#my nephew has his two bottom teeth grown in and it’s so cut

[smilesrobotlover]

I’m so silly, I should’ve drawn this yesterday 🤦‍♀️

But yeah Love at Twilight turned 1!!! Here’s Kori as a one-year-old :))

[zackcollins]

dear life || vince dunn

masterlist

Author’s Note: I was in such a mood to write for Vince. Like. Everything inside of me was telling me I had to write for this dork. So, uh. I did. I am but a person that can’t withstand personal peer pressure after all. The idea was based on a prompt I found online. It’s a little different but that’s because I got the random inspiration about halfway through. Writing is wild and that’s all I’m saying on that. GIF credit to nylanders!!

Warnings: There’s a brief mention of anxiety/anxiousness, so I’ll include that here. It’s nothing inherently graphic but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything. It’s honestly a sweet af fic if you ask me.

Word Count: 1.3k+

Title: Dear Life by High Valley

Additional: Feminine reader! I decided to go with a feminine reader this time because I’ve done a bunch of gender-neutral readers in a row. I thought it was time for a chance of pace. A feminine reader also fit the random inspiration I had a little better. I did see that video about Sammy loving country music and only playing it to annoy Vince... the title is from a country song. What of it?

When Vince had suggested this as a date, you jumped at the opportunity to accept. Laser tag was something you enjoyed doing when you were younger. Getting to go again as an adult--with the man you loved no less--would help you relive some fond childhood memories.

You had been preparing for this date for the better part of two weeks. It was the middle of summer so you had been chasing your siblings and some friends around the forest with water guns to practise your aim. None of them complained because they all enjoyed the quality time they got to spend with you. It had become the bonding ritual that everyone looked forward to every day. 

On the day of the actual date, you were beyond anxious and excited. Vince has booked your session for the early afternoon. You spent all morning pacing vigorously around your apartment, too wound up to sit still for any length of time. During the vigorous pacing, you managed to sweep and mop some of the floors. You told yourself it was to keep occupied so you wouldn’t explode from all the anxious energy. 

Right around the time, Vince said he would arrive to pick you up the front door opened and closed. You had been pacing the hallway between the bathroom and bedroom at that moment but quickly rushed toward the foyer. Much like you were expecting, Vince was standing there. He was twirling his key ring on one of his fingers and smiling softly at you. 

“Someone looks nervous,” he chuckled softly, palming the keys. He walked over to you and placed a kiss to your temple. “If it helps, I invited some of your friends, your older sister, her wife, and their twins.”

You relaxed a little, leaning up to kiss Vince on the cheek. “Thank you so much, babe,” you said. “I don’t know why I’m nervous. I guess it might be because I haven’t been laser tagging in years.”

Vince ruffled your hair before he stepped back to lean against the door. “This date is about having fun. As long as you have fun, I don’t care if we win or lose.”

You smiled softly as you stepped into your running shoes. Once they were tied, you put your hair in a ponytail with the hair elastic that you had been keeping around your wrist all day. 

Pushing off the door, Vince grabbed the knob and twisted it open. He motioned outside of it with his other hand.

“Ladies first,” he said, smiling.

Rolling your eyes, you grabbed your Blues hat from the hook beside the door before walking out. Once you were out in the apartment hallway, you put the hat on backwards to match the way Vince was wearing his hat. When Vince appeared beside you, he kissed your cheek.

“Backwards hat?” His voice had a playful lilt to it. “My girlfriend really knows the way to my heart.”

You scoffed and playfully punched his shoulder. “Dork.”

Vince chuckled. He grabbed your hand as the two of you walked down the hall toward the elevator. Holding his hand made you feel warm all over. There was just something about it that made you feel whole. 

Inside the elevator, you leaned your head against Vince. Vince squeezed your hand tighter to show that he appreciates the show of affection you were giving him. 

When the elevator doors slid open on the ground floor, you lifted your head off of Vince and looked him in the eyes. Vince stares back with loving intent and smiled fondly. You squeezed his hand as the two of you walked out of the building toward his car. 

Inside the car, Vince turned on his normal playlist. Even though it wasn’t music you would’ve normally listened to before you had gotten with Vince, you had grown fond of it in the time you had been dating. All of the songs made Vince happy and sing along; seeing that made you happy and made your heartstrings pull tightly in your chest.

You held hands with Vince the entire drive to the laser tag arena. He had become the master of driving with one hand because he loved holding your hand with the other. Part of you wanted to scold him and tell him to drive properly every time he did this; the other part of you enjoyed the intimacy of this moment too much to ever ruin it. 

Once inside, you found everyone else Vince had invited was already waiting for you. When your niece and nephew spotted you, they rushed over to give you a hug.

“Aunt (Y/N)!” They both said in unison.

“Taylor! Jordan!” You bent down to hug them. “How are my two favourite people?”

“I lost a tooth!” Jordan opened her mouth, pointing at an empty space on her bottom row of teeth. 

“I got an A on my science test!” Taylor said, smiling widely.

You held up both of your hands; Jordan high-fived one and Taylor high-fived the other. “Well done, guys! Aunt (Y/N) is proud of you!”

Standing back up, you glanced at your sister and her wife. They both had smiles on their faces. You smiled back before you turned your attention back to Vince. He had a soft smile on his face as he watched Taylor and Jordan rush back over to their mothers. You quirked your eyebrow and smiled quizzically at him. Vince chuckled and motioned toward Taylor and Jordan.

“We should have some.” You noticed his face turn the slightest shade of pink as he spoke. 

“We’ll discuss it later, alright?” You said, patting Vince on the cheek. Vince nodded and leaned down to kiss you. When Vince pulled away, he kissed the tip of your nose. You chuckled and playfully punched his shoulder. “Dork.”

Vince grinned. “I’m gonna go set up the teams.” You nodded as he walked toward the reception desk. It was only a few minutes before he returned. He was smiling faintly as he wrangled everyone together. “I split up the couples because I wanted things to be interesting.” Nobody raised a word of protest, so Vince continued. “The board will show in a minute what team you’re on. The gear will be brought out—“ Vince was cut off by a door swinging open loudly.

Everyone turned their attention in that direction and noticed one of the employees wheeling the gear carts over. Vince smiled and motioned for everyone to go to the employee to get properly fitted for gear and a gun. 

Once everyone was outfitted with the correct gear and a gun, the employee directed everyone into the arena. Your team was placed by the entrance while Vince’s team was brought further into the arena. When the employee walked by you to exit, she mentioned a siren would sound when it was safe to start the match. You nodded and thanked her as she walked out. When the siren sounded, you jumped. You hadn’t been expecting it to sound like a hockey goal horn. 

You quickly gathered your bearings and ran around the arena. The first person you encountered was your sister. Using the aiming practise you had been accumulating over the last few weeks, you expertly shot her sensor. She cursed as she tried to shoot your sensor with no luck. 

“The gun doesn’t work for a least a minute after you’ve been shot,” you said, smirking. Your sister cursed again as she ran past you. 

Just as you were about to turn away to follow her, you noticed Vince rounding the corner. Instead of shooting his sensor, you grabbed him and shoved him against the nearest wall. Vince made an unceremonious noise before looking down at you.

“Warn a guy?” He chuckled, smiling fondly.

You didn’t respond. All you did was lean up and capture his lips in a sweet kiss. Vince wrapped his arms around you, his laser gun digging uncomfortably into your back. When you pulled apart, Vince was breathing with a slight pant. 

Looking up at Vince, you smiled. “You know how we said we’d discuss having kids later?”

Vince tilted his head but nodded. “Yeah, why?”

You stepped back from Vince and raised your laser gun, pointing it at the sensor on his chest. With a sweet smile, you pulled the trigger.

“I’m pregnant.”

[thranduil-is-my-king]

Not Letting You Go

Fandom: The Hobbit  Ship(s): Thorinduil ~ Kiliel (on the side) Rating: General Warnings: Implied Blood, Dying (Almost), Feels Tags: Soulmate AU, Everyone Lives AU, Angst, Angsty Angst, Fluff, Warm Thranduil, Sassy Bilbo, Or Just Bilbo Being Bilbo, Friendly Gandalf, Dain Takes a Chill Pill and a Breath, Thranduil Loves Tauriel Like a Daughter (pass it on), Reckless Legolas (kind of), Tired Legolas, Thranduil Really Is a Good Dad and King, Concerned Bard, Bardlings, Balin Is So Done With Dwalin, Thorin and Thranduil Are Stubborn Fools In Love

Summary: Soulmate AU where after meeting your soulmate, your lives are linked/Soulmate AU where the closer you are to finding out who your soulmate is, the easier it is to talk to them telepathically. Thorin is wounded badly at the end of BotFA and Thranduil had always secretly known who his soulmate was, and he wouldn’t, couldn’t, lose another loved one. Word Count: 4107 Written for: @elvenshield (I know you love Thorinduil so here this is even if you didn’t ask for it.) A/N: I don’t know where this came from but... I made it. And I honestly love this so much. There could be a sequel, maybe more because I want to go farther into this. I really hope all of you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Translations:

Amrâlim�� - My Love

Meleth nîn - My Love

^^ Translations are at the bottom as well!

Key:

These sentences are messages sent telepathically when said alone. (Italicized)

These sentences are messages received telepathically when alone. (Italicized and Bolded)

“Ah!” Thranduil cried out, doubling over as a terrible pain originates from his abdomen, one hand flying to the area to put pressure. But there was no wound or blood. Not on him anyway. As soon as he realizes what was occurring, Thranduil’s blood ran cold and he immediately took off, following his instincts towards his soulmate. As he was running, he focused on the fading link to his soulmate. Don’t die. I can’t lose you too. Hold on for me.

Don’t die. I can’t lose you too. Hold on for me. Thorin gasps at the words in his head, relaxing at the beautiful voice. He coughs once before he starts fighting like hell to stay alive, curling his hands into fists and gritting his teeth. He thinks about sending a message, an affirmative, that he was fighting but he decided it would be better to save his energy. “...not going anywhere, Thorin, you’re going to live,” Bilbo tells him, inspecting the wound and putting pressure on it. “I would take back my words and my deeds at the gate. You did what only a true friend would do. Forgive me. I was too blind to see. I am so sorry that I have led you into such peril,” Thorin tells Bilbo, gasping for breath between every few words before he starts choking on his own breath from pain. He squeezes his eyes shut, grimacing from the pain and the fear that he might not be able to hold on for his soulmate to get to him. At least to see him once more before he dies.

You will not die now! I am not ready to die which means you can’t die either! You can feel me, our link, I know you can. Hold onto me, Thorin Oakenshield. Hold on to us. Thranduil feels his chest seize up more and more as he runs but he keeps going, going as far as quickening his pace. Quickening his pace seemed almost impossible as he was already pretty much a blur as he ran past to the people he passed. Everyone he passed looked on as he ran past them, their faces giving a confused expression at the urgency of the Elvenking. “What do you think has him in such a hurry,” a bystander asked, staring off in the direction the elf went. “For him to be runnin’ that fast, it’d have to be his soulmate. Or his son,” Bard answered before he took off after Thranduil. Thranduil was his friend and he wanted to make sure he was alright, as well as whomever it was that may have been hurt. Unbeknownst to him, his children also chased after him as well.

“...far more than any Baggins deserves,” Bilbo tells Thorin, smiling softly, and sadly, at him. Thorin gives a small smile back, tears coming to his eyes as he feels it getting harder and harder to breathe. You will not die now! I am not ready to die which means you can’t die either! You can feel me, our link, I know you can. Hold onto me, Thorin Oakenshield. Hold on to us. Despite the words in his head, Thorin decided to at least say goodbye to at least one of the... probably quite a few of people, he had severely wronged. “Farewell, Master Burglar. Go back to your books and your armchair. Plant your trees, watch them grow. If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place,” Thorin tells Bilbo, choking back tears as his eyes start to darken. Thorin grits his teeth and focuses all of his attention on the link between himself and his soulmate. Thranduil... I can’t... I’m sorry for- for everything, my love...

Thranduil... I can’t... I’m sorry for- for everything, my love... “No... No, no, no. No!” Thranduil runs faster despite his body aching; from his long run and the quickly diminishing link between the two kings. You will hold on, Thorin! You will wait until I get there! Please! Just- Just hold on! Thranduil jumps off the edge of the land and onto the frozen river before getting to Thorin, grabbing his hand. Thorin’s head turns toward Thranduil, smiling a little before letting out a sigh, a breath of relief at seeing Thranduil one last time. One last time before his chest falls, and doesn’t rise again. A deep pain hits Thranduil in the chest and he cries out with the pain, tears falling down his face. Despite the pain and the weakening of the light in him, he gathers the remaining power, closes his eyes, and starts whispering elvish phrases. Gripping Thorin’s hand with one hand, the other on top of the wound in Thorin’s abdomen, he continues whispering the phrases for a minute... two minutes... Right before he feels the last bit of his light fade away, he hears a gasp and knows it’s Thorin as he feels his chest rise. Opening his eyes, panting from the use of so much of his power after so long, Thranduil looks down and meets beautiful blue-green eyes with his own icy blue. The sight makes new tears fall down his face, these from happiness and relief. Thranduil wraps his arms around the dwarven king and pulls him to his chest, burying his face in the thick, black hair. “Now that I’ve got you, I’m never letting you go again,” Thranduil murmurs into Thorin’s hair, quiet enough for only Thorin to hear. “Do you understand me?” Thorin sighs and finally wraps his arms around the elf, holding him tightly. “I do, amrâlimê. I’m so sorry. Sorry for everything,” Thorin replies, feeling the tears in his eyes finally fall. Thorin’s heart falls as Thranduil pulls back some but it stops completely when the elf places a hand on his face before kissing him deeply. After a few moments, Thranduil pulls back and says, “I know, and I am too.” Thorin smiles happily before he kisses Thranduil this time, cradling the elf’s face with his hands, the kiss lasting longer than the one before. Long enough for a certain hobbit to make it known as he clears his throat, smiling at them shyly when the pull away to look at him. “Firstly, I knew it and Gloin owes me twenty coin. Secondly, the two of you are way too adorable together. Thirdly, you two have a bit of an audience so I wouldn’t start making out just yet...” Bilbo tells them, smiling softly and nodding behind them. When Thorin and Thranduil turn around, they start blushing as they realize they do have an audience. Behind them was Bard, his children, the Company, Legolas who was leaning on Tauriel and looking exhausted, her arm around his waist to hold him up, and one that Thorin didn’t expect to see. “Fíli! You’re alive?!” Thorin got up, wincing as he walked quickly to his eldest nephew before engulfing him into his arms. “How? How are you alive? You couldn’t have survived your injuries...” “He’s alive the same way I’m alive,” Kíli answers, stepping forward towards his uncle. Thranduil stood up and walked towards his son, going around Kíli, respectively. “I was stabbed, much like Fíli and you, Uncle, and I almost died. But then,” he turned around and motioned towards the elf prince who looked like he was going to collapse any second, “Prince Legolas saved Fíli and myself just in time.” Thorin looked up at Legolas, his eyes wide as he stared at the elf for a few moments. “You saved them? Both of them?” Legolas gave a small smile and nodded, “Yes.” “They did not deserve to die so young and leave their loved ones. And... I wanted to make up for the wrongs I have done against your company, King Thorin. I apologize for everyth-“ Legolas explains before being cut off by Thorin. Thranduil smiles at his son, unnoticed, happy at how his son has grown and what he had done. “Stop. Your apology is accepted and I am in debt to you for saving my nephews.” “It is all I could do for you saving my life when your company was fleeing in the barrels,” Legolas says, watching as Thorin becomes confused. “Tauriel told me what you did. That orc would have killed me if it wouldn’t have been for your actions, King Thorin. Thank you,” Legolas explains, bowing his head. Thranduil’s head snaps down to look at Thorin, a gasp escaping his lips. “You... You saved him?” “Yes, of course,” Thorin answers. He expects to be asked why he did such a thing when that same elf had threatened to kill him a few hours prior to him saving his life but the question never comes. Instead, an odd silence comes before Thranduil rushes forward and kneels to bring Thorin into his arms, holding him tightly. Thorin smiles and hugs the elf back just as tight. “Thank you, meleth nîn. Thank you,” Thranduil tells him, pulling back to look Thorin in the eye. “Eh, it was no big deal,” Thorin teases, laughing as Thranduil just smacks him upside the head, rolling his eyes as he stands up to walk away, muttering something about ‘ugh, dwarves.’ The group of dwarves, men, elves, and hobbit laugh at the the most unlikely pair who just happen to be soulmates. Bilbo stands up and walks towards the company, holding his hand out. “Pay up, Gloin.” Gloin sputters before grumbling as he grabs his little pouch of coins. “Really, Bilbo? That’s what comes to your mind right now?” “Yes, yes it is. Now, gimme.” Gloin grumbles some more as he gets the money he owes out and places it in Bilbo’s hand. Bard is the one to ask, “What did the two of you bet on?” “I bet that Thranduil and Thorin were soulmates while Gloin didn’t believe me,” Bilbo answered, smirking as he put the coins in one of his pocket. The group laughs again at the unexpectedness of this hobbit. “How did you know anyway?” Thranduil looked at Bilbo, tilting his head slightly in curiosity. “He’s Bilbo Baggins, that’s how. He’s a very clever Hobbit, King Thranduil. You’ll learn not to underestimate him or someone else will be escaping from your dungeons,” Balin answers for Bilbo, smirking at the end. All it takes his one look at Thranduil’s glare at the white-haired dwarf for the group to start laughing again, Legolas and Tauriel included. While it takes a minute, Thranduil ends up smiling along with them. “Nah, I think that one was a one-time thing. Unless you imprison someone else who shouldn’t be imprisoned...” Bilbo says, eyeing Thranduil. “Alright, alright, I know I was wrong and I apologize. I shouldn’t have done what I did,” Thranduil admits genuinely, looking at everyone. “Apology accepted,” is Thorin’s reply, everyone nodding in agreement, though it took a few extra moments for a few stubborn dwarves to nod. A silence falls over the group as they just try to take in the fact that they were all alive. Tilda is the one to break the silence by tugging on Bard’s jacket and when he looks down at her, asks, “Da... What now?” “Well... We check on our people and then...” Bard starts before Thorin finishes with, “Then, together, we rebuild and become stronger than ever.” “You will still need to rest though, Thorin. I saved your life, and your body, but you still went through becoming extremely close to death. This goes for the princes as well,” Thranduil says to Thorin before turning a gaze that only a father could give towards his son. “And my own reckless prince.” “Hey! I saved their lives!” Legolas rebuked in a slightly whiny way that children did when faced with The Dad Look™. “Yes, you did. You saved their lives, both of them. It’s hard enough with saving just one person, let alone two,” Thranduil tells his son, walking over to him. He looks at him for a moment before speaking quietly, “You could have died, ion nîn. Or lost so much of your light that you couldn’t have come back from it. I can’t lose you, ‘las.” “I know, Ada. But I knew that I could do it,” Legolas tells him, looking remorseful before smiling at his father. “I’ve always shone brighter than others.” Thranduil huffs a laugh before he moves forward, hugging Legolas tight to him. Legolas startles for a split second, hugging his father back just as tight as tears pool in his eyes, a couple falling. It had been so long since his father had been this... warm towards anyone, including his own son. The group that was there smiled as the father and son hugged, happy that they were together again. Bard took Bain and Sigrid into his arms, Tilda hugging all three of them with her arms. They would have probably stood there a lot longer if a call for Thorin had not happened. The group looked up and saw Dain, smiling at all of them. Well, the dwarves anyway. “Glad to see you’re alright, cousins!” “We are glad to see that you are alive as well, Dain,” Thorin calls back, watching as Dain makes his way down to them. “Oh... This might not go down well.” Thranduil snorts, “You think?” The group chuckles, concealing their humor as Dain nears them. Dwalin and Balin go as far to move towards Dain to put themselves between Thorin and Thranduil. Not that they think that Dain would try anything if he knew what was good for him but they did it anyway just in case. The silence was deafening before Dain spoke, “Ahh... There’s something going on that you think I won’t like, isn’t there?” Bofur snickers, tilting his head to the side as he muttered, “You could say that.” His comment got him a smack to the arm by Gloin. “Alright, out with it,” Dain tells them, looking at Thorin in particular with a slight squint of his eyes. “Uhh... Good news is, I have found my soulmate,” Thorin begins, bracing himself for the yelling that is to come after telling the ‘bad news’. “And, um, the ‘bad news’ is, uh, that, you know...” Thranduil sighs and steps forwards before telling Dain, “I’m his soulmate.” Thorin winces and the entire group waits for either some shouting or to catch Dain from him fainting. This goes on for a full minute, then two before Dain takes a deep breath. “You all are probably waiting for me to shout or attack or faint but... None of that is going to happen,” Dain tells them, surprisingly, and dangerously, calm. Dwalin’s eyes widen as he looks at Dain, “You’re not?! But- But you’re Dain!” “Nice one, brother. That’s probably not helping,” Balin sighs, rolling his eyes. “No, it didn’t. And I’m not going to shout or do any of those sorts of things, even though I am fighting with every bit of myself not to, because... No one chooses their soulmate; they’re supposed to be together for a reason. And if Thorin and the pointy-eared princess over there,” Thranduil rolls his eyes at that comment, “are soulmates... Then that reason better be a damned good one. But you,” Dain points at Thranduil, walking closer to him until he had to bend his neck pretty far to look Thranduil in the eye, “Better not hurt him in any way or you will have the entire dwarven race after you and there’s no place that you can hide. Do we understand each other?” “Completely understood, Lord Dain,” Thranduil agrees, nodding as he was actually concerned about Dain’s threat. “Good, good,” Dain smiles, more like grimaces, as he steps away and looks at Thorin. He stares at him before moving forward to hug Thorin, grinning as he pats him on the back. “You did it, my boy! You bloody did it! You claimed your mountain back!” Thorin laughs, hugging Dain back as he grins just as big. The rest of the dwarves crowd around the two, laughing and hugging each other in gladness. The Men and Elves that were there grinned and laughed with them, hugging the ones they loved and cared about. In the midst of all the happiness, Thranduil asks Legolas if he could stand, which he could. Looking at Tauriel, Thranduil caught eyes with her and took her off to the side to talk. “My lord,” Tauriel bows her head in respect, completely professional. “Not when it’s just us anymore, Tauriel. There was a time when we were practically family, and... I’ve pretty much ruined it with my anger and coldness. I had no right to hurt you in that way and be so very cold to you. You did not deserve that just as I don’t deserve your forgiveness and-“ Thranduil tells her, a sad look coming into his face. “No, my l- Thranduil. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to lose your wife and you did all you could to just stay alive. To continue ruling your people. Yes, you have made flaws during that time and, yes, you had no right to do what you did to me, or anyone, but... I know that you will be able to make it right and be a much better king for it,” Tauriel tells him, looking at him closely. Taking a risk, she takes one of his hands into hers before continuing, “I do forgive you, Thranduil. I was angry and upset for the longest time, mainly in recent events but I’m not anymore, I promise you. And...” “And...,” Thranduil prompts, smiling softly at how responsible and good of a person Tauriel has become. “And... If I am not overstepping, I would like it to possibly go back to the way it was. Us, being practically family. You helped through the darkest times and, I don’t want to completely lose that,” Tauriel tells him, trying desperately not to look down. Though she does exactly that after Thranduil just looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. “I apologize, my lord. I shouldn’t ha- Oh!” Thranduil pulled Tauriel into a hug, holding her tightly before kissing the top of her head like he did so many times, so many years ago. It takes a moment before he feels Tauriel smile into his shoulder and hug him back. “Of course we can go back to the way it was. Especially since you are welcome anytime you come back to the kingdom.” Tauriel gasps and pulls back as she looks at Thranduil in shock. “What? I am not banished anymore?” “I will take care of that as soon as I get back to the ‘wood. I couldn’t possibly banish the daughter that I never had but always wanted,” Thranduil tells her, smiling softly. Tauriel grins and hugs Thranduil tightly in relief and appreciation and love. Thranduil chuckles, holding Tauriel just as tight before she pulls back again with a confused expression on her face. “Wait... You said I was not banished anymore, yes,” Tauriel asks, watching as Thranduil nodded in agreement. “You said I was welcome anytime I came back to the kingdom. Wouldn’t I be staying in the kingdom then?” “If you would like, yes. But I do not see any reason for you to stay away from your soulmate unless you had to,” Thranduil tells her, smiling smugly. Tauriel sputtered as she tried to ask what he was talking about but Thranduil continued before she could get actual, comprehensive words. “Wait, stop before you hurt yourself. I am not blind, Tauriel. I can tell that the younger prince of Erebor is your soulmate. You two seem to make a good pair, despite his race,” Thranduil teases, smirking. “You deserve happiness, Tauriel. And he is someone who will bring you complete and utter happiness. When the two of you decide to become betrothed, you already have my approval and Thorin’s. He may be stubborn but he wouldn’t deny his youngest nephew and his savior happiness.” Tauriel looks at him in shock and excitement, her mouth open wide before she, did the second time, wraps her arms around Thranduil, laughing happily, thanking him over and over again. Thranduil laughs with her as even he could not be unaffected by her happiness. Tauriel looks up at him, smiling as she says, “You deserve happiness too, Thranduil. And I know that you will find it with Thorin.” “Thank you, Tauriel. Now, I think it would be best if we go back before they realize we’re gone,” Thranduil tells her, smiling back. “I agree,” Tauriel says but stops both of them from walking off first. “Wait a minute. What... What about Legolas? I was never interested in him that way but I know that he was and I don’t want to hurt him.” “I do not believe he really was interested in you romantically. I think he thought he was when he really just wanted his soulmate. And he might’ve thought you were that person because of how close you were and how similar you are to each other,” Thranduil explains, looking over at his son who was smiling at the craziness of excited dwarves. “He will be okay, Tauriel. Trust me.” “Always have and always will. Now, let’s go back over there,” Tauriel tells him and starts off towards the happy group with Thranduil in tow. She manages to get to Kíli and kisses him on top of the head. Thranduil’s attention is drawn from the scene as Gandalf walks up next to him though he manages to hear Dain’s complaint of “You too, laddie?!” “It’s about time you and Thorin realized the bond between the two of you,” Gandalf tells him, looking at the group of dwarves. “Of all the things that you could’ve said at this moment, that was not one of the ones I thought you would have said,” Thranduil admits, looking at the gray wizard. “What did you think I would have said,” Gandalf inquires, finally meeting Thranduil’s eyes. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe ‘It’s good to see you happier and less cold.’ Or ‘You did the right thing.’” “Yes, well... We’ve known each other a long time, King Thranduil. I’m disappointed that you think that I wouldn’t say that I’ve known and been waiting for you and Thorin to get together. I am Gandalf,” Gandalf replies, chuckling at himself. Thranduil laughs along with him, “I should have known better, yes? You really aren’t the person to be that formal unless you had to be,” Thranduil tells the wizard, laughing harder at Gandalf’s reaction to that, which was such an amazingly Gandalf stare. It takes him a moment to sober up before he looks at Gandalf seriously. “Now, Mithrandir, I said quite a few things awhi-“ “What on earth are you talking about? I didn’t hear a thing,” Gandalf interrupts, giving a side eye and lopsided smile to Thranduil. He really smiles and starts laughing after he tells Thranduil that “all of that Dorwinion wine is going to your head, you’re hearing things now.” Thranduil rolls his eyes but still smiles at the kindness of Gandalf, “Oh hush. You’re the one that’s always smoking out of that pipe.” “Well smoking out of a pipe doesn’t give us hangovers the next day, now do they, Thranduil?” Bilbo walks up to them, smiling smugly at the Elvenking. “No, but-“ “Nope. No ‘but’s,” Bibo tells him, shaking his head. Thranduil chuckles at the brave hobbit, surprised at how calm he was talking to him. “You are an odd hobbit, Master Baggins. A brave, courageous, clever, heroic hobbit.” “Why thank you, King Thranduil,” Bilbo tells the elf, bowing a little in respect. “You better believe that’s not all that our Master Burglar is. He is every bit of that and more,” Thorin says, walking up behind Bilbo and placing his arm over Bilbo’s shoulders. “He’s saved the Company’s lives more times than you can count.” “I believe it.” Thranduil nods, looking down on the little hobbit. “Now, why exactly are we still standing on this frozen river when we could be somewhere warmer than this area,” Gandalf asks the group who had stopped talking and looked at Bilbo with happiness and appreciation. And with that, that happier than before group of Dwarves, Men, Elves, Wizard, and Hobbit made their way off of the frozen river and towards their people to talk more. Some talked about random things, some about moments they experienced in the battle that had just occurred. And some... Some just enjoyed being with the people they loved and held onto for dear life.

Translations:

Amrâlimê - My Love

Meleth nîn - My Love

^^ Translations are at the top too!

Key:

These sentences are messages sent telepathically when said alone. (Italicized)

These sentences are messages received telepathically when alone. (Italicized and Bolded)

A/N: Well, that’s it for this for now. I really hope all of you who read this enjoyed it. Let me know what y’all liked about this fic and maybe some ideas for the future? Also, I realized while editing and posting that Thorin and Thranduil called each other ‘My love’ in both of their languages which I, for one, think is so adorable. 

Tags: @me-lexi20, @bluemoon102, @erebor-kingdom, @thearkenstone-ck, @

[fairyshuuu]

花吹雪 - Flower blizzard Pt1

.summary. the capital is a dangerous place. there’s only so much power that can be contained by the walls of the palace. people will find themselves falling, bending and breaking, and you’re dropped in the middle without any preparation. .word count.  6k .pairing. kyungsoo x reader .genre. royal au, historic Japan au (think royal kdrama)

.author's note. storytime lol. I’m studying Japanese in uni and in our history class we went over this briefly and I thought it was so interesting?! So I made a story around the actual history that took place at the end of the Heian period. And, I’m aware that the boys are not Japanese but I wanted to put them in there because I like writing about pretty boys, okay, dnt come for me .another author’s note. I only kept the emperor’s names because trying to keep up with the names would be a lot, but if you want to know more about the original history, you can read up about the Minamoto - Taira feud. Okay, let’s go.

Reeds sway in the wind. A late bird lands on a branch. It’s quiet. Not too much, about just the right amount of noise for his thoughts to sound clear, concise, accurate. They are not, of course, not as much as he’d hope for them to be when attempting something this risky. But they’re fully his own, of that much he is sure. It should be a given, for his thoughts to be his own, but here, for him, thoughts are more a interwoven web of other people’s wants and needs. These thoughts he’s having, are his own, and it’s something he’s grateful for.

Baekhyun puts down the cup of tea that have been clasped between his slim fingers, and sighs. Prince Mochihito, son of one of the last emperors, has given an order. This is not the reason he is in the Capital. It is, however, the reason he is in hiding. It’s this that makes Baekhyun the most anxious. The possibility of being discovered is ever present and he doesn’t like killing otherwise innocent people. He will, of course, if necessary. This game can’t be played if you drop the pieces next to the playing field. If you try to play that way, you’ll lose.

Baekhyun lowers himself into the wooden chair that stands in the middle of the room, and looks around. Prince Mochihito’s order. Calling the Min family to help restore the palace and stand up against the temporary reign of the Kim family. He taps his fingers on the table out of nervousness, unable to shake this feeling. They’ve been away for the capital for long, too long. Maybe he’s grown out of it. The constant fear or being screwed over by other people.

A part of him wanted to respond. Wanted to proudly wear his name out in public and ignore the blaring warning signs. He’s always been one for family tradition, and his family line runs especially strong. Min Baekhyun, only true son of Min Jaehyun and his first wife. The representative of the Min family, so to speak. Yes, he has his half-brothers, that much he does, but they are not him and they are not the oldest son of a banished family line who gets decisions pushed down his throat every few seconds.

Baekhyun stands from the chair again, and looks over the paper spread out over the table. The streets of the Capital, Heian-kyo, painted delicately into a web of cubes. His men are everywhere. That much is clear by the little soldier checkers littered across the map. They’re so close to touching the sun, yet so close to burning up in a blazing inferno. It’s a rush, one that Baekhyun isn’t used to but will soon feel addicting and…

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of feet, and soft voices coming from outside. The noise moves closer, and Baekhyun’s hand automatically tightens around the handle of this sword. It stays quiet for a few seconds, and then a knock comes. A single knock, and then a voice.

“Baekhyun. It’s us.”

His mouth corner twitches, and his hand loosens it’s grip. He shakes his head when approaching the deep blue curtain that covers the entryway, and pulls it open gently. “You’d do yourself a favor being a little more specific next time, brother. I almost cut you in two.” His lips flatten in an instant when behind his two younger brothers, sits a familiar face, hands tied behind his back.

Kyungsoo sends him a curt nod, which Baekhyun reincorporates quickly before moving back inside. His belly twists suddenly. The uncomfortable, thick feeling he’d been having all day, was trying to tell him something. He should have known, should have seen this coming and yet he didn't. Maybe he didn’t want to. Maybe for once, he wanted to trust instead of second-guessing every single word. He doesn’t want to know, but when Kyungsoo and Sehun come inside he knows he’ll have to hear it anyway.

His two younger brothers enter the room in silence. They each have a strong grip on either side of Minseok’s arms, and make him kneel in the middle of the room. Baekhyun has to keep himself from cursing, screaming; because this room though relatively safe, isn’t soundproof and he can’t afford to blow his cover. When he finds the sharp eyes of the man on the ground, he suddenly notices how hurt he is. How cold his hands feel and how much his jaw is twitching angrily at the sight of his own family on his knees before him.

He notices the wetness in his eyes that takes a few seconds to blink away. He sighs, takes his sword from around his waist and tosses it on the table, knocking over multiple pieces. He doesn’t care. Kyungsoo and Sehun are back unharmed, and so he knows for a fact that they’ve won. Somehow it doesn’t feel like it yet. Baekhyun turns the chair towards the others and takes a seat in it, allowing himself to almost come at eye-level with the man he sent out just this morning. His nephew. His friend.

Kyungsoo lowers his eyes to look at his older brother for just a second. Baekhyun catches them long enough to recognize, to his slight surprise, pity. His eyes flit to the youngest of the three, and there too, he sees the same sentiment. It’s hardly surprising really, but Baekhyun sometimes forgets that he’s not as alone in this all as he feels. He might be the oldest, but he’s not the only one affected.

Finally, he licks his bottom lip, and speaks, voice soft but so strong, almost as if coming from another person entirely. “If you have any words, speak them now.”

Minseok, where his head hangs almost lazily, doesn’t respond. He looks almost bored with it, and this ticks him off. Maybe Minseok just assumes that he’s fine, but he’s never been on Baekhyun’s wrong side before. With a slight hand move, he gestures over to Sehun. The youngest takes Minseok by the hair and pulls his face back, as Baekhyun stands up. His face is completely cold now. The one thing good about disappointments is that you grow used to them. “Kyungsoo?” He turns to his brother.

“He took out the Kim’s at the northern gates with the men you gave him. From there he was able to get into the palace, disable the guards and walk into the throne room with about thirty men, as planned. We got in.” Kyungsoo lowers his eyes to the floor then, and his lips turn into a tight line. “Only, he didn’t capture the Emperor as planned. Neither did he capture the guards. He was planning to capture you instead. Sehun was returning just in time to stop him, and I came over as soon as I could.”

Baekhyun holds his hand up after that, and nods. “Leave us, please.”

“Baekhyun-” Sehun starts, but the gaze of his older brother silences him.

“His hands are bound behind his back, little brother. I’ll be fine.” His dark eyes find Sehun’s. “Now rush on out of here.” He wishes it didn’t sound so much like a command, but Sehun has always had a problem listening unless respect is demanded. Sehun looks over at Kyungsoo for a second too, before bowing his head and walking to the door. Kyungsoo follows in silence, only stopping by the curtain without looking back.

“You don’t have to feel obligated to do this, Baekhyun. It’s a weight we can all carry together.”

Baekhyun lets a sad smile grace his lips at that, though the other doesn’t see it. It doesn’t serve a use, and yet, it’s there. He is sad, there’s no use denying it. “And make you do it, little brother? We both know that’s not in you, with how you were raised.” Baekhyun slowly lets his hand glide along the handle of his blade, before picking it up. “Go now. Check on the palace for me.”

Kyungsoo sighs, before pulling back the curtain and disappearing out of the room without another sound. That leaves just two. He slowly slides out the sword from it’s leather holster, and holds it underneath Minseok’s chin. “Min Minseok, you’ve betrayed our family. You’re a disgrace and a dishonor.” His voice sounds so foreign. That’s all he can think when he rolls the words off his tongue. “You know the price a traitor pays. Now, tell me if you’d like to do the honor or if you want to make your forefathers shudder in disdain and make me do it. Decide and do it quick.” Baekhyun isn’t looking at him. He can’t, with the other’s eyes on him so harshly.

For the first time tonight, he hears Minseok’s voice. And for the first time in his life, he hears a tremble there. “Wait, Baekhyun, this is all a big misunderstanding. I’m your family. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. My blood runs through your veins and you want to kill me?” His voice only gets more and more pleading the longer Baekhyun waits, and he knows that if he waits long enough, Minseok might really get to his head. “I’m family, Baekhyun. You can’t kill your own blood, little nephew. How could you accuse your own family of being a traitor?”

His hand moves, pressing the blade to just pierce the skin under his jaw, and clenches his teeth. “Do not bring my loyalty into this.” His voice is but a low whisper, but the venom dripping from it is enough to make the other flinch. “I will protect this family line, if it is the last thing I do, and I will not hesitate to exterminate anyone who comes in my way. You’re a poison to your grandfathers, Minseok.” He pulls back the sword slightly, and takes a deep breath. “I’m guessing you will not go out with the last bit of honor you have left?”

Minseok doesn’t answer quick enough, and Baekhyun lifts the sword above his head. Minseok’s big eyes find his, dripping with loads of things, but as long as Baekhyun stares, he doesn’t find regret. Minseok just breathes sharply. “How can family betray you?”

“I’m Min Jaehyun’s only son. You’re the only son of his brother, Min Tae. How can family betray you? Your father betrayed every one of his brothers.” Baekhyun’s black eyes sink to the pendant around Minseok’s neck. “I’ve always thought you took too much after him than was good for you.”

The sword comes down without a sound.

Kyungsoo sinks down on one of the stone benches, next to his brother. Sehun’s breathing is shallow and his face a little pale, showing more of what’s going on inside than he probably wants to admit. Kyungsoo has never been great at showing both his troubles and his affection, but Sehun appreciates even the little gestures. He leans into his older brother a little, and laces his fingers together in his lap. Right when Kyungsoo opens his mouth to try and bring out any form of consolation, Sehun speaks up.

“I used to really enjoy summer, you know?” He mumbles, staring at his feet. “Summers with mom and dad near the river? Do you remember those? I must have been only 5 or 6 but I still vividly remember them. They were so nice and calm. We could run around barefoot and would never worry about anything but saving the little frogs cross the path. I remember one time where you tossed yourself in front of mom’s legs to protect the little frog she was about to step on.”

Kyungsoo smiles almost involuntarily. He really hurt his ribs doing that, but it was worth it. “I remember.”

“Why can’t we have those kinds of summers now? Does growing up really have to change so much? I’ve hated the last two summers. This one in particular. Those summers were so nice.” Sehun stays quiet for a few seconds after that, and Kyungsoo can tell he means these words from the bottom of his heart.

“Well, that was before everything that happened, Sehun.” Kyungsoo only answers, looking from the reed door that hasn’t moved since he walked out back to his younger brother. He doesn’t know what else he can say.

“I’m aware.” The younger laughs, though there’s no humor in his tone. His eyes look almost sad, though a smile plays at his lips. “Everything that went down is about the only thing I remember more clearly than those summers. I remember dad leaving in the morning, and not coming back. I remember mom crying like I’ve never seen her do before. I remember watching my two big brothers get led out the door by guards and being told that I wouldn’t see them again.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t move. He remembers it too. Very clearly. It’s hard to forget that he as an eight year old boy was pulled out of his house and separated from Baekhyun and Sehun when the Kim family came to power. That he was ridden out on a cart for days and placed far up in the mountains above the Capital so that he couldn’t bother anyone. Baekhyun had it even worse. He has driven out almost all the way to the North, without anyone to care for him. Kyungsoo doesn’t like to think about it all. “We’re together now.”

Sehun nods. “Sure.” Kyungsoo notes he looks visibly upset, something he’s not seen a lot on his brother’s face. Sehun’s always taken the role of the careless young brother, the one to break up the tension of usual life. But Kyungsoo is also aware that Sehun has a strong sense of family and loyalty. Seeing Minseok turn against him must have really torn at his heartstrings. “We’re together, for now. Until our own family decides to abandon us.”

Sehun stands up and looks around the empty street, before backing away. “Just tell Baekhyun to be safe. There might still be Kim allies in the city. And the Emperor escaped with the guards so we’ll soon have the rest of them on our backs too.” He looks like he’ll say nothing more, but turns at the corner, and lets out a deep sigh. “Goodnight, Kyungsoo.”

“Goodnight, Hun.” Kyungsoo watches the taller man dissolve into the night, before standing up too. He goes back over to the room, and knocks gently. Baekhyun will need help getting Minseok outside, whether or not he cares to admit it.

You almost drop your full baskets of plums when you hear the excited squeal from your right. Two arms wrap around your shoulders and shake your left and right before pulling you into a hug, all of this before you know what is happening. When the woman finally pulls back, your eyes widen about a tenfold. “Daeun?”

“It’s me!” The naturally light-haired girl giggles. Daeun was your childhood friend and neighbor for the longest time, before her father started to move around a lot. You give her a relieved smile and pull her back in for a proper hug after putting down the baskets. You haven’t seen the girl in what feels like forever, but she seems to have changed nothing in all those years.

You remember very well how even as a little girl, she used to have almost white hair, that with her pitch black eyes made her stand out so much. She got picked on a lot, but never once did she dislike that it made her different. Daeun was such a beautiful little girl, and you’re glad to note that none of it has changed. You give her another one over, and take her hands. “It must have been at least ten years. How are you? I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I thought so too. But I’m here to visit family before I-” Her face goes void for a second, as if she’s thinking too hard about something, and then she turns to you. “-oh dear, let’s catch up! I’ve missed you so much and… let me show you something.” You nod at her enthusiasm, and put your baskets to the side of the dirt road, hoping no one will take them. You still have a bit of time before you have to return to the farm house.

You and Daeun chat all the way to the village center, giggling and talking like you used to do. Strange how some people, no matter how long you’ve been missing them, still click with you in the same way as they used to. The girl drags you into a beautiful hut before you know it, and turns around. “Tadaa!” Daeun grins, as you look around. “This is where I’ve been spending all my time the last week.”

It’s a weaver’s house, beautiful colored fabrics in rolls and rolls stacked against the walls and on the floor. You don’t doubt that they are way less valuable than anything made in the city, but those colors… so pretty and vibrant. Poor workers like you could never afford to even as much as look at those. As Daeun drags you through the place, you pass an older looking man. “Good afternoon, Mister Pojo. This is my best friend. We’re just going to take a drink in the back, if that’s okay.”

The man grunts with a shake of his head, but continues stitching delicate patterns onto the dragonfly green fabric he’s holding. “You’re lucky I owe your father a lot, Daeun.”

“You’re the best, Mister Pojo!” Daeun giggles, and pulls you along even more. It might be annoying if she didn’t look so awfully over-excited. You’re plopped down onto a reet mat in the back room, while Daeun makes some, what you can only hope is tea. “How has it been here since I’ve left? The village looks so much bigger.” She walks over and hands you the peach colored drink, before sitting down next to you.

“Yeah, since the new Emperor, the village has grown a lot. We’ve been assigned a lot more land.” You nod, and take a small sip. Immediately your face pulls sour. “Ew, what is this?”

Daeun giggles. “It’s rose flavored rice wine.” She smooths out her dress gently, before giving you a little tilt of her head. “Y/N, don’t tell me you’re still picking rice. What about your dreams? I know it’s not easy but you’re a hard worker. If anyone can succeed in this society, it’s you!”

You pull up your shoulders. “I don’t know. Everyone else is a farmer here. I feel like it’s only natural I follow in their footsteps.” You put down the drink to the side, and smile at your friend. It’s not like you’ve given up on your dreams or anything. More that you have no idea how to get started. You’ve always lived in a small village, and since your grandfather passed away a few years ago, you lost focus.

Daeun pouts, and takes your drink, taking a big gulp of it. She stares at the floor for a few seconds, before sighing. She always needs a few moments to slow down her high paced personality when in deep thought. “Not everyone here is a farmer. I’m going to be a seamstress. I’ll make good money, and I’ll make my parents very proud. And-” She turns to you then, grabbing your hands again and shaking you in excitement.

“I just got the best idea. Come with me, Y/N.” Her eyes glint with determination. “Come with me to Heian. I don’t want to be alone and you have nothing to lose. You can only go up in the world if you give the world a shot. Please?”

Go to the Capital all alone, just the two of you? The idea is foreign. She’s right, you have nothing to lose. But the thought of leaving your hometown is a little scary. Still though, Daeun looks at you as if she’s really making this offer out of the pure bottom of her heart. Her excitement is admirable. Maybe that’s what makes you nod. You don’t have anything to lose, this is true. If you run out of money in a few days, you’ll just come back and start over again. You’re already at the bottom, how can you get any lower?

Daeun squeals in excitement, and wraps her arms around your neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re not going to regret it! I promise.” You give her a little smile when she pulls back. Daeun has always been overly quick to jump, but she’s also always been right. Ever since you were kids, she’s made reckless decisions. But those decisions always lead to something better than you could have hoped for. You trust her. “Go get your stuff and meet me here tomorrow when the sun starts to rise. I have about six pieces of silver left, that’ll be enough to get us both into the city. I promise to take good care of us, Y/N.”

You get up and dust off your dress, walking to the door while shaking your head. “I don’t have much to pack up, Daeun. This is the only pair of shoes I own. And besides, if we’re doing this together, I’m paying for my own ride to the Capital.”

Daeun follows your lead, and grins. “We’re crazy, aren’t we?”

“A little crazy has never killed anyone.”

Dim light flickers on the deep red walls here, as Baekhyun takes off his belt. It’s damp too, and too warm for his taste. But it’s safe, and he can say what he needs to say without having to look over his shoulder every second. He drops the heavy bronze-decorated leather to the table, and runs his slim fingers through his hair. One person is laying with their naked back facing up on the table, another sitting next to him in a chair. Baekhyun sighs deeply, and waves a hand at the woman handling the black ink that is carefully pushed into the skin of the person below her. She gives a slight bow, cleans her hands and rushes out without another word. “I’m not done.” Sehun mumbles, his cheek pressed against the soft fabric on the table.

“Take a break, still.” Baekhyun urges, jaw set tight. He has more important things on his mind than a little bit of skin decoration. “I have some things to discuss.” He takes a seat on the free table next to Sehun, and glances between his two brothers. Kyungsoo nods, and gets up from his chair, moving into the back without a second glance. He soon returns though, with three cups of tea, and places them next to the oldest brother.

“Talk then, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo nods, and folds his hands in his lap again.

“We need to figure out what to do now. Emperor Antoku has escaped, along with most of the Kim officials. Which means that they can come storming into the city any second now with more men than we have and just claim it back.”

“What about Prince Mochihito?” Sehun mumbles, sitting up at the serious tone of the conversation.

Baekhyun tuts his lips. “Prince Mochihito is dead. So are all other descendants of the original Emperor line.”

“But he had allies-“

“And they are sitting right in front of you, Sehun.” Baekhyun sighs, getting frustrated. This is an incredibly important deal, one Sehun doesn’t seem to grasp fully. If they are caught now, they’ll all be slaughtered. Every last one of them. Baekhyun looks at the ground when Sehun frowns at the interruption, and clears his throat. “We can’t trust the people to choose our side when it comes down to it. Prince Mochihito has allies as much as he has enemies. It will not be a peaceful takeover, Sehun, you must understand this by now. Minseok serves as a better example than any.”

Kyungsoo hums, and leans back in his chair a little, bit eyes flicking to the torches lighting the room. “Are you thinking about going public, Baekhyun?” His deep voice is steady, but Baekhyun has known his brother for long now and can tell the worry that sits laced in the spaces.

“I don’t think I have any other choice. If I don’t, the Kims will come and claim the throne again, more permanently. We can’t trust the Parks to deliver, that is what cost dad his life too.” Baekhyun nods. It’s not the plan he intended to use, but for all purposes it should work.

Sehun straightens his back. “I’ll go with you.”

“No.” Baekhyun stops him, putting a hand on the younger’s knee. “I want you both to stay undercover for now. As noblemen, perhaps.”

“Baekhyun, I also don’t think that’s a good idea.” Kyungsoo now speaks up more intently, staring at the oldest.

Still though, Baekhyun insists. His frown prominent on his face and jaw set stubbornly. “I need people who I can trust. I trust only you two, for now. We don’t know how many Kims are out there still. I need you guys to listen to me, and stay low. I need to know that someone in this devil city will have my back.”

Sehun sighs deeply, clearly bothered. But as he tightens his grip on the table, he nods. “Fine.”

Kyungsoo turns to his right, and sighs deeply. This is not his scene. The room is packed full of people mingling, most high ranking officials, Kyungsoo guesses. He tightens his grip on his cup, and tosses back the last of the milky colored liquid with a little cough. “Tell me again why I’m drinking?” He groans, glaring at his little brother in annoyance. Sehun can be such a brat.

“Well, because I handed it to you, I’m guessing. But you shouldn’t give me all the praise, Soo.” Sehun turns to the shorter man with a small grin, and cocks his head in the direction of the party. “Be glad you have something to take your mind off things. I know this isn’t your scene.”

“Neither should it be yours. You’re -“ He holds his words when a nobleman dressed in purple passes, his expensive fabric brushing past his hand. It’s soft, the silk spun gently. Though the art of the specialty is something Kyungsoo can appreciate, he couldn’t care less about the social message attached. “Why are we, of all people here, is what I’m asking?”

Sehun smiles again, a glint of tease in his eyes as if he knows something that Kyungsoo doesn’t, and he doesn’t doubt that could be the case. He’s a good kid, but mischievous just as much, if not more. The tallest runs a hand through his hair and looks around, before leaning a bit closer. “Do you know what kind of party this is, brother?” Kyungsoo lifts a brow. He doesn’t, and that tone doesn’t settle his nerves.

Sehun giggles, before grabbing his shoulders and turning him to face the blinds that line the wall. Light shines from behind them, showing the shadows cast by the people behind the soft white linen. They move slowly and purposefully, mingling in groups. “All those people are unmarried girls. These kinds of meetings are organised to find yourself a wife, dear brother. I thought you might enjoy it.”

Kyungsoo’s jaw drops open just a tat, unable to hold the true surprise the confession brings. He recovers quickly though, and smacks the younger in the chest so hard he almost drops his cup. “You’re evil.”

“And you don’t get out enough.” Sehun returns, a smug grin on his lips. Maybe he’s right, but Kyungsoo wouldn’t admit that for any silver in the world. “You’re still a virgin, aren’t you?” He then asks, giggling. Kyungsoo doesn’t respond for a second, but his thunder-like stare must say enough.

Without another word about it, he clears his throat, and gestures his head towards the blinds. “How can someone choose a bride without seeing her face first?” The entire thing has been explained to him twice now, but still it doesn’t make sense to him. “This is so stupid. I don’t care about the colors of her sleeves.” Kyungsoo frowns harshly, and resists the urge to roll his eyes.

Sehun groans dramatically, and folds over on the table. “And that’s where you show you’ve grown up in a monastery, brother. It’s not stupid, it’s seduction at it’s finest form.”

Kyungsoo grins at that. “Poetic.”

“You would know, oh enlightened one.” Sehun returns, before taking two cups from the man passing by, and winks at him. Sehun pauses for a long second before lets his head fall back, staring at the ceiling. “If you really don’t want to play by the rules, we could sneak past the blinds, I’m sure. Should I get you a sneak peek?” He stands tall to make his way over to the large man blocking the entrance, but Kyungsoo grabs his arm.

“Don’t do that, Sehun. We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile, not standing out more than we already do. Baekhyun will have your head if you screw this up for him.” Kyungsoo sighs, watching the frown return on his younger brother’s face. He doesn’t want to ruin the fun, but they just have rules to stick to, even if they don’t like it. That, or death.

You turn to Daeun and grab her hand, frowning a little. “Daeun, I’m hot.” She gives you a little smile, but is too busy peeking through the spaces between the blinds to really entertain you. She took some dresses that aren’t completely finished yet from work, and dragged you out to go. This place was, in her words, important for connections. Rich people would be coming, she had said, and that had been enough to get you to go. You weren’t naive. A female writer would need lots of connections to make it to the top here, in Heian. One thing does worry you though, looking at some of the other girls collected behind the linnen. You were surprised to get in, but Daeun explained she knows someone here. “Also, those girls keep looking at us.”

“That’s the goal.” Daeun turns to face you now, her attention caught. “Look at the colors of their robe and tell me what you see, Y/N.”

You do. The women, their lips reddened and skin pale, are all wearing a dark maroon. “Red.” You turn to your friend, who sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Yes, red, you silly goose. A dark red. The color of an unmarried woman.” She points between the two of you then. “Now look at us, will you?” You do, and scan your jinu-hitoe from top to bottom. The many layers poke out like a rainbow of color at your sleeves, but the top layer is not red like the other women. Yours is a pretty warm blue, Daeun’s a soft purple. “Your colors are called the blossoming flower. Mine an iris. They don’t know who we are, and our clothing stands out. They are feeling threatened.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing, Da.” You mumble, ignoring the eyes you can feel on your face.

Daeun waves it off though, and hands you a fan that matches your outfit. “Don’t worry so much! We’re going to enjoy our little night out, and then return the dresses perfectly fine to my boss like nothing ever happened. And none of the noblemen will even recognize you because they can’t see your face.”

“Fine. Only because I need connections. That’s the only reason I’m giving in right now, you hear.”

“That, and you love me.” She points out, before turning around and opening her fan in front of her face like the diva she is. “Now, go meet people, my dear. I’ll meet you here soon again. And remember, have fun.” She gives you a little tap on your nose, before disappearing past the group of women.

You just sigh, and walk closer to the blinds, peeking through. There’s lots of people out there, all men and you then realize that you feel pretty overwhelmed. Are you just supposed to have a conversation through the piece of linen? That doesn’t seem very effective, and yet, you can see one of the woman laugh as she talks through the barrier to someone. City relationships are weird, you decide. Who would marry a person who’s face they’ve never seen before?

You turn and move past some of the woman too, sighing as you find a door. It leads into a hall that is empty. You slip in slowly, and take a deep breath. If you weren’t allowed here, they wouldn’t leave it open. At least, you hope so. You slowly walk around the dimly lit hall for a second, and pass a pretty, black vase. You stare into it for a second, but it’s empty. When you turn though, your sleeve catches on the handle, and sends the vase clattering to the floor, as you yelp in shock. You quickly bend over, thanking the forefathers that it’s still intact, and reach for it. Of course, that’s easier said than done when you’re wearing seven layers of cloth.

Right at the moment that you stretch your fingers just enough to round the handle, another set of hands appears. They pick up the vase you knocked down clumsily, hands covering your fingers around the handle. You look up at the person who so kindly helped you. A man in a red piece of clothing stands in front of you, his eyes wide as he takes you in. You swallow, but are unsure of what to say, and just keep looking. His full lips are open ever so slightly, like he didn’t expect to see you here. That would make two then.

Eventually, the man straightens up, and mumbles something. “Sorry. I didn’t see you well in the light. I didn’t notice you were a ...” His hands are still around yours, warm and soft and he too, seems to realize this now. He quickly pulls back. “Uhm. Sorry.” You just bow your head at him and put the vase away, ignoring the nice smell that comes from him so close to you. He smells like flowers.

“Thank you.” You bring out, before opening your fan and hiding your red cheeks behind it. Since you don’t know what else to say, you just speed off, and back to where you came from. You don’t dare think of the fact that this man saw your face, and long enough to be able to pick you out in a group, if he should choose to do so. You just pray that he doesn’t tell on you.

When you get back to the barriers, multiple women are now talking to people on the other side. You ignore them to find Daeun, who is also talking. You grab her arm though, and jank her towards you. “I did something.”

“Good.” Your friend says, giving you a up and down to check your dress. “You weren’t gone for long. I hope you enjoyed it.” She giggles then, and you give her a slap to the arm.

“Not that kind of something, you perv. I need you to tell me what a bright red cover means.”

She pouts a little, but shakes her head. “Bright red on a woman indicated a married one. You shouldn’t worry too much about all the colors though because you won’t see those here anyway.”

“Okay,” you press, “but what does it mean? On a man.” You need to know what kind of damage you’ve just done, and how bad it is.

Daeun puts on her thinking face, and sighs. “Bright red means a single man from inside the palace walls at least. In combination with-”

“White.” You add.

“-with white? I don’t know.” She turns, looking at the linen as if that might hold the answer. “A family high up, probably. Why do you want to know something so specific though?” Her big, black eyes focus on yours in question.

“Because I just ran straight into a man with a red kariginu, Daeun. And he saw me.”

.thank you. for reading this first part of something I’m personally really passionate about. I love royal au’s (as you can tell by the dozen I have already) a whole lot, and Japanese history as well. So being able to write about both of them is so fun to me. If you have any thoughts or comments, as always I would love to read/answer them so don’t forget to let me know!

[rainyrowan]

Sunkissed - Chapter 3

description: Wedding of the century rolls around as the previous college clique, along with the rest of their family members, stay in preparation for it. During this time, Riley meets Lucas, a gorgeous, green-eyed wallflower who happens to be immediately taken by her. Little did she know, he has a deep secret. One that will either change her views on him forever or make her feel closer to his world.

word count: 2,927

pairing: riley x lucas

Song: Stop and Stare by OneRepublic

chapter three; riley

For most girls, coming home to your mother posing by the stairwell in a wedding dress as your father and her best friend are adjusting the fabric beneath her isn't typically, well, normal. However, it's the norm on my end. 

"Hi honey," Topanga greets as I come into the front door. "What do you think of the dress?" She asks, dramatically leaning against the banister, allowing her ombre curls to cascade over her face. The dress is pretty simple compared to all the other ones that she has tried on for her previous clients. This dress is made up of white satin and it's off the shoulder too. It also has little laced flowers at the bottom, which I thought was pretty cute. I genuinely think it's beautiful, but I'm still shaken up that I just nod silently.

A satisfied smile creeps upon her face. "Good. Well, it's Rachel's."

"Oh, she's here?"

"She's at my place, Babygirl," Angela speaks. "Her, Aubrey, and Lucas should be settling in."

"Who's Aubrey and Lucas?" I ask.

"Aubrey's her niece and Lucas is the nephew." Topanga answers.

Dad jerks up and points a finger at me. "You are to stay away from Lucas, ya hear me?!"

Angela rolls her eyes. "Cut it out, Cor. Your father is joking. You should meet them." She then turns to my dad. "Both of them."

"Sure. I really don't mind. I'll meet them when I get the chance." I shrug. "But for now, I'll head up to my room."

They all nod at me before I quickly start climbing up the flight of stairs. Our house only has three rooms, which makes two reserved for my parents and my not-so-little brother, Auggie. The last room would be the office that my parents have always wanted. This leaves me the attic. Although, I'm really not complaining or anything. As a matter of fact, with the help of Farkle, I was able to decorate my relatively large area just the way I want it. Only cons would be that I have to climb an extra flight of stairs and I don't have a door. My room's basically a loft, but I love it.

Just as I was about to head into my room, I decided to make a slight detour to Auggie's. I poke my head into the slightly closed door to find him locking lips with his girlfriend of apparently seven years, Ava. I roll my eyes at the sight. Just as I was about to shut the door, giving them privacy, he pulls away from her and turns to me. "You perv." He sneers.

"Hi, Riley," Ava says, embarrassed.

I smile at her. "Hey."

"Can you just leave us be?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Oh, whatever happened to my sweet little boy? He's all grown up now.

"My dear brother, if you would like some privacy, I think you should really use this to your advantage." I sway the door back and forth.

"Whatever." He offers me a smirk.

"Just keep this shut and don't do anything you'll regret!" I exclaim, walking away.

Once I've reached my room, I plop onto my bed. I lied there for a few moments, just pondering about everything that has happened today. I've embarrassed myself once again and now Charlie's mad at me. I groan and the thought. I sit up, glancing at my phone beside me. I impulsively click on Farkle's contact and shoot him a text. 

Hey, where are you right now?

Lucky for me, Farkle's pretty quick when it comes to responding to my messages.

Sparkly Farkly: I'm home. Why?

Are you busy? Can you come over? I kind of need you.

Sparkly Farkly: Give me 2 minutes. I'll be there.

I graciously sighed in relief. Having your best friend be your next door neighbor can be more convenient than you think. I look up at my mirror, which sits on top of my dresser. I sigh as I stare at my reflection. Ugh. I pretty much sigh every time I see myself in the mirror. Look at the mirror-- sigh. Look at the mirror-- sigh. It has become an impressive reflex throughout the years, honestly. Today, I sigh at my brown curls. How can Charlie still look adoringly handsome when the sea breeze messes up his hair? And when that happens to me, why do I look like I've just rolled out of bed? I pick up my brush and comb through my curls. Moments later, I hear a soft knock on my door. "Come in," I say. 

Farkle opens the door and I smile at him. Well, I smile at him to the point where tears start to slightly form in my eyes. "Not again," He whispers before pulling me into his arms. I sob uncontrollably into his shirt, which I used to feel really bad doing, especially since I wear mascara on a day to day basis. Even on my worst days, but it's not like I know when I'm going to have one anyways. Today, I fortunately do not have any makeup on.

"What happened?" He asks me. 

I pull away, wiping my tears. "I had a panic attack, Farkle."

He tenses up. "Is it because of Charlie? What did he do?" 

I sob as I explain what had happened, hoping that he could even understand what I was even saying. Moments like these, I feel like I tend to overreact on the littlest of things. Farkle says it's fine and that I should just let everything out, instead of bottling anything in, regardless if it's anything major or not. He's truly a good friend for willing to hear me out and staying patient with me. 

"I just don't understand why I fall into these things. I understand what I'm getting myself into, but it's like I just ignore the consequences." I rant, finally cooling down.

"It's okay, Riley. It happens," He responds. "You just need to remember that there are certain things that are out of your control and you can't dwell on that."

"Have you met me, though?" We both laugh. It's true. I seem to always be filled with so much regret. 

"The best thing that you can do is move on. As a matter of fact, we can do that right now!" Farkle retrieves his backpack that I hardly even noticed he brought. "Movie night?"

I let out a sigh and smile at him. Move on. I think to myself. "Depends... What movie?"

"I was thinking Funny Face." He suggests.

"Of course! How can I say no to an Audrey Hepburn film?" I exclaim. "I'll get the ice cream." 

Moments later, we're snuggled up in my blanket on the floor. Farkle's laptop is placed right in front of us as we watch the movie and simultaneously stuff our faces with chocolate ice cream. This pretty much sums up my ideal perfect night. 

Funny Face clearly is one of my favorite movies of all time. We beam over how dreamy Paris is, how Audrey's costumes look breathtaking in the film, and Farkle and I even got to dance along to the musical sequences that would come up. It was all laughter and fun for a bit, but as the night came along, it all had to be put to an end. Once the movie ended, Farkle gets a call from his mom telling him that it was time to go home. 

"I gotta go." He mumbles. 

I frowned. "Aw, can't stay longer?"

"I wish I could," Farkle hangs his head down. "I'd rather be here than at home anyways." I pull him into an embrace. Lately, there's been this odd shift going on between his parents' relationship, thus affecting Farkle. Constant fighting would occur almost every single day and he unfortunately has to always witness. At times, he would sneak out to our place and stay for a bit. There was this one time that he actually stayed a whole week! Things must be pretty heated between the two if they weren't able to notice that their son was gone for that long. 

"It'll be okay," I whisper as we both pull away. "Maybe I can see you tomorrow. You can help out with the wedding." 

"Can't. My dad's taking me to Stanford tomorrow."

"Oh, wow! That's like your dream school!"

"Yeah, he's been planning a campus tour for months." He shrugs like it was no big deal at all. Me being the best friend, I can tell that he's secretly very excited. 

"I hope you have fun." 

"Thanks. Well, I better get going." He offers me one last squeeze before heading out. I honestly would've sent him out, but I was way too beat. I decided to call it a day and fall right into bed hoping that tomorrow will do me good.

- - - 

The next day, I woke up bright and early just as my mother told me to do so. I quickly got ready by doing my usual morning routine: Brush my teeth, shower, get dressed, and curl my hair. Today, I decided to throw on a rose-patterned sundress along with my favorite white cardigan that my mom had given me. It's kind of like a protection shield if you ask me. When I'm in trouble and I have this on, it's like Topanga's there with me, which obviously makes me feel safe. 

I slip on a pair of brown sandals before grabbing my camera, thinking that they might want some photos of the whole set up process. I sling the leash over my shoulder and climbed down the stairs. As I was heading down, I was instantly greeted by the smell of my mother's famous Blueberry Surprise Breakfast, a personal favorite. Topanga would either prepare blueberry flavored pancakes, waffles, or bagels. Today, it was the waffles. 

"Good morning, honey! Thank you so much for waking up early. Your father and Auggie are still sound asleep, so we'll probably meet them at the venue later in the day," She explains, stuffing a waffle inside a ziplock bag and handing it to me. "Meanwhile, you and I need to head over there right now. So, eat this on the drive." 

I take the bag and nod. "Alrighty." 

We both then head straight for the door. "Nice cardigan, by the way." She jokes. 

"Yeah, the person who gave it to me truly has a great sense of style." I giggle. 

- - - 

On the way, Topanga pretty much explains everything I need to know: The wedding ceremony will take place down by the beach. Right afterwards, everyone will walk over to this grand hotel, which luckily is walking distance from where they're at. There, the reception will take place. I can already tell that most of Angela and Topanga's magic will be manifested into this part of the evening. 

Once we arrived, we were immediately greeted at the sight of Angela scurrying around. Spotting us, she waves. "Oh good, you're here!" 

"Indeed I am!" Topanga beams.

Angela then grabs both of our arms and drag us into the wedding suite. "I know we only started yesterday, but I feel like all of it's already coming together! I can't wait for you two to see it." When we step inside, I hear myself gasped louder than ever before. 

"Wow, it's amazing."

Tables and chairs were already set up where they're supposed to be, just awaiting its silk fabrics that they need to be covered in and the centerpieces, which I hopefully get to be in charge of. Fairy lights were also hung up everywhere, which makes the place look incredibly magical. Even though there is still so much that needs to be done, the place already looks pretty nice. I can best assure that once the extra decor is set into its place, everything would turn out phenomenal. 

Suddenly, a tall red-headed lady approaches us with a smile. "Topanga!" She exclaims, giving my mother a hug. "I am so glad that you're here!"

"As am I! I can't believe this all finally happening," She says, looking around the room in amazement just as I did. She then turns to me. "Oh, Riley, this is Rachel. You probably don't remember her but  trust me, she definitely was a big part of your childhood." Topanga chuckles. And so I've heard. Both my parents have told me about how Rachel would take care of me as a baby. From hearing all the stories, I thought she was pretty darn cool.

"Hi," I greet as politely as I possibly can. 

Rachel cups her hands over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, Angela was right! You're growing up such a beautiful little lady, I hardly even recognized you." She instantly pulls me into a bear hug and rocks me back and forth. 

"Alright, so my itinerary says that we have a meeting with catering soon." Topanga interrupts, bringing us back on track. 

"Correct. The head chef is waiting for us in the kitchen." Rachel says. 

"Yes, and we need to start testing out audio/visual, so Riley, if you could head on over to the storage room and fetch a couple microphones that'd be fantastic." Angela requests. 

"Oh, sure. But where exactly is-" 

"Thank you, sweetie!" She exclaims before the three of them head towards the kitchen. Well, alrighty then. I think to myself. Guess I need to find the storage room myself. 

Before I do so, though, I take a few photographs here and there.  I then scan the room in search for the storage room, but failed to spot it. It must be outside then.

I exit the wedding suite and make my way down the hotel's hallway, hoping to find an employee that could help me out. 

As I was walking, I suddenly hear a soft melody playing from one of the rooms. Intrigued, I decided to investigate. I let myself into what seemed to be an awfully dark room. I could still see, but just barely. Barely enough to realize that I am currently inside a theater. Foldable chairs were placed all over the room and right up ahead was a small stage. I figured that one hit wonders or old artists would perform here. 

The sound was coming from the far end of the stage. I walk ever so quietly so whoever it may be won't see me. The closer I got to the stage, the louder the sound becomes. Next thing you know, I hear a voice. A guy's voice. He was humming along to the tune that he was playing, which was very, very beautiful. I then see him. A boy, who looked around my age, was sitting crossed-legged on the very back corner of the stage. He was surrounded by a ton of music equipment, so I couldn't really get a good look at his face. However, I could still see him delicately plucking the strings of his guitar whilst slightly swaying back and forth. I was wonderstruck at the sight.  Everything about the guy seemed so intriguing and mysterious, yet familiar. I scratch my head at the thought. 

Why does he look familiar?

I pulled out my camera and zoomed in, thinking that I could probably get a good look at him this way. For a split second, I saw him. But to my horror, I accidentally press the shutter-release button and the sound my camera makes stops him from playing. Shit. 

He turns around and looks off into the room. "Hello? Who's there?" 

Maybe if I slowly tip-toed towards the door, he won't notice. But I could never. The door was too far away, and besides, he'd probably see me leave. I take a deep breath before revealing myself. I slowly merge from the darkness, and wait- I remember him! He was the guy I ran into at the beach yesterday. 

His emerald green eyes, ones that have looked into mine before, widened at the sight of me. He remembers me. 

"Who let you in? And why were you taking photos of me?" He asks in a slightly stern tone. 

"I-I'm so sorry. Uh- I really didn't mean to. I-I-" I stutter anxiously. I take a second to stop myself from committing another act of embarrassment. "Look. I'm taking photos for the wedding that's happening here," I partially lie. I technically am taking the photos, but I'm more so on my quest to find the storage room. "How did you get in, I should ask. Are you the wedding singer?" 

The boy raises an eyebrow. "Am I the wedding singer?" 

"Yeah, are you practicing?" I start to slowly move towards him. "Because if so, I wouldn't do that song if I were you."

"And why not?" 

"Because," I say looking right up at him. God, his eyes are so mesmerizing. "Because it sounds so sad." 

He doesn't speak. Instead, he stares at me as if I was an alien from another planet. I begin to endure this familiar sinking feeling that I've become very much familiar with, especially from Charlie. I realize that I should probably leave before I start becoming even more anxious than I already am. "Well, it was nice meeting you. Good luck at the wedding." I say with burning cheeks and I turn to go.

[queerchester-from-beacon-hills]

The Things We Learn

Chapter 7

Chapter 8 

It has been two weeks. Two weeks since Derek's been able to breath. Derek has sent message after message, called god knows how many times, left numerous voicemails. He's begged, pleaded, groveled, apologized. And nothing. Nothing came of it. No answer, no reply, no hint that Stiles even knew he existed anymore.

Laura says he's moping, it's not moping. He's just dealing.

"You haven't left your room for anything except work in two weeks, baby bro. You're moping." Derek told the voice in his head, that sounded annoyingly like Laura, to shut up.

So what? So what if he's spending way more time at work than usual? So what if he hasn't slept properly in weeks?So what if he sometimes spends the night in his office? And so what if when he does get home, he just wants to be alone in his room?

He is a grown ass adult, he can make those decisions for himself. No matter how unhealthy they may be.

He decided a run was much needed. He didn't bother on a shirt or shoes, knowing he was just going to shed them anyways. He tried to sneak out the back door in an attempt to avoid his family. He should have known better.

"Uncle Derek?"

Derek closed his eyes, taking a breath, before turning to face his nephew.

Daniel sat at the counter, his head tilted in curiosity as he took in his uncle. Sometimes this kid was too smart for his own good.

"What's up, buddy?"

"Where are you going?"

"I was uh just going for a run."

"Without the pack?"

"Ya, buddy. I kinda just wanted to be alone for a bit."

Daniel looked down at his hands, his bottom lip jutting out.

"You've been alone a lot lately." His voice sounded so small, it hurt Derek. Daniel was only six. He was just a young pup, and his uncle, his alpha, has been avoiding him. Good job, Der, A+ douchbaggery.

Derek sat down next to his nephew, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close.

"How about when I get back, you and I watch a movie together? Your pick."

Derek couldn't help but smile as he watched Daniel's face light up.

"Really? Any movie I want?"

"Any movie you want. I'll even make you your own bag of popcorn."

Daniel jumped up in his chair, wrapping his little arms around Derek's neck.

"I missed you, uncle De."

Derek wrapped his arms around Daniel, holding him close.

"I missed you too, bud."

Daniel pulled back, patting Derek's head. Derek playfully snarled, snapping at his little fingers. Daniel giggled, doing it again to show he was faster than Derek's reactions. Derek let him.

"Okay, go on your run, Uncle Derek. I'll get mommy to set up the TV for when you get back."

Derek chuckled, standing up.

"Okay, buddy. I'll be back in a little bit."

Derek shed his sweatpants when he hit the tree line, nicely folding them in half and hanging them over a branch. He took a deep breath, breathing in all of the scents that the forest had to offer. They lived on the edge of the preserve now, leaving the original Hale house as a memorial instead of building on top of it. They were now closer to town, but still had access to the preserve from their backyard.

Derek let the tension in his muscles go, easily gliding into his full shift. He hasn't done this in a while, he mentally made it a note to do it more often. It felt good, having four paws sink into the forest floor. Feeling, hearing, and smelling everything. He took off, heading in no particular direction, just running to run.

The wind blew thew his black fur, giving him the feeling of being free. He caught the scent of a rabbit, chasing it just for the fun of hearing it's heart race. He kept a safe distance from it for a bit, letting it think it had the upper hand. Eventually he grew bored of the chase though, going back to just running. He sprinted through the forest, the ground making almost no sound as his paws barely touched the ground.

He wasn't sure of exactly how long he had been running for, but he kept an eye on the setting sun, keeping track of when he should be back. Soon the sun was almost completely gone, the moon taking it's place. Derek sighed, heading back in the direction of home.

As he got closer to the house, he could hear Daniel in the backyard. He was running around, playing. Derek smirked, sprinting faster. He broke through the tree line, kneeling playfully. Daniel screamed in delight, charging at him. Derek gripped the back of Daniel's shirt gently (Laura would kill him if he ripped another shirt) between his teeth, throwing him backwards, so he landed gently on Derek's back.

Daniel took two hand fulls of Derek's fur, holding on tight. It wasn't until Derek went to take a step forward that he noticed Jenna, standing with wide eyes behind Daniel's climbing tree. Derek froze, not knowing what to do. Daniel was none the wiser, nudging Derek with his foot, telling him he wanted to play.

Derek finally moved, letting out a bark of distress. Laura was in the door way moments after, sliding the backdoor open. She took in the scene, huffing in annoyance.

"Nice job, Der. You're an absolute fail wolf." Derek sent her a glare, but it was cut short. Stiles stood behind Laura, his eyes on Derek. He didn't look scared, obviously knowing it was Derek, but he did look nervous. Nervous because Derek was in front him, not because Derek was in front of him as a wolf. He noticed Derek staring at him, sending him a nervous wave.

"Hi."

If Derek was in human form he's pretty sure his jaw would be on the ground right now. Fortunately he was not.

"Uncle Dereeeeeeek, come oooonnn."

Derek huffed at Daniel, but did as requested. He twirled around a couple of times, careful not to move too fast as to knock Daniel off of him, but enough to where the boy giggled in delight. He liked to pretend Derek was a bull, see how long he could stay on. Derek made sure to never knock him off.

Jenna finally came out from behind the tree, watching the two of them. Derek reached his head around, grabbing Daniel by the shirt again. He set him on the ground, nudging him towards Jenna with his nose.

He went back into the tree line, shifting back and slipping his sweats back on. He kind of regrets not grabbing a shirt now.

When he got back to the backyard, he instantly had two little monkeys hanging off his arms.  He smirked down at them, doing a couple reps with a kid hanging off each arm. They squealed in delight at being lifted off the ground.

"You know, I'm not a jungle gym."

The kids just giggled, just trying to climb higher. The scent of both of them together made Derek internally purr. He missed this so much, missed Jenna. He put the kids down, looking back up to the porch. Stiles and Laura still stood there, watching them.

Derek cleared his throat, walking towards them. He didn't miss the way Stiles' eyes lingered on his chest. Laura was polite enough to act like she had manners, leaving the porch to join the kids in the yard. That left Derek alone with Stiles, and Derek's heart felt like it was beating out of his chest.

"Hey."

"Hi.. Can we talk?"

Derek wanted to say no. He wanted to be resentful, wanted to go hide in his room. But he also wanted to grab Stiles and never let go. That part of him won, and probably always will. He nodded, walking into the house. Stiles followed him, Derek closing the door behind him. They sat down on the living room couch, Derek giving Stiles plenty of room.

"I just.. I wanted to say I'm sorry, Derek."

"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who fucked up. I shouldn't have left with her without letting you know, and I'm sorry."

"No, I overreacted. You did let me know, you left a note. With a heart drawn on it! And I know, I know she's safe with you. She's probably safer with you than me, cause you can actually do something to protect her. But I.. I just can't lose her. She's all I have left."

Derek reached forward, grabbing Stiles' hand in his. The younger man had tears pooling in his eyes that threatened to fall at any moment, and that broke Derek's heart.

"She is never more safe than when she's with you. I-"

"Shush, I'm not done. You're the best for trying to comfort me, but if I stop I'm not going to be able to get all of this out. Okay?"

Derek quietly chuckled, but nodded his head.

"Okay.. Okay. I'm protective of Jenna because she's all I have left of my little family. Jenna.. Jenna had a twin when she was born. His name was Mieczyslaw, at his mother's insistence to make him Mieczyslaw the third. I, on other hand, quickly gave him the nickname of Mitch. I don't think Jenna remembers either of them, and I.. I don't really talk about them. I probably should, for her sake, but.. I just can't.

"I guess that runs in the family, my dad did the same thing when my mom died. But uh.. the twins were about a year old when they died. Their mother, Caitlin, and I weren't a thing. She was a friend I made at college, and we spent one night together my second year of grad school. She told me a couple weeks later that she was pregnant. We talked options, the decision ultimately being hers, but we both wanted to keep it. We were excited, but freaking out all at the same time. And that was over just one baby, imagine us when we found out we were having twins."

Stiles chuckled lightly at the memory, a tear falling from his eye. Derek wiped it away with the pad of his thumb, having moved closer to his boyfriend as Stiles was talking.

"But uh, we decided that we should live together, for the babies. That was probably the hardest decision either of us made, deciding where to live. I was almost done with my last year of school, she had finished the semester before me, so we didn't need to stick around Berkeley. We ultimately decided on San Jose. It was pretty close to half way between Beacon Hills, and San Francisco, where her parents lived. We both would have no problem getting jobs there.

"It was all falling in place, we were excited. We found a three bedroom apartment in a nice area, we both had good jobs set up. We were building a life.. We'd been living there for a little bit over a year when it happened. Mitch was crying nonstop that night, it was keeping Jenna up. Jenna had a fever, she needed rest and some medicine, but we were out. Caitlin said she wanted to walk to the store to get some and take Mitch with her, thought maybe it would sooth him to sleep.

"I offered to do it, but she said she wanted to. She made a joke about Jenna being Daddy's girl, and Mitch being Mommy's boy, and then she left. It was only a block away, it shouldn't have taken her that long. So when she was gone for awhile I called her, but sh-she didn't answer.. Some druggy mugged her for fifteen bucks and an iPhone."

Stiles had a dark sneer on his face as he said the last part. Derek just squeezed his hand tighter, offering silent comfort.

"Caitlin always carried the babies in a wrap on her back. The guy thought it was back pack, and accused her of having more on her.. before shooting her. It went straight through, hitting Mitch too. When he saw that she had a baby, and not a back pack, he turned himself in. He's serving life, even tried sending us a letter once."

Stiles wiped at his face, trying to dry the tears off his cheek. Derek didn't know what to say, knew first hand that there was nothing he could say. So he just pulled Stiles into his chest, holding him close. He cried into Derek's chest, his hands curling into Derek's shirt. Derek let him cry, rubbing a hand up and down his back and pressing kisses to his head.

After a bit, Stiles pulled back, wiping at his face again.

"I miss them everyday. Jenna reminds me more and more of Caitlin each day. It hurts to think she'll never see our little girl grow up, and I'll never get to see the same for my son. But I have Jenna, so I hold onto her, and I don't think I'll ever be able to let her go."

Derek kissed Stiles' head again, placing his hand on the side of Stiles' face as he met Stiles' eyes.

"And you never will have to, I promise you that."

Stiles shook his head, pressing their foreheads together.

"You can't promise things like that."

"Yes I can, and as long as I'm alive I will keep that promise."

Stiles kissed him, Derek kissing him back in earnest. Stiles broke the kiss first, pressing their foreheads together again.

"You plan on sticking around that long?"

"I plan on being around as long you'll have me."

Stiles smiled at him, giving his lips another peck.

"Guess we're stuck together then."

"Guess so."

Chapter 9 - Coming Soon