#oh wait. oh wait it was new moon right? i thought it was moon rising hfsbhcd

[rainydetectiveglitter]

I'm roasting myself 😭

Pisces in the 4th House: Oh, look at you, always yearning for deep emotional connections, like you’re trying to create a spa retreat in your living room. How’s that working out? Still waiting for your “soul family” to show up? Meanwhile, you’re probably sitting there watching "The Notebook" and wondering why your group chat doesn’t have those cute inside jokes. Maybe because you're busy trying to merge with everyone’s feelings like a walking emotional sponge.

Gemini in the 7th House: You probably can’t commit to a single thought for more than 15 seconds, let alone a relationship. "I love you... but let's talk about this podcast first!" You’re the friend who, mid-conversation, wonders if you’re supposed to be hanging out or reading about the latest conspiracy theory. Seriously, stop switching personalities every time you meet someone new. You’re not auditioning for a role in "The Real Housewives of Overthinking."

Libra in the 11th House: You want everyone to get along, huh? The world’s not a Pinterest board, sweetie. I bet you’re the person who tries to keep the peace at parties and then somehow ends up hating everyone, including yourself. You probably judge every group chat emoji choice and feel personally offended if someone uses Comic Sans. Just admit it—you’re more interested in making everything look perfect than actually being part of anything real.

Lilith in the 3rd House in Aquarius: Oh, the rebellious intellectual, huh? I’m sure your genius insights have really changed the world. Too bad most people can’t hear your revolutionary ideas over your constant need to be “different” for the sake of being different. You think you're the visionary in the group, but let’s face it: you’re just the person who shows up at dinner parties with a new conspiracy theory you found online—and, no, it’s not as clever as you think.

Chiron in Leo: You want to be adored, don’t you? But you’ll never admit it. You’re the one who tries to "hide" the fact that you need constant validation, yet you can’t resist fishing for compliments like a catfish on a dating app. Maybe if you stopped trying to be the center of attention for two seconds, someone would actually notice how great you are without needing a spotlight to shine on it.

Moon Square Venus: Your emotional life is like a badly planned romantic comedy. You say you want to be loved, but you also want to keep your emotional distance, which leaves you stuck between making everyone feel like you're the one while also throwing a tantrum when they don’t read your mind. You're like that person who orders an elaborate drink at Starbucks and then complains that the barista didn’t know the exact temperature you like.

Mars in Cancer: You’re the passive-aggressive champion of the zodiac. Why say what you feel when you can silently stew and cook up a whole emotional storm in your head, right? You want to protect everyone, but no one can ever quite tell if you're offering a hug or planning their emotional downfall. Your idea of “assertiveness” is posting a vague meme on social media instead of just speaking up.

Sagittarius Rising: “Let’s go on an adventure!”—but you’ll probably be late, cancel last-minute, or spend the whole time questioning whether you should’ve just stayed home to think about how much better the adventure could’ve been. You’re the person who tries to live like they’re in a travel blog, but can’t even commit to where to eat on a Saturday night.

I'm going to go cry now 😢

[elixrr]

“I might be in love with you.”

How they realized they were in love.

ft. Xiao, Wanderer

Xiao：

When you held him amidst his karma.

The most interesting part of the tale? You weren't there. But he saw you. Even through the fights with himself and the surrounding darkness, he saw you— the way your sleeves fell loose on your shoulders, the way your feet glided along a garden of lilies and the way the silk and linen of your clothes weaved around your body. Even when he felt his body shatter in vigorous pain, Xiao saw the luminous glow of the moonlight reflecting off of your skin. The scenery of the dark, star-filled sky with the vibrant glaze lilies surrounding you had crafted such a beautiful picture in Xiao's head that, when he snapped back to reality, he could no longer feel the hurt. There was simply you. He couldn't see you, but he thought of you, and, even with his loyalty to Rex Lapis, he still smiled, thanking you for saving him from his karmic outburst.

But, wait a minute.

You weren't even there? How did you save him? Xiao pondered back on the image he created in his mind. It definitely wasn't something he saw, and it definitely isn't something happening now. It is night, but it is far too dark. The vibrancy of the moonlight is not present, and the bright, shining stars are instead clouded by fog and translucent mist. He definitely couldn't picture you outside right now, especially at this hour.

Hold on. What if you really were out? He is on Wuwang Hill, so of course it's foggy. What if it was brighter for you? What if the moonlight found its way to you instead?

What if that vision of you was real?

Without a second thought or consideration for his duties, he teleported to the balcony of Wangshu Inn, where he could have the possibility of seeing you, and indeed, he did see you. He teleported to a tree that stood by you, leaning on it. The remaining pain of the karma seemed to whisk away, yet his heart beat hastened. Something about how you brushed your finger against the bulb of a sweet flower made him smile.

“Xiao?” You whispered, and he swore he could feel the sun rioting the moon and rising amidst the darkness of the night.

“You called?”

“Oh!” You nearly jumped out of your skin. “That was unexpected. You actually came!”

“Of course I did. I made a promise to you, and I will honor it.”

A smile fell upon your face, and Xiao froze in place.

“Especially because it's me, I presume?”

“Wh—” Roses blossomed on his cheeks, and his heart exploded into petals.

“I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to walk home with me? I haven't seen you in a while, so maybe we could catch up?”

“Uh–m, I— Sure. That would be... Quite nice.”

“Oh, wow, you actually said yes!” You cheered, and Xiao's eyes glistened. It was perfect, this moment, because the clouds dispersed, and the stars and moon finally found themselves visible, shining through the clouds. You've conquered the spotlight tonight, and you've conquered Xiao's world, even if he couldn't tell.

But, you extended your hand to Xiao. This was just like his illustration of you from earlier, but he was now included. The moonlight reflected on your skin, your clothes weaved magically across your body, and surrounding the two of you were a field of flowers.

Xiao, without much thinking, grasped your hand tight, and you held it, too.

He felt a bloom in his heart, and the world around him brightened. Even as you were talking, he couldn’t pay attention to a word you said. You were graceful, and he felt the strangeness in the way your fingers interlocked with his.

You weren't holding him, really, but you held him somehow. In fact, you stole him away from the old world he lived in, introducing him to something new, something unique.

And in that moment, somewhere in the combination of his mind and heart swelled, sweeping in to tell him and make him realize that he was in love.

That he was in love with you.

Wanderer：

When you fell ill for the sake of him.

Kuni remembers it. His birthday came soon, and because it never snowed in Sumeru, the flowers still found themselves vibrant. Though, something in him found you to be more colorful and much more appealing to look at than a few colored petals and a stem, yet he could never bring himself to admit it; his pride would shatter and you would become giddy, and— if there was finally a heart to replace his hollow body— he would feel a twinge in his chest and an ache in the hollow shell of himself. Kuni figures that, because he has no heart, he is therefore heartless, meaning that this twinge in his chest can not be love like Nahida had suggested time and time again. Rather, this ache symbolized a feel of annoyance. After all, if he did have a heart, how would he be able to mercilessly kill so many people and commit so many sins?

Yet, he would catch you again and again, plucking the most beautiful, rare, and exotic flowers in Sumeru. Many of which were far too dangerous to even obtain, and that was something he realized far too late. He trusted you slightly. Actually, he didn't trust you. Kuni trusted Tighnari because you have consulted the expert many times about the flowers you picked.

But, one day, you fell ill. It wasn't due to the flowers or anything similar, but due to the weather. Kuni had been coincidentally passing by for a research project, and he stumbled upon you by a hillside, unconscious, bleeding, and sickly. You were lucky enough to forget your basket of flowers, meaning you hadn't lost any of your previously collected ones, but you were still quite unlucky. It was pouring, and atop a hill was a beautiful kalpalata lotus flower. It wasn't a terrible walk, except you were sick, and you ended up slipping and falling to what could've been your doom.

The moment Kuni saw you, he paid no mind to the flowers, nor did he care at all about his research. He needed to help you, and he, as quickly as he could, flew you over to Gandharva Ville, where he almost screamed for forest rangers to come and help you.

As you laid on the bed unconscious, Kuni stayed with you. He never left your side once.

And then you woke up.

“...What?” The pain in your head wrung from side to side, front and back. Your nose was significantly stuffier. Kuni, happy and terrified, immediately rushed over to you.

“Idiot! What were you doing out there?” He yelled, holding back the urge to punch himself for not finding you sooner, “You could've died from that sort'a height!”

“Sir, please, lower your voice. Y/N's healing process could falter if you don't shut up.” Tighnari hissed, and the two glared at each other.

“Fine, sorry. But still, what were you thinking? My birthday or whatever isn't that big a deal, and it's really not worth your damn life.” Kuni sat down on the stool next to the bed, and you looked down at the provided blankets.

“I mean, I'm not dead,” you conjure up a smile and hold in a cough, “but yeah. That was sort of stupid, but it would've been worth it if I did get you the flower.”

“What? You're mentally insane.”

“I could be.”

“That's— That's so stupid!” Why do all of that... for me? Kuni feels his chest ache again.

“Oh, it was. But hey, I'm really stupid when it comes to you.”

“What?” Kuni's eyes furrow, and Tighnari almost slams his head into the desk after hearing that.

“I mean that I'm literally stupid for you. Why else would I leave and get flowers when it's raining and when I'm sick?”

Something clicks in Kuni's head. He saw some of his peers in class talk about this phrase and suddenly connect it to some girl who was in love with a guy and...

Wait.

“I'm leaving. I'll be back— you'd better be conscious!”

“I can't guarantee that, but I'll try.”

Kuni leaves the room, frustrated. Nahida has said that he likes you, his peers have said the same thing, and maybe...

“I'm literally stupid for you.”

“That idiot..” He smiles, looking through the window to see you talking to Tighnari, who appears to be scolding you for being so careless with your health. Kuni holds in a chuckle and turns around. His ache resurfaces in his chest, and he grips the part of his top that covers his 'heart'.

Maybe, just maybe—

“I'm making a bouqet for you on your birthday!”

—maybe he is in love with you.

y/n's real name is robloxnation3000 /j

[mtchee]

Bubbles Along the Surface - [Zhongli] GN

blurb:

A minor god awakened years after the Archon War, and with your brother, Osial, pinned to the depths below, you've made your own way in the world. In the most recent year, sailing with a merchant crew, you've forever decided to conceal your identity as a god, keeping to the life of a mortal with an intense fascination with the land of Geo. In all your years, its only now you have the chance to finally step foot in Liyue, meeting a tall and handsome man who eventually comes to be your beloved--but not without a few misunderstandings.

cw: not edited, fluff, minor angst, second-person-pov, spoilers for liyue playthrough but nothing major, osial is [name]'s older brother, archon siblings fr, zhongli loving on you, a reassuring zhongli, feat. childe but really he only gets like four lines

| masterlist | genshin impact collection |

[8.2k]

Eons ago, after the Archon war, arose a young archon hidden in a dreamless sleep beneath oceanic depths, protecting them from the catastrophe above. Awoken by the change in currents, they rose to the water's surface whilst their elder brother was pinned to the crust below—for they was the beloved sibling of the God of Vortex, Osial.

Their own title, God of Bubbles, and it was they whom were responsible for the health of marine life and the ocean oxidation.

While their followers had either converted or were wiped out in the war, they retreated from their title as an Archon, knowing it would only get them into trouble with the rising seven who battled for their rightful seats in ruling Teyvat.

Though their stories never died.

Sheltered due to the war and then lost without their big brother, they began a new life as a merchant, sailing the high seas and traversing from nation to nation. Although the world had changed from what they had originally thought, they were open minded and of a bright spirit—and couldn't wait to explore.

"To Liyue we sail!" The captain called, a rugged but sweet man who practically adopted you, "they've new silks due for Inazuma on the second moon, if we get there early enough we can rest on some solid ground for a while. Lets give ourselves a holiday, ay?"

The rest of the crew cheered back ecstatically, having been docked in Schneznaya for more than long enough. They could use a change of scenery; most weren't built for this kind of cold.

You laughed at their eagerness, quickly aiding your mates in loading on the last few crates of supplies before the ship was to set off once more.

You made sure your route was clear of storm—well, as much as you could. Your power's influence was better equipped for the water's depths, not its surface.

But you made do.

"Excited, love?" Darla, a Fontaine merchant about ten years your senior (physically at least) approached, a wide and knowing grin on her face, "you've always wanted to go to Liyue, haven't you?"

You grin back, eyes closed as you giggle sheepishly, "You've heard all my rambles, haven't you? Of course I am! And we get to stay there for... how long? Oh! Almost two moons! Two moons! Darla, that's two months of exploring! I've always wanted to visit the adepti shrines..."

"Of course you have," The older woman rolls her eyes playfully, gently bumping into your hip, "calm yourself, dear. We don't want you to combust."

You laugh at her in good nature.

"How come we're staying so long anyway? Not that I'm complaining."

"Why do you think?" Darla gives you an incredulous look, "because you're the captain's pearl, that's why. He's always had a soft spot for you," she nods her head towards the old man by the wheel, "not that the rest of us mind. Gives us a break too."

They watch as while the evening prevails, the ship's leader bounds below deck despite his age and practically hauls up a barrel of drinks for the mates to share, letting out a bellowing laugh all the whilst.

You snort, "Mm, I see what you mean."

After a week or so of smooth sailing, you finally port in Liyue Harbour and settle yourselves at the available inns, unloading any personal cargo and clearing the ship for its future stocks.

The Portside is bustling with life, fishermen promoting their fresh produce and other sailors maintaining their boats. Your eyes are wide in awe at the architecture and vivacity, excitement only continuing to build within you.

"Oh, pa!" You eagerly turn to your father figure with pleading eyes, "the city's just past the docks, may I please—?"

"Just be back before dark, alright?" The captain huffs out with feigned exasperation, "some of the crew and I will be hangin' around the plaza for a bit. Some place called Third around Knockout? I dunno..."

He scratches the back of his head before letting out a puff of air as you launch yourself at him, arms latched tightly around his torso in a hug.

His once narrowed eyes widen while the colour pink tints his sun kissed cheeks, "O-Oi!"

"Thank you, pa!" You pull back with a gleeful smile, "I'll be back soon, I promise!"

You lean up and places a chaste kiss on his frizzy cheek before rushing off past the docks.

The male stammers as some of the crew snicker at him from behind, teasing him for putting up his so called 'cold exterior'.

"Yeah yeah... uh, b-be safe!" He calls out at last. He quickly whips around to those laughing, "who're you chucklin' at, huh? hUh?!"

Eager to explore, you find yourself in the middle of the plaza ahead of your crew and are immediately overwhelmed by the smell of food and a rush of people.

You can't help but grin at the sight.

You wander past the open shops and stalls, simply admiring the sights and everything the locals of Liyue had to offer. You feel your heart swell at the kindness of a sweet granny who ran a toy stall, the elder woman giving you a colourful paper windmill with the only explanation being that you had a beautiful smile.

You express your gratitude and wish for her good health before continuing onwards with more of a skip in her step, gift clutched to you closely.

In the midst of your exploration, you bump into a tall man, profusely apologising as you stumble for your balance, toy falling to the floor.

"Ah, no sweat!" The male replies, and you look up to meet deep blue orbs and a boyish grin. The ginger haired stranger leans down to pick up your fallen gift, handing it back to you whilst introducing himself as Childe.

"[name]," You reply politely, shaking his hand with a bright smile, "it's a pleasure! Uh, a-apologies for the collision..."

At your sheepish expression, the male only chuckles and waves it off, a certain glint appearing in his eyes at the mention of your name.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He tilts his head curiously.

"Oh, no, heh, I'm a—" You stop yourself momentarily, clearing your throat, "I'm a foreigner. I work as a merchant across the waters."

"I see, I see," His gaze grows half lidded, flickering to the glowless hydro vision by your waist, "you like the ocean?" His curiosity peaks as he notices you perk up immediately.

"Yes! Indeed, aha, it's practically my life."

He gives you a nod of understanding, and you indulge yourself in idle chatter before parting ways, the male heading towards the crimson stairs leading to the balconies above. It's then that you realise where you are.

Not in the plaza, that's for sure.

Finding yourself lost, you take note of the increasingly darkening sky, "Oh dear..." your stomach drops.

Your eyes dart around hurriedly in hopes of landing on something familiar, spinning around in a circle and only managing to loose hope.

Your chest tightens as the sun finally dips past the horizon, and you cuss quietly under your breath. Your knuckles grip the stem of the paper windmill closely, the toy being your only sense of comfort.

"Excuse me," A deep voice adresses you from behind and you jump.

You whirl around, wide eyes meeting the chest of the individual talking to you.

Wary gaze trailing upwards, you come into contact with almost luminescent amber isises, and a concerned frown.

"Are you alright? You seem rather... distressed."

You take in a sharp breath, eyes flickering—the man is breathtaking.

He is tall and of a strong physique, with wide shoulders and a toned, but slimmed waist. His clothes are dark, although intricate and rich with black and brown to gold features.

His hair is long at the back, tied neatly in a low tail whilst the front frames his eyes in curt strands.

You blink, "Oh, yes. I—uh, ahem. I-I'm not from here, you see? And, um, I appear to have found myself a bit lost..." you can't help but feel small under his stony gaze, hearing him hum lowly in response.

"I see. From where do you hail?"

"Oh, I'm a travelling merchant. I docked today with my crew and told pa—uh, m-my captain that I would be back before dark, but..."

"Ah, I understand," The male's stern features seem to melt ever so slightly at your stammer, and he gives you a small smile to ease your nerves, "do you recall where you are suppose to be?"

"Somewhere called Third Round Knockout, I believe."

You give him a sheepish grin in return, toy clutched close. The stranger's eyes lighten in recognition of the name.

"A place I frequent in my days of rest. If you would like, may I escort you to your destination?"

"Really?" You brighten hopefully as he offers you his arm, "you wouldn't mind? Thank you, sir!"

"Zhongli," He states as you link your arm with his, "you may refer to me as Zhongli."

He smiles at you softly, causing you to flush, and begins leading you back towards the plaza.

"Mister Zhongli! Mister Zhongli!" You wave him down excitedly, the male breathing out a chuckle at the notion.

Throughout the following months, the two of you had bumped into each other once more and became well acquainted, soon becoming friends as you met up frequently.

The geo user became acutely aware of his new found friend's fascination with Liyue and was more than happy to show you around and tell you the many tales of said nation.

You got to know each other well within your first visit, you having been rather disheartened when the time came for you and your crew to leave--though the man had assured you that when you next returned, he would still be waiting.

"[name]," He greets with a gentle smile, opening his arms as you gleefully jumps into them, "how have you been fairing?"

"Good," You reply curtly, smiling up at him, "but better now that I'm here."

You laugh when he shake his head at you, "What about you? Are you okay?"

Zhongli tilts his head slightly with a confused hum, "I heard about the Archon's passing, news of it has already reached Fontaine although it was a few days ago. Are you alright?"

"Oh, that, yes," Zhongli clears his throat and composes himself, "indeed, it is tragic. However, I believe the Qixing has everything under control."

"I suppose. Something doesn't... feel right though..."

He leans forwards in interest, a certain glint in his eyes at your words.

"Oh? How so?"

"I'm not sure, I just feel as though Morax—uh," You glance at him momentarily, catching yourself before you blurt out something controversial.

As an Archon yourself, you swore you could still sense the presence of Liyue's God; though you doubt herself, chalking it up to the fact that you were an inexperienced Archon, simply sensing the ramenants of his power.

"N-nothing. It just feels, odd? Someone having the ability to murder a God, and the Geo Archon no less... Um, anyway..."

Zhongli hums, the glint in his eyes ever so prominent, "I understand what you are inferring. In any case, it will be a long time before any such revelations come to fruition."

He takes note of your nerves, watching as you squeeze your left hand nervously and swiftly changes the subject to ease your discomfort.

You traverse towards Yujing Terrace, where Zhongli breaks any silence by running his mouth on about the flowers maintained in the gardens.

"A dear friend of mine, Madame Ping maintains the flora."

"Really?" You hum, "what kind of silk flowers does she grow?"

"All three variations I believe," The man goes on to continue but is interrupted by a high pitched and child-like voice from afar.

"Mister Zhongliiiiiii!"

The duo pause and turn towards the sound, you tilting your head at the sight of a frantically waving, floating mushroom fairy child and a boy.

The unknown blond makes no attempts to hush his companion, simply shaking his head at her loudness before approaching.

Glancing to the side, you notice Zhongli's ease in their presence and calm yourself.

"Ah, Aether, Paimon, hello," He greets with a nod, "what brings you two here?"

"Oh, we were just about to meet Ms. Ningguang! We've got a special invitation to head up to the Jade Chamber!" The mushroom fairy child—Paimon—explains proudly.

"Oh? Impressive, indeed." Zhongli humours her kindly.

"Sorry, did Paimon disturb you?" The blond—Aether—asks, ignoring his companion's offended 'hey!'.

"Not at all," You give the two a smile, "don't worry about it. Zhongli was just going to show me around Yujing Terrace."

Your companion nods, "Aether, Paimon, this is [name]. A dear friend of mine."

"[name]?" Paimon blinks, "you mean like the—"

Zhongli clears his throat, "Anyhow, I suppose the Qixing won't be too fond of waiting. I take it you are prepared?"

Sharing a peculiar look with Aether, the two communicate silently.

"Right!" The blond scratches the back of his head, "we've just picked up a gift for Lady Ningguang. Hopefully it's good enough."

"I'm sure she'll enjoy it." The taller assures.

Paimon huffs and stomps in the air, "Hey! Why are you interrupting—"

"Anyway, we'll see you later then! It was nice meeting you, Mx. [name]!" Aether grins at you and waves before bolting off, leaving his companion dazed.

"I—uh, whaaa? Heyyy! Wait for me!" The floating mushroom fairy is quick to fly after him, the two fading from sight.

You laugh, mildly confusde, "Well, they're an interesting pair."

The male beside you releases the breath he was quietly holding, chuckling softly, "Yes, indeed they are. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, about the silk flowers..."

"[name]?"

You perk up at the sound of your name, peering up from behind the stock of open crates you had been counting.

"Oh, Zhongli!" You brighten immediately, hopping over the boxes to reach him.

"Hi! What are you doing here? I thought you had work today?"

Despite your concern, you give him a grateful smile, a familiar warmth creeping up your neck.

The man smiles at you contently.

"I took a small break earlier than usual, though my boss doesn't mind."

He internally winces and fights back a flush of embarrassment when recalling Hu Tao's thorough interrogation for the sudden departure.

He wasn't in any trouble for doing so, no—but once Hu Tao found out it was to see someone outside of work, oh boy...

"Ah, anyhow," he clears his throat, "I... wanted to ask you something, and I suppose I just couldn't wait any longer."

Your interest peaks. Unfortunately, so too does some of your crew mates--a few of them slowing in their work to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Zhongli takes in a breath, "I was hoping to be able to treat you to dinner tonight, if you would be interested?"

His amber eyes meet yours with a hopeful glaze. Despite his outward composure, he could feel his nerves skyrocketing once he took note of their minor audience.

Your eyes widen and you bite back a squeak.

Is this even real? Or are you just assuming things? Oh, you could feel the excitement bursting within you—wait, but you're an Archon... oh gods you forgot about that. Ugh, but he's so—

"[name]?"

You snap out of your thoughts, embarrassment flooding you.

You quickly blurt out, "Yes! I-I mean, uh," you straighten yourself up as to not seem so flustered, "sure, ahem. Um... a-are you...?"

Zhongli let's out a subtle sigh of relief, closing his eyes as he allows a ginger smile to grace his lips.

"Yes, [name]. If you would, may I take your hand in courting?"

Oh.

Oh.

OH SHI-

You tense and fight to push down an unholy squeal, mind racing. You could feel your mouth go dry the moment he reopened his eyes and made contact with yours.

You only manage to give him another giddy smile, nodding shyly with sore cheeks. Zhongli chuckles at you, taking a step closer and gently grasping your dominant hand in both of his.

"Then, I will see you tonight by the stairs of Yujin Terrace. Do not fret, my dear, you are perfect as always."

He brings your hand up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss upon its skin whilst maintaining eye contact.

He gives you one last charming smile before stepping away and leaving the harbour, ignoring the light blush coating his cheeks.

Later that day, as the sun kisses the horizon, you make your way from the inn and towards Yujing Terrace.

The night life in the plaza is bustling, the noise and chatter growing faint as you move farther from the docks.

Well into the city and past Luili Pavilion, the moonlight glinting across the shallow water catches your eye.

You slow and stop for a moment to peer into the pool, smiling softly as the golden bass and koi curl towards you. You glimpse a shadow passes from behind.

You giggle softly and, with a wave of your hand, summon gentle currents beneath the water's surface to play with the fish.

While the bass laze and let the gentle currents drag them along, the koi play along with the hidden tides, weaving in and out of the streams.

"Ah, there you are."

With a gasp and a jolt, you drop your hand to your side and step away from the waters edge.

"My apologies, [name]," Zhongli chuckles light heartedly, "I did not mean to frighten you."

"No! Not at all, aha," You quickly smooth any secret crinkles in your clothing and give your suitor a sheepish smile, heart racing in mild panic, "j-just nervous, I guess."

"Nervous?" The male quirks up a brow, "do I make you nervous, my dear?" Though his eyes--sharp as always--watch you attentively, the cheeky glint and subtle smile gives him away.

Stumbling over your tongue, you simply sigh and give him a pleading look, warmth creeping up behind your ears. Zhongli just smiles at you before offering you his arm; henceforth, commencing your date.

As evening turns into night, the moon rises higher and higher into the darkening sky with the two of you remaining arm in arm.

You find yourselves at the very top of the Terrace, where the annual Rite of Descension would have taken place.

Overlooking the sea of clouds*, you lean yourself against the railing, sighing softly as you gaze down at the waters fondly. Zhongli remains behind for a moment, watching you and getting lost in his thoughts before finally approaching.

He leans down beside you, facing the ocean although his attention is drawn to your being.

"[name]?"

You hum in response.

"May I... tell you something?"

Your attention peaks at his hesitancy, and you turn towards him curiously.

Zhongli keeps his glowing eyes out on the ocean.

"What I am about to say must remain secret between us. It is something that only a select few know," His gaze never wavers, "and I hope it changes very little, if it changes anything at all, between us."

Your brows furrow slightly, and you give his profil a soft smile, tilting your head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

Zhongli takes in a breath, "You know my name, correct?"

Your frown deepends, "Zhongli?"

The male nods slowly, "Indeed. Although, prior to this name, I used to go by many others—the most famous of which is one, revered, throughout all of Liyue."

You lean towards him in your puzzlement, and it is only then that he looks at you.

"My name, is Rex Lapis."

He doesn't blink, and your heart stops.

You can't breathe.

Disbelieving of your own ears, you search his gaze for any sign of deceit.

Alas, he remains firm.

His sharp amber irises seem to glow in the low light, glinting beneath the moon.

You swallow nervously and take in an uneven breath, a single word passing through your lips.

"...Morax."

Dread fills your entire being, and fear overturns your heart.

Why would he tell you this?

Why would he tell you now?

Why should he have ever told you? You don't just say that you're a dead archon to your friends—

You feel deathly cold all of a sudden.

He knows.

All tension in your being drops into the weight of lead as the entirety of Teyvat comes to a halt.

He knows. 

He knows who you are, he knows you're a God, he knows all about you.

And for how long?

You feel sick to your stomach, and so you take a step back.

Seeing you fumble and your dreadful silence, Zhongli's firm gaze softens. He sighs quietly through his nose and moves towards you as he speaks.

"[name]—"

"Please."

He stops, face falling at the amount of fear in your eyes. He sees the unwavering fright in your very being.

The horrors of the war echo in your memories--whereby from stories or the experience of its aftermath.

Unadultered terror regarding your ultimate death as an archon sits like cement in your bone and tissue.

Zhongli watches, and you don't dare to breathe.

This wasn't how it was suppose to go.

He steps towards you again, but you fear to step back.

"Please don't."

Your voice wavers, almost a whisper.

It takes every fibre of your being not to retreat in immediate terror. But you know the power of a God, even if they no longer claim the title.

Zhongli's heart clenches, eyes widening as his mind begin to race once he notices your form trembling.

Though your hands were tense and nearly hidden by your sides, he could see their tight tremors. Barely glancing off to the side, he could see ripples surfacing from beneath the shallow pools of water decorating the Terrace.

They slowly grew bigger, and began to bubble.

"[name]... My dear, please. Calm yourself—"

"D-Don't!" Your voice barely raises, though your fear and desperation are apparent.

"Please... I...I don't have any followers. I don't have any land. I-I don't plan on taking anything, I swear I've basically only just woke up—"

His brows furrow, "[name]—"

"—I'll leave! I promise!" Your legs give out, and you collapse to your knees.

Your terror filled eyes no longer dare to look upon him, "I...I'm not a part of the seven but... I-I didn't..! I'd never..!"

A pitched cry forces itself passed your lips, "if I had a choice I wouldn't be here in the first place so p-please! Please... Banish me to the seas! I just--I... I don't want to die..."

Zhongli's stomach drops, "Oh, my dear—no..."

Sickness fills him to the brim and despair overwhelms him in waves.

He slowly lowers himself to your level, gaze soft as he does so.

"[name], please, look at me," Your lack of response causes him to sigh, but his patience is ever present, "here, how about you take my hand?"

Sniffling quietly, you tense when he draws closer.

"...I couldn't... M-Morax—"

"Whilst I retain the name of a former archon, the name you have come to know bares no such burden."

He keeps his hand outstretched, "So please, won't you look at me?"

It takes a moment of tension before you feel you foolishly dare attempt to make contact.

Your head lifts ever so slowly, and though you refuse to meet his eyes, you gradually reach out a trembling hand to meet his.

Zhongli breathes out a silent sigh of relief, gently tracing his thumb across your tense knuckles to soothe your nerves.

He whispers small praises of strength and gratitude, smiling gingerly when you look at him in alarm and embarrassment when he presses a kiss to your stiff fingers.

"There you go," He hums softly, "nothing is going to harm you, lest of all me, my dear..."

Slowly, slowly, the tremors stop and terror fades from your body. Exhaustion clouds you once you you're conscious of your senses.

Your embarrassment only grows at the awareness of your state: settled on your knees and with tear stained cheeks—not just in front of another archon but your (once upon a time) date no less.

Uh oh, you forgot about that.

You take in a sharp breath and look away to hide your face, clearing your throat as you attempt to pull away your hand.

Zhongli refuses to let go.

Instead, he stands, and gently pulls you up with him. Your voice wavers, feeling the dryness of your tongue, but Zhongli is patient.

He waits for you to gather your bearings.

"How," You sniffle quietly, "ah... how long have you known..?"

You refuse to meet his gaze.

Zhongli smiles gently, "From the very moment you mentioned your name."

"What?" You blink.

He chuckles lightheartedly, "No mortal would dare name a child after a God, my dear. Besides, your youth as an archon means you have yet to master how to conceal your presence."

"Oh."

While mortals may not be able to detect a God among the people, there is always a connection from archon to archon unless they wish to mask it.

As you are a young archon (though two thousand years old, you've been asleep for the past five hundred) with your elder brother trapped beneath the ocean depths, you lacked the guidance he would have provided.

You've managed to figure out a few things on your own, but your isolation from others of your being have left you clueless.

Zhongli smiles at you softly, "Not to worry, my dear. While I may have officially, well, unofficially, really—retired from being an archon, you are no longer alone. Do not carry this burden by yourself, hm?"

You take in a bashful breath, "R-Right. Thank you, uh, Zhongli."

He offers his arm to you once more, keeping a soft look upon his features as to keep you assured.

You glance between him and the ground, hesitation clouding your mind before you rationalise your thoughts—he had known about you from the moment you met. If he really wanted you gone, you would be.

But you weren't.

And so you give him a shy smile before accepting his arm, and you continue your night at a slower pace.

Though you both remain oblivious to the soulless blue eyes that observe you from within the shadowed darkness of the night.

A sly smirk traces his lips—a that plan would soon come to fruition.

Nearly two weeks since that night, you help load up at the docks on a bright sunny day.

The ramp creaks slightly with every heavy weight carried over from land and on board, the workers chattering about as they go on with their business.

Zhongli and you had continued to meet up, occasionally for lunch, but more so in the evenings so you had more time to spend together. Your crew mates teased you relentlessly, but they were nice about it—thanks to your pa, that is.

He was in near tears when he first heard about it, sniffling about how his little one was all grown up, even when you've never been a child in the time he'd known you, but it was funny (and sweet) nonetheless.

Darla was ready for all the gossip, and gave you all the romance talk you could ever need.

Needless to say, you were incredibly embarrassed that day.

Particularly when Zhongli came to pick you up at the docks after seeing you were late. Never again will you let Darla speak to him.

Zhongli was amused though.

It was around midday when things began to get weird.

It was only you who noticed at first, though you brushed it off seeing as you would be the only one to notice.

You'd noticed the currents beneath the water's surface began to quicken, gradually turning into a swirl. Then the sky darkened, and the swirling currents moved further out to sea before breaching the surface—a vortex.

Thunder clouds rolled in and lightning struck the ground. At the sudden change in weather, the people of Liyue slowed in their works.

Panic came to fruition as the vortexes rose into the air, connecting with the storm clouds above.

Harsh rain pelted down on Liyue Harbour, the ocean waves rising and crashing down like a dominoes on the docks; the water became so rough it began to damage the boats and ships, fiercely pulling the wooden stakes of the docks.

"Run! Run!" People screamed, "move inland!"

"Away from the waters!"

"Move! Quickly!"

The harbour was in hysterics.

You felt pain grip your heart at the fearful screams of the people you had come to love, worry flooding you as the wooden stakes began to rock.

"[name]!" Your pa comes barrelling towards you with heavy footsteps, his rain drenched clothes weighing him down, "stay away from the boats! Get inside the buildings!"

He hurriedly nudges you away from the docking point, eyes rapidly blinking to get rid of the water.

"What about you?!"

You have to yell over the sound of the thunder and heavy rainfall.

"I'm getting the rest of the crew!" He calls back, "stay put!"

You can do nothing but nod, dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events.

As you turn to leave the harbour, a deep voice calls for you.

It's quiet, yet it rings throughout your head and echoes in your ears, and your eyes widen.

You recognise the voice, though it had been many centuries.

"Big brother..." You mutter under your breath.

You move your gaze towards the violent waters, seeing a small, snake like tendril beckoning you forwards. You feel a sting in your eyes--and not just for the pelting rain.

Nervous butterflies flurry in your chest as the rain falling around you grows lighter.

"[name]..."

The voice beckons you, and you move closer.

It repeats your name again, "little one... follow..." the tendril falls back into the water, and you gasp.

"W-Wait! No!"

You rush towards the rough waters edge and collapse to your knees, peering into the depths.

Desperation clings to you and you loose all rationale, a cotton haze in your mind forcing you to no longer pay heed to the life you had built since your awakening.

"Brother! Brother, where are you!?" Your eyes dart around before spotting the tendril once again, and relief floods your system. It motions for you to follow before disappearing once more.

You follow.

Chasing it across Liyue Harbour and spying it from the ocean border, it popped up each time before dropping down and appearing someplace else.

Before you knew it, you found yourself by the cliffs of Wuwang Hill.

You struggle to see through the veil of rain, the thunder grumbling louder and louder. Through the thick of it, you spot the faint outline of a man, his back turned to you.

Shock almost paralyses your body. You find yourself slowly moving towards the man nonetheless.

The closer you gets, the better you can determine some of his features.

While tall, he maintains a lean build, ocean hued locks cascading down his pale back. His body is adorned in a loose hanfu, colours corresponding with the oceanic depths.

Your eyes widen when he turns his head toward you, lapis blue irises meeting with the [colour] of your own.

The smallest of smiles tugs at his thinned, pale lips, fondness softening his gaze.

"Hello," He greets, voice—though with a slight rasp—is rich and otherwise smooth, "little one."

Your heart races, a heavy breath leaving you before you bolt towards the man, tears streaking down from your eyes and mixing with the rain.

"Big brother!" You cry out, embracing his form from behind.

Despite your affection, the male keeps himself facing the cliffs edge. He places his hands upon yours, tracing your knuckles softly.

He hums softly, "My dear, sweet sibling," a sad look overcomes his features, and he gazes out towards the harbour.

At his lackluster, you sniffle before looking up confusedly.

"Osial..?" You question, eyes glistening.

He does not ordain you with a response.

Your attention slowly draws towards the city of Liyue, absolute horror filling you to the brim at the sight of it—vortexes reaching from between the sea and the sky threaten to swallow the buildings and wreck the stone mountains, whirlpools drawing closer to the bayside.

You spot giant tendrils of a hydra composed of water thrashing amidst the chaos, roaring and hissing as the rain pours heavy.

"Osial!" You cry out in terror.

"Brother—what's going on?! What are you doing?!" You remove your arms from the figure of the God, pushing yourself in front of him in a panic, "brother, please!"

The male's firm eyes do not falter, and he merely glances at you.

"It is for the best, dear one," A frown makes itself known on his once passive features.

You feel a swirl of emotions well up inside you, "What? No, no! Please—brother, Liyue is my home!"

Osial's gaze hardens, and anger clouds his view.

"Liyue," He spits the name, "has corrupted you, dear one," his fists clench by his side, and the large tendrils of water grow even more fierce, "he has corrupted you."

Your stature falters, "W-What..?"

The man only huffs, crossing his arms across his chest as he holds his chin high, "Do not act so naïve. I know who you confide with. You have betrayed me, little one."

"Betrayed you..? Betrayed? Brother, what are yo—"

"You have made treason with the one whom trapped me under our depths for millennia. You have taken side with Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon—he has taken you from me!"

The God's hair rises in opposition to the heavy downpour, locks twisting into the form of snakes that hiss, "and so I too, will take something precious from him."

His voice booms across the hills and across the waters.

From the edge of the Jade Chamber, Aether and his comrades divert their attention towards the sound of the yell, and their eyes widen.

You feel your heart break in your chest, "What..? No.. no! Osial! Brother—" you begin to scream, tears, like a waterfall, steaming down your face, "brother, please! Think for a moment! Brother!"

The elder ignores your cries of anguish.

Staring you down sternly despite the ache in his chest. He says nothing as he pushes you to the side, walking towards the cliffs edge once more.

He turns to you one last time, a sharp bite present in his tone.

"Once this is over, I will be back for you, dear one. And him," His eyes glint dangerously, "I will kill."

And then he leaps, vanishing into the furious, crashing depths below.

Your stomach drops, and the amount of panic coursing through you makes you dizzy.

You can't lose your brother.

But you can't lose him either.

And you surely wouldn't be able to cope without your beloved city.

So you run.

You race through the forest on foot, terror coursing through your veins.

While it would be faster to traverse through the waters in your bubbled form, it's current condition would render you immobile, and it would only be easier for your brother to hunt you down.

You hiss at the rain hitting your eyes, pushing through the irritation and the pain as you continues to run.

Not to the harbour, no.

It would be much to easy for him to find you there.

You must get away, far away.

Away from the waters, away from your brother, and away from him—your beloved, Morax.

Zhongli.

Your body aches and your heart shatters, but you persist--never once sparing a glance over your shoulder at the chaos that ensues.

You didn't know where you were, but even if you were far, the distance between you and the harbour still could not disguise the explosion from afar.

Your eyes widen at the light booming from whence you had gone, hands covering your gaping mouth as you fall to your knees with a stifled cry.

That was it.

It was done.

The fight was over, but you could feel it, in your heart, that it was not your brother who had won.

The breath in you chest is forcefully taken from you, and you can't find it within yourself to fight for it back.

You stumble into the nook of a mountain base you had hidden in, falling onto the cobbled and cold ground with tears. Your shoulders heave with your heavy and silent cries, before a loud scream escapes you, rocking the land and rippling the waters.

A searing pain grips your heart.

Despite their victory and with their feet on solid ground, the traveller and the rest cannot help but feel unease.

After their win is assured, a shrill shriek of pain ruptures the air, having echoed from afar. The people of the harbour shudder and almost collapse, looking around in fear, worry, and wonder.

But the group know better, and Aether shares a look of alarm with Paimon—their attention is yet to be caught by the figure slowly and weakly rising through the bubbling of the ocean water.

Through your tears and anguished cries, your exhausted mind forces you into a deep slumber—your body rested in the cave.

You remain undisturbed for days.

Panic and worry consumes those who know you, unknowing of your whereabouts and your condition.

Zhongli, putting aside his contract, feared for you the moment of the attack.

News reached him quickly of Osial's anger towards Rex Lapis for having 'stolen' his beloved sibling, though information of Morax's mortality remain only with the adepti and the Qixing.

By request of the former archon, the traveller sought the help of the fellow adepti to track down the missing god, the Qixing keeping an eye out, though having to prioritise the chaos of the people.

Within the time of their search, you awaken in a daze. Though still heartbroken, your mind is in more ease.

You peek outside of your little cave, stepping out and glancing around. It seems that you made it to the border between Cuijue Slope and Tianqiu Valley, near the adeptus mountains.

About to leave your enclosure, a cold fear consumes you as a shadow obscures you overhead. You look up, spotting the retreating form of Cloud Retainer from above.

Panic grips you again, and you immediately return to your stone cold haven.

They've discovered your existence—they're after you.

After the defeat of your brother, they've come to deal with you next. Since the destruction your brother had caused, surely only death would befall you as punishment in suit.

Tears gather in your eyes again and you muffle a weep. Your body stiffens at the sound of a shuffle from the cave's mouth, and your throat tightens.

Slowly, you stand, keeping silent as the intruder grows closer. You take in one last breath, deciding to play defense as there was no where for you to go.

You summon your catalyst which rotates with your elemental, encased in a bubble with strands of water circling around it. In your spare hand you generates the first burst of hydro, ready to attack.

Anticipation and anxiety flood you as a head pops around the corner, followed by a body with a sword in their hand.

Without hesitation, you clench your eyes shut and let out a battle cry, throwing down your elemental and attacking at a rapid pace.

While your original attack is not powerful, it's continuous onslaught is fast and taxing.

Yells of alarm and pain are heard from the intruder, voices reverberating around the cave.

"Wait! W-Wait!"

"[name]—Wait! It's me! Aether—t-the traveller!"

"A-Aether..?" You slowly cease your attack and peek your eye open, gasping at the sight of the familiar blond male and his floating mushroom fairy companion, "oh! Archons..! Aether, Paimon—I'm so sorry!"

The traveller gives you a sheepish grin whilst Paimon shakes the remaining bubbles off her head, smiling at you.

"Don't sweat it!" The little fairy dismisses.

"So this is where you've been hiding, huh?" Aether comments, "are you okay?"

You shrug, weapon dissapating, "I..I don't know. I've been too afraid to leave, and had fallen asleep in my grief... I don't know how to feel."

The male hums, "Liyue has been looking for you, you know," his voice is gentle, "come on. Everyone is worried."

With a bit more coaxing, the traveller and his companion manage to lead you out of the cave.

You freeze at the sight of someone waiting outside.

Xiao had been standing guard the mouth of the cave, waiting for Aether's return. His hardened eyes meet yours, and you cower in fear, re-summoning your catalyst on a whim.

Your hands bubble with hydro.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" Paimon flies in front of you, waving her arms about frantically, "it's just Xiao! Paimon knows he looks scary, but Paimon promises he's really nice! Deep, deep down!"

You glance between Paimon and the adeptus, who eyes you back wearily.

"He...he's not here to kill me..?"

"Kill you?" Everyone is taken aback by the statement, "why would he kill you?" Aether furrows his brows worriedly, "we've been searching for you for days."

"And Zhongli's been worried sick!" Paimon chips in.

"Z-Zhongli..?" Your eyes flutter, and your guard lowers, "oh no... please—take me to him..!" And so they do.

A weary but rushed trip back to Liyue Harbour consisted of Paimon fretting over you and lowkey (okay, highkey) freaking out over the fact that you were indeed another archon, you fearing for your life whenever Xiao so much as glanced at you, and Aether reassuring you that no one wanted you dead. 

Reaching the harbour was like a slap in the face for you, of both uncertainty and relief--relief at the fact that most were safe, and casualties were little, but uncertain of how those who knew you would react to you returning, especially the Qixing and Zhongli.

You wondered if the Qixing will let you roam or imprison you for your brother's acts, or if Zhongli will shadow you in favour for his city--though that would be fair, you conclude.

They are his people after all. 

"Baby pearl!" Your head perks up at the name, head darting around in search for the source of the watery call, "oh, thank the archons!"

Your papa comes barreling towards you, unshed tears glistening in his dark brown eyes as he wraps his arms around your frazzled form, "you're safe..! You're safe..." 

"P-Papa..." Tears, once again, well up in your pretty [colour] orbs, and you sniffle at the tightness of his hold, "...papa..!"

You let out a cry, sobbing into his shoulder, "I-I'm so sorry..!" 

"You're okay, pearl, you're oka-y!" The usually stoic captain's voice cracks, and he sniffles with you. As your tears die down, he straightens himself and clears his throat, turning towards your onlookers, "thank you, for bringing [name] back safe." 

Paimon tiltes her head slightly, "Hm? Doesn't he know that they're...?" She eyes you shaking your head rapidly and a lightbulb goes off in Paimon's head, "Ooh! Paimon gets it. Yes! We kept them very safe indeed! Hehe." 

"Of course, sir," Aether nods respectfully, Xiao simply dozing off into his thoughts. 

"Papa," You gently call his attention, "have you seen Zhongli anywhere?"

The man scoffs, "Where haven't I seen him? He's been frantic since you left. He's either by the pavillion or the terrace. You've given the young man quite the fright."

You sweatdrop.

"Ah, y-yes..." You give your papa one more shaky smile, planting a grateful kiss on his scruffy cheek, "I'll be back soon okay? I promise I won't be going anywhere again."

"Hmph, you better... now, come on you lot! We could use a few more hands down by the docks!"

Xiao promptly disappears at that, with Paimon groaning and Aether simply smiling and giving a polite nod before heading off to help. 

With that, the young archon begins making their way towards the destinated areas, checking the pavillion first before heading up to the terrace.

Anxiety pulses in your heart momentarily, but you quickly dismisses it--like papa said, Zhongli had been frantic, so you have nothing to worry about. 

Making your way up the stairs, you ignore the eyes of a certain ginger who walks opposite to you, watching as you pass him by.

Reaching the top, disbelief takes over your very being.

Your jaw drops and your shoulders sag at the amount of shock coursing through you. 

There, atop the end of the terrace, was Zhongli talking to a man only a few blue hairs taller than him.

His clothes are slightly tattered, and still loose, reflecting colours of the ocean depths. His skin, though pale, is slightly bruised. And although his brows are furrowed ever so slightly, the smallest of smiles rests confortably on his thin lips. 

It was Osial. 

Your brother.

Your brother. 

Talking to Zhongli. 

The geo archon. 

Civilly. 

How in the abyss were you suppose to react to this?

How the hell are you suppose to approach them?

Do you say hi to your brother first? Would Zhongli be offended? Or do you greet your lover? But wouldn't Osial be mad then? You couldn't really just waltz over either, you'd just been recovered from hiding. What does someone even say after that?

Your mind races with these conflicted thoughts, eyes dazed and mouth still agape in shock. 

You blink.

"Ah, [name]," Your brother addresses you first, the two men turning their attention to your figure, "dear one..."

His gaze is soft, a regretful look on his features. His shoulders are no longer held back and squared, and his chin is no longer held up so high. Sadness overwhelms him at your lack of response.

You continue to stare, only taking small, slow steps towards them. 

"I..." He sighs, "my dearest kin... I am so... sorry. Truly. It was I, who was corrupt, not you. Never you." His throat tightens, but he continues.

"So many years under trapped under the surface made my mind weary, and I was easily influenced by those you call the Fatui. I had not meant to hurt you, or cause you great fear... My mind was overwhelmed by anger when I was told that the very God who entrapped me had stolen you, forcefully entrapturing you," Osial closes his eyes in remorse, "it is only now that I learn it was all a ploy, and for that, I deeply apologi--"

He stops mid sentence, eyes snapping open in surprise with a silent breath. 

Once within arms length, you had thrown your arms around his waist, nuzzling into his chest with watery eyes. Osial looks down at you in bewilderment, Zhongli quietly chuckling at his expression off to the side.

You sniffle. 

"I'm just glad you're still here, big brother..." 

Blood rushes to the male's cheeks at the sentiment, and his own eyes begin to gloss over with unshed tears. He takes in a sharp breath, holding you close and tight. He rests his chin atop your head.

"As am I, dear one... I had taken you for granted..." Osial is the first to pull away, smiling down at you gently.

He cups your cheek in his hand, caressing it gently, "My, how you've grown... so beautiful and mature now. I've missed you, little one." 

"And I, you, dear brother..." You smile tearfully back up at him, leaning into his familial touch. He places a loving kiss on your forehead before releasing you, stepping away and looking towards the former geo archon.

Your eyes draw towards the dark haired man, stomach fluttering while your heart does flips. 

Zhongli smiles down at you fondly, gaze soft. He steps towards you, outstretching his arms before pulling you into a secure embrace. He nestles his nose unto your head, breathing in your familiar scent.

"You had me so incredibly worried..." You flush at his bold affection, nuzzling him back. 

"I know... I'm sorry." 

He pulls back to look at you, cupping your face in his hands, "It's alright, my love. You're here now, and we're safe. Everyone is."

Your breath hitches in your throat, heart thumping from his endearment. He leans closer to you, nose brushing against your as his eyes grow half lidded.

"...I'm overjoyed that you're safe--"

"Ahem," Osial clears his throat, interrupting you.

Your face blossoms in heat with embarrassment, and you turn away in shame from your brother. Osial's arms cross with a deadpan look on his face.

"Not in front of me, you overgrown reptile," Osial hisses.

Zhongli rolls his eyes. 

"Blink, then, you water-born cretin." 

With that, Zhongli leans down and captures your lips in a long overdue kiss.

A squeak escapes you at his uncharacteristic vigor, though you figure he's doing so to get on your brother's nerves. Despite that, you can't help but indulge, eyes fluttering shut and humming into the kiss.

Your mind goes haywire at the feeling of his tongue gently running over the plump flesh of your lips. You can feel his breath through his nose caressing you, the air breaking upon contact with your skin, and he moans lowly against your mouth. 

Osial gags at the sight, "Alright--alright! That's enough! Get your filthy hands off of my family, you decrepit fossil!" 

It's safe to say that his protests went on unheard. 

[mysouleaten]

raining cats and dogs ! [pt 3]

tokyo rev cats/dogs x gn! reader

summary ... it only started with [name] taking in two strays when they were driving home from work, it was pouring and the two poor strays were soaked! you couldn't leave them… so you took them in

warnings ... fluff, fluff, fluff, and more fluff, weird dude

[part one] [part two] [part three].... [part four]

you were sitting in the pet clinic for over four hours. the sun was setting and the moon was slowly rising

you looked down at your phone '6:14 pm' was the time

you looked up at the door where the people took your new rescue

you slumped back into your chair, hoping this would soon be over, you had two other cats at home waiting for you

you sat up when you saw a man with a box --and a towel covering it-- come out, he looked around and then put the box down on the counter

"mx...[name]?" he hesitantly asked

"yep, that's me!" you said and stood up to walk the man in the white coat

"ah! yes, so your cat is in the box here" the man patted the box softly and continued "we stitched him up, gave him some pills, and gave him his rabies shots... he was a stray correct?"

"yep, he was.. found him somewhere, I didn't want to leave him, ya know?" you scratched the back of your neck

"I know what you mean, its good that your bright him here, another minute and the poor thing would have died," he said and continued, "I think you also brought two others before here right?" he asks

"yeah I did" you nod

"mhm, well here you go" he handed you a pill bottle "these are for him after he wakes up, make sure he eats one every day, they are vitamins and pain relievers"

"okay got it, do I feed them by themselves or with food?" you ask

"they are bitter so yes you can feed them with food" he nodded "oh and before you go, please make another appointment after a week, alright? I wanna make sure he's healthy"

you nodded again and carefully took the box into your arms and left the clinic. something about that guy... rubbed you the wrong way.. maybe it was just you

you carefully put the box into the casket in front of your motorbike and sat down and started the engine

you looked at the clinic again and the same guy was standing there with his hands behind his back, you shivered then drove off

'maybe I should find another clinic..' you thought

you drive into your apartment complex's parking lot and park next to your car

turning off your motorbike and grabbing the box and putting it on the sidewalk, turning back to your bike you grabbed the chain from under the seat of the bike and wrap the chain through the bike's wheel and warp the chain around a poll finally locking it

it's better to be safe than sorry was what your brother says to you, plus this is his bike and you don't want it stolen

turning to the box where your new fluffy friend is in. picking the box up and walking towards the stairs and up

you unlock the door and close it back when you step into your home

"im home!" you say, then you hear small paw steps and meows coming from your room

you saw take' and peachy run towards you, meowing their little hearts out too you

crouching down with the box in your lap "heeey, sorry for being so late! I found this little guy!- or well he's kinda big actually, hahah"

peachy and take' step up with their front paws on your knees and try to take a peek into the box

"be careful alright? the big guys hurt.. found him at a car dump.. lots of other cats there too" you say

but you didn't see take' 's eyes widen and he stepped off your knee. peachy takes a step back too when you stand up

"ok how about you guys name your new friend while I make food?" you say as you put down the box on your window seal. peachy and take' jump up there

you stare down at the box before you hear a meow then you look at peachy

"haha this is a bit creepy isn't it?" you ask and she meows as to say 'yes'

you scratch the back of your head "well keep him safe ok? I'll go make food now" you say and back away from your cuties

coming back once more to give peachy and take' kissies on their heads, they seem to appreciate the attention

you even see take' cover his face with his paws and peachy snuggling into take' 's body

you retreat into the kitchen to set the food for your friends and an extra bowl for the new friend

how lucky are you to have another friend?

you didn't even realize how many more friends are soon gonna join your family

taglist... @sixxze @ploxpoke @q-the-rockaholic @dancingnewcat @ariachaos @cashout-princess

if anyone would like to be part of the tag list for this series please let me know!!

[divine0rdainment]

Adamsapple Week!!!

Day 1: Wings and Forbidden Fruit

A/N: I will say this is my first time doing something like this so please be kind. I'm not so much a book writer as much as a Script writer. I have not yet had the chance to edit, and plan to do so later, i just dont have time today. So please don't comment on the grammar or spelling for now, I will fix it when I'm free.

 Taking What Is Forbidden 

Eden was always cold to Adam. Beautiful, safe, and wonderful, but cold. At least it was when he first came to exist and had to wander the garden alone. Naming animals, plants, and exploring. Learning everything by himself. He never understood the cold feeling because the sun was warm, the breeze was soft and brought warmth to his skin. But the cold didn't come from the air or wind or night sky. It came from his chest. He knew something was missing from him the moment he was brought from clay and dirt. But he didn't know what it was. 

Not till about the 13th moon rise, when he heard a noise he hasn't before in the garden. Melodic, soft, and…almost mesmerizing. He followed it like a man possessed, searching for its source. And low and behold, there, Infront of him, sat large white wings, sitting Infront of one of the many lakes in the garden. The noise came from the extended white wings that seemed to glow in the moon’s delecat light. 

Adam watched the wings as they locationally flicked and shifted as the sound continued, the man had seen many birds, named every one he had seen, from elegent Dove to the fierce Hawk to the fleeting humming birds. But none of them had wings this beautiful, gigantic, and smooth. And never has he seen a being with 6 wings either! So he couldn't help himself but to reach out and touch, his finger grazing a single feather till the sound stopped and the wings pulled away. And there, sat before him was no bird. But a face like his own…well almost? It didn't have a nose like his, and the skin was white, pale dove white, like the wings. And the hair on the beings head was like color of soft sunshine. And on its cheeks, instead of freckles or a blush was two large circle patterns, much like the parakeet, but a softer pink instead of the bold red. And the eyes…the eyes were the soft color of the sky. 

Adam stood there enraptured by this being, having seen nothing like it, except when he looked in the river at his own reflection. The beauty was indescribable to a man who was still only 13 days old.  Adam saw panic in those beautiful eyes, and a part of him thought it just made this beast more pretty. And after a moment Adam spoke. “Um…hello…I…I need to name you right?” 

The being blinked then slowly it seemed to look less terrified and more amused, and then it laughed. Oh that noise was just as pretty as the earlier one! If only Adam had a name for it, but he was too distracted to come up with one.

"No, no I uh, I have a name…b-be not afraid Adam…” the being stood and Adam got an even better look at the new creature. It had a white…something? Covering its body, like wool on a sheep but more tame and covered in patterns of blue and gold. As it stood, Adam is also able to notice a golden ring over its head, with a star-like shape in the center. It stayed even with his head with every move he made, like it was attached to him, but it seemed to just be floating. 

“My name is Lucifer, I am an angel of the Lord! I am sorry to have disturbed your night, but I was coming to…check on something i had created.” They said, a soft dust of gold coming to his face. It made Adam even more warm. Wait…warm. He touched his chest and he realized, he didn't feel that cold feeling inside him when he stood with this angel of the Lord. This…Lucifer. 

Lucifer then turns from him, his eyes landing on the lake where Adam sees white birds with orange beaks that were flat. He likes to call these birds ‘Ducks’. He didn't know why, but the name felt right. And the small yellow ones beside it, which he learned were younger ducks that come from Eggs, where Ducklings. He thought that was a cute name. 

“You created the ducks my angel?” Adam inquired stepping forward to be beside Lucifer. The angel nodded and turned to Adam. “Yes, they are one of the only things the other angels approved of…” he said sheepishly. "Many of my other creations where…rather dangerous according to Michael-" 

“Whats a Michael?" Adam asked confused. He hadn't named anything Michael had he? But he was greeted with that laugh again, and it made Adam feel like there was a twist in his stomach, but in a good way?

“No, Michael is my brother. An Angel like me. There are many angels." He explained. Adam listened intently, smiling wide at the angel as he did. “A brother? That is when you share..the same parents?" He asked to make sure. Adam himself didn't have parents, or siblings, so it was still a rather foreign concept to him, but he remembered the words. He didn't know why, they were just there when he first came to exist. 

The angel nodded “Exactly! My you are so very smart Adam!" He said pleased and it made Adams face grow warm. He didn't understand why this angel made his body feel weird, but he didn't want it to stop. Slowly he reached out again and touched the angel, this time on his arm. " My angel…" he started. “What is this on your body?" 

Lucifer turned to look and smiled “it is Robes, or Clothes…you will have some one day, when you are ready.” They informed the other. And Adam nodded looking down at himself and imagined himself in clothes like Lucifers. It made him giggle because it looked silly. 

“Clothes huh…” he shifted and slowly his hand moved down Lucifers arm to his hand, which he gently took and brought closer to himself, examining. "...you are like me…the animals aren't like me at all but…you are…” he smiles softly "I like that your like me." And he leans down, nuzzling Lucifer's hand, making the angel blushing that soft golden color again. Adam’s amber eyes look up at Lucifer and he smiles softly once more as he speaks. “Will you stay here now that I've found you?" 

Lucifers smile fell and the angel looked down. "I…I don't think I can Adam, I'm sorry…" he slowly pulls hos hand away from Adam. “You weren't supposed to see me. I was a fool and…I broke the rules.” 

Adam tilts his head, his stomach feels tight in a bad way now. And he didn't like it. He reached out and touched the angels face, pulling the shorter being to look up at him. “...can you come back then? When no one is watching. I…I want to see you again. I want to feel your warmth…” he said with pleading eyes. “Please My angel Lucifer. You make the garden warmer!" 

Lucifer opens and closed his mouth, looking unsure what to say, but slowly, Lucifer nodded. “Ok, but I can't do it every day, only when I know no one will see. Does that seem…fair?” 

Adam didn't know what ‘fair’ means but he liked that Lucifer would return. So the human nodded. "Yes!" 

.

.

.

It has been 100 days since that first night, and Adam happy and warm every time he saw Lucifer, it made him excited to tell Lucifer about all the animals he named and all the flowers he found, how he learned how to swim all on his own and how he learned to get fruit off a tree with a new tool he created, a ‘rope’ as he called it. 

But Adam also learned things from Lucifer. Like the noise Lucifer made that night was called “Singing" and Adam could do it too with some practice. And practice Adam did. Every day. He wanted to sing like his angel. He learned notes and songs and melodies, anything Lucifer was willing to teach. He even learned more about the other angels. He now knew there was a Gabriel, who was funny, a Raphael who was very stricken, a Ariel and Uriel who were “Twins" and a Michael who was…boring. Adam didn't quite know what that meant but he memorized everything he was told anyway. 

As Lucifer said, he didn't come every night fall, but he came often enough for Adam to grow attacked. And every time the angel came back, the more he NEEDED to see him again. He didn't know what it was but Lucifer made him feel WHOLE. He never explained it to Lucifer, not wanting to make the other confused, Because Adam didn't understand it either. But that didn't matter, what mattered was, every second he spent with Lucifer was a blessing and a joy. And he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. 

But sadly, that joy wasn't to last. As one night, Lucifer came with great news. The two were sitting in a flower field, Adam makeing a flower crown with the help of Lucifers instructions, gently guiding his hands through the prossess, the flowers were blues and whites and yellow, all Adams favorite colors Becuse they reminded him of Lucifer. And soon, he finished and smiles, putting the flower crown on Lucifers Top hat. Smiling bright “there!" He said happily. 

Lucifer blinked than giggled. “Oh Adam it's lovely. Thank you for this gift. I will treasure it…” he said a soft golden glow on his cheeks, something Adam always worked hard to see. Adam sat back in the flowers, watching as Lucifer ran his soft fingers over the petals and giggled to himself. 

After a moment, Lucifer spoke. " Oh, I have news Adam! Wonderful wonderful news!” He exclaimed and reached for Adams cheeks to make sure the other was looking at him and had his full attention. It was funny to Adam that Lucifer would do this. Didn't he know he already always had Adam’s full attention at every moment they shared?

“We are almost done with your wife Adam!" He said, very pleased, "And she is beautiful! Tall, long hair, beautiful green eyes, she is perfect for you Adam! You will no longer be alone. And you won't only have me and the animals for company!" 

Adams' smile slowly falls. “Wife?" He sits up fully and looked at Lucifer. “What…what is that?” 

Lucifer blinked. “Well..you know how some birds mate for life? Well humans are supposed to do the same! She is your mate! She will be by your side and make you happy and comfortable, and one day, when you are truly bonded, you will have children! Like the ducks have ducklings and the wolves have cubs!" 

Adam blinked. He…he didn't like that. He didn't know why but he didn't WANT this Lilith. Who even was she? Couldn't someone Adam knows he his mate? Someone like…like Lucifer. 

Lucifer sees his hesitation and pouts. “Does that not excite you?" He asked “you will have more people to talk to. You can teach her about the animals and music…” 

“No…” Adam pulled away. "I was having fun with you. I don't need her. Can't you be my wife? I know you! I don't know her!” Adam shook his head defiantly and Lucifer blinked in shock as Adam stood and crossed his arms. Anger boiling inside him. “I like spending time with you! I don't need a Lilith! I don't need this new wife!" He sounded like a child. A child throwing a tantrum. Lucifer had seen many younger angels do the same. 

Lucifer sighs and slowly stands, taking Adams hand. “I can not be your wife. I am not human, and I am not a women. Remember how most animals have a Male and a female? She will be female! That is how you will create more humans. I promise you will love her once you see her! You just have to give her a chance! She is beautiful just like you. And she will be your Equal, I am not your equal. I am an angel. I am in heaven…we could never be together like you will be with her. 

Adam felt tears in his eyes but held them back. He knew it made Lucifer upset when he cried. “...fine. but I won't like it. I'll marry Lilith and make children. But you will still be my favorite!" 

Lucifer smiles “All I ask is you give her a chance. A real chance. Get to know her, see what there is to like about her. Then decide if you do not want her as a wife…”

Adam agreed. But he didn't mean a word of it. Lilith would NEVER be his mate. 

.

.

.

As Adam has suspected, he did NOT like Lilith. She was beautiful, yes, even he could admit that, but she was different from him. She was Bossy, she didn't like to listen when he told her things. She wanted to wander off on her own, which, honestly, was fine with Adam. He didn't want her around. She only ever came back at night with fruits and then would try to be friendly and talk to him. But Adam didn't give her the time of day. Night time was for him and Lucifer to bond! Not him and Lilith! If she didn't wanna be around him during the day, he didn't want her around at all! 

Another thing about Lilith is that she figured things out faster than him, when he was wondering, he saw Lilith using vines to catch fruit from the tree like he did! And it has only been a day! And she was already learning to sing from the birds! Unlike him who had to be shown by Lucifer. She learned to swim faster. She learned to befriend the lions and birds faster. She learned to get Milk from cows and how to ride on horses. Every time he found her she was off doing something that took him longer to do, or worse, things he hadn't even learned to do yet. She was BETTER than him. And he hated it.

So at night, he would leave her, not caring how she felt about it. It was her choice to avoid him when the sun was up! So he'd spend his nights looking for Lucifer or going to the pond to watch Lucifer's ducks. Chuckling as they swam or slept on the grass beside him. They went days and days like this. Lilith wandering in the day, Adam wandering at night. A routine that ment they never had to interact. But Lucifer didn't come for a few days, Mostlikly busy. Or he thought so till one day, he came back to Liliths area and heard giggling from her…and another giggle. When he goes closer he spots…Lucifer. HIS Lucifer, sitting by Lilith on the grass, holding her hands and talking to her. 

“It's ok Lilith. I'm sure if you just try and bond with him, he will come to like you. You are his wife." He explained. “I know Adam. He is kind and sweet and a bit silly, but I derneith it all, he's GOOD. Just like you." And he takes a flower, and placed it in Lilith's hair. 

Adam felt warm again, his chest was warm…no..no that wasn't the right word. His chest was BURNING. Anger filtered through his body and his mind clouded with thoughts of hurting Lilith with rocks and sticks. Of chasing her away from HIS angel. LUCIFER WAS HIS ANGEL! How dare she talk to him?! Touch him?! Get flowers from him?! Those were ADAMS to have! His moments! His nights! Not hers!

 But he didn't come out. He sat and let his Anger grow. Why…why did he like Lilith too? Did he like her better? Was it because she was prettier? Smarter?! 

He felt a sudden pain in his hands and looked down to see his nails had dug in to his palm so much he started to bleed…huh…he hasnt evwe bled before… He held his hand up to his eyes and frowned, then slowly, turned to leave. He needed time to think. 

.

.

.

Soon Lucifer did come to see him. A few days later tho, meaning he spent a whole night with that woman. Adam pretended not to know. Pretended he hadn't seen, and made excuses when Lucifer asked why he was avoiding Lilith. Saying “she was avoiding me so I thought she didn't like me, so I left her be." Or “if she wants to talk to me she could come find me herself." 

Not helpful statements but true ones in Adams opinion. If she wanted him, she'd come get him. She hadn't, so clearly she didn't need him around…he didn't need her either. 

Lucifer let it go. For a bit at least, and just talked with Adam on the hill as usual, talking about a new instrument he had invented called the violin. He summoned it and showed Adam how he played it with a bow made of hair on metal based strings. Playing for his human happily. His human. That's how Adam saw himself. And after Lilith he realized just how DEEP the ownership inside them was. He owned Lucifer, and Lucifer owned him. He'd do anything for Lucifer. He'd put himself through utter pain and suffering for Lucifer's smile. He'd watch the garden burn if it made Lucifer giggle. And some small part of him knew it wasn't healthy, but he wasn't sure he cared…all he wanted was his lucifer to be fully his. Not Liliths…he would have to find a way to keep her away from his angel. And as they talk that's all Adam could imagine. 

Adam had a few ideas.including getting her to go away by telling her a new flower was in specific areas, or by telling her about a new animal she should go see. She always listened, running off to find the animal in question, seeming pleased that, maybe, Adam was starting to warm up to her, and the bad start could be mended. She even asked him to come with her some nights to go see what he had described, but he refused. Or at least…at first. Other ideas came to his head and he smiles as one night, he tells her about a new fish he found by the river that was super shiny. And this time, he offered to show her himself. 

So he led her through the forest, taking her hand, until they head to the river bank, right before nightfall, and Adam and her kneel by the side, looking over the quick moving water that led in to a waterfall. Adam had been told by Lucifer once to be carful by the river, that he could get hurt…well a hirt Lilith shouldn't be able to be around his angel, so this was a good way to keep her away. 

He points to the middle of the river and smiles “see! Right there! The salmon I was telling you about," he said proudly, Lilith looked and frowned, not being in the best spot to see it as the sun sets and shines light right on the water, nearly blinding her. 

“Adam, it's too bright.." she said closing her eyes and rubbing them as they start to water. Then, she felt so thing bump in to her from behind, and gravity pushed her forth, sending her in to the water. Lilith screamed but it was cut off by the sound of water filling her mouth, sending her rolling through the river. Hitting rocks and fish on the way, the rocks were too slick to stand on, and the river was too fast for her to swim against or even try to get to the edges. She got to the top of the water and screamed, begging for help. 

But Adam just stood there, watching her flow away from him. And as she looked at him, she could swear she saw a smile. But she didn't see if for long as she suddenly went over the side of the waterfall, screaming as she is pulled by gravity and the force of the water twords rocks below…or she would be, if a pair of arms didn't wrap around her and hold her close. She looked up to see Lucifer there, eyes widened as other angels appear at hearing the screams on the garden, all of them in shock and horror at the near loss of the first woman. Michael and Sera fly to lucifer, seeing the bruises forming on the woman's arms and hands. The tears and panic in her eyes as she cling to Lucifer. 

“How did this happen!?" Sera said “they were to stay away from the river!" 

Lucifer shooshed the woman. "She is upset. Let's help heal her and calm her down and we can ask. She has been through enough…”

Adam felt the rage again at seeing Lilith in his arms. That's his place! Not hers! How dare he! Didn't he know he was Adams?! Lilith could have another angel but not his! Adam turned, storming off in to the woods, too angry to think straight. He wandered deeper and deeper, going to an area he hadn't seen before. His eyes wided. As he sees how dark it is…how long has he been walking? Where was he? He…he needs to head back…but what if Lucifer is mad at him…

Adam groaned and pinched a tree, his knuckles bleeding after, but he ignores it in favor of  sitting down by the tree in question, holding his hand to his chest. Tears start to form. He didn't understand why this was happening. He was happy with Lucifer. Lucifer was a good angel. He was funny and smart and kind. He treated Adam like he was special. Lilith had no reason to exist. None! Yet here she was! Taking his angel! Singing songs and being smart! Adam can be smart too! Adam was very smart! He just takes longer! That doesn't make him not smart!!!

He held his head. “...I wanna be smart too…” he mumbled in to the air, then, he heard the sound of something dropping to the dirt with a thud. 

He opens his eyes and sees a bruised red apple. A glowing red apple. Huh…” he reached out and took it, and then a voice in his head he had forgotten yelled " DO NOT EAT THE FRUIT OF LIFE OF THE FRUIT OF KNOWLEGE! FOR DOING SO WILL LEAD TO YOUR DOOM!” 

Doom…he didn't know what that meant but…he did know what knowledgement! Knowledge! It makes you smarter! He looked up at the tree he was sitting at and gasped. “The tree of knowledge!" He stood up holding the apple in his hand. It was bruised and old, clearly not meant to be eaten by him. He noticed there were no animals here. No sounds of bugs buzzing or birds chirping, just his breath and the wind. So even the animals knew to stay away…but…

He looked down at the apple. It was so shiny and beautiful compared to regular apples. Almost unreal. He saw his reflection in the apple even. That's how clean and pure it was. He thought for a second. “If I was smarter…if I tried harder…could I learn how to make Lilith go away and keep Lucifer…could knowledge be t

The key to my loving angel? Could it make it so Lucifer wasn't made about the river? Could…could he have Lucifer if he did this? 

He guled, and after a long long moment, he closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and he took a bite. 

(Tell me what ya think? I may do a part two later if I have the inspiration and energy, but yeah. I wrote something! UvU Its unedited and If I do a part two I may put it on Ao3, but for now I'll keep it here! Please tell me if you like it. And again, it's unedited so please don't correct the grammar rn, I only had so much time after work and sadly did not have much time to clean up.)

[noblehouseofgay]

Beans

Jegulus and wolfstar microfic

Full moon shenanigans

Fluff

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

"Can't believe Reggie is coming to his first moon!" Sirius slung his arms around the smaller brother. "Piss off." Regulus immediately shoved Sirius right back off.

"Oh! He needs a nickname!" "I absolutely do not. I swear to Merlin-" James laughed as Sirius started coming up with ideas, all terrible if you ask Reg. "Beans! Like toe beans! I'm padfoot and you can be Bea-"

Regulus slapped a hand over his brother's mouth. "I am only coming because I don't despise Remus and you're down one member." Though they all knew they could get Reg to keep coming even after Pete returned.

"I'm touched, Reg." Remus smirked. "Oh save it for my brother."

The two had been closer than the others knew, so when they found out Reg was also an animagus they had to get him to come to full moons.

They were walking out into a forest clearing, warded by at least a dozen spells to keep people, especially muggles, out. They stopped just at the edge of the clearing, moon slowly rising in the distance. Sirius turned to his little brother. "You and Remus are friends, so it's safe to assume Moony won't mind you. But we'll take it slow alright?"

Everyone could tell Remus was a bit more anxious than usual, with adding a new person and all. But if anyone could handle it, it was Reg.

Eventually Remus made his way a bit further from the others for the transformation. Sirius couldn't contain his excitement though, a night with his best friend, his boyfriend, and his brother? What more could he want? He changed into Padfoot and jumped around Regulus. Reg rolled his eyes and changed, still glaring at his brother even as a cat.

James just smiled at two of his favorite people and changed to join them. Prongs walked over to Beans and bowed down, inviting him to sit on his back. Beans gently climbed on top of him and sat down, lightly holding on with his claws. They heard Moony making his way over and Pads ran to greet him.

As usual they played around, tackling each other and nipping playfully. Padfoot brought Moony over to Prongs and Beans. Moony sniffed the small black cat, nudging him lightly with his nose. Beans' tail flicked a little and he lightly nudged back. Padfoot's tail was wagging, watching the scene.

Beans hopped down and weaved through Moony's legs, batting at his tail when he got to it. Prongs snorted. Even as a cat he has to taunt.

It seemed Padfoot thought he had waited long enough for his turn, so he darted towards the cat, sending two black blurs running around the clearing. Prongs stepped up next to Moony, who would definitely roll his eyes if he could. Prongs nudged the wolf with his antler, telling him to chase Pads. And so he did.

Moony ran after the black dog and Prongs rescued the black cat while they were distracted. Prongs brought Beans over to sit by some trees.

Prongs laid on the ground and Beans curled into him, lightly licking him a few times and purring softly.

Moony and Padfoot spent the moon running around and playing (more like Pads was playing and Moony was tolerating), while Prongs and Beans sat together, taking in the peaceful sounds of the forest.

In the morning, they brought Remus back to the house, where Sirius took care of him from there, releasing James and Regulus to get some some sleep.

James led a sleepy Regulus to his bedroom, planning on tucking him in and leaving. But Reg had other plans. A sleepy hand pulled James under the covers with him, curling into a ball just like he did as a cat. "Adorable," James whispered as he kissed into dark curls. Regulus was already fast asleep and James soon joined him.

[uselesssomebody]

could you maybe do poe comforting an overwhelmed reader by giving them his jacket to wear 🥺

𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕒𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕟 - poe dameron x reader

complete masterlist | poe dameron masterlist

words || 𝟠.𝟟𝕜

summary || in which poe kinda makes the reader's life hell

a/n || 8,7k??? what is wrong with me

➵ nonnie you're gonna have to sift through like 8k words to get to the request but star wars fics need good world building

➵ yo send me moon knight requests or any oscar/pedro characters i'm banging them out right now

➵ not edited (yet)

➵ send me requests if you have ‘em. enjoy!

warnings || fluff/angst

her tools fall out of her hand with a distinct clatter, as she rises from her haunches for the first time in about an hour. she runs a gentle finger over the the edge of the removed metal plate, examining her handiwork at re-configuring, and then bettering the main control center.

it’d looked like hell when she'd first seen it, just 10 minutes after the black squadron had returned to d'qar - after a particularly nasty run in with some tie-fighters after attempting to survey a first order base. though all the members had bore a part of the violence and destruction, he who bore the brunt of it was their oh so brave leader - poe dameron.

of course, his extreme courage, and never-ending headstrong-edness did enough to serve his position as the resistance's golden boy. on the other hand, though, that same bravery owed to her consecutive long nights.

see, no one thought about the little guy - dameron was probably basking in the praise he was receiving at the moment, while no one ever remembered that the only reason his shots were so good was because she'd tinkered with the weapons system until perfection. the only reason he could ever complete any of his complicated maneuvers was because she ensured his controls ran smoothly - never jamming - and that the wings of his starfighter weren't falling off. though that may seem like a base requirement of her job, she knew that wasn't an occasional fix; no, it was much closer to weekly.

it was dark on the surface of the base, and she was beside a measly lamp to finish her work. she lightly tapped against the metal on the outside of the x-wing, satisfied with the adjustments, and, when she finally stretches out her body, standing fully upright, she feels the quirk in her shoulder from the hunching, and the cramp of her forearms and palms at her meticulous but firm grip on her tools. she sighed deeply as her bleary eyes made her see spots.

she hears footsteps approach her, and she collects her items as her close friend and fellow mechanic rose comes up behind her.

"how's it going?" she hums discontentedly in response.

"i'm done, at least." it's not a great answer, but rose understands, a soft smile gracing her lips as she grabs the lamp, holding onto it to allow her friend to place her tools away.

rose's own x-wing was one of the new recruits, given a lesser brunt during missions and scouting. thus, she'd finished ensuring it was in the best shape ages ago. she'd decided to finish up some other things in the meanwhile, before doubling back to see her eternally overworked friend's progress.

"you wanna head back to the bunks?" she rubs her nose as she thinks about rose's question. as they begin leaving the flight deck, she can hear the light echo of people from afar.

"if you want to, don't wait up for me. i need a drink, though." she finally decides, not wanting to deprive her friend of sleep, but also knowing that she needed something to help her unwind from the busy day. rose simply shrugs, gesturing to the both of them making their way to the cantina.

as they enter, a decent amount of people are still milling about, though many look ready to begin wrapping up their nights. there's a empty table a ways away from the bar so, upon taking rose's request, she urges her friend to sit down as she heads to the bar.

the bartender's a lovely guy: a weequay called aid-zarg, that everyone just refers to as 'ay' or, if they're close, 'zarg'. he'd been a bit against the nicknames, but had eventually caved to them.

"ay - how're ya?" she slides into a stool in front of him, attempting conversation tentatively. he shrugs - his expression seems cold, though she knows that's just how his face is.

"alright. long night?" she smiles, but it's almost a grimace.

"something like that." she orders for her and rose, and patiently taps against the wood counter as he prepares them. when he finally slides them over, she gives him a nod of appreciation, and he returns it with a nod of acknowledgement, before she turns back to join rose.

rose glances at her as she slumps into her seat, looking half-ready to pass out.

"maybe you should talk to the general about your schedule. you're half-asleep all the time; that can't be good for a resistance member." rose takes a sip of her drink as she presents a solution to her friend's never-ending dilemma.

"i - i would, but it's not fair to assign extra work to anyone - everyone's got a specific part of the base to tend to, or a specific ship, or fighter, or whatever." she thought about her hesitance as she watched the slosh of her drink, "everyone else's already working, and i don't want to make it anyone else's baggage just 'cause my pilot has an ego the size of a death star." rose purses her lips to keep herself from laughing - not wanting to encourage her friend's catty commentary.

"how'd you end up getting assigned his, anyway?" rose mumbled. her friend laughed into her drink, slowly recanting the reason:

even before she'd come to d'qar, it was common knowledge amongst the mechanics that being assigned to fix up dameron's x-wing meant you'd lose out on a weeknight or two, if it was temporary, and your entire night life - if it was permanent.

so, when she'd arrived, and presented her previous qualifications as a mechanic on tatooine, many knew that she was at least experienced and, at most, very efficient.

so, almost as a rite of passage amongst the mechanics, she'd been assigned the dreaded ship. and she'd fixed it up in record time. at first, it was an achievement she wore like a medal, the surprised faces of the resident mechanics enough to make her beam at her skill, and her knowledge of its contribution to the resistance's efforts.

then, though, it became a permanent assignment. and, for a while, it was manageable. but then, the fights got tougher; the first orders weapons more destructive.

"and suddenly, i'm up at 1 on a work night." she finally concludes. rose, having known her since she arrived, was privy to her friend's sometimes tired, always slightly pent-up rants on any topic that aggravated her, so she waited patiently for tonight's, "it's just-" there it is, "he's so fucking - ugh - would it kill him to just follow the plan? to listen to his instructions, to not be so reckless and not go out of his way to get himself killed - no, fuck that actually - his plane destroyed? i don't know - i get it's important to be versatile, and brave, and whatever bullshit, but c'mon - every time? keeping me up every night?"

rose was sure she hadn't even stopped to breathe in that entire time, but she definitely paused her rant to take sips of her drink, which then spurred on the vent further. she contemplated maybe removing the drink from her hand, but figured that after her long evening, she deserved it, along with a listening ear.

she sighs deeply into her drink as she finishes her story, not exactly expecting an answer from rose, but happy that she could at least get it off her chest.

suddenly, she feels a firm hand on her shoulder, making her and rose squeak and whip their heads to the person. what they hadn't realized was the volume with which they were speaking, causing her eyes to widen as she realizes that the object of her annoyance stood behind her, a goading smile plastered over his - unfortunately - gorgeous face.

“yeah - that guy’s a pain in the ass!” he hisses sarcastically, as though in his group of friends, gossiping, “what’d you say he was again?” he hunches down, so his face is in line with hers. she tries to glance desperately at rose, but all she can make out is her brown overalls behind poe’s jaw. she swallows, but looks him in the eyes, an unwavering look on her face.

“i was saying that he’s reckless. and he’s the reason i’m having a drink - as opposed to, y’know, sleeping. what anyone should be doing this late.” her voice is clear, and she watches the confidence in his face falter for a moment. then, as quickly as it hesitated, his smile returned, rising back up to his full height. he pokes his tongue into his inner cheek, looking between the both of them.

“enjoy your drinks, ladies.” he says it with a shockingly non-confrontational tone, accompanied with a shrug. she feels her cheeks heat in embarrassment as he gives her a slight nod to her, before turning and heading in the direction of one of the newer recruits - frank? flynn? - as she turns back to her drink, eyes closed in humiliation.

finally, she glances up at rose, and sees the uncomfortable grimace mirrored on her face.

“please, please, can you not shout when you complain about someone?” she chastises and begs her friend in the same tone, telling her off for her borderline rude behavior, and for the subsequent awkwardness it caused her. it makes her laugh, as she nods, assuring her that she won't. as rose bemoans she situation, she smiles into the rim of her drink, trying not to think about the warmth that she felt.

she wasn't quite sure if it was still embarrassment, or something else.

as she and rose had finally decided they'd taken enough from the night, and were ready to pass out into the longest sleep they had time to muster, rose heads towards the exit while she rushes to the bar to bid adieu to aid, and to front over the cost of their drinks. the quiet bartender thought her to be funny, so prices were usually discounted, but what did confuse her was the shake of his head and the shrug he passed when she asked to be reminded of the prices.

"already paid for." her eyebrows quirk at the non-descriptive explanation, and she wonders who'd paid for them in the short time they'd sat in the cantina.

"huh? by who?" aid was never great at names, but even he couldn't forget her infamous donor.

"dameron."

the revelation muffled in her mind over the night, as she wondered what exactly had possessed the cocky pilot to pay for their drinks, especially after hearing her bad-mouth him.

perhaps, she figured, it was a gesture of good-will, to imply that her snarky comments did little to actually affect him. and, for a moment she thought it was sweet.

until she passed by him in that same cantina, surrounded by both the members of his squadron, as well as some others, recounting the story of how he'd narrowly ducked in and between the cliffs of some outer rim territory in order to avoid a gang of small-time pirates. he spoke animatedly of how he narrowly made it out from a 20 meter gap in the cliffs, though how, tragically, one of his wings had taken a brunt of impact.

she grimaced at the casualness of his words, and of the enraptured expressions of everyone else, only speaking in order to reiterate how truly amazing they thought he was.

of course she remembered that mission, as she'd spent a grueling 3 days fashioning a new wing tip to add to his starfighter before his next mission - pulling maybe a collective 3 hours of sleep over the 3 nights.

and, suddenly, his gesture seemed almost more of a mockery.

though she knew that he continued to leave her blood boiling, and thus attempted to avoid him as much as possible, he seemed to have a remarkably different idea, deciding that his prevalence as a topic of conversation of her yielded him permission to become the one she spoke to.

he'd greet her as he hopped off of his ship, whenever he passed the flight deck as she worked, and somehow always managed to walk past her just as she knew he was clocking out for the night, leaving her to work an additional few hours - at least - to rescue his overworked vehicle.

poe didn't believe that he was being malicious - not at all. after all, she had no idea how difficult his job was either, so what gave her the right to complain? she didn't know that the only reason he pulled off complicated maneuvers was to divert attention from less experienced recruits, or that the days of planning missions - just for many of them to fail - also left him exhausted, and owed to many of his own contemplative, long nights.

thus, a strange, very aggravating dance occurred between the both of them. she was stubborn - as stubborn as him - but, of course, she - rather stubbornly - would never believe it, owing neither to want to secede and create a more comfortable environment by discussing their issues or - and this was completely off the table - apologizing.

though, due to this, both of their friends were subject to suffer through their passing remarks, or the strange tension that seemed to follow the pair. as the days continued, rose found herself seeking out the amused eyes of finn - poe's good friend - as he took in the scene, smiling or laughing alongside him at the absurdity of their situation.

it was this growing familiarity between their friends, in fact, that had owed to her current lonely late night. the black and green squadrons were responsible for the destruction of a medium, but connected first order base in the mid rim. it was an unlikely victory - outnumbered by tie-fighters at least 2 or 3 to one, but the meticulous plan crafted by finn, poe and a few of the others, and green-lit by the general, had created it.

there was much celebration when they'd headed back - and that spirit soared through the entirety of the base, with everyone coming together to remember their primary goal: weakening the authoritative role of the first order. it had gone on late into the night, as she can still hear the loud, carrying voices from the cantina. she's headed in the opposite direction, though, as she usually does. she'd seen dameron's ship when it'd come in, and - though it didn't look all that rough, she could tell it could do with a tune up.

she hadn't asked rose to stay alongside her, seeing the twinkle in her eyes as she'd spoken to finn in the aftermath of the mission, smiling widely in a way her friend didn't see all that often. so, instead, she’s left in company of just her tools and the occasional creak of the old, overworked machines.

there's quiet squeaks as she's unscrewing the control panel of the starfighter, but the noises are dwarfed by the sounds of steps approaching her general direction. she wonders if someone's forgotten something, or if it's rose stopping by the check on her, but she decides to ignore it, unable to pinpoint how close the other person is. that is, until she sees them round the nose of the x-wing.

it makes her start violently, dropping her tools with a clatter as she jumps. her heart's beating so fast that she can't even see all that clearly, and, when she finally realizes who it is, frustration clouds over her confusion.

"what the hell are you doing here?" it's harsher than she usually is, but it'd been a really long day, and she wasn't excited at the notion of dealing with him.

immediately, poe's defensive.

"kriff, calm down! i just wanted to check in on her." he lightly pats on the nose of his x-wing, as if it were a pet, and she suddenly wonders where his actual pet-droid - the orange one - is, "wanted to make sure nothing happened to it." he continues, not looking at her.

she opens her mouth, wanting to say how dumb of an explanation it was, but she truly can't find the energy to start a back-and-forth with him, so she simply goes back to work, shrugging. seeing that he still doesn’t leave, she drops her head, sighing deeply.

“what - what exactly do you need to know about it - her - dameron? do you need to watch the circuits as i reconnect them, or maybe eyeball every screw i twist in?” he seems shocked by the outburst, mouth hanging open for just a moment, before his hands raise up in a faux-surrender.

“if you want me to leave - i’ll go.” he pauses for a second, but she can still feel that more words are soon to leave his tongue, so she doesn’t say anything, eyes falling down to the circuits she'd just spoken about, “but i’m not exactly excited by the idea of you - someone - down here all by themselves.” she purses her lips.

“well, i’m sorry to inconvenience you - but you are flying again tomorrow morning, and your ship isn’t exactly tip-top.” she’s ready to turn back, hoping it’s enough of an argument to suffice him, but’s he’s adamant.

“at least take a break? everyone else’s at the cantina - it’s not like a drink’d hurt-” she rolls her shoulders, sighing deeply.

“if i agree, will you stop talking?” his voice stops, but a smile grows in its stead. he shrugged.

“you want me to stop? i thought you adored the sound of my voice-” she rolls her eyes, the hint of a smile ghosting over her own lips at the sarcastic joke. muttering a small shut up, she raises to her feet, dusting off her outfit, before stepping away from her work. he gestures to the large doors leading out the flight bay, and she nods, walking to meet his stride.

they reach the cantina in a moment, the silence between them filled instead with the increasing sounds from everyone else. as she enters, she notices the large overflow of people around the bar, evidently still celebrating. she takes a deep breath as she looks around desperately for where exactly she's supposed to do.

poe, keeping a close eye on her so as to not lose her to the crowd, points towards the table where their friends are sitting. she nods, flitting right behind him to benefit as he pushes his way through the crowds. when they finally reach the table, he can see a calm rest on her face, especially in the presence of rose. he follows her gaze to the close proximity between rose and finn, and, when she averts her gaze, she meets his, making him smile with a shrug, as if saying i know, right?

as poe grabs a drink for the both of them, and she's finally able to actually meet finn and speak with rose, she finds herself loosening up, grinning at rose's excited expression, or finn's somewhat deadpan humor, or the sweetness of her drink. sometimes, poe's own jokes forced an unwarranted laugh from her as well - which he definitely took notice of.

for a while, he'd also noticed the apprehension of not being able to finish her work, but he reminds her subtly that his ship hadn't been too beat up: it wouldn't disintegrate if he tried to exit the atmosphere tomorrow, and she'd have time to fix it up before it got to that point. it allows her to really mellow down, and she settles - alongside rose -with a few other members of the black squadron as they discuss the day, their missions, and the base.

poe's more decent, she realizes, than she gave him credit for, as when he's reintroducing her to the other pilots, the first words out of his mouth is acknowledgement for her hard work. it almost makes her giddy, especially after it's followed by miscellaneous praise from the others. she feels a smile creep up on her countenance, and it's only bolstered by the many small, sweet glances he'd shoot in her direction.

though, like all good things, it doesn't exactly last.

as the night drags - and maybe it's also her exhaustion, or the fact that poe's a few more drinks in - she can feel that respect that grew for him begin to chip away again.

his mouth just works too fast for his brain to catch up - she supposes - as she feels annoyance creep over her as she hears him gloat about his many stories as a pilot. though many of the stories have less to do with him giving her more hardship, when she sees the more egoistic parts of his personality reveal themselves throughout the night, she feels that same aggravation that led to that one night of late drinking with rose.

at some point, she feels that hearing him boast over and over and over was just too much to bear, so she knocks the rest of her drink back, waves rose and finn off, and slips out as she came in, deciding a night of good sleep may soothe her turbulent mind.

only a moment after she left, does poe return with a drunken smile, just about to introduce her to one of the many recruits he'd mentored - in order to remind said recruit about the importance of respecting your mechanic.

the smile fell as finn - almost sadly - mentioned that she'd left.

it's been a few weeks since then, and poe's reeled in his antics - much to her pleasure. though, she couldn't help the twang of something she'd begun to feel when he walked past her station, not acknowledging her in the slightest.

she wondered why; after all, that was what she'd initially wanted.

neither could continue ignoring each other, though, when they were called into the communications center of the base by the leader of the division, and the general herself.

she made her way up there quickly and, meeting poe at the door, hoped her confusion wasn't apparent on her face. if it was, he did little to quell it, as he instead focused on opening the large doors.

now, she'd only met the general a few times - and the other she knew only by rank. he, on the other hand, seemed very buddy-buddy with the pair, forcing her isolation for a moment as the three greeted each other. when, finally, they turned to outline the reason for the meeting, she was directed to sit down, and listen carefully.

she was told of how the resistance had recently learned from a rebel spy on an important first order ship that said ship had been collecting significant amounts of data on the resistance, and were soon hoping to transmit that data to a more central base.

the spy had gone on, stating that if there was a way to shut down the servers in the main control room of the ship, the data would be corrupted and would be useless.

there's a pregnant pause after the delivery of this information, and she swallows before speaking.

"what - um, what exactly do you want me - us - to do?" poe's role may seem somewhat self-evident - as in, flying a passenger onto the ship or jetting them out - but her own contribution was a bit more dubious.

after all, this seemed a mission best suited for the few technical analysts on the base, as opposed to the mechanic that she was, if it included corrupting intel and shutting down servers. truly, she didn't know what the first thing about that.

the general, ever so observant, smiles lightly as she understands her question. the comms leader responds for her.

"the spy has mentioned that the core system and servers are held in an old compartment - a remnant of the original empire - and, thus, much of the system is reliant on old, though complex, circuitry." she inhales deeply, better realizing her stake in this. the other person continues, "as one of our best mechanics and - obviously - our best pilot-" okay, that stung a little bit, and the smug little grin on his face definitely didn't help, "myself and the general believe it best we run a covert operation: you will sneak onto the ship, make it to the servers, destroy them, and then come back. it's a bit technically challenging, but the likes of the two of you should ensure a smooth operation."

as they finish speaking, she can feel her heart going a mile a minute - unable to believe that she - she! - was going to try and play super-spy and sneak onto a massive first order ship. she was sure poe now realized her shock, as he gave her a small reassuring nod.

it wasn't particularly reassuring, though.

they were then told that time was of the essence, and that it would be best that they leave as soon as possible. they were told to recruit another pilot and mechanic, in the case of a back-up that may exist on the ship, before being given stolen first order uniforms, correct to their assignments.

as she headed back to the flight bay, poe and the comms leader in front of her, she felt a strange, nervous churn in her stomach. she mulled over who she'd choose as the secondary mechanic, but realized the answer was - quite literally - staring her in the face.

rose joins her at the entrance of the flight bay, curious as to why she'd been called in, and, as she recounts the meeting, she posits the position to her friend. as one of the most competent mechanics she knew, but also someone who knew how to think quick on her feet, she knew that she'd be a great fit.

rose agrees in a heartbeat - her loyalty to both her friend and the resistance unwavering against the fearful mission.

she walks further up the flight bay and, upon seeing dameron similarly speaking to finn - likely to convince him as well - she joins him, now intent on how exactly they would find a ship that would go undetected by the first order.

the general - having planned ahead - had an answer for that as well, taking the four out into a forest clearing behind the main base. two large tie/sf-fighters stood, just slightly battered, on the lush greens of the ground. they're in decent condition, she supposes, for what she knew were likely captured or shot down ships by d'qar's defense system.

they're each handed earpieces, going to guide them as they entered the first order ship, and they are waved off as she and poe enter one of them, while rose and finn enter the other.

"everyone ready?" the crackling of the comms for the mission - led by a lovely ex-bounty hunter called pala - came through, as she adjusted into the gunner's seat, and poe into the pilot's. rose answers first, a chipper 'yes' coming through between the other 4 devices. she nods to no one, as though she were really just trying to convince herself.

"as we'll ever be," she mumbles, owing to a grunt of agreement from finn. taking the answers into consideration, pala transmits the coordinates of the ship to poe and finn.

both vehicles rumble as they lift up off the ground, and she feels herself white-knuckling her seat as she anticipates the flight.

as they reach the range of the ship, poe flies ahead, surveying the entrance and - by extension - the exit points. she hears a deep voice crackle through poe's earpiece, but she can hear it echo along the narrow walkway separating her and the pilot as well. it lists off - what she presumes - is the plane's serial number, and she holds her breath as she waits for poe's response to the question, "what business do you have here?"

"the admiral sent us in for reintegration - i've got a deserter on board." she lets out a gasp at the answer he'd chosen, blatantly throwing her on the bus, but the approving echo left her annoyance to a minimum as, at least, he seemed to have bought it.

they begin lowering down into the ship's flight bay, and, before she can even stand up all the way after it becomes stationary, poe's behind her, helping her up. she doesn't know if she should thank him, but decides that she should definitely not, when she finds him grabbing both her wrists and pinning them - though gently - behind her back.

"the hell? what're you doing?" her words come out more shaky than she maybe intended, but he'd really taken her by surprise.

"you're a deserter, remember. can't exactly take you in like we're the best of friends." his tone is sarcastic and she scoffs, rolling her eyes.

"they only think that because that's what you said." he doesn't dignify her with a response, honestly making her more agitated. he opens the door of the sf-fighter and tightens his grip for a moment, as the two of them are greeted by what looked to be a colonel. it's confirmed as they near him, his nameplate engraved with the title, and poe nods at him - a little too comfortable.

"they caught this one trying to flee three days ago." he gestures to her, and the unrelated sour expression on her face was definitely helping his case. the colonel nodded, looking at her with the utmost disgust.

"and she will be reprimanded accordingly. bring her to the cell bay." poe nods, pushing her lightly as he continues forward.

"you're a good actor." she can feel his goading smirk, and she shakes her head.

"i hate you."

as they enter further into the ship, he finally releases her, their clothes helping them blend in as crew members. her fingers find her earpiece, ensuring it was on, as she spoke into it.

"rose, finn? you guys get in alright?" there's a beat of silence, and her worry grows strikingly, but it quells just as quickly when she hears the familiar tone of finn's voice in her ear.

"we're fine - heading down to the storage to find those back-ups." she glances at poe, who nods at her, before speaking.

"alright - we'll meet near the flight bay after." finn and rose both agree.

pala begins speaking a few minutes later, guiding them through the base as they reach the server room. poe keeps look-out as she crouches beside the large, cylindrical structure. circuits surround it in an orderly manner, but she can tell the ancientness of it - dust floating around, pooling around every crevice.

she reaches into her deep pockets, procuring a small screw before closely eyeing the intricacies, and getting to work.

poe's eyes flit between her frame and the hallway right outside, keenly watching for stormtroopers, and praying that none would come. he feels himself blank for a moment, not used to feeling so helpless - or, at least, not the one taking charge of a solution for a situation. he resigns himself, though, to simply waiting, gripping his blaster tightly as he waits for her to finish.

finally, she stands back up, watching the lights on the server begin flicking on and off rapidly and sporadically, owing her to believe that she'd done something right, and that the information contained was - at least - corrupted due to the circuitry she'd just purposefully fucked up.

she's by his side in a moment, peering out as well to see if they had any company. for a beat, there's nothing, and they think they have the all clear, until she hears rose's voice.

"shit!" her eyes widen at the exclamation, and they both immediately leave the room, heading back in the direction of the flight bay.

"rose? what happened, are you guys alright?" there's an eerie silence, as rose nor finn reach to communicate back through their earpieces.

"-over here! poe, we gotta head back, they're right on us!" finn's voice comes though, finally, but it does nothing to quell the pair's heightened worry.

"wait - finn, they'll chase after you - wait till we-" poe begins.

"we don't have time!" rose's voice is frantic, and the sound of blasters surround it. her eyes squeeze shut as she breathes deeply.

"rose - okay, get out of here. we're right behind you." there's no confirmation from the other end, but she tries not to let that deter her as she and poe continue towards the flight bay.

there's a smattering of patrolling stormtroopers, but her sharp ears and his sharper reflexes keep them from being caught as they slink along the shadows, tattooed to the walls of each hallway.

the large hangar finally comes into view, and they can see the familiar sf-fighter exiting it, evidently being chased by single-manned tie-fighters.

knowing they were unlikely not to be caught in this last stretch, they flee the short distance between the secluded entryway and their awaiting ship, with her rapidly beating against the button to open the door as poe covered her, keeping those whose attention they'd drawn at ever-decreasing bay with his calculated shots.

finally, the panel lowered, and they swapped positions, her shoddy shots managing to continue slowing them down as poe seats himself in the pilot's seat.

no sooner than had the panel closed upon itself are they up in the air, and she desperately straps herself into the gunner's seat, knowing she had to put her limited knowledge of the position to any use. the entrance to the hangar is rapidly closing as the colonel from earlier can be heard through the ship's comms, desperately trying to keep the pair trapped within the base.

she can feel her back imprint against her seat as poe speeds the vehicle up, just narrowly exiting the snapping jaws of the base's exit. as she takes the smallest breath of relief, does it disappear once more.

"'re you guys out? we could do with some help!" finn's voice evidenced that he was trying to keep his cool, but the fear in it was also obvious. poe's responding in a heartbeat.

"we're there in a second!" she can feel the ship begin climbing as poe checked the scanner for any other vehicles. finally, they see the sf-fighter, being narrowly tailed by two tie-fighters. poe - true to his word - comes between the forces in a heartbeat, almost dancing with the tie-fighters as he weaves between the both of them. she feels dizzy at the quick movements, but suppresses the urge to pass out and grips harder at the armrests.

"finn - get outta here, i have them!" poe's speaking through the comms once more and, as he finishes his sentence, the ship's horizontal, peeling away from finn and rose - the tie-fighters hot on his trails, evidently disgruntled by the flashy flying. finn doesn't wait a second, activating the hyperdrive and inputting the coordinates of d'qar.

on the other side of the galaxy, poe's still leading the two tie-fighter's away, but the shitty ship is impeding his ability to duck and weave like he could in his x-wing.

"'m gonna need your help here!" she jolts awake at the request, realizing that she needs to man her station. her eyes desperately flit over the various buttons, before she grips the aim stick. her eyes are trained against the tie-fighter directly tailing them, and she centers it in her view, before aggressively hitting the button to shoot.

and, it's a narrow miss. she curses, trying to refocus, but a dread begins creeping up her gut.

"i don't know what i'm doing, dameron - get us out of here!" it's an order, but, really who was she to order him around.

"we've got this - we can take 'em out." she's used to his confidence and belief in himself, but she knew they truly couldn't.

"will you just-" seeing another clear shot, she takes it. it goes a bit better, with it hitting the end of one of the fighter's wings, causing the ship to dip to one side. her worry is soothed as she celebrates the small victory to herself.

then, as though a higher power was absolutely fucking with her, it all goes to shit.

she feels the ship rumble and heave sharply as she hears a loud crash, and she whips her head around, trying to find the source of it. she desperately grips at the aim stick, trying to keep it steady and ready to fire again, but she doesn't have a moment to use it when another loud blast and creak is heard.

"shit!" her eyes widened at poe's exclamation.

"what the hell just happened - whad'ya mean-?" her words are cut off due to the wind being knocked out of her as she's slammed against one of her armrests.

"we're going - fuck - the engine's been hit - hold on-" his words are breathless against the comms, and she can hear the exertion of effort by the grunts that carry through the hallway. she grips the armrests for dear life as she waits to see what would happen. she can feel the ship make a sharp turn and, behind them, the tie-fighters trail behind a little, as if they were playing with their prey.

"what're we doing?" her fear is evident in her tone, and her voice is a bit croaky in her heightened confusion.

"i'm trying to set us down on that planet over there." she can't see it, looking out from the back of the ship, but she knows that can't be the best idea in their current state. though, seeing the creeping tie-fighters makes it seem like there's no other choice.

she can see as they enter the atmosphere, hearing the shrill whistle of wings singeing on impact. then, she closes her eyes, bracing for impact as the both of them sit in anticipating silence. she's thinking we're going too fast, the ship's gonna blow up with me in it - god fucking dammit-

and that's the last thing she remembers.

he wakes up to a mouthful of dirt, bent very awkwardly over the semi-buried dashboard of the sf-fighter. his window's broken open, and the sun - or suns? - is blinding through it. he blinks aggressively, his vision swimming a spotty as he spits the gunk out of his mouth, wiping his lips against his fucked jacket sleeve. there's enough of a space between the ground and the glass of his window pane for him to just about crawl through, feeling the heavy impact on his legs from the crash. he looks around, desperately wondering where the hell he was.

it's a grassy planet, filled with lush vegetation and small ponds and lakes. the ship was half-sticking out of one, and his pants legs are soaking wet, the skin of his fingertips pruned. he can feel a sharp sting of pane every time he moves his foot and, peeling back the end of the sopping cloth, sees the discolored swelling of his ankle - having been sprained or twisted in the crash. he lets his head fall back - could have been worse, a lot worse.

he looks up at the looming, though destroyed figure of the sf-fighter, and, seeing the other end balanced precariously above the ground. for a moment, he doesn't pay it much attention - until he remembers.

his shoddy ankle sings in agony as he makes large, limping steps towards the other end of the ship, realizing that he didn't yet know the fate of his other passenger - his mechanic.

of course, in the recess of his mind, he had a guess. but he couldn't entertain it.

finally getting to the end. he peers in to see if she was okay. he's panting heavily, desperately trying to ignore the pain as he focused on using the little light on this side to look through the broken glass. he could see her legs, bent a little awkwardly - but not broken - and he traces them up to her head and torso - which was tightly strapped against the seat. it was the only thing keeping her from falling onto the floor, and her heads hanging. she's definitely not conscious, and he can't help but feel his heart sink as he steps closer - ankle be damned - reaching through the broken glass to unstrap her. when he does, her body flops forward - as he believed it would - a bit like a ragdoll and, though the angle definitely didn't help, he did his best to pull her out. when he could finally observe her in the sunlight, he could feel his chest swell in relief at the movement of her chest up and down. pulling her towards him, he could feel her breath against his neck.

so relieved, he doesn't realize, for a moment, the shallowness of those breaths, and the dampness of the cloth around her shoulder. when he does, though, he desperately removes the fabric. he winces at the sight, having to look away for a moment, before looking back down to observe the extent of her injury.

her upper arm got a long, deep gash, and the blood from it had soaked through her sleeve. not wasting a moment, he slides the sleeves of his own jacket off, tearing a thick, long strap from the t-shirt he wore under it. he wraps it as tightly as he can manager around her arm to staunch any further bleeding, hoping it wasn't too late, and trying desperately to ignore the small whimpers or stuttered breaths that she let out at the action.

he rises to his feet, a difficult task, in his condition, and notices a small shade of trees just a bit away from the pair. breathing deeply - almost in an effort to will away his pain - he grabs her good arm and pulls it over his shoulder, hoping his good leg wouldn't give out, as he makes his way there.

she wakes up in a cold sweat, looking up to see the large leaves of a tree under the backdrop of an orange sky. she scrambles to sit up in a moment, unable to fully comprehend her surroundings. her heart's going a mile a minute, her body entering fight or flight mode, before she hears his voice.

"you're alright - you're good. m'here." she recognizes his voice more quickly than she'd maybe be willing to admit and, when she goes to turn to the source of it, she feels a scream of agony in her arm. her sharp grunt of pain is louder than she maybe had hoped, but fuck - did her arm hurt, "yeah - uh, you've got a bad cut." his voice is soft, as if he were trying to lull her into a sense of calm.

it worked. for a moment.

until she remembered what happened. the tie-fighters, her pleads to go the hyperspace, the engine failing, the jolt of the impact of the straps holding her body in place, the blood in her hair from the open wound on her arm, her head going blank and her passing out from the pain.

she remembered all of it. including what he'd said.

'we've got this'

there's a lump in her throat, and she desperately tries to swallow it down as she stares vehemently at the dirt under her. she refuses to look up at him, and hopes he realizes why.

"do - does anyone know we're here?" her voice is more broken than she'd hoped it was but - fuck, she was scared. she can see him shrug in her peripheral.

"i'm sure they'll find us." she sighs deeply, turning away to the extent that she can. there's a calm, though cold, silence between them, before she can hear him sharply inhale.

"helluva trip, huh?" there's a jokey cadence to his voice, and it takes her a moment to actually process what he's said, his casual tongue actually igniting a rageful fire in her.

"what?" it's a whisper - backed by such an anger that she worries if she speaks louder, she'll scream.

"i'm just saying - pretty, uh, pretty crazy thing, right?" she shuts her eyes, and a small part of her brain knows that, at best, this is his way of making the best of a bad situation and, at worst, this is just some shit attempt at small talk. but - be it his words in the past, or the pain of her arm, or maybe even just the fact that all she could hear was his confident words like a low buzz in her ears since she remembered what he'd said - she was furious.

"yeah - it's fucking insane how i'm lightheaded because of all the blood i lost, and how i can't move a centimeter without wanting to cut my arm off, and how i can feel the bruises forming where the straps kept me from splitting my skull open on my broken window. it's a helluva experience." her words are softer than she'd thought they would be, but she knew if she was any louder, she may have screamed at him until her lungs collapsed or her throat gave out - whichever came later.

she doesn't have to turn back to see the expression on his face, and, truly she feels a bit shit for lashing out at him.

but she was on a random fucking planet with a mangled fucking arm and her only company was a pilot with no fucking plane.

so, excuse her for the outburst.

"i-" poe's stammering behind her, but she can't hear it, as her vision swims when she tries to get on her feet. she can see the ship in the distance, and knowing that it was her best bet at company right now, she trudges towards it, "where're you going?"

she doesn't dignify him with an answer.

when she finally reaches the large structure, she situates herself against the pilot's dashboard, gently kicking away the broken glass as she tentatively crouches down. she looks over the panel, hoping that at least one of the comms was still working. she procures her screwdriver with her good arm - well, technically not, but at least it didn't hurt all that much to move - before lightly tapping the back of it against any and all of the buttons, seeing if anything worked.

her arm now had a dull, thrumming pain, and she desperately tried to ignore it as she focuses on identifying what the comms were. she traces over a panel that seems to be promising, pulling the screwdriver towards it to see if she could meddle with any of the circuitry under it to get it to work - however briefly.

pulling it up, she realizes both the awkwardness of her position, and of her grip on the tool, unused to using this hand for it. her muscles ached, her arm ached, her temples ached as she desperately tried to slot the head of the tool into the screw, failing once, twice, thrice, before dropping the tool with a groan of anguish.

she's heaving - no, sobbing, feeling the liquid of her tears roll down her cheeks. she slumps against the glass, palming her cheeks as she desperately tried to muffle her exhausted weeping, only the sound of her small hiccups escaping.

she hated getting like this - crying out in the open, and she only reserved the ordeal for true upsets. though, this was one of them. she was so tired, and in so much pain, and she'd just been so horrible to poe as well - when he'd just tried to lighten her mood.

through the blood rushing in her ears and the motion of her hiccups, she doesn't realize the heavy thuds of poe's limping steps. she only realizes when he's in front of her, blocking the dimming sunlight from her eyes, and she covers her face entirely, not wanting to see her in this state.

he doesn't comment, though, only falling to his own haunches before sitting beside her, granting a respectful silence and, more importantly, friendly contact.

she swallows harshly as she forces her hiccups down. she doesn't look at him, worried it'd make her start up again, but he knows she's not uncomfortable with him there.

taking her good hand, he gently drops an opened bag of nuts. she looks at it, a bit confused.

"always keep 'em on me. emergency snack." he says it so casually and, it being contrasted with the slight childishness of the information, makes her crack the hint of a smile.

maybe she was hysterical.

"- hope they'll make you feel better." he continues, and she nods, popping one in her mouth and absorbing the mild, sweet taste.

"thanks - thanks." she mumbles, and they're quiet for another moment.

she hands them back to her, and, in that moment of contact, he notices her cold skin. he glances over her, realizing her thin top without a sleeve, and he shrugs off his jacket. it's a bit mucked up from the crash, but it's better than nothing.

tentatively, he moves a bit closer to her, gently placing the material around her, careful of her arm. still she winces - but only for a moment. really, she's more confused.

"what're you doing?" she whispers, and he's close enough to hear her now.

"you're cold." he's not wrong, but she still protests.

"and you?" he smiles.

"well, i'm pretty hot-headed. i'll be fine." it's a joke, and she really wants to laugh at it, but she can't help but feel bad once again for her words. taking it differently, poe continues solemnly. “i’m sorry.”

it’s a quiet mumble into the still air. it sounds foreign, coming from his mouth, as he tries to fit the extent of how apologetic and shitty he feels into the fleeting, overused phrase. she stays quiet, the only noise being her soft exhales.

“i - i know.” she mumbles back, unsure of what more to say. of course he was - he’d never intended for this. nonetheless, he’d been subject to her own emotions, to an unjustifiable degree, “i am, too.”

his contemplative expression returns a smile instead, now, and she finally turns to look at him.

"i'll buy us a drink when we get back, okay?" he offers, making her scoff.

"you're so great at apologies." he shrugs, as though it's obvious fact, and not a light jab.

"then what about dinner?" her eyes widen a little at the proposition, and she's speechless for a moment. then, she snorts, pushing her good hand across his face and playfully pushing him.

"get us out of here; then, we can talk about dinner." he smiles widely under her palm, and laughs as she takes her hand off. he leans back just that bit further against the metal, and the readjustment causes the dashboard to shift just slightly.

a small item comes rolling down, and falls right in his lap. he grasps at it and, realizing what it is, his eyes widen. he brandishes it in between the both of them, and she also realizes: it's his earpiece.

he gently presses the input button, and immediately starts calling out for finn, rose or pala. they wait a moment, with baited breath.

"poe - kriff, we thought you were dead!" finn's voice is unmistakable, and the revelation makes the pair's spirits soar.

in no less than a couple minutes were the told that a ship was coming by to collect them, and, as the earpiece's output stops for the moment, she rests more peacefully against the destroyed ship, and he mirrored her movements.

"so, about that dinner?"

[akwolfgrl]

Promise day 4

Zoro watched as they drew near to the Braite, the moon dipping below the horizon; the sun just started to peek out. He hadn't seen Sanji in a few months. He was busy trying to save enough money to buy new earrings. They were gold and dangle like his own, but they had a heart made from a blue gem. They caught the light just right and sparkled in a way that reminded Zoro of the shining across the sea. When he first saw them, he had to have them. They looked just like his mate's eyes. 

Johnny came to sit beside him yawning, it was still early. They sailed through the night. The Baratie would be getting ready for the day soon, Zoro was going to find Zeff and ask for Sanji's hand in marriage, he thought it was old fashioned but Curly loved romantic shit. Besides, the old geezer would kill him if he didn't. 

“Wow, is that what I think it is?” Johnny asked him, pointing at the weird fish shaped restaurant, and Sanji had told him about Zeffs chicken figurehead from back when he was a pirate. The old geezer had questionable taste when it came to the shapes of boats. “Man, I've heard of this place! The food is supposed to be to die for! There's always a good fight to see, and rumor has it there is a pretty blond omega who works there,” He felt Yosaku join them. “People saw he looks like an angel,”

“All ture, the pretty blonde's my mate,” Zoro proudly bragged. He wasn't jealous of other men looking. They had no chance. Women on the hand were a different story. 

“Wait, you have a mate?” Yosaku asked, shocked for some reason. 

“No fucking duh, the marks right thire,” Zoro pointed to the back of his neck, right where Sanji could always protect him. 

“Wow would ya look at that!”

“Way to go bro!”

Zoro spotted a blonde head out on the deck, most likely smoking a cigarette and having black tea watching the sun rise. Zoro couldn't wait anymore. He patted his haramaki, making sure the jewelry box was tucked away safely. Zoro stood up and jumped out of their small boat.

“Zoro!” 

“What are you doing?”

“I'm swimming to Sanji!” Their boat was going too slow, and he couldn't wait any longer, Zoro swam towards his omega, his Sanji. His heart was pounding in his chest at the thought of holding the blond in his arms once again. 

When he got to the deck, Sanji was waiting for him, his hair aglow in the early morning light. Zoro understood why people would compare Sanji to an angel…if they never met him. 

“Marmio? It's about damn time you made your way back here,” Sanji smirked. “Maybe you should stay in the water a little longer, I'll bring you some soap, and you can wash your smelly ass,” Sanji's smoke hearts betrayed how happy he was to see him. 

“See if I ever come for a visit again if you're gonna be like that,” Zoro huffed before climbing out of the water. 

“The old geezer would be happy,” 

“Well that's too damn bad for him,” Zoro grinned and scooped Sanji into his arms and spun him around. 

The blonde laughed and took his face in between his hands, his long fingers caressing his cheeks before their lips met. Zoro could taste the omegas tea and cigarettes. Something that shouldn't be so addictive but yet it was. When they finally came up for air, Zoro put Sanji back down 

"Marry me." The words tumbled out of his mouth as he returned Sanji to the floor.

The omega looked at him with amusement in his blue eyes, "Aren't you forgetting something,”

"What? Oh." Zoro dropped to one knee and took out the jewelry box. The earrings glittered in the sunlight. "Marry me, I don't wish to be apart from you for a second longer,”

“Yes!” Sanji launched himself at Zoro, knocking them both to the deck, kissing the life out of him. 

“Hey! You two no fucking on the deck!” Patty yelled at them. 

Zoro didn't need to look to know that Sanji was flipping the other alpha off.

[jjunberry]

Baking with Soobin ~💭

Being busy with schedules Soobin hasn’t had much quality time to spend with you. You of course never gave it much thought. The rare times you did get to spend with Soobin were enough for you. Each moment spent filled with love for each other.

The thought of not seeing you enough weighed heavily on his mind however. For the last three days he planned out different activities to do together. His members got annoyed by day four. “Why don’t you just bake something for them?” Yeonjun suggested tired of the leader’s endless rambling.

Soobin looked towards the older boy with wide eyes. “ Of course! Why didn’t I think about that.” He hugged Yeonjun squeezing him tightly. “Okay, okay that’s enough.” Soobin let go of him and gathered his stuff. “ I’m going see you guys later.”

Bright lights blinded Soobin as he entered the grocery store. The boy wasted no time gathering the ingredients he needed for his famous bread. He also grabbed some ingredients for a cookie recipe he saw and wanted to try.

The smile Soobin wore from the check out only grew wider when you opened your apartment door. “Soobin!” You squealed taking him into your arms. He hugged you back the best he could with hands full of groceries. “As much as I love you, my arms are gonna fall off.” He shook the bags which prompted you to let him go.

“Soobin what is all of this?” Your eyes took in his figure clad in sweats and a hoodie, grocery bags surrounded his feet. “I missed you and I wanted to do something special for you.” His smile was contagious as you let your boyfriend into your apartment.

Soon your kitchen counter was full of baking ingredients and the air was full of sweet bread. “I can’t wait to try this!” you exclaimed. Soobin grinned at your happiness. “All though I can’t believe you baked for Bebe before me.” His grin fell not noticing your teasing tone at first.

You turned around and smiled at him. He returned the smile now getting your playfulness. “Let’s mix the cookie dough.” You nodded and got a new bowl out. Soobin mixed the wet ingredients while you did the dry.

When the ingredients were combined you shaped the dough into cute animals. “Love you know they won’t look that way once they’re done baking, right?” Soobin asked.

“You never know Bin, they could stay the same.” Soobin laughed then grabbed the bread from the oven. The smell in the apartment was enough to make your stomach growl. You placed the tray of cookies into the oven. Dusting your hands together you turned to Soobin.

He was standing with his back to you cutting the bread. Your arms wrapped around his middle with your head resting on his back. “Thank you for coming over tonight, I really missed you.” Soobin turned around and took you into his arms.

“I missed you more my love. I’m going to try and spend more time with you.” His nose brushed against yours as he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to your lips. The two of you shared a few more kisses before finally enjoying some bread.

“Should we watch a movie?” You suggested. Soobin agreed and the both of you snuggled up together on the couch. You decide to watch the Mario movie. You began to doze off in Soobin’s arms when the smell of something burning caught your attention.

“OH MY GOD THE COOKIES” You screamed jumping up from the couch. A startled Soobin was quick to follow. You pulled the burnt cookies from the oven with a frown. Soobin turned the oven off. He then hugged you after you put the hot tray down.

“It’s okay, this just means we’ll have to have another baking night.” Soobin smiled when you looked up at him. “I like our baking nights.” Soobin kissed you before dragging you back to the couch.

“Me too, now let’s finish our movie then we can clean up the kitchen.” You groaned. “I forgot about that part.”

——

i’m so happy to be writing again! i hope you enjoyed this one

love, echo❤️

© jjunberry

[sombersummerskies]

A Sage's Regret: Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Land of the Sky Fish

Word Count: 5439

CW: None

Want all the chapters? -> Masterlist

~~~ <> ~~~

With the Zora armor you’re easily able to ascend the waterfalls, the series of which help bring you near the top of Ploymus mountain. You shake the water off of your body and secure your bag of supplies before starting your trek up to the plateau. By now the sun had set, and in its stead, a quarter moon was hovering in the sky. Your mind is racing as you walk, the noise of your swirling thoughts competing with the chirping crickets and the grass that crunched beneath your boots.

To say that you were confused would be an understatement. The mummy, the phenomena, Zelda, and the sky. They all seemed to be connected but how? You were growing frustrated, as if the answers were being dangled just in front of your face but you couldn’t reach them. How could the princess have possibly reappeared to attack King Dorephan? In the same vein, how did she appear at the castle only to disappear into a flash of light? Who was that mummy beneath the castle, and how had his awakening caused this entire mess to start with?

You groan, dragging a hand down your face as you trudge toward Mipha Court. The answers to these questions would have to wait, for now, you needed to focus on the sludge problem. Warily you cast your eyes upward to the sky, glaring at the streams of filth that flow down to the ground.

As you approach the fountain you can see that the prince is still awake- and of course he is, he’s dedicated himself to cleansing the waters. Though the light of the moon illuminates him beautifully, there’s a pang in your heart when you see the exhaustion that’s visible on his face. Your eyes flicker across his figure momentarily as you recall the king’s statements in the sanctum.

Sidon would be king soon. And that was just a fact you were going to have to contend with.

He glances up once he hears you approaching, and a small smile graces his face as he lowers his arms. It seems as though he opens his mouth to greet you, but the words get lodged in his throat. His eyes widen as he looks down at you and he stammers before quickly averting his gaze.

‘What was that about?’

“Ah! That… that is the Zora armor,” he says softly, nervously clearing his throat, “... it truly is perfect on you. I- I have no doubt that it will help you in your search for Princess Zelda!”

‘Oh. Right. The armor.’

You feel a tad flustered and awkwardly tilt your head, feeling heat rise to your face, “y-yeah, it fits great, and it feels brand new. I’m sure it will be a great help.”

He slowly nods his head, allowing his golden gaze to settle on you once more, “speaking of, have you found anything?”

You recite the statement found on the stone slate Jiahto had uncovered. Then you explain how you’d searched for the king and he’d bestowed his scales, the ‘mark of the king’, to you. Tentatively, you also reveal the cause for Dorephan’s absence. While the king hadn’t chosen to inform his son himself, you thought it would be best for him to know the truth. 

Sidon’s eyes widen as he responds, “what…? You say the monster that attacked my father was unleashed by Princess Zelda? What could that possibly mean?” He pauses, a flash of confusion crossing his face. “Well, for now I fear all we can do is take my father at his word and try not to let our concern overcome us. Thank you for telling me about my father.”

You nod your head and place your hands on your hips, “well, what do you think we should do now?”

He turns his attention away from the water, the blue glow in his arms fading. He glances upward as he says, “Princess Zelda descending from the sky, not to mention the monster and that filthy sludge… it seems our course is skyward. We now know that the mark of the king written of on the slate refers to my father’s scale.  The only remaining mystery is that of the land of the sky fish and the floating rock in the shape of a droplet…”

“Stand upon the land of the sky fish…” he murmurs, repeating the words from the slate, “that must be referring to an actual location of some sort. I am sure that if we locate this ‘sky fish’, it will lead us to this supposed ‘droplet’! _____, if you find any leads, please let me know at once.”

His golden gaze settles upon you once more and he gives you a look of confidence and a smile. You shuffle your feet and nod in return, ignoring the way in which your heart skips as he looks down on you. As you bid him goodbye and step away from the fountain, Yona’s words echo in your mind.

“I’m well aware of his affection for you- he is madly in love with you.”

But was this still true? Even after you had pushed him away, could his heart still possibly hold the same affection? You wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t, you’d told him yourself that he had his duties and you had your own. 

Did you still feel the same way about him?

You take a quick peek over your shoulder and look back at the Zora in question. Your heartbeat quickens as you gaze at him, subtly admiring the curves of his body. His biceps flexed as he used his water manipulation to separate the muck from the fresh water. You couldn’t deny the way your face warmed up as you stared. It was also undeniable that you longed to be in his arms once more, how you wished for him to call you his, how you were desperate to be able to kiss him and not feel guilt or shame-

‘Alright. Yes. I still love him. But now’s not the time to be worrying about that.’

For now you needed to turn your attention to solving the mystery of this supposed ‘sky fish’. As you walk down the grassy path you unhook the Purah Pad from your belt and examine it closely. From the ground, you were unable to spot anything that aligned with the description from the slate, but perhaps the map of the area would provide you with a little more assistance. 

The pad’s map was split into three layers: the sky, the surface, and the depths. Whenever you would activate one of the Skyview Towers it would use the collected data to fill in the map for the surface and sky- however, to uncover more of the depths you would have to physically traverse Hyrule’s dark underbelly. Your fingers glide across the smooth screen, carefully examining the map of the wetlands and domain. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, so you flick upwards and swap to the sky layer.

The Purah Pad had carefully mapped the mass of islands in the sky above Zora’s Domain. Some small, some large, and notably there appeared to be a large mass of islands closely grouped together directly above the palace. You pinch your fingers, zooming in closer on the screen. Your brow furrowed as you narrowed your eyes and-

There.

A floating island a little to the east of Ploymus Mountain. It was one larger body of rock surrounded by a multitude of smaller fragments. But the largest island in the small, sky archipelago resembled a-

“Sky fish,” you realize, looking up from the device, “it’s not a creature, it’s an island.”

You jump into a sprint, skirting along the side of the plateau as your eyes scan across the sky. Your boots skid to a halt at the cliff side and you catch your breath, gazing up at an array of floating rocks. The northern end of the island had a stream of water flowing off the end of it, and you decide that this is your target. After maneuvering to the highest ground you could find, you run off the edge and utilize your paraglider to float through the air toward the island. Once you're within arms reach of the waterfall you’re able to use the Zora armor to swim upward (though the fact that there’s no water beneath you to catch you should you fall is a tad nerve-wracking.)

Once you’re standing atop the floating mass you have to reorient yourself. The small sky island is caked with muck and filth, but luckily you had a few splash fruits on hand to clear a path for yourself. The island was tiered and had staircases, as though it were once a part of a larger structure but had broken off at some point. As you wander around and investigate, you recite the words from the slate once more. 

“Stand upon the land of the sky fish, and behold its lofty view. Among the floating rocks you see, a droplet waits for you. Through this droplet shoot an arrow with the mark of the king,” you mumble, looking at the field of smaller rocks which sat in the air around the island. You found the ‘sky fish’ and you possessed the mark of the king, but what could this ‘droplet’ possibly be?

The smaller rocks were beautiful, made up of various shades of blue and green that shimmered in the moonlight. They seemed to be floating gems, shards of a larger node perhaps. Your boots softly thud against the smooth stone floor as you march up the stairs. ‘These have to be a part of the solution somehow,’ you muse, ‘but how? None of these contain water…’

As you walk across the highest platform you notice how the rocks seem to shift depending on where you’re standing. Your perspective is altered as you move back and forth along the island. You look at each rock individually and grow frustrated as none of them seem to offer an answer to your questions. Your heels skid against the ground as you turn suddenly, growing frustrated, but just as you make this motion your eyes make a connection.

A cluster of the rocks begins to connect- not physically, as they each float far apart from one another. But from where you’re standing your perspective makes it seem as though the rocks connect to one another, like puzzle pieces. As you step closer to the edge you can see that the rocks make up a shape: the outline of a water droplet.

“Oh…” you softly gasp, your fingers fumbling as you grasp your bag. You reach inside and produce the scales King Dorephan had bestowed upon you. Using an arrow from your quiver you utilize your Fuse ability to carefully connect the two, thus making it so that the scale will act as the pointed tip of the arrow. 

‘The mark of the king,’ you think as you grab your bow, ‘I wonder what Sidon will look like once he ascends to the throne. Will he inherit his father’s crown and sash?’

With a heavy sigh you put an end to these thoughts and square your shoulder, setting the arrow in place and drawing back on the string. You exhale softly as you line up your shot, staring at the formation of droplets. One arrow should hopefully be enough.

“Do this task and you shall reveal a most wondrous thing. See the watery bridge’s resting spot with your own two eyes: that which connects the Zora to the people of the skies,” you whisper, letting the arrow loose.

It soars through the air, flying through the center of the rocks. The floating stones glow green in response, a sign that you’ve seemingly activated something- you just weren’t sure what. Your arrow continues to fly, farther than you’d ever seen one go, soaring farther and farther in an arching line. You lose sight of it, realizing that it must have landed in the eastern reservoir- the large body of water where Divine Beast Vah Ruta had once stood.

There’s a distant rumbling and your eyes widen as a beam of light shoots up and out of the lake. It was a greenish-blue hue, identical to the color in which your right arm would glow. In the dark of nighttime, it was a spectacular sight, and you could imagine that it must’ve been visible for miles in any direction.

“I need to show Sidon,” you say aloud, though there’s no one around to hear you.

Your feet carry you faster than your brain even instructs your body to move. With the paraglider, you’re able to easily hop off of the island and glide back to the plateau atop the mountain. As you approach Mipha Court, however, you’re surprised by the sight you see.

Yona had traveled up the mountain and was in the middle of a conversation with the prince.

Once you land you’re able to hear a fragment of what’s being said.

“It is far too dangerous for you to be here!” Sidon insists, his expression laced with concern.

“I came here because there is something I need to speak with you about,” she responds, “I have been thinking for quite some time- oh! Hello there, champion.”

Your eyes awkwardly flicker between the two of them. It was difficult enough to hold personal conversations with them separately- but to talk to both at the same time felt like an entirely different challenge. You nervously clear your throat and nod your head in greeting.

“What has happened?” Sidon asks, his gaze settling on you, “did you figure something out?”

You do your best to explain, but it’s difficult for you to ignore the pounding in your chest. You hadn’t imagined that it would be so strange to speak to them both at the same time. It was anxiety-inducing as if you’d been thrown into a fight or flight response. Frankly, all you wanted to do was fly away and hide- but there were more important things to deal with. Though your voice is noticeably tense and stilted, you manage to tell him what you discovered.

“So you solved the ancient stone slate’s riddle, and a pillar of light appeared?” he asks, shocked by this revelation, “if the words upon the slate are correct, a path to the sky may open up if we investigate that location… well done, _____! This is a huge development!”

Beside him, Yona hums gently and lifts her hand to her chin in thought, “I see… dear Sidon, I think that you should go with the champion to investigate that pillar of light. As I was just about to say, for a long time, I have been concerned that you are holding yourself back and not acting as freely as I would have expected.”

Your eyes widen and you turn your head, suddenly feeling as though you’re caught in a conversation that you should not be a part of. As though this was a private affair which you were intruding upon. Suddenly the ground has become awfully interesting and you stare at the dirt, nervously crossing your arms. If you could conveniently disappear into thin air, you would.

“But, if you and _____ join your powers, I am certain you shall be able to overcome whatever danger awaits,” she persists.

With your head turned away you’re unable to see the way the prince looks at you. You’re unaware of his lingering gaze and the deep longing in his eyes. He has to force himself to stop, to snap his attention back to the princess.

“That is undoubtedly true. However…” he trails off.

Yona speaks up, “whatever is troubling you, Sidon? Why are you hesitating so?”

This is all too much for you. There was an affection in her words, and though you’d been told that it was you who he cared for you still couldn't bear to hear it. You stumble backwards and away from the two. “I- I should go,” you stammer, “you guys can discuss, uh, whatever it is you have to talk about. I’ll come back later.”

You can hear the prince call your name out and you want nothing more than to be able to run straight into his arms- but you can’t. To attempt to get any closer to him was foolish and you knew that. Your feet are barely able to carry you a handful of steps before a sudden tremor shakes the ground.

A monster crawls up through the earth, the large mass suddenly erupting before you. You gasp and step back, your arm instinctively moving to grab your sword. Momentarily you’re reminded of the gloom hands that had previously attacked you, though luckily there was no gloom to be seen. Whatever this beast was, however, it was covered from head to toe in sludge.

You hear a shout from the prince behind you but there’s a pounding in your ears that leaves you unable to process what’s being said. As you walk backward you stare at the monster and attempt to analyze it for any weaknesses- it seems to be shaped similarly to a Like Like, but with the muck acting like an armor you couldn’t locate a spot to attack.

A hand on your shoulder makes you jump, but as you tilt your head you realize that it was Prince Sidon standing behind you. You meet his eyes and he gives you a confident nod. “Please,” he urges you, “I must ask that you fight at my side once more! It is a mighty opponent, certainly, but we must not falter. When an opportunity presents itself, call out to me. I shall use my power to envelop you in water, thusly shielding you from our foe- and you may shoot forth the water as an attack as well!” 

With a tense nod, you turn your attention back to the monster, crouching into a defensive position. With the beast being so close to the fountain, there were other lives at stake. Of course, the guards could defend themselves, but Yona and her two assistants had no weapons to speak of- and none had made mention of ever having trained in combat. Not to mention, you were incredibly concerned about Sidon himself. If this was similar to the creature that had harmed his father, you dreaded the idea of the prince falling ill with the same poison.

The monster writhes before spitting up balls of muck into the air, covering the ground around itself with the substance. You tried to think of a plan quickly, knowing that the splash fruit you carried could dispel the sludge- however, you only had a finite amount. However, if the prince could bestow his water manipulation to you, perhaps it too could counteract the filth.

“Sidon,” you say sternly, not taking your eyes off of the monster, “give me the shield, I need to see if I can get rid of the sludge.”

“On it!” he affirms quickly. 

You hear a rush of water and are momentarily stunned as a wall of liquid envelops you. It’s a hollow sphere, allowing you plenty of room to breathe and move. Tentatively you reach a hand out and touch the water, your fingers pushing against the rushing water. It was warm, like the feeling of ocean water that’s been heated by the sun. Your heart skips a beat when you realize that, like this, Sidon is protecting you.

Carefully you step forward, anxiously watching the beast in case it chooses to make any sudden movements. You tighten your grip on your weapon; a traveler's sword fused with a blue Bokoblin horn. As you walk closer to the monster it spits up more balls of sludge, attempting to hit you, but you’re able to sidestep them and narrowly avoid getting struck. 

Once within range you angle your arm back before flinging it forward- similarly as you had once done with the Master Sword. However, instead of emitting a beam of light, it resulted in your attack being infused with the water from your shield. You trade the defense for offense, watching as the water creates a wave that rids the ground of sludge and lashes against the monster.

The beast writhes and roars as its armor of muck dissipates. You see that it is, in fact, a Like Like- though this one appears paler than those you’d found in caves. Knowing what the creature was gave you an advantage in battle, as you now knew exactly where its weak point was. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a flash of movement and realize Sidon is sprinting forward, brandishing his trident.

“Wait!” you shout, “it’s skin is too thick, your spear won’t make any impact! You have to wait for it to stick out its tongue!”

This halts the prince in his tracks and you notice the look of confusion on his face. Surely the instructions must have sounded strange, but regardless he still listened to you. As the Like Like wriggled and prepared to launch more muck, the pair of you gave each other looks of confidence. It was as though you communicated silently, each agreeing on the same strategy.

You each flank either side of the monster to divide its attention, and the creature seemingly struggles to focus on a target. After weakly spitting up a few more balls of sludge it finally reveals the glowing, bulbous weak point in its mouth. “There!” you shout, quickly drawing your bow and taking aim.

Swiftly you strike the tongue and watch as the Like Like collapses, open and vulnerable to attack. The prince quickly takes advantage of this, easily sidestepping the muck that littered the ground and gracefully twirling his trident in his hands. With unparalleled elegance he attacks, using the spear as an extension of himself to repeatedly strike the monster. You’re so distracted by his movements that you nearly forget to dole out some damage as well. Luckily you have enough time to land a few hits with your sword before the beast recoils and defends itself once more.

The pair of you have a strategy now, repeating the previous steps in an effort to take down this foe. Sidon gives you a shield of water which you use to dispel the Like Like’s sludge armor, then after its weak point is struck you can attack it at full force. All the while you both do your best to avoid being hit by its muck spitballs. After a few more rounds of this you finally, thankfully, watch the monster collapse into a heap and slowly sink back into the ground.

Your chest heaves as you attempt to catch your breath once more- though you were improving you still sorely missed the strength that had been sapped from you beneath the castle. “Goddesses… what was that,” you huff, sheathing your sword and trudging back to the fountain. 

Simultaneously, Sidon bound forth, seemingly invigorated with energy after the battle (you could only assume it was a rush of adrenaline because he had seemed exhausted just minutes before). “You did it, _____! Take that, foul beast of the sludge,” he cheers, a grin on his face as he looks toward Mipha Court, “is everyone alright?”

You can see Yona standing at the edge of the fountain and she smiles at you. Behind her were her two ladies in waiting, Chroma and Khira, who had seemingly taken over the task of purifying the water. “We are unharmed,” the princess says with a nod as she approaches you.

The prince sighs gratefully, “thank goodness. Lady Yona, if something had happened to you… I…”

There’s a pang in your heart that you desperately try to bury.

“In any case, it is possible that another monster will appear. I suggest that you return to the domain at once,” Sidon continues with urgency in his voice.

“Thank you for the sentiment, Sidon. However, more importantly, we must consider what Lady _____ spoke of earlier,” she retorts with a gentle shake of her head, “the pillar of light that she said appeared at the reservoir begs to be investigated. This may be our opportunity to learn the cause of the sludge falling from the sky or even Princess Zelda’s whereabouts. Leave this place to us, Sidon. Your darl- er, the champion needs your help getting to the bottom of this mystery.”

Her slip-up practically makes you flinch. Surely, there was no chance that she had nearly said that aloud. To call you Sidon’s ‘darling’ was crossing a line- but to do so publicly with others in earshot could be disastrous. The prince reacts as well, his eyes widening as he attempts to stammer out a response.

“W-well… of course it would be best for me to accompany her. However, I cannot leave you alone in this dangerous place!” he pleads.

Yona crosses her arms, and though her expression is kind you can hear a tense tone in her voice, “did you not entrust this task to us already? We will not be on our own for long. We shall be just fine.”

The prince shakes his head in an attempt to argue, but seemingly can’t find the words. All he can bear to utter is a simple, “but…”

“Sidon…” sighs the princess, her gaze gentle as it settles upon him, “I truly appreciate that you worry so for my safety. It speaks to the kindness in your heart. But you are the prince of the Zora. One day, you will lead the people of your beloved domain. I can see right through you, whether you want me to or not. You are yielding to the fear of losing someone you love again.”

You find yourself hanging on each word she says, and you can’t help but feel that there’s a double meaning to her sentiments. You were well aware of the prince’s fears, you’d witnessed firsthand the anxieties he held which stemmed from the loss of his dear sister. However, when she spoke of him losing someone he loved, you were fairly certain that she wasn’t speaking of herself… rather, she was alluding to you.

“You must overcome your past and face whatever the future holds with courage,” she urges him.

Though you don’t dare to look directly at him, for you don’t trust yourself to hide your emotions, in your peripheral vision you can see the prince cast his gaze to the floor. He mumbles something quietly, another utterance of doubt in himself. It pains your heart to see him so unsure of himself when he usually thrived with confidence.

“Enough is enough! You are not acting like yourself!” Yona loudly proclaims, and it’s loud enough to catch you off guard and equally startle Sidon. She pauses momentarily before softening her voice, “you must leave this place to me. Sidon… do not get lost in the past. You must keep moving ever onward. Just follow your heart, as you always do.”

‘Follow your heart,’ you repeat her words in your mind, ‘... follow your heart…’

In the corner of your eye, you can see the way the prince looks toward you- and you have to force yourself not to look back. Not now. You couldn’t bear it.

“Like my old self…” he says softly,  “like I always do…”

Would he follow his heart? Would you follow your own? You weren’t sure of yourself anymore.

“It is alright, I swear it,” Yona insists, “I… we… we are not going anywhere.”

Beside you Sidon whispers, just barely loud enough for you to be able to pick up on his words. “I see… and there it is, clear as day… I was giving into my fear… I…”

Suddenly he jumps up, a beaming smile on his face as his eyes twinkle with excitement, “you are right, Yona! I will not give in to this fear! Nor forsake my trust in you! I will leave this place to you, my dearest friend!”

Before either of you can respond he spins on his heels and turns to fully face you, giving you his all-too recognizable grin. “Off we go, _____! To the pillar of light! Let us blaze on ahead!” he cheers, nodding his head assuredly. 

He steps aside to speak with the guards, no doubt giving them instructions to protect the princess and her assistants as they work to cleanse the waters. As he does so you hear a happy sigh and flick your gaze back to Yona. Her kind eyes meet your own and she smiles, ushering you closer.

“It seems Sidon has finally put his doubts behind him and returned to his usual fearless self. I am so glad,” she says softly, “all this time he was clinging to regret over being unable to save his precious sister, Mipha… poor, tormented Sidon. And to think, he was unknowingly paralyzed from taking action because he feared- well… I’m sure I needn’t have to say it aloud.”

You nod in affirmation, flickering your eyes back toward the prince. He was speaking animatedly with the guards, and though he was still showing visible signs of fatigue he seemed far more awake and lively than before.

“Please, take good care of our dear Sidon,” the princess utters gently, placing a hand on your shoulder, “he means so much to his people…”

You place your hand atop her own and offer her a smile, “of course…” Your mind briefly flashes back to the times when you hadn’t been able to protect the prince, but you bury those anxieties quickly. You exchange farewells and begin to walk away, but Yona calling out your name once more pauses you in your tracks.

“One last thing, champion… you should not give in to your fears either,” she says calmly, “I think that… if you both look to the future, you will make an excellent pair.”

You furrow your brow as you mull over her words. “An excellent pair… in combat, yes?” you reply.

She laughs softly, clasping her hands together, “of course, in combat.”

‘Surely she’s not implying that I- that we- no, I can’t think about this right now, I have to focus on the task at hand.’

Once the prince has finished instructing his guards you walk together toward the staircase connected to the fountains. The steps would lead you straight to the edge of Ploymus mountain, an easy vantage point to reaching the eastern reservoir. You walk side by side in silence and you nervously keep your arms glued to your sides, as though you might reach out to him if you don’t remind yourself that he’s not yours to touch anymore.

At the top of the staircase, you find yourself face to face with the state of Mipha, realizing that this is where she was now located. The princess smiles down at you fondly, her ethereal form elegantly depicted in the carved stone. You offer her a wordless greeting and a smile, her presence helping to calm you even now. Beside you Sidon acts similarly, whispering a small greeting to his sister as you walk past.

Now at the edge of the platform, you gaze down at the massive lake, its once pristine waters tainted by the sludge from the sky. The glowing light created by the arrow was still present, making it easy to show the prince your next location. “That’s where we need to go,” you say, “but the stone slate had no explanation about the light. Once we’re down there, I have no idea what we’ll have to do next.”

“I have an idea, but I won’t know for certain until we’re down there,” Sidon replies with a nod. He glances at you, his eyes illuminated by the moon, and he smiles. “Well, little one, are you ready?”

You sigh shakily but nod in reply, “ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s meet on that broken platform near the center of the reservoir.”

The prince grins and you watch as he gracefully leaps off the cliffside. You peer over the edge and watch as he soars further and further, before finally landing in the water with a large splash. Just below the surface, you’re able to see a blur of movement, signifying his swimming form.

You take in a deep breath as you unfurl your paraglider. You would be working alone with Sidon, a thought that simultaneously thrilled and terrified you. Hopefully, your poor heart will be able to survive this excursion. 

Before you can begin to think too hard and change your mind, you run off the edge and glide down to the reservoir below.

~~~ <> ~~~

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

[hoonzsn]

LAST LOVE — “i’ve loved you for as long as i can remember.”

✦ SYNOPSIS — in which two close friends say their hidden feelings for each other at a supposed hangout.

PAIRING ୧˚ — best friends to lovers, mutual pining — jungwon x reader.

GENRE *ೃ — pure fluff, comedy (ish), oneshot

WARNINGS ｡˚ — slight cursing

WORD COUNT . ୭ — 1128

SONGS ⋆.࿔ — is it over now - taylor swift, get you - daniel ceaser, kali uchis, perfect night - lesserafim, cool with you - new jeans, hurt - new jeans, what you heard - sonder, a night to remember - laufey, beabadoobee, night train - milena, seasons - wave to earth, les - childish gambino, la leçon particulière — francis lai, christen gaubert, could’ve been - h.e.r, bryson tiller, blue - the neighbourhood, void - the neighbourhood , west coast - lana del rey

TAGLIST ₊⊹ — @ohsjy

The beach ripples crashed softly against the white sand, causing each time it did so to make a light “splish” sound. The comforting aura caused him to walk closer to the scenery, his mind racing to someone special as he did so.

The moon ever so slightly shone on the ocean, the darkest of the gloomy blue water suddenly turning into a majestic silver field. The specks of silver sparkles on the sea, catching his attention.

With every step closer he took toward the mesmerizing scenery, he wished more and more for her company. A low and deep breath left his lips. He contemplated whether he should call her and invite her, or just leave it be.

A few moments of complete silence went by before he slowly took out his phone from the pocket of his jacket. His cat-like eyes scrolled up and down in search of the contact he had saved her number with. Freezing as he found it.

It was never like this.

He never knew he’d feel overwhelmed by calling his closest friend over to the beach. Although he did feel nervous around her sometimes, but that was explainable, right? Of course, he had to try and ruin their friendship of five years due to his stupid crush.

But that is what jungwon does. He had to let it out, tell her how he felt whenever he saw her flirting with some other boy who wasn’t him. He wanted her to at least know, whether it be she had the same feelings for him or if it was merely to let her understand how he felt about her.

His finger lingered a slight moment on top of the call button, pressing it after a little while. As he heard the line ring for a few seconds, he could hear someone picking it up and answering it with a short and confused “hello?”

Clearing his throat, jungwon answered back, internally face palming as a stutter left his lips. “Hey”

A smile tugging on his delicate lips, yet knowing she couldn’t see him. “Are you free tonight?” he nervously inquired, thinking about the multiple replies she could give him.

His cat-like eyes widened in surprise as he immediately got the response he’d been wanting from the girl on the other line. “No, im free. Why?” Hearing those words come from her made his smile grow bigger.

“Oh, I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out.” His lips parted in hesitation before continuing what he was about to say. “I need to tell you something.” A few moments went by before he could hear slight shuffling coming from the other line.

“Yeah, sure, where should I meet you?” She asked back, putting on her zip-up sweater as she did so.

He thought for a few moments before speaking. “I’m at the beach right now, but I can come to your place.”

Earning a light giggle from her side. He could feel a slight blush rise on his cheek due to the melodic sound. “Alright won, I’ll see you then.”

The walk to her home was quite short since she lived relatively near the beach. Causing Jungwon to be more excited than usual to see her.

As he saw the familiar house in front of him, he came to a stop. Seeing the girl already waiting for him in front of the gates. He walked in front of her, watching her as she looked intently at the device in her hands, mumbling some incoherent words every few seconds.

“What are you doing?” he asked once he stood in front of her, causing the girl to curse in surprise.

“What the fuck! You scared me” Her startled expression made his smile form again, the deep dimples on each side of his porcelain cheeks visible as day. Earning a smile from her too.

“Sorry, not sorry” He chuckled, causing her to roll her eyes and lightly hit his arm. A slight frown appeared on his lips as she did so, making her hang her arm around his neck.

“Let’s go, hm?” she started roaming the dark streets with the company of the boy beside her.

Once they were finally back, both of them had each of their ice creams as he’d bought them on the way back. They enjoyed their little treat quietly as they walked back.

Jungwon's eyes ever so slightly gazed at her as she was enjoying the ice cream he’d bought her. Her eyes looked straight ahead as they crinkled up due to the grin plastered on her lips while watching the ocean water crash against the white sand.

“So…” she started, looking at him now. “What did you want to tell me?” Her head tilted to the side, noticing that his breath had hitched.

“Um..” thinking for a short while, jungwon decided not to tell her, as he was too afraid of all the possibilities of her reaction.

A frown formed on the girl's lips after he said so, her eyes squinting at him in an intimidating manner. “Tell me won, come on.” She whined, trying to get a response out of him.

His brown, shiny eyes lowered to look down at his feet caressing the beach sand with his shoes, before mumbling out some incoherent words she could quite frankly not make out.

Confusedly, she had tilted her head to the side watching as his lips were continuously moving yet she could barely make out a word. “What did you say?”

Watching him as he slowly shifted his attention from the ground to her, she furrowed her brows together.

“jungwon, what did you say-“ Her words got cut off, by the loud tone of the guy in front of her.

“I love you.” His eyes lingered on hers, watching in anticipation of what she would do next, not daring to let out a breath due to the tension between them.

The air between them became suffocating as he watched her chest slowly heave up and down. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sudden confession.

“I have loved you for as long as I can remember, yn,” he added to it, slowly moving closer to her as he gently tried to hold her hand, still not getting a response. As he slowly starts getting more anxious by the second, he suddenly lets all his feelings out to her.

“It makes me go insane whenever I see you with some other guy that’s not me, and I know I don't have the right to, but,—” Without a moment to think, he could feel her soft lips collide with his, gently moving together in sync.

Slowly pulling away, she looked at him, a smile already evident on her lips.

“I love you too won.”

AUTHOR NOTE; im alive bbgs!!! wow what can i say… my first oneshot that i finished😭 are u guys proud😏 ANYWAYS IM KINDA PROUD OF THISS its cute 🥰 if u guys have any scenarios or any specific like oneshots u guys want me to make just message me or say them here and i’ll be sure to make them!!! <33 also tysm for 54 followers thats literally crazy ALSO I DIDNT FORGET ABOUT PICKY PICKY AND SHRIEK.. im working on themmm i’ll do my best to hurry!!! so for now you guys are getting shorter oneshots and scenarios😏

[tiredofthehumanlife]

Marriage worthy (masc-ish flavor)

fem(ish) version

Barbie dolls: Regulus x reader

Word: 2.2k-ish

Summary: your parents force a wedding on you but at the alter you realize what you want

Warnings: You’re in a wedding tux and are forced to marry a woman via your parents but I only use gn prounouns for you, regulus is a hater, aged up a little, allusions to not amazing parents, ebay and facebook marketplace mentioned, possible homophobic taxi driver but that wasn’t the intent the driver is just sad they don’t get a drama scoop, you ride in a taxi, i think thats it dude

A/n: this wedding has the wedding traditions and set up that I grew up with ie Christian wedding I understand that other cultures have other traditions but that is not represented in this fic this is by no means a hateful “my culture is the only right culture” type thing I'm just writing what I know everybody’s culture is beautiful thanks for coming to my ted talk

You weren’t sure if you considered yourself the marrying type. Your parents felt differently apparently. You were enjoying the simplicity of your single life, and a few weeks later your parents were informing you of your fiancée. Your wedding was being planned in front of you and you didn’t even know the bride. When your parents were making the quest list, they added your best friend. You thought about this for barely a couple of minutes before scratching out his name. You appreciated Regulus but he was the type of person to speak his mind. Loudly at that.

Once you told him about a friend who wasn’t treating you in the best of ways, but you still loved them. Unfortunately, they ran into you and Regulus at the store. Regulus glared at them the entire time and then finally called them a couple of unfortunate names.

So you doubted he would stay silent at the wedding you didn’t even want. You imagined him sulking in the front row, leaning over to whisper to the person next to him about how much this girl sucked.

“Can’t even match her heels to her dress, embarrassing.”

“Oh god she can’t find her vows, I wonder if she wrote any at all. Have I told you, I’m a published poet? Yeah, four books under my belt.”

“Kind and caring? That’s all she’s got? They’re more than that. They’re the rising sun and setting moon, They’re the oxygen filling our lungs, They’re-“

“Oh thank Godric, they got to my favorite part- I object!”

You could see him jumping out of his seat, a hand in the air. Regulus would object the second he was given the moment of silence. He’d probably walk all the way to the alter, grab onto your arm, and escort you outside himself, insulting the bride on the way out.

It might’ve been a little selfish to remove Regulus from the guest list. It’ll probably hurt him when he finds out but that will give him material for his fifth book. You’ll explain yourself. You’ll probably write him a letter from your honeymoon destination, explaining everything and giving extra treats to your owl for a speedy delivery. That’ll be an odd conversation to have with your new wife.

“Sorry darling my pants are staying on, I have to write a letter to my best friend.” Well, scratch that, you’ll write him a letter as soon as you get a minute to yourself… on your honeymoon? Well, maybe you’ll send him a box of cookies as an extra apology for his explanation having such a long waiting period.

Time moved swiftly as the planning became more erratic. Your parents seemed to have decided waiting for the next season was stupid. They’d much rather have your wedding yesterday than wait. In two shakes of a lamb's tail, you were being buttoned into an elaborate tuxedo. You didn’t feel right. Maybe this was the classic cold feet feeling but every time you blinked you seemed to be nowhere near where you started. You would be in front of the mirror and seconds later you were staring at the double doors waiting on your bride to walk down the aisle. You didn’t remember saying half of your vowels though you felt secure in your assumption that they were monotone. With your hands in hers and the priest beside you talking, you looked at the rows and rows of family members.

Some of which you hadn’t seen in what felt like centuries. You scanned the seat looking for someone you recognized. You reached the end of the row without seeing anyone properly. You closed your eyes as you listened to your fiancée, soon-to-be wife, repeat the priest. You squeezed Regulus’ hands tighter. You felt the corners of your lips twitch for a second before you slowly opened your eyes. Your slight smile fell when you realized you weren’t holding onto your best friend’s hands at all.

You glanced around, remembering exactly where you were. You felt you had just been dunked in cold water waking you from your sleep.

“Do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" The priest seemed as bored as you, his tone hollow and flat. You stayed silent, your mind catching up with the lots of information you just caught. Why would you wish you were holding onto Regulus’ hands at the altar if you were just friends? How long have you felt like this? Does this priest even know your name? How much was he paid? Could you sell this tux on eBay? Facebook marketplace? You heard mutters pass over the crowd of spectators. Your fiancée squeezed your hands while muttering your name. She kept repeating it but it faded into the background like the ocean rocking your body.

“I don’t want this?” You whispered. As you talked mostly to yourself, you remembered you had free will. You laughed as you pulled your hands away from this nameless woman. You reached up to your chest and yanked the boutonniere from your lapel. You dropped it on the floor, turning towards the crowd.

“I don’t want this.” You said, though this time you were sturdy. You knew what you wanted and it had nothing to do with this chapel. You started off towards the front doors. You noticed people in the rows standing up and you were certain you heard someone sounding easily similar to your mother yelling at you. You weren’t entirely certain where you were but you had a feeling your heart would lead you in the right direction.

Your heart failed you. You actually had to hail a taxi, and you were quite happy you memorized Regulus’ address and had pockets with money inside. The taxi driver seemed amused that they had picked up a runaway groom.

“What happened to the bride, sleep with the groomsman?” They asked, glancing back at you through the reirveiw mirror. You laughed awkwardly.

“No. As it turns out I love a man. It appears I prefer obnoxious published poets with the fashion sense of a funeral director.” The taxi driver sighed deeply. You looked out the window, wondering what they were probably doing back at the alter. Did they disperse? Head towards the open bar? You imagined your one aunt who you were certain lived 9 lives herself, swinging her purse over her shoulder and leaving without a second thought. She seemed to root for nobody and everyone all at the same time. You paid the driver and sprinted up the stairs of Regulus’ house. You knocked on his front door rapidly, ringing the door as you stepped back.

You heard Regulus groan behind the door before it opened a crack the chain stopping it. Once he saw you the door slammed again. You heard the chain smack back against the wall before the door opened again. Regulus stared at you with wide eyes. He took you all in, looking you up and down. you felt your shoulders relax when you saw him, letting out a sigh.

“I see you’ve had a busy few weeks.” You glanced down at your outfit, raising your hands and slapping them against the material.

“Yeah, I uh, I was going to send you a letter. I was getting married but I realized something while I was holding that girl's hands-“ Regulus cut off your explanation. He made a disgusted face, flapping his hand in the air.

“Oh Godric, you do not need to tell me what you were doing with your- what fiancée? Wife?” Regulus said, smacking his lips like the word fiancée left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Regulus, Shut up. Let me talk. As I was at that altar, every time I closed my eyes I realized I was begging for it to be you standing in front of me in a tux, not that lady.” You probably looked a little crazy, drowning in expensive material waving your hands around erratically like it would make your declaration a little less out of pocket. Regulus grimaced.

“It took a wedding for you to realize I might be more desirable than some random woman? Ouch.” Regulus rested his hand over his heart like you struck him. You shook your head.

“No. It took me a wedding to realize I'm in love with you, Regulus.” You stared at Regulus, taking in every slight movement in his face to catch if there was any rejection there. Regulus seemed to stop breathing, his eyes glazing over. You pressed your lips together. Is this really the guy you wanted? You tried to calculate if his reaction was a severe case of rejection or stupidity.

“So please just tell me if you feel even an ounce of the same. If you don't say that, I'll run all the way back to that chapel. I'll marry that woman, we'll go on our honeymoon, in a couple of years we'll have 2.5 kids named Taylor, Brayden, and the one on the way will be Raighleighn and-“ Regulus brought himself back to life with a fast breath. He cut off your irrational speech.

“Is that what you want?” You stared at him, blinking away your confusion. Regulus kept his face stoic, giving you no clue if he was being serious or not. You furrowed your eyebrows. He sensed your confusion, adding details to his question. “Is what you want 2.5 kids named Taylor, Brandon, and Raylen?” You pulled back, shrugging one shoulder up to your ear.

“Brayden and Raighleighn.” You corrected, quietly. Regulus tsked, glaring at you. You tilted your head to the side, egging him on just a little.

“Sorry, I don't have a perfect memory for the names of your hypothetical kids,” Regulus said while dramatically rolling his eyes. You decided to ignore his retort, bouncing back to his last question.

“Why on earth would I ditch my wedding, leaving hundreds of guests to fend for themselves, if the person I wanted was at the altar? Regulus, I want you. Granted I realized this less than thirty minutes ago so I’m not entirely sure how much of our friendship I’ve been harboring these feelings, but I understand they’re strong. I want to cook dinner with you. I want my toothbrush next to yours. I want my closet to have your clothes too. I want to fold our laundry together.”

“I’d probably have Kreacher do that, with proper care of course. He'd be employed not enslaved if that-” Regulus started rambling, letting go of the door to gesture with his hands properly. You groaned. You loved listening to Regulus ramble whether it was about his violin music or some book that really seemed to push his buttons but now was not the time. You were standing on his front doorstep professing your love for him and he was telling you about his activism. You agreed with him, of course, but time and place.

“Godric, Regulus are you going to kiss me or not? Are we something that could happen or should I start running now?” You stared at him as he shook his head like his thoughts of Kreacher could fly out his ears.

“Right, yeah.” Regulus pushed himself off the door, stepping into your space. He gently pulled you forward. His breath warmed your face, you caught hints of his favorite tea. You leaned forward, meeting him in the middle. His kiss was gentle like he still wasn’t entirely sure if this wasn’t a dream. Regulus pulled back before you wish he did. You kept your eyes closed just a little extra second. If you opened your eyes and you were still at the chapel, you’d be married to a woman you just met. You felt Regulus’ thumb stroking your cheekbone, silently begging you to open your eyes. You grinned, your almost-wife wouldn’t touch you as gently as Regulus did. You met Regulus’ eyes. He was smiling back at you, granted it was small but that’s not the point. You fiddled with the buttons on his black shirt.

“I made extra dinner if you’d like to join me,” Regulus muttered, jumping over the kiss to talk about a mundane topic. You’ve shared dinner hundreds of times. You were glad after all the chaos of today you could easily return your dear Regulus and join him at his table like it was any other day.

“Mm you know I think my schedule might be a little packed, I do have a honeymoon to get to.” You muttered. Regulus groaned, stepping away from you. He pushed your shoulder towards his door, stepping out of the way. You stepped through the door.

“While we’re still on the topic, what was your fiancée’s name?” Regulus asked, moving behind you to pick a peice of fuzz off your jacket. You gave him a confused look over your shoulder.

“Why?”

“I want it to be the title of my next poem,” Regulus said, pulling out one his dark wooden chairs for you, before leaving toward the kitchen counter when his timer went off. You laughed at him as he returned to the oven. He made you both a plate, settling one in front of you.

While you sat next to Regulus at his table in your stupid wedding tuxedo, you thanked the stars for reminding you of free will seconds before you had to say I do.

[jasmyluv]

016. Delicate

wc: 0.7k

“Scara, hi!” You greet the man in front of you. 

“Hi, [Name].” He greets you back, putting his phone in his pocket. He looks you up and down, observing your outfit. 

“You look nice.” he so casually compliments you. You must say, you could feel your cheeks warm. What a strange occurrence. 

“Thank you.” You utter, playing with the hem of your shirt.

“Where’d you want to go? You ask him, looking at him with interest, waiting for his response.

“It’s almost sunset, I know a place.” Before you can reply, he takes your hand in his and starts speed-walking on the sidewalk. If others were to see this, they would’ve thought you two were dating, hm.

“Damn, why are you walking so fast?” You ask him, panting. Even if you two were hand-in-hand, you had a hard time catching up with his speed, he’s a bit too swift for his short height.

“To catch the sun set, duh.” His cockiness didn’t seem to change. What a shame. 

You both ended up at an abandoned parking lot with many floors, how’d he find this place? If you were being honest, you were frightened by this setting, cobwebs and cockroaches everywhere, ew. There isn’t any trash anywhere, that was a relief. 

“Here.” You suddenly hear Scaramouche’s voice. You walk beside him by the edge of the building, you were both staring at the mild orange sky at the top of the car park. 

“Wow…” You’re awestruck, it was the first time in a while that you breathed so freely. As if you didn’t have a shit ton of pressure put on you to always be number one, to always be perfect. It’s just you, him, and the fresh air that surrounds you. 

“Sit.” Scaramouche interrupts you looking at the sky to invite you to sit down at the edge of the building, your legs dangling. 

“How’d you find this place?” You ask quietly, almost like a whisper escaping in to the wind.

“I was out with Childe and Signora. We saw this place while looking for a place to sit down.” He briefly explains. “Ah.” You respond, continuing to look at the view in front of you.

“So… Tell me. How’s you know, your life?” You ask him. Truth be told, in the few weeks he’s been your friend, you haven’t heard much about his life.

“Well, me and Ei still live together, surprisingly. She’s dating Yae, they’ve been hanging out a lot, thank god.” You’re rather surprised he still lives with his mother, you thought he would’ve run away. 

“Oh? Auntie’s dating someone? Good for her.” You say, seeing the sun slowly lower as the moon rises.

“So, what about you?” He asks you this time. You sit there thinking about your life. It’s been, more or less, the same since he left.

“Uh, it’s fine, I guess. I have some new friends, my mom’s still pressuring me, it's been driving me crazy. I also have you in my life again.” You didn’t mean to let that last part slip, oops.

“Hm, well. You can’t always wish for everything to go your way, it’s triggering, but you just have to accept it. All you can do is just do it, and hope for the best.” He says, looking at the auburn sky he came with you to see. 

“You’re right. But, I can’t accept it. It’s been years since I’ve felt true happiness. Even with my friends, some part of me felt empty. I can’t point it out, nor can I even fill the void.” You sigh, remembering the times you felt this “true happiness”. 

“I’m sure you’ll find it soon, [Name]. You’ll never know when you meet the person that will crowd the empty hole.” How is he always right? 

“... Thank you, Kuni. I’m glad you’re back in my life. You were the only person I could trust. Everyone seems to suffocate me. But when I’m with you, I can breathe freely with no limitations.” You express. You truly were grateful he’s there again. 

“You’re welcome, [Name].” He says, sitting closer to where you were at. You lay your head on his shoulder, admiring the moon’s glow and the many stars that surround it. 

It's been years since you've last talked like this. Though he was prideful and cocky, he's still the Kuni that was there for you, through your ups and downs.

That night, you both talk and talk, laughing at every pun and joke you made, thankful that this moment is happening.

previous :: MASTERLIST :: next

Of All People… - scaramouche x fem!reader smau

SYNOPSIS When you, a student who finds her best friend admits the terrors of high school. A best friend who've you'd hated ever since he left. Of all people, why was he the one to make you swoon, a person you swore to hate?

Fun facts!

Scaramouche is very observant. Ergo, he will notice every little thing about you. From your change in style to the way you hold your bag.

You're surprised he still lives with Ei because he always used to talk back and disobey her.

Ei is girlie pop!!

Scaramouche is a natural at giving advice that digs deep down your mind, it stays with you for weeks

Tag list; Open!

@viridescent-ivy @sakiimeo @ttoshiiroz @lxry-chxn @stopandget-help @r0ttenhearts @h-8chi @thenightsflower @killuixz @linn-a-a @vodkistt @raideneiari @yuyan @layla240 @barbatosfavouritenun @plinkuro @taikabae @beriiov @ghostxrism @rifran @elakari @kairxse @belovedxiao @alwaysmentallyill @mellowknightcolorfarm @xingyunclouds @scooofyaei @nambii @scaraapologist @samyayaya @kunikuzushisbeloved @dee-zbignuts @kaekazuha04 @monochromaticelliot @erosdevil @wisteriarain @kaoyamamegami @dazaiswifenicole @phoenix-eclipses @vivinsoul @vuvulia @r4yyyyy @cinnamontimecrunch @whatamidoing89 @aludicpoet @cindywasneverhere

[redwidow616]

Okayyyyyy it's 11 pm and i just watched the new aaa episode and i can't sleep before i write down all my thoughts so spoilers under the cut

I swear how many times do they wanna make me think mrs. Hart is coming back?? Literally the first scene i was like waiit green witch? Animals coming out of her grave (i think)? But then it was "just" the salem seven and i was just sitting there thinking whyyyy am i doing this to myself right before i want to go to sleep?? But it was okay, not as scary as i thought it would be (im such a baby about stuff like this istg even tho i never even get nightmares)

The broom ride looked soooo cool, them in front of the moon, rio being crazy, just everything

Ngl i was sure the salem seven would at least try to come in or wod be shown following them somehow at the end. I mean they had to get through the studio house somehow but yeah I'm sure we'll see them againIt was soooo funny to me when they showed the ouija (is that how it's spelled??) board, seriously marvel, two witch clichés in one episode I was also surprised this was already agathas trial because i was convinced hers would be last but oh well

Her imitating mrs hart tho like girl show some respect like wtf was that, then when she was possessed before we new it was her mom, again with the horror movie cliche, like a witch from back then would actually do that?? Also what kinda shitty ass mother is she, i can't believe she would say that to agatha

Of course the whole solution part was crazy, i loved how rio was basically like no one can have her except me to her mom and while i was not very excited for mom!agatha but the Nicholas scratch thing pulling her out of possession was kinda cute ngl

But ALICE NOOOOO i can't believe agatha did that, now we already have two dead witches :(( also did they just leave her there?????? For the salem seven to find and idk eat or smth?????? And teen being so concerned for her, it broke my heart

But of course the ending!!!!!! WHAT WAS THAT???????? WHAT DO YOU MEAN HIS MOM????? WANDA???!!???!!!!! WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN TO THE THREE OF THEM NOW????? WHERE DID RIO GO????? TEEN IS WEARING THE SCARLET WITCH CROWN BUT IN SILVER????? WERE THE PEOPLE SAYING HE'S WICCAN RIGHT???? ( i actually have no idea about this, i didn't read the comics)

seriously @rorysfreakshow616 you were completely accurate when telling me the last scene is crazy, i thought maybe it would be alice rising from the dead or smthn or the salem seven getting them, i actually thought they had possessed jen and lilia for a sec before i saw that there eyes were the same colour as teens magic and i was also just sitting there with my mouth wide open thinking wtfwtfwtfwtfwtf after i finished this episode

Also one last random spontaneous thought, what of teens spell book was another copy of the dark hold?

Okay I'm done now, I'll probably rewatch this episode cus I'm crazy about it and i can't wait for the next one

[kaaaaaaarf]

Chapter 7 of everywhere, everything by @lynxindisguise is up, so I have updated the playlist! I'm going to be real with you, this one made me feel feelings.

Universe 95: Musicians song lyrics and meanings behind the cut (spoilers if you haven't read the chapter!)

+ Through Me (The Flood) by Hozier

Even though this chapter takes place in the 90s, Sirius is very much a Hozier-like musician, singing political songs disguised as love songs. This song felt appropriate.

And he swims on Turning back to shore again Above the outer atmosphere Of a world he's never seen And looking down to his new home He feels the rising of a wave and knows at once He will not weather it Like that man I looked down into the depths when I met you I couldn't measure it Any time I'd struggled on Against the course, out on my own Every time, I'd burn through the world, I'd see That the world, it burns through me But when I'd let go (I'd let go)

+ Thinking About You by Radiohead

A classic 90s song with a dash of longing. I think this one is this universe's Remus during the years before he got with Kingsley and after whatever happened between him and Sirius fizzled out.

Been thinking about you, your records a hit Your eyes are on my wall, your teeth are over there But I'm still no one, and you're not a star What do you care? [...] I've been thinking about you, so how can you sleep? These people aren't your friends, they're paid to kiss your feet They don't know what I know Why should you care, when I'm not there? Been thinking about you, and there's no rest Shit, I still love you, still see you in bed But I'm playing with myself? What do you care when I'm not there?

+ Lover You Should Have Come Over by Jeff Buckley

I couldn't get through the playlist for this chapter without some Jeff Buckley. This is very much Sirius regretting his choices in the past.

Sometimes a man gets carried away When he feels like should be having his fun Much too blind to see the damage he's done Sometimes a man must awake to find that Really he has no one So I'll wait for you, love And I'll burn Will I ever see your sweet return? Oh, will I ever learn? Oh-oh, lover, you should've come over 'Cause it's not too late [...] It's never over My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder

+ Your Needs, My Needs by Noah Kahan

Both Sirius and Remus in this chapter seem to have different needs that keep them apart.

Oh well, who was I? Who was I to watch you wilt? You ain't gotta tell me what it means Trace the outlines of your dreams You'll always be a flower on my skin And the pain that I am in It's all the same The losing touch, the waiting game You cross that county line I promise to be there this time, alright? You were a work of art That's the hardest part Howling like dogs in the light of the moon Holding our breath after 1:32 You asked me why I wasn't sayin' a word I'm namin' the stars in the sky after you

+ Lovers In A Dangerous Time by Barenaked Ladies

This one for me is very much original universe Sirius and Remus. It's a cover from the 90s and also features some strings, so I felt it fit very well.

Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by? We never get to stop and open our eyes One minute you're waiting for the sky to fall And next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all Lovers in a dangerous time [...] When you're lovers in a dangerous time Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight

+ The Look You Give That Guy by The Eels

Sirius wants to be in Kingsley's shoes so bad.

I'm nothing like what I'd like to be I'm nothing much I know it's true I lack the style and the pedigree And my chances are so few That look you give that guy I wanna see Looking right at me If I could be that guy Instead of me I'd give you all I got I never thought that I could be so bold To even say these thoughts aloud But if, let's say, it won't work out You know where I can be found

+ Paper Thin Motel by Matt Maltese

I included this cover to honour everyone's new favourite thruple. May Sirius, Kingsley and Remus be happy for many moons.

The walls of this hotel are paper-thin Last night I heard you making love to him The struggle mouth to mouth and limb to limb The grunt of unity when he came in I stood there with my ear against the wall I was not seized by jealousy at all In fact a burden lifted from my soul I heard that love was out of my control

[george228732]

Fylass Through the Looking Glass - Chapter One EX - The Witch Hunt

The moon was rising, and the sun was setting. 

Dero and Ades were walking down the silent paths of Wonderland, with the sounds of crows, owls and the wind being the only sounds around. Ades was wondering why Dero needed their help; they were friends for a long time, but after some misunderstandings, their reunions were cut short.

The Wise Warrior decided to speak up to Dero, not because of their new reunion, but for other things that made him curious.

"...So, what were you doing at the Memory Lane Cinema?"

"..." Dero didn’t answer back, but it was noticeable that his face became one of pure melancholy. Ades seemingly knew exactly what Dero was going through, or at least, he had an idea, but that same thought filled him with sorrow. 

"...I am sorry."

"Thou-... You are forgiven."

All of them walked around the circus when the time came; it was still there, hopefully, with the Cheshire Cats sleeping atop of each other after causing chaos, and the attractions still going strong, with less people around, yes, but it was nice to see the circus around, again. Both would’ve loved to be there, but the air of awkwardness and purpose around there made them unable to do so.

Winds of regret, and hopelessness were around, but they were soon replaced by a warm feeling of comfort being led by the comforting light of the Card Castle’s outskirts, as if that stinge of humanity led both to the entrance.

"Oh, hello again, Jailer Dero, and… Diamond." Ava was the one at the entrance, along with Verin, who was waving awkwardly at both. 

"Greetings, General Ava." Ades said.

With these salutations, both Ades and Dero entered, leaving the cold winds behind, embracing the comforting warmth of Dolly’s castle, which was waiting right at her royal chair in the dining room. 

"Oh! Hi there, again, Dero, and Ades! Dolly is happy to see you again!"

"Hello again, My Queen, hope you had a lovely day."

"Dolly did! Thank you! Where are Fylass and the rest, though?"

"I am pretty sure that they are at Underland at the moment, you don’t need to worry!" Ades spoke up.

"Oh! Dolly is glad that they achieved that goal! She wants to see them soon, so she has hope that they will come back as soon as possible!"

Dero and Ades were happy to see her happy, especially Dero. 

"Oh! Also, dinner is ready! Please, sit down and eat with Dolly and the rest of the knights!" Dero seemed hesitant with the idea, since he was here to talk to Aes about… certain topics, but he couldn’t refuse Dolly with that idea, maybe because she was the Queen, or maybe it was for something else. He looked at Ades, which seemed pretty convinced with the idea.

"Yes, My Queen. We can do that." He spoke with such kindness that Ades seemingly did not believed, but chuckled afterwards. 

"Great! Please, sit down right there, and everything will be ready for you!" Dolly really was trying to be the best Queen around, and Dero knew; he wasn’t this happy for a Queen on the rise for… a while.

Dero and Ades sat down on their respective tables, as the rest of the knights, and people at the Castle sat down to eat with the Queen, which seemed ecstatic for this. Dero on the other hand, seemed melancholic, and Ades knew why…

The dinner was big, with pasta as the main course, and sweets as the dessert; it was clear that Dolly was the one that ordered this, such innocence may seem pure, but who would know when the time comes for someone willing to take advantage of her. 

Ades and Dero were looking at each other, the former seemingly hiding Blossom on  his coat, giving her most of the food to eat; ever since she shattered and formed back again, he swore to himself that he wouldn’t let her go, just like that. The latter though, was doing his best to not make a mess of himself; not having hands surely was a problem, but at least, he tried to be as "classy" as possible.

The rest of the knights were all bickering in a friendly way; talking about how their patrols were, or talking about how the place seemed more merry ever since the Club appeared to control the situation.

Soon enough, everyone was done eating, and that feeling of a home was oozing out of the castle. Twilight Knight and Verin were drawing at the table, like kids; Dero knew that those two were wanting to do that for a while anyways, so, he wasn’t surprised to say the least.

Everyone left the table, at last, and Dolly was about to leave, but was quickly stopped by Dero. "My Queen, sorry for bothering you at this time, but we need to talk about something you might have interest in."

"Oh, sure! What is it?"

"Ades, could you open the door of your respective story? There’s something I need to show you." Dero said.

Pleiades nodded in confusion; was that the reason why Dero needed his help? Was there something bigger to this? What was he not telling? Either way, he complied, and the three left towards the second story to open the Diamond Door. 

As the three went upstairs, they saw the guards that were about to sleep, in much more comfortable rooms than the ones they had the displeasure to sleep in before, but that displeasure became confort, hopefully. Dolly wished them good night, as she saw TK, Verin, Ava and some other knights go into their designated rooms to catch some well deserved sleep; even when the new Queen was around, there still was a job to do. Doors closed, and one target to go.

Blossom picked up the key from within Pleiades’ coat, and placed it on one of his paws, and after one sincere smile from him towards her, used the key to open the door. A door to a room that Dolly hasn’t seen.

The room had purple as its primary color, with a green carpet; paintings resembling Cherry Blossoms were on the wall, among the many bookshelves that were filled, a piano was right next to one of them and at the end of the hallway, there was a green throne, with a diamond suit painting right above it.

"Wow! This place is so pretty!" Dolly spoke up with glee.

"It has been a while ever since I explored this room. I hope that what you’re looking for is worth it, Dero." 

Dero nodded, and quickly went towards one specific bookshelf, and used one of his swords to point at one book. "Could you pick this book up, please?" He said, pointing to Ades. "I would do that myself, but I am sure you know why I can’t."

The caterpillar couldn’t help but laugh at that fact, and between chuckles, he picked up the book. It was titled "Bestiary". The book was red, and golden framed, with a moon symbol at the cover.

"...Why this book?" 

"Look at page 163. My Queen, you should look at this too." Dero spoke up towards Dolly, who took a peek at it as well.

"GRIMMASTER CURSE - JABBERWOCKY" That was the title of the page.

"This being is under the influence of a curse that has been around since the very beginning of Wonderland’s Foundation. It is currently unknown what is the source of it, but it has been passed across generations by different draconic creatures for millenia. The ones under the influence experience severe hysteria and aggressive tendencies, which peak up to the point of harming, and killing others. The most recent Jabberwocky, is an individual known as Grimmaster Celesta, who has been missing ever since the death of four knights at the Infinitea Curse Incident, one of them being a domesticated Jabberwocky."

"It is imperative that this creature must be contained, or terminated."

Dolly’s face of confusion and curiosity becme one of dread; how was it possible that she, being the Queen, didn’t know about this threat looming over her kingdom?

"This creature is on the loose, and I fear it has become much more aggressive. Our mission is to search for it, and to terminate it, maybe not once and for all, but for enough time to find a way to get rid of it permanently."

"W-WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL DOLLY ABOUT THIS?! YOU MUST’VE TOLD HER!" Dolly screamed with fear; the news didn’t make her happy. 

"I apologize, My Queen, but I didn’t want to alert you about it that early. We are going to look out for her tomorrow, for your safety. Your safety is in my hands, and I won’t fail you." 

"P-Please! Don’t go, Dolly doesn’t want you to get hurt!"

"I’ve been living for more than 9,000 years at this point, so I know what to do; this isn’t the first time I’ve defeated an iteration of the Jabberwocky, so I promise that I won’t get hurt and I won’t leave you alone."

"...Okay…"

"Now please, go to sleep. If you have problems doing so, use the music box I bought you that one time, okay?"

"...Alright, goodnight, Dero… Dolly will see you tomorrow morning…" Dolly said as she left the room with concern.

"Goodnight, My Queen."

The room was silent for a while, but Ades was prone to speak afterwards.

"...So, that’s it? Just wondering…"

"Actually, I wanted to talk with you about something else…" Dero pointed towards a specific point of the hallway; there was a table, with two chairs, and a chessboard along with its pieces right above it. "We can play some chess in the meantime if you like it."

"Alright?" 

Both sat down, and quickly pondered over their thoughts at the chessboard. It was prone for Dero and Ades to do their first moves, and they quickly moved their pawns.

"So, what is it?"

"...You see, I need to talk to you about… something more important." Dero said as he used his sword to move another pawn.

"Can you stop with the mystery, please?" Ades remarked, moving another pawn, in a more erratic strategy.

"Do you remember the Moon of Despair?" Dero moved another piece.

"...The Devil, are you saying? Of course I remember. That bastard Suit." Ades moved yet another piece.

"It’s back, and I am sure. We all thought you and the other suits were able to banish him completely to the Void of Agony, but it’s back…"

"Eh? How could that be?"

"You see… When the incident happened, we all shattered, and reformed back. I am sure you remember that perfectly. You see, the hole that was close to your domains was the main entrance to that Void, and even if you thought that it was finally sealed, it only spread towards Wonderland again, but balance was found again, or atleast, you thought so."

"E-Excuse me? How could that be? Vibrato, Giselle, Tenebra and I were able to seal it completely! What nonsense are you saying?"

"...It’s in Underland. Wonderland is safe, but won’t be for long. The Jabberwocky being back only means that the Moon of Despair is also here as well… I have the suspicion that the Club is involved."

"...Are you saying that Fylass is a traitor?"

"No. I am just saying that the Club is connected to it. In fact, I think they are the Wonderlander Deity."

"Okay, that’s enough. You’re just spilling nonsense."

"...You know me, Ades. I have enough proof to say that they are our God, but it’s getting too late to discuss it now. I can see that Blossom is asleep." Ades was surprised by that statement; he didn’t know that Dero had noticed Blossom, and indeed, she was asleep."

"...We must talk about this tomorrow."

"It seems that our king is back."

"...My rule has long since ended, but it seems that I need to guide Dolly and the rest to be protected against this enemy, if what you’re saying is true. Dolly needs to receive guidance from a former King, after all. I shall take my leave now, but tomorrow morning, we will meet again."

"Understood, King Ades."

"Don’t call me that."

"Okay. I wish you good sleep, Ades."

"...Goodnight."

Ades left the room, and Dero looked back to the chessboard; Ades’ pieces were scattered over the whole board, and Dero’s pieces were all protecting the Queen.

"...Sigh."

Dero left, and was about to sleep, going towards the dorms of the Queen to check on Dolly, until he noticed something. 

At one of the tables, there was an open letter. Dolly must’ve left it there to check on it tomorrow, but Dero was curious about it, since something familiar was oozing out of it.

"We must meet again. Meet me at the place where I used to live before becoming Queen; the eternal night will rise again if we don’t act now, so please, our reunion must be made soon."

"...Giselle?" She was someone Dero loved a lot, but thanks to the Moon of Despair, and his influence, she met a horrible demise. Why was this note here though? The way of writing felt exactly how she would write, and Dero knew it exactly.

"...If this is a joke, I will kill the person who did it, but if it isn’t… I must see her again… This is stupid, but I need to check in this information." Dero went towards the first story, and used the backdoor to go to the outskirts, leading to the Tarot Village. If what the letter said was true, his destination was close to there.

Steps were taken, and soon enough, the Castle became more and more distant, and the Jailer was able to see a heart shaped clock, and it revealed that it was 11:59.

"It’s a minute before another day; it will soon be the day when I left you behind…"

---------------

@monsterhatdoodles (CREATOR OF THE DOODLES OF THIS CHAPTER)

@loaflovesdoodling

@that-fanperson-meg

@avathestarwarrior

@the-chaos-axolotl

@ilikesillythingswooo

@den-of-the-blue-dragon