#might have made her realize how these destinies trap people with happy endings too

[writergracethepanda]

True Heart's Day is great and all, but imagine at the end of part two where Ashlynn breaks up with Hunter, Hunter turns to Apple and says something like "You happy now?"

[kittydemon9000]

Okay so I was thinking about ToE and had ideas to add for my Not Today Destiny AU(tl:dr, Kai keeps Lloyd’s Green Ninja status secret from everyone and how canon is affected from there)

Also, before we get into it, because there was no Overlord messing with tech, THERE IS NO LOVE TRIANGLE! I am fully subscribed to the theory that the Overlord messed with it in order to split the team up, and it’s stupid that it worked. So no Love Triangle and no Jay Cole Fight. That’s important later.

ANYWAY, with Zane not dead they’d be a bit less desperate to go to the island, and without that incentive of keeping quiet they’d probably immediately go talk to Wu about this weird invite and the fact that other Elemental Masters existed.

Wu would fill them in, explain how Chen was definitely up to something, which has them all go in the first place, and Nya and Wu agree to stay behind to watch Lloyd and defend against Garmadon.

How does this exactly tie into this AU? Well, there were two extra letters sent, one to Kai and Lloyd respectively.

Lloyd’s letter explained how he was also being invited, and if he won he would be awarded some info about his mom. Lloyd knows the ninja would never let him go, so he opts to sneak there and then explain. Better to ask apologies than permission. But don’t worry, he left a note for Nya and Wu

Meanwhile, Kai’s explains how they have found knowledge of who the Green Ninja is, and if he wins he’ll get that info and can do whatever he wants with it.

These two are connected and also important later.

They go to the boat, Nya gets them some hidden trackers to be safe, Kai is secretly freaking out since “How the heck does Chen know???” and then Lloyd sneaks on too. Now, at first everyone just thinks Lloyd is just really short and keeps to himself. It’s not until they land and get to the main room that it finally clicks to Kai that it’s Lloyd when Chen points him out as the Master of Energy.

He of course, is very not happy that Lloyd is here and makes that very well known. The other ninja are equally unhappy while the rest of the EM’s are given a slight Moral Dilemma since yes they want to win, but that means there’s a chance of them fighting a literal child(it’s been….almost a year since they first met Lloyd so he’s about 10 right now).

Lloyd’s room is next to Kai’s, just on the other side so he still shares a balcony space with Skylor. Maybe one of the other EM’s finds Lloyd desperately looking for a Jade Blade and “accidentally” drops it so he can pass.

Later when Karlof is dropped through the floor more than a few cast a glance over to Lloyd, each silently dreading who will have to go against him. Nobody comments when Kai holds Lloyd close and if anyone saw Lloyd sneaking into Kai’s room that night, they didn’t say anything.

It’s that night when Lloyd explains why he came, which makes Kai panic even more. On one hand, he cannot let anyone else find out about Lloyd’s Destiny. But on the other….Lloyd could finally get answers for what happened to his mom unlike Kai who has no idea what happened to his parents

So yeah. Not a fun time.

But it only gets worse from there.

You see, at first each of the ninja let out a silent sigh of relief when they learned they wouldn’t have to fight Lloyd.

Wellllllllll since there’s no Love Triangle and no fighting between Cole and Jay, Chen has no reason to pit them against each other to further split up the ninja.

What he does instead? Changes things so instead it’s Kai vs Lloyd

Now, it’s plainly obvious to everyone that those two are very close, so they’re not looking froward to this next fight at all. Camille honestly isn’t sure if this is better or worse than if she had to go against him

At first, their fight is mostly a verbal one, trying to get the other to take the Jade Blade, with only the occasionally very wide shot to try and herd the other toward the Blade. At some point Kai ends up physically picking up Lloyd and trying to carry him over to the Jade Blade, yelling about how Lloyd has a chance to find his mom and he shouldn’t that up, but Lloyd is fighting him and immediately yells back that he doesn’t want to find her at the cost of his Big Brother and god if that isn’t a knife in the heart of the other EMs.

But Chen, being the bastard he is, decides this is boring because it’s going no where and release the bikes like canon, and then these two fight like a well oiled machine. 

But ofc, we can’t have nice things and the arena starts falling apart.

And Kai….as much as he’s terrified of Lloyd’s Destiny, he even more terrified of loosing Lloyd.

So with a bright smile and a good luck wish, he jumps.

That night when Chen takes away their rooms as punishment, none of them can be mad. They don’t comment either when the remaining ninja drag two of the bunk beds together a curl up around Lloyd. Instead of splitting them apart, it only lets them know that Chen is not their friend. He sees all of this as a game, going as far as to lure a child here with promises of finding his mother and making him fight the family he has left. 

This actually makes their Elemental Alliance work out better this time.

(Also this time Jay fought Ash, then Cole fought Camille(I’m also 99% sure the skating thing was just another attempt to split them up, so again it’s kinda useless here).

Meanwhile Kai does not have a fun time. Clouse is upset since 1) the plan was for Lloyd to be the one to loose, either by Kai winning or making Lloyd fall, since because he’s the green ninja he’s bound to be powerful and 2) because Skylor got attached to this stranger and Chen ordered him to make Kai useful to them. So now he’s trying to keep a very annoying, very loud prisoner while waiting from the Master of Mind to be captured so he can use those powers to make Kai more docile.

Unfortunately, a side affect of Kai being as loud and obnoxious as possible means he spends a lot of his time knocked out, so he has no idea how long he’s been stuck under or if any of his family are stuck under here too. At the very least he shares a wall with Karlof who tries his best to fill him in(when he learns who Kai was made to fight he also gets pretty pissed).

Later when they’re all dropped from the plane, all of them are quick to make sure Lloyd has a parachute. This time the objective is to a “Safe Zone,” but there’s only enough for four of them. However, the Safe Zones are, unsurprisingly, traps and there’s enough for everyone. Once you step in one, it descends, then vengestone cuffs fly out and trap the Master inside.

Skylor ends up finding Lloyd and offers to help him look for one. They end up talking and joking, Lloyd saying how Kai has an enormous crush on her and kept trying to impress her, but Lloyd thought she was good and would like Kai if they didn’t need to fight each other, which accidentally slams her with guilt. 

Some how she ends up slipping, maybe by accidentally revealing how she knows the locations/number of traps and Lloyd realizes she’s the spy which crushes him. He tries to fight her but she just pushed him onto the trap.

Going to the small cult area below, the remaining EMs are brought together. They try their best to keep Lloyd protected but he’s brought to the front anyway. Lloyd asks if they even knew about his mom, to which Chen reminisces about a woman they meet a few years ago who was stealing from them and how they stole some of her things, but they were mostly worthless. They honestly have no idea where she is, which just makes Lloyd mad.

Mad these people tricked him. Mad these people had the audacity to pretend to know his mom. Mad these people made Kai sacrifice himself for him.

However, they weren’t lying About having met Misako. That’s actually how they found out about the whole “Lloyd Being The Green Ninja” thing

But anyway. Chen steals their powers, Skylor is having a moral dilemma, and they start getting ready to Make Trouble in the Noodle Factory

Only this time when they go to steal the staff, they now have to fight Kai.

Only this time for real.

This is the replacement for the Staff Scene. Because of his affect under the Staff Kai…..isn’t really there. Like, he’s just a blank puppet. There’s the tiniest amount of emotion, but his eyes look empty.

At some point the staff goes flying and it turns into a mental tug of war between Clouse commanding Kai and Lloyd and the others trying to get through to him. Lloyd is luckily able to get to Kai enough for him to smash the jewel, releasing the EM powers and the control on him. It gives him the worst headache though.

And from there, canon is mostly the same for a while. The whole time this has been going on Zane has been having dreams/nightmares about an Ice Dragon and finally makes the connection to unlock it. Skylor is still captured, Chen still escapes but now Clouse is still around, Pythor is captured, TIME FOR THE END

This time around, the EMs are able to follow Chen to their base of operations and have the final battle there. They fight, and even though they’re only partially Anacondrai, they’re still hard to fight.

Clouse tries to do the whole “Banish You To the Departed Realm” thing, but accidentally summons the Anacondrai Generals as well, who are very not happy over what these humans are doing.

And yeah. That’s what I got.

I might do more in depth posts for some of the other seasons, not sure. But feel free to ask or submit ideas of your own

[hiccanna-tidbits]

“Let her come to me.”

Cyan waves ripple aside, and Moana steps onto the wet sand. In the distance, glowing veins of bright red stand out against pitch black and smokes and sparks and cinders fill the sky.

All fire and fury and burning...like the worst of you. And the best.

The creature in the distance shrieks, drops to all fours and starts crawling across the seafloor. Mindless, furious, feral--far out of her reach. But she has to try.

Water coats her like a protective shell, flowing and rippling across her skin in a sort of dancing armor. Her hair rises and falls like ocean waves, encased in a little pocket of sea.

I have crossed the horizon to find you.

She’s come so far, sailed oceans and followed stars and felt so lonely and pained and lost she feels like she might die--but she kept on anyways. She kept on because all she wants in the world is fiery hair and eyes like the morning sky and the loudest presence she’s ever known and if she fucks this up now, she might never have that again.

And Moana would cross another horizon, if she had to. If that’s what it took to get her back.

Searing, clawlike fingers throw up wet sand. Moana keeps on. 

I know your name.

“You’re Merida Dunbroch,” she says, voice cracking. “You’re the best archer I’ve ever met. You’re crude and brash and unapologetic and fearless. You’d take on the whole world if it meant you could prove yourself. You love empire biscuits and apple tarts and you’d finish a whole roast chicken yourself if no one stopped you. You snort when you laugh and you eat like you’ll never see food again. You love feeling the wind in your hair, and getting it even more tangled because your mom used to hate brushing it out afterwards. You’ll climb to the top of any rock or cliff you can, no matter how dangerous it is, just so you can take in the view and drink in the wind. You’d do anything in the world for your little brothers, but you’d never, ever tell them that. You carved my name into your bow and told me it was so...so you could always take me with you, wherever you went.”

Moana’s voice breaks.

They have stolen the heart from inside you.

She remembers the smoke coming in and clouding the island, Te Ka lunging across the waves and onto the beach. The villagers screaming, fleeing to the top of the mountain to get out of the beast’s reach. Merida, the outsider, the one who fled from a kingdom far, far away to escape a destiny she didn’t want, the one whose boat had washed up one day and forced her to integrate to an entirely new way of life, bravely standing her ground with her sword brandished. The way she swung and struck and screamed with everything she had, trying to take down a monster twenty times her size to protect a village she had only called home for a little over a year. The way she kept fighting even as Te Ka closed her hands around her and black rock began to grow on her skin.

She kept fighting until the very end, when Te Ka took her away. When Te Ka corrupted her, made her into something just like the vast, wrathful goddess.

When the lava coursed through her, it must have burned her heart away until she was left with nothing, like Te Ka.

But there had to be something still in there. Moana had to believe that.

She couldn’t come all this way to find out she was wrong.

But this does not define you.

The lava beast draws closer. Moana can see the eyes. They’re vast, golden-orange pits, impossible to read.

Impossible to see if the girl she knew was still behind them.

But she had to be. Merida Dunbroch was not one to go down with a fight. Not one to let herself be lost completely. She was the strongest person Moana had ever known.

This is not who you are.

The anger. The rage. The hatred. The pain. Moana knew they all belonged to Merida--all things Te Ka could feed off of to power her little double. Anger at being forced to be someone she wasn’t, rage at being “auctioned off” into a political marriage when she knew she could never love a man. Hatred at a world that didn’t care to understand her, that told her every time she was loud or impassioned or stubborn that it made her shameful and disgusting and worthless. The pain at being trapped and alone in a place where she was going to have to put on a facade for the rest of her life.

But there was more in her. She smiled radiantly, she laughed hard, and she loved fiercely. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for people who showed her kindness and care. She loved amusing the other villagers, loved making her friends happy. She doted on Pua and HeiHei with surprising gentleness.

There was so much more in her than anger and chaos and cruelty and destruction. And that was what Moana needed her to remember.

You know who you are.

The lava creature pauses, snarling mouth hanging open, hair flowing behind in billows of smoke. Moana steps forward, willing her to remember. Needing her to remember. The playful shoves, the evening dance lessons, sipping coconut water as they watched the sun go down. Moana knew all of it still had to be inside of her somewhere.

What had once been Merida wouldn’t be pausing in attacking her if it wasn’t.

Moana steps forward, and the lava creature doesn’t move. Taking a breath, she presses their foreheads together. It burns and sears like anything, but Moana just doesn’t care. The lava creature closes her eyes, still and calm in a way Moana never thought she’d see again.

“Who you truly are,” she whispers.

She reaches up and places a water-cased hand on the hard, rocky chest, and the lava beneath sizzles and steams as it dries and hardens into black rock. A soft rumble fills the air as the rock begins to split, water snaking over it and burrowing into the cracks. Chunks begin to shear off and thump into the sand, and Moana catches sight of pale skin and a torn dress.

She watches in wonder as the ebony shell crumbles away--first her chest, then her arms, and finally her face. Two wide, pale blue eyes stare at her in amazement as smoke disperses and lava slides away and what’s left is a head full of bouncy orange curls.

“Mo?”

Merida says it uncertainly, like she’s in the strange space between wake and sleep where she can’t quite tell what’s real and what’s in her mind. Moana laughs, and she wraps Merida in her arms and crushes the other girl against her--so she’ll know this is real.

“You’re back,” Moana sniffs. Somewhere in her laughs, tears have begun to fall. “You came back to me.”

Merida laughs, and holds her back. They both sink into the sand, clinging to each other like there’s nothing else in the whole universe to cling to.

And maybe there isn’t.

“What are yeh doin’ way out here?” Merida murmurs against her ear, tone surprisingly stern. “The ocean’s a dangerous place, lassie. And Ah know damn well yeh can’t actually sail, no matter what et is yeh tell yerself.”

“I had to come to you,” is all Moana says.

Merida seems to melt even further into her grip. “Yeh...came all this way...for me?” Her voice breaks as she says it. “Why?”

“I love you.”

The words slip out before Moana can stop them.

Merida leans back and studies her inquisitively, and all Moana can think is I’m fucked.

The next second Merida’s hands are on her cheeks and she’s pulling the other girl forward to kiss her ferociously.

Moana is frozen, stupefied, completely unable to move. She never thought she’d be here, living this moment--but bringing Merida back was only the first of the miracles to happen today, apparently.

Moana slowly lifts her arms, draping them over Merida’s shoulders and melting into her.

“Ah love yeh, too, lass.” Merida pauses long enough to breathe it into her ear. “Ah just didn’t know how tae say et. Ah never thought yeh’d look at me that way. Ah was scared yeh might think et was...wrong.”

Moana responds by kissing her again. Before they know it, they’re tipping over, lying entangled on the wet ground. Sand stirs around them, slowly coating their skin and already-dirtied clothes as they press closer and closer into each other, but they realize that they just don’t care.

Moana is filling with warmth--so vast and full and overpowering that she can’t help but wonder if Merida still has some of that lava left in her. Whether she does or not, Moana can only form one thought as she laces her fingers through sandy red curls.

I’m never letting you go again.

***

When Merida next feels lava on her skin, it’s dozens of years later.

She doesn’t know what to make of it, waking up with cracked black rock on her skin again and streams of lava curling away from her scalp in fiery hair. But it doesn’t burn, it doesn’t hurt--it feels all too right. The power, the passion, the vigor of when she was taken over by Te Ka is there--but this time, she can control it.

Merida lived a long life. A happy life. She stayed on Motunui--even when the village began voyaging again, charting new lands, she always came back to their home with Moana. Her Moana. They passed together on a summer evening, lying on the beach with their hands entwined and the tribe safely in the hands of the fine young man they had chosen to be the next chief-to-be.

When Te Ka became Te Fiti, it appeared a vacancy opened--the need for a goddess of volcanoes and lava, now that the goddess of life had returned. Life was a cycle, after all--you couldn’t have green and growth and lushness with burning magma and barren rock and life sizzled out. That’s where Merida guessed she came in.

It baffled her, why some outsider like herself would be chosen for such an honor. She had worked hard at becoming a great warrior, protecting the people she had adopted as her own. But ascending to godhood? She didn’t deserve something like this.

And then she sees her walking over the horizon.

Her body is made entirely of water--curves in shining cyan, dress splashing around her laced with foaming whitecaps, hair whipping behind her in rippling ocean waves. But her hands, her face, her eyes--there’s no mistaking it’s her.

“Moana?” Merida whispers.

They run to each other, ripping across land and pounding through sea to reach one another. When they crash together, steam rises around them in graceful billows--the heat of lava and the cool of ocean, united into a gentle mist.

“Moana? How are we here?”

“The ocean chose me a long time ago, to return the heart of Te Fiti and restore life to the world,” Moana murmurs into her shoulder. “And now it’s chosen me again--for something more important. I’m one with the ocean now, making sure it brings and sustains life for all the generations to come. But you...you deserve to be here with me, contributing to the endless cycle.” She leans back and gives Merida a soft smile. “So I may have put in a good word for you.”

Merida laughs. “Are yeh sure et isn’t cuz yer too clingy tae let me go?”

Moana just smles. “That too. I guess eternity seems a lot more tedious to pass when you’re not there.”

They’re an odd pair. The goddess of the ocean, who gives homes to sea turtles and whales and bright fish, who guides ships between islands, who’s always there for someone to dip their feet in on a hot day...and the goddess of volcanoes, who explodes with burning magma, who rains ash and smoke across the sky, who brings unquestionable death to all those who don’t get away fast enough. But when they touch, when they kiss, when they tangle themselves up in one another, pieces of volcanic rock topple into the sea and grow lush and full with life bursting from every seam. The goddess of the sea and the goddess of lava make more life together than they ever could apart. 

Sometimes they must temper one another. An especially vicious volcanic explosion is stopped only by the cool calm of the sea. Fierce stormclouds that could sink ships are pulled apart by clouds of smoke and ash. Magma rises from the ocean floor, calming tsunamis. Rain puts out the worst of the fires from spewing lava. It’s a balance.

But at the end of the day, when the sky clears and new islands come to be, green and lush and full of fruit and palm trees and vines and animals that hum and chirp and buzz, there can be no doubt that the two goddesses can’t be without each other.

There can be no doubt that the goddess of the ocean and the goddess of volcanos are deeply--and eternally--in love.

***

WELL WELL WELL! A lot of people seemed to really like my Moanida Goddess AU, so I made a moodboard and started writing a drabble and...this happened, I guess? The story came out a lot longer and more angsty than I planned, but oh well--hope y’all like it!

Legit love how these two balance each other out. I feel like the chaotic, reckless “fire energy” of Merida definitely needs kind of a calm, rational “water energy” from someone like Moana. Merida needs someone level-headed to talk her out of doing Dumb Shit without being mean-spirited or talking down to her about it, and Moana needs someone like Merida to drag her out of her comfort zone and help her face off her demons and self-doubt and whatever. Literally a perfect match! God I fucking love Fire x Water pairings so much. Can you tell I’m also a fan of Zutara

Also yeah I’d definitely be on board with Moana x Te Fiti if Fi wasn’t a giant-ass goddess like 20 times Moana’s size. Can you tell? But sue me, that entire scene did in fact have sapphic vibes.

@takaraphoenix Moanida time!!!

Pic credits available upon request!

[girlproject]

Scene added for fun “prom night again” (cat/Kara)

(Kara is conflicted about Kenny and her future. Before prom her, Kenny and Alex go to a restaurant near by)

-Kara goes up to the bar cat is there

- cat “well you look like you need a drink”

-Kara” No thanks I’m not old enough”

-cat sips her drink “never stopped me”

Kara sees cat writing on a napkin a pink panther/cat

-Kara “ that’s a cool drawing, what is it?”

-cat grabs the napkin “this? This is my future”

-Kara “ your futures a..napkin?”

-cat “no it’s what’s on the napkin, one day I’m going to get out from perry whites little Unmanicured thumb, I just gotta find a good story”

- Kara smiles “ oh so your a journalist ? Like Lois -“

- cat snaps her head to Kara eyes wide open. Kara petrified. Cat slowly stands up “ If another person calls me Lois Lane I’m going to explode. I’m CJ Grant Future queen of all media and who are you suppose to be exactly a pink power ranger”

-Kara “ sorry I - I’m just my names Kara, I just think journalists are really cool is all”

-Kara getting uncomfortable “ well I should get back to my boyfriend an- (Kara is cut off)

-cat looks back at Kenny “oh he’s cute” she looks at karas worried face “ but you don’t look all that excited”.

-Kara “I am it’s prom I just” (silence)

-cat “ decided to talk to a stranger at a bar you can’t even drink at instead of being with your boyfriend..this is mildly intriguing”

Cat props up her drink inquisitive to karas issue hinting Kara to start spilling

- kara “ Well I..I really like Kenny ..But”

-cat “but?”

- Kara” I want to go to national city university but Kenny wants me to stay here with him. He doesn’t even know I got accepted yet”.

- cat drinking a big swig of her martini glass sloppily planting the glass on the counter “ well kirara or whatever your name is I have a piece of advice for you. Come sit down”

-cat sits down realizing Kara isn’t sitting she sighs  heavily

- cat “ SIT before I change my mind” she says rolling her eyes

- Kara sits down next to Cat Grant at the bar. the bartender seems to be too busy to care

-cat “ I’m going to tell you this both because I will never see you again and because You are too young to be throwing your life away for a boy. So Listen closely”

Kara leans in closer

Cat “Ive seen it happen a dozen no a hundred times, a beautiful women with a brilliant mind overshadowed by the men in their lives. Take for example me. I am an incredible, fierce, and gorgeous women. I’m arguably the best journalist in the tri-state area and yet here I am in the middle of nowhere doing puff pieces becuase Perry white doesn’t see my true worth. Every women has to work ten times as hard just to be half as good. So when you have a future you want it won’t just be handed to you. You have to fight for it like your life depends on it”

-Kara “ but what if... I’m scared I don’t know what’s going to happen if I go or if I stay”

-cat “ nobody truly knows where we all will end up. There is no right or wrong answer.

- cat “ People tell themselves whatever lies gets through the day. That one day you’ll just wake up and everything will be just perfect. Perfect Partner, perfect career, perfect family. But the truth is that nothing is what it seems and nothing is perfect. Look Kiara

-Kara “ it’s Kara”

-cat “Kiara, every step you take you make a choice to either go towards what makes you happy or to walk away from whatever it is you were meant to be. Life isn’t about being trapped in a box its about waking up every day and making that choice over and over again to be honest with yourself and what you truly want. And yeah sometimes you will be knocked down again and again but-“

Cat- drinks the last of her martini

Cat- “ it’s not about falling down, it’s about getting back up, it’s about doing what makes you happy even if you are scared of what that might mean. And sure maybe someone pushed you or lead you astray but YOU are the one who choses what happens after. You are the creator of your own destiny you just have to open your eyes to see the potential you have and go for it”

Cat slowly realizes her own advice may be good to follow for herself

-Kara “ wow that’s really incredible advice thank you”

-cat “ it is..isn’t it .”

-Kara “ you know you kinda remind me of that pink cat you are drawing. fierce, stylish, and brilliant. Perry white sounds like he’s a idiot for not seeing your just how amazing you are. Thank you for the advice CJ-“

-cat cutting her off again “actually you can call me cat ..Cat Grant”

Kara smiles “ okay Cat Grant it was really nice meeting you but I should get back to my table. Thank you truly for the advice. I’ll remember it probably for the rest of my life”

Cat smiles “ you better” she smirks “ it was nice meeting you too Kiara”

Cat gets a phone call

Kara “ it’s actually ...never mind. Goodluck maybe we will meet again someday”

Cat putting the phone to her ear “not likely...now chop chop go off , go be bother someone somewhere else.

Kara starts to walk away

“ oh Kiara!”

Kara turns around “ yes miss Grant”

Cat “ go show the world what you’re made of”

Kara smiles big at Cat. She turns and walks away.

Cat answers phone

“Yes Perry..We need to talk”

[miraculouscontent]

*moon walks in* have you ever written anything for zutara? If not that’s cool *moon walks out*

I’ve written a piece, yes. It’s a what-if on Zuko’s scar getting healed by Katara instead of them getting interrupted after their conversation in the catacombs:

"It's a scar. It can't be healed."

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but..."

Likewise, Zuko didn't know why he allowed Katara to touch his scar. He'd long grown used to the fact that he had it, but that also didn't mean he let people idly touch it like it were something to gawk and poke at.

And what did he really expect? That his scar would be magically taken away, just like that? His life had never been that easy. He'd struggled all throughout his existence, and any wounds caused along the way were likely there to stay.

This girl was clearly fooling herself, acting as if it'd just be--

"Yeah, I--" Katara summoned forth her spirit water. "--I think this might work."

He gave her a weird look, though given that his neutral expression usually made him come off as sour anyway, she probably couldn't tell. "What?"

She seemed to ignore him, her spirit water bending around her hand. She looked up at him, eyes briefly squinting like she was unsure, then stared down at the spirit water with the same expression. She took a breath, apparently solving whatever mental debate she was having as she raised her hand to touch his scar again.

He flinched, and then hated himself for flinching. The water had been freezing.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Sorry. You're a firebender, so it must be too cold for you."

He was almost suspicious, but the look in her eyes seemed genuine. He had a slew of responses for her, most of which were sarcastic, but he somehow ended up saying, "It's fine. I can handle it," instead.

She tilted her head, concerned, but that just made him more determined to prove her wrong. He forced himself to stand rigidly in place, staring her down like he was ready for a fight.

She snorted - actually snorted - at him! Was she amused? The nerve!

"Alright, hold still," she ordered gently, raising her hand again.

Zuko tried not to look so obviously like he was steeling himself up. Thanfully, if Katara had noticed anything this time, she showed no sign of it, and the water touched his face without issue. He was surprised in a way, as he'd expected her to make the water colder just out of spite.

It was nice to be wrong, he supposed.

The water felt strange against his skin. He couldn't see what she was doing obviously, his left eye closed from the water while his right could see a bit of her hand if he really tried. Katara's gaze, meanwhile, was focused and steady, never wavering from where her hand was.

He was only forced to stop looking when the water began to glow. The temperature of the water suddenly stopped mattering, as he couldn't determine it. Maybe it was numbing him?

He could feel the vibration as the liquid shifted like a calming wave, like it were washing over the left side of his face over and over despite it already being submerged. At first, he didn't understand how it felt like it was seeping into his skin, seeking impurities and washing them away, without hurting him at all.

But water was the opposite of fire. His father's flames had burned him and the heat had dug so deeply as to leave a scar, so it would only make sense if water could reverse it. He'd just never imagined it was possible, and he was more glad than anything else that the light forced him to close his eyes as to avoid Katara seeing any more emotion than he was comfortable sharing.

Could someone's sins really be washed away with something as simple as water?

Suddenly, there was the sound of rocks collapsing nearby, jarring both he and Katara out of their state. Katara staggered forward in surprise, but seemed compelled to keep her hand on the left side of his face. Likewise, he tried not to move, unsure of how interrupting the process would go and not wanting to tempt fate.

His left eye couldn't see beyond the now-faint light of the healing water, while the right could only stare at Katara. She'd averted her gaze, presumably to look at what'd caused the disturbance, and although Zuko couldn't see it himself from where he was at, he knew well enough that she was capable and would say something if anything were wrong.

Katara's eyes widened. "Aang!"

Recognizing the name of the Avatar, Zuko's head twitched on reflex to look, only barely managing to keep the rest of himself still as Katara's hand was still on him. She went through something similar, shifting her body as if to run off before remembering the situation.

She peered up at him, the light intensifying now that her focus had returned. She tilted her head and eyed him critically as she ran her thumb where his scar was. He may've taken the critical gaze personally under normal circumstances, but he supposed it was just the water having an effect on him.

Finally, the light died down, Katara pulling her hand away along with the water. Zuko was immediately hit with the strange sensation of just the left side of his face, covering it with his hand in surprise at the shift in his vision.

Katara had already run off. He straightened, looking over to see her in the middle of hugging Aang, who was currently glaring at him. Iroh was nearby, rushing to Zuko to embrace him. It wasn't that Zuko wasn't happy to see his uncle, but he focused on returning Aang's glare, not sure what the Avatar's motives are.

Given that, he wondered aloud, "Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?"

Aang broke away from Katara and replied, as if he'd been asked, "Saving you, that's what."

Needless to say, Zuko didn't appreciate the cheekiness in his tone. He tried to move, ready to fight, but Iroh hugged him tighter to prevent him from going anywhere.

"Zuko, it's time we talked," he said sternly, but quietly. Finally pulling away - allowing Zuko to lower his hand from his face - Iroh turned to face Katara and Aang. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."

Aang bowed, then ran off for the nearest cave. Katara followed, but kept a slower pace to look back at Zuko.

He saw a slight raise of her brows, then a smile that wasn't directed at the Avatar, but at him. He tried not to show too much of a reaction to it, not matter how bizarre it was, but that didn't stop him from continuing to maintain eye contact until she'd fully disappeared into the cave.

Then, remembering himself and that Iroh had never answered his question, he turned. "Why, Uncle?"

Iroh faced him, looking serious. "You're not the man you used to be, Zuko. You--" He cut himself off, eyes going wide and mouth dropping open in surprise. Apparently, all the seriousness had just drained out of him. "You're really not the man you used to be!"

"What?" Zuko asked, but realized a second later exactly where Iroh was staring. Bringing a hand up to his face, he finally felt along where his scar was.

Or rather, where his scar used to be. His skin was smooth, his vision just as good in his left eye as it was in his right. In fact, the only sign that there'd been a scar at all was his lack of a left eyebrow, though that could grow back with time.

"The... Katara," he began, "she used a type of water she got at a spirit oasis."

"A spirit--of course..." Iroh's expression regained its calmness as he placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Zuko, listen to me. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been, and now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny."

Zuko raised a brow (well, the only one he had), not sure he understood.

Iroh continued, "It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."

Zuko opened his mouth, but the conversation was cut off by a sudden earthquake. He managed to keep his balance, but a slew of crystals suddenly burst through the ground, separating him from Iroh and trapping the latter in a crystal prison.

He gaped at the sight, then assumed a fighting position at nothing in particular and readied himself, not showing any emotion even as Azula descended form the sides of the crystal chamber alongside what he presumed to be two earthbenders.

Walking to Zuko and Iroh, Azula kept up her usual demeanor despite his vanished scar. "I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko," she began, "Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?"

Zuko glared. "Release him immediately!"

"It's not too late for you, Zuko," Azula insisted as she stopped in front of him, not paying his order any mind. "You can still redeem yourself."

Iroh shouted to Zuko from his containment in the crystals, "The kind of redemption she offers is not for you!"

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle?" Azula challenged. She glanced back at Zuko, voice softening as she continued, "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day - " She raised a fist for emphasis. " - this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have Father's love. You will have everything you want."

Father's love? Everything he wanted?

"Zuko," Iroh called out gingerly, "I am begging you. Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want."

Zuko looked back and forth between the two, Azula's eyes unusually gentle while Iroh's were as gentle as they always had been. However, he lowered his gaze, not meeting either.

"You are free to choose," Azula said. She raised a hand, the gesture wordlessly telling her guards to leave the premises. That done, she simply walked off into the cave that Aang and Katara had gone.

Zuko thought back to Iroh, though still not looking at him. I'm begging you, he'd said, and it was familiar because he'd said it before. Zuko had been down this path before, being asked what he wanted and what his "destiny" really was back when he tried to take the Avatar's bison. He remembered it well.

I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want?

Prince. Iroh had called him that, even back then. Azula was doing it now as well, but...

Zuko knew deep down that it was one of her tricks. He'd played her games too many times; been played too many times. He wasn't foolish enough to think otherwise, but he also couldn't be sure that Azula would betray him completely.

Already, he could hear a fight ensuing in the the direction that Azula had gone. His feet were itching to move; to do something, but what?

Iroh spoke up, "You said it was water from a spirit oasis."

Zuko glanced over at him, giving him his attention.

Iroh continued, "Zuko, that scar you had was full of suffering and terrible memories. Had you truly wanted to go back to that, I'm sure that you wouldn't have been able to be healed from it." He shook his head, his voice thick with sorrow. "All this time, you've been trying to make up for something I've never held against you."

"What do you mean?"

"Think," Iroh urged. "You spoke up, yes, but against the idea of lives being lost! Are you going to apologize for that?!"

Zuko blinked, eyes wide at the fact that he'd never thought of that.

Iroh's voice softened. "I'm sorry that I let you into that meeting. I had to live with that guilt for the scar you had on your face."

"What? Uncle, no, I'm the one--"

"You were young, but you were already a far better Fire Lord than your father will ever be. You cared about the lives of others even if they weren't for your own benefit. I'm proud of you, and I'm so happy that you have a moment to start over again." He paused, squirming briefly within the crystal restraints. Realizing that he was firmly stuck, he looked back to Zuko, uttering firmly, "Go."

"But, Uncle--"

"Go!"

Zuko's feet finally moved. He dashed past Iroh and into the cave as quickly as he could.

He felt stupid. He felt pathetic. He'd spent all this time torn and twisted between two sides when his heart had made up its mind a long time ago and his body struggled to listen.

"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

"I'm sorry. That's something we have in common."

Common. Relating to someone was not something he often did. His father and sister had long since convinced him that he was less than nothing without earning his honor back, but what did honor mean? If he was less than nothing, why could he get so close to the Avatar and his bison with his own efforts?

The only thing he had in common with Ozai and Azula was blood, and it'd been boiling away ever since he'd been banished.

Who are you, and what do you want?

As he made it out of the cave, he jumped, letting out a blast of fire between the ongoing fight that Azula, Katara, and Aang were having. They all stared at him as he landed, his stance ready for action as he looked around at the lot of them. Now that his mind was clear, he could see the almost expectant look in Azula's eyes, along with a hidden threat if he dared to betrayed her.

He was no pawn. Not anymore. He wrote his own destiny.

"I'm Zuko," he declared firmly. "and I want the kind of honor that you and my father could never give me!"

He inhaled, then thrust his arms forward to let out a blast of fire so loud that it drowned his own cry of frustration. Years of pent-up aggression were put into the flames, and he just barely caught the sight of his sister's wide eyes before she almost seemed to become engulfed in it. It wasn't that he thought he'd truly destroy her with it, but finally letting it out gave him a sense of freedom he hadn't felt before.

Aang and Katara flung themselves back due to the heat, despite not being within the flames' particular range. Aang gaped, confused, then glanced at Katara for answers.

But she wasn't looking at Aang. She was meeting Zuko's gaze with her own. For the moment of calm in the battle, they simply stared at one another.

They said nothing, but shared an unspoken promise, held together by the simple commonality they shared.

Let's take down the Fire Nation together.

[katie-writes24]

I’ll Be Your Escape

Pairing: Ruben Marcado x reader

Warnings: SMUT, Oral sex, Vaginal sex, language, drug usage, alcohol, suggestive material, angst, too many emotions, Ian Price, hurt/comfort in a way, manipulation, bad humor and 5k of what the heck are these clowns doing?

Part 2

Well, would you look at all those warnings, ahahaha what the fuck? So my first Ruben draft from months and months ago has come back from the dead all because I said ‘haha look at this old draft,’ and @tinywhim said ‘uh, finish it.’ And.... here we are, so you know who to thank. Enjoy, maybe I’ll make another part but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let me know if you want to be tagged! 

Y/N has been watching him ever since he walked in alongside Ian, looking at the place in bewilderment. From the second floor, she could see girls swoon over Ian and try to grab him by the hand, thinking of fantasies that he would never spare, only suggest. 

It made Y/N sick; the only reason she stayed was because of Oz, because of him having that power over her. She would never sleep with him, no, it wasn't like that. She was simply there to be the "brains," which qualified as to make sure none of them overdosed, and if they did, to handle it without the cops. 

Y/N was never allowed to take anything, she could only have two drinks max. Some party. But she couldn't complain, the pay kept her on her feet. 

When Ian came, he always teased her, taunted her and tried to get anything to refer back to Oz. He flirted but she would never give him the time. She wasn't that low, she knew that he was trouble. Which is why she was confused why the dark-haired dude in a trench coat was with him. 

The guy looked like a nerd, the total opposite of Ian. When he was dragged upstairs, it made sense. Oz had said he was looking for a new chemist, a new dealer.  Y/N would know, the last one had been dealt with quietly. 

Y/N stayed along the wall as Oz and his posse surrounded the two men. She listened to the plan, and the poor guy obviously didn't want to be there. She could relate. If only she had finished college, she thinks what her life would look like. 

As the chemist worked, she stayed guard of the door, watching over the crowd of oblivious low life's below. A hand graced her side, tapping her hip and she turned to see Ian standing with a smirk. 

"What would it take for you to be a test subject?" She rolled her eyes, it was a classic game of his to get her into trouble. 

"Pay me double of my annual salary, then I might give it a shot," Y/N held her guard, not sparing him another glance. 

"Aw, c'mon, Y/N," Ian pulled her up against his back, and she tried not to make a scene by squirming. "Don't hurt Rubes feelings. Besides, you look like you could use a break? I bet my friend could help you out," He tilted her chin to the side and she watched him at work, fumbling with test tubes with a furrowed brow. "Or maybe you could help him out?"

Y/N rolled her eyes, and pulled away, "I'll pass, thanks."

Destiny was the first one to try, and soon enough pills were passed around the whole place. Y/N nursed her second beer upstairs, looking over in the corner at the drugged crowd. 

She spotted the chemist in the middle, dancing ridiculously next to girls. It made her chuckle, he was a nerd. Bouncing excitedly with his little pink backpack, it was adorable.

He looked up at one point, making eye contact. He gave a dopey smile, and she shot him a little wave with a small smile. At least he was having fun, that made one of them. 

Hours passed, and her feet were starting to hurt. She went downstairs and took to watching the crowd from a better angle. She stayed against the wall, occasionally checking her phone as Oz texted her to check up on things. 

"You look calmer than me," Y/N looked up to see the chemist grinning at her confused. She laughed. 

"That's because I am," She put her phone away and put her hands in her jacket pockets. "You seem to be having a blast."

"This is great, it's...I haven't felt this way in a while," He looked back at the scene and smiled. She watched his excitement, wishing she could feel such a thing. He looked back and stuck a hand out, "I'm Ruben."

"Y/N," She shouted over the music and shook his hand. "You're the fancy doctor?"

He shrugged, "Something like that, nothing fancy."

"Just made a pill to drug up the whole building and give people the time of their lives?"

He smirked, "You're not high, at least that's what I heard from you talking to Ian."

"Well, somebody's gotta keep the place standing, right?" Y/N sipped on her beer as she examined him closely. "As long as you're having fun, that's all that matters."

Ruben licked his lips and looked her up and down, "I've been shelled up in a lab for years, I don't get out much."

"Then it's doing the job," She patted his cheek and walked back upstairs, leaving him standing there star struck. 

Ian stopped her at the top of the steps, grabbing her arm and saying, "Cut the guy some slack, he needs to live a little."

Y/N scoffed, "What are you, his babysitter? He seems to be having fun."

"He could be having a little more fun," Ian pulled her in closer, letting go of her arm and whispering in her ear, "If you won't give me the chance, give it to Ruben. Think of it as a thank you."

"For what? You think I'm some whore that'll fuck someone for pity?" Y/N narrowed his eyes, two seconds away from throwing him and the cute chemist out. 

"No, I think you're trapped up here enough as it is. When's the last time you actually let loose at one of these shows? Ever since Oz found you?" Y/N looked away, she didn't want him getting in her head, but she could already feel the wheels turning. "You can't take anything, you can't dance, you can't be free. You're not one of his girls, you just stand here all night and watch. I know you're jealous that they got all the benefits and all the attention, and what does he give you? Nothing. You can't tell me it's not tempting to let loose?" 

Y/N had always thought about, thought about the past, how she would live her life to the fullest. She would put on a dress that would make the end of the night one to remember, drink until her vision blurred. These days she was lucky if she got a good enough sleep, that was the highlight. 

"No tricks?" She looked at him carefully, not fully trusting the man. 

"You won't get caught, I swear. I wouldn't do that to Ruben, you can count on that," He had a point, if he was protecting his friend in the moment that would guarantee protection for her. 

"Why'd you bring him here anyway? He's...different, he's not like you?" She didn't put any pressure on it, but he knew what she meant. 

"Let's just say he needed a break. It worked out for both of us in the end."

Y/N scratched her head and looked down at the crowd again, finding him easily. He looked happy, he looked fun. She looked around the floor, finding security at every wall. 

Oz would be fine for an hour or two. Ian would make sure of it. 

Y/N found herself moving pass dancing bodies, brushing up against people who were most likely having hallucinations. 

Ruben had his back to her, and she tapped against his arm gently, almost scared of proceeding. But he turned quickly, the smirk wiping off and turning into a surprised grin. 

"How often did you say you get out?" She shouted over the thumping of the music. 

"Not at all," He shook his head violently, giving her body another glance. 

Y/N gripped his shirt in her hands and pushed her mouth against his, receiving a quick response. His lips were soft, and his kisses were desperate. It made her want to take him right then and there. Instead she pulled back, looking up at him with blown out eyes. He looked the same, but disbelief was in the mix. 

Y/N bit her lip and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the crowd. She met Ian's eyes upstairs and he nodded assuringly. 

She wouldn't get caught. He promised. 

There was a backroom that was only used for what they called "business meetings." But it had a couch, and that was good enough.

She pushed Ruben against the wall, finding his mouth again and shoving her tongue in. The music was faded enough where she heard a tiny moan come from him. Her hands roamed his chest, his finding her hips hesitantly. She moved to his neck and gave him lingering kisses, licking a sharp stripe up his Adam's apple, and even Y/N could see his eyes roll back, his mouth opening in a silent moan. 

"You alright?" Y/N smirked at him and he nodded quickly. She continued her work on his neck as she walked him backwards towards the couch, pushing him against it.

"This is really happening," He mumbled in disbelief as she shucked out of her jacket. "This is something that's actually happening," Ruben laughed a little at himself, then slowly watched as she stripped her shirt off. Y/N walked over and straddled him, kissing up his neck. 

"What do-what do you want me to do?" He sounded breathless, it made her want to laugh, but the moment was too heated. 

"I'm kinda in the same boat as you, you know," Y/N watched as his face twisted in realization. 

"You really don't get to enjoy these parties?" 

"Not hardly," Y/N swallowed as she felt the tent in his pants. "So, let's enjoy it together, yeah?"

Ruben smiled and kissed her deeply, tongue scraping against the inside of her mouth. It was something dirty, sloppy and full of saliva. Y/N loved it, she held onto the back of his head so he wouldn't leave. His hands were traveling along her backside as she moaned into his mouth. 

Letting go, he pulled back and she took the opportunity to drag the backpack and sweater off him. She took in his chest, the tan skin warm under her fingers. Ruben licked his lips and shivered. 

"You're so hot," Y/N found herself muttering, and he just laughed while shaking his head. "You don't believe me?"

"Not really, no," Dark eyes avoided hers, and she slid off his lap. Disappointment fell over his face, he was probably scared he ruined the moment, that Y/N would leave him. 

Instead she slid to her knees and pulled at his belt buckle, "Let me show you then,"

Ruben lifted his hips and she dragged his khakis to his mid thigh. She palmed him through his black briefs, and he threw his head back. Slipping her hand underneath the waistband, he jerked his hips up on instinct. He looked totally flustered and Y/N was loving it.

Stroking him a few times seemed to do the trick. His whole body sagged against the couch and Y/N bit her lip as he moaned. She licked her lips before wrapping her mouth against the tip, sucking slightly and feeling arousal in her gut as he let out a broken moan.

Moving her lips up and down his cock started a chorus of small noises from the man, each sound music to Y/N’s ears. While she hasn’t been in this position very often, she was starting to gain more confidence than ever before. Looking up at him gave her butterflies, eyes closed as he parted his lips in a silent scream. She could see his hands twitch at his side. Y/N wrapped a hand around his wrist and guided his fingers to her hair. Hesitantly, he flexed his fingers and twisted her locks, gasping as she moaned around him. 

Growing more comfortable, Ruben sat up and used his free hand to caress the side of Y/N’s face, sucking in a sharp breath as he felt her cheeks hollow out. Y/N locked eyes with him, her hand slowly creeping down to her rub herself through her underwear. 

Her movements caught his attention. His hands left her hair as he started stuttering, “What, uh...what can I, you know, how can I help you?”

Y/N pulled off and looked up with a smirk. “What, do you work in customer service or something?”

“That felt really good, like, really good. I just...want you to feel the same. I want to make you feel the same.” Ruben ducked his head down in embarrassment.

Y/N used his knees to pull her up so she straddled his legs. While one hand scratched the back of his neck gently, the other gripped his chin to make him look at her. “You’re too sweet, you know that?” 

He leaned forward and she made way to him instantly. He was a good kisser, and she found it peculiar that he claimed to not do this often. It made her question if it was all lies, or if he had never done it maybe at all. But kissing him, it was comforting, it was reassuring. It was soft and felt divine.

Y/N got lost in his lips, and when she came back to reality, she took his hand in hers and moved it to her clothed clit. As he stopped moving his lips, he kept his mouth close to her own, both exchanging breaths. 

Brown eyes were already staring into her own when she opened them, looking for permission. Y/N nodded and soon his fingers were moving in slow circles against her nub. It was slow and unsure, but damn, if it didn’t feel good.

Arms were wrapped around his neck as he continued, it seemed the more soft moans Y/N gave, the more Ruben fell into her. His head was pressed against her chest, mouth opened as if he was the one receiving the pleasure. 

But maybe it was the way Y/N’s hips thrusted into his touch unconsciously that made his eyes slip close so easily. That made his jaw go slack as he pressed wet, open mouthed kisses against her skin. That made the tension around them so intimate that it started to become overwhelming. Like the heated touches that originally started this was far, far away. 

Something about this moment made Y/N figure that they’re more alike than they probably realize.

It also made her realize that she still had more clothes on than she preferred. Quick movements lead to her bra being tossed across the room and Ruben’s movements come to a stop. 

“No, please keep touching me,” Y/N whispered, out of breath. 

“Like this? Or-”

“I want you to fuck me, Ruben.”

The man looked so flustered, so overwhelmed. He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to compose himself, “I don’t...have a condom.”

Y/N cursed under her breath and got off of him. His hand reached out to stop her, but Y/N gave him a kiss to reassure that she wasn’t done just yet. Instead, she walked over to the desk in the corner, pulling the drawers out and rummaging for a condom. There was no way there wouldn’t be one in the building, and she just prayed that it would be in the room. 

Just as she found one in the bottom drawer, she heard some shuffling behind her. Y/N stood up straight as she fumbled with the wrapper and felt hands wrap around her waist. Soft kisses pressed against her shoulder, leading up behind her ear. 

Y/N turned around in Ruben’s arms, immediately finding his lips. As she handed the condom over to him, she slid her panties onto the floor, doing her best to ignore the dark eyes following her movements. It would distract her, it would warm her, it would make her feel like this is so much more. 

Once the condom was on, Y/N lifted herself onto the edge of the desk, as Ruben stood awkwardly in front of her. 

“Is this okay?” Y/N raised a brow.

All lust-filled looks vanished, and Ruben looked overwhelmed in a different sense then before. 

“You are so beautiful.”

It ruined her high, a comment like that. It was something odd, something much more personal than sexy. It was something that made her feel so exposed; even though she was literally bare ass in front of him, it made her feel like he was observing her soul, seeing something that she didn’t see was there. 

“You don’t believe me?”

His rough fingertips grazed her cheeks as her head was tilted up. Ruben looked so pure, so honest. 

Y/N didn’t want to ruin this for him, so she shifted forward until she met his lips. It was slow and heated, starting to grow too passionate for two strangers who just met. 

Grabbing his base, Y/N guided him to her entrance, lifting her ankles to wrap around his waist. The movement pulled him closer. Taking the hint, Ruben guided himself into Y/N, slow as ever and head lowered in concentration. 

Y/N’s head snapped back as she was stretched out, eyes squeezed shut as she realized she had not exactly prepped much before this. He sensed her discomfort, of course he did, and looked at her in panic. 

“What’s wrong? Oh god, am I that bad? Does it not feel good? Do you need me to-”

“Ruben, I’m okay. I just...just need a second.” Y/N lowered her head onto his shoulder. 

“Oh, okay….yeah,” His hand patted her back awkwardly, then suddenly he froze. “Shit...wait, I’m supposed to prep you first right? Like, before….fuck, Y/N I’m so sorry, shit-”

“Ruben,” Y/N took his face into her palms and shook it firmly. “I am fine, I just need a second to adjust…”

His fear had changed momentarily. 

He’s not that different from other men after all. 

Y/N rolled her eyes as she started moving just a tiny bit. “Smug is not a good look on you.”

“No, I just-”

“Don’t let it get to your head, please.” 

Ruben chuckled, and he honestly looked surprised. “How could it not, though?” Y/N gave a stern look and Ruben cleared his throat. “Sorry, you’re right.”

Just as Y/N moved her hips, he was putty in her hands. 

“You can move now,” One arm wrapped around his neck as the other held the edge of the desk. Ruben kept her close, not exactly finding a constant stance yet. His hands moved from place to place as he focused a bit too hard on thrusting into her. 

“Ohh, shit, yes.”

It was sloppy, there wasn’t a consistent rhythm. Instead, Ruben would change speed without thinking. As Y/N’s blunt nails ran across his shoulder blade, he would usually slow down. And maybe that’s exactly where she wanted to keep him. 

But Y/N met him halfway, every time the rhythm changed, they were both able to match each other. 

It was sloppy, but it was comforting, too. Ruben’s nose smushed against her collarbone, but the sounds he let out were so arousing. Y/N kept her face tucked into his neck as she moaned his name. 

Sweat collected at her thighs as the slick wood stuck to her skin. Ruben got even closer, hovering over her as he quickened the pace. Her back hit the desk, and the angle switched, chasing her to cry out. 

Y/N thinks he finally found confidence when he grabbed the desk behind her head and held one leg up. Y/N moaned, grabbing his neck as she tried to reach his thrusts. 

“Fuck, Y/N,” Ruben closed his eyes. “This is...fuck, it’s incredible. I’m close, Jesus.”

“Yeah, cum for me,” Y/N licked his neck as she whispered into the skin. “Please, Ruben.”

He actually slowed down just as he let out a groan, and something that sounded like her name. His grip tightened and she could tell by his blown out pupils that he had done exactly as she said. 

Y/N stroked his hair as he lowered her leg. He almost looked guilty, and that was the last thing she wanted for him. “What’s wrong?”

“You, uh…”

“Don’t worry about it, Ruben.”

I want to make you feel the same.

Ruben settled her back down before she could even get up properly. Y/N didn’t put up a fight, settling onto her elbows as he sunk to his knees, holding onto her thighs. Her stomach jumped at the thought of what’s to come. 

As if him fucking her wasn’t good enough, he proved to top that when his tongue grazed her folds. Y/N felt herself twitch at the sensation, moaning loud as he continued the motions.

His mouth sucked on her lips as he rubbed her clit with his thumb, and how could he not try and do more when the woman was making so much noise? Y/N lifted her hips to meet his skilled tongue just as he pulled away to take her in. She could’ve sworn that his eyes were shining, whether with lust or admiration or just himself being proud that he could make someone feel like this, look like this, a wrecked mess on some cheap desk.

It gave him courage, for one thing. Ruben sped up his motions and began fucking her with his tongue as he kept one hand on her clit and the other taking her own hand.

It was truly becoming more and more intimate than originally planned. 

“Fuck, Ruben,” Eyes rolled in the back of her head as she felt her orgasm approach. “Just like that, fuck, you’re doing so good.”

It only egged him on, and Ruben completely buried his mouth into her core at the praise, licking and sucking every edge. 

Just as she felt herself reach her peak, Y/N’s entire body lurched forward. A shout slipped out as she squeezed her thighs around his head and buried her hands in his hair. Ruben’s hands found her behind and held her close once more. 

And Y/N was floating. Years of seeing all the shit that went down in this warehouse, she never thought she would create one of the greatest memories she’ll remember. Months after taking the constant harassment of Ian Price, she never thought he would bring something happy into her life, even if for a small period of time. Days of contemplating whether this was the kind of life she would continue being trapped in or find a new way out, she never thought that looking into the soft eyes before her would make her feel more at ease than ever before. 

The silence wasn’t awkward, but it was a bit too tense. They both just stared at each other, naked and vulnerable. Y/N felt her arms indistinctly wrap around herself, the bass of the music from the other room now coming back to her. 

“Why were you with Ian?”

Ruben let out a long sigh, looking at the floor with shame.

“I wouldn’t judge you, I couldn’t. But I kinda figured that you didn’t exactly beg him to come down here to fuck up hundreds of people and have a dance.” Y/N slid off the desk in search of her clothes.

“Not at all, uh,” Ruben scratched the back of his head as he took the condom off. “It’s complicated.”

“Is it?” If she knew anything about the man, she knew that he was capable of dangerous things, just like Oz, maybe worse. Ruben deserved better than that. “Look, if you’re in trouble or something, I can help. You don’t have to-”

“Please, Y/N, it’s,” Even Ruben paused at his harsh tone, taking a breath before trying to compose himself. 

“I’ve been stuck here for as long as I could remember, Ruben,” Y/N whispered. “I know what it’s like...to feel like you don’t have a say, or an opinion. But, if your situation is worse than that, then you need to get help. It doesn’t have to be from me, but you can’t stay with him. He’s not a good guy, Ruben.”

“And who’s to say I am?” His eyes became wet, voice cracking at the end. “Who’s to say I'm not just as bad as him or Oz? I just created a drug, it could’ve killed people, holy shit.” Ruben began to pace as if all of this information was just settling in.

“Ruben, you were forced, don’t you get that? Let me guess, it was either that or some bullshit threat he told you, right? Ian manipulated you, it’s what he does.” It’s what he’d keep doing if he wasn’t stopped. 

Ruben swallowed, narrowing his eyes as he watched her throw on her shirt. It was like a wave coming over him, and he quickly grabbed her arm to make her face him. “Y/N, did he touch you?”

“What?” She tried to shake his arm off her, but he embraced her close and their foreheads were almost touching. 

“Did Ian hurt you? Because if he laid a hand on you, Y/N, I swear to god…”

“What? You’re going to stop him? Huh, Ruben? What are you going to do?”

“Just tell me if he did!” 

“What does it matter, anyways? What, are you jealous or something? I’m not yours, so why do you care?”

“Because we’re just the same,” She couldn’t fight her anger when his hands grabbed the sides of her face so gently, and his previous screams turned into a soft whisper. “You said it yourself, you’re stuck here. And why, because Oz says so? Are you his?”

“I’m no one’s.”

“Then what’s keeping you here?”

It was money in her pocket, it was a place to sleep at night, it was some place that didn’t require a high reputation and didn’t need a down payment with money she didn’t have before. If she left now, there was no doubt that Oz would feel betrayal, rob her of her savings and stick a gun to her head. There would be no remorse for him, there would be no one to miss her when she was gone. It didn’t even matter. 

“Exactly…”

Y/N refused to cry in front of him, a man who she hadn’t even talked to for two hours yet already was able to look right through her. She would not stand here and let him say those things to her when they were things that were impossible to overcome. 

“We’re not that different, Y/N. You know what I do with my life? I slave away in a lab for him, and sadly, this was the first time I’ve been out of there in a long time and it was all a scheme to get me to make a drug. How ironic, right?” But it was fine, because Ruben looked like he was about to cry, too. Still, that brightening smile stayed on his face, and damn him. 

Y/N found comfort in the man’s arms, so she stayed there, half dressed in the middle of a dirty room with Ruben.

“What if we left?”

Y/N didn’t want to move right now, she didn’t want this moment to end. 

“Did you hear me, Y/N?”

“No, I don’t want to let go of you.” She whispered.

Ruben scoffed and rubbed her back, “I meant...what if we left together? Like, you know, left them?”

Y/N tensed.

“You can’t be serious?”

“Why not?”

Y/N pulled back and looked up at him. “Ruben, if I left I’d probably have a search warrant on me.” 

“Y/N, you can’t stay here forever! Is that your plan?” 

“No, but...you don’t know what Oz is capable of.”

“It can’t be any better than what Ian is,” Ruben wasn’t making sense now. After just explaining everything to him, he still didn’t get it. “We could leave town, go somewhere far from them.”

“Ruben-”

“You wouldn’t even have to stick with me, not if you didn’t want to. But I would love it if I got to know you better Y/N, I would love it.”

“Ruben-”

“They wouldn’t be able to hurt us, we could go. I have some money saved up, we could get new jobs and just start over.”

“Ruben!”

He stopped rambling and looked worried as he saw her expression. 

“I’m not like you Ruben, I can’t just...run away. I don’t have a lot of money, I wouldn’t be able to start fresh right away.”

“I’d pay for you.” The poor man looked so hopeful.

“It’s not like that, it’s not just about money. Ruben, I can’t just get up and leave in an instance. I’d have to lay low, I’d have to prepare and I’d really have to think stuff out.”

But she would. Y/N would throw on pants and run out of there hand and hand with him if she could. She would follow him wherever he wanted. She’d live on the run just for Ruben. She would do lots of things that she could never picture doing before tonight, all for this chemist who made her feel so many things. 

But if she really wanted to make it a reality, Y/N couldn't get ahead of herself just yet.

Ruben looked shattered, and it made her give in. 

“Hey,” Y/N touched his soft skin and pulled him into a passionate kiss, one that she wished could last forever. “I promise you, Ruben. I promise we’ll leave. Just...not yet.”

“You’ll go?” He smiled small, and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. 

“I’ll follow you, Ruben. And we’ll both be free.”

“Yeah, yeah we will.” Ruben kissed her face all over, making her giggle and hug him tightly. 

“We just got to be patient, please, Ruben.”

“I’ll wait for you, Y/N,” He tried to remember what she felt like in his arms. He tried to remember what her laugh and voice sounded like. He did everything he could to hold onto this moment, because who knew how long he would be waiting. Ruben only knew that he would wait as long as it takes.

“I promise, I’ll wait for you, Y/N.”

[not-majestic-bluenicorn]

Crescent || Chapter 9

Fandom(s): ATEEZ

AU: Treasure Hunters

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Relationship: Everyone x Everyone, Established Hongjoong x Yunho

Language: English

Status: Ongoing

Chapter WC: 4,590 words

Warnings: Character Death, Stabbing, Fighting, Blood, Aliens, War, Funerals, Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping, Mentions of Child Abuse / Child Work, Explosions, Murder Attempt, Robbery, Homeless/Runaway Character, more will be added.

Chapter Warnings: Blood, mentions of amputation.

Summary:

"I want to help Hongjoong with the map," he declared as he stood in front of Yunho, stopping him from walking away.

"That is not part of your duties, also, he is Captain to you," Yunho replied, looking down at Yeosang. "Limit yourself to doing your duties, that's it." Yunho stepped aside to continue walking but Yeosang stepped aside too, blocking him again. He put his hands up to keep Yunho from stumbling on him, and then looked up at him.

"I learned everything there was to learn from my father, who was the best Space Artist in Tebos," Yeosang's eyes were fierce. "I want to help the Captain."

AO3

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Tagged: @angel0taiyo​

A few days after the whole incident with Yeosang, Wooyoung found himself in Umeri. Obviously The Crescent wasn't there anymore, but at least Wooyoung was able to keep track of them that way. He had continued visiting Yeosang in his dreams, using the opportunity to learn more about the other crew members.

Yeosang especially liked to talk about Mingi and Jongho, whom he had become close with. Wooyoung liked to hear him talk about them, since he had never seen him act brighter than when he was telling Wooyoung something new he had learned about them. It was endearing, and it also gave him hope that things would go as they were supposed to.

That night, however, Wooyoung decided to visit someone other than Yeosang. Choosing between Mingi and Jongho had been difficult, but in the end he had opted to introduce himself to Mingi first, since he seemed to be the most welcoming out of the two and the less likely to ask questions Wooyoung wasn't ready to answer. It wasn't too difficult to find Mingi's dreams.

The necklace seemed to be especially tuned to the people that formed part of his destiny in a more direct way. Plus, with all the practice he had gotten with Yeosang, he was already learning to identify which 'path', so to speak, led to the dreams of which person. He had also gotten used to sleeping at irregular times, adapting to the schedule of the crew he was following instead, so it wasn't especially hard to find Mingi.

When he entered the dream, Wooyoung found himself in a cozy underground home, which formed part of a larger network of interconnected caves that made up what Wooyoung assumed to be Mingi's hometown. Wooyoung navigated along the corridors following his instinct. Naturally, he had never been there, but he had gotten so much better at connecting with the owners of the dreams that he was able to find his way easily.

He found Mingi sitting with a bunch of kids surrounding him, some half asleep while others followed his hands enthusiastically as he told them a story. Wooyoung quickly realized that this was some sort of nursery, as the floor was covered with thick blankets that served as the kids' beds. He stopped at the entrance of the room and listened in silence to Mingi's story, not wanting to disrupt him.

"And then what did you do?!" One of the kids asked, the excitement making him jump up and down.

"I ran back into the cave, of course!" Mingi laughed, trying to calm the kid down at the same time. "What if someone was hurt and needed help? I couldn't leave them behind."

"Mingi is a hero!" A little girl exclaimed, accidentally waking up one of the other kids that had already fallen asleep. Mingi was quick to soothe the kid back to sleep as he chuckled, prompting the two excited kids to sit back down so he could finish telling his story. The two kids finally sat down, looking up at Mingi with wide eyes and expressions of pure awe. Wooyoung had to keep himself from chuckling since he didn't want to get the other's attention just yet, but it was endearing to see him like that, surrounded by kids.

"What happened next then?" A kid asked, impatient because they wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"So I went back into the mine, right?" Mingi continued, and the kids nodded enthusiastically. "I heard someone crying for help, so I ran to them. A rock had hit their head and they couldn't see because it was dark and they were bleeding!"

All of the kids gasped, and Wooyoung was so absorbed by the story that he couldn't help his own gasp. He covered his mouth quickly, panicking for a moment until he realized Mingi hadn't noticed him just yet. He sighed softly and put his hands down, focusing back on the story.

"It was Lily, as you might remember," Mingi told the kids, who nodded enthusiastically. "I helped her out, but right as we were going to leave the mine, we heard a very loud cracking sound."

Wooyoung leaned closer much like the kids, completely lost in the emotions Mingi portrayed through his voice. For a moment, he forgot this was nothing more than a dream made out of Mingi's memories and he found himself present in his reality, on his home planet, listening to a bedtime story with the rest of the kids. For a moment, he forgot why he was there in the first place and just listened.

"When we looked up, we saw this big boulder breaking off of the mountain and falling towards us!" Mingi made a big gesture with his hands, imitating the sounds of the boulder falling down. "We ran, but we didn't have enough time, so I pushed Lily away from the impact zone with all the force that I had!" Mingi folded his leg and showed his wooden prosthetic to the kids. "The rock fell on my leg and trapped it, so I lost it, but it's okay because me and Lily are alive, and I get to tell this story to you."

Mingi smiled as he was enveloped in hugs by the kids that were still awake. They all told him he was like a superhero and that he was so cool and so brave and Mingi just chuckled, nodding at them and patting their heads. It didn't take long before the kids began asking him to tell them another story, but Mingi shook his head instead.

"You have to sleep, it's late already." He stood up and began tucking the kids in.

Wooyoung was focused observing Mingi's leg, wondering how much it must have hurt him to lose it, and if it still hurt. He didn't realize Mingi was looking at him until he stopped listening to the incessant chatter of the kids and looked up. The kids, the room, everything around them had disappeared and Mingi was just staring at him with a mix of confusion and distrust.

His pose was defensive, and Wooyoung immediately cursed himself for slipping like that. He hadn't meant to disturb Mingi's dream and ruin it for him. The other had seemed to be happy playing and talking to the kids, and Wooyoung wanted to see more of that, but he had been careless and Mingi had discovered him.

"I'm so sorry, I-" Wooyoung began apologizing. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop like that, I didn't know you were talking about-" Wooyoung looked towards Mingi's leg for a moment and Mingi stepped away, trying to hide it with the rest of his body.

"Who are you? What is this?" Mingi asked. He seemed ashamed and confused, hurt. Wooyoung felt horrible.

"I'm Wooyoung, and we are inside your dream," Wooyoung went straight to the point, feeling bad enough for Mingi and not wanting to confuse him more.

"That would explain why I was with the kids and not..." Mingi looked around, wary of the darkness that surrounded them. Wooyoung extended a hand and, with some effort, materialized The Crescent how he remembered it.

"And not on Captain Hongjoong's ship?" Wooyoung offered

"H-How do you know?" Mingi asked, visibly surprised.

"I know a lot of things..." Wooyoung sighed. "I uhm... You could say the Universe sent me here on a mission?" It was getting harder and harder to come up with explanations to hide his identity, and he was beginning to get a bit tired of it.

"So you are like... A messenger from the future?" Mingi asked, not convinced. Wooyoung grimaced but nodded anyway.

"Let's leave it at that for now," He decided, not wanting to make things more complicated. "I'm really sorry, though."

"It's fine..." Mingi looked at his leg. "It's not like I can hide the fact that I'm missing half a leg that easily."

"Yes but it's your story, you should be able to choose who to tell it to," Wooyoung sighed. "I shouldn't have eavesdropped into your story, I should have 'awoken' you as soon as I got here."

Mingi considered Wooyoung for a moment. He understood where his curiosity had come from, since most people asked him how he had lost his leg almost immediately after meeting him, even some of the crew members aboard The Crescent had done it. He didn't like it when people asked him like that, it made him feel like some sort of circus, and a lot of them also pitied him.

Sure, the kids considered him a hero, and even some of the adults at his town had thought of him as one for a while. But after losing his leg he had become basically useless to the community. He was still one of the best at managing explosives, but due to his injury he couldn't work with as much efficiency as before, and the attitude of others towards him had changed because of that.

Still, Wooyoung seemed to understand why it was important to him, and looked truly apologetic. Mingi didn't have the heart to stay mad at this stranger that had found his way into his dream. He sighed and shrugged, deciding it was best to just put this situation behind him. He couldn't be any more self conscious about it than he was already.

"It's fine, don't worry about it anymore," Mingi smiled. "Thanks for apologizing, though."

"It's the least I can do, since I can't undo what I've heard..." Wooyoung mumbled, turning around and observing the rest of the deck. "Is my imitation of the ship good enough?"

"There's a couple of things off," Mingi pointed out, looking around as well. "But it's pretty close, how did you know what it looks like?"

"I told you, I know a lot of stuff," Wooyoung smiled mischievously. "I won't deny I had some help, but you'll figure that out later."

"Why are you visiting my dreams?" Mingi asked instead, not really one to insist over secrets.

"Well, you're part of a very important mission that you and me, and a few others, must carry out!" Wooyoung explained, happy that they were moving past the awkwardness from before.

"And what is that mission? Who are the others?" Mingi felt his interest peak. How could someone like him be part of an important mission in any way? That didn't make much sense. "Are you sure you have the right person?"

"Of course I have the right person!" Wooyoung seemed surprised at this question. "Are you implying the Universe is wrong?" He frowned.

"Well, no, but..." Mingi lowered his eyes, looking at the polished floor of the deck. "Someone like me isn't suited for great things."

"I'm not letting you say that in front of me," Wooyoung grumbled, grabbing Mingi's hands. "The Universe never lies, and I'm a messenger of the Universe, so you're gonna have to stop that train of thought and get off of it."

Mingi looked up at him and blushed, he hadn't expected Wooyoung to be so bold when he had looked so apologetic and small before. Despite their height difference, Mingi couldn't help but feel so small in front of his presence. Wooyoung was looking at him with such an intensity that Mingi felt truly looked at for the first time, and it made his heartbeat pick up. 

"Okay..." He nodded, because he simply didn't know how else to answer to something like that. "Won't you tell me what this is about, though?"

"I can't yet," Wooyoung shook his head. He smiled at him right after and gave a soft squeeze to Mingi's hands. "I'll tell you more when the time is right, but for now just believe in me, okay?"

"Okay..." Mingi whispered.

"I have to go, we'll see each other again!" Wooyoung smiled, giving one last squeeze before disappearing. It took a while before Mingi was able to look away from where he had been standing.

--

Yeosang had been briefed on their mission after a couple of days in the ship, and while he had been assigned to more menial tasks aboard the vessel, he had been itching to talk with Hongjoong and offer him his help. As he had told Wooyoung, he felt indebted to their Captain, who had not only saved his life but also offered him a way out of Tebos. Now Yeosang wanted to repay him doing what he knew best: sailing.

He was helping clean the deck when he saw Yunho pass by and immediately approached him. Yunho was a bit intimidating, and Yeosang was conscious about the fact that, at first, the First Mate hadn't wanted him aboard the ship. But he couldn't just barge into Hongjoong's quarters without permission, and the only one who could give him permission other than the Captain was, for some reason, Yunho.

"I want to help Hongjoong with the map," he declared as he stood in front of Yunho, stopping him from walking away.

"That is not part of your duties, also, he is Captain to you," Yunho replied, looking down at Yeosang. "Limit yourself to doing your duties, that's it." Yunho stepped aside to continue walking but Yeosang stepped aside too, blocking him again. He put his hands up to keep Yunho from stumbling on him, and then looked up at him.

"I learned everything there was to learn from my father, who was the best Space Artist in Tebos," Yeosang's eyes were fierce. "I want to help the Captain." 

Yunho raised an eyebrow and held Yeosang's stare until he eventually closed his eyes and sighed. It was easy to tell that Yeosang was determined to do something more than menial tasks. Yunho could understand, of course, but that didn't mean he liked it. Still, Yeosang had been eyeing him and Hongjoong nonstop since he had joined as an official crew member and it didn't seem like he was going to let it go.

"Fine, I'll take you to talk to him," Yunho conceded, smirking when he saw the smile of victory on Yeosang's lips. "But if the Captain says no, it's no, and you'll go back to fulfill the rest of your tasks."

"Deal," Yeosang nodded, stepping away from Yunho's personal space. "Can I go meet him now?"

"Sure, the sooner he rejects you, the sooner I get my peace back," Yunho couldn't help but smile when he saw Yeosang's offended face turn back at him.

Yunho guided him towards the quarters and knocked twice before opening the door. Hongjoong was slumped on the table muttering something to himself while San paid attention to one of the map segments reflected on the wall. Yeosang gasped. He attempted to walk off and examine the map himself, but Yunho stopped him by grabbing onto the back of his shirt.

"Captain, Yeosang wants to talk with you," Yunho said, ignoring the glare Yeosang was directing at him before letting him go.

Hongjoong sat straight up on his chair and sighed, nodding to signal they could come in. He looked absolutely exhausted, Yeosang noted. From what he had heard from the rest of the crew, they hadn't been able to progress much in their search for the Treasure of the Seven Galaxies. Yeosang couldn't blame them though, that treasure had been looked for for years upon years, and no one had found it yet.

"What is it?" Hongjoong asked, gathering San's attention as well.

"I want to help you decipher the map," Yeosang pointed to the projection box that rested on the table. "I learned everything there is to know about navigation and maps from my father, he liked to go looking after treasures in his free time, I'm sure I can help."

"At this point, I'm willing to accept help from anyone," Hongjoong rubbed his face, frustrated. "We haven't made much progress, I don't know how San isn't going crazy." San just shrugged in response, paying close attention to Yeosang instead.

"So you'll give him a chance?" Yunho asked, masterfully ignoring Yeosang's pretentious stare.

"Sure, why not? Maybe what we need is some fresh input." Hongjoong gestured towards the map. "It's all yours."

Yunho shook his head and sighed in defeat, bidding his farewell before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Yeosang immediately took to pacing around the room, observing the map carefully. The map itself was divided in a grid, but most of the squares were obscured, and when touched, they asked for a password. It was like a puzzle, but instead of placing the pieces, you needed to unlock them.

"Do you know the poem to decoding the passwords?" Yeosang asked. "I know there is one, but I haven't heard it since I was a kid, so I don't remember it well."

"Yes," San nodded. He was still following Yeosang with his eyes when he recited the poem.

I left my mark everywhere,

grotesque monsters of jagged teeth.

Under their watchful gaze

the stone-made guardians

protect the steps

that lead the way to the end.

Yeosang repeated the poem in his head, remembering what his father had told him about the treasure when he was a kid. He remembered then traveling to another town in Tebos, in a completely different continent. It was the place where Thisa had initiated the revolution in his planet many decades ago. His father had taken him to see the statue that had been raised in their honor.

His father had explained that Thisa had hidden clues in these statues, and that he had figured it out after doing research for many years. It wasn't known by many people, and since the map had been lost a long time ago, no one had cared to decipher what the poem meant anymore. But Yeosang remembered, and now he had the map in front of him.

"That's it," Yeosang grinned. "Honestly, it's very simple."

"What is?" Hongjoong asked, perking up at the change in Yeosang's tone.

Yeosang looked for the square that should belong to the code on his planet and touched it once he found it. The panel that gave him the clue and asked for the password popped up. He carefully typed out what he remembered from his visit to the statue as a child, and then hit enter. Nothing happened for a moment, and then the square cleared up, revealing a part of the map that hadn't been there before.

"Fuck!" Hongjoong yelled, standing up and walking towards Yeosang. "How did you do that?!"

San also walked towards them. He seemed genuinely surprised, a look no one had seen on him since their voyage had begun. Yeosang smiled widely, unable to believe it had actually worked. He didn't think he remembered the code so well, but he was glad he did, because now he had proven that he could be useful to Hongjoong.

"The stone-made guardians refer to the statues that were built in every planet where Thisa lead a revolution before collecting their treasure," Yeosang explained, feeling very excited. "I just happened to remember the code hidden in my planet's statue, so I wanted to try."

"You're brilliant!" Hongjoong grabbed him from the shoulders and shook him around before hugging him and then hugging San, who looked positively startled from the reaction. "Finally we're getting somewhere!"

Yeosang blushed at the praise. It was exactly what he had wanted, but somehow it was really embarrassing to actually hear it come out from Hongjoong's mouth. He tried to brush it off nonchalantly, but Hongjoong continued praising him as he went around the quarters, bubbling with excitement. Yeosang's eyes met with San, who looked as confused as he felt, and Yeosang couldn't help but break out in laughter.

"Our next move is to research and make a list of every planet where Thisa led a revolution." Hongjoong immediately started planning. "We should be able to find pictures of most statues in the interspace, but we might still need to make stops on a few planets to get them ourselves"

"Roger that, Captain." Yeosang nodded, beyond ecstatic that he was being of help.

"Let's do this."

--

They worked for hours just researching all of the locations where Thisa had led a revolution. There were so many of them that, in the end, Yeosang had to suggest they take a break and eat something, because it seemed like neither Hongjoong nor San were going to call for a break. Eventually, he managed to force them to leave the quarters and get something to eat. 

When they went down to the kitchen to eat, Hongjoong asked them to sit with him since they were the only ones there and he didn't want to be alone. They both complied, feeling a little stiff around Hongjoong since he was their Captain, but he quickly got them to relax as he began to talk. San eventually finished eating and excused himself, leaving Hongjoong and Yeosang alone.

"Captain, can I ask you something?" Yeosang began, looking at this plate instead of at Hongjoong's eyes.

"Sure, what is it?" Hongjoong nodded, paying all his attention to Yeosang.

"Well... Why did you decide to give me that chance to talk and earn my freedom?" Yeosang pushed his food around the plate with the fork. He felt bad for asking this to Hongjoong, but he wanted to know if Wooyoung had really been in someone else's dream. He wanted to make sure that he was real. "Most people wouldn't have done that."

"Well, the good thing is I'm not most people," Hongjoong chuckled, trying to make the atmosphere a little less tense. "Will you believe me if I tell you? There's a really weird reasoning behind it."

"I don't think my life can get any weirder, so shoot." Yeosang nodded. This time he did look at Hongjoong, now that he knew he wasn't angry for questioning him.

"Well, my dream told me to give you a chance." Hongjoong shrugged. He still couldn't explain to himself why he had decided to trust a man in his dreams that was more than likely not even real, but he didn't regret it. Yeosang had helped them progress in a day more than they had in weeks.

"Was your dream about this tall," Yeosang hovered his hand next to himself, "curly brown hair and awfully convincing?" Hongjoong's eyes widened comically, and Yeosang couldn't help a smile. "Seems like Wooyoung did go into your dreams to save me, huh."

"Have you met him?" Hongjoong asked with a bit of a hurry, leaning closer to Yeosang.

"Yes, he visits my dreams a lot." Yeosang nodded. "Well, he's been doing it less these days, I guess he's visiting some of the others that are supposed to be part of this mission he's been talking about."

"Mission? What mission?" Hongjoong asked, his thoughts running a mile a minute.

"I don't know for sure yet, he hasn't told me... How much has he told you? I don't want to ruin it for him." Yeosang narrowed his eyes, looking at Hongjoong suspiciously.

"Nothing much," Hongjoong sighed, slumping down on his place in defeat. "He promised he would visit me again and explain, but he hasn't." Hongjoong looked at Yeosang and smirked. "I guess he's been busy."

"Stop looking at me like that," Yeosang huffed, pushing his plate away. He wasn't hungry anymore. He had spent days on the streets not eating much and now he just didn't feel as hungry as he probably should. 

"Were things really bad in Tebos?" Hongjoong asked, observing Yeosang's half full dish.

"I wish I could say no, but based on the global news, it wasn't just my town undergoing the economical issues," Yeosang nodded, feeling his stomach twist as he thought of his mother.

He regretted leaving without her. He repeated to himself constantly that maybe he could've brought her with him, attempt to give her a better life. But he also knew that as long as he looked like his father, that woman would never truly heal with Yeosang by her side. He missed her dearly, though, even just a few days into this voyage.

"And what about the royal guards? They didn't intervene when the people were trying to mob you." Hongjoong pressed further, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Because they don't get paid enough," Yeosang chuckled. "They're as underpaid as everyone else, it's just that they have a fancy uniform and weapons, and since they don't get paid enough to bother, they just don't."

"That is fucked up," Hongjoong sighed. He felt nauseous just from thinking about how he had lived back in the palace while the people in Tebos struggled to make end's meet. It sickened him.

"It's how things usually are," Yeosang shrugged. "Oh, hello!" Yeosang perked up as he saw Yunho over Hongjoong's shoulder, walking towards them. "Care to join us for supper?"

Yunho eyed him suspiciously before shaking his head. He still didn't trust Yeosang, but he couldn't deny that the man had fulfilled his promise and helped them make progress with the treasure. Still, that didn't mean he wanted to be friendly with Yeosang, who was trying to approach him nonetheless. 

"Good, because I'm actually full and don't want to eat anymore." Yeosang pushed his food even further away and stood up. Hongjoong looked at him, amused, as he chuckled at Yeosang's failed attempt to be friendly with his boyfriend. "I'm going to leave now, would like to get a bit of a walk before our Captain pulls us back to work."

"You can take the rest of the day off," Hongjoong decided. "You're still recovering from the beat up at Tebos, just rest."

"Thank you, Captain," Yeosang smiled. "I'll do just that."

When Yeosang left it became only Yunho and Hongjoong in the little dining area. Yunho sat next to Hongjoong on the table and pressed his head to Hongjoong's shoulder, rubbing it lightly. Hongjoong chukled and patted his head softly, letting him act out before asking what was wrong.

"There's nothing wrong, I'm just recharging." Yunho mumbled, sighing softly. "Spending so much time sailing is way more exhausting than spending it in the battlefield."

"I agree, I guess it's cause the space in the ship is much more limited than a battleground." Hongjoong nodded, still carding his hands through Yunho's hair. "But we should be making a stop somewhere soon, to look for more codes and buy more supplies. You'll get to rest then."

"Alright," Yunho nodded, eyes closed as he continued to press his head to Hongjoong's shoulder.

Hongjoong caressed his hair for a little while before softly pulling on it, asking Yunho to look at him. Yunho groaned, not wanting to move from his resting place even if his neck was starting to feel a little stiff, but eventually he complied and looked up at Hongjoong. With a smile, Honjoong kissed his forehead, then the tip of his nose, and then his lips.

"There, recharged." Hongjoong chuckled, pressing Yunho's cheeks with both hands.

Yunho groaned before wrapping his arms around Hongjoong and hugging him tightly, almost knocking all of the air out of him. Hongjoong erupted in laughter as he tried to push Yunho away just enough to move, but Yunho held him tight by the waist and buried his face on the crook of Hongjoong's neck, breathing in deeply. Eventually, Hongjoong settled and stopped trying to push him away, hugging him back instead and rocking him softly. They stayed like that for a moment, just the two of them, in their little world.

[blursed-ninjago-ideas]

I deliberately left some scenes out because I didn’t feel like writing them, and other things I just took shortcuts on cause I have a huge headache, but I want this done.

Hydra is Nya’s hero name with the dragon miraculous. 

--

He was debating what to name his latest Akuma. A jealous girl that resented her best friend’s boyfriend. The two were having a very explosive fight in the middle of the park by Collège Françoise Dupont.

Honestly Hawkmoth wasn’t sure which one he was going to get. They were both pretty upset. His little butterfly was heading straight for the fight, until it suddenly turned and changed course.

Sighing, Hawkmoth was pretty sure he knew what was happening, again.

Kai Smith happened to be walking past. The boy was a walking Akuma trap. It was a frustrating waste of his time and resources. If he could just figure out how to harness Kai’s emotions, the boy would be the most powerful weapon against the heroes. But Kai was too stubborn and spontaneous to control. He was so easy to akumatize. Hawkmoth didn’t have to do hardly any work to get him to surrender. He was just so set and focused on his own goals that Hawkmoth couldn’t get him to bother with the miraculous.

The Akuma settled itself into the pendant of a necklace Kai was wearing, and Hawkmoth was already calling the day a wash, but then the empathy link showed him something new.

It was a different than usual.

Kai felt…fragile. He wasn’t focused on any sort of goal. His emotions weren’t from worry or ambition, it was just raw and directionless.

It wasn’t like he had anything to lose, and it could turn out to be a worthy experiment.

-

Kai fiddled with his pendant again. It had become a handy fidget to have. Chloe had made it for him, it turned out she really loved making jewelry and seemed to have a knack for it. He was so proud of her and seeing how excited she got to show off a new piece made his heart melt a little. There was no pride or approval seeking, just pure excitement. She didn’t do it for attention, just to share the happiness she had for it.

It was a far cry from her old attempts at creative pursuits, only doing things she thought would impress, regardless of her own feelings.

Course all the growth on Chloe’s part came at a price, and Nya was the one that paid it. Kai hadn’t meant to neglect her. He just didn’t think she still needed him that much. Chloe was so young and in need of guidance, he had thought Nya was mature enough to not need him. But he should’ve really thought about how much it would hurt to not see him as much. Nya may’ve not needed his care or guidance, but she still needed his company. He was her big brother and the only constant she had growing up; it was cruel to take that away from her. Even if it wasn’t on purpose.

And Lloyd of course would always need Kai. That was his job. It was literally a written destiny that Kai would be there for Lloyd while he fought to protect others as the green ninja. Lloyd had suffered plenty and would probably always need Kai as an emotional crutch. He faced trauma and near-death experiences on the regular. If Kai and the others weren’t there to help him feel safe and loved, there was no way anyone, even Lloyd, could go through all that and not break.

But that left three people that needed Kai to be there for them, and there was only so much of him to go around.

He didn’t want to make that their problem. He toughed it out. He pushed himself. He could keep it up for a little longer. He could do a little more.

Nya had ideas for some new vehicles and wanted Kai’s help with them. It was a good way to spend some quality time and, her own confession, Kai was the better welder

Chloe wanted him to set up a challenge for her to test how far she’d come. It was a good idea, a concrete way to self-reflect and a tangible show of progress.

Lloyd had talked him into helping with a school project. It was nice to see Lloyd doing something that wasn’t life and death stakes.

He didn’t know how in the world he let Adrien talk him into modeling, but that was also on his plate.

It felt like there was a deadening static in his head that he had to force all his thoughts through, a buzzing not unlike an alarm. He had noticed his hands had started to spasm at random points. He wasn’t sure how concerned he should be about that.

Like many things, Kai ignored it. He had things he had to do and people that were depending on him. He had no time to deal with it. It could wait.

He was on his way to meet up with Lloyd, but he had to leave in time to make lunch with Nya, and he had to figure out what to do for Chloe, not to mention he had an early morning photoshoot the next day so he needed to get some sleep for that and probably should shower before it.

His hands found their way to his pendant again. He was pulling it back and forth on the chain, making a rhythmic zipping noise as it pulled on the chain links.

“I’M A PERSON! I DON’T HAVE TO BE AT YOUR BECK AND CALL!”

Kai cringed.

“IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL MAKING TIME FOR ME? ANY TIME! AT ALL? I’M SO SORRY IT’S SUCH A CHORE TO HANG OUT WITH ME.”

“Please don’t make an Akuma” Kai though to himself as he passed the fighting girls.

The shouting back and forth was not doing good things for his nerves. He was trying to take even breaths to counter it, but they just kept screaming.

Kai squeezed his eyes shut and pressed forward. He’d get away soon enough, go help Lloyd, maybe help the heroes if that fight attracted an Akuma, meet up with Nya, then head back to Le Grand Paris and brainstorm with Chloe, then hopefully go to bed, then get up, shower, go model for a while, he should probably take the opportunity to talk to Adrien about Chloe, the backstory someone that grew up with her would know might help him with her, and maybe ask about how Lloyd is doing while he’s there.

Probably should do a quick evaluation of Adrien’s mental health too. From what he’d heard from Lloyd, Adrien may need someone to be there for him too.

AND THE GUYS!

He had completely forgotten to check in with the others! Zane, Cole, and Jay! He needed to check on them too, plus he wanted to see them!

Kai was so busy planning out his tasks that he didn’t see the uneven sidewalk. He realized that he’d tripped as soon as he started to fall, but instead of catching himself, his brain decided that it wanted to do nothing instead. The wind got knocked out of him when he limply hit the ground.

Kai opened his eyes and started at the ground ahead of him. Normally he’d get up and brush himself off, and he would in a minute, but some reason he just kept staring ahead. The static stopping him from making any movements.

He felt like screaming, or even crying. He was in pain and he had just fallen down. It wasn’t a big deal, but it felt like Kai was fighting to keep himself in check and not have a full meltdown. The static in his head was blocking any attempts to steady himself.

He was gathering his courage to stand back up and keep going when a familiar butterfly flew to him.

Kai breathed rapidly, trying not to panic, or breakdown, or cry.

“A bit stressed are we?”

Kai didn’t respond, he just kept trying to breathe.

“Stretched too thin. Too many things you have to juggle. There’s nothing more to give is there?”

Kai felt like he was drowning already. Hawkmoth’s intrusion was pushing him passed his breaking point.

“You know who I am and what I want. I’ll give you the ability to make everything go away, all I ask for in return is Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous. What do you say, Burnout?”

Kai’s eye twitched at the name. Why did it feel right? Why did it feel right? He was drowning under his own emotions and Hawkmoth already seemed to have a handle on it all. There were two options. He could continue to fight and struggle, or he could just give up and have some relief.

There was nothing Kai could tell himself that would make the fight look worth the effort.

“Yes Hawkmoth.”

-

Adrien ducked behind another tree, hoping to get the opportunity to transform, but the tree vanished into smoke against his back, leaving a nasty scorch mark behind.

Adrien had barely got a look at the new Akuma, he couldn’t tell who it was yet, but they knew his name.

Black smudges came down from his eyes and stained his dark grey, ash colored skin. He was wearing a long smokey cloak that seemed to be made of the stuff at the end, a small gold pendant in the shape of a small flame clasped it closed at the neck. Fingerless gloves shot out black fiery blasts and he was slightly blurred with his edges ending in smoke trails.

He looked like the personification of the aftermath of a forest fire.

Adrien jumped behind a bench and coughed from the smoke.

“What’s your deal? Campfire go out?” Adrien tried to taunt, hoping to get the reason for the akumatization out of him.

“I’ve burned too bright for too long and given too much of myself. Well now I’m going to make everything go away.”

Adrien finally caught on to the fire symbolism. It was too strong, even for Hawkmoth. Something was wrong. One more look at the spikey hair Adrien had written off as part of the costume and it clicked.

Adrien knew he recognized the clasp on the cloak. It was the pendant he’d seen Chloe working on. Adrien knew exactly who she made it for.

“Kai.” Adrien said, dodging the next blackened blast.

“It’s Burnout now.”

Adrien tried to get out of sight a few more times, but Burnout just blasted every hiding place he found. He only could grab a few seconds out of sight, if he was lucky. Not enough to transform, but maybe enough to do something else.

“Plagg.” Adrien said, lifting his shirt to let the kwami out.

“What are-“

Adrien cut him off, taking his ring off.

“Find Lloyd. We need Ninja Noir for this.” Adrien said, handing the ring to his kwami.

Plagg almost argued but thought better of it.

“I guess he’d be better for this job anyways.” Plagg said, darting off.

-

Lloyd managed to get away from the panicking crowd, wondering if he needed to help out with this one, when Plagg floated right into his face.

“Plagg?”

“Ninja Noir.”

“What happened to Adrien?” Lloyd asked, reaching for the ring.

“Doesn’t matter. Lloyd, it’s Kai.”

Lloyd gently pushed the ring onto his finger.

“Then this should be pretty easy. Ladybug might not even need me.” Lloyd laughed.

Kai’s akumatization were almost always joke. Give him what he wanted, and he practically surrendered his akumatized object.

Plagg shook his head though.

“No, Kiddo, this is different.”

“What do you mean?” Lloyd asked, trying to not panic

“I mean this isn’t his usual stuff. I think Hawkmoth might’ve really gotten to hi this time.”

Lloyd’s eyes went wide.

“Plagg, Claws out!”

-

Chat Noir wasn’t showing up. She was pretty sure she knew what it was going to tell her, but she used her lucky charm just to be certain.

A painting she knew was in Fu’s home. She needed reinforcements.

She was on her way to go find wielders for the two miraculous she grabbed when she ran right into Ninja Noir.

“Ninja Noir!” she yelped, helping him stand back up. “I’m so glad you’re here. It’s Kai again, but something is different this time.”

“So I’ve heard.” Ninja Noir said as he brushed himself off.

“Lucky Charm said we needed reinforcements. I grabbed the Bee and the Dragon. I’m thinking Chloe would be a good choice since she knows Kai and has used the Bee Miraculous before. For the Dragon I was thinking maybe Lloyd?”

Ninja Noir coughed.

“Um…No good with Lloyd. He’s caught up somewhere, saw him on the way over. How about we divide and conquer. I think I could get this to his sister.”

“That’s probably a good idea. She should know him pretty well.” Ladybug said, passing Ninja Noir the Dragon Miraculous.

-

“I don’t need another needy little brat hanging off me!” Burnout shouted as he flung Ninja Noir off of him.

Lloyd tried to not let it show how personal the remark was. Kai didn’t know it was him under the mask.

“We need a plan!” Hydra said.

“Now might be a good time for a Lucky Charm!” Beatrix said as she pulled Hydra out of the line of fire.

Ladybug jumped off the roof to dodge another blast, rolling when she hit the ground and flinging herself upright as she yelled

“LUCKY CHARM!”

A camera.

Ladybug started to look around for anything that stood out.

A gargoyle, an empty ledge across the street where another one used to be before Burnout got rid of it, Beatrix’s top, Ninja noir, Hydra, and the mirrored windows on the office building.

“Got it.” She said, shoving her teammates in the directions of where they needed to go, giving them a brief rundown of their parts as she did.

Burnout came flying around the corner just after Ladybug got her trap set.

“Water Dragon!” Hydra yelled, soaking Burnout before he could line up any shots.

“Say cheese!” Ladybug yelled, clicking the camera and blinding him with the flash.

While Burnout tried to clear his eyes and figure out how to attack again, Beatrix came swinging in from behind the gargoyle, holding Ninja Noir.

“Cataclysm!” he yelled as he swung by, taking out the pendant and freeing the Akuma.

Ladybug quickly caught it while Beatrix caught a now detransformed Kai on her swing back.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Ladybug yelled, throwing the camera in the air.

The magic ladybugs swept across Paris, bringing back everything Burnout had made “go away”.

“What? What happened!?” Kai yelled, trying to stand up, only to fall down on his unsteady legs.

“You were akumatized.” Ladybug explained.

“KAI!” Jay yelled form down the street. “Are you ok?!?”

Cole and Zane were not far behind him and the three were running full speed towards their friend.

“Well I’d better get going.” Hydra said.

“Yeah, me too. I’ll take your miraculous.” Ninja Noir added.

The two jetted off in the same direction.

“I…That was…..what did I do?” Kai finally asked.

“Nothing that couldn’t be fixed.” Ladybug assured him.

Kai didn’t look comforted.

“What got you akumatized anyways?” Beatrix asked.

“I…um….”

“You stressed yourself out again didn’t you?” Zane snapped.

“What?” Kai said.

“Ugh! You Always do this Kai! You are allowed to tell people no, you know!” Jay ranted

“I know that! Besides that wasn’t like that at-“

“Do you? Because sometimes you’re determined to take on more than you can handle!” Cole scolded with a hint of concern.

A beep from Ladybug’s earring interrupted them.

“Um…”

Beatrix nodded to her.

“I didn’t use my ability. I can keep this under control here while you go recharge.”

Ladybug looked a little hesitant, but another beep from her earrings and she was running off with a promise to be back soon.

As she left, Nya came running around the corner.

“Kai!” she yelled, while she tackled him in a hug “I was so worried! Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.” Kai said as he gently pushed her off.

“You’re not!” Jay snapped.

“You were akumatized!” Cole added.

“Everybody gets akumatized!” Kai huffed, crossing his arms.

“Yes, but that was significantly more destructive than usual, meaning you were feeling stronger negative emotions.” Zane said.

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late, I got stuck. Is Kai ok?” Lloyd said, running to them from another street.

“I’m fine!” Kai yelled.

“Stop it!” Zane said.

“You don’t have to fix everything for everyone.” Cole begged.

“I told you guys I was fine!”

“Kai please.” Nya begged.

“I SAID I WAS FINE!”

Beatrix rolled her eyes and made a move.

“Venom!”

And Kai was frozen.

“What did you do that for!?” Jay yelled.

Beatrix put a hand on her hip.

“No you guys can lecture him about selfcare without him arguing. You’ve got five minutes, make the most of it.” She said.

“Oh.” Jay said in surprise.

Ladybug came back into the middle of an improv intervention.

“And I should’ve been a better sister. I was being selfish and demanding and I should know better than that. Sometimes it’s just hard to accept that I don’t have you all to myself anymore. You know I’ve never been great at sharing.” Nya laughed, with tears in her eyes “But you need to tell me ‘no’ sometimes! I need to hear it, Kai. You can’t just let me push you like this; you have to tell me when you’re hurting!”

“Um….” Ladybug muttered.

“We’re just about done.” Beatrix said.

“You can’t just hide ailments from us, and that includes mental and emotional fatigue.” Zane added.

“Alright, I think my work here is done. See you all next time I’m needed!” Beatrix said, grabbing Ladybug’s arm and leading her away.

-

“You may’ve won this time, Ladybug. But now I know something I didn’t know before.” Hawkmoth said to himself.

He’d finally figured out how to weaponize Kai Smith. That boy was going to deliver him the miraculous if he wanted to or not. It was only a matter of time before Hawkmoth got the perfect champion out of him.

“It will require a very precise touch, but this boy will be my greatest weapon!”

--

so yeah, that’s done.

-Ivy

[taeken-my-heart]

Moirai Chapter 13

Summary: On your 18th birthday a name appears on your wrist. The name of your soulmate. It’s a momentous day that everyone looks forward to, but you’ve always brushed aside; refusing to believe in a fickle mistress called destiny. But what happens when on the morning of your 18th birthday you wake to find the name of your mortal enemy? Jeon Jungkook.

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader Genre: Soulmates au/ Enemies to lovers au. Angst, fluff, bickering, romance, eventual smut.

Word Count: 5651

Chapter notes: This has got some nice bits...but it’s also got some pretty good angst at the end. It will all be OK <3

+++++++++

“So, I was thinking,” Jimin began, leaning against the door frame as you finished your mascara, peering up at his reflection. “There’s this farmers market going on, on 5th and Waller, and I’ve heard really good things about this Greek gyro stand there. Let’s go try some.”

“You hate trying new food.” You frowned, peering over your shoulder at him and he huffed, coming to stand behind you, hands kneading into your shoulders.

“Not all the time,” he whined, “Come on. We both have the evening off, I thought it might be fun to go do this together. Tomorrow is the last night and you work so let’s go now.”

“Fine.” You replied, standing and dusting off your jeans. “But food is on you.”

“Yes ma’am!” He saluted, kissing your cheek and grabbing your hand. “Don’t even bother getting your purse, I’ll take care of everything.”

The market was within walking distance of your apartment so the two of you made your way leisurely towards 5th and Waller, chatting absentmindedly as the early evening breeze swept through your hair.

The evening was pleasant, the sun drooping low on the horizon. The hair at the nape of your neck was warm with perspiration and you tugged at the bottom of your shirt to fan yourself. The market came into view, colorful tented booths lining the street. The first stand caught your eye and you navigated Jimin towards it, arm linked through his.

“Wow, look at this dress! It’s super cute. What do you think?” You held the sunflower yellow up against your body and Jimin looked you up and down, nodding.

“You look like spring vomited all over you.”

“That’s my favorite look.” You hummed, turning to the vender and inquiring after the price. After Jimin had paid (because he’d foolishly insisted that he’d take care of everything) you took the bag you were handed and linked your arm back through his.

“Y/N?” Someone inquired from behind you and both you and Jimin turned around. Your heart sank into the pit of your stomach, eyes landing on the dark mop of hair you’d never imagined you’d see outside of work. Now, of course, you realized that was foolish. You lived in the same city, naturally it was a possibility.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, sharper than you’d meant.

“I live in this neighborhood,” Jungkook said, eyebrow raised at you. He glanced at your arm, thread through the arm of your boyfriend, before turning his gaze toward him. “You must be Jimin.”

“Ah, yes, I see my reputation precedes me. You are?”

“I’m Dr.-”

“Kim!” You said loudly and both Jimin and Jungkook turned to blink owlishly at you. “This is Dr. Kim.”

Jungkook looked back at Jimin, smiling tightly before extending his hand. “Taehyung Kim. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, Taehyung!” Jimin grinned, “Y/N tells me you’re a really gifted pathologist.”

“Ah, she shouldn’t have.” Jungkook crooned, switching his gaze to you and you smiled, tense.

Laughing, you squeezed Jimin’s forearm nervously. “He really is great, but honey, we’ve really gotta get going or we’ll miss the gyros. I’m sure Taehyung has somewhere to be too.”

“Actually, I was heading to the gyro stand myself.” Jungkook smiled, “I’ve heard really good things about the quality of their meat.”

“Well then, please, join us. I would love to hear how Y/N behaves at work.”

You were dying, Jimin dragging you along by his side as the three of you resumed your walk further into the market. “So, remind me what you do for work,” Jungkook said, “I know Y/N has told me before, but I’m afraid I have forgotten.”

“I’m a divorce attorney at Swanson and Heath.”

“Ah, must be a difficult business.”

“No more difficult than being a doctor, I imagine. Though I’m not often faced with life or death.”

Jungkook nodded, dodging a lady yelling at her little boy off to the side of the stands, hair tousled and looking like he’d been rolling in the dirt. “They’re difficult in different ways, that’s for sure. Do you see many soulmates in your office?”

You tried not to squeeze Jimin’s bicep in your stress. You glanced over at Jungkook who looked the picture of curious innocence and tried not to glare.

“I can’t say we see a lot, but we have seen a couple in the five years that I’ve been there. It’s not unheard of, but it is pretty rare.”

“Guess there’s something to be said for the soulmate attachment.” Jungkook said; nonchalant.

Jimin shrugged, your arm raising with the motion. “I guess if you buy into that type of thing.”

Jungkook looked between the two of you, smile quirking at the corner of his lips. “I’m a big believer in soulmates; always have been. I think, like every relationship, it takes some work, but I’m willing to put in the work.”

You frowned, following Jimin around the corner and you could see the gyro stand come into view, line long, but likely worth it.

“Have you met your soulmate yet?” Jimin asked, just as the three of you stepped into the line and stopped. You looked at Jungkook, eyes wide as you tried to communicate to him how brutally you would strangle him if he outed you.

Jungkook smiled sadly, shaking his head. “Ah, life hasn’t given us the opportunity to really connect yet. I’m hopeful for the future.”

“Well I’m rooting for you.”

“I appreciate that.” Jungkook grinned and you just wanted to shrivel up and disappear. If only Jimin knew what he was rooting for.

“So, how’d you hear about this market?” Jimin asked.

“I actually only live about a block away so I’ve been seeing the posters around for the last week and it got me interested. I’m pretty new to the area,” at your sharp, panicked expression, he backtracked, “this neighborhood, I mean, and so I thought it would be a good idea.”

“Ah, did you move recently?”

Jungkook nodded, “into this neighborhood, yeah. It’s been a pretty positive move so far. Much nicer apartment than my last.”

You could see the line Jungkook was toeing, trying not to outright lie about everything and you felt a little bad. You were the one who’d called him by the name of another colleague, but you weren’t ready to tell Jimin yet. You just knew he wouldn’t be happy.

“So, have you been seeing anyone? While you wait for your soulmate?” Jimin asked, cheeks pinched at the thought. He really did hate the idea of soulmates and everything they represented, but he was too nice a guy to mock other people’s dreams and ambitions. At least not to their face.

“No,” Jungkook shook his head, “not really. I dated casually in college but nothing every really stuck and eventually I just realized that I already had someone special that I was willing to work for.” He tapped his wrist, looking up at you and your eyes locked, heart beating anxiously against your rib cage.

In a dark corner somewhere inside you, where you’d locked that same dream away, it leapt eagerly, beating against the doors of its prison. You had wanted that too…maybe you still did.

The line moved forward and you switched your gaze away from the heat of his intensity, watching as a couple walked past you with their recently purchased gyro. Your mouth watered a little.

“So, you’re a romantic?” Jimin asked and before you could stop yourself, you were scoffing.

“Yeah, when he was a kid, he used to think he’d hear a bell when he met his soulmate. It’s from an anime or something.”

Both Jimin and Jungkook looked at you in surprise. “Did you know Taehyung as a kid?” Jimin asked, “I thought you said you met at the hospital.”

Internally kicking yourself, you tried your best to smile. “That’s just something he’s told me before. These kinds of conversations come up sometimes.”

“I guess.” Jimin nodded and you could see Jungkook’s struggle not to laugh.

“Yeah, I was a bit of a nerd as a kid.” He chuckled, “Never really grew out of the romantic side, although I was kind of an idiot for a few years. You know how teenagers are.”

Jimin laughed, nodding. “Yeah, there was a week straight in elementary school where we learned about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and I was convinced that, that was my calling, literally dressed up as a knight every day for a month.”

You burst out laughing, griping his arm tight. “No way! You never told me that.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “not exactly my proudest moment. Didn’t really think that was the story to try and woo you with.”

“Fair enough.” You grinned.

It was your turn in line so you and Jimin both stepped forward, glancing over the menu quickly before making your selections and paying. You stepped off to the side, laying your head against Jimin’s shoulder and waiting for your food to be ready.

Jungkook came to stand beside the two of you once again, striking up conversation with Jimin as you linked your fingers with the later, playing with the knuckles on his hand to distract yourself. This was a very weird situation; to be trapped in the center of a conversation between your boyfriend and you’re your soulmate. You were really grateful that so far Jungkook hadn’t said anything.

After spending the next hour weaving your way through booths and chatting in your small group, Jimin expressed his interest in returning home. Tomorrow was officially the weekend and after a really early morning and long day at the office he was about ready to collapse.

“Well it was really nice to meet you, Jimin.” Jungkook smiled, extending his hand for a handshake.

“Likewise, Taehyung.”

As Jimin and you began to move away from him, you glanced over your shoulder at Jungkook who waved you a small goodbye. “Hold on.” You said softly to Jimin and he stopped with a nod.

You walked over to Jungkook pausing as you scanned his face carefully. “Thank you, Jungkook.” You whispered. “I’m sorry you had to lie; I just haven’t felt ready to tell him yet that…well that you’re back in my life. I promise I’ll tell him later. I just don’t want him to leave me. I love him.”

Jungkook nodded, his face a careful mask over his emotions and you waved softly, backing away. After walking back to Jimin and moving towards home again you glanced back one more time to find Jungkook still standing there, watching as you rounded the corner.

  Saturdays were one of your least favorite shifts to work (aside from the full moon because that crap was real) for all the obvious reasons, but also you were typically working 12-hour shifts and today was no different. It was 6 hours in and you were already tired.

Jungkook’s welcome party had started an hour ago and even though you’d had opportunities, you hadn’t been brave enough to go in yet. You’d seen his parents through the doorway and had been tempted to go say hello…but then what? Stand there awkwardly while you all thought the same thing? Standing next to your soulmate but not doing anything about it. No thanks.

The intensity of the shame was too much to bear.

You were stood by the nursing desk, trying to kill some extra time by flipping through the charts of one of your patients when Lizzy caught you.

“There you are!” She called and you stood up straight, smiling over your shoulder at her. “What are you doing out there? There’s free food in the break room, you know. They have French fries, Y/N, French fries!”

You chuckled rolling your eyes and leaning your elbows against the counter as you turned to face her. “Careful now, you just might start a stampede with your volume.”

“Come on, let’s go eat.” Lizzy said, threading her arm through yours and you balked at the idea, attempting to pull your arm away but she clung tight.

“I can’t, I’m busy.” You lied and Lizzy’s face darkened.

“Really? Busy reading Mrs. Chapelman’s chart for the 6th time in an hour? I’ve been watching you, Y/N.”

You huffed a sigh, tugging at your arm again and this time Lizzy relinquished her hold. “Well that’s not creepy.” You muttered, “I’m just not really feeling hungry.”

“Then come socialize.”

“Or social.”

Lizzy crossed her arms over her chest. “Seriously, what is going on with you? You barely know Dr. Jeon, why are you acting like this? It’s kind of childish.”

You frowned over at your friend, fingers tapping at the desk behind you. “You don’t even know what happened between us or anything so that’s pretty rich.”

“Yeah, because you won’t tell me anything!” Lizzy fumed, “it hasn’t been from lack of trying on my part. He’s a really nice guy so I really don’t get this grudge you seem to have against him.”

“If I go in there, can we stop talking about Jungkook?” You sighed with a rolled of your eyes. Lizzy examined you carefully and you fought the urge to fidget under her gaze.

“First name basis, huh?”

“Oh my gosh, Lizzy!” You laughed. “Seriously. I’ll go in if we stop talking about him.”

“Fine,” she sniffed, grabbing your wrist, “but at some point, you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on. I’ve been pretty patient, but you know I’m a nosy s.o.b and you haven’t been sharing your gossip.”

Just as the two of you stepped into the room Lizzy’s pager beeped and she looked down at it, groaning. “I’ve gotta go, but you need to at least go say hi!” She insisted, pointing her finger at you.

She stomped her way out the door and you tried to carefully follow after before anyone else could see you, but it was too late. Jungkook’s eyes skimmed the room, landing on you and he grinned, calling your name and waving his hand over his head. His parents stood beside him, dressed in simple but classy dress clothes and you made your way towards them, Mrs. Jeon holding her arms open for you.

“Y/N!” She cooed, pulling you into her embrace, “how are you? It’s been so long since we’ve seen you!”

You hugged Mr. and Mrs. Jeon before taking the drink Jungkook handed you and smiling at his parents. “Wow, it really has been so long. Like 9 years, right? Can you believe it?”

“You should come visit your parents more often.” Mrs. Jeon scolded and you nodded, embarrassed.

“You’re right, I haven’t been out that way in too long. Just seems like there’s always an emergency that needs attending to here.”

You all chuckled and Mr. Jeon wrapped his arm around your shoulders again, squeezing. “How have you been? What have you been doing?”

“I’ve been good; just working mostly. Trying to find that work life balance.”

“Are you excited for your sister’s wedding? It’s coming up really soon, just over two months, right?”

“That’s right!” You smiled, one hand sliding into the pocket of your scrubs and you took a sip of your drink. It was fruity and light; maybe passionfruit. “Two months and one week officially. Ella called me this morning to threaten my life if I don’t wear the shoes she’s ordered for me.”

Jungkook laughed and you smiled up at him. “That sounds like something she’d say.”

“Well then you’d better wear the shoes.” Mrs. Jeon chuckled, taking a bite of her food. “You should get some, by the way,” she said, pointing down at her plate, “They did not skimp on taste.”

Jungkook motioned for you to walk passed him and you bowed your head in thanks, moving towards the table with him right behind you. “How was the rest of your night last night?” He asked, dropping a couple drumsticks on his plate and scanning the rest of the table for what he wanted next.

You grabbed a plate yourself, heading straight for the fried rice, allowing the grumbling in your stomach to make decisions for you. “It was good; very casual. We ordered in some dessert, binge watched a few episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and then went to bed early.”

“On a Friday night?” He chuckled and you turned to him, smiling.

“Well Jimin stayed up a little later than me working on one of his cases, but I have a 12 hour shift today so I wanted to be well rested.”

“Fair enough. Glad I have today off.”

“Don’t rub it in.” You complained and he grinned. You stood by the table as you ate; time was limited so you wanted to shove as much in as you could while you could.

“Is Jimin coming as your plus one to the wedding?” Jungkook asked, chewing on one of the drumsticks on his plate and you looked up at him, nodding.

“Yeah, that’s the plan. Unless something crazy comes up at work, of course, but that’s doubtful.”

“I bet your family is really excited to see you. Has it really been 9 years since you’ve been back home?”

“Well, no,” you shook your head, “just 9 years since I’ve happened to see your parents. I’ve definitely been back home but it’s always been when they were out of town or schedules just didn’t match up.”

“Yeah, they’re out of town a lot,” he agreed, grabbing a roll from the pile on the table, “That’s my dream for retirement.”

“To travel?” You asked, looking up at him and he nodded.

“Yeah, everywhere I can get to. I wanna see the whole world. What about you? Are you interested in travel?”

Jungkook’s parents were talking to Dr. Kim a few feet away and you watched them for a moment in thought. You wondered what they thought about all of this. Jungkook’s job, how far he’s come, this hospital, the fact that you worked here…just you in general. You’d never felt like your relationship with them suffered, but you knew, even if they didn’t say it, that they wanted you and Jungkook to be together.

Sometimes…when you weren’t paying attention to how your thoughts strayed, you wished that it could be that simple. That old wounds would heal and maybe some how things would work out. Life never worked how you thought it would, though.

“I mean, yeah, definitely.” You nodded, turning back to look at Jungkook. His hair was pushed back and away from his face and you could see that he had a mild undercut. You wondered if that was new. “Who doesn’t want to see the world? If only money allowed.”

“I’m a big believer in the fact that it’s not money that holds us back, more like lack of time and the will to make the sacrifices needed to save. One time, in college, my parents told me that they were going to go visit family in Korea in the spring. I only had about 5 months to save so I literally stopped spending money on things that weren’t necessary and saved a ton. It just took a lot of dedication.”

“Doesn’t that take some fun out of life, though? What if I want to go to lunch?” You grinned and he smiled back.

“Depends where your priorities lie, I suppose. I was willing to put off a few every day activities for 2 weeks of adventure. It was pretty worth it in my books.”

You sighed, taking a large sip of your drink and Jungkook watched your throat bob as he waited to hear what was on your mind. “Do you ever take a break from being obnoxiously good at all things?” You teased and he grinned, shrugging.

“There��s no rest for the brilliant.”

You chuckled, rolling your eyes and smacking his arm. “You’re so full of yourself.” Just then your pager beeped and you frowned, throwing away your empty plate. “Duty calls. I’m gonna go say goodbye to your parents.”

Jungkook nodded and you made you way over to bid your goodbyes before heading back out into the hallway and over to the labor ward. They were a little short tonight and needed someone to administer an epidural.

You had a cesarean section in an hour anyway so it was probably better to stay close to the area. Someone calling your name made you pause and you turned to find Jungkook jogging towards you. “Hey, sorry, I know you’re busy. My parents are leaving back home tomorrow night and they were wondering if you had any free time tomorrow, they want to take you out to eat.”

“Just me and your parents?” You asked, eyebrow raised and he chuckled, running his fingers through his hair and looking down at the ground.

“Well, no, I’d be there too.”

You scratched at your pant leg in thought, “Well, I’m working tomorrow night and into Monday morning so I could really only do something in the morning or early afternoon.”

“What about brunch? Would you be available for that?” He suggested, eyebrows raised.

“Sure, I think I can swing brunch,” You shrugged, “I’ve really gotta run, though.”

“Well how can I get a hold of you to tell you the details?” He asked as you began to move away and you stopped.

You looked around before grabbing a marker from the nurse’s desk next to you and reaching for his hand, scribbling your number down in his palm. “There,” you looked up at him, lips quirking up. “Problem solved.”

You placed the marker back in its place before nodding and turning around, walking around the corner and away from the man who had now made a habit of making your heart race.

  When your shift was over you made your way wearily to your car, chucking your bag into the passenger seat and turning the key in the ignition; the car whirring to life noisily. It was only 7:15 but you’d been working for 12 hours straight and right now, you thought your feet might actually fall off.

The drive home was quiet. No music to disturb, rush hour long over. The quiet was nice; peaceful after a day of emotional turmoil and emergency surgeries. You enjoyed your drives home; like a reset of your emotional state, allowing you to breathe and feel human again. At least until the next shift.

Sometimes working in medicine, you did feel like a robot. It could become all too easy to switch off your emotions, especially in the cases when someone died in your care. Having to tell families that someone they’d trusted you with was gone…it was honestly the worst part of your job. All the monitoring and work in surgery was daunting, yes, but it usually paid off with a healthy person at the end.

But sometimes it didn’t.

Those moments made you bleed red, like somehow you’d died instead, lost a piece of your soul with the person you couldn’t protect. You’d seen many really good doctors just switch off; self-preservation, as it were. You understood it; that need to protect your own heart. It was tempting, sometimes, to want to switch off and just become robotic. Get the job done and don’t lose any of yourself in the process.

That’s not how it worked, though. In a choice like that, you always lost more of yourself when you chose to stop feeling. Choosing to embrace the emotion, you liked to believe it made you a more empathetic person. You wanted to grieve with those who were grieving; show them that they weren’t alone.

It was draining, though.

After parking your car and switching off the engine, you slid your bag back over your shoulder and made your way towards the elevator. You locked your car from over your shoulder.

The hallway was relatively quiet this evening, which was nice. Usually you could hear your neighbors trying to corral their two young children into their nighttime routine. Whatever it was, the kids hated it and you got to hear about it every night. You smiled at the thought, slipping your key into the lock of your front door and making your way into the apartment.

The house was quiet but the lights were on. “Jimin?” You called, making your way towards the living room.

He sat on the couch, eyes trained down on the floor and something about his silence was earie. Something felt…off.

“So, something really interesting happened today.” Jimin said, lips pursed as he picked at the fluff of one of your couch cushions. From the look on his face, it seemed like that something wasn’t a good thing.

“Oh?” You said, fingers griping tightly at the strap of your satchel “What happened?”

“I met a man today, at the store, we got chatting and we figured out that you both work together. His name was Taehyung Kim. You know what’s particularly interesting?” You heart plummeted as he looked up at you, face ridged from his emotion. “He looked nothing like the Taehyung Kim I met.”

There was silence for what felt like forever, a sharp stillness as Jimin watched you carefully, gauging your reaction.

“Who did I meet last night, Y/N?” He asked and you couldn’t help the tears as they welled in your eyes. “Who was that?”

He stood and your arm went limp, your bag sliding from your shoulder and onto the floor. “It was Jungkook.” You whispered.

“Who?” Jimin asked, voice sharp and you felt a tear slip over and onto your cheek.

“Jungkook.”

“How long has he been back?” The stone in his voice was terrifying.

“It’s been three weeks.” You mumbled, mouth wet with emotion.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jimin snapped, pacing across the room angrily, “for weeks you’ve been working with him and you never said a word!”

“I’m sorry!” You cried, “I really didn’t want to worry you. There’s nothing going on between us, I swear, we’re just coworkers. You know how the soulmates thing works, he and I are always going to have our lives revolve around each other.”

“Do you want to be with him?” He asked tersely.

“No!” You insisted, coming to stand in front of him, gripping his forearms.

“Does he want to be with you?” He asked softly.

You paused, not really sure of the answer. While he hadn’t exactly expressed his interest in words directly to you, his actions seemed to indicate that, that might be something on his mind. Your silence was all Jimin needed.

“Great.” Jimin replied sourly, “I guess this is it then, right? Gonna leave me for your soulmate?”

“No!” You balked, pulling him to you as he tried to turn away, “Jimin, you know I don’t believe in the soulmate thing. Just because his name is on my wrist doesn’t mean he suddenly adds value to my life; he never has. I don’t want to be with him, I want to be with you. I love you.”

Jimin frowned and your heart stuttered slightly in your chest; he almost looked…guilty. “I’ve gotta get some air.” He muttered, turning and storming from the apartment before you could stop him.

  It had been three hours since Jimin had left, insisting he needed air. You were beginning to think he’d gone to a friend’s house when suddenly the keys in the lock roused your attention. You watched from your spot at the kitchen table as Jimin walked in, dropping his keys and his jacket on the console table and running his hands along his jeans before shoving them in fists into his pockets.

“Are you ok?” You asked softly, clutching tighter to your mug. Jimin took a deep breath, walking slowly into the kitchen but pausing in the doorway. Something wasn’t right.

“We need to talk.” He said, leaning against the door jam and your heart seized in your chest. You motioned for him to take the seat beside you and he moved slowly, sliding down onto the chair and folding his hands in front of him on the table. “I haven’t been 100% honest with you.” He said, gaze trained on the divots of the oak table you were both sitting at. Your stomach rolled uncomfortably but you waited for him to continue. “I tried to fight it for a while, tried to practice what I preach…but I’ve reached a point where I realize I just can’t anymore.”

“Tried to fight what?” You whispered. You were terrified. You’d heard this story before and it didn’t end well for you.

“I met Molly.” Jimin mumbled sadly, glancing up at you and you could feel your heart shatter. 8 years together, a lifetime of future plans already made suddenly evaporated.

“Ok.” You murmured hoarsely. You could feel the tears already pricking at your eyes. It wasn’t fair, what had you ever done to deserve this sort of heart break? Each guy you’d dated who’d insisted he didn’t believe in soulmates always seemed to change their tune once they’d met them. It was never ending disappointment.

“You remember that crazy couple that’s been going through my firm to get a divorce? Always screaming and asking for emergency meetings? Turns out the wife’s maiden name is Fisher.”

Molly Fisher. It was burned into your mind along with the skin of Jimin’s wrist, a constant reminder that he was never really yours to begin with…just like the name on your own wrist was a reminder that in the end, you weren’t really any bodies. It hurt so badly. You weren’t equipped to handle this sort of pain; how could you just pretend the last 8 years hadn’t happened? How could you watch the love of your life leave you for no other reason than the fact that the universe deemed it so?

"I thought you didn't believe in soulmates?" You mumbled. Your mouth felt heavy with emotion and tears were streaming down your cheeks.

"I didn't." Jimin sighed, "Until I met mine. I don't know how Jungkook did it, knowing you for so long and just giving you up. I've only known Molly three weeks and I can't imagine trying to breath without her."

You couldn't help the sob that escaped you and Jimin's bottom lip quivered at the sound. "I'm so sorry." He choked.

You nodded soundlessly, trying to regain your composure. “I know you are.”

“I never meant for this to happen!” Jimin cried, reaching out and taking your hand in his own. “I love you; you know I love you...but I can’t deny that it’s different. The way I feel about you and the way I feel about her are…” he paused at the trembling of your bottom lip and he looked down at your hands, sniffing, “it’s just something I can’t really ignore anymore.”

“I understand.” You said, standing and wiping at your tear stained cheeks, sniffing noisily as you tried to stop the wave of emotion that was overcoming you. “You should probably go, though, I don’t think your soulmate would like you being here with me.” You walked towards the living room, heart seizing as you heard Jimin cry louder.

“What do you want me to do?” He sobbed, standing and coming to hover at the kitchen door, “what am I supposed to do in this situation? Just tell me and I’ll do it!” He looked half out of his mind and in that moment, though your heart was still bleeding in the center of your chest, you felt immense pity for this man that you loved. He was torn between two horrifyingly difficult choices. Stay with the woman he was in love with and deny the pull to his soulmate, or give you up and follow his destiny with a woman he already loved so much more than he could express? You could already see that intense love on his face, the one they always talked about. No matter what he did, someone was going to get hurt.

And it looked like it was going to be you.

“You should go to her.” You mumbled, “I can’t keep you…I have to believe that I love you enough to let you go.”

“Don’t say that.” Jimin frowned, “I don’t want you to let me go.”

“But you want to be with Molly.” You said it as though it were a question, though you knew it was also fact. Jimin’s frown deepened because he couldn’t deny it. “You can’t have us both, Jimin, it’s greedy and not fair. I’m not willing to share you so you have to choose.”

Jimin stared at you in silence and you nodded, pursing your lips. “I’m going to stay with a friend tonight. You can get your stuff together and do whatever. We’ll sort out the lease on this apartment later. Right now, I just really need to go.”

“Y/N!” He called as you yanked open the door. You turned to look at him over your shoulder and he sighed, eyes bloodshot with tears. “What am I supposed to do without you?”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” You whispered, “Goodbye, Jimin.”

 The evening was surprisingly cool for the time of year; though the summer had come and gone, the days were still warm and sticky. You wished you’d brought your jacket but there was no way you were going back to the apartment now. You needed time to breathe and Jimin needed time to pack.

You felt like your heart was splintering all over again at the thought of him. You needed comfort. Food, you needed food. Your favorite diner was just around the corner and you picked up your steps, making your way through the door with a jingle of the bell and you smiled meekly at the hostess as she greeted you.

“Table for one?” She smiled and you nodded, following after her. She led you to your favorite table, pushed back against the wall and with a view out into the city. Leaving you with the menu and a promise to bring you a cup of hot chocolate pronto, you sighed, pushing your nose deep into the menu and scanning for something that would help you feel less miserable.

Maybe pancakes.

The sound of someone sliding into the vinyl seat across from you roused your attention and you looked up to find Jungkook, doe eyes wide and smiling as he surveyed you. He held in his hand a coffee mug and you eyed it wearily.

“Coffee at 10:30pm on a Saturday?” You asked and his smile deepened.

“Decaf.” When you said nothing he continued, “So what brings you here so late?”

“Jungkook,” you sighed, setting your menu down heavily, “do you need something?”

“I just thought you could use some company.” He replied and you frowned.

  “Well, no offense, but I’ve had a pretty terrible night and you are kind of the last person I’d seek comfort from.”

You felt bad, Jungkook actually looked a little hurt and you closed your eyes, rubbing at them in frustration. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve just had a really bad night.”

“Is it anything I can help with?” He asked carefully and you sighed again, staring down at the menu.

“Not really.” You shrugged.

“Where’s Jimin tonight?” Jungkook asked. You knew he meant well, was trying to distract you from your thoughts…if only he’d known how poor that conversation starter was.

“At home packing, I presume.” You muttered weakly.

“Packing?” You could hear Jungkook’s discomfort.

“It would be weird to continue to live with one another after breaking up.” You said, feigning a casual air you most certainly did not feel.

“I’m so sorry.” Jungkook mumbled, and really, he did look very sorry, which was more comforting than it should have been.

“That’s what happens when you meet your soulmate, I guess…well, sometimes.” You tried not to look at him, but you could see him shifting uncomfortably in his seat, fingers tapping against his porcelain mug. It was silent for a while before the waitress came, delivering Jungkook’s food and your drink before promising to be back with your food soon.

“Want a fry?” Jungkook asked, pushing his plate towards you and you smiled.

“Sure.” You took a fry from his plate, chewing on the end of it and watching as he took a bite of his burger.

“Look,” he said after he’d swallowed his mouthful and chased it down with a sip of his coffee, “I know we’re not exactly…close, or what not, but if you need a place to stay, I’ve got a spare room, you’re more than welcome to stay the night.”

“That’s very generous of you,” you smiled, “but I’m OK. I’ll just call a friend and ask to spend the night. Beside aren’t your parents with you?”

“No, they wanted to stay in a hotel.” He said, “Are you sure, though? I really won’t bother you. My place isn’t too far away and the guest room has its own bathroom.”

“Thank you, Jungkook, really. I just think, considering our history, it’s probably not the best idea.”

“Can we put history aside for one night?” He asked softly, “I just want to help you.”

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll get through this.”

“I know you will.” He replied confidently, “you’re strong, stronger than anyone I know. You’re passionate, intelligent, and kind. It’s not a question of whether you’ll get through it but whether you’ll let people who genuinely care about you help you.”

“And you would consider yourself one of those people?” You questioned, thanking the waitress as she dropped off your pancakes.

“Look, Y/N, I was 18 years old when I made that choice. I was scared and made a rash decision but it doesn’t mean that I never cared. I’ve done a poor job of showing it, but I’ve cared about you my entire life. Please let me help you.”

You chewed on your pancakes slowly as you considered him. Maybe you were being unfair, still holding this grudge against him. The both of you had been just barely 18 and there had been a lot of sudden changes. You weren’t ready to think of him in the context of falling in love, and you probably never would be…but perhaps you could be friends.

Sighing you nodded, “OK. Just for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll be back in my apartment, though.”

“Yes, of course!” He beamed and you couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Here it is.” Jungkook said softly, flicking on the lights at the front entrance and ushering you through. It was simply furnished, with clean lines and warm tones. It was similar in size to your own apartment, but with a more open plan style. “Let me show you the guest room.”

He led you down a separate hallway, pushing open the door on your right. “It’s nothing, fancy,” he mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck, “but there’s blankets and pillows, an en suite, and the mattress is pretty comfortable.”

Simple grey’s and browns showcased the room perfectly and you smiled. “It’s great,” you said softly, “thank you.”

“I suppose you don’t have a tooth brush or pajamas, huh?” At the shake of your head he raised one finger, walking quickly back out of the room and you listened to the shuffling sounds at the end of the hallway. “Here,” he said, returning with a towel, a new tooth brush, and a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. “The clothes are washed and clean; I hope they fit. Let me know if you need anything else.”

You smiled, taking the small pile from him and nodding, “thanks, Jungkook.”

After he’d left the room you closed the door, changing into the pajamas provided and going to brush your teeth and wash your face. The shirt was a little too baggy and the shorts sagged on your hips, but you were happy to have clothes to sleep in; you didn’t really fancy sleeping in your jeans or even worse, your underwear. Not with Jungkook around, anyway.

After you’d finished preparing for bed you decided you wanted a glass of water to help you settle down. Stepping back into the hallway you padded slowly towards the kitchen in search of a cup. You hoped Jungkook had retreated to his room but those hopes were quickly dashed as you found him sitting at the kitchen Island, medical book opened across the countertop and laptop attached at the fingers.

He looked up at you in surprise before sitting up straight. “Oh, I’m sorry, did you need me to turn off the lights? I didn’t realize they reached all the way to the bedroom.” He made a move to stand but you motioned for him to sit and he slowly complied.

“No, you’re fine, I actually just wanted a glass of water before bed.”

“Oh, of course. Here, let me get that for you.” He said, pushing off the stool he’d been sat on.

“It’s really not necessary,” you insisted as he rounded the counter, “you’ve already been very kind to me, you can just point me to the cups.”

“Nonsense.” He smiled, pulling a glass from a cupboard above your head and moving to the fridge to get some water. “You’re my guest, let me take care of you. Go ahead and sit down.”

You moved reluctantly to the bar stool next to his, taking a seat and waiting for him to return with your drink. “Thank you.” You said, softly, as he slid the cup into your hands. “So, what are you working on?” You asked, setting your cup down on the counter after a careful sip.

“Just brushing up.” He smiled. “There’s a lot to remember and it’s all kind of overwhelming sometimes.”

You nodded, staring down into your mug. “Yeah, I remember being really intimidated when I first started. Sometimes I still feel a little overwhelmed if it’s a complicated case or something. We walk a fine line between life and death and it’s hard not knowing if you’re being delicate enough.”

“That’s exactly it! That’s why I wanted to be a surgeon, though. Knowing that I can do something to make people’s lives better. Some of the people who end up on that table are going to be having the worst moment of their life and I have the power to make a positive impact. It makes my heart race just thinking about it.”

“Sounds like you chose the right profession.” You smiled, looking over at him and he blushed, bowing his head down into his chest.

“I hope I can make a good doctor.”

“Jungkook…you’re already a good doctor. The fact that you care so much, means something. It’s not easy to look into the faces of the families whose loved ones have died on our tables. There’s going to be times when you just want to give up, but as long as you keep trying and caring the way you do right now, you’ll be successful.”

He smiled, bashful, staring down at the keys on his laptop, fingers tapping gently in thought. “Thanks Y/N, that’s mean a lot…especially coming from you.” He looked up at you and you felt like your heart might seize right in your chest. “You know, since you’re such a good doctor.” He stuttered and you nodded, taking a gulp of water from your cup and standing.

“Thank you, I appreciate that. I should probably get to bed now, it’s…” You sighed, “It’s been a long day.”

Jungkook nodded and you lifted your glass at him in a salute before turning around and walking back into the guest bedroom.

++++

Wow, thank you so much for reading! I'm sorry this one was sad, but it was necessary. After all, this is a Jungkook story, is it not? ;)

Let me know what you think <3

Chapter 12

Chapter 14

Copyright © 2018 by taeken-my-heart. All rights reserved.

[nomimits7]

UGH!

Title: UGH!

Genre: angsty (maybe just a little) hinting at smut but no actual action?? (Reader gets cornered and he licks her, does that count?)

Pairing: BTSrapline x reader

Au: Yandere-ish, supernatural-ish… I kind of don’t know what happened.

Warnings: sexual references. Yandere behavior. Description of a slight loss of control. Deception, slightly. Cursing… a little (in my defense, some things just sound better with a power word) considering this is the rap line, that is a warning on its own.

Song reverence: UGH! By BTS

Summary: In a rageful world ruled by rageful men, Y/N decided to change her destiny by becoming an outcast. Hated by all for being the neutral party in almost every situation, she was destined for a lonely life. Maybe her mistake was to choose to be uninformed when it came to who was in charge. Maybe her mistake was the day she allowed herself to feel wanted again. All Y/N knew was that those three men who walked through her door changed everything she has come to know.

Author notes: Hi! I’ve never done this, so I tried to base this story mostly on the actual song and my interpretation of it, with my own inserts as well! Hope you like it! Thank you @btswritingcafe​ for this fun workshop thingy!! And yes, there are a lot of different movie references as well. Lockdown got me all types of creativity.

•••

The gentle hum of the wind outside combined with the crackling of the wood in your fireplace was enough to make you feel at peace, normal even. You welcomed this feeling with open arms. It’s not often that you get to feel at peace. Even if this was by choice, you missed the peace that came with a ‘normal’ life.

Reclining in your seat, you briefly close your eyes as you try to soak up as much of the feeling as possible before you had to get back to work. You loved your job, make no mistake about it, but with your line of work some sacrifices needed to be made. Many people looked down at you for your choice but in a cruel world such as this… you were happy being an outcast. Very few people chose your line of work seeing as you had to stay neutral. Most people preferred giving in to the rage that filled the air at a constant pace.

Your little world wasn’t always like this. You once lived in a peaceful society, where people actually smiled at least once in their daily lives. This was before the fall of the peace towers before others decided to take over the energy circulating through the air.

In the city of Redak, you thrived on the energy provided by the towers built by the old kings. These towers giving most people ‘gifts’ in exchange for their fears. Yes, this didn’t sound right for most of the people living in Redak, so King Clodious decided to build a peace tower. This tower radiated peace and kept the balance needed for life to thrive. This tower especially kept the other towers on a leash, they sometimes got greedy and demanded more fear to become stronger.

Unfortunately, something or someone decided to take control of the power supply. These individuals soon realized the power harbored in fear, thus leading to the great fall of peace. People slowly started losing control of themselves. Rage being the most prominent power to make the rounds in the air, soon lead to people succumbing to it. Violence soon engulfed the city and rage filled the hearts of Redak’s citizens.

That’s where you came in. When the rage became too much for people to bear, they seek you out. You were one of the few people holding out against the rage- epidemic. Your job was one that required a neutral party to ‘extract’ the rage from a person and replace it with whatever other emotion they needed. Be it love, sadness, or happiness. People needed you, but they also resented you for being strong enough to withstand the temptation. Ultimately, this led to a very lonely life.

Each new patient presented a new challenge. Some would go out of their way to hurt others. Some would just stare and have nothing to say. Some would never shut up and then you got those who thrived in making your life miserable. Today you had one of the last ones. Clare, or rather Queen C as she preferred you call her, was in one of the more severe stages of rage. She didn’t lash out at you like most, but her words made up for that. It took you three times as long to get the right information out of her than it normally did.

And it took twice as long to get her to actually lie down on the power extractor, so you could do your damned job. Everyone you see gave into the idea of perfection or rage, then they end up judging you for staying neutral on the subject. After releasing Clare from the contraption, she was a totally different person. She actually smiled at you and thanked you for helping her. It was draining and a moment like this where you can just sit and relax was rare.

You loved your job, you truly did. You just sometimes wished you could be… normal. Being the outcast gets to you. You crave the attention and affection of others. You want to hang out with friends, lose yourself to loveless love, and be captured by scenes unfolding around you. You didn’t want to be trapped like you were. You couldn’t even leave your own house without being tempted by the sent of rage filling the air. You chose this, but sometimes you regret your choices.

The sound of your doorbell ringing pulled you from your daydreaming. You had no other scheduled appointments and it was too late for any emergency walk-ins. Reluctantly you got up to see who could possibly seek you out. Upon opening the door you’re met with three very handsome faces. They were all dressed to the nine in black suites, completed with styled hair and white button-up shirts.

“Can I help you?” you asked uncertainly. The three men just stare at you, assessing you with their eyes. Something in the way they were taking you in told you to close your door and forget you ever opened it. There was a very clear warning in their eyes, something sinister. Before you could act one of them spoke up.

“We’re sorry for barging in on you like this but we heard a rumor that you were neutral? And we need someone neutral to talk to” he was handsome, that much you could tell. His hair was a light shade of brown, his eyes glowed amber and his skin was flawless. He even added a dimpled smile to help persuade you into letting them in, and it worked. Before you knew what or how it happened they were entering your consultation space and making themselves comfortable.

A little caught off guard, you slowly made your way to your usual seat in the furthest corner of the room. This action didn’t go unnoticed by the three men. You were careful, not like the previous five neutrals they’ve encountered. Your seat was fairly far from theirs and there was a set of sensors surrounding you. They found this fascinating to say the least. Normally neutrals were just good at hiding the rage coursing through them, usually, neutrals weren’t any better than anyone else who has fallen into the trap of rage. You were… different.

“Okay, I’m going to need names, ages, and status in the hierarchic so that I know what type of extractions should be done” You began as you got your glasses from a hidden drawer. Clicking your pen, you looked up curiously to see how these men would react. They always react to this question, especially the last part.

Their eyes stayed focussed on you, unmoving and certainly not planning on moving away from you anytime soon. They expected you to be confused at first, but they didn’t think you wouldn’t recognize them at all. Did you really not know who they were? What danger you were in? Well, you will know. Soon. None the less, they decided to play along for now.

“Kim Namjoon, my age is of no importance and my status is unmatched. I do not need any extraction from you because you won’t find anything to extract.” The man in the middle spoke up. It was the same man who first talked to you. His response was expected, not in this manner but the denial was only one step they would have to take to overcome this rage they feel. Although, they seemed very calm, almost to calm and that was new.

“Jung Hoseok, If you can guess my age I might reward you baby. My status is quite important, but why don’t you come to sit on my lap and feel it rise even more?” the one on the right of Namjoon said. You instantly went red as you stared at the man with wide eyes. No man had ever spoken to you like that and it was doing something to you.

Your reaction didn’t go unnoticed by the three men as they watched you like a hawk with binoculars. You were interesting indeed. One of the emotions that get engulfed by the rage, is arousal. If you have given in, you would not be so easily worked up.

“Min Yoongi, age is just a number made up by society to set boundaries of what one can and cannot do. Status is important, but let’s pretend you didn’t ask that question… for now, it’s not important. But trust me, it will be” The last man spoke up. His voice was void of all emotion, the meaning behind his words left a cold chill hanging in the air. You need to be careful around these men.

Shallowing slowly, you averted your eyes from them. This was new, really new. No one has ever gotten to you like these men have and they’ve only been here for 3 minutes. You needed to get this done with and get them out of your home. Something’s off and not in the normal way.

“Y/N”

At the mention of your name, you looked up to see who has spoken your real name. You never shared that aspect of you. No one knew who you were. A name holds so much power and once you gave it away, it’s over. You must have worn your emotions on your sleeve because as soon as you locked eyes with each man, they returned your stare with a slight smirk.

“So, you do exist? We were beginning to think you were a made-up myth or something. Anyway, did you know that everyone is bound to be swallowed by the rage? Even the most stubborn of people give in. It’s been proven countless times. Sometimes they give in just to survive.” Hoseok said as he slowly leaned forward. His eyes, that use to be a deep brown, slowly swirled with red as he kept them on you.

The sensors next to your seat suddenly lost all power. Their lights flickering and going out with a pop that made you jump slightly. You knew you shouldn’t react and somehow you managed to keep as still as possible. Your heart only skipping a beat as a response. You won’t give in to fear, you won’t give in to rage. You won’t give in to them.

Your lack of response only spurred them on to see how far they can push you. They needed to be sure you were indeed the last remaining neutral out there before they could proceed. They could feel the power building within you and that alone made them want you for themselves even more.

“How much of the things people tell you in here do you believe? The truth may become false, the lies may become true. How do you know people aren’t lying to you?” Namjoon asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Tilting your head slightly, his question surprised you. Just moments ago, Rambo over there was trying to get into your head with all his rage talk and so and then he asks you this? Before you could mull over his question more your own voice interrupted you.

“Eyes, Their eyes. Usually, you can read their emotions through their eyes. But most of my clients are regulars and they understand what can happen when they lie. I choose to trust them, they know what they're getting themselves into. I’ve always been an open person, but I do know they lie anyway. There’s nothing I can do about that” your voice was small, yet strong. It was the truth and you knew they knew it was.

The trio didn’t know what they expected you to answer, but it certainly wasn’t that. You were so honest compared to the other. Of course, the other neutrals immediately recognized them and answered according to that. But you, you answered with honesty and so much innocence it was sickening. The way you held yourself was pure and for some reason, they felt the need to hide you away from the world. Like you were made of glass and could shatter at any moment, the initial plan be damned.

“What do you believe Y/N? What caused this world to give in? Why didn’t you give in like them?” Yoongi asked. His voice is soft and full of the promise that you will be all right. This was truly nothing like what your appointments usually consist of. Not one of your clients has ever spoken to you in such a manner that you felt like a human. They always spoke with disgust or anger. Never as soft as this.

“I always suspected there was a reason people started hating and raging. Just the other day I had to sedate one of my regulars because they lost control. There was a time I thought that something that happened in our past was the reason, yet I came up with nothing. But as I concluded my research I did find something that could provide the answers. When the rage took over our little world, our people fell into fear and chaos. Everyone was scared to death of the future without the peace tower. I believe that is what caused this. Fear, not rage” you answered, voice matching his softness.

You could see that they expected a different response. Like they wanted a different answer. You couldn’t place the emotion you saw reflecting in each of their eyes, so you opted for disappointment. This left a very uneasy feeling in your gut. Why? Why would your answer disappoint? You got the fact that nobody liked or cared for you, but disappointment? That’s new indeed.

“Do you know how neutrals are born?” Namjoon asked, tilting his head slightly. Shaking your head, you allowed yourself to be curious for once. Usually, you wouldn’t dare, but maybe one slip won’t be that catastrophic.

“Neutrals” Namjoon began.

“Neutrals don’t exist by choice. They are born with the inability to completely give in to the rage. Sometimes they do make the choice to give in, but the opposite is easier to do for them. These people are born from a bond of pure lust mixed with love and affection. A careless act their parents would never see as such. Some call it a spur of the moment decision were both parties forget about the rage and fear for those precious moments they share. Where the old world emotions are the only ones present. These children won’t seem different for the first few years. They make mistakes and get angry and act ‘normal’ in the content of the rage. But once they reach the subadult stage they begin to show signs of neutralism. The neutrals thrive off the fear of others, exactly like those in charge, just without knowing. They tend to scare other naturally and thus can grow extremely strong.” Namjoon added, carefully watching the color drain from your face.

“Once they reach adulthood, they are known as outcasts. Now even with them possessing gifts like the feeding of fear and so they tend to ‘not’ survive. Others kill them out of fear, or they are hunted down by other neutrals. Some ‘neutrals’ are just normal people in disguise. You see, one of the gifts that some receive is the act of deceivement. And trust me, they know how to use this gift. Even people like us were fooled more times than we would care to admit” Hoseok added helpfully.

You were not okay. You could feel your head swimming with a hundred and ten different thoughts at once, trying to make sense of this new information. But it seemed like fate had other plans for you.

“Neutrals are very lucky. They receive very rare gifts like control of an element or mind reading. Some even have levitation powers. It can get quite annoying when you try to kill them. I’m curious Y/N. What gifts do you possess? And why are those sensors pointed at you and not us? Aren’t we the ones that tend to lose control?” Yoongi concluded with a tilt of his head.

He had a point. But he wasn’t a regular and thus he didn’t understand why your office was organized like it was. Of course, there were reasons things were the way they were, but as naïve as you are, you’re not stupid enough to trust a total stranger from the word go. Once they knew there would be no turning back. You still haven’t figured out why these men were so important.

“I can’t tell you that” You softly whisper more to yourself than them. That was one secret of your life you wish to take to your grave. Even your long term clients have no clue what you're truly hiding. They simply just know to not set you off.

A low chuckle vibrates through the room as you silently sit and observe the three, laughing men. You knew just then and there these men where here to test you, and you have never been this close to losing your grip on yourself.

“I would advise you three to shut up and get this session over with so you can leave my house,” You said lowly, already losing yourself. This seemed to shut them up rather quickly. The last thing they expected was for you to lose your composure.

“Hey Y/N. Wha-“Namjoon began only to be cut off by your voice.

“Right, sorry about that. Moving on. Could you kindly turn the sensors back on? It’s for your own safety” You said with a beaming smile, a completely different person from just a few seconds ago. Within a few heartbeats later the sensors were back up and running, you visibly sagging with relief.

“So, it’s true what they say. You may be holding out against the rage, but that’s only because you're fighting a continuous battle against your own power within you. That’s why you have the sensors, for when you lose control. It’s to protect your clients, isn’t it?” Yoongi’s voice entered your ears.

Your face paled as you suddenly sat up straight. Slowly you crossed your hands in your lap, briefly making eye contact with each of the men sitting in front of you.

“I think you should leave now. I do hope you can find what you are seeking elsewhere” you said as you stood up on shaky legs and slowly made your way to the entryway. You made it a miraculous two meters before a warm hand engulfed your wrist. In one swift movement, you have spun around and was pinned against the wall.

“I don’t mean to be intruding in personal matters, but I do find it extremely rude that you haven’t tried to figure out who we really are. So, let me spell it out to you nicely. Hello Y/N, I’m Jung Hoseok. The third Lord. You know, those people that’s actually in charge of all of Redak? Over there is Kim Namjoon, the First Lord and that my dear, is Min Yoongi the second Lord.” Hoseok said. His grip tight as his face hovered close to your left ear.

Your eyes widened upon hearing this new information. How stupid of you to refuse to stay up to date with the happenings of your own world. If you have known who was in charge, this situation right here would never have happened. Gosh, you wouldn’t even have let them inside your home if you knew.

Licking a long stride along with the expanse of your neck, Hoseok moved away from you slightly. Your face was paler than he liked but he knew you needed to know that bit of information before they could continue. You were the last piece of the puzzle and by the seven towers, they were going to do anything to get you. Anything.

“Get out” you whispered, sliding down the wall into a little bundle on the ground. There’s a fine line between rage and fear and to any normal human, you would resemble those in the first stages of surrender. Your form small and weak against the enormous power your weak body was objected to. But they knew better. They knew that your form might look weak, but that’s only because you are afraid. Not of them, but yourself.

You chose to fear the one monster you could not control. The monster you were born as. The one neutral that could change everything if she was given the proper training. The one neutral robbed of everything by the only people she deemed good. The one neutral deprived of love, afraid of her own shadow.

“You know. For someone as smart as you, you sure can act dumb. You know as well as we do why we are here and that we cannot just leave after finding you.” Yoongi said. But the confused look on your face was enough to inform him that you truly had no idea why you were of any importance to them. Something neither of them had time to explain to you know.

“We don’t have time to enlighten you but let me give you a quick overview,” Namjoon said, crouching down next to you and lifting your chin with his finger. Your eyes locked and for the love of all that is peaceful, you couldn’t look away even if you tried. His eyes held a dominance that contrasted his words.

“Everyone out there chose to embrace the rage out of fear. The rage wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. The rage was just put in place to make people a bit more fearful of their dearest. It was meant to help people protect. It was meant to give them just the right amount of courage to stand their ground against threats. Unfortunately, we lost control, and to regain that control we must balance out the power tower. We didn’t destroy that peace tower, the people did. The last thing we wanted is for chaos and destruction.” His eyes held a sadness that you have never seen in anyone before.

You felt your heart skip a beat and you subconsciously raised your hand to hold his. His eyes never left yours, something felt familiar about them. But it was the sincerity in them that allowed you to trust them. All three of them.

“Apathy combined with excretion should do the trick to gain control once again” Your voice was soft yet it held truth. The moment the source of the problem is removed the balance should be restored.

“That’s the problem we face. We are the source. The rage that courses through the air, emits from us. We control the amount of power that is released. If we can’t find something to counteract…” Yoongi trails off, looking at you.

He couldn’t possibly mean that you were that something, could he? You were an out of control neutral how could you help them, help Redak? You only did extractions. You steered clear of too much attention. You tried to not let the people see what monster you really were.

Your breathing became shallow as anxiety took over. This was the last thing you needed, you couldn’t lose control now. These men, how powerful they may be, were in danger and you needed them to leave before you snapped. Just as you were about to warn them, the windows started rattling as the walls of the house started shaking. The three men were clearly startled as their eyes shot to yours.

The sensors in your consultation room suddenly started going off and all you could do was yell ‘RUN’ to the three men standing in front of you. It took them a good 5 seconds to realize that they had no other choice in the matter. There where books flying everywhere and some of the furniture even started disintegrating.

“Y/N, we can help you get control. You need us just as we need you. I know you can feel the connection. Let us protect you” Namjoon shouted before all three of them hurried out of the house. Just in time to hear you scream and everything going silent. As much as the sound of your screams was unsettling, all three men slightly smirk at what was to come.

Lying on the floor, almost lifeless, you could only stare at the ceiling as the shockwaves ran through your body. You needed to increase the voltage again, it’s supposed to knock you out and not paralyze you. You were growing stronger and you feared that soon not even the shocking would be enough to control your powers.

•••

It’s been roughly three days since they left your house. Three horribly long days. The amount of power circulating the air increased almost three times than before, and the number of extractions you had to do daily increased almost ten times. Things were getting ridiculous and out of hand. You haven’t completely lost control, but you came very close in the last 48 hours.

Every day that passes gets worse. Not only for your clients but for you too. Usually, your clients came around every five weeks for extraction, sometimes they could stretch even longer. But now you saw some of them at least twice in the past three days. Despite all this, you stayed indifferent, disgusted but indifferent.

You knew what had caused this, but you refused to show sympathy. Your argument was simple, they chose to give in. Why should you feel anything toward their choices? It’s not like it’s your fault they could not hold out. You flat out refused to even think about the three men that occupied your house a few days ago. You refused to think about what they told you, what they did to you. To put it plainly, you were being beyond stubborn.

Well, if you were completely honest with yourself, you were thankful for being so busy with clients. This only meant you had no time whatsoever to think about them, or what they promised you. But soon enough you said goodbye to your last client, and you were left alone with your thoughts.

“Y/N, we can help you get control. You need us just as we need you. I know you can feel the connection. Let us protect you”

Of everything that could pop up into your mind, Namjoons last words played on repeat. They could help you. You knew how close you were to losing it. How dangerous you became every minute that you remain stubborn. But stubbornness is what kept you alive all this time. Through every challenge you faced, your stubbornness is what helped you to not give in to the rage.

But your struggling. Not against the rage but against yourself and this time, you might actually lose. You have no idea how many times your body would be able to handle the shocking before it to will cave in. You know the risks and yet somethings keeping you from seeking them out.

You were just about to take a seat in your consultation area to relax for a bit when the tension snapped. Your whole world started spinning as you felt the power circulate through your veins. Your windows started rattling again as you collapsed to the ground. It felt like you couldn’t breathe with the amount of electricity running through your muscles. But nothing happened. Your own power took control and all you could do was watch as your whole world, your life burned to ashes all around you.

Tears streamed down your face freely as you watched the flames consume your hard work in seconds. You have finally lost the ability to control your own demons.

After the power within has returned to their dungeons within your heart, you finally decided to give into them. That’s how you find yourself outside the tall steel gates 40 minutes later. Tear stained cheeks, with only a handful of your belongings you could salvage. You had no certainty that these men could help you, or even if they would protect you. The journey to their mansion alone has been difficult and unpredictable.

Someone out there really loved fucking with you. First, your own parents abandon you at the ripe age of nine, then you nearly die twice because of some punks ruffing you up. And just when you finally settled into the only profession someone as you could do, this happens. Your whole world literally goes up in flames by your own uncontrolled power. The cherry on top would have to be the fact that there seems to be no fucking bell on the gates and you just walked all this way for nothing. Thanks for that karma.

Just as you began using a fresh packet of tears the gates opened. Hesitantly you stepped inside and made your way up to the front door. Doors swinging open by an unknown force, you peek inside the dark foyer. This was by far the creepiest house in Redak. Not even your home was this dark when the lights were off and the curtains were drawn.

The lights flickered on, startling you into a new bloodline, as three figures appear at the foot of the staircase you failed to notice. Looking around the room, you notice how modern this ancient house is decorated. From the beautiful wooden floors up to the cream painted walls. Finally, your eyes were drawn to the crystals that seem to be the light source hanging from the ceiling. This place looked and smelled fancy and you seriously began rethinking your decision to even breathe the air.

“Y/N? This is truly a surprise. I was beginning to think you would never come here. Oh my, it looks like you’ve been through a rough day” Namjoon said as his surprised gaze turned to concern when he took in your ashened form. At his words, your gaze snapped to your appearance. Your clothes were stained with soot and you probably smelled like a burned turkey. Simply put, you would put a hobo to shame at the way you dared appear before the Lord’s of Redak.

“I-I’m sorry I shouldn’t have come here looking like this. I-I’ll be leaving. S-sorry” You hastily stuttered out before turning around and aiming for the door. The same door that suddenly slammed shut before you could even take a step forward.

“Do you want some tea? Maybe coffee? We even have alcohol if that would help you calm down. You can freshen up here and then we’ll talk. Come I’ll even dare say I can find you some fresh clothes” Hoseok said as he swiftly reached for your hand to lead you to the bathroom.

“C-coffee would be nice thank you” you simply replied as you allowed the Third Lord to lead you to the bathroom. His hand was warm in yours and you wanted to soak up as much of it as you could but the dirt on your palm prevented that. You were beyond embarrassed at how fragile you had become. These strangers had no obligation to take care of you or even be this nice to you. Why they deemed you worthy, you did not know.

They honestly thought they would have to use even more force to get to you, but when you arrived at their gates it was like the pain inside of them disappeared. They were losing control over the amount of power they released into Redak and they knew the effect it would have on the people. But they couldn’t give a flying pigs ass over the people of Redak. They wanted only you. The fact that you were so different made you that more appealing. Hench why they had to go to extremes such as fire to get to you.

They could sense the amount of power you harbored, and they knew how to use it to balance everything out to and extend. Their plan was simple: go in, retrieve the power, and get rid of its owner. But that plan changed the minute you opened that door. You were beyond beautiful. Everything about you screamed innocence and purity. Your curious eyes and silent professionalism were a major turn on. But the thing that fixed the decision of claiming you were the way you had no control. Your lack of control over your own powers being the contrast of the century in regard to the work you did.

The most intense of desires to protect you, help you took control the moment you screamed at them to get away before it was too late. They had no idea what happened to you that day after that scream, but they knew you had to, no needed to hurt yourself to gain even the slightest of control. It hurts them to even think of what you possibly did to yourself. But it also warmed their hearts to see the trouble you went through to protect the low lives that depended on you. You were indeed innocent and pure, naïve even, yet they could see the loneliness in your eyes.

They would give their lives to be able to change that, but let’s not think to unrealistically. The chance of that happening was slim and now that you were here, in their mansion made things far easier than they initially thought.

Returning to the matter at hand. They didn’t mean to listen for any noise coming from the bathroom, but when you whimpered at the feeling of hot water against your skin, they almost lost their minds. The fact that you were right there made things worse, but they just couldn’t stop listening to your every gasp, whimper, or sob. Whatever happened before the fire clearly took a toll on your beautiful self.

Once the water shut down, they decided to make their presence known by knocking on the door. Even the yelp of surprise that escaped your mouth had their knees weak and heads swim with lust. It took them another 10 seconds to come back to reality before speaking.

“Y/N? How do you take your coffee? Also, we found some clothes for you” Yoongi’s slurry voice reached for you through the door. His voice was so different compared to the first time you met him. It held emotion and even some strain from the sound of it. Yet, it also felt like silk on soft skin, filling you with warmth and calm. It was a weird contrast and you secretly loved every second of it!

Opening the door slightly, you accepted the clothes and explained your coffee preference. No sugar with milk. It was bitter but what was the point of drinking coffee if you kill the taste with loads of sugar? You didn’t really expect them to find you clothes, but the fact that they gave you a simple button-up shirt that was long enough to work as a dress and a hoodie to match was surprising, to say the least. They added some shorts that hid nicely under the shirt along with some simple socks to keep the feet warm. Tying your hair into a messy, wet bun you opened the door to find Namjoon patiently waiting for you.

“Wow. You clean up nicely” Namjoon awkwardly cleared his throat as he averted his gaze from you. You’re wearing his shirt, Yoongi’s shorts, and Hoseok’s hoodie. He would be lying if he said you just looked okay. It was like their clothes were not made for them but for you to wear. This only further proved their decision to take you for themselves, the correct one.

Trailing behind him towards what you assumed to be the living room, you couldn’t help but take his form in. clad in tight jeans and a tight shirt this man was the reincarnation of sin. It had to be illegal to look so casual while screaming confidence.

Soon you were sitting in front of all three men, warm coffee in hand and nerves ablaze. They asked you what happened about 5 minutes ago, you have yet to answer. They were patiently observing you. You looked small and beyond vulnerable in front of them and internally they goo-ed at your sweater paws clutching the coffee cup tightly as if it were the only lifeline available. They knew what happened, but they weren’t planning on telling you what part they played in it.

“After you left, things got worse for my clients. It was as the power in the air itself increased and that caused many of them to come for extraction in a very short time of their previous ones. I have no idea what triggered it but my own powers started acting out. I even increased the voltage that I use to control my power to far over normal, but it didn’t help. Today, when I said goodbye to my last customer, it felt like a tsunami of power that escaped me. The shocking did nothing and I… I was left watching my whole life burnt to ashes around me. I-it was so intense that I blacked out. I have no idea how long I was out, but when I woke up everything was gone. And somehow I ended up here” you finished off in a whisper as silent tears streamed down your face.

You were ashamed. Your world came crumbling down and here you were, silently seeking their protection, their promise you decided to ignore the first time they made it.

“You have no reason to be ashamed and we’re sorry that you had to go through something like that. The important thing, however, is that you are here now. We’ll give you anything you need” Hoseok said. Reassurance ever-presents in his eyes. You could only smile weakly at them before you felt that overwhelming feeling return. The one that took away everything from you and your eyes widened in fear. You can’t control it and you knew you had to leave before you destroyed them as well.

Everything happened within a matter of seconds. You stood and bolted for the door. Just to collide with a hard chest as arms trapped you against it. You were so, so scared. You can’t allow this to happen. Thus, the struggling began. You were beyond desperate, and you fully relied on your instincts to get you out. Get away from these men that did nothing but be kind towards you.

“Let me go! You’re not safe, I need to get away from you before I destroy you to” You practically screamed.

“Y/N, take deep breaths for me. We can help you, just let us in. Let us in angel” Namjoon’s desperate voice filled your ears.

“We know you're scared. It’s okay to be scared baby” Yoongi’s soft voice came from behind you.

“W-what should I-I do?” You asked as another wave of energy filled your veins, making you stumble. It felt like lava coursing through your veins as the pain becomes too much to bear.

“Let us in. Calm your mind and allow us to take over. All you have to do is trust us. We won’t hurt you sweetheart, but I can’t promise you this will be painless. Let us help you” Hoseok said, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. With wide eyes staring at them with complete trust, you simply nodded at his words as you focussed on calming down your racing mind.

Namjoon held you tightly against him as all three of them readied themselves for what they were about to do. Never in their lives had it been this difficult to consume powers from someone. They wanted anything but to hurt you like this, but this was the only way. With one final nod, they began the process.

It was a simple process that ensured they would be able to consume as much power as they wanted from the host. But this process itself was painful, not only for the host but for them as well. The first step was to literally open the host. Nothing to major, the smallest incision would do. The next step was to start the process, it was close to blood magic but far more painful and cleaner.

For the one whos powers, they would consume it felt like someone was ripping their soul out. They could feel every single detail of the power being drained out of them. For them, it felt like hours of torture where in reality it took only 5 minutes to drain them dry.  

For a brief moment, nothing happened. You stood there in the middle of them, tears still flowing down your cheeks. There was no power present, not from them and not from you. For the first time in your life, you experienced a world without any external forces. It felt lighter, freer as if you could conquer the world in one day. But like all good things, this moment of peace was ripped away.

It came out of nowhere. Your own power resurfaced with a vengeance like no other. Every inch of your body, mind, and soul was consumed by this overwhelming pain, forcing you to collapse to the ground. Before you could even cry out in pain a new feeling took a hold of you. It felt something close to a hot knife driving through your heart at a slow pace. You could feel every bit of your power being ripped from your body.

Your cries of pain were the only thing keeping them grounded. Your power was so overwhelmingly powerful that they could feel their control slip. But hearing your cries, seeing your curled-up form on the floor reminded them that they needed to stop. They have only taken a fourth of your power, they needed to take more.

Soon enough Hoseok caught sight of the blood dripping out of your nose as you became motionless. The sight that greeted them when they finally pulled away, broke them. Your fragile body felt heavy in Namjoon’s arms as he picked you up and carried you to one of the many rooms. You were still alive, but you were weak. Weak from carrying this burden alone. Weak from fighting against yourself constantly. This being a small sacrifice for them to finally have you in their grasp.

Since the day they consumed some of your power, the city of Redak took a complete 180⁰ turn. The rage that once dominated the streets had subsided, the hate in the eyes of its citizens was replaced by compassion. To put it simply, Redak returned to what it once was before the great fall of the peace tower. People were genuinely happy again.

It’s been almost five days since you gave them your trust. Yoongi was keeping watch over your sleeping form when a soft whimper escaped your once silent mouth. He has never moved so fast in his life. One moment he was sitting near the window watching the trees move with the wind, the next he was kneeling beside you, screaming for the others as he carefully took your hand in his.

Even with the big sacrifice you made, the boys never expected you to stay asleep for so long. They missed your voice, your eyes, your everything. They wanted to see what a real smile would look like, what your laugh would sound like, what your lips would taste like. What it would feel like to own such beauty.

It took Namjoon and Hoseok exactly 5 seconds to make it to beside Yoongi. All three of them carefully watched for any signs of life or movement. When nothing happened for a few moments the feeling of true fear took hold of them. What if you never came back? Might they have overdone it? Did they hurt you that badly that perhaps you wanted to stay away?

Just as they were about to give up, another small whimper escaped your throat. Accompanying said whimper your eyes fluttered open. Their relieved faces being the first thing you see. A soft subtle smile pulling at your lips as you finally felt free.

So naïve.

[nestasgalpal]

Folklore (Nesta Archeron Fanfiction)

Peace

Nesta and Clare shared many kisses over the last years together, but each day the distance between them grew, both girls knowing what their destiny was meant to be. Two of those kisses had been underwater, the same summer Clare tought her how to show affection with her lips. Nesta and Elain didn’t know how to swim, so the farmer’s daughter tought them. She always invited Feyre to come along, she was too kind not to, but Feyre hardly ever accepted the offer. There was tension between Nesta and her youngest sister, and the afternoons she spent laying with her friends while Feyre went hunting where the cause.

Back when they arrived to the village it was Feyre who finally decided they wouldn’t die without trying everything to survive first, so she tought herself how to set a trap and started going to the first lines of the forest to test them. Then, she made weapons and started to go further into the woods. Nesta spent the days in bed crying their loss, not caring about Feyre hunting some rabbits. When she realized her sister wasn’t traping little rodents anymore but shooting arrows to full grown deers, she felt it was too late now to intervene.

“I could show my concern, but then... what? What was I supposed to do next?” she frequently thought

Nesta knew she would die in a heartbeat, as would Elain, neither of them could do what Feyre had learned to do. So she allowed her little siter to do the work.

And she got so used to it, at some point she forgot she was the oldest one. She met Clare, Tomas and a few more girls from the village, and realized that having friends made her life better. Elain, who was as polished as Nesta, fitted in, but Feyre, too tired to try, didn’t. So she, once again, left her behind.

Nesta felt bad, but she needed the spark of joy their company provoked so badly, she decided to put herself first. It was not only the company, but the sense of superiority it gave her knowing nobody arround her could live up to her. Around them, she was a lady, admired, even if she was wearing a worn-out grey dress. Starving was not the only way to die; it was deffinetly not the way Nesta feared the most. She was scared of the growing feeling inside of her that she was wasting her days, rotting, going to waste, so she held tight to the few moments of joy she could find

Feyre was rotting too, Nesta knew it and it geniunly hurt her, but still, she did nothing. Every time she realized Feyre’s pain, she felt it was too late. Every time, she considered the idea of being honest with Feyre, she recoiled, thinking her words would make no difference. Yes, Feyre would know her oldest sister was even more misserable then she tought, but it would still be her the one to come back to the woods looking for food. Every time, she took the easy way, and every time, she ended up regreting it and still doing nothing about it the next time.

Yet Clare always invited Feyre to go with them, no matter how many times she was rejected or how rude Feyre’s response came out. Clare always had a smile for her.

Clare’s happyness made Nesta’s days a little brighter, even if she was permanently sad. She tought both Elain and her how to swim, and once they mastered it, they would have diving competitions. That’s when they dared to kiss. Her sister had to count the time from the shore, and both of them woud “hold their breath under water”.

But they kissed, and that made Nesta skim true joy with her fingertips.

Almost there. She was almost there, when they pressed their lips together.

When their last autumn together came, they only thing they pressed together ere their forheads, silent tears runing down their faces. Every touch they shared in the past, a secret they would never tell.

Nesta and her sisters were forced into adulthood that year, summer gone with their lack of responsabilities. Winter coming, filled with loss.

“If I had only known” Nesta thought now, unable to sleep because of the cold of the Mountains.

They were 21 now, many years had passed, but the dynamic between Clare and her had stayed the same. They were friends. They looked at eachother with sad longing, knowing they would never get more than that.

They would talk about boys.

“I heard Tomas’ dad hits his mother” Nesta murmured. The streets were covered by orange and red leaves in addition to the usual mud.

“Yeah, I heard the same thing” Clare’s voice was raspy, her cold getting worst.

Elain and Nesta were holding hands. The three of them were walking down the street towards the market.

“But you will still marry him, right?” It was Elain, who didn’t raise her voice either, so her words were hard to catch.

“He hasn’t asked me to” Nesta repied.

She had always hated talking about boys -men, now-. She didn’t want to leave the fantasy of being welthy again so she could find someone better; maybe she could become welthy enough she didn’t even have to marry at all. But time passed, and she was being forced to put her feet back to the ground.

Would she marry him knowing her future was probably gonna be the same one Thomas’ mother was enduring now?

Yes, she would.

Because even if his family was poor, the Archeron were even poorer. Feyre had to go deeper and deeper into the forest to come back with something, and the winter was starting early this year. She felt like there wasn’t much she could do to help her, but this -marrying Tomas so her sister could rest-, this she could and would do.

“He will ask you soon, I’m sure” Clare said.

Nesta had to lean over a little to meet her eyes, since Elain was in the middle and she was slightly taller than both Clare and her.

“He might choose you, Clare, he likes you too”

“He won’t” her friend was sure. “When we meet, the only thing he does is talk about you. To be fair, you are prettier. I would say you are the most beautifull girl in the village”

Nesta’s cheeks would have gone red if it wasn’t too cold for her face to be hot.

A few weeks later, Nesta woke up to Elain shaking her. He was gonna propose to her, had finally told Clare she was not the one, and the first thing her friend had done, of course, was run to the Archeron’s house to tell her. Elain opened the door, so she and her father already knew.

“He is gonna ask you to marry him, Nesta!” Elain was euphoric. She was happy for her, because, after all, Tomas was good looking and nice. Nesta didn’t love him... she was not sure if she even liked him, but he had been polite and conformed himself with kisses from Nesta, nothing more. His kisses weren’t nearly as good as Clare’s, but she never complained. They were still good.

“Get up, Nes!” Claire was just as excited. Was she glad it wasn’t her? Was she happy for her own freedom now that she had been rejected, or was it true happiness? “Come on, dear, you have to get dressed, he could ask you any moment from now!”

Nesta obeyed and cleaned herself up. She felt pretty, that much was true. Even with her swollen face, she still recognized enough of her mother in herself as to feel like a proper lady; that helped her forget where she actually lived and who she was about to marry.

They were chatting about the imminent proposal when Feyre arrived, grumpy as always, and tried to ridiculized them for focusing in such things. If Feyre knew why she was doing it she might be nicer about it, but Nesta never got to tell her. As always, she felt it was too late now to share her feelings with Feyre, like the bond between them had vanished the moment she left for the woods and Nesta stayed in bed crying insted of going with her. If she shared her real thoughts and intentions now, Feyre would probably laugh at her, and Nesta’s heart couldn’t afford to be humilliated like that.

Nesta still wouldn’t have blamed Feyre for doing it. She understood why the proposal seemed so unimportant to her sister.

Nasta hated to talk about boys too.

But when she came back to the memory now, after her sister exiled her, she really wished she had told her, because that night their lives changed forever: Feyre was taken from them, stolen, and, again, Nesta could do nothing. The sister she knew, the one she failed to protect once, was lost forever, and the idea of Nesta that Feyre had in that moment, apparently rooted in her mind so deep, there was nothing she could do to change it now. She would live forever, and no matter what she did and how many times she sacrificed herself, Feyre’s love would never return to her.

What broke her heart -and Nesta really felt in that moment that it was shattered beyond repair- was Feyre warning her about Tomas and what his fatehr did to his wife. Feyre, who risked her life to protect them day after day, who Nesta thought hated her, would rather keep doing it for the rest of her life than let her marry the woodcutter’s son. Nesta, who was already aware of what Fayre was warning her about, would have also sacrificed the rest of her life to make it up to her youngest sister. But now, Feyre would never know.

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This chapter was inspired by Peace, which I thought martched how Nesta might have felt about Feyre by the time she was taken by Tamlin. It’s not a literal translation of the lyrics, but I don’t know, I get the same vibe. Listen to it and tell me what you think, I appreciate the feed back!!

Nesta never shared with Feyre the same sister love she had with Elain, but I think she loved Feyre just the same. I think Nesta hates to talk about her feelings, she keeps them to herself and feels like it’s too late now to tell Feyre she loves her, like it will leave her exposed, so she won’t do it just to avoid the posibility of Feyre laughing at her or even just rejecting her. “All these people think love's for show/ But I would die for you in secret/ The devil's in the details/ But you got a friend in me/ Would it be enough/ If I could never give you peace?”

I think when Nesta realized Feyre’s sacrifice (go hunting) she realized Feyre had given too much for the family to ever make it up to her and felt even worst, but still was unable to verbalize it, so regret just burned inside of her. (“Your integrity makes me seem small/ You paint dreamscapes on the wall”

[onlytime1]

A love letter to Octavia Blake

It’s kinda strange to write this one, but i guess the moment was meant to come. The night before the series finale, damn how strange that feels, series finale of this series. I write it here in the tag where a deep part of my love and rootin for Octavia were nurished and cultivated day by day as the yrs went by. 

I’m a hella of a happy person, i feel like the luckiest in the world with what i have; i faced only one moment of darkness in the past, trapped in uncertaity and anxiety and stress; i knew who i was and i knew what i wanted, what i was searching for, I also realized where i belonged along the way just as Octavia did; I just needed a push to go for what i deserved   and Octavia was the one who empowered me to do so. It’s like we walked a path of finding where you belong together.

About say 2 yrs ago I wrote a similar post out of sheer fear that was the last night I was seein Octavia alive...well two yrs have gone by and she s still here; about to face the feared series finale.

I can’t say I don’t fear to lose her; because the fear of losing her has basically accompanied me ever since that fateful snake encounter at the lake all the way back in 1x01; but i write this post with a different approach than that one; and I so wish to see her happy I hope she survives and gets the happy ending that she has always deserved; because she s the hero, THE REAL HERO, of this fuckin show; but here comes the but; Its because i know she s a hero, THE HERO, that I  know she goes in while others run out, I know she has her sword/gun out while others put it down, she looks for battle and doesn t cover from it; she shelters the others, never herself; knows when instead of showing up; its time to quietly hide and surprise the enemy; and viceversa when loud approach steps over quiet and stealth;because she s a hella of a strategist too....

I know all of these things, and I know in less than 24 hrs she might be gone; or maybe not; but if that s the case I just hope it will be as heroic as her life.

So this is my love letter to the character that sought me out of darkness to have a life.

To the girl under the floor: who, with her kindness and diplomacy became the bridge between earth and sky; for she was humble in lookin always at the ground while others looked always from above their noses.

To Indra’s second: who learned that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, that differences enrich us and embraced her warrior call with pride and earnest to learn; for  being warrior became the consacrated job to save others.

To the girl who for the first time knew betrayal and was once again swung into loss: who felt her heart heavy as she watched people who had accepted her as their own die undeservingly; who never hid her pain, especially when it hit the closest home; but used it to once more to spare everybody else bad fates. 

To skairipa: who already knew Lincoln s mission was her very own; who wanted to die but couldn’t because the fate of humanity rested once again in her hands; who wished for the unity the Girl under the floor already knew could be reached and to Osleya who made that dream come true; who gave people their right to choose their destiny for her heart looked in theirs and for the first time knew they were all ONE. Wonkru.

To Blodreina: who was the best leader this mf show could’ve ever asked for; who held the fort thro the good and the heartbreaking days, who crushed her heart, who hurt in silence and pushed down her fears her wish to reach beyond because she needed to bring her people home. For her strength held thro it her people, for her lonliness kept everybody else together and taught them to be one, for her bravery where everybody else who was supposed to help left; she stayed. For the hero that was denigrated, that has horrible lines written on her(sometimes given to Octavia herself)for the writers to justify the true villains of the show (blorke) instead of gettin the praise she deserves.

To the girl of the anomaly: who traveled thro time and space; who found unexpected company, that later became her life, and  a family that truly deserves(d) to call her their family too. For she got to taste happiness, real happiness, after a life of hardships.

To Mama bear O (and aunt my ass, we all know those two were married and Hope is as much her kid as Diyoza’s): who went from scared of dropping the baby to the kiddo droppin on her askin her to teach her how to be a warrior; who didn’t crumble to Bardo’s trials and didn’t give anyone up; her kid in primis; for she never ever crumbled to bullshit one single day in the whole series.

And in the end to Octavia Blake because she’s all of them in one person; carryin them all inside of herself, wearing them on her skin and their words still resounding in her head and if you look close you can see them all reflected in her eyes. Like thousands of lives and places and times in one person. They all tell the story of one person, that thro it all never forgot the basics of her heart; that allowed her to turn all these lives into character developement; into who s about to face the final battle. Octavia never EVER NEVER did anythin wrong, nor one single wrong choice; because her heart was always in the right place.

Both finales are very possible...both finales...would make sense, but as the hours go by and the finale approaches; i shall believe and hope life is the way for her.

See you all on the other side...

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We’re on the other side, octaviakru. 

We ve made it, our beautiful girl gets her happy ending, after saving the world once again for the uptenth time.

And i can t say i m surprised,because i knew the moment a test was called, the only one who could take it and pass it...was Octavia.

A true warrior knows when it s time to raise your arms up....and when to put them down and heal your broken hands...and if possible, to lay them down one last time. 

This time the wars had to end...and she ended them all, because her heart was always in the right place.

I footnote here for posterity the immense pride and emotion i felt when Hope sat on Octavia s throne, pointin once again another signal that only Octavia could end this, and all the pain from war she spared her and Diyoza s kiddo.

When she faught in war, she faught because they couldn’t be stopped, because they needed to happen, because they were a necessity;or because she was flung into them havin no other choice but to fight; what wasn t a necessity were the immense massacres blorke would accomplish everytime, thinkin that was the solution,....and that s why they failed, and Octavia succeded. Because whatever was her evolution she looked always at them as her equals, because she walked among them all and loved them all as her own, because she hurt and was heartbroken but never asked for anythin back and above all because she did right, she always did everything the right way; and not wrong like the blorkes who ended up askin to be absolved and givin out the “i DiD iT fOr tHem aLl, oH mY soUl”speech. 

[those70scomics]

I’ve never written a story where Jackie and Hyde have any children, and I still haven’t. But I have written partial outlines for a few. Today (as a gift to you on my birthday), I present what I have of a story called Fourteen Autumns.

Animation Tutorial - Falling Leaves by SadfaceRL

Summary: On the fourteenth autumn of her daughter’s life, Jackie is finally ready to be a mother to her -- and reconcile with Hyde. But after many years of disappointments, neither Hyde nor their daughter, Sparrow, are sure they’re ready to accept Jackie fully into their family. Or heart.

Fourteenth Autumn. October 25, 1993.

Jackie, Hyde, and thirteen-year-old Sparrow meet up at the Point Place Harvest Festival with Eric and Donna's family (they have two sons) and Red and Kitty. Jackie and Hyde need to have a serious talk. Eric and Donna take Sparrow away with them to facilitate this talk. Jackie's a soap opera actress in NYC. She pretends to be in love all the time on her show. Her character's been married five times. But her life is unfulfilling. She's emotionally cut-off. Acting in a soap opera means memorizing thirty pages on a good day. But she can be given up to eighty pages if production demands recording four episodes in one day. Soap opera acting is not where she imagined she'd still be by now. She'd hoped to transition to a prime-time show, comedy or drama. It just hasn't happened for her. She's switched soaps a few times and returned to her first one. Her agent keeps encouraging her to audition, but her career is not enough. She misses her connections to her friends and family. Hyde believes Jackie wants to fill her emotional void with Sparrow, and he won't let Jackie use her. Jackie says she still has feelings for Hyde, too. They've slept together on and off over the years. Jackie tried one-night stands and even dated a few people “seriously,” and the sex meant nothing. She needs the emotional connection. Hyde made Sparrow his focus once she was born. He slept around, but he never fell in love. He didn't want any relationship to pull his attention from raising Sparrow. Jackie wants to try dating Hyde again, and she wants to be in Sparrow's life. She'll quit acting. Hyde says she's too ambitious to give up on her passion / career. Jackie says unless she writes something herself, like an independent movie, and gets it funded, she won't be living her passion anyway. Hyde says Sparrow's turning fourteen soon. She'll enter high school next year. Jackie asks if that means Jackie can't be mom to her daughter if her daughter's a teenager. Hyde says Jackie hasn't been a mom to Sparrow for thirteen years. Jackie is hurt by this. Hyde understands why.

First Autumn. Late September, 1979.

Jackie is a month away from giving birth. She and Hyde are in the same park as in 1993. Leaf colors are just barely starting to change. Hyde tells Jackie, “I'm not so sure about this adoption thing.” Jackie tells Hyde that she has to give the baby up for adoption. He says its our baby, not the. Jackie says it won't be. She's already had to defer college a semester. She wants her future. Raising a baby isn't right. She has no parental support with her dad in prison and mom off in Mexico or wherever again. Jackie says keeping the child would be selfish. Hyde's thought about that a lot since learning Jackie was pregnant. And he's tried to convince himself that letting his child be raised by other people is the right thing to do. But he feels connected to their kid. He'll always wonder, “What if?”

He loves Jackie, and he thinks they can handle it. He knows that this all sounds weird coming from him. But they don't need Jackie's parents. Hyde's got two sets of his own: W.B. and the Formans. Money's not going to be a problem, and neither is daycare. Hyde's got Grooves. Jackie can still go to college. She'll just have to put it off for a year instead of months and transfer to one she can commute to. Jackie got into NYU's acting program. She can't—and won't—give that up.

Hyde says but she can give up their kid?

Jackie says, again, it won't be theirs. She's—they're—giving it up for adoption. She's been looking through the portfolios of potential parents, and she's come up with three choices. She wants Hyde to look at them with her. Hyde says he doesn't have to. He already knows who their kid's dad is. Jackie [desperate]: “Steven, please!” Hyde says, “I'm raising our kid, Jackie. With or without you. I want it to be with, but I won't force you, all right? I won't. But I got this--” he presents an engagement ring--“a month ago. That's when I realized I didn't want to give up our kid, but I had no clue how to talk to you about it.” Jackie says he can't use marriage as a trap, just like he used to tell her she couldn’t against him.

Hyde says he doesn't mean it as a trap but as a promise they'll be partners in this, in everything. Jackie: “I need you to be my partner in letting the—our child go.” Hyde: “I can't.” Jackie, devastated, knows she's lost. She can't deny Hyde the right to be their child's father. “Then you'll lose me.” Hyde: “Jackie—” Jackie: “Because I can't be in this child's life. I'm going to be in debt for half my life to pay for school. I don't … I'm not capable of raising a child right now. Maybe if I'd gotten pregnant ten years from now, but not today.” She says his mom always resented his birth, his existence, because it meant the end of all the hopes and dreams she had for her life. His mom was only nineteen. Jackie's only eighteen, and she doesn't want to resent her child.

If she could somehow freeze the baby and thaw it once Jackie was ready to be a mother … but that's not possible, and she's not ready. And no matter how much she might love their child, part of her will probably resent it. And it won't be their child's fault. Just like his mom's resentment wasn't Steven's fault. But she won't be able to help how she feels. She'd rather let two loving people, who are absolutely ready and willing and wanting to raise a baby have their child than risk making their child feel unloved in any way. Hyde is quite emotional over this comparison. He says, “I don't want our kid ever feeling the way I did, either. I'm not exactly ready to be a dad, okay? I get it. But I already...” Jackie takes his hand and places it on her stomach. She understands. Steven loves their child.   Jackie: “You also already have a career you're happy with. Three parents who adore and support you. We were both afraid of the future for different reasons, and in different ways, but you're not anymore because your present is settled. You trust it. But without this baby, my future is full of possibilities. With it, my destiny is written, and it's not the one I want.” Hyde can't argue. Grief is written on his face. She sees it. Jackie: “I know I sound selfish, and maybe I am being selfish. But I truly believe giving this baby up for adoption is the kindest, least selfish option for all of us.” Hyde: “Not for me.”

First Autumn. October 25, 1979.

Hyde and Mrs. Forman are taking a walk on a leaf-strewn path. Hyde's been taking Kitty's baby-care class all month. He's read baby-care books the month before that and asked Kitty all kinds of questions. Kitty asks if Hyde's excited about becoming a father. Jackie's due date is so soon.

Hyde says he's scared but relieved Jackie agreed to let him raise the kid … and that the Formans agreed to help as much as they can. Kitty says this is her first grandchild. She's honored and so happy Hyde decided to raise the child. She's worried about Jackie, though. Kitty tried to convince Jackie to hold the baby after birth, just so she wouldn't have any questions. Just to have a moment of bonding. Jackie is adamant she has no contact with the baby.

This hurts Hyde's heart. Hyde says Jackie's got to do what she's got to do. Kitty questions him and asks if that statement represents how he actually feels.

Hyde: “It’s reality.”

Kitty: “I’m so terribly sorry -- and incredibly sad -- that your baby broke you and Jackie up.”

Hyde: “Me, too.” Kitty changes the subject (for herself and him). She asks if Hyde's thought of a name yet.

Hyde: “If it's a boy, Zeppelin. If it's a girl, Zeppelin.”

Kitty [horrified]: “You can't name your child after a blimp.”

Hyde says Led Zeppelin is his favorite band.

Kitty doesn't care. He has to think of a proper name for his child.

Hyde remembers when Jackie used to talk about boy and girl names she'd want to name their future kids. He used to get so uncomfortable with these conversations that he'd come up with the most ridiculous names to shut her up. But he doesn't want to pick one of the names Jackie wanted since their kid might resent Jackie for choosing not to be in her life. Kitty asks if he looked through the baby name book she gave him.

He says he has, but none of the names stuck out at him. He was named after his stepdad, who was named after his dad. A SPARROW lands near them on a fence. It draws Hyde's focus. In this moment, he emotionally connects to how his life is going to change completely in a few days. He won't be responsible only for himself but another life: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Kitty sees that Hyde is getting emotional. His face is flushing. Kitty hugs him, like she knows what he needs. He doesn't hug her back immediately.

She says, “You won't be doing this alone. I promise, Steven. Red and I consider you our son, and we won't let you do this alone.” Hyde's arms wrap around Kitty in this moment, and he says, “Thanks. ... I--” He takes a deep breath and laughs to release tension. “Fuck it. I love you.” Kitty hugs him tighter. That's the first time he's ever said the words aloud without her prompting him.

Kitty: “I love you, too—and watch your language. You're about to have a baby!” She lets go of Hyde, and they laugh. He wipes his wet eyes, and they continue walking.

First Autumn. October 28, 1979.

Hospital delivery room. Jackie gives one final push, and out comes her and Hyde’s daughter. Hyde has his shirt unbuttoned. He sits in a chair, and the doctor puts the baby in Hyde's arms, against his chest for warmth. The doctor and nurses dry off and clean up the baby while she's in Hyde's arms. They also evaluate baby. She's fine. They cut the umbilical cord. Hyde: “Jackie, you've got to see her—just see her. She's beautiful.” No answer. Nurse says low,  “We've got a room all set up for you down the hall. It's probably best we go.” Hyde: “Jackie's still breathing?” Nurse, “Yes. She's all right, but we need to respect her wishes.” Hyde stands with the baby. The nurse guides Hyde toward the door, but Jackie says, “Wait!” Hyde does. He turns around. Jackie says, “Let me hold her.” Hyde brings the baby to Jackie and places her on Jackie's bare chest. Jackie, with tears in her eyes, has a moment of connection with her child. She kisses the top of the baby's head then lets her go. Hyde, holding the baby against his own bare chest, says, “Do you want to know her name?” Jackie [crying]: “Yes.” Hyde: “Sparrow Katherine.” Jackie doesn't remark on whether or not she likes the name. She just nods weakly, as if she's accepted the baby's not hers to name. She willingly gave up that right.

First Autumn. November 1, 1979.

Hyde's in what used to be Laurie's room. It's now Hyde's room and decorated like it, too. Inside is also Sparrow's crib -- which Red made -- a changing table, and a rocking chair that Mrs. Forman insisted on. Shelves are filled with parenting books as well as books to read to Sparrow. By the crib, on Hyde's nightstand, is a baby monitor; a gift from Angie. Hyde's sitting in the rocking chair. No sunglasses. Sparrow is five-days-old, and Hyde is bottle-feeding her while Eric and Donna visit from Madison college. They wanted to see their goddaughter. Eric and Donna couldn't be there during the week, or birth, because of school. They drove down Friday night, arriving too late to see the baby in the hospital. But now they're talking with Hyde and amazed at Sparrow. Hyde finishes the feeding and burps her. He hopes she keeps down the formula, but Mrs. Forman taught him how to feed her so she doesn't swallow too much air. Eric: “I can't believe you're a dad.” Donna: “I can't believe Sparrow is so quiet. Can I hold her … if she doesn't throw up?” Hyde: “Yeah, I think it's safe. But just in case...”

He indicates a soft towel on the changing station. Eric gets it. Donna places it over her shirt, and Hyde hands her the baby. Donna holds Sparrow properly. Hyde gets nervous when new people hold his kid, but he trusts Donna. Donna is totally enamored with Sparrow. She says, “Her eyes are so blue!” Hyde: “Mrs. Forman says that could change in six months. Maybe she's got Jackie's eyes.” Donna [smiling / close to nuzzling Sparrow's face]: “Well, she doesn't seem to have Jackie's temper.” Eric: “So, Hyde, how are you doing with all this?” Hyde: “Great, man. Red and Mrs. Forman are in love with the kid. Angie's in town, taking care of the store while I'm on paternity leave, but she's been over here every night to get Sparrow-time—and Mrs. Forman's cooking. W.B. was here when Sparrow was born and helped out the first few days, too. Hell, I'm lucky if I get to parent Sparrow at all.” Donna [laughing]: “Come on. That's not true.” It isn't, but his family has really taken to Sparrow. Hyde knows how fortunate he is. He's got all the support he told Jackie they would get. Eric: “What about Jackie? I mean, she's not starting college until next semester. Has she … will she ..?” Hyde gets uncomfortable, and Sparrow starts to fuss in Donna's arms, as if she senses Hyde's discomfort. Donna passes Sparrow back to Hyde, and Hyde feels better with Sparrow in his arms. He sits in the rocking chair again.   Hyde: “Jackie held her in the hospital room. Then she let her go.” Let both of them go. “Not gonna say it doesn't kill me 'cause it does. But I didn't know I could feel like this...” He gazes at Sparrow, who grabs Hyde's finger. “It's freakin' unreal how much I love her.” Donna is touched. She lays her hand on Eric's knee and says, “You almost make me want to have kids.” Eric [nervous]: “You don't want kids?” Donna [who still has Sparrow's towel, which fell to her lap]: “I do. We've talked about that. Just not now.” Eric [relieved]: “Right. Right. Hey, Hyde, think I could hold her sometime?” Hyde: “After her nap, sure.” He begins to rock her in the chair. Donna: “Aw, you're such a softy.” “Should we tell Aunt Donna to get bent?” Hyde says to Sparrow -- with a voice he'd never heard come out of him until she was born. It should disturb him, how sickeningly sweet it is, but it doesn't. He looks up at Donna and says with his normal tone, “Sparrow says I should give you a break.” Donna: “Thanks, Sparrow.”   Eric: “Speaking of Sparrow, how'd you come up with that name? I thought for sure you'd name her Clapton or Hendrix.” Hyde: “A sparrow showed up at the right time.”

So did Forman and his folks. And Donna. W.B. and Angie … and Jackie. All the people he's ever needed in his life showed up when he needed them, and Sparrow's the latest one in that list.

Sparrow yawns, and Hyde kisses Sparrow's forehead. He's going to be there for Sparrow no matter what happens in her life or where she chooses to go. She'll always have him to come back to.

Tenth Autumn. October 5, 1989.

SPARROW'S DIARY. October 5. Jackie sent Sparrow her first diary. It has a purple cover, her favorite, and Jackie glued a picture of a sparrow to the cover. SPARROW writes about this in her first diary entry. October 5, 1989. Hello, diary. How are you? I know you can't answer, but I'm happy Mom bought you for me. You're my favorite color, purple, and Mom glued a pretty picture of a sparrow on the front. She said in her note that you're one of her any-time presents. She sends those to me a lot. I wish she was here. I almost never see her—except on TV. Farmor lets me watch her on Nights of Our Days sometimes. Dad doesn't like it, but I want to know my mom. I mean, Dad's told me a lot about her. He answers all my questions, but it's not the same as talking to her. She doesn't love me. Dad says she does, but he also says presents don't mean love, and I think the same thing. But people who do love me give me presents a lot, too, like Dad and Farmor, Farfar, and Grandpa. But they also spend time with me and take me to places like the zoo and Funland and play games with me, and I know they love me, and I love them. I don't know if I love Mom. Dad says that's okay. He doesn't love his mom, either. His mom hurt him really bad, but he won't tell me how. He says she's like Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, and that's scary. I've seen that movie about a hundred times. Farmor reminds me of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. She's my grandma, and she's so funny. We laugh all the time, but she's also like my mom. Not Mom but an actual mom. I love her so much, and I love my dad more than anything. I wish he was happier. … I mean, he is happy. I'm happy, too, but sometimes we're both sad. He loves Mom, and maybe I should, too? Maybe I do. I'm just so MAD at her. Anyway, diary, I better go. Talk to you again soon!

That’s all I wrote. But had I finished this story, we would’ve gotten glimpses of Hyde, Sparrow, and Jackie's lives throughout autumns two through thirteen -- with Jackie and Hyde’s (and eventually Sparrow’s) conversation during the fourteenth autumn interspersed among the chapters.

The epilogue would’ve been the fifteenth autumn, a year after Jackie asks to be part of Sparrow and Hyde’s lives. We see that the family is together and happy, although still working through things. But everything is moving in the right direction.

[manifestationtips4you]

5 Simple Ways to Change Your Life With The Law Of Attraction (Learn This)

Johanna, a college student from Kuala Lumpur, had been struggling to finish her studies.

She was living in a dorm with other students and had trouble making ends meet.

Johanna was on a scholarship which meant she needed to keep her grades high while working part-time to support her living expenses.

Strapped for time and resources, she barely got by and started feeling burnt out. If Johanna wasn't hitting the books, she was working.

Everything started to become a blur and she was losing motivation to keep going.

It got so bad that Johanna even thought about telling her parents she couldn't do it anymore and drop out of college.

But then a classmate from her philosophy class introduced her to the Law of Attraction.

Jacques, a foreign exchange student from Canada, had been reading up on it and applied it in his own life.

According to him, it had helped him manifest a solution to his own problems.

He had lived in an abusive home growing up, and Jacques learned how to shift his thinking and perspective to change his circumstances.

Johanna wasn't sure at first what to make of it, but she took Jacques's word for it and started applying its principles in her own life.

Click Here To Discover the Lazy Person's Secret To Get Everything You've Ever Wished For <= [Link this text via your affiliate link]

After she made a shift in her own mindset and attitude, Johanna started to experience some positive changes.

She eventually quit her part-time job and found another one with better pay and hours which helped with her living expenses.

It also helped free up her time, so she managed to study AND start a side income project selling items online.

Johanna ended up growing her side business so much that she got Jacques to help her manage it.

By the end of the academic year, she had turned into a completely different person.

Johanna was no longer a depressed, burned-out student from before. She had become a self-sufficient student and even made the dean's list!

The Power of Changing Your Focus

Sometimes, we get so discouraged that we feel powerless to change our situation.

Like Johanna, we fall into a FIXED mindset where we think things will stay the same and we can't do anything about it.

But the only way to break out of this negative spiral is by changing your INNER world.

This is the key to influencing your external world so you can move forward in life.

In a nutshell, the Law of Attraction is a way of living that requires you to change your frequency.

When you do this, the Universe will pick up your signal and your life will change for the better.

As for the frequency I mentioned, this is basically the vibration of energy that your mind gives off.

You can either operate at a high or low vibration, and each type will give you a specific result.

Most people don't realize they're giving off low-frequency energy, which is actually making their situation worse. Discover the Lazy Person's Secret To Get Everything You've Ever Wished For - CLICK HERE

The main problem is when you attach your emotions to your external circumstances.

For instance, it's easy to feel bad when you're broke. And naturally, it's just as easy feel the opposite if you had money in the bank.

Similarly, seeing other people in a happy, romantic relationship will make you bitter and angry if you're single.

And so on…

I'm not saying it's wrong to feel bad about things like that. However, you shouldn't use your circumstances (and how you FEEL about them) as an excuse to STOP trying.

People fail to realize that NOT doing anything about their situation will only make them feel WORSE. And this further traps them in a vicious cycle of negativity and inaction.

Thus, the Law of Attraction will help you install a more positive attitude in your consciousness.

This keeps your mind from being overrun by negativity - and more importantly, give you the leverage to BREAK FREE from your situation.

With some practice, your thoughts and actions will effortlessly work together to attract positive circumstances in your life.

But where should you start? Here are some ways to put the Law of Attraction into action and start creating massive changes:

#1: Share Your Gifts to the World

The Bible talks about the power of giving, and how it outweighs the benefits of getting.

But no matter what your faith or beliefs are, it helps to think of generosity on a LARGER SCALE.

Giving is more than just a virtue - it's a type of cosmic currency.

When you perform acts of kindness or share your resources for no other reason than WANTING TO, you're putting this currency into circulation.

And soon enough, this positive energy you send into the world - and the Universe as a whole - will find its way back to you.

You won't get it in the same form, but it will come around, one way or another.

I know that sometimes, giving feels like the LAST thing you want to do - especially when your own life is lacking in some capacity.

Why bother extending yourself when you've got enough to worry about for yourself?

But that's exactly the point.

Giving - even when you THINK you can't - will prove that this is a FALSE perception.

Let your acts of generosity serve as a reminder to everyone that in spite of everything, life IS and will ALWAYS be abundant.

Trust in the infinite energy of the Universe and tune into its unique frequency.

Your selflessness is the key to that. A generous attitude raises the quality of the vibrations you send out into the world.

Escaping the scarcity mindset and the fear of not having enough is one of the most liberating things you can do.

By doing so, you're FREE to improve the lives of others - and yours in the process.

Learn How To Use Destiny Tuning To Manifest The Life You Want - CLICK HERE

#2: Stop hanging out with losers

I don't mean to sound judgmental, but there are people in your life that will try to drag you down, whether they're aware of it or not.

You should avoid them at all costs.

People in a bad situation will try to feel better about themselves by spreading their toxic way of thinking to others.

They pull others down with their hurtful words, or convince them that they're not good enough.

Instead of doing something about their own situation, it's easier to go down this dark path and take everyone else with them.

And the Law of Attraction states that when you focus on something, the Universe will feed you more of the SAME.

So the good news is that you can choose to avoid this downward spiral and get on another path instead.

This is why you need to be careful about the company you keep. Choose the people that can share their constructive energy with you.

If their attitude, mindset and words lift you up, you know you're in the right place.

Their energy is contagious, and you'll naturally raise your own frequency and attract only good things in your life.

As for toxic people, I know there are times when you simply can't avoid them.

They could be family, friends, or co-workers - and you might be even living with some of them.

It's a challenge for sure, but do your best not to let their negative energy get to you.

You don't have to butt heads with them and simply respond with positivity.

If you're in a conversation with them, try to frame it in a healthy, positive way so you don't get sucked into their toxic field of gravity.

You don't have to change their mind; just take the “agree to disagree” route and leave it at that.

Who knows, your own energy might “rub off” on their consciousness. They might even think about what you told them and re-evaluate their own perspective.

#3: Get out from under the grind

We all have our lives to lead, and that means falling into a routine.

Now, don't get me wrong - having structure in your life is important and even necessary.

At a basic level, we need it to function on a daily basis. Incorporating helpful habits into your everyday routine is a GOOD thing.

However, there is a danger in being TOO embedded in it and shutting yourself off to trying NEW things.

Sticking too closely to your routine could make you afraid of the unfamiliar and uncomfortable - and hinder your GROWTH in the process.

So if you want to attract new and exciting things into your life, you should carve out some room for that.

Learn How To Use Destiny Tuning To Manifest The Life You Want - CLICK HERE

Doing things that help you grow ALWAYS has a place in a well-balanced life. A stable, healthy routine is the best way to avoid a soul-crushing existence.

What are the things that inspire you?

Outside of your usual chores and duties, what gives you a sense of fulfillment - even if it doesn't pay the bills?

People usually shoot down any desire for this because they're afraid they “don't have enough time.”

But you'll see just how flimsy that excuse is once you actually take the plunge and spend that time you didn't think you had.

In as little as half an hour, you could engage in a fulfilling pursuit. Find (or rekindle) a hobby, take up an online course or watch free videos.

Let it energize your senses, inspire you to greatness and empower you to create something wonderful in this world.

More than that, you can acquire knowledge to advance you in some way, like learning a skill, for example.

I recently came across a post on Twitter that made me smile.

It said: “There's too much free information online for y'all not be crushin it in whatever field.”

Use your precious time to invest in a better you and express yourself through your passions.

Don't worry about the “if”s and “how”s. Just get started with something now, and the rest of your life will adjust to it.

You won't know what new avenues will open up UNTIL you get the ball rolling,

#4: Quiet your mind

Meditation is one habit that goes very well with practicing the Law of Attraction.

When you learn how to control your thoughts (instead of the other way around), you're in the best position to manifest the things you want.

A lot of people find it challenging to keep their thoughts above water when they're flooded with negative emotions.

With meditation, you can take a step back and remove yourself from a situation in a healthy way.

There are books, free content online and mobile apps that can help you with this.

For instance, I just tried out the Insight app on my phone which is kind of like the YouTube equivalent for meditation.

Learn How To Use Destiny Tuning To Manifest The Life You Want - CLICK HERE

You can search by a specific person or channel, or even topics like easing anxiety, anger management, and so on.

This is a low-maintenance habit which will only take about 10-15 minutes daily. You could even spend five minutes if you're really strapped for time!

This basically works by sitting down on the floor (or a chair) and closing your eyes.

The idea is to take slow, measured breaths and pay attention to the physical sensations you're feeling at the moment.

Are your muscles tense? Is your heart beating quickly from the stress you're currently experiencing?

These are some of the things to be mindful of as you breathe in and out. If any other thoughts enter your mind, don't resist it.

Don't chase after them and just let it pass. Then you can go back to focusing on the rhythm of your breath.

Take this time to focus on the feelings of love, health, success and prosperity.

In other words, the things you want to ATTRACT.

Concentrate your attention on inhaling and exhaling. Once you've calmed your mind enough, you're ready to visualize the things you want to manifest in life.

This will have a powerful effect on your subconscious and put you on the path towards your goals.

And that brings us to the last life-changing habit…

#5: Affirmations

Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers in history, was known for saying, “What you're thinking is what you're becoming.”

Indeed.

That attitude helped him become what he was, and it will serve you well, too.

Most of the time, people don't pay attention to the kind of thoughts they hold in their heads.

Left unchecked, they often feed into a toxic narrative they have about themselves without realizing it.

Like I said earlier, what you put in your subconscious affects you.

The things you tell yourself are like seeds you plant in your mind and they'll grow over time. Those same thoughts will express themselves in your actions and the choices you make.

So, you need to be careful which seeds you plant.

Joseph Murphy, author of the book, “The Power of the Subconscious Mind”, tells us that this part of your mind can't distinguish which thoughts are real or imagined.

As far as it's concerned, your subconscious will treat it as FACT whether it's happening in the physical world or NOT.

Thus, people don't just operate on these subconscious beliefs. Without being aware of it, they're turning their thoughts into reality.

And it WILL happen - one way or another.

The perception you have about yourself is largely influenced by the people you had around while growing up.

Their input - whether good or bad - left a mark on your subconscious that's hard to shake off.

And this programming kicks in whenever you make decisions and it dictates how you respond to tough times.

This inner dialogue can act as your inner voice of confidence and self-assurance…

…or as in most people's cases, it's the voice of fear and self-doubt.

You might think you're not good enough or smart enough because you couldn't stop the bad things from happening.

You curse yourself for messing things up, then blame it on some pre-assigned character defect.

Usually, it's in the form of labels like “Loser”, “Hopeless Case”, “Slacker”, “Weirdo” and so on.

But remember, these labels only have as much power over as you ALLOW it.

You can apply the Law of Attraction to change this inner chatter and rewire your mind for success instead.

It's impossible to attract wealth, abundance and happiness if you're focused on putting yourself down.

Learn How to Force the Universe to Manifest Your Dream Life - CLICK HERE

You can do the opposite by using encouraging statements that will empower you to take action.

Here are some examples to try during your meditation sessions:

Affirmations that span across time: Think about what's already happened, what's happening now, and what's yet to come. Then put it all together like this: “BEFORE, I was broke, miserable and hated the world. But I know better NOW and want to turn it around. Things are about to change, and SOON I'll be prosperous, happy and living my dream life.”

Affirmations that are crystal clear: Saying something like “I am loved” or “I am blessed” is a good start, but they're a bit vague. Try elaborating on these ideas and flesh them out even more. Then you'll end up with a statement like “I'm surrounded by people who love and support me. They help me grow as a person and want to see me succeed.” As for being blessed, you can say “I'm blessed with infinite opportunities and resources, and my life is full and abundant.”

Affirmations with an attitude: Another way to supercharge your subconscious is by being a little cheeky with your statements. When that voice of fear and insecurity kicks in, drown out the noise with, “Whatever, I'm amazing at everything I do. I fight like hell and do my best, and I can't hear what you're saying!” Adding some lighthearted humor amplifies your signal and makes it easier for the Universe to hear your thoughts. Try this the next time you're feeling especially down on yourself.

When you improve the quality of your thoughts, it's as if your circumstances will rearrange itself on their own.

These changes will seem to happen without doing much on your part. But the truth is that you're already doing the heavy lifting by disciplining your mind.

Starting today, you can apply these five tips I've just shared with you to create ripples of change in your life.

The more you practice them, the bigger waves will result from your efforts. I hope you make use of this knowledge and empower yourself for greatness.

Before I go, there's ONE MORE gift I'd like to share with you…

It's called the Manifestation Breakthrough Kit, and for a limited time I'm offering it totally FREE of charge.

You can combine this kit with the five tips you just learned to get even BETTER results.

learn how to FORCE the Universe to give you everything you've ever wanted…and MORE! - CLICK HERE

[raysreads]

Fractured Gravestones

The best stories are made of shattered glass.

They’re beautiful, they’re tragic, they’re sad, they’re hopeful, they’re so very bittersweet.

Whenever I experience a new story I always focus on the tragic side of it. Not because I like the despair, though that does play some distant and twisted role, it’s because of what the tragedy brings out in the characters. I love following their path, how they start as innocent children and slowly come to the horrific realization of what sentient beings can do. How even with the darkness they still fight, they still love, they still bleed...all for what they believe in, because they won’t just give up. 

No. 

They fight for life and freedom because it is right, and because no one else will. 

Maybe that's why my favorite stories are so sad sometimes.

An alien who travels across time, galaxies, universes and multiverses. Who has loved and lost more than anyone should. Who cannot be alone because he might become exactly what he fights. Who fell in love with a woman who became trapped and married a woman he met completely out of order and died upon their meeting. A man who saves and sacrifices and hurts and bleeds and asks for nothing in return. When will his time run out? When will it stop being ‘one last miracle’?

An Ice cold detective and his doctor, who run around solving crimes that no one else can. A genius who feels so fiercely that he shuts off all emotion to avoid getting hurt - again. A soldier who came home empty and is horrified to find that he misses the war. He faked his death once, who says it won't be real next time?

Two brothers and their angel who travel across the country in an old impala, fighting things of nightmares that most believe to be myth and legend. Going against all odds, against their own people, for what they believe is right. An angel always willing to bleed for them, family that would end the world for each other. They’ve died many times. when will it be permanent?

A boy drafted into a war before he was even born, who had a lightning bolt scar and a destiny he couldn't fight, and blood on his hands before he was twelve. One who grew up too fast and learned too quickly that magic wasn't always the stuff of childish dreams. His best friend who thinks he's not enough, youngest of 6 brothers who feels like his achievements don't matter. And the Brightest witch of her age, quick as a whip who saved her boys again and again. They are all drowning in blood before they are legally adults, red-stained hands leaving sticky smears in their wake, staining everything they touch. They were child soldiers, willing or not. When will the nightmares stop?

A hero of godly parentage who went to war at 16 and then was put through another before he became an adult. A boy with a loving mother who never gave up on him, an amazing half-goat best friend who would face the worst of his fears to save his life, and a girlfriend who he would bend heaven and earth for. He’s faced gods and monsters that grown men would fear, killed things that have devoured men thrice his age, bested those terrifying things repeatedly. When will the Gods leave him alone?

A group from the FBI who have been shot at, cut, imprisoned, isolated, blown up, and tortured. A genius who became addicted, a media liaison who lost a child, an ex-lawyer who lost a wife, an author dragged from retirement, a man forced to confront his traumatic past, an interpol agent made to fake her death, a bright and happy technical analyst made to see horrors before her screens every day. They are beaten, bruised and broken. How many horrific ways can someone think of killing. Why must their lives be paved with the bodies of victims never saved?

The MCRT from NCIS who have been betrayed, manipulated and hurt. Who have seen teammates die and families burn. A marine whose wife and child were murdered, an agent with a frat boy mask who almost died from the plague, an ex-mossad agent of a cracked family, an MIT graduate who was woken to real life too soon, a peppy forensic scientist whose optimism became dull, a medical examiner with a sick mother and his insecure assistant. How will they move on if everything they love keeps withering away?

A team of enhanced human beings; some with magic, some with power, some with pure skill; who help people. The universe was full of aliens and monsters and horrors untold. They kill them and incarcerate them and save the earth again and again and again from people much smarter, stronger and way more powerful than themselves. How much luck do they have? When will they go on a mission and not come back?

A Demon and an Angel in a bookshop in Soho who prevented the apocalypse. A Demon who loves plants and stares at galaxies that he helped create, never able to visit again. An angel with a love of books and food who must ‘always obey’ ‘never fail’. Two celestial beings who gave up everything for humanity and each other, and would do so again in a heartbeat. When will that not be enough? When must they let go?

There are many more stories; some popular, some obscure; but it always comes down to loving something or someone so much that you would sacrifice anything, even your own life, for it. 

And I love that.

Sure it’s sad, Kids killed. Dreams squandered. Hearts shattered. Souls bruised. Hope broken… But it has a sort of beauty, the fact that they keep fighting and loving and dreaming and helping despite that, because of that. 

Because no one deserves to go through the same pain they did.

[spectralreplica]

So I loved your response on who would be most likely to witch out in the PMMM/DR v3 au, but id love to ask, what did they all wish for? (Bonus: Also did those wishes backfire?)

So, these are my thoughts for right now, but if I actually planned more of the “story” for this AU, some of them might change. For some of them I kind of cheated and came up with the power first, but in my defense it’s hard to come up with wishes without having planned more of the plot, since Kyubey tries so hard to get people to make spur of the moment wishes during times of stress.

Kokichi: I see him as totally paranoid (rightfully so) over how Kyubey’s trying to trick him but still obsessing for weeks over the perfect phrasing for a wish just in case, and then suddenly a witch traps him and DICE in a Labyrinth and he ends up contracting with a totally spontaneous wish. Something like “saving my friends” or “being strong enough to protect my family.” For maximum irony, he’d end up with powers that get stronger when fighting with/to protect others but keep trying to fight alone anyway due to not trusting other magicals and not wanting to put DICE in danger. He’d also tell people he wished for other things like, “to rule the world from the shadows,” or “an infinite supply of scarfs.” As for backfiring, he does save everyone that one time, but they’re in more danger since other magicals end up targeting them when Kokichi poaches from their territories, plus they’re in the line of fire if/when he witches out.

Kaito: Like in the game, Kaito is terminally ill and wishes for something along the lines of “being healthy enough to achieve his dreams,” but he totally lies and says he wished for something like “being strong enough to help others.” He gets the power to temporarily boost other people’s powers and/or make their bodies regenerate from wounds. He kind of avoids using the healing part at first because it’s a little suspicious with his alleged wish and then pretends it’s a thing he’s been practicing. It doesn’t really go bad for him, and I don’t think he’d regret making the wish, even when he finds out about the Soul Gems controlling your body thing. Maybe when he realizes there are no witches in space? But even then I think he’d be in denial…

Shuichi: Shuichi ends up involved in a really serious case and just can’t find the piece that ties it all together even though everyone is counting on him. At the height of his anxiety, Kyubey approaches him, and he wishes to find the truth. He basically gets super intuition/lie detection with a (mental) visual interface sort of like the DR trials (truth bullets plus the mini games). This creates drama with certain other magicals who are hiding something (cough, Kokichi and Kaito) and makes him doubt his skills since he’s relying on magic to cheat.

Maki: Still an orphan, still approached by a cult, but then approached by Kyubey. She wishes that the cult would never bother anyone at the orphanage again, and they all end up arrested, dead, or mysteriously vanished. She basically gets the power to make things/people “go away” to a pocket dimension only she can access, and this makes other people sort of forget those things/people exist while they’re inside. She sees her wish as a necessary sacrifice, like her becoming an assassin in canon, so she is Not Happy when Kyubey approaches some of the other orphans.

Kaede: Honestly not sure???? She doesn’t really have anything in her backstory that would be a catalyst for Kyubey to approach her, so I see it as more of a random chance, situation-based thing, like Madoka healing the cat. Maybe she was trapped in a Labyrinth and wished for the power to fight survive, or to save a friend? Just know it’s not related to her piano playing. That’s all practice, and she likes it that way.

(Joke answer: Kaede gets super mad at someone from a distance and wishes she could slap them across the face for being an idiot. She gets the power to telekinetically smack anything around from across the room.)

Himiko: Intrigued by the idea of real magic but not intrigued by the idea of having to fight witches. Ends up wishing for her mentor to be more popular. Not as mind-controlly as Kyoko’s wish; basically, people just find him really cool and talented and can’t look away from his shows, but they don’t like, form a cult? Sort of derails her own career as a magician (both because the audience likes her mentor more and because she has to sneak off and fight witches) and doesn’t really fix the problems in their relationship, but he doesn’t leave and never return. Anyway, she gets the power to make herself and anyone she touches more or less noticeable/popular. Really good for stealth or drawing aggro. Also for convincing people to do her favors.

Tenko: She recently moved to the city after living in a temple since she was a child, and is finding it hard to adjust. One night, when she’s out acting as a “hero of justice” like her Master taught her and preventing a suicide, she ends up trapped in a Labyrinth and saved by Himiko. She ends up really, really attached and sort of accompanies her on hunts for a while until something goes wrong, and she ends up wishing to protect Himiko. She ends up with sort of a sense when Himiko needs help and is really good at putting up shields/barriers.

Miu: Still in a bad car crash leading to a coma, butthe surgery doesn’t go as well. Kyubey approaches her in the hospital right after she’s been told she’s facing permanent brain damage. She almost wishes to put her brain back to normal but then decides, why stop there? She wishes to be a genius with a super-brain that can solve any problem, and ends up with super inspiration, mostly aimed at turning any materials around her into an invention that will help her. She can use magic to substitute for missing materials and speed up the development time, but this uses a lot of magic at once, and the finished product won’t work for anyone else. Freaks out when she learns her body is now essentially hardware, but then she realizes the possibilities for improving things… Then everyone else freaks out.

Gonta: Still a feral child who got lost in the woodsand was sort of raised by wolves (not reptites, sorry), but this affects his ability to learn language and social skills much, much more severely than in canon. Wishes for the ability to understand others, which makes him fluent in all languages and sort of an empath. Also, because he sees animals as sort of on the same level as humans, this extends to animal languages in addition to human ones. Being able to speak and mimic “good manners” improves others’ opinions of him and his intelligence, but being able to feel how his birth family really feels about him is so upsetting that he eventually ends up running away and staying with Miu and Kiibo.

Kiibo: Lives with Miu. Does not remember his wish, but he has powers, so he has to have made one? Probably human. I’m still sort of torn over his backstory, but I’m kind of leaning towards a Hijiri kind of situation, where he was created by someone else’s wish. Or magic (cough, Miu.)

Ryoma: Wishes to get revenge on the mafia that killed his family and girlfriend. Basically gets enhanced strength and a sort of sense of where all of the members are. I sort of went over how his wish ends up in the other post…

Korekiyo: Wished to cure his sister’s illness and got healing powers. Currently traveling the world to observe other magicals. Like the other cult members, offers to use his powers for a price (usually Grief Seeds or information).

Angie: Starts out living on an isolated island andacting as a priestess/oracle, but begins to doubt her own abilities/connection to her god because natural disasters are getting worse and more people are leaving. She sort of interprets Kyubey as a messenger from her god and wishes to know what’s really going on/get a better sense of her destiny. She gets the power to predict the future as long as she is personally involved. She has to actively focus on a question (What happens if I do this?) or a goal (I want to achieve this) and she’ll see the most probable path. This really elevates her sense of self-importance, and makes it much easier to make others see things her way. It doesn’t prevent a tsunami from destroying her home and making everyone leave, at which point she meets Tsumugi and Kirumi.

Tsumugi: Her life isn’t bad, but she doesn’t like herself that much and feels empty and unfulfilled until she comes across the existence of actual magical girls (well, one in particular). Like an anime come to life! Tsumugi wishes for the ability to become someone else (yes, I know this was Rena’s wish too…) and gets the power to transform into other people. If they’re a magical, she can also copy a limited, weaker version of their powers.

Rantaro: Wishes to find all of his sisters and gets the ability to track people. He has an inherent sense where each of his sisters is and their general emotional state, but he can also apply this power to other people if he focuses. It works from anywhere in the world and can be based on a photograph, but it works best when the person is close by (from a country away he knows they’re alive and northwest from him, from a building away he knows they’re sitting in a chair in the back corner of the back bedroom and feeling excited but a little nervous) and he’s met them in person. He quickly discovers that tracking a sister down once doesn’t mean she’ll stay “found” and go home. Some of them also want to travel, others have bad senses of direction and always get lost again, some find his new knowledge of where they are and how they feel super creepy and avoid him, and at least one became a magical girl already… He probably finds out about the witch thing first…….

Kirumi: Part of a family that’s been serving animportant, rich family (maybe Rantaro’s? for maximum irony?) for generations. She’s been trained to dedicate her whole life to serving others and has no real prospects outside of eventually becoming head maid and training her own children to replace her. Meets Angie and Tsumugi and is immediately drawn in by Angie’s message. Wishes for the ability to instantly transport herself and others and gets the ability to teleport to any location she’s seen (photos count). It gets harder the more people she takes along, the longer the distance, and the less detail she knows about her destination. She tells everyone—and herself—that she lives to serve and wished for a convenient power to better serve the group’s needs, but she secretly wanted to escape really badly for her own sake too.