his lips and say nothing was wrong. A blatant lie. 

You disappeared four days before the 3rd and was gone the entire week. Sirius refused to go to classes that week as well, claiming to be sick, which was fair considering he looked white as a ghost most of the time. 

When you finally returned it looked as if you had been kissed by a dementor. Your face was vacant of any color, your usually vibrant eyes looked pale, bags underneath them bruised brown. 

Both James and Sirius simultaneously tried to convince themselves you just had a stomach bug, that your sunken cheeks were nothing to be concerned about. Both knew they were wrong. 

Sirius found you easily. He knew you too well. You always snuck outside, even when you were younger you would always sneak to the park a few blocks away to escape your mother’s rage. Until you learned to play with fire rather than run from it.

He followed you to the greenhouse. You had always liked herbology. 

You turned at the shuffle of feet to see your brother, he looked almost as terrible as you did. 

“Did you do it?” He asked, his voice sounding so empty as muffled chirps of crickets flowed through the cold November air. 

You refused to look up, You sat in the corner of the cold glass house, your knees pulled to your chest, eyes cast on your dress shoes.  

“Did you really go through with it?” His voice cracked, he stumbled over his own feet. 

You still didn’t answer. Tears had built so thickly in your eyes you couldn’t see. You blinked and they went cascading downwards, raindrops leaking off your chin. 

“Answer me y/n!” Sirius cried through gritted teeth, tears of his own threatening to spill. 

“We have to get Regulus out of that house.” You spoke so plainly it was hard to believe that the words had come from you. “Fuck Siri they have a new initiation ceremony. He can’t go through with that.” 

“Shit y/n/n, what did you do?” His voice was a mix of disgust and despair.

“I don’t fucking know.” You answered honestly.

“Did you kill someone?” He hissed. 

“I wish I did Siri, I really wish I did.” 

Sirius dropped his shoulders a defeated sigh coming from his lips.

“We have to get him out soon Siri. He is so much more stubborn than you were too.” You whimpered. “I mean you practically disowned yourself, mom just needed a push with you.” 

“Why did you give her that push?” Sirius gasped, “Why did you do that? I could have helped you.” 

“I saved you, Sirius.” Your sentence broke in half, “I know you hate me for it but I saved you.” 

Sirius wiped his eyes furiously, “How did you possibly save me y/n?” He seethed.

“What do you think mom would have done if you were still in that house four days ago?” You asked. You knew he already knew the answer. 

“Why the fuck didn’t you save yourself?” Sirius hollered, “Why did you follow every rule she set? Every fucking order she gave you?” 

“The Black family needed an heir.” You shrugged tongue darting out to collect a tear from the corner of your mouth. “I knew it had to be one of us, if not you or me then Reg.” you paused, “So I decided it would be me.” 

    “How? How could you possibly decide that?” Sirius sobbed now standing in front of you. You still didn’t look up. 

“It was easier than you would think.” You chuckled darkly.

“It’s not fair y/n.” He stated, “We can still help you. Dumbledore will help, you can stay with James and me. Please y/n.” 

“It’s too late and you know it.” You spoke, “Best not to cry over spilled milk.” 

“But your life isn’t spilled milk!” Sirius shouted. 

“Might as well be.” You shrugged finally meeting your brother’s eyes. They matched your own, puffy and red. 

“How can you say that?” The boy spat, “It’s your fucking life!”

“Not anymore.” You sighed. “Look, Siri, in all honesty, I don’t give two fucks about my life right now, we have less than 13 months to find a way to get Regulus the fuck out of that house and then boom he turns 16 and none of this shit matters anymore. So stop worrying about me and start realizing we can still save him.” 

Sirius had never felt so incredibly selfish before. You had given away your life for him and for Regulus. What had he given away? He had gotten the life he wanted while you would suffer for the rest of yours. And all you said was ‘It’s best not to cry over spilled milk.’ He suddenly remembered every jibe and comment he had said to you. You had done nothing but bite your tongue as he taunted the nightmare you lived him so he could bask in a daydream. 

“I need you to start hanging out with him.” You mumbled, voice raw, “I have been avoiding him, hopefully, it will help. I’m gonna start making up lies about how his grades are slipping and he’s hanging out with mudbloods, maybe dating one.” You sighed, “Reg still wants to impress mom, I need you to get it into his mind how twisted she is. Make him hate her. Make him hate me too, use me as an example.” You paused, “Can you do that Siri?” 

Sirius didn’t speak for a long time. You didn’t pressure him to. You stared straight ahead tears still leaking from your eyes. 

“Yeah, I can do that.” Sirius finally spoke. He sounded half-dead, deflated. He sounded like you. 

“Good.” You didn’t waste a second. You got to your feet wiping your tears and then you walked away.  

James sprinted down the halls. He has his eyes peeled to the two names in the greenhouse. He made it free of the castle and saw a figure making their way towards him. He glanced down at the map and saw that it was you.  

As he neared you he was finally able to drink in your appearance. Your eyes were bloodshot, you were attempting to dry never-ending teardrops, dragging your forearm repeatedly over your face. When you looked up at him his heart broke. Your bottom lip was shaking eyes so glassy it must have stung. 

You dove into his chest, wrapping your arms around him and you began to cry. Your body jumped with sobs as James pulled you closer to him. 

He forgot about everything but you as you nuzzled closer to him. He forgot about Sirius, about the tears soaking through his shirt and the dew that had dampened his robes. He only cared about you. You and the fact that you still smelt like caramel and cinnamon, you and your overly soft hair, you and your cold hands wrapped around him.

James nestled into your hair inhaling its intoxicating scent. He then hooked his hands under your arms and lifted you so your hands were wrapped around his neck. You understood and wrapped your legs around his waist your head becoming buried into his neck. He placed one hand under each of your thighs and began to carry you inside. As you made your way through the castle your tears began to slow, sobs turning to whimpers.

James felt his face bloom with deep red roses. His heart was thumping far too quickly. When he reached his destination he only had to pace twice before the door showed its self. The inside of the room was relatively the same as it always was except for the large brick fireplace and massive couch filled with large pillows. 

The Chaser attempted to set you down on the couch but your firm grip on his neck and the legs wrapped around him forced him to follow downwards. A fresh blush coated his cheeks. You burrowed back into his embrace and it was quiet for a long time. The only noise coming from the crack of the fireplace and the sound of a faint wind blowing outside.  

“Y/n what happened?” James finally asked and you pulled a bit away from him so you could look him in his eyes. 

He looked so handsome, his deep chocolate brown eyes were wide with worry, only more magnified behind his round glasses. His cheeks were painted with poppies, his lips plush, and pink. His unruly thickly curled hair framed his face perfectly, a small strand falling between his eyes. 

“You know I always had a thing for you.” You smiled weakly, “From the moment I saw you on the platform I thought you were the cutest thing I had ever laid eyes on.” 

James wasn’t quite sure how to respond, he assumed he was dreaming. 

“I never wanted to tell you, James, I never thought I would. But I need to.” 

The room fell quiet again. 

“Can I kiss you y/n?” James finally asked his heart near shattering. 

You nodded slowly and he let his eyes flutter shut, yours doing the same as your lips gently met. The kiss was so fragile you were afraid it may break. He tasted like pumpkin juice, his tongue slipping into your mouth seconds before you pulled away. 

“Y/n let me help you.” James pleaded as you swung your feet off of the couch, sitting upright as you mumbled ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’ quietly to yourself. 

“Just.. take care of Siri for me.” You could feel tears beginning to climb back upwards. 

James sat up beside you, “Y/n please.” He begged. 

“It’s okay James.” You assured him with a watery smile. “You’ll get over it.” 

“But y/n-” 

You shushed him placing your pointer finger on his lips. He blinked a small tear falling down his flushed cheek. You wiped it away with your thumb. 

“You’ll be okay James.” You paused standing swiftly, “Best not to cry over spilled milk.” You murmured over your shoulder as you left the room. 

Taglist:

@accio-rogers

@roslea

@k3nz-doodl3

@theseuscmander

@sleepingalaska

Masterlist

[jcmorrigan]

Consider, blakeworther dealing with children. Whether they adopted a child or are babysitting for some reason

Oh. Okay. So I haven’t even thought about this but this prompt is so entertaining that I’m gonna do this off the top of my head right now.

What I will say is I can’t see them adopting kids. You know what I can see? I’m kinda hopping on the bandwagon for Draco/Vanora (not like super OTP, but it’s cute, I can get behind it, love all the art/fic of it, I don’t see any reason not to). So even though I’m SURE this story is not going to resolve in such a way that everyone is alive and friends at the end, we’re going to pretend it will and Dranora have two children, who I’m calling Kiddo (an elementary schooler) and Moody (a teenager). Anyway there’s some emergency that requires Draco to put his children in the hands of his brother/cyborg clone (reveal pending) and Vanora’s like “Are you sure about this” and Draco’s just “No. No I am not. But I’m desperate.”

AND HERE’S HOW IT GOES

-First things first, Kiddo and Moody aren’t allowed to do a damn thing until their schoolwork is done.

-Albert: “Because being the smartest person in your class will offer you unlimited power.” Vincent: “Because some asshole is going to beat you to being smartest in the class and you need to catch up. Don’t be like me.”

-Victor is trying to convince them to let the kids have some fun but NO! ACADEMICS!

-Victor ends up sneaking them some cookies under the table so it’s not all boring.

-Kiddo reveals they have a hard time with math and you can hear a pin drop as we shift into OH NO mode

-Albert: “I can help with - “ Vincent: “YOU PUT THOSE FLASHCARDS AWAY. WE’RE NOT DOING THIS”

-Homework finally finishes. Vincent then puts Kiddo in front of the television and Moody in front of their computer and calls it DONE.

-(It’s not done.)

-Albert ends up watching marathon-length kids’ programming with Kiddo and getting more into it than Kiddo is. And then being creepy. For example: “What do you think Big Bird would taste like flambé?” “Clifford the Big Red Dog would make an excellent tool to overthrow the state if properly weaponized.” “You know, all this Cliff Hanger nonsense in that lion show would be easily resolved if somebody just stomped on his hand so he would fall off the cliff.”

-At some point Victor has to come barging in to kick over the Solo cups that he’s setting up because WE’RE NOT DOING THIS

-Meanwhile, Moody swears at their computer. Vincent sighs; “If I ask you what’s wrong, will you be quiet?”

-Moody: “There’s this bitch in my class who keeps making fun of me online and it really hurts my feelings.”

-Vincent: “...Hang on.”

-An hour later and Vincent has set up five different sockpuppet accounts on an AI script to doxx Moody’s bully. Because if anybody knows how to commit REVENGE, it’s Vincent

-While he’s plugging away at Moody’s social accounts, Victor pulls Moody aside into the bar. “So. If you’re curious about liquor or smoking, you can try ANYTHING in this room and I won’t tell your parents”

-Moody is sixteen and comes out of that room drunk as a skunk. Possibly also high.

-But it gets them sleepy so that’s ONE KID IN BED; ONE TO GO

-Albert: “I can get the small one sleepy if you just let me use dream - “ Vincent and Victor: “NO”

-Meanwhile Kiddo is on Albert’s desk playing with his red phone because let’s face it, that thing looks like a toy. They accidentally manage to call some Eldritch dimension before Vincent comes running in “PUT THAT DOWN”

-So cue all three guys sitting around going...what are you supposed to do to make a kid sleepy? Aren’t there rules about this?

-Oh yeah, you’re supposed to read bedtime stories to a small child

-Cue Vincent ending up sitting on the side of kiddo’s bed and trying to read them The Count of Monte Cristo. It isn’t received well.

-Lullabies are a thing, right?

-Victor goes in to softly sing kiddo to sleep and it works! He’s actually got a nice voice; he just doesn’t really enjoy singing in public that much.

-Vincent is all mumbly, “You sing well”

-Both offspring are asleep! Finally! Three tired temporary dads slump down on the couch downstairs.

-The peace only lasts so long. Kiddo comes hurtling down the stairs bawling. “I HAD A REALLY BAD NIGHTMARE ABOUT THE SKINNY BLACK CREATURES WITH WHITE SKULL FACES”

-Slloooowwwwwly Vincent and Victor turn to look at Albert. Albert is smiling very nervously.

-“Before you make any accusations, I want you to know this one wasn’t my - “ “ALBERT GERALD KRUEGER WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO”

-Kiddo’s mood is improved because they’ve never heard THAT word before

-So now you have a small child running around the manor yelling “FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!”

-Albert: “Okay, but you two did THAT”

-Now all three of them have to watch even more television with Kiddo until they get sleepy again...which...Kiddo doesn’t

-Kiddo suddenly notices that Victor’s arms are metal. “How did you lose your real arms?”

-Victor is just broken by this point so he goes “The creatures you saw in your nightmares ripped them off when I was your age because I didn’t go to sleep and also I said bad words”

-Kiddo ZOOMS upstairs, locks themself in their room, doesn’t come out

-VICTORY!

-Draco and Vanora come back to the house to find their eldest having a hangover and their youngest screaming “I COULDN’T SLEEP ALL NIGHT! THE BAD THINGS WILL RIP OFF MY ARMS! FUCK!” and Draco realizes they probably would’ve been better off dropping the kids in the Myers front lawn and letting them clean random stuff with Dino for the last twelve hours

[theprinceofflies]

OK so heres the dragon x prince au i did for dapperstache.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/13LUmUD0Ma14pwAtpMQrlD

i made a playlist for this

~`~`~`~

JJ paced back and forth across the room. It was a small room. Much smaller than he was used to. Then again he was used to a grand palace.

The tower room was nice though. There was a queen-sized bed on one side. There was a small closet-like bathroom that contained a sink, toilet and shower/bath. Shelves lined one half of the tower wall. Books of all sizes filled the shelves. It seemed that his father still wanted to have an education. There was a dresser and mirror next to the bed. A small stove and a table in the middle of the room.

Everything would be fine if this was all he had to worry about.

But of course, there was the dragon.

JJ had been knocked out when brought to the tower so he didn't know how to get out. He checked the window a little bit ago and was met with the sight of a bright pink dragon curled around the bottom of the tower.

He had nearly fainted.

JJ had of course known the plan. Get locked up in a tower by his father on his eighteenth birthday. A dragon would be bribed to guard him. The said dragon would be slain by the prince of his dreams. Most likely chosen by his father. A vain prince who only wanted the throne.

JJ rolled his eyes at the thought. Ever since his brothers had run away he had been stuck dealing with his father. Why haven't they taken him with them?

Anti had been the first to run away. Not surprising anyone. He had summoned a demon as a joke. Everyone thought the demon had eaten him. JJ knew he just fell in love.

Marvin was next. Again not very surprising. He had fallen for his bodyguard and ran away. The last JJ heard he was running a travelling circus.

Chase surprised everyone. He had a fiance and was going to be wed to her in a few months. His life seemed perfect. But not perfect enough it seems. He ran away with two inventors. JJ had helped him leave.

Henrik left without a word. Leaving with the head medic. Leaving JJ behind.

They had all succumbed to love, leaving their youngest brother behind.

Now JJ didn't truly blame any of them. He just wished they had taken him with them.

JJ sat on the chair in the corner. Who knows how long he would be up here without a-

"Hello?"

JJ looked up and gasped. A man had climbed in the tower window. A man with scales, horns, wings and a tail. A man who was also lacking clothes.

JJ jumped up, sighing rabidly. "Ok slow down."

'Who are you?'

"Wilford."

'Could you put on some clothes?'

"Those things you humans wear?" Wilford asked and stood up, giving JJ quite the view. "Why?"

'Because well you're,' JJ tried to sign.

"Ok."

JJ nodded and ran to his dresser, throwing some clothes that were too big for him to the man. He turned away and took a deep breath. This he was not prepared for. "Okay okay, so how do I look?"

JJ turned around and sighed. Wilford was wearing the loose pants but not the shirt. He shrugged. "Does not go over the wings."

'Who are you?' JJ asked again.

"Oh, I'm your dragon. Wilford Warfstache at your service," Wilford said and bowed.

JJ blinked. "Yeah, you're not the first princesses I've guarded. I've gotten this reaction before. The Last Prince just drugged me. It's a bit boring. Told everyone he killed me."

JJ nodded. He could see the man without turning away in embarrassment. He had pink hair and a pink moustache that matched his pink scales. The scale-covered his cheeks and most of his chest. He grinned and sharp teeth flashed. His eyes glimmered in the light. Red cats like eyes that follow the princes every move. Horns rested on top of his head that curved backwards. His wings were folded but were just as pink as his scales. His tail waved back and forth as he stared at JJ.

Wilford tilted his head and took a step forward. "I was promised the green prince."

JJ looked away. 'He's gone. Ran away with his lover.'

"Oh good for him. Then you're the purple prince?" Wilford asked.

'No also ran away with his lover.'

Wilford frowned. "Grey?"

'Two lovers.'

"White?"

'No sorry. Ran away as well'

"You're the blue prince then."

'Yes.'

"Good I was afraid your father had more sons I didn't know about. Though you're the youngest. The foolish youngest. Why haven't you called for a handsome suitor? Why haven't you run away like the others?"

'I'd rather read.' JJ sighed and looked at the ground.

"Really little bluebird?" Wilford asked and took a step forward. "No story of a lover left at home. No-"

He stopped when JJ pulled out a knife and pointed it at him. "Why do you have that?"

'I've heard the horror stories of evil princes taking advantage of their supposed loves. I am no fool.'

Wilford nodded and grinned. "You know I like you. Have fun exploring the tower. I'll be outside."

JJ turned around as Wilford crawled out the window. "Ta ta!" he called.

JJ didn't turn around to look at him,1 instead he plucked a book from the shelf and began to read.

~'~'~

"Dinner!"

JJ whipped around to see Wilford holding up a bag. He was also wearing pants that fit him and a yellow shirt. "Though I'd get dinner to apologize. And well you seemed more comfortable if I was wearing clothes. Oh forgot to say I'll be getting food for you so if you want something feel free to ask."

JJ nodded and smiled. 'Thank you.'

"Sorry for earlier."

'Thank you for the apology.'

Wilford grinned. "I didn't know what you wanted so I got some sweets, fruits and chicken."

'That's. That's very kind. Thank you.'

Wilford grinned and set it on the table. "Believe it or not you're more talkative than the last person I kept in a tower. She was terrified of me. Eventually, I just left her alone."

JJ stood up and peered into the bag. 'Well, you don't seem like you want to eat me.'

"Well I won't lie, you look delicious. I've just been fed knights who haven't showered in weeks." Wilford said with a grin.

JJ froze.

Wilford laughed. "I'm not going to eat you. I was joking. I like candy."

JJ relaxed and giggled. 'A dragon who enjoys sweets. I believe I've seen it all.'

Wilford blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah."

JJ pulled out the fruit and the sweets. He carried the chicken over to the stove and grabbed a tray, putting the chicken on it and putting it inside. "What are you doing?"

'Cooking the chicken.'

"Why?"

'I don't eat things raw. Now, where are the matches?' JJ stood up and looked through the drawers. Wilford frowned and walked up to the stove. 'Wil what are you-'

He froze when Wilford blew a plume of fire into the stove. "There!"

'Well, that works.'

"It does! Don't forget you have a dragon friend now!"

'Friend?'

"Yeah I mean if you," he trailed off when JJ hugged him.

'Thank you.'

Wilford nodded, flicking his tongue out to catch the scent of fear. Not directed to him. Then there was happiness. That was a lot sweeter than fear. Wilford shook his head and stared down at the prince. He wrapped his arms around the prince's waist and pulled him closer. "You're welcome."

~'~'~

Winter had come and apparently if Wilford kept eating JJ's suitors he was going to be stuck in the tower forever. Which meant he was stuck inside during winter. In a place where it was not built for winter.

JJ thought of this as he shivered under his blankets. The fireplace helped a little but it was still cold.

The window creaked and JJ sighed. He sat up to see Wilford crawling through the opened window. He turned and stared at JJ. "Oh, you're awake."

'What are you doing?' JJ asked and rubbed his eyes.

Wilford shrugged and shifted. He was still getting used to wearing pants. "I sneak in to steal candy."

JJ rolled his eyes and gestured for Wilford to come over. "Why aren't you asleep?"

'Too cold.'

"Cold?"

JJ reached out a hand and touched Wilford's arm. He gasped and pulled Wilford into the bed with him. "Woah! What are you," he trailed off when JJ pressed up against his chest.

'You're warm.'

Wilford chuckled nervously. "I give off heat I guess."

JJ sighed and pulled him under the covers. 'You have to stay.'

Wilford flicked out his tongue and nodded. JJ ran a hand across his chest. 'I've never felt your scales before. They're nice.'

"Thank you."

JJ sighed and closed his eyes, his body going limp against the draconic creature.

Wilford sighed and pulled the prince closer. "Good night Jay."

~'~'~

"JJ!" Wilford said and pulled back the makeshift curtain on the window. They had made it so Wilford could change in and out of clothes with privacy.

JJ looked up and smiled softly. 'Hello, Wilford.'

Wilford grinned and walked over to him, holding something behind his back. "I got you something!"

JJ tilted his head as Wilford's tail swung back and forth. 'You're excited.'

Wilford nodded and shoved a bouquet into JJs arms. JJ gasped and stared at the flowers. They had been freshly picked and were all blue. "Do you like it? I saw a boy giving a girl flowers and she liked them. You said you like the colour blue so," he trailed off. "JJ why are your eyes leaking?"

'It's wonderful, Wilford.'

"No, you're crying, that means you're sad," Wilford said and reached out a hand to take the flowers back.

JJ shoot his head. 'It also can mean that you're just so happy you can't contain it.'

Wilford nodded. "That's good right?"

JJ nodded and sniffed. 'Thank you so much.'

"Have you ever gotten flowers before?"

'Yes, many times, from suitors. I normally got roses. I don't very much care for roses.'

Wilford froze. "Suiters?" he whispered.

JJ laughed. 'They're usually given as gifts of romance.'

Wilford blushed and looked away. "I am sorry," he said quickly and turned to the window. "Oh, is that a prince? I better go eat him!"

JJ laughed and sighed dreamily as Wilford stumbled out the window. He took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers before going to get a vase.

~'~'~

JJ sighed as mettle clashed against Wilford's claws. He peered out the window to see Wilford in his dragon form holding the prince by his cape and glaring at him. "You bastard! How dare you keep the prince from the outside. How dare you hurt him!"

Wilford growled and narrowed his eyes. "Fool! I protect the prince from idiots like you." Wilford turned to look at the tower. JJ smiled and waved at him.

"Your majesty." the other prince yelled. "I have been sent by your father to marry you!"

'Could you save me first?'

"What was that? Speak please."

JJ rolled his eyes. "He asked if you could save him first," WIford growled.

Realization dawned on the armour-wearing prince. "Oh fuck your mute! I wasn't told that. Well, I guess it's not that bad. We can make due, just can't tell anyone."

JJ gasped and glared at the prince. He put his thumb down and stormed back into the tower. He sat on his bed and stared at the ground. Wilford came in a few minutes later. "JJ are you okay?" he whispered as he got dressed. He peeked out of behind the curtains to look at him. "JJ your eyes are leaking again. But you're sad."

JJ nodded and tried to rub the tears away. Wilford approached him. He sat next to JJ on the bed and nudged JJ's shoulder with his horns. JJ pushed him away and Wilford whined. He moved closer to JJ, wrapping his tail around JJs waist. "Did he make you sad?"

'Yes.'

"Is it about your voice?"

'Will I'm the last pick! I wasn't supposed to get married. My father hid me in the castle. I had suitors but they were never allowed to meet me. I was useless because of my voice. After my brothers left my father had to marry me off. I'm never going to get a prince. They only care about fame.' JJ sighed.

"Do you want to stay with me?"

JJ nodded and tilted his head. 'What do you mean? Of course, I do. I already stay with you.'

"I mean forever. I'll be the mean dragon who will not let any prince get to you."

JJ paused. 'I would like that, but,'

Wilford took JJs hands into his claws. "You'll be free one day I promise. Just stay with me, please. Just for a while."

JJ smiled and nodded. 'I'll stay with you my dragon.'

Wilford grinned and pulled JJ into a hug, wrapping his wings around the other to cover him. "My prince."

JJ smiled and pressed himself closer to the dragon. 'Thank you.'

Wilford smiled. "You are very welcome my sapphire."

[laadgovernorandsankadevi]

IPK Rewatch: Ep 04; who writes our fates?

The episodes picks up from where we had left off previously, with a frantic and impulsive Khushi running behind the ASR, making him stop. With today's episode, we start the journey into the first two promos of the show. (The promo with Khushi saying she makes her own clothes and people matter more than money whilst ASR priorities appearances, and the second one posted in the very first post.)

The biggest divide between the two has not been their lifestyles, but their moral code, their beliefs. Khushi blends with the Raizadas very well especially Anjali and Nani which lets us believe that Khushi might have gotten along with Ratna quite well as well. Khushi stands steadfast in front of Arnav and his look of intimidation. This is one of the very few times where when he moves forward, she doesn't take a step back. It's also representative of in my opinion, of what he refuses to budge against. Her beliefs and her self-respect is something she wouldn't be intimidated easily from.

Arnav's "kya kiya main ne?" is insightful of his cheekiness, his entitlement, and reeking arrogance. The thing is, that the person who asks her this questions wasn't ASR, it was Arnav switching in and out of his persona with Khushi, and Arnav will be regretting the realisation - and the effect Khushi has on him that makes him switch between his personas as much.

I also love Khushi's sandals slipping out of her feet, specifically I think the left feet concisely as she walked behind him, ran behind him and then away from him. Khushi's path towards Arnav is filled with pain. It's often observed that and bare left feet means awaiting sorrow and that does seem to be the case for Khushi at least. If Arnav is restless at him not seeing Khushi on occasions later onwards, then Khushi looks for excuses to be around him while denying that she does so, to see him.

What I think pisses Arnav off is that while Khushi points at his arrogance, and his attitude of getting his way or creating terrible circumstances when he doesn't get his own way, whatever happened between them was not solely him. We see this belief translating into her conversation with Payal later when she points at everything happening for a reason. She remarks at Arnav as well that even the decisions he thinks he is making for himself are being taken by him because of how Devi Mayyian is guiding him. She remarks at his lack of gratitude instead of affirming that he has accomplished everything on his own.

However Arnav is quick to respond with a classic comeback, of pain wouldn't be existing if God was present. The exchange on pain, and God providing us with aids to heal the pain is a classic exchange between someone who finds themselves aligned to religion because it has been their biggest source of comfort , and someone who decides to move away from everything as a reactionary. Whilst Arnav had behavioural issues growing up even when his parents were alive, it is Arnav's displeasure with everything that his family stood for which make it easy for him to embrace everything opposite of what they believe in.

Before the last sentences exchanged between the two, he tells her to not come in his way again. Coincidentally, the next time they meet one another is when she collides with his car!

Khushi's last words to him echo within him that no one is in control besides Devi Mayyian. Not even Arnav Singh Raizada and this starts the cat and mouse challenges between them. To show whose in-charge, he makes sure the clip of a girl like him, in arms of a man like him is circulated to all news channel. Oh Arnav bitwa, if only you hadn't! If only! - it's funny that this one action of his sends the person already living with the Raizadas to save this girl whose clearly been caused distress because of Arnav/Saale Sahib

Absolutely love Khushi and Payal's bond with their conversation. I sorely missed their little banters, and moments of assurance after their wedding.

One of the few lines I loved in this interaction was Payal asking where did the pearls disappear, and if a crow took them away. kawa udda le gaya kya? crows are insightful, curious, misunderstood creatures. They symbolises magic, transformation, and change. There is also a common superstition that arrival of crows means arrival of a guest. The reason for adverse transformation awaiting Khushi's life is the one who took those pearls away. That person, earlier in the day made sure that the change would shake Khushi's life.

It is after this Khushi berates Arnav Singh Raizada. She refers to him as Laad Governor for the first tike in front of Payal. Not many people are aware of this name which later turns into a term of endearment but Payal before Akash is privy to these change in Khushi's life. Payal is also one of the few people to be able to differentiate between Khushi being Khushi, or Khushi lying. In telling about the encounter earlier, I love how she calls her to-be husband whose a diabetic, barfi ka tukra! how ironic. Barfi in general is made from sweet condensed milk which is a symbol of fertility. That is what Arnav is for his family and loved ones. He takes on the responsibility of being a provider, of being a protector. Correlation of people with food plays an important role in the show throughout. It also reflects Khushi's unconscious feelings about that person. For now, Arnav has made a spot in her heart for himself without intending to and Khushi has willingly given him that space just for the ruckus he's caused. With Payal's clarification of her being upset at a partner like Abhishek, Khushi isn't doesn't necessarily blame Arnav either this point forward. She blames herself for taking on the responsibility and leaving without informing others. This is a streak within Khushi where her insecurities of being overtly impulsive rise. Later she doesn't blame Arnav for misunderstanding Shyam and her. She blames herself for not sharing the information with him.

In contrast to the scene between the sisters, we finally see the brothers interact with one another. Clearly there is a comfort level between the two and an easy, playful, camaraderie. We see Arnav yelling at someone for minor mistakes and it's established Arnav striving for perfectionism is reflective of his need for control at all times.

I love how Akash after sharing about the photographer stopping the shoot says "aab toh usse koi nahi bacha sakta" and the scene cuts to Khushi saying she has her Devi Mayyian. Devi Mayyian does protect Khushi from everyone but Arnav, however it's Arnav as Khushi says who eventually ends up needing Devi Mayyian's favourite child to be his saviour when he's kidnapped. It's also him who bows in front of Khushi instead of the other way around.

Roop Suhana Lagta hai is Payal's song. I think with both the sisters' and brothers' scene running parallel, the song provides an insight into what lays the foundation for Payal's relationship alongside Khushi's. After all, Akash ji loses his heart in first sight.

The mother daughter finally unite after Khushi urging Amma to call her, her daughter. I am pretty sure laho peti ho roughly means sucking the life/blood out of someone, and Khushi can often inadvertently become a reason for the Guptas to find themselves exhausted. However all is well when Khushi exercises her right over Garima and Garima admitting the same.

Shashi walks in, into the reunion of mothers and daughters and we get an insight into how wonderfully happy this small family is together. This is in quite contrast to what we will eventually see with Raizadas whose happiness appears to be a facade threatening to break until the arrival of their bahus into their house and the exit of their damad who had been holding everyone together.

Later Khushi gets called out by Shashi as they leave the house and Bua ji back home. Bua ji doubling down on Khushi is a common theme all throughout. As much as she adores her, she also makes sure ti be equally tough on her. I think one of the reason her harshness is more prominent with Khushi is because how obedient Payal is. Payal is the perfect daughter, Guptas could've imagined where as Khushi is chutki, Sanka-devi, a bit spoilt, given leeway to help outside with her father, and allowed to be rude to others on occasion which the youngest of the households get the reigns to be. Garima allowing Khushi to run her mouth with kaka ji later gives us a peek into that. I absolutely love that!

We finally meet the deva-esque photographer who clearly has no idea who he is dealing with however the way few people talk to Arnav despite how he forces people to perceive him shows us that Arnav is indeed someone new to the industry whose been fortunate enough to get amazing success. If ASR is really who he lets us believe he is, there wouldn't have been payment issues. He would've also fired the person and gotten a replacement in an instant however Arnav settles by humiliating the man working for him.

the photographer here is unhappy with his payment plans.> I think these were suppose to allude to the past that they ended up changing in the narrative later so technically me decoding it is useless. The person who is aware of the entire truth is unhappy with the lack of their truth being acknowledged.

kis kheeth ka gajr hai > how are you so prosperous? the mysterious persona makes a comeback and begs how the Maliks who wronged others. had their children prosper despite being driven out of their homes.

mooli hai, not gajar > mooli or radish’s symbolise quarrel and the former narrative, that the show changed later onwards was about the big quarrel between Chacha ji and Malik Sr. Carrots on the other hand symbolise prosperity and happiness within family. Whatever happened in the past would’ve included facades of happiness but we all know now to some extent that the brothers were quarrelling, the heir to the house was thrown out and ASR is the repersonaification of that spiteful younger Malik son. These interpretations do not matter as much now as they wiped off Shyam’s backstory and Chacha ji later because of fans’ demand to not separate the couple on the wedding day but goddammit what a fruitful foundation they laid! Carrots also symbolise end goal. ASR thinks he’s met the lifelong, he’s put the past away. Now that is far from the truth because the true past comes in form of Khushi. Just when he didn’t expect it, the truth pushes him just like how just as he opened his eyes, Khushi (his happiness) fell into his arms. 

jis uchai par mein kada hoon wahan kutton ke bohnkne ke awaz nahi pohonchti > ASR is a rising name of the industry and he's reminding the photographer to not forget how he could potentially change the entire field. I think this is decoding of the tracks being laid out. ASR loses to Khushi, but Arnav wins until Khushi is ready to accept ASR's win. It can indicate how unbothered Arnav is as long as the cost of anything changes into his success.The juxtaposition between wins and loses of ASR and Arnav with Khushi are incredibly important. ASR never falls for Khushi until after Lavanya and after coming back from kidnapping. However, it’s Arnav (Arnav Malik) who falls for Khushi for the first moment, whose love surpasses condition despite laying them.

asli aukat > too many people today have tried telling ASR his aukat today , but really what is his aukat. what was going to be his place in the past?

discount ka kam > Akash's expressions and eyes dart towards Arnav at the term discount being used.

The man doesn't receive a slap, a full palm slap until he brings up Arnav's mother. 50,000 signifies the failing of totality and inability to excel in destiny however the 20 Million for the slaps signify that ultimately, regardless of the past, the duality of forces of love will strengthen Arnav's position enough to be able to make sure that the narrative sways in his favour. the twice 4 zeros are also numbers which hold the spiritual power of bringing soulmates who are twin flames together. And we all know, that with Khushi by Arnav's side, the past that we eventually find out about removes the stain from Garima's reputation and frees Anjali of the man who had been using her as a pawn.

The episodes ends with a relative calling Gotmi Sadan to inform Shashi about the news which is a call picked up by Bua ji. Bua ji saying that yahan toh yeh pora ka pora baghicha khila de rahi adds a perfect layer of how Khushi's encounter with Arnav leads the girls of Gupta house to their eventual rajkummars.

In the market, Khushi has become the talk of the town with people readily able to identify her. An exciting journey awaits us as the next player of this game joins us in the next episode.

[laurenmm62017]

Jedi June: Day 5

5 Times Luke met Force Ghosts

Prompt: There is no death, there is the Force

This sort of ignores the whole “It takes years of study to learn to become a Force Ghost” thing but oh well.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32046055

@jedijune

~1~

The first time he spoke to someone who was not really there was back on Tattooine. Luke was working on one of the vaporators at the edge of the farm, near the end of the day. He had been working on the damn thing for the better part of the day. One part failed just as another was fixed, but it seemed that Luke finally figured out what was wrong.

He straightened up and wiped a bit of sweat off his brow with a satisfied huff. At that moment, his eyes strayed over to the fence that marked the edge of the farm. Leaning against the electric fence was a Kel Dor, long robes flowing around them. As if that wasn’t strange enough, they were completely blue and translucent. What the kriff?

“Hey!” He shouted over, lowering his hand to his holster to make sure his blaster was there. You could never be too careful with Sand People roaming around. “What are you doing out here? Tosche Station is a long way from here.”

The Kel Dor chuckled, and stood up straight. “So you’re the Luke Skywalker that Ben keeps going on about. A pleasure, young one.”

“Ben? Ben Kenobi? What about him?”

Then, the Kel Dor walked straight through the kriffing fence. Luke’s eyebrows nearly shot off his head at that. He fumbled with his blaster a bit before turning the muzzle towards the… ghost is the only word he could think of. “What the hell??”

“Do not be afraid, young Luke. I mean you no harm. I was simply curious.”

“Y...you’re see through. And blue? What are you?” Luke was so confused.

“Simply a memory from a time past. May the Force be with you, Luke Skywalker. You will do great things. Just like your father before you.”

And just like that, he disappeared, leaving Luke confused and intrigued.

~2~

Luke doesn’t see another ghost until the aftermath of the Death Star explosion (the first one, as he will find out later). Luke had just climbed down from his X-Wing, adrenaline still flowing through his veins. He yanked his helmet off his head and looked hastily around for where the Falcon landed.

As he scanned the landing field, he caught a glimpse of translucent blue, and his mind flashes back to that time on the farm.

Luke weaved through the crowd of Rebel pilots and engineers and mechanics to the edge of the airfield, almost out of sight of everyone.

This figure was tall, much taller than Luke, with hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a mask that covered his eyes with some interesting markings on it. While the last ghost wore Jedi robes, this one was wearing typical Rebel Alliance attire. He was leaning casually against the hanger wall, watching wistfully as a modified Corellian freighter slowly came in for a landing.

“You don’t look much like a Jedi, sir.” Luke called out casually.

The man turned to him and smirked. “Neither do you. You look like a hero of the Rebellion.”

“Ehh, all I did was pull the trigger.”

“And blew up the Empire’s biggest weapon. Come on, kid. Don’t be so modest.”

“Alright, alright, thank you, Master…?”

“My name is Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight. I fought in the early days of the Rebellion, with my crew over there. Maybe you’ve seen them around base.”

Luke and Kanan observed this crew disembarking the Corellian freighter. A Twi’lek woman walked down the ramp holding what looked like a very small baby with bright green hair. A Mandalorian with colorful armor was chatting with an older man with a beard and bright white armor, followed by a ginger-haired man in standard Rebellion clothes and a big purple alien of whom Luke did not know the species of.

“That’s your crew? They seem... formidable.” He looked over this eclectic, mismatched crew, who seemed to know exactly where each other were as they walked towards the rest of the rebels. Luke stared at the crazy amount of modifications on top of this ship. There was almost as much as the Falcon, but this ship actually looked in much better condition. Don’t tell Han he thought that.

“They’re my family. I watch over them through the Force when I am able to. When this war is finally over, then I will feel comfortable with becoming one with the Force.”

Luke’s gaze focused back on this crew and contemplated the last few days. He went from a simple farm boy on Tattooine to hero of the Rebellion in an insanely short period of time. He met a Princess, an old Jedi, and two smugglers that he had become very close to. He really hoped they could become as close as Kanan’s crew appeared to be.

He turned back to Kanan, only to find that he disappeared.

~3~

Luke was recovering from his encounter with Darth Vader- his father when he met the next ghost.

Well, ghosts.

The doctor just left after making sure the stump of his arm wasn’t infected. It wasn’t, and what a relief it was for that small miracle. He was lying down with his eyes closed in a room between two empty beds.

Slowly, as the sedative the doctor gave him worked through his body, he began to sense two? Force signatures, sitting on the bed to his left. They were so melded and tangled together, he almost thought that it was one person.

He turned his head, and there sat two men. The first was wearing robes that looked similar to Old Ben’s robes. He was slightly too thin and his eyes didn’t quite connect with his own. The other was more built, had shoulder length hair, and was wearing a simple shirt and pants.

But Luke could see the way that their bodies were angled towards each other, the way the larger man had his arm on the other’s back, the way they seemed to unconsciously lean against each other.

“And who are you two?” He muttered, his brain still a bit fuzzy.

“My name is Chirrut. And this big softy is Baze.” The one who wore robes said, and gestured with his hand to the other man, whose frown deepened slightly at his introduction.

“Hi. I’m Luke.”

“You’ve been through so much, young one. The Force feels heavy around you. You faced a horrible creature and paid the price for your mistakes.” Chirrut declared, a bit too loudly, in Luke's opinion.

“Yeah, guess that’s what happens when I don’t listen to Master Yoda.”

“No.” Baze rumbled. “This sort of thing happens when you go into a situation you think you are ready for, but horribly overestimated yourself.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I should have listened to Master Yoda. But if I had, Leia and Chewie…”

“There is no changing the past. All one can do is look to the future.” Chirrut smiled. “Besides, I don’t think you’re ready to give up yet. After all, the strongest stars have hearts of kyber.”

“What does that even mean?” Luke asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” Baze said, smiling very slightly.

“I’m disappointed, Baze. Do you not remember our time in the temple as Guardians?”

“I’m surprised you can remember something that happened so long ago, old man.”

“Such a shame. Baze Malbus was once the most devoted Guardian of us all!”

Luke smiled at them, letting their bickering to wash over him, then allowed the sedative to take hold of him.

~4~

The next time Luke saw a ghost was right before his turn in the plan to get Han back from Jabba's palace on Tattooine. He was at the outer edges of the Dune Sea, doing a bit of moving meditation to settle his nerves and center his focus. As his movements flowed smoother and smoother and he sank deeper into the Force, he could sense the Force coming together next to him in the form of a humanoid. Harsh, wild energy barely contained within, but already one with the Force. He could feel that this ghost was following the movements of his meditation with sharp precision and only a split second behind him.

He was winding down now, moving slower and slower, and finally settled in a kneeling position on the sand.

A beat of silence, then...

"You were trained by Obi-wan Kenobi, weren't you?" This ghost's voice was light, jovial, but his energy was dark, a shadow just out of sight.

"Yes. Him and Master Yoda. How could you tell?"

"I'd know Obi's style anywhere. We grew up together, after all."

Luke's eyes opened and looked across from him at this new ghost. He had dreadlocks that went slightly past his shoulders, a stripe of color across his nose and cheeks, and what looks like only the outside robe of standard Jedi robes? Interesting choice, Luke supposed.

"Obi-wan... I knew him as Old Ben, he lived out in the Jundland Wastes. Uncle Owen... he never trusted him, I guess. But I was always drawn to him, for some reason. Now I know it was because of the Force.” Luke smiled at the man. “You said you knew Ben?”

“Sure did, kid. But I knew him as Obi. We grew up in the Jedi Temple together. He was a cute little thing, always chasing after me and our group of friends. A lot happened to him at the start of his Padawan training, and it influenced him for the rest of his life, and therefore, the fate of the galaxy.” The man shook his head. “He was so full of anger when he was younger, but then he went to Naboo with his Master, that was the turning point for him. We could all feel it. Had the Jedi Order continued, I totally believed that he would have been the youngest Grand Master the galaxy had ever seen.”

“He was a bit distant, and I could tell there was a lot that he didn’t tell me before… he went to face Vader.”

“He was always like that. Never wanted to be a burden on others, so he kept everything close to his chest. He really only confided with Master Yoda. Or during the Clone Wars, he would spend a lot of time with his second in command.”

“A clone?”

“Yes, Commander Cody, highest ranking clone in the entire GAR. They were very close. Dunno what happened to him after the war.”

“May he be with the Force.”

“Yeah.”

There was a pause between the two.

“Hey, kid. Be careful, in there. Jabba is a lot smarter than his appearance would indicate.”

“Of course. How could he be the leader of an entire system if he wasn’t?”

“Heh, that’s true. Just don’t underestimate what he would do if he found you out.”

“He won’t.”

~5~

The last time he saw a ghost, or Force ghost, was during his exile on Ahch-To. He had lost track of time many cycles ago. The local population helped him acclimate to basically having nothing. They taught him how to fish, sterilize water, plant edible food, and build a shelter for himself. All of the books that he collected over the years were kept in an isolated part of the island that he rarely went to.

It was peaceful. But there was still a storm in his heart.

Luke stood on one of the higher cliffs on this small island, looking over the endless water. The waves roughly washed up the cliffs and he felt the sprays tickle his feet.

He wasn’t meditating; his head was too much of a mess for that.

Why didn’t he see it sooner? Why didn’t he sense it? If he were a better teacher, would he have been able to stop it?

“Luke, stop that train of thought this instant.”

He jumped and nearly fell from the cliff as a result. He turned around indignantly, ready to tell off whichever ghost had come unannounced to his exile, but paused when all he saw was blue and white lekku.

He slowly looked up to see a scowling and unimpressed face glaring down at him and they stepped back. Now he had a better view of this Force ghost.

A Torgruta, at least a head taller than him, wearing long flowing robes and patches of… stormtrooper armor? No, it was a little too angular for that. Clone trooper armor then. She had many decorative beads draped over her montrals and lekku and her face markings were very sharp and distinct.

“Well it’s true. What would you know of any of this?” He retorted back.

“Oh, you will find I know betrayal very well. After all, thousands of my children betrayed me.”

“…you’re talking about the clone troopers.”

“Indeed. My name is Jedi Master Shaak Ti, and during the war, I was stationed on Kamino, the home plant of the clones. I oversaw thousands of clones’ training, I gave them advice, I comforted them when their brothers were decommissioned. I fought with and for them all. But in the end, it was for naught. They executed almost all Jedi, even the youngest in the crèche and the eldest in the Halls of Healing.” He listened in awe.

“But I do not blame them. It was Palpatine who forced them to do this. Implanted a chip to control them with the right code words. They couldn’t control it, just as you could not control what happened with Ben Solo.”

“But I could have stopped this from happening, if only I had seen it!”

“What if’s and could have’s won’t change the past, Luke. All you can do now is look forward. What could you do in the future, if only you would forgive yourself.”

“I… I can’t go back. How can I face them? Leia, Han, Chewie? Their son Fell to the Dark side, because I wasn’t a good enough teacher.”

“Falling is a choice, Luke. Ben was manipulated by the Dark and Fell because of it. Not because you failed.”

“Heh. Sure, whatever you say.” He turned on his heel and began walking back down the hill to his hut.

He heard her sigh, and then felt her Force energy disperse.

[a-blue-secret]

CHAPTER XXII

BACK TO MASTERLIST

Chapter XXI | Chapter XXII | Chapter XXIII

GENRES: royal au; fantasy au; magic au; friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; king!beomgyu, vizier!taehyun

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: swearing (as usual); a few drops of blood

WORD COUNT: 6.4k+

AN: Again, a lot happens in this chapter, and if you aren't quite sure about something then feel free to ask me! I don't bite, I promise :)

SUMMARY: Best friends turned enemies, Kang Taehyun has managed to trick Choi Beomgyu into his service, and to rule for a year and a day, until his youngest brother would be old enough to take the throne. Choi Beomgyu has no intention of being obedient however, and tries to thwart Taehyun’s orders at every turn. With a growing amount of distrust and lies within the court, will Taehyun manage to keep the kingdom of Gojongja from falling apart?

Beomgyu did get worse. As the days grew, he was either terribly tired and weak, or he was scarily animalistic and cold. On one particular day, Taehyun had taken one look at the Beomgyu who’d been sitting up in bed, glaring at him, and had immediately backed out of the room.

“Nope nope nope,” he’d said, quickly retreating into the hallway again, much to a surprised Chan’s confusion. “I am not going in there today. No thank you.”

He’d quickly strode down the halls, far away from Beomgyu’s room. He just didn’t have the mental power to deal with it that day. It hurt him to see Beomgyu looking so cold and unfeeling, and it broke his heart for him to see the person he loved act as if he barely knew him.

“Oh, Taehyun?” A voice called, and Taehyun looked back to see Soobin walking up to him, brown eyes filled with concern. “Are you alright? You look distressed.”

Taehyun blinked, before his face melted into a smile. “I’m alright, don’t worry.”

Soobin smiled back. “That’s good. I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I briefed the new council members like you asked, and one of the servants asked me to tell you that they have now begun to cut the marble for our ballroom floors.”

Taehyun nodded. “Thank you, Soobin.” Soobin smiled wider, dimples deepening, and he bowed.

“Of course, Taehyun. I’ll see you around?”

The vizier inclined his head, and then carried on walking.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Taehyun pushed open the ivy-covered door, leaning against it heavily as he closed it behind him. He rubbed his eyes with one hand, giving a tired sigh.

He’d lied to Soobin about not being stressed. He was the most stressed that he’d ever been in years. He hadn’t told anyone about Beomgyu and his bipolar moods and, truth be told, he didn’t really want anyone else to know. Not until they knew what it was, anyway. Taehyun gave another sigh, sinking down onto the grassy floor. He wrapped his arms around his knees, burying his head into the crook of his elbow.

It was quiet in the secret garden. The sun shone pleasantly (almost too pleasantly, Taehyun thought sourly, considering how things were decidedly not pleasant at that moment) and not even a breeze rustled the leaves. There was a calm silence.

But then, like a persistent subconsciousness, small voices began to fade in and out all around him.

‘Oh look, the handsome boy came back!’

‘Both him and his boyfriend are handsome, what are you talking about?’

‘Hey, don’t you think that he looks really sad?’

‘You don’t think his boyfriend dumped him, do you?’

‘Why would anyone dump someone as handsome as him?’

Slowly, Taehyun lifted his head. As he looked around, straining his ears, the squeaky voices increased in volume.

‘Oh my, his eyes are so big!’

‘He really is handsome, isn’t he?’

Taehyun frowned, trying to find the source of the voices. He scanned the garden, eyes piercing, trying to see if there was someone watching him.

Strangely, as his eyes skipped over a couple of flower beds, the voices went silent.

‘Oh gosh.’

‘He looked right at me! He looked at me!’

‘Shush… do you think he heard us?’

‘That’s what I was thinking! I think he can hear us!’

‘Pfft, there’s no way! Seohu never told him, did he?’

“I can hear you,” Taehyun called out. “Whoever you guys are, I can hear all of you.”

There was silence again. Then, the voices began to chatter.

‘What did he say?’

‘Was he talking to us?’

‘He was just talking to himself, right?’

Taehyun’s eyes narrowed, and he stood up. The voices were coming from the flowerbeds. He had an inkling about what it was. As he drew closer to the bed of pansies, the voices grew silent. He knelt down, staring at the flowers for a moment, before giving an embarrassed scoff.

“I must be going mad,” he muttered to himself, before staring at the flowers again. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

There was an instant reaction. The pansies started squealing in their pitched voices, making Taehyun flinch and fall backwards.

‘ He talked to me! Oh my god he talked to me!’

‘Shut it dummy, he was talking to me!’

‘How can he hear us? How can we hear him?’

‘Do you think he finally figured it out?’

“Hey, hey, stop,” Taehyun said, sitting up to stare at the pansies again. “You pansies. I’m talking to all of you. I can hear you, you know. I heard everything you said.”

The pansies gave high-pitched squeaks, obviously embarrassed since Taehyun had heard them gushing over his looks. But then, one pansy spoke. This one hadn’t said a word the entire time, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

‘This is the first time you’ve ever spoken to us. How did you know?’

Strangely, Taehyun knew exactly which pansy had spoken. He focused on the pink pansy to the left, and felt it blush under his gaze.

“I’ve known that I can talk to… things for a few years now,” he said. “But this is the first time I’ve actually heard the voices.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “To be honest, it feels kind of weird having a conversation with flowers, but yeah.”

He heard the pansy laugh.

‘It probably is, isn’t it? Hey, you probably have loads of questions right now. These idiotic pansies are too dumb to answer them for you, but old Elmie over there can help you.’

Taehyun looked over at the elm tree, and felt rather than saw the tree smile at him. He looked back down at the pansies, smiling.

“Thank you.”

Then he stood up, walking over to the elm tree. He could hear the pansies’ voices behind him as he walked away, their voices becoming weaker as he stopped concentrating on them.

‘Oh, why did you send him away?’

‘This is the first time he’s talked to us! Why would you direct him to someplant else?’

‘Why did he only talk to you? This is not fair!’

‘Yeah, why did you send him away?’

‘He deserves to talk to someplant other than you idiotic creatures who’ll just fawn over his looks, you know that.’

‘Hmph, meanie!’

‘You’re a part of the idiotic creatures, you know!’

Taehyun approached the elm, rocking back and forth on his heels awkwardly. How do you go about greeting a tree? You couldn't introduce yourself and shake its hand, after all. He was tempted to just ignore how his ability had suddenly happened, and walk away from the garden. It was so weird to talk to a tree, anyway. What was he supposed to do? Maybe he should just go–

‘Kang Taehyun. Oh, how time flies. It feels like only yesterday that you were a small five year old, showing Beomgyu your secret garden.’

Taehyun paused, staring at the tree with wide eyes.

‘I am very old, you know. I’ve seen you grow. This garden has always been your safe space, hasn’t it? But when Choi Beomgyu came, it became a safe space for the two of you. But then suddenly, you stopped coming for years. What happened?’

“I– I’m sorry,” Taehyun said softly. “I didn’t mean to neglect you…”

‘It’s alright,’ the elm reassured him. ‘You’re here now. And I must say, you gave us all a shock when you started talking to the dear pansies over there. None of us knew that you could talk to us.’

“It’s actually my ability,” Taehyun explained. “Foreign exchange. Um, if you don’t mind, can I ask you some questions about it?”

‘Of course,’ the elm said, and Taehyun felt the smile in its tone. ‘Come, sit down on the swing.’

Taehyun walked over to the swing, pushing himself back and forth a few times.

“Uh, tree?”

‘Yes, Taehyun?’

“Why can I suddenly hear you? And how am I talking to you?”

‘I suppose it’s because you know about your ability. We all knew, you know. Way before you did. We could tell. But of course, you didn’t know, did you? And when you figured it out, it was much easier for your ability to show itself.’

Taehyun was silent. “How come the first thing I talked to was a plant?”

‘That would be to do with your other ability. You have a closer connection to nature.’

Looking down at his feet, Taehyun swung slowly for a few seconds. “I wonder if I can talk to other things…”

‘I’m sorry? Taehyun, I’m afraid that we can’t understand you unless you talk in our voice.’

“Huh?” Taehyun looked up at the tree, confused. “Could you not understand me?”

‘Ah, you must not know yet. Unfortunately, we cannot understand you if you speak in a different tongue. Perhaps it was subconscious in the beginning, but you have to talk in our voice - that is, the language of plants - otherwise we can’t understand you.’

“How do I talk in the language of plants?” Taehyun said, looking bewildered. “Am I supposed to just know how to?”

He felt the tree laugh again. ‘I’m afraid I couldn’t understand you again, but I gather that you were asking how to know what voice to speak in. It’ll come naturally, I think. Understanding things will come easier than speaking, because of receptive bilingualism and all that. But you’ll be able to do it in no time.’

Taehyun nodded slowly. “Alright. Right, that makes sense.”

He didn’t say anything else, and the elm didn’t speak. Taehyun looked around the garden, and experimented with reaching out his senses to see if he could hear the other plants.

If he sat incredibly still, and strained his ears, he could catch tiny whispers echoing across the garden: he heard what the daisies were saying to each other; he caught wisps of what one passing butterfly was gossiping about to the wind and he could just about make out what the daffodils were conversing about.

Taehyun stared at the nature all around him, eyes wide. He had had no idea how… alive the garden was. It was practically buzzing with life, the plants’ tiny voices filling the silence with their chatter.

‘It’s quite something, isn’t it?’ the elm said, amusement evident in its tone. ‘This garden was always something you found calm and quiet. But you can see that it’s quite a busy place, isn’t it?’

Taehyun nodded slowly. “It really is something.”

The elm didn’t say anything for some time, and Taehyun practiced tuning into and out of the buzz of the plants. He’d had no idea that his ability could be that fun.

‘With more time, you may even be able to communicate with things other than plants, you know.’

“Really?” Taehyun asked, looking up at the elm. “That would be so cool.”

The elm chuckled. ‘You would be able to talk to the wind as well. You should hear the things they say about Choi Beomgyu. If they could, the wind would marry him for sure.’ There was a pause, before the tree spoke again. ‘That reminds me. Where is Beomgyu? He hasn’t visited in a while. Is he okay?’

The elm had asked in such a sincere, concerned voice that Taehyun felt tears building up, before quickly blinking them away. He took a few deep breaths, wiping at his eyes.

‘Oh, my dear… I’m sorry for making you upset. I assume that Beomgyu isn’t in the best condition right now?’

Taehyun shook his head, rubbing at his eyes once more. “That’s one way to put it,” he said, and cursed his voice for wobbling. “He’s… really ill, and I don’t know why.”

The elm was silent for a few moments. ‘Would you like to talk about it?’

He hesitated, but soon the events of the past week came pouring out of him. Though he felt his eyes prickle uncomfortably on several occasions, he pushed back the tears, just like he’d been doing for days.

When he’d finished, the tree was silent. But Taehyun could feel that it wasn’t a cold silence: rather, it was an empathetic, kind silence, which allowed Taehyun to take some time to reflect upon the past week for himself.

Taehyun took a deep, shaky breath, clutching his fingers tight around the ropes of the swing. Despite how his breathing wavered and his stomach twisted and churned, he felt that his head was clearer than it had been before.

‘That’s a lot for you to have gone through in merely a week,’ the elm said gently.

“Yeah,” Taehyun muttered.

Suddenly, he felt the elm perk up, and he looked up.

‘I sense Seokjin walking to your chambers,’ the tree said. ‘I think he’s gotten the test results back.’

Taehyun’s eyes widened, and he stood from the swing. The elm chuckled.

‘Go on,’ it said. ‘You can’t hide away forever. Do come back and let me know how things go, will you?’

Taehyun nodded quickly. “I will. Thank you, bye!”

With that, he sped out of the garden. He didn’t question how the elm had ‘sensed’ Seokjin – probably some strange nature magic anyway – and just focused on running into the palace. Whether it was good news or not, he needed to know what was wrong with Beomgyu.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Seokjin was just raising his hand to knock on Taehyun’s door when the vizier himself came sprinting up to him. He gave a calm smile, and allowed Taehyun to catch his breath before he spoke.

“I assume you know why I’m here. Would you like to talk in your tea room?”

A few minutes later, the two of them were sitting in the cozy room, untouched cups of tea placed in front of them. Seokjin smiled calmly, bringing out several parchments.

Taehyun was the epitome of tranquillity. His face gave nothing away, hands folded pristinely in his lap, back ramrod straight. He’d had lots of practice in looking composed, after all.  But on the inside he was a mess of nerves.

“I would like to say that what His Greatness has is easily identifiable and curable, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case,” Seokjin said. He shuffled the papers, looking down at them as he spoke. “I apologise for the delay in finding the results,” he added. “But they’re here now, and we’re sure that this is what it is.”

Seokjin hesitated and looked up at Taehyun, the reassuring smile dropping for half a second. Taehyun’s hands, still folded in his lap, clenched each other tightly.

“His Greatness has been poisoned.”

Taehyun was clutching his hands together so tight they shook. “May I see?” He thanked the heavens that his voice managed to come out calm and quiet.

The Physician handed Taehyun the parchment papers, and he scanned them silently.

Aconitum. The same poison that Taehyun had once thought to have had. Now, if Taehyun compared his and Beomgyu’s symptoms, he saw the similarities. Pale skin. Cold hands. Purple-blue stains on the fingertips and on the lips. But then a frown twitched at Taehyun’s eyebrows. He didn’t remember having any feral outbreaks, though. And Hueningkai and Yeonjun would have definitely mentioned it. So then why was Beomgyu having them?

Taehyun looked up at Seokjin, the question already on the tip of his tongue. But the Physician smiled at him with tired eyes, as if to say: Even if you were to ask, I wouldn’t be able to provide you with an answer. And so, Taehyun closed his mouth, inclining his head in thanks.

“So… will it be curable?” Taehyun asked. Seokjin pursed his lips.

“Possibly,” Seokjin said. “As of now, we know of very few people who know the cure. It appears that its rate of success is 63%, also.”

Taehyun bit his lip. “At least that’s over 50%, right?”

Seokjin gave a small smile. “Indeed. The people who know of the cure are from other Kingdoms, so it may be difficult to persuade them. However, since it is for the King, these people may be able to be persuaded.”

Taehyun sighed. “That would mean that people have to find out that Beomgyu is unwell, isn’t it?”

“Yes, they will.”

He hesitated, before nodding. “Alright. But… could you maybe ask them for the instructions for the cure, instead of the actual cure itself?”

Seokjin tilted his head. “I can do that. But may I ask why?”

“I’d feel more comfortable if you or Hoseok administered the cure,” Taehyun explained. Seokjin smiled.

“I understand that.” He looked at the grandfather clock behind Taehyun, and stood, bowing to the vizier. “Well, I have somewhere to be soon. I hope you don’t mind.”

Taehyun stood up as well, holding the papers. “Oh, not at all. Thank you for what you’ve done.”

“No worries,” Seokjin said. With one last bow, he opened the door and left the tea room. Taehyun stayed there for a while, before walking out himself. As he was closing the door, he glanced down the hall and spotted Hueningkai, who flinched when Taehyun looked at him. The Aruyeonan gave an awkward wave before ducking around a corner, out of sight. Taehyun narrowed his eyes, suspicious, before walking away. Hueningkai looked almost… guilty. Could he…?

Taehyun shook his head firmly. No. He was just guilty at having been caught outside of Yeonjun’s room. Right? But… if he thought about it, Yeonjun had looked rather shifty that day he’d come to check up on Taehyun. What if they really had done something? Taehyun shook his head, trying to clear his suspicions. They’re good. Yeonjun and Hueningkai are good. He gave a sigh, continuing his walk through the hallways. He really needed to stop suspecting every living thing he came across.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Taehyun absent-mindedly strode through the hallways, without a specific destination in mind. Somehow, he found himself in front of Beomgyu’s door. He knocked twice, before opening the door, forgetting about Beomgyu’s current state.

“Hey, Beom– what the fuck??”

Beomgyu was out of bed. Without supervision (since no one other than Taehyun was allowed in the room) he’d somehow managed to get out of bed, and had pounced on Taehyun the moment he entered the room.

And despite being sick, he was surprisingly strong, holding onto Taehyun with a vice-like grip. Beomgyu had lunged at Taehyun with so much force that the vizier was knocked off his feet, the documents flying everywhere. Taehyun tumbled to the floor, Beomgyu on top of him.

“Beomgyu– seriously– get off!”

With some difficulty, Taehyun managed to prise the fingers of one hand off of his arm. He’d left Beomgyu alone for one day, and he’d turned rabid? What was this?

Beomgyu gave a growl, eyes fixed on the vizier. Taehyun could see himself reflected in the cold eyes, but he couldn’t see Beomgyu. He couldn’t see any flicker of his Beomgyu’s light within those eyes. Taehyun gritted his teeth, before shoving Beomgyu off. He quickly stood up, backing away from Beomgyu, narrowing his eyes. Beomgyu glared back, baring his teeth. Taehyun sighed, holding his hands out in a placating manner. But before Taehyun could say anything, Beomgyu had leapt over the bed, promptly tackling him onto the floor yet again. Taehyun’s eyes widened as Beomgyu’s hands enclosed around his throat.

“Beomgyu– no– please,” he choked, trying to pry Beomgyu’s hands off from his neck. He gave a strangled gasp, the sound weak and desperate, and something in Beomgyu’s eyes flickered, like a flame weakly battling the icy wind. His grip loosened just a little: enough for Taehyun to grab his hands and forcefully wrench them away. Beomgyu growled again, his eyes now back to being hard and cold. He reached out for Taehyun again, but the vizier was prepared this time. He backed away quickly, out of Beomgyu’s reach.

Beomgyu’s attacks were brash and reckless. Taehyun was slowly beginning to notice that. He attacked like a bull with only one thought in mind. This gave Taehyun an advantage. He was able to avoid Beomgyu easily, since the other was simply lunging without thinking first.

When Taehyun skipped out of his grasp yet again, Beomgyu gave a cry of frustration. Taehyun gave a heavy sigh, blinking his eyes. Why was he still here? Why hadn’t he left? Well, for one, he was worried that, if he left, Beomgyu would become even madder and burst out of his room, which could lead to many people knowing about Beomgyu’s state. And also, Taehyun didn’t know how to leave. He couldn’t leave Beomgyu when he was the way he was, could he?

Beomgyu, having grown tired of constantly chasing Taehyun, picked up an oil lamp from where it rested on his desk. In frustration, he threw the glass object in Taehyun’s general direction.

The lamp smashed against the wall a few centimeters away from Taehyun, and he flinched. Though it hadn’t hit him directly, the rebounding glass had created little cuts all along his exposed forearms and on his hands. Taehyun looked at his hands, in shock, as small red pearls of blood began to form on his skin. He looked up at Beomgyu, who was glaring and breathing heavily, and wanted to cry.

Beomgyu had hurt him. Beomgyu had tried to hurt him.

His knees went weak, and he sank to the floor, hands out in front of him. He stared at the red dots blankly, as if he wasn’t really sure of what he was seeing. He looked up at Beomgyu again, who was standing still in the same spot.

“You fucking idiot Beomgyu,” Taehyun whispered shakily. “I don’t care that you’re not yourself. Look at my fucking hands.”

He lifted his hands up so Beomgyu could see the small red lines trickling down to his wrists. Beomgyu’s eyes widened, and a look of vulnerability came over him.

Tears were falling from Taehyun’s eyes now. His vision was blurry; all he could see were his own hands, pricked with blood. Everything around him blurred together into an indecipherable mess of colours. He felt numb all over, not even registering the pain from his cuts. Suddenly, something cold held onto his hand, and he gasped, tears stopping abruptly.

Beomgyu was kneeling down in front of him, holding his hands hesitantly. Taehyun, startled by the action, pulled his hand away, but Beomgyu’s fingers followed, grasping onto his wrist. He looked up at Taehyun, and his eyes flickered again, shifting from warm to cold, then from cold to warm. His grip tightened on Taehyun’s hands, but not uncomfortably so: it was as if he was afraid Taehyun was going to pull away.

Strangely enough, Taehyun kept himself still, staring back at Beomgyu. While his first instinct had been to rip his arm away, he’d seen the shift in Beomgyu’s eyes, and felt almost reassured. Beomgyu continued to search within Taehyun’s eyes in an almost confused manner, as if he knew that Taehyun was important to him but he wasn’t entirely sure why. Though the lack of recognition hurt, the fact that Beomgyu was trying to recognise him made Taehyun feel oddly comforted. He continued to stare at Beomgyu, watching as something glowed in his eyes, like dying embers being rekindled once again.

Slowly, hesitantly, Beomgyu brought Taehyun’s bleeding hands to his lips, pressing a kiss onto the broken skin. He opened his mouth unsurely.

“Tae…”

But before he could say anything more, his eyes rolled back and he slumped over, unconscious. Taehyun caught him before he could hit his head, hand cradling the back of his head. He sighed, before lifting Beomgyu up and, with some difficulty, carrying him back to his bed.

Taehyun looked down at his hands, then at Beomgyu, who looked so fragile and delicate, lying still in the huge bed. He gave a sigh, gently brushing some loose strands away from the sleeping King’s face, before softly leaving the room.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Beomgyu didn’t remember anything the next day, as usual. When Taehyun came to visit, he’d gasped and looked in horror at his vizier’s glass-cut hands, holding them delicately in his.

Taehyun had just smiled weakly, waving it off. “I just cut myself when I accidentally smashed a window,” he’d said. “Nothing big, don’t worry.”

It was a lame excuse. The windows in the palace were thick, so there was no way he could have ‘accidentally’ smashed it. But Beomgyu believed it, worrying over Taehyun’s hands and looking sorrowfully at some of the stitches.

He felt bad for lying to Beomgyu. But what else was he supposed to say? ‘Hey, you threw an oil lamp at me while in a rabid state and the glass rebounded all over my hands’? Beomgyu didn’t even remember the incident, anyway. It didn’t matter.

For the next few days, Beomgyu was calm. He had no outbursts, which was good. The downside of this was that he became increasingly weak, so weak that he could barely even sit up anymore. It broke Taehyun’s heart to see him become thinner and paler each day, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Seokjin was having a hard time convincing the people from around the Four Kingdoms, and Beomgyu wasn’t getting any better. He felt so helpless.

Beomgyu coughed, looking weaker than ever swathed in so much cream silk on a ginormous bed. “Do you think someone’s spying on me, Taehyunnie?” he croaked jokingly. “D’you think they saw how happy I was and decided to poison me in revenge?”

Taehyun straightened his sword hilt. The word ‘spy’ had gears turning in his brain. And not for the first time, he started to suspect two individuals. “I don’t know, love.”

“I think someone is,” Beomgyu mused. “I think I’m definitely being spied on– hey, where are you going?”

Taehyun had strode over to the door and yanked it open. “I’ll be back,” he said cryptically. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

Beomgyu gave a weak laugh. “I assure you, I am not going to go anywhere.” Taehyun cracked a small smile, before slipping away down the hallway, closing the door softly behind him.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

"You…snakes," Taehyun seethed as he stormed into the room. "It was you, wasn't it? I never should have trusted you."

Hueningkai stood up as Taehyun stalked towards the two spies, drawing his dagger.

"Which one of you was it?" He pointed the tip towards Yeonjun. "Was it you?" He moved the blade to Hueningkai. "Or maybe you? No wait, it was the two of you, wasn't it? Both of you working together, like the scheming rats you are."

"Woah woah woah," Yeonjun also stood up, moving to stand in front of Hueningkai. "Let's talk civilly. Taehyun, put down the dagger."

"Not until you confess it was you," Taehyun hissed, refusing to set down the blade.

Yeonjun frowned, eyes trained on the dagger which was pointed at his brother. "Taehyun, I'm not going to ask nicely again. Move the dagger away from Hueningkai's face. Now."

"Why should I? For all I know, it was him who did it. You bunch of traitors.”

"That's enough !" Yeonjun yelled, lashing out his leather whip which curled around Taehyun's knife, ultimately ripping it out of his hands. Taehyun stared as his weapon was torn out of his grasp, before pulling out another dagger.

"I can do this several more times," he glowered, now pointing the blade at Yeonjun.

The fox-like male just rolled his eyes, putting away his whip and setting Taehyun's dagger on the table.

"You wouldn’t strike me, I know it,” Yeonjun dismissed. “Don’t even deny it! Besides, you and I both know I’m too skilled for you to hurt me.”

“That won’t stop me from trying,” Taehyun hissed, waving the knife threateningly.

Yeonjun disregarded the blade, and rubbed his forehead. “Look. If we were to betray you, don’t you think we would have done that already? It’s been ages since we’ve revealed ourselves.”

“But you’re still spies,” Taehyun said in a dark tone. “I never know if I can trust you.” He suddenly leapt forward, blade poised towards Yeonjun’s face. But like Yeonjun had said, he was much more skilled than the vizier and reacted within a millisecond. In a series of quick arm movements, Taehyun was suddenly disarmed, arms pressed tight against his sides, and his dagger impaled in the wall behind him, vibrating slightly from the force Yeonjun had used to throw it. The Aruyeonan stared at Taehyun for a long time, before sighing and releasing his arms.

“How many times must I tell you?” he said. “We trust you, so trust us. Okay?”

Taehyun glared, rubbing his arms, but made no move against the spy. He stalked over to the wall and yanked his dagger out of the wallpaper. Yeonjun sighed again, sitting down on the bed.

“Why have you suddenly accused us, anyway? I get that you’re stressed, but I have no idea what could elicit a reaction like this. If you’re going to be mad at us, at least tell us what's going on. We don't know what you're talking about."

Taehyun looked from Yeonjun to Hueningkai, who'd been standing quietly watching them. Hueningkai met his eyes, and the gaze was so pure that Taehyun knew right away that it couldn't have been him. Yeonjun had asked him in such an oblivious tone that it couldn't have been him either. He’d made lots of good points too. Despite knowing who they were and what they could do, Taehyun trusted these spies as well. He sighed, sheathing the dagger.

"Beomgyu's been poisoned."

For the first time since Taehyun had stormed into the room, Hueningkai spoke.

“Impossible.”

Taehyun blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Beomgyu’s the King. He has a taster. There’s no way he could have been poisoned.”

“I have to agree,” Yeonjun piped. “He can’t get poisoned without someone else being poisoned first. And then you would have known, and prevented Beomgyu from getting poisoned.”

Taehyun raised an eyebrow. “Then why is he shaking, has turned pale white, throws up from time to time when he hasn’t even eaten anything? What is it, then?”

As Taehyun had been listing Beomgyu’s symptoms, Hueningkai’s eyes had gotten steadily wider. He looked at Yeonjun in alarm, though the other spy didn’t seem to understand.

“Okay yeah. Those are all common symptoms of poisoning. Come on, guys.” Hueningkai pulled Yeonjun off the bed, and ushered Taehyun away from the door. “Get up, get up. Everyone get up. We need to go somewhere more secure.” He rushed to the door to check no one was there before quickly locking it and shepherding the two others through the hidden door in the wall.

"What's this? What are you doing?" Taehyun asked. "Where are we going? Is it your secret room?"

"Yep. This is the secret chamber where I can make my explosives in peace. It's soundproof, bulletproof, shockproof, all sorts of proof. Apart from fireproof, ‘cause I haven’t figured out a way to not get metal to melt yet. But still, we'll be safe in here. If we’re going to talk about these sorts of things, a soundproof room is the best place to discuss them." Hueningkai led them down a dark tunnel which gradually seemed to become lower as it went along. When they were almost walking on their hands and knees, Hueningkai stopped in front of a blank wall. He tapped it in several places in a series of motions, and the brick melted away to reveal a steel room on the inside.

Taehyun gaped, impressed. "Matter manipulation in action… wow.” He turned to Hueningkai. “But you have another ability, right? What clan did you say you're descended from?" he asked the younger.

"Um, it's a foreign one," Hueningkai said. "My clan’s ability is alchemy. I can create potions and poisons and magical chemical mixtures."

"That's why you make such a good spy," Taehyun marvelled. Hueningkai gave a sad smile.

"I became a spy because I was seen as a freak. It was the only way I could prove I was useful. But nevertheless, I could never imagine myself being anything else, so I suppose it’s okay." Hueningkai nodded towards the carpet, which had obviously been stolen from one of the castle's suites. "Sit down, and I'll get us more light in here."

While Hueningkai went around lighting all the oil lamps around the room, Yeonjun and Taehyun sat cross-legged on the velvet carpet. Yeonjun picked at the tiny glass shards which littered the expensive red fabric. He tutted.

“Do you never clean this rug? You’ll get glass cuts all over your hand if you’re not careful.”

“I’m used to glass cuts. I barely feel them anyway, so it’s fine,” Hueningkai dismissed, finishing lighting the last lamp and coming to sit with them.

“Sorry for accusing you guys,” Taehyun apologised, picking up glass shards and placing them away from the velvet rug. “It’s just that my brain kept on trying to come up with a suspect, and it immediately jumped to you guys, ‘cause your spies. I’m sorry.”

Hueningkai smiled. “That’s fine, Taehyun. I suppose it’s the downside of being friends with a spy, isn’t it? It’s hard to trust them.” The smile dropped from his face, and he looked more serious. "But anyway, Taehyun. Tell us about this poisoning."

.・゜-: ✧ :-

"It was quite sudden, and one day he was fine – maybe a bit peaky, but fine – and the next he was as white as anything, couldn’t stop shivering and kept on passing out. The Royal Physician ran tests, and the results came a few days ago. They said it looked like poisoning. Aconitum, to be exact. I– I just don't know what to do," Taehyun finished.

Yeonjun shook his head, mystified. "My knowledge of poisons is pretty basic. Hueningkai?"

Hueningkai frowned. While Taehyun had been talking, he'd taken out his book on poisons and was leafing through it.

"The effects you described could be literally any poison," he said. "Was there anything that particularly stood out among his symptoms that could prove it’s actually Aconitum? Misdiagnosis of a poison can be fatal for the person."

“Well, uh, he had much of what I had, back when I was sick and we suspected it of being Aconitum. Pale skin, cold hands, purple-blue fingertips.”

Hueningkai nodded, looking reassured. “Those are all the key characteristics of Aconitum. If you’d like, I can make the cure.” When Taehyun bit his lip, unsure, Hueningkai smiled confidently. “This isn’t the cure that the others from the Four Kingdoms have. This is a 100% reliable cure made with my own alchemic skills. He’ll be back to normal in no time. I’ll make it for you.”

Taehyun nodded in thanks, but his smile was wobbly. Hueningkai’s face morphed into a look of concern. “Taehyun, what’s wrong? Is there more to his symptoms than just that?”

Taehyun nodded weakly. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Yeonjun patted Taehyun’s shoulder comfortingly. “It’s alright. If you tell us, we can help you, yeah? You can trust us.”

“Is it something bad? Is there something about how Beomgyu is acting that’s different or doesn’t make sense?” Hueningkai asked.

Taehyun gulped, remembering the incident which had happened a couple of nights before. "I guess he's more violent? And he's become so restless. Some days he's so weak, and yet insists that he needs to move. Other days, he'll become almost rabid. If he sees someone, he’ll try to throw something at them or hit them. He just glares whenever anyone tries to talk to him, and once he– he even did something worse to me. I'm okay," Taehyun added hurriedly when both Yeonjun and Hueningkai looked at him in alarm, "Just a few scratches. The weird thing, though, is that he doesn’t remember anything after these… restless periods. It's not normal, and I'm just so scared about his condition. He's either super powerful, or super weak and it's... I just don't know what to do."

Hueningkai blinked at him, before shaking his head. “Okay, that’s definitely not Aconitum then. No Aconitum patient has ever been diagnosed with something like that. Not to worry though! I’m sure there’s something like that in here.”

Hueningkai flipped quickly through the pages, and as he did, his face became more and more stressed. When he’d reached the last page of the book, he slowly looked up at Taehyun. "This is so weird,” he whispered. He looked down again, flipping through the book until he’d reached the front page again. “This can’t be right…”

Taehyun bit his lip, almost too afraid to ask. “Is… is something wrong?”

I can't find any poison which might cause that to happen." Hueningkai looked down at the book, ran a hand through his hair, and looked up at Taehyun again. "This book, along with my memory, holds information about every single type of poison to ever exist, mild or not, extinct or still alive. And yet I can't find anything like that.”

"That's because it's not a poison."

Taehyun was instantly up on his feet, drawing yet another dagger. The voice had echoed from all four walls of the room, so he spun round, trying to find the source. The two spies scrambled to their feet in quick succession, following Taehyun’s movements. The vizier frowned, calling out.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

The voice chuckled. "Kang Taehyun, the illegitimate prince. So you can be cute, but are still scarily intimidating.”

Taehyun’s eyes widened. How had they known he was illegitimate?

"Yeah, and he told you to show yourself," Yeonjun growled, uncurling his whip from where it rested on his belt.

"Choi Yeonjun, the cowboy spy with a terrible, broken childhood. My, you’re like the protagonist of a tragedy.”

Yeonjun growled. Hueningkai opened his mouth, but Yeonjun quickly shushed him.

"He's going to say some stupid thing about you being mixed. Don't say anything."

The voice laughed. "You are all so entertaining! I've been watching you, you know. Some of your spy techniques are, I'm afraid, a little shabby. Climbing the palace ledges? Please. I'm surprised no one woke up from the racket you created. Oh wait– you did. Kang Taehyun, you remember, don’t you? That scratching sound by your window one night? Wow, I’m surprised you didn’t catch them immediately."

Yeonjun snarled. "Stop mocking us and show yourself!"

" Fine ." The voice sounded amused by Yeonjun's authoritative tone. “ Allow me to reveal myself.”

taglist: @my-moarmy-heart @arohabangtan​ @a-fragmented-world​

[minnochu]

Lustrous (pt. 18)

Hybrid!Kook x Fem!Reader AU

Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6 | Pt 7 | Pt 8 | Pt 9 | Pt 10 | Pt 11 | Pt 12 | Pt 13 | Pt 14 | Pt 15 | Pt 16 | Pt 17 | Pt 18 | Pt 19 

Warning: A copious amount of dialogue :’) 

(A/n): Hope everyone’s doing well and staying safe and healthy! Just remember to stay humble and kind and take this time if you’re self-quarantining to practice self-love!! Hope you enjoy :’)

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“Where’s (Y/n)?” Namjoon asks when the whole pack has taken their seats at the dinner table the next morning, and the others notice one seat has yet to be filled. They look towards the hybrid in question, who averts his eyes.

“She left,” he muttered, swirling his chopsticks around in his bowl of fried rice.

The others grow alarmed at this. Jimin piping up from beside him, “What do you mean, she left?” 

The younger grows irate in result, his eyes glaring a bright blue at the other wolf, “She. Left.”

“And why didn’t you stop her?” Yoongi calmly interjected as Seokjin whispers a small spell to pull the two wolves’ chairs apart, “You were with her last night, weren’t you?”

He flinches at that, eyes dimming in result. It was true. There was no denying that fact.

The elder’s eyes narrow at the youngest pack member, “Stop being a fucking prick and explain to us why exactly the one person we need to protect is running away from us.”

Namjoon clears his throat as tension continues to rise, opening his eyes to flash his golden irises dangerously in warning at the pensive pack members, “I think we should eat first before the food gets cold, we’ll discuss this later.” His eyes briefly meets the youngest and the whole table settles down into a heavy silence. Jungkook’s shoulders sag as a result, clamping his mouth and turning his attention to his meal. Angry Namjoon was not one to mess with. 

The warlock releases a relieved sigh at the temporary cease fire and makes work to levitate dishes and food from the kitchen. He quietly prays he won’t have to clean up too much of a mess if anything escalates to anything more than a peaceful explanation. The aura surrounding the boys is turbulent, no doubt insinuating a quarrel when the food has finally been devoured.

“Gods help me,” the warlock sighs.

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“Want to explain to me why you’re suddenly phasing into my attic at such a god awful hour?” Yahiko smiles softly as she sets down a blanket and pillows on your old bed. You ran to the one place you could only think of, your old home with the kitsune. You had crash landed, phasing in mid air before dropping with a loud thud on the wooden floor. The elderly woman had come rushing with her orbs flashing fiery orange, only to calm down when you came running into her arms.

She didn’t question it at first, welcoming you back into your old room with a mug of warm milk and honey, but you knew she would ask eventually.

“Don’t forget that I’m a kitsune, child,” she quirks a smile, “I may be over thousands of years older than you, but I still have a keen sense of smell.”

“And you reek,” she cackles, causing you to blush and smile in embarrassment. Dainty fingers push the locks of your hair behind your ear, “What troubles you? I smell distress and conflict within you.”

You mull over what to say first, about Jungkook, about your apparent feelings for him, about the Blackwells. 

“Is it that wolf-boy?” She muses nonchalantly, only speaking hypothetically, not expecting you to flinch from beside her, nearly sputtering and choking on the contents of your mug. “Oh, I’m correct?”

“There’s a lot on my mind right now,” You defend helplessly, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

“Including that boy, no?”

Your shoulders sag in defeat, there was no denying it to her.

“It’s complicated…”

Yahiko makes a face, tapping the tip of your nose with her index finger, “You act like I had never dated a man before, (Y/n).”

“I, like many supernatural creatures, had a mate. He’s not here right now, but I assure you he’s watching over me,” She smiles softly, reminiscing her years with her fated, “He was a human, if you didn’t already connect the dots. I imprinted on him a long time ago, and the stupid man outgrew me.” The kitsune chuckled softly, glancing upward as if she could see his spirit watching her. 

“What was that like?” You ask tentatively, although it made you feel worse thinking about how this must be how Jungkook feels about Hyejin. The realization is a smack in the face, he must be hurting out of rejection from his fated.

Yahiko elbows you with a wry smile, “Your face is like an open book, child.”

“He was my world, to put it simply, losing him hurt. A lot. I wanted to die with him,” she says solemnly, “I wonder sometimes how I still do it when I still miss him very much.”

“How did you know he was yours? He was human right? He didn’t reject you for being a kitsune?” The elderly woman glances at you with amusement stretching her lips, causing you to clamp your mouth shut. As your cheeks burn from embarrassment, she can only laugh good naturedly at your curiosity. 

“You like that wolf very much, don’t you?” she sighs, “I must say, I have to apologize for rudely assuming that he’d hurt you based on the color of his true eyes. I hope he’s treating you well.”

Your silence proves her hypothesis correct, you like Jungkook, and that scares you. It hurts to know that he’ll only ever pine for Hyejin’s affection despite her obvious indifference towards him. 

“I was initially terrified, all the others in my family were mated to creatures of the same kind if not different types - such as the thunder kitsune - so then why was I different? We were taught to stay away from the humans… since at that time, the supernatural and the humans had not yet finalized the pact for peace and bounty hunters were much more prevalent than today. He was one of them.” She pauses to regard your gaping mouth, snickering when she taps your chin to shut it, “It felt like everything was just right when I met his gaze, but he didn’t know it then and tried to kill me. Of course, I overpowered him and let him go, but every time we encountered one another, we began to talk and understand the other and get to know one another as a living being. I told him about my family and showed off my powers” she emphasizes by holding out a dainty hand with her palm facing towards the ceiling and a spark of golden foxfire ignites abruptly from her fingertips, “In turn, he talked about his life, his fiance, his guilt for hunting my brethren when he realized we weren’t evil or to be feared of.”

“Fiance?!” You gasp as you watch the flames disperse and the light has died down from her hand.

“Yes, yes,” she frowns, “He had a fiance at the time, and it hurt, alot. Every time he brought her up, I wanted to change the subject, it filled me with envy and pain. Each time he said her name with that stupidly handsome smile on his face, it was like a sword twisting in my gut.”

“I thought I could’ve lived with the pain, or mate with a widow from another pack, but it wasn’t the same, and he saw that sadness in my eyes.”

“He confronted me about it, and I spilled. I told him about the imprinting, about my feelings. Gods that man was so infuriating, made me actually scared for my life if he were to be disgusted at my affections. Humans… they are quite fickle beings when it comes to love. Is this real? Is this your actual feelings, and not something forced upon you by the stars or your inner beast or what have you? I wondered those silly questions myself… but I wouldn’t have wanted any other man if suddenly the next day, I wasn’t bound by my imprintee.”

You wonder if that were the case with your friend. The idea of being imprinted on and its implications may have caused Hyejin to believe that Jungkook had no real affections for her. It wasn’t like she was chosen at random, you suppose, the stars saw it fit that the two were meant for each other, soulmates as you would put it. Fated for one another. So, why did she fear and hate him so much when he could be anything she wanted him to be. He would be at her every beck and call. 

Fuck. That hurt. 

You liked Jungkook. That revelation on the rooftop hurt. Finally you could put a name to the emotions you felt around the wolf-boy, but it didn’t lessen the pain of knowing he was meant for someone else, your closest and only friend made at school. At least… other than the boys. 

Yahiko saw it, she could feel the conflict dripping off of you in tangible waves. You didn’t know it, but she knew with the way Jungkook acted and looked at you the way he did. It reminded her of her own situation, she only hoped the whole ordeal would sort itself out quickly. Else you would spend years hurting each other. 

Children, she inwardly giggled at the coincidence of the predicament, if only they knew how to communicate properly. Although she couldn’t say much with the way she and her human mate had also suffered the same conflict. 

“Did he say so himself, that he imprinted on her?”

Um. Well. 

The way you hesitate speaks volumes. Now that she mentions it, he didn’t really deny it or confirm it.  The more he called you out for being nosy continually irritated you, why couldn’t he just give you a straight answer for once?

“Give the boy some time to sort out his feelings, my dear,” She sighs, “He’ll talk to you when he’s ready.”

“I’m not sure he’ll ever be,” you frown, “I don’t know what I’m waiting for, it seems like just last night I realized I… I like him… but who’s to say that he feels the same when he can barely open up to me, Hyejin pops up and he just stops functioning, and now!” You stammer your confession more lowly, barely above a whisper, with a beet red face. 

You freeze as the woman lays a gentle hand over yours. Then do you realize the way your lip had begun quivering.

“How am I supposed to face him?”

“You don’t,” Yahiko says after much silence, “Leave them alone long enough and he’ll sort out his feelings soon enough and give you a proper explanation.”

“Have some patience and get some sleep, you’re far too young to be looking so concerned like that.”

And that you do, finishing the rest of the milk she had brought up and shifting into your old bed. The kitsune leaves you with one last gentle caress of your head before she bids a good night. Morning comes and you have to force yourself to go to school, praying to whatever god there is that you don’t run into the boys. And you don’t, but Hyejin noticed the distance between you and the pack and has to put a stop to this nonsense.

“(Y/n), this needs to stop now, what’s going on?” 

Hyejin stops you from leaving school that day, dragging you to the nearest fast food chain for a much needed sit down and talk. It comes after first being bombarded by Jimin and Taehyung about your whereabouts and wellbeing, and finally when Jungkook confronts her. Nothing is ever that important for the subject of her hatred to talk to her himself. Perhaps there was more to the problem than just fixing your lost memories.

She sighs when you both get seated at a booth with your meals, pinching the bridge of her nose, “I think it’s badass that you’re a witch, but I’m really worried for you being away from the boys when you’ve got your whole family tree planning on killing you.”

You want to tell her, clamming up in the palms when your feelings for the wolf-boy are teetering on the tip of your tongue. Should you tell her? She was your friend. What was stopping you? Her past relationship with him? What if she still liked him? Was this going to ruin your friendship with her? 

“To be honest… I left to clear my head after finding out you and him dated before,” You blurt out, pursing your lips and expecting the worse. Silence is your answer, and when you peer over at your friend, she is blinking at you in evident surprise.

“How did you find out?” She starts off meekly, taking a generous swig from her soft drink, “I mean… Did he say anything?”

“Not really…” You wince, thinking about the time he forcibly shoved you from his head at the appearance of the girl in his memories, “It was only last night when he finally told me you both dated previously.”

The other exasperatedly exhales, her palm meeting her forehead, “That stupid dog.”

“You… You don’t like him still, do you?” You ask hesitantly, holding your breath in anticipation of her answer. Meanwhile, the other has to hold back her obnoxious cackle at that question, nearly spewing out her soda. Eyes softening, she cracks a small smile.

“You idiot.”

The reply astounds you, mouth opening and closing like a fish at the unexpected insult. 

“You know, you’re really dense you know that? Here I am, unable to believe the coincidence that you, my only friend at school, has fallen for Jeon Jungkook, and now you’re asking me if I still like him!”

“If you’re still wondering… No. I do not,” Hyejin snickers at your visible relief, “I think it’s really cute, your crush, but I still refuse to accept that it’s him.” 

The girl takes a french fry between her index and thumb, pointing the tip in your direction, “I probably do, deep down. Truth be told that I broke up with him out of fear. I knew he was a wolf, and kept that in mind, but I wasn’t expecting him to be a wolf and more. And like any other human, I ran.

“He was a cute boy in middle school, a grade above me, taller than most and very shy. He did everything and anything he could to catch my attention. The clumsy little idiot… we eventually dated, it continued into his first year in high school while I had one more year in middle school when I had come over to their cabin to hang with the pack. I had been helping out Seokjin with dinner when I dropped a plate, it shattered on the floor and over my bare foot, and my dumb self had attempted to pick up the larger pieces and nicked myself. Jungkook must’ve been hungry and went on a rampage... 

“He charged at me, eyes blue and gold, like I’d never seen them before. He was snapping at me, growling and breathing heavily… Couldn’t even speak coherently. The boys tried to tear him off me, but there really wasn’t a known way to calm him down… According to the boys, it was the first time he’d done something like that around them.”

Hyejin pauses, closing her eyes as the memories come rushing back of the terrible day, “I left that day with a disgusting scar, Seokjin wasn’t as proficient at healing at the time and could only close the wound long enough to get me to the hospital, but even the doctors could not get rid of the remnants of it.” Her hand grips at the hem of her uniform top before carefully pulling it up just enough to catch the sight of the fleshy tissue that runs jagged on her right abdomen. “I could not look him in the eye without seeing the deranged beast I saw that day, I left him soon after, crying and heartbroken, not because of relationship problems, but because I was scared… that he would someday kill me if he could just as easily lose control the way he did that day. I guess we just grew hateful of each other over time...”

Her eyes catch yours staring down at where her scar had been recovered by the top, and she quirks a small curl of her lips. Reaching over the table, she offers an open hand, to which you take gratefully with a meek smile in response, “You know… I’m surprised to hear you managed to calm him down…”

It makes sense, she thinks, after all, you didn’t know it yet who the hybrid truly imprinted on. 

“I think I’ve calmed down quite a bit… but seeing Jungkook full hybrid again at the cabin brought me back to middle school. It still haunts me, not as much as before… I used to get nightmares almost every other night. It’s at least once in a while now, I suppose.

“Which is why I always urged you to stay away from them. I didn’t want what happened that day, to eventually happen to you. You’re my only closest friend at school, I don’t want anything bad happening to you… I want to protect you (Y/n), but there’s only so much a human like me can do… Which is why I’m just a little grateful that you have Jungkook to protect you.”

The questions gnaws away at you. 

There was no harm in asking right? 

“You think Jeon Jungkook imprinted on me?” Hyejin nearly bursts into laughter, hopelessly trying to stifle the giggles with the back of her hand. Thankfully, she wasn’t too hung over having to remember and retell her relationship with Jungkook, but that didn’t warrant her nearly doubling over with tears in her eyes at your abrupt question. Your cheeks puff with a bright rosy hue at her reaction, suddenly feeling embarrassed for even asking. 

If only you knew, the girl thinks with a shake of her head.

“Dear God no, he did not, he’d have died by now just from me breaking up with him,” she muses with a wave of her hand, “That stupid dog just has a funny way of letting girls know his feelings.”

“So he does have an imprintee?” You ask expectantly, your heart in your throat at this point.

The look of determination and anticipation on your face is adorable, Hyejin thinks as she replies with a subtle shrug. 

“I think that’s something you need to wait for him to talk to you about.”

“For now, you both need to fucking make up before I do something about it.”

And that you do. 

You return to the cabin that night. Hyejin leaves you at the door with a comforting hug before she bids you good luck. Good luck and more is much needed when you sense the overwhelming bundle of aura sitting right on top of the roof. No one else but Jungkook had that much unrestrained magical aura, and you knew right away as soon as you came closer and closer to the house. Surely, he must’ve picked up on your scent as you phased onto the roof where the hybrid sat. 

He didn’t turn, nor did he make any indication in regard to your entrance. You knew he had been expecting you. So you take a seat beside him, pulling your knees close to your chest and wrapping your arms around them. 

“I’m still a little mad at you,” You whisper, your two index fingers twirling around one another. Glaring down at your feet, your hair falls down, casting a curtain on both sides and obscuring your vision of the hybrid beside you. “But… I should probably apologize for running away like a child… and that I shouldn’t be forcing you or expecting you to tell me anything like there’s any reason for me to know…”

Its silent between you both, and you wonder if he’s resorted to ignoring you or is just sleeping. When you turn slightly, you catch a glimpse of his side profile glaring up at the sky. His doe-like eyes are wide and reflect the colors of a galaxy. Dazzling azure with dozens of golden droplets like the stars. You have to fight the urge to reach over and touch him. You want to hug him, and tell him how you feel about him. But now wasn’t the time when you were so sure he only had eyes for Hyejin. 

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” He finally speaks, voice barely above a whisper that you have to lean towards him and strain your ears, “I’m afraid. And I don’t even trust myself. I’m just not ready yet.” 

He catches your eyes before you can look away, the corners of his lips stretching into a taut smile, the ends just barely curling upwards. 

“I’m sorry… just give me some time.”

“N-No, I understand and I’ll wait until you feel comfortable enough to open up to me,” You stammer, quite flustered with the sudden eye contact. His irises are glowing, shimmering under the moonlight so beautifully that it catches you off guard.

Despite your reply, you didn’t really understand. Was it not simple for him to just out right tell you that he had imprinted on someone else, or just straight up didn’t like you. You inwardly gasped, what if he knew of your feelings and was trying to prepare himself to reject you?

“If it makes you feel better,” he swallows, turning his head to look away, “I uh, I never imprinted on Hyejin.”

In contrast to your worrying thoughts, the relief that washes over you is massive. Your whole body physically relaxes and sags. Cheeks flushing, you thank any god out there that he was looking away.

“I-I see… I don’t think this is gonna make you feel better though…”

His neck cranes, glancing at you curiously.

“I talked to Hyejin,” you shrink in your spot, suddenly embarrassed and ashamed for going to her for information he wasn’t ready to spill.

“What did she say?”

“About what broke you two up.”

Silence. You wonder if maybe you spoke too much or should’ve waited for him to tell you. It feels like he’s growing increasingly distant from you. 

“I see…”

Should you apologize? The growing discomfort in your chest became unbearable. You shifted on the roof till, unsure of what to say to soothe the atmosphere between you both. He hates you, you conclude. 

“...So you know then?” He finally asks, “That I went berserk on her. Seokjin had me locked in my room with his perfect cube spell... In the whole chaos, other than Hyejin, I really hurt Yoongi bad. Jimin and Taehyung managed to get away with scratches, but Yoongi could only heal so much on his own with Seokjin-hyung’s help that we had to turn to admitting him to the hospital.

“You don’t understand how much I hated myself for that. I hurt my family, I hurt Hyejin too. Fast forward today, I ended up attacking you. I can’t forgive myself for hurting people I care about. 

“Why did I have to survive the transition? Why me and not Junghyun? Why did I have to be made into this hybrid that can barely control himself when he goes on a rampage?”

You interject at that, “But you did control yourself, Jungkook, you were able to come back to us after that fight with Minerva. You were able to handle yourself when we fought with those bounty hunters. I’ve seen you many times trying to keep yourself at bay, and you’re doing your best at figuring out how to take control of your genes. No one could ask for any more than you already do. It’s not your fault for going through such a cruel transition, and it’s also not your fault that as a result you couldn’t control yourself, but you’re making progress and that’s all that matters.

“I trust you Jungkook, I hope that makes you feel better. It doesn’t matter to me that you had to drink from my blood. It doesn’t matter to me that you attacked me that night. I’ve forgiven you. You just keep blaming yourself and I hate it.

“You don’t think I hate myself for having to be protected by you guys? We’ve had to fight off my reanimated mother, a vampire, and bounty hunters. You guys wouldn’t have to go through this if it wasn’t for me. I just barely regained my memories, sure I remember spells and skills I learned with my mother, but that shies in comparison to the little training I have in utilizing them in an actual situation, moreover the fact that I have zero self defense experience.

“Don’t you dare tell me that I don’t understand. You said it yourself! You and I… we’re the same. Outcasts. Mutants. I thought you cared for me…” Your voice trails off and silence settles between you both, not as pensive as it was before, but still awkward with more questions swirling between you. Shoulders slumping, you didn’t mean to mope, but you were still at a loss.

“I do care for you (Y/n), did you not just hear me say how much I hated myself for hurting you and everyone?” Jungkook sighs after much thought, reaching a hand towards you before regretfully retracting it. He knows he’ll want to do more than just hold your shoulder. “I cared for you from the very beginning, there would have been no reason for me to keep letting you hang around me or saving you from those wendigos, no matter how hard I tried to keep you from sticking close to me.”

The realization of his words clicks in his mind and he hissed, turning away with his hand covering his dreaded mouth. Darn him for succumbing to you, if you were able to connect the dots, that would have been him smacking you in the face with a sign that read “I LIKE YOU, MY DUMBASS IMPRINTED ON YOU” in large bold characters. Thankfully, you turn and smile softly at him. 

“Sorry, I… I just don’t want you to hate on yourself for hurting me when I’m fine really.”

Despite himself, he leans over and taps your forehead with his index finger, the force just enough to move your head backwards just slightly. 

“Then don’t hate yourself for being a burden to the pack, you’re not just a guest in our house now, you’re pretty much a pack member. The boys don’t treat you any differently than they would each other.”

Your cheeks burn, hand rising to brush over the spot on your forehead, the gesture was slight but it did well to make your heart beat wildly. With a pout, you mull over his words before scrunching your eyebrows and raising you head to glare at him, “What do you mean burden? I’m a burden?”

The corner of his mouth twitches slightly, an action you catch as he turns his head away.

“Hey you! Answer me!”

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LOL tell me why I totally forgot to put the tags.

Tags:

@twilight-loveer​ @reinyrei​  @mistytail​ @mygukandonlyficrecs​ @xanny91​ @unpocodesoledadywisky​ @xxqueenwxtchxx​ @lildemonangele​ @gukworld​ @sunnyoongles​ @serendipity-secrets​ @ilaria-np​ @jules-park​ @treetops68​ @mischiefmakerliesmith5​ @jeonkooksgirl​ @coffeeismylife28​ @nshitae​ @bookoffracturedescapes​ @ellsbells72​ @zamirayinyue13​ @hannahdearr​ @tiredjedi @sushibunn​ @perrshian​ @lovinggalaxies​ @ditttiii​ @cookies-are-done @mintyrae​

When like two of you I can’t tag for some reason asjfhksdjhg... anywho~ thank you thank you so much for all the replies on the last part!

[meenah-chan]

Quintessence

A Lucifer x MC’s Over-protective! Sister fanfic

4.45k words

Genre: Angst

Trigger Warnings: mentions violence, self-inflictions; Read at your own discretion.

Chapter 1: click here

Chapter 3: click here

"Is this a some sort of punishment?"

"You're really lucky... I am quite jealous, if I may say."

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

With the noisy, yellow demon unconscious, the only sound on their way to House of Lamentation is MC's periodic yawns from the lack of night's sleep and the rumbling wheels of their suitcase on an empty road.

"We're here! Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone. They should be in the dining room right now." Starting to feel the exhaustion she's been holding back since meeting the other-worldly creatures, Alexandria let her sister half-drag her off to somewhere.

"I'm home!" Pulling her to a room, the first thing she saw is a large dining table filled with food and... Five more demons. Five male demons.

"MC, we're leaving." She tugged on the female's hand, still attached on her own, but in turn resisted her slight force.

"What? No, we won't." The teen raised an eyebrow from her sudden demeanor.

"MC!! I MISS YOU!!" A brown-haired guy came rushing towards their direction with open arms. Yet, before he could even latch his arms around the girl, Alexandria pulled her away, causing the male to hug nothing but air.

"MC! Why did you avoid— Huh?"

"MC, w–who is she?" A purple-haired tensely asked, anxious of the stranger in their home.

"She's my sister—"

"Ahhh!!" Alexandria and MC flinched from the sudden outburst of the man who came running at them moments ago, which caught her off-guard.

Suddenly, her hand was yanked away from her little sister's grasp and was held a few centimeters to the demon's eyes.

"Wha... such a..." He then stretched the said arm out and tenderly stroke it up her shoulder, "What a flawless, plump, porcelain skin..." then let go and cupped her cheeks with both hands.

"Such a refined beauty. But wait..." The male narrowed his eyes for a second, "Are you not sleeping well? Your face is a tee~ny bit dry and a bit of bag under your eyes." The demon gave her a sad pout.

"I usually appreciate such flattery. However, right now, I can only sense it as an assault from a stranger I just met. So will you please refrain from your harassment?" Regaining her composure, she snapped at him.

"Asmodeus, stop harassing our guest unless you wanted punishment." Asmodeus instantly raised both his hands up from the domineering voice on the doorway. Lucifer appeared with a beat Mammon.

"Whoopsy! My bad. What a rude way to greet a wonderful guest such as yourself." Asmodeus sends her a wink before returning to his seat.

"MC, will you introduce her to everyone."

"Hmm! Everyone, meet my sister, Alexa! Due to certain circumstances, she'll be staying here with us all throughout my stay here."

"Pleased to meet all of you. I'm Alexandria Evergreen, MC's older sister. I'm here to watch over her. I hope to have a conflict-free relationship with everyone."

"No, the pleasure is ours." A blonde-haired man replied, "I'm Satan, the fourth eldest. I maybe the Avatar of Wrath but I assure you, I'm the nicest and most logical person here." But her instinct says otherwise as she felt an odd atmosphere around the green-eyed man.

"Bush e'shi, shoo shais shoo hamp 'o shibi." Her eyes travelled to the oranged-haired man who seemed to be emptying the table stuffing himself.

"Beel, you shouldn't talk while chewing." A drowsy, navy blue-haired guy yawns beside him. "MC, he means you said you have no siblings." He rubbed his eyes before turning his attention to the older sister. "Hello, I'm Belphegor, Beelzebub's twin and the youngest. I'm also the Avatar of Sloth. This guy beside me is Beelzebub, the Avatar of Gluttony and the sixth oldest." The scarfing guy nods and she returned the gesture.

"Oh that? Yes, I don't have one back then, but our parents got married a few weeks ago. We're originally childhood friends."

"WoOAAAHH~!! That's just like the anime 'My Dearest Childhood Friend became my Sister after our Parents got Married but now the Aliens Invaded the Earth so We Became Heroes and Stop the End of the World!!' and that is really LIT!!" The demon, whom she thought was timid a while ago, squealed in one breathe, and it certainly caught her by surprise.

"That noisy one is Levi." MC sweatdropped.

"I'm Leviathan, the third oldest and the Avatar of Envy."

"And don't forget about the sweet and charming Asmodeus here~~ I'm the fifth eldest and the Avatar of Lust. You can call me Asmo-chan~~" he winked for the second time.

Yet contrary to his positive attitude, Alexandria cocked an eyebrow. "So you mean..." Her gaze followed Mammon wobbling to the table. "That crook right there is the second oldest?"

His head snapped at her. "Oi! Gotta problem if I'm the second oldest?"

"Yeah, in more ways than one." She curtly replied. "So, if you're the Avatar of Greed, you being a crook does make sense."

"Oi! You don't have to say it twice!"

Ignoring Mammon, she faced the oldest. "And you're the Avatar of Pride, I suppose?"

"Yes, and let me properly introduce myself to you." He placed a palm above his chest. "I'm Lucifer, the oldest of the seven brothers and the Avatar of Pride. I'm the one who leads this household and tend to all of these problem children." Satan, Mammon and Belphegor glared daggers towards him.

"Ha! More importantly, I have a juicy piece of news to you guys." Mammon grinned which alerted Lucifer.

"Not a word Mammon."

"'Ya see, that's no normal human right there. A few hours ago, she just made THE Lucifer on his knees and tied him in a pact with her."

The five brothers' eyes popped out of their skulls and jaws dropped. Even Beel almost choked.

"Pact... you say?" 5 pairs of eyes darted between a grinning Mammon, a displeased Lucifer and the new female.

"You're right. She's not an ordinary human but let me clear two things." The menacing red-eyed demon crossed his arms and raised his chin. "The only one on his knees, or rather, on his back is none other than you Mammon. You're the one knocked out after just three blows from her. You're also the one who caused this series of unfortunate events... Don't ever think I'm done with your punishment yet."

"Eek!" Making shrieked and cowered in fear.

"Wait– She what? I know Mammon is weak but, she really knock him out with three blows??" Asmodeus exclaimed.

"Are you really sure she's a human?" Satan added.

Although Beelzebub is also shocked, his brows twitched in realization, glancing at the two female. "MC, Miss Alexandria, you probably haven't eaten anything yet. You should eat."

"I think I'll pass. I'll get some shut-eye first." MC awkwardly laughed. Beel is pretty amazing in his own way...

"I thank you for the offer, but I also needed some rest." She slightly smiled.

Lucifer stepped closer beside her. "If that's the case, then you should stay in MC's room for now. Mammon will clean the room beside MC's for your use later."

Glancing at the oldest, she shook her head. "Providing a room for me is more than enough. I can tend to it just fine. And I can't impose to you anymore than I already did."

"But you're a guest. It's only natural for us to ensure you'll have a great time staying here."

"But I insist. And I'm not a guest. I'm the one who made my way here so it's only natural for me to help here in exchange for my stay." She paused as she crossed her arms. "Unless, freeloading is a thing here. That'll be bad, for encouraging irresponsibility and decadence."

"..." Lucifer speechlessly furrowed his brows.

Seven pairs of eyes were both shocked and amazed to see someone actually have the guts to run their mouth against one of the strongest demon in their realm without breaking a sweat.

"She really is not a human. There's no way a human can stand her ground against Lucifer." Asmodeus gaped.

"Or maybe she's just clueless of Lucifer's true power... Though I could use her help to mess with him." Belphegor and Satan snickers at the same time as if having the very same thought.

"To not even have the natural instinct to flee from danger is just dumb." Alexandria ominously glance towards Belphegor, Satan and Leviathan, causing a chill run down their spine.

"Then please excuse us. MC shall be my guide." Drawing back, she bowed towards Lucifer and the others before pulling MC and their luggage out of the dining room.

"MC... I must say, our time here will be anything but harmonious..." The older sister sighed.

"But I'm sure you'll have fun. There's no boring times here" MC just laughed awkwardly.

"Oh well, all I want is a peaceful time you. Even an hour or two a day would be nice."

-----

Forget their peaceful time, getting along with most of the brothers is hard, except Beel who is too nice to her to be considered a bother. All the other brothers do was try to steal MC away.

Well, Asmodeus is an exception. He's not trying to take MC away. He's trying take both of them away for his beauty and night out shenanigans.

A few days have passed, and she was also made into a student to be with MC as much as possible.

"Hey Alexa-chan, I'm just wondering... Is there anything you can't do? At this rate you'll end up stealing MC's heart faster than any of us. You're too dreamy, you might as well take her as your bride." Asmodeus pouts as he lazily pokes through his steak Alexandria prepared for dinner.

"O–Oi! The hell are you saying, Asmo?" A flustered Mammon yelled, sitting beside MC.

The older female sighed and glance at Asmodeus, sitting beside her. "Just eat Asmodeus, you're just hungry. And I told you to not call me Alexa."

"But aren't I right? You're so in love with her enough to follow her here. And you're not really her sister by blood, so it's possible."

"If I told you, you and Mammon look good together, you should marry each other, what would you feel?"

"Eww! That's the grossest thing I ever heard." He stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"She really hates you, lololol." Levi snickers at Mammon, sitting across him.

Mammon narrowed his eyes at him, tapping his knife on his plate.

"I never saw this child that way. I'm more like a mother to her more than anything." She points to the 'child' next to her, too busy stuffing her face with the food to notice she is the topic on the table. "Saying that, I didn't protect that child just to fall for any demon."

"Aww... And I thought it'll also be interesting if there's that kind of plot twist." Asmodeus look down, only to find his plate empty. "Hey! Beel, give me back my steak!" His eyes darts across him, towards the orange demon chewing happily.

"I thought you don't want it anymore so I ate it." He smiled innocently as Belphegor and Satan laughed in amusement, witnessing the whole theft.

Alexandria glance around the room, searching for a certain person she haven't seen since yesterday night. "By the way, where's Lucifer?"

"He's probably still in his study, it's the time of the month he have tons of work to do." Satan replied.

"He'll probably coop himself until tomorrow or the day after." Belphegor added, finishing his meal.

She gave a second glance in the table, void of any trace of any food left, sweeping to the also empty plate of her sister.

"Hmm... MC did you eat well?"

"Yes! I really missed your steak!" The teen beamed at her, having a drop of sauce on her lips.

"What am I gonna do with you." She giggled as she wipe the stain off. "Come on, you should rest for the night."

After sending her to her room, Alexandria strolls towards the kitchen and left with a tray on hand, walking towards the library.

She passed by the tall shelfs with several missing books of all sorts of fields. Going further in, she knocked on the door inside the library.

"It's Alexandria, I brought you something." Hearing no response, she let herself in.

The first thing that attract her eyes is the tall pile of paper wall on the table and the male who is almost hidden by it, black circles around his eyes.

"Are you still alive?" Lucifer's flipped towards her, finally noticing her presence.

"Ohh, it's you. What do you want?"

"You probably haven't eaten anything since this morning. I brought you some sandwiches and fruit shake." She set the tray down the small table in the middle of the room and took the plate of sandwiches and the large cup of fruit shake, moving towards Lucifer's study table.

"Here, taking a breather won't hurt." Red orbs darted between the plate, the cup and her face before reluctantly taking it after a sigh and setting it down the free space is the table.

"This is a nice study. It's cozier than mine back in human world."

"What's your deal?"

"Well, I like the fireplace. I can't have one in my apartment."

"If you need nothing, then leave. I don't have time to waste."

"Yeah, I need to do something." She took a few leaves of paper from the desk and scan through it. "Hmm... I see... As expected..."

"What is it you need to do?" Lucifer raised his eyebrow.

"I'll help you with this papers. With us two, we can finish it by morning."

"Hmmp! There's no way I'll let a human mess with the financial statements of the Devildom."

"If it's about the difference of terms and flow of currency, then I have already studied about it."

"...Huh? How..." The demon suddenly remembered the several books missing from the library's shelf. "Ahh... But then, how did you learn how to read our language?" His brows furrowed.

"There's no way I could have extensive knowledge about pacts and such if I can't read the original texts about it."

The lady in front of him never failed to impress him. And yet, "The answer is still a no." Stoic expression returned his face.

"Then let me rephrase it. My master is having a hard time," Lucifer almost slip out of his chair from her words. "...and I can do something about it, so I want help however I can."

"Did you just say 'Master'?"

"Yeah, based on our contract, you're technically my master. Though you can't take advantage of me, which is a good thing..."

Lucifer wouldn't admit it. He can't admit it. But being called master by this capable human who always amaze him has stroked his ego more than he could ever felt from anyone, he can't even stop himself from grinning.

"You really know your way with words. But don't get me wrong. I only allowed you because you've went so far just to do what you want." A smile was also plastered on her face.

"Yes Master Lucifer, if you say so." She chuckled a bit before taking the papers Lucifer choose for her to do.

Sharing a few conversation while working, they really did finish by morning as she predicted.

------

"Alexa, why aren't you in your room? Did you woke up early?"

"Yeah, something like that." With a bit of sleepiness clouding her head, Alexandria chose to eat light breakfast before taking a rest. Good thing it's weekend.

MC moved her attention at the demon on the end of the table. "Lucifer, it's really unusual. You've finished quite early."

"I just discovered a breather had been rather helpful." He stealthly stole a quick glance towards the lady busy eating her food.

The only sound on the table after that is a few yawns— from the usual sleepy Belphegor; and Leviathan and Mammon, probably from overnight gaming marathon they could never finish tonight as Lucifer is out of his confinement.

Everyone has their own world when Alexandria breaks the silence.

"MC, you told me you're hanging out with Mammon and Asmodeus today, right?" She place down her utensils as the girl glance at her.

"Yeah, we're going to shop some clothes on Majolish. Why? You're coming anyways, aren't you?"

"No. I have some business today, but I'll leave you to Beel. Is it alright with you Beel?" She scan the face of the food-loving demon whom just finished his food.

"I don't mind." He smiled softly.

"Thank you. Please do bring her safe and I'll treat you to Madam Scream's of anything you want."

"Madam Scream's...? Really? With anything I want?" Beel's eyes sparkles as drool pools down his empty plate.

She gave him a broad smile. "Yes, anything."

"Alexa, you probably don't know what you're saying. Beel will definitely bust your pocket in no time." Belphegor yawns as he took a bite on his toast.

"But I'm aware of Beel's appetite. Let's just say I'm loaded enough to feed 10 Beels for at least 1 month." She swiped a black card in air with her middle and index finger.

"Hey... Is that..." Satan raised an eyebrow.

"WOAHH!! The legendary black card! Imagine how many Ruri-chan collectibles and games I could buy with that." Sleepiness flushes out of Leviathan's system as he stared at the black card.

"Can feed... 10 Beels..." The sixth-born's drool intensifies.

"Hmm? When did you get one? You should've just asked me to process it for you." A surprised but rather unfazed Lucifer asked.

"I told you I don't want to be a bother. Though I admit getting one is not an easy task."

"Hey Alexa-chan. Are you sure you don't wanna join us shopping?" The fourth-born playfully twist her bangs around his fingers. "And while we're at it, let's have a full body Super Beauty Mud Course~"

She touched her chin in thought. "I'll think about the mud course, but not today."

But then, a demon, who should be hyper at the sight of a premium item, was rather silent.

"Hey Alexa-sama... Can I touch it?" The second-born teleports beside her, orbs sparkles gold and fingers twitching on air in a perverse way. "Please. It'll be a dream come true to hold it in my arms for even just a second."

"I refuse." She slid it back her wallet as fast as she swiped it out. "Show me first that I could trust you." She pinched the tan nose facing her, grinning.

Cherry red orbs observes the sight of the lively table, a curve tenderly forms across his face.

"O-Oi! Let go–" *Ring ring*

The sound of a phone rung through the spirited atmosphere, which wiped the smile off Alexandria's face.

Picking up the cup of tea with her free hand, she gulp it down before letting go of Mammon.

"Take care while shopping later, MC." She ruffled her sister's hair, "Thank you for the meal. Now, if you'll excuse me." ...before leaving the room.

"Then, I'll also retire for today and take a rest. Don't make a mess while I do so." Feeling tired of his restless shift, Lucifer decided to leave and retire to his room.

On his way, he heard the familiar voice of the lady behind her door, seemingly distressed.

As unethical as it seems, the oldest's curiosity of the enigmatic female wins him over and decided to stood his ground.

"I told you Father, I can't right now, that's why I'm telling you to just let me quit...... If I tell you, you'll definitely try to take me back there....... No...... Not telling......."

He could hear the series of loud sighs and frustration beyond the door.

"No, I don't want it. Brother deserves the company more than I do. So please think it over again.... Yes....... Yes, I will. Then, bye." He then heard a beep ending the call.

On the verge of stepping away as to not get caught, the next thing he heard render him motionless in place.

"I'm not even a your real child to begin with. If I continue there, I'll actually end up killing myself..." Unconsciously, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Alexandria jolts in surprise as her door opened out of nowhere.

"Wha..." Surprise was imminent on her face yet, realizing it is the first-born, her brows scrunches. "Don't you know knocking is a common courtesy?"

"What do you mean by you not being your father's real child? And what do you mean about killing yourself?" He ignores the annoyed expression of the woman. There's no way he could let this information pass under his nose. Not with this girl who made him concede more than he expected, and certainly not because of that grim words.

"What do you want?" She narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

"Killing yourself is something I could not ignore. And, I want to know more about the human who have the audacity to force a pact with me." He returned the same gaze with crossed arms above his chest. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the lady yield for the first time.

"Alright. I guess as a demon who have a pact with me, you have the right to know. We are, after all, connected by soul in spite of everything... Let's go to your office or something. I don't want anyone to hear this like you did."

"Right now, Satan is probably cooped in the library. He'll certainly asked why we're together. Let's go to my room instead. It's quite spacious for someone to eavesdrop."

She followed behind the oldest brother, careful not to be seen by anyone. Entering the room without meeting anyone down the hallway gave her a sense of relief.

"Even your room is nice." She casually strolls in the room, brushing her fingertips on the bones in the pillar, the candelabra, the gramophone, and scanning a few picture frames above the fireplace.

"You may want to start your story this instant or I'll pull the words out of you by force." Growing impatient, Lucifer took a sit at an angle on the corner of his bed, arms drapes his chest again.

With another sigh, she sat on the length of the bed partially behind the man, placing both her palms on the bed as she face the furnace.

"Too eager, aren't we?"

"Unlike you, I want to take a rest." Alexandria chuckled of his remark.

"It's true I'm not a real child of the current family I'm in. I am adopted after all." Her Aquamarine eyes glows a hue of orange as she stare at the dancing fire in the furnace. "It's no secret to MC. I did met her in an orphanage after all.."

"She's a volunteer that time when we're still young. Is that good enough? Am I off the hook already?"

"No. That doesn't answer my second question. You're still hiding... something." The strained smile he witnessed on her face almost made him regret continuing his statement.

"Is this a some sort of punishment?" A self-reproachful laughter rings the room, "You're good with picking your card if it is."

"You can say that. But I'm also curious of you."

"Yeah, yeah... But it'll be a long story. Is it alright with you?"

"I have the whole day available. And you?"

"I also have nothing to do. I just gave MC a sister-free day or she'll get tired of me."

"Then, continue your story." He moves facing the same fireplace.

"Ahh, right... If I remember correctly, the Great Celestial War... It's a conflict within your family, right?"

Lucir flinched from the sudden question. "...Why did you ask?"

"I just thought we may have the same sentiment... or maybe not."

"..."

"Anyways, MC knew nothing about what I'm going to tell you, so it's our secret, okay?" She waited for his reply before continuing.

"You see, I also have a big family. I'm the oldest with my six, adorable siblings. They're 3 set of twins. Amazing, right?" She smiled at him, softly.

"We're living a normal, happy life. I'm really satisfied with our big family I feel it to last forever... Or so I thought." The softness in her face disappeared into a grimace. Colors in her eyes disappeared as she travel back to time.

"I was 9 at that time when that night happened. It was freezing I couldn't feel my fingertips. Snow was falling hard when I witness everything."

"Unlike that fire, the place was rather cold and dark. My struggling brother's neck in his bare hands, my limp and beaten mother trying to pry him away from my brother, the bloody corpses of my 3 sisters, my 2 other brothers writhing in pain... and that sickening smile on my father's face." She spat, grabbing Lucifer's comforter with her fist. Lucifer watched the scorching flame reflected in her eyes as if it's her own.

"There's no way I could ever forgive him for what he have done..." She rid of her shoes and hugged her legs, facing Lucifer as she lay her cheeks on her knees. "Like how I could never forgive myself for what happened."

"Forgive yourself? That's a foolish way to put it. You didn't do anything wrong."

Bluish orbs draw itself towards his own as she gave him a bitter smile. "You can say that because you don't know everything."

"Then tell me what I don't know."

"Let's just say that a drive to protect MC and a drive to live are two different things. And I've been searching for the latter to no avail."

"You're really lucky to still have your brothers. I am quite jealous if I may say." She wore her shoes again and amble her way to the entryway. "It seems like this is as far as I could tell you right now. Maybe I'll continue it next time. If you'll excuse me." She bowed before closing the door.

In contrast, Lucifer couldn't utter another word. Perhaps it's because of the pact above his chest which connects them, but he felt his heart ache slowly since she started telling her story.

And right now, he feels an unbearable pain. An unbearable pain as if he's reliving his own scars.

He stared at the same scorching fire, and as though imitating her, he tried imagining the grief he have felt of losing someone dear.

"...lucky, huh... I guess I really am..." Clutching the fabric above his chest, he felt a pang of guilt from his curiosity.

If anyone asks if I hate Mammon for bullying him here too much— the answer's no. In fact, he's my # 2 (sometimes # 1 coz Luci). I really love him and his dorkiness! But he's just so adorable when he's flustered that I end up picking on him a bit too much (maybe that's also the reason why I love Luci and he's my first if not because of my occasional Mammon hype).

Anyways, it's a good thing I posted it now. I've been proofreading it for the umpteenth time cause I don't have any friends to ask nor share sentiments with the Obey Me Fandom (sad life of an otaku). I have many revisions but I'm quite satisfied with how it turns out again. UwU

And I didn't even noticed it's already 3 a.m. so I'm gonna peace out now~~

Chapter 3

MASTERLIST

[asktheheirofslytherin]

About a week later.

Lord Voldemort,

Thank you for attending our garden party celebrating our new home, new friends, and young Leo’s second birthday. Maisie was very appreciative to be able to catch up with Delphini. I’d personally like to thank you for helping in confirming Maeve’s ability. She has asked time and time again when she will be able to converse with Nagini again because, “there isn’t a lot of fun snakes, most of them just want to talk about the garden and the weather.”

As September is nearing closer and closer, I can only anticipate that the chaos will lessen here. The five youngest will still be at home, and of course Aofie and Maisie will be here as well.

Mrs.Malloy has been introducing Aofie to a few possible suitors, but she will during the week primarily be watching the young ones during the day. Luna, Luca, and Jenny have been enrolled in a children’s group to socialize and become more accustomed to our education system and will be attending half days with other children. Maeve cannot join until after her sixth birthday, so she and Leo will occupy most of Aofie’s day. Though the house elf and our hellhound are quite well at supervising the young children for short periods of time.

Maisie is starting her training at the Ministry of Magic with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in the Office of Welfare, in the Young Magic Users Division. I can only hope she’s of strong enough will to withstand what atrocities she may encounter. She believes her gift in perception will allow her to find the truth of situations and better help the children she will be working with. I think she also wishes to help the children, like those in our family, who have been displaced as your territory grows and the dangerous border areas move further and further away.

Due to all mentioned above and the fact that my family has settled in greatly, I feel once they start school in six weeks time I would like to officially join your ranks. I feel my families connections, understanding of ancient magic, ability to practice ancient magic, and my specific ability of generalized perception to other magical affinities, where and what kind of magic has been used and when strong users are near; can make me a great asset.

Sincerely,

Iona McKinley

(Ooc/blog ma’am how much of Europe do you think Voldemort has conquered by now and what year is it? Cause Ik Maisie is 18 and Delphi is very close in age)

Ms. McKinley,

I am pleased you are all settled in. Nagini, who is quite fond of children, especially when they can communicate with her, has asked on multiple occasions about your Maeve. I suppose I should drop by for tea or dinner at some point in the fall, to indulge the child and the creature. And of course, we will have your career with the Death Eaters to discuss as well.

I am sure Narcissa has introduced Aofie to an incredibly dull assortment of young men - though there are, I am sure, a few gems in the pile of rocks that are the latest generation to take the Mark. Though I do trust Narcissa to be a good enough matchmaker that she would never introduce the poor girl to a Crabbe or a Goyle.

My congratulations to Maisie in her career. Delphini is at the Ministry often - I am sure they will be meeting up for lunch and the like.

For individuals such as yourself, the trials are more of a formality than anything, but we will discuss this at tea.

-Lord Voldemort

[[OOC: Hmmm. if It was real time, the year would be about 2017-18, as I am picturing Delphi to be about 19 or 20. I bet he already has all the British Isles under his control and has made allegiances with or taken over most of Western Europe. I always assumed he'd make an alliance with Russia, maybe it's a stereotype but I mean Durmstrang is a stereotype already lmao. I also imagine that once Europe/Russia are all friendly to him he'll take a break and try to convince the rest of the world he's done (all lies, but he presumably has eternity so if he lays off everyone else for a few decades he can lull them into a false sense of security XD). You can tell I've thought about Voldemort wins AU's for a while, hahaha]]