#my man needs to be put in some pleasant situations for once.

[mushroommanchanterelle]

Obsessed with the idea of Garrus slowly learning to not be a yes-man to people he respects and slowly learning how to love (platonically and romantically) outside of a system of hierarchy.

[commandershepardvasfuckit]

There’s a learning curve that comes with being married to someone who wasn’t human. Even more so when it was an arranged marriage and you were sort of just tossed into it.

Your husband was a good man though, a towering 8.5ft tall monster with elephant-like tusks and a whole culture you were still learning, be he took care of you well.

The first time you got your period living together he had no idea what was going on, but happily waiting on you hand and foot. Making sure he brought you pain medicine, snacks, and rubbed your aching joints.

The second time, he walked in on you desperately rubbing your clit to relax some of the cramps away. You were embarrassed beyond words, not that you hadn’t already slept together, but it was still quite the situation to be caught in.

“You know, I can help with that too” he shrugged and sat down the snacks he was bringing for you.

“It’s fine, it’s messy” you shrugged and stopped.

“I don’t care. You know I don’t mind blood” he responded.

“It’s fine”.

“Will it help you feel better?”

“Yeah”

“Then let me” he pushed.

You were not entirely sure what he had in mind, but he seemed pretty eager to help.

“Ok” you conceded.

He wasted no time helping you undress and peppering you with little kisses before settling down to kneel between your legs.

“Oh no no no, you really don’t have to” you began.

“I want to” he said as he lifted your hips up so he could tuck his tusks under you.

You felt his tongue immediately on your clit, the pressure and movements you liked, even better you felt the vibrations from his purring against your clit. He continued, working you over until you were a mewling mess. Once he was satisfied he slipped his tongue between your folds and then pressed into your entrance.

Within minutes you were already close. Between his large tongue giving you a pleasant stretch and the vibrations of his purring. You reached down to pull in his hair, needing to touch him any way you could reach, which only encouraged him more. His tongued was constantly against your g-spot and you enjoyed how every time he seemed to try to explore every inch of you.

He came from a species that did not normally go down, tusks got in the way too much, but once he learned it was an option he made sure to learn how to for you. It was always somewhat of an inelegant affair, his mouth open too far, drooling, no technique, but he did make up for it in sheer enthusiasm.

Your toes curled and you felt the familiar build and release as tingly waves of pleasure diffuse from head to toe. It was nothing intense this time, but he continued well after you finished, making sure beyond a doubt you were sleepy and satisfied.

He finally surfaced, leaning his head against your thigh and looking up at you with such a soft expression, “Feeling better?” he asked.

“For sure” you sighed and affectionately scratched his head.

He got up and went to go clean himself up and returned with clean sheets for the bed after everything. After settling down in bed with you he pulled you up against his chest, your back to him, and put his hands on your tummy, the best hot water bottle for cramps.

You fell asleep easily like that, feeling satisfied and cared for, and happy knowing you could probably swap a few doses of pain medicine for some time with your husband.

(Note: I kept it general, but the husband is from my ongoing Arranged Marriage series in my pinned post!)

[witchyafterdark]

— Ominis Gaunt Headcanons; pt. 3

• The Pros and Cons of being with him •

This post has been sitting in my drafts for a very long time now, and was supposed to be the second installment of my previous post about Sebastian! Nevertheless, here it is. I've thought about this one a little bit harder than the other since it's my boy Ominis. All photos used are not mine, and all credits to their respective owners.

・❥・ PROS

He is the most empathetic, compassionate, thoughtful, and caring man you'll ever be with.

Most people need to be taught how to have compassion towards others, or that an example needed to be shown in order for them to learn. But with Ominis, this is something inborn. Empathy is nestled deep inside his bones, and it will be very difficult for anyone to make him act out of alignment from his true caring nature.

He is tremendously protective of you, and by extension, those you consider very close to you.

One of the many ways he demonstrates his devotion to you is by means of providing you with protection. Understandably, he knows that you aren't some damsel who needs help all the time. That's why he discreetly protects you when you need it the most; which are during the times you do not see the danger you're about to encounter, or are already in the midst of.

Quite ironic, he sees certain social situations leagues ahead of you, given his aristocratic upbringing, and can definitely read between the lines of people's intentions toward you. He will immediately step in — with practiced grace mixed with lethality — and eradicate any threat that looms over you before you even begin to notice anything amiss.

By extension, he is also very attuned to your emotional states, physical needs, and mental processes.

You wouldn't have to worry about being with someone who doesn't know how to understand you in ways you want to be understood because that couldn't be further from the truth with Ominis. One of the factors that make him a good partner is that he would actually get to know you before being with you. He took the time to learn your patterns and behaviors, and he genuinely studied you thoroughly in hopes of doing right by you.

Therefore, being in a relationship with him means he truly knows he can be a good match for you, as he doesn't want to waste both of your time. He understands when you're stressed, and would do anything in his power to alleviate your pains. And he knows when to step back and give you your personal space to figure things out by yourself.

Surprisingly, he has a mischievous and adventurous spirit in his heart, and he knows how to keep the fun alive between you two.

Being born blind, he has been told endlessly by his punitive family that he would most likely amount to nothing in his life without their illustrious influence and infamous reputation. But ever the rebel, Ominis wanted to prove to himself that their words hold no significance in his ability to live life to the fullest. To your pleasant surprise, he is much more lively and playful once you truly get to know him and he lets go of all his defenses! He isn't Anne and Sebastian's oldest friend for nothing; he knows a plethora of ways to rebel, bask in the moments of fun and adventure, and get into the occasional mischief to feed the need for a little adrenaline rush. Most people would probably consider him a boring and rigid person to be with, but he's just waiting for the right one to share the joy and happiness with.

Ominis is one of the bravest and most loyal people you'll ever get the chance to be with, whether for friendship or romantic relationship. You'll get to enjoy certain... perks of being with him. And he's more than willing to ensure your comfort and satisfaction as his partner.

Simply put, he has no qualms in waving his family name around to protect and preserve the peace around him — and that includes making sure you're safe, unbothered, and given the same special privileges as he has. Rest assured that once he made up his mind that he wants to be with you, you wouldn't have to worry if he's thinking of anybody else besides you. Everyone will know that he is yours, but most importantly, everyone will know you're his. and he's not embarrassed to say he is with you. In fact, he revels in it; albeit, more privately. While he does want people to know that he is off the market, he loathes the notion of people getting to know what goes on with your relationship with him. He's still a private person at the end of the day.

Behind closed doors, he is the most affectionate, touchy, and loving man you'll ever know.

Ominis is the kind of person that is sensitive to the energies of other people. He is sensitive like that, and for good reason. He can "read" the room perfectly without the need for sight. And so, he would definitely know simply by the sound of your heavy footsteps that you've had a tiring, rough day. Wordlessly, he would have the initiative to cook dinner for you, prepare you a hot bath, not forgetting to lay your night clothes on your bed, and caressing your hair to send you to sleep as you lay secure in his warm embrace at night. He also knows when you just need time alone to be by yourself, and tend to your own needs without him in the picture.

Nevertheless, you wouldn't even think of him as someone that needs to be "coached" into being a good partner — he has that naturally built into his personality.

╭━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╮

・❥・ CONS

Due to his unstable upbringing, he is actually the most possessive person you've ever met... worse that Sebastian.

It is known that Ominis is a very closed-off person. He is very difficult to win over, let alone befriend and to romance. When he was a child, every family connection his father had made was exploited to the bone. Those people would unwittingly feel honored to be acquainted to the Gaunts that they would most likely do anything to win their favor. Ominis' father once taught him that the people around him was supposed to obey him out of respect for their ancient, noble lineage.

Therefore, once Ominis lets you into his life, he unconsciously views you as his possession; someone that must remain in his life, unless he deems otherwise.

During arguments, he would not back down, and would sound punitive at times.

Having to fight for his life — quite literally — at the hands of his cruel family, Ominis has learned that using his words can equally be as destructive as combative magic. His usual sarcastic quips are one of his normal defense mechanisms. But if you're engaged in an argument with him, especially when he knows he is right, best believe he will not hold back. You will get your feelings and pride and dignity hurt. He will lay out the truth no holds barred. He will make you understand why he knows best, and that you should just listen.

After what happened during fifth year with Sebastian, he's had absolutely enough with giving people the benefit of the doubt. Once he made up his mind about a certain topic, good luck trying to change his mind now.

If you are rumored to have been getting closer to another man, best believe he will be taken care of as soon as possible. You won't see that man ever again. (He isn't a Gaunt for nothing).

As far as he's concerned, the only type of friends you need in your life are those he knows of; Poppy Sweeting, Natsai Onai, and perhaps even Imelda Reyes. Sebastian can be part of your circle but even that he is wary of. But if he so hears about other men trying to be close to you (even as your relationship with him is already public knowledge), or you're in the process of entertaining the possibility of being with other men, he will get them out of the picture by the end of the week.

He is not afraid of twisting the truth, fabricating lies and offenses that those men seemingly committed, and falsifying being a witness to a breach of magical protocol just to send them on their merry way. You'll be confused as to how and why these men just keep on getting questioned by magical authorities but you'll be none the wiser about his involvement.

Speaking of, no matter how hard he tries to undo all the conditioning he was put through as a child, his Gaunt tendencies tend to rear its ugly head when he feels out of control, or threatened in any way.

This one is something he does not want you to know. It's one of his deepest, darkest secrets that he tries to bury underneath his caring and compassionate efforts of becoming a better man. Some days, it truly gets the best of him, especially when he perceives that he is not being taken seriously, or that things around him are getting out of control. Being someone without sight (that is also a Gaunt), having absolute control of his surroundings is something he needs to feel safe and secure. Without it, it's as if he is wandless — holding his hands up in front of him like when he was a helpless child.

And so, if he perceives petulance on your part, in spite of him exercising patience, he will resort to intimidation and manipulation. He doesn't need to exert physical force to make you understand exactly what he is capable of if you keep up with your actions.

(There's a reason why Dominis is a thing to begin with. People know he is capable of it!)

Once you're with him, there's no backing out. He won't allow it. You are his.

When you agreed to accept his courtship, he understood it as a mutual agreement that this is not something casual in nature. You are not with him to waste his time, as he wouldn't want to waste yours. The decision to court you was not made on a whim. He realizes the potential of a great and fruitful romantic partnership with you. Therefore, in his mind, you need to validate his assumptions about you. You need to prove that he was right about you.

Of course, he will subtly guide you through the stages of your relationship in order to fit his narrative as he intended. He will mold you to be the person of his dreams, and will give you whatever you want that is within his power. You'd do well to be grateful and acknowledge that through your cooperation.

And if you ever break his heart by being with someone else behind his back, he will make sure you will pay for it... one way or another.

╭━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╮

So, do the pros outweigh the cons for you?

[dark-night-hero]

Imagine being the twin traveller older siblings featuring honkai characters.

Imagine being in one of the planets that the trio, Dan Heng, March 7th and the trailblazer just happened to dropped by upon having some errands to un when they happened to come across you, You who was going planet to planet hopin to find your younger siblings, a twin that have been gone missing for some time now.

Imagine upon interaction, they find you quite intimidating. Your first meeting was after all, not very pleasant but thanks to you managing to put them out of troubles they would have been facing just like their other ventures. This might be the first time they manage to get out of trouble so quickly because of you. That might also be the reason why they somehow come to pursue you into tagging along with them, hoping to help you find the world your younger siblings where.

"You know, I'm starting to keep like I only came here to be the babysitter of this group. I should have taken upon Welt's offer to stay with him back in the express." "Hey! We're not kids!" "Yes, yes. Just a bunch of troublemaking idiots." You laugh as if the four of you aren't basically surrounded and accused of some shit. Then a figure on the corner of your eyes caught your attention but before you could even say a thing, a ball was thrown and a cloud of smoke soon appeared. Oh here goes another fucking trouble.

Imagine being put in a troublesome situation was nothing knew to you. With your younger siblings constantly causing troubles here and there whenever they were to venture another world, you were used to cleaning up their mess, just like who you decided to watch out for these dumbass trio. Looking at near distance as the trio converse happily with each other, talkig about the missions and experiences they have experienced in the other planet you've been through. You cannot help but to stare longingly.

"I hope they aren't too much to handle." It was Welt. "Oh them? Not really." You chuckle, looking to your side to find the man in there. "My siblings were far more troublesome than they are." "Sounds like they messed up alot." "They do... In fact there was this one time were they..."

"Oh fuck." You quickly look down and took a quick step behind Dan Heng. "???" "What's wrong?" The trio looked back worried at you when you urge them to look forward. "I just remember I've been here before." "Is there something that matter about that?" "Yes!" You shouted but quick cover your mouth. You shouldn't have accompanied them in this place. "You see that man in there? That's one of my ex." "Ex???" "Your ex is the Dozing General?!" "Yes! Now hush before he remember me!"

"The kids are rather worried." "Were they? Sweet." You reply with a chuckle. "Are you okay?" "I... I am okay." You sigh before looking away from the endless stars outside the express. "Are you sure?" Welt asked, eyes meeting yours that seems to bring comfort into you. "I... I'm just worried about my siblings. I had this feeling... I kept feeling off nowadays... I'm worried that something bad happened to them..." You said with a rather defeated sigh before once again looking back to the stars. "It makes me wonder if things would have been different if I came with them when they asked me too. They're not kids anymore, but still, having me with them might bring some difference, you know? If only I wasn't stubborn maybe I would know where they have gone to. If only..." "Hey, I'm sure they're alright. Okay? They're safe. We'll find them soom enough, okay?"

Imagine it was finally the time to say goodbye. With the trio and Welt sending you off, you smile at them before chuckling. "It was nice meeting you all." "Do you really have to go?" "Really March? Of course they have to go." "But do they really need to go?" Trailblazer pout causing you to laugh. "Yes kiddo, unfortunately I need to go, alone this time." Turning away from the trio. "I'll get going now. Please do send her my regards and apologies for parting without her on sight." "Alright. May you have a great journey ahead of you."

Imagine feeling your siblings closed by, although there was no visible planet on sight. You knew where they are. You've been there before after all, so who would have ever thought that that is where they have gone by. Why Teyvat of all world to choose from? That world is quite, complicated. Bounded by some unwanted rules and principles. And by the looks of it, given their scattered energy, your gut feeling was right to feel like something was off from the moment you lost contact with them.

Imagine with a little bit of regret but endless of good memories you have. You smile at them and bid your goodbye for the last time saying, "If chances permits I'd be happy to come aboard again." And then you disappeared. Only to appear as another falling star on the land of teyvat.

[ⓒdark-night-hero] 2023°

: Now I want to make a whole ass ff story about this. A genuine cross over but I barely played honkai and barely know about it's lore sjhfjsjshksjdhdjsk so yeah, did I fucked up or nah?

[universallychaoticpan]

Hiiiiiii can I request where Chuuya and Fyodor's s/o got captured by Dazai to be interrogate and torture for info but there's no need to do that because s/o just tells Dazai all the half-truths BUT IN RIDDLES and also s/o despite being put in an isolated glass room she is still very much in control of the situation and she can honestly get out of the room anytime she wants but not without spilling some blood ofcourse.

You really should get out more - that's what you were thinking anyway. Sure, getting kidnapped and interrogated by the ADA wasn't on your agenda for the day, but hey, plans change all the time. You smiled, flexing your wrists in the fragile cuffs keeping them behind your back.

The key was always remaining flexible.

So yes, you were quite relaxed. Your underground 'prison' was devoid of any distractions, but as always, you were never one to waste times when there were silver linings to be found. It allowed you time; time to think, to plot, to come up with a thousand escape plans, all involving varying degrees of blood and gore. Fyodor wouldn't come to your aid- you were sure of that much. Perhaps that would be insulting to others, but to you, the message was clear: he trusted you. He trusted that his little bird, his little love, his darling with the knife-tipped fingers and the bloody smile would find their way back to him no matter what. It would be child's play, getting out; another thing you knew for certain. Even with the ADA trapping you, you had deduced a few critical facts. One- they had hidden your current location from you, leaving you in the dark as to where you were. Two- the amounts of time between visitors averaged around an hour between each encounter. Three- They always came in alone, and there were only three suspects you'd come to expect. The conclusion you had come to made you smile even wider in your solitude: not only were they weakened significantly, their members were stretched far too thin to possibly stand a chance at containing you if it came down to it.

yes, you knew it sure as you knew your own name.

And it maddened the man sitting across the room from you despite his best attempts to hide it.

Osamu Dazai was quickly falling into a battle of wits with you, baited by your silence and your odd little smiles.

"You already know my question," he smiled, approaching you. "So I'll ask again for the last location of Fyodor's base of operations as you know it."

"And my answer has not changed, detective- you're an even bigger idiot than you look if you think I'm simply going to tell you." Instead of keeping your eyes lowered in some vain attempt to hide any 'tells,' you kept your eyes up. You stared him down, lips curling up into a pleasant smile. "You're welcome to leave and send in another one of your associates to try again."

He turns away, sneering as he striped off his coat, dropping it on the floor before revealing a wickedly pointed knife that reflected the slightly deranged gleam in his eyes. They chilled you, those eyes- how similar they were to Fyodor's, not in appearance maybe, but in their cool ruthlessness, in their kaleidoscopic depth that made you feel at once safe and critically endangered.

'I could hurt you, you know," he purred, slipping behind you, roughly pulling your head back by your hair and exposing the smooth column of your throat to him.

"You could," you agree, still smiling. "But what good will spilling my blood do you? Other than making me more inclined to lie in order to stop the pain...Really, what cards do you have to play? You have no way of proving what I say is true; anything I tell you is tantamount to sending you on a wild goose chase even if it is true. I suppose you could kill me, but then you've lost the closest chance you have at finding the man you seek." His eyes narrow as you chuckle. "And the longer you wait to decide what to do with me, the higher the risk grows that I will grow bored and simply walk away, leaving you lot empty handed." You swallow hard as the blade finds your jugular, a slip of a finger being the difference between life and death.

"And anyway, you've walked on the ground you seek already...it's not my fault you're too blind to see it. At this point your wasting my time, running in circles when you've found the answer. You dogs, detectives- you'd rather gnaw on the bone of a satisfying interrogation than tie up the loose ends you've already begun to unravel! The answer is so simple, you've never even thought to look- the easiest way to confuse smart people, I find, is to make the solutions to their problems the most obvious one."

You're close enough that you can register the look that crosses Dazai's face- the look of a man who's been given the all important device when it comes to solving any puzzle: a clue.

"Where?"

You let your head fall to the side, nicking your skin in the process. "Oh no, detective, I'm afraid that's all I'm inclined to offer.

Your intentions were clear - goading a man like Osamu Dazai was a dangerous game, and yet here you were. He spun the knife in his hands, until the point hovered directly above your heart. "Where?"

This time, you simply let your head fall back, smiling insipidly as you feel your ability floating at the edges of your consciousness, begging you to harness it.

"Really?" His voiced hissed in your ear, venomous and angry as he began to lose his patience. "You talk too much too often and choose now to be silent?"

"You talk too much detective-

next time, I would advise you to keep your eyes on the hands of your captives rather than their mouths."

In the time it takes to blink, you had him on the wall, as you used your hands to wrap the handcuffs around his throat and squeeze, his knife now tucked neatly against his pulse point.

"I warned you, detective- next time, I advise you to not let me get bored."

You smiled sweetly at him one last time, tightening the chain as you pecked his cheek.

"Do svidaniya!"

[shiny-jr]

Could you do a piece of the octotrio(individually) where they confess to the reader but they reject them because they don't like them,the whole chapter 3 situation, and the reader knows that they obviously do even more shady shit? Like Jade and Floyd are pretty much confirmed part of the fish mafia, Azul is a slimeball capitalist and by relation to the twins will do even more deplorable shit. Kinda like what you did for Malleus, Kalim and Leona,please?

Warning: Yandere. Gender-neutral reader.

Characters: Azul Ashengrotto.

Summary: You already had a handful with adjusting to life at Night Raven College, what you didn't need was the extra attention from a curious student of Octavinelle. Those of Octavinelle were bad news, and you did not need whatever bad news they decided to deliver to you with a bouquet of flowers.

Note: Anon, as soon as I read this request, I made a face. And not a bad face. It's hard to describe, but to assure you, I immediately muttered, "Now that's what I'm talking about." I'm so terribly picky with accepting requests, and I hate it, but this one managed to catch my eye immediately. Man, do I love rejection requests. Rejected sad and crazy boy hours are here.

Added: I drafted this up months ago and haven't touched it until now. I've been struggling on Floyd's part, so I just decided to finish Azul's part and put that out.

When you suddenly awoke in a floating coffin and miraculously became a student at this magic school, you expected surprises but not like this. As if trying to go through the daily motions while wondering which student would snap next wasn't enough, now you had a particular fellow lurking about and watching you. It would only be a matter of time before they grew tired of waiting and would decide to strike.

Oh, would you look at that. This greedy merman now has his sights set on acquiring your love. How did this happen? Why is this happening? It's difficult to tell, but for now you can only hope that he isn't concocting some terrible plot for you.

He's terribly intelligent and much too cunning, then he has his business facade to top it off. But so many times, so many times, his facade has nearly cracked around you. In fact, you wouldn't exactly call him "cool and collected." There's a little desperation in his tone when he asks for your time in a worthwhile exchange, he states. Or how his hand grips yours and lingers for much longer than is necessary whenever he has an excuse to shake your hand. And the freebies, oh god the freebies. You don't trust anything "free" from him, but he's always offering an abundance of goods, a token of goodwill, he says. Not that you trust that either.

Azul generally seems like a talented and clever guy destined for success. But, you prefer to have no affiliation with him. It's his methods to success that you can't exactly approve of. The scams, the tricks, the intimidation, every bad deed was done in such a meticulous way under certain circumstances he sets so that he faces no repercussions in the end should something go astray. Which is why when you caught on to his desire to be close to you and give you gifts, it placed you on edge as you anticipated the big moment he would act on those feelings.

"Why, hello, dearest. What a pleasant surprise seeing you here! You do know you are always welcome in my lounge." Azul exclaimed in greeting, as if the twins hadn't herded you here. The dorm leader stood in front of your table, serving you the food you begrudgingly ordered once you realized you wouldn't be allowed to go off the hook so easily. "I hope the meal is to your liking. Now that the opportunity has presented itself, I'd like to speak with you. I must admit, I've taken quite the liking to you, so please, I implore you, consider the rare proposition I'm about to offer." Azul flashed that award-winning business smile, as he held up a bouquet of flowers decorated with colorful pastel shells. He had practiced his speech for hours, and now he was awaiting your response. However, when he noticed your hesitance and obvious discomfort, his heart stopped.

His smile became more strained as he went off script, attempting to further convince them that he was a worthy suitor.

"I assure you, I will be a wonderful significant other. Not only am I the head of the Octavinelle dorm, but I am a top student as well. As you know, I also own the Mostro Lounge and have a great many connections to students across campus."

With every second that passed, he was growing more desperate. That much was obvious.

"If you desire gifts, I will deliver gifts. If you wish for affection, I will drown you in my affection. If you ask for praise, I will pen poetry that rivals literature venerating the most coveted figures in the land and sea's histories!"

Well, this was awkward. You did not anticipate him to have the brazenness to confess publicly. It felt more like a business proposition than a confession. Maybe this was a part of his plan to profess his affection in his lounge, a controlled environment, where there was a higher chance you would accept under the pressure of the many eyes of other customers taking notice. His smile faltered the more the unease festered in his gaze as each second passed.

The answer was no. You wouldn't date him even if the deal included a weekly allowance, because you had a lot more to lose. You weren't sure what category Azul fell into. Acquaintance? Yes. Friend? Possibly, but that was pushing it a bit.

The owner of the lounge was greedy, cunning, and conniving. No matter what he had, it never was enough. Even when he swiped the powers of countless fellow students, he still wanted more. If you gave him an inch, he would take a mile. And you weren't exactly quick to forgive him for his many past transgressions.

Even if he's claimed to have mended all his ways, repented, seen the light, and made a switch, Azul remains a business man above all. And honestly, you'd rather not be dragged into his affairs, especially since you're fairly certain that some of the things he's done may be unlawful or accomplished by going through loopholes in laws. All of his attention and time was consumed by his academics, his business, and creating other deals to earn a profit. These were the three that took up his time the most, and it kept him incredibly busy. That was one thing, the other was this: How long would things be sweet before he allowed his desire to sour the relationship? Sure, at first he may shower you in gifts, cash, and affection, but you're sure that eventually the relationship would become bitter by his possessiveness and bottomless greed.

So... you're declining... I see. Perhaps the incentives aren't enough. Allow me to offer you something more. He felt humiliated. The rejection gave him flashbacks to primary school and his constant refusals then, but this one hurt ten times harder. Back then those were just silly childhood crushes that were worth nothing, this was different. This was worth more than all the cash in his vault. Eventually, he improved himself in his youth with stubborn determination, and that's how he would win again. He would use charm, manipulation, underhanded tactics, wit, and stubborn determination to ensnare your heart.

[it-happened-one-fic]

Hours in the Moonlight: Somnolent Gloaming - 5. Quite the Interesting Endeavor

Summary: You’d learned your lesson at the very least. Listen to Sebek when he’s implying someone is important. Even if he is yelling. After all, both Malleus and Lilia were starting to seem more and more important as well as powerful. And perhaps more curious, was that they weren’t hiding it at all.

Series Type: Gender-neutral reader/ Vampire AU/ series/ romantic/ angst/ angst with comfort/ fluff/ sfw/ platonic interactions too!

Trigger Warning: Vampire

Word Count: 1170

Hours in the Moonlight Master-List

In hindsight, I felt almost bad for the way I’d largely ignored Sebek’s words. After all, they had been clear indicators as to exactly how important an individual Malleus really was.

I almost apologized to the young man as he entered the library, glancing around the room until he spotted me. It would have been rather awkward if I had apologized to him though, considering Malleus was still sitting with me in the library.

Apparently the sight of his clan leader was beyond surprising for Sebek, considering how the young man’s eyes bugged out, making their odd yellow-green color even more obvious than it already had been.

And somehow, I just couldn’t believe he was as ancient as his peers, which I figured had something to do with his behavior.

I almost felt myself smile as Malleus looked at the young man, like there was nothing at all odd about the situation and that, if anything, Sebek was the one behaving strangely. But then, it was true that after our conversation, laden with tidbits that just made me increasingly curious about the clan leader of Diasomnia, Malleus and I had simply existed in peaceful silence.

He’d left me to my research, quietly offering his assistance should I need it, and I’d honestly expected him to get bored and leave. But instead he’d simply gotten himself a book and went about reading. Apparently satisfied to stay here with me in peaceful silence.

I didn’t know if it was due to some curiosity of his about the vampire hunter who hadn’t come specifically to see him or some other odd reasoning, but I didn’t have any complaints.

After all, he seemed perfectly unbothered by me, and didn’t pay my presence much mind. 

It was true Vil had implied that once one got used to my scent, I would no longer tempt vampires the way I usually did. Similarly, it was also true that a good number of the vampires I’d gotten to know seemed largely unbothered by me or at the very least they were able to control themselves.

Perhaps Malleus already had a tolerance for my scent that apparently attracted vampires due to being used to Silver. And if that was the case, the Diasomnia clan might be one of the easiest clans to evaluate since I would assume the other vampires here would have a similar tolerance.

Still musing silently to myself, I watched Sebek slowly recover from his shock and look pointedly my way, “THE HOUR GROWS LATE!”

I closed my eyes as soon as he yelled as if it could help with volume, but I opened them fairly quickly when I heard Malleus let out a hum from where he sat.

He was frowning, which was odd considering the fact he’d been wearing a pleasant expression up until now, but I nodded at Sebek nonetheless. Genuinely grateful for him informing me since this room had no clocks and I’d neglected to put on a watch before coming here.

“I see, thanks for telling me. I’d best be on my way so that you can all get some rest.” I paused, hesitating slightly before I looked towards Malleus, “Um… With all the past clans, I’ve come every night until I finish the evaluation, so…”

I’d barely even managed to trail off before Malleus was speaking, a smile on his face like he was truly pleased with my words, “Of course, you are welcome to come here for as long as you like.”

I stood, surprised to see him mirror my motions and look towards me expectantly until I started off towards the door where Sebek stood.

“Would you like for us to send someone to escort you back home, or perhaps on the way back here tomorrow?” The words came from behind me and had my eyes widening. 

I turned to look back at where Malleus stood before I slowly shook my head, “No… Thank you, but I should be fine making home and back here.”

 He nodded at my words, a slight smile on his face, “Very well then. Sleep well, Little Hunter.”

I nodded, still not entirely sure what to make of the clan leader of the Diasmonia clan, before I turned and followed Sebek out of the room.

And though he was silent, Sebek eyed me as we walked. 

A small part of me wondered where Silver was, since the two of them had seemed to be a bit of a duo when I’d seen them together before, but I didn’t ask.

Instead, I walked silently through the corridors until we reached the front door of the mansion. It was only then that Sebek spoke, “Are you trying to win over our leader, human?” 

His voice was low, causing my eyes to widen in slight surprise at his tone. But when I turned to look at him, there was no threat on his face. Instead, it was a mask of smug confidence that puzzled me even further.

“If you are, you will be met with failure. Lord Malleus is not so easily charmed by little mortals,” I felt myself frown at his words, wondering how on earth he’d come to the conclusion.

I shook my head slightly though, my voice coming out in a questioning tone that clearly evidenced my confusion, “I’m not trying to charm him….? He just came in there to ask me some questions.”

Well, ask some questions and drop some hints about his own importance. Though why he had done that was still beyond me unless it had just been some form of strange flex.

My words only seemed to make Sebek smugger, “BUT OF COURSE! He has no doubt already figured out whatever plot your master has.”

I could only assume that my ‘master’ was Crowley, which was an infuriating thought but not entirely wrong. He was, unfortunately, my boss.

But apparently Sebek still did not trust the idea of me being here to evaluate the clan and check some records.

I sighed slightly, preparing to explain myself before another voice broke in. One that had me turning to look at the speaker and making eye contact with red eyes that were filled with amusement..

“You mustn’t keep our guest, Sebek.” Lilia only paused briefly before he smiled at me and continued, “You go on, dear. I’m sure a youngster such as yourself has many things they need to do. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

I nodded slowly at Lilia’s words, quietly thanking him and bidding both men farewell before slipping out the door.

It wasn’t until I was almost back at my apartment that I realized that Lilia had not been present when I said I would be coming back to the clan tomorrow.

There wasn’t much I could do about it now, though… I would simply have to wait and see what tomorrow evening brought. 

The only thing I could say at this point was that evaluating the Diasomnia clan was already turning out to be quite the interesting endeavor.

If you would like to read more

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[moistreicher]

Lies of P

Pinocchio own headcanons.

• I kind of imagine that P is a very curious puppet (like a player in game exploring) and he would always bring something back to the hotel Krat after mission and Gepetto would see his son piling up things on his table. A broken doll in a red dress. A small piece of screw that shines so brightly like it was newly made. A cowboy hat which Gepetto wonders where did he get it and small few jewels which resembles Gemini's color and his eyes. However, P has been collecting so many things and piling it up on Gepetto's table, forced the old man to get a chest for P to put his treasure (mostly junks) inside.

• P doesn't seem to talk in game but characters in game acts as if so I think, P doesn't usually talk. He only talks when spoken too like an actual puppet with corresponding lines but P can make his own replies and he chooses a word or sentence that would only be a brief response. Gemini once tried to make the boy talk more than he usually does by striking conversation and question but it seems like P got annoyed that he eventually ignored Gemini for the whole mission (still listening to Gemini at least)

• despite he had fought big monsters and big hostile machines, P is afraid of cats at first. When he was curious and tried to touch the feline, it launched its claws to his hand and hissed which caused him to startle. Confused and unable to comprehend what happened, it feared the small creature temporarily as Eugene showed him that cats aren't terrifying creature. Although sensitive, cats are surprisingly affectionate in their own way. But he wishes that the cats would at least trust him and let him touch their soft fur.

• P is fascinated by his own limbs. How it bends and straighten. How his arms are able to move in rotation motion and how his fingers folds in a curl. Gemini taught him how to make a heart but unable to understand as it is not the shape of a heart (he thought literal shape of a heart) and Gemini had to go through explaining him how it is a heart. Then Gepetto gave P a show where he'd use shadow of his hands to imitate the silhouettes of animals. P was amused.

• P purrs. Or so what it sounds like. His springs inside make a sound when he feels pleasant, comfortable at certain someone or simply enjoying the pat on the head from Gepetto. They thought that spring sound is only natural but they don't mostly hear it when P feels neutral till Sophia noticed how the springs started to shift inside him when Sophia and P sat down together to enjoy the rain at the garden.

"Oh my, you sound like you're purring, oh clever one" and then smiled. P doesn't know what it means but kept quiet as the spring sound continues. Sophia thinks that he must have gotten it from the cats as he observed them without touching.

As for P's situation, he does feel warm inside or what he would try to describe it as best as he can. He also feel a small vibration inside. Only vibration and nothing else that is worrying so he lets it without telling Gepetto or Eugene.

• Puppets don't need rest however, P started to like his leisure time. He have no mission? He would stay in Hotel Krat and sit down simply and enjoy the structure of the interior. He would explore the Hotel and look at the painting. Check some corridors he hadn't seen yet. He would also look at the cats. Sits in front of them and simply observe them with a small smile which Eugene found adorable feature from the puppet.

After a mission, he wouldn't go back to the Hotel Krat immediately. He will take his time to go back there. Walking in the alley, roadside, other paths and trying to picture the place before the puppet frenzy had happened. He would ask Gemini about the buildings and structures about what it used to be.

• Missions can get P really dirty. He don't sweat but the muds and dirty water can get to his boots, clothes and skin including his hair so whenever he gets back to the hotel Krat, he is adviced by Gemini to go straight to bath immediately.

P can also feel temperature and he likes the coldness of the clean water. He would always let the cold water run and get into the tub willingly. Gepetto had once reminded P not to use too cold water and don't stay too long there to protect his P-organs from freezing. But P can be act like a child still and insists on using even colder temperature to test how he can go on until it actually happens. Almost freezing his P-organs and thanks to Gemini to call out for Gepetto which saved P from freezing all over.

P got a lot of scolding from Gepetto and after that incident, Gepetto would check on him if his staying longer in bath and sometimes would come in and help P to wash his hair thoroughly from the dirt that is in blindspots.

[troublemaker203]

Murtagh Fitzgibbons x Fem! Reader - Arranged Marriage Pt. 3

Word Count: 1854

Summary: After your father had been killed and your brother had been taken by the Redcoats, you were left behind. A group of highlanders come across your ravaged house and decide to take you with them to Castle Leoch. Since you have lost the protection from your father and brother, it is decided that you should be married, in order to keep you protected from the Redcoats.

Warnings: None

Part 2

As soon as the door of Colum's office closed behind you, you panicked. Should you try to escape? No. No, that wasn't a good plan. You would get caught and likely get thrown into the dungeons. So you would get married. Would you, though? This could not be real, right? Absentmindedly, you started to wander through the castle thinking about how you would handle this situation. Did you want to marry either of those men? Who would be worse? Dougal had made it known that he found you quite... pleasant. But did you find him pleasant, too? Not in the least. And Murtagh was a grumpy man; how could you ever find a way to live with such a person?               Because you were so caught up in your own thoughts you hadn’t noticed that you had walked outside and were now strolling through the gardens. A voice made you snap out of it. “Hello, Y/N,” Claire said, “I am surprised to see you here.” “Yes, well, I just came from…” you motioned towards the castle and Claire nodded. “Yes, I wondered when they would break the news to you. Have they… Do you know who you are going to marry?” “No. Colum said he will announce it tonight,” you looked down at your feet, “during a great feast, for all to hear.” When you looked back up at Claire, your eyes had welled up. “Hey,” she stepped towards you and put her warm hand on your arm, “I was once in your position, and, yes, I was scared, too, but now I can’t imagine a life without Jamie. Any man would be lucky to have you and I am sure that you will be treated with love and respect.” “But I don’t want to marry either of them,” you whispered, afraid to cry. “Of whom?” “Dougal or Murtagh.” “Oh.” Claire paused for a moment. “Dougal might be a little bit much in the beginning, but he is a strong man and he will protect you with his life, so you will always be safe when you’re with him.” “And Murtagh?” “Murtagh is… well, I think he will be the most loving husband you will ever meet.” “But he does not look friendly at all.” Claire laughed. “I know, but, trust me, he has a heart of gold. Don’t let his surly expression fool you, my dear.” You nodded. “Do you want to help me sort the herbs in my practice? It will help you get your mind off things. Maybe you could help me more often? I could really use some help with all of the patients; I do hope you’re not scared of blood?” You shook your head. “No,” you smiled at Claire, “and I would love to help, thank you.”

              You had never been in Claire’s practice before and your eyes widened when you walked down the stairs, into the big room. There were hundreds of jars filled with herbs of which you had never heard the name. “I don’t know how good I am at any of this.” Claire smiled lovingly at you. “Don’t worry, I will teach you everything you need to know, it won’t be that hard.” She handed you some jars after she had set down her basket with herbs and started explaining the various uses and how to prepare them. It took you two the whole afternoon to organize everything and you even helped Claire with a patient: one of the young boys at the castle had hurt himself on the fire in the kitchen and Claire had showed you how to dress his wounds. It was a very educational afternoon and you were relieved that it had taken your mind off things.               After a while, mistress Fitzgibbons came down the stairs to fetch you. “Hello, my dear, I came to fetch ye to get ye ready for the evening.” You looked at Claire who gave you an encouraging look. You followed mistress Fitzgibbons to your room where, unbeknownst to you, a beautiful dress was waiting for you. The fabric was sprawled out on your bed and it looked very expensive. You looked questioningly at mistress Fitzgibbons. “It’s a special dress, for a special occasion,” she winked at you, but you couldn’t feel happy about this so-called ‘special’ occasion. You felt like there were rocks in your stomach and you thought about how you could escape, but Claire had already explained that escaping would be impossible, since there were guards everywhere. “Trust me,” she had said, “I have tried.” Mistress Fitz had set you down on a chair in front of the mirror and started brushing your hair. You looked at her in the mirror and she looked at you, giving you a warm smile; she could probably see the fear in your eyes and she wanted you to feel safe. You smiled back at her, but your eyes did not smile. “Dinna fash, lass, you will be in good hands.” You wanted to believe her, but the truth was that you did not know any of those men and now you were expected to marry and, eventually – and sooner than later – share the bed with one of them. You knew that the consummation of a marriage was very important and none of these people would rest before they were sure that it had happened. You could already see them sitting, drinking downstairs, waiting for the moment that you and your husband – whoever that may be – went to bed.              You had been sitting in silence for a moment and Mistress Fitz was almost done with your hair. "Do you know when the wedding will be taking place?" you asked, hopeful that she would be able to have an answer to one of your many questions. "Not exactly, but I expect it will happen tomorrow, or the day after." "And..." you hardly dared to ask the question, "do you know to whom...?" The old lady shook her head. "No, I am sorry, dear, but you should not worry too much. These men may bark, but they don't bite, I can tell you that much." You smiled at her, glad for her attempts to put your mind at ease.        After she had put the last hand to your hair, she put her hands on your shoulders. "There, such a pretty lass." You looked at yourself in the mirror and she was right, you did look very pretty. "Up you get, let's get you in that dress." You stood up and started to undress yourself with the help of Mistress Fitz. You stepped into the beautiful green dress and the fabric had not only looked expensive, it felt really expensive, too. It was of the loveliest colour green and it suited you very well. You were laced up and as you glanced at yourself in the mirror, you could not believe that the woman staring back at you was really you. Mistress Fitz put a string of pearls around your neck to really finish the look. She handed you a pair of shoes and you knew that this was the last step before you had to go downstairs. Your heart was beating aggressively in your chest and you were afraid that it would jump out.

By the time your shoes were put on by Mistress Fitz, you felt really lightheaded and you grabbed the woman’s arm to steady yourself. “Come on, lass, I willna let ye go. Let us head downstairs.” You nodded, unable to speak, and the two of you started making your way to the great hall.

Once in the hall, you could see that it was greatly decorated and the long tables were filled with enormous amounts of food; it certainly looked like a special occasion. “Now, my dear, I am going to have to let ye go now, since you will be seated at the table in the front.” Still not able to speak you nodded that you had understood what she had said. She carefully let go of your arm, testing to see if your own legs could carry you. Fortunately, your legs had gotten their strength back; at least, enough to carry yourself towards your seat. Colum stood up as you approached the table. “Ah, there she is! Have a seat, Y/N.” “Thank you,” you said, sitting down next to him. Colum started to speak to everyone who was seated in the hall. “Welcome to this special evening, everyone. We are all here to celebrate the marriage that will take place tomorrow. A marriage between this lovely lady here,” he motioned towards you, “and the man who is waiting to reveal himself as her future husband.” You scanned the room. The chair on the other side of Colum was still empty. There was no sight of Dougal; was he to be your husband? You looked for Murtagh but he was not present either. They were both probably waiting outside the hall, and one of them would walk in when Colum would ask for your husband to reveal himself. “So, we have come to the point where it is only fair to this lady to know who her husband will be.” Here we go. “May I ask for the husband-to-be of Y/N to step into the hall?” Everyone had gone quiet and you could hear footsteps approaching. You closed your eyes, not daring to look at who it would be. The footsteps got closer until they stopped. “It will be hard to see who I am when ye’ve got yer eyes closed, lass,” someone said. You did not recognize the voice to be Dougal’s and when you opened your eyes, you were greeted by the friendly, brown eyes of Murtagh. Were you relieved? Murtagh took your hand and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles, followed by a small wink; so small that you were sure only you could see it. Were those small butterflies in your stomach? You could feel your cheeks starting to get red and you quickly looked down. “It is an honour to marry ye, Y/N.” You looked up and smiled at him, not sure what to say. Murtagh had let go of your hand and made his way to his seat. You noticed that Dougal had made his way into the hall as well and a slight hint of jealousy could be detected on his face, though you were unsure why. “A toast,” Colum started, raising his glass and you and everyone else followed him, “to the bride and groom to be.” Everyone raised their glasses higher and took a sip. You took a big sip of the strong – stronger than you expected – wine. “As I mentioned, the wedding will take place tomorrow and I promise that it will be an even bigger feast than tonight and you’re all invited!” This announcement was followed by a lot of people shouting and raising their glasses. You looked at Murtagh and even he was smiling slightly. You would be married to this man tomorrow…

Tag list:

@hobbitsesoftheshire

@mysticalsoups

[sweetwolfcupcake]

The Taste of Deceit: Hyungline Part 2 (Finale- Hoseok)

Masterlist

Taste of Deceit Masterlist

Hyungline- Part 1, Part 2(Jin and Yoongi, Namjoon)

Warnings- Gore, Violence, Grey Characters, Dead Dove Do Not Eat

Word Count: No idea.

Tumblr was having problems uploading the whole 37k post. So, here it is, divided.

Unedited. Kindly excuse my errors. if you find anything significantly wrong, please let me know.

“What do you do?”

The question had been bouncing in her mind for a while. Jung Hoseok was perhaps the sweetest, kindest man she had ever met. She had some professions in mind already.

A vet?

Animal behaviourist?

A pet shop owner?

A chocolatier?

A florist?

He was no layman, so whatever he was doing, he ought to be the best of the best. But he was graceful, humble and funny– the definition of a bright, beaming spring day!

Hoseok smiled at her before sipping his wine. He insisted that he needed someone to accompany him to the newly inaugurated restaurant and pub so that he could taste and check on everything.

Had he been the sole owner of it, Hoseok would have no problem managing things. However, since he had a business partner here, he had no other option but to wait for post-inauguration improvements. But he wanted an objective opinion on the place– the food, the ambience, the drinks and according to him, her name was the first one that popped into his mind.

“Any guesses?”

He was playful like that.

She had not planned or even expected a new addition to her friend circle, but Jung Hoseok somehow found her. Ever since that evening, when he swooped in and pulled her out of the odd situation with ease, they had exchanged numbers. He was charming, to simplify it.

“You…” She trailed off, thinking of an appropriate guess, but ended up with anything random that came up in her mind “You are a chocolatier!”

She knew it was an incorrect guess, even before Hoseok burst out laughing, she knew that she was wrong. The amused glint in his eyes said it all. He laughed with his whole form– head thrown back, body quivering, hand running through his hair. The terrace allowed them to bask in the pleasant sunlight, and the rays seemed to make him gleam and dance with him as he moved.

“No, I’m not. Not yet at least.” His laughter sobered up to a smile “But I can be, for you.”

Such words would not have made her blush– they were cliché. But if Jung Hoseok would look at someone like they were the only person in the whole world and finish it off with a wink, nobody stood a chance– she was just a simple girl.

Letting out a playful scoff, she began to cut through her steak.

“Let me, please.”

Within a moment, Hoseok was leaning in, her cutlery now in his grasp as he expertly cut the meat into perfect pieces.

“Thank you.” (Y/N) would be lying if she said that she was not caught off guard at his speed and precision, he was already cutting the steak even before she could respond.

“A hotelier.”

“Huh?”

Hoseok smiled at her before glancing at his plate and putting a piece of steak in his mouth.

“I own chains of hotels, even clubs, some of them are co-owned but most of them, they are all my own.”

(Y/N) stopped chewing. She had friends who could be considered ‘elites’ but Jung Hoseok seemed completely out of her league. 

No, she was not looking for a partner in him, he was a fun person to hang around– a friend who made her blush. If that made sense?

She liked his company, she liked his friendship, but obviously, she did not know much about him. But the new discovery only made her realise that they were worlds apart.

If he noticed the shift in her demeanour, he did not comment on it, instead, he breezed through his talks and actions. 

“Rate the place, (Y/N), and be honest, because it is an expensive investment I have made.” He asked once they were finished with the food, now waiting for some more wine.

She smiled with warmed cheeks, blaming the wine, but under his scrutiny, it was hard to not melt  “The staff behaviour is pleasant.”

“Of course, they will be on their toes, I am the co-owner of this place, the food. What do you think?” He breezed past her reply, pushing for more

“I loved the steak, it was tender and delicious.” 

Hoseok smiled, but his eyes remained the same “You are stiff (Y/N), anything bothering you?”

She felt her cheeks heating further, this time with her ears and neck.

“No, everything is fine!”

He hummed before refilling her glass “That was an awfully fast denial, but I would buy it, for now.” He finished with a wink “Relax,”

On second thought, she knew that his status did not affect the person that he was, she still enjoyed his company and he was clearly a kind and humble man, at least, she could try to shove her doubts at the back of her mind for the moment.

“Well, Hoseok, I believe that if this place is charging a little more than a Michelin star place, they ought to provide something more. At least until this place earns a name in the market.”

Hoseok nodded “And that’s why you are now my professional restaurant reviewer. You are right, I was considering the same, you see.”

“Unfortunately, good Sir, I would have to decline, I already have a job.”

And amused chuckles filled the air.

It was an idyllic place. Stretch of mountains and cliffs in view and a clear beach at arm’s length. The resort, as it had turned out, was owned by Hoseok himself. 

In retrospect, (Y/N) wondered what would have happened had she kept her distance from Hoseok. Declined his friendship, kept him at an arm’s length— never bumped into him at all?

Her life would be different. Totally different. With a wistful glance at the mountain peaks, (Y/N) turned to arrange their luggage. The tiny phone peaking out from the folded clothes reminded her of her harsh reality.

 She was thankful that Hoseok was in the shower. Quickly sending their location through the phone, she tucked it safely in one of the many eyewear cases she had brought on the trip. 

Keeping the box away, she resumed unpacking, when the shrill ring of the doorbell pierced through the momentary relief. (Y/N) jumped but regained her composure. Fanning herself, she licked her lips and walked towards the door.

She was only a few feet away from the door when she stumbled, before registering the firm grip around her waist and the breathing wall she was pulled against— no it was not a wall, it was her husband behind her.

“How many times have I told you not to answer the door in my absence?” 

She looked up, to find his hardened gaze through his dripping strands. He was still in his bathing robe.

“You were in the bathroom so—”

“There are a few rules you must abide, Honey.” Despite the pet name, there was no tenderness in his tone.

“I’m sorry Hoseok.” She looked down. 

The doorbell rang in the background again, but her thoughts muffled away her environment. She did not even hear him coming. What if he found out what sat in her luggage?

“Go back to the bedroom.” 

She did not need to be told twice.

Life had been hectic, to say the least. Added to it were her bedroom’s air conditioner breaking down, the fridge making noises and her boss highlighting her underperformance for the month. In short, it was not a great month for her. 

With the oncoming of October, the city had burst with tourists and trees, with bright foliage. The weather, at least, was pleasant. Her phone came alive with multiple notifications but she had no time to look, one minute late and she would miss the bus.

She could use her car, but it needed regular maintenance and what she needed was—

She had not paid attention to the speeding car, and she would not have, had it not been for a slick four-wheeler stopping right beside her with an ear-piercing screech. She was startled, to put it lightly.

The all-too-familiar black car made her frown, but her suspicions were only confirmed after Hoseok emerged from it, eyes shaded with sunglasses, hair perfectly done, complementing his white shirt and black trousers. He was a treat for the eyes.

“There you are,” 

She subconsciously stepped back as he approached, more like marched towards her– even with the smile he had, his voice had an unfamiliar edge.

But she smiled anyway.

“Hi…” Whatever greeting she had thought of faded away when he took off his sunglasses.

“You have not been answering my texts, is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes, I mean just—It has been a crazy month so far and–I’m sorry I have not even been able to reply to my best friend and parents.”

She felt the rush of guilt replacing the initial nerves.

“Oh, honey, you don’t need to be sorry, I was just so worried. Let me drop you off to my workplace at least.”

She was shaking her head even before he finished the sentence, but Jung Hoseok seemed to be determined, 

“There is no room for a no, it's a rush in the public transports anyway, at least grant yourself some relief, come on.” He took away her laptop bag and began to walk back into the car, leaving her with no option but to follow him into his car.

Muffled voices, one of which she recognised as that of her husband, seeped into the bedroom as she waited with wringing fingers for Hoseok to return. She had clearly upset him, and that was the last thing she wanted at the moment.

Hoseok entered the bedroom after a few prolonged, painful minutes. She noticed the stark difference in his expression and the air surrounding him first before taking notice of the breakfast trolley that he was pushing into the room with him.

“Look, all your favourites! Now, that is how a vacation should look like, don’t you think?”

She blinked in silence– he never failed to give her a whiplash.

Hoseok’s smile dimmed at the silence “Oh, I’m so sorry, Jagiya. You know how worried I get about your safety. I can never guess when my enemies attack. If they get to know about you…You understand my point, don’t you?”

He was already on his knees, emphasising each word like he was explaining to a child, cupping her cheeks to hold her attention. She nodded, despite not believing a word that came out of his mouth.

“Let’s get you to eat something, hmm?”

“Yes, here’s my office.”

“This one?” Hoseok ducked his head to assess the looming building in front of them, 

“Yes. I work here.”  Picking up her bag, (Y/N) turned to thank him, but his firm hold on her bag kept her from moving out.

“Let me drop you.”

“Huh? I mean, my office is just—”

“I insist. Come on, we are getting late.” Her bag slipped from her grip once again as Hoseok stepped out of the car, quickly sprinting around the front to make sure he opened the door for her.

“T-Thanks.”

“Let's go. Why don’t you show me your office today?” He smiled—the same charming smile that made a ‘No’ impossible to pronounce.

“Would you like to take a nap before we go? It's a hot morning., and you barely slept through the flight.”

“It would be far worse in the afternoon.” (Y/N) picked out a one-piece for the beach.

He hummed absent-mindedly as he strolled towards her. The soft material was perfect for a beach vacation. His fingers ran through her slightly tangled hair.

 “Let me do your hair.”

“I intend to leave it be.” She tried to step away, but he did not let go of her hair..

“I insist.” He asserted as he led her towards the dressing table.

His hand was gentle as he untangled the tresses before beginning to comb them properly. “You have been distant, love.” She stilled, suddenly feeling parched.

“W-what?”

Hoseok only chuckled at that. “I guess I tend to think too much.” 

He sprayed some water and hair serum on her hair, but his gaze remained locked with hers.

 “Are you upset that I left for so long? I know it must have been suffocating to not be able to step out of the mansion. But it is the safest option (Y/N), trust me. One day, you will understand, and there will be no emotional distance between us.”

Suppressing a scoff, she forced out a small smile and nodded as he put on a hairpin matching the colour of her dress.

“Here you go. You want a lip tint?”

Hoseok had a bounce in his strides as he walked into the office as if he owned it. (Y/N) immediately knew how stupid and ignorant she had been when people began to murmur, and some even stood up in his presence.

She was probably the only idiot in the room who had not even made a close guess regarding his affluence. She thought that she needed to guide him, but he was perfectly fine, manoeuvring all over the place on his own.

“Which floor?” He finally turned to her

 “Second.” 

“And your boss’s floor?” 

"The top. Why?”

Hoseok only smiled and shrugged. “Nothing, just curious.”

“Hi, have you completed the report for last week?” One of her colleagues approached her once she was settled at her desk, shortly after Hoseok left.

“Uh, about the ongoing project? I completed and submitted it yesterday. You did not receive an email?" Being on the same team meant that they shared one network. “I even messaged the team.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot.” With a small smile, she turned around to leave but paused, only to turn back again “Also, I wanted to ask about the changes I was supposed to make to my report?”

(Y/N) smiled with uncertainty. "That will be handled by the project head, I guess?”

The woman nodded. “Right, my bad, so I should get going.” With that, she turned around to leave.

"Wait! Um, I might be overthinking, but is there something you want to tell me or ask me?”

The woman was no more than her colleague; they did not share friendship with anyone outside the office. They were polite with each other and knew how to work together, and that was it. So random chit-chats were not common in their case.

“Um…I don’t mean to intrude, but... Who was the man who came with you? Who just left?”

(Y/N) smiled, confused. “You mean Hoseok?”

“Yeah, Jung Hoseok.” 

It was not in her interest, but looking at her colleague, (Y/N) had more questions springing up in her mind.

“You know him?” 

At her question, the woman blinked, and her eyes widened for a flash before she made a scrambling attempt to mask it with something more subtle. (Y/N) frowned, growing intensely curious.

“You don’t know who Jung Hoseok is?”

"Yeah, he is a hotelier; there are a few articles here and there.” 

The woman bit her lip at her answer, and her ears turned a bright shade of pink as she nodded. (Y/N) thought that she heard her sigh, “Y-yeah, right. I will see you at lunch; I have a lot to do.”

Something was wrong. It felt so wrong that (Y/N) refused to sit in suspicion for another extra moment.

“Ms. Lee,” she called out, walking to her. “Ms. Lee, if there is something that I am missing, then please tell me. Is...Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing is amiss, Ms. (L/N).” She shook her head. “I will not keep you from your work anymore; the project head has sent us deadlines already. Have a good day.” 

With that, the woman rushed off, leaving her with itching questions.

“You don’t like the food?”

“Huh?” (Y/N) tore her gaze away from the tranquil ocean visible from the restaurants they were currently sitting in; they chose the side with an unrestricted view of the sea.

Hoseok’s gaze, however, had been on her, as always “You haven’t taken a single bite since it was served.”

“I was waiting for it to cool down.”

“Its a cold dish, Jagi.” He pointed out, his eyes narrowing as he assessed her.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” (Y/N) gulped down some wine before diving in to eat.

It had been a day of sightseeing, and as the sun began to dip behind the golden sea, they both decided to have an early dinner before returning to the resort.

“We can order something else if you want." Hoseok offered, but she shook her head, digging into her plate.

“I like these.”

He smiled at her reply, “I know; that's why I ordered these for you.” However, it died down as soon as it came, “Then what is the matter, love?”

“Nothing, why?” She could hear the muffled beats of her heart, and she could feel the increased thrum as she fought the urge to gulp. He would notice. 

The silence stretched between them; it was almost like waiting for a ticking bomb to explode 

“Can I..." she finally gulped and took a deep breath “Can I see my mother?”

Silence.

Hoseok’s gaze held the edge of sharp scrutiny before he moved, and she lauded herself mentally for not flinching. 

Taking a sip of his wine, Hoseok shifted his focus back to his plate. This time, though, everything light disappeared from the air around him.

“The doctor keeps me updated. She is doing well.” He broke the silence, only to fuel the tension.

“But when can I see her?”

He looked up again and smiled.

“I know you are worried, Jagi, but now is not the time. We will meet her soon, okay?”

She knew better than to push it.

“What are you doing? Its lunch.”

Her friend’s voice startled her. “Tch, you go; I will join you later.” (Y/N) turned around to face Yumi briefly before resuming her research.

“Why are you searching for the Amethyst Era?”

“This hotel belongs to the Amethyst Era too." This time, (Y/N) turned her chair around completely to look at her friend.

Yumi shrugged. “Weren’t you doing the research? And this hotel is one of the most coveted in the country; people who keep up with such news know.”

 She dragged a nearby empty chair and made herself comfortable beside (Y/N).

“How many hotels does Amethyst Era own?”

“Pfft, hotels? Pubs, nightclubs, office buildings, and resorts—and not just luxury Some three to four star places as well.”

“Oh, you know quite well; you are into these?" 

“People are gossiping, (Y/N). Did Jung Hoseok really come to drop you off at work this morning?”

(Y/N) was surprised by her question, "Yeah, he did, but it was just a friendly gesture. Is he that famous?”

Yumi stared at her for a good, long moment before licking her lips and focusing on the screen. 

“You know he owns Amethyst Era, right?” 

She nodded at the screen showing pictures of a grand hotel.

"Yeah, I just looked it up this morning. What’s with that? Even Ms. Lee was being weird about me knowing Hoseok.”

“He’s a big name, (Y/N), a big, shady name.” Yumi replied grimly.

“Shady name? Why?”

“You remember my cousin Eun?”

Eun was Yumi’s cousin, who had mysteriously disappeared a year ago. Though Yumi did not share much about it, (Y/N) knew that her family and she were still disturbed and that his disappearance was a cold case.

(Y/N) nodded, now more interested in the conversation than ever before. “Well, the last place he was seen was completely different from what we have been told.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Yumi sighed and nodded. “I am so sure because I have been researching this myself; my friend is a private detective, and over the years, we have found many oddities with the case.” 

Her voice lowered as she leaned closer. “We were told that he was last seen near the Han River, implying that he jumped to end his life. But I never believed that, you know? I knew Eun; he was not too close with his parents, but we grew up together.” Her voice cracked in the end.

(Y/N) held her friend’s hand to comfort her; she could see Yumi’s eyes turning glassy. It must have been a storm for her and her family.

“He could not have done this, (Y/N), he possessed a zeal for life. He wanted to live more than himself for anyone.” 

She steadied herself with another deep breath before continuing, 

“I tried to push the police to look into the matter. I even tried to convince his parents that something was wrong. But they were adamant about believing what was being served to them. So I took matters into my own hands.”

(Y/N) nodded. “I can only imagine what you were going through.”

"I found out that he was last seen at a motel on the outskirts of Seoul. It was a fairly isolated place. There were a few witnesses. Plus, the investigator checked the CCTV near the river and found no sign of Eun. He was not there; he never went there. The police lied to us.”

“They were covering this up?” Yumi nodded confidently.

“Our trail took us to a remote motel.” Turning to the PC, she typed a name.

A few specifics later, a motel name and address showed up, with only one picture.

“This is the one.” She pointed at a rather blurry picture of a motel that seemed to be situated in the middle of nowhere.

“What was he doing here?” (Y/N) asked the obvious.

“That’s what we are trying to get into. But I think it is something not right, like we would come under radar. Jung Hoseok’s radar.”

Yumi’s words made her turn away from the screen 

“Jung Hoseok? What do you mean?”

“This motel is owned by Flare, a company that renovates and fixes places like old houses and hotels—you know, the one you would call if you were moving into an old house? Something like that. Now, this is a fairly small company. Nothing fishy, right?”

(Y/N) hummed and nodded her head in agreement.

“This is where it turns fishy. Turns out that Amethyst Era is the parent company of Flare.”

“What?”

Yumi nodded and tuned to type again in the search engine, “Look, Flare is no elite. In fact, it is not even in the top five companies that Amethyst Era owns.”

“Amethyst Era has more than five companies under it?”

 (Y/N) realised that she had indeed been living under a rock!

How come she had never heard of Amethyst Era if it is such a big name in the market?”

“Apparently, twelve.”

Yumi’s estimate raised (Y/N)’s eyebrows. “Twelve companies? What is he?”

“An immensely powerful hand in Eun’s disappearance, apparently. At least, that is what the investigator concludes. I have done some research on him and his Amethyst Era. Despite being such a giant in the market, most of the companies under its name stay lowkey. Pandora’s Box is usually the one in the spotlight. Closet Call is another glittery name in the market.”

“Pandora’s Box? I think I’ve heard of it.”

“Best in accessories and jewellery. It is not an exclusively luxurious brand–it has a few luxurious collections, and since most people can afford it, it is more profitable.”

“How did you manage to dig up so much?”

“Thanks to my friend.”

“Closet Calls has a showroom in every mall I have been to.” (Y/N) commented.

“That’s why people are talking. Jung Hoseok was seen with you. Just pray that they have not taken any pictures of you together.”

“Yumi, whatever you have revealed to me...  This makes him sound dangerous.”

“Every powerful company is dangerous (Y/N), but we still have no confirmation if he was directly involved in the disappearance of Eun or if he had anything to do with his disappearance. Everything is based on suspicion and probability (Y/N). In reality, we have no evidence, no real lead.”

Deleting the pages and the search history, Yumi turned to (Y/N).

“I cannot say anything with assurance right now, but you now know that he is no ordinary man. And in this world, power and money define everything. I cannot dictate your life, but I can advise you. My advice to you is not to get involved with anything that you cannot assess.”

(Y/N) nodded, her mind wandering off to all those times when Hoseok took her to restaurants, pubs, and banquet halls for ‘neutral and honest reviews’, which ranged from grand to sleek. She had suspicions that he was the one hosting the party where she had met him for the first time, but he had never confirmed anything, and the question had slipped out of her mind eventually.

Now every little conversation, every passing piece of information, and every quirk seemed to ring a bell—she knew that she was perhaps overthinking, mildly panicking even, but Yumi was right. People of Jung Hoseok’s strata were no saints, and people like her were nothing more than numbers for such people.

“Aren’t we going back to our suite?” (Y/N) was confused when Hoseok drove to the beach instead

“We are within walking distance from our resort. Besides, its peaceful here, don’t you like it?” 

Hoseok smiled as he continued to walk, his eyes staring at the gentle waves in the distance.

She would admit that it was pleasant to be the only two people roaming around the beach. The sun had set and left behind traces of rapidly darkening blues. Everything in the atmosphere was perfect to lull anyone into a sense of peace. 

But with Hoseok, she could feel anything but peaceful. Under the darkening sky, her senses turned more alert in his presence. The silence did not help either. It was like a waiting game, at least on her part, because Hoseok seemed completely relaxed. In fact, it was the most relaxed she had seen him ever since.

They stood where the waves chased their feet, shoes left behind, and the wet sand initially felt odd under her skin, but soon she grew used to it.  Just like how she had begun to grow used to being Jung Hoseok’s little wife—or his little pet, she could say. Had it not been that woman—

Fingers wrapping around the back of her neck broke her from her spiralling thoughts. (Y/N) gasped, startled back into reality, but before she could respond, her face was gently but firmly turned to her side, and his lips greeted her. It was gentle for only a moment before it turned passionate, almost frenzied with lust. Her knees turned boneless. The air was charged between them. She shut her eyes, trying not to look into the very eyes that would haunt her for a lifetime.

“There was not a single day when I had not wished to have you by my side, ever since I met you.” He confessed between the heated kisses.

It would have been a sweet expression of love, had it not taken her back to the moment when everything went downhill for her.

As if the conversation with Yumi had not been enough, the very next day, her boss had invited her into his cabin and apologised for his ‘rude and unacceptable behaviour towards a company asset such as her’. 

Company Asset?

(Y/N) was self-aware enough to know that she was easily replaceable. That man would rather fire his best employee than apologise. The jittery body language did not help either. That was not him apologising to her; he was being compelled to do so.

All she could think of was how Hoseok had casually asked her about her boss’ cabin. She had no other spot for the needles of suspicion to point at.

Everything was pointing towards Hoseok. But what she could not fathom was the reason behind a man such as him being invested in an ordinary woman such as her.

After that day, she began to evade him. Excuses, silence, diversion—whatever she could, she did to keep him at an arm’s length.

But such ways could only sustain her for so long. 

It had been a relatively enjoyable evening for an office party. She met a new employee who was funny, friendly, and flirtatious. No, she was not looking for any serious relationships, but some casual flirting would not hurt, right?

It had been a while since she felt her cheeks hurt from laughter; the last time she laughed so hard was when she had lunch with Hoseok. She had the ghost of her previously full-blown smile as she entered the elevator. Pressing on the number of her floor, she yawned, feeling the day’s toil catching up. 

But before the doors could close completely, they opened another ding.  Her previously slumped shoulders jerked up, alert, as the doors opened wide once more, and Jung Hoseok walked in, and she sucked in a breath.

He smiled—the usual friendly smile he would reserve for her—but under the light, his smile failed to brighten up the space this time.

In silence, he stepped inside the elevator and waited for the doors to close. This time, they did, but she wished that they did not. 

The silence was oppressive.

That was the only way she could describe it since she had not yet realised that she felt cornered.

“How was the party?”

She blinked. Despite it being just the two of them, the space felt crowded. The doors opened once more with the usual ‘ding’ before Hoseok walked out and turned to her, expecting her to follow him.

She yielded.

“You did not answer. That’s alright, let's talk over coffee.” He stood by her flat’s entrance, smiling.

Realising that she had no way out of the situation, she hurriedly unblocked her apartment door and invited him in.

“Sorry, its a bit messy right now, I did not know you were coming.”

By the time she finished, he was already making himself comfortable on her sofa. 

“That’s alright, (Y/N), makes you all too likeable." He smiled. But there was something cold and steely about that. “Why are you standing there? Have a seat. Its your home, after all.”

She managed to put up a smile and sit a good distance away from him. He did not comment on it but it would be foolish to assume that he did not notice, especially when his eyes remained on her—a cynical amusement playing in those orbs that made her sit still and taut.

“You have been quite busy these days, love. I hope your boss is not giving you a hard time.”

“No, he already apologised.” This time, she stared right back at him, trying to gauge out a reaction, desperately hoping that he had nothing to do with this.

Hoseok smiled and tilted his head. “Glad to hear that.”

And she needed no more confirmation. Taking a deep breath, she arranged the words in her head before beginning to speak.

“Hoseok, y-you are a kind and beautiful friend, and I really enjoy your company. Anyone would be glad to have you as a friend…”

“Really? I feel special.” 

Ignoring his comment, she continued—

“But unfortunately, I do not think that we should see each other anymore, as often. I do not fit into your world. It’s too vast, too glitzy, and over all—I mean–yeah you get it. I just feel that maybe we can tone down the meetings. My office colleagues took it the wrong way. Everybody knows you.”

That was not exactly what she wanted to say, but that would do. If he was not offended,

He chuckled and looked away for a moment, observing the wall on his side as if contemplating something. He mumbled.

“Sorry?”

“I guess you are tired. I will pick you up tomorrow, hmm?” His gaze found hers again.

“I just—”

I planned a whole weekend getaway. Be ready by eight in the morning tomorrow.” 

To say that she was stunned was a grave understatement. She blinked, dumbfounded by his blatant ignorance of her previous words. But here was where she would draw the line.

“Hoseok.” 

Her voice was firm. He was on his way out of her apartment, but he paused and turned around.

“I think you did not hear me earlier. I don’t want to see you so often. I am not going anywhere with you. Not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow.” 

She paused before finally making up her mind 

“Not ever.”

Yumi was right. The more she minded her own business, the better. She did not want to be embroiled in anything dangerous or even scandalous. She needed herself. Not Jung Hoseok or any other storm.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Hoseok put his hands inside his pockets and titled his head—his stance relaxed and his eyes amused.

“What was your friend’s name again? Right, Lee Yumi, and her private detective friend, Kanyun. I will do them a favour.” 

He took a step closer to her while she remained frozen in fear.

“Since he has been running around with half-assed clues and crack-head witnesses for over a year now, I will give her one– the motel owner runs an illegal drug business. And now she and her little detective run to the police and find out how many of them work for me.”

He raised his hand, and she flinched and closed her eyes, almost certain that a hit was coming. 

Some scars took time to heal after all.

When nothing happened for a long moment, she opened her eyes, only to find his hand frozen in mid-air and all the air of amusement gone.

He clenched his jaws before gently brushing away the strands of hair from her face. 

“Never even in my dreams, love. Not even in my dreams.”  

His voice had no sharpness or amusement this time.

But she could not understand why.

She knew of his reality; he knew that she knew. Then why was she so soft with her? Like he was just playing. Maybe it was all a game for him after all.

“Its okay if you don’t want to come. You need to save your energy for the future anyway. Goodnight, love, sleep well.” 

Planting a quick, soft kiss on her forehead, he left.

He walked away as if he had had the most casual conversation with someone. Then perhaps she was that irrelevant. 

What harm could people like her or Yumi do to a person as powerful as Jung Hoseok?

The night went by with her warning Yumi about the fact that Hoseok knew what she was up to, checking all doors, windows, and locks, and keeping an eye on the street to see if there was someone watching over her.

Hoseok had known that Yumi had been trying to find out about her cousin all the while, and he also somehow knew that she was coming back from an office party. If that was not chilling enough, the very fact that he had confidently given away such important information hit the nail.

Jung Hoseok was a man she ought to avoid at all costs.

The sand sticking to her had felt odd a while before. But at the moment, she was overwhelmed with the feeling of his finger entering her. The pace was slow but calculated, leaving her gasping for breath. The dress he had chosen for her allowed the ease of his hands finding their way between her legs.

At the back of her mind, she knew that they would both need a shower once they were back in their suite. At the back of her mind, she was scared. But all she could express was how good his fingers felt—one curved inside her, rubbing on all the sweet, hard spots that made her gasp and shudder, the other playing with her pearl to make her senses fill with ecstasy.

“There you go, Baby~” he cooed at her, his fiery gaze meeting her hazy one as she was finally pushed over the edge.

She felt the second finger entering the very next moment, dragging her orgasm before she felt the delightful tiredness seeping in. But he knew that it was not over. He waited for a moment to let her catch her breath before his fingers inside her parted, stretching her walls. His lips attached themselves to her neck as his fingers continued to move in a steady, almost hypnotic motion, making her hips rise and her back arch.

“I love you so much…you have no fucking idea.”

His words made her eyes flutter open. Although still dazed, she managed to voice out her concern “Aren’t p-people here? Someone–oh–”

“Shh, no one will see us; we are the only ones here, love. I cleared it out all for us.”

 There was nothing surprising about it, though. The last time he caught someone staring at her chest, it ended with blood sprinkling all over the wall and the ceiling. Of course, he would not allow another soul to step inside the premises; he had planned to take her to the beach all along.

Her thoughts, though, were not steady, not with his fingers stretching her out like that while his lips assaulted her sweet spot, making her perfectly pedicured toes curl.

She came once more with a short but sharp scream, feeling her whole form buzz with pleasure. 

But the feeling did not last long enough to be relished, as she felt his hand between her warm legs. The bottom of her dress was already flung up carelessly, exposing her to him. 

Under the gentle moonlight and the distant lit-up torches, she could see his eyes gleam. He smirked before crashing his lips on hers. The kiss was passionate but gentle, pushing her towards another edge. 

But he pulled away abruptly, leaving her hanging. He smiled as he unzipped himself before nestling between her legs. Her inner thighs already felt damp with anticipation and arousal, but feeling his length rubbing against them, along with the texture of his pants, she felt her womanhood clench. Pulling her into a sitting position, he let out a quiet groan.

She blinked, slightly disoriented, but did not question him. She could feel hands around her waist even though the material of the dress.

 It was a surreal feeling.

 No matter how many times she slept with him, she would oscillate between being somewhere else mentally and having all her senses overwhelmed with pleasure.

Finally, she felt his length entering her before he pulled her over his lap. The movement of his manhood inside her made her gasp loudly and hold on to him for her dear life. Hoseok growled into her ear while she felt him unzipping her dress, loosening the sleeves so that he could pull them down in a quick, rough movement, along with her bra, leaving her breasts exposed.

His lips found hers again, and she squeaked into his mouth as he began to move. It was something she had never felt before. He truly never failed to surprise her.

Her eyes opened to find his fiery gaze on her before he moved her roughly once, eliciting a scream from her lips as her eyes rolled back again. His tongue devoured her mouth, and hers lolled, surrendering to the intense pleasure.

Her screams were met with his quickening breath and curses following a deep, sensual laughter. For a moment, it was easier to forget everything—the scars of the past, the uncertainty of the future—and just let the pleasure consume her. 

And she did just that. She gripped him tighter and moved with him, taking in all he gave her and in turn surrendering to him, just for the moment, and even in that moment, she felt how he claimed her. Like he always wanted to.

-----

She excused herself to the bathroom the moment they returned to their suits. The dress she wore did next to nothing to cover the blooms of red, pink and purple over her neck and beyond, at least those on her thighs were not visible.

Her legs were still wobbly, and the feeling of dampness between her legs did not help, it felt weird to walk normally. Under the sense of privacy provided by a shut bathroom door, she assessed her reflection in the mirror. 

There was no way of denying that she enjoyed it– she was glowing, but her eyes. They fell like they were foreign. 

Did she always have those empty eyes?

She knew she did not. But it was hard to remember the times she felt truly happy.

But there was hope now. Finally, she could see the glimmering end of the tunnel in the form of the opportunity thrown at her(literally). Remembering the phone tucked safely between her cloths, she composed herself as she began to wash away the remains of dubious passion from between her legs. She knew that scrubbing would not fade the marks all over her, but she scrubbed them anyway, resentful of herself for falling weak at the moment.

After a rather long bath, she felt slightly lighter, wanting nothing more than to crash on the bed and sleep the night away. With a sigh, she opened the bathroom door and stepped in the bedroom. 

Hoseok was not in the room when she stepped in. It was an eerie silence that impregnated the place. Sighing, she turned to get into the bed, only to be startled by Hoseok’ still form leaning against the closed closet. 

How come she had not noticed him before?

But that soon became least of her concerns when she saw the gleaming device h was playing with.

The phone.

She paled at the realisation.

He had found that fucking phone.

“So that’s why you were so lost? I wonder where you got this toy of yours, Love?”

She felt her stomach twisting as her eyes watered. But there was no time to think. With her reflexes kicking in, she turned and ran towards the bathroom, knowing that he had probably already locked the door.

She registered his grip a moment later than the feeling of vanished gravity. His grip was rough around her waist as he heaved her up in the air, eliciting a broken scream from her lips. 

He was everywhere.

Outside her work, he would be waiting for her with his car.

He would there outside her house on weekends.

He would be there whenever she would be somewhere out.

Jung Hoseok was everywhere. He was creeping into her life like a disease.

“How was work?”

That was the first thing he heard when she stepped in her dark apartment. All the tiredness hanging her shoulder down dissipated and pure adrenaline pumped in while she stumbled to switch on the lights.

Her hands were still shaking and her heart kept thumping against her ribs as light flooded the apartment, revealing the man she swore she would never meet again. 

“I had a cup of coffee due.” 

Her gaze dropped at he still-steaming cup of coffee in his hold, fingers with rings curled around the handle. His eyes were focused on the brown liquid though.

“Wh–what are you doing in my house?” 

At that, Hoseok looked up. It was like she was looking at a stranger– there was nothing airy, or light about him. Everything in her wanted her to back away slowly while maintaining an eye contact. But she stood her ground.

 It was her fucking house. 

He had already planted himself everywhere she went– regularly or not. She would not lose the sense of security in her house as well.

 She stood stiff and alert, ready to run if she needed to. 

“Come in, I prepared a cup for you too.” He patted the cushioned seat beside him lightly.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

At that, he tilted his head.

“I thought we were friends (Y/N), very good friends…” The words felt corrupted from his lips. 

He knew that she was scared, he knew that she was tired, he knew exactly what he was doing.

She shut her eyes tightly and took in a breath, bracing herself.

“But I don’t want to be your friend anymore!”

“Aww, that hurt. But that’s okay…” 

He paused for a few moments, doubling the tension 

“You can be my lover.”

“Wh-hat?”

Hoseok smirked– slow and sinuous 

“I simply happen to be unusually fond of you…love.”

—-

He left after that and for a good whole week. But he did leave her spooked. 

Yumi was worried and unsurprisingly paranoid. If Jung Hoseok could give away clues without fear, and casually guess Yumi’s next move, it was better to just abandon the investigation, (Y/N) had suggested.

“I think you should rewind a bit, you look pale.” Yumi commented, observing her friend while she took a sip of her coffee. 

The days were turning colder and shorter, and a good, piping hot cup of beverage was always appreciated between breaks at work.

“I’m okay. Haven’t seen him for a week though.” (Y/N) shrugged. 

Hoseok was like a spider– it was scary when she could see him, but even scarier when she could not.

“Tch, you have to take a stand (Y.N), this can’t go on like that. You need to make a statement. People like him jump from one woman to another like they are clothes.”

Yumi did have a point. If she made a clear, good statement, maybe then he would leave her alone? She had, unlike Yumi, nothing to do with him at all. Nothing persona. Nothing profession. No connection at all.

But his words still rang like a warning bell in her mind.

“By the way…” Yumi began, clearing her throat “The new guy was asking about you.”

“The one at the party? What was his name again?”

“Hyunjae.”

Hyungjae was a decent man in every sense. He would help the old clerks, would buy coffee for his co-workers and even help them complete their pending tasks. Men like Hyunjae were rare to find, but they did exist.

“What about him?”

“I think he has a crush on you.”

“Yumi, men like Hyunjae don’t have crush on women like me– who does not even remember the meeting schedules.”

Yumi rolled her eyes at that comment “I think one friendly date would not hurt?”

“Yumi, no. “

“Why?”

(Y/N) sighed, “Just no.”

—-

The very next week, she was starring back at the menu card at a cafe Yumi had suggested for a date. While (Y/N) did not believe in stereotypes, but it had already been half an hour with no sign of Hyunjae and with a rumbling stomach, she was bound to get a tad bit annoyed.

Maybe if she could order one quick snack and—

“I’m sorry for being late.”

(Y/N) froze– her movements, her breathing, her thoughts– everything stood still.

This was….

She looked up from the menu, only to find Hoseok starring back at her with a sharp smile. 

“Quite a date.”

She looked around, only to catch a few faces quickly turning away. She needed to leave.

The sound of his chuckle broke her rushing train of thoughts.

“I have been so patient with you, thought you would get the point. Tch, but you are a sorry, naïve, lonely little lady…”

Somehow, the fake sympathy stung, because everything he said, was somewhere true. Everything she did, boiled down to two core purposes– her dedication to her ailing mother and to just survive. 

Maybe that’s why it had been so easy for a man like Hoseok to lure her in. She had dragged on a corpse of a relationship for years only because she was afraid to be left alone, she had accepted Hoseok’s friendship because with him, she did not feel alone. 

She did have friends. Good, helpful, understanding friends.

But they had their own lives and their own circles. She never had a best friend after school.

It was only her diary she confided in, freely expressed herself. Other than that, there was only a sense of loneliness. Even if she did want to reach out, it did not feel as easy or simple as it seemed to be. 

She did not want to be bother. 

But maybe, she was not a bother. Maybe she should have chosen her old friends over Jung Hoseok.

Because as she watched him light up a cigarette with his knuckles turning white. She knew that she was not getting out of this mess anytime soon. She should have been firm. But she did not want to be rude, or upset her only office friend- Yumi.

He checked his phone and smiled. 

“Oh, I have a very good news for you by the way…” He began.

His smile stretched into a malicious grin. A happy face had never been so terrifying to her before. 

“Your mother is being shifted to hospital owned by me. Poor lady, at her condition, she needs the best care. But now she would not have to worry, I shall provide that to her.”

How could she underestimate his reach?

She was stupid. Absolutely the dumbest idiot in the whole world.

And Hoseok was cruel. His snigger told it all.

Why did he even bother to try to stifle his laugh? 

“Aww, honey, there is no need to cry. Your mother is safe. She is having the best care provided to her…But the rest…” he paused, to smile– and (Y/N) understood what it was like to hate someone smile “...the rest depends on you.”

Now she understood what that creep had scurried away quietly the night she met Hoseok for the first time.

She flinched when he leaned in to wipe away her incessant tears. With her lips quivering, breathing shortened and vision blurring. She felt cold all over.

“Breath, its alright. Here, try to take some deep breaths.” 

He was by her side at once, his hand rubbing her back. There was an unending ringing in her ears.

“What have I ver–ever done to you?” 

She was tired. Tired, angry, afraid.

“Nothing, love. You have done nothing.”

“And yet you—why are you doing this?”

He simply smiled. 

“You can do a lot too, love…like marry me.”

The next thing she knew, she was slammed on the bed. It did not hurt, but it did leave her breathless. Her heart thundered against her chest as her vision blurred with unshed tears. Under the lighting, Hoseok seemed far more sinister than he had been a few hours ago under the night sky.

“What’s the hurry, (Y/N)?” He sounded like a python coaxing its prey right before crushing it.

He was the python.

He realised it when she felt his fingers wrapped around her neck, holding her in place. She gasped for air, mouth wide opened and tears freely running down from the corner of her eyes.

“Tch, tch, tch. And I thought you had some fucking brains left in that empty head of yours!.” He snarled. 

His words hurt because deep down, they were true– she was dumb, she was too stupid. She wouldn’t be where she was had she not been an utter idiot. 

She attempted to gasp, turning desperate when his hold around her neck tightened. She grasped his wrist with shaking hands, clawing with futility.

“It's a pity…she goes whoring around for government agencies while I plan a holiday for her.” He grinned, squeezing her neck tighter for a long moment before loosening his hold.

(Y/N) gasped and wheezed, taking all the air into her lungs even when it hurt. She rolled over and fell on the floor, feeling her knees turn boneless and her vision partially darkening. Holding her neck, she turned to look at him with wide eyes and quivering lips, the only reflex left was to escape. To run far away, but she was frozen.

Hoseok ran his fingers through his hair, storm ranging in now glassy eyes. His jaws ticked and with every breath he took, it looked like he was committing homicide in his mind.

“I have been too lenient, haven’t I?”

She had been terrified of him before, but this time, she was petrified. Hoseok had never physically hurt her before, but her throbbing neck lit a new fear in her, while her hatred for him reached a new height. She was still wheezing when he grabbed her hair, forcing her to look up.

“You think they are here to help you? You think they will treat you like a fucking victim? Oh no honey, they are going to treat you like a fucking mob wife that you are. Once they have everything they need against me, they will throw you away to the wolves. You are just as tainted in everyone’s eyes to them!”

“You are a l-liar!” Despite her struggle, she managed to cry out loud, expressing her anguish.

“A fucking liar! You made them drug me every day!” She screamed, not bothering about her highly disadvantageous position. The worst was already starring down at her.

Surprise laced Hoseok’s face for the first time in the night the cruel glint returned soon after.

“I see…Is this their fucking game plan? You are such an easy target.” He let out a callous chuckle and let go of her hair, 

“I don’t tolerate betrayal, love.” There was a glint in his eyes as he reached out for something on his back.

She saw the gleam first before realizing what it was. But it was too late. The muzzle of the gun was already pressed against her forehead. She froze with pure fear. 

She wanted freedom, not death!

“I don’t forgive them, I don’t forget them…You know what I do to them, don’t you?” The cold metal trailed south, booping her nose “I make them scream, and writhe and cry until their soul trembles.”

With sinious half smile, he lowered the gun further, probing it against her quivering lips. The fear in her eyes made him shiver– it was both thrilling and satisfying. She had betrayed him. No one dared to betray Jung Hoseok and live to tell the tale.

“But you…” 

He began, purposefully dragging his words as he watched her frightful eyes widening as he pushed the gun further, the metal tapped heavily against her teeth, making her gasp. But that was enough a slip-up for Hoseok. 

“I can forgive you darling.”

With that, he pushed the barrel of his gun into her mouth. The metal scrapped agaisnt her teeth as it slid in. Her eyes closed before flashing with utter terror.

Good.

He thought to himself, keeping his emotions and tears at bay. He would never admit it to anyone, not even her. But her betrayal hurt. It burned and cut through him. But he would admit, it was not surprising. 

Hoseok was no fool. He knew that she was not in love with him, but he believed that with time, she would settle– she was settling.

Until some fucking dogs came sniffling behind.

He did everything for her, for them. But she betrayed him.

“What do you think they would do? Give you a crown?” 

He could not help but chuckle at her naivety. Her eyes did not help it either. Large, fearful orbs starring back at him–he lived for that. He liked to say to himself that he did not like the fear in her eyes. But that would be a lie. 

“They would use you for defaming me, trying to destroy me, using you as a key and then, throw you away like a used ragdoll.”

He pushed the barrel further in with venegenance, making her choke into it and gasp.

“You are nothing but a pawn to them– a useless, stupid pawn. You think they can save your mother? You dead mother?”

He watched as more tears escaped her eyes, his words denting her confidence. No, breaking it completely. 

Her mother had passed away month ago a in peace. He made sure that everything was taken care of, she was given a simple but dignified funeral, and buried in the graveyard only people close to him were to be buried. He had been a good son-in-law. 

He was being a good fucking husband, keeping the news from (Y/N) because he knew that it could break her.

The words just slipped out, but it slipped out just at the right moment 

“Had it been anyone else, I would have just fired” He hissed, pulling the barrel a little before pushing it again, watching her shaking form.

Finally, he pulled away the gun, the thin string of saliva connecting the barrel and her lips made him smirk. He would teach her a lesson she would never forget. They would have plenty of time for that.

“Stay put.” 

He warned, dropping his mocking smile. He motioned with his gun, not letting his eyes flicker off her form as he dialled his most trusted man.

“Is the helicopter ready? Hmm, keep low.”

Hanging up, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She whimpered pathetically, but not an ounce of regret flashed in her eyes.

But she soon will. She would regret even considering betraying him.

He would make sure of it.

“You are going to be fucking sorry, love.”

He dropped all pretentious, sugarcoating and veils altogether. If she saw him as a monster. Fine, he would show her what a monster he was and how a monster loved.

She remembered that they had promised to brig her mother to safety. But she had no real time update. Her mother was her only family left. 

And she was dead now. 

The only hope, the only string that Hoseok would pull now and then was gone.

He kept the news from her.

A month.

Her mother had been dead for a month.

And he kept it from her.

(Y/N) forced down a whimper. Her legs were almost numb, her whole body felt stiff and frozen. But her heart won’t stop thundering.

Was this all a mistake? Where were they?

Why had they not ambushed Hoseok yet? She had blindly jumped into the dark after hearing a hopeful voice and—

Hoseok froze before she registered the distant gunshots. Hope flared within her at that. But it was short-lived as Hoseok began to drag her towards the closet.

“No! I will not go with you! I had ENOUGH!”

Her throat was raw with screaming. She did not care that she as hysterical. She finally had the chance to be free, she would take it, no matter what!

“Don’t be foolish, they can never win against me. You are just making things difficult for yourself. Don’t make it worse for you!” He hissed, the veins on his side popping to indicate that despite his low tone, he was boiling inside.

(Y/N) shook her head, attempting to pull away from him. But she was of no match against a trained killer.

“NO! YOU ARE A MONSTER!”

Hoseok’s eyes burned into hers when he glanced back briefly. But he was silent for now, focusing on dragging her with him, not even paying attention to her nails digging into and stretching against his skin. He did not even bat an eye at the blood flowing out. 

She looked at the entrance of the suite expectantly.

Please hurry up!

“No one is going to come here and make it out alive, darling.” 

His voice dripped with venom as he continued to drag her further away from the door. Uncaring if she bumped into things in order to resist.

Despite the fog of fear and uncertainty, she managed to grasp a bottle of wine put in the ‘gift basket’-- one Hoseok was supposed to open at night. Grasping the bottle, she swung it right at the back of his head.

“ARGH! Fuck!” 

His hold loosened immediately, but she did not wait, she jerked away from him, not even turning to look at his staggering form, she made a run for it.

The door as open, thankfully. But she knew that she needed to be careful. She stumbled, realising that she had left the phone in Hoseok’s grasp. Cursing, she kept running forward.

It was now or never. 

The gun shots echoed after slight pauses. 

“Madam! Madam! Why are you outside?”

The fucking dog of his!

Hoseok’s men were loyal to him, and their loyalty was tested by their respect for his wife and the only woman whom he had allowed the reign of his estate– under his watch, of course. 

The man grasped her body, eyes searching for potential injury. 

“Madam we are under attack! A rival group.”

A rival group! Wasn’t the police there?

“I was on my way to warn—”

The shattering of a window beside them had them both ducking for cover.

“Madame! Where is Sir?”

His question did not register for a few moments. The police were supposed to reach here. Who were those people?

“Madame?” The urgency of his voice made her spill out the necessary part.

“He-he’s in the room.”

He frowned, gaze flickering between the wide-open door and the her. But with some twisted miracle, he did not get much of the time to think, the gunshots grew louder and another windows shattered.

“Madame! Listen carefully. Please, run straight and turn right. 3368 is the code to the staircase exclusively used by staff. It’s also an emergency route. When you turn right, you will find a room on the left, beside the elevator. Get into the room, then the closet. Push the shoe rack away and you will find the emergency staircase. Just don't forget to shut it down. Keep running and at the end, you will find a way to the helipad. Our men will reach there with Master Jung.”

He handed her a mastercard to the room before ushering her out, telling her to be fast.

He did not need to tell her. She needed to be quick. She needed to reach there before he found Hoseok. She rushed out of the hallway.

“GET HER!” Her heart leapt to her throat when she heard Hoseok’s yell. 

At least now she knew that she was not a murderer. 

Glancing back, caught a brief glance of her deranged husband rushing towards her with his trusted bodyguard, his one hand clutching his bleeding head. But before they could close the distance, a series of gunshots filled the room, compelling them to duck and take cover while she got the chance to slip out. 

His rivals were there. 

With wobbly feet, she reached the suite room and opened it, not even daring to turn back, only hoping that she had not caught their eye. Locking the door, she quickly rushed to the dimly lit closet. The shoe rack stood with the pretence of being heavy and unmovable, but she could slide it with some effort. 

A short breath of relief escaped her lips at the sight of the locked door to the staircase. Not wasting another moment, she put on the code and opened the heavy door. The sound of nearing gunshots quickened her movement. It would be a matter of minutes before she would be discovered if she delayed any further.

Sliding the shoerack back into place, she shut the door, and it locked immediately.

The staircase reminded her of the escape games she would play in her freetime. It was spiralling, long, lit but void of another soul. She suspected it would be soundproof too– there was no disturbance of gunshots or attacks. Just silence and the echo of her quick steps.

As promised by Hoseok’s bodyguard, the route did take her into an opening that had a helipad near a cliff, overlooking the vast and ranging ocean. 

It was dark, but the helipad was lit.

And yet, there was not a soul in the place. Only the sould of the crashing waves underneath reminded her that she was outside the radar of Hoseok’s rivals.

Her only hope was to find an escape from there. Nearing the cliff, she looked around. There was a ferry station beyond the resort premises. She could see the light clearly. She just had to—

“(Y/N)!”  

Hoseok’s voice thundered as he burst out of another opening, expertly hidden behind a small watertank.

Perhaps it was a quicker escape route.

She watched as he rushed towards her, his gun in his hold and the collar of his shirt bloodied, likely from his own blood. But looking at the blood on his torso, she doubted the theory.

(Y/N)! Come back here now!”

She glanced at the ferry station wistfully.

Even if she tried, she would never reach there. Her way to freedom was so close yet so far. She did not know if the girl was a part of the State Authorities, or had been a spy for the rival all along?

Why would life be so cruel to her? Dangling freedom before her, only to snatch it up just as she touched it?

Looking at a an enraged Hoseok, she knew that she could never go back. He would make her life a living hell. He was not one to forgive easily. And she betrayed him. Hit him when his back was turned, quite literally.

(Y/N).Stop.Now.!” He warned, waving his gun at her, as she continued to back into the edge of the cliff.

He stopped a few feet away from her, cautiously glancing at the her feet. One step back and she would fall. 

“(Y/N), come back. I will forget this night, I promise you.” Hoseok offered, composing himself and tucking his gun away, motioning the guard with him to step back.

But she would not fall for his lies anymore. She had enough.

“NO! I know you never would. You already made my life a living hell!” She cried, letting tears flow freely.

“I gave you everything anyone would ever want!”

“Everything anyone would ever want? What do you know of it? All you have ever known, all you ever did was to snatch, seize and possess! This is not love Jung Hoseok! This is not lo–ve. Its a vile thing!” She burst out

“But I love you, I have always loved you!”

“THEN YOUR LOVE IS VILE! VILE AND ROTTEN LIKE YOU. YOU MADE ME INTO YOUR FUCKING TOY, A PET, BLOODY PET!”

She spat out, with anguish and venom rousing in her blood. Everything was deloslate and hopeless for her now. There was no sign of the police, there was no hope of an escape.

“But it is true. I am vile, (Y/N), the vilest thing from hell but I love you! I will forget about this transgression and—”

Her cold laughter caught him off guard. It was a rare and always cherished sight for him, yet this time, the sound and view of it made him break into cold sweat.

“T–ransg–transgression you say?” 

Her shoulders shook almost vilotently as her neck was thrown back. Her laughter grew louder, but her tears never ceased. 

“Transgression? This?” She hissed and pointed wher forefinger towards herself. 

Her face reflected pure range and anguish. Everything he had ever done, he had snatched away from her flashed before her eyes. And after all that, seeing him in pain, she realised that a part of her was delighted. 

“Do you know what truly transgression is? It is uprooting someone from their life, invading someone’s life and privacy. It is every.Fucking.Thing you did to me!” She snarled, all her suppressed emotions and resentment came flooding in with vengeance.

Hoseok raised his hand and took a slow step forward. One step back and she would be falling into the unforgiving ocean.

“We can start afresh, Love. I will try, we can be better. I am willing to forget everything. But please…” He begged. 

No, he could not afford to lose her. Even if it was wicked and twisted, he did love her. He knew that it was something far beyond ‘love’, something raised from the depths of hell. He would forget her betrayal, he understood where it came from. 

But he was not ready to lose her.

“Please come back to me!”

Come back to my arms, I will be better. 

He would giver more freedom, take her to vacations every other month, maybe even allow her to work– he had many companies under his name, after all. Yes, that would suit both of them.

Hope flared in his eyes as he watched the range on her face soften. But it broke him to watch her expression turn painful. He knew he was the cause of it. A good man would have let her go at this point.

But Hoseok was not a good amn, he had not a single good bone in him, no, he was selfish, wicked, obsessive, smothering. He was everything a woman would run away from. 

She would not fall for his lies.

Jung Hoseok would forget nothing, he would not forgive this betrayal.

He was the python who crushed her soul slowly and painfully. She let out a shuddering breath.

She had almost tasted freedom, she could never go back into her cage without strangling a part of her. She looked back at the ferry station, the lights seemed to mock her. The wind, the ocean, those mountains, the sleeping birds, the chirping crickets and the happy people who might not be able to afford a suite at a luxury resort like Hoseok— they all had one thing she could never have.

And her mother? She wished her mother could forgive her. She wished things were different, she wished she were better.

Oh, she could only do that…wish

She took a shuddering breath and felt cold breath washing over her. There was nothing comforting left. She looked at him through her tears. He took one tentative step forwards.

“(Y/N), come back?”

And she turned around and jumped into the the darkness of the ocean, responding to the crashing waves’ siren calls.

“NO!NO!”

Hoseok’s legs were moving even before he screamed. He could hear the muffled voice of his bodyguard but his eyes were following her.

And he jumped right after.

***

Here is Hoseok's part. Only Namjoon's remain. The last and the longest.

[wordyneonlights]

Strawberry Flavoured Love

Ahahahahah heyyy. I did a rewrite of season 4 episode 5 kind of. purely based on @golden-redhead 's post about five getting a thank you and a genuine hug from his siblings. Sorry if you hate this though, I've never written for tua before!

6 years five months and one day.

Five turned over to see Lila sleeping a smile playing on her lips. This past month, that had been the only time he'd seen her smile. When she was dreaming.

It had been a sort of strange adjustment for her, he supposed. Being stuck so long never sat too well for Lila whether it was as a suburban mom or in this subway hellscape.

Five had adjusted remarkably well to their predicament... Lila had adjusted better than most. He could imagine being down here with someone like Diego who would have broken dowm months if not years ago.

Out of all his siblings, he figured Klaus would be the most enjoyable to spend this time with, him or Viktor.

That being said, Lila had proven to be more than mediocre company. He'd even go as far as to say, she was an almost pleasant person to be around.

She hadn't said a word about his reaction to seeing Dolores after all these years. His outburst had surprised even himself.

She'd just hugged him, wiped his tears and made rat stew. They hadn't talked about it since. He was sure he had to do something to thank her, something to show his appreciation and it found him in the form of a strawberry farm.

"I've got something to show you," he told her once she had woken up

"I'm guessing it's not a portal back home,"

"It's a shower and a bed to sleep in,"

She frowned slightly before eyeing five, "You're not giving up are you? Because I'd hate to do this whole thing on my own,"

Five rolled his eyes, "I'm giving you a chance to shower, trust me you need it." Lila eyed him before shrugging, "Ok then,"

It was about an hour later when they found themselves situated, behind the strawberry plants picking and occasionally eating in silence.

"Grace loves strawberries," Lila whispered softly and five's heart hurt for her. He'd spent more of his life away from his family than with them but he understood how she felt. Helpless but driven, tired but still willing to keep moving.

He turned back to his own strawberry plot, "We'll just have to pack some to take with us," he replied simply, pushing some of his pile to the side and placing them in a makeshift bag before turning to face her, "We're going to be back soon, you will see your family again," he said and she laughed wryly

"You said that yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that,"

"And I'll keep saying it until we get back,"

Lila sighed, and Five shifted on his feet. He suddenly wished that Diego was here. They were going through their troubles but Five sort of applauded his older brother.

They had had an awful blueprint for relationships, and that was putting it lightly. It was surprising but admirable that Diego was able to have a family like that; weirdly, Five was kind of proud of his brother.

"About Diego," he started and Lila frowned before her expression melted into something more wistful. "He's... my brother,"

Lila rolled her eyes, "Oh really?"

"In the sense that he's annoying and rushes into stuff and he can be brash, but he's a good guy,"

"I don’t know Five. It's great being able to see my parents again, being able to know my family? That's something I never even dreamed was possible. And I love my kids ok, I love my kids but marriage? That's- "

"Marriage only works as long as you’re willing to make it work,"

"Yes but-"

"Are you willing to make it work?"

Lila paused, looking down at the strawberries for a while before responding "Yes I am,"

"And so is Diego,"

Lila scoffed a small smile playing on her lips and Five smiled inwardly. He felt strangely accomplished.

"When'd you get so wise about marriage? Huh old man?" She joked elbowing him

"I guess Dolores taught me a few things," Five responded, sorting more strawberries.

"That she did."

-

6 years 5 months and 2 days

There was something beautiful about finally cracking a code. He'd personally never been involved in the world of drugs but Five supposed that this would be what a hit felt like.

Out of this fucking world.

He stumbled over to Lila shaking her, "I've got it!" He said, "I've cracked it we can go home!"

Her eyes opened and she blinked at him blearily, "What?" She muttered

"We're going home," Five responded placing a hand on her shoulder, "You're going to see your kids again"

"Am I dreaming- ow!" She asked before glaring at Five who had punched her hard enough to let her know that this was real.

"C'mon, we don't have much time left,"

"We never have much time left," she muttered getting up.

The walk back was full of tension, on Five's part he wasn't that worried. For his siblings, this had been a couple of hours. Lila however was fretting.

"Do you think they'll remember me? My kids, my family, Diego..."

"It's only been a couple of hours for them remember? They probably think you went out or something, d'you have the strawberries?"

She nodded, wiping her palms on her trousers before walking up to her door.

She was about to put her key in the lock before the door opened revealing Diego.

"Where've you been? I missed you!" He exclaimed and both Lila and Five's eyes widened. Did he somehow know something?

He embraced Lila who was fighting back tears, burying her face in Diego's shoulder.

"I missed you too,"

Five walked inside not trying to get in the middle of their moment. Walking into the living room he caught sight of the rest of his siblings. He hesitated, thinking about the subway. It was probably something he should tell them about.

"You alright Five you look kinda pale," he heard Luther ask

"Doesn't he always look kind of pale?" He heard Allison whisper

"This is a more... haunted pale than his usual pallour," Klaus chimed in

"Guys..."

"Five!" He heard, turning around to see Diego, he was about to say something when Lila noticed Grace and immediately ran to her.

"Mommy, you're squeezing me too tight!" The girl exclaimed to which Lila hugged her even tighter before loosening the hold, "Where are the twins?"

"Kitchen, come on!" Grace responded tugging on her mothers hand.

Five watched the scene unfold a small smile on his face reaching for the strawberries before he felt a hand on his back.

"Lila told me everything, I just... I want to say thank you,"

Five turned to face his brother, nodding but before he could speak, Diego had bent and wrapped his arms around him. "And thank you for everything else you've done. For us I mean, thank you for saving us, thank you for choosing us. We do love you Five, I hope you know that."

Five was (to say the least) shocked. The last time he had hugged any of his siblings was... could he even remember? Not any time in the last six years... or the six years before that.

He reciprocated the hug anyway although he still felt awkward

"You're family," he said, "I'll always choose you,"

Diego just hugged him tighter in response, staying that way for about a minute before pulling apart. Five barely had a moment to breathe before Klaus pulled him into another hug.

"If Diego gets a five hug, I get a five hug," he said simply to which he got a small smile in response

"Well now I feel left out," Luther complained standing up, and looking at Five who rolled his eyes in response before sighing and opening his arms.

Luther, as he would later admit to himself, was probably the best hugger out of all his siblings.

"Alright," he said turning to face the rest of his siblings, "Are we done?"

Allison and Viktor eyed each other before looking at Five. Viktor got up first awkwardly surveying five before wrapping his arms around him.

"Guess that was about as awkward for you as it was for me," he said pulling away

"I've been through worse things," Five mused to which Viktor laughed

"I guess we all have,"

"Well?" Five said facing Allison, "I've got about one left in me,"

"A five hug is the best type of hug," Klaus commented giving Allison a look

"Plus we've all done it, you don't want to feel left out," Luther quipped

Allison sighed before getting up and walking towards five. She bent down and hugged him gingerly.

"I am sorry for everything," she whispered, Five nodded in response and she pulled back.

"Now that everyone's done, Lila and I have something to tell you."

It was strange how six years five months and two days could be condensed into five minutes and about a half bowl of strawberries. Five almost smiled and the strangeness of it.

"It seems like you're always finding your way back to us," Luther mused as the weight of his and Lila's revelation eased slightly.

"I guess it's a good thing, that way we stop the world from ending," Allison said

"Ending huh," Viktor muttered

"Either way, you always end up saving us," Luther finished, "I'm not sure we've ever thanked you for that,"

"Well, staying alive is thanks enough," Five responded

"No, no, the big guy's right," Klaus chimed, "Our thanking should be oratory, expressive. You've saved our lives so many times now,"

"And you spent like forty years in the apocalypse," Viktor said

"Plus six years in the subway with Lila,"

"I think what we're trying to say is thank you," Diego finished

"Merci merci Five-a-rino, I suppose we owe are lives to you," Klaus added.

"Thank you Five," Luther said, squeezing his shoulder.

"Can't promise I won't fuck it up again but thank you," Allison echoed

"If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been able to get closure with dad so... yeah thank you," Viktor mused giving Five a half smile.

Five himself wasn't really sure what to think about the whole situation. Appreciation was always welcome, but for his siblings to all be in agreement and sincere... that touched his heart somewhat.

"You're welcome," he replied. The statement felt perfunctory in the wake of the others' vulnerability so he cleared his throat and tried again.

"I mean, all this is... I would do it over again. You all aggravate me to no end but at the end of the day there's really nothing that means more to me than you all,"

There wasn't much to say to that, but there was an agreement that nothing more really needed to be said. For once, the siblings were at peace and Five was ... well he was happy.

He wasn't sure what would come next, if there would even be a next but he knew that sitting here he felt more ok than he had in years.

And really, what more could an old man want?

[marshmallowprotection]

Hello, hope you're doing well : )

Your posts have made me start another Ray route playthrough, and I had the thought recently (because of my own asthma) of what if an MC with asthma started having an attack in front of the RFA? How would the different members react? Especially the different aspects of Saeran, because I feel like they'd all have different reactions.

Apologies if someone else has already asked about this. And no pressure to answer. Either way, wishing you a pleasant day : )

Jaehee is well-versed in responding to difficult situations. It's a part of her job description at this point. Even if she doesn't know what she knows how to hold herself together long enough to find someone who does know what to do. She knows the worst possible thing she could do in a situation where someone is having a health episode is to panic, and not respond to the crisis. So, she takes a deep breath, runs through a mental checklist of what she needs to do, and goes through it because you need that.

It would take her a moment to identify the problem, but once she does, she's fast to sit you down and ask you to point her in the direction of your inhaler. If this is the first time you've ever had an episode, she's quick to call someone to help you. You won't have to worry about things getting out of hand with her around.

Yoosung shouldn't be too surprising for you. He's had plenty of time to train for health emergencies over the years thanks to his time with Rika. He's volunteered a lot, and he's learned plenty to help others in a crisis. Sure, he's dedicated his time to animals as of late, but that's not going to erase what he knows that can help people. He's gentle, even if you expect him to panic, because he knows better than to put his worries onto someone who needs him to be forthcoming.

He helps you locate your inhaler so you can slow down, take some air, and try to ease the pain in your lungs. If it gets too bad, he'll know the next thing to do is to get you medical attention. It's scary to know he can't do anything but sit with you and watch for the signs of anything getting worse, but he knows from his studies that he has to focus on what he can do instead of what he can't.

Zen... is the type to panic when his loved ones are going through something! It doesn't mean he's not good at finding a solution to help you when you need him to, but it just means his knee-jerk reaction isn't to think things through, it's to react and not always do the right thing because of it. His mistake would likely be trying to ask you questions when you ideally shouldn't be trying to talk.

He would piece it together not long after you make it clear to him that you can't do that, but that's the only hiccup you'll encounter with him. He's not used to anybody having issues with their health in his life because he's inhumanly healthy—so this is certainly opening his eyes to the fact that he needs to educate himself a lot more, not just for your sake, but any people he may interact with in the world. Leave it to him to learn something in the heat of the moment. His heart's in the right place.

Jumin has interacted with people who live with asthma before, and the topic has come up as a discussion point. His family is involved in the health care industry, after all, and while he doesn't have to be well educated in health conditions, Jumin is the kind of man who wants to learn as much as he can about something when it's presented to him. When you tell him you have asthma, he begins to discern what might be a possible trigger for your health.

Do you need dust cleaned up? Is it possible he may need to tidy up Elizabeth's hair more often? Twice a day instead of once? He's quick to make adjustments like that. He trusts you to know how to handle yourself in a crisis, but if it becomes too much, he's fast to call on a doctor to check you out and make sure you'll be okay. Thanks to his status, you always have a speedy response in an emergency. He isn't one to panic unless you panic.

Saeyoung plans for all kinds of crisis situations. He knows what he needs to do when his friends need him, and most of all, when you need him. He understands that you can take care of yourself when you need to, but... he's your defender of justice. He wants to be sure of your well-being even in a situation where he has no control over it. That's where his troubles always begin, wanting to control things he can't, and that's likely where he'll make a mistake.

He'll have prepared a full-proof plan for you whenever you have an asthma attack, but his plan might not be what works for you. He'll coach you through the motions but you'll have to shoo him away... because he's not helping, he's making it harder to relax. It's a blow to his paranoia, but this is a part of his self-acceptance journey. He can't always be right, nor can he always be a hero. Sometimes, he has to let go of control and let you push him in the direction you need him to be.

V has done enough volunteer work with Rika to know his way around a health episode. Sure, he may not have had as much time as say, her cousin did, but he knows when to look and listen. That's what people did for him when he spent time in the hospital after the house fire as a teenager, after all. He listens to what you need when you tell him he may need to grab your inhaler without question, or anything else you need to counteract an asthma episode. He knows it's better to take it as you say than to make assumptions.

Next to GE Saeran and Jumin, he's surprisingly gentle and steadfast to your needs. He won't look around for someone to do something to help you, he'll take your head and help you sit somewhere safe until it is safe for you to walk around. If it gets worse, he knows Jumin will be the first one to send for help on your behalf. He trusts his friends, and he trusts you to trust him with your safety.

Ray has detailed a full-blown plan for your health. He didn't know anything about asthma before he found you, but now he's learned everything he could about it. He knows what to do if you need him, and he hopes you'll never need him like that, because you being in pain isn't something he wants. But, he knows it's likely to happen no matter what, so it's better to have a plan. His plans are what would later tip off Saeran into knowing how to help you.

However, he is prone to fully panicking when none of his pre-planned methods work out. That's where he'll have some trouble trying to help you. He'll be able to help you sit down, but if your inhaler doesn't work right away, he might work himself up, too. He'll spend that time doing his best to comfort you, but by the time you're okay, he'll kick himself for "not being smart enough" to help you. He knows what it feels like to be sick, he just wishes you didn't have to experience it.

Suit Saeran reacts way faster than you might expect. At his core, he is somebody who needs to protect the people closest to him because that's the focal point of his existence—to survive as the strongest no matter what so Ray's hopes and dreams can be protected. He's well aware of your health issues if they were documented beforehand. If you had a major episode, he'd drop whatever he was doing and go to your room to make sure you have your inhaler. His toy can't die from something so preventable.

He makes you sit down, slow down, and do nothing until you can breathe again. If it gets so bad that you need someone who knows more than he does, that's when he would panic. He can't trust you with anyone because they'll likely give you the elixir and that... that won't help. It will make you suffer more, so he has to pray sitting in the corner will help you, and if it doesn't? He doesn't know what he'll do.

GE Saeran is the best during a health crisis. He's had enough time to work out a plan with you for what he might need during an episode... and in contrast, he's spent a lot of time asking you what you may be in need of when you're struggling, too. You've worked out plans for all kinds of situations over the past couple of weeks, and because of the work you put into seeing each other's needs, he doesn't need to feel panicked when you have your first full-blown episode since he's met you in front of the others. He planned for this!

He is gentle when he asks the others to do something for you, and he sits with you until the episode calms down enough for you to express yourself. He doesn't make you feel cornered. He holds your hands at the moment when you need him the most, and he helps coach you to conserve your energy and breathe.

[hwnglx]

Can you do the members of BTS as a person?

bts as a person based on tarot, take it with a grain of salt

jin sagittarius sun aries moon

pagofwrx&8ofprx, world, 2ofw, hieroph&8ofc, magic

+ jin is a very outgoing, active and fun soul who lives life to the fullest. he's a true rebel in his nature and doesn't like sticking to the rulebook. someone who lives by his own strong principles and has secure beliefs. his positive and bubbly energy is very contagious, which makes him a born to be entertainer who will always have the people around him laughing. not only is he very eager to constantly seek for new experiences, but he also is someone who has knowledge and philosophy in his blood. someone wise and intelligent you can discuss life with for hours.

- jin can easily get too restless. his moon in aries also gives him an ego in a way where he can sometimes get too ahead of himself and forget he still has a lot to learn in life. both his sun and his moon being in fire just gives him a huge amount of energy and bluntness, that can easily get too overwhelming for more sensitive and softer people. though he's a naturally friendly person, he has a temper and an ego as well. so once you manage to anger this man, it'll scare you how explosive he can get.

yoongi pisces sun virgo moon

10ofw, 5ofp, 8ofp, hangm, pagofw, kingofw, 2ofsw, pagofc

+ yoongi is an incredibly sensitive, warm and passionate person who experiences the world in a very deep manner. he's someone intuitive with a great amount of empathy for those around him and a sincerely kind heart. his attention to detail and very perfectionistic plus humble nature makes him an extremely hard worker, who won't stop putting in continuous effort until he achieves his goals. creativity runs through his blood and makes him very artistic. he's someone born for this job, who's very comfortable and feels relieved by expressing his deep inner world through art.

- it's just way too easy for yoongi to be hard on himself. the perfectionistic nature i just mentioned can make him so overly self-critical, that he can quickly overburden himself with work and take on way more than he can handle, just to satisfy himself. like i can really just feel his struggle in this regard while reading. he's very strict on himself. his deep sensitivity and dislike of conflict can also lead to him being more of an escapist, someone who avoids external negativity and bad influences at all costs in order to protect himself and his more idealistic outlook on the world.

hobi aquarius sun taurus moon

tower+6ofsw, 5ofsw, queofp, 9ofp, devil+aceofprx

+ hobi is a freedom-loving, independent and individualistic character with a gentle and loyal nature and kind heart. he has this natural ability to see the good in people and understand their perspective, which gives him a very pleasant and agreeable aura. someone most people would be incapable of disliking. he's very stable, practical and grounded. a person who doesn't enjoy conflict and is good at solving problems that might seem hopeless to others, with his diplomatic and generous nature. he really has one of the best energies in bts, imo. very warm-hearted and fun-loving, but also capable of being rational and serious when he needs to be.

- he is the type of person who's very fixed in his ways and can often struggle changing some possibly toxic habits of his. aquarius are very "my way" kinda people who just love doing things differently than others, while taurus people are one of the most stubborn signs existent. that combo makes hobi a guy who will be overly individualistic in a way where he just won't hear your opinion and do things the way he thinks it's right. also, despite coming across as a tough person, he can be quite sensitive on the inside and sometimes get easily overwhelmed or stressed with certain tasks or situations.

namjoon virgo sun sagittarius moon

highpr, kingofc&3ofp, 7ofw+queofp. kingofp+char

+ namjoon is an extremely smart and wise person, with a huge amount of inner knowledge and maturity. like, this is definitely the most impressed i've been till now from a personality spread. this man was absolutely made for the leader role, with the way he's an incredibly emotionally intelligent and stable person, especially in regards to his group. he seems extremely protective of the career they've been able to build for themselves and is a very driven and ambitious guy who basically has being a business-man in his blood. it's like he doesn't know anything else, really. very career-oriented, dependable and reliable, but also compassionate and loyal to his bandmates. someone who has a good understanding of the industry and is a great teacher with a lot of valuable advice to give.

- he definitely seems like he can be a bit too uptight sometimes and have his standards and principles set too high. especially with his perfectionistic and idealistic virgo sun, he has the tendency to always expect nothing but perfection. although his lighter sagittarius moon can balance that side out, i do see him just getting too strict, not only with others, but also himself. all he has in mind is business, it seems. so, although he is a very understanding guy, there might be a tendency in him to invalidate moodier people's emotions once they get in the way of work.

jimin libra sun gemini moon

devil&2ofp, 4ofc, 9ofw+char, 4ofw, knofw, lovers

+ jimin is a natural people-pleaser who knows how to flirt and charm people out of their minds. his combo of a libra sun and gemini moon makes him an incredibly smooth and eloquent talker who really knows his way with words. like, he'll probably be able to somehow convince you the earth is flat. he's someone passionate who has love for thrills and knows how to have a good time when the situation calls for it. he really enjoys being around people who make him feel good in his skin, and is the type of person who can easily light up a room with his presence only. someone whose excitable aura really makes the environment comfortable for anybody he's with.

- oh, he can definitely have a scary duality, in a way where he'll probably only be this sweet and ever-smiling prince charming if he thinks that you can serve him in some kind. there is this big avoidance of emotions on his part, where he can prefer staying superficial in his connections and therefore easily switch to a more detached and colder attitude. if he feels you aren't doing it for him, which can happen pretty easily, he'll just act indifferent towards you. despite this tendency, he himself can actually get hurt pretty easily by other people's words. he likes being flattered more than anything else, so once someone critizes him, it affects him a lot.

taehyung capricorn sun aries moon

3ofp, queofsw, aceofw, emper&8ofsw

+ taehyung is a person who carries a colder and more detached exterior, but is always burning with incredible ambition, passion and desire on the inside. though his capricorn sun gives him a structured, reserved, responsible and dependable character, his fiery aries moon also makes him very competitive and driven. he's the type of person who knows how to work with other people in order to achieve what he so desperately wants. since there's pretty much no end to his desire, he's an extremely determined person who finds fulfillment in achievement and is always seeking ways to succeed more and more. he approaches his tasks with a serious and clear mindset, and can be a great rolemodel for the people around him. someone very inspiring to watch.

- his intense greed to succeed and constant need for structure can stand in his own way sometimes and limit him in many ways. taehyung can easily become too self-centered and sometimes even ungrateful when he gets too stressed out. despite him seeming so calm at all times, he definitely can have his issues with anger once he's fired up as well. maybe getting even scarier due to his usually composed vibe, he can quickly lose control over his temper if things don't go as smoothly or efficiently as he'd like. there's an incredibly unpredictable quality to him that can get overwhelming for people of softer nature.

jungkook virgo sun leo moon

5ofsw&judg, 10ofc, kingofsw, fool

+ jungkook is a huge perfectionist, in many ways. he has a strong sense of duty and a naturally righteous character with well-established values and principles. his leo moon also makes him very compassionate and incredibly charming and gives him a very strong presence that easily turns heads wherever he goes. this combination of just being a polite and tactful guy who knows what's right and what's wrong, but also having a very warm, supportive and loving side to him, attracts people to jungkook a lot. he also can have a surprisingly innocent-seeming and almost childlike side to him, which gives him a sweet and likable quality. although he can come off very confident at times, his perfectionistic and overly self-critical nature always makes him willing to work hard on himself.

- this man is sooo critical of himself, it's insane. it's extremely easy for him to be dissatisfied with not only with himself, but also with his life in general. he's continuously striving for perfection, which basically sets him up for disappointment all the time. it's not easy for him to really feel fulfilled due to that nature. i also get this ever-lasting naivety in him. in a way where i feel like he might always see the positive in people, only to deeply feel the betrayal after finding out they weren't as good as they seemed. jungkook is very mature and strong on the one hand, but can also have his sensitive and softer sides, that come out especially much when he's feeling stressed or defeated. mostly out of not having been able to meet his own standards, in whatever life matter it might be - work or romance.

[udretlnea]

The Exciting Chronicles of The Shapeshifter & The Eccentric Gentleman

I / II (You're here) / III / IV / V

As a child, you would wait And watch from far away But you always knew that you'd be the one That work while they all play

In youth, you'd lay Awake at night and scheme Of all the things that you would change But it was just a dream

(Warriors, Imagine Dragons)

Words: 2.2k

Weeks would pass since that day. The shapeshifter, who would later be named Mercy, was trained rigorously to utilize their powers constructively; simultaneously, their abilities would grow stronger with some exercises from Numbers Four, Five, and Seven. 

Mercy would quit trying to romance Number One. Reading his mind after assuming his form the second time made them realize he didn’t desire romance in general. As someone who became him, naturally Mercy would understand and respect his reasons.

After a month and a half of routine, Mercy became skilled and powerful enough to not only shapeshift into beings of unfathomable power, but also act as them too. To a normal person, they wouldn’t be able to tell the real from fake. Ordinarily, this would take at least a year, but thanks to their intervention it accelerated.

Now, Mercy found themselves sitting in a dark room in front of a screen; Number One finished setting up the projector, turned it on and manifested a pointer stick.

One pointed at an image of a red X. “So here’s the situation.”

Mercy nodded. One clicked and the image changed to a colored sketch for a hulking, green figure. It had a horned skull for a head and three eyes with yellow glowing pupils. Its ‘cloak’ was made out of grass, decorated with various flowers they couldn’t be bothered to try to name. The number next to it told them it was 9 feet tall. Compared to it, they were a measly 5 foot 5 inches.

One poked the screen at it. “I need to get an audience with them.”

Mercy vaguely felt their jaw drop. This…this creature-no, entity was surreal; it looked like it leapt out of someone’s amazing imagination and uprooted an entire garden for its cloak. No, cape…? In any case it looked fantastical. Mercy found it pleasant to look at.

(Art from this fic by the_moon_archives on ao3)

“This is Creator #AQ-120, but refer to them as Eldritch for simplicity. Eldy for short.” One retracted the pointer stick and chucked it behind him. “They’ve been at the ‘game’ for long enough that they know enough about the big picture that their knowledge is critical to my objective.”

Mercy raised their hand. “And what is the big picture?”

One grinned. “I’m glad you asked.”

The slide changed to show the words “SAGAU PHENOMENON” in bold black letters. General questions asking about it were scattered throughout. One pointed to the title. “Finding out what is causing this-this anomaly and putting a stop to it once and for all! I’m confident Eldy already knows what’s happening and I suspect something or other is preventing them from acting on it. So I thought I’d gently ask to take the reins from them.”

One summoned the pointer stick back in his hand. “The problem is Eldy is heavily guarded by cultists and priests. Especially this one lunatic: Rex Lapis. He’s not only a highly dedicated and religious god, but also the oldest and most experienced.”

The slide changed to show a tall, handsome man in white robes and a hood; despite that, two branch-like horns tipped with amber hues poked out of it. His face was immaculately sculpted with a nice jawbone and his captivating eyes with amber irises. He looked like a combination of a dragon and a human, the latter moreso.

Mercy stared into those hypnotic eyes. It was almost a crime how handsome he looked. Fortunately, One changed slides and tapped on an image of an elaborate temple. “This is where Eldy is living, or rather staying. The Temple of the Omnipotent Emperor is usually highly guarded 24/7. Only acolytes are allowed to enter, and the place is crawling with guards.” 

Number One sighed. “It would be ideal if we could simply schedule a meeting face-to-face with them, but to them we’ll be perceived as complete strangers with no social standing or power. Furthermore, their guest log is practically full all the time. Scheduling anything with them is an impossibility; we’ll be put on the waitlist if we even try. 

And then One smiled like a devious tactician who already thought of contingencies for their master plan. “Which is why we have to resort to more clever methods to set up a meeting. I present to you: Operation: Masked Fools. You’re the mask and I’m the fool, just to clarify.”

Mercy arched an eyebrow. “What an interesting thing to call it.”

“I know! Sometimes my naming sense is genius,” One laughed lightly. Mercy rolled their eyes with an easy smile. “It’ll be simple. We’ll be pulling a Spiderman: into the spiderverse nigh-end scene; in other words we’ll disguise ourselves as one of the acolytes, avoid unnecessary characters, acquire an audience in private, and leave before anyone notices.”

“You’re missing an awful lot of details. Like, what happens if we run into someone like Rex anyway? Or-or what if Eldy isn’t even there in the first place?” asked Mercy.

“Then we hide our presence, or act natural! And if Eldy isn’t there then we ask around, get our answer, and then teleport to them!” One said without missing a beat.

Mercy frowned. They still weren’t satisfied. “What happens if there’s like, an object that cancels my ability to shapeshift?”

“Then you hide while I find it and shut it down.”

“Well, what if Eldy calls us out while we’re disguised?”

“I…teleport us into a private room, put on my charm, and reassure them we mean no harm!”

“Right, like you have charm in the first place,” snarked Mercy.

One put a hand on his chest and spoke in mock hurt. “How dare you! I’m practically oozing with charm, thank you very much!”

“Ha! Liar! I’ve been in your mind. Would you like me to recount the first time you tried to flirt with a woman?” Mercy cheekily said.

One puffed out his cheeks. He didn’t dare say anything to dignify that statement. Mercy smirked with the energy of a cat that had found the bag of cat food all by itself.

“Let’s just move on,” One said, slightly disgruntled. The slide showed what looked like a throne room. “This is where Eldy is during the day. Normally, there’s a translator by their side to translate what Eldy says; they speak in a different language apparently, but it would be better if we were alone.”

“You’re saying…you know how to speak their language.”

“Yes. Next, we need to make sure that nobody interrupts us. To accomplish that, I’ll set up a mid-level perception filter around the room so that nobody will even think of entering. Think of it as a censor for the mind, one that reassures it that everything is ordinary,” explained One. 

He tapped his forehead with the stick. “Finally, after I get the answers I need, we teleport out, get back home, and review what we learned. Okay! Briefing over.”

One clapped twice and the lights turned on; the projector turned off as well. One stretched his arms. “I suggest you get a nap and catch some sleep while you can, Mercy. We’ll be deploying early in a couple days.”

“Understood.”

///

That night, Mercy laid in bed awake. They stared up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression. Memories of today’s briefing stuck with them like a fly caught in a tape trap. It just refused to settle down. They tossed and turned yet nothing seemed to help. Not even counting sheep.

Ugh. Fine. With a defeated groan, they got up and out of their room but not before grabbing a white and black hoodie. Mercy quietly crept down the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door. They shut it silently, then examined the nightly scene before them.

Before them was a place that was still in its early stages; when Noraa (Number Four’s name, given after earning his trust) offered to shelter them, they accepted with a promise to assist him however they could. Thus, they’d move and attach bricks, turn boulders into rubble, and generally clear the way. A dozen buildings, including a moderately sized castle, served as the homes for those who lived here. 

This was the Kingdom of Delusion and while Noraa could call it home, Mercy…had a ways to go until they felt settled.

With that in mind, they started trekking along the beaten path. Hopefully all of this excess energy will just go away as I walk…

It would have to be a short walk as they didn’t want to stay up too long. A glance upwards showed the moon nearing its peak in the sky. That and the stars shining above made for a rather beautiful sight. Their chest felt light like a balloon as they let their feet guide them towards a circular clearing in the middle.

This was the site for the future town square. Although only hollow shells for buildings were here, at the very least there was a simple fountain. Mercy sat on the smoothened stone. They looked down at the water below. It was as clear as a mirror.

The shapeshifter (Mercy took to calling themselves that after hearing it countless times from them all) examined their appearance. After several days of experimenting with it, they were satisfied with their current form: A round head with a flat chin, light gray medium hair with bangs short enough that a pair of heterochromatic eyes peeked out; the right was orange and the other was blue. 

They had a build that was well-built yet had the right amount of fat (plump was what Number Six described it). Thanks to their head shape they looked androgynous. Overall it felt pleasing to look at.

Mercy shivered. They rubbed their hands to try to warm themselves-

-only to have a coat get wrapped around their shoulders.

Startled, they swiftly turned around to discover a tall young man with short, jade green hair, slightly tanned skin, and light green eyes in his nightwear. He wore a neutral expression as he opened his mouth. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Mercy withdrew into the coat. “...No.”

“Mm,” was all he said. He opened his right hand and a metallic staff manifested. Noraa casually pointed the tip to his left palm and a dotted white beam fired. A cup of milk appeared in his grasp. “Warm milk?”

Mercy stared at it briefly what the f- before moving to take it. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” replied Noraa. He made himself another one and sat down right next to them. 

The duo silently drank their cups of warm milk. They savored its warmth and taste as much as they could. Once finished, Noraa took both empty cups and made them disappear via staff. Mercy found themself staring at it. 

It looked ordinary enough with a long jade green handle, but near the tip was where it started looking interesting. Inserted into a slot was an orange cube with a diamond gray panel that had five glowing square lights; the cube was big enough like a decently sized watermelon. There was a small barrel at the top where the beam came out of “Where’d you get that?”

The edges of Noraa’s lips pulled up. “Mm. Built it myself. I was inspired after I saw someone else’s.”

“I see. So you basically wanted a cool magic staff.”

Noraa nodded. “Don’t we all, at some point, want to pick up a stick and pretend to cast spells with it?”

“I guess. It sounds fun.”

“It is…” Noraa agreed. They both looked up at the starry sky. Neither said a word for what felt like hours. Mercy felt as calm and clear as a tranquil pond of water completely untouched, unsoiled. It was a nice moment, one they'd treasure.

They inhaled, savoring the pureness of the air when Noraa said something that caught her off guard.

“Mercy,” he licked his dry lips. “If you don’t mind me asking, what will you do after this?”

Blank. That was their mind. Nothing came up immediately so they said that. Mercy looked at Noraa who was still looking up. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s just…I thought I’d bother asking since we know this is a one-time thing. This operation will benefit us, but I realize that it doesn’t benefit you at all. I mean, at least in the long run,” he explained. He looked at them with a face that screamed ‘worry’. It was something he did often; it was how he showed he cared. Mercy teased him by calling him dad. That made him stop doing it, at least for a while.

But back to the topic at hand. “I’m content with helping One at the moment. Once I fulfilled my end of the deal, I figured I’d just go out there and find myself. Do it the tried and true way.”

Noraa tilted his head as he processed that. “Yeah…okay. Valid.”

He covered a yawn. “Well, I’m gonna tell ya this right now: If you ever feel yourself in need of a safe space whenever your journey starts to wear ya down, my door’s always open.”

Mercy blinked. “That’s…actually very sweet of you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Noraa clicked his tongue. He stood up and stretched. “Mm, on that pleasant note, I think I’m gonna hit the hay. The milk’s kicking in. Want a lift?”

“Sure.” Mercy hopped off their seat. Noraa put a hand on their shoulder. Thanks to his staff, they disappeared and reappeared inside his house. As Mercy climbed the stairs they called out one final time. “Good night, grass head.”

“Good night to you too, dingus.”

“Snake eyes.”

“Vegetable.”

“That one didn’t make sense.”

“Good night.” Noraa marched off to bed.

Mercy chuckled quietly before doing the same.

///////////

A/N: @idkfitememate

This is mostly a set-up chapter plus some filler. A part of me thought it was a good idea to give a glimpse into Mercy’s bonds with two of the people who helped them adjust to life outside the mirror; after a month and a half of hands-on training it’s only logical for one to forge such a tight-knit bond.

I hope you enjoyed that slice-of-life bit because next is the exciting part. And I have enough action sequences stockpiled to draw upon. ;)

I've been wanting to write more on SAGAU somehow. This was my plan. The SAGAU Phenomenon is an ongoing anomaly where "countless human souls are prevented from passing peacefully; they are instead reincarnated or transported into Teyvat, totally unprepared for any trials. Depending on what kind of universe they're in, they will either thrive or perish." This is an original thing I came up with.

I wanted to make Mercy have an androgynous appearance since they can literally become anyone, any gender, etc. It makes sense from a design standpoint. As the first character I’ve ever written to hold that status, it felt easier since I had sources to draw upon (looking at you Pidge Voltron & Double Trouble She-ra). For their name, I spun a wheel with four choices: Halcyon, Mercy, Mica, and Blake. No guesses as to which one won.

Reblogs, questions, comments, and critiques are welcome (don’t be shy y’all!)

[artdecosupernova-writing]

Fictober '24 Prompt No. 4 — "No, we're not doing that."

Category: Original WIP: WASTE Rating: T Timeline: before the main events, I believe. pretty sure. CW: drug mentions Word Count: 1,120 Additional Notes: just a quick thing I slapped together. we'll say it's canon until I change my mind lmao

***

A man with enough reaver rock in his blood system to put down a large alien animal snarled and snapped at Dazia Fourteen, spittle flying everywhere, his teeth gnashing, and I can proudly say that the man was not, in fact, me.

I watched this happen from a distance, and I noted Dazia's demeanor—not once did she flinch, except maybe once when a glob of that spittle landed on her cheek. I know she views spitting on someone as one of the most disrespectful things you can do to a person, so I was only somewhat surprised to witness her then break her unwavering stare to punch the man in the throat. He went flying backward, slamming into the other junkies standing behind him, one or two of whom had nothing to do with this encounter at all.

The other junkies—the ones there to back up their buddy, anyway—scattered quite admirably, darting off in every direction imaginable, running into Node walls and slipping on pointedly non-slip floors. One tumbled onto the tracks of the tram some feet away, and Dazia bore down on the one that spat on her, her teeth bared and fist clenched with intent to beat the brains that weren't degraded by reaver rock out of his skull...if there were any left.

"No, no, we're not doing that," I muttered, striding to her and swinging her literally off her feet with an arm around her torso. Her entire body was tense, her muscles taut with the need to draw blood in brutal ways. "C'mon, baby girl, you're not gonna get bit by an addict today. Maybe tomorrow, where it can be controlled and pleasant for both of us."

As soon as she realized I'd interfered, she struggled against my hold. I kept a grip on her, impressively, until we were too far away from the situation to justify running back. I set her down, and she took a swing at me, and I ducked it, catching her next swing in my hand and pressing her back until she hit a bulkhead.

"Maybe don't knock out the only addict around here who still kind of has enough faculties to realize going against you is a colossal mistake," I grunted, keeping her at arm's length until she calmed significantly.

"You're not even supposed to be on duty today," she growled through her teeth, shaking me off of her.

I watched her dust off her leather jacket and adjust it so it fit how it was supposed to, and my eyes swept over her figure before I glanced behind me to make sure she didn't rile up any of the other junkies enough to light a fire under their asses and give chase.

"Yeah, when have I ever done what I'm told?" I turned back to her. "The fuck were you doing over there, anyway? Southern District is known almost exclusively for—"

"Yeah, you don't have to explain it to me," she snipped.

"—The less fortunate and the victims barely surviving the wrath of Oren Altavian, and I don't like to be interrupted, Miss Fourteen, if that is your real name."

"You know it's fucking not."

I narrowed my eyes imperceptibly at her. "What were you doing?"

Dazia hesitated here, which surprised me, but I didn't show it beyond lifting my eyebrows expectantly.

"It's not a mission," I continued, my voice low as I attempted to piece it together before she inevitably spilled. "You're not on duty now, either. Could you be looking for family? A loved one? Who do you know that's on reaver rock right now? It's not my business, but I'm gonna make it my business."

"Guetry," she sneered.

"And if you're mad at me for being complacent as Oren preyed on these poor people, I wouldn't blame you," I said, running a fingertip under my eye, smudging my dark liner. "Get in line, right behind me."

"Guetry."

The finality in her voice, the steel in her voice that caught the light outside the tram station, commanded my attention. I took in her set jaw and her flared nostrils, the tightness of her arms folded over her chest, and I straightened my spine.

"Yeah," I grunted, ire rising in my own chest. "Yeah, I'm clearly not gonna be here, am I?"

"You're here now, aren't you, Guetry? You were here to step in and save the day, weren't you?"

I grinned down at her at that, a humorless one I'd usually save for the likes of Oren. "Very cute. You're gonna lump me in with the unlucky ones? You think I'm just as bad a victim of Oren as them?"

"Are you gonna stand there and try to tell me you aren't?" Dazia growled. "You gonna try to sell me a fuckin' bridge, too?"

"Oh, baby, I know I'm not doin' so good," I purred, taking a step back and holding my hands up defensively. "Your mistake is thinking I'm new to this. You know how long I've been here? Do you understand that I was once Oren's actual partner in just about everything he's done, up to and including the kind that gets his rocks off, reaver and pleasurable alike?"

Dazia ran her teeth over her bottom lip as she scrutinized me, but she didn't respond for a while. "So if you're above where these people ended up, why are you here?"

I lowered my hands after running one through my hair, and I glanced over at the ruckus we'd been actively ignoring—the junkie that fell on the tracks had been knocked clear out and a tram was scheduled to arrive very soon. People of all species gathered around, cool and collected, to get the guy out before he was made into mincemeat.

I watched this happen with a slight frown, far into a well-dressed human kneeling beside the man as soon as he was lifted out and settled onto the platform. I recognized her...a woman who takes the tram from this station every day. Her job was to assist the addicts, to give them resources and assistance the government otherwise couldn't provide.

"Guetry," Dazia said gently after some time. "...You're not them."

"I am," I mutter, eventually peeling my gaze away from the scene. I shrugged stiffly. "That's me. Thing is, though...I've come to terms with that ages ago." I circled a finger tightly in the air. "Wish everybody else would fuckin' do the same."

I remembered her expression directly after that. I never forgot it, even when, months later, I ended up braindead for five months after a failed mission sent me spiraling into drinking a whole bottle of gin to chase the lethal amount of reaver rock I smoked.

[emotionalmesshooman]

my fan fic

When I First Met You

Fan fiction by yours truly.

A few weeks ago I had found a job babysitting, I needed a job and I was exceptionally good with kids. It seemed like a nice place, although I was a long ways away, I booked the flight tickets and was off, I knew the area somewhat of where the house was located, and I knew that It would be a long ride. As I walked out of the airport an older man stepped out of a Limousine, it is an older model of some sort of car. 

“Hello, You must be _____?” He asked.

“Yes, that's me.” I smiled.

He helped me put my luggage in the car, and opened the door. I bowed my head quickly in thanks and got inside the car. The drive was a good two hours, I ended up falling asleep in the car around the one hour mark, it seemed that just as I fell asleep I was woken up by the driver, as he knocked loudly on the window.

“Sorry Miss, I didn’t know how else to wake you.”

“It's alright..” I cover my mouth as I yawn.

I grab my wallet to pay the man, he interrupts my action.

“The Heelshires took care of that already Miss.”

I put my wallet away, and start grabbing my luggage, the old man helps me and I bring it to the door before knocking. As I knocked the door creaked open, I set my luggage inside by the door.  I did see a man in the kitchen putting groceries away, most likely another worker. By this time, the driver was long gone. The interior looked  beautiful, the beautiful walls with a shiny finish, the railing of the stairs with designs carved into each of them. I started up the stairs, looking to see if anyone was home.

Ms. Heelshire was walking down the stairs while I was coming up.

“Hello, you must be the new babysitter, I see you’re early.” she said with a stern voice, she had an english accent, a somewhat thick accent but it wasn't as this as the drivers.

“If I'm not early then I'm late right?” 

I tried to make a silly remark to lighten her sternness, I hoped she wouldn’t get too mad. She was my future employer. 

She was not amused, now more stern than before she said “Here now, Daddy is waiting.”

She started back up the stairs, I followed.

“Ma’am? Who was that in the kitchen?” 

“That's Malcolm, the grocery boy…”

“Ah, alright.” 

“...he will be here once every week to drop off groceries, he has a key to the house-

He also will be handling your payment, he will give you a check every week.”

“Okay, Ma’am.”

 The manor was massive, the walls decorated with bookshelves, some going from the floor to the ceiling, everywhere you looked you would find beautiful furniture, I wasn’t in this job for the money but I would definitely be set with this family paying me. 

After walking through all of what seemed like twists and turns through the manor, Ms. Heelshire led me to a room where Mr. Heelshire was on a knee beside a chair that was turned away from view. Ms. Heelshire went to him and murmured something, after that he got up and straightened his suit, he walked over to me and held out his hand for me to shake, which I did.

“Hello, You must be the new sitter?” His voice much kinder than that of his wifes. 

“Yes, I am sir.” 

I definitely felt better with his soft demeanor. Ms. Heelshire was fixing up whatever sat on the chair, of which was still blocked from my view, but not for much longer, Ms. Heelshire picked up what I thought to be a child but then when I saw its dead eyes and porcelain skin I realized it was just a doll. A…doll.

Ms. Heelshire spoke again as she walked toward me, 

“Now that Brahms is ready I can now show you the list of chores you will be doing every day while you babysit him.”

This, this whole situation made me feel uneasy, they are calling a doll their own? I shook off this feeling and put my pleasant demeanor back on.

“Yes ma’am.” I replied hastily.

She walked out of the room with the doll she cradled in her arms like a child. I walked with her throughout the house. She gave me a list of 10 rules to abide by while I lived here.

No Guests.

Never Leave Brahms Alone.

Save Meals in Freezer.

Never Cover Brahms Face.

Read a Bedtime Story.

Play Music Loud.

Clean the Traps.

Only Malcolm Brings Deliveries.

Kiss him goodnight

This rule had been underlined, as if there would be great consequences if I were to ignore them.

After this, Ms. Heelshire helped me learn the ropes and such. After the tour, rules, etc. they were ready to leave, her eyes seemed watery as Ms, Heelshire handed the doll to me, she whispered the words “I'm sorry.” then proceeded to grab her luggage and leave.

End of chapter 1

Chapter 2:

Movement

After a few days of following the rules, my suspicion of Ms. Heelshire grew. Why did she say she was sorry? What was it for? What did it mean? I tried to wrap my head around it but doing so just gave me a headache. Trying to forget what she said, I drowned myself into my chores. On one of the days where Malcolm came to drop off and put away groceries, I decided to introduce myself. I nervously walked over to the kitchen.

“Hello, you must be Malcolm, right?” I said sheepishly. 

“Ah, hello there, you must be the new sitter? My apologies I must not have seen you come in when the Heelshires had you over…”

“Well, Ms. Heelshire told me what your job was, perhaps I can help you while we talk? Learn a little bit about each other?”

“I don’t see why not…” he smiled and started putting groceries away while I helped.

“…So, let's start off with your name, what is it?

“My name is ______.”

“Well that's a nice name, now, I'm guessing you're from…California?”

“I bet you see a lot of tourists, enough so that you can identify them with just a look.” I chuckle.

“Well there aren’t a lot in these parts, what brought you here?”